Yes, some character relationships still need to be explored. Maybe the first month should have more of those scenes and leave Ashley/Derek out of it completely. Then in the second month Ashley could be introduced through her friend Naomi, who viewers now know clearly.

As for making Ashley a nurse and using the hospital set, it is a bit of a puzzle to me. Sure Ted and Nicole work there but she is a psychiatrist and he's a plastic surgeon. Why would there offices be in the same area as the general admissions? There's no traditional soap doctor working alongside Ashley. Or is Vanessa's husband working at the hospital? Has he been seen there?

Maybe Ashley should have been  in real estate working alongside Vaness. The real estate office set could have been used and it would give Ashley more interaction with the wealthy Fairmontians.

And Andre could be doing real estate photography, thus bringing him into regular contact with Ashley.

And Derek could feel out of place in the new world Ashley is embracing.

 

I'd like to see a Richardson family dinner featuring a home cooked meal. A soul food meal to be exact. Nicole, Ted, Kat, Martin, Smitty, Tyrell, Samantha,  and Andre all gather at Nicole's and Ted's home. Kat attempts to do the cooking but botched it. We learn that besides photography, Andre has cooking skills specializing in soul food and he takes over. If nothing else, I need Ted and Martin to at least notice each other. Still no viable scene between them.

11 hours ago, BoldRestless said:

On the other hand, people have lower attention spans now and 5 hours a week is a big commitment, so it's not safe to assume the binge watchers are actively engaged, and you do need to repeat important points.

One interesting way to recap past story points is to have characters 'gossip' and be 'judgemental'. That's something they did with Mona, Leslie and the blonde woman and it worked really well and added value to the recapping.

9 hours ago, ranger1rg said:

A lot of us have mentioned the music, and to me that's an indication it's not working. It feel they're intentionally doing what they're doing solely to be different -- just as they're doing with their scene ends that I think are really awkward. Different isn't always better.

Very well said! My thoughts exactly.

6 hours ago, Vanguardian53 said:

I'd like to see a Richardson family dinner featuring a home cooked meal. A soul food meal to be exact. Nicole, Ted, Kat, Martin, Smitty, Tyrell, Samantha,  and Andre all gather at Nicole's and Ted's home. Kat attempts to do the cooking but botched it. We learn that besides photography, Andre has cooking skills specializing in soul food and he takes over. If nothing else, I need Ted and Martin to at least notice each other. Still no viable scene between them.

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.

12 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Yes, some character relationships still need to be explored. Maybe the first month should have more of those scenes and leave Ashley/Derek out of it completely. Then in the second month Ashley could be introduced through her friend Naomi, who viewers now know clearly.

As for making Ashley a nurse and using the hospital set, it is a bit of a puzzle to me. Sure Ted and Nicole work there but she is a psychiatrist and he's a plastic surgeon. Why would there offices be in the same area as the general admissions? There's no traditional soap doctor working alongside Ashley. Or is Vanessa's husband working at the hospital? Has he been seen there?

Maybe Ashley should have been  in real estate working alongside Vaness. The real estate office set could have been used and it would give Ashley more interaction with the wealthy Fairmontians.

And Andre could be doing real estate photography, thus bringing him into regular contact with Ashley.

And Derek could feel out of place in the new world Ashley is embracing.

 

I like your ideas and do think they need to explore the character of Ashley and her back story a little more.  I do wonder if perhaps Ashely's mom and Joey (played by Jon Lindstrom) were an item back in the day, and when Ashley's mom found out she was pregnant chose to get away from Joey to keep Ashley out of that life. What if Ashley discovers he is her father, she chooses to get to know him and he provides her with all this access to money ( she not knowing where it comes from or how he gets it).  

14 hours ago, MontyB said:

Just finished Friday's episode and in the previews..........what is this....... 

Dani Girl.... no!!!!!

Sorry all that I have been away.  Work has been crazy (bring on spring break), and one of my beloved pupsters passed away unexpectedly this weekend, 8 months to the day my mom passed away of cancer.  So I am just getting back on the posting wagon. 

 

LOVE LOVE LOVE Eva!! This actress is a goldmine!!!! Loved her having a dig at Kat and I love her chemistry with Tomas and so want to see a Kat/Tomas/Eva triangle.  

Love Leslie/Dana whatever she wants to call herself.  I want to know more about the character.  Like is Eva really her daughter. Something Nicole said about losing a child before Kat was born, stuck with me and I cannot help to wonder if Eva is really Ted and Nicole's daughter that Leslie/Dana kidnapped from the hospital.  

 

 

 

Quote

 

 

On 3/28/2025 at 5:23 PM, AbcNbc247 said:

I hope this isn't the end of the conflict. So much can be written based on Smitty going back to work, or Martin trying to control his life.

I doubt it is. More of a delay I feel. I loved that Smitty showed a backbone...even if he backed down in Thursday's episode. And then this situation with Ty dropped in between them. Not to mention that Martin's dreams is still an issue. Far from over. And most of it is organic drama, too? Yep.

 

On 3/28/2025 at 7:04 PM, Chris B said:

What surprises me is how many of my favorites came out of nowhere. Characters like Kat, Eva, Leslie and Ted didn't really make an impression on be going into the show and all have become favorites of mine. I think since they focused the promo so much around the Duprees I was expecting Dani's story and the core four to be my main favorites. Now don't get me wrong, I love all of them, but that Ted/Leslie story has stolen my heart.

I feel the same. Before the show, I knew it was Nicole for me. But it's been surprising how much I like others. I was drawn to Kat during the family walkout due to her presence and fashion sense, so I love that she's really part of the first real rivalry of this show with Eva. I was intrigued from the character descriptions (which I read little of to be surprised) by the mother/daughter duo so Eva is reallllllly impressing me as well. The layers that Amber is finding within the character are impressive. And I'm still thinking of the coda of her shedding that tear looking at Ted's picture. And both actresses are finds. The SilkPress...omg yes! It's been a minute since I love a good villainess and she's giving me old school ED Kristen along with old school Sheila, too. But I love everything within that storyline. It's been so well paced, and it's been a minute since I've seen a good paced story that is not stalling at all, but has ups, downs, flows following the old rule of 'make me wait' but still giving so much. 

 

But I don't hate anyone in the cast. And I feel that's well done on casting's side. 

 

On 3/28/2025 at 7:18 PM, soapfan770 said:

My top 5 characters for myself so far are definitely Nicole, Anita, Eva, Vernon, and well a good 3 way tie for Chelsea, Jacob, and Naomi at 5th for right now. I’d throw Ted in too but I also want to see how the recast is as well. 

The taste.  *diva hair toss* 

 

On 3/28/2025 at 7:18 PM, soapfan770 said:

I will say I definitely wasn’t expecting to Silk Press Sheila and Eva to become the breakout stars of the show for me or become Team Eva.

IKR. I loved last week, but I admit that there was a bit of oomph missing when they are not on...a sign of how much presence both have.

 

On 3/28/2025 at 7:18 PM, soapfan770 said:

I think the best thing is in the past month BTG has shown us that yes, we in 2025 can still have an engaging/engrossing, entertaining, and vibrant soap. Not to mention that yes even despite side eying a few names in the credits lol some of these long time soap writers can still produce fresh updated material while using familiar soap tropes.

Best of all feeling I get and I don’t even know why though is despite only being on for a month I feel like I’ve been watching this show for years now. The show’s has done a great job of explaining how these characters developed and moving the plot forward. 

And I'm not above giving credit when it's due to people and/or writers that I don't like. So it's been nice to see that some still have some tricks in them that I like. I hope they continue to impress and be consistent. 

 

Same. They still need to find their rhythm, but I feel they will find it in three months' time like a writer honestly needs 100 pages before a novel truly kicks in. 

 

On 3/28/2025 at 7:18 PM, kalbir said:

Anita serves up matriarch/grande dame diva fierceness. Andre is the hotness. Silk Press Sheila is the breakout character.

YES. Though I'm now Jacob leaning. 😜 

 

On 3/28/2025 at 7:57 PM, Maxim said:

Well... My faves evolved now as I think about it. Good question.

My favorite... Initially... episode one was Dani... That changed Fast.

Now my favorite is Silkpress. Hayley is my second favorite. I like Nicole too. Kat. 

Queen Anita is out of rankings. She is above everyone. 

I dislike Martin and Dani now. Both toxic. 

Really annoying is Ashley.

Not sure about Eva. 

 

YW. Great choices.

 

YES re: Anita. 

 

But...we need toxic folk to keep that drama moving. 

 

Why not sure about Eva?

 

 

On 3/29/2025 at 12:00 PM, DemetriKane said:

My favorite is still Nicole! Eva is the breakout character IMO. Very reminiscent of the early Carly(GH), and Kendall(AMC). I think Dani is also a great character. 

Honestly, I don't find the male characters all that interesting. But I do, enjoy Bill, Ted, and Jacob. I want to like Martin but his character isn't clearly defined enough. I don't understand him yet!

Sarah Joy Brown and Sarah Michelle Gellar is high praise indeed. Someone said early Kendall this past weekend and I haven't been unable to unsee that with Amber since so love this comment. 

 

Yay! Nicole fans united!!

 

Yeah, I think outside of Bill, those guys aren't layered yet. In time maybe. 

 

On 3/29/2025 at 12:06 PM, skiman12082004 said:

All of the characters have potential and I don't hate any of them, but someone had to be last 🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️

That's how I feel as well. I don't hate anyone and they all have potential. And I can't say that for a lot of soaps.

 

 

Agree with those who mentioned how much easier last week flowed since Ashley and Derek weren’t on to kill the momentum of the individual episodes. That’s telling to me that these characters need to be reevaluated or written out. 

In fact, I didn’t notice they were even missing - that’s how much I don’t care about them. 

On 3/29/2025 at 4:22 PM, Soaplovers said:

Nicole was my fav on episode 1 and I still like her.  She's what a human being should be like (and I have a feeling the female show runners think they're exactly like her).

Dani is probably my least favorite character.  She's someone that blames others the very problems she faces instead of taking ownership over the choices she made (and Dani is exactly who the female show runners probably are really like).

The two characters I didn't have any expectation of like or not liking... but ended up loving are Kat and Eva.

One character that I have also ended up liking and find that he manages to infuse layers into his character is Bill (lord knows that the feminist showrunners probably hate that some viewers actually like him.. or potentially will turn out to love to hate him).

Hehe at how you worded that. But yay for Team Nicole!  

 

On 3/29/2025 at 4:22 PM, Antoyne said:

Am I the only one where the opening theme has really grown on them? I find myself singing along to it now 😂

You're not. I model pose.  

 

But I liked it from GO. And as Vee mentioned the extended sounds great, too.

 

On 3/29/2025 at 5:15 PM, Chris B said:

I came in expecting to hate this story but I actually have found myself enjoying it. Even the set doesn't bother me because I assume it's meant to be a private back room sort of thing. Part of what is selling it for me are the actors. Vanessa was an early standout but Doug and Joey are coming pretty close. Casting Jon Lindstrom was a brilliant idea and he has amazing chemistry with Vanessa. 

I just finished binging this week and I loved it. I noticed we didn't get Ashley or Derek this week and I can't say I missed them at all. What I love about the show is that they aren't allowing one storyline to dominate. They spread it out pretty evenly and as the weeks go by we're getting more development for the secondary stories like Martin/Smitty and Vanessa/Doug. It keeps me from getting sick of anything or anyone. Even though you have certain characters (like Nicole) who appear in almost every episode, they use them in different ways so it doesn't feel like they're there to just cram one story down our throat. We get to see them in their own story but also supporting various family members and friends.

I don't know if casting is considered a spoiler so I'll put my other thoughts under a spoiler tag just to prevent upsetting anyone.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

The more I see of Ted, the more I love him. That scene of him and Silk Press Sheila outside with her blackmailing him was absolutely hilarious and his delivery sold it. His scenes with Eva remain heartfelt as well. This man has chemistry with everyone and feels so effortless in the role. I am baffled at the decision to recast him when he is such a highlight for the show.

The only thing that makes sense is that we must be getting a complete personality transplant because nothing else makes sense.

 

Same. But I already mentioned my experiences with game rooms and back rooms so it's not jarring at all for me when it comes to that set. And story-wise, I'm really starting to wonder what Joey's endgame will be.

 

That's another thing I love as well. There has been times where this show is giving Y&R in that characters might not even appear until mid-episode...a technique Y&R used to use BITD. Or characters appearing in one scene. Done with characters that the audience like so if they want to see their favorites, you have to watch the full episode. Because you never know. Well-done.

 

On 3/29/2025 at 5:42 PM, Antoyne said:

So I’ve mentioned a few times that Eva and Leslie caught my interest before the show even began and I can firmly state they have lived up to and even exceeded my expectations. Love them both so much. Kat is also a favorite.

You did, you did!!! So I'm very happy to hear that.

On 3/29/2025 at 6:16 PM, Cheap21 said:

Eva is my favorite character and I wasnt so sure I would even like her but she's been such a delight. Ive also surprisingly like Vanessa bc she did nothing for me in week 1. Oh and Nicole is my second fave. I thought she'd be a bit boring but she is such a welcomed presence with my favorite storyline.

 

I loved Hayley in week 1 but she's dropped a bit bc I dont lie how naive she is written. I wish she was more of an unapologetic bish. Her scene with Naomi is the fire I wish we saw all the top. Kinda ditto on Leslie. Early fave but she's dropped when they did the cartoon switch with her. I wish she was more of a scary villian like we were teased with

That's cuz you want all the smoke. 😜  But seriously, happy you like you sum Nicole.

 

Yeah, I definitely would like to see Hayley with more edge. And the writing and acting seem like it was going to go that way post-wedding, but it's been very hit and mess since Week 2. And yes on that scene with Naomi. Perhaps SilkPress will revert after she realizes that Eva is in too deep?

 

 

1 hour ago, AmandainNC28655 said:

I like your ideas and do think they need to explore the character of Ashley and her back story a little more.  I do wonder if perhaps Ashely's mom and Joey (played by Jon Lindstrom) were an item back in the day, and when Ashley's mom found out she was pregnant chose to get away from Joey to keep Ashley out of that life. What if Ashley discovers he is her father, she chooses to get to know him and he provides her with all this access to money ( she not knowing where it comes from or how he gets it).  

Dani Girl.... no!!!!!

Sorry all that I have been away.  Work has been crazy (bring on spring break), and one of my beloved pupsters passed away unexpectedly this weekend, 8 months to the day my mom passed away of cancer.  So I am just getting back on the posting wagon. 

 

LOVE LOVE LOVE Eva!! This actress is a goldmine!!!! Loved her having a dig at Kat and I love her chemistry with Tomas and so want to see a Kat/Tomas/Eva triangle.  

Love Leslie/Dana whatever she wants to call herself.  I want to know more about the character.  Like is Eva really her daughter. Something Nicole said about losing a child before Kat was born, stuck with me and I cannot help to wonder if Eva is really Ted and Nicole's daughter that Leslie/Dana kidnapped from the hospital.  

To live in this world

you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it

against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.

“In Blackwater Woods” by Mary Oliver, from American Primitive. © Back Bay Books, 1983.

43 minutes ago, BetterForgotten said:

Agree with those who mentioned how much easier last week flowed since Ashley and Derek weren’t on to kill the momentum of the individual episodes. That’s telling to me that these characters need to be reevaluated or written out. 

In fact, I didn’t notice they were even missing - that’s how much I don’t care about them. 

Legit didn’t notice they were gone until it was pointed out in the thread 😂

Hoping Dana gets a red wig this week and introduces herself as "Ricki Smith"

If Ted knew her as Dana, I am taking that it is her real name or a psuedonym she is going by?

1 minute ago, AmandainNC28655 said:

If Ted knew her as Dana, I am taking that it is her real name or a pseudonym she is going by?

she's in the credits as "Dana Thomas" so that's supposedly her real name, but who knows... Only MVJ knows.

Omg we’re getting thunderstorms here in Georgia so they’re not showing BTG right now 😭😭😭😭😭

Daphne Duplaix’s hair and wardrobe are on point today. 

What Zebra did Dani kill and skin?

UGH, Ashley’s boring ass is on…