Taoboi

I agree. We really don't have any stakes with Izaiah/Eva. I think I said that myself either yesterday or a few days ago. I like the writers are giving Eva/Izaiah time to grow, but it's time for some conflict for sure. It seems like the writers are still in 'build them into a couple before stakes' mode or doing what they did with Dani/Bill after the first few weeks of the show by having them be in separate stories so the audience got to know them and would feel something once their storylines converged again. Well, that last part is IF they go there with Eva/Izaiah/Kat down the road...which is what I feel is going on and why currently Eva and Kat have their own stories going on. Add on how they have completely vanished Tomas from that story as well right down to book in-jokes is just another reason I feel he will be exiting left at some point (Febuary Sweeps?). So unless they converge the plot again, I would say the Hawthornes' disapproval of Eva would have to come into play if they want any kind of conflict at the moment. Oh, I lived for Dani's shading Ashley every chance she got. LOL!!! Ashley was one of my favorite characters when the show started and I wanted to see the good idealistic girl get her dream job and then reality kicked in. And there were so many ways to write around that that developed her character. SPS potentially framing her for Laura's second almost-death and having to clear her name. Her being onto Hayley and the fake pregnancy as someone else mentioned. Even the drama with her and Derek moving in together had sooome potential at first. But how Ashley was handled was just...smh. People winded up on Derek's side against her than her and she's the main character. That's not good.

1-7 Now that I got to see it...I really don't want to jinx it, but there is so much flow and momentum going on that I love it. We will see how I feel next week to see how the show pivots and/or keeps it going. See? An A story in Anita's cancer, but little stories going on. Special note for the writers still finding ways to find unusual pairings like Randy and SPS and Vernon/Ted. If I was annoyed by anything, it's that I can't shake that the writers are trying to downplay Dani/Andre for Dani/Bill. I continue to dislike that. That was how I felt last year when Hayley was in Andre's current place. Dani/Andre was the lightning in the bottle, but it seem there was a bias to Dani/Bill. Guess what, writers? Karla Mosley has chemistry with BOTH. It's okay to play that with both and have the audience split over it. Like a great soap triangle. Dare I say it...Jax/Brenda/Sonny? That said I still live for Dani/Vanessa scenes. I also love that we are getting an increase in Dani/Vernon scenes. It was already established that she was the apple of Vernon's eye, but their scenes were sporadic. Improvement indeed. The meeting of the villains = WOW. I thought it was very interesting what they are setting up with Joey vs Silk Press Sheila. Mostly because it brings back the menace that Trisha can play so well from beneath the surface of SPS. And the fact they both have each other's number is VERY intriguing. Adding on the subplot of the clinic as well as Marcel/SPS alliance...and it's giving slow burn powder keg. Could SPS be the one who finds out about Doug's death? I continue to love the C plot of the Cotillion. I do wonder if we are going to see it. Will it be our next event? And I do like how it turns on the show's theme of the Haves and Have-Nots. Side notes: Ted/Shanice continue to be hilarious. Ashley continues to work as a side-character.

I liked them both.

One thing they did a great job of this season even though she is not there and the ladies are still carrying on was that Karen's presence is still very much felt and continued on.

Oh I heard...and saw the clip. I hollered at the hollering. Very. It's a testament that she can still pull off a tagline and still give perfect housewives/actress inflection and a look. I was just as shocked that Andy just posted asking for reunion questions barely a week ago and they were ALREADY filming the reunion. I hope we get Gizelle's reaction to not being first chair again. And I also hope that if Karen is there, we are getting her in more than one episode before the season ends.

Agree. Like @Soaplovers mentioned, it does seem like they are still dangling that carrot out there even though Derek could have completely vanished after he finally read Ashley down the day at the hospital hub when he found out that she didn't even wait a day before she was knocking on Andre's door after finding out he didn't tell her about getting feeling in his legs again. Well re: Kial. Got to build up that triangle. And it's harder when the writers took forever to focus back on Nicole's POV.

She suuuure did. Though I WILL give the writing soooome credit that they did her recasting very well. Made her look similar. Eaves her onto the canvas slowly in ways that made sense. And then gave her a story. Heck, what they are doing with Taylor and Deacon now started when she was in the role. And I'm still disappointed they didn't go there then. And I did vent about how I felt about them going there now though at least RB and SK have chemistry. But yeah Krista was such a breath of fresh air.

OOPS. I guess 1-7 wasn't loaded on my system yesterday. That's fine. I don't mind rewatching 1-8 again. It had a lot of interesting bits that I wanted to rewatch again for sure. I felt the same. It does look like just like last year in the first few months, BTG will keep doing foreshadowing into this year as well.

And even that connection (by books) has been passed on to Eva and Izaiah so he's Dead Man Walking. Don't give me reminders of Ashley being all Carrie Bradshaw. I...*shivers*. At least, this week continues to show where she really shines...as a SUPPORTING character. It will be curious to see if Derek will just fade away or if he will turn cray-cray.

Sounds like I was right. Can't wait to get to it then. hehe.

It sounds like it will be next Tuesday. ;) I know right! I'll looking forward to getting back to binging this weekend.

lol

And how do you feel about the slow pivot in Joey's character. He might be praising the Duprees soon enough. :P I remember that Jan/Joey look as well.

Yay!!! Hehe. You saying this reminds me of how a certain hack was spying on a once good soap about a certain soap character who came back after an old young love, now older came back together...as you suggested for a while. Hopefully this turns out better than that. :) Well...it might be coming. I don't think it's a coincidence they keep pointing out his ambition and social climber-ness.

HUGS

Same.

Good to hear.

That just reminds me that I wanted to get around to watch that and the SUSSEX show, but they are all out of order here in the States. Hmmmm at half-Russian, but I'm bias. I love the recommendation from both of you all the same. :) Intriguing if so. Though of course that does take away from the original hook. Then again, they got away from it on the original show, too.

And packs.

I completely agree. Given how good IMO the show has been at foreshadowing, I'm hoping these scenes are here for just that reason.

Since SOD is already breaking the reveal...lol. I'm just finishing up Christmas and coming into the new year, but I at least had to mention that I actually liked the Xmas-y scenes that weere on display on GH. There were so many families having moments. And families with people I felt they should have been with or it made sense for them to be with them (except for Sonny in the Q mansion...I did side-eye). I love that the writers managed to maintain the court issues the week I just finished as well. I enjoyed every moment of Alexis vs the ADA. And I gasped at Portia's affair being exposed on the stand. Brooke Kerr sold that oh so well. Portia might be getting thrown under the bus and everyone AND HER DAUGHTER turning on her, but it's been the story to watch. Chase getting suspended??? GOOD. Cuz he was low-blowing. Great for the continuing Dante/Chase rift, but he really shouldn't say all of that on the court stand. Hopefully, BLQ gets to lash into him, too, from the looks she was giving. I finally saw the Britt/Brad scenes and just rolled my eyes. That said...I was happy to see she got the X-mas miracle of getting her license back. Hopefully, the writers will finally progress her back to where she was when she 'died' so people just 'might' get behind her and Jason. I'm not at all behind Cody and Molly. Sorry. I did like the sweetness of the kissng scene, but I already said how I stand on them. And I respect that Jason set Molly straight at least versus wacky misunderstanding. TOTALLY HERE for Lucy vs Ava. For a second REAL Ava came out, and I enjoyed so much, I rewinded. Still it was weird to see so many people at Sidwell. Talk about bad guys pivoting... I loved every moment of Laura in scenes with Lulu. Meh at Val.

1-6 And I see this episode continues what I just said about 1-5. The show definitely has a rhythm. GOOD. And even better, this one has what I've been saying BTG should have and has had at its best...A clear A story with other stories around it. And this case, a few B stories and of course C stories. I love the Anita/Tracy scenes. We all know I'm bias for a soap character named Tracy. So it was good to get more of her and her getting Anita to face some hard truths. And it goes without saying that TT was superb. And I thought it watching 1-5, but seeing them together is kinda confirming it. With Jon Lindstrom now in the credits which might mean he will be around for a while, Joey's character seems to now be pivoting. Before it was him and Vanessa that had a game of cat-and-mouse going on. Now it's clearly Marcel and Silk Press Sheila. And now seeing Joey and Marcel in scenes together, it was Marcel being more of the heavy while Joey is now concerned about 'his enemies?' to Vanessa. And I take it foreshadowing about Doug's death means that it will FINALLY come back into play. As the most solid of B stories last year, it's good to see the Joey/Vanessa story will continue to be so. And as for the C stories... All I can say about the Vernon/Martin politic talk is...how can they keep having these talks and it NOT circle back around to them and Kenny? It was feeling anvil-y though I love Vernon still talking about his feelings for Anita. OOOOOOOHHH? I was not expecting a clear sign of a potential growing rift between Ty and Jessica. But the scenes were very well done in establishing more of a POV for Jessica which I liked. And of course, Ty would take offense at that. As much as I like they are slow-burning Eva/Izaiah...it might be time for something else with them.

Double post

Hehe. It really is. As is your compliment. ;)