Current Plots Discussion: Actually Today's Episode

[RedElf]

Man, Billy is killing it.

[Artsda]

Xander calling the cops idiots is so spot on.

Does Rafe not know anything about what happened to Sarah?  He actually said Sarah can't be in 2 places at once. Umm actually she can. 

Xander and Sarah figured out the mask and the 2 cops are doing what? 

Gwen needs to just be shot. 

[SouthernChick]

1 hour ago, RedElf said:

Man, Billy is killing it.

If by “killing it” you mean butchering the scenes, yes I agree. He was so bad today. And I usually like his scenes.

[Frozendiva]

Chad is going to end up making best friends with the toilet. Ugh, too much booze. Too much overacting.

Paulina, none of your business about Nicole and Eric. Or Nicole and Rafe.

At least Eric did admit some fault at not showing up at his own marriage. I do wonder why Jada is so eager to date when she has barely lived in Salem for maybe more than a week.

I did like Xander telling Jada and Rafe that they were idiots. Call up Dr. Rex Brady. If he flew to Salem, he would have a plane ticket and boarding pass. He would not conveniently show up to pretend to give Sarah an alibi. Both are doctors. He could be learning more about her brain damage to help her. And then he and Sarah found the lost Salem Brain cells about figuring out how someone can be in two places at the same time. Cue Gwen. Xandy was nasty about her. They were also right - why is Lucas' hypnosis results seen as more valid than Sarah's?

Cue Gwen fishing out her Sarah mask from her suitcase. Why go visit dear old dad? Why isn't dad helping out investigate the murder? He is/was an investigative reporter. Maybe chat with his mate Xandy and help put the story together.

[DaphneCat]

2 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

Maybe chat with his mate Xandy and help put the story together.

Because if Xander suspects Gwen he can't be sure he can actually tell Jack about it without worrying that Jack will repeat the same information to Gwen - giving her a chance to come up with a better alibi.  It's bad enough the police tell everyone everything about any case they happen to have at the moment.

[norcalgal]

5 hours ago, Artsda said:

Xander calling the cops idiots is so spot on.

Does Rafe not know anything about what happened to Sarah?  He actually said Sarah can't be in 2 places at once. Umm actually she can. 

Xander and Sarah figured out the mask and the 2 cops are doing what? 

Gwen needs to just be shot. 

3 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

I did like Xander telling Jada and Rafe that they were idiots. Call up Dr. Rex Brady. If he flew to Salem, he would have a plane ticket and boarding pass. He would not conveniently show up to pretend to give Sarah an alibi. Both are doctors. He could be learning more about her brain damage to help her. And then he and Sarah found the lost Salem Brain cells about figuring out how someone can be in two places at the same time. Cue Gwen. Xandy was nasty about her. They were also right - why is Lucas' hypnosis results seen as more valid than Sarah's?

Cue Gwen fishing out her Sarah mask from her suitcase. Why go visit dear old dad? Why isn't dad helping out investigate the murder? He is/was an investigative reporter. Maybe chat with his mate Xandy and help put the story together.

So two civvies can figure out how “Sarah” can indeed be in two places simultaneously yet The Police - supposedly trained in investigative thinking never thought of the Sarah mask?!!? 
I told y’all in my previous post Rex better sleep with one eye open! But making Rex “disappear” won’t fix everything because like @Frozendiva wrote, plane tix and boarding passes (as well as cameras at the airport/Salem Inn/nearby businesses) can prove who was where. But I’m sure DOOL will pretend none of those things exist!   🙄

Edited August 5, 2022 by norcalgal

[boes]

13 hours ago, brisbydog said:

Have I mentioned that Abe's chuckle gets on my nerves?

Your words to the Soap God's ears, they drive me crazy too.

We have Abe going "huh huh huh" and then Paulina chiming back with "heh heh heh" like a pair of mating hoot owls.  Abe is a good and worthy character but he's also dull as dishwater and Paulina is ........ I'll leave it at, 'something else'.

Xander has done despicable things to many people, I know, but him calling the Salem police "Idiots" makes up for a multitude of sins.  

I'm not a fan of drunks, real or imagined, and Chad's "grief" drunk only made me hate that nonsense more.  Where's Kristen with a sedative injection when you need one?  

Show's mishandling of Abby's death, along with Chad doing a daily imitation of Julie in histrionics have me very over giving a rats ass who killed Abigail.  

The writing for the character killed her dead some time ago anyway.

After what we saw today, I'm wondering if Show is going to have Chad seek comfort in a very unexpected place aka Sonny.  

I was surprised Jack was so cold to Gwen when she showed up at his door today, I thought he'd made up with her yet again.  Then, talking to Rafe, he got really dumb really fast while neither of them seemed to remember Gwen had a Sarah mask.  By then I didn't care one way or another.  

I think I need Marlena to hypnotize me, too.

Edited August 5, 2022 by boes

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, boes said:

I think I need Marlena to hypnotize me, too.

Let's just make it a group rate and have her wipe our memories to back when this show was actually worth watching for the stories, not to mock mercilessly (albeit, more than deserved!).

[KBrownie]

1 hour ago, Lucas Rowan said:

I still think that they're the ones who are going to end up with egg on their faces when it turns out that Gwen didn't kill Abigail, either.

Gwen may or may not (I totally believe she did it) have killed Abigail, but she damn sure is trying her best to frame Sarah for it.  So Xander and Sarah will still be absolutely correct in their assessment of what kind of nasty, sick, sociopath of a person Gwen is.  

Yes, Xander is a total hypocrite and really not at all better than Gwen considering his past crimes.  Doesn't make him wrong about Gwen though.

Edited August 5, 2022 by KBrownie

[boes]

1 hour ago, Lucas Rowan said:

And?  Xander and Sarah are idiots themselves to not take the mask theory to Rafe and Jada and just let them handle it officially.  Now, Jada's new to Salem, so the mask theory might sound preposterous to her, but Rafe would absolutely know that that would be a viable possibility.

I'm trying to remember the last time - or even any time - when Rafe actually solved a crime that someone else hadn't figured out first.  Or when he'd put 2 and 2 together and not gotten 9, or told anyone the truth when it actually mattered, or even been bright enough to know how to use a light switch on the first try.  And, considering that it's not that long ago that half the town was being impersonated by Kristen in a mask, or Gwen in a mask that this didn't come to him first.  

It's not that Rafe isn't the brightest bulb in the socket, it's that he doesn't even have a clue where the socket IS.

Now, if you want someone to roll a body in a rug and hide it, he's your man.  Though, come to think of it, he didn't even do that well.  

If you want a  cop who knows how to sneer and gossip, he's your guy.  If you want a cop with a brain, you're out of luck.

Edited August 5, 2022 by boes

[BuckeyeLou]

The best part of today's show was Xander & Sarah working together to solve the mask mystery...they were fun & engaging to watch...I have always been a fan of a romantic soap couple solving a mystery together & having hijinks along the way.  Xander holding his nose while Sarah happily jumped in the garbage dumpster made me laugh. 

[methodwriter85]

13 hours ago, boes said:

After what we saw today, I'm wondering if Show is going to have Chad seek comfort in a very unexpected place aka Sonny.  

Nah, they're not going there but damned if the actors aren't having fun with that like Sal Stowers and Stacey Haiduk before them.

Edited August 5, 2022 by methodwriter85

[tribeca]

Jada Zander arguing and Eric Jada made me think there might be a little love triangle.  Better not as I am tired of none of the couples I like staying together.  
 

no way did Leo would dirty himself and jump in a dumpster. 

[norcalgal]

2 hours ago, boes said:

I'm trying to remember the last time - or even any time - when Rafe actually solved a crime that someone else hadn't figured out first. 

Was that when he (or maybe it was him & Nicole together?) figured out that Ava set him up as a crooked cop?

2 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

The best part of today's show was Xander & Sarah working together to solve the mask mystery...they were fun & engaging to watch...I have always been a fan of a romantic soap couple solving a mystery together & having hijinks along the way.  Xander holding his nose while Sarah happily jumped in the garbage dumpster made me laugh. 

Cosigned.  That was pretty adorbs.

Edited August 5, 2022 by norcalgal

[CanaryFan98]

3 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

The best part of today's show was Xander & Sarah working together to solve the mask mystery...they were fun & engaging to watch...I have always been a fan of a romantic soap couple solving a mystery together & having hijinks along the way.  Xander holding his nose while Sarah happily jumped in the garbage dumpster made me laugh. 

They have been the surprisingly watchable part of this terrible story.

[nilyank]

3 hours ago, boes said:

I'm trying to remember the last time - or even any time - when Rafe actually solved a crime that someone else hadn't figured out first.  Or when he'd put 2 and 2 together and not gotten 9, or told anyone the truth when it actually mattered, or even been bright enough to know how to use a light switch on the first try.  And, considering that it's not that long ago that half the town was being impersonated by Kristen in a mask, or Gwen in a mask that this didn't come to him first.  

He figured out that Nicole switched babies between Grace and Sydney. He got a dna test (illegally) to prove that Sydney was Sami's and EJ's daughter. It is frankly the only reason why I think that Sami kept trying with Rafe (despite breaking up a bunch of times) because Rafe brought back her daughter.

Rafe also figured out that EJ was behind Sydney's kidnapping but that was more of a case of Rafe wanting EJ to being guilty and be lucky that he was right and that Nicole was feeling lonely and chatty to confirm that it was true.

[Artsda]

Xander should be police commissioner at this point. He and Sarah have done more than the cops.

For Alex to work with a love interest it will need to have good chemistry or it'll be a constant comparison to Cin. 

Johnny deserves better than Chanel.  

[SouthernChick]

I like Alex. I like Xander. I like EJ. I like Lucas. 
 

I think I just like “grey” characters.

[boes]

45 minutes ago, SouthernChick said:

I like Alex. I like Xander. I like EJ. I like Lucas. 
 

I think I just like “grey” characters.

I'm with you.  It doesn't hurt that the supposedly "good" characters of Salem, with the exception of Abe and Maggie, all have plenty of sins of their own but usually seem to have forgotten all about them.

For instance, Allie demands her father accept punishment for kidnapping Sami, yet I don't remember Allie ever marching herself down to the police station and confessing to holding Tripp hostage with a loaded pistol, aimed at his privates.

Her hypocrisy smells worse than the dumpster.  

[salvame]

I still stand by my position that Chanel should have told both Johnny and Ali Buh Bye. They are both immature idiots, and I don't sense a charisma between Chanel and either of the siblings. Their story line just seems to be plot driven, to make the show woke. I would like to see Chanel find her own special someone, even if it meant she had to leave Salem (though I have really grown fond of the character.)  

[Frozendiva]

I too agree that Chanel should have passed on both twins. Give it a break and see who shows up in her life. Both twins are immature. Her mom should not be pushing her on a dude. She is still pretty young and has plenty of time to find someone special.

What a surprise Maggie found. Yeah, Alex, maybe do remember your date's name. Uncle Vic was his usual curmudgeon self. Alex does have nice clothes. Good tailored suit that fit properly. So he is sort of going to spy on Sonny? I did think either he or Li bought that London company.

Can't believe that Leo dumpster dived to fish out the mask before Moose and Squirrel. Lucky break. Poor posh Xander, having to climb in that mess. He and Sarah do make a decent detective team, and yeah, he has done more to dig up clues for Abs' murder than the police.

Allie, you have also done some shady stuff. You are the pot calling the kettle black. 

[brisbydog]

10 hours ago, SouthernChick said:

I like Alex. I like Xander. I like EJ. I like Lucas. 
 

I think I just like “grey” characters.

I like not boring characters. Hence Xander and EJ are my faves while Rafe and Eric, despite being technically good people, do nothing for me as a viewer.

I also agree Chanel needed to dump both twins. Would love her with Alex 

[peachmangosteen]

10 hours ago, boes said:

For instance, Allie demands her father accept punishment for kidnapping Sami, yet I don't remember Allie ever marching herself down to the police station and confessing to holding Tripp hostage with a loaded pistol, aimed at his privates.

I feel like those are such completely different situations. Allie believed Tripp raped her. Like, I'm not gonna be mad at her for that lol. I also do not care that Lucas kidnapped Sami but still imo the situations are not comparable.

But also, literally every character is a hypocrite so it's really all kind of a wash. Although, it still annoys me when characters I hate are being hypocrites lol.

[boes]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I feel like those are such completely different situations. Allie believed Tripp raped her. Like, I'm not gonna be mad at her for that lol. I also do not care that Lucas kidnapped Sami but still imo the situations are not comparable.

But also, literally every character is a hypocrite so it's really all kind of a wash. Although, it still annoys me when characters I hate are being hypocrites lol.

You're right, they aren't comparable situations.  But Allie, IMO, has tossed around judgement and avoided responsibility since she first dragged her dour behind into Salem.  She's SUCH a drag yet acts like her she's more than all that.  

Like Abigail so often was, she's big on placing blame and passing judgement on others yet pretty light on herself.

Edited August 6, 2022 by boes

[peachmangosteen]

16 minutes ago, boes said:

[Alllie]'s big on placing blame and passing judgement on others yet pretty light on herself.

Totally. She fits right in in Salem lol.

[rcc]

4 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Totally. She fits right in in Salem lol.

Like mother, like daughter.

[methodwriter85]

Alex is such a hoot! I love his tacky taste in fashion and his decorative glasses!

[Desperado]

And on my end, I can’t get into the Alex character at all because I couldn’t stand his Ben. Introducing him as an oiled up playboy (gross!) didn’t help. He was ok talking with Victor though.

I was hoping Jada would take Chanel away from unbearable Allie, but I’m ok with her waking Eric up.

[Pearson80]

On 8/5/2022 at 4:08 PM, Lucas Rowan said:

Interesting that Paulina is still not fully accepting of Chanel being pan.

Paulina is being realistic in my opinion, she knows what Chanel will have to face as a Black woman being pan: racism, homophobia and sexism.. She is scared for her daughter as she should be because Black women get no grace..

Edited August 8, 2022 by Pearson80

[RunningMarket]

Are they (awkwardly) chem testing Shawn and Jada? Is Jada going to inappropriately flirt with every guy she encounters in Salem? (Eric = witness, Shawn = coworker)

I'm just not feeling NuDrRolph. 

[SouthernChick]

39 minutes ago, RunningMarket said:

Are they (awkwardly) chem testing Shawn and Jada? 

If they were, it was a huge fail. This Shawn is just so blah. 

[tribeca]

Shawn could not remember Belle was his wife.  Kind of loved it.  Belle does not think Shawn as eyes but anyone but her. 
Today show was kind of boring.   

[RunningMarket]

4 minutes ago, tribeca said:

Shawn could not remember Belle was his wife.  Kind of loved it.  Belle does not think Shawn as eyes but anyone but her. 
Today show was kind of boring.   

I think it was supposed to be played off as he wasn't sure how to refer to Belle, as they are separated. But the line reading wasn't great.

[norcalgal]

1 hour ago, RunningMarket said:

Are they (awkwardly) chem testing Shawn and Jada? Is Jada going to inappropriately flirt with every guy she encounters in Salem? (Eric = witness, Shawn = coworker)

I'm just not feeling NuDrRolph. 

So is Jada supposed to be way younger than Shawn?  Because if Marcus, Kayla, Bo & Steve were contemporaries, wouldn’t Jada have been in Salem with her dad around the same time Shawn grew up in Salem?  

[SouthernChick]

33 minutes ago, Lucas Rowan said:

Kind of tittered at the fan callback to John being "RoboJohn" when he didn't have his memories.

I kind have a feeling that Stefan is going to be RoboStefan for awhile at least.

[CanaryFan98]

1 hour ago, norcalgal said:

So is Jada supposed to be way younger than Shawn?  Because if Marcus, Kayla, Bo & Steve were contemporaries, wouldn’t Jada have been in Salem with her dad around the same time Shawn grew up in Salem?  

Well when Marcus was in Salem he was a supporting character at best. Rarely was he a focal point when it came to romances etc and there was no kid granted with how wonky SORAS is its possible she existed off screen. 

[Frozendiva]

I agree that today's show was boring.

Yeah, EJ, stick your now dead brother's 'wife' in the room where a woman was murdered 6-8 weeks ago. I would have had it cleaned and someone come in with sage and smudged the room. Most people might find it creepy. At least for a little while. And then having a champagne toast to welcome her?

Gabi gets a lot of mail at her home addy. Guess it was an excuse for Rafe to visit. And meet Shin. More Stefan anvils.

So Jada must be hungry for a dude - real fast. First Eric, and she didn't notice that her new partner was wearing a wedding ring. Not a good look. You have been in Salem for two weeks and you should be settling in to your new apartment and not hunting hunks for a relationship. Let it happen naturally and not so rushed/forced. Shawn sort of forgot that he was married?

Kristen, let the poor Stefan slowly wean off his anesthesia. He has been in a sort of coma for a few years. He may wake up as Frankenstefan and not be exactly pleasant. I also had no idea what you were wearing. Whether it was a bikini top that had a shrug to cover your arms and a skirt or a weird cutout dress. How convenient to just show up at Brady's home - does anyone not have a buzzer to let folks in or not let them in?

[boes]

44 minutes ago, Frozendiva said:

Does anyone not have a buzzer to let folks in or not let them in?

Forget the buzzer - everyone In Salem should answer their door armed with a taser, set, at the very least, to "stun".  

Poor Jada.  Between working for Rafe and with Shawn, she's going to be sorry there were no openings for mall cop.

With all the medical marvels Rolf can do, why did he never come up with one to make the Dimeras smarter, or is that even beyond his capabilities?

[Peanut6711]

15 hours ago, norcalgal said:

So is Jada supposed to be way younger than Shawn?  Because if Marcus, Kayla, Bo & Steve were contemporaries, wouldn’t Jada have been in Salem with her dad around the same time Shawn grew up in Salem?  

I thought there was some definite SORAS related retconning in that conversation as in reality Bo and Hope left town when Shawn was a baby and Steve died a few years later making it difficult for Steve, Marcus, and Bo to hang out together.  And Jada should certainly be younger than Shawn and Stephanie since she wasn't born till after Marcus left town unless they are going to say she was a daughter he didn't know existed in her first few years of life. 

[Retired at last]

15 hours ago, SouthernChick said:

I kind have a feeling that Stefan is going to be RoboStefan for awhile at least.

That is probably how they will justify having both Ava and Gabi try to fight over him. Sounds like when two people put a dog in the middle and each call the pup to see which owner he wants.

[buffynut]

18 hours ago, tribeca said:

Today show was kind of boring.   

I turned it on briefly yesterday, and also found it boring.

And though this isn't a new issue, I was seriously distracted by all of them, particularly the women, wearing winter like long sleeved clothes. 

How I miss the days (pun intended) when they'd have scenes that depicted the season as being summer.  Like something on a beach. Or even just a picnic in murder park.

[kitmerlot1213]

I think there are always going to be characters that you'll love, no matter what they do and I feel that way about Theresa, Gabi and ORK's Claire--they could do the most heinous crap and I'll still find a way to root for them.  So I cheered out loud when Brady defended Theresa after Kristen's nasty comment about drug addiction--besides it was always Brady who was the substance abuser.  Re; Rachel's picture:  does this mean that both Tate and Rachel have been aged up?  Also, Kristen is much easier to watch now that they've dropped the whole "reformed" bit.

And I really hope the Gabi/Rafe scene mean Gabi will have conversations with people outside of Dimera and I kind of want Gabi to have a real friendship with Nicole--as awesome as Sonny and Will are, she needs female friends.

Question:  so are they just rooms to rent above the Brady Pub or is it a full apartment?  Does it have a kitchen or will Jada have to eat at the Pub every day?

[norcalgal]

18 hours ago, CanaryFan98 said:

Well when Marcus was in Salem he was a supporting character at best. Rarely was he a focal point when it came to romances etc and there was no kid granted with how wonky SORAS is its possible she existed off screen. 

The only “romance”  I can recall the show giving Marcus was when he treated a blind patient and she fell in love with him (but I don’t think he felt the same about her). I think the woman’s father was an ultra religious preacher/minister.
There was also a racial aspect to any potential romance because Marcus was black and the woman was white. I can’t recall if the show made race a talking point to a potential relationship between the two.

[Peanut6711]

This Shawn/Belle/Jan-baby storyline has been written bizarrely from day one, and Belle's whole "I never wanted this to happen" sympathy line today in regard to the kid turning out to not be Shawn's was just as ridiculous. When your psycho enemy gets knocked up by your husband who she's obsessed with, of course you hope the kid isn't actually his.  Saying otherwise doesn't make Belle a saint (thought I get the feeling that's the characterization they are trying for), it's makes her a lying idiot.  While I get that Shawn bonded with the baby, they both should be elated that they aren't shackled to Jan's offspring for decades. 

[brisbydog]

1 hour ago, norcalgal said:

The only “romance”  I can recall the show giving Marcus was when he treated a blind patient and she fell in love with him (but I don’t think he felt the same about her). I think the woman’s father was an ultra religious preacher/minister.
There was also a racial aspect to any potential romance because Marcus was black and the woman was white. I can’t recall if the show made race a talking point to a potential relationship between the two.

That was Faith, yes she crushed on Marcus but he was not into her. She ended up leaving town with Scotty Banning, Julie's other grandson. Marcus was however involved with a woman named Gayle, who was a survivor of a church bombing targeted at the black community (by Faith's father who was indeed a fanatical preacher). When I quit the show in late 1990 he and Gayle were still together. There was a whole plot where Steve got a glass eye and went undercover to expose Saul (Faith's father) and bring him to justice.

Also Faith was played by Mindy Clarke, daughter of Original Mickey John Clarke

Edited August 9, 2022 by brisbydog
remembered more stuff

[RedElf]

How long till we meet Jada's ex?

And was she drinking water, too?  Is she also an alcoholic, or just partaking with Eric?

Does Ari really have a bad leg?  At least, six months ago when this was filmed?

[CanaryFan98]

3 hours ago, brisbydog said:

That was Faith, yes she crushed on Marcus but he was not into her. She ended up leaving town with Scotty Banning, Julie's other grandson. Marcus was however involved with a woman named Gayle, who was a survivor of a church bombing targeted at the black community (by Faith's father who was indeed a fanatical preacher). When I quit the show in late 1990 he and Gayle were still together. There was a whole plot where Steve got a glass eye and went undercover to expose Saul (Faith's father) and bring him to justice.

Also Faith was played by Mindy Clarke, daughter of Original Mickey John Clarke

I sincerely hope Ron doesn't try to recreate this story. Although I think it would be an interesting twist if Faith was Jada's mom considering it was her father that played a role in the death of Marcus's parents.

5 hours ago, kitmerlot1213 said:

I think there are always going to be characters that you'll love, no matter what they do and I feel that way about Theresa, Gabi and ORK's Claire--they could do the most heinous crap and I'll still find a way to root for them.  So I cheered out loud when Brady defended Theresa after Kristen's nasty comment about drug addiction--besides it was always Brady who was the substance abuser.  Re; Rachel's picture:  does this mean that both Tate and Rachel have been aged up?  Also, Kristen is much easier to watch now that they've dropped the whole "reformed" bit.

The show had Theresa go to rehab which is how she got into Brady's orbit in the first place. However I agree onscreen Theresa was never addicted she just enjoyed drugs recreationally much like JJ did in the earlier years but it never got to the point where she lost control like Brady, Lucas etc 

[SouthernChick]

I like Eric and Jada so much better than him with Nicole. Nicole is just immature.

[Artsda]

Eric said Belle's my sister, Shawn's my brother in law.  He should have said Belle's my sister, Shawns my cousin. 

Brady is willing to give his child to a psycho just to get Kristen in our of the office? Shouldn't he be holding custody and refusing to give up. 

[Frozendiva]

How many rooms are there above the Brady Pub? Why would this Jada person want to live there more than a few weeks until she can find her own apartment? Surely she can afford a small place on her detective salary. So she can be next to Eric..... sigh.... when does her ex hit town - he has been mentioned so he will show up at some point.

Poor FrankenStefan has just had a heart replacement. Give him a day or so to recover before waking him up. Can't imagine how he will react - where am I? How am I alive? What year is this? Gabi is not going to be happy that her new beau hid that her ex husband is alive.

I kinda liked Nicole's outfit.

Doesn't Kristen have anything else to do?