Carolyn’s Opinion

How can great dialogue make all the difference in a story?  Check out what Digest columnist Carolyn Hinsey has to say about what’s happening across the daytime dial.

Actions speak louder than words, but the right words also propel a story forward.
Just ask B&B’s Brooke, who finally recognized Taylor for the “backstabbing traitor” she was, thanks to a tip from lovestruck Deacon.

Deacon: “This is our chance to be a real family.”
Brooke: “Did somebody put you up to this?”

Her nemesis-ter! Taylor pimping for Brooke (Hollis, Deacon) so Taylor could “have” Ridge was cringeworthy, so it was a relief when Deacon spilled the beans. Brooke hightailed it over to Forrester to find Taylor, which was a statement in itself since Taylor is supposed to be a high-functioning psychiatrist with her own office, but there she was in Ridge’s. Brooke overheard her “BFF” trashing her and stormed in.

Brooke: “Setting me up with Deacon so you could be with Ridge?”
Taylor: “I was, I was, just trying to help. I, I, I, I would never do anything to jeopardize our friendship. I was just, I was just, trying to be a friend.”

The stuttering was annoying enough, but then Taylor’s lies turned to laughter and fists flew.

Ridge (breaking it up): “What’s going on here?”
Taylor: “She’s being
dramatic.”
Brooke: “Our little pact is over.”

Good. Making B&B’s two greatest enemies insta-pals might have worked for Deacon while they giggled at his restaurant but it did nothing for the drama we love about B&B. Worse, it took Ridge out of the romance game. Taylor’s actions lit the match, but Brooke’s words burned their ill-conceived pact to the ground.

Brooke (cooing to Ridge): “We’ve been apart for too long.”

And … they’re back.

Phyllis faking her death on Y&R was equally ill-conceived but it set fire to lots of couples, good and bad. The best — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — was Ashley and Tucker. That de-aged baddie sure is upending the Abbott house.

Tucker (to Ashley after Diane was cleared): “Look on the bright side: We’re not living with a murderer.”

Ashley’s plan to wrestle Jabot from Jack to “save” the Abbotts from Diane taking over the company is right up schemer Tucker’s alley, but the best part of their engagement plot is the rat-a-tat-tat of their dialogue.

Tucker: “I want a ring on my finger to say, ‘Ladies, I am out of circulation.’ ”
Ashley: “Yeah, that ring really stopped you from circulating before.”

I’m rooting for “TAsh” (“Asker”?) because they are so much more entertaining than sappy Jack and Diane. Example: Announcing their fake engagement in the Abbott living room by drinking champagne right out of the bottle.

Phyllis’s “death” also brought out the best in Nikki and Victor.

Victor: “Letting her children think she’s dead. Who the hell would do that?”
Nikki (to Diane): “That is Diane’s area of expertise.”

But Summer chose poorly. After weeks of lying to Kyle that Phyllis was dead and later that she had no idea where her resurrected mother was, her suspicious husband followed her to Phyllis’s hotel room.

Kyle: “What the hell?”

Summer said all the wrong words, which propelled that story in a different direction. Enter Audra…

A lot of relative newcomers are propelling story on DAYS lately. Personally, I prefer the back-from-the-dead DiMeras (Tony, EJ, Stefan, Megan) to newbies tied to a no-name British person (Colin, Talia, Sloan). The DiMera-thon is fun because they all think they have the upper hand re: taking control of the company, and every one of them is lying.

Sudden sisters Megan and Kristen promised to consider Stefan’s proposal of joining him and Gabi at the company, then promptly threw it in the fireplace (insulted that he wanted to limit them to Gabi Chic). Machinations count as momentum when the scenes are entertaining.

Victor’s will reading on GH was full of machinations, like leaving property in Chechnya to Nikolas, which Laura took as a sign that her son is there. Spencer inherited a key he planned to ignore.

Trina: “We’re going to the bank to open the box now.”

There’s no sleeping on Trina!

I wish we could sleep on Austin’s cousin Mason, who has been Jeremy Stark-ing around town for a year with no discernible purpose. He’s threatening Ava with the missing Nikolas now (despite having no evidence linking Ava to Nik’s coma), which makes about as much sense as Joss wanting to turn in a flash drive with proof of Sonny’s criming on it that also had her boyfriend’s criming on it. Perhaps if Joss went to class she’d be able to connect those dots better.

Ditto her brother Michael, who was so hell-bent on sending Sonny to prison he didn’t do the math that another local mobster would just replace him, putting all the Corinthoses in danger.

Carly: “I know your father has disappointed you. He’s disappointed me. Destroying him isn’t going to heal us. Someone will die.”

When Carly’s the voice of reason, watch out. Her loyalty to Sonny is steadfast, though, as her kids found out with that incriminating flash drive.

Joss: “I bought into the fantasy that Sonny uses his power for good. I look at him now and see all the pain he’s brought to our family.”
Carly: “That’s not true.”
Joss: “Tell that to Morgan.”

Carly’s response to Joss’s cutting words? She stomped on that flash drive so hard the broken pieces almost hit the moss.

If every action has an equal and opposite reaction, that was it.

Hey. It’s only my 
opinion.