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Thanks so much for these stats! They're amazing!

It's interesting to compare the year-end episode counts for DAYS actors and for Y&R actors. You can really see how more balanced DAYS is in terms of cast rotation; at very most, actors on DAYS are averaging about 2 episodes a week. Only the Top 4 DAYS actors are (just barely) in more than 40% of the episodes; by contrast, 15 Y&R actors are in more than 40% of the episodes, and the top actors on that show appear 3 days a week (which is probably why that show seems to be all about Nick and Adam and Billy and Sharon, all the time). 

2 hours ago, Khan said:

 

Usually, that's because there's little, if any, build-up to the misunderstanding or manipulation that precipitates the infidelity.  It USED to be that writers would take the time to reveal the flaws inherent in the relationship, so that when one would cheat on the other, it would be believable and inevitable.  But, now...?  A couple could be blissfully happy on a Monday, have a ridiculous misunderstanding on a Tuesday, cheat on each other on a Wednesday, and find out they're both having out-of-wedlock kids on a Thursday.  Not even "Three's Company" was that trifling in its' plotting.

But the show has been giving us months of build-up to this moment. In fact, even before Abby came back from the clinic, they've been teasing the possibility of a Chad/Gwen hookup. And they've spent months showing Chad's growing jealousy and suspicion, as well as the way he's haunted by Abby's infidelity with Stefan every time he looks at Jake.

The show has also been dropping hints like crazy about Gwen's motivations. I haven't read any spoilers, but it seems pretty clear to me that she's Jack's daughter, who's resentful that he abandoned her and rejoined his "real" family (including her older half-sister Abby). So she's getting her revenge on Abby, who she envies intensely. 

3 hours ago, Khan said:

They stay trying to give us '80's soap opera on a '50's soap opera budget.  It's maddening.

I think one of the reasons DAYS has been pretty good for the past few months is that they're going back to '50's-style storytelling a lot of the time. Particularly with the rape story, we're getting a lot of conversation scenes where the emphasis is on how Ally and Tripp's family members react to the situation and the different perspectives they bring. Playing all those story beats and generating conflict from characters having different opinions is classic soap storytelling, the kind of thing soaps did before they had lots of supervillains and sci-fi/action storylines and exotic location shoots. 

16 minutes ago, Darn said:

I know he's been on the show for years but I'll never get over the name Chad Dimera.

Wasn't Chad on the show for about a year before they came up with the storyline making him yet another long-lost Dimera child? I thought they just liked the actor (and frankly, I still miss Casey Jon Diedrick in the role), so they came up with a way to tie Chad to one of the core families. 

20 hours ago, Antoyne said:

Yeah I’m actually completely over Gwen now because we still have NO IDEA any sort of inkling what her motivation is. It’s boring now.

I feel like the show has dropped a LOT of hints about Gwen's true motivations, and assuming I'm reading those clues right, her motivations make a lot of sense to me. Anyway, I bet we'll get a big reveal in the next few days, given that trailer showing Anna telling Abby that Gwen "is a psycho obsessed with your family."

46 minutes ago, David_Vickers said:

  I predict a temp re-cast a la GH

Lindsey Hartley as temp-Gabi! Then you can insert scenes of Rafe and Brady saying, "You know, some days you remind me so much of your big sister." 

4 hours ago, Khan said:

 

But, the rape storyline has been nothing short of irresponsible -- even by DAYS' shoddy standards on the subject.

Shoddy even by DAYS' standards? I think that by DAYS' standards, it's not even the most irresponsible rape-related storyline they've got currently running. I mean, this is the show where we're supposed to root for Brady's undenying love for the woman who raped his stepbrother. 

1 hour ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Steve/Kayla and John/Marlena continue to be the best part of the rape story, though I did really like the scenes of Allie telling Sami about the rape. 

I understand the critiques of the messages that this rape story sends and the way it places too much viewer sympathy on the wrongfully accused young man. But I'm willing to forgive a LOT if it means we get the kinds of scenes we've been getting between Steve/Kayla and John/Marlena over the past couple of months.

To me, that's exactly how you should keep your long-term couples frontburner. Not by having them cheat on each other (again), or get kidnapped (again), or have a microchip implanted in their brains (again). But by letting them have conflict that stems organically from their different responses to a situation and that reflects their different personalities, life experiences, and attachments. 

36 minutes ago, All My Shadows said:

Tuning in for my once-in-a-while viewing, and what a hideous production this is. The scenes are too short, the music is too loud, and what the HELLLL is this loud and obnoxious sniffling sound effect meant to let us know that a baby is a goddamn baby?

Yeah, they were making some bad production choices in this episode. But I still enjoyed it. Days has a lot of heart and feels grounded in a sense of family and community in a way the other soaps just don't right now. 

52 minutes ago, Antoyne said:

It’s so time for the show to move on past them.

I'm genuinely confused about what the show is planning to do with Ben. Part of me wonders if Victoria Konefal is planning on coming back, since she keeps popping in regularly for appearances as a "ghost." I could see the show wringing at least a bit of drama out of that, if Ciara returns right after Ben and Claire have become a full-fledged couple. 

Okay, I guess that if they're going to pair Nicole up with Rafe, that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world (especially if they find a way to stir Sami and Lucas into the mix somehow). 

Now, Ben and Claire, on the other hand...

5 hours ago, titan1978 said:

And you are right about her other brothers, although these two are biological.  It’s just wild that these two clowns are now tied to one of the most important characters ever on this show.

 

 I just watched some of those scenes on YouTube, and I totally agree that they were strange to watch. What an odd mishmash of acting styles. The three of them barely seem to be acting on the same show, much less be siblings. At least MEK is a pretty good actor, albeit one doing a bizarre Foghorn Leghorn accent. But the guy playing Cyrus is just terrible and completely unbelievable in the role of a fearsome crime boss. I hope the show quickly gets bored of him and kills him off, just like they do with all of Jason and Sonny's other antagonists. 

5 hours ago, RavenWhitney said:

Did you expect anything different?  Ron only writes cliff hanger story beats.  And the show (even before he joined) has a history of ruining all the younger characters by turning them into felonious criminals or crazies or both: Tripp, Joey, Claire, Charlie, Nick, Ben, Chase, Evan, to name a few.....

Ron might be overly fond of plot twists and psychos, but you know what? For me, it works. I was honestly on the edge of my seat watching today's episode, because I had no idea what Charlie would do next. And Mike Manning totally sold that insane desperation. 

Steve to Tripp: "I don't know, son. I don't know much about genetics."

Me to the TV screen: "Neither does your wife!"

53 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Charlie did look hot with the glasses, but sadly it looks like everything we figured about him is true. Another character with potential squandered just for the plot and nothing more.

I love how they structured the big Charlie reveal today, dropping hints throughout the episode (including that little line about how he has a brother that he doesn't really know), then giving us that ominous music cue at the end when he shows up at Ava's door. 

Now that they're no longer filming 9 months ahead, they might still notice the positive viewer response to Mike Manning and give Charlie a "redemption" storyline at some point. I mean, it worked for Tripp. 

6 minutes ago, pdm1974 said:

Yay!!! Finally!

 

Bryan Dattilo Bumped to Contract Status On Days of Our Lives - Daytime Confidential

That's great news! Now they just need to give Lucas a storyline of his own. 

36 minutes ago, AlexElizabeth said:

I'm just going to keep saying it. Charlie looks adorable in the glasses. I feel better after googling the actor and seeing that he's 33 - older than me. I thought I was creeping on some 21-year-old kid.

Wow, I had no idea that Mike Manning was 33 (or that he was a former Real World cast member--at least he's a much better actor than Kyle Brandt). Just watched some old interviews with him, and somehow he now looks younger and cuter than he did when he was 22. 

I called it a couple of months ago, when he first arrived in Salem! Charlie's connected to Ava, which means that he's probably Allie's rapist. 

14 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

But the way she reacted after Tripp told her that Allie's rape took place in London, I thought that maybe they're gonna use that in order to kick off Ava's redemption.

See, I thought that felt more like the start of an "Ava covers up for Allie's real rapist" storyline...

31 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Enjoyed the Tripp/Ava scene today, but judging by the way it was written, I've got a feeling that a redemption arc for Ava is on the way.

 

And after today, I can clearly see that there is some sexual chemistry between Charlie and Xander lol

Charlie & Xander are the new Will & EJ  

I'm not so sure that we're getting an Ava redemption arc, though. She still seems pretty bonkers to me, judging by her "Oh baby, you did that for ME!" response to Tripp telling her how he tried to ruin Kayla's life and held a scalpel to her throat. I am enjoying Tamara Braun in the role, though; it's a nice warped twist on the saintly mother figure she last played on GH. 

Loved the little scene today where Gwen speaks cryptically to Jack about "estranged family members." So when do you think we'll get the big reveal of Gwen's identity and true agenda? Christmas? New Year's Eve? 

4 hours ago, ranger1rg said:

I say no to Kate with Roman. I don’t care how close they are in age, he reads a lot older than she is. A LOT. I don’t want her saddled with the mumbles guy.

 

This run with Kate and Jake works. She did this 14 years ago with EJ? So what??? It’s even more impressive now that she can hook a hunk and look so good doing it.

The characters of Roman and Kate are probably supposed to be close in age, but Lauren Koslow is a very young-looking 67, and Josh Taylor is 77, the same age as Susan Seaforth Hayes. And I agree with everyone who's saying that she works with Jake. Besides, Brandon Barash is in his early 40s himself, so it's not like she's screwing JJ or something. 

40 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

I’m still really liking the whole Gwen storyline. Usually in storylines like this, I would say characters like Chad and Jennifer were being dumbed down for the sake of the plot, but the writers really have established enough aspects and emotions with the characters that in this case I could see both of them being easily manipulated by Gwen. I hope it keeps going. 

That's a great point about the characters not being dumbed down. God, can you imagine what this storyline would be like if someone like James Reilly were writing the show!

3 minutes ago, Chris B said:

My thing is, I don’t mind her with Abe and I don’t begrudge Abe a love interest, but every Black woman shouldn’t be with him. Valerie for example could’ve been tested with Steve or Rafe and Sheila never should’ve even been considered romantically for Abe. That was ridiculous. I wouldn’t mind Jackee going against Lauren Koslow for Abe though. 

Hey, think big. What about Jackee going up against Lauren Koslow for Jake instead?

I love it when the show just hands me a GIF-able final scene...