j swift

For me, what is so entertaining is that it feels as if the author was trying to write a campy ode to soap opera catfights. But the actors actually flipped the script and told the context of the scene and how difficult it was to film.  So that we couldn't help but respect them for their efforts.  I think it is a triumph any time that soaps that underestimated, and then someone notes why they deserve their place in culture. 

16 hours ago, chrisml said:

It's been years since I read Lemay's book, but I felt that a lot of his remarks about the show and the performers were tinged with a degree of self-serving reflection. 

I agree, but I don't think that is a bad thing.  We have to consider the context.  The book is a memoir, not an attempt to write the history of the show.  The humor is derived from his frustrations working for the first time within the daytime genre.  And there is no way of knowing if he maintained these opinions years later. 

I hope we can put a moratorium on the semi-annual retrial of Virginia Dwyer's firing.  The interpretation that any writer had enough power in a production to dismiss an actor on their own because they didn't like the way that they read their lines is simply too literal. I am not quoting anyone in particular, I am just voicing my frustration that we keep circling back to the same disagreement.

2 hours ago, Liberty City said:

Well if he wrapped end of November / beginning of December, add six to seven months, and I am guessing May/June-ish? Possibly? Depends.

It is always intriguing to me how much a production plays into the minority portion of the audience that is clued into soap news.  For example, DAYS is promoting that Stefan might kill Burton’s character's this week.  Which would be kismet if he is also going to debut on GH on Monday.  But, I tend to believe it just a coincidence, since DAYS production didn't know six months ago that Burton was going to be re-hired at GH.

It is a fun correlation, but logically there couldn't be a relationship between the two events.

To me, the recent focus on Spinelli, a character who has outgrown his charm, feels like putting the pieces in place for Jason's return.  Everyone on the canvas is being reset to where they were when Jason was relevant.  Sonny is single, Spinelli is on his own, Drew and Sam are arguing.  It all feels very deliberate.  But the regression of characters is rarely popular.

Not the “it could have been worse” defense… 

I would respect them if they suggested that it was newsworthy and that they sought the consent of her son.  But, all of these explanations after the fact seem insincere. 

There is a long tradition of this type of show from Grey Gardens, to Michael Jackson's Martin Bashir interview, to Whitey Houston's interview with Wendy, to Britney's Instagram videos.  Collectively, they raise the intriguing question: How should our culture address affluent mentally impaired adults who resist assistance? Should we gawk or avert our gaze?  Do we have the right to look in Wendy's fridge because we were fans for 15 years?  Or is it more respectful to ignore her decline?

I think judgements of who is good or bad in Wendy's life is easy.  But, for me, it is trickier to grapple with what is my personal responsibility in terms of media consumption?  Is it noble to resist the urge to watch this provocative footage? Or is it just a fascinating story that I am drawn to for the same reasons that I am a fan of soaps?

@Mona Kane Croft My wish would be Lenore Moore Curtin Delaney (perhaps recast with Judith McConnell, just for the Nik Coster reunion).  Lenore returns as the ultimate society matron whom Donna Love is desperate to impress.  Lenore is instantly accepted back and placed on the board at the hospital.  The ladies of Bay City plead with her to rejoin the Country Club.    And Carl cannot take his eyes off of her anytime he is out with Rachel. 

Then Wally falls hard for Vicky Hudson.  She's a breath of fresh air.  He's from DC, and she knows politics from her time with Grant.  But, he's a human rights lawyer and good guy. 

Suddenly this is Donna's way into Lenore's orbit.  If Vicky marries Wally, Donna can invite Lenore to the Love Mansion every year for Thanksgiving.

But, Wally has a bit of his father's madness in him and is secretly jealous of Jake or any other man who once loved Vicky.  Let's just hope he doesn't go scarf shopping anytime soon...

10 minutes ago, ranger1rg said:

None of these are violations of privacy.

I concur.  And there's clearly a difference between people talking about their reactions on a public forum, versus attacking or critiquing the actors directly on social media. 

In this case, we've seen this woman in the media for decades, and it is only natural to have a response to the extreme changes that have occurred over time. 

I would be mortified to be compared to images of myself twenty years ago, but I have not chosen a profession that commodifies my appearance.

Two head scratching responses:

A:

Yet, they filmed for months, so that doesn't absolve them of exploiting her story when she is at her worst.

B:

He needs to sit down and get a job

49 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

They may do an "OMG IT'S YOU!" type of thing on Friday as a cliffhanger, and then keep us going through Monday. That's my guess.

Agreed (perhaps a flash of a tattooed arm?).  But do we know his final air date on DAYS?

Time flies, at the time of the announcement it felt like he wouldn't appear until spring.  And now the time has come.

I guess if my cheating ex-husband followed me to a new town and started dating my new friend, and ingratiating himself with my new boyfriend, I'd be a bit freaked out.   And, even though my ex-boss and my ex-police partner both have amnesia, I would probably question that as an excuse.  But, I'd still probably be a bit more forthcoming with information about our past.

Also filed under suspension of disbelief, if Steve could get BobEtte's birth certificate in seconds, why couldn't the Seattle police track down Jada as his next of kin when he was in the accident?

Does Jason re-appear on Friday?

3.7/10

Rather than yelling at journalists and telling them confidential police information, why doesn't Jada tell BobEtt what she knows about his past?

The highlight was Johnny's scene at Holly's bedside.

The lowlight was EJ just finding out that Johnny got married.  Why doesn't this family text each other?

And is Chad still wearing Victor's clothes?  Because that suit seemed awfully tight for Vic.  Do you think Kiriakis had a skinny closet and a fat one for when his weight fluctuated?

5 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Btw, what is this obsession with Pride and Prejudice?

Cross Promotion

https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/movies/drama/pride-and-prejudice/51e4240b-7f1a-3a38-b15f-6881e449b58e

Unlike a 12-year-old, I don't derive my observations nor the validation of my opinions from the internet.   But, I appreciate our respectful contretemps over this very compelling show.

Will is not a good caretaker, but that is not his job.  However, he is the one who got Wendy into rehab, he takes away the liquor, communicates the conservator, and he yelled at the PR lady for taking her to LA.  So, while he is easily overwhelmed, he's still doing more than her nieces and nephews to get her the help that she requires. 

On the other hand, a spoiler free death is an admirable stunt to be able to pull off for February sweeps.  And just because something wasn't foreshadowed for weeks doesn't make it less powerful.

4.8/10 I am honestly intrigued about the Everett plot, although I don't approve of the foreshadowing of a Chad/Stephanie reunion as the outcome of that story.  I predicted that we'd spend too much time on the Horton House stuff to waste time until RC returned. But the story is moving forward in a way that I would not notice the change, if it were not pointed out to me on this forum.

I've got a lot of questions about the Everett/Bobby situation regarding his memory loss:

1. How does he know that he was a reporter if he has memory loss?
2. Aren't there articles online attributed to Bobby?
3. Who did Chad (or was it Xander?, or Gwen?) contact to get information to hire Everett for the Spectator?  Wasn't he introduced as an award-winning reporter?

It makes no sense that Wendy and Tripp can't overpower the lady cop.  Kick her, throw the tablet at her head, run in opposite directions, there are multiple ways out of that situation as it appears that she is on her own.  And Wendy's story about learning mountain climbing in India seemed like an obvious tell of how they are planning to escape. 

Finally, I call for the end of traumatic amnesia as a story device for at least a year.  By the end of this week, Harris, Holly, Everett, and Abe will all conveniently suffer from the same rare event.  Much like latex masks, some story conventions need to be put to rest.

@AbcNbc247 or @carolineg  I'm still confused about one thing.  We know Stefan shot Harris, and it appears the lady cop tried to shoot Lucas, but is there a third person who set fire to the Horton House?  I'm going to leave the question of how Stefan knew what Xander would wear to go running, or when he planned to leave, to general suspension of disbelief.

We may disagree about the validity of suspicious vibes versus the actual behaviors shown on screen, but I assume we agree that this was the effective end of her career in media.  Even if she is able to achieve sobriety, the image of her as being disoriented will haunt her legacy.  There's no coming back from that.  Which is a shame, because I think she was a perfect fit for the podcast medium.

On the other hand...

It was the conservator who didn't want the documentary to air, and sued to tried to stop it.  I felt suspicious of the motives of Wendy's nieces and nephews who voiced support, but didn't go to see her until the cameras were rolling, almost a year after she left Miami. 

And, it strains logic to say that Lil'Kev's spending of $100,000.00 should not be questioned because he spent that much each month on UberEats.  He is a grown man, why is he spending his mother's money like that if he knows that she is unhealthy?  He has no job, and he's no longer in school, so why isn't he caring for his mother?

To my eye, it looked like Will was the only one taking away the vodka, getting her into rehab, and tolerating her decline.  I thought the only one who came off well was Black Chyna, although her presence felt random, and I was distracted by the idea that she seemed to be auditioning for her own Lifetime special. 

I liked Rhonda, but structurally Amanda makes MP into a workplace drama.  I wonder if it had been too difficult to create situations for all the characters to interact at the apartment complex?  90210 needed the school as a base to meet new people, and I think MP would have become too insular if they only talked around the pool or at Shooters.  So, although I think it is more realistic to have dancers, actors, and creatives all in a Los Angeles based soap, I can empathize with the need to create a work base for added drama. 

1 minute ago, Antoyne said:

I’m so sick of Clyde. He’s not even an entertaining villain. I literally just want the character killed off and never mentioned again. It’s still nuts to me that EJ DiMera has yet to get revenge on the man who tried to kill him and murdered his sister in law in his home.

I agree that he has to be killed off.  I mean, he's already in jail for murder, so anything less won't seem like justice in the soap universe where everyone gets their just deserts. 

I found the documentary captivating, although it raises natural questions about the ethics of its production. As a public figure, it undeniably sheds light on significant aspects of her life. Nonetheless, Wendy's current condition genuinely saddens me.

Responsibility appears to be distributed equally among the involved parties. While the jeweler/manager might initially seem like a mere opportunist, his acknowledgment of being overwhelmed by Wendy's declining health and continued support despite financial strain offers a nuanced perspective. Conversely, the family presents a compelling rebuttal, yet scrutiny arises, notably regarding the son's extravagant expenses and apparent lack of self-sufficiency.

For me, one of the most poignant episodes of daytime television remains her candid revelation about residing in a halfway rehab center. Her honesty about that situation challenges the conventional wisdom about whether she would participate in this current show. Clearly, she wouldn't want to appear as disheveled as she does in the documentary. Nonetheless, I hope it initiates conversations among families about how to care for members in crisis beyond the exploitative and salacious aspects of the documentary.

I'm curious if the resolution of Tripp's kidnapping will unravel the mystery surrounding Li's murder and lead to Gabi's exoneration.

I've long speculated that Li might have been mistaken for Tripp. Because he was stabbed from behind in their shared apartment, mere days after an attempt on Tripp's life by the impostor in the ER.

In the old DAYS, Tripp and Wendy would likely be imprisoned in that room until May sweeps. However, Salem's time now moves at breakneck speed, so I anticipate their liberation by next week. Still, I hope their escape signifies the demise of Clyde's scheme, rather than merely a plot twist.

12 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

i'm sure Ruth would have agreed to date or even marry him if he asked!

I think Tom Cowman, or his other boyfriend, might have objected to that pairing