Are hot plots moving the stories along well? Check out what Digest columnist Carolyn Hinsey has to say about what’s happening across the daytime dial.
There are no mistakes on soaps, only “plot twists” — and we need them to move story forward.
Right, Sami? The DAYS diva really thought her 15th wedding to Lucas would be a charm.
Eric: “By the power vested in me …”
Chad (busting in to grab Lucas): “Did you do it?”
“It” meaning murder Abigail, because Abigail knew Lucas had kidnapped Sami.
Sami: “You can’t say crazy things.”
Chad: “Want to know what’s crazy? Marrying the guy who kidnapped you.”
Some angry back-and-forth followed, until Lucas admitted he did indeed kidnap Sami and it was all her fault.
Lucas: “Sometimes you’ve got to play dirty to get what you want. I learned that from you.”
He also learned how to be dumped by Sami (again). And then, because her “wedding day” wasn’t bad enough, Sami went looking for EJ and caught him smooching Belle.
EJ: “I’m not your husband anymore.”
Sami: “She’s still my sister!”
Belle: “Shawn and I are separated.”
Sami (sarcastic): “Oh, you’re on a break.”
Points for the FRIENDS reference, but could Sami be any more burned? She had to admit to EJ he was right about Lucas as the truth filtered through Salem (Eric told Nicole, Kate told Roman …), embarrassing Sami further.
Allie: “It’s okay if you fall apart.”
Sami: “This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life.”
Seriously Sami? This was your fourth walk down the aisle with Lucas, who has hated EJ for almost as many years as he’s been an alcoholic. Of course he framed EJ for his crimes. Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it — which is fun to watch — but the bummer here is that Sami’s mistake, er, plot twist, prompted the popular troublemaker to leave town.
Over on BEYOND SALEM: CHAPTER 2 Hope blundered by getting herself killed but got to reunite with Bo (and some quality flashbacks) in heaven so it was a welcome twist.
Hope (to Bo): “I’ll love you forever.”
Especially if he’s cryogenically unfrozen. Grab a sweater, Fancy Face!
Victoria committed some doozies on Y&R and they all advanced story. The fiery end of her marriage to Ashland was the best, resulting in her retaking the family business and guaranteeing that her ex would be out for blood.
Victoria: “There’s nothing Ashland can do to hurt me.”
Nick: “I’m not so sure about that.”
You could tell Ashland was mad because he trashed his hotel room like a demented rock star, and out-pariah’d one of Genoa City’s most legendary screw-ups.
Phyllis (to Ashland): “It must suck reaping what you sow.”
Phyllis hopes to say the same thing to Diane after she, Nikki and Ashley are done with her.
Phyllis: “Could the three of us do something?”
Nikki: “If we pool our talents …”
Ashley: “We can get Diane out of our lives.”
Double, double toil and trouble …
But has anyone messed up her life more than Chelsea? She told off her No. 1 cheerleader, Chloe, alienated Kyle and Summer, and snowed Lauren into hiring her as a designer … yet showed up with no designs.
Chelsea: “I’m taking a sabbatical.”
From a job she started yesterday? Choosing a podcast with Billy over a successful design career defines mistake.
B&B’s Taylor was wrong about Sheila and wrong about Ridge and now she’s going all in on an ex-con madly in love with the woman Ridge dumped Taylor for last month.
Deacon: “Being a loser has its advantages. People don’t expect a lot from you.”
Taylor: “You like the bar low.”
So does Taylor since she’s been taking Brooke’s castoffs her whole life (Ridge, Nick, Whip, now Deacon). A therapist with low self- esteem who constantly makes the wrong choice isn’t as interesting as a heroine who learns from her mistakes. B&B needs to make Taylor less pathetic if she’s going to move forward.
Like they did Quinn, whose every mistake morphed into a path forward. It’s shocking that she hasn’t crossed paths with Deacon since she shoved him off a cliff and “killed” him, but maybe she’s sharpening her claws on Donna.
Quinn: “She carries a bottle of honey with her. That’s who Eric left me for.”
Wyatt: “Don’t do anything you’re going to regret.”
Cut to Quinn doing something she might regret.
Quinn (confrontational): “I’m pissed.”
Donna: “Have you tried meditation?”
I’m still waiting for the big blowup between these players since Eric, Donna, Quinn and Carter all work at Forrester and Eric is the boss. Move this foursome forward!
The doomed marriage of GH’s Sasha and Brando finally moved forward when he woke up to her drug use.
Sasha: “I’m done with the pills.”
Brando: “Were you using drugs when we got married?”
Duh. The bad choices in this story actually dragged it down because it was depressing to watch Sasha spiral and Brando not notice.
Brando: “You need more than I know how to give.”
What do you give a whiner in denial with no sense of humor?
Trina’s trial gave us lots of A-listers in a room trying to prove Esme masterminded the sex tape while her enemies worked behind the scenes to get her to admit it.
Ava (trying to blackmail Esme): “I’m counting on you to be as opportunistic as you are bitter.”
And from the “Cutting off your nose to spite your face” files, I present Carly Corinthos.
Carly: “I would rather crawl on broken glass than take anything from you.”
Nina: “You’re such a saint.”
Yes: St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, since Nina got Carly’s husband and her hotel. When the truth comes out about Willow being Nina’s daughter, Carly will also secure her place as the patron saint of liars — and plot twists!
Hey. It’s only my opinion.
