DAYS: Discussion for the month of November

[dc11786]

Tom Casiello said this right? I just remember ground work being laid in a way that hadn't been done by I remember Ron Carvilati's interview talking about how he had been left a bunch of outlines for John/Marty so that was the story they were going to telling.

I really liked Higley's work from about April until November 2005. I remember her writing staff had numerous turnovers, but are there any writers who have been there from her work in 2005? Fran Myers and Michelle Lisanti-Poteet I think are the only holdovers. I see a lot of stuff that is very reminscent of that period through out the last year. The Brady/Melanie crypt scene involving bra wire was used on "One Life to Live" with Duke and Adriana during the Argentina storyline. Rafe is "Days of our Lives" answer to John McBain down to the dead girlfriend past. During Higley's time as headwriter, characters would just appear in minor situations before being thrust into major plot (Hugh Hughes first scene was something trivial with Nora before he became something important).

Mine is purely speculative, and may be trumped by insider knowledge, but I just got the sense that Higley became incredibly frustrated when her stories were aborted and couldn't take them in another direction resulting in very shifty writing. Also, I just figured the success of the Daniel Coulson storyline resulted in network executives pushing her for the next big event storyline which meant more haphazard writing. But as I said above, mine is just speculation based on what's onscreen.

[JackPeyton]

I feel for Nicole - simply because of how Ari Z has played her. Nothing else.

I cant believe people compare what she did with Sami not telling EJ he was the father AFTER HEARING HIM ORDER A HIT ON PHILIP!!. Sami almost told him and everytime she went to she was reminded why she didnt want her baby growing up with him as a father. And comparing it to Mia giving her child up for adoption?! WHAT THE [!@#$%^&*]?!

Im sorry but nicole stole babies, swapped babied, lied about it all, watched sami and ej grave for a child they didnt lose, lied to mia and made her turn her life upside down, nicole sank to new lows below anyone that has come before her.

[JackPeyton]

oh and as far as Higly goes, even if her only role is to play liason between Corday and Tomlin, she deserves credit.

Tho i think she does a lot more than that. There are obvious character traits she has wirtten in the past for characters like Bo & Sami that i cant ignore.

[DRW50]

dc, thanks for the background info on Higley's previous DAYS run, and her writing for Nicole. All I hear about that era was that it was bad, I don't know the details.

Jack, what do you think her character traits for Sami and Bo are?

[JackPeyton]

The last time she wrote for Bo he was in an awful storyline, but he was very loyal, passionate, and vocal. Very protective. I get those are general char trains of him but both last time and since her return he has felt more like Bo to me than he has since Reckell left the first time.

Sami, the last time she wrote for her, was a sami in tranisiton. She was letting go of her past and moving on. She was growing, changing, maturing. Slowly. But still remained sami brady. Since her return i have seen that again, unlike when JER wrote again and she was 16 again or when Hogan wrote and she was star selfless heroine throwing her life down at the alter for her family.

Both of these characters have been at their best this decade when DH has been involved.

[DRW50]

What was her last story for Bo?

I see what you mean about Bo though. At times when I've watched over the years he's come across as a bit of a spare part. While he seems exhausted at the moment, that fits where his character is at in his life. He seems very three-dimensional to me.

[JackPeyton]

the bounty hunter storyline. it was so bad. but still, bo seemed to be bo without being annoying.

i agreww with you on bo of today.

[ChiTownBoi03]

I completely agree. My understanding is that Higley is writing vague outlines of future story, while Tomlin and Whitesell are fleshing it out. It's quite noticeable that homegirl is still on the team, just by the lazy execution of everything. I am quite satisfied with the end of this story, Nicole and Sami's showdown, and have went through a range of emotions trust me. However, I still feel like this all could have played out better.

I fully expected a somewhat public reveal of Nicole's deeds this go around, I fully expected Chloe to get the chance to express to Nicole how she felt (not through a voicemail...??), I also thought this would be more effective in a foreboding atmosphere like the Dimera mansion. Instead the ripple effect of what Nicole has done is being seeded it seems on a more personal level, with people just sort of finding out one by one. It only got me because we've some amazing, believable actors (minus Chloe) in the story.

I was somewhat annoyed when instead of Sami, EJ, Rafe, and Nicole all sharing a room to bring some serious juicy drama, EJ runs off to the docks with Nicole...I was like "??? f**K you leaving for...drag her ass back in there" I remember something like this happening when we never got that Brady and Craig confrontation, it happened *off camera* apparently--it felt pretty lazy to me. I guess I just hate feeling like I'm being robbed of powerful scenes or exciting payoffs, and I believe this is all due to Higley's presence. If she were absent, I think the execution of a lot of things would be very different.

[JackPeyton]

i am SO glad this was not a public reveal.

rafe revealing this in public doesnt fit his character, and he deserved the chance to tell sami after all hes gone through for it. Besides i LOVE the way it trickles throughout salem. Rafe telling sami, Chloe finding out with Dan there, Chloe telling EJ to go talk to Nicole, Chloe telling Will he needs to see his mom, Mia overhearing from Chloe as maggie stands by, Sami taking a moment and feeling for Chad but not telling him yet, Nicole confessing to EJ as Sami walks up with Sydney. Its all so well done and feel much more real and human that a public reveal. Cant wait to see Bo, Hope, Lucas, Brady, etc all find out what happened and for Sami and EJ to learn how involved Stefano was. I cant wait for Carly to see Rafe and find out that was the man she helped and to see Sami and Bo's reactions.

I love a good ol soapy cliche party where secrets are outed, but that just wouldnt fit the tone of this story and it wouldnt do any justice to the story IMHO.

i dont think we are being robbed of any powerful scenes or pay offs. I feel we are getting more than we ever could have with everyone together. EJ/Sami/Rafe/Nicole all in one room during this would be too much let alone other key players like Chloe, Chad, Mia, Stefano, and Will. This story from the get go has been about Sami and Nicole. The climax was the confrontation between the two of them, and it was brilliant IMHO. I love the drama, i watching every beat playout. And this reveal has played every beat, beats i didnt even think the show would remember to play like Chloes role and beats that are so unexpected.

I feel for the story we have seen for the past year and a half the Nicole/EJ scenes were met to play out alone. Just the two of them. I feel that Sami deserved a scene with her baby to bask in the glow of having her. I cant wait to see Sami confront Brady, Chloe and Stefano. Cant wait to see Stefano vs EJ. Cant wait for Mia go confront Nicole. Cant wait for Mia and Sami to share a scene together with Sydney now. All of this happeneing at one event would cheapen it IMHO.

[IMissAremid]

I doubt Higley was the first person on soaps to use that bra wire contrivance. We saw the exact same thing in 2007 when Sami and EJ were trapped in the sauna and Hogan was still writing the show.

But if Rafe Hernandez is supposed to be the second coming of John McBain, no wonder I hate him so much.

[ChiTownBoi03]

I don't feel having an event would have cheapened it, I think awful writing would cheapen it. As good as the fallout has been, after this long of a wait (with the exception of the Nicole/Sami showdown) it could have been executed better. I feel like Chloe, Mia, Chad should all have had their chance to confront Nicole about her idiocy, because really it doesn't involve just she and Sami. Mia is just a kid and practically screwed up her life/reputation lying for Nicole, so those would have been some powerful scenes. But hey just my opinion...im still happily watching

[dc11786]

When I was comparing them, I was suggesting that these acts were also selfish in nature. Mia may have had feelings for her child, but she also had no trouble accepting money to run off to dance in some Japanese dive. I know her circumstances were awful, but Mia did benefit from the situation.

Sami already had a child with E.J. Her fears were that Johnny would grow up to be like his father (actually, I think Mark Hapka may even have played adult Johnny in those scenes), which was part of her reason for keeping her unborn baby from E.J. Either way, she still kept E.J. in the dark about his child. Also, Sami didn't hear him order the hit, did she? The way I remember it was she showed up for the wedding to reveal the truth and that's when she learned Phillip had been shot while E.J. was saying his "I dos." Everyone knew it was E.J., but no one had proof.

I would argue there are others who have done worse, but it wouldn't negate the fact that Nicole has done wrong. So you don't think Nicole's reasons justify her actions?

For me, the scene didn't lose any power by being on the docks. I believe I said in a previous post I would have killed for this to have played out in the Dimera living room, but damn this scene NEEDED to be between Nicole and E.J. without Sami and Rafe being present. Sami wouldn't have kept her mouth shut long enough for Nicole to accomplish anything.

Don't get me started on the Craig-Brady scene. That would have been killer. I love when Martsolf is given more to do than be a talk to.

At times, I agree there seems to be an issue with the execution. Some things feel very awkward and underdeveloped, while the development is clearly there just not being explored properly (does that make any sense). Last week, when Chloe picked up Sydney, there was a rather nice scene between Chloe and Kate, but I felt like it wasn't as powerful as it should have been given what's there. I'm sure there are other examples people can think of.

[ChiTownBoi03]

Ok yeah that makes sense. See I think this is what I was trying to get at it, without actually bashing the show as a whole. Some things feel like they could be more than what we end up getting. Such great material and plotting, but sometimes I feel really bored (which may be my Gemini rising, but I digress) You spoke of examples, another could be today, where the scenes with Carly and Vivian felt pretty underwhelming IMO. I don't know if they were trying to make them funny, uncomfortable, or intense or all of the above. They exchanged a few barbs, but I found it hard to take any of it seriously. I just wanted them to cut back to the baby switch wrapup. This is a Higley staple--great wonderful things that just come off boring and bland on the actual screen.

[JackPeyton]

Who is to say they wont?

[JackPeyton]

I wouldnt say she had no trouble. It wasnt like she just handed Grace over for a bundle of cash with no reservations.

I dont see any selfishness in what Mia did, at all.

Yes, Mark played adult-Johnny.

What Sami did was wrong, but understandable. Unlike Nicole's.

No, she didnt hear it but she knew him well enough to know, and she was correct.

Save actually killing a baby i cant think of anything worse.

No, i dont at all think Nicole being needy, desprate, and selfish justifys swapping babies around. I actually cant think of anything that could.

ITA

This is very true, but i do find them playing up things more than not. The way they have played maggie's history throughout sami losing grace and all of mia's storyline has been so good, and so unexpected.

But again, i agree.