1 hour ago, Vee said:

But would I bring her out of retirement for this show? Not a chance.

Same here. If nothing else, Jean Passanante has earned her rest.

2 hours ago, Taoboi said:

I think the Hawthornes is that second family. At least for now. So it was nice to see Darlene pop up. I know she said she wanted to try to have a truce with Silk Press Sheila. I hope that falls through. Sorry. Darlene vs SilkPress could work for a good while and is better than SilkPress vs Anita. It was also nice to get them all in the same room to support Izaiah.

I like the idea of the Hawthornes as the second family. We still haven't met the third son Luke.

Darlene vs. Silk Press Sheila is an intriguing rivalry too.

2 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

To me, the show still seems obsessed with each week focusing on almost one story instead of doing what soaps used to do and give equal focus to multiple stories. While I enjoyed watching the Kat story this past week, we had almost no other stories going on except for an occasional focus on the Dani/Bill fallout and a bit of focus on Hayley's attempt to still be a con artist.

This is a telltale sign that MVJ hasn't quit shaken the stench of working for nepo Baby Bradley Bell at B & B.

In regards to breakdown writers, Jamey isn't the worst one on the show... Ron C was the worst breakdown writer with his ADHD esque tendency of 30 second scenes that made you suffer from a slight case of whiplash.

Jean P (former head writer of ATWT) was known for her breakdowns, it's a shame she and Lorraine Broderick aren't still active in the daytime scene to teach people how to do a proper breakdown .

Kind of hard to move B, C, D plots when they're nearly nonexistant afterthoughts. What BTG has for B and C plots would barely be D plots on shows back in the day.

As much as I loathe Pissypants, it wouldn't hurt to get some kind of advisors to give seminars. It feels like everyone is still rusty on the mechanics of soap writing. And that includes MVJ. I know it's her baby, but it's really taken a year and a half to get one story a good soapy climax.

1 hour ago, ReddFoxx said:

It's interesting learning about how writers who are not good at one aspect can be brilliant at others. Until watching a soap from the very beginning like I have Beyond The Gates, I never thought about the writing hiearchy other than the head writer.

I think it's a common problem. Garin Wolf is another example of someone who IIRC worked in many famous regimes in soaps' glory years. Chuck Pratt did the same, under some of the very best. As daytime HWs they did not exactly cover themselves in glory. Some can do it, some can't.

Edited 22 hours ago22 hr by Vee

4 hours ago, janea4old said:

I still haven't forgiven Carlivati for naming Eva and Thomas' favorite scifi romance author "Carl Ivati" with that name shown on the book cover.

Ugh. lol. I understand. It still gets me to eyeroll.

3 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

I agree there should be variety and a rotation of stories, but there are times when it works for one story to take center stage for a week and that was the case for Kat's dilemma this week.

It was only a day or two in BTG time and it gave the opportunity to really delve into the nuance and implications.

So agree. Especially the bold.

2 hours ago, kalbir said:

I like the idea of the Hawthornes as the second family. We still haven't met the third son Luke.

Darlene vs. Silk Press Sheila is an intriguing rivalry too.

And I'm counting down the minutes until that. I wonder who they would cast.

Same. And they give Eva/Izaiah much needed drama AWAY from Kat.

I just watched the last episode today and Kat had me tearing up. They dont deserve her

Well I made a separate thread for moral alignments of the characters. Y'all can tell me what you think.

As for all of these health crises I hope both Eva and Kat survive but their personalities change. Both of them should become much more selfish in their personalities. For at least three years they should do whatever they want to make themselves happy. This can overall intensify their feud because both are motivated by near death experiences.

I suppose that they might as well go for the Hawthornes as that "semi" second family so to speak. But the character of Luke needs to be a complete variation of his two brothers. Jacob and Izaiah are both goody two shoes. Give me a male "Sami Brady" in uniform as Luke. He should be the conniving brother of the three.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by Vanguardian53

14 minutes ago, Vanguardian53 said:

I suppose that they might as well go for the Hawthornes as that "semi" second family so to speak. But the character of Luke needs to be a complete variation of his two brothers. Jacob and Izaiah are both goody two shoes. Give me a male "Sami Brady" in uniform as Luke. He should be the conniving brother of the three.

I really think it was a mistake to make Izaiah a good guy like his brother. It doesn't fit his backstory of a checkered past, his arguments with his father, or the (stupid) Joey mentorship.

They've sanded away the edges on Izaiah the same way they've sanded the edges off Eva.

The show definitely plays it too safe quite often, which I think can be detrimental to both stories and characters.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by BetterForgotten

Writers:
Michael Montgomery
Jazmen Darnell Brown

Director:
Michael V. Pomarico

On 6/17/2026 at 4:10 PM, Cheap21 said:

Wouldnt it be hilarious of the tornado destroyed the work that was done on Leslie's shouse?

lol

original release date: Monday, June 22, 2026 (#313) | writers: Michael Montgomery, Jazmen Darnell Brown | director: Michael V. Pomarico

Thoughts:

• No way Dana is making paper chains in celebration of the surgery! That is hilarious and brings back childhood memories. And not her potentially stealing discharge papers.🤣

• Perhaps Shanice is being compassionate and nice because it is her job as a nurse. That is what she is employed to do.

• Primary day and Martin looks ready to take it on! He has got this congressional win in the bag, especially against his opposition. And I love that both Anita and Vernon are there for him at Orphey Gene's.

• Not Vanessa envisioning a Pleasantville-type of universe. I do not see her being the doting old-school housewife that is prim, proper, and doting on her husband hand and foot. Joey is right about that, and his fantasy is something more along the lines of how Vanessa would vacuum, ha.

• Even if Dana's and Shanice's truce is temporary, it is a nice change of pace to see.

• Awkward... Izaiah and Tomas in the same place. This is... not a good thing.

• Aw, not the reminder of Dana's shouse being downed by the tornado. And it shows the Dupree character that Anita showed up to speak with Dana at this time. I just wish... she could have received it in the same way that she has Shanice's kindness. Hopefully she does join everyone.

• Not Andre overhearing the words "cheating" being used. No bueno. 🫣

• What a good cover by Vanessa. Ocean's Eleven: Senior's Edition is a great idea. 🤣

• I like seeing Chelsea and Martin share a moment with each other; it is not often we see those cousins in scenes together, just the two of them.

• Not rough-looking polls. Brings back some bad memories of past elections. 🥺

• I, like Darlene, appreciate that Elon showed up for Izaiah earlier. I am just not sure it was more than that. I do not see Elon's frosty demeanour towards his son changing anytime soon.

• Oh my... Dana showed up! I am very surprised, but I do appreciate Anita leading the charge in showing some compassion to her. And I hope that Dana's words concerning a new chapter ring true. I really, really do.

• Thank goodness the transplant was a success! That is FANTASTIC news and the desired outcome! Thank God for that!

• Martin, do not feel guilty. You did not push too hard. You did what no one else in the family was willing to do and lay it out for Katherine in the way she needed it to be.

• Well, look who is waking up! Things were rough for such a considerable time. That "who" is scary... is there genuine memory loss, or is she just saying that in a way of questioning Katherine being regarded as her sister?

• Not Joey using his ties with Elon to get Jacob off of his back... and then asking about Izaiah. Boundaries, sir. C'mon, Vanessa said she would talk to Izaiah on your behalf.

• Not Jacob recommending to Darlene that Eva take Luke's spot at the Hawthorne Sunday family dinner.

• Whew... I am glad that it does not appear that Eva has memory loss like I suspected.

• I do like that the doctor said for no more than three visitors at a time, and they are taking them two at a time. Caution pays off.

• Ted sure is bouncing from room to room awfully fast. Poor guy. He must be ready for some rest.

• Not the heart rate! That is not a good thing. At all. Hopefully it is something that can be managed.

• MARTIN WON!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO MARTIN!!! That is excellent news!!! The right decision was ultimately made!!!

Notes:

• Breath of fresh air. Montgomery and Brown worked exceptionally well in today's script. It was consistent, it had flow, and it felt outstanding.

• Pomarico did amazingly in directing that opening sequence with everyone at Garland Memorial while "sitting and waiting" as time passes by. And the continued shots taken above the hospital, providing a more expansive overview, were exceptionally well done.

• The community vibe between the ensemble cast in today's episode felt real nice. Everything just felt very focused, even though there were a few different storylines going on. I love when episodes are filled with characters. Just makes it feel more worth while to me as a viewer.

Dani's wig was changing throughout this episode!

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Cheap21