Volume I, Issue i

COUNTER=5042

Summer 1998

From the Editor by Amy McWilliams

Welcome to the first issue of the General Hospital Review! As many of you know, I was the creator and writer of The Week in Review, a weekly column that appeared on the Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.tv.soaps.abc from February 1997 to May 1998. I enjoy writing about General Hospital very much, but after sixteen months of doing that column, I was looking for a new format. The WIR was as much update as it was commentary, and I grew tired of being accountable for even the most uninteresting of events in the name of completion.

And so this monthly web magazine was born. In it, I will continue my criticism of and commentary on the ABC soap General Hospital, but instead of detailing everything in every episode, I will free myself up to take a look at each month as a whole. I will give some listing of events, and then give opinions on the actions and characters in general as well as focus on key scenes with my usual discussion (and, no doubt, my usual Spencer bias).

At the same time, this magazine will let me write outside that context. As you can see in this first issue, I have begun two other main columns already, both of which will appear each month and, I hope, will be written by guest writers in later issues. The first is "The Floating Rib," which will hopefully come to address a wide variety of subjects; we have two members of our editorial board providing entries in this issue. Second, "Now and Then" will take scenes from the past and discuss their relationship to the current stories and characters on our shows. Already, members of my editorial board have agreed to write other monthly or recurring columns, and you can see the beginnings of them here in Judy Ellison's "What's Cookin' on the Backburner" and Terry Leslie's column on the small things that make our show so good. Also included is our first character study, written this time by Adrian McConchie. After I have put out an issue or two, I then hope to ask other people to contribute as well.

For this issue, I will begin where The Week in Review ended. I'll cover, in my main review column, the action from May 18th through the middle of August. The next issue will appear mid-October and will cover the end of August and the month of September, and from then on each issue will cover the previous month, appearing on or around the 15th. Hopefully, each issue will find the Review filled with more and better material from a variety of writers. I hope to include information and reviews on GH actors' other work, as well as thoughts about directors and writers on the show. Finally, I hope to continue to be able to talk a bit about PC myself, but may find somebody to do a regular PC column to match mine on GH.

I look forward to exploring the possibilities of the GHR. And I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying putting it together. Let me know if you have suggestions or comments using the feedback form, and check back each month for a new issue. All new issues will be announced on r.a.t.s.a.

GH and PC in Review by Amy McWilliams

While I've given up the minutiae of The Week in Review, I will still be writing about the events and characters of General Hospital. I'll also try to briefly discuss Port Charles. In this issue, I cover the summer months on our shows, giving a brief outline of events and reactions to all the storylines, then discussing at length scenes and characters that I feel were the most integral, most effective, most interesting...and most fun.

I'm still getting used to this new format, and so the balance may be off, at times; some characters don't get as much attention, and while my Spencer bias will mean that their end of the review may always weigh heavy, I apologize if your favorites got short shrift. The reviews are also long, and I believe they'll settle into a slightly shorter average as time goes on. But hey, you've got a month to read them! And one thing more. The May and June reviews do not have dates for the scenes in question. I realized only after finishing the June review that I hadn't given any indication as to when scenes took place, but didn't have the time or energy to add dates after the fact. From the July review on, I will always indicate in which episode the action occurred. My apologies for this, but I trust you'll give me some leeway in adapting to this new format and in covering 3 months at once!

Thanks to all the updaters on r.a.t.s.a. and to Allyn Wilkinson for her GH Transcripts Page. Thanks also to everybody on the GH side of r.a.t.s.a for their discussion of the show, which has most certainly helped form and solidify my opinions.

Now and Then: Lulu's Birthday by Amy McWilliams

The "Now and Then" column will present scenes and sequences out of the history of the show, primarily to explain, compare and contrast, or inform the present with the past. This month I take a look at the birth of Lesley Lu Spencer and talk about the contrast and continuity between the Spencer family now and then.

The Floating Rib: So Mr. Murty is Gay--Not That There's Anything Wrong with That...Or is There? by Joan Roseman

In this issue's first "Floating Rib" column, Joan Roseman gives her response to the revelation that Mr. Murty was not Elizabeth's rapist. She questions the writers' choices with regards to the speed of the revelation and the underlying assumptions in the alibi. Finally, she argues that the Mr. Murty we saw in those scenes is not consistent with the Mr. Murty we've seen over the past several months and wonders about the show's depiction of gay characters.

What's Cookin' on the Backburner by Judy Ellison

Judy Ellison's concoction is a fictional look at the characters who are, shall we say, not so busy right now. In her first episode, visit some of your favorites at the Backburner Bar to get a glimpse into what they do in their spare time. This month: a surprise guest!

Small Things: Thank You's by Teresa Leslie

Teresa Leslie is developing a column that will focus on the small, seemingly insignificant things on GH. When noticed, however, and considered, these little details illuminate many things about the characters and action. In her first installment, she talks about Stefan's whispered "thank you"s to Laura.

The Floating Rib: Whose Child is This? by Arda Darakjian Clark

In this issue's second "Floating Rib" column, Arda Clark discusses patterns of paternity and maternity mysteries and/or cover-ups on GH. She focuses on the current situations with Nikolas and Michael, drawing in the histories of their respective families to illuminate the tradition of relational revelations on our soap.

A Study in Character: Lessons From the Past: Bobbie Spencer by Adrian McConchie

In our first character study, Adrian McConchie takes a look at the maturation of the character of Bobbie Spencer over the past twenty years. Adrian's web page is also featured in this issue (see below).

Special Report: The GH Fan Club Weekend by Amy McWilliams

On my recent trip to Los Angeles I attended the annual GH Fan Club Luncheon as well as the Kurth and Taylor concert. Here is my report, which includes pictures.

Featured Web Page: The Bobbie Zone

Each month the General Hospital Review will feature one of the outstanding GH or PC web pages on the net. This month, the honors go to Adrian McConchie's fabulously fun page, The Bobbie Zone. For over two years, Adrian has created and maintained a page that presents in a fun and informative way the character of Bobbie Spencer and her portrayer, Jacklyn Zeman. Thanks for all the hard work, Adrian!

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