Digest Decides: Best Of Show Or Worse For Wear

Thumbs Up! DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Trask And Field After years of popping in and out of the police station every time DAYS needed the town’s crotchety DA to make a power statement, Tina Huang is finally getting quality airtime as Melinda Trask, and we’re delighted to see the actress and the character’s increasing prominence. Huang has shined whenever the writers have tossed Melinda a bone, like when she surprisingly appeared in bed with Stefan to help him nix EJ and Nicole’s plot to catch him with Gabi. She has now graduated to a welcome involvement in several main storylines, from Abe’s kidnapping to Li’s plot to eliminate Stefan to all the drama at the Salem PD involving Shawn, Jada and Rafe — and the character is branching out with a personal life, too. It was a cute twist that Melinda hired a matchmaker and wound up on a blind date with Li, of all people, and she’s found a new buddy in equally ruthless, savvy attorney Sloan. Let’s hope the soap continues to expand Melinda’s presence, because Huang has proven that she’s up to the task.

Thumbs Up! YOUNG AND RESTLESS - Double The Fun We’re intrigued by two polar-opposite people in Summer’s orbit who have the potential to be significant players in her currently messed-up life. First up is Audra, the woman sleeping with Summer’s estranged hubby. During their first run-in at the GCAC after Summer deduced that Audra was Kyle’s mistress, Summer wasted no time in dressing her down, but Audra didn’t appear to be remotely rattled as she sniffed, “Kyle has free will and if he wanted to be with you, girl, he would be. And yet, here you are, all on your own.” The intensity between the ladies crackled and served as a solid harbinger of juicy hostility to come. Next, Summer put on a game face to welcome her new hire Chelsea to Marchetti, but Ms. Lawson immediately picked up on her boss’s distress and prompted Summer to open up. As Summer lamented the end of her marriage, Chelsea offered gentle counsel to an appreciative Summer. Summer has been without a genuine female friendship for far too long, and it would be nice to see her develop a strong bond with Chelsea as a parallel to her nascent rivalry with Audra.

Thumbs Down! GENERAL HOSPITAL - Poor Unfortunate Soul Is any character on daytime more of a magnet for misery than poor Sasha Gilmore? The show has subjected her to a relentless barrage of suffering over the past few years, including — but far from limited to! — a drug abuse-induced heart attack, the tragic death of her newborn son and the murder of her husband, and now, she’s the victim of financial abuse (Gladys became her legal guardian and is draining her bank account) and worse: her therapist, who’s in league with Gladys, drugged her into a hallucinatory state that caused her to stab Cody and get committed to Ferncliff, where he’s medicated her into mental oblivion. At this point, Sasha barely has a personality or plot function outside of the trauma inflicted upon her, and how disproportionately devastating events are doled out to her becomes clear when compared to other characters in her orbit, perhaps most notably Maxie, who has basically been storyline-free in 2023 (unless “thinking about moving” can be considered a storyline). The show should seriously consider using a lighter hand when it comes to penning Sasha’s post-Ferncliff arc to restore some much-needed balance to her biography.

Thumbs Up! BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL - Get Carter We’re going to assume that if Sheila had been tried in a real court with a real judge, she’d be in prison, but where is the fun in that? In releasing B&B’s Public Enemy No. 1 from the clink, the writers have opened up multiple avenues of story opportunity. First up is the threat to Steffy and Finn’s up-until-now happy marriage. His conflicted feelings about his bio mom don’t sit well with his wife, who has Liam whispering in her ear that their burgeoning closeness spells trouble. Cut to Steffy moving to Eric’s with the kids to hopefully steer clear of her mother-in-law. Li isn’t so thrilled with Finn’s interest in Sheila either, causing problems aplenty in that relationship, as well. Then there’s Deacon, who quickly resumed his romance with the now-free wild card, but not publicly, as he’s trying to maintain the image that he’s walking the straight and narrow. When Deacon cautioned her about getting her hopes up about Finn, noting that he worried she would take actions that made her appear “crazy”, she responded, “I hate that word,” making it clear that she’s not so changed, after all. Whatever path the legendary schemer takes next, we look forward to the ripple effects her presence will create across the canvas.  

Applause, Applause Those flashbacks of Y&R’s Phyllis and Christine’s ongoing feud perfectly enhance their interactions today.... GH has upped the romance factor (Chase and Brook Lynn after hours at the pool, Sam and Dante reconnecting at the penthouse) — and we’re here for it! ... Nice use of the real California beach for B&B’s location shoot with Finn and Kelly

Picky, Picky However, it’s hard to believe he would turn his back on her when they were that close to the ocean. Also, Sally’s off-camera visit to her L.A.-based kin on Y&R reminded us that B&B has never addressed the fate of her little sister Coco’s romance with R.J.; they were still together when he left for Paris back in 2018! ... Owning Kelly’s has never made anyone rich; it’s unclear why GH’s Carly thinks that taking over the diner will help her settle her $5 million debt to the SEC! ... On Y&R, Victor, Nikki and Nick have all voiced their distrust of Nate, so why is he still the COO of Newman Enterprises? ... DAYS’s Tripp told Wendy that his wife, Haley, died “in a freak accident” — a curious way to describe Kristen pushing her down the stairs to her demise!