From Bill finding out how out of the loop he’s been on Beyond The Gates to Ric getting some karmic payback on General Hospital and Cane getting bested by Victor on The Young and the Restless, here are our critics’ picks for the best and worst on soaps last week.
The Best
General Hospital: Karma Comes For Ric
While all eyes were on the threats against Drew, it was Ric who wound up in peril. His taunting of Kristina, his unholy alliance with Ava to blackmail Alexis (over Kristina cutting his brake lines) and his decision to embezzle from Ava all collided in Alexis’s living room.
“You give that money back to me!” demanded Ava. No, replied her smug ex-lover, explaining he bought ten million dollars of treasury bonds that he can’t touch for 30 days. “In one month’s time the money will be clean and laundered,” Ric bragged as he headed for the door.
Thwack! Ava clocked him with a paperweight just as Alexis arrived home. Ava prevented her from calling the police by threatening to expose Kristina’s crimes, so Ric woke up locked in Alexis’s basement with a ball gag in his mouth that Ava conveniently had in her glove compartment (!). Alexis explained to her ex-husband that she planned to keep him on ice until the bonds mature (and she can return the money to the Cassadine trust) and then release him, confident he’ll stay mum because they all have dirt on each other.
“Tell me you’re just a little bit proud of me,” smiled Alexis.
Ric did not smile back, but we did, thanks to the story’s clever intricacies and zesty performances across the board.
Bold and Beautiful: Liam Tells Ivy He Wants Hope
We’re not sure how many B&B viewers were asking for another round of Liam and Hope, but sure enough Liam kissed his ex this week — despite her engagement to Carter.
“I know what I want,” gushed Liam. “It’s you.” Hope hedged, saying she’s grateful he survived the bullet and (fake) cancer but she’s wearing Carter’s ring. Liam pushed on, extolling the second chance they’ve been given to be together with their daughter, gushing, “I want to live my life with you.”
While we are far from sold on that development, the show tucked in some good scenes with Ivy when she admitted her feelings for Liam in a surprisingly adult conversation. After pouring her heart out to him, Liam gently responded he loves Hope. “You deserve all the happiness in the world,” replied Ivy. “I just wish it was with me.”
Ivy’s maturity was so refreshing in this landscape of characters who either don’t know what they want when it comes to love, don’t act their age when it comes to love, or turn to criminal mischief to snag the object of their toxic desire. Here’s to more B&B characters behaving like Ivy did, as evidenced by her exit line: “I will be cheering you on.”
Beyond The Gates: Bill Gets A Clue
While Bill “The Fixer” Hamilton was busy marrying his daughter’s best friend and doing dirty business with Joey Armstrong, his former family was making major life changes he knew nothing about.
“I don’t know what’s worse,” commented Bill to Chelsea’s “friend” Madison after Chelsea was kidnapped. “Being powerless when my daughter is in danger, or realizing how much of her life I missed.” He was soon blindsided by the news that Madison was Chelsea’s girlfriend and everyone knew but him. “The father was the last to know,” he ruminated sadly.
Next up: Walking into the Dupree living room with his much-younger wife Hayley and seeing his ex-wife Dani in the arms of her sister’s much-younger nephew Andre. Bill reached for a cocktail muttering about all he’s not privy to but Nicole replaced it with a cup of tea as they anxiously waited for news about Chelsea “Everybody’s got secrets,” Nicole advised her former brother-in-law. “You should know that better than anybody.”
Ironically it was Dani who comforted Bill as he mourned how his cheating had hurt their daughters and created this distance between them. “They still love you,” she counseled. The Fixer vowed to — what else? — fix it.
Young and Restless: Victor Blackmails Cane
Cane’s plan to take over Genoa City’s business community hit a snag when Victor presented him with evidence that Cane’s father Colin had helped build his empire with money swindled from a rich old lady. Cane denied any knowledge, but Victor hit him where it hurts by saying it’s doubtful neither Lily nor Cane’s children would believe that.
The price of Victor’s silence? “I want you to join me as an ally against Jack Abbott and Jabot,” he boomed, leaving Cane with the letter proving his claims. Cane flashed back on his last moments with the dying Colin (sniff!) who advised that Cane’s alias of Aristotle Dumas was “useful” but it had come between him and his family so Cane should ditch it.
Phyllis entered as Cane sat contemplating and offered her two cents: Colin was an amazing man who gave a sweet old woman the time of her life and he gave Cane an incredible inheritance. “So he lied,” she shrugged. “We all lie.”
Phyllis pronounced Cane a good person, but is he? By the end of the week, Victor demanded an answer: “Are you with me moving against Jabot?”
The Worst
Days of Our Lives: Couples (Need) Therapy
Where’s the love, Salem? Steve and Kayla have beautifully evolved into Tom and Alice, but there’s a dearth of passion with other legacy players in that Midwestern burg.
Chad and Cat have had plenty of time to marinate and it’s a big nope. Bringing her on as a poser claiming to be Chad’s dead wife Abigail with amnesia and a new head did Cat no favors; neither did the lack of sizzle between the players. It’s been over a year and DAYS is still playing them as hesitant teenagers, most recently when Chad cared for a sickly Cat and she kissed him in her delirium. “You’ve got nothing to feel bad about,” Chad covered when Cat asked if she did anything embarrassing. Why hide the smooch unless you are embarrassed?
Stephanie and Alex are also in a holding pattern, but theirs involves keeping secrets from each other (Stephanie’s father Steve investigating Titan) and other people (Stephanie wrote One Stormy Night). There’s not a lot of heat there either, despite Alex being shirtless in most scenes. And what was up with Philip waking up next to Gabi in bed with no logic or buildup? “When I agreed to lunch I didn’t think it would turn into, well…” stuttered Philip. A random hookup between two people who don’t care about each other?
Philip has much more in common with Belle in light of their rich past as former marrieds and as the children of core characters Victor and Kate (him) and Marlena and John (her). The chemistry crackled when Belle came upon Gabi leaving Philip’s hotel room, and the honesty they share is unusual for Salem — which makes Philip’s one-night stand with Gabi even more of a head-scratcher.
GH: Sidwell Smokes Everyone?
Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, and GH is in danger of proving it with promising newcomer Jenz Sidwell.
He tried to kill Jason, Anna, Holly and Lucky and kidnapped Sasha, and paid no price. Now he has poisoned Maxie, sabotaged Deception, messed with Sonny’s piers, burned down Charlie’s Pub, bribed Michael and Willow’s custody judge to frame Sonny, and is involved with devious Dalton, WSB baddie Colette and Britt’s “boss” Pascal in Croatia… and no one is onto him.
“I wish there was something I could do for Maxie,” Lucy lamented to the man who put her in a coma (“Maxie Jones and her big mouth are no longer a threat,” Sidwell sneered to Colette). People assumed Deception face cream caused Maxie’s collapse, so Sidwell “generously” offered to invest when the stock tanked. Lucy batted her eyes and accepted as Sidwell plotted to use one of PC’s most beloved companies for nefarious purposes.
Don’t get us wrong, this new villain is very effective and his portrayer Carlo Rota is highly entertaining. But Sidwell’s rise depends on WSB honcho Jack Brennan being dumb about Colette, Police Commissioner Anna Devane not following through on any of his crimes, and Mayor Laura Collins wanting to work with him despite the fact that he held her son Lucky hostage for months. It’s too much, too fast — and very hard to believe.
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