Current Plots Discussion: Actually Today's Episode

[JBC344]

Ok, I love Vivian and TC, but seriously Stefan Dimera. This show has past it's threshold of unknown children.

I get that Andre has killed half of his siblings, but with Peter in jail and Kristen waiting in the wings, did we really need another Stefano child? 

I would much rather have TC be a distant relative, or just a brand new character/rival. 

I'm definitely giving this a chance considering the players, but really disappointed in the set up. 

[Silver Raven]

"Apparently vulture was taken."

"It's as if we never said goodbye.  I may burst into song."

Brady needs to be slapped more often. Sonny should have done it, too.  There should be people lining up to take turns.

I love Kate's dress.

Hey, no dissing Ivan, Abigail!

Eve and Brady were doing a lot of talking over each other.

"Oh, uh, I was kissing Paul."  I do always love Will and Marlena's talks.

Ciara needs to shut it.

Darn, I was hoping imposters dot com would be a real website.

"They're in my other cape."

Will we be getting some background into Stefan's history before Vivian and Ivan tracked him down?

"Hey, you came home."  Well, duh.

The board named a new CEO without even discussing it with the other players?  And on New Year's Eve? I call shenanigans.

[Your Aunt Tilly]

Hi, first time poster to this forum.  I watched Days back during its heyday in the 80's through the mid-90's.  I stopped around the time of Marlena's possession.  I got sucked back in during the "Newsalem" plot, and haven't watched since.  Until about 2 weeks ago - I saw it on the guide when I turned on the tv.  I turned it on out of curiosity and it SUCKED ME BACK IN!!!  How does this show do that???

Anyway, I was compelled to post today because when Vivian introduced Steffan, at first I thought it was Lucas standing there scowling.  I don't know if it was the camera angle, the expression on his face, or what it was.  But I honestly thought that Vivian had gotten Lucas a haircut, dressed him in a suit, and paraded him in front of the party claiming he was Steffano.  Or I thought it was going to be another stupid "plastic surgery" storyline where they recast Steffano and would say it was all plastic surgery.  So the "secret baby" storyline actually made sense after thinking all that.

I also wanted to comment on Jennifer's hair.  I think part of the problem might be that she's going gray, and her gray hairs could very well be resistant to color.  I have that kind of gray - color lasts a day or two on my grays.  Since I have brown hair and refuse to go gray yet, I "remedy" this by coloring the rest of my hair very light and then toning it.  The gray tends to look more like highlights this way, but I'm sure I look like I enjoy having tacky fake blond hair.  But at this age (44) plus the fact that I'm trying to start a new career and am concerned about age discrimination, I'd rather people think I have slightly tacky taste than to think I'm going gray.  Her hair could probably be helped if the non-gray hair wasn't being colored such a golden blond - the golden tone really makes the gray stick out like a sore thumb.

[Silver Raven]

Welcome, @Your Aunt Tilly

 

[buffynut]

Stefan O. Dimera sounds a little like Deimos 2.0, but at least he has Vivian to give initial interest to his character.   I was mostly bored through the rest of the show, though it was nice to see John & Marlena make an appearance.

Edit to add:  Welcome from me too, Your Aunt Tilly.  I watched during the 80's and up to around Marlena's possession too. Then only heard about Newsalem when they "killed off" Alice, and was disgusted that TPTB would do that.  I missed years and years of shows, but would still watch occasionally. Then in summer 2014 I started watching again regularly. And yes, even after decades, the show sucked me back in too. LOL.

Edited January 2, 2018 by buffynut

[peachmangosteen]

2 hours ago, BlackMamba said:

This is the best [TC]'s looked ever in his whole career. 

I think his hair cut is weird but I still agree with this.

I loved all of the Stefano/Stefan O. stuff. So stupid, so fun!

I hate Ciara. I still wanna see her and Tripp fall in love though lol.

I'm getting bored with the Will/Sonny/Paul stuff. I kinda like Will/Paul, but mostly I just wish they'd move Paul away from that story completely because he's better than it imo.

Eve/Brady is so gross, but I'm still kinda into it.

[Rowan]

TC looked pretty damn good. I know the writing is going to be less than stellar for this whole story, so hopefully he is happy and stays engaged because he's a decent enough actor to help sell it. I hope like hell they drop the O from Stephan because I don't know that I can deal with that ridiculousness for too long. 

I like Chad and Abby, but, yes, this whole "aren't we the just the cutest!" is starting to grate a little. You just know Abigail is going to take a good, long look at Stephan 'cause she does like her some Dimera. I'm down to see if they'll have some spark. 

Will's poofy hair and perma-smirk are starting to get on my nerves. Poor Paul. Sonny's not worth your heartbreak. 

[CPP83]

Well well well, TC has really spent his time off, having left GH, well it looks like. The hair though...that's a choice I must say, but the body is all kinds of right. It's nice to see another potential leading man willing to put in the time and work to keep in shape and look fit and healthy. Quite a few other soap guys could take note...imo.

That party was a giant snooze fest to me. All I could do was compare that sad bunch to the sort of grand affairs Days used to be famous for, where so many key characters were right around every corner, ready to create some big "bam!" of a moment that left you shocked and floored.

Watching the ladies wear outfits I would normally see in a David's Bridal shop, and the men pretty much slumping around, aside from Chad who was doing who knows what when he wasn't bending over backwards to kiss his own backside...not impressed.

I know that Ciara isn't a minor anymore (right? I truly don't know with how she behaves...) but she's at least old enough to go to the mall and buy new clothes.

Why is she going around like some leather loving  street urchin who has no other purpose than to pretend she can ride her Daddy's old bike and hates EVERYONE! and life isn't fair and Dear God, are you there, it's Ciara and she's super pissed!.

I am still not even sure if the actress is any good or not because Ciara is being written like the unwanted love child of every single angsty, angry, teenage stereotype of the past 20 years in cinema.

 

38 minutes ago, Rowan said:

Will's poofy hair and perma-smirk are starting to get on my nerves. Poor Paul. Sonny's not worth your heartbreak. 

 

The smirk is grating for me as well at this point. I admit I didn't really pay much attention to Chandler during his first go around as Will, there was way too much to keep me away from Days back then, but really can he pull off more than three facial expressions? He can cry, laugh, and smirk and sometimes he pulls off the trifecta when he's really in the mood.

And I am tired of him snagging Paul to kiss like that's all Paul is good for. Paul is a human being, who is hurting deeply, and all Will can care about is that Paul makes him feel good and he thinks he's hot. I am quickly losing patience with Will's behavior, especially since it keeps putting Paul in a tricky spot.

Sonny apparently forgot to put a tracking app on Will's phone. If he's going to be that OTT and freaked out that Will might actually be interacting with other people for longer than five minutes, without Sonny present, this is going to make for a longggggg reunion between those two.

And I so agree with you, Paul really needs to remember that he is so much more than just a guy that Sonny used to love. He has everything going for him, Sonny is not the "greatest catch of all time", not even close. I really hope that they bring in someone for Paul, solely. He needs a friend, a buddy, a trustworthy partner.

I believe I have seen this mentioned on the boards before, but I really do wish that they would bring back Guy and recast him as a brand new character that could be Paul's new "pal".

I never did buy Guy as Will for a number of reasons, some of them weren't his fault I will give him that, but as far as believing that he and Christopher had really organic, amazing, sexy, genuine chemistry? I was fully on board.

They clicked as few gay couples on TV, that I've seen, ever have, I forgot I was watching two actors when they were together, before it all went to hell, and I would love to see that again. That kind of natural ease and comfort between co-stars that actually play their characters, and don't bring their own hangups to the roles.

Oh, and nice of them to finally allow John and Marlena some screen time. Since they couldn't have afforded a few family dinner scenes with them and their kids and grand-kids or anything...nice going, Ron.

I hope that Lucas (who?) is doing well in rehab (huh?) and hopefully he is recovering (where?). Again, nice going, Ron...

[kitmerlot1213]

Man, but if Stefan is instantly enamored with Abby, then he is dead to me.  Seriously, MM is a better actress then KM but she isn't any more attractive--show, stop pretending that Abs is this stunning woman that every man wants.

Ciara is a mean drunk and a bully--please let her try her new "badass" attitude on someone who will actually hit back.  Thus far she's attacking soft targets--Claire, Jenn, Eric--let her pull some crap on Kate.  And Tripp deserves better then getting involved with this head case.

I'm agog at just how cold-blooded Sonny is with Paul--Will at least has compassion for the man and feels badly that Paul is hurting, Sonny's acting like he's stranger as opposed to someone he was once in love with.  I like that Will realizes that he needs to figure out his life now and not try to recapture the past.

[Frozendiva]

I didn't find Stefan all that attractive. Guess not my type. Maybe it was the hair.

Did like Vivian's lines. She still has it.

Sonny couldn't care less about Paul anymore. Sonny, Paul is a human being.  You can love him and wish him well, even though you are not his significant other any more. You could simply 'divorce' Will. He has no memory of you and should not be tied to you. Let him make his own life choices and if he returns back to you, great.

Brady and Eve? Really? Eve doesn't think it a bit weird that Brady is her sister's ex? I have never gone near my sister's husband.

Did enjoy all the DiMeras receiving their pink slips. Happy new year! And a goodbye to Jen's hairdonut.

[Rowan]

1 hour ago, kitmerlot1213 said:

Man, but if Stefan is instantly enamored with Abby, then he is dead to me.  Seriously, MM is a better actress then KM but she isn't any more attractive--show, stop pretending that Abs is this stunning woman that every man wants.

 

 

I'm sure we'll find out that his notice of Abigail's beauty is just something to needle Chad, until he discovers that he really does find her irresistible. That's just Days for ya. I mean, I do agree that MM is not a stunner in the traditional soap sense, but I do find her more attractive than Mansi. Which is honestly neither here nor there until they have a complete stranger remark on her beauty in his very first words to her. Then I'm like, let's not go overboard, show. 

I don't find the character as loathsome as some, so I'm cool with seeing where they might go with it.

[SueB]

Quick thoughts:

Vivian: Wasn't watching the first time(s?) Vivian was on the show but "batshit crazy" seems appropriate.  Did Stephane do some mad scientist thing to her too?

Stephan: Kinda handsome, but I love Chad so he's kinda dead to me.

Abigail: Oh honey, that dress was so late 70's or a bad nightgown.  

Andre: Kissed Kate! I'm on-board.  But she didn't seem that responsive.

Ciara: Needs to go away.  What a whiny brat.  Her hair is a major distraction.

Will: Are you just NATURALLY evil or something?  What's up with this Paul thing?  I''m thinking it'll be "I'm exploring my sexuality" phase or something but .... nope.

Paul: I never liked Paul until he started suffering so much over Sonny.

Sonny: You dropping Paul for Will is just so wrong.

Hope: Loved the dress. 

Eve & Brady: Brady is skeevy with the forced kissing.  OTOH, I hope Eve decided she just wanted a little ahem... exercise... and is onto Brady.  Brady, evil looks shitty on you.

Eric: Don't be teasing Jen. She's wearing her heart on her sleeve and you'd drop her in an instant if Nicole walked thru the door.  

Jen: Honey, a messy chignon would have been much better.

Gabby: Kinda boring dress for you.  Don't call Eve until after they deadline has passed and then turn her down.OR, bail because Stephan has showed up.  

5 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

"Apparently vulture was taken."

"It's as if we never said goodbye.  I may burst into song."

Brady needs to be slapped more often. Sonny should have done it, too.  There should be people lining up to take turns.

I love Kate's dress.

Hey, no dissing Ivan, Abigail!

Eve and Brady were doing a lot of talking over each other.

"Oh, uh, I was kissing Paul."  I do always love Will and Marlena's talks.

Ciara needs to shut it.

Darn, I was hoping imposters dot com would be a real website.

"They're in my other cape."

Will we be getting some background into Stefan's history before Vivian and Ivan tracked him down?

"Hey, you came home."  Well, duh.

The board named a new CEO without even discussing it with the other players?  And on New Year's Eve? I call shenanigans.

You missed Chad's "He must have really REALLY wanted that ruby." Billy had so much fun with that line.  That almost seemed like an ad lib. 

[Swartz]

Quote

Seriously, MM is a better actress then KM

If only MM was a good actress!  She is so one note and monotone.   KM brought some life to Abby. She was dynamic when she needed to be. 

TC looks good but I hate that once again Days us using the retcon son SL and I'm tired of this show focusing on the Dimeras.     I remember the good ole days where it was Bradys, Hortons who were the heroes and families like the Dimeras weren't the center of the show.   Everyday its Andre and Kate.   Where's Steve and Kayla.  John and Marlena are only there for Will and Paul. 

[CPP83]

If they wanted to drag another Dimera carcass onto the show couldn't this Stefan (Shove it Ron if you think I am actually going to bother to call him Stefan-O), have been revealed to be Andre's offspring?

Not all roads of Dimera fertility have to lead back to the original Stefano. TC is the perfect age to play a child of someone Thaao's age, there would be no need to suspend belief or any such thing. Just pick one of the old gals to be his mother, known or unknown, and viola, done.

I am of the same mindset of those sick and tired of the Dimeras running the show as it stands, but if these lazy writers would just try and be original once in a while it might, possibly, prove helpful. Stop mucking around with so much history when you have nothing new or decent to add to the tale.

Another thing that stood out to me yesterday was the whole Brady and Eve business. I....have no interest in that. Their love scene looked more like a wrestling match, what fun...well, in their case it didn't look very.

Oh, and Greg was looking fairly dapper I thought as well. I think his hair is what TC was trying to aim for and fell far short of. 

[Apprentice79]

57 minutes ago, CPP83 said:

If they wanted to drag another Dimera carcass onto the show couldn't this Stefan (Shove it Ron if you think I am actually going to bother to call him Stefan-O), have been revealed to be Andre's offspring?

Not all roads of Dimera fertility have to lead back to the original Stefano. TC is the perfect age to play a child of someone Thaao's age, there would be no need to suspend belief or any such thing. Just pick one of the old gals to be his mother, known or unknown, and viola, done.

I am of the same mindset of those sick and tired of the Dimeras running the show as it stands, but if these lazy writers would just try and be original once in a while it might, possibly, prove helpful. Stop mucking around with so much history when you have nothing new or decent to add to the tale.

Another thing that stood out to me yesterday was the whole Brady and Eve business. I....have no interest in that. Their love scene looked more like a wrestling match, what fun...well, in their case it didn't look very.

Oh, and Greg was looking fairly dapper I thought as well. I think his hair is what TC was trying to aim for and fell far short of. 

The show has forgotten that Stefano had 6 older brothers.  Stefan could have been either the son or the grandson of one of them.  

If the show wanted a Dimera, how about Peter coming back to wreak havoc. If the show cannot bring back Jason Brooks, they could have recasted the role.  If Andre who is a serial killer can be free to socialize with the same people that he terrorized for years. Why can't Peter?  Plus, Kristen and EJ are alive somewhere.  We also have Benji's son, Steven Hawk out there.  Stefan was not necessary. We have enough Dimeras.  I will never understand why the show is so obsessed with that family. 

Why must every new character be related to somebody already on canvas.  We have had Eli, Trip, Lani and Paul.  Can you imagine, if Marlena was Shawn Brady's long lost daughter.  Marlena came in to help Mickey as his psychiatrist and she became a hit with the fans and she has been on the show for 41 years.  I am already prepared for Stefan taking over the show. Ron likes to shove his characters down people's throats.  

The show needs to invest in their younger characters. How about JT and Joy Wesley coming back to town as young adults. They are characters rooted in history, but, unrelated, to the people in town.

The show needs to reunite Brady with Chloe.  Bring back Shawn, Belle, Philip, Andrew Donovan,  Sarah Horton, Noelle Curtis, Jeremy, Chelsea, Stefanie, Alex Kiriakis and use them to anchor the show... Give them  stories, enemies, friends, obstacles and make us care about them.   The vets can play supporting roles in their stories.. 

The show can also use the vets rich histories to give them stories that do not involve an interloper. Marlena had a foster son called Johnny who was very important to her. How about he comes to town and reconnects with her.. Perhaps, he was inspired to become a psychiatrist like her and he needs her help in a complicated case.  He could come back with a son or daughter that can be slowly integrated into the show.  

Edited January 3, 2018 by Apprentice79

[CPP83]

6 minutes ago, Apprentice79 said:

The show has forgotten that Stefano had 6 older brothers.  Stefan could have been either the son or the grandson of one of them.  

If the show wanted a Dimera, how about Peter coming back to wreak havoc. If the show cannot bring back Jason Brooks, they could have recasted the role.  

 

Not so much forgotten I think but they don't care. Ron wants to keep up the whole Stefano line, he is terrible when it comes to getting obsessed with one subject and everything else just falls away. He is so good, which I find terrible, at shrinking everything down to a few select people he wants to play with, and everyone else has to wait a turn if they get one at all.

It's not really about the true history that the show has, it's about the history Ron wants to play with and put his own stamp on and I would much rather he just keep messing with the Dimeras we already have, like Andree and Chad, than trying to resurrect old faces that he won't do justice to, jmho.

[boes]

Was anyone on screen today besides Vivian??  Because she dazzled so brilliantly with her looniness, her razor sharp one liners and her complete dominance everyone else faded out, unless they were responding to or about her.

I want some scenes, just her and Kate, in duelling capes, pithy putdowns at 50 yards.

Somebody burp Ciara and put her up for adoption, stat.

[msrachelj]

loved today but vivian saying something about her being a naive young thing alone with a baby..then her son should be about 60, not this guys age.

also, i think the best line of the night was andre's (i can't quote it exactly) about vivian to the crowd. "anyone have a bucket of water?".

i love andre. i don't know if they just want us to forget who he really was or if he's really tony but he has charisma. 

[sugarbaker design]

13 hours ago, CPP83 said:

I am still not even sure if the actress is any good or not because Ciara is being written like the unwanted love child of every single angsty, angry, teenage stereotype of the past 20 years in cinema.

Wouldn't a good actress spin gold out of straw?  This is a case of bad acting, even worse writing.  I feel bad for the actress.  Look who they group her with.  The two worst actors on the show:  Rafe and Hope.

8 hours ago, boes said:

Was anyone on screen today besides Vivian?? 

Seriously, she acted everyone else off the screen!

[BF4L]

Just popped in to say it was great to see Ty again and I’m already rooting for him to take down the Dimeras. Hope he’s not wasted on Abby. I think he would work better with someone like Chloe.

And DAMN Brady and Eve were all kinds of HOT. LOVE Eric and Kassie together. Glad she’s finally got a capable leading man.

[swtrgrl]

Today was everything I wanted it to be wrt WilSon.

Chandler brought his A game. The Udell twin was really cute. Freddie was not great but I didn't want to throw up. Although the begging at the end came off as pathetic and sad...but not in a way I'd feel bad for Sonny.

Sonny is a controlling pain in the ass. He used their daughter to try to get Will to change his mind. What a douche move, man. Horrible. Desperate.

Will is being noble and honest about it - he doesn't want to cheat on Sonny and he needs to explore. And Sonny will now get a taste of the dish he handed to Paul - with frankly, less regard than Will just gave it to Sonny. It's organic - like Will is speaking honestly - doing the hard thing - Not doing it to hurt Sonny - but to try and avoid hurting him more.

 

WRT Chandler's smirk: I love his smirk - he had it the day of their first kiss - I think it's a Chandler habit obviously - but it works for me with Will because we do that when we don't know how else to react sometimes. It shows his uncertainty - but his willingness to please people. OBVIOUSLY opinions vary and we're all entitled to our own. Just stating mine. If you don't like the smirk, that's cool. You don't have to defend yourself. I understand why you don't like it.

[Garnett7]

I am so down for Will & Paul, although I need Will to stop randomly pouncing on Paul. That's not cool, dude, especially since Will knows he's married to the man Paul really loves and that makes it extra awkward for Paul. But Sonny has been such a jerk for so long that I'm done with him. I want better for Paul. Of course the bad thing with amnesia stories is that the person always get their memory back and returns to their "grrreat wuv" (i.e. Paul will get shafted again). It's more fun if Will never gets his memory back and starts over as a new person in Salem.

[Apprentice79]

  Horita and Paulson will be angst for Wilson. Once Sonny moves on from Will to be with somebody else, Will's memory will come back and he will fight for Sonny.  Steve rejected Kayla when he came back. He wanted Ava.  It was torture to watch Steve treat Kayla like crap, while mooning over that creature Vitali.   Steve even wanted Billie.  They even kissed a few times.  In the end, Stayla found their way back together.  Wilson will too. The journey will be rough. 

I too like Chandler's smirk. It has never bothered me. I just feel that Chandler does not bring the heat in Will's pairings like Guy.  Guy and Christopher committed to the script and went for it, as Horita.  Chandler seemed uncomfortable kissing Freddie in his original run.  Chandler's Will is very asexual when it comes to men. However,  he had really good chemistry with Camilla.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Apprentice79

[Lisa418722]

14 hours ago, SnK said:

If only MM was a good actress!  She is so one note and monotone.   KM brought some life to Abby. She was dynamic when she needed to be.

And I feel completely different on this.  KM had one expression - whether Abby was in love, scared, giving birth, whatever, it seemed to me her expression never changed.  I'm not crazy about Abby, but I blame that more on the writers than MM.  MM has made it so that I care more for the character now.     
I liked TC on GH back when he first started, so it will be interesting to see what Stefan is like (of course I keep flashing back to Stefan Cassadine LOL). 

Edited January 3, 2018 by Lisa418722

[DisneyBoy]

So his name is Sam....I like that we already know that. The actor isn't doing anything for me yet, but Viv? Viv is fire. Hoo boy! Those eyes! That voice!! Hope she sticks around.

Did anybody else see the "I'm the CEO so I own this house now!" twist coming a mile away? They've pulled that one a good couple times now. I remember Sami doing it to EJ...

[CPP83]

4 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

Wouldn't a good actress spin gold out of straw?  This is a case of bad acting, even worse writing.  I feel bad for the actress.  Look who they group her with.  The two worst actors on the show:  Rafe and Hope.

 

Under the direction of another director, I might say yes, however I have seen what Ron did when he had some of the best in the business to write for, some of the true dames on OLTL and GH, and he can turn gold into a turd like no one else I've ever seen.

If I am being honest I think the girl is fairly average, not so bad I have to change the channel but also not all that great. I do think that she could get by a lot better if the writing was somewhat decent, as you said, and I think that's the biggest hurdle for the whole show right now. The direction and writing just leaves so much to be deserved imho.

Which brings me around to today and...Brady, you couldn't have stopped for five seconds to put on a bathrobe? His feet should have frozen to the front stoop.

I actually will give credit where credit is due to Chandler for today. He finally showed some range, it was nice.

Will standing up for himself and his mature decision to not try and force what he just doesn't feel was good. Will is not in the right place if he feels trapped by the past and if his current feelings would lead him to cheat and be someone he doesn't want to be. A fresh do-over can only help him right now.

Freddie just...I can't. When he tries to do the emotional thing all I can see are all the acting tricks they teach in high-school drama class. It just doesn't feel real or natural to me at all.

Sonny's inability to see that everything he's doing is exactly what has pushed Will away is just an utter lack of self-awareness. Sonny wants to control the situation until he knows for sure he has his Will back, and that just isn't how life works. And I thought it was pretty low-ball for him to throw their daughter into the ring in hopes of manipulating Will to stay.

[nilyank]

15 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

Did anybody else see the "I'm the CEO so I own this house now!" twist coming a mile away? They've pulled that one a good couple times now. I remember Sami doing it to EJ

I thought for some reason that Chad bought the mansion outright after Sami took all the Dimera money a few years ago.

[Apprentice79]

I thought that Stefan and Chloe were so pretty today.. I could get behind that pairing. It does not have to be a forever love thing. Just two single people acting on their attraction, nothing more, nothing less.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Apprentice79

[sugarbaker design]

22 minutes ago, CPP83 said:

Under the direction of another director, I might say yes, however I have seen what Ron did when he had some of the best in the business to write for, some of the true dames on OLTL and GH, and he can turn gold into a turd like no one else I've ever seen.

You can't blame a director for an actor's lack of talent.  I was a fan of OLTL until it's demise so I'm familiar with the good and bad of RC's writing.  And even on OLTL at it's worst, there was Erika Slezak, Robin Strasser and Hillary Bailey Smith spinning straw into gold.  However, conversely there were atrocious actors with equally atrocious writing that really stood out like Farah Fath, John-Paul Lavoisier and Bree Williamson.

[CPP83]

10 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

You can't blame a director for an actor's lack of talent.  I was a fan of OLTL until it's demise so I'm familiar with the good and bad of RC's writing.  And even on OLTL at it's worst, there was Erika Slezak, Robin Strasser and Hillary Bailey Smith spinning straw into gold.  However, conversely there were atrocious actors with equally atrocious writing that really stood out like Farah Fath, John-Paul Lavoisier and Bree Williamson.

 

I don't disagree with you. My point was that imho Ron is a terrible director, and sure more experienced, crafty actresses can do what they can with what he gives them, but a younger kid would struggle mightily.

Does that mean the kid is as bad as the writing and direction,? I don't think there's a way to tell when inexperience meets poor direction. Now I haven't seen the actress in anything else so I have no idea, but I would dare say that having Ron headline Ciara is not going to do anything for what little talent she might possess. It's a lot harder to kill a fully grown tree than a mere sapling, but that's just how I see it.

Ciara's development, actress aside, just seems to have fallen off a cliff. The way she is written is just awful, imo, and wholly unlikable.

[BlackMamba]

?I don't feel sorry for Sonny.

Yes I said it!

I don't feel sorry for him.  

No sir!?

He literally tossed Paul to the side like he was trash so he could rekindle with an amnesiac Will.  He gets what he deserves.  I hope Paul pounds Will something good and he gets all his memories back like that lol.

Stefan and Chloe... meh... I could see them having sexual chemistry but beyond that nah.  I can't see relationship.  I did get my chuckles at nosey Chloe trying to warn Brady about Vivian and yet having a loud convo about Eve.  Do these Salemites not believe other people can hear them from close proximity?? ? 

Once again, loved Vivian coming for Kate.  Kate does treat her actual sons like they are second rate compared to her pretend son Chad.  Vivian was breathing facts.

Chad and Abby becoming homeless at Stefan's expense is fine by me. They've been far too comfortable in that house with the shitty job they have done running Dimera Enterprises.  Oh and did you catch Chad trying to claim Andre as his beloved brother.  Only when it's convenient!  He had no problem pinning Andre for Theo's shooting and throwing Andre's murderous history up in his face every chance he got to hold onto the company.   Chad is so smug and a piece of work.   

[buffynut]

When I first started watching again, I preferred Ben to Chad. Then along the way I started to like Chad, but now not so much again. I'm so, so tired of his stutter, and if it's a character flaw BF has added to the character, I wish he'd drop it. It really identified the weakness in his character when faced with the newest brother.  If BF has a stutter in his real life, then I do feel bad criticizing him, but it's seemed to have gotten much more prominent over the last while.

I hated KM's portrayal of Abby, so I do prefer MM's version, though I wish she could be a bit less docile.  

Why does Chloe not have a love interest? She has chemistry with so many of the men, yet she remains single. (course since she's trying to hide that baby belly, maybe there's someone after all. LOL)

I wasn't familiar with either the Deimos actor or the Stefan actor, but I do like the Stefan one better so far. 

I'll admit to feeling a bit of emotion when Will told Sonny he wanted a divorce. I thought both actors did a good job in that scene.

[BF4L]

1 hour ago, sugarbaker design said:

You can't blame a director for an actor's lack of talent.  I was a fan of OLTL until it's demise so I'm familiar with the good and bad of RC's writing.  And even on OLTL at it's worst, there was Erika Slezak, Robin Strasser and Hillary Bailey Smith spinning straw into gold.  However, conversely there were atrocious actors with equally atrocious writing that really stood out like Farah Fath, John-Paul Lavoisier and Bree Williamson.

Ron is a shit writer. Always was. OLTL had the BEST female cast in Daytime IMO with powerhouses like Strasser, Evans, DePaiva, Haskell, Smith, Goldsberry, etc but he wrote women HORRIBLY. He butchered them and made it the John McBain hour. Kudos to those ladies for powering through but they can only do so much when the writing constantly works against them.

[Silver Raven]

I hope Eve is too smart to not know that Brady is playing her.

Somebody needs to take out Mister Shin.  He keeps causing trouble.

Good mention of Vivian stealing Philip.

If they're chemistry testing Nadia and Tyler, I buy it.  But it's a shame she went out on maternity leave in the middle of all of this.

Sorry, Sonny, bringing in muffins and Arianna is desperation.

Sami needs to take slapping lessons from Kate.  THAT was a good one.

Will, YOU kissed Paul, don't say "we kissed."

Damn, Brady gets very into his work.

So Sam's a corporate raider, huh?

Begging isn't attractive, Sonny.

"Are you sure you can handle her?" Er, Andre is a serial killer, Kate, try to remember that.

[kitmerlot1213]

I have never disliked Sonny more then in today's episode.  I hate that he immediately jumped to the most ugly of conclusions regarding Paul as though Paul was some kind of a rapist, preying on Will, is shocking to me.  Does he think so little of Paul the man he was once madly in love with?

And I couldn't love Will more.  He realizes that he is attracted to Paul and he knows in his heart of hearts that could lead to his cheating again and he doesn't want to be that person.  Its best that he gets his life together before even attempting to make a life with another person.   Very mature :)

I did like Vivian and Kate rehashing their insane history together--good times :):)

Edited January 4, 2018 by kitmerlot1213

[Apprentice79]

I felt bad for Sonny. It is weird how the roles have reversed. I think Will will regret his decision. He keeps saying that Paul gets him and does not pressure him to be like the old Will. Paul does not do that because he does not care about Will's predicament.  Paul wants Sonny. 

[Frozendiva]

No one in the Kiriakis mansion can put on a tshirt or robe to answer the doorbell?

Eve, look long and hard at Brady and his sudden interest in you.

I could feel the 'ouch' from Kate slapping Vivian. So now Stefan O. owns the mansion? Was it not a private sale?

Stefan was Sam? He only became Stefan a month ago? Something smells rotten in Salem. 

Sonny, as I have repeated, let Will determine what he wants. Paul wants you. You want Paul. Maybe. Actually maybe go back to Paris on the next flight.

The show needs to cast Mr. Shin/Xin.

[Silver Raven]

6 minutes ago, Frozendiva said:

The show needs to cast Mr. Shin/Xin.

He's been on a couple of times.

[Frozendiva]

24 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

He's been on a couple of times.

He must have made an appearance when my DVR did not record the show!

[Garnett7]

Not a drop of sympathy for Sonny. And I despise that he went to using Ari like some bargaining chip to guilt Will into staying. That was low. And Will needs to re-word his confession. He and Paul didn't kiss as he made it sound, he kissed Paul. Big difference.

So far, Paul is the only one I feel bad for and care about. Paul became Sonny's back-up plan from the moment Ben crashed the wedding and said Will's name. For all of Sonny's claims to love Paul, I haven't seen it in his actions or his attitude towards Paul. Sonny can exit stage left now, take Will with him, I don't care. Just do right by Paul, writers. Give him a love interest who actually wants to be with him and won't dump him for their ex. That applies to Will, too, cause we know he will run back to Sonny as soon as his memory returns.

Edited January 4, 2018 by Garnett7

[annabel]

I was not around for Vivian Alamain before, but I love Louise Sorel and I like Tyler Christopher and I dislike everybody else, so I am rooting for them

[Swartz]

I hope the Kate show ends soon.  I'm tired of watching these same characters.   Is Ron capable of writing stories for the entire cast?

I think MM sucks. She's drab and boring.    

[CPP83]

3 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Will, YOU kissed Paul, don't say "we kissed."

 

I had the exact same thought, because intentions matter, and Will really was out of line to imply, even a little bit, that Paul had anything to do with that kiss besides having it laid on him. Will did Paul no favors, and of course Sonny just had to run with that bit of info even though it was completely wrong.

In fact, during the whole scene Sonny's assumptions bout Paul, somehow, being at fault for any of Will's behavior or his decisions was really off-putting.

Not only was he making it seem as if Paul was a lowlife for trying to be so manipulative (as if Paul would need to manipulate anyone with his natural good looks and charm, get real Sonny) but Sonny also implied that Will, apparently, is like a small child who, if left alone, would get into all sorts of trouble and won't know any better. Will  doesn't have his old memories but he isn't a five year old child, he is a grown man more than capable of turning away from someone who is doing something he doesn't like or want. Or even better yet, he's a grown man who is more than capable of making the first move.

What a way to discredit both of the men you claim/ed to love, Sonny.

 

24 minutes ago, kitmerlot1213 said:

I have never disliked Sonny more then in today's episode.  I hate that he immediately jumped to the most ugly of conclusions regarding Paul as though Paul was some kind of a rapist, preying on Will, is shocking to me.  Does he think so little of Paul the man he was once madly in love with?

 

Amen.

I really found it telling that Sonny could go from someone who loved Paul first, to having spent the past two years with Paul building back up their relationship, asking Paul even to marry him, yet again, and nearly sealing the deal, yet now Sonny acts as if Paul is this despicable leech who is taking advantage of poor, confused, ,misguided Will. It's beyond horrendous to me.

Sonny isn't getting his way, Will isn't just magically falling back in love with him and wants to pledge himself to Sonny all over again, promising to forsake all others and be Sonny's one and only forever and ever so of course Sonny wants to lash out at Paul whose only crime is being a decent human being to Will, showing him understanding and sympathy for what he's going through. Sonny fails to see that Paul's generosity is what he is missing most of all, and that's why Will is making a runner.

Sonny failed to see past his own desperate wants and needs and desires and it has now cost him big time.

I hate to even think it, but I wouldn't be surprised that the next Paul scene will involve a run-in with Sonny where Sonny attacks or accuses Paul for Will leaving, and the whole kiss business, just as he did in the mansion when Brady spilled the beans about the first kiss. I hope I am wrong and the writers will prove more original but...it's Ron so, who knows.

[Apprentice79]

1 hour ago, Garnett7 said:

Not a drop of sympathy for Sonny. And I despise that he went to using Ari like some bargaining chip to guilt Will into staying. That was low. And Will needs to re-word his confession. He and Paul didn't kiss as he made it sound, he kissed Paul. Big difference.

To be fair, Will did the same thing with Sonny, after Sonny found about the affair. Before Sonny left town the first time to go to Arizona.  Will tried to use Ari to get him to stay, he pressured him about his feelings and he blamed Paul for everything.  Will also treated Paul badly. I remember Will calling Paul's mother a whore.  Paul punched him and Will used that to get  Sonny to sleep with him.  I remember how he blackmailed Tori and threatened her about Paul's paternity. He wanted Stefano to take Paul away.  He said that Paul was worst than Kristen. He also said that John was a predator that preyed on Marlena to get her to cheat on Roman. I remember the Jarlena fans were out for blood for Will. He mischaracterized a complex situation, just to hurt Paul.    Will was just as bad, if not worst in his desperation to keep Sonny..  I will be the lone person in not trashing Sonny..

Edited January 4, 2018 by Apprentice79

[TeeVee329]

Will leaving Sonny like this is classically soapy - I keep going back to Maria/Edmund on AMC, I believe that story went a very similar way - but it also feels like Freddie Smith's contract might almost be up.  Or Ron has a blind spot to how Sonny's coming off, which can be a weakness of his coughRexandGigicough.

Edited January 4, 2018 by TeeVee329

[boes]

13 minutes ago, Apprentice79 said:

To be fair, Will did the same thing with Sonny, after Sonny found about the affair. Before Sonny left town the first time to go to Arizona.  Will tried to use Ari to get him to stay, he pressured him about his feelings and he blamed Paul for everything.  Will also treated Paul badly. I remember Will calling Paul's mother a whore.  Paul punched him and Will used that to get  Sonny to sleep with him.  I remember how he blackmailed Tori and threatened her about Paul's paternity. He wanted Stefano to take Paul away.  He said that Paul was worst than Kristen. He also said that John was a predator that preyed on Marlena to get her to cheat on Roman. I remember the Jarlena fans were out for blood, for, Will mischaracterizing, a complex situation, just to hurt Paul.    Will was just as bad, if not worst in his desperation to keep Sonny..  I will be the lone person in not trashing Sonny..

No, you won't.  Sonny isn't behaving the way I'd like him to, the way he'd behaved when he was first introduced, or how he treated Will previously, and his character has taken some hits since this whole nonsensical Deimos and Titan storyline started playing out.

But I also see a lot of what he's doing, behaving, reacting, as the actions of a man near the breaking point with a come-back-to-life spouse with no memory, but the same fall back position of selfishness Will has always had, especially when the going gets tough.

I'm very very glad Will is alive but I still don't like him much.  I don't care about Sparkle any more than I ever did, and Sonny is devolving in front of our eyes.  I see hysteria far more than manipulation in his behavior.

[TeeVee329]

I'm surprised Sonny hasn't broken out that stupid wish box.

Edited January 4, 2018 by TeeVee329

[CPP83]

Out of the three guys, I have always liked Sonny the least. I am not a fan of the actor, especially when it comes to him showing his co-stars intimacy in a scene, I can feel his cringe through the screen sometimes. Sonny has always been a hit or miss the way he's written, and mainly he misses. I find him annoying, entitled, and a jerk for the most part.

Will can be much the same, but I give him a bit more slack because he comes from families I like more than Sonny's. I think Chandler is a little better than Freddie, sometimes, and I can tolerate him more, even though he too can have such a big problem showing affection and getting over his hangups during certain scenes.

The reason I am coming down harder on Sonny after yesterday is how he's acting about Paul. Will didn't have the history nor declarations of love for Paul that Sonny has, and yet from how Sonny so coldly dumped Paul, without even allowing Paul any time for adjustment or acceptance, and now he wants to make Paul the villain of sorts in this flawed fairy-tale, I am just over him and his deplorable behavior.

Paul, to me, is one of the few reasons I am still keeping up with the show. I just like the actor and I like the character, for the most part. I just wish they would let Christopher add more life to him like he used to, when he was grabbing and snogging the hell out of Guy, heh.

[superdeluxe]

4 hours ago, Apprentice79 said:

I felt bad for Sonny. It is weird how the roles have reversed. I think Will will regret his decision. He keeps saying that Paul gets him and does not pressure him to be like the old Will. Paul does not do that because he does not care about Will's predicament.  Paul wants Sonny. 

For now.  He will be drooling over Will and they'll be falling into bed soon enough.

 

2 hours ago, TeeVee329 said:

Will leaving Sonny like this is classically soapy - I keep going back to Maria/Edmund on AMC, I believe that story went a very similar way - but it also feels like Freddie Smith's contract might almost be up.  Or Ron has a blind spot to how Sonny's coming off, which can be a weakness of his coughRexandGigicough.

That's something I've been wondering myself -- is Freddie Smith leaving the show?  Because with the way that Ron's been writing Sonny -- villainizing him, propping Will and Paul -- just makes you wonder.

[buffynut]

8 hours ago, SnK said:

I hope the Kate show ends soon.  I'm tired of watching these same characters.   Is Ron capable of writing stories for the entire cast?   

It almost feels like when you read a book and each chapter takes place with different characters.  For example, we had "Memphis" with John, Marlena, Susan, Sami, Will, Sonny, Paul, etc. Then that "chapter" ended and Susan and Sami disappeared, and John and Marlena have been mostly invisible. Granted we are still getting the Will/Sonny/Paul triangle, which I'll comment on in a sec.

We also had "Doppelgangers"  the Adrienne/Bonnie, Justin chapter.  Chapter ended and Bonnie ran away.  Seriously, ran away!  Was she ever caught? Will they mention her ever again?  And, did we even see Justin/Adrienne over the holidays? And poor Lucas, he's in isolation in rehab, which I guess I the way rehab works, but really it feels more like he's been pushed off the stage. 

And now we're back to "Stefano's Family" taking center stage, again. 

And "Brady" with yet another woman. I do think the Brady/Eve storyline is because when KP was well enough to return to work, they needed to fulfill her contract, thus needed to do something with her. I do wonder if they'll renew her contract whenever it comes up. Funnily enough, I actually like this version of Eve the best, though still I can't reconcile her as the same Eve that Charlotte Ross played.

Maybe it's got to do with contracts, and actor guarantees, and filming schedules and set availability, and all the money constraints they didn't have in the 80's, but I loved the family and friend bonds back then.  Why, why can't we have something like that again. The women should have female friends, not just boyfriends/husbands.  Parents should see their children - did Belle have any scenes with her parents? I could go on and on. 

Back to the Sonny/Will/Paul triangle, unlike most triangles, I don't hate any of them. Or have a preference for end game. I do see that the Will character now, is a bit like the Guy Wilson version, but I think CM plays him more sympathetically.  I feel for Sonny. I think he's trying to bring back something that maybe never really existed.  Will has no memory of Sonny, and is attracted to Paul. And Paul is stuck in the middle. He's always loved Sonny, so The Show has told us, but if Will keeps coming onto him... 

I'm not hating Ron's Days, but it's still not totally must-see tv, and I found myself peeking at the daily spoilers this week to what was going to happen. I think there's just a couple more spoilers that I know about that have yet to air. 

Speaking of spoilers, did anyone not know Vivian was the surprise guest? 

Edited January 4, 2018 by buffynut