By Robert Scucci
| Published 48 seconds ago

Road thrillers always make for a great time because there is nothing more unnerving than barreling down the highway when you are either in danger yourself or trying to help somebody else who might be. 1981’s Road Games, an Australian thriller that plays like a strange middle ground between Mad Max and a Hitchcock-style serial killer story, has no shortage of tense moments. It shows just how badly the road can mess with your head after a long day’s work as a commercial trucker who just wants to grab a few hours of sleep between jobs. Perspectives grow hazy, lines begin to blur, and you are almost certain you have seen that green van and its driver doing something suspicious on multiple occasions, even if you cannot quite prove what they are up to.

A tense, white knuckle experience from start to finish, Road Games is a lean thriller built around an exceedingly simple plot. That simplicity should not lull you into a false sense of security, though, because not everything is what it seems, especially once the horizon darkens, the road goes quiet, and a radio news broadcast suggests you may be sharing the highway with somebody who is very, very dangerous.

A Road Best Left Untraveled

Road Games introduces us to trucker Patrick Quid (Stacy Keach) and his pet dingo, Boswell. Patrick makes a point of telling anyone who will listen that there is a difference between a man who drives a truck and a trucker, implying that he views his current line of work as something beneath him, even if it pays the bills for now. He travels alone with Boswell, often taking back-to-back jobs against his better judgment. There is nothing to suggest Patrick is unstable, but his dispatcher encourages him to push through sleep deprivation with caffeine pills so he can take on more work.

While sleeping in his truck outside a motel one night, Patrick notices a man driving a suspicious looking green van who checks in with a female hitchhiker. The next morning, Patrick sees the man leave alone after stopping at the dumpster and climbing into the van before heading back out onto the road.

Once he is driving again, Patrick encounters a recurring group of colorful characters. There is an elderly man hauling a boat, a face-masked motorcyclist who keeps popping up, a nagging woman named Frita (Marion Edward) and her visibly annoyed husband, and another woman standing roadside looking for a ride. Against his better judgment and company regulations, Patrick picks up Frita after her husband abandons her on the side of the road. During this stretch, he spots the green van again, this time catching its driver burying suspicious looking bags in the desert and carrying around a small cooler.

Frita becomes uneasy with Patrick’s calm attitude about the encounter, especially after hearing a radio report about a possible serial killer operating in the area. She eventually parts ways with him, but not before Patrick picks up the hitchhiker he passed earlier, known only as Hitch (Jamie Lee Curtis). The two hit it off almost immediately, and Hitch reveals herself to be Pamela Rushworth, the heiress of a wealthy US diplomat who wanted to go on an adventure of her own, suggesting that she may have been reported missing from her high-profile life. As Patrick continues his route with Pamela, the green van keeps resurfacing, prompting them to investigate its driver under the assumption that he is the killer mentioned in the news.

A Series Of Escalating Events

As sleep deprivation takes hold, Pat and Pamela get separated, and Pat finds himself unsure of who he can trust. Everywhere he turns, the green van seems to be there. He starts pushing his truck at reckless RPMs to make his delivery on time, becoming increasingly unhinged along the way. Pat is convinced he needs to track down the green van to stop anyone else from getting hurt, but things spiral further when Frita reports him to the authorities. She suggests that Pat himself might be the killer, and that the story about the green van is nothing more than a distraction.

As Pat unravels while searching for Pamela and the van, all while evading police and trying to finish his route, his sanity is put into question. Every possible pressure point is hit, and Pat is fully aware that he is starting to lose his grip. With law enforcement closing in, his hitchhiker companion missing, and the green van’s driver still at large, Pat is forced to pull himself together and see his increasingly bizarre job through before the road swallows him whole.

Road Games toys with the familiar tropes you see in films like the grossly underrated Black Dog. Hallucinations feel inevitable, and the job itself takes a back seat to the strange, inexplicable encounters that keep piling up. Stacy Keach’s straight faced performance as an expatriate American trucker tearing through the Australian outback with a pet dingo is half the fun. His deadpan presence grounds the film even as everything around him starts to feel unreliable.

If you want to find out whether Pat finally snaps or if the world around him is the real problem in Road Games, you can fire it up on Tubi, where it is currently streaming for free.

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 35 seconds ago

Steven Spielberg invented the Summer blockbuster with Jaws, and then did it again with E.T. and Jurassic Park, but in terms of sheer spectacle, Roland Emmerich invented the visual language used by today’s Summer blockbusters with 1996’s Independence Day. The shot of a massive alien ship hovering over the White House and then blowing it to smithereens was everywhere that year, from the Super Bowl to every primetime TV ad break.

Story became secondary, special effects on the biggest screens possible took over as the real reason to go to the theaters, and Hollywood was never the same. Now you can relive the experience on Netflix.

Welcome To Earth

Independence Day wastes no time starting off the massive alien motherships moving into position above the world’s largest cities. In the most realistic moment of the entire film, there’s a group of people who decide to gather directly under the ships to welcome the aliens. That’s when they open up and unleash a devastating blast that destroys Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. It’s hard to understand today what it was like to see this level of devastation on a scale never seen before, with this budget and looking this good. 

The other half of Independence Day, the plot, is supported by an all-time great cast, including Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, Mary McDonnell, Randy Quaid, Mae Whitman, Brent Spiner, Bill Pullman as one of the greatest fictional Presidents ever, and the breakthrough role of a sitcom star: Will Smith. No one cares that the plot is as thin as Flat Stanley. From top to bottom, every member of the cast understood the assignment. This is one of the most fun movies ever. 

You can pinpoint the exact moment when Will Smith became a movie star. After Captain Steven Hiller is shot down, he walks right over to the alien fighter he took with him, pops open the hatch, and drops a one-liner, “Welcome to Earth,” as he punches the alien in the face. He was no longer The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; he was King of the Summer Blockbuster. 

Independence Day Reshaped Movies Forever

According to Rotten Tomatoes, Independence Day has a critic rating of 69 percent and an audience rating of 75 percent, both of which seem irrelevant. Roland Emmerich’s follow-up to Stargate is a pure popcorn movie. For every bit of horrible dialogue, there’s Bill Pullman’s triumphant speech. For every contrived plot device, there’s an extended dogfight between alien saucers and F/A-18 Hornets. This is the ultimate “turn off your brain” and enjoy movie. 

At the time of its release, Independence Day became the second-highest-grossing film of all time with $817 million, making Jeff Goldblum, star of Jurassic Park, the then-highest-grossing film star of all time and one of the most successful box-office stars of the 90s. Decades later, every superhero movie, every Summer blockbuster, can trace its visual style back to Emmerich’s groundbreaking disaster film. 

For years, fans wanted more. Finally, in 2016, the sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, which brought back Pullman, Goldblum, and Hirsch, hit theaters with Liam Hemsworth as the new hotshot pilot. After 20 years, no one cared. 

Don’t let the forgettable and pointless sequel deter you from going back and streaming Independence Day now that it’s on Netflix.  Some movies are hits, some become cult classics, and then there’s Independence Day, which managed to transcend Hollywood and reshape the world of entertainment in its image. Whether it’s the hundredth time or the first time, you will get hyped when Will Smith punches the alien, Bill Pullman announces today is our Independence Day, and when Randy Quaid gets his revenge. Just don’t think about it too hard. It’s not that type of movie.

Beyond the Gates exposes Dr. Ted Richardson (Maurice Johnson) sparking a new relationship. And while Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson (Daphnee Duplaix) is fine with him dating Shanice Johnson (Ernestine Johnson), his insane former sidepiece Dana “Leslie” Thomas (Trisha Mann-Grant) is not okay with it.

His daughter Katherine “Kat” Richardson (Colby Muhammad) may have some issues if he and Shanice get really serious and settle down.

Dana “Leslie” Thomas Plants a Scandalous Trap for Shanice & Ted on Beyond the Gates

All right, so we have Shanice and Ted getting more serious by the day. They’re not just getting intimate. I think Shanice is more than a rebound for Ted. Right now, Shanice is in the smitten kitten phase, but I see Ted falling for her and Shanice falling for Ted.

This week, we saw Shanice a little annoyed when she found Leslie’s loose drawers in the sofa cushions of Ted’s hotel room. The timing for her finding Leslie’s underthings couldn’t be worse because it looks like Ted was getting all romantic and telling Shanice she’s the one he wants to move on with. This happened right after she got a bit irritated with Ted for paying too much attention to Nicole and her hot date, Kyle Rollins (Greg Vaughan), at Uptown.

Then they come back and Shanice finds what Ted’s sketchy ex Leslie left there, hoping that Shanice would find them. It’s a bit much. Good thing Shanice was smart enough to pick those panties up using a tissue and not her bare hands. She’s ranting at Ted this week that if she’s the one, who do these tacky panties belong to?

Ted Confronts Lunatic Leslie as Drama Escalates on BTG

I don’t think he recognizes them. It’s not like he’s been taking a tour of Leslie’s lingerie drawer. But Ted immediately is going to realize only one person would have left them there. The good news is I’m sure he’ll tell Shanice, “Look, this is another one of those schemes by psychotic Leslie.” I’m sure Shanice will immediately see that makes sense, and I don’t think she’s going to hold it against Ted.

But I think him living at the hotel under the same roof as Leslie is a problem. It’s a big building and a big roof, but Ted is too close to Leslie. It’s long overdue for Ted to move out of that hotel and get further away from lunatic Leslie. I’m hoping that this incident blows up in her sneaky face. I also hope that Leslie’s prank actually winds up moving Shanice and Ted’s relationship forward. That would be a little bit of karma.

By Friday of this week, he’s had enough and confronts Leslie in public about her sketchy behavior. I wonder if Ted is going to make a scene at Fairmont Crest or maybe up at the hospital because we know Leslie keeps showing up to harass and insult Shanice at work.

Class Conflicts and Insecurity in the Beyond the Gates Plot

Of course, we all know what was eating at Leslie. She was the other woman and was jealous of Nicole, who was from a good family, was educated, and sophisticated. Meanwhile, Leslie was a waitress. There is nothing wrong with that, but she felt like her being blue-collar made her less than. That was part of why she and Ted didn’t happen.

All of a sudden, Leslie is feeling fancy because of that big pile of money from Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie) that she fell backwards into and didn’t earn. Somehow Leslie now feels better and like she’s been elevated. She’s clearly so insecure and the money’s not going to help that.

Then in comes Shanice, who’s gorgeous and smart, also educated, but not DMV royalty. Ted is not a snob. He really liked Shanice and having peach cobbler with her at Oree Jean’s. She also fits seamlessly into Ted’s country club scene. I loved seeing Shanice hand it back to gossipy Anastasia (Erica Hubbard) the other day, and Shanice consistently shuts down Leslie and doesn’t let her intimidate her at all.

Beyond the Gates Engagement Spoilers and Relationship Milestones

When Ted publicly lays into Leslie, I’m sure that’s going to reiterate to Shanice that she is his priority. We have another spoiler for Friday saying that two people get engaged. I’d be cheering if Ted went there, but I feel like it’s way too soon for them. It may be Joey Armstrong (Jon Lindstrom) that proposes to Vanessa McBride (Lauren Buglioli) or the other way around, but we’ll wait and see.

Despite them probably not being the couple that’s engaged, I do suspect we’re going to see Ted and Shanice continue to get more and more serious. I think Ted may get his own place and we could see him and Shanice moving in while they’re moving forward and evolving.

This week Ted sees Nicole playing tonsil hockey with Kial at Uptown. That’s hot on the heels of Ted seeing Nicole out with Dr. Carlton Fitzgerald (Robert Christopher Riley). She’s made it crystal clear to Ted that he’s in her rearview mirror. Nicole is single and mingling with multiple hot men. Since they’re okay with it, it’s none of Ted’s business.

Will Ted Start a Third Family with Shanice on BTG?

Here’s the point that I’m really curious about: how will Ted’s kids handle it when he gets serious with somebody else? They know Leslie was a mistake from the past. This relationship with Shanice is very much the present and possibly the future.

Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) and Kat were both very upset when they found out Ted cheated on their mom. Meanwhile, Martin has been very welcoming of his new sister, Eva Thomas (Ambyr Michelle). Martin isn’t holding Leslie’s awful antics against Eva. Martin understands and he’s tried to explain to Kat that Eva was raised being told the worst things about all of them.

Eva came to the DMV with an agenda because she’d basically been gaslit her whole life. But once she saw that Leslie had lied and misled her, Eva did try and stop what her mom was doing. She tried to stop her from breaking up Nicole and Ted. But of course, Kat doesn’t want to show Eva any grace ever for any reason.

Kat’s Insecurity Over Ted’s New Relationship on Beyond the Gates

Kat was also offended when Ted said he loves all his children equally: her, Martin, and Eva. It’s incomprehensible to Kat that Ted would love all his children the same, no matter who their mom is. I say this just because I’m curious how Kat will feel if Ted starts a third family, this time with Shanice.

Ted never intended to start the second family; that was a mistake. But Shanice has no kids of her own. She’s at the right age for her biological clock to be ticking. It’s not like Ted is over the hill. If he wants to settle down with Shanice and she wants kids, I can see Ted saying, “Okay, let’s do it.”

The other day when Kat saw Ted and Shanice at Uptown, I thought it was very nice. Kat was making an effort to get to know Shanice since both Ted and Shanice were very clear that they started seeing each other after Ted and Nicole’s divorce was official. But will Kat change her mind if Ted decides he’s going to marry Shanice and make some more babies?

Kat Struggles with Insecurities on BTG

Kat seems to think love is finite and that there’s not enough to go around when more people come into the picture. She’s feeling very insecure and threatened while saying that Eva is the one who’s insecure. I know Beyond the Gates fans are deeply divided on Kat versus Eva. I’m not going to weigh into those waters, but I’m curious to see how Kat will handle it if Ted decides to expand his family beyond Martin, Kat, and Eva.

I think Martin and Eva would be very accepting. I don’t think they would even question that if Ted wants to do that. But Kat’s reaction when Ted gets really serious with Shanice is what interests me. Even if they don’t say they want to start a family, Kat can probably look down that road and see it’s a possibility, and she’s already feeling shortchanged. Is she going to freak out? We’ll see.

As Bridgerton fans continue to worry that a major character is dying in the second part of season 4, a cast member hinted at their departure.

The hit Netflix series returns on Thursday, February 26, by picking up where it left off with Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie’s romance (Yerin Ha). The sneak peek for part 2 caused concern when viewers noticed several characters dressed in black attire. It remains unclear whose funeral the others could potentially attend since there are several options.

Many fans of Julia Quinn‘s Bridgerton book series, however, had pointed out that John (Victor Alli) is the most reasonable conclusion based on Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd) story. Quinn’s When He Was Wicked is focused on Francesca’s marriage to now-husband John before his shocking death. Francesca would then go on to find love again with John’s cousin Michael. (The series swapped Michael out for Michaela, played by Masali Baduza, during the season 3 finale.)

While Alli, 30, wouldn’t confirm or deny his onscreen fate, he did spark rumors of an exit. The actor was asked about his experience on Bridgerton amid his rumored last scene with the show.

“Words can’t quite encapsulate what it’s meant to be on this wonderful show,” he told Numero Netherlands earlier this month. “I’ve met people who I’ll be friends with for a long time and I’m so thankful to have been a part of it. I’ll miss them all greatly.”

Alli talking about Bridgerton in the past tense quickly caused concern for viewers. He previously spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about the overwhelming concern for his character despite John still being alive — for now.

“It’s like, ‘Just let the scenes happen.’ I’m just like, ‘I don’t wanna start grieving John already,’” Alli joked to Us in 2024 about the fans hinting at John’s fate before it’s happened on screen. “Everyone’s like, ‘He’s dead already.’”

Alli noted that he understood that fans who know what is in store for John are prematurely mourning the character.

“It is nice that people are invested. It’s nice that people know the story and it’s nice that people care. That was part of what [showrunner] Jess [Brownell] wanted. She really wanted the fans to be invested in John and Francesca,” Alli explained to Us. “So that when [John] does eventually go, it will be so, so hard and really tough. It’ll be really sad actually because I know that I’m gonna obviously leave Bridgerton eventually.”

John’s tragic future is such a spoiler that Alli’s casting wasn’t even announced until the first batch of episodes dropped. Instead of basking in the success of his new role, Alli initially recalled having to go through great lengths to hide his association with the show.

“I had some friends who found out and asked me. I denied it. I denied it hard,” he recalled about set photos surfacing. “It was funny because when the pictures came out and it was obviously me, I had to say ‘No.’” People are like, ‘It just looks like you.’ I was like, ‘That’s crazy. I’ve got a doppelgänger. I’d love to meet him.’ I’ve never had to do that. I’ve never had to have that experience. It was quite surreal. But I just found it funny as well.”

Related: ‘Bridgerton‘ Stars Who Left the Netflix Show: Where Are They Now?

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Bridgerton quickly became a fan favorite after debuting on Netflix in 2020, but not all of the show’s cast members chose to stick around. The historical drama, which is based on the book series written by Julia Quinn, follows the members of the wealthy Bridgerton family as they search for love in 19th century London. […]

The story line for his character is such an open secret that even Alli’s costars poked fun at the book spoilers on set.

“Everyone knows what’s gonna happen and everyone knows my fate. There’ll be moments where I’ll be doing a scene and Luke might just be like, ‘Well, it’s fine. You’re gonna die anyway,’” Alli quipped. “So it was just really, really funny.”

Despite knowing where John’s story goes, Alli made an effort not to let it influence his work.

“I didn’t allow it to shape my performance. It’s part of the story and of course that happens in the future and what will be will be. But I guess you don’t anticipate it,” he noted. “Everything I did was just in the moment as opposed to, ‘Oh, gosh, I’m gonna die soon.’ It was more in the moment and living in the now.”

There is also the chance that Eloise’s (Claudia Jessie) turn is sooner — and Quinn’s To Sir Phillip, With Love hinges on Marina’s (Ruby Barker) death. Following Marina’s death, Eloise gets in touch with Phillip (Chris Fulton), which kickstarts their romance.

Other options include Queen Charlotte’s (Golda Rosheuvel) husband, King George (James Fleet), whom she mentioned earlier this season. Historically, the real Charlotte’s death would be coming up in the next few years, which could get moved up.

Season 4 of Bridgerton returns for part 2 on Thursday, February 26.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

Outside of the Klingons, the most legendary foe in Star Trek is arguably the Borg, whose nearly-unstoppable cybernetic warriors have come close to wiping out the Federation on a number of occasions. While these baddies were thought to be defeated in the series finale of Voyager, they popped up yet again to torment the titular hero of Picard across multiple seasons. However, what most fans don’t realize is that we would have possibly never heard from the Borg after The Next Generation if not for the late, great executive producer, Michael Piller.

Piller is, in a very real way, the man who saved TNG: he became showrunner in Season 3, ushering in an era of better uniforms, bigger sets, and infinitely improved writing. In Season 6, the writer of the two-part, Borg-centric episode “Descent” was unsure how to broach the fact that the Enterprise crew returned a freed Borg (Hugh) back to the Collective. This could theoretically change their entire race, and while “Descent” dealt with Borg who had been infected with individuality, the episode never specified just how many Borg were affected by Hugh’s return.

My Borg Friend’s Back (And There’s Gonna Be Trouble)

That was actually Michael Piller’s suggestion, and he thought the episode would be stronger if it left that matter as an open question for the fans. Understandably, these episodes led to intense online speculation and more than a few Star Trek convention arguments about whether the Borg were now completely different. Previously, they had been like robot zombies driven by the monolithic will of their Collective; however, the Borg in “Descent,” after reabsorbing Hugh (a Borg who developed an identity of his own), were basically just a bunch of independent-minded thugs being bossed around by Data’s evil brother.

While Star Trek fans generally liked “Descent,” the fandom was almost collective in its dislike of the new Borg. Having them team up with another villain made for some good temporary drama, and it led to a really great episode for Brent Spiner’s Data. But as villains, the Borg had arguably lost everything that made them cool or unique in the first place.

Resistance Was Futile

That’s why it was such a relief when these villains showed up as their old selves in Star Trek: First Contact. Sure, some things were new (mostly, the fact that they now had a creepy Queen), but these guys were mostly back to being the shambling, unstoppable robot zombies that terrified fans in the first place. This movie served as a kind of creative reset for these villains, and most future appearances of the Borg (from their many appearances in Voyager to their final appearance in Picard) focused on them as a Collective rather than a group of individuals.

None of that would have been possible, however, without Michael Piller. He was the one who suggested that “Descent” writer Ronald D. Moore should never specify how many Borg had transformed into individuals once Hugh’s freed personality had been absorbed into the Collective. At the time, many fans hoped that it would just be a small segment of the Borg that were affected, and the rest of the Collective had remained unchanged; those hopes were paid off in First Contact, a movie whose plot would have been impossible if Piller hadn’t saved the Borg from becoming generic villains.

Creatively speaking, this was both a blessing and a curse; the Borg eventually became wildly oversaturated in the franchise, with every new appearance making them feel a bit less special. Nonetheless, though, they remain the most legendary foes from the Golden Age of Star Trek, and they would have faded into obscurity if not for the intervention of Michael Piller. In this way, the man who saved Picard’s first show also saved the foes who would make the captain’s life a living hell for decades to come.

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By Robert Scucci
| Updated 37 seconds ago

Here’s a little word of advice for anyone who’s always hunting for the next thing to watch. When the burnout guitar tech named Zippy (portrayed by Bill Hader) in the 2016 musical mockumentary satire Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping casually mentions that he loves falling into a medically induced near-death experience for the rush, and cites 1990’s Flatliners as his inspiration, it’s not an open invitation to seek the film out and actually watch it. I did, and I have regrets.

My curiosity got the best of me because of a single throwaway joke that made me laugh harder than I care to admit, which ultimately forced me to seek out Flatliners. On paper, it checks a lot of boxes for me. It’s a sci-fi psychological horror thriller built around a pulpy concept, and it’s stacked with a mostly reliable roster of talent, including Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, and Oliver Platt. This should have at the very least been a solid B-movie, but it doesn’t even satisfy on that level. 

Medical Students Playing God With Each Other

On paper, Flatliners has a great concept, but the execution is anything but desirable. We’re introduced to Nelson Wright (Kiefer Sutherland), a medical student obsessed with experiencing death because he believes glimpsing the afterlife will provide answers to life’s biggest philosophical questions. Joining him are fellow students, including Rachel Manus (Julia Roberts), outspoken atheist David Labraccio (Kevin Bacon), womanizing sexpot Joe Hurley (William Baldwin), and the self important coward and unofficial scribe Randy Steckle (Oliver Platt).

The object of Nelson’s game in Flatliners is simple. He convinces his classmates to force him into a medically induced death, reviving him at the last possible moment so he can come back and report his findings. The first experiment is technically successful, but Nelson is permanently altered by the experience and immediately wants to go under again when given the chance. Joe pushes things even further when he volunteers, letting the clock run longer than is even remotely responsible, and comes back with his own unsettling revelations.

Tensions rise within the group as Nelson and Joe begin acting erratically, but David, the resident atheist, insists there has to be a logical explanation for what they’re seeing. Naturally, David gets flatlined next and experiences similar visions, followed shortly by Rachel, who has her own troubling experience.

The group eventually surmises that they’re being haunted by physical manifestations of their past sins, and resolve to figure out how to atone for their mistakes. The unfortunate reality in Flatliners is that the only way forward involves going under again, for longer and longer periods of time, in order to make peace with themselves and the increasingly hostile specters that follow them back.

Beware The Blue Light Special

Flashbacks and crossover sequences in Flatliners look like stock footage blasted with blue and red lighting as medical students play god with a makeshift death machine, recklessly chasing glimpses of the afterlife and dealing with the consequences later. Those consequences include disembodied kids beating Kiefer Sutherland with a hockey stick, along with other equally ridiculous encounters. Nobody owns furniture. And these deeply irresponsible medical experiments take place in a run-down wing of the university that seems perpetually on the verge of flooding or electrocuting everyone involved.

Listen, I’d like proof of an afterlife too, but there are better ways to go about it is all I’m saying. You could probably get similar results by pounding two Ghost energy drinks back to back and hopping on a Tilt-A-Whirl. You’re still putting your life in a carnie’s hands, sure, but at least afterward you can grab some funnel cake and call it a day.

Despite its cast and concept, Flatliners ultimately falls flat for reasons that still baffle me. For a movie with a reported production budget of $26 million, I genuinely have no idea where that money went, because it never shows up on screen in any way that justifies the expense. I own an LED strip and a phone full of Instagram filters that could recreate the same wobbly, blue soaked experience from my living room without breaking a sweat. None of this makes sense.

If you’re still intrigued by Zippy’s enthusiasm for Flatliners, the film is currently available on demand through YouTube, Apple TV+, Prime Video, and Fandango at Home.

Bold and the Beautiful shocks as Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) just found out that Taylor Hayes (Rebecca Budig) has a new man in her life and he’s already freaking out about this bombshell.

Steffy Warns Ridge About Taylor & Deacon on Bold and the Beautiful

So, right now we have Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) all worked up at the idea that Taylor and Deacon Sharpe (Sean Kanan) are considering this forbidden romance that could trigger Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) to go unhinged again and come after everybody.

Steffy thinks Ridge might be able to shut Taylor down, but I don’t think that’s going to work. I think it might backfire. After talking to Finn (Tanner Novlan) about how dangerous Sheila will be if she finds out Deacon and Taylor are falling in love, Steffy went over to the office to tell Ridge what’s going on.

Ridge Reacts to Taylor’s Relationship with Deacon on B&B

So, Steffy told her dad that Taylor’s seeing somebody and not only is it a married man, but that man is married to Sheila. So of course, Ridge can’t believe it. And he asked Steffy, “Is Taylor really hooking up with Deacon?”

I mean, clearly Steffy’s hoping that Ridge will have her back and will apply pressure to Taylor and demand she stays away from Deacon. And I think that is exactly what Ridge is going to try to do.

Steffy’s Ultimatum and Ridge’s History of Interference

Steffy already told Taylor if she pursues a relationship with Deacon, she’s going to cut Taylor out of her life and also cut her out of the kids’ lives. And Deacon just asked Taylor if she thinks Steffy meant that or if she’s bluffing. And Taylor said, “Yeah,—she believes it.”

So, we all know Steffy’s desperate to stop this. And given how bossy that Ridge is, you know, he’s going to march over and tell Taylor that yes, he wants her to be happy, but it can’t be with Deacon.

I think Ridge will do to Taylor what he did to Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) when they were broken up. If you remember, Ridge told Brooke that he wanted her to be happy and said she could date anybody she wanted except for Nick Marone (Jack Wagner).

Why Taylor Won’t Let Ridge Dictate Her Future on Bold and the Beautiful

So, as if Ridge gets to decide who his ex can and cannot date, but you know how he is. Ridge always thinks that he’s the one who gets to decide things for other people. And Brooke didn’t appreciate it when Ridge’s stuck his nose where it didn’t belong. And I don’t think Taylor’s going to appreciate it either.

But the big difference is Brooke was dangling Nick in front of Ridge to make him jealous so he would come back to her. With Taylor, that’s not what she’s doing at all. She’s not dangling Deacon in anybody’s face. And Taylor has legitimately fallen for Deacon and wants to be with him. She thinks that he’s her person.

Ridge’s Lack of Moral High Ground in Taylor’s Love Life

But I think Ridge is going to trot over and tell Taylor she’s got to drop this and go find another man, any other man. And I don’t think she’s going to listen to Ridge. And I think that he may actually explode on her and lose patience.

I don’t think Taylor’s going to put up with Ridge telling her anything about her love life because Taylor certainly didn’t want Ridge to go running back to Brooke, but he did it anyway. He went behind her back and he betrayed Taylor again.

So, Ridge should have no say-so, but that doesn’t mean that’ll stop him from trying to. I think he’s going to confront Taylor and make demands. And Ridge does not have any moral high ground in any capacity.

And if Taylor has decided she’s not afraid of Sheila, I don’t think Taylor’s going to let Ridge get in her way either. But of course, that won’t stop Ridge from running his mouth about Taylor seeing Deacon.

The Danger of Sheila Carter and Ridge’s Ego on Bold

And I’m sure Ridge will lecture Taylor and tell her she’s being foolish and putting everybody at risk because she’s got some silly little rebound crush on Deacon. I’m sure Ridge is going to marginalize any feelings that Taylor says she has for Deacon.

And I mean, Steffy’s not wrong that Sheila is downright dangerous. And I’m sure Ridge will share Steffy’s concerns and make the same argument that Sheila is a threat to Taylor and the whole family. While that is true, at the same time, she’s a grown woman and Taylor can decide who she wants to date.

In the end though, Ridge has no right to say anything to Taylor about any of her life choices when he chose Brooke. You know, Ridge lost any right to weigh in on Taylor’s love life or honestly any aspect of her life.

But we all know that Ridge is probably going to go tell Taylor this is nonsense. She doesn’t really love Deacon. She can’t love him. And I expect to see Ridge demand that Taylor put a stop to it right now before it goes any further.

Will Ridge’s Demands Push Taylor Closer to Deacon?

You know, classic Ridge bossy big mouth style. But I think if he goes and blows up at Taylor or tries to say her feelings for Deacon aren’t real or aren’t valid, that’s not going to go well. Even worse, and this is legit, Ridge may try and make this about himself. Like how he crushed Taylor so badly that she’s not thinking straight and she’s just rebounding blindly with Deacon.

And in the end, I think this will just make Taylor want Deacon even more. Taylor may actually enjoy knowing it’s bothering Ridge that she’s moving on with another man. And if he doesn’t make any progress talking sense to Taylor, I expect Ridge may then go and confront Deacon.

Deacon vs. Ridge: The Battle for Taylor on Bold and the Beautiful

Ridge may get in Deacon’s face and tell him, “Leave Taylor alone. Go back to your psycho wife, Sheila. Leave a nice woman like Taylor alone, because Deacon doesn’t deserve her.” But if Ridge does that, I also expect Deacon to go off on Ridge about how he has mistreated Taylor. Deacon may tell Ridge he’s the one who never deserved Taylor.

And I think we can all see Deacon truly loves Taylor and he wants to be her destiny. Deacon really thinks he and Taylor are soulmates and this is the chance to have a big love of their lives together. And I’m sure Ridge thinks that he’s the one that Taylor will always want. So, this could be a real hit to Ridge’s ego.

Brooke & Hope Weigh in on the Scandal on B&B

I can absolutely see Deacon and Ridge going at it over Taylor, but hopefully not where Sheila is going to overhear. We do know she is going to find out and go nuts. I also expect Brooke will disagree with Ridge and I think she’s going to ship Taylor and Deacon.

Brooke might even go tell Taylor, you know, watch out for Sheila, but otherwise go for it. And if Hope Logan (Annika Noelle) hears Ridge trash-talking Deacon over this Taylor thing, I think Hope will have an issue with that. She may have some things to say to Ridge.

This week, Hope is chatting with Sheila at Il Giardino. And I think we may see Hope trying to low-key influence Sheila. We could see Hope telling Sheila the way she can prove that she really has changed is to let Deacon go and to do it peacefully so that he can spend time with his family and move forward with his life.

The History of Sheila Carter and Taylor Hayes’s Rivalry on B&B

If you remember back when Sheila shot Taylor years and years ago and she supposedly died, then we had Ridge as a grieving widower—widower because he had been happily married to Taylor at that moment and her being presumed dead was why he wound up with Brooke.

So, there’s a faction of B&B fans that think Sheila owes Taylor a husband because she ruined things with Ridge by killing her and then he wound up with Brooke. So, wait and see if Taylor listens to Ridge.

I don’t expect her to listen at all. And I think Taylor insisting that she really loves Deacon could push Ridge into totally losing his temper. I hope there’s a big explosion and I hope Taylor puts Ridge right in his place.

Young and the Restless intense new spoilers for next week talk about Adam Newman‘s (Mark Grossman) concern because he thinks Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) might have killed somebody. And guess what? Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) also suspects Victor might have gone too far.

We have the latest Y&R spoilers for the week of February 9th, including some jealousy at the Abbott Mansion when Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters) sees Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) doing something sketchy and Mariah Copeland‘s (Camryn Grimes) dodgy plans for Dominic Chancellor (Ethan Ray Clark).

Nikki & Victoria Question Victor’s Fake Kidnapping Plot on Young and the Restless

All right, let’s start with Nikki’s hot take on Victor. So, as this week wraps up, Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn) is very worried about what Victor has done with Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) and the twins. Nikki, Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle), and Adam Newman get an update on Mariah from him. Then, Victor assures his family that Lily agreed to this kidnapping plan.

Victoria doesn’t believe it because Lily is still salty about getting cheated on the Chancellor deal. Adam tells Victor he saw Cane and he looked really rattled. If you recall, Cane threatened Adam and said a Newman would get hurt if Lily or the kids are harmed.

Victoria and Nikki also want to know the exact terms of what Lily agreed to, but Victor won’t answer them, as usual. Nikki tells Victoria it’s ironic that Victor’s faking a kidnapping while his grandson Dominic is really kidnapped right now.

Nikki is not excusing Victor’s behavior, but as usual, she’s enabling it and justifying it, saying that she knows he’s trying to save his life’s work. They’re debating if Lily hates Cane more than she hates Victor and if that’s why she made the deal. They also worry that Cane may retaliate and things are going to get a lot worse. Nikki is quite worried they will lose everything because Cane may just decide, “Okay, I’m just gonna watch it all burn down.”

Diane Jenkins Catches Jack Abbott and Nikki Newman in an Intimate Moment

After talking to Victoria and stressing out at the end of this week, in next week’s Young and the Restless spoilers, Nikki heads over to the Abbott mansion to vent about her husband, Victor, to his ultimate enemy, Jack.

Do you guys remember when Victor walked into the living room of the new ranch a few weeks ago and he saw Jack hugging Nikki and comforting her? Victor went nuts, he threatened Jack. And he got really ticked off. We’re going to revisit that same dynamic, but it’s going to flip around.

Next week on Y&R, Nikki is really upset and she goes to see Jack and opens up to him. She tells him she’s really worried what Victor could do next. I’m guessing if Jack doesn’t already know, we’ll see Nikki telling Jack about Victor kidnapping Lily or her playing along and pretending to be kidnapped.

Nikki opens up to Jack and asks, “What if Victor goes so far that I can’t take it anymore?” Again, we’re going to see Jack comforting Nikki and he takes her in his arms for a hug. That’s right as Diane Jenkins starts to walk into the room and she sees them.

She does not like seeing Jack with his arms around his ex-wife Nikki. This is about to get ugly. This past week, Diane told Jack that she hates his closeness to Nikki almost as much as Victor hates it. Jack’s already been warned, but Nikki is back in his arms.

Claire Grace Newman Uncovers Audra Charles and Holden Novak’s Dirty LA Secret on Y&R

Meanwhile, we’re going to see more of Claire Grace Newman (Hayley Erin) digging into Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver) and Holden Novak’s (Nathan Owens) dirty LA secret next week. Cane told Holden to head to LA and oversee the private investigator who’s searching for Lily. Claire decides to tag along on this Los Angeles trip. I think she’s going to drop in on Sienna with some follow-up questions.

Mariah Copeland’s Dangerous Plan to Take Dominic Chancellor Out of the Country on Young and the Restless

All right, now let’s talk about Mariah and her unhinged plan to keep Dominic away from his parents, Devon Hamilton (Bryton James) and Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway). This week we had brand new GCPD detective Burrow meeting with them, Tessa Porter (Cait Fairbanks), and Sharon Newman (Sharon Case). They were talking about what Mariah’s thinking and whether she is a danger to their son.

Next week on Young and the Restless, spoilers have Dominic and Mariah wearing matching trucker hats, sitting down for a meal in a little cheap-looking diner. They’re still on the run. Dominic asks Mariah why she won’t tell him where they’re going. She tells Dominic she’s taking him to the best hideout in the world.

Turns out Mariah is planning to take Dominic out of the country, which is incredibly scary news. Mariah is fully unhinged. If she gets Dominic out of the country, it is going to be harder for Abby and Devon to track them down.

But how exactly is Mariah going to do this? She may have a passport for herself, but I’m guessing she doesn’t have one for Dominic. We also know that very soon Burrow is on a private jet with Abby and Devon. And they are heading to try and stop Mariah from fleeing with their son.

Patty Williams Returns to Y&R as Crazy Patty Williams

Also related to this, there’s some big Young and the Restless casting news. Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk) is coming back; she is Doug Williams’ sister. We haven’t seen her in 10 years.

She saved Ian Ward (Ray Wise) from certain death in that fire he started at Newman Tower. And she wanted to stay with him, but he sent Patty away. She and Ian bonded. And then she left. Patty was last seen when she had been remanded to a high-security psychiatric facility.

If you remember, she stabbed a doctor at Fairview. That’s the other mental hospital. I do suspect that they brought back Patty Williams as part of the Mariah and Ian storyline, but we’ll see. We’re going to talk about Patty more in the full weekly spoilers video and in the weekly predictions.

Adam Newman Fears Victor Newman Killed Cane Ashby on Young and the Restless

All right, now let’s get to the big one: Adam thinking that Victor has killed somebody. At the end of this week, Adam is telling Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan) that Victor said he got Lily to agree to fake her and the twins’ kidnapping.

When Chelsea hears that Cane made threats against the family, she’s scared that Connor Newman (Judah Mackey) may be at risk and does not trust Victor to protect them. She tells Adam all of that. Meanwhile, Victor headed over to the “Cane train” so that he can push for him to give back Newman Enterprises to get Lily and the kids back.

But it’s not going to be that easy. Cane wanted proof of life. He wants to know that Victor actually has Lily and the twins and that they are safe. Cane vows if they’re not okay, he’s going to be out for Victor’s blood. We pick up with this conversation early next week.

Cabe in Bad Shape on Y&R

Victor is still on the Cane train. And I guess he calls Adam over because he walks in and Victor gestures to Cane lying there unconscious and says, “Look at that.” Adam is worried that Cane is dead and he starts to ask his dad about it, but Victor doesn’t answer right away.

I doubt that Cane is dead. We all know Billy Flynn is on contract, but I am wondering if Victor somehow drugged him, slipped something in his whiskey, or pulled some other kind of shady move to get physical control over Cane. Maybe he wants to buy time to get Lily to send a picture or something.

We’ll find out. Be sure to check out our full weekly spoilers video for all the action coming on Young and the Restless the week of February 9th through the 13th, plus our predictions and more coming soon.

Days of Our Lives reveals Holly Jonas (Ashley Puzemis) was going to start acting like a real jerk because of scenes from the winter promo, and now we know why. Looks like Holly’s skin supplements were swapped with psycho pills, and it’s about to get super messy in Salem.

And just when you think Sophia Choi (Rachel Boyd) couldn’t stoop any lower, she goes and does it. Sophia is sabotaging Holly after pretending to be nice. And now Sophia is going to sit back and watch Holly’s life blow up.

Sophia Choi’s Dangerous Scheme at Bayview on Days of Our Lives

I don’t think the doctors and nurses are keeping a close enough eye on the patients at Bayview. Not only was Sophia sneaking out with a little aiding and abetting from Rachel Black (Alice Halsey), but Sophia’s also been stockpiling her psychiatric meds and now she’s about to set up Holly for a really bad fall.

We all knew that Sophia was looking to start trouble when she asked Dr. Kim Gregory (Kim Hawthorne) to invite Holly to come back over to Bayview again. Sophia was all wound up watching Arianna Hernandez Horton (Marissa Reyes) and Holly talk about their big plans for rush week, including morning smoothies and Holly’s supplements. This is hitting Sophia hard for a few reasons.

First, she really wanted to go to college, but her controlling mom, Amy Choi, wanted her to skip that degree, get married, and raise her baby with Tate Black (Leo Howard). Now that Trey’s been adopted out, it should have cleared the path for Sophia to pursue her education. But instead of being a college freshman with everybody else at Salem U, she’s stuck at Bayview.

The Root of the Rivalry: Sophia, Tate, and Holly’s History on DOOL

What’s likely not helping Sophia either is that she’s clearly not taking all of her prescribed medications since she had a whole pile of them to dump into Holly’s supplement bottle. The meds seem pretty strong based on the promo.

We all know Sophia’s been gunning for Holly ever since their junior year at Salem High because Sophia had this big crush on Tate and she thought he liked her. However, Tate and Holly were dating secretly and lying to everybody. Tate was leading Sophia on, and Holly was using Aaron Greene (Louis Tomeo) in the same way on Days of our Lives.

That was because Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) and Theresa Donovan (Emily O’Brien) didn’t want Tate dating Holly after she let him get arrested and blamed for her overdose. Holly Jonas was the one who was the party girl popping pills, and Tate was totally innocent. Yet Holly was going to let Tate go down for her mistake. Understandably, the parents didn’t want them together. When it all came out, Sophia was devastated to have been tricked and led on.

Sophia’s Diabolical Plan to Sabotage Holly on Days of Our Lives

Then Sophia actually got a shot with Tate, but he wasn’t over Holly, so that got messy fast. Then Sophia wound up pregnant. But now Tate and Holly are stronger than ever, and of course, Sophia hates that. Sophia hasn’t given up on the idea of taking Tate back from Holly.

First, Sophia needs to take Holly down and get her out of the way. Now Sophia’s got this diabolical new plan. Honestly, it seems just as bad as when she wore that fake baby bump and set up that false adoption scheme.

I think Dr. Kim Gregory may need some additional training because her psych patients are running circles around her. Dr. Gregory seems oblivious to them plotting and scheming. The shrink still doesn’t know that Sophia can really talk.

Even though Sophia tried to slap Holly on her last visit, as soon as Sophia asked for a redo, Dr. Gregory called to facilitate a second meeting. On the surface, it seemed to go smoothly, but Sophia has fooled Dr. Kim Gregory once again.

The Supplement Switcheroo and the Danger of Pilfered Meds

I kind of think Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) is right and Rachel probably needs to be in a better psychiatric facility. Sophia certainly needs someplace with better security that keeps a better eye on patients because she is one sneaky chick. Once Sophia saw Ari and Holly’s video about Rush, Sophia’s wheels started turning.

After a fake apology to Holly and then asking for one in return, we saw Sophia accidentally push Holly’s bag to the floor, spilling everything out. Sophia got really lucky because Holly just happened to have her skin supplement bottle with her. That gave Sophia the chance to grab Holly’s bottle, hide it, and then fill it up with pilfered psych meds. This is not the first time Sophia has messed with Holly like this.

If you remember, Sophia got Holly really drunk—so bad she almost died in a dorm room candle fire. I’m sure Sophia is going to make sure Holly gets her bottle back. If Holly were smart, she’d throw away the supplements and get some new ones just because they were out of her hands, but we all know Sophia’s going to get away with it for a while.

Days of Our Lives Winter Promo: Holly Jonas’ Spiral

The long winter promo showed Tate getting really annoyed because Holly started yelling and chewing him out at the Brady Pub. Holly Jonas laid into Tate and said he thinks everything is perfect when it isn’t. Later, Ari was trying to get through to Holly, and that wasn’t going well either. Ari told Holly she’s acting differently, but that’s not going to stop her.

I’m guessing the pills that Sophia gave her are basically going to give Holly a really bad attitude adjustment. That, plus the pressure of doing Rush with Ari, is going to have everybody wondering what’s up with Holly. I don’t think anybody’s going to stop and think that Sophia drugged her. Holly may start acting erratically and irrationally.

Holly may even get rejected by the sororities if Sophia’s drugs make her act inappropriately at parties and events. So, Holly might even hook up with somebody else. Plus, most psych meds come with warning labels that say, “Do not take with alcohol.” I absolutely expect Ari and Holly to be drinking during rush, and that can make Sophia’s mental meds really drive Holly out of control.

Days of Our Lives February Sweeps: Will Rachel Expose Sophia?

This has me wondering what exactly is Sophia’s endgame. Is Sophia trying to sabotage Holly in general, or is she trying to push Holly over the edge so she winds up in Bayview also? Or even worse, that Holly overdoses like what happened to her before.

Whatever Sophia’s plan is, it involves breaking up Holly and Tate so that Sophia can have him back. Not that Tate wants her; Sophia is absolutely deluded if she thinks Tate will give her the time of day again.

Maybe Holly gets lucky and Rachel figures out that Sophia is pulling this medication supplement switcheroo and tells somebody. Maybe Rachel warns Tate or Holly. Either way, this awful train wreck of a situation is about to leave the station in Salem.

Since it’s February sweeps, we know things are about to get really rough on Holly. Holly is going to be acting out, lashing out, and getting angry when Tate and Ari call her out, with nobody having any clue that Sophia is to blame for all of it.