4evaQuez

The Jack/Gwen scenes were odd. 1st - I've never seen the Kiriakis family as a "tight-knit" unit, and 2nd - why was Jack acting like Xander being an outcast isn't because of the way Xander has horrifically harmed the vast majority of that family and the people they love. 3rd. Jack was "dead" for the majority of Xander's history on the show, so he doesn't even know what he's talking about. I don't like Jack with Gwen or Xander. I hate the entire Johnson family. Can they have Ava plan a plane trip for them? I usually love AZ, but I wasn't a fan of some of her acting choices this episode. I know Nicole/Brady have a very complicated history, but I was completely confounded at Nicole's relief at Brady keeping her secret from Eric. The last time Brady had a secret that impacted Nicole and Eric's relationship, he blackmailed her into leaving town which gave Xander an opportunity to blackmail her into marriage. I really enjoyed Phloe. This was the first time since they came back that they both really sparkled. JKJ felt alive in his scenes, and their banter worked. Chloe/Gabi don't really have the history with each other for Chloe to say trouble follows Gabi everywhere, but I did like the nod to Philip/Chloe's own sordid history with each other and infidelity. Gabi knows fashion? Based on the way she dresses this is news to me. I laugh every time anyone mentions Sarah. The Gwen/Snyder/Xander storyline is just offensively boring. I like the actress but Gwen is quickly becoming a flop.

I despised Robin as a kid. Still didn't like her as an adult. I rooted for Carly in their every confrontation. Carrie for the win.

So I've missed an entire week of DOOL episodes, so please excuse me if any of my thoughts, observations, or questions contradict last week. I thought about binging the episodes, but then I realized that I'm not enjoying the show enough right now to do that to myself. First off, the new E.J. is..................................peculiar. It took me that long to decide that was the best word to use for him. He is nothing like JS's version, which is fine. Personally, by the end of JS's run the actor was so checked out that I was happy to see him go. That being said, this EJ still had a levelheadedness and almost maturity to him that seemed odd. Especially directed toward Lucas. In what word would EJ ever allow Lucas to live under the same roof with him and Sami. Also, Lucas is living in the Brady room above the pub because he was married to Sami more than 20 years ago - I'm basing this off Allie's SORAS. This is just getting too random. Hell, why not just let him live at the Kiriakis Mansion because Kate was married to Victor about 20 something years ago and Victor was a surrogate father to Lucas at one point. I just did not like that reasoning at all. Back to EJ, my issue isn't even just JS's version of the character, but he seems to contradict how Sami herself was describing EJ. She seemed genuinely afraid of EJ and his wrath if he discovered her affair. She reiterated to Lucas and the audience multiple times about the sheer level of animosity and even hatred EJ held for Lucas, and that did not come across on screen at all today. Maybe this is part of EJ's plan, I admit. However, this EJ just did not convey any type of sinister or even commanding vibes. I also thought his chemistry with Sami was lacking. I'm open to this recast; I am. Unfortunately, his scenes with Sami, Lucas, Chad and Gabi were lacking for me. Lastly, am I the only one who guffawed at Chad and EJ discussing Chad's marriage to Abby considering EJ's history with Abby. Also, I can't believe this just occurred to me today, but I realized Abby and Sami are sister-in-laws. I'm ashamed to admit that this has somehow alluded me for years. I almost wouldn't mind seeing Sami and Abby living in the Dimera house together but only if it's Kate Mansi's Abby. P.S. - this is petty and shallow, but I hate the way the new EJ kisses. I've always hated Chad/Gabi scenes. Today was no exception. That being said, I was shocked at how much I liked the Gabi/Sami scenes. I can't decide if I think it's in character for Gabi as she is today to have an open and honest conversation with Sami. A piece of me says no, but I liked the scene, so I'll go with it. I did chuckle at the show giving us a brief synopsis of the Gabi/Sami history. Gabi/Nick will always be my favorite Gabi pairing. I'm honestly confused as to what Kate's game plan is. Does she just want to torture Jake/Gabi? Does she want to break them up? Is she bored and the women she usually feud with are in storylines that don't involve her, so this is the best she can do? Usually the show gives us the villain's goal, so we know what's at stake and what they can lose. Did this happen last week? Every time Jake mentioned EJ I wanted to throw things at him. As Gabi said, you haven't even met him. Shut up Jake. Also, Jake doesn't want to live with EJ because he's a killer? Um, Jake, Kate - the woman you've been sleeping with - has attempted to kill several people over the decades. Gabi has "killed" Nick multiple times and one of those times was finally irreversible. Kristen has killed at least one person and attempted to kill several others. Abby is a killer. Lucas is a killer. Sami has shot multiple people. That's not even getting into you're living in Stefano Dimera's house. You really need a new argument because the one you're using is failing before you can even complete the sentence. I hate the new Kiriakis Mansion. The living room needs about 5 more windows because it's so dark. Also, apparently Victor is still around "by the pool." Am I the only one who thought JKJ/Philip looked super skinny in that turtle neck. Almost alarmingly so. I love Phloe, but the show really needs to invest in them. Broe easily overshadows them. I am hopeful something comes of the Philip ease dropping on the Broe conversation. Philip/Nicole have a shockingly shallow history and even fewer interactions with each other. Also a EJ/Sami/Lucas/Philip/Chloe/Brady/Nicole/Xander umbrella storyline would be amazing and something that could be must see tv. Lastly, I promise as I know I've rambled, I didn't realize people still read dirty magazines. I thought people just used their phones nowadays. Learn something new everyday, I reckon.

I'm referring to Grace Brady and Nicole's second child with E.J.

My Rafe hate comes from his earlier years when the show wrote him as a villain but presented him as a hero. Having someone constantly trying to steal other men's children and covering up horrific crimes and even throwing his own sister under the proverbial bus, Arianna, is where my hatred stems. Also, in his earlier years, Rafe got a lot of unearned screen time. I think he's more bearable now because the show treats him more like a B list or even C+ list character, but he's still not instrumental to the show, even after being on it for more than a decade. I don't find Eli hot. I don't find him interesting. I don't like him with Lani. The show does nothing to better link him to the Hortons. And he's not a good cop. He doesn't even have a particularly compelling relationship with Julie. He's a character that's there. And it seems the show has no more investment in him than simply being there.

I was on social media looking at photos of Days, which reminded me of this unpopular opinion: Marlena/John/Carrie is a much greater familial pairing than Malena/John/Belle. I know Belle is their only biological child, but just seeing the former unit in photos together genuinely makes me smile. I think it's obvious the decades long history and affection the actors have for each other is palpable on screen, and the way Marlena/John look at Carrie feels like the endless affection you see parents look at their children. Also, Marlena/John/Carrie had much better writing and got a chance to have their relationship dynamic explored at a time when character motivations and growth was the goal and not just shocking twists or plot developments. I'll always be bitter that the show wasted Carrie who should have been the ultimate heroine in the vein of a Jennifer/Hope/ and yes a Marlena. It's truly appalling that she has no place on canvas.

That itself was a retread. Back during the original Danloe demise, Chloe would fake illnesses and emergencies for Parker to get Daniel's attention - this was after Philip was revealed to be the father, which we know how that turned out. It eventually led to Chloe losing custody of Parker. I actually thought Danloe had a lot of chemistry, but I truly resent how the show threw Chloe under the bus multiple times to prop Daniel and whomever he was sleeping with at the time. I'm shocked Chloe is still a viable character after those years of abuse.

The kid is in high school according to your account of the interaction. This kid is old enough to know that if you make a smart comment to someone via Twitter, then there's a chance they may respond. Ron responded. He's under no obligation to be the bigger person to a stranger, regardless of their age. (Unless we're talking like a preteen, but then their parents need to monitor their access to social media more if that is the case). I also think I'm just interpreting what Ron is saying differently than you are, which of course is okay. I don't see it as a threat. As you said, absolutely nothing could come from it if he did show the principal what the kid was saying. And I'm sure this high schooler is old enough to understand nothing would happen, hence why they have chosen the medium and the actions they've chosen. It's a comeback on Twitter. I've seen Ron say much worse to people. The kid had an attitude; Ron had an attitude back. Life goes on.

While I think Ron is a jerk and should take some classes in maturity and grace, I actually agree with him in this regard. To me, it's one thing to critique his writing, but I actually do think it's over the line to attack him personally for his writing. Ron has a lot of hostile and unreasonable responses to fans, but I actually find this to be appropriate for the offense.

Eh, he had no conscious when Nicky was doing things like ruining the clam chowder that Bo made for some Brady celebration, framing Shawn D. for actions he didn't commit, lying on Shawn D, or when Nicky was purposely trying to come between Bo and Carly. Lawrence seemed proud of his little Hellraiser in the making. I wish the show had brought Nicky back as a contemporary of the Last Blast Crew - I'm ignoring the Victor Webster interpretation of the character. His ties to the Alamains, Bradys, Blacks, etc. could have been great as he would have been a perfect villain for the group - I mean this boy was killing maids before he was 10, afterall.

The world truly is not worthy of the glory of Sister Patterson from I Love NY. I still sometimes watch reruns whenever it's on HULU because she and New York are just hilarious. I miss when reality television wasn't about physical altercations, rape allegations, and trying to launch the next Skinny Girl brand. Um, to keep this on topic... I don't have a problem with this. LK plays Kate as quite sensual, she still has a great body, and she doesn't have the matronly qualities of a Marlena or a Jennifer, which does help Kate come off as younger. Whether that's a good thing is dependent on one's sensibilities. What I do have a problem with is Kate pretending to be blind for Jake. That just seems pathetic for Kate and having her in a love triangle with Gabi seems demeaning to the character. As for her sleeping with younger men, the only age appropriate men for Kate are Abe and Roman. I have no interests in seeing either one of those sex scenes. Actually there are no sex scenes I'm particularly interested in seeing on this show, atm.

What about LK's Kate, EM's Brady, and CB's Gabi. All three are recasts and have far eclipsed their original performers in episodes and years they've been on screen. Hell, even CB's Gabi has been around for a decade now. I'm sure there are a lot of viewers who don't even realize they are recasts. Couldn't we also include VK's Ciara Brady from the original teen Ciara - LB's Ciara will always be best. Even Ben is a recast, and I'm sure no one remembers the original portrayer. MM/KM are both Abby recasts, and I'm sure both are more popular than the Abby that came before. Chad is also a recast. I think Days has just as much a history of successful recasts - at least recently - as they do failed ones.

The show had plans to pair their characters when they were together in real life. However, BB and MM were let go around this time, and Chloe eventually ended up with Lucas.

I see people say this a lot about the Claire recast, but I don't think MM looks young at all. Even when she was in her 20s she looked old to me. I have no issue with nuClaire being her daughter. I do agree that she looks more like Shawn's younger sister than daughter, but since she and Ciara are somewhere around the same age, it doesn't bother me.

I hope I like her as much as I like PW. I'm a little saddened that they didn't get an actress closer to PW's skin complexion, but I'll still be open to the recast.

But he was Xander Kiriakis when he married Chanel. It said that on the marriage license. He's also introduced himself as Kiriakis after their annulment. I like the explanation, but I'm assuming it's writing errors. And to add: is it really spite when most of the Kiriakis men don't like him, and Victor seems to have a I like you when I can use you relationship with Xander. I just don't think this has actually been seen on screen.

A character I always despised. My unpopular opinion is that I wanted Hope to never forgive Chelsea, and I truly despised the moment when Hope presented Chelsea a Horton ornament as a symbol of her finally forgiving Chelsea. Regarding Carly, the Chelsea/Zack storyline would have been the perfect moment to reintroduce Carly. Hope/Patrick/Bo/Carly could have been a great quad, and I still wish Ciara was Patrick's daughter.

I really liked the Hope/Philip and Hope/Belle scenes during that time period. While I liked Philip, I didn't care about Belle or Shawn enough to be impacted by the affair, so Hope was the character that interested me most in that storyline. I, too, agree about Philip. I'm hoping putting him in Chloe and Brady's orbit will help bring out the best in him. His return has consisted of filler thus far, so I hope he just needs a major storyline to get him back in the groove. I hope they also bring a 20 something Joy Wesley with them. Chloe has been an island for the vast majority of her history, so I would love for her to have her own family unit that would include Nicole and Holly, too.

A couple of weeks ago I was practically gushing over the show and the performers. Two weeks later, I'm confused what happened. This week has been boring, anticlimactic, and the performers seem checked out again. Sigh... It was so peculiar seeing Julie/Allie in a scene together. I also thought it was odd how many "Allie is a Horton" references the show made. Her father is a Horton, Julie is her Horton cousin, JJ is her Horton cousin, Jennifer is her Horton aunt, I was named after Great Grandma Alice Horton, and Chanel make a comment about Allie's Hortoness making Chanel's bakery more than a business but a part of the community. I'm wondering if there's some upcoming storyline purpose for that as the Horton legacy is coming up frequently on the show lately, especially with Marlena giving a brief synopsis of the elder Horton legacy, the show specifically reminding the audience that Eli and the twins are Hortons in two different episodes, Paulina, the Horton Square, her secret plans, and now both Allie and Chanel are directly involved with whatever happens there. Just speculating as there's been a lot of Horton discussion the past two weeks. Shawn, Brady, Philip, Xander, there were a lot of Kiriakis men on the show today. Has Xander gone back to using Cook - as Julie referred to him - or was that a writing error. I'm certain the Xander/Chanel marriage license said Kiriakis. This may belong in the unpopular opinion thread, but I'm not a fan of Xander's shirtless scenes. I forgot Eli/Lani were on the show by the time their last scene aired. Also, we must have the most inept and toothless group of detectives in the history of the show. Eli/Lani are having sex on the couch and civilians have to update them on the Chloe/Jan situation. Eli is upset that Philip checked out a lead. Why exactly? We haven't seen him - or Rafe or Lani - do a damn thing to solve the case. Do they even know Claire is safe because the episode made it seem like they believe she's still missing. Does Rafe know? I just don't understand why the show makes them all seem so incompetent. Thank goodness for Philip and Ben, otherwise Claire would be on fire and Chloe may be spending day 4 in the trunk of a car. The Chloe/Brady scene at the end of the episode was just magical. I'm Team Broe and Team Phloe. I love both pairings, but the Broe scene at the hospital had me smiling from ear to ear. The show is going to have to put in some serious Phloe work because this is already my favorite Brady pairing - and I've witnessed about 3,587 of his horrific pairings - and the way Brady and Chloe looked at each other made me swoon. Whoever kept them out of each other's orbit for so long should immediately be fired from the show. Broe still have that supercouple chemistry.

After a string of great episodes, the past two were not so enjoyable. Sami was downright gleeful at having information that could destroy Nicole and her marriage. The smirk she displayed as she was laying her cards on the table to Nicole was delightful. That's something the show never seems to remember when trying to make a "Sami clone." Sami, at her core, is just a terrible person who loves to sow chaos, consequences be damned. Sami/Nicole was definitely the highlight of this episode. I'm not a big fan of the Sami/Allie relationship. The two don't seem to have good chemistry and it pales in comparison to Sami/Marlena, Sami/Will, even Sami/Nicole. Kate/LK is doing a terrible job with the blindness storyline. Whether she's faking or not, she just seems too lowkey and over it. LK seems over Days in general. Her performances are almost as bad as Chad/BF or Will/CM when they are given material they don't care about. It's sad because most of the performers have actually seemed committed to the material lately, even BF now that Abby/MM is gone. LK really needs a long, extended break. 3 days in a row with Rafe asking questions the audience knows the answers to. Why was this man/character brought back to the show? The countless flashbacks we get per episode fulfill the same function. If Gwen doesn't want Jack feeling sorry for her and apologizing for her life, why is she constantly giving him new sob stories about her life? Why is a 30-year-old woman trying to "make her father pride?" I've never liked Jack, I like him even less without Jennifer on canvas, and substract another 30 points when this version of Gwen is his main acting partner and connection to the current canvas. Also, Jack is a pillar of the community? The rapist who's died and came back from the dead several times and ran a mayoral campaign based on racism and xenophobia? Salem's standards have fallen drastically since the days of Marlena, Roman, John, and Mr. and Mrs. Horton being pillars of the community.

Oh no! Precious is the only reason I like Chanel. I hope they take care with the recast, but I'm not hopeful.

Really? I actually thought the preview looked good. I couldn't help but notice Chanel wasn't in it, but I doubt they'd kill her off so soon. I didn't realize GV/Eric would be showing up or that the show cast Johnny. Two pretty good surprises. Also, it took me two viewings to realize Johnny wasn't Joey Johnson. There are too many "J" names on this show. Looking forward to Ericole, Broe/Phloe, Ejami, and I'm interested if Johnny will be a villain for the young cast. Also, I'm interested in who Paulina is speaking to.

It's interesting that NB called Belle one of Chloe's best friends. I haven't considered those two best friends or even friends in more than a decade. Also, is someone in their mid-20s really a "child?" Anyway, I always love NB's interviews, and I'm looking forward to the Jan/Chloe/Claire/Philip scenes. I wonder if NB remembers when Vivian tried to get Chloe to kill Carly. This isn't the first time Chloe's been in this situation.

Kayla said she called "both" of Kate's sons. I assume she means Philip and Lucas since those are the two on canvas. That's what I assumed Marlena was implying. SH has played Susan as incredibly delayed this go round, and the obsession with ice cream sundaes hasn't helped combat that imagining. Marlena and John's condo has a back exit now? I wish Days would partner with HGTV and the SciFi Network because I would love a 2-hour special exploring the ever expanding homes of Salemites. Kayla literally couldn't care less about Jake/Kate's relationship. And today was a great example of Kayla's rudeness as a doctor. "What are you still doing here?" I don't even like Jake but maybe a softer tone for the man sitting bedside at a comatose woman's side would be helpful, Kayla. I completely forgot Kristen brought Ava back from the dead. Easily the most evil thing she's done. Gabi/Ava is a rivalry I have no interest in seeing develop. And, when has Gabi ever been Rafe's number one priority. He's chosen all of his girlfriends/ex-wives over his sisters. Just ask Arianna. Also, for the pounds and pounds of lasagna and pasta that she's feeding Rafe, I'm starting to think Ava's plan is to kill him via severe heart burn and indigestion. Two days in a row, we've had Rafe impotently asking questions that the audience already knows the answer to. Has he done anything to solve the Chloe and Claire cases? Does he even know they're together? Thank God I don't live in Salem. Give me Jessica Fletcher, Matlock, or Columbo.

My unpopular opinion is that I actually think Ben is one of the best integrated new characters post 2000s this show has had, and I think he can stand as a character even without Ciara. I also don't hold being a serial killer against him - he didn't kill anyone I cared about - and it's given him a ton of material that the show still uses in his relationship with Ciara. I think the only thing holding Ben back is the limitation of the actor, but he still does a serviceable job. He has friends, Jake and Claire. Rivalries - most of the men in his age range, Evan, Sami, Vincent, Eve, Abby, Chad. A maternal figure, Marlena. A villainous father, Clyde. A soul mate, Ciara. And the show even wanted to build some type of gothic connection between him and Will. There's also potential in a Ben/Allie pairing considering the Will, Sami, and Ciara histories. I can't think of any other new character - especially male characters - that are as well integrated as Ben currently is on canvas.