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j swift

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Posts posted by j swift

  1. I'm delighted that Brady had that scene with Kristen. It was really satisfying to see him confront her about all her crimes. Eric Martsolf's acting range may be limited, but he excels at portraying passionate anger. In a soap opera where characters rarely stay in jail or dead, it's refreshing to see some semblance of justice, even if it's not through the legal system.

    I find it amusing how Julie and Maggie have essentially become caretakers for Victoria, Thomas, and Charlotte. Julie wasn't the most attentive mother to David and Hope when they were toddlers, and Maggie didn't even meet 2/3 of her children until they were much older. I assume Maggie must have help around the mansion to clean up after the kids, but if I were Sarah or Chad, I'd consider hiring a nanny.

    Everett appears quite suspicious. I've mentioned before that I hope his shadiness is limited to being an adulterer and nothing more sinister.

    14 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

    Him and Sarah being weaved into the drug storyline adds another layer to it all.

    I understand that the storyline aims to highlight the dangers of drug use. It began with Holly innocently trying marijuana, but now months later, the situation has escalated to assassinations and arson. However, it feels like the emphasis on the sale of marijuana and prescription drugs is exaggerated. These substances don't typically require imports by boats, nor do they generate enough profit to corrupt law enforcement. It's reminiscent of the 1990s DARE/Scared Straight campaigns, and if Brady starts cracking eggs to deter Rachel from vaping, it wouldn't be surprising given the juvenile treatment of the issue.

    As a social issue narrative, the story misses the mark by not addressing the ease of access to drugs. Instead, it characterizes the problem as a massive cartel led by a stereotypical villain. For instance, wouldn't it be more impactful if Holly were struggling with stimulants prescribed by Tripp to help her keep up with schoolwork alongside Tate? This would provide a more nuanced portrayal of drug abuse and its roots.

  2. I'm commenting more on people's looks than usual, but Marlena looked gorgeous today.  Sometimes the women on soaps are so stunning that one has to mention it.  She's certainly much too lovely to get some cheap key ring as a gift.  At least give her something useful like a bulletproof vest, or a kitchen. 

    Did Alex have Everett's ring? Or do we really not know where it went and why he had it in his pocket?

    The wedding in the hospital room was a bad omen.  But, I had to laugh when it was suggested that Johnny and Chanel say their own vows, and they magically came up with a monologue on the spot.  As if there was a writer controlling their every thought...

     

  3. 3 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

    That could be a red herring, just like the male cop eavesdropping on Stefan and Ava today. I like that they’re not making who it is too obvious.

    I guess it could be both (I don't know any spoilers).  But, Clyde was complaining about someone making a decision without consulting him on the day that Goldman shot the drug dealer, nobody saw her shoot the dealer, and now the hurt shoulder seems to be leading in that direction. 

    Meanwhile, still no word on how Clyde is funding an international drug ring from prison.

  4. @dc11786 I like the rich sister/poor sister setup of Rituals.  Because for a thirty-minute show, they needed more reasons to have the different social strata interact than the university.  So, it might have been cool if Rose and Gwen were sisters.

    I feel like Loving was one of the last shows to use a class structure as the backdrop for the show.  On Generations, everyone was upwardly mobile.  The City had everyone living in the same building.  And Sunset Beach had a rich family, but Annie was not driven by a desire to climb the social rankings like Ava or Erica.  All of which is to say, that perhaps by the early 90s the Donovan's became irrelevant because class-based stories became out of fashion, and the Rescotts made them somewhat redundant.  Not an excuse, nor a defense, just an observation. 

  5. 11 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

    And I like how the show is still making it a mystery as to who the dirty cop is. I’m actually unsure if it’s the guy or the girl. 

    Goldman saying that she strained her muscle at the gym was an obvious tell, given that Kate shot the suspect.  Although the assassin didn't seem female, and I think there was more than one.

    11 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

    I am interested in Wendy agreeing to spy on Ava and not tell anyone about it. It could lead to some good conflict between her and Tripp.

    OK, so the cops find a burner phone at the back of the bistro.  But rather than dust for prints, they immediately hand it over to Wendy?  The Salem PD is incompetent enough on their own, Clyde doesn't need a spy on the force.

    11 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

    I really, really hope that the Christmas ornaments survived somehow.

    They were so specific at the holidays to mention that they keep the ornaments in the basement, so I'm surprised that they wouldn't survive.  The fire seemed centered on the living room, so it seems odd that their clothes are gone (unless they are just smoke filled or soaked with water).  Although I smiled at the idea that Chad is wearing Victor's clothes.  Also, Julie's shrunken body from aging is so surprising, it is amazing to see how much smaller she is than Maggie. 

  6. 12 minutes ago, carolineg said:

    Did I miss something?  Did Chad and the kids just give up the apartment?  Stephanie doesn't live there, so why don't they?

    Chad needed Julie to raise his kids, so they moved in together.  I guess for story purposes, it is easier to say that the kids are upstairs than in their tiny room in a three bedroom microapartment with a kitchenette rented by the heir to one of the wealthiest families in Salem.  😉

  7. I liked Poor Little Rich Girl (although not as much as Little Gloria.. Happy at Last). Even though zero attempts appear to have been made to help Farrah Fawcett look like Barbara Hutton.  Looking back, it is one of those stories that might have needed even more time than a mini series.  It was as if she marries and divorces Cary Grant between commercials.  But, if we're going for the trifecta, Susan Sarandon as Doris Duke in Bernard and Doris had the correct tone for this type of story.  A tortured heiress is not inherently sympathetic, so a little camp helps to humanize the main character. 

  8. To me, the problem with Clyde is that he's not very scary.  Joe Mascolo was somehow still menacing well into old age, so when Stefano made a threat, it felt as if something big was going to happen.  Clyde just seems smarmy and scummy.  So, it is hard to believe that the combination of Chad, Stefan, and Ava couldn't take care of him with one phone call.

  9. I have to laugh at the hypocrisy of posters “boldly” telling us that they've stopped watching, or quit when it moved to streaming, and then crying over the loss of the Horton set.

    There's a reasonable difference between a stunt and a slap in the face to viewers.  As a 40-year viewer, I would argue that stunts, from casting to plane crashes, are as much a part of DAYS history as Tom Horton's chair.  So, thanks for checking in and telling me that this is the final nail in the coffin, or an expression of anger from a fired producer, but I'm fine, and I am certain the set will be as well.

  10. One of the great ideas that I've read on this thread is that Philece Sampler could have been a great recast for Nicole.  First, I like the idea of Michael and Nicole find love behind Donna's back and the development of the sibling rivalry between Nicole and Donna.  Second, Cecile became a farce, but it would have been nice to have Nicole toy with Cass and come between him and Kathleen.  The role of Nicole was always undefined, troubled drug addict, aspiring doctor, scrappy designer.  So, she could've taken on new traits that fit with the strengths of Ms. Sampler.

    Also, I like the family dynamic that Donna was Reg's focus, Peter begged for attention, and Nicole was the forgotten one, so she was the most likely to rebel against him when he returned. 

    Whether Reginald was miscast is more illusive.  John Considine played a mustache twirling villain with a cringy melodramatic flair.  But, now that I have seen him in prior roles (including his prior stint on AW), I realize that he had more range.  As I've noted, for me the missing piece in that character is not seeing what attracted Mary to Reg for twenty years.  As well as not seeing how the pull of their affair kept Reg out of his family's life for so long.  It was so one-sided toward Vince, that they didn't allow for any of the prior romance to be shown on screen.

  11. Reading the November 1990 recap.

    I know talk shows were all the rage at the time, but wasn't Trisha Alden the least likely host, even for a local daytime show?  I could see Shana or Stacy because they would have broad appeal.  But, Trisha was always so stiff and uppity that it seems like a poor choice of profession for the character. 

    It's always funny on soaps that when characters get a TV show, it is like a part-time gig. They can still investigate murders, go on trips, and have lavish romantic evenings, despite the fact that they have to go on air the next day.

    Also, it seems like it was easier to write a soap before the technology of today.  Not only is everyone unavailable because they don't carry phones, but they had enduring evidence like cassette tapes and processed film photos.  Poor Gwen was caught on VHS, and they waved around that tape for a year.  It was easier to indicate a secret when they could use a prop.

  12. There were some interesting mystery set-ups today, even though they mostly seemed like red herrings. 

    Kate was shown with a gun early in the episode.  Someone must have Ava's phone in order to text Harris to go to the docks.  The focus on the shooter's shoes.  And I guess we can rule out the new "lady cop" because all the assassins appeared to be male.

    On a side note, after a dozen years of three times a week psychoanalysis, I have to laugh at the remarks that the former producer burnt down a set in order to anger the audience.  No doubt they are trying to be provocative.  But, any analyst would say that the association with trying to punish the viewers is purely projection (a little neo-Freudian humor for the weekend). 

  13. 6.7/10

    Exciting episode.

    Just to be clear, we're supposed to assume that while the fire and Harris's shooting are connected, they were committed by separate people, correct?  If this turns out to be another latex mask situation with Xander being implicated, I might scream.   It is a good thing that Xander already told Stefan about the call asking him to kill someone.  But, wasn't the call about Konstantin, not Harris?

    Also, is it me or did the furniture in the Horton living room look different?  I may have been hyper aware because of the anticipation of what I knew would happen, but the sofa looked different that the one used at Christmas, 

    Correction, went back and checked photos, same sofa as in the Christmas episode, it just didn't have the holiday pillows and decor (but I have no idea where Tom's chair has been stored).

    image.pngimage.png

  14. @Liberty City I added additional data to back up my point, but let's not get lost in sauce here.  DAYS is still is a viable production, particularly amongst fans of this discussion board.  And its future has no bearing on the real issue here, which is a woman who has been publically harassed by two powerful men. 

  15. To me, the arguments about the health of the show, or the hiring of actors with name values, assume facts that are unknown and undocumented.  They infer a causal relationship between the correlation of events that might have had nothing to do with each other.  It would be equally unfair to say that Beverly McKenzie's leaving GL in 1992 was the cause for hiring Petronia Paley.  Two issues that co-occur does not indicate that one caused the other.

    I can only comment on my experience as a viewer, and I was shocked when Quinn was killed off.  It caught my attention to watch the rest of the story.  And, yes, I was disappointed in the explanation of the killer's motives.  But, that didn't diminish the experience of the reveal of Quinn as a victim at the time when spoilers were unavailable to me.

  16. On 2/2/2024 at 9:09 AM, Khan said:

    Esme and her awful-sounding name are leaving.  It's a good day.

    I think it is funny every time you mention hating the sound of her name, but in hindsight, it was a missed opportunity to explain her unusual moniker as a portmanteau of her biological parents names (Ryther? Hean?)

  17. Obviously, the argument of having a soap serial killer murder being a more exciting story when they kill a significant character versus lamenting the loss of a popular actor is an age-old argument that cannot be settled.  I usually fall on the side of the thrill of the unexpected exit trumps the sorrow over the potential of the character.  As a viewer, I would rather watch a surprise cliffhanger, because it causes the visceral reaction that keeps me hooked on a story.  And the issues of long term potential, are only valued in hindsight, which was unknown at the time the plot was devised. 

    In this case, Ms Paley was excellent in the role, and the character was a rare case of a well-rounded professional Black woman on soaps.  But, I don't feel like it is the duty of a production to continue a character that does not inspire a writer, when the actor could move on to other jobs that would be more satisfying. 

  18. On 2/3/2024 at 11:15 AM, Khan said:

    I definitely agree that one of EiE's biggest issues was that, with so many regular cast members, it was hard to write enough material for everyone and justify having them all under one roof at the same time.  Eight might have been enough to fill their lives with love, but it was just too damn many to service on a weekly TV series that wasn't DALLAS or KNOTS LANDING.

    It is an ironic criticism given that the title of the show suggests a large cast, and the source material had years of stories about the kids.

  19. 28 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

    Ken's legacy seems as much a burden to him as a privilege. He has never seemed to have much insight or passion for the show beyond it being a generational thing that he feels responsible for.

    As I recall his memoir, that was the most interesting part.  It was unexpectedly insightful about working with his mother (who experienced a great deal of trauma), the loss of his brother, and how he became burdened with the production that was never part of how he saw his future.  It is relatable that he is conflicted about his family's business that he writes brought his mother so much grief.  I recommend it to you specifically, because I think you would enjoy it (if you've never read it).

    However, none of it, excuses the allegations against him in this case in particular.  His dedication, creativity, and vision (or lack there of), did not cause him to reduce Ms. Zucker's pay twice after she went public with accusations of sexual harassment.  I know that is not your intention, but the conversation seems to meander away from the issues in this case that I feel demand focus and attention from us an audience.

  20. @AbcNbc247 & @JAS0N47  In her press conference, she mentioned being written out for a while after the allegations were made public last summer.  I wonder if she's referencing what we are seeing now with Nicole being in Europe? Or, do you recall Nicole being written out at any other time this past year?

  21. I thought Ep3 was the best one yet.  It was such a clever device to make it into a fictionalized Maysles documentary for an episode (even though Documentary Now already did it to humorous effect).  It left me feeling like that would've been a good movie, and I don't need six more episodes.  I also keep thinking about the intended audience.  For example, are there people watching this that don't know that Katherine Graham was the guest of honor for the Black and White Ball?  Because it would have been fun to have been surprised.

    Calista Flockhart definitely got the best monologue. Even though it was as if the only two things that Jon Baitz knows about Lee Radziwell is that she had an affair with David, and she f'ed Onasis before Jackie.  Once again, my main issue is the lack of depth in the exploration of the Swans.

    I cannot stop looking at Diane Lane and recalling her as a teenaged actress in A Little Romance.  She is gorgeous, but her age is shocking.  The Pamela Harriman stuff was such fun, and the actress playing her and Kay Graham looked exactly like them.  Also, the structure made Lane's performance seem much more organic than how she played Slim in the first two episodes.

    Furthermore, I was distracted by if they're using tricks to make Tom Hollander look smaller than he is, like oversized costumes and having his co-stars stand on apple boxes.

    But overall, it made me crave a cigarette.

  22. Meanwhile, it is still the most discussed show on this forum, with people who actually watch daily.

    So yeah, your grandma might not be watching, but it is easily consumed on streaming and still brings some joy to my life.  And the platform, the nepotism, nor the popularity excuses what happened to this actress.

  23. Here's what I like about Sloan, most other characters in a baby switch stories in the past instantly bond with the new baby, but Sloan is honest about not feeling connected to Jude.  I also find it refreshing that she's not punished (yet) for her attitude.  I mean, she's punished by her actions of stealing Jude by having to give away her money, live with the guilt, and feeling overwhelmed.  But, she's not shamed in the writing for not wanting to hold Jude all day and then sleep next to him at night.

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