It’s Only My Opinion: The Best and Worst Stories Setting Up May Sweeps on GH, Y&R, DAYS, B&B, BTG
As soaps head into May, Carolyn Hinsey weighs in on the biggest highs and lows in the world of soap stories, from Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) setting General Hospital on fire to Malcolm’s (Shemar Moore) return shifting focus on The Young and the Restless, Sheila (Kimberlin Brown) teasing a return to the dark side before disappearing on The Bold and the Beautiful, Dani (Karla Mosley) and Bill (Timon Kyle Durrett) proving the past never dies on Beyond the Gates, and Sophia (Rachel Boyd) going out (?) with a bang on Days of Our Lives.
Best on GH: Carly and Valentin
The number one reason to enjoy the surprising romance of A-listers Carly and Valentin is that it got her away from WSB baddie Jack Brennan. It also plays to Carly’s strengths: Scolding people, being nosy, and taking no guff.
Carly (surveying the messy attic): “Did Josslyn kick your ass again?”
Valentin: “It didn’t come to blows.”
These WSB agents think they’re so smart but they’re all getting smoked. Brennan had no idea fugitive Valentin is hiding in his girlfriend’s attic, Cullum is clueless that he was shot by teenage Rocco (with his own gun!) and Sydney Bristow — I mean Josslyn — had to find out from her uncle that her mother is boffing Valentin.
Lucas: “She didn’t give me any details, which makes me think I know the person and I don’t like them.”
You can say that again. As May kicked off, Joss had just tipped off Brennan that her mother was cheating, Brennan broke into Carly’s bedroom demanding to know “Where is he?” and was shocked to find Valentin in the bed Brennan thought he alone shared with Carly. That’s too many spies for even Carly to handle, setting off an explosive May Sweeps.
Worst on GH: Too Many Secrets
Secrets are a soap staple, but GH is awash in people hiding major plot points from each other going back years (e.g. Sonny killing an FBI agent on the Quartermaine estate in 2024). For argument’s sake, let’s focus on current confidences: Carly’s hiding Valentin, Joss is WSB (and killed Cyrus), Cullum killed Marco, Rocco shot Cullum and Jason took the fall to protect him, Britt’s involved with Sidwell, Sidwell murdered Dalton and is blackmailing Laura with a photo of his body in her trunk, Willow shot Drew and is drugging him, and Nathan is really Cassius. Add “Who is Phoebe’s father?” and “Who hit Jordan?” to the mix and it sometimes feels like the show is treading water trying to keep all those storyline balls in the air. It’s time for some blabbing!
Best on Y&R: Malcolm Returns!
It’s always fun to welcome an OG family member back, and Malcolm needing a bone marrow transplant to fight aplastic anemia gave him a good reason to return. The show dove right in with the shocker that Malcolm and Stephanie had a child back in the day, and it was Holden. Testing began for a match and a surprising result came in: Cane Ashby.
Cane: “I’m not exactly Malcolm’s favorite person.”
Holden: “You are now.”
Stephanie laid out the medical procedure and they all celebrated that Malcolm might recover. The arc rejuvenated the Winters family, gave us a reason to care about Holden, and created a glide path for Cane to win Lily back — plus it’s always great to see Malcolm. Every scene of Malcolm and Lily admiring Neil’s photo on the wall at the jazz club is found money.
Worst on Y&R: What Happens In Vegas Should Stay In Vegas
Bringing Matt Clark back in 2025 with a different actor was always a risk (even with powerhouse Roger Howarth in the role) and playing him in a series of spotty stories (He’s Mitch! He’s married! He’s dead!) hasn’t helped. The latest was a confusing sojourn to Las Vegas that involved Nick getting hooked on drugs, Adam’s old life as an amnesiac card shark named Spider (!), and of course Y&R’s go-to: Kidnapping.
Noah (to Sharon, handcuffed to a pole): “There’s no way Dad isn’t coming for us.”
Indeed, Nick and Adam rescued Sharon and Noah just before Matt set off an explosion. (Matt was later wrongly presumed dead and his resurrection comes to light in early May.) To review: This is the fourth time in two years that Sharon Newman has been kidnapped (Cameron, Jordan, Martin, Matt). Even an actor of Howarth’s caliber faces an uphill climb telling the same story on repeat.
Best on B&B: Liam Enters The Chat
The Spencer scion was sidelined after he cheated death and married Hope, so it was great to see him play a pivotal role in the Logan launch. Liam ran the numbers while trying to stay neutral celebrating Katie’s success as his mother-in-law Brooke stuck her nose into their new fashion biz. His real stroke of genius came at the end of the month when he learned Steffy had sidelined Hope For The Future at Forrester just as discussion ramped up about Logan needing a designer.
Liam: “What if Logan’s next line was yours?”
Hope: “The fallout would be…”
Katie: “Explosive.”
And so deliciously soapy. Liam’s pitch included the excitement of working with his wife but he left out the most important selling point: Hope is a Logan! Allow me to add a bonus: It will drive Ridge, Brooke and Steffy crazy.
Worst on B&B: The Sheila Reveal Fizzles
The soap was on a roll with Taylor and Deacon’s affair escalating to Sheila threatening her rival with a pizza cutter. Taylor reported the scary scene to Deacon, who came clean to Sheila — with a request.
Deacon: “You can’t retaliate against the people I love.”
Sheila: “I’m not going to hurt Hope or Deke or Taylor because I’m not that person anymore. I hope this shows how much I love you.”
Since when is not murdering people a sign of affection? Sheila made a grand speech about how they had promised “’til death do us part,” which was rich: Sheila has been married four times (and has five children with four different men), so her glass house is gleaming on that one. Deacon fought back, saying her lies caused him to lose faith in their marriage. Sheila’s responses were confusing, ping-ponging between menacing threats to “everything’s fine,” which led them to… what?
We have no idea. We haven’t seen Sheila since April 10, when she ominously spied on Taylor and Deacon through a window. It’s one thing to make us tune in tomorrow. “Tune in next month” is asking a lot.
Best on BTG: Flames Flicker Between Bill and Dani
You can’t go wrong with the Duprees celebrating Easter brunch at a big raucous table while Bill Hamilton sits across the room pouting with his bitter, gold-digging (murderous) wife Hayley wishing he was still part of the family. Bill and Dani cross regularly now, prompting her to call them “friends with beneficiaries” after Bill told her he’s leaving his law firm to Naomi. They perk up when they see each other (despite supposedly happy new marriages) and welcome any opportunity to share a drink which always sparks reminiscing and, on Bill’s part, regret.
Bill (toasting Dani’s business): “Congratulations on your first year. If anyone can reignite themselves into an even brighter star, it’s you.”
Dani: “Sweet on me, sweet to me. I could get used to this version of Big Bad Bill.”
Me too!
Worst on BTG: The Plasma Ring
Last month I begged for the convoluted tale of a plasma harvesting ring to move forward, but here we are. There’s still no jeopardy. BTG is not going to kill Jacob, we don’t know Grayson, and the hospital “danger” isn’t landing. Elevators have cameras. Look at the footage and this story is over.
Best on DAYS: The Jig Is Up For Sophia
For now, anyway. It was tough watching a mentally ill teen get the better of every teenager, parent, and doctor in Salem while acting like she could have reasonably cared for a baby for even five minutes. Pairing Sophia with lunatic Kristen allowed DAYS to lean into the crazy as the two plotted to kill Johnny because he committed the cardinal sin of adopting Sophia’s baby and being EJ’s son.
Sophia: “Johnny DiMera will be no more.”
Johnny (tied up): “Don’t do this. You are a good person!”
Not anymore; she lit a candle near nail polish remover and left him for dead. Rachel Boyd is too talented an actress to lose for long, so here’s hoping she resurfaces with a well-written tale setting Sophia on a different path. Paging Marlena!
Worst on DAYS: Jeremy’s Exit
What was the point of resurrecting a core member of the Horton family just to use him as a red herring for Stephanie’s stalker and then toss him aside? Knowing full well that Stephanie loves her husband Alex, Jeremy courted her, followed her, tried to kiss her, etc. until she finally threw him out of her life.
Julie (to Jeremy re: Stephanie): “Maybe it’s time to forget what’s impossible and open yourself to something new.”
Away from Salem… What a waste!
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