Soap Hub looks at the Hits and Misses for the week of January 26-30 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
- Big swings paid off this week. Across all five soaps, bold character choices, emotional honesty, and risky storytelling sparked conversation — even when the execution didn’t always land.
- The soaps weren’t playing it safe. From romantic payoffs to jaw-dropping missteps, January 26–30 delivered moments that got fans talking, debating, and deeply invested.
- High stakes ruled the week. When the shows leaned into character-driven drama, the results soared — and when they didn’t, the misses stood out just as clearly.
Top 5 Hits
5. Sally hires Audra (Y&R). Sally (Courtney Hope) is past the point where she can wait around for Billy (Jason Thompson). She knows he wants to run Chancellor, and so her first move now that Billy’s making his choice is to hire Audra (Zuleyka Silver) as her number two. At this point, Sally and Billy have relationship stuff to work out, but as far as Abbott Communications goes, she isn’t looking back. It’s good to see Sally take control and realize Billy’s going to do what Billy’s going to do. So she will do the same. We’re finally going to get Team Sally and Audra.
4. MVP Melinda Trask (DAYS). Melinda Trask (Tina Huang) was a bit of an MVP this week on DAYS. First, she navigated the whole Jeremy Horton (Michael Roark) arrest. Whether he was guilty or not, she didn’t let him continue to stew at the Salem PD before getting him out. She knew they couldn’t hold him based on that flimsy evidence. Later in the week, she visited Bayview, where she received the honor of Sophia (Rachel Boyd) talking to her. However, she probably wished Sophia hadn’t used her vocal cords at all. She knows that that girl is about to cause some trouble. Unfortunately, she can’t do anything about it…for now.
3. Post-divorce Nicole (BTG). Nicole has gotten her groove back, and instead of the proper, judgmental psychiatrist we’ve seen for the last year, we’re getting a 2.0 model. She has upgraded her wardrobe and hair. And she’s dating (gasp) two men at the same time. She was locked into a marriage that ended in disaster. We’re here for Nicole playing the field for as long as she wants. It’s been fun to see Daphnée Duplaix show us another side of Nicole.
2. Will opens up to Dylan (B&B). When Will (Crew Morrow) opened up to Dylan (Sydney Bullock) in the beach house, after they put Hayes (Bryan David Garlick) to bed, a conversation ensued (although, yes, Dylan does seem to have heart eyes for the guy). It turned out to be an incredibly serious, meaningful, and cathartic chat where Will finally talked about his traumatic experience with Luna. He still mentioned how bad he felt for Electra (Laneya Grace). However, he also showed genuine emotion and despair over Luna taking advantage of him that night of his promotion party. Crew Morrow did a great job. And it also cemented a connection between Will and Dylan that we would like to see more of as soon as possible.
1. A duo shares their first kiss in Thursday’s episode (GH). Using a catastrophic snowstorm was an effective way to keep characters sheltered in places that could instantly create must-see moments, awkward situations, and spectacular arguments and debates. Characters bonded, they had sex, and they kissed. The romantic possibilities were abundant. What made the payoff even better was that all week, there was a teaser suggesting that a duo would share a first kiss. And when Thursday’s episode arrived, we were especially invested in scenes between Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) and Carly (Laura Wright), Nathan (Ryan Paevey) and Lulu (Alexa Havins), and Martin (Michael E. Knight) and Tracy (Jane Elliot). The anticipation was really nice.
Top 5 Misses
5. Derek’s a nuisance (BTG). Derek (Ben Gavin) is understandably lost now that he can’t be a firefighter again. It’s also understandable that it’s hard for him to see Ashley (Jen Jacob) move on so quickly after their engagement imploded. But why is he taking his frustration and his fear out so awkwardly? If he’s going to be an obstacle for Ashley and Grayson (Jordi Vilasuso), there have to be more clever and dramatic ways of doing it. Picking a fight or crashing their daytime date isn’t that.
4. Books rule (DAYS). Who knew books could make or break an entire corporation? On DAYS, books are at the heart of Stephanie’s (Abigail Klein) and Alex’s (Robert Scott Wilson) stalking storyline. It’s how Kate (Lauren Koslow) hopes to exploit a vulnerability over at Dimera using Bonnie’s (Judi Evans) manuscript. The company’s publishing department is the one success story at Titan. Give us the bereavement book club. Give us Abe (James Reynolds) teaching Liam (Hank Northrop) how to read. But let’s turn the page on the rest of it.
3. Ivy lays into Dylan at Will’s beach house (B&B). Ivy (Ashleigh Brewer) has gone above and beyond as Electra’s protective aunt. The way she talked about how inappropriate Dylan’s behavior was, it almost felt as if we were watching an episode of Netflix’s Bridgerton (the strict morality part). So much pearl-clutching. What year is this? Ivy needs to take a couple of seats. She also needs a distraction. Her own storyline would do it.
2. Danny and Charlotte kiss (GH). Charlotte (Bluesy Burke) and Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) were one of the duos who shared a first kiss in GH’s Thursday, January 29 episode. And they are also cousins. It was an interesting choice, considering the fact that as soon as Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) and Cody (Josh Kelly) became cousins, the writers broke them apart because it was forbidden. Out of all of the potential first-kiss couples in that episode, Danny and Charlotte kissing wasn’t on our bingo card.
1. Mariah kidnaps Dominic (Y&R). In a normal week, kissing cousins would take the top spot. Not this week, however. As happy as we are that Mariah (Camryn Grimes), Abby (Melissa Ordway), and Devon (Bryton James) are involved in a major storyline, it’s hard to root for a story where Mariah revisits her obsession with Dominic (Ethan Ray Clark). And then she snatched the kid she gave birth to right out from under Abby and Devon. We’re not sure what’s going on here. She’s still having visions of Ian (Ray Wise). She’s kidnapping a kid. Why? We’re struggling to make sense of it.
Honorable Mentions
B&B
HIT: Taylor crosses the line. We loved Taylor (Rebecca Budig) admitting that she crossed the line with Deacon (Sean Kanan). And that, as a therapist, she should have ended their doctor-client relationship sooner. That part of their association is done, and now they can move on to what’s next. Apparently, Taylor and Deacon are already at the “I love you so much” stage. It feels fast, but we’re interested in seeing how far these two go, especially with the prospect of a triggered Sheila (Kimberlin Brown) ahead of them.
MORE: Here’s a video preview of what’s coming up next on The Bold and the Beautiful.
BTG
HIT: Vernon and Anita’s date night. Vernon (Clifton Davis) knew his overprotective tendencies were annoying his wife. So he decided to give Anita (Tamara Tunie) the royal treatment. He rented out the country club dining room. They ate, they talked about anything but cancer, and they danced. It was nice to see them let loose and be adorable together through sickness and in health.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on Beyond the Gates.
DAYS
MISS: Chad and Jennifer. The mediation is over. And we honestly don’t understand how the relationship between Jennifer (Melissa Reeves), Jack (Matthew Ashford), and Chad (Billy Flynn) could ever be the same. Jennifer tried to do her best to get back to the way things used to be with Chad. And Chad’s saying the right things. However, they didn’t just try to take away his kids for no valid reason, but they also dictated his love life. That’s not something Chad should get over anytime soon.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on Days of Our Lives.
GH
HIT: Tracy and Martin. Tracy and Martin sheltering up at Drew’s house, of all places, was simply ingenious. Jane Elliot and Michael E. Knight sparkle together in scenes, and it was nice to see their constant bickering and one-upmanship evolve into something more as they got to know each other better. Oh, they still called each other out on their respective baggage. But now they can see each other’s perspectives and motivations more clearly. We even thought they would be one of the duos to share the first kiss. It’ll be interesting to see where the two go from here.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on General Hospital.
Y&R
HIT: Sharon and Nick react to Noah and Sienna’s news. Please go back and rewatch Monday’s conversation between Nick (Joshua Morrow), Sharon (Sharon Case), Noah (Lucas Adams), and Sienna (Tamara Braun). Noah and Sienna revealed that Michael (Christian Le Blanc) said it should be easy for Sienna to annul her marriage to Matt (Roger Howarth). Victor (Eric Braeden) arranged for Sienna to get all of Matt’s riches while Noah was the new owner of The Shadow Room. Nick and Sharon kept looking at each other throughout the conversation. Their shared shock at what they were hearing was priceless. They managed to keep their expressions subtle, but it was all in the eyes. Morrow and Case work so well together.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on The Young and the Restless.
Additional reporting by the Soap Hub staff.
