General Hospital
GH's Head Scribe Ron Carlivati Speaks On The Stunning Faison and Duke Reveal & How He Decided To Craft The Story!
© Steven Bergman
The mastermind behind the fantastic story that is being weaved at General Hospital concerning Faison, Duke, Anna, Robin and soon Robert, is General Hospital’s head writer, Ron Carlivati, who delivered to viewers on Friday and on today’s episode so much excitement! Carlivati spoke with Soap Opera Digest exclusively about how he pulled off this incredibly dramatic story, and how the decisions came about to have it turn out to be Faison who took Robin away from her loved ones, and how the character of Duke was instrumental in pulling the story off. Here are a few excerpts below!
Carlivati on if Faison was always the end game as the captor of Robin, and how he utilized the character of Duke to pull off the key elements of the story: “My thought even before you saw Ian with Kimberly (the first time) was that it had to be Faison that was behind the whole thing and that’s who took Robin. I think it’s the one that makes the most sense, but because it’s the one who makes the most sense, I think the audience was right there with us and they figured that it was Faison. Frank Valentini (executive producer) and I talked about, “What can we do in that reveal that will be a little different and not make it so obvious?” And then we came up with the idea of showing Ian, knowing that he was about to be free after leaving Days of our Lives. So, then it just became the trick of, at what point are we going to go for it and reveal it? And I felt it couldn’t go on so long because I knew people were angry at the way Duke was behaving and I felt that relatively quickly, we had to reward them with this reveal that it was in fact Faison and not Duke.
Carlivati on the decision to reveal on today’s episode that the real Duke was alive and how it factors into the story: “I thought it was important to show him alive the same time we were showing that this wasn’t the real Duke because I knew there was going to be a lot of disappointment from fans who felt, “Oh, you dangled the return of Duke Lavery under our nose and then you snatched it back.” I didn’t want people to be upset and angry. I wanted them to enjoy the story! So we made the decision to do a double whammy and show Real Duke at the end of the day. And you will see in the ensuing days how he was able to appropriate Duke’s fingerprints, his memories, etc. Essentially, what you find out is that the backstory Faison told everyone about how Duke was not really Jonathan Paget and he’s been in Turkish prison, all of that was a true story. However, Faison intercepted Duke and took on his identity and the reason is because of Anna Devane. Faison felt that the only way to make this woman love him was to have the face of someone that she could love in return, which only leaves a few options, such as Robert Scorpio or Duke Lavery. And Duke was the one who was accessible, so that’s what he went with. ”
Carlivati on what is going to happen next: “It’s exciting (that the truth is finally out there) and we really run with it. It’s a story you won’t have to wait for months and months to see unfold. It just goes like gangbusters from today on.”
What do you think of how Ron Carlivati has planned out this clever and spellbinding story? Are you excited to see what’s next? Let us know your thoughts!
41 Leave a Reply
GH got me hooked, I’m on board, I’m pretty happy with the way the storylines are playing out only disappointment is the Jason storyline where the laison fans got shafted, Elisabeth/ Rebecca Hebrts deserved better. Give her a storyline ASAP .
LOVING my GH !!! Ron & Frank & all the other writers are doing BRILLIANT Work !! GH is on FIRE !!! Thank you for bringing GH back to LIFE !!!
I totally agree with you!!!
Can’t wait to see what happens next……Great storyline!!! I like you don’t have to wait months to find out. I like how the story is unfolding quickly!!!!!!!!
Awesome.
i usually only watch general hospital when genie francis appears..but when i heard robin matison was back i had to tune in,,god i hope they keep her on this show some how,,i have to say i am totally hooked on this show now,,though i dont know any back story of dukeand anna and fiasion the story keeps me interested,,,
Bring back Joe Scully. Would love to see more Joe and Connie!! Talk about fireworks!!!!
I am loving GH now!!! So very happy it is not the Sonny show anymore!
This is the best GH has been in a long time. I’m so glad FV and RC have brought GH back to it’s excellent staff!
Loved the last two episodes. But please do right by Robert. Trying to stay optimistic but they seemto forget how to write for Robert whenever they ask him back!
That’s true J.R. No one seems to know how to write for Robert anymore. That man was the most appealing in his time, and the way he played that character.
Well ladies and gents, it looks like they may have gotten it right this time. It’s only day one but it looks like our beloved Robert Scorpio is back for the first time since 1992. Loving it!
GH is smokin hot. Wish the rattings were reflecting that wonderful show we love………..Keep it up and we all will continue to watch…….Its hard to do great writing constantly but the storytelling is so much better on GH than it is on the other three soaps….
DITTO!!! GH is SMOKIN!!!
I am LOVING GH! RC/FV are doing right by the fans and the history of the show! And the best part…our vets are back front and center! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!
Tracy is funny & serious at the same time. I like her a lot!!!!
GH is kicking ass these days! With all the intrigue, drama, humor, romance, and, best of all, veteran characters and storylines, I could not be happier! With Faison AND Duke back, Robert returning, the Nurse’s Ball poised to be the must-see event of the season, AJ’s reappearance (along with the entire Quartermaine clan!), and everything else, tuning is to GH is no longer a habit- it’s a need! I also love that ratings keep rising higher and higher! 🙂
Plus, bonus points go out to Ron and Frank for being able to be work with Kimberly M so that we get to see Robin, yet she gets to do what she left GH originally to do!
I was dumfounded at the end to find out Duke was really alive after the Faison reveal. Bravo Ron, you pulled off a great one. I am loving this roller coaster journey of this story and the twists and turns. GH is must see TV for me again after 10 (mostly) dreadful years.
I hadn’t watched GH in years. Lost interest when it became all about Sonny, Jason and the mob. I started watching again recently when I heard about all the comebacks and am happy to see Robin, Anna, Robert, Duke and AJ. Hopefully this will be enough to keep GH on the air. Great job!
Loving GH so much as of late ,memories of watching as a small child till now GH needs more Kassie DePiava,Tea Delgado an McBain an ABC needs to get their head outta their ass or the sand an realise soaps matter an appeal to all viewers an bring back AMC an OLTL we lifers want our soaps they matter
GH is the best it has been in years. I love that they are getting back to the old GH and away from the mob.
Now if Connie could just go away, and make way for a couple more OLTLers–this would be a great show.
Connie go away, and make way for more of GH’s finest!
Ron is this generation’s master of soap writers. He makes an excellant team with Frank. They totally rule!
yea rodd .i see it the way your seeing it.my ITALIAN WRITER BOYS are doing it up
ova at ABC. and i pray sam and john get together i really do.sam is starting to b a bore now,just around cute danny! i want more sam and john already but i am thinking CARLIVATI /VALENTINI are going to get to them soon in winter of 2013!
i love MONICA sooooooo much again front line story all around,and HEATHER even!
lol love todd crazy hot self,funny as always,and love him around carly jacks.
sure we did like some MOB jason morgan stuff but i m happy the OLD gh wit a new gh feel to it,and old feel all roll up in one is forever,best!
Despite the fact that I wasn’t watching GH when this Anna/Duke/Faison story began in the late 80s (although I am familiar with much of the history), I’m still finding it absolutely spellbinding. GH has been red-hot of late, and this s/l and AJ’s return are the main reasons. Bravo to the cast, crew and Cartini!
I wasn’t watching GH back then either…I hadn’t even seen an occasional glimpse of Faison…so I had no pre-conceived notion about him. I look forward to his return, but hope it’s not like Robin Mattson’s return where I eventually wanted her gone again.
You guys should watch the Fasion s/l from early 90’s on youtube. Its all on there and very entertaining, not to mention what better way to get a history lesson on Fasion.
I am soooo grateful that the GH stories move along quickly..
When soap stories go on and on and on for months and months I lose interest and the drawn out stories become yawwwn boring..
I do see the magic pill with GH is the speed of the stories..
People watch TV/media, differently in this digital decade and the soaps do need to move on at a good speed or people will move on..
Love it KEEP it coming!
I like bringing back GH’s finest for short and long stunts. People come back to town ALL THE TIME. It’s BEST to bring back some of GH’s finest, RATHER THAN…… invest in leftover’s from other show’s. We don’t need a revolving door of OLTL, what we need is a revolving door og GH’s finest, and a OCCASIONAL visit (s) from OLTL, and NOT TO FORGET: All My Children
CALLING Doctor DAVID HAYWOOD PLEASE……………………..
all i can say is that gh is on fire right now…….. 🙂
This has been like GH-80’s good! In over 30 years of GH watching it is hard to remember more simultanious exciting stroylines.
If there is anyone on the planet who didn’t see this whole story coming 3 miles down the road, then you shouldn’t be allowed to watch soaps. This is my main problem with Cartooni: everything is SO obvious.
Ok bring David Heyward
I’m terrible intrested in the story
David Heyward can be the one who an fix the problems+ he cam can play Sammatha Mcall
father,,,
Love to see SAM AND JOHN+DANIEL working together I’m very curious howxthey gonna
gel, also haveBABY LIAM IN THE MIX!!! I would love for Sam to have a blended family!!!
SAMMATHA
JOHN
DANIEL
LIAM c
CAN YOU SAY MODERN FAMILY!!!!
,,,,,,,,,until Jason comes back to the show!!! and if he
I’m more excited about GH with each passing episode. It is really fantastic and I’m loving every minute of it.
OMG! LOVING GH! Gets better & better. Keep it coming.
I agree!!!
Now just waiting for them to figure out it was Faison(look a like duke) behind all the murders and mayhem only to have the real Duke take the fall for all of it. Looking forward to a Anna/Duke reunion…someday. Anyway, my DVR is happy again. Keep the stories coming.
Ron, if you are reading these posts (and I believe you or your staff are), a huge THANK YOU! Yes Yes Yes Ron! We true soap fans so appreciate all that you are doing to bring back the essence of GH and revive soaps! Soaps are not dead, and you are proving that each day. GH is thriving under you and your writers and Frank V. But, ultimately, what I am waiting for is the return of my absolute favorite character – Laura Spencer. Luke and Laura were magic together and, given the chance, they would easily return to super couple status without a doubt. I have watched many soaps over the years, but no couple ever matched their connection. I believe that you are working on Laura’s return, and hope that you will be able to negotiate for a long-term return for this character. Again, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TREMENDOUS EFFORTS and SUCCESSES WITH GH. You have made a difference!
THIS is the GH I remember from the 70s, 80s and 90s. I think I may have said that before.. but I’m so happy to get the show back to it’s normal soapy goodness! Great stories, great characters… more more more!
only thing that is odd is how fake Duke was great with Felicia! you’d think he’d be a little leacherous around here seeing how he kidnapped her (and Luke) many years ago!
all this is good tho … makes me wonder where Helena is ?!
I feel that Carlivati “gets GH” more than any head writer in many years! He KNOWS we want to see Faison be the mastermind, he KNOWS we want Robert&Anna front-and-center in this story .. past writers would have had it be all about Sonny&Jason and the mob. SO happy to have MY GH back!
Finally the return of GH. Quartermains are fighting for ELQ. Tracy is the bitchy again. The first Aussie bros are back. Scorpios. The Hardys and Webers are needed to complete the character rebuild. The Christmas story being read to sick GH kids should return like Nurses Ball. The star is the hospital. Story connects character to hospital. Mafia line doesnt connect Sonny or Johny to GH just wastes time.
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TONIGHT: GH’s Maurice Benard As John Gotti In Lifetime’s ‘Victoria Gotti: My Father’s Daughter’
Fans and colleagues of Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos) have been eagerly waiting to see the General Hospital star take on the role of famous mobster, John Gotti. Well, tonight (February 9th) is the night! Make sure to watch the Daytime Emmy-winner in Victoria Gotti: My Father’s Daughter on Lifetime at 8pmEST/7CST.
In the log lines for the movie. it relates: “Executive produced by Victoria Gotti herself, the movie takes us deep into the world of what it was really like to grow up as the daughter of mob boss John Gotti, revealing the glamour, glitz and unique hardships of her world. Sharing never-before-revealed stories about her life, Victoria (Chelsea Frei) tells of a sensitive child growing up with a beloved father (Maurice Benard) she worried about constantly; the tragedy of her younger brother’s death; and her turbulent romance, forbidden by her father, with the man who later became her husband. Victoria had a front-row seat to a life the world became fascinated with, all while trying to reconcile the loving father she adored with a man the outside world was determined to bring down. . The film is based on Gotti’s book This Family of Mine: What It Was Like Growing Up Gotti. Victoria Gotti will appear on camera narrating.
Benard spoke with ABC Soaps In Depth about taking on the role and wanting to get the performance just right, where he expressed: “That’s up to the audience to decide. I played him like a real-life guy who’s loyal to his people and loves his family — and that’s kind of what the story is about. It’s through Victoria’s eyes and told with complete compassion.”
Photo: Lifetime
As to how playing Gotti compared to his role as Port Charles’ loveable mobster, Sonny Corinthos, Maurice added: “When I was shooting the role, I didn’t really know how different it was from Sonny. But my last day, I wrapped at about 1 in the morning in Canada, flew back and went straight to work as Sonny. I remember shooting the scene and thinking, ‘Wow, Sonny’s in about second gear, Gotti’s in about fourth or fifth gear!’ It’s two different energies.”
Check out the promo for tonight’s Lifetime Movie starring Maurice as John Gotti below, and the let us know if you will be watching, and if you caught it, what you thought of Maurice’s performance, and the movie via the comment section below.
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