Khan

Plus, it just felt more real (for lack of a better word) than anything going on on San Cristobel. But, like you said, the execution let the whole thing down.

Too bad Miss Ellie never had any brothers (that I know of). Just imagine if Val's mother had begun a romance with Gary's uncle?

I've asked myself those very same questions, lol. Anyone would've been better as Jean than Wendy Fulton. But, as I've said many times, the Lechowicks couldn't cast for [!@#$%^&*].

ICAM. As I've intimated in other threads, DAYS has needed fresh blood - meaning, new characters and families (who are integrated gradually) - since the late '90's, if not sooner. The Bradys, the DiMeras, even the Hortons (or, the Hortons that haven't been retroactively killed off) are just plain played out. For all the good that JER did in raising the show's ratings, he also wrecked the core of the show to the point where there's no way one could re-ground and reset the show unless they commit to a massive cast exodus that would make Nina Laemmle's Valentine's Day Massacre look like just another Tuesday in Salem.

Pardon me for being nosey af, but I'd still love to know why Susan and her daughter are estranged, especially when the two had appeared jointly to discuss Liza's son's cerebral palsy diagnosis.

IA. It's also next to impossible to maintain the show's tone, especially when you have a fictional, small(ish) town next to a bustling, urban city. You're not going to tell the same kinds of stories for characters living in NY, for example, that you would for characters still living in Pine Valley.

I'd be okay with these exits if it meant bringing in fresh characters and families, which DAYS has needed for the better part of three decades. If anything, though, DAYS is just making room for characters who haven't been relevant since the George Bush administration (or worse, more Leo).

"And ol' man Leo, he just keeps rollin' along..."

I disagree. I think Cody should be dropped entirely and never mentioned again. But I feel that way about 97% of the current cast, too.

Wow, tough question, lol. Both outlived their usefulness, but if I had to choose...? I'd say the San Cristobel crew. At its' heart, GL was a Midwestern show; so, to have over half of it take place suddenly on this mythical, vaguely Hispanic island (with royal subjects and townsfolk who were anything BUT Hispanic) was just too discombobulating (sp?). Say what you will about Andorra, San Rios, or even Barbados and Santo Domingo, but at least they didn't eat the show for years on end.

Or she could've played a (recast) Jane Sumner, since I never bought Millie Perkins as Greg's ex-wife.

I especially don't like the way Donna Mills' hair is styled in that photo. It somehow makes her look older.

I'd believe it, lol! Ted Shackelford never had much chemistry with any woman outside of Joan Van Ark and maybe Donna Mills, so the fact that Jill went batshit over Gary just boggles my mind.

IA. I think Laura needs a romantic relationship with someone who isn't so damaged, for lack of a better word. Even Kevin comes with his own set of emotional baggage. It'd be nice to see her finally find someone who can give her the stability she's always craved. She isn't the eighteen-year-old little girl who's attracted to danger anymore; she's a grandmother and a woman who has come through a lot to know what works for her. It's time.

It certainly does, especially in your recaps/analyses! Once again, @dc11786 , I must commend you for your ability to write about AL so beautifully. I keep saying I need to make time to watch whatever I can of this show on YT.

ICAM. Of course, I'm probably biased, but JE can do no wrong in my book. She can take even the silliest or most throwaway parts (her guest-star role on "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl," her brief bits on "Law & Order" and the movie "Baby Boom") and somehow make them so compelling. IMO, she belongs in the same group as Beverlee McKinsey, Elizabeth Hubbard and Erika Slezak. Again, ICAM. The Lechowicks never bothered to develop Dianne beyond being Karen's antagonist at a job she never was qualified for and was created for her solely because they wanted to write a stalking storyline for Michele Lee. (Notice how "Open Mike" becomes an afterthought once the stalker is finally captured). Next to JE and Marcia Cross, I'd say Robin Strasser was the best actor KL let slip through their fingers. Obviously, Kathleen Noone always has a blast playing roles like Claudia, but - and I admit, this might be because I literally grew up watching AMC - I think Ellen Dalton is more in her acting wheelhouse. Even on KNOTS, her scenes with Stacy Galina felt more authentic to me and reminded me a lot of Ellen's relationships with Devon and Julie. Even a late-in-the-game revelation of this not being the first time Jill went mental over a guy - or that it wasn't the first time she had killed a romantic rival - might have explained a lot. As it was, it was like, one day, she didn't see Val as much of a threat; and then, the next, she's filling Val's prescription for some sleeping pills and making her think Ben's returning. Then, to follow that up with Danny and "Sally's Friend"...it's just too much, lol.

Moral of the story: Artificial intelligence might be a part of life now for many, but just like with many things that are now commonplace, it doesn't translate automatically into good drama.

If Laurelton wasn't his story, it certainly bears many of his quirks, including the repetitive dialogue and story beats and the heroine at the center of the tale whose past includes being shamed out of town by its' close-minded citizens for being a whore. (JER is a good example of how and why religion screws with some people's heads, lol).

I think it's just something that viewers subscribe to in order to explain why certain characters have been dumped from their favorite shows.

In Minneapolis, of all places. The city where Mary Richards famously threw her cap in the air as she realized she might just make it after all. Shameful.

Once again, I think blogger Tommy Krasker makes an excellent point: as thrilling as Jill's plot to drive Val crazy and kill her was to watch from week to week, it's only when you go back and watch it again that you realize that the storyline doesn't make total sense. Specifically, you're never exactly sure how or why Jill makes the dramatic leap from being annoyed with Val to just plain wanting her dead.

Yeah, I remember Genie Francis and Jackie Zeman saying in separate interviews that Marland never got enough credit for creating those characters and saving GH from cancellation.

T. K. Carter was one of those actors who would pop up just about everywhere BITD. IIRC, he even showed up in one episode of "A Different World" as Mr. Gaines' son! He definitely will be missed.

Are we certain that was really Bryan Cranston and not someone using his name? John Cunningham was one of many NYC-based actors who'd pop up every now and then on "Law & Order," and it always was such a treat to watch him, since I never got to see his work on SFT.

True, but I think even a one-episode part should have some meat to it. It says a lot that I can't recall JLB even being on KL, yet I do recall Warren Burton and the guy who played Benny Sago #2 on AMC, lol.