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j swift

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Posts posted by j swift

  1. I appreciate Leo as a comical side character, just as I appreciate @TEdgeofNight willingness to say an unpopular opinion in order to spark a discussion.  DAYS has a long history of comedic parts who often say what the audience is thinking.  Calliope, JJ (the nanny, not Jack's son), and Howie are all examples of funny people created by a variety of head writers.    In terms of the negativity of stereotypes, I think that is in the heart of the viewer, not the performer.  As a gay fan of DAYS, I am not offended by showing a gay man using humor to disarm aggression, unfortunately that is a skill that many of us have had to weaponize.

    On the other hand, Gwen, to me, is just underdeveloped.  It seems odd that the same woman who killed Laura is also a pushover for love and romance.  I need that conflict to be discussed.  One assumes that she is both enraged by abandonment and drawn to immediate attachments with anyone who gives her a second look.  But, I need some dialogue to discuss this pattern in order to believe that I'm not just making it up to try to explain her bizarre history.

    Also, I find both actors charming, which goes a long way to overlooking the flaws in the characterization. 

    Spoiler

    A reminder, they can change their username, and they can change their icon, but I am still careful of those who spam us with non sequiturs because they are desperate for engagement.

     

  2. Is anyone having any luck with any of the new microblogging sites?

    I've tried Post, but it is mostly news and information without an interactive community of comments.

    Mastodon feels underdeveloped and underpopulated.

    And I just got an invitation to Bluesky, but I haven't signed up yet.

    I want something that is intelligent and provocative without being incendiary and poorly monitored for falsehoods.  And although I am entertained by TikTok it mostly feels like a self-created ad machine

  3. I like the idea of Esme, a spoiled heiress with worldly knowledge, but I agree that her amnesia and constant entanglement with Spencer is getting tired.  There's so much potential in her backstory that I would like to see explored.  And she's a perfect candidate for a grifter duo, pair her with another con and let them snark and scheme for a while.

    Unpopular opinion (maybe?), but that baby is an albatross for the character's potential, and they need to find some way to get rid of it.  Teen parenting is not the vibe I'm looking for in my escapist soaps. 

  4. 1 hour ago, Khan said:

    Unfortunately, I can't post at all on Twitter, because Twitter assumes I'm some kind of bot.

    I mean, you're not missing much, and I think this development means that there will be plenty of alternative resources very soon.  I've tried both Mastodon and Post, with mixed results.  But, like most social media platforms, there are always those who want to find any excuse to vent their outrage rather than communicate with others.  I  guess some people will always choose to disagree rather than respect other peoples experience may be different than what they can comprehend.  

  5. On 11/21/2022 at 7:30 PM, Paul Raven said:

    20th Century Fox were considering a move into daytime-'All about Eve' and 'No Down Payment' were two properties cited as potential daytime soaps.

    It wasn't until a few years later that Fox developed 'Love Is A Many Splendored Thing' and 'The Best of Everything' for daytime.

    On 5/15/2023 at 9:01 PM, Paul Raven said:

    Three Coins in the Fountain' 60 min series. With Joe Hardy producing and Diana Gould scripting and based on the 50's movie, again soap like elements for sure.

    I think the movie based pitches are interesting because they seem unsustainable.  For example, Love is a Many Splended Thing and The Best of Everything veered so far their source material that they were related in name only.

    Unlike Peyton Place where there were multiple plots to be derived from the setting of a small New England town, films like All About Eve or Three Coins in a Fountain were self-contained and seem difficult to build a world around. 

    One assumes 3 Coins wouldn't have been set in Italy, and the plot seems better suited for an episodic structure, like Hotel or Love Boat, rather than an ongoing tale.  Three people each make a wish, and we follow them to see the outcome each week.  But, soaps rely on ongoing drama, and a weekly resolution would quickly become formulaic and boring. 

    All About Eve was obviously the inspiration for the Erica/Faux-Silver story on AMC (as well as the early Erica/Kendal story, and several other younger women usurping the role of established vixen storylines), but that wouldn't be enough for a multi-year story.  We are left to imagine that Eve will be hoisted on her own petard, just like Margo was, but it would be disappointing to see it actually play out on screen as some sort of All About Eve 2 - The Revenge of Addison Dewitt.

    On 12/10/2022 at 3:28 AM, Paul Raven said:

    Variety June 66 reports that NBC is mulling over serialization of famous novels eg Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and Therese in 8-12 week batches. 

    However, I would be excited by this idea today, as I would be eager for some network to try to bring the concept of serialized dramas performed by a recurring cast, like the Playhouse 90 series from the 1960s.  It could be fun to see a group of actors cast in different roles across a series of stories based on books.

     

  6. For me, it starts with Draper's prison escape story on Edge of Night.  If memory serves, it was 1980, a year before Luke & Laura went on the run, and it set the standard for a summer based adventure. The mystery of Draper loosing his memory, Emily and the odd household who took him in, and April's growing relationship with Logan while she thought Draper was dead filled weeks worth of story.  And then the climax at the circus (or was it a carnival?) was so reminiscent of the finale of The Fugitive, along with the breathless ABC promos, that it was must watch TV.

    My favorite would be 1982, Jessie/Jenny escape to NYC on AMC, while Erica becomes a supermodel, and Silver sets up the All About Eve drama (ABC soaps had a thing for movie "inspired" stories).  Jessie and Jenny trying to beat the heat on their fire escape.  Erica being photographed at Lincoln Center, looking like Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.  Silver and her trench coat, scheming away.  It was a perfect summer fantasy of freedom and fashion in the city.

    But, I'd always tune into Y&R for Independence Day because there was invariably a speedo filled pool party.  Newman, Abbott, or Chancellor, Brad always packed his trunks for the occasion.  David's homage to that time on OLTL was fun, but nothing compared to the CBS pool parties.

    That's why it is so shocking to see soaps go on hiatus during the summer, because those months were usually the highlight of the year. 

  7. Quick headcount of the presumed dead of Salem

    1. Most of the older crowd have been presumed dead multiple times: Marlena, John, Kayla, Steve, Roman, Kate
    2. The existing Melaswen crew: Tony, Maggie, Abe, Jack
    3. Those brought back from the dead: EJ, Stefan

    That's all that I can think of.  Maybe it's generational in Salem, you're not presumed dead until you reach a certain age.

  8. IDK, there are a limited number of storylines for the rich vixen who is not the leading character

    1. go after someone else's guy (Ray, Peter)
    2. try to be domesticated and then resent it (Mitch)
    3. be scammed for money (Casey, and the guy who played Spiderman)

    After those options are played out, there are not a lot of plots left for Lucy, regardless of talent.  She wasn't going to be in a business story, nobody needed a surrogate daughter once Sue Ellen and Pam had kids, and Miss Ellie had other talk-to's. 

    I also think Knots limited her potential.  Having a divorced daughter, makes Val and Gary seem too old for many of their storylines (including twins that were 20 years younger than their sister).  The horrors of being torn from her mother makes Lucy too sympathetic to be a vixen.  And there would need to be constant explanations as to why her parents weren't involved in her life in Dallas, once they established themselves in LA.

    That being said, there is some fun sassy dialogue for Lucy when she returned and interacted with Callie.

  9. 8 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

    The brainwashing/programming angle didn’t need to happen again.

    Yeah, it feels like Megan has been wasting time by not figuring out her next steps while EJ and Kristen were tied up.  She seems too smart to kidnap someone, and not have a plan for how to keep them in check.  Her sudden connection to Li feels out of left field.  And I would have enjoyed a couple scenes of her sparing with Kate, Marlena, and Kayla before she got written into a corner.

    Megan could've figured out that Eric fathered Nicole's baby and threatened to tell her if EJ didn't allow her to take over DI and stay silent about being coerced, there were other options available.  I was hoping that she would somehow be connected to Colin and Sloan, like she was their mother who they thought was dead.  Give her the Stefano curse of a thousand kids all over Salem!

  10. I'm intrigued at how they'll rehabilitate Harris?  He has plausible deniability, but how often can a guy blame being brainwashed, especially when he underwent brain surgery to get rid of the prior suggestions?

    As much I don't care for the actor, (or any of the controversies that surround him), I liked him as a friend for Patch and a potential romantic spoiler for Kate (who has a sadistic number of commitment issues to work through).  He needs a job, a romantic partner, and a place to sleep before he goes around shooting more people. 

    Harris, Whitley, Megan, and Dimitri feel disposable, and I may not recall that they lived in Salem by the time Julie puts up the tree in the Horton living room. 

  11. I dislike guns on soaps, but that was a suspenseful cliffhanger.  To me, it lacks creativity to have an evil scientist like Rolf and not be able to think of alternative ways to get rid of an enemy rather than shooting them.  And the time specific memory erasing drugs are also ridiculous.  There must have been some other out where Megan could have blackmailed EJ and Kristen to keep it a secret that they were kidnapped, which would have created more conflict for EJ and Nicole, and played this whole thing out a little longer.

    The Mar-a-lago line (much like the submarine earlier in the week), was so coincidental to recent events it almost makes you forget that the FBI raid was in August 2022.  It is interesting (not a compliment) that they slip contemporary references into the scripts, given that they have no idea how they will play out six months from now.

    I also just noticed that Megan and Abe's storyline will come to a resolution in July.  DAYS doesn't need to be concerned about August sweeps while on streaming, so we don't get that GH cycle of events being drawn out until February, May, and August. 

    @AbcNbc247 I agree about the pacing, but it is all over the place.  Harris's brainwashing is rushed, but EJ and Kristen haven't been able to go to the bathroom for an entire month.  We were told that Abe's been kidnapped for three weeks, but Nicole is already in her second trimester, and she got in April.  And don't get me started on the ages,  - Colin is nine years younger than Sloan, but Dimitri is turning 40, so how old is Gwen?  BTW excellent point about Tripp going to work drunk.

    I've forgotten why Gabi and Gwen wouldn't like each other, also Gwen's dress is ugly.  It would have been nice for Patch and Harris to have one more scene before he went to work for Kate.  And speaking of Kate, why is she more invested in Rafe and Jada's relationship than Chad and Stephanie's romance.  We were told she cherished Chad while she was his step-mother, but recently they never seem to catch-up.

    Well, I guess that's it for June, see you in the July thread...

  12. I don't have the legal background of Kim Kardashian, but why would Sloan think that Abe's death would be good for Colin?  Paulina could still testify to Colin's crime, and if the assault contributed to Abe's death, Colin could be additionally charged.

    The map of Salem continues to confuse me as well. Johnny didn't want Chanel to drive to Paulina's home, but it always seems as if everyone but those in the mansion district lives within walking distance of the square.

  13. I would like to steer the discussion back to the current episodes in the hope that those who wish to re-adjudicate the past will do in the behind the scenes thread.  

    I enjoy the odd juxtaposition of tone.  Today, I found myself equally moved by Paulina being informed of Abe's supposed death as I was amused by Li sticking Harris's phone in his unconscious face in order to unlock it. 

    To those who argue that DAYS is underfunded, I would counter that they are doing a lot with the pennies they've been given.  In that past few months we got at least three new sets (Sloan's apartment, Whitley's abode, and Rolf's lab).  Unlike the episodes on NBC where it felt claustrophobic when entire episodes occurred in one room, today's episode utilized five different settings (the pier, the park, the pub, the police station, and Paulina's apartment - give it up for the unintended alliteration). 

    So, if you want to discuss BTS gossip about PR, the motivations of people you've never met, and the economics of streaming, feel free to do so in the appropriate threads.  If you don't wish to support the writer or the production because it didn't live up to your expectations a decade ago, then I hope you find something else to entertain you. 

    But, please don't distract from the enjoyment that I get out of discussing the current show among those who are actually watching it.  Because it feels bad to try to have some fun joking about the characters and the story while being told that I am wasting my time on a show that it isn't as good as it was 40 years ago. Especially, given the creative responses of those who contribute to this thread regularly. 

     

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