j swift

As the wise man once said, "totally, dude."

The silliest dialogue of the day was Brady explaining the rage room. Sarah got dressed especially to go there. We imagine that they drove, parked, and paid admission. So, why is Brady mansplaining catharsis to Sarah? Obviously, it was to orient the audience, but it was jarring because it left me wondering if Sarah would've worn coveralls if they were just going to the Pub? I haven't decided on the establishing shots. Certainly, they seem incongruous to the sets. To me, the police station is the weirdest. But there's something interesting about this seasonal tour of how early 2025-AI envisions Salem in autumn. (I know many still find AI problematic in and of itself). There's also some clarifying information about the class and status of characters, that their sets may not express as clearly. It intrigues me every time, but I have yet to recognize common places, like the Horton House, from the establishing shot alone. For example, when they show the gates, I still never remember if we're going to Maggie's house or EJ's living room. Yet, even now, I could describe the difference between Courtland Manor and the English/Tyler/Wallingford Estate on AMC. I adore a blueprint, and I'd love to see imaginary blueprints as identifying shots introducing a change in scenery. Or, do me the largest favor, do an establishing shot of Horton Square, from above, and finally answer the lore of whether there is a dome above the square protecting them from inclement weather - SORA2 will make that in a snap (much better than Grok did with a two sentence prompt).

Early Anna and Tony were both sophisticated and complicated characters. They were a bit lazy, and didn't enjoy the rigors of villainy. They were very close with Marlena, and I would've preferred Anna and Marlena were stuck together during the blackout, and talked about grief, rather than Susan Banks. It is truly a shame that they've made a mockery of Anna, who should be allowed the same dignity as Kate.

KV re-wore the wedding dress on the cover of People Magazine

Well Anna's been fooled before (more than once)...

The Theo and JJ storyline is genuinely compelling. I appreciate Theo refusing to let JJ off the hook. But we've never seen JJ being a 'good' cop. If he’d cracked the EJ shooting case or rescued Holly from Doug3’s loan shark, we’d have tangible proof he’s a capable cop. Instead, we’re left with Theo’s justified anger and JJ’s credibility hanging by a thread. Eric Martsolf’s Brady makes my skin crawl. I don't get why RSW gets so much guff, when EM is objectively bad, and no longer cute to boot. Whether it’s the smarmy game show-host energy, the oddly dyed facial hair, or the aging heartthrob vibe, the whole package feels off. He plays Brady like a petulant man-child, not a romantic lead. That said, he somehow made the rage room scene entertaining. Do they really stock those with breakable glass? Feels like a lawsuit waiting to happen. Tony’s cruise came out of nowhere, right? No prior mention, and it’s bizarre timing—why jet off a week after reclaiming the company? And what exactly is EJ’s role now? Between the hospital and DiMera Enterprises, he should be drowning in responsibilities, not floating in plot ambiguity. Lastly, Cat is breathtaking. But I still can’t wrap my head around her almost working in the hospital cafeteria. And are all four Greenes crammed into that shoebox apartment? The logistics alone deserve their own subplot.

I assume you've heard this, but speaking of GL cultural touchstones, Kristen Vigard always reminds me of my favorite movie songs - written by Elvis Costello, sung by KV, and lip-synced on screen. From Grace of my Heat, an under-rated roman à clef about Carole King. IIRC, Jon Michael Reed, the soap columnist, wrote when Ms Vigard was later fired from OLTL that she had great difficulty maintaining professionalism and learning her lines. But, she had a heck of a set of pipes.

yup

It is super gross, especially considering the clone's sharing DNA with Marah and Shane, and the whole destiny-thing. And the waste of Dolly not being used later to harvest organs when they needed them within the family. If Michael Burke showed up with a baby, and Josh was so dumb to think he could clone a grown woman, at least that could've been played for laughs. For example, if Dr. Burke was conning Josh, and pawing off a baby he claimed was Reva, but it was actually some random kid, that could've paid off. But, the growth thing was such a silly plot device, and so poorly explained. How did she magically learn to toilet train, and read, simply because she aged faster? She would still need to be trained in basic skills. And it would be physically painful for your head to grow that rapidly. The choice by KZ to play her as a child-like adult was questionable. Because it was never explained if she was intelligent, without the benefit of a formal education, or if she was not intelligent because of her rapid aging. Again, if she was Reva's clone, then she had the capacity for at least average intellect. So, why was she portrayed as cognitively delayed? But, my cultural blind spot is SVU, so anytime I see Mariska Hargitay, I also associate her with being married to Peter Hermann, the guy who cloned Reva. His charm in interactions with Josh carried a lot of the weight in that storyline. He was very forgivable. And, I have to stick up for Morgan's wedding gown. Lacey dresses were the height of fashion for cool chicks who didn't want big taffeta gowns. And the sex appeal was that even though the arms and neck were covered, the skin is visible under the lace. So when a woman moves, the lace creates different shadows. The whole baby's breath in the hair, Victorian gown, and minimal makeup was very on trend for a girl like Morgan (see IRL examples like Brooke Shields at the Grammy's and Margo Kidder at the Oscars). Personally, I think it holds up better than a huge poof like Mindy's wedding gowns.

This is more of a semantic question than a plot critique, but I’ve been wondering: did Xander ever explicitly lie about beating Philip, or did he simply avoid confessing while Philip did the lying? Now that the truth has come out, it’s mostly academic, but I don’t recall if Xander lied to Marlena during couples counseling. He sidestepped the truth, yes, but he didn’t fabricate a story. In fact, my memory is that it seemed deliberately written that way, to allow plausible deniability (despite everyone assuming it was true). To be clear, I know Xander beat Philip, I am questioning if he lied about it. I read elsewhere, some said: Maggie never held Victor accountable for his past misdeeds, even though some were arguably worse than Xander’s. By the time they married, Victor had mostly cleaned up, but Maggie’s expectations for him were clearly different from the ones she now places on her daughter’s relationship with Xander. It’s understandable to want more for your child, but it’s also fair to point out that Maggie often turned a blind eye to Victor’s history. (Granted, Victor was never involved in a DUI, so he was forgiving in-turn of Maggie's past.)

The concept of Dolly had real potential, but the execution felt like a first draft; especially when it came to her physical and psychological development. Choosing cloning over the usual soap tropes like a long-lost twin or doppelgänger was a bold move, and it cleverly sidestepped the need for a dual-role performance from the actress. Still, I remember watching it unfold and wondering how the writers would build believable chemistry between Josh and a rapidly aging child. Imagine if Reva and Josh got stuck raising the clone as a third (fourth?) child? A girl who was created with an Electra complex, being raised by her rival/Mother. The real issue was the lack of internal logic. They never defined the rules of Dolly’s development. Was she destined to fall for Josh simply because she carried Reva’s DNA? That seems implausible. A more compelling story might have explored whether a woman with Reva’s genetic makeup, but raised in Springfield under less traumatic conditions, would still gravitate toward Josh. That would’ve opened the door to a deeper exploration of nature versus nurture. Instead, the show leaned on the idea that DNA could replicate not just physical traits, but emotional patterns and romantic destiny. That unresolved premise—equating genetic cloning with emotional inevitability—was the weakest link in an otherwise intriguing setup. It is ironic that even given this unique story-telling oppertunity, GL still defaulted to the idea that biology is destiny, just like how they treat adoption and long-lost children.

I think my favorite part of the Joshua storyline was watching Ben and Abby. It was so smart to position Abby at the television station, and that could've been a stable base of power for her. Especially because real estate was never as glamorous a gig. And this is Abby's classic tale, she sees dollar signs in Joshua's eyes, and before she knows it, he's a horror story. Then, to see Ben instantly target Joshua as a fraud. But, his suspicions also include the soapy complication of Val and Ciji, and the fact they all lived together. He's got feelings for Ciji, but he is with Val. And his mother-in-law preferred Joshua over him. It was a clever way to expand beyond the original premise of the film that inspired the story, as opposed to the way some daytime soaps just cut and paste the entire plot of a noir film into a storyline.

I agree, sweeps are a thing of the past and November is more likely something to look forward to because of the anniversary and the upcoming clinic opening. But, they still seem to correlate story payoffs with old sweeps timing, such as Johnny's trial in August. It is hard to say if it is purposeful, but it still feels as if they are upholding the tradition of seasonal big events, every eight to ten weeks, as if they write for sweeps. And while that is true of most soaps, DAYS has the freedom to stagger things a bit and really surprise us.

I agree that November looks fun. But, isn't it ironic they are still beholden to old traditions like Sweeps, which obviously are not a concern given that they stream on Peacock, and Nielson (who ran the sweep weeks) doesn't track their ratings? It is another example of how they haven't adapted to their new structure, and modernized.

Her writing may have been convoluted, but her quotes are sublime. Also, you have to laugh thinking of the poor Corringtons being hired. Then, production points to Brian Patrick Clarke, and instruct them to write a story where he is a Russian spy. But, I guess they created David Grey, the blue-eyed guy who kidnapped Laura. And wasn't he mentioned within the past few years during the Martin/Cyrus storyline? [note] - went to go search it, Martin/Cyrus are related to Gordon Grey, not David.

It makes no sense that Stephanie wouldn't suspect EJ first. He was the last person she told. She told him in front of Kayla. She knows Leo talks to EJ. She must write good love scenes, because her logic-driven plotting is suspect. Also, are we going to have a tongue twister in the Pub? EJ/JJ, Leo/Liam, and Alex/Xander. They'll need to stay at different tables. 👅🔀

The first thing that I need clarified is Abe's recent mentoring of Liam. Is Abe teaching him to read? What's a literacy mentee?

Are rage rooms an actual thing, or do they only exist on TV shows. Living in Los Angeles, I've driven by a rage room pop-up for some movie. But, I didn't think they were an ongoing business. How do they make money replacing all the broken glass?

That's an interesting idea, because Nancy wasn't looking for a partner, she was doing fine. And that is an interesting story on its own. Sorry, you are going through a rough time, one hopes that talking about old soaps could be a nice distraction from the stressors of real life.

I totally agree with your 👆 analysis of Drew. But, I would also add that his regret over being excluded from the family feels a little unprovoked. I know Drew was interested in the Quatermaine family businesses. But, when has Drew been pinning away, hoping to be invited to the Quartermaine Thanksgiving dinner? I am more willing to believe that he just straight up hates Michael, than to think Drew is also hurt at the thought of not being accepted as part of the family. My Theory

I question the base theory that Helen would've preferred Nancy share a bed with a man, outside the sanctity of marriage, by not marrying Mac, and just shacking up. I understand not disrespecting the memory of Chris, but they only vowed 'till death do they part. And I think there's valid argument that Helen Wagner wanted to work, it was nice to have scenes other than being a supportive elder, and she wouldn't want Nancy catting around without at least a promise ring. But, if you can find her saying the opposite, I'd be keen to read it. I searched, but came up blank.

I honestly thought you were teasing Does this mean, in their own universe, Ciara and Ben are aware of their fandom's portmanteau? That would be like if Bo woke up from his coma while Hope played a remix of "Holding Out for Hero" on her phone. It's a little too self-aware.

At least when they were living on a boat with small kids, there was an easy way to knock 'em off. But, upon the latest update, aren't Bo and Hope sailing Fancy Face (II?) For sanity’s sake, I imagine Hope and Ciara are not sharing a small living space like a boat. So, I wonder where Ben, Ciara and their brood are living? I keep writing "brood" and "small kids" because I refuse to look up how many babies they've had together. Also, was that actress cast someplace else recently?

Are there categories of what would be considered guarantees? It is such a broad term. Does mean a guaranteed star appearance?, or a guaranteed budget? or a guaranteed percentage of ads sold in advance? Was it creative or financial?

I'm always stuck trying to crack the code on these posts. For example, she's not saying goodbye, and it is on the Peacock feed. So, are we supposed to guess that she's coming back or going based on this information? On Brit Soap for the past few years, an actor traditionally marks their final episode with a social media post, using similar language. But, it seems more inconsistent on Days, given their production schedule. For example, Hank Northrop is premiering next week, but when he started filming the White House still looked normal.