edgeofnik

The fact that Y&R + B&B demos have been up each of the past 4 or so weeks from last year is impressive. Especially since very few shows in any daypart have increased. I'm betting BTG has brought renewed interest to CBS soaps across the board. It can't be a coincidence.

This remote will likely be partially subsidized by the the cities' and Italy's tourism marketing budget. They really don't have that many 'film' days on location - maybe two or three. All outdoors and pretty simple. B&B has always been untouchable when it comes to remotes - LA, Aspen, international. The production is prime time quality. The irony is that if B&B got 'Peapack'd' - they'd probably flourish.

True, but I was thinking about how Bridget got the Forrester name. Not certain of timing, but I always thought Brooke was single because she was divorced from Eric and Ridge was married to Taylor. I don't ever recall 'Bridget Logan' only 'Bridget Forrester.' If my memory is correct, kudos to Heather Tom for having Hope call out Brooke's shame.

I read the recap and it sounds like HT wrote a solid script. Two things really stood out: 1) Hope saying she's a Logan because Brooke was too ashamed to give her Deacon's name. Wow! Honestly, I never thought about that because she's always been Hope Logan. 2) Hope saying everything the audience has been screaming about: Brooke's pathetic obsession with Ridge at the expense of everyone else. What's disappointing (and it's not HT's fault) was not using this rift as a launching pad for Hope to move off Brooke's property and start her own life. The fact they aren't doing that means Brad plans on Hope discovering Daphne's secret, blackmailing Steffy into returning to HFTF to avoid a *scandal*. Since we know B&B is never subtle, it seems like the *no one can find out* has been dropped enough times that it will be a thing. Yawn. @Maxim The last 2 seconds of the video are truly nauseating. I'm at a loss how Brooke, who is the most qualified person in the Forrester clan to lead the company, now only obtains self-worth if she gets Himbo Widge's affirmation. It's disgusting.

I was joking about a return. I trust MJV's vision completely.

@Taoboi Yeah, the inconsistency with the Damian/Amy/Nate/Audra/Holden crew has been frustrating. I do think some of it has been a bit unexpected for the show - like VP as Amy really clicked - I doubt she was intended as more than a short stint. They probably didn't anticipate Amy/Audra connecting so effortlessly. It's made Audra far more interesting. I do think they were also waiting to cast Aristotle Dumas before it becomes a true A story. You know this is going to be major with TGVM involved. Plus the revelation that Sally has an LA connection, that he's the one Billy was talking to in Paris, etc. Holden giving Claire her first proper martini was a complete surprise. I'm optimistic that this will be a real umbrella story starting in May. I wouldn't be surprised if Diane has a Dumas LA connection either.

Absolutely ... NOT. I actually liked DG and Cane before they turned him into a fraud and put him with CK. There was absolutely no reason to *age* Lily so fast. I mean she was practically matronly at 25! It was a huge disservice to the character.

I dumped X a long time ago, but if this has actually generated real engagement - it's a huge win for BTG because that means fans care. And, who knows, if the recast doesn't work, it's not like that can return to OG Ted. There's plenty of precedent for that in the soap world with my favorite promo being *The Real Greenlee returns to AMC*

So which blonde will Daniel do first? Sharon or Tessa? MG was oozing chemistry with both. Could CF new hair color signal a Tessiah relationship fracture? It's overdue. No reason why either Tessa or Mariah can't stray like every other married couple in Y&R history. CG should be onscreen more anyway. She's way too good to be the sidelines. I do like Y&R's unexpected late drop-ins - the two Tessa/Daniel scenes actually were meaningful.

Yeah, I briefly returned to see the Finn/Lunacy reveal. The March Madness break reminded why I should stop wasting 18 minutes a day and return to reading recaps. It's a shame. There's absolutely no compelling reason to watch or care.

Not to mention Bridget and Rick - caught between Eric and Brooke. No way Rick wouldn't have returned to LA to work with his mother and protect his legacy as Forrester. The other beat: throw in $B. Justin was already involved. Does anyone really believe $B would stay on the sidelines? Seriously, he would be backing Brooke and Katie and probably engineering a *coup* of Carter to snag FC for his two queens. Eric/Ridge could've reluctantly gone back to FC to design couture. Thomas could've re-emerged. Brooke's BeLief takeover had everyone working together, which presented plenty of organic drama. I never understood Ridge/Eric hiding out at the mansion instead of being at FC everyday in Carter's face. Like they would pin *all* their hopes on getting FC back on Steffy p*mping out some French woman. Please. This is a story that could've played out for two years. So now that Eric has his stapler back, Hope is canned, there's absolutely no drama at FC.

Typical B&B - a judgmental hypocrite. Daphne talking *morals* when was paid to seduce Carter under the guise of teaming up with FC to launch a fragrance. In fact, because Daphne was lured from France, Steffy could be charged for what it is - human trafficking. Brad you want a bold social issue + a FC scandal ... you're welcome. Perhaps when the truth about Daphne's is exposed, it'll set-up JMW's next leave. Preferably in jail. lol

JMW + the under-5 men! While the things Steffy actually said were illogical - Brooke a traitor, Hope this master manipulator, please - JMW just absolutely read them with such command and in such a succinct and measured way. No hysteria, no OTT acting. JMW is the undisputed star of B&B. KKL, sadly, has been pushed aside. When Brooke was finally made CEO, which has been long overdue, I thought it'd lead to a permanent leadership position at FC when the *coup* ended. I figured Steffy and Brooke would be co-CEOs going forward with Eric/Ridge focusing on design. That would be far more watchable. Hope should file a harassment claim against Carter. He was in a position of control - making decisions whether HFTF would continue - when he talked about the lingerie. Hope engineering the coup is as logical as Lunacy's retcon childhood and Zende claims. Terrible.

@ranger1rg Perfect summary! The only thing that's made sense all week was Poppy calling out Luna on her alleged horrible childhood. After everything $B has done, why on earth would he coldly kick out Lunacy that same night without a place to stay? Are the streets of LA safer than prison? This is typical Brad when he decides to abruptly terminate a storyline that doesn't work. But $B could've said he set up in a safe place a little money to get started? Illogical. Carter tearing up the papers doesn't matter because a signed copy had to be filed with the state. Whatever. I hope they at least play out Carter finding out that Daphne was Steffy's plant. Similar to the way Brooke discovered Ridge/Stephanie almost tricked her out of BeLief, which still ranks as B&B's best overall story. It's unrivaled.

B&B's latest Jump-the-Shark moment: Sheila saying Lunacy should be locked in prison. The ultimate commentary on the show's writing/direction: when actors like KB and DD are struggling to sell this foolishness. On the other hand, it's very easy for JMW since Steffy is the only rational person in this insanity. Oh, and, is TN now an 'under 5' player? Check out how many words he spoke, despite scenes with Lunacy and Steffy specifically asked him questions. It's remarkable the heavy lifting the female actors on B&B do to keep it afloat - it's always been this way. It's skewed unlike any other soap.

B&B 2,617 BTG 1,740 LMAD (1) 2,085 Great to see BTG holding steady, huge improvement of TT. BTG is a breath of fresh air. Let's keep it going! Those proclaiming B&B's collapse are fortunately incorrect. And, yes, like most B&B watchers, the show is just painful to watch for the past 3 years.

@skiman12082004 Exactly, B&B needs a creative reboot similar to Y&R in 1980ish - when the show expanded to one hour and a lot of actors quit. It was the best thing when they pivoted from the piano playing sad, old drama to the Abbott and Williams families and eventually the Newmans. Tying Jill to the Abbotts and Katherine to the Newmans kept the OG Y&R alive in some manner. And the show was better for it. B&B could easily do the same thing.

The pardon would've been a great cliffhanger - in one week (Wed before Th/Fr March Madness break). I absolutely didn't expect that, but it is California so not complete fantasy. $B must've texted the Gov when Steffy called Baker! If Lunacy was his daughter, his motivation would be at least plausible. Will $B keep her? Poor Poppy. Li is such a miserable shrew and serious rage issues. Stabbing Jack with the needle and now strangling Poppy. Both over things that happened 20+ years ago. This isn't normal. I hope Poppy presses charges just because. I can't wait until Sheila finds out.

At first, I was kinda annoyed at Summer and crashing the dinner, but it was actually pretty organic and very Phyllis-like taking a situation and using it to her advantage. The real surprise - Holden and Claire! I really like Holden's overall vibe. The *game* was annoying until the scene where Sharon pushed Phyllis to admit she would've save her. The final scene was a good twist.

I'm assuming he'll be the mysterious Aristotle Dumas.

It's been worth streaming the past two weeks if only because I knew JMW would give us gold. I didn't not expect Steffy to read Luna/$B in the same episode! Oh Sheila! You're life is about to get really interesting! It's about time. The Finn/Poppy story would be better if they stopped with the white privileged boy being victimized by the nefarious WOC. Poppy didn't have to be destroyed to make it work. The actors are the same age. For months we were shown that Poppy was a warm, caring person who did her best despite her quirks. The real, honorable Finn would standup for Poppy against the extremely hypocritical and tainted Forrester clan. @Soapsuds $B is so smart that he's voluntarily put himself in lockdown with no staff, but his compound either isn't gated and if it is he doesn't have security call him to announce potential visitors. Beyond idiotic.

While Nick would be laughable interesting as the *mastermind*, I'd love to see Mariah/Daniel revert to their dark sides, but it won't happen. It would be a smart full circle: Daniel and Mariah (Cassie's proxy). My initial bet: Lauren (with or without Michael) - both have it in them and plenty of reasons to end the animosity. I'm moved my money to *fake* Alan because Traci is simply not meant to have happiness! Plus I remembered he really wanted to talk to Sharon about some study at the GCAC. It was a weird encounter, which is why it stuck out. And he's supposedly been in Chicago for a long time. As @Taoboi noted the scenes are watch-worthy only because SC/MS play off each other so well. It's hard to believe that Cassie passed 20 years ago this May. It would be appropriate for Sharon/Phyllis to commemorate it with a truce.

I think we got our answer on who's holding Sharon/Phyllis in the *mental* institution.

True that! The good news is that we now have some streaming stats on Y&R + B&B. It appears Y&R gets 300K+ from streaming. It's been a long time since we've seen total viewer numbers and not sure if those were L+SD or L+3/+7. It does show that there is interest since streaming is proactive viewing. Anecdotally we knew that from DAYS/GH. This is great news for the soap industry. Let's hope BTG can keep it going. I'd love nothing more than a soap renaissance!

[T]he three-day streaming numbers for Beyond the Gates are up 7,411% from The Talk‘s.