j swift

Mrs. H used the donuts to distract from the expensive jewels that she hid in the walls of her kitchen. Now, it all makes sense... 😉 I thought a smart cookie like Caroline Brady would've had the chance to hide a bauble of her own from her dalliance with Victor.

Polka dots are a bold choice for mourning attire.

What's up with the Hair Dept at DAYS? First, Gabi was stuck with those two sausage rolls on the sides of her head, and now they stuck them on this not-so-innocent little girl.

Did Carrie say her son was graduating from high school, or college, and that's why he and Austin couldn't make the trip to Salem? Does that mean Carrie's son is currently the same age as Sami's granddaughter? That's one nutty family….

I hadn’t considered Leo’s connection to Diana and The Spectator, so I appreciated that they circled back to close that loop. I have something of a blind spot regarding the period around Leo’s introduction. As a result, I’ve never quite reconciled that his mother is supposed to be Genie Francis’s Diana. I may quibble with recent episodes, but more often than not my reaction has been, “They think of everything.” Separating the art from the artist, as it were, Jennifer’s hair and outfit were remarkably chic. It’s hard to believe the same people were responsible for dressing both Hope and Jennifer this week. Some may disagree (though they would be mistaken), but Jennifer’s blunt haircut and her dress, modest yet genuinely flattering, looked far more modern than Hope in that gaudy Chanel knockoff.

There's a lotta kids of deadbeat dads in ol' Port Charles… I bet it is easy to get a reservation at the PC Grill for Father's Day Brunch.

How much longer is Steve Burton's contractual obligation?

Hold on to that thought, because I'll be eager to know if you feel the same way as you progress through her journey, after that evening.

A Day Off from the Drama Felt Like a Breath of Fresh Air Honestly, I didn’t mind the change of pace today. The episode had a lighter tone, and it was refreshing, like coming up for air after all the intensity lately. But, did anyone else notice that Bo's hospital room is larger than Marlena's living room? Chad and Leo: A Surprisingly Enjoyable Pairing I actually enjoy Leo in scenes with Chad. It's a shame Chad hasn't been given more lighthearted material before, he’s much funnier than I expected. At least we were spared the referenced Ari/Leo interaction (dodged that bullet). Gabi’s Hair: A Curl Too Far Let’s talk about Gabi’s hair. Those curtain curly-q bangs? Ridiculous. Not only unattractive but completely impractical. And if she doesn’t like living with Leo, then… move out. Yes, it’s Rafe’s house, but she’s the CEO and titular head of GabiChic. If Chanel and Johnny can afford rent, I’m sure Gabi could swing Li Shin’s old place (they've probably painted since Gabi found him dead, and Melinda was held hostage there). Rafe and the FBI: Why Though? I still don’t understand the narrative function of Rafe suddenly working for the FBI—unless it’s to explain why he’s perpetually off-screen. Side note: Has anyone told Elon’s team that the Bureau is hiring middle-aged men who talk to stuffed animals and are apparently set to retire with full pensions in less than a decade? Doug3 and the Mystery of the Necklace Now, Doug3 is suddenly concerned about the age of consent? Not touching that. Also—whatever happened to his friendship with Sofia? And how did he manage to find a loan shark when he only hangs out with high school girls? How much could he have borrowed? He changed his name and moved out of town, so he must owe enough for the loan shark to hire repo men to find him and photograph underage women. But the real head-scratcher: why is he asking Leo who bought the necklace? It’s Melinda. He knows it’s Melinda. Was this filmed out of order? Or did she fence it? I’m confused. Gwen Mention #1 (And we all know what happens when you say her name three times…) Cat: The Kookiness Has Worn Thin I’ve tried. Really. But I don’t like Cat. I don’t like her secret. I don’t like that she’s never at work covering Marlena’s phones. I don’t like her brand of kooky. I don’t like that she stopped blow-drying her hair. Honestly, I never invested much in her character because I figured she’d be gone by now. But now? I just don’t like her.

Marlena was notably without a blazer today Also, doesn't Hope know that John was hurt in the explosion because she was there?

It seems like the obvious downside for future writers was that if a real news event occurred in Bay City, Michigan, then the audience would wonder how it would affect Rachel and Iris. Whereas, a soap set in a larger city like Los Angeles or Houston can avoid everything but weather events by saying that our characters were on the other side of town (like B&B did during the LA Uprising of 1992 - although not literally). IRL, I recall a huge snowstorm that hit Manhattan in the 1990s, and the papers with filled with stories about actors and crew having to spend the night in various television studios because the trains shut down early. Which led me to question if we know of any natural events like storms or tornados that effected production? Remember when Port Charles, NY had to have an earthquake because of sets destroyed by a real earthquake in LA?

Side note: I was thinking about the irony of the number of children John, Victor, and Stefano found later in life. I wonder if Tony Dimera will ever find a long-lost child? Either from Melaswen (I hope not), or a kid that Anna's kept hidden.

Hump Day Thoughts Let me start with the snark: I can accept that John's memorial will be held at the pub—but I do not believe that a man who spent years thinking he was a priest (and fought the devil twice) wouldn’t have wanted a church funeral. It’s not the choice of venue that bothers me—it’s the casual, throwaway dialogue that pulls me out of the moment. That said, I was genuinely riveted by the scenes of everyone catching Bo up on what he’s missed. His sense of shock and grief felt earned. Imagine waking up to find that so many people you loved had died—and that you’d caused so much pain to your wife and son. That brief moment of overwhelm was beautifully played. And if you think back to EJ or Stefan's resurrections, there was no acknowledgement of an adjustment. (Of course, IRL, someone would’ve eventually told him: “Honestly, Bo, you were lucky to sleep through the Ron C. years.” 😉) Also, kudos to Hope for maintaining Bo’s beard, haircuts, and dye jobs all these years. I actually found it realistic. Many families of coma patients do keep up with grooming, partly as a way to pass time at the bedside. And let’s be honest: in real life, a lot of bearded men wake up clean-shaven because the machines require it… or because their wives secretly hated the beard all along. Props to Brandon Beemer today for stepping up and showing more emotional range than his usual “intensity mode.” It added depth, and it was needed. As for the chatter about the gay quad. I’ve read the comments, and I get the appeal, but I’ve never been a Paul fan. The guy’s just a drip. Not for me.

Umm sir, Horton Square is about 25 sq feet, there's no need for a telephoto lens, you could just use your iPhone and be more discreet. Of course, the evil mustache isn't helping him blend in either.

I really appreciated all the movement in today's episode. It resonated with me that it felt like the sort of nervous energy that can surround a family after death. I want to point out the EJ scene. I was riveted by his multi-layered performance. When he told Belle that he went to her because he loved her, and then saw that she was embarrassed by him, and rejected the part of her that was attracted to him. It started to make even more sense why he would try to protect Johnny (who I still don't think shot him). EJ feels like a pariah (although TBH, it wouldn't have hurt to bring Marlena some of that tea that everyone had been promising her all morning). And he doesn't want to pass that along to his son by exposing him as the shooter. It is interesting that we see none of those same concern between Kristen and lil'Rachel.

I hope somewhere in the fictional universe, Sami called Vivian to tell her about John. They just shared an Uber to the airport, so I assume they have each other's contact info (no matter the universe, they both probably only have 3⭐). And, Vivian always treated John like a nephew.

To clarify, we could argue about the necessity to have John Black speak while in hospital, but the body created an opportunity for people to touch him, and move around him. Even though I never totally suspended my disbelief, I appreciated their creative choice to form a visual representation of loss. Certainly there were other ways to tell this story, but it will stay with me because those production choices enabled these performances. However, with disdain, I note that Days has found an odd middle ground between a flashback and a montage. I define a flashback as least a couple of rounds of dialogue, if not a whole scene. And a montage would be a visual snippet without much dialogue. But, these were often just a single line, or an entrance. It felt like a bit of a tease, and made me wish that Peacock had curated a playlist of John Black's Greatest Hits, like they do for some Bravo shows or SNL characters. OT - but they have yet to maximize that platform.

I understood it very differently as well. I wouldn't have piled on, but @janea4old and I were clearly composing our posts at the same time (great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ). To me, she was saying that their love was an awakening. Obviously, she loved Roman and their twins, as well as Don. But, John revealed something to her that she had never seen before. I actually think it is a lovely, and very optimistic, idea to think that one's third marriage could be special because you met each other at a specific time in your life. Not to be crude about the departed, but John was trained by the best, and he rocked her world. Think about it, before Kristin met him, she was just a mild-mannered social worker. And< I doubt Roman and Kate are doing whatever Doc and John did with those strawberries and cream. If we translate soap dialogue into reality, that is probably what Marlena meant. Of course, John was only her third husband if you don't count Eugene and (aka the husband nobody mourned). If you choose that definition, John was also her 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th husband. However, I believe it was @carolineg who reminded us that in polite society, friends just say Happy Anniversary, and don't mention the years in between.

I seriously got chills over today's episode, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. Fancy face😭 The only humor I found was the ongoing snipping between Hope and Ciara. After the heck that Hope put Julie through as an adolescent, it seems like justice has been served that there is rarely a moment of peace between this mother and daughter. I take back everything I thought about faux-John in the bed. Marlena needed someone in the room today for that to work. It would have been odd if she was alone in her bedroom, or he was dead in the bed next to her. It is a powerful thing to say that her life didn't really begin until she found John. We know she loved Don and Roman, but this was special and unique. I always wonder how writers choose a name for a character. Here's Marlena: No wonder her sister Samantha went insane, she knew Marlena was the one her parents wished for. To distract from the story, I started wondering how often Hope and Marlena were on the show at the same time.? I know they shared stories, but it seems like Hope ascended during Marlena's absence, and Marlena re-appeared while Hope was not in Salem. I also wondered how many more episodes Marlena appeared with John, than Don or Roman? Her on-screen marriage to Roman was relatively short. But, there were a lot of breaks from the show during her marriage to John. And she and Don were together for at least a few years.

It is the least aware sobriety memoir I've ever read. No spoilers, but where was the editor to ask what she learned from all the stories in her life?

Search YT for Edwyn Sanchez, he posted an AI enhanced episode of ATWT and it is beautiful.

SOD's reporting on the Holly/Roger scene, from the last time we discussed it. It is worse than what you both recall, and Robert Calhoun's response to Maureen Garrett's displeasure is gross.

Is it weird that I'm kind of excited to see Marlena's bedroom? I know we've seen it before, but I appreciate any change in scenery. Out of everywhere in Salem, I would say Marlena bedroom looks the most like Marlena. Feminine without frills, definitely designed for a woman, but not pink or too ornate. Julie, Maggie, and Sarah's spaces don't feel very personalized, because we know they inherited those rooms, they didn't decorate it themselves (although I image Maggie bought new bedding, she's always shopping).

This opened my eyes and appeals to my logic. But, don't you also think that the fact that they are so ill-suited means that, by soap-opera-laws, they aren't a long term item? I like how Belle is written now, so I appreciate the fact that she is in this story. But, I don't believe anything will become of it, and I think EJ is going to mess it up very soon. Which explains why I don't get too worked up over it. I'm also suspending my outrage until I see how EJ treats Belle during her mourning. If he cheats with Cat, then we'll know that he was never meant to be happy.

Do people have the same problem with Sami and Kristen being rapists who have been married several times? I don't often deal in moral equivalencies, because we would obviously need to consider their relative capacity to overpower a man's ability to consent. But, their motives were similar to EJ's. Honestly just wondering since the EJ thing has never been an issue for me.