Soap Opera Digest February 13, 2023

According to Vail Bloom, who played Heather Stevens from 2007-10, “There were little wonderful signs from the universe,” even before Y&R asked her to reprise the character. “I bumped into Michelle Stafford [Phyllis] and I haven’t seen her for so long and we were so excited to talk and catch up by the tonic bar in the middle of Erehwon [market],” explains the actress. “That was just a couple of months ago, and then I kept bumping into Jennifer Gareis [Donna] from BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL, which shoots across the hall from Y&R, in Beverly Hills, so there were these two soap world encounters that were so enjoyable. It seemed like I was primed and ready when I got the call from my agent that Y&R wanted me to come back…

Things get nasty between Nikolas and Spencer — and only get more vitriolic when Nik subsequently faces off with Ava. Sets up Co-Head Writer Chris Van Etten, “Nikolas is incredulous when Spencer announces his intention to sue for custody of Esme’s baby. He’s in utter disbelief — until Spencer makes it clear this isn’t a decision made in the heat of the moment. Spencer blames their rocky relationship, which is all but destroyed, on Nikolas’s self-interest. Spencer won’t allow his unborn sibling to suffer an unfit father. That’s when Nikolas knows Spencer is serious, and that’s when the gloves really come off.” According to the scribe, “There’s a sea change between father and son when Spencer deploys Nikolas’s own ‘confession’ against him. Nikolas knows Spencer could only have obtained it from Ava,…

After splitting with Xander, Sarah finds her ex, Rex, at the Kiriakis mansion. He explains that he’s there to deliver a letter to Victor from Philip, sharing that his brother is alive and well and hidden in Europe. “Rex’s world is upside-down right now,” explains Kyle Lowder (Rex). “His mom just died. He just found out his brother, who he thought was dead, is still alive and in a mental institution. Rex still loves Sarah, so he still confides in her and seeks support. We all have a person in our lives where you see their face and you just immediately want to open up to them. Sarah is that for Rex.” The pair’s talk quickly turns to Sarah’s heartbreak over Xander, and Rex asks if there’s a chance of Sarah and…

Thomas is desperate to get his old job back, so he secretly approaches Hope to plead his case. Considering his persona non grata status, Thomas sneaks into the building. “He should not be there,” asserts Annika Noelle (Hope). “Depending on your perspective, it could be a good thing or a bad thing that Thomas doesn’t give up easily. He knows what he wants and he goes for it. At least this time, it’s in regard to his career.” Thomas apologizes to Hope for his transgressions and begs for his job back. She points out it’s not her call. He says he’s willing to address the other board members, but asks for Hope’s support when he does. “It’s not a matter of support because she knows Thomas is going to go above…

Daniel is livid after discovering that Phyllis flew to Portugal for the sole purpose of repairing her son’s broken relationship with Heather. “Daniel is pissed,” says his portrayer, Michael Graziadei. “His mom knows Daniel well enough to know that he would never condone her talking to Heather, so that’s why she never mentioned anything to him about her plans because he would have told her not to go. As far as Daniel is concerned, the only thing Phyllis was thinking about in this situation was herself.” Upon returning to Genoa City, Phyllis discovers that, thanks to Tucker’s big mouth, Daniel knows about her trip. She calls her son to suggest they talk face-to-face and Daniel responds that he’s on his way to her hotel suite. “He’s extremely mad, in fact, he’s…

with Deidre Hall (Marlena, DAYS) Marlena and John’s rooftop scenes were pretty great. What were they like to film? “What I want to say about the story is that Ron [Carlivati, head writer] really dug deep into the romance of [the couple]. We had to shoot the scenes on green screen, because the background was so important to what we were doing. Unlike a small set in Salem where you think, ‘Oh. There’s a sky over there,’ this is really magical. When you see the depth of the scene and the background, you have a real sense that we went on location, which, in fact, we did. We went to a separate studio to be in a green screen surround. It was fascinating for all of us to see how that…