This last week or so has proven once again how much stronger the show is when they lock in and focus on the Dupree’s. Anita’s cancer diagnosis has been fantastic, old school soap and very relevant and emotionally investable. Me and my mom chop it up on the phone about the show and she’s been really moved by it and I have as well. Tamara Tunie and the rest of the big 4 are playing every beat exactly right.

I love how they are utilizing Kat here as well. She’s the exact type of character/actress you can make the audience feel frustrated with because they care about them enough to want to see them make the right decisions and her not wanting to know if she has the cancer gene feels believable.

I like most of the pivots that have been made for Season 2, some more than others.

Giving Hayley her own supporting cast, and Bill being too busy longing after Dani and his relationship with the Dupree’s to notice his wife is trying to off him has been my favorite bit of comedy, and Andre also feeling like the odd man out after he spent way too many months yearning for boring ass Ashley feels exactly like what he deserves.

Leslie hooking up with Marcel Malone (I wish a better actor was in the role though 🤦🏾‍♂️) and circling Joey and Vanessa’s crime syndicate is a good shift for her, now she’s reminding me more of Sandra Nelson era Phyllis as opposed to Shelia when Brad let her run a little too rugged at Bold and I like it.

I like Madison and Chelsea but too much of the meat and potatoes for their story plots end up being rushed or happening offscreen. Idk if that is intentional in this MAGA Paramount climate or what but its disappointing because the two actresses have good chemistry and screen presence and the story with Madison’s mother actually sounds interesting but we only hear about what happens second hand.

The increased Hawthrone male presence was also a good change (mainly Elon though, I think Izaiah’s casting wasn’t the right mark for what they have written and they need to do some pivots on his character if they aren’t going to recast).

I enjoy Nicole getting her groove back but think it was an odd choice to randomly introduce Greg Vaughan the way that they did for 2 episodes and then expect the audience to reinvest in her and Carlton (who I actually really like and wish the show would go forward with in a meaningful way but he screams stop gap pairing who will probably turn psycho).

I still love Ambyr Michelle but Eva being accepted so easily by the Dupree Richardsons and also reconciling completely with her mom, and getting to be rich and get a new boyfriend just feels unearned and stripped away a lot of her rooting value. I hope they play up more of her jealousy of Kat like they did for the tree trimming episodes.

I like Shanice having more story and if Ted is the way she gets it cool but I think he had better chemistry with June and Shanice with Derek. 🤷🏾‍♂️

9 hours ago, ReddFoxx said:

7 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

Who is the heck is writing Joey Armstrong as some sort of sexy lothario? Nothing against Jon Lindstrom but it is unbelievable that Joey is as magnetic as the writing would try to convince us as being. It's also diabolical that we are going to see more of this character who uses Black men as brainless muscle to be ordered around. Not to mention, how Armstrong is portrayed as some sort of omniscient, omnipotent force who has all the agency in every situation, except with his new bleach blonde kitten Vanessa (they're both trash, at this point). Someone needs to challenge Armstrong's dominance and it ought to be the Feds (how is the actor who played Doug McBride doing these days? Wouldn't mind if Doug has been working with the Feds this entire time).

Yeah I was hoping with his recent GH pop ups we’d get a Vanessa kills Joey plot and Jon Lindstrom would go back home, he fits better over there imo. Someone should have told MVJ and JHC that it isn’t 1993 or even 2003 when Thorsten Kaye had already usurped him for male lead of Port Charles and that whatever they are going for with Joey just ain’t working. Its like he’s doing his best Maurice Bernard Sonny impression and its not landing at all for me.

To see them doubling down on the investment of him, Ashley, and Tomas is very disappointing (I’ll add Naomi to the list as well she’s the first Dupree I wouldn’t mind seeing written off after a slow burn Jacob and Kat affair story).

I’m very happy to see Derek off contract. He works better than Ashley but the actor is still a dud and had no business being a series regular. I hope as the year progresses they continue to make more cuts and additions and we get an easy path to a multi season renewal.

4 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

I wish the show would pull the trigger on him being a social climbing player because the way the actor is playing Tomas is a low key player trying to pretend to be the perfect boyfriend. The writing and his performance seems to be clashing.

I don't think he has a performance to clash with. I do think Tomas comes off that way and should be written as such, but Alegria is not giving any kind of performance. He's useless and helpless.

I also don't think Jacob is infusing Ashley with much. She's a decent enough actress but I see nothing beyond mediocre so far. RhonniRose may be somewhat green but I'd still keep her and Madison all day over either JJ or AA.

34 minutes ago, detroitpiston said:

Yeah I was hoping with his recent GH pop ups we’d get a Vanessa kills Joey plot and Jon Lindstrom would go back home, he fits better over there imo. Someone should have told MVJ and JHC that it isn’t 1993 or even 2003 when Thorsten Kaye had already usurped him for male lead of Port Charles and that whatever they are going for with Joey just ain’t working. Its like he’s doing his best Maurice Bernard Sonny impression and its not landing at all for me.

Except Zach Slater was supposed to be a hero (same with Sonny). Joey is not that; he's clearly a black hat and bad to the bone. I think he works in that role, much moreso than he did a year ago. I have no problem with them securing Lindstrom for the duration, because sooner or later Joey is going to be toe-tagged. And I think it likely will be courtesy of Vanessa, or on her orders.

By that same token, I enjoy Leslie mixing it up with Joey. It's a story arena that works for her. Leslie and Vanessa linking up down the road and ending up in some sort of Jonathan Kinder/AMC scenario (a concept I keep returning to on this board lately, idk why) with a dead crimeboss on their hands would be a hoot.

Liked the Bill/Anita scenes and Ted/Shanice. Glad Shanice is getting to show other aspects of her personality beyond the gossipy nurse we first saw.

But I had to laugh when they said they needed to talk somewhere private and literally took two steps away from the front desk. And this was another opportunity to have Shanice actually do some nursing by saying at some point she had to attend to patients and would return to continue the conversation. Instead they just chatted away until at the end she mentioned her job.

I keep hoping there will be some sort of breakthrough or a change in writing that supports or strengthens Tomas but poor AA continues to underwhelm.

13 hours ago, ranger1rg said:

-- The cancer storyline has been done well so far, but there's a danger with these issue storylines that they become too heavy/too much. I hope the writers navigate this properly so we don't get lectures and sadness every day. Threading that needle isn't easy.

This week’s preview promised to fulfill your expectations.

13 hours ago, janea4old said:

Changes as of January 2, 2026, don't know if they'll last...

old: Dana Thomas
new: Dana "Leslie" Thomas

Leslie’s naming drives me insane. Why in the world did they feel the need to put it in inverted commas? Leslie is Dana’s second name, not a nickname. Besides there’s literally no reason why anyone should call her Dana these days. Ted is the only person still doing that and I find it extremely annoying and surely confusing for new viewers. Not to mention we already have a Dani on the canvas (and a heavily mentioned Deanna).

Count me among those who are NOT happy with Joey joining the opening credits. I am bored by his uninspired character and - sorry to say this - by his cartoonish portrayal. Plus the mob has no place on soaps, as it’s depicted in such a childish manner.

As for the updates: I understand TPTB not wanting to update every single picture. It would be silly to. They had to change Naomi because her previous picture reeeally did not do her justice. I can find no explanation for Ashley though. She did not need an update and this feels like another case of favoritism towards her.

BTW have you noticed that both Ashley and Naomi are wearing the same dress from the previous pics only in a different color (and in Naomi’s case, mirrored).

6 hours ago, Vee said:

I don't think he has a performance to clash with. I do think Tomas comes off that way and should be written as such, but Alegria is not giving any kind of performance. He's useless and helpless.

I also don't think Jacob is infusing Ashley with much. She's a decent enough actress but I see nothing beyond mediocre so far. RhonniRose may be somewhat green but I'd still keep her and Madison all day over either JJ or AA.

Except that I don't care about Chelsea or Madison.. and I don't ship them because the writers haven't spent the time focusing on them for viewers to care about them. I would keep Madison over Chelsea since we need more non Dupree's on this show.

Has Ben Gavin been cut? Or is this just wishful thinking on all our parts (including mine)?

15 hours ago, ranger1rg said:

Thank you for this. Others can celebrate Lindstrom's addition to the open, but I won't. Give me Shanice or June or anybody else who isn't a white guy using POC to get rich. I despise the character.

Me too. I have no issues with the actor. However, the character is unappealing and tacky. Even for an antagonist. Everything he says or does is a cliche, already done to death. IMO the whole mob theme doesn't fit well with the rest of the show. I too have nothing against people who like this character or his storylines.

And yeah... at this point I'm just coping with the fact that we are stuck with Ashley and Tomas. It's like a diagnosis. I have to accept it.

I also agree with the statement that Alegria seems so much more natural and even charming in real life when he is giving interviews. If only they could bring more of this from him... I don't know what a miracle acting coach has to do this... But I'll get on board Tomas if they do it.

Writers:
Sara A. Bibel
Lynn Martin

Director:
Sonia Blangiardo-Goins

Nicole cares about the cost that the average person has to medical care and lack of access. Sounds like she may want to start up a health clinic for those less fortunate... Now if only she had a granddaughter that spoke to her

18 minutes ago, dragonflies said:

I just checked and can confirm this is true! Happy they changed their minds, at least for now. The last episode (S1E200) is still dated Jan 1, 2025 instead of 2026 so you have to scroll to the very bottom to get to it.

original release date: Tuesday, January 2, 2026 | writers: Sara A. Bibel, Lynn Martin | director: Sonia Blangiardo-Goins

Thoughts:

• Seeing Martin and Vernon having a drink together by the fireplace feels so nice. And it is also nice how he (Martin) wants to look out for his grandfather. But he (Vernon) is too slick to fall for it.

• Aw, I love that Tracy showed up for Anita! That is some true friendship right there, especially with Tracy having some experience with breast cancer in her life.

• Marcel, you are scum. Working with Joey, sleeping with Dana. You are far from innocent in all of this. Plus, Douglas' death. Should have thought about all of this before right now.

• Okay... Miss Eva is letting her feelings kind of be felt, and I like that, a lot.

• I can appreciate Tracy trying to get beyond Anita's demeanour, but at the same time, I wish she would also recognise it is likely how Anita is coping with what is going on. The reactions are not linear. This is how Anita is dealing.

• Brilliant advice from Vanessa; sometimes screaming over/with loud music in an enclosed, private space is the best thing one can do for themselves. That release, much like crying, is the perfect one to have.

• I appreciate how much Jessica is there for Tyrell and is listening to him, truly. That, in a young person, is a rare find no matter the era.

• I love seeing Laura and Mona rally around Nicole right now. Beyond a professional relationship, you can tell there is a personal one there, too, and it means the world to Nicole.

• Well, Anita Williams has been awakened. That is exactly what Tracy was trying to help get out. POWERFUL!

Notes:

• Bibel and Martin continue to be a solid team; however, this is not one of my favourite breakdowns from the former. She has done better.

• Kudos to Blangiardo-Goins for pulling in some new angles; it seems like everyone has been tasked with that for 'season two', and she has arrived at the task with ease.

• Tamara Tunie (Anita) showed up to work today. Whew. Powerful scenes and powerful performances. I am verklempt. Whew. That was brilliant.

Tamara Tunie killed it today - wonderful performance!