DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[Franko]

I somehow forgot or didn't realize that they were trying out John and Hope that early.

[DRW50]

This was  Hope and John on an island adventure to find a rare orchid to cure Roman. Kristen insisted she knew the cure and was trying to barter her freedom or something, I think...? I remember reading about a scene where John and Hope come across one of Stefano's shrines to Marlena and are very disturbed. If anyone has that scene I'd be curious to see it.

[Dion]

I did like some of the 97/98 stuff because I felt the show was finally opening up a bit more after years of the show feeling somewhat insular. The major storylines of the Reilly era finally had payoff and there were some new character combinations to look forward to. Sami/Franco was an interesting pairing and Nicole was also interesting as basically the first majorly successful post-Reilly character.

Unfortunately the rest of 98 dragged on and on. Being a few years behind in NZ (a fact that I probably don't mention enough) meant that I knew what was coming and I wasn't interested in sitting through a year of Hope as Princess Gina. The Salem High gang didn't pique my interest all that much either so I never really came back to the show until the Salem Stalker era (but had watched here and there). And then the show was yanked off the airwaves during Melaswen, by which time I had lost interest again anyway.

[carolineg]

It was sneaky but it was there.  When they were in the jungle getting Roman's cure John was delirious and making out with Hope thinking it was Marlena and I was like, nope, nope this seems like trouble.   Good thing they didn't try to make that work for several years lol

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.  And it would have been more scandalous if it was Kristen he was making out with, but I just remember Kristen standing in the corner mad about it.  They really just wasted Eileen for her last 6 months, but they gave her a good workout for the entire previous year so whatever.

[DRW50]

This was also when Vivian and Ivan spent most of their time dressed in humiliating costumes and also trying to con "Jonesy" (Robert Mandan) out of his fortune. I think Vivian also dressed as Elvis around this time. I think a third of the cast dressed as Elvis around this time. Vivian or Ivan were also dressed as french fries. I believe Louise Sorel panned this material when she was interviewed in the late '90s.

Edited September 27, 2021 by DRW50

[carolineg]

Here you go!  It was posted on twitter recently.

The Vivian stuff was bad and demeaning and it felt like John/Marlena, Carrie/Austin, and Bo/Hope just stalled out.  Things happened but not quickly.  It took 2 more years for John/Marlena to get married!!  And Carrie/Austin had Mike and Sami but it felt like the show was unsure to pull the trigger on the Carrie/Mike stuff.  And the Bo/Hope/Billie stuff...............blah.  Peter having jungle madness was cool though.

[te.]

To be fair to Reilly, he managed to see the storylines and triangles he started when he first arrived out, but after the Marlena/John/Kristen, Jennifer/Jack/Peter, Carrie/Austin/Sami, etc were done he didn't really get to do much with the storylines he started after - obviously he started developing Passions and then he left the reigns to others. So we don't know how he would've continued those stories if he had stayed - imagine him leaving in the middle of the possession?

[Franko]

I remember the show getting some good press (from TV Guide?) about Craig & Nancy, namely that Patrika Darbo wasn't the archetype soap actress.

Was Eileen ready to leave?

I remember reading about this on the old Bethsdayspage. They worked at a place called Buddy's Burger Barn, I think. Vivian had to promote the "Extra Beefy Buddy Burger," while Ivan talked up "Free French Fries."

[will81]

I think the writing was stacked against them but I also felt Diedre had changed the way she played Marlena and Wayne had not changed the way he played Roman. 

I agree he would not have fit into the campier OTT Days. Eileen had barely been there before the tone of the show switched so she had time to adjust and she seemed to be able to shift Kristen either way. Her performances during her return melded the more down to earth factor with a slight nod to the previous incarnation of the character, very slight, just enough for Kristen to still feel like Kristen. I remember the writing for her was better than everything else that was going on at that time. At least on her first return. Definitely the dialogue she got was better.

I wonder about Isabella too. Would Kristen have even been brought on? Would JER have had Isabella fall under the Kiriakis spell the way Kristen did with the DiMera's? Or would Isabella have moved elsewhere? I can't really picture her as part of the show past the time of the affair to be honest. I can only see her leaving town once the truth came out. 

Edited September 27, 2021 by will81

[DRW50]

@carolineg Thanks. Glad to see that. Oh those dramatic Drake Hogestyn line readings. I had a vague memory of that dress on display so at least I was right. The budget for that room is probably larger than the budget for the whole show now.

Thanks. That's...something.

One of the parts of 1997 I remember enjoying was when they had Laura going around all the time talking about how Carrie should not be with Austin because his parents were, basically, fucked up trash and he would be too. That's pretty terrible for her to say, especially since she was a therapist, but Austin was so completely vapid and impossible to care about, and JLB was having the time of her life. And it at least led to more drama with Kate and Laura.

Yes. She extended her contract by 4-5 months to play her exit story. She said the workload had completely wiped her out.

Edited September 27, 2021 by DRW50

[will81]

Yeah I didn't like what they did to Vivian. She became a caricature and a joke. Also once Carrie and Mike became a thing the whole Carrie/Austin story had been going on so long without them having much time together that I simply lost interest in them ever getting back together. Even now I could care less if they are a couple or not. 

[carolineg]

I think she had already given her notice basically and I think she was tired.  She was playing like 45 characters and Kristen really had no where to go once Jarlena reunited.

I honestly don't think Dee changed the way she played Marlena until the mid 90's.  But I think something was just lost along the way with them chemistry wise.  Isabella and Roman would never have fit into Reilly's Days unless they made Isabella a psycho which I could see.  I think it's possible for Roman/Isabella to stay on the canvas past the affair and hook up or something as revenge, but they weren't going to be major players in JER's vision.  He clearly had tunnel vision on Jarlena and while I could see Isabella as the psycho spoiler, Kristen just works so much better and ED is obviously the much more versatile actress.

You really have to appreciate Stefano's dedication to stalking.  And also John's dedication to giving Marlena ugly ass jewelry.  

[FrenchBug82]

I have to say I am really confused about the Carrie/Mike story in hindsight.
Maybe I am misremembering but it was a whole thing for a long time but it never led anywhere, did it?
It feels like they really took their time to build up the longing and flirtation that we would forgive Carrie for breaking up Carrie/Austin except that... she didn't. So it ended up being a lot of build-up and no payoff. 

[carolineg]

I actually feel like the Carrie/Austin/Sami/Mike stuff went on too long as well.  All the other stories went on forever, but Carrie/Austin actually lost all momentum as a couple in the way the other stories didn't.  So that was a mistake on JER's part.  By the time Austin/Carrie got married most people were rooting for Carrie/Mike.

Carrie/Mike left the show together.  They had an affair while she was married to Austin.  In the end I guess it didn't have much payoff since she was with Austin but I believe Carrie/Mike were engaged and living in Israel for several years off screen.

[FrenchBug82]

OK I stand corrected. Can't believe I completely wiped that out of my memory.
I didn't remember that they did get together and leave together.
Which says something about either me getting old or the quality of the payoff. Or both.