By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman One of the great strengths of the soap opera form is the element of surprise. Since we have long lived in a world of spoilers, surprises are few and far between today’s soaps. Thus we rejoice that General Hospital of late has managed to steer around the obligatory spoilers and give us … [Read more...]
General Hospital Reaches a Storyline and Ratings High
December 8, 2013 by 13 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Last week General Hospital reached a very admirable ratings high, scoring 3.3 million viewers, its highest numbers since 2007. The timing for this benchmark is something the show had long been leading up to: the revelation to Dr. Patrick Drake that his wife Dr. Robin is still … [Read more...]
General Hospital: Jam-Packed November Sweeps
November 24, 2013 by 9 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman It’s traditional for a soap presents its strongest stories during sweeps, and this November hasn’t been a disappointment on General Hospital. Au contraire, the month isn’t over yet. To paraphrase Bette Davis in All About Eve: “Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy 30 days.” The … [Read more...]
Four More Who Make My Day
October 27, 2013 by 8 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Even when the plots of our soap operas drag or are otherwise unsatisfying, there are always actors who make our day. I named some of my favorites here a while back. Now, here are some more, all on General Hospital: Anders Hove plays Faison, a classic villain who has been in and out … [Read more...]
General Hospital: The Ugly Denouement of the Baby Connie True Parentage Plot
October 5, 2013 by 19 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Wasn’t it ugly? Incredibly, the denouement of General Hospital‘s Maxie admitting she is the biological mother of Connie plot was even worse than could have been predicted. The fact that Maxie – who supposedly mothered the baby as a surrogate for Lulu and Dante -- is the baby’s biological … [Read more...]
General Hospital: Here’s to You, Mrs. Robinson
September 29, 2013 by 11 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman Last week we condemned an Eric and Quinn romance on The Bold and the Beautiful because of the thirty- plus-years age difference. But this week I’m going to be a tremendous hypocrite and give a compliment to the fact that forty-something Ava slept with 19 year old Morgan on General Hospital … [Read more...]
Barely on the Fringe of Believability
September 21, 2013 by 6 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman On soaps, romance comes in many permutations, some exhilarating and some, shall we say, less so. Far out on the latter end of the spectrum is the romance that seems to be on the horizon on The Bold and Beautiful. I’d place it solidly in the category of “Ew!” We got our first clue this … [Read more...]
The Young and the Restless’ Big Baby Reveal: Well Worth Waiting For
September 14, 2013 by 18 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman The Young and the Restless may be the best soap when it comes to dragging out its storylines. Because this week, it was more than worth than nine month wait when it was explosively revealed to Dylan MacAvoy that Chelsea’s newborn baby Connor isn't really his, but the child of Chelsea’s … [Read more...]
General Hospital: This Storyline Should End
September 8, 2013 by 7 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalaqua Hayman When has a storyline go on too long? This is a question normally leftonly to headwriters who must figure out if an audience is still interested in the outcome of a story. Right now on General Hospital, one storyline that has gone on too long is the secret biological parentage of Maxie’s baby … [Read more...]
Born to Lose: The Tragedy of Connie
August 31, 2013 by 14 Comments
By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman It’s not easy being a soap heroine – especially one who is doomed from the outset. Consider the unfortunate life story of Connie Falconeri a.k.a. Kate Howard on General Hospital. She was found shot to death on the show last week, her usefulness as perpetually over-the-top victim and ongoing … [Read more...]
