Taoboi

I liked him BITD. And I respect that he made it to...and maintained his looks at 50 looking hot as sin. Made me think of that year that Sean Penn did the same thing to show off in that black see-through shirt...just because he could when he turned either 45 or 50 himself. It took me a while to get used to CLB ditching the dye. Heck, I didn't even realize until people pointed it out. He still has his looks even now, but he was truly looking like a sneak wining and dining Lauren. And I was just giving credit where it was due. If anything, I'm jealous. lol.

YW. I knew it would but I am impressed at how we all are discussing this (412 posts and counting). And I'm still thinking about little odds and ends. I really liked it. I can't wait to go back later. I am so excited to see what the rest of the week holds as well. I know I will lose it if we get a Friday cliffhanger come Friday. Good to be in on a soap from the start for the first time in decades.

2-19 Oops. I've so busy getting ready to devour BEYOND THE GATES, I don't think I finished watching 2-18. lol. That said...this episode continued the trend of being mildly interesting due to the lack of the Damian storyline. That said...I did like the Daniel/Summer scenes. And he was not wrong to call her out on her jealousy. He was also not wrong in calling her Giggly Heffa 2.0. Just ugh at how Summer is being written. That dinner sure did go left fast. I liked that Kyle caught on that Victor was up to something. And I'm always here for Jack/Diane vs Victor/Nikki scenes. Moreso for Diane vs Nikki scenes. So that was brief and good. Though I wonder what Victor is about to do. And mmmmm to Michael's bod and that he and Lauren got some lovey dovey time.

Good to see you in thread. And I agree and love that quite a few people like the family walkout.

Awwww

Now that I think about it, I think off Episode 1, my favorites are Nicole (of course), Anita, Vanessa, Jacob (for obvious reasons hehe), Vernon, and Chelesa. That's cute. I also agree.

All I have to say is those side looks told so many tales that I'm looking forward to seeing on this show. Not to mention the eye-candy. I love slow burns so I liked the first episode. I felt like they held a lot back and at the same time hinted at soooo much. I thought the whole set-up for the episode was good. It all built up to an event...Vanessa telling the most powerful family in town that their current enemy was moving down the street from them, leading to that Dani vs Hayley confrontation and that whole family walk out (TT...you...betta...STRUCT!!! Love Nicole's little smirk and even her daughter...Kat? had a little look). I even loved seeing La Dame...but I love RHOP. I wouldn't even call it slow really because they dropped the audience in and still gave more show than tell for me. Like the fact, the affair happened/was revealed two months ago which puts Dani in an interesting light versus if it happened last week. No wonder Anita and Nicole are at the stage they want her to start building herself back up. Friends get tired of their friends crying over some lover that hurt their friend around 3 months. Picking up on Jacob's job. The fact that Chelesa and her mother Dani have some tension. The fact that Bill has cheated on Dani before now. Mentioning the election...bravo to whoever mentioned it in the other thread. Just little intrigues all around. I loved that Nicole got first shot. Dani might be the wild child/focus point, but Nicole might be the heroine. I'm already intrigued by the whole Anite/Dani/Nicole dynamic. There was so much said and so much that was not said. That subtext. Dani, Dani, Dani. For all the things that make you root for her, I liked that the writers already set up things that will make her maddening and not seen in a good light. Cuz Vanessa giving her the advice about how to not make Chelesa pay for what Bill did...just felt like foreshadowing. And I liked that we already got a feel for how Chelesa feels. But that's another thing I liked about the first episode, I felt we got a lot of what made characters tick. Just layers. I liked a lot of the sets, but I agree I was meh on the hospital set as well. Can I just say Jacob is hot? lol. I liked something so simple as his first day on the job and all him and Naomi wanted to do was sleep together all day. lol. I thought it was so simple, so nice to see love in the afternoon, and it showed their love and who they are, already making them a nice rootable couple. I thought the white couple was meta. For years, we have soaps where black characters are the Talk-Tos and C plot characters and they simply flipped that script. Someone somewhere in the audience probably had a good giggle. It was nice they were nicely established as a goody-two shoes (for now) couple and tied to some of the other more major characters. Easily the weakest link of the episode. Not enough Bill, but already being showed to be a powerful man. My bad. A powerful HOT man. Still looking forward to more tea on his past affairs. Anita is LOVE. And when I look back in the years ahead, I will remember she looked fabulous and got the first main character line. But I loved that the show had a lot of set-up dialogue-wise and NONE of it felt forced at all unlike other soaps. It flowed and the conversations felt like actually conversation even when part of me knows it's exposition. I thought it was really well-done. It very much stands out. I loved it. Just being greedy for more. Don't mind me. lol. Them facts. I was living. *sighs in relief* I was just being greedy lol. I thought it was so good and so much going on. I even attempted a rewatch and then my brother called. How my system is now set up *cough*stupidlandlord*cough* it was a one and done, but family has been very important as of late so it's okay. He surprisingly did not know about a new soap...so gotta get him invested. Oh for sure...but I see Vanessa immediately as comic relief...ironically another trope that is using reserved for black people. I agree what you mean about the 'downstairs' side of the couple, but it also just felt deliciously on the nose. But again, I'm liked it all...whether it was intentionally meta or not. And...YES. Health car workers are always dragged into soap messes. It's why I also thought Jacob and Naomi had their talk about him going to see Ashley, the nurse...going ahead to set up to have her and her man tied to the incoming Dupree drama. That was smart writing.

No, no, no. That was not a complaint. lol. I really, really like the font. It's one of my quirky random things I like. I would just love it if it was bigger...if that makes sense. Not hating on it at all.

Ooooo SHADE. Same as well. I don't know all the names yet, but I do feel they did such a great job for the most part of giving us a feel for the characters and their visual dynamics while hinting at potential dramas at the same time within dynamics. I want to call them random, but I feel like they are there not only for the meta fact that historically black characters have been the Talk-Tos/C plot for years and now that role is flipped. But at the same time, they are used to grow in that part of the demographic...just in case.

Beautiful to see. I'm a sucker for font and had no notes if only to see it enlarge jusssst a little.

I noticed that as well and loved it as a Nicole fan. And I saw Anita got the first major character line. It made me wonder if they will be the main heroine POVs as time goes on.

Well, well, well...look at that. Gizelle DID say something. No reason that should not have been in there cuz everyone would have been on Gizelle's side.

Assuming of course. Which is why I can take RH's words a lot more than FV. But that is also why I can agree to disagree.

Well...HELL-LO.

hehe. I can vouch as well as my mother still using it and quite a few of my aunts. Heck, I'm not against saying it from time to time either. Hehe. Love that.

Hehe. The Side looks. yay!!

20 minutes in on the West Coast...and loving it. Loving the layers I'm seeing. The possibilities in the dynamics. I can see why it was mentioned that Dani would be divisive. Not a complete saint, but still rootable. And it's the little things that I am really liking. Little things that other soaps do, but BTG is already doing better from the exposition dialogue to little side nuggets.

But is that truly ONLY shooting schedule or Frank showing off his petty side? But on this we are going to have to agree to disagree. THIS.

Same, Love it.

Sorry to hear that, but happy to hear you will find a way.

2-21 I thought that was a fitting end to the week. It was full of so many good scenes. Drew vs Jason. Laura's family circling the wagons for Lucky (good to have you back, JJ, as I hoped). Jason/Tracy scenes. More Chase/BLQ scenes. Oh, Drew. Lol. But that was some great scenes between Drew and Jason. It made me think of when Devon and Nate were feuding on Y&R. And no matter what they were saying on screen, those who were watching knew why they were REALLY mad at each other (for Nate, Devon destroyed his medical career when he damaged his hands in their fistfight, for Devon, he was mad at Nate for stealing his woman). And they FINALLY had it out after a year of playing subtext in their interactions. Today Drew and Jason's issues came to the surface and that was a long time coming, too. And I don't care what Drew says. It's clear he is reacting to everyone around him with bruise ego. Like what Stella said in Thursday's episode. Lol. Not the writers bringing up Austin Galtin-Holt as a throwaway line plot point. More funny given the Quartermaine connection and all the Quartermaine interactions this episode. Good that his connection to Cyrus is out in the open. I liked the gravitas of what Cyrus did hang heavy on Dante and Lulu. I loved the scenes with Laura and Lulu. Same with Dante and Anna. I am a bit sad that Laura won't get a final scene with Cyrus. All of this for Brennan to want Joss as a WSB agent. Perhaps if Charles Masure was still playing him. And while I liked that Joss finally knows that Brennan always knew that Cyrus killed Dex, I felt this plot point (Joss the WSB Agent) was the beginning of the end for Carly/Brennan. And Chris McKen is giving a much more sinister version of Brennan. Oooo those Tracy/Jason scenes. SB...just emotes so much better now. I felt it in his scenes with Tracy. And I definitely felt it in those scenes with CM's Drew...who also did a good job. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Chase stood by BLQ and didn't attack her for keeping the baby a secret. So this part of the arc is done. Now the next part...tipped off by BLQ mentioning that Lois is the one who arranged everything. Meaning...as Lois mentioned to Martin a few weeks back...Lois knows where the baby is aka Gio. Well to be fair, it's always been there. re: wronged twin. It's been simmering in the background and in the subtext since Jason's return last year and Drew dropped Carly like a hot potato. And it was something PM did play as did these Old/New writers. So it's not just coming out of the blue since I believe Billy Miller's Drew also played that beat...though regular viewers during that time would know better than I. It's just that now that Drew is more of a villain, he's been more open about verbalizing it. Just like the growing battle between Congressman Drew and Sonny/Jason. I can totally see everyone thinking Jason killed Cyrus. And Drew...would let him rot even though he knows Jason was with him when it was going down for part of that time. If not the whole time. Just setting up for the inevitable (with these writers at least) murder mystery with Drew.

2-20 Okay, I will give CVE his due...that was good. I liked the gradualness of people finding out about Cyrus and his attack on Liz. And how it got everyone to the hospital. And that last shot of Laura, Aidan, Liz, and Lulu (a slight giggle that Martin ain't there) was EVERYTHING. There and worried about LUCKY. As it should be. Since I was just talking about Jason, I liked that the beat was played for giving a plausible reason why Jason didn't go and shoot Cyrus almost instantly. Thinking of Sam's wishes and their kids was a great one and I will now shut up about that. At least from Jason's angle...now JOSS on the other hand...Brennan vs Jason...a man she's just getting to know vs someone that has always been in her life...in WHAT universe with their phone numbers next to each other did Joss think to call Brennan FIRST. GIRL, BYE. lol. That said...I loved Jason's scenes at Sam's grave. I loved Joss slowly getting to all the proof against Cyrus. And to see her shoot him when he came at her with that ax. I actually gasped. THANK YOU FOR CHASE IN NOTHING, BUT SKIMPY RED SHORTS AND A ROSE. LOL. I was not upset. I did like his scenes with BLQ. And it was also great to see Lulu continue to verbalize her feelings about how her world has changed. Just when I get annoyed with her, the writers at least balance that out with those feelings because it is a throughline with Lulu that I would love to see continue throughout (at least) this year as she tries to get her life back. And BLQ dropping the pregnant before bomb on Chase...unexpected. Curtis vs Drew continues to be interesting. As well as Jason being a bigger man and seeing Drew about calling a truce. I doubt it will work. And I wouldn't want it to since I love the adversarial chemistry between Drew and Jason. I mean I finally saw your post.

I saw. Finally. lol.

I agree. I am liking it, but the pacing still feels off for me, too. While I trust Rebecca more than I trust Frank, I will say something that I thought a few days ago at my own workplace...once is a coincidence, two is a line, three slowly but surely reveals a pattern.