Got Questions?: We've Got Answers!

[JBC344]

1. Hope had sex with Stefano? Was she brainwashed? Was she blackmailed? Or was this during the Princess Gina thing?

2. I know I'm going to regret asking this, but what, pray tell, is "mime sex"?

This was years after Hope originally came back to Salem and after the original Princess Gina storyline.  Stefano had a plan to turn her back into Gina as well as turn John back into the Pawn.  He actually succeeded.  When Hope was turned back into Princess Gina she slept with both John and Stefano on the same day I believe.  Hope was turned back into herself but later found out that she was pregnant.  It was either John's or Stefano's.  NBC even ran a "Who's the Daddy contest" (I'm not joking) where fans could enter picking John or Stefano as the "Daddy".  The storyline progressed and there was even a small sub-plot where John, Hope and Bo were hiding the paternity from Marlena who still didn't know that John and Hope slept together when they were under Stefano's control.  Now that I think about it actually may have been John, Marlena, and Hope hiding it from Bo, I forget.

 

Anyway well into Hope's pregnancy TPTB decided that they didn't want Stefano or John to be the father. (What a way to kill an actual interesting storyline) So they came up with this absurd explanation that while Hope was turned into Princess Gina she was in Paris for the weekend and came across a brainwashed Bo (Apparently at this same time Stefano had kidnapped Bo and brainwashed him into a mime and put him on the streets of Paris, I know don't ask.  It still makes no sense)  Anyway Hope/Princess Gina runs into Bo/Mime performer and they somehow sense that they have a connection and decide to have a one night stand in Paris and that is how Zack ended up being Bo's son instead of John or Stefano's.

 

Of course Bo and Hope came to this realization through recovered memories.  Yes, it was that absurd.

[Apprentice79]

Don't forget when the real Princess Gina came back and took over Hope's life. After they made love, Bo and Gina were sleeping and Bo began to cry in his sleep crying for his fancy face and Hope was able to recover her memories...lol...

[JBC344]

I realized that I really liked Kristen Alfonso when she was playing the real Princess Gina playing Hope.  There was a real fire there.  I'm sure she enjoyed playing bad, but because Gina was pretending to be Hope that she also got to play "good" as well.

 

I actually liked that storyline, Once Gina got over the fact that she couldn't have John, she really fell in love with Bo, and had Greta near by.  She really settled into the fact that it wasn't going to be so bad to "pretend" to be Hope for the rest of her life.  Of course bratty Shawn D had to screw that up.

[Apprentice79]

I am a bit confused about one thing though, when Hope came back in Maison Blanche, she went by the name of Gina.. She was not an art thief, she was very bland and nondescript..I loved her bond with Celeste....There was always a disconnect for me in that storyline...

[JBC344]

Yeah it is a little confusing because there were so many layers to that storyline.  Kristen Alfonso played; Hope, Gina, Princess Gina (brainwashed), and the real Princess Gina.

 

Gina: Woman who Hope was while she had amnesia and lived at Maison Blanche.  Celeste was her caretaker. Completely different personality and mannerisms than Hope.  When she was found and came back to Salem she lived as Gina until she recovered her memories and realized that she was Hope Brady.

 

Princess Gina (brainwashed): Stefano would take "Gina" and brainwash her further so that she thought she was Princess Gina Von Umberg, and use her as an art thief.

 

Gina Von Umberg: Real life Princess and former lover of Stefano and John Black.  Mother to Greta.  A lot older than Hope. Stefano kept her prisoner until she turned the tables on him and Hope.  Had plastic surgery and began impersonating Hope until she was killed by Shawn Douglas. 

Edited October 13, 2015 by JBC344

[Apprentice79]

I actually liked her as Gina in Maison Blanche...I hated that the show had Stefano be her captor and not some cohort of Ernesto's. It would have made more sense that way..They did the same thing with Steve vis a vis Lawrence...I remember a scene where Bo found "Gina" in the snow and was tending to her by calling her Gina and Gina rousing from her stupor asked him, why he was calling her Gina, when she was Hope..I don't really remember what happened after that...

[JBC344]

I thought that Stefano and Ernesto did work together at least at the end.  I thought it went that Ernesto had kidnapped Hope and planned to drop her in the acid, but then we realized that Stefano had come in and switched Hope with Greta so that she was the one who was burned and disfigured.  I always assumed that Stefano had made a deal with Ernesto to switch the two at the last minute so that Ernesto would still get the result he wanted with everyone thinking Hope was dead but the guarantee that with Stefano taking her she would never be seen from again.

 

I could be wrong and maybe the storyline was just that Stefano got word of Ernesto's plan and made the switch on his own.  I guess that is just as plausible with anything else Stefano has done.  I can't remember if there was ever a final conclusion to that.

[Apprentice79]

Did we ever see Ernesto and Stefano onscreen together...I know that Ernesto and Victor were rivals and that Victor had an affair with his wife and conceived Isabella...

Edited October 13, 2015 by Apprentice79

[LeftPhalange]

Victor had sex with TWO married women and got both of them pregnant?

[jsbt]

Hi. What the hell is John going on about with "Winterthorne" and this dude? What is the current status of his origin? Last I checked they undid that whole Ryan Brady thing.

 

Have they explained how Andre is alive yet again?

[Apprentice79]

Victor had sex with TWO married women and got both of them pregnant?

Yes he did...

Hi. What the hell is John going on about with "Winterthorne" and this dude? What is the current status of his origin? Last I checked they undid that whole Ryan Brady thing.

 

Have they explained how Andre is alive yet again?

No, not yet...

[Happytobehere]

Victor had sex with TWO married women and got both of them pregnant?

Yes, that great paragon of family not only served as interloper in two marriages, both women thought so much of him, they passed their children with Victor off as their husbands and in the case of Ernesto, that says quite a lot for the ish on a stick that is Victor.

Edited October 14, 2015 by Happytobehere

[Apprentice79]

Both Isabella and Bo were horrified to learn that Victor was their father.Even John who was madly in love with Isabella had a hard time dealing with her true parentage..Not that Ernesto was any better..Ernesto was evil just like Stefano. Ernesto killed his wife with whom Victor had an affair.. He tried to kill Isabella, by slowly poisoning her, because she  was a Kiriakis and that she killed her sister Marina, his daughter in self-defense.  Isabella and Roman/John realized that they were in love with each other...Jennifer and Jack revealing that Isabella was Victor's daughter and not Ernesto's. Ernesto tricking Victor into almost killing John/Roman during a performance of a play.

 

The show was actually pushing a Victor/Julie romance. They even kissed...Don't hate me you guys, I kinda liked them together. .lol  Ernesto blowing up  the ship..The cruise of deception was awesome it culminated with Hope "dying" with Ernesto and falling into that vat of acid. ...Jack and Jennifer making love in that cave...I loved it, it was weird and unconventional..It fit them to a T, there was nothing ever conventional about Jack and Jennifer..The Cruise of deception was a great storyline because the writers took their time to craft a character driven storyline..You had suspense, romance, intrigue,laughter  and tragedy...The show was on fire at that time....

Edited October 14, 2015 by Apprentice79

[oceanblue]

And after they made love in the cave the swam naked in the grotto and Bo and Hope walked in and were pretty funny about it pretending to be judgmental. 

[bannana]

I am trying to understand this Andre character, as I am not a long time viewer.  I watched when Will was born, that era, and some of the Melaswen storyline.

 

I have read the Andre wiki page.  What I a unclear on is when Andre was doing evil things as Tony over the years, did everyone (characters and viewers) think that was Tony?  Was this a retcon to redeem the Tony character.  Or did everyone, or at least the viewer, know that it was Andre?

[Apprentice79]

Whenever the show writes Tony into a corner. They always use the Andre Card...We learned in 2007 that Andre was impersonating Tony, when all of the events at Maison Blanche took place in the late 90's. It was Andre that married Kristen.Tony was being held in an island by Stefano for 20 years.. If I have  missed something, somebody can add to this...

Edited October 19, 2015 by Apprentice79

[bannana]

Thanks, I think I get it.  So all the time we thought it was Tony, we found out later it was Andre.  Convenient.  

 

Reading some of the stuff Andre did on the wiki page, I am not surprised the entire room was aghast when he walked in.

[Happytobehere]

I am trying to understand this Andre character, as I am not a long time viewer.  I watched when Will was born, that era, and some of the Melaswen storyline.

 

I have read the Andre wiki page.  What I a unclear on is when Andre was doing evil things as Tony over the years, did everyone (characters and viewers) think that was Tony?  Was this a retcon to redeem the Tony character.  Or did everyone, or at least the viewer, know that it was Andre?

Yes the "It's Andre card" has traditionally been a way of explaining "Tony's" behavior, but many long-term viewers always suspected/conjectured that what we were seeing was actually Andre as the behavior we saw in no way shape or form corresponded with what we knew of Tony.

If you get the chance, you should look up TP's work on both Days and GH, he is just a tremendously charismatic actor.

[Apprentice79]

The actor even said that during the Maison Blanche saga when he saw how Tony had become so diabolical, he infused Tony with Andre's mannerisms without even consulting the higher ups about it.. For example: he used to smoke a certain type of cigar that Andre would smoke. When the show retcon Tony as being Andre all along many years later, it correlated with what Thaoo did all those years ago... It was very ingenious of him to have done it....

Edited October 20, 2015 by Apprentice79

[JBC344]

Yeah the Tony as Andre is more of TPTB using a "get out of jail free" card whenever they paint Tony to dark or menacing.  Some times it works, but if you dig closer into the history it doesn't always work. There have been times in the past where both Tony and Andre were around. Or Andre was "killed" and Tony resurfaced.  For example, Tony's relationship with Lexie was a big part of his character and often used as a way to show his kinder/gentler side.  Then we were told that was Andre all those years, which didn't make sense because there was the implication that Andre was the one who kidnapped Lexie and held her captive underground.  

 

The Tony/Andre switches that they do are just one of those things that you just have to accept.  Sometimes they work and other times they are implausible.

 

I wasn't around when this was first explained but is Andre Daphne's nephew and not Stefano's?  I know that Tony and Andre are cousins and they are dopplegangers but I assumed that it was because they are biologically related.  We know that Tony is not Stefano's biological son so if Andre is Stefano's nephew than it is more of a "look a like" coincidence (a la Susan and Kristen).  Does anyone remember?

Edited October 20, 2015 by JBC344

[plurie]

I wasn't around when this was first explained but is Andre Daphne's nephew and not Stefano's?  I know that Tony and Andre are cousins and they are dopplegangers but I assumed that it was because they are biologically related.  We know that Tony is not Stefano's biological son so if Andre is Stefano's nephew than it is more of a "look a like" coincidence (a la Susan and Kristen).  Does anyone remember?

I don't really remember, but I thought Andre was Stefano's nephew. And Tony is Stefano's biological son, although he was thought not to be before the last retcon. But now Andre is Stefano's son, making him Tony's half brother!

[JBC344]

The last time I remember it being mentioned was when Stefano needed something from his children (bone marrow, kidney, etc) and it was the scene with EJ, Lexie, Tony and Benjy.  EJ was trying to get everyone to get tested and Tony exclaimed that he was out because he was the "gardener's bastard" which left Benjy and Lexie who refused to help.  So it seems like they kept the Tony is not Stefano's biological son storyline and didn't retcon up until that point.  Maybe they did it later. Interesting.

[bannana]

Yeah the Tony as Andre is more of TPTB using a "get out of jail free" card whenever they paint Tony to dark or menacing.  Some times it works, but if you dig closer into the history it doesn't always work. There have been times in the past where both Tony and Andre were around. Or Andre was "killed" and Tony resurfaced.  For example, Tony's relationship with Lexie was a big part of his character and often used as a way to show his kinder/gentler side.  Then we were told that was Andre all those years, which didn't make sense because there was the implication that Andre was the one who kidnapped Lexie and held her captive underground.  

 

The Tony/Andre switches that they do are just one of those things that you just have to accept.  Sometimes they work and other times they are implausible.

 

I wasn't around when this was first explained but is Andre Daphne's nephew and not Stefano's?  I know that Tony and Andre are cousins and they are dopplegangers but I assumed that it was because they are biologically related.  We know that Tony is not Stefano's biological son so if Andre is Stefano's nephew than it is more of a "look a like" coincidence (a la Susan and Kristen).  Does anyone remember?

I don't know, but on the wiki page it says that Andre got plastic surgery to look like Tony so he could do evil deeds as Tony.

[Apprentice79]

I don't know, but on the wiki page it says that Andre got plastic surgery to look like Tony so he could do evil deeds as Tony.

That is true, then he took over his life as Tony...

[JBC344]

Got it, thanks.  I always assumed that they were just doppelgangers.  Cool, so this doesn't interfere with Stefano and Tony not being biologically related.  Although with Andre now Stefano's son, Stefano gets to have someone who looks like Tony with a biological connection.

[Happytobehere]

Yeah the Tony as Andre is more of TPTB using a "get out of jail free" card whenever they paint Tony to dark or menacing.  Some times it works, but if you dig closer into the history it doesn't always work. There have been times in the past where both Tony and Andre were around. Or Andre was "killed" and Tony resurfaced.  For example, Tony's relationship with Lexie was a big part of his character and often used as a way to show his kinder/gentler side.  Then we were told that was Andre all those years, which didn't make sense because there was the implication that Andre was the one who kidnapped Lexie and held her captive underground.  

 

The Tony/Andre switches that they do are just one of those things that you just have to accept.  Sometimes they work and other times they are implausible.

 

I wasn't around when this was first explained but is Andre Daphne's nephew and not Stefano's?  I know that Tony and Andre are cousins and they are dopplegangers but I assumed that it was because they are biologically related.  We know that Tony is not Stefano's biological son so if Andre is Stefano's nephew than it is more of a "look a like" coincidence (a la Susan and Kristen).  Does anyone remember?

Tony is Stefano's biological son. People remember the original retcon that made him not be Stefano's son, but forget that he was ultimately revealed to be a DiMera (this is why you never hear too much about Renee, the DiMera daughter Andre killed because Tony as Stefano's son means that Tony slept with his sister).

As someone who was watching then, the original retcon never made sense because as was always mentioned and Andre himself noted yesterday, he and Tony very closely resembled each other (thus giving Stefano the idea for the switch). If as Stefano has noted multiple times, Andre required minimal surgery because as it was people often mistook the cousins for one another, then how did anyone ever believe that Tony was not Stefano's son? It never made sense, so I was relieved when they undid it. Too bad the re-DiMeraing of Tony happened in a story that did not garner as much fanfare as the un-DiMeraing.

[LeftPhalange]

When was Tony re-Dimeraed?

[Vixenstud]

Regarding Sami and Kate:

 

I always thought they were sworn enemies, so it was very sweet to see them comfort each other at Will's funeral....had they reconciled when Sami left after E.J.'s death?

[JBC344]

Regarding Sami and Kate:

 

I always thought they were sworn enemies, so it was very sweet to see them comfort each other at Will's funeral....had they reconciled when Sami left after E.J.'s death?

Yes, Sami and Kate became really good allies and friends.  It actually started a few years ago.  TPTB started to soften Kate and Sami's relationship.  A past subplot had EJ kidnapping the kids from Sami.  Kate learned this information and was the one who went to Sami to warn her.

 

It really took a turn when Johnny was kidnapped and Kate really stepped up for Sami and was there for her.  After that Kate and Sami actually started working together the first time with Sami being a spy for Kate and then coming to work for her at Countess Willhemina.  When Sami double crossed Kate, Kate was angry but incredibly hurt.

 

What put them on the path to really getting closer was when Kate, Sami, and Gabi bonded over "killing" Nick.  They still had the banter and underlying insults but there was a new found respect there.  That plot developed into Sami and Kate officially burying the hatchet and teaming up when they double crossed EJ and Stefano and took over Dimera enterprises.  They were officially friends and really looked out for one another.  They had a really some really sweet goodbye scenes when Sami left.

 

That is what they were referring to when Sami said Kate were embracing. 

[QuelleC]

Because of all the switcheroos I lost interest in Tony/Andre years ago because I felt tricked.  And I wasn't reading SOD back then let alone have internet. How offhandedly did Andre mention his mother sent him an email telling him he was Stefano's son?  Lame.  OTOH I enjoy his soapy acting and walking into the wake to stir things up like a classic Dimera villain.  Contrast that with Creepy who started the whole Dark Salem thing, if you ask me.  I guess James Read thought he was in an episode of Law and Order.

[DisneyBoy]

Why did John Black start a fashion company named after himself?

[JBC344]

About twelve to fifteen years ago.  Kate ran it back then after she broke up with Victor.  She mentored Brady when he worked there.

 

Sorry, I thought the question was "when".

Edited October 22, 2015 by JBC344

[DisneyBoy]

That plot developed into Sami and Kate officially burying the hatchet and teaming up when they double crossed EJ and Stefano and took over Dimera enterprises. They were officially friends and really looked out for one another. They had a really some really sweet goodbye scenes when Sami left.

That is what they were referring to when Sami said Kate were embracing.

I still hate that Sami essentially walked away from Kate to go back to her creep of a husband, after Kate stepped up to help Sami put him away.

With Kate and Sami dismantling the DiMerra empire, it would have been a great way to begin writing out Stefano...if they had seen it through.

No, the Basic Black question was why. John has zero interest in fashion so...

Edited October 22, 2015 by DisneyBoy

[JBC344]

I thought when Basic Black started it was more of an advertising company then morphed over the years into other areas.  Anyway Basic Black was mostly just a cover for John who was still a secret ISA agent.  Which is why Kate basically ran the company for John.

[DisneyBoy]

Ahhh, okay.

[Vixenstud]

Thanks, JBC....Sami and Kate's comforting each other at the funeral was so sweet and UO but it was then that I felt Sami's grief and the same goes for Lucas (when he was first told I thought BD was yelling out his grief, wasn't moved at all).

[DisneyBoy]

I don't want to get into an actor's personal business and then trash them, so let's not get ugly... but seriously: how it is the actress playing Abby has been so front-and-center these last few years?

Her storylines usually involve her being unfaithful or breaking up other people's partnerships...something which has ruined characters in the past. Audiences turned against Chloe and Eve and Kristin once that sort of thing played out and inevitably, the actors would leave the show. Abby remains...and is still publicly regarded as a good girl.

The characters that have endured in spite of their nastiness - Nicole, Kate, Sami, Theresa and yes, to a degree Kristin - are either pretty much regarded as villains or at least have some kind of exciting energy and own what they do to the point that it is fun watching them screw things up. Again, Abby is portrayed as a good person with no awareness of her faults. It's as if the show itself can't address them the way they would with other characters.

Those women are also veterans of the show who have long since earned viewers' loyalties. Abby hasn't been around nearly as long.

Finally, the actress isn't particularly good and has trouble in big scenes - Sami confronting her about the cheating, Ben/Chad scenes of late - expressing deep sadness or humiliation. She typically 'blanks out'.

SO...HOW does she remain on the show? I don't see a vocal fan base rooting her on, and she isn't really a writer's pet favorite...is there some big contract she signed for six straight years? Is she personally affiliated with producers or other cast in a way that guarantees her continued employment?

It would be much, much easier to deal with how frustrating I find this character to be if I could at least understand the real-life reason why she stays around like this. If they don't intend on making her supremely entertaining or redeemable or sympathetic, why does she keep staying around and almost playing the role of a villain without the consequences or reputation...or having to prove her mettle as an actor the way anyone else on the cast would in order to keep their job?

Does anybody know what the deal is here? There must be a reasonable explanation. I'm not asking to trash the actress... I just feel like I'm missing something and could make peace with her prominent placement in the show if it was explained to me.

We know Rafe is the current head writer's fave...but why is Abby getting major screentime on the 50th Anniversary?

Edited October 31, 2015 by DisneyBoy

[LeftPhalange]

KM is allegedly dating some writer on this show. I don't bother to pay attention to her social media accounts or read anything about her other than the stupid interviews she gives, so I couldn't tell you if there might be any truth to the rumor. I've seen this speculation posted several times but haven't seen any hard evidence to prove it so take it with a grain of salt. 

Edited October 31, 2015 by LeftPhalange

[DisneyBoy]

I had heard that here as well, but I didn't know if it was someone throwing shade or based in fact. I mean, who knows? Maybe she really is the cast sweetheart who they enjoy having around in spite of the material leading Abby astray...

[LeftPhalange]

If the writers adore KM they should stop giving her material that shows how poor of an actress she is. Or they could just accept the fact that they write Abifail like she's a sociopath and just have the rest of Salem treat her like the freak that she is. KM already plays the character like she's an emotionless whackjob so they might as well just go with it. Or they could just kill off the character. 

[Kitty Redstone]

I'd love to know the answer to this as well.  I can't figure out what TPTB see in either the character or the actor.  Perhaps it's a simple explanation -- KM fits an age and gender type the show needs, she can memorize her lines in the short time-span required, and she's willing to sign a long-term contract.  As a result the writers/producers care less about her many, many shortcomings as an actress.  I've wondered if KM's screen time would be cut back to something more appropriate if CM or MB were to sign a three-year contract, but unfortunately neither of them seems interested in doing so. 

 

In any event, I wish they'd kill off the character and send KM on her way. 

[QuelleC]

You only have to go as far as your nearest FB page to find out how stunningly beautiful Kathy Morris is and now steamy hot the EJabby sex was.  That's why I don't leave my PTV bedroom. I don't think it's trashing the actress to think she believes her own press. I don't know anything about dating the writer either, but someone on the show sure likes her. The thing with Days is they shove these people down our throat and it ain't happening.  New writers seem to have toned down a lot of people's quirks and seeing less of people like Taniel has made me like him a bit. Speaking of Dr. Grope, I read where KM tested with him for the show and they told her to tone down the chemistry.  So it wasn't my imagination she looked like she wanted to jump him when she kept making excuses to stop by his apartment during one of his break ups with Jenn.  That might have been interesting.  More interesting than Jjeve, that's for sure.  

[LeftPhalange]

I wonder what Jen would have done if her precious daughter humped Dan.

[DisneyBoy]

Her head would have split open and one of those Power Rangers monsters would have ripped its way out.

Frankly, it looked like JJ and Abi were going to bump uglies in their first few scenes together.

[QuelleC]

I'd like to think she would have to examine the fact she has her good and bad children mixed up.  If she's not shouting Jenn is an ok actress.

[Peanut6711]

I wouldn't be surprised at all that there's some truth to the rumor that KM is dating someone affiliated with the show. Something is keeping her on the front burner and the ratings certainly aren't justifying it.  Days has been known in the past and present to favor certain actors or get rid of fan favorites based off of personal likes/dislikes. It certainly seems to point to more a matter of who you know or who you blow than whether you can give a compelling performance or bring the ratings out of last place. 

Edited November 2, 2015 by Peanut6711

[tribeca]

Although I was not watching at the time I know Kim/Shane were a very popular couple.  It surprised me and took me out of the scene somewhat when Julie, Jennifer and Adrienne were looking at the wedding photos and went right past Shane's and Kim's.  It especially stood out to me since they were oohing and awing all the others.

  Why do the writers not like Shane and Kim? 

[BlackMamba]

Hi. What the hell is John going on about with "Winterthorne" and this dude? What is the current status of his origin? Last I checked they undid that whole Ryan Brady thing.

Have they explained how Andre is alive yet again?

So if Orphan Black finds his natural parents, would they be damn near 80 something?? Hopefully he has siblings. Maybe Vincent Irizarry could be his brother maybe.

[Happytobehere]

So if Orphan Black finds his natural parents, would they be damn near 80 something?? Hopefully he has siblings. Maybe Vincent Irizarry could be his brother maybe.

I'd say they would be closer to 90. That's why this foolishness should have been put to bed years ago. I mean, he'll know, which is important, but in the context of the show, what will be the payoff?

Irizarry is supposed to be playing a Kiriakis. Given his connection to that family via Isabella, making him kin in some way is just ick.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Happytobehere

[JBC344]

Maybe we will siblings for John as a way to bring in new characters. 

 

I still don't understand the John isn't an Alamain storyline?  John was adopted by them, that was always part of his history. His adoption has nothing to do with changing his paternity. Are they just reiterating that or did I miss something?