Aymery

I really liked the story they started telling (but inexplicably dropped) about Will feeling like he wasn't attractive enough to be a catch for Sonny, and how flattered he was by the attention from Paul, a famous and incredibly good-looking baseball player. Not only did the plot give us some of daytime's steamiest sex scenes, but also Guy Wilson's best acting.

The Horita 2.0 tease is hot. For me, Paul and Will (the Guy Wilson version) were the steamiest couple on soapdom - gay or straight. Not sure Chandler can recapture that with Christopher, but I'd like to see 'em try!

Will Ingo be allowed to keep his Australian accent - like Winsor kept his incongruous Texan accent? That would be a funny, sly nod. I could never understand why they let Winsor talk like a Texan. It took me right out of his early scenes. Then they undressed him and I forgave the accent. Throoke was my favorite Brooke-Forrester relationship, and I hated how they basically said Brooke was NEVER in love with Thorne but saw him as a second-rate Ridge substitute. Ouch. Theirs was the last well-attended wedding on the show; I remember all of Brooke's siblings, parents and even her Grandma Logan were present. (Apparently her death was referenced onscreen when the actress passed in real life; but I can't remember that.) Mateo is hot - a more than fitting successor to Mr Pecs and Zende. I heard he's only on for a limited run; that's a shame because it's been a long time since we had a Latino character (was the last one Lorenzo Lamas or Thomas's green-card bride?) and this actor is very easy on the eyes. Hopefully they promote him to a regular instead of making him full-on evil. I don't understand what they're doing with Sheila; wasn't she supposed to be rehabilitated? Instead she's having bloody fights with Quinn, blackmailing Charlie and James, and now hiring Mateo as a gigolo. He'd better pray he doesn't wind up like poor Lance, the last guy she hired in the same capacity!

It's a boringly inane storyline, but I don't think it's a regression for Nathan. If it was, he'd have answered the door without putting on his shirt (and probably without trousers, too) to really give those girls something to salivate over. (I shamelessly admit that I miss those days when he used to parade around in nothing but his underwear - he's hot. Speaking of which, I guess there's been a change in the costuming department as well as the writing room.) What is a regression, IMO, is the notion that the show can only feature one same-sex couple at any one time. Does anyone else notice that, since the show trotted out Parker and Kristina, Lucas and Brad are never seen anymore? And the story they chose to tell of the lesbian couple - teacher with student who seduced then blackmailed her for better grades - is really empowering ... NOT! (I suspect Ron Carlivati will pick up the gay viewers over at his new gig on Days, where he's just resurrected a much-beloved gay character.) I expect they are obliged to make Steve Burton's character the "real" Jason. (I still cannot comprehend why they felt the need to bring him back, when he costs an arm and a leg for his non-acting.) And the upshot of that is Sam's children are also cousins, instead of JaSam being the one couple to have two biological children together. Mind you, I didn't think they were all that as a pairing to merit that distinction, but I appreciated having one couple with two kids, which I believe is the first since Frisco & Felicia had Georgie way back in 1995? I am hard-pressed to name any other couple with two kids on this show. Luke and Laura are the only other example who come to mind. If we expand the list to include adopted children, we also had Tony and Bobbie (BJ and Lucas), Sonny and Carly (Michael and Morgan - perhaps Avery soon), Lucy and Scott (Serena and Christina), Lucky and Liz (well, it changes from one year to the next, but I distinctly remember Lucky adopted Jake, so with Aiden that makes two). I don't know whether the show wants us to root for Valentin (and Nina) or Lulu in the parenting battle. Nina and Valentin keep saying Lulu treats Charlotte as a possession to which she is entitled as the biological mother, but seem blithely oblivious to the fact that they both want to "own" Charlotte as well - and Valentin has had a head start on this by willfully keeping Charlotte's existence a secret from Lulu for YEARS. Nina is a nasty piece of work, IMO, and should not be allowed anywhere near children after what she did to induce Ava's labor and stole baby Avery. Michelle Stafford always manages to imbue her characters (Phyllis on Y&R prior to this) with her own special brand of stank. Nina should be a sympathetic character given her tragic backstory, but Stafford's smug portrayal drags her down.

Just caught up on the week's episodes and this was the worst Nurses' Ball yet. Total washout save for Robin's message and Helena. Why would they cut Liesl from the musical lineup when she is one of the few castmembers who can actually perform? And then so much airtime devoted to Jake's magic trick which totally lacked suspense (even before the previews spoiled that it would fizzle out - just like the ball itself). Putting little kids front and center is clearly Frank and not Ron as we originally suspected. And without Ron, there wasn't even any eye candy to compensate (Magic Milo). It was a disgrace to air this ball as part of May Sweeps. It's like all 4 soaps are competing to see which can devise the least engaging Sweeps plots. And I'm sorry to say GH takes the prize.

I didn't see any assault or harassment by Archie. (And I am fairly sure even the most liberal interpretation of the law would come to the same conclusion.) On the other hand, I thought it was a dick move by Valerie to come to a party at his house and then assault the host by throwing her drink at him. I mean, she rightly pointed out that she was the one who broke up with him since he was a "hot mess" - so why come to his house? To harass and humiliate him? Why not show some common courtesy and stay away? I don't believe she is Jughead's friend so that excuse doesn't fly either.

I think it stems from the fact that one of them got blackout drunk and woke up naked with no memory of the night before. If it had been Lani in that position, people would be calling for JJ to be crucified as a rapist. Instead we got the narrative that Lani was his victim whom he had wronged by having sex with her while drunk and not remembering it afterwards. That left a bad taste in my mouth. Lani had not been portrayed favorably prior to that either (see her pursuit of Shawn-Douglas), so it was not a leap to assume she would take advantage of a drunken JJ. Of course, it's a sign of Dena Higley's return to the helm that JJ is now raking himself over the coals and trying to romance Lani.

Add me to those who appreciated Tripp's shirtless scene. I've a soft spot for blonde actors who are pretty rare on soaps (unlike blonde actresses of which we have lots). He's very easy on the eyes, looks even better out of his clothes, and I found him to be a solid actor too. Wish they had not made him Ava's son, although I do see the story potential in it. He could have have been one of Justin and Adrienne's older sons? And we could have used the opportunity to get rid of Sonny. Not enjoying his personality transplant, Freddie Smith is bringing nothing to this return, and the show not allowing Sonny and Paul to be intimate on screen is harming their romance. I feel bad for Christopher Sean. I also don't think lesser of Julie for screeching about Gabi. Yes, I feel sorry for my eardrums but Gabi more than deserves it. She murdered a man in cold blood - shot him not once but 3 times - after we the audience knew he had resolved to reform - and got away with a slap on the wrist. Nothing Nick did earned him capital punishment, and in any case she is not in any position to be judge, jury and executioner. She set into motion an explosion which killed two people (one of whom was Abigail and JJ's father). I am frankly amazed that the other Hortons are so blase about Gabi, who is now on her fourth Horton male, having already had Will, Nick, JJ and now Eli - while holding a torch for another Horton's husband! And no, JJ did not cheat on Gabi. Being taken advantage of while black-out drunk is not cheating - it's rape. If the genders had been reversed, if Lani had woken up naked with no memory of the night before except knowing she'd been sexually intimate, we would be calling it for what it was: rape.

Yeah pretty much my thoughts too. One recycled name is fine, but three? Really, how hard would it be to give names which are nods to the original characters? Jonathan (like the biblical King Saul's son) would've been a good choice for Saul Sr's grandson. And Darla - surely there is a Spanish equivalent which is not Darlita. I hope we will see Clarke Sr as part of the story. A cameo like his son CJ's would suffice if the actor isn't up for a full-time gig.

I've not watched in years but is Thomas a successful designer? I don't recall any notable successes. Was it that time he was played by a different actor and had the idiotic Taboo line where Brooke had to pose with him half-naked? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy eye candy as much as anybody but in the right context: not with one's stepmother or sister! Too bad the Avants are sidelined again; I knew the African-American family wouldn't last. Can we give Rick and Maya an adoption story instead of surrogacy? Saul Jr definitely strikes me as gay but that may just be my wonky gaydar. I thought for sure Wyatt would be but instead he's bedded all the Forrester women in his age range.

The revival of the Spectras may just bring me back to the show. The lack of a competitor has turned every fashion story into a game of musical chairs with the CEO's seat. Agree they could've been a bit more creative with the names - Darlita being the most egregious, but Sally and Saul too. Especially with the new branch of Spectras being presumably estranged from Sally Sr since she never mentioned them and they never attended any family functions, why would Sally Jr be named after her great-aunt? Without meaning to stereotype, could Saul Jr (they should've just gone with the name Paul or Jonathan) be gay? That would mean we finally get a gay employee in a fashion house - gasp! What are the chances?

I really hope they develop the Archie character more. Yes he's torn between music and football, being staturily raped and emotionally manipulated by a teacher twice his age when he wants to do the right thing but he just isn't compelling. I can't help thinking making Archie the bicurious jock instead of Moose would have had the dual benefit of making his character interesting and breathing new life into the old TV trope. Of course America isn't ready for a bisexual male lead - unlike bi females whose sex appeal is undeniable - and I doubt it would fly with the CW. If Archie had been bi we would never get all these scenes where he's viewed through a sexual lens. Look at how chaste and offscreen Kevin and Moose's relationship is - not even a kiss! Btw, Archie did pull on some jogging shorts to head to Miss Grundy's house; prior to that he wore a pretty small pair of undies. Personally I would have needed resucitation if he hadn't bothered with the shorts!

I'm surprised Chad Duell got out of the striptease this year - he proudly posted a shirtless selfie on his Instagram not too long ago and I assumed he was preparing for the Nurses' Ball. And Ryan Paevey has been cutting down on the shirtless scenes so his character's traumatic brain injury is awfully convenient. Laura's fight with Lucy is going to end will probably take place during the ball in Lucy's dressing room and result in her tradition of winding up undressed on stage. I still fear Lucas is going to die. There's a spoiler for the week after the Nurses' Ball which says Bobbie has to make a heartbreaking decision - I'm guessing it's the tragedy that overshadows the homecoming of the doctor called by Griffin to help on Lucas's case - only he/she arrives too late. I do hope it's one of the Baldwin girls. It seems like that rumor's been floating around forever. I can't see it being Christina though, unless she's decided to go by her middle name (whatever that was) - it'll be too confusing otherwise with Kristina Corinthos also on canvas. Maybe the other houseguest will be Serena's boyfriend? And yes, where's Brad in all of this? Only Bobbie and Carly hold vigil over Lucas? Not his own fiance who he was about to marry?!

There must be a contest among the soaps as to which one can hand their gay characters the shittiest storyline. Nuking what would have been the show's first gay wedding by killing off the legacy-character groom would certainly help bring GH to the top of the list. In this case they would decimate the Jones family in one fell swoop. Hopefully this is just a rumor that won't pan out - like the rumor when the current headwriters started on the show, which claimed that they were about to make Lucas one of the show's leading men. Which of course was followed by the character being marginalized even more. But I admit I'm hardpressed to identify what other event could prompt those spoilers about Lucas/Bobbie/Carly/Julian. Truth be told, they don't need Lucas as a doctor anymore. They're much more keen on their pet characters Finn and Griffin (just writing those names side by side tells you how utterly lacking in creativity these writers are) who are now the go-to doctors for every ailment under the sun. A third male doctor is surplus to the requirements when the mob, not the hospital, is central to the show.

Am I the only one to see a resemblance between Casey Moss and Billy Flynn? They could've played brothers.

UO: I'm not enthusiastic about Freddie Smith's return. What could he possibly bring to the show? They are clearly not invested in portraying gay characters as Paul and Henry's token appearances attest. Freddie's never blown me away with his acting - I suspect his Emmy win was a concession more than anything else. Plus he has no chemistry with Christopher Sean - which seems impossible since he's a very sexy guy. UO: Josh Griffith is a horrible writer. He has not written one story since he started that's resonated with me. I can't wait to see the back of him. I know he'll be replaced by Higley who herself has an awful track record but I don't remember feeling this despairing when she was in charge. Josh came here from Y&R which he managed to completely wreck before passing it to Jill Farren Phelps who proceeded to dismantle what was left.

The stuff that's airing right now is all down to Griffith and Milstein. Higley's been out for two and a half months at this point. Don't get me wrong; I'm sure that when her material starts airing it will dreck, too, but for now she's off the hook. Everything that's happened since mid-February until late August is the handiwork of Griffith and Milstein. Dena's legacy is such that she's become the scapegoat for everything wrong with the show (which happened when she wasn't actually involved) while Josh Griffith gets the credit for everything went well (which was during their joint tenure). Josh really needs to get down on his hands and knees to praise the soap gods for giving him a writing partner that would be raked over the coals for all the crap he is actually responsible for. The Ciara rape story (along with the character assassination of Chase) - Griffith's idea. Apparently he believes the Ciara actress is phenomenal and that's why he keeps throwing her sexual assault plots to showcase her "talent". (And in the process he in fact destroyed a promising character (Chase) who was actually played by a capable actor.) Ava's murder, turning Steve and Kayla's teenage son into a cold-blooded killer - pretty sure it wasn't Dena who signed off on killing her pet character. Victor revealed to have let his innocent younger brother rot in prison for THIRTY years for the murder Victor committed (I am sensing a trend here) - another gem from Griffith. Paul perpetually on the sidelines, along with token gay teen Henry whose sole purpose is to fawn over Claire's (similarly non-existent) singing talent. The only non-white female revealed as a psycho nymphomaniac; the African-American teen boy depicted as having violent tendencies. The endless cycle of death and misery since the golden anniversary, now set to continue with the possible deaths of Will's only child and the sole surviving gay character (barely-there Henry whose last name we don't know doesn't count). There is really not a SINGLE moment of levity or hope. God help me, but I'm actually looking forward to Dena Higley's return, if this is what Josh Griffith gives us.

Is it fair to assume Sonny's back to usher Paul offscreen and rid Salem of its gays? I remember Christopher Sean promising a juicy story for Paul, which I assume was the brainwashing s/l, but that seems to have been dropped, as has his mentoring the random gay teen, Henry. Are these some of the scenes Dena Higley has cut since she got back to work (like Shawn and Lani getting it on)? Don't get me wrong, I think Josh Griffith's writing is garbage but there are worse offenders currently playing out on screen that I would've cut before Paul/Henry or Shawn/Lani.

So the show cut scenes of Brandon Beemer steaming it up in the shower, but gave us endless scenes of JPL in afterglow? Okay ...

I'm pretty sure it wasn't her idea to kill off Will. IIRC, she wasn't keen on coming back but agreed to because it was her character's firstborn. Then she realized how horribly it was written and regretted coming back for that crap. The writers didn't have to send her on the run with her surviving kids; they could've just had her refuse to step foot in Salem again because it reminded her of poor Will. And that way the twins or Sydney could show up down the line.

Griffith & Milstein must really, really have it in for this character. He's already a cyberbully and a rapist, what else can they throw his way? Murder?

I disagree that Gabi is too good for JJ. The woman is a convicted murderess who killed JJ's cousin in cold blood and got out of prison in a year on a technicality. If anything, he's too good for her. That being said, I do enjoy both of them as a couple and they are both very good-looking. Camilla Banus is gorgeous but Casey Moss holds his own. If they intend to recreate the Valentine's Day crotch pillow scene with him I would not protest. I especially like that he's got hair on his chest unlike Brady and Philip whose chests are so waxy. I'm really not enjoying Josh Griffith's reign of terror. The show is in a very bad place creatively and I'm hard-pressed to find even one appealing storyline besides JJ/Gabi (who only appear briefly, once a week). I have not seen Griffith honour history or legacy characters in any way. The golden anniversary celebrations were a farce. Where was the 'history' in holding the bicentennial gala in the never-before-mentioned Martin House? Even Horton Town Square, though relatively recent history, would have made more sense. Then there was the serial killer working his way through nondescript characters before senselessly murdering the character with the most storied legacy of all. A poorly-attended funeral followed; if you thought this might at least be the reason to see returning Hortons and other favourites, you would have been sadly mistaken. Not even his relatives who were on canvas bothered to show up! Then we had another Horton, Hope, get married - to a man who was fantasizing about murdering her in her wedding gown on their honeymoon, who went through with the plan but was stopped by Bo, who had escaped months and months of torture, only to be felled by a brain tumor the very next day. Next, Eric Brady - the son of Roman and Marlena - is turned into an alcoholic overnight and kills his friend and seriously injures his stepbrother and ex-sister-in-law. Then, Ciara gets raped by her stepbrother on the Horton couch. Steve and Kayla's teenage son commits cold-blooded murder. And on it goes. I think Josh Griffith totally lacks nuance or long-term vision. He lacks respect for history and seems to be an utterly joyless soul. I am extremely glad he is off the show and can only hope that Dena Higley won't make a mess again. Frankly, he's been so terrible that I think she would actually be an improvement over him. That, more than anything else, indicates what a low point the show is at right now, IMO.

Exactly my thoughts, too. Joey's already a murderer, you'd think he'd try to keep his nose clean but no ... he has to go and kidnap his cousin's rapist and rough him up. And the whole group of teens - save gay Henry - decide to form a kangaroo court instead of, you know, turning Chase in to the cops. You know - the same police department which include Ciara's mother, brother and uncle? Lucas is the only character on canvas right now with the last name Horton (I don't count his granddaughter Ari as she isn't a character in her own right, yet) - so of course he languishes off screen for huge swathes of time. There could have been a good story with Adrienne testing positive for the BRCA1 gene, perhaps a little grim at the outset but it could ultimately have been uplifting. Instead the story - and the pairing - was given the short shrift while despair of far greater magnitude - and without respite - enveloped the show. Days of Our Lives, Josh Griffith-style. I don't think they intend to make John or his father Asian. From what I understand, they intend to stick to John's latest parentage - Tim and Maude Robicheaux from Baton Rouge - where Tim was supposedly killed in the Korean War, but the twist is that he actually deserted and adopted a Korean name. I don't think it's so much that Josh Griffith doesn't know what to do with the character of Paul, as him being unwilling to write a gay character. So he throws the barest crumbs - look, Paul has a love life! (The sleazy photographer who appeared in ONE episode and takes Paul on an offscreen date) Look, we have another gay character! (Teen Henry who we never really get to know, appears for about a hot minute, just to be called a homophobic slur, and whose scene ends randomly with him running into Paul) Honestly, it's more offensive that he even thinks this appeals to anyone. Just drop both characters already.

Why does Dena not get credit for September to November? I can understand the current material was written during her leave of absence, but surely she was around before that? And I don't agree that characters were confined to their own bubbles between December and February. There were good scenes like Maggie comforting Lucas as he faced his first Christmas since Will died, Jennifer calling in Lucas to deal with Eric's alcoholism, Belle and Paul visiting their brothers in hospital, Caroline and Julie comforting Maggie over Daniel's death, Rafe having a chat with Chase - just to name a few that stuck with me. Any one of those scenes was more significant to me than Hope talking to Roman, her direct superior who also happened to be her brother-in-law. That was a necessary scene because someone had to condone Hope and Rafe's cover-up of her murder of Stefano. Dena has committed enough crimes against decent storytelling without adding this to her resume.

I was really hoping the people who said "Dena's leave of absence is starting soon, everything's going to get better" were right. But the show has just become even more atrocious. There is literally no redemptive value in Josh Griffith's writing. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. Holding out hope for JJ and Gabi - that's the only storyline I look forward to now, even if I do think it's skeevy that JJ did Paige, her mother, her aunt and now her half-sister. (And Gabi has been involved with two of JJ's cousins - boy, she must really want that Horton ornament badly!) I was faintly amused by Ava trying it on with JJ - he did look like a stripper cop in his uniform ...