Random Thoughts on General Hospital

By:  Carolyn Aspenson 

May 12, 2003

I’ve been trying to think of something to write about all week. Frankly, it’s beginning to stress me out. I’ve got some really great ideas and have started about 5 or 6 different essays but I simply can’t complete them. My thoughts are random and my efforts to join them are in vain. I hate that. Finally someone dear to me said, “Just write. Let it all out and see what happens.” So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to write my random thoughts on General Hospital and how I feel about it right now.  

What can I say except, WTF? What is going on? While on vacation a few weeks ago, everything happened and I missed it! Sonny found out that Ric is his brother, Carly was honest with Sonny, we found out the ‘truth’ about Summer and saw Skye in a different light. Now what do we have? Maxie being an idiotic teenager with a hormonal rush, Dillon attempting the Jacob Young look, Tracy’s GONE, (that hurts because I missed it all!), Carly is planning a wedding, Courtney is being stupid (again) and Liz is more of a hypocrite than when I left for vacation.  I just don’t get it. The only good things on GH this week were Luke (as always) and OldnuNik. Oh and fashion-wise, I was quite impressed that the makeup people were able to fit that beautiful head of hair Summer has into that little wig. That’s Emmy material in my book!  

I was excited to come back from vacation because I knew the fallout from the weeks I was gone would be excellent. But it wasn’t. It was mediocre, at best. Liz whined, Faith showed her claws for the umpteenth time (and her inability to use her right foot on the brake), Skye who? Emily went into the hospital for surgery while Zander and Gia continued to connect. Taggert did the same ole’ same ole’ (which I will miss because I love Real and he is such amazing eye candy!) Sonny threatened, Ric threatened, Courtney cowered, Jason got puppy-eyed again, Alexis continued to show her inability to be patient, Scott’s ego grew and Lucky looked like an idiot in his disguise. The “dego T” look isn’t good on anyone! To say I was disappointed is putting it lightly. Usually I look forward to the last 15 minutes or so of Friday’s episode. Would you believe I FELL ASLEEP? I’m sorry GH, I love you. I have watched for 24.5 years but can’t you give me some more consistency week to week?   

Okay, Sage will likely read this and growl. He’s right. Things have improved and the show we once knew and loved is coming back. I think it just slipped this week. It’s been known to happen. I think someone just needs to make a few quick changes and all will be fine. I thought, since I’ve watched the show longer than the writers have been around, I could offer a few ideas. Perhaps TPTB read our website and will consider the following ideas:  

1. Give Elizabeth a backbone and don’t let her allow Ric to do to her what she wouldn’t allow Jason, lie. Allow her to move on. I’m thinking she could move right on back into Jason’s arms! Hey, I’d even go for her with the nunuLucky! They’ve had more chemistry than she and the nuoldLucky ever did!
2. Give Carly something nasty to do again. The scenes with Ric and the gun were good but did she get over that quickly or what? The after effects of that on a PJ woman could be fun to watch but instead we have her playing cupid. That’s not Carly. I already saw “The Wedding Planner”; I don’t need another version of that.
3. Send Maxie and Georgie back to Texas. And don’t let them come back this time!
4. Give me some Skye and Ned already! I had a taste and I want more!
5. Luke, Luke and more Luke please. Give me some Luke and Stefan and I’m one giddily happy gal!
6. OldnuNik! Love it! Bring him on! Just take off that suit coat. It’s far too big and looks ridiculous on him.
7. Get Lucky OUT of the White trash dego T and back into something sexy. What a waste of eye candy. And since Summer is ending, (get it?) let’s see him realizing he does have feelings for Liz. A good triangle with Liz, Lucky and Jason with this Lucky would be tense and hot!
8. Let Zander find out the truth about Emily before he loses it and does something stupid (again!). Enough already. I just want the poor guy to get a break.
9. Someone other than Scotty, Ned and Cameron has got to convince Alexis that she does have some psychological problems and to make her just deal with them already! I’m so over her and her “I need to be with my baby.” She is a smart woman. She knows what she should do. Stupid Alexis is entirely unappealing to me. I am not looking forward to Alexis as a man.
10. Since we are starting to see that the “kiss of death” is happening for Jason and Courtney (puppy love eyes, marriage talk, etc. etc.) just get them married and ruin it already so he can go back to Liz. The ‘bringing them back together’ will be exciting and it gives Carly something to be nasty about again.

 Those are just some of my ideas for storylines. I’m sure we could all come up with many, many more. I know there are others like me who’d like to see Sonny have to really deal with his mental issues instead of being “shocked out” of them. Fans who’d like to see Ric and Faith get what they deserve because I don’t see anything redeemable about them nor do I see them as being much more than a nuisance, not a true threat to Sonny and his world. Personally, I’d like to see Flea back. I miss her. I’d like to see Zander ‘with’ Gia, not only because I like them but because it would be enjoyable to watch Nik deal with that. And Emily for that matter. Maybe then she’d realize she should be honest with those she loves, even if it may hurt them.  

Even though I’m not thrilled with the last week of GH, I’m certainly not giving up. I love the show. I love the way the actors have invested in their characters and how most of them are so believable it can be scary. I like that the Cass/Spencer war is reviving and that Stefan is back to wreak havoc in the life of Luke. Hopefully he can knock some sense into Alexis! I like where the stories are going, I’m just impatient and want them to get there already. I have been with GH through the good and the bad times and I will continue to watch, continue to be happy, sad, frustrated and aggravated with what the writers make of my characters and their stories. I will support the good and complain about the bad. And when all is said and done, I’ll look at my husband and get mad when he says, “Honey, it’s just a soap opera!”