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-- I said that Lauren's new job would last a week. Looks like I got that right. -- Lauren would not be so stupid as to take this position. She's a great business woman and she goes to work with Phyllis? Not believable. -- Horrifically bad Josh Griffith writing, even worse than usual. Now AI is the go-to for any ridiculous business story. -- Everyone's jumping ship at Summers Conglomerates at once, including all the department heads? Wow, that Victor Newman really is TGVN. -- The writing could not be any lazier. Chat GTP -- a real AI program -- would do a better job.

I'd be thrilled with 2-5 new sets. @Paul Raven mentioned what the show needs, but I don't think he expects to see all of those or that the budget will allow for them. This shouldn't be a debate between better pacing and more sets. Those are two different issues. None of us calling for more/improved sets are saying "A dining room table for the Duprees is so much more important than better pacing."

I don't understand what you're saying here. First you agree with the laughing gif and say it's silly to invest in more sets. Then you use GL and Peapack...to make what point, exactly? Spend money on "A-name soap actors"? I don't think we need any of those. I'm not opposed to big names joining the cast, but that's not what the show lacks.

I'll join your set nerd group. I agree that TV is a visual medium, and I see no problem in wanting this show to do better. I don't think it's fair to reduce your argument to "focusing on a dining room table." The Duprees are all about family, and sharing food and conversation woul be second nature -- more than going to the country club for every meal.

Dylan is so dumb and so incompetent that she put the package for RJ on top of his design drawing. Maybe she is dumb enough for Will.

Same. A meme laughing at other posters' comments offers nothing but condescension and snark. IMO, you were spot on about all of those set ideas.

-- I loved it when Martin name-dropped "Shonda" when talking to Vernon. The other soaps pretend they're not a part of the real world, and BTG admits it. -- Hayley and those coffee cups. One thing all soap do is have characters carry around cups that are obviously empty. I get it that it could slow down filming and be awkward to have full cups, but can't they put SOMETHING in those containers? -- It's bad enough that we have to pretend Hayley would leave her place of work and travel to "The Atrium" for coffee. And yeah, they can keep renaming that place, but it'll always look like The Airport Mall Coffee Shop Atrium to me. -- Vanessa is maddening. She wants apologies but doesn't think she owes any. She criticizes others but doesn't want any thrown at her Golden Corral Casino Mobster Joey. -- Great to see Bill moving on what went on with Lynette, checking his accounts, etc.

@Soaplovers I hear what you're saying, and I see same flaws in these women that you do. I wonder, though, if the writers are selling them as empowering. If they are, they're failing, because viewers like us aren't buying it. We're seeing right through them. Dani's crying was ridiculous to me. Chelsea did nothing wrong, and Dani was back in her role as controlling and immature. Vanessa? Everyone here knows what I think of her. She's trash. Period. But I have to believe the writers know these women are flawed. They have to know some of us find Vanessa and Leslie reprehensible. They might see themselves as empowering, but we don't. But no, I can't enjoy Joey's toxicity any more than I can stand Leslie's. I do think the women are more interestingly written then the men in general.

-- @DramatistDreamer I feel the same about Vanessa and Joey. The writing is at best all over the place. Makes no sense to me that she wants to chop it up with Leslie. And yes, she constantly talks about loving Joey for who she is, even though we're getting all these discussions about how he needs changes in his life. Regardless, why is Joey listening to her? He had an off screen talk with Marcel and hated it. That was followed by another one of Joey's "I like myself as I am" speeches that we've had a dozen of. We've had 14 months of wondering if Vanessa had some ulterior motive and plan regarding Joey. Is that what this is? Because I'm tired of it. -- The more talk we get about this free clinic (which now will offer free dental work!) the more it's clear that not having a clinic set is a mistake.

-- Just an OK episode. -- ChelseaKat has ONE purse with ONE design that they release in different colors. They need to show more product development to have me believe this company is a powerhouse. I also think that green purse Dani carried clashed with her dress. -- Ashley spends an hour talking and gossiping behind the nurses' desk and then announces it's time for her break 😂. Of course, she also made out with Grayson behind that desk, which they should rename HR Central. -- Yes, Derek isn't a saint, but he's absolutely right about Grayson being "sketchy." The guy is a criminal. -- Jacob laughably spent the entire show holding his bruised side -- even on the elevator where he looks like Urkel with a beard. -- Naomi said her "instincts kicked in" and told her someone intentionally hurt Jacob. Wow, she's a real Sherlock Holmes. -- I still can't get past the plasma exchange with that tiny container that looks like it carries your lunch. -- I have no idea what Vanessa's game was with the Leslie chat. Since the premiere, I've heard that "Vanessa is more than she seems," but I've yet to see any of that.

Exactly. It's just another sign these writers aren't working. Alex babysitting? OK, awkward, but I'll let that go. Stephanie's reaction? Just cringe and stupid. It's hard to believe she survived any of the trauma she's had in her life. And then the show decides to get rid of Michael Roark (Jeremy)? None of this makes any sense. But sure, give us another Trivia Night at the country western pub.

Same. Stephanie is actually rehabbing Alex's character. Lock her in Marlena's office and don't let her out.

Stephanie is now at Leo-level of annoying.

You're right that we won't get real answers. I might be completely off base, but I blame both JJ and Frank/TPTB at GH. I think this is what happens when you give actors a say in their story. I think GH wanted Jackson back so badly that they gave him as much story approval as possible, as well as the ability to reject whatever he didn't like. This is prime evidence that never works. The entire canvas that character come in contact with is affected. We've suspected multiple actors over the years have been given this story approval, and this isn't something we really accuse other soaps of doing. Where there's smoke, there's fire -- whether it's with wardrobe or sex scenes or wardrobe worn during sex scenes, or who characters are paired with romantically. Some days I wonder how they write around all these demands and requests and contract items. So I blame the show and I blame JJ. I have no doubt his return would have been better if he'd made no requests or demands. The show would have been better, too. And yeah, I know the Academy threw another Emmy at him, but that's another story -- just more proof that the Daytime Emmys will always be a mess.

Thanks for cleaning up my mistake. You're right -- this is even worse. Everything you said about rebranding a company is true, and this show doesn't even try with its business stories. And even though Phyllis has done NOTHING, the company is already in trouble. The show is a disaster.

I did. I loved Gina as Phyllis, and thought that Y&R really did her dirty. I know it's been 7 years, but I never miss her more than I do now -- when we're getting all of Michelle Stafford's worst acting tics all the time and all over the place. It's just lazy to me, and I don't care how many Emmy noms they throw at her.

Well, that at least is an explanation, although what it says about Anita isn't good. It was a really selfish thing to do.

But that's not what she did. She called them before getting the good news -- or any news at all. They were called just to be told she'd be getting her results.

Josh Griffith is an awful writer, but I guess this is his idea of how he can save money as Executive Producer. The truth is that the ratings are stable -- and even go up when he pulls a trick like "SHEMAR IS BACK!!!" -- and he's discovered he can get away with this kind of crap. Why write for Jess Walton and show Jill when you can just throw in a script mention and that's it? Why cast Charlie and Mattie when you can mention getting a text from them? Why recast Summer when....you get the idea. On Friday, we heard Michael say that Summer Conglomerates (whatever the eff that is) is failing. Why should we care when there's no Summer on canvas?

Oh. My. God. -- I just watched the lamest, most pathetic, most pitiful trivia night I have ever seen on screen. What the actual hell was that??? -- The build-up to it went on for multiple scenes, as if we'd get something fun and interesting. I should have known from that dumb twangy country soundtrack we'd get crap. -- Why did Roman need a damn microphone when only 2 tables were playing. And why were all the other customers ignoring the entire thing? -- Leo was again the obnoxious gay stereotype we always get. And yet he responded "Cher" to a question about a deaf Oscar-winning actress. -- I'm up to Thursday. It's all maddeningly lethargic and boring. I keep reading that Noel Maxam is "cleaning things up," but I think he forgot to add anything along the way.

Tamara Tunie makes everything work. Still, did you buy it that Anita would call this grand family meeting to tell them she was going to get her cancer results? I didn't. I don't think Anita would worry them like this in advance when there was a chance the results would be positive.

Those comment from Ted came out of nowhere. None of their scenes gave that to us, so it felt like a 180 turn in the writing. Are they moving Ted back into Nicole's orbit? That's also a bad idea. She's also (poorly) juggling two men, and a third won't make that story work any better.

Watching Monday's show....yikes, this show. -- WAY too much Leo, and I can only imagine what the rest of the week will be like. EVERY scene he's in is written like a comedy sketch. One that isn't funny. -- I'm over Javi, too. -- Stephanie is working my last nerve. She's THIS angry with Alex over going to Philip about her book contract? I just don't think all this TRAUMA has been earned.

I'm on record as being disappointed with the Shanice they've given us for the past few months. Her confidence and her bite have been sanded away. We all have moments of self-doubt, but Shanice is now paying way too much attention to Nicole and Nicole's shadow. I don't like her questioning her place in Ted's world.

I still cannot believe this show dumped Michael Roark -- a very good actor in a legacy family. Oh, and who's also really hot. This show sucks more all the time.