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ITA. It could have been that he has two dads, that one of his dads is congressman, or that he's seen as a spoiled rich kid. I am starting to like their family dynamic more though. ALL OF THIS. Trisha Mann-Grant is a real delight, and I enjoy every episode she's in. I just hope they don't write her into a corner but find a way to keep her long-term.

I feel like today's episode should have been Friday's episode if that makes sense. It was good from start to finish and had a cliffhanger. The best episode they've done in a couple of weeks! I'm warming up to Martin as the actor is getting better, and I'm feeling him and Smitty as more of a couple finally. I keep noticing that Martin's got some junk in the trunk, too, as they say. Maybe we need some scenes with him in jeans versus suits all the time! They need to get the actress that plays Samantha on contract STAT before she goes and gets another job. She's good and very much a natural, much more so than Chelsea, for instance, although she's improving a bit. It was nice to have a break too from Dani, Bill, Haley, Joey, and Doug....not to mention...cough cough...Ashley and Derek. I'm not sure what the solution is for those two characters. They're just dullsville. Derek has ZERO personality except for saving cats. He's like a walking robot himbo and acts like one. There's nothing going on upstairs but the occasional wide-eyed surprised look he gives when Andre looks at Ashley. Those tight pants will only get him so far. Ashley is "too perfect" and doesn't feel real. Who was she before she became the World's Best Nurse?! How did she and Derek meet? How long have they been together? Why does she like him beyond "generic hot fireman?" We really don't know anything about their relationship besides the fact that they're "perfect." They're not three dimensional at all more just "character sketches." I REALLLLLY wonder if those two characters were quick add-ons requested by the network to have a romantic white couple on the show. I can't help it, but I practically groan out loud whenever they pop up! I just REALLLY hope the show can pick up and keep momentum with stories. The only way the genre is going to survive is by attracting new and younger viewers in certain audience demographics. All of us who have been watching soaps since the 80s (or before), including me, are not the ones who will keep the genre going for another 10, 20, or more years in the future. The younger viewers (30 and less) are not going to stick around for a slow moving 1970s type soap with five episodes a week...not with their TikTok brains and shows that have only 6 episodes on streaming. You need to have memorable moments in every episode. That includes good, witty dialogue that can be made into memes. That's just where we are now. As a writer, you can keep plots entertaining by hitting ALL the possible story beats so that it feels like things are progressing even if they take a while to get to the story finish line. It doesn't mean you have to have explosions and murders every episode, but a nice flow with good, unexpected twists and turns along the way. Just my two cents.

Another work around could have been if Martin had been adopted by Ted and Nicole when he was ten years old, for example. That could explain PART of the reason why he's obsessed with making his family proud and doing well. It could also tie into his own decision to adopt.

You're so right! KKL has WAAAAY more chemistry with DD. TK is a great actor, but he is just not Ridge. Not to mention the character has just become insufferable.

I think Martin would have worked much better as Vernon and Anita's son, too. The ages for Martin and his children would have worked much, much better. Didn't Ted and Nicole talk about difficulty having their daughter and her being their "miracle child" or something of the sorts. Then, Martin could have been adopted, too. Although with Bill and Ted both cheating on their wives, I don't know if I want Vernon to have cheated on Antia as well. I think a good twist would be to find out that Anita had another child while she was pursuing her singing career.

The past couple of weeks I've started to get a bit...and I hate to say it...bored with the show. It feels like NOTHING is happening just repeating, repeating, repeating dialogue. I've found myself FF'ing through scenes, and that's bad this early into the show. We're not getting cliffhangers...even on Fridays! The whole week should be building to a big moment on Fridays, but we get Vanessa and Joey to end the week??? That's it? When it looked like Bill might have a heart attack on Thursday, I was like..FINALLY...something is happening that would cause drama for many, many characters!!! Then, the next day, "My hand feel asleep." Really? Sure, he might have a heart attack later, but it needs to happen NOW. We need movement in the plot. The nurse documentary...I don't even know what that's about nor do I care. Ashley and Derek take boring to new heights, and I have no idea why Andre would be attracted to her. The one story I find interesting...Bill and Naomi pitted against each other isn't enough to sustain my interest. I would really like to see Vernon and Anita have their own storyline, something about their past. Something. Anything. DRAMA PLEASE! Ted has never interacted with Martin. I think Nicole did once. And, they both have never interacted with their grandchildren. It feels odd this far into the show. The first two weeks were so good, but then it was as if there was a mandate for nothing to happen after that. I REALLLLLY want this show to succeed, but it needs to be firing on all cylinders right now if it wants to retain an audience and get them hooked. It doesn't have the luxury of time, like Y&R and B&B, to have nothing really happening for weeks at a time.

Even as a long-time soap fan, I've found the past two weeks a bit of a bore and a chore at times. I'm still watching every day, but if someone wasn't a big soap fan to begin with, I could see them tuning out. It doesn't mean stories have to move at a lightning pace, but I feel like I could have missed all of last week and not missed a thing story-wise. It today's world of 6, 10, and 13 episode seasons, you have to pick up the pace and/or have more twists along the way.

I'm still watching BTG daily, and for the most part, I find it entertaining. I have found myself feeling a little bored at time the past couple of weeks. After an amazing jam packed first two weeks, much of the story momentum seems to have slowed down quite a bit. Not much has really happened now in what feels like a very long time. No real Friday cliffhangers, either. Wondering if others feel the same.

They should bring on Lily's daughter, Mattie, who should be in her mid-20s.

I do wonder, too, how much streaming and delayed viewing play in for this show in particular since it's a new launch, including how is it doing on Paramount +.

ITA. We still have not seen Ted interact with Martin even once, not to mention that Martin and Smitty's kids haven't interacted with Nicole or Ted. So, we have no idea that are the dynamics of those relationships. Eva could also be trying to worm her way into Martin's life as well.

ITA. If written properly, that episode could have taken the show in an entirely new direction. The fallout of Brooke losing her daughter for once again picking Ridge and having to finally deal with the consequences would have been great, and maybe, just maybe bring Brooke back from someone who lets a man constantly dump on her. When we keep hearing how great Hope for the Future was doing, I keep thinking this is why Hope should start her own rival fashion house.

I felt the same way. When those two characters appear, you can feel the energy of the show grind to a halt. I didn't miss not seeing them at all. The young actress playing Samantha is a keeper. She's a natural and is out acting some of the 20ish cast members. They need to sign her to a contract to keep her around.

Everything Hope said about Brooke tossing aside everyone, including her children, for Ridge over and over was so spot on. I wished Hope would have stormed out of there instead of those hugs at the end which was like, "Huh?"

I love that the most misogynistic of all the soaps is doing a show celebrating women!

OMG....how wonderful would it be to have THIS Brooke on the show. That was sooooo odd. No mention of the nightmare their lives have become.

How many times has Brooke told Ridge that he has to pick between her and Taylor???? If the show had any depth at all, it would be interesting to see Brooke start to examine why she lets this man walk all over here and take it back to when her father left as a child. But, we'll never get anything that deep.

I feel like we got a little insight in what could be an upcoming story with Anita. I get the sense that she's a bit bored with her life as it is right now. You know she has to have some interesting backstory being on the road and touring with a girl group many years ago. Something or someone from her past is bound to pop up again, such as a child she gave up for adoption or a past love.

I felt the same way. It was sooooo cringe. Why in God's name is Brooke still attracted to this man after he's tossed her aside like trash so many times? I really wish BB had the guts to have Brooke FINALLY move on from Ridge and grow as a character once again. KKL deserves sooo much better. As bad as the takeover story was, Carter "coming home" also felt very...cringe. Why does Carter care so much for these people who treat him over and over as a second banana? IF this story played out properly, Hope would leave FC and start her own fashion house as a rival.

On the upside, it's great to see how many people are already passionate about the show, the characters, and the actors!

Well, if Maurice Johnson already knew he'd been replaced by the time the show premiered, but yet he also touted the show and helped spread the word...I think that speaks to his high level of professionalism. I hope he lands on another acting gig soon!

All of this is spot on. IMO, you're correct that written correctly this story could have run a couple of years and had long term fall out. I think it flopped from jump because the way Carter took control made no sense at all. There's no way this would have stood up in court, and then, all he had to do was rip the papers in half to return the company??? Really??? If it was so easy, why didn't Steffy just go in the office and rip them up herself. A much more plausible story, such as when Brook took control because of their misuse of her creation, would have made much more sense. And, then play out all of the beats. It had the potential to be rife with conflict and leaving all the Forrester/Logan hybrids having to pick sides. I think something that's been missing for a loooong time on this show is an underdog, like Spectra, trying to climb the ranks. This story could have resulted in a group of characters starting a rival company, for instance.

I also find Ashley and Derek extremely boring, but as you mentioned, I can tell that Jen Jacob is a good actress. It's just the material she's been given. Ashley and Derek feel like an afterthought, but we also see them what feels like all the time...if that makes sense! We need to see more of Ashley in action besides being told what a great person she is...over and over. It reminds me of B&B constantly telling us that "Carter is like family!" to the Forresters but no real evidence of this in the story. We're also told over and over how great Derek is, too, but in the writing, he's just flat. Speaking of B&B, someone on another thread mentioned that Matthew Atkinson would possibly make a good Derek which I thought was an interesting thought. All new soaps have their kinks that need to be worked out, and I really feel that most of the other characters are really clicking at this point. Even Martin and Smitty are developing better. I remember liking Terry Lester as Mason, but IMO the Gordon Thompson version was closer to the Lane Davies vision of the character.

I really thought Martin would be the first recast because the role is such a major part in the Dupree family. We really needed a slightly younger Martin to be believable as Nicole's son with it being specified that Martin and Smitty just adopted these grown ass kids when they were 12 and 13 for it to make sense. I don't think Derek will be recast. I think the role will just fade. OOOOOOO...I like that idea! Derek just doesn't have any spark to him at this point.

The way RJ just went missing all of a sudden and not even mentioned was sooo weird. The actor had even begun to grow on me...or at least his muscles did! LOL