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Today was another mixed big. Not including Holly and Ari in the episode was a mistake. There was a very strong emphasis on Sophia/Melinda, which wasn't necessarily bad but I just don't really have any interest in their association. I'd rather Sophia interact more with the younger crowd, even though I think Rachel Boyd has actually improved a little since Sophia gave birth and got involved with Melinda. But there were some things that I enjoyed about today. And it was good to finally see Shawn again. And Tate actually did try to reach out to Sophia. Maybe he's not as selfish as I thought 😂😂 Unfortunately, Doug III looked pretty stupid today lol I don't think Paula/Jeanne have had much interest in the character, which is too bad because they made him a lot more complex than he already was. I just wish they had followed up with the already established character traits that he had when they first came on, particularly the feud with Tate. And if Doug III really is leaving Salem, hopefully he makes peace with Julie before he goes. And, I appreciated the way that Xander's relationship with Victoria was written today. That's the father he's always been. And he did a very good job comforting Gabi too. I wouldn't mind something happening between them, and the effects that it could have on this messy Kiriakis family situation. As for Cat... I've already said what I think of this ISA storyline 😂😂😂

Not surprised by this, because honestly I never thought his ego would allow him to write for a soap and have him not be at the head. As for “other projects”… maybe we’ll be getting that LGBTQ+ themed soap with him as the showrunner after all 😂😂😂 As for BTG, hopefully his bitch follows him out the door.

You Sir, are a God among men 👍

Thanks! I’ve had those suspicions from the very beginning. There were just some things that Amy said about EJ and the Dimeras that raised an eyebrow or two for me lol Plus, we all know how Ron Carlivati feels about people of faith. I was also wondering if Paula/Jeanne were gonna stick with Ron’s plan or change the identity of the shooter, whoever it may be It’s been a while since I’ve said it, hasn’t it 😂😂😂 And yeah, Holly and Ari got kidnapped by Doug III’s loan shark. Admittedly, I can agree that the momentum has dropped off a little since the last few months, but I’m still enjoying what I’m seeing. And do I wish that Ron was back as head writer? 😂😂😂😂😂

RIP Connie Francis

Finally, we got to see the next round of Tate vs. Doug III! I'm glad that it happened, even though we didn't get the knockdown drag out brawl that I was hoping for. Their feud was one of the best dynamics of this whole storyline and both writing teams really needed to push it a lot more. Not only because it would have been fun to see, but because it also could have helped propel other parts of this storyline (Sophia and the baby, Holly/Ari, etc.) to reach their own turning points. And, Doug III did look hot in the beginning 😍😂😂 As for Tate's demand, I guess it means that the rumors were true. Btw, Tate saving up money to buy a car instead of using it to help Sophia or something was a little stupid and selfish lol they really needed to push Tate's selfishness a lot more because it sometimes seems unintentional. Him (and Holly too) being selfish should be more a part of their characters. I also enjoyed Holly and Ari's scenes in captivity. The actresses work well together and the fact that they're having disagreements about Doug III could lead to something interesting happening. And we finally got to see the new courtroom set too. I don't mind it. And it's actually bigger than I thought it was going to be. But trying to make those scenes funny and humorous was the wrong choice. And there was wayyy too much Leo. He has no business being a juror in Johnny's trial. I'd much rather Amy had been selected as a juror, even though I don't like her either lol btw I wonder if her anti-EJ attitude was a sign of my earlier prediction about her.

It warms my heart every day that the abomination that was Body & Soul has been erased from existence 😊😊😂😂😂 And yeah, I still think that the two guys who were responsible for it deserve to be run out of this business.

While I did think that there were quite a few holes in the reveal and the build up too, and admittedly was expecting a little more, I don't feel completely let down. I'm curious to see what happens next. Btw, all of that "you'll never guess it" promotion was kinda for nothing lol Brandon Claybon's acting really ping-pongs back and forth a lot, but today did seem like one of the better days. But still, Mike Manning has been carrying this part of the storyline on his back and that was no different today. I couldn't be happier that he got a second chance to show off his acting talents on a soap. Next year's Emmys are gonna be a very tough competition. And I know some people were posting that they felt BTG was implying that Smitty may be killed off, but if they did that, that would be a huge, huge boneheaded decision. I also really enjoyed today's round of Vernon vs. Bill. I'm still Team Bill though lol And hopefully, somebody paid Orphey Gene for the income that she's losing tonight for this canceled press conference 😂😂

Any hints? 😉

She was determined to get her daughter that Emmy 😂😂

I'm enjoying that too. Characters, and their smaller storylines are being weaved in together over these overarching bigger storylines. People are interacting more, as opposed to being in their own bubbles. Javi, is another example of that too.

The only other character I hated more was Gwen 😂😂😂 I actually remember being happy when he was “killed off”

Agreed that Joy and Ari could co-exist together, especially since they’re in different age groups. Joy could be a part of the ongoing Kiriakis family mess somehow. And could also be there for JJ as he’s getting over Gabi. But I do agree that giving her a baby was not necessary. I guess Ron didn’t think he was going to be fired lol And I still believe that the baby was more for his RSW than anything. He gave the guy three kids in three years 😂😂😂 They had the perfect chance to get her away from Alex and they didn’t take it

Yeah... today was a bit of a misfire. I haven't had a problem with the shift in Xander and Sarah's storyline, and the two of them constantly being at odds which each other now, but Xander not being able to take care of Victoria is ridiculous. Despite what's been going on, everyone's always said what a good father Xander is, so to see him struggling so much today was the wrong choice. There had to have been a better way to start this possible association between Xander and Gabi. But I did enjoy most of Stephanie and Kayla's scenes. Their relationship has improved so much under the new writers. The whole One Stormy Night thing is still DOA though. I'd rather see Stephanie doing PR for the hospital, which could lead to something interesting happening. And I do find the new FBI-ISA interagency task force to take down EJ and the Dimeras a little interesting too. But I do admit I would find it a lot more interesting if Andrew was the one leading it with Rafe instead of Cat. How do you start an ISA storyline and not include an already established ISA agent character (that the fans basically fell in love with) in the storyline? What do they have against Colton Little? 😂 As for Gwen... Skip.

On Paramount+

No, but I think anything would’ve been better than what he got today

I agree with that. He did great, acting wise. But the writing made Lucas look so weak and pathetic. Begging and pleading when honestly, he should’ve pulled a gun or something on Sonny and Jason.

Not for nothing, but would the ratings or whatever, suffer that much if Mo was fired and Sonny was finally killed off? I’m tired of him. And, this writing for Lucas is pitiful. He/Van deserve so much better than this.

So, Holly and Ari now know the truth about Doug III. And while I like the story, and like that it's not being written like such a big joke, I feel like they missed the mark a little by sidelining Doug III's feelings for Holly and the Tate/Doug III feud. They should have had him try to be a good person, try to be there for Holly and protect her from the loan sharks, etc. while at the same time that he was sleeping with Ari and trying to protect her too. And tying that into Tate and Sophia's mess could have been really good. Honestly, what was the point of possibly hinting at a triangle/quad if Holly and Ari weren't going to be angry with each other once they found out the truth? And, what was the point if Tate/Holly were reunited before the truth came out? They made Doug III such a complex character but then didn't really follow up on it. And I see Doug III was taking after his Aunt Hope today by posing a Salem Inn waiter lol I'm not sure about him stealing the necklace from Gwen but not getting it back to Julie though. Speaking of Gwen, I'm not sure about her moving into the Dimera mansion either. Her and Kristen's reunion did absolutely nothing for me. And yeah... Belle's a dumbass 😂 But I am interested in seeing what happens between her and EJ once everything with Johnny is resolved.

Whew… that was rough. Brandon Claybon seemed to make a lot of weird choices yesterday. In Martin’s scenes with Bill, it was almost like he was playing it more as sassy instead of angry or worried, which was definitely not a good choice for this story. Timon Kyle Durrett was acting circles around him. And so was Mike Manning. Speaking of Mike, I wouldn’t mind if they went there with Smitty and Jacob but I also enjoy them as friends. There’s like a parallel between as Dupree outsiders. And for the first time in a long time, I actually found Ashley interesting in her scenes with Hayley.

All that rent money that he’s not paying Rafe goes a long way 😂

Wouldn’t it be nice if this prompts Lucas to turn on his douchy family and try to take down Sonny 😂😂

It wasn’t easy 😂 But at the time, we had no idea that the worst was yet to come. Agreed. Now that it’s looking like Sarah might start scheming with Philip, both she and Xander seem to be on an even footing, with writing not blatantly biased in favor or against either one of them.

Not much happened today, but I was liking the build up to Tate, Holly and Ari going to the lake, and I wish that it had played out for a little longer. It almost feels like a classic teen summer story lol I still say that this would've been the perfect time for Sophia to give birth and leave the baby at the firehouse though, rather than when Days made it happen. Her anger, hurt, etc. at Tate and Holly would've been the perfect motivation for her to do what she did. And, I think it would've been a better use of Sophia as well, rather than the way she was used today. Sophia finding out that Javi and Leo had the baby did absolutely nothing for me. Btw, with all this talk about first labors going on for hours, how did Sophia give birth in like 10 minutes 😂😂😂 And yeah, poor Doug III. He really should have been more involved with the teens today rather than Leo, especially since it's his crap that's causing problems for all of them. There are plenty of other ways that he could've found out about Gwen having Julie's necklace. I really wish they hadn't basically dropped Doug III's feelings for Holly and the Tate/Doug III feud. I also enjoyed today's round of Xander vs. Sarah. I was a little surprised that Xander brought Sarah's history of mental illness, but I didn't really mind it. Like I said last week, the new writers really seem to be going there when it comes to arguments now instead of just scratching the surface and I'm glad to see it. The messier, the better 😂 I'm glad Maggie was there to comfort her too.

Emma’s just a better character. In every way 😂😂😂