Current Plots Discussion: Actually Today's Episode

[Peanut6711]

I fear that Lanni will show up in front of the Statesville warden, plead on Kristin's behalf, "But she's a MOTHER!"  The warden might not buy into that bs defense but to finally get post-partum Lanni out of her office (cause we all know how fast that mother crap gets old), she'll agree that instead of Kristin getting more time tacked on her sentence she'll just punish her by revoking her unlimited internet access, unlimited visitation, and unlimited phone calls. Oh and maybe she'll have to clean the toilets with Clyde. 

[DisneyBoy]

4 hours ago, DaphneCat said:

Brady just told Kristen a few days ago that she and Rachel were his life.  No mention of that other pesky child, who apparently was the most important thing in his life just a few years ago.  I guess he's forgotten now.

And it bears repeating - Brady has chosen to commit himself to the same woman who stole his baby and wanted to kill him, the child's mother and Marlena.

It's....unreal.

[bunnyblue]

Between the Kristen & Gabi these last few episodes, I question why I keep watching.

If they just made Kristen an outright villain, I probably wouldn't hate her as much as I do. But this crap of having Lani & Brady act like she was wronged for being imprisoned for attempting to murder an old man and how she should be handled with kid gloves because she's a mother is such BS. Kristen's prison stint has been a complete joke with her holding court in the visiting room, browsing the internet, using the phone when she pleases...all without any supervision. And her prison break using Tony as a hostage is beyond ridiculous. They expect me believe that the prison guards weren't in hot pursuit or that cops weren't swarming all over Salem & the hospital looking for the escaped convict? I had enough and didn't even finish watching today's episode after Kristen acted indignant because she couldn't stay with Brady. First it's "Rachel needs me", now it's "Brady needs me". She really thinks that because she has a family, she deserves special treatment. How anyone finds Kristen likeable is beyond me. If the show wanted to keep her around after stabbing Victor, then they should have had her blackmail a judge to keep her out of prison. At least making her an villain would be more believable than this dreck that's been on our screens for far too long. And her prison break should add years to her sentence, but we all know it won't.

And Gabi...Jesus, what an incredibly unlikeable character. She harassed Jake for months and then they had sex one time but she acts like they had something more and now has some claim to him. Calling Kate - who she was friendly with before she left town - a dinosaur & decrepit is childish and not funny at all. I rolled my eyes when Rafe called her "badass" because she takes no prisoners. Nah, she's rude & inconsiderate to about 90% of the people she comes into contact with and keeps going after a man who is in a relationship with another woman. If the roles were reversed - if it was a man pursuing a woman after a one night stand and refusing to take "no" for an answer - I don't think this behavior would be considered "badass" but predatory instead. 

Nicole didn't know that Ava is a mob boss? I could've sworn she told Allie just how dangerous Ava is when Allie told her about their run-in.

Philip "running" in and out of the hotel room in pursuit of the shooter was hilarious. JKJ's idea of running is to take a couple of big steps and huff like he's out of breath. I guess that can be tacked on to the list of his very odd acting choices. 

For a man who was shot in the gut and lost a lot of blood, Brady's got a very nice rosy glow going on. 

[Frozendiva]

Why didn't the Statesville guards turn on the alarm? How did Kristen get out of the jail with hostage Tony? Why did no one follow them to the hospital and take her in to custody?

Where does she get off calling Chloe a slut? How is she a slut? I get it that mothers aren't supposed to spend time in jail. Lots do. And Kristen is becoming more unhinged. At least Marlena assessed it and calmed her down so she could be taken in to custody. Time to go back to jail, lady. Chad or Tony or whomever can update you about Brady.

Maybe Brady does have some feelings for Chloe and now that Kristen is in jail, he can explore them - if he wishes to do so and feels that Chloe won't be killed by Kristen's jealousy.

I liked Anna and Abs' conversation. The whole Gwen plotting and planning. Including drugging Abigail and when that didn't work, change her tactics. Poor Tony to take Anna's drink and chug it down. Wait til she hears about his day.

Xander has been doing a good job at Titan. And of course Victor will deal with the mob to get Philip out of trouble.

[brisbydog]

There's a whole whack load of people on facebook sobbing about poor Kristen and how she made them cry today. So glad I have the sanity of you folk here to assure myself I'm not the only one who sees this is insane and offensive. Praying for a return to Broe. I loved them as teens singing show tunes. 

[boes]

6 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

For a man who was shot in the gut and lost a lot of blood, Brady's got a very nice rosy glow going on. 

It's that Boar's Head Ham Glaze - 4.50 at a Safeway near you - that Brady wears as a make up base.  Just pepper him with Cloves and PRESTO! - a DOOL leading man!

No wonder no woman - or wandering dog - can resist him!

Edited January 28, 2021 by boes

[bannana]

Can we  have more Anna and less Julie, please?

[4evaQuez]

Anna had an old-school 1980s glamour about herself. She looked fabulous and Abby looked better just being in Anna's proximity. I would love for them to get Anna out of this Abby/Gwen bubble, but she's definitely the best part of it. With Anna on canvas, I'll love for Carrie to return. I wasn't watching the last time the two were on canvas together, so I'll love to see their dynamic. A Nicole/Rafe/Carrie triangle may even be fun, and I never thought I'll use the words fun and Rafe in a sentence together.

I actually liked that there was a decent amount of cast integration. John/Philip phone call, John/Chloe, Abby/Anna, Marlena/Tony/Chad, and that Brady's shooting connected most of the storylines today.

This Philip/Xander storyline would be better if Victor was consistent in his feelings for Xander. Sometimes he seems to barely stand him and then sometimes, like today, he's beaming with pride at the thought of Xander and Philip managing the business together. It's odd how he had little reaction to remembering the last time Brady was shot was directly a result of Xander but okay. I also can't get into Xander trying to be a moral compass to Philip. I can't think of anyone on canvas this man hasn't screwed over at one point or another.

I thought Kristen/Chloe was actually surprisingly engaging. Kristen is obviously losing all sense of reality, and I think Nadia does distress/danger well. Kristen's logic actually makes absolutely no sense, but I am enjoying that. Kristen rarely makes sense as a character. I still remember Eileen's Kristen spending the entirety of an episode railing against a picture of Jesus at church for the myriad of ways he's unjustly punished her. Kristen is not a sane woman. Kristen/Chloe/Brady could be fun.

I also didn't have an issue with the Marlena/Kristen scene. Marlena was obviously in Dr. Evans mode, and Kristen, at first, had a gun. Even after she surrendered the gun, Marlena knows all to well about this woman's cunning and craftiness to always be a danger. I thought Marlena handled her scenes with Kristen as she usually does now, recognizing Kristen's danger but also realizing this is the mother of her granddaughter hence Marlena's focus on Rachel. Kristen is the one who fell into Marlena's arms, and that just goes into the this is not a sane woman argument I made earlier.

I've never been a big John/Marlena fan, but it was nice to see them today. With Bo/Hope gone and me never liking Jack/Jen or Steve/Kayla, John/Marlena is the last big supercouple for me, and it's nice to still see them playing a vital role on the show.

[Peanut6711]

Damn my “local” station for cutting in right in the middle of the “Mommy issues” scene between Charlie and Gwen for a vaccine update in a county I don’t even live in anyways. Thankfully my other NBC station is out of state so I got switched over and tuned back in time for the funny Norman Bates reference. Now that Gwen mentions it…

Real subtle in the Props dept. for hanging the UK canvases on the wall in Allie’s flat. Gee we would have never known that took place in London without it. 🙄 Not like they ever mentioned that before. 

I’m glad we’re finally getting to see the infamous night, but I found LA’s acting underwhelming when it came to portraying her drunk state. I was expecting her to be a lot more sloppy drunk. Also, would have been nice for Allie to remember Charlie asking her to dance and her turning him down for the story to build on his rejection in the face of her going home w/Tripp. I’m also left pondering if Charlie picked her lock or Tripp simply forgot to lock it. Previously I think I just envisioned that Charlie slipped in while Tripp was putting Allie to bed in the bedroom but since there was only one room, that can’t be.  

The arrivederci line is coming a little late in the game to be a worthy ‘a ha’ moment.

Has Ciara been screaming and banging on that glass this whole time!? 

 

4 hours ago, 4evaQuez said:

This Philip/Xander storyline would be better if Victor was consistent in his feelings for Xander. Sometimes he seems to barely stand him and then sometimes, like today, he's beaming with pride at the thought of Xander and Philip managing the business together. It's odd how he had little reaction to remembering the last time Brady was shot was directly a result of Xander but okay. I also can't get into Xander trying to be a moral compass to Philip. I can't think of anyone on canvas this man hasn't screwed over at one point or another.

I'm right there with you! I still don’t understand how Zander is walking around a free man after his role in the baby switch so if he doesn’t get some fall out from the mob mess I’m going to be super irritated. I’m not saying Philip doesn’t have to own some responsibility for Brady getting shot, but Zander is a damn self-involved, conceited idiot, and a reckless one at that for the way he handled the situation with the shell account and not realizing the chain reaction it was bound to set off. You'd have to be pretty dense to be Zander's age and a Kiriakis and still think the mob would go bye-bye that easily and to not realize you just pitted yourself against the mob's interests, pitted possibly anyone at Titan including Uncle Vic for that matter. Talk about a target on your backs. 

[Irlandesa]

Again, I watched on mute because my attention was divided but I threw on closed captioning today. Woo! I'm getting to be a dangerous multi-tasker.

Today's Gwen and Charlie scenes made me wonder if they'd be DOOL's version of Todd and Blair.  (Although I hate to compare because Todd and Blair were truly special in my heart).  But you know...that type? Two villains who partner up as opposed to the more common "good" character/"bad" character. 

Either way, Mike Manning was once again terrific, even with the sound off.  I hate that they made him the rapist because gosh, he has so much more potential than Allie.  Plus, he's not related to most of the town.  He's Tripp's half brother but the half they share is a Salem outsider. 

I didn't really feel the rape either.  And I find it hard to believe that Allie was so drunk she couldn't remember.  She looked pretty awake when he walked out.

1 hour ago, Peanut6711 said:

The arrivederci line is coming a little late in the game to be a worthy ‘a ha’ moment.

No kidding.  That was pretty weird. 

1 hour ago, Peanut6711 said:

Has Ciara been screaming and banging on that glass this whole time!? 

No kidding.  That was also pretty weird. 

But my favorite moment of today had to be Abigail's reaction to Gwen's "there's nothing you can do about X and there's nothing you can do about Y".  That was a great punch and felt very satisfying.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Irlandesa

[DaphneCat]

1 hour ago, Peanut6711 said:

I'm right there with you! I still don’t understand how Zander is walking around a free man after his role in the baby switch so if he doesn’t get some fall out from the mob mess I’m going to be super irritated.

Except the only person who will give him fall out for the mob mess would be Victor - the person who orchestrated the entire baby switch in the first place.   Victor basically switched the babies - Xander just didn't rat him out.

[Peanut6711]

4 minutes ago, DaphneCat said:

Except the only person who will give him fall out for the mob mess would be Victor - the person who orchestrated the entire baby switch in the first place.   Victor basically switched the babies - Xander just didn't rat him out.

I was under the impression that Zander switched the babies on Victor's orders, but I wasn't watching at the time the scene played out. So was Victor the one at the hospital then who switched them?   In the mob ordeal, I was thinking more along the lines of Angelo or Ava paying Zander a little visit and scaring the living daylights out of him...or the sense into him. 

[RunningMarket]

It would have been a phenomenal HOLY CRAP moment if we didn't have the Tripp & Charlie are brothers backstory, and had Allie reveal it was Charlie standing over her. That would require a lot of changes to story lines leading up to this, but it would have been pretty powerful.

Knowing what we know about Charlie, it skeeved me out to see Gwen chumming around with him. But (psycho) game recognizes game, I suppose.

That is the fanciest kidnapper lair ever.

[DaphneCat]

1 hour ago, Peanut6711 said:

I was under the impression that Zander switched the babies on Victor's orders, but I wasn't watching at the time the scene played out. So was Victor the one at the hospital then who switched them?   In the mob ordeal, I was thinking more along the lines of Angelo or Ava paying Zander a little visit and scaring the living daylights out of him...or the sense into him. 

Victor was in the nursery when Sarah's baby died.  He came up with the idea then and there.  Victor bribed Dr. Raynor to go along with his plan.  Since both babies were already in the nursery, Rachel was given to Sarah and Kristen was told her baby died.  That was how the "switch" happened.  

[Peanut6711]

4 minutes ago, DaphneCat said:

Victor was in the nursery when Sarah's baby died.  He came up with the idea then and there.  Victor bribed Dr. Raynor to go along with his plan.  Since both babies were already in the nursery, Rachel was given to Sarah and Kristen was told her baby died.  That was how the "switch" happened.  

Ah, thanks for the clarification!  Since Victor is rarely out of that chair in the Kiriakis living room these days, I didn't realize he was actually at the hospital back then. 

1 hour ago, RunningMarket said:

That is the fanciest kidnapper lair ever.

It reminded me of one on that crazy show Pretty Little Liars (in the final season, I believe.)  Or I suppose Ron could have been watching Silence of the Lambs what with the glass cell like Lector's. 

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

Today's Gwen and Charlie scenes made me wonder if they'd be DOOL's version of Todd and Blair.  (Although I hate to compare because Todd and Blair were truly special in my heart).  But you know...that type? Two villains who partner up as opposed to the more common "good" character/"bad" character. 

While I'm not familiar with the other pair, I did pick  up a vibe or chemistry (not romantic) between Charlie and Gwen today too. Perhaps a partners-in-crime friendship to come?  They'd certainly be funny together attending an 'I'm obsessed with my sibling' self-help group. Perhaps one will be court mandated for them. lol

[bannana]

4 hours ago, Peanut6711 said:

Has Ciara been screaming and banging on that glass this whole time!? 

Yes, it has been quite some time since she's been gone, you would think she would have run out of steam by now.

[peachmangosteen]

Considering Gwen and Charlie are the two characters I care the most about/enjoy the most/find the most interesting currently, I about squealed when they had a scene together. I need them to become friends and I demand more scenes with them!

I fast forwarded through the rape scenes because I do not want to watch that shit but even in fast forward the Allie actress was so bad. I really wish they had gotten a better actress for that part. Oh well.

I loved the Abigail/Gwen scenes. They have wonderful chemistry. And even though I like Gwen a thousand times more than I like Abigail, I loved that punch lol.

I also liked the Abigail/Chad scenes. I hope Abigail continues to treat Chad like the piece of shit husband he is and doesn't let all the 'but he loves you and it was all mean Gwen's fault' bullshit from everyone make her get back with him.

[bunnyblue]

I could've sworn Claire once gushed to Gwen about Charlie, so when Gwen was trying to remember where she knew Charlie from I was annoyed she didn't mention Claire. Or am I imagining a conversation months ago between Gwen & Claire regarding the guy she was interested in? 

It's good to know the night in London happened just as Tripp said it did. Unfortunately, I got second-hand embarrassment watching Lindsay Arnold try to portray a drunk Allie. I was not expecting Jodi Foster in The Accused, but the way Allie & Tripp described her that night - "wasted" and so drunk she couldn't walk - I was expecting more than the giggly Allie we saw. I thought between the alcohol and the trauma of being raped Allie would've been passed out after Charlie was done with her; so I thought that's why she couldn't remember all the details of the rape, but she looked pretty sober afterwards. I don't know if the blame should fall on the the director, the writing, or the actress, but for such a big build up, those scenes just felt flat to me. 

I loved Abby punching Gwen; well deserved after all the shit she did to Abby and her family. I'm also getting a kick out of them calling each other "little sister" and "big sister", although they should probably do a DNA test before they make it official. Also, I appreciate that they cleared up who is older. Now my question is whether Jack fathered Gwen before he got romantically involved with "Miss Horton" or after. I just can't see post-Cruise-of-Deception Jack being with any woman other than Jennifer, so they better not pull some retcon crap on us. 

[Frozendiva]

Someone went through a lot of time, trouble, and expense to house Ciara in that fancy cage. Nice, sumptuous, comfortable bed. Just the glass or plexiglass wall and code to get in, I suppose.

Gwen and Charlie do make an interesting pair. They could make an interesting set of villains. Both are interesting, and worth watching, and have many similar issues.

Ben and Claire was a bit snoozeworthy. Wonder what the fortune cookie said. Too bad that Ben wasn't a twin of the serial killer.

The hypnosis scene played out exactly how Tripp remembered meeting Allie. He was a perfect gentleman. Shy and embarrassed to see Allie in her underwear. The Union Jack above the bed was odd. I don't think many UK folks would have a set-up like that. At least the viewer was left to his or her imagination and we really didn't see anything graphic. Too bad the Tripp and Charlie as brothers was already told - hearing the 'arrivederci' would have been a bit more chilling. Marlena did well with Allie, and it must have been challenging to be 'family' and be privy to such intimate details.

I liked Abs slapping Gwen. That sounded like it hurt.

[howmanywords]

4 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Considering Gwen and Charlie are the two characters I care the most about/enjoy the most/find the most interesting currently, I about squealed when they had a scene together. I need them to become friends and I demand more scenes with them!

I thought it was just me! These two are more interesting than some of the other characters who have been hogging screen time for years.

I can't stomach this Kristen shit at all.

[tribeca]

Claire knew and loved Tripp for a few years and had no problem believing he rapped Allie.  She knew Charlie for 5 minutes and is having trouble believing that he is a rapist.  

[Frozendiva]

Charlie didn't treat Claire like a leftover or a second choice.

[tribeca]

1 hour ago, Frozendiva said:

Charlie didn't treat Claire like a leftover or a second choice.

Tripp liked Claire before he liked Ciara 

Edited January 29, 2021 by tribeca

[enchantingmonkey]

The reason people blackout is because the hippocampus quits making new memories when they're extremely intoxicated.  We already knew that Charlie assaulted Allie.  The contrived hypnosis session seemed unnecessary, although perhaps in Salem, USA the hippocampus plays by its own rules.  I still think a little ambiguity goes a long way.  

Victoria Konefal is back already???  I couldn't help but laugh at the idea of Ciara banging on that plastic wall all of this time.  Is Vincent in jail?  I can't remember.  Any storyline that causes me to remember Brad-In-A-Cage on Y&R makes me smile.  

Gwen and Charlie could be fun as an unholy alliance.  I liked the creepy touch of Charlie saying "Arrivederci" to Gwen as she was leaving, much like he did with Allie.  

The sound effect of Abigail punching Gwen was so good.  It made me jump a little, as it wasn't the *smack* sound we usually get.  If anyone watched B&B, and knows how Susan Flannery played her scenes, the actress who played Gwen would have really gotten smacked.  And since Susan Flannery once portrayed Abigail's grandmother, everything is connected.  *chuckle*

1 hour ago, Frozendiva said:

Too bad that Ben wasn't a twin of the serial killer.

Sure, but The Underwear Model has enough trouble with one character, much less two possibly distinct personalities.  

[FilmTVGeek80]

2 hours ago, tribeca said:

Claire knew and loved Tripp for a few years and had no problem believing he rapped Allie.  She knew Charlie for 5 minutes and is having trouble believing that he is a rapist.  

This has been driving me crazy about Claire's scenes. She expressed some shock, but seemed to instantly buy that Tripp could be a rapist, but can't possibly comprehend how Charlie - someone she's barely known five minutes - could be a rapist. Either way, she has bad judgment since she was with both of them, but she didn't do this much soul searching about how she could possibly have trusted him when she thought Tripp was the rapist.

[ByaNose]

Wait! Don’t tell me they’re going to turn the rapist in to a ordinary villain. That’s gross to me. I think they are too far down the rabbit hole to pair wacky Gwen with the local rapist. I am curious how this plays out since the rape happened in London. Since it happened  in London are they going to work around that loophole to keep the actor who plays Charlie on the canvas? How would it work in real life? He can’t be charged in the US so would the person in question have to be extradited to London (or wherever) to face charges? Just curious. 

[Giuseppe]

10 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

I thought between the alcohol and the trauma of being raped Allie would've been passed out after Charlie was done with her; so I thought that's why she couldn't remember all the details of the rape, but she looked pretty sober afterwards. I don't know if the blame should fall on the the director, the writing, or the actress, but for such a big build up, those scenes just felt flat to me.

Same here. I thought it was a bad decision to play it as though she was perfectly aware that she was being assaulted by someone who wasn't the guy who brought her home. I was completely expecting her to be more out of it/asleep, complete with "blurred' POV shots of her looking at his face unable to determine who he was, and close-ups of a hand holding her down since she seemed to keep talking about how that was all she could really remember. Didn't get the "arrivaderci" thing...was that a callback that I don't remember?

I enjoyed how there was a big British flag hanging over the bed, so that we would we wouldn't be confused about whether they were in London or not, lol.

[peachmangosteen]

12 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

I could've sworn Claire once gushed to Gwen about Charlie, so when Gwen was trying to remember where she knew Charlie from I was annoyed she didn't mention Claire. Or am I imagining a conversation months ago between Gwen & Claire regarding the guy she was interested in? 

I'm pretty sure Gwen and Claire haven't even had a single scene together since NuClaire arrived/Charlie showed up so I don't think this happened.

5 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Wait! Don’t tell me they’re going to turn the rapist in to a ordinary villain. That’s gross to me. 

They turned a serial killer into a hero and, in the past, a rapist into a hero-ish character so I don't think it'd be too crazy to turn a rapist into a run-of-the-mill villain.

2 hours ago, Giuseppe said:

Didn't get the "arrivaderci" thing...was that a callback that I don't remember?

When Allie first met Charlie in Salem, he said 'arrivederci' and she sort of shuddered at it, which was the first big clue that Charlie was the guy who raped her. I don't know if there's more to it since I normally fast forward all Allie scenes and I fast forwarded the rape flashbacks.

[Peanut6711]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

They turned a serial killer into a hero and, in the past, a rapist into a hero-ish character so I don't think it'd be too crazy to turn a rapist into a run-of-the-mill villain.

100% w/you! At this point, with this show, intensely stranger and more disturbing things have happened. Charlie escaping legal punishment via a few technicities, reasonable doubt, and unreliable witnesses won't be all that far fetched. 

3 hours ago, Giuseppe said:

Same here. I thought it was a bad decision to play it as though she was perfectly aware that she was being assaulted by someone who wasn't the guy who brought her home. I was completely expecting her to be more out of it/asleep, complete with "blurred' POV shots of her looking at his face unable to determine who he was, and close-ups of a hand holding her down since she seemed to keep talking about how that was all she could really remember. Didn't get the "arrivaderci" thing...was that a callback that I don't remember?

I enjoyed how there was a big British flag hanging over the bed, so that we would we wouldn't be confused about whether they were in London or not, lol.

I was expecting what you described too! Allie's memory/mind mixing images--struggling in bed, hand holding her down, muffled voice she was confused by, and then finally maybe a shot of Charlie's face looking down at her in the dark to give that 'a ha' confirmation moment.  The fact that it was light enough for Charlie to read Tripp's note and that he and Allie had a conversation about it was just too much 'normal' for the fact that Allie was supposed to be pass-out drunk and only aware that Tripp was ever there.  I had the impression before yesterday that Allie had never seen or knew that note existed till Tripp mentioned it in Salem this summer. 

7 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Since it happened  in London are they going to work around that loophole to keep the actor who plays Charlie on the canvas? How would it work in real life? He can’t be charged in the US so would the person in question have to be extradited to London (or wherever) to face charges? Just curious. 

Going by what they've established when Allie believed it was Tripp, I'm going to assume that Salem has no jurisdiction, and unless Charlie confesses, London won't want the case because it's still a he said/she said since Allie didn't report it at the time it happened and thus also didn't have a rape kit done. Henry's existence only proves that intercourse happened, not whether or not it was consensual.  Now if Charlie ends up confessing to Rafe or someone in Salem who records him, then I suppose it would be a different story.  In the meantime, he's still facing charges in Ava's kidnapping and drugging, but I suppose either her testimony (being that she was drugged and hallucinating other things on top of her less than stellar reputation) could be viewed as questionable. Or she could change her mind if Charlie is effective putting a guilt trip on her as her son. Or his attorney just gets him off--he doesn't have Justin so there's that. 

Edited January 29, 2021 by Peanut6711

[FilmTVGeek80]

14 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

I could've sworn Claire once gushed to Gwen about Charlie, so when Gwen was trying to remember where she knew Charlie from I was annoyed she didn't mention Claire. Or am I imagining a conversation months ago between Gwen & Claire regarding the guy she was interested in? 

 

You're probably thinking of Claire's scenes with Jan, the other crazy woman she befriended.

7 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Wait! Don’t tell me they’re going to turn the rapist in to a ordinary villain. That’s gross to me. I think they are too far down the rabbit hole to pair wacky Gwen with the local rapist. I am curious how this plays out since the rape happened in London. Since it happened  in London are they going to work around that loophole to keep the actor who plays Charlie on the canvas? How would it work in real life? He can’t be charged in the US so would the person in question have to be extradited to London (or wherever) to face charges? Just curious. 

I don't really consider Gwen "wacky." She slipped a drug into Abigail's drink to scramble her brain. She even went to Rolf and whined that the drug didn't permanently get Abigail out of the way. She wanted to permanently turn her into a vegetable when Abigail had done nothing to her. I've said before, I think Gwen and Charlie would be a perfect match, except I think even Charlie would get tired of Gwen. It was made abundantly clear in their scenes that while Charlie does feel some guilt over what he did, Gwen feels none. She's so cool with what she did she's fine with gloating to Abigail about it. In my book, that makes her slightly worse than Charlie.

As long as they don't attempt to redeem Charlie and/or pair him with Allie, I'm fine with him as a villain. It's basically what he is already. If they go further than that, then I think it's too far. Using Ben as a reason Charlie should stick around doesn't work for me. Ben should never have been "redeemed." The show doesn't need to compound that mistake by doing that with more rapists or murderers.

He probably won't be charged for the same reasons Tripp wasn't. Even with the DNA test with Henry (and I don't see why any court would accept a test from Salem considering how they initially used a DNA test against Tripp) it's still mostly a he said/she said, barring Charlie confessing. His confession to Ava probably wouldn't hold up in court given her bad reputation and the fact that he just held her hostage and her saying he confessed could be seen as revenge.

[4evaQuez]

21 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

 

Today's Gwen and Charlie scenes made me wonder if they'd be DOOL's version of Todd and Blair.  (Although I hate to compare because Todd and Blair were truly special in my heart).  But you know...that type? Two villains who partner up as opposed to the more common "good" character/"bad" character. 

Either way, Mike Manning was once again terrific, even with the sound off.  I hate that they made him the rapist because gosh, he has so much more potential than Allie.  Plus, he's not related to most of the town.  He's Tripp's half brother but the half they share is a Salem outsider. 

I didn't really feel the rape either.  And I find it hard to believe that Allie was so drunk she couldn't remember.  She looked pretty awake when he walked out.

 

God help me, but I loved the Gwen and Charlie scene. It was the highlight of the episode. And I could definitely see them as the Todd/Blair of DOOL. When was the last time Days did a two people raising hell in Salem coupling. I thought the actors brought the best out of each other, and I also think Charlie looks a hell of a lot sexier with the glasses.

Gwen also has a good effect on MM's Abby. Abby feels a lot more alive in her scenes with Gwen and even Chad regarding Gwen lately. A piece of me wanted Gwen to throw Abby getting her mental illness from her grandmother and not a drink in her face. I just wanted to see Abby's reaction. 

I forgot Ben was on the show. Claire/Ben were boring. I wasn't a fan of the former Claire either, but it's odd how different the characters are. The former Claire had a way of sounding selfish and self-absorbed even when talking about others. She also was so much more dramatic in her scenes. This Claire feels too clear-headed, responsible, and mature considering the former Claire. Also, I don't get why she is so obsessed with Ciara. If Claire "died," I see Ciara caring for half an episode before she became dedicated to Ben again.  Also, Chinese food is the Ben/Ciara thing. Ciara's parents had their own theme song, a fancy boat, timeless storylines, Bo kidnapping Hope from her first wedding, etc. Their daughter gets Chinese food. Sad.

The Marlena/Allie scenes were good. I don't know. I think Lindsey Arnold is a good actress, and she handled the scenes well. However, I'm having trouble connecting to her. I know this isn't fair, but I couldn't help comparing her interaction with Marlena to Will's interactions, and they just came off lacking. I hope the writing will write the actress more to her strengths moving forward since it seems the rape storyline is coming to a close. I'll like to see her interactions with people beyond her trauma; although, I'm not sure if that will necessarily fix my problems with the character. (Problems is too big a word because the actress is fine. I'm just having trouble connecting to her).

Soap characters are always held hostage in the nicest rooms. Great lighting, a big queen size bed and the linens look fresh. Even the glass Ciara is pounding on - presumably for months - look like they just been thoroughly cleaned with some Windex. Those clothes also look nicely tailored. I wish I could be kidnapped by a Soap villain because life seems easier once you are.

 

[Irlandesa]

On 1/29/2021 at 11:41 AM, FilmTVGeek80 said:

He probably won't be charged for the same reasons Tripp wasn't.

Who knows with this show?  They might want to give "Allie" a win except the case against Charlie is even worse than the case against Tripp. The rape happened in London.  The DNA test was attributed to the wrong man.  The victim already went around town telling everyone that Tripp was her rapist and that she had memory blocks because she was black out drunk.

No prosecutor worth his or her salt is going to want to take that on.

Edited February 2, 2021 by Irlandesa

[FilmTVGeek80]

The Gwen/Charlie scenes were interesting. I still loathe both of them, but I'm glad the show actually acknowledged how ridiculously similar their stories are. Just wait until they find out their respective siblings are related. It was kind of funny that for all of Charlie's desperation to be with Claire and talking about her being his soulmate, he seemed ready to move on with Gwen after one conversation. Maybe they're establishing a pattern with him glomming on to women far too quickly. It seems like part of the reason he raped Allie was he liked her when he saw her at the club, but she turned him down.

I thought the "arriverdverci" thing was tacked on the first time he said it. He'd never said it before and then suddenly he was saying it front of Allie. It was kind of overkill for him to say it both to Gwen and in Allie's flashback.

Come on Abigail! Physical violence is never the answer. Use your words! 🤣🤣  Totally kidding! God, that punch was awesome! I think I pumped my fist in the air after she did it. I don't think I've felt such a cathartic moment on this show in a long time. That was well done by both actresses and felt real. I actually don't know what I loved more - the punch or Abby's parting line. I think she should have punched Gwen again for the "how dare she" look Gwen had on her face afterward. "All I did was gloat about scrambling your brain and sleeping with your husband. Why on Earth would you punch me?" 🙄

13 minutes ago, 4evaQuez said:

Soap characters are always held hostage in the nicest rooms. Great lighting, a big queen size bed and the linens look fresh. Even the glass Ciara is pounding on - presumably for months - look like they just been thoroughly cleaned with some Windex. Those clothes also look nicely tailored. I wish I could be kidnapped by a Soap villain because life seems easier once you are.

LOL. 

Like others, I have no idea why Ciara was still banging on that window after months. I get that if you've been kidnapped, you don't want to just sit around waiting to be rescued, but screaming and demanding your prisoner release you seems pointless. If they haven't done it after this long what makes you think they'll suddenly change their mind. Maybe it's because she spent most of her last year or so in Salem browbeating people into submission over Ben, she thought her kidnappers would bow down to her whims as well.

[kitmerlot1213]

12 hours ago, tribeca said:

Tripp liked Claire before he liked Ciara 

Exactly, which is why Claire's whole "Charlie's the only one who thought I was special" feels like such a rewrite and won't Claire continue to feel like second best the more she hangs out with Ben and inevitably develops feelings for him?

On today's show, I did appreciate the Tripp/Charlie scenes, especially Tripp's semi-threatening Charlie about hurting Allie and potentially hurting Claire and I liked Allie's apology to Tripp--good for her for realizing how wrong she was and wanting to make amends.

I'd forgotten just how loud and obnoxious Ciara is--why dies VK play her scenes with such smugness and superiority?  I guess wer'e not supposed to be worried about her being in any danger or that the guy keeping her in that room will snap and kill her?

[brisbydog]

Good God the exposition in these Cierra and Rhodes (?) scenes is excruciating

[howmanywords]

I got a painful reminder today about how much I cant stand Ciara and that I havent missed her a single bit. Why couldn't the kidnapper muzzle her?

[Irlandesa]

Ciara wasn't gone that long.  I can't figure out why we needed a recap. 

I wish Vincent weren't in jail.  This would be so much better as some sort of gothic twisted Stockholm syndrome type of "romance."  Rhodes isn't as interesting.

I like that Tripp was hesitant to forgive.   I loved his scenes with Charlie.  Why is Sean arresting Charlie?  Haven't we been through this with Tripp?

[RunningMarket]

I stepped out of the room for a minute, so I might have missed something, but did Rhodes explain his connection to Vincent - because there is a definite facial resemblance. Could just be a total coincidence.

Boy Ciara reads fast. She got through at least half of Romeo and Juliet about 5 minutes after she was given the book. (Maybe her parents were fast readers, so then obviously she would be too. Just like she knows how to interrogate people because her parents were cops.) I didn't miss her one bit, and I'm already completely sick of her. #TeamVincentFromJail

Ben's "we have a psychic connection" made me howl. Dude, you're not a Jedi.

[Silver Raven]

Why is there a doorknob on the inside of Ciara's cage? And does she have a toilet, or any privacy at all?

I was trying to figure out why Maggie would have Henry, but then I realized she's the widow of Henry's great-grandfather's brother. I guess for Hortons, that's close enough.

Whatever that is that Claire is wearing is seriously ugly.

I kept hoping that Rhodes would turn out to be Wendy's brother.

Rhodes is actually kind of a good guy. And I like the actor. His name is Jason Downs, and he has a Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Downs

How are they going to make charges against Charlie for a rape in London stick?

Why does Ben's room look like it's under water?

[Katy M]

50 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

I was trying to figure out why Maggie would have Henry, but then I realized she's the widow of Henry's great-grandfather's brother. I guess for Hortons, that's close enough.

She's Lucas's (AKA Henry's grandfather) AA sponsor, right?  Plus, Victor used to be his stepfather.  Victor is also Sami's stepfather's father-in-law.

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, kitmerlot1213 said:

I'd forgotten just how loud and obnoxious Ciara is--why dies VK play her scenes with such smugness and superiority?  I guess wer'e not supposed to be worried about her being in any danger or that the guy keeping her in that room will snap and kill her?

Her smugness is especially glaring now that she's being hold hostage. Her whole demeanor and attitude just makes no sense in this scenario.

[CanaryFan98]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

She's Lucas's (AKA Henry's grandfather) AA sponsor, right?  Plus, Victor used to be his stepfather.  Victor is also Sami's stepfather's father-in-law.

Yes and Aunt by Marriage.

[bannana]

So, wait, they're  playing Ciara's kidnapping and being held hostage potentially forever as a comedy routine?

[JBC344]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

She's Lucas's (AKA Henry's grandfather) AA sponsor, right?  Plus, Victor used to be his stepfather.  Victor is also Sami's stepfather's father-in-law.

Maggie is Lucas's aunt and therefore Allie and Henry's as well. Despite the fact that it is through marriage they have always been connected. Now that Maggie's granddaughter and her great great nephew live in the same house seems logical she would/could take both. 

Henry Horton is related to 95% of Salem at this point. What good are the relations if they can't babysit. 😊

[Guncle Adam]

I like both Claires. But they have such different energies. ORK was all Vicky Hudson and ID is all Marley, you know?

MM as Abigail and EO as Gwen deserve Emmy nominations for Lead and Supporting Actress, respectively. If Emmy nominations are still a thing. 

[tribeca]

JMHO 

Ciara is annoying but she does have chemistry with everyone.  

[Irlandesa]

9 minutes ago, tribeca said:

JMHO 

Ciara is annoying but she does have chemistry with everyone.  

Absolutely.  That's what makes keeping Ben so frustrating.  VK's Ciara can be smug and annoying but she has had chemistry with day players who have taken her hostage to men too old for her taking her hostage.  IMO, I think his character only survives because of her.  She'd be fine on her own.

[Petunia13]

5 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Why is there a doorknob on the inside of Ciara's cage? And does she have a toilet, or any privacy at all?

There’s a lucite drawer in the center of the cage wall. It’s for the captor to put food/water/meds in and the prisoner to pull the drawer inside and retrieve the item? Or was there a doorknob on the wall behind Princess? 

Weird as hell Rhodes said he’s still doing this in spite of Vincent’s incarceration because his weekly checks haven’t bounced. I don’t think people can actually pay bills or even access their banking while in prison. I knew an inmate in for shooting someone a friend had to pay her car insurance (on storage) and pay some one to drive it once a month because idle cars can go bad, like the gas and oil goes bad and tires get flat. 

[Frozendiva]

Ciara has nice digs for her being held captive. Screaming and pounding on the plexiglass is not going to bring anyone to help you. She also seems to be eating well, has access to a shower and cosmetics as well as clothes. We didn't need the whole what happened to her but maybe some viewers didn't watch last fall. Roads (?) seems to be a nice guy of sorts. Guess as long as there is money in the bank, he is there. I did like the dig that Ciara is not well-read.

One can have a psychic connection with someone. Ben may just be obsessed and fixated on Ciara, so he may sense a few things here and there. Perfectly normal.

Nice of Allie to drop by to apologize to Tripp. He is right to be cautious with her. He owes her nothing.

I did like Tripp's exchange with Charlie. Have no idea if Charlie can be arrested for attacking Allie. She can maybe sue him for child support. The crime occurred in a different jurisdiction, and hypnosis or not, it is likely that the UK police will not prosecute. She should have gone to a hospital or clinic and reported the assault and most likely be given the morning after pill or maybe could have gone to a pharmacy over there to get it.

Rafe is attached to the teddy bear he won? He doesn't see David much any more? And now he's mopey. Hi Eric, we haven't heard from you in a while.

[Irlandesa]

14 minutes ago, Petunia13 said:

Weird as hell Rhodes said he’s still doing this in spite of Vincent’s incarceration because his weekly checks haven’t bounced. I don’t think people can actually pay bills or even access their banking while in prison.

If Vincent has a lot of money, he can probably set up a recurring payment from a bank account through his business manager or an account in the Caymen Islands.  His crimes weren't financial so it's unlikely they'd freeze his assets. 

But it's awfully strange Rhodes would keep doing this job when he could ransom her for a huge payout and get out of dodge while Vincent is in jail.

16 minutes ago, Frozendiva said:

She can maybe sue him for child support.

I do not understand why everyone on the show wants Charlie (and previously Tripp) to acknowledge and take responsibility for his child.  I think the last thing I'd want if I were to have my rapist's baby is to officially connect the baby to him--especially since she can get financial support from her family.  Not only is he a rapist but he's connected to the mob.  What the heck are these people thinking?

19 minutes ago, Frozendiva said:

She should have gone to a hospital or clinic and reported the assault and most likely be given the morning after pill or maybe could have gone to a pharmacy over there to get it.

IIRC, she didn't realize she had been raped until after she realized she was pregnant.