Soap Opera Digest

It’s Only My Opinion

Daytime’s most outspoken columnist!

- Follow Carolyn on Twitter @carolynhin­sey By Carolyn Hinsey

■ Best and Worst already? So many severed heads, so little time ... Okay, here goes.

● Best Story: Ashley’s Payback, Y&R

If revenge is a dish best served cold, Ashley made sure Winter Was Coming for Jack. She waited decades to repay her brother after he instituted the “Blood Abbott Clause” (which kept her from the CEO position since John Abbott wasn’t her bio dad) to put her poisonous plan in motion. First up? Convincing their Alzheimer’s-stricken mother she had cheated on John to conceive Jack, then faking a paternity test. Après lies, Ash sat back and watched her desperate brother struggle for his place in the world as a non-abbott while playing “Are you my father?” with every 80-year-old in Genoa City. She tampered with evidence, lied and backstabbe­d every member of her family before finally being forced to admit to Jack (and viewers) he’d been an Abbott all along.

Ashley: “Didn’t think I had it in me, did you?”

No — and that’s what made it so great.

● Worst Story: Patch Disappears, DAYS

After 30 years of total devotion to Kayla while battling explosions, amnesia, a coma, blindness, even death to get back to his “Sweetness”, Steve Johnson was arrested for espionage off-screen and just disappeare­d? No.

Soaps were crawling with epic battles this year starring core characters rooted in history.

● Best Trend: Renewing Rivalries

DAYS’S Stefan vs. Chad, GH’S Ava vs. Carly, Y&R’S Sharon vs. Phyllis ... soaps were crawling with epic battles this year starring core characters rooted in history. Props to B&B for successful­ly showcasing two generation­s of dueling divas with Brooke and Taylor’s 25-year battle over Ridge, followed by their daughters’, Hope and Steffy, fight over Liam.

Taylor: “You and Hope think you’re so much better than Steffy and me. Attention must be paid to the privileged blondes while the crumbs go to the dark-haired peasants. History is not repeating itself with my daughter!”

Actually, it is — and it’s fantastic.

● Worst Trend: Playing Newbies In Vacuums

Soaps have got to stop introducin­g new characters and just playing them with each other. It doesn’t matter that those DAYS kids, Ciara, Claire and Tripp, have legacy parents (Hope, Belle and Patch) when we only see them squabbling with each other in their apartment. The same goes for the Rosales family on Y&R, the interns at Forrester Creations, and GH’S Kim and Oscar. We don’t know them. Play them with A-listers until we do.

● Best Use Of Veteran Actors: DAYS

I’m just going to say it: Sometimes older actors run into trouble rememberin­g 40 pages of dialogue (!) or maneuverin­g around the set during a complicate­d scene. But rather than write them off or bring them in for one-liners at holidays, DAYS caters to its valuable vets. Joe Mascolo was still appearing as iconic villain Stefano Dimera — despite a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s — until his death at 87. Bill Hayes (Doug) is 93 and John Aniston is still portraying wily Victor Kiriakis at 85, hurling classic lines (“Anybody order a hooker?”) from his favorite chair. Heck, even Alice Horton made an appearance recently and her portrayer, Frances Reid, died in 2010! Salem is richer for its wise actors, and fans have a deeper connection to DAYS because the show honors them. ● Most Sidelined Character: Neil, Y&R

His daughter Lily went to jail for killing his son Devon’s wife and unborn child (by accident) yet Neil was MIA. Worse, Devon spiraled down in a haze of booze and pills but his recovering addict dad has been nowhere. Would Ashley have left town if their romance hadn’t fizzled? We’ll never know.

● Most Wasted Character: Felicia, GH

How was Maxie’s mom not front and center when Maxie’s husband died? Why is Felicia caring for Maxie’s baby off-screen? And how on

earth do you bring back Ryan — who has been obsessed with Felicia for literally 30 years after she witnessed him kill his wife back in Texas — and not have her on the canvas? It’s a giant missed opportunit­y that would add valuable history and heart to this moody tale. That said ....

● Best Show: GH

Port Charles’s turn for the twisted is working. From kids being bullied (realistic) to psycho doppelgäng­ers (not so realistic), the darker drama adds layers to both the characters and stories.

As moments go, you can’t beat Carly going bobbing for apples on Halloween and coming up with the severed head of the nurse who tortured her at Ferncliff. I also enjoyed Mary Pat’s decapitate­d body popping up at Ava’s gallery, the dead body at Charlie’s turning out to be the missing dad of the new DA, and Kiki’s corpse darkening the marital bed of Jordan and Curtis. Who needs rose petals?

It’s much more effective to kill characters (Nathan, Kiki) than just write them off (Dante). Yes, watching them die is sad, but the consequenc­es ripple for months and often create strange and entertaini­ng bedfellows (Nina and Maxie!). Isn’t that the point of good storytelli­ng?

Fake death also works, like Nelle giving birth to Michael’s baby alone in the woods and then pulling off a shocking baby switch with Brad to keep the little mob heir away from Michael and his family.

Ryan’s return and resulting murder spree has been inspired, too. I’m a big fan of letting viewers in on the secret so we can watch the characters figure it out (or not). Every time Michael holds “Brad’s” baby and remarks on the weird connection he feels, or Ava cries to “Kevin” about her daughter’s murder, unaware that she’s actually sobbing to (and sleeping with) the psycho who actually killed her daughter, it’s a little “Gotcha” moment for fans. We’ve got all the time in the world to watch our faves figure it out — which is definitely the best thing about soaps.

■ Hey. It’s only my opinion.

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 ??  ?? Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: DAYS’S Steve (Stephen Nichols) was with Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) at John and Marlena’s wedding and then poof! He disappeare­d.
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: DAYS’S Steve (Stephen Nichols) was with Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) at John and Marlena’s wedding and then poof! He disappeare­d.

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