Taoboi

8-1 What is it with the soaps having good cliffhangers on Thursday? First Kristina and the fall on GH and now the ending here with Sharon on her laptop, like me, and we both stopped and looked up to see Cameron Kristen. lol. On the shallow note, @Soapsuds there's a waiter extra in some nice tight blue jeans that pops through throughout that you might like. And they FINALLY got Chance out of that suit and into his bday suit. In case, you like some CF. I am finally starting to feel invested in the Sharon storyline. Those were good intervention scenes with Sharon, Mariah, Faith, and Nick. And SC finally came to work. So well done. And the ending with Cameron was also well done. AL can read a phone book at this point and I will pay attention. Enjoyed the Summer/Daniel scene as well as sexy time for her and Chance. Oh, Victor. What are you planning? lol. I enjoyed his scenes with Devon the other day (but I always enjoy when the show touch on their history). And Devon giving Lily a heads-up. And Lily actually being a step ahead of Victor. LILY?? I thought the twist of Lily being a double agent is unnecessary, but at least her and Devon are still on good terms and it's not a complete repeat of their last fallout. Billy can go sit in the corner. If I hear about that logo one more time...

Hehe. Great minds. I just said Dan was the better over on the WRITER thread. Well, I'm sure Errol will confirm if one more writing change is coming. I hope so. Cuz this...??

It really doesn't. Because O' Connor seem the better of the two.

Given today's credit...it seem apt to bring it back up-thread...

Oh, dear...

Oh...so that picture I saw floating around an hour ago WAS true??? She will NEVER be played out.

Same. Very good news to hear.

RHoDubai Well...misdirection? I don't know how I feel about that. But it still gave us a great HW episode and how they should be. Easy, breezy, AND fun. But what do I mean misdirection? Well for one...while they resolved the voice note cliffhanger, they gave the audience a new mystery...Ayan vs Lesa OFF SCREEN for 20 minutes. Why? Was it not filmed? Or is it going to be a trump card that will be shown at the finale or even during the reunion (FILMING THIS WEEK)? Most of the audience have been wanting to see what happened to lead to the fallout between BFF Ayan and Lesa and nothing? OR...there's MORE to come. And the mending between the two of them in this episode is sadly...foreshadowing. How they are acting this episode for sure are two best friends fighting and it was great to see them resolve it...but...foreshadowing. But like I said...a GREAT HW episode! While I haven't been watching NJ this season, this episode is a nice palette cleanser for you all who want fun moments, scenery, friendships, light drama, comedy, and yes...fun SHADE. There's the girls' night out with Taleen playing matchmaker for Brooks (and those two getting along again period), dancing in the streets, and Stanbury being goofy to 80s music. There's Sara's event which was typical HW, but a different spin on it in a breathtaking location, giving some culture and point of views which I found fascinating. And of course, another cliffhanger over a petty HW thing: DRESSES. And there were sprinkles of moments from Stanbury and Lesa both taking opportunities to shading each other. The van ride...where I would totally be in Van Brooks/Ayan/Lesa who really haven't been together a la S1 like that all season. Poor Sara having to deal with Hungover Stanbury. Oh, the dresses...loved Ayan's dress...Lesa's dress...and I will give the Wannabe credit where credit is due...she was right...she looked GORGEOUS in green. Now if she gathers Taleen all the way together next week, I might stop calling her Wannabe and call her Saba. lol. STANBURY. The image of her on that club stage drunk dancing to 80 music will not be forgotten. lol. She was giving the good, the bad, and the ugly (that cheap liquor got you vomiting, Queen) this episode. I truly don't think she and Lesa will ever be friends, but they make exquisite rivals. So I enjoyed her and Lesa taking popshots at each other throughout. Meanwhile, she escaped the voice note reveal unharmed and stirred the pot beautifully against Ayan I felt. Because if the voice note was about Taleen and Sara...which it appeared to be...and they moved on past it and so has everyone else's...why is Ayan so bothered and being overdramatic. Pointing out Ayan made a dumb move is a pointed move, but a clever one. TALEEN. Honestly, annoyed me all episode. Outside of her getting along with Brooks again and playing matchmaker. It was like she was searching for a problem all episode. Especially with Lesa. And if it was not that, it was her trying to be the center of everything. Girl, STOP. Next week, she runs afoul of Wannabe. Fingers crossed, she gets it. BROOKS. I can't believe that they cut part of her Confessional from the midseason trailer where she's gleeful over the fallout over Ayan/Lesa. Overall, she was just...there. It does seem like she has managed to mend fences and is back in the group. While she was around mostly Stanbury and Taleen (though I enjoyed my brief Sara/Brooks duo scene), I was living for her with Ayan and Lesa again like they were in Season 1. SARA. LOL!!! POOR SARA. So irked at Stanbury on their way to Sara's event. I hollered and was on Brooks's side as she kept looking back at the other van. Sara would have had more fun with Brooks/Lesa/Ayan. And Sara did good clearing herself at the start of the episode with the voice note. Besides that, Sara was basically comic relief this episode. And I liked it. Sara has good comedy timing. AYAN. In a word: damage control. That was what came to mind for me as she was sitting there talking to her husband on the phone before breakfast. I was happy to see that she and Lesa were both still sad at breakfast and they talked it out. However, she was the one who played that voice note. As Lesa said...messy and wrong. So her trying to play victim does not work for me. When even the person who you tried to curry favor by playing it isn't even on your side, you know you frakked up. LESA. So the real question...did she know? Ayan did say she told her before the dinner about playing the voice note to Stanbury? Time will tell, but it seem false. However, Lesa turning off her waterworks when she switched phone calls between husbands made me side-eye her just a little bit. Overall, she was my queen this episode and outside of that phone moment, I felt she was being real throughout. Like I said above, she did not miss a moment to shade Stanbury. And she also seem genuinely hurt by Ayan. I can't wait until she catches on to Taleen coming for her. Great episode.

And rightfully so!

Oh, yes. You see it, @DramatistDreamer?

Cool!!!!!!!!

Yasssssssssssssssssssssssss Your other baby is coming home, Laura!!!

Awww good to hear then.

8-2 Oh my Goodness!!! Well-played!!! I was just thinking that it was cute that the murder mystery was a nice B/C plot in this episode with Deacon/Sheila talking. Good job to keep it on the audience's mind since we are focused on Katie v Poppy/Bridge in Monte Carlo/Steffy v Hope/Will's return this week. And I was thinking about my earlier post about questions around the murders. And it just occurred to me...what if Luna was mixed up in it or Tom had approached her? And here comes Luna pulling out TOM'S BACKPACK!!!! I about gasped!!! But wait?? If Luna didn't find Tom's backpack...then WHO put it in the apartment? But we know what I really want to talk about? That's right!! Will's return!! lol. Yeah...he definitely looks like his dad. Moves like his dad. And (so far) has a lot...and I mean A LOT (but it could be that I'm thinking of all those Nick flashbacks on Y&R lately) of his dad's mannerisms. It's uncanny. STRONG genes!!! lol. But I thought he held his own with DD's Bill. And already Will has an issue with Poppy and Luna. So...story. Of course, I really wanted to see if he had chemistry with HT. And...YES. From the moment, Katie opened the door to flowers, HT and JM Jr. had a nice mom/son chemistry. So I'm invested already. And speaking of invested, I haven't watched today's, but 8-1 had a nice little promo in the end credits for the Monte Carle trip and already invested and intrigued by the 'stunning twist' of this mystery woman.

I would say it started from Ava going from cunning femme fatale to giving away her aces to people in the clumsiest way possible. Moreso because we have been watching Ava being ten steps ahead of so many people on and off screen for months. I have been happy to see that Drew/Willow does not appear to have been dropped. Yet. But the Ava/Trina friendship appeared to have ended right after Sonny kicked Ava out of his penthouse and Ava wanted to pump Trina for information when she stopped by for Ava. I said at that time that Ava has been and done many things, but she would NEVER put Trina in that position due to their on-screen friendship. And then Trina was all to Joss about how she saw Ava like how everyone saw her now. That whole episode rang false to me. Unless it's been touched on in the last week or so...I think it is DEAD. Ava was already being written into a corner, but was given her complexity again at the same time. But I did notice that she appeared to be getting more and more enemies. I was starting to wonder if there was about to be a murder mystery in fact lol. However, her friendship with Trina stayed untouched throughout all of March to that episode. I liked that because villainess Ava was being, but her friendship with Trina as well as her being Avery's mother gave her humanizing qualities throughout. So smh.

Yes. THIS. What was the point of the build-up on all these (and with Pikeman that just stumbled too much whether I know why or not #valisaFoF) which all had the potential to be both umbrella tales as well as tales with good fallout only to be hasty written to an abrupt conclusion? And worse no emotion involved that felt real whatsoever.

@Cat I will always have room in my heart for the Countess. But I know I'm in the minority when it comes to fans who like both old and nu NY. And this interview with Brynn has me giggling. She is such an Aquarius! Love it.

Yeah, I would think Debbi is going to be a given with all that information I just read. And as a matriarch would be gorgeous and well-deserved. Cuz she can spin anything thrown at her into gold. There's a reason why people loved her in that short recurring side-character role on that witch show that one season. Well, if Viv wants ins and outs...well...make her character a vixen/villainess who can be written in and out of storyline as written.

That is some interesting information. Thank you for the share. Yep. Like the various shifts in Ava's storyline, I am not surprised there has been a shift in Kristina's storyline either.

As if I'm not playing catch up. 😜 Welcome!!! I agree. I was bored out of my mind a month ago, but it has gotten some kind of momentum/energy going on in the last two weeks or so, and I'm shocked that I'm so invested versus Y&R when it's usually the reverse. You caught that, too, huh? Lord, how I miss Heather Tom's Victoria Newman, but it's been nice to see her playing some of that in Katie's character...without it NOT being Katie which from my viewings...Katie CAN be a little busybody.

IDk...Jenna might be more open this year. Time will tell. lol. I know. re: Lesa on Dubai. I think we all have that one HW on euvery show. I'm sad for Gina because it sounds like she's gone downhill since the Great Reunion Glowup. Ahhhhhhhhh!!! Thank you!!! I'm always here for my girl Brynn!!! lol. It does remind me how I used to watch the MILLION DOLLAR franchise cuz I loved looking at that kind of stuff. Heck...I'm shocked that is former pop star Willa Ford now does. And then there was three. I enjoyed it as well and look forward to it returning. Though I do worry about Eric being involved.

Well, I'm happy to see new/fresh blood anyway we can get it. Gives one hope.

I'm sure the acting standard isn't high. But one thing that Bell soaps could do...and some ABC shows...was putting newbies with vets. Bonus if they were vets known for their awesome acting. It used to help a newbie grow up quickly. I know it's debatable, but it worked with JM being around HT on Y&R so I feel good about his son being around her now. And DD can bring it as well so it just depends on who he will be orbitting going forward.

With HT as his 'fairy godmother' I have no doubt that he will emerge a strong actor in his own right. As for Will...given his dad...I would say villain. If we are lucky...complex villain.

No spoilers @soapfan770...I won't read it until I get there. Coming into August and... JACK, YOU...BETTTTTTTTTTTTTA....READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He dragged the hell out of Kyle and Audra and I was here for it. Don't mess with his dad's memory. lol. And Michael Mealer must be getting ready for a shirtless scene because his guns in that striped shirt have been out and about and looking yummy. And I don't find him attractive outside of the pandemic weight he put on so he must be buffing up again. YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOD BLESS ERIC BRAEDEN!!!!!!!!!