What’s the Best and Worst of 2023? Check out what Digest columnist Carolyn Hinsey has to say about what’s happening across the daytime dial.
Best and worst? Okay, I’ll play.
Best Trend: Who runs the world? Girls! Y&R’s Lily succeeded as CEO of Chancellor-Winters despite having to deal with corporate espionage, volatile owner Jill, and a COO who would rather podcast about his cringey manhood than help her run the company (or pay a therapist). DAYS’s Gabi parlayed Gabi Chic into a limited run as CEO of DiMera Enterprises and will fight Stefan to the death to hold onto her fashion house. B&B’s Hope resurrected Hope for the Future and hosted a rollicking fashion show, sidestepping the drama between her partner, Thomas, and her husband, Liam. Perennial GH badass Anna is escaping prison to solve crimes while young Joss is removing bullets from Sonny’s henchman in her college dorm room. But the best “I am woman, hear me roar” moment of the year? Felicia killing Faison’s evil spawn, Peter August, with a tire iron. Thwack!
Beyoncé would be proud.
Worst Trend: Rewriting history after a recast Soaps can’t ask us to accept a new actor in an established role and then ignore that character’s past. B&B’s Taylor went from homicidal drunk-driving bigamist to giggly virgin falling in love for the first time with Ridge. GH’s Drew went from violent Navy SEAL to Hallmark hero reciting poetry on a beach. Y&R’s Tucker slept with and shared a birthdate with Jill Abbott (age 70-ish) but none of that has been played since he is now 50. Summer lost her hilariously bitchy edge and basically just smiles now. And what can I say about DAYS’s Alexander? They redeemed Ben from The Necktie Killer to Dashing Leading Man (which was no easy task) and then put glasses on the guy and asked us to believe he was a long-lost Kiriakis who enjoys having three-ways but is somehow worthy of Patch and Kayla’s daughter. No. If you aren’t going to stick with a character’s through- line, then make the new actor someone else. And stop trying to make us buy beloved actors in a new role on the same soap (DAYS’s Ben/Alexander, GH’s Franco/Austin, etc.).
Best Couples: Ex-couples I’m far more interested in watching GH’s Anna with Robert than I am in watching her with Valentin because I know she will be more snarky and funny with her ex. B&B’s Bill is never more entertaining than when he is tearing down Ridge to Brooke. Y&R’s Phyllis works beautifully with Jack and Nick (although her comments on Nick’s new squeeze, Sally, are sorely lacking). But the winner will always be DAYS’s Sami and Lucas, who are delightful whether they are kissing each other, killing each other, or something in between.
Kate: “I know what Lucas did was misguided.”
Chad: “Misguided? He locked up Sami for three months!”
Even when they’re not on, they’re funny (as this Feb. 2022 exchange proves). Hurry back!
Worst Couples: Forced couples Putting two people together does not make them a duo or give them rooting value. GH killed Liz’s husband, Franco, in 2021 and spent most of 2022 trying to convince us the romance hadn’t happened (she mourned him for a week and rarely mentions him) and that Nurse Webber had moved on with surly, controlling Finn. Carly loved Sonny, Jason and Drew in the span of a year, only two of them believably (duh, Sonny). B&B’s Hope allowed Thomas into her orbit despite him being a proven psycho as evidenced by his romance with a mannequin that looked like her and him being a murderer. I would also argue Ridge/ Taylor because I don’t think hanging on a man is a relationship. Y&R’s Noah and Allie need work, as do DAYS’s Wendy/Johnny. Don’t tell us a couple is good. Show us.
Best Celebrations: Anniversaries Y&R did nothing for their 49th (what’s up with that?) but the other soaps packed a real celebratory punch. DAYS gave us Doug and Julie and a cute plot about voting and shoplifting (really!) for their 57th. GH’s record-breaking 15,000th episode focused on a campaign to remove Laura from the mayor’s office, which naturally the whole town fought against and won. B&B gave Brooke a stand-alone show to celebrate its 35th anniversary (which also happened to be Katherine Kelly Lang’s), rotating her ex-husbands Eric, Ridge, Thorne, Nick and Bill through with some quality flashbacks. We knew it was a fantasy when Ridge pronounced Brooke “unforgettable” because he went right back to smooching Taylor. Oh, well — a girl can dream, can’t she?
Worst Celebrations: Weddings Do you take this woman with no dress or veil or church or bridesmaids or bouquet or music or rings or minister? You shouldn’t. GH’s Sasha and Brando eloped to a Canadian garage. DAYS’s Nicole and Rafe wed off screen. Gwen/Xander, Craig/Leo and Sami/Lucas had small affairs that got busted up. Abe and Paulina’s second go-round was decided in one day (“Hey, let’s put on a show!”) but did feature prominent Salemites in Horton Square so props for that. Y&R did a good job with Tessa and Mariah but I’ll never understand why they married Kyle and Summer off screen and then made what should have been their splashy vow renewal all about a stranger crashing it in a helicopter. B&B’s Carter officiated Zende and Paris’s non-wedding, then asked Forrester security guard Charlie (!) to preside over his own aborted vows to Paris, who he’d dated for five minutes. (Quinn busted up that non-affair on a bicycle.) And how many more nuptials is B&B going to host on folding chairs in the Forrester living room? I’ve had cocktail parties bigger than Ridge and Taylor’s wedding and I live in a New York apartment.
Hey. It’s only my opinion.
SOD
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