Days: November 2015 Discussion Thread

[Vee]

One of the boys should be gay or bi, but DAYS just killed a third of theirs and seems to want to make tracks from that 'phase' of their existence (what else is new) so I doubt it. It would certainly mix things up. Chase is an adorable dweeb. Soaps need more affable dweebs, but they don't like them unless they're caricatures.

 

The problem with DAYS is that even when they have all the ingredients for something good, they dumb it down to the lowest common denominator for the room temperature hicks or addled great-grandmas Ken Corday is still convinced are the backbone of the audience in 2015. Either the dialogue becomes very clunky or expository some days, or the music is back to twanging bluegrass synth, or we're subjected to scene after scene in which Bo plays out an extended fantasy reunion with Hope in ugly sepia tone... while not yet home with Hope, which is what any intelligent person is waiting on.

 

Or they dumb down the storylines. Why is Ben a serial killer? Because of his broken home and dark background which can be heavily exposited on? Well, maybe, but that's too complicated so let's keep it simple, stupid: Because Abby loves Chad. Why is Aiden a bad guy and doing the DiMeras' bidding? Because of gambling debts. Gambling debts have made this man decide he has to marry and kill a woman for her money on the orders of men who have no conceivable reason to suddenly want Hope dead after 30+ years (why?). Gambling debts! Just like when Dena wrote a story on OLTL where a guy stalked Adriana for Dorian - to pay off his student loans.

It's so banal. And it doesn't have to be.

[Khan]

 

Yep.

[Toups]

Great episode today! Loved the directing/lighting/editing in final scene with Aiden - the long shot of Aiden at the back and we just see his silhouette, and using the light changes from outside to cut/edit to Aiden's face and closeup of his eyes.  It's so fun to watch DAYS for it's directing/lighting/editing - something I used to do with Y&R (pre-Latham era). 

 

I would've ended today's episode with Aiden approaching Hope from behind with the tie in both hands as he's about to strangle Hope.

 

So far, the actor who plays Chase seems to be the most natural one out of all the teens.   I liked NuTheo too.  NuCiara is just okay right now but I can see her improving.  I want to see Theo/Ciara too.  That peck on the cheek was cute.    Julie telling Ciara about her past was a nice history nod. 

 

Jen/Eric?  Did not expect that!  Are they going there?  LOL

 

Can't wait for tomorrow!

[RavenWhitney]

Toups: who wrote/directed Thursday epi?

Headwriter, Josh Griffith, was quoted in today's Tv Guide and Variety articles.  I like his take on Days:

There’s something unique and magical about Salem that allows for such eccentricity,” says head writer Josh Griffith. “We pull back the curtain on small-town Americana and reveal it’s crazier and wilder than New York City and everyone knows everyone else’s business. Your secret is never safe for long.”

[Soapsuds]

Albert Alari directed it…and JMF wrote it...

[Juliajms]

I agree with you for the most part. I liked it that Roman was laughing though. I could tell he was on Caroline's side. Aspects of her story are stupid, but I was still rooting for her. I liked Aiden/Hope, but it's past clear that the ship has sunk.

[Sindacco]

Dena and Josh started working February 16.

[Taoboi]

I am definitely glad Bo has finally made it. It has been hit and miss with the stall tactics to keep him from Hope, but it was still a nice build overall.

 

I have to wonder how much of what we are seeing is JG and how much is DH right now. Because a lot of it reminds me of JG's run on Y&R..which I know I was one of the few who loved. There was such an attempt at diversity then that I'm seeing here that I like. Case in point: which they should have continued it yesterday, I like the quick reveal of Lani being Abe's daughter. And he immediately wants to keep it quick. I hope it leans to a good story.

 

Jen/Eric...uh...no.

 

And it looks like they have killed Justin/Adrienne/Lucas (with Eve in the mix) before it begins. And I am saddened because that could be good.

 

 

Yeah for seeing a hint of bad Ciara. So far...I like all the new teens.

 

Love the pictures...as well as the John/Marlena flashback.

 

Good episode and so much building to an end. Cuz that ending...WOW.

[provocative]

I won't disagree about the Aiden stuff - his motivation is clearly a contrived quick fix to get him out of the picture while allowing Bo to sweep in an rescue Hope. But I think they've been doing quite well with the Ben/Abby/Chad stuff. The crux of it is that Abby loves Chad (but that's the crux of it in a lot of similar cases involving dudes who go off the rails.) But we've seen Ben get worked up over the fact that Abby referred to him as 'strange' when speaking to Jennifer, his ott anger over Chad laughing at him, basically treating Abby as a possession because he's never had someone 'love' him so her love is a commodity he must not lose. I've seen all of that in the writing. Like, its not as dense as it could be and I suppose I don't have particularly high expectations but its been a satisfying watch. IMO it could be a lot worse (which is not high praise I know, but still)  

[VirdenEMT]

My god, the overacting by Peggy McKay and Peter Reckell is painful today. The director should be ashamed.

[KMan101]

The Aiden stuff was clearly pulled out of their behinds. I thought they re-introduced Bo a few weeks too soon. The momentum was sort of lost because the show has been trying to do a little too much. Even pulled from their behinds, the Aiden nonsense is better than a lot of stuff we've gotten. I don't love it but it sort of is what it is and it created some drama leading into the wedding.

 

Under Tomsell can you imagine how boring? Even though I loved the Kristen/Eric sex reveal with Marlena knocking down the cubicle.... Man, I want to know what happened with Tomsell. Their start again in 2012 and into 2013 was pretty good. 2014 reeks of interference. 2015 was just dreck.

 

The Ben stuff is also a bit pulled out of their asses but it works a little better. I mean, Vee, it's a soap. I want realism but I'm also OK with suspending my belief a little bit, if the writing is there and the acting is there and I get some motivation. To be fair, this is DAYS. It's outlandish. I'm seeing the show I recognize. Is it perfect? No, but it's closer than I thought it'd ever be.

 

Doug and Julie getting such airtime and being treated as the Tom and Alice they should be? I'm over the moon happy.

[allmc2008]

What a great episode!

[ivanmmd]

I too am thrilled about Doug and Julie being on more.  I saw both of them in Maryland this Tuesday.  They are delightful in person.  She is so sweet.  I told her she was my favorite, and she said she had a lot of competition and acted shocked that she would be my favorite.  She is very genuine.  I have always loved Julie.  When Reilly said in an interview that Julie's story had been told, I thought a good writer could come with something new.

[alexisfan07]

So are they killing Bo off or how are they going to write Peter Reckell out yet again? They're foreshadowing Hope hoppin on that #RafeDick and Hope hasn't even reunited with Bo yet (I've seen through Wednesday's show.) 

 

The faux reunion scenes with Bo and Hope that played made me very suspicious no actual reunion will ever come to pass on screen.

[Days22]

Monday should be killer to say the least