Soap Hub looks at the Hits and Misses for the week of February 16-20 in the worlds of Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful, The Young and the Restless, and Beyond the Gates.
Key Takeaways
- GH’s emotional tribute to Luke Spencer delivered powerful nostalgia and closure.
- Y&R thrilled viewers with Shemar Moore and Vivica A. Fox’s comeback news.
- From Mariah’s bail to risky antics in Salem, some story beats didn’t land.
Top 5 Hits
5. Valentine’s Day (BTG). BTG’s first Valentine’s Day was a successful one. From Anita (Tamara Tune) serenading Vernon (Clifton Davis) to Leslie (Trisha Mann-Grant) ending up alone in her hotel room, we were treated to a wide range of experiences. This includes Martin’s (Brandon Claybon) and Smitty’s (Mike Manning) awkward gift exchange, while Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix) and Kat (Colby Muhammad) had a Galentine’s dinner. And Vanessa (Lauren Buglioli) schooled Joey (Jon Lindstrom)in the wonders of complete control.
4. Chad says goodbye (DAYS). Billy Flynn has been a major part of the DAYS landscape for 12 years. Fans were attached to his character, and when he left for Y&R, he appeared on both soaps for months. Thankfully, the Peacock soap gave him a proper farewell, which he deserved. His goodbye was a bit heartbreaking and very emotional. It hit fans hard, and it hit us hard. His absence will be felt.
3. Eric tells his family to respect him (B&B). Eric (John McCook) offering up his services to Katie (Heather Tom) was completely understandable. Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) forced his dad to retire, and he and Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) wouldn’t listen to his wants and needs. Meanwhile, at Logan, Katie may have understood and appreciated him, but Bill’s (Don Diamont) choices did Eric no favors. So the pressure got to him. Ridge finally found out the truth. And Eric got to tell his family to get over themselves. He has a voice. He’s not invisible. And he isn’t too old to make his own decisions. Kudos to Eric.
2. Shemar Moore and Vivica A. Fox will briefly return (Y&R). Shemar Moore and Vivica A. Fox heading back to Y&R is the best news ever — the most welcome headline of the week. It sounds like their presence will ignite excitement for daytime’s number one soap. And, hopefully, with them will come a great story. Honestly, we’re here for whatever shocking events are about to bring Malcolm and Stephanie back to Genoa City. And anytime actors who have successfully moved on from daytime show us respect for their roots, we’re grateful and thrilled.
1. Luke’s tribute (GH). Friday’s tribute to Luke Spencer and the late Anthony Geary made us emotional. Luke’s rebellious ways touched so many lives in Port Charles. But in real life, Anthony Geary’s heart, soul, and talent touched so many more. Letting Lulu (Alexa Havins) properly pay respects to her dad was the perfect way to jumpstart this special look at Luke’s life. Genie Francis’s scene at the church was particularly amazing to watch. The show remembered the whole man, flaws and all. It was a touching, emotional, and uplifting tribute to an icon from start to finish, right down to the release of the lanterns. That moment felt right for Luke, who was a man of the world. An adventurer at heart.
Top 5 Misses
5. Holly and Sophia’s Anti-Psychotic Antics (DAYS). As soapy and delicious as it is to have Sophia (Rachel Boyd) switch out Holly’s skin care pills with the anti-psychotic medication she has been hoarding. It’s scary to think that Holly (Ashley Puzemis) could potentially take up to four of those pills a day if she wanted. The effect that it could have on her could be catastrophic. Deadly, even. If a doctor prescribes that many for a supervised patient who needs it, sure. But for someone who doesn’t need to take anti-psychotic meds at all — well, it can’t end well. Hope Sophia will be okay with the consequences. Hopefully, DAYS will show the consequences.
4. Naomi and Jacob (BTG). Naomi and Jacob are continually out of sync with each other. If it isn’t the baby issue, it’s Naomi having problems with the way Jacob handles legal matters with the family, like when he arrested Dani. But now she’s lying to her husband about being a BRCA gene carrier. And his undercover assignment is taking him away. But the issue is that, even a year into the show, we’re unsure whether we should be rooting for this couple. Currently, there is a disconnect.
3. Electra plays the victim (B&B). Electra (Laneya Grace) continues to play the victim in every situation, whether it’s about her or not. She acts like she’s this empathetic person, but it’s only when it serves her. Maybe there was another way for her and Will (Crew Morrow) to handle Dylan’s situation. But she would rather give her boyfriend an ultimatum, which makes her look like the victim when he chooses not to throw Dylan (Sydney Bullock) out. She acts as if Will is someone who will cheat on her. Luna (Lisa Yamada) took advantage of him — she sexually assaulted him. He didn’t cheat. There’s no reason for Electra to mistrust Will. At least not yet.
2. Chase is all in on Willow’s innocence (GH). Willow’s not guilty verdict didn’t end things for Chase (Josh Swickard). He’s mad that there are people out there who think that she’s guilty. He thinks he knows that Michael (Rory Gibson) shot Drew (Cameron Mathison) and isn’t afraid to accuse him of the crime. This week, he got into Nathan’s ear about the key to Drew’s house. Nathan (Ryan Paevey) ran with it, and they found a key to his uncle’s house in Michael’s possession, which was hard to believe. Chase’s manipulations will come back to haunt him.
1. Mariah is free…for now (Y&R). It’s tough to believe that the court system let a woman who kidnapped a five-year-old and crossed state lines get bail. Mariah (Camryn Grimes) almost made it to Mexico with Dominic (Ethan Ray Clark), but the cops and feds caught up to her. She’s wearing an ankle monitor, but she’s free to roam GC and run into Dominic anytime she wants. Hard pass. At least require her to remain at Sharon’s (Sharon Case) house for the duration.
Honorable Mentions
B&B
MISS: Bill goes cheap for Logan. Katie wants Forrester fashion, but she’s getting it with a dollar-store budget. She has provided Eric with a design staff. Why wouldn’t she hire Deke (Harrison Cone) to come on board and help Eric, much like RJ (then Joshua Hoffman) did during that whole fashion showdown between Eric and Ridge? And why is Bill even the one micromanaging the order of the silk fabrics? Katie is the boss here — this should all be coming from her. Bill demands unrealistic expectations and deadlines. No wonder Eric’s exhausted and feeling undue pressure.
MORE: The latest Bold and the Beautiful Comings & Goings.
BTG
HIT: Mona and Randy. BTG gives us a Mona (Karan Kendrick) and Randy (Maurice P. Kerry) scene every once in a while, but the show seems to be building to something. It could be a friendship or something more. These two are different as night and day, but they are connected. It’ll be interesting to see whether Randy actually shows up at Mona’s church. The slow burn is nice.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on Beyond the Gates.
DAYS
MISS: Theo and Jada. This could be two people matching up on a dating app, getting together for a few dates, and then realizing there is no connection. The issue here is that while these two are on a date, Theo (Tyler Joseph Andrews) is thinking about Gabi (Cherie Jimenez). If Jada (Elia Cantu) zoned out thinking about Shawn (Brandon Beemer), okay then. Fair’s fair. But as it is right now, Theo thinking of Gabi while on a date with Jada isn’t a good look, and Jada deserves better.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on Days of Our Lives.
GH
HIT: MVP Ric Lansing. With Diane (Carolyn Hennesy) in and out of the action, Ric (Rick Hearst) has stepped up to help Sonny (Maurice Benard) during his many times of need. This week, he drove Wiley (Viron Weaver) and Amelia (Sequoia & Serenity Mork Macko) over to Willow when Michael was forced to go to the PCPD for questioning. More importantly, he represented Michael beautifully during said questioning. It helped that Wiley gave him just the information he needed to handle that situation perfectly.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on General Hospital.
Y&R
MISS: Claire’s need to know about Holden and Audra’s past. What does Claire (Hayley Erin) want? If she doesn’t want Kyle (Michael Mealor) or Holden (Nathan Owens), just admit it. But the assumptions she’s making about Holden are beyond insulting, whether they are true or not. And her feeling entitled to knowing what went on with Holden and Audra (Zuleyka Silver) in the past has gone too far. She’s not entitled to learn anything from him. She can continue to dig on her own, however.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on The Young and the Restless.
Additional reporting by Soap Hub staff.
