j swift

Also, how much did Leo pack to go babysit for a few hours?

And, Eric's kind of a dick to Sloan.  I don't think Sloan considered the long term consequences of raising a kid with a guy whose values differ so much from her own.  Why would he agree to let Nicole host the christening without consulting his wife?  I mean, he always makes Sloan look like the "bad guy", when it is perfectly reasonable not to want your husband's ex-lover and the kidnapper of your child to host your event.  Next, is he going to ask Chanel to cater the reception? 

Speaking of which, what is the current status of Chanel and Sloan's relationship?  I was surprised that Sloan stopped into the bakery when Nicole kidnapped Jude.  Have they had any interactions since her brother tried to throw Chanel and her mother off of the roof?

Was Iris ever actually shown on camera when referenced as being in the South of France, particularly after her divorce from Brian? Or was it just portrayed through Dennis's one-sided phone calls?  For example, did they build a whole set, or was it just Iris in a floppy hat holding a receiver?

I came across a synopsis last night detailing a story about Iris's hostess being upset over her boyfriend flirting with Iris. Subsequently, Iris was upset about Brian selling the house. It all seemed to unfold in the lead-up to Texas. Hence, I'm curious if these events occurred off-screen.

It appears that Beverly McKinsey enjoyed significant time off every year in the late 70s, that necessitated scripting Iris's absence into the storyline.  Which also made me question if it was wise to choose her as the linchpin of Texas, given that she might require lengthy periods of time for vacation.

Sally and Peter probably gave the same vibes, in terms of story, as Sally and Dennis.  Especially because Iris wasn't on the canvas while Sally was a young adult.

It is ironic that they played up the class differences between Sally and Peter (or at least, Donna and Catlin mentioned it), because given Sally connections to Steve and Mac, she had access to more wealth than the Love family.

I mean, I know Steve didn't die as the “richest man in Bay City”, like that infamous promo once stated, but Sally wasn't eating Hamburger Helper either.

I was thinking today about Leo and Sloan.  I'm not as big of a Leo detractor as some, but I hope he will get some retribution when the baby switch information comes to light.

Arguably, Sloan has some plausible deniability because she did not plan to steal Nicole's baby.  Jude was thrust upon her due to forces beyond her control.  And she couldn't reject him without seeming culpable.

On the other hand, Leo has been keeping the information secret in order to profit off of Sloan.  Nicole has done nothing to harm Leo, but he has been responsible for her suffering.  He had nothing to lose by exposing the scam when he first realized what occurred.  And he has prolonged this scheme, despite having access to Eric, EJ, and Nicole in order to confess.  So, today when they portrayed him a loving caregiver, it felt empty, because he is doing nothing right in this situation.

Finally, gotta love Salem, where the only three possible locations for a baby's christening are his parent's one-room condo, the local pub, or the biggest mansion in town.

So funny to see how editors title this type of clickbait

No mention that he's an actor, just a Florida real estate agent.  Also, according to the NY Post, this is the third time that Freddy's TikTok has gone "viral", which god only knows who they define that. 

Suspension of disbelief aside, and with all due respect to the idea that they have to find a way to tell the audience about BobEtte's background. Please find a logical reason why the Salem PD would send their files to Marlena?

First, BobEtte is not under investigation for a crime, so why is his ex-wife using government resources to do a background check on him?

Second, given that he is a journalist and a victim of a crime, why wouldn't they just send the file straight to BobEtte?

Third, if they know the names of his family, why hasn't anyone contacted them?

Also, if Jagger loved Karen so much, perhaps he shouldn't have cheated on her two seconds after they got married and moved to San Francisco.

12 hours ago, Xanthe said:

Dr Glaser had been patiently waiting for Lisa and somehow ensured that she would move to Bay City to be with her aunt in 1987 so that he could marry her as soon as he had murdered enough filthy sluts to be worthy of her. And probably he had also killed Lisa's parents.

The story was also presented in a salacious manner, opting not to share Lisa's perspective, but rather voyeuristically portraying her in her underwear through Dr. Glaser's lens. Rather than showcasing female empowerment, it presented Lisa solely as a damsel in distress. What's more, at various times either Lisa faced disbelief, or Jamie felt compelled to caution her because nobody trusted her ability to assess risks independently.

I looked it up and this story pre-dates the Sharon Stone movie Sliver, but it is the same issue.  Rather than telling a story about a woman being victimized, the movie was sold on the provocative images of the actress while she was being peeped by her neighbor. 

How inopportune that “real” Sloan is going to miss the christening.  One assumes that they won't need flashbacks to the event in order to tell future stories.  I forget when “real” Eric got recast recently, but it seemed equally poorly timed in terms of the ability to flashback to events of those episodes.

But, also nuts that Holly is already recovered enough to attend.

I had completely forgotten that Wallingford was initially introduced during the Royal Dunning saga as an informant for Cecile. The David Thatcher/Royal Dunning storyline feels like it's underappreciated to me. It's my favorite kind of soap mystery because the focus wasn't just on finding the solution, but on the romance and intrigue of those attempting to unravel the puzzle. The entire town got swept into it, and it propelled other storylines forward by unveiling secrets like Donna's hidden past of giving birth to twins.

They really softened Wallingford's character, transitioning him from a mysterious figure to an endearing buddy. It's amusing how soap operas of that era often portrayed certain characters as asexual, even though they were clearly gay coded. I mean, Wallingford, essentially a window dresser who idolized Felicia, the town's most flamboyant drag queen, was never portrayed as seeking intimacy or bemoaning the absence of a partner.

A final reflection for now: I don't have any specific gripes with Ms. Phelps's direction for the show. However, when Donna and Felicia started donning gray Armani suits, it seemed to mark the end of a distinct era. Generally speaking, I believe that when soap operas moved away from showcasing aspirational wealth and stories about class disparities, they also stripped away some of the fantasy elements of the show. By disregarding the realities of social mobility and allowing characters of all statuses to mix freely, we began to lose the larger-than-life divas and charming elites that made life in a soap town so captivating. I mean, once Cass Winthrop felt compelled to pursue a “real job” as an attorney, it was evident he'd never embody the delightful scoundrel he once was.

I believe every soap opera benefits from having a young, sincere, romantic duo like Tripp and Wendy, who possess a sense of rootedness and vulnerability. They parallel the dynamic of Kayla and Steve during their prime—seldom the main focus yet reliable for a midweek episode, offering mild drama.

That being said, if Stephanie found herself in a similar predicament, the entire town would undoubtedly mobilize to locate her.

Furthermore, I understand the limitations of budget constraints preventing extreme scenarios like drowning or electrifying the floor. Nonetheless, it strains credibility to suggest that characters would run out of oxygen in a spacious room equipped with doors and vents that were merely closed for an hour.

Just to clarify, this means that when DAYS releases their weekly promo, it should go within the DAYS monthly spoiler thread, rather than creating a new topic every week?

I feel like we glossed over key bits of information from Friday's cliffhanger to today.

Feel free to correct, because I watch while making lunch, so sometimes I miss a detail while flipping a grilled cheese.

But, Friday, Goldman took a coffee break while Stefan entered Harris's room to inject him.  Then, Harris got the jump on Stefan, and they figured that Goldman is the dirty cop.  Cut to today, Goldman knows that Harris is still alive, Harris told Rafe that Goldman's dirty, and Goldman went into hiding.  But, where's Stefan?  And when did Goldman find out that Harris is still alive?

I tried to do Abel and Leo, but there aren't enough thumbnails.  Cass versus Rex would've been given away by the air dates.  And, Justine versus Rachel is way too obvious.

4 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

I win!

not so fast, there's one incorrect answer

In order to inspire a new line of discussion, I thought we could play a little game.

Match the Thumbnail to the Love Twin - Victoria or Marly?  I've taken random thumbnails from Eddie Drueding's page and you must guess, Victoria (a) or Marly (b).

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

The person with most correct, in the fastest time, wins a night in the hidden basement room of the Love Mansion

I also think it doesn't help that Paulina's defining characteristic is that she is a wealthy woman who happens to dress, walk, and talk like Jackee Harry.  There is very little to differentiate the character from the public persona of the actress.  And, they've put no effort into making her unique from Sandra Clark or Lisa Landry (I had to look up her other character's names because they're all just Jackee in my mind).  Arguably, Lily was more of a multidimensional character, and it was before Jackee settled into her 227isms.

That being said, and despite the rushed timing from diagnosis to dying breath, I thought the idea of expressing the fears of a terminal patient was a laudable and creative effort, and it moved me.

4.3/10

Blake Berris really plays enigmatic well.  His performance is the entire reason that the BobEtte story is working for me.  Every time he's on the screen, I wonder what he's thinking, unlike certain actors playing cops who appear completely dead behind the eyes.

I'm mixed on the Julie scene.  On the one hand, I like that Julie is a vital part of the BobEtte story.  I think DAYS has done an admirable job of keeping her in the lives of the younger generation without being overbearing or judgmental, which is a trap that befalls many older characters.  On the other hand, when characters are self-aware about the outrageous nature of their history, it distracts me.  For example, if Julie had a list of how many of her loved ones returned from the dead, it would seem impossible for her to still be surprised.  Which would impede future stories.  So, I am happier when they are less reflective. 

Although it is ironic that from Tommy to Hope, Alice was always the one to figure out her family's true identity.  In a house full of doctors, you could depend on Alice for knowing the truth.  She was truly a clever one, or rather a clever bun in her case.

The Marlena/Jackee scenes were very sad, even though I questioned that pairing for that scene.

So, @Vee are you then suggesting that Ava's reaction to getting the letter and the gun, while she was alone, was because she was horrified someone saw her kill Austin?  Because that part doesn't seem to fit with her being the killer (or the person who ordered the hit).  I feel like she didn't do it, but she has learned who shot Austin more recently.  It's fun to speculate, but I assume our east coasters will know the truth within hours. 

Aren't Paulina and Kate meant to be close friends?  I hope we'll see Kate's reaction soon.

8 hours ago, Xanthe said:

It's not so very different from the timeline for Sally to get pregnant and give up Kevin in order for him to show up as a 5- or 6-year old child in 1983.

Didn't Sally give birth to Kevin in Boston?  I hope the Shearers didn't use that nefarious Royal Dunning to adopt Julia.

This is a dumb thought, but I can get it out of my mind as others discuss the Lifetime Documentary.

In multiple scenes, she is shown wearing this Louis Vuitton jacket.

But, LV doesn't make or sell that jacket.  On their website and in stores like Saks, they don't make anything like it.  More often they use denim or real fur like this.

So, is Wendy's stylist ripping off her by using Canal St knockoffs?  Or are they making custom stuff for her to wear?  Again, not a vital topic, but writing about it gets it off of my mind.

22 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

George Reinholt's. It would have been less jarring and more likely to succeed if Canary had been directed to play the character in a more reserved, subdued manner.

Oddly, I don't associate George Reinholt with being either subdued or reserved.  I may be biased because I recall more of his work as Tony on One Life than Steve.  But, to my recollection, he was a bit blustery and prone to table pounding or other physical indicators of his character's emotions.  And his baritone voice felt like a better fit for stage work rather than the intimacy of TV.

30 minutes ago, Vee said:

Do we know where Ava was the night Austin died? She has killed for less.

I think it is impossible for Ava herself to have killed Austin.  IIRC, they cut from a scene with Ava to a brief scene of Austin seeing someone he knows, a gun shot, and then a pair of men's boots.  Indicating that she couldn't have been at the scene of the crime.  Now, she might have hired someone, but her reaction to the evidence being mailed to her seemed genuine.  And, I'm still surprised that they exonerated Nikolas when Ava accused him of killing Austin.

I find it mildly amusing that amongst Ned's recovery and BLQ's wedding, there's been no mention from any of the Q's about Austin.  They clearly don't miss him.  And, I can't imagine that the new writers will do anything to tie up the loose ends of who benefited from Austin's estate, or inherited his shares.

2 hours ago, Vee said:

I have begun to think Ava is playing Sonny again, just as she did in 2013-2014.

I can't decide if it is too subtle or too obvious, but she's also wearing a red coat (sign of a traitor).