DAYS Jack Spoiler: Further proof JER hates Matt Ashford

[Evan]

Jack attempts suicide on at least one occasion

We know Reilly dislikes Matt Ashford, didn't want to rehire him last year, but isn't the vendetta getting ridiculous? Jack/Jen have one of the biggest longtime DAYS fanbases, and yet JER treats them like crap!

I know Ashford will act his butt off doing these scenes, but surely an actor of his talents deserves something better?

I wish JER would [!@#$%^&*] off back to PASSIONS.

[KLN]

Actually, as contrived as this whole story is, these could make for some good scenes.

Jack believes he's going to die anyway. He thinks he has a disease that will not get better, ever. So, by killing himself, he's simply getting it over with so that he won't have to keep living with that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach anymore. He knows it's coming... why delay? LoL

[KMan101]

Wow.

*IF* played right, this could be really powerful.

Of course, with Reilly, it's probably just "shock factor".

And frankly, I don't think Reilly hates Ashford. Reilly wants what Reilly wants when Reilly wants it. He's always had trouble writing Jack. But when Reilly has nailed Jack, he REALLY nailed him, and even J&J-ers agree with that.

[Hartless]

Reilly hates Jack?

I think this sounds realistic, but stupid on Jack's part too. Just another reason for Jen to go straight for Frankie (I'm evil I know)

[darraholic]

I'm with ya. I'm not a huge Jack & Jennifer fan. I always thought Jack & Sami would be a hoot or Jack and Greta. And I think Jennifer & Frankie have chemistry. Anyways, I like anything that gives J&J a storyline because both Matthew & Missy are great actors.

[David_Vickers]

Was a big Jack fan, but this storyline has now got me rooting for Jennifer & Frankie and hoping that Jack dies from his mystery disease.

[pranji]

Oh, yeah. I didn't buy the rumors before, but I do now. If JER wanted Jack/Ashford around, he wouldn't have killed him off during the SK storyline so I wouldn't be surprised if Jack is killed again, and Ashford fired again because Reilly has issues.

I don't buy the "he always had trouble writing Jack" excuse. How is he different for every other character he's mangled? None, that I can see.

Oh, and this storyline is dangerously close to being in tedious territory with me. It's about to join most of the other storylines on the show in annoying the hell out of me. The story was bad to begin with, and the performances were the only thing saving it, but that's about to run its course with me. Jack trying to kill himself just seems to me to be beating a dead horse.

[Actor87]

JER, quit smokin' crack. We all know you hate Matt but really!!........suicide storyline??? A little too far dontcha think?

[Mr. Brightside]

Honestly a potential suicide storyline could work very well with any soap given the right actor and writer. Unfortunately the writer sucks too much. And you are right, only for shock value.

[DrewH]

IMO, Reilly doesn't hate Matthew Ashford. As for people saying that Reilly fired Ashford during the SSK storyline and then didn't want to rehire him after the killings turned out to be fake, that is not true at all. Reilly is the head writer. He has no control on who is hired or fired. Ken Corday does the casting decisions. As head writer, Reilly proposes an idea, it may be that a character will be killed off. The executive producer (Corday) must give the okay and go ahead and fire that actor.

I just can't see how the rumor that Reilly hates Matthew Ashford came about. Reilly wasn't even writing for DAYS when Ashford left the first time. And if he was, it was under Shari Anderson's guidance. Once JER took total control of the writing in '93, he decided to bring the character of Jack back. I assume Ashford was not available so they hired Mark Valley. JER didn't even get the chance to work with Matthew Ashford until his second time around at DAYS in '03.

To say that a head writer hates a specific actor is ludicrus. From what I hear, Reilly doesn't even talk to the actors, themselves. He wants to always remember the character instead of the actor. There would be no basis for hatred. If you believe that Reilly hates Ashford, do you also believe that he hates James Reynolds? What about Suzanne Rogers? Peggy McCay? Josh Taylor? What about dear old Frances Reid? Reilly doesn't hate an actor just because he writes off the character. It is called STORY-TELLING.

You have to understand Reilly's way of writing. He writes the journey to romance FAR better than he writes for the actual romance. Once the couple is happy, things tend to get boring. Look at John and Marlena as the perfect example. J&M lit up the screens in the 90's. Were they together as a couple? No! It was their journey to come together, be one with each other that the fans loved. Bo and Hope can be thought of in the same way. Hope was taken away, but broughten back under the name 'Gina'. Bo and Hope fans loved 'Gina' finally remembering her life as Hope. They stuck by the couple through the age of Billie, just to see if they would make it in the end.

During the late 80s-early 90s, Jack and Jennifer were written in a different way. The head writers during those years, wrote differently than JER writes. These are the J&J stories that fans fell in love with. They loved seeing their favorite couple together, just because every head writer wrote Jack and Jennifer together in love. No one dared to tear the couple a part. JER is only writing this story in a different sense. Jack and Jennifer's journey will be a long one. I'll give you that. But once they build their way back to being a happy couple, those months before the ending of the story will be on fire!

I predict good things for Jack and Jennifer Deveraux, even under the influence of JER.

[sungrey]

I think there are several explanations. I maintain someone at NBC got cold feet and told Corday to bring the actors back (too much of a coincidence that they were all available, and besides one of the actors could have told the show to go shove it... which is basically what Grant Aleksander did with GL).

I don't think they will go so far as to actually off Jack again... that'd be like throwing a stick of dynamite into a fireworks factory with these viewers...

Love of Life did a similar story to this in the late 1970s, where the main character's blood disorder turned out not to be terminal... we'll see how this turns out, I guess.

[Ridge]

OMG, a suicide scene! This is going to be brillaint, probably the most serious Jack scene EVER. So... I also don't see the Jack hate. This will be good drama IMO.

[Toups]

Wow, of course ITA with this. Reilly writers for the characters, not the actors.

Oh, in 1993, Matt Ashford did leave under Reilly's reign. I truly believe if Matt was available (he was on GH), he would've been back as Jack. Reilly made Jack leave because he wanted to set up Jen/Peter and then bring Jack back.

[Wendy]

Right, a "sexier" non-MA Jack. I STILL remember Reilly's quote/dig at MA's Jack when he was gone, about him talking to a plant and how he ADMITTED he never got Jack's appeal. Probably because MA was not just a pretty boy and could act. Mark Valley COULD act. I will give the man that much, especially as he seems to have done very well for himself on ER and BL, etc.

But he was NOT Jack. Jack was just another hunky hero, stripped of his demons and layers under Reilly.

And while Corday may be the one to make casting decisions, I do not doubt for one second that Reilly has input and makes his feelings clear.

IMHO, JER hated MA's Jack in '93, hates MA's Jack now, and he brought Frankie back in an attempt to "rid" Days of Jack once more, hopefully without viewer fuss with Frankie to soften the blow/hide the motive.

[irish secra]

Well, as a Matt Ashford fan, I can honestly say after the SSK storyline and this new "jack is dying of a mystery disease storyline", I have zero interest in watching the character of Jack try to attempt suicide.

First of all, it is too darn dark and really really sick. Jack has always been a fighter - I can see him accept his upcoming death, I can't see him trying to hasten his death. If JER wants break up Jack/Jenn and put Jenn with Frankie, can't he use a story that is not a complete character assasination of the Jack character.

Plus, playing a suicide story during the holiday season is just really really bad. I certainly don't want to see Jack try to off himself while eating my holiday turkey!

On the positive side, however, I will say that JER finally gets that Matt can play more than just comedy - he can play drama well. I was told by someone in the know a long time ago that JER had watched Matt's portrayal of a serial killer on OLTL and was blown away by his dramatic ability. At least, what little story JER has given Matt since his return, has allowed him to show his dramatic talents.