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Most Promising NewcomersColby Muhammad and Ambyr Michelle (Kat & Eva, Beyond The Gates). Of BTG’s less experienced cast members, these two stood out from the jump. Both had that immediate twinkle of star quality. Both express emotion with ease and have an ability to make challenging dialogue flow. It’s just a matter of Beyond The Gates giving these two the material they deserve rather than feuding over a dead weight guy and their every conversation devolving into female-on-female hate. I don’t need or want these two to become adoring sisters, some friction there will always make sense, but I would love to see them wake up to how Tomas has been playing them and temporarily join forces to derail his career aspirations. With that source of contention out of their way, maybe we could concentrate less on their feud and more on the areas where these two actresses shine. Mohammad has been at her most likable and most entertaining whenever Kat’s elbowed in on a case (trying to catch Leslie or locate her cousin), so why not ditch handbags for a PI license where she can be a constant thorn in the side of the police and nose into everyone’s business with comedic and stylish flair, let her be fun and shrewd at the same time. There’s so much fire and scrappiness in Michelle’s Eva, why not combine that pluck and her hair-styling talents into inventing a hair-care product? The audience could go along for the ride as we watch this woman build her own empire without her parents’ financial aid, I want to see the struggle, the ups and downs, I want success to be years in the making so she and we can really savor it, making Eva a modern day CJ Walker would totally capitalize on the abundance of personality and rootability this actress brings to the screen.Worst RelativesRidge & Brooke, B&B (Thorsten Kaye & Katherine Kelly Lang). Often on soaps, families are so warm and inviting that viewers long to join them, but this year, the last thing you’d want is to be related to Ridge or Brooke. The pair threw a retirement party for Ridge’s dad, Eric, a man who never said he wanted to retire, and they held his unwelcome send off, not in some fancy venue, but in his former office, with two dollars worth of balloons, blindsiding both Eric and his wife, who happens to be Brooke’s sister. They claimed to be doing this for the sake of Eric’s health, claimed his role as a designer had compromised his health, but that wasn’t even true! They just with no basis and no notice decided to push the man out of his own company. Brooke’s youngest sister didn’t fair any better with these two. Curiously Brooke and Ridge’s son’s involvement with serial killer Luna hasn’t been mentioned, it’s only Katie’s son, raped by Luna, that caused a publicity crisis at Forrester. Under the guise of wanting to give Katie time to deal with and recover from her family’s ordeal, Ridge and Brooke hired an outside firm to take over Katie’s PR role. Katie’s personal issues were quickly resolved (for however long Luna stays dead this time) yet Carter, Ridge, and her sister Brooke, continued to rely on the other PR team, essentially and unapologetically squeezing Katie out of her longtime job. And then Brooke, in perhaps her most entitled moment ever, forbid Katie from using their family name for her new fashion endeavor, as though that name only belongs to Brooke. With relatives like these, who needs enemies?Best Return PerformancePeter Reckell (Bo, Days Of Our Lives). Coming back from the dead or emerging from a long-term coma are soap opera staples that have lost much of their punch over the years simply because they now happen all the time and for whatever reason too often shows can’t be bothered to play all the emotional beats. But Days got this wake-up from a coma right, and Peter Reckell did arguably the best work of his career as Bo’s family reluctantly filled him in on all that happened while he was sleeping, including the huge losses of his father-in-law Doug and his own dad, Victor. Yes, there were real world components to this performance, real world grief, but if anything, I’d imagine that just made it all the more difficult to play, to put aside the personal and be in character, to make those blows to Bo’s heart (not Peter’s) so keenly felt by the viewer, to see Bo’s regrets and ever complicated feelings about Victor pour out of Reckell, it was sad and beautifully played, an actor at the top of his craft and only getting better after all these years. They have to find a way to get him back on the show full time.
Most Botched ReturnsBritt & Nathan, GH (Kelly Thiebaud & Nathan Paevey). Reviving two dead siblings within weeks of one another is certainly a choice, one I’d more expect from Days than from GH. Maybe in the future just have characters leave town so their returns require less explanation. The worst part of this is that these are actors/characters I enjoy. I should have loved that they’ve returned, but the execution of these storyies have so far been pretty terrible. Let’s start with Britt. When you died in the arms of your genius doctor mom, your revival from the dead is an even tougher swallow than usual, more believable would have been that it’s Obrecht who arranged all this for her beloved Britta to keep her alive by any means, instead Obrecht knew nothing and Britt wasn’t apologetic about letting her mother think she was dead so they reunited with an ugly shouting match. Ugly shouting matches have typified Britt’s return, she’s said and done such grating things like declaring that she, having stolen fetus/baby Rocco, is more connected to Lulu’s son than Lulu is or ever well be, or the constant whining about Jason paying attention to anyone in his life other than her, it is not endearing behavior nor indicative of the growth we saw from this character before the actress opted to leave. While reviving her comedic pairing with Brad is a step in the right direction, GH still has a long way to go to course-correct this return into something more palatable. As for Britt’s brother, Nathan, the only good thing I can say about his return is at least he just showed up in a truck one day, we didn’t have to endure one of those drawn out, fake foreign destination “adventures”, full of shoot ‘em ups with day players, which have poorly launched many other GH returns (Britt, Lucky, Jason, Drew, etc). However, nothing else about Nathan’s return has been seamless. Months into this we still have no hint as to how Nathan’s alive or where he’s been and no one even seems to be looking into it, including Nathan himself, a detective. Also, this is a man with no recent memories yet he’s been reinstated to the police force? And if this is in fact Nathan and not Faison in disguise, then someone explain to me why you’d bring him on when Kirsten Storms is on leave instead of waiting for her, or why he seemingly hasn’t even gone to visit comatose Maxie (the woman to whom he was happily married when he “died”), or why he doesn’t seem care much that she moved on with Spinelli, and he’s spent extremely little time getting to know his son. The only thing Nathan does seem interested in is Lulu, and what a treat that will be for the viewers if a guy comes between one of the few truly great female friendships in daytime. Like I said, I’m a fan of both of these actors, so I do have hopes that they and the show can turn this around, as of now though, their returns have not been nearly as well thought out as they needed to be.Fiercest CharacterVictor, Y&R (Eric Braeden). I don’t doubt that there are viewers out there who are like, Victor is in his eighties, it’s time for him to calm down, slow down, soften, take a backseat, settle into his diminished era, kind of like Eric on B&B, where holidays and stories about aging are all the screen-time he can expect. I, however, am glad Y&R doesn’t prescribe to that theory, that they haven’t yet taken anything away from Victor, especially not his bite. Where would the entertainment value even have been on this soap this year without a divisive as ever Victor, mixing it up with Jack, threatening villains, burning hot and cold with Nikki (to hide the vulnerability underneath all his ferocity)? “I do whatever the hell I want to do! “I don’t care! Ever!” “You feeling a vibe? The vibe is I’m pissed off!” “You know who you’re dealing with, you young punk!” He’s essentially Clint Eastwood yelling at the world to get off his lawn, he’s funny yet at the same time seriously intimidating. There’s something pretty fantastic and yeah, amusing, in seeing this older man face off against the likes of Cane and Matt and still seem like he could eat them alive. Whether you love Victor or love to hate him, you can’t deny that whenever anything happens in Genoa City, it’s still Victor’s often audacious reactions that you’re eagerly awaiting, if someone’s in danger you still think, well, Victor will save them, if someone’s being smug, Victor will make sure they aren’t for long, he is still very much the engine of this show, and thankfully so, as the writing struggles, feeling less and less recognizably Y&R, maintaining Victor’s commanding presence seems more essential than ever.Most DisappointingBeyond The Gates. The combination of CBS, Proctor & Gamble, and a predominantly black soap opera, had me thinking BTG would be the quality and tone of As The World Turns infused with Mara Brock Akil (Girlfriends, The Game, Forever, etc.). So yeah, some of this disappointment is my own fault, still, even if I shouldn’t have expected BTG to meet standards that lofty, they could aim higher in some basic ways. Start stories in the right spot for maximum impact (we should have seen Bill & Hayley’s affair, been there for Dani’s moment of discovery, and we should have been on that road with Martin and Vernon in the moment, etc), relying on flashbacks and stilted telling rather than showing is not nearly as engaging as giving the viewers a ringside seat to everything as it goes down, and if you’re going to hype an event like Winter Fest, have a clear idea of what the event is (even the wardrobe was all over the map) and make sure it’s an idea that you can actually afford to play out on screen so we aren’t just hearing about things we can’t see (Bill’s speech somehow couldn’t even be on air?). As for the cast, actors who were wooden in February are still wooden in December, they are not improving, as hard as it may be to fire good people, if they aren’t good actors, they need to go. A show less than a year old shouldn’t struggle this much with continuity, we shouldn’t already have timelines that don’t add up or inconsistencies in character details, and no way should history be rewritten this early on (at first it was implied that Hayley grew up as part of the family, then she was many times married before even meeting them, that’s a vast difference that doesn’t add up, if you wanted this twist of Hayley trying to take his money/kill him, just have her become increasingly unhinged by realizing she blew up her life for a guy who still loves his wife. Why was retconning necessary when there was another way that aligns with the story already laid out?). Lastly, in real life, yes, white guys still hold most of the power, but isn’t this show supposed to be aspirational? Why is Joey the one everyone turns to in a crisis? When a black politician is in trouble or a black woman is missing or a young black man needs a mentor/education, etc, they turn to Joey. Why is a (woefully miscast) white guy the most powerful person in town? That’s not breaking the mold, that’s the same old same old, except the powerful men centering the other soaps all at least have the weight and charisma to pull off their role. You know which actor actually has that weight and charisma on BTG? Timon Kyle Durrett. Yet even Bill enlists Joey’s help. The choice to place Joey in the center of everything on a landmark black television show is odd and off-putting, especially when your Victor Newman, your EJ DiMera in waiting, is clearly Bill.
Most Valuable PlayerHeather Tom (Katie, B&B). While Heather Tom had some strong acting performances this year including those involving Will’s rape, Tom’s work most impressed me in her behind the scenes role at B&B. The all-female episode of B&B, written and directed by Heather Tom was a big step up in quality for the show, including the most realistic and easy on the ears dialogue that this soap has had in years. Hope and Brooke’s mother-daughter relationship has never felt more real or interesting than in the scenes Tom crafted for them. Hope ranted and raved, blamed Brooke for losing her line, and criticized Brooke’s devotion to Ridge. Brooke demanded that Hope get out of her house and Hope moved to slap her mom with Aunt Katie stopping her, Hope then realizing how far she’d almost gone burst into tears and mother and daughter finally embraced. Tom brought a depth to this episode, to this series that it’s rarely seen in decades, if I were in charge, she’d be named my head writer and my go-to director, this one episode was a tantalizing glimpse of what this soap could be in her capable, thoughtful hands. If B&B isn’t wise enough to pass the mantle to her, maybe since Tom is also an alumni of Y&R that show will wake up and realize that a voice like hers might be just what is needed to right their wayward ship.Worst Character AssassinationJennifer, Days Of Our Lives (Melissa Reeves). I’d hoped Jennifer’s cold vibes in recent years were another of Cady McClain’s weird, unnecessary affectations that would disappear the moment Melissa Reeves resumed the role. Unfortunately the writers seem to be as unfamiliar with Jennifer’s heart as McClain was and continue to write to some bizarro version of the character. The Jennifer I grew up loving, who had so many treasured conversations with her grandparents, she was as warm and compassionate as could be, she would never try to rip her grandchildren away from their only living parent. How many mistakes has Jack made? How many outright crimes has he committed? How could Jennifer keep letting him back into her life if she wasn’t someone who had long ago mastered the art of forgiveness? Cat was being blackmailed, it’s not like she impersonated dead Abigail for kicks and giggles, she was forced into it, her mother’s life was at stake. Who knows how far anyone would be willing to go to spare their parent from a gruesome death at the hands of a psycho? Her motivation makes her actions a thousand times more excusable than plenty of things Jennifer’s own family has done, it makes so little sense that Jennifer would continue to hold it against Cat, continue to view her as some sort of a danger and threat. It also makes no sense (other than convenience for the writers) that Chad hasn’t explained to Thomas and Jennifer that the hug that sent Thomas hurtling into traffic, was not Chad being a “bad dad” but rather due to Cat receiving terrible news about her mother’s health and anyone (especially the Jennifer I used to know) would have attempted to console Cat. Every chilly, hate-driven diatribe Jennifer has engaged in the last couple months has me cringing and wishing the writers would watch their own Jennifer Anniversary show from this past year, and finally understand the character again through those clips. Jack taking no issue with Jennifer’s custody war just adds to the overall horribleness of the situation. Jennifer and Jack were once upon a time the rom-com couple of the show, and what they’ve become in the hands of one miscomprehending writing team after the next, the laughter, the smiles, the warmth, all gone, it’s just depressing.
Best Guest StarErika Slezak (Ronnie, General Hospital). Yes, this story required some suspension of disbelief that Monica wouldn’t have mentioned a sister, and that the rest of the Quartermaine household, usually a sharp group, wouldn’t have suspected something fishy and sided with Tracy. But honestly, who cares? The accidentally tipsy moment, kicking Tracy out of the house, all the warm getting to know you chats (especially with Gio), the brief run-in with Joey a.k.a. Brennan, the genuine sorrow expressed over losing all that time with her sister over a petty argument, yelling at Tracy to put a sock in it, there wasn’t a false note in this performance, Slezak hasn’t lost a single step despite how long she’s been out of the soap opera game, this was the most welcome of returns. And with soap scenes increasingly hurried (efficient to shoot I guess, not great though for storytelling), I found myself especially appreciative of Erika Slezak’s unhurried pace, she has this way of slowing moments down that is as they say, chef’s kiss.Biggest Waste Of TalentThe Young And The Restless. Billy Flynn was cast as an Australian (he’s not, nor is he doing an accent or explaining why Cane’s has disappeared). More importantly Flynn needs to be at least fifteen years older (Cane tried to pass himself off as Phillip, and age was the first stumbling block with Lily). Cane trapped half the cast in that maze/train car set (the worst set design in this show’s history?) for no discernible reason other than someone wanted to kill him (will we ever know who?). Two characters died thanks in part to Cane, Nick almost died, too, then Cane skipped right over remorse to threatening to steal nearly every family built business in town. Supposedly all of this is to impress Lily and his kids (they admire villainy?), his undying love for Lily is tough to buy into though when he’s having sex with Phyllis, and as for the kids, that rift isn’t compelling because none of them are even on the show (Sam hasn’t even been mentioned). What is any actor, even one as skilled as Billy Flynn, supposed to do with this mess other than flounder right from the start? As Lily said to Cane, “this makes no sense.” Nor does hiring Roger Howarth to play Matt Clark. Yes, Howarth turned a rapist into a long-running anti-hero in the past, but that was a different time and it helped that there were glimpses of humanity in Todd, there is nothing in Matt Clark to hook into to make him viable, Rick Hearst couldn’t save him, neither can Howarth, so why would you bring on one of the most interesting acting styles out there only to confine him in such a dead-end role? Why not create someone new for him (and for us)? Another highly talented performer, Tamara Braun is mired in a story that sees her married to dead-end Matt, while having an affair with Noah, played by an actor who was recently her son on Days, creating a giant ick factor for the many viewers who watch both shows. Then there’s Camryn Grimes, fans have loved her since she was a little girl, yet this year we’ve hardly seen her except to have Mariah ditch her wife and child because she’s “done a bad thing” and check into a facility where they are… helping her? Who knows? We’ve barely seen her since. One of the show’s most winning personalities and she just sits there, dormant. Unfortunately she’s far from alone as a once thriving character now twiddling their thumbs on Y&R, there’s also Victoria, Nate, Abby, Devon, Adam, and Chelsea. This is one of the strongest casts in daytime, yet Y&R isn’t anywhere near making the most of their collective abilities.
Beyond The GatesHighs: The Duprees wore black for Bill’s wedding and refused to stand when Hayley walked down the aisle – The comedic vibes of Kat pestering/teaming up with Jacob – Nicole ripping into Ted after finding out he cheated – Tyrell is a Dupree yet endearingly humble, questioning why popular Jessica would like him, assuming it was a joke – “She makes vanilla seem spicy,” Dani about Ashley – “He’s a bore in the bedroom,” Kat about Tomas – Anytime Dani and Nicole refer to each other as “sissy” - Bill carrying Leslie out of the house – the Duprees callously laying bets on Ted and Nicole’s marriage and Ted calling them out on their hypocrisy – “Do you think I need AA?” Dani – “Subtlety has never been my strong suit,” Vanessa – “You all are both garbage,” Kat to Tomas and Eva after they slept together. – Vernon’s Thanksgiving speech playing over a well-edited montage of everyone’s get-togethers – Samantha stops chasing an obvious dirt-bag and shifts her focus to advocating for the underprivileged - Shanice and Ted’s friendship/subtle flirtation, stuck in the elevator, impromptu lunch, gifting her a bird feeder to help her overcome her fear, watching a Christmas movie together – Anita’s cancer diagnosis gives Tamara Tunie a chance to be real rather than performative – family times with Smitty, Martin, Samantha & Tyrell - June’s sister finally reunites at Christmas with the teens – Bill’s far too few interactions with his daughters.Lows: Dani’s over-the-top melodramatics right out of the gate, the slap, the golf club, the gun without repercussions, the drunk scenes – Why do the gates not keep anyone out? Even before her windfall, Leslie had no problem invading the country club, the Dupree homes, etc – Leslie is just Sheila all over again, doing all the crimes and no time – Pamela’s weird accent/speech patterns – Ashley & Derek, always insufferable, the fridge flip out the worst of all – The Articulettes motto, it should be against the law to put words that inane into Tamara Tunie’s mouth – Devon’s crossover, where he declared his family was doing great when Chance had recently been murdered - Tomas and Eva discuss Kat’s virginity – Tomas didn’t want to have sex when Kat told him she was ready as that would have been, in his words, “like ticking a box,” so it would have been sexier if she wasn’t sure she wanted to? Are we supposed to find this guy attractive? – Kat’s deemed at fault for not enjoying sex with Tomas, how much more refreshing would it have been if a soap guy had been bad in bed? - Comparing Leslie to Brenda Walsh and Tina Turner. No. Big no. – June told the kids she got good grades yet she’s portrayed as too ditzy to competently wait tables - Leslie shows up at Ted’s for the express purpose of taking advantage of his drunken state, very B&B of her - Tomas’s penile contusion and John Lewis’s “good trouble” used in that context – Vernon’s innuendo with Barbara was an obvious fake out and insult to viewers’ intelligence. Wishes: Vernon and Samantha champion a cause that goes against one of Martin’s policies, dividing the Duprees – Who killed Joey, a murder mystery. – Build a working class family around Shanice, some members content with where they’re at, some aspiring to join the country club, and include some kids in the mix (if generating romance is a concern, there could be single parents), seeing no one under teenage in this town gives off a strange dystopian vibe.
The Bold And The BeautifulHighs: “You don’t wear the crown at all do you?” Ridge to Carter after another nepo baby rant from Hope – Liam joking about getting a parrot to keep him company, then having a serious moment where it sinks in that his life stinks and its his own fault that only Wyatt remembered his birthday – “Oh my god, that blood is in Hayes,” Steffy realizing that her boy shares genes with two serial killers – Steffy laces into Luna for what she did to her – “I have patients with backgrounds far more tragic than yours and they didn’t kill anyone,” Taylor to Luna – “I feel like we’re surrounded by psychos,” Steffy – “You’re an empty figurehead,” Steffy to Hope. – “She lacks self-awareness and she always plays the victim” Steffy assessing Hope - Liam and Bill’s angry confrontation where Bill disowned Liam – “I’d like to be adults,” Brooke to Taylor. We’d all like that. – Steffy tearfully tells Hope that Liam is dying, a rare moment on this show where respect is shared between two unrelated females – Bill & Liam’s teary apology session at Il Gardino – Elektra called the police and Chief Baker took Luna to jail – Bill’s comically pained effort to be patient and kind to his employees – Beth’s enthusiasm at the prospect of officiating and planning her parents’ wedding – Instead of endlessly whining about her position at Forrester like her niece does, Katie opts to forge her own path and not let Brooke have ownership over their family’s name.Lows: Bill sprung Luna from prison – Daphne Rose’s “intoxicating” scent and torch songs – “I once called you father,” Hope to Ridge. No she didn’t. – Sheila mafia kissed Luna on the mouth upon learning they’re related. At least have Luna pretend gag behind grandma’s back – Hope demanded Daphne Rose leave the country for kissing Carter, yet Hope thought Steffy took her interest in Finn too personally? – Blood in Bill’s home, on his doorstep, an ambulance, yet Bill didn’t know Liam was hurt? -– Deacon and Carter fight – Poppy and Sheila food fight – Another illness secret and not a death sentence – Luna wakes from near death and all she wants is sex from Will who wore a wire to entrap her. No actions on this show make sense – Ridge and Brooke remarried in an office, by Carter whose coup caused their split – Eric erased Caroline as one of Ridge’s great loves – Li again absconded with a patient, this time a fugitive and no repercussions – rape not called rape – Don’t show how Luna broke out in the laundry, don’t show a miscarriage, don’t show her run over or dead, it makes for very little show on your television show but allows you to weasel out of any story point later – Steffy made Hope fire her own brother Deke – Wasting new studio space on a permanent runway set when a Forrester retail store could have been built, or a fancier dining spot as an alternative choice to Il Gardino, or another room in someone’s home, another office, almost anything would have been more practical storywise. Wishes: Feature at least two storylines per episode and four storylines per week – Eric mentors Deke, in part because it allows him to be in his creative field to a degree, and in part because deep down he wants to stick it to Ridge by helping out the competition – Zende falls for a woman who works for rival Logan, which is very much unapproved by Forrester, forcing him to choose between love, career, and family.
Days Of Our LivesHighs: Talk of Marcus on Jada’s wedding day – “He’s impersonating you and being a moron is your forte,” EJ to Rafe – Brady sees his toxic patterns in Belle’s “romance” with EJ – Valentine clips of Doug and Julie, Steve and Kayla - “She was the diamond in this family,” Julie on Alice - Chanel and Johnny’s disastrous lunch with Sofia’s mother – Johnny confronts EJ about the rape, Sami talks sexual history, admitted she’s a rapist, too – Julie trying to ignore Doug III as he told her living with her had been the happiest time of his life – Cat protective of Felicity when Xander lashed out over Sarah’s allergy – Only soap to acknowledge Juneteenth – Japanese tradition and the rainbow at Paul and Andrew’s wedding – Marlena and Julie talk grief and family – “I’ve never seen such a conniving woman since Gabi Hernandez fornicated her way through my family,” Julie on Cat – Johnny’s impression of Susan – Kristen jailed – Theo joins DeMira, clashes with JJ – Sophia, far-fetched yet entertaining – The Sami Brady Ex-Husbands Club – Refreshing role reversal, black man mentors illiterate white guy – Gabi discusses her teen pregnancy with Ari – Brady with Rachel at Bayview, his dad, the baseball, his hand hesitating on the doorknob - Rachel, her awkward birthday party, detesting Jeremy, her influence on Thomas, flinging a pumpkin, causing and regretting Sarah’s allergic reaction, begging her dad not to leave her in Bayview, her heart shattering when she thought she’d spend Christmas there, this kid is a gem.Lows: Belle surprised that EJ is still shady, of course that didn’t stop her from having more sex with him, what could be more of a turn on than a reminder that your nephew is the product of EJ raping your sister? – Ava shipped out to Hong Kong – Rafe slept with Sami yet again immediately following a breakup – Xander nearly beat his brother to death over their inheritance – Ari and Doug had sex the moment they met, new writers, same old DOA start to a romance – “John” wheezing to death - AnnaLynne McCord is great in the scenes with her siblings, and was giving rom-com heroine vibes and you don’t build story off of either of those things to turn her into the endearing leading lady she has the potential to be, you make her an ISA agent instead – Steve and Kayla got sex tips from their daughter’s erotic novel, back when I saw them get married on that yacht, this is the future storyline I hoped they’d have – Gwen, as obnoxious as ever with zero reason for existing – the farce of Belle prosecuting her nephew for murder while sleeping with the accused’s father/opposing counsel/victim of the crime – Jeremy, the sex trafficker who tried to drown Stephanie, is hired as a school teacher and no mention that he served any jail time, this is the Horton you bring back, not Lucas? – Sami engaged to a possible mobster and we can’t see it, why give juicy story to an actress who is unwilling to be on the show? – Alex and Stephanie, they’re too similarly vapid to be interesting together. – Hire a great actor, yet Peter barely appeared. Wishes: Gina Tognoni as Sarah’s half-sister Noelle – Lucas, still feeling guilt over kidnapping Sami, tries to cleanse his soul by volunteering, he’s attracted to a do-gooder but thinks she won’t be interested if she knows the real him so he starts making things up which turns into this comedy of him trying not to be found out for his fibs while genuinely falling in love with her, the thing is, this woman isn’t being totally truthful either – Marie confides that last time she was in a town a younger man swindled her out of money, the police aren’t prioritizing it so Julie and Marlena team up, they go “undercover” to find this swindler, draw him in and get enough evidence to jail him, meanwhile Marie, eager to make her own way and not feel reliant on other Hortons, takes a job at the Brady Pub, where she and Roman develop an easy rapport much to Kate’s dismay.
General HospitalHighs: He has all the integrity of a coat rack,” Tracy on Drew - “I think there’s a little more Nelle in you than you realize,” Tracy to Willow – “Nobody’s leaving until we figure out what to do with the adulteress in the gatehouse,” Tracy. – Mac’s migraine over Sasha and Jason – Cyrus’s confession to Elizabeth – Emma speaks to what the Q’s have done for her family. - “It’s not Dawn of Day, it’s Dawn of Drew,” Sasha. – “You barrel through and don’t give consideration for anyone else’s feelings,” Dante to Lulu – Ned let in on teen pregnancy, hugs Brook Lynn, tells her it’s okay – Robert one last time – reinvigorated, edgy Michael – Felicia at Maxie’s bedside – Brook Lynn and Lulu truce for Maxie – “Wouldn’t it be nice to think Alan and Monica are reunited once again?” Lucy to Tracy. – “It’s more clear than it’s ever been that I am not a Quartermaine and I never will be,” Drew. – the humorous bits of Ric held hostage - Tracy’s impassioned speech, she knew Monica, Monica wouldn’t have just left her a bottle of relish – Tracy in Lulu’s house – Tracy’s apology to Ronnie – Rocco, Danny, and Charlotte - rescued dogs let loose in Sonny’s home – “Dante, enough,” Sonny when Dante berated Gio yet again - Britt & Brad dined and dashed – Gio’s violin playing, meltdown at the Nurses’ Ball, his romance with Emma, the chat with Dante in the church, basically every minute of he’s on screen – Rocco splits a cookie with Dante – Portia’s affair outed on the stand - Outback the beagle, a.k.a. Princess Pie, scene stealer extraordinaire.Lows: Sasha almost got the PI’s dog run over – Lulu out of the hospital for months before asking any questions about Rocco’s life – killing off Cyrus, quality actor, brother to Laura and Martin and replacing him with thus far, more of a mustache-twirler of a villain - Lucky didn’t turn in Kristina for injuring Elizabeth – Trina mostly stuck on the sidelines, it took two to make a supercouple we didn’t stop loving her just because Spencer left – flesh out Kai please, and Isaiah, too – disgraced congressman hosts red carpet – Lois and her mom obnoxiously unapologetic and dismissive of Gio’s feelings – normalizing Rocco’s Stockholm attachment to his babynapper – Lois and Brook Lynn confiding in the shopping channel host (I know it’s OLTL’s Luna, but she’s not a legit character on GH) instead of an actual cast member/person with stakes in the situation like Ned or Olivia – suggesting Erica Kane would mock Maxie’s medical crisis to bolster Enchantment – Sonny renting out the ax bar for a date typifies how wildly off track romance has gone on the soaps – Ned’s heart attack was an opportunity to give Drew humanity, make him a more dimensional villain, but nope, his daughter, too, could serve that purpose, but they do nothing with that relationship either, he just plays her like a pawn – friction between Dante and his sons is potentially good drama, but not when based in something convoluted– Considering what Laura’s seen and done, her reaction to the body in her trunk was very, very big. Wishes: Ezra Boyle offers Ava a deal, if she fake marries him so he’ll be a more palatable political candidate (even Ava is an upgrade to his personal life) and he’s promised to get Windemere back for her. Ava agrees, being part of a power couple appeals to her, plus her gallery is floundering so it could use publicity, and her current home is too humble for her tastes, so why not? They embark on a funny and fairly knives out union. – Serena returns home from the military with PTSD and she’s still very much regimented in her behavior which doesn’t mesh well with dad Scotty’s shenanigans, including Scotty wanting her to help him win Lucy back into their family, there’s also friction when Scotty senses something brewing between Serena and Michael, stepson of Scotty’s enemy Sonny – Kai discovers Drew is his father, he doesn’t tell Trina for fear she’d dump Drew’s spawn, and he’s resistant to let his new dad know either, not wanting that connection initially, but Drew’s cutthroat genes and ideas might come in handy when (a recast) Spencer returns from the dead and Trina’s torn between two guys.
The Young & The RestlessHighs: “You’re radiating Phyllis vibes again,” Daniel to Summer – “I’m tired of hearing about this Aristotle Dumas character,” Nate. – Nikki’s speech, Victoria’s dress at Nikki’s birthday – “This guy is dominating our lives, he’s all we talk about,” Nick on Dumas. – “This maze is the perfect metaphor for our time with Cane Ashby, going in circles and getting nowhere,” Jack. – “He’s clearly not the person he used to be,” Devon about Cane – Acknowledging Sharon’s PTSD when locked in yet another room (with Nick) – Using Sally’s carny life to explain her medical skills – “It is possible we can talk about things other than Newman Enterprises and fighting off corporate takeovers,” Adam sharing a rare nice moment with Victoria and giving us all hope for other topics of conversation – the simple stuff on this show translated better than their bigger swings this year, Kyle and Harrison’s cute Halloween together made me wish for more of his single dad life and less of his love life while Lily, Nate, & Victoria’s enthusiasm for the start of peppermint hot chocolate season, was a relatable indulgence - Danny and Cricket’s engagement, bachelor/bachelorette parties and wedding, the latter were sparsely/weirdly attended, still, the old school Y&R vibe was welcome – Amy and Traci confront Cane (though he deserved worse) – Paul sent bride Christine flowers, the lone nice depiction of him since the actor was let go – 50’s fashion – Lily and Traci talk Colleen, love, etc. – Sally discussing her childhood at Christmas.Lows: On repeat, locked in rooms, alarms/feedback, past psychos reappearing for real or imagined, isolating groups of characters in very fake remotes (they shoot in LA, couldn’t they at least walk down a street?), attempted takeovers/CEO changes, standalones like Valentine’s that don’t advance story, enough of all of this – Ian’s eyes opened after “death” – Tessa and Daniel’s relationship – wandering a maze with a killer on the loose – “You’re not really using your words, it makes it hard to know what you want,” Tessa complains to her daughter. Is she completely past the hearing issue? Wouldn’t a parent be more concerned than annoyed at the lack of response, worried the implant wasn’t working, her hearing had worsened, etc? Too much of Tessa’s life is lived off-screen to throw in an exchange like that with zero context for the viewer – pointless deaths, Cole, Chance, Damian, each of these characters could have just left town (there are dramatic ways to leave town) and be saved for future writers who might know what to do with them, it’s not like story was actually built off of these deaths – Amanda tried to force Nikki to sign over her company in exchange for Nick’s life, so not like her – Billy & Jill talked business first then got around to Chance’s death – Christine “needs” Michael at her wedding, I’m fine with him being reformed, but this friendship with Christine will always be hard to swallow – Noah yelling at his parents whenever they try to stop him from doing dumb stuff (a.k.a. all the time). Wishes: L.A. and France didn’t happen, they were Sharon’s nightmares, a product of her various kidnappings – With Matt Clarke and Cane just a bad dream, recast Roger Howarth, Billy Flynn , Tamara Braun and Lucas Adams, as a new version of the Brooks family, this generation has fallen on hard times, but are a fun, scrappy bunch (think the family on Shameless). They believe a return to their family’s Genoa City roots is just what they need to move up in the world again – Victor strikes up a conversation with the janitor at Newman, discovering the younger man also grew up in care and essentially raised himself as Victor did, Victor decides this is the kind of guy his granddaughter needs, there’s just a matter of polishing him up a bit with a makeover, a job at Newman that requires a suit, comportment lessons like Victor gave Nikki all those years ago, etc. Victor pulls Michael in on the scheme and the two “coach” this guy’s efforts to win Claire (their coaching not always the most sound, modern, or successful advice), its Victor’s usual manipulations but with a comedic undertone, and the janitor does genuinely find himself falling for Claire, he’s not just benefiting monetarily.
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