Khan

"Nailed" is unusual in that it's the first season opener since S8's "Bite the Big Apple" not to take place in an unusual or exotic locale - which, in retrospect, might have been the first sign of the series' creative lethargy. If I had been Angela Lansbury or showrunner Tom Sawyer, I probably would've opened the season instead with Jessica travelling to the Holy Land or to Africa.

I'm not surprised that most of the lowest-rated episodes aired during the final season - and not just because of the time slot change either. I think I've said this before, but even though MSW never exactly declines in the sense that the show itself becomes unwatchable, a feeling of lethargy does indeed permeate many S12 episodes. There's one episode ("Something Foul in Flappieville") where the milieu is inconsistent in a way that's uncharacteristic for MSW (whether the episode is set behind-the-scenes at a children's TV show, at a Punch-and-Judy-esque puppet show, or at a toy factory is anyone's guess), a Japan-set episode ("Kendo Killing") that suffers from a lack of authentic locales, two episodes set in New Orleans and Ireland ("Big Easy Murder" and "Nan's Ghost," respectively) that play like cut-and-paste jobs from previous episodes set in the same locales (right down to several actors playing the same roles, only with different names), another episode ("What You Don't Know Can Kill You") that plays like a bad '50's teen movie, and what might be - for my money, at least - the all-time worst episode of MSW (the series' penultimate, "Mrs. Parker's Revenge"). Whether the series' overall lethargy in S12 was due to everyone's displeasure over being forced to compete with NBC's "Must-See TV" Thursday night lineup, or just the sense that they're simply out of fresh ideas, or a combination of two, is hard to say. However, even if CBS had not moved MSW to Thursdays, I do suspect that MSW wouldn't have been able to last beyond another season.

Well, for one thing, I don't believe there are that many Hortons left; and in some cases, like with Jeremy, they were handled so badly by whoever was in charge at that time that I'm not sure I'd want them back.

Frankly, I couldn't care less what happens to EJ and Belle, or to EJ in general. He raped Sami. I'm not here for yet another rapist receiving their "redemption arc" on soaps. Dan Feuerriegel might be cute, but he can go.

I agree!! As @kalbir points out, Richard was exactly what the show needed. But like you said, @Chris 2, it's probably because the weekly battles between Chase and Angela had grown stale already (and not helped at all by questionable casting, something that always plagued FC, IMO).

So. Any predictions on when DAYS will get wacky again, and how? Methinks we'll see (budget) flying saucers and CGI-generated giant spiders by Christmas.

Pam Long and Jeff Ryder intended for the new Spaulding family members to have a much bigger role on the canvas beyond their introduction. However, P&G nixed their plans, because they were skittish about the Spauldings having African-American relatives.

It seems like SFT faced the same issue that all ailing soaps have faced. It wasn't enough for CBS/NBC or P&G that SFT remained consistent or was building toward something better that, in time, could excite the audience. TPTB didn't have patience for that. They wanted SFT's ratings up, and they wanted them up yesterday.

I still hate that the Pollocks killed off Dan Allison. They could've written a really fascinating redemption arc for him once he lost Carolee for good.

I wouldn't have been opposed to that, lol. For me, the issues actually began in Season 2, with the arrival of Richard Channing. FC is supposed to be about the constant tug-of-war between Angela and Chase. IMO, Richard's arrival just muddies the waters. Also, I'm not happy with how they resolved the Carlo Agretti murder mystery. Naming Julia as the killer was a huge mistake, as I think she played an important role in the family dynamics, especially between Angela and Lance. Abby Dalton wasn't much of an actress, but she was needed on that show. More so than Margaret Ladd's Emma, whom I would've exposed as the culprit instead.

I've wondered that myself. Just as I've wondered how Gary Tomlin, of all people, was the EP who finally won the damn thing for the show, and for something as goofy as "Trading Places," or whatever the hell they called that country-ass dumb episode.

In a way, BEN JARROD (BJ?) reminds me of "Murder One," the Steven Bochco-produced series that ran for a couple of seasons on ABC.

Wow. And from that list, I'd say only one show, "Cagney & Lacey," still holds up okay. At the moment, I'm trying to plough through season 6 on the Primetime Soaps channel; and I'm having the same issue with it (and with the show in general) that I always have: the scenes are shorter, the dialogue is crisper, but it's all just wallpaper. Otherwise, it's the same old, same old: Angela vs. Chase vs. Richard, with Melissa trying to assert herself as a major player but shooting herself in the foot every time. (How she walked right into getting Agretti-Stavros Vineyards shut down the previous season has to be one of the boneheaded things I've ever seen anyone do in soaps, lol).

So, now we know what Sheila was up to before she hit Genoa City.

Of course, that could be attributed at least partly to the fact that CBS itself was in terrible shape throughout the mid- and late-'80's; but I think Jane Wyman and Angela Lansbury, along with the cast of NBC's "The Golden Girls," helped to reshape the image of older people on TV.

I still hate how KL wasted JE. Judy Trent, IMO, was a nothing character. There wasn't even any way to expand her place on the show beyond Gary, Val and Abby.

ICAM!! I still crack up over Terry's last words - "Richard, what about MEEEEEEEE!?" - and the shot of the back of her stunt double's head in the next season's premiere, confirming she had died.

I agree, lol. I'd never place Stephen J. Cannell in the same category with Steven Bochco, but I do believe there's a difference between the shows he was involved with before "The Rockford Files," and those he was involved with after "Rockford"; and the shows that came after "Rockford," including "Palace Guard," tended to be so lightweight and unambitious, with "Wiseguy" being the notable exception.

I see "A. Nelson" listed in the writing credits. Does anyone have any idea who "A. Nelson" was?

Basically, Allen Potter didn't believe the ratings justified so much airtime being given to Carrie and her situation.

I agree. Then, in season 8, you saw FC getting back to basics, but in re-assuming control of the show, Michael Filerman made the biggest, most fatal error: he allowed Melissa to be killed off, just as she was poised to be Angela's greatest threat yet.

Is it a heart transplant or just heart surgery? If it's a heart transplant, you could get SOME drama from someone stealing the heart meant for Sonny, or someone paying off the hospital to give Sonny a heart that was meant for someone else. Just sayin'.

God, I hope not. She wouldn't be worth killing off like that. In fact, I wouldn't even bother writing a "goodbye scene" for her. Just stop writing for her, period, and make like she never existed, lol.

I think that's because they thought FC was fast-paced and unpredictable. I wouldn't suggest that I preferred seasons six and seven over the rest of FC, but I do give FC (and KNOTS LANDING) credit for attempting to keep things fresh at a time when nighttime soap operas were on the decline.

Well, folks have always said I was an old soul. I can't remember exactly when MEK returned as Ted/Tad, but I do remember that Megan McTavish was on thin ice with me already. The quality of the day-to-day writing decreased for me almost as soon as her name began appearing first in the credits. Tad/Ted, however, was the first time that I questioned her ability to tell a story cohesively and on her own. It was just too damn misleading, creating a whole bunch of suspense - "Why do Tad and Ted look alike? Are they related? And why do share the same memories?" - that led to nothing.