DAYS: April 2025 Discussion Thread

Is this the correct timeline?

1. Rafe sneaks in to hide the camera before Belle arrives.
2. EJ finds Belle's wire
3. EJ finds Rafe's camera and removes the memory card
4. EJ gets shot
5. Rafe retrieves the camera
6. Rafe doesn't plug in the camera to his laptop for two days, including a day after his sister was accused of killing for a third time?

@brisbydog it seems out of order, because didn't they find out on Thursday that the bullet wasn't a perfect match to Ava/Melinda's gun?

Apparently, even under new leadership, Days of Our Lives remains steadfast in its belief that unspoken feelings and half-truths are the lifeblood of romantic entanglement. If Chanel's holding out hope for an emotionally mature conversation with Johnny about adoption, it looks like that's not going to happen.

Still, I must give credit where it’s due: the Jada and Rafe breakup was handled with an admirable sense of finality. It didn’t reek of the usual soap-operatic holding pattern—no wistful music, no lingering glances suggesting they’ll be back in each other’s arms before the week is out. Instead, it read as an actual, adult conclusion. Which, blessedly, opens the narrative space for Shawn-D to be more than the third wheel in a variety of tight leather jackets.

And may I say, it was refreshing to see the mystery arc tuck itself politely behind the romance, rather than running roughshod over it. This is the balance DAYS has historically handled best—when suspense serves the emotional core. Think of the 1980s Stefano plots: yes, there were puzzles, but they always propelled the love stories. The mystery was never the point; the people were. This week felt like a subtle return to that ethos.

Take, for instance, what is clearly being telegraphed: Shawn-D, guilt-ridden and angling for redemption, sets off on a mission to save Bo. Now that Jada’s single, she’s well-positioned to accompany him—and if the writers are smart, to bond with him along the way. A romance forged through adventure and mutual respect? Quelle surprise! But consider: for this to work, Shawn must resist his unfortunate tendency to go Full Brady Brooder and exclude Jada from the plot entirely “for her own good.” We’ve seen that story before—many times—with diminishing returns.

So, here lies the true test of this new writing regime: can this so-called “fresh start” resist the gravitational pull of recycled beats and instead allow for evolution? Or will we be back to secret-keeping and missed connections?

Edited April 25Apr 25 by j swift

17 hours ago, Taoboi said:

Granted I haven't regularly watch since it moved to Peacock and SOD stopped being print, but they had a fanbase. Typical good (if neurotic) girl meets bad boy. And they used to have chemistry. That said...I also am not feeling her mousy hair. Perhaps if she was redish in her hair.

Honestly, I could care less about her hair. She can act. She is credible, as a romantic lead, as a girlfriend, as a wife & as someone who is lying to her husband when the stakes are high. Literally, the only opinion I have about her looks is that she doesn't look lie the same person who was previously on B&B. But, that to me is weird. 

It's too soon to truly judge but I did feel like Thursday and Friday were easier to watch than the show had been. The new writers haven't introduced their own stories yet but you can tell they're interpreting the material in a more relationship/character driven way. You also don't have that comedic undertone all of Ron's stuff tended to have. Comedy is fine but could be overused by Ron. 

I also am sure this won't be popular to say but I do think the show looks great from a production standpoint. When you consider the budget they have, the sets looked nice and the lighting was decent. 

1 hour ago, j swift said:

Is this the correct timeline?

1. Rafe sneaks in to hide the camera before Belle arrives.
2. EJ finds Belle's wire
3. EJ finds Rafe's camera and removes the memory card
4. EJ gets shot
5. Rafe retrieves the camera
6. Rafe doesn't plug in the camera to his laptop for two days, including a day after his sister was accused of killing for a third time?

@brisbydog it seems out of order, because didn't they find out on Thursday that the bullet wasn't a perfect match to Ava/Melinda's gun?

 

That is the correct order yes. Rafe was too busy wallowing in his disaster love life to care about his sister.

5 minutes ago, Chris B said:

It's too soon to truly judge but I did feel like Thursday and Friday were easier to watch than the show had been. The new writers haven't introduced their own stories yet but you can tell they're interpreting the material in a more relationship/character driven way. You also don't have that comedic undertone all of Ron's stuff tended to have. Comedy is fine but could be overused by Ron. 

I also am sure this won't be popular to say but I do think the show looks great from a production standpoint. When you consider the budget they have, the sets looked nice and the lighting was decent. 

This is precisely what Paul and Eric said in January, that Ron's stories go on forever but the writing is immediately more mature.

1 hour ago, Contessa Donatella said:

Honestly, I could care less about her hair. She can act. She is credible, as a romantic lead, as a girlfriend, as a wife & as someone who is lying to her husband when the stakes are high. Literally, the only opinion I have about her looks is that she doesn't look lie the same person who was previously on B&B. But, that to me is weird. 

I am actually looking forward to the inevitable Xander and Sarah break up because I want to see real, nuanced writers bring them back together and then show us the relationship in a more mature light. Everything I have heard supports that this will be the direction going forward, but it will be a slow one.

I love their messy, complicated relationship. I'd rather watch two really screwed up people who love each other to bits try to make it work over years and years than Alex bedhopping or the insta relationships that Ron used to throw at us.

35 minutes ago, brisbydog said:

That is the correct order yes. Rafe was too busy wallowing in his disaster love life to care about his sister.

This is precisely what Paul and Eric said in January, that Ron's stories go on forever but the writing is immediately more mature.

I am actually looking forward to the inevitable Xander and Sarah break up because I want to see real, nuanced writers bring them back together and then show us the relationship in a more mature light. Everything I have heard supports that this will be the direction going forward, but it will be a slow one.

I love their messy, complicated relationship. I'd rather watch two really screwed up people who love each other to bits try to make it work over years and years than Alex bedhopping or the insta relationships that Ron used to throw at us.

Oh, definitely. I mean it's not called soapy, messy goodness for no reason!!!

1 hour ago, brisbydog said:

This is precisely what Paul and Eric said in January, that Ron's stories go on forever but the writing is immediately more mature.

We definitely saw that today with Brady, and it was really refreshing after the way he's been these past few months.

2 hours ago, Bright Eyes said:

Rafe revealing he was re-joining the FBI made me excited,  but if the writers are yanking my chain, that would just be cruel. With the Bo cliffhanger, I couldn't help but think FBI-Rafe would get involved. But previous people have tried to get rid of Rafe before and it didn't work out so I won't get my hopes up. I don't even hate him, but he's just not really necessary.

I didn't here anything about GG leaving, so I was really surprised by that.

But now I'm beginning to wonder if Rafe is gonna be all set to go but 

Spoiler

John's death will cause him to change his mind and stay on at BlackPatch.

 

It feels like adults are writing the show.

15 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

I didn't here anything about GG leaving, so I was really surprised by that.

But now I'm beginning to wonder if Rafe is gonna be all set to go but 

  Hide contents

John's death will cause him to change his mind and stay on at BlackPatch.

 

I would be shocked if GG was really out.  You would think Rafe would have just left with Sami last week if he was truly gone.

I wonder if Black Patch will even stay in business.  It was a nice way to give John/Steve something to do, but how does it even turn a profit?  Who's in charge with John gone and Steve looking for him?  Rafe?  He has been moping around about Jada.  It doesn't appear he's working.  Have they ever even solved a case that moved a plot forever lol?  I'd probably close it after John's death, give Steve some vague job with the ISA, and Rafe can leave lol.  The only reason to keep it going is if Paul comes back.  

Was Friday's episode almost 52 mins on Peacock?  Where I watch the show, sometimes they slow down the speed a bit which stretches the runtime.  If it really was 52 mins, that was one of the longest runtimes the shows ever had.  There were a lot of long scenes which allows more character driven dialogue - we got that with Belle/EJ and Rafe/Jada.  Lots of good scenes today from those pairings as well as Belle/Johnny and Brady/Gabi.  This was a good character driven episode with a nice little cliffhanger at the end. 

2 minutes ago, Toups said:

Was Friday's episode almost 52 mins on Peacock?  Where I watch the show, sometimes they slow down the speed a bit which stretches the runtime.  If it really was 52 mins, that was one of the longest runtimes the shows ever had.  There were a lot of long scenes which allows more character driven dialogue - we got that with Belle/EJ and Rafe/Jada.  Lots of good scenes today from those pairings as well as Belle/Johnny and Brady/Gabi.  This was a good character driven episode with a nice little cliffhanger at the end. 

48 minutes

16 minutes ago, janea4old said:

48 minutes

Thanks!  Still a long episode. 

I realize, at this point, picking on Jamey Giddens is very much like low-hanging fruit (no pun intended) -- but wouldn't you think a good writer might choose their words more carefully, in order to avoid comparing their new bosses to authoritarians?

 

Edited April 26Apr 26 by j swift

21 hours ago, Chris B said:

It's too soon to truly judge but I did feel like Thursday and Friday were easier to watch than the show had been. The new writers haven't introduced their own stories yet but you can tell they're interpreting the material in a more relationship/character driven way. You also don't have that comedic undertone all of Ron's stuff tended to have. Comedy is fine but could be overused by Ron. 

I also am sure this won't be popular to say but I do think the show looks great from a production standpoint. When you consider the budget they have, the sets looked nice and the lighting was decent. 

IA on everything.

Random takes from a new viewer: Johnny and Chad's brother detective look too much alike.

I love Chad's brother detective's puppy eyes.

I hate Gabi's *latina caliente* character.

What's the consensus on Kat? The actress seems awful to me.

And what's the consensus on SH's Kristen? She's so one note.

Wow this show has a policy on letting their men go grey. Every man is greying - which is cool but at the same time a bit confusing for new viewers.

I was shocked that Maggie was Sarah's mother. Considering soaps' twisted ages, Maggie could've been Sarah's great-grandmother!

22 minutes ago, Aback said:

Chad's brother detective look too much alike.

I was trying to decipher this one -- are you referring to JJ Devereux, who is Abby's brother?

22 minutes ago, Aback said:

What's the consensus on Kat? The actress seems awful to me.

I apologize for not forming a consensus opinion, but Cat (Caterina, to differentiate her from her mother Katharina) hasn't been given a lot to do, so the jury is out.  The actress has such a strong presence that it tends to distract from the establishment of any character traits thus far.

22 minutes ago, Aback said:

Wow this show has a policy on letting their men go grey. Every man is greying - which is cool but at the same time a bit confusing for new viewers.

I was shocked that Maggie was Sarah's mother. Considering soaps' twisted ages, Maggie could've been Sarah's great-grandmother!

One must simply accept that age is not linear in Salem.  They live in a universe parallel to our own.  And, are therefore not beholden to many of the organic issues which plague our world, like aging, weather, and digestion.

Also, hair dye is beyond the budgetary expenditure for DAYS Hair&Makeup Dept.

Edited April 26Apr 26 by j swift

24 minutes ago, Aback said:

I was shocked that Maggie was Sarah's mother. Considering soaps' twisted ages, Maggie could've been Sarah's great-grandmother!

Sarah was deSORASed.  Or perhaps another way to say it would be: during her many years offscreen she wasn't SORASed in parallel with others the same age. 
Originally Sarah was the same age as Will's aunt Carrie.  Now she's Will's age. I think they simply cast the actress they wanted, as the character had been offscreen for many years so it might not matter to some viewers, and the actress happened to be younger than I would have expected Sarah to be. (But this is Salem and I'm trying to explain the inexplicable, so nothing I just said is actually relevant, LOL).