The Best And Worst On BTG, B&B, DAYS, GH And Y&R The Week Of July 28-Aug. 1

From Nick pursuing Brooke on Bold and Beautiful to Willow calling off the wedding at the altar on General Hospital and Victor vowing revenge on The Young and the Restless, here are our critics’ picks for the best and worst on all the soaps last week.

The Best

Bold and Beautiful: Nick Makes His Move

“Naples, here we come!” enthused Brooke, as Nick was imagining the new life he planned to surprise her with in Italy (which included an engagement ring). He caught up with her on the sparkling Mediterranean and they embraced.

“I saw Brooke with Nick, they were kissing,” Eric tattled to Ridge, outlining that Nick had designs on marriage that Ridge could squash if he would admit his true feelings for Brooke. Harrumph, responded Ridge.

After a successful fashion show in Capri, Brooke and Ridge found themselves alone on the water where she poured her heart out about how there are too many memories for them in Italy and it hurts that he’s engaged to Taylor. Enter Nick to suggest Brooke get off the Ridge merry-go-round once and for all. “Come with me,” he offered, extending his hand. She took it.

While it’s hard to invest in the prospect of a longtime Nick/Brooke reunion when we know Jack Wagner is only back on B&B for a limited run, the gorgeous Italian landscape was the perfect backdrop to revisit this juicy 20 year-old love triangle. Nick calling Ridge out on his flip-flopping BS is always welcome, and it’s a treat to see gloomy Brooke light up in his presence — to the point where she even dismissed Eric’s counsel that she not say yes to Nick while there was still time for Ridge to come around.

“Ciao!” Brooke responded as she took off with the ship captain…

Young and Restless: Victor Vows Revenge On Cane

It was tough to watch take-no-prisoners Victor Newman trapped in Nice while Aristotle Dumas, er, Cane Ashby toyed with Y&R’s A-listers. But when things turned violent and Nick got injured, Victor showed Cane who’s boss.

“The Newmans are fighters,” he warned Cane. “We don’t go down easily. And when we do, we don’t stay down for long.” Victor went on to say that only weak men assume another identity (like Cane did) because they can’t cut it on their own. The deaths of Damian and Chance in Nice are Cane’s legacy, and he’s a punk who needs to “watch his ass” because no one wants him in Genoa City — that’s Victor’s town. (Talk about taking the reins and getting your mojo back!)

Cane made a snarky remark about how lucky the other residents were that Victor lets them live in “his” town but Victor wasn’t having it. “I’m not your rival,” he told Cane. “I’m your worst enemy.” He proved it when they got home by calling a family meeting to make sure the Newmans were all on the same page. “If we stick together,” promised Victor, “we shall prevail.”

The Mustache is back!

General Hospital: Wedding Fallout

Drew and Willow blew up in the only way possible: Spectacularly!

There was Drew at the altar, vowing to grow old with Willow and make her happy forever. “Did you sleep with my mother?” responded Willow.

Hem, haw…. Yes or no? “Yes, Nina and I had an encounter but I only had feelings for you,” sputtered Drew. That wasn’t necessarily better, spit the stunned bride, adding that Drew destroyed her marriage, cost her her children, and was willing to say anything to “get” her including tell a terrible lie that hurt her son. “I trusted you, and now I have nothing!” she cried.

Alexis scuttled young Scout out of there as guests like Ava, Liesl and Elizabeth stared open-mouthed at Drew finally getting what he deserved from Willow, and then Nina. (You know it’s bad when Ric Lansing has to cover his eyes.) Willow went straight to Carly’s house in her wedding dress, pounding on the door and yelling for Wiley and Amelia like a demented Chucky doll. “Take a look at yourself, you’re a mess,” Michael chastised his hysterical ex, threatening to call security. Ric and Elizabeth found Willow in a heap at Carly’s front door muttering “my children” over and over and took her to Elizabeth’s house.

Drew, meanwhile, went looking for his runaway paramour at the Quartermaines. “You misplaced your bride already?” chortled Tracy. “How very careless of you.”

Michael advised Willow to get her act together, while Elizabeth told Drew to give Willow space. Neither listened — which guarantees that this spectacularly soapy mess will keep spinning out.

Beyond The Gates: The Duprees Step Up for Anita

It was a bumpy ride for The Articulettes on the road to their reunion concert, but the Duprees made sure “Gran” and her fellow singers had everything they needed to wow the crowd.

Anita’s model/influencer granddaughter Chelsea surveyed their costumes, searching for positive words like classic, elegant and retro. “I do believe she’s found three painful ways of calling us ancient,” responded an amused Tracy. Chelsea agreed to make the outfits more “spicy” and convinced the ladies to do a video for their “socials.” Kat supported the video of them “Articulette-ing” and Dani convinced Martin to show up at the concert to quiet the gossip about him.

Before heading to the arena, Vernon suggested they all gather to hold hands and support the group because that’s what it means to be a family. “Amen!” agreed four generations of Duprees.

The ladies then took the stage, where they proved once and for all they were indeed “Articulette Strong.”

The Worst

Days of Our Lives: Disorder In The Court

Yes, it’s a soap and yes, there have been some amusing moments with Belle and EJ crawling out of the same bed to argue opposite sides of The People vs. Johnny DiMera. But the absurdity of Belle and EJ being involved in a case where the defendant is EJ’s son and Belle’s nephew grows more glaring with every episode.

“Whatever happens in that courtroom, I need you to know that I love you and I believe in you,” DA Belle told Johnny in a clear violation of her oath of office before another day of prosecuting her lover EJ’s son (who is also her sister Sami’s son). Belle’s speeches about the rule of law fell flat when she reminded the jury that EJ is the shooting victim as well as the defense attorney and the father of the accused (!). We’ve heard of small-town justice, but this is ridiculous… Wait.

“I’m set to testify against my grandson,” announced Roman before taking the stand. “You were once my father-in-law, were you not?” began EJ during a cross examination where he tried to establish that Roman hated EJ marrying Sami so much that maybe Roman shot EJ. Other DAYS witnesses included Chad DiMera who is EJ’s brother/Johnny’s uncle, and Police Commissioner Jada Hunter who is sleeping with Belle’s ex-husband Shawn Brady.

We’re all for a soapy trial, but this one stretches every credulity — including EJ having amnesia about the night he was shot.

Y&R: The End Of The Chancellor Name

Killing legacy character Phillip Chancellor IV in a cockamamie plot involving nuCane and a homicidal weirdo means losing the last link to the venerable Chancellor name, and that’s a big mistake. (Katherine’s grandson Devon via Tucker McCall is called Winters.)

Fans know the show was losing Chance’s portrayer Conner Floyd to DAYS, but the decision to do away with his character in such a brutal and definitive way feels incredibly shortsighted, especially since we haven’t seen any on-air repercussions to justify it. Where’s Chance’s mother Nina? His grandmother Jill Abbott? His great aunt Lauren Fenmore? His Aunty Christine?

Chance didn’t even get the respect of someone close to him finding out he had died in a meaningful Y&R moment. When Amy, who respectfully we barely know, found out about the death of her son Damian, who respectfully we barely knew, the scenes packed a real emotional punch. There’s a callousness to sacrificing Chance for Cane in a way that makes fans feel like they care more about the history and legacy of the show than the show does, and that’s a serious violation of viewer trust.

Chance could easily have just left town instead of being wiped from the history books. Instead, we’ve lost our last named link to our beloved Duchess — and the only cop left in town.