So, when he was angrily possessive over Brenda dancing with Miguel at the Quartermaine mansion, we reasoned that he wasn’t given the tools to handle his anger. And when he shook Brenda violently, nearly throwing her to the floor, screaming in her face that she was making him turn into Deke, we grimaced but shrugged it off as a heat of the moment loss of control. And we did the same when he gaslit Brenda about his mob activities, dragged her from her chair at Luke’s, repeatedly called her a whore, and degraded her while shrouding himself in a cloud of pain to cover the awfulness of his actions. 

In 2000 when he told Alexis about his childhood abuse, we felt his fear at the thought it could be used against him when it came to his own child’s welfare. We saw his desperation to not be held accountable for what had been done to him, for Deke to not be able to hurt him yet again and we applauded his determination to break the cycle of abuse and protect his child after his mother was unable to protect him. We rooted for him to be a father and for it to be part of what healed him.

Through all of our early feelings for Sonny and his trauma and his pain, something got lost, and that something was the women he was victimizing even as he relayed the story of his abusive childhood.

As the years have passed Sonny has related the tale of Deke Woods to many women…Brenda…Carly…Alexis…Emily…the list goes on and on. Long time General Hospital viewers know very well how Sonny was beaten and locked in a closet repeatedly by his stepfather. Just like we know that he has also told every woman he opened up to that he vowed to never be like Deke, to never abuse a woman, and while he may have never physically smacked or punched a woman, Sonny Corinthos IS physically, verbally, and emotionally abusive to women and has been for 30 years.

Sonny violently grabs women and shakes them and pushes them around. He throws things at them and in their directions and yells and breaks glass. Most of the women Sonny has had intimate relationships with have at one time or another, sometimes many times, cowered from him during one of his violent outbursts. They jump when he yells and close their eyes when the glass starts to shatter in their direction, and they cry and beg and plead with him to calm down and let them help him. He yells terrible things at them, calls them whores and tells them they are worthless. He beats them down verbally in more damaging ways than his fists ever could. He is frightening and they are scared of him.

He screamed and threw things at Carly before they were even a couple. Called her horrible names and treated her like dirt just because he could. Told her she was worthless and just like him. He put his hands on her violently and had to be pushed away by Jason. When they paired them, it not only continued but got worse.

In 2006 Sonny was diagnosed as bi-polar and supposedly began medication and therapy to treat it but his mistreatment of women continued.

When he was married to Claudia Zacharra in 2008, she received some of the worst venom he ever spewed toward a woman, and it was shrugged off because of her part in the attempted hit on him that resulted in his son being shot but her actions did not make the abuse she received from her husband any less real especially considering he didn’t even know about her involvement in the shooting until well after his abuse of her began. He was eventually called out for it by her son and his daughter, but he blew it off because he felt she deserved everything she got. As always, Sonny could justify his abuse of a woman and he was allowed to do so.

When his daughter, Kristina, was abused by her boyfriend in 2010, Sonny’s abusive nature was given the brightest spotlight it had ever received and the fact that he was abusive was said to his face by multiple people he loved and the therapist his daughter was seeing to deal with her own trauma. What could have been and should have been a moment of real growth and healing for Sonny was wasted and resulted, yet again, in no change. He continued to insist he was not abusive because he did not actually hit and continued to be abusive in all the ways he always had been before. Even Carly asking him if there was anything Kristina could do to deserve to be treated by a man the way Carly had been treated by Sonny had no effect on how Sonny saw his own behavior. He just ignored the question, maybe because he didn’t like the actual answer.

He asked Carly if she thought he had abused her, and she was painfully honest with him in as gentle a way as she could be. He repaid her honesty by turning it around on her and placing the blame for his actions on her “pushing his buttons” and making him do the things he did which is classic abuser behavior. Abusers always blame their victims for making them act the way they do. Sonny blamed Brenda, he blamed Claudia, he blamed Carly. He seems to have blame for everyone but himself.

Now, here we are almost 30 years later and recently on General Hospital, Sonny Corinthos had another violent outburst that terrified another woman he is romantically involved with, and he relayed to her, almost by rote, the tale of his stepfather’s abuse of him and his mother and repeated his fears of being like him, even saying he saw him reflected in her eyes, only to be reassured, once again, that he was nothing like that and none of it was his fault, but this time one thing was very different and that was the reaction of a fair amount of the online fanbase.

This time we didn’t feel his pain, our hearts didn’t break, and we certainly didn’t cry for him. His cracking voice and eyes filled with tears about to spill did not move us. This time many of us rolled our eyes and shook our heads in disgust at him. Some even asked if this story was some sort of pickup line for Sonny. It just didn’t hit the same. Which begs the question: What has changed?

Have we become so jaded or cold-hearted that the plight of an abused child left us completely unaffected… or are we just sick of seeing a grown man who has supposedly been in therapy for almost a decade and a half, still refusing to see the abusiveness in his behaviors and even more importantly, refusing to do anything to correct it… all while still expecting some sort of pass because he too had once been the abused?

When he has told women about Deke, he has said he hit him and his mother but also that he would grab his mother and shake her and pushed her and call her nasty names. Did he not see that as part of the abuse she endured or is it only abuse when Deke did it?

Abuse is ultimately about power and control, the two things that Sonny craves the most. He has found a way to exert that power and control over the women in his life without actually hitting them which he uses to convince himself that he is not like Deke. By his own repeated retelling the only difference in their behaviors is that actual act of hitting. Sonny clings to this singular difference like a lifeline and perhaps it is.

He insists on claiming that the only type of abuse is the type of abuse he endured and nothing else qualifies, which furthers his goal of painting himself as the ultimate victim, another classic abuser trait. To Sonny no one has suffered the way he has suffered, no one’s pain matters but his own and the pain he inflicts could never compare to the pain that has been inflicted upon him and therefore doesn’t matter to him. Very rarely has Sonny even expressed feigned remorse for what he has done to a woman he abuses and when he does it is usually framed in a way that ultimately benefits only him or is really him just blaming them for ‘making him’ do it.

What Sonny continues to fail to understand is that no one is any more to blame for the abuse he inflicts on them than he was to blame for abuse Deke inflicted on him. As a child he did nothing to deserve being locked in a closet or beaten. In the same vein Brenda did nothing to deserve being grabbed and dragged around by him. Carly did nothing to deserve to have glass thrown at her while she was pregnant with his child. Claudia did nothing to deserve being called a faithless bitch, a lying whore, or a psychotic piece of trash in a roomful of people on her birthday. Not one of these women made Sonny say or do these things. Not one of these women could have ever done anything to deserve him saying or doing these things to them. If he did not want to be with them, then he always had the option to leave them. The fact that they remained in these relationships with him does not give him a pass.

Knowing what we know now, one has to wonder… when we watched all those years ago, did we feel so deeply for Sonny because he actually deserved it back then or did we just not know any better because we were younger and the world was a different place? Much more is known and spoken about when it comes to intimate partner abuse than was known or spoken about 30 years ago so there is that. General Hospital did a Public Service Announcement about the issue in 2010 when Kristina was abused by her boyfriend, Kieffer. Yet even after their PSA, Sonny’s abuse of women has continued. He continues to grab them and shake them. He continues to break glass and terrify them. He continues to degrade and demean them. His continued abusive behavior after all these years has even tainted how we view the old scenes we once felt so much empathy while watching.

Sonny Corinthos is the undisputed lead character of General Hospital. The fact that he can continue to act this way after almost 3 decades and still be considered a viable romantic leading man is an embarrassment to the entire genre. It is way past time for him to either actually address his abusiveness of women honestly or to be treated and called out as the abuser he chooses to continue to be onscreen by other characters. Soap operas have a reputation for being dramatic and over the top and there are many things that are ok on soaps that would never be ok in real life, intimate partner abuse is not one of them. Soaps may be campy and fun escapism, but they have also always been on the forefront in representing real life issues in a way that can make a difference and with women being the overwhelming majority of their viewership this should be an issue they always strive to get right, to make sure that not one viewer thinks that how Sonny treats so many of the women he is involved with is admirable, desirable or even acceptable. Maya Angelou told us “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” General Hospital, you have known better for a long time now, the time has come for you to do better.

If you or anyone you know either are, or think you are, involved in a situation that involves intimate partner abuse, please know that help and resources are available. The National Domestic Violence hotline is confidential and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Just call 800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.

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Quickly explaining their absence, Steffy and Finn both spoke with Steffy’s daughter, Kelly as a focal point of their family unit along with their shared child in her womb. Unlike her biological father, Finn seems to enjoy including the precocious toddler in his plans. The way he speaks about her and lights up when he says her name is a clear sign of how much he adores her. Spending a few minutes with Ridge, updating him on their adventures, makes her father happy. He even comments on how pretty they are together. Soon afterward Thomas arrives and remarks that he’s been in contact with Finn during their hiatus and has cute pictures of his niece, Kelly. It was a sweet family moment just before Steffy and Finn departed to head to their doctor’s appointment.

At the appointment, Finn and Steffy are virtually inseparable, his hands caressing her baby bump, sneaking in kisses just as the doctor arrives and comments on how ecstatic she is to see the happy couple. Offering a quint smile, she asks if they are ready for their appointment, and they advise that they are.

Hearing the news that their baby is healthy and growing on schedule, the happy couple is presented with an incredible choice, Knowing the gender of their unborn child. At first, they both agree to keep the gender a mystery, but after a few seconds, both become antsy. Steffy wants to leave the choice up to Finn and he admits that he would really like to know, and they both cave.

With their anticipation mounting, the doctor announces that they are having a boy. Steffy and Finn are both overcome with emotion and Steffy reveals she hoped for a boy. They most adorable part of the reveal, was the pure excitement from both to share the news with Kelly. Finn truly does care so much for his new stepdaughter. It’s great to see, considering the lack of attention she receives from her other set of “parents.”

Staring at their ultrasound picture, the couple shares several tender moments and revel in their joy. Finn is happy that he gets to share this exciting time with a woman he loves completely and he’s happy to begin his life with their children. And yes, he included Kelly in every breath. It’s refreshing to see her being more than an afterthought to a father figure.

With the first day of Sinn being a huge success, I can’t wait to see what comes next for the attractive young couple. Seeing them interact with their new baby as well as Kelly will be a welcome change. Also, I hope wedding plans are coming as well. At this point, an intimate wedding with just family and close friends is what I hope for, and no exes or wives of exes, that is, if they aren’t incarcerated.

One thing I really hope to see is good angst. While Finn and Steffy are compelling, and Steffy deserves a great love story, we still need more layers to this couple. The chemistry is there, so that’s not an issue, but we will need more to sink our teeth into. Maybe some relatives for Finn and definitely more of his backstory and familial history. We need to know where he comes from. Are his parents alive? Does he have siblings? What happened in his past relationships? Those could be some interesting ways to incorporate the missing angst.

There is so much that can be done, but whatever we get, I know one thing for certain, Liam needs to be far away from it. Just last week he acknowledged that Finn would be a good father figure for his eldest daughter and pretty much wrote her off as being taken care of. It was almost as if they were writing it to make sense that he was not going to be as involved with Kelly as he should be. The character of Steffy is a complex and multilayered person that operates better being independent of Liam and his constant need to be praised. He literally sucks the life out of her and reduces her to the role of a glorified babysitter and it was beyond time she shared a romantic connection with someone that matches her maturity level. In Finn, she has her match, and whatever comes for them, I expect it to be interesting and handled like functioning adults. I’m excited to see what comes from this dynamic duo.

The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS.

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Assuming Carter was, in some way, happy to see her or even ill, Zoe started rambling about how good it was that she entered his home without permission and even had the audacity to suggest taking care of him. Carter attempted to sway her out of the room unsuccessfully and, finally picking up on his obvious discomfort, she looks down and sees the scattered women’s clothes on the floor. How she missed them initially, was unclear, she literally stepped on Quinn’s red jacket, and that would prove to be problematic later in the week.

Hurt and completely out of line, Zoe barges through Carter’s bedroom, demanding answers he doesn’t owe her, and Carter works hard to diffuse the situation. Wrapped in nothing but a sheet with his soldier more than likely still at attention, Carter offers to talk to Zoe downstairs while Quinn cowers under the bed. Nervous Zoe will find Quinn, Carter gets her talking and listens to her tearful monologue of how her heart is broken. Zoe somewhat owns up to their split being her fault, but quickly falls into the victim role when she questions what kind of woman would go after a man who just called off an engagement. At that point, I think most of the audience and myself screamed “What kind of woman tries to sleep with a man that’s not her fiancé while engaged?” The lack of self-awareness was glaring.

Making a dramatic exit, Zoe leaves Quinn and Carter to ponder what to do next. Both guilt-ridden over what they’ve done, Quinn and Carter agree once more that they can never let this happen again. They both get dressed and Quinn leaves abruptly, but the damage is already done with Zoe. Returning back to Forrester Creations, Zoe drops Carter’s personal business in the laps of his bosses Eric and Ridge and the always meddling, Brooke Logan. Discussing Carter’s relationship, they all begin to speculate about who the mystery woman is.

As the new day approaches, Zoe continues her sympathy tour, finding her sister, Paris to spill the beans about Carter having a new woman in his life. Elsewhere, Quinn meets up with her best friend, Shauna to fill her in on the previous day’s events. Floored, Shauna initially voices her shock that Quinn was literally caught with her pants down, but later admits she understands why Quinn is so tempted. In the course of their conversation, Carter appears and makes it known that Quinn called him to talk about their problem.

Shauna lets it be known to Carter that she has no intention of breathing a word of their affair to anyone, and Carter still seems off balance by Zoe’s reaction. He remarks that he hated seeing the pain in his ex-fiancés eyes, and Quinn offers a quick solution. Carter must reunite with Zoe. She explains that if Carter convinces Zoe that the woman, he was with is of no importance it might throw her off their trail. Carter never completely agrees, he actually silently mulls over Quinn’s idea.

At the Forrester Mansion, Brooke and Ridge arrive, Ridge seems to genuinely want to check on his father, Eric, but it is made clear within minutes that Brooke is there to pry and further position Eric against his wife. It’s very ironic that Brooke’s ‘reason’ for disliking Quinn is because of her past and also that she meddled in Brooke and Ridge’s marriage, yet Brooke can’t seem to keep her nose out of Quinn’s relationship with Eric. While Ridge does his best to dissuade his wife from interfering, Eric continues to allow Brooke to talk down on his wife, citing that she has ‘a good reason’ for her hostility. Ridge clearly becomes annoyed and gives Eric the advice of doing what he feels is best for himself without anyone else’s input.

At Forrester, a tense situation becomes ten times worse when Quinn realizes that her jacket had been spotted by Zoe and she’d worn it to work that morning. Quickly advising her to dispose of the jacket, Carter panics. Quinn does agree to get rid of it, but there is no time because Zoe comes looking for Quinn to, once again, attempt to draw more sympathy for her cause and she enters the room with Carter, Quinn, and Shauna. Pushing the jacket down into a chair, Quinn attempts to hide it. The three occupants that were deep in conversation seem rattled by Zoe’s presence. Quinn doesn’t say much, and Carter steps up to try and explain his situation without incriminating Quinn.

Standing there, listening to Zoe praise her for being such a good friend pulls Quinn’s guilt to the surface and she’s at a loss for words. Eyeing the jacket, Quinn becomes increasingly nervous, and it’s compounded when Zoe spots it. Looking around the room, Zoe realizes she’s seen the jacket before and instantly jumps to the conclusion that the woman Carter was with is in the room with her. Carter and Quinn fear they’ve been busted when Shauna swoops in for the save. Scooping the jacket into her arms, smoothly and heading toward the door, Shauna plays off Zoe’s shock and stuns Quinn and Carter with a confession. “Yes, I was with Carter. I was the woman at his house.”

Addressing Carter yet again, Zoe falls into a line of questioning that Shauna quickly rebuffs. Reminding Zoe that she’s single and that Carter is also single, she deals Zoe a heartbreaking truth “Carter didn’t cheat on you. You’re not together.” With tears forming in her eyes, Zoe somewhat agrees and keeps with her uncomfortable line of questioning. She then turns it on Quinn asking if she knew about Shauna and Carter. Shauna, with more quick thinking tells Zoe that Quinn is loyal to her and only found out about the two of them earlier in the morning. Zoe admits she wouldn’t expect Quinn to betray Shauna for her.

Exiting the office with Shauna, Quinn exhales and asks Shauna why she’d take credit for her affair. Shauna advises Quinn that she has nothing to lose by letting people believe she’s sleeping with Carter, but Quinn and Carter could lose everything. Quinn thanks Shauna and speeds home where Eric is waiting for her. With an emotional revelation, Quinn and Eric reconcile. Left alone with Zoe Carter expresses his grief erratically and professes that he wants to marry her and be a good man. While Zoe assumes he’s just emotional about the two of them, it’s clear to the audience that his grief has led him to this conclusion. Offering Zoe an underwhelming kiss, he hugs her, and the anguish is on his face during the embrace and she is completely oblivious as she celebrates their reunion. In a later scene, we see Quinn calling Carter and they both share their reconciliations and agree to never reveal what really happened.

While the reunions seem to be in heavy supply on Bold and The Beautiful, we should always expect there to be more twists. I refuse to believe that the chemistry pf Quinn and Carter is going to be wasted on an aired two-week affair. They’ve promised to stay away from one another on more than one occasion, but they seem to keep ending up in bed. The pointed suggestion from Carter that Zoe wasn’t moving in immediately, to me, is a sign of more things to come.

So far, this story has been well told and thrilling on the ends of Quinn and Carter and Shauna has been an interesting addition that’s equally appealing. The drawbacks of this story as it seems to be unfolding is the fact that they seem to be gearing up to play Zoe as the victim when she is the catalyst that made this affair possible. Had she not been chasing Zende, Carter would still be laser focused on her.

Another annoying foreshadowing is Brooke’s involvement. Brooke is like a dog with a bone when it comes to Quinn. She can’t seem to stay in her lane and worry about her own newly reunited struggle marriage. One gust of wind and her situation could come crumbling down, but she’s meddling under the guise of caring for Eric. I’m looking forward to the eventual reveal of this affair, but having Brooke be involved in any capacity taints it, for me, given her hypocritical actions in regard to relationships.

Again, great storytelling with each new layer we get from Quarter, and seeing an actual loyal friendship between women, such as Quinn and Shauna is refreshing. So often on Bold the women are pitted against each other with the same endgame, but Shauna seems like a true and dedicated friend. And it’s great to see her calling Quinn out for her actions, but also not being overly judgmental. As I’ve said so many weeks in a row, excellent work, Lawrence and Rena, but I’d like to also point out Denise Richards as well. Hopefully one day she will have her own front burner story.

The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS.

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If people are not soap fans, if they aren’t one of us, they don’t get it. They won’t understand what it’s like to immerse yourself so completely into other people’s lives five days a week. They won’t understand what it’s like to rush home for a wedding or a funeral or a first love scene.

They won’t understand not responding to text messages or yelling at someone for daring to call during the most sacred time of all. They won’t understand why you curse blue blazes when your DVR malfunctions and your show doesn’t record.

They won’t understand soap events. They won’t understand the money you spend on airfare and hotel rooms. They won’t understand the drive that took hours and waking up at the butt crack of dawn. They won’t understand all the memorabilia you bought or all the shirts, pictures, mugs that you had signed. They won’t understand wrap-around lines that stretch forever in malls or hotel ballrooms or standing in long lines in the hot sun. They won’t understand that it was worth it for that picture, for that autograph, for that smile, for that hug, for being greeted like a long-lost friend.

They don’t understand the investment of being a soap fan. They don’t understand the payout. They won’t understand how you waited months, sometimes YEARS, for a couple to get together. They won’t understand how you hung in there with characters through baby switches, mind-altering chips, betrayals, character assassinations, writing regime changes and demonic possession. They won’t understand how you set yourself up for heartbreak. They won’t understand every missed signal, every misinterpreted action, every botched apology. They won’t understand how you cheered when a hated character finally got busted or why you cried as hard as you did when your favorite got their heart broken or died.

They won’t understand who the “Slut of Springfield” is. They won’t understand the struggle that led to a Victorious New Man. They won’t know how symbolic that eye patch is, or how hearing the expression “He always leaves me standing in the rain” will reduce you to tears. They won’t understand that fashion showdowns meant the Forresters vs.The Spectras. They won’t understand that Pine Valley and Llanview mean Pennsylvania.

As hard as they might try, they won’t understand that Timmy wasn’t just a doll, that Top of the Tower wasn’t just a restaurant, that the Haunted Star isn’t just a ship. They won’t understand how powerful the love between Victor and Nikki is, how to appreciate the fidelity of Tom and Margo, how we mourned when Mona died, or why your aunt arranged her college schedule around the wedding of Luke and Laura. They won’t understand Ryan’s or Brady’s. They won’t understand how groundbreaking Katherine Chancellor’s facelift was on live TV or how edgy and controversial Erica’s abortion was.

BJ’s heart and the Ice Princess mean nothing to them. They don’t know who the Salem Strangler was or why Bo and Hope went on the run. They won’t understand why no one slaps people like Stephanie Forrester or why BeLieF is spelled the way it is. They don’t understand the sibling rivalry that led Janet to push Natalie down that well. They won’t understand how Adam and Stuart Chandler can be identical yet polar opposites. They won’t be able to tell you the difference between Viki Buchannan and Nikki Smith. They don’t know who Marley and Vicky are. They have no clue who Stefano or Roger Thorpe or Alan Spaulding or Mitch Lawrence are. They don’t understand the Search for Tomorrow. They don’t understand how we can get swept away into Another World or live on the Edge of the Night. They won’t get how Santa Barbara wasn’t just a city in California.

They don’t understand the power of Dru and Neil, Lily and Holden, Reva and Josh, Angie and Jesse, Mac and Rachel, Frisco and Felicia, Sonny and Brenda. They don’t know who lives in Harmony or Sunset Beach or Salem. They couldn’t possibly understand why a town in upstate New York has such a high crime rate. They have no clue what kind of arguments Shick vs.

Phick, Liason vs. JaSam, or Steam vs. Lope will bring. They don’t understand how you were Tridge or Bridge and there was no in between. They won’t understand Stayla or Hevon or Zendall.

You can’t hold it against them for not understanding. It’s like a foreign language to them. They watch their primetime shows, but they won’t understand their origin. They won’t understand their roots. But you do.

I salute you, the viewers of Daytime Television. You, who have sat through amnesia storylines, stable sex, back from the dead storylines, bar hookups, countless breakups, fresh-out-of-a-coma-and-on-my- way-to-go-stop-a-wedding storylines. You, that have gone to hundreds of weddings, christenings, and funerals. I salute you for rolling with the punches and staying loyal through ratings declines, lazy storytelling, and departures of favorite characters. I salute you for your steadfast devotion. I salute you for your tenacity and for keeping the genre that I love above all others afloat.

Use #SoapFanLoveLetter when discussing on social media.

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Was it something shocking? Exciting? Or was it something tender and romantic?

My first soap memory was John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena (Deidre Hall) from NBC’s Days of our Lives. I remember sitting on the floor next to my mother’s chair as we watched Marlena and John (then thought to be Roman, as he was not yet revealed to be John Black) reunite on the pier in 1991. Roman had just asked Isabella Toscano (Staci Greason) to marry him, having believed for years that his beloved Marlena had died in a plane crash. It was dark. The fog was thick. He looked over, saw a woman in the mist, and went to turn away as Marlena shouted, “Roman!” The iconic shaking hand, the gasp, and finally the embrace. I was so happy that Roman finally knew his “Doc” was alive, and as much as I adored “IzzyB,” she had to exit stage left.

A few months later, I remember seeing the real Roman in a cell and hearing my mother gasp. I had no idea who Wayne Northrop was. I wasn’t old enough to remember his Roman. To me, Drake was Roman. I remember asking my mother why she had that reaction and she said, “Because that’s Roman!” It was my first experience with the original portrayer returning to play a character they originated. I had no idea what the show would do. My Roman had just had the love of his life come back into his life. My Roman had just broken Isabella’s heart. Who was this person coming back and claiming to be Roman? Needless to say, I was confused. (I was 6 or 7; give me a break!)

I have often wondered why that memory sticks out to me so much. Was it the electric chemistry between Deidre and Drake? The chemistry that never died between Deidre and Wayne? Remember, Roman was initially brought to town as a love interest for Marlena and we owe her for the Brady clan being in Salem to this day. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the story. The attempt to replicate this story has happened many times yielding success and disappointing results (sorry, General Hospital!).

There were no bad guys in this triangle. Roman was presumed dead and held captive. Marlena was made to think that John was her presumed dead husband. Poor John had no memories. Roman went through hell only to find out everyone he held near and dear thought an imposter was him. His parents loved John, his children, his wife. How do you move on?

Marlena had brought John back to town and told everyone he was her husband. How do you live with that kind of guilt? She brought him into her children’s lives, telling them he was their father. She told his siblings Bo, Kayla and Kim, and their parents Shawn and Caroline, that he was their blood. She took another man into her bed without hesitation or doubt. How do you explain that to your husband?

John’s situation was probably the worst of all. For years, he thought he had a place. He thought he had people who loved him, a wife, children. His entire identity, his sense of being and self was ripped away from him. How do you cope? Where does the love you held for these people go? Do you leave? Do you stay? What kind of life do you make for yourself?

This story had far-reaching consequences that set off a chain of events that are still felt on the canvas to this day. John and Marlena eventually had an affair and conceived Belle. Sami switched the paternity test and then kidnapped Belle and tried to sell her on the black market. John rescued Belle, only to have Stefano shame Marlena into admitting to her affair during the baby’s christening! The paternity truth was later revealed and Marlena and Roman broke up! Sami hated her mother and John for decades it seemed. John and Marlena eventually got back together after dealing with a crazy Kristen (who is now in love with John’s son, Brady!), only for John to be brainwashed by Hope (who thought she was Princess Gina) who shagged him on his honeymoon in Hawaii!

Oh, throw in a possession by the devil and an exorcism by Father Black somewhere in the middle of all that.

And as if all that wasn’t enough, you had Bo with Hope, Carly, Billie and then Hope again. Peter Reckell left the show, Robert Kelker-Kelly replaced him… Only to be axed for Peter to come back (Sound familiar?). Carly was buried alive by a crazy Vivian Alamain. Isabella died in John’s arms of the same cancer that took my father about six months after she died.

This show was the drumbeat of my childhood. No matter how bad my life got, I could tell myself I had never been buried alive, or about to marry the man I love only to find out that his presumed dead wife was back from the dead. I don’t know about you, but I don’t watch soaps for a moral compass or for tips on how to live a better life. I watch for triangles like John/Marlena/Roman and Hope/Bo/Billie. I watch for the drama, the passion, the evil twins and the villains that make me secretly root for them.

So, how have soaps shaped my life?I still can’t hear “The Muffin Man” without cringing, but that’s another soap, another life, Another World.

What is your first soap memory? Tell us in the comments!! #MyFirstSoapMemory

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What I Liked

I really liked Katie being there for Sally. I appreciate that Sally has someone in her corner that wants nothing but her well-being and happiness. Katie doesn’t have to be there for her, there are no emotional ties that make Katie feel obligated. Katie is just genuinely worried for Sally. Katie knows that Sally is unreasonably stubborn right now, much like how Katie was when she was suffering with postpartum depression. She even used that to get Sally to understand that maybe this wasn’t the best course of action.

Of course, Sally has no idea that Katie has already told anyone with two ears that Sally is dying. Wyatt was lamenting to Flo about poor Sally’s condition and how he wants to be there for her. Flo goes on to tell Wyatt that he needs to be there for Sally and how they have the rest of their lives to spend time together. Did anyone else hear that anvil? 

One thing I really loved this week was while Liam and Hope were having the same argument for the six hundredth time, she hit him with a truth bomb. “I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t walk in on him kissing another woman. At least Thomas could be fully committed to me.”

Shots fired, Ms. Logan. Shots fired.

It seemed to even take Liam back a little bit. This is Hope’s whole point as to why they aren’t together. It honestly has nothing to do with Thomas and Douglas right now. She can’t trust him. Yes, Steffy kissed him at Thomas’s behest, but they don’t know that. Liam didn’t pull away. He kissed her back. He didn’t even realize Hope was there until Steffy turned her head and saw her. Liam even admitted to Steffy that he didn’t regret the kiss, he just regretted that Hope saw it. 

This is why I can never be on Liam’s side and why I will forever wish that Hope and Steffy could be out of this ridiculous storyline.

What I Could Do Without

As much as it pains me to say this, I could really do without Douglas right now. Anyone who knows me knows that I love that kid. He’s adorable and I adore him. But right now, with the they are writing him? I want less. Much less.

I am over the whole “I want my parents together” trope they write for children. I know that most of that is because he is being manipulated by Thomas, I get that, but that doesn’t stop it from getting under my skin. If the only lines you are writing for that kid are “Why is Zoe here? I want you to marry Mommy. Daddy loves you. Please marry Daddy.” then why is he there at all? You could have Thomas or Hope say something about Douglas being upset and troubled over Thomas’s relationship with Zoe without having five days of Douglas saying the same thing repeatedly. 

The Rest of It

I am finding myself increasingly annoyed every time I see #Bridge on my screen. I almost want to give up all together. They have the same fight over and over all the while professing about how much they love one another. Guys, either get back together or just move the hell on.

Shauna is waiting in the wings to pick up Ridge’s broken feelings and I’m sure someone could come and make Brooke feel better in the interim. Bring back Whip. As much as I love them, it might be time to let this ship sail into the night. Maybe revisit Ridge and Quinn and give Eric and Brooke another shot? Just one reviewers thought.

Thomas is a villain with no stakes. His motivations are ridiculous at best and he’s not really fooling anyone other than his father and Hope. Where is the progress that he is supposedly making? What will happen when everyone finds out that he’s been using his son to get to Hope yet again? The answer will more than likely be nothing. No one will take Thomas away from him, though Hope may try. People may scream at him, rant and rave about how horrible he is, but what does that achieve? Will he ever have remorse for using his son? His father? His sister? Zoe? Pretty much every person who has ever cared for him? I highly doubt it but hey.

Maybe next week.

The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS. Episodes are available on CBS.com.

The post ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Week In Review: 2/17/20-2/21/20 appeared first on TV Source Magazine. TV Source Magazine - TV News, Spoilers, Recaps, Interviews

Blame it on the Alcohol

I hate Summer Townsend so much. I hated her the first time she was on and I hate her now. How much do I loathe this character? Well, she made me root for Maggie. M-A-G-G-I-E. That’s how much.

First of all, she shows up to the Kiriakis Mansion right as Maggie is about to leave with Sarah. Summer sees that her sister is in labor, but cries and whines about how she needs to speak with Maggie. Maggie was stupid for staying behind. This bitch just shows up out of nowhere and wants you to stay home during a crisis for another child? I would have told Summer she could wait, or she could get her ass in the car and we would talk at the hospital.

Secondly, don’t blame your terrible life choices on Maggie. You are the one that went to Vegas to drink yourself to death. You’re the one that got all of Maggie’s messages and ignored them. You have no one else to blame for your death sentence. You did that all by yourself. Maggie didn’t make you sip outta that bottle.

Third, what kind of horrible bitch do you have to be to not only pour your alcoholic mother a glass of vodka, but leave the damn bottle when you storm out? I hate her for making me want to protect Maggie Horton Kiriakis.

Maggie was definitely wrong for getting behind the wheel after she drank but I don’t think she caused the accident. If she was going to the hospital, wouldn’t she have been going the same way as Adrienne and Sarah?  I still think it was Summer who ran them all off the road.

Death of a Mother

Poor Adrienne. She had such a good Mother’s Day and now she’s dead. Wally Kurth killed me when Kayla came out and told him the dreadful news. The tears came slowly, shock was the biggest factor. That’s how real people grieve. They don’t just burst into a mess of (non) tears at the news.

Sorry, I’m being petty…

The flashbacks were beautiful, and it gave a scope to the Justin/Adrienne romance for people who hadn’t watched when they were a supercouple on the show and why they mean so much to a lot of fans.

The way the news trickled around was very real too. Justin to Will and Sonny, Kayla to Xander, Xander to Victor and so on. Will was absolutely devastated to believe he killed his husband’s mother. I was so glad that he told the truth from the jump and didn’t drag it out. His scenes with Sonny and Justin were painful. You could feel Will’s helplessness and Justin and Sonny’s righteous anger and disbelief.

I still don’t think that Maggie had anything to do with the crash, but we shall see what this “twist” is.

The Baby Switch

Kristen and Brady still give me all the feels. I can’t help it. I want them together and I want them to be happy. That first scene of them in bed together so happy and loving and that’s what I wanted for them from the beginning. I loved that she didn’t want to go with Brady to see John and Marlena and that she offered to leave when they were uncomfortable. That’s what we call growth, people.

The fact that Kristen called Marlena “Mom” and proceeded to have her water break on Marlena’s shoes was classic. Kristen’s labor was pretty funny from the jump, her yelling and red face was so relatable, so un-Kristen, that I found myself loving her even more. “I want this baby out of me” and “why is that lady taking so long to have her baby” was so on the nose. Anyone who has had a baby can relate to those sentiments.

Kristen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and the joy on their faces was something to behold. The fact that she even brought up how bad she felt about Tate and what she did to him, tells me that Kristen is a slightly different, better person. But she’s not completely unlike the Kristen that we know and love. When Haley told Kristen that her baby was dead, our girl came unglued. Just give Stacey Haiduk all the awards, please. She looked like a zombie as she watched Haley fall down those stairs (which is wasn’t her fault) and then go back to her room and lay down on her bed. Then when she told Brady that their baby was gone? Eric Martsolf and Stacey Haiduk broke my heart.

I still want to know why they aren’t together anymore. Is it because she accidentally killed Haley? I honestly don’t remember.

Surprisingly for me, Sarah gave birth to what appeared to be a healthy baby girl on the side of the road. There were some cute moments between Sarah and Xander at the hospital. It was a far cry from those scenes at the restaurant that made me want to slap Sarah across the face. Xander was so concerned for her and the baby, so it makes sense that he would agree to go with Victor’s plan to switch Sarah’s dead baby with Kristen’s very much alive baby.

I did like the look of regret on his face as he was cuddling with Sarah and “their” baby. He may have done some terrible things, but he’s still a man with something akin to a conscience. We shall see how long it lasts.

The week ended with Will finally knowing the truth that he wasn’t responsible for Adrienne’s death. Do you think he will throw Maggie under the bus?

I guess we shall see.

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Whack-A-Mole at the Mansion

Let me tell you, when Quinn knocked Brooke off her feet after Brooke slapped Shauna, I screamed. Crazy Quinn is peeking through the cracks of Mrs. Eric Forrester and it’s about damn time she has come out to play. Rena Sofer is being criminally underused on this show and I am so excited that there is finally a story. There is no way that Quinn is going to take this lying down.

Brooke has needed a good female foil for a while and God bless us all, she has two of them now. While I am a little confused about how this confrontation went from Ridge confessing, he kissed Shauna to Brooke blaming Quinn and telling Eric to send her “back to the desert”, I am not against it. There needs to be some scheming and some screaming in that mansion again.

While I am enjoying it, Brooke and Quinn are wrong for putting Eric in the middle of all this. They are putting him in a no-win situation. If Brooke wants to be angry at someone, she should be angry at her husband for kissing another woman. She should be angry at Shauna for kissing her husband. I just don’t understand why she’s so angry with Quinn. I get that she doesn’t like her, but it’s not like she has proof that Quinn knew anything or was plotting to keep Brooke away from Ridge or to have Shauna spend more time with Ridge.

Again, I’m not complaining about these two powerhouse women getting screen time together. It’s the escalation of how Brooke went from A-Z that I don’t understand.

The Waffle House of Spencer

The one thing that I always loved about Wyatt is that he wasn’t like his father and brother when it came to women. When he was with someone, that was it. He was never looking around for the next thing, never let another woman catch his eye. It was refreshing and made him an anomaly on a soap that is so heavy on triangles. When he found himself in a triangle, it never had anything to do with his emotions transferring to someone else. He always ended up the odd man out, watching the women he loved going to someone else, leaving him in the dust. My how the tables have turned.

Now he’s caught himself between Sally and Flo. Flo, who he says he has never stopped thinking about, and Sally, who he is engaged to, but there is no ring or wedding date.

This is going to end in disaster. I can imagine that he will break things off with Sally, only to find out later that she has some sort of disease or tumor that can explain away why she has been acting so strange. He will feel guilty and try to be there for her, while Flo says it’s okay. Feelings will pop up again and we will be on an endless cycle of flip-flopping that neither woman deserves.

Sound familiar to anyone? It’s bad enough that we have been going through this for years with Liam, that we had to go through it with Bill off and on for over a decade. Why Wyatt too?

It just makes me sad for one of my favorite characters. By the way? Who else wanted to punch Liam in the face when he said he was just “sorry Hope saw it” when talking about his kiss with Steffy? 

Just me? Okay.

Florence and the Forgiveness

Honestly, I don’t care one way or another about Flo. I’m not sorry she’s back, though. I enjoyed her scenes with Shauna, Wyatt and the Spencer clan. I don’t know if I was just happy to see Bill, Katie, Justin and Donna on my screen or if Flo’s time away has given me a new appreciation for the character.

I still don’t really care for the fact that they are shoving the “forgiveness” angle down my throat, but if Thomas is going to be the big bad forever when it comes to baby Beth, it makes sense to sweep Flo’s involvement under the rug.

I still want to know what she did with that $50K. I guess we shall never know.

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