Humiliating perp walks, heartbreaking goodbyes, and much-needed pardons helped make the week of October 12 to 16 memorable. It’s time to dissect the hits and misses on all five soaps: Beyond the Gates, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless.
Key Takeaways
- The Bold and the Beautiful earns Standout Soap of the Week thanks to Zende’s emotional farewell to Eric.
- Beyond the Gates delivers gripping drama as Heather’s scheme threatens Smitty’s reputation and Martin’s campaign.
- Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless deliver memorable moments alongside questionable decisions.
Hits and Misses Breakdown: October 12-16, 2026
Beyond the Gates
HIT: Smitty’s in real trouble. Heather (Ashley Jones) is railroading Smitty (Mike Manning). She isn’t just framing him. She’s attempting to discredit him in every way — using deep fake videos, planting drugs, and releasing a video of his perp walk, which will surely taint Martin’s re-election. Heather is doing a number on him, forcing Smitty to lean on his husband and his family. It’s all good drama, and it makes us want Heather’s downfall to come that much harder.
MISS: Ted and Nicole do not attend Martin’s political event. When Martin (Brandon Claybon) held another campaign event at Orphey Gene’s, his grandparents were in attendance to lend their support, as were his sister and children. Smitty stayed away on purpose, but where were his parents? Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix) and Ted (Keith D. Robinson) were at the hospital. But it would have been nice if they had made the effort to support their son at the event, especially since the election is around the corner and a win is no longer guaranteed because of what’s going on with Smitty.
Worth a Mention: Can the Duprees cut Jacob (Jibre Hordges) some slack? Arresting Smitty was part of the job. Honestly, he should recuse himself from this case. But since he hasn’t, he’s following the evidence. Hopefully, he doesn’t really believe that Smitty is guilty. Sometimes it feels like he believes what the evidence is telling him.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on Beyond the Gates.
Bold and the Beautiful***Standout Soap of the Week***
HIT: Zende quits Forrester and says goodbye to Eric. Delon de Metz was beyond good last week. This week, he continued to excel. When Zende realized he would never have a real voice at Forrester, he quit and accepted the job at Logan. But not before Zende and Eric (John McCook) had one of the most heartbreaking conversations ever. It’s clear Zende loves his family, but his time of being overlooked at Forrester Creations is over. Let’s hope the same thing doesn’t happen to him at Logan.
MISS: Steffy wasn’t a part of the Zende drama. One of the things we kept thinking about during the showdown in the CEO’s office was where’s Steffy (Jaqueline MacInnes Wood)? She is Ridge’s (Thorsten Kaye) co-CEO. Shouldn’t she get her two cents? She does have other things on her mind, and we get that. But she was a Dylan (Sydney Bullock) defender at one point. And Zende isn’t just another employee. He’s family. It would have been nice if she had been a part of the drama.
Worth a Mention: Will (Crew Morrow) told Dylan that he loved her. He said all the right things. He’s green-flagging this situation all over the place. He has defended his girlfriend to her mom. And he has supported Dylan’s choices. He realized he loved her, and he told her as much. Kudos to him. We’ll see how long this lasts. He hasn’t seen Electra (Laneya Grace) in a minute.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Days of our Lives
HIT: Kristen pleads with Sophia to tell her mom she is alive. Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) is dangerous, despicable, and delusional. But sometimes she is right on the money. She gave Sophia (Rachel Boyd) the perfect advice. She needed to tell her mom that she was alive. A mother losing her child is a hell no one should have to live through, and Sophia has the power to put an end to her mom’s extreme, all-encompassing grief.
MISS: Joy lashes out at Stephanie. Joy (AlexAnn Hopkins) reacted badly to Stephanie (Abigail Klein) almost catching her standing on her own two feet. She yelled at her baby daddy’s wife, making her feel guilty for wanting to help. And Joy may be staying with Alex (Robert Scot Wilson) temporarily. But she is staying in Stephanie and Alex’s place. The home that Stephanie vacated because she’s trying her best to adhere to that custody agreement. Joy has been there for two seconds and is acting like it’s her forever home.
Worth a Mention: Sure, Paulina (Jackée Harry) used her connections to help secure a full pardon for her daughter. But Lani (Sal Stowers) never should have been in prison in the first place. So we welcomed the moment when she got her job back.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on Days of our Lives.
General Hospital
HIT: Ric and Lulu team up. The scenes between Ric (Rick Hearst) and Lulu (Alexa Havins) keep surprising us in a good way. And now Ric will represent Lulu in the libel lawsuit, which means they will have to spend more time together. Lulu has a bunch of people trying to discredit her article, her reputation, and her career. Ric is just the attorney who can help fight them off.
MISS: Lucy’s plan to get a controlling interest in Deception. Lucy’s plan was for Serena (Kelly Kruger) to trick Jason (Steve Burton) into signing a doc that handed her Michael’s Deception proxy/shares, just like that. Lucy’s willing to throw her daughter into situations that most likely won’t work. Serena knows her mother won’t take no for an answer, so she agreed. Sometimes, simple is the way to go. But this simple plan never seemed likely to work or to be the right approach.
Worth a Mention: Thank you to ABC’s Abbott Elementary. The cold open of this week’s episode featured a love letter to soap operas and to GH. And we appreciate anytime someone shows soaps the respect they deserve. The fact that one of the characters referred to soap actors as “the teachers of Hollywood” gave us a warm-and-fuzzy feeling.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on General Hospital.
Young and the Restless
HIT: Abbott siblings welcoming Sally into the family. There were many nice moments during Thursday’s episode, when the Abbotts welcomed Sally (Courtney Hope) and Coco (Ashley Campbell) into the family on the eve of Billy (Jason Thompson) and Sally’s wedding. We loved this for the sisters. But it was also a chance to see the Abbott siblings in their element. No drama. No bickering and backstabbing. However, Ashley’s healthy skepticism about Billy’s nuptials was welcome, too.
MISS: Sharon as Matt’s therapist. Making Sharon (Sharon Case) a condition of getting Matt Clark (Roger Howarth) well made us feel bad for the Cassidy First and Crimson Lights owner. She is willing to help, of course, but Nick (Joshua Morrow) was right. Matt raped and violated her. It’s not fair to ask her to become his therapist. And Matt unfairly made this request a deal breaker. Thankfully, Sharon set her own conditions, which could very well give her a way out.
Worth a Mention: Audra (Zuleyka Silver) and Sally’s moment before the wedding felt genuine and earned. It continued to show us why they are one of the best friendships on daytime TV. Let’s hope nobody ever messes with it. We would be very, very sad.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on The Young and the Restless.
What are your personal soap hits and misses for the week?
Additional reporting by Soap Hub staff.
