j swift

The way this baby is being passed around like a tacky centerpiece at a wedding reception, it's almost performance art at this point. Salem, the town where half the population turns out to be long-lost siblings adopted by rival families, somehow has no available couples to adopt a healthy baby boy? I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked. This is the same family court system that once greenlit Stefano’s adoption of Peter and Kristen, so maybe a functioning adoption waitlist was never in the cards. But we’ve officially hit the moment where it feels like nobody else lives in this city. Those sweeping shots of apartment buildings, hospitals, and bustling police stations? Apparently just Rachel’s fever dream. Because I can’t think of a single town in America where abandoned infants are placed slower than the speed of this plot. And while we’re here, Johnny and Chanel are rich, in love, and not exactly short on free time. Are we really pretending they wouldn’t at least consider a gestational carrier? Or is reproductive logic just another casualty of Salem’s ever-flexible reality? Chad's got the easiest job in town. He runs a newspaper that only follows the events of a dozen people. If there's no trial, nor an abandoned baby, they don't put out an issue that day.

**Good episode—7/10.** The show moved well today, with fresh pairings and tighter dialogue. I liked seeing more of Steve and Stephanie’s dynamic. His instinct to protect her by taking the hit for the listening device felt appropriately scaled. It is a believable risk for someone at his age and stage, and it landed sweetly. I wish they’d go further with how Theo’s ASD could shape the story, especially now that he's re-entering the canvas in a high-stakes business context. When JJ recounted his interaction with Theo to Stephanie, it felt like a missed opportunity. Someone could’ve noted that Theo’s Autism diagnosis might cause a blunted affect, making him harder to read—which could be an asset in a setting like DiMera where calm unreadability is a power move. On the flip side, many people with ASD find lying under pressure difficult, which could make him vulnerable in corporate deception plots. There’s rich potential there, both dramatically and representationally, if the show chooses to name it. It seems like the contrast between Theo's intellectual approach and Philip's instinctive approach could fun. However, reading between the lines of the promo press, there appears to be less interest in writing about Theo living with ASD. Rather than just using his diagnosis as an inconvenient part of the narrative. The dinner locations felt like a production block choice rather than narrative logic. JJ and Stephanie’s conversation, in particular, felt more like a pub moment—grounded, casual, reinforcing that they’re not being positioned romantically. But the Marlena thread really stood out. DAYS has always used haunting, literal and metaphorical, as a way into emotional states. Marlena being followed by her anxiety fits that tradition. What worked was the contrast: Julie and Maggie spoke openly about grief as a stage of life, about what comes next. Marlena, by contrast, said plainly she doesn’t know who she is anymore. That fracture between self and self-perception, between conscious healing and unconscious collapse, was some good stuff. It wasn’t a “give Deidre her Emmy” moment. It was something quieter and truer: a character losing herself in a space where the fantastical makes emotional sense.

I remember there was another actor playing an Ob/Gyn when the Nicole/Sloan baby switch initially occurred, but didn't Dr. Mark Greene switch a DNA test for Sloan, which Kayla found out about right before he shot Chad? I liked that actor, but Dr Greene should definitely never practice medicine again (neither should Sarah, but that's another story...). Also, that summer video preview gave way too much away, way too far in advance for my taste, and I regret watching it at this point. Because I feel too far ahead of where the story is going based on the video and other contractual information that was announced by the production when certain characters were introduced. For example, today's cliffhanger, and the summer preview, are all we need to know what is going to happen for the next two months. For me, it gets to the point where it feels like we are marking time waiting for a twist that seems too heavily foreshadowed, even by those avoiding spoilers. For example, I guessed that Rachel shot EJ as soon as she admitted remembering seeing Johnny with the gun back in July. But, I talked myself out of it based on the other scenes, and my belief that production would not want to show an image of a little girl holding a gun in 2025. However, I was incorrect, and it was shocking and fun to watch. Whereas the entire EJ/Gwen story has been foretold fairly heavy handedly. I mean, we didn't need to see Gwen carrying shopping bags for weeks to know that her wealth was going to be used as a plot point. I realize that I watched the preview video, months ago at this point, but I feel like there are few surprises left. Hope springs eternal, but I won't be watching the fall preview (until I eventually breakdown and watch it.)

Certainly, the entire Greene family owes an apology to the Hortons. I get Cat's side of the story, but I don't think she's offered a significant note of regret to Abby's parents. And just treating Julie and Jennifer like annoying in-laws, rather than victims of Cat's fraud, would go a long way to make her more appealing as a character.

There's this tidbit for the Washington Post about the first time Network was shown on TV: "Even before CBS could schedule its showing of "Network," NBC began airing its answer to the film, a perfectly terrible series about a mythical fourth network. Trans Atlantic Broadcasting, called "W.E.B." The tidy irony here is that the program was created by producer Lin Bolen, who was said to have been (and who has said she thinks she was) the model for the Diana Christenson character played by Faye Dunaway in "Network." Bolen was formerly a programming executive at NBC. Chayefsky has denied repeatedly that he based the character on Bolen or that, as was reported, he followed her around taking notes he did follow around such network news luminaries as John Chancellor(NBC). "I wouldn't know Lin Bolen if she were sitting here right now." Dunaway did meet Bolen, Chayefsky says, but that was after the script was written." And she continued to deny the connection right up until her obituary in 2018 "Bolen worked for NBC in the 1970s and was responsible for commissioning the long-running game show Wheel of Fortune. She also is credited with bringing long-form narrative to soap operas, expanding them to hour-long formats. It was long rumored that the ruthless Faye Dunaway character of Diana Christiansen in the 1976 satirical film Network was based on Bolen, something Bolen denied. She was appointed VP of daytime programming at NBC in 1972, rising to become the VP of programming in Sept. 1975. NBC thrived under her leadership, becoming the No. 1 network in ratings."

Chanel and Javi just moved into new homes. They have both been in less than stable relationships. Their current relationships have only been solid for a few weeks. Why is everyone in Salem suggesting now is a good time to add a baby into the mix? I mean, that poor baby's only been to the pub in it's whole life. Maybe, it would be served by parents who have their own home and kitchen?

I think Max gets a pass for leaving Gabrielle pregnant under the control of her evil father. Hindsight is 20/20, and certainly we would see more sensitive storytelling today. But, if you consider the circumstances for a moment, Max's reputation is never diminished by the fact he took Gabrielle's virginity, and despite not knowing that she was pregnant, left her in the household of a drug lord. Then, he returns with a new chick, Tina. Sees that Gabrielle is pregnant, and leaves with Tina and baby Al.

Now hold on just a gosh darn minute; why is Rita not working for EJ at the hospital? Does the man need two assistants? We’ve never seen Rita in scenes with other staff at Titan/DiMera, so it doesn’t look like she came over in the merger package. I really hope we’re not about to lose her. And what happened to Versavex? The drug that killed off John Black is now a narrative footnote? Meanwhile, Chad’s suddenly an expert on FDA drug approval protocols, which feels wildly unearned. A medication that magically reverses organ failure, seems like it would be approved quickly. Especially because the last human subject that took the dose is now sailing on a yacht around the world. Plus, we’ve yet to establish why Chad wouldn’t just voice his concerns directly to EJ. Especially after Chad literally saved EJ’s life when he was shot. Today’s unintentional comedy award goes to the entire population of Salem, who doubt Kristen's confession and still somehow conclude she belongs in jail. The logic gymnastics are impressive. And Brady “uncovering” Sophia’s secret—one she’s keeping largely because adults like Brady failed her by not ensuring access to abortion care—is still deeply gross. I enjoy the college crowd. But, I had hoped for a bit more modern story that the traditional good girl/bad girl drama. And, Holly, who got Tate jailed a few years ago when she ODed, looks like a mean girl to me when she hisses at Sophia. I know we're supposed to be on Holly's side, but I am not feeling it. I yearn for a little feminism. With Holly backing Sophia's rights to choose what happens to her baby and her body. Not having a cat fight about who gets to wear the apron at the Brady Pub.🤔

I don't mind Stephanie and Alex as a sexy romantic duo. But, it makes no sense why Stephanie can't tell Steve that she authored the book. Her father just offered to look the other way at Stephanie's boyfriend's company's fraudulent dealings. And now she can't tell him that she wrote a romance novel? I think they were correct to find a minor conflict for Stephanie and Alex with relatively low stakes. But this whole anonymous author thing is illogical. Who is Steve going to tell? Why wouldn't Philip just look at the author's contract in the Titan digital archives? How much press would a first time romance author expect, and if Stephanie runs PR, wouldn't she be in charge of the press? When did the book go on sale that it is already saving the company? The whole deception is built on a faulty premise. I mean, do you think Michael Crichton's publisher and family didn't know he wrote under another name? EDIT (2 hours later): Why am I comparing Salem to our planet? It would be inconsistent for me to have enjoyed the farchata trial, and now fault them for not knowing how pseudonyms work. I retract my quibble.

So we can add an anonymous informant to the @JAS0N47 lore?, A Deep Throat, or in this case, maybe a Deep Schedular? The cannon is lengthy, and the sources were deep undercover. Hats off to your commitment.

I'm certain Jason47 knows the filming schedule.

Speaking of which, I'm for the novelty of a new set, but can't the FBI rent Rafe an office with a window? Cat and Rafe can't even sit down at the same time in that broom closet. I would blame the downsizing efforts of the current administration, but they weren't even inaugurated when this episode was filmed.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of our beloved Antoyne, I’ll limit myself to just two observations about today’s episode: Is it a continuity error that yesterday Cat was job-hunting because Marlena was scaling back her hospital hours, yet today Xander is confirming an appointment with her? Is Marlena only keeping patients she knows personally? Or is this just another case of Salem’s magical scheduling? And why did she lay off Cat if she still needs someone to confirm appointments? I assume Cat was still being paid during Marlena's grievance leave, so this seems like a poor excuse to get her employed at Titan-Dimera. I was really hoping Gwen would hate Cat for getting in with Jack so quickly. But, I guess we're all supposed to love Cat now, so nobody can hate her. Also, the narrative choice to have Rafe tease Cat about Gwen backstory with Chad, but not actually just give her all the tea, like he did with Stefano, seems like a poor use of an expository figure. Logically, there's no reason Rafe wouldn't fully warn Cat about Gwen. Unless the obvious occurs, Gwen, suspecting a mole, tells Cat a secret. Cat gets exposed as the mole, and Gwen earns points with EJ for saving them from the FBI/ISA/FOA/FDA/FCC and all other 3 letter named agencies. Once again, DAYS’ tragic hair and makeup team pulled me right out of the story. First, Philip woke up with a tan so intense I half expected the sheets to be tie-dyed. Then, in the very next scene, Xander strolls into the office wearing the same shade of base—like they dipped both men in the same vat of pumpkin spice. Custom blend, anyone? Why on earth would a Scotsman be that particular shade of citrus?

I don’t mean to play forum police, but could we please keep this thread focused on Days of Our Lives episodes currently streaming on Peacock? For behind-the-scenes discussion, the dedicated forum would be a better fit. Thanks!

I think we're jumping the gun a bit. There is plenty of drama for Sarah and Brady being setup between Sarah's ode of confidence to Sophia, Rachel's feelings toward Sarah, and Brady not allowing Rachel to mess up another relationship like she did with Ava. So, there are many beats left to play in that relationship, which tells me there's a lot invested in keeping them together. Besides, between Kristen and Susan. I'll take Kristen any day.

@AbcNbc247 - since we've been discussing the changing in writing staff, I thought these quotes highlighted a couple of interesting things. C&F do not feel beholden to prior versions of writing. C&F may not even know what some of RonC intentions were. The reports of actors feeling that there is some amorphous date when everything will change seems to be an opinion that is not shared by everyone in the production (in other words, C&F want to appear to be guiding the ship, not waiting until fall).

Not to be crass, but doesn't it imply they did it from behind? I recall when Nick on Y&R inadvertently had drunk sex with Grace rather than Sharon, and it was implied that due to his temporary impairment, he did not see her face. 🙈

Well even for a teen mom, Nina Webster Chancellor Kimble McNeil became a grandmother at a young age.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même Kristen. At this point, her habit of showing up to court or jail in clubwear feels less like a wardrobe choice and more like a Days tradition. The last time she was released from prison, she strolled into Marlena’s penthouse wearing the black version of today’s see-through, skin-tight dress. It’s been done so often, I’ve started thinking of it as the Dimera equivalent of the Horton Christmas ornaments. 🇫🇷😉 That aside, today’s episode had some strong script choices. Making Kristen more vulnerable was smart. It gave her depth and made her dynamic with EJ feel more grounded. Their scenes worked better today than earlier in the week, which felt a little rushed. The sibling bond between EJ and Kristen is still murky. Not long ago, EJ kidnapped Kristen’s seriously ill mother and used that leverage to manipulate her. So their sudden closeness needed more setup. Kristen’s motivation to protect Rachel makes sense, and it adds complexity to the Sarah/Brady/Rachel/Victoria dynamic. By the end of the episode, I felt a genuine connection between Kristen and her family that could be useful for future storylines. Also worth noting: it’s rare for Days to let one storyline ripple into the next, but the fallout from Johnny’s trial is doing just that. It’s affecting Belle, Chanel, Shawn, Kristen, EJ, the hospital, Titan-Dimera, Alex, Stephanie, and even Tate and Holly, thanks to Brady and Maggie’s involvement. That kind of continuity is rare, and it’s working.

WOW, good on DAYS, that was a legit surprising reveal and very well done! I'm so happy that they didn't rely on a courtroom reveal, and they played it cool. The narrative device of the book and Marlena trying to get Rachel not to break the thing were great. Do I wish the pacing was better, so they had Marlena in the courtroom and then had the reveal on Wednesday? Yes. But I also like not having to wait any longer. And I am honestly shocked by the visual of a little girl holding a gun. I assumed it wouldn't be her, just to avoid that visual. But it is so shocking that it makes the whole thing better. And, Marlena is once again Salem's best psychiatrist. Yes, she sees her family and friends as patients. But, Rachel's therapist had her playing with dolls for months and never cracked the case. Marlena's seen the kid twice and already solved the crime. BTW, if Rachel was sleepwalking, so she doesn't recall the shooting, I might die laughing. That would be the soapy cherry on top of this silly caper.

Were we given an explanation why Rafe wasn’t allowed to say that EJ kidnapped him and replaced him with a doppelgänger in court? Aside from the fact that the plot came from Ron C., it’s a pretty significant omission.😉 Because, if Rafe testified that the camera in the Dimera living room is his, then Belle would logically ask why he was spying on EJ as a private citizen. Rafe would have had to admit that he was trying to gather evidence because EJ had kidnapped him and kept him locked in the Dimera wine cellar. Also, EJ's been trying to keep that a secret so he can buy the hospital. Which should have been EJ's motive not to introduce the tape himself in court. The current choices make it feel more a fanfic homage to classic soap cases where the big reveal happens in the courtroom with maximum melodrama, rather than using the clever ideas that were already embedded in the story.

One obvious weakness in the current version is that it makes EJ look careless. He introduced the tape, and Belle and Chanel immediately recognized it as fake. That puts all the blame squarely on him. However, the show seems to be ignoring a key detail: EJ had Rita send the tape to Belle anonymously. Belle then showed it to EJ, assuming he hadn’t seen it before. That gave him plausible deniability and could have been used to shift suspicion away from him. So while EJ introducing the video during Chanel’s cross-examination added drama, there were other options that might have made for a cleaner resolution to the trial. For example, the tape could have been used to force Belle into acknowledging Chanel as a viable suspect, leading to Johnny’s acquittal. Chanel could still avoid charges once the tape was proven to be edited, and EJ would come out looking like the one who exposed the truth. From there, EJ could go on to figure out who shot him, or the identity of the shooter might not even matter, or the shooter should be allowed to avoid jail for some moral reason. The trial could have ended with stronger character dynamics and a clearer payoff.

I keep thinking the trial storyline would have been stronger if EJ had manipulated the court into having Belle play the video, claiming the state was withholding exculpatory evidence. That would have forced Belle to admit that Chanel was a viable suspect the prosecution had ignored. Johnny would have been acquitted, and Chanel would have avoided charges once Belle later proved the video was edited. Because of double jeopardy, Belle wouldn’t have been able to re-try Johnny. EJ would come out looking like a hero in Johnny’s eyes, which could then be used by EJ and Tony to pull Johnny into their orbit and position him as a mole inside Titan/Dimera. One thing I do think Days could learn from the Karen Reid trial is how much drama can come from lawyers arguing directly to the judge. The show still leans heavily on the old formula of breaking down a witness on the stand. But they’re missing the opportunity to write courtroom arguments between Belle and EJ that reflect their shared history and personal knowledge of each other. That kind of dynamic could add depth and tension without relying on witness theatrics. Of course, I realize they filmed this trial over a year and a half ago, so I can’t fault them for not using my version. Still, it’s fun to think about how a few changes could have added more layers to the story.

It was chaotic, unrealistic, and completely over the top, but that’s exactly what I expect from a fantasy trial on Days. If I wanted grounded legal drama, I’d watch the Karen Reid trial. Days at its best gives us exactly this kind of convoluted, operatic setup: a woman prosecuting her ex-lover’s son, who’s defended by her ex-brother-in-law, the man who shot her mother and father, assaulted her sister, and is now her legal opponent. He’s also the victim of the crimes she’s trying to prosecute. It begs the question of how else this story could be told? This time last year, they would've either ignored the trial all together, or they would've hired some ex-soap hunk from 1992 to play Johnny's vicious attorney. Neither would have been as satisfying for me to watch this summer. I liked how the trial moved through each suspect. It kept the pace up and gave the audience a slight edge. Since we already knew the tape was edited, it was fun watching the characters catch up. I’ve been frustrated before when mysteries hold back clues just to create a twist. That can work occasionally, but it loses impact when overused. I prefer when the suspense comes from waiting for the characters to catch up. That said, one detail stood out as inconsistent, and I might be misremembering, but here’s what I recall. EJ originally deleted the video of Johnny threatening him the night of the shooting, and had Rita replace it with post-shooting footage, where Chanel threatened EJ. I remember this clearly because @AbcNbc247 pointed out how odd it was that Chanel was arguing with EJ instead of Johnny after EJ recovered. But today, it sounded like EJ also had Rita fake Chanel’s dialogue. That doesn’t track. Chanel did say she wished EJ was dead, so adding deepfake voices felt unnecessary and confusing. The other thing I noticed, and it might not have been intentional, was the timing: on the same day a wealthy white family tries to frame their Black daughter-in-law for murder, the show also portrays an Asian teenager who was denied access to abortion as dishonest. That combo raises concerns. And please resist the urge to remind us that Chanel is also rich and well-connected, that is obviously not the issue. In the end, I’ll take a messy courtroom drama with two grandparent-lawyers and lingering romantic tension over one of the show’s flatter attempts at socially responsible storytelling. At the very least, it gave us a trial worth talking about. Because goodness knows the biased storytelling we'd get if the circumstances demanded realism.🤔

Watching today’s episode, I noticed the show really underlined a line from EJ to Gwen: they “never” keep pain medication at the mansion—because of Stefano. That stuck with me, because back around the time of the shooting, it felt like we were getting the start of a pain-medication dependency beat for EJ. I checked the recaps, and on May 2, 2025—weeks after the shooting—EJ explicitly told Kristen he was going to take his pain medication. Here’s the image from that day’s synopsis: So which is it? A change in direction after May 2 that quietly erased an earlier idea, or a deliberate contradiction meant to serve as a clue in the shooting story? Given the chatter about whether Gwen is “necessary,” I think it’s worth noting that she was the one in this episode positioned to hear and relay this information. If the pills become important later, her knowledge of them could be a key. Also, still a bit of a Gwen fan (don't throw rocks).🪨