Critic’s Review Hits and Misses: The Week of October 28-November 1

Soap Hub looks at the Hits and Misses for the week of October 28 – November 1 in the worlds of Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Young and the Restless.

Hits and Misses

What we think worked and didn’t work.

General Hospital

HIT: The performances in the wake of Sam’s death. We’re still in denial over Kelly Monaco’s GH exit. However, it was hard to deny the performances of each of the actors as they reacted to Sam’s death. It’s the reason fans voted Nancy Lee Grahn GH’s October Performer of the Month. But there was also Steve Burton and Van Hansis, who tore at our hearts. Dominic Zamprogna hit us hard playing the man who just asked Sam to marry him. His tremendous guilt will weigh on him for a long time. But do you know who was simply fantastic as well? Finn Francis Carr, who plays Dante’s son, Rocco. His performance was impressive.

HIT: Drunk Cody spilled the tea, the beer, and the whiskey. Cody (Josh Kelly), we didn’t know you had it in you! Blabbing Drew’s (Cameron Mathison) business like he did was absolute drama in the most fun way. That secret needed to be outed, and we love how it happened.

HIT: Robert Adamson. He only appeared briefly as Temp Michael, but he’s now back on our radar. GH — or another soap — must hire him. He should be back on soaps. And while we’re at it, this goes for Lindsay Hartley (ex-Temp Sam) as well.

HIT: Michael (Chad Duell) and Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) slept together. It was messy, and we were here for it.

MISS: Drew’s spin on the reveal of his personal life. The minute his secrets were public, he, too, seamlessly (too seamlessly) transitioned into spin mode. He didn’t take time to process it. He acted like a politician and started cleaning up the mess in the most smug way possible. To prevent Ned (Wally Kurth) and Tracy (Jane Elliot) from having leverage over him, he broke the news to Michael. He didn’t even want to discuss it with Willow (Katelyn MacMullem) first or give her the choice. Bad looks all around.

HIT: Potential Willow and Sasha rivalry was born. This adds some spice to the Quartermaine house for sure. Also, it puts Nina (Cynthia Watros) in the middle, considering she’s Willow’s mom and Sasha’s maternal figure. We approve. The Michael versus Drew rivalry has potential, too.

MISS: Dante isn’t called right away. While Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) and Jason (Steve Burton) reacted to Sam’s death, Dante was blissfully unaware and was in the midst of talking to Rocco and Chase (Josh Swickard) at a restaurant. Nobody called him; instead, he found out about Sam’s death when he walked into the middle of a conversation at the hospital.

HIT: Ned and Tracy gloated over the video and all their reactions to the Willow/Drew mess. The expressions on their faces were classic. We’re giving them the Statler and Waldorf trophy for awesomely cranky observers. Just give Ned the ELQ CEO title already!

MISS: Drew’s reaction to Sam’s death. We don’t mean to gang up on Drew, but as soon as Carly (Laura Wright) told him about Sam’s death and had time for it to register, he should have raced to get to Scout (Cosette Abinante). Instead, she showed up at the Quartermaine house where he was. He was oddly passive. It was weird.

READ THIS: Here’s what to expect this week on General Hospital.

The Young and the Restless

HIT: Kyle (Michael Mealor) and Summer (Allison Lanier) get along like a family with Harrison. What we enjoyed most about this development is that it could potentially bring out Old Claire (Hayley Erin). We don’t need her full-on, 100% psycho. But a little of that Old Claire would be wonderful to see. It always feels like it’s bubbling underneath her oh-so-calm demeanor. And sooner or later, that old version of her will erupt.

HIT: Nate finally got a new story. We’ve been waiting for this. First, it puts Nate (Sean Dominic) dead center of a storyline that doesn’t have to do with a love interest or with corporate drama. He’ll hopefully be the one to investigate and locate Damian, his half-brother. On top of that, once Damian is located, how will the two get along? And what kind of hot mess will Damian drag into Nate’s life? Also, what actor will eventually play Damian?

HIT: Devon asked Nate to be his best man. Even though the two have been working together for a while now, it’s still surprising to see Devon (Bryton James) make such a big ask. It was pleasantly surprising to see this moment happen. Even Nate didn’t believe it at first. Devon also approves of Winters being in the business of music festivals. Who is this Devon Winters we’re seeing?

MISS: The Abbott-Chancellor story is taking too long. Is there an end planned? When will Victor (Eric Braeden) get his hands on the company? Or will Billy (Jason Thompson) successfully defend what he thinks is his? How about Lily (Christel Khalil)? Will she get her chance to earn the top spot in the company?

HIT: Lily stays icy with Nikki. Lily’s ice-cold attitude towards Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) was everything. But if she doesn’t end up anywhere, it’ll be upsetting. So this could change to a “miss” just like that.

MISS: Victoria (Amelia Heinle) and Cole (J. Eddie Peck). They could be a rootable couple. However, all they do is sit and listen and worry about Claire. Could there be more that they do? Something non-Claire, non-Newman Enterprises related?

HIT/MISS: Traci attempted to talk sense into Jack (Peter Bergman) and Diane (Susan Walters). On separate occasions, she gave it her all. Traci (Beth Maitland) talked about the love that she saw between them, but neither budged on their beliefs that their marriage was dunzo. They had better apologize to her if this ended up being a scheme.

MISS: Potential Diane and Victor alliance. Should this all be a ruse on Diane and Jack’s part, please disregard. Until then, it’s a miss for us.

MISS: Not enough Tess (Cait Fairbanks). This week, her scenes with a drunk Daniel (Michael Graziadei) were enjoyable to watch. Maybe Y&R should find a way to utilize her more. She’s always in a bubble, but breaking her out of the bubble may be wise.

HIT: Abby enlisted Sally to make her another wedding dress. Sally (Courtney Hope) is really great at making wedding dresses. So, why not turn her into Genoa City’s Vera Wang? It could happen alongside her gig at Marchetti.

READ THIS: Here’s what to expect this week on The Young and the Restless.

Days of Our Lives

HIT: John-Paul Lavoisier. Does anybody know if this current Philip stint is permanent or short-term? Hopefully, John-Paul Lavoisier will stick around for a while because he is an obstacle to Xander (Paul Telfer) giving up Titan for the serum, which was great to watch. Lavoisier has camped things up in a very good and beautiful way. He’s hilarious this time around. Last time, Philip dealt with Victor’s death, and his pain and heartbreak were palpable. Lavoisier has range, and hopefully, he’ll be around Salem for a while to play the drama and the comedy.

HIT: Days paid tribute to Drake Hogestyn. At the end of Tuesday’s episode, the scene cut to black, and an In Memoriam graphic appeared. It was yet another gut punch we’ve experienced since Hogestyn passed away. But we were happy this happened at the end of an episode that featured a lot of talk about John.

MISS: Fiona did not see the inside of a prison cell. As much as we adore Serena Scott Thomas as Fiona, the fact that her character isn’t facing any jail time was frustrating. Also, why did they send her out of town so quickly, and will she eventually return to wreak havoc again?

MISS: The Halloween episode of Days. We enjoyed the meta-Melaswen of it all, but ultimately, the episode fell flat. Why? Because it took place in the Body & Soul universe. Instead of fake characters experiencing all of this, we would have rather it be the Salem timeline characters.

HIT: AlexAnn Hopkins. Sometimes, it takes a soap newbie time to adjust to soaps. Not Hopkins. She made a seamless transition as Joy Wesley.

HIT/MISS: Eric says goodbye. Always love the Eric (Greg Vaughan) /Brady (Eric Martsolf) scenes. They are a hit every time they happen. However, why does Eric have to go back to Paris already? Can’t he stay?

Miss: Eric and Holly’s talk. It’s great that Holly (Ashley Puzemis) has suddenly forgiven Nicole (Arianne Zucker) and Eric for not telling her about Eric being responsible for her father’s death. But it’s also quite the leap she made without hearing what Nicole really told her and Eric not filling her in on his mindset back then. As a result, the conversation didn’t dig deep enough for our tastes. It would help if Holly knew more of the story, like it wasn’t just about Eric losing Nicole and having to watch his best friend be with the woman he loved. It was also about getting kicked out of the priesthood, what Kristen did to him, and even a little bit of Serena being murdered. Eric wasn’t in a good place at all when he drove drunk and killed Daniel (Shawn Christian).

MISS: Xander regressing and almost choosing violence. Xander wanting Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) to murder Philip seemed to come too soon after he almost killed Brady. At some point, the show wants us to think Xander has changed, right? The love of a good woman and all that jazz? It’s great that that side of him wasn’t totally washed away. That wouldn’t be right. However, being all willy-nilly and suggesting murder as a first resort was a bit much.

The Jury’s Out: Brady and Ava. The Brady and Ava (Tamara Braun) scenes in the middle of Horton Town Square were nice. But were they couple-worthy? Not sure just yet.

READ THIS: Here’s what to expect this week on Days of our Lives.

The Bold and the Beautiful

HIT: Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) FINALLY lists the reasons why Liam (Scott Clifton) should never ever be in Hope’s (Annika Noelle) life again. Just going to leave this right here: “How many times did she forgive him? How many times did he go back and forth between her and Steffy? And when she made that mistake — kissing Thomas (Matthew Atkinson) — Liam didn’t even try to understand.”

HIT: The jewelry line was rebooted. This was a great idea and a natural way to bring back Ivy (Ashleigh Brewer) and introduce a new Forrester in Electra (Laneya Grace).

HIT: Finn and Steffy. Finn (Tanner Novlan) and Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) are practically the only couple on soaps that get random scenes of happiness. Those scenes aren’t really about any story. They’re just about the two of them connecting and being a husband and wife. It’s nice.

READ THIS: Lawrence Saint-Victor is B&B’s October Performer of the Month.

HIT: A very special Il Giardino Halloween. And Carter’s reactions to Sheila (Kimberlin Brown). Kudos to B&B’s art and prop departments for going all out for Halloween and decking Il Giardino out. Even the post department revised the open Halloween style. Also, kudos to Carter for being wary of a scary Sheila. Loved his comments and expressions.

MISS: The reason why Steffy fired Hope. Hope changed into Brooke’s bedroom lingerie, and then she thought she was surprising Carter when it was really Finn. This was beyond embarrassing for Hope. And what’s worse? Admitting to being in a relationship with Carter? Or getting fired? Both would be bad, but one of those options was a little bit better, don’t you think, Hope?

HIT: Hope and Carter against the world. Hope and Carter, as a couple, have had some mixed reviews from fans. But it was super soapy to see Hope run out of the Forrester offices just as Carter pulled up in a super nice convertible. And then he vowed revenge as he comforted her. Even that little bit of a remote location glimpse made us happy.

MISS: Steffy and Ridge obsessing over why Carter pitched his ideas now. Who cares why he chose this moment to pitch his grand plan? He said he’s been working on it and studying it inside and out for years. The fact that they were focusing on that part of the equation was odd. Instead, they should have appreciated what it took for him to do that.

MISS: Carter’s impatience. Having said what we said previously, Carter has to know that what he pitched was an intricate plan that required a lot of thought and processing. Maybe the Forresters needed to do their own research and contemplate things for more than a day. This is reworking everything they have ever known. Carter needed to be more patient. Maybe the question Steffy and Ridge should have been asking is, why the rush, Carter? Instead, we have awkward scenes of Carter barging into Ridge’s office and seeking Eric out to talk about his agenda.