The thing is, Kristian Alfonso has been doing variations on this [!@#$%^&*] for years on the show as they tried to groom her into becoming "Crazy Marlena Jr." - the next wild-ass bitch who can do anything and still be a major heroine, as opposed to Sami who always kept her sanity while scheming. With Hope it's always Nyquil doing it to her, or mind control, or microchips or whatever. And the other problem is that I frankly think that in doing the sort of "evil Hope" stories they are playing to Alfonso's latter-day strengths. She projects a cold, brittle, dark energy which works very well in even the most ridiculous [!@#$%^&*] they throw at her, but I very, very rarely ever buy Hope as a loving wife or mother or as a normal heroine. She's gone way past Bo, who seems too ordinary for her now.

I've also simply never been able to believe Hope is a cop. She makes the sometimes questionable cops on AMC or OLTL look like veterans from The Wire. What I would do is go in a harder, more realistic direction with that - play down her glamour, dress her more like a cop, and cut her hair. Back to something pretty short, like the real Princess Gina, although God, not that color. Because real women cops do not dress or act like Hope. And then I'd bring in another character, a transfer to the force, for her.

I do like Jack and Jennifer, a lot. The problem is DAYS does not know how to write for them or for Jack. They lost writers who could explore that kind of complexity and shading of the two characters and their interplay almost twenty years ago. But I absolutely would keep them together, do stories with them, and then eventually play a quad.

Edited June 15, 201114 yr by Vee

That theme sounds like a syndicated cowgirl show from 1993.

I do like Jack and Jennifer, a lot. The problem is DAYS does not know how to write for them or for Jack. They lost writers who could explore that kind of complexity and shading of the two characters and their interplay almost twenty years ago. But I absolutely would keep them together, do stories with them, and then eventually play a quad.

I= will fully admit that my hatred of them is all in the writing. I simply have never understood why Jenn loves him so much.

Neckglace-Gate is one B&B's greatest stories ever. It just didn't last long enough, IMO...

Too bad it was Oliver she slept with & not Thomas.

I remember when Julie Pinson played the role of Billie, having this urge to see if there would be any on screen chemistry or rapport with Matt Ashford's Jack. I always figured that the two would play fairly well of each other.

Speaking of days, the nicole/colin/jen/brandon/sami/jack story is one that i loved that a lot of people seem to hate. Seeing those characters mix it up and date around was fun. I loved it when they all went to the lodge! I actaully really liked Colin murphey in general.

We finally agree on something I loved Colin and that whole story.

Edited June 15, 201114 yr by Sindacco

Bo and Carly were also hot in their day, but CC has grown lethargic and mannered and her return story was mostly a mess hampered by the likes of Daniel. That could have been so much better. The problem is the show has never invested seriously in Hope with another potential man, and frankly the Reilly-esque stories they've given Kristian Alfonso have made Hope as much of a sort of sexless 'freak' character as Marlena became. You stop thinking of them as a heroine and more as a crazy gimmick - what will she do next? It becomes impossible to relate to, and her weight issues frankly do not help. But they could do more with Bo and Hope with other people - the right people - they just didn't, not when Carly came back, not now.

That's true. Hope has never really had a real love interest except Bo. But out of those she was involved with ( Larry, Franco and Patrick) two of them were under the Reilly years.

I've enjoyed some of the clips I've seen of the "Nighttime Hope" story, and I enjoyed KA's performance in those. But I did not watch the story regularly - so I might just be going based on well-edited fanvids and a few clips. How was the story in day to day terms?

The story was awful but Kristian Alfonso was very hot in those black clothes and her hair up like that.

Whatever happened to Dr. Baker?

The thing is, Kristian Alfonso has been doing variations on this [!@#$%^&*] for years on the show as they tried to groom her into becoming "Crazy Marlena Jr." - the next wild-ass bitch who can do anything and still be a major heroine, as opposed to Sami who always kept her sanity while scheming. With Hope it's always Nyquil doing it to her, or mind control, or microchips or whatever. And the other problem is that I frankly think that in doing the sort of "evil Hope" stories they are playing to Alfonso's latter-day strengths. She projects a cold, brittle, dark energy which works very well in even the most ridiculous [!@#$%^&*] they throw at her, but I very, very rarely ever buy Hope as a loving wife or mother or as a normal heroine. She's gone way past Bo, who seems too ordinary for her now.

I don't think so at all. I think she portrayed a very soft, maternal role to Shawn-Douglas back in the mid-90's. As for her hard edge, that works precisely well for her role as a tough cop. And cut her hair? As if!

As for Crazy Marlena Jr., well that's the way of the writers giving a new edge to an otherwise angelic character. Hence, the computer chips and devil possessions, but no jailtime cuz they were under the influence of a dark evil force.

Whatever happened to Dr. Baker?

He is in prison.

Lumina (ANOTHER WORLD) made about as much sense as a U.S. Congressman "sexting" underaged girls, but it also was the first time AW's cast actually gave a damn, performance-wise, in quite a while, know what I'm sayin'?

The Erica/Jane storyline. It was good before they brought David into things, but now it's really taking off.

One storyline I thought was really well done on Days was the Gemini Twins mystery. It was when I started watching full time, with Tony returning and the blue key and the twins landing and everyone thinking did Days REALLY go there with aliens, but it turned out they were Marlena/Tony's kids, then they weren't, etc. I thought the twists and turns and Tony's catatonia and the mixing of Sami and Lucas in with the DiMeras was a really, really fun to watch.

Of course, then Brash/Cwikly got replaced by Higley and it all went to crap.

One storyline I thought was really well done on Days was the Gemini Twins mystery. It was when I started watching full time, with Tony returning and the blue key and the twins landing and everyone thinking did Days REALLY go there with aliens, but it turned out they were Marlena/Tony's kids, then they weren't, etc. I thought the twists and turns and Tony's catatonia and the mixing of Sami and Lucas in with the DiMeras was a really, really fun to watch.

Of course, then Brash/Cwikly got replaced by Higley and it all went to crap.

Agreed. Cassie, Rex, and their portrayers breathed so much new life into the show as Tony and Marlena's children. Then Dena ruined it all and DAYS has never been as great since.