DAYS: February 2013 Discussion

[Cat]

Kristen's SL is running out of steam because her end-game -- her vengeance -- is kind of basic. I expect better from the DiMeras and Kristen in particular, you know? Something OTT and complicated and kind of crayand very, very fitting. I don't know if it is a super tight budget or what but I am hoping that there is a twist in the tail or that Marlena and John do something which causes a rift between Brady and Kristen, and Kristen shifts her vengeance up a notch.

OT but I am really looking forward to Stefano being back in town.

[Cheap21]

I hate that Im watching this show. I want to drop but cant.

[SouthOfSoap]

You're right. I wonder if its the budget or the writers? I guess I've been ignoring it because I'm so captivated by ED's performances. Agree Stefano needs to be in Salem like yesterday. I also need to see his reaction to Kate/Rafe.

Why can't you stop watching? Personally I'm enjoying it more than I have in years - it is funny how the show rubs up people differently!

[Cheap21]

bc Im invested in it, but finding it to be a drag. Kristen and bitch Sami keep me on but there is WAY too much Jennifer and Daniel and they make me want to shut it off. They are truly the worse thing going for Days and yes are a major turn off for me. It infuriates me to watch their scenes

[Cat]

Yes! The thought of a Stefano/Kate/Rafe triangle (of some kind -- I'm happy with K & R just being co-conspirators with benefits) is giving me life right about now. Stefano treated Kate horribly the past year that he needs to get some of that paid back to him in kind.

Also if Marlena were part of the Stefano/Kate scenes, I would be very happy.

I am really liking it right now but I can see exactly what you mean. I do think the Dannifer mess has been better recently because there are other stories balancing it out. And for some reason Jennifer hasn't been annoying me as much as usual. But seeing God's Gift to Womanhood in so many scenes -- or being mentioned in so many scenes -- drives me nuts because so many other great characters have been thrown under the McHairychest bus. Like, I really need Philip/JKJ to come back. Sonny isn't cutting it for me as a Kiriakis, he's too Bradyish and self-righteous, and we don't see Justin nearly enough. So we need Philip. And we need him to rake Chloe over the coals because two seconds after finding out her son was Daniel's son, she was outta that marriage and cooing over the McHairydick.

[Antoyne]

The Kiriakis clan is sorely lacking right now. Brady is barely even a Kiriakis these days.

[marlenafan]

Still catching up on this week's episodes:

I can never get enough of Marlena/Kristen scenes. It is so interesting how Marlena is the ONLY one that is really able to bother Kristen to her core. I just loved how smug Marlena was and how unhinged Kristen was. This reminds me of most of their scenes in 97 when Marlena was just always smug and threatened to tell John about Kristen's secret in every scene and Kristen trying to stop herself from choking Marlena (ahhh the good ol' days). And when we have Kristen loosing it in her hotel room and going on about she hates Marlena. It is her hatred for Marlena that turned her evil in the first place and it is her hatred for Marlena that will cause her to unravel once again. I still don't get why the writers are writing John as such a moron. The first time around, he was written as an idiot so that the Marlena/John/Kristen triangle could last for as long as it did. Now they are writing him as a total jerk. You mean after Marlena and John has gone through Stefano's obsession, kidnappings (of both Marlena and John on separate occasions), Kristen's lies, manipulations, demonic possessions, near-beheadings, mind-control, cage-prison infidelity, Belle-nappings, real prison, death-row, fake deaths, fake serial killings, fake deaths, paralysis, Princess Gina, who's the daddy scares, etc. and coming out stronger, John is going to now leave Marlena because he didn't tell her something that wasn't her place to tell? #FAIL

I think I figured out why Melissa Reeves seem so much better to me now. a) she is playing her character closer to the Jennifer of old, and she is now the stronger actress in the Jennifer/Dan/Chloe triangle. Putting Missy in a storyline with Arianne Zucker did nothing but show up how much Missy has been phoning it in for a while. I think Melissa Reeves is an extraordinary actress and she has proven it time and time again in scenes with Crystal Chappell (shower scene) as well as Matthew Ashford (remember when her car was about to go over a cliff and Jack was trying to save her I think back in 2006 or so). Those scenes stand out in my head among others. I think she is now actually trying to put some effort into her scenes nowadays so keep it up Missy!

Sami is sooooooo Sami right now. This is the Sami that I love. Stubborn, selfish, confrontational, impetuous momma bear. I would love to have a scene where Kate points out how Sami just like her and Kate actually congratulating her for now evolving lol.

I am really enjoying Meridith Scott Lynn right now as Anne. I think they need to find some way of incorporating this character full time on the canvas because she has great potential. In fact, I would love it if they made her a lesbian who after spending so much time with Chloe, started developing feelings for her (which is her motive for trying to help her snag Daniel as opposed to the motive solely being her hatred of Jennifer). After a while Anne begins to really fall in love with Chloe and then tries to sabotage Chloe's plans unbeknownst to Chloe. Then she can start manipulating Chloe just as how Chloe tries to manipulate Daniel. It would be fun to watch Chloe get a taste of her own medicine and not even be the wiser. Let's not make Anne crazy though, just a bit obsessive,

I'm going to need Chandler Massey to show us why he deserves to keep that Emmy he won. I'm not sure if he is purposely playing Will as really naive and lacking testicular fortitude or if he is just phoning in his scenes. Will is just really blah right now and I know Chandler is capable of more than what I am seeing on my tv. Come on Chandler, you are an extraordinary actor, so let's see it more often on screen.

Tell me again why I should care about this golden circle rubbish?

[DRW50]

I never knew why he won it in the first place, so I wouldn't count on it.

[AlexElizabeth]

Still trying to figure that out myself. Abi is a 20 year old virgin. Oh the horror.

[jfung79]

Thanks, SouthofSoap! I don't think the Kristen/Brady story is running out of steam, but I think Brady should find out what she is planning and pretend to agree to get married, only eventually he and/or Kristen might actually want to get married. A "will they or won't they?" wedding is still the best climax this storyline could have. I'm not in a rush to see Stefano in Salem. I think he works well commenting from afar. and I don't want to ruin what I've enjoyed so far. However, I can see why Cat thinks it would be interesting to see how he responds to Rafe and Kate. Also, as a new viewer, I should defer to the "vets" here who know Stefano!

The Will/Sonny chemistry was heavier at the hospital because it was a crisis and Sonny needed to be there for Will as more than just any old friend. It is good acting that they were acting more platonic with the crisis over back at the coffee house. The characters were also super tired by then. They had been up all night at the hospital. I still detected an undercurrent of romantic tension. And with Sonny seeing the card, perhaps a reunion is in the works next week ... (I hope!)

Great idea about Anne, marlenafan! It would make the Chloe story a lot better. To me how Chloe's being written is the one major weak link of the show right now. I like Jennifer -- agree about Melissa Reeves being a good actress -- and even Daniel, and feel they are complex enough, but Chloe comes across rather one-note. I need to do a lot of filling in the gaps in my head to understand why Chloe does what she does. The idea about Anne being a lesbian would still not establish Chloe's motivations that well, but would provide more of a distraction from Chloe's lame plots.

As for John, I think John is being mean to Marlena, but he did at least call her and originally he did say he would be back eventually. John didn't just leave because Marlena didn't tell him about Brady though. John left because Marlena admitted she hadn't trusted John not to fall for Kristen again; Marlena admitted that was one of her motivations and part of her was glad Kristen was with Brady and not John.

I don't think Will is blah or Chandler Massey is phoning it in. I do think he is making deliberate choices to make Will seem overwhelmed and despairing at times, which any good person in Will's situation would be, but I don't think Will is coming across as weak or naive. Will is coming across to me as wanting what is best for his child, which is 1) to work with Gabi to come to reasonable joint decisions to ensure harmony while not giving up his rights, and 2) to keep Sami far, far, far away! Not speaking to your mother when she is clearly the cause of stress in a particular situation, and telling her to get out, is *not* lacking testicular fortitude. Sami deserved it. Meanwhile, the whole Will not realizing about Nick thing is clearly part of the writers' story, and Chandler is playing it well. His portraying Will's self-hatred over his dad taking the fall for shooting EJ was a recent highlight of his acting abilities to me. On Thursday and Friday, Chandler was able to combine Will's undercurrent of love he still feels for his mom and his understanding of her feelings, with his anger and firmness about her actions needing to stop.

It's clearly in the writing that Will considers himself a screwup, even though to other characters he isn't. They can see he will be a good dad and see he'll make good decisions that are best for the child. But Will is self-doubting (which is part of what makes him so likable and relatable to me), so of course Chandler Massey can't go around portraying Will with a swagger most of the time.

[Days22]

So much word. This is what keeps me from watching. Every time I try and watch as soon as they come on I am forced to turn it to Investigation Discovery and end up staying there.

[sungrey]

Word, Days22. And I like Shawn Christian. Always will be a J&J fan, though, much like I'll always be a Boper and a Caustin fan. Maybe someday if the show decides it wants to write its couples like the 1980s again, I'll come back.

Marlenafan, for some reason I think Chandler's going to bolt when his contract is up. I hope he doesn't... although I think he could get work outside of Days... but his strongest material was when he was lighting into Sami. But I have a feeling Chandler and Casey are goners by choice.

[jfung79]

I think Chandler will surprise people and stay. But if he leaves, there are recasts out there who can take over the role, I'm sure. He's still taking classes at UCLA; his family, a major political family in Georgia, cares about that education, so I don't think he's in a rush to make his way in the industry and land a major movie role that would take him away from LA for shooting possibly.

His strongest material is now and the preceding few months -- the baby storyline gives him a whole bunch of emotional range to deal with, as does the breakup/makeup with Sonny. He still has layered scenes with his mom too, but they are not as negative and one-note. Also, when he won the Emmy, it was for subtle scenes with Marlena, not for lighting into Sami. Unlike CarlD2, I don't hate that Marlene McPherson/Darrell Ray Thomas had Will lashing out at Sami after discovering Sami and EJ, feeling betrayal, like Sami discovered John and Marlena back in the day and felt betrayal and lashed out at Marlena -- but I don't think it was Will's strongest material either.

[sungrey]

There was a lot Marlene and Darrell did that was great work. A lot of people forget they were first-time headwriters... ya, they had a few clinkers along the way, but I enjoyed them a lot better than TomSell. (Although I still think some combo of Lorraine Broderick, Melissa Salmons and the Cullitons would send this show higher)

That, and a few more returns.

[Cheap21]

Them being first time writers is irrelevant and doesn't give them a pass. Their Days sucked, period. I had hope for them because they were new and fresh and not among the same recycled crop that daytime seems to pass along. Unfortunately they weren't any better. IDA that they had a lot of great work. Most of their material was negative. They had good ideas but horrible execution. They'd drop a skeleton of a story but never filled it out with any meat. The worst thing about their Days was that it was boring. Glad you enjoyed it but overall it was an uneventful snoozefest for me