Thumbs Up!/Thumbs Down! B&B DAYS GH Y&R
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Photo credit: ABC
THUMBS DOWN!
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Separate Lives
It has been nearly two months since Sonny and Nina’s marriage imploded when he found out that she was responsible for the SEC learning of Carly and Drew's insider-trading antics, and that she had concealed her actions from him. Since then, both characters have been knee-deep in drama — dodging a mafia threat, forcing a traitorous Dex out of town, blowing up at Michael and sulking over Jagger's comeback for him; losing Willow and Crimson and sparring with Drew and Carly for her — but mostly in separate corners. When Sonny first walked out on her, Nina declared, "This isn’t the end of us, Sonny! I won’t let it be." That seemed to set "Sona" fans up for an arc of watching the couple grappling with — and possibly rebuilding — their broken trust. Since, then, however, there has been so little interaction between the two that it felt jarring when he suddenly and unceremoniously served her with divorce papers courtesy of Diane. GH spent a long time building to their estrangement, but islanding the characters from one another in the wake of it was a curious choice, one that left potentially juicy emotional beats untapped and left "Sona" fans high and dry after the years they'd invested in that relationship. Here's hoping their conversation in the gallery opens up the floodgates of overdue conversation....
Separate Lives
It has been nearly two months since Sonny and Nina’s marriage imploded when he found out that she was responsible for the SEC learning of Carly and Drew's insider-trading antics, and that she had concealed her actions from him. Since then, both characters have been knee-deep in drama — dodging a mafia threat, forcing a traitorous Dex out of town, blowing up at Michael and sulking over Jagger's comeback for him; losing Willow and Crimson and sparring with Drew and Carly for her — but mostly in separate corners. When Sonny first walked out on her, Nina declared, "This isn’t the end of us, Sonny! I won’t let it be." That seemed to set "Sona" fans up for an arc of watching the couple grappling with — and possibly rebuilding — their broken trust. Since, then, however, there has been so little interaction between the two that it felt jarring when he suddenly and unceremoniously served her with divorce papers courtesy of Diane. GH spent a long time building to their estrangement, but islanding the characters from one another in the wake of it was a curious choice, one that left potentially juicy emotional beats untapped and left "Sona" fans high and dry after the years they'd invested in that relationship. Here's hoping their conversation in the gallery opens up the floodgates of overdue conversation....
2 of 6
Photo credit: XJJohnson/jpistudios.com
THUMBS DOWN!
DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Playing The Fool
As the months go on, it's not only increasingly difficult to believe that an astute and intuitive woman like Maggie Kiriakis can’t see through a shyster like Konstantin, but increasingly difficult to watch her be snowed by him. From the day he arrived in Salem, Konstantin has playing Maggie like a fiddle — regaling her with stories about his and Victor’s friendship (all lies), showering her with gifts, preparing her special meals. Meanwhile, trusted friends and family like Steve, John and Xander have warned her about him and even presented proof that he’s not on the up-and-up, only to have their concerns dismissed by Maggie, who not only has allowed Konstantin to live with her but recently shared a kiss with him. While we can buy that she's lonely and that her defenses are down as she grieves the loss of husband Victor, that doesn't entirely account for how easily he's managed to bamboozle her and the blind eye she has turned to the various red flags he's presented. Has it never occurred to her that it's at least possible he might be cozying up to her to get his hands on her newly inherited fortune? The Maggie we've known for decades has had a gift for evaluating people and their intentions and should be able to spot a con like Konstantin from a mile away. We trust that Maggie will wise up eventually, but it's not entertaining to see her portrayed as so uncharacteristically gullible.
Playing The Fool
As the months go on, it's not only increasingly difficult to believe that an astute and intuitive woman like Maggie Kiriakis can’t see through a shyster like Konstantin, but increasingly difficult to watch her be snowed by him. From the day he arrived in Salem, Konstantin has playing Maggie like a fiddle — regaling her with stories about his and Victor’s friendship (all lies), showering her with gifts, preparing her special meals. Meanwhile, trusted friends and family like Steve, John and Xander have warned her about him and even presented proof that he’s not on the up-and-up, only to have their concerns dismissed by Maggie, who not only has allowed Konstantin to live with her but recently shared a kiss with him. While we can buy that she's lonely and that her defenses are down as she grieves the loss of husband Victor, that doesn't entirely account for how easily he's managed to bamboozle her and the blind eye she has turned to the various red flags he's presented. Has it never occurred to her that it's at least possible he might be cozying up to her to get his hands on her newly inherited fortune? The Maggie we've known for decades has had a gift for evaluating people and their intentions and should be able to spot a con like Konstantin from a mile away. We trust that Maggie will wise up eventually, but it's not entertaining to see her portrayed as so uncharacteristically gullible.
3 of 6
Photo credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
THUMBS DOWN!
YOUNG AND RESTLESS
Drinking Problem
Helping Nikki stay sober is the Newman family's top priority at the moment, and to that end, Victor cleared all the spirits out of the house and won't let her leave the ranch, not only to safeguard her from access to liquor but to protect her from on-the-loose maniac Jordan. So it was a major stretch for Nikki to so eagerly insist on meeting with her former sponsor Seth, who she knows is boozing again, claiming it would be "added incentive for her sobriety". After she invited this veritable stranger into her home, he began planting seeds (per Jordan's instructions) about the woman he'd met through AA who wanted to meet Nikki — and also wished to remain anonymous. Nikki asked no pertinent questions about the woman and agreed to meet Seth again for coffee knowing full well that Jordan is on the loose and gunning for her. Meanwhile, escaped fugitive Jordan somehow got her hands on money, a change of clothes, an ID and a supply of wigs, and is able to hang out in Genoa City bars undetected, despite being hunted by Victor’s security team as well as the police in at least two states. As much as we love Colleen Zenk as Jordan and as terrific as Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) has been in this tale, the narrative Y&R is spinning relies too heavily on farfetched story points — and on a smart woman like Nikki having the wool be pulled over her eyes when she should be at her most on guard.
Drinking Problem
Helping Nikki stay sober is the Newman family's top priority at the moment, and to that end, Victor cleared all the spirits out of the house and won't let her leave the ranch, not only to safeguard her from access to liquor but to protect her from on-the-loose maniac Jordan. So it was a major stretch for Nikki to so eagerly insist on meeting with her former sponsor Seth, who she knows is boozing again, claiming it would be "added incentive for her sobriety". After she invited this veritable stranger into her home, he began planting seeds (per Jordan's instructions) about the woman he'd met through AA who wanted to meet Nikki — and also wished to remain anonymous. Nikki asked no pertinent questions about the woman and agreed to meet Seth again for coffee knowing full well that Jordan is on the loose and gunning for her. Meanwhile, escaped fugitive Jordan somehow got her hands on money, a change of clothes, an ID and a supply of wigs, and is able to hang out in Genoa City bars undetected, despite being hunted by Victor’s security team as well as the police in at least two states. As much as we love Colleen Zenk as Jordan and as terrific as Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) has been in this tale, the narrative Y&R is spinning relies too heavily on farfetched story points — and on a smart woman like Nikki having the wool be pulled over her eyes when she should be at her most on guard.
4 of 6
Photo credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
THUMBS UP!
BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL
The Mourning After
Last week, we dinged tale of Luna downing her mother’s mints and accidentally sleeping with her boyfriend R.J.’s cousin — but we did find something to enjoy in Zende’s response. When Zende learned that the night of passion he'd shared with Luna was not what he'd had every reason to believe it was — consensual — Zende was devastated (kudos to portrayer Delon de Metz for his heartfelt portrayal of Zende's reaction, which helped keep the integrity of the character intact despite the murky optics of the storyline.) An outraged Zende then directed his anger where it belonged — on her irresponsible mother, Poppy, and those drugs in her purse — but also showed compassion for Poppy and her torment over how her carelessness had upended her daughter's life. And while his timing of shooting his shot with Luna and urging her to be with him instead of R.J. was perhaps questionable, given her fragile state of mind, it was also clearly coming from a place of genuinely wanting a positive outcome for both of them in their lamentable situation. All in all, we're still firmly Team Zende over here.
The Mourning After
Last week, we dinged tale of Luna downing her mother’s mints and accidentally sleeping with her boyfriend R.J.’s cousin — but we did find something to enjoy in Zende’s response. When Zende learned that the night of passion he'd shared with Luna was not what he'd had every reason to believe it was — consensual — Zende was devastated (kudos to portrayer Delon de Metz for his heartfelt portrayal of Zende's reaction, which helped keep the integrity of the character intact despite the murky optics of the storyline.) An outraged Zende then directed his anger where it belonged — on her irresponsible mother, Poppy, and those drugs in her purse — but also showed compassion for Poppy and her torment over how her carelessness had upended her daughter's life. And while his timing of shooting his shot with Luna and urging her to be with him instead of R.J. was perhaps questionable, given her fragile state of mind, it was also clearly coming from a place of genuinely wanting a positive outcome for both of them in their lamentable situation. All in all, we're still firmly Team Zende over here.
5 of 6
Photo credit: ABC
APPLAUSE APPLAUSE
GH fans got a rare treat last week — Liz and Sam in scenes together! Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait so long for their next interaction…. Mishael Morgan was a sight for sore eyes when her Amanda returned to town on Y&R…. DAYS’s homage to the Horton house (replete with authentic flashbacks as well as newly recreated ones with younger versions of Tom and Alice) was a lovely, nostalgic gem; the show even mentioned how Orpheus nearly burned down the home in 1986 when he planted a bomb at John and Marlena’s dwelling next door…. THE TALK’s Amanda Kloots did a lovely job with her B&B cameo as Lucy.
6 of 6
Photo credit: Matthew Taplinger/CBS
PICKY, PICKY
GH’s Kristina underwent a procedure to fertilize her egg on January 18, so how could she possibly be 14 weeks pregnant by February 23?!... With B&B’s Steffy so determined to keep Sheila away from her family, wouldn’t she have made it clear to her pal Lucy that she couldn’t take Kelly to lunch at the restaurant where Sheila works?.... Actually seeing Connor begin to manifest symptoms of OCD on Y&R, as opposed to hearing about his off-camera behavior, would have made his possible diagnosis pack a bigger punch for viewers…. When, exactly, is DAY’s EJ going to find out that his son (Johnny) just got remarried?
THUMBS DOWN!
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Separate Lives
It has been nearly two months since Sonny and Nina’s marriage imploded when he found out that she was responsible for the SEC learning of Carly and Drew's insider-trading antics, and that she had concealed her actions from him. Since then, both characters have been knee-deep in drama — dodging a mafia threat, forcing a traitorous Dex out of town, blowing up at Michael and sulking over Jagger's comeback for him; losing Willow and Crimson and sparring with Drew and Carly for her — but mostly in separate corners. When Sonny first walked out on her, Nina declared, "This isn’t the end of us, Sonny! I won’t let it be." That seemed to set "Sona" fans up for an arc of watching the couple grappling with — and possibly rebuilding — their broken trust. Since, then, however, there has been so little interaction between the two that it felt jarring when he suddenly and unceremoniously served her with divorce papers courtesy of Diane. GH spent a long time building to their estrangement, but islanding the characters from one another in the wake of it was a curious choice, one that left potentially juicy emotional beats untapped and left "Sona" fans high and dry after the years they'd invested in that relationship. Here's hoping their conversation in the gallery opens up the floodgates of overdue conversation....
Separate Lives
It has been nearly two months since Sonny and Nina’s marriage imploded when he found out that she was responsible for the SEC learning of Carly and Drew's insider-trading antics, and that she had concealed her actions from him. Since then, both characters have been knee-deep in drama — dodging a mafia threat, forcing a traitorous Dex out of town, blowing up at Michael and sulking over Jagger's comeback for him; losing Willow and Crimson and sparring with Drew and Carly for her — but mostly in separate corners. When Sonny first walked out on her, Nina declared, "This isn’t the end of us, Sonny! I won’t let it be." That seemed to set "Sona" fans up for an arc of watching the couple grappling with — and possibly rebuilding — their broken trust. Since, then, however, there has been so little interaction between the two that it felt jarring when he suddenly and unceremoniously served her with divorce papers courtesy of Diane. GH spent a long time building to their estrangement, but islanding the characters from one another in the wake of it was a curious choice, one that left potentially juicy emotional beats untapped and left "Sona" fans high and dry after the years they'd invested in that relationship. Here's hoping their conversation in the gallery opens up the floodgates of overdue conversation....
Photo credit: ABC
THUMBS DOWN!
DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Playing The Fool
As the months go on, it's not only increasingly difficult to believe that an astute and intuitive woman like Maggie Kiriakis can’t see through a shyster like Konstantin, but increasingly difficult to watch her be snowed by him. From the day he arrived in Salem, Konstantin has playing Maggie like a fiddle — regaling her with stories about his and Victor’s friendship (all lies), showering her with gifts, preparing her special meals. Meanwhile, trusted friends and family like Steve, John and Xander have warned her about him and even presented proof that he’s not on the up-and-up, only to have their concerns dismissed by Maggie, who not only has allowed Konstantin to live with her but recently shared a kiss with him. While we can buy that she's lonely and that her defenses are down as she grieves the loss of husband Victor, that doesn't entirely account for how easily he's managed to bamboozle her and the blind eye she has turned to the various red flags he's presented. Has it never occurred to her that it's at least possible he might be cozying up to her to get his hands on her newly inherited fortune? The Maggie we've known for decades has had a gift for evaluating people and their intentions and should be able to spot a con like Konstantin from a mile away. We trust that Maggie will wise up eventually, but it's not entertaining to see her portrayed as so uncharacteristically gullible.
Playing The Fool
As the months go on, it's not only increasingly difficult to believe that an astute and intuitive woman like Maggie Kiriakis can’t see through a shyster like Konstantin, but increasingly difficult to watch her be snowed by him. From the day he arrived in Salem, Konstantin has playing Maggie like a fiddle — regaling her with stories about his and Victor’s friendship (all lies), showering her with gifts, preparing her special meals. Meanwhile, trusted friends and family like Steve, John and Xander have warned her about him and even presented proof that he’s not on the up-and-up, only to have their concerns dismissed by Maggie, who not only has allowed Konstantin to live with her but recently shared a kiss with him. While we can buy that she's lonely and that her defenses are down as she grieves the loss of husband Victor, that doesn't entirely account for how easily he's managed to bamboozle her and the blind eye she has turned to the various red flags he's presented. Has it never occurred to her that it's at least possible he might be cozying up to her to get his hands on her newly inherited fortune? The Maggie we've known for decades has had a gift for evaluating people and their intentions and should be able to spot a con like Konstantin from a mile away. We trust that Maggie will wise up eventually, but it's not entertaining to see her portrayed as so uncharacteristically gullible.
Photo credit: XJJohnson/jpistudios.com
THUMBS DOWN!
YOUNG AND RESTLESS
Drinking Problem
Helping Nikki stay sober is the Newman family's top priority at the moment, and to that end, Victor cleared all the spirits out of the house and won't let her leave the ranch, not only to safeguard her from access to liquor but to protect her from on-the-loose maniac Jordan. So it was a major stretch for Nikki to so eagerly insist on meeting with her former sponsor Seth, who she knows is boozing again, claiming it would be "added incentive for her sobriety". After she invited this veritable stranger into her home, he began planting seeds (per Jordan's instructions) about the woman he'd met through AA who wanted to meet Nikki — and also wished to remain anonymous. Nikki asked no pertinent questions about the woman and agreed to meet Seth again for coffee knowing full well that Jordan is on the loose and gunning for her. Meanwhile, escaped fugitive Jordan somehow got her hands on money, a change of clothes, an ID and a supply of wigs, and is able to hang out in Genoa City bars undetected, despite being hunted by Victor’s security team as well as the police in at least two states. As much as we love Colleen Zenk as Jordan and as terrific as Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) has been in this tale, the narrative Y&R is spinning relies too heavily on farfetched story points — and on a smart woman like Nikki having the wool be pulled over her eyes when she should be at her most on guard.
Drinking Problem
Helping Nikki stay sober is the Newman family's top priority at the moment, and to that end, Victor cleared all the spirits out of the house and won't let her leave the ranch, not only to safeguard her from access to liquor but to protect her from on-the-loose maniac Jordan. So it was a major stretch for Nikki to so eagerly insist on meeting with her former sponsor Seth, who she knows is boozing again, claiming it would be "added incentive for her sobriety". After she invited this veritable stranger into her home, he began planting seeds (per Jordan's instructions) about the woman he'd met through AA who wanted to meet Nikki — and also wished to remain anonymous. Nikki asked no pertinent questions about the woman and agreed to meet Seth again for coffee knowing full well that Jordan is on the loose and gunning for her. Meanwhile, escaped fugitive Jordan somehow got her hands on money, a change of clothes, an ID and a supply of wigs, and is able to hang out in Genoa City bars undetected, despite being hunted by Victor’s security team as well as the police in at least two states. As much as we love Colleen Zenk as Jordan and as terrific as Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) has been in this tale, the narrative Y&R is spinning relies too heavily on farfetched story points — and on a smart woman like Nikki having the wool be pulled over her eyes when she should be at her most on guard.
Photo credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
THUMBS UP!
BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL
The Mourning After
Last week, we dinged tale of Luna downing her mother’s mints and accidentally sleeping with her boyfriend R.J.’s cousin — but we did find something to enjoy in Zende’s response. When Zende learned that the night of passion he'd shared with Luna was not what he'd had every reason to believe it was — consensual — Zende was devastated (kudos to portrayer Delon de Metz for his heartfelt portrayal of Zende's reaction, which helped keep the integrity of the character intact despite the murky optics of the storyline.) An outraged Zende then directed his anger where it belonged — on her irresponsible mother, Poppy, and those drugs in her purse — but also showed compassion for Poppy and her torment over how her carelessness had upended her daughter's life. And while his timing of shooting his shot with Luna and urging her to be with him instead of R.J. was perhaps questionable, given her fragile state of mind, it was also clearly coming from a place of genuinely wanting a positive outcome for both of them in their lamentable situation. All in all, we're still firmly Team Zende over here.
The Mourning After
Last week, we dinged tale of Luna downing her mother’s mints and accidentally sleeping with her boyfriend R.J.’s cousin — but we did find something to enjoy in Zende’s response. When Zende learned that the night of passion he'd shared with Luna was not what he'd had every reason to believe it was — consensual — Zende was devastated (kudos to portrayer Delon de Metz for his heartfelt portrayal of Zende's reaction, which helped keep the integrity of the character intact despite the murky optics of the storyline.) An outraged Zende then directed his anger where it belonged — on her irresponsible mother, Poppy, and those drugs in her purse — but also showed compassion for Poppy and her torment over how her carelessness had upended her daughter's life. And while his timing of shooting his shot with Luna and urging her to be with him instead of R.J. was perhaps questionable, given her fragile state of mind, it was also clearly coming from a place of genuinely wanting a positive outcome for both of them in their lamentable situation. All in all, we're still firmly Team Zende over here.
Photo credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
APPLAUSE APPLAUSE
GH fans got a rare treat last week — Liz and Sam in scenes together! Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait so long for their next interaction…. Mishael Morgan was a sight for sore eyes when her Amanda returned to town on Y&R…. DAYS’s homage to the Horton house (replete with authentic flashbacks as well as newly recreated ones with younger versions of Tom and Alice) was a lovely, nostalgic gem; the show even mentioned how Orpheus nearly burned down the home in 1986 when he planted a bomb at John and Marlena’s dwelling next door…. THE TALK’s Amanda Kloots did a lovely job with her B&B cameo as Lucy.
Photo credit: ABC
PICKY, PICKY
GH’s Kristina underwent a procedure to fertilize her egg on January 18, so how could she possibly be 14 weeks pregnant by February 23?!... With B&B’s Steffy so determined to keep Sheila away from her family, wouldn’t she have made it clear to her pal Lucy that she couldn’t take Kelly to lunch at the restaurant where Sheila works?.... Actually seeing Connor begin to manifest symptoms of OCD on Y&R, as opposed to hearing about his off-camera behavior, would have made his possible diagnosis pack a bigger punch for viewers…. When, exactly, is DAY’s EJ going to find out that his son (Johnny) just got remarried?
Photo credit: Matthew Taplinger/CBS
