Current Plots Discussion: Actually Today's Episode

[MsTree]

12 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

So we're not supposed to call out racism when we see it because it's only a soap?

No, because was only meant as a jab, and more importantly, a soap is not reality.

[MsTree]

1 hour ago, A.J. said:

You're not the only one.  I like them together too.  

Table for three, please!

[plurie]

What does Jordan think will happen if she kills Ciara while Ben is in police custody? Wouldn't that rule him out as the kidnapper/murderer and lead to his release? And if she left Kate alive, Kate will tell everyone (Rafe?) that Jordan drugged her. I know Jordan is supposed to be crazy, but they've never suggested that she's stupid (until now).

[msrachelj]

23 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Actually, I'm pretty sure the Brady Pub is the safest place in Salem. I can't remember the last time a major crime happened there, if you ignore the propensity for assault in that establishment.

There was also that glorious day when Clyde strapped a chemical bomb to Jennifer's chest and left her to detonate in the Brady Pub. Oh my, what a glorious day that was indeed!

would have been more glorious if it went off. on jennifer alone.

[msrachelj]

10 hours ago, sweetautumn said:

Judith is an actor of impeccable talent who manages to make me pay attention to the scenes. Call it old school acting or whatever, something that's incredibly rare these days. Although WTD has been overused on soaps, I am still curious to find out if John's really Leo's father. After all, Richard Cooper had treated both Diana and her son like dirt for a long time before his eventual death. Perhaps the real reason behind the abusement was that Leo wasn't his son and Diana was in love with John.

agreed. she has something. i like old school!

[peachmangosteen]

19 hours ago, Chick2Chic said:

I actually don't have an issue with Ron spotlighting casual racism on the show. Some people, especially those with privilege, really do think this way and say things without realizing it is a microaggression. I've seen it IRL. Racism isn't always spewing slurs loudly. If anything, the last 2-3 years has shown how pervasive many biases / prejudices are with some people. 

It would be good if anything was going to amount to it, but nothing will. Or, if it does, it will be very bad and offensive lol.

17 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Did Rafe try the doorknob before smashing in the door?

He actually did. A couple times, I think. So, for once, Rafe wasn't that dumb.

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

And I don't get his reasoning.  Is he trying to protect Jordan too which is why he's not going to tell anyone about his suspicions? 

I guess he doesn't think anyone would believe him. But also, and more importantly, he has to be the sole person to save Ciara because their's is the greatest love of all.

Edited February 14, 2019 by peachmangosteen

[boes]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

I guess he doesn't think anyone would believe him. But also, and more importantly, he has to be the sole person to save Ciara because their's is the greatest love of all.

I can't help but imagine how sad and betrayed poor Ben is going to feel when and if he rescues CiAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRaa and finds that she's NOT in a belly dancing costume like he fantasized her in.  

I mean, if a guy can't count on his delusions, just exactly WHAT can he count on?

[Chick2Chic]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

It would be good if anything was going to amount to it, but nothing will. Or, if it does, it will be very bad and offensive lol.

18 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Ron's not big on details or nuances as we all know. I can see it going nowhere in terms of story or in-depth analysis but is him thinking it adds a realistic touch to how some folks think and things they say. I would rather he not try to make it more cause it would likely end up the way Theo's almost BLM story went with everyone feelings badly for JJ instead of the unarmed Black teenager shot. 

16 hours ago, buffynut said:

I may be the only one here that feels this way, but I can't help myself, I'm a CIN fan.  The 2 actors have so much chemistry (at least to me) that whenever they're onscreen, my romantic self can't help but root for them.  ❤️

I like them. I think the actors have good chemistry and I'm mostly enjoying the story. It's not perfect, but then no story is, but it has more pluses than minuses for me.

10 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Hope is obsessed with Ben but this show would do a lot better redemption wise if he was more resigned and almost accepting that it's the case.  I think back to the confrontation with Marlena. I know a lot of people liked that he called her out on violating boundaries without the limited justification to do so but he also complained that the police wouldn't be so focused on him if she hadn't done that.  Which---no.  They're on his ass because he killed people rather recently.  I wish he'd just own that instead of constantly be so put upon by it.

Ben has stated that he accepts people don't like him and he hasn't asked people to like him other than Ciara. He stated that out loud a lot last year. At the same time, any time anything happens, the police - more so Hope - immediately race to find him to blame him and then when it turns out it's someone else guilty e.g. Tripp and the planted evidence then SPD don't care about enforcing the law anymore. Even Melinda pointed it out to Abe during one of her "SPD is a joke" speeches that even though Ben has killed, he has been released from prison legally and it's illegal for SPD to keep harassing one of the town's citizens because they don't like how the law works. Ben has killed people but so have a lot of people in Salem, including Hope. That's fine if they don't like him but that's not the issue IMO. Ben's complaint is the harassment by Hope/SPD that anytime someone sneezes too loudly that Hope is there to haul him in to the police station or is in his face to make him answer for it while she consistently breaks the law herself. Whew, the hypocrisy with that.

My issue with this story is that they have Ben being tailed 24/7 but SPD - especially Hope - aren't even bothering to look beyond him. When did he have time to do anything? Wasn't he with Marlena when Ciara was nabbed? Ben doesn't even have a car. Hope & Ted broke into his room to toss it & didn't find anything but suddenly a few hours later there's evidence there even though cops have been sitting on his room? Did no one see Jordan break in or leave once Ben got there since he's being tailed? That's shitty police work to constantly fixate on someone and never bother to check if it could be anyone else. There are gaping holes in the situation that don't click that even Eli had to point out that things didn't seem to add up. Like when would Ben have had time to do all of this, especially while being tailed? 

[Apprentice79]

9 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

I wouldn't care if this wasn't just done with Paul. But it was. So this seems ridiculous. What, will John be the "new" Stefano in terms of kids popping out of the woodwork every three months?

Leo being John's son via Diana makes sense because of their history. Whereas, Paul never made any sense. However, Leo is not going to be John's son. Diana would never have kept John away from his child. She is doing this to hurt Marlena.  Leo's father should be Cal and it fits with Diana's history on the show.  Cal's presence destroyed her relationship with Rojohn not the ghost of Marlena.  It would not be a stretch that Cal raped Diana, conceiving Leo. She was out of if after accidently shooting Rojohn.  It would also be why Diana has had a hard time loving Leo as a mother.  All of this could be the reasons to explain Diana's drastic change in personality. Not to mention, she was abused by her husband, the man who raised Leo.. 

Edited February 14, 2019 by Apprentice79

[QueenSerena]

15 hours ago, Apprentice79 said:

For Leo to be all powerful, everybody has to be dumbed down. Will shot EJ who was threatening his family.  Kate would kill Leo for looking at Will with disdain, she loves Will more than her own children. Sonny is a Kiriakis, Justin and Victor are cowering in fear of Leo.  This story is so stupid, I no longer watch Wilson and I am a fan.  The show bores me immensely.  I have no interest in watching Jordan being destroyed for a serial killer. I hate Hope and her obsession with Ben pisses me off. Eve should be the one harassing Ben and I hate her involvement in Jack's story.. Anjelica should be on the show all up in Jack's story and tormenting Adrienne, not for Justin, but for Alexander.  Diana should not have come back to be Kristen lite in Jarlena's story.   I still like Eric, but, it pains me to see him so pathetic. 

Well, the good news is that Will & Sonny were only meeting up at the Kiriakis mansion and then checked into a hotel. So I guess Sonny's brain stem decided to function after all. The sad thing about the part I put in bold? They're the only reason I came back to watching the show. So thankful there are lovely people on Twitter who only upload their scenes so I don't have to sit through the rest of this dreck, despite how ridiculously stupid their story is. 🙃

[TeeVee329]

Excuse me, Show, I was promised a Gabi vs. Leo snark fest and you did not deliver.  Way to put worms in my Valentine's candy.

1 hour ago, Apprentice79 said:

Leo being John's son via Diana makes sense because of their history. Whereas, Paul never made any sense.

I'm not going to argue the history, but I think it's great the show decided into introduce some diversity into a core, heroic family via Paul.

[Apprentice79]

1 minute ago, TeeVee329 said:

Excuse me, Show, I was promised a Gabi vs. Leo snark fest and you did not deliver.  Way to put worms in my Valentine's candy.

I'm not going to argue the history, but I think it's great the show decided into introduce some diversity into a core, heroic family via Paul.

Paul could have been a Dimera. Plus, the show was never invested in him. Both Dena and Griffith were forced to keep him.  Dena called the character a retcon...It is one thing for fans to say that but it was really surprising for a writer to say that..I actually agreed with Dena for once..

[Lastwaltz]

2 hours ago, boes said:

I can't help but imagine how sad and betrayed poor Ben is going to feel when and if he rescues CiAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRaa and finds that she's NOT in a belly dancing costume like he fantasized her in.  

I mean, if a guy can't count on his delusions, just exactly WHAT can he count on?

Yes! What the hell WAS that outfit on her? Looked like something Agent 99 would have worn on Get Smart. Not that I don't love a good nod to the mod 60s, but it was very weird. 

[TeeVee329]

4 minutes ago, Apprentice79 said:

Paul could have been a Dimera.

So it's okay to retcon him into that family and not another? 

Again, I get the plot mechanics of it are super wonky, but I think it's cool a POC was added to a core, heroic family.  I felt the same way when they took a random crumb about Luke and Bobbie's sister on "General Hospital" and used it to introduce Valerie into the Spencers, even if everything that came after was a mess.

[TeeVee329]

Oh, and by the way...Will, honey, prewriting a Valentine's Day card from 2020 about 2019 being the greatest year ever?  Way to jinx yourself, I hope you're ready to be replaced by a doppleganger or be cheated on or get caught in an explosion or something.  Why not just star in a horror movie and say you'll be right back!

Edited February 14, 2019 by TeeVee329

[Apprentice79]

22 minutes ago, TeeVee329 said:

So it's okay to retcon him into that family and not another? 

Again, I get the plot mechanics of it are super wonky, but I think it's cool a POC was added to a core, heroic family.  I felt the same way when they took a random crumb about Luke and Bobbie's sister on "General Hospital" and used it to introduce Valerie into the Spencers, even if everything that came after was a mess.

It would not be a retcon if they used the timeline that he was allegedly conceived and used Peter Dimera or Tandre, instead of John.  The viewers saw John tied up in a basement by Stefano being tortured by him. Cassie and Rex were retcons, but, they work in the history of the show because Stefano had Marlena and Roman as captives and Kate was his prostitute.  Paul does not work in my opinion, John still has stories left to tell with his other children that we saw him nurture and love.  John fawning over Paul always left a bad taste in my mouth. 

[404notfound]

No story is perfect, that's true. But not a lot of them involves with serious mental issues and violent tendencies.

Cherishing significant others are normal characteristics of people in love. The problem is that Super Ben's not your typical run-of-the-mill guy who falls for the girl from neighborhood.  Caira is his savior, his beacon of hope and his compass; he couldn't live without her etc.  It seems to me that she's gonna be the one who carries a heavy burden for him.  In other words, she will probably make a lot sacrifices in their relationship. But should a young and inexperienced college student like Caira who has a bright future ahead, get involved with someone like Ben? 

Sure things are alright between them for now but what'd happen if Caira is no longer his salvation and guide?  Let's say, she finds love with someone else or leave him... Judged by his past and recent recklessness with Claire, there's no telling of what a jealous and bitter Ben might do in that situation. Anyway those all are real concerns but unfortunately the show's doing a horrible job to present them. Just look at Hope. As a mother, she has legit reasons to want Ben away from her daughter.  Instead of properly addressing them, TPTBs are making Hope look like a mother who's jealous of her own daughter for sleeping with her ex young boyfriend.

[Chick2Chic]

4 minutes ago, sweetautumn said:

No story is perfect, that's true. But not a lot of them involves with serious mental issues and violent tendencies.

Cherishing significant others are normal characteristics of people in love. The problem is that Super Ben's not your typical run-of-the-mill guy who falls for the girl from neighborhood.  Caira is his savior, his beacon of hope and his compass; he couldn't live without her etc.  It seems to me that she's gonna be the one who carries a heavy burden for him.  In other words, she will probably make a lot sacrifices in their relationship. But should a young and inexperienced college student like Caira who has a bright future ahead, get involved with someone like Ben? 

Sure things are alright between them for now but what'd happen if Caira is no longer his salvation and guide?  Let's say, she finds love with someone else or leave him... Judged by his past and recent recklessness with Claire, there's no telling of what a jealous and bitter Ben might do in that situation. Anyway those all are real concerns but unfortunately the show's doing a horrible job to present them. Just look at Hope. As a mother, she has legit reasons to want Ben away from her daughter.  Instead of properly addressing them, TPTBs are making Hope look like a mother who's jealous of her own daughter for sleeping with her ex young boyfriend.

I don't have a problem with that cause it means there's more story to be told. It doesn't need to be all tied of with a bow and I appreciate that there is more material to mine in developing things between Ben & Ciara. This is not the end of their story so there's definitely more that will happen, which is as it should be considering that it's not even been 6 months since they've been getting couple type writing. They've only been dating / have acknowledged their feelings for each other for a couple of months so their relationship is still in its infancy stage. Also, Marlena already brought up that he needs to get better and do more for himself and not use Ciara as the reason, so the story crumbs have already been dropped to move forward there to deal with that.  

I do not think anyone doesn't understand why Hope feels the way she does. I think those who do have issues with her, and I am definitely one of them, don't like how she handles her feelings. And it especially looks bad when it's the Police Commissioner breaking the law or only applying the law as she deems fit. 

[Petunia13]

Stupid Abigail 😤 the one time she’d be entitled to slap someone she doesn’t? She had time to just grab the baby and hit Jordan before she pulled the weapon. 

Diana is lying about Leo being John’s son.

Abby’s plaid pants are giving me Delia’s and No Doubt vibes but I can dig it. 

When Kate wakes up and finds out what Jordan did she’s going to poison her. 

Ted’s entire life is following Hope around. When his accent gets extra thick it reminds me of the movie Green Card. How come no one ever remade that btw?

I think if more than 24 Salem hours pass without John or Marlena visiting your eatery you lose your restaurant license.

When first I saw Marlena on that bench I thought damn these food trucks are getting creative. 

Jordan: I have to kidnap you to prevent Ben from hurting you.

Also Jordan: I’m going to kill you now so Ben won’t kill anyone.

bitch wot? 🤔

[404notfound]

I am not sure how well the romance of Cin will be handled given limited budget, less resources, filming six months in advance etc. So far, the writing for them are hit and miss for me. Perhaps I'd be more optimistic and open to that idea like ten years ago when the show had more budget and resources. Plus, VK's still young and probably want to explore other options. So she might not renew her contract. 

I am more interested in a Xander/Sarah hookup though. Two consenting adults had non-string attached sex; she hates the guy's guts but are attracted to him... I am looking forward to more of their interactions down the road.  

Edited February 14, 2019 by sweetautumn
rearranging/adding

[Silver Raven]

The hotel doesn't require ID when you check in?

"That was the worst one".  One?  Will has cheated more than once.

Hey, John, holding a secret from Marlena is never a good thing.

Abigail couldn't find a convenient urn to smack Jordan upside the head?

That card is going to be a bad omen.

They actually ponyed up the money for fake snow.

It's nice to see that even unconscious in a hospital bed, Kate still poses beautifully.

Are they going to hook Rafe and Kate back up?

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, Chick2Chic said:

Ben has killed people but so have a lot of people in Salem, including Hope.

Ben's a serial killer though. I think that's on a whole other level than any of the other residents. I think trying to do a redemption story, especially a redemption through the love of a woman (blech) one, is a bit much for a serial killer. 

That being said though, I will personally put a lot of shit aside for a ship lol. I liked Ben/Ciara a lot at first. I actually think they have nice chem, that the Ben actor is doing a nice job lately, and that the Ciara actress is getting better. I would be interested in seeing them develop, but this current story is so bad. Throwing other characters utb to prop up another never works for me. And because of this, I feel sure that the rest of the story is gonna be some bullshit.

This episode sucked because I was looking forward to Gabi tearing into Leo and we didn't get to see it. Boo!

Edited February 14, 2019 by peachmangosteen

[404notfound]

17 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Ben's a serial killer though. I think that's on a whole other level than any of the other residents. I think trying to do a redemption story, especially a redemption through the love of a woman (blech) one, is a bit much for a serial killer. 

That being said though, I will personally put a lot of shit aside for a ship lol. I liked Ben/Ciara a lot at first. I actually think they have nice chem, that the Ben actor is doing a nice job lately, and that the Ciara actress is getting better. I would be interested in seeing them develop, but this current story is so bad. Throwing other characters utb to prop up another never works for me. And because of this, I feel sure that the rest of the story is gonna be some bullshit.

This episode sucked because I was looking forward to Gabi tearing into Leo and we didn't get to see it. Boo!

delete

Edited February 14, 2019 by sweetautumn

[Chick2Chic]

23 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Ben's a serial killer though. I think that's on a whole other level than any of the other residents. I think trying to do a redemption story, especially a redemption through the love of a woman (blech) one, is a bit much for a serial killer. 

Yes, he is yet it changes nothing for me. I doubt I'm alone. I have a different bar when I watch fiction where I allow for things that I wouldn't IRL. There are folks on soaps who do heinous things all the time, including killing and ordering to kill. For some it's a problem. Obviously not for others. I see the story partially to be about redemption and forgiveness, but some will never forgive - and they don't have to - and that is true to life as evidenced.

IMO the Ciara & Ben story so far is successful enough that the show is moving forward to capture the organic buzz to build on, which is lacking in a lot of other characters and current pairings despite more push & spotlight from the show with others initially. I like my stories dark cause I think the payoff is better when arcs conclude if the starting spot is darker and I'm fine with shows realizing not everything is black & white and doing things different in how they approach their characters. Status quo is dull for me and soaps need to shift from boxed-in characters cause it can't be like it was 20 or 30 years ago when soaps took the time to build things and could squash things that weren't working. I accept that not everyone will like what I like but I'm totally fine with this story and I'm fine that others will never like it. That's why it is good for soaps to have several storylines going on at one time cause not everything will appeal to everyone. 

16 minutes ago, sweetautumn said:

Weren't Ben's victims were females including a midwife? 

And Will, cause Abby left him at the apartment to wait for the cable guy while she went to diddle Chad. 

Edited February 14, 2019 by Chick2Chic
weird board error duplicated my comment

[peachmangosteen]

17 minutes ago, Chick2Chic said:

IMO the Ciara & Ben story so far is successful enough that the show is moving forward to capture the organic buzz to build on, which is lacking in a lot of other characters and current pairings despite more push & spotlight from the show with others initially.

Oh definitely. It is definitely the story with the most buzz online. Probably the only one with buzz. I find it hard to gauge how that translates with the more casual fans though, which likely make up most of the audience. But it doesn't really matter; the writers will definitely want to write to such a passionate fan base.

Which sucks imo because they're already doing such stupid shit with them and now they'll just continue to do it because they're popular. All they had to do was not throw anyone utb in order to prop their romance! It's that easy, man! 

All of this reminded me that I forgot to comment on Ciara's outfit during Ben's latest hallucination of her (which, hey, more proof of how sane he is now!). I believe that outfit might be the most offensive part of this whole thing lol.

Edited February 14, 2019 by peachmangosteen

[peachmangosteen]

Oh and also, I feel like it was a bad choice to have Ben holding Ciara's throat throughout the post-rescue scenes lol.

Edited February 14, 2019 by peachmangosteen

[404notfound]

The writing for Caira/Ben would be so much better if it took place in the 80 or 90s because soaps used to handle redemption and forgiveness wholeheartedly back then.

Edited February 15, 2019 by sweetautumn
rearranging

[Petunia13]

The fantasy midriff and bell sleeve outfit Ben has Ciara in reminded me of a Selena concert outfit she wore during a medley. It was definitely a bar date or dancing/club night look. His other fantasy he had her in a snug midriff top and tight pants. It’s a very 90s look. 

[peachmangosteen]

8 minutes ago, Petunia13 said:

The fantasy midriff and bell sleeve outfit Ben has Ciara in reminded me of a Selena concert outfit she wore during a medley. It was definitely a bar date or dancing/club night look. His other fantasy he had her in a snug midriff top and tight pants. It’s a very 90s look. 

Now I'm starting to wonder if her outfits were purposeful. What the purpose was I don't know, but still lol.

[Swartz]

Ben and Ciara's love story just doesn't have the depth and emotion the show thinks it has.  It's not completely the actors fault.  Just Ron and his writing. 

[boes]

5 hours ago, Chick2Chic said:

I accept that not everyone will like what I like but I'm totally fine with this story and I'm fine that others will never like it. That's why it is good for soaps to have several storylines going on at one time cause not everything will appeal to everyone. 

Well said.  I'm no fan of Ben and Ciara and most likely never will be - serial killer is too high a hill for me to climb - but then again, I've always enjoyed Sami and like Kate and plenty of people don't, and I'm fine with that, too.

I guess that even somewhere there MUST be somebody who really digs Rafe......gotta admit, I could go the serial killer route a lot easier than liking Rafe.

So anywhosways, Ben has rescued Ciaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Chad gave that poor child back to Abigail (kid is DOOMED), Marlena and Jawn have cleared out yet one more restaurant and Kayla got to pump Kate's stomach - something I think she probably would have liked to do with a garden hose and a turkey baster, considering how much crap Kate has given her.  

Oh!  Almost forgot!!  Will and Sonny got a little action, looked like they adhered to the three minute rule.  

Ain't lub grand?

Edited February 15, 2019 by boes

[Frozendiva]

Geez, Hope, your daughter got rescued by the man who have been trying to pin any crime on that happens in Salem. Even your decent cop Eli clued in that Ben may be right. No need for your behavior. Hopefully you will have a dozen eggs on your face when the truth comes out.

Jordan was really good with blanket baby. Nothing much about her kidnapping Ciara and Charlotte made any real sense. Cocoa Puff time. And Chad lying that Ben was dead. Surely he or Abigail could have grabbed a candlestick or something heavy and clonked Jordan and then tied her up and called the cops. At least he and Ben worked together and he can corroborate the fire and Ben's figuring out of the truth about who kidnapped Ciaaaaaaaaaaarraaaaaaaaaa.

The Brady Pub wasn't busy on Valentine's Day? No one wanted clam chowder in heart shaped bowls? How much does John have to pay to rent the pub for a night? The staff who were hired might like to get paid for work and not have their hours yanked at no notice. And of course he is keeping a secret from his precious Doc. Unless there is a DNA test that goes to a mystery lab that no one knows about, there is no evidence that Leo is John's retconned spawn.

Kate isn't exactly known for being depressed and suicidal, so she wouldn't take pills. The tox screens should show some poison or other toxic substance.

What does Ted do except be Hope's bodyguard and follows her around like a puppy?

[Apprentice79]

51 minutes ago, boes said:

Well said.  I'm no fan of Ben and Ciara and most likely never will be - serial killer is too high a hill for me to climb - but then again, I've always enjoyed Sami and like Kate and plenaty of people don't, and I'm fine with that, too.

Sami and Kate have never killed innocent people.  They have done villainous acts and the show always knew how far not to go with them. 

[Chick2Chic]

56 minutes ago, Apprentice79 said:

Sami and Kate have never killed innocent people.  They have done villainous acts and the show always knew how far not to go with them. 

While I get your point, I don't think that was the point she was making since it wasn't about equal crimes committed but reactions to characters but @boes can correct me if I am wrong there. 

1 hour ago, Frozendiva said:

What does Ted do except be Hope's bodyguard and follows her around like a puppy?

This was bugging me so much in today's ep. Why is he tagging along with her while she is on the job and he isn't a cop? It is like the show had Rafe go away to get some touch ups then slipped Ted in his place to act like Rafe. Did anyone ask for that? 😒

That Sonny & Will conversation about Ben smelled like a retcon of their history. Also, why should I root for them to be happy when they won't even fight their own battles but instead expect John to fight it for them with Leo's mom? That isn't rooting writing IMO. It is odd.

I enjoyed Ciara & Ben's reunion. Glad Ben didn't give up in trying to find her. 

Jordan's plan never made a lick of sense. I get that she's snapped but everything about her thought process is flawed. Her plan was to kill Ciara to frame Ben then let Chad & Abby live happily ever after with their daughter? Girl, what? That is like bad Chabby fanfic. Plus Ben didn't care about Charlotte like he did Thomas cause he thought Thomas was his child despite Abby double dipping. Ben never thought that about Charlotte. Chrishell did well with what she was given but this return story was a waste AFAIC even though I enjoyed the Cin reunion today. And it still seems like more of a Chabby story in the end cause folks seemed to care more about Abby"s feelings regarding missing Charlotte more than missing Ciara. 

[Irlandesa]

12 hours ago, Chick2Chic said:

Ben has stated that he accepts people don't like him and he hasn't asked people to like him other than Ciara. He stated that out loud a lot last year. At the same time, any time anything happens, the police - more so Hope - immediately race to find him to blame him and then when it turns out it's someone else guilty e.g. Tripp and the planted evidence then SPD don't care about enforcing the law anymore.

Sure but it's not just the cops with whom he's copped this attitude.  It has been Chad, Marlena, Hope, I think Gabi in the park and even Ciara when she confronted him about the kidnapping.

5 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Which sucks imo because they're already doing such stupid shit with them and now they'll just continue to do it because they're popular. All they had to do was not throw anyone utb in order to prop their romance! It's that easy, man!

Given how far they're writing and filming, I think they'd forge ahead regardless of what people online think.

5 hours ago, sweetautumn said:

The writing for Caira/Ben would be so much better if it took place in the 80 or 90s because soaps used to handle redemption and forgiveness wholeheartedly back then.

The writing for them would have been better because they probably would have changed course with Ben during his initial run. They would have only been filming six weeks in advance.  They might have still done a serial killer story but penciled someone else in...after making us all think it was Ben.  Or if he was the serial killer, he likely would have never been back.

Watching a soap does involve looking past behavior one would never accept in real life.  Part of what helps, though, is motivation.  That's why I find a serial killer so hard to look past.  Hope "killing" Stefano (cuz he probably isn't dead) had a long history to it and it made sense even if it wasn't the "right" thing to do.  I thought Sami Brady was a brat but the show did a pretty decent job of putting her behavior in context. But with serial killer stories, soaps usually get more drawn to the shock and gore of it all over giving the crime a motive the audience can connect with.

[DisneyBoy]

Well said. They went all-in on the whole Ben The Crazy Killer angle and then revelled in it. I get that now they see potential in the actor to do other things, but as long as he's still paying Ben Weston, it doesn't work.

Dumb as I thought the idea was, maybe they should have brought RSW back as a long-lost twin or lookalike. At least then they could get away with the technicality that it wasn't really Ben the serial killer.

...and of all the female characters to pair him up with, they choose Ciara? Ciara the girl whose step brother raped her? The girl who was lied to and used by one of her last boyfriends? The girl whose saintly cop father is dead? And whose other cop parent flew into a rage, murdered the town mobster, went to prison for it, and then managed to skate on a technicality?

Great. Because what Ciara really needs is more trauma in her life.

Most of us haven't forgiven Hope for randomly murdering Stefano, and we're all inclined to like Hope because she was once a very likable character and has a long history on the show. If we're getting hung up about what the writers have done to Hope even after liking her more often than not, how in the hell do they think we'd be able to overlook Ben's murder spree when that's pretty much all we know of the character?

[howmanywords]

4 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

What does Ted do except be Hope's bodyguard and follows her around like a puppy?

He's not even a good bodyguard. Ben took him down in 2 seconds lol Maybe they'll flesh out the character but now he's useless. Though if he starts really pissing Rafe off I may come around to him.

[BoldDays]

I thought the Ciara choice (for Ben) was actually a good one. Huge story mining potential, obviously but also She was very damaged and frankly Hope was going through so much during the time that Ciara was raped that she was somwhat going it alone in dealing - badly - with what happened to her. So the two broken souls makes sense to me even if Ciara is the daughter of a super couple. The story has definitely been heavy handed, but RSW and VK do have a chemistry (for me at least) that reminds me of the chemistry couples had when I fell in love with Days in the 80s so I’m going to go with it. 

[BoldDays]

repeated post

Edited February 15, 2019 by BoldDays

[peachmangosteen]

4 hours ago, howmanywords said:

He's not even a good bodyguard. Ben took him down in 2 seconds lol 

Well that's because Ben is incredible! And it's totally OK that he likes to put people in choke holds even as a former serial killer because he's sane and good now! But, of course, he can't take down Chad lol. It's all so fucking stupid. 

But seriously with Ted, what is the point of him? They took a fun character and turned him into this boring nothingness. 

[Chick2Chic]

9 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Sure but it's not just the cops with whom he's copped this attitude.  It has been Chad, Marlena, Hope, I think Gabi in the park and even Ciara when she confronted him about the kidnapping.

I will give you Gabi cause he didn't get that doing his job wasn't a good answer to his actions.

Hope stays harassing him, so of course he is going to give her attitude. And this is like 9 months after his release and not the next day where suddenly he is clapping back at people just because. Should he not and just let Hope run roughshod over him, even breaking the law to do it? Ben was thankful and grateful to Marlena since his release til she broke his patient confidentiality recently. Anyone would have an attitude about being sold out in that manner. Should he have just smiled & thanked her for telling Hope about his last session with Marlena? And Chad & Ben hate each other. Chad has copped attitude with Ben for what happened back in the day with Chad being Abby's cheating partner and the madness that followed. He fired Ben as soon as Stefan was in jail cause Abby hates him. Ben hated Chad for being in his face about screwing Jordan and taunting him about then being Abby's cheating partner & Thomas's father. It isn't just a one way street and they have a history of mutual animosity. Of course they aren't going to be nice to each other and both had attitudes with each other. For the most part, Ben has rarely even interacted with Chad or Abby since his release, which I was thankful about since that would inevitably end with another round of "Poor, innocent Chad and Abby" writing to which ZZZzzz. Most of Ben's post prison release has been Ciara, Hope / SPD, Claire, and Tripp.

I think we are just going to disagree cause while I think characters don't have to forgive him, I am also not interested in him being the town whipping post. That isn't entertaining writing and is just bad soap. One reason I dropped GH is cause they did that mess with Ava while everyone coming down on her was an absolute hypocrite regarding their own behavior. I have no desire to see Days do that.

55 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Well that's because Ben is incredible! And it's totally OK that he likes to put people in choke holds even as a former serial killer because he's sane and good now! But, of course, he can't take down Chad lol. It's all so fucking stupid. 

I mean, Ted is like a 50 year old lawyer not any type of brawny man who even hid behind Hope during a verbal confrontation. It isn't a stretch by any imagination that a fit man half his age who can fight can take Ted down quickly.

The only thing that makes sense for me with the Chad confrontation is that it was Ben being exhausted from not sleeping since that was mentioned in dialogue so he wasn't thinking about pummeling Chad in response to Chad attacking him but was focused on what Chad was saying about that child of his that Ben doesn't care about being missing. Well that and the show is trying to make Chad seem like a tough guy hero for Abby to prop up Chabby before their exit. 

That Wilson afterglow waa so awkward but then everything about their Valentine's date was awkward.

Rafe & Kate again? I hope not. Rafe has more sparks with her than Hope, though. I don't even care about Kate and hated how simpering TPTB wrote her when she was into Rafe before. Then again, Rope is just awful. 😞

Edited February 15, 2019 by Chick2Chic
added something

[Apprentice79]

9 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Most of us haven't forgiven Hope for randomly murdering Stefano, and we're all inclined to like Hope because she was once a very likable character and has a long history on the show. If we're getting hung up about what the writers have done to Hope even after liking her more often than not, how in the hell do they think we'd be able to overlook Ben's murder spree when that's pretty much all we know of the character?

Not to mention, Hope's murder of Stefano was an emotional response, not a deliberate calculation of murder like Ben. I never had a problem with her killing Stefano and it was the cover-up that hurt Hope's status as a heroine.  

Edited February 15, 2019 by Apprentice79

[Lastwaltz]

15 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Oh and also, I feel like it was a bad choice to have Ben holding Ciara's throat throughout the post-rescue scenes lol.

Yes, what is it with the men having to paw a woman's face like that? I noticed it with Eric, too, his big hands eclipsing Sarah's features (but not her hair, lol). 

In spite of myself, I thought the Ben and Ciara scene post-cabin escape was sweet. I can't imagine ever completely signing on to their "best couple that ever coupled" bullshit but I admit my heart was tugged a little. 

Charlotte's return was a bit anticlimactic. It could have been one hard-charging episode flipping from Ben saving Ciara and Abby having an intense standoff with Jordan over Charlotte --  but instead they made Abigail need Chad to intervene and interspersed schmoopy Marlena and John crap which totally derailed the suspense for me. When a show can't get something as simple as that right, they just don't care anymore. 

[boes]

9 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Most of us haven't forgiven Hope for randomly murdering Stefano, and we're all inclined to like Hope because she was once a very likable character and has a long history on the show. If we're getting hung up about what the writers have done to Hope even after liking her more often than not, how in the hell do they think we'd be able to overlook Ben's murder spree when that's pretty much all we know of the character?

Hope killing Stefano didn't bother me in the slightest.  He was an awful man who did terrible things not only to her - repeatedly - but to practically everyone in Salem, with special emphasis on the Brady's.  He always got away with everything so Hope shooting him felt like long overdue justice to me.  

And, as much as I appreciated Joe Mascolo in the role, it was long past time for Stefano to finally pay for the crap he'd pulled.  

There's lots about Hope I don't care for anymore but that's not one of them.

Although Ben isn't a character I'm interested in, he, unlike Stefano, actually does seem to regret what he's done.  Stefano only regretted not being even more awful than he was.

[TeeVee329]

The writing in the Rex/Sarah/Eric scenes today made me annoyed with Eric and Sarah and sympathetic to Rex, which I'm pretty sure is the opposite of what the show was going for.  All this "Ooooh, Rex is such a screw-up, and ooooh, Eric knows Sarah so much better, and ooooh, Sarah is overly concerned about Eric forgiving her" blah blah blah is just so transparent.  And yeah, Rex is a cheating ho, but he's making an honest effort while Eric and Sarah aren't being honest with him or themselves.

I mean, Jordan's motive makes sense - Ben turning into Clyde, after all her efforts to make sure that didn't happen, is her worst nightmare, and I guess something physical happened to her in this car accident that impacted her mental state even more?  Even her conflicted feelings about his "death" made sense to me.  But, I dunno, the pacing of this heelturn has been so off, and all to gloss over the issues between Ben and Ciara, it's kinda too little, too late.

Edited February 15, 2019 by TeeVee329

[404notfound]

Wow Mr. Jealous and Possessive isn't creepy today. Kudos to Sarah's for making a difference.  However the sight of them making eyes at each other is getting old. Just do it already. Let Mr. frat boy give Jordan some sexual healing so his brother and girlfriend can jump in the sack.  It's difficult for me to care about Rex's feelings. Being in the presence of his girlfriend made him felt unworthy so he cheated on her with other women to prove his worthiness. What the hell? This guy was such an idiot. The right thing Sarah could do is be done with him. 

Edited February 15, 2019 by sweetautumn
editing/removing unnecessary content/different focus

[Chick2Chic]

There was a contest regarding the DOOLapp and the winning ship would get a IG live with fans. The response was huge and the winners are Jarlena with Cin in second. Only current ships were a part of the contest.

TPTB ended up changing things with the results and will do a separate IG live with RSW/VK as well. Don't know when the DH x2 IG live nor RSW / VK IG live will drop but FYI. 

Edited February 15, 2019 by Chick2Chic
added something

[Chick2Chic]

1 hour ago, TeeVee329 said:

The writing in the Rex/Sarah/Eric scenes today made me annoyed with Eric and Sarah and sympathetic to Rex, which I'm pretty sure is the opposite of what the show was going for.  All this "Ooooh, Rex is such a screw-up, and ooooh, Eric knows Sarah so much better, and ooooh, Sarah is overly concerned about Eric forgiving her" blah blah blah is just so transparent.  And yeah, Rex is a cheating ho, but he's making an honest effort while Eric and Sarah aren't being honest with him or themselves.

The writing for the three of them is just super weird to me. Like I don't see what TPTB are going for here because everyone is acting stupidly / oddly. 

I enjoyed the Ben & Ciara stuff today. I really like the chemistry there. The Jordan kidnapping stuff should have played out over a couple of months but Chrishell did what she could with what she was given.

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, Chick2Chic said:

I will give you Gabi cause he didn't get that doing his job wasn't a good answer to his actions.

Can I get Ciara thrown in for the same reasons? 😉

As for Chad, I don't care that they don't like one another.  My thing was Ben, only quitting his job with Stefan after Ciara made it clear it was a deal breaker, telling Chad, a man with whom he shares a mutual dislike, that it was the biggest mistake not keeping him on the payroll...even though doing that would have jeopardized Chad's relationship with the mother of his children.

[Chick2Chic]

41 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

My thing was Ben, only quitting his job with Stefan after Ciara made it clear it was a deal breaker, telling Chad, a man with whom he shares a mutual dislike, that it was the biggest mistake not keeping him on the payroll...even though doing that would have jeopardized Chad's relationship with the mother of his children.

I guess but I don't see why Ben should care about Chad's relationship with Abby. Chad certainly didn't care about Ben's relationship with Abby when he was screwing Abby while she was Ben's gf/fiancee. 

Edited February 15, 2019 by Chick2Chic
fixed something.