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

[CanaryFan98]

3 hours ago, Rodney said:

It helps for me that Ava is aware that she isn't such a great person and acknowledges the bad things that she's done.  Kristen doesn't do that at all.

Yes there's that also. I also found her relationship with Tripp humanizes her for me a lot more than Rachel does for Kristen which isn't at all. 

[salvame]

I'm sorry, but any talk of "feuds" among actors sounds so middle school. How old are all these women???

That "workout" scene in whatever we call that room in the Kiriakas mansion was every bit as bazaar as described. It's getting to where if a male character opens the door fully clothed, I'm surprised LOL.

I've said it several times - Kristen is supposed to be this powerful, driven, business women, yet she is written as so obsessed with someone who doesn't love her. All her scheming against Brady are supposed to make her look strong and Brady look weak, but I feel they both end up being pathetic. And I loathe what Ron has done to Rachael. There is absolutely nothing cute or sweet about her. Kristen has seen to it that Rachael is a total bitch, already. There is no place for her to go as she ages, and I don't see the potential for redeeming her at this point. If the new writers keep on this path, maybe she can be the future of the Demiera clan - she's already more conniving than any of them - maybe she could give the memories if Stephano a run for their money. He was the ultimate villain, and Days has never been able to successfully create or write another. 

Speaking of Stephan O - has his SL just been dropped? The whole thing with Stephan-Vivian-Phillip seemed very awkward. The only tidbit that remains is Phillip's. There is no mention of Viv or Stephan that I've heard.

[Rodney]

10 minutes ago, salvame said:

Speaking of Stephan O - has his SL just been dropped?

Yes.  He was shipped off to Alamainia before he could reconcile with Gabi.  Vivian had Ivan ship him off.

[salvame]

28 minutes ago, Rodney said:

Yes.  He was shipped off to Alamainia before he could reconcile with Gabi.  Vivian had Ivan ship him off.

I remember that, but no mention of him since. Outta sight, outta mind, I guess!

[Rodney]

40 minutes ago, salvame said:

I remember that, but no mention of him since.

Because that was Brandon Barash's last air date.

[DaphneCat]

OK, so today's episode had me rolling my eyes so hard I think I damaged something.  I KNOW it's a soap and most things aren't even vaguely based in reality but the whole courtroom thing had me wanting to scream.  In matters of inheritance - unless you can prove incompetence or undue influence last will written is THE deciding factor.  It supersedes any letters, written communication, oral statements or even previous wills.  It should be "What is the date of this letter?"  "What is the date of the will?"  If the letter preceded the will (and it would have had to since Phillip can't prove it was sent from Greece where Victor spent his final days) case closed.  Xander wins.  All this who is more qualified or who is a worse character crap is just irritating filler. 

[CanaryFan98]

7 hours ago, salvame said:

I'm sorry, but any talk of "feuds" among actors sounds so middle school. How old are all these women???

That "workout" scene in whatever we call that room in the Kiriakas mansion was every bit as bazaar as described. It's getting to where if a male character opens the door fully clothed, I'm surprised LOL.

I've said it several times - Kristen is supposed to be this powerful, driven, business women, yet she is written as so obsessed with someone who doesn't love her. All her scheming against Brady are supposed to make her look strong and Brady look weak, but I feel they both end up being pathetic. And I loathe what Ron has done to Rachael. There is absolutely nothing cute or sweet about her. Kristen has seen to it that Rachael is a total bitch, already. There is no place for her to go as she ages, and I don't see the potential for redeeming her at this point. If the new writers keep on this path, maybe she can be the future of the Demiera clan - she's already more conniving than any of them - maybe she could give the memories if Stephano a run for their money. He was the ultimate villain, and Days has never been able to successfully create or write another. 

Speaking of Stephan O - has his SL just been dropped? The whole thing with Stephan-Vivian-Phillip seemed very awkward. The only tidbit that remains is Phillip's. There is no mention of Viv or Stephan that I've heard.

I feel like Stefan will return at some point probably when Gabi has moved onto JJ in true soapy fashion.

I agree about Rachel/Kristen/Brady. 

I don't get why they can't just pair Brady with a normal chick and just have him deal with family drama. Especially with John gone someone needs to take the mantle. I think Eric might be better(and I say this as someone who doesn't care for him much) but Brady is actually around and not nearly as sanctimonious either. I liked when Tate first showed up they had Brady deal with that instead of his revolving door of love interests. It was something different for him and he had to mature a bit and realize he wasn't stable for him. They could've brought TB back as Taylor again and pair her with Brady if they want to keep Tamara around without having the Ava baggage(which is also hard to accept like Kristen but she's way more watchable). 

Which brings me to Rachel she should've stayed Mackenzie and I think her being alive would've been far better drama for this show than making her Brady/Kristen's kid and the drama isn't there like you expected it to be especially with John now gone.  Xander may have loved her as his own but it would've been a problem for Eric(if he were still here) and having those two deal with each other for years worth of drama would have been better than whatever this has been.

[SouthernChick]

Am I the only one who thinks Shawn is a dud? He has no charisma or personality. And it has nothing to do with storyline, because he’s like this regardless of what’s going on in his life. I’m glad that he and Belle are still friends, though.

[oceanblue]

Shawn has been Debbie Downer for years

[SouthernChick]

3 minutes ago, oceanblue said:

Shawn has been Debbie Downer for years

I can’t tell if that’s a writing choice or if BB cannot act. I’ve never seen Shawn animated. 

[brisbydog]

1 hour ago, SouthernChick said:

Am I the only one who thinks Shawn is a dud? He has no charisma or personality. And it has nothing to do with storyline, because he’s like this regardless of what’s going on in his life. I’m glad that he and Belle are still friends, though.

Not just you. He's only interesting when Jan is after him. He is dull with Belle too. If we have to keep him he needs a bad girl pairing. Is he related to Gwen ?

[Rodney]

13 minutes ago, brisbydog said:

Not just you. He's only interesting when Jan is after him. He is dull with Belle too. If we have to keep him he needs a bad girl pairing. Is he related to Gwen ?

No.

[nilyank]

1 hour ago, brisbydog said:

Not just you. He's only interesting when Jan is after him. He is dull with Belle too. If we have to keep him he needs a bad girl pairing. Is he related to Gwen ?

Gwen should be paired with Brady.

[DisneyBoy]

Gwen should die.

😅

Sorry not sorry?

6 hours ago, CanaryFan98 said:

I liked when Tate first showed up they had Brady deal with that instead of his revolving door of love interests. It was something different for him and he had to mature a bit and realize he wasn't stable for him.

So glad you pointed this out. I totally agree. Brady was getting an overdue wakeup call and dealing with new challenges. It was a nice change of pace.

Both Philip and Shawn D need new actors in the roles.

[methodwriter85]

This has been making the rounds...behold Phillip's incredibly realistic leg prosthetic!

[boes]

6 hours ago, SouthernChick said:

Am I the only one who thinks Shawn is a dud? He has no charisma or personality.

He always seems permanently depressed.  He could lower the temp in a walk in freezer.

As for John Paul Lavosier, I just can't with this guy.  Ron C., once again, managed to recruit one of the worst, most tic prone actor from OLTL and bring him to Salem.  JPL has managed to get even worse from his Llanview days.

He makes me yearn for the good old days when people got buried alive in Salem.

[brisbydog]

Why on earth would Belle bring up a murder plot that Sarah would still only know about through heresay when they have documented proof with legal documents that Xander was ready to trade Titan to Kristen for an untested serum? I mean... that was legal gold for proving he didn't care about the company and Philip came to save it.

[DaphneCat]

Well, as ridiculous as today's episode was, at least we're spared any more courtroom "drama."  Could the show have dropped any more anvils about THE LETTER?  It is obvious that it won't  be long before it is found out the letter is a fake but how much stupid shit are we supposed to put up with in the meantime?  

While Alex has somewhat improved of late, expecting us to actually feel sympathy for the guy is carrying things a bit too far.   Don't care even a little bit about his drama with Stephanie.

[Rodney]

2 hours ago, DaphneCat said:

While Alex has somewhat improved of late, expecting us to actually feel sympathy for the guy is carrying things a bit too far.   Don't care even a little bit about his drama with Stephanie.

Um, it's not "a bit too far" for me.  I do feel for him being stuck in the middle of this whole thing with Johnny, Chanel, and Joy when he didn't really ask to be part of it.

[brisbydog]

26 minutes ago, Rodney said:

Um, it's not "a bit too far" for me.  I do feel for him being stuck in the middle of this whole thing with Johnny, Chanel, and Joy when he didn't really ask to be part of it.

I agree. I feel terrible for Alex, especially since Johnny's lies basically pushed the girl Alex wants into Philips lips

[CanaryFan98]

While I do think Phillip and Shawn should be played by different actors I'm not sure even that would make a difference. The writing is just terrible for everyone. The actors can only do so much with what they are given and tbh it's not much.

Phillip on paper is fine he just needs to be recast. 

Even if Shawn was recast I don't know if it would make a difference because the show doesn't seem to be interested in Shawn beyond Belle and that's barely. Every woman he will be with is DOA because he's inextricably tied to Belle. He's a Horton male I have long accepted it won't be anything worthwhile story wise for them. 

Hard to believe that the son of Bo and Hope is a nonfactor on this show. He should've carried the show into the future and this is not what I imagined for him when he was born.

[4evaQuez]

6 minutes ago, CanaryFan98 said:

Hard to believe that the son of Bo and Hope is a nonfactor on this show. He should've carried the show into the future and this is not what I imagined for him when he was born.

Personally, I think this is what really damaged the character. I've felt for a long time that the show chose the wrong characterization for adult Shawn. The show wanted to make him a mini Bo; although, that was never his characterization when he was a teenager when Jason Cook played him. His Shawn wanted to be a lawyer, was smarter, more worldly, and quite wealthy because of his Horton and Kiriakis connection. I can't imagine Cook's Shawn in blue-collar work. (To be clear, there's nothing wrong with that). 

I wonder what would have happened if Shawn had more of Hope's spoiled and entitled qualities. (To be clear, that's not meant as an insult. That's part of the reason I love Hope). While Bo loved that in Hope and presumably Ciara, I do wonder if that's something he'll respect in a son. I wonder if that's something he'll see as too "Kirakis" about his son, and would feel alienated from Shawn as a result. While Bo is no longer blue-collar, I do think he still saw himself that way. Seeing a son that had a lot more of Hope and Victor in him, could have been a great source for drama, and it would have allowed Shawn to have more of his own identity.

I think trying to replicate Bo and Hope (and Marlena and John via Belle) with Shawn and Shelle is what damaged the character as an adult. Instead of writing for the character, the show tried to replicate Bo. It handicapped the character.

Changing Zach's paternity from Hope and John hurt the Shawn's character. (And killing him, of course). Imagine a Shawn vs. Zach rivalry because Zach sides with his sister, Belle, over her many infidelities instead of supporting his brother, Shawn. How would it impact Hope to see her sons feuding with each other? Would Bo lose respect for a white-collar son that reminded him of Victor who chooses to accept his wife's many infidelities? 

The show chose every opportunity to handicap Shawn inadvertently and keeping Beemer when the show doesn't want him around is another choice that damages the character.

[CanaryFan98]

1 hour ago, 4evaQuez said:

Personally, I think this is what really damaged the character. I've felt for a long time that the show chose the wrong characterization for adult Shawn. The show wanted to make him a mini Bo; although, that was never his characterization when he was a teenager when Jason Cook played him. His Shawn wanted to be a lawyer, was smarter, more worldly, and quite wealthy because of his Horton and Kiriakis connection. I can't imagine Cook's Shawn in blue-collar work. (To be clear, there's nothing wrong with that). 

I wonder what would have happened if Shawn had more of Hope's spoiled and entitled qualities. (To be clear, that's not meant as an insult. That's part of the reason I love Hope). While Bo loved that in Hope and presumably Ciara, I do wonder if that's something he'll respect in a son. I wonder if that's something he'll see as too "Kirakis" about his son, and would feel alienated from Shawn as a result. While Bo is no longer blue-collar, I do think he still saw himself that way. Seeing a son that had a lot more of Hope and Victor in him, could have been a great source for drama, and it would have allowed Shawn to have more of his own identity.

I think trying to replicate Bo and Hope (and Marlena and John via Belle) with Shawn and Shelle is what damaged the character as an adult. Instead of writing for the character, the show tried to replicate Bo. It handicapped the character.

Changing Zach's paternity from Hope and John hurt the Shawn's character. (And killing him, of course). Imagine a Shawn vs. Zach rivalry because Zach sides with his sister, Belle, over her many infidelities instead of supporting his brother, Shawn. How would it impact Hope to see her sons feuding with each other? Would Bo lose respect for a white-collar son that reminded him of Victor who chooses to accept his wife's many infidelities? 

The show chose every opportunity to handicap Shawn inadvertently and keeping Beemer when the show doesn't want him around is another choice that damages the character.

I think those are very good points tbh and a large part of why these soaps can't really move to the future because they are stuck on the past and didn't pass the torch so to speak. I could see Shawn as a bit more wordly just like his mom yet not afraid to color outside the lines like his dad if needed.

I also never saw Shawn as a mini-Bo long term. I think Joey might've fit the bill being released from prison he'd have an edge similar to Steve/Bo but like Bo never really fitting in compared to his siblings where one is a doctor and another has their own PR firm.  They can fit in but he's an outsider. 

The children of these super couples don't really have their own identity and it's why they all seem so interchangeable.

[Artsda]

Alex was stupid to lie to Stephanie for Johnny.  He hurt her for a cheater?

The letter forgery can't come out fast enough. Belle is equally terrible, yes Phillip is the good guy according to her. 

 

[SouthernChick]

Shawn isn’t written as a mini-Bo. If he was, maybe he would be interesting. Though I’m not sure he would be interesting with this version (Beemer).

1 minute ago, Artsda said:

 

The letter forgery can't come out fast enough. Belle is equally terrible, yes Phillip is the good guy according to her. 

 

Why is Belle terrible? She doesn’t know the letter is forged. And Xander has committed lots of attempted murder against her family members. I don’t blame her for not liking him.

[brisbydog]

9 minutes ago, SouthernChick said:

Shawn isn’t written as a mini-Bo. If he was, maybe he would be interesting. Though I’m not sure he would be interesting with this version (Beemer).

Why is Belle terrible? She doesn’t know the letter is forged. And Xander has committed lots of attempted murder against her family members. I don’t blame her for not liking him.

Sure, but Philip shot her beloved brother full of alcohol, doused him in blood, tossed his fake leg at him and let him go to jail for his murder. She should loathe him too.

[SouthernChick]

13 minutes ago, brisbydog said:

Sure, but Philip shot her beloved brother full of alcohol, doused him in blood, tossed his fake leg at him and let him go to jail for his murder. She should loathe him too.

 Xander has done more. Much more.

[brisbydog]

4 minutes ago, SouthernChick said:

 Xander has done more. Much more.

It's not a contest. She should hate Philip for his own independent crime against her brother. And I don't buy the mental health excuse any more than I did for Ben. At least Xander owns his terrible choices 

[Rodney]

8 hours ago, brisbydog said:

It's not a contest. She should hate Philip for his own independent crime against her brother. And I don't buy the mental health excuse any more than I did for Ben. At least Xander owns his terrible choices 

I would say that it is, actually.  Philip never tried to kill anybody in that instance.  And he was mentally ill, or he wouldn't have gone to a mental health hospital in the first place.  Xander did try to kill people, however.  In his right mind.  Multiple times.  And saying that he's owned his crimes while Philip hasn't is flat-out wrong.  Philip's also done so.

Edited Wednesday at 10:37 AM by Rodney

[SouthernChick]

The bottom line is I don’t see what makes Belle “terrible” for representing Philip, given she doesn’t know about the letter being forged. If Belle is terrible for representing Philip then Justin is terrible for representing Xander, given the crime of kidnapping against Justin’s wife. 

[Rodney]

1 minute ago, SouthernChick said:

The bottom line is I don’t see what makes Belle “terrible” for representing Philip, given she doesn’t know about the letter being forged. If Belle is terrible for representing Philip then Justin is terrible for representing Xander, given the crime of kidnapping against Justin’s wife. 

Exactly.  What's good for the goose should be good for the gander.

[Artsda]

1 hour ago, SouthernChick said:

Shawn isn’t written as a mini-Bo. If he was, maybe he would be interesting. Though I’m not sure he would be interesting with this version (Beemer).

Why is Belle terrible? She doesn’t know the letter is forged. And Xander has committed lots of attempted murder against her family members. I don’t blame her for not liking him.

And Phillip hasnt? The guy she thinks is so good poured booze down Brady's throat to frame him for murder. She went after Sarah who just was hit by a drunk driver, again by someone framing her brother and used things in confidence against her. 

All for Phillip to steal a company that Victor didn't want him to have. 

Edited Wednesday at 03:18 AM by Artsda

[SouthernChick]

Again, Belle doesn’t know the letter is a fake. It doesn’t make her terrible to take Philip’s case any more than it makes Justin terrible for taking Xander’s.

[nilyank]

I cannot stand Belle but she is an attorney and it is her job to put the best case for her client. Philip is also one of her oldest friends and former husband.

Being a lawyer is a thankless job in Salem. Either you are always losing your cases, your relationships suffers for taking on a case or you look stupid so the other side can win.

As for Titan? I wanted Philip to have it because he was the character who was conceived by Victor and Kate in order to eventually take over Victor's legacy. My history has been longer with him. Now I also like Xander and understand why Victor would want to make it up to him for denying him as his son. I wish they would divide it up between them.

Thankfully Ciarra is not living in Salem or else I would think the show would hand her the company, which would be a big fat nope.

[DaphneCat]

7 hours ago, brisbydog said:

I agree. I feel terrible for Alex, especially since Johnny's lies basically pushed the girl Alex wants into Philips lips

Except I don't understand WHY Alex is showing such extreme loyalty that he won't even have a private conversation with Stephanie.  He agreed not to say anything to Chanel, but it's not like him and Johnny are such great friends that he needs to throw himself on his sword and basically trash his own life for Johnny's sake.  Especially since the only reason that rumor got started is because he was calling Johnny out for basically being an ass by allowing daddy to use his money to run Joy out of town with no thought for how it would affect her career in the future.  (Johnny had no idea that EJ offered Joy introductions and connections.)  Does he not trust Stephanie?  If so, is that really all that great of a relationship?

[Rodney]

You know, given that E.J.'s been a victim of Clyde, too (he lost years with his family because of him), you'd think that he would've had some understanding for Mark today.  The fact that he had none and showed none actually made me glad that Belle showed up to deflate him and get Mark's sentence reduced down to a year-and-a-half.  Better than ten, if nothing else.

[DisneyBoy]

Anyone else feel like some of these characters' pasts are just too complicated for any of their present-day responses to neatly reflect their experiences?

I appreciate it when the show tries - Belle hating Xander and feeling loyal to her ex, Philip, for instance - but as stated, there were events that could reasonably lead her to the opposite conclusion - Xander was named in the letter and is "better now" and Philip framed Brady for murder.

[DaphneCat]

28 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

Anyone else feel like some of these characters' pasts are just too complicated for any of their present-day responses to neatly reflect their experiences?

Yep.  Mark somehow getting 18 months in PRISON for basically the "crime" of forging a DNA test (the only thing he really did in Salem) while Mr. DA himself forged a DNA test exactly how long ago?

I guess when pretty much everyone has done heinous things it's kind of hard to rank them - much less keep up with who you're currently supposed to be hating.

[Rodney]

12 minutes ago, DaphneCat said:

Yep.  Mark somehow getting 18 months in PRISON for basically the "crime" of forging a DNA test (the only thing he really did in Salem) while Mr. DA himself forged a DNA test exactly how long ago?

I don't recall E.J. faking a DNA test.

[DaphneCat]

15 minutes ago, Rodney said:

I don't recall E.J. faking a DNA test.

When he had the results showing that Jude was actually Eric's child - didn't he give Nicole results saying it was his?

[Rodney]

1 minute ago, DaphneCat said:

When he had the results showing that Jude was actually Eric's child - didn't he give Nicole results saying it was his?

No, Sloan did, not E.J.

[DaphneCat]

37 minutes ago, Rodney said:

No, Sloan did, not E.J.

After the baby was returned to Nicole, EJ said they were going to do their own DNA test to make sure he was actually their baby.  EJ really just wanted to make sure of the results himself but he did tell Nicole that the baby was his - not Eric's.

[CanaryFan98]

2 hours ago, DaphneCat said:

When he had the results showing that Jude was actually Eric's child - didn't he give Nicole results saying it was his?

That was Sloan not EJ, EJ thought it was his until Sloan told him otherwise months later

[DaphneCat]

1 hour ago, CanaryFan98 said:

That was Sloan not EJ, EJ thought it was his until Sloan told him otherwise months later

I'm talking about after Eric returned the child.  EJ DID have a DNA test run to double check that Sloan wasn't lying to him.  THAT is what Stephan found in the DiMeara safe - the actual DNA results saying that Jude was Eric's.

[Artsda]

Belle's on a roll, first criminal forgery with Phillip and now a man who tried to murder Chad. 

[SouthernChick]

2 minutes ago, Artsda said:

Belle's on a roll, first criminal forgery with Phillip and now a man who tried to murder Chad. 

Belle didn’t know about the forged letter. 

[boes]

Second favorite part of the Show for me today was gloriously chuckling, self-satisfied EJ, playing district attorney as if he was in a high end stakes game of Risk.  There's something about Dan leaning in to EJ's joy about being an evil prick that just makes me smile.

Total Favorite part of the Show today, though, was Belle, just as joyously, pricking EJ's vengeance balloon and taking all the air out of it.  Both of them had a bounce in their step I haven't seen for quite some time.

So how exactly does a time capsule, buried in a grave, exactly work?  Anyone digging it up in the future is going to look like a grave robber.  Not that that's exactly unbelievable in Salem.

Also, why would a Horton time capsule now be devoted solely to the memory of Abigail?  Or does her annoying personality cancel everyone else out even after death?

I was hoping somebody would have remembered to throw her virginity ring in there with the rest of the stuff.

 

Edited Friday at 06:18 AM by boes

[DisneyBoy]

13 hours ago, boes said:

Also, why would a Horton time capsule now be devoted solely to the memory of Abigail?  Or does her annoying personality cancel everyone else out even after death?

See, it's the possibility of stuff like this that makes me not tune in some days.

[Rodney]

Today was okay.  Looks like Chad, for the most part, gave his forgiveness to Cat.  I guess seeing that she was telling the truth about her mother really altered his thinking of her.  Though the big surprise was Cat saying that she ran into Jack and Jennifer and the latter didn't slap her or scream at her again.

J.J. and Gabi are being set up for another round?  I wouldn't be against it, though I do wonder if Casey's on contract now?

Oh, of course Sophia shows up again to say that she's pregnant.  Of course.  But is it Tate's?

[Pearson80]

On 12/17/2024 at 7:33 PM, 4evaQuez said:

Personally, I think this is what really damaged the character. I've felt for a long time that the show chose the wrong characterization for adult Shawn. The show wanted to make him a mini Bo; although, that was never his characterization when he was a teenager when Jason Cook played him. His Shawn wanted to be a lawyer, was smarter, more worldly, and quite wealthy because of his Horton and Kiriakis connection. I can't imagine Cook's Shawn in blue-collar work. (To be clear, there's nothing wrong with that). 

I wonder what would have happened if Shawn had more of Hope's spoiled and entitled qualities. (To be clear, that's not meant as an insult. That's part of the reason I love Hope). While Bo loved that in Hope and presumably Ciara, I do wonder if that's something he'll respect in a son. I wonder if that's something he'll see as too "Kirakis" about his son, and would feel alienated from Shawn as a result. While Bo is no longer blue-collar, I do think he still saw himself that way. Seeing a son that had a lot more of Hope and Victor in him, could have been a great source for drama, and it would have allowed Shawn to have more of his own identity.

I think trying to replicate Bo and Hope (and Marlena and John via Belle) with Shawn and Shelle is what damaged the character as an adult. Instead of writing for the character, the show tried to replicate Bo. It handicapped the character.

Changing Zach's paternity from Hope and John hurt the Shawn's character. (And killing him, of course). Imagine a Shawn vs. Zach rivalry because Zach sides with his sister, Belle, over her many infidelities instead of supporting his brother, Shawn. How would it impact Hope to see her sons feuding with each other? Would Bo lose respect for a white-collar son that reminded him of Victor who chooses to accept his wife's many infidelities? 

The show chose every opportunity to handicap Shawn inadvertently and keeping Beemer when the show doesn't want him around is another choice that damages the character.

I love your observations about Shawn-Douglas. I always preferred when the show called him that instead of just plain old Shawn. I think that Bo would always love his children no matter who they are flaws and all because he felt unloved by his father Shawn all of his life. Shawn-Douglas should have been more like Hope and a bit like Victor.  Bo trying to keep his son from Victor's influence would have been a great Father/Son conflict. Add in Victor on the sidelines manipulating Shawn-Douglas and trying to get Bo to accept him as his father.  You would have had a great storyline that was character-driven and rooted in history.