Carolyn’s Opinion

Why do business stories create great conflict? Check out what Digest columnist Carolyn Hinsey has to say about what’s happening across the daytime dial.

Mixing business with pleasure is a bad idea — but it’s a great way to create conflict in soap families.

Right, Jack? The Y&R mogul forgave the devious Diane for faking her death, then he proposed to her and gave her a top job at Jabot. His sister’s response was to go scorched earth by launching a competing company.

Jack: “Ashley announced her betrayal to the press before telling her family.”
Traci: “You didn’t call a family meeting when you announced Diane’s promotion to the press.”
Diane: “That’s hardly the same thing.”
Traci: “Oh, really?”
Kyle (entering): “A family meeting without Ashley and me … Got something to tell me?”

You’re out, kid! Jack’s cold-hearted approach to running Jabot is the opposite of how his revered father ran the biz, and everyone sees it but him. Traci and Billy vetoed Jack’s plan to oust Ashley from the board, Ashley launched “Operation Get Rid of Diane” (with Phyllis!) and Kyle turned to his father’s most-hated competitor.

Audra: “Tell me what you want.”
Kyle: “Newman Media.”

You know you’re on the wrong track when your son and your sister are actively working against you.

Speaking of Audra, the kissing climber didn’t bat an eye when Kyle’s wife observed her getting flowers from Kyle on her first day at Newman Media.

Audra (at the GCAC): “Are you staying here?”
Summer: “It’s temporary. Like your new position.”

Indeed. When does Audra work? Between meeting Nate, Victor, Adam, Tucker, etc. for drinks — and hopping into bed with Tucker and Kyle — that girl is busy.

So are Victor’s kids, actively working against each other at Newman. Nikki is not pleased.

Nikki: “Nate is feeding Victoria’s sense of power and she will not listen to anyone else.”
Victor: “That means Victoria and Adam are heading for a head-on collision.”

A.k.a. Newman Media vs. McCall, which normally I wouldn’t care about, but those two know-it-alls are ripe for a fall and I want to be there for it.

Summer has also entered the stab-your-family-in-the-back sweepstakes.

Summer (to Chelsea): “I want you to come work with me at Marchetti.”

Aside from the fact that there seem to be only six people able to work at the many global conglomerates based in small-town Wisconsin, Chelsea is a convicted con woman who embezzled from Fenmore’s and purposely poisoned Rey Rosales. But hey, at least she isn’t related to any of the CEOs.

Like literally everyone at B&B’s Forrester Creations. Imagine attending a business meeting with Ridge, his sister-in-law Katie (who Ridge was once engaged to) and Katie’s current paramour, Carter. What’s on the agenda?

Katie: “Hope needs to concentrate on her marriage to Liam.”

Cut to FC director Hope in bed with FC designer Thomas Forrester who once stalked her and kissed a mannequin that looked like her.

Hope: “Something has been unleashed.”
In the real world that would be about 100 sexual harassment suits but this is a world where families work together by day and kiss each other at night.

Thomas: “Liam needs time to deal with his hurt and anger.”
Hope: “Yeah, he’s so hurt he wants Steffy again. Liam wants Steffy and I want the man who only wants me. I want you, Thomas.”

It’s campy and fun but also nonsensical. The lone voice of reason is CEO Steffy Forrester.

Steffy (re: Hope and Thomas): “You don’t flirt with someone who used to be obsessed with you.”
Time to expand that HR department, boss!

The Salem PD did just that, which was bad news for DAYS’s Rafe and Jada.

Mayor (to Rafe): “Detective Hunter confirmed that you and she have engaged in an inappropriate workplace relationship. You’re fired.”

DiMera Enterprises has the opposite problem: The principals would rather kill each other than sleep together. Megan kidnapped her sudden siblings Kristen and EJ and put them in the secret room at the DiMera mansion (where everyone has been held captive since the 1990s) in yet another tired story based on brainwashing.

EJ: “Megan injected us with a drug to erase our memories. We need you to bring them back.”
Marlena: “Megan wiped out your memories?”

One session and it all came flooding back.

EJ: “It’s all about getting control of the company!”

Did they really need Doc to figure out that demented Megan wanted daddy’s company? Marlena also helped Harris with his brainwashing, which went awry after receiving the initial instructions from Kate.

Kate (re: Megan): “I told him to kill the bitch.”

That’s going to spell trouble for Kate since she’s married to one of Salem’s most famous detectives.

Soap cops notoriously fraternize with people who are bad for them. GH’s Chase is on a merry-go-round with Brook Lynn, as is

Dante with his mobster dad every time Sonny tries to deflect questions about the latest shooting.

Dante: “I’m not asking as a cop. I’m asking as your son.”

Fellow cop Jordan Ashford met a guy at a bar and had a night of crazy sex. He later overheard her last name.

Zeke: “Ashford. Are you related to…”
Jordan: “Yes. I am Curtis’s ex-wife.”

Way to meet your sister’s new husband’s ex.

Jordan: “I realize this is awkward.”

Tracy is machinating all over the place with Ned in the attic searching for his leather pants and Valentin off in Valley View, I mean Chechnya.

Tracy: “ELQ is a Dumpster fire.”
Martin: “Why do you care?”
Tracy: “It’s my family’s company. With the CEO and second in command out of commission, the next obvious choice to run ELQ is you.”

Hiring the boyfriend of the woman she’s trying to cheat out of her company, Deception, to run ELQ … Can you spell c-o-n-f-l-i-c-t?

Hey. It’s only my 
opinion.