(Soap Opera Weekly, Volume 10, Issue 48)
A memo to the Voting Members of the television academies: We have Susan Flannery's Emmy reel for next year's awards. We'll gladly surrender it once you give Flannery her long overdue Daytime Emmy nomination. The Nov. 5 episode, in which Stephanie realized the limitations of her condition post-stroke, once again proved Flannery to be one of the most talented actors anywhere.
What's so powerful about Flannery is that her acting is tangible and real: She doesn't hesitate to give herself over completely to the sometimes less-than-glamorous circumstances her formidable character is in, lending even more credibility to the moment. After Stephanie caught a glimpse of the wheelchair she'd need and looked down at her limp arm, it was as if the reality of her condition hit her all at once. She suddenly began wailing, breaking into uncontrollable, unrelenting sobs. That and Stephanie's prostestations complemented Flannery's ability to seemingly drain her body of most of its energy. Flannery sustained that level of performance in the following episode, creating two shows (that's all it takes for that Emmy!) that allowed viewers to see a master in top form.