DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[Paul Raven]

[Ben]

I've just read both the Lauren chat, and the one with Joe and Renee. Both were awesome reads, and all three really came across as down-to-earth, nice people. I quite like the way Joe answers some of those questions, like he holds some information back, even if that is a little annoying. Like, what was his least favourite storyline? I also liked what they said about Tanya Boyd/Celeste, as at the time, I felt she should and could have been used a lot more affectively; I certainly liked the appearances she made during that time.

Yeah, Renee deserved to have more to do, especially during the latter 2000s. I do think 2000-02 had a lot of plates spinning in the air, and not every story was fully realised. The whole Abe/Faye/Brandon/Larry thing could have been better developed, and I think Brandon being Abe's son should have been explored when it was fresh, before it lost momentum. Interesting comment about Stefano and Kate, which did eventually happen. Good memories for me as a viewer, considering the quality of the show would later sharply deteriorate.

BTW: Thanks Paul for posting those chats. Much appreciated.

[Sindacco]

Ben I agree with you. That was during the Langan era when Celeste was barely on, it wasn't as bad as under Higley but still.

It just makes me so sad to see how much they wasted Renee during all those years. 2000-2003 was the only time period when she really got meaty front burner material. All the other stuff she had over the years, like The Pacifier, finding out Celeste and Stefano were her parents, the affair with Tek, Theo's autism and Abe running for mayor, were B or C storylines. And that was if she was lucky. She spent the majority of those years being a doctor and sounding board to other characters.

I understand that she lost her passion for acting during her last years on the show. They treated her horribly. She was fired early in Sheffer's run, came back with all the other DiMeras because she wanted to work with Joe, Thaao, Will and Steve again. Spent the summer on backburner and barely had scenes with any of them. Was fired again, and this time without a real exit. Her last episode was as a background extra at Shawn and Belle's wedding. Then when Sheffer was out and Higley took over, Renee came back again, did alot of research on autism, went out with James and even Higley to promote it. Then Tomlin and Whitesell joined the show, Abe's run for mayor got a rushed ending, and Lexie spent 2009-2011 as a doctor and sounding board again. When Renee announced her retirement in 2012 I wasn't suprised. I'm just happy she left under MarDar before Tomlin and Whitesell came back, they would not have given her the exit that she got.

I also agree with you about Abe/Brandon. But the biggest crime in that storyline was not having Abe and Brandon involved with Paul. They spent several years building up his arrival for the Walker family, and then when he finally got out of prison he had a few scenes with Fay and Nicole before going to Puerto Rico. All just because Langan wanted a villain for the Salem High gang. Nicole got to deal with Paul at the end of that storyline but Brandon and Abe got nothing. Not a single scene.

[Ben]

Sindacco, you are so right about the poor treatment that Renee faced story wise. It baffles me that so few HW's couldn't see her potential. Some of those B-, C-stories should have made her front burner, like Theo's autism, and even Abe running for Mayor, but as a family, the Carvers were never viewed as anything more than supporting players; they never knew how to write for characters that weren't villains or the classic hero/heroine, unless it was crime/medical stories, then they knew how to utilize Abe and Lexie. Don't forget about Abe's blindness, another story that could have gone somewhere decent, but never did. I remember that time they seemed to flirt with the idea of Abe/Kate and Abe/Celeste, which was quite odd.

What was the Pacifier story? This must have been before my time.

I thought how Renee was treated under Sheffer was appalling. Didn't Lexie get locked in a tunnel or some such nonsense, only to come back being all agoraphobic or something? As time went on the Carvers became more isolated. Even now, they don't use Abe in any meaningful way. It made sense for Renee to no longer be interested in staying with Days, considering how mistreated she had been by management.

They wasted Paul on the teens and that damn tropical temptation story. I'm glad Nicole had some meaningful scenes with him, but really more could and should have been done with Paul/Brandon/Abe/Faye, especially after all that had been built up, and the deep history that they apparently shared. I guess by this time the momentum was gone and they lost interest.

Edited December 29, 2013 by Ben

[Titus Andronicus]

In 1993, Jonah Carver was being Batman, working under the cover of night and tying up criminals and shoving a pacifier in their mouths. The police weren't happy that someone was interfering with their work. Lexie caught him in the act one night and he talked her into not ratting him out to Abe. She ended up joining him and of course, Abe eventually found out about both of them.

Jonah had been in med school, but was kicked out and Lexie had been in the police academy and was booted. Later, Lexie went to medical school and I think referenced it as being Jonah's dream.

Edited December 29, 2013 by Titus Andronicus

[DRW50]

Thanks for the photos, Paul Raven. I wonder how many people bought that doll. I wish they'd done a Kristen doll...

I agree with all the comments about wasting Lexie.

JER seemed to want to have black characters in fairly major roles but then did nothing with this. I wonder if it was his choice or if he was stopped, as he seemed to give black characters more to do at Passions.

[Ben]

Carl, it did seem like JER was happy to write for black characters, considering he had several black characters front burner on Passions. But, I guess it may have been his writing style that saw the Carvers go nowhere, although it's possible he may have been stopped, like you suggest.

BIB: That sounds hilarious. Such a WTF?! sentence. It reads like it can't possibly be serious, but I know this is Days, so...

Thanks for explaining the story, but with that last sentence, does it mean the vigilantly-ism turned out to be a dream?

Edited December 29, 2013 by Ben

[DRW50]

It was real, as someone (Marlena?) mentioned this at Lexie's memorial.

[Titus Andronicus]

It was definitely real and in retrospect quite bizarre that Jonah was kicked out of medical school, but they had no problem admitting Lexie.

This was one of the first storylines I can recall after I started watching Days and actually I remembered something else: Lexie and someone else were on patrol that night and they split up to look for the Pacifier. She caught him and took off his ski mask. Jonah convinced her to let him go and she told the other cop that he had escaped (or she didn't see him at all, whatever it was).

Lexie had a bit of an infatuation with Jonah, though it never became a full affair. Jonah was more fascinated with Wendy Reardon.

[DRW50]

From a May 1996 Digest

[Sindacco]

Joe has had a lot of nice suits over the years, I also like Ian's style. Thanks for posting!

[DRW50]

Thanks. When I saw that I thought you'd like it.

[DRW50]

April 1969 Afternoon TV.

[jam6242]

Thanks for this article. I hadn't realized Heather North was on Days that early. And I always thought John Lupton looked like Johnny Carson, lol. I wish Days could bring Heather, Maree, Denise,and Susan back for the 50th anniversary, however briefly.

[DRW50]

Me too. I hope they might. Maree came back a few times so she might again.

It seems like Sandy was around for a good few years, although it's tough to find story material on her.

I don't think I'd ever seen a soap actor wearing love beads, so John Lupton crossed that off the list.

These magazines perpetually confuse me about the spelling of Maree's first name.