Soap Opera Digest October 3, 2022

It’s been 12 years since Roark Critchlow’s last appearance as Dr. Mike Horton on DAYS, but he had no trouble stepping back into his character’s shoes. “It’s funny, because playing the part is not that tough at all,” Critchlow says. “They wrote stuff that made sense about what Mike would think and feel. My first scenes are with Susan [Seaforth Hayes, Julie] and Bill [Hayes, Doug] and I was nervous. You get back in there and you just feel … it’s not like a heavy weight, but it’s a heritage. To be able to work with people who have been at it as well and as long as they have? We actually had a couple of lovely scenes. It was like the people that you knew from 20 years ago…

Nikki’s mission to dig up dirt on Diane gets more intense this week. “With the surprise appearance of Nikki and with what is going on with Sheila living at Deacon’s place and hiding out there, Deacon is absolutely caught between a rock and a hard place,” chuckles Sean Kanan (Deacon). “Either way he turns, he’s going to get slammed.” Nikki is furious that Deacon let her think she’d actually killed Diane. “Nikki cannot believe that Deacon would stoop so low as to allow her to take the fall for Diane’s ‘death’,” states Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki). “On second thought, yes she can! She wastes no time in telling Deacon that he has no choice but to help with her revenge plot against Diane.” After Nikki makes her case, Deacon is surprisingly moved.…

The wait is finally over for “Vanna” fans as Valentin and Anna take their relationship to the next level and make love for the first time. Sets up James Patrick Stuart (Valentin), “Valentin and Anna have just been in a very dangerous situation on board The Haunted Star as they’re trying to close in on Victor. They get away unscathed; they dodge a bullet, and I think that’s part of the excitement.” Once in the clear, “They go back to Anna’s townhouse and end up sitting together on Anna’s floor by the fire and talking. I don’t want to give the dialogue away, but I think all the writers knew that this was an important moment. It’s a beautifully written scene that I think is very clever but also very dark.…

Jennifer is on a collision course this week as her pill addiction becomes more unmanageable. “I really appreciate that they wrote this storyline,” begins Cady McClain (Jennifer). “I feel like it’s such a major thing for a mother to lose a child, and she’s the character that has been so strong for everyone that it just made perfect sense that she would be hiding a secret so that she could present a strong face to everybody else.” After hearing that there is a suspect in custody for Abigail’s murder, Jack takes off and Jennifer takes more pills. She then has a vision of Abigail. “My mother died in ’95, a long time ago, but it was a very profound moment for me,” McClain shares. “And I felt like I could feel…

Adam still has a sinking feeling that Sally is sleeping with his brother, Nick, but he’s unable to get a straight answer from her. “When he asked, Sally danced around it,” says Mark Grossman (Adam). “Adam knows he royally screwed up with Sally and he’s treading lightly in trying to get her to forgive him. He’s realized that he made a mistake and wants them to get back together, but now that she’s working with Nick, it just seems like they’re getting closer and Adam suspects something is going on. When Sally wouldn’t give him a straight answer, it just added to his suspicion.” Adam later meets with Chelsea for dinner at Society to discuss Connor. “Adam and Chelsea are in a good place because they’re not trying to re-engage with…

Trevor St. John (ex-Victor/Todd, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) makes his Y&R debut on September 28, and the actor admits he didn’t expect to get the call to come in for the role. “I was both surprised and flattered,” he shares. “Actually, surprised is not a strong enough word. I was more shocked.” St. John, who hadn’t worked in daytime since the OLTL reboot in 2013, enthuses, “My first day couldn’t have been better. Everyone, and I mean that literally, was welcoming and helpful. They’ve created a culture there of generosity and positivity that’s really impressive and makes me feel fortunate to be there.” And there were familiar faces awaiting him. “I actually worked with Co-Executive Producer and Head Writer Josh Griffith briefly in New York, and liked him and his writing, so…