j swift

Ever the optimist, I will say that the faux-Abigail story has me intrigued. I know Stefan and Gabi will reunite, Sarah will walk again, and both Fiona and Connie will eventually be caught. But, even though I knew the spoilers that faux-Abby would be tied to the Greene's, I still want to know where this story goes. Yes, the plot required a lot of suspension of disbelief. And, no, I don't expect that all the plot holes will be explained. It helps that the actress is charismatic, and I like Chad and EJ. Honestly, I haven't stopped thinking about the cliffhanger since Friday.

A few years ago, I happened to read the original book while in a hotel (the novel served as a decorative feature on a bookshelf). It is nuts how much it varies from the miniseries. There's a sister, who is a catalyst for most of the drama in the book, who is not in the TV show. And most of the characteristic features of the protagonist are missing. The miniseries is very long, so it doesn't seem like they were forced to condense much, but the choices made are inexplicable. It is sort of like when Barbra Streisand adapted The Prince of Tides, and neglected to include the titular character.

Just search 'Nicole recast'. I believe everyone, and their mother, has weighed in on the topic.

For me, it is the random self-awareness. On the one hand, they are cognizant of SORASing, but they are still surprised when people return from the dead, have DID, or wear a latex mask. Actually, to their credit, nobody seems that blown away that Abigail has returned from the dead. They seem pretty chill (except for Jennifer).

I guess when Abby introduces herself to Gabi, she won't say, “oh look, we both have new faces!” The frequent images of Marci Miller (who is physically different in a million ways from the current actress) only serve to promote the absurdity of that plot. Also, I assume we all know that Sarah's paralysis is temporary because production couldn't even invest in the correct type of wheelchair for someone with a spinal cord injury. I'm routing for an Abby/EJ pairing that builds to future Sami coming back to expose the fraud and dash EJ's hopes for marriage and happiness.

In the past, one of the ways writer's used teen pregnancy was to prove that two people had sex. But, given Allie's pregnancy, and the fact that this crowd are supposed to be high school juniors, I hope they would avoid that issue. So, I wonder if they could employ more modern storytelling devices such as social media or AI to tell the Tate, Holly, Sophia story? For example, Sofia could start liking Tate's posts on Instagram (Dimera-gram?) or using AI to fake interactions. Anything to avoid another unwanted baby, and the inevitable discussions about parental responsibility. I always think that X (formerly known as Twitter) is the Phoebe Tyler of today, with all the instant judgments about people's lives, and the desire to promote a perfect image. So, I'd rather see it used more often. Also, where's next week's promo?

I agree with you, but I hoped she was a bit more full throated in her speech, and didn't feel the need to start with the idea that she was an independent. Which is why I felt like Michelle Obama's endorsement at the DNC was much more effective. From the semiotics of Mrs. Obama's fashion and hair choices, to her abandonment of “when they go low, we go high” rhetoric, it was everything I wanted to hear. When you contrast that sleeveless dress and those braids against her appearance in 2016, it was so radical and so bold, I believe, she helped lay the groundwork for a change in the culture of politics. Because she reinforces that we see through attempts at appeasement and embrace authenticity. She took the “realness” that so many attribute to Trump and turned it on its ear.

The performance and the writing were odd. Holly & Sarah eating donuts and being coy about her teenaged love affair, while Sarah hadn't seen her baby since being in a near-fatal car accident, was more than a little weird (to quote the modern vernacular).

Unanswered question #325: Who won The Spectator's geocaching event?

Ahhh So, he's her depersonalized super-ego. Who knew Carlvatti's team was so Freudian? 🤔😉 Regarding today's episode: Can you imagine Fiona's minibar bill? I paid $12 for M&Ms in a hotel room last week. That explains her motive to reconnect with Xander. Good to see Mark is a soap doc. He's an OB-GYN/Neurology/Geneticist. Small town docs can't afford to be specialists, they have to do everything. Also, the scab writers may have been better at dialogue, but the WGA writers are back to being horny. We haven't seen this many love scenes in months. And, there was zero reason why Tate is working out in his underwear.

As I noted in the RonC termination thread, I'm concerned that the Greene family isn't going to survive the new regime. And I feel like we could use some new blood in Salem.

Why does Oprah keep insisting that she's an independent? I don't doubt that she registered as an independent because she's a boomer who was raised on the ethos of voting for the person and not the party. But, clearly she's a Democrat, and if she's going to endorse VP Harris, she needs to remind people to vote for the down ticket Dems as well if we are going to overtake the congress and maintain the senate. It is not as if she has to remain neutral to maintain a mainstream audience anymore. So, get on board Oprah. We need more billionaires who care less about taxes than civil rights.

Now that the Robin Wright case has been re-adjudicated, please allow me to add that Princess Bride is an almost perfect film, and her performance is ten times better than most of her work on the soap.

On the other hand @DRW50 TMZ has a very funny video of JD Vance ordering donuts, and the woman behind the counter asked not to be photographed with him. He goes on to introduce himself as the person running for VP on the GOP ticket, and she responds, “okay” as if to say she knew who he was, and did not want to be a part of his BS today.

It seemed inevitable in modern culture that some troll like Ann Coulter would go after Gus Walz for attention. But, elevating the discussion to suggest that there are multiple trolls. Or, that their opinions matter in any way. Only serves to propose that everything is up for debate, including basic decency. Ann Coulter has zero impact on the culture writ large. She barely has a platform, with 2 million followers and less than 20% engagement on most of her tweets. And we should not promote her method of using hate speech in order to make a buck.

I think the whole thing of naming dead fetuses and burying them is grotesque. Talk about what might have been, give away the baby stuff to charity, but this ritual seemed maudlin and weird.

So, I assume we're headed toward an EJ/F-Abby/Chad triangle. I mean, there are too few women left to pair with EJ, and f-Abby will have an easier time with EJ than Chad to get the same reward. It is just too absurd that having just sent Theresa off to prison, everyone isn't a bit more apprehensive. 📐 The rules around ghost-Li are unclear. I thought he was Connie's hallucination. But, when he disagreed with her about Melinda, it made it seem as if he was his own sentient ghost. 👻 I guess Roman's a “girl-dad” after his experiences with Carrie and Sami, so Ava and Stephanie just feel comfortable confessing to him. Or, he's such a mumble mouth, they assume nobody would understand him if he broke their confidence. 😉 On Monday, wasn't Ava rushing off to see Melinda?

Also, gotta luv Johnny's progressive approach to Chanel working on the soap, “hey, we could make out on set all day.” Not the best look for a production that is fighting harassment allegations behind the scenes.

Leaked dialogue from Friday's episode: Alex: I heard Brady pah-ked his gray c-ah in the lot, it was a wicked pissah!

Casting preferences aside, I miss the opportunity to have Jack & Jennifer involved in the Abby story. Not because of sentimentality regarding their family, but I sincerely liked when Jack & Jennifer worked together to solve a mystery. Bo & Hope always had that dynamic where he was trying to keep her safe, and wouldn't share information, but Jack & Jen relied upon each other's strengths. Maybe it was because Jack was always a bit prone to messiness, or Jen was actually more practically intelligent, but they were good partners. And I think they could crack this case better than most.

I agree completely. She appears incapable of just having a natural conversation. Kelly Clarkson doesn't seem to know why half of her guests are famous, but at least she feigns a natural curiosity. Jennifer just seems to be reading from cue cards, with zero charm or wit.

3/10 Maybe Sarah will be in a wheelchair for a while and Brady (or someone innocent with a gray car, since they've mentioned Ava also has a gray car) will get arrested. But, this whole tale feels so temporary and we know the outcome. Fiona can't stop confessing her secrets out loud, so someone will overhear. And Sarah's going to magically walk by the force of either Victoria's love or maybe that angel will re-appear. There are zero stakes involved in terms of long term story. I mean, does anyone still recall that Maggie has Myasthenia Gravis? Alex's pivot to acting also makes zero sense. We saw that he was talented at sales, after an initial stumble, so why wouldn't Brady hire him? Meanwhile, with Xander at the hospital, who is running Titan? And how have Chanel and Alex harbored these feelings about each other for a year and never discussed it? I know they've been in the same room. They may have even gone to other weddings (who can remember?). But, there was zero ground laid for their current conflict.

If Sophia's return was not in the primary draft of the bible, is there a reference to who killed Channing in that version of the story?

It is crazy if you consider it within the context of that story. It would be like if Grey's Anatomy suddenly started stories using prat falls and fart jokes. We simply accepted that given the continuation of characters and sets, it was the same show. Yet, in actuality, it was a wildly different show with a different tone, storytelling style, and focus. Looking back, it is truly remarkable that fans of the Rauch era kept watching during the Gottlieb era. Taste is subjective, and I am certain there were fans of both, but it was a stark contrast within a very short period of time.

I have to object to the pacing once again. Monday's episode was written with so much immediate jeopardy on the line between Melinda and Ava, and yet today they are nowhere to be seen, and time has moved forward. It feels like the momentum gets lost.