Déjà Vu All Over Again

In the 11/6 issue of Soap Opera Digest, GH head writer Bob Guza gives a sneak-peak of November sweeps:

Structurally speaking, we are going to start the story in a way that's reminiscent of what we did with the Metro Court hostage crisis, but it is going to be different in a couple of significant ways[.]  We will begin well into the evening of the Black and White Ball.  We will show you the trappings of calamity and then you have to figure out what happened to who.  Then, as we go back through the evening, we will arrive at the same point we showed you at the beginning and that's when we will reveal what happened and to whom, and then the story continues from there.

Does "reminiscent of" mean "other than the fact that some of the actors have worse hairstyles and the set will be slightly different, exactly the same as"?

Has GH really sunk so low that it can't even let a full cycle of yearly sweeps go by without directly ripping itself off?  I mean, I suppose if you set aside that ultimately (ridiculously), James Craig turned out to be Jerry Jacks, and those mothereffers used the whole hostage situation to kill off Alan Quartermaine, the Metro Court story was decent.  But it was six months ago!  Can't they go back a few years to mine for material?!  The show was much better then!  And while trolling for decent scripts, the writers might stumble upon some people called Quartermaines, Spencers, and Scorpios, and we could actually end up with a watchable month of television!  Who greenlights this re-hashed sludge?! Most importantly, why am I wasting so many exclamation points, thereby running the risk of appearing to be excited about anything associated with General Hospital?!

Comments

[Brett]

Not to mention that the black 'n' white ball will serve as a pretext to kill off 2/3 of the reasons why Alan Quartermaine had be killed off during Feb sweeps (i.e,. to open up money to hire Annie Wiesching and the guys who play Cooper and Logan).

[Beltane]

I honestly don't know what to say anymore. We joke around that Guza doesn't remember what he wrote yesterday so how can we expect him to honour any of the show's history, but I'm getting concerned that the "writers" are having a collective meltdown. Anybody remember the Star Trek episode where an alien race removed Spock's brain? Maybe that's what happened to the showrunners - it would explain a lot.

On the plus side, I've learned a new word, "mothereffers". Thanks, Becca, although usually when I talk about GH I rarely show such restraint. This is much more genteel yet still gets the point across.

[Alice]

Becca, You guys are brilliant. Have you ever thought about writing for a soap. I have serious doubts that the people penning GH right now are actually professional writers. Can you make a career doing something you are so bad at? Not only do they redo things to the point of disgust (witness their attempts to replicate the first Girls Night Out), they have no ability to recognize what are the real assets of their show, Jason Thompson and Kimberly McCullough, who have been treated so contemptibly ever since the start of that abomination Night Shift. Just as you have mentioned on other occasions, how much talent does it take to make Jason Thompson someone to fast forward?

[Titian]

gimmicks gimmicks and more gimmicks. that's what gh is about these days. forget character development, intricate plots, relationships, all of the things that made gh watchable once upon a time. the writing is atrocious, the characters are all unlikeable, and GuzaFrons is trying to make up for it with a bunch of fireworks in a vain attempt to distract us from the pile of smoky, smelly feces this show has become.

[Roxiebell]

Anybody who can come up with the word "mothereffers" is okay in my book. I plan to use it "often" when discussing GH. I hope you don't mind.

[Elizabeth K. Mahon]

I seriously believe that Guza writes his scripts on toilet paper while on the can. I can't believe that they're repeating themselves again in one year. If they killed off AQ, to hire Coop, and the rest of the Night Shift staff, then they wasted their money. Especially Annie Wiesching is moving on to 24. I loved her character until she started worshipping at the altar of Jason like everyone else on this show.

[Jes]

I can't completely hate Bob Guza, as he was partly responsible for Sunset Beach(though probably also it's downfall), which brought Sam Behrens onto my tv screen as Gregory Richards, one of the best daytime villains ever! Yes, I live in the past. But the past also has living, breathing Quartermaines who got screen time, and Genie Francis actually playing Laura. It's a beautiful place that the writers should visit sometime.

[Beth R]

You forgot to add in there that despite the pressence of other capable, intelligent and resourceful persons at said "chaotic event" the only person in the whole wide world that will be able to save the whole freaking town will be...wait for it....JASON! And if said rumored death happens...THAT will be all about his pain as well.

TSMFRMS!

and you know with the hype they are giving this every last one of them is confused as to why they have had three weeks in a row of record low ratings leading into sweeps. Just thinking here..but maybe cause I have already SEEN this story? At least 50 times? Just a guess!

So if they are ripping themselves off again...who does this mean Zaccara really is? Who's family tree will he end up being in so it becomes more "personal" for Sonny and Jason?

[Dede]

I guess the only thing we can all do to show how much we hate what they have done and are still doing to this great show is just not watch it in NOV let the sweeps go in the trash maybe than just than someone will wake up over there and finally gave us great storys again Love, Romance, Family use the vets they have and bring back some starting with Genie Francis the other half of soaps most loved supercouple.

[Alyssa]

Guza's tend's to forget that fan's like families, and he has destory most of them,No need to kill Alan, I want the Spencer the Quartermaines, the Scorpio's, the Webber's and last but not least the Cassadines, that what GH is about and whatever happen to love in the afternoon.