How you doin’?

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I’ve been silent on the Kate Howard issue thus far. I prefer to reserve my judgment on new characters because it takes a long time to figure out how a new character is going to fit into a soap canvas. On GH especially, new characters mostly annoy me because we have a lot of characters already and new ones just take up screen time during which Ned and Alexis could be getting back together.

But Kate Howard is glorious and it must be declared. This is the actress, Megan Ward’s, IMDb photo, but it hardly does her justice. She’s pretty, but you really have to see her in action to get the full effect.

meganward.jpg

I can tell what TPTB are doing with Kate, but I like her anyway. The flirting with Sonny is so obvious, and my reactions to Kate’s scenes might as well be instructions flashed on the screen. “Laugh!” “Smile here, Katie.” “Grin like a fool.” “Gasp at Kate’s cute hair.” When I look in the mirror, I swear I can see the strings TPTB are pulling. (I imagine myself as a marionette, not a hand puppet. I don’t want Bob Guza’s hand up my ass, even in a metaphor.) Regardless of the cliches, the trite dialogue, and the general been-here-before feeling of this storyline, I remain delighted by Kate Howard. I attribute my lack of objectivity to Megan Ward’s charm and likability and to the chemistry between her and Maurice. He’s a good-looking man, but he’s also a good actor. It’s nice when someone can hold her own with him. I’d say Maurice’s days look pretty good since they are split between Laura Wright (Carly), Megan, and whoever that scary-but-foxy woman who plays Amelia is.

Look at the funny shape Kate’s mouth makes when she must speak sternly to Sonny.

kate.jpg

The bottom line is that Kate Howard is fun. She has secrets (of course) but even the secrets are fun. I get sick of life-or-death secrets. I hope TPTB don’t screw this thing up, although I’m not holding my breath, and it’s a good thing I’m used to being Bob Guza’s puppet.