Yeah... the conflicts of interest in Johnny's trial are crazy and a little ridiculous lol 

But I'm glad that we're finally getting an actual trial on Days, instead of just some random hearing in a shoebox office set. It's been a while. And I appreciate the drama that this could all lead to, and the effects that it could have across the canvas. 

I enjoyed seeing Belle and EJ, both in lawyer mode. It especially seemed like she/Martha were in her element today. And I guess this is what Martha meant when she said that she was really enjoying the new writers work. It's too bad that Marlena wasn't in this episode though. She could have played an important part in all of this too. 

The One Stormy Night thing is still DOA, but I am a little interested in the idea that Stephanie based it partly on her previous relationships, especially if that previous relationship turns out to be with Philip, rather than some random, brand new ex that she had. That could lead to some actual conflict for her and Alex, which they both desperately need right now. And if they do go there, hopefully it gets weaved into, not only, the Kiriakis family mess but the hospital mess as well. 

The mysterious package thing was a letdown though. 

And again, Philip, tuck your friggin shirt in 😂😂

57 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Yeah... the conflicts of interest in Johnny's trial are crazy and a little ridiculous lol 

But I'm glad that we're finally getting an actual trial on Days, instead of just some random hearing in a shoebox office set. It's been a while. And I appreciate the drama that this could all lead to, and the effects that it could have across the canvas. 

I enjoyed seeing Belle and EJ, both in lawyer mode. It especially seemed like she/Martha were in her element today. And I guess this is what Martha meant when she said that she was really enjoying the new writers work. It's too bad that Marlena wasn't in this episode though. She could have played an important part in all of this too. 

The One Stormy Night thing is still DOA, but I am a little interested in the idea that Stephanie based it partly on her previous relationships, especially if that previous relationship turns out to be with Philip, rather than some random, brand new ex that she had. That could lead to some actual conflict for her and Alex, which they both desperately need right now. And if they do go there, hopefully it gets weaved into, not only, the Kiriakis family mess but the hospital mess as well. 

The mysterious package thing was a letdown though. 

And again, Philip, tuck your friggin shirt in 😂😂

Is it known if someone is going to buy Foster's bookshop?

I thought it was very weird that EJ went under hypnosis & after thought he had "seen" who shot him but couldn't say who it was that he saw.  I don't know whether they're trying to say he is a tough subject for hypnosis or that he's got some really serious mental block against remembering or just drawing out the unknown for more time & with more drama. 

I just loved Julie & Marlena. 

I cannot fathom how Melinda & Sophia are going to get away with this. And, yes, she is such an awful recast. 

Is it just me that have been impressed with us getting a courtroom set and a bookstore set? Did the swear jar fill up early? 

Just now, te. said:

Is it just me that have been impressed with us getting a courtroom set and a bookstore set? Did the swear jar fill up early? 

More like I literally wonder if I'm watching the show I meant to watch, if that makes even a lick of sense. 

I love how us fans get excited over a new set. Simple pleasures that we've been deprived of for the last 15 years. 

I thought Days balanced absurdity and human drama perfect today. Yes, the structure of Johnny’s trial is ludicrous—he hasn’t had a single off-screen meeting with his own defense attorney (his father!), and he looks genuinely surprised by every development. But Belle’s opening statement at least acknowledged the elephant in the courtroom: that EJ, as both victim and parent, should never be defending his son. It doesn’t fix the logic, but it gives it a little genre scaffolding.

I’m glad they leaned into fantasy. Watching EJ cross-examine Jada was far more satisfying than having a guest lawyer deliver exposition. We’re not watching for procedural accuracy—we’re watching for character clashes. The trial feels like a heightened, theatrical whodunit: stylized, emotional, and completely untethered from actual law. It goes from “that would never happen” to “glad we got to see that interaction happen”

Speaking of absurdity: I’ve stopped wondering why Kate is still trying to keep Stephanie’s authorship of One Stormy Night a secret from Philip—as if the CEO of Titan won’t be signing the checks. That only makes sense if you forget Titan is a company and pretend it’s just a sexy book club.

And if Days is teasing a return tied to one of the major families—someone from Stephanie’s past—it pretty much has to be Nathan Horton.

Spoiler

played by Hank Northrop, not a spoiler, just a guess.

Of the three main options—Jeremy Horton, Max Brady, and Nathan Horton—only one intersects meaningfully with both Stephanie and Philip. Nathan’s history gives him built-in ties to:

• Stephanie (former love interest, emotionally unresolved)

• Philip (they clashed over Chloe and Parker)

• The hospital canvas (he was a doctor, and we’re now deep in hospital politics)

• The Horton family (if the show is re-grounding that branch)

Max always had identity confusion with the Brady bloodline and worked better as a mechanic than a romantic lead. Jeremy was toxic and unrooted—not viable for long-term integration unless this is an “ex returns for revenge” arc. Which was Bob/Everett's angle. But Nathan? Nathan is narratively portable.

Nathan Horton brings a very different energy than Alex Kiriakis or Jeremy Horton. Alex and Jeremy are both swaggering, high-testosterone archetypes: emotionally chaotic, impulsive, and branded as bad boys, even if the show tries to round their edges. Bringing in Jeremy would just be doubling down on that same flavor of romantic recklessness.

But Nathan? Nathan is the clean-cut, dutiful counterpoint. He’s a doctor. He’s responsible. That said, I have to laugh at the idea that Stephanie supposedly wrote a whole torrid, identity-hiding romance novel about her time with Nathan Horton. No shade, but I remember that relationship as more orthopedic than erotic. Still, if the show wants to retcon it as a great lost love, at least it tracks structurally.

Finally, kudos to the new writers and producers. Days is quietly phasing out the Bistro now that Stefan and Ava are gone. That makes sense. Salem didn’t really need two restaurants and The Small Bar, especially with so few characters available to anchor them. Replacing it with a bookstore, especially one run by Julie, feels like a smart trade. It gives Horton Square another purpose, ties Julie to the heart of the canvas, and adds a new set.

Edited July 29Jul 29 by j swift

2 hours ago, j swift said:

I thought Days balanced absurdity and human drama perfect today. Yes, the structure of Johnny’s trial is ludicrous—he hasn’t had a single off-screen meeting with his own defense attorney (his father!), and he looks genuinely surprised by every development. But Belle’s opening statement at least acknowledged the elephant in the courtroom: that EJ, as both victim and parent, should never be defending his son. It doesn’t fix the logic, but it gives it a little genre scaffolding.

I’m glad they leaned into fantasy. Watching EJ cross-examine Jada was far more satisfying than having a guest lawyer deliver exposition. We’re not watching for procedural accuracy—we’re watching for character clashes. The trial feels like a heightened, theatrical whodunit: stylized, emotional, and completely untethered from actual law. It goes from “that would never happen” to “glad we got to see that interaction happen”

Speaking of absurdity: I’ve stopped wondering why Kate is still trying to keep Stephanie’s authorship of One Stormy Night a secret from Philip—as if the CEO of Titan won’t be signing the checks. That only makes sense if you forget Titan is a company and pretend it’s just a sexy book club.

And if Days is teasing a return tied to one of the major families—someone from Stephanie’s past—it pretty much has to be Nathan Horton.

  Hide contents

played by Hank Northrop, not a spoiler, just a guess.

Of the three main options—Jeremy Horton, Max Brady, and Nathan Horton—only one intersects meaningfully with both Stephanie and Philip. Nathan’s history gives him built-in ties to:

• Stephanie (former love interest, emotionally unresolved)

• Philip (they clashed over Chloe and Parker)

• The hospital canvas (he was a doctor, and we’re now deep in hospital politics)

• The Horton family (if the show is re-grounding that branch)

Max always had identity confusion with the Brady bloodline and worked better as a mechanic than a romantic lead. Jeremy was toxic and unrooted—not viable for long-term integration unless this is an “ex returns for revenge” arc. Which was Bob/Everett's angle. But Nathan? Nathan is narratively portable.

Nathan Horton brings a very different energy than Alex Kiriakis or Jeremy Horton. Alex and Jeremy are both swaggering, high-testosterone archetypes: emotionally chaotic, impulsive, and branded as bad boys, even if the show tries to round their edges. Bringing in Jeremy would just be doubling down on that same flavor of romantic recklessness.

But Nathan? Nathan is the clean-cut, dutiful counterpoint. He’s a doctor. He’s responsible. That said, I have to laugh at the idea that Stephanie supposedly wrote a whole torrid, identity-hiding romance novel about her time with Nathan Horton. No shade, but I remember that relationship as more orthopedic than erotic. Still, if the show wants to retcon it as a great lost love, at least it tracks structurally.

Finally, kudos to the new writers and producers. Days is quietly phasing out the Bistro now that Stefan and Ava are gone. That makes sense. Salem didn’t really need two restaurants and The Small Bar, especially with so few characters available to anchor them. Replacing it with a bookstore, especially one run by Julie, feels like a smart trade. It gives Horton Square another purpose, ties Julie to the heart of the canvas, and adds a new set.

Thanks for that walk down memory lane because I remember so little about what happened on the show in the late 00's so the bulk majority of Nathan's story is forgotten by me. 

One side note: Keep The Bistro. We can wipe away memories of unimportant characters like Ava and Stefan with new memories. There needs to be options in Salem besides the Brady Pub. 

The Bistro, when the originally debuted it, had a bit of a different set-up, right? And it was the spot where reprogrammed Princess Gina pushed Jennifer off the balcony onto the Horton Town Square before the time jump, right? 

Small Bar could also be salvaged, but for gosh sakes given a proper revamp. It looks as clunky and tacky as GL's Main Street from back in the day. 

Whatever happened to Julie's breakfast restaurant (or at least it looked like something that catered to the early bird senior special crowd) which used to be Club TBD which used to be a coffee shop which used to be The Cheatin' Heart which used to be considered the seedier side of town? lol 

It'd be nice if they restored that to Club TBD or whatever it was when Julie and Chloe were co-owners. It offered up a variety of options and seemed to be *the* spot for New Years Eve for a few years. 

Edited July 29Jul 29 by Gray Bunny

2 hours ago, j swift said:

Nathan Horton brings a very different energy than Alex Kiriakis or Jeremy Horton. Alex and Jeremy are both swaggering, high-testosterone archetypes: emotionally chaotic, impulsive, and branded as bad boys, even if the show tries to round their edges. Bringing in Jeremy would just be doubling down on that same flavor of romantic recklessness.

But Nathan? Nathan is the clean-cut, dutiful counterpoint. He’s a doctor. He’s responsible. That said, I have to laugh at the idea that Stephanie supposedly wrote a whole torrid, identity-hiding romance novel about her time with Nathan Horton. No shade, but I remember that relationship as more orthopedic than erotic. Still, if the show wants to retcon it as a great lost love, at least it tracks structurally.

Bringing back Nathan would definitely be a better idea than giving Stephanie another random ex. And like you said, him being a doctor could be tied to everything going on with the hospital too. And as Maggie's grandson, that adds another dynamic to a possible feud with Alex.

I also think that, if they go there, they should give him a teenage son to mix it up with Tate/Holly/Sophia too.

21 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

The Bistro, when the originally debuted it, had a bit of a different set-up, right? And it was the spot where reprogrammed Princess Gina pushed Jennifer off the balcony onto the Horton Town Square before the time jump, right? 

I think the balcony was supposed to be on the far end of the room, that we never see (where the camera is)

28 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

It'd be nice if they restored that to Club TBD or whatever it was when Julie and Chloe were co-owners. It offered up a variety of options and seemed to be *the* spot for New Years Eve for a few years. 

I have an edit I did of the day they became partners. 9-20-17 they were both bidding on it. A third bidder outbid them. They put their heads together & then they bid together. 

12 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

I'm glad that we're finally getting an actual trial on Days, instead of just some random hearing in a shoebox office set. It's been a while. And I appreciate the drama that this could all lead to, and the effects that it could have across the canvas. 

I don't watch DOOL often, so I need to ask -- is this a real murder trial?  With a jury, and audience, a courtroom, and EVERYTHING?  Murder trials used to be a staple on every soap opera.  But they have fallen out of fashion since the mid-1980s.   I'm wondering, what/when was the last murder trial on DOOL?  And what/when was the last full murder trial on ANY soap in the US??

1 minute ago, Tisy-Lish said:

I don't watch DOOL often, so I need to ask -- is this a real murder trial?  With a jury, and audience, a courtroom, and EVERYTHING?  Murder trials used to be a staple on every soap opera.  But they have fallen out of fashion since the mid-1980s.   I'm wondering, what/when was the last murder trial on DOOL?  And what/when was the last full murder trial on ANY soap in the US??

Attempted murder.

And yes, there was an audience and jury. A very small one, but they were there, which is nice to see. Days has been cash strapped for so long, that I never thought we'd see something like that again.

2 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Attempted murder.

And yes, there was an audience and jury. A very small one, but they were there, which is nice to see. Days has been cash strapped for so long, that I never thought we'd see something like that again.

Wow, that sounds great. I'll try to tune in and watch it!  Thanks for the response.  

37 minutes ago, Tisy-Lish said:

Wow, that sounds great. I'll try to tune in and watch it!  Thanks for the response.  

This is just the right time. They made opening statements today & 2 people were called to the stand. It's odd, Belle, DA, says outright that she does NOT believe that Johnny did it. That, of course, is out in the hall. As soon as we go inside & the judge begins the proceedings, Belle goes into attack mode. You would never associate that snarling tiger with someone who so sweetly just said how much she believed in his innocence. If this is the reality of lawyers, ugh. I do know that every lawyer I've ever known who watched any soap says they get it all wrong! But, it seemed right today, which is odd, for Salem, but it's still new, the "not Ronness" of it all. I don't know if we could say that the new writers are the anti-Rons but they are definitely different. And that is a good thing. 

28 minutes ago, Contessa Donatella said:

It's odd, Belle, DA, says outright that she does NOT believe that Johnny did it. That, of course, is out in the hall. As soon as we go inside & the judge begins the proceedings, Belle goes into attack mode.

I have a really hard time with this. I know Belle has a job to do, but to go at Johnny this hard? It doesn't make sense.

And yeah, I'm ignoring that Belle and EJ make not sense as lawyers here to begin with. But at some point, you need to have a trial that makes SOME sense and doesn't again hit you in the face with ridiculousness.

So what's up with Julie and the bookstore?  Is this just a way to give Julie a job?  Or is this going to lead to a big story line for our favorite Horton Julie?