Bright Eyes

I thought Tyler Joseph Andrews more than sold Theo's complex emotions towards JJ today. They were the best scenes of the episode for me and made Theo one to watch. Fantastic find by the casting director. JJ also getting that intense moment with Gabi makes me hope that 1) we will see him more frequently and 2) that him and Gabi are still not done, especially with Gabi's longing look towards him as JJ walked away from her. Also, shamelessly happy everytime we get a crotch shot of his badge in whatever tight jeans he's usually wearing. Tony wanting Titan too made me annoyed. Let's not become boring Y&R with all these company merry-go-round dramas, please. Does anyone remember when exactly Basic Black started? Was it under Cwikly's previous run? I do remember finding it completely laughable that Kirsten Storms' Belle wanted to be a fashion designer, because she was as fashionable as a glass of water. And then it all resulted in Bo and Hope being attacked at the Basic Black fashion show? They were Belle's designs right? And then all that chaos started off the infamous Salem Serial Killer plot. You'd think that would've been the end of the company then and there. I guess we'll have to find out Monday if that was Michael Roark at Stephanie and Alex's door. If so, I'll be so disappointed if he isn't Jeremy Horton, especially with it confirmed that

They were in one scene together.

I think Rachel Boyd is absolutely the worst, but she's objectively bad, whereas I think my distaste for Abigail Klein as an actress is my own thing, though I think everyone can agree she's really nothing special, but that's a big issue with soap castings nowadays. Anyway, I've stated by opinion so I won't go on about it, but just know whenever she is on-screen, I am not liking it. 🤣

How incredibly random. 20 episodes a month, starting TODAY, and with the May 2, 1995 episode. Someone with a VPN is about to go off.

Oh, thank you Faulkner for your returned presence in this thread! You were much missed!

I like the new Theo so far. I think his scenes with Chad had a subtle nod to his autism, and was happy they had a good reunion scene. But here's me thinking poor Jonah when it comes to the running of his favourite uncle. There was talk of who Arianna might be paired with and with her move to Titan, it's probable to me that her and Theo will be cross paths. An obvious obstacle already potentially on the cards will be all the Titan/DiMera business drama, especially when Theo becomes CEO (speculation, but come on!), and probably fired from Titan for her disloyalty. I did hate that the second Kate left, Tony appeared without them crossing paths. We desperately need to see him in scenes with people that debuted on the show prior to this millenium, please and thank you. I legit lol'ed with Gabi's line to Tony today: Do you know how hard it is to follow someone that walks as fast as you do in stilettos? Hilarious. I still can't stand Abigail Klein as an actress. I literally hate the way she speaks and exists. It's so ... rigid and monotonous. I was rooting for Alex to chew Stephanie out just for some excitement, but also because RSW excels best when he's playing an ass.

As was posted in the In Memoriam thread, actress Patricia Crowley passed away yesterday. She played original cast member Mary Scanlon Collins through the show's entire run.

That's because he had Sheri Anderson to help keep him in line at the beginning of his tenure. Once she left, the craziness really set in.

I'm not a couple shipper by any means, but when I was watching during Mulcahey's all too brief stint, I though Jason and Elizabeth still had tons of chemistry, and if it was up to me, I would have put them together, and then brought Lucky back and dealt with all the drama and complications that could unfold both within the triangle and the children. But that's all moot now.

For those that want to rank characters/actors on their shows, without clogging up the main discussion thread. I'll start with my best and worst for Beyond the Gates ... Best Eva Bill Nicole Anita Kat Shanice Vanessa Leslie - As entertaining as she is I wish she were more threatening and less of a nuisance. More of a proper villainess. Jacob Vernon Worst Tomas Ashley Samantha Derek Martin Hayley - I don't dislike her, she's just not much of a character. Indifferent.

I haven't watched in years, but I would safely bet my life savings on Chas.

You're being extremely modest. He was absolutely abysmal. He sounded like a whimpering dog, and he needs to practice crying in a mirror or videotaping himself, because that squinty face he kept making made the scenes cringe and embarrassing to watch. At least Rachel Boyd, the alien from another planet, can do dramatics. Better than him anyway.

Happy to have Theo back. Let's hope he can act!

I can't even remember a time when the acting nominees gave me someone to truly root for. Probably the great Vanessa Marcil/Robin Christopher debate year. Beyond that, I can't think of when I actually cared.

No, they didn't. I wish they would do more with JJ, too, as I think Casey Moss is one of the best (and hottest) actors on the show. On the same token of recurring actors, I am officially back to hating JPL's hokey ass. I refuse to believe there aren't more suitable replacements for Philip out there. And for the record, I don't think Cherie Jimenez has any chemistry with either Kiriakis brother, but she did with JJ and Alex. Anyway, I thought the Gwen material was strong in today's episode. Played against the Hortons, Jack and JJ especially, where she clearly yearns for a relationship with them, but can't let herself admit it, is very watchable material to me. On the other side, I think Jennifer's grievances have been shown fairly, without ever villainizing her, however, I think it's more than time that Cat get some fight in her. She is far too passive in letting people demean her, deserved or not. I think a Gwen/Cat friendship could benefit in that respect, as they could balance each other out in how they deal with adversity. Steve joining the birthday "party" was a nice surprise, too. They should have him involved with Gwen on Jack's behalf when him and Jennifer leave again.

The last thing we want is the show connecting more people to Leo.

Some fresh interactions today between Cat/Brady, Maggie/Gabi, Ari/and the only guy she's not related to, and even Xander/Marlena, the latter two I'm expecting much more from in the future. Going on a tangent about friendships, I was hoping for a small Gabi/Cat scene, where they agree to get a drink/night out to catch up. Both of them need a girlfriend, and they should have been written as such ever since the Vancouver adventure. In fact, Belle needs a girlfriend, too, oddly enough. Stephanie has Jada and Sarah, but Jada and Sarah don't have any kind of friendship. On the male side, Alex has zero friends as well. And who the heck do Johnny and Chanel hang out with? It's all so disconnected, until the plot calls for it not to be. Of course, those are just a few instances, but you all get the point. On another note, I would definitely be stunt re-casting the Greene's mother with a classic soap star. Someone born in the late 1950s/early-to-mid 1960s, someone we haven't seen for awhile, but I haven't decided who yet.

Like most soap "stars" of today, this is a completely okay casting choice. Few rarely have any real spark.

I think the last great proper story DAYS ever did was the baby switch/Evil Lexie saga. There have certainly been great, even fantastic, moments since then, but I don't know if I can say that about any subsequent story as a whole.

I've decided that the music on this show is the worst thing about it. Forget about the pieces that are just downright awful, but even when they are decent they're played through every single second, sometimes going completely against the scene. It's jarring, and makes the show come off even cheaper than it needs. Noel Maxam is our last hope in this department, but I don't have any faith things will change.

I randomly found out about Pokémon Vortex existing yesterday. I already know this is going to be a problem for me. Gotta catch 'em all!

Happy to see that Mike, Marie, and Steven are all returning again amongst the usual suspects. Horton strong for November!

Good for her, but does anyone feel like the character's first and last names don't go together well?

I completely tune out whenever grandma Samantha is on the screen, but other than that, the rest of the episode being dedicated to one story worked well for me. Rhonni was pretty good in her biggest episode yet, but the psycho lesbian can't act worth shite. Also, the story is let down by the fact the build up has been nearly non-existent. Allison hasn't even been in ten episodes. I'm calling it now, the husband is totally dead. Most importantly, if Jacob and Kat aren't f*cking by Christmas, I'll be incredibly disappointed.

I thought the new? score at the end of today's episode was great for the moment of Kristen breaking down in her jail cell. This sort of material is what Stacy Haiduk excels best at. Brady going in on calling her a horrible mother and person was long awaited, but I fear the sacrifice Kristen made for Rachel could be what brings them back together, which I dread. Is the jail cell a new set, too?