SOAP BYTES: Lexie Gives up The Ghost on Days of Our Lives; Skeletons Pop Out of Phyllis’ Closet on The Young and the Restless

Out of the three shows I watch (don't watch GH), DOOL clearly had the best episode yesterday. B&B and Y&R couldn't touch DOOL yesterday if they tried. What a powerful episode and I'm sure the funeral/memorial service will be equally, if not more powerful as well. And Luke is right on when he said that Renee Jones and James Reynolds gave powerful performances during this entire storyline and if there is a Daytime Emmy Award banquet next year, those two need to submit scenes from this storyline for their Emmy reels.

Agree. NO ONE wants to see Luke paw at Anna for ALL of the reasons you so wonderfully stated and SO many more. Just say no to AnaL sex! I was so digging their BFF status. Why did GH screw up one of the few things it had going for it?

LMAO! "Just say no to AnaL sex" has to be one of the funniest things I've read this week.

they need to get rid of the Heather Stevens character on Y&R and never bring her back.

3 actresses .... 3 (in the last 4 years!!!) haven't been able to give that thankless role any life. it's a dud and they need to move on.

Watching Luke maul Anna is disgusting. What were CarTini thinking? Ugh.

Where have I seen the top Maxie is wearing before? Remember the dress she got arrested in way back when? I obsessed over where I had seen it before then saw it in a rerun of Glee (A rival club's girls all wore the same dress--red with the mosaic mirrors at the neck.) Anyway, now I am obsessing over yesterday's top. Maybe E Hasselbeck wore it on The View???

I am loving Jennifer Landon as Heather! I can see why she’s won 3 Emmys. I’m not too fond of the hair but I read it’s supposed to get better over time. I see tons of father/daughter chemistry with Heather and Paul. For the first time I actually am caring about Heather.

As for Genevieve, Tucker, and Harmony I loved all three of the actors on other shows but their characters just don’t fit on Y&R. I actually am enjoying watching Daisy more than them which says a lot. It makes no sense that Y&R is getting rid of Ashley who has a real place on the show and a history and yet we’re stuck with Genevieve, Harmony, Tucker, Sarge etc.

I see Luke and I will have lots to debate on the podcast this weekend! I like AnaL sex! Love it actually... Also, I think Jennifer Landon is doing a good job as Heather, just hate the Ronald McDonald hair.

I really don't like these mixed threads ... but that's just me I suppose.

Unfortunately for us and probably luckily for Phyllis she is going to be able to deny deny deny her way out of this predicament. The erasure of her lurid past seems imminent. Don't know quite how yet but there is no way that Phyllis will be going to jail for any length of time for anything anytime soon as long as Ms. Stafford has anything to do with it. She should be, but Genoa City appears to actually be in Russia where past history can be easily rewritten.

I really don't have a problem with Daisy being all high and mighty and holding this over her new Mother-in-law at all. Phyllis deserves it. Daisy has tried to be a better little girl and even tried to extend an olive branch but has be rejected and doubted at each turn.

Heather is now a completely different character on many levels and it is jarring. But at least she does seem to be somewhat sensible.

Tucker and Harmony? Well, they might be alright together.

Genevieve? I've never had much of a problem with her on any level and do feel sympathy for this ridiculous government sponsored predicament she's in. The only thing about her is that she also suffers from the write the character as and when we see fit syndrome.

While Jennifer Landon is better than the last Heather it seems that the character just has no identity. It's like Heather is a totally different person every single time she returns. Maybe the role of Heather is cursed by now. Maybe MAB is still paying for firing Vail Bloom, who was the best Heather out of these three.
That's all I'm going to say about The Phyllis Newman Show. -.-

B&B did another beautiful location shoot. If only the storyline could match this stunning view. I'm bored to death with this Hope/Liam/Steffy triangle. It's like there is nothing else going on. Everything had to revolve around them. Enough already.
Only interesting was Deacon reuniting with Hope ... and we all know how Brad Bell is going to screw that up. Letting Sean Kanan go will only hurt the show!

IMO, ALL of the characters created by this writing regime need to go!!

Genevieve - ill-conceived & erratically acted by the wrongfully cast Genie Francis. Sorry - still don't buy her as the mother of Ethan/Cane played by 40 y o Daniel Goddard.

Chelsea - if the purpose of this morose, throw-me-a-pity-party character was to just bring another child onto the show (which will no doubt be SORAS'ed by the end of 2013!!), get rid of her!! B-O-R-I-N-G!!

Tucker & Harmony - Eileen Davidson's Ashley Abbott McCall has been given her walking papers; give them to the character of Tucker as well. Having him being Devon's birth father was L-A-M-E to the Nth power. Bringing back the character of Yolanda was not necessary - Debbi Morgan is being wasted in a bad role.

Daisy Callahan Carter Romalotti - what can be said that hasn't been said of this horrid character?!? She's about as intimidating as the Orkin Man!! Poor Tracey Bregman having to play a scared puppy to this character is just insane!! Again, the existence of this character and her MIA brother Ryder is unjustified since Sheila Carter and Tom Fisher didn't know one anther back in 2005 when they first met. Another badly conceived and extremely unpopular Maria Arena Bell failure!!

Ricky - a 3rd rate SORAS'ed character that came to GC with an axe to grind and comes across as another by-the-number sociopath. Nothing new here...next!!

Kyle - seems like this character has disappeared from the landscape for now. A 12 y o when his mother Diane was killed in a horribly conceived, poorly executed murder mystery in August 2011, he has now come back to GC the same age (allegedly) as the SORAS'ed Abby Carlton Newman. Guess what? he has an axe to grind - with Nikki, who turned out to be Diane's 'killer'!!

I could go on, but I'm sure many of you get the point. This current story with Phyllis also defies logic and the show's timeline: If Phyllis' crime took place in 1994 (which has been mentioned more than once) and Daniel was just a baby/toddler then, how come Daniel is now aged to 25-26 years of age and Summer is now roughly supposed to be 14-15 the most?

Bill Bell is cursing in his final resting place - this show has become a joke unto itself.

as far as DOOL, it was a great episode. i love how they made kris kristopherson jr Will's alibi. he looks soo much like his dad. lexie's death was handled very well. i didnt mind the ghost aspect. it's a soap opera. are tbtb not seeing the dynamic between will and ej.. will has to crush on ej, that is sooo organic!! on the downside, we had to endure molly, rafe's sister,chad, and hoodlum #34256..it would have been more interesting if he had kidnapped chad. they could have brought in Lucas instead of showing those 4..someone in the budget department is not very smart.

Y&R: i love jennifer as heather. he acting style is soo mellow and natural. i think she's doing a good job. anyone who believes a role is actually cursed shouldnt be watching daytime. phyllis will not get her due. im sure the reason ricky gets rid of daisy is because she didnt share her secret with him. i, however, will mis ricky. i like that nutjob. daisy doesnt bother me anymore. my major gripe is the assassination of one of my favorite characters in daytime: sharon!!!! i just can't say anymore..i can't .. i weeep!!

i love how Phyllis and everyone else in Genoa City is blaming Daisy for her miscarriage.

She had a miscarriage because she's too damn old as hell to be having another kid.

C'MON NOW!

(Ducking for cover): I, too, actually like Jen Landon as Heather so far. I also see great father-daughter chemistry between her and DD, so if we can't get the original portrayer back, this one might actually do, and if it gives DD something to do....

As for Phyllis, I shudder that the writers may now be trying to make us believe Phyllis really changed her mind about running down Christine at the last minute--I'm glad Daniel read the newspaper accounts--will this woman or the writers ever have her own up to just one of her crimes?

MS is indeed a fantastic actress, however, because I couldn't tell if Phyllis was trying to weasel out of what she had done with Daniel or if she's actually able to sell us what the writers are now serving.

I LOVE these mixed threads as I watch 3 out of the 4 soaps (don't watch B&B) and this makes it so much easier to chat about them!

I know Phyllis won't be sent to jail but she needs to be in a Half Way House or something! And she needs to report to a probation officer regularly as well as commit to community service. Put those so- called computer and html skills to use and train some people, maybe even people who are no handicapped because of drunk, distracted and reckless drivers who now must learn new skills to train for new jobs. But it would be great if a great deal would take place OFF SCREEN.

No doubt Jennifer Landon is capable but I remember Vail Bloom and sincerely liked her in that role. I had stopped watching before Eden Riegel took over the role but I'm familiar with her work. Sounds as if Riegel was never right for the role.

I guess this is all Y&R has to offer for now. Sigh. Glad I stopped waiting for a storyline to draw me in.

This Phyllis story is really angering me.

She went crazy telling everyone how Daisy ignored her when she screamed out over and over for help, and now we're supposed to believe that she didn't say anything and she was 'mistaken' about crying out. GMAFB. If you're so addled brained that you don't know the difference between screaming over and over and saying nothing, you need your head examined.

FYI I like Jennifer Landon in the role of Heather too. She's feisty and aggressive and she's no one's doormat...unlike the previous Heather reincarnations.

also, what Daisy did WAS NOT illegal, it was poor taste and tacky but she didn't break any laws.

Jennifer Landon works as Heather for me...

I'm enjoying the PHyllis story. I don't find Ricky to be one note at all. And while Tucker/Harmony aren't exactly a hot couple, I can tolerate them. They aren't horrible by any means. I like the Harmony/Sarge friendship.

And actually, MAB and co. also created the current version of Billy, who so many people love...but once again, we only discuss the bad. So I'll say, of all of them...I hated Daisy the most. But even SHE has grown on me just a little the past couple of weeks. She actually seems like she's trying to act now...even tho she still sucks.

Pretty decent episode for Days!

I am really going to miss my Renee Jones. There at least ten other actors who are doing a piss-poor job and need to be kicked to the curb. The actors playing Chad and Gabi; for example, bring absolutely nothing to their performances.

DAYS is more than likely on it's last year on the air. i think everyone knows it over at NBC so they're under no pressure to try and elevate the show in any way.

The acting on Days was really good but I have a few issues with the story yesterday:

First off they killed off Lexi on a tuesday? She has been on that show for almost 20 years, I was expecting a friday death and an episode centered around only her, much like when Megan died on OLTL. Also I will throw a fit if they have a memorial service for her in that dumbass dome covered town square. They had better bring out the St. Lukes set for her service!

Also I thought they way the handled Will's alibi was a cop out. They haven't shown that Neil kid for months, then all of a sudden him and Will are supposedly hanging out all the time at a gay bar? I find it hard to believe that Will who was not ready to tell everyone he was gay would be all for going to some gay bar and even if he was couldn't they have at least shown those scenes. Also are Will and Neil supposed to be together now? If they were goign there alone (with out Sonny) it would seem so. I really think Days F'ed this one up big time. They should have had done Will on Death row story like they did with Sami in the 90's, it could have brought him and Sami closer and brought up old feelings of resientment Sami may still have towards Lucas for almost letting her get the lethal injection and the story line could end with will being about to be executed when they discover Stefano is alive!

Finally the Melanie being kidnapped by Gabbi's fake stalker is so stupid. The writers could have made this triangle work if they let Gabi slowly develop feeligns for Chad, while Chad and Melanie argue over issues with Stefano, Gabbi uses that as her chance to get closer to Chad. That would have worked much better than this crap they are feeding us now.

The guy who plays Trey on GH reminds me of Michael Saucedo, but he also reminds me of the guy who replaced Tyler Christopher as Nikolas for those couple of years- Colton Scott/Stephen Martinez/whatever he kept changing his name to.

GH was good yesterday, except for the teen scene. Michael is ok. I think Trey might have potential, although I'm not liking the anvils falling about him being Kate's son. Not liking Kristina at ALL, I still don't see the point. They gave us an older looking actress, but the same bratty personality, and now in a body/face we don't care anything about. Lexie did give Kristina a vulnerability that this new girl isn't giving us yet.

My boo is dead now...RIP Alexandera "Lexie" Carver.

MAB better not be rewriting history with the Phyllis story. There has to be HUGE fall out from this old and buried story that MAB dug up.

As for Daniel and his whining about being trapped with Daisy, PLEASE SHUT UP. No one forced you to marry Daisy. Like Phyllis Daniel impishly and selfishly put himself in a situation that he doesn't like now. Phyllis brought Daisy back to get custody of Lucy from a loving family and then was shocked when Daisy was holding Phyllis to her deal. Daniel on the other hand, foolishly married the woman who raped him just to be close to his daughter, a child not in harms way and whom he would probably get custody of in the 6 month period the custody judge put in place.

Now both are mad that Daisy has the upper hand. Daniel discovers his mother did the exact same thing they are screaming at Daisy about and he makes it seem as if all that Phyllis did was run over a bug instead of purposefully run down 2 individuals. And even after seeing all the evidence that goes against his mother's side of the story, takes her side and says "it's now our secret" while Phyllis still goes around telling Daisy she's going to prison for fighting back against Phyllis verbally when Phyllis started screaming and pushing her (the fans saw the fight and Phyllis turning turned it into what it became).

The walls need to come in on the Red head this time around and not be swept under the rug. If MAB rewrites history it will be the last insult she will perform on long time fans because as much as we love Phyllis now, true fans ... and even new ones now ... know that the hit and run was no accident.

Besides that, even if Phyllis did accidentally step on the gas instead of the brakes she still fled the scene of the crime and has to pay for that. I hope MAB knows what she is doing with this reopened can of worms.

Days was great with Lexie's death and Will's coming out to Roman. The only thing that bothers me about anything on Days is the horrible and cheap looking sets!!! Seriously, who is the set designer? Abe and Lexie's house looks like the living room sets in department stores during the CLEARANCE week. Absolutely nothing there, monotone color scheme, lack luster appeal.

What really bothers me about the set too, is the 2 different sets of curtains in the living room. The ones on the front window is a totally different pattern to the one on the back window. And the staircase railings, one is painted the same color as the wall and the one on the second set of stairs up further up is a brown color.

The sets have no character at all. Even the offices at Titan or the police station.

Days has been fine so far this week for me.I enjoyed watching Sami's expressions when Will was coming out to Roman,but was gald to see her own up to her shortcomings with Will to Roman.

As for Neil,so much has happened off screen on Days,I'm wondering if it is just the new writers re-adjusting the scripts.Neil just said they go out to the bar,but not anything more.If it had been Sonny,Roman would not have thought anything of it,since he knows Will and Sonny are friends.

Also.I'm wondering about EJ's statement to Will that he understood his reluctance about coming out.Is there more to the story?

Well ... I could watch Peter Porte and listen to him spit out his lines all day long and really enjoy it. What missing? His missing clothes.

The other one? Michael Graziadei even with his growing canvas of tats. (I do like tats, but on a more subtle or planned basis.)

I am really going to miss my Renee Jones. There at least ten other actors who are doing a piss-poor job and need to be kicked to the curb. The actors playing Chad and Gabi; for example, bring absolutely nothing to their performances.

Renee Jones deserves at least an Emmy nomination on next year's ballot for her work in the last month or so; alot of these types of stories can end up maudlin and histrionic but it's been nothing but class from her since this started. And yes, there are a dozen actors on that show that need to be gone, starting with Banus and Diedrick and including forever-faux Roman Josh Taylor(and while they're cutting they need to keep Christie Clark).

Regarding Jennifer Landon--not sure what Luke's seeing, but I love her as Heather. Riegel's Heather(and to a lesser extent Bloom's version) was weak as hell as opposed to Landon, who I could easily see busting somebody's balls like that.

@Tedew--So with you on Peter Porte. I'm so gonna miss him when he's gone and I'm even more sad that they've kept him completely clothed the entire time he's been on the show. Talk about a wasted opportunity.

I love these soap byte columns. It helps tide me over between podcasts (I hope there is at least one coming soon).
I've been really enjoying Landon's Heather. IMO shes perfect as Auls daughter and I think Landon is doing an even better job than she did on ATWT.
Y&R needs a bloodbath and a writing team who can recognize which characters should go.

Ive never been into Starr Manning but i could enjoy her as part of the OLTL package. On GH I just can't make time for her. I wish they had made Alderson (or another actress) Serena Baldwin instead of transplanting Starr.

Days is in a bit of a mess again. I hope they can find some direction.