Matt, I think you may be totally onto something with that theory. It fits with the general consensus of Corday's history (remember Reilly was NBC's idea, not his). He's fed up. And it';s about damned time. Too patient, that man.

Despite Corday's shaky track record, I think this is the story that DAYS needs to finally tell.

It is their biggest secret of all-time and it is about time that the show devout a big amount of time (like a summer) to telling this story with all the right characters involved.

I think they should devote the summer to making it seem like they're going to get to the bottom of it ... and then at the end of the summer the characters and audience find out that they're in way over their heads and its going to take a looooot longer. Something of this nature should be used to make like a year-long arc or something, and I think it could be successful if planned wisely and not being made to feel like it's dragged out simply for the sake of being dragged out -- something should always be happening the mystery has to be layered enough so that it's like one layer of the onion coming off every ... oh, say, every sweeps period?

After some people have made certain points, I'm going into this with cautious optimism. This is hardly like every other time. Never before as NBC basically said, sorry Kenny, you're done, we're out of the soap business, it's dying, etc.

ITA, and that's why I can buy that Corday means to do more than just lie to tide us over. I don't believe that he isn't overselling though, overselling is way likely. And like pretty much everyone has agreed on thus far, it's not that he was planning this all along, it's just current spin.

Another theory:

Everyone nows how NBC *loves* to meddle with and screw up their soaps (they've been doing it, literally, for DECADES). IMO, it's entirely conceivable that KR has been making KC jump through hoops in an attempt to keep Days on the air ("listen, if you feature all the youngens and get those young demos up..."). When NBC's plan didn't work and the ratings dropped even lower ("oh, gee, Ken, I'm sorry. It looks like your family's little show is done..."), KC decided to give a big FU to NBC and start doing things his own way (starting with the stories he thinks fans want to see disregarding what NBC thinks fans want to see while also shopping the soap around elsewhere) and this summer is the earliest everything can make it to air. Considering that Feb sweeps just ended and the show tanked, that means that it would take until summer for everything they're working on right now to make it to air.

Just a theory.

Nice theory. I am not one to defend Corday just for the hell of it, but there are so many things that don't make sense if you were to assume that Corday just wants the show to end. If he wanted it to end, why has he kept it on over the past 20 whatever years? If he wants out personally why doesn't he sell? If he just wants to milk it for cash, why would he let it die now? And if he wants it to be a teen scene ... why hasn't he pushed that agenda with all head writers? Basically there was the Langan teen takeover and arguably the current situation, so if that's what Corday wants then why the inconsistency? Plus I don't think Corday has any creative vision anyway, he may have an idea for a stunt casting or two and he probably wants to keep all the favorites he can on the roster because he thinks their presence will be good for ratings (I think his cluelessness about how to run a show is the reason we're still dependent on characters who became popular 20 years ago), regardless of whether or not they have actual good story. My take on the situation is that Days' decline is attributed to too many cooks spoiling the broth, and so I could buy NBC's interference with KC and KC's interference with Hogan as a cascading root of the problem.

In some legal aspect, NBC should be sued by Sony Television for damages if you ask me.

If only!

I'm also curious as to what this can't-miss plot is that will have everyone going "oh my God, they're going to do that?" Is it really so shocking, or is Corday just over-selling it?

Overselling probably but I still want to hope there is something.

That is theory I can see. I just think what happened in January was too sudden to attribute to it being planned or Hogan;s fault. Yes, Hogan had balance issues at ATWT but you don't just go from one extreme to another. The show went from a good balance to focusing on pretty much the same rotation for months. It was almost an overnight change. As I have always said, Hogan's reputation is on the line. He has high expectations to live up to. He wouldn't just make tons of promises and then not keep at least most of them. He has a big mouth and I am sure a big ego and getting trashed as a liar and as destroying Days would be bruises to his ego. Corday also knows the show is in dire straits. He knows the money characters and he saw how much better the ratings were in the Fall with the vets so he wouldn't be stupid enough to experiment like that and just screw with the balance all of a sudden.

Good points also. I just can't see why the hell Hogan would let his reputation suffer, and there was a definite sudden shift accompanied by a lot less noise in the media from Hogan's end ... just makes you wonder how happy he is (I theorize he's not happy much). February sweeps smacks of interference to me. As for Corday ... sigh, we keep coming back to our inability to trust him and in fact make any sense of him. But say he is only motivated by money ... one would think he would do what brings in ratings, and he's seen before the difference vets can make (ie, Langan vs B&C). I don't know whose idea it was to shift generations but by now even Corday should know you can't build (New) Rome in a day, right?

I'm also curious as to what this can't-miss plot is that will have everyone going "oh my God, they're going to do that?" Is it really so shocking, or is Corday just over-selling it?

Maybe it's the much speculated male-on-male rape story.

They're gonna kill off one of the main four. I just know it ....

Ugh.

What is the "OMG" thing turns out to be the coma/dream rumor? I could also totally see them making John Shawn's son as part of the DiMera/Brady hate.

I had a feeling that was true but... it makes no sense! his initials, then, should be "DH." That's why some of us were confused. DDH just makes no sense as his inititals! Unless His middle initial is "D," but who would know that?!

Donald Drake Hogestyn.

Edited April 3, 200718 yr by Pest Spray

I think it could well be Alice's death. The rumors are that Frances is in very poor health and will probably not be able to tape again. This would definitely qualify as an "OMG, they're doing THAT!" story and would explain Doug/Julie returning and getting "major screentime". If this is the plan, I only hope it has Frances's consent.

Then again, Corday is notorious for promising "shocking" and "never before done on Daytime" stories and not delivering. He could well be over-selling some lame gimmick.

Edited April 3, 200718 yr by Ponz

I think they should devote the summer to making it seem like they're going to get to the bottom of it ... and then at the end of the summer the characters and audience find out that they're in way over their heads and its going to take a looooot longer. Something of this nature should be used to make like a year-long arc or something, and I think it could be successful if planned wisely and not being made to feel like it's dragged out simply for the sake of being dragged out -- something should always be happening the mystery has to be layered enough so that it's like one layer of the onion coming off every ... oh, say, every sweeps period?

Oh hell no! Hell-freakin'-no. No.

If we weren't at the point we're at I'd agree with you without hesitation. But we're decades into the stupid feud, and we're well into the latest episode with EJ as the main (um, only) Dimera. If they're gonna do it it needs to proceed at a nice clip, and if they say they're doing it this summer they can't get to the end of it and be all, "yeah, just kidding!" They need to prove, at least to me, that they can provide nice, tight, enjoyable storylines. But part of my problem is that I'm a Passions watcher/follower and have had like 8 years of psych-outs and mindf--ks, so if the good people at Days felt compelled to do that, especially with this long-teased storyline, I would feel nothing but rage.

I wouldn't mind killing off one of the core four. To me, this storyline is their swan song, and one of them (John's the obvious choice, imho) should die a real and permanent death. You can't end a decades-long battle without someone major going down. Also, it's got great potential as a transitional storyline. Depending on how the younger characters are integrated- and they all should be, in some way- you can force viewers to deal with them without forcing them on viewers. Ideally, the best thing to come from this should be the end of the dependency on the core four.

Y'know what, about this OMG thing- I hope TPTB understand that they don't need to shock most of us anymore by doing something never-before-seen or having some ridiculous Twist. I would be more "OMG" about a coherent ending developing from the mess that is the feud, or about a storyline with payoff in a reasonable amount of time where the payoff isn't totally lame or rushed. Really, I've got very basic expectations at this point, and from watching the ratings for & reading reactions to other soaps and their storylines intended to induce OMG I think a lot of people do, too.

px I HEART you.

I heart you too, Ridge.

I love Doug and Julie, but Bill Hayes is in his 80s. Even if they get major screen time, I'm sure it'll be as supporting characters and not the next supercouple.

I'm thinking about John. What if he is Shawn's son? Or what if, as some have proposed, he is the real Roman after all? It would mean huge ramifications for Shawn, Belle, and Claire. LOL!

I've been having a blast viewing new youtube clips of vintage Stefano DiMera. If you're interested, look up "The Concert -- Part 1" through "The Concert -- Part 6" (there may be even more up now). Also, try "Ridgecrest." There is also a clip of the big party where Renee was killed by Andre. Lots of good Tony and Anna stuff, too.

This stuff happened back in the early days when there was no Brady/DiMera feud except for the cat-and-mouse game between Roman and Stefano. DAYS had such awesome characters back then!

I love Doug and Julie and Days desperately needs them since we no longer have a Mickey and Maggie. Shawn/Carolyn just don't cut it and never have IMO. I don't care how long they've been on.

If they were to kill off John... I would thank the soap gods. I loved DH when he first came on. Really loved him when he was working with Marlena to determine his identity and he stole his name off a plaque in the hospital. But they went stale for me years ago, probably because I got tired of the round-robins because Roman left... Roman returned...Marlena left... Roman left. Then another character comes back as Roman and Roman comes back as another character. ::::shakes head::::

But the thing that excites me the most about tptb killing someone off means I get to hear Bill Hayes sing "O Danny Boy." Makes me cry every time.

Overall, Days is a mess and has been since the late 80s. I hope someday, someone can fix it. I'd really like to be back to the point where I rush home to watch every single day.

And Tony and Anna on youtube??? I soooo need to go find that. Now if we could just find some Gloria Loring and Don Diamont!

Edited April 4, 200718 yr by kzinlove06

I thought the plot for the story was well stated. It's the answer to the DiMera/Brady feud and Drake will be at the helm of that storyline. The big four are John and Marlena and Bo and Hope. Those are the couples that Hogan told us would be telling the umbrella story. It sounds exciting as all get outs to me but I hope it isn't the fizzle like Hogan's telling about all the romantic scenes between John and Marlena when he was in a coma and appearing to her in dreams. That happened one time and was the beginning of not seeing either of them for a very long time....Drake especially.

I agree the show has a "plan to save DAYS" every six months. The reason I want to believe it this time and am genuinely sympathetic is this:

In the past, whenever there was "a plan to save DAYS" it involved more disgusting crap written by inbred mutants from deepest darkest Utah, piling on yet more of the same and shock gonzo twists. These days, they are doing their best (IMHO) to write good material with good writers while hamstrung by almost zero budget and a network bent on ending the show. So I support their efforts and I support the show in its current state.

Vee, please. You're giving Reilly too much credit. I can think of much worse words than "inbred mutants" to describe his writing. lol

kzinlove06,

Gloria Loring and Don Diamont are in a couple of the "The Concert" clips.

Chip

OMG Dr Chip!! Thanks for that!! I'm off to find those ASAP!!!

Not that I was a big fan of them, I remember being really pissed that she cheated on her husband..... was it Neil?? But boy do I remember the REAL-LIFE scandle!! Definitely a case of life imitating art.

ETA: I can't thank you enough!! I am soooo going to waste some time there. I found one of Todd's death. There was Mike and Robin (ugh hated her because I loved him with April) and of course Neil and Liz, and then Marlena calls and WHOA it's Roman, uh I mean Chris, with Jen, Melissa and Pete!! Those were the good ol' days.

Edited April 4, 200718 yr by kzinlove06

I, as sad as it is to say, agree with you. It's going to be the death of Alice.

I, as sad as it is to say, agree with you. It's going to be the death of Alice.

I agree. I think Corday's trying to beat NBC to the punch.

Don't get mad, because this is how TV people think, but I initially thought that NBC planned to can the show in 2009 because they had banked on Frances dying just around that time, and what perfect way to justify ending the show than coinciding with the death of its heart and soul, which had been there since the very beginning. It's almost poetic -- and sickening, of course. But that was probably their plan. This way, however, Corday can snatch the rug from NBC's feet and screw 'em over!!! GO, CORDAY!!!