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

Thumbs up!/ Thumbs down! GENERAL HOSPITAL - Cramer Vs. Cramer There was a lot to like about the recent Port Charles visit of ONE LIFE TO LIVE favorite Blair Cramer. Portrayer Kassie DePaiva was a sight for Llanview lovers’ sore eyes, and her Blair was as beautiful and feisty and savvy as ever. (Even her outfit, a sexy white power suit, was classic Blair.) DePaiva had terrific chemistry with Jane Elliot (Tracy) and Michael E. Knight (Martin), and for Blair fans with long memories, finding out that Blair (who founded her own cosmetics company, Melador, in the mid-1990s) was back in the makeup biz felt very true to the character. But not every choice GH made was as spot-on. Introducing the idea that Blair had married and divorced Martin since we last saw her undid the long-awaited Todd/Blair reunion that was a high point of the 2013 OLTL online reboot — and not only that, GH revealed that the Martin/Blair union had gone south because she was “jumping in and out of the sack with David Vickers.” David Vickers is the last person in the world the Blair viewers remember would have touched with a 10-foot pole; her contempt and disgust for him was well-established, decades-long OLTL canon. Though GH likely intended this just to be a fun inside joke, it unfortunately made Blair diehards feel like her history had been disrespected.

Thumbs Up! BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL - Discovery Channel Michael Corbett’s stint as Evan Scott, the judge who dismissed Sheila’s case, came to a nifty conclusion with the reveal that Deacon had called in a favor with Evan to ensure that Sheila would go free. Corbett shared a natural on-screen camaraderie with Sean Kanan (Deacon) that made it easy to buy into the character’s connection, and Kimberlin Brown (Sheila) perfectly played her alter’s multilayered reaction when she overheard Deacon’s conversation with the judge and realized that Deacon, who she’d just broken up with, loved her enough to pull strings on her behalf — and was noble enough to do it without seeking credit. At once grateful and overwhelmed, Sheila revealed to Deacon that she knew what he’d done for her, and how much it meant to her. It was clear from the conversation that ensued, in which they each laid their emotional cards on the table, that their dynamic was forever changed — and that their “us against the world” love story was far from over.

Thumbs Down! YOUNG AND RESTLESS - Stray The Course One of the most satisfying things about following the journey of a long-running soap character is watching them evolve from the lessons life teaches them. And then there’s Phyllis, who the show seems determined to have turn a blind eye to the concept of self-growth. After jumping through a gazillion hoops to not spend the rest of her life behind bars due to the Jeremy Stark fiasco, Phyllis conceded that she needed to change — but instead of turning the page to a new chapter, Phyllis quickly went back to page one of her old handbook, accepting a big payout from Tucker to do dirty work on his behalf. We’re not saying we want to see a Phyllis aiming for sainthood, but the why driving a character’s behavior matters, and it makes no sense that after she just barely squeaked out of the Stark mess, she’d go right back to criming. What was even the point of the months-long Stark story if Phyllis wasn’t going to learn anything from her mistakes, and why would we root for a character who has so little appreciation for the lucky second chance she got? These are questions we hope the show reckons with as Phyllis moves forward.

Thumbs Up! DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Pop Culture Two paternity secrets were revealed in one spectacular episode as Xander learned that he was the daddy of Sarah’s baby, while Alex discovered that “Uncle Victor” was actually his father. First, Chloe overheard Rex telling Philip the truth about baby Victoria. She did the right thing — a daytime rarity — and divulged all to Xander, who raced off to confront Sarah just as she was marrying Rex. Theirs was a captivating face-off a year in the making. Meanwhile, Maggie and Justin reeled from reading in Victor’s new will and a mysterious letter from Anjelica that Alex was the heir to 50 percent of Vic’s fortune and his bio son. When Alex arrived, a devastated Justin broke the news to the young man he’d raised as his own. Watching the pair process the life-altering news was riveting. Across both sagas, the actors rose to the challenge, bringing the drama but also the heart, resulting in dual bombshells that were not only explosively dramatic, but heartbreakingly emotional.

Applause, Applause GH’s Scarlett Fernandez is doing a bang-up job as the emotionally disturbed Charlotte.... When B&B’s Brooke expressed disdain at catching Hope and Thomas making out on a desk at work, Hope had the perfect retort: “Oh, come on, Mom. Like you and Ridge haven’t?”... Those vintage Y&R flashbacks of Jill denigrating and bullying Mamie while she was the Abbott family housekeeper was a perfect illustration of their fraught history...

Picky, Picky ... But why would Mamie view Nate as “the one person that I can trust with the truth” about her status as the mystery Chancellor-Winters investor when she knows that he betrayed two other family members, Devon and Lily?....... It rang false when B&B’s R.J. told Luna that he grew up watching Eric and Ridge designing together, since he was away at boarding school for most of his youth.... .... On GH, Jake’s anguish over Drew’s hospitalization after his brutal attack at Pentonville would have packed more of an emotional punch if we’d actually seen any meaningful interaction between them in the two-plus years since Drew returned to town........ With all the DNA tests floating around on DAYS, how is it possible that neither John nor Alex thought to seek scientific proof that their “new” father was their true father?