detroitpiston

Considering Ashley and Derek are peers with Jacob and Naomi those two wouldn’t even be considered choices for the roles IMO. I couldn’t see either of them overshadowing the core cast at BTG either, SC got lucky Brad Bell was obsessed with the Steffy/Liam/Hope merry go round for as long as he was but he’s since been parked to the side for Liberty Biberty of all ppl and was never truly valued at GH or OLTL. Eden Riegal was amazing as Bianca but look at how bad she struggled at YR, lmao. She could’ve been good as Ashley’s mother maybe.

Naw lol. You could have cast from that daytime pool of Evan Hoffer and Victoria Konefal/Lindsay Arnold types and been just fine. I can almost see what they saw in Jen Jacobs but she seems more suited for a one season female cop replacement on a “gritty” prime time procedural than a rootable, makes you fall in love on sight soap opera heroine. I find a lot of the preproduction contract character castings to be quite mid grade and unsuitable. JHC should utilize the Darnell Williams connection and have him come on to coach the less experienced cast like he used to do at AMC bts for years.

I do wonder how the show will address the general reception to Ashley and Derek going forward. Just based off convos I’ve had with fellow viewers irl and glancing through various forums and socials I’ve heard mostly dislike and indifference towards them. And it only seems to get worse with each episode.

I agree. I think what we’re watching is Dani have a complete and total breakdown. The constant drinking and erratic behavior isn’t being written to put her in a badass hero or villain position but to display how broken and unhinged the divorce and Bill and Hayley’s intrusion of her territory has left her. This is a story set up for her to go to the darkest low and come out of the other side eventually. I agree with everyone saying todays episode was boring though, I might even say worst of the lot for me so far. A lot of the stories felt very stale and contrived in a way the show had thus far managed to avoid for me. I went back to the in episode credits after finishing and seeing RC’s name listed explained it all for me. 😑 I get Dani losing it again after seeing Bill and Hayley’s instagram photo dump but the hijinks of her sneaking past the neighborhood security into their house joking about bombs and passing out drunk didn’t land well for me. The scenes with her talking to herself while drinking were especially cringe. Not Karla’s fault either just cheeky writing IMO. There was way too much Andre/Ashley/Derek as well. No parts of this triangle work for me. I see no chemistry between anyone and constantly having black characters telling Ashley and Derek how amazing and good at their work they are is straight insufferable at this point. I don’t care if Derek is about to turn uber jealous or angry because of his injury either,I need recasts or this whole set of the canvas to be dropped (Nurse Shanice not included) I was looking forward to Kat and Tomas but yeah his acting is awful, I can see why they’ve kept his screen time minimal so far. Kat and her actress are still one of my favorites though 🖤 and I like that she is on her Donna Martin and still a virgin until meeting the right person without coming off like a shut in freak. I have to give big credit to this shows writers for how they’ve handled sex and sexuality so far, nothing has felt after school special or awkward. Anita, Vernon and Nicole didn’t get to do much today other than be talk to’s for everybody else but I do hope Anota and Vernon get Dani put of Bill’s house before he and Hayley can see. Minus my Nicole having to counsel Andre over his obsession with Nurse Basic the previews for next week look good. Eva vs Kat, Dani vs Hayley is always must see for me.

I just saw a video of Tyler expressing his annoyance with the creatives who took over some of his shows, the choices they made, and viewing numbers lost and was wondering if Jamey was one of the ones he was bitching about but maybe not if the show he tookover still maintained good ratings. TP is very aggy here

Yes but she was able to deliver it naturally. He is continuously the weak acting link in every scene he’s in, even the teenagers are stronger and this is their second episode. IDK if he’s trying to mimic Tamara Tunie and Clifton Davis’ diction or remembering his lines just makes it too hard for him but its becoming a big detriment for me.

That Eva and Martin scene just highlighted how awful his line delivery is. I hope to God someone bts talked to the actor or seeing the actual show makes him want to improve because he is such a tough watch for me

I got behind on episodes but played a little catch up this morning Amanda Setton and Alexa Havins did great work with the baby reveal, Amanda Setton definitely deserves an Emmy nom this year. I feel bad for Brook Lynn not only having her secret exposed but having Lulu berating her and carelessly sharing information about the child Brook Lynn wasn’t even aware of. Lois and Grandma-ma Cerullo ain’t sh!t The Tracy vs Drew feud has been 🔥 I love how the Q’s, Gio, Emma and Laura stood up for Tracy when it came to the potential crypt moving and Drew vs Tracy at the police station was excellent. Him arrogantly reminding Tracy she’s been banished from the family before and he plans on being back on the inside and pushing her out was good stuff. Liz and Lucky trying to get it in and being interrupted by Carly, Aidan and Laura was hilarious btw. The rest of the show is kind of ho hum for me. I didn’t truly understand the hardcore Charlotte hate until she went off on Anna, what an annoying brat Jason and Anna should have left her with Valentine. I’m still bothered Sasha made such a fuss over not wanting Michael known as her baby daddy but is happily lying about it being Jason. I feel like Carly should be more indignant about Jason not being the father as well hopefully we get some good Jarly scenes soon.

Interesting…well based off their credited work so far, Gregori and Cheryl have put together my least favorite episodes. 😬

And JG has wrote nothing but boredom for those two alongside Mark Grossman and Courtney Hope for ages now, the four of them had to pitch Josh the mediocre quadrangle they were in. I hope BF is getting paid well while he’s there should he end up going the way of Robert Newman, TSJ, Keemo’s daughter, Theo, etc

Finally figured out who Nurse Ashley reminds me of Ashley’s presence on the show annoys me in the same way Sam grated on my nerves on Melrose Place too. The scenes with Derek in the hospital were chemistry lacking and nothing but cringe I’m not totally invested in the McBride’s either so Nicole/Eva/Leslie did a lot of heavy lifting in this episode for me. I hope Eva doesn’t let her crazy mama wreck Nicole’s award ceremony. Shout out to Daphnee Duplaix for being in every episode so far btw 🫡 Martin and Smitty’s kids seem like decent casting so far and while I don’t care about the marriage problems I am interested to learn what hell Martin did thats causing the bad dreams and Anita and Vernon to play coverup. Catching up on the thread and that’s exactly what they give me. Specifically Sonny and Carly towards the Sam and Alcazar affairs and the official divorce. I’m loving the toxic mess they’re bringing tbh. The competing press conferences segment was one of the best things the show has done so far

Him moving to Y&R so swiftly feels like Sony knew they couldn’t afford to keep him at DOOL but didn’t want to lose him to the other shows and plopped him over. Knowing JG I’m sure there is no real longterm planning here so I wish BF luck. He would have made a good Michael or Dillon recast at GH or Thomas at Bold

Nicola having Zach roughed up 🔥 I wish she wasn’t only a Mitchell by marriage because she’s been the superior family addition

Tunie has also mentioned sending a mass email to the cast about professionalism and how to bring your A game when doing a soap after the first couple of weeks of filming went a little too slow. Very curious how the show improves overall in the coming months.

I’m glad Tracy got to point out Sonny’s grooming ways, I could have done without her propping Gio by praising him for taking the blood money anyway. Lulu and Carly’s scenes were great. Alexa Havins did good work when Lulu talked about her abortion and same for LW when talking about how Bobbie was in a similar position as Brook Lynn and the history of Carly hiding Michael’s true paternity and Robin blowing it up. Looking forward to Lulu confronting Brook Lynn tomorrow.

I’ve enjoyed the last few episodes with Lulu investigating Martin and stumbling into finding out about Brook Lynn having Dante’s kid as a teen. The hijinks with Maxie and Spinelli these last couple of days sold me lol I love that kind of stuff. The last scenes with Lulu tricking Cody into confirming everything were good as well, I’m still confused why they’re forcing the Molly and Cody pairing when he and Lulu have better chemistry and she actually makes him likable. It would add another layer of drama to this paternity reveal story too but whatever. Lulu asking Carly for advice will have me happily tuned in tomorrow as well Speaking of my favorite I hate that Carly is dating a guy who would use her daughter this way. I wonder how far they will go with this WSB plot, imagine Joss developing a crush on Brennan and she ends up sleeping with him while he’s still with Carly? I have no more investment in Jackly with this recasting so I hope they blow it up as far as possible and give us some decent drama Danny and Rocco fighting over giving Jason info on Charlotte was a nice set of scenes, I appreciate their continued bond. Jason and Anna > Jason and Sasha at this point so I like them teaming up to get Charlotte but its so obvious this writing regime uses the same story playbook on repeat. Isn’t this like their 3rd or 4th caper in a year? Maura West looks amazing every episode she’s in. I enjoyed Portia going to her for advice on being blackmailed by Drew. Emma and Gio are cool as the generic young couple and I do love seeing Kristina Wagner and Rena Sofer running around the canvas

Very happy that today’s episode had heavy focus on Nicole’s side of the canvas, Daphnee Duplaix is magnificent as a leading soap lady and should have been one years ago. Something very classically late 60s-70s soap opera about the way the Richardson clan is presented on the show and it makes them my favorites. Kat vs Eva was amazing. These two are the best of the younger crop because their characters are the most distinctive on screen just based off of performance choices by the actresses. I like that Kat spotted Eva’s fraudulence right out of the gate and put her on notice, also appreciate the added realism of Kat immediately searching Eva’s socials too—the other soaps still don’t understand how much more accessible certain information is. Playing these could be sisters against each other early highlighted their acting talent and I can’t wait to see more. I felt bad for Eva getting ignored by Ted, dragged by Kat and manipulated by Leslie. I don’t trust Leslie’s interpretation of events and I hope Dr Ted ends up not being a deadbeat father. Martin was much more natural with his direct relatives. I don’t trust Smitty at all, he seems like a snake in the grass who will end up selling the family out for a story. The way Martin treats him will only make it easier to do so. Vanessa cheating on her gambling addict Darnell Williams look a like husband is some fun mess. Curious how bad things get for them once the loansharks come knocking After Jacob let Dani run amuck at the wedding then got dismissed from the family meeting by Naomi I can’t take him serious in the cop role, sorry lol. Good casting for Jacob’s dad though and he gave sound advice. Now that we’re seeing the series operating with a full writing staff it should be interesting to see what vibe the show settles into. Definitely got a break from Dani/Bill/Hayley drama just in time and its also nice to be without the two unexciting whites hogging airtime in the boring triangle with Andre. Still pinching myself in disbelief that this show even exists but I’m enjoying every moment.

His line reading is verging on worst of the lot for me (“Sometimes the ANger just BUILDS and boils over until you just don’t have a choice” was so 😬) and he has very little screen presence to make up for it. The fact he’s given what feels like the most focus of the grandkids makes that a hard watch for me, hopefully he improves as the weeks continue but I wish they had cast a more experienced actor

Looks like this is the first episode with the full writing staff in place. I will say I like seeing Guza in the credits of a soap again. Dani pulling a gun out at the wedding and holding Bill, Hayley and the room hostage made for a lot of camp but I enjoyed it and I’m glad it wasn’t a dream fake out. They did a great job pushing Danielle (I kind of wish they’d call her that instead of Dani) to her wits end that I can buy all of this. Bill and Hayley are terrible for doing all this flaunting and Vernon and Anita were wrong for forcing Dani to go to protect Martin so my cape is willing to fly for Dani just a tad. I do think Bill and Hayley have won yet another round since they got everybody to attend, still got married and moved in and ended up making Dani lose control publicly. The Dupree family scenes post mortem at Anita and Vernon’s house were the best part. Loved the tension with Anita and Dani, it gave so many layers to the overall family dynamics since we got to see not only how Anita and Dani react to each other but how the rest of the family intervenes and are treated for attempting to do so (Naomi, Martin and Nicole). The Dani and Nicole sister scene was sweet and the tension with Naomi and Jacob over the whole situation and the Martin and Vernon side eying Jacob as if they’re ready to handle him at any moment is a good set up too, this family is willing to cross lines. Lets see if Jacob keeps letting them punk and use him. Chelsea live streaming the whole thing was funny and good use of modern tech for story. I’m curious how the family tries to clean this up with the press conference. Leslie and Ava are great as an unhinged vengeful duo. They are already giving Eva outs by not having her realize Leslie ran Laura off the road. I’m ready to watch this attack on the Richardsons unfold. I’m putting Andre in the same pot of “needs to be recast” as Martin and the unexciting whites Ashley and her boyfriend. That elevator baby delivery was painful to watch, the gossiping nurse outsold everybody in the set of scenes. Get somebody taller with more gravitas for Andre, call Victoria Konefal or a young Tiffani Amber Thiessen type for Ashley and just kill the white boyfriend off. Cady McClain is doing that Cady thing and a little too mannered and dramatic but this is what they envisioned for the Pam character so I’ll go with it. I will say I bought Vanessa more as Dani’s bffs than Nicole’s but whatever Curious where the show goes from here as the cast and crew get their sea legs

I’ve been watching right after BTG via the NY ABC broadcast, the quality difference is startling to see back to back tbh. I see where GH is going with the show but its still coming up short in story beat play, love pairings and overall entertainment. They need a creative refresh so badly. I did enjoy Lulu and Spinelli finally reuniting and getting into hijinks like the JMB days. I like that they’ve kicked the Drew vs Curtis feud into full gear too with Ms Wu helping Drew blackmail Portia. I’m curious what they do with Lucky and Liz going forward since Cyrus has been dealt with and Kristina as a ticking time bomb of unhinged is still interesting for me. The Gio stuff is so heavy handed, Tracy and Martin are repetitive, and while I like Sasha potentially working for Sidwell her character and this forced Jason attachment ain’t it for me. Trina and Kai do nothing for me, Molly and Cody are an unfortunate snooze pairing, I don’t care for Lucas and creepy Brad, they’re barely playing the only interesting beat Sidwell has which is his former marriage to Natalia, and I have little interest in this Alias JR story with Josslyn or seeing Carly date a man who’s turned her daughter into a killer.

Random observations after rewatching the first week Episode 3 is still my favorite so far. The opening tag sequence with Martin’s bad dream shifting to Anita worriedly staring out the window with her thoughts racing as we hear the elevator running with Vernon entering the room transitioning to Hayley and Caroline watching Dani holding Bill at golf club point was chefs kiss. 🤌🏾 Excellent directing that hasn’t gotten enough credit and I hope this is the standard the show holds itself to going forward. Hayley having to wear her bold leopard print coat the entire time she was at the country club meanwhile pretty much all of the Dupree’s were coat checked on walk in was an interesting way to display her lack of belonging. I love the nuance being played with Bill and Dani, very rare to see on the other US shows at the moment. Both are right and wrong, behaving awfully, and playing a game of vengeance. Dani just happens to be more unhinged and they did a great job showcasing that and how the alcohol consumption exacerbates it. A lot of this reminds me of the Sonny and Carly divorce era from the mid 2000s on GH that lead to her full mental breakdown (and year of multiple recasting). I do hope Friday’s cliff hanger wasn’t a fantasy because they played Dani being a ticking time bomb excellently and I buy her going to this extreme. I’m convinced there is more to Mona not having a family, felt like a huge anvil drop seeing it again. I think she might have actually had a child but given it away (with Eva, Laura, and Hayley being the potential baby) Leslie is crazier than cat sh!t and I want to give Ted the benefit of the doubt just cause he and Nicole work so well for me as a couple lol. I’m standing on Eva not being his kid for real until proven otherwise I agree that the show needs more next generation male Dupree’s who can carry the name. I hope we find out about a banished brother and/or sister of Vernon’s who’s own families can lay claim to the wealth and legacy. Martin was a really essential role that they should have cast a stronger actor for. That scene with him and Bill at the wedding could have set up an amazing beef but Martin’s actor couldn’t match Timon KD’s stature. Speaking of miscasts I dislike Ashley and her boyfriend even more on rewatch 😒 I hope her airtime decreases going forward as I’d rather see more Kat and Tomas and Naomi and Jacob There is a lot of story potential for characters who work at the country club and the diner as the show goes forward, I hope we see additions there. They also need another strong male or two in Bill and Ted’s age range and Anita needs a diva of similar status to beef with Stephanie vs Sally, Erica vs Brooke style In five episodes this is already the best US soap currently on air and internationally they’re tugging at Eastenders feet which I consider top of the crop. I’m still pinching myself that we even have this show. My mama hasn’t watched a soap since the Avants got purged from B&B and DOOL brought back the devil possession story but she called me raving about this! I hope it continues to be a great ride and revitalizes the genre

CBS having Karla and Clifton do interviews with local affiliates for the Friday cliffhanger was another brilliant marketing move. The promotion strategy for this show has been incredible.

Watching the reception Susan Lucci got on The View this week I could see ABC swapping GMA 3 out for an AMC reboot. I’ve always thought Days might make its way back to network tv eventually as well.

I’m glad Cassie finally got exposed for drugging and stealing from Ken, the end of Wednesday’s episode with Tracey scraping her up and handing her to the police after Ken’s heart attack was hilarious 😂 Other than Daisy lying about her baby’s paternity the rest of the show has gone back to being a snooze fest for me.

I enjoyed this Grant return, Ross Kemp is still one of the best actors in soaps for me. His stuff with Phil and Nigel was emotional but I think the material with Grant and Bianca was my favorite by far, the last scenes with him helping her through a panic attack at the Launderette were very sweet. I enjoyed Grant and Sharon getting to spin the block one time for the one time too lol, I wish he could have stayed a bit longer so we could get more. I like Teddy and his brood but this return reinforced that I’d swap them out for Mark Jr, Courtney, Louise, and a new Ben in a heart beat.