Days: February 2021 Discussion Thread

[prefab1]

5 hours ago, DynamiteKiddo said:

Anyway, all I’m long-windedly saying is the hero still deserves a place... After so many years of Sami, EJ, Nicole, Xander, Kristen, Stefan, Eve, Theresa, etc. getting so much focus, it’s made me miss annoying airhogs like Austin/Carrie, Shawn/Belle, etc. lol.

I can't really agree with you there. I'm a relative latecomer to DAYS; I didn't start watching regularly until Crystal Chappell rejoined in 2009. And one of the reason I couldn't get into the show before was because it focused too much on insipid white-bread couples like Shawn and Belle. Brandon Beemer is nice to look at, but I've never found Shawn very interesting. And I only like Belle in the stories where she's feuding with her family (like the story about Marlena's living will).

 

The only purely "good" character on the show I find interesting to watch is Chloe, because she is exceptionally kind and well-intentioned, but she also has huge blind spots. Like right now, she is basically seducing Brady away from Kristen, but doesn't even realize she's doing it. 

[DynamiteKiddo]

16 minutes ago, prefab1 said:

I can't really agree with you there. I'm a relative latecomer to DAYS; I didn't start watching regularly until Crystal Chappell rejoined in 2009. And one of the reason I couldn't get into the show before was because it focused too much on insipid white-bread couples like Shawn and Belle. Brandon Beemer is nice to look at, but I've never found Shawn very interesting. And I only like Belle in the stories where she's feuding with her family (like the story about Marlena's living will).

 

The only purely "good" character on the show I find interesting to watch is Chloe, because she is exceptionally kind and well-intentioned, but she also has huge blind spots. Like right now, she is basically seducing Brady away from Kristen, but doesn't even realize she's doing it. 

I totally get this.  Up until 2008, except for Lucas & Sami, "Days" was dominated by these vanilla couples and it was overkill and sooo simplistic.  But after years and years of being force-fed leads like EJ, Theresa, and Ben, I am nostalgic for couples like Shawn & Belle and Austin & Carrie.  Perhaps I only like them in theory and, in practice, I'd be over them after a couple months on contract, but I just feel like the hero has been out of fashion in most fiction for the past 10-15 years and I tend to always favor the underdog . . . somewhere along the line, to me anyway, the hero really became the underdog.

 

And Chloe is a wild card . . . after she returned in 2007, they've really taken a lot of left turns with her and I don't consider her a heroine anymore.  I really like how unpredictable she can be and have come to appreciate Nadia Bjorlin, even if her acting is very questionable.  I hate that she's always on the chopping block, but she keeps coming back so . . .

 

4 hours ago, FrenchBug82 said:

I think soaps underestimate how much shows need some genuinely good characters to balance the crazy, evil and messed up out there. Carrie was annoying but even when being on the verge of doing a "bad" thing (cheating with Mike) she was thoroughly goody-2-shoes about it. And like it or not, it provided a good balance with Sami's energy.
I hate that the show has defanged Sami a lot as she became a center of the show. If only for that, I wish Carrie was there as balance although maybe Belle can be the proxy ying to Sami's yang.
Austin/Carrie is the end game but honestly I don't miss Austin as much. Lucas is much more interesting and neither of the two Austin actors really fit the role anymore.

I feel you about Austin, but I think he's been really misused . . . Lucas (and his other brother, Philip) IS more interesting, but Austin has a compelling backstory and they could really build on how screwed over he's been by almost everyone in his life.  Patrick Muldoon did not work out at all in 2011 and Austin Peck only excels at "goofy," but AP would be my pick . . . or recast.  But Carrie definitely has more value as a character at any given time than Austin.

[carolineg]

8 hours ago, DynamiteKiddo said:

I totally get this.  Up until 2008, except for Lucas & Sami, "Days" was dominated by these vanilla couples and it was overkill and sooo simplistic.  But after years and years of being force-fed leads like EJ, Theresa, and Ben, I am nostalgic for couples like Shawn & Belle and Austin & Carrie.  Perhaps I only like them in theory and, in practice, I'd be over them after a couple months on contract, but I just feel like the hero has been out of fashion in most fiction for the past 10-15 years and I tend to always favor the underdog . . . somewhere along the line, to me anyway, the hero really became the underdog.

 

And Chloe is a wild card . . . after she returned in 2007, they've really taken a lot of left turns with her and I don't consider her a heroine anymore.  I really like how unpredictable she can be and have come to appreciate Nadia Bjorlin, even if her acting is very questionable.  I hate that she's always on the chopping block, but she keeps coming back so . . .

 

I feel you about Austin, but I think he's been really misused . . . Lucas (and his other brother, Philip) IS more interesting, but Austin has a compelling backstory and they could really build on how screwed over he's been by almost everyone in his life.  Patrick Muldoon did not work out at all in 2011 and Austin Peck only excels at "goofy," but AP would be my pick . . . or recast.  But Carrie definitely has more value as a character at any given time than Austin.

 

I loved Carrie.  I would love if she came back.  She is such a perfect counterpart to Sami, a role Belle, IMO, can't fill.   I want to like Belle and Belle/Shawn so bad because she's John/Marlena's daughter, but Carrie is just a better character.  Let's face it, Belle was a child for most of Sami's best scheming years and Belle/Sami never really had much of a rivalry over the years except for a few spats here and there.

As far as Carrie/Austin, I like them just fine and I think I prefer AP in the role.  The thing about Carrie/Austin is a lot of major events for them occur off screen (the birth of their baby, their break up, the affairs, the make up) so I am not sure they have to be endgame.  I think they could easily recast Mike and stick Carrie with him.  Or (don't hate me), pair her with Rafe.  I thought they were okay.  I am not sure CC's available though, and like KMC's Robin on GH, I don't think you can recast. 

I would prioritize bringing Carrie back over dullsville Eric any day of the week.  Honestly, out of all Jarlena's brood I'd dump Eric and Brady and bring Paul back and keep Carrie, Sami, and Belle.  

[Gray Bunny]

10 hours ago, Wendy said:

 

If there were good writers - which there aren't - I'd actually be interested in a Brady/Chloe revisit. The Kristen/Brady ickfest should have NEVER been a "romance" and they sure as hell should have NEVER procreated. I know it's "soapy" and Brooke Logan of B&B and Reva Lewis on GL went through the males of their respective love interest's families, but it grosses me out to remember that Kristen, by rights, should be well into her 50s, was engaged to Brady's FATHER, and was once pregnant with Brady's SIBLING and Rachel's own aunt or uncle.

 

 

Once upon a time, Kristen helped wipe away Brady's boogers when Brady was 4 years old and Kristen was scheming to keep his daddy apart from that formerly possessed lady. 

[Faulkner]

I’m digging Eric Martsolf’s brown, brawny body. That’s the saving grace of this nonsense.

[Soapsuds]

6 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

I’m digging Eric Martsolf’s brown, brawny body. That’s the saving grace of this nonsense.

He was much hotter when he was on passions. His body needs work

[AbcNbc247]

7 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

 

Once upon a time, Kristen helped wipe away Brady's boogers when Brady was 4 years old and Kristen was scheming to keep his daddy apart from that formerly possessed lady. 

Yep. She was going to be his new mommy. 

 

Now, she'd rather wipe away something else 

7 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

I’m digging Eric Martsolf’s brown, brawny body.

You're not alone 

[Faulkner]

9 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

He was much hotter when he was on passions. His body needs work

LOL! He was 20 years younger on Passions!

[Gray Bunny]

56 minutes ago, carolineg said:

 

I would prioritize bringing Carrie back over dullsville Eric any day of the week.  Honestly, out of all Jarlena's brood I'd dump Eric and Brady and bring Paul back and keep Carrie, Sami, and Belle.  

 

Ooh I agree on that, in bringing Carrie (Christie Clarke) back permanently as well as Paul Narita (Christopher Sean preferably, but he's too busy getting work nowadays). Also a +1 on Austin Peck vs. Muldoon on a return of Austin. 

 

They just need BALANCE. All the whitebread couples of the 00's have been replaced by people that are too gray in the scale of evil villains. When you're pushing a leading male character that used to be a serial killer, you know you've run out of "good guys". 

 

At this point, Chloe has mostly rebounded from some downright awful character assassination (prostitution; scheming against Jenn for Daniel, all that weird garbage with Deimos, etc) 

 

Speaking of "dark" characters, it's a shame they've kept Philip Kiriakis mostly scummy all these years after his 2007 return.

 

 

14 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

LOL! He was 20 years younger on Passions!

 

For real! The dude is turning 50 this summer. He looks just fine for his age and then some... 

 

Edited February 23 by Gray Bunny

[carolineg]

12 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Yep. She was going to be his new mommy. 

 

 

Is it bad still to this day when I see Brady/Kristen together I vividly remember the scene where Kristen tells little Brady I am going to be your new mommy?  And he was all upset and told John and Marlena?  Lol, I don't remember much else about little Brady and Kristen, but I will never forget that scene and never get over it.  Brady has always been a dim bulb, but I wish he grasped the depths that woman went to for his father.  It will never not be skeevy.

1 minute ago, Gray Bunny said:

 

Ooh I agree on that, in bringing Carrie (Christie Clarke) back permanently as well as Paul Narita (Christopher Sean preferably, but he's too busy getting work nowadays). Also a +1 on Austin Peck vs. Muldoon on a return of Austin. 

 

They just need BALANCE. All the whitebread couples of the 00's have been replaced by people with too gray in the scale of evil villains. When you're pushing a leading male character that used to be a serial killer, you know you've run out of "good guys". 

 

At this point, Chloe has mostly rebounded from some downright awful character assassination (prostitution; scheming against Jenn for Daniel, all that weird garbage with Deimos, etc) 

 

I love Paul.  Even if he is an awful retcon that literally had John impregnating 3 woman in the span of like 3 years.  I think Christopher Sean made the role though.  Let's face it, he was much more interesting than Sonny/Will always.

 

I like Carrie too because of her interesting dynamics with Roman/Anna/John/Marlena.  It was nice to watch CC grow up and have such a bond with her parents and step parents and not be so nutso crazy about John like Sami was/is.  Although I do sorta of love Sami will never let John/Marlena live down an affair they had almost 30 years ago even though they are married and have been for decades.  Never stop holding a grudge Sami!

 

I know Carrie/Austin and Shawn/Belle are "whitebread" couples, but Belle and Carrie were both pretty scandalous with their affairs.  Idk, I thought Carrie/Sami/Austin/Mike/Lucas were really interesting throughout the 90's.  Less so in the 2000's.  The show needs more young heroes for sure.  John and Steve aren't going to be around forever and they are clearly too old to be in the action/adventure stories they are in now.

I often have felt bad for NB/Chloe.  It's clear a lot of writers had no idea what to do with Chloe, so they wrote her out or made her character so unrecognizable she was a hooker?  I think I easily forgave her because I knew it was just awful writing and she seems like a real team player.

[AbcNbc247]

2 minutes ago, carolineg said:

Is it bad still to this day when I see Brady/Kristen together I vividly remember the scene where Kristen tells little Brady I am going to be your new mommy?  And he was all upset and told John and Marlena?  Lol, I don't remember much else about little Brady and Kristen, but I will never forget that scene and never get over it.  Brady has always been a dim bulb, but I wish he grasped the depths that woman went to for his father.  It will never not be skeevy.

 

I love Paul.  Even if he is an awful retcon that literally had John impregnating 3 woman in the span of like 3 years.  I think Christopher Sean made the role though.  Let's face it, he was much more interesting than Sonny/Will always.

Not bad at all lol

 

I really liked that first Brady/Kristen storyline in 2012-2013, but I don't see them as this endgame couple that they've been portrayed as these last few years. If they broke up for good, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

 

And agreed on Paul. The retcon was stupid, but I accepted it because he was such a good actor, and the chemistry he had with both Wills, and a lot of other actors was great.

[Faulkner]

Claire is such an idiot. She couldn’t turn away from Charlie and stop the recording when the phone rang so he couldn’t see it? 
 

I’m glad it was Belle and not some dude who intervened. 

[carolineg]

25 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Not bad at all lol

 

I really liked that first Brady/Kristen storyline in 2012-2013, but I don't see them as this endgame couple that they've been portrayed as these last few years. If they broke up for good, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

 

And agreed on Paul. The retcon was stupid, but I accepted it because he was such a good actor, and the chemistry he had with both Wills, and a lot of other actors was great.

 

I actually agree on Brady/Kristen with ED in the beginning.  They were hot, but the story relied on Brady being a clueless idiot a lot-which is fine.  It's just a decade later I would hope he wouldn't be as clueless and EM and SH don't have the same chemistry.   I actually really enjoyed the Kristen/Brady/John/Marlena stuff back then until it completely fell off the rails with John/Marlena acting super out of character.  John still being into Kristen?  Marlena being accused of being ridiculous for hating Kristen?  Lol the story ended poorly and it messed up Jarlena for awhile, but ED was such a breath of fresh air for the show back then.  I just think it negatively effected John, Marlena, and Brady for awhile.

[Gray Bunny]

Agreed that Brady/Kristen should've just been a 2012-2013 thing with ED in the role and Brady being clueless. The fact they're making them, like, endgame or something is silly. 

 

BTW: According to @JAS0N47, Maggie is going to be off canvas for awhile as Suzanne Rogers is taking a break. I wonder how long? 

[JAS0N47]

"Days" related...

 

If you missed the original airing, long-time "Days" actress Jacee Jule, who played Patty the Salem Place waitress, as well as being Frances Reid's on-set assistant, appears as the plaintiff on a repeat of "Judge Judy" airing in syndication on Wed. 2/24. For areas which get a double-run (two episodes) of "Judge Judy", it is the second episode of the day.