How important is a show’s history to current storylines? Check out what Digest columnist Carolyn Hinsey has to say about what’s happening across the daytime dial.
Soaps need to layer history in more — especially when a role has been recast.
Imagine how much stronger Chloe’s resentment of Adam would be on Y&R if she threw in a line like this when ordering him to stay away from Sally:
Chloe: “Isn’t there a kid on the side of the road you should be hitting?”
Tough, but fair. It wasn’t this incarnation of Adam who ran Delia down in 2013 but the resentment should be the same. You’d never forgive the guy who killed your kid.
People don’t forget ex-lovers, either. Elena had a swoon-worthy romance with Devon, so his cousin Nate should be worried that her problems with him screwing over Chancellor-Winters involve residual feelings for its CEO.
Elena: “Nate’s transition into the corporate world has been complicated for me.”
Devon: “How?”
Elena kept mum about Nate backstabbing him which was too bad because Devon deserved honesty from his ex.
Summer got it from her dad, which helped solidify the recast.
Nick: “Look what you’ve been through — you were born in an elevator!”
His wedding gift to her was an “S” bracelet for “Supergirl”, which resonated because we watched Nick call her that her whole childhood. Well, until she was rapidly aged.
The prodigal Diane is played by her longest previous portrayer, which helps us buy her return from the dead (!), but Y&R is not properly representing her past with Jack.
Diane: “The connection we share as parents and grandparents means everything to me.”
She stole Jack’s sperm! How dare Diane get to make a weepy speech about family and love at Kyle and Summer’s vow renewal? The only believable moment was Nikki and Phyllis rolling their eyes at each other and talking about Diane’s “charms” with air quotes. Classic.
B&B is driving the Brooke/Ridge/Taylor triangle until the wheels fall off, which is surprising because 1) it’s been going on for over 30 years, and 2) two of the principals are recasts. Since they can’t use flashbacks they refer to history instead.
Thomas (to Ridge): “Brooke is acting like she’s not going to betray you like she betrayed you with Uncle Thorne or with your father.”
A.k.a. his Grandpa Eric. The problem with Ridge’s kids’ selective use of history is that it places the blame 100 percent on Brooke when we watched Ridge and Taylor cheat, too. Painting Taylor as a saint is a joke when we watched her sleep with Brooke’s father, Stephen, brother Storm, son Rick, and Ridge’s brother Thorne (among many others). Ridge’s history is equally colorful, most recently kissing his stepmother, Quinn.
What does ring true is the recurring theme that undoes Brooke and Ridge every time: Misunderstandings.
Thomas (to Hope): “If one missed call can ruin the relationship it’s not that great of a relationship.”
Ding, ding, ding! Their latest miscommunication involved Ridge hearing Brooke’s voice (on what sounded like a manipulated phone message) calling Child Protective Services asking them to investigate Thomas. True to form, he talked to Thomas about it instead of Brooke.
Ridge: “I didn’t say anything. What’s the point?”
To give your wife the benefit of the doubt and learn the truth? Ridge did, however, talk to himself in a remarkable “old man yells at cloud” moment.
Ridge: “What am I doing with my life? What is my destiny?”
A pinecone then fell from the sky, which Ridge took as a Taylor-made sign to head to Aspen, making his destiny cheating on Brooke. Again.
Playing old romance is the easiest and best way to highlight the past, like when Nina encountered Valentin and Anna holding hands on GH.
Nina: “I didn’t know you two made it official.”
Valentin: “Would it kill you to act a little jealous?”
Nina: “Oh, okay. Get your hands off my man!”
That’s gold, Jerry.
Reminding us that Sasha wasn’t the first heroine to lose her husband to gun violence was another solid nod to the past.
Maxie: “I survived it. You can, too.”
Like all soaps, GH is a little too “out of sight, out of mind” with family members for my taste (is Lucky Spencer still alive?), so it was a welcome moment when Laura’s grandson Spencer was saved from a prison beating by Laura’s new brother Cyrus.
Cyrus: “Let him up!”
Inmate: “From convict to convert. You’re a regular AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL.”
I doubt Cyrus has really found religion but at least he’s protecting Spencer. Can I get an amen?
The biggest recent recast on DAYS was Jennifer Horton, so a callback to an old story was needed.
Jack (to Xander): “Jennifer has been abusing drugs again.”
I hope he visits her in rehab and they write some of the old Jack-and-Jen magic to solidify this “new” twosome. Personally, she had me at I’m hitting Gwen with my car.
If you want to add to a legacy family, nothing says “bring back the off-screen kids” like a deadly disease.
Rex (entering): “Hi, Mom.”
Kate: “You called him?”
Roman: “Of course I did.”
Rex figured out that Orpheus created an extremely rare toxin to kill the women Roman loves as “poetic justice.”
Rex: “You’re going to be cured.”
Kate and Roman’s naked twin from outer space is on the case!
Fellow patient Kayla begged Stephanie to keep her other kids from rushing to her bedside.
Kayla: “I don’t want your brothers jumping on a plane.”
Enter Tripp and Joey….
Poor Marlena didn’t get bedside visits from her offspring but she did get Kristen pleading her case for more visitation with Rachel.
Marlena: “Saying you’re self-absorbed would be like saying the Titanic was taking on a little water.”
Doc using sarcasm in the face of death? Now that’s history.
Hey. It’s only my opinion.
