Thumbs Up/Down B&B DAYS GH Y&R

Thumbs Up! GENERAL HOSPITAL - The Manhattan 
Project GH presented a master class in how to pay off viewers’ patience with the thoughtfully crafted getaway to New York City it scripted for Spencer and Trina. “Sprina” fans were starving for intimate one-on-one scenes for the young lovebirds, and the show provided a veritable feast, bursting with milestone moments — the first “I love yous” and a first love scene two-plus years in the making. It felt like everyone involved — the writers, directors, production designers, costumers and, of course, actors Tabyana Ali and Nicholas Chavez — understood the assignment, which was to pull out every possible stop — champagne! rose petals! a flashback montage! — to both celebrate and advance the tenderness and connectedness of this special pairing. After so much delay and so little gratification on the “Sprina” front, expectations were high, but GH delivered, serving up scenes (the love scene in particular) that dripped with old-school romance and struck just the right balance between sexy and sweet. We wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Thumbs Down! YOUNG AND RESTLESS - Climate Change While it’s clear that Y&R has decided to make Tucker its resident villain, his sudden turnaround was poorly executed. Tucker was a ruthless businessman once upon a time, but he returned to Genoa City noticeably defanged, on a seemingly sincere mission to win back ex-wife Ashley, and the show played his quest to take over Jabot more as the actions of a lovesick softie than a cold-hearted corporate shark. Then, in an overly abrupt turn, his brand-new marriage to Ashley tanked because she balked at starting their own company. Tucker went ballistic, taking her change of heart and desire for family harmony as a personal affront and betrayal. The show took this flimsy catalyst for Tucker’s return to the dark side and ran with it — he promptly slept with Audra, reanimated his power play for Jabot and partnered with Phyllis to frame Billy for embezzling, bellowing and snarking and glowering all the while. Portrayer Trevor St. John gives great scoundrel, but as a bad guy, Tucker lacks gravitas; it’s hard to take him seriously as a menacing manipulator when his actions read like a weeks-long temper tantrum, with all the immaturity that implies.

Thumbs Up! DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Scenes From A 
Marriage Belle’s discovery that her spiraling husband, Shawn, had slept with Talia provided top-level drama for the oft-neglected duo. When Belle overheard Jada promising Shawn that she’d keep mum about his tryst with her sister, she was gutted that he’d turned to another woman for physical comfort while she’d spent months trying to support him through his guilt and grief over shooting Bo. Portrayer Martha Madison nailed Belle’s stunned, angry, heartbroken reaction, and Brandon Beemer was equally strong as Shawn, who was contrite as he owned up to his actions ... but, in the face of Belle’s refusal to cut him any slack, also quick to point out her own track record of cheating. The confrontation felt raw and real and made good use of the frequently messy history between the characters. Later, when Belle ran into Talia and Talia apologized, Belle shot her down (“Go to hell”), then broke down in Marlena’s arms, a poignant coda to a gripping chapter in the decades-long “Shelle” story.

Thumbs Down! BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL - Taylor Fade After an extended absence helping Steffy and the kids get settled in Europe, Taylor is back — but hardly in action. Since her return, the character has received mere storyline crumbs (worrying about Thomas, chastising Finn, scolding Brooke and Hope), almost as though the show does not view her as a viable lead character now that the Brooke/Ridge/Taylor triangle has been retired (again). It’s disappointing that there does not seem to be a juicy tale for Taylor on the horizon. She is a historically vital player with rich roots in B&B canon, and the audience cares about her deeply whether she’s in Ridge’s romantic orbit or not. Fans would love to see her given a new love interest that allows her to break free of old patterns (paging Jack Finnegan?), following the same winning formula that made Steffy and Finn’s pairing a hit, but any Taylor-centric narrative (a health crisis, a professional bump in the road) would be better than letting Krista Allen, among the most successful recasts in B&B history, go to waste as little more than window dressing. Taylor is too interesting and vibrant — and too important to viewers — to be reduced to a talk-to or a babysitter.

Applause, Applause Fantastic work by Bonnie Burroughs (ex-Gladys) and Sofia Mattsson (Sasha) as GH brought Gladys’s storyline to a close.... Veronica Redd’s return to Y&R as Mamie has been a triumph; her presence is just what the fractured Winters clan needed.... Bringing back Susan’s ex, Edmund, on DAYS was a nice touch; particularly since viewers finally found out why they split up — his jealous temper.

Picky, Picky Curious how DAYS’s Talia got more flak for sleeping with Shawn than she did for trying to take down Chanel and drugging half of Salem.... Considering that B&B’s HFTF showing in Rome was in June, why was Brooke reading Eye On Fashion’s Hope/Thomas cover story in October? ... GH’s Laura was shown on a one-sided phone call with Jordan ... while Jordan was simultaneously shown immersed in conversation with Anna.