j swift

5.6/10 John, sweetie, honey, baby, it has been almost 40 years, it is time to move on. Besides, he knows that he's Forrest Alamain the adoptive heir to Alamania, what else does he have to know at this point? In fact, I wonder why he never changed his name to Forrest, it is so much cooler that John. Steve/Patch is foreshadowing hard that he's got a secret about John. And I would bet that Konstantin's next move is to blackmail Steve in order to get him off of his back. It is kind of funny that after all those times that Chanel stared into Johnny's eyes, she noticed one of them was glass. Finally, props to Jackée Harry, she's really one of the few that can play wacky high jinks and melodrama. This tumor story is so sad, and she's acting her tush off to make me feel empathic.

Didn't Steve die before Alice adopted Sally? So, I wonder what the connection to Mac and Rachel was based upon?

Yeah, I don't like Mike-Hortonification of Tripp that came when he lost his rebellious characteristics and just became a symp. But, I think every show can use one romantic couple to just play out those fantasies of eating apples together that you get delivered from ubereats.

Has anything happened with the ghost of Harmony? Or does anyone else suspect that thread will be dropped by the non-scab writers? It might be interesting to list any of the scab stories that we predict will never be referenced again, or quickly resolved and forgotten.

I was referencing the story during Asa's wedding to Samantha and Bo's subsequent romance with Delilah. Vicky was always present, but she wasn't the leading lady as much as she was when we re-visit Nicky/Vicky or go off to Eterna. Furthermore, I would argue that even during the hey day of Tina and Cord, Vicky takes a supporting role in that she didn't drive the plot as much as react to Tina's shenanigans. She was on-screen often, and most of the story was related to her and her family. Yet, I place her in a supporting category because those plots were not told from her perspective.

I don't get why the entire Salem PD and the ISA is focused on a kidnapping that was quickly resolved rather than the drugs that are being shipped throughout the town! Rather than conflict between them, I'd like to see them work together on solving the mystery of who killed Li, using their combined tech and medical knowledge. Time is nuts on DAYS, Christmas is tomorrow, but Jude was born three days ago on the day after Nicole's wedding which was right after Halloween. Maybe that's how Xander already knows that Bella has failed, despite Theresa agreeing to work there two weeks ago? And Andrew took the ISA jet to tell Theresa a line that he could have said on the phone? Their universe's taxes are being wasted.

What if she changed his name to Everett? JK 😉

The sight of JC in a fur hat really made my day, and I hope it brightens your's

Maybe they spent too much money on illegal babies and nannies? 😉

Honestly, nostalgia aside, what would be the reason to expand the Hortons in 2024? @Liberty City I hope you take this quip with the harmless humor that I intend, but I hardly think it is an appropriate assessment of a producer's intelligence if they agree with the opinions of those of us on a fan message board. For example, Mike Horton's story feels like it has been exhausted, and I don't hear a clamor for a Rourke Critchlow renaissance after his last visit to Salem. Besides, it doesn't feel politically correct for Kayla to have to step aside as Chief of Staff for Mike because he's a privileged male nepo-baby. Jack Devereaux is objectionable for the same reason that other reformed rapists are unpopular within a modern context. We've got a consensus that Melissa, Sandy, and Jessica are not characters who are fondly remembered. So, why does it feel “smart” to resurrect these characters, simply because they represent the first decade of the show? I respect your fandom for classic soaps, but I don't think revisiting the past attracts new viewers, and it is bound to disappoint those who remember the good ol' days. As a guy who streams it daily, I would much rather see more diverse characters telling stories about modern romance than go backward to an image of a family that represents what sold soap in 1965.

It feels anticlimactic to end the Pikeman story with an arrest on a Tuesday episode. If I were a citizen of Port Charles I would start a campaign to defund the WSB. They can't seem to hire people in upper management who aren't corrupt. Sean Donely, Victor Cassadine, and now this Brennon guy. How are they going to maintain the world's security, when their HR department is so lax?

Random thought It was a missed opportunity that Douglas Carson (husband of Christy aka Patti D'Arbanville), was not related to Grace and Phillip Carson. It might have been fun to explore that aspect of Vicky's past.

It was indubitably a mistake, but I wonder if the Royal Dunning of it all creates a credible excuse that he illegally placed Victoria with Carsons, and they never officially adopted her? But, now that you mention it, is the correct story that the Carson's were wealthy (maybe not as rich as the Loves), because they could afford a nanny. However, when they died, Vicky went to live with Bridget and that's how she wound up in the same neighborhood as Jake McKinnon? Because I wonder why Vicky wasn't left the Carson's estate in their will?

Two things come to mind about the Cory estate. The Cory stables must have been re-built at some point because Rachel set it on fire when she shot Mitch (although it was referenced as a barn, so maybe the barn and the stable were separate structures?). Also, if memory serves, I think Louise and Brooks lived in separate quarters on the property, not in the main house.

I am the official Worst DAYS Prognosticator on the board, having acquired the title for my theory that Chad mistakenly killed Abby during a blackout. 😵‍💫 However, I don't think this new character will turn out to Abby, because it is only a one-year contract. I think she'll be a love interest for Chad, and she will undoubtedly have a secret past. But, I believe Abby is dead-dead, until DAYS gets a new writer.

I was recently reflecting on the mentions of Sydney Chase on Loving. They tried to write a misdirection by having Tess assume Sydney was a man. However, Richard was Sydney's stepson, and Tess knew Richard, so it seems implausible that Richard wouldn't have mentioned her at some point when Tess talked about moving to New York. BTW Richard and Tony are good examples of one of my problems with The City. They were both good characters, and both were very NYC coded. But, in order to facilitate the story, they ran into each much more frequently than one would expect IRL Manhattan. In a small soap town like Pine Valley, it is easy to explain how everyone winds up at the same wedding or social event. But in a huge city, it is very unlikely that Richard and Tony would have continued to socialize or happen to live in the same building. Similarly, even with the emergence of Soho, I don't think Sydney Chase would live downtown, unless there was an economic downturn that forced her to live in the building that she leased out to others. In other words, the refusal to open up the story to various parts of the city, is something that annoyed me about the soap as an experiment in urban storytelling. Just like when soaps set in Los Angeles inexplicably have people from mid-Wilshire casually head to Malibu for drinks, even though that's more than an hour away in traffic, so nobody would actually make plans like that.

Well, Lemay is a specific issue because he writes in his memoir about how Irna Phillips was actually hired as his consultant. He derives some humor out of it because he wrote her as if she had very old-fashioned values and refused to modernize. So, when he re-writes the history of Rachel, even in this very minor piece of dialogue, it sticks out, because Rachel's creator was available to see if it was possible that she walked by the Cory estate on her way to school. I'm not obtuse to your humor, but there is added irony given their relationship.

Don't forget Rachel's art studio space

ITA Viki was also sidelined during the height of the Buchanan years in the early 1980s. Yes, she was Clint's wife and that was the introduction of the clan. But, once Bo and Asa arrived, Viki was a supporting character for years.

6.3/10 It was a day filled with inexplicable sudden recall. Chad put aside his recent breakup and suddenly remembered that he hates Clyde. I mean, when Stefan mentioned him, and Chad yelled Clyde WESTON, as if they know fifty guys named Clyde, I had to laugh. Brady suddenly remembered that Theresa is sober. I don't know why he's suddenly so judgy, Brady falls off the wagon any time a girl makes him cry. I'm sure Brady's mentioning Theresa's relapse won't lead to anything (NOT). Also, funny how this was suddenly Brady's first day at the office. And, I don't think he's even emailed Rachel since he lost custody. (Does Tate know his half-sister lives with Holly?) And suddenly the drug warehouse was shut down. Of course, that happened off-screen, but Rafe, Harris, and Jada don't seem to know anything about it. Between what was promoted as a twelve-week story for Theresa and a one-year contract for Harris, I am beginning to wonder if these agreements are written in “Salem-time” or IRL years?

Is SB's one-year contract as Harris up soon? I'm tired of looking at him as a daily reminder to use sunscreen as we age.

Although this story thread seems to have been dropped, I can't help but think how interesting and informative it would be if Paulina has an undiagnosed cardiac condition masquerading as anxiety. Black women are woefully underserved by traditional medicine. Even a wealthy woman like Paulina was not given an echocardiogram to look for mitral valve prolapse. So it would be a creative social message to watch her get a proper diagnosis and have Kayla or Tripp learn about how racial bias affects cardiac care in Black women. I'm not asking for Kayla to be fired, but just for her to be educated on the facts in order to inform the audience in a socially responsible manner. Wait, I forgot that I was talking about DAYS for a moment. Paulina's heart will undoubtedly be filled by Abe committing to restoring their love in the new year.

The legacy of Victor Lord influenced Victoria, Tina, David, and Jessica in a way that Alice Horton's doughnuts could not compare. As I noted, despite Bill, Micky, Addie, Tommy, and Marie all having compelling sibling rivalries, it had no lasting impact on the relationship between the cousins of later generations. For example, Jessica and Hope's relationship was not informed by Addie and Marie's conflict.

In 1976 would it have been viable for Tommy Horton to have a grown daughter suddenly appear in Salem? Also, families like OLTL's Lords, or AMC's Martins have a legacy because important events happened which influenced future generations. I would argue the Hortons are missing that element. For example, The Bradys are shaped by the rivalry with the Dimeras, and even though that history has changed over several writers, that was the core identifying feature that drove every generation. The Hortons are mostly do-gooders with some odd sibling relationships in the second generation, But, even that had no effect on Hope and Jen, or anyone after them.

I've never enjoyed maintaining a family in name only. Either we get Cousin Schlomo Horton, who we've never met, but they just happen to be a distant relative who can talk to Julie. Or people like Sarah, who are named after a legacy character, but their current circumstance is not informed by their history, because we didn't see them evolve on screen. I mean, it is nice that Maggie has a reason to exist, but how is Sarah's relationship with Xander related to anything about Micky, or Neil as paternal figures? It is not an intergenerational story just because two characters share a last name, there has to be some nod to the past for it to be meaningful.