SueB

Breaking this up into topics - Jump to the bold header or skim for the TL;DR Ben's Mental State: - It's Bipolar I (most severe). In his manic state he has hallucinations and develop Byzantine schemes to accomplish goals. In Ben's case, the Neck-Tie Killer to eliminate his romantic rival (Chad) - Jordan as his vision fits IMO. She was not only his sister but another abused child of Clyde's who slipped back into her condition and tried to kill people again. Wedding dress is what Ben wanted for Jordan (happily ever after) - what she got was murdered. - It's NOT CURABLE. It's controllable with meds and therapy. Ben clinging to Ciara, his overreaction to threats, etc... all actually kind of fit with a person who is NOT an 'average Joe'. They should make a bigger point of not curable. Ciara: - It's her wedding day. Girl had to drop Claire for her own sanity. - WHY WHY WHY does the dress have the 'waif long-sleeve-over-the thumb' look. - She was at the hospital for fluids. - She WAS probably poisoned but it wasn't Claire. --to be continued..

I so pissed at Marlena. I want her to get caked (like Nicole).

Wilson leaves on the 18th. I don’t know about Gabi.

For those keeping score... with the Olympics canceled and the Days 'days' being faster... I think the weddings are closer together than intended -- like there was to be one per week or something. Which brings up a point -- will characters leave a few weeks earlier? And what's the tally at this point? Here's my GUESSES - Please confirm/refute/correct based on post Time Jump characters Currently "out" - Kristen - In and out due to attempted murder charge - next appearance TBD - Brady - I didn't even know he was leaving for a bit - next appearance TBD - JJ - out unless they bring him back in the distant future - Abigail - half-out - back soon with an actor change - Vivian - oh please, so not dead... out for a bit to escape jail - Stefano - out but there is some "Plan B" lurking with Chad's brain I think - maybe the Phoenix ring is a horocrux? Just passing through: - Sami - she'll blow out after four weeks is my guess - Lucas - he'll blow out after a total of 8 weeks - Eve - revenge tour - Shawn/Belle to interact for 18 hrs with their child - Chloe - maybe she'll take Lucas with her? - Eduardo - backup vocals on the Eve revenge tour - Bonnie - stopping for the booktour and to cause a dust-up "18 Sep" -- or will it be 8 Sep? - Rafe - Seems long term - I think he goes to be with David - Wilson - Seems long term - Baby drama related is my guess - Gabi - also seems long term -- leaving Jake behind to canoodle with WHO? November-ish - Hope not returning after the COVID break Likely staying to drive the story (in no particular order): Jarlena* Chabi Ericole Elani Stayla Jen/Jack Xarah Maggie/Victor* Julie/Doug* CIN (recast? Ciara? or just Ben in morning) Claire - recast after the wedding? Kate Roman* Abe* Justin Rolfe - he's got to stay around to mad scientist mwhahahah over Chad story Gwen Jake Allie -- could be here just to drop the baby and then roll out Phillip - could be a Brady replacement although I heard NOTHING about Eric M. leaving * COVID-19 may cause them to limit filming (could affect everyone but the high-risk actors may only do small scenes together and not be in large groups) Based on this: 1) I think EVERYONE survives the wedding - someone will be injured but the timing doesn't work for anyone to be dead 2) Kayla has to be back from her not-honeymoon because she has to be in the hospital to treat people 3) We need a nurse. Someone get on that. 4) As speculated the Chad-possessed (or whatever) story is the big driver coming soon, I think. For the Fall. 5) Phillip taking over Titan because Victor is a feckless ass seems probable 6) Eli for commissioner! 7) ELani baby drama will happen but this time she gets to keep her baby 8 ) I don't know WHO sleeps with WHO in the Gabi/Jack/Gwen/Chad ... thing. But someone is having scandle-sex. If they are going to include Gabi in this 4-some, they need to do this in August.

Yes indeed. She went from 20+ weeks to early labor in about 1 month. Sigh. There's a timewarp in Salem that slows and speeds individual plotlines. It's obviously Eve. And I appreciate her desire for revenge. OTOH, I hope no one gets hurt. I get her rationale -- 'you are supporting Ben-the-serial-killer' but this is not the answer. I totally agree that Jake and Gwen should not be in the mansion.

I'm completely TEAM CLAIRE. I want a sincere apology for Ben when they figure out it's not her (no WAY is it Claire messing with the wedding). I loved her "girls night out outfit". I used to loathe Claire. It's amazing how they manage to shift things around. Please note: just like I suspend 'reality' when it comes to artificial gravity in movie spaceships, I have to suspend reality ALOT when it comes to most Salem stories -- it's part of the soap opera genre -- so yes, I can actually like a character that under normal circumstances I can't imagine liking. I'm glad Eric got the cake topper -- that helped. Yikes on the budget showing again -- a full repeat of the day before for the first 7 mins of the show. Rafe had the patience of Job with Sami. I'd pay real money to see ONE character stop a Sami tirade cold in her tracks. The scene are all: 1) Sami blusters in spouting half-truths and terrible accusations 2) Accused individual barely speaks while Sami bowls them over 3) When Sami FINALLY pauses, accused individual explains truth and Sami weakly apologizes with little real regret With one exception: - Sami DID listen to Ben and then called bullshit anyway. I'll give her that as Ben literally MURDERED Will. OTOH, she cannot complain no one tells her anything because she literally doesn't listen until AFTER she's blown up at them. I just don't like them tolerating Sami's tirades and treating her like 'crazy Uncle Fred'. It both enables her behavior and undermines her in one move. BTW -- I think Allie is EVERYWHERE because they paid for the actress, they want to squeeze as many scenes out of her they can because she's probably relatively inexpensive, and they want everyone to have a stake in her well-being. ITA with those who say that the father is going to be a big deal eventually. Even if it's not in the plans now, it's an open thread to pull later. I liked Jake going to Ben for comfort. Ciara went from 'going to Mom's house' the night before to proudly stating she had a "Bachelorette Party" in about 20 mins (with Claire and a reluctant Allie). It's like EACH wedding is designated two people to participate beyond the bride and groom.

I wonder if VK pressed her luck in negotiations -- with KA leaving, they could have talking up "supercouple" CIN and VK went for more money. Then walked when they didn't ante up. Just random speculation because the effort they are putting into CIN is completely at odds with her leaving. I'd recast if I were them. Nothing against VK - I get she's one half of a massively popular pairing - but they've put so much into that storyline, not continuing on makes no sense IMO. Yes, some fans will walk in protest, but that's going to happen, regardless. "Greening" of the workforce (let go older/more expensive people) and hiring younger/less expensive is a common approach in many businesses. Shitty, but common. So maybe they were restructuring the cast budget and couldn't make everything work. Now they're out a shit-ton of actors, and many of them in a confrontational way. Not good. Personally, I think there are very few soap actors who go on to better gigs. Some definitely do (see my avatar). And Jen Lily is living the life as a Hallmark (or is it Lifetime) movie heroine. Less work, probably more money. So, I think if you choose to walk away from a soap, you should be prepared for the risk of not 'making it'. For KA, it's simple, she can do local theater if she wants to act. Or maybe guest spots on TV shows. But she likely doesn't HAVE to act. Not true for many others.

I really don’t like how Sami is treated like a caricature rather than a character. I think they were going for the comedy but just felt contrived. Saying that... Sami sucked today. I don’t give a shit about who did what to whom 5 years ago. People grow and change (or they should when they do horrible things). Sami shows up and literally everyone goes racing from the room to avoid her. EVERYTHING is about Sami. She was so self centered. Not invited to the wedding? Barge in and stop the reception with your drama. Find out your daughter is pregnant, make the issue about how no one told her. Pissed at reality, throw your enemy into her wedding cake. Childish, narcissistic, drama queen. I did like Eric setting her straight. I have ZERO respect for Marlena. Sami is her mess. Marlena should have shooed Sami out of the pub and asked Allie to join them as soon as possible. Will was supposed to be funny but he also was OTT with not wanting Sami around. See, what gets me is that they treat it like a joke but if Sami is really like this 24/7, she needs medication/therapy and CONSEQUENCES so that she stops imposing her will on everyone. The whole thing just put me off. I did like the Gabi/Jake dynamic. And Vivian brings the funny. Im glad Nicole &’Eric are married.

Well I just went down a rabbit hole of old Eric and Nicole videos. For those who don't see it - your loss. To me, these two are a OTP.

The Wedding: ITA, the pub (with red gingham curtains), the plain dress, the random extras were serious detractors to the wedding. Shockingly, the flowers looked good -- what's up with that? OTOH, the vows and the flashback were great. Maybe they blew the budget on getting a darker-haired stand-in super-imposed over Jensen Ackles? I think they were going with "Irish working-class family" vibe but the random extras really hurt that theme. Adrienne Zucker, IMO, really knocked it out of the park with her scenes with Marlena and her vows. I very much appreciate her request of support from Marlena. Marlena lacked warmth in her expression of support but I'll take that over alternatives. She was also great with Allie. Greg Vaughan reading Caroline's letter brought waterworks from me. Hurricane Sami, thankfully, waited for the them to ACTUALLY be married before dumping water all over the proceedings. Sami is "meh" to me. Sometimes she's worth the price of the random violence. Sometimes she just sucks the air out of the room. Like crashing the wedding. In other stories: Do they place Claire in front of blue backgrounds to make her eyes pop? Because they are legit BLUE. Shockingly I'm 100% Team Claire these days. 2020 is living up to the curse 'may you live in interesting times'.0 Hilarious: The Kate & Vivian show. The excuse is thin but its fun to watch. I do NOT like Chad's mystery arc. Although I swear Billy Flynn broke character when he started laughing -- that was funny. Jake, I wouldn't volunteer for Stefan's memories either. Kudos to Bryan Datillo (Lucas) for throwing himself into the comedy. Ben and Ciara ARE being punk'd but it's not Claire. Ben is losing sympathy points big time. Wedding Guests in Salem:

Kayla - a slap in the face is insufficient. Knee Steve in the balls too. WHAT. AN. ASS. Making decisions for her. I did like her bringing out all these points in the airport Justin - you are SUCH A GOOD MAN. Wally was excellent. Allie - I'm PERSONALLY ready to call Sami -- does anyone have her phone number??? Seriously, she's going to find out. Your outfit makes you look 16 BTW. Marlena - Sami/Allie's relationship is a mess. Why don't you put your big psychiatrist brain into action and figure out a solution. And add me to the list of people who NEVER want to hear about that stupid key to the city thing again. Kate deserves so much better. I miss Roman. Shockingly, I miss Roman.

This one with the OTT headdress?

It's about DAMN TIME. Glad this wedding results in a marriage.

JJ Deveraux? Why? What am I forgetting.

First I thought "masseuse" but a legit one brings a table. However, that would undermine the 'miscommunication' plot they are after. BTW, GOOD on Victor for standing up to Sarah on this one. He was talking from the heart and talking common sense. She needed that. I like Jack. I really do. And I used to hate him. Oh Justin. You are a good man. You don't deserve this. But DO NOT make decisions for Kayla. Kayla makes her own decisions. Do it in private. Kayla - did you PICK a time no one could make or are your friends just thoughtless and didn't rearrange their calendar. Seriously, the stupid 'key to the city' thing was on the calendar before you got engaged. WHY ARE THESE WEDDINGS SO PFFFFFT? I get Lani/Eli being low-key. Their only mistake was having it in Julie's place. They seriously needed a SECRET LOCATION. I get Kayla/Justin being relatively low key -- but Marlena/John/Hope? Nope. They should have been considered. And this is a relatively normal wedding (Salem rating scale) between a divorced woman and a widowed man. Will's 10-min ordination seems unworthy. I imagine Eric/Nicole to also be relatively small -- too much trauma and backstory. And she's divorced, like 3 or 4 times. But you basic 'Brady family' is a large group. I know CIN's the big deal but that also should be relatively low-key (no newspaper announcements) as the groom was a serial killer. It does seem like Ciara saved on stamps by handing out announcements .... but you should be kinda quiet about Ben's 'happily ever after' given there are dead people in his wake. Be respectful please. Someone give Sonny a job. Or state that he's building his wealth via active engagement in the stock market and small investments. Something that requires research and makes him feel like he's a business man. Seriously, ONE throw away line to explain 3 years of suit wearing.

Jake has some pretty good one liners. I wasn’t comfortable, however, with the way he spoke to Gwen. She’s scrappy so I think it’s meant to be 100% consensual, but it felt a little off. And he’s definitely using her IMO. Gabi & Vivian — there’s a comedy pairing I could enjoy.

Gwen is hella sketchy ... she seems like a mischief maker itching make trouble. I did appreciate that Claire had a friend who would come to her aid. She was always treated as "most likely to be guilty". That it was true is besides the point, I like someone legitimately vouching for her. That said... Is Gwen sleeping in the same queen bed as Claire? Because where else is she staying? Once again Grandma and Grandpa are asleep at the switch. This is supposed to be a TRANSITIONAL period for Claire. Not just room and board. Marlena needs to know about the accusations and talk to Claire. How is she handling being accused so quickly? I'm calling it now -- if Claire slips, this is on Marlena for not paying attention. Huh... never knew I'd have a soft spot for Crazy Cakes ... but I do.

Catching up... skip to what interests you... topics in bold... Sarah/Xander: My heart broke for Sarah after she sent Xander away. I'm rooting for those two but Xander needs to BACK OFF and support from a distance. Move out Xander and then move back in when Sarah is ready. Allie TeenWaif: I like Eric/Nicole helping. Love seeing Lucas. NO ONE should adopt without the father being named, hunted down, and parental rights terminated. But Allie thinking Sami isn't going to find out is LUDICROUS. Allie's not wrong that Sami will make it all about Sami, but she HAS to be told. Because the ENTIRE TOWN OF SALEM KNOWS. If Allie went to some far distant place on a 'work/study' master's program, had the baby, gave it up for adoption, and then came back -- THEN that could be a secret. But no way no how at this point. And yes, Allie - Grow UP. Your rich entitled but needs to deal with consequences. Get a job. Pregnancy is not a disability. Go see Grandpa Roman -- oh wait... he'll call Sami. Sonny/Will: Back away from the Allie baby drama -- it can only end in tears. Ciara/Ben/CrazyCakes: I love me some Crazy Claire. And Ciara having 'girl time' was great. Ben's not wrong but he's should keep his threats to himself. Ciara's fashion disasters freak me the hell out. I'm thinking she's going to show up dressed in a white ACE bandage for her gown. I'm actually ROUTING for Claire to be sane this go-round. Gabriella Josephina Hernandez DiMera: You just had that in you wardrobe? I liked her and Rafe. Lani/Eli: Well thank goodness they are MARRIED. About damn time. I'd like to see their story have more cop topics where they are competent. I liked the Gabi rescue moment. Julie: Is cursed and should not be allowed AT weddings let alone hosting weddings or conducting weddings. Brady/Kristen: Run away... be free and happy for at least a few years. Jake: If we had doubts, they are gone. Vivian showed up. This means you are her son. WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!

I'm so far behind on comments. I'm going to offer up a few thoughts now and try to recover later this weekend. - Allie is flighty as her Mom. I like her relationship with Nicole. Nicole has Sami's number and she's not wrong on her advice to Allie. She's prevented Allie from going off the rails multiple times. But Allie need to grow the f*ck up. Your a college graduate with no job and pregnant. You get to call the shots so long as you aren't living on your parents stipend. If you are, they get a vote on where you live. So... GET A JOB. Get a waitress job, but get a freakin job. I hear Roman is hiring. That would do you some good. - Gabirella Josephina Hernandez Dimera. I love your spirit. Glad you survived. I don't want you going to jail for a crime you didn't commit. You should, OTOH, stop talking trash about everyone you hurt. Because you've done bad shit. - Claire is still crazy-eyed McGee. I was SO GLAD Marlena called her out. I suspect more is going on than Claire convinced Gwen. - Gwen/Jake is nope. I'm ready for the DNA results. - Chad was CREEPY on Friday. I'm worried. - I love Jack and Jennifer. They just come to life around each other. - GOOD MOVE XANDER. Even better move to leave Sarah alone at the grave. And he's reading Crime and Punishment. I'm proud of my little redemption-arc former doofus. - It was funny that Brady - sex addict Brady - couldn't perform for Sarah. - Sarah, you are allowed to be a mess. But Brady is not the solution. Go spend time with Mom. - I actually liked Hope today (Friday). Will wonders never cease. - I NEED A SCISSORS. One more 'waif' shirt (those long sleeves that go over Ciara's palms' is going to do me in. I just want to cut them to proper length. That is so unsanitary.

- So Zoey had a boy. I think puts the nail in the coffin on any more Mother’s Day baby swaps. - Chad: I think Chad SHOULD go with Abigail. Not to make sure she goes but to make sure the place is safe and she feels comfortable. I get Abigail not wanting him to see her this way but that’s marriage (in sickness and in health). She needs someone watching her back. After he last experience they both need the conditions to be clear — that Sh can leave if she wants. That she can refuse meds if she wants. That she can make daily phone calls. On the other hand, something fishy IS going on so everyone is a suspect in my mind. - Orpheus. Please let this be over soon.

He must have an accomplice.

So VERY true. It’s just... approaching George Hamilton orange. Thanks for the quote tip @Petunia13 ! I was glad Victor put up some resistance to firing Xander. And I think the old man has an actual soft heart for him now. The other day there was a moment when Victor touched his hand. I was pleased to see that. So... I’m hoping that he ‘fires’ Xander and yet keeps him either on the payroll or maintains a relationship with Xander. Is it possible that Victor senses Brady’s revenge is more important to Brady than taking care of Titan? Or is he blind to Brady suddenly having a ‘price’. This is the man who moved out with Theresa, the man who kept Kristin at the mansion. Except for the heinous start to his relationship with Eve, I think Brady has proven he’s happy to live without Titan. I’m a little surprised if Victor has bought into Brady’s forgiveness being buy-able. My poor Xander. He was hoping to see Mickey. 😞 He misses her. My favorite bit was when he was trying to tell Sarah that sleeping with Brady was not a healthy choice. It’s comments like that which make me convinced he’s not going to slide back to EVOL mode. I think Ciara DOES represent the ‘Instagram’ culture. Where everything is photo-worthy. A ‘yay me!!’ Attitude. I think this is something the writers are catering too. Kayla ... you have sunk the SS Jayla ship for good. She’s been trying so hard to convince herself but it’s not going to work. Gabi, Gabi, Gabi. Get a lawyer, he’ll get you out of these charges. The real question is WHO is actually drugging Abigail. I think Chad is a suspect. They need Abigail away for whatever thing Stefano set in motion to work. That’s why she was drugged IMO. Finally, Sarah is still slightly unbalanced with the whole revenge plot. This will not end well for her.

Random Thought: Has anyone checked to see if Salem is built on a cursed burial ground? Just checking.

- Good job bringing Eric around Nicole. Now go find Brady. - Sarah + drinking = BAD DECISIONS - Go Xander! I’m totally buying Xander's transformation. His FIRST thought when he heard from Rafe was to think of Maggie. He went to the Police Station to bail out Sarah. And now he’s going to save Maggie. This is a redemption arc I like. Please don’t backslide. - Sarah was awfully quick to move on from horror at Kristin on the run to revenge. That should have been a longer talk. Brady didn’t say enough IMO to sell that story.

Argggg... as I was just speculating ... Xander gets screwed over by Victor. I need Maggie to give him some love and encourage him to keep trying. Do BETTER. But keep trying. Victor is a shit. NO. MORE. BABY. MAMA. DRAMA. At least give us 4 months without it.