DAYS: August Discussion Thread

[Toups]

Agreed. Maggie is tainted to me now that she's related to Daniel. That guy makes every character worse And of course I don't like her marriage to Victor, so less Maggie the better. Now if Victor liberates himself from Maggie and it turns out Daniel is not Maggie's son, then I'd happily want to see more of Maggie.

[Cheap21]

It feels weird how it feels like the Hortons have a strong presence on the show with Julie's return and being all about Nick. I havent felt this way about the family this whole past year

[Skin]

Didn't like the Billie/Kate/Lucas scenes, it sucks that Kate is constantly diminished by her family considering all that she does for them and that she constantly has their backs and that she gives them access to her unending support. Even if they hated Stefano, I felt that were wrong for bringing her past up and shoving it in her face like that. It's as if they couldn't give their mother at least a small portion of respect in that scene.

I wish Hayes would have underplayed her material in her scenes. As it stood it was a little too Cruella De Vil in terms of over the topness and wanting Melanie to stand in a corner and sit quiet in regards to Nick's probationary hearing. If she had played the scenes as if she could understand at least a bit where Melanie was coming from in regards to her reticence I could have backed her but as it stood with her finale scenes and her scenes earlier with Brady I think she should have been at least a bit more understand and contrite then she truly was.

[Ira]

I think they were being fine, considering. I mean, Kate is the one who really brought up her whore past. Also, "considering all that she does for them" kind of includes trying to kill two of Lucas' wives, setting up Sami to look like she slept with Brandon, ruining two of his weddings because she didn't like Sami, constantly meddling in Bo's affairs on Billie's behalf. I love love the Roberts dynamic, mostly because of their interactions with each other and no one feeling the need to sugarcoat anything with one another. We've seen Lucas and Billie support their mother, but hey, they also don't want their mother to be with a SUPER VILLAIN who has tried to kill half of Salem.

I bought it. Julie really has never even had a scene with Melanie before, has she? In her opinion, all she cares about is Nick and Melanie is a random inconvenience (or someone who could be useful). It made more sense for her to care about Brady and Lucas, because they're "family" to her.

I know it seems like everyone in the town is connected, but literally, Melanie means nothing to Julie.

What I'd like for someone to mention is the fact that Hope was also taking pills that made her go nuts, so, let's just spring Nick out of prison, huh?

[Bright Eyes]

I'd rather they mention that Melanie had no trouble at all getting over what Nick did her and never blamed him or thought he believed to go to prison for even a brief second. Tomlin and Whitesell are retconning themselves to prop their pet, helping to ruin Maggie in the process. Thankfully, she's living soon so I can bear the bs.

[Toups]

LOL That would be great if Hope spoke at the parole hearing.

[Cheap21]

Nick tried to kill Melanie bc he was high on prescription pills? I always thought he just went crazy.

[Skin]

Kate brought it up because Lucas was making side comments about her past and the way her and Stefano met and I just didn't think that was very appreciative on any level. I have no problem with the fact that they dislike Stefano, but I believe they should also support her and respect her choice/decision, even if they don't like it. Making her feel bad about something she did in the past and that she has tried to make up for doesn't seem right to me on any level.

But Melanie is something to Maggie, as you said this town is interconnected. It also just seems in plain bad taste to have no sympathy what so ever for a victim of Nick's crime when begging that person not to speak at the hearing. There are ways to act and just a general sense of tact and decorum about approaching your Nephew's victim in a situation such as that and what she did just wasn't it. Some nuance in that scene would have went a country mile in terms of making her look better and making the appeal seem more like a genuine appeal then as a muted scolding.

[Antoyne]

Julie mentioned though with everything going on in the Horton family, this would be a great thing for the family so naturally she has tunnel vision. The family's hurting and this would be a bright spot.

[Bright Eyes]

Julie can do whatever she wants. If someone doesn't like it then they need to get the f*ck out!

[Ira]

I guess that's what I want the most out of a soap though. I don't want characters to come across looking their best all the time, because that's not good writing. I'm a writer myself and I like diving into characters who are flawed, sometimes selfish, make bad decisions.

We know it was wrong for Julie to confront Melanie like that, Melanie and probably Maggie will call her out on it. Even Lucas called her out on it in the beginning of the episode. I get that it might have come across as a better or nicer thing for Julie to think about it from Mel's situation, but that wouldn't A) be the Julie we know or be realistic. To use a personal example, if the father of my children had gone to jail for killing a neighbor's wife in a hit and run. I'd personally know that it would be difficult for that neighbor to see my husband walking the streets, BUT in terms of wanting my family back together and having my kids with their father again? I'd want my husband out of prison and I'd use whatever tactic necessary to do so. Doesn't make a party right or wrong, it makes them human.

[DRW50]

Do Julie and Lucas usually have scenes together? I don't watch regularly but it's tough to remember any besides large group scenes like Alice's funeral.

[Ira]

They don't really, but it seems appropriate since he's a Horton. He ought to have a better relationship with Hope and Jen than he's been portrayed by other writers, but he's also a Jack character in that people just write him out or don't write for him if they don't have anything to do with him. But there's plenty to mine.

Edited, because actually, I remember Julie playing a large part in Lucas and Sami getting together romantically after all their drama. She had a lot of scenes with Sami and consequently Lucas during the Salem Stalker storyline.

[DynamiteKiddo]

There are some things, as a soap viewer, I can totally ignore for the sake of chemistry, enjoyment, whatever . . . like Nicole and Chloe as besties. But Stefano & Kate as some kind of rooting couple is something I'll never, ever accept. Kate's kids should never, either. I thought the scenes were classic Roberts family--the kids' disrespect toward their mother is something that's characterized this family since Kate really started getting wacky in the late '90s. But like Ira noted, all four (guess the gemini twins have been retconned out of the timeline) of those children rally around Kate when it counts. They could be more compassionate toward her now, but they think they're acting in her best interest by trying to call a spade a spade. It's a lot better than how Kate sometimes acts in what she perceives to be their best interest! LOL. BTW, Kate's my all-time fav. "Days" character.

Again, right or wrong, I think this is how we're supposed to take Julie since her '90 return--a loudmouth with little consideration for others except her family and those she takes under her wing (typically for plot purposes). SSH's theatricality doesn't help matters. But this is an area where I totally think "it's just Julie." However, from a logical standpoint, ITA that she should be handling this with more tact and sensitivity due to Melanie's connection to Maggie (regardless of this nonsense egg switcharoo) and for the sake of human decency.

[DynamiteKiddo]

Ya, there was this running thread through Reilly Round II that Lumi were the new D&J. I remember Julie having plenty of scenes with Sami, but not really with Lucas.

I don't think Lucas should be a HortonHorton . . . I think it would work much better to position him as an outsider for the sake of personal drama. Not even just for him, but for Jenn (and Mike), too. I remember in '02 when Jenn had serious problems with Bill and she was gracious and kind to Lucas, but it was different. There's so much to mine with Jenn/Mike/Laura/Bill/Kate/Lucas.

Lucas was always very close to Maggie because of the sponsorship (they had the kind of relationship she now has with Brady) and I love that relationship. I think Reilly, during his second stint, looked at Lucas as a tried and true Horton, but the characters were so isolated then. Was it Reilly or Sheffer who had Lucas change his name? Anyway, I think when Sheffer was helming the show, Lucas was the show's premier Horton after Hope.

But ITA that since Sheffer left, Lucas has gotten the "redheaded stepchild" treatment and it's a shame. He's an amazing character with such rich history, he's just been misused as a generic hero type. I hope GT keeps him around because either he or DH really didn't think the character (or actor?) was viable in the '08-'10 period.