Bright Eyes

I had a wonderful time watching the premiere of Beyond the Gates! I'm happy that Nicole was the first character we saw to introduce us to the show. Dani may be the firecracker, but it's Nicole who I have my eyes on. I actually wrote down who was introduced in chronological order and the first five main characters we saw were all women. As a gay man, I couldn't be happier that it feels like women will be at the center of this soap. And as a gay man, Jacob and Martin are gorgeous, but it's my man Andre - who gives me Shemar Moore vibes, who I'll be crushing on the most. He's is perfection. But, I enjoyed everyone. I didn't have a problem with the white people like you all did. I watched their scenes with interest wondering how they'll figure into the story. I noticed Ashley had one of those ominous, "I'm never going to lose you" lines to her husband , which made me think he's going to die sooner rather than later. She instantly connects to Naomi/Jacob and Andre, who we know from the promo will soon connect with Dani so if Ben does die (maybe grasping at speculative straws), Ashley could be embroiled in Dani's chaotic life quite easily. It makes me wonder if MVJ will take the Bill Bell or Agnes Nixon approach when it comes to integrating the cast. I'll reiterate that Karla Mosley gave me Vicky Wyndham vibes, especially in her scenes with Haley. And though I'm sure MVJ got her inspiration elsewhere, the way Vernon called Dani his "best and brightest" was exactly what Grandpa Shawn Brady called Kim, much to Kayla's chagrin on Days of our Lives. I actually thought Haley was the greenest actor of them all, Martin seemed a bit robotic, and Chelsea's voice needed to be less mousy, for lack of a better word. But again, I'm well aware people need time to adjust, especially the newcomers. Especially true in the actors finding chemistry with each other because some of the dialogue didn't flow as naturally, coming off stilted. The perfect example of this is when Dani told Haley "Shut up, I'm talking," but it felt like Dani had been silent for ages by that point. Once the actors become more familiar with each other and find a comfortable rhythm things will pop more successfully.

Billy Flynn looked fine as hell today. It made his scenes with Leo very conflicting. I actually liked that they used Stephanie's past history with Arnold to get her to connect the dots. It was a nice surprise and I thought the strong scenes with Gabi/Javi really helped build to that payoff. Steph's allusion to her past struggles with her love life made me want that insecure, messy girl to come back. Please mess up your life again (with Philip's baby). However, Sonny and Will, both Stephanie's cousins, calling Alex was a huge reminder of how icky the pairing is. Maybe it's just me, but it seemed like Marlena was slightly playing matchmaker in a subtle way. It could be interesting if as she and Belle became more distant, she and Cat became closer leading to Belle's jealously manifesting somehow. I've been loving the Jada show myself. She's one of the better actors, other than the vets. I hope the new writers continue to build her up as lead and keep the Shawn and Jada train running. With regards to the hospital, at least they had Xander offer to buy it with Sarah turning him down. I am curious how they will be resolving the issue, but I'm hesitant to find out at the same time.

Is THE SECRET STORM the only other soap that has debuted in February? It's the only one I can think of off the top of my head.

Have fun in here folks, but it's the last you'll see of me.

In today's special clip preview, was Karla Mosley giving anyone else Vicky Wyndham vibes? Maybe it's just because of the eyes, but I saw a resemblance in some of the way that Mosley speaks as well.

https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/celebrities/melissa-reeves-talks-days-of-our-lives-drake-hogestyn-nashville In this interview, Melissa Reeves confirms John's memorial episodes will air in June.

After the woeful decisions EastEnders (Martin) and Emmerdale (Leyla) have recently made, and the news that Neighbours is cancelled again, I feel like I need Beyond the Gates even more now. Save us, girl!

It's hard to be devastated by this, when those emotions from the last cancellation are still so fresh, the 2022 finale was as perfect as you could get to a soap opera finale, and by most accounts, the return series has been very hit and miss.

I've been enjoying this week for the most part, but Kate settling down with milk and cookies was the strangest writing. She would have something 1) more adult and 2) more rich and decadent. Little choices like that, which disregard such simple characterization piss me off.

With this thread being so vast, I forget if Debbi Morgan being wanted for a role is a fact or just speculation, but if it is true, I actually think she might have been wanted for the role of Leslie, the manipulative, narcissistic mother. I think the characters that most interest me are Daphnee Duplaix's straight laced Nicole, the aforementioned Leslie, and that middle Dupree grandchild with the business mind. Plus, I think we can categorically state this show easily has the sexist men in daytime and even in contrast to the soaps across the pond and down under. With every day inching closer, I get more and more excited!

Pretty sure most people admitted that 20 years ago.

It's definitely a shame we lost Madelyn Kientz, because she was a natural and there were a handful of times this new girl looked like she was glitching. I've pinpointed another reason why Abigail Klein is the worst actor on the show ... she comes off as some sort of insipid TVKids host. What does Carlivati have against Melissa? Plenty of past characters are naturally referenced, but for some reason, there's times like today where the dialogue will just blatantly and suspiciously make sure not to mention her. Did Lisa Trusel piss in his cheerios or something? However, for all his many faults, making Julie a true cornerstone of the show again is always a pleasure. Getting to see that flashback of Doug reading her the lyrics she told Doug III about was the perfect end to her scenes today, and the Steve/Kayla flashback was another one I'd never seen as well.

And here's me in 2025, watching 1995 Ricky raw-dogging Bianca and Natalie like it's a sport, desperately wishing I could be the next notch on his bedpost. Simpler times!

I'm pretty sure she guest starred on the show at one point.

It's too early for Johnny, but not that bad considering he'd at least be 18 this year un-SORAS'ed. But like I said before, Steve and Kayla aren't even grandparents yet, and Tate is going to have a baby? No, thank you. Miscarry that child, Sophia, I beg. Then, get Stephanie up the duff with Philip's child, please.

I know times are tough, but It was so depressing to see the urgent meeting for Body and Soul take place at the hospital. But at least that forced mess is finally dead and I'm happy to be rid of Hattie, hopefully once and for all. Goodbye to Seth, too. I hope the new writers break up Justin and Bonnie and she is never heard from again either, but I do adore Judi Evans who always gives her all, today being no exception. We could surmise that Alex will be back at Titan shortly, and Leo probably back at The Spectator (poor Chad!), but I wonder what this means for Doug and his money troubles. The most ecstatic for Kate and Abe being free! She has been just as great as ever when involved with Philip and anything but the bs that is B&S. But is this the worst Carlivati had to offer? How much damage did he do in his last two months? I'm intrigued, yet terrified, but I'm staying tuned regardless.

The most interesting aspect of this episode to me was Jada. I thought her and Belle sparked as scene partners and would very much accept a complex friendship/frenemy-ship/rivalry to be explored. Clashing over EJ, Shawn, and even at work once Jada inevitably gets her job back. They have the bare bones of something special there if they want to mine it. I hope the new HWs see how much of a star Elia Cantu could be and don't fall into typical patterns when it comes to black characters on soaps. If they were going to recast Rachel Blake, the least they could have done is keep her more age appropriate. It's a sin that the actress is younger than Deidre Hall, when she was a counterpart of Stefano's. But DAYS always stays being weird.

I was able to set it to record here in Canada as well. Exciting times!

I pray that it wins.

That and Faith.

At least Sass and Frank are seemingly unscathed. The triplets were fantastic additions. And Frank was incredibly sexy to me. I remember reading about Phoenix here and being utterly disappointed. Honestly, I think fate intervened I stopped watching at the right time because my memories of the show are so solid and wonderful. Joshua's Survivor syndrome and the virus that killed Sarah are two of the best soap opera stories I've had the pleasure of watching live. To this day, I've never been as shocked as when Sarah actually died, being that she was a long termer who seemed like a lifer and who was written very Mary Sue-ish, which of course could be hard to take at times, but man did she get a hell of an exit. Of course, now it seems like they quadrupled down on making sure that's the unfortunate norm.

Anyone that debuted after Esther, I have no clue about, except a brief glimpse at hot as hell Alex Tarrant when he was on the show. These updates are amazing. It seems like a tremendous overflow of breakdowns, and the most dark and depressing plot twists imaginable. Harry being a serial killer is actually insane! Building for a future really isn't something they care to build towards I guess.

I don't feel very positive about Nicole's exit being that she lost her mind and is now imprisoned. That doesn't seem right for her at all. At least they didn't kill her off, or let her vanish into thin air like TK. I saw a brief clip of her saying goodbye to Harper and had assumed they had reunited. I do know they killed off Harper though, which is devastating to hear. She was a firecracker and such a breath of fresh air when she first arrived and when I was watching.

I just saw that Nicole has gone? Is this accurate? Can someone tell me what her exit was? Sally Martin was a great actress and one of the best reactors on a soap. I still remember the face she made when Kylie was told she had chlamydia. Chris, Drew, and Esther are all that are left from when I was a viewer.

Paulina told Arnold today that Shawn wasn't a good choice because his previous time as Comm. was a disaster due to his alcoholism.