Soap Hub‘s hits and misses for the week of August 17-21 include flashbacks, the circle of life, and an all-out war for a company. It’s time to dissect what went down 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
- BTG’s flashback episode delivered, while Tomas’s undermining of Naomi raised more questions about his choices.
- DAYS delivered an emotional circle-of-life moment with Chanel’s baby and Lexie’s death.
- GH’s Elizabeth and Dante friendship impressed, while Y&R’s Chancellor war missed the mark.
Hits and Misses Breakdown: August 17-21, 2026
Beyond the Gates
HIT: Thursday’s flashback episode. Once again, BTG took us on a journey to the past. We had heard about Dana and Ted’s love affair many times. But we had never seen exactly how the two came to be. But now we have. And it was very informative. It allowed us to see Leslie (Trisha Mann-Grant) before she became the DMV’s most vindictive individual. And it also showed us how Bill (Timon Kyle Durrett) tried to stop Ted (Keith D. Robinson) from becoming the cheater that he had become. We just wish we had seen Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix) back then, too. She did, however, get to open up to Kial (Greg Vaughan) in the present.
MISS: Tomas undermines Naomi (Arielle Prepetit). We don’t mean to keep beating up on Tomas (Alex Alegria), but he keeps giving us reasons to question his thought process. He’s a junior partner with designs on being Bill’s successor. Why does he think that the way to go about that goal is to sell out his boss’s daughter? Playing into the boys’ club vibe with Mike Davis (Pierce Lackey) — Bill’s enemy — wasn’t cool. The lawsuit against Madison (Kenjah) wasn’t even one of Tomas’s cases.
Worth a Mention (HIT and MISS): Heather and Andre mix it up. We’re beyond happy that Andre’s past is being mined. Heather’s not exactly what we had pictured. But having his jet-setting past come back to haunt him is great. Hopefully, we’ll find out more about Heather and Andre’s backstory sooner rather than later. There’s this incriminating photo he may have that is intriguing. But Andre seems afraid of Heather, and we’d like to know why. It’s more than wanting to keep her a secret from Dani. What does Andre know?
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on Beyond the Gates.
The Bold and the Beautiful
HIT: Dylan continues to stand up for herself. When Electra (Laneya Grace) dropped an “I am Electra Forrester” on Dylan (Sydney Bullock) and told her that she could have her fired, that was unbelievable. After all, she had tried to get Dylan fired before, and it didn’t work. Thankfully, Dylan didn’t back down during the confrontation. She is well aware that she will forfeit this so-called friendship. She made her choice. She’s sticking to her guns. And she isn’t letting Electra dictate who gets to be with Will (Crew Morrow).
MISS: The Steffy/Carter one-night stand. We’re all for a messy one-night stand. And this is messy. But in order to make it happen, two marriages had to crumble at the same time. And then suddenly get pieced back together simultaneously. It didn’t quite make sense why Finn (Tanner Novlan) didn’t let Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) know right away that Sheila (Kimberlin Brown) was in Monte Carlo. And Daphne (Murielle Hilaire) actually had to tell Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) that she was abandoning him to go to Paris. Now Carter’s the one begging Steffy to keep their affair a secret. That’s not true to his character.
Worth a Mention (HIT): That was former Soap Hub writer, Michael Maloney, knocking on the CEO’s door at Forrester Creations. If his character, who worked for the cleaning crew, had been a little more persistent, he would have gotten quite the eyeful. Behind those locked doors were Steffy and Carter post-drunken fling. Maloney did a great job!
MORE: See what’s coming up next week on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Days of our Lives
HIT: Chanel gives birth to a healthy baby. As much as we love that Chanel (Raven Bowens) and Johnny (Carson Boatman) adopted Trey, we also love that they have added another baby to their family. Chanel had to go through hell (no epidural???!!!), but she delivered a healthy baby girl. We never liked Chanel experiencing a miscarriage a couple of years ago. So having this baby just feels right.
MISS: Lexie dies. We get the opportunity for a circle-of-life moment with Chanel giving birth as Lexie (Nikki Crawford) dies. And while we felt the emotions of Abe (James Reynolds), Theo (Tyler Joesph Andrews), and EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) losing Lexie, we’re still wondering why bring back such a major character only to send her off once again. What was the purpose?
Worth a Mention (MISS): Stephanie, Alex, and Joy. The way they both handled the Joy (AlexAnn Hopkins) medical situation wasn’t ideal. The husband and wife live across the hall from each other, and they act like they are barely together. Stephanie (Abigail Spencer) continues to make poor decisions, and Alex (Robert Scott Wilson) is blind to Joy’s manipulations. And now Stephanie has spied Alex comforting Joy. We can only imagine what Stephanie will do next.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on Days of our Lives.
General Hospital
HIT: Elizabeth and Dante. We’ll see if anything romantic develops between Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna). Until then, their friendship works. They listen to each other and support each other. And have been known to break rules for the other. Even Ric’s shenanigans didn’t do any damage. Elizabeth told Ric (Rick Hearst) that Dante was staying. And Dante felt bad for having come between the two and encouraged her to be understanding with Ric. He offered to assemble her bookcase and surprised her with pizza. She nursed his injury. They exhibited a refreshing friend dynamic this week.
MISS: Joss. Somebody needs to get Joss (Eden McCoy) to relax. She’s so tightly wound, and it colors her every interaction. It’s exhausting to watch her treat every conversation as a confrontation. Let’s hope Brennan (Chris McKenna) gives her her next assignment, so she will be distracted and have something to focus on.
Worth a Mention (HIT): Listen to Brennan and Valentin. At least this week. Brennan and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) are very flawed men, but even they get it right every once in a while. Valentin asked Lulu (Alexa Havins) if she was dating. And told her that she needed to get a life. That way, she wouldn’t be so preoccupied with tracking down her daughter. Granted, Charlotte (Bluesy Burke) is problematic. And Lulu’s probably right to worry. But she does need to take up a hobby or two. And it doesn’t have to be pickleball. Meanwhile, Brennan rightly told Nina (Cynthia Watros) to stop enabling her daughter. That’s exactly what she has been doing. She needs to learn that she can love her daughter without “protecting” her from her worst tendencies.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up next week on General Hospital.
The Young and the Restless
HIT: Sharon tells Matt to exit stage right. The conversation between Matt (Roger Howarth) and Sharon (Sharon Case) was hard to watch. What he’s done to her in the past is unforgivable. And they continue to cross paths. But what was great here was that Sharon showed great empathy, but she was also able to tell Matt to leave town. Not just for her and her family. But for him. If he truly wanted to change, then going to a place where nobody has preconceived notions of him would be easier. Unfortunately, Matt won’t listen to Sharon.
MISS: This Chancellor war. Billy (Jason Thompson) already has it in his mind that Chancellor is his. And he’s acting accordingly. This would be a more satisfying storyline if he were simply taking the company from Victor (Eric Braeden) and Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott). Victor is the one Billy beefs with the most, after all. But the fact that he and Lily (Christel Khalil) once again have to go toe-to-toe isn’t sitting right. And why hasn’t Jill (Jess Walton/Lauren Koslow) weighed in on this matter yet? That should have been somebody’s first phone call.
Worth a Mention (JURY’S OUT): Victoria and Kyle. Not going to lie. This pairing is turning out to be intriguing. It’s another Abbott/Newman configuration. But once it happens, a Victoria (Amelia Heinle) and Kyle (Michael Mealor) romance will set off some explosions and make things really messy for a while. The jury’s out on their chemistry, but we’re willing to see what kind of damage and destruction this will inflict. If it causes Claire (Hayley Erin) to regress to her former unstable self, it might be a worthwhile development.
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.
