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

[ASpring1900]

21 hours ago, Giuseppe said:

I'm in the love JJ camp

I thought he had great chemistry with Eve during the 2014/2015 secret affair storyline. Smoking scenes between them.

I also am a sucker for co-stars that date and end up marrying, and it looks like the actor who plays JJ and the actress who played Paige are marrying next spring.

[DisneyBoy]

They STILL haven't tied the knot? I thought they had years ago.

They really weren't fun together on screen so it just goes to show...

[CanaryFan98]

25 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

They STILL haven't tied the knot? I thought they had years ago.

They really weren't fun together on screen so it just goes to show...

It varies usually it doesn’t translate onscreen and then you have Doug/Julie where it does

[BuckeyeLou]

Today's show was emotional for me, with Sarah regaining the use of her legs, and at the end, when she walked out with the cane & Xander & Maggie were crying...I thought the scenes with Sarah, Xander & Maggie were wonderful.  The scenes with Brady & Kristen made me roll my eyes!  Kristen is a crazy lady & Brady really needs to find a normal woman to date.  Brady & Kristen just go round & round with the same arguments & threats.  I rather liked the scenes with Joy & Alex...I sensed chemistry there.  The actor playing Philip has so many distracting facial expressions, he is hard to watch.

[methodwriter85]

5 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

I rather liked the scenes with Joy & Alex...I sensed chemistry there

I had the thought to myself that she could have been a pretty decent Ciara recast, although I'm glad she's here as Joy instead. She really does feel like a daughter that Nancy and Craig could have had.

I think both Javi and Joy have been good additions. And I was NOT expecting to say that about Javi because when I saw his pictures and knew that he was here to be Leo's boy toy I did not look forward to it at all. But the actor playing him has some pretty good easy-going charisma to him.

[Rodney]

So there it is.  Joy confirmed that she and Johnny hooked up.  Meaning they had sex.  Which makes sense, as I don't think that Johnny would've been as guilt-ridden if he'd just kissed her.

Speaking of Johnny, he needs to just tell Chanel.  Quickly.  If it comes out from someone else, especially now that Alex knows . . .

Although Kristen's entitlement with Brady and wanting to be with him again is greatly annoying, I give her credit for at least being genuinely happy for Sarah walking again (and making that absolutely clear that she was happy for her for her sake).

[Rodney]

Alex actually made me laugh today.  The myriad of faces he made as he tried to contain Johnny and Joy's secret were hilarious.  It's the most facially expressive that Robert's ever been!

At first, I was surprised by Leo being allowed to mention The Nanny, considering that that show wasn't an NBC show (it was on CBS).  But then, I remembered that the entire series has recently started streaming on Peacock, so that makes sense.

Paulina does know that to make a citizen's arrest, you have to get the arrestee to a law enforcement agency, doesn't she?  I work in security and learned that myself.

Oof.  Chanel thinks that something is going on between Alex and Joy?  This'll just further muddy things with her and Johnny.  Especially with Johnny still not saying anything to her.

Interesting that Javi didn't immediately accept Leo's apology.  What was that about?  He even told Rafe that he missed him.  Yet he didn't accept his apology?

[SouthernChick]

I wanted to slap Paulina silly today. What an annoying, exhausting woman she is!

[DisneyBoy]

Good lord, had Johnny's headboard always been so HUGE?

[boes]

11 hours ago, SouthernChick said:

I wanted to slap Paulina silly today. What an annoying, exhausting woman she is!

She's awful.  As usual, Paulina only cares about what affects her, in this case, Abe getting sick.  As usual, she steamrolls over everyone else, or at least tries to and this supposedly smart businesswoman is so self-centered that she makes stupid mistakes and boneheaded decisions and it's left to other people to point those out and try and pull her back from the edge.

And as usual, everyone essentially lets her get away with it when she starts huffing, puffing, sorta apologizing while waving around that purse of hers like it's a bag of live grenades.

Then we had to sit through Leo in another of his badly acted non-stop tired standup routines which Marlena finds so charming and I find so tiring.  The only thing good about Greg Rikaart playing Leo on DOOL is that he's not stinking up the screen playing Kevin on Y&R.  Different soap but essentially the same poorly concieved character badly portrayed by the same limited actor.

It's a sorry day when Leo is center stage and an even sorrier day when we have both him and Paulina stutterbarking at everyone in sight and we're supposed to find them funny or charming or whatever, instead of the pain the asses they are.

Edited November 26 by boes

[Soapy Goddess]

12 hours ago, Rodney said:

I was surprised by Leo being allowed to mention The Nanny, considering that that show wasn't an NBC show (it was on CBS).  But then, I remembered that the entire series has recently started streaming on Peacock, so that makes sense.

It also helps that Charles S. (Shane Donovan) was the co-star, along with Fran D, on the Nanny.

[Rodney]

10 hours ago, boes said:

She's awful.  As usual, Paulina only cares about what affects her, in this case, Abe getting sick.

The woman has a right to worry about finding whoever poisoned her husband.  And she did realize that she was going over the top and apologized to Jada.

Incredible (and by that, I mean pathetic and ridiculous) at how both of those points are rather conveniently being forgotten.

Then again, I've come to expect that from this place by now.

Edited November 26 by Rodney

[brisbydog]

Philip is exactly what Xander said he is; a spoiled screw up. If it was actually a letter from Victor I could support him, but he knows it is fake, and now he is involving Stephanie in this fraud. Alex, for once, was the voice of reason. I was actually astounded to hear him tell Philip to back off Xander and that he had already had his inheritance stolen once this year, plus everything with Sarah. It was unusual compassion, so go Alex!

Loved seeing Steve and Kayla actually being a couple, and Kayla's lovely speech. Jarring when Justin talked about Jo and Duke. For one, he never met Duke, for another, he literally met Adrienne after that monster had beaten and raped her, and Steve was going to jail for the murder to cover for her. Either the new writers don't know jack about history or it was meant to be Vern. Either way, Wally and Stephen should know better.

Kate is going to be in trouble with Roman once he finds out she has known about the letter being fake all along. He will not be down with this at all. And Vivian could sing like a canary at any point.

Xander and Sarah finally got to consummate their marriage! Maggie knew exactly what was going down in that room. Some things Mom does not need to see lol

[DisneyBoy]

1 hour ago, Rodney said:

Then again, I've come to expect that from this place by now.

Look....sigh....you make these incendiary comments about us every once in a while and its really not appreciated. We're a fairly polite group who respect each other's differences and have fun with watching the show and sharing our opinions. If "this place" displeases you - if we displease you - that's a shame, but perhaps it's your perspective that needs adjusting.

We don't take jabs at each other here.

[boes]

1 hour ago, Rodney said:

Then again, I've come to expect that from this place by now.

As we've come to expect THIS from you.  Use the Ignore button - I've found it immensely useful since you've started posting.

[brisbydog]

11 hours ago, boes said:

She's awful.  As usual, Paulina only cares about what affects her, in this case, Abe getting sick.  As usual, she steamrolls over everyone else, or at least tries to and this supposedly smart businesswoman is so self-centered that she makes stupid mistakes and boneheaded decisions and it's left to other people to point those out and try and pull her back from the edge.

And as usual, everyone essentially lets her get away with it when she starts huffing, puffing, sorta apologizing while waving around that purse of hers like it's a bag of live grenades.

Then we had to sit through Leo in another of his badly acted non-stop tired standup routines which Marlena finds so charming and I find so tiring.  The only thing good about Greg Rikaart playing Leo on DOOL is that he's not stinking up the screen playing Kevin on Y&R.  Different soap but essentially the same poorly concieved character badly portrayed by the same limited actor.

It's a sorry day when Leo is center stage and an even sorrier day when we have both him and Paulina stutterbarking at everyone in sight and we're supposed to find them funny or charming or whatever, instead of the pain the asses they are.

All of this Boes. I turned off yesterday. I can't stand blustering Paulina or Leo's non stop chatter. Both need to grow the eff up.

Jada should not have to put 'handling Paulina' as part of her job description. Nor should EJ. 

[CanaryFan98]

1 hour ago, brisbydog said:

Philip is exactly what Xander said he is; a spoiled screw up. If it was actually a letter from Victor I could support him, but he knows it is fake, and now he is involving Stephanie in this fraud. Alex, for once, was the voice of reason. I was actually astounded to hear him tell Philip to back off Xander and that he had already had his inheritance stolen once this year, plus everything with Sarah. It was unusual compassion, so go Alex!

Loved seeing Steve and Kayla actually being a couple, and Kayla's lovely speech. Jarring when Justin talked about Jo and Duke. For one, he never met Duke, for another, he literally met Adrienne after that monster had beaten and raped her, and Steve was going to jail for the murder to cover for her. Either the new writers don't know jack about history or it was meant to be Vern. Either way, Wally and Stephen should know better.

Kate is going to be in trouble with Roman once he finds out she has known about the letter being fake all along. He will not be down with this at all. And Vivian could sing like a canary at any point.

Xander and Sarah finally got to consummate their marriage! Maggie knew exactly what was going down in that room. Some things Mom does not need to see lol

Ron is still writing I did like the GH reference to the Quartermaines on Thanksgiving having Pizza when Justin mentioned having Pizza on Thanksgiving 

[Rodney]

I kind of tittered at Justin pointing out that some families have pizza for Thanksgiving dinner.  A wink to Wally's other character, who's from a family who regularly has pizza at Thanksgiving?

Vivian ended up in Statesville?  So surprised that Ivan didn't get her out of that.

So Joey went to see Tripp and Wendy in Hong Kong.  Have to remember that the offscreen/off-canvas characters still live their lives even when they're not around.

Philip cannot possibly think that this plan is going to work.  Especially when it all comes out.

[brisbydog]

58 minutes ago, CanaryFan98 said:

Ron is still writing I did like the GH reference to the Quartermaines on Thanksgiving having Pizza when Justin mentioned having Pizza on Thanksgiving 

Sorry when I said 'new writers' I meant anybody who wasn't on staff in 1987 lol. I know Ron is still serving us up this crap until next spring

[CanaryFan98]

5 hours ago, Rodney said:

I kind of tittered at Justin pointing out that some families have pizza for Thanksgiving dinner.  A wink to Wally's other character, who's from a family who regularly has pizza at Thanksgiving?

Vivian ended up in Statesville?  So surprised that Ivan didn't get her out of that.

So Joey went to see Tripp and Wendy in Hong Kong.  Have to remember that the offscreen/off-canvas characters still live their lives even when they're not around.

Philip cannot possibly think that this plan is going to work.  Especially when it all comes out.

Yes although I find the Q tradition at this point rather overdone especially since most of the Qs are gone.  I say this as someone that usually doesn't eat traditional Thanksgiving fare most of the time either.

[Giuseppe]

20 hours ago, SouthernChick said:

I wanted to slap Paulina silly today. What an annoying, exhausting woman she is!

She is exhausting, but I'm grateful that at least Jackee has (mostly) stopped doing the looonnnnggg drawn out proNUNciation and weird EMphasis of evvvveerryy other WORD like she used to.  I mean I know she still does it, but at least to me it seems like she's been making an effort to speak more normally now, lol.

[boes]

What did they do with the real Alex Kiriakis?  Other than being shirtless, the dude bro with the low brow, brimming with more self-esteem than self-awareness was gone, replaced by a guy I actually liked.

He was reflective, thoughtful, funny, warm and forthright without being a jerk.

Today was, I think, the first time I ever liked RSW since he came on the show.

John Paul Lavosier must be being paid by the facial scrunches.  If he is, he's making a bundle.  I know JKJ's performance on his last go-around was uneven, but I still prefer his Philip to this clown.  His Philip is pretty much an exact replica of the  Rex character he played on OLTL, just more jaundiced and leathery.  I wish Vivienne would have him kidnapped and sent to Alamaina, too.

I did like Kate's talk with Philip, telling him how devastated him faking his death was to her.  It's not hard to understand why Kate would back him in his fraud over Victor's will.  She's always made extreme choices when it came to her kids, whether they deserved, or even wanted her support.  I'm not clear, though, on why Stephanie is giving him the time of day.

I liked Steve and Justin together but Justin's memories took an odd turn when he mentioned Duke as if he wasn't the monster who raped Adrienne and forced Jo to give up their sons.  His isn't a throwaway name.

 

 

[DisneyBoy]

4 hours ago, Giuseppe said:

She is exhausting, but I'm grateful that at least Jackee has (mostly) stopped doing the looonnnnggg drawn out proNUNciation and weird EMphasis of evvvveerryy other WORD like she used to.  I mean I know she still does it, but at least to me it seems like she's been making an effort to speak more normally now, lol.

After three years?

*single clap*

[SouthernChick]

I’m sick of seeing Alex shirtless. We get it, Ron, you have a crush on RSW. Not everyone thinks he is the perfect male specimen.

[brisbydog]

8 hours ago, SouthernChick said:

I’m sick of seeing Alex shirtless. We get it, Ron, you have a crush on RSW. Not everyone thinks he is the perfect male specimen.

I find him actually very unattractive. It's the face. No matter how good the body is I can't get past how bland his face is

[4evaQuez]

Unfortunately, I've missed several episodes these past couple of months. I was wondering if Philip ever explained what happened with him and Chloe. I assume they broke up, but did he give a reason why?

[DisneyBoy]

2 hours ago, brisbydog said:

I find him actually very unattractive. It's the face. No matter how good the body is I can't get past how bland his face is

I find neither work (no offense to RSW as a person) and his acting is no better. Sure, I can see that he goes to the gym. And?

His status on DOOL truly mystifies me.

16 minutes ago, 4evaQuez said:

Unfortunately, I've missed several episodes these past couple of months. I was wondering if Philip ever explained what happened with him and Chloe. I assume they broke up, but did he give a reason why?

I am also curious about this. If he's sticking around, I assume they're not together as well.

[Rodney]

55 minutes ago, 4evaQuez said:

Unfortunately, I've missed several episodes these past couple of months. I was wondering if Philip ever explained what happened with him and Chloe. I assume they broke up, but did he give a reason why?

38 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

I am also curious about this. If he's sticking around, I assume they're not together as well.

He made a brief mention to Kate yesterday that they made another attempt at things while he was in New York with her, but it didn't work out yet again.  He's accepted that they never will work out.

[Rodney]

Gabi, SHUT UP.  E.J.'s the one who's owed the apology.  Not you.  You destroyed your marriage to Stefan.  Not E.J.

E.J., just because Johnny cheated with Joy, it's no reason or excuse to force her out of Salem.  And given that Johnny is the cheating party, acting like Joy is the one to blame isn't a good look on you.

Rafe is going to be a PI working at Black Patch?  Well, with John soon to be gone, that makes sense.  Maybe this will mean more Black Patch stories.  I had no idea that Rafe was a PI, though.

Javi claimed that he misses and actually does like Leo.  Yet he still won't accept his apology?  Make it make sense, Javi.  Do you want him or not?  Also, I hope that those weren't anvils he dropped regarding Rafe and Jada.

[BuckeyeLou]

I always enjoy the holiday shows, I thought Kayla's 'blessing" was lovely.  I got a kick out of the Kiriakis family sitting down with the Brady's in the pub.  I loved seeing Sarah & Xander spending happy times together.  Interesting Alex is on "Team Xander".   I think having Rafe work for Black Patch will be interesting.  Javi is still acting suspicious to me.  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone on Primetimer.

[CanaryFan98]

5 hours ago, Rodney said:

Gabi, SHUT UP.  E.J.'s the one who's owed the apology.  Not you.  You destroyed your marriage to Stefan.  Not E.J.

E.J., just because Johnny cheated with Joy, it's no reason or excuse to force her out of Salem.  And given that Johnny is the cheating party, acting like Joy is the one to blame isn't a good look on you.

Rafe is going to be a PI working at Black Patch?  Well, with John soon to be gone, that makes sense.  Maybe this will mean more Black Patch stories.  I had no idea that Rafe was a PI, though.

Javi claimed that he misses and actually does like Leo.  Yet he still won't accept his apology?  Make it make sense, Javi.  Do you want him or not?  Also, I hope that those weren't anvils he dropped regarding Rafe and Jada.

I think he started on the show as a fed I know he was sent to protect Sami in Witness Protection or something? I actually think it's good the show is going younger with Black Patch I mean John will soon be gone and while Steve looks great for his age he's still over 70 years old. Maybe they could also bring back Paul too to take John's place.

[DanaMB]

On 11/26/2024 at 1:42 PM, DisneyBoy said:

Look....sigh....you make these incendiary comments about us every once in a while and its really not appreciated. We're a fairly polite group who respect each other's differences and have fun with watching the show and sharing our opinions. If "this place" displeases you - if we displease you - that's a shame, but perhaps it's your perspective that needs adjusting.

We don't take jabs at each other here.

This! We disagree all the time without being rude and condescending. There is no need. I’m assuming the ignore feature is still available?

On 11/26/2024 at 2:14 PM, CanaryFan98 said:

Ron is still writing I did like the GH reference to the Quartermaines on Thanksgiving having Pizza when Justin mentioned having Pizza on Thanksgiving 

I did too. That was one time I didn’t mind Ron’s typical *wink wink nudge nudge*

[SouthernChick]

Gabi needs to shut the hell up, blaming EJ for her marriage falling apart. 

[DisneyBoy]

I didn't watch...but I wonder why they're making her such a blatant hypocrite. Especially since they seemingly fired BB abruptly and he sounded like he wouldn't want to come back. Are Stabi even important anymore? Why not just move Gabi forward?

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and if you don't celebrate it or it hurts because people are crummy this time of year, forget I said anything. You're great on your own :)

[brisbydog]

On 11/20/2024 at 8:00 PM, SouthernChick said:

Does anyone else find JJ boring as hell? Casey Moss has no charisma. 

With you. I find JJ, Tripp and Joey completely interchangeable 

[CanaryFan98]

7 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

I didn't watch...but I wonder why they're making her such a blatant hypocrite. Especially since they seemingly fired BB abruptly and he sounded like he wouldn't want to come back. Are Stabi even important anymore? Why not just move Gabi forward?

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and if you don't celebrate it or it hurts because people are crummy this time of year, forget I said anything. You're great on your own :)

Gabi has always been hypocritical but they should have written her and Stefan off together if they don’t have plans for the character. I don’t buy her and JJ being nothing but a pit stop which is fine. 

[chediavolo]

If you haven’t watched, spoiler:

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving, Julie!….WTF? Had to be today? 

[CanaryFan98]

31 minutes ago, chediavolo said:

If you haven’t watched, spoiler:

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving, Julie!….WTF? Had to be today? 

I mentioned this in the Spoiler thread. I personally didn't care for it but at the same time it does make sense that it can happen over the holidays. Plus the family is already in town for the holiday so it was probably easier for the show to do this.

[4evaQuez]

There were so many Horton and Horton adjacent characters on screen today: Julie, Jennifer, Jack, JJ, Chad, Eli, and Lani. It felt like a classic Days episode. I really enjoyed it.

I know there's a lot of discussion on this board about the show not caring about male Hortons, but I thought today's show represented why that is. Julie and Jennifer really carried every scene they were in today. The Horton women are staples because they are just so dynamic. Even in death (Abby) or absence (Hope), they are still instrumental to the plot, and they are still felt.

I always loved Jennifer vs. Chad scenes. After KM's Abby, MR's Jennifer is Chad's best screen partner. I wish the show had done more to build the Chad vs. Jennifer animosity during Abby's first death when they were fighting for custody of the kid(s). 

JJ is a terrible strategist. He wants to convince Gabi to help him, so he reminds her of the time Abby as Gabby framed Gabi for murder, which resulted in false imprisonment. While imprisoned, she was beaten to the point of losing the ability to have children. Gabi should hate Abby even more than she hates Clyde. At least her leg healed.

I didn't like the Gabi and JJ scenes. CM still can't generate romantic chemistry.

Lani, Abe, and Paulina should be a familial unit with a lot more tension. I know this storyline happened a while ago now, but Abe should be angrier at Paulina for allowing him to think Lani was his daughter. Whenever they mention Lani's felony and conviction, it should be a sting to Paulina and Abe's relationship.

I don't mind Doug dying on Thanksgiving. It gives Jennifer and Jack (and Eli) a reason to be onscreen and provide immediate comfort to Julie. If they were not on canvas, the only person who would make sense to be a shoulder to Julie would be Maggie. I've found the Julie/Jennifer relationship to be more endearing and important these past few years than Julie/Maggie, so I'd rather Jennifer be her immediate confidante.

 

Edited November 28 by 4evaQuez

[oceanblue]

Last year Doug was running the Turkey Trot

[CanaryFan98]

4 hours ago, oceanblue said:

Last year Doug was running the Turkey Trot

I think John was too

[Guncle Adam]

On 11/26/2024 at 12:24 AM, DisneyBoy said:

Good lord, had Johnny's headboard always been so HUGE?

Sometimes Johnny shoots it from different angles to make it look bigger. 

[CanaryFan98]

4 hours ago, 4evaQuez said:

There were so many Horton and Horton adjacent characters on screen today: Julie, Jennifer, Jack, JJ, Chad, Eli, and Lani. It felt like a classic Days episode. I really enjoyed it.

I know there's a lot of discussion on this board about the show not caring about male Hortons, but I thought today's show represented why that is. Julie and Jennifer really carried every scene they were in today. The Horton women are staples because they are just so dynamic. Even in death (Abby) or absence (Hope), they are still instrumental to the plot, and they are still felt.

I always loved Jennifer vs. Chad scenes. After KM's Abby, MR's Jennifer is Chad's best screen partner. I wish the show had done more to build the Chad vs. Jennifer animosity during Abby's first death when they were fighting for custody of the kid(s). 

JJ is a terrible strategist. He wants to convince Gabi to help him, so he reminds her of the time Abby as Gabby framed Gabi for murder, which resulted in false imprisonment. While imprisoned, she was beaten to the point of losing the ability to have children. Gabi should hate Abby even more than she hates Clyde. At least her leg healed.

I didn't like the Gabi and JJ scenes. CM still can't generate romantic chemistry.

Lani, Abe, and Paulina should be a familial unit with a lot more tension. I know this storyline happened a while ago now, but Abe should be angrier at Paulina for allowing him to think Lani was his daughter. Whenever they mention Lani's felony and conviction, it should be a sting to Paulina and Abe's relationship.

I don't mind Doug dying on Thanksgiving. It gives Jennifer and Jack (and Eli) a reason to be onscreen and provide immediate comfort to Julie. If they were not on canvas, the only person who would make sense to be a shoulder to Julie would be Maggie. I've found the Julie/Jennifer relationship to be more endearing and important these past few years than Julie/Maggie, so I'd rather Jennifer be her immediate confidante.

 

The show actually invests in the females. Do they do that with the males? I think Mike could have been the family patriarch had they invested in him. He connects the show’s beginning yet that doesn’t seem to matter. Lucas could have had a presence also but the show doesn’t care about him beyond Sami and that’s barely. Eli could also have a place here as Julie’s grandson but they don’t see him beyond token status. 
 

There’s Shawn who should have carried the show into the future like we thought. Instead he’s reduced to being cheated on by Belle every couple of years. Total simp status. At least last time he did the cheating 

That being said the Horton women stand out and are more compelling but the men could have been the same too. 

 

[DisneyBoy]

1 hour ago, CanaryFan98 said:

There’s Shawn who should have carried the show into the future like we thought. Instead he’s reduced to being cheated on by Belle every couple of years. Total simp status. At least last time he did the cheating

😬

Ouch. That was hard to read. But honest. Poor guy.

In fairness, too many of the women are developed by having them fight each other for men, then putting them into asylums or prison and then having them be desperate for children. Soaps can be pretty bleak that way.

I only watched the end of today's episode for The Moment...and I'm immediately uncomfortable. I'm unable to not respond to acting choices.

For example, Jack should not have been the one to break the news, as his acting is not believable anymore and hasn't been for some time. I don't know where MA's instincts went but they aren't apparent. JJ should have found Doug.

And I'm sensing that I'm going to judge SSH's acting choices too, which is horrendously unfair :( These are not HER reactions to Bill's passing but Julie's scripted and blocked reactions. The trouble is the show lacks strong visual direction or naturalistic elements. Performances are sufficient at best.

Thing is, soap plots with deaths and crying are the Big Moments we as viewers lean in and pay attention to. That's how the genre works. And often, it's what gets Awards.

So I think I'm going to have to try to shut off the part of my brain that wants to see believable grieving responses and satisfying dramatic staging because...maybe this isn't the occasion to see the show outdo itself in the entertainment department? The performers might not be at the top of their game. And let's be real here, the scripts are usually not either.

Bottom line, I'm not sure how to enjoy this or process it or be entertained by it. If an actor is fired and a character is killed off, the death can be entertaining or satisfying in some way.

I guess because this is Susan's literal husband dying, I feel like I should look away, even though obviously that's not the point. This is now part of the story. It's just...hard. I'm thinking about other memorable soap character deaths and how raw they felt. How realistically they were depicted.

And I guess I want DOOL to really nail it, even though A) I don't really want to cry right now and B) it's not a storyline as much as a necessary development and therefore I should cut them all slack.

Hopefully I can just detach a bit. It's a weird situation, harder than John A's passing because his literal wife was not up there on the screen, you know?

[4evaQuez]

1 hour ago, DisneyBoy said:

😬

Ouch. That was hard to read. But honest. Poor guy.

In fairness, too many of the women are developed by having them fight each other for men, then putting them into asylums or prison and then having them be desperate for children. Soaps can be pretty bleak that way.

But does this apply to any of the Horton women mentioned? Abby may be the only one with her DID, but even then, she never fought for Chad. He usually fought for her: Stefan, Ben, Cameron, and Dario are the four that come to mind. I guess there's Gabi who always lost in love to Abby regarding Chad. Has gone villainous for Chad and for a time became obsessed with not being able to have children. Gabi is not a Horton.

I know people here hate Cin, but I don't recall Ciara being in a love triangle with Ben, and again, wasn't he in a couple for her: Theo and Tripp. Ben is also the one in several asylums and prisons and suffers from mental illness. I guess there's Claire, but I wouldn't call that a triangle as she became a pyromaniac and was obviously not the root for couple. I'm also certain her pyromania came about because of Tripp and not Ben. So there's one Horton woman this could apply to. Ironically, this is the one Horton woman the show obviously did not care about.

I can't recall Sarah ever fighting for Xander, so far, unless you count Maggie. (That's obviously a joke).

Jennifer and Hope, I would argue, aren't simply defined by Jack and Bo. Hell, Jennifer and Hope is one of the most important friendships/familial relationships on the show.

I would argue that none of the Horton women can be defined simply by fighting for men, except for Claire. And where is she again? Oh yeah, as unsuccessful a character as the male Hortons.

I'd argue Lucas can't be defined with Sami and Kate. Shawn can't be defined with Belle, Bo, and Hope. Eli has never been defined except as the token black guy, who is sometimes a cop. The women are doing much better.

 

Edited November 29 by 4evaQuez

[boes]

So Slappie's back in town!  I can't quarrel with Jennifer giving Cat a slap, considering what she did, but Jennifer's slap, and then her telling Chad and JJ what they were and were not going to do reminded me of the bad old days when Show was Jennifer and Abigail heavy and the mother/daughter duo were walking around Salem slapping their way through the week.

I didn't really think Cady's Jennifer was very good but at least I didn't dislike her the way I do Melissa's Jen.  Thank the soap Gods that Kate Mansi is employed elsewhere, so there's currently no chance to reunite that unholy duo.

It's nice to see Eli again, I always like it when he's around.  It seems that Lani never bothers seeing the woman she considered to be her mother, the one who raised her, after finding out that Foghorn Paulina was her birth mother.  Show acts like she and Lani were always mother and daughter when in fact it's not been all that long.  I love that Eli deals with the overbearing women in his life - mother-in-law Paulina and grandmother Julie, with affection but with absolutely no intention of letting them run his life in any way.  He does it with a smile but there's iron in that man's spine.

So Doug's passing begins.  Let there be some grace in all of this.

Edited November 29 by boes

[SouthernChick]

I am tired of all these characters shitting on Cat. Zero compassion for her. There should be nuance to their reactions, but instead we get Jennifer and Julie basically telling Chad to let Clyde kill her. 

[CanaryFan98]

This show has never been known for nuance since maybe the early 90s. That being said Jennifer’s reaction doesn’t bother me. I am bothered by how it reminded me of how terrible this story has been. Jack/Jennifer/JJ should have been involved to begin with and not be there after the fact. This shows only cares about Abby connected to the Dimeras and acts like the family she grew up in is an afterthought. 

 

@4evaQuez actually Abby lost to Melanie when it came to Chad at one point but yeah it was Chad who did the fighting for her

[4evaQuez]

I've mentioned that all my favorite Days characters are offscreen: Chloe, Jennifer, Hope, Sami, Bo, and Nicole. It's wonderful seeing Jennifer and Hope again. It feels like Days again with those two on screen.

I enjoyed all the Days' flashbacks and appreciated that the show chose so many from the 80s and before.

Was that a scene of Julie and Doug's first meeting? The flashback was so brief that I couldn't tell the context of their conversation.

Why was Hope wearing one earring in the flashback when she's pregnant with Shawn Douglass? Was that a fashion trend? I liked hearing Addie mentioned. It seems so rare that she is.

It was good seeing so many people in the Horton House. It feels like such a treat to see that many characters in one place now.

I wish they'd left Charlotte and Thomas with Holly instead of Xander. I would never leave my kids or grandkids with that man. 

 

[DisneyBoy]

1 hour ago, 4evaQuez said:

I've mentioned that all my favorite Days characters are offscreen: Chloe, Jennifer, Hope, Sami, Bo, and Nicole. It's wonderful seeing Jennifer and Hope again. It feels like Days again with those two on screen.

I enjoyed all the Days' flashbacks and appreciated that the show chose so many from the 80s and before.

Was that a scene of Julie and Doug's first meeting? The flashback was so brief that I couldn't tell the context of their conversation.

Why was Hope wearing one earring in the flashback when she's pregnant with Shawn Douglass? Was that a fashion trend? I liked hearing Addie mentioned. It seems so rare that she is.

It was good seeing so many people in the Horton House. It feels like such a treat to see that many characters in one place now.

I wish they'd left Charlotte and Thomas with Holly instead of Xander. I would never leave my kids or grandkids with that man. 

 

I'm not necessarily a fan of Missy but yes, seeing her and KA back makes the show feel a little more whole.

Agreed about leaving the kids with Holly.

 

So.

Big Episode.

KA was the standout. She really didn't hold back and I think the pain of seeing her character regret not being there was relatable. Even if KA's schedule didn't make it possible for her to be in all the scenes with her costars - and if the idiotic creative team squashed the original happy ending of Bo's return last year and prevented them all from having scenes together again - I think she's really going to bring it now. Watching Hope process may well be the big takeaway here, for me at least. (Has KA ever won an Emmy? Not to be crass, but maybe if the material is solid, she could stand a chance now)

SR, as always, made Maggie's reaction pretty subtle and beautiful too.

The script had some nice use of flashbacks, particularly Julie kissing Doug's hand after recalling him kissing hers on a date. It was also cool to see Doug and Maggie dancing (I hardly recognized her!).

...it just strikes me as such a shame that people watching the show today, like myself, really have no idea how much fun Doug was as a character, or Bill as a performer. Seeing these rare clips is a window into another time, back when the show had nuance, a nice budget and actors who were triple threats putting their abilities to good use. I enjoy Sarah and Xander and Eli, sure, but, doesn't vintage Doug look like way more fun than any of these new guys? I kinda want to watch that show now.

I maintain that Jack should not have been the one handling so much of this. MA is really taking me out of everything. He's cringy, cheesy and almost acting like he's in a spoof or something. Like he's the MC of an after-school program (remember those?) I'm probably being a bit harsh on him but I really feel like they have a blind spot about his abilities and need to not give him heavy lifting to do at important moments, like this.

I'm not sure the show should have asked SSH/Julie to talk to the body of her dead husband on camera like that unless she was really comfortable with it and able to give a performance. I got the uneasy feeling this was really weird for her. Like she turned to the crew after each scene and said, wearily, "is that what you wanted?" and then trudged over to the coffee cart and asked herself "WTF am I doing today?" or something. Hopefully not.

Less is more. They could have just had her walk into the room and immediately flashed back to the date, and just kissed Doug's hand. Simple.

I also found it very weird that Julie's initial reaction wasn't to rush upstairs herself. She's a very take charge kinda gal and conversing with Jack and then sitting down struck me as unrealistic. She'd have sprinted up those stairs the minute Jack said Doug wasn't responsive.

Then Kayla just walked into the room - Julie and Doug's bedroom, where he was laying dead! - with this casual speed, like "the episode is almost over, I don't have time to waste." Things usually slow down in a situation like this. Where was Kayla's respectful hesitancy to intrude? They could have shown a time lapse and suggested Julie spent an hour or two just sitting with him, reminiscing and holding him. That would have felt more realistic. Doug passed away at home. Surely there was time for Julie to privately mourn him and say goodbye to his body without so many people interrupting.

And of course we have the (painful) beginning of John's death storyline, with him abandoning Marlena. I'm dreading the shape that this will take. What can they possible cook up to justify John going on a mission without so much as a word to Doc? We had that crap years ago with Bo, and it wasn't fun then either. I so wish Drake had been able - or asked - to record some audio as phone calls to Doc. It's going to be agonizing these next few months :(

Nice shot of all the women standing together in the Horton livingroom. I hope they got a picture of that.

Overall, I'm glad the episode just focused on the moments around his passing and family finding out.

Edited November 29 by DisneyBoy