Would you want someone who doesn't have money to support himself, let alone a child bring your baby daughter to a motel where she'll be staying with an ex-hooker her father sometimes has emotionless sex with? Shawn can't take of himself right now, naturally he can't take care of his child either.

I caught the first half of today's eppy after not seeing the show properly for a loooooooong time and was very impressed.

Billie and Chelsea's interaction was great and the actress who plays Chelsea has a real star quality to her. She's very OC-esque. Mimi and Bonnie's parallel mother/daughter interaction was also good. It didn't have the OTT expositional dialogue that it would have had under JER. Sure Bonnie still interferes but there's more subtext to her motivation.

I also noticed characters are moving around within the episode a lot more. Every scene is beginning to have a purpose unlike the bad old days. I'm still not sure I'll get hooked into watching all that regularly but it's light years better than last year.

On a shallower note, the new Shawn is so [!@#$%^&*] hot, but he's got a different look and vibe about him. He's not cardboard cut out pretty and can act.

Well, Days has gotten big numbers for reveals like Carrie/Sami in the past but it didn't get it this time because no one really cared for that story. I mean he couldn't really do much with that since by the time he took over people just wanted to move past it, especially Hogan since it's not his story.

Not true.

Right now, I'm not even interested in ratings. I know they are a major thing with NBC, but I'm enjoying the honest to God good storytelling from Hogan. We don't need some stupid gimmick. That's what JER was known for. The ratings would go up for 2 or 3 weeks and then they would be right back down where they started.

Well, you might not be interested in the ratings, but the ratings are the big picture here.

Also, notice I said "no gimmicks." Big events doesn't need to spell gimmick. A big reveal or a big wedding would have done the trick.

Exactly! I want something like Greta's Coronation, the Salem Bombings, when half of Salem was on an airplane and about to crash years back, just a huge event. I don't care if people call it stunts or gimmicks, but when a show is on year around sometimes HUGE events are needed and DAYS needs one NOW! DAYS is very good right now, but its kinda ho hum and boring as all get out as well.

Word, Kirk. Word. We're on the same level, per usual.

As a long time watcher of Days, I'm really enjoying the sense of family again. I think that was conveyed nicely today with the conversations between Bo and Shawn, Caroline and Mimi and Bille/Chelsea (who broke my heart a little today when she was talking about her yearning to be part of a close family--although she was probably saying it mostly to manipulate her mom). There's definitely a feeling of connection between all the Salem residents that has been missing for a long time. The Days I have loved since I was a little girl is coming back! But I also agree with King and others--we need a big event soon to jack up the excitement level.

Big weddings don't necessarily mean more people will watch? I for one did not watch the Lucas and Carrie wedding. From what I read about it in the summer, it was pretty big event. Now, had that wedding been Bo and Hope's or Steve and Kayla's, I'm sure it would've been a different story.

Give Hogan time. You can't expect him to knock the ratings out of the park in the first month he is here. That's what JER did and look what happend come February. We were rooting Reilly on from August-February and then the story started dying never picking up the same pace and the hatred started. Damned if you will, damned if you won't.

Right, Pest. Belle is the mother of CLAIRE. She is not Shawn's mother. And what Shawn does with his life is his business, as long as he is there for Claire. Belle doesn't want Shawn to take care of Claire. She wants him to take care of HER and Claire. To her, they come as a package deal and I hope Shawn doesn't fall for it.

Exactly! Playing the Claire card is really very tacky of Belle.

I just can't take Willio seriously, the acting is just bad. Her eyes and how she makes strange faces makes me laugh.

I don't blame Belle for wanting Shawn to get his act together. He can't expect to raise his daughter in a seedy motel room he's sharing with a hooker while he's unemployed and homeless. Belle asking him to get his life in order before trying to mold and nurture a helpless infant is not that much to ask for.

Right, Pest. Belle is the mother of CLAIRE. She is not Shawn's mother. And what Shawn does with his life is his business, as long as he is there for Claire. Belle doesn't want Shawn to take care of Claire. She wants him to take care of HER and Claire. To her, they come as a package deal and I hope Shawn doesn't fall for it.

THIS cannot be a surprise to anyone. Belle has always thought they were a PACKAGE.

Remember her little talk to Claire in the hospital?

" Shawn won't fight for US."

US.

She believed she owned Shawn when she found out about the mixed up embryos. When it came out about Claire, she had no problems transferring that to her.

In her mind they are a package deal.

She'll pimp that kid like nobody's business.

I'm glad Belle !@#$%^&*]ed out Willow. This girl has only banged Shawn for three weeks now? She has no entitlement to comment on Belle or her relationship with Shawn. She's thinking about her daughter, and finds her father living with and sleeping with a hooker? Belle has every right to be angry.

Belle may be thinking about Claire having a "good father" in her term, but she is more about her getting back with Shawn than anything. Classic Belle, all about her.

I thought there was a lot of good stuff in today's episode. There is so much improvement from when JER was writing the show. Bo/Shawn's conversation with Chelsea watching from behind the door wishing that she had the same relationship with her dad. Mimi/Caroline's conversation and Mimi promising to try to not lie for a whole week. Hope being civil to Billie, and Belle demanding that Shawn be a responsible dad to Claire. Yes Belle would like Shawn back, but it is not unreasonable for her to tell Shawn to get his act together before he can be a dad to Claire. I guess some people on here wouldn't demand that for their childs father. It wasn't a heart stopping episode, but it was enjoyable. I died laughing when Bonnie made the comments about Shawn and Caroline!!

Belle has a right to yell and scream. Shawn is her kid's father and he is threatening to sue her for custody if he doesn't get to see Claire when all he does is hang out with a hooker because she "makes him feel good." Not only that but he has lost his job, is homeless, is driving cars through buildings, and nearly killed himself whole having a good old time with Willow. Belle has no right to control him but he came to her and demanded to see Claire so he started it with her. Belle was a little overboard but he has done nothing until this point to indicate he wanted to be a father to Claire and now he wants to be and is threatening her. I was happy Willow called her on being "Miss Perfect" but Willow needs to understand too that Shawn has a family and a child and needs to be there for them. Willow is acting like they are closer then friends and they are not despite their relations. Belle being over the top is arguable but saying she has no right to come down on Willow or to call Shawn out is ridiculous considering he threatened her and said he wanted to be a father. If he wants to be a father he needs to act like it and that is what Belle was saying.

As for Days doing something huge, they did that over the summer with the Austin/Sami wedding and got nothing. Sami weddings always get a number yet it didn't this time. There was weather issues and labor day weekend but the episode of the wedding did not do as good a number as usual.

The reveal of Claire was big and so was J&J's farewell episode. Those did nothing for the ratings. Since August, DAYS's only big week in the ratings was Hogan's first full week which dealt with Lucas confessing his love to Sami, John finding Marlena, Steve remembering Stephanie, and Philip leaving. I like big events and I do think Days should do one to get attention but story movement alone can drive numbers. Last week Days went down because there was a large focus on Shawn/Willow and there was not alot of movement in any of the stories until Friday of that week when then gloved hand was revealed. Drew is right about one thing-people are looking for these big events but they aren't needed at this moment. Hogan has been here like 4 weeks so give the man time. If story moves, numbers will come. Events are great but they often drive numbers up short term if at all. Story movement can make a show hold on to its numbers more consistently. November sounds good on paper and if there is as much story movement as those previews suggest, Days will pull in a good number.

I think pulling out a big event at the holidays would be great because people are home and it's not sweeps so you don't have to worry about the other soaps stealing your thunder all too much. Things need to happen most days and stories have to move and those will slowly rebuild ratings. Jumping up with a huge gain will do nothing but a slow build is more likely to hold up and story movement will give you that as Hogan's first week showed.

DAYS is good right now, but it's boring. A good boring. But boring nonetheless. It needs something.

But for the first time in years, DAYS feels like an actual soap opera. Soaps are boring some times. Most non-Y&R fans feel that the show is so boring. I'm a Y&R fan and there are times when I'm just like, "God, nothing is happening!" But you have to realize that soaps like Y&R, ATWT, GL are boring because they write realistically. You feel like you're watching someone's actual life rather than fiction. Big events and drastic tragedies and adventures do not happen on a normal basis.

I'm willing to watch a boring DAYS build up to a great DAYS rather than watch an unrealistic DAYS any day.

I'm glad Belle [!@#$%^&*]ed out Willow. This girl has only banged Shawn for three weeks now? She has no entitlement to comment on Belle or her relationship with Shawn. She's thinking about her daughter, and finds her father living with and sleeping with a hooker? Belle has every right to be angry.

She absolutely does because Belle opened that door. Belle is the one who had no business talking to Willow at all because she is not her issue, but Shawn's issue. Beat her over the head Willow. It's time she learns that daddy's money doesn't give way to bullying anyone.