Thanks @Maxim for the Christmas treat. That was a great video - I like the filter too.

38 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks @Maxim for the Christmas treat. That was a great video - I like the filter too.

Ah, I'm so glad to hear you liked it! 🎁🎄🎅 Santa truly went above and beyond for Viki this year... leaving her a hot general under the Christmas tree.

19 minutes ago, Maxim said:

Ah, I'm so glad to hear you liked it! 🎁🎄🎅 Santa truly went above and beyond for Viki this year... leaving her a hot general under the Christmas tree.

I think Michael Malone would be honored if he knew people were still discovering and making fan videos and leading discussions on his work over 30 years later.

40 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I think Michael Malone would be honored if he knew people were still discovering and making fan videos and leading discussions on his work over 30 years later.

Ah, that's the most beautiful thought I've heard all day today... and it's Christmas... All I can say is - Amen.

7 hours ago, Maxim said:

Merry Christmas to everyone in Llanview! @DRW50 @soapfave06 @mar4331 @janea4old @alwaysAMC @AMCOLTLLover @Franko @Sapounopera @chrisml @Khan 🎁🎅 ❤️

Merry Christmas!!! This was a great video you put together - and I've subscribed! ;) Didn't realize that was your YT channel :)

8 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

Merry Christmas!!! This was a great video you put together - and I've subscribed! ;) Didn't realize that was your YT channel :)

Merry Christmas, dear @alwaysAMC ! I'm happy that you liked it, haha. I hope Viki and Sloan give me enough new material in the new year for a part 2. 🥳

Edited yesterday at 02:02 PM1 day by Maxim

18 hours ago, Maxim said:

Merry Christmas to everyone in Llanview! @DRW50 @soapfave06 @mar4331 @janea4old @alwaysAMC @AMCOLTLLover @Franko @Sapounopera @chrisml @Khan 🎁🎅 ❤️

Thank you, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas as well!

5 hours ago, soapfave06 said:

Thank you, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas as well!

❤️

Up to February 17th, 1993

🦩

"Society SLUT."

🔷

I've finally managed to find some free time (from all the overeating and festivities) to write down my thoughts before I lose track of where I was. A couple of episodes back, I had a really bad experience with the show and even thought about giving it a 1-star rating. But since then, I've watched 3 new episodes that were pretty amazing and totally changed my perspective. So, in the spirit of Christmas, I'm not going to dwell too much on the negativity, although I will mention a few things. I'll concentrate on what's working right now and how they've gone from a 1-star rating just 3-4 episodes ago to 10 out of 10. Let's dive in!

🔷

First off, let's talk about the negatives and why I was almost ready to take a break from this show. Watching Tina have sex with Cord just to prove she is still loyal to him (almost as if she was being forced into it) was really uncomfortable, almost like I was witnessing sexual abuse. Then there were the parallel scenes of Luna finally being de-Goddessed by Max, acting like Max's penis is one of the seven wonders of the world. One positive of the whole Luna fiasco was that we met this super cute dog that she named "Valentine".

🔷

Since this very short "rough" patch, the show has found its groove again - Thank God. The Anna Karenina storyline is picking up speed - Viki seems to have picked Sloan and is FINALLY going on that trip with him. Marty (drunk beyond coherency) called her a slut and got slapped for it (I almost saw a glimpse of Stephanie Forrester for a second). Then there was this really intense scene where Viki showed up late to Clint's "5000 editions of The Banner" party... and she kind of emotionally slapped him by revealing she wants to spend a weekend with Sloan. His reply was - "ENJOY!" Touche! She thought he would beg and plead, but Clint showed he was the bigger person here. He was definitely hurt, in fact, he was crushed, but he managed to keep his dignity intact. Later on... the parasite named Lindsay attacked him at his most vulnerable moment... you can guess what she did.

🔷

Talking about Marty Saybrooke, I feel like they are setting her up for a classic boy (in this case - girl) who cried wolf scenario. They're making her out to be this unreliable liar who has issues with almost everyone in town. The latest drama, aside from her attacking Viki, is the suspicion that she might have been responsible for Sarah's death while drunk driving. Plus, she's involved in this whole "trick Leanne into leaving me" mess where she's pretending to be Jason's lover. So, basically, everyone despises her and views her as a promiscuous irresponsible monster that runs people off the road and calls innocent men pedophiles. A liar that should not be trusted. And a girl who would sleep with pretty much anything that moves. I feel they will turn all of this upside down in the future with her getting blamed for something she didn't do. Nobody will believe her when the time comes, I'm sure.

P.S. That epic moment when she set off the fire alarm in the Buchanan Palace just to mess with everyone... was so good. I really enjoyed it. I will repeat myself - she is probably the best younger actress on the show.

🔷

Last, but not least... we have some movement happening on two fronts - first, it looks like Kevin and Leanne might be getting back together, which would leave Rachel heartbroken... but for now, that's just a possibility... a hint in the air... Aaaaaaaaand, Bo and Nora are getting closer and closer. That moment when they were stuck in the elevator felt so genuine and real. I really appreciate how the writers are taking their time with showing us a slower falling in love process. It feels natural. I hate rushed love stories.

🔷

Oh... and here's a little treat for the end - we spotted this mysterious, wrapped in a fur coat... figure... checking into the inn where Viki and Sloan are expected to arrive. Could it be... I'm pretty sure it is... Miss Dorian... Lord!

Overall -  10!/10

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Clip of the day

Marty vs Viki!

Edited 19 hours ago19 hr by Maxim

On 12/25/2025 at 10:01 PM, Maxim said:

Merry Christmas to everyone in Llanview! @DRW50 @soapfave06 @mar4331 @janea4old @alwaysAMC @AMCOLTLLover @Franko @Sapounopera @chrisml @Khan 🎁🎅 ❤️

Awww thank u! Merry Christmas

1 hour ago, Maxim said:

Oh... and here's a little treat for the end - we spotted this mysterious, wrapped in a fur coat... figure... checking into the inn where Viki and Sloan are expected to arrive. Could it be... I'm pretty sure it is... Miss Dorian... Lord!

Oh i cant wait for your review when Dorian shows up😁😁

Thanks @Maxim

I never noticed that "dark Viki" music cue before. It will not be the last time we hear it.

This is on Renee for making the fire alarm so accessible.

I like that we got to see Renee's reaction to Sloan and Viki.

It was a clever idea to have Marty cause such chaos with various characters at the Palace. I wish they'd done even more.

A shame Billy is there just to be the "good gay" to deal with Marty. They should have let him have some fun. In the climate of the time I can see why they didn't but it's a waste.

6 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks @Maxim

I never noticed that "dark Viki" music cue before. It will not be the last time we hear it.

This is on Renee for making the fire alarm so accessible.

I like that we got to see Renee's reaction to Sloan and Viki.

It was a clever idea to have Marty cause such chaos with various characters at the Palace. I wish they'd done even more.

A shame Billy is there just to be the "good gay" to deal with Marty. They should have let him have some fun. In the climate of the time I can see why they didn't but it's a waste.

I love dark Viki. There was this very important scene in which she said she is done living for other people and it's time she does what she wants and to hell with it. In Bulgaria the idiom is - "да скъсаш синджира" or something like "to break from the leash and run wild" 😄

9 hours ago, AMCOLTLLover said:

Awww thank u! Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

8 hours ago, mar4331 said:

Oh i cant wait for your review when Dorian shows up😁😁

I literally woke up half an hour ago feeling like I have to hurry to watch. I can't believe a show is doing this to me in 2025. I last felt like this when I was a child. 🥲

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by Maxim

Up to February 22th, 1993

🦩

"Enter... Robin Strasser."

🔷

@mar4331 - It's official! She has ARRIVED!

🔷

Okay, I couldn't contain myself and JUST HAD to come and tell you what I think the moment I finished watching. I'm just 2 episodes further, so this is going to be shorter and mainly focused on the Viki Buchanina / Dorian Lord's return. Let's dive in!

🔷

Just when Viki was ready to let her hair down and enjoy the fruits of the forbidden affair - smiling coquettishly at Sloan like a schoolgirl (the man did tell her she’s forever 19 in his eyes, OH MY!) - the fairytale turned straight into nightmare when a familiar face turned up at that same inn. Dorian Lord is here, baby… and she has never looked younger, fresher, or more ready to cause trouble. And let me be clear... this is not a dig at Elaine Princi. I just fundamentally disagree with people who insist the two Dorians are “so alike” or “hard to tell apart.” I see so much difference it’s almost crazy. Princi’s Dorian always carried a darker, more seasoned energy - mature, elegant, but at times visibly “emotionally worn out”. Strasser, on the other hand, walks in with that girlish, Machiavellian sparkle the character had been missing. Her face, her charisma, her whole vibe - playful, magnetic and dangerous. I love both versions, but for entirely different reasons. And since I’ve already watched glimpses of Strasser’s early 80s run (1980–1983 clips, thanks again to @DRW50 for linking me to some of them couple of weeks ago), the shock wasn’t about seeing a “new” Dorian. The real surprise was how instantly she clicked back into place for me. Two or three minutes in, I was already laughing like an idiot. Even my husband wandered over from the kitchen to see what all the fuss was about. He’d seen Princi’s Dorian with me before, and after watching for maybe 15–20 minutes he declared, “This one is muuuch better!” I responded - “You can’t judge Elaine until you’ve seen more. They are different.” But hey - everyone has their taste.

🔷

Storyline‑wise… the NEW-old Dorian is coming in with a savage energy I wasn’t prepared for. It’s like she’s been awakened from a long, deep sleep and now is coming alive after taking her first drop of human blood. The tabloid vampire has risen, and she’s circling Viki and Sloan like a vulture. And suddenly, as I expected, Viki stops looking like such a wretched human being. That’s how much Dorian was missed. Her absence was felt very strongly, and the moment she walked back in, Viki snapped right back into her usual place... the heroine whose life is being attacked from all angles. Seeing Savage Dorian (that’s what I’m calling her for now, because that’s exactly the vibe she’s giving) slip into full Assassin Mode - calling Clint and lying that Viki has “broken her foot” and is tragically alone and in need of help - this is a neeeeeeeew level of circus we haven’t seen. 😁 Princi’s Dorian could be vile... but she was demure in comparison to this. Strasser's Dorian is like a character who escaped from Gone With the Wind/Hitchcock's Psycho. She's Cinderella’s bitchy stepsister who stole her shoe. Overall - yes, I’m missing Princi. But I’m also taking Strasser with open arms. Everything she’s bringing is exactly what the show needed. DESPERATELY.

🔷

Another storyline that took a seriously dark turn is Marty’s downward spiral. The girl is clearly in a dangerous self-destructive place, and the show pushed that to the max - in her desperation she took some pills and ended up calling into Luna’s radio show in this raw, unraveling state. Bo and Nora managed to intervene just in time. And honestly… just thinking about the fact that two months ago it was Bo who was at rock bottom, and now he’s the one stepping in to save someone else - that parallel was very good. And here’s the crazy part - for the first time, I actually felt empathy for Marty. They got me. They manipulated me right into it. Because underneath all that venom and destruction, there’s this very sad, very lonely person who’s been broken since childhood. She clearly needs help - that much is obvious. But at the same time, we can’t pretend her dangerous, sociopathic streak isn’t still there. We literally just saw what she’s capable of, and now she’s lying about where she was on Thanksgiving. Between that and the way the show is framing things, I’m pretty convinced - at least for now - that Marty is responsible for Sarah’s death.

🔷

Billy and his boyfriend finally got some much‑needed airtime. The one scene a month was starting to feel like a contractual obligation and not much else, so it was nice they had their moment. The setup was simple - Billy, his boyfriend, and his parents all sitting down for dinner. His father, of course, unaware that the young man next to Billy was not just a “friend.” Enter Sloan Carpenter... who managed to open that man’s closed and homophobic mind just enough to make him see the opportunity that lies ahead - something which Sloan didn't get to have with his son William. An opportunity to love and bond with his child! Sloan, like a male Viki... succeeded with his gentle manipulation. Billy’s father actually swallowed his bitterness and showed some level of acceptance and respect towards Billy and his boyfriend. The boyfriend’s name is escaping me right now, but they’re sweet together. My favorite moment was Billy quietly telling his mother, “Please don’t pause every time before you say "gay." Just say it normally.” That line hit me. It was real. It was familiar. It was one of those tiny truths soaps get right, and they nailed it.

P.S. I almost forgot - Cord is not handling the Tina/Cain situation well. The man was practically dragging her from room to room like a dog. And then we hear Tina telling Cain she’s in the process of breaking up with Cord. I did not see that coming.

Overall -  10/10 - No problems on the horizon - the show is running smoothly, like a well‑oiled machine. And I loved that Robin happened to return on my birthday, the 22nd of February. Makes it easy to remember now.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Clip of the day

Dorian Lord is back, baby.

@Maxim What a review. I had a smile reading the whole thing haha. I'm glad you like Robin! I do wish she would have went back to brown hair for Dorian though. Please dont take too long to watch the next couple episodes...lots of drama!