Thumbs/second Opinion
Best Of Show Or Worse For Wear? Digest Decides.
thumbs up! GENERAL HOSPITAL Back Where She Belongs
Viewers got a welcome infusion of Port Charles royalty when Jane Elliot set foot back into the Quartermaine estate, reprising the beloved role of Tracy after a twoyear absence. Her re-entry was well-timed to the unveiling of the redecorated mansion (which she humorously received with horror) — and while her reunions with family members were mostly warm, her relatives wasted no time in speculating about why she was back (“My grandmother never does anything without an ulterior motive,” Brook Lynn observed). Indeed, Tracy had barely set down her luggage before she started asking pointed questions about the goings-on at ELQ, which hasn’t been the subject of a good corporate intrigue yarn in years. But plot is almost beside the point; if Tracy did nothing more than sit in the living room and snark at her kin, we’d still consider Elliot’s comeback a win. We’re sending a big thankyou to the powers-that-be at GH for convincing her to come out of retirement, however briefly; Tracy’s radiant, take-no-prisoners presence has been sorely missed.
thumbs down! DAYS OF OUR LIVES Doubles Downer
Keeping track of who’s who and what’s going on in Salem has become increasingly difficult, thanks to the number of doubles who have infiltrated the town. Things started out interestingly enough when Dr. Rolf turned Hope back into lovesick Princess Gina. But then “Gina” was joined by the MIA Steve Johnson, who suddenly has two eyes and believes he’s Stefano. Adding to the confusion, he’s wearing a patch as Steve, who thinks he’s Stefano pretending to be Steve. As if two doubles in town weren’t more than enough, a third soon entered the picture when brassy Hattie was sprung from prison and turned up on the doorstep of her mirror image, Marlena, doubling down on the doppelgänger mishmash. (Hattie’s first encounter with “Stefano” was totally confounding as he thought she was Marlena and she assumed he was Steve!) Fans generally flock to daytime for the solo characters they know and love; there’s no need for a bunch of gimmicky alters leaving viewers at risk for look-alike fatigue.
thumbs up! YOUNG AND RESTLESS Marital Bliss
Ever since they met in 1981, Victor and Nikki’s love story has kept fans engaged and enthralled. Buoyed by their enduring chemistry, the couple has weathered storms galore — misunderstandings, squabbles, breakups, acts of revenge, affairs and marriages to other people — and watching them overcome their challenges has been just as entertaining and romantic as their periods of domestic bliss. As recently as 2018, Victor and Nikki were locked in a supposedly deadend marriage, and each took extramarital lovers, until they realized for the umpteenth time that they truly belonged together. They’ve spent the past year as a united front, facing problems together, and it’s uplifting to see that Mr. and Mrs. Newman’s relationship is stronger and richer than ever. Sure, she still gets ticked off when he gets a little too controlling, but all in all, their commitment and mutual respect is undeniably deep. It’s extraordinary to see the nearly 40-year love story of Victor and Nikki not only survive, but thrive, as 2020 gets underway.