Spoilers And Shockers

[nilyank]

13 minutes ago, Harmony233 said:

At first I was confused at why Allie was telling lani it took me awhile to remember she was the police lol

 

What the hell can Lani do if the crime took place in another country?

[bubble sparkly]

Well, I’m sure Lani will tell Allie that as Tripp is (allegedly) a father, he shouldn’t be arrested.

[bunnyblue]

So it looks like this Allie/Tripp rape story is going to be a "he said/she said". Considering alcohol was involved on the night in question, I wonder if we'll ever get the true story of what happened in Allie's London apartment.

Edited September 26, 2020 by bunnyblue

[Harmony233]

1 minute ago, bunnyblue said:

So it looks like this Allie/Tripp rape story is going to be a "he said/she said". With alcohol involved, I wonder if we'll ever get the true story of what happened in Allie's London apartment.

The British soaps do these type of consent stories all the time but they do it with sensitivity and usually the women get justice but days tends to make a mockery out of rape stories.

[bunnyblue]

59 minutes ago, howmanywords said:

Victor fires Xander!

Also, WTF, Victor?! How many damn times is he going to fire Xander? I know Xander genuinely loves the old guy but I think it's time he accept he will always come in third after Philip and Brady, so he should just give up trying to prove to Victor he should run Titan. Dude should find another job.

[TenaciousWarrior]

21 minutes ago, bunnyblue said:

Also, WTF, Victor?! How many damn times is he going to fire Xander? I know Xander genuinely loves the old guy but I think it's time he accept he will always come in third after Philip and Brady, so he should just give up trying to prove to Victor he should run Titan. Dude should find another job.

Xander joins forces with Jan to have Philip arrested, so I don’t feel sorry for him. 

[AttackTurtle]

On 9/16/2020 at 1:11 PM, DisneyBoy said:

It's interesting how folks here mention how good an actor Matthew Ashford is, when I haven't seen him do anything on the show that didn't seem incredibly cheesy and awkward. Even other people I know who watched the show agree he's a bit strange.

Ahhh Matthew Ashford during the first round of Jack and Jennifer was amazing, but he also had far superior material to work with back then.   He could do rage really really good even with Jennifer, but then play completely vulnerable in the next moments.  He also brought out a lot more in Missy Reeves.  His scenes with Steve, Jo, Vern, IsBella, etc...were all great.

[boes]

3 hours ago, Harmony233 said:

At first I was confused at why Allie was telling lani it took me awhile to remember she was the police lol

 

Well, she is when it suits her.  Or when she gets a discount.  

[Frozendiva]

Why would the Salem PD have any jurisdiction? If the crime occurred in the UK, and it wasn't reported, tough beans.

[Silver Raven]

Yeah, so she's blaming Tripp when he didn't do it and she can't remember.

How long will it take before somebody suggests a DNA test?  Unless Tripp admits they had sex.

 

[Frozendiva]

Allie needs to visit her grandma for a hypnosis session to figure out what happened. If it worked for Ben, it can work for her.

[howmanywords]

3 hours ago, nilyank said:

What the hell can Lani do if the crime took place in another country?

Seriously. Lani can't even handle the crimes that happen in Salem.

[Silver Raven]

5 minutes ago, howmanywords said:

Seriously. Lani can't even handle the crimes that happen in Salem.

It's hard to solve crimes when you're perpetrating them.

 

[methodwriter85]

43 minutes ago, Frozendiva said:

Why would the Salem PD have any jurisdiction? If the crime occurred in the UK, and it wasn't reported, tough beans.

You're trying to use logic in a logic-free realm.

[scarynikki12]

On 9/24/2020 at 10:55 PM, bubble sparkly said:

I wonder if they might just have Claire and Allie have Carrie/Sami-style drama?

I can see that since Tripp is already on the scene. At least he's not a block of wood like Austin Peck. I started watching after Muldoon left so I never understood what was so special about Austin that I was supposed to root for anyone to be with him. I did enjoy Sami vs Carrie in spite of that.

I would like to see Sydney come along for some mother/daughters drama. I've decided that Sami favoring Sydney is my preference for Allie's antagonism. It honestly would make sense for Allie to believe that Sydney was the favorite because she doesn't seem to know about Nicole kidnapping her for the first year of her life. That year is so important for the baby and the parents and they will never get it back so it makes sense that Sami would want to do everything she can to make up for it. It would start with conscious choices like spending extra time one on one or being extra interested and enthusiastic when it came to her interests and accomplishments, and then become a habit in their relationship generally. Allie acting out like she did because she felt it was the only way to get Sami to pay attention to her would make sense in light of that and it would be great story potential for when she gets back.

Instead I'm sure we'll see Allie and Claire fighting over Tripp with Claire being presented as his One True Love while Allie uses Henry to keep them apart. Just drive home the similarities.

[Harmony233]

There's a spoiler that Claire gets to know the new intern Charlie new love interest?

[peachmangosteen]

11 hours ago, TenaciousWarrior said:

Xander joins forces with Jan to have Philip arrested, so I don’t feel sorry for him. 

Oh yay! I was hoping we'd get more Xander/Jan scenes. Something to look forward to at least lol.

This whole Allie/Tripp thing could be a good story but it's Ron so we all know it'll be offensive and horrible. 

[drtslim]

Ron needs to stop with this rape themes.  They've never worked out well.

[tribeca]

I can’t Imagine Tripp and Claire back together.  Whenever he makes her mad he would wonder if she will try and kill him again.  

[CanaryFan98]

14 hours ago, nilyank said:

What the hell can Lani do if the crime took place in another country?

Its a soap they don't care Lawrence was tried for raping Jennifer in Salem when the rape took place in Alamania.

2 hours ago, Harmony233 said:

There's a spoiler that Claire gets to know the new intern Charlie new love interest?

I bet he will turn out to be Allie's rapist. Claire finds someone who she thinks is the perfect guy and turns out he isn't.

[CanaryFan98]

10 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

I can see that since Tripp is already on the scene. At least he's not a block of wood like Austin Peck. I started watching after Muldoon left so I never understood what was so special about Austin that I was supposed to root for anyone to be with him. I did enjoy Sami vs Carrie in spite of that.

I would like to see Sydney come along for some mother/daughters drama. I've decided that Sami favoring Sydney is my preference for Allie's antagonism. It honestly would make sense for Allie to believe that Sydney was the favorite because she doesn't seem to know about Nicole kidnapping her for the first year of her life. That year is so important for the baby and the parents and they will never get it back so it makes sense that Sami would want to do everything she can to make up for it. It would start with conscious choices like spending extra time one on one or being extra interested and enthusiastic when it came to her interests and accomplishments, and then become a habit in their relationship generally. Allie acting out like she did because she felt it was the only way to get Sami to pay attention to her would make sense in light of that and it would be great story potential for when she gets back.

Instead I'm sure we'll see Allie and Claire fighting over Tripp with Claire being presented as his One True Love while Allie uses Henry to keep them apart. Just drive home the similarities.

PM's Austin was a lot different than the versions after him he was a bit rough around the edges but he was a devoted older brother who protected his sister Billie and grew up with an abusive father and they thought their mother was dead(before it was revealed to be Kate). He played the piano and was a boxer. After he left they pretty much reduced him to block of wood status so he would be dumbed down for Sami's schemes. That was the best version of Austin(although PM's return they ended up keeping Austin dumb 

 

I liked Austin Peck on ATWT and OLTL way more though but those characters were allowed to have a brain.

Edited September 26, 2020 by CanaryFan98

[brisbydog]

So Sarah took Xander back after the baby swap, attempted murder etc but will dump him over him getting Phillip arrested for threatening to murder Jan? Something Phillip not only did but privately offered to do it to Belle? I'm kinda over Sarah 

Edited September 26, 2020 by brisbydog
Added file

[peachmangosteen]

22 minutes ago, brisbydog said:

I'm kinda over Sarah

I’ve been over her and her stupid baby voice. I hope this break up sticks so I can start watching Xander again lol.

[CanaryFan98]

I was never really under her(well this version of the character) I mean she started off ok when she kicked Rex to the curb for knocking up Mimi etc.

I also think her and Xander have chemistry(although Xander should've stayed a pop up villain) despite on paper their pairing is not that great tbh.

However like they do with their pets they tend to overexpose them and end up being so unpleasant that you just want them to disappear. 

Soaps have no clue how to write for heroines anymore(or anyone else for that matter)

[Irlandesa]

Where does it say she breaks up with him?

[brisbydog]

10 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Where does it say she breaks up with him?

It's in the promo. She threatens him that it's over. Over stupid phillip 

[Frozendiva]

Some possibilities about Gwen and Abs being secret sisters.

https://soapdirt.com/days-of-our-lives-spoilers-abigail-targeted-by-secret-sister-gwen/

[CanaryFan98]

The only thing that keeps me from believing it is that I don't see the show letting Abby take a backseat to her sister.  Jack would love them both equally he wouldn't hate one more than the other and while Jennifer would favor her own over her stepdaughter if she was Jack's she would accept her.

Course this kills the possibility of JJ/Gwen being paired....

[Pearson80]

1 hour ago, CanaryFan98 said:

The only thing that keeps me from believing it is that I don't see the show letting Abby take a backseat to her sister.  Jack would love them both equally he wouldn't hate one more than the other and while Jennifer would favor her own over her stepdaughter if she was Jack's she would accept her.

Course this kills the possibility of JJ/Gwen being paired....

The show does not care about JJ, he is a male Horton.  Ron even said that JJ is going to be in a  filler story, he is not important enough to drive his own stories. 

Edited September 27, 2020 by Pearson80

[bunnyblue]

2 hours ago, Frozendiva said:

Some possibilities about Gwen and Abs being secret sisters.

https://soapdirt.com/days-of-our-lives-spoilers-abigail-targeted-by-secret-sister-gwen/

Gwen being Jack's daughter really does seem to be the best explanation for why she (suddenly) hates Abby and wants to destroy her life. Her conversation with Rolf made it clear she resents Abby's perfect home life. Plus, it is kind of strange how many scenes Gwen has shared with Jack & Jennifer. The pieces fit. This could be a juicy soap story but I just don't trust these writers.

If Gwen is Jack's daughter, though, why does she resent only Abby? Why doesn't she hate Jack and his perfect wife Jennifer too? So far there's been no indication from Gwen that she holds a grudge against Jack for "abandoning" her - this is all about Abby. 

26 minutes ago, Pearson80 said:

The show does not care about JJ, he is a male Horton.

Even worse, poor JJ is a Horton and a Johnson. This show seems to hate the Johnsons almost as much as male Hortons.

[Irlandesa]

4 minutes ago, bunnyblue said:

If Gwen is Jack's daughter, though, why does she resent only Abby? Why doesn't she hate Jack and his perfect wife Jennifer too? So far there's been no indication from Gwen that she holds a grudge against Jack for "abandoning" her - this is all about Abby. 

Yeah.  That would be my question.  Her scenes with J&J have been kind of fun but there really hasn't felt like there is anything significant going on there.

 

[Frozendiva]

31 minutes ago, bunnyblue said:

Gwen being Jack's daughter really does seem to be the best explanation for why she (suddenly) hates Abby and wants to destroy her life. Her conversation with Rolf made it clear she resents Abby's perfect home life. Plus, it is kind of strange how many scenes Gwen has shared with Jack & Jennifer. The pieces fit. This could be a juicy soap story but I just don't trust these writers.

If Gwen is Jack's daughter, though, why does she resent only Abby? Why doesn't she hate Jack and his perfect wife Jennifer too? So far there's been no indication from Gwen that she holds a grudge against Jack for "abandoning" her - this is all about Abby. 

Even worse, poor JJ is a Horton and a Johnson. This show seems to hate the Johnsons almost as much as male Hortons.

Gwen should resent the whole family, but really, she shouldn't, unless it was clear that Jack knew of her existence and has kept quiet about it in that not even Jennifer knows. If Jack doesn't know he has a child from a previous relationship, he is not to blame. Gwen would probably be slowly welcomed in to the family.

[bubble sparkly]

So apparently Lucas is going to have some tense scenes with Steve and Tripp over the next few weeks, because he gets very angry when he learns of the rape and wants Tripp in jail.  I'm glad it seems like Lucas will be involved in this story with Allie, and Aunt Nicole won't be doing everything.

[CanaryFan98]

11 hours ago, Pearson80 said:

The show does not care about JJ, he is a male Horton.  Ron even said that JJ is going to be in a  filler story, he is not important enough to drive his own stories. 

Which is actually fine with me because at least its less damaging that way. I'm looking at the other storylines and nobody leading them is coming across all that well to me at least.

[DisneyBoy]

Quite true.

So...about Gwen...I remember a rumor from way back around the start of the year that they were looking to cast a British actress to play EJ's sister. We ended up getting Gwen and she was promptly tied into the Stefan story, and now they've pivoted away from Chad drugging Abigail to Gwen drugging Abigail even though it contradicts established continuity, and with them keeping the secret of her reasons under wraps...I can't help but think they're going to go back and say that she is really EJ's sister.

I wouldn't be surprised if they go and recast EJ and bring him on for next year and Sami's extended stay. It's always been Sami's excuse that she has to go back "to take care of EJ", and he's been in recovery now for several years. If she comes back to Salem for 12 months, it'll be kind of impossible to stretch believability that she's completely abandoned her beloved husband for all that time.

They should let him die...but they won't. There's been too much effort put into keeping him alive - from Kristen injecting his body in the morgue, to the stand-in at the factory - for them to throw in the towel, admit defeat and erase him....even though I don't think there's much fan support anymore for Sami and EJ as a couple, since everyone knows James Scott is not returning.

But if there's a sister...? Well then, suddenly you have another section of the DiMera family tree. I really hope I'm wrong, and I really hope there's some other reason why Gwen is pissed off with Abigail. Even if she is EJ's sister, what would be her excuse for poisoning Abigail? The fact that Abigail had an affair with EJ? Who the hell cares! It's not like anything major happened during that affair that derailed EJ's life in a lasting way. He was shot by Clyde and his thugs for reasons having nothing to do with cheating on Sami. But Ron likes to mine history and Ron likes to bring characters back from the dead and Ron likes to introduce new siblings and children, so I could see this being his ultimate plan.

Tell me I'm wrong though.

Edited September 28, 2020 by DisneyBoy

[howmanywords]

Victoria Konefal was on Dishin Days tonight. I'm actually shocked but apparently her last episode aired already (in the car with Vincent) but that the door was being left open. So we are just to be left hanging wondering what happened to Ciara? Dont get me wrong, I'm all for Vincent mindfucking Ben but I feel like we're going to be tormented by Ben crying for Ciaaaaraaa. I guess this will tie to KA's exit? (which is 10/14) And was RSW smoking something when he said weeks ago his favorite CIN rescue was coming up? 

Edited September 28, 2020 by howmanywords

[scarynikki12]

8 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

Tell me I'm wrong though.

It wouldn't surprise me. I'll go along with a recast if it means EJ finally pays for raping Sami but I won't hold my breath. They'll probably just say he's in a long term care facility when Sami returns.

[Harmony233]

10 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Quite true.

So...about Gwen...I remember a rumor from way back around the start of the year that they were looking to cast a British actress to play EJ's sister. We ended up getting Gwen and she was promptly tied into the Stefan story, and now they've pivoted away from Chad drugging Abigail to Gwen drugging Abigail even though it contradicts established continuity, and with them keeping the secret of her reasons under wraps...I can't help but think they're going to go back and say that she is really EJ's sister.

I wouldn't be surprised if they go and recast EJ and bring him on for next year and Sami's extended stay. It's always been Sami's excuse that she has to go back "to take care of EJ", and he's been in recovery now for several years. If she comes back to Salem for 12 months, it'll be kind of impossible to stretch believability that she's completely abandoned her beloved husband for all that time.

They should let him die...but they won't. There's been too much effort put into keeping him alive - from Kristen injecting his body in the morgue, to the stand-in at the factory - for them to throw in the towel, admit defeat and erase him....even though I don't think there's much fan support anymore for Sami and EJ as a couple, since everyone knows James Scott is not returning.

But if there's a sister...? Well then, suddenly you have another section of the DiMera family tree. I really hope I'm wrong, and I really hope there's some other reason why Gwen is pissed off with Abigail. Even if she is EJ's sister, what would be her excuse for poisoning Abigail? The fact that Abigail had an affair with EJ? Who the hell cares! It's not like anything major happened during that affair that derailed EJ's life in a lasting way. He was shot by Clyde and his thugs for reasons having nothing to do with cheating on Sami. But Ron likes to mine history and Ron likes to bring characters back from the dead and Ron likes to introduce new siblings and children, so I could see this being his ultimate plan.

Tell me I'm wrong though.

 Doesn't that mean she slept with her brother jake?

[DisneyBoy]

Hmmm...good point. Yay! Maybe now I didn't have to worry about this theory any more!

The show does, thankfully, seem to avoid incest....mostly.

 

EDIT: Wait....I misremembered! The rumor was that she'd be XANDER'S sister...

Wow my memory is not as sharp as I'd like.

Well they haven't shared any scenes yet, but I don't see how it would help the narrative revealing they're related.

Edited September 28, 2020 by DisneyBoy

[SueB]

First, I hadn't read this thread when I said "Tripp is the baby-daddy".  Maybe it's Evan but MAN, does that make him the creepiest guy ever.

And yeesh - another poorly handled rape story.

I'd like a "Gwen is a child of someone" story.

KA's exit: I swear, I thought her leaving Shawn in the park was "it".  Sounds like there is one more scene.

Xander (aka Doopey), don't be letting your ego get in the way of Sarah.  She's the best thing that's ever happened to you.

 

 

[brisbydog]

1 hour ago, DisneyBoy said:

 

EDIT: Wait....I misremembered! The rumor was that she'd be XANDER'S sister...

Wow my memory is not as sharp as I'd like.

Well they haven't shared any scenes yet, but I don't see how it would help the narrative revealing they're related.

People started a rumour Gwen was VINCENT'S sister on the basis that they had accents. It did not matter that said accents were from two completely different countries, it was adamant that they were siblings. I'm all for my boo Vincent getting more screen time but he is from down under and she is from across the pond lol

If she were Jack's daughter wouldn't she be making googly longing eyes at him like Eve did when she first hit town and gaped at Shane? Gwen shows zero interest in Jack.

I want Xander to get annoyed at Sarah and dump her ass for a change. I'm sick of her having all the power in this relationship

 

Edited September 28, 2020 by brisbydog
can

[FnkyChkn34]

On 9/25/2020 at 10:04 PM, TenaciousWarrior said:

Xander joins forces with Jan to have Philip arrested, so I don’t feel sorry for him. 

Sorry, but why would we ever feel sorry for Xander?  He's a horrible person who has committed a lot of horrible crimes.  If we can't forgive Ben for being mentally insane, why do we forgive Xander for being in his right mind?  "I did it for love!"  He covered up the death of a child and kidnapped a different one!  Then not to mention everything else he did in the past.  (I think kidnapping seems to be his thing?  Can't quite remember all he's done.)

[brisbydog]

1 hour ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

Sorry, but why would we ever feel sorry for Xander?  He's a horrible person who has committed a lot of horrible crimes.  If we can't forgive Ben for being mentally insane, why do we forgive Xander for being in his right mind?  "I did it for love!"  He covered up the death of a child and kidnapped a different one!  Then not to mention everything else he did in the past.  (I think kidnapping seems to be his thing?  Can't quite remember all he's done.)

I like Xander and dislike Ben, completely irrational reaction to the actors. So I feel sorry for Xander when he is sad and I laugh at Ben when he is in distress. Cruel but I don't need to be rational. I also like Vincent.

Edited September 28, 2020 by brisbydog

[DisneyBoy]

It's not irrational at at all. It's based on the actor's energy and of course the writing. Ben is not a good actor. He pulls the same two facial expressions at all times and you can tell he's a former model who hasn't much natural ability. He is stiff. Xander actually owns the role he plays and is able to show different shades of his character. It's hard to imagine someone else being that character. Pretty much any guy on the street could play Ben and be just as compelling.

As for his past crimes, he was involved in the diamond smuggling storyline, he locked Eric and Nicole in the furnace and tried to roast them, he was the one to shoot Marlena at her wedding which put her in a coma, he shot Brady which nearly killed him  because it took place in the aftermath of his transplant, he kidnapped Nicole and brought her to Greece at Deimos' behest, he locked her in a cage and then later forced her into marriage when she was hiding with Holly in Memphis at Sarah's old apartment..oh and he kidnapped Joey and Claire during the Seige and held them at gunpoint...I think he may have even been on TV threatening them as hostsges.

And yet, I like him. I liked Vincent too. Maybe they've taken acting classes, LOL. RSW needs something less challenging to play than Ben.

Edited September 28, 2020 by DisneyBoy

[brisbydog]

57 minutes ago, DisneyBoy said:

It's not irrational at at all. It's based on the actor's energy and of course the writing. Ben is not a good actor. He pulls the same two facial expressions at all times and you can tell he's a former model who hasn't much natural ability. He is stiff. Xander actually owns the role he plays and is able to show different shades of his character. It's hard to imagine someone else being that character. Pretty much any guy on the street could play Ben and be just as compelling.

 

I think that is the crux of it for sure. Some actors inhabit their characters. I never bought any of the recast Jacks as Matt Ashford IS Jack, same with Stephen Nichols, Mary Beth etc. they bring something unique to the table while the underwear model types (Ben,Lani,etc) do not. I like Brandon Barash a lot too, he has created two very different characters in Stefan and Jake which has impressed me. And yeah, can not imagine anybody but Paul Telfer doing all the aspects of Xander, he has grown a LOT over the years from thug to well meaning but still goofy semi villain

 

As for Vincent I hope now the show is filming closer to airing they see some of the positive response to him and bring him back. The Wendy backstory made me totally on his side and frankly I rather like the idea of him maybe stashing Cierra somewhere safe (or she took off cause she is preggers with Bo Jr. and wants to protect her unborn kid from his psycho dad) but letting Ben suffer like he did. However pretty sure the actor who plays Vincent is back in Australia now per his twitter

Edited September 28, 2020 by brisbydog
vincent!

[FnkyChkn34]

You can be a compelling actor and the audience can still dislike the character.  That's actually most great movie villains, right?  It's the love-to-hate/hate-to-love thing.  And that I get.

But I don't understand why anyone has sympathy for, or even likes, the character of Xander.  He's a horrible person.  A decent actor, sure (and looks good without a shirt), but a completely despicable character.  He shows no remorse for all of those horrible actions that he's done, as listed above, and he's apparently about to commit some more.  (At least Ben shows remorse and hasn't continued to commit crimes, even if the actor isn't great.)  I guess I can separate the two - character vs. actor.  ::shrug::

[brisbydog]

16 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

You can be a compelling actor and the audience can still dislike the character.  That's actually most great movie villains, right?  It's the love-to-hate/hate-to-love thing.  And that I get.

But I don't understand why anyone has sympathy for, or even likes, the character of Xander.  He's a horrible person.  A decent actor, sure (and looks good without a shirt), but a completely despicable character.  He shows no remorse for all of those horrible actions that he's done, as listed above, and he's apparently about to commit some more.  (At least Ben shows remorse and hasn't continued to commit crimes, even if the actor isn't great.)  I guess I can separate the two - character vs. actor.  ::shrug::

On the contrary I feel Xander has truly tried to change and wants to be a better person for Sarah and Maggie. He refused to kill Ben when Victor ordered him to because, as he told Victor, he is trying to make better choices. That was a significant moment for him to say no to his uncle. Ben and Kristen claim to have changed but she keeps committing crimes and while I believe Ben has changed, if he was remorseful he might have some understanding as to why Vincent is mad at him. 

[FnkyChkn34]

1 hour ago, brisbydog said:

Ben and Kristen claim to have changed but she keeps committing crimes and while I believe Ben has changed, if he was remorseful he might have some understanding as to why Vincent is mad at him. 

Oh, don't get me started on Kristen.  She's also a horrible, horrible person.

I didn't watch much last week because it was pre-empted or I was busy.  Does Ben even know the connection between Vincent and Wendy?  I think he most definitely understood why Eve was mad, so if he knows about Vincent's reason, he'd probably understand that too.  He even expects Will to still be mad, and doesn't understand why Will is able to forgive him.

[peachmangosteen]

Ben has had scenes where he seems annoyed that people (all like 2 of them lol) still hate him. I don't think Xander has really had that. 

I'm not very interested in either of them though and think they're both bad actors. PT is good at playing a certain thing though and I find him very fun to watch then. Lately he just plays shmoopy with Sarah, which is unwatchable to me. And he is terrible with drama imo.

I look forward to more scenes with him and Jan because I liked their dynamic in the brief scenes they had.

I don't look forward to anything related to Ben lol. If it was still ORK playing Claire I would be super interested in the Ben/Claire scenes but I just don't like the new Claire that much.

[DisneyBoy]

2 hours ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

You can be a compelling actor and the audience can still dislike the character.  That's actually most great movie villains, right?  It's the love-to-hate/hate-to-love thing.  And that I get.

But I don't understand why anyone has sympathy for, or even likes, the character of Xander.  He's a horrible person.  A decent actor, sure (and looks good without a shirt), but a completely despicable character.  He shows no remorse for all of those horrible actions that he's done, as listed above, and he's apparently about to commit some more.  (At least Ben shows remorse and hasn't continued to commit crimes, even if the actor isn't great.)  I guess I can separate the two - character vs. actor.  ::shrug::

When an actor plays the villain so well that I love to hate them, I can acknowledge that the actor is so good at what they're playing and so right for the part that I enjoy it even if I actually hate the villain. I don't automatically like characters who do "nice" things and dislike the ones who do "bad" things. That's why characters like Jennifer and Abigail frustrate the hell out of me, because they often seem insincere or holier-than-thou or pompous and other characters prop them up and say how perfect and wonderful they are, but I rarely feel that when I'm watching scenes with them. Ben is getting the Royal Treatment right now and any time I see a character take over a show to the point where logic is thrown out the window and the red carpet is rolled out, that makes it harder for me to like the character. Now, in the case of Eileen Davidson who got to play five different characters during her stint in the 90s and whose arc as Kristen very much did take over the show in a lot of respects, I think she proved she deserved that much spotlight. Her characterizations were funny, nuanced and varied, the writing had twists and turns that weren't completely ridiculous but were still campy and fun and had heavy emotional stakes. Ben is eating the show but he doesn't bring any of that variety. If I've seen one scene of him talking sweetly to Ciara, or apologizing and saying he's not worthy, I've seen them all. He feels one-dimensional and flat. I don't believe a word that comes out of his mouth, and most the time I see the actor kind of mentally patting himself on the back for doing a good job and hoping that his earnestness is enough to keep him on the show. But the standards have fallen so far that even an actor as bad as Robert Scott Wilson can be put on contract, and his character given the rehabilitation treatment and all the propping, just to appease I don't know... the people who think he looks good without his shirt on? It's bizarre. There were actors as talented and good-looking as him on older soaps like Another World who would be brought in and promptly ushered off the shows in a matter of weeks because they were nowhere near as skilled as the rest of the ensemble members. That Ben has had as long a stretch as he has...well it's just another indicator of what has happened to Days of Our Lives. It has fallen pretty damn far. If they let go of him after the serial killer storyline, I would have kind of forgiven the whole thing. Or if they allowed the other characters to have normal reactions to his return and for him to be ostracized and have to actually deal with the consequences of what he's done oh, that would be something else. Or Heck if they never even made him into a serial killer in the first place and just kept him as a side character and waiter who makes friendly banter and never gets a front-burner storyline. That could have worked too. But instead, they bring him back, play on his history of murdering women as if it's some kind of sexy kink or fetish that we should enjoy seeing possibly factor into his new relationship with Bo and Hope's daughter, have people in town cheer him on or make out-of-character mistakes that somehow make them "as bad as he is" and think having him say he's sorry somehow makes me blind to the manipulated narrative and RSW's inadequacies as an entertainer. Nope, sorry, my eyes and ears are still functional.

 I can only imagine how many actors living in Los Angeles right now would tune into 5 Seconds of his screen time and want to rip their hair out. Why is he getting all of this attention and all of these chances? Because Deidre Hall likes him? Who cares. Seriously.

I wish the guy no ill-will and I'm sure if I'd never seen him in this role I might enjoy him in some other capacity on another show, but he is completely out of his depths. Even a veteran actor with lots of skills and charisma would struggle to make this character appealing given who he's been. I like James Scott a hell of a lot more as an actor, but I still couldn't enjoy EJ all that much because he was written as slime. I enjoyed him sometimes though. I never enjoyed Ben.

Better example - the character of Clyde Weston is revolting and he makes my skin crawl every time he's on screen. That being said I think the actor is terrific and I find myself looking forward to his scenes even if I end up squirming in my seat.