carolineg

I agree. It was entertaining. It's just tough when you don't feel bad for anyone involved lol. Craig and Xander kind of deserve it. At least Nancy got to hold her head high and acted with grace.

So, I have lots of questions about today's episode, but is Craig that rich? Rich enough to target for money? Sure he's a Dr. and I am sure lives a very upper class lifestyle, but it doesn't seem like he was lavishing money on Leo or anything.

Yeah it's clear they are dragging both main triangles out to have a summer climax, where I think you could have spread them out better. In fact, I would have ended John/Marlena/Kristen first and kept Sami/Austin/Carrie for the summer. I tend to think the Jack/Jen/Peter story stalling might have been a personnel issue, with Missy leaving and Jason Brooks being off the show as well and not intentional. I don't have much to say about Bo/Hope-almost all the stories JER wrote for them were bad. He clearly wasn't a big fan lol The tone got really bogged down after those two major stories ended too. I feel like entire weeks of show would take place with everyone moping around almost dead Roman's bedside and no one was really happy except Austin/Carrie, but the tide was already turning on that and people wanted her with Mike. And the attempts at lightheartedness like the Jonesy story gave me second hand embarrassment for Louise Sorel and Ivan G'vera. They didn't deserve that. And I agree 100% that Susan outlived her usefulness, but then got significant airtime after the reveal and I kept assuming she'd leave and go back wherever but didn't lol. Anyway, after a great 1996 I thought 1997 was rough for Days and GH. I think GH's 1997 was worse than Days, but GH rebounded pretty quickly in 1998 and I don't know if Days ever did.

Thank you! I remember all the aftermath but not the bomb lol. I will have to look that up again. Didn't have something to do with art?

Can you remind what the bomb explosion was? For the life of me I can't remember, but I am sure I have seen it lol.

I think you can still have emotional investment in a death story and still be happy a character comes back from the dead as well. Marlena's was death in 1987 still affected me and I was super happy she came back and that was watching after I knew the ending lol. To me, and just speaking for myself, two different things did happen. Marlena died, people mourned and moved on, and then she miraculously came back and everyone around her had to deal with that. I was talking specifically about Bo. You are talking about a much broader problem across all soaps, which I agree with. Days has a problem with people taking it seriously, but also because it's a badly written. Your point is correct, but in this instance I don't think Bo coming back from the dead is the problem. It's just another problem on top of already lazy writing. IDK, I don't think you are wrong about anything really, but I just don't have a problem with Bo being back under this circumstance.

I think Bo/Carly got some great writing and the coupling was set up well. Carly was just suddenly everywhere all the time! Although I think 1992 was an awful year for Days. Aside from being the Carly show, there was bratty, new, Carrie, the John/Romulus plot, the Hawk/Jen/Jack thing, Bo being gone, bad teens (Faith/Tanner), Roman undercover as Mrs. Doubtfire, Kayla/Shane, etc. etc. etc. Yuck! It didn't ramp up until Izzy B croaked and Stella chucked Marlena into a pit. I know there were major behind the scenes changes but it's so hard to watch overall. The show turned it around quick, by Feb 93 things are happening and gelling. Stacy is better as Susan and that's not a weird take. Although the writing for her Kristen has been bonkers-Eileen can walk in and it all makes sense. It's a very stark difference. Kristen probably belongs in the thread of characters that can't be recast just because the original actress is so iconic and tied to the role. That's how I feel about Brenda on GH. You could recast because it's been so long and you could find someone, but no matter how good they are my affection is more for the actress in the role than the actual role, you know?

I mean it's definitely better than Hope can't make this or that major event because her plane couldn't take off due to bad weather lol

I didn't see SSH's tweet, so I was just guessing. Since the whole Christmas movie was Will's story I just thought a fake out was a possibility. I do think the show will bring Bo back, but I do think a lot depends on what KA/PR are willing to do for Days in the future.

I didn't mind Nancy/Clyde............either.

They could make it all Hope's dream or something silly like that. I wouldn't rule it out. It's Ron

Ha! Ha! I don't care if you don't like John/Marlena lol and I will accept you like VM, but not Brenda. I am not into campaigns and silly nonsense like that. I loved WN's Roman/Marlena so much! Especially their early stuff. I just ended up liking John/Marlena better through the years because I loved the affair and think they have better romantic chemistry. The show did WN dirty as Roman in the 90's and if WN showed up as Roman tomorrow and JT showed up as Chris K. I would not even care or question it. I loved LR's Billie and RKK's Bo as well. I did not like Carly or Carly/Bo or CC (sorry). I really hated the early 90's Carly show. Anyhow, I think Stacy does okay with Susan. Her Kristen is just very weak. ED just walks in for a few scenes and owns the character and I think it's a disservice to Stacy to flip them back and forth.

We can't be friends lol. I am the biggest John/Marlena fan on this board lol. And also Brenda Barrett's biggest fan so if you don't like her either-we can never speak again 🤣 Just Kidding of course! I do really like Kristen/ED. I am so glad Eileen finally got something meaty to do. I think the Susan idea was fantastic. I just didn't like the "look at how talented ED can be" shtick. Not that's she's not the most talented actress ever on Days most likely, it just felt like too much. That being said the story is very watchable. I thought the real couple of the story was Kristen/Marlena. DH/ED work so well, even now, as rivals. The Secret Room stuff is golden. I just think I preferred Aremid and Maison Blanche because of their gothic undertones and so much of the cast being involved. But, again, the Kristen/Susan/Banks story is better than most of what we got the next 25 years. Do you like SH as Kristen/Susan?

Well, you obviously feel strongly on this and I mostly agree with you on every other topic, so I will just address what you replied to me on. I don't have a problem with Bo being brought back at all. Not a bit. At this point, we don't even know he's not still dead and making ghostly appearances or how this will play out on screen. Now, there are probably 20 plus characters on Days that should have stayed dead throughout the years. Everyone comes back on Days and many shouldn't. That is what makes it a joke-not Bo being brought back specifically IMO. As far as Kayla being a liar? She's already bent a few rules as chief of staff. She was in on the Hattie/Marlena switch when Belle was going to use the DNR after Marlena was shot, so she's not above this. Again, without knowing if/how Bo's alive it is just speculation on my part. Days is an ungrounded mess under RC. RC is writing Beyond Salem. I wouldn't expect anything less. If there was a different team on Days or Beyond Salem I would be very open to a more grounded show. I am not excusing the shows faults, I make fun of them often, but I don't expect a massive change in tone on Beyond Salem. So I guess we can agree to disagree on this one. I honestly don't feel that strongly about it being terribly detrimental to Days as a whole or a spin off series. In fact, I always assume Bo would end up alive in the end. Anyway, I just want to clarify my opinions on this a little better. I definitely see where you and others are coming from and I can't say there aren't some really great points made. Who knows? In July, I may come back and tell you everything you said was spot on and I am stupid and wrong🤣

@TonksadoraI'll move my response to your post in the Best year thread to here to not derail that thread with my ramblings. I agree about the Kristen/Susan sex stuff, but I think it was played as John doesn't love Kristen and that's why he can't tell the difference. It was used as wacky hijinks instead of a deceptive sexual assault and made John look dumb. Anyway, outside of all that the John/Marlena reunion wasn't even that good lol. I was waiting since approx. 1991 for that to happen and John/Marlena didn't even really talk about anything. Sure the affair and Roman got named dropped, but John didn't seem that devastated at losing a child and a wife and proposed to Marlena hours later. It was unsatisfying and so was the aftermath of bringing Roman in. Even the Kristen/Susan/Banks siblings seem to be done just to up the wacky factor. And while I loved the suspense of the initial Susan/Kristen switch all those siblings just seemed like an Emmy reel for ED and something for her to do while she burnt out the rest of her contract that she wasn't renewing. So, overall, while I thought the initial story was good-I wasn't into the ending and the extra siblings the show added just to add.

This is all very true, but John was dumbed down to the point he couldn't tell the difference between two people while sleeping with them, he didn't realize Kristen wasn't pregnant even when she lived with him and shared a bed, and was oblivious to Marlena swooning at him the minute he walking in the room. It was Austin level stupidity. And I know we aren't supposed to think John is dumb as viewers. Marlena being self-sacrificing is a throughline for her, but, again, we were at the point where she was moping around alone waiting? hoping? John would catch a clue about Kristen. At what point does being self-sacrificing do more harm than good? That's where I think Marlena was at in 1997. She knew Kristen was evil and lying to John, she knew John loved her, but helped drag everything along for reason after reason which wasn't helpful to anyone in the situation and actually made Kristen more crazy and evil lol. I am probably drifting this thread into the Classic Days thread territory, so I will just say I think 1996 on Days works much better than 1997. 1996 I can't think of a story I didn't like. I even liked the kooky Aremid characters. I am sure I am forgetting some C plot that was bad, but the only thing I thought wasn't great was Bo/Hope's stories. 1997 had Kristen/Susan et all and the big endings to all the major stories throughout JER's run, but the show was terrible in the last 3-4 months of that year. Fauxman, the Jungle story, Hope/John teasers, Kristen doing a whole lot of nothing, Jack/Jen/Circus, etc. But that's my opinion. I feel like GH and Days were the two strongest soaps in 1996 from my standpoint.

I don't think the Kristen/Susan story was bad, but 5 was a lot of characters for ED to play and very silly at the end. Kristen initially turning to evil, deceiving John, her rivalry with Marlena, and her teaming up with Stefano was all good. By the time the story reached it's climax John was dumbed down really bad, Marlena became the most self-sacrificing person in the world, and it was all a little too wacky for me. 1997 starts off awesome, but everything fizzles out after the main stories reach their conclusion and we get to Roman's return and Hope/John's trip to the jungle It's absolutely a story I have watched more than once, but if I had to go with my favorite stories of that era I would choose: 1. Aremid 2. Maison Blanche 3. Carrie/Austin/Sami 3. Paris 4. Kristen/Susan 5. The Possession

Again, I just don't think that logic fits Days. They are re-doing a 30 year old story about devil Possession. I don't think the current viewers of Days are going to be shocked Bo is alive. That is on brand for the soap they are watching. In the more grounded early 80's on Days of course it wouldn't make sense for the show, but this show hasn't been grounded for about 40 years. 100%. Even if the show wanted to revamp, Bo's death is not the hill to die on for that movement. Viewers aren't going to be upset Bo's alive lol.

On Days? A show that killed off half their cast and brought them back to live on an island that resembled Salem? Where entire groups of irrevocably dead people have been brought back to life by a mad scientist? I totally understand your point and would agree for most soaps, but someone as iconic as Bo shouldn't be the lone example of THIS death on days matters. Especially when IMO it can be fairly easy to explain away. Kayla was the one that confirmed the brain tumor and she could have lied for Bo/the ISA for whatever reason and it was too dangerous too tell Hope and the kids.

I am pretty sure Bo died of brain cancer. But I do think he had something wrong with his pancreas or liver at some point. lol I think Chelsea gave him some of her liver/pancreas as a transplant. I mean, he's like one of the only characters that hasn't been presumed dead multiple times, so I don't mind it. I think if played right by RC (which probably won't happen) it could be a great way to have Hope/Bo off the canvas but for a reason. Bo's death had to be faked because he's undercover or hiding or something and Hope has to be on the run with him. If you can't have the actors full time it's a decent excuse for them to be gone for now.

Outside of silly fangirl John/Marlena stories that I love like the Affair, I think Aremid was easily the best story to come out of JER's era. It just really involved the entire cast, so many different things were happening, it had so many soapy elements and it was ridiculous, but not campy and silly like most of JER's stories. It was the perfect blend of outlandish circumstances played very seriously. The Possession got all the glory, but Aremid was really the best story JER wrote followed by Maison Blanche, which I also loved.

Me too. Honestly, it's a shame KS is on GH because I wouldn't mind a silly KS/JC Days reunion on the spinoff. This sounds like a great way to explain Hope's absences. She wasn't just having awful luck with planes and bad weather-she's on a super secret mission with non-dead Bo. And Bo/Hope can continue being in hiding or absent on the main show and it would make sense. At least that's where I would go with it.

I would hope Shawn gets to see his parents or will they try to get Jason Cook in the spirit of these peacock specials?

Yeah. I agree. I don't mind Patch and Kayla, but they really don't do anything. I like the young adult crew of Johnny, Chanel, Allie, Tripp, tbh. I don't get the big deal about Will/Sonny, but I don't hate them either. A lot of the cast I am indifferent about and don't care whether they stay or go.

Absolutely. GH has a huge cast, a lot of which we can do without. The difference between Days and GH is there are characters on Days I don't like, but are important or just need a break. GH has so many cast members that could disappear and I wouldn't even notice. For both soaps there are obvious characters that should be back and aren't. On Days there are a lot of characters that are glaringly missing from things (Hope, Stephanie, Sami, Lucas, Carrie, etc)