The War of the Roses? Soap fans start fighting . . . again

It was inevitable.

I should have expected it really.

It had been far too quiet between warring ‘General Hospital’ and ‘One Life to Live’ fans for the past few months.

I knew it couldn’t last – and yet I was still hopeful.

This week, though, when a handful of Port Charles denizens traveled to Llanview (in record time I might add, that was truly impressive) the message boards blew up again with complaints.

“I’m sick of ‘One Life to Live’ people.”

“I want more GH vets.”

“The OLTL people shouldn’t be on GH.”

I understand that it’s probably hard for GH fans that didn’t watch OLTL to just accept these new characters (who have been here for quite awhile at this point) at face value. After all, they’re not attached to them like we are.

Still, I think some of the vitriol that is being thrown – from both sides of the argument – has gotten a little out of hand.

The truth of the matter is, bringing the OLTL characters over did help GH. It brought some OLTL fans with it – and it also brought the OLTL head writer over. And, quite frankly, we can all agree that Ron Carlivati is ten times the writer Bob Guza was.

It wasn’t Guza that brought Ned, Anna, Robert and Skye back for extended visits. It’s not Guza that resurrected the fun storytelling of the 1980s. It’s not Guza that reinvigorated the Quartermaines.

Despite the fact that Carlivati brought three OLTL cast members over permanently – and had another two stop by for a visit – he’s also given the other characters a lot more airtime. He did that simply by not making Sonny, Carly and Jason the center of everyone’s universe.

The balance isn’t perfect on this show – Connie is still around chewing scenery, after all – but it is markedly better.

The ratings at GH have improved for several different reasons. It doesn’t come down to one thing. It comes down to better writing, the return of beloved vets AND the influx of OLTL characters. They all worked together to achieve this.

Disgruntled GH fans that don’t like OLTL storylines – even though they’re tying Alcazar and Tomas together – should do what I did for more than a decade.

Grab your remote, pinch your nose so you won’t have to smell the bile, and just fast-forward through what you don’t like.

Because, the truth is, GH is much better off now – with the OLTL characters – than it was before Carlivati and company arrived.

 

GH still isn’t safe, though. It will be cancelled eventually. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. We all have to work together to make sure that when is as far in the future as possible.

So, if you don’t like the OLTL cast members, just ignore them and fast forward through them. That’s what I do whenever Ellie, Spinelli, Connie, Britt or Sabrina is on. It’s the nature of the beast, you’re not going to like everything.

Let’s just stop turning on each other and save the four remaining members of a once proud genre – even if it is just for a little while.

What do you think? Are you sick of the OLTL vs. GH wars, too?