3 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Well Hellooo Tate 😍😍😍

He looked really hot today, and it was nice that he and Holly got to share a little romance. I'd still prefer that Doug III was in Salem, causing problems for the two of them though. It would be better than Sophia suddenly remembering her feelings for Tate because right now that just feels clunky to me. I mean, if Sophia wanted to be with Tate, why would she give up the baby? Even if she didn't want it, wouldn't it be the perfect way for her to hold on to Tate and cause problems for him and Holly? Unless it's gonna come out what we all suspected about the baby.

Sophia's actions make no sense. Obviously, the actress is very weak, but no part of her "plan" works.  MK's Sophia was a bit of a vixen with some ulterior motive's while Rachel Boyd's Sophia comes off pathetic.  She basically had a golden ticket with the baby (even if it's Aaron's) because it's clear Tate has some affection for Sophia.  Sophia needs a recast and a new personality to be a viable spoiler for Holly/Tate.

5 hours ago, Soapsuds said:

I'm going to have to watch.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on today 😉😂😂😂

2 hours ago, carolineg said:

Sophia's actions make no sense. Obviously, the actress is very weak, but no part of her "plan" works.  MK's Sophia was a bit of a vixen with some ulterior motive's while Rachel Boyd's Sophia comes off pathetic.  She basically had a golden ticket with the baby (even if it's Aaron's) because it's clear Tate has some affection for Sophia.  Sophia needs a recast and a new personality to be a viable spoiler for Holly/Tate.

They didn’t really plan this story out too well, even with the recast basically changing Sophia’s characterization. 

There definitely needed to be stronger motivations as to why Sophia, Tate, etc. took the actions that they took. 

Leo Howard is JACKED. Whew!

There were some interesting glimmers with Sophia today, about how "that's another thing that didn't work out." I feel like they're going to use that sense of being lost and depressed to make her cuckoo over Tate, but it's so inconsistent with how she's been since the recast in particular. More than anything, she seems like she wants to be done with all these people.

--  Aside from Tate looking hot, I was kind of bored by today's episode.

-- Sophia always comes off as a downtrodden wet dishrag of a depressed person. I don't know how this character is supposed to work.

-- I do not care abut Cat and Chad being sick together. At all.

-- The jury's still sequestered? Yeah, that would happen. Everything else about this trial is a joke, so why not, I guess.

10 minutes ago, ranger1rg said:

-- Sophia always comes off as a downtrodden wet dishrag of a depressed person. I don't know how this character is supposed to work.

-- I do not care abut Cat and Chad being sick together. At all.

-- The jury's still sequestered? Yeah, that would happen. Everything else about this trial is a joke, so why not, I guess.

I am sure Rachel Boyd is a lovely woman and I hate harping on how awful she is, but she's barely believable as a human being while acting.  She kept looking sideways while Ari was talking and it's so distracting.  The children on the show are much more natural actors than she is. 

I love how Chad/Cat having strep throat is so debilitating.  It sucks, but like, people get it everyday without having to stop their entire lives.  

I think the jury has only been sequestered for a few hours.  I believe it's the same day?  

Also it was hilarious Tate and Holly could have sex, Belle drove home, checked the mail, came upstairs and caught Tate/Holly while EJ/Marlena were having one conversation. 

Another round of Xander vs. Sarah. And that was a good slap too 👏😂

I always enjoy scenes like this on soaps. It's good drama and Paul Telfer and Lindsey Godfrey work so well together, even when their characters are at odds. For once, Sarah coming off as so mean is understandable lol and I'm happy to go along for the ride with them. Gwen is still not necessary but I am looking forward to when Sarah finally confronts her. Hopefully, it's as good as Xander confronting her today, which I also hope means that Xander is going to be paired with someone other than Gwen.

Speaking of Gwen, I would much rather EJ had theorized about who shot him with anyone else than her.

I did like Johnny vs. EJ over Chanel's testimony too, but at the same time, it's completely unnecessary. As Johnny's wife, Chanel doesn't have to testify, so what's the point of all this? I don't get it.

And, we finally got Marlena's testimony too. I wish it had gone on a little longer but I'm curious to find out if she really is hiding something or covering for somebody.

I don't really like mocking young actors but Sophia was almost acting like she was the star of a Small Wonder reboot in her scenes yesterday. Is Sophia even still all about being a spoiler for Tate and Holly? She doesn't seem to be that concerned with them.

On 8/13/2025 at 12:14 PM, AbcNbc247 said:

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on today 😉😂😂😂

Yeah... today was a bit of a misfire.

And what was all that unnecessary nonsense with Leo and his roommate... that took up wayyyyy too much of the episode?

Seriously, even if I liked the character, all those scenes were just pointless filler. And unfortunately, we got confirmation that Body & Soul hasn't been erased from existence. At only 32 minutes, with all the filler and the mention of Drag Race, I think we all know who's responsible for today. The creator might be gone but the creation is still there to f*ck up at least one episode a week with stupid crap🖕 #GoodLuckBTG

I was a little interested in Javi and Ari discussing Javi's past though. I really don't think this storyline would have happened if Ron was still here, and I'd like to see how it plays out. Maybe it'll break up him and Leo 😂😂

And, I'm also interested in seeing the aftermath of Chanel's testimony, especially now that Johnny's fired EJ, and told everyone that the video of Chanel and EJ arguing is a fake. Maybe it'll lead to some good conflict somewhere down the line. 

I’m about a week behind. I’m cringing at Gabi going from drinking wine with Xander to having ice cream shakes with Brady and my stomach would be SO DISPLEASED with me. 😂

It wasn't the best week, and today was a pretty lousy way to end it, but I still prefer Paula/Jeanne over Ron.

It was chaotic, unrealistic, and completely over the top, but that’s exactly what I expect from a fantasy trial on Days. If I wanted grounded legal drama, I’d watch the Karen Reid trial. Days at its best gives us exactly this kind of convoluted, operatic setup: a woman prosecuting her ex-lover’s son, who’s defended by her ex-brother-in-law, the man who shot her mother and father, assaulted her sister, and is now her legal opponent. He’s also the victim of the crimes she’s trying to prosecute. It begs the question of how else this story could be told?  This time last year, they would've either ignored the trial all together, or they would've hired some ex-soap hunk from 1992 to play Johnny's vicious attorney.  Neither would have been as satisfying for me to watch this summer.

I liked how the trial moved through each suspect. It kept the pace up and gave the audience a slight edge. Since we already knew the tape was edited, it was fun watching the characters catch up. I’ve been frustrated before when mysteries hold back clues just to create a twist. That can work occasionally, but it loses impact when overused. I prefer when the suspense comes from waiting for the characters to catch up.

That said, one detail stood out as inconsistent, and I might be misremembering, but here’s what I recall. EJ originally deleted the video of Johnny threatening him the night of the shooting, and had Rita replace it with post-shooting footage, where Chanel threatened EJ. I remember this clearly because @AbcNbc247 pointed out how odd it was that Chanel was arguing with EJ instead of Johnny after EJ recovered. But today, it sounded like EJ also had Rita fake Chanel’s dialogue. That doesn’t track. Chanel did say she wished EJ was dead, so adding deepfake voices felt unnecessary and confusing.

The other thing I noticed, and it might not have been intentional, was the timing: on the same day a wealthy white family tries to frame their Black daughter-in-law for murder, the show also portrays an Asian teenager who was denied access to abortion as dishonest. That combo raises concerns.  And please resist the urge to remind us that Chanel is also rich and well-connected, that is obviously not the issue.

In the end, I’ll take a messy courtroom drama with two grandparent-lawyers and lingering romantic tension over one of the show’s flatter attempts at socially responsible storytelling. At the very least, it gave us a trial worth talking about.  Because goodness knows the biased storytelling we'd get if the circumstances demanded realism.🤔

 

 

Edited August 15Aug 15 by j swift

9 minutes ago, j swift said:

It was chaotic, unrealistic, and completely over the top, but that’s exactly what I expect from a fantasy trial on Days. If I wanted grounded legal drama, I’d watch the Karen Reid trial. Days at its best gives us exactly this kind of convoluted, operatic setup: a woman prosecuting her ex-lover’s son, who’s also her ex-brother-in-law, the man who shot her mother and father, assaulted her sister, and is now her legal opponent. He’s also the victim of the crimes she’s trying to prosecute.

I appreciated the messiness of it all, even though they did miss a few beats. I thought it was plotted out pretty well, and it was nice seeing an actual trial on Days again.

21 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

I appreciated the messiness of it all, even though they did miss a few beats. I thought it was plotted out pretty well, and it was nice seeing an actual trial on Days again.

I keep thinking the trial storyline would have been stronger if EJ had manipulated the court into having Belle play the video, claiming the state was withholding exculpatory evidence. That would have forced Belle to admit that Chanel was a viable suspect the prosecution had ignored. Johnny would have been acquitted, and Chanel would have avoided charges once Belle later proved the video was edited.

Because of double jeopardy, Belle wouldn’t have been able to re-try Johnny. EJ would come out looking like a hero in Johnny’s eyes, which could then be used by EJ and Tony to pull Johnny into their orbit and position him as a mole inside Titan/Dimera.

One thing I do think Days could learn from the Karen Reid trial is how much drama can come from lawyers arguing directly to the judge. The show still leans heavily on the old formula of breaking down a witness on the stand. But they’re missing the opportunity to write courtroom arguments between Belle and EJ that reflect their shared history and personal knowledge of each other. That kind of dynamic could add depth and tension without relying on witness theatrics.

Of course, I realize they filmed this trial over a year and a half ago, so I can’t fault them for not using my version. Still, it’s fun to think about how a few changes could have added more layers to the story.

Edited August 15Aug 15 by j swift