DAYS: Sami/EJ Spoiler

[Rakesh]

It wasn't rape. Shame on you, Toups.

[cubsgirl]

My whole problem is that this debate will NEVER end until TPTB decide once and for all which pair to go with. Yes, both pairings have large fanbases. There is always one side that is going to be unhappy while the other one is happy. All of this is doing is pushing people away that don't care what happens. For the past year we had to deal with the Lumi/Ejami debate over and over again. Just about everyone has made a decision about what happened that night and as someone else put it, there isn't much that would many anyone change their minds about what happened that night. TPTB need to make a decision of which pairing they are going to go with and write them a decent story that brings that pairing together and give the out party a new story away from the other pair.

[Ponz]

It goes beyond the problem of stringing along two fanbases. There are three groups- not two- in this debate: Those who support Ejami, those who support Lumi and those who are indifferent to Sami's love life but find the show's treatment of rape deeply offensive. It's the third group that are most potentially damanging to TPTB. Angry fanbases write letters, rant and rave on message boards etc. but generally remain engaged with the show. When a story offends a viewer on a personal level, the result is permanent alienation.

[Roman]

Also to add......

Some of the people who don't see a problem with this, I would like to look at this point. If someone out there has been sexually assaulted, and saw that episode, and feel that it was rape........howdo they now fel reading that she seduces the man who raped her?

They might find that extremely offensive. And if they are fans ofthe show, like Ponz said, you just may lose them period with this type of writing and storytelling.

[sungrey]

And I'm certainly not going to e-mail them, but I wonder what happens if a group like NOW gets wind of this story. They'd tear Corday limb from limb.

Come to think of it, what is NOW's address?

[maconrich]

ok, I'll try to type nice...

I'm surprised Days is actually going to address it - for me that's a plus, and something I think -- or at least hope --would have happened at some point if Sheffer was still writing. I'm much less upset about this than I was over the scene being written in the first place - and I'll never understood the fricking motivation for writing it to start with. The Sami needed this to happen to make her a likeable character bs never washed with me because you should NEVER have to destroy one character to improve another! --Yeah, I know soaps do it all the time and, imo, in this case Days was trying to make TWO characters look better and one of them sure wasn't EJ. And while some people may have loved Sheffer's version of Sami I found her annoying as hell, and she went from being my favorite to a character I couldn't stand to watch.

Getting rid of lucas and not using Sami and EJ for awhile was a big plus (imo). I adore EJ but the show had been so unbalanced that even I appreciated the break. And now - (and I'm quite surprised to be saying this) I'm liking Sami again and also appreciate the more rounded version of EJ we're starting to see. I absolutely never want to get whiplash over his character (or the EJ/Sami/lucas stuff) again - and that was a huge problem when it came to Sheffer's writing. Or one of the huge problems to be more specific.

Sheffer's writing for the DiMera's was brilliant and he wrote some of their all time best scenes - I'll always give him credit for that! But I'll take away credit for the way he pitted fans against each other with more hostility than I've seen since the day I looked a serial rapist and murderer in the eyes. I don't, can't and would NEVER attempt to speak for all women, but there are women who sure would have appreciated being given a choice. Rape, not rape, somewhere in between - I seriously don't give rat's behind anymore!! And BTW I've never heard anyone that likes the couple call it seduction, romance or any of the other bs words detractors use.

For whatever reason Sheffer tended to write like a misogynistic prick-- and more often than not EJ was the voice for that aspect of Sheffers alter ego, personality, creativity or whatever one wants to call it. And that ticked me off more than anything else! Dec 29 was one glaring example, but it sure wasn't the only one - and it wasn't confined to EJ. I would have felt sorry for ANY writer who had to clean up the mess. Granted I'd feel a WHOLE LOT more sorry for Higley if Corday had done things right and not screwed over the writing staff during the strike! But he did, and I'm sure it will come back to bite him in the behind at some point.

But at some point this needed to be addressed -- and sooner rather than later due to the looming threat of cancellation. Actually a lot of things needed to be fixed and fixed fast. I've not been a big Higley fan but I'm watching and making up my mind as things go. The majority of the script writers (imo) are solid and things have felt better since their work started airing. And I know a lot of people who are enjoying the show more now than they have in a very long time. Those are positive things, I guess.

Bottom line for me is the scene never should have been written, and Sheffer was stupid to try to destroy the amazing chemistry between JS and AS -- it didn't work but that's a no-brainer since chemistry will come through regardless of the writing. So the fact that Days is going to address it and move on works for me.

[JackPeyton]

I understand that, but that doesnt change my view of this. everyone is entiled to there own view of it.

They also find it extraamly offensive thast after Jack raped Kayla they paired him up with sweet young Jennifer.

Or that general hospital shoots kids in the heads, or that gay boys kiss on atwt....

[maconrich]

I hate to double post but I didn't see this (sorry). I had actually edited my post to remove a short section that addressed this - it's not something that's fun to "talk" about and I don't really like putting a huge target on my back and getting trashed for something that happened IRL.

I can't stress enough that I can ONLY speak for myself (as a social worker I've seen how differently people respond to rape, abuse etc). But, for me plain and simple there's no comparison or reminder. The sl didn't traumatize me; give me flashbacks or nightmares, and the idea of Sami sleeping with EJ isn't freaking me out. For whatever reason having experienced it made the line between fantasy and reality stronger than ever, and while I tend not to watch shows that are graphically violent, I didn't watch them before either.

It is however very possible that my disgust with Sheffer (see above post) was partly influenced by personal experience. Actually it's quite likely that it was, and it may also be why I don't think soaps should deal with ---- it's not social issues, but the correct term is escaping me... so I'll just say stuff that's over their heads and tends not to be done right. But I put that on the writer not the actors or even the characters. I've been watching Days for eons (since 1969-70 ) and have seen them do more sl's wrong than right, and I guess I roll with the flow most of the time and take things with a huge grain of salt. I resent the hell out of censorship, people making up my mind for me and agencies designed to help people spending their time worrying about what's on tv (or a movie or book) instead of helping real people.

So, would I sleep with the man that raped me? With the complete stranger I was stupid enough to get in the car with because it was storming (and who was convicted of several rapes and murders a few short months later)? No. I wouldn't. Am I thankful to be alive? Absolutely. With the ex boyfriend who decided no wasn't an option (and didn't give a choice period)? Yeah. Not right away, not without a real conversation and not until both of us came to terms with it. And just as the reaction can vary by experience, it can very by person. But for sure my viewing habits and my real life choices have very little, if anything, to do with each other.

[Skin]

Time to start up the "Rape isn't love" petition part duex.

[Roman]

That is your view of it.

This is mine, ok?

[KSlater]

Maconrich, thank you for your posts.

I was sexually abused as a child. It did have an deep effect on my life. I am cautious with relationships in my life. But, and maybe this is unusual for victims of abuse, it didn't have any effect on what I will or won't watch on television, in movies, plays or read in books. The 12/29 episode didn't traumatize me or make me flashback to my own experience. I thought it was an extremely intense episode because of the stellar acting by Alison and James. But I viewed it as an episode of television, that's pretty much it. In hindsight, I think it was a shabbily written episode with no follow-up, which seemed to be a hallmark of Sheffer's tenure with the show.

Sami and EJ's relationship doesn't bother me as a woman or as a victim of sexual abuse. I could name a few storylines that have offended me more than this one. I guess it all depends on a person's life experience and how they view soaps.

I'm not trying to convince anyone that my POV is right. But that's how I feel.

[cubsgirl]

You are so right, I didn't even think about there being a third group. But there is that group that doesn't care which pairing ends up on top but are concerned about the social issue itself. I think no matter how you really look at it, this is one of those storylines that could be extremely damaging to the show.

[Kstaff]

I think you have an excellent post. I, personally, am a fence straddler. I could be happy with Sami ending up with either guy, writing willing. (I'm wishing for a lot!).I mean, this isn't the first time a situation has been resolved in a poor way on this show. And actually, depending on your viewpoint, you could argue that Sami and Lucas have done much worse to each other. What bothers me more is the way opposing sides on this issue, at certain places, use negative, bashing, derogatory terms towards the characters right down to nitpicking the actors' interviews. Sometimes, I waiver simply based on which fanbase is pissing me off at the time!

Days has not been known for its handling of socially relevant issues for a long, long time. Frankly, the poor handling of BSC Philip made me more angry than this, although I cringed at the infamous December 29 (the new "day that will go down in infamy). They could have done a terrific Post Traumatic Stress disorder story with this. Mimi's abortion, Nicole and Lucas's alcoholism...poorly done. Right now, Nicole's love of drink is used for comedic effect.

Now, to be honest, if an episode of Law and Order SVU treated this lightly, I would be a little upset. And, I believe in people getting second chances if they really try. The way they gave EJ a second chance was lousy, yes. For one thing, Marlena's acceptance of him only because he told her where John was. That sells the image of Marlena once again as caring for NO one but John.

I'm rambling, but I think that's cause I have a complicated view of this. It boils down to: they screwed up big time and really don't have the brains to fix it correctly.

[Kstaff]

BUT,couldn't that happen with any potentially polarizing story. Anyone with a drinking problem or involved with someone with a drinking problem could be just as mad about the way Nicole is represented on the show, to the point of turning it off, too. And, seriously, I find it ironic that some fans of Jack are the most vocal about it. Not naming any names, but Jack was a rapist. He just didn't end up with his victim. With this logic, a rapist is a rapist. Was there a concern about it then? i realize a lot of the anger is about the victim turning to the attacker, but why isn't there outrage about Sami and Austin getting together? Does the attacker have to have a penis to be outlawed from the victim falling for him?

And stating that Luke and Laura was at a different time...that shouldn't matter, either. Now, if fans start yelling at James Scott to rape them, maybe Days ought to take a look at it. But, I think the following terror EJ inflicted, his treatment of Lucas, and his treatment of John served to make him less attractive, at least for a while. Yes,there were still EJami fans.

I dunno. The only thing that bothers me is that I believe that TPTB are playing this anomosity, seeing it as good publicity.

[XxTaraXx]

That's right. Somehow I thought he died after that. But it was just he was written off I see.

Thanks for pointing that out!