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The Reign of General
Hospital
By:
Elizabeth Dowse
The long running Soap
Opera won Best Show at the Daytime Emmys
"Luke is mine. Nobody will ever play him but me;
that's just the reality of it."- Anthony Geary,1999.
The King of all
soaps is still on its thrown. For forty five years the story of
desperation, passion, violence, and love has filled hours of daytime
television; each hour shaping a genre. " General Hospital" has been
considered the gold standard of soap operas since its arrival. Last
month ( June 20th),"General Hospital" won its tenth Daytime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Daytime Drama. This came as no surprise to the faithful
viewers and loyal critics acclaimed soap. Since its arrival on the
television scene, " General Hospital" has set the par, particularly for
raising awareness of social issues. At the same time " General Hospital"
has maintained themes of the genre of the soap including: power couples,
betrayal, murder, pride, family ties, etc. as
Set in a seaport town amidst
the presence of mafia drama, medical crisis's and romantic
entanglements, the series " General Hospital" has been a constant. One
is intrigued by the show's consistency to deliver, thus gaining the show
accolades for years.
The
strength of " General Hospital" lies in the talented writing, passionate
plot and flawless acting. A television viewer who has never watched a
soap before can be drawn into this series, because of its accessibility
. Even with the central drama surrounding that of mob activity, the
undercurrents of the show capture the television audience into a world
of fantasy and realism jointly mixed together. This can only be done by
ingenious writing, which aids in the success of this long running soap.
The range of storylines is vast including the inside world of the
fashion industry; the inner workings of the mob and the repercussions of
such a life; the marriages of equals and the love affairs of polar
opposites; and the exciting and often unpredictable work of the medical
field.
Another
strength of this Emmy award winning series is that " General Hospital"
dares to bring light to subjects often seen as taboo in real life:
including abuse, organ donation, alcoholism/addiction, etc. One of the
forefront issues on the soap in this recent year has been the pregnancy
of a young woman, Robin, who is HIV positive. The writers of " GH" have
shown empathy, creative license and realism in creating this storyline.
Sonny
Corinthos, played by the talented and former Emmy winner Maurice
Bernard, has proven to be a character of staying power. Whether
Corinthos is battling bipolar episodes; dealing with the grief over a
vegetative son; or the difficulty of giving up the mob title, this is
a character that would transcend in any television or film realm. ( A
fascinating aspect of " General Hospital" is that while it maintains the
look and feel of a soap, one is left with feeling as if they have just
watched a small part of a high quality film. ) Equally alluring is
Carly Corinthos Jaxs, played by Laura Wright, whose own demons prove to
do two things: draw the other characters around her away, and the
viewer closer. Joining the " General Hospital" cast this year are
diverse actors including Brandon Barash ( playing rival would be mob
king Johnny Zacchara) and returning soap veteran Sarah Brown playing
Johnny's determined, dominant, revenge seeking older sister. Both have
brought a fresh, revitalizing presence to the show.
This
year the Best Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama went to six- time Emmy
winner Anthony Geary for his dynamic performance as Luke Spencer-
womanizer, alcoholic, cigar smoking father of three whose zest for life
and refusal to live life anything to the fullest is soap opera legend.
As Geary's name was called to receive Best Lead Actor, his fellow peers
gave the actor a standing ovation. Many want to emulate or encapsulate
his power to control the screen. There are many reasons why Geary once
more won the Lead Actor Emmy this year. A vital reason was for his
hilarious, heartbreaking, powerful acting during the storyline in which
he went to heaven, hell and a place in between. Here we see Luke Spencer
being driven to decide how to live a life on the edge and still maintain
his family. While other actors would attempt the material in a flat,
melodramatic fashion, what has critics drawn to Anthony Geary is his
innate ability to transcend to areas of gray in his character. Far too
often in soaps, characters are broken down into two categories: good and
evil. Here, we have a deeply flawed man, whose pursuits of the " finer"
things in life has become iconic in the soap opera genre.
What is
in store next for the residents of Port Charles? Fresh from the win of
Best Daytime Drama, television viewers can expect many more twists and
turns from the 'soap of all soaps'. More power. More greed. More love.
More sabotage. More betrayal. More romance. More death. And, if
television history is any indicator, more Emmys. " General Hospital"
once again.. reigns.
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