I’d say they had me at the opening credits but, let’s face it, they had me well before that.
Referring to history doesn’t have to be as literal as this, but god it’s fun when it is.
Recreating the first time Robin and Robert met, down to the dress, the sandwiches and the funky stairs in that apartment was genius. 
And putting Anna in her wedding dress from their first wedding – thankfully not the pink monstrosity from their second – with the bouffant hair she wore for so long. 
Bringing back Sean and Tiffany, and adding Luke and Mac to the gang of Robert’s intervention of the sub-conscious. Mentioning Holly. Throwing in the right mixture of comedy and drama and easy friendship that always made this group work so well and always had me as a fan.
And then, on top, having Robin sit on his bed and talk to him and have me in even more tears than last week. Have to pause the show so I can recover enough to watch the next bit and not miss anything tears.
I couldn't have asked for anything more, especially as Robert woke up in the end. I figured he would, but if he had have died I can't say I would have been disappointed with this as a send off. It was the right mixture of nostalgia, fun and genuine emotion.
As usual, Luke got all the best lines:
Robert: “I’m not dead yet.”
Luke: “You might as well be, you’re starting to rot from the inside. They had to gut you like a fish.”
Luke: “You remember my hair in 1985?”
Anna: “God, do you remember mine?”
Speaking of hair in 1985:
The rest of the episode was pretty damn good too. I think they picked the right tone for the finale with no patient of the week, but rather a building of other stories (although the Toussaint stuff was out of place, mainly because there needed to be more of it to actually constitute a story).
Patrick’s concern for Robin and the baby at the threat was better this week, what I felt was lacking last week. And his lack of confidence and not wanting to operate was just at the right level. Depressed and matter-of-fact, but not all woe-is-me martyrdom.
I wasn’t surprised by Claire’s resignation, and that was a good thing. A sign that they’d built up her ambivalence to her career, on top of the disaster of her personal life, throughout the series. Her scenes with Leo – suddenly a human – and Eric, were both great.
While Antonio Sabato should never try to cry onscreen, the Jagger-Saira hook-up proved even more what I’d thought previously; they should have gone with that pairing through the series instead of the horrible Saira-Leo thing.
Also, glad to see Jagger working so hard to protect the hospital.
No wonder a dumpster got blown up.
I’m looking forward to next week, I’m glad Robert’s awake, and I’ll leave you with this from head writer Sri Rao from his interview with Nelson Branco – which, having watched this week in particular, should come as no surprise:
“I grew up on General Hospital. It is the show I’ve watched the most in my life. I started watching at eight years old, and religiously tuned in for 15 years. In recent years, I’ve drifted in and out, but I always kept tabs on it.
When ABC approached me, I was surprised, because this gig wasn’t something I sought out. I never considered writing for daytime TV, but when they called, it was perfect. It really was a dream come true. As a fan, it’s like being given the keys to the candy store. I think every fan head-writes a soap in their head at one point or another. And I actually got to do it. It was a huge thrill. And a lot of fun.”
We can tell, and we’re kind of thrilled. Now, if only there were a few more writers out there like that who were actually allowed to write the soaps, there might be life left in this genre yet.
Oh, and I’m pretty sure he wrote that line on GH Day Shift last week when Robin mentioned her Catholic Grandmother Philomena.
Caps courtesy LiznJase.
Oh, great catch about Robin's grandmother Philomena! I would really love it if Sri Rao wound up as head writer of the mother ship GH...
Posted by: Gwynne | 17 October 2008 at 12:25 PM