Oh yeah, Langan was intent on a John/Hope pairing, no matter what. This was one exception where the fans were right in being so adamant that story never happened.

I may be one of the few who is HAPPY with the direction they are going in for Shawn. Yes, he's being stupid, stubborn and naive - but he's young. He's never had the chance to grow as a character. He's still a kid - who happens to have a kid. So, Hogan is taking him to the extreme as far as downfalls go. He's using all the clashing Reilly set up for no reason with Bo to propel stupid decisions that Bo can try to prevent, but Shawn wouldn't listen to his father, would he? It's classic. He thinks he knows everything, and with his Dad unable to be complete straight forward, Shawn has no reason to trust him, or his gut feeling (no matter how many times its been right). Great stuff.

Stephanie was out of line, to an extent. How is Kayla being contaminated and being allergic to the miracle drug his fault? It's hardly his fault that EJ is after the Bradys. In fact, it could be her fault, partially, for all we know. That said, she did say things that Steve needed to hear, but her lead in just made NO sense. I hope Stephanie listened, too, though, because if she can't see that he cares, she's as stupid, stubborn, and naive as her cousin.

I had a problem with Marlena's dialogue about John's past. We know, to some extent, who he was before he was John Black. Seems that Hogan wants to completely forget about that, and I don't know if I'm prepared to accept that.

Hope's expression when Steve asked her that favor? I just about died. She's baaaaaaaaaaack!

John's a copper again - I couldn't be happier. I'm so glad Basic Black is over and done for the interim. I never want to see John at the helm again. He's not a business man at heart. He's just not. He can hand it over to Belle when she's ready, but until then, I'm prepared to never see it again (though, I could see Kate going back after stuff goes down with EJ - who knows?).

I'm seriously considering going spoiler free again.

I love that they seem to be ignoring the horrid rewriting Langan did on John's past. I hated what Langan did. They do know, but it is somewhat true that they didn't look back at/for/to people the way that the Steve/Kayla situation is. He didn't search for people, he searched for answers to what he did.

Stephanie was out of line, to an extent. How is Kayla being contaminated and being allergic to the miracle drug his fault? It's hardly his fault that EJ is after the Bradys. In fact, it could be her fault, partially, for all we know. That said, she did say things that Steve needed to hear, but her lead in just made NO sense. I hope Stephanie listened, too, though, because if she can't see that he cares, she's as stupid, stubborn, and naive as her cousin.

I think Stephanie suffers a bit from having unrealistic expectations of Steve. She grew up with this no doubt romanticized, almost mythic version of Steve from Kayla -- a man who loved his wife and his daughter more than his own life, who fought off every bad guy that threatened his family, someone who never gave up, a man who fought to protect his friends when they were in trouble, who never let Kayla give up (after the lab explosion, after her rape, after she lost her hearing), someone who fought for the ones he loved all the way to the end, when it cost him his life. And how this mythic hero from her childhood has returned from the dead, and he doesn't remember the people he loved (and isn't really trying to remember), and he's this mostly passive shadow of the man she heard so many stories about. Kayla is lying there dying, and he's not fighting for her. He's basically sitting there, unsure of what to do. It has to be jarring for her.

That's not to say I don't feel for Steve in this situation. (That would be impossible with all the nuance SN is putting into his performances). I'm just saying I understand why a teenage girl would find it upsetting.

One thing I forgot to mention about yesterday is how thrilled I am that they seem to have remembered the Hope/Steve friendship. Hope and Steve were always wonderful together and have such amazing chemistry. They understood each other on a fundamental level and always managed to have such an intimacy with each other without it being sexual. More please!!

I agree GBB, but it still was a bad lead in, IMO. It seems a little off, time wise, too. She's had four months now to stew over this. I know we can blame that on transition, but I think the time has passed for that kind of blow up from Steph, so it made no sense to me, in the context. Still good stuff, though.

And I see where you're coming from, Pest Spray, but I feel like they've toyed with John's past so much, I just want something solid to hold onto, damn it

I agree GBB, but it still was a bad lead in, IMO. It seems a little off, time wise, too. She's had four months now to stew over this. I know we can blame that on transition, but I think the time has passed for that kind of blow up from Steph, so it made no sense to me, in the context. Still good stuff, though.

The timing works for me because this is the first time since Steve's return that she's seen her parents facing a life-or-death situation. Given the stories she's heard about him, it makes sense that she would expect him to pull of something heroic to bring Kayla back from the edge as he did so many times before. That having been said, I agree that the intro to the argument ("this is all your fault!") didn't do Stephanie any favors in terms of winning over fans. Still, I think the last half was pretty solid and mostly what Steve needed to hear.

Keith, I do too. But I want it to be what they started with. I hated that they changed everything about it during Langan. I loved that version. John was a priest his whole life, never been with anyone, never was an art theif, Marlena was his first... in everything. The first person [he could remember] to give him a foundation, the first person to love him unconditionally, the first person to give him a sense of belonging in the world. Like he said in his proposal, she gave him everything. Love, friendship, family. Everything he could possibly need. Langan decided that he wanted to pair Hogestyn with Alfonso in any way he could, so he changed that story (thus changing so many things, Maison Blanche aftermath, Possession, the Pawn) even though fans despised it.

I want that to stay true, because I want them to find out that they knew each other before they both came to Salem. It would make sense of so many things.

Glad we understand each other, GBB

Keith, I do too. But I want it to be what they started with. I hated that they changed everything about it during Langan. I loved that version. John was a priest his whole life, never been with anyone, never was an art theif, Marlena was his first... in everything. The first person [he could remember] to give him a foundation, the first person to love him unconditionally, the first person to give him a sense of belonging in the world. Like he said in his proposal, she gave him everything. Love, friendship, family. Everything he could possibly need. Langan decided that he wanted to pair Hogestyn with Alfonso in any way he could, so he changed that story (thus changing so many things, Maison Blanche aftermath, Possession, the Pawn) even though fans despised it.

I want that to stay true, because I want them to find out that they knew each other before they both came to Salem. It would make sense of so many things.

So Langan was the one who screwed up all of John's past.

Now I know who to blame.