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

[Frozendiva]

Sloane goes after Chanel and blames her for her father’s death. I guess he had zero responsibility for his own actions. I believe it was Allie who mentioned Sloane’s dad as being a possible predator and that he was in the position of power. Chanel may have been 17-18 years old and naive. It made for a dramatic scene but surely Sloane had some sort of idea that her dad was not as upstanding as he was made out to be.

And now Paulina is arrested. As Chanel makes bail.

Kate is Jada’s new friend? Jada was right to eventually want a baby - on her terms and with a suitable life partner.

Eric and Nicole did have some truth moments in their conversation. Yeah Eric, you completely forgot about Nicole and the baby news was an ego trip for you. Could she have contributed to Jada’s choice? Sure, along with the clerk at the convenience store, the server at the Pub, or anyone. You blasted her and maybe she did deserve some of what you said, but not all. Nicole, you should do a flashback to the last major convo with Eric and really see if you want more of the same. Nothing about him has really changed. Perhaps with some counseling to work on his taking off issues things may improve. Does he have anything to do with Holly? The bio dad is not always the real day in and day out dad.

[Artsda]

I guess Sloans brother will show  now since she mentioned him a few times today.

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

Jada was right to eventually want a baby - on her terms and with a suitable life partner.

I kind of like that this was kept matter of fact and just something that she realized was right for her, as opposed to the last time this show handled abortion in the Mimi/Rex stuff. Ugh.

9 hours ago, 4evaQuez said:

I've believed that the show writes Eric like they've traditionally written heroines. 

 

Can you blame them? Young Adult Eric looked positively like an angel from the heavens!

I don't blame them for going that way and sticking with that characterization even after he became Greg Vaugh. lol

No, seriously though, that is all true. I kept hoping maybe they would try to let him be a schemer like his sister but that has never happened. I still remember really, really wanting Dan Wells aka Sami in man drag to be cast as Eric because I think that would have been fun.

On 11/29/2022 at 10:22 PM, BuckeyeLou said:

I rather liked the scenes today between Wendy & her brother, Li.  Li has a way of smiling a devious smile that somehow charms :)And I like the Wendy actress a lot.

I did like the side eye Wendy was giving Li when he insisted that he and Gabi are truly in love. Girl, same. You kind of have to feel bad for the guy.

Wendy is definitely one of the better recent castings this show has had. 

[boes]

I think it's safe to say that today's show won't be anyone's Emmy reel submission.

Even for ClaraBelle the Clown aka Paulina, her over-emoting and underacting was in a class all it's own today.  To imagine she was elected Governor of any state not populated totally by Minions is sort of insulting to anything evolved past land crabs.

Lexie should come back from the dead just to laugh and poke fun at how low Abe has fallen.
 

Sloane's bouncy bouncy walk when she went into the interrogation room to display acting talents that rival Li's skills could only be improved if the Salem police installed a stripper pole.  No way Sloane wouldn't take a swing on that.  Allie should be jailed for a week every time she calls Chanel "Dupree".  That lost whatever charm it might have had about the same time Allie did.

But, when all else is lost, we know we can depend on Greg Vaughn defaulting to his "oh oh, I got poopy pants" face, as he did in his pearl-clutching "my baby is dead and YOU killed it, Nicole!" scenes.

He's such a self-centered, sanctimonious all around putz, it gives me a certain pleasure to see him "disappointed" in yet one more human on the planet who actually has bodily functions.  Eric Brady must be so backed up that someday he's gonna blow like Mt. Etna and it's not gonna be pretty.  Marlena's bouncing baby boy needed changing about 40 years ago and now there's not a diaper big enough to hide his latest tantrum.

Hey, dickhead, you said you wanted to be a father to Holly and then you hotfooted it out of Salem as fast as your little feet could carry you, so save me from your "I want to be a father" bullshit.

Hey Nicole!  You're also a real moron.

Edited December 2, 2022 by boes

[peachmangosteen]

10 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

Does he have anything to do with Holly? 

Does Nicole lol?

7 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Wendy is definitely one of the better recent castings this show has had. 

I think pretty much all (or maybe even literally all) of the recent castings have been great. 

[boes]

One thing that never fails to delight is Melinda Trask's "You've GOT to be kidding me" face.  

She's not at  Anne Milbauer level yet, but she at least keeps the home fires burning in that regard.

[4evaQuez]

I got a chance to catch up on the last two episodes.

1. I've watched GV/Eric since his Charmed days. I have to say that he's grown tremendously as an actor since then. I was pleasantly surprised that the big confrontation between Nicole/Eric didn't devolve into screaming and name-calling. I thought both had some really good points, both argued in a way that felt in-character, and Eric coming to the conclusion that there was no where left for the two to got felt authentic and appropriate.

2. Jada/Kate. I really liked the scene and thought the actresses had great chemistry together. I also think it highlighted a major problem with situating Jada in Salem. Because of the age range she's in, there's no good candidate for a strong friendship for her. Nicole/Chloe are too tightly linked at this point for a Chloe/Jada friendship to work. Jada is too tied too Eric at this point for a Jada/Belle friendship to work. Jada/Stephanie feel too distant age and maturity wise for a friendship between those two to work. The show hasn't done much onscreen for Jada/Stayla to work. For some reason, Jada refers to her off-screen interactions with Stayla, but we need to see them onscreen to feel the connection. While I didn't think Jada/Kate felt appropriate relationship wise for what the writing was going for, I did still thought that it worked.

3. When Eric screamed at Alex, the background actress had a hilarious reaction.

4. I'm always annoyed when the show remembers that Leo falsely accused Sonny of sexual harassment, yet forgets that Will and Sonny "killed" Leo and then hid his body. Does anyone think this Sonny comes off as much younger than the former Sonny. I like this Sonny more, but he doesn't come off as a husband and father of a preteen. He feels young maturity wise in the same with Stephanie and Alex do.

5. I don't know how I feel about the Ejole ending for Friday. While Nicole is self-destructive, I never really saw EJ as self-destructive. EJ also wasn't someone who bedhopped a lot like Nicole, which is where that seemed like that was heading regardless of what EJ said. I'm also not certain how I feel about this pseudo friendship the two have now. I wasn't a fan of EJ/Belle, but it does seem peculiar that EJ and Belle haven't shared any scenes after Susan's alleged death.

6. Lastly, I'm team Sloan with her sashaying self. I think the actress works good as a villain, and regardless of what happened with her mom and Chanel, Sloan is right that a coverup happened and Paulina should be arrested for it. I think the Sloan actress has been better since she's gotten away from Alex. I also like the thought of her and Task as a team.

Overall, I enjoyed this week.

[Pearson80]

10 hours ago, boes said:

Hey, dickhead, you said you wanted to be a father to Holly and then you hotfooted it out of Salem as fast as your little feet could carry you, so save me from your "I want to be a father" bullshit.

To be fair to Eric, did he ever formally adopt Holly? Being in Holly's life is conditioned on Nicole who is her sole parent and provider.  Eric has no legal right to her so it may limit his interactions with her.  Eric probably wants his own biological child and I see nothing wrong with that. 

The majority of the characters on the show do not interact with their children so we have no idea how Eric treats Holly..  Back in the day, the kids were written into the show seamlessly and played essential roles in their parents' stories like Carrie with Rojohn and Sean-Douglas with Bo it was always organic and never felt forced.. The children actors were always dynamite and added to the stories as well. Christie Clark who played Carrie as a child inspired the writers to write for her. She blew them all away with her talent..  

[boes]

1 hour ago, Pearson80 said:

To be fair to Eric, did he ever formally adopt Holly? Being in Holly's life is conditioned on Nicole who is her sole parent and provider.  Eric has no legal right to her so it may limit his interactions with her.  Eric probably wants his own biological child and I see nothing wrong with that. 

The majority of the characters on the show do not interact with their children so we have no idea how Eric treats Holly..  

I kinda sorta disagree with you a bit on this.  Even though Holly was pretty much a ghost child for the longest time, there was a ton of schmaltzy schmoopy talk about Eric just loving the chance to be a father to Holly and about how much Holly just lubbed him.  That is, until 10 minutes after the wedding Eric got called to save the entire continent of Africa and it became "Holly, who"?  A couple of times Show tossed in "Holly and Eric Facetimed again" comments but AFAIC, Eric abandoned his emotional commitment to that kid faster than the ink dried on his marriage certificate.  

I'm pretty sure he never legally adopted her, but formalities like that don't matter to a child, if they even really register.  But the disappearance of an adult from a child's life is seared into that child's psyche.  Eric treated her as if she was second class, IMO.  As to him wanting a biological child, well, bully for him.  If that was really so important, taking vows of celibacy sort of gives the lie to how important that really was to him.

Eric likes to play a good person, but in reel life, he actually isn't.

[tribeca]

Eric and Sara definitely coparented McKenzie.  There was a whole cancer story where they supported each other. 
there was also a timejump.  Eric and Nicole were happy for a year.  Maybe during that time he told Holly Don’t  count on me jk

    Today’s episode was decent.  Rachael had quite a list for Santa.  The little girl looks like trouble.  
Brady please don’t fall for Kristin again.  It’s really time for Brady to Move. His parents kind of treat him like a child.  Johns what’s going on here face was hysterical though.  
  Alex telling Eric eric/Nicole have a ship name and that eric has anger issues was always fun mostly because it’s true.  

[nilyank]

7 hours ago, boes said:

I'm pretty sure he never legally adopted her, but formalities like that don't matter to a child, if they even really register. 

You know who Eric also didn't adopt? Henry when he had no name and Allie was offering him up to anyone who would have a conversation with her.

He was so willing to adopt Allie's child after she disappeared from the hospital that he was going to destroy his relationship with his twin sister. Sami who thought it was a bad idea and everyone gave her grief over it.

Imagine if Sami didn't take Eric and Nicole to court to block them? Henry would have been taken home to Eric's and Nicole's and then Eric would have left a week later for a country in Africa that has only one plane while Nicole would hook up with Xavier, EJ and Rafe.

[Frozendiva]

@nilyank, Nicole would be too exhausted to hook up with anyone having to work full time and parent Holly and Henry.

Kristen, it is a bad idea to dress up as Susan Banks to do something nice for EJ. What if the real one is alive and shows up. Will the real Susan Banks stand up. I would be waiting for the duelling teeth. She felt it did work on Brady. Little Rachel wants a lot for Christmas, including mommy and daddy getting married.  Not the best idea.

Sonny is going to hire Leo. Hmmmm.

Alex has a hot non date with Stephanie, who he catches with Chad. Uh, the guy’s wife just died and he is unlikely to move on that fast.

Alex wants Eric to do another cover for the magazine. Uh, how many digital copies did it sell? Eric blows up and eyes the bottle of Scotch.

EJ and Nicole meet up at the bar and have a few too many. She blabs about her now breakup with Eric and his accusations of her making Jada have the abortion. He tells her that Jada made her own choice and she did not drive her to the clinic and force her to do anything. He offers her the guest room at the mansion until she can find a place for Holly and her to live. They then run into probably not so sober Eric. 

.

[Desperado]

“Mommy is confused” was the best reply I’ve heard DH say in eons. 🤣

Looking at Nicole and EJ’s hair, you would think we were back to Covid “do it yourself” days.

That’s all I’ve got, which is depressing considering I’ve been trying hard to be up-to-date enough to post here. 😞

[RedElf]

God, I hate Sloan.  And I'm not talking about the character, I'm talking about the actress.  She embodies all of the soap opera stereotypes.  She sashays into a room like Carol Burnett used to do when she was satirizing soaps.  She poses instead of just standing.  She does all of the gasps and tics that are just so stereotypical.  She is awful.

Has Alex even mentioned Chanel in jail?  You know, the woman he slept with?

I wonder who Roman's decorator is.  The rooms are nicely made up.

Was Eric the only bartender when he just walked out the door?

It's "put the kids to bed", Stephanie, not "Put the kids to sleep."

[FilmTVGeek80]

On 12/1/2022 at 2:07 AM, boes said:

I might feel bad for that tiny brained, self-important and self-anointed saintly putz if he hadn't abandoned his fatherly role with Holly without a backward glance so he could go play White Savior in the "country" of Africa (for Fuck's sake, Show it's a goddam CONTINENT, not a country), and then ignore his parental role in the sadly short life of Mackenzie because finally, his saintly sperm apparently was able to land.  It seems pretty clear that the only thing that matters to Eric is a biological kid.  He's such a POS that he really does deserve a life with Nicole.

How is he a piece of shit for wanting a biological child? Eric did not leave to go play "white savior." You're making it sound like he got bored of married life and picked the first third-world country that he could jet off to. That's not what happened on-screen AT ALL. Eric was at home minding his own business when this woman he used to know (work with?) came to ask him for his help. Then the "white savior" turned her down. It was Nicole who basically brow beat him into going. Now you can blame him for continuing to postpone coming home (though that was more of a BTS issue because GV had left the show) but he did not just leave on a whim or abandon Nicole without getting her input.

On 12/1/2022 at 2:11 PM, Frozendiva said:

Thank you for this. Jada should have asked him about his previous history with kids. Salem folks could have told her he wasn’t really present in Holly’s life, he had no parental role in Mackenzie’s life, etc. Would he change this time? Not take off? She could see Nicole as meddling or whatever, but the facts are what they are.

On 12/2/2022 at 8:15 PM, tribeca said:

Eric and Sara definitely coparented McKenzie.  There was a whole cancer story where they supported each other. 
there was also a timejump.  Eric and Nicole were happy for a year.  Maybe during that time he told Holly Don’t  count on me jk

Thank you! Eric and Sarah did co-parent for a short while. I don't know where anyone would get the idea that Eric just up and abandoned Mackenzie. With the time jump nonsense, I'm not sure how long he and Sarah got to be co-parents, though if it had been up to her and Nicole, Eric would have never known about the baby since they both lied to him. I think he missed Sarah's entire pregnancy because of that. And, yeah, Eric was definitely aware by the time Mackenzie/Rachel got sick.

On 12/2/2022 at 2:11 PM, Pearson80 said:

The majority of the characters on the show do not interact with their children so we have no idea how Eric treats Holly..  Back in the day, the kids were written into the show seamlessly and played essential roles in their parents' stories like Carrie with Rojohn and Sean-Douglas with Bo it was always organic and never felt forced.. The children actors were always dynamite and added to the stories as well. Christie Clark who played Carrie as a child inspired the writers to write for her. She blew them all away with her talent.. 

This! It sometimes seems a little silly to me for any of these characters - aside from Chloe (because her shipping her kid off to boarding school has never made sense) to get flack for not spending time with their kids because none of the parents do. And, when they do - except for new Thomas - there's mostly a lot of complaining about how crappy the child actors are. People don't seem interested in seeing the kids involved in storylines and yet somehow want to see the kids attached to the parents' hips otherwise they're bad parents.

On 12/2/2022 at 3:51 PM, boes said:

I kinda sorta disagree with you a bit on this.  Even though Holly was pretty much a ghost child for the longest time, there was a ton of schmaltzy schmoopy talk about Eric just loving the chance to be a father to Holly and about how much Holly just lubbed him.  That is, until 10 minutes after the wedding Eric got called to save the entire continent of Africa and it became "Holly, who"?  A couple of times Show tossed in "Holly and Eric Facetimed again" comments but AFAIC, Eric abandoned his emotional commitment to that kid faster than the ink dried on his marriage certificate.  

I'm pretty sure he never legally adopted her, but formalities like that don't matter to a child, if they even really register.  But the disappearance of an adult from a child's life is seared into that child's psyche.  Eric treated her as if she was second class, IMO.  As to him wanting a biological child, well, bully for him.  If that was really so important, taking vows of celibacy sort of gives the lie to how important that really was to him.

Eric likes to play a good person, but in reel life, he actually isn't.

Eric is a good person, especially by Salem standards. I might agree with you about Holly being scarred for life if this were real life, or the writers choose to have her be affected, but she hasn't been. We've seen her a few times and she's been just fine. She was fine when Rafe and Nicole were together and was basically treating him like new dad. And, when Eric came back she basically treated him like an uncle that she was happy to see again, not a dad who abandoned her. Maybe it was because the show didn't know when Eric would be back full-time after GV left, but after Eric left the show never really treated it like Eric was Holly's dad. I don't believe Nicole ever referred to him that way. There were a couple of times Roman and Marlena talked about Holly and they never referred to her as being their grandchild or treated her that way.

Also, it's not really incongruous for Eric to have wanted to be a father and have taken a vow of celibacy. I don't know when Eric became a priest the first time, but he was one when GV first started as Eric so he must have become one when he was young. He could have very well wanted to be a father, but his desire to be a priest was stronger. Same way it doesn't make it a lie that he's chosen to be with a woman who can't give him a biological child. His love for Nicole superseded that desire. It didn't mean that desire never existed. He even talked about that. He'd mostly made his peace with it not happening, but then Jada got pregnant. It wasn't an ideal situation, but having a baby still made him happy. 

On 12/2/2022 at 11:40 PM, nilyank said:

Imagine if Sami didn't take Eric and Nicole to court to block them? Henry would have been taken home to Eric's and Nicole's and then Eric would have left a week later for a country in Africa that has only one plane while Nicole would hook up with Xavier, EJ and Rafe.

Things might have actually been different if they had gotten custody of Henry, but they didn't. I think they even talked about that when Nicole was telling him to take the job. And, it's not like Henry's life would be all that different if he was being raised by Nicole versus being raised by Allie (with assists from Nicole.) Nicole has slept with Xander, EJ, and Rafe. Allie's slept with Trip, Chanel, and Alex. Henry went from having Trip be a constant presence to almost immediately Chanel taking that role.

Edited December 5, 2022 by FilmTVGeek80

[FilmTVGeek80]

On 12/2/2022 at 1:52 PM, 4evaQuez said:

1. I've watched GV/Eric since his Charmed days. I have to say that he's grown tremendously as an actor since then. I was pleasantly surprised that the big confrontation between Nicole/Eric didn't devolve into screaming and name-calling. I thought both had some really good points, both argued in a way that felt in-character, and Eric coming to the conclusion that there was no where left for the two to got felt authentic and appropriate.

I agree with this. I think it was a mature conversation by soap standards, the same as the conversation they had before they decided to get divorced. Both conversations didn't go in ways I expected and I thought both GV and AZ did a great job with them.

I can't even believe I'm saying this, but I have to give the writers some props for how they've handled this storyline so far. I mean, I'm not happy that yet again they've put a baby as the angst for Eric/Nicole, but this story could have gone in so many cliched ways that it didn't. Eric & Nicole could have decided to keep it a secret that they got back together once they found out about the baby and kept Jada and Rafe in the dark. Jada could have kept quiet about seeing Eric and Nicole together and/or used the baby to keep Eric. Jada could be lying about the abortion and Nicole finds out and keeps it a secret or tells Eric (which technically could still happen, but I doubt Jada's lying about the abortion.) Nicole could have confronted Jada at the top of the stairs and a tumble could have led to a miscarriage. The way it's happened isn't the same old, same old way and I think they're trying to tell a nuanced story with no real villains. People might want to villainize Eric and Nicole, or even Jada, but I can see all sides. I think this story has shown Jada to be a bit wishy-washy. She has a conversation with Kate (a woman she barely knows) and decides to keep the baby. Then a few hours later has a conversation with Nicole (a woman she barely knows or can stand) and decides to have an abortion. But, ultimately, this was Jada's choice and her reasons are understandable. 

Was it necessarily Nicole's place to say what she said? No. Was she coming at it from an altruistic place? Certainly not. But I don't agree that it was none of her business or she didn't have a right to say what she said. She asked Jada if they could talk and she agreed. She left when Jada asked her to. She didn't hold a gun to Jada's head. She didn't demand she do anything. She didn't trick Jada or drive her to the abortion clinic herself. She didn't put ideas in Jada's head. And, if some of the things Nicole said hadn't occurred to Jada already than that just shows Jada did not think her decision through clearly anyway. I don't think Nicole deserves all of the blame for this, but I can still see why Eric is upset. This is the second time that Nicole has interfered with him and his biological child. He was just getting excited and happy about this thing happening that he never thought would only for the rug to be pulled out from under him unexpectedly. Then to find out the woman he loves played a part in it being taken away from him. I think he has a right to his anger. And, I think it revealed that there are major things - past resentments, insecurities - these two need to work on before they even contemplate getting back together.

[DisneyBoy]

On 12/2/2022 at 2:40 AM, boes said:

  To imagine she was elected Governor of any state not populated totally by Minions is sort of insulting to anything evolved past land crabs.

👀🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

😂😂😂

[DisneyBoy]

20 minutes ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

Was it necessarily Nicole's place to say what she said? No. Was she coming at it from an altruistic place? Certainly not. But I don't agree that it was none of her business or she didn't have a right to say what she said. She asked Jada if they could talk and she agreed. She left when Jada asked her to. She didn't hold a gun to Jada's head. She didn't demand she do anything. She didn't trick Jada or drive her to the abortion clinic herself. She didn't put ideas in Jada's head. And, if some of the things Nicole said hadn't occurred to Jada already than that just shows Jada did not think her decision through clearly anyway. I don't think Nicole deserves all of the blame for this, but I can still see why Eric is upset. This is the second time that Nicole has interfered with him and his biological child. He was just getting excited and happy about this thing happening that he never thought would only for the rug to be pulled out from under him unexpectedly. Then to find out the woman he loves played a part in it being taken away from him. I think he has a right to his anger. And, I think it revealed that there are major things - past resentments, insecurities - these two need to work on before they even contemplate getting back together.

I didn't see the scenes in question but having read about them here, I agree with this. Nicole is allowed to have her own feelings about the man she still loves potentially getting caught up in a serious parental relationship with a woman he barely knows. Is it fun having her approach Jada for a conversation on the subject? Of course not. But standing there silently and letting Eric passively allow all three of their futures get decided by this random person? That's not realistic.

Jada is better off steering clear of Ericole honnestly. They love each other but its complicated. Nic was essentially telling her as much.

Hell, if I were Jada I'd seriously contemplate the abortion because there are many other fish in the sea and these two are already a headache.

[boes]

1 hour ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

How is he a piece of shit for wanting a biological child? Eric did not leave to go play "white savior." You're making it sound like he got bored of married life and picked the first third-world country that he could jet off to. That's not what happened on-screen AT ALL. Eric was at home minding his own business when this woman he used to know (work with?) came to ask him for his help. Then the "white savior" turned her down. It was Nicole who basically brow beat him into going. Now you can blame him for continuing to postpone coming home (though that was more of a BTS issue because GV had left the show) but he did not just leave on a whim or abandon Nicole without getting her input.

Thank you! Eric and Sarah did co-parent for a short while. I don't know where anyone would get the idea that Eric just up and abandoned Mackenzie. With the time jump nonsense, I'm not sure how long he and Sarah got to be co-parents, though if it had been up to her and Nicole, Eric would have never known about the baby since they both lied to him. I think he missed Sarah's entire pregnancy because of that. And, yeah, Eric was definitely aware by the time Mackenzie/Rachel got sick.

This! It sometimes seems a little silly to me for any of these characters - aside from Chloe (because her shipping her kid off to boarding school has never made sense) to get flack for not spending time with their kids because none of the parents do. And, when they do - except for new Thomas - there's mostly a lot of complaining about how crappy the child actors are. People don't seem interested in seeing the kids involved in storylines and yet somehow want to see the kids attached to the parents' hips otherwise they're bad parents.

Eric is a good person, especially by Salem standards. I might agree with you about Holly being scarred for life if this were real life, or the writers choose to have her be affected, but she hasn't been. We've seen her a few times and she's been just fine. She was fine when Rafe and Nicole were together and was basically treating him like new dad. And, when Eric came back she basically treated him like an uncle that she was happy to see again, not a dad who abandoned her. Maybe it was because the show didn't know when Eric would be back full-time after GV left, but after Eric left the show never really treated it like Eric was Holly's dad. I don't believe Nicole ever referred to him that way. There were a couple of times Roman and Marlena talked about Holly and they never referred to her as being their grandchild or treated her that way.

Also, it's not really incongruous for Eric to have wanted to be a father and have taken a vow of celibacy. I don't know when Eric became a priest the first time, but he was one when GV first started as Eric so he must have become one when he was young. He could have very well wanted to be a father, but his desire to be a priest was stronger. Same way it doesn't make it a lie that he's chosen to be with a woman who can't give him a biological child. His love for Nicole superseded that desire. It didn't mean that desire never existed. He even talked about that. He'd mostly made his peace with it not happening, but then Jada got pregnant. It wasn't an ideal situation, but having a baby still made him happy. 

Things might have actually been different if they had gotten custody of Henry, but they didn't. I think they even talked about that when Nicole was telling him to take the job. And, it's not like Henry's life would be all that different if he was being raised by Nicole versus being raised by Allie (with assists from Nicole.) Nicole has slept with Xander, EJ, and Rafe. Allie's slept with Trip, Chanel, and Alex. Henry went from having Trip be a constant presence to almost immediately Chanel taking that role.

You and I will have to agree to disagree on this.  I've never seen this version of Eric as anything but emotionally immature and self centered, and he abandoned Holly and Nicole for an utterly ridiculous reason and then stayed away.  And yeah, White Savior without a doubt in my mind.  I was watching and all Nicole was give into his badly disguised desire to hit the road and play God.  It's not fair to blame her for bowing to his savior complex since he's the master at pouting when he doesn't get his way or someone "disappoints" him.

Perhaps if Show had ever presented the Eric you describe, instead the guy we've seen onscreen, I'd actually like him.  

Edited December 5, 2022 by boes

[FilmTVGeek80]

So much ew today. Leo and Sonny and the lame "ooh we both reached for something and our hands touched" was so eye roll-inducing. Way, way too soon for Sonny for be giving him looks like that. 

Spoiler

ZT/Sonny can't leave fast enough for me to stop this garbage romance from happening

Watching Kristen, the serial rapist, come on to one of her victims seriously makes me skin crawl. "You've never turned me down before." Oh, you mean like when you wore a  Nicole mask and tricked him into sleeping with you? One of the worst things about it is how smug she is about it, and even more horrifyingly, that she's right and Brady actually looks like he's tempted.

On the one hand, I kind of like belligerent, drunk Eric. But I hate, hate, HATE that they had him drive drunk. Couldn't they have just had him say he got a ride share? This wasn't necessary and it's not a moment that should be thrown away like that given he killed a man before. And, it felt cold that Nicole just stood there like the injured party and told EJ it was okay to have him arrested. She should have also seemed more upset given she claims to love Eric and he previously killed her old love the last time he drove drunk.

[FilmTVGeek80]

6 minutes ago, boes said:

You and I will have to agree to disagree on this.  I've never seen this version of Eric as anything but emotionally immature and self centered, and he abandoned Holly and Nicole for an utterly ridiculous reason and then stayed away.  And yeah, White Savior without a doubt in my mind.

Perhaps if Show had ever presented the Eric you describe, instead the guy we've seen onscreen, I'd actually like him.  

We can agree to disagree, but the Eric I describe is the one that's been shown on-screen. I didn't make up any of the details I described. Should white people not help other countries, especially when someone begs them to? He didn't leave for a ridiculous reason. He didn't abandon them. Nicole told him to go. Again, not something I made up. And, it is bad he stayed away, but I have a hard time really caring or getting upset about that because it happened because GV left. So emotionally immature that he took responsibility for his crime and went to prison? So self-centered he forgave Nicole and Sarah for keeping his child from him? And even apologized to Nicole for daring to get mad about it. So self-centered he's trying to forgive Xander, a man who's done truly horrific things to him? I could go on, but I realize Eric isn't perfect and has his flaws, but hasn't only ever done terrible things. 

[brisbydog]

Jada should be furious. Everybody in town knows her personal business and are blabbing it to her coworkers 

[boes]

Off topic, but I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the IGNORE function on this site!

[peachmangosteen]

26 minutes ago, brisbydog said:

Jada should be furious. Everybody in town knows her personal business and are blabbing it to her coworkers 

This! It’s a show so it kinda has to happen but damn it is too much lol.

I love Leo/Sonny. They have fantastic chem. ZT is such a great addition/recast.

GV playing Eric like an annoyed high school boy was cracking me up. And BB’s over dramatic fall when Eric pushed him was AMAZING. I watched it multiple times.

[brisbydog]

Oh and Kristen makes me sick. Yuk

[Artsda]

Eric drove drunk, wow and nobody called out about him killing someone the last time? 

[DanaMB]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I love Leo/Sonny. They have fantastic chem. ZT is such a great addition/recast.

I do too.

Spoiler

I hate that the Sonny actor is leaving  

[boes]

I hope that, at the very least, Eric is tried in juvenile court.  What he really needs is good long stint in reform school.  Shawn really didn't need to handcuff him, though.  I think a pacifier would have worked even better.

Every time he's thwarted, or even told "no", this is what he does.  He gets sullen, he lashes out, and pouts.  I have no trouble believing he wanted to be a father.  That was also in the same period where he wanted to be a cowboy, an astronaut, or drive a choo choo train.

Marlena's baby boy sure hit Belle below the belt by throwing her little fling with EJ in her face.  Christmas at the Black's is gonna be a mite uncomfortable this year.  Poor Marlena and John....bad enough they have to put up with Kristen, but now they have to hide the sacramental wine from Eric and keep him and Belle apart, too.  Maybe Sami can show up and make this a Christmas they really will always remember!

I'm ready for another EJ and Nicole go-around.  They were good the last time, short as it was, and it would drive everyone else crazy.  Fun times!

[Frozendiva]

Jada is going to be thrilled now that half the town knows her business. She should look for a new friends circle.

Eric, great idea to drive drunk. You dumped Nicole. She went to the bar and a friend offered her a room for the night. Was she supposed to to back to her old apartment and join Allie and a Chanel? Then you punch EJ and add to the count by punching a cop (your half sister’s husband).  Maybe you didn’t like what EJ said. After that, you insult your half sister at the police station. Sleeping in a holding cell won’t be fun. At some point Jada will forget or rue the day she even met you.

Surely you can find a surrogate to have a kid for you, Eric.

Stephanie, the PR pro, needs her wannabe boyfriend to help her with her actual job? Use Paulina’s voice! He brings enough food to feed 10 but there are only two fortune cookies? if I was Chad, I would feel fortunate. He should have gone home. Unless he gets overtime!

Kristen continues to be creepy.

I do like a Leo and Sonny sort of friendship. No romance, no breaking up him and Will, at least not yet, and not over Leo. I think Will’s job with Peacock came up? My stomach doesn’t rumble with such decibels. Even our earthquake last week wasn’t so loud.

[RedElf]

Was Nicole planning on going back home to Eric's room over the pub to live? And where are her possessions?

Brady thinks it's strange that Kristen talks to inanimate objects?  She talks to you all the time, doesn't she?

Man, Zach doing the tears was really good.

Hey, Chad, you have no dog in this hunt. Back off.

No, Sonny, nonononono.

[rcc]

15 hours ago, boes said:

I hope that, at the very least, Eric is tried in juvenile court.  What he really needs is good long stint in reform school.  Shawn really didn't need to handcuff him, though.  I think a pacifier would have worked even better.

Every time he's thwarted, or even told "no", this is what he does.  He gets sullen, he lashes out, and pouts.  I have no trouble believing he wanted to be a father.  That was also in the same period where he wanted to be a cowboy, an astronaut, or drive a choo choo train.

Marlena's baby boy sure hit Belle below the belt by throwing her little fling with EJ in her face.  Christmas at the Black's is gonna be a mite uncomfortable this year.  Poor Marlena and John....bad enough they have to put up with Kristen, but now they have to hide the sacramental wine from Eric and keep him and Belle apart, too.  Maybe Sami can show up and make this a Christmas they really will always remember!

I'm ready for another EJ and Nicole go-around.  They were good the last time, short as it was, and it would drive everyone else crazy.  Fun times!

I started with this show and Nicole and EJ were together. Chemistry was stronger with original EJ but not bad with this new one. Why not. Apparently Ron doesn't want to write Nicole and Eric together forever.

[DisneyBoy]

Continuity alert! Continuity alert! Susan's mother was already dead in the 90s. Susan always spoke of her in past tense, IIRC, and certainly didn't seem to want to contact her after learning of Penelope's existence, which would only be logical if Momma gave a baby away, dontcha think?

I hate how they play fast and loose with things just because they sound good. Meemaw? Really? Just make up character history so you can say a funny word?

Also - EJ was mostly raised in England (hence the accent) while Susan and Edmund were in hiding with him, after making it seem to Stefano that Kristen had successfully absconded with baby EJ. They had to keep a low profile. Strange as she may be, Susan would not have blown her cover after all she'd already been through to bring wacky relatives overseas for visits. She'd already been in hiding once before and got photographed in a newspaper pic of Vivian's UK wedding, which allowed Kristen to hunt her down. So no, there's nothing about this story that makes sense. And yet, let's just pull it out of our asses for the sake of the word "Meemaw" 🙄

When did that become a funny expression anyway? I keep hearing it from lazy writers. Ditto Pop-pop for grandfather. So lame.

They could have just said the hangover cure recipe was from Harold. Easy.

And Nicole hey, what are doing with EJ again after that last mess with Sami? Fine, they didn't have sex but...he's cold as hell. Why turn to him ever again?

Poor Eric, locked up with Paulina, Nicole possibly banging EJ and his new gf knocked up. Guy could use a therapy session. Where's Doc?

I love, love, love Gabi and Li together. You cannot tell me that she looks better opposite Stefan. Him in the pink robe? Oh come on. They're so cute.

Why is it that after so many great, compelling Gabi pairings - JJ/Gabi, Chad/Gabi, Eli/Gabi, Li/Gabi - they force the least compelling option on us?

Waitwaitwait....Nicole backed up EJ on pressing charges against Eric for one punch??? Did they actually show her saying that to the cops yesterday, because I find it really hard to believe she'd do that. It seems like they're glossing over it today but....hmmmm yeah, no. Nicole loves Eric and knows he only started drinking originally because she chose Daniel, and then ended up in prison over it. Her reaction, drunk or not, would only be to get him away from EJ and get him to sober up. Not tell cops, "yeah, he's dangerous, take him away!" and traumatize him  by putting him in a cell again.

This kind of writing prioritizes whatever sounds interesting over what makes sense. Pisses me right off.

...is anyone else annoyed by Chanel and Ali's happiness? A bakery is hardly a hands-off business. Where is the struggle? I'm tired of them smiling and sounding so relaxed and calm. Channel is up on freaking MURDER CHARGES with her mother in jail, FFS, but then seconds later is all "are those blueberry pancakes? YUM!" and giggling with Ali. The hell?

Edited December 6, 2022 by DisneyBoy

[brisbydog]

There is something about Sloane I like. I am firmly on her side in this mess. Paulina made her think her mother had offed herself for years, that had to mess with her head. So I'm down with Eric and Sloane and I always enjoyed Nicole more with this EJ

Chanel needs to get away from Boring AF Allie. She is actually really good on screen but is dragged down by being with Miss Bland

[Pearson80]

Why does Ron have to make Eric so pathetic? it is embarrassing at this point.  I had no problem with him being nasty to Belle though.  I find her so annoying constantly thinking that she is better than Sami while bedding her sister's husband.  Belle the serial cheater who is not woman enough to go after who she really wants.. 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Pearson80

[Frozendiva]

The only place I have ever heard mee-maw is Angela from 90 Day Fiance. I learned it is used in southern states.

Chanel and Allie, you have a small business and need to be more hands-on. Maybe you can afford a helper, but small businesses fail. It is the holiday season and you should be doing a lot of business and need to be at work to earn money so you can survive in January. Not talk about jail, and then pancakes.

Eric does not need the loud and shrieky Paulina. Sloane’s eyes sparkled when she learned Belle was Eric’s sister. 

EJ, you should not press charges. It was one punch. Nicole should have other options besides the mansion.

Li looked cute in Gabi’s robe.
 

[DisneyBoy]

Li and Gabi should really have their own place by now. They're engaged CEOs, right? I mean...come on! "Living at Rafe's!" should not have even entered into the conversation.

I hope they keep Li around and don't ruin him too badly with this Stefan BS.

[brisbydog]

12 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

The only place I have ever heard mee-maw is Angela from 90 Day Fiance. I learned it is used in southern states.

 

Sheldon (Big Bang and Young Sheldon) has a Meemaw. She is a major character on the spin off. I only heard that name via these shows though. I'm from England and we have Nanny or Nan 

[brisbydog]

God Paulina's entitled attitude is revolting. No remorse for making Sloane and her brother thinking their mother was a suicide. No culpability for committing a crime/cover up. Me me me. Whatever I want is therefore the correct course of action.

This is the most I've like Rafe or Eric in forever.  And it isn't cause I hate Nicole, cause I'm loving her with EJ

[Your Aunt Tilly]

What I don’t understand is why they went with suicide in the first place. Would Sloan have looked into it so hard if it would have been declared an accident from the beginning?

[peachmangosteen]

I mean, Paulina didn't even know Sloane existed. Sloane's own father knew her mom didn't kill herself/that there was a cover-up and let her believe a lie her whole life. That would fuck me up way more personally. Come to think of it, it might be interesting to see Sloane express some anger at her dad over that.

But also, everyone (and it's everyone, not just Paulina) acting like Paulina and Chanel did nothing wrong and like Sloane is evil is too much. Chanel was indeed involved in the death of Sloane's mom and Paulina did cover it up. Everyone acting like neither of these things is true or that Sloane doesn't have a right to be mad is so dumb.

I loved the Rafe/Jada scenes. Let them be justifiably petty and gossipy together more please!

This round of EJ/Nicole isn't doing it for me. I just don't care for Nicole right now.

I am SO down for Eric and Sloane to hook up lol.

[Frozendiva]

Wonder if the coverup was to save face, protect the University from having to investigate the professor and any sort of consequences for him or the former students if others also came forward. The death should have been ruled as an accident. Sloane’s dad would realize that his career and tenure could blow up. He would lose a lot, including any research grants.

Wow, Rafe, you are a petty gossip guy. Telling Jada that Saint Eric is anything but.  No one should go near either Eric or Nicole. Uh, why did you? Trash is still pursuing charges? She seems desperate for any sort of criminal to be put in jail. Rafe, don’t simply move on to Jada.

Johnny, your father and Nicole were up to absolutely nothing.

No reason for Abe to resign as mayor - at least not immediately. Or Paulina resign as governor. Better idea as she is not really interested in the job.

[RedElf]

6 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I am SO down for Eric and Sloane to hook up lol.

Yuck, yuck, and yuck.

Whoever vandalized the bakery sure had neat handwriting.

Those ribbons on Gabi's shoulders are just awful.

Why was there more of that green stuff in Nicole's glass on Wednesday than on Tuesday?

Cass Winthrop?  From Another World? Is Stephen Schnetzer going to make an appearance?

I hate Sloan, but I love that she dragged Justin about never winning a case.

Was today Wear Green To Jail day?

If Sloan didn't know that Belle was Eric's sister, how does she know that Shawn is his brother-in-law?  Unless she knew that they're married.

Examining the art work on the DiMansion walls is fascinating.

Is anybody going to tell Marlena that Eric was in jail?

Edited December 8, 2022 by RedElf

[Frozendiva]

I adored the character of Cass Winthrop.

Marlena is behind the times. No grand baby, son slugged EJ, drove drunk, slugged her daughter’s husband, spent the night in a holding cell, and now has a shady lawyer representing him.

[boes]

I love pouty, poopy pants, angry 2 year old Eric.  The pursed lips, the glowering eyes, the "I WON'T take a nap, I WON'T" expression just gives me life.  Also - and I doubt this will last long - Eric's bad behavior and anger problem is suddenly no secret.  Everybody knows he easily turns into a prick.

WTF with him giving Belle attitude, after the way he talked to her and after he decked her husband?  Even EJ behaved better than our former Fadda Eric.  Marlena's bouncing baby boy is getting a little long in the tooth to be behaving like a terrible toddler when he's closer to getting his AARP card than is to being carded.

I'm hoping he and Sloane get together.  There's nobody he deserves more than her, unless Paulina is suddenly freed from Abe and looking to slum it.

[Soapy Goddess]

3 hours ago, RedElf said:

Cass Winthrop?  From Another World? Is Stephen Schnetzer going to make an appearance?

I thought the exact same thing, but then the conversation was over. Still hoping SS will be brought on, even for a cameo or short-term gig.

[WendyCR72]

I know Cass Winthrop was a popular character, but if Stephen Schnetzer does ever return, I'd frankly rather have him as Steven Olson, his Days character, which would make sense as:

1. He is a Horton family member via Addie Horton, his mother, making him brother to Julie and half-brother to Hope, not to mention grandson of Tom and Alice!

2. Steven has been gone for so long (since 1979, when SS apparently exited the show!) that he is essentially a blank slate, so he can be molded in any fashion, whereas Cass has set history. And, with such a long gap, perhaps Steven has kids and/or grandkids that can pop up, shoring up the Horton clan.

3. I'm cranky about characters from other soaps showing up when half the current actors on said soap are given shit to do.

The thing that stops me from truly wanting Cass OR Steven back is...Ron. 'Nuff said.

[peachmangosteen]

10 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

Wonder if the coverup was to save face, protect the University from having to investigate the professor and any sort of consequences for him or the former students if others also came forward. The death should have been ruled as an accident. Sloane’s dad would realize that his career and tenure could blow up. He would lose a lot, including any research grants.

Oh yea, that was definitely part of why the university went along with the coverup. No bad press about a professor and a nice donation from Paulina, it was probably a no brainer for them lol.

[Irlandesa]

Stephen did an interview recently and talked about DOOL.  The whole interview is great but here's  where he mentioned being asked to possibly screen test for a short term role (3-6 months).  He has never been approached about reprising Cass (who is likely P&G owned) or his old DOOL character.
https://www.soapcentral.com/soapcentral/news/2022/0809-stephen-schnetzer-shares-memories-of-another-world-and-details-about-his-film-a-case-of-blue-interview.php

Quote

Soap Central: No, I don't think it sounds obnoxious. You're an audience favorite and come with a built-in fan base, so it would make sense for them to approach you and get a feel for the waters. But you never know what opportunities might come knocking, and if that were to happen, is it something you'd be willing to explore?

Schnetzer: I don't think there's a chance for that now because the genre has shrunk so much, and I'm also on such a different career path right now. I think the money is gone. Like you said, [when I was on], it was the heyday in popularity, and it was also the heyday in terms of salaries and stuff like that. Plus, all of the soaps are on the West Coast, and everybody wants to hire you as a local hire. I actually was considered for one job on Days of our Lives, actually, now that I remember, and it was for a limited-run character for three to six months. And not only did they want me to be a local hire and pay me a fairly minimal wage, but they wouldn't let me fly back and forth from the East Coast to the West Coast in my downtime, because if flights got canceled or delayed, they'd have to delay production, and that would be extremely expensive, to have me arrive a day or two late when I was scheduled to record. So, that was a deal breaker for me, that I couldn't [travel home in my downtime]. And again, that wasn't even an offer; that was just a, "Will you screen test under these circumstances."

[worleybird]

And of course, Jackee played Lily Mason a buddy of Cass' who along with Felicia Gallant and Wallingford were the Group of Four.

Did anybody else notice when Ava and 'Charlie' were in the mausoleum the date for Jake's death was 2022 not 2023. So I guess the time jump has synched back up with our time. They made sure they hid the final digit of Adrienne's death year whenever they showed her gravestone by having a leaf covering it.

[BuckeyeLou]

Ugh, Eric is THE Most Annoying character!  He was So Judgemental, spiteful, mean & all-together a horrid person today.  Nicole is no Saint, but she did not deserve all the vitriol today.  And why was he eating like a Neanderthal?  He was only in jail overnight & yet he was stuffing his face & gulping his coffee like he had not eaten in a month!   I am enjoying Wendy's scenes with different characters, her scenes with Gabi trying to convince her to be Maid of Honor were really good.  And good Sister Moira Margaret was a hoot!