Who's related to whom? Family trees gone wild

[Silver Raven]

I was thinking about Maggie being Julie's aunt the other day, so I thought I would start this thread to discuss who is related to whom.

Maggie was married to Mickey Horton, who was the brother of Julie and Hope's mother Addy, so that makes Maggie Julie and Hope's aunt (by marriage).  Since Mickey and Addy were also siblings to Bill Horton, that makes Maggie the aunt of Lucas and Jennifer, too.  So she's great-aunt to Ciara, Sean Douglas, Abigail, JJ, and Will.  And great-great-aunt to Thomas, Arianna, and Eli.

John's children are Brady, Paul, and Belle.  Brady is also a first cousin to Ciara and Sean Douglas, because their father, Bo, is his uncle.  That means that Brady is not only the uncle to Claire since his sister is her mother, he is also her first cousin once removed, since Sean Douglas is his cousin.

[Vince1178]

I love the crazy family trees on soaps. Any time they hint at a romantic relationship between two characters, I start to mentally plot out their genealogies just to make sure they are not related. It's insane. Of course, that's never really an issue. But sometimes it's a little too close for comfort in my book.

Take Trip, for example. He is Steve's and Ava's son. So he's not actually related by blood to the two women he's most likely to be paired up with. But Steve is Ciara's uncle through marriage. Which makes Trip her cousin through marriage. And since Ciara is Claire's aunt, Claire is not too far removed from that particular branch of the family tree either. Sure, there's no actual blood relation between Trip and these women, but ... who really wants to date their cousin?

I also think that these tangled family trees cause some (female) characters to be unjustly criticized for dating too many men. Both Gabi and Nicole fall into this camp. I see comments that suggest other viewers find them a bit too promiscuous. But I'd wager that's about the fact they're related by blood to so few characters and are thus able to date more freely. Someone like Abigail, for example, has far fewer options. She's related by blood to Eli and JJ and Trip and Will and Sonny and just about any man in her age bracket besides Chad and Stefan. Meanwhile, Gabi can (and in many cases has) date any of the men I listed.

[JBC344]

My issue with Gabi is that outside of Chad all of her pairings have been with Horton men. 

To me that should be a clear sign to the writers that they need new characters. 

Pairings through marriage don't bother me as mich because you can't be so strict.

Tripp with either Ciara or Claire are fine because they aren't particularly close to Steve and didn't grow up with Tripp. He is more like their aunt's step son than a cousin. 

[FnkyChkn34]

On soap operas, I feel like they basically have to ignore relationships that are only by marriage.  Otherwise, everyone literally would be related to everyone else.  I'm amazed that they usually remember adopted children.  But now that I say that, didn't Stephanie date Max?  Her uncle by adoption?

[Apprentice79]

10 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

On soap operas, I feel like they basically have to ignore relationships that are only by marriage.  Otherwise, everyone literally would be related to everyone else.  I'm amazed that they usually remember adopted children.  But now that I say that, didn't Stephanie date Max?  Her uncle by adoption?

Yes, she did. He also dated Chelsea, his other niece. There is footage of Max, as a kid, holding, Stefanie, as a baby and calling her, his niece. It was jarring, to see them, dating. I thought that it was gross. Max and Frankie getting adopted by Shawn and Caroline was a great story that tied perfectly in Steve and Kayla's love story. 

Edited March 9, 2018 by Apprentice79

[FnkyChkn34]

2 minutes ago, Apprentice79 said:

Yes, she did. He also dated Chelsea, his other niece. There is footage of Max as a kid, holding, Stefanie, as a baby and calling her, his niece. It was jarring, to see them, dating. I thought that it was gross. 

I remember being grossed out too. By both, now that I remember Chelsea also. 

[nilyank]

14 minutes ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

But now that I say that, didn't Stephanie date Max?  Her uncle by adoption?

Max dated Stephanie and Chelsea. Both his nieces.

[Apprentice79]

1 minute ago, FnkyChkn34 said:

I remember being grossed out too. By both, now that I remember Chelsea also. 

You can look the other way with Chelsea in a way because she did not exist, as he was growing up. However, Stefanie was a big No. He was there when she was born. He probably interacted with her, as she was growing up in LA with Kim and Kayla.

[JBC344]

Off camera Max and Chelsea are still a couple living in London.  Not that this matters but did Caroline and Shawn actually adopt Frankie and Max or just take them in and raise them?  Not that it diminishes their family bond.  I just don't know officially.

[nilyank]

33 minutes ago, JBC344 said:

Off camera Max and Chelsea are still a couple living in London.  Not that this matters but did Caroline and Shawn actually adopt Frankie and Max or just take them in and raise them?  Not that it diminishes their family bond.  I just don't know officially.

They were officially adopted by Caroline and Shawn. It was only many years later that he found out who were Frankie and Max's birth parents.

[FnkyChkn34]

1 hour ago, JBC344 said:

Off camera Max and Chelsea are still a couple living in London.

That's gross. 

[Apprentice79]

2 hours ago, JBC344 said:

Off camera Max and Chelsea are still a couple living in London.  Not that this matters but did Caroline and Shawn actually adopt Frankie and Max or just take them in and raise them?  Not that it diminishes their family bond.  I just don't know officially.

Yes, they did adopt them officially. Kayla and Steve facilitated that.  Frankie and Max were going to be separated by the system and Steve was determined to keep them together. He did not want them to suffer, the way that he had when he was separated from Jack at the orphanage..

Edited March 9, 2018 by Apprentice79

[JBC344]

Thanks everyone.  I couldn't remember. 

[methodwriter85]

I could have sworn that back in the early says of WilSon, someone mentioned Sonny and Will being cousins. I don't know enough about familial relationships on this show to plot it out, though.

In that case though, it really isn't going to matter. As Dan Savage once put it, two male cousins are only going to be making messes, not babies.

Edited April 17, 2018 by methodwriter85

[plurie]

Sonny's mother, Adrienne, is Jack's sister. Will's father, Lucas, is the (half) brother of Jennifer, who was married to Jack.

[swtrgrl]

6 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I could have sworn that back in the early says of WilSon, someone mentioned Sonny and Will being cousins. I don't know enough about familial relationships on this show to plot it out, though.

In that case though, it really isn't going to matter. As Dan Savage once put it, two male cousins are only going to be making messes, not babies.

 

1 hour ago, plurie said:

Sonny's mother, Adrienne, is Jack's sister. Will's father, Lucas, is the (half) brother of Jennifer, who was married to Jack.

Yeah, by marriage. It's not a thing. And, frankly...they won't be procreating together like a het couple so it wouldn't have mattered really. If they surrogate, etc... it'd be one of their sperm and someone else's egg, etc... no worries. LOL

[JBC344]

Actually the Wilson "related" aspect would actually come more from Victor and Kate.  This backstory of Sonny and Victor being super close would of been during the time that he was married to Kate and Kate was Sonny's Aunt.  Making Will and Sonny step-cousins.  But since TPTB don't acknowledge that Kate and Victor were married for years that relationship never gets mentioned. 

When Sonny and Will first met, they commented that they have heard of each other through Abigail, which while plausible, seemed a little off because they would of already known of each other through Victor during Will and Sonny's childhoods.

[Silver Raven]

Paul is Will's step-uncle.

[Apprentice79]

5 hours ago, JBC344 said:

Actually the Wilson "related" aspect would actually come more from Victor and Kate.  This backstory of Sonny and Victor being super close would of been during the time that he was married to Kate and Kate was Sonny's Aunt.  Making Will and Sonny step-cousins.  But since TPTB don't acknowledge that Kate and Victor were married for years that relationship never gets mentioned. 

When Sonny and Will first met, they commented that they have heard of each other through Abigail, which while plausible, seemed a little off because they would of already known of each other through Victor during Will and Sonny's childhoods.

However, Kate and Victor were not married that long. Plus, Adrienne and Justin did not want to raise their four sons under Victor's influence. Victor's toxic presence nearly destroyed them and Adrienne almost died in a mob hit.  It is why they moved to Texas, where Sonny was born.  That was part of Adrienne's conditions, when she reconciled with Justin. 

I never had a problem with Sonny and Will not having met as kids.  Sonny is much older than him, even though the show downplayed that, when they got together.  It made sense that they knew of each other via Abigail, but, never actually met. Will also lived in Europe with Austin and Carrie, after he shot EJ.  Adrienne, Justin along with their sons moved back to Salem, when Will was Europe. We never actually saw them onscreen. We had Victor referencing his great-nephews, his happiness in having them around.  Then, a few months later, Victor said that they had returned to Texas. I assume that whatever plans that the show had had to cast the boys were scrapped.  A few years later, Sonny was cast and Wilson finally met..

Edited April 17, 2018 by Apprentice79

[JBC344]

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Paul is Will's step-uncle.

Once John and Marlena actually marry.

[JBC344]

2 minutes ago, Apprentice79 said:

However, Kate and Victor were not married that long. Plus, Adrienne and Justin did not want to raise their four sons under Victor's influence. Victor's toxic presence nearly destroyed them and Adrienne almost died in a mob hit.  It is why they moved to Texas, where Sonny was born.  That was part of Adrienne's conditions, when she reconciled with Justin. 

I never had a problem with Sonny and Will not having met as kids.  Sonny is much older than him, even though the show downplayed that, when they got together.  It made sense that they knew of each other via Abigail, but, never actually met. Will also lived in Europe with Austin and Carrie, after he shot EJ.  Adrienne, Justin along with their sons moved back to Salem, when Will was Europe. We never actually saw them onscreen. We had Victor referencing his great-nephews, how happy to have them around.  Then, a few months later, Victor said that they had returned to Texas. I assume that whatever plans that the show had had to cast the boys were scrapped.  A few years later, Sonny was cast and Wilson finally met..

Well "how long" is really dependent on how much we factor in SORASING, Phillip's that is.

Also Sonny isn't that much older than Will. Maybe 4 years at the most.

Regardless, my point is that TPTB, have gone out of their way to establish that Sonny and Victor have this special bond and have always been close while Sonny was growing up. In order for that to be true most of that bonding would of had to take place during the years that Victor and Kate were together. 

Them meeting is one thing but they should of been aware of each other through Victor and Kate, especially considering the amount of time Will spent being raised in the Kiriakis mansion. 

[Apprentice79]

6 hours ago, JBC344 said:

Well "how long" is really dependent on how much we factor in SORASING, Phillip's that is.

Also Sonny isn't that much older than Will. Maybe 4 years at the most.

Regardless, my point is that TPTB, have gone out of their way to establish that Sonny and Victor have this special bond and have always been close while Sonny was growing up. In order for that to be true most of that bonding would of had to take place during the years that Victor and Kate were together. 

Them meeting is one thing but they should of been aware of each other through Victor and Kate, especially considering the amount of time Will spent being raised in the Kiriakis mansion. 

True. I get your point.  I did like Abigail being the one that connected them. These days relatives usually find each other on social media, especially, the younger ones. 

It would have also been possible for Wilson to have met as kids and not remember it, since they were so young. I am sure that Justin and Adrienne used to visit Victor with their large brood, when he was married to Kate.  

[RachelKM]

Will spent a significant portion of his youth living with Carrie and Austin in Switzerland. 

[JBC344]

That was only about a 6 month period at most.  It was during the height of the Brady Dimera war and Sami and Lucas sent him there to be safe.  It was right before they slightly SORASED him.

[RachelKM]

Will was in Switzerland from 2007 - 2009. 

[swtrgrl]

Between the "by marriage" and "step" factors, I have zero issues with any PillSon hookups. If Will had grown up with Paul as his step uncle, maybe. MAYBE. But I read too much crazy stuff to be bothered. WilSon didn't grow up together as cousins. Will was in Europe with Carrie and Austin. When he came back to Salem, Sonny had been off gallivanting around the world. 

[nilyank]

5 hours ago, JBC344 said:

That was only about a 6 month period at most.  It was during the height of the Brady Dimera war and Sami and Lucas sent him there to be safe.  It was right before they slightly SORASED him

Lucas sent him to Switzerland. Sami did not find out or get a chance to speak to Will by the time that he already left Salem. Will doesn't come back until Sami is out of witness protection and has Grace with her.

[Apprentice79]

6 hours ago, RachelKM said:

Will was in Switzerland from 2007 - 2009. 

Sonny and his family moved back to Salem during that time. They were unseen, but, referenced. Then, they left. 

[JBC344]

12 hours ago, RachelKM said:

Will was in Switzerland from 2007 - 2009. 

Wow, thanks.  I hadn't realized it was almost two years.  Regardless, two years isn't what I would call a significant portion, but anyway that wasn't my overall point.  Will may have been out of town when Sonny was in Salem for a short amount of time but that doesn't discount my point that both people were in the same family at the same time for many years so it would reason that they would of heard of each other.

Yes, it makes sense that they also heard of each other through Abigail, but at that point they should of already knew whom the other was regardless if they haven't met one another. 

[boes]

12 hours ago, swtrgrl said:

Between the "by marriage" and "step" factors, I have zero issues with any PillSon hookups. If Will had grown up with Paul as his step uncle, maybe. MAYBE. But I read too much crazy stuff to be bothered. WilSon didn't grow up together as cousins. Will was in Europe with Carrie and Austin. When he came back to Salem, Sonny had been off gallivanting around the world. 

Agreed.  They're not related by blood and never will be.  And in this town, step relations come and go very quickly.  

Where I come from, a cousin of a cousin means nothing other than they're not part of your Christmas gift exchange, and you only have to go to their funerals if the after burial lunch spread is good.

[Apprentice79]

43 minutes ago, boes said:

Agreed.  They're not related by blood and never will be.  And in this town, step relations come and go very quickly.  

Where I come from, a cousin of a cousin means nothing other than they're not part of your Christmas gift exchange, and you only have to go to their funerals if the after burial lunch spread is good.

Lol..I agree with that in Salem.

In real life,  I grew up with lots of cousins who are not blood related and it would be gross, if we dated each other.. That is how it is in the Caribbean.. 

[4evaQuez]

I apologize for resurrecting this old thread; this seemed to be the best place for what I wanted to ask.

I was curious as to which original Brady sibling (Roman, Kim, Bo, Kayla) you think had the most impactful lineage on the show. And how would you rank the importance of the Brady lineage, only their kids.

Roman: Carrie, Sami, Eric, Rex, Cassie

Kim: Theresa, Andrew, (Eve, I'm not sure if people want to include her or not)

Bo: Shawn D, Chelsea, Zack, Ciara

Kayla: Stephanie, Joey, (Tripp, I'm not sure if people want to include him or not)

Looking at the list: I think Roman wins solely for Carrie and Sami. Carrie is one of the few child actors who transitioned to adult star from this list. (I know there was a recast, but Christie is who I think most people associate with the role, assuming they remember the recast). Sami was pretty much one of the faces of Days for more than a decade.

After this I think it gets more difficult.

I want to say Shawn D is the next most important member because of the lasting popularity of the Last Blast Crew, but he has rarely been important since that era.

Eric also seems important as he is currently front burner and his relationship with Nicole and Brady and Xander have been front burner for several years. However, I don't think Jensen Ackles' time as Eric was particularly memorable, and Eric feels more recently important as a character. 

Ciara also seems like she should be mentioned since she and Ben were such an impactful relationship on the show. The show definitely treated them like a classic supercouple, and they seem to garner a lot of attention for the show. I think it helps that VK played the role during the entirety of the Cin relationship, so it helped to cement the relationship.

Next are Stephanie and Theresa. I haven't been a fan of either. I also don't think either has cemented storylines or relationships that define the show the way the other characters mentioned have.

 

My list would go:

1. Sami Brady

2. Carrie Brady

3. Shawn D. Brady

4. Ciara Brady

5.  Eric Brady (Cin seems a little more impactful than Ericole to me)

6. Theresa Brady

7. Stephanie Brady (Theresa feels more impactful to the canvas and like she has more ties than Stephanie. Without Steve and Kayla, I question how well-integrated Stephanie would be.)

8. Chelsea Brady (Killing Zach seemed like a pretty impactful storyline, but it seems like the only impactful thing Chelsea did)

9. Zach Brady (His death seemed to fundamentally change Hope as a character. There's also his baby switch.)

10. Rex (In the grand scheme he's not an important character, but he at least had his relationships with Mimi and Sarah. He also gives Roman and Kate another connection, which the show emphasizes whenever he is featured).

11. Joey

12. Andrew (These last two seem interchangeable, but Joey at least was an actual long-term character on the main show, and Andrew hasn't been featured long-term yet).

13. Cassie (She hasn't been featured in so long that she's basically forgotten).

How would you rank them?

[tessaray]

It's an interesting question. I remember Days before the Brady family though, so I think Sami gets the #1 spot more because Marlena is her mother. 🙂

[4evaQuez]

Because I have a ton of work I refuse to do and an upcoming deadline I refuse to acknowledge, I decided to rank the original Horton siblings (Tommy, Addie, Mickey, Bill, Marie) lineage, as well. This is actually much more difficult as I wasn't around for a lot of these storylines. I didn't start watching Days until the early/mid 90s. I'm well aware of the Brady siblings' children. With the exception of Carrie, I've seen them from their teenage years onward - unless you include Eve. That being said I thought I'll give it a go.

Tommy: Sandy Horton

Addie: Julie Olson, Steve Olson, Hope Williams Brady

Mickey: Melissa Horton, Sarah Horton, Janice Barnes, (Special mention: Mike Horton)

Bill: Mike Horton, Jennifer Horton, Lucas Horton

Marie: Jessica Blake

Looking at this list: I actually think this is much more difficult than the Brady list. Not because of my lack of familiarity, but because there isn't a "Sami" that automatically weighs the scales in anyone's favor. Actually, I would say there are several "Sami's" on this list: Julie, Mike, Hope, Jennifer. I also think more of these characters have characters that have been instrumental to the development of the show. I also think the Horton family has more characters who have impacted several era's of Days, defined several eras of Days, and remained popular through several eras od Days. Hope, Jennifer, Mike, Lucas, and Julie immediately come to mind. That means the most important lineage comes down to Addie versus Bill.

If I had to choose, I would give a slight edge to Bill's lineage. Steve Olson hasn't been a major character since I've watched Days. Bill's legacy has more characters and all three of his children have been a member of instrumental Days' storylines.

Spoiler

I know Steve is returning later this year, but as of this posting, his last appearance was in the early 80s.

As a result, this is how I would rank the Horton legacy:

1. Hope Williams Brady

2. Jennifer Rose Horton (I think Hope and Jennifer are interchangeable here. Both are in my top 5 favorite Days' characters ever. I list Hope first as I'm more a Bope fan than a JnJ fan, so Hope get the edge).

3. Julie Olson Williams (I am listing Julie here as the character had been around since the first or near the first episode. I know her shoplifting was a major storyline as was her triangles with Doug/Addie and Doug/Liz Chandler. I also know Doug/Julie are considered one of, if not the first super couple. Julie is obviously still on the show and is the closest we have to an Erica Kane-type character as far as the connection from the first year to the current year of the their respective Soap. Julie also still gets to have roles in major storylines and connections with characters).

4. Mike Horton (I listed him fourth as I know his parternity storyline was huge for Days. I'm not certain if this is true, but I've often read on message boards that his paternity storyline saved Days from cancellation. Similar to Julie he's a connection to the very early years of the show, and he's still remained connected to the show even in his absence. We last heard that Nancy was dating Mike in New York.)

5. Lucas Horton ( I listed him fifth because similar to the top four, Lucas has been around for several eras and generations of this show, starting as a teen character. Lucas and Kate, Lucas and Sami, and the Lucas/Carrie/Sami/Austin quad all defined an era of Days and Lumi still have a sizeable fanbase. While it's obvious the show hasn't know what to do with Lucas for almost two decades, I still think he at times contributes to the show. While I wasn't a Lucas/Chloe fan, I did think Lucas/Chloe round two gave Lucas some great acting showcases like discovering he wasn't Emily's father, the breakup with Chloe was some of the best work Bryan D had delivered in a long time, I also liked the Lucas pretends to be dying storyline with Chloe and Sami. I also enjoyed the show's focus on Lucas/Philip during JKJ Philip's last return. The father/son dynamic of early Victor and Lucas was a favorite of mine and I also liked the mother/son dynamic of Maggie/Lucas.)

6. Melissa Horton (I never got a chance to watch the show when Melissa was a main character. However, I know about Maggie/Mickey/Lisa/Melissa storylines that occurred during Melissa's youth into her adulthood, Melissa/Pete, Melissa/Jack, Melissa vs. Kayla although not really, and Melissa and Bope's close friendship. Although I didn't get a chance to witness the character, I loved Lisa Trusel the few times she visited Days' for one of Bope's weddings and Mickey's funeral. The actress was just so immediately likable and memorable and she immeadialy conveyed a sense of history with the characters she interacted with, including Nathan who she'd never shared scenes with and a newly recast Bill Horton. Each time, I wished she would be reintroduced to the canvas. Because of Maggie and Sarah, she's sometimes still mentioned in passing on canvas even though she hasn't been a main character since the early 90s, and from my understanding, that recast was not well-received.)

7. Sarah Horton (She's currently the Horton heroine on canvas. Unfortunately for Sarah, she's a heroine at a time when the show lacks budget, the Horton family barely exists as a unit, and the writing is uneven, to put it mildly. Soap Operas also are just presented differently now, so it feels harder for characters to impact the canvas even when they are on the show for years. Sarah has received uneven writing, LG's portrayal was quite rough for a long period of time even though she seems to be getting into a groove. She also has her anchor pairing in Xander; although, that pairing favors Xander's perspective to the detriment of Sarah. Her most important storyline still seems to be getting hit by a car by Eve; although, this new getting hit by a car storyline has been pretty good, so far. That being said, she is technically the Horton future of this generation and there's still a chance for her to move up the list, but that's doubtful).

8. Janice Barnes (I'm placing her here because her foster care storyline is what helped lead to Maggie's alcoholism storyline, which still very much impacts the show today. She was also murdered by the Riverfront Slasher, which used to randomly come up on canvas before Daniel's death. We can sometimes still see her ornament during the Horton Christmas, especially if the Hortons are having a sad Christmas that year)

9. Jessica Blake - I know she had D.I.D. and is Nick Fallon's mom. That's it. That' still more than I know about the next two. She also at least was seen last decade during one of Nick's prison storyline scenes.

10. Steve Olson - I don't know if's he's even been mentioned since I started watching the show, but he's Hope and Julie's brother, so I'll list him here.

11. Sandy Horton - Again, I don't know if she's even been mentioned. She also has no siblings and Tommy Horton is no longer mentioned either. It makes sense for her to be last.

I hope I included all the children. 

 

[tessaray]

I'd rank Julie #1 because of her longevity, closeness to Tom and Alice and that she's pretty much the last original cast member. When she's gone, that link back to the 1960s disappears. (Maggie didn't come along until the 70s.)

Hope and Jennifer are tied in my mind. Bo and Hope were flashier (and fun to watch) but Jack and Jennifer held their own. 

20 hours ago, 4evaQuez said:

I'm not certain if this is true, but I've often read on message boards that his paternity storyline saved Days from cancellation.

Mike's paternity took years to come out. But his story really started when Bill raped Laura. It was as riveting as Luke and Laura on GH and long before those two. (Though equally problematic.)

Edited September 14 by tessaray

[DisneyBoy]

On 9/13/2024 at 3:51 PM, 4evaQuez said:

Jessica Blake

No relation to Kristen and Peter, I assume?

A big ask, but can anyone please explain to me the new family tree for John that was undone to allow Theresa and Brady to bang?

I think it was the John DiMera twist or something that was established only to be abruptly hand-waved...only I don't get how it all affected his tree.

Edited September 15 by DisneyBoy

[4evaQuez]

7 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

No relation to Kristen and Peter, I assume?

From what I can see based on Wiki research, there's no relation.

Marie Horton and Alex Marshall are Jessica Blake's biological parents. Marie believed Alex intentionally killed his brother - apparently, it was an accident. Marie didn't want to have the child of a killer, so she gave Angelique Horton up for adoption and then joined a convent. Sometime later, she wanted custody of Angelique but was told she died.

Sometime later, a teenaged Jessica Blake comes to town. Marie somehow discovers this is her daughter and informs Jessica, but Marie keeps paternity away from Jessica. Somehow, Alex realizes Jessica is his daughter and adopts her. Alex reveals the truth to Jessica, and she turns against Marie. I'm not certain why Jessica has D.I.D., but apparently, one of her alters terrorizes Marie. I'm not certain what happened with this storyline, but for some reason, Alex Marshal marries Renee DuMonde who Sarah Horton recently believed she was.

I don't remember the specifics about John but he was Colleen Brady and Santo Dimera's son for sometime. It wasn't an abrupt handwave as John was a Brady-Dimera for several years, and I remember him being integrated into Dimera Enterprises for a while. I vaguely remember them discovery John wasn't Ryan (?) Brady, and that the real Ryan died(?), but it's been a while.

[DisneyBoy]

2 hours ago, 4evaQuez said:

I don't remember the specifics about John but he was Colleen Brady and Santo Dimera's son for sometime. It wasn't an abrupt handwave as John was a Brady-Dimera for several years, and I remember him being integrated into Dimera Enterprises for a while. I vaguely remember them discovery John wasn't Ryan (?) Brady, and that the real Ryan died(?), but it's been a while.

^ Yes, this is the story I was referring to. I missed so much of it I didn't understand how linking John to the DiMeras affected his tree (Belle, Brady, etc)

I just remember him announcing one day "so I got a phone call and it turns out all that's not true!" and Brady and Theresa immediately hooking up and everyone here going "eww - weren't they cousins for the last few years?! How abrupt!"

😄

[4evaQuez]

23 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

^ Yes, this is the story I was referring to. I missed so much of it I didn't understand how linking John to the DiMeras affected his tree (Belle, Brady, etc)

It didn't affect his tree. Brady wasn't on canvas at the time of the reveal as he was still believed to be presumed dead, and people believed Chloe killed him. When Brady came on canvas, I don't remember much interaction with the Dimera family. He was mainly Nicole's baby switch storyline.

Belle left the canvas not long after the reveal. Belle/John had one of my favorite scenes around this time where Belle talks to John about the pain of having him return to her - John was presumed dead - but he's a completely different person. It was well-acted by both.

Ironically, John, Brady and Belle were much more integrated in the Brady family before the SORAS of Belle and Brady, and the show wanted to pair Belle/Shawn. I still remember Belle calling Caroline Grandma before Belle's SORAS.

I find it odd that John doesn't feel connected to the Brady family anymore, except for Bo, Carrie, and Sami. But even John/Sami don't feel like a particularly important relationship any more.

Edited September 16 by 4evaQuez

[JBC344]

On 9/15/2024 at 10:16 AM, DisneyBoy said:

^ Yes, this is the story I was referring to. I missed so much of it I didn't understand how linking John to the DiMeras affected his tree (Belle, Brady, etc)

I just remember him announcing one day "so I got a phone call and it turns out all that's not true!" and Brady and Theresa immediately hooking up and everyone here going "eww - weren't they cousins for the last few years?! How abrupt!"

😄

It was more John being Ryan Brady that raised questions than the Dimera side. With John being Ryan it brought him back to being a Brady making him a cousin now to Roman, Kim, Kayla, and Bo. 

The first thought was Belle/Shawn, but then you had to remember that Bo is not Shawn Sr's biological son so John being Ryan Brady didn't create an incest storyline for Belle/Shawn.

Anyway when Theresa came to town and TPTB wanted to hook her up with Brady they had John thru a phone call explain that he found evidence he wasn't Ryan Brady, therefore making Brady and Theresa not cousins and allowed to get together. Two years of storyline completely wiped away with one phone call. 

John being Ryan Brady/Dimera was more focused on John being a new person. Stefano faked his death, when he came back he had memory loss and took on the persona of "Ryan". He was a different person, dated other women, including Ava. Went around town as a Dimera playboy. Marlena divorced him, etc. I'm sure Drake had fun with it. Getting to play a "new" character so different from John. 

 

[DisneyBoy]

Ryan Brady?

😮

First I've heard of that name!

[JBC344]

3 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Ryan Brady?

😮

First I've heard of that name!

Son of Colleen Brady (Shawn Sr sister) and Santo Dimera (Stefano's father)

[SanDiegoInExile]

10 hours ago, DisneyBoy said:

Ryan Brady?

😮

First I've heard of that name! 

You missed the excellence that was "santeen" ?    /ha/

Shirley Partridge herself identified John Black as the secret love child of Santo DiMera and Colleen Brady, aka Ryan Brady.  Even though he was decades too young. We later learned that Ryan Brady had also died years earlier and that Colleen was semi delusional while on her deathbed.

John reverted to being an (adopted) Alamain, until he morphed into a Robicheaux (although I guess he still was adopted by Daphne DiMera's sister, Philomena).

https://daysofourlives.fandom.com/wiki/Colleen_Brady#:~:text=Colleen Brady is a character,by Shirley Jones in 2008.

 

Edited September 26 by SanDiegoInExile

[methodwriter85]

The entire storyline felt like an excuse to capitalize on the chemistry between Alison and the former actor formerly known as James Scott by having them play star crossed lovers in the 40's. I still remember people wanting them to dress up Brian Datillo in drag to be Santo's wife. Lol 

[MissPhoenixGirl]

On 9/12/2024 at 4:37 PM, 4evaQuez said:

Next are Stephanie and Theresa. I haven't been a fan of either. I also don't think either has cemented storylines or relationships that define the show the way the other characters mentioned have.

I kind of disagree about Stephanie since she appeared to have some major and memorable storylines and unlike Theresa was able to explore other relationships, even if they didn't ultimately work out. The large majority of Theresa's stories have always revolved around Brady in some way or another and she has never been allowed to be paired up with anyone else, (aside from Alex recently, which was obviously set up to fail because of storyline reasons, and the fact that they had little to no chemistry or development didn't help matters).

And the writers also teased a potential relationship with J.J. and that has never really come to fruition and now with the crap that she's pulled recently with Victor's will and Konstantin, I just can't see J.J. wanting anything to do with her ever again, especially since she actually betrayed Maggie by kidnapping her own granddaughter.

So basically Stephanie has had a lot more relative success in the romance department and even now she's still getting involved in relationships. And Stephanie is actually a lot more popular and successful character than Theresa has ever been or will be, so much so that before Stephanie came back a couple of years ago, a lot of people were begging for her to come back. I hardly see anyone wanting Theresa to ever come back, even more so now after her latest shenanigans.

I feel like under much stronger and more competent writers Stephanie could actually flourish and thrive as a character whereas Theresa would be better off fading into obscurity and just never be mentioned by anybody on the show ever again. And the sad part is that if Theresa hasn't been so badly damaged and marred by poor and awful writing over the years by numerous regimes, she actually could still have had potential as a character, but I just don't think that's the case anymore. 

[4evaQuez]

On 10/16/2024 at 5:36 PM, MissPhoenixGirl said:

And the writers also teased a potential relationship with J.J. and that has never really come to fruition and now with the crap that she's pulled recently with Victor's will and Konstantin, I just can't see J.J. wanting anything to do with her ever again, especially since she actually betrayed Maggie by kidnapping her own granddaughter.

So basically Stephanie has had a lot more relative success in the romance department and even now she's still getting involved in relationships. And Stephanie is actually a lot more popular and successful character than Theresa has ever been or will be, so much so that before Stephanie came back a couple of years ago, a lot of people were begging for her to come back. I hardly see anyone wanting Theresa to ever come back, even more so now after her latest shenanigans.

I assumed the show put the kibosh on JJ/Theresa because of the age difference. Theresa was a full adult and addict when she was introduced, and JJ was a part of the teen scene. Even though I don't think people would be as upset with an older woman dating a teenager (how old was JJ when Eve slept with him), I still think the show made the right decision. It's sad because I think J.L.'s Theresa is the only woman Casey's J.J. had any chemistry with.

 

Has Stephanie had a popular pairing? Stephanie/Philip is the one I see people talk about the most, and people like the potential of that pairing more than the actual relationship. People seemed to be hoping for some type of Kiriakis vs. Johnson/Brady war that didn't materialize.

Stephanie/Nathan, Stephanie/Max, Stephanie/Chad, Stephanie/Alex, all seem similar levels of tepid to me with the audience. 

I can get behind Shelley's Stephanie being more popular than either Theresa. I despise Stephanie regardless of who portrays her, and I also couldn't stand J.L.'s Theresa. I did kind of like Emily's Theresa.

[MissPhoenixGirl]

21 hours ago, 4evaQuez said:

I assumed the show put the kibosh on JJ/Theresa because of the age difference. Theresa was a full adult and addict when she was introduced, and JJ was a part of the teen scene. Even though I don't think people would be as upset with an older woman dating a teenager (how old was JJ when Eve slept with him), I still think the show made the right decision. It's sad because I think J.L.'s Theresa is the only woman Casey's J.J. had any chemistry with.

 

Has Stephanie had a popular pairing? Stephanie/Philip is the one I see people talk about the most, and people like the potential of that pairing more than the actual relationship. People seemed to be hoping for some type of Kiriakis vs. Johnson/Brady war that didn't materialize.

Stephanie/Nathan, Stephanie/Max, Stephanie/Chad, Stephanie/Alex, all seem similar levels of tepid to me with the audience. 

I can get behind Shelley's Stephanie being more popular than either Theresa. I despise Stephanie regardless of who portrays her, and I also couldn't stand J.L.'s Theresa. I did kind of like Emily's Theresa.

I definitely get slowing the brakes on any potential relationship between J.J. and Theresa back then because as you said, J.J. was a teenager in high school and Theresa was already a full grown adult. But it absolutely could've worked back in 2018 and it did seem like maybe they were building up to it before Jen Lilley left again. But now I just don't see it happening because of Theresa's more recent heinous crimes since then. Also J.J. was 19 when he and Eve had an affair and IIRC had already graduated high school and was attending college by that point. 

Also I don't know if Stephanie had a popular pairing per say but I do know that some people liked her with some guys more than others. It's possible that Stephanie/Nathan might've had some fans here and there and Stephanie/Philip too. Jeremy/Stephanie could've worked if not for Jeremy trying to literally drown Stephanie in the hot tub back when they were dating. That's probably the main reason why Jeremy has never been brought back to the show in years because then Days would be forced to deal with that problematic part of his history. 

I think Alex might be Stephanie's worst pairing to date though, with Everett and Chad both being close seconds, and I hate that Ron is forcing them together. Honestly I would be fine with Alex and Stephanie riding off into the sunset and moving back to Arizona together as husband and wife and not have to hear from either of them again. The writers can just bring back Joey to drive stories if they need a Stayla kid on canvas. 

Edited October 18 by MissPhoenixGirl

[CanaryFan98]

 

22 hours ago, 4evaQuez said:

I assumed the show put the kibosh on JJ/Theresa because of the age difference. Theresa was a full adult and addict when she was introduced, and JJ was a part of the teen scene. Even though I don't think people would be as upset with an older woman dating a teenager (how old was JJ when Eve slept with him), I still think the show made the right decision. It's sad because I think J.L.'s Theresa is the only woman Casey's J.J. had any chemistry with.

 

Has Stephanie had a popular pairing? Stephanie/Philip is the one I see people talk about the most, and people like the potential of that pairing more than the actual relationship. People seemed to be hoping for some type of Kiriakis vs. Johnson/Brady war that didn't materialize.

Stephanie/Nathan, Stephanie/Max, Stephanie/Chad, Stephanie/Alex, all seem similar levels of tepid to me with the audience. 

I can get behind Shelley's Stephanie being more popular than either Theresa. I despise Stephanie regardless of who portrays her, and I also couldn't stand J.L.'s Theresa. I did kind of like Emily's Theresa.

Emily's Theresa was less grating but at the same time I just kept seeing Gwen. 

I enjoyed Stephanie/Phillip together unfortunately it was tossed aside for Melanie of all people. I do think the show missed the mark of not having Steve/Kayla around when it happened given their past history with Victor. Although Caroline was there not the same.

I heard that JL didn't want the JJ/Theresa pairing because he looked like her brother. I don't know how accurate that is but thank goodness for small favors. I loathed Theresa and wouldn't want her with someone I like. They would've been a watered down version of Lucas/Sami. Hard pass.

I thought JJ/Bev or JJ/Roxanne would've worked as a long term thing but they got rid of both girls.

I did like him with Gabi and Eve for what they were. I think they neutered JJ way to soon though. He should've been a bad boy/hot mess a lot longer and then as he's in his mid 30s evolve.

Strangely I think JJ/Holly look good together and I like their scenes. Despite their age difference I hope they can at least have a friendship.

Edited October 18 by CanaryFan98

[4evaQuez]

3 hours ago, MissPhoenixGirl said:

Also I don't know if Stephanie had a popular pairing per say but I do know that some people liked her with some guys more than others. It's possible that Stephanie/Nathan might've had some fans here and there and Stephanie/Philip too. Jeremy/Stephanie could've worked if not for Jeremy trying to literally drown Stephanie in the hot tub back when they were dating. That's probably the main reason why Jeremy has never been brought back to the show in years because then Days would be forced to deal with that problematic part of his history. 

I honestly forgot all about Jeremy/Stephanie. Somehow I also forgot about Everett/Stephanie even though that storyline just concluded. To be fair to me, I never warned up to Blake playing this new character since I genuinely liked his Nick and kept wishing it was just a back from the dead Nick with DID.

As for Jeremy and the Family Tree aspect of this thread, I'm shocked the show never brought him back with a recast. In the grand scheme of things, Jeremy's crimes aren't that awful considering Clyde is also walking around, and he, too, attempted to kill Stephanie.

I actually think a villainous, male Horton would be a good change of pace for the show. Jennifer's line has been a staple on the show considering Abby has been a major player with multiple actresses and we're in the midst of a fake Abby storyline. Mike also has such an important history that it's shocking the show has kinda forgotten about Mike's lineage, especially since the show is so desperate to keep the Horton name alive, and Jeremy is one of the few characters they can accomplish this with, and Nathan, who I would also like to see recast.

Jeremy could easily be reintroduced with some Jennifer/Julie/J.J. scenes and maybe we can hear about some off screen rivalry he had with Chad to immediately give him a place on canvas. I guess we can connect him with Stephanie, too.

Edited October 19 by 4evaQuez

[CanaryFan98]

15 hours ago, 4evaQuez said:

I honestly forgot all about Jeremy/Stephanie. Somehow I also forgot about Everett/Stephanie even though that storyline just concluded. To be fair to me, I never warned up to Blake playing this new character since I genuinely liked his Nick and kept wishing it was just a back from the dead Nick with DID.

As for Jeremy and the Family Tree aspect of this thread, I'm shocked the show never brought him back with a recast. In the grand scheme of things, Jeremy's crimes aren't that awful considering Clyde is also walking around, and he, too, attempted to kill Stephanie.

I actually think a villainous, male Horton would be a good change of pace for the show. Jennifer's line has been a staple on the show considering Abby has been a major player with multiple actresses and we're in the midst of a fake Abby storyline. Mike also has such an important history that it's shocking the show has kinda forgotten about Mike's lineage, especially since the show is so desperate to keep the Horton name alive, and Jeremy is one of the few characters they can accomplish this with, and Nathan, who I would also like to see recast.

Jeremy could easily be reintroduced with some Jennifer/Julie/J.J. scenes and maybe we can hear about some off screen rivalry he had with Chad to immediately give him a place on canvas. I guess we can connect him with Stephanie, too.

 

The show has no use for Horton males in general so while I agree with you they won't go there.