Days of Our Lives: April 2022 Discussion Thread

[FrenchBug82]

I'd accept the fact they didn't talk about it and his "lie" if the show had portrayed it as what it is: rape.
Shawn was raped by deception, which is raped. Portray him as feeling deeply ashamed and violated behind the tough exterior and it can be explained why they just decided to play ostrich about it.
That makes sense and that is compelling.

But that would involve a serious story and topic and not high comedy with ridiculous Devil hijinks and camp plots about crazy Jan which, you know, too much to ask.

[Soapsuds]

Every story on right now is being done for laughs. Should Days even be considered a soap anymore?

[carolineg]

I feel like Shawn was trying to say he was ashamed and violated, but he also kept apologizing to Belle which then validates her point.  They are both victims here, but I do wish Belle would be a little more supportive to her husband's trauma.  If the roles were reversed this wouldn't be a question.  Shawn has forgiven Belle for tons of crap including being "possessed" like last week without question.  And again, this will be the catalyst for Belle to step out again on her husband and at this point why even root for Shawn/Belle?  If Belle finds it so easy to cheat on Shawn over and over should they even be together?

Edited April 7, 2022 by carolineg

[FrenchBug82]

In all fairness, this is how I feel about 95% of soap supercouples who cheat on each other with abandon, don't believe each other in certain situations and treat each other like garbage when they are together.
Soaps are telling us that on and off and on and off again is fate and destiny and romantic. It is not. It is a toxic mutually abusive relationship and people would be better off accepting it and moving on to partners they are a better fit for, passion or not.

[Noel]

Who is Lizard Liz?

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by Noel

[carolineg]

Totally fair.  I just feel like Belle is always the one with the wandering eye and indecisiveness while Shawn D has always been (mostly) loyal to her.  They get half the writing an actual supercouple would, we as the audience have been told they were destiny since they were kids, but most of the reason they fight is because Belle cheats.  At some point, she should just say Shawn doesn't do it for her or he should leave.  I don't consider them a supercouple at all and don't get fate, destiny, romance, or passion from them.   I think it would be interesting for them both to explore other pairings.  This show broke Roman/Marlena up-who were way more supercoupley-and it worked out. Shawn is hot.  He can find someone else to be paired with.   Belle is Belle, but I am sure she can find someone on the canvas as well lol.  It's a shame they let JKJ get away because MM actually has chemistry with him.

Edited April 7, 2022 by carolineg

[AlexElizabeth]

I actually fell asleep during today's episode. LOL

As tired as I am of the devil, I will say that LA is already playing it better than CB ever did. JoDevil was just awful. 

I'm all for EJ and Belle banging but I'm not a fan of how they're setting this up. Belle looked horrible today. She really said that Shawn's assault was embarrassing for HER. Seriously? And the way she's crying about Shawn having nonconsensual sex with another woman and not telling her as if she hasn't willingly cheated on him in the past. 

Clyde the doting grandpa = yawn. Again, why is he back? That was one ugly outfit they had Ciara in. I could go to Walmart and find a cuter maternity outfit for VK to put on. 

Edited April 7, 2022 by AlexElizabeth

[Khan]

Unfortunately, even Walmart is too expensive now for DAYS' budget.

Look, I can't say anything about Shawn/Belle that hasn't been said already.  Shawn is the one who was sexually violated.  Period.  Belle's just looking for an excuse to cheat with E.J.  Also period.

And thanks to everyone who clarified for me how Jan got pregnant.

[carolineg]

LA is playing it better than CB, but she's always been the better actor of the two.  

I can't stand Clyde.  I have no idea why they brought him back and why he is living with Ciara/Ben.  It's a really uncomfortable position to put Ciara in.  At least VK's hair looked pretty.  I like it straight.

I like EJ/Belle together honestly, but it's a crappy way to put them together.  Belle herself thinks she was possessed by the devil and did these bad things, but can't accept this?   Way to make me dislike her more than I already do show.

 

[Khan]

I'm with whoever said Belle should be attempting to prove that Jan is an unfit mother so that she (Belle) and Shawn could raise that child together.  However she might feel about Jan, Belle would understand that he/she never asked to be conceived and deserves to be raised by a mother who isn't going to use them as some sort of pawn against their own dad.  After all, consider how Belle herself was conceived, lol.

Edited April 8, 2022 by Khan

[carolineg]

Conceived in pure awesomeness?  Agreed.  Too bad she's so lame.

Anyhow, I do see that as the way the story will end up.  Shawn/Belle getting back together and getting the kid either through court or Jan falling into another coma.   I actually can't wait for the EJ/Belle affair just to watch Sami's head explode lol.  It will be worth it just for that.  It be better if it was Carrie, but we can't have nice things on this show.

[Khan]

Yeah, but...I feel like Ron Carlivati needed to put in more work to make that story feel less mechanical than it already does.  Belle sleeping with her brother-in-law (and giving Sami good reason to believe she (Sami) was better off giving her away when she had the chance) could have been fantastic to watch, but as it is, it just feels so poorly motivated.

[carolineg]

I mean Ron can't even put work into Belle period.  Belle/Shawn apparently had numerous conversations about the Jan situation off screen.  Perhaps if we saw Belle asking Shawn point blank if he slept with Jan and he lied several times I could see Belle's issue.

I do think DF and MM have some chemistry and it's clear EJ has a fondness for Belle.  It's poorly motivated, but I think people here were calling this affair after their first scenes together (it may have been me lol).  Idk, I do feel like a lot of EJ's story got really messed up with Ali not being available unexpectedly.  So I'd like to think there was more plans to delve into this earlier and it got delayed or shelved for awhile.  Listen, I have said this before, I hope the real Belle was actually adopted on the black market and one day the real, awesome Belle will appear.

[Vee]

Ron has been doing the offscreen conversation stuff since late in his OLTL days, when he and Frank Valentini were cutting a lot of narrative and scheduling corners with performers seemingly to keep the budget on track re: guarantees, etc. It's gotten far worse at every show since.

DF and MM have chemistry. So did MM and JKJ. What else is new? It doesn't change the fact that she's always been mediocre at best in a role that has no personality there to speak of, and aged up even more for their daughter. She's been around almost twenty years and I'd still dump Belle in favor of Carrie and Christie Clark anyday. Beyond the heat with certain actors there's no character to Belle.

Edited April 8, 2022 by Vee

[Khan]

In the meantime, though, I would create a situation where Jan manipulates Shawn and Belle into taking her in while she's still pregnant.  Jan would constantly use her condition and her closer proximity to Shawn to drive him and Belle further apart; Belle would argue how Jan is using the baby to destroy their marriage, but Shawn would feel his hands are tied ("I know we shouldn't trust Jan, but we have to think about the baby!"); Belle and Shawn would be forced to deliver the baby themselves; Jan would fake postpartum depression as a way to stay with Shawn and Belle even after the baby is born; Belle, feeling helpless against Jan and her devious agenda, would turn more and more to E.J., who's dealing with his own issues regarding Sami's absence; Jan would pick up on E.J. and Belle's closeness and plants seeds of doubt in Shawn's mind about his wife's faithfulness; Shawn would ultimately give into Jan, then learn she lied about E.J. and Belle having an affair; Shawn and Belle would confront Jan and finally throw her out; Jan would track down and notify Sami that her sister and her husband are having an affair (which they're not), causing Sami to make plans (off-screen) to return and confront E.J. and Belle - plans which don't come to fruition because Sami is later presumed dead in a plane crash while en route back to Salem, leaving E.J. devastated; and as Shawn and Belle work on repairing their marriage, Jan would set her sights on seducing John away from Marlena as revenge against Belle.

Edited April 8, 2022 by Khan