The sheer amount of effort going into saving ‘General Hospital’ right now is amazing.

Between new writers, music, characters and promos – it’s almost like ‘General Hospital’ is an entirely new show.

That’s a good thing for one faction of fans who believe GH has devolved into a mob infested cesspool. That’s not so good news for the five fans who actually like the mob storylines on GH (alright, there’s more than five fans, there’s probably 10).

That’s not to say everything is peachy on GH. In fact, there seems there are battle lines being drawn between One Life to Live fans and GH fans – with fans of both shows trying to stem the blood loss in the middle.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard certain fans whining about OLTL actors and characters taking over GH.

The problem is, that’s not really true.

Sure, it’s jarring to see OLTL characters make the crossover. The truth is, though, they’re not draining airtime from GH favorites. Quite frankly, Sonny, Carly and Jason have been doing that for years – and they’re still doing it.

Even with the additions of John “Mullet” McBain and Starr “I break into song at will” Manning – they’re not eating up the bulk of the airtime. That honor still goes to the mobster who ate Port Charles – Sonny “Everything revolves around me and my current concubine” Corinthos.

I think fans need to remember that this is still a transition time. And, quite frankly, with the absence of Nikolas, Lucky and Jax in recent months – there is plenty of room on the GH canvas for the OLTL actors (as long as they stop bringing them over). I’m not going to be able to get behind many more Llanview transports – I think we’re fine with McBain, Starr and Todd (yes I know another OLTL actress is reportedly joining the fold). Let's leave it at this right now, though.

So, let’s take a look at GH’s transition report, the good, the bad and the absurd.

The Good:

* Anna and Luke: Anthony Geary hasn’t looked like he’s had this much fun in years. He and Finola Hughes spark when they’re in a room together. While I ultimately want Luke and Laura and Anna and Robert to end up together – I’m enjoying the possibilities that happen when Anna and Luke coexist. Plus, who doesn’t love a jealous Tracy?

* Patrick: Jason Thompson, quite frankly, is the best actor on GH right now. His grief over wife Robin’s “death” is palpable. I personally can’t wait for him to see Jason – but I digress. Thompson’s nuanced performance has fans crying right along with him – even though we found out this week that Robin didn’t really die in the explosion. If spoilers are true (which they aren’t more than 50 percent of the time), Patrick will start to believe Robin isn’t dead and he’ll be reunited with his love and ride off in the sunset with her this summer. I’ll miss Thompson’s performance, but the thought of Robin and Patrick not ending up together is something I don’t want to consider.

* Sam and John McBain: Separately, I’ve never been a fan of either character. I liked both Livvie and Caleb on ‘Port Charles,’ don’t get me wrong, but Sam and John are both pathetic characters in the grand scheme of things. Something shifted this week, though. The minute Michael Easton and Kelly Monaco got on screen together, sparks flew again. These two ooze chemistry – and Sam hasn’t been this interesting since . . . well, she’s never been this interesting. Separating Sam from the boring (and Borg-like) Jason is a great idea. And the faster you get McBain away from the rancid Natalie (even if she is off screen)  the better. An Easton and Monaco redux is just what the doctor ordered.

* Liz and Ewen: Of the handful of new characters introduced during Garin Wolf’s reign of tediousness, Ewen is the only one that has potential. Liz is a character that has been shredded into someone who is unrecognizable. That happened to a lot of the women in the last 10 years, though, mostly because the writers didn’t know how to (or didn’t want to) write strong women. Liz is rebounding nicely, and I like the little sparkle between her and Ewen. I’ll always root for Liz and Lucky to reunite – but until he returns, I can get behind Ewen (especially if he’s shirtless).

* Johnny and Carly: I get a little tired of Carly constantly reverting to being a mob moll, but this pairing has potential – mostly because it will just make Sonny and Jason freak. Johnny is one of those characters that’s been shoved from woman to woman, never really given a chance to cultivate a real pairing. The closest was Lulu – and while I did like that pairing – I realize now she’s much better off with Dante. I clearly don’t want Carly and Johnny together for the long haul – but the aneurysm this pairing will surely give Sonny is something I can look forward to.

The Bad:

Maxie, Spinelli, Matt: I have nothing personally against Jen Lilley. I’m sure she’s a nice person. She’s just not Maxie to me. Robin’s funeral would have been so much better with Kirsten Storms in the role – mostly because that actress had the history with Robin. Maxie’s current freak out is not only ridiculous, but it’s uncharacteristic. Maxie always puts herself first. No matter what guilt she was feeling, she wouldn’t purposely go to jail. When you add her two buffoonish suitors, I just can’t get into the storyline at all. I think Bradford Anderson is talented, but Spinelli is one of those characters that makes me want to deafen myself with Q-tips. As for Matt, I think they dropped the ball so long with his character development they were never able to pick it back up. Maybe it’s time to cut our losses?

Lulu, Dante, Padilla, Ronnie, the strippers: This is a really stupid storyline. I can’t muster up any sympathy for these strippers – mostly because it’s all been happening off screen. I also can’t muster the energy to care about Padilla, because she lacks charisma (and character development). Lulu and Dante are newlyweds, can’t the writers find something interesting for them to do besides look for a stripper stalker that no one cares about?

Robert, Ethan, Holly: This was a return that was fumbled – badly. Tristan Rogers came back for a grand total of six episodes – only one of which he spent grieving his daughter. The others were spent chasing a son he just found out he had. The only problem is, Ethan isn’t really his son. Luke made it up so Robert wouldn’t kill himself. The whole storyline has lame written all over it (thankfully it ushered in the end of the putrid lady in white storyline, though). The writers should have actually undid Ethan’s parentage for real. Quite frankly, longtime fans don’t buy he’s Luke’s son anyway. It makes a lot more sense for Ethan to be Robert’s son than Luke’s. Hopefully, we’ll find out Holly was lying (again).

Jason’s brain surgery: Jason is the only person (read: character) I know who can have brain surgery without any bandages (or having to wear a hospital gown), no scars and be up and getting ready to kill a cop in three days flat. Unbelievable. Not only is Jason’s constant brain surgery (and lack of any sort of recovery) ridiculous, but the fact that he mourned longtime love Robin (who died for his medicine) for exactly five minutes before starting to worry about McBain taunting Sonny is just a slap in the face to longtime fans. It’s time to bring back Jason Quartermaine, because Jason Morgan is a complete and total loser and, quite frankly, fans are just sick to death of him.

The Absurd:

Kate/Connie: Enough is enough with the DID (multiple personality disorder). It’s not entertaining. It was a good storyline the first time OLTL did it with Viki. Then it started to get old pretty fast. Not to mention, the only thing that seems to differentiate Kate and Connie is one of the poorest excuses of an accent I have ever heard. I’ve tried to forget that we’re supposed to believe Kate and Sonny went to high school together (when Maurice Benard looks like Kelly Sullivan’s father). I’ve tried to overlook the fact that Kate took Sonny back after the way he treated her. I can’t overlook this, though. It’s ridiculous. This storyline is awful and this actress can’t seem to carry it off. Bury the story, drop Kate, and move on.

Franco: Let it go. James Franco is a great actor, but Franco the character was a great big mess from the beginning. I don't think anyone cares about Jason's parentage -- unless they're going to say he's not a Quartermaine. If the writers decimate that family one more time, I know a lot of fans who are going to revolt. Personally, I believe that we're going to find out that Jason and Franco were twins, Franco had plastic surgery, and that's why he was obsessed with Jason. That also doesn't rule him out as the father of Sam's baby (although I seriously doubt he even raped her, but that's a whole other absurd storyline).  GH would be wise to pretend this storyline never happened and move on -- I think that's what a lot of the fans want.

What do you think? What’s working on GH right now and what’s not?