Vintage Suds: Dude, GH Used To Be SO Good

Alternate title:  Becca cries when Stone dies!

I knew doing this recap would make me sad.  Because, hello, Stone dies.  Sob!  But it made me sad in a completely different way:  Comparing current General Hospital to 1995 General Hospital is the most heartbreaking soap-related thing I've seen since, I don't know, those hacks killed off Georgie last Christmas.  This show used to be so, so good.  It wasn't even just soap good -- it was good good.  I haven't seen anything good good in daytime since I still wore a scrunchie (which was a REALLY long time ago, haters). 

Anyway, be forewarned that you may read this recap and then hate modern-day General Hospital even more than you already do.  Plus you may go into The Ugly Cry over Stone's death.  So basically, I'm suggesting you have anti-depressants -- pharmaceutical, decanter-contained, or otherwise -- handy and I don't promise that this post will be funny or uplifting in any way.  Read on at your own risk!

Backstory:  If you were unfortunate enough not to have watched GH in the early- to mid-1990s, and you want some background on Stone and the great, groundbreaking story he and Robin were a part of, here are some clips:

• Stone finds out he's HIV positive
• Stone tells Robin he's HIV positive
• Stone tells Sonny he's HIV positive
• Robin tells Mac Stone is HIV positive
• Stone tells Jagger he's HIV positive (and the lead-up)
• Robin tells Stone she's HIV positive

If you are already sniffly, I must warn you, that situation will not improve.

It's early in the morning.  Robin wakes up and tries to wake up Stone, but he doesn't respond.  She understandably starts to freak out.

Felicia is in a courtyard, when a bag of something falls from the sky.  She looks up and sees Tom, thrower of the bag of something.  He waves and tells her to have one of the somethings.  Do not even get me started on how much I hated these two as a couple.  They're not together yet in this episode.  Thank god, or it might have tainted the soapy purity of Stone's death.  Ick.

Sigmund leaps onto Lucy and Kevin's bed.  (Sigmund is a duck, in case you weren't watching then and were thinking this was leading to some kind of kinky threesome.)  Lucy thinks Sigmund is trying to tell them something is wrong. 

She wants "Doc" (Kevin) to get out of bed and figure it out, but Kev is all "Woman, it is a fucking duck.  Let's go back to sleep."

Even the old credits make me sad.  So many of those great characters are gone, and most of the ones who are left are unrecognizable.  Either way they've been sacrificed at the mob altar.  Sigh.

Lucy thinks that someone is trying to break into the house and Sigmund is trying to warn them.  Kevin is skeptical, as evidenced by his eye-rolling and use of the phrases "watchduck school" and "duckmare."  He wants to ignore the duck and snuggle.  Lucy is anti-snuggling, and finally convinces Kevin to go check out what's wrong.  It turns out that Billie, Sigmund's "true love" escaped out an open window.  Lucy sees this coop-flying as a metaphor for her and Kevin's relationship, and thinks they are doomed.  I must admit I never liked the whole Sigmund-the-duck storyline, but Lucy and Kevin are freaking adorable.

Felicia and Tom are in the courtyard, drinking coffee and eating the baked goods Tom got from the bakery at the crack of dawn.  Tom is always an early riser, but wants to know why Felicia is having trouble sleeping.  She says it's Robin and Stone; she's been through their whole relationship and now he's dying and she doesn't know how Robin is handling things with such "maturity and grace," and how Stone is facing death with "humor and courage and sensitivity to the people that love him and desperately want to keep him here."  Felicia always irritated the crap out of me, as did Tom and his poseur African bracelets, but that was a nice scene.

Stone is groggy but wakes up, and jokingly tells Robin that she's busted; he knows she was checking to see if he was still breathing.  Robin asks how he's feeling.  He says he's spacey, but wants to know how she's doing.  She says she's fine; he wants to know if she's smiling.  She says "always," but he wants proof, because he can't quite see her anymore.  She puts his finger on her lips and he traces them as she smiles; it is ridiculously cute and poignant.  Robin wants to know what Stone wants to do today, and he just wants to "be together, every minute we can."  Sniffle. 

Stone is now out of bed, in a big chair supported by pillows.  Robin is looking out the window, telling him about the day outside, including describing the sun reflecting off the lake and the blueness of the sky he can't see but says he wishes he could.  Robin wants him to pick something to do today.  Stone wants to "hit all the old hangs one more time."  So Robin walks him through his favorites -- lemon poppyseed muffins at Kelly's (including their meeting there), the docks, Luke's, etc.  It's so touching, I even forgive them the use of the phrase "make love."  Throughout all of this they are holding hands adorably.

Side note:  I'm not sure it's possible for me to say this without sounding uber-creepy, but re-watching this episode finally made me realize one aspect of Kimberly McCullough's acting that I think is at least partially responsible for the fact that she has made every single one of her on-screen romantic pairings work.  She has a naturalness about her physical interactions with the men she's paired with -- just the way they hold hands, sit together, kiss, etc.  It seems real, not OTT-soapy the way it is with many people in daytime.  Maybe that's why there are always rumors that she's dating her co-star; by comparison with others it's kind of hard to believe she's acting.  Anyway, sorry to sound like a fangirl, but this struck me while watching these scenes with Stone, and considering she was just barely 17 in this episode (!) and her ability was already evident, I thought it was kind of a noteworthy skill.

Back to the show:  Stone wants Sonny and Mike to reconcile, because Sonny is going to need someone (when Stone dies, though Stone doesn't say that part).  Then Stone starts crying (Robin already is), and says

Stone:  I love you.  More than anyone has a right to love.  I love you from places in my soul that I didn't even know that I had.  I love you. 

Robin tries to comfort him, though tears are streaming down her face now.  She says "I love you.  Beyond anything."  They kiss.  I have the sniffles for serious now.

Kevin wants to know why Lucy suddenly think they're doomed.  She says they're complete opposites and she's totally in love with him but she's been totally in love with lots of guys.  Ha.  Awkward!  Kevin's all thanks, "I feel special."  Lucy says "You are special.  You're the most specialist."  Hee.  Lucy babbles on and Kevin finally clues in that Damien has put negative thoughts about her and Kevin in her head.  She refers to them as "subliminable messages," which makes me laugh and also remember that our president thinks that's a word, too.  Anyway, they resolve things -- "Why aren't you kissing me right now?" "I have no idea."  And they make out.  Cute.

Sonny is clearly worn out and looks like he hasn't slept in ages.  Lily wants to know how Stone is.  Sonny says the last time he went up to check, Robin and Stone were laughing so he didn't want to interrupt.  Lily says she dreamed about Stone all night, and Sonny says he did too, except he was awake.  Sonny is angry that Stone's parents aren't around, how can they let this happen to their son without them being there?  He is upset, but quietly so.  (You haven't been able to say that about Sonny in about half a decade.)  Lily tries to comfort him.

Side note:  I cannot tell you the immense difference between Maurice Benard's performance in 1995 and his performance for the last several years.  It's like two completely different actors.  I used to like Sonny a lot, not just because he wasn't written as the good guy, but because Benard brought so much depth to the character.  In that scene with Lily, Sonny was sensitive and altruistic, and Benard didn't stutter or mumble once.  He didn't go all rageaholic or break out the duh face.  It was great to watch.  And it makes the last few years all that less understandable.

Oh, here we go.  THE scene.  Sob.  You can watch it here, or I'll walk the weaker-hearted through it. 

Robin puts Stone back in bed.  She says she's going to go get him something to eat, but he grabs her hand -- in a way that gave me a jolt, probably based not only on Michael Sutton's incredibly spot-on facial expression, but on Kimberly McCullough's excellently played reaction as well -- and asks her not to leave him.  She agrees.  Stone asks her to "Go stand by the window, in the light."  She slowly makes her way to the window.  We see through his eyes that he can now see a vague outline of Robin,

and then her face comes into sharp relief.

Stone is crying now, and utters the unforgettable line:

Stone:  I see you!  Oh Robin, I see you! 

He has this incredibly joyous smile on his face.

And then the camera cuts to Kimberly McCullough (being awesome).  Robin starts crying and walks toward the bed.  She knows he's gone.  She closes his eyelids as a final tear falls from his eye.  She climbs into bed with him, pulling his arm around her. 

Oh my god, I'm totally crying, and I've seen this at least four times before.  I might be a Soap Crazy.

Sonny comes in to check on Stone, with a half-smile on his face that is clearly pasted there to make sure Stone doesn't see how upset and worn out he is (damn, Maurice Benard seriously used to bring it) and asks Robin if Stone is asleep.  She lifts her head and from her expression he knows -- "Is he dead?"  He starts rapidly nodding his head, saying "He's dead"; trying to make himself believe it.  He paces and fidgets, trying not to cry.  Then he stops and looks at Stone and says, "He's okay.  He's okay.  He's okay."  Robin nods and cries, still in Stone's arms.  I may have gone into The Ugly Cry at this point.

Lucy and Kevin are lounging in bed in post-HavingTheSex bliss.  They talk about their relationship and it would otherwise be interesting but I am still wrapped up in Stone's death so I don't pay much attention.

Some time has passed; Robin is holding Mac's hand and telling him about Stone. 

Robin: It was so simple.  Silent.  After everything he's gone through, the pain, the sickness, losing his sight; it was just quiet.  He asked me to stand in the light, so I did.  And I looked at him, and he was smiling, a smile so pure and joyful, and he said 'I see you.  Robin, I see you.'  And I knew he did.  And in that same instant, things shifted.  Something just slipped off its axis really quietly and he was just...he just wasn't there anymore.  I felt this incredible sensation of love come over me.  I don't know, I just felt so loved.
Mac: That's because you are, Robin.

Mac rocks.  The doorbell rings and it is Felicia.  Robin says "Are you here because you know he's gone?" and Felicia, who it's obvious from her expression did not know, pulls Robin into a hug.  Felicia gives Mac a woeful look over Robin's shoulder.

Felicia wants to know what she can do for Robin, and Robin says she can never forget Stone. 

Felicia: I'll never forget him.  I don't know, maybe this will help, maybe this won't, but you loved him well.  You loved him with everything that you are.  With your strength, and with your courage.  And you believed him him when he didn't have any other takers.  And he loved you right back.  You could tell.  You saw it, and you recognized it.  And you did it right.  Very right.

(Seriously, I think I had more "Felicia is kind of awesome" moments during this episode than I did cumulatively during her run on the show.)  Robin says she doesn't know what she's going to do without him, and Felicia gives her a big hug, just as a smiling Brenda pops in through the open front door.  As soon as she sees Robin's face, she knows, and Robin hurries from the couch to meet Brenda; they hug and cry together while Felicia holds Robin's hand.

Sonny holds Stone's hand to his face, and finally breaks down crying. 

He reaches over and rests his head on Stone's chest and I am seriously so far past The Ugly Cry right now, it's tragic.

Mac calls Luke, but Robin asks for the phone.  Luke knows before Robin tells him (which you can tell because Tony Geary is awesome, that hideola hair to the contrary).  Robin tells Luke, through her GIGANTIC cordless phone, that Stone died. 

Luke wants to know if there is anything she needs, but there isn't.  Robin thanks Luke for being so good to Stone, and Luke says "It was an honor, love."  Robin says her dad used to call her that.  (Mine did too, so now I'm doing The Ugly Cry again.)  Robin says she will be in touch when she knows the plan for Stone, and they hang up.  Luke is terribly sad.

Lucky comes bounding down the stairs and when he sees his dad, wants to know what's wrong.  Luke says simply, "Stone's gone."  Lucky wants to know if he's sure.  "Yeah.  Yeah, cowboy, I'm sure."  Jonathan Jackson was possibly the best child actor I've ever seen on soaps, and he and Tony Geary together are pretty much perfection. 

Plus, I haven't heard a conversation this realistic and moving on a soap in eons, so I'm going to do the lazy recapper thing and just transcribe it.

Lucky: Where do you think he is?
Luke: Stone?
Lucky: Yeah.  I mean, Dad, what do you think happens when you die.
Luke: I think you're dead.
Lucky: Like it's over?  There's nothing left?
Luke: Well I think what's left is the people you leave behind.  The people who love you.
Lucky: I don't believe that.
Luke: What do you believe?
Lucky: Okay.  The world makes a lot of sense, Dad.  I mean, not what people do, that's messy.  I mean, the physical world is too orderly for it to be random.  There's gotta be a connection between things.  Am I not making any sense, Dad?
Luke: Oh no, you're making sense.  Go ahead.
Lucky: Okay, I'm going to start over then.  It's like...it's like when I'm standing in an open field, you know, and I'm surrounded by green grass and green leaves on the trees.  Dad, when I look up at the sky, it is so bright blue it hurts my eyes.  And it's...it's not like I'm...I'm in the scene; I'm part of it, you know?  It's too awesome for there not to be something more, something bigger that we can't see from down here.  You know what it's like?  It's like a painting.  You know, it's there to admire, you know, but it didn't paint itself.  Somebody had to  paint it.  And in the same way, somebody or something had to create the stars and the green grass.  And it couldn't have been a man.  If it was a  man, that guy'd be on TV, taking credit for it.  So, it we know that there's something more to the world, there's got to be a deeper mystery to the whole cycle of birth and life...and death.
Luke: Could be. [From Geary's delivery you know Luke is just saying this to placate Lucky, that he doesn't really believe it.  He is so good.]
Lucky: None of that answers my question, Dad.  I still don't know where Stone is. 
Luke: He's in our hearts.

Damn.  I mean, it's no "I know I called you a lying whore, and all that," but it will have to do.

Lucy hangs up the phone, having just been told about Stone.  She tells Kevin, and they both cry. 

That makes three of us.

Felicia comes into Stone's room.  Sonny is in the chair and Lily is on the arm, trying to comfort him.  Brenda, Robin, and Mac follow Felicia in and they all look at Stone.  Robin kneels at Sonny's feet (literally, not in the figurative way every character in town would start doing a few years after this), and tells Sonny it's okay.  Sonny wants to know how, and Robin says she doesn't know yet, but they have to make it that way, because it's what Stone would want.  Felicia strokes Stone's face and says goodbye.  Mac comes up behind her and takes her away.  Brenda tries to go to Stone but she breaks down just before she gets to him. 

Sonny rushes from the chair to catch her, and moves her to take his place in the chair.  He sits on the arm where Lily had been sitting, while Brenda hugs his arm and cries.  (Aw, why couldn't those two crazy kids make it work?)  Mac looks on stoically from across the room while Felicia looks out the window that gave Stone his last sight.

Robin sits down next to Stone and puts her hand on his.  She tells the room that she wants "a memorial service that celebrates his life" and she wants it "as quickly as possible."   Then she strokes Stone's face and gazes at him one last time, tracing her own fingers over her smile.

Comments

[Beth R.]

It's insane how downhill GH has gone after this time...all it takes for me is the start of the "I see you" And I'm done...done I tell you....Ugly cry all over the place...

Wow an entire episode devoted to the death of ONE character and there were more than just four people showcased? Like characters showed up mid-show and had meanignful important things to say and stuff? Who the hell knew this was possible at all?????

[Sarah]

I hate the effing ugly cry! But here I am, balling like I ball when a real friend is in pain or dying. I couldn't even watch the clips. Seriously, it's too painful and gut wrenching to watch. I ache now like I did when this originally aired.

When you said you were going to recap the best classics you meant it.

KM is sublimely natural, it's a huge part of her talent and gift as an actor. MS was brilliant here too, I wish he was still acting. I wish them both the best as well as my gratitude for such amazing work. And MB, he is not the same actor now as he was then. What a tragedy.

If a soap is capable of this level of greatness, why are we getting such dreck now? It's not like this whole story line wasn't expertly written and acted, it was. Not every episode was perfect, but in comparison to the daily crapfest on air now it was all Oscar worthy!

I need to go wash my face. I'm tear streaked and puffy, thanks. I mean it, thank you for reminding us what was once GH. And for showing newbies what they missed out on.

From this to Big Pussy? It's not remotely funny how low GH has sunk.

[Sally]

Oh, The Ugly Cry. I was a junior in college when this episode originally aired. I watched this episode from 2-3 and couldn't go to my 3:30 class because I had cried so hard and so long and looked so very horrible. The last couple of weeks before Stone died, I would think I had gotten my shit together and then something would happen and I would just lose it. I reached my final peak of hysterical crying when Robin tells Luke that her dad "used to call me that."

Sometimes when I feel that my current hatred of GH is not at an appropriate simmer, I will throw this tape in the VCR and get my resentment and hatred revamped to a proper level.

[Cece]

I'm one of the people who didn't watch GH in the early to mid-90s (I was in Days-ville). I only recently saw the Stone dies scene on YouTube a couple of months ago, and I cried my eyes out. That was rediculously soapy. There are very few soap deaths that get me (Leo's death on AMC, Ryan's death on AW, the five times Macy died on B&B), but to have no real backstory before I saw that scene and really gut-punch me like that was amazing. I'm a sadist so anytime I need a good cry, I go to some of the soap deaths. So, Becca, don't feel alone. You're not the only Soap Crazy around.

[Mandee]

Did this episode air on a Friday originally? I remember that my roommate and I had gotten in the habit of recording an entire weeks worth of shows and then ordering in on Friday night and watching all of them together. I seem to recall us knowing he was going to die on that day and watching all the episodes leading up to it at once. And ugly crying all over each other.

[amiejayne]

I recently watched these clips on Youtube, which may explain my greater-than-usual hatred of Sonny in his current incarnation and of the show as a whole.

Another Stone-related episode (or maybe two?) was when they had his "living memorial" service, where different people shared special memories with him. It had virtually ALL of the totally awesome old-school cast members on it and made me cry buckets. This show was just so totally awesome in the late 80's and early 90's.

Some days of the current GH make me seriously nostalgic for Casey the alien....

Oh, and PS, I totally agree with you about KMc. And PPS (or is it PS?) I have to wonder for the 100th time, since John York has clearly rocked as Mac for about two decades, WHY THE HELL DON'T THEY USE HIM MORE????

[Mel]

Damn. Just...damn. And that little convo. between Robin and Mac where she talks about how Stone said he saw her...won her her second Emmy. Yes, my secret shame is out - I'm such a fangirl. And now I'm doubly sad not just because of how amazing and yet heartbreaking this episode was but because...Guza couldn't come up with something even a tenth as good even if someone (possibly Jason Morgan) held a gun to his head. Hmmm...

[Tabby]

This was one of GH's few, incredibly golden story lines. Thank you for this trip down memory lane. I didn't mind the good cry either. This is one reason why I have always loved Kimberly (Robin). Her acting back then was brilliant. She was lucky enough to have been given such a mature storyline that featured a teen with such depth of character. Maxie and Lulu pale greatly in comparison to this. The storylines of today are so dim-witted, robotic, violent, and unrealistic on most every level now.

If only GH could evolve back into what it used to be. It is a shame.

[Beth R.]

Ok so I went back myself this morning to re-read and re-live this and something struck me....and it's so rare these days that no wonder I didn't notice it at first....you all that was an entire episode and Jason didn't appear once or even rate a mention...Sure I think it was the last one of those but still.....wow...forgotten what those days were like.

And I'm uber-sadist cause I've been trying to figure out how Guza would write such a death today....and been shuddering at the thought of it.

[Marianne]

*wipes eyes, blows nose, tries to pull Soap Crazy-self together* Thank you for that, Becca. The only thing that can make me cry harder than that is when Meryl Streep's Sophie actually makes her Choice.

Kimberly was, and remains to this day, utterly, completely, unabashedly amazing-my God, they had her practically kidnap someone's kid on NightShit (not a typo) last year, and I cried for HER when she had to give the kid up. And HEE! to reminding me of all the rumors that have ALWAYS existed re: Kimberly and her co-stars-no, Kimson-ites, you are not the first-the same thing was said of she and MS, in which case there would have been some ugliness to ensue, as I believe he was, like, 26 to her 17 or something, lol.

Why MS doesn't act anymore is beyond me-and he should have gotten the Emmy in his category that year, as well. I don't even remember who won but, whoever did, they are thieving bastards. Yeah, yeah, Soap Crazy, I know.

And MB-my GOD, what HAPPENED to you?! He was just all kinds of awesome back then. It's almost like he got so damn bored that he just gave up. Oh. OOOhhhhh.

Oh, Lord, it might have been a mistake to watch that-my hatred for present day-GH is now at an all-time high.

[Liz]

I'd been watching GH for a year when Stone died. I was 13. I bawled. Like a baby. Sort of like I am now. Stone died before I started recording all my soaps and watching them at night. But I could have played that scene for anyone for years. I think I watched it again on YouTube less than a year ago. But before then it was just crystal clear. The whole show was so great then. And remember, was it the next summer? When Jax first arrived? And Ned and Lois and Brenda and Sonny and Jax? And when Jason Q first became Jason Morgan? Back when it was cool? And unexpected? Oh, good god, I'm getting mad just thinking about it. To YouTube I must go.

[Tabby]

After spending a good 45 minutes in youtube land watching old GH clips, it makes me even angrier to see what my soap has become.

Women are all direspected, treated like 2nd class citizens who cannot think for themselves, their character development is all based on how women are the evil seductresses and let's not forget, "b's, skanks, or ho's". When did it become so acceptable? Personally I'm sick of it. Nearly every week on GH a woman is referred to as being weak, or a whore.

Years ago I seriously do not recall this type of debasement of women on GH.

I'm really, really sick of the whole Carly, Sonny, Jason show. And after watching Kimberly McCullough give such an outstanding performance in just THIS clip alone, makes me utterly sick of Maxie, Lulu, and now even Kate Howard.

Maybe I just need to slip into youtube land for awhile longer :/ I really miss so many of the characters I grew up with, and loved!

[Jennifer]

Oh,shit. I'm at work looking a hot ass mess. The pics alone took me back to being 16yrs old again. It was a great time to be watching GH. Where in the hell is Claire Labine?

[eva]

I started watching GH the summer of Jagger, Karen, Jason and Brenda...I remember watching this episode the day it aired...I watch GH now because of those years, because even though there was always a clunker of a storyline, for the most part it was awesome, and I am always holding out hope that GH now can recapture that awesomeness, they have amazing actors, they just need a better head writer...too bad that seems unattainable.

Thanks for recapping this again. I was in tears.

[horselover]

The biggest cry is for how bad PuGH has become. It's a shadow of it's former self. I hope to see more great episodes from GH's past because I no longer watch PuGH.

[Sarah]

A poster above said this was one of GH's few golden story lines. As a long long long time viewer I disagree. Yes, there has always been cheeseyness, mistakes, and crap ideas even in the hey day. Nothing is 100% all around, especially on a soap or in art or entertainment in general when it's all subjective. So I am taking a second to mention a few of what I considered truly golden story lines.

Tracy trying to kill Edward and his reveal...

Monica and Alan's decades of love hate and family drama from attempted murder, to cheating, to scamming, to remarraige and children...the highs and lows and foam bat marraige counseling!

The Q's going broke and living at Kelly's...PiccaLila!

Mac's arrival and backstory.....

Monica's breast cancer, the whole brutal reality, and Alan's pain and love for her the whole way....

Tania and BJ

Tony's spiral into madness via BJ and Carly and Jason etc....he was such the good guy and he played desperate insanity so well IMO

Duke turning states evidence to free himself and his family from the mob and his subsequent murder.....

BJ's death, Maxie getting her heart, the whole transplant story....

EVERY DAMN THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Jax and Brenda-love w/out cruelty aka Sonny (some parts of this turned into the sickness that is GH now-the sharing and competition between Sonny and Jax using women makes my skin crawl!!!!)

Lois and Ned-her whole optimistic loving bright soul and how she gave him joy....still misss the OG Nois!

Lulu's needing a bone marrow transplant and the arrival of Nikolas Cassidine!

Alexis and her reveal as Natasha, the whole ne Cassadine family saga...

Alan's addiction to hydrocodone and his utter destruction and his eventual rebirth into his old life....talk about drama

Lila and Reginald, I miss the kindness!

Laura leaving Luke for the kids safety after Sonny's rival shoots up their home.....

Sean and Tiff, Kevin and Lucy, Bobbie and Tony, Frisco and Felicia, and all the other real love and romantic couples whose presence made even the silly stories fun and entertaining

New Jason after the accident, his relationship w/ Robin.....

Nurse's Balls

Karen going from drugged out stripper to doctor and happily married! That would never happen on Guza GH.

Anybody else think GH had lots of golden storylines and characters?

[Elana]

Your description alone has me crying like a baby. Thanks for recapping this amazing day in GH history.

[CHIgirl2112]

I honestly thought "why would I cry" before I started reading your recap of the good ole' days - but I gotta admit - I'm welling up....

Damn you Guza.. damn you....

[Gigi]

Ahh, you recapped the Stone eppy from the Robin SoapNet marathon! Thank you thank you for making good on your promise :)

And I, a perpetual Spencerphile, loved what you had to say about Luke and Luke, Tony Geary and Jonathan Jackson. Lucky's speech is so moving, and so much more thoughtful than anything else Lucky has said in the last eight years.

[Robyn]

I wasn't watching then, but this recap had me bawling.

All I can think is- compare this poignant, tragic, moving, yet hopeful treatment of a character's death with the one you mentioned at the beginning; Georgie getting strangled. They are not even in the same universe.

[junie]

Mfavorite storyline ever. Thanks for the awesome recap. Loved GH back then and wish every day that Claire Labine would come back to GH and make the magic happen.

[Becky]

I was watching then and I cried the Ugly Cry. Now, I'm over the Ugly Cry response, but it does make me tear up.

What saddens me the most is remembering how good the entire show used to be and comparing it to now. And MB was good. I remember liking Sonny even though I didn't always root for him.

Thanks for the recap of the Lucky/Luke conversation. I was continually in awe of Jonathan Jackson. The boy was something special.

I'm thinking about how the show used to be depressing. There were so many sad storylines. But at least they were usually well conceived and skillfully written and acted. Now, it is depressing because it is all violence all the time. Nothing is thoughtfully planned or written and some of the actors have clearly been phoning it in for years now. So sad.

[M]

This episode aired on my 15th birthday (what a b-day I had, you can imagine) and I remember bawling like a total lunatic! God, GH used to be so amazing back then. I think that I cling to the hope that it could one day return to its former glory. That must be what gets me through these days. That, and the continued wonderful-ness of Kimberly McCullough. I have been a Robin/Kimberly fan since the day I started watching (at 12, I'm proud to say) and this girl is just amazing. She has such an ability to connect with her fellow actors and her audience - something that some of the GH cast can no longer do (hmm...MB anyone!?). Thanks for the trip down memory lane - I'll finish sobbing in a few minutes.

[aleese]

damn, becca. you had to make me go down this path with the old GH,Deas=r God, i still cry everytime i watch this episodes. the performances were outstanding and was cast integrated. maurice, kimberly, micheal, vanessa and john york were all amazing. i miss the old GH where good stories were told instead of the plot points,the mob and the jason worship that have taken over the show.

[Lauren; The OG]

Yikes! I'm a big pussy and am afraid to go through all that again, so I haven't read the recap--just makes me feel too much--but I will say how lucky I was to have been able to experience what I consider THE last great run of drama on any soap. Labine and GH provided such a strong and lasting impression of what soaps could do for their audience that it still keeps them hoping to be moved that way, someday, again. (Plus, it gave me something to watch when Days had already become deadtome.) If the networks and minions only understood how great that pull was, they'd have us in the palms of their hands.

[katiya]

One reason soaps bite the big time? SHOW DON'T TELL.
Waching these scenes makes my cold rotten heart remember why I used to enjoy soaps. Now I can barely get through them unless I am doing other things at the same time...

Luza sucks

[Jen]

I was so sure I wouldn't cry watching that clip, and then I totally did. Multiple times over the 10 minutes. Thanks for an awesome recap! I can't decide whether to be sad for the state of GH today, or relieved that it's no longer so good that I would have to spend 5 hours/week watching.

[Emily]

It doesn't matter how many times I see this, the tears just come.

This storyline was dark in it's own way but no guns, no shoot outs, just honest to goodness emotions. Hey life!!!!

Thanks for reminding us all (again) how great GH used to be.

[callie]

Gah!! I read the title of the blog, saw you were recapping this storyline and started welling up. This is one of the few storylines (along with BJ dying) that as soon as I see it mentioned, I'm instantly there, siting on my living room floor, 20-years old, and doing some serious ugly crying. Red spots on the forehead, snotty, physical head pain, crying. But damn, when it was good, it was good.

[Tania]

Dudes. I'm like the biggest Scrubs fan ever, and they will always be my favorite Robin pairing, though after that I wish I had watched their love story, but you gotta give props to something good. I've seen some Robin and Stone moments, I've watched some, if not all, of the scenes you posted and they were damn good. Personally from just hearing and not watching I don't think there was anything remarkable about Stone or RnS, they were just two crazy kids in love, but the true remarkable thing is the way Stone faced his death. I didn't watch him but from all I've seen and heard, the way that he accepted his death and loved Robin pure and true and with his whole heart made him amazing, remarkable, and made me love him. I didn't 'ugly' cry, actually the first time I saw that I had barely seen them and cried a little so I don't blame you because it really was that good, now it just leaves me with a bit of heartache. But in the end I'm glad Stone died, not because he didn't deserve to live or wasn't a great guy, but because 1) this was the perfectly tragic end to a tragic love story and 2) while I would love to see Stone now I don't want Guza anywhere near him, seeing how much Sonny has changed shows me Stone would be no different. Honestly I don't care how many RnS fans tell me different, Stone would not be the exception to Guza, and looking at it in real life I don't think Stone and Robin would have lived happily ever after, the reality is this was just young love and they rarely last, but the way they loved each other makes you want to wish it would be different.

In all honest, this is one of my favorite 90's things I've seen. Another of my favorite Stone moments, and there are a lot, is when Luke tells Stone that he made up in quantity what he lost in quality and he touched many peoples lives and they love him. That gives me heartache, as does Stone telling Robin that he doesn't want to die because he doesn't want to leave her. Again I know its young love but I strongly believe Stone wasn't meant to live, Robin was his true love and the person he was meant to die with, Robin on the other hand has much more life left in her, who it ends with is uncertain. I really want a scene where Robin 'dies', like Viki on OLTL, and sees Stone again, but then she's brought ack to life to live with the Muffin and the guy she's with, which I hope is Patrick but who knows on this show. I really wish GH was as good as it was in the 90s and even more back