The Best And Worst On GH, Y&R, DAYS, B&B and BTG The Week Of Sept. 29-Oct. 3
From two half sisters who deserve better than the man they’re fighting over on Beyond The Gates to Ric’s brazen attempt to escape on General Hospital and Sally forgiving Billy on The Young and the Restless, here are our critics’ picks for the best and worst on soaps last week.
The Best
Bold and Beautiful: Electra Finds Her Voice
What’s worse than finding out your boyfriend slept with another girl? Finding out that girl is a convicted murderer who stalked him, drugged him, posed as you in bed with him, and got pregnant. But despite how devastated Electra Forrester was to learn all that, the normally meek jewelry designer rose up and confronted Luna after the psycho announced Will was going to love her and their child.
“What a load of crap,” denounced Electra, spitting that Luna doesn’t know what love is. Look at the sick lengths she went to to get Will in bed? Luna baited Electra, saying Will was the best she ever had and she felt all fluttery with the “magic” of having his love child. They’re going to be one big happy family, and there’s nothing Electra can do about it.
Oh, yeah? Electra punched Luna in the face (!) and said Will will never love her no matter what she does. Will echoed that, saying he can’t stand looking at Luna and wishes the presumed-dead murderer had stayed dead. “Go to your room,” ordered Bill, who is inexplicably housing the B&B baddie until a paternity test proves her claims.
Post-confrontation, Will pulled Electra close and told her he needs her. Electra needed something different: “Time to think.”
Days of Our Lives: Xarah Reunites
Xander and Sarah broke up after she covered for his brother Philip’s lie that he was entitled to Titan. She did that because she was afraid Xander would get violent if he found out the truth. That’s exactly what happened, but Philip covered up the beating. From there, Xander went to therapy, Sarah softened towards him, and they had sex during the blackout.
“I’m so glad we had this breakthrough!” beamed Sarah, eating ice cream in bed with Xander as their daughter slept in the next room. They talked about all the sex they had and how lucky they are to have reunited. Sarah said she’s looking forward to going to couples counseling to continue on a positive path. Xander’s hesitant about rehashing their problems, which we know is because he lied about not beating up Philip. That will be a deal breaker for Sarah if/when it comes out, which it surely will since she is so eager to build on their, ahem, active reunion by going to therapy.
“If you want us to be together in a healthy way for the long term,” she asserted, “this is how we’re going to do it.” That DAYS therapist is going to earn their money!
Beyond The Gates: Sister Act
The premise is Soaps 101: Two young, beautiful women who just discovered they are half sisters fighting over the same man. Kat hates Eva for being the product of her father’s long-ago affair with Leslie (the revelation broke up Kat’s parents’ marriage). Kat was a virgin before going to bed with Tomas and later admitted the sex was… meh, which is an unusual reveal. Tomas struggled with that, confiding in Eva that he couldn’t please her sister/enemy. Eva took that as a challenge and took Tomas to the bedroom.
Ding-dong! It was Kat arriving to make peace and suggest they could become sisters who “share things.” Tomas emerged in a towel, a raucous scene ensued (“You are both garbage”), and Kat stormed out. The cowardly Tomas gathered his clothes and told Eva he never meant to use her. “We made love,” responded the tearful girl. “It mattered!”
Not to Tomas. He blathered that he will always be grateful to Eva for the “beautiful escape” but when the real world came knocking he realized he made a mistake. Eva threw him out and collapsed on the floor.
That scene illustrates the one problem with this BTG triangle: The wishy-washy, weak Tomas is so not worthy of these powerhouse women! Chelsea said as much to Kat, asking why she would even want Tomas after that tawdry mess.
Kat’s response was Soaps 101: “I am not letting Eva win!”
General Hospital: Ric Tries To Escape
There were Alexis and Ava discussing the perils of keeping Ric locked in the basement, with Alexis correctly pointing out that everybody has a limit. Cut to Ric escaping and holding a knife to Alexis’s throat.
“Molly’s not going to like it if you kill her mother,” responded a calm Alexis. Ric demanded his ex call the cops and confess everything she’s done. Wait, better yet, call Elizabeth — who just happened to be talking to Molly at the hospital when the phone rang. “Aaaargh!” heard Elizabeth before the phone went dead.
Turned out Ava had walked into the hostage house and thrown hot coffee in Ric’s face to save Alexis. She clocked him again for good measure, then the two women got the passed-out Ric back in the basement. “Why is he so heavy?” mused Alexis. “Must be his fat head.” As they chained him to the bed, Ava discovered all the sleeping pills he’d hidden which had allowed him to escape.
Ric came to and begged to be released. His GH captors informed him he only had 10 days to go before the money he pilfered would be properly put back in the Cassadine estate and Ava’s divorce settlement. They forced a pill down him and figured their work was done. “He took his shot and missed,” asserted Ava. “He’s not getting another one.”
But Elizabeth recognized Ric’s voice in that call and is suspicious…
The Worst
Young and Restless: Sally Forgives Billy? No.
Have some self-respect, girl. Billy Abbott is a walking, talking red flag who convinced Sally to quit her job at Marchetti and join him at start-up Abbott Communications, then bailed when Cane had a better (and possibly illegal) offer. That left Sally in the lurch with no job and a boyfriend who continually lies to her.
“You gambled, that’s what you do,” she cried. “But you gambled me.” She went on to say she expected Billy to follow through on what he promised to build with her, demanding, “Me or Chancellor?” Billy swore they will get everything they want (translation: everything he wants) and Sally fell into bed with him.
The problem, of course, is that Billy blew up Abbott Communications so spectacularly that it has no funding. The Y&R bad boy was beyond nasty when he rejected Jack’s money, then returned to his brother like, hey, just kidding, sorry. Jack was a big nope, with good reason.
So Sally called Jill to ask for the money. “I cannot agree,” responded Jill, who is barely on speaking terms with her son, “but I promise to give it my full consideration.”
Which means Sally’s career now depends on her boyfriend’s mother — and Billy is nowhere.
GH: Missing Mourners
Consider this is a soft “Worst,” as we completely understand that so many people important to Monica being absent from her funeral is the result of budgetary constraints, plain and simple. But as Monica’s funeral came to a close and the mourners gathered back at the mansion, we couldn’t help but miss all the people who should have been there.
Top of the list were Monica’s devoted security guard Yuri and his recent squeeze Terry, who also happens to be co-chief of staff at G.H. where Monica worked for decades. Other players missing at the Q’s include fellow doctors Lucas (Bobbie’s son), Kevin (Laura’s husband) and Portia, Portia’s daughter Trina (who lives on the estate grounds) and Jason’s sons, Danny (who also live there) and Jake (what better reason for him to return from his European travel with Lucky — and wasn’t that just supposed to be for the summer?).
Points to the show for having Laura explain why Lesley was unable to attend, but Tracy has an adult son named Dillon who warranted a mention. And we know it’s not realistic financially, but given their long careers at the hospital it would have been nice to see other medical personnel pay their respects — couldn’t Noah Drake, Patrick Drake and Robin Scorpio-Drake have sent flowers?
GH is usually good about addressing missing people, which is why this was so noticeable. Here’s hoping Monica’s previously unknown sister Ronnie will fill in the blanks of Monica’s life and the tribute can continue.
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