j swift

Well, she said that couldn't believe the person's dad was 90, so that ruled out John, whose father is famously closer to 100. Shane doesn't have a father. Liz and Marie's dads are dead. And, that's most of her recent out-of-town correspondences. So, perhaps it was just meaningless? I'm very curious about Caterina. That move when she disarmed Cat was very sly. So, I wonder if she has led a double life? Most suburban mothers of four that I know aren't as cunning (not to be dismissive of suburban moms, but the majority haven't had training in firearms and subversive tactics). Also, how long were the Greene's living in Salem that John never ran into her?

In the early to mid 1980s, in hindsight, I feel like Maggie played a similar role to the Quatermaines on GH (with less charm and pizzazz). Much like how Monica and Rick's affair was the grounded, mature, b-plot during the summer of the Ice Princess. It seemed like Maggie, Don, Neil, and even Liz were around to remind us of the stakes if the citizens of Salem fell victim to Stefano or Victor's schemes. Personally, I prefer a villain like Alex who was motivated by self-interest and self-preservation, rather than world domination.

This looks to be the end of Clyde (🤞🏼) I wonder how long Caterina will last in Salem? Her turn from saying Clyde is her friend to shooting him was awfully quick. Also, how different does Cat look that Felicity could tell it was her, but her Mother was unsure? And is Mark ever getting out of jail? How are Aaron and Felicity paying the bills? Today was pretty exciting, Leo aside. It is odd that Gabi didn't mention her adventure to her brother or cousin. She's got a lot of responsibilities, and she needs some coverage whilst off chasing bad guys. Finally, when Clyde said to Chad, “you're not going to like this”, can we assume that is verification that for now Abigail is dead/dead.

So, would Vivian be Daphne’s sister-in-law (at least during that retcon)?

Maybe she's out of practice? And Alice didn't have “museum quality art”. 😎✍🏼️😉

To me, Hope's most interesting period developmentally was when she was no longer Doug's little girl, or Bo's princess, and she had to be on her own. It is sort of the same thing with Marlena. That they hardly allowed her to breathe without John or Roman beside her. Other soaps, like GH with Anna and Felicia, allowed the female parts of their super couples to evolve. But, DAYS seems unwilling to allow these women to grow on their own, regardless of the headwriter.

But, practically, in that episode, doesn't the gap in their maturity stand out to you? Despite Hope saying that she feels so much older than Melissa, she is treated like a teen, and acts like a teen. Also, Maggie's kind of a dunce. She wants to bond with her daughter, so she takes her out of school to go to the same spot for lunch where her lover is dining. Not that I blame her. Don is so much more suave than Mickey.

Alex Marshall was such a fun villain. Charming, nasty, but also a real threat. He was made into more of a comedic numskull at times, but this period was great. I adore Tony's mother, and her threats to her maid. At first, I thought the maid was played by Elinor Donahue, the oldest sister on Father Knows Best, but then I looked it up and she played Nurse Hunnicut. Two similar characters with the same hair, but very different accents. Nurse Hunnicut would not arrive until 1984. BTW is it true that Daphne's sister was Philamena Alamaine? I've missed that connection. I also adored Anna's outfit. Just a simple sweater with a matching pashmina to visit friends before lunch. There's something about the sophistication and maturity of how female soap characters dressed in the 1980s that is still appealing. Finally, it is remarkable how much Julie/SSH has shrunk with age. 40 years ago, she was almost as tall as Hope. But in today's episode, she barely reaches her chest. I miss when Julie was a little snobby. I wish she would come back to either decorating or selling antiques. Goodness knows, Maggie could use some help updating the Kiriakis place. I complain about everyone going to The Pub all the time, but that restaurant doesn't look like the place to take two teenaged girls during high school. Salem needed something a little more casual. It was also interesting to remember, given last week's episodes, that it was really Hope and Melissa who grew up together. Jennifer was younger, and wasn't around while Hope was in high school. I know Jen and Hope grew closer as they aged, but the real history is between Hope and Melissa. And, talk about things you couldn't show today. The age difference between Bo and Hope seems almost creepy in this episode. Maggie is taking Hope out of high school, while Bo is a fully grown man investigating a murder. It is a little icky that they are romantically drawn to each other.

Old Cat? Cat Mom? Mrs. Cat? is very lovely, but looks far too young to be the mother of those four kids. Also, there's no amount of exposition that will make me afraid of Clyde. He looks old and frail. He is usually caught and quickly jailed. And he doesn't convincingly play menacing. Of course, Harris is now in the ISA. Again, Lani, the daughter of one of the richest women in Salem, shot a man in self-defense and now has to work in daycare. Meanwhile, Harris is guilty of treason, and at the very least is easily susceptible to brainwashing, but he's been given a promotion.

It feels more logical if Leo was Diana's brother (given the actor's 10-year age difference), and they were both raised by Diana's evil mother, who we saw be actually evil on the show. BTW, I know the age difference isn't exactly ten years, but GF is still too young to be his mother. Then, Leo could've had a vendetta against the Kiriakis family as his primary motivation. Rather than involving John, who was totally innocent in the Diana storyline. I feel like GR's most effective performance on Y&R was when he was a creep, rather than a 'lovable scamp'. So, it would be nice if the creepy parts of Leo were his primary feature.

Oh, and have we forgotten to mention Alex Marshall and Alex Kiriakis?

This time, let's not allow ourselves to be distracted by cultural debates. Let's remember that an assassin was able to make a ghost gun, on his 3d printer, at home, because the GOP refused to regulate the practice. Regardless of motive, that feels totally preventable.

I honestly almost fell asleep during today's episode. My gripe is, I know Leo is immature and irritating, but I don't like how Rafe spoke to him. Leo is his customer, and he treated him like a pest. Leo should go straight to Steve and get the best service money can buy. BTW, why aren't Kate and Abe paying for the detective work? It's not like this is only Leo's issue. Welcome back Kerry. I'm shocked he didn't get the cover of People Magazine, given how much press he got out of his last one-day appearance. Justice for Mustache-Cop. He deserves a feature as much as Kerry.

Based on the clip, I went back to see why Belle would object to Brady dating Ava, and she's really done nothing to her directly. However, I had forgotten how much history Ava and Kristen have together that seems to have been swept under the rug. I'm surprised because RonC wrote a lot of their past scenes, and usually he is the king of exposition. But, I feel like the deterioration of their friendship had been a missed beat in this whole triangle with Brady. Certainly, they could use it to explain Ava motives to go after this doofus, who still lives with his parents. And, because I enjoy it when they mix up scene partners, I'd love Ava and Jada to discuss being in a relationship with Rafe. Jada comes into the Bistro, a bit frustrated by Rafe's attitude toward her job. Ava commiserates, and they discuss the pro's and con's of dating such an upstanding citizen like Rafe.

Also, I get the trauma of not recognizing herself, but it is hard to have sympathy for Cat who had free reconstructive surgery and wound up looking like a supermodel.

I've grown tired of these Johnny/Chanel cliffhangers that are usually resolved by blaming Body&Soul stuff. I need Joy to either say that she didn't actually sleep with Johnny, he just passed out, or for Chanel to forgive him. The fall preview seems to foretell that they'll stick together, so let's just get on with it. Why do soap characters always shower in gross hotels (and then wear thick, comfy robes)? That room looked dirty, I would wait to shower until I got home. They're certainly not selling any shampoo by suggesting that fans should wash their hair in a disgusting bathroom.

That kid's got a good imagination (and a weird right arm), because his mommy had a head transplant from the last time he saw her.

Yeah, but those leather jackets are bulky 😉 Meanwhile, can someone answer my question about where Bo&Hope live in relation to Jennifer, Jack, Shawn-D, Ciara, Ben, and their kids? Because I thought it was established that they all live in Boston.

To be fair, it's not like she bought it. Wardrobe gave it to her. And within the DAYS universe she lives on a boat, so she has limited closet space.

I've heard this is the new establishing shot for the Brady Pub 😉

I have a theory We know from Instagram that Javi filmed a scene where he stopped a wedding due to fraud at some point in the future. What if Doug III gets together with Leo? But, Javi suspects he is a fraud. Leo dismisses his concerns, as Javi has betrayed him in the past. But as the wedding approaches, Gwen arrives, recognizes Doug as Spencer Olsen, tells Javi, and they stop the wedding.

I was confused by today's well acted episode. I enjoyed the Hope and Melissa scene. But, at some point did Hope reference Bo being in Europe? Because I thought that Melissa, Jack, Hope, Bo, Ciara, Ben, their kids, and Shawn were all living in Boston? Also, I went back and read @carolineg's post about the contrast of information from what Belle said at her parent's anniversary versus what she's said this week. It seems as if the funeral stuff was filmed in April, and maybe the anniversary stuff was filmed later after the actor died, which may account for the disparity. Either way, it definitely didn't track. Also, IRL and in soaps, I never trust a recently sober person like Shawn-D who orders nonalcoholic beer or wine. I defy anyone to find ten people who would say that they enjoy the taste of beer enough to order it in nonalcoholic form. And, if you're working on your sobriety, why make it an issue? Just order a glass of water like a normal human being. Finally, does Doug III have a brother?

Not to point fingers, but why do we always assume it is a production issue? By 1994, Wayne's wife was working, they had two young kids and a ranch. Perhaps, he wanted to care for his family responsibilities? Knowing that he only signed for a few months, the writers chose to make John and Marlena the end-game. His later returns to daytime may have been financially driven. After all, ranching in California is expensive. He may have sought opportunities during downtimes in his wife's career. We also don't know the onset of his dementia, which may have effected his ability to focus or learn lines. My point being, that issues are more complex than they seem, and the idea that a single writer or producer doesn't like a character is rarely the only reason that things don't work out.

Today's scene with Shawn and Philip made me think that the whole fake letter angle was unnecessary. Bo (and his son) and Philip would have as much right to the fortune as Xander as Victor's sons. And since they were named in the will, they could contest their portion of the estate. It is weird to think of Philip, Bo, and Xander as brothers. But, I guess Stefano's sons are even more diverse.