Current Plots Discussion: Actually Today's Episode

[boes]

10 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

A shallow comment for today:  Marlena's pantsuit is a very odd choice to wear to a wedding...black pants & tweed jacket,  she should at least have a bright color pant-suit.  And Nicole's dress is so plain.  Little Holly is cute. 

I think Marlena wore that because it requires only minimal adjustments for her to turn it into her dominatrix costume for the entertainment segment of the reception.

It's a family affair, after all.

5 hours ago, Sandman said:

Patch is a cheapskate, and 12 of those 16 hours were on layover?

I bet he had a coupon!

Edited July 15, 2020 by boes

[lb60]

All the men looked very handsome.

Holly is a cutie.

Now that I have that out of the way.

What a cheap ass wedding that was.

Nicole's hair and dress were fug.

Marlena's outfit was hideous.

Allie's wasn't much better.

Six randos in the peanut gallery? Really, show? Really?

I didn't need Hurricane Sami barging in at the end. At least Ericole made it through their vows.

My how this show has fallen since the weddings in England, Greece, and on a yacht. Tragic!

I did enjoy Vivian stabbing Kate with the syringe, so the day wasn't a total loss.

Btw, how long has Viv been handcuffed to that chair? I hope she at least gets to use the facilities, when needed.

Edited July 15, 2020 by lb60

[TenaciousWarrior]

I suppose the Ericole wedding was nice and all, but I still find them boring. Eric is always boring, but Nicole is the worse offense. She used to be a firecracker. Now she’s dull as dirt. She was better with EJ and Brady.

[Frozendiva]

The men looked handsome at the wedding. Holly's dress was cute. Nicole's dress was blah - the actress has a beautiful tall body and she could pull off a much nicer dress. Marlena looked like she dressed for October and a Halloween wedding. Too hot and heavy for July. Nicole could also have gotten her hair done and looked gorgeous. I did like Abe treating her like family and that her mother would be proud of her and happy that she is getting married.

The vows were nice. Nicole did admit to her scheming in the past. Too bad a reference to her growing up and changing and becoming a better, although more dull, person didn't happen. No real need for Sami at the end.

I too wondered if Vivian actually got to use the bathroom. She'd be smelling pretty bad by now.

Nice of Dr. Rolf to give Kate the serum. Of course, Viv had to inject her with it.

Looks like a setting up of Chad and Gwen. She's a bit more interesting than Abs. How many Caesars went down? Four? All the celery stalks looked unusally green.

Everyone also hates Gabi. At least Jake looked up Stefan O. to see what he was about and was unsure if he wanted that life back. Onwards and upwards with the serum!

 

[bannana]

13 hours ago, sas616 said:

Who were all those strange people at Eric and Nicole's wedding?   Did they just happen to be eating at the pub that day and got stuck attending the ceremony?   How sad that this show cannot pay for 2 or 3 additional cast members to be in attendance at the wedding.  But ow that I think of it, not sure who that would be since Eric and Nicole rarely interact with anyone else these days.  

Rafe, Brady (oh, did he skip town?), Hope, Will and Sonny, Kayla (oops!), Ciara. Any Brady spawn in town should have been there.  Also Maggie. (though she apparently has a cold).

It was pretty pathetic all the way around.

12 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

Small propeller plane. Engine trouble so layover in Winnipeg. Bad storms. more layover. LOL.

Yes, a lot of things can cause an endless delay/layover. I have lived through many of them.

Still doesn't explain why Kayla had her passport in the pocket of her wedding dress.

[TeeVee329]

"My deepest condolences..."  Oh you, welcome home, Sami!

I am glad she didn't stomp in until after Eric and Nicole had exchanged vows, so they still got their moment before Sami redirects all attention to herself.

[Sidney]

I don't really care for Eric and Nicole, but I think their fans deserved better than what they got. Hell, Eli and Lani had a better focus. If not for the vows and montage, it would have been a total bust imo. They would have been better off  going to one of those Justice of the Peace Elvis weddings.🙄

[SueB]

The Wedding:

• ITA, the pub (with red gingham curtains), the plain dress, the random extras were serious detractors to the wedding.  Shockingly, the flowers looked good -- what's up with that? OTOH, the vows and the flashback were great. Maybe they blew the budget on getting a darker-haired stand-in super-imposed over Jensen Ackles?  I think they were going with "Irish working-class family" vibe but the random extras really hurt that theme.
• Adrienne Zucker, IMO, really knocked it out of the park with her scenes with Marlena and her vows.  I very much appreciate her request of support from Marlena.  Marlena lacked warmth in her expression of support but I'll take that over alternatives. She was also great with Allie.  
• Greg Vaughan reading Caroline's letter brought waterworks from me.  
• Hurricane Sami, thankfully, waited for the them to ACTUALLY be married before dumping water all over the proceedings.  Sami is "meh" to me.  Sometimes she's worth the price of the random violence.  Sometimes she just sucks the air out of the room.  Like crashing the wedding. 

In other stories:

• Do they place Claire in front of blue backgrounds to make her eyes pop?  Because they are legit BLUE.  Shockingly I'm 100% Team Claire these days. 2020 is living up to the curse 'may you live in interesting times'.0
• Hilarious: The Kate & Vivian show.  The excuse is thin but its fun to watch.  
• I do NOT like Chad's mystery arc.  Although I swear Billy Flynn broke character when he started laughing -- that was funny.  
• Jake, I wouldn't volunteer for Stefan's memories either. 
• Kudos to Bryan Datillo (Lucas) for throwing himself into the comedy.  
• Ben and Ciara ARE being punk'd but it's not Claire.  Ben is losing sympathy points big time.

Wedding Guests in Salem:

 

[Sandman]

5 hours ago, bannana said:

Still doesn't explain why Kayla had her passport in the pocket of her wedding dress.

In Salem, it never hurts to build an escape plan into your wedding preparations. Marlena's last couple of wedding dresses probably should have come with a discreet gun holster -- or a garter-knife strap combo.

Speaking of which, was Eric and Nicole's wedding the first such ceremony in the show to have no interruption -- no crisis, no hostage-taking, no return of a dead loved one? Not even a halfhearted fainting spell? It's certainly the first one in a long time that I can remember. Even Sami's timing needs work. I was almost surprised that Sami's appearing in the doorway (not even looking all that pissed off, all things considered) did not set off immediate, gibbering wails of terror from her lily-livered family.

Edited to add: Yeah, Greg Vaughn's reading of Caroline's letter to Eric was the best thing in the episode.  

Edited July 15, 2020 by Sandman

[peachmangosteen]

12 hours ago, lb60 said:

Nicole's hair and dress were fug.

So bad. She should have kept her hair like it was when she was getting ready. And worn that robe to the ceremony lol.

23 minutes ago, SueB said:

Although I swear Billy Flynn broke character when he started laughing -- that was funny. 

Yea, I loved that. Finally, BF seems a bit more relaxed and like he's not being forced against his will to act!

[domina89]

20 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

Small propeller plane. Engine trouble so layover in Winnipeg. Bad storms. more layover. LOL.

See if this was the 80's, they would have written all of this into the actual story itself to make it interesting, instead of just talking about it in a ugly hotel room.  We would have had Steve and Kayla on their way to reconnect at Lake Louise, only to have the plane crash in the middle of nowhere and then at least one of them would have been wounded so ANGST, and then they would almost die from a bear attack so more ANGST, and then they would end up finding this lovely hot springs... oh wait....  😉

Seriously though... we need some action on this show.  I'm tired of watching people talking constantly.  

[kitmerlot1213]

To me, there is a huge difference between Sami's being a 15/16 years old when she got pregnant with Will and Allie's being a 21/22 years old college graduate and I'm done with the show acting like Sami and Allie are living parallel lives.  And Allie was deliberately hurtful with her rubbing it in Sami's face that she tells "Aunt Nicole" things she'd never tell her mom--yet we're supposed to believe that Allie is a mature, responsible adult.

I liked the Vivian, Ivan, Jake and Gabi scenes and I appreciate that Viv asked Gabi to put there for the reveal--that was rather kind of her--but now we have the truth that Jake is really Stefan's twin--DAMN!!

Edited July 15, 2020 by kitmerlot1213

[Pearson80]

18 minutes ago, kitmerlot1213 said:

To me, there is a huge difference between Sami's being a 15/16 years old when she got pregnant with Will and Allie's being a 21/22 years old college graduate and I'm done with the show acting like Sami and Allie are living parallel lives.  And Allie was deliberately hurtful with her rubbing it in Sami's face that she tells "Aunt Nicole" things she'd never tell her mom--yet we're supposed to believe that Allie is a mature, responsible adult.

I liked the Vivian, Ivan, Jake and Gabi scenes and I appreciate that Viv asked Gabi to put there for the reveal--that was rather kind of her--but now we have the truth that Jake is really Stefan's twin--DAMN!!

I am just so over the show constantly having Sami's kids bash her all the time, enough! Allie was a hateful twat to her mom in that scene you mentioned.  Sami does love kids, I hope Johnny and Sydney adore her to no end, give us some balance Ron.  I am not even a Sami fan and it just irritates to no end to see her kids so mean and disrespectful to her.  Unless you were abused and neglected by your mother, you should always treat her with the utmost respect..

[TenaciousWarrior]

11 minutes ago, Pearson80 said:

I am just so over the show constantly having Sami's kids bash her all the time, enough! Allie was a hateful twat to her mom in that scene you mentioned.  Sami does love kids, I hope Johnny and Sydney adore her to no end, give us some balance Ron.  I am not even a Sami fan and it just irritates to no end to see her kids so mean and disrespectful to her.  Unless you were abused and neglected by your mother, you should always treat her with the utmost respect..

And yet Sami was a heinous bitch to Marlena well into her adult years.

[Sandman]

58 minutes ago, kitmerlot1213 said:

but now we have the truth that Jake is really Stefan's twin--DAMN!!

Because of course he is. (I refuse even to roll my eyes at this show anymore.)

[brisbydog]

I am so sick of Allie whipping out her bump. How many times is this now?

[boes]

1 hour ago, TenaciousWarrior said:

And yet Sami was a heinous bitch to Marlena well into her adult years.

That's one of things I loved most about her.

[DaphneCat]

1 hour ago, kitmerlot1213 said:

To me, there is a huge difference between Sami's being a 15/16 years old when she got pregnant with Will and Allie's being a 21/22 years old college graduate and I'm done with the show acting like Sami and Allie are living parallel lives.  And Allie was deliberately hurtful with her rubbing it in Sami's face that she tells "Aunt Nicole" things she'd never tell her mom--yet we're supposed to believe that Allie is a mature, responsible adult.

I liked the Vivian, Ivan, Jake and Gabi scenes and I appreciate that Viv asked Gabi to put there for the reveal--that was rather kind of her--but now we have the truth that Jake is really Stefan's twin--DAMN!!

 

1 hour ago, Pearson80 said:

I am just so over the show constantly having Sami's kids bash her all the time, enough! Allie was a hateful twat to her mom in that scene you mentioned.  Sami does love kids, I hope Johnny and Sydney adore her to no end, give us some balance Ron.  I am not even a Sami fan and it just irritates to no end to see her kids so mean and disrespectful to her.  Unless you were abused and neglected by your mother, you should always treat her with the utmost respect..

Yes.  While I admit, I have a soft spot for Sami, in this case I'm definitely team Sami all the way.  Not ONE person respects her enough to tell her about Allie, and while Sami is still reeling from the shock (which Allie deliberately provoked) they allow Allie to behave like a hateful brat.  And Nicole can completely miss me with the whole "if you were a better mother crap."  This is a woman who was going to willingly allow Deimos to help raise her child.  After that didn't work out she started bouncing Holly around from "daddy" to "daddy" - first we're a "family" with Brady, now we're a "family" with Eric.  I would LOVE for Sydney to come back and read Nicole for filth - it would give her a TINY taste of what Sami is feeling.

[rcc]

The Nicole and Sami fight scene was like old times. At least I care about these characters!

[howmanywords]

Okay so even though he isn't Stefan, Jake is a DiMera. I hope that means he is will have the means to fuck with Chad's sanctimonious ass. I'm easy to please!

[bannana]

17 minutes ago, DaphneCat said:

And Nicole can completely miss me with the whole "if you were a better mother crap."

And this led to Sami lunging at Nicole and both of them falling onto the wedding cake.  Which Nicole really earned.  She needs to STFU and let Sami and Lucas deal with their daughter (or not).  And I don't think Sami has been portrayed as a bad mother over the years.  A rather controlling one yes.  Nicole needs to back up.  Sami is now her sister in law.

Sami had every right to be furious for not being invited and for being kept in the dark.   Eric is a wimp. He should have told Allie too bad, I am inviting your mom, she is my twin.  Deal with it!

Allie is extremely immature, but she is an adult and she needs to own her own actions and consequences.  No one should have been enabling her during this time to shut out her mother.

As for the wedding being a fiasco, it was such a pathetic wedding, it hardly matters.

[Silver Raven]

Did they really have to go through the whole wedding ceremony again?

Why is Lucas at the DiMansion?

They decided to interrupt Show just as Sami found out Allie was pregnant to tell us non-news news.

 

[nilyank]

Allie has been in town a month and Auntie Nicole is the only person that she can confide in? Spare me.

Also, John can also keep his snark about Sami to himself. He was nicer to her when everyone believed that drugged up Sami shot Marlena during her 500th wedding ceremony to John.

Nicole always starts talking trash about Sami and yet she is always surprised when Sami throws her down on the ground.

[DisneyBoy]

30 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Did they really have to go through the whole wedding ceremony again?

Why is Lucas at the DiMansion?

Apparently, they cut four scenes of pre-wedding family stuff, so I'm guessing that gave them some time to fill in today's episode so they just repeated the wedding vows.

Why is anybody in the DiMera Mansion anymore? I could kind of understand Chad living there, but not so much after having been brainwashed, and Abigail having nearly burned the place down when Ben was stalking her. Seems to me, they would be happier moving into their own place and making their own memories, but the show doesn't have the budget.

I think today's was the best episode of the year so far. I barely fast-forwarded anything. I almost chuckled at Gabi trying to knock Jake in the head to get his memories back. It's incredibly stupid, but it also felt like the show making fun of itself over how they wrapped up Jack's amnesia storyline.

It was so wonderful to see Ivan back, it really took me back to the 90s and he and Vivian have such terrific chemistry I'm really bummed that they didn't bring him back a lot earlier. I would happily see them remain on the show for another month or two just making little comments and popping up in other people's storylines.

This twin twist doesn't really line up with established continuity does it? I wasn't watching back when Vivian was seduced by a Stefano in Disguise over some ruby. Hopefully you historians can tell me if this has about as much veracity as John hooking up with some Asian woman while he was a priest and siring Paul....

Poor Eric and Nicole. First, virtually no one shows up to their wedding, then there's absolutely no reception even though they're already in a pub, and then the cake gets trashed. (Was it behind them on a table during the vows? I didn't see it there before...)

My biggest beef with the whole thing is that they didn't actually let us watch Sami and Nicole throw down with each other. Those are obviously fun moments for the actors and they took the fight and chopped it up into three 25 second segments, which completely destroyed the momentum.

I think they missed a golden opportunity for Eric to express some hilarious terror and anger at Sami the minute she tackled his bride. He just kind of stood there like driftwood and then we cut back to see him lifting Sami up in the air. That's kind of a funny situation. A nice guy having to figure out how to break up his sister and his wife as they rip into each other.

I didn't think there'd be much believability in Sami's meltdown today because Ron isn't always good at that, but I felt like they did a good job of letting the dominos fall one at a time. Allie was by no means polite with her mother, but she didn't completely turn into a brat for the sake of drama either. Nicole didn't bait Sami the whole time either. Honestly I'm kind of Team Sami on this one. She's finding out in one fell swoop that her beloved brother didn't want her enough at his wedding, that the whole family went along with it, that her daughter is pregnant, and that her daughter has been taking advice from Nicole Walker of all people. Pretty much the only thing that I couldn't understand is why John, Abe and Roman left what was sure to become a crime scene to go and have ice cream... cowards LOL.

Jake and Stefan don't really deserve all of this dramatic build-up they've been getting. I hate seeing great actors like Louise Sorel reduced to propping up new characters who aren't half as nuanced or compelling. I understand the show needs to bring in fresh blood, but before you start rearranging a veteran character's history and pulling them out for a little more than exposition and propping, make sure you have a winner. Jake and Stefan are far from winners. Gabi looks like a moron for giving a damn about him to this extent. So the sex was good. Who cares? Go hire a gigolo. That's the extent of the relationship and connection you had with that guy. You seriously mean to tell me a woman who looks like Gabi can't find a single attractive man to bed her?

I would have rather seen her spend the last two years with a string of interchangeable forgettable hardbody boyfriends than wailing and crying about precious Stefan. She and Eli were hot...she and Chad were hot...and she and JJ were hot...but of course the show won't actually let her be with any of them....

I even kind of enjoyed the Lucas and Bonnie stuff, in spite of my lingering disgust over the fact that she raped him (but it isn't supposed to matter because he's a guy, you know). Sure, she has nothing to offer the storyline at all, but I got a serious laugh out of watching Lucas read the inscription, especially when you got to the part about the mechanical bull. Bryan is really terrific at comedy and if they were smart they'd give him a contract and keep him on the show give him more stuff to do like that. I think he plays off the crazy characters very well.

It was also nice to see storylines coming to a head at the same time. Hopefully the rest of Sami's visit will give her an opportunity to come across as more sympathetic. I can completely understand her anger over the idea of her grandchild being given away when there is absolutely no need for it. And again, Allie, if you didn't think you were up for the challenge of raising this child, you could have had an abortion months ago. You're a rich girl. A filthy rich girl with a huge family. I have no pity for you getting pregnant at 22. It'll be completely fine.

How long are they going to drag out the mystery about the baby daddy? I don't believe that this huge family can actually spend another three or four weeks not trying to get the information out of Allie.

[bobcat1946]

18 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

The men looked handsome at the wedding. Holly's dress was cute. Nicole's dress was blah - the actress has a beautiful tall body and she could pull off a much nicer dress. Marlena looked like she dressed for October and a Halloween wedding. Too hot and heavy for July. Nicole could also have gotten her hair done and looked gorgeous. I did like Abe treating her like family and that her mother would be proud of her and happy that she is getting married.

The vows were nice. Nicole did admit to her scheming in the past. Too bad a reference to her growing up and changing and becoming a better, although more dull, person didn't happen. No real need for Sami at the end.

I too wondered if Vivian actually got to use the bathroom. She'd be smelling pretty bad by now.

Nice of Dr. Rolf to give Kate the serum. Of course, Viv had to inject her with it.

Looks like a setting up of Chad and Gwen. She's a bit more interesting than Abs. How many Caesars went down? Four? All the celery stalks looked unusally green.

Everyone also hates Gabi. At least Jake looked up Stefan O. to see what he was about and was unsure if he wanted that life back. Onwards and upwards with the serum!

 

But I did wonder how got on a web since it was all swept under the rug to protect sweet Abigail.

[Sandman]

20 hours ago, CanaryFan98 said:

Jeneric

In general I hate portmanteau "ship" names, but this one at least has a kind of "truth in advertising" quality going for it.

[lb60]

What a waste of a perfectly good cake.

Twins? How surprising? How shocking? How intriguing?    

4 hours ago, Sandman said:

Because of course he is. (I refuse even to roll my eyes at this show anymore.)

Allow me:

I did have to laugh at Jake's "please tell me that's not a euphemism" when they were talking about Vivian's ruby. Um, ewww!

Allie, you are a spoiled brat.

"Aunt" Nicole, maybe sit this one out. Just a thought.

[TenaciousWarrior]

6 minutes ago, lb60 said:

Allie, you are a spoiled brat.

 

She gets it from her mama.

[peachmangosteen]

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Why is Lucas at the DiMansion?

Good point lol.

I enjoyed the hell outta this ep. Such fun!

Jake's "What?!" had me rolling. It was the one time his bad accent worked. Speaking of, too bad now we'll be stuck with that stupid ass accent forever since he's actually Jake. Sigh.

Allie acts like a child so I don't know why she's mad she gets treated as one. And, Nicole, really, you're a bitch to Sami and then expect to not get hit? Oh, sweetie!

[bannana]

Nicole,

 

[CanaryFan98]

6 hours ago, Pearson80 said:

I am just so over the show constantly having Sami's kids bash her all the time, enough! Allie was a hateful twat to her mom in that scene you mentioned.  Sami does love kids, I hope Johnny and Sydney adore her to no end, give us some balance Ron.  I am not even a Sami fan and it just irritates to no end to see her kids so mean and disrespectful to her.  Unless you were abused and neglected by your mother, you should always treat her with the utmost respect..

I  think this is karma for how Sami treated Marlena so I don't feel that bad for her. That being said her hating Sami doesn't really make me like Allie but its one thing about her that I don't dislike at the moment. The other is that the actress is good. 

I bet this is why Allie hates her though Sami prioritized EJ and their kids over her the child of Lucas.

I was more upset about a perfectly good cake being ruined.

Edited July 16, 2020 by CanaryFan98

[cmahorror]

First off - Team Sami all the way. There is a reason that she has always felt like an outsider to her own family and they just proved it big time by hiding the wedding and Alli's pregnancy from her.

It isn't just that Nicole kidnapped Sydney, she also traded another baby for Sydney and tragically that baby, Grace, contracted meningitis and died. Sami not only had her daughter kidnapped, she also went through the pain of watching the child she loved and was raising die. Nicole even made a comment when she was confronted about the baby switch about Sami letting Grace die, leading Sami to tell Nicole "Don't even say her name!" Nicole backed off of that point but I never forgot it. I can't have been the only cheering when Sami slapped Nicole and forced her to admit the truth.

And yet, her twin brother is now marrying the woman who caused her so much pain and let her go through the hell of losing a child. Her daughter is turning to this same woman for advice instead of her mother whose only real crime, it seems, is supporting her daughter through college and then demanding she get a job and act like an adult.

I'll be honest about something else, Nicole doesn't work as the calm mentor and I really do not buy her and Eric as a couple. I have always thought that Nicole had much better chemistry with Brady than Eric. There is no fire to Nicole anymore and their attempt to make her a heroine is just falling flat to me. I enjoyed her much more when she was Kristin in disguise and scheming her way around town. Let her be a great grey character and not this boring and bland woman she has become.

[TenaciousWarrior]

I agree that Nicole doesn’t work as a heroine. She’s bland and boring that way. And frankly, Ari sucks at acting like one. She comes across as fake. Give Nicole her snark back!

[Irlandesa]

Today was good but also frustrating from a logic point of view. 

Sami was talking like Allie was a pregnant teen with no say trying to demand she come with her and do what Sami wants with the baby.  On the other hand, Allie is essentially acting like a pregnant teen with her attempts to hide the pregnancy---by telling everyone and then trying to swear them to secrecy.  And basically trying to pretend there is no father.

The problem with this story is that Allie is not a pregnant teen. She is a college grad so she's either 21 or 22. While younger than most college grads who have kids these days, it's not exactly unheard of.

The writing for the story (pregnant teen) doesn't align with the reality of the story (young adult who can make her own reproductive choices).  

And it also involved one of Ron's annoying ticks as a writer.  There's a dramatic conflict (Sami learning about Allie's pregnancy) that should be entirely focused on them but he loves his cat fights.  So Nicole's role as a confidante grew in importance throughout the episode to the point that it overtook the mother/daughter story so Ron could write his catfight.  The reaction was outsized and I feel it would work better on a different day where it's just Nicole and Sami talking. 

And I'm very curious to hear Ivan's logic behind separating the boys* when he sent them away. 

*I still think this is Stefan and that Jake is alive but will come back thinking he's Stefan just as Gabi is about to marry Jake. 

[CanaryFan98]

1 hour ago, cmahorror said:

First off - Team Sami all the way. There is a reason that she has always felt like an outsider to her own family and they just proved it big time by hiding the wedding and Alli's pregnancy from her.

It isn't just that Nicole kidnapped Sydney, she also traded another baby for Sydney and tragically that baby, Grace, contracted meningitis and died. Sami not only had her daughter kidnapped, she also went through the pain of watching the child she loved and was raising die. Nicole even made a comment when she was confronted about the baby switch about Sami letting Grace die, leading Sami to tell Nicole "Don't even say her name!" Nicole backed off of that point but I never forgot it. I can't have been the only cheering when Sami slapped Nicole and forced her to admit the truth.

And yet, her twin brother is now marrying the woman who caused her so much pain and let her go through the hell of losing a child. Her daughter is turning to this same woman for advice instead of her mother whose only real crime, it seems, is supporting her daughter through college and then demanding she get a job and act like an adult.

I'll be honest about something else, Nicole doesn't work as the calm mentor and I really do not buy her and Eric as a couple. I have always thought that Nicole had much better chemistry with Brady than Eric. There is no fire to Nicole anymore and their attempt to make her a heroine is just falling flat to me. I enjoyed her much more when she was Kristin in disguise and scheming her way around town. Let her be a great grey character and not this boring and bland woman she has become.

Well Sami married EJ who did so much damage to her family and didn't care what Kristen did to Eric.

Brady wants to be with Kristen who raped Eric so as much as I don't care for Eric I don't blame him here for not caring about Sami's feelings.

Otherwise I agree I preferred Brady/Nicole and think Nicole is better as a grey character. 

[Irlandesa]

Oh and one more thing.  The most confusing thing of all--Lucas called Sami's home phone and not her cell phone? Please.

[Giuseppe]

5 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Why is Lucas at the DiMansion?

Honest to god, even with Sami and Ivan returning, this was the point I was obsessing over the most, lol. Why IS Lucas as the Dimera mansion??? I can think of no good reason for him to be there. Looking for Jennifer and/or Abigail? Ok, fine, maybe. But once learning they weren't there, he decided to stay and have a drink in the study? And how did Bonnie know to find him there? Who let her in? Why does everyone always want to hang out in what's probably the smallest room in the mansion? What happened to the living room set anyway?

56 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Lucas called Sami's home phone and not her cell phone? Please.

This also made me go "yeah right".

Anyway, I'm glad Sami's back for a bit and I actually enjoyed today's show for a change.

[Frozendiva]

The poor cake did not deserve the Sami and Nicole hurlfest.

Nicole did not bait Sami and although it was fun to see the old adversaries go at it, they are in their forties and should be a bit more civil. Too bad that John and Roman escaped and took Holly for some ice cream. With no reception or food, guess the poor kid got something to eat!

Given Sami's acrimony toward Nicole, why would she think she would be invited to the wedding? I think they wanted to invite her. Allie said no, and that wasn't for Allie to do. She could have disappeared for a few days til her mom came to the wedding and left.

I assume that Lucas is at the mansion because Kate lives there?

I did not need to hear the book dedication or page Bonnie 'wrote' about Lucas. Ugh, mind bleach time. The DiMera bar sure is nicely stocked with stuff to make a martini. When did Bonnie drink martinis?

It was nice to see Ivan again. Too bad the serum did not work (so far) and we find out that Madame had twins and Jake is the twin. Jake is still rich that he is now a DiMera and may grow to eventually fall in love with Gabi. And Chad may have some competition.

[A.J.]

So glad to see Eric & Nicole finally walk down the isle.  They are my favorite DAYS couple since Pete & Melissa.  I agree with most that they did not get the wedding they deserved, especially after 20 years.  Outside of all the missing Brady clan, Hope and especially Brady should have been there.  I also would have loved to see Chole there to be Nicole's maid of honor. 

I too agree that my favorite female character, Nicole is a bit more tame.  I personally want her to continue to be a heroine.  Just give her her more of her edge back.  It does come out every now and then.  

Now to Sami.  It astounds me that people are acting like Nicole was so bad to Sami back in the day.  I'd say they were equally awful to each other.  Let us not forget that hypocrite Sami kidnapped her own sister, Belle.  Yet she throws it in Nicole's face about Sydney.  How many times did Sami interfere/break up her other sister's (Carrie) relationship with Austin.  She treated Marlena like dirt for many years.  And Sami's rap sheet goes on and on.  I still don't get why she still hates Nicole so much.  The two of them bonded and had a very nice moment when E.J. died (or so we thought).  Right after that they were back to being mortal enemies.  

Lastly that fight between the two was so weak.  I know the budget is tight but they could have done much better.  

[Pearson80]

10 minutes ago, A.J. said:

Now to Sami.  It astounds me that people are acting like Nicole was so bad to Sami back in the day.  I'd say they were equally awful to each other.  Let us not forget that hypocrite Sami kidnapped her own sister, Belle.  Yet she throws it in Nicole's face about Sydney.  How many times did Sami interfere/break up her other sister's (Carrie) relationship with Austin.  She treated Marlena like dirt for many years.  And Sami's rap sheet goes on and on.  I still don't get why she still hates Nicole so much.  The two of them bonded and had a very nice moment when E.J. died (or so we thought).  Right after that they were back to being mortal enemies.  

 

To be fair Sami was a traumatized teen when she kidnapped Belle,  she wanted to raise Belle herself and was afraid that Belle being John's would have destroyed her dad Roman.  Nicole was a grown woman with a fully developed brain  and used a confused scared pregnant teen in Mia for her diabolical scheme to steal Sami's baby.. Sami having been bad herself does not mean Nicole gets to steal her baby.

Edited July 16, 2020 by Pearson80

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, Pearson80 said:

To be fair Sami was a traumatized teen when she kidnapped Belle,  she wanted to raise Belle herself

I don't remember that at all. I think Sami was less traumatized than vindictive, and I recall she was doing her damndest to sell Belle on the black market. Marlena cheating with John and Sami catching them was bad. (And I don't even like John with Marlena.) But the situation was hardly as black and white as Sami deemed it. The whole John raising the kids as Roman - no matter the revisionist history the show used with SORASing the twins - was an extra vital ingredient that seemed to be disregarded to give Sami a pass to be an outright bitch and take no responsibility for HER actions.

This is not to take Nicole's side. I don't think much of her, either.

[A.J.]

27 minutes ago, Pearson80 said:

Sami having been bad herself does not mean Nicole gets to steal her baby.

True.  Nicole has done some awful things.  I'm not excusing that.  I just hate hypocrisy.  Sami needs to look in the mirror when constantly judging others.    

[bunnyblue]

Didn't Vivian visit a doctor while pregnant with Stefan? Did she never get a sonogram? How the hell could she not have known she was carrying twins?? This revisionist history is getting ridiculous. How the hell does Vivian forgive Ivan for yet another betrayal? 

Quote

I assume that Lucas is at the mansion because Kate lives there?

Yeah, that's what I figured. But now my question is, why does Kate live in the DiMera mansion??

Edited July 16, 2020 by bunnyblue

[DisneyBoy]

4 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

*I still think this is Stefan and that Jake is alive but will come back thinking he's Stefan just as Gabi is about to marry Jake. 

Oh my Gaaaaaaawwwdd please no. Pleeeeaaaase no. 🙄 That's excruciating and confusing and more Stake than I can stomach.

 

 

 

Edited July 16, 2020 by DisneyBoy

[DisneyBoy]

2 hours ago, Giuseppe said:

. Why IS Lucas as the Dimera mansion??? I can think of no good reason for him to be there.

Isn't Kate still living there? Maybe he's there to see her?

4 hours ago, TenaciousWarrior said:

I agree that Nicole doesn’t work as a heroine. She’s bland and boring that way. And frankly, Ari sucks at acting like one. She comes across as fake. Give Nicole her snark back!

I seem to recall Nicole still having some snark when she was back with Eric after he was no longer a priest. I think it's more of a problem with the writing regimes. I can't imagine Real Nicole ever referring to Eric as "my love" as much as this one has. It's such syrupy garbage. Nicole would have a fun nickname for Eric - not something out of a Hallmark card.

I think she can still be snarky and vivacious and fun and married to Eric. Opposites attract. I like that they're different.

And in all fairness, Nicole has spent the last few years mourning Daniel, getting into a custody battle with Chloe, a codependent and abusive relationship with Brady, kidnapped by Xander, gradually forgiving Eric only to feel guilty for falling for him again, getting blackmailed out of town, married to Xander off-screen, almost blown up in a factory, rescued and held captive with her daughter, and then narrowly avoiding losing Eric to another woman who is more sane and kind than she is. I don't think Nicole hasn't had much time to snark for the last few years! If they just let her wander in and out of other people's storylines for a bit and take issue with some of the bad people in town like Xander and Victor and - God willing - Abigail, I'm sure we'll see some snark. In fact, the one thing that makes me happy about Sami returning is that I think we will by default see some funny one-liners and personality from Nicole, who won't be able to help talking back whenever she's attacked. I was actually kind of proud of Nicole for keeping as level a head as she did at her wedding.

I'm not saying she's a fantastic person, especially now that I better understand the details of the baby switch storyline which I missed (thanks guys), but she's definitely been a fun character and her love for Eric has always been genuine so I'm in her corner.

[Pearson80]

1 hour ago, WendyCR72 said:

I don't remember that at all. I think Sami was less traumatized than vindictive, and I recall she was doing her damndest to sell Belle on the black market. Marlena cheating with John and Sami catching them was bad. (And I don't even like John with Marlena.) But the situation was hardly as black and white as Sami deemed it. The whole John raising the kids as Roman - no matter the revisionist history the show used with SORASing the twins - was an extra vital ingredient that seemed to be disregarded to give Sami a pass to be an outright bitch and take no responsibility for HER actions.

This is not to take Nicole's side. I don't think much of her, either.

She did try to sell her,  at some point she changed her mind and decided to run away with her, intending to raise her.  John and Kristen tracked her down and was able to bring Belle back putting her in her mother's arms.  It was a beautiful reunion between Marlena and Belle.

I never bought Sami's and Eric's devotion to Roman. The only parent that they knew for 5 years since the age of 2 was John as Roman.. Carrie and Marlena were the only people who had a real tough time with John not being Roman.. Carrie was actually jealous of baby Brady since he took her place as John's first child.. 

Edited July 16, 2020 by Pearson80

[boes]

44 minutes ago, bunnyblue said:

 

Yeah, that's what I figured. But now my question is, why does Kate live in the DiMera mansion??

I seem to remember Chad led her move in after Roman kicked her out of her room at the Pub.

[nilyank]

6 hours ago, CanaryFan98 said:

7 hours ago, cmahorror said:

First off - Team Sami all the way. There is a reason that she has always felt like an outsider to her own family and they just proved it big time by hiding the wedding and Alli's pregnancy from her.

It isn't just that Nicole kidnapped Sydney, she also traded another baby for Sydney and tragically that baby, Grace, contracted meningitis and died. Sami not only had her daughter kidnapped, she also went through the pain of watching the child she loved and was raising die. Nicole even made a comment when she was confronted about the baby switch about Sami letting Grace die, leading Sami to tell Nicole "Don't even say her name!" Nicole backed off of that point but I never forgot it. I can't have been the only cheering when Sami slapped Nicole and forced her to admit the truth.

And yet, her twin brother is now marrying the woman who caused her so much pain and let her go through the hell of losing a child. Her daughter is turning to this same woman for advice instead of her mother whose only real crime, it seems, is supporting her daughter through college and then demanding she get a job and act like an adult.

I'll be honest about something else, Nicole doesn't work as the calm mentor and I really do not buy her and Eric as a couple. I have always thought that Nicole had much better chemistry with Brady than Eric. There is no fire to Nicole anymore and their attempt to make her a heroine is just falling flat to me. I enjoyed her much more when she was Kristin in disguise and scheming her way around town. Let her be a great grey character and not this boring and bland woman she has become.

Read more  

Well Sami married EJ who did so much damage to her family and didn't care what Kristen did to Eric.

Brady wants to be with Kristen who raped Eric so as much as I don't care for Eric I don't blame him here for not caring about Sami's feelings.

Otherwise I agree I preferred Brady/Nicole and think Nicole is better as a grey character. 

Despite what Nicole has done to Eric and broken his heart numerous of times because she makes him happy, John, Marlena and John went to their wedding.

When Sami married EJ, even though she invited them, even thought Marlena help Sami pick her wedding dress, both her parents made the deliberate choice not to come to the wedding nor did Eric. I can't remember if John  was with Marlena or separated from her, but he didn't attend.

As far as they knew Sami had been with EJ for the last few years in love, living with him and the children and was going to marry the man that was making her so happy. Yet none of them came.

[bannana]

3 hours ago, A.J. said:

True.  Nicole has done some awful things.  I'm not excusing that.  I just hate hypocrisy.  Sami needs to look in the mirror when constantly judging others.    

I think the point here is that Nicole has no business interfering in Sami's life/parenting/relationships.  Nicole is somehow now the wise and empathetic Auntie.  All the while she is denigrating Sami to Allie.

It's not about Sami being a hypocrite.  Sami and Nicole could hurl past grievances against each other.

This is about Nicole being way out of line in judging Sami and Lucas,  and in influencing Allie.  And Eric is a complete wimp in this storyline.

Nicole deserved that shitty wedding she had.  Karma, baby.

[boes]

6 hours ago, bannana said:

I think the point here is that Nicole has no business interfering in Sami's life/parenting/relationships.  Nicole is somehow now the wise and empathetic Auntie.  All the while she is denigrating Sami to Allie.

It's not about Sami being a hypocrite.  Sami and Nicole could hurl past grievances against each other.

This is about Nicole being way out of line in judging Sami and Lucas,  and in influencing Allie.  And Eric is a complete wimp in this storyline.

Nicole deserved that shitty wedding she had.  Karma, baby.

Agreed.  I enjoy Nicole but there's no way she can claim any moral high ground.  Frankly, I don't see her as interested in helping Allie as much as sticking it to Sami and playing the saint for Eric.

One thing you don't do, pretty much ever, is to badmouth a parent to a child.

But then, there's Allie.  She's such a whiny brat I don't know why anybody wants to help her.