OMG THANK YOU, for making me realize I am not the only one who can’t take (and I love the way you put it) Sonny Hospital anymore. Well said in adding we need more history play, there is so much that can be done if not we can kiss this soap goodbye like the rest that are RIP.

I’m also in agreement with you two,can’t stand Sonny Hospital or the gangster stuff anymore,I want the good written stories brought back from many years ago when the writers included the history which was excellent and they used the older actors which are so much better then these younger ones. Genie,Jane,Jon Linstrom,Monica,Bobbie,Mac etc. I’d watch them all day over alot of this other garbage. I miss those days terribly!

True dat! I fast forward through the Sonny show which means I am fast forwarding a lot!
They need to write Sonny some decent material.
Loving Tracy and Laura! Girl power!

Well, now, my Jimmy. You know our minds are always in sinc….HaHaHa.
Good to see you back !!!

Yes, jimh…It is VERY good to see you back…Wishing you well on this blessed Easter morning!

Hi Rebecca,
Guess I just don’t like the device of deux ex machina applied to ANY drama–but most especially the overused “man to the rescue.”
(PS I really wish I liked you-know-who because I truly LOVED him for so long–alas!)

LOL…Don’t let the present spoil your memories. As Jessica Rabbit said…”I was drawn this way.” Thus, Luke can’t be blamed for how he was “drawn” in the end….

Tony Geary didnt want a happy ending with Luke and Laura.

Laura and Tracy are great together but it was a stretch to fit Laura into Tracy’s quest. PLUS, what did Laura really do? When she saw the painting a gentleman showed up and spoke English! He Cee, by the way, God bless our president and prayers to the men, women and children of Syria!

@Timmm.
You bet, Timmmy. The president had the , ahem, b…rains to castigate Assad for crossing the proverbial red line. For once, both sides clapped. I hope the retaliation sent a warning message to the other evil-doers.
I am as confused as you about Laura’s ‘jaunt’ to Turkey. I wonder if the mystery girl has anything to do with this convoluted trip.

Hey, CeeCee Girl!!!….By now should we not know better than to “why ask why” when there is no plausible explanation at hand??????? It’s not supposed to beggar belief or seem amazing to us that Laura should have a grasp of Turkish…After all, she only spent most of her adult life in a catatonic state!!! I’m sure she had plenty of opportunities to learn a second language whilst perched in that rocking chair at the sanitarium…hah! But seriously, I suppose she could have picked it up in the rapidly-changing multicultural Paris through those long and laborious years of “treatments” the GH… Read more »

and the tail wagged the dog.

No, actually, if memory serves, that was “Slick Willy!”

Thanks Shay, I hope you had a nice Easter as well. I am a fan of Luke BUT I just want a good exit story for Tracy, thats all. I dont care if he shows or not.

Hey, Shay,
Second, or third attempt here. I did reply as soon as I got back.
Nonetheless, I do not want you to think I’m ignoring you, amica bella.
All these names, “Slick Willy”, Jimmy Lee Holt etc. add to my confusion….especially the fact that Edward Q went by that name, as well?
It is also stunning to me how the rape of a woman ( Laura) was so morbidly twisted into a sublime love story for the sake of convenience. Poetic licence? Yet, I do not see the “poetry”. LOL.
Thank you for the Easter Greeting. Likewise.

Hey Shayster, you misunderstood my comment towards Laura. Saying that was an F.U. towards Laura by Luke leaving with Tracy is not my desire nor a knock at Genie. The F.U.. would be from Tony to Genie. I dont know what is up his ass in regards to her as a person? He doesnt like the sugary Luke and Laura happy ending all the fans wanted. Tony never wanted to be know as ONE character like a Superman or Batman type cast. I think as he got older he let it go and took the GH paycheck. I liked his… Read more »

Rhonda, I just want to thank you for sharing opinions on your “fast forward through the Sonny show.” To me — and many of us, as we see here — this is what is wrong with GH, and it’s been wrong for two and a half decades. Once in a while, the writers throw us a bone and honor legacy characters, such as Laura and Tracy. More of that, please… Take care, Friend!

Thank you, James! “Fast-forwarding” frequency would prove an intriguing concept for viewing measurement, that’s for sure. Especially in the case of soap operas, where, as we sadly know, the popularity—or lack thereof—of certain characters can make—or break—the entire show experience and rationale for whether one will bother to tune into a particular episode or follow a specific story arc. (Can you say “Sonny Corinthos???”)

I will take either Grant but Anna has her hands full already so bring back Grant Andrews to GH. I love that we actually have some doctors on the show but Grant would be a welcomed change and a connection to the past.

This is true, Timmm….GH has had some really great medicos in the past, like Noah Drake, Jeff Webber and Grant Andrews! It would be so good to see them return to keep up the institution’s place as a hub for both romance and intrigue…the generic doctors that pass through the scenes just for show really don’t cut it on a soap that built its history on hospital happenings, and the current roster of personnel, such as the recovering(?) drug addict Finn and even my favorite ferocious frau, Dr. O., don’t exactly inspire confidence in the profession.

Michael still lives there. He is a Quartermaine too. Poor guy, is so easily forgotten.

Actually, I was not crazy about Laura’s constant chatter about leaving the painting there, because that’s what Edward would have wanted, etc. ad nauseum.

My 4K television must be working great. There’s no way fake Larry looks 20 years older than WK

hi nancy !
No, I missed that one..
I have read that Tracy & Tony are great friends and share much life in their real lives ..
I do hope Tracy exits with Luke/Tony ..
It is the only way for her to go, with Luke..

And- both are cornerstones of GH, both put in near a life time with GH ..

It must be in MB’s contract that only minimal mention of AJ is allowed — sort of like KM’s agreement never to mention Sam’s specific bad deeds.

Thanks for your reply and compliment, Shay! And you are so right with your post about the “sordid chapter of GH stories past” as well as the tainted association with the song “Rise.” I believe the videos of the GH scenes in question are available at youtube, but I clearly remember Laura saying, “No,” even if Luke didn’t pay attention and even if the writers/producers forgot that fact. Take care, Friend!

Genie was so young at the time. I dont think she even knew how to sell it as much as EP Gloria Monty directed her in the right direction. But Genie pulled it off and the rest is history. As far as “Rise”, we wouldnt have to worry about that happening today, the music is so generic, canned if you will, no bad memories would be associated with the crap they play! I cannot STAND that same loop they play at the Metro Court!

Shay, thank you for providing much needed texture and analysis to this pivotal plot point in a major chapter in GH history. You spelled it all out so adeptly. GH promotions department could use you! Specifically, yes, you’re right about Laura being somewhat attracted to Luke and having guilt over those feelings. Also, at that young age, Francis did show great range. Even when she first appeared as Laura and was caught up in the murder of that yucky David character, she was thrust into a very adult, very complicated and serious storyline and handled the acting duties quite well.… Read more »

Celia, so nice to hear from you! I apologize that I haven’t been around here much lately. But it’s refreshing to see your posts when I can. Your mantra of “the same old story” seems to be the modus operandi for the top GH brass. I wish they would listen more to their viewers and make adjustments as needed, instead the endless barrage, as shoved down viewer’s throats. Take care, Friend!

Celia, thanks so much for the shout-out (which I just noticed) on my losing “moral center” comment. You are so right about soaps’ tactics of crimes and sins being “swept under the rug…in order to excuse the means and satisfy the ends.” I think that sometimes soap writers and producers wish the viewers would develop occasional amnesia and forget certain storylines, plot twists, and characters… Take care, Friend!

Anne, well said! The rape was even glamorized with its own theme music: Herb Alpert’s “Rise.” And so GH went on to crown the rapist as the show’s hero and star. The actor left and returned a few times, and each time was given a hero’s welcome, preferential treatment over over long-term actors, and top billing and pay. They kept up this shameful tradition with the despicable character of Sonny who has committed countless crimes, including murder. They have tried to glamorize and make a hero out of this verbally abusive thug who never pays for his crimes. The actor… Read more »

I think the ‘sin’ is well understood, by all of us, Anne….especially by us women. Rape is a crime, of course. I know Msry knows that, LOL. I detect a little sarcasm on Mary’s part. Nonetheless, how else would Luke hsve been redeemed. It’s an age-old gimmick, technique, if you will ; adopted by soaps to mold a storyline at will. One way or another; more or less, everyone on soaps has committed a crime that should not have been swept under the rug. The ‘sin’ is gone with the tide, in order to excuse the means and satisfy the… Read more »

Good point, Anne. The problem is that the writers did not know that the fans were going to love the chemistry which was ignited between Laura and Luke. They wrote the rape scene before they knew that these two would be fan favorites. They had to engage in damage control ever since. I also take issue with Sonny looking like a hero. Today he was in a state of moral indignation because he learned that Nelle drugged him and made him THINK he had sex with her when he did not. When Sonny was a young man, not much older… Read more »

To clarify…there was never a doubt that Edward loved Tracy. But she had doubts and insecurities; she was always seeking his approval. The two had an up/down rather dysfunctional relationship. But this ending wasn’t a twist or a change in history…just a poignant way to send her off (hopefully with an adventure we’ve yet to see) validating what she needed to hear.

hey rebecca1 !
Wally has been doing both soaps for a looong time..
I wish he’d just be with GH especially now that he will be one of the two Q’s left..
Gotta have Wally/Ned to keep the Q’s alive!

The racial innuendos of your post, Shay, are inappropriate and offensive. You bring up his black son, and now another offspring of the” unsavory variety.” A “pc” story… You did the same thing when Valerie was introduced. You were appalled that she wasn’t blonde and blue-eyed and voiced your disapproval at every chance.

Do you even realize the things that come out of your “mouth.”

Hey, Rebecca. LOL, one way or another, we Europeans are all related, somehow. Actually, my brother-in-law was reared as Roman Catholic, as his mother is Irish. There are so many intermartiages (faith-wise) in the family that we celebrate everything….it matters not; being together is what’s important, albeit the customs are as different as night and day. Did you eat the rabbit? HaHa. Typically and traditionally, the Italian Easter meal consists of leg of lamb and baked, chunky potstoes with onions, oregano, oil and vinegar; fried spaghetti pie stuffed with hard boiled eggs, provolone piccante, marmiggiano and soppressata. But, rabbit comes… Read more »

@CeeCee…nooooo…didn’t eat it! I’m a vegetarian but even if I wasn’t…blech!!!%&%*$(*)$_$ (They tried that “tastes just like chicken” line on me, too!)

This was a Sicilian family so maybe the food is different than Italian. I think, but can’t say for sure, that the rabbit was the main meat…and then there was lasagna, and other stuff including fried cardoon, which was delicious. And don’t get me started on the desserts! 😉

Despite having Paul Hornsby as a father, Dillon’s last name is Quartermaine (as is Ned’s middle name). Monica was last married to Alan, so she has the name, too. Being on the forefront of feminism, I don’t believe Tracy ever changed her last name with all her marriages.

Celia, dear, we spent most of 2013 dealing with Edward’s will. Tracy was a left a jar of Pickle-Lila.

And don’t forget “Jimmy Lee Holt,” yet another illegitimate product of Edward’s loins, CeeCeeGirl! It would make sense if he–or his progeny—came slinking back to Port Charles to make their claim to the Q fortune.

@Steve.
Hi, Steve,
Thank you for the GH lesson. I find myself very challenged, indeed, when it comes to this soap.
I shoud “educate” myself on “all things General Hospital” before I stick my foot in it…or open my mouth?? LOL.
Shay has been “teaching” me for months. There are still very obscure details lingering……

@Shay.
Hey, Shay,
I’m starting to get the drift, bell’amica! Edward Q sired many an offspring out of wedlock. Oh, gee, how pedestrian! I can’t believe it! LOL. So true to form, eh?!
Well, it seems that another fruit of Edward’s loins has just ripened, posthumously????? DOUBLE LOL.
Tracy has a new sister; Samara, which is a noble Hebrew name ( and my niece’s middle name).

It’s not about technicality, CeeCee, as in who has the last name. Ned and Dillon are Tracy’s sons and she is a Quartermaine. Aj and Jason are Alan’s sons…so they, too, are Quartermaine’s. There was Edward, Lila, Emily, Justice, Skye…and, of course, Monica. So when we talk about the “Q’s” and that there’s no one left…it’s really about how the house was filled with all these people and their crazy dynamics. It was the hub of the show for a while…Sonny used to come over, Brenda (who loved Lila), Alice, the housekeeper…it was a “full house”…one we loved. So when… Read more »

Oh yes, CeeCeeGirl!!!….The ever-randy Edward certainly “got around” and he left “remnants” of his presence in many a far-flung location…LOL. The same can be said for his son, Alan…that particular apple certainly didn’t fall far from the Quartermaine tree!!! Honestly, I could have done without this specific sort of sordid send-off scenario for Tracy…to be reminded once again of your dearly departed father’s philandering ways doesn’t seem to me a very uplifting farewell message, but I suppose it does play in perfect concert with Edward’s dubious moral character. (Lest we ever forget….) By the way, in response to your “Easter”… Read more »

@rebecca1. Hi rebecca, Happy Passover ( past). One of my brothers-in-law’s father is Sephardic ; so, we celebrate both Easter and Passover when together. Thank you for the history….and, I guess it, definitely, is not about technicalities. I need to get in line with the fact that patriarchy, especially in soaps, means squat. Too passe’, perhaps? Considering the fact that the Q family seems to adhere to this sense of ‘first family’ notion, LOL, i thought that primogeniture would be a huge thing. Then again, Queen Elizabeth has changed girls’ equality as succession to the throne. To your point, I… Read more »

@Shay, Hi, ma belle, This truly has been a learning site, LOL. I always pictured Edward, in my mind’s eye, as this super-human patriarch who could do no wrong. As far as I can see, none of the Q’s is free of the debauchery/skylarking gene? I hope TPTB have a cohesive story where this Samara is concerned ( albeit beautiful, her eyes are very petrifyingly scary, lol). Is her ‘ sojourn’ in PC permanent? One Q daughter exiting; another entering? Considering the turmoil in the world I hope we do not fall prey to a political storyline ( Turkey and… Read more »

Thanks, CeeCee. I’m actually from European ancestry…Austria, Hungary…and believe it or not even though your brother-in-law is Jewish the European and Sephardic have some different customs. I was surprised to find it out myself when an ex-boyfriend of mine, who was Sephardic, was eating certain foods on the holiday that I wouldn’t. Interesting… Happy Belated Easter! LOL..I remember going to an ex’s house who was Sicilian…and they served rabbit!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! My animal-loving, vegetarian self loaded up on a LOT of bread, salad and pasta!!! 😉 As for the Q’s…think Kennedy’s. When they get together, husbands, wives, children, grandchildren, etc…it’s still… Read more »

CeeCee;;;as for Jax, he was always the light to Sonny’s dark. He was the knight-in-shining armor…rich, handsome (not to you I know) but he was gorgeous, debonair, worldly. He was a great influence on Carly when they were married and he loved Michael and Morgan; wanted to adopt them and take them away from Sonny’s mob influence. Believe it or not Carly cheated on Jax with Sonny…and the rest is history. Hard to believe…LOL. Not a choice I would’ve made!!!

@CeeCeeGirl….Your pre-conceived impression of Edward is understandable, given your only exposure to the character was at the end of his life, as portrayed by the engaging John Ingle, who presented the senior Quartermaine as a warm and fuzzy rascal, yet one that was often irascible and possessing a clever capability for trickery….all very lovable and endearing. However, the “original” Edward was far more deceptive, ruthless and prone to all sorts of disagreeable antics, especially when it came to his beloved ELQ. Although he was undoubtedly besotted with his long-suffering spouse, the lovely Lila, he still had no compunction when it… Read more »

@Shay.
Thanks for “a day in the life of the Q’s’. LOL. I have, pretty much, surmised the ’cause and effect’ of one Edward Quartermaine and Co.
One must admire Monica for accepting and loving Jason, the ‘spoils’ of her husband’s loins (lol), as her own.
As far as Samara; I just have this unshakable feeling that this entire last minute, manufactured story ( to give Tracy’s departure a dramatic twist, perhaps?), will turn political. If truth be known? If this is where it’s going, I do not look forward to it. Why Turkey? A safer topic? Hmmmm.

Speaking of royalty, CeeCee….Here’s wishing a Happy (3rd) Birthday to your own little princess! As you’ve already experienced, that’s such a magical age for sharing life’s great and small pleasures with a child….I remember watching R&H’s superb musical version of Cinderella with my mother and loving every moment of it, too….(“Ten Minutes Ago I Saw You….” still remains a favorite….and the beauteous Lesley Ann Warren played such an enchanting lead character….) As for your observation about the changes made by Queen Elizabeth on the line of succession, it is really a shame it cannot be applied retroactively so that the… Read more »

Hmmm, CeeCeeGirl …I’m not so sure about the “political angle” of Samara just yet? I think she could simply be there out of pure greed….that painting certainly has some highly inherent value to her, however, whether it shall be a matter of $$$ or a deeper, more personal issue still remains to be seen. As for what you term the “day in the life of the Q’s,” we’ve barely scratched the surface, mia amica! Despite Monica’s now-reverent adoration for her late husband, it wasn’t always that way! Remember when Fluke referred to Monica as GH’s one-time “Go To Girl?” Well,… Read more »

Well, CeeCeeGirl, you called it correctly!!! I tuned in today to see Tracy’s big clip show….more about that later….but I was tempted to turn off the program before it had barely begun due to the highly-biased political content that was featured right off the bat….was it really necessary to include that in the storyline? Of course not….but that is just par for the course these days. As if one needs another good reason to tune out….

Tracy was no angel. Her and Luke have more in common than Luke and Laura.

Hi Rebecca 1…I have been quiet for me lately, but everything health-wise is going okay. Hope you are doing well, too. I read that you too had had some ankle/foot problems. Have been mostly enjoying GH, and even the Spectra story on B&B. But there are some GH concerns. I am really tired of the way the writers keep stretching out the Morgan story, with holier than thou Carly and Sonny being more obnoxious than usuaI. I know you are not keen on Nelle, but even when she is trying to do the right thing, Carly is being a real… Read more »

Hey Rose… Yep; last year I was WALKING and got hit by a car. Talk about surreal! I literally flew up on to the hood…face hit the windshield and then I rolled down to the pavement. Talk about an out-of-body experience! It literally reminded me of a chase scene from a crime drama. Thought I lost my teeth, LOL, but thankfully they’re intact. The cop said he saw my lipstick print on the woman’s windshield. I was wearing high heels at the time so when I landed I guess my foot hit down first on the heel…which broke my actual… Read more »

Rebecca 1…I just stumbled onto your Apr 23 reply about your being hit by a car. What a scary thing to happen, and thank goodness “someone” was on your side. You really can’t take anything for granted in life can you? So glad you are on the mend.

Thank you, Rose. Agree. Scary but true.

Yeah…I loved Alan. To kill him, AJ, Emily off…what were they thinkig??? Guess they weren’t.

Anyone remember Stuart Damon as Prince Charming from Cinderella???? So handsome!

@rebecca1.
Yes, rebecca. Love the movie. It was last shown on You Tube, this past November. My little girl ( she’ll be three in May) watched it for the first time. She had stars in her eyes…kept saying ‘again’ after it was over. I chimed ‘again’ with her. LOL.

CeeCee…;)