Vee

I'm a realist. Frank saved the show 13 years ago and has kept it on course and underbudget, surviving many, many rising or falling tides at the network where they probably considered canning it again more than once. Most of the cast love him. If this was a more stable and committed period in soap opera history, if we knew they had a firmer commitment in place, I'd say absolutely junk him - just because he's been there forever, there are systemic issues, it's time for a creative refresh, etc. That's happened many times in daytime. But that was 20, 30, 40 etc. years ago. Things were very different. I'm not convinced ABC or Disney have any real interest in investing a lot of time or energy in finding a new EP at this point for their lone soap opera, and if they lost him atm I think they might just wipe their hands and can it. IF things come together and we begin to see some kind of soap revival on ABC (and I no longer think that is an total pipe dream judging by a few recent signs) then maybe that paradigm could change again. Then I'd be for it, though I think Frank has worked very hard and done right by the show in at least as many ways as I think he's messed it up or fumbled badly. But right now I can't see it happening unless something dramatic changes. You don't get to re-hire your pet writers a few months after a major firing unless nobody's touching you. At least that's how I see it.

Judging by social media the audience is still riding for Mona above all, so I don't think it was about positioning her as unreasonable. In my experience over the last 7+ months the show seems to consider Mona a moral voice of home truths. I still think they need to really build a family out for her. Like Shanice, she broke out.

And to fill time.

This one was a real shock. I don't know what to say anyone else won't say better. What a legend.

More Erika:

I think the numbers tanking during PM's brief tenure (which I do not put all on him - it was clearly a BTS clusterfúck) and then rising with a few moves after he was fired/quit have all but made FV bulletproof at this point. Though it's clear they are scrambling to shore up Jason after paying for his much-hyped return which has floundered for a year.

The only difference between Vaughn and Dex is a handful of years and hair length. He's dogmeat soon enough.

Julie's Lulu often annoyed me with their hyperfocus on her, but she was also much more talented. Eden has a specific set of skills and certain things I think she can do well, and I think she works hard but she's not a leading lady.

Each Jordan is worse than the last and in spite of Vinessa Antoine's best efforts she never had much personality to begin with. Frank clearly just doesn't feel comfortable investing in new Black characters who aren't immediately lashed to that one family. FV also clearly decided Eden was the best he was going to get at redoing Kristen Alderson/Starr Manning on GH after several failed attempts (remember Molly and Rafe?), and he's not letting go of it. Even though Eden has had multiple turns at bat herself and not had a hit it's what he's committed to, despite the fact that a comic role would be much more appropriate if you had to keep her. He has to know she's not going to be a star at this point. It's just part of the frustrating systemic rot at the show when it doesn't have to be this way. GH is in a lot better shape than most of the remaining soaps, and they have so many great pieces in place to make an excellent show. But these biases and private obsessions drag it down.

I would make sure she's not too domesticated too quickly, which would probably turn some people off; her intro irked some folks but it didn't annoy me because I always saw Emma as trouble. I'd just quad her, Gio, Trina and Trina's new man (who I've dreamed up once too often already as Justus' scheming secret son, blah blah blah) out and have them fray their friendships and then swap partners for awhile. Emma would hook into the more ambitious, sly male while Gio and Trina would do their thing. But ultimately the endgame would be back to Gio and Emma. Emma has a good heart but grand or at times selfish visions, and the will to execute them which would make her liable to scheme. (There is Spencer to consider down the road for all parties, but I wouldn't want to deal with that headache right away.) It was obvious from the jump they planned to put Emma with Gio; I think she had scenes with him on her first day. But I don't think FV anticipated them or her becoming bigger than Joss, which is clearly a problem for him.

I actually think Emma is great as a spiky, sometimes bitchy heroine or slightly grayer character, who I think can and should get into more trouble or with sketchier people, and darker men, to amp up the drama for her and Gio and create real obstacles and rivals. I don't want them to soften her up too much yet because then she becomes Robin Jr., I'd want her to keep making and getting into some trouble. But she also comes by all this naturally - Bruner's dry wit really sings especially when she comes across people she doesn't like (such as Joss). That being said, yes, Frank is taking another run at making Joss happen so Gio and Emma are getting the rock. Which as we all keep saying, is soap opera malpractice.

Oh that's ridiculous if so. DAYS has done plenty of gay intimacy in the past.

What exactly happened? I thought DAYS was as gay friendly as it gets on daytime these days, though BTG is starting to distinguish itself with frontburner story for two different core LGBT characters.

I never have liked Jan. Mona is great and they need to build out her family.

I thought I was having a fever dream at one point. I swear it went on like 10-15 mins. I kept checking the timestamp. It had almost no seemingly scripted lines at one point and it was like I was just watching these two mother!@#$%^&*]ers cook a turkey. Like they ran short on the script that day!

Again, I think it's a question of their priorities which I mentioned a few posts back. Which are completely fúcked.

Eh. Not really.

It's become the Frank Family Welfare Program. But I'd say that much more about characters like Sasha, pre-Drew Willow, Michael Easton, Roger Howarth, Chase, Curtis, Jordan, Molly, T.J., etc. It took everything short of an act of God to finally get Sasha, Howarth and Finn out. I do think Nina has run her course whereas I think Ava could still go on in the proper gear, but it is insane that you have so many of these other pointless characters who have been here either a decade or over (or close to a decade) and their history amounts to very little. It's Uncle Frank's house. And yeah, they're squandering/sidelining Gio and Emma atm the same as they did Sprina. But with less racism!

That is crazy to me that Kate has gone for that lol. Serving the chowder! I do like them together but eeesh. Nicole I gained a new respect for her in the early 2010s after hating her for years, but since then they've just driven her into the ground. I just feel like she's spent. I could be wrong.

Poor old Nicole is one of those characters like Kate or Chloe where the only thing they haven't done at this point is fúck a space alien. I'm at my limit!

Ironically they did the same with Robin and Patrick on GH, who have an offscreen son with the exact same name (and near the same age).

It's what I'd do. I'm sure some block taping spread out could cover some of it, particularly if they're primarily using Carrie as a talk-to for her son or slow-rolling some smaller romance. I'm glad Christie has married well. Reminds me of people like Tina Sloan and I think Noelle Beck and Robert Tyler at LOV, where after a certain point they were only in it for the love of the game on soaps.

I'd forgotten that kid even existed. That is a great idea. Austin can die offscreen in a horrible auto smelting accident, freeing Carrie up for non-bionic love.

I've talked about this before, but I really do think they're de-prioritized in part because a) Frank is taking yet another run at making Eden/Joss the A-star in that age tier, after she took a considerable break in '24 per past failures and b) they are working overtime to put Jason and the Britt/Obrecht family saga over, after a similarly fallow year where Steve could not justify that expenditure. It's crazy how Gio/Emma are not being treated like an A-story youth couple. I won't go into my typical schtick about how much they'd play these two 20 years ago, let alone 30. Neither actor would get any sleep, you'd have to bring the Monty coke tables back.