Salem International: Casting Notes: Arrivals & Departures

[DisneyBoy]

If there any problems with a writer's strike or an actor strike stemming from Union negotiations, at least DAYS will have 6 months of material in the can to hold them over. Just trying to look on the bright side of things even though I agree with you.

 

When is Billy Flynn's contract up? I can't imagine he would want to stay with the show if it continues struggling the way it has and he's trapped in crappy storylines the way he has been for the last year. I honestly hope he stays until the show gets canceled because he's one of the few really good actors they have, even if I'm a little bored with him right now. He's better than Lani, Jade, Joey and even Sonny combined.

Edited July 6, 2017 by DisneyBoy

[carrier76]

Vivienne Jovanni is better than the correct Jade actress.

[Silver Raven]

There's a new interview with Ariane Zucker in Soap Opera Digest.  I haven't read it, but there is a small quote from their website: In the new issue of Digest, Arianne Zucker talks about her final moments in Salem as DAYS’s Nicole. “I wanted to go out with a good feeling, not sad, because the journey still continues for me,” says Zucker. Meanwhile, Zucker doesn’t rule out a return to DAYS down the line. “I think the biggest thing is it’s never over,” she notes. “You see characters come back all the time, so for me to be like, ‘Good-bye! This is it!’ I just don’t feel that way.” To read more from the actress, pick up the latest issue of Digest.

Edited July 9, 2017 by Silver Raven

[DisneyBoy]

Good. Hope for Ericole as Endgame.

Edited July 8, 2017 by DisneyBoy

[swtrgrl]

So Joey is out

[Silver Raven]

Brandon Beemer and Martha Madison are coming back.  Don't know for how long.

[Bwill3133]

Really? I'm happy about that but geez how many times are they going to come back and get fired before MM and BB are like, "No thanks." 

[DisneyBoy]

Good question. I hope Ron can give them some good "couple" moments because their previous appearances didn't really allow them to charm us. I really like them now (versus the previous actors) but they definitely need some strong writing to support them and give them a reason to stay on the show or come back again in the future.

Wouldn't it be amazing to finally have a Christmas in Salem where John and Marlena are surrounded by all of their kids? If they can get Christy Clark to come back too, then that means we might finally see Sami, Carrie, Will, Claire, Belle and Brady all together for the holidays.

[FnkyChkn34]

I always preferred Jason Cook as Shawn-D, but I don't dislike BB, so I'll take the character back any way I can get him.  Shawn-D is one of my favorites (when written well, of course [let's ignore that crap with Lani and pretend it never happened]).

[Silver Raven]

3 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

we might finally see Sami, Carrie, Will, Claire, Belle and Brady all together for the holidays.

Don't forget Eric.  :)

[Apprentice79]

2 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Don't forget Eric.  :)

No Paul, I hope that it is revealed that he is Tony's son or Peter's son. Paul should be a Dimera. 

[DisneyBoy]

I agree I don't want Paul being John's son either...but I'm not sure who he should belong to.

And yes Eric, of course!

[FnkyChkn34]

5 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

I agree I don't want Paul being John's son either...but I'm not sure who he should belong to.

And yes Eric, of course!

Can't he just be unrelated?  Like Nicole and Chloe were when they first came to town.

[Apprentice79]

1 hour ago, DisneyBoy said:

I agree I don't want Paul being John's son either...but I'm not sure who he should belong to.

And yes Eric, of course!

Will having slept with John's son is gross to me, even though there is no blood connection between John and Will. Will grew up with John as his grandfather as well. It is like Carrie sleeping with Brady...Carrie spent a good chunk of her life as John's daughter.. Days has always good at stressing that family is not just biological. We have had tons of relationships on the show built on that premise..

[teacake]

16 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Brandon Beemer and Martha Madison are coming back.  Don't know for how long.

Martha just took a new job outside acting, so I hope it's not for long.  I don't care for them (although I'd like to see Shawn alone for a while) and so tired of their returns.

[Silver Raven]

Bonnie Lockhart is reportedly coming back.  I don't know for how long.  I wonder if she's part of Anjelica's revenge storyliine.

[nilyank]

29 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Bonnie Lockhart is reportedly coming back.  I don't know for how long.  I wonder if she's part of Anjelica's revenge storyliine.

Good lord, so it begins with Ron. Is Judi Evans going to play a dual role?

[boes]

1 hour ago, Silver Raven said:

Bonnie Lockhart is reportedly coming back.  I don't know for how long.  I wonder if she's part of Anjelica's revenge storyliine.

Oh no.....nononononono.  Not to Bonnie so much, but does that mean Mimi will be darkening Salem's door as well.

Just say NO to Farah Fath.   Please....

[Silver Raven]

1 hour ago, nilyank said:

Good lord, so it begins with Ron. Is Judi Evans going to play a dual role?

Yes.

[JBC344]

3 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Bonnie Lockhart is reportedly coming back.  I don't know for how long.  I wonder if she's part of Anjelica's revenge storyliine.

What do you suppose would be the connection to Anjelica?  Bonnie's nemesis was always Maggie, or the nosy Hortons in general.  I'm really glad at the thought of having Bonnie back.  I hope this means we might get closer to having Patrick Lockhart back.  I would much rather see Hope forgive him and rekindle a romance than what we have with Rafe.

[Jaded]

Doppelgangers 

[DisneyBoy]

This could end up being too much. Adrienne/Bonnie, Hattie/Mar, Shane/NotShane, Kristen/WhoeverElse...all on in one year?

Edited July 19, 2017 by DisneyBoy

[mj2000]

While I love Judi, I could never get into Bonnie. To me, she was a pointless and irritating character. 

[Silver Raven]

I'd love to see Hattie and Bonnie fighting over John or Roman.

[Apprentice79]

Bonnie was a hoot and I loved her at the Horton Christmas  gathering with that big ornament...lol

[swtrgrl]

I just don't want it to become the doppelganger show. 

[Apprentice79]

53 minutes ago, swtrgrl said:

I just don't want it to become the doppelganger show. 

Ron likes campiness, so, that is what we will get..  Bonnie was never meant to be Adrienne's double.. Ron has changed that...

[teacake]

2 hours ago, Apprentice79 said:

Ron likes campiness, so, that is what we will get..  Bonnie was never meant to be Adrienne's double.. Ron has changed that...

Really good point.

As a first story, I would much rather have seen something showing where Ron will take the central characters.  Gimmickry as a first stop doesn't seem like a good sign.

Edited July 20, 2017 by lska

[BlackMamba]

Jack is back

When he'll return and in what form, no idea yet

But check the mod and it's totally him

 

[mariah23]

31 minutes ago, BlackMamba said:

Jack is back

When he'll return and in what form, no idea yet

But check the mod and it's totally him

 

So I've been screaming my head off for the past five minutes...

[tawny411]

I'm happy for the people who are excited. I can't think of a single current character or return that will get me watching again.I was really hopeful when Dena was fired, and Ron hired. But I'm seeing nothing of interest.

[DisneyBoy]

I don't see how his return will improve things, but I was never a fan of his in particular. I'm kinda hoping it's ghost Jack again...but yay for those who wanted him back.

I noticed Jennifer's line about having had "one great love" in her life last week...and how Daniel wasn't included in that statement. Seems likely to me that Ron will bring Jack back.

[Bwill3133]

Wow. Can't say I'm surprised. Jennifer and Eric is dead so I guess they are bringing Jack back for her. 

[DisneyBoy]

Hey there's a positive spin - Eric won't be saddled with Abigail as a step daughter!

[nilyank]

45 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

Hey there's a positive spin - Eric won't be saddled with Abigail as a step daughter!

That only makes him available as a potential mate.

[FnkyChkn34]

I like Jack and I guess I'll be happy to see him back, but I'm really getting sick of everyone rising from the dead.  I know it's a soap opera thing to do, but... ugh.  And if Jack can come back, why can't Bo??  I'm sure they could work something out with PR that everyone could agree to; I don't like that the show is so strict and stingy when it comes to the actors' contracts.

[Apprentice79]

21 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

I like Jack and I guess I'll be happy to see him back, but I'm really getting sick of everyone rising from the dead.  I know it's a soap opera thing to do, but... ugh.  And if Jack can come back, why can't Bo??  I'm sure they could work something out with PR that everyone could agree to; I don't like that the show is so strict and stingy when it comes to the actors' contracts.

Jack and Will should have never been killed off.   It astounds me that Ken Corday would have allowed that to happen.. Peter Reckell chose to leave the show, but, they could have given  Bo a better sendoff..

Edited July 21, 2017 by Apprentice79

[DisneyBoy]

I also don't feel quite right about so many characters rising from the dead. I know people will hand wave it just to get their favorite people back on the show but it really kills the dramatic tension.

[Apprentice79]

Just now, DisneyBoy said:

I also don't feel quite right about so many characters rising from the dead. I know people will hand wave it just to get their favorite people back on the show but it really kills the dramatic tension.

That ship has sailed after the many times that the Dimeras have come back to life. Plus, Stefano was made to be the one to have kept Marlena, Hope and Steve away from their families, when others were responsible for their presumed deaths. Stefano was only  responsible for Roman's death at the beach.

[JBC344]

Considering that Jack has returned from the dead previously even after Jennifer donated his organs, I'm more than willing to suspend disbelief if he is in fact coming back as an actual person (not ghost).  I also felt that they "sort of" wrote themselves an out by having Jack die in the elevator, with no body being shown and having Roman being the one to tell Jennifer that Jack was dead.  Of all the other times Jack has died this actually seems to be the one that they can reasonably explain.

[Apprentice79]

9 minutes ago, JBC344 said:

Considering that Jack has returned from the dead previously even after Jennifer donated his organs, I'm more than willing to suspend disbelief if he is in fact coming back as an actual person (not ghost).  I also felt that they "sort of" wrote themselves an out by having Jack die in the elevator, with no body being shown and having Roman being the one to tell Jennifer that Jack was dead.  Of all the other times Jack has died this actually seems to be the one that they can reasonably explain.

Marlena was possessed by the devil, so anything goes in Salem...

[FnkyChkn34]

And Jennifer lived with her heart outside of her body for like a month, so... yeah.  

I agree that Jack's death is easy to explain away, especially because he's an undercover reporter.  "He faked his death to go on assignment."  But it still doesn't mean I'm not sick of all of the dead people coming back to life.

[Irlandesa]

Bringing people back from the dead en masse is lame.

Bringing Jack back only to kill him a few months later multiple times is silly.

Considering returning to DOOL, after being mostly soap free for years (only watched one or two days--guess which ones?) and to one written by Ron C?  Batshit crazy.

And yet, he's wearing a suit, guys.  A suit.  When's the last time that character did something so in character? That character turned me into a soap viewer almost 30 years ago.  The pull is real. Maybe Ron can cure me of that.

Edited July 22, 2017 by Irlandesa

[boes]

11 hours ago, Apprentice79 said:

That ship has sailed after the many times that the Dimeras have come back to life. Plus, Stefano was made to be the one to have kept Marlena, Hope and Steve away from their families, when others were responsible for their presumed deaths. Stefano was only  responsible for Roman's death at the beach.

You're so right.  In Salem, a boat ride on the river Styx always comes with a return ticket.

[DisneyBoy]

Sigh.

I'm honestly glad I don't know even a quarter of the history that you guys know about this show. If I knew that everyone had been accused of murder and killed and come back multiple times, after prison sentences and being shot in the head and having their hearts removed from their bodies, and I knew that each of them had a doppelganger or two or three...it would make watching the show really boring. I wouldn't be able to get excited about anything. Hope going to prison this past year was interesting because I never imagined Hope going to prison. It turns out she's already been there before. I love Kristen so much because she has the fun look-alike Susan and her wacky family to deal with. But now it turns out that more than half of Salem also has lookalikes.

 

Even as a semi-recent viewer I find myself annoyed by repetitive storylines and predictable tropes. I can't imagine remotely liking this show if I'd been watching it for 30 years or more as some of you have and seen how little paid off and how much was repeated or squandered.

[teacake]

You don't even have to go back 30 years.  Has it been six months, since the last time a trio of villains came to town looking for revenge?

The character and stories used to be individual enough to elevate the tropes.

[Apprentice79]

7 hours ago, lska said:

The character and stories used to be individual enough to elevate the tropes.

Exactly! that is what made the show so good.  For example: Andrew's kidnapping was used by Sherry Anderson to dissect the relationship between Kim and Shane.   It's not about the kidnapping, or even Andrew, it's about exposing the cracks in the foundation of a relationship, tearing it down, and slowly rebuilding / repairing the damage they've done to one another.   The purpose of  Andrew's kidnapping is not to tell a kidnapping story that has a sweet quick ending when a baby is found but rather to completely dissect a relationship and it's flaws and to rebuild it from there. Kim's past does damage her and that's real and ongoing and it's never going to go away. Sheri understands that and crafts a story that illustrates that beautifully.   In contrast, Tate's kidnapping did nothing to endear me to Theresa and Brady.   In fact, it just demonstrated why they were so wrong for each other.  Andrew's birth is what brought Kim and Shane back together after her betrayal in Miami with Victor.  Emma knew that without Andrew, Kim and Shane would fall apart and they did.  Kim in agony, retreated into herself, while, Shane treated Andrew's kidnapping like it was a regular case. Victor used this to get closer to Kim, since Andrew was believed to be their son, creating even more angst for Kim and Shane.   Emma, the villainess, enjoyed it all from the sidelines, since she was the one that put it all in motion.  It was painful to watch, but, riveting.              

Edited July 22, 2017 by Apprentice79

[DisneyBoy]

As I was reading your post I immediately thought of the Tate kidnapping story and how it went absolutely nowhere in spite of lasting weeks. I guess we could maybe say that Theresa got closer to Marlena when Marlena hypnotized her and sympathized with her. That's about it.

From the way Ron has written the last three episodes, I'm wondering if the current John, Kate, Marlena and Hattie story is going to reveal or at least resolve the problems that have plagued John and Marlena for years now, namely that he always leaves her high and dry. Hattie is probably going to clue into the fact that John hasn't been a reliable presence in Marlena's life and maybe John will learn from that and Marlena will acknowledge that she does actually feel as frustrated as Hattie portrayed her as feeling.

If all of this impersonation silliness at least gets us a few scenes of John and Marlena openly discussing their relationship frankly it will be worth it.

 

I came across a clip on YouTube years ago of Wayne as Roman getting into something of a tense discussion with Marlena in a hotel room because she had to go off to some conference and he was frustrated with the distance that was growing between them. I don't remember all the details but I do remember thinking "this doesn't seem like a Days of Our Lives episode at all!" It's rare that this show delves into subtle relationship issues. Most of the time it seems to just want to hit the tropes with a sledgehammer and then be on to the next cliche thing.

It would have been really great if a little of that subtlety had been present in the Theresa Brady storyline. His relationship with Kristen was obviously based on sex and Brady's grief and Kristen being a fantastic manipulator (and all of the characters being incredibly stupid to facilitate the story as well.) Maybe if while redeeming Theresa, they had showed that Brady feels powerless in life and is drawn to the reckless behavior that makes Theresa so engaging and then resolved that by having Theresa and Brady be wild in certain aspects of their life but not in others, we would have seen them grow together as a couple instead of just be smushed together as Theresa was reformed into a more responsible character via her business and son.

Is Ron known for writing subtle character shifts? Or should we hope to see Sherri push that angle?

Honestly I haven't really been a John and Marlena fan since he got really cold towards her during Kristen's return. That he even went through with the divorce when his entire seduction of Kristen was a ruse made little sense to me and I was especially appalled that he didn't show more warmth to Marlena after she spent months at his bedside while he was in a coma. They may have tried to redeem him by writing these sappy scenes with the two of them kissing and making love declarations, but for me I really need to see John and Marlena have an honest maybe even slightly ugly conversation about how messed up the relationship has been in the past and why.

.... not that it will be easy for Ron to try and make sense of the last 5 years of fragmented storytelling.

Edited July 22, 2017 by DisneyBoy

[Star Aristille]

7 hours ago, Apprentice79 said:

Emma, the villainess, enjoyed it all from the sidelines, since she was the one that put it all in motion.  It was painful to watch, but, riveting.          

With her being mentioned now, I feel like it's a great time to ask.  How did they ever figure out she was responsible for it, and what was her big comeuppance?  I keep reading on this board that Kim and Shane remained affected by her actions even after her death, but how did her death come about?

Edited July 22, 2017 by Star Aristille

[teacake]

9 hours ago, Apprentice79 said:

Exactly! that is what made the show so good.  For example: Andrew's kidnapping was used by Sherry Anderson to dissect the relationship between Kim and Shane.   It's not about the kidnapping, or even Andrew, it's about exposing the cracks in the foundation of a relationship, tearing it down, and slowly rebuilding / repairing the damage they've done to one another.

Yes, exactly... the conflict brought the characters up against something that took them somewhere.  Most of conflict now isn't really going anywhere.  What does Tripp putting the screws to Kayla add up to?  When Jack hated her and Steve, his vendetta made dramatic sense because even as S&K were being "punished" for their affair and bad choices, they finally had each other after being kept apart for so long.  Yet because Jack was Steve's brother and had raped Kayla, S&K had their own separate roles and perspectives in the story, too.

There's no such structure or sense to the current story, because they haven't allowed Steve and Kayla's relationship and potential divided loyalties to be part of the story.  How easy would it be for Kayla to be more protective of Joey and the potential consequences of telling Tripp the truth, and Steve feel more torn?  That kind of individual drama is where the beats and development between the big events come from, and then in the end, the consequences of Tripp targeting Kayla have specific impact with everyone involved.  Instead we've had the same conversations over and over, because everyone was on the same page about Tripp to start and the way it's set up with the secrets, there is no give and take between the characters.

Anyway, lol.

Edited July 23, 2017 by lska