DAYS: January Discussion

[JackPeyton]

The problem with the hope/bo/carly triangle for some it seems is.. well, its not a triangle. It just isnt. Its two stories. Both involving Bo and i love that. Its pretty much the anti-triangle. Bo & Hopes marriages has been on the rocks for months now. To the point where Hope wants to file a divorce. She is blaming Carly for this, but anyone whow atched the show knows it isnt Carly to blame here. its Hope and Bo. Then you have the Carly storyline and Bo is a part of that. And yes he is torn because he loves Hope, she is his baby mama and he wants it to work with her but at the same time, here is his ex whom he was in love with and she just up and left him. Im not saying he never got over her and moved on, he did a few times inf act, but he also never got an end to that relationship. And her coming back the way she did and hope and him being where theyw ere mirrored how carly/bo started in the first place. Bo loves Hope. Bo loves Carly. Bo isnt in love with either one of them. Hope only wants Bo back now because of carly. Carly has nothing and regrets giving Bo up and wants him back. I think its a very interesting dynamic and love the way the show is playing it.

The Bo & carly sex was hot. I dont care about a bad screen grab of his face, by the way thats totally mid scene, mid him turning around, mid everything. There sex wasnt romantic, it was animalistic.

[JackPeyton]

DAYS has used carly & Bo flashbacks so much! It has been wonderful. They have also used a lot of Bo/Hope, Mickey/Maggie, and Vivian flashbacks to show newer fans the history. I love the way the flashbacks are told to enhance the story. Not fill up air time.

Hope called Julie who told Nathan and then Doug (off-scren). Maggie said the girls (I am assuming Melissa and Sarah) were coming in that night (i wonder if that means Sarah will be there but not seen, tho Nathan later called his mom melissa to pick her up at the airport to maybe sarah just isnt coming). Hope went to tell Alice in person (off-screen, because FR cant appear/work). No mention of Bill and the siblings yet but Lucas finds out tomorrow so i am assuming he will mention telling Bill.

Days did really good, given the limits.

[Cat]

Victor (to Brady): I think I preferred you when you were high.

... and THIS is why I love curmudgeon Victor. Sometimes he is like the bitchy voice of the audience (except when he gets misogynistic).

The Carly/Bo/Hope/Justin SL has been difficult for me to get into because I was BIG Carly/Lawrence (and Bo/Billie) shipper way back when. So I feared that this story would be a rewrite of the Carly/Lawrence story to make it seem that she only loved Bo all these years, etc. I guess I am so used to the recent Days mindset of everything being black-and-white, good vs. bad, that I have approached this unexpectedly mature SL with trepidation. Mature as in these characters are multi-dimensional and acting in character and not necessarily because the plot demands it. Does that make sense?

GREAT episode yesterday. The fact that the DiMeras/Sami were not on allowed the episode to breathe a bit, I think. Suzanne Rogers has her Emmy reel, BTW.

[JackPeyton]

she was fantastic... but... ummmm.. no.

because..

[Ann_SS]

This sounds good, but I don't buy any of it. If the Hope/Bo/Carly triangle was about real emotion, Hope would have divorced Bo by now. I think that the Bo/Carly reunion like Phillip's marriage to Melanie is being fast tracked for some other reason, most likely a stunt or some twist in February sweeps. Hope has been looking for Carly's daughter so maybe that it the big deal. Regardless, I hope the plan is to bring a new love interest for Hope. I like how Days brought in Rafe for Sami and changed the dynamic there. I would like to see Hope falling in love with someone new. I'm sick of the Bo and Hope's merry go around.

It was so funny. John Aniston's arched eye brow when Brady said that he was mad to be involved with Vivian was an excellent touch to end the scene. It sent me into a fit of laughter.

[JackPeyton]

since when is the 1980's recent? LOL. I have always felt days was pretty clear in who was good, who was bad, who you were to root for etc...

But i like they have handled the history. its actually helped push the current story without changing the past. Bo did love Carly, 100%. It was a true, honest, adult love. No it wouldnt have happened if Hope hadnt been 'dead' but it happened and was real. She loved him too, but she also loved Lawerance, who was pretty much crrepy obsessed with her. Then Carly pretty much up and left Bo with no ending. I like how Hope has said "she replaced me once, can she do it again?" and how Bo has told her Carly didnt replace her, that she was another kind of love all her own etc... And playing up the victor angle has been fab too! I always wished that one time days would let Billie get ina jab at Hope by reminding her that the first time around, Bo picked Billie over Hope but Billie left. I also loved Bo & Billie, Cat.

i do think the characters are very in character. the show has made it work. hope has always been like this IMHO, but its magnified now because no shes freaking out and worried too. shes never really been threatened by anybody before, not like this. and she should be. bo is legit torn. he wants it to work with hope but at this point, he doubts it ever could and he did love carly and could love her again. carly is on the edge of a breakdown and needs somebody when she has nobody, so i buy her as weaker than before and needing bo and leaning on him. girl has been through a lot in the past few decades. lol. but i do think that strong carly is in there, but she is pretty damaged right now, as she should be.

[Cat]

What I meant was that a mere two years ago or so, if Carly had shown up in town after killing Lawrence? She would be the Murderous Hussy and Bope the poor, unsuspecting couple targeted by Murderous Hussy. Murderous Hussy would be injecting Bo's drink with Niagara ( © Sunset Beach) in order to lure him into the sack, and Hope would be boohooing about the evil ho who stole her man away. Then we would have lots of Bo mooning over Hope.

I'm saying that here we have characters who are not completely good or bad, who have a history, things have happened to them, and now in this moment in time they find their paths crossing. Carly could be painted by TPTB as the awful person for daring to put a knife in Bope but that's not what this story is about. It's about whether a marriage has irretrievably broken down. Whether you really can go back there again with a past love. And whether a new possible relationship (i.e.: Hope and Justin) is possible.

It's like Tomlin is a Days viewer! He really understands it.

(BTW, interesting fact: Chris Whitesall was on Donna Swajeski's writing team for Another World around 1989-91 and that's where he met Gary Tomlin who was lead director of AW at the time. I really like that AW period so I always feel like I have to mention good pedigree!).

I loved Bo & Billie. Especially the Robert Kelker-Kelly/Lisa Riina version.

Carly may be "weaker" but she sure looked strong grabbing Bo and twisting him around so she could get at his neck! LOL.

[Sindacco]

Had it been another couple I wouldn't have liked an early wedding either but I think it's totally in character for Philip to rush things with Melanie.

[PhoenixRising05]

Well, Hope is already at the point where she asked Justin to file separate papers. He just didn't want to be involved because of his feelings for her. Hope and Bo both seem to think it's over. It's just hard for them to pull the trigger on an a divorce and that is realistic given how long they've been together and what they've been through. I think if Hope or Bo had already divorced each other that would've been a pacing issue for this story. The fact they haven't shows how emotionally driven the story is. They both realize the mess their marriage is but neither can bring themselves to put it out of it's misery. The Carly/Bo sex will probably be the final nail and rightfully so. What Bo did yesterday is probably the push both of them needed to realize they are done.

As for Hope,

I also agree with Sindacco about Philip and Melanie. Melanie is young and impulsive and Philip is always rushing his relationships so it's in character for both of them to be racing to the altar like this.

[JackPeyton]

melanie/philip is very rushed, but again i feel it really works. first of all, just look at philips history on his own. he does rush. always. melanie is young and sees $$$$ with that last name and has always wanted him and is hurt by nathan.

i also soooo excuse it being rushed because i get why its being rushed.

i dont see bo/carly being rushed at all. they had been growing closer for months before they slept togeyther and it isnt like they exchanged love conefssions. it was sex. they are emotionally involved, her much more than him. but that was no makin love bullshit. furhtermore, they have a history the show has played up. if carly was just some random ass chick who showed up it would maybe be rushed, i guess, but you show me a man who wouldnt sleep with a hot women who has a thing for him after his wife has left him.

[Toups]

Yeah, maybe that's why things are moving so fast, so they can have a huge February sweeps. I was so looking forward to the outcome of Hope finding out about Bo's affair and her reaction....but we only got ONE scene! Also, it's happening way too fast. Monday - Bo/Carly have sex. Tuesday - Hope finds out and Bo admits the truth. Wednesday - Hope confronts Carly. Woah!! That's only THREE episodes. I could've stretched that out at least a month. I would've had the Hope/Bo confrontation and Hope/Carly confrontation in February sweeps (Bo/Hope the first week of sweeps, Hope/Carly the 2nd week of sweeps). I was really looking forward to the Bo/Carly reunion and Bo/Hope divorce but man this storyline is all wrong. LOL

[AllMyDaysatGH]

Loved Mel and Nate again, today. When Mel dropped her keys and that napkin, and they both grabbed it at the same time, Nate flew in for a kiss. Mel for sure didn't pull back. It lasted a good 5-10 seconds, awesome . Why won't these two just admit that they love each other?!?! And then of course The Brat and Philip had to come in and ruin the moment! Geeez!

Maggie-excellent! It was bitter-sweet to see Lucas today, he was great with Maggie, though. Maggie and that deleted message.....just beautiful how Suzanne Roger's conveyed such emotion over something so simple.

I was irked by Hope in the end. I mean, I know she's angry at Bo and Carly for sleeping together. But she was in Maggies home, where Mickey had just died, and once she saw Carly standing at the front door she went up to her and starting balking and saying snarky comments! Soooo disrespectful to Maggie and everyone around! She should have took it outside, or waited until a better time!! It still got me itching to see tomorrows episode, though. Hope is going to raise hell, LOL...I'm kind of glad that shes becoming more assertive and is growing a back bone.

[DaytimeFan]

I don't find Melanie and Philip rushed at all. It's totally in character for Philip, he rushes into everything because it's usually about getting away from his mother and father. I do wish Lauren Koslow and John Aniston had more of an impact in this storyline, but that could still happen. When it comes to Melanie, I think whoever said she's like Lucy Coe on GH (was it you Jack?) is totally right. Melanie has the same plucky quality Lucy had...the rushing in works. I especially loved the Christmas episode where Melanie is standing with Maggie, then her ring is revealed and she looks like she's going to burst into tears when Nathan sees it. Molly Burnett is a real find, it takes a certain kind of actress to make this role work.

Louise Sorel and Jay Kenneth Johnson have really nice chemistry. There's a sadness to Vivian that I also see in Kate, these two women have lived and loved and lost it all and Philip is the most important thing in their worlds. The writing for Vivian has been very good thus far. I hope it continues.

The Julie/Maggie/Nathan/Melanie scenes were beautifully done. Suzanne has such dignity in how she plays it, a quiet reserve. Her moments of hysteria are perfectly injected into her speech, her Southern accent falls out of her mouth and it's just bang on. Mark Hapka is doing a terrific job, he forces his face to contort in the most realistically painful ways and he comes off as so damn likeable. Susan Seaforth Hayes looks beautiful with white hair, not many women can pull that off...I do find her a bit hammy though, she plays Julie so LOUDLY. Molly Burnett and Suzanne have the best mother/daughter chemistry I've seen in a long time. So natural.

John Aniston is awesome. Always hilarious. "I LIKED YOU BETTER WHEN YOU WERE HIGH" is the line of the year so far.

Bo and Carly, makes sense, doesn't seem forced. I'm fine with it. I actually prefer Justin and Hope. I just find Carly a turn off.

[JackPeyton]

i just want Bo 100% free from hopelesstwit for a few months. He thrives when she isnt around to bring him down (and PR does so much better without KA)

[PhoenixRising05]

For me (and no this is not just me picking on you and trying to defend Days LOL), I found it refreshing that Hope put two and two together and Bo didn't even bother to lie. They've been down that road before. It was very realistic to have Hope realize what was going on after the woman came to the table and then seeing the look on Bo's face...it said it all. That was just such a raw, emotional moment. I could see that scene taking place in the real world. I know it's a soap and you want escapism but I don't want to see something we've seen before. That is what would've happened had they went and dragged this out. You tell each story at it's own pace. I know you disagree and I understand why you do. You want the traditional dragged out classic soap triangle. I just think Bo and Hope have been though that too many times to take that approach and, given the way the story is wisely being structured, it would make no sense. JMO.