Days: June 2023 Discussion Thread

[Noel]

Shawn's a boozed up charcoal-filtered vodka bitch, I can tell ya that. Anyway, I don't understand the purpose of their return either. For me, it was happening way all too fast, and I was kind of hoping that when Maggie was going off to Greece to be with Victor, we would've been introduced to Victor's death. I guess the timing since they film way ahead made that impossible, but creating a storyline where Victor went to Greece to see Bo, and his heart couldn't take it would've been better than from what we're seeing now.

And if Shawn wants to drink some booze, let him drink some booze. You know? I mean, Belle is the selfish one who slept with EJ while Shawn was never the father to little Whopper Cheese Jr. You know what I'm sayin'? Hell I'd drink, but I wouldn't drink that stuff. Go for the premium vodkas like Grey Goose or Chopin. So yeah, I don't ever remember a fallout besides Belle whackin' Jan with an oar and clearing the pathway of the naval oranges that were rolling around all over the place. Still, I don't remember forgiveness and healing from all of that stupid fiasco.

Going back to Maggie, I don't know what's up with her. She was a restaurant owner who ordered toilet paper and cases of Coca-Cola products. She doesn't possess the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes to run a huge company like Titan Enterprises. I mean, have you seen the latest Dow Jones Industrial average? Seriously. Things are looking pretty grim under her micromanagement. The DJIA is proof of the pudding and it's all because she wants to shove her restaurant superiority in everyone's face. Fess up, bitch. You ain't got what it takes! It's time to let all that pride and ego away. Get over yourself. 

 

 

[j swift]

Agreed. Most of that speculation was fans making a mountain out of a literal twitter-based molehill that was never verified elsewhere.

It felt like bad planning was the largest factor.  We know that both actors were only available for a limited time, and the plot may have been too ambitious for the timeline. My bias is to never believe in conspiracies that production has any other motivation than to maintain viewership in order to sell advertising. 

That being said, I wondered if Shawn was drinking the smallest bottle of booze for budgetary reasons.  If this keeps going, he'll be drinking airline minis by the end of summer.

Also, I'm also amused that soaps portray alcohol abuse by showing people drinking directly from the bottle, as if nobody ever takes the time to use a mixer.  Shawn-D feels like the type who would spike his smoothie rather than guzzle from the bottle. 

Edited June 23, 2023 by j swift

[carolineg]

I know it's not just Shawn, but I love how characters go from 0 to 100 in most alcoholism stories on soaps.  It hasn't been that long.  In real life he probably is just going on a bender, but on Days he's drinking full bottles of cheap vodka day and night off screen.  Is he working while drunk?  Is he just sitting alone on the couch slamming shots?  Honestly, EJ/Stefan drink at all hours of the day as we have seen and no one questions them. 

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[te.]

I think the biggest issue is that this was clearly the planned storyline for Beyond Salem 3 folded into the show (even down where you can speculate if some scenes were specifically filmed for that). I have no doubt that it would've too ended with Bo in a coma, leading into possibly Beyond Salem 4. I just think they were way too lazy to change it and Kristian / Peter probably weren't willing to film the regular show properly.

I honestly hope they don't go the alcoholism route with Shawn and he's "just" on a bender; the show doesn't need more alcoholics / addicts.

[ranger1rg]

I refuse to blame KA and PR for that storyline fiasco. 
 

They were signed for so many weeks and so many shows. Carlivati knew how long he had them, and it’s HIS fault he kept them apart until their final appearances and that completely botched ending.

No one can tell me that Kristian or Peter had anything to do with that mess.

[te.]

Oh, I don't blame them - I think both initially agreed to do Beyond Salem though and the logistics of filming that probably looked different than doing the regular show. I fully blame Ron for not changing it into something more satisfying for long time fans and not some cliffhanger for BS4 (that'll never happen) and that might or might not be followed up on. 

[AbcNbc247]

Those scenes with Abe, Nurse Whitley and his fake son… Skip!

But I’m glad Abe finally got rid of that stupid bandage on his head 

And even though I think the conflict for Rafe and Jada is stupid, I liked Eli encouraging him and Kate encouraging her. 

And I liked that we got some development with Trask. Drawing a parallel between her and Talia was the right thing to do, story wise. I wish they’d give Trask more to do. She can be so much more than just the angry, bitchy DA. 

[j swift]

I was thinking the other day that DAYS plots are like a reminder of pop culture from last year.  This plot seems to be influenced by either the Amy Robach/TJ Holmes affair at GMA or Jeff Zucker quitting CNN and then revealing that he had a prohibited relationship with someone in the company.  However, there is no company, and certainly no municipality, which would make it a violation to date a supervisee.  The policy is usually that you have to inform HR.  It is in place to protect the company against future liability, and if Jada consents, then there is no concern. DAYS is treating this like an ethical issue, which is just dumb.  Especially in a female-oriented genre, to tell a story where a woman has no agency to pursue a relationship seems like a bad idea.

Also, someone mentioned the scoring the other day, and now I can't get it out of my head.  Part of the reason that the Abe story lacks any sense of mystery or suspense is the silly music that underscores all of their scenes.  It makes it seem like a wacky caper rather than a life-threatening situation.

It also continues to bother me that we're not supposed to think that Sarah is a bad person for lying about her pregnancy.  Sloan lied to Eric about the DNA test, and as an audience we're clearly supposed to think that was bad.  But, Sarah's lie is meant to be more acceptable for completely illogical reasons. 

Edited June 23, 2023 by j swift

[Michael]

I thought the Bope arc was terrible for a variety of reasons, but anyone who thinks the actors weren't largely responsible for it -- at least in terms of logistical stuff -- should go back and read every interview KA has given since 2020. I know Jamey backtracked in his tweets, buuuuuuut...

[AbcNbc247]

I guess it depends on a lot of things. Not only the agency’s policies but conflict of interest laws too. 

I know here in NYC, even if I start dating a co-worker who has the same rank as me, not only do we have to inform HR, one of us would have to transfer to another division. And with supervisors, I think there’s even more guidelines. 

Edited June 23, 2023 by AbcNbc247

[Michael]

This always kills me. "Chugging from the bottle" is code for Drinking Problem, whereas "pouring a glass of liquor from your living room bar at 10 a.m." is absolutely normal in soap world.

[j swift]

The exception to the rule is female characters drinking beer from a bottle.  Stephanie offering a beer to Chad was meant to indicate her relatability (and make us forget that in-story she's around a decade older than him).

Interesting, but my point is that the story is only being told from Rafe's perspective, Jada's consent is never addressed, as if she has no say in this relationship in the workplace, and no concerns about how she will be perceived among her co-workers.

[Michael]

She's CHILL! Can't write a press release without input from at least two men, but she's a COOL CHICK!

[AbcNbc247]

That is a good point that should be addressed in the writing. It could be the main source of conflict for the two of them once they get together.