Her era of Days was the most boring era in the show's entire history!

Dena Higley SUCKED.

I agree.

There's no big explosions or huge action-packed gimmicks happening right now, but the day-to-day interactions and character-driven story is keeping me tuned in. It's not a "heart beating out of your chest" kind of drama -- it's a different kind of enjoyment. Some fans will like it, and other fans won't. I think alot of it has to do with the fact that Days fans aren't used to simple soap like this.

Days, at the moment, is no different than the classic soaps from way back in the day. Characters sitting in their kitchens, driving story through conversation and interaction. Nothing huge... just character-driven story. That's CLASSIC soap opera. With the drama, it's a little dull. But it's far from unwatchable.

That said, they DO need to kick it up a notch. In today's soap world, you need big soap climaxes to keep viewers tuned in and to get the ratings. For survival, they NEED to amp it up. Not necessarily for me, but for themselves. I hate to see them shooting themselves in the foot. Sometimes, you've got to be a sellout, LoL

I agree with both you and Andre. No one is disputing the fact that Days needs to amp it up for ratings but it is classic soap right now. I am happy with what I get but I know some aren't. I do think alot of the frustration is because people have come to accept the Days of JER and everyone who followed. None of that was character-driven (well, maybe C&B but some of that wasn't either). I also think that people are comparing it right now to GH and other soaps that went all out for sweeps. None of the complaining began until a week before sweeps when other soaps kicked things up a bit (GH being the only one that really pushed). Days just had poor timing slowing down because they slowed down at the same time as sweeps. That was a poor decision I admit. However, all the other soaps will go back to normal and Days won't look as bad, unless you are still used to the Days of 1993-2006. It's a different show now. It's real and I think some are having trouble adjusting to that. It's new and they still want what they were getting only now they want it with a better writer. Days can't be compared to other soaps. It has different situations going on. There are budget limitations as far as how much money is available for use. They can't do building explosions or hostage situations on the level of GH. It would be nice but not happening. They can do big events but people can't what GH and other shows do. NBC isn't going to give them what is needed to do that.

Not everyone is going to be happy with Days for different reasons. No show is ever perfect. However, this is the best Days has been quality-wise in a long time and this is the Days many know and love from the 70's and 80's. The only thing messed up is the balance but that will come and can easily be fixed. It will take people time to adjust and, even still, not everyone will like it. It's the way it is. Those that do, great. Others that don't, that's a shame but it's understandable. Everyone has different wants and tastes and we can't all be similar in that regard.

Higley's mercifully brief run as HW most certainly was boring. Not to mention nonsensical, contrived, and just downright idiotic.

Edited February 28, 200718 yr by HoganStays

The only thing Higley did right was Lucas and Sami. She got LUMI and they were wonderful under her pen. No other head writer has yet to get that spark back in my eyes.

Yeah I agree Drew. JER got them too for his first few months. I have yet to see the same spark under Hogan even though I still enjoy them. The scenes where Lucas accepted what Sami did to Kate a few weeks ago were the closest we got to that spark. That gives me hope that we can get that dynamic back.

OK, I'll give Higley that. She did understand and write well for Lumi. But that's it. LoL

She also gave us Rex and Mimi. So the good in Higley's there. You just have to really go back and think about it.

I never really cared much for Rex/Mimi as a couple though, so that didn't really make a difference to me, although I know a lot of fans loved them together.

Yes, fans FLOVED Rex/Mimi. The obsession started on Halloween '02. Rex was the werewolf and Mimi was Jeannie at the Hartley House Halloween party. I remember waiting everyday to see them put together as an actual couple and it took the demon Higley to actually do it.

Rex/Mimi were ok for awhile. I think alot of it was that Mimi was rootable then and she was a supporting player. Higley did ok by them I guess but I did find myself bored with them at times.

Higley was mostly horrible though. The only things she did right were LUMI and she did do some good family stuff here and there with that carnival she had and all. I still remember one of the baby or bridal showers being held at Echelon strip club. Seriously, who has a shower at a strip club?

Higley destroyed Kate, gave us a rushed end to all the tension left by Lexie's actions, the bounty hunter crap, the goop, Tony the mobster, the pathetic earthquake stuff, Philip is all of a sudden an ISA agent, and totally wrecked the Colin Murphy murder story. Nicole was far too predictable and I still don't think she was meant to be the one. So much was a mess.

I would take what we are getting now over any of that crap.

Seriously, the ONLY thing I liked about Higley was the way she wrote Lumi. Other than that, I hated what DAYS was under her.

Great post, Andre.

NOTHING has happened? Steve kidnapped John and Kayla just took out John's liver today!

While the show is not action packed, it's very much watchable. It hasn't been this good in years.

As far as Willow, I love her scenes with Philip. I love their bantering and how Philip hates her but needs her. Jay/Annie play off each other so well.

Well.. I am behind in my watching LOL... But it is still weird considering this storyline is only involving Steve and Kayla. Why aren't Bo and Roman responding to John's MIA? Why is Marlena MIA? This storyline seems very isolated, which sucks. DAYS is an ensemble, and like you said, this is something big, yet it doesn't feel like it. No one else is responding/acting to it except Steve and Kayla. It's their little story with John thrown in the mix (and not even considering we didn't really see him rite?)

DAYS is quality though! Which is awesome... But after so many years is quality like [this] ALONE going to save the show?

I will always praise Higley for being the first writer to have the courage to attempt LUMI as a romantic pairing. Those scenes after Sami went through french doors are some of my all-time favorites.

That being said, her tenure was an utter DISASTER in every other respect. She took over a show that had been creatively strong and a steady ratings performer under B&C and turned it into an insipid mess. I cannot even comment on her "storylines" because she hardly bothered to write any. The show just became a collection of pointless, inane gimmicks (Bope the bounty hunters, J&J 'In the House', "Love is Blind", "The Goop", "The Quake"). There was no structure or vision to any of her writing. It was shocking to see how dramatically the show deteriorated under her tenure. I would still love to know what possessed Corday to axe the relatively successful pairing of B&C in favor of her.

I will always praise Higley for being the first writer to have the courage to attempt LUMI as a romantic pairing. Those scenes after Sami went through french doors are some of my all-time favorites.

That being said, her tenure was an utter DISASTER in every other respect. She took over a show that had been creatively strong and a steady ratings performer under B&C and turned it into an insipid mess. I cannot even comment on her "storylines" because she hardly bothered to write any. The show just became a collection of pointless, inane gimmicks (Bope the bounty hunters, J&J 'In the House', "Love is Blind", "The Goop", "The Quake"). There was no structure or vision to any of her writing. It was shocking to see how dramatically the show deteriorated under her tenure. I would still love to know what possessed Corday to axe the relatively successful pairing of B&C in favor of her.

I agree Ponz. Corday said he axed them due to budget reasons but why not just tell them to cut down on the amount of people in the stories? I just don't get the budget excuse because Days was on a ratings high in 2002. The show was amazing. I just never understood why he demoted them. That was the only period in the last ten years where everyone seemed happy with the show for the most part.

B&C? Fired for budget? Cue: Corday talking out of his...well, you know. What's his actual reason? Dunno. But that certainly wasn't it.