Vee

Justus is quite dead, but I'd still bring both him (and Zander, for a short arc) back lol. I wanted Justus back for Portia, and to make him another strong elder Q while also an active player in corporate story as opposed to frickin' Curtis and absentee Ned. His secret son (with Faith Rosco) would be the suave schemer and play with the other youth like Trina, Emma, Gio, etc. I just probably wouldn't bring both A.J. and Justus back from the dead right on top of each other, lol. Like I said there's almost too many active, of-age Qs now, which is wild. I would also make Keesha an activist of some sort. The idea with both returning characters (and Justus' son) would really be to rebuild the Wards and that wing of the Qs as a force on the canvas. Keesha could have children, there's Maya and Zoe. You're spoiled for options, but you don't have to use them all. The longer Mazza continues to shine performance-wise beyond most people's expectations (and flaunt his body) the more I think they badly missed a trick not trying him as Spencer. I suspected he had something but I didn't know he would be this good. And he has more than justified his and also Gio's presence as is, at least IMO. Gio and the idiosyncratic, sharp Emma are very appealing now, even if I would mix them up in pairings with others for a while before reuniting them.

I would probably play with the possibility that one of Keesha's children is A.J.'s. (And might likely bring A.J. back eventually yet again, as a counter to Drew on Tracy's side - I already wanted to bring back Justus and a son plus we have kind of a surplus of Qs now, which is weird to think about.) It just seems an obvious route.

Kelly Jo Minter is a lovely lady I enjoyed in horror movies 35 years ago but in no way is right for Keesha in 2025.

Assuming Steve comes good on his vow to retire in a few years (which given his messy divorce I highly doubt), I would actually kill Jason after he got his memory back in full. He would still be a mix of the two men, still love Sonny and Carly, but he would be deeply remorseful for some of his actions and want to serve some of his debt to society, and would plead with Sonny to consider the same. On his way to the PCPD he'd be gunned down by some old enemies and die in his estranged son's (Jake) arms. It would be a short arc to try to get Steve an Emmy on his way out the door. Why not? He can act when he wants to, and he's been better this last year. As it stands now, though: Steve's role is marginalized and could frankly lift out of the show at any time. As I said a few posts ago, he is now, shockingly, in an inferior and weakened position within what has become a massive Quartermaine resurgence. Whether it's good story and characters or bad they are now the central core family and multi-plot apparatus within the show again. Jason has been subsumed into that end of the canvas and actually fits very well playing off Tracy, BLQ, etc. for all the reasons I have stated. Steve also seems reasonably at ease with it and is not switched off or disinterested in those scenes; Jason is generally respectful of the family and seems invested in some of them. So I can live with Jason for awhile, depending on his role. I just don't see a point in romantic prospects or long-term story. But I'd still probably bring back a recast Keesha Ward, to scandalize his warring fanbases, screw with them and put Jason with her again for awhile, someone totally unlike him, as Keesha would still be a socially conscious, morally upright person. But then I'd probably still kill him down the road lol.

I definitely think there are many better weeks of the show than the first.

Honestly losing Lucky feels like a gaping hole still for me. But you can tell the show is super relieved to have any excuse to get Liz back to a B or C-tier role. At this point (and in the spirit of the recent Michael switch) if Jonathan either won't commit or if FV burned that bridge or both, I'd be willing to accept a very very good recast. That would be the move for Liz for me, but I suspect Frank is relieved to have Lucky gone again. I also would probably bring Zander back for a stint. Chad Brannon is still very hot. Britt or Britt-Adjacent means nothing to me. I've never been able to stand her or KT, but I will allow that she and Steve had real heat.

I've said this before but Roscoe was my choice for Alan and Cat Hickland my choice for Hope Bauer when both looked poised to leave OLTL in '03. There are many good names in the mix here, particularly Jim Storm.

The Sonny, Carly, etc. scenes feel like an afterthought. But so does most of Jason's current presence, hence why a certain someone has been rehired.

I don't think there's any way Ethan becomes Luke's son without Tony. For example.

I think it was the end goal (or at least a partial goal) when Labine originally did it. I always expected it back then. I think it got away from them as Jason became much more popular and Steve much more influential.

Xavier Molyneux (Byron) has already booked the lead in the Amazon series Bloodaxe.

It is not lost on me how much Jason's scenes now revolve around the Qs - backing up not just Michael, but BLQ and Tracy, hanging out in the mansion all the time, seeming very comfortable. Imagine that 10 years ago, let alone 20. I will say Steve gives elder statesman in that way well and fits organically in that context (it's just about the only thing he's doing on the show now that works), something he and/or the show fought for decades, but I don't think it would ever have happened if not for a) his time away and b) the fact that Billy Miller's Jason/Drew softened the character up considerably and rebuilt that family bond while Steve was gone, which made the show want to compensate when he returned. More importantly it shows you how much the show has changed, for all its issues. I've said before that the Qs are now a central family and social/story hub on the show once more, in fact it's easily the most central, multi-tiered and vital one on the entire canvas. I didn't know that that would ever happen again. So Steve's Jason being there - running support for other Quartermaines, lecturing the boys about their work behavior, hanging out in the drawing room - feels like something long overdue but also indicates just how much their stock has risen while his has fallen. It reminds me of Leslie Charleson's famous statement about the Eckerts in the '90s: How they were supposed to erase the Quartermaines and a year later, all their survivors' scenes were in the Quartermaine drawing room.

I never thought her ATWT recast worked, but I thought she was very classy to offer to give the part back to Martha Byrne near the end. I have nothing against Beck, whose work on LOV I thought was solid. I think she'd make a good ice queen or socialite antagonist on GH today too - maybe Trisha herself, hardened by what became of her entire family. There was an edge to her I didn't think worked for the very generic hausfrau Lily was by the end of ATWT.

Honestly, I hate both characters and think both actors are pretty bad now but if Curtis and Jordan actually did get back at it and have a flat-out affair behind Portia's back I'd watch it. At least something non-generic would be happening. Then they can both leave!

I did not get the impression she did not know about the preemption there. But I also doubt she'd come out and say 'we're retooling y'all!' There are plenty of things on the show that need changing. But it's also not yet six months old. I welcome its break. They need to improve a number of elements.

I think he absolutely does, and I get it. Curtis was never much of a character but DT's charisma and energy was infectious early on, and it's long gone. But so has my patience given how he treats Kerr onscreen. She is SO HAPPY to not be on Passions anymore and they give her nothing but this.

Oddly, the performance of Rebekah's that sticks with me most other than MD is this harrowing rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner from Richard Kelly's cursed epic Southland Tales. (I really dislike the film unlike a lot of cult film buffs, but this rendition is certainly more relevant than ever)

I felt for Donnell at one point. When he first came on he crowed that he wanted to be 'the Black Luke Spencer' and have major story. They played him heavy with Michelle Stafford's Nina and with Budig, and he did have chemistry with them and was initially a pretty engaged performer. But I knew his dreams were not going to happen on this show, not for any Black male, and I felt for him. Once these options faded he began to perform like an Epcot Center greeter and still does today in most situations. Unless he's with Genie Francis, or certain other ladies. I think Brook Kerr has been terribly wasted on him. I think Portia has been poorly used often but BK always gives it 200% and could be doing much more. I do think scheming tycoon Curtis has some meat to it, but I would still ice him soon and bring back Justus instead.

It's like they have it in for Eva at this point, or the staff writers are finally getting to unload on a character they clearly disliked as much as the audience but who FV kept trying to put over. It reminds me of Megan McTavish's unpublished memoir gossiping about how much she and everyone else on the OLTL writing staff disliked Kale Browne but executive producer JFP (his lover) insisted his character be in 3 shows a week and centered in story. Either way, it is vicious, well-deserved and I am treasuring every moment. And yeah, Y&R is my bet for ol' Chad since JFP had a hand in his soap debut. Whether he'll be as soporific as that show, we'll see.

@Darn and I have been over this but I would bet dollars to donuts Sony snaps Chad up in under a year for Y&R or Days. Chad Duell IN as Chance #6, lol! As for Natalia, this is the show's vibe and it is cracking me up.

Agreed on both. I don't think Frank would've ever let him go (unless he asked for a pay bump lol) otherwise. Chad had been cruising since maybe the end of the Carlivati era, during which many of our male vets (DZ, Jason Thompson, etc.) seemed to become despondent or switched off. At GH RC rarely wrote for many previously multidimensional male leads who weren't broad, outsize villains or eccentric caricatures, which is a shame since he started out writing some very kind, decent or layered men at OLTL like Brody and Jared Banks. But ultimately Brody bored him too, and most of the GH men who had been rich characters became clueless dopes to take their clothes off at the Nurses Ball. This affected Chad as much as anyone; outside of the relationship with A.J. and the too-brief confrontation and rift with Sonny in 2014, Michael became another male spare part to stand around acting confused most of the time. This continued following RC's firing. I was more than ready for his recast, but I am glad he was gracious about it. If he hadn't made the choice IMO FV never would've. I don't see him trying to get Chad back now unless Gibson asserts himself too much about pay or story lol.

I agree. I do think BC has improved by leaps and bounds since February.

Might as well put this here since I didn't see it: Chad talks the recast.

Honestly I'm so behind with IRL stuff vs. the show that a week off sounds like just what I need to play catch-up lol.

I feel bad for Mansi. It's not her fault and I thought she was very strong early last year squaring off against Natalia over Blaze and Ava over Sonny. There was a brief moment where she was carrying a lot of what was a sluggish, conflicted show during the BTS drama.