detroitpiston

Monday’s episode was sad as hell but had a lot of excellent performances Jason telling Maxie and Spinelli was heart breaking. The JaSam and Spixie dynamic was one of my favorite parts of those later Guza years so I’m glad the show gave their history the respect it deserves. Wonderful emotional work from all three actors. The acknowledgment of Sam being the reason they all were even in each other’s lives was especially poignant. The Danny and Carly scenes were sweet as well. The ending with Jason walking in, Danny running to hug him and Jason mouthing “thank you” to Carly was a nice call back to their scenes from the Josslyn and Jake donor transplant story. Rocco telling Laura he was basically manifesting Sam’s death was a shocker lol, his actor continues to do standout work. Love watching Laura as a grandmother Dante and Sonny scenes were good as well. The breaking down DZ plays every time the engagement comes up really hits emotionally. Nancy Lee Grahn and Kristen Vaganos continued to do excellent work too, Alexis breaking down like that really got me man kudos. Same for Molly’s devastation realizing the last time she saw Sam she was storming out because the sisters couldn’t stop fighting. I’m not exactly sure what Mansi was attempting to do in these scenes but she fell completely flat for me. Cameron Mathison was the same way in his scenes with Scout’s actress. I hope the show eases up on even showcasing their character’s perspective anymore after these lackluster performances Robert and Anna were once again not needed for the episode. Really weird how they had their scenes end the episode instead of the montage with Laura narrating. Guess PM really can’t be blamed for all the terrible episode closing choices under his regime.

I don’t mind Beemer but I was hoping after MM’s grandstanding over her last exit that we’d get a Belle recast, oh well. They’ll probably get fired again in a years time per usual.

Did not ever expect them to go there with the Ej and Sami rape. I will tune back in when the new regime starts.

Dominic Z, Steve Burton, NLG, Genie Francis, Kristen V and Rocco’s actor did superb work Friday, just straight up broke my heart. When Alexis grabbed Dante’s face and told him him how it all happened and Dante just bursts out crying when she mentions her and Sam discussing the engagement? Pure devastation. Him blaming himself to Sonny and then going to see the body was heart breaking as well, I hope he gets an Emmy push this year he’s been the standout actor on the show IMO. Jason telling Danny and Scout, Rocco expressing his guilt to Laura for being jealous in the past over not having his mom around, and Molly just being in a complete state of shock after Alexis told her and Kristina got me in my feels as well. Bravo to those actors. Alexis being ice cold with Laura after she waltzed in assuming something happened to Lulu instead was good stuff and I hope they keep playing this resentment. I did find it weird they had Sonny and Laura joking around again prior to the death reveal after the months of cold beef but whatever. Guess nobody can hate Sonny anymore. Loved Carly being Jason’s first call and her reaction of shock and acknowledgment of her and Sam’s history of beef rang true to character for me. Now I never saw Drew and Sam as a couple but Cameron Mathison played all his scenes as if Carly had told him she got his BLT order wrong instead of the mother of his child being dead, what the actual hell man. His performance completely took me out of the emotion of the episode. Danny’s actor was solid til he started that inappropriate smirking he tends to do and Mansi did nothing for me with her usual theatric acting bag either. I enjoyed the Zenon joke and I loved seeing Maxie and Spinelli parenting their kids, it added a different kind of heart to the episode and didn’t feel out of place to me at all. Gonna be heartbreaking watching Jason tell them Sam’s gone. Holly and Robert were the only scenes I totally checked out of but other than that another great episode IMO.

I think if you’re gonna kill a long term character off you should get your money’s worth out of the fall out and they’ve been hitting the right emotional beats for me so far, starting with the rounds of pre-surgery visits with all of Sam’s important connections on canvas last week up to the devastation shock and grief we’re seeing now. I had gotten spoiled that she would die Wednesday but they caught me off guard with Sam and Alexis chatting about Sante’s engagement in one scene then jumping to Alexis signaling Jason to send Danny and Scout away while the hospital staff tried to save Sam. Some of the acting (namely Van Hansis) and directing during the actual death call was a bit hammy but it still hit the right spots for me. I thought Alexis and Jason’s reactions to finding out she was dead were great performances from both actors. Alexis asking Portia for a blanket then lying in bed with Sam’s dead body was devastating. Now personally I would have cut the rant at the universe for taking her daughter part because it just felt a wee bit too…hey lets get an Emmy but again, it all still worked for me. NLG clearly knew what she was supposed to do and went for it (I did get distracted by KeMos eyes fluttering though 💀) Jason’s scenes were the ones that really sold the whole death for me, Burton played it all to perfection IMO. Jason hesitating at the door, not even being able to look at the body was heartbreaking, then him saying he slept better next to her the same way she had told him, woof. The real kicker was the montage with their old theme song. Hadn’t heard that damn Rie Sinclair track in over a decade and it used to annoy the hell outta me back in the day but man oh man I legit got teary eyed when it played. JaSam has always been my preferred Jason pairing and I still think its criminal it took Sam getting killed off for them to give us a real scene with the two of them for the entirety of this Burton return. Danny distracting Scout and Dante and Rocco talking about how Sam got them out of an emotional hole after losing Lulu to her deep slumber was also devastating. I’m looking forward to the rest of the reactions and Alexis going for legal vengeance against the hospital. The rest of the show? Meh. They took all the gas out of the Nina/Drew/Willow/Michael/Sasha story by not having Drew and Willow boink, sidelining the whole thing then rushing this reveal. Michael going full torturing heel on Drew and Willow is the only thing that could reinvigorate my interest.

I like that Carter finally feels like an important player on B&B but the timing couldn’t be any more convenient and I doubt it lasts once Bell figures out what to do with whatever is happening behind the scenes with the role of Thomas. JG is clearly just recycling the same pattern he always pulls by temporarily shoring up black characters for a few months before purging the canvas back to the default of Lily, Devon and Nate (who inherited this last spot from Neil). GH has the better amount of black characters but its very clear they see them all as secondary to their white counterparts in a way thats even more infuriating to watch than the other shows. Its gonna be so great to have BTG and see black characters just be the focal point without all of the unnecessary bs.

Man all of this really is amazing to see. I love how Tamara Tunie is owning the room in the bts clips, she’s gonna be an awesome matriarch for the show.

Legit disgusted to see RC on staff but I trust Michele and Guza to run a tight writers room. Between the cast reveal and the BTS pics everything feels so real now, part of me still saw this as a fever dream. A brand new soap with a majority black cast, never thought I’d see the day.

Janet throwing RC under the bus as the one responsible for his exit is hilarious but also shows weak leadership IMO. I’d like to see Johnny Z back on GH.

I noticed the tweet has since been deleted but not before a few outlets and some of Real’s fans and former costars could spread the news. 🤦🏾‍♂️ If people are going to play the scooper game they’ve gotta do a bit more fact checking before outright stating things. Hopefully since writers were clearly given a green light to share their involvement with the show Real doesn’t find himself in any NDA trouble. He can be an odd duck but I like the idea of his casting.

The Ashford’s & co confronting Ric didn’t disappoint. I was very surprised they allowed Portia and Curtis to state the quiet part out loud when it comes to all of this Heather nonsense. PC is the land of free roaming criminals but a killer targeting a young black woman and easily landing a get out of jail free card + likely being rewarded big lawsuit payout was an optic that shouldn’t be ignored. Brook Kerr did great with all of these scenes. I pray Curtis really does get Heather the hip out of town so the show goes 3 for 3 on eradicating annoying characters this week. I liked seeing Molly defend her dad but felt bad for TJ. His point to Lucas that she showed more passion standing by Ric than she has helping him grieve baby Irene was valid. Noticed they leaned heavy on him not going to a bar as well 🤔 Molly’s confrontation over Ric defending Ava was fantastic too. The lines about him needing to prove the case to her and not wanting his daughter consumed with vengeance the same way he has been was good stuff. Lol at Joss and Dex doing their usual routine of getting upset about something serious and then hunching. They really can’t come up with a new play for these two. Gio and Trina scenes were okay but there is no real chemistry there. Sonny and Holly was kind of interesting to see together and I laughed at him telling her she wasn’t his type. They’re clearly setting it up for Sonny to be on Sidwell’s hit list I liked the Robert and Anna scenes too I like their current dynamic a lot and how protective she is of him from Holly’s shenanigans.

It just looked so ridiculous that Dante has salt and pepper hair and Sonny’s got the fresh Just For Men color in. Let Maurice go gray and grow the beard out man, its time.

Today was an example of when the show having such a large cast works well to me. So many various character interactions and all of em enjoyable. Sam’s scenes with Elizabeth, Maxie and Spinelli had a layer of sadness where you could tell the cast were saying goodbye to Kelly Monaco for real. Such essential dynamics for the character so I’m glad they made sure to give us one last hoorah, I liked Felicia being her patient advocate too. For Van Hansis to never have worked with KM before, his Lucas and Sam have really good brother and sister chemistry as well. The guilt coming Lucas way if the surgery doesn’t go well…woof. Last scene with Sam and Dante was sweet too, the Lulu and Dante both wanting to reunite before her coma and Spixie being the only ones to know set up would be so much more interesting if we didn’t know the outcome of the story will give Lante such a clear path. Ric and Ava are great to watch though Ava catching feelings so fast is kind of odd to me, I was glad to see Nina call her out. Part of me feels like Ric might end up tanking her case Ric running to Liz for help revealing he got Heather the hip off was hilarious and I can’t wait for him to be read the riot act by the Ashford’s tomorrow. Not looking forward to Heather freely roaming around town, since the show has been cleaning house so well I really hope she gets carted off to be with Steven in Arizona sooner than later. Not at all sad to see Marshall go but I’m glad they gave the actor a big send off on screen. I like how they used Stella here to observe and get Molly and Portia to open up about their personal struggles. TJ’s drinking seemed a little excessive too I wonder if they’re headed anywhere with that. Dex trying to get Joss to talk about Sonny and Carly was funny, this guy has felt like a smart dumbass particularly since the regime change. Telling too much case info and asking the right questions but seeming super naive when it comes to getting an answer. Dewey from Scream type of vibe. Enjoyed Jordan and Isaiah hanging out at Bobbie’s, hope we never have to see her with Stephen A ever again. Isaiah’s scenes Monday where Lucky got him to agree to do Lulu’s surgery were pretty good too. Holly and Anna was good stuff. Anna basically telling her to get lost was harsh but I couldn’t disagree with her, the woman does nothing but bring chaos. I wonder if they’ll really let Sonny get involved with the diamond thievery and how serious a villain they’ll let Sidwell be in Port Charles.

The Vanessa Williams Still The Place episode was fantastic. I’m a big s1 fan and loved Rhonda on the show, I always wished she and Terrance stayed for the soapier years. They touched on pretty much all of the questions I would want asked and Vanessa has a beautiful energy and spirit. I love how she parlayed her early exit into being used to promote MP’s overseas launch and then snag her own variety program. @Chris B agreed about the pod in comparison to the 90210 ladies. I found them super grating to listen to. The Charmed rewatch pod has the same problem and was only good when Shannen Doherty relaunched it and kept the cast on track

Hopefully he’s a good actor and they actually develop the character. Some of the responses from alleged Trina fans are interesting lol. Advocating for the show to bring on another white actor instead…hmmm.

Excited to hear her discuss her time on the show. Loved the episode with Thomas Calabro

My main point was about the three sisters collectively but Lulu waking up immediately disrupts Sam and Dante’s insta family and the right team could play angst out of that triangle for at least a year or two. There was a lot of meat left on Sam’s dynamic with Jason and not wanting him around Danny that the show stupidly refused to cook much with as well, she also should have been more involved in the Drew running for office and fooling with Nina and Willow storyline. Way too many natural placements in current material that the show minimized just because they wanted KeMo out. You can and I’d still rather watch Sam. Seeing all the Davis girls together one last time Alexis would just make for the more interesting piece of the dynamic to lose IMO. I really hope its not a temporary fake out but yes it seems like its happening. I just saw Rebecca Budig and Michael Easton reunited with the actress recently too so maybe they wanted to surprise her for her goodbye

I get that performer wise but what else is there really left for Alexis to do other than wring her hands over Kristina? Her last successful story or pairing? I think her death would have created a more interesting shift longterm for that clan than offing the oldest sister.

Good episode today I’m glad they didn’t drag out the reveal of Sasha being Holly and Robert’s daughter to the rest of the Scorpio/Jones clan, they cleaned up the previous DNA test quickly too. Enjoyed Maxie giving Holly hell and thanking Felicia for repenting for abandoning the family back in the day. Sasha’s scenes with Robert were alright too. Lucky and Elizabeth’s scenes with Ace were great as were the Tracy and Laura scenes bonding over Lulu. Laura sure loves pawning her offspring off on other people though Ace has been seen more with Trina, the Q’s and now Liz than he has been with Laura and Kevin 😂 I’m curious where they’re going with the plot of someone messing with Lulu’s ventilator and Lucas and Isaiah speculating who did it. I’m guessing Cyrus but why? That character bugs me so much because his motivations always seem forced. Btw its good they gave Lucas and Isaiah haircuts, they looked way too similar to Lucky and TJ before. Seeing the Davis girls all together for what will likely be the last time was sad. Kind of wish Alexis was dying instead there is still so much story potential with the three daughters and their dynamic They rolled back on Lois hiding her accent and I’m glad. Too essential of a part to her character. Yay to Violet leaving to be with Finn, no offense to the little actress but GOOD RIDDANCE!! If I could have jumped through the tv and helped her pack a little faster I would have. I hope there isn’t a last minute twist where she ends up back with the Q’s and we can purge the canvas of that whole Chase family.

Instead of giving characters interesting behavioral motivations they’re once again relying on a tired soap trope to make the audience care. I’m beginning to really dislike this show again.

Jane E is a master but they keep making the same play over and over again. Tracy is overbearingly mean the first half of an episode and then someone tells her off and she reveals what’s really bothering her. It was interesting the first few times we saw this set up but now I’m bored tbh and that goes for all of the Quartermaine’s. I hate that the Chillow fans have gotten their way and zapped all of the heat out of the Drew/Willow/Michael story so now Ned has to play the bad guy. Cody and Sasha continue to be as entertaining as watching paint dry and the only interest I have in this Violet nonsense is Finn coming back and picking his brat up so we never have to see her again. Seeing Martin and Cyrus again just gives me the old ick CVE’s last regime provoked whenever I’d try to tune in. I guess I’ll take Laura running around with them instead of Heather Webber though. Everything with Sam is just awkward to watch knowing where everything is likely headed Isaiah and Elizabeth were probably the only scenes I enjoyed today but even those weren’t all that interesting

I wouldn’t be so confident about that. This tracks with how regime change has usually happened on the show and Y&R’s numbers being as close as they are to B&B and GH in certain demos has to be standing out to CBS and Sony execs. A 4 year renewal doesn’t mean you can just keep letting numbers falter without someone getting a flashlight and trying to figure out what’s going on. I’m sure if push comes to shove Steve Kent will throw his homeboy under the bus if it means keeping his cushy salary.

Its too bad Patrick Mulcahey already flopped at GH because I think he’d be the right fit for Y&R. Smaller cast, slower pacing and longer scenes, character based arcs.

He’ll always be Chancellor Arnold to me, RIP

I prefer soap openings with dramatic headshots of the cast lol just adds to the soapiness of it all. Since the Bell shows still feature that I hope BTG falls in line with its companions. To remove the need for updating I wouldn’t be mad at distinctive shots of the DC area ending with the neighborhood gates. Something similar to Coronation Street and Emmerdale would be cool