DAYS: August 2024 Discussion Thread

[Contessa Donatella]

The other day when Theresa returned, saying she intended to face the music I thought what actually happened probably went like this. Theresa was standing at the gate, ready to board, when suddenly she had a premonition of ... GWEN! And, she fled in haste. That's my theory & I'm sticking to it. 

[carolineg]

I can understand VK not wanting to commit forever because she's young, but she was very back and forth about it.  My issue with VK was she would act and play against character a lot.  She would dress and play Ciara so overtly sexy even at 9 months pregnant.  She gorgeous.  I get it.  At the risk of sounding a bit sexist, she came off a bit full of herself and needed everyone to know how hot she was always lol.

RSW does seem full of himself as well, but he seems more loyal to Days and grateful for a job.

[John]

Yeah I for see a Daniel Goddard situation with RSW. RSW will stay at Days too long and wen let go will probably have fans demanding his return

Edited August 8, 2024 by John

[Liberty City]

I can see that. I think Ciara and Konefal began to mix into one.

His behaviour during COVID alone was a major turn-off for me. And I am sure he tries to appear grateful so he does not lose his job, especially now that the "writer" is OUT!

[John]

What behavior?

[carolineg]

Yes!  You said it less offensively than me lol.  It became clear I was seeing Konefal's choices in styling and acting instead of what should have fit for Ciara.  Everything felt a bit too sexy for what we knew about Ciara.  There has to be a middle between MM's Little House on the Prairie Abby and Bondage Ciara lol.  But, hey, if I looked like VK I would probably wear v-neck crop tops and mini skirts everywhere too!

I actually feel like Alex has much more potential and longevity than Ben for obvious reasons though.  Aside from Ben being a serial killer and all, Ciara/Ben were way too popular to break up and RSW was basically stuck when VK decided to bail.  Obviously that means he should have been let go and not be playing another character, but here we are.  

I would have suggested that Ben never made a come back period and if they liked RSW so much he should have just came back as Alex.  But that would have made Ciara and Alex related so 

Please register in order to view this content

[Liberty City]

Haha, yup! Haha.

I just need a recast on Alex if the character is to stick around, like ASAP!

[MissPhoenixGirl92]

If that's true, then they shouldn't have allowed Jen to come back in the first place. They should have just told her that they were recasting Theresa and gone ahead with someone else in the role. What that tells me was that Albert Alarr was just extremely dishonest and unprofessional with her and this whole thing was poorly planned from the very beginning. Also what they should've done was let Jen Lilley finish out Theresa's initial story arc (whatever it was) and then later if they wanted to bring Theresa back to reintroduce Tate as a SORASed teenager, then they could've recast her at that point. I know that the writer's strike complicated things but that's still not an excuse to screw up things so badly. 

Also, were they really planning to bring in Tate all along or was that something that they came up with on the fly? I'm still wondering that myself. 

Edited August 8, 2024 by MissPhoenixGirl92

[janea4old]

Yes I agree.  Part of this is on the show for allowing the actors to choose wardrobe.

But also on the actors for making choices about them instead of about their characters.

[Liberty City]

Shouldn't have allowed? She wanted to come back for John Aniston, and that's the reason she should have been brought back. It was easy: write Theresa, in return, for Victor's funeral and then write her out like they did for other characters.

Instead, they [apparently] wanted twelve-weeks and she declined and, even told them, via email, she understood if they needed to recast due to her inability to come for those desired weeks. She counter-offered and they accepted. She wanted back for Aniston's memory and Aniston's memory alone. And that's admirable. And she sure she was available. It's the unprofessionalism of Albert Alarr & Ken Corday that is at fault here, not Lilley.

The soap got ahead of themselves, and it bit them in the ass because it made them look even more unprofessional in the end, when all Lilley wanted to do was honour someone she felt close to from a past job.

They used Lilley, ultimately, as a "name" for press to bring back and then ditched her, and fully intended on ditching her. It was crass and unprofessional as fück.

[carolineg]

I really don't want actors to be forced to wear clothing they don't want to, but there has to be some synergey between the character and actor.  Abby is the most obvious one because KM's Abby dressed entirely different than MM's Abby when she took over between MM stints.  I am not even talking about hair color (which people change all the time)-it's more of the character's style.

And, yes, there should be someone to step in when VK is choosing mini dresses and fishnets with knee high boots when she's 9 months pregnant.   There's fashionable and glamourous and just wardrobe that makes no sense.

[Liberty City]

I agree on all accords; I am all for actors infusing themselves into the roles they play.. in fact, I think it helps in one's portrayal.. but a complete 180-degree flip or complete actor-control should not exist. I even think the same of Veteran performers, who believe it's their right to control their character etc. unless it's someone coming in and, say, making a character who has never done/worn something, and suddenly they want them wearing it.

Melody Thomas Scott returning to The Young and the Restless as Nikki with dark hair felt... out-of-character. But Sharon Case (as Sharon) dying her hair while on the run? That made sense.

And the same thing, from my perspective, is happening on General Hospital with Kate Mansi's Kristina vs. Lexi Ainsworth's Kristina in terms of outfitting. Hell, even on Days of Our Lives, it's the same thing with Eileen Davidson as Kristen vs. Stacy Haiduk as Kristen. The outfitting, the writing... it's all just different.

[carolineg]

I agree 100%.

I don't think Deidre Hall should hold wardrobe hostage with her boxy suits and flannels either.  I loathe Hattie, but Deidre looked great yesterday in a pair of jeans. 

Kate Mansi seems to have a really distinctive sense of style.  The way she dressed as Abby is quite similar to how she dresses as Kristina.  I think she gets a say in her GH wardrobe where I don't think Lexi ever did.   She was just lucky to be called in to work that day lol.

[janea4old]

Yes what LibertyCity said is true.  In this video, Jen Lilley tells Kristyn Burtt of soaps.com what happened with her return and the recast - interview from August 2023. (Uploaded to YT much later on)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=qgxS7j7eeWc

 

Edited August 8, 2024 by janea4old

[MissPhoenixGirl92]

If I sounded like I was blaming Jen Lilley for this awful mess, then I'm sorry... I wasn't. The fault obviously lies in both Albert Alarr and Ken Corday; they both screwed up royally. Either way both she and Emily O'Brien are owed a major apology for the way everything went down. And I won't blame either of them if they decided to never have anything to do with this show ever again, especially Emily. This has got to be particularly humiliating and embarrassing for her.