Days: Scoop on Eileen Davidson's return

[DramatistDreamer]

You all bring up a lot of good points about the Ashley character and why it hasn't really 'clicked' since the 90s.

I never gave it much thought about ED's portrayal of Ashley as cold and somewhat hard but I guess you're right. You know what, though? I think when Ashley was the scientist who was constantly in the lab, when it was her life's work, it made perfect sense. If you know scientists (and I have a family and several friends who are), they tend to be this way, some even have to 'work' a bit harder at being more in tune with feelings and emotions. This attribute made the character interesting when you'd contrast her professional persona with the romantic as she engaged in these whirlwind almost reckless romances with playboys and business magnates. Once they took the character out of that lab on a regular basis, I think the character became unmoored and uninteresting.

The Terry Lester idea is a good one and an interesting one, CarlID. TL will forever be my favorite Jack Abbott. He had that great mix of roguishness, charm and cunning and bravado (bordering on recklessness) that made a good brotherly foil for Ashley. When the two of them used to clash, you got the notion that the sibling rivalry upended all that brotherly/sisterly love. It was rich in its complexity. Somewhere along the way, I don't want to lay this at Peter Bergman's feet but I do think it happened shortly after he took over the role, Ashley became this fragile bird who often had to be 'handled'. Now Ashley was always prone to mental fragility at times but over the last several years it's become who she is. I don't know if this was done with the purpose of propping up the Jack vs Victor dynamic or if this is a by-product of how the Abbott storylines are written but Ashley becoming a less dynamic force has certainly been a side effect of how she has been written of late.

Brenda Epperson is a stunning lady and she was great in the role and I wouldn't mind seeing her as Ashley either. And yes, physically Eileen can sometimes have a hardened look in her features but I also think had they kept her in the lab and really made her a powerful and dynamic force at Abbott and also, give her the type of love life that usually goes hand in hand with that type of character, it could have payed off in the storyline in a very interesting and complex character. That would've necessitated some thoughtful writing though.

[Khan]

Well, they might as well ask her permission now, because I doubt her return to DAYS will have a major effect on ratings. No, that isn't a slam on ED. I just think it's been too long, and DAYS isn't in strong enough shape.

[Vee]

It sounds like what I've feared and suspected - they've tamed Kristen and are trying to play her as just another female lead, maybe with a bit of a dark side. That is, of course, completely ridiculous. It's one reason I thought Kristen never could return to DAYS, at least on contract - she was too big a character, too dangerous. If Kristen Blake was in town, there's no way she could be anything other than she was, which is apeshit crazy.

This is the consistent problem with DAYS, Corday and this team of mediocre people he keeps going back to (Tomlin, etc.) who also worship mediocre characters and/or actors (Daniel, Rafe, etc). They don't really care about making either a mature, character-driven show or a wild, imaginative, vibrant show anymore. They're filling time. They want often very bland people who will hit a basic baseline, basic perceived demographics, and then they just coast with those. And if that means wasting Crystal Chappell (who did herself no favors) or Lisa Rinna (again) or killing off Jack (again) or bringing back Stefano and Kristen Blake and making them [!@#$%^&*] around with bush league [!@#$%^&*] like business wars or garden-variety love triangles, they'll do that, because that will keep them within very generic parameters. It's just incredibly boring and predictable. Bring back a fabulous old character - have them meander around. You can't tell me Kristen would ever come back to this show and be sane, well-adjusted and just the usual 'tortured antiheroine.' No way on [!@#$%^&*] Earth. But on Supercuts DAYS she wiil. That's why all Stefano does now is sit around town grumbling at people. Insane, and pathetic.

[Khan]

You had me at "mediocre," Vee.

[Cat]

I'm so surprised at the amount of comments amounting to "ED is such a cold, hard actress" and "Ashley is no longer needed on Y&R." ED has been a major reason why I have watched Y&R since the 80s (though not, of course, the only reason). Ashley will always be one of my faves. And I never found ED or the character to be especially cold and hard -- complex, driven, romantic, with moments of deep fragility. ED was always understated and naturalistic on Y&R and that, to me, was one of her strengths as an actress. As for Kristen being cold and hard, well, nothing could be further from the truth. A crazy villainess, yes, but running on pure instinct and passion.

OMG, Supercut Days And this post is so wonderful that I want to drug it, put it in the boot of my car, drive off to Vegas and marry it in front of a presiding Elvis.

[Khan]

I can tell someone is a closet Hogan Sheffer fan.

[DRW50]

I think the problem for me is I wasn't watching when Eileen first played Ashley. I was watching when Brenda was in the role, and while I can't say that was a great time for the character or her prominence, I always liked her relationships with her family, and a certain basic, warm presence she filled on the canvas.

They ran into serious problems with the Shattuck recast, but IMO the biggest was that Ashley no longer had a purpose. One failed pairing after another. One pointless story after another. This had actually started a few years before Brenda left, but Shattuck was so godawful everything was worse.

When Eileen returned, I don't think this changed. The sperm stealing was unbelievable and made me stop watching (along with other stories like Billy/Mac). Looking back I can say, well, I was stupid to quit over that, but not with the sperm theft. It has always made me go, why? why?

With Traci gone, John mostly relegated to disappointed/concerned father, and Jack's relationship with Ashley reduced to her struggling to tolerate her weak and annoying brother, all that was left for Ashley was the pointless Abby birth and the marriage with Brad which felt like a default relationship. Rehash of Victor stories, baby loss stories, mental illness stories. Through all of these years I just rarely saw any empathy or a connection with actress and character.

They could have changed things when she came back in 2008 but the Adam story was all they cared about and then they gave up. She was reduced to B or C list, which is too bad, as I thought she was more likeable this time around than in her 99-07 run.

[Cat]

For shame! I was trying to channel JER, not that misogynistic hack!

CarlD, I appreciate where you are coming from even though we don't necessarily agree. Just like I get why some fans hate Brooke on B&B even though I love her (but that's another thread -- literally).

[DRW50]

I spent years defending Brooke. I don't really care now, but I'll always have a soft spot for her (especially up to about 1994 or 1995).