Days: July 2023 Discussion Thread

[AbcNbc247]

It’s just too much with Leo. No one BTS seems to understand that the more you try to shove a character down the fan’s throats, the more it just makes the fans dislike them. Plus, Leo’s not a rootable character. He hasn’t really ever been, except for when he found out that John wasn’t his father. And I understand why people don’t like the stereotypes. 

Personally, I don’t appreciate the implication that if you’re gay, you have to be like Leo. And that if you’re gay and not like Leo, you’re the one in the wrong, you’re the bad guy, etc. That was one thing I didn’t like about Beyond Salem season 1

Edited July 3, 2023 by AbcNbc247

[Soapsuds]

Pretty much this!

Gwen is the same.

Both characters should've been gone long time ago.

[j swift]

It is an interesting discussion among gay fans. 

On the one hand, I understand the argument that people are uncomfortable with the limited portrayals of gay men as essentially eunuchs who are only allowed to comment on the lives of others and never pursue their own romance.

But, I also believe that discomfort with "prancing nellies" within the gay audience is steeped in homophobic and misogynistic language that only values one type of masculinity.  We were once ridiculed for acting like girls, and now it is cringy to see it on TV.  However, I would argue that there is power in embracing and celebrating that narrative.

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by j swift

[AbcNbc247]

That makes sense. But it can also be tied back to what I said before: too much.

If there had always been a little more subtlety, I think things would be different with the way people feel about Leo.

Yep.

And it’s also true for a certain reformed serial killer as well

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[Soapsuds]

Ben 2.0 has really been a flop. He doesn't add anything to the show. Ronn couldn't let him go either.

[j swift]

Did we ever find out why Gwen was in Bayview Sanitarium in the first place?

And was her confession to Abigail about killing Laura ever verified, or do we just assume it is true?

Talk about serial killers, she's killed Laura and Snyder the drug dealer, one more, and she's officially in the club.

[carolineg]

I believe Gwen was hiding from Jake's mob ties.  She had a first edition book that Jake's boss wanted.  So she hid in an institution to avoid giving the book back.  Which I think she ended up doing anyway.  

As far as the Laura confession, I think it's just open to interpretation.  

[j swift]

I guess Megan invited Gwen because she is dating Dimitri, but would Gabi want her late fiancée's ex-girlfriend at her engagement party?

I gotta give it up for Gwen and Dimitri's discussion about brainwashing and masks, that was cute, even if only a pair of sociopaths could find humor out of a situation where they're being held hostage.

That's an intriguing plot device, giving Gwen deniability allows her to move forward with no consequences.  Being almost run over by her stepmother, and befriending Leo, hasn't reformed the character, but I don't hear anyone pushing for a resolution to Laura's death.  It seems deliberate, not just a forgotten detail.

[carolineg]

I think Wendy/Gabi are okay and still friendly.  I remember them making up after the Li stuff-plus Gabi was really short on guests lol. 

I also think the Gwen/Laura stuff is intriguing in theory, but at the same time I 'm pretty sure Ron was just being lazy and didn't want to pin Laura's death on Gwen.  He just might bring it back later.  I believe Abby told Jen about Gwen's confession and Jen pushed about it for a little bit and then dropped it after she hit Gwen with her car while high.  

[Contessa Donatella]

How do we know Megan invited her? Maybe Dimitri just brought her as his date. 

And, maybe I'm being absurd & paranoid, but I've wondered if there's an active dislike of all things Horton in Ron's Writer's room. 

And another thing about Leo was illustrated today. He has this disconnect where he's obtuse or oblivious or both. This morning he was exploring questions to EJ & Kristen that he's interested in, while they are *still* tied up. I wonder if he's on the spectrum or ADHD. 

Edited July 4, 2023 by Donna L. Bridges
forgot something

[Soapsuds]

Gabi and Harris are struggling with a gun. It looks like a three stooges parody. We have Rafe just standing there doing nothing. Yet again Gabi is able to become a Charlie's Angel without being shot and Rafe continues to do nothing. 

Days is a parody of so many shows. Days is not a soap opera.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Soapsuds

[j swift]

It reminds me of the story of Phyllis's therapist on Y&R who "fell" out of the window over a decade ago, but the case has never been solved.  Because the audience didn't see him die, we are left with the impression that Phyllis (and Gwen) are capable of lethal vengeance, but there's enough plausible deniability to avoid consequences.  Although we hate to see Laura go, it is so much juicier knowing that only Gwen knows how she met her demise...

Ron has an odd relationship with fans.  I think because he is so accessible on social media, people have developed a parasocial relationship where they project all kinds of crap on him while really only knowing very few details about his character.  The fact that he's gay gets somehow conflated with a desire to want to show hunky men, as if Bill Bell didn't write men in Speedos for decades at a time.  I mean, it is funny to think how Ina or Agnes would've admonished fans if they were able to clap back at the audience.  But, I've never had the sense that Ron is either lazy, burnt out, or dismissive about trying to create an entertaining show.

I can't wait to see if they celebrate the 4th in Salem, especially because it seems like Juneteenth was two days in their timeline.

[Antoyne]

I’ve learned to just accept Days for what it is. I binge watch it while I’m working from home and it’s the perfect background noise to occasionally look up at. So I’m still entertained.

[Contessa Donatella]

It seems to me that now so many people different places online think exactly that he is burned out. Actually it's like a consensus opinion, burnt out, has favorites, has those he either dislikes or is not interested in & has some need to go too far with either comedy or camp. 

[te.]

Ditto. I don't expect much, but I will say that the breakdown writers often come to the rescue.  

Having spent co-vid watching Dark Shadows, Peyton Place and other bits of old soaps, I think people forget how consciously vague soaps often left things and it was up to the viewers interpretation what happened. Of course, a lot of that had to do with broadcast standards, but I wonder when the whole demand for that "we need to know every detail as to what happened and we need to know it now" started? I tend to see this sort of vagueness as soap tradition rather than laziness.

But I also feel the same thing for leaving soap characters fate up in the air for a bit (like with Sarah, SaRenée crapa side) isn't a bad thing because soaps are designed to keep going so there's always time to solve plot threads in the future.