The Best And Worst On BTG, B&B, DAYS, GH And Y&R The Week Of June 23-27

From a surprisingly touching conversation between Bill and Dani on Beyond The Gates to the smug grin getting wiped off Drew’s face on General Hospital and Phyllis’s neediness on The Young and the Restless, here are our critics’ picks for the best and worst on soaps last week.

The Best

Beyond The Gates: Bill Apologizes To Dani

Dani was right to be suspicious when Bill showed up for a chat, so she cut right to the chase.

“Why are you sitting on my couch drinking my scotch?” demanded the vixen. Her ex-husband stalled, asking why she hadn’t changed anything in the house since their divorce. Just because their furniture “stinks” of him is no reason to part with it, she retorted. Then Bill cut to the chase: He wanted to thank Dani for coming to the hospital when he had his stroke, comforting him, and willing him back to being big, bad Bill Hamilton. He acknowledged that he hurt her when he cheated on her with Hayley but said he had been going through the motions in their marriage long before his much-younger second wife came along.

“You couldn’t give me a damn hint?” snapped Dani. Bill said he preferred the battle to the guilt but he should have seen Dani’s pain and honored her — and he was truly sorry. Dani softened; she had waited a long time to hear that.

Bill being Bill, he went too far by stressing that their heartfelt conversation didn’t mean he was coming back to her.

“You weren’t invited,” retorted Dani.

General Hospital: Tracy Defeats Drew

Drew was due for a comedown, and Tracy was the perfect person to deliver it after he framed her as the person who drugged him with ketamine on GH. (Portia and Nina were the culprits.) Drew proposed dropping his bogus charges in exchange for Tracy delivering a fawning speech to the media about him that would allow him to use the Quartermaine name. Tracy was in over-my-dead-body mode until a reality check from her granddaughter. “It’s a matter of record that you framed Alexis for drunk driving,” chastised Brook Lynn. “Swallow your pride and take it.”

Gulp. Tracy accepted the deal but Drew couldn’t resist goading her before she took the mic, saying his ability to one-up her was proof he was a “real Quartermaine.” Think again, seethed Tracy, who proceeded to tell the room full of reporters that Drew 1) took the Ketamine willingly, 2) planted the drug in her car, and 3) was a disgrace to the Quartermaine family. She threw in the video of Drew having sex with his nephew’s wife in the children’s playroom for good measure and the place went wild. Enter Cody to say he left the drug (ostensibly used for his horse) in her car and it was all a big misunderstanding. Defeated, Drew slunk away.

Bonus: It turned out Cody’s “confession” was false because, as Tracy bragged to Brook Lynn, real Quartermaines actually “get things done.”

Days of Our Lives: Andrew And Paul Wed

John’s family was overdue for some happiness, so they were in full support when his son Paul decided to wed so soon after his Days of our Lives funeral. Marlena even gave John’s watch to Andrew to give to Paul the morning of the wedding as “something old” and “something borrowed indefinitely.”

Brady was Paul’s best man (in place of John), Shane stood up for his son Andrew, Kayla stood in for her sister Kim as “sub-in Mother of the Groom” and Eric officiated. He began the ceremony with the traditional sharing of the cups to pay homage to Paul’s family in Japan. Paul and Andrew’s vows cited their travels together, their journeys of coming out, and how they are happy and whole together. Paul said he followed in his father’s footsteps not only at Black Patch but also in prioritizing romance with Andrew, which brought them to this day. “We all needed a double dose of life-affirming joy,” praised Marlena afterwards as the champagne flowed.

One quibble: After the grooms exchanged rings and promised eternal devotion, Eric pronounced them married and they… hugged. Even a small soap wedding on folding chairs in a park should end with a kiss, so that moment rang false.

“Look, a rainbow!” said Rachel at the end, pointing to the sky. That’s better.

Young and Restless: Trouble For Claire And Kyle

Let’s face it: Claire and Kyle had gotten boring on Young and Restless. So it was promising to see her hanging out with newcomer Holden while Kyle was zooming Audra in Nice.

Claire’s encounter began innocently enough when worry over her father Cole’s health caused her to suffer a panic attack. “Take deep breaths,” advised a shirtless Holden, who came upon her while running in the park. He calmed Claire down and suggested they go for a drink at Society, where the two settled in and got better acquainted.

Meanwhile, a bikini-clad Audra coyly handed a tube of Jabot’s Birthday Suit sunscreen to Kyle by the pool and asked for help. “Do you mind?” she asked, gesturing to her back. He did not. The two were stuck abroad (with most of Genoa City) thanks to a storm that prevented them from leaving Cane’s compound and that gave them ample time to concentrate on their respective (monkey) business. “Maybe we can work together and come up with something… memorable,” cooed Audra.

Billy observed the scene and asked Sally what it was all about. “Trouble,” she surmised. Good!

The Worst

Bold and Beautiful: Taylor’s Awkward Proposal

It hasn’t helped the latest recast of Taylor Hayes that Bold and Beautiful isn’t playing the bulk of her history. The shrink previously drove drunk and contributed to Darla’s death, shot Bill Spencer, and withheld the truth about Brooke’s supposed call to CPS in order to nab Ridge for herself (in between her many other husbands and misdeeds). Rebecca Budig’s Taylor is appealing, but she’s being written as so insecure that she thinks becoming Ridge’s 15th wife will erase his feelings for Brooke and they will live happily ever after.

“I want you to be my husband,” proposed Taylor out of the blue at lunch. “Tell me you want that too!” She then gave a long speech about their “incredible future” before pulling out a ring from one of their previous marriages. Ridge responded that she caught him “off guard” — not exactly a ringing endorsement — but dutifully placed the sparkler on her finger. His conflict was made more obvious when, rather than calling their family with the good news, he wanted to talk about his ex.

“I don’t think Brooke is going to be thrilled,” speculated Ridge. “I don’t envy you having to share this news with Brooke,” echoed Taylor.

They share children and a rich past, but it’s hard to buy this newly betrothed duo when their discussions center on his ex-wife rather than any genuine feelings they have for each other today.

Y&R: Needy Is Not A Good Color On Phyllis

After months of haranguing Daniel to come work with her at a nonexistent job that she was begging Billy to hire her for, Phyllis wrangled an invitation to Nice from her old pal Amanda so she could corner famed billionaire Aristotle Dumas. Through it all, her neediness was showing on Y&R.

“You are not eavesdropping on our private conversation,” scolded Amanda after Phyllis emerged from the bushes while Amanda was meeting with Dumas, er, Cane. No, lied Phyllis, pushing so hard that Cane agreed to give her 10 minutes to pitch her expertise on navigating the C suites of Genoa City. Cane was skeptical as Phyllis listed her attributes (including the “killer instinct” he would need to run Chancellor); Amanda labeled her desperate. “I’ve never been desperate,” insisted Phyllis. “There’s no fear in me!”

She is all fear lately, and it’s hard to watch. Phyllis built The Grand Phoenix, edited Restless Style, was CEO of Dark Horse and used to be the web go-to for the entire town. Now she’s begging lesser mortals for B-list jobs because, as she admitted to Sharon (of all people), she’s afraid of going broke. This formerly unstoppable force needs to pull herself up by her stilettos and make it happen for herself — like she’s been doing for the last 30 years.