After a rough patch, things have finally turned around for #Sprina fans. Tabyana Ali and Nicholas Chavez are both killing it as they take more and more steps toward becoming the super-couple they were born to be. Here’s a comical look back at the last few weeks of Spencer and Trina’s journey to celebrate #Sprina being back on track. Plus, I’m trolling the racist trolls back.
The fact that #Sprina has endured despite the surprise exit of Sydney Mikayla is a testament to fan commitment- and Tabyana Ali’s talent.
Sydney Mikayla’s chemistry with Nicholas Chavez was off the charts- and her exit could have doomed this storyline. And it probably would have been in the hands of a less talented recast. Tabyana Ali was in an unenviable spot of replacing her amid a storyline that seemed to be going out of its way to upset viewers. Tabyana Ali rose to the challenge and has been crucial in proving that #Sprina is happening.
Tabyana Ali is continuing what Sydney Mikayla started and hasn’t missed a beat yet.
For those who need proof of the smooth transition, let’s take inventory, shall we? The unbreakable “sisters before misters” bond with Joss? Tabyana and Eden McCoy were in sync with each other from day one- literally minutes into the episode. How about the refreshingly positive mother/daughter dynamic of the Robinson women? Tabyana’s scenes with Brook Kerr are among her best yet. The seamless transition continued with Tabyana matching her predecessor’s energy in her scenes with the legendary Maura West- those Trina/Ava scenes might be my personal favorite.
If you Google the phrase: “Fozzie Bear Marshall Ashford”, this post is the number one result.
And Trina and Spencer’s smoldering, will-they-please-just-kiss-for-the-love-of-God sexual tension? If you don’t see a Sonny and Brenda in Puerto Rico moment in their future, we are not watching the same show. Tabyana even makes Trina’s conversations with (full-time Fozzie Bear impersonator/graduate of the Frisco Jones/Jason Morgan School of Child Abandonment) Marshall Ashford watchable. That’s the definition of lightning in a bottle- and GH appears committed to giving us more of it.
Even when we can’t stand what Spencer is doing, Nicholas Chavez is worth watching.
It’s a testament to Nicholas Chavez’s talent that the #Sprina fandom didn’t riot over Spencer’s behavior over the last month. Spencer has been acting like an idiot and as a viewer, it’s been frustrating. His blind allegiance to Esme stopped being understandable the moment the sex tape came out and his lack of empathy for Trina made it even more upsetting. Nicholas Chavez played Spencer’s unlikable moments true to character- and like a true Cassidine left us completely in the dark as to what he was thinking.
Spencer confessed his feelings for Trina- and that he planned to prove her innocence. Which was the smartest thing he’s said or done in months.
When Spencer sought Ava out at the Jerome Gallery- only to come face-to-face with Trina, I had no idea what to expect. It was satisfying to see Trina tell Spencer to get his raggedy-ass back to his equally raggedy, criminally insane girlfriend on Spoon Island. But then we got the epic moment where Spencer revealed he believed Trina was innocent AND was manipulating his girlfriend, Esme, to gather evidence to exonerate Trina once and for all. Why? Because he was falling in love with Trina. Of course, the confessions were all in Spencer’s head- Trina still has no idea what’s going through this boy’s head. But at least the viewers now know the Cassidine prince has a plan.
Nicholas Chavez knows when to play up Spencer’s best and worst qualities- and always stays true to character.
Nicholas Chavez is always fantastic, but since his fantasy revelation, he’s been on another level. The last moment of that scene where Spencer steps close to Trina after he admits he’s falling for her is already iconic. Nicholas expressed the pent-up desire Spencer has for Trina, conveyed how much it hurts him to be away from her in a way that was so true to the character’s Cassidine-roots: no words, just an intense glare that’s both unsettling and incredibly sexy. That moment was almost like a green light for both the actor to play up all of Spencer’s best and worst qualities full-throttle from now on. And the results since then have been delightful.
Spencer enlisted a dubious Cam and the results were a disaster- and also put this storyline back on track.
Spencer eventually confessed the truth to Cameron (not in a daydream) and asked him to go along with his plan. Sweet, simple Cam correctly deduced that the idea was stupid as f🤬ck, was bound to fail but ‘Spencer is gonna Spencer’ so that was the end of that. Of course, a mere 12 hours later, Spencer’s master plan devolved into Cameron punching him in the middle of Kelly’s, right in front of Officer Rory Cabrera (Michael Blake Kruse).
Michael Blake Kruse has been drawn into the drama with a slap in the face.
Rory was told by his mentor, Jordan Ashford, never to turn a blind eye to the law being broken (which is wild considering how Jordan spent the last two years), so he immediately arrests Cameron. Of course, Spencer can’t chill for even a second because he’s a Cassidine/Corinthos hybrid and starts flipping out, and somehow accidentally bitch slaps Rory.
They both end up arrested and spend their brief time at the PCPD arguing over the obviously flaws plan Spencer’s hatched up. The consequences would have been severe, but Rory was obviously afraid of Mayor Laura Collins and decided not to press charges.
Nicholas Chavez and Genie Francis ae magical together
Side-note: Nicholas Chavez does amazing work with Genie Francis. Genie conveys a mix of disbelief that Spencer would get himself in trouble after Spring Ridge and anger mixed with genuine worry. Of course, Nicholas leans all the way into the cocky Cassidine-vibe. The best part was how it brought out Genie’s classic-I’m -going-to-kill-this-kid-right-here-in-the-police-station-energy, especially during Spencer’s shitty apology to Rory.
The scenes set the stage for a rivalry between Spencer and Rory down the road- but it wasn’t heavy and intense, which is refreshing. The lighter dynamic of the episodes was what the storyline needed to feel back on track.
#Sprina has a problem that’s dogged it since day one and it isn’t going away any time soon.
When it became apparent Spencer was being paired with Trina- parts of the ‘GH’ fanbase began exhibiting troubling behavior. Every viewer is entitled to their own opinion about storylines on the shows they watch- even if said opinions are dumb. But Insults hurled at these beautiful and talented young actresses degrading their physical appearance is unacceptable- not to mention they always insinuate that being Black is less appealing than being white.
If you think ABC is “too woke”, you should fall asleep and never wake up. Yeah, I said it.
There are quite a few accounts that chalk up the pairing of Trina and Spencer to ABC being “too woke” and see forced diversification on the show as part of this agenda. And that’s on the shallow end of explicitly racist comments. We all know there’s more hateful trash out there online. Then there are those against the pairing of Trina and Spencer who more subtly reveal their racism. Viewers who express a desire for Trina to remain “Joss’ best friend” and nothing more may sidestep race when articulating their opinions- but it doesn’t make them any less awful.
Hoping for an Esme and Spencer endgame is a step away from joining the Klan. Yeah, I said that, too.
The worst of the bunch are promoting Esme and Spencer as the end-game relationship in this storyline- and defending her vile actions which include drugging Trina and framing her for revenge porn. These fans are also discounting that Esme only dated Spencer at her father Ryan Chamberlain’s urging, to assist in a plot to break up Nikolas and Ava. There’s nothing more racist than supporting a dangerous criminal as Spencer’s significant other just to keep him out of an interracial romance.
The more the #Sprina storyline progresses, the worse online hate is going to get.
There is no easy fix for the pervasive racism among soap fans on social media- and there are no signs of it slowing down. Making matters worse, the racist trolls on the internet are stoking fears of viewers who have spent decades being let down.GH has had an incredibly shitty track record with following through on interracial romances and while diversity on the show has gotten better, the audience has a long memory. No sooner than it was revealed that Michael Blake Kruse was joining the show, conspiracy theories began to pop up.
Even poor Michael Blake Kruse is getting hit with racist comments.
Some fans see a Rory/Trina pairing as a way of placating racist fans uncomfortable with an interracial couple. Unfortunately, some fans on social media took out their anger on Michael Blake Kruse, denigrating his ethnicity, looks, and height. This would be offensive no matter the actor, but even more upsetting that it happen to Michael Blake Kruse. The actor engages with fans in a positive, respectful manner and is truly grateful for his job at GH.
Viewers who wish Port Charles looked like it did five or ten years ago are in for a rude awakening. Here’s some data to ruin the fantasies of racist trolls everywhere
- Since the beginning of the year, four Black actors have joined the cast: Tabyana Ali (Trina Robinson), Tanisha Harper (Jordan Ashford), Tahj Bellow (TJ Ashford), and Robert Gosset (Marshall Ashford) as contract players. Along with Donnell Turner (Curtis Ashford), Brook Kerr (Portia Robinson) and Sean Blakemore (who exited just last month), GH officially has more Black actors on contract than ever before in the show’s history. Expect that number to continue to grow.
- Vernee Watson-Johnson (Stella Henry), Joyce Guy (Phyllis Caulfield), Felix DuBois (Marc Samuel), Stephen A. Smith (Brick), Sonia Eddy (Epiphany Johnson), Dioni Michelle Collins (Nurse Deanna Sirtis), Real Andrews (Marcus Taggert) and Arlondriah Lenyéa (Nneka) are all regularly featured on a recurring basis. The likelihood that some of the actors, if not all, end up on contract at some point is all but guaranteed.
- With the addition of Filipino-American, Michael Blake Kruse (Rory Cabrera) the actor joins Lydia Look (Selina Wu), Parry Shen (Bradley Cooper), and Cassandra James (Dr. Terry Randolph) in representing Asian-Americans on GH. That number is likely to get bigger as well.
- Cassandra James is the first transgendered actress to regularly appear in a daytime drama. She joins Parry Shen and Marc Samuel as members of the LGBTQ community represented on GH.
If racists want to troll #Sprina fans, they should remember this.
There is a Black family living their best life in Jax’s old house. Each of those characters have more storylines and screentime than Jax had in the last decade. The racist actor who played him, Ingo Rademacher, will probably never going to work on GH ever again.
-a reminder to the racists out there of where ‘General Hospital’ stands on diversity