j swift

Is Brenda's Mom a retcon, or how did they explain her absence while Harlan was around?

I'm wishing for a Belle/Dr Mark Greene pairing in 2025. She needs an honest guy, who's only been to jail once. And even though it doesn't look like the Greene family will survive for long, I like seeing some new traditions in Salem.

I'd like Belle to explore things with Dr. Mark Greene. I like the actor, and I'd like the show to start establishing some new families in Salem.

Happy New Year to all, with a special shout out to Vee and Slick Jones, your generosity of spirit, and welcoming of alternative opinions is a joy. I know whenever you both comment on a post, it is meant with humor and affability. Thank you for making our community brighter this year due to your love of the genre and willingness to engage.

A picture is worth a thousand words, Susan Sullivan & Ana Alicia…

It is hard to interpret the line between Amy Choi being a “Tiger Mom” as stereotypical and offensive, or just stereotypical and expected. For example, as a Jewish man if DAYS introduced a mother of a Jewish character who was overprotective, I would feel like it was expected. But, if she was loud, and had a heavy New York accent, I would be mildly offended. The first option is just lazy and ill-informed, the second option being intentionally derogatory. I guess I'll wait and see…

But, I hope you get my point that Ingo is not suing in order to be rehired. He is suing for damages based on a conspiracy theory that GH brought back Steve Burton in order to argue against having to pay Ingo's future wages. He is alleging that by hiring Burton, GH was trying to show that any actor who had been fired due to the immunization mandate could be rehired. This means that Ingo could not sue for damages based on future lost wages because there is still a slim chance that he could be hired by another production. I don't agree with the conspiracy, but there are tidbits of truth that could imply some credibility. However, given the recent court ruling that does not allow him to re-open the discovery process, we'll never know if it was a possibility. To me, the paranoid subterfuge implied in Ingo's filing is more interesting than who should be cast on a soap that is already too bloated.

My prediction: Rafe II is going to shoot EJ (which now seems obvious). Rafe (or Johnny, Brady, or Doug) will be accused of the crime. He and Steve will try to clear his name. He'll solve the crime and become the police commissioner again. Only to turn it down in order to work with Steve. Meanwhile, Jada and Belle will look like idiots for rushing to convict Rafe (which is the part that I am least looking forward to).

Well, I've often wondered who funded the takeover, given Evan and Caroline's other schemes. Perhaps Iris would've gotten in over her head and needed to ally with Mac in order to save Cory from being run by mobsters? It's not very “Lemay”, but I could see a common cause repairing the rift.

While I'd never give any credence to Ingo's (or his lawyer's) theory, it is an intriguing conspiracy given how Steve Burton's return has been received. First, there have been numerous criticisms that the character of Jason has been sidelined since he's come back to Port Charles. Especially in light of the return of Lucky Spencer, and the focus on Alexis's family. Jason is a leading character, but not the leading character in the ensemble. Also, we know that he signed a short term contract. So, there are some bits of an idea that could easily lead one to believe that there were alternate reasons to rehire Steve Burton; other than his “immense acting talent”. Again, I don't think it is true. But, I'm also not saying that GH didn't proverbially kill two birds with one stone. Given that we'll never know, since discovery has been limited, it is fun to speculate.

I'm reading this a bit differently, @dragonflies & @Liberty City because there is an update due to a recent finding by the judge. When you sue someone, you have to claim damages. In this case, Ingo claimed damages to his income for the year he was fired (when the vaccine mandate was imposed), as well as future income. Because he felt that he would have difficulty getting hired by another production, due to his belief that he was fired from GH despite offering a medical exception for the vaccine (although he had no proof of exemption). However, Frank and ABC were smart. By rehiring Steve Burton, they undercut Ingo's claim to future salary, by showing that people were willing to hire actors who were fired due to the mandate. So, what Ingo's lawyers wanted to do was to reopen the discovery period to see if there was a specific mention that GH, ABC, or Frank conspired to rehire Burton in order to nuke Ingo's case. However, this week the judge said that while he could appeal, he cannot re-open discovery. None of this has anything to do with Ingo wanted to be rehired as Jax, because that was not a part of the damages claimed by Ingo. And unlike soap courts, a judge can't just make a decision on a civil case beyond the damages claimed. A claimant either gets their damages, or they don't.

His appeal eludes me. I mean, he looks good in jeans, but Chris was never a very interesting character. And Josh Taylor being catered to both in his choice of a leading lady (while he's taking a role elsewhere), and his later comeback is astounding. I know the lore that he is a friend of the producer, but without audience support that will only get an actor so far. Yet, this guy has had a solid career, despite questionable charisma.

Not to go too far afield, except it is the weekend, and the end of the month, but, I'd like to see RonC write a soap opera history book. He is clearly a fan of vintage soaps, and with his quirky style, I would imagine that it would be both fun and informative.

Does anyone know if the Soapnet version cut down episodes for extra commercial time? Are there long-lost scenes? Similar to how Y&R cuts scenes when air “classic” episodes?

However, if either Stephanie or Joy wind up pregnant, I'm going to be annoyed. It's enough that they never show an actual love scene, we don't need everyone to be so fertile.

What are the Vegas odds of Sophia carrying to term? Because I've got $50 on a miscarriage by Valentines Days. And @AbcNbc247, no need to fret about Rafe II, given the spoilers that Javi ruins the wedding, it seems like the whole story is only going to last 3–4 weeks.

Anyone else grossed out by the idea that Salem has a rat problem? Also, why isn't Paulina worried about the political implications of appointing three DA's in a year? Finally, did Leo give Doug III a check for the fenced necklace? Because it didn't look like there was much cash in that envelope. Who buys stolen goods with a check? Who even buys groceries with a check (or cash)? Was this episode written before Venmo?

Or, a new producer wanted her own writing staff, his friend Michele Val Jean had been announced as head of a new soap, and he didn't want to take a paycut (like the actors) to write for a streaming service. I'm simply suggesting that the narrative has been too one-sided against a guy with years of experience, a huge beachhouse, and a very nice life on the East Coast. Because there's little evidence to suggest that the new producer is making decisions based upon good taste in dramatic structure (i.e. some of the new actors that she's hired).😎

I concur that the offhanded red carpet quote has been misinterpreted. DH is too much of a pro to engage in derisive gossip to a journalist on camera. I would add that the immediacy of his departure has been misconstrued. I am reminded of Errol's admonishment that production may have respected RonC enough not to release a statement before the end of his contract cycle. So, it may have seemed more conflictual than what it was in actuality.

And how do you mail someone strawberries and creme? It didn't look like it was refrigerated, and we know Marlena doesn't have a kitchen. 😉🍓 It is funny given the BTS rumors that Maggie has magnificent jewels, while Marlena's got a closet full of blazers, a used locket, and a creepy doll of herself.

I dunno, Brady's and Shawn's gifts screamed, “I'll just grab some random sentimental crud on my way out of the door.” Marlena's a chic lady, she's not going to wear that locket, and as I mentioned, Maggie doesn't need another picture of Victor. They're really leaning into the Rachel-the-devil spawn today with all the snake references. I don't know if the actress entirely pulled off the characterization (although she's more subtle than SH playing her mother). I prefer when Rachel is acting sweetly, but you know she's thinking evil thoughts. Rather than having both of her parents indulging her wicked side. I mean, where's the fun if everyone is in on Rachel's game? At the very least, Brady should be too dumb to know what's going on.

Me too (2/1), give it up for February birthdays 👏 But, I graduated HS at 16. My folks jumped the gun at Kindergarten registration, so I started early.

I did not intend to imply anything about Holly's age, except that not every character celebrates their birthday on screen. I was commenting upon when Sophia might turn 18 and be able to consent on her own for an abortion. The flunking issue is also separate from her age. I was wondering if they're all seniors, or if Holly and Tate were left behind because they missed so much school, and we know neither attended summer school. So, if Holly and Tate were held back, and they're a year older than Sophia, it would make sense why she might not turn 18 in time to abort the pregnancy. Which explains how my convoluted thinking process works while I watch an episode.

Any time that I re-read the season summaries, it always amazes me how much story they told in a season. I mean, they had 28–32 episodes to fill, so there had to be some clunkers. But, it is fun to read all the minor arcs, and bottle episodes that occurred. For example, in the season after Nicholas went over the balcony, somehow his father shows up to threaten JR halfway through the season. But, he quickly leaves, and we never hear from him again. Then, there's one of my favorite episodes when JR and Bobby get stuck in the elevator. However, given the number of episodes, there are also details that just get glossed over. For example, I still couldn't figure out how Carter took over WestStar from creepy Jeremy Wendell. And, it never makes sense why people have to sell each other their land, or stock, rather than just leveraging it for a loan. These people were billionaires, yet somehow one bad deal causes their entire fortune to go into bankruptcy. Finally, the whole story of JR's tanker hitting WestStar's tanker happens entirely off-screen, so the audience never knew the truth of what happened.