edgeofnik

Diane & Nikki is a solid scene, but Diane's reading Jack about Nikki are wickedly good. Philly are partners in crime again. Cane is SOL. I wish the writers would let Phyllis go there about her real reason for hating Victor. While we'd like to forget that S/L, Victor is responsible for Phyllis being sexually assaulted by Marco. It would add depth instead of making it look like a simply power grab for Phyllis.

Any insight on why DH/SR scenes are so awkward? Did something happen between them?

@Taoboi I think 'It's Not Prawper!' has entered the Top 3 of B&B drinking oft-repeated lines during the past decade: 'She's Toxic!' primarily for Quinn + Sheila (let's be real, Quinn was Sheila during those years) 'Why Did I Drink?' 'It's Not Prawper!'

FF through the wedding. Why is B&B determined to marriage so many couples in short order? Bridge, Lope, Batie and Nose. Add-in untouchables - Sinn and Honey Bear, that's 12 prominent characters taken off the market. Maybe it's B&B's signal that this is a serious attempt to turn the show over again - like 15 years ago with Steffy/Liam/Hope - with Will/Electra/RJ/Miss Dylan with Zende + Deke cheering them on! Bummed that Miss Dylan didn't have the opportunity to hang out at the Pizza Shack for a couple of weeks before Will found her. It's like 30 minutes later she's back at the beach house. Ugh. I absolutely loved AB's facial expressions when she saw Miss Dylan...please give AB a dude - shocked Carter didn't decide to climb The Vine tbh.

A year ago, Y&R's Valentine's Day episode teased a Philly reunion, especially after Billy rescued Phyllis/Sharon. But then Philly collapsed during the whole AC/Daniel nonsense. Are the writers finally going there? JT/MS both have unique acting styles that somehow line up to the benefit of both in their scenes. Phyllis as the voice of reason with her with her hysterical Boy Toys is humorous. First, Cane, as if Victor would harm Neil's family, and then Billy - after everything Billy has done to wreck his life, now his kids are going to turn on him? Please. Love Y&R's mid-show drop-ins. Diane walking-in on Nikki/Jack doing what they do even though they supposedly aren't lol. Didn't expect Diane to launch such a pointed and accurate assessment of Jack/Nikki. SW captured Diane's anger, resentment and hurt perfectly. SW is a true pro who really doesn't get enough credit for her work. Bringing her back to anchor the flailing Abbott family has turned out far better than anyone would've imagined.

This has been an issue for DAYS for 15+ years, which has been frustrating at times. However, DAYS did have an advantage because it always streamed well. NBC and then Peacock have always been able to analyze which scenes people skip/FF, replay, engagement, etc. It's probably what brought some characters back and increased or reduced guarantees for others. There are pluses to not being able to make changes on a whim is that the writers can execute the story as they intended or make organic changes based on what they see in the studio. Sometimes soaps have been far too reactionary to vocal minorities and trashed good stories midstream. The whole Maleswen mess - cutting short a controversial, but attention-getting story and slapping together a revised story that was even worse. Far worse. The good news is that we've got 2 1/2 more years of DAYS guaranteed. And, we'll know by next summer if the show continues.

Agreed! SB has been an unexpected find. I do like the 'Miss Dylan' has interacted with several cast members. The Deke scenes were completely out of the blue - in the best possible way. RJ will be shouting out 'Miss Dylan' in a minute. Brooke will revert to Stephanie mode (as she did with Rick) to protect RJ. OC, as a Bel Air resident for 30 years, Brooke will forget she was once a struggling 'girl from the Valley' I actually can't recall B&B ever having this many active stories (LOGAN, 'Miss Dylan', RJ's return, TayCon, Carter/Daphne, etc.) that also have plenty of subplots: Eric's retirement/revenge, Donna as peacemaker between her sisters, Liam keeping Eric's secret, Ivy's 'not proper', $B investing in Bikini revival, Steffy + Ridge threatening Taylor, Sheila's scenes with Deke + Hope to gain their acceptance, etc. There's finally layers instead of the same 3 or 4 characters literally repeating everything day after day about the one story on canvass.

Poor Abby. At least her father's family cares enough to call even with the Cane/Phyllis drama, since Newman Enterprises will always be the priority. Abby's used to that. But what about the Abbotts? Not one can be bothered to walk down the street to the Chancellor Estate? And Ashley couldn't jet over from Paris when her grandson is missing? Even if ED isn't available for this arc, Ashley could still be in town and not shown. Even worse, if that's possible: Abby practically begging Devon for the jet. Was the heck would this even be an ask? 'Devon, we're taking the jet to the last place where they were spotted.' Done. I like MO and she obviously loves the show. Abby being in the middle of the Newman/Abbott family feuds is completely organic. Abby should've been a central figure during Victor's AI threat to Jabot. Honestly, I would've loved storyline where Abby/Adam teamed up against Nick/Victoria - the real Newman heirs. On the plus side, we're seeing a chem test with Sharon/Burrows. I suspect Sienna will help Nick through his already obvious addiction.

@Taoboi B&B's catch-phrase of the month 'That's not proper!' It's like Brad intentionally creates these drinking games. While I've always liked AB, I've mostly disliked Ivy, until now. AB is truly channeling Stephanie's elitism and prudish morality in such a commanding way. I do wish they would've paired Ivy/Liam at least for a spell. I do love everyone now calling her 'Miss Dylan'. I'm actually liking SB - she plays her scenes with a certain openness that's refreshing. Even though it won't last, it's been nice having a have-not character on canvas. I'm half-expecting that it'll be revealed that she's one of Sheila's grandkids! @Liberty City ITA the love is completely out of place with TayCon. It cheapens it. If Taylor truly wants to neutralize Sheila's alleged revenge, she should get James back in LA! Minor critiques aside, this show is definitely in the best shape in years. There are multiple stories with different angles and it seems that every character is tied to a current story - except for Zende, of course!

Yep. Happened to me. Thank goodness, I have Hulu via Spotify. The episode was done so well. The Michael/Chase fight - both verbal and physical was excellent. I loved that they held the Drew/Willow stuff until later in the episode. It made it far more dramatic. MW looked amazing. As soon as Trina waxed Kai's virtues, I said to myself - 'bye, Kai' Oh, and, Dr. Gannon thank you for putting Stella in her place.

Is this a full pre-emption? I've been seeing clips on X from today's episode. I'd like to watch it on Hulu this evening. Separately, I'm convinced Drew knows Willow shot him. Yeah, he's screaming about Michael, who he knows didn't do it. If Drew didn't know who shot him, he'd be discreetly pushing the Feds to find out who actually did do it since they'd still be out there.

I've never been a fan of JMcC/Eric, but I thoroughly enjoyed his scenes with HT. It's almost as if JMcC was speaking for himself - about being put out to pasture before he was ready, etc. I also like Donna trying to balance her sisters and her concern for Eric. Honestly, I'm shocked at B&B's turnaround during the past 6 weeks. I came back the episode when $B gifted LOGAN and the show has been the best since pre-2020. The past 4 years have been horrific ever since the 'alley'. As long as Brad doesn't pull the Sheila psycho card with Deacon/Taylor, I'll be good. Maybe Brad will watch old episodes and revert her to the master manipulator she once was. There are so many delicious things Sheila could do to Taylor and Deacon without resorting to violence.

The heat between CW/CM is undeniable. That ending was definitely a shocker - in the best, most twisted way. Alexis feeling bad about Willow exoneration rings hollow considering the lengths she went to protect Kristina from a similar crime - stealing from a child, keeping Rick hostage, etc. Get over it! I do hope that Scout tells Alexis that it was Willow (again) who arranged the visit.

The writers really gave us some great stuff with the Drew shooting S/L. The story lost so much momentum when they basically inserted the Ronnie nothingburger, but, I gotta say since the trial start, we've had numerous excellent and compelling scenes - Portia and Willow's scenes on the stand were riveting Since they've made Drew absolutely relentless in his jerkness, perhaps Drew return to just a cad, instead of a royal pain, happens after he discovers/remembers that Willow shot him. CM deserves a lot of credit for absolutely playing this to the hilt - especially against some of those sanctimonious hypocritical characters. And, damn, if he isn't approaching 57(!) with that kind body.

It's hilarious how Taylor, Deke and Hope accept that Deacon is a changed man even though he stalked/terrorized and shot at Quinn multiple times - his most recent crimes - and, yet, Sheila is nonredeemable. One of the most frustrating aspects of B&B is that it's good/evil - there's no gray. Hope was good, until she betrayed the Forresters (Thomas and the takeover) and then she was pure evil, but now she's back to good. B&B is like The Simpsons of soaps. B&B characters never grow, change or evolve - they are literally the same - even if there's a short-term diversion - they revert to form. It's unlike any other soap where we see characters evolve over time. Oh and I do think RB/SK have great chemistry. While I would've preferred they simply created 'Aunt Taylee' for RB, she's actually made Taylor viable again.

We never saw them do the deed. He may have been buying her time for other reasons. I'm just sayin' the way he was on the stand and then the carefully worded convo with Jacinda at the bar gave me strong vibes that the story shifted. I do think they're going to give Michael/Jacinda a shot, which is why they had Nina actually being sympathetic to her a few weeks ago, the Kristina interactions, vibes, etc. I'm not opposed to it, but it's definitely not what was initially planned.

Ezra is: Jacinda's father.

Ha! That was a highlight. Interestingly, when Ezra was on the stand I got different vibes when Ezra - he's normally quite crass and it was far more subdued. When Jacinda/Ezra were talking and he said he's constituents would get over their relationship, I think it's something completely different - and a very typical GH trope. Ezra may be one of those midstream character changes that got first got clued when Ezra was actually civil and almost sympathetic to Laura before he went on the stand. Just sayin' - he may not be the bad guy now.

And neither Ridge/Steffy saying the obvious: this happened during the takeover by brother Carter + sl*t Hope, which Brooke 'went along' with. Honestly, isn't there a part of Steffy that's glad that LOGAN is not a FC trademark? The writing for Deke is appalling! I get kissing up to Katie, but being all understanding to his father? C'mon. There is no way any working class kid who was booted for a nepo wouldn't have a few choice words to say, especially since he's Deacon's son + the way the Forrester have always looked down on his father and sister. Deke would be completely justified in ripping them to his father privately.

That runway fantasy was a complete miss. We all know what's really going to happen when LOGAN's line debuts on the runway - Katie will have that long foreshadowed heart attack after she sees Brill in a compromising position - hopefully livestreamed with little to the imagination. We're overdue for a Brooke scandal and the pieces are falling into place: LOGAN, dredging up Katie's resentment, showing those hot Brill flashbacks, the out-of-the-blue Xmas peace with Steffy, which opens the door to the next major piece: Ridge, with Steffy's blessing, hands Brooke the co-CEO position so he can focus exclusively on designing after Eric gives his new designs to Katie. I just hope this develops over several months and not weeks.

It's a blessing and a curse. Blessing: B&B's ability to wrap a S/L that isn't working, erase it from the canvas and pivot to the next story is unparalleled in the modern soap world - Brooke's alleged drinking problem, Nicole wanting custody, etc. Curse: Exactly your point - plot driven, no real character evolution that sticks, etc. That said, I'll take LOGAN v FC fashion battle over anything we've been dished during the past 4 years. It's been awful. KKL is criminally underrated as an actor. When she's part of theses Emmy-bait scenes, KKL has this ability to be equally effective and present without attempting to out-act, out voice or one-up her scene partner. It's a rare skill. I actually thought today's dialogue with Katie explaining why she suppressed her resentment during the past decade was quite good. It's not a stretch that Brooke forbidding Katie from using LOGAN would cause it all to surface. For years we've been hearing how the Logans are underappreciated at FC and that they'll never be equals, etc. On the surface, you'd think Brooke would be proud that to have a fashion house named LOGAN. However, this proves what I've always believed - Brooke doesn't want the Logan name out there as a public reminder of her roots. As Katie pointed out, she's Brooke Forrester, it's Brooke's Bedroom, it's BeLieF, etc. She had decades to incorporate the Logan name into one of her lines, but chose not to.

The networks are actively touting the L+35 ratings for PrimeTime. The numbers are enlightening - demos are 2-5x higher than the Live+SD. Viewership tends to double. Based on what we've seen with DAYS/GH, I'd be shocked in the three CBS soaps aren't doing solid numbers on streaming. Soaps also offer streamers 52-week original content - no other scripted shows can do that.

I'm glad I started recording the day $B gifted 'LOGAN' to Katie. Honestly, this is the most interesting story Brad has developed in years. It's definitely a nod to the BeLieF ownership, which is hands down, B&B best storyline. KKL and HT have absolutely nailed it. KKL's delivery has been superb - it's very Stephanie like - cool, condensing with a hint of superiority. I could totally envision SF delivering KKL's lines in a similar manner except to Brooke. (Stephanie telling Brooke she can't do this and that - like the old days.) And, kudos to Brad having Katie go there with $B in an absolutely cutting way, especially the part about $B having faith in Katie's business acumen - both at FC and LOGAN. Wow! Now that's history-based drama that needs no retcon. It's unfortunate today's episode was littered with those offensive PSA scenes. Thank goodness for FF.

I thought BM might return for Xmas. Needless to say, I was disappointed she didn't even call out TGVN to Lily. On the plus side, the Lily/Traci scenes were done well. OC Nikki slithers back to the Ranch to collect whatever rare, collectable toy$ Victor got her. Gross.

Merry Christmas @soapfan770 !