Days: May 2021 Discussion Thread

[FrenchBug82]

OK This is irritating me.
If you want to write camp soap opera, write camp soap opera. But don't try to gaslight us into thinking this is realistic.
He is smart enough to know there is no comparison so he is clearly trolling but maybe the headwriters shouldn't troll his audience? He doesn't have to always please the audience but maybe he can at least respect it?

[Faulkner]

RC is the trolliest of all trolls. I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten into trouble. Seems like daytime folks are Teflon. Or just too under the mainstream radar to matter.

OR maybe he has been reprimanded and we just don’t know about it. Hasn’t stopped him from antagonizing folks on Twitter.

[AbcNbc247]

Conveniently, Ron left out the fact that the thief did not sleep with the wife of the guy whose face he was wearing.

[Faulkner]

I wonder if Eileen could sell this stupidity better than SH.

[carolineg]

 

It's pretty awful, but I think Eileen could.  She sold all those ridiculous Banks siblings including a male one.  I mean, it's hideous writing, but Eileen sells Kristen as truly threatening, devious, and cunning.   SH is trying, but she lacks the gravitas and history Eileen has and ED has better chemistry with her co-stars.  So, I don't think we'd be raving about this story with Eileen, but I think it would be better.  Plus, I feel like Ron would have amped up Jarlena's involvement with all this if ED was playing the role.  I just think the whole story would have played out differently with Eileen.  

[FrenchBug82]

 

I kind of agree and yet I also think Kristen at the time benefitted from the novelty of it all. It was camp and over-the-top but it was also the first storyline of the sorts.
Part of the problem with the current mess is that this is a character that only works in small doses. You can't have ludicrous plot after ludicrous plot; at some point the character needs a rest.

Also the unrealistic-ness of the Banks quintuplets storyline was very soapy and camp but within the realm of what we are asked to buy into with a soap.
The mask storyline involves something that does not just require us to suspend disbelief but actual impossible magical technology. We can all immediately spot the very concrete practical plot holes of this. It is quite a different leap to ask us to make.
Finally, the Banks storyline was entertaining. This just isn't, even if Kristen was a fresh character and the premise plausible. We are not talking about going against supercouple Jarlena here. We are talking obsessing over Chloe's week-long flirtation with Brady. And Sarah who I liked but... Hardly the stakes of the century.
ED might have given the Kristen-as-Kristen scenes a lot of intensity and baggage that raised the drama but I don't think there is anything she or SH can do to sell the underlying meh-ness. If you want us to accept this level of nonsense, it has to be worth it story-wise.
The Banks story sure was. 

[KMan101]

 

Excellent points on everything!

[pdm1974]

I just can't get excited about anything Rafe, Ava, and Nicole. All of the characters just feel played out to me right now.

 

As much as I hate the Kristian and her 45th mask story, I have enjoyed seeing Sami and Lucas working together again. The two still have awesome chemistry after all this time.

 

I miss Sarah and Xander together. I wonder how/why that exit happened. It felt so sudden.

Edited May 12, 2021 by pdm1974

[carolineg]

 

While I do agree that the initial Kristen stuff was a new novelty and had much bigger implications because she was the main obstacle in the main story and main couple in the 90's that story was ridiculous af as well.  It required John and Marlena to both be unbelievably idiotic (especially John).   And it really was implausible the Susan stuff could ever be pulled off ever.    It was campy and I enjoyed it, but let's be honest, no one but Eileen could have pulled it off. Towards the end of Eileen's run, after the reveal, I was ready for her and her characters to be gone though.  But I couldn't even imagine SH trying that story.

 

And I do hate this Ron/mask stuff and it's doing a decent actress a disservice, but Eileen probably could of made more of it.  Although, Eileen's Kristen wouldn't even waste her time worrying about Chloe or Sarah, so Idk, it's basically two different characters.  It's not SH's fault, necessarily, but I think Eileen's mere presence would give Ron more pause to make the story more worthwhile. 

[FrenchBug82]

 

Yeah I am not disagreeing with you there. But I still think that because it was new and excitingly campy and they sold the hell out of it and the stake were high, I was in for the ride.
Here they are asking us to suspend disbelief for a story that is not worth it.
Put it another way, because we were just discussing this on the GH thread, I love soaps because I love soaps. And I was willing to accept Marlena going along with not telling John about Kristen over and over and over again based on believing Kristen's obvious stalling lies because I knew the day it would all unravel, it would be amazing and so satisfying.
Here when folks are going to realize what Kristen is doing it will be just another episode.

SH is a good actress so I just don't think it is fair to lay it on her by saying ED would have sold it. ED is amazing but I don't think this dud would have worked with her either - as you yourself said, the last few months after the Susan reveal when they were stretching the story to use ED all the way to the end of her contract, it had already lost steam which I find kind of vindicates my sense that the acting can't save the story once it is stops being fresh and fun.

[carolineg]

 

Yeah, that's all fair.  The build up for the Susan/Kristen/John/Marlena stuff was lengthy and unbelievable, but the payoff was good.  Although, in 1997 they immediately stalled everything with the Roman recast and the clear intention to use Eileen, but knowing she was already leaving and just giving her lame stuff to do.

 

The luster of Kristen has worn off.   It was good in 1997 because everyone thought she was good.  It was decent in 2012 because we knew Kristen was bad but we didn't know what she was up to. 

 

But your are right, now we are just like Kristen being Kristen lol.  What's next?

 

I think I would be more invested because I am invested in Eileen's Kristen.  I love ED's Kristen.  SH's Kristen has never resonated with me.  She's just not Kristen, but she's had stinker after stinker of story.  Long winded response made short, she needs to be rested.

Brady needs to hook up with Chloe.  Phillip needs to be thrown into to that triangle or with Shelle and the Last Blast Crew need more story.  Lani/Eli need more.  There are plenty of characters to pick up the slack that I like.

[te.]

I think it's a shame they've botched Kristen so badly to be honest - when she first came back in 2012 it seemed like they were going to at least make her semi-sane. With the time jump it also seemed, again, that they were going to try to at least ground her to earth with her relationship with Lani (lesbian subtext and all). But Ron's gotta be ronnin', I guess.

Edited May 13, 2021 by te.

[ranger1rg]

Really agree with you about SH’s Kristen — just doesn’t work for me. The writing is bad for her, too, mak8ng the character even more of a caricature than she already was. 
 

I’m to the point of disgust when I see Kristen on my screen. I don’t find her fun, or funny, or interesting. She’s an over the top waste of time caricature who gets away with everything....because the writer said so. None of it has to make sense and none of it does.

[teplin]

 

To be fair, the show asked viewers to make the same leap in 1984, when Tony/Andre and Roman both wore masks that also magically altered their heights, body types and voices. 

[carolineg]

SH is okay.  She's not Eileen.  She's not exceptionally talented or charismatic enough to even try to pull this stuff off.   It's a huge ask for ANYONE to even remotely pull it off, but I figure I might care more if Eileen was trying.  To me, everything about Kristen that was interesting, fun, or had any layers is gone.  Kristen is ruined.  Unless they get ED back in a few years I would say leave the character alone.  It's played out.

That was pretty unbelievable and I definitely eye-rolled that, but the story was a lot better.  Same with the Tale of Two Romans.   It made everyone look like idiots (especially Marlena) to think DH and WN were possibly the same person lol.  Drake is like 6 inches taller and has different color eyes, and hair, and everything lol.

 

While those stories (and the possession) are not my favorite, they were at least decent and had a rooting value for a core character(s).   I cared about Tony, Roman, Marlena, Anna, John, etc.  I don't give two craps about Kristen or Kristen/Brady.  The Nicole mask stuff was mildly clever but enough.