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

GENERAL HOSPITAL
Bullet Points
We like that GH has tapped into the friendship between Anna and Jordan as they’ve teamed up to solve the mystery of the stolen WSB gun cache. In addition to playing the relationship between the two female law enforcers, we are finally getting movement on the mystery of who shot Curtis allllll the way back on the 4th of July. Plus, the storyline gives Finola Hughes more to do than cry as Anna beats herself up yet again for accidentally shooting Charlotte. And can we talk about Adam Harrington's arrival as Jagger… er, John… for a minute? Who saw his return coming?! Adding Cates into the mix as the FBI agent in charge of the federal investigation — rather than introducing a random new character — has a lot of potential since John has existing ties to the Port Charles canvas, including a well-established personal beef with Sonny (even if was decades ago and when he looked decidedly more… brunette). With Anna back as the PCPD's commissioner, we look forward to seeing her back in take-charge heroine mode.

DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Pawn Games
Delving into John’s dark past as The Pawn has been an intriguing story turn on DAYS, as both the character and viewers are learning more about the life he led before settling in Salem, falling in love with Marlena, and becoming the honorable man he is today. For decades, John’s previous life had been cloaked in mystery. The audience knew the basics: The Pawn was originally brainwashed and controlled by Stefano before falling into the hands of another Salem villain, Victor. They heard tales of a disreputable past and that he was a trained assassin, but no horrifying crimes nor victims had ever been revealed. That is, until Konstantin suddenly produced one: his beloved Catharina, who he claims The Pawn murdered. While John remains clueless about the tragedy, Konstantin has gotten under his skin with constant reminders and innuendos about his past as The Pawn. It’s been a great showcase for veteran actors Drake Hogestyn (John) and Stephen Nichols (Steve). Hogestyn has been in top form portraying a man who thought that questionable part of his life was behind him, only to see it rear its ugly head and torture him anew. Meanwhile, Nichols has been terrific playing Steve’s agony as John’s current best pal and former “handler” of The Pawn. He clearly knows some of these secrets and has been struggling to keep them hidden, not wanting to burden John with the awful truth or threaten their strong friendship. Konstantin’s recently revealed ability to activate The Pawn with the flash of a card has only upped the ante. The scoundrel is not only out for revenge, but also appears eager to use John to his own dastardly devices. This rebooted plot is only becoming more compelling with each new twist.

YOUNG AND RESTLESS
Where Is The Love?
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, the bleak amorous outlook in Genoa City has become that much more apparent. Billy and Chelsea talk about Connor’s troubles at boarding school while Adam and Sally also discuss… Connor’s troubles at boarding school; fans are far more upset about Daniel doing Lily dirty than they are happy about his reconnection with Heather; Danny and Christine are upended by needy Phyllis at every turn; Mariah and Tessa are in storyline mothballs; the closest Abby and Devon have gotten to intimacy lately was Abby cooing, “I love it when you talk business”; Summer and Chance went on a fairly chaste date while Kyle — the logical third prong in what could be a great love triangle — wanders around alone; Victor pulls Nikki out of bars; Jack talks Jabot with Diane; and Sharon pours coffee for Nick. The only people having sex in a bed are Tucker and Audra, an empty transaction that has nothing to do with love. Love stories are the cornerstone of every soap, and it's high time Y&R gets an infusion of true romance. So, here’s hoping someone calls 1-800-FLOWERS — stat!

BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL
Wedded Blitz
You know what they say: The tenth time’s the charm. When Eric dropped to his knees to propose to Donna during a small family party, it was a full-circle moment. He was wed to Donna from 2008 to 2010, married Quinn, then cheated on Quinn with Donna (Pickleball anyone?). “Carpe Diem,” Eric announced, almost fully recovered from his near-death coma. He wasn’t kidding about seizing the day — he wanted the wedding “now.” Brooke grabbed flowers out of a vase, Zende cued up the wedding march on his phone and — whaddya know? — Donna was already wearing a snazzy white dress. Yes, Carter officiating a Forrester wedding in the family living room has been done to death but the spontaneity felt right for this duo, and the festive mood felt like a fitting way to wrap up the arc of Eric's health crisis with a happy bow. Donna is the 10th (and likely final) Mrs. Eric Forrester, and this was a lovely welcome (back) to the family!

William Lipton's Cameron was a sight for our sore eyes; kudos to GH for including him in Spencer's memorial service, as his absence would certainly have been glaring.... Julie's bedtime story to Charlotte and Thomas about the history of Tom, Alice and the Horton house was touching on DAYS.... We chuckled at Nikki's sloshed attempt at texting Jack on Y&R....

But how did Nikki manage to go from intoxicated and slurring at the bar (to the point that she had to be carried out!) to sounding perfectly sober in the car on the way home?.... Exactly what was buried in those freshly-drug graves on GH since neither Spencer nor Esme's bodies were recovered? And why would convicted murderer Heather be allowed to attend her daughter's memorial service, but newly arrested Nikolas was blocked from attending his son's?.... We side-eyed Donna on B&B when she gushed, "This is the wedding of my dreams" — a comment that would surely be hurtful to her absent son and father, among others!