DAYS- Steve and Kayla

[Ponz]

Great post, BJ! The problem of scenes being too isolated is a very relevant one, IMO. Another poster (not sure if it was in this thread) made the point that Hogan's romantic scenes tend to be thrown in as filler material rather than given a distinct place within his stories. The latter is needed to keep people tuning in on a consistent basis.

As much as a tacky Steve/Kayla/Jack triangle would have been right up JER's ally, I seriously doubt Reilly had any story planned for Jack sans Jennifer. The guy HATED Matt/Jack and couldn't wait to write him off. If JER hadn't been fired, it's more likely Jack would have just died and Jennifer would have left town with Frankie.

[billyjill]

Yes, romance as mere filler is not going to cut it on Days. I think people underestimate couples fans' taste when they assume all they want is trite flowers'n'candy fare. They want the relationship to be the driving throughline of the story, whether a couple is getting together, working out issues, falling apart, etc, they just need to pick plots that accent the characters and their relationships. There -- clearly! -- needs to be action to get our attention but what people end up really investing in is the emotional subtext of the plots. You need both plot and characters/relationship to make this soap work, I truly feel, and I have a hard time grasping why nobody seems to do be able to pull it off.

If Missy had stayed on (and we know they were trying to get her to) then I could see them going on with the triangle, you would have had Steve/Kayla/Jack up along side Frankie/Jennifer (for however long they could've kept BW and MR into it). I don't think JER would've felt any compunction at how sick the triangle would've been, and on the S/K side he would've preferred an overt triangle over the potential drama of Steve's amnesia. I could see him keeping Matt around to be the jerk of the triangle and then killing him off as soon as it was over.

[DrewH]

How do you know Reilly hated Matt? Reilly doesn't even know the actors. He refuses to meet the actors because he only wants to envision them as his characters. He may not be fond of writing for Jack, but I hate when the accusation goes out that he hates Ashford. It's ludicrous.

[ANDREA LOATHES REILLY]

I'm not feeling them this time around either. Patch just looks so filthy.

You'd think after all these years, he would have cleaned up by now. That look is so old. The man had no memory, but he knew enough to consistently look like a vagrant?

It's time for change. I am not even sure why Kayla would even want him now.

Andrea

[DrewH]

[Terpsichore]

Personally I never thought they were all that back in the 80s. Kayla was always sort of just there, nothing very interesting about her. It's even worse now. It's distracting to watch MaryBeth Evans because she is always biting her lip or sucking on it and bouncing around like she needs to find a bathroom. S&K don't impress me one bit.

[RionPassions]

If Patch shaved his facial hair and grew his hair out a bit, and Kayla went curly again, I think it would go a long way in helping Patch and Kayla recapture some of that magic. They need to look more like their classic selves.

[Terpsichore]

I'm not sure why you think they HAD to come back at some point. I can think of a lot of character that should come back, but I don't see it ever happening. I think 16 years is way too long a period of time to let a couple be nonexistent on a soap. I would love if Eugene and Caliope could come back but unless the writing was great and the actors could pick up where they left off as far as rapport and chemistry, I wouldn't expect them to be a big hit upon returning. I just think they waited to long to bring back S&K, and no amount of airtime now is going to revitalize them.

[bleu]

Personally, I love Steve, but Kayla is like watching paint dry. I think MBE is great, but the character is boring. And I'm beyond sick of the psychotic breaks Steve is having. Enough already.

I'd much rather see Patch and Jack share scenes instead of Kayla, but that's just me.

[KevC1980]

I think the amnesia thing and lack of direction really hurt steve and kayla's return..but i'm enjoying them now...Both are powerhouses and are great talent for the show come emmy season, as they've worked on many other shows....My only complaint is i would like bo, hope, john, and marlena more involved in the steve story...

[mlynnd]

While I see tremendous chemistry between Stephen Nichols and Mary Beth Evans, I understand that they don't/won't appeal to everyone. John and Marlena aren't my cup of tea, and I've never seen what everyone else sees in Jack and Jennifer. So, I will not waste my time trying to convince others how great this couple is -- that's my opinion and won't be shared by everyone.

What I will argue is the talent of these two actors. When I came back to DAYS after a 14-year hiatus, I was blown away by how bad it was. And I'm not just talking about the writing. Some of the acting was just downright awful. I really couldn't decide if it had always been that bad and I just didn't know any better when I was younger, or if indeed it had deteriorated over time. I know now that I was used to the talent of SN and MBE -- they are by far the best actors on this show. You may not like their storyline, them as a couple or even their characters, but I can't see how anyone could deny their talent.

I'll add that the overall acting on the show has improved tremendously since June -- I think in part to the bar that has been raised by SN and MBE. Actors like Rachel Melvin and James Scott can really bring it too. And, some actors that weren't really doing it for me back in June, are really rockin' now -- PR and KA, to name just a few.

[daysfan]

They had to come back, and if this had not happened they did not have to come back, because of what happened after Steve's funeral with his coffin. It was just too open-ended, especially with Steve and Kayla, to just forget. Now if some compare it to John's identity which I could see happening that is different. I think that should be put to rest once and for all and do not want it to be left open ended but I could see where some are coming from with that because it has gone through so many holes the story just gets irritating. But with S&K, it was totally different because 1. It has not had so mahy different stories and 2. They were so popular it would be an insult to all those fans out there that held out hope Steve might be alive and reunite with Kayla one day.

[aMLCproduction]

i feel the same way. its like another bo and hope or John and Marlena I really like Steve. I love his actions and dialouge. But Kayla is so passive, so whiny, I wish she would get more of a back bone. Days has really been intenseless lately I also been FF through John and Marlena and some times scenes with belle in them everything is so predicatble right now

[MikeGoldy]

I don't know what it is; I truly loved them back in the day. And I loved Nichols on General Hospital, and Mary Beth on GH and ATWT. But it just isn't working; the story is off somehow. I finally watched all of their scenes from last week, and although the writing was good, the acting just wasn't there. Sometimes I think that although the writing has improved tremendously, the set design is off, the music is off, it's all off! lol As a longtime fan, I'm glad Steve and Kayla are back. but to say they are the best actors on the show, that's a stretch!

[Terpsichore]

Are you serious? Acting can be seen as just as subjective as whether you like a certain couple or not.

MBE and SN have raised the bar on the acting on Days? You have got to be kidding me. Have either of them won an emmy? If they are such great actors why haven't they ever been snatched up by movie producers? I really don't see how they are any better than any of the other SOAP OPERA ACTORS on Days. I think this is the kind of attitude from some S&K fans that turns me off. If I don't like them, then I'm delusional and need to watch the old school S&K 'cause I can't possbly know what I've been missing (even though I was watching back then), or I'm suppose to be so impressed with their acting that I have to at least give them credit for that