j swift

don't forget the new hairstyle with those odd microbangs...

I still believe that is debatable, because the character of Alex is interesting on paper. Few other soaps have a guy who is openly interested in three ways sex, while exploring issues regarding intimacy in therapy. The closest I recall was early Ryan Lavery on AMC. And, you can't go more than a week without someone wishing for the return of a legacy character. Everyone who doesn't watch, but still comments, suggests saving the show by proposing the return of some obscure child character that nobody's thought of in decades, as if Sarah Horton set the world on fire. Which leads me to think that there are other variables at play - if only for the purpose of a lively debate amongst fans, no ill will intended aka no tea, no shade...

I was just reading Brandon Walker's wiki, (man, it's amazing how much I forget over time, but there's been so many stories in the past decade). He was a fun character, and the idea of pairing Sami with her enemy's brother is a classic soap story. At one point did Brandon think that he was Theo's father, or was Lexi pregnant with another child at the time? If it was Theo, it is another example of how much SORASing has screwed up the logic of DAYS storylines. For example, Nicole is Brandon's older sister, so if Theo is currently a young adult, it seems inconceivable that she could be pregnant (although, to be fair, this is one of a million reasons that Nicole's pregnancies seems absurd).

I wonder how much of the dislike of Alex is due to fans' parasocial relationship with the actor. Cue people responding that they don't follow RSW on socials - then my comment is not meant for you. Because there is something refreshingly creative about a male character who is conflicted by his desire for intimacy versus his libidinal urges. Especially, when we consider that this a character who we, as an audience, has known since birth. So, we can hypothesize about how his relationship with his stepmother, and growing up among his half-siblings, has affected his ability to connect with others. DAYS is filled with couples who instantly fall in love, so it can be interesting to see a guy struggle to find a satisfying partner. And we frequently discuss historic characters that we wish would return, so Alex checks that box. On the other hand, the prior role that this actor played was distasteful, and his social media presence is beyond basic. So, it leads to the age-old questions of can we separate the art from the artist? Or, in this case, the intentions of the character from the hack actor who plays them. It also brings to mind that I hate the character development for Sloan. She began as a self-aware professional woman who was forthright about her needs. Cut to six months later, and she's changing DNA tests and possibly faking a pregnancy to hold on to an ex-priest who is hardly a catch. I was enjoying the sexual liberation of Sloan, only to be disappointed that she has developed the same relationship neediness of every other person in Salem.

Not a great season for talent, challenges, or fashion content. Followed by a boring and hollow feeling finale. My big takeaway is that the Fame Games need a re-write. I get that the contestants were posting their looks online, so the show took advantage of that to get more engagement on social media. However, the voting never made sense. The show was taped months ago, so it never seemed like votes would actually matter. How were we supposed to compare the fact that Monica Beverly Hills showed ten looks and Alexis Michelle only showed two looks? Was it cumulative or only based on their final look? Multiplying the votes was such an obvious production ploy that it alienated the online audience. I am happy for the LaLaRi redemption arc, and I hope it furthers their career, but if they try this again there has to be clearer expectations for the game. One positive note, production seems to have fixed the sound mixing in the finale songs. In the past few seasons, I could not hear or understand the lyrics because the background music was too loud, and the direction was confusing. At least in Jimbo's song they focused the camera on her face, and turned up the volume on the singer, so we could see what she was trying to express. As a result, I've had I Remember Being Born stuck in my head all weekend.

I know this is well trod territory, but Kate and Roman are an especially odd coupling given everything that she's done to Sami. It is ironic that Sami still hold a grudge against John, meanwhile her beloved father married the woman who almost got her executed on death row! That being said, I like the chemistry between the two actors and I enjoy their love story.

My favorite comment about the new name:

Yeah, Caroline was definitely the type of Mother-in-Law with a thumb so hard on her son's neck that their wives had to pretend to like everything she made. I mean, you can't tell me that Hope, who grew up on the cooking of Robert LeClair, was really down for Caroline's chowder. And, I seriously doubt that Roman's cooking is any better.

To be fair, he's also managing the Ralph Lauren Double RL store in Malibu, which is a huge store and kind of a big deal. Also, fun fact, he's obviously Drake Hogestyn's stepson, but he didn't take on the Hogestyn surname until he started auditioning for parts in the entertainment industry.

While watching the soaps on Friday, I was struck by the number of plot points that seem out of touch with contemporary culture. So, I did a bit of research to see how common the following issues are in 2023 Sanitariums - obviously the word itself is obsolete, most are referred to as "mental health facilities". The average stay in an acute hospital psychiatric unit is 4–7 days, at a cost of $1,000 per day. While long term psychiatric residential programs average $30,000 a month and are very rare for adult patients, due to the favorable outcomes of community-based day treatment programs. Drug rehabs are licensed separately from mental health centers, they are rarely locked, and they average $10,000 per stay. Most private insurance carriers would not allow a drug rehab patient to be housed at a mental health facility because it is more expensive. So the idea that citizens of Port Charles check themselves in, for months at a time, seems unlikely. And don't get me started on the trope of the evil psychiatrist who either wants to use ECT, drugs, or restraints to control a patient, while in reality client's rights advocates would drum them out of a job in a second! Private Detectives - according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics there were 32,000 licensed private investigators, or two investigators for every 100,000 people in the entire country with an average annual income of $53,000 working as of May 2023. To give you a sense of how small that number is, there are twice as many blackjack dealers or school bus monitors in the US. So, what is the likelihood that a small town like Salem would have so many of them? This is clearly a profession that has been made redundant by technology. Most people wouldn't think of hiring a private detective when they could just do an online search, and 90% of cases involve background searches for prior court records, which seems boring for an action oriented guy like Patch Johnson. Matchmakers - another job that seems to have been replaced by technology. Yet, a New York Times piece in 2021 suggested that the average fee for a matchmaker in New York was close to $100,000. A recent episode of DAYS utilized the concept of a matchmaker in order to justify how two enemies could've been paired up on a blind date. However, find me a Millennial in 2023 seeking a partner who isn't on an app that requires pictures like Tindr, Hinge, or even Christian Mingle! Wealthy patients at University Hospitals - Salem and Port Charles are known for their medical education, and they've both graduated many doctors and nurses. However, beyond the fact that none of the faculty has active research grants which is the primary source of income at university settings (schools usually take 30% of every federal grant), they are appointed without application through the University, and they never discuss tenure, why would the richest families in town seek treatment at a university hospital when private facilities exist? In Los Angeles, most wealthy women would prefer to give birth at Ceders Sinai where they have luxurious private birthing rooms over UCLA where the maternity ward is old and communal. Those are some of the issues that were specific to the storytelling on July 21, 2023. What are the other plot points that you've noticed that don't seem modern or up to date?

Kyler Pettis

I still adore the way that Susan Sullivan pronounced Lana's name - Jacqueline - with a perfect accent no matter her mood.

I just caught up to see what all the rigmarole was about and the only thing that I can add to the discussion is that we should applaud actors like Tajh Bellow who can maintain a storyline against an ever evolving cast. Imagine having to play an intense dialogue, that was built up over time, to an actor that you've just met. As a casual (sweeps mostly) watcher, I found myself taking to my phone to figure out who half of the people in the scene were supposed to be.

I've come to accept that they live in a parallel universe version of Illinois where women can have children fourteen years apart, days last for weeks, and kidnappings, doppelgängers, and returns from the dead are common occurrences. So, I guess the fish are plentiful there... Timothy Mauch Former Submarine sonar Chief Petty Officer at United States Navy “Can modern submarines operate in rivers?” For the vast majority of modern submarines, the answer is NO.

That smack landed about a mile from Whitley's face, and the sound was poorly timed. Also, it looks like they spent close to a nickle on Gabi's wedding dress. The actress is lovely, the costume is trash.

Apparently, there's plenty of bloater chub (the secret to Caroline's chowder)

I guess that tracks, since it is supposed to be in the Midwest, and Doug's Place was on the lake. I forget that they aren't in Salem, Mass. But, it seems much easier to spot a submarine in a river.

Filed under totally unverified, possible untrue, read it online, etc...

@AbcNbc247 It has to be an ocean dock and not a river, right? I mean, Rolf's submarine and Victor's freighter couldn't travel on a river. I know we had a discussion of the minification of the square upthread, but originally didn't the Pub exit out onto the square? Speaking of sets and the 20something crowd like Tripp, Johnny, Chanel, and Wendy, they need a more age-appropriate meeting venue for group scenes. It is a shame that SweetBits doesn't have an interior set because a coffee shop would be perfect. The Bistro and Short Bar seem too upscale for a Gen Z hangout joint, and I would like more natural scenes of them just sitting around outside their tiny homes. Also, I just read a rumor that I'll add to the spoiler thread.

So, it's a real meta commentary on the audience that young, tech-savvy Wendy watches it on streaming, while older, nostalgia-addict Whitley watches videotapes of episodes. It is like DAYS is saying,"watch streaming, or you'll end up as a lonely cat lady who kidnaps civil service workers."

DAYS is getting their money's worth out of that dock set. In my mind, the dock is within walking distance of Horton Square, but I'd still like to know the layout of Salem. I'm also questioning Paulina's wealth. She owns the DAYS equivalent of Walmart, so is she Sam Walton rich? Because she doesn't seem to use her privilege to fund the search for Abe, or to oppose the police commissioner for threatening her daughter. Does she own other homes? Is she on leave from work because her husband is missing? Is she richer than John or EJ? Also, while I appreciate that they needed to write a way for Marlena to tell Whitley's backstory, why is she divulging confidential information to Kayla? Finally, it was interesting to find out the Body and Soul is still on the air, given that Wendy was watching it the other day. Has it moved to a streaming service?. I wonder if anyone in Salem recognizes that the actors look like familiar people in town, or if that is just a part of Abe's hallucinations?

Bill Geddie, co-creator of "The View" and a legendary TV-news producer who was behind many of Barbara Walters’ most notable efforts, has died at 68 years old. It's ironic that both Rosie O'Donnell and Star Jones had extensive negative opinions of Bill in their respective memoirs (plane reads, don't judge me), but Barbara hardly mentions his achievements in her book. Follow-up, people on social media continue to disappoint when it comes to basic human decency

Agreed. I would also imagine that they created Nicole and her sister before they concocted her backstory. Because, it would be unusual for a child born in the 1970s to take on their mother's surname, assuming that Faye and Paul were married at the time of Nicole's birth. I would've assumed it was Nicole's "stage name" from her time as a model, but my question arose from the fact that her siblings all share the same last name.

Today, I learned/remembered that Nicole's father was Paul Mendez and her mother was Fay Walker, which begs the question of why does Nicole use her mother's maiden name? And even if there's some specific reason for that, why would Brandon use the last name Walker? Is this a classic case of soaps de-Latino-izing a family?

The Eastwood comparison is apt. They share the same "get off my lawn" energy. But, it also seems like both of them ache when they try to stand up from a chair. Meanwhile, I don't know what Dr. Rolf did to him all of those years ago, but somehow John still looks five years younger than Roman.