KLN

1 hour ago, Soapsuds said:

How dumb is Lucas? He's not even a good villain. How Sami can't tell it's Lucas that kidnapped her is just ridiculous. Lucas sh!ts in his pants everytime his co conspirator is mentioned. He even looks guilty.

Paging Billy Miller.

... I'll stop.

1 hour ago, Vee said:

Anything is better than Dena Higley, on any program. Ron is capable of great work, but this isn't it and he hasn't been at his peak in a long time. Part of that is on the state of the industry, the show, the budget, the time and part of it is simply him.

Yep.

I shotgunned that campaign to get her tossed in 2010 or so. I can't remember the year. We got rid of her once and she popped back up like the Babadook after terrorizing other shows. Was she Corday's side piece or something? I still can't fathom it.

Pretty mean to flood phones to get somebody fired but damn. Her disordered thinking shouldn't be allowed to write ketchup packet instructions.

40 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

He has admitted to this in interviews.

I'm not surprised. You can see it in everything he writes.

That's why I say imaginative as hell but no taste. He's too un-self-aware to know when he's taken it past the edge. Too stuck in his ego to recognize his frailties. He needs a co-HW who shares his vision with better taste.

Quan? I dunno.

40 minutes ago, carolineg said:

I *believe* John said it was because MarDevil's power was weakening and that's why it couldn't easily break out of the ropes.

Is this all of GV we are going to see?

It really wasn't an exorcism it was like 4 scenes of trying and poor Eric didn't even get a flashback with Marlena lol. 

This can't be the end of all the devil stuff.

And to be on the opposite side of pretty much everyone, I don't think the show is that bad.  I already knew the Devil story was going to be crap so it's fine, but I am actually finding the show more watchable than it was a few months ago.  I don't love any particular story, but day to day it seems to flow better.

I agree minus the devil story. 

Ron has crafted a fun version of Salem with a solid foundation that's come together nicely.

There's a lot of potential and I never thought I'd say that when I gave the show up years ago but a co-HW is a MUST. He needs guidance and an ego check.

11 minutes ago, Noel said:

So, how is MarDevil 2.0 not able to break out of rope strapped to a bedpost, but is easily able to break out out of handcuffs?

It's mind bendingly stupid.

I can deal with camp (preferably less) but this story is a comedy skit to Ron. Start to finish. He didn't even pretend to take it seriously. Bump of coke, funky strain and this is what he came up with.

26 minutes ago, Noel said:

Every storyline that I witnessed on this show reminds me of As The World Turns when Jean Passanante was at the helm. Oh my god. I don't know what to say anymore. A part of me cracks up laughing but another part of me wants to take my fingernails and scratch at a chalkboard as hard as I can and with all my might. As much as I love seeing my Queen Kristen Dimera (Eileen Davidson), she was no match for this MarDevil 2.0 debacle. This turd was such a major sh!t show that even all the Febreze in the world couldn't even cover up this stinking mess. Right now, I'm watching it again on Peacock on it's so, so embarrassing. 

Granted, ATWT wasn't the show I grew up on but I don't remember Passanante coming anywhere close to the reek of Possession 2.0.

This will go down in history as one of the worst... things, this show ever did. Give me Austin and Greta in fig leaves to this.

2 hours ago, Vee said:

God, it's like reliving all the Carlivati debates as OLTL degraded in real time all over again.

I can see that.

It's probably for naught. At the end of the day it's a matter of personal taste and Carlivati has proven no matter how skilled one thinks he is or isn't as a writer, he 100% lacks taste.

But I still prefer this to Dena.

53 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

Days has gay characters?

 

Oh you mean in the past.

Valid!

I was talking more about Leo. I know he's a "type" but the way they wrote him in Beyond Salem was counter-productive. It's not helpful to reinforce negative stereotypes of gay people just as society is evolving. Just my opinion though.

Then again, this is a soap, so...

I just think Ron needs taste guidance.

15 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

And that's one of the problems I was talking about. Even if nothing happened, and Marlena and her family just spent the whole episode talking to each other and calming down after the exorcism, that really needed to be shown, just for the sake of followup 

ADHD Ron only cares about the bullet points.

2 hours ago, Khan said:

Oh, God, are we really gonna get excited about who the devil might possess next!?

I hated this storyline when JER was writing it, and I hate it even more now, because at least Jim Reilly took it (somewhat) more seriously than Club Kid Ron Carlivati does.  Stories about demonic possession have no business appearing on DAYS -- and frankly, I'm with Robin Strasser and Jane Elliot.  I think actors, writers, producers and directors in general need to be a little more careful about what they bring into people's homes.  Because, this [!@#$%^&*] is something you don't mess with, especially for "entertainment purposes."

I wish this story would end, and end for good, and never be brought up again.  Then, I want someone to contact a host of religious leaders -- priests, rabbis, shamen, you name it -- and perform an exorcism to rid the studio of whatever demons these two stories have unleashed, because if you ask me, they're precisely the reason why DAYS has been on the decline for over two decades.

 

I think all art is valid because it showcases different perspectives of an existence where everyone has different ideas about the world around them so the broader it is the more it allows for natural gravitation towards one energy or another.

That said, you're right.

Look how Ron conflates rape with seduction. Seems valid in his mind but wholly unhealthy and not something society should ever be confused about. Same with putting straight characters in situations where they're constantly held up as pieces of meat for lustful gay characters.

How is that helpful to society or entertaining at all? Sure, sexuality is broad and the world is more open but a character like Leo is counter-productive in my opinion.

On soaps, there's a range of behavior most societies would deem unacceptable but when you start confusing wrong action with societally acceptable it's a slippery slope.

In the end it comes down to taste, which Ron lacks. There's a tactful way to tell similar stories.

Personally, I think it would be fun from an entertainment perspective to have the devil jump into random characters once a decade or so. I know it's (arguably) not the right medium but it's baked in history and personally, I think it's fun to see different actors give different takes of the same "character."

That said, they could also never do this again and I'd be fine with it. This was so botched I think anything that might come after would be marred by negative thought association for this current "retelling."

Ron should be embarrassed.

2 hours ago, KLN said:

If they insist on using Eileen at least do 'A Tale of Two Kristen's.' Say this Kristen is an imposter who, for whatever reason, took over Kristen's life because she was desperate for her own love and got wrapped up in everything. Made herself believe she was Kristen and suppressed her old identity.

They can say everyone assumed reconstructive surgery after Kristen crashed through the window, it's easy. Keep Stacy as her own character, call her Christene and let Eileen do the popping in and out she likes to do. It would also cross her with Abby in interesting ways, though I never need to see Abby's DID again.

If they decided to go this route they could make Stacy Penelope, the dead Banks sister who 'drowned' in the pool in place of Kristen in '98.

It would explain how she can disguise herself. She impersonated Kristen years ago because they were 'lookalikes.' She thought she could do it again when her own life ran out.

I'd say she changed her name though. Say Penelope was her middle name or something. Christine would tie her connection to Kristen in a clever way that's still different sounding enough.

6 minutes ago, John said:

  Hide contents

Based on spoilers I saw, I Feel it may go into Johnny as upcoming spoilers have him not acting like himself, flirting with Gabi & Chanel & Johnny realizing they have married too quickly. 

 

16 minutes ago, AlexElizabeth said:

Who do you guys want to get possessed next? I think SamiDevil would be a hoot but I doubt AS is sticking around long enough to play that story, lol. 

Kayla and/or Abby.

I just don't want to see 'Gabby' again.

Imagine the mess 'Kayla' could make running the hospital, advising her loved ones amongst other things. MBE could handle it, she's a strong actress.

I'd want new contacts though.

1 hour ago, Vee said:

It's also not Eileen's fault that the show clearly has realized the recast and the writing for the recast hasn't worked and is doing this insulting stuff that just makes Stacy Haiduk look like an afterthought, which she is, with Eileen the heavily promoted main event..

I don't think the show not cutting Stacy means she hasn't worked, I think it means she's a success and they want the best of both worlds, which I get.

I also don't think places like Twitter, etc. accurately reflect the general audience. They do to a degree, but a lot of what I see on Twitter is older fans seeking confirmation bias tied up in nostalgia. They're the same ones cheering for this dumb possession story.

1 hour ago, AlexElizabeth said:

It would've made more sense to have the devil morph into Nicole to try to tempt Eric. They're just coming up with random crap so they can have Eileen appear in a couple scenes. I'm over it. 

That's what I thought too. That would've been great.

35 minutes ago, DaytimeFan said:

I respectfully, disagree, I enjoyed the cameo from Eileen. I did not get the impression that Eric was at all tempted by her, but she highlights Eric's struggle with being a priest and a sexual person.

That's valid but I don't think Eric being raped is the most effective way to highlight his struggle with being a priest and a man of the flesh.

It's a valid piece of history. Kristen was in revenge mode and it affected the trajectory of story with ED leaving and Eric in the place he was. But now? It's not where any of the characters are and it seems even more cheap than it was before by correlating rape with temptation, twice now with ED's Kristen in barely a month. 

I enjoy the nostalgia though I guess.

2 hours ago, AlexElizabeth said:

I'm sorry but these Eileen cameos are completely pointless. They literally are just having her appear for the sake of having her appear. The scenes add nothing to the episode. I'm not going to pretend that it's good just because it's Eileen. There was zero reason to randomly bring up Eric and Kristen's history, especially when they won't actually say the word rape. Can we not act like Eric is even a little bit tempted by Kristen? These scenes were so stupid. 

100%.

Kristen has evolved for me. She's not just J&M's foil anymore.

Stacy has committed everything to the show and the character and still got tossed for Peacock and Carlivati's ego.

If they insist on using Eileen at least do 'A Tale of Two Kristen's.' Say this Kristen is an imposter who, for whatever reason, took over Kristen's life because she was desperate for her own love and got wrapped up in everything. Made herself believe she was Kristen and suppressed her old identity.

They can say everyone assumed reconstructive surgery after Kristen crashed through the window, it's easy. Keep Stacy as her own character, call her Christene and let Eileen do the popping in and out she likes to do. It would also cross her with Abby in interesting ways, though I never need to see Abby's DID again.

I'd rather keep Stacy as Kristen though. She's a force. They should do something with her and ED on Peacock.

Once this is over it'd be cool if the devil became a recurring character who occasionally jumps in to wreak havoc and promote... evil? But next time it needs to be someone other than Marlena and it needs to be taken semi-seriously.

I understand why they went with Marlena because it was a callback to the original story and they wanted some of the original buzz but Deidre's more nambi-pambi than she used to be and she doesn't sell villain at all. It always comes across as Hattie.

I do like the serious tone it's taken in recent weeks (see Ron?) but I agree this part of the story has gone too quickly. Not enough drama or emotional investment after the whole thing was played as a MADtv skit for 4 months.

1 hour ago, Faulkner said:

Granted, I’m the least loyal to DAYS of the remaining soaps, but I actually find a flatlining Y&R more watchable than this current version of DAYS. Just a waste of a lot of really great talent (better than Y&R by far) on ridiculous sh!t that goes nowhere.

It's frustrating because I actually enjoy Ron's Days. I think he hits the bullseye on a lot of things. I watch the show almost daily and like what I've seen since coming back to it.

The possession story though?

I'm not even offended by it, it's just dumb.

His tastes are skewed. He needs a co-HW with better sensibilities.

3 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

Donna Summer?

Exactly.

With Ron you don't need a reason.

47 minutes ago, Khan said:

That's the way it should've been all along -- the devil suggesting this-or-that character commit such-and-such heinous act -- instead of this morphing crap.

This.

Ron doesn't have taste. He thinks, "I get to do possession?! I'll put in morphs and laser eyes and a cameo from Donna Summer!"

Possession 2.0 has been a source of secondhand embarrassment for everyone involved, mostly Drake and Deidre. It's not even slightly watchable.

Indulgent, stupid, a mess.

2 hours ago, Liberty City said:

If we get another renewal, and I do mean IF, I'm really going to need some major changes to happen, both in terms of executive production, overall production and head writing.

A co-HW at the very least.

I can barely watch Possession 2.0. It's bad.

12 hours ago, Manny said:

@Soapsuds yes, it's good to see so many people from way back when still (or again) posting. When I came back to SON few months, I didn't think I'd find anyone who was posting from the early days of SON, but I was wrong, so that was cool  Although I am not sure I remember KevinC? Hmmm...

@KLN It has been long time indeed. Yeah, doing good, thanks! Hope you are too. It has to be like 10 years since we chatted, probably even more. Back in the day when we used to have those group video chats and played online Big Brother hhahaha Fun times!

Speaking of MM and BB, I always thought MM was a decent actress, she just never was Belle to me, even if she was a good casting choice as Marlena's daughter. I remember when we went from KS (to Charity Rahmer, eek!) to MM, it was so jarring becuase Martha was nothing like KS. She was older (and looked it) and while KS was bubbly and sweet, Martha seemed way more mature and serious. They never should have aged Belle and Shawn so much. 

Beermer was okay to me. Never had an issue with him. 

KevC! He's still around. Watching Days and loving it. I reconnected with him on Twitter, seems like he's doing good.

SON has always been like home to me. I remember bonding with one of the original staffers who lived in New York on 9/11. We'd gotten in an argument the night before on another board and said some mean things to each other. The next day we bonded in our grief like the fight never happened. I always think of that when I think of SON because it was born less than a month later. As I recall we were trying to escape the tyranny of another board.

I also remember the staff chats with Toups, Errol, etc. Good times! 

I take your point about MM/Belle. I think the reason I loved her years ago was because I was so done with Kirsten. Now I can take or leave her, no huge complaints though. The Valley Girl vocal inflection can go though.

13 hours ago, Soapsuds said:

Yes it's Kenny. Great to see him back! I wouldnt have said that a few years back. Now if we could only bring back KevinC1980 I believe was his username. He loved Days and pretty much loved everything about it. That's true dedication to your soap!

I appreciate that Ron! I'm happy to be posting here again. SON has always been a second home to me. 

Long time @Manny! You been alright? It's been ages!

What's Carlivati's name here?

3 hours ago, SouthernChick said:

We will have to agree to disagree. I love MM’s portrayal of Belle and think she’s the perfect fit for the role. BB has no personality and can be recast, as far as I’m concerned.

I like MM too. I liked her better years ago but I think she makes a believable daughter for Marlena. She could definutely use a bit more warmth though.

Beemer is boring but I like his Shawn. Basic good guy, not a lot of complexity but they could always write him better. I think they should do a Shawn/Chloe affair.

2 hours ago, Khan said:

Same.

DAYS has been such a mess for too long.  Ken Corday believes he's honoring his parents' legacy with this crap, but he isn't.  Not by a longshot.

If I were taking it over as HW and/or EP, I'd do the most radical thing ever: I'd phase out the Hortons (what's left of them, anyway), the Bradys, the DiMeras and everyone else; and I'd rebuild the show, "from the ground up," with new characters and families, in the hopes of getting back to family-centered, character-driven drama that isn't bogged down by decades of simply rotten storytelling.

That'd be a whole new show. Which, you know, wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. But that's cancelling Days and putting on a new show with the same name.

I think they need to modernize what's already there, take advantage of the built in connections, re-brand some of the characters and pretend Salem fell through a time portal and the stuff from the past that doesn't fit 'today' was from a different timeline or something.

Or they could toss it all out with the bathwater.

8 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Ava and RoboJohn did date for a little while. But she left town when she thought she could face charges for Shawn Sr.'s death.

Damn I forgot about Ava and RoboJohn.

Those weren't good days.

53 minutes ago, KirkB said:

Kennylicious is what I remember years or a decade and a half ago from the early days. Good to see you back on a message board. I missed reading your opinions on the show!!

Thanks! I've enjoyed being back. 

Let's not talk about "that" Kenny. I was awful to everyone. One foot in front of the other I try to be better every day.

I've enjoyed getting back into Days. I gave it up around 2014 and only watched a few times a week for years prior to that, even when ED was there. I just didn't care anymore. I needed to work on myself and my tastes changed.

I've gotten back into it and it's been fun. It's totally a comfort thing with my grandma dying but I'm not married to any of it anymore. I'm watching with fresh eyes and it's kind of cool after hate watching and wishing every writer doom for 10+ years.

I see my Billy Miller idea wasn't popular though.

59 minutes ago, Vee said:

Except I'm neither of those things, lol! I don't watch this show regularly at all, haven't in years. And I almost never revisit the Reilly '90s because I find it a lot of it very bad; I think James Reilly helped destroy this show at least as much as he took it to the top. So there's absolutely no nostalgia to be had there for me. And I have never been a stan for ED; I don't follow her from show to show, I don't do that for any actor. But I know her strength and I know her impact any time she appears. And I am able to take a very unsentimental look at the show, because I have no attachments to it atm. It's nice that her castmates love Haiduk and I think she acts her heart out onscreen. But none of that matters in terms of the results the show has left her with. The only fans the current, confused iteration of Kristen seems to have are maybe half a dozen folks on Twitter.

You're right that shades of grey and complexity are necessary for mature storytelling. Except DAYS has no mature storytelling. It is incapable of writing a complex, reformed or nuanced Kristen Blake, and meanwhile the only popular Kristen with a broader audience is still Eileen Davidson. Stacy Haiduk is very talented but has not made it work, and the writers certainly haven't either. Kristen is not going to evolve because the writers don't know how to write it, because the audience has rejected it, and also because some larger than life characters just don't lend themselves to that anymore. Kristen is not needed on this show year-round, she is always a force of nature, and meanwhile Eileen is the only actor that has been able to sell with the audience long-term. So why not do what the character is actually good at and has been an audience success with?

As for Corday, it's obvious he doesn't like BD. But I don't care what he likes and I never have. if this show is going to truly flourish and evolve on streaming it will have to do it without his micromanagement or those of his varied underlings. Otherwise it's going to be the same old thing.

100% valid. It's all about perspective. Mine is different but I also understand yours.

I think the show is, or should be, capable of writing nuanced, complex villains and I think the audience is ready for it, but I think fan opinion is influenced by social media from people who have sentimental attachment to "their" Days or "their" characters. Most general viewers aren't Twitter diehards seeking confirmation bias but I totally accept there are varied opinions.

I wouldn't lose sleep if they killed Kristen so long as they replaced her with an archetype equally as compelling. I wouldn't lose sleep regardless. I'd think it was a shame but it wouldn't be the first mistake the show made.

Kristen has the history and motivation to drive chaos and story for years. Others feel different and that's cool. From my view the elements are there. She has broad appeal and I don't think Stacy is as hated as Twitter makes it seem. But they should definitely rotate her in and out.

Just my two cents.

1 hour ago, David_Vickers said:

Bryan Dattilo in NO way should be re-cast.   He IS Lucas.  It's DAYS that wants BD keep his hair the same.  Remember a few years ago, he came back with a fresh shorter cut, but BD said in a interview the show wanted him to grow it back. '

I do think Eileen Davidson should be the one and only Kristen.  Stacy Haiduk should either just play Susan or be written off entirely with Eileen playing Susan as well.

I liked Billy Miller as Billy on Y&R and as Not Jason Drew on GH, although he was too young for the part. Miller would be good on DAYS, but maybe as a Phillip re-cast, or maybe a Rex re-cast, which is where I'd put him since I cannot stand Phillip.

I see I stand alone again.

I also think Billy Miller would make a good Phillip for what it's worth.

11 hours ago, Khan said:

I would have ended DAYS much, much sooner.  Like, say, around 1991?

Same goes for AMC.

Probably for the best.

6 hours ago, SouthernChick said:

I agree that Eileen is the only Kristen. And Kristen should come and go, not be on the show full time.

I agree Kristen should come and go. She's too much of both extremes she doesn't work as a more... stable character. She should always reach for happiness, get a taste and fall short. Come back, wreck things, disappear, attempt self-awareness, baby steps to redemption, maybe another taste of happiness, here's the next threat... boom. She's off the rails again. She can wreck Rachel when she's grown too. The character could generate a decade of story.

She's a tragic character of both extremes who mirrors the world today but she should never be a "regular" character like John, Marlena, etc. But she has broad appeal and I think Stacy is KILLING her, personally.

I'm not the same Kenny that posted here years ago. I mostly used the show as distraction from personal trauma and I kind of went on a personal journey. I'm not even close to the same person I used to be, I've grown up and I'm a much kinder version of the sarcastic prick I used to be. Try to be anyway.

My tastes have changed but my sensibilities have stayed the same.

I don't feel the same attachment to Days that I used to but I jumped back in after my grandma died this year, mostly for the nostalgia, and I know what appeals to me with fresh eyes without the attachment of needing it to be exactly like it was in the past.