4 hours ago, titan1978 said:

As it was happening, and for years since, I did not understand this one at all. Yes the fans were out of control. But that triangle continuously being stopped from happening never made sense to me. I couldn’t decide if it was bts between the actors, Frons, Guza, or JFP that was against it. To me it was almost a structural issue, because in the old days a show would have jumped at that kind of engagement and attention. Even now with Jason out in limbo and Liz with nobody they won’t touch it.

I think a big part of it BITD was Frons, who micromanaged in those years and was very partial to Kelly Monaco. But I also think Steve was (and maybe still is) very cognizant of being in a story which is either potentially unpopular or has him in a less strong role, and being with Liz had Jason threatening to leave the mob (again). And I think Guza just did not like Liz and preferred Jason and Sam and their 'sexy gunplay.'

I was never a big Liason fan but I was surprised to be thrilled and interested when they re-paired them in the 2000s. It was a huge shift for the Jason character. It was also very interesting for Elizabeth, who had become a mother, gotten a stable job and left that world behind only to get involved with him again. These days I think that pairing is dead and am not interested, but I do think the reason they don't go near it now is similar to the 2000s: FV just doesn't care much for Becky, knows he's stuck with her and wants to simply park her in minimal story (as he is now doing with poor DZ too).

I would not re-pair Jason and Elizabeth but I would at the very least play their friendship and the relationship re: their son. But it's clear FV and Elizabeth Korte have no interest.

As for Ethan, I have no idea what's going on but it's getting tedious. He could be doing more. But watching him try to double as Sonny's enforcer is laughable; Ethan has never been that guy.

16 hours ago, Khan said:

Frank is like Patty Williams: once he gets his hooks into a man (Easton, Howarth, Paevey), he just can't let go.

YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Frank HAS to Frank.

On 6/28/2026 at 7:32 PM, titan1978 said:

I get having a little fun with Tracy. But they had an organic story happening that would have given them all something real to do for months. We should have seen them have an affair, Chase Immediately regret his actions, then slowly keep compromising him. He wants to tell BLQ right away but can’t because of the new baby. He still feels a pull towards Willow which is tormenting him. Draw that out for a couple of months, then hit him with the truth about Drew’s shooting and drugging. He’s compromised everything for a psychopath. Then Willow leaks their affair right before he can tell BLQ, thinking he won’t have any choice but to run to her. He’s been so insufferable I want him to really fall here.

Instead it’s all going to be about BLQ lying again. Because we can’t have nice things and nobody can truly make a mistake. She’s lying about not causing an accident, not even realizing she saw an accident, because she was drinking.

Maybe these stories were a little preachy and patronizing in the old days, but back then this would be a drunk driving story and someone would have been temporarily in a coma, paralyzed, or had a bout of hysterical blindness. Instead we have Scarface, who caused her own accident, blaming everybody else with her man all over town. And it would have lead to more story too. A trial, maybe a rehab story, maybe folks lining up to cover it up and some good old fashioned Quartermaine blackmail. Stories.

What makes me so annoyed is they have great stuff they have come up with. But they only play the twists, the main points, and then plot drivel regurgitation for weeks at a time. Half the time they also drop the whole thing and either pick it back up in a few weeks or just never touch it again!

Thank you! That is a year...a year and a half of story right there!!!! It wouldn't even bother me so much if the writers...in their half-hazarded way haven't set it up and clearly see it, too. Why else would everyone from Dante to Tracy to Michael to the ADA to even BLQ herself have called Chase out on his Cap'n Save-A-Hoe tendencies? And those are not even the only people. The writers SEE this and even better, they have organically written it in. And darn it, how Josh Swickard plays it, it does not at all seem far-fetched. He looks like he wants to save and sleep with Willow. And this isn't even the first time Chase has been oblivious to his feelings for a woman. So the affair is easy to write. I was very glad to see Tracy vs Willow played straight (even her arrest) without any humor...played STRAIGHT and DRAMATIC. YES. THIS, WRITERS. Why they are being willfully obtuse about this when we all see it is beyond me.

While I do love having old BLQ back, I'm not sure it is worth the sacrifice of organic conflict because it slants the writing and making it look like it's her fault when this was all started with Chase and Willow.

I was hoping (and it looked like Tanisha Harper felt the same, coming alive for once for some) that this Jordan's scarring would be a nice internal (if C plot) story for her which would be different for the messy black cast. But alas. Just bland C plot mess now and Curtis is just so insufferable. And to think, this car accident appeared to be a potential umbrella storyline.

On 6/28/2026 at 8:16 PM, titan1978 said:

I don’t disagree. I just don’t want it all to be blamed on BLQ. I want Chase to play a major part in his own downfall and not be able to trace it all back to her lying, or use that as the excuse for him to hit the sheets with Willow.

YES. What will make the fallout juicy for a Chase/BLQ breakup is that they are BOTH at fault. Not one. Not one by way of silly writing. Both by way of organic conflict. They had so many ways to do this for them in the last few years that while some of it now is silly...the potential is still very much there as long as it's BOTH of their faults.

On 6/28/2026 at 8:16 PM, titan1978 said:

It also reminded me how much they are wasting Rory Gibson at the moment. Much like Lucky and Isaiah having little to do with each other or Sidwell when he came to town, Michael was burned by the man and has virtually zero part in that story. Plus Carly has mentioned that a couple of times but she’s more about Joss being held captive than Sidwell roasting her precious Michael.

Given all the manipulation Michael is working on BTS, I am surprised at how little Rory has been around in my binging. Then again, I thought Sidwell was gone before I jumped for pool set peeks and saw him STILL around and eyerolled.

On 6/29/2026 at 2:17 PM, Antoyne said:

It’s a crime how much the Drew story has stalled at this point so we can get endless scenes of Collum not being dead.

Well when you fall allegedly foul of Frank...you get a Random WSB Guy who should already be as dead as Sidwell.

On 6/29/2026 at 8:25 AM, titan1978 said:

Can someone catch me up on what is happening with Ethan? I have missed a few episodes since his return, and I am doing some heavy skipping with my FF button, so I miss some of his stuff. Is he that baby’s father?

I can understand that since it's Cody, Molly, and her book for me.

Ethan is the father. He confessed to Alexis after Alexis and Ava went to NYC to get the skinny. He is agreeing with the adoption as long as it's a closed adoption due to his own childhood.

I thought today's show was really good even though I am not hugely invested in any of these stories. It felt like a Friday episode.

15 hours ago, Vee said:

He then broke into the PCPD evidence locker's cold case files and acquired DNA results there, presumably to hide whoever the baby's real father is and pass himself off as the parent. I assume that parent is the next big bad guy.

See? Now that part I have missed. Thank you. Intriguing all the same. Cuz they already have three big bads running around with no resolution in sight. Do we really need a fourth?