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<p>How <em>Young & Restless</em> kept anyone from finding out, we can’t imagine. But we thrilled to the jaw-dropping shock of <em>As the World Turns</em> legend Colleen Zenk turning up out of nowhere as Great Claire’s Aunt Jordan. That said…</p>
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<p>As much as we loved Zenk’s turn as <em>Young & Restless</em>’ Jordan, the character’s revenge plot was full of holes. Why would she keep an antidote in the lake house if she intended for her heart-attrack drug to kill the Newmans? And why did she wait so very long to stick it to them? Reminded us a little too much of Sheila’s invented sister and her outta-nowhere plot to stick it to Lauren with her never-before-mentioned niece and nephew.</p>
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<p>It can’t have been easy to be <em>Days of Our Lives</em>’ Emily O’Brien and find out one day that you were getting a wig and a new character. But the soap vet rose to the occasion and even got us thinking maybe blondes <em>do</em> have more fun.</p>
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<p>According to an <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/comings-and-goings/695594/krista-allen-leaving-taylor/" target="_blank">exiting Krista Allen</a>, folks at<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>didn’t feel there was a need for Taylor on the canvas. We — and a whole lot of ticked viewers — would vehemently disagree.</p>
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<p>All we can say about the self-depicting dart board<em>General Hospital</em>‘s Nikolas presented to Joss is… where can we get one?</p>
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<p>We get that <em>Young & Restless</em>‘ Nikki is an alcoholic and feels compelled to drink. But straight out of the bottle? Honey, no.</p>
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<p>Soaps deal a lot with the redemptive power of love… but finding Mr. Right hasn’t remeedmed <em>Days of Our Lives</em>‘ Dimitri one bit. Instead, he’s remained a demented sociopath with no qualms about almost shooting Stefan,Gabi and Jada, wanting to leave Nicole on the side of the road, and urging Leo to blackmail Sloan rather than tell Nicole (or anyone else) the truth!</p>
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<p>Netflix’s teen romcom <em>Never Have I Ever</em> totally stuck the landing, reuniting Devi and Ben, and Eleanor and Trent, and even giving Nalini an uplifting new beginning.</p>
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<p><em>Bold & Beautiful</em> designer Zende lost his place in the pecking order the second that RJ picked up a sketchpad. To add insult to injury, nobody even thought to tell Kristen’s son that Grandpa was terminally ill until it was practically too late.</p>
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<p>Introduced by <em>Young & Restless</em> as a spoiler for Noah and Allie, Audra finally came into her own thanks to a risky alliance with Nate, a tawdry affair with Kyle and a real flair for reaction shots.</p>
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<p>In a scene that was powerful in its simplicity and touching in its pitch-perfect tone, <em>General Hospital</em>‘s Aiden came out to mom Liz without ever once using the word “gay.”</p>
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<p>Neither <em>Days</em>‘ Ava (who is a member of one of the most powerful mob families in the country) nor Stefan (who’s both an Alamain and a DiMera, two families that have assassins on speed dial) can figure out how to deal with Clyde.</p>
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<p>Usually, Nextflix’s swoon-worthy <em>Heartstopper</em> is the most cheerful and uplifting show on TV. But the romantic dramedy isn’t afraid to go deep, as it did when Nick prompted boyfriend Charlie to admit that the hom*ophobia he’d faced had gotten so bad, he’d developed an eating disorder and sometimes cut himself.</p>
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<p>In true soap opera style,<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>‘s Eric suffered from an unnamed disease, and the only hope for his recovery was an experimental surgery conducted by his daughter and grandson-in-law, during which they did a transplant of… some unnamed organ!</p>
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<p>Unhappy with all the attention that she was getting upon returning from the dead, <em>Young & Restless</em>’ Phyllis decided to give the looky-loos — and us — a hell of a show.</p>
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<p>While most of us have never slept with a serial killer or run both a fashion magazine and a cosmetics company, we have, sadly, amassed the kind of credit card debt which found<em>General Hospital</em>‘s fashionista fending off calls from debt collectors!</p>
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<p>Can’t deny we’ve been gripped by <em>Days of Our Lives</em>’ Sloan/Nicole baby-swap storyline. Almost as much as we were when <em>General Hospital</em> trotted out the same plot with Nelle and Brad/Lucas or when <em>All My Children</em> did it with Bianca and Babe. What really saves the story is…</p>
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<p>Having been down this road before,<em>Days</em>‘ Nicole is 100 percent convinced her child is alive. We know she’s right, but everyone else thinks she’s losing her mind. We half expect her to don an apron and an accent and take a job working in a<em>Knots Landing</em> diner. (Kudos if you get the reference!)</p>
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<p>From the start of<em>90 Day Fiance: The Other Way</em>‘s latest season, it was clear that Kimberly had big emotions and more than a few drama-queen tendencies. But the scream she unleashed at the end of an argument with husband-to-be TJ left more than a few viewers wondering if there was more going on with the troubled young woman.</p>
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<p>As<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>‘s Eric lay dying, Felicia, Rick and Kristin were unable to be there because they were — checking notes — on safari.</p>
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<p>So all it took for <em>Young & Restless</em>’ Ashley to get over her hatred of Diane was being Heimlich-maneuvered after choking on a grape? That twist was harder for us to swallow than that grape was for Ashley.</p>
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<p>For months, <em>General Hospital</em> had had us wondering who the boss lady was who was blackmailing Ava and Austin. Then, outta nowhere, she started being referred to as a he. Our reaction: Huh?!?</p>
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<p><em>Days</em>‘ Theresa barely acknowledges son Tate in favor of pursuing Alex’s money, while Brady rewarded the kid doing $50,000 worth of damage at school with a gold card he could use to take Holly out on a date.</p>
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<p>We still can’t wrap our heads around the fact that Kevin Costner couldn’t come to some kind of agreement with co-creator Taylor Sheridan to keep <em>Yellowstone</em> from being cancelled.</p>
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<p>We spent months lamenting even the thought of<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>‘s Hope hooking up with Thomas. Much like Liam, we wanted to shake the heroine and remind her of everything her favorite designer had done. But a funny thing happened along the way… we started to see Thomas’ devotion through the eyes of a woman desperate for a man to love her and only her. Between their sizzling chemistry and his swoon-worth proclamations, we’re crazy for this couple… despite ourselves!</p>
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<p>It was bizarre enough that <em>Young & Restless</em> removed Michael from the canvas when bestie Phyllis needed a lawyer. But even more bewildering was the choice of Heather to represent the woman who once upon a time ran down dad Paul with her car.</p>
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<p>Emma’s Thanksgiving return to <em>General Hospital</em> left us thinking she’s more than ready to relocate to Port Charles permanently and start mixing it up with the show’s teen scene.</p>
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<p>Li was murdered out of nowhere and promptly forgotten by virtually everyone on <em>Days </em>but Wendy. Gabi was arrested for his murder and whisked off to prison despite the fact that she hadn’t even gone to trial. Which might have been because her lawyer, Belle, vowed to EJ that they were going to war over Gabi, then was never seen again.</p>
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<p>ABC cancelled <em>Grey’s Anatomy</em> spinoff <em>Station 19</em>… which is actually higher-rated than the mother ship for the previous TV season and is often better than the mother ship!</p>
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<p>For months, <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> had Sheila leering in vain at Deacon. They only wound up in bed because she was wearing a disguise and he believed her to be someone else. Yet a few months later, they were being sold as some epic, star-crossed romance, complete with date nights and an engagement. This despite the fact that being with her could cost him everything, including daughter Hope.</p>
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See Also
Who are The Detty Sisters? Wikipedia, Ages, Parents, Family,Their Religious Affiliation: What Denomination Are The Detty Sisters - EmergeWomanMagazine<p>Eric Braeden beautifull played the scenes in which <em>Young & Restless</em>’ Victor lamented how alone he was after driving away his children. (Again.) But The Mustache would be a lot more sympathetic if he wasn’t the very reason that his kids hate as much as love him. Not to mention if he hadn’t, soon after, put in yet another plot which would tear the family apart in motion!</p>
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<p>From their flirty table talk to their decision to skip dessert in favor of, um,<em>dessert</em>, Spencer and Trina proved that absence (from Esme) definitely makes the heart grow fonder. Here’s hoping<em>General Hospital</em>doesn’t make the pair pay a heavy price for having enjoyed a little love in the afternoon!</p>
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<p>Oddly, this award doesn’t go to any plot that played out on screen, it goes to the behind-the-scenes twist that found <em>Days of Our Lives</em> bringing Jen Lilley back as Theresa… only to recast her… with Emily O’Brien, who was already on the canvas as Gwen!</p>
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<p>We spent weeks complaining about the fact that<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>‘s Bridget wasn’t being consulted where dad Eric’s mystery ailment was concerned. So we loved having her not only present for his big party, but wind up assisting Finn in the operating room when it came time for his life-saving procedure!</p>
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<p>As longtime fans of Josh Kelly, we were thrilled when his Cody literally dropped into <em>General Hospital</em>‘s Port Charles last year. Unfortunately, he was saddled with one story after another which painted Cody as someone tough to root for. But then, he began spending time with — and eventually rode to the rescue of — Sasha. Throw in his bond with Olivia’s son, Leo, and we’re happy to say Cody has gone from heel to hero!</p>
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<p>“Gwen simply isn’t dumb enough not to see through Leo and Dimitri’s crap,” we complained on more than one occasion. So imagine how thrilled we were when<em>Days of Our Lives</em>played the beat in which Gwen admitted she’d been on to their ruse for a while. Not a long while, mind you, but hey, it was better than the alternative.</p>
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<p>Given that <em>Days of Our Lives</em> tapes six months in advance, we’d almost gotten over the real-life shock of John Aniston’s passing when suddenly, we were taken right back by the death of Victor. Hard as it’s been, we were grateful that the show built big, long-lasting story around the loss of both the actor and his iconic alter ego.</p>
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<p>One day, we looked up and said, “Hey, <em>Bold & Beautiful</em>‘s Ridge is wearing glasses!” It was a nice nod to the fact that he, like the rest of us, is aging. Of course, in his case, it’s like a fine wine whereas in ours, it’s more like a cheese left on the counter far too long.</p>
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<p>Why did <em>General Hospital</em> bother to put Ava’s mother in jeopardy if it wasn’t bringing back Ilene Kristen as Delia?</p>
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<p>In order to help<em>Days of Our Lives</em>amnesiac Abe figure out who’s who in Salem, Kayla created flashcards featuring pics of his friends and loved ones. The one thing she didn’t count on? So many of the locals having doubles on the soap<em>Body & Soul</em>, which only served to confuse the befuddled guy even more!</p>
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<p>Luna didn’t just make an entrance, the<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>newbie walked into the Forrester mansion with a great personality, an intriguing backstory and a potential love interest in RJ, who was in desperate need of something — or someone — to give him a purpose.</p>
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<p><em>General Hospital</em> had a real find in Ella Lentini and scheming Betty. But instead of position her to be a new Nelle, she was sent packing before she ever managed to see a scheme through to fruition.</p>
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<p>Everything about the<em>Days of Our Lives</em>story in which Whitley kidnapped Abe and pretended to be his wife felt like the kind of story that’s devised for no other reason than to give a few characters something to do. Nothing about her plan made sense, and it ultimately had no lasting impact on the canvas.</p>
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<p>We were so ticked that <em>Young & Restless</em> had played so much of “Teriah’s” adoption drama off screen that we were sure, if they ever got another actual <em>on-screen</em> storyline, we’d be thrilled. We were wrong. Lil’ Aria’s hearing loss put us to sleep faster than “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”</p>
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<p>When<em>Bold & Beautiful</em> introduced R.J., he spent months making it clear he wanted nothing to do with the family business (or the accompanying drama). Yet one quake of grandpa Eric’s hand and R.J. — who had zero experience with design — was not only being groomed to take over the company but keeping the biggest secret on the canvas!</p>
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<p>Don’t give us that look, Laura, you know it’s true that — thanks in part to their humongous cast —<em>General Hospital</em>stories can take forever to unfold. Which is odd, because when watching, the show often<em>feels</em>as if it’s moving at a great clip. But take a long-view of the various stories, and it’s definitely an illusion.</p>
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<p>Coming up with a realistic struggle for longtime couples can be tough. Once<em>Days of Our Lives</em>‘ Belle and Shawn survived both Satan and she-devil Jan, what could actually come between them? But his downward spiral into alcoholism and self-destructive behavior after shooting his own dad made perfect sense.</p>
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<p>How cool was the the judge presiding over Sheila’s case on<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>shared a past with Deacon, who’d called in a favor to get her released? It helped explain a plot point which hadn’t previously made a lot of sense. That said, it’s too bad the soap didn’t keep Judge Evan Scott and portrayer Michael Corbett around longer. Then again, it’s not too late for them to change their minds…</p>
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<p>Obviously, the folks at<em>General Hospital</em>love Roger Howarth. After all, he’s played almost as many characters now as Michael Easton. So why did they refuse to give his latest, Austin, a good storyline? Howarth and Maura West (Ava) had killer chemistry — as do both with anyone they’re paired with — yet aside from a romp or two, nothing came of it. Now that Austin’s been dispatched, we’re ready to let the brilliant docs in the titular facility figure out a way to bring Franco back from the dead!</p>
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<p>Talk about cold! <em>Young & Restless</em>‘ Victor hadn’t been back in his office an hour before he had Victoria’s portrait taken down and his own put back upon the wall. What better way to make it perfect clear that she was no longer in charge, large or otherwise!</p>
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<p>There are simply no words to express how rocked the entire daytime community was by news of Billy Miller’s tragic passing. “You had a beautiful spirit,” said former co-star Stacy Haiduk before summing up our feeling succinctly with “and it really sucks that you’re not here anymore.</p>
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<p>Vivian Alamain grates on the nerves of every single character upon whom she drops one of her witty bon mots, which makes her one of our all-time favorite<em>Days of Our Lives</em>characters. Where Vivian goes, a good time is sure to follow… if not for the residents of Salem, certain for us.</p>
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<p>From the moment Daniel returned to Genoa City, it was pretty obvious that <em>Young & Restless</em>was going to give his pairing with Lily another try. And we’re so glad they did! The chemistry shared by Michael Graziadei and Christel Khalil is off the charts, and throwing Heather into the mix shows real potential.</p>
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<p>Frankly,<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>didn’t have much competition in this department. It was between their journey to Italy and<em>General Hospital</em>shooting on a park bench behind the studio.</p>
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<p>The last thing anyone — let alone<em>General Hospital</em>‘s Charlotte — needed was the tarot cards which various Cassadines have used to stir up all kinds of trouble! Yet thanks to the late Victor, into her hands they were delivered… and trouble soon followed.</p>
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<p>There are those who will never accept that <em>Young & Restless</em>’ Diane has changed for the better. We are not among them. We love that she’s done what so few characters are allowed to: She’s learned from her mistakes and evolved.</p>
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<p>A splashy ad campaign told us that<em>Days of Our Lives</em>‘ Bo and Hope were back. But at the end of the day, all we really got was Harris, the oft-brainwashed, loveless hunk who really served no purpose.</p><p></p>
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<p>Let’s not get it twisted: We are huge fans of<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>‘s Scott Clifton, both as an actor and a person. We can’t, however, say the same about Liam. We’ve long catalogued Liam’s many, many, <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/gallery/bold-beautiful-liam-spencer-dumb-choices-photos/" target="_blank">many dunderheaded moves</a>, but daytime’s most notorious waffler really topped himself by trying to come between Steffy and her husband and then, as Hope moved on with Thomas, having the nerve to say he would always love her. On the plus side…</p>
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<p>Rather than let Liam continue to make boneheaded decisions and come off like the world’s biggest hyprocrite — next to Brooke, anyway — <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> up and made him a <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/news/700195/scott-clifton-liam-villain-backstage-secrets/" target="_blank">flat-out, full-on villain</a>. Although he largely disappeared at the end of the year, we have high hopes for where this new path will take him in 2024!</p>
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<p>Although<em>General Hospital</em>struggled a bit when recasting Molly following <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/general-hospital/news/672056/why-haley-pullos-left-arrested-dui/" target="_blank">Haley Pullos’ DUI arrest</a>, they had far better luck after Lexi Ainsworth left.<em>Days of Our Lives</em>vet Kate Mansi (ex-Abigail) naturally slipped into the rolf of Alexis and Sonny’s daughter.</p>
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<p>No other genre can do what<em>Young & Restless</em>did when they used scenes from decades-old episodes to remind newer viewers (or those of us who may have forgotten) exactly <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-young-and-the-restless/news/693875/who-is-young-and-restless-mamie-why-does-jill-hate-her/" target="_blank">what went down between Mamie and Jill</a>, helping put their present-day animosity into context.</p>
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<p>Kudos to<em>Days of Our Lives</em> for bringing Theo and Lani home for dad Abe’s supposed demise. But where the heck was Brandon, who was barely mentioned, let alone seen!</p>
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<p>By fighting off an evil Cassadine bent on destroying the world,<em>General Hospital</em>‘s Spencer and Trina firmly established themselves as this generation’s Luke and Laura… without the icky baggage that supercouple brought to the table thanks to that night at the Campus Disco.</p>
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<p>Talk about a no-win situation. When<em>Young & Restless</em>‘ Sally went into labor, babydaddy Adam was forced to choose between her life and that of their unborn child. Upon waking up, Sally blasted him for having made the wrong decision!</p>
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<p>We’d barely gotten a glimpse of<em>General Hospital</em>‘s new Ethan — let alone adjusted to him suddenly being blond — when Holly and Luke’s son left on a new adventure.</p>
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<p>After Faith was badly traumatized during the whole Cameron Kirsten affair, we expected<em>Young & Restless</em>to spend the summer showing us how she’d been impacted. Instead, they made the least dramatic decision possible by sending her back to school!</p>
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<p>There is absolutely nothing that<em>General Hospital</em>‘s Tracy can’t make better. The show needs to do whatever it takes to keep Jane Elliot around for as long as she will stay.</p>
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<p>Everything about<em>Days of Our Lives</em>soap-within-a-soap, <em>Body & Soul</em>, thrilled us, from the big hair sported by Kassandra and Charlemagne to the unfolding storylines. Is it wrong that we were far more invested in how twins Rhett and Thrust came to have amnesia than much of what was unfolding in Salem?</p>
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<p>We’ve never seen anybody so excited to be on their feet slinging lattes all day, every day as Esther, Crimson Lights’ new manager on <em>Young & Restless.</em></p>
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<p>We didn’t understand Hope’s motivation for kissing <em>Bold & Beautiful</em>‘s Thomas any more than Liam did, but damned if Annika Noelle and Scott Clifton didn’t give Emmy-worthy performances as the husband demanded his wife confess her sin.</p>
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<p><em>The Young and the Restless</em> gave Faith a cat named Borgnine… whose only purpose was to become a victim of Cameron’s murderous rage.</p>
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<p>When she’s caught telling lies or committing insider trading,<em>General Hospital</em>‘s Carly is about as likely to pay for her sins as we are to pass on a second glass of wine.</p>
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<p>While<em>Days of Our Lives</em>‘ Sloan has never been a saint, we were disappointed to watch her go from a vengeance-seeking attorney to a woman willing to do anything to give her man — or, in this case, Nicole’s — a baby… again, in this case, Nicole’s!</p>
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<p>With the opening of the Neil Winters Jazz Lounge, <em>Young & Restless</em>honored both the much-missed character and his late portrayer, Kristoff St. John. Better still, Shemar Moore returned as Malcolm for the occasion of the club’s debut.</p>
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<p>Truth be told, Charles Shaughnessy was so delightfully wicked as<em>General Hospital</em> baddie Victor that we absolutely hated to see both exit the. canvas. That said, if you’re going to tell a bit story in which a villain threatens to kill most of the world’s population, there needs to be a significant payoff. Losing Spencer’s dastardly uncle certainly fit the bill.</p>
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<p>You know what<em>Days of Our Lives</em>‘ Sloan and Jada didn’t need? Siblings like Colin and Talia, who were little more than plot devices in a revenge story that had run out of steam long before they even arrived on the scene.</p>
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<p>Even as <em>Young & Restless</em>‘ Nick was dealing with Sally losing her baby and Cameron’s attack on his family, Victoria proved to be her father’s daughter by pushing her brother out at the family company… and giving her lover his job!</p>
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<p>Having been told that her<em>General Hospital</em>beau had literally gone down with the ship after the<em>Haunted Star</em> sank, Trina leapt into his arms upon finding out rumors of his death had been greatly exaggerated.(<a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/general-hospital/news/671149/spencer-trina-reunite-leaps-into-his-arms/" target="_blank">Read what went into the making of the scene here.</a>)</p>
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<p>Given how many of their fellow residents have risen from premature graves, why did anyone on <em>Days of Our Lives</em>believe Abe dead based on a few drops of blood and a skittish eyewitness?</p>
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<p>Long before anyone boarded the Forrester jet, it was clear that<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>‘s Ridge and Brooke would reunite in Italy. Far less clear was why we should care, given that neither has changed, grown or learned a dang thing since their split last year.</p>
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<p>We still don’t understand exactly how<em>Young & Restless’</em>Phyllis saw things playing out when she — in quick succession — married Stark, faked her own death and framed Diane for her murder. Yet miraculously, things somehow worked out in her favor as she wound up walking away from the whole mess virtually unscathed!</p>
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<p>After years of dedicated service,<em>General Hospital</em>‘s Elizabeth finally got the Head Nurse position. As Monica said of the news, “Having another Hardy/March running the 10th floor sounds right, don’t you think?” We most certainly do.</p>
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<p>If a picture truly says a thousand words, the one above is shouting, “Really,<em>Days of Our Lives</em>? Do better!” Because the God-awful green screen effects which capped off Bo and Hope’s already problematic reunion were the very definition of cringe.</p>
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<p>While we can’t say we approve of Victor’s attempt to do away with anyone not named Cassadine, at least the<em>General Hospital</em>villain was focused on climate change and population control. Too bad he couldn’t team up with activist Greta Thunberg, who might have helped redirect his scheme in a more positive, less “kill everyone” direction!</p>
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<p>Fans were furious at the notion of<em>Young & Restless</em>‘ Chance being booted from the Chancellor mansion. Sure, it was his idea, but viewers blasted the writers for ever thinking it was a good idea.</p>
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<p><em>Young & Restless</em> basically dashed our last hopes of ever seeing Doug Davidson return as Paul when the character skipped Genoa City’s bicentennial celebration to spend time with daughter Heather in Portugal.</p>
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<p>We’d made no secret of the fact that we were 100 percent in favor of<em>General Hospital</em> pairing Josslyn with Dex… which only made us feel crummier when William Lipton and Eden McCoy left it all on the floor (of Kelly’s Diner) as her character admitted to his that what they’d had… would not be returning.</p>
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<p>When<em>Days of Our Lives</em> had Alex and Allie hit the sheets again — this time without her girlfriend — we assumed that in true soap style, Johnny’s twin would wind up pregnant. Instead, she promptly left town in the least dramatic fashion possible. (Dare we hope she’s out there, somewhere, about to provide Henry with a sibling?)</p>
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<p>The mere <em>suggestion</em> that <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> might allow Taylor and Brooke to swear off not only Ridge but men in general set off a fan frenzy the likes of which we haven’t seen in… ever? Love is love, folks. Yet it generated a whole lotta hate mail. (<a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-bold-and-the-beautiful/news/657061/bold-beautiful-brooke-taylor-lesbian-romance-reaction/" target="_blank">Read as much as you can bear here.</a>)</p>
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<p>Season 5 of <em>Yellowstone</em> pressed pause on New Year’s Day with Jamie and Beth plotting one another’s murders… but not actually <em>doing</em> anything. Sure, she clocked him with a rock, but if we had a nickel for every time she’d hit him with something, we’d be as rich as big daddy John. As midseason finales go, it was grade ZZZ.</p>
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<p>The level of commitment — heck, the level of <em>interest</em> — that <em>Young & Restless</em> playboy Billy showed as he and Lily ended their relationship made us wonder anew why we’d ever invested in the pairing in the first place. We’ve switched from white to red wine with more conflicted feelings (and more feelings, period).</p>
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<p>We’ll give <em>General Hospital</em> that Britt’s swan song was dramatic: The terminally ill doctor’s life was cut even shorter by a close encounter with The Hook. But why on earth would you kill off a character with as much potential as Obrecht’s daughter when c’mon, ya never know, Kelly Thiebaud <em>might</em> want to return someday.</p>
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<p>As much as we love having <em>Young & Restless</em>‘ Mamie back in Genoa City — and we love it a lot — we can’t for the life of us figure out when she became just another of the soap’s revolving executives.</p>
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<p>Since nobody but nobody believed that <em>Days of Our Lives</em> was really killing off Marlena, Kayla and Kate, was there any reason to care? Oh, and not for nothin’, but just once, we’d like to see a soap not depict heaven as an all-white affair.</p>
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<p>Understandably, <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> fans lost their minds when Bill <em>seemed</em> to lose his by taking up with merry murderess Sheila. But hey, at least ya have to admit the show threw a real jaw-dropper of a shock at us… especially once we found out what the tycoon was really up to!</p>
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<p>Not “best” as in it made sense or anything, mind you.<em>Grey’s Anatomy</em> had had Meredith all set to move to Minnesota when daughter Zola’s anxiety changed their destination to Massachusetts. (What? Huh?) However, we’re still A-OK with Ellen Pompeo’s departure because it paved the way for more of the new class of residents that have pumped fresh blood into the long-running drama.</p>
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<p>From the gorgeous ceremony to the drama which unfolded the second it was over,<em>General Hospital</em>scored big-time with the nuptials of Curtis and Portia.</p>
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<p>Not a single eyebrow was raised when<em>Young & Restless’</em>Fen strolled in and introduced his boyfriend, Trey. Well, not in Genoa City, anyway. Viewers were somewhat surprised, given that Fen had apparently come out (and found love) off screen!</p>
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<p>On one hand, <em>General Hospital</em> picked a culprit that made sense to be The Hook. On the other, it was awfully coincidental that Heather had just happened to have turned back up on the canvas around the time the murders began.</p>
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<p>We didn’t know <em>what</em> to say about the bananas sci-fi stories that <em>Days of Our Lives</em>was telling at the start of 2023. But then an ice-cream scoop played a part in deprogramming <span style="text-decoration: line-through">Jake</span> Stefan, and suddenly, we got it: The soap’s not a soap anymore, it’s a comedy.</p>
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<p><em>Bold & Beautiful</em> got the reaction that it wanted by making it appear that Taylor had committed suicide: We were scared. But it also got one that it couldn’t have wanted, as viewers took issue with the cheap treatment of a grave matter.</p>
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<p>We wanted to order a neuro consult for Simone after<em> Grey’s Anatomy</em> had her stop mid-hookup with adorably devoted Lucas to not only give her jerky ex-fiancé the time of day but a “yes” to his latest marriage proposal.</p>
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<p>Did anyone not see a “Who’s the daddy?” twist coming on <em>Young & Restless</em> when the show had Sally enjoy one last romp with Adam before committing herself to Nick? What we didn’t predict was the sad turn the story eventually would take.</p>
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<p>The moment <em>General Hospital</em> revealed thatNina was Willow’s birth mom, we all rolled our eyes, assuming that the ailing young woman’s longtime sparring partner would be the one to save her life. So imagine our surprise when tests revealed that Nina <em>wasn’t</em> a match for Michael’s babymama!</p>
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<p><em>Bold & Beautiful</em> had a judge allow Douglas to decide whether he wanted to live with Hope or Thomas… and the little boy chose Steffy. What if he’d picked Big Bird or Barney? Would her honor have let him move in with <em>anybody</em> he wanted?</p>
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<p>Need to cure a seemingly fatal illness? Turn back the hands of time? Heck, maybe you — like<em>Days of Our Lives’</em>Megan — just need a partner in crime who won’t sass you like that mouthy Dr. Rolf. Have we got just the orchid for you!</p>
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<p>Once <em>Young & Restless</em> had Victoria start hitting on Nate, we realized that we’d been right all along to suspect that Newman Enterprises has no HR department. That also explains why people can jump from company to company, as if these huge conglomerates have never heard of Do Not Compete clauses!</p>
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<p>We assumed that everyone from Michael to Drew to <em>General Hospital</em> fans would blastCarly for doing everything in her power to keep Willow and Nina from discovering they were mother and daughter. Yet the deceptive diva emerged from the mess almost entirely unscathed!</p>
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<p>Can anyone explain to us what role, exactly, <em>Bold & Beautiful</em>dressmaker Ridge played in busting Sheila? Far as we can tell, he abandoned his family in order to hang out with Bill and Agent Chen, neither of whom really seemed to need his help.</p>
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<p>Ever since <em>Days of Our Lives’ </em>Tripp and Wendy crossed paths on<em>Beyond Salem: Chapter Two</em> back in the summer of 2022, we’dbeen waiting for them to get together. Thankfully, they managed to find their way into one another’s arms despite her being waylaid by Johnny for a bit.</p>
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<p>Would <em>Young & Restless</em> never let any of Lauren’s friends on <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> tell her that Sheila Carter is alive and as homicidal as ever? Heck, characters went back and forth regularly over the course of the year, and still, Genoa City’s residents remained clueless to the danger in their (admittedly far-flung) midst!</p>
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<p><em>General Hospital</em> has made the extremely good decision to remove Dex’s shirt at every opportunity. Chilling at the Metro Court pool? Take it off. Injured in the line of duty? Take it off. Frying up bacon? Take it off… but maybe stand back from the stovetop.</p>
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<p><em>Days of Our Lives</em> was renewed by Peaco*ck for not just another season but two more. We’ll drink to that!</p>
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<p>Asked for a second time to step into the loafers of<em>General Hospital</em>pot-stirrer Nikolas, Adam Huss did such a good job that many fans suggested he be given a longer-term shot at the role, should the opportunity arise. Sure enough, when Nikolas rose from the grave, it was Huss who brought Laura’s son back to life. Speaking of Huss…</p>
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<p>Between his appearances on <em>General Hospital</em> sting,<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>reminded us that back in 2002, Huss had played one of Sheila’s more memorable victims… not only because of Lance’s aversion to buttoned shirts but also because of his death by swarming bees!</p>
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<p>Not since<em>Young & Restless</em>‘ Leanna Love has a character been so perfectly suited to the role of gossip columnist as is<em>Days of Our Lives’</em><span style="text-decoration: line-through">Lady Whistleblower</span> Leo.</p>
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<p>When at long, <em>long</em> last, <em>General Hospital</em> let Spencer and Trina have their first kiss, it was everything we had hoped it would be and more. Which is pretty miraculous, considering how amazing we hoped it would be!</p>
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<p>From the special guests to Phyllis’ meltdown — not to mention the reveal of her unexpected marriage to Jeremy Stark —<em>Young & Restless</em>pulled out all the stops as the soap marked its 50th anniversary in high style.</p>
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<p>Apparently,<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>black sheep Thomas is the only designer out there capable of capturing the essence of the Hope For the Future line. That’s good for him but crazy bad for the company!</p>
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<p>At first, we assumed<em>General Hospital</em>was having Esme fake her amnesia. But thanks to fantastic performances by Avery Kristen Pohl, we couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ace’s mom as one person after another filled her in on just how hateful she was.</p>
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<p>What did<em>Bold & Beautiful</em>give Carter get for having devoted a decade of his life to Forrester Creations? A clock, a note and a handshake. The least they could have done is give him an office.</p>
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<p>We were all excited to have <em>Guiding Light</em> and <em>The Haves and the Have Nots</em> alum Gavin Houstin heat up <em>General Hospital</em> (not to mention Jordan’s love life) — until we realized that the charismatic actor was just passing through.</p>
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