Current Plots Discussion II: Discussing Today's Episode and Current Storylines

[Chellfairy]

On 2/22/2023 at 3:33 AM, DisneyBoy said:

Why New Zealand?

So Adrianna can babysit  HenryBlanket, of course! Freeing up Sonny and Allie to go bar hopping while Will is working all hours of the night!🫢😉

[Chellfairy]

2 hours ago, Elio Kukui said:

Chloe's back!  And it turns out that she just went to visit Parker at boarding school.

And meanwhile, Brady's attempt to put Stefan back to normal clearly backfires, and now he's facing an arrest and possible jail time for his troubles.  Eric is, too.  I'm confused about him, though, since Eric didn't directly kidnap Stefan like Brady did.

Hoping Brady goes to jail. Never a fan of this Broe. And Eric is up for impersonating a legal aid and stealing documents. He’s also an accomplice to Brady.

Although I’m not a fan of Stefan or Chloe, I’d rather see them together.

[DisneyBoy]

I had my head in my hands today. I couldn't watch the Stefan Brainwashing stuff, you guys. I felt so badly for the actor. Humiliating. The sounds he made alone were cringey as hell. No actor should have salad tongs duct-taped to his head and be expected to jiggle and babble like that on-camera.

It's like they're trying to rob the cast of whatever dignity they have left.

And that's just the performance side of it. From a narrative standpoint, they've decided to have Brady tamper with someone's brain? With improvised equipment? In the room above the Pub? With Rolf's help?? And now he and Eric are getting arrested?!?

*throws hands up in exasperation*

I....don't get it. How does any of that make sense? What is the point of this? What show is this anymore?

🤦🏻‍♂️

The Ericole scenes - my only reason for tuning in - were fine but....why make them waste time dancing around each other while both actors are contracted to be on screen together, and then have them commit just as one of them is leaving the show? Such a waste.

Also: how was their first meeting 25 years ago in a February? We saw in the flashback that both actors were bathed in sunlight, outdoors and in light clothing at the cafe....and that's back when the show had enough budget to use fake snow and dress the ladies in furs. If it was winter, wouldn't it have looked completely different?

I still like Li. Hope he stays.

Wendy's outfit was dumb.

Tripp's still here? I used to root for him to stay and get a storyline but I'm no longer holding my breath. Dude, this show is wasting your talents. Go live with Joey.

[Chellfairy]

25 minutes ago, Elio Kukui said:

Huh?  Did I miss something here?

Right? What what what??

[Chellfairy]

On 2/27/2023 at 2:41 PM, norcalgal said:

but it’s nuts the show wants us not to question why Eric of today looks different from past Eric.

Oh, woe is me ☹️😞

 If only JA was still in the role❣️💓💗 

IMO, he is a far better actor than current Eric. 

[tribeca]

Gabi, Chloe, Li Wendy all that fabulous hair today.  
   Poor Tripp always in the friend zone.   He should know better than to move in with a girl he is attracted to.  It did not work out to good last time. 
   In my warp mind I wanted the Brady brainwashing to back fire and Brady to be the one brainwashed.  Don’t ask me details.  Just want him to not love Chloe anymore. 
    

[Desperado]

Caught up watching the Friday and Monday eps.

Baby Jensen Ackles!!! 🥰 Glad his acting has improved over the years, but it was great to see him with baby AZ. “Different people”, indeed. 🤣

That doesn’t mean I want current salt & pepper scruffy beard Eric back with Nicole though. Been there, done that, again and again. Walk away, show.

Unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed Paulina’s talking to the urn skit.

I like Megan and the way they’re styling her. So nice to see something different than a blond older woman wearing pastels.

Anna is everything! I’m very happy to see her on more often.

[4evaQuez]

I'm happy Chloe's back. Choosing Gabi to be Chloe's first screen partner after her return was an unexpected choice, but I thought the two worked better together today than they usually do. I think it's interesting that Chloe seems to have no interest in Stefan, at all. She didn't seem bitter or angry or even mournful when she believed Gabi and Stefan were back together. I find this refreshing as it seems consistent with Chloe's character, but it's also confusing as Stefan is obviously going to remain a major scene partner for Chloe.

I thought Sloan looked amazing in her turtleneck/dress combo. 

I didn't have a problem with Brady's actions. I don't think EM's Brady has ever been depicted as a hero, and we've seen him do several underhanded things in the name of love. It seems to be mostly forgotten by the show, but he blackmailed Nicole to leave Eric, trapped Vivian in a sarcophagus, has been borderline abusive to women, went on the run with Nicole after she kidnapped Holly from Chloe, etc. I don't think he's ever been portrayed as the hero his father is. Also, if the show is going to continue with this Chloe/Brady/Gabi/Stefan/Li storyline, Brady and Stefan need actual reasons to be antagonistic to each other.

I kind of tuned out Ericole. I don't dislike them, but I do think I'm starting to reach my limit on this latest merry-go-round. 

I really like Wendy, but I did not like the scenes with Tripp. I laughed at him making Italian food. I guess the spirit of Ava lives on with us.  

[Frozendiva]

I thought Chanel would have taken over the lease and stayed. Why give up a nice place? We did learn that it was a 3 bedroom unit. Tripp is going to feel out of place living with Li, Gabi, and Wendy. I do not believe there was only two servings of pasta unless the package was half empty.

Thought the Pub would have a power outage with all that flashing. Brady was trying to do the right thing in resetting Stefan.

I liked Chloe talking to Gabi. Both were victims of the brainwashing. 

Sloan on the warpath is a good thing. She may make a good DA at some point.

Eric and Nicole were adults and refreshingly honest. How different and boring would they have been if they did marry 25 years ago. Not much movement but they can stay as friends and soulmates.
 

 

[nilyank]

19 minutes ago, Frozendiva said:

I thought Chanel would have taken over the lease and stayed. Why give up a nice place? We did learn that it was a 3 bedroom unit. Tripp is going to feel out of place living with Li, Gabi, and Wendy. I do not believe there was only two servings of pasta unless the package was half empty.

 

No it isn't. When Eric got that apartment, it was two bedroom apartment. When a pregnant Allie first show up in Salem, she had to sleep on the sofa because the other two rooms were occupied. When Nicole, Allie, Holly and Henry were living together, Chanel was sleeping on the sofa because there was only 2 rooms.

I wish they would bring back the huge loft which actually had more than 2 rooms.

[brisbydog]

Did our illustrious writers forget that Kristen was arrested and not on the lam? I realize she alternates between prison and on the run frequently so hard for them to keep plot continuity 

[Frozendiva]

1 hour ago, nilyank said:

No it isn't. When Eric got that apartment, it was two bedroom apartment. When a pregnant Allie first show up in Salem, she had to sleep on the sofa because the other two rooms were occupied. When Nicole, Allie, Holly and Henry were living together, Chanel was sleeping on the sofa because there was only 2 rooms.

I wish they would bring back the huge loft which actually had more than 2 rooms.

I am positive I heard Wendy tell Tripp it was now 3 bedrooms. It is Salem and most people’s homes are ever-expanding.

[DaphneCat]

1 hour ago, Frozendiva said:

I am positive I heard Wendy tell Tripp it was now 3 bedrooms. It is Salem and most people’s homes are ever-expanding.

Yes, it originally WAS 2 bedrooms, now it's magically 3.

[methodwriter85]

I miss the apartment/townhouse that Trip lived in with Ciara, Claire, and Ben back in the day. I think that went to Rafe, though. 

[norcalgal]

8 hours ago, Elio Kukui said:

So we got full confirmation today that Nicole is all in on E.J.!  Yay!  And they're scheming together to take Stefan down for drugging them!  Now, this should be fun!

Agreed.  I'm looking forward to them scheming together.  I also loved that they had an honest discussion about whether or not Nicole really wants to be with EJ, and I loved that Nicole even told EJ about her talk with Eric. So refreshing to see a couple not hide things from each other. However, two things:

1)  it was never discussed if EJ truly wants to be with Nicole because Sami is not around so Nicole "wins" because she's there;

2) I don't think this show will ever make EJole endgame (a la Tom/Alice Doug/Julie). I'm sure there will be musical partners at some future point.

[tribeca]

Todays show seemed short. 
Tripp/Wendy/Johnny/Channel.  Who will end up with who.?

I guess Allie hates her brother.  Will didn’t say goodbye either.  Hopefully Johnny has a better relationship with Sydney.  
   EJ and Nicole’s plan looks like it could be fun.  

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, norcalgal said:

2) I don't think this show will ever make EJole endgame (a la Tom/Alice Doug/Julie). I'm sure there will be musical partners at some future point.

They've still got the Baby Boomer characters for that. Gen X gets to play around. 

[Artsda]

So Allie stopped by to say bye to Tripp and so Henry could but not a word to Johnny?  Allie is a waste of a sister, bring Sydney on as a real sibling for him.  Johnny should be done with her. 

 

 

[Frozendiva]

Geez Allie. you could have at least visited your brother or called him to say you were moving halfway around the world. Chanel should not be telling you all this stuff.

Li, one does not simply move in to your sister’s place without asking her first. Tripp is paying his one third for the rent and bills, so he gets the room. Again, the mention of the three rooms. No, Tripp does not get the couch. Maybe you can look in to twin beds or bunk beds so the couch isn’t the option and probably since you do have money, you can buy a sofa bed.

Joey, stay out of your brother’s life. Really, Tripp can move in to his dad’s condo. It probably also expands.

Poor Stefan is back to normal. Thought he would have PTSD from the hand mixer hijinks. And now he doesn’t love Chloe anymore. She did seem to like two men fighting over her. Yeah, Brady meant well, but he could still end up in jail. Not that any judge would take the appliance washing seriously and most likely would blame a simple clonk on the head.

EJ’s investigators are better than the Salem PD. Found the fingerprints, figured out what the drug is. And now he and Nicole are happily scheming. I too wondered if EJ would be with Nicole if Samantha was around.

Poor Stefan showing up to Gabi’s new home (she could not live with Rafe?), and finding out about her deal.

[DaphneCat]

14 hours ago, Elio Kukui said:

So we got full confirmation today that Nicole is all in on E.J.!  Yay!  And they're scheming together to take Stefan down for drugging them!  Now, this should be fun!

 

5 hours ago, norcalgal said:

Agreed.  I'm looking forward to them scheming together.  I also loved that they had an honest discussion about whether or not Nicole really wants to be with EJ, and I loved that Nicole even told EJ about her talk with Eric. So refreshing to see a couple not hide things from each other. However, two things:

1)  it was never discussed if EJ truly wants to be with Nicole because Sami is not around so Nicole "wins" because she's there;

2) I don't think this show will ever make EJole endgame (a la Tom/Alice Doug/Julie). I'm sure there will be musical partners at some future point.

This is why I think Nicole is better with EJ than Eric.  She gets to be FUN!  I like that she's embracing her slightly "bad" side.  It's not like she's killing people or doing permanent damage - just a little light revenge.  That's probably why the writers keep breaking up her and Eric - they don't know what to do with her whenever she's with Father Sanctimonious.  This is far better than when she was being the perpetual babysitter and going around giving Julie a run for her money as the Salem busybody.

I really hope that when the inevitably bring Sami back they give her something to do that doesn't involve chasing after EJ .  

[nilyank]

5 hours ago, Elio Kukui said:

think that the E.J./Sami ship has sailed now that Alison Sweeney isn't coming back to the show permanently, so I don't think that Nicole has to worry about anything from Sami.

Every time EJ has gotten involved with someone to the point that Sami finds him in bed with someone else, he stop seeing that person even when Sami leaves town. And in the case of Nicole, he has used her as a placeholder when he can’t be with Sami including both of his marriages to her. But Nicole doesn’t have anyone else to blame but herself, he told her when they first met that he was using her to make Sami jealous and if she still didn’t get it, he shouted out Sami’s name the first time that they slept together.

if EJ is her second choice because Nicole can’t be with Eric, she has historically always been his second choice and once his third choice behind her sister Taylor**
 

**Number one Nicole hater, 25 years and counting.

[brisbydog]

4 hours ago, Elio Kukui said:

 

Of course Leo gets turned on even by the word "blower."  Also, what are "scabies?"

 

Scabies are nasty under the skin bugs that are spread through skin to skin contact

[Peanut6711]

10 hours ago, nilyank said:

Every time EJ has gotten involved with someone to the point that Sami finds him in bed with someone else, he stop seeing that person even when Sami leaves town. And in the case of Nicole, he has used her as a placeholder when he can’t be with Sami including both of his marriages to her. But Nicole doesn’t have anyone else to blame but herself, he told her when they first met that he was using her to make Sami jealous and if she still didn’t get it, he shouted out Sami’s name the first time that they slept together.

if EJ is her second choice because Nicole can’t be with Eric, she has historically always been his second choice and once his third choice behind her sister Taylor**
 

**Number one Nicole hater, 25 years and counting.

Amen! 

And sign me up for the number two slot right behind you. 

[BuckeyeLou]

I will miss Zach Tinker as Sonny...he made Sonny a "rootable" character.  For me, Zach brought a charm & a warmth to the character that Freddie did not have.  I love how Chad loves to hug his friends.  I am glad that Sonny got to say Good-by to his Father & his Brother(unlike Allie, who left everyone in the lurch).  Leo is funny but also annoying.  UhOh Sarah!

[WendyCR72]

13 hours ago, Elio Kukui said:

Why would Sarah care about Xander and Gwen taking the Spectator? 

Jennifer is Sarah's family, being first cousins. So, even if they are not close, I get her being upset. (Sarah's father being Mickey, and Jennifer's father being Bill; Mickey and Bill were brothers!)

[Frozendiva]

Newspapers are really struggling now, as more folks get news online. An every day paper is hard to run and make any profit. Xander’s business sense should be aware of this. Yeah, it was obtained via blackmail but it is a long, hard road to keep it going.

Sarah, yeah, you can be upset, but you did overreact to it. And of course threw up at Roach Motel.

Gwen, you have truth standards? Ahoy, maybe you can sink yourself into the paper and maybe do something good.

Who wants the gossip page that he Salem Intruder covers?

Bye, Sonny. Uh, Alex, Sonny considers Chad to be family.

So, Rex, you hope to lure Sarah to a fancy hospital in Chicago?

Wonder who Maggie is going to hire to run Titan?

What could be wrong with Xander and Sarah’s divorce? Of course she is preggers. Another nail for Gwennie as her hold on Xander is really slipping.

[boes]

God, Gwennie, stop with all the self-righteous bullshit about Jennifer hitting you with her car.  She could have run you over, gone around the block and run you down again and I'd be hardpressed to think of anyone other than Jack who would do anything other than compliment Jennifer on her driving abilities.

Next time, I'm hoping Jenn is driving a bus and Leo is standing with you.

Give it up, Ron C., Greg Rikaart is no Tuc Watkins and Leo is no David Vickers.

No spoiler here, but I bet Victor has put Maggie in charge of Titan, or least made her co-CEO with Alex the Wonder Dawg.

[peachmangosteen]

7 hours ago, boes said:

No spoiler here, but I bet Victor has put Maggie in charge of Titan ...

That's what I was assuming, too.

[BuckeyeLou]

Today's show was pretty good, the whole Babyline/hide the pregnancy/leave town is very 'Soapy".   Paul Telfer always gets me with his 'sad face/puppy eyes", if I was Sarah I would have changed my mind :)  Meanwhile, I was sad during the Jack&Jennifer good'byes, they have been such a staple of the show, I wonder if they will return at some point?  And Maggie becoming the CEO of Titan should be fun..Alex's face as he realized he was not going to be CEO was funny. 

[SouthernChick]

Maggie is ridiculous. Giving Rex the cold shoulder while continuing to wipe Xander’s butt. Hypocrite much?

[rcc]

Alex on the phone with Uncle Vic bothered me. Is this show going to do anything for John Anniston's passing. 

[peachmangosteen]

1 hour ago, rcc said:

Alex on the phone with Uncle Vic bothered me. Is this show going to do anything for John Anniston's passing. 

Yes, but this episode was filmed like at least 6 months ago.

[Irlandesa]

Yeah.  This isn't a Stefano situation yet where they know the actor is dead but pretend the character is alive.

Aniston was still alive when they filmed this.

Edited March 3, 2023 by Irlandesa

[4evaQuez]

 

19 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Jennifer is Sarah's family, being first cousins. So, even if they are not close, I get her being upset. (Sarah's father being Mickey, and Jennifer's father being Bill; Mickey and Bill were brothers!)

This isn't a response to your comment, but I'm using this comment to springboard something that annoyed me this week on the show with Jennifer/Sarah and Stephanie/Sonny.

I really hate the shortcuts Days use to establish relationships with characters that we don't see onscreen. Yes, Jenn/Sarah are cousins, but we so rarely see the two interact even though they were on screen together for years. MR's Jennifer and Sarah only interacted for Christmas. We've only seen CM's Jennifer and Sarah interact once. The interaction wasn't even about their relationship with each other but their shared relationship with Gwen and Jack and Sarah's shared relationship with Xander. Yes, they are cousins and that gives them a connection, but it doesn't give them a meaningful relationship. It felt odd when Sarah even said she called Jennifer - who was apparently in town. Why not stop by the Horton house and show the audience the scene - to ask about the paper. Even that seemed wildly inappropriate for the lack of relationship we've seen between the two. I can't even imagine either version of  Jennifer liking Sarah very much as a person.

This leads me to Sonny/Stephanie. It felt odd and unearned for Stephanie to say Sonny is her favorite cousin. Chelsea earned that title, but Sonny/Stephanie barely shared scenes. Gabi and even Leo and Bonnie would make more sense at that goodbye than Stephanie. It's like if Brady or Gwen or Tripp showed up just because they're Sonny's cousins, too. If the show wanted Stephanie/Sonny to have some "favorite cousin" relationship, then the show should invest in them. Instead, the show was investing in Stephanie/Chad/Alex and Sonny/Leo/Alex/Chad (as a platonic friend). 

I felt the same way with the show going out of its way to make sure we knew Allie saw Tripp before she left town to say goodbye but not her own twin brother. Do Eric, Nicole, John, and Roman even know Allie's across the globe? Granted she hasn't had an onscreen relationship with any of them in the past few months, so I guess Paulina and Abe deserve Allie's goodbye more.

3 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

 Meanwhile, I was sad during the Jack&Jennifer good'byes, they have been such a staple of the show, I wonder if they will return at some point? 

Wasn't this like their third goodbye to Salem? I remember Jennifer saying goodbye when she first left for Boston to settle Laura's affairs. Jennifer and Jack said goodbye again to Doug/Julie after 2022's Christmas with MR's Jennifer. Now CM's Jennifer and Jack are saying goodbye. 

26 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Yeah.  This isn't a Stefano situation yet where they know the actor is dead but pretend the character is alive.

Aniston was still alive when they filmed this.

I wonder how the show will handle Victor's funeral. Will they see it as a goodbye to Victor Kiriakis and the many antagonistic relationships he had with people on canvas? Will people be able to discuss his many evil deeds? Or will they see it as a goodbye to JA? I do think there is a subtle difference between saying goodbye to a complicated character like Victor who at times was an outright villain versus saying goodbye to JA who seems quite beloved behind the scenes.

[CanaryFan98]

On 3/2/2023 at 10:07 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Jennifer is Sarah's family, being first cousins. So, even if they are not close, I get her being upset. (Sarah's father being Mickey, and Jennifer's father being Bill; Mickey and Bill were brothers!)

That and Mickey/Maggie were like parents to Mike and Jennifer so there's that bond.

Edited March 4, 2023 by CanaryFan98

[norcalgal]

2 hours ago, 4evaQuez said:

 

This isn't a response to your comment, but I'm using this comment to springboard something that annoyed me this week on the show with Jennifer/Sarah and Stephanie/Sonny.

I really hate the shortcuts Days use to establish relationships with characters that we don't see onscreen. Yes, Jenn/Sarah are cousins, but we so rarely see the two interact even though they were on screen together for years. MR's Jennifer and Sarah only interacted for Christmas. We've only seen CM's Jennifer and Sarah interact once. The interaction wasn't even about their relationship with each other but their shared relationship with Gwen and Jack and Sarah's shared relationship with Xander. Yes, they are cousins and that gives them a connection, but it doesn't give them a meaningful relationship. It felt odd when Sarah even said she called Jennifer - who was apparently in town. Why not stop by the Horton house and show the audience the scene - to ask about the paper. Even that seemed wildly inappropriate for the lack of relationship we've seen between the two. I can't even imagine either version of  Jennifer liking Sarah very much as a person.

This leads me to Sonny/Stephanie. It felt odd and unearned for Stephanie to say Sonny is her favorite cousin. Chelsea earned that title, but Sonny/Stephanie barely shared scenes. Gabi and even Leo and Bonnie would make more sense at that goodbye than Stephanie. It's like if Brady or Gwen or Tripp showed up just because they're Sonny's cousins, too. If the show wanted Stephanie/Sonny to have some "favorite cousin" relationship, then the show should invest in them. Instead, the show was investing in Stephanie/Chad/Alex and Sonny/Leo/Alex/Chad (as a platonic friend). 

I felt the same way with the show going out of its way to make sure we knew Allie saw Tripp before she left town to say goodbye but not her own twin brother. Do Eric, Nicole, John, and Roman even know Allie's across the globe? Granted she hasn't had an onscreen relationship with any of them in the past few months, so I guess Paulina and Abe deserve Allie's goodbye more.

The bolded is my main pet peeve of this show. So many shoehorning of relationship’s just because someone is related to someone else by blood or marriage when we never see characters on screen developing deep bonds with each other.  

[nilyank]

38 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

The bolded is my main pet peeve of this show. So many shoehorning of relationship’s just because someone is related to someone else by blood or marriage when we never see characters on screen developing deep bonds with each other.  

Meanwhile people who we know should be close because they grew up together and are freaking twins, barely had scenes together except for petty fighting over the same girl. And don't get me started why Will had zero interests interacting with his little brother and acted as if Allie was his only sibling.

[Pearson80]

17 minutes ago, nilyank said:

Meanwhile people who we know should be close because they grew up together and are freaking twins, barely had scenes together except for petty fighting over the same girl. And don't get me started why Will had zero interests interacting with his little brother and acted as if Allie was his only sibling.

Don't forget Sydney the forgotten Sami child.  Since Ron wanted to bring back EJ and Sami on the show. It would have made much more sense to have Sydney their daughter come back as a bad girl..  I would have been fine with Allie being offscreen..

Don't get me started on the history between Sami/Sydney/Nicole/EJ... Ron could have mined so much story from that..

Edited March 4, 2023 by Pearson80

[Frozendiva]

Alex was a real sexist turd with Maggie. Uh, she has the family millions, dude. You are in dire need of a few swift kicks to your butt. And maybe some sensitivity and misogyny workshops. He really did believe Maggie fired him. She should set up a meeting with the HR Manager.

Rex, you are a doctor, and apparently a brilliant one, and you should have some idea about babies and that it is very unlikely that Sarah is only a couple weeks along. So, no, it is not yours, You should also not be dangling a job offer to a woman who is in a very vulnerable place right now. Leave her be and be a friend. It is a handy escape, but she does need to tell Xander about the pregnancy. Jada was straightforward with Eric. I would think that Xander would do almost anything to change and be a better man for his son or daughter. Schmoopy, possibly.

Jack, you and Gwen said goodbye more than Allie did to her family. Guess Julie will be watching over her now. Nice that she and Doug went on a cruise when three friends died suddenly.

How odd that the divorce papers just disappeared.

Gwen, it may take time for Xander to love you.

Edited March 4, 2023 by Frozendiva
2 ups typo

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, Frozendiva said:

Gwen, it may take time for Xander to love you.

Well, Sarah was on that island for months last year, and in all that time, even when Xander thought she had bolted voluntarily, he only seemed to have a "love the one you're with" attitude as far as Gwen goes.

As much as I hate her, she even had an inkling that Xander was marrying her as a second choice. Probably why she did everything in her power to scramble Sarah's brain and keep her away from her loved ones. Because Gwen knows exactly where she stands with Xander.

In other words, time has passed. If Xander still is pining for his wife over a year later even as he claims to hate the Hortons/that he has moved on, lashing out at that loss with his revenge fest, that ought to wake Gwen up. But she seems content to be sloppy seconds. *shrug*

Maybe Xander likes Gwen as a fuck buddy and cohort, maybe even as a kindred spirit, but it doesn't seem to translate to eternal love.

[methodwriter85]

On 3/2/2023 at 10:02 PM, BuckeyeLou said:

I will miss Zach Tinker as Sonny...he made Sonny a "rootable" character.  For me, Zach brought a charm & a warmth to the character that Freddie did not have.  I love how Chad loves to hug his friends.  I am glad that Sonny got to say Good-by to his Father & his Brother(unlike Allie, who left everyone in the lurch).  Leo is funny but also annoying.  UhOh Sarah!

Me, too. Freddie was brought on to be a walking Gay Straight Student Alliance PSA.  He meant to be the model minority that smiled pleasantly and told everyone how proud he was of being gay. Which is fine, and I'm not saying Freddie is a horrible actor, but the character was very flat and repetitive under him and Zach brought this character to life in a way I've never seen before. I really do wish the guy the best of luck.

If they decide to recast- maybe they can bring in Brant Daugherty? I loved his short stint as a character and I'd be interested in seeing how he would take on Sonny. 

9 hours ago, Elio Kukui said:

Maggie's been hypocritical at least since Xander's been with Sarah.  Seriously.  He helps her one time when she falls off the wagon (something that was also his fault, by the way), and she's singing his praises even though he got an innocent woman killed and took her away from her son and grandchildren.  It wouldn't surprise me if the divorce papers "getting lost" was something of her doing.  Or, if not hers, then Bonnie's.  Or both of theirs. Meanwhile, Rex has done nothing of the sort, and she's cold to him over the two times he cheated on Sarah.  Sheesh, Maggie.

It's kind of hysterical, though. It makes sense to me why. Paul Telfer as Xander flashes those sad puppy dog eyes and you just fall over yourself wanting to make him feel better.

Kyle Lowder as Rex does not have that same ability. (Eric Winter did though, go figure.) 

Edited March 4, 2023 by methodwriter85

[WendyCR72]

Maybe Maggie is just a sucker for an accent, all mysterious and suave and whatnot! But I detect the writers/hacks are trying to show some parallel between Maggie/Victor and Sarah/Xander, perhaps.

Two seemingly "good" and "moral" women that love the "rogues" and/or "scoundrels" despite themselves...

[boes]

11 hours ago, Elio Kukui said:

 and just walk away and find a man who wants her and only her.  Either she's being too hopeful to want to do so (and those hopes may or may not be unfounded, depending on what happens going forward), or she just doesn't know how.

This is what I don't understand.  If Gwen wants a man who really understands her and wants her and only her, then why doesn't she spend her days trolling Statesville when prisoners are released?  She'd be walking down the aisle in no time!

Edited March 4, 2023 by boes

[Artsda]

Jack going to Gwen for that goodbye after what she did was ridiculous. He should have been done with her. 

Surprised they had Sarah not jump to lying to Xander about the baby and run with Rex.

Edited March 4, 2023 by Artsda

[KBrownie]

1 hour ago, Artsda said:

Jack going to Gwen for that goodbye after what she did was ridiculous. He should have been done with her. 

Surprised they had Sarah not jump to lying to Xander about the baby and run with Rex.

Yeah, the Jack crap was especially ridiculous.  But, I guess he couldn’t leave without propping Gwen one final time to try and meekly cement a reason for her sticking around after they’ve decimated the entire Deveraux family for her to exist. They’re all gone, but she, of all people, is the one left to run Jack and Jennifer’s legacy. Not either of their kids, but a hateful, useless retcon. I guess Ron feels like the Deverauxs have all served their sole purpose of propping and providing Gwen, the only one the show cares about, a foundation in Salem, so there’s no need for them anymore. 
 

It’s insulting how they’ve set her up as being passed the torch from Jack and Jennifer. Even though she stole it, Jack STILL has to kiss her ass and tell her it’s basically okay she has the paper because Abby’s dead and JJ doesn’t care.  I don’t buy JJ not caring. He just can’t compete with the retcon. She steals Jack’s business, but is somehow committed to running the paper honest and true. Whatever, show.  She’s been gifted an entire family being ruined for her and entire career stolen from actual legacy characters because the show is still committed to forcing her to fit. Jack and Jennifer had two kids to be their legacy, but erased them because can’t have them around because it makes the retcon especially pointless. So let’s send JnJ off screen with their meaningless consolation paper because we need Gwen to be a righteous career woman now, but we weren’t clever enough to EVER define who she is as a character, so we just have to steal from everyone else & plop her in wherever. 

[CanaryFan98]

13 hours ago, Pearson80 said:

Don't forget Sydney the forgotten Sami child.  Since Ron wanted to bring back EJ and Sami on the show. It would have made much more sense to have Sydney their daughter come back as a bad girl..  I would have been fine with Allie being offscreen..

Don't get me started on the history between Sami/Sydney/Nicole/EJ... Ron could have mined so much story from that..

It would've made more sense for Sydney to return pregnant and bond with Nicole than Allie who honestly should have more hatred for her being married to Lucas and all the times she's hurt her Uncle Eric etc.

 

Sydney at least bonding with Nicole makes sense considering Sydnapping. 

7 minutes ago, KBrownie said:

Yeah, the Jack crap was especially ridiculous.  But, I guess he couldn’t leave without propping Gwen one final time to try and meekly cement a reason for her sticking around after they’ve decimated the entire Deveraux family for her to exist. They’re all gone, but she, of all people, is the one left to run Jack and Jennifer’s legacy. Not either of their kids, but a hateful, useless retcon. I guess Ron feels like the Deverauxs have all served their sole purpose of propping and providing Gwen, the only one the show cares about, a foundation in Salem, so there’s no need for them anymore. 
 

It’s insulting how they’ve set her up as being passed the torch from Jack and Jennifer. Even though she stole it, Jack STILL has to kiss her ass and tell her it’s basically okay she has the paper because Abby’s dead and JJ doesn’t care.  I don’t buy JJ not caring. He just can’t compete with the retcon. She steals Jack’s business, but is somehow committed to running the paper honest and true. Whatever, show.  She’s been gifted an entire family being ruined for her and entire career stolen from actual legacy characters because the show is still committed to forcing her to fit. Jack and Jennifer had two kids to be their legacy, but erased them because can’t have them around because it makes the retcon especially pointless. So let’s send JnJ off screen with their meaningless consolation paper because we need Gwen to be a righteous career woman now, but we weren’t clever enough to EVER define who she is as a character, so we just have to steal from everyone else & plop her in wherever. 

I'm ok with JJ not caring(even if I agree with you I don't buy that he wouldn't care as despite his flaws he always seemed loyal to his family) because its less damaging that way. 

7 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Maybe Maggie is just a sucker for an accent, all mysterious and suave and whatnot! But I detect the writers/hacks are trying to show some parallel between Maggie/Victor and Sarah/Xander, perhaps.

Two seemingly "good" and "moral" women that love the "rogues" and/or "scoundrels" despite themselves...

I can see that plus Xander saved Maggie's life so I can see why she feels obligated to see the good in him.

[Pearson80]

29 minutes ago, CanaryFan98 said:

It would've made more sense for Sydney to return pregnant and bond with Nicole than Allie who honestly should have more hatred for her being married to Lucas and all the times she's hurt her Uncle Eric etc.

 

  Sydney and Nicole bonding would have made Sami go over the edge and rightly so especially if Sami and Sydney were not getting along because Sami was desperately trying to keep Sydney from making the same mistakes that Sami made when she was her age..

It would have also been  good to see Marlena and John trying to get Sydney and Sami to mend fences.. Those are the type of stories that would have cemented John and Marlena as the patriarch and matriarch of their large brood consisting of children grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

[DisneyBoy]

44 minutes ago, KBrownie said:

So let’s send JnJ off screen with their meaningless consolation paper because we need Gwen to be a righteous career woman now, but we weren’t clever enough to EVER define who she is as a character, so we just have to steal from everyone else & plop her in wherever. 

There's such a beautiful sting to those words - the sting of truth.

I still remember the switch from Gwen the nail-biting former mental ward buddy of Claire's who was supposedly hiding out from Jake to woman who only showed up in Salem to hurt Abigail...even though the timing never made sense on that particular retcon. And it's been downhill ever since.

Do they think the viewers aren't keeping track of her list of sins? She gets the paper now after (essentially) killing Laura, attempting to steal Chad, drugging Abifail and Sarah, blackmailing Jennifer and manipulating Jack? And we're still supposed to feel happy about her bond with her father??

Come on now.

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Do they think the viewers aren't keeping track of her list of sins? She gets the paper now after (essentially) killing Laura, attempting to steal Chad, drugging Abifail and Sarah, blackmailing Jennifer and manipulating Jack? And we're still supposed to feel happy about her bond with her father??

Come on now.

I mean, see Ben. The show doesn't really care about anyone's past sins unless they decide they do. And I, as a viewer, am the same lol.

[tribeca]

How many awful things did Victor, Zander philip,Brady and past ceos commit?

Alex can’t be CEO because he had a threesome and an affair with Allie Horton ? That’s just messed up.  I don’t even like Alex but dang.  
  Exactly what kind of paper is Gwen running?  Is it just reporting on who everyone is Salem is sleeping with ?   They will run out of ink when the print all Rafes hookups.