4evaQuez

From your keyboard to a showrunner's ears.

Last week. The show gave him a goodbye scene with Lucas and Kate.

I honestly thought this was the meanest part of the show. It was just so unnecessarily cruel. For a show that wants to be more inclusive and "woke" for a hot pop cultural term. Why are they needlessly attacking a man for simply doing his job? The entire joke seems to be that this man is unattractive. There seems to be some implication that being attractive is a premium. I say this since the show gives us no explanation for why the "attractive" guy is not covered by insurance but the "unattractive" one is. The only distinction we have is that one is "attractive" and the other isn't. The "attractive" one didn't even seem to particularly like Carrie very much. It just seemed mean and unaware of how mean it was. I'm confused as to what this C story is. It isn't even getting enough development to be B story. I guess my issue with this story is that somehow Charlotte is a sideline character in it, and it is developing mostly offscreen. We don't get to see a scene with Rose/Rock telling Charlotte/Harry about their name change. Lilly seems to know by her non reaction. The school obviously knows. The parents know. Yet Charlotte/Harry are the last to know. Based on the setup, they have every reason to be upset. Not by the name change/gender questioning, but that Rock has seemingly been lying to them. Rock has seemingly been going by her pronouns and Rose in the home without telling them of their decision. The school seems to believe the parents are unaccepting, which makes me question what Rock has told them. This is even more odd as Charlotte has already shown she'll be accepting of any decisions Rock would make. Harry is being presented as just outdated and out-of-the-know, but that seems pretty standard for how men are being portrayed on this show in general, when they are portrayed at all. Harry isn't shown as being unaccepting. There seems to be no danger that Rock will be faced with any discrimination from anyone. Rock isn't in any threat of losing their inheritance. There just doesn't really seem to be a story there; hence, why it feels like a nonstory. There are no stakes for anyone involved. I feel the same way, but I still intensely dislike the Che character. I understand that Miranda's orgasm reaction was supposed to convey that this is the first time Miranda has had such an intense and "orgasmic" an experience. It was still extremely uncomfortable to watch. I don't think the actors work well together. I also hate that it seems the show isn't going to explore how this is a self destructive decision and hurtful to Steve. It seems the show is going to portray this as an enlightening and even a move of salvation. Two things can be true at once. Miranda could be extremely unhappy in her marriage, and it could be best for her to leave it. However, Steve could also still be a mostly good husband who is committed to his marriage. He can still get a point-of-view even if ultimately it's best for them to separate. I just don't see what Steve has done to "deserve" to get cheated on, and it's obvious that the only POV we'll get is Miranda's POV. I don't particularly care for her POV in this particular story.

It was just nice seeing Jennifer in scenes again. Seeing Jennifer and Maggie in the Horton house just made me feel like I was watching classic Days even if it surrounded four characters I don't particularly cared about, i.e. Abby/Sarah/Gwen/Xander. KM's Abby would have forbade Jack from even acknowledging Gwen's existence, and then she would have slapped him for even asking the question. I was taken aback when Abby said Lucas was her uncle. I never forget that Jenn/Lucas are siblings since that was such a big story. I never forget Abby/Will are first cousins since they used to be really good friends. I never forget Lucas/JJ are uncle/nephew since they used to share scenes and Lucas was somewhat a father figure for JJ until Dan replaced him. Lucas/Abby was somehow a, "Oh yeah! They are related moment," for me. I suspect 2042 will be the next time they acknowledge they're related to each other. The Sami/Nicole rivalry just is not working for me this time around. I liked Sami so much more in Lucas' nightmare than the entirety of her return this time. I feel the show has always been inconsistent with the Eric is Holly's father narrative line. Not from Eric, per se, but his family. Why don't we ever see scenes of Marlena/Roman/John with Holly or acknowledging her. Do Sami and Belle even know Holly exist? We don't even get throwaway dialogue that Holly is being taken care of by an Evan/Brady when Holly isn't onscreen. Brady is in a middle ground because any relationship with Holly he has is just as connected to his relationship with Nicole as to his relationship with Eric. Also, if I remember correctly, Brady sided with Chloe against Eric in the Holly custody case. Eric seems to see Holly as his daughter, but Nicole seems to be the only person who agrees with him. Even that's debatable considering who she left custody to in the case of her untimely death. We also never got dialogue that Eric officially adopted Holly. AZ is such a good actress, and it's sad the show wastes her talents. I'm not even an Ericole fan, but I truly felt Nicole's emotions in those scenes. Putting her with Rafe will only anchor her to more dead weight regarding her performances.

Eric to Brady, "Thank you for coming. I was starting to fall." Are we to interpret this line as Eric was thinking of having sex with the illusion of the woman who videotaped raping him, in the body of his mother, who is possessed by the Devil? Salem is probably safer with that man not being in charge of their eternal souls.

Is it sad that I actually remember all of those? CW seems so lazy in comparison. I did love how they called Charmed one of WB's biggest shows.

@Primal Slayer Thank you for those magazine covers. There's just something about the early 2000s aesthetic that makes me smile. Now I wanna know who had TVs best butts in 2001.

Postbangs Phoebe: Relationships: Piper and Paige: This is when we start to see a major evolution of the Piper/Paige dynamic. My unpopular opinion is that Piper/Paige is one of my favorite, if not my favorite, sister pairing. With Phoebe becoming more distant in the second half of the season, Piper/Paige naturally become closer. Something I never realized is how much more protective Piper becomes of Paige in the second half. In Saving Private Leo, when Piper hears Paige in distress from talking to the ghost, Piper runs in the room and physically places Paige behind her in a protective manner. In We're Off to See the Wizard, Piper places her arm in front off Paige when Julie, or whatever the assistant's name is, shimmers into the room. It is very reminiscent of when a parent slams on the break and instinctively places their arm in front of their child. In Long Live the Queen, Leo orbs Piper to the alley. However, once the demon arrives, Piper moves closer to Paige and positions herself in front of Paige. I'm not certain if all of these things were intentional, but it does show this acceptance of Paige that was absent in the first half of the season. Piper, at times, was downright cruel to Paige, so it was nice to see this silent acceptance and even protective love of Paige from Piper. Lastly, in Bite Me, Piper somewhat reluctantly talks to Paige about her fertility issues. In Womb Raider, Piper chooses to confide in Paige. While Piper can still be somewhat mean to Paige in the second half of the season, the conclusion of The Fifth Halliwell for example. I don't think there's anything as mean as Piper needlessly yelling at Paige like in Charmed and Dangerous. (Yes, I know Leo was shot with the poisoned arrow, but I always hate seeing Piper yell at Paige like Paige shot Leo herself.) Phoebe and Cole: If this were a different show, I think Phoebe/Cole would have been an allegory for an abusive relationship. I know that's not what the show is attempting to do. However, Cole is separating Phoebe from her only family and support system, she has to ask him for permission to invite her sisters to their home, she starts off financially dependent on him, she is constantly apologizing for having very reasonable concerns, he's manipulative in order to get what he wants, he planting seeds of doubt in her mind in Marry-Go-Round to distort her sense of reality. He even uses their unborn child and these guilty tactics to garner her allegiance. Again, I realize I am reading into things in a way the show does not want me to, but if Charmed were a different/more serious show, it could easily make a few adjustments to really explore the allegory. It's also interesting watching Lost and Bound with Grams cursing the ring. Cole tells Phoebe she could never lose herself in a marriage, yet that's exactly what happens. Phoebe chooses Cole at every possible turn. To be fair, this starts in Season 3. Something I never noticed before, and I think the show would have explored more with the Season 1 and Season 2 writers is that ultimately, it is Phoebe's premonitions that save Phoebe from her evil. Phoebe mentions several times that she can't ignore a premonition. She taunting the demons with death before her premonition. It is her premonition that really makes her question the Seer, her decisions, etc. I wonder if Constance had more control, would Phoebe's premonition would have been her killing an innocent for Cole and the underworld. Especially since in Womb Raider, The Seer mentions a human sacrifice for the coronation. When Paige asks Phoebe did she know about this part of the coronation, the show cuts away before Phoebe can give an answer. Since Phoebe was at the Coronation, wouldn't she have known about this requirement, and apparently, she was okay with it. All the ingredients are there. Morality Bites shows Phoebe killing with an offensive power. Phoebe's evil past life is mentioned in Pardon My Past, and she chose to be evil for a warlock there, too. Leo specifically mentions in that episode that offensive powers are taken away from you in future lives if they are misused. Seasons 1 and 2 also featured episodes specifically about how premonitions are the most coveted power. I wonder if her premonition ability was originally supposed to play a larger role in saving Phoebe. Once again giving her ability a showcase episode while saving her from damnation. As is, it feels like a plot point that the show intends to be more significant. This is basically were Phoebe's character never really returns to her former glory. Not because of her decision to be evil, but no one is really upset with her. Granted, this is in character for Leo and Piper who were never really that upset about the Cole lie in Season 3. Without Prue, there's no one to really take Phoebe to task, and Paige is too new in the group to be able to call Phoebe on her crap. Piper has already shown were her loyalties lie in that regard. This is also when we see people just randomly telling Phoebe how beautiful and great she is. In The Fifth Halliwell, we see a man just randomly stop everything he's doing to hit on Phoebe. While this wouldn't be so bad or noticeable usually, it is noticeable because it seems very Season 1 of Charmed. In Witch Way Now, Phoebe's assistant tells Phoebe how remarkable she is for simply doing her job. Since this "Phoebe is the best" narrative is going to continue, I can't help but to notice it and hate it now. Speaking of Witch Way Now, I've always been confused by this episode. Mainly, I believe the angel when he says they will have a very normal life. However, I don't understand why Piper and Phoebe are so gung-ho. We've seen people who live normal lives be killed by demons, cursed by witches, trapped in hell dimensions, etc. Even Prue ended up in that ice cream truck as just a normal girl. Being normal does not make you immune to evil magical forces. I always wished Paige would have brought that up in an argument. Some random thoughts: 1. I wish the show had done more with the sisters saving innocents in very mortal situations. I always liked how in A Paige from the Past how we see Piper and Cole saving a woman from a car wreck. I liked Trial by Magic for the same reason. Phoebe even outright says that it feels good to help someone and get credit for it in a non supernatural setting. In Brain Drain, we see Piper trying to stop a purse snatcher. Granted, it's in her mind, but I do like the implication that Piper would do the same thing in the real world. There was just something nice about the Charmed ones helping people in ways that wasn't always saving them from demonic forces. It's also why I like the witchhunter serial killer in the season finale. 2.I liked Rose McGowan as Paige. However, I do sometimes wonder what a Jennifer Love Hewitt Paige would have been like. I imagine her being more saccharine, less silently strong, and more willing to emotionally connect with others. Think Hewitt's Ghost Whisperer character if you've ever seen that show. However, I also imagine her Paige and Phoebe having a lot more difficulty getting along. I imagine her playing Paige as much less reserved and navigating a tense emotional situation with Paige/Cole/Phoebe and more morally sure, upright, and combative. Part of this is JLH's acting style, and part of this is my theory that JLH and AM would have a lot more behind the scenes battles for control. JLH was a name during this time period and could have commanded more pay and creative control in a way that I imagine AM would not approve of. 3. Seasons 1-4 seem like the conclusion of Charmed as originally envisioned. Up until this point, everything seems to flow together naturally. While not perfect, it at least feels like the same show. I'm pretty sure Season 5 is not only when we get a huge tonal change, but it's also when Charmed is moved from Thursdays to Sundays. This seems to be when the show doubles down on it being a "family show" to quote a Season 7 line from Piper in the Godiva episode. Season 5 seems solitary as no other season feels like Season 5. Then we get into Seasons 6-8 which all seem to flow into each other, for better or for worse. 4. This could have gone under relationships, but I decided to put it here. I never really got the Piper/Phoebe dynamic. Hence, why I did not put it up earlier. I think the show does a better job of defining their relationship this season. Phoebe is less rebellious as she has no one to rebel against. Piper plays more a big sister role and gives actual advice to Phoebe. The two have great chemistry. However, I'm still just not certain how I should define it. Maybe it needs no definition, but I also think it's probably why it's easily my least favorite along with Phoebe/Paige. I'm just not certain what role Phoebe plays in this newly crafted Charmed ones. Maybe the rest of my rewatch will help me answer that question.

Season 4. I of course need to address Rose McGowan. I remember when it was first announced that Rose McGowan would be the third Charmed one once Shannen Doherty left the show. I was not a Rose McGowan fan. I was too young to watch Scream and Jawbreaker, so I knew RG from her red carpet appearances with Marilyn Manson. I could not envision her on a show like Charmed or working with HMC or AM. I thought the chemistry and magic of the show would be destroyed and Charmed would soon end. Jennifer Love Hewitt was my favorite of the rumored actresses. Tiffani Amber Thiessen was also rumored. I kinda loved the idea of TAT making a career of replacing SD after SD is fired from a project. Soleil Moon Frye was also rumored. I only knew of her from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She was my second least favorite choice. However, I also remember the summer before Charmed premiered for Season 4 and before the Season 4 promo phots was released. The new Charmed ones were promoting AOL - does anyone remember that. LOL. The three were with the then president of the company. The three are laughing, and he's running from the three. It was given some hokey witch pun as a way of promoting the show and AOL. I really tried to find that photo, but I could not. There was also an E! True Hollywood Special that summer about the new Charmed ones. I distinctly remember HMC talking about how excited she is to get to re-envision, and most shows don't get the chance to re-envision themselves in Season 4 like they are. There was a lot of behind the scenes footage with Rose. Finally, by the time the official promo photos came out, I thought RG may actually be a great replacement. For all of Charmed's faults, I do think they did as good a job as possible of transitioning RG into the show. While I was still hesitant, I was also somewhat optimistic. Lastly, I remember an article in TV Guide - again, does anyone remember when that was a magazine? It announced that RG, HMC, and AM signed a 3-year contract for Charmed on top of their plans for Season 4. Charmed's future seemed secure enough for me to comeback hopeful. Acting: About the show, this may be an extreme unpopular opinion, but I actually think Season 4 has the best acting of the series. HMC is obviously given a lot of material as she grieves Prue. Hell Hath No Fury is easily my favorite. Brain Drain is another that asks HMC to balance high emotional drama with almost wacky comedy, and she does so expertly. RG has a timid and silent strength as Paige this year. She also balances hope at the thought of having sisters with trepidation as to how she fits into their life. Finally A Paige from the Past shows that she can carry her own dramatic plots, but even A Knight to Remember shows RG making the Evil Enchantress feel completely different and even "lived in" for the 45 minute episode. AM of course gets Long Live the Queen which I think is by far her best dramatic work on the show. However, in the first half of the season, she really helps to carry the comedy and use her Who's the Boss training. Lost and Bound is a standout. Even Brian Krause, who I think is a really weak actor, delivers a pretty good performance in Charmed and Dangerous after he's shot with the black lighter arrow. Julian McMahon delivers what he always delivers. That's not an insult, but there's nothing that's particularly different from Season 3 or Season 5. Lastly, there's Debbie Morgan. Her Seer easily could have been campy and forgettable. However, she gives her enough gravitas to always make her feel threatening and like the smartest person in the room. Her smirks of self-satisfaction whenever a scheme comes together are adorable. Prebangs Phoebe: I think the show is kinda two seasons in one. There's Prebangs Phoebe and then Postbangs Phoebe. I'll discuss Prebangs Phoebe season first. Relationships: Piper, Phoebe, Paige: At first, the show is obviously trying to recreate the Prue/Piper/Phoebe dynamic with Piper/Phoebe/Paige. Phoebe and Leo discuss in Hell Hath No Fury about the difficulties Phoebe is having as a middle sister. The show quickly realizes this dynamic does not work. Prue had an intense authoritative communication style, and Phoebe had an innate defiant rebelliousness about her. Their clashes always seemed inevitable. The best Piper could do was mitigate and delay the damage. There is always a tension there that is balanced with love, history, and good intentions. That's obviously not there with Piper/Paige. Piper's style is snarkier, more passive-aggressive, more martyr like and she often holds a lot in until she explodes. However, there are also a lot more chances to reason with Piper before she gets to those final two stages. Paige also isn't outright defiant and is a lot more responsible than Phoebe. We know she graduated from Berkeley, is an assistant social worker, a recovering alcoholic, and lives alone in a reasonably tidy loft for an early/mid twenty something. There isn't the danger that Paige will run off or do something destructive to prove a point like Phoebe would do. Both Piper and Paige are reasonable when they listen to each other, but the difficulty is getting them to listen to each other. As a result, their tension doesn't seem as explosive as Prue and Phoebe's tension. It mostly feels like people who haven't learned each other's communication style, but who do ultimately want the same thing. The show eventually allows Leo to play the "middle sibling" for Piper/Paige, which works beautifully. While Leo is Piper's husband, he does do a good job of simply playing the whitelighter role when he needs to buffer between the two. He does a good job of pointing out to both how they are not listening to each other and the unique perspectives both bring to the discussion. He also knows how to remove himself from a discussion to give them the tools to better communicate with each other. Size Matters is a perfect example of this. This also gives Leo an actual purpose on the show. For the first time, he actually feels like a member of the family and not an unwelcome visitor who you have to be polite to until he leaves. Piper and Leo: Without having to whine about the Elders, the two actually are given some cute scenes. One of my favorites is at the end of Muse to My Ears when the two are making dinner together and are feeding each other grapes. There's the love scene in We're Off to See the Wizard, there's another scene where Piper is playfully chasing Leo in P3, but I can't remember what episode it is. We actually see them discussing their different parenting ideas in Lost and Bound. Granted this makes absolutely no sense with Piper and Leo's characterizations, and the show makes a huge continuity error with why Grams bound their powers. That being said, we see them discussing their future goals and hopes. Saving Private Leo gives us an indication that the two actually discuss Leo's life, and Leo is actually angry with Piper for making a decision without including him - this becomes a bigger issue in the next season. In general, the two actually seem to talk to each other and like each other. Without all the "will they; won't they" drama, the two can actually be cute and fun. Paige and Leo: I actually really love their dynamic this season, and I find it sad that it was dropped in future seasons. Paige comes to Leo for advice and actually respects his opinion. It makes sense that Leo would be the person she would connect with the most because he obviously is not comparing her to Prue in any capacity. He also is her thought partner when she is concerned about the intentions of Piper and Phoebe. A Knight to Remember being a great example. However, Leo also goes to Paige in a way I don't think we've ever seen him go to Prue/Piper/Phoebe. In There's Something about Leo, it's Paige who he confides in regarding the two ghosts he believes he let die and the pain of losing a charge. In Long Live the Queen he confides in Paige regarding his fears about Piper losing herself in grief. I actually think the two have a better brother/sister dynamic this first year than we ever see with Leo/Phoebe or Leo/Prue. Phoebe: Phoebe is actually not a big factor in Prebangs Phoebe Season 4. She is basically the new Piper of seasons 1 and 2 with even less to do. Piper and to a lesser extent Paige are already the super witches. They are the ones mixing potions, writing spells, inciting the incident for the demon of the week, etc. Phoebe is mainly comedic levity. While in some episodes she does that well, in some episodes, she relies on her baby voice. Phoebe and Cole are basically repeating their Season 3 storyline. This time, Prue isn't around to help build drama. The Source is mostly not around. And Paige and Cole don't have an antagonistic relationship yet. Cole and Leo actually build more of a friendship or at least kinship with each other. And Phoebe is just kinda there. I have no idea if AM demanded more for herself, but the TV Guide article I mentioned earlier noted she was the highest paid actress on Charmed that season, and I'm sure either she and/or the show wanted her to earn that paycheck. I feel this is already too long. So I'll make another post for Postbangs Phoebe Season 4. P.S. I never understood the Leo/Paige discussion in Enter the Demon about Paige not being able to fight with her power. We outright see her stop a man's heart with her telekinetic orbing. How is that not an offensive power? P.P.S. A Knight to Remember has Piper drinking from a "God Bless America" coffee cup. This is obviously the first episode the show filmed after 9/11. See you for part 2.

While in general, I agree. I actually don't think it felt forced or shoehorned here. The show actually has invested in the Doug/Julie relationship with Ciara, both Abbys, and Jennifer. Jack and Doug/Julie have also been living together, and we have seen more Jack/Julie interactions in Jennifer's absence. Ciara/Ben had an awkward moment with Abby/Chad. I don't remember Jennifer interacting at all with Ciara/Ben but mostly her family and Doug/Julie. It seemed realistic enough to me.

With Jennifer Rose Horton there, the Horton ornament hanging felt complete. I also liked the pants. They felt very Jennifer.

Johnny/Gabi/Jake is such a strange triangle. Early 20s/ early 30s(?)/ Early 40s. Granted all of these are legal adults, but this isn't what I mean when I ask for multigenerational storytelling. Technically, Gabi should have a relationship with Johnny/Alli, but I have no interest in seeing it. I have no interests in a Steve/Kayla adventure. Adventure with this show's budget is seeing that hotel room people live in dressed up in slightly different ways. "There's a picture of Big Ben, so they're obviously in London." "There's a dollar store plastic rat in the corner, so this is obviously a third world prison." No thank you. With Philip gone, we're getting the return of Kate/Chad. The devil truly won. I'm excited to see Nancy returning. This would be a great time to bring on Joy for Johnny. I'm assuming whatever is going on between Nancy/Craig will be to explain why Parker is still in New York with Grandpa Craig. Marlena's next storyline is apologizing to people. Yeesh. I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I read nothing that is the least bit exciting or tantalizing. I wonder what happens to Jan.

There was also the Ava storyline that went absolutely nowhere and was obviously abandoned. And the Gabi/Jake "rivalry." The best thing about Philip's return was the Lucas/Philip relationship. Edited to add: The show was also seemingly setting up a Gabi/Jake vs Chloe/Philip. Gabi/Jake got dialogue in a couple of episodes saying they were going to use Chloe against Philip. Chloe/Gabi also started getting scenes and had a random "history" of antagonism. This also was abandoned. I wonder if something happened behind the scenes. Everything with Philp was seemingly abandoned and even this exit "story" seems out of left field.

I was thinking MarDevil should have turned into Belle, himself. How could Belle and Marlena's relationship ever heal if she walked in on Marlena and Shawn (I almost typed Ben) in bed together. To be honest, I'm not quite sure why MarDevil is targeting Shelle to begin with. Is this still Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? I'm shocked by how few Hortons are at Christmas. At the very least, I expect Eli and Lani to be there. EJAMI was cringe inducing, and I say this as someone who used to like them. Has Sami even had a good scheme these last few returns? I really dislike Sami in love. Along with weeping Sami, pleading Sami, and ugly cry face Sami. This is not what made the character so popular.

Sami should've slapped Johnny. I always find it funny when a child is demanding their parents treat them like an adult when they are currently acting like a moody, rebellious teenager. Also, Johnny said he isn't afraid of EJ cutting him off, then Johnny proceeds to go to his rent free room in EJ's house. PW's Chanel felt and was written like a golddigger. RB's Chanel is written more impulsive and lost in love. In a lot of ways, she feels like a mini Sami. I buy her Chanel just being lost in love and naivety. Unlike a lot of people here, I like Paulina. However, the director's really need to tell JH to tone Paulina down, or they need to tell other actors to ramp their characters up in Paulina's presence. Scenes usually revolve around Sami, but even AS/Sami was quite conservative in Paulina's presence. We got none of the usual Sami histrionics. Sami would bulldoze Johnny, Chanel, and Paulina, and instead we got a combination of weepy Sami with a pleading Sami. This is not the Sami I like. In general, I haven't liked Sami in her scenes with Allie or Johnny. The show is just not hitting the right sweet spot that they - inconsistently - hit with Sami/Will. My speculation is that Philip will remain missing/presumed dead until Broe's wedding day. He will miraculously return from the dead right before the "I do's." Or, he'll do some type of I Know What You Did Last Summer stalking and emotional harassment of Chloe leading up to the wedding to play on her guilt in her role in his "death." Then to only return from the dead and Chloe will then try to make a relationship work out of her guilt and trying to "make up" for failing Philip. I'm impatiently counting down the days until this possession story is over. If Mardevil is not physically attacking the characters I despise, it just is pointless.

If I remember correctly, wasn't she specifically talking about race regarding the Horton Town Square and the lack of people of color who own those businesses. That was a hot topic in the real world around that time, too. I assume that was Ron attempting to be topical. Regarding Julie, wasn't she specifically discussing with Julie about Julie's racial microaggressions including attempting to touch her hair. Also, people on this board had long had issues with Julie's racial innuendo and subtle digs directed at Gabi long before Paulina ever became a character. I don't remember Paulina mentioning Xander's race even before she discovered the scheme. She was concerned about the quickie marriage and whatever Abe told her regarding Xander's past.

You reminded me of one of my favorite lines this year. This isn't an exact quote, but Gabi said to Ava not too long ago. "Are you finally tired of making spaghetti, and you're heading back to your mob ways?" Again, not the exact quote, but it was something along those lines. I got a good and satisfying laugh.

Having and even loving your black (part white) family members in no way means that you aren't racist against black people who aren't your family. That being said, I don't think EJ or Sami would have an issue with race either. Sami almost married Brandon, and EJ was romantically linked with Arianna (Rafe's sister) for a while. I also would not want Ron to write such a story. Looking at his other "social issues" stories, and I'm quite certain it would be tone deaf, campy, offensive, and mostly boring and forgettable.

Shouldn't Eli be the one to save her. Abe is obviously in no physical shape to save someone. I don't know how old Darnell Williams is (Jesse/All My Children), but he could be wonderful as Lani's father. I actually wouldn't mind if he could usher in a new Days family. The Hernandez family is the last time I remember the show trying to integrate a new family into Days.

I forgot all about Anne. I used to love her character. Similar to DA Trask, they allowed Anne to speak for the audience, but they did try to give her more of a role in Salem life. I vaguely remember the show putting her with Lucas for a small amount of time. She and Theresa also had much better schemes and even some small victories. Didn't they get Jennifer fired from her job as Communications Director - or whatever her title was - for some time. You're write; she was originally Chloe's sidekick. This was when the show decided to make Chloe a villain for Dannifer. I hated that story so, so much. Chloe was quite cruel to Anne, and I never understood why the show would write Chloe so far out of character. I also never understood why Anne would take this abuse. Theresa and Anne were actual friends, and Anne was probably the best friend Theresa had while on the show, except for maybe JJ and the five minutes the show allowed Theresa and Eric to be friends. I concur about Lani and Kristen. You would think the writers would notice there's a friendship problem with Lani when she needs to go to a high security prison simply to have someone to confide in. I wonder why the show didn't try a Lani/Sarah friendship since neither had any. I concur again about Kate/Marlena. So, I'll try to make my Marlena/Kayla response as short and clear as possible. I have a lot of complaints about the Kayla character. I'll try to focus simply on the friendship portion. 1. Kayla is not my first choice for friend with anyone she's mostly friends with. Jennifer, Hope, Marlena, Bo. Kayla is third, at best, for who I would choose for her to have a friendship scene with. Adrienne was the only person I truly enjoyed her friendship scenes with, but Adrienne was a C tier character, at best, which meant not a lot of friendship scenes between the two. 2. I never understood who Kayla was as a character, so it's hard to comprehend how she connects with others. It's also hard to understand why anyone would confide in her. Jennifer, Hope, Marlena are all heroines. However, they each have a distinctive personality, motivations, and character flaws. I understand why someone would call each, and what that person is looking for. Kayla just seems like a generic heroine to me, and who you call when you can't reach the other three. After watching her for years on and off since 2006, I mostly understand that she's in love with Steve, she's a doctor, and she was raped by Jack. The show hasn't done much outside of that to explain Kayla's character to me. I understand Trask and even Rafe and Ava more than I understand Kayla. I may even put Jake on this list. 3. I simply don't think the Marlena/Kayla actresses work well together. I know they have a history that goes back to the 80s, but I don't feel that history. They speak like coworkers, even during intimate scenes, and not like women who used to be sister in laws and share family members. I thought Marlena/Laura and Marlena/Kim did much better jobs of showing doctors who are also friends. Marlena/Kayla just feel like doctors. 4. Which brings me to a question I've had for years regarding Kayla. Kim isn't around and Bo is deceased. I understand why the show ignores the Roman/Kayla dynamic, but I've always been confused why the show doesn't invest more in a Kayla/John friendship. Maybe they are concerned that it'll impact the John/Steve friendship. I'm not sure. I just think Kayla's strongest tie to the show at this point is being a doctor. She also quite rude bordering on hostile in her doctor role, so I find it even harder to believe that people would want to be friends with her. I guess there was a Kayla/Sarah friendship to be fair. I've mostly only liked Kayla in scenes when she was taking on a mentor role to Theresa. I also did like Kayla and Kate Mansi's Abby in scenes together. I did not like Kayla and Stephanie at all, but that's a rant for another thread. On the contrary, I would like to know if you like Marlena/Kayla scenes. I would love to look for something that I'm probably missing, so I can enjoy them more.

I honestly forgot about them, but yes they count. As for former friendships that don't get much airtime anymore, I was thinking of Jack/Sami and Jack/Nicole. Maggie/Marlena also used to be bestfriends although that's before my time.

While writing my post regarding today's episode, I mentioned that Philip has not had a male friend since high school. I started to think about the lack of male friendships on this show in general today. I then thought about the friendships on this show in general. I thought it could be interesting if we talked about platonic friendships on Days. What were some of your favorites of the past? What are your favorites of the present? What are some friendships you'll like to see in the future? For the future, since we are not under a union or need contract and pay negotiations, this could be from any era of Days with past or present cast. For example, maybe you want a Carly and Lani friendship. That's entirely possible in this thread. If you are creating a hypothetical friendship between characters, please explain why you think these two characters could be friends. Also, biological relationships between cousins and siblings are included under the friendship tag for this thread. For example, if Jen and Hope or Steve and Jack is your favorite friendship, I would say that applies for the purposes of this thread. However, John and Belle or any parent/child relationship does not apply. Since Days has characters who are related in multiple ways, I think it would be unnecessarily cumbersome to exclude biological relationships as friendships. However, I don't think marriage should count in this particular thread, so Belle/Shawn or Eli/Lani can't be a favorite friendship in this regard. Romantic pairings also don't count, so Allie/Tripp can't be a favorite friendship in this regard either. However, Nicole/Brady can be a favorite friendship since there seems to be no current plans to romantically link them at the moment. Of course the conversation can go anywhere, but I do have a specific question I wanted to ask to kick us off. What are some friendships, in general, on current Days and which ones do you like or would rather the show end? There don't seem to be a lot, but I thought maybe I'm missing some. For friendships, I'm only counting people who are currently on canvas. These are the ones I could think of: 1. Steve/John/Abe 2. Jack/Steve 3. Jack/Xander 4. Chloe/Nicole 5. Ava/Nicole 6. Nicole/Brady 7. Allie/Ciara 8.Kate/Marlena 9. Marlena/Paulina 10. Philip/Lucas 11. Marlena/Kayla - I don't like this friendship, but the show has invested in it enough that I can't ignore it. I know this isn't a definitive list, but I tried to go for friendships of equals. So a Marlena/Ben wouldn't count because Marlena was/is primarily his therapist even if a friendship sprung from that. I know Kate/Marlena started the same way, but they seem like equals in the friendship; whereas, Ben still seems to have a heroic view of Marlena. Kate lost that view quite a long time ago. Maggie/Brady didn't qualify because she is his sponsor and his step grandmother. However, this is just my criteria, and you can add these two if you like as they are still not in a romantic pairing nor are they parent/child. They can still qualify as a friendship if you so choose. There were some people who I found it difficult to say who their friends are. 1. Lani - There's Kristen and Theo but neither are on the current cast. 2. Eli - Theo. I kinda thought of Chanel, but I wasn't sure. 3. Chad - Will, Sonny, and Theo. I never realized Theo had so many friends until now. 4. Abby - Couldn't think of anyone. Will, JJ, and Sonny. 5. Gabi - Couldn't think of anyone. Will, JJ, and Sonny again. I never saw Gabi/Rafe as being friends. 6. Rafe - I thought of Nicole, but they are seemingly headed for a romantic pairing Maybe Rafe/Eli/Shawn. That seems like a stretch. 7. Belle - Couldn't think of anyone. 8. Shawn - Couldn't think of anyone 9. Gwen - I thought about Jake, but they don't really interact. Maybe Ava, but they don't seem at the friendship stage yet. 10. Johnny - I thought about Allie, but I would want them to interact more before I added them. I also wanna see where the Chanel/Allie/Johnny triangle goes before I declare Johnny/Allie friends. 11. Tripp - I couldn't think of anyone 12. Ben - I couldn't think of anyone. Will but he's off canvas. 13. Chanel - Allie and Johnny. Since it seems she's headed into a triangle with the two, I didn't add them. I did like Chanel/Lani, but I'm not certain where that's going now that the Paulina/Lani secret is out. What friendships did I miss? Which ones would you add? Which friendships would you like to see get more focus? Which people on canvas used to be friends that aren't getting a focus anymore?

Another good episode. I also liked the cast integration in this one again. I'm starting to see a pattern. 1. I thought it was great that we finally got more background and internal reasoning for Philip's actions. However, there were a few things that did not work for me. A - This motivation feels shoehorned in after the fact. Philip and recast Claire were on canvas together for months, and I don't remember them having any significant scenes together. The only one I can think of is the alternate reality April Fool's episode where the two kill Chloe together and they are father/daughter. However, that was Jan's dream and had nothing to do with the inner workings of Philip's mind. While I can't say for certain about Shawn vs. Philip arguments, I mostly remember them being about Belle. I don't remember any resentment about losing Claire from Philp. Does anyone remember if Rex Balsom's Philip and original adult Claire had any conversations about their almost history as father/daughter? This was several years ago when Deimos was still on the show. Also, I don't remember Philp being too concerned about Claire when she was kidnapped by Jan. B - Speaking of Deimos, Chloe and Rex Balsom's Philip were planning to raise Holly together when Chloe believed Deimos was the father and she the mother. Did Chloe and Rex discuss Parker's paternity then? Philip wasn't on the show when they changed Parker's paternity, so that would have been the first chance the two got. I question why the show didn't have Philip/Chloe babysitting Holly together, so they could talk about how she was almost their child and how he lost Parker, too. I don't remember Parker ever coming up between the two. Their points of contention have been Brady and Mimi. C - While I think the show did do a better job of showing Philip being a Jay Gatsby with his wanting to go back in time with Chloe when his life was more hopeful and full of promise. He focused a lot on their high school romance, the tree they planted, Brady being the cause of their demise then and his fear that Brady will be the cause of their demise now. I also think this could have been more effective if the show wasn't so enamored with the Last Blast crew's time in high school in general. Ron is particularly focused on references to their time in high school even when it no longer applies, or it just seems silly. I wish Ron had shown us this contrast by allowing Chloe to want to focus on their current relationship and not their high school one. Chloe and Philip have a lot of history with each other after high school - more than Brady and Philp even - but I wouldn't know that by watching the show. I would have loved if Chloe could have balanced Philip's idealistic view of their high school romance with a more realistic one with the adult relationship and history they've had since high school ended. D - This is my final point. JKJ just did not deliver for me. This was supposed to be his big soliloquy, and it just fell flat. I kept thinking of when Rick Hearst's Ric Lansing on General Hospital was planning to kill Carly in the panic room, steal her baby, and then kill Liz for discovering his plan. The raw emotion Ric/Rick displayed was so palpable. I was rooting for Liz to be saved - my fave character on that show - but I also completely understood and felt for Ric and wanted him to be redeemed, as well. That wasn't there for JKJ today. He did some type of shaking when he was being held by Kate that just did not work. I also blame the blocking for that scene. It was awkwardly shot. I also question where Philp can go from here. Not necessarily because of his deeds since his scene partner has done much worse in her almost 3 decades on the show. However, JKJ has not done a good job connecting with anyone. Only five characters seem to care about Philip: Victor, Kate, Lucas, Chloe, and Belle. After this scheme, I'm not certain how much Victor, Chloe, and Belle could realistically forgive him. Nicole and Sami are busy juggling multiple men as is. That leaves only Gabi and Ava as potential love interests. Neither seem likely because of his very recent history with both. I don't think Philip has had a male friend since high school. 2. I would love a Gif of MarDevil hitting Tripp on the head. If it could just endlessly repeat, that would be sublime. Could the Christmas miracle this year be that Allie kisses Tripp, he doesn't wake up, she realizes Tripp is not her true love, and everyone moves on with their life leaving him in a coma for at least 8 decades?

I assumed it was for the, "You're used to getting banged in the back," joke. Outside of that, I honestly can't think of any other reason for that ridiculous setup.

Sorry, I can't for the life of me think of you're speaking of. Is it Eve? I'm pretty sure the guy who kidnapped Ciara is dead. But honestly, I sometimes forget as these storylines merge in my mind.