j swift

Agreed, it is like when people colloquially say that they are “obsessed” with a material possession or idea. When, in fact, being obsessed is a problematic state of being, not a compliment.

I think culturally we confuse the pathology of narcissism with being self-centered. But, if I were to think about characters who put their own needs and desires before anyone else, I would say GH Sonny. Everyone else in his life has faced the negative consequences of his choices, and he still demands loyalty to him above all else. He is incapable of empathy for Michael over his failures as a father.

To quote Godfather III, “just when I thought I was out, they dragged me back in” John's frustration over still not knowing everything about his past really moved me today. Even the fact that it is a retcon didn't bother me, because we can have empathy for John based on the idea that we didn't know this information for the past 40 years either. I thought that they creatively conveyed the horror of not knowing what one was capable of in the past within the limits of what the actor can portray. I can't help but think that someone else shot Katerina. I assume it is not Konstantin or Steve. But, it is an intriguing mystery. On another note, does Tate really live at a halfway house, or does he live in the interrogation room at Salem PD? Because why are his parents only visiting him at the precinct? And, why does Jada leave other convict's files in the room? (I know they don't want to build another set, I'm just kidding). Harris v EJ is cute, but it is ironic that Harris tries to take the moral high ground, when a year ago he was holding three old ladies hostages in a cryochamber And yet, this is another week when Sloan and BobEtte just live in limbo while we watch three conversations take up an entire episode of the show.

Early board culture was so toxic, I hope we've evolved past those times I was thinking about @Vee's Ava theory. Did we ever learn who bought Wyndemere? Do you think that will be a loose thread, lost between writing staffs, or could that be part of Ava's plan? For example, is it how she is funding her plot, or did those who purchased the castle have anything to do with John and Jason?

Two last observations from today's ep. The reason I like John and hope he's not a baddie, is that I appreciate his ability to read people. Both in terms of the stinging remarks he's made to Anna and Sonny, as well as his insight into Carly. He's a smart character, and his insights align with his role as an FBI agent. So, I hope he's fighting for a noble cause. Watching GH and DAYS back to back, I appreciate that GH has longer scenes where characters are allowed to have more than a couple of lines of dialogue before they cut to commercial. Jason's exposition could easily take up the full hour on DAYS, with tons of closeups on his beleaguered face. This episode was well paced and that was a relief.

I'll give in on the SORASing aspect because @carolineg has helped me reconsider my reaction. But, my point remains that, as of today's episode, it feels like Jagger has devised a plot that is overcomplicated and expensive to take out Sonny. I know Sonny's gone a long time without being critically injured or jailed for more than a few days, but at this time, it feels like there must be a simpler solution to John's feud.

Good point, and I never take your responses as mean spirited @carolineg . I guess I was just thinking that Jason would have more salient (or recent) memories of Bobbie than from when Michael was a baby in 1997. So, I was simply distracted that they chose that moment to highlight her loss, and we can chalk it up to a failed attempt at humor on my part. Does Jason know that Brit's also dead?

LOL, I was reacting to the other side of the equation. If Jason held Michael as a baby, he'd be middle-aged now. So, the idea that John and the FBI would recruit a guy in his early 50s as a mercenary feels a bit preposterous.

I was thinking about GH's use of the WSB vs. the FBI. I know Anna has been employed by both. But, was Reece the first person identified with the FBI within the universe of the show? I assume the switch from Cassadine-like spies to more grounded mobsters necessitated the introduction of a more realistic law enforcement agency.

@DramatistDreamer & @DRW50Don Lemon's show was supposed to premiere on Monday, 3/18, so it was cancelled before it began. Now, he's going to host it on his own website with the full Elon interview. But, the biggest irony is that he was on CNN as an “exclusive” last night, after they fired him last April. I don't know who I expect to have more self-respect, Don or CNN. But, don't go back to the folks that scorned you last time, to tell about being scorned by someone else today! It's like crying on the shoulder of the last guy who dumped you, when your new boyfriend cheats on you.

I had similar hope, but Jason's use of the term mercenary felt very deliberate. And the idea that unless he carries out his mission, something terrible would happen, doesn't feel like how a network show would want to portray the FBI. If it was the WSB there might be more wiggle room, but I'm stuck on it being the FBI and that they invoked the RICO law. Also, the SORAS implications of Jason telling Michael what it was like to hold him as an infant, were distractingly amusing. Along with the idea that, Jason's been busy as a murder-for-hire assassin for the past two years, but he's also had plenty of time to get a sleeve of tattoos. Good to know mercenaries have unlimited PTO.

I finally watched today's ep. I don't get the implications surrounding John? Does this make him a bad guy? Is he not really working for the FBI? Or, is it justifiable that Jason has done a lot of illegal activity in the service of importing coffee and this is the federal official's way of a plea bargain. Jason described his job as a mercenary, but I am interested to get more insight into John's motives. Because this seems like an extreme reaction to a long-running dislike of Sonny. For example, why do all of this now and not two decades ago? And all of this feels like a very expensive and overly complicated way to get rid of an elderly mob boss who lives in a small town in upstate New York. Especially, from what we've seen, they could've just tripped him and made him fall in the pool like Ned.

But, she didn't want illegally harvested organs for her daughter 😉

I may have been imprecise because I understand that Drew is a now magically a businessman. However, I think Jax and Drew are both guilty of telling Carly that she's ungrateful for things that she never asked for in the first place. They're both quick to argue, “look what I've done for you”, when in reality they never knew what was desirable to her. It's like asking why don't you love this gift that I bought you, even though it is ugly and the wrong size.

Agreed, but didn't you see any of the similarities to stories that have been told using Jax? Because to me, it felt like same dialogue, different face.

On Wednesday during the break-up when Drew said that he's a businessman, it made me feel like they were writing for Jax and not Drew. Drew's insecurities about Jason felt Jax-like. And, the whole idea of buying a magazine to give to Carly to run doesn't seem inline with the character. I guess Drew has learned some business lessons from working with Michael and Ned, but that never seemed like the character's main interest.

Eli's return was filled with questionable logic. Why did they choose to stay at the mansion instead of a hotel? You'd think it would bring back bad memories because Lani shot Stefan there. It's awfully nice of Stefan to forgive Lani so easily - oh yeah, they've never resolved that... I assume Julie called him about the fire, so why was he still clueless? Between this scene and Roman finding out about Abe's recovery, it seems like nobody in Salem ever uses text messaging. I get that they need to show us things visually, but I don't feel like streaming demands this much repetition. Did Lani, Eli, and the twins pack enough to just move to DC, or do they have to go back home first? What did Eli do to his hair to make himself look different? What's Lani going to do for a job now that she's a convicted felon? Did Lani run into her old friend Kristen at the mansion? Well, I guess we'll never know, because I doubt we'll ever see them again.

I fear that Holly will suffer the same fate. Both characters' transformation from angry rebels to sentimental offspring has softened their edge too much.

Doesn't one of the sisters get replaced, or they found another sister in a later season? Very Cousin Oliver on Brady Bunch or Val on 90210, jump the shark type of moment. Also, it is interesting that in our current Hallmark, Lifetime, and GAF culture that we haven't seen more of Julianne Phillips. She seems to have just disappeared. I just Googled her, she hasn't had a project in 21 years, and here are the top three questions. And Swoosie Kurtz needs a Moira on Schitt's Creek or White Lotus Moment. Overall, I want a Sisters-a-sance.

Much like thirtysomething, Homefront feels like it is from that period right after the over publicized “downfall" of primetime soaps when networks thought that word should be verboten in marketing. Even early 90210 marketing, tries to avoid the use of the term soap opera at all costs.

I have to respectfully disagree. Within the past month, we've seen (1) Clyde's multipronged attack on the Horton House, Harris, and Lucas, (2) Clyde's prison escape, (3) The BobEtte reveal to Jada, (4) Paulina's illness, (5) Stefan's deal with EJ, (6) Holly emerging from her coma, (7) Xander's arrest, (8) The wedding of Johnny and Chanel, and (9) the return of Eli and Lani. I thought the mini-Tom and Alice scenes would be filler material, but it has come and gone pretty quickly. Also, I don't think we can effectively judge the forward movement of the show based on a single mid-week episode. I'm not pointing fingers, just saying that it is a Wednesday in mid-March, which is not typically a time for memorable material on any show.

I'm okay with a pause in the story for some romance, and I wish Peacock would include more love scenes. I mean, Wendy and Tripp were just rescued yesterday, so they can have a break. And there's potential for all involved. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Dimera, Shin, Vitali, and Johnson family dynamics play into these couple's relationships. I'm also cool with Wendy being used to help solve the BobEtte mystery using her advanced computer skills. Or Tripp using his medical degree to help Holly. Because I think every soap needs some secondary characters to move the plot along. I'm also interested in where Johnny and Chanel will live. How these two young adults from privileged backgrounds will survive on their own. And whether the issues that we've discussed about Johnny needing a purpose get integrated into their story.

@Khan I'll see your two Cameron Mathison press-on eyebrows and raise you one Eric Martsolf over-trimmed, oddly-dyed beard. These former hunks are not aging gracefully, and yet somehow their jawlines are still sharp enough to cut glass.

AW and SfT really excelled at location shoots, unlike many of their peers. The sound and lighting were great. The settings were believable within the context of the characters. It never seemed like a travelogue or a tourist video. For example, I recall when Sally and Caitlin travelled to Europe with Cass, it looked great, and we could hear them amongst the background noise. The costumes looked like wardrobe that the characters would wear in those places. And the stories were exciting. When EON and AMC went to the Alps, there was heavy use of green screen. I recall barely being able to hear OLTL's Bo and Pat in Paris over the street noise. And when DAYS went to New Orleans, Bo and Hope had inexplicably packed a full ensemble of huge hats and historical costumes. But, when Mac was in St. Croix it was totally believable that he would vacation on the island. The dual wedding of Blaine & Sandy with Mac & Rachel gave amazing context for the scale of the mansions in Bay City. And they used those settings to make the show look like a million bucks.