Tag Archives: Jason Morgan

General Hospital: Can this Franco thing work?

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Can this Franco thing work? Maybe. After watching two days knowing for sure that Roger Howarth is playing Franco, I’m still torn but optimistic. My first reaction of being mildly disappointed that they didn’t come up with a more creative solution has been tempered by the many attempts to explain on social media how Franco’s character can push the stories of so many of my other favorite characters further. I’m seeing a small but definitely present opening to being able to connect with Roger Howarth and still think Franco’s wacked out, and I’m trying to stay really positive because I believe there’s a plan. (And if that plan let’s me keep RH and maybe gives me some scenes between him and Laura Wright then I’ll be OK.)

Franco’s presence can give Sam someone to hate more than Dr. Silas, can make Michael question his future relationship with Kiki (Is she his cousin? Is Franco really Jason’s twin and Alan’s son?), and gives Sonny a new person in Port Charles to hate. He also gives AJ the chance at another brother. How will AJ respond to the fact that Franco asked for Michael to be protected, while Sonny and Carly were the reason he was in prison? Is it the enemy of my enemy is my friend scenario? And if Franco is connected to Ava Jerome and AJ and Ava cross paths (still hoping for romance there…), can we see a quadrangle with AJ, Carly, Franco, Ava? There are really lots of possibilities.

The thing I was most worried about was that there wasn’t anything about Franco that made you connect with him in the past. Sure, he was supposed to be rejected by Jason but mostly viewers just found him reprehensible. Yesterday and today, there were flashes (very small) where I actually thought, well maybe he’ll be OK. You see, there’s no way not to at least like Roger Howarth a little bit, so if he’s playing a character with nothing you can connect to, it makes you feel all wigged out on the inside. If it’s all been illusion stuff to hurt Jason then maybe…And there was a moment between him and Michael where I thought it looked like Michael wanted to find a way to forgive him – I could have been imagining it, but RH played that remorse really well.

It’s still just a wait and see game. We won’t be able to judge until we see the stories Ron and Frank have in mind and I’m cool with that. As I said before, I’m not going to quit watching – the fact that my soap is still on the air is an everyday gift. The fact that I can still watch talent like Roger’s on my television is enough. But, I am hoping for it to turn into more than enough…Come on GH – step it up and really make this good!

General Hospital Thoughts on Silas Clay, Kiki Jerome and ???

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So, if you’re a General Hospital fan you’ve no doubt been giving some thought to this crazy situation with the three characters brought over from One Life to Live. I don’t want to re-hash the reasons behind the decision to give the actors completely new characters…it was a legality issue and I support them keeping the talent any way they can. And if anyone can pull off bringing three actors back as three completely new characters it would be the team of Ron Carlivati and Frank Valenti. What I do want to weigh in on is the new characters themselves.

Let’s start with Michael Easton (because I confess to having been in love with ME since his “Days” stint as Tanner.) RC and FV were in a tricky situation. ME had already played the double role as the crazed Stephen Clay (vampire Caleb from Port Charles days). They couldn’t bring a potential romantic lead back as a crazed serial killer, so they went with the brother of said killer Dr. Silas Clay. So far so good. He’s an intelligent character with a reason to be in town (getting custody of his nephew Rafe), and he has already clashed in that “Oh yeah they’re gonna do it one day” way with Sam! Woo hoo! Unless they mess it up by making his identity questionable and hinting he could actually be Stephen, I’d consider ME a successful transition.

Then there’s Kristen Alderson. I have to admit to never really liking Starr. Even on OLTL, and I may have unfairly blamed the actress. I like this character Kiki – although the name is annoying. Her acting is as different as her hair color, and making her the lost Quartermaine heir is genius connection! One caveat – something’s gotta be up with that. There’s obviously a potential triangle brewing with Morgan, Kiki, and Michael, and she’s got great chemistry with both. BUT wouldn’t she be Michael’s cousin if she is really Franco’s daughter? Ick!

And Franco leads us to Roger Howarth, by far one of the best actors on daytime. I’ve loved him as Paul Ryan (ATWT), Todd Manning (OLTL,GH) and now as…well, I don’t know who. However, all signs point to Franco, another evil serial killer character. This is the only situation where I find myself praying that Ron and Frank have something up their sleeves. I want and need to like Roger and I can’t see how you ever redeem the character of Franco. As the show ended today (5/28), the characters assembled at the Haunted Star obviously recognized him and not in a good way. The previews showed Sam yelling, “Is my husband alive?” So, obviously not Jason. I’m still hoping against hope he could be Jerry, because for some strange reason I think he could be redeemed somehow, but Franco? Ick! Again.

It would have been brilliant to bring him back as Jason Quartermaine as opposed to Morgan…erase all memories from the past years since the wreck – put him in the hospital with Dr. Silas Clay, Patrick, and Elizabeth…but alas, it doesn’t seem to have gone that way this time. I still hope they go there one day with a recast.

So, two out of three isn’t bad – and I’m still hopeful that RH will be anyone but Franco. If he’s not I won’t give up. I think Ron can pull something off and I’m committed to GH no matter what. If I made it through Marlena’s possession story on Days of Our Lives I can get through anything – and so can most soap fans. We just love our stories!

General Hospital: Elizabeth Webber gets a life!

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Oh, Elizabeth Webber!

The character of Elizabeth Webber, played by the fabulous Rebecca Herbst, has quickly become one of my top two favorite soap characters of all time. (Tied with Maura West, ATWT, Carly Tenney Snyder) When I started watching General Hospital a few years ago, I had to piece together a picture of who Elizabeth was by reading online recaps and Wikipedia. It was apparent that she wasn’t being used often and it seemed the writers didn’t particularly like her. To be honest, some of this opinion came from the strong fan base she has on Twitter that was very vocal around the time the powers that be tried to fire her. Still, She was the reason I kept tuning in, even when she wasn’t on.

I don’t want to waste time on something that’s never going to happen so there will be no Lucky/Jason debate in this tribute. What I want to focus on is how excited I am that Ron Carlivati and Frank Valenti seem to recognize exactly what they have with Liz! They’ve given her character new friends and it looks like they’re giving her a viable love life as well!

I love the friendships that Liz has built with Sabrina and Felix, as well as the time she spends talking with Epiphany and Patrick! She’s a nurse. She should be found in the hospital and she should have friends there. People come to her for advice and counsel, including AJ Quartermaine. Who could have imagined that three years ago?

Obviously, AJ is prospect #1 for Liz’s romantic future. Their couple name seems to be Quiz and they have their share of fans online. Since the writers brought the handsome Sean Kanan back into the Quartermaine fold, they’ve been laying careful groundwork to test the chemistry between the two. In my opinion, the test has been a success. Liz and AJ have the makings of a great soap couple. They have plenty of shared history to create storyline for years, the least of which is her undying love for his dead brother Jason with whom she shared the cutest soap child (besides Emma Drake) ever – Jake.

I’ve invested in their tentative flirtation. The acceptance they show for each other as people who have both really messed up and moved on is compelling. I enjoy how Monica, who never thought Liz was good enough for Jason, is all for Liz with AJ. Their friendship evolved into a kiss to build a dream on and now they’re “seeing” each other, or maybe they’re “talking”? Who knows what it would be called these days. What’s obvious is that they’re into each other.

As a Liz fan this would have been enough to make me happy, but then Ron and Frank gave me a gift that made it feel like Christmas! Nikolas Cassadine returned to Port Charles.

Now, I was around towards the end of the affair between Nik and Liz when she was married to Lucky. I remember feeling cheated that I hadn’t gotten to see more of their story before I realized that other fans weren’t happy with them being together. The consensus seems to be this was because of the writers, the rabid Lucky/Liz – Jason/Liz fan bases, and the history between Emily, Elizabeth, Lucky and Nik. What I saw when I watched without knowing the history was fabulous chemistry and great actors.

Fast foward to Port Charles 2013. Nikolas, last seen leaving to give Liz and Lucky a chance to reunite and focus on each other, returns and is shot! Oh what a coincidence that this throws him immediately into the path of Liz.

When Liz sat at Nikolas’s bedside and recounted what had happened between them, it definitely softened and explained where they had been coming from. It made something that was badly written the first time around seem like a storyline that made some sense. Then, when Nikolas woke up and the gorgeous Tyler Christopher unleashed that smoking hot stare towards her? I needed a fan. The way he holds her, the way he hugs her…chemistry defined. There’s definitely a part of me that wants a “Niz” relationship done right.

I am so excited for the prospects of Liz Webber under the guidance of Ron and Frank. It looks like we might actually have two men fighting for her affection because they both really want her instead of having all kinds of B.S. angst standing in their way. I think I’m slightly pulling for Nikolas, but that could change as I see more of her and AJ, or watch more of the posturing between the two men. It was so much fun to watch AJ shut the door and mark his territory, while Nik looked confident and almost bored.

I think it’s awesome that this team of writers is taking Liz’s messed up history with one set of men (Lucky and Jason) who she was always chasing and transferring it to their brothers (AJ and Nik) who seem to be all about her! Finally! Elizabeth Webber might be getting the life she deserves!