CBS; ABC; CBS

(From l. to r.) Y&R’s Traci (Beth Maitland), GH’s Lulu (Alexa Havins) and B&B’s Liam (Scott Clifton)

The Best

Days of Our Lives: Vivian Blabs To Xander

Et tu, mom? Philip went along with Vivian’s scheme to forge a letter leaving half of Titan to him, but when he didn’t pay Mommie Dearest her cut, she blabbed all to the rightful heir: Philip’s half brother Xander.

“Philip is making a fool out of you,” Vivian told a shocked Xander, who defended Philip by saying he had a legitimate claim to their father’s business. Au contraire, bragged Vivian. She wrote the letter giving Philip half of Victor’s company and then proved it by reciting her handiwork. Horror crept over Xander’s face as he realized the half brother he had successfully joined forces with to run Titan — and take over DiMera — had assumed the co-CEO job under false pretenses.

Why tell him now? Xander wondered. “I was the one who was supposed to get half of that fortune,” spit Viv. “I want that little bugger to lose everything!”

Mission accomplished. Philip apologized to Xander, but the brothers’ relationship is in tatters — much like Sarah and Xander’s marriage will be if he finds out his wife knew all along.

General Hospital: Dante’s Birthday Gets Awkward

“None of my friends bothered to show up,” quipped Dante after Chase and Cody were no-shows at the bash Sonny threw for him at his new home. Chase wasn’t in the right headspace to go because of his guilt about keeping the baby secret, and Cody (and his horse) stopped to help Molly. Meanwhile, the party caused Rocco to realize his grandpa Sonny has caused trouble for his grandma Laura, so Sonny was uninvited to Rocco’s debate so as not to draw more attention to the mobster’s closeness with Port Charles’s upstanding mayor.

But the kicker was that Lulu — who knows Brook Lynn secretly gave birth to Dante’s baby 21 years ago — had her first opportunity to talk to Gio about his background. When he said he was born in Los Angeles, Lulu’s ears perked up because she knows Brook Lynn gave birth in San Francisco. A nervous Lois jumped in to deflect with a comment about how devoted Gio’s late mom was to him, but Lulu looked like she’s putting the pieces together re: Gio’s biological parents… and that will be worse than awkward.

Bold and Beautiful: Liam’s Dying?!

A fight with Bill Spencer could give anyone a headache, but it turned out Bill’s son Liam passed out for a much more serious reason. Too bad he didn’t stick around the hospital for the diagnosis: Liam ripped the wires off and headed for Steffy’s house so as not to disappoint Kelly on the night of the big father/daughter dance.

“I’m here!” he said as he burst in the door, too late for the event — but not too late to give Kelly a tiara and sweep her up in a twirl. Just then, Steffy got a text from her husband, Finn, who broke the awful news that Liam has an inoperable mass on his brain. Steffy glanced up to see Liam and Kelly dancing in slow motion, which is never good for a character having a health scare.

Could it be that B&B is actually going to live up to the “bold” part of its title and kill off Liam Spencer (played by three-time Daytime Emmy winner Scott Clifton)? Or will he get a miracle cure like Eric Forrester did over Christmas 2023? Either way, this surprise twist definitely has B&B fans talking.

Young and Restless: Rivalries R Us

Cranking up old rivalries while creating new ones sure makes it look like Y&R is setting the table for something. Could it be the arrival of the elusive Aristotle Dumas?

Victor is plotting against Jack by planting a mole at Jabot (which Jack and Kyle soon discovered). Jack is getting in Victor’s face, telling him how great things are going for the Abbott family because he knew it would “irritate the hell out of him.” Victor hired Audra, who warned her ex-lover Kyle to watch his back because she’s getting back in the game. Victor shared with Abby that someone dangerous is lurking. More dangerous than an Abbott? Yes, this man Dumas who has dealings with their hated enemy, Billy Abbott.

Even long-time friends are fighting. Diane cornered her old pal, Michael, about what he knows re: Victor’s plan to destroy Jabot. Michael insisted he’s not Victor’s hatchet man and doesn’t support the Jack/Victor rivalry any more than she does. “I’d like nothing more than to stop that bastard dead in his tracks,” Diane warned Michael, who went straight to Victor. “The Abbotts are suspicious,” Michael cautioned his boss.

Ya think? And here comes Dumas…

The Worst

Beyond The Gates: Tone Down The Product Placement

We are all for Procter & Gamble being a producer on this hot new show and getting back in the soap game 15 years after their last remaining sudsers, Guiding Light and As The World Turns, left the airwaves. But there’s a better way to shine a light on P&G products than to have a character go on about them in the middle of a dramatic scene.

There was Naomi in bed with Jacob talking about her parents’ volatile divorce and how hard it was to be representing the women suing her father’s firm for sexual harassment. All of a sudden, they were eating chocolate pudding and it spilled. “No worries,” assured Naomi. “That’s why I’ve got Tide!” The duo discussed throwing the bedding in the washer and Jacob’s gratitude that Tide “has his back,” and then the camera panned back to an actual bottle of the detergent sitting at the foot of their bed (!). Then Naomi and Jacob went back to discussing how badly Bill treats women like nothing happened.

Suggestion: Save the cleaning products for lighter moments, like characters kissing, singing or dancing (which they do a lot on this show). A character pouring Tide on a chocolate stain could even propel story if it’s the result of a misguided sex romp — but invest in a laundry room set to treat the fabric at a logical place.

And the next time Anita sprays Febreze and comments on the “fresh new scent” — have her spritz it to cleanse the room after her nasty former son-in-law Bill exits. Now that’s good, soapy product placement.

Y&R: Sorry, Traci

That’s it? No explanation for why psychopath Martin made poor Traci fall in love with him? Why he played Ashley for such a fool? Why he killed and impersonated his twin brother Alan, the actual shrink everyone thought they were dealing with? Why he kidnapped and tortured Phyllis and Sharon who he barely knew?

What a huge missed opportunity! The fallout from this riveting Abbott-centric story could have put a whole host of people who don’t usually share scenes in the same orbit. Instead, we got one episode of Traci apologizing to Phyllis and Sharon for not recognizing Martin’s psychosis earlier and a tease that Traci was off to have lunch with her old pal Amy, which they didn’t even show.

“I’ve decided I’m going to leave Genoa City,” Traci announced to a surprised Jack. “Ashley is coming with me to New York.” And they were gone. Worse, Traci’s exit came one week before Diane’s much-ballyhooed redecoration of the Abbott house was being unveiled and you know Traci will have an opinion on that (as will Ashley). Hopefully we won’t have to wait until Christmas to hear it!