original release date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 | writers: Sara A. Bibel, Danielle Paige | director: Phideaux Xavier

Thoughts:

• Anita is right: Vernon is very selective with his words and how he does word things, so that little hint that Nicole's test results were positive, while leaving out that Dani's were not, tells all that Anita needs to know.

• It is nice seeing Carlton be present for Nicole in her hour of need, and seeing them together at Uptown is nice as well.

• Naomi is on the money: Ashley needs to take Grayson up on his offer to take her out on a date. I know it will be cold as fire, hot as ice!

• From the sounds of it from Chelsea, Madison, and Naomi, Grayson is gearing up to be Garland Memorial's McDreamy or McSteamy, and I am here for it.

• Chemotherapy has not diminished Anita's spitfire personality and I love how she is going head to head with Vernon; if I did not know better, I would swear this could be foreplay for them.

• Poor Josh is trying to do his job while Nicole's coming a bit undone. She holds everything in and together and does not allow herself these moments to allow herself to be a bit cracked and fragile.

• LMAO. Anita does not give a rat's behind if Dani is up there bare naked. I love it. She just wants to see her daughter.

• Not Nicole wanting her third (???) Long Island Iced Tea. That is hilarious but her fears are real, and she is fully in her right to feel the way she feels.

• Good seeing Elon finally being a father to Jacob and telling him to go see Naomi. That is what should be happening.

• No. Can we not turn this into another double date? Ashley, sweetie, you can handle this one on your own. I know you can.

• Good on Carlton for being a stand-up guy and not taking advantage of Nicole in her impaired state. That is what a man should do.

Notes:

• Bibel and Paige worked exceptionally well today. Loved the scriptwork of today's episode and the pacing was perfection.

• Xavier's direction, like yesterday, was outstanding! He knows how to shoot a soap, and it shows in the results.

• Welcome to Beyond the Gates Jordi Vilasuso! He is already charismatic as frick, and I sense that underlying chemistry with Jen Jacob (Ashley) already. Yes. This is a match made right. Oh yes, the chemistry is FIRE! I am liking this pairing already.

While I'm not here for Carlton/Nicole, it was nice to see him be a gentlemen there in the end. It was also nice to see Nicole let her hair down.

Jordi is a much better, more comfortable actor than Ben G, so I already thought Greyson/Ashley had more chemistry. It wasn't awkward like most scenes with Ashley/Derek have been.

Damn it! Im actually starting to find Ashley more likeable in season 2

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by Cheap21

I'm sorry, but that Ashley/Grayson scene was pretty bad. I'm not too terribly impressed.

Ashley is wet blanket. She should go too

Ashley and Greyson aren't exactly super-couple material, but I will say that for a first day.. the two do seem to have a rapport and we'll see if this will lead to anything or not.

Carlton/Nicole... I don't see the chemistry. When's dreamy Mr Vaughn coming back onto the show again?

Today was such a great day for Nicole and Daphnee.

Nice to see those walls coming down.

Im still waiting for the shoe to drop on Carlton. I joke that he's a serial killer lol.

Im gonna be so hurt when Dandre comes crashing down. Hopefully we see them together a little while longer before it implodes.

I thought Ashley and Grayson was cute. It is funny that this is Ashley's third love interest under a year.

-- Not crazy about today's show at all. Way too much cancer.

-- While I appreciate the beats being played -- and that the show can't ignore any of these family repercussions -- I don't think this plays well for an extended period. It's always a gamble when a show introduces a potentially fatal disease. In this case, it extends to others.

-- Writing this story is above my pay grade, but I still know when it's "too much."

-- Danielle Page's script writing was filled with cliches and idioms, as usual. Her characters speak differently from those of other writers. I was going to post a list here of all the cliches I heard today, but I gave up after 20 minutes when I already had over a dozen.

-- I didn't like the way Nicole behaved today, drunk or not. Having trouble with the cancer stuff? Yes. Acting like the Dani we've known for a year? No.

-- Carlton as Nicole's steady hand? Zzzzzzzzzzz. Sorry, he's boring, no matter how tight his pants are.

-- I continue to dislike the PDA between Madison and Chelsea right in the open at the hospital. It's not cute.

-- I'll give Ashley and Grayson a shot. I like Jordi Vilasuso and Jen Jacob is a better fit with him than with Ben Gavin (who got terrible writing). But chemistry? That jury is out.

-- I do think it was ridiculous for Ashley to turn down a kiss because "Naomi is watching" but she's ready to hit the sheets at home with Grayson before they have even one drink. It just came off as more immaturity and fickleness from Ashley.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by ranger1rg

11 minutes ago, ranger1rg said:

-- Not crazy about today's show at all. Way too

-- Carlton as Nicole's steady hand? Zzzzzzzzzzz. Sorry, he's boring, no matter how tight his pants are.

Yes, they are boring together. Why are they wasting Nicole on this guy?

I don't understand why the show made the huge announcement Greg Vaughan was joining the show only to feature him twice and then he just vanishes. It's been a month since he last aired. I guess this would be my one big complaint with the show.

I really enjoyed JV's introduction today. Like GV, he just fit in seamlessly. I just hope the pacing of appearances is fixed quickly.

They need to stop trying to make Jen Jacob happen. Her character is a bore, and no pairing will make her improve.

One thing is that Ashley is the only young white female on the show and I think they are conscious of having that onscreen.

To me, I wish the show would stop trying to make Chelsea/Madison happen because they do not have chemistry and they seem like an after thought to the writers.

1 hour ago, Paul Raven said:

One thing is that Ashley is the only young white female on the show and I think they are conscious of having that onscreen.

Then recast

On 1/12/2026 at 9:45 PM, ReddFoxx said:

Tomas could end up taking a nasty fall courtesy of Val, lol. "OMG Bill! I heard a loud crash and when I rushed in all these heavy file boxes were on top of Tomas!".

Now that would be something!