Days: Friday November 23rd

[MikeGoldy]

Yep, and I would love to see the Stefano-Marlena dynamic anchor the show in the new year. I feel like THIS is why John was killed off, and ultimately, why it made sense storywise. Mascolo and Hall work so well together

[Angela]

That was a really, really good episode on a day that DAYS could tempt some other-soaps watchers over.

The scene where Marlena threatened Stefano - that was great. I'm a little scared of Marlena. I'm a little scared of Stefano, as well - he's pissed.

The montage with the song and the Doug voice-over was really good.

I like the S/B/P triangle, from what I saw today. It doesn't seem one-sided.

[Soapsuds]

I watched...no other soap was on today. I agree with most of what you said except for the triangle. Belle was all hot for Shawn when RW cast member played Phillip. Now that original Phillip is back. She has the hots for him. The story doesnt really make me all good inside..lol. Too bad this show was shown when some wont be watching. It should have started off the week on Monday. JMO of course.

[Pest Spray]

Wow, it's awesome how everyone's a little scared of Marlena and loving Stef vs Marlena.

Damn, I wanna see it now. NOW!

[Ryan]

That's not necessarily true Ron. Belle loved Kyle Brandt's Phillip, just like she loved Shawn. Belle & Phillip had no real closure to their marriage. He found out Claire wasn't his and he left. Belle never got over her feelings for him. She wanted Shawn, but he was with Mimi. She wanted Shawn, but he was with Willow. Just because she wanted Shawn didn't mean she didn't have feelings for Phillip. The story makes sense because as I said, there was no real closure.

Belle and Shawn sorta came together during their time fleeing from Phillip, but there are many issues between them. There's a history between these three that's complicated and it makes for good tv. JMO of course.

[Angela]

Yes, less overall viewers watched today BUT my opinion is you probably had various soap viewers watching today. You have a good bunch of people on vacation, including DAYS fans, but you also had some AMC, Y&R, OLTL, ATWT watchers catching the only soap that was on that day. It was a good episode to represent and potentially attract those viewers with.

And yeah what Ryan said about P/B/S. I'm just judging it from what I saw today and some stuff I saw with B/P in the past. I think that Belle loved Philip and could have fallen in love with Philip back in the day, I don't think it was black and white as Shawn was the one and Philip didn't stand a chance.

[maconrich]

I can see people who watch other soaps tuning in -- Days has been up against Y&R for years here in the south, and I've wondered if switching the time might help the show. Y&R is pretty stiff competition based on ratings anyway.

Days did a great job leading up to the wedding, and I loved the pauses and gasps - totally loved the WTF look on Sami's face. The actual wedding was nice, and I liked the fact it was done at Bo/Hope's house (guess I'm tired of the church weddings and it's nice to have more variety like they used to have).

Doug was very touching and the montage was awesome - I love those and this one was very well done. It was too bad that Bo couldn't be there - but PR was where he needed to be And geesh, Hope needs to go back to work - might get her focused on other things.

I wonder if lucas and Sami went to the wedding in separate cars? - I'm not sure it matters since they had plenty of time to talk about the baby's name. Having her find out when he made the announcement was low and emotional blackmail can turn into GTF out of my life very easily... meaning I didn't mind lucas today (plus his scenes seemed shorter than they've been lately, and he didn't get to talk as much).

Marlena... she was acting off before the wedding, but showing up at the mansion was a shocker and her behavior was bizarre. I've read a lot of messages where posters are saying things like this is the "real" Marlena, but I didn't get that impression at all. Maybe she was like this during some past storylines, but that wasn't the norm. The scenes with her and Stefano were eerie to say the least, and I can see viewers watching again just for this storyline (and I'm sure I'll keep watching too). My concern is more what happens when the storyline is done... but she did mention knowing the ins and outs of an insanity plea to Hope. This should be good and it sure started out good!

The episode reminded me a lot of "old Days" and I enjoyed it. It's wasn't edge of the seat adventure or passion - but a nice character and family driven show. Days does need more of this, but I love the exciting storylines, too - and Marlena and Stefano provided that aspect for sure.

OT but DOOL related - how many co-headwriters does Days now have?? And when I read that Cohen was gone I came real close to crying...

[KevC1980]

Absolutely Perfect...those are two words that can describe this episode..This truly was a gem...I'm a spoiler addict and i was still on the edge of my seat during the wedding..Especially when Belle said "I can't do this"...

There were so many little moments that just made this episode a joy to watch...

-The show opening on Marlena reading the invitation, letting the audience know we would be seeing a wedding today..

-Chelsea apologizing to Shawn about Zack not being there (nice seeing them interact)

-Lucas naming his daughter Alice Caroline Horton (love it)

-Doug/Julie/Maggie (loved seeing them all),

-Abe/Lexie at the wedding (it was nice seeing them at there)

-the oohhs and awws when Claire came down the isle

-Shawn wearing Phillip's watch, which reminded Belle of her feelings for Phillip

-Shawn and Belles' beautiful vows (loved Belle mentioning her father)

- Mentions of the Purity Rings, their first kiss on the island, and Alice's ruby..

- Billie's i'm fabulous speech (i just adore Julie Pinson)

- Doug's speech/the montage/and "Ill Be" as their first dance song

- Maggie and Julie holding the twins, so Lumi could dance...(loved the angst today)

- the fact that we got a wedding that wasn't at St. Lukes (if just to mix it up a bit)

- Steve congratulating Shelle

- Hope listening to Phillip's voicemail..(wow i had no idea that was supposed to happen)..excellent cliffhanger...

And finally those Stefano and Marlena scenes..Absolutely incredible..Deidre Hall was back with a freaking vengeance today...You can tell she's loving this material...This revenge story is a masterpiece in the making with Deidre and Joseph..they really play off each other so well...And the dialog was wonderful, as was Marlena whispering in Stefano's ear that he created a killer..Also Stefano calling Marlena a witch as she walked away was priceless..It just shows that Marlena still gets to Stefano..

Thanks to everyone involved in making this episode.. I'm planning on buying it on Itunes to be able to save it to my computer..And Hogan and Ed Scott please keep up the great work.. If you continue to give us gem's like today and i'll be a happy soap fan..

[Vanguardian]

Ya know, I don't get this turnaround with Belle either. It seems like the change in actors created the about face for Belle. Back when she was with Kyle Brandt's version of Phillip all she could think about was getting into the pants of Jason Cook's AND Brandon Beemer's versions of Shawn. Now original Phillip is back and she's suddenly so hot for him now? Belle may have loved Phillip but she, as well as the audience, knew it wasn't even close to being the same kind of love she had for Shawn. It's all so backwards and silly.

[KathyC]

I loved everything about it except that the wedding took place, LOL! Belle should NOT be marrying Shawn.

But I loved Marlena reading the invitation. That let everyone who tuned in who's not a regular viewer know that something unusual was happening that day. Her being angry with John for not being there made sense. She's more than sad now. She's angry. It's a fire burning in her and Stefano's going to get scorched.

I loved Marlena and Hope and Sami there while Belle was getting ready, and Marlena's gift of the purity rings. She didn't know it, but she was twisting the knife of guilt in POOR Belle. (Cheater! Cheater! No good hussy! <g>)

I loved the moment between Shawn and Chelsea. They get so few and there's understandably been so much anger between them, but this was Thanksgiving and a wedding. A time for new starts.

Kayla helping Steve get ready, fiddling with his tie...I liked that. Such a nice vibe between those two. They're great to watch. I have loved Kayla's mother/daughter stuff with Stephanie and her talks with Steve this whole week.

Hope...Well, she was watching, wasn't she? And she KNEW something was up. Not hard to figure. Belle's been lying like crazy lately. Hope wants so much for Belle and Shawn to be together and happy, but she knows Belle and Philip are far from finished. What's a mom to do? Take a look at the cell phone, that's what! I wonder how many of us would have debated doing the same, in similar circumstances? I would have been tempted, I confess. Wrong? Sure. But this whole situation is about to blow up in her face and she knows it. It has disaster written all over it. She should have just told Shawn or made Belle tell Shawn somehow.

At the wedding itself when Belle stopped, you could see those anxious looks. Hope was probably holding her breath. Kayla was strategically right behind her, concerned. Sami was looking a little nervous. Perfect!

But of course it continued and it was really very nice. Even if it shouldn't have happened.

My favorite part of the show was Doug's speech and the montage that played as he spoke. It reminded me so much of the old days that I loved.

Shot of Lexie and Abe.

Lucas and Sami holding the twins.

Kayla comforting an upset Stephanie and Cordy at home.

References to John. He really WAS missed by this viewer.

The dance between Shawn and Belle as the guests looked on.

Happy smiles and laughter. Actual joy.

The moment Lucas stepped forward and offered his hand to Sami for a dance.

All excellent.

Away from the wedding...

Stephanie and Cordy was nice. Stephanie actually seems to be thinking of others more lately, which is good. Staying home from a family event and missing the holiday festivities for a friend is nice. Ford showing up...what a jerk! But Kayla came home immediately and took care of them. I wonder if she suspects there's more going on with Stephanie than she's telling? She hasn't voiced anything yet, but it'll have to start occurring to her soon.

NOW..

Marlena and Stefano! I found it very interesting to see Marlena threatening Stefano. Good for her! If I were him, I'd watch my step! When she started whispering, I got a little nervous for the guy. He always thinks he has the advantage, but in this instance, there's Marlena and she's coming after him. He should watch his back.

That said, my thought is that the Cordy/Stephanie stuff and Marlena's confrontation with Stefano could have waited until Monday's show. This show should have been pure wedding, and that's all, IMO. Marlena should have stayed for the reception. Kayla should have been there too. There were enough people absent who should have been there.

But even so, it was a really nice episode and one I definitely enjoyed.

[dayslover]

Wow this episode was as good as an episode of Grey's Anatomy, is was asome. WOW it was put together really great

[DrewH]

Okay. I finally have time to gush over Friday's episode. It was simply perfect. Usually, these big event episodes, there are several things that I would have done differently had I been in charge, but today is different. I would have changed absolutely nothing about today's episode. It was awesome, and perfect to the word. The writing, the dialogue, the acting, everything was superb.

Any day I get to see some Roberts sibling interaction, especially when Billie is involved, I am happy. Julie Pinson has chemistry with all of her on-screen brothers. I'm so glad Billie came to comfort Philip rather than attending the wedding. Billie is a family person, and she would have rather been with her brother rather than at the wedding. Philip's coldness towards his sister came off as realistic. He is pissed, and Philip is the type of person that would take it out on those that are close to him, and trying to help. I loved Billie's line that Philip is becoming more like Victor everyday. It's so true, and I am so happy. And Billie's reaction to Philip calling her lonely, and how she went on and on about how she doesn't need anyone to make herself feel good, AWESOME delivery, Ms. Pinson!

Belle's dress reminded me a lot of Sami's Las Vegas wedding dress. It was very pretty. And Sami and Chelsea looked great in their dresses as well. It was a really simple, yet beautiful wedding scheme. At first, I had a problem with it taking place at Bo and Hope's, but the set looked fantastic, and I didn't mind in the end.

I am so in love with the Shawn/Belle/Philip triangle. I loved Philip's phone calls to Belle before the wedding began. The look in Belle's eyes when he first called and she immediately hung up the phone. Martha Madison nailed it! You could tell Belle wanted nothing to do with Philip, but in an instant, she was torn once again, when he called a second time, and this time, she had to talk to him. She had to hear what he had to say despite the fact that she was about to marry another man. Philip still has a piece of her, and she can't deny that to herself, no matter how many times she tells other people. So when he called, and she pretended that it was Mimi, it showed Belle's desire to speak to Philip, so much that she would lie to the others, and get privacy. And while I don't think Hope should be keeping this secret from Shawn, I am loving the Belle/Hope scenes that we are getting where Hope questions her trust in Belle. For too long, these two have been too lovey dovey towards each other. It wasn't a believable mother/daughter-in-law relationship. I love that Hope sees Belle's flaws, and now realizes that Belle isn't the little miss perfect angel she always thought she was. Hope is being such a bitch to Belle, and I love it!

The forget-me-nots were a wonderful homeage paid to John and Zack's memories. And I loved the scene with Shawn and Chelsea. They really need to start interacting more. While I could never see Jason Cook and Rachel Melvin as brother and sister, Brandon Beemer has sibling chemistry with Rachel, and I want to see more of it. I'm not sayin that they have to have a loving brother and sister connection because I'm sure Shawn will always blame Chelsea for killing Zach, but I do want them to interact more.

I thought that the watch from "Victor" was a brilliant idea. While I was watching this at first, I was thinking to myself, it's nice to see Victor wanting to reach out to his grandson like this. It was really believable that Victor would do it, which makes Philip a freaking genius for thinking of the idea. And Belle's face when she spotted Shawn wearing the watch, and the memories that flooded her mind upon seeing it, wonderful soap drama!

I thought that the actual ceremony was nicely done. The one and only thing I would have done differently during the march, I would have had Chelsea and Claire come out first, and then Sami. That just seemed out of order in my opinion. It was nice seeing Marlena walk Belle down the aisle. And if you remember, from the beginning of the episode, before Roman left for the hospital, Doug asked if he was still walking Belle down the aisle. I don't think I would have liked to see Roman walking Belle down the aisle. Yes, I know for a couple of months, they thought that Roman was Belle's father, but I'm glad they had Marlena walk her daughter down the aisle. That's how it should have been. The vows were touching, and Belle's pausing and then continuing to go through with the wedding was very suspenseful.

I couldn't help but keep a smile the entire time Edwin McCain's "I'll Be" played during Doug's speech at the reception. That is Shawn and Belle's song, and I'm glad they didn't give them a new song, like they did Lucas and Sami in May.

Chelsea catching the bouquet was nice, and the CHICK kiss was very cute. I am surprised that we haven't had much of Nick lately. It does show that Hogan has some sort of sense of balance. This is his creation, and for a while, Nick was in every storyline, but Hogan has done the right thing and slowed down with the Nick propping, and that is a good thing. While Nick is one of the best new characters to ever come onto DAYS in years, too much of him was beginning to hurt the character in my eyes.

I thought it was the perfect ending to the show to have Hope listen to Philip's voicemail on Belle's phone. I loved that the music was still playing in the background. The way that it went from Hope in her bedroom, then to Shawn and Belle dancing at the pub, to Philip looking in from outside, and then back to Hope as she finished listening. Perfect direction. Thank you so much, Kathryn Foster!

And I'm so glad that the the rumor going around that Lucas would name the baby Alice Caroline Horton--Allie for short--turned out to be the real deal. I think the name is great, and it really adds drama to the Lucas and Sami dynamic. You can tell that Lucas is preparing himself to raise this little girl as a single father, and you can see that Sami sees this and is becoming threatened. I'm starting to see some of the old Lucas and Sami coming out during all of this, and it's a good thing. They have conflict with each other once again, and that is what has been needed with these two since Hogan took over writing the couple, and ultimately ruined them in my eyes. The bickering, the trying to one-up the other, the doing tihngs behind the other's back, and the other getting upset because of it, all the while still loving each other while this is all going down, that is LUMI. Maybe this is Dena Higley's influence, which I'm sure that it is since she got LUMI better than any other head writer. If it is, then welcome back Dena! Make me love this couple like I used to. It probably won't be hard to do since I'm slowly losing my EJAMI interest, and the only thing keeping me a fan of EJ and Sami as a couple is James Scott and Alison Sweeney's chemistry.

Best part of today's show? It defintely goes to Stefano and Marlena's scenes at the mansion. I loved how they had the opera music playing while the camera followed Marlena's feet as she entered the mansion, and then the camera switched to Marlena's viewpoint as she walked into the morning room to find Stefano tending to Johnny D (my little nickname for the future mob boss lol). Hopefully, these scenes were an indication of things to come. These two should have been what this feud storyline was all about rather than EJ and Sami. Deidre Hall and Joseph Mascolo could have carried this entire storyline solely on them, and I believe it would have been a hit, just because of the history that the two have together, and with the audience. The audience didn't see Colleen and Santo, so they didn't have an attachment towards those characters like they would have with Stefano and Marlena. Deidre delivered her lines brilliantly. You could hear the coldness in Marlena's voice as she talked to Stefano. The look in her eyes, it indicated hatred, and wishing death upon him. It was amazing. And we got Stefano's vulnerable side today when Marlena reached out her hand to him as to say that she would be his if he ended the feud. There is one person that can make Stefano buckle, and that is Marlena. It's always been Marlena, and the writers have finally remembered that. Thank God!

[Pest Spray]

It is one person, exactly. That's why I say Marlena is Stefano's worst enemy because he's truly affected by her. He notices when she walks into a room, he gets swept away in the feelings he experiences, hatred and love floating together.

I thought it was brilliant. Deidre did fantastic. The look of disgust as Stefano talked about his feelings for her, the coldness and then the calculated way she said "Vengence." You just knew Stefano felt that in that black thing he calls a heart and I call a lump of coal, and he knows that she means it. But there's that part of him that always underestimates her. She's stronger than him. He had her locked in a dungeon, in a cage and she didn't crumble either of those times. She won. And he respects her for it. But he also always thinks he can beat her. Which is what makes their dynamic interesting. This beautiful woman who looks like porcelain, like she'll break, she's stronger than him in any way that counts and he hates her almost as much as he worships the ground she walks on.

[PhoenixRising05]

Superb.

There are no other words to describe it.

I missed Bo's presence but that could not be helped and the logical way they wrote him out was appreciated. Caroline, Shawn Sr, and Roman (who left early in the episode) missing in action was actually a smart move because it took the focus off of Bo's absence and I think that was intended.

The episode starting on Marlena reading the invitation was a good idea. As others have said, it made this seem like a stand alone show or a primetime episode. Maggie seeing Marlena getting upset over John was a nice touch too.

Loved the pre-wedding scenes with Sami and Hope giving Belle the knowing glances as Marlena talked of fidelity and honesty. Loved the remembering of the purity rings and even the mentions of Mimi and Brady. Loved Shawn and Chelsea's interaction and the honoring of Zack and John. Claire was adorable and Chelsea caring for her was cute. Glad Lucas named the baby and loved Sami's reaction. I am starting to enjoy these two again and it seems we are getting back to the dynamics that make them great. Belle's dress was great and reminded me of Sami's Vegas dress, which one would think is never a good thing .

The actual ceremony was wonderful. Having it in Bo and Hope's house worked because it was simple and it fit Shawn and Belle. Loved the watch idea. It showed how intelligent Philip is because Victor would totally do that and Philip exploited that. Martha gave a stellar performance as Belle wrestled with her guilt. Loved the mini-cliffhanger of her saying "she can't do this."

The reception was great. The montage and Doug's speech...perfection. Julie and Maggie taking the babies and playing matchmakers for Lumi...awesome. Nice angst. Chelsea catching the bouquet was a cute moment, along with her kissing Nick. I think Doug and Julie would fit well as the new Tom and Alice-like presence. They seemed to prove that in this episode and I would like to see it. The Mickey issue does need to be resolved. It sticks out big time in episodes like this and they still can't get past it, even if they choose not to mention him. I love that Shelle's song was remembered. The dance was wonderful and it showed the writers and producers did their homework once again.

The ending with Hope listening to the messages as the scene shifted to Shelle dancing and Philip outside and then the shift back to Hope was well-done. I appreciated having Hope wrestle with the decision to listen to the message to.

Loved the Billie/Philip scenes, especially her "fabulous" speech (Julie had to love that as that fit her personality) and Billie mentioning how he was becoming more and more like Victor. These two work so well together. It was all spot on and fitting.

Marlena and Stefano was the best part. Dee and Joe brought it. The creepy beginning with the camera showing Marlena's shoes and then the way we were brought in to the scene from her POV as we saw Stefano at the fireplace was inspired. Nice directing job by Kathy Foster throughout. Stefano had a baby carriage of some sort, which was nice foreshadowing and creepy. Loved it. Nice touch. All the history and back and forth was priceless and the way Marlena whispered to Stefano how he had made her his killer was awesome delivery and maybe even the scene of the year for me. Loved the way she threw her coat behind her as she walked out and the look on her face after she left was chilling. Loved Stefano's reaction too.

Just amazing all around. Perfect show. Days is vastly improving by the day.

[stenbeck212]

It's a good thing that such a pivotal episode aired while other soaps were off the air. But I too was quite underwhelmed at the idea of Phillip being somebody's secret obsession. It's largely because the actor playing him lacks that certain EVERYTHING to make his appeal believable. I had come to that conclusion on other days of channel surfing during ATWT's commercials. And Shawn is just too damn fine to pass up!