CBS
Odd Woman Out: Y&R’s Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) is doing her darndest to make sure Danny’s (Michael Damian) mind is on her, not Christine.
What makes us invest in a story? Characters we care about and good writing.
The drug story on DAYS didn’t grab me until Lucas got involved. Despite being in prison, evil Clyde Weston was forcing Stefan and Ava to deal drugs by threatening their loved ones — which made no sense since Ava could have just told her old boyfriend, Rafe, to slap Clyde in solitary to stop the threats. (But I digress.)
Enter Harris with an offer that the imprisoned Lucas initially could refuse. Lucas berated Harris for the crimes he committed while brainwashed (!) but Kate stuck up for him, so Lucas heard the cop out re: the Salem drug problem.
Harris: “I’m here to offer you a deal. I need your help getting intel on the inside.”
Lucas: “Snitches get stitches.”
Harris: “If you do what I ask I will get you out of here.”
Lucas: “I can’t risk my life.”
Harris changed Lucas’s mind with details of Holly’s overdose, vowing to protect him.
Lucas: “I’ll do it.”
Hopefully he emerges as the hero of this story and a free man.
Harris seems like a smart guy, so how does he not see Stefan and Ava are smoking him? They’re running drugs out of The Bistro and distracting Harris by… kissing.
Stefan: “Get it now?”
Ava: “I get it. You’re a married man cheating on your incarcerated wife.”
Prison is a theme in Salem with Tate wrongly behind bars for supposedly supplying drugs to Holly. I can’t adjust to Gwen morphing overnight into Theresa with a blonde wig but Brady losing it over his son in jail has been moving.
Brady: “I’m the one that hasn’t been there. I should have been able to help Tate.”
Marlena and John’s involvement adds believability, but all those fake moments between Brady and Theresa toasting with chocolate bars and commending each other for doing the best they could with Tate rings hollow because we didn’t see any of it. The investment here is Brady, so pump him up!
Long-time faves are always a good bet to hang a story on. B&B’s Bill was AWOL until they brought on Luna’s mother, Poppy, as a woman from his past. He has fond memories of their one night together (Hmmm) and has been wooing her at Il Giardino where, of course, Psycho Sheila works.
Sheila: “Why did you put them in my section?”
Deacon: “I thought you could have a little fun. Tell Bill his credit card is declined.”
Sheila: “You know he’s going to pay with hundreds.”
Deacon: “That’s why they call him Dollar Bill.”
Meanwhile, back at the table…
Bill: “That’s the same Sheila who tried to kill your sister.”
Eat up, kids!
As for the “Is Thomas a murderer?” story, my investment is in Hope. Steffy steamrolling Finn’s realistic concerns about her brother was annoying because Finn actually had more information (from Xander) than she did.
Steffy (to Finn): “I know Thomas better than anyone. You need to let this go.”
Better than Thomas’s mother who is nowhere? I get that actors leave, but soaps have to address it — especially since Taylor is a psychiatrist whose input on Thomas’s dark side would be very valuable.
Hope knows Thomas best but she needed a moment.
Hope: “I have to think about this. You chased Emma. You saw her go off the road. She was my friend. She died trying to tell me the truth about Beth.”
Thomas: “I want to put that horrible night behind us. You changed me from the man who did all those terrible things to someone capable of loving you.”
Huh? Thomas’s feelings for Hope can’t undo a murder.
Conversely, Victor’s feelings for Y&R’s Nikki just might give her the strength to battle her alcoholism one more time.
Nikki (drunk): “I don’t want you to see me this way. I’m so ashamed.”
Victor: “Sweetheart, this is not your fault. This woman [Jordan] poisoned your mind and your body. You’ve done so much hard work. She ruined it all.”
Nikki: “What do I do now?”
Victor: “We begin again. Your problems are mine and mine are yours. I love you so much, my baby.”
Adding juice to this story (no pun intended) is other A-listers who care about Nikki. Lauren popped first, secluding Nikki in a hotel room while she slept off a bender. A chance run-in with Nikki’s ex-husband, Jack, roped him in, too.
Lauren: “Nikki is in trouble and I’m in over my head. You’ve been down this road.”
Jack: “Nikki is drinking again, isn’t she?”
Yes. And Victor and Diane won’t like Jack helping his ex-wife at all! #Drama.
Another feel-good tale was Sharon renaming psycho Cameron Kirsten’s company after her late daughter. It’s hard to keep track of all the Genoa City businesses (Cyaxares and Glacade, anyone?) but I’ll be rooting for Cassidy First Technology.
Sharon: “I feel like Cassie has been guiding me.”
Can someone guide that Phyllis/Danny/Christine mess? We care about those characters but watching middle-aged vets act out scenes from Mean Girls is not fun.
Chris taunted Phyllis that she and Danny were going away for a romantic weekend so Phyllis intercepted Danny to make a video of him playing piano “for her” so she could post it on social media, which, of course, 50-year-old busy lawyer Christine was glued to and saw right away.
Christine (to Phyllis): “Trying to mark your territory even when it’s not yours to mark.”
And how many times is Phyllis going kiss Danny so he can pull away and tell her to stop? Most adults learn from their mistakes.
Christine: “I saw the kiss.”
Want me to invest? Have Daniel or Summer get close to Christine, Danny ask Sharon out on a date, Nick turn to Christine, all of which would drive Phyllis crazy. Three grown-ups in a love triangle can’t all act like teenagers and since Phyllis and her underwear have that market cornered, let Chris and Danny evolve into…. adults?
Busting a baddie who deserves it is feel-good TV, too. GH’s Nikolas returning to team up with Spencer against Esme was so satisfying!
He had to gain Spencer’s trust first.
Spencer: “I did try to blackmail you into handing over custody of Ace.”
Nikolas: “That was very Cassadine of you.”
Father and son had a good kumbaya about how Ryan Chamberlain sicced Esme on them and Spencer felt bad about it. Nikolas messed up worse, but with the diabolical Esme regaining her memories he’s the lesser of two evils. Enter little Ace, who took to Nikolas like a baby to a warm bottle.
Spencer: “Father, stay.”
No such luck. Nikolas said he wanted to take Ace to protect him from Esme and, surprisingly, Spencer agreed. His last words to his little brother were heartbreaking.
Spencer (to the baby): “When I first learned about you I wasn’t sure how to feel. Then I saw you and all I had was pure love for you.”
Nikolas doing right by Ace which he didn’t do for Spencer was a full circle moment, huh Oprah? I vote for Nikolas to return and woo Ava again.
Ava: “I’m really glad I didn’t kill you.”
Nikolas: “You say the sweetest things.”
I had high hopes for a similar rapprochement between Anna and Valentin but he chose his enfant du maïs instead. (That’s “child of the corn” in French. Don’t say this column isn’t educational!) Her story since Valentin disappeared has been very un-Anna like. She mopes and sits in bars alone reading while mourning her choices re: the WSB, confiding in the formerly brainwashed Drew of all people. Worse, she’s forgotten her own history.
Anna: “Shooting Charlotte was the worst moment of my life.”
Worse than when her daughter, Robin, “died” in an explosion, or when her baby girl Leora died for real on ALL MY CHILDREN? Absolutely not! You can’t erase a fan fave’s past to make a current story work. Not only will we not invest, you will lose us.
When in doubt, turn to the wit and wisdom of Tracy Quartermaine, who never loses her through line. She told Michael she has never been prouder of him now that he’s fighting with Drew, and gave Ned advice that came straight from her dear daddy in the great beyond.
Tracy: “The only way you come out on top is if you’re standing on everybody else.”
Hey. It’s only her opinion.
By Carolyn Hinsey
Michelle Parkerton
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