The Best And Worst On BTG, B&B, DAYS, GH And Y&R The Week Of April 21-25
GH’s Lucky (Jonathan Jackson, l.), B&B’s Liam (Scott Clifton) and Y&R’s Jack (Peter Bergman) and Diane (Susan Walters) were at the center of this week’s highs and lows.
The Best
Days of Our Lives: Fundraiser Follies
What could go wrong at a Bachelor Auction? A lot, worried Chad, who agreed to be one of the dates “sold” as part of Salem’s effort to save University Hospital. Charlotte was afraid that whoever bid on her dad was going to take him away from her, a consequence of having lost her mother, Abigail, at such a young age. Maggie sympathized with Chad’s concerns and his urge to back out after seeing his daughter’s separation anxiety. “Charlotte knows you’re never going to go away from her or replace Abigail,” Maggie assured him.
Cue the auction. Kayla started the bidding, touting Chad’s status as a handsome media mogul who wouldn’t be on the market long. “One million dollars for a date with Chad DiMera!” Maggie yelled out. Wow… Chad thanked Maggie for supporting such a good cause and for saving him from the random date he was dreading. Who says she saved him? asked Maggie mischievously. “I just dropped a million dollars on you, buddy,” she said. “I expect to be wined and dined!”
Beyond The Gates: Karaoke Comeback
It’s tough for a soap opera to believably integrate musical performances, but the through line of Anita having been a professional singer — who sang around the house but missed performing — set the stage perfectly for her family to coax her back into the limelight. (It helps that Anita’s portrayer, Tamara Tunie, is an accomplished singer and Broadway performer.) Dani and Naomi lured their mom/grandma to the club on false pretenses and handed Anita the microphone. She was hesitant, saying her voice wasn’t the same as when she was at the top of her game with The Articulates, but they persisted. Vernon finally convinced his wife to take the stage by giving her a thumbs up and mouthing, “You got this.” Anita had a few false starts but managed to clear her throat and launch into a boffo performance, backed by the smooth moves of her scheming daughter and granddaughter.
“Feeling good…” crooned Anita as her family bopped along and Chelsea recorded it. Vernon later used that video to prove to Anita how great her performance had been and encourage her to do more. “That was just us having fun with the family, like we do at home,” she downplayed. Yes — which is why it worked.
Young and Restless: Mansion Makeover
The minute we saw the portraits of the Abbott family on the fireplace mantel, we knew Jack was going to flip over Diane’s makeover of his childhood home. But Y&R set it up beautifully, with Jack voicing his nervousness about the change to anyone who would listen, and lamenting all the loved ones he had said good-bye to in that house. When it came time for the unveiling, Jack stood there in stunned silence.
“Talk to me!” begged Diane. “It’s perfect,” he gasped, praising Diane for capturing a flawless blend of old world style and contemporary aesthetic. Jack could even see his late father there, which Y&R proved with a series of flashbacks of Jack and his beloved dad in that very room. Topping it off were copies of Traci’s books on the bookshelves, fabrics Jack had admired in Traci’s home and a painting over the fireplace that Dina had given John which Diane had found in the attic. Kyle congratulated his mom, and they toasted his mom’s triumph with champagne.
“I cannot wait for Ashley and Traci to see what you’ve done,” beamed Jack. Hurry home, ladies!
General Hospital: More Trouble For Alexis
Alexis Davis had a tough week. She went to visit her ex-husband Ric in the hospital and learned he 1) knew about Kristina cutting the brakes, which caused his and Elizabeth’s “accident” and 2) was part of Ava’s blackmail scheme against her. “The money’s nice,” taunted Ric, “but for Molly to realize you will always protect Kristina over her is the best gift I can give my daughter.”
Ouch. Diane tried to convince her law partner that the best way to keep Kristina out of jail was to send her to an asylum, but Alexis couldn’t bring herself to sign the document. Unfortunately, Molly got her hands on the papers and showed them to her sister. “Mom is planning on having me committed?” gasped Kristina (who doesn’t know Alexis is well aware of her crimes). The sisters debated what to do and decided to confront Alexis, ending her week as badly as it had begun.
“What’s going on?” said Alexis brightly when they surprised her in her office. Kristina shoved the commitment papers in her face and snarked, “You tell me, Mommy Dearest.”
The Worst
B&B: A Miss Before Dying
It was a bold choice to give Liam an inoperable brain tumor, but his refusal to tell anyone — and his persistent denials about what was wrong with him — made little sense. Liam fainted twice, hit his head, spent days in the hospital unconscious, then checked himself out prematurely (to go to a dance with daughter Kelly) only to get the shocking diagnosis from Steffy.
“I thought I should be the one to tell you the news,” sobbed his ex-wife (as opposed to, you know, his doctor). “I’m not dying,” he laughed, repeating it over and over to the point where it almost was laughable. Liam’s defense against the truth included: I’m young, I eat healthy, I exercise, I have faith, it’s the 21st century, medicine can do anything, I’ve got two young kids, I can’t be sick, we’re all dying sooner or later… you name the excuse, he used it.
Regardless of the outcome, Liam has a brain tumor. His claim that “my daughters are the two most important people in the world to me!” falls flat when the only person who knows the truth is Steffy. His other ex-wife — Hope — also deserves the truth, as does their daughter Beth, who we haven’t seen with Liam in over six months. When a major player like Liam Spencer gets a death sentence, it’s important to play all the beats for it to be believed.
GH: Lucky Keeps Kristina’s Secret
In what world would Lucky let Kristina get away with causing Elizabeth’s car accident? GH has been so effective playing up the cute factor between these two high school sweethearts, but longtime fans know Lucky has been plenty rotten (and even abusive) to Elizabeth in the past. The show can’t have it both ways, emphasizing that Lucky is Liz’s devoted protector while also having him lie to her about something so serious. How can we get behind the Lucky of 2025 being deserving of Liz if he doesn’t do right by her re: the reason she was almost killed?
“You made a terrible mistake, but you can learn from it,” Lucky counseled Kristina. “Make amends.” He should take his own advice before this lie gets in the way of the trust he’s rebuilding with Liz — along with their rooting value, which is on thin ice.
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