Days of Our Lives: September 2021 Discussion Thread

[Skylover]

Is this any worse than anything Days has done since the 90s though? I mean I was just watching all the stuff with Susan Banks from the 90s. Anything goes on this show it seems. It would have been better if they'd stuck to realism decades ago, but then I do like the possession storyline so there is that.

[AbcNbc247]

Gotta admit, Days' filler episodes are a lot better than GH's lol 

The chemistry is there between RSW and VK but the writing really did doom both Ben and Ciara. If countless characters hadn't been sacrificed or destroyed in order to prop Ben, and if the conflict between Ben and Ciara had come from within themselves, as opposed to some outside force, I think people, myself included, would've liked them much more.

[KMan101]

 

THIS (and all they had to do was say he wasn't the killer)

 

They've lacked real conflict. It seems they're playing into it now, sort of. But it's probably leading to them having Rosemary's Baby or something.

 

I mean, yes, we've ignored and shrugged off a lot of stupid [!@#$%^&*] over the years but it's ridiculous that Ben and Will are besties after he strangled him, for example. I mean ... this is just one reason why our soaps have lost credibility. I guess some don't care because 'it's a soap' and that's totally fine. I get it. We have a Devil Possession going on right now (which I'm all for). I've resigned myself to 'it is what it is' I guess, with Ben.

Edited September 24, 2021 by KMan101

[AbcNbc247]

Lmao imagine

Mardevil possesses Ben, and as a result Ciara gets pregnant with a demon baby. That would be a good conflict, and it's always good to see the actions of one storyline drive another storyline

[KMan101]

 

Just a thought. Probably not but it's interesting timing that they're talking about a baby as the devil runs around. And we know Marlena is Ben's mother figure (gag - I'd care if he wasn't a killer)

[Skylover]

Haven't half the cast tried to murder someone at one point or another though? Honestly, I wish somewhere would just put up all the episodes from 1965-1995 as it was so much better then. I would love to watch the 1960s episodes. I think the lack of realism that affected the US soaps decades ago will kill off all the soaps eventually. I can already see it happening in Neighbours in the last 5 years with silly plots that would never happen in real life and the writers there are obviously influenced by US soaps.

Edited September 24, 2021 by Skylover

[AlexElizabeth]

Trying to murder someone is a lot different than brutally murdering multiple characters on screen because he got off on it. Usually when people kill on soaps it's for self defense or in some way justifiable or because they're literally on the show just to be a villain. Ben had zero reason to kill his victims and did it because he enjoyed it. And he's still a psycho. If he wasn't on his psych meds, he'd go on another killing spree. Yet we're supposed to believe that he's the hero of Salem and is the most amazing person ever and how dare anyone disagree, especially the mother of one of the girls he strangled. The character is a joke and they've completely ruined Ciara to prop him up. Ciara is a legacy character who was actually decent at one point, but now her life revolves solely around him and telling everyone how he's the best person on planet earth. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by AlexElizabeth

[carolineg]

Plus, I would say RSW/Ben didn't bring much to the table to begin with except being hot.  He was bland as hell until he started killing people.  This is different than Marlena killing half of Salem because she was brainwashed.  This is a psycho killer who got the right meds. 

Unfortunately, the best way to go would have been to say Jordan actually committed the crimes and be done with it.  Ben's like 3 missed doses away from killing again.  VK and RSW have chemistry for days but it's hard to build a super couple on his history.  It's not Bo or Steve being grey or shady when they first started on the show. This is a man who killed 3 innocent people, got out early because he was 'cured', and is now living his best life with Ciara.  And people aren't allowed to judge it on the show and Ben hasn't done a ton to repent. 

[Soapsuds]

That's why they made him a serial killer because they knew he couldn't act and wasn't catching on with audience.

Edited September 24, 2021 by Soapsuds

[carolineg]

I certainly don't think RSW is a good actor, but this Cin stuff proves he has some sort of charisma to catch on with the audience.  

The writing did him a disservice.  They could have made Ben crazy without fully making him a serial killer and the choice to bring him back after was....odd to say the least.  And then RC did him a disservice again by just ignoring the ramifications of his killings.  

The fact is Ben never should have been brought back.  I am sure Days could have found a guy VK had good chemistry with and built a love story around that, but I don't necessarily think it's RSW's fault.  I am sounding like a CIN fan or something, but I think it's more writing than the actor.  He's not Juilliard trained lol, but this show gave Drake Hogestyn and Austin Peck careers. 

[titan1978]

Steve was a little more than gray when he first arrived, but nothing as ridiculous as this.  I even think Ben’s return and rise as a romantic hero is worse than Sonny on GH, and that used to be my all time worst case of this happening.  Hooked a barely legal Karen on drugs and slept with her, owned a strip club, was a low level hood for Frank Smith…to the whole show is centered around him.  Ben murdered innocent people, even if some of them were annoying to the audience.  And of course he is attractive- still doesn’t make me want to root for him!

[AlexElizabeth]

For me it's definitely more the writing than RSW. I liked him as psycho Ben. He's not amazing or anything but I think he's watchable as "reformed" Ben. It's the writing that makes him unwatchable. His performances aren't enough to overcome the atrocious writing, but I can't think of a single actor who could make Ben work. RSW is also super hot but even that isn't enough to make me tolerate Ben lol. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by AlexElizabeth

[Soapsuds]

For God's sake he was TPIR model

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[AbcNbc247]

And that's the only reason why he was brought back: because he is hot af. If RSW didn't look the way he did, the character of Ben would still be rotting away in Bayview, never seen or heard from again.

[AlexElizabeth]

Hey, some of RSW's best performances were on The Price is Right!