Vee

I was happy for JT that he had somewhere to land after GH, as during his last year or two there he looked like he was on suicide watch onscreen as Patrick was reduced to another clueless male plot widget under Carlivati. But he was always a miscast as Billy so Jill could bring in a friend, and he frankly now looks older than sin vs. the character. I think Tucker actually could've worked with Trevor in the role as TSJ has very visibly aged since OLTL, but the writing was never there and even with good writing he can bore very easily and start calling audibles onscreen. It just felt like they never had a plan.

And here I thought I'd never think about Lauren Tewes again after her brief appearance in Twin Peaks Season 3.

I may be the single person who does not mind Transatlantic Campy Pamela. I think it perfectly suits this sort of Absolutely Fabulous-esque supporting character she's playing much more than it did when Cady tried weird and often broad stuff at AMC* or Y&R, or later stints at ATWT. She's not Dixie and she's not trying to be. I will freely admit some of the other chances she took at other shows often came off stiff, hammy or downright mortifying (Kelly Andrews, come on down). (* - and I say that as one of the few who was somewhat into Cady trying to make Dixie more cosmopolitan in the Rosanna Cabot mold in mid-2000s AMC, just to liven the character up again)

This is an absolute '90s who's who, lol. Kiersten Warren (best known for being the first human atomized in Independence Day but I knew her best from SBTB: The College Years), Kurt Fuller, Ben Savage and Christopher Castile?!

I think it's probably just the above. He came in to help get the show off the ground.

Yeah, it's so undignified. And looked it! But man, you can tell Stephen Nichols, etc. are not acting. They should've canned the fake voice guy at the very least. Great, now I have to try to remember who the fúck Xander is related to.

Yeah, I don't think it was necessary to have a John body double in a hazmat suit scrabbling around on the floor with a dayplayer all to explain his death. They even have this crispy dude in a mask on a gurney. Nor would I personally have shown John wasting away in a hospital bed to die without the actor. John Black shouldn't go out like that. Even if his death isn't purely an offscreen event, you could still have woven him into a sweeps action event where John saves the day, mostly offscreen or seen in glimpses in the background without all the awkward talking to body doubles, voice clips, etc. Then he dies in an explosion or whatever and it's a blaze of glory, and no lingering in the hospital circling the drain. But I assume part of this was done so that the actors could say goodbye, and I can get behind that. I'm sure they'll all be great. Nor was it necessary to have some fake voice croak out 'go save Bo!' You could tell poor Stephen Nichols and Kristian were struggling enough as it is telling Crispy Fake John they know he'll be okay for the last time. The double was tacky enough in that situation! Not Hope going out in her Laura Bush ensemble to help save the day. Susan Seaforth Hayes has still got it, I don't care what anyone says.

I did not expect Bo and Hope to be back already, I thought they were coming later. It is nice to see John was apparently doing all this for them. Far be it from me to be hypercritical (haha), but this whole "let's show John Black from behind and play old sound clips" thing is super-tacky to me. But it's classic Days Brain about style and taste choices going back at least 25 years. We forget how they had Alice 'killed' by Marlena. If it were me I'd just have John die in a blaze of glory in some entirely offscreen heroism, or maybe seen only briefly in the background of some action-packed sweeps event doing the same. Not these awkward scenes where these poor actors pretend they are talking to their coworker who just died from behind (or in bed) while they play Drake's voice like it's the morning zoo radio soundboard. Maybe I'll feel differently as I watch more, we'll see.

Not sure opening my return to Salem by showing the surviving cast happily chatting to a body double seen from behind while old Drake Hogestyn lines are added to the soundtrack is giving me the proper 'all-new, mature Days' experience I was hoping for.

I would argue most of the audience is somewhere in the middle on Dani and her bullshít, which is how it should be. But people loving or hating her, or doing both at the same time, works too.

Adam is a strong enough character and they've had several successful recasts. The other high profile recasts of poor characters? Nah. And I think both Burgi and Newman were set up to fail honestly - on paper that role (another handsome tycoon) and those actors could've worked, but the story sucked and got burnt through fast. Also, pairing them with Heinle, I just don't get it.

Agreed, which is what makes it a mistake of a story to me. But here we are.

Didn't y'all already go through this with TSJ as NuTucker? Look how that turned out. Trevor was clowning it up on-set within weeks. I agree, the characters in these instances (like Cane) simply aren't strong enough.

I should add that Rory Gibson, who I remembered being somnambulant on Y&R, has impressed me so far as Michael. There is the edge and steel or danger to him that recalls not just Drew Garrett's Michael but Chad back when he cared (and had decent day to day writing in his first couple years), as well as some of Kanan and Billy Warlock. (I'd still put his Michael with screwball Maxie way far down the road though - opposites attract.)

I wasn't even here to watch the E.J. thing kick off but I remember MM's Belle well enough from back in the day. The answer is the same as it ever was: She got horny for forbidden dick.

I am admittedly a few days behind but how is Leslie still going from wig to wig and house to house? They all know who she is!

I never wanted Gio to be Dante and BLQ's kid. I made that clear many months ago, and I still don't. I think this show regularly leans on insta-kids and baby storylines that age up viable performers (DZ, Setton, etc.) too much to pad out months of the show every year, and leave it more incestuous. I think it's very lazy. That said, good drama is good drama and good performances are good performances. I'm not going to begrudge GH for doing good work with this material when I see good work on air. I haven't watched all of it yet but I do think GM has done very good work as have the vets. I had a feeling early on after his hiring that his charisma and appeal could carry him far if they wrote for him - several of us noted his joy in carrying a lot of throwaway domestic scenes with the Qs - and they are now doing that. I don't particularly want or need him to be Dante's large adult son but I think for someone who is a musician first he's become another of the soap opera (and particularly GH) success stories in this arena. And I care about Gio and what happens to him, while also thinking he has real chemistry with the smart and unconventionally spiky Emma they've cast (though he also could with Trina and y'know, some cute boys). I just wish the show was consistently good enough to give these actors better story. It's 2025 and GH is still on the air. We all take our victories where we can get them day to day.

I apologize in advance for asking y'all questions about who half these people are or what they're doing as I reenter this show after quite awhile.

As do I.

Christie should have been back on contract and stayed there years ago, but many of us have said that many times.

I'll give it a shot. If this is bad it's on you, @carolineg!

Absolutely ridiculous that three soaps are going to make me watch today's episodes.

If it's really that good I'll have to check it out. Where to start? I won't know who half these kids are, Higley and co. added way too many.

And as a gay man, we're both entitled to that.

He's been kissing Mike Manning onscreen for weeks, so it's bullshit. Social media numbskulls who think BC is married to a woman are hopelessly stupid.