The Best And Worst On BTG, B&B, DAYS, GH And Y&R The Week Of Sept. 1-5
From the return of a beloved supercouple on Days of Our Lives to the long-awaited shooting of Drew on General Hospital and Claire shocking Kyle on The Young and the Restless, here are our critics’ picks for the best and worst on soaps last week.
The Best
General Hospital: Who Shot Drew?
It was only a matter of time before the most hated man in Port Charles got two bullets in the back.
“Rough estimate,” posited Anna to Chase. “How many people do you think want Drew dead?” Chase responded that it was a long list, and he wasn’t kidding. Alexis, Michael, Sonny, Carly, Curtis, Portia, Nina and Willow are at the top, but many other Drew haters had motive and opportunity.
As word spread of his shooting, the glee was palpable. Ava proposed a toast to main suspect Alexis (“My mom is sober!” interjected a horrified Kristina) while Tracy stated matter-of-factly that her nephew had finally pushed someone too far. Portia offered to scrub in to the disgraced congressman’s surgery, which gave her ample opportunity to off the man who’d been blackmailing her (the doc didn’t take it). Drew survived, giving PC residents the chance to hotly debate all the questions surrounding who did it.
Anna’s on it. When Chase asked what she thought of Nina and Willow’s (flimsy) cover story, her response was clear: “They’re lying.”
Young and Restless: Claire Goes Rogue
A few months ago Claire would have been thrilled to have Kyle propose marriage. But after learning he kissed Audra in Nice to expose Audra’s alliance with Victor — and then lied about it — Y&R’s newest Newman put the kibosh on an immediate future with the Abbott scion.
“Do you not see what a big red flag it is that you withheld this from me?” she demanded after Kyle got down on one knee with a ring. “That’s not the kind of relationship I want.” After declaring his proposal an act of desperation, Claire beelined to Crimson Lights, where she ran into Holden and asked him if he wanted to get drunk (which she had never done before). They headed to Society where Claire drank her body weight in vesper martinis while grilling Holden about his relationship with Audra in Los Angeles.
Enter Audra to needle Claire about Kyle. “You’re a miserable, hateful, vicious bitch,” responded Claire, who has clearly found her voice. She went on to call Audra a pathetic joke and a liar who had no friends and no job and by the way, where’s Nate? Audra tried to slap her but Holden stepped in and suggested they leave. Claire’s parting shot: “I almost feel sorry for you.”
Back at Crimson Lights, Holden praised Claire for giving as well as she got. “I’m not going to stop,” vowed the tipsy Claire.
Bold and Beautiful: Thomas Returns
If B&B insists on going there again with the Ridge/Brooke/Taylor triangle (see below) then bringing Thomas back is an excellent way to create drama. He wasn’t back one day before he made his hatred of Brooke known to Ridge, Taylor, Brooke and Eric.
“I’m excited to see my parents finally get up on that altar,” Thomas asserted to Eric, knowing full well his grandfather is Team Brooke. All parents should have kids as supportive as Thomas, hedged Eric, pointing out Ridge and Taylor haven’t set a date.
Down the hall at Forrester Creations, Katie and Brooke were discussing Thomas’s return. Katie reminded her sister that Thomas is “unstable and unpredictable,” but Brooke defended him, saying he just wants his parents back together. Thomas soon appeared to insist Brooke stay away from Ridge and Taylor (which might be a moot point since the week ended with Ridge telling Taylor he couldn’t marry her).
In addition to being a thorn in Ridge and Brooke’s romance, Thomas could be a believable wrinkle in the Hope/Carter/Liam triangle and will hopefully get to the bottom of his former fiancée’s mother Grace blackmailing Bill Spencer — and just wait until Steffy gets home!
Days of Our Lives: Jack And Jenn Return
“You’re keeping your promise to visit Salem more often!” exulted Julie as she welcomed Jack and Jennifer home to celebrate JJ’s birthday. Julie soon dispatched Jack to pick up the cake so she and Jenn could diss Chad’s growing feelings for Cat — the woman who impersonated Jack and Jenn’s murdered daughter Abigail. “We have so little time,” harrumphed Julie. “I don’t want to spend it talking about a woman we both don’t care about.”
Speaking of women they don’t care about, Jack ran into his (recently discovered) daughter Gwen while picking up the cake. She pretended to not care she was not included in JJ’s party or that the Hortons all hate her. Jack theorized that Gwen’s husband Dimitri hurt her so she channeled her hostility into hurting Julie by buying her stolen diamond necklace. That struck a nerve, so the perpetually-bitter Gwen lashed out by accusing Jack of siding with the Hortons “over his own bloody daughter.”
Back at the house, Chad and Steve joined the gang for DAYS’s traditional Horton cake, balloons and gifts as they all sang to JJ. But when Jack and Jenn got Chad alone, his affection for Cat was obvious — a clear sign they need to stick around.
The Worst
GH: Britt Happens (But Not Fast Enough)
Britt Westbourne — who died on screen in 2023 — has been back since mid-July and we still don’t know 1) how she survived, 2) if she still has Huntington’s Disease, 3) who she’s working for, or 4) why she’s involved with all these thugs. It doesn’t help that she’s isolated at a hotel called The Five Poppies in Croatia working for a baddie named Pascal who is somehow involved with fellow newbies Professor Dalton and Jenz Sidwell back in PC.
Despite Jason finding her and offering to bring her home, Britt ordered him to leave. But then… “You have to come back!” she begged, using the burner phone Jason gave her in case of emergency after she stumbled on WSB agents Josslyn and Vaughn being held hostage by Pascal. Jason returned, only to get shot at by the latest assassin du jour before finding a note from Britt on how to locate her. Naturally, he raced to her location, gun drawn.
The problem here is that GH tied the presumed-dead Dr. Westbourne to all these random villains at a foreign resort with zero explanation for any of it — and then dropped Jason Morgan into the mix. Two months have passed, and the story is dragging. Bring her home!
B&B: Enough with Ridge, Brooke and Taylor
“It’s been years since we planned a wedding!” chirped Taylor to Ridge like it was a cocktail party instead of a lifetime commitment. Did we say “lifetime”? Ridge and Taylor have been wed to each other four times. Their last ceremony was in 2022, interrupted by Steffy blabbing that Taylor knew Thomas made the fake CPS call to break up Ridge and Brooke.
Oh right, Brooke. She and Ridge have walked down the aisle eight times to each other. All told, these three have 26 marriages between them which means they have way too much experience to be playing these immature games. And why is B&B treating Ridge’s choice here like end game?
“Admit it,” Eric scolded his AARP-aged son who has been married 15 times. “Brooke is the one you are destined to be with until your dying day.” Enter Thomas to chastise his grandfather that he should want Ridge with Taylor because “everything will get better once they are husband and wife again.” Cut to the women begging Ridge to pick them and it’s like a cringey episode of The Golden Bachelor — and B&B can’t use any OG flashbacks to add rooting value because Ridge and Taylor have been recast (Taylor multiple times).
After 35 years of ping-ponging, here’s hoping Ridge’s Friday declaration that he can’t marry Taylor will mark the end of this tired triangle. Even on soaps, marriage should be more than a minor plot point.
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