Bright Eyes

Leo felt like a real person in the scene, for once. I also don't have the same animosity regarding Gwen and am excited to see how she'll fit in and be written with the new writers, even if her return was a part of RC's plans.

I was relieved to get a respite from the heavy John/Bo material today. Like previously mentioned, it really let us come up for air and breathe a bit, and good beats regarding John were still in play to keep that thoroughline going. Peter Reckell was fantastic on yesterday's episode. I was worried Bo would be told about Victor and Doug off-screen, so though my heart was fully breaking for him, I'm really happy we got to see him react to their passings. How strange that both his fathers died in a plane crash, I'm surprised they didn't have a line about it, but maybe it would have been to clunky to include. Cat/Tate were a fresh interaction. Why would she "feel" like she knows Sami. It reminded me of when Carrie "felt" like she knew EJ when he first came to town as EJ Wells, where he should have turned out to be a long lost Tony/Anna kid, but then all the mess we got happened instead. With that and her mysterious call, colour me intrigued. I am going to confess something I am almost ashamed to admit ... I like the Jack/Leo scene! However, in my defense, it got very genuine between them and those historical references used about Diana, Duke, and Leo's past with John were all very strong beats to play for me, and most importantly it Leo's responses were kept to a minimum. But by God, those pants he was wearing made him look deranged. Also, shout out to Melissa Reeves, who came back effortlessly yet again. I can't wait to see her confront Chad about letting Cat into his life. And SSH shouting "SKYDIVING" was hilarious.

Jason Cook still looks so good. I miss him.

The counts seem small even for B&B. Thanks for posting!

Always thankful for the stats!

I haven't said much about last week and today because I'm just enjoying it that much and soaking it all in. Building up the characters hopes before they pull the rug out from under them doesn't bother me. I think it helps to balance out the wave of devastation of this huge loss they'll be experiencing. I also want to give kudos to how well they are pacing every individual character's turn to have their moment and shine a light on their relationship with John. Never once has it felt forced or oversaturated. Carrie was a sight for sore eyes. How I wish things turned out differently and she was a permanent Salem resident. Even if the whole episode was just her meeting everyone, I would have been glued to the screen. I've never been the biggest fan of Brady, but his reminiscing with John surprisingly choked me up more than I thought it would or even could. Maybe because through the years John also kept the memory of Isabella alive for me, too? Still, so many strong moments, another being Abe hoping to be there standing proudly with John if Theo and Claire ever got married. I pictured it so vividly. That strong a point of view from Abe is so rare, too. Like someone mentioned above, Roman should absolutely get that moment of thanking John for loving his children, but I bet they're saving that for the funeral. Same with Hope, who has shared such strong ties to him throughout the years. Would it be insensitive if Kate got a moment, too? I could sense a moment like in All My Children when Dixie died and Brooke went to Jamie and acknowledged that she recognized that he was hurting and loved Dixie, too. Sami missing saying goodbye to John, while all his other children got a moment with him, is actually perfect for her character. How she reacts to that fact, if she's returning, will be a real testament to whether she's truly changed and evolved for the better. Always happy to see Eric/Greg Vaughan, the constantly beautiful man he is. It was so interesting how they positioned Johnny with the rest of the group. It made him so relatable to me, because looking outside in at all of them together who have spent so much more time with each other, with John, and especially with the audience, it absolutely would be intimidating and would just add to him feeling like he didn't belong. All these strong character choices are much welcome. Even the small part of Eric needing to pray helps see the characters as individuals. Having only kept a surface level attention on the show during the RC years, seeing Will and Eric connecting with Johnny was new to me. I even forgot Will and Johnny were brothers for a moment. Eric sounded like such an uncle when he told Johnny he didn't give him a chance to say a proper hello. With that scene and the hint of trouble in paradise, I can't help but wonder if Eric could be back in Salem more regularly? (No spoilers please). My only real negative is that Chandler Massey is so limiting. I care about Paul the way I should care about Will because of how much stronger the actor is. If ever Will was returning permanently, which I don't think is necessary at this point, I would have to recast. Anyway, except for that horrible and too on the nose cheap song choice at the end, another wonderfully done episode today. All the Bo material has been just as strong. We have been absolutely spoiled with all these flashbacks with both men. Even if it's been done before, the Bo in purgatory scenes have been a treat just to see Bo again properly and not just lying in bed. I wonder if Drake Hogestyn could have filmed, if they would have crossed paths in their dream states? I was surprised they didn't just have Scott Shilstone back as Zack, but this new guy was solid, but in no way looked like Bo and Hope's child. When Zack mentioned he was surrounded by loved ones, I was hoping for a line about him meeting Isabella. I did think it was funny that in today's hospital scenes with Bo, Hope and Ciara were dressed much more appropriately. As for Chelsea, much as I like Rachel Melvin, I understand the choice to have Chelsea there, but not on-screen. I wonder if they even asked her to return or was this always the plan? Still, Bo is finally alive again after all! I was holding out for a hero, it's just so sad we had to lose the ultimate one in the process!

It's an equal mix of feeling tortured and superior being a day ahead. Ya'll are getting a pretty good one tomorrow. It puts some things into perspective.

Thanks for posting. Is any of her soap stuff, especially from OLTL, available?

I knew it wasn't going to be a name or else we would have heard about the casting in advance from at least the soap press.

Judging by the fact that I was able to watch two episodes today, looks like Canada being a day ahead might be permanent.

I would say just start initially with as late as Friday/Monday. Neither episode was inundated with the kids you're referencing and both were just superb.

I will say though, it does add to all the devastation going on with John, Bo, and Philip, especially with that Steve/Kayla scene discussing it all. It's a shame Pease seems to be completely done with the show, whether by choice or necessity.

It'll be so sad not to have Kim there. I really wish the best for Patsy Pease.

Even when they mentioned the possession, it was still heaped in emotional truth, which I was relieved by. I also meant to state, I'm loving the classic soap opera direction the show has employed in a couple scenes lately. The first I noticed it was when Sarah was in the doorway talking to Xander, and again in the chapel scenes. The perfect blend of dark and light to make the scene feel correctly atmospheric.

I re-watched the Day of DAYS promo and the only scenes we haven't seen yet are the one with Carrie and the very last one with Hope and Julie. It's funny to see everything in context now.

These writers had me by crying like a bitch today. I loved literally every scene! We are being invited to watch high stakes emotional drama that has me glued to the screen. Great acting all around. Applause, applause! Maggie really has went ridiculously easy on Xander through the years, so to see her turn on him so ferociously was delicious. The beauty of it all, is now Xander has become the underdog, which puts him in a great place to watch as a viewer. I'd like to see Sarah and Brady be built up as a strong male/female friendship, just like I think could work between Gabi/Alex as well. There's a sick sort of irony in the (presumed) fact that amidst all this drama with Xander (a Kiriakis) in connection to John/Marlena and the Bradys, a DiMera (EJ) will stand to gain from it. The real villain of the piece swooping in when their attention and vitriol is elsewhere.

Was that Peter Pan ever made?

Watch it still be more of a classic than what B&B and Y&R would show.

Aw, I care about Melissa. Hope's OG bff, and I'm talking before the SORAS. #neverforget I think the polite thing to do is just a simple Happy Anniversary, plus heartfelt message, without the mention of specific years. Did Melissa ever interact with Billie or Carly? I'm guessing fake Melissa did with the latter before she left? That picture made me realize I've never really thought about how it was pre-Steve and John existing. And no Roman, or Kayla, or Doug and Julie. Who was Bo's best man? And who are the three people next to him in that picture?

Peyton Meyer is 26, but I'm telling myself Doug's about 21, since all the actors in his group (Tate/Holly/Arianna/Sofia) are all a few years older than their characters. Actually, Leo Howard is a decade older than Tate! Still not the greatest optics, but still much more tolerable.

Does anyone else think Lauren Buglioli talks too softly? I get she's supposed to be a pampered princess, but I can't connect to her performances because I always feel like she needs more grit or something. She needs to be more ferocious for me. More of a firecracker, because she's coming off like less than a sparkler. I will say bringing on Tracy was exactly what Anita needed because she's been all stoic all the time. Seeing her be infallible made her feel human, rootable, and relatable. This was the first episode where I feel like the new Ted had settled in well. Pretty good for a near immediate recast.

Pretty much my exact sentiments. The good DAYS are here again! We are so back! Rejoice! Viva la Salem! (Am I being too extra?) To add to this, Ari being immediately dick hungry made me instantly like her. I think Julie's scenes today added so much, too. They could have easily not been part of the episode, but it just added to the emotional stakes. Was her flashback part of the CoD story? And that little scene Maggie had with Philip earlier in the week added so much heart to drama of that story. Matriarchs are so back! When Kayla had to tell Marlena that John was hurt again, I couldn't help but think back to when she went off on Bo for leaving Roman to go after Stefano. I wonder if they'll have her go off on someone like Kayla or Steve and initially blame them for John's death. It should be stated Kristian Alfonso still looks amazing, but I did think it was ridiculous that she was wearing a Chanel suit to go help with the dangerous mission, but it was good to see her be part of it while we had Kayla and Marlena sitting back and waiting for the best. The only part I didn't like was Ciara mentioning how great Ben is. Not buying sis, but the fact Konefal returned and immediately was crying her eyes out was impressive. Since Hope mentioned her, I wonder if we'll get a Chelsea return next week? Also, during Bo's dream/purgatory scenes, did anyone think we were going to see a return from a dead character? Isabella or Zack since he was mentioned in the episode would have been a good shout or both. I can't think of a better one where the actor hasn't also passed. I can't decide if that John Black montage were the most emotional moment of the episode, but holy f*ck was it bittersweet to see Drake Hogestyn back on my screen again. Phew! Again, a great week, and a fantastic episode to finish it off.

Not to harp on, and I don't know if it's always been there and I just noticed it today, but why the hell does Ashley have her microwave on top of the fridge? What sense does that make? Irrationally, It made her more intolerable than she already was in this episode.