Past Plots Discussion: Whatever Happened To...

[JBC344]

Sami having twins by 2 different men makes her look bad. I don't want to use that word, but you get what I mean. It is why that I hated it...I  actually thought that it was a trick by EJ to hold on to Sami..Silly me! Guiding light had a similar story with Blake having fraternal twin boys by 2 different men..Thankfully the show reversed that...

I'm confused.  How does Sami look bad in the twins by different fathers scenario if she was raped by EJ?  She slept with her fiancée, and then was raped by another man all during her ovulation period.  Twins by two different fathers is not as "rare" as people think.  It is certainly not a made up soap opera plot.  I have to say out of all the things Sami and EJ have been through.  Twins with different fathers is one of the more "realistic" storylines involving Sami. 

 

For me, Sydney is the child I would look at her sideways about, not Johnny. 

 

Hope has already had close encounters with two men, Bo and Patrick Lockhart.  She was pretty sure that Ciara was Bo's but she slept with them so close together that paternity was a big issue.

[scarynikki12]

I don't think it makes Sami look bad because she was EJ's victim.  It should make EJ look so awful that Johnny and Sydney want nothing to do with him but they're unlikely to ever know what he did.  The result is that Sami looks like she cheated on her fiance with EJ.  When Allie and Johnny are old enough, they're going to have questions about being twins with different fathers.  And those questions will likely be coming from outside sources.  Maybe friends, family, people they don't like, people who don't like them, strangers with an agenda or strangers making a relatively innocent comment, but someone in their lives is going to point out to them that, while not unheard of, theirs isn't a common situation.  And then they're going to start to wonder. 

 

EJ was never held legally accountable for the rape and I don't think Sami ever went on record with anyone but her engagement and marriage to Lucas was public record, and basic math would tell the twins that their mother was in a serious, committed, relationship when they were conceived.  The divorce so soon after the marriage, her moving in with EJ and Sydney's conception shortly thereafter only adds to a potential narrative that Sami had an affair with EJ while with Lucas and then ran to him at her first opportunity.  They're not going to know it was rape unless someone in the know tells them.  Sami certainly won't, because she won't want to poison Johnny against EJ.  EJ never would because it would force him to admit that he's a rapist and he likes living in denial about that part of himself.  I don't even think Lucas would because he'd be afraid of what it would do to the kids and Sami.  Bo knows about EJ raping Sami by proxy with the fake Rafe, but I don't remember if he knows about the first rape (and I don't think he'd tell the kids unless Sami gave him the go ahead).  I could see a Sami hater like Abby doing it but she doesn't even know about it so that's out.  There's really no one in their lives who is both in the know and willing to tell Johnny that he exists only because his father assaulted his mother.  I think that Sami probably believes that the best situation is to have the twins grow up thinking that she cheated on Lucas instead of being a victim. 

 

I've also always believed that EJ should be kept far away from the kids and Sami.  He was willing to assault Sami for not doing what he wants (choosing to be with him), so there's nothing stopping him from abusing the kids (physically or emotionally, not sexually) when they do something he doesn't like.  If EJ hadn't raped Sami twice, and Johnny's conception had been consensual, then I'd be ok with him being a part of the kids lives but, screw him, he raped her twice.  Even if I'm wrong and the character would never hurt the kids directly, we know he's willing to rape Sami so there's nothing that would stop him from making it a third time and that would certainly hurt the kids in addition to Sami.  As far as I'm concerned he doesn't deserve any rewards and a relationship with Sami and the kids is just that.  

[JBC344]

What makes it convoluted is that Sami would eventually have to come clean to her children about forgiving EJ in part because she herself raped their uncle Austin.

[Apprentice79]

I'm confused.  How does Sami look bad in the twins by different fathers scenario if she was raped by EJ?  She slept with her fiancée, and then was raped by another man all during her ovulation period.  Twins by two different fathers is not as "rare" as people think.  It is certainly not a made up soap opera plot.  I have to say out of all the things Sami and EJ have been through.  Twins with different fathers is one of the more "realistic" storylines involving Sami. 

 

For me, Sydney is the child I would look at her sideways about, not Johnny. 

 

Hope has already had close encounters with two men, Bo and Patrick Lockhart.  She was pretty sure that Ciara was Bo's but she slept with them so close together that paternity was a big issue.

I just hate the fact that Johnny is EJ's period. He should be for Lucas. EJ was the interloper and he was rewarded with a lifetime bond with Sami, the object of his obsession. It is like Andrew being for Victor instead of Shane. Kim would never look at Victor as a viable romantic partner after everything that he has perpetuated against her, Shane and their family. The Ejami romance should never have happened, once the rape  had occurred. I loved the chemistry between Ejami in the beginning and I thought the show was heading towards a legitimate triangle with Lucas/Sami/EJ with a dash of Will.  I loved seeing Will and Lucas teaming up to get rid of EJ , due to his growing influence on Sami. He appealed to her dark side. While Lucas who is also a grey character appealed to her need to grow up and be a better person.  I thought a Lucas/Sami/Ej triangle would have been a good way to explore the psyche of Sami to the fullest...Both men were viable partners for her..It would have been cool to see a triangle with everybody being antiheroes..

 

I wish the old writers in the 80's were writing the Lumi/EJ  storyline. In their day,the villains were villains and the heroes were heroes. Grey characters are needed as well.. The problem with the soap operas now is that everybody is a grey character, they have everybody doing awful things to justify their pets...People justify what EJ did to Sami because she did it to Austin, when she was a troubled teen. You have Sonny Corinthos being the hero on General Hospital, despite the awful things that he has done..That is a problem...There has to be a line of no return for some characters. Once you do a despicable act, you need to be written out, not rewarded for bad behavior....If the show intends to keep you around, then you need to be redeem in an organic manner. The show did it with Jack....Victor transformed from an evil villain to a grey character due to his interactions with his children Isabella, Philip and Bo...I do think that Isabella's death was a turning point for Victor..

Edited November 12, 2015 by Apprentice79

[Peanut6711]

Hope has already had close encounters with two men, Bo and Patrick Lockhart.  She was pretty sure that Ciara was Bo's but she slept with them so close together that paternity was a big issue.

Hope's had several close encounters with two men but the Ciera conception was a major retcon. Ciera was originally born in Dec. but her bday was later changed to July to make it fit being Bo's kid. Zack had been killed on New Years, Bo and Hope split, Hope took up w/Patrick that Spring.  Of course, Zack's conception was also a retcon to make Bo a contender after Hope slept with both John and Stefano. 

Edited November 12, 2015 by Peanut6711

[Apprentice79]

Hope's had several close encounters with two men but the Ciera conception was a major retcon. Ciera was originally born in Dec. but her bday was later changed to July to make it fit being Bo's kid. Zack had been killed on New Years, Bo and Hope split, Bo took up w/Patrick that Spring.  Of course, Zack's conception was also a retcon to make Bo a contender after Hope slept with both John and Stefano. 

We must never forget  mime sex....lol....That will never get old...

[buffynut]

Hope's had several close encounters with two men but the Ciera conception was a major retcon. Ciera was originally born in Dec. but her bday was later changed to July to make it fit being Bo's kid. Zack had been killed on New Years, Bo and Hope split, Hope took up w/Patrick that Spring.  Of course, Zack's conception was also a retcon to make Bo a contender after Hope slept with both John and Stefano. 

 

Hope and Stefano?   Really?!!! 

[JBC344]

Hope and Stefano?   Really?!!! 

Yes, Hope slept with both Stefano and John on the same day/within 24 hours.  This was when Hope was turned back into Princess Gina and John back into the Pawn.  Either Stefano or John was the father of Zack.  The TPTB later retconned it to make Bo the father through "Mime Sex".  Yes, you read that correctly Mime Sex.

 

We discussed the plotline recently in the "Got Questions" thread for Days.  You should check it out, it was absurdly ridiculous.

[Happytobehere]

Just think about the added poignancy Zach's death at Chelsea's hands would have had had the original paternity options been left in place.

[JBC344]

It definitely would of made Bo helping Chelsea take on a different spin if Bo wasn't the biological father.

[BlackMamba]

Boy do I feel like an idiot. Brandon Beemer didn't start out playing Shawn D but Chelsea's attorney Brent Weiss.

Time 2:08

[JBC344]

Interesting.  I never noticed that.  Ironic considering Rachel Melvin played a "fake Georgia" that the Dimera's and Stan used to taunt Bo and Billie.  Then was hired later on as Chelsea.

[Dandesun]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

 

So the last update ended on a regretful note what with Steve and Kayla at something of an impasse regarding smuggled emeralds and Arthur Fonzarelli. This update brings pretty much on the same note. Kayla stomps along the riverfront docks as Steve calls after her angrily. This is an undisclosed period after Marlena’s party because Steve is no longer wearing his bolo tie and Kayla is not wearing her sixteen ton necklace of Cernunnos.

 

He wants the jewels back, although he calls them ‘the stuff,’ and she gives him all sorts of lip and dirty looks before storming off.

 

Then the Fonz shows up demanding the jewels and Steve bluffs his ass off. Except not really because he doesn’t actually have them and he doesn’t actually know where they are. He does, however, know they are not in a closet in Stockholm so that part is definitely a bluff. Fonzie gives him two hours to deliver the goods and the goes off to Lookout Point to make out with Pinky Tuscadero or something. Steve wanders off and is followed by some lady boots… oh, it’s Bracelet. Okay, I get it. It’s much colder in Salem these days. You can tell by Kayla’s on point trenchcoat game.

 

Steve heads to the Emergency Center to wheedle Kayla about the jewels some more but she’s not having it. Steve’s trying to tell her he’s got a deadline but she’s not very sympathetic. She says it’s not her fault he’s in trouble.

 

Welllll… I suppose it could be argued that it is, in a way, since she took the jacket and Steve says as much but, really, he doesn’t have a leg to stand on in this argument. Kayla didn’t do any of that on purpose and her stashing the jewels when she did meant that neither one of them got caught at the airport because that would have been a whole different kind of trouble. She wants to know why he got mixed up in this crap in the first place when he was on the side of the angels in Stockholm and seemed to like it.

 

I’d wager that Steve can’t really come up with an answer to that question. Luckily, he’s saved from answering by Maxwell showing up and babble about missing Steve and all that noise. He’s your typical soap cherub… not much in the way of acting but able to get about six words out at a time in a reasonable manner.

 

Fonzie glares through the door of the EC as Steve gives Max a present. Just to remind us all that Steve is totes on the clock here.! Steve then does his damndest to get Kayla and Max out of there so he can be menaced in private. Fonzie brandishes a wee knife, Steve fights back and runs for it and Bracelet plasters herself to the wall as they thunder past her.

 

Meanwhile, Kayla returns to the Brady Fish Market with Maxwell who had apparently done a runner to search for Steve and everyone was worried about him.

As they’re all relieved that Max is safe, Kayla and Drake!Roman engage in some sibling banter and it’s really lovely. This is another thing we don’t see much of anymore. It’s also a really long scene… Kayla switches the conversation to expressing her doubts about Steve and Roman sees right through her attempt to deflect this all onto Max and whether or not Steve’s a good influence on him. Of course, Roman is not exactly a champion for the Love Story of Steve and Kayla. Not even remotely but he does tell his sister that she sees the good in everyone… even though he reminds her that doesn’t always work out. It’s just a very nice scene.

 

Steve and the Fonz are playing hide and seek on the docks while all of this is going on. Steve loses and gets a knife in the gut for his trouble. Luckily, Bracelet is standing about a foot away watching this all play out so Fonzie decides not to finish Steve off and runs off to participate in a dance marathon with Shortcake, instead. Bracelet is reaching out to Steve (who somehow does not know she’s there) when the trip-trap of Kayla’s boots scares her off. Steve scrambles to his feet all grimacing smiles at Kayla who is still draped in the cloak of Over Your Shit. She asks him what he’s hiding in his jacket.

 

“Oh, just a bleeding stab wound… the usual.”

 

Actually, Steve denies, denies, denies and Kayla decides he’s drunk. He goes along with this convenient excuse and pulls more jerkass behavior to run her off. She leaves, disgusted, and he bleeds. He might be disgusted too but it’s hard to tell with all of the grimacing.

 

Kayla doesn’t even get to the top of the stairs before huffing to herself and going back. Steve has managed to stumble off but he’s also left a convenient trail of blood so she goes off to rescue him.

 

“Whether you like it or not, I’m taking you inside!”
“I don’t like it!”
“That’s tough!”

 

So, there she is, patching him up again (at this point, I sincerely doubt he got the “Patch” nickname because of his eye based on the sheer number of times Kayla has had to administer unto him.) Kayla is wearing this bizarre blouse… It looks like someone tried to marry ‘Little House on the Prairie’ to a sci-fi B-movie duct tape bedecked jumpsuit. It’s a white prairie style blouse with a red and black diamond adornment over each shoulder. It is exactly as ridiculous as it sounds.

 

They go on with their arguing. She thinks he could go a different way if he wanted to, he insists that he doesn’t have any options regarding the direction his life will go. He tells her he’d be better off without her suggesting things could be better. She says it’s not her fault he got stabbed.

 

Steve pulls the ‘oh it so is’ argument but immediately backtracks when she presses. She asks if this is about the emeralds and he decides to be coy, mocking her previous denials about knowing what the deal was. He insists that if she had left the jacket alone everything would be fine.

 

Kayla doesn’t buy this for a second. She tells him his decision to do something illegal and stupid is what got him into this mess because he’s the one who agreed to smuggle emeralds in the first place!

 

I love her.

 

She says she’ll give him the jewels if he promises not to do stupid shit that will get himself killed.

 

Seriously, I do love her but that’s just never going to happen. Especially on a soap. It’s what Mary Poppins would call a ‘pie crust promise: easily made, easily broken.’

 

The argument shifts to a very fatalistic tone when Steve says he doesn’t want the emeralds anymore. He’s a bad boy, that’s all he’ll ever be, he’ll live by the sword and die by the sword because that’s his choice and, anyway, he’s already dead inside so what does it matter if someone actually kills him?

 

Fuck. That took a dark turn.

 

Oh wait… the music starts playing. “If your heart comes out tonight… love can stay beyond the morning light… there’s a way to last another day… if your heart comes out tonight…”

 

Full on montage going on… with a lot of nursing I have to point out. Hmm… guess you’re not as dead inside as all that, eh Steve? Seriously, though, this is a lengthy lovers montage and these two still haven’t even kissed in real life yet! This suggests to me that shit is about to get real.

 

Frankie comes to visit Steve. He hems and haws before finally admitting that he’s into a girl. (Sweet Jennifer of the Dalmatian sweater.) Frankie’s love lorn and insists that even if Jen wasn’t into another dude he’s just not her type so it would never work out.

 

Steve thinks that’s crap and says type doesn’t matter if they really like each other. He then immediately gets a ‘I crapped my pants’ look when he realizes this fits his situation with Kayla. He backtracks and offers the tropes about another woman coming along and plenty of fish in the sea… but there isn’t a hell of a lot of confidence behind these words. Frankie can tell and doesn’t buy into the dreck Steve’s attempting to sell him. I think Steve knows it which is why he doesn’t put up too much of a fight when Frankie splits.

 

Kayla arrives with the bag of emeralds. Steve tries to pick the argument up where they left off but she’s done. She admits that she can’t stay away from him and asks him what the hell she’s supposed to do about that.

 

He grabs her… stares at her… and FINALLY! He kisses her. He kisses her good. They keep kissing.

 

Wow. They’re kissing for a long time. Good. The build-up here was extensive enough to warrant a long makeout session. They break apart long enough to say a few words about ‘all wrong’ and ‘I don’t care… I just want to be with you’ before making out some more.

 

When they come up for air, Steve admits that he’d better get himself out of this mess with Fonzie. However, he reminds Kayla that the odds of him getting into more trouble are pretty… well, let’s just say that at the track it’d be even money. Kayla brushes all that aside and says she wants to stay the night.

 

DAMN!

 

No one can say this lady doesn’t know what she wants! I kind of love how she’s all ‘we’ve been doing this dance forever… can we fuck already?’

 

Steve laughs nervously. He was not prepared for Kayla. He does the whole ‘oh no, I’d ruin you for all other men’ bravado but Kayla is determined.

 

“That’s fine. I just want you… and I know you want me.”
“Yeah, I want you, Kayla! Why shouldn’t I want you? You’re beautiful, you’re perfect, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted! But I can’t figure out why you’d want a one-eyed bum like me, I don’t know why! And until I find out I can’t let this go any further.”

 

Swoonworthy. Their song warbles in the background. Kayla leaves and I suspect she’s already gearing up for some quality time with her Hitachi Magic Wand that night. I am also certain she has named it Steve.

 

Until next time!

[Peanut6711]

This was top notch writing and acting! Nothing on screen today can even hold a candle to it.  One of my favorite scenes between Steve & Kayla.

[NumberCruncher]

Happy Thanksgiving indeed! Your classic S&K recaps fill me with joy, Dandesun--I openly and audibly laugh at multiple points so thanks for that.

[Happytobehere]

I just watched some of the Kayla returns storyline from 2010 and I can not believe how the show threw Stephanie under the bus and backed over her for the Melanie character. It's so bad, I had to stop watching. The sad part is that the actress who played Melanie was the lesser actor and Melanie does not seem to be especially likable as a character. No wonder Shelly Henning left.

[Peanut6711]

I just watched some of the Kayla returns storyline from 2010 and I can not believe how the show threw Stephanie under the bus and backed over her for the Melanie character. It's so bad, I had to stop watching. The sad part is that the actress who played Melanie was the lesser actor and Melanie does not seem to be especially likable as a character. No wonder Shelly Henning left.

The Melanie propping on the show was horrible back then. 

[tribeca]

The last time I saw Belle/Shawn they were trapped (Maybe ??) on an island.  It felt like they would never get home/

[Maelstrom]

The last time I saw Belle/Shawn they were trapped (Maybe ??) on an island. It felt like they would never get home/

With little toddler Claire who randomly started saying "horsey!" and "cookie!" in the middle of Belle's dramatic monologue. I still chuckle at the memory. (What can I say, odd things stick in my mind).

Edited December 13, 2015 by Maelstrom

[DisneyBoy]

How did Laura Horton leave the show and when did it happen? What about Celeste? I heard she came back (as a different actress) for Lexi's funeral...but where did she vanish to afterwards?

[JBC344]

Laura Horton has periodically come back to the show a few days here in the year over the last decade.  She hasn't really been a permanent fixture on the show since the end of the 90's I believe.  Currently she and Bill are still in Africa. 

 

Celeste currently lives in Chicago.  Apparently Tanya Boyd wasn't able to come back as Celeste during the "Lexi's death" storyline.  There were rumors that she had had a stroke, but those weren't true, thank god. Tanya has said publicly that there was a scheduling conflict unfortunately.  Anyway, they had Beverly Todd come in and play Celeste.  Beverly is a great actress in her own right, it just wasn't the same without Tanya.

 

They also used Beverly's Celeste to primarily usher in Cameron, her son as a new character to the show.  Overall she had some nice scenes with Lexi, Abe, Cameron, Stefano, etc, but didn't really get to do a whole lot.  Once Lexi died she disappeared back to Chicago.

[jsm1125]

When and to where did Lynn (the nurse who was in cahoots with Kristen and Stefano and who ended up being one of Sami's foils for drugging Austin) disappear?

Edited December 13, 2015 by jsm1125

[JBC344]

Nurse Lynn, disappeared pretty quickly after the whole "Sami raping Austin" storyline came out.  There was also a point where it seemed like they were chem testing her with Lucas.  I mentioned several years ago that it would of been interesting to bring her back as a love interest for Lucas.  The actress was pretty good.

[SanDiegoInExile]

Mary-Alise Recasner hasn't worked in the industry in almost 20 years.  She was great and this is the type of return that could be fun.  She could return to Salem as a DiMera cohort, a Kate foe, a Lucas partner-in-waiting, and tied into the Samanther ongoing mystery.  Sadly, DOOL tends to fail with returns from long ago.  Larry Welch's return was a boring nonsensical bust and they failed to use Jessica Blake Fallon aside from 20 lines of dialogue with her evil son.

 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0714413/

[Apprentice79]

Mary-Alise Recasner hasn't worked in the industry in almost 20 years.  She was great and this is the type of return that could be fun.  She could return to Salem as a DiMera cohort, a Kate foe, a Lucas partner-in-waiting, and tied into the Samanther ongoing mystery.  Sadly, DOOL tends to fail with returns from long ago.  Larry Welch's return was a boring nonsensical bust and they failed to use Jessica Blake Fallon aside from 20 lines of dialogue with her evil son.

 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0714413/

The show forgot that Marlena had a connection to his dad and they could have used that piece of history when Nick was harassing her grandson Will...

[Dandesun]

Okay, so last time they finally, finally, locked lips. We’re on a completely different page now… or are we?

 

The next we see Steve, he has clothed himself in the Armor of the Total Dillhole. Kayla comes traipsing down the docks hoping to spend the day with him and he is a complete ass to her. It’s like Danny and Sandy at the pep rally in Grease except that there isn’t an audience Steve’s trying to be cool for. He’s being a buttmunch all on his own.

 

Kayla’s thinking her vibrator is definitely winning the race today.

 

I have to say that Kayla’s hair is magnificent.

 

Steve manages to be insulting enough to run Kayla off and then the Fonz shows up. They wrestle and Steve disarms him. Meanwhile, Kayla is revealed to be hiding nearby listening to the proceedings. Well, that’s good… that was a dramatic turn in Steve’s behavior so I’m glad she was suspicious.

 

Steve gives back the emeralds and doesn’t take the money which making Hiding!Kayla really curious. She pops out after Fonz departs (presumably to give Chachi some tough love after burning down Arnold’s) and starts grilling him. They fight some more about the exact same shit. Ugh. Kayla mentally makes very detailed notes on how Steve can sexually make it up to her for being such a complete dick. I’m guessing this list is going to be very long in no time.

 

Meanwhile, a pair of slouchy tan ankle boots sneaks into Steve’s shithole apartment. I have boots like that now. I don’t think they’ve ever gone out of style. Oh, it’s Bracelet! She’s going through Steve’s drawers in search of… a red shoebox of crap with a toy train engine that looks like it’s leftover from the Great Depression and a bunch of super close up pictures of a boy, presumably Steve. So that plot is still simmering.

 

Am I really supposed to buy that Steve has this shoebox from the Island of Misfit Toys stashed away? Where was this when he was involved with Bo and Britta? Or when he was stalking Kayla? Whatever.

 

Anyway.

 

We next see Kayla at the hospital? Hm. Okay. There is sweet, young Jennifer looking very stylish in her baby blue sweater with silver metallic adornments.

 

Metallics were so hot in the 80s.

 

Jen seems to need love advice. Oh cripes, Kayla just took off her jacket to reveal her sweater which is just circles melting into circles melting into circles… Jen wins this round of 80s Fashionista Showdown is all I’m saying.

 

Anyway… I’m going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that Jen is talking about Frankie. Especially since this is the second parallel scene involving love advice that involves this foursome. First we had Steve/Frankie and now we have Kayla/Jen. The lady side of this discussion pretty much focuses on stupid men and their stupid secrets and shutting out the ladies that give a crap about them. Oh, it is a rough row to hoe.

 

I would feel better if Kayla mentioned something along the lines of ‘Men and their stupid manpain are ri-god-damn-diculous. Here is a gift certificate to The Pleasure Chest. You’ll thank me for it, I promise you.’

 

Steve’s harmonica alerts Bracelet to his imminent arrival. So she ducks and covers, accidentally dropping her hanky in the process. (How very 18th century!) Steve sees it and think that it’s Kayla’s. He looks extraordinarily smug at the thought of his Sweetness breaking and entering to drop random bits of fabric for him to find… and rather smugly goes off to smugly find her.

 

Kayla makes some small talk (still at the hospital) with the deliciously dreamy Mike Horton and his magnificent mullet about her raging sexual frustration with Steve. Mike is delightfully empathetic and ridiculously hot but then Steve arrives to be obnoxious about the hanky and Kayla brushes him off.

 

Oh, he’s such a douche! He had her… he had her… and his own stupid self-esteem crap caused him to send her home, then he’s a total ass to her, then he actually has the nerve to get vaguely jealous about Mike Horton when he was insisting that he liked too much variety to even consider hanging out with Kayla, then he gives her the ‘careful what you wish for -- you might get it and then you might not be able to handle it’ macho crap…

 

DOUCHE!!

 

So, of course, Kayla shows up at his hangout the next day because that’s just how this shit goes down.

 

Banter banter, bicker bicker… Ah, this is the ‘Kayla proves she can totes hang with Steve doing Riverfront stuff’ portion of the story. Five years later and “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places” would be in the background. (I’m thankful it’s not because I hate that fucking song.)

 

Kayla is absolutely inept and knows nothing about pool. Steve endures this patiently as if he weren’t the one being an absolute douchenozzle for the past several days. It’s a wee bit annoying because Kayla should not be the one putting in the hard work here after the way he’s acted.

 

I suppose this is the follow up to her conversation with Jen. Basically, these poor men are Helpless Fawns in the Forest of Emotion and it’s up to the lady in their life to not give up on them. They must persevere and break through to that poet warrior that lies underneath the rough exterior!

 

It’s still annoying.

 

Kayla is flush with triumph at her ‘success’ at pool while Steve gets squirrelly about being followed again. The docks are cold and Kayla manages to get Steve to use some body heat. He laments that she just won’t listen to him about being bad news. They start to kiss and then Steve decides to show Kayla he’s bad news by leaping on a passing woman to rough her up.

 

Actually, he thinks she’s Bracelet.

 

Close! Bracelet is actually lurking nearby. Steve’s nose doesn’t quite have the target down.

 

Steve escorts Kayla home and she definitely wants him to stick around again. Apparently, leaping on random passerbys on the docks really revs her motor. This girl is determined and there’s a lot of sexually charged banter flying between them. We get to the ‘you should be afraid’ ‘of what’ ‘this---’ trope as he lays another make out session on her.

 

The sexuality is amped up like crazy. Once again, she wants him to stay and, once again, he tries to be noble.

 

And they are killing me with cliches like:

 

“Look at me.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“You’re too damn beautiful.”

 

Look, I know how cheesy this is… but it’s a delicious cheese and it’s working. I am honestly surprised that their clothes haven’t melted off them.

She turns on the radio and, oh hey, it’s their song! So they eye fuck through the first verse and then start making out by the chorus…

 

And the phone rings…

 

Because of course.

 

It’s Tom Horton and he’s got horrible news. Steve walks Kayla to the Brady Fish Market but declines to go in. He’s not quite ready to be her romantic interest while she tells the family that Marlena is dead. I guess I can see this. This is probably one of the first times Marlena died… maybe if it were the 3rd or 4th time it wouldn’t have been a big deal.

 

More soon!!

[Happytobehere]

 

I suppose this is the follow up to her conversation with Jen. Basically, these poor men are Helpless Fawns in the Forest of Emotion and it’s up to the lady in their life to not give up on them. They must persevere and break through to that poet warrior that lies underneath the rough exterior!

 

Your Steve is a douche rant ain't seen nothing yet. Just remember when you think you could reach through the screen and kill him, we get stories where he steps up for Kayla big time, so hang on.

[Dandesun]

Steve and Kayla newbie recaps continue:

 

So we start this portion off with various Bradys coming together at the news of Marlena’s death. Kayla’s the one who found out from Tom Horton and went to the Fish Market where Sean and Carrie were… blissfully unawares of what has happened. After the break, Carrie is elsewhere and Sean is in the disbelief side of mourning. ‘How can this have happened?’ That sort of thing… which is when Kim arrives.

 

Shortly after that, Drake!Roman comes in. I think he’s supposed to be shell shocked but he comes off as a bit stoned more than anything. Everyone gathers around him and Sean offers him cocoa or tea.

 

Cocoa or tea?!

 

Aren’t the Bradys supposed to be Irish? I mean, Sean sure as hell sounds Irish. What the hell is this? Offer Drake!Roman some fucking Jameson’s, people!

 

Kim takes Kayla aside and tells her to allow herself to react and mourn this. She’s the ‘tower of strength’ which Kayla sort of shrugs over and says that’s what she was trained for. Kim worries over her which is really sweet. Family taking care of each other… I do actually think that Days is better at this than other soaps in this day and age but these scenes are still in a different area code altogether.

 

Kayla goes to leave but tells Roman (who is sitting there staring at his hand… seriously, stoned out of his mind) that she loves him. Like I said, it’s really nice.

 

She goes outside and there is Steve huddled in the cold waiting for her. Aww. He says he wasn’t sure if she was staying at Brady Central or not so he hung around in case she needed somebody.

 

She doesn’t say anything. She just turns and gives him this Look.

 

A better example of pure, unadulterated Good Girl Vulnerability I am hard pressed to think of at the moment. It is so intense I want to wrap her up in a blanket and give her cocoa… laced with Jameson’s. Steve has absolutely no defense against this. He tucks her under his arm and off they go…

 

To the docks. Of course. Kayla starts talking about the light going out of Roman’s eyes, how they had everything with Carrie and the twins and how Marlena was good and kind so this shouldn’t have happened to her before breaking down. This, naturally, gives Steve the opportunity to be all supportive and caring again.

 

But, really, the docks are no place for this sort of thing (who knows, Fonzie might decide to take a break from shark jumping and threaten Steve again) so we next see them at the loft. Now, I’ll be totally honest, the 80s are absolutely responsible for my coveting those industrial sliding doors. They were a staple on living space sets in movies and television. I still think they’re cool. Anyway, Kayla’s certain that this tragedy has Orpheus written all over it. Steve seems to agree and says it’s the reason she shouldn’t be alone. Kayla says she doesn’t want to be alone.

 

Wow. This might be the first time they’ve ever agreed on something. And all it took was Marlena’s tragic death for this miracle to occur.

 

The next morning they’re sacked out on the couch fully clothed. Grief sex? What’s that? It’s certainly not how mega-couples got their start back in the day! We get Steve’s hand drifting up Kayla’s body and then flopping on her face for a moment of levity before they wake up and she freaks out realizing what time it is.

 

Apparently, she had difficulty sleeping the night before. God knows what they did because it sure wasn’t sex but… whatever. She’s expected at the Fish Market and everyone’s going to be wondering what’s up.

 

But it’s not so dire… Kayla manages to make time for some romantic hugging and hair stroking that is clearly moving towards Make Out City before she pulls herself together and sends him to the shower. And that’s when her mother, Caroline, conveniently arrives to check on her. Kayla admits to not sleeping well the night before to explain her tardiness and, wouldn’t you know? That’s when Steve comes rocketing down the stairs in nothing but a towel.

 

Consternation! Uproar!

 

Caroline gets her Judgement on big time. Oo… this is heated! Caroline is basically under the impression that Kayla fucked her cares away while Roman was mourning the death of his beloved Marlena. Sleep-deprived Kayla is not. having. it. She tells her mother that nothing happened but she wishes it did. Caroline continues to be all Judgey McJudge at her daughter and… wait a second… didn’t Caroline cheat on Sean with Victor Kiriakas? Didn’t that result in Bo? Who she raised as Sean’s son? Caroline might want to check herself… especially since Kayla was not riding Steve like a barrel racer the night before.

 

Caroline sort of apologizes… she blames the whole Marlena tragedy for her bitchy judgement crap and Kayla sort of accepts this apology… this is rough on everyone. Caroline leaves saying she’ll bring Max to the EC for Kayla to watch later on. Steve comes down and pulls all sorts of attitude because his manly pride has been wounded. The Bradys look down on him so he’s not good enough for precious Princess Kayla.

 

Kayla is all ‘this shit again?!’ Once again she tells Steve that her family has no say in deciding what she wants and when he asks her what that is she grabs him and kisses him.

 

Well, he did ask.

 

Later, Caroline brings Max to the EC where Kayla has forgotten that was happening because it is slammed. She’s short-handed, the phone is ringing off the hook, and a day player stands about a foot away from her whining ‘Nurse, I’m still waiting’ during the entire scene. Luckily, Steve comes by to look after Max for Kayla…

 

He takes Max to the Cheating Heart to play pool. Kayla is absolutely livid when she finds them there because it’s no place for a little boy!

 

Well, I beg to differ… but I spent more than a few hours in bars when I was a kid. Nothing untoward… I wasn’t hustling anyone at pool, drinking underage or anything like that. I was fully supervised by both parents as were my siblings. We played pinball, Pac-Man and fed quarters in the jukebox as my Dad socialized with people for work. These places were closer to dive bars than they were posh lounges but nothing bad ever happened there. They’re good memories, actually. And the Cheating Heart doesn’t seem all that worse than the Horse and Buggy. Basically, there are worse places for a child to be if they’re supervised.

 

Kayla, however, does not approve.

 

This leads to yet another ‘we don’t see things the same’ argument. Steve tells Kayla that she needs to think about what she wants and leaves. Kayla says she’s already made up her mind to the empty loft as their song warbles in the background.

 

Scene shift! It is now snowy and poinsettias are everywhere. It must be Christmas in Salem! Steve is wandering about playing his harp -- ah, Silent Night -- as Kayla tracks him down.

 

She tells him that she’s thought about his most recent ‘take me as I am or not at all’ ultimatum and has made her decision -- which she shows by initiating a bit of a makeout session.

 

After all that build up they aren’t being coy with the kissing now, that’s for sure. I appreciate that.

 

Ten minutes of kissing later, Steve wants her to tell him ‘in words.’ Yeah. Kayla was being real cryptic there, Steve,

 

“I want you, Steve. Nothing else matters.”

 

So of course, Steve turns on the douche in response to this. “The woman of my dreams just said she wants me! I must repel her!”

 

He basically tells her that he’s a free agent, answers to no one, does what he wants, sees who he wants, doesn’t have to bother with civil discourse or common courtesy in regards to her and she just has to deal with it.

 

Kayla tells him to go shit in his hat in the nicest way possible before storming off. Steve is left with a perplexed look on his face, like, he’s honestly surprised she didn’t go for that.

 

Steve, you’re an idiot.

 

Their song starts warbling again so we see them solo around town -- Steve pops into the empty Fish Market and is legit surprised when Kayla’s not there waiting for him. Kayla drifts around the Brady house, interrupting Carrie and Frankie studying by knocking shit over.

 

She gets out of there and runs into Steve. He’s all soft and ‘You okay?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Good -- now get out of here and don’t look back.’

 

Kayla has had. it. She doesn’t buy his line about protecting her, she’s pretty sure he’s just protecting himself (she ain’t wrong, either.) She has a whole monologue about Roman and Marlena and how they at least had their love for a time.

 

Steve insists that they don’t belong together. Ha! Dude, that’s hilarious. This video is from 1986 and 29 years later, I just watched Steve propose to Kayla in five languages. Steve is talking out of his ass.

 

Kayla agrees with me. She thinks that they have a shot at something special and refuses to just give up.

 

Although she will go cry on a nearby park bench about it.

 

He follows her because he’s as good at staying away from her as she is from him. He thinks she’s crazy for wasting her time on a guy like him. She tells him to look her in the eye and say he doesn’t care about her. If he can do that, she’ll walk away forever.

 

So he does and she leaves. The End.

 

Of course not! We all know how this works! He can’t even get close to looking her in the eye when he says he doesn’t care. Kayla calls him out and he gets all emotional when he admits (again) that he does care and he does want her.

 

“I care about you and I want you. Okay?! I can’t fight you anymore, Kayla. But I can tell you the truth. I still think you’re making a big mistake here.”

 

And they hug it out.

 

Kayla goes to be with her family after Steve agrees that she’ll probably see him the next day. He’s left outside tearfully laughing and wondering what the hell he got himself into.

 

Well, I know some of it and he was probably right to advise Kayla to run the other way. But then where would we be? This is a soap, after all. The course of true love never did run smooth.

Edited December 20, 2015 by Dandesun

[bobcat1946]

I guess Syd was needed for Nicole to kidnap and have a story for years.

Kayla's devastation when Steve died still brings me to tears....Kayla loved Steve and when he died, she died as well...She had  to go on for Stefanie..

She had to live to defend Steve's precious self righteous trollop niece against her own blood niece.

Edited December 19, 2015 by bobcat1946

[Lisa418722]

She had to live to defend Steve's precious self righteous trollop niece against her own blood niece.

 

Applause!  Applause!!!  I was reamed on another board earlier this summer (before SN's return) when I said it seemed MBE could only be in scenes with Abby rather than her blood nieces and nephews.  I was told that Abby and Kayla consider themselves close family and no one on the Brady side really needs to have a relationship with Kayla.  Then the stuff started happening with Caroline and Kayla was in scenes with her own family rather than her rapist's family. I sometimes wonder if the writers felt they had to play up the relationship between Abby and Kayla because KM is such a weak actress, she has to be in scenes with someone who can carry it.  

 

 

Steve insists that they don’t belong together. Ha! Dude, that’s hilarious. This video is from 1986 and 29 years later, I just watched Steve propose to Kayla in five languages. Steve is talking out of his ass.

 

This made me LOL.  True, so true.  

[Peanut6711]

I have always adored Kayla but her defense of Trollop, the demon spawn of her rapist, in the face of her own niece who was speaking nothing but the truth was utterly disgusting. The writers from 1986 would never have written Kayla that way. Kayla should have stood by Sami and tossed Abs lazy, never-shows-up-for-work ass to the curb. 

[Happytobehere]

I have always adored Kayla but her defense of Trollop, the demon spawn of her rapist, in the face of her own niece who was speaking nothing but the truth was utterly disgusting. The writers from 1986 would never have written Kayla that way. Kayla should have stood by Sami and tossed Abs lazy, never-shows-up-for-work ass to the curb.

I wasn't watching when this occurred, but when I heard it, it was clear whoever wrote that blatant Abby prop either did not know or did not care about who Kayla really was. I rationalize it by reminding myself of EJ's retconned involvement in torturing Steve, and the fact that family wasn't Sami's priority when she was banging EJ and proclaiming him the love of her life despite what he did to her family.

[bobcat1946]

I just took it that Kayla was ok with Steve's niece banging a dimera. I know Kayla could not care less about Sami but wouldn't she want better for the niece that she did love. After all her favorite niece  was banging the man who tortured her beloved.

Edited December 20, 2015 by bobcat1946

[Peanut6711]

From Kayla's position as Chief of Staff the real issue was that Trollop as a hospital employee was banging a member of the board which was against hospital policy. What she might have thought of EJ was irrelevant, Trollop broke policy and thus should have been terminated. Kayla has generally been presented as a person of integrity. So Sami having to twist her arm and Kayla getting all haughty about it was out of character. 

[teacake]

From Kayla's position as Chief of Staff the real issue was that [Abby] as a hospital employee was banging a member of the board which was against hospital policy. What she might have thought of EJ was irrelevant, [Abby] broke policy and thus should have been terminated. Kayla has generally been presented as a person of integrity. So Sami having to twist her arm and Kayla getting all haughty about it was out of character. 

 

I thought this would have had more weight if they had played that conflict all along during EJ and Abby's affair, but having Sami bring it up just to get Abby fired seemed vindictive.  Sami using Kayla's position and integrity to get what she wanted, when she's never really had much herself, seemed pretty selective.

 

I'm sure the writers didn't think this deeply about it, but as a longtime fan I wondered whether Kayla was responding negatively to Sami's "woman-scorned" rage.  She was in a similar position to Abby when she was cheating on Jack, and I definitely saw shades of Jack's rage in what Sami was doing.  From that point of view, It made sense to me that Kayla would relate more to Abby.

Edited December 21, 2015 by lska

[jlrd2000]

From Kayla's position as Chief of Staff the real issue was that Trollop as a hospital employee was banging a member of the board which was against hospital policy. What she might have thought of EJ was irrelevant, Trollop broke policy and thus should have been terminated. Kayla has generally been presented as a person of integrity. So Sami having to twist her arm and Kayla getting all haughty about it was out of character.

I agree. When you strip away the fact that Kayla was related to both Abby (by marriage) and Sami (by blood), the fact is that a hospital employee violated hospital policy. I was never a Sami fan, but in all fairness Abby had every right to be fired. Having Kayla treat Sami as if she was the devil himself just because she brought Abby's crap out, was a slap in the face to Kayla fans. If Kayla had a problem in enforcing hospital policy due to a conflict with family members, perhaps she should have taken the issue to someone who could have been impartial.

[Lisa418722]

I'm sure the writers didn't think this deeply about it, but as a longtime fan I wondered whether Kayla was responding negatively to Sami's "woman-scorned" rage.  She was in a similar position to Abby when she was cheating on Jack, and I definitely saw shades of Jack's rage in what Sami was doing.  From that point of view, It made sense to me that Kayla would relate more to Abby.

 

I have to disagree because Steve and Kayla were in love before he broke up with her and she married Jack.  Then when Kayla found out why Steve broke up with her, yes, they had an affair.  Abby and EJ did not have an earlier relationship, they were not in love. They were horny and in lust.  I think that's the big difference.  

[teacake]

I have to disagree because Steve and Kayla were in love before he broke up with her and she married Jack.  Then when Kayla found out why Steve broke up with her, yes, they had an affair.  Abby and EJ did not have an earlier relationship, they were not in love. They were horny and in lust.  I think that's the big difference.  

 

Yeah, I'm not really comparing Steve and Kayla with Abby and EJ, so much as Jack's and Sami's reactions to the affairs, and how that might come off to Kayla.  If a man had raped me because he was so enraged that I cheated, I wouldn't necessarily be Team Sami in this situation.  I'm sure she would have counseled Abby not to cheat earlier, but that cake was baked at that point, and Kayla's not really the type to encourage people to be vindictive or make a bad situation worse like Sami was doing.  I totally understood why she didn't appreciate Sami using her in that way.

[QuelleC]

Sami had just found out about the affair and after dealing with EJ she went on to Abifail.  Sami respectfully put forth the facts to Kayla at a scheduled meeting in her office.  She didn't just grab her in the Horton Square or anything and start shouting at her.  When Kayla refused that's when Sami got serious.  The firing was entirely justified and yes it was a slap in the face to Kayla fans when Kayla took Failure's side.  As far as being vindictive, this was the least Sami should or could have done. Her attention was on EJ and blaming him primarily, and this was just a mess she was cleaning up.  I could watch her toss it over Jenn's stair rail over and over and over. 

Edited December 21, 2015 by QuelleC

[Peanut6711]

Jack and Sami's reactions to their situations were entirely different.  Jack reacted with abusive violence, committing one of the worst crimes against women, all because the wife that he knew married him out of pity and didn't love him, had returned to her former lover and was planning on leaving him.  Even if Kayla and Steve had did the horizontal on the Deveraux dining room table in front of Jack, which they didn't, it wouldn't have justified Jack's extreme, violent, and illegal reaction--his violation of Kayla's body. Sami on the other hand basically presented the facts regarding Abigail's violation of company policy to her superior. Her tactics weren't violent. They weren't illegal. It wasn't even illogical. Thus there were no conclusions that Kayla should have drawn between what was happening in Sami's situation with what happened to her in the past. The only logical conclusion she might have drawn was that Abigail couldn't contain her sexual urges much better than her father. 

[teacake]

Sami on the other hand basically presented the facts regarding Abigail's violation of company policy to her superior. Her tactics weren't violent. They weren't illegal. It wasn't even illogical.

 

I found Sami and Jack's tactics quite similar.  After the rape, Jack spent months using his position as the town councilman and later a newspaper publisher to find every way he could to stick it to Steve and Kayla.  Sami also chose to use her power to do damage to Abby's career and reputation, also in response to being the wronged party in an affair.

 

The idea that Sami, queen of the hospital records switch, was motivated by principle or ethics when she was going after Abby... that's what I find hard to believe.

 

The only logical conclusion she might have drawn was that Abigail couldn't contain her sexual urges much better than her father.

 

There really is no comparison between Abby's consensual affair and Jack being a rapist.

[QuelleC]

Sami had no power at the hospital and she didn't switch records or do anything untoward.  She scheduled a meeting with the chief of staff.  I wish she'd done more.  Much more. Cheeses, as I recall, Failure marched in and had the gall to slap Sami in the face and she bit her tongue and wouldn't stoop to her level. This is after she was trusted to watch Sami's kids and confided in Sami about a pregnancy scare - With EJ.

Edited December 21, 2015 by QuelleC

[teacake]

Sami had no power at the hospital

 

That's just not true.  She used her leverage as a board member and threatened to pull a major donation to get what she wanted.  I get that the rules said that Abby should be fired.  Knowing Sami and her past, I just don't buy for a second that ethics and principles as a board member had anything to do with her bringing the issue to Kayla's attention.  It was spite and vindictiveness.  And just like in the aftermath of Kayla and Steve's affair, sometimes that comes back to bite the person who couldn't let it go as hard as anyone else.  It's easy to let that righteous anger turn you into the villain instead of the victim.  That's the commonality I see between Sami and Jack.

[LeftPhalange]

I found Sami and Jack's tactics quite similar.  After the rape, Jack spent months using his position as the town councilman and later a newspaper publisher to find every way he could to stick it to Steve and Kayla.  Sami also chose to use her power to do damage to Abby's career and reputation, also in response to being the wronged party in an affair.

 

The idea that Sami, queen of the hospital records switch, was motivated by principle or ethics when she was going after Abby... that's what I find hard to believe.

 

Sami may have said Abifail should be fired because it was the ethical thing to do but that was just to get Kayla to have the conversation with her. It was very obvious that she was really motivated by revenge and she never really tried to hide that. 

 

Abifail hardly ever did any work and her continuing to receive a paycheck was a waste of hospital funds. That alone should have been enough to terminate her employment. 

[Peanut6711]

I found Sami and Jack's tactics quite similar.  After the rape, Jack spent months using his position as the town councilman and later a newspaper publisher to find every way he could to stick it to Steve and Kayla.  Sami also chose to use her power to do damage to Abby's career and reputation, also in response to being the wronged party in an affair.

If Sami would have grabbed Abs by her much-in-need-of-a-shampoo hair, threw her across the room, and beat her to a pulp while she screamed for help, then her reaction might have been similar to Jack's, but as it played out Sami remained remarkably calm and controlled.   Jack's deviant actions stemmed from being biter and taking a bash to his bloated ego. Sami's actions were out of hurt, heartbreak, and betrayal. She was seeking "justice" as the wronged party through legally viable means. Jack took justice into his own hands when he raped his wife as punishment and to prove his male prowess. 

 

Not to mention that the background situations were entirely different too. Kayla did not love Jack. He knew that. She loved Steve. Jack knew that too. She was planning on leaving him and would have left sooner but stayed to save Jack a public humiliation due to the election.  On the other hand, EJ did not love Abs. He made that quite clear to her when she stalked him to his office one day. He had no plans to leave Sami. Abigail had no future with EJ; she was merely screwing him for her own enjoyment. 

 

There really is no comparison between Abby's consensual affair and Jack being a rapist.

 

They both have impulse control issues in regards to their sexuality and delusions of superiority. Just watch the scene following Kayla's rape. Jack can't believe Kayla could choose Steve over him. Abigail often sounded much the same way when it came to EJ choosing Sami. 

 

Knowing Sami and her past, I just don't buy for a second that ethics and principles as a board member had anything to do with her bringing the issue to Kayla's attention.

 

But it doesn't really matter what Sami's motivation for bringing the infraction to Kayla's attention was. The point is that Abigail was in violation of hospital policy and Kayla should have remained impartial and non-judgmental and done her job. If she felt she couldn't separate the family issues then she could have turned it over to Anne who I'm sure would have been more than happy to rightfully terminate Abs employment. The fact that Kayla acted how she did was out of character.

[bobcat1946]

Yes Sami was out for revenge but abifail's loose moral gave her grounds to fire her.  She would still be fired had Chad who wanted in her drawers not let her have her job backi.

Edited December 21, 2015 by bobcat1946

[QuelleC]

OK, I forgot about the Dimera donation she said she'd direct to a different hospital.  That's after Kayla refused to follow hospital rules. But it was more than that, she was propping the damn Failure.  You don't like Sami, that's OK too.  I just don't think she's the evil.  All her tricks were about finding love Robomar withheld.  Failure?  Just wants dick as far as I can tell.  Sami is way more honest with herself. 

 

ETA I was very disappointed Chad got her job back.  It's not like being back there was any kind of plot point other than to get her to look at him again.  It was just more propping from this show. So in the end she was pampered and had no repercussions at all from the affair with EJ.

Edited December 21, 2015 by QuelleC

[Happytobehere]

I have to disagree because Steve and Kayla were in love before he broke up with her and she married Jack. Then when Kayla found out why Steve broke up with her, yes, they had an affair. Abby and EJ did not have an earlier relationship, they were not in love. They were horny and in lust. I think that's the big difference.

Another reason Steve/Kayla/Jack differ from Abby/EJ/Sami is that Steve and Kayla slept together one time in the cabin after the Jack is Billy reveal. Although they would meet up leading to the election (Kayla only stood with Jack on Steve and Jo's insistence that she not leave Jack before the election and cause him public humiliation). There was no love in the EJ/Abby relationship, it was purely sex and not once did Sami's feelings enter their minds. No such concern for Sami being humiliated came into play.

Jack and Sami's reactions to their situations were entirely different. Jack reacted with abusive violence, committing one of the worst crimes against women, all because the wife that he knew married him out of pity and didn't love him, had returned to her former lover and was planning on leaving him. Even if Kayla and Steve had did the horizontal on the Deveraux dining room table in front of Jack, which they didn't, it wouldn't have justified Jack's extreme, violent, and illegal reaction--his violation of Kayla's body. Sami on the other hand basically presented the facts regarding Abigail's violation of company policy to her superior. Her tactics weren't violent. They weren't illegal. It wasn't even illogical. Thus there were no conclusions that Kayla should have drawn between what was happening in Sami's situation with what happened to her in the past. The only logical conclusion she might have drawn was that Abigail couldn't contain her sexual urges much better than her father.

Strangely, the rape in the vacuum of the Jack character while repulsive and evil, follows the pattern of men who were just like Jack - obsessed stalkers. Look at what his "relationship" with Kayla consisted of prior to his knowingly guilt-tripping and manipulating her into marriage. From the moment Jack arrived in Salem, he treated Kayla as if he were in a romantic relationship with her, even though she was clearly not interested. He would touch her and she would pull away. He followed her around and forced his company upon her. Even during the On the Run story when Kayla came back, Jack insisted on being one of the people who saw her at the police station, he insisted on being a part of her luncheon with her parents, even knowing that Steve was innocent, and Kayla wanted to be with Steve, Jack refused to back off, and on, and on. Heck, shortly before raping Kayla, Jack told Steve he knew that Kayla didn't love him the way she loved Steve. Jack knew full well that he had entered into a marriage based on his obsession and not one based on love. Heck, when he found Steve and Kayla together, he knew full well that they were not merely friends having a spaghetti dinner together; note the threats to destroy Steve started then. Jack used a sexual act to demonstrate his control of and power over Kayla.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Happytobehere

[swtrgrl]

I personally don't have issues with anything Sami did to Abigail. Abi pretended to be her friend, babysat the kids and slept with her husband. End of story.

Is Sami guilty of doing horrible things? Sure but they're not "in" this particular conversation. Those are separate issues. Sami usually got hers in the end after messing up/cheating, etc...

[teacake]

They both have impulse control issues in regards to their sexuality and delusions of superiority. Just watch the scene following Kayla's rape. Jack can't believe Kayla could choose Steve over him. Abigail often sounded much the same way when it came to EJ choosing Sami.

Going down this path seems to open Steve and Kayla, who had their own "impulse control" issues when it came to sex, to comparisons with Kayla's rapist as well.  And it's not like Sami's actions weren't driven by her own disbelief that EJ would fuck Abby.

 

But it doesn't really matter what Sami's motivation for bringing the infraction to Kayla's attention was. The point is that Abigail was in violation of hospital policy and Kayla should have remained impartial and non-judgmental and done her job. If she felt she couldn't separate the family issues then she could have turned it over to Anne who I'm sure would have been more than happy to rightfully terminate Abs employment. The fact that Kayla acted how she did was out of character.

 

I don't know why Kayla should have remained non-judgmental of Sami's motives, and simply let herself be used as a tool of revenge against someone else she cared about.  Where in Kayla's nature or character has she ever indulged someone's vengeful schemes?  Not wanting to be part of more destructiveness and vindictiveness is totally Kayla.

 

Sami getting her way wasn't impartial, except in Sami's own mind.  Sami wanted to make Kayla choose her, when there was no real reason that Kayla needed to take sides between two of her nieces, except Sami's ego and pride.

 

 

I personally don't have issues with anything Sami did to Abigail. Abi pretended to be her friend, babysat the kids and slept with her husband. End of story.

Is Sami guilty of doing horrible things? Sure but they're not "in" this particular conversation. Those are separate issues. Sami usually got hers in the end after messing up/cheating, etc...

 

Sami's past is relevant when the argument is that Abby should have been fired because of ethics and principles.  Sami doesn't have any.  And Kayla knows that, and could see through her bullshit from a mile away.

Edited December 22, 2015 by lska