DynamiteKiddo

I agree—great promo. This is def. the best story on the show but so much of this is outrageously plot-driven. If they really want a Nicole baby switch, they should be involving Brady and Chad and play the parallels for all they’re worth… Sami missing is obvs. huge. But I’ll never take this EJ & Nicole reunion seriously.

Oh no. This is so truly devastating.

So for how throwaway they're written, I thought the Philip, Chloe, and Shawn exits were fine . . . but they were obviously rushed and didn't include all the characters they should've. Using Philip as a tool to usher Chloe off was . . . idk. I actually really appreciate Chloe--during Dena Higley Round II (when she was with Lucas, then Daniel), I thought she was hilarious . . . like a total sex bomb parody of a soap heroine/vixen(??). But then it devolved into madness with the prostitution and Vivian/Quinn and she has been aimless for the last 12 years, with Nicole being her only consistent thread (their absolute best respective relationship lol). Since she's been such a familiar presence, it is incredible that they have not been able to really tether the character firmly to the canvas. I am so relieved that this iteration of Broe vs. Phloe is over, though; I've never wanted EM's Brady with her, as their messy divorce was an unexpectedly great moment in their through-lines. But Chloe should have absolutely gotten goodbye scenes with Nicole (and Shawn & Belle). JPL has been SOOO much better as Phil this time around, but this is another untethered character following JKJ's disastrous return (still can't believe he didn't return to memorialize John Aniston, though). This was nice closure, though. I wish they gave him more time with the Ks and a scene AK's Stephanie would've been fun. I'm very relieved he got some time with MM's Belle. Shawn's exit was solid. However, this is a story we should be seeing ON SCREEN! This is really compelling drama! But it is criminal that he such an afterthought . . . he should be front-burner and after all these years, I think BB is absolutely Shawn and he's hot af. It speaks volumes that they didn't get Susan Hayes for this eppy or like any vets. But his scenes with Belle were so solid and I think BB & MM have a very nice, familiar chemistry and they're always at their best with this kind of hurt and angsty material. But, ya, bye bye Last Blast kids . . .

Yeah fr lol. Brady & Nicole were very seriously together in 2017, then the Nicole/Kristen stuff in 2019, and they've been very close friends and business partners for forever. I really don't like that on "Days," everyone acts incredibly familiar, even when there should be no reason they'd even know each other . . . but then you have people who should know (of) each other who don't. Really looking at Alex and Stephanie here. I think this is a strange time to age Holly seeing Nicole's WTD pregnancy is (one of) the show's A story . . . Nic is about to have a LOT going on lolol.

I totally agree about Ric. I thought Rick Hearst was real talented, but he could do weaselie almost too good lol. (A critique I’ve heard about Billy Warlock’s AJ, too.) His turn as a romantic lead with Alexis was so bad, imo. For a min. when they had him as the slimey DA who was obsessed with Liz again and they brought on his dad who was connected to Kate, I thought he worked well in that capacity… iirc, the whole show was really working then. But then after Skye left, I think I remember Garin Wolf giving him some really strange immigration love interest/triangle with his dad that was disastrous! That was my only miss of the last writer’s strike. I always felt like Guza was honestly hate writing for Jax lol. Like he was begrudgingly forced to make him the dopey hero to Sonny’s supposedly much more interesting rogue.

I do think that Skye was a loser, esp. re.: Brenda and the mob four always got their digs, but it was probably Phelps who ensured she always got strong p.o.v. and she was the star of her own stories . . . like compare her to AJ, Zander, (GV's) Lucky, etc. lolol. There is a huge difference. Phelps also distinguished Rick Hearst's Ric from the other "losers" with lots of p.o.v. and and prominence, but Skye was like . . . sort of a main main character . . . esp. during the Luke/Heather Webber era. But she was absolutely self-destructive and unlucky, but that's why I really loved her. Her brief turn as a sorta heroine with Luke was when the character was at her worst, imo. Btw, ita that their is a steely coldness to the character and RC's portrayal . . . but I thought that really worked and was who the character was. I can't recall what was happening bts, but I think she and Ric could have settled into a nice pairing but I can also agree with the sentiment that she's more effective as an activator who comes in for a good few weeks a year to f s up. I also think Megan Ward's Kate was really, really taking off around the time RC left in an on-contract capacity and she filled the rich ice queen quota on the canvas much better at the time. I remember the Brenda year being must-see and when she left, the show crashed . . . but the show also stopped for Brenda, which is unwise imo and creatively problematic. But I absolutely love Brenda when she's not up Sonny's ass. Like, I am no Jax & Brenda fan, but if some fans shipped Jax & Skye to spite Brenda, I appreciate Jax because I hate Sonny and Jason lol.

When I started watching GH, Skye was on and sorta in the thick of everything. I loved her--I loved that she was a counterpoint to the writers'/producers' (OBVIOUS) favorites, but she wasn't portrayed as a loathsome, pitiable loser (like anyone else anti-mob). I also loved that she was an ally to my all-time fav. character, AJ. But in hindsight, I clearly see how shamelessly shoehorned she was into the show, the Qs, and like all her pairings in JFP's quest to keep RC front and center. But I will say I really did like her as a Q, probably because I never knew her as a Chandler and never knew the Qs without her . . . I imagine it's because their animosity was in direct conflict of Guza and Phelps' goals, but I thought there was a lot to mine with Jason/Skye, esp. after Alan and Emily's deaths. And I also think Skye is a really effective activator--she really got everyone worked up. And even though it wasn't explored, like, at all--she could have been a foil to Carly, insofar as they both had these opposite sex alliances that were in direct contrast to each other . . . but the show always highlighted that with Alexis instead--while Carly always had ride or die loyalty with Jason and Sonny, she had it with Jax and Ned (but so did Skye + with Luke). Anyway, her pop ins were real jolts to the show and while I don't watch GH anymore, I think it's less without her. But I don't find GH remotely recognizable to what I grew up watching. But I certainly remember her having hella stans bitd and I don't think it was just because they may have been anti-Brenda lol. I do remember the worst thing they did with her, imo, was un-retconning her being Alan's bio daughter to pair her with Ned (?!?) while Alexis was doing drag all in the pursuit of baby Kristina, who Sonny obvs. still thought was Ned's. OMFG lol. As far as DAYS' Rafe . . . I think he has been likable in the comedic himbo stuff (particularly during TomSell post-Sami and pre-Jordan), but I can't understand it, either. Who are his fans?!? Who were Daniel's?!? I remember reading that at the time that "Days" was heavily relying on focus groups and that those two supposedly always scored very high. "Days" has very desperately tried to make a lot of characters happen in the past 10-15 years and I think the randomness of it may be tied to the tape-air lag . . . the writers are really pushing their visions completely free of audience feedback-interference.

I'm assuming it's Xander and Theresa doctored the letter. At first, I thought their antagonistic scene was fun history (like a lot of the stuff surrounding Victor's funeral), but I think it was a clue to give her motivation to play with the will.

Oh I think he has successfully proven himself to be a romantic lead . . . I guess I should have clarified that I don't agree that he ever should have or should be portrayed as a romantic hero. Because that's simply not who the character is. And Lucas is better for it--he's a much more interesting gray character. I think that for a long time, Hope and Jennifer were not only two of the most important characters on the show, but they had one of the most important relationships on the show, too. I hated the deification of Daniel Jonas by TomSell, but it firmly kept Jenn as a lead during that period and they wisely positioned her, Abby and JJ as the heart of the show. When Dena returned, they really shifted the focus from them to Hope/Ciara, which wasn't as successful. And even Ron C. really, really tried to make Sarah happen from late 2018-2020 . . . but the Hortons have been pretty unfocused, except a couple times when Abby was the show's leading young heroine and the family came together for her drama. Anyway, I completely agree with you about how Hope and Jenn should be the pillars of the show, and Lucas and Mike should be included for sure. Abby is the only long-term young female lead the show has enjoyed success with since probably Belle and killing her remains one of the worst decisions RC has made across his three soaps. And I don't know why they got rid of Casey Moss' JJ--another really successful character. And I definitely think Shawn should be the A story rn.

This was a travesty. In his defense, I don't think this was ever Hogan Sheffer's plan . . . but Dena Higley (who was the writer to finally do Lumi in 2003!) eventually discarded him and his place on the show has never been properly respected since. Until Austin Peck returned, Reilly (Round II) had him as a lead and so did Sheffer . . . and I'm not sure he should've ever been portrayed as that kind of romantic lead, but he and Sami should be endgame. But speaking of, Sami should've never been portrayed as a romantic lead, either.

I was sooo disappointed in Garin Wolf. When he was the scab hw during the last writer's strike, I was sooo impressed. I've never liked the desperate attempt at copying "The Sopranos," but GW took Bob Guza's material and really elevated it to the point where it remains one of my fav. periods of GH. Sonny was actually shown to be the problem, Carly realized she literally put her sons' lives at risk every day in pursuit of her own selfishness and power with Sonny and Jason, Jason & Liz got brought back down to Earth because Jason IS a hitman and Jake would be in the same line of fire as Michael, etc., etc. And there were fun new developments like Kate/Maxie and he wrapped up the Text Message Killer beautifully with kinda climaxing the Sam/Jason/Liz/Lucky rectangle. Of course, there were huge misses like whatever was going on with Ric and his dad, Trevor. But I was such a fan. And all the little beats that played during Michael's shooting were mesmerizing. So once he became hw, I was thrilled . . . and the first month or so was great, and then . . . omg he was sooo bad it was incredible. Biggest letdown ever. And I don't hate on RC like many on this board because his highs are usually pretty high and while I disliked many periods on OLTL and now on "Days," it's usually kinda inspired, so I'll give him credit for his attempts. But I actually stopped watching his GH and I've never meaningfully returned. Whatever he thought he was doing with the hybrid OLTL-mob-legacy show . . . omg none of it spoke to me. While I hated most of Guza (& Pratt's) egregious attempts of dismantling anything that wasn't Sonny/Carly/Jason worship, I guess that was the GH I grew up with . . . a dark, sorta urban show. The circus that RC's GH instantly became was so off-putting to me--the tone was all wrong for GH. I came back for AJ's (my all-time fav. character) return, but the disjointed wackiness of the show drove me away. I've watched the special episodes, which were special (RC usually does well with those) . . . but I never came back. And now the show feels utterly unrecognizable in what I assume is FV's bid to well and truly remaking GH into HIS show. I'll give him props for the visuals--while it usually never translates to anything character-driven and can appear random, none of the soaps' cameras move as much as GH's and he really uses a lot of different angles, too. But that's all I got.

LOLOL. It was Dena Higley. 🫢 That was Kyle Brandt's Philip's intro, too.

Shannon is such a hot mess, and I think she has no (meaningful) idea. She has revealed herself to be a truly horrible person SO many times, but I have to give it to her--she puts it all out there and, as a result, you can see what a truly full "character" she is and despite being frighteningly out of touch, she is SO relatable. She can financially afford this, but we'll see if this breaks her or makes her finally take a real inventory of her life and get some desperately needed self-awareness.

Heartbreaking news. I don’t watch Y&R and had stopped watching GH by the time he got there, but I LOVED him as Richie on AMC. He had such a dynamic presence. I think he was, by far, one of the best things about the JHB & BE era. RIP.

This was such a shame. I know it's been widely speculated that tptb thought Ali Sweeney would be around for that and that's why they dropped it . . . like, that's where the meat of the story would have been (Sami vs. Belle, subbing in for Carrie), but it still felt like a hit. But they also abruptly dropped the wildly unpredictable and super sexy EJabby affair years earlier sooo... They obviously don't know what to do with EJ without Sami . . . and this reunion with Nicole is super horrible to me, as I remember how well and truly horrified and disgusted she was of him. But ya, Shawn & Belle should still be dealing with all that. And it was wild that Shawn took partial responsibility for what happened because he had sex with Jan who was TRANSFORMED INTO BELLE lolol

It's ridiculous, right?? Lol. However, it's when they're at their best it seems . . . even way back in the day with JC & KS, their first Jan breakup and makeup was really good. Since their 2015 returns, they've been pretty boring, but they've also been so periphery. But every time they make up (like I'm really thinking about the JPLPhilip and EJ/Jan stuff), it does feel so right. I wish they could figure out how to effectively use them and keep them interesting together and apart, but manage to keep them endgame. I find Tripp totally fine. That's all. Lol

So I haven't read a ton of positive responses to Victor's memorial episode . . . but I really liked it. Obviously, I would've preferred a big, splashy funeral at St. Luke's but I begrudgingly accept that the budget won't like ever allow that again (I think RC's one and only true all-cast event was Chad & Abby and Sonny & Paul's double wedding, and I have no idea how that got green-lit as recent as 2017). Personally, what was more egregious is that they couldn't splurge for the full K mansion set for this. We could have absolutely rotated something out for a few weeks! So obviously, the creative decision was to weave current stories in with the memorial--I understand some may have disagreed with that approach . . . but following the set-up, I think it was incredibly successful. And like with the cast we got, almost every beat was hit. From Sonny and Xander mixing it up (I will never get over HIM not being Alex) to Belle consoling to Philip to Kate & Chelsea reuniting . . . almost no stone was left unturned in a lovely, subtle way. The Chelsea rewrite is interesting... her return was random, but lovely. I'm glad we got this instead of Ciara/"Cin." I've never agreed with Ciara and Claire supposedly being so in touch with their K side, but Chelsea's eulogy makes much more sense considering that stupid narrative they used to shoehorn Ciara into more story. But considering this is what they wanted, they should've included Claire to round it out and give more weight to Victor & Kate changing her paternity results, which has shockingly never been substantially acknowledged considering that was one of the very biggest stories of the 00's and both Claires were on with on with both Philips in recent years. The Rex & Chloe scenes (which really worked) I guess were also meant to mirror Alex & Ciara's with the actor swaps I'm assuming. Anyway, I really liked it for what it was.

😍🤗

I know they probably block taped and weren’t on set at the same time, but #1 on my wishlist for Christopher Sean’s return is a scene(s) with Zach Tinker’s Sonny! And I hate that Sonny was missing from Vivian’s splashy return. I guess the DVD stuff is lovely, but I never needed this lol

I can’t wait for the reunion! But these eppys have been so cringe that I feel a little sick watching lol

He’s great but they should’ve used this $$ to lure Kate Mansi back lol.

This is upsetting for LA and it’s even more upsetting as an Abby fan… I guess GH offered more $$??? She likely didn’t sign for more than a year… so GH disrespectfully ditching LA will be for nothing once Kate leaves as soon as she can. Smh.

I definitely don’t want them to kill her, esp. considering Abby just died less than a year ago. However, even though I didn’t want to lose her at all at the time, I did think a Gabi murder mystery directly following her doomed 2020 post-Time Jump wedding to Eli would have been epic… SO many characters would’ve been super plausible suspects. That was her at her best—wreaking havoc in every direction lol. During that Lani feud after Stefan’s death, I really wanted Gabi to be allowed to read her for filth for hooking up with JJ AND Eli behind her back… such an obvious cat fight that never happened. Instead she just irrationally ranted and raved about Lani accidentally shooting Stefan after he sacrificed himself for (Robin Strasser’s) Vivian lol.

😃😍

This is too bad. Like everyone else has already said, CB has more than come into her own and, over the years, certain writers have really found that sweet spot with Gabi. Pre-Nick, I thought she had to GO… but probably because of their Rafe obsession, TomSell managed to very effectively position her as a very dynamic character and CB definitely rose to the challenge. But Gabi is only as strong as the writing, despite CB’s strengths. And it’s too bad, bc when the writing for Gabi is good (TomSell and parts of RC), she’s great and can move through stories like a lighting rod (kinda like Kate and Nicole). But under like a Dena Higley, the character flounders and unfortunately since her 2020 return, she’s been on a bad loop with Brandon Barash’s characters (they’ve never been able to recreate that 2019 magic… but let’s face it, the premise of Stabi is completely sordid). But this really is the end of the JJ/Lani/Eli/Gabi/Chad/Abby/Will/Sonny group, which is such a shame because there was so much strong potential for them to become the new leads.