j swift

Oh, so PP got the new hairdo to explain to the audience how he could attach a lace-front, that makes sense (te he).

Also, why does Dimitri need to escape in drag when he's got access to a submarine that takes him to a country without an extradition treaty? (to be fair, that pursuit of logic is a fool's errand in the context of DAYS)

Just for further clarification, because it sparked my interest, the base pay prior to IVF for a surrogate is $35,000.00 and the agency fee is $40,000.  So, it's close to $100,000 before anyone even conceives.

Which renders the idea that Molly could conspire with her sister and not tell TJ illogical, because the cost would be noticeable for any couple.  Upon review, you can't just get your sister to be a surrogate and avoid the fee, because that is how the legal and medical expenses are paid.

_______________________________________________________

On another note, while I'm pleased that the Pikeman story seems to be getting some legs. Did anyone else feel like now that the strike is over, the writers did a major re-set this week in order to get their prior stories back on track?  For example, Nina standing up to Michael, Drew making academic decisions, and Chase's proposal all felt like a sudden shift in focus and motives for these characters.  Even Ava's confession to Nina managed to avoid a lot of strike material.

One other point about Clarice - tangentially

It was mentioned in 1982 that Ada and Clarice closed their salon.  It's a shame that more US soaps couldn't establish a hair salon as a consistent meeting place within their show.  I'm not talking about nutty spas with scifi youth serums.   In the UK, Corrie's hair salon has been the site of multiple stories, as it is a logical setting where people of different classes can get together and talk about recent events.  For example, I don't think Rachel and Paulina would hang out at the same diner, but it is reasonable that they would see each other while getting a blow out before an event in Bay City.

It may seem like TJ and Molly are well off, but:

IRL they would struggle with the cost, and it just seemed like an oversight not to mention it within the story.

It stuck out like a sore thumb that Maxie is having money issues, but Molly and TJ can afford multiple rounds of surrogacy without an issue when the typical cost is $100,000.00

Meanwhile, was Gail Brown ever able to give an interview when they didn't mention her sister?

Clarice is worthy of praise in any form.  It is a rarity that we get someone with even slightly unconventional beauty as well as such a well-rounded character.  It is interesting how many times that they tried to create a family around her.  First the McGowens, then the Hobsons, and the Eweings (AW really had a thing for copying Dallas).  I feel like saddling her with Larry, who was an uncharismatic character played by an actor that by certain accounts was difficult to get along with on set, really doomed Clarice. 

However, it was remarkable to read on AWHP that she returned for Ada's funeral, I had no memory of that.

Sonny is a terrible influence on Ava, and she should really stop going to him for advice.

The photo of dead Austin exonerates Ava.  So, it makes perfect sense to show it to the police.  Sonny has her paranoid to the point that she is irrational.  You know you're in deep when Nina is your only friend with common sense.

Furthermore, I would argue that the SORASing of Holly and Tate matches the age of their parents on screen. 

Nancy was 8 years old by 1982 and Ada is clearly not pregnant in that episode.

So, it would have been Clarice, assuming that since she had lived in Bay City since 1975, she was styled as an older mother, and there were complications with pregnancy.

@Efulton excellent teamwork finding the exact episode so quickly - hats off to you!

Isn't it odd watching an episode from 1982 and yet it feels like an antique?  AW was still using organ music for the background theme.  The dialogue does not feel contemporary.  And I don't think the very wooden performance by Edward Power as Harry helped.  The man's wife just blew up in their driveway, and he doesn't connote any trauma or sadness.  Corrinne Jacker could have been writing a Pinter play and that guy would still not be very interesting. 

By contrast, 1982 Edge of Night feels very modern.  Except for the fashion, it would be indistinguishable from anything in daytime today.

That's funny @Mona Kane Croft because I just read this line in the AWHP 1982 summary

I guess Ada didn't have to travel too far to help at the Shea household

Also, is it just me, or is the whole culture celebrating Christmas for the entire month of December?  It's a recipe for Xmas fatigue!

And I hope we're supposed to assume that Jada has more decorations in the other room, because that single stand of lights is a little pathetic. 

Did Bob and Henrietta move into Ada's old house?

Oy vey the return of Jackie Cox

Oh yeah, I just realized for the first time in a couple of years we are not going to get a spinoff movie or story this winter.

I never remember who wrote what when I recall characters and stories that I enjoyed.  But, given @Xanthe's list, I must have liked her writing because I thought the Bob/Henrietta/Quinn triangle was excellent.  A great use of Black characters, that were written in a culturally specific way, which was interesting for the time.

I like that period of Jamie's life when his character most closely resembled Rachel.  A troubled artist (writer) who was driven by a desire for the love of someone, who was besotted by another.  I also think the inclusion of his drug addition was well written because it seemed in keeping with his character and made him more vulnerable.  Truly a shame that latter versions of the character never reflected on their sobriety.  In fact, I recently watched a scene where Jamie and Lisa drank champagne, and it felt so odd to have no mention of his struggle with addiction (especially when he worked in a hospital).

Stacey and Cass were the best version of Winthrop siblings.  And Alma freaked me out as a boy.

So, while we can never know her exact responsibility, I'd have to give her credit for creating some great character moments.

Given the discussion on the classic Y&R thread about how even William Bell was often not consulted on the firing of actors, I often wonder if we mistake the power of writers on the casting decisions of soap productions?

For example, Harding Lemay stated his distaste for the characterization of certain actors, but he was clear in his memoir that the decision of hiring/firing was ultimately on the producer.

I know she is a controversial figure in this discussion, but it would be interesting to know if Sally Sussman's initial pitch for Generations focused on diversity. Or if that was what part of the NBC's notes on the pitch, and she adjusted her vision in order to get the show developed?  I assume we'll never find out the truth because as the saying goes, 'success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan'.  And in TV, nobody wants to be an orphan.

Controversially, I was never a fan of the Matthews either.  Pat was the only one I ever liked, and arguably she became more of a Randolph by the early 1980s.  Because she had fewer scenes with her siblings and was more focused on her twins.

Given Steve Frame and John Randolph's turbulent relationship, I would be interested to know if Steve ever referenced him to Quinn, who played a similar part in his company when he was resurrected. 

1 hour ago, titan1978 said:

Monty should have followed what worked at the start of her first run- strong writing, refocus the characters already there, and slowly move some out while implementing her new vision.

If you think about it, Gloria Monty had a much bigger hurdle to get over the second time in terms of ratings.

In her first iteration, GH was unpopular, so her job was to create buzz and get people to watch.  She jazzed up the music, created controversy, and made GH a spectacle. But, before she was re-hired, Joe Hardy had taken the show from 1st to 8th place in the ratings.  He was disliked by the actors, and the press was critical of his choices. 

So, the audience was actively abandoning the show.  It is hard to get fans to make a new habit once it was broken.  Some may argue that she made it even more difficult by trying to persuade an audience to return by not giving them what they wanted (like Luke rather than Bill). 

But, that context is valuable to consider when we note that quality of storytelling was not the only reason for Gloria Monty's eventual failure to revive the show.

Piggybacking on @carolineg comment, I also appreciate that it is Holly that was SORASed because of the 'partners in crime' vibes between Holly and Nicole that were developed this week.  If DAYS continues that mother-daughter camaraderie, and we get to see why Nicole has yearned to be a mother for so long, I think it will benefit her character. 

Many of Salem's mother daughter duos have historically been conflictual (i.e., Marlena/Sami, Caroline/Kim, Addie/Julie) so it would be nice to see a tight one develop.  

In response to @danfling 's question

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-26-ca-235-story.html

NBC’s motives in creating “Generations” were not entirely altruistic, however.

Statistics compiled by Nielsen Media Research show that blacks watch an average of 55% more daytime television than other groups. And, before “Generations,” NBC’s daytime programming garnered fewer black viewers than the other networks’.

“Generations” ranks about equal with the other networks’ major soaps in terms of audience composition, with 21% of its audience black. It leads NBC’s other soaps: Just 11% of “Days of Our Lives” viewers are black, 12% of “Another World” viewers and 16% of “Santa Barbara” viewers.

“One of the reasons the networks have been running more black shows and more black characters is (that) blacks disproportionately don’t have access to VCRs and cable television and satellites,” said Horne, the UCSB professor.

That means they are more likely than whites to watch network advertising and buy the products offered for sale, Horne said.

The Corrinne Jacker article is giving very Ron-C-I've-always-been-a-fan vibes.

Perhaps the lesson learned is that the audience often rejects fanfic.

Both writers tend to focus on how they could undo events of the past, as opposed to presenting a contemporary vision for their soap in the present.

And the 2023 Award for Worst Quote by a Writer goes to Josh Griffith for, "Nobody does alcoholic like Melody!"

6 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

Terri Garber said she did not enjoy her time on the show.

Who knew Terri Garber and I had so much in common?  I didn't enjoy her time on the show either.