Current Plots Discussion: Actually Today's Episode

[DisneyBoy]

Does Jawn's former "Pardner" tape infrequently by choice? It seems like Mayor Abe is never around. Like ever. Dude has a new daughter and a son roaming about town and he's a No Show.

[Jaded]

Gabi has already been sexually assaulted and killed someone so they don't have a quota to meet. For now.

Quelle Sara was by Jefferson Starship (Airplane). Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac did Rhiannon.

I loved The Doors in HS. Classic rock is huge with kids like the Dead, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Bob Marley, however....these Days kids don't really sing like or have the philosophical mindset of the fans of that type music LOL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_(Fleetwood_Mac_song)

Starship's song Sara

Edited February 29, 2016 by Jaded

[Petunia13]

My bad! Sorry when I think of horrible songs named Sara my mind automatically goes there.

[Jaded]

It's ok. I'm a big Fleetwood Mac fan and sitting on my fingers to keep from replying wasn't working. I tried posting Starship's YT video the regular way and it screwed up my post so I had to link to it.

[Dandesun]

There were a LOT of songs named after various Sara's. The confusion is understandable. We should all be grateful that time has marched us passed that.

 

Anyhoo... JJ/Gabi are currently the only real romance that's worth rooting for. So of course it's only on once a week. If that.

 

Maybe Gabi can reach out to Joey and start a "I Totes Killed Someone" support group!

Edited February 29, 2016 by Dandesun

[buffynut]

 Nicole may have forgotten all the times that Daniel slammed the door in her face, blew her off for other people, or told her he was done with her while she cried and begged for forgiveness, but I haven't. 

 

Me either.  And I always think of those scenes whenever Nicole goes on and on about how great she and Daniel were together.  I think, maybe, if the show hadn't dropped Daniel (not complaining) all those weeks before the car crash, and actually shown the viewers them being happy, maybe even eloped or something, at least it might make sense that Nicole thinks he was her soul-mate. But I have way more memories of him being horrible to Nicole than loving.

 

I have a feeling Lani won't let the case go.

 

I hope you're right, as I'm never going to feel good about Hope and Rafe, and now Roman,  being the "good guys" as long as that horrible cold-blooded murder of a near invalid in a wheel-chair was committed, covered up and then deflected onto someone else.  And the fact that the near invalid was Stefano and the framed person Andre, does little to make me feel that the "good guys" did the right thing.

Edited February 29, 2016 by buffynut

[QuelleC]

Summer's Eve looks like Linda Hamilton to me. 

[TigerLynx]

That being said WTH are they doing to the youth of Salem? Why the hell soras Ciara just to make her a rape victim; Chase just to make him a creepy stalker rapist with Andre as a mentor; and Joey just to become a killer? This show is just joy and hope free. Ain't no sunshine or light-heartedness to be found anywhere.

 

 

I've lost track of the number of times I've said Days should never do another rape SL because they do such a horrible job of it.  It's like they have some sick scoreboard they drag out every couple of months and say, "Okay who hasn't been raped or killed someone, or at least committed a felony.  It's their turn for this storyline.  Make sure the characters act as dumb and despicable as possible."

[Bwill3133]

Well hello JJ and Gabi. You are in a healthy relationship and happy; See ya next week! Glad they got 5 minutes of screen time today. They are still my favorite thing right now.

If Summer has to be here the only good part to me is it might break Theresa of this "Brady fog" she's in. I can only hope. I did like seeing Dario and Nicole hitting it off. Chem test I'm guessing.

Lani is going to be looking at that case again.

[Sandman]

Gabi has already been sexually assaulted and killed someone so they don't have a quota to meet. For now.

It's like they have some sick scoreboard they drag out every couple of months and say, "Okay who hasn't been raped or killed someone, or at least committed a felony.  It's their turn for this storyline.  Make sure the characters act as dumb and despicable as possible."

 

If only I thought you guys were wrong. Or even remotely kidding.

[ByaNose]

If they want Maggie to have a daughter why don't they just bring back Lisa (Melissa) Trusel? I remember when she and KA were the teens on the show and were so pretty. Actually, those two were friends way before Hope & Jenn. That said, I think all three of them are related but I can't figure how. LOL!!!

[boes]

I actually liked today.  Gabi and JJ were smokin' hot, Theresa had a tiny bit of snark back (more, please!), and Nicole got to smile.  The hagiography of Dr. Daniel Jonas needs to end, though.  Nicole may have forgotten all the times that Daniel slammed the door in her face, blew her off for other people, or told her he was done with her while she cried and begged for forgiveness, but I haven't.  AZ and JV have nice chemistry; hopefully the show will let Nicole move on with him or Deimos sooner rather than later.

 

As a stand alone episode, today wasn't bad - and JJ and Gabi were terrific.  Full confession, I haven't been either a Gabi or a Camilla Banus fan until this latest go-around.  Gabi both bugged and bored me, and Camilla Banus, from the first time I saw her on OLTL through the Nick storyline seemed uneven at best.  I didn't think she was all that attractive, either.

But wow, what a difference a year makes.  Camilla Banus is stunning, just stunning, and her acting has improved tremendously.  Watching her and JJ today, I couldn't help but compare the two of them with JJ and Paige.  I know, unfair, considering the crap storyline those two got saddled with, but even so, there's a chemistry between these two that I didn't see with JJ and Paige.

 

Jordi Vilasuso really is all that, isn't he?  Or at least a breath of fresh air with some solid acting chop and a built in healty disrespect for his older brother.  Me like.  

Summer is another story.  Besides the constant funeral dirge of how the world lost the best toe fungus doctor EVAH, her being tied to Salem because she's his biological sister and yet another of Maggie's misplaced egg babies, I'm not feeling it.  To top it off, we've already got Bonehead Bonobo Brady strutting his stuff, using his sexy voice and just aching to flash his waxed and hairless bod.  EM is such a nice guy and such a poor actor, but once again he's going to be front and center, being fought over by at least two women, one of whom should certainly know better.

 

And can any of you clear this up for me?  What was all that wordplay between Roman and Rafe about Who Killed Stefano anyway?  Hope told Roman the whole thing, including Rafe's part, she told Rafe about telling Roman, so both guys know the other one knows the whole thing but they acted as if they didn't?  

Was this filmed out of sequence, did they forget or did I???

I spent far more time trying to figure this out than it deserves.

 

So when Lani discovers the truth, will Roman and Rafe join Hope on the unemployment line?  Will she be appointed Chief of Police and JJ be the poster boy for the new Salem PD Naked Cop Calendar?

Or am I just having a fever dream....

[Kitty Redstone]

Glad I wasn't the only one who didn't understand what was going on between Roman and Rafe.  I kept trying to remember if Hope had told Rafe that she told Roman everything, and was sure that she had.  At any rate, if their conversation was a way for them to affirm that each was as crooked as the other it sure was a roundabout way to do it! 

 

Lani must be wondering just what she signed up for when she took a job at the SPD.  If she does become chief, her first diktat should indeed be appointing JJ as Mr. January.  Dario could be Mr. February (who cares that he doesn't work for the department!).  The rest of the year could just alternate between the two of them.

[Sandman]

Sounds like the one who really didn't understand what was going on between Roman and Rafe was Rafe. As usual.

[kitmerlot1213]

If I was Roman, I'd be stunned at how easily Rafe lied to my face regarding the murder and cover up--at least when Hope confessed, shew as crying hysterically and showed true remorse.  Rafe was actually a little creepy.

 

Gabi and JJ are lovely together and one of the best young romances on the show--I'm sure it's going to be ruined soon.

 

I can not deal with this psycho Summer person--she is obviously unhinged and needs mental help so Brady decides that she needs to come to Salem and meet an emotionally distraught Maggie.  And if the show wants Maggie to have her kids around her, get her two Horton kids (Melissa and Sarah) back.  Summer is unnecessary and unneeded.

[Bwill3133]

If I was Roman, I'd be stunned at how easily Rafe lied to my face regarding the murder and cover up--at least when Hope confessed, shew as crying hysterically and showed true remorse.  Rafe was actually a little creepy.

 

Gabi and JJ are lovely together and one of the best young romances on the show--I'm sure it's going to be ruined soon.

 

I can not deal with this psycho Summer person--she is obviously unhinged and needs mental help so Brady decides that she needs to come to Salem and meet an emotionally distraught Maggie.  And if the show wants Maggie to have her kids around her, get her two Horton kids (Melissa and Sarah) back.  Summer is unnecessary and unneeded.

This is  my whole problem with this. Maggie needs a new daughter? She already has 2 that could have been cast and brought story. I don't know why it would be so hard to do that. 

[islandgal140]

Summer is another story.  Besides the constant funeral dirge of how the world lost the best toe fungus doctor EVAH, her being tied to Salem because she's his biological sister and yet another of Maggie's misplaced egg babies, 

 

Now I can't help but think of Maggie and all her errant eggs and now all I see is the Alien Queen from Sigourney Weaver's Alien movies deep in the bowels of her nest laying eggs.

 

 

 

 

I can not deal with this psycho Summer person--she is obviously unhinged and needs mental help so Brady decides that she needs to come to Salem and meet an emotionally distraught Maggie.  And if the show wants Maggie to have her kids around her, get her two Horton kids (Melissa and Sarah) back.  Summer is unnecessary and unneeded.

 

I feel like it is one out/one in. We just lost the useless crazy that was Ava only to get saddled with what is appearing to be Maggie's latest egg spawn, who appears to be a scrambled egg. 

 

It feels like Daniel never left considering the amount of time spend canonizing him. Most of Summer and Brady's conversation was about him and than Diego and Nicole talked some about him. 

 

Camila is gorgeous. I am so enamored of her pretty, pretty hair.

 

Speaking of hair, I am not liking Jen Lilley's hair in the lighter blond. 

[Revlonred]

Why is RomanChrisKositchek so concerned with making sure justice is served for Ava's death? Didn't she, um, kill his father, kidnap his nephew, and kidnap his sister? Soap police work/justice usually doesn't go like this.

[DisneyBoy]

Gah - I missed the Stefano dream scenes...! Recap please. I'm eager to know what he said.

[LeftPhalange]

 

Gah - I missed the Stefano dream scenes...! Recap please. I'm eager to know what he said.

 

At the DiMera mansion, Chad wonders how many times Stefano was presumed dead and returned only to terrorize everyone. Chad feels cheated. He looks up and Stefano's ghost says, "I'm here. Take your shots. I will listen." Chad calls him one of the scariest people he's ever met and their family is almost as scary yet exciting. If it hadn't been for EJ's kids, he may not have come around. Chad misses them and Lexi, who was the best of them. Stefano calls him a good boy. Chad breaks down, saying he always wanted to make his father proud, though he knew he didn't cut it. He says Andre and Harold say he changed near the end. He asks why. Stefano asks why it matters and Chad says it's because he doesn't know who to be. Stefano says he thought of life as a game and now he's paying and wouldn't wish this upon him. He wants his son to learn to be the man he wants to be. The man and apparition embrace. In the morning, Chad awakens to Failure and tells her about the visit from his father. It was a dream. He calls it crazy but she's been there with her own dad. Failure pretends to care about Jack and miss him. Chad feels free now.

 

I don't know how to feel about the Chad/Stefano's ghost scenes. I get feeling conflicted, but dude, Stefano was a monster and a terrible father. It's not even like you grew up with him and have years and years of history with him. You're partially free now and only have to worry about Andre trying to ruin your life. 

 

Abifail Lite doesn't seem all that upset about her brother probably going to prison.

 

Too bad the writers are going to squander what could have potentially been a decent pairing/friendship between Eric and Jen.

 

Abifail is a terrible daughter. 

[howmanywords]

The Stefano/Chad scenes today :( When Stefano said he was a good boy I came close to losing it. Billy Flynn was amazing and broke my heart and god I miss Joe. M.

[Dandesun]

Why is RomanChrisKositchek so concerned with making sure justice is served for Ava's death? Didn't she, um, kill his father, kidnap his nephew, and kidnap his sister? Soap police work/justice usually doesn't go like this.

 

I think it's more about wanting to eradicate Steve from Kayla's life and this seems like a golden opportunity to do so.

 

(But given that I'm watching old vids, the fact that he's Chris Kostichek: Lawyer there and now Roman Brady: Police Commissioner is giving me whiplash.)

[Sandman]

Was André around when Josh Taylor was Chris Kositchek? When the line "What happened to your face?" was reported here, the very first thing I thought of was the idea that the face in question used to be someone else's.

[Apprentice79]

Billy Flynn was just spellbinding in his scenes with Joe.. He had me in tears. He is a great actor. That being said, I really do not understand Chad's devotion to Stefano. He did not grow up with the man, his mother was so terrified of Stefano that she kept him away from him for years. The same goes for Lexie. I have never understood why Lexie allowed Theo to be anywhere near Stefano. Tony knew who Stefano was and always knew that he was never to be trusted. Andre is a psychopath and always wanted his approval. Benjy never accepted Stefano and stayed away from him for years. Renee and Megan both lost their lives because of him..Kristen became insane and Peter is rotting away in some prison due to Stefano's evil influence. Chad should be happy to be free of that bastard.

[Rick Kitchen]

Chad never had a decent father, I think he was hoping to find one in Stefano.

[neuromom]

Was André around when Josh Taylor was Chris Kositchek? When the line "What happened to your face?" was reported here, the very first thing I thought of was the idea that the face in question used to be someone else's.

In the early 80s , when Andre was the Salem Slasher...he had been surgically given Tony's face (while holding Tony prisoner) and then framing Roman by using a latex mask. Roman was played by Wayne Northrop at the time (the one and only Roman IMO). So Josh was playing Chris at the time. I just don't recall if he shared any scenes with Andre.

[Apprentice79]

I will never understand why the show de romanize Drake's Roman to get Wayne back as Roman. Only to write him out years later and have John flounder for years as a character. He is still looking for his parents after all this time. It was such a waste of time because we got Fauxman instead of Roman. I always wanted Drake to become Roman again...

[Rick Kitchen]

In that first shot I thought Chad was burning Stefano's painting.

 

Wow, two ghosts in today's episode.

 

"I promise to listen." "I guess that's how I know you're really dead."

 

The background violin was annoying.

 

Billy Flynn did a great job.  Mark J. Freeman will be in heaven.  :)

 

"Ava's dead.  You're sure?"  Well, it's a legitimate question around here."

 

It's funny that Gabi is Abigail's maid of honor, when Chad can't stand Gabi.

 

Uh, Belle, Roman is your husband's uncle, no need to say "Commander Brady".

Edited March 1, 2016 by Rick Kitchen

[neuromom]

I will never understand why the show de romanize Drake's Roman to get Wayne back as Roman. Only to write him out years later and have John flounder for years as a character. He is still looking for his parents after all this time. It was such a waste of time because we got Fauxman instead of Roman. I always wanted Drake to become Roman again...

I will admit..though I loved Wayne as Roman, Drake would have been fine too. He did fine as Roman, and anything is preferable to the "man with the ever changing past"

Speaking of Roman...I kinda liked Belle today actually. Telling Roman that Steve won't be going to prison. Roman saying "but he killed a woman who was invalid in a hospital bed " ( I can't Remember the exact quote) Never mind that it's a-okay that Hooe killed an invalid in a wheelchair. Gah! Hypocritical much?

[Apprentice79]

I loved Drake's Roman with his siblings, his parents and I loved his father/daughter relationship with Carrie. She was truly the rock of the family and took such good care of Sami and Eric, when they were little. I was always team Carrie, when Sami was terrorizing her over Austin. Carrie was such a good mom to her when Marlena was presumed dead. It took Sami's coupling with Lucas for me to start liking her. She was too evil and sociopathic.

Carrie and Ciara are the only legacy children that had such distinct personalities as children. They were not extensions of their parents. They had so much potential to become great characters as adults. Carrie should have been the Marlena of her group, she is the first Brady grandchild and Ciara should have been a vixen causing trouble.. It is a shame that she was raped for a cheap ratings ploy.

Edited March 1, 2016 by Apprentice79

[buffynut]

I will never understand why the show de romanize Drake's Roman to get Wayne back as Roman. Only to write him out years later and have John flounder for years as a character. He is still looking for his parents after all this time. It was such a waste of time because we got Fauxman instead of Roman. I always wanted Drake to become Roman again...

 

The Pawn/John/Roman story was so well written back then that it was completely believable that the Pawn was really Roman and that Marlena fell in love with him. As for current-day Roman, I'm finally getting used to Chris Kosichek now calling himself Roman, but it took well over a year!

 

I enjoyed today's show.  Loved the cliff-hanger, even though I read all the spoilers, so knew it was going to happen.  And speaking of spoilers, for anyone who doesn't read them, and isn't watching the show regularly, you might want to at least turn it on tomorrow, just in case you want to watch.  i suspect you will know know by the beginning if you want to keep watching or not.

Edited March 1, 2016 by buffynut

[Kitty Redstone]

Expect for some parts with Eric and Jen (such a missed opportunity!), Eric and Marlena (DH was looking fabulous!), and Kayla and Joey (who were great!), I missed most of today.  Can someone please fill me in on the cliffhanger?

[Revlonred]

For me, even if the writing was not awful, which it is, Josh Taylor as Roman will never ever be anything but laughable. I grew up with Wayne Northrop and then Drake. Drake worked as Roman. As someone else said, it worked, and worked really well. I remember squealing with delight when Marlena opened that envelope in the mountains with Wayne's pic of the pawn before surgery and knew that Drake was Roman. Ahhh, the warm fuzzies.

Chris Kositchek as Roman...not so much. I can't suspend my disbelief. And Josh Taylor is horrible. And not in a fun way. I guess in general I can't get into the show at all. Sad. I'll go watch my old tapes.

[Happytobehere]

Why is RomanChrisKositchek so concerned with making sure justice is served for Ava's death? Didn't she, um, kill his father, kidnap his nephew, and kidnap his sister? Soap police work/justice usually doesn't go like this.

She also kidnapped his niece, his sister-in-law, terrorized his ex-wife and did everything she could to make his sister miserable. As noted up thread, Roman isn't especially fond of Steve.

However, of the many issues I have with Fauxman, his dislike of Steve makes perfect sense. Remember, it was John's Roman who saw how much Steve loved Kay,a and how far he would go to protect her, it was also John's Roman who became friends with Steve, hence the forming of BlackPatch.

By the time Fauxman met Steve, he watched him hurt her with the bimbo from Cleveland, Billie, and Ava. Fauxman stayed out of it because everyone, including Bo, who was super protective of Kayla loved Steve and supported the union. He then bore witness to the devastated Kayla and Joey when Steve dumped them in Africa. Now Ava has returned, intent to destroy Kayla and Stece slept with her All-in-all, if Fauxman treated Steve kindly, I'd question him. Notice John's reaction to hearing Steve killed Ava, his support for Steve was immediate, and you can tell that he isn't quite believing that Steve committed the murder. Johncan react this way based on his history with Steve. Fauxman on the other hand has no such connection -- even with this, I don't think Fauxman is buying Steve's story, although he will be happy if Steve were gone from Kayla's life.

Was André around when Josh Taylor was Chris Kositchek? When the line "What happened to your face?" was reported here, the very first thing I thought of was the idea that the face in question used to be someone else's.

Yes, Chris and Andre were in Salem at the same time, they had to have interacted during the Salem Stalker storyline. I never thought about the double meaning of the face comment, good catch.

I will admit..though I loved Wayne as Roman, Drake would have been fine too. He did fine as Roman, and anything is preferable to the "man with the ever changing past"

Speaking of Roman...I kinda liked Belle today actually. Telling Roman that Steve won't be going to prison. Roman saying "but he killed a woman who was invalid in a hospital bed " ( I can't Remember the exact quote) Never mind that it's a-okay that Hooe killed an invalid in a wheelchair. Gah! Hypocritical much?

See above. Also, if it comes down to Steve of his nephew, with the various and soon to be incarceration S of his own kids, I think Fauxman sees Steve's going to jail as the lesser of two evils. I personally think he wants Steve to simply confess and go to jail for two reasons, 1) He doesn't care for Steve and the pain he causes Kayla, 2) He doesn't believe Steve committed the murder and he at least suspects something is up, whether he actually thinks Joey did it or worries that Kayla decided to finish the major league beat-down she started to give Ava both at the park and in the hospital, I'm not sure yet, but one thing is for certain, he doesn't want questions being asked that might point the finger in Kayla or Joey's direction.

I have never been a fan of GV, and I still felt the show did him and Eric wrong with this drunk-driving story. Now that we see how well he works with MR, I hate the fact that a potentially solid coupling or possibly a great non-romantic friendship, aka Steve and Hope has been ruined. Hopefully, someone with sense will step in and find a way for Eric to be back on canvass sooner rather than later.

I liked how HorriBelle interacted with Roman. She wasn't being rude or speaking awkwardly, she was speaking professionally. She used Fauxman's title to let him know she was there for business and contrary to what he thought was going to happen, she was not going to let her client go down without swinging. This was the only time I took her seriously as a lawyer. Of course, HorriBelle had to offset that with her blasé attitude about her brother going to jail for fourteen years, don't get the sense she cared or fought much on his behalf, perhaps because of Brady, but if that was the case, she shouldn't have represented Eric.

There was a moment when Marlena was trying to deflect what Eric had to say about Jennifer and his responsibility for what's happening that I wanted to wring her neck. Luckily she came to her senses before the scene ended.

I liked Chad with Stefano, but somehow wish those scenes could have taken place with Lexie or Tony. The years and the years long ebb and flows of those relationships would have added a level of poignancy that was lacking in the scenes with Chad.

When does KM make her final appearance, because I am beyond tired of her.

Forgot to add, I liked the Kayla/Joey scenes. I'm glad he told his mother the truth. I understand that she and Steve want to protect Joey, but the weight of what he did is going to destroy the boy if the font let him come clean. He is being haunted by visions of the monster and is falling apart at the thought of his Dad going to jail and Steve's only been in the police station overnight.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Happytobehere

[Revlonred]

Obviously I missed a lot over the years. but I still love Steve and always will, so Chris can suck it. I'm an 80s girl. :)

[howmanywords]

For me, even if the writing was not awful, which it is, Josh Taylor as Roman will never ever be anything but laughable. I grew up with Wayne Northrop and then Drake. Drake worked as Roman. As someone else said, it worked, and worked really well. I remember squealing with delight when Marlena opened that envelope in the mountains with Wayne's pic of the pawn before surgery and knew that Drake was Roman. Ahhh, the warm fuzzies.

Chris Kositchek as Roman...not so much. I can't suspend my disbelief. And Josh Taylor is horrible. And not in a fun way. I guess in general I can't get into the show at all. Sad. I'll go watch my old tapes.

 

Yes yes to all this! Maybe I would have eventually accepted another actor in the role of Roman today but Josh Taylor will ALWAYS be Chris to me.  I thought by now I would have gotten use to him but I cant. Hell I was very young at the time but I can still remember Marlena and Roman's wedding back in the 80's where "Chris" was in the wedding party and remembering things like that where he and Wayne shared scenes together, it makes it all the more harder to accept. Drake worked as Roman because he fit the part and played him well and we knew it was a result of plastic surgery for the change in appearance. But for people like us who remember Josh as Chris, its extremely stupid.

[Revlonred]

Yes yes to all this! Maybe I would have eventually accepted another actor in the role of Roman today but Josh Taylor will ALWAYS be Chris to me.  I thought by now I would have gotten use to him but I cant. Hell I was very young at the time but I can still remember Marlena and Roman's wedding back in the 80's where "Chris" was in the wedding party and remembering things like that where he and Wayne shared scenes together, it makes it all the more harder to accept. Drake worked as Roman because he fit the part and played him well and we knew it was a result of plastic surgery for the change in appearance. But for people like us who remember Josh as Chris, its extremely stupid.

Yup. Watching today, I was reminded of scenes when Chris rented the room under Shenanigans to Steve way back in the day. And Miami location scenes with Chris, etc. It makes me mourn the state of the show even more. But so do scenes like Caroline having visions, because she was a straight up, well written character back then. I get that I missed a lot of years when Days chose to go the supernatural route, but it doesn't work for me.

Loving some Vincent Irizarry on my screen, though. And Mary Beth Evans was a pleasure to watch today. And Stephen Nichols has my heart, so there's that.

[LadyJaney]

 

 

For me, even if the writing was not awful, which it is, Josh Taylor as Roman will never ever be anything but laughable. I grew up with Wayne Northrop and then Drake. Drake worked as Roman. As someone else said, it worked, and worked really well. I remember squealing with delight when Marlena opened that envelope in the mountains with Wayne's pic of the pawn before surgery and knew that Drake was Roman. Ahhh, the warm fuzzies.

Chris Kositchek as Roman...not so much. I can't suspend my disbelief. And Josh Taylor is horrible. And not in a fun way. I guess in general I can't get into the show at all. Sad. I'll go watch my old tapes.

I always wished that had just kept Drake as Roman.  I know Wayne Northrop wanted back and they fixed things to make it happen, but he barely stuck around, whereas Drake has stuck around for ages.  Such a shame and a waste.  Josh Taylor is just such a marble-mouth when he speaks, I always think he is drunk or something.  Roman Brady should be a bit of a patriarch to the Brady clan but he has been so marginalized he's just a pod Brady more than anything else.

 

 

Ciara should have been a vixen causing trouble.. It is a shame that she was raped for a cheap ratings ploy.

I see Ciara as what went wrong with Starr Manning on OLTL as she grew up.  Different circumstances (Starr wasn't raped, and the same child actor played her into adulthood), but the same endgame.  Both were feisty mischievous children who should have grown into interesting layered adults.  But both became whiny simpering generic versions of their former selves.  

 

I kind of felt that about Stephanie Johnson too.  The red-haired actress who played her for a time as a grown Stephanie, seemed interesting and full of potential.  Then Barbie "I'm an adult because I had sex since you last saw me" Stephanie returned, and she was dumb and vapid and could have been any random young female character, not the product of Steve and Kayla (not that Joey is the pillar of wisdom either, but I'm hoping he'll grow a brain and a pair eventually).

 

Characters like Sami grew into a multi-layered character with many sides that sometimes you love, sometimes you hate.  JJ is someone who is showing so much more potential.  Even Abby, as annoying as she is, has ties to a lot of the show.  I just wish she wasn't such a pill.  same with Eric, he's getting interesting now as his days on Days are probably numbered.  Claire is showing potential too.  

 

I guess I just want and expect more from the legacy children on these shows...

Edited March 3, 2016 by LadyJaney

[boes]

Good show today, all around, other than the bridge troll aka Abigail reappearing.

 

I loved Chad's ghostly visit with Stefano, every second of it.  Joe Mascolo got to give us a better goodbye to the character and I applaud the writers for telling us that Stefano's visit was from Hell and not from some over-forgiving Heaven.  Billy Flynn did an excellent job portraying a son with more longing for what might have been but a full realization of what a vipers nest the Dimera clan really can be.

 

Joey and Kayla were gut-wrenching.  I don't know if the actor playing Joey really is good or if he's just tapped into a particularly effective vein for Joey's anguish and guilt, but whatever, it's working.  And Kayla got me good, the look of realization on her face, her attempt to both comfort and shut him up, all good, very good.

 

MR is doing a fine job playing Jenn as a woman on the edge, dancing as fast as she can.  I'm still not sold on her being an addict of this severity this fast but putting that aside, she's doing an excellent job.  That brittle happiness, the barely concealed panic, the exhaustion she only can counteract wit more drugs, and her bravado in the face of Eric's truth, and what she knows in her heart are all excellent.  

GV is less skilled, but then he's not as good an actor - but it's still the best work I've seen him do here.  

 

I really loved his scene with Marlena.  He was in overdrive, trying to enlist Marlena as his second, and he was spot on as a son asking a parent for a favor and then immediately dismissing them when they've gotten their way.  It stays true no matter how old you or they get.  And Marlena, you could see the consternation, the fear for him in her face.

 

And then there's Belle, who does have a Class 1 RBF at all times.  I would no more want her as my lawyer as I'd want whoever does Abigail's hair grooming my dog.  Belle is so offputting I think her clients would get an extra 10 to 20 tacked on to their sentence just because she's so awful.

 

Which leaves the lovely Abigail, fetchingly dressed today in the newest Parisian potato sack and Russian army boots, with hair done by putting her tongue in a light socket.  Oh yeah, I can see why Chad is so hot for her......If this is his taste in women then he must have a Barbara Bush porn stash under his mattress.

 

And Ben has escaped.   I bet when he gets back to town, one look at Abigail and he'll be so horrified he'll be running straight back into the arms of Bubba of Cell Block B.

 

 

[ByaNose]

Billy Flynn did an awesome job today. Very Emmy worthy. He really poured on the tears & still looked amazing. I wonder if he'll have chemistry with (whomever) nuAbby is?!?

[DisneyBoy]

May Abby remain gone for the next year, at least. Frankly her hair doesn't bother me as much as her smarmy insincerity.

I only caught glimpses of today - not the ghost visit, sadly, so thanks for the wonderful recap! - and I thought Deidre was great hearing Belle say Eric would get 15 years in jail. She totally crumpled and I bought it. What I didn't buy was Belle being all flat and matter-of-fact over her BROTHER (older, but still) going up the river for an accident, and then crowing about getting Steve off from a much more clear cut murder charge. I know the legal system sucks...but shouldn't Belle be throwing support behind Eric?! Working to get him off on a technicality?

I like her better in Lawyer Mode - her tude is slightly more justified - but she still bums me out. WTH happened to you Belle? You were so annoyingly perky in the 90s...life couldn't have been so hard on you. You had a failed marriage? Boo hoo - John was brainwashed again, Sami went through multiple rounds of EJ, Brady and Eric got screwed by Kristen, and Marlena keeps getting attacked. Buck up lady.

I wish we could see Stefano's version of eternal hell....

Jennifer is only slightly more interesting as an addict. I'm just annoyed that the one character who has legit reasons to be destroyed about Daniel isn't saying his name much. I'm sick of hearing about him, trust me, but Jenn loved him big time and his passing is a big part of her addiction, at least the way I see it. I could be into her having some strange grief sex thing with Eric, while grappling with the fact that he killed Dan. If the show bothered to make that a front burner story instead of Summer the Random Sister, of course. Its just annoying me that I don't think we've heard a peep from her about hating that she gave up on her Tan Man. Does the show want to steer her away from that topic so Theresa, Brady, Summer, Nicole and Maggie can wallow in it?

Edited March 2, 2016 by DisneyBoy

[OhioMom]

OMG, Abby, you are such a b!tch!

Telling her mom, "Well, could you at least do it with a smile on your face??!!!!!" How disrespectful to her mom.  Kudos to Jenn for not slapping her across the face.  My mom would've.
 

[buffynut]

Expect for some parts with Eric and Jen (such a missed opportunity!), Eric and Marlena (DH was looking fabulous!), and Kayla and Joey (who were great!), I missed most of today.  Can someone please fill me in on the cliffhanger?

 

JJ came into the Dimera mansion to tell Chad that Ben had escaped.

[swtrgrl]

Late to the party...

Broke my "no watch" rule for JJ/Gabi and holy shit that was hot hot hot. I love them. I'm all aboard that ship.

[shesajar]

Speaking of Roman...I kinda liked Belle today actually. Telling Roman that Steve won't be going to prison. Roman saying "but he killed a woman who was invalid in a hospital bed " ( I can't Remember the exact quote) Never mind that it's a-okay that Hooe killed an invalid in a wheelchair. Gah! Hypocritical much?

I liked Belle there, too. And I can't believe I'm about to actually type these words, but DH did a decent little bit of subtle acting in that scene. John was looking at Belle as she said that, and there was this smile, a sort of a look of pride on his face. Maybe it was gas, I don't know, but I'd like to think it was a father's pride.

 

Was underwhelmed with Joey's confession to Kayla; Joey needs to work on his boo-hooing if he's going to keep this up. But I do love Kayla and she was great.

 

Even though it's completely ridiculous, I'm hoping that they find out that Ava didn't actually die from having a pillow shoved in her face, but from some other, totally random thing, so that Steve (and Joey) will be exonerated. Sort of like they did with Bernadi. I know, it doesn't change the fact that Joey did mean to kill her, but I'm very morally flexible when it comes to Salem.

[Kitty Redstone]

JJ came into the Dimera mansion to tell Chad that Ben had escaped.

 

Thank you, buffynut!

[rustyspigot]

So I guess the ghost of Stefano was responsible for cutting off those Oscar speeches this year.

[DisneyBoy]

SWTRGRL, you should also tune in today.

The eulogy for Stefano was definitely one of the better episodes the show has made in the last year. All of the main players were present to discuss their experiences with him - Marlena, John, Hope, Abe, Roman, Caroline, Victor and Kate - and a lot of the dialogue reminded us of past history and honored each of the characters' emotional journeys with the Phoenix.

I have to say, I don't think they necessarily chose the best scenes to flash back to. Obviously, flashing back to his earliest encounters with Roman would have been difficult because Josh Charles wasn't playing Roman at the time, but I still wanted to see them work around that by re-editing old footage to not show Roman's face and still give us a sense of how Stefano made his debut. Most of the clips used were from the last 10 years and considering his three decade tenure on the show, that's a real shame.

I love that we finally got some closure on the whole tax evasion issue, which is a thread I'm not sure if the show actually tied up before. Kate was justifiably pissed with Victor and I was happy to have finally learned how that all wrapped up. I had forgotten Victor was involved. Did that play out on screen?

I especially loved Victor's reference to Peter. John Aniston's delivery almost made it sound like the producers are considering bringing him back.

It was great seeing Lexi again and having Abe speak about how profoundly this could affect Theo. I would have loved a flashback with Kristen and Peter as well, considering how badly their father screwed them up. But at least Lexi was there. Don't they have to repay actors who have left the show if they reair clips of them?

I definitely wanted to see more clips of the big epic moments Stefano made possible, since there are so few of those kinds of stunts done on the show anymore. Why couldn't we have seen Marlena shoot Stefano in the theatre? Or Stefano and Princess Gina? I have a feeling the show doesn't like to reference the Gina storyline because it's too campy, but at the same time it was the most interesting thing they ever did with Hope and the big reason why she would hate Stefano at all in the first place.

I was also disappointed by the clip of John and Stefano which seemed chosen entirely at random. There was a whole montage back at the start of the Kristen storyline of John being tortured by Stefano. Obviously there was more footage to choose from, especially when referencing the Pawn storyline.

Considering all of the weird and irritating storylines we've had lately, I thought it was really wonderful of the show to hit pause and just focus on these core characters saying goodbye to their main adversary. The lightning and thunder was an especially nice way to add mood to the event.

I have to ask if we ever actually got to see Marlena find out about Stefano's passing. In this episode it sounds like she found out yesterday or the day before, but I don't remember reading any of you discussing that. Did it happen off screen? I really hope there was an actual scene, considering her relationship with him, but I wouldn't be surprised if these writers skipped that.

I guess I appreciated the effort they put forth in this episode, even if I found the execution a little less than stirring. It ended wonderfully, with great moments for Hope and Caroline and Stefano, but I also found there to be a few acting missteps along the way. Marlena was way too perky and bubbly by the end of the evening, which is really weird considering everything that's going on in her life and the memories she just revisited. Kate was basically spot on. A perfect mix of mournful regret and jaded amusement. They have to write more for this woman. She really is one of the standouts in the cast.

Edited March 2, 2016 by DisneyBoy

[BlackMamba]

Sorry no observations yesterday. Super Tuesday and all

Everyone is coming in from the storm.

They are about to celebrate Stefano's demise. Caroline is picking up more liquor.

Caroline is giving the "eulogy".

Hope's looks flawless today.

Victor cracks me up with his humor.

They are all doing their reminiscing about Stefano's evil deeds. Roman and Abe are talking.

They are back enjoy Shawn's whiskey. Abe is now talking about Theo and he feels for him about Stefano. John ensures him that Stefano would had used his grandchildren eventually like he did his children especially Lexie. I never realized James Reynolds gained weight. Victor is real drunk and cracking jokes. John Aniston simply has great humor.

Victor wasted no time reminding Kate she was Stefano's hoe back in the day.

Mind you all, Kate screwed Stefano, John, Roman and Victor. (Smart writers.) Roman isn't pleased Kate is giving Stefano such praise about being the best man she had lines.

Caroline talking about Deimos and wanting to know Hope’s opinion about it and she agrees with Victor. Kate and Victor going at one another. She feels betrayed by both of them. Victor says he'll miss him as a foe. Kate brings up Phillip killing Andre and we get a flashback. Then Victor tells Kate shes glad the bastard is dead at the end.

Kate wants to play music but tge radio is dead. All those cell phones and no one has Pandora or Spotify. Ok. Now we're onto Marlena. Marlena recognizes Stefano was in love with her and liked the quest of not getting her. Flashback. She's saying now her love for John kept her from having sex with Stefano during "Lady in a Cage" Flashback. Marlena then says she understands why Sami grew up how she did because of Stefano and why she took her kids out the country.

Jawn is telling the others about his parents. Flashbacks. (Drake Hogestyn looks soooo good when his hair is cut and shaved. Yassss) Victor says Jawn was brought in as a pawn. Jawn says the best thing is he found Marlena. Caroline wants to knlw if Hope has anything to share. Roman is drinking across from her and she stares away.

Hope is now having flashbacks of killing Stefano . She says she feels relieved he's dead. Jawn is drunk as an ox. He gives one last toast. He says checkmate! Every one drinks but Hope. Jawn is happy the storm has passed. Hope and Caroline hug and she sees Stefano's ghostly image. Caroline finally gets a radio Ride of the valkyrie playing and one last Stefano flashback of him orchestrating.

Great episode! If you are someone who has been disappointed by the 50th this definitely was a treat. The flashbacks and use of vets made it worth the watch.

[LeftPhalange]

I thought this episode was a decent tribute to Stefano. As decent as it could be considering who is writing the show. It would have been even better if Sami was there sitting next to Kate.