Khan

Agree. Especially the theme music. It makes me feel like I'm about to watch a "Trapper John M.D." spinoff, for some reason.

IIRC, didn't Michael Dietz join the show as nuA-M right around the time of his and Lucy's wedding? So, right there, you had two big strikes against the story: the ridiculousness of the wedding's locale, and the fact that it wasn't Rick Hearst playing A-M anymore.

I'd say the same about Maggie. Her endless Daniel-propping ruined her for me. Now, when I watch, it's strictly for Doug and Julie. Reading all the synopses, I feel like Bill Bell had some hope that Tommy and Kitty would provide a ton of conflict and drama, but it seems like Kitty was written into a corner almost immediately. Is there anything keeping DAYS from introducing Jessica's daughter and Marie's granddaughter? Or has it been established that Nick was an only child?

Honestly, some of these exits "read" like bad fanfic. As eager as TPTB appeared to be in ridding themselves of these characters, I'm surprised they didn't have Stephanie mow them all down with her car on the way to getting herself killed.

I'm still bracing myself for the possibility of Trump burning everything down -- literally AND figuratively -- on his way out.

Well, then, I guess it's back to AOL chat rooms for right-wing nuts, lol.

Honestly, I hadn't realized it until after I had posted the idea, lol.

One of my favorite writers from "Maude." RIP Mr. Hauck. You and your talent will be missed.

"Larry and Linda Larkin" sound like names of guest stars on "Three's Company."

Maybe, but I don't see any real chemistry between Suzanne Rogers and Ed Mallory. Now, I DO see chemistry between her and Jed Allan.

Someone must've cut his cocaine with the virus.

Just from reading the synopses, it feels as if TPTB keep putting off the inevitable. Like, they know that Margo HAS to die, or else the story is meaningless; but they're really hoping something will come along to change their plans. Subsequently, it's like what you've said: the story goes for on too long; and you reach a point where you wish the writers would either just kill off Margo already or put her leukemia in remission and move on. Either way, I, for one, find myself unable to invest all that much in her illness OR in her marriage to Mike. Agree. I'm not averse to stories about organized crime, per se, but when they become the whole show, or when the players involved are elevated to the status of heroes, that's where I have to draw the old line. But, it seems to strange to tie her in with Mickey and Maggie as her adoptive parents and guardians, unless the writers were heading toward an Alex/Marie/Maggie/Mickey quadrangle.

IMO, it was successful, because TPTB never completely lost sight of the fact that DAYS was, first and foremost, a show about romance, and emotion. There was always emotional stakes for the couples to the action/adventure stories. Compare that to Gloria Monty's GH, which -- again, IMO -- was strictly James Bond/Indiana Jones stuff. Agree. Pat Falken Smith did a much better job integrating Stefano DiMera without making it seem like he was overwhelming everything and everyone else. (If only subsequent HW's had followed her lead.) Were Eileen and Robert Mason Pollock (THE DOCTORS, DYNASTY) ghost-writing DAYS at this point? Because, here we have two villains, Alex Marshall and Lee Dumonde, who are just evil for evil's sake. Neither Alex nor Lee has any human or redeeming qualities (thus far), nor is there any explanation for why they want money/power so badly other than it's there. Or have I missed something? Also, just a thought, but when they shipped Laura off to Bayview, they missed a golden opportunity to transition Bill into a new love triangle with Mike and Margo. I mean, Mike and Margo were already experiencing marital issues. Bill could have been there to provide support for Margo. Gradually, Bill's feelings toward Margo could have grown into "something more." That, in turn, could have yielded ENORMOUS guilt on Bill's part. (Here he is, falling in love with another woman -- and his son's (terminally ill) wife, to boot -- while his wife languishes in the loony bin). For the sake of his son's marriage, Bill decides he needs to stay away from Margo (even though, neither has acted on their feelings toward each other...yet), but Mike gradually senses there ARE feelings between his dad and his wife, which brings up all the old issues surrounding Laura/Bill/Mickey and Mike's paternity; and on and on. To me, a Margo/Mike/Bill triangle would have been much more satisfying to watch than this bullshit with Mike and Salem's answer to Don Corleone.

Exactly. Don't get me wrong: '80's DAYS could be very hokey and comic book-y at times, but the show still carried a ton of heart and passion and excitement. (ATWT and GL always appealed to my intellect, but DAYS always appealed to my heart. AMC and OLTL? Probably, somewhere between the two). As a viewer, you had the sense that Al Rabin, Shelley Curtis and their writers and directors really CARED about the show and what it meant to its' most loyal viewers. To me, JER, Tom Langan and Stephen Wyman never exhibited the same level of commitment. JER, in particular, often seemed to be making fun of DAYS. He didn't care about its' tapestry of characters, its' history, its' place within the overall soap landscape or in viewers' hearts. He was just looking to play God. I feel like the best person to try and recapture the true spirit of DAYS -- whether we're talking about 2020, or 1979 -- was, and is, Kay Alden. She just seems to be the only scribe who "gets" the Bill Bell style of storytelling, you know? Thank God he did toss it aside, too, because I don't think it would've worked. First of all, I can't see Bill Hayes and Maree Cheatham sharing any sort of romantic or sexual chemistry. Secondly, Marie had had so much bad luck in the romance department (first, the broken engagement to Rick Butler; then, the broken engagement to Tony Merritt; then, the ill-fated marriage to his father, Craig; then, of course, Mark/Tommy), having her make yet another mistake by falling for Doug, who was, at that point, a ne'er-do-well ex-convict, would have made Marie look less like a tragic heroine and more like the biggest fool alive.

Yeah, but it's Mitt Romney. It's kind of like Caligula telling Nero to pump the brakes.

In a way, that's how I feel about the first JER era to the present. I can connect to the Bill Bell/Pat Falken Smith era (that is, what little I've been able to see/read about it) and I can connect to the Pat Falken Smith II/Maggie DePriest/Sheri Anderson/Leah Laiman/Thom Racina era. But, once JER entered the picture, I felt like DAYS had regressed into something I never wanted to see or see again.

I think AMC lost a lot when they let go of scenic designer William Mickley and costume designer Carol Luiken. The two lent such a distinct visual feel to Pine Valley and its' denizens. You really felt like PV was a Main Line town in PA.

Let's put it this way: knowing everything that I know about Cybill Shepherd, it makes it very difficult for me to enjoy "Moonlighting," a show that I LOVED as a kid.

Have I mentioned how much I appreciate these monthly recaps, @beebs? They have REALLY lifted my spirits. Reading these synopses, however, I get the feeling that DAYS was a show in desperate need of new direction. We all can complain from now until doomsday how much the '80's ruined the show with all the run-and-gun stuff, but the truth is, there was no way the show could revert back to the Bell/Falken Smith style of storytelling. The ratings were dropping, and there was really no one around who can do that famous style of storytelling as well as Bell and PFS.

Sorry to hear about your sister, @Taoboi. I'll be praying for you and your family.

Meh. Bish had it coming.

IA, Alex and Marie's backstory is UGLY. I'd be okay with the ill-fated romance and maybe Jessica's conception, but the S&M and the drugs (and the murder/accidental killing)? Elizabeth Harrower, or whichever HW dreamed up that aspect of their past, went entirely too far.

Sorry to hear about your ex, @Vee, and about Richard Schiff and Sheila Kelley, too. Donny Boaz, OTOH.... *shrug*

Honestly, Emily Murphy looks like an SNL cast member.

Agree. If nothing else, Laura's death would have freed up Bill to pursue a real romantic relationship with Kate Winograd.