Dani at the end of this episode is why I don't like her.  She's a 12 year old trapped in the body of an almost 50 year old and it's unbecoming.  

Derek lit up when interacting with Shanice.. and it only proves that some positive reinforcement isn't that difficult.. except if you're Ashley or Dani.

Dani/Bill/Hayley.... yawn.  I'd rather see Nicole/Silk Press Sheila/Eva/Kat in scenes together over the boredome and played out vibe that the D/B/H scenes/story is given off.

Smitty/Martin... I think it's time to sit your son down and watch a Lifetime made for tv movie from the 90s that stresses the dangers of online chatting and inviting people you meet in a chat room into your home when you're home alone.

Edited July 9, 2025Jul 9 by Soaplovers

-- Shanice made Derek more than tolerable; she brought out his best acting to date. Plus, this is the hottest he's looked since the show debuted. Now we know who the problem was.

-- Basic Ashley is just as bad with Andre as she was with Derek. Her lines are bad, but her line readings are even WORSE. She does nothing but make Ashley look like a complete idiot.

-- I still have no idea what Andre is supposed to see in Basic Ashley.

-- Andre is a short king, but he said he wears a size 11 shoe. GMAFB.

-- We haven't had a Dani meltdown lately, but I hope we get one tomorrow.

-- More Shanice + Derek, please. I want to see her sniping at Basic Ashley at the hospital.

-- Tyrell playing chess with Kenny at his house? Not only creepy, but not believable. I do not see that kid as being that naive and clueless.

== Can someone explain to me why Kenny is still in town? Wouldn't this guy be afraid of being killed? I need this to make sense.

I do think Bill and Leslie (I still do not know which is her real name tbh) have real chemistry and are an inevitability at some point.

2 hours ago, Melroser said:

Are we taking bets on who the first onscreen death will be?

Kenny? Randy? Doug? Smitty? Elon? A Rando in Leslie's way? 

Kenny. He can kick rocks.

58 minutes ago, alwaysAMC said:

Loving Smitty and his role in this story. The movement over the last two weeks has been great and almost makes me realize this show can survive without Leslie  

Love Leslie, but that's the way it should be. A true ensemble. No character needs to eat a whole show.🫶🏿

@Taoboi Jazmen is that dude. As soon as I started enjoying the epi, I knew he was the writer.

Edited July 9, 2025Jul 9 by DemetriKane

31 minutes ago, ranger1rg said:

== Can someone explain to me why Kenny is still in town? Wouldn't this guy be afraid of being killed? I need this to make sense.

That was my thought too. Especially, when he texted Martin to meet him at Orphey's apparently. Someone clearly wants you dead and you're just out at the park playing chess and now you're at a very popular establishment. Sure being around others might keep you alive for a minute, but where you going to next once everyone knows your whereabouts. 

11 hours ago, wonderwoman1951 said:

more about irna and beyond the gates…

Part 2: What would Irna think.

Thanks for sharing. I like how you work some of Irna's quotes and thought processes in with the struggles of a soap today. And this is a great quote about execs - temporary people making permanent decisions who didn't know what they didn't know.

6 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks for sharing. I like how you work some of Irna's quotes and thought processes in with the struggles of a soap today. And this is a great quote about execs - temporary people making permanent decisions who didn't know what they didn't know.

For me, as I keep saying, the consistently most interesting thing about BTG is how it feels like a strange and new melding of very, very old classical soap staples, and declarative storytelling/exposition or dynamics, or even meandering domestic bits (be it Bell-style that Val Jean clearly picked up at B&B, or even dating back to Phillips) with hyper-modern material as well - sometimes fresh and sometimes awkward or cringe, both very redolent of the Prospect Park soaps. Then there is some stuff that is clearly, deeply culturally specific for MVJ and the writing staff.

I am glad it's a diverse creative team. But honestly, given what he did with some similar material not just at B&B but during his brief and tortured run at GH last year, it does make me wish MVJ could drag her old pal Mulcahey back out of retirement to work on some of this too. Among others from the old GH corps.

Edited July 9, 2025Jul 9 by Vee

1 hour ago, Vee said:

I do think Bill and Leslie (I still do not know which is her real name tbh) have real chemistry and are an inevitability at some point.

She is credited as "Dana Thomas", so Dana is her actual name. "Leslie" is a persona, like Anna, Sherry, etc.

I thought so, but it seems like people keep calling her Leslie.

This week is knocking it out of the park so far!

Those Martin/Tyrell scenes were dynamite! I thought because Ron wrote yesterdays episode that the cliffhanger was a dream but I thought the fact that it was real only added to the stakes. I love the nuance in Tyrell's performance as well. You could tell as pissed as he was, he knew something was up with Pops and that he was in the wrong. 

The scenes at Uptown were fun. I didn't expect Shanice to be with Derek but it made me chuckle and they did have legit chemistry. Ashley and Andre I feel have something nice but I don't want them to get serious. She's starting to remind me of Alison on Melrose Place. I'd love of they highlight her flakiness and give her some of those Melrose attributes. Let her be a trainwreck!

 

2 hours ago, ranger1rg said:

Plus, this is the hottest he's looked since the show debuted. Now we know who the problem was.

Speak on it!

1 hour ago, DemetriKane said:

@Taoboi Jazmen is that dude. As soon as I started enjoying the epi, I knew he was the writer.

So true. He even makes RC's breakdown interesting and worth watching on screen.

 

29 minutes ago, Chris B said:

She's starting to remind me of Alison on Melrose Place. I'd love of they highlight her flakiness and give her some of those Melrose attributes. Let her be a trainwreck!

Perhaps she will fall off the wagon, too.

Derek needs to propose to Shanice and Andre drops Ashley for Dani (gets her pregnant) leading Ashley to spiral and do some unhinged stuff at the hospital to get back at Shanice and Dani like stealing a baby for Hayley and finding ways to make Shanice look bad on the job. Ultimately Ashley loses her job for whatever stunt she pulls on Shanice (but the baby stealing isn't uncovered) pushing her to escort at her daddy Joey's other business. Ashley gets taken by some shady character who gets really rough and she is found dead.

Now we all know if anyone is about to steal a baby again, it's Silk Press Sheila.

 

I'm down for Ashley having a downward spiral post being left all along...like she wanted after all. 

 

 

There is potential for Ashley to spiral. Her reaction to Derek being messy seemed a little unstable at one point. And she did show signs of having a nasty side today (yesterday for the central/eastern crowd). Trying to mess with Shanice on the job would be classic soap and very entertaining. The noble act does not work for Ashley and I think the actress would excel more playing adversarial.

I'm joking, but the way Ashley reacts to minor things, I can see girl spiraling if anything major ever came her way.