Soap Opera Digest January 9, 2023

The reveal that Heather Webber is Esme’s biological mother via her torrid, long-ago affair with notorious serial killer Ryan Chamberlain got GH fans talking — both about the twist and about Alley Mills’s (Heather) commandingly creepy performance. “I am having so much fun,” declares Mills, who took over the role of Heather last October. “I just am! I mean, I honestly feel like a kid. It’s very strange [laughs]. You know, every once in a while somebody writes something and you just go, ‘Whoa!’ You know? It just hits you somewhere. I love her; I love Heather. I just think she could do anything, anything she wants! There’s a freedom to her.” Mills was fascinated to learn more about Heather’s backstory with Ryan. “The stuff with Ryan is very dark,” she notes.…

James Hyde (ex-Sam, PASSIONS et al) will be sticking around Genoa City for longer than originally planned, and he couldn’t be happier. “My social media has been going bananas and I love the response I’m getting,” enthuses the actor. “Soap fans are so loyal and they remember me from PASSIONS, and even from ANOTHER WORLD [ex-Neil] and AS THE WORLD TURNS [ex-Liam]. People seem to be loving the character of Jeremy and how he’s stirring things up and I couldn’t be more grateful for their support and love.” According to Hyde, Y&R had been trying to find a role to fit him for a while when, out of the blue, a short-term stint was offered. “The first email I got said, ‘It’s just one episode and we don’t know anything after…

Rex delivers concerning news to Kate after he runs her bloodwork, which indicates that she may be experiencing a relapse of the virus. “Rex is riding kind of high after being able to deliver the serum that saved [Kate, Kayla and Marlena] a few months ago,” notes Kyle Lowder (Rex). “When he comes back to Salem for the holidays, he wants to run a few tests on his mom as a follow-up to see how she’s doing. He gets the news that things are not looking great, but he tries to maintain a positive attitude.” Learning about Kate’s test results, Kayla meets Rex at the hospital to see if she’s exhibiting potential signs of relapse. After Steve joins them, Rex delivers the bad news that Kayla’s blood is showing the same abnormalities…

During a confrontation with Steffy and Finn, Sheila attempts to mend her fractured family, which does not go over well. “They never, in a million years, thought she’d be brave enough to just show up, although in retrospect, that is a classic Sheila move, right?” chuckles Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy). “Steffy is like, ‘What is even happening here? This cannot be real.’ She is absolutely floored.” Enter Bill, who diffuses the situation. Why? Because he and Sheila are an item. “My initial reaction was, ‘Really?’” recalls Don Diamont (Bill). “But, it makes sense when you consider where Bill is at in his life right now. Bill doesn’t feel he’s deserving of anything good. With the Sheila situation, she feeds his worst instincts and he does not have to fight against them.…

Spencer and Trina are technically only pretending to be growing closer as a couple, as part of their plan to lure Esme out of hiding, but, notes Spencer’s portrayer, Nicholas Chavez, “I think that they both want it to be the truth, and so they’re playing this little game. These two are both saying it’s all for pretend, but it’s real — even though they would never explicitly say that to each other.” According to Chavez, protecting Trina is at the core of Spencer’s desire to flush out Esme, who he is convinced is The Hook. “Spencer loves Trina,” the actor declares. “He wants to do everything that he can to protect her.” That his efforts mean that he gets to spend more time with Trina is just a bonus for…

Sally, who has been feeling queasy and suspects she’s expecting, is waiting in her hotel suite for Chloe to arrive with a home pregnancy test. “She’s frazzled,” sighs Courtney Hope (Sally). “This will really complicate her relationship with Nick if she’s pregnant. He’s already had his kids, so this can’t be fun for him if the baby is his or Adam’s. So it’s almost like a no-win situation.” On top of that, Sally is trying to stay focused on the pitch she’s giving to a potential client about her and Chloe’s business venture. “This is Sally’s chance to do something on her own and be successful,” points out Hope. “The fashion platform at Newman Media was Chloe’s idea and Sally was happy to be a part of it and she learned…