I stand by what I said. This blackout is boring! It’s no where near what GL did in 1992. These writers need to be fired, yesterday. I am a friend of a friend of Cwikly. Nice woman, bad headwriter. Cwikly get her and Ford out of there.

This feels like an excellent use of Rachel.  I was fooled by the spoilers into thinking that Rachel was going to confess shooting EJ to Thomas, but gossiping about the Cat and Chad kiss was much better.

On the other hand, it is distracting how often we seem to be treated to a second draft of the original scene that we saw play out in real time.

For example

• v1. EJ bought the hospital with his portion of the funds from the merger
• v2.EJ needed an investor to afford the hospital

 

• v1. Susan tells everyone that Stefano is alive
• v2. A trip to the cemetery (where Stefano is not buried) lets Susan know Stefano is dead

 

• v1. Cat was recruited by the ISA after the accident, but she was only an intell agent, not a field officer
• v2. Cat was recruited before the accident, and was sometimes also used as a field officer

 

As I was trying to say, before getting error messages:

Today was a good use of Rachel. I’d been misled by spoilers into thinking she was going to confess to shooting EJ in a heart-to-heart with Thomas—but gossiping about the Cat and Chad kiss was a far better payoff. It felt age-appropriate, mischievous, and perfectly in character.

That said, it’s getting distracting how often we’re served what feels like a second draft of scenes we’ve already watched play out. The show keeps retrofitting details, and it’s starting to feel like revisionist storytelling in real time.

Take these examples:

• Version 1: EJ bought the hospital outright using his share of the merger funds
  Version 2: EJ needed an investor to make the purchase happen

• Version 1: Susan announces Stefano is alive
  Version 2: A cemetery visit (to a grave that isn’t Stefano’s) convinces Susan he’s dead

• Version 1: Cat was recruited by the ISA after her accident, strictly as an intel agent
  Version 2: Cat was recruited before the accident and occasionally worked in the field

It’s like the writers are workshopping plot points from month to month. 

 

Edited September 29Sep 29 by j swift

Just now, Soapsuds said:

Thanks!

I had no idea.

5 hours ago, TEdgeofNight said:

I stand by what I said. This blackout is boring! It’s no where near what GL did in 1992. These writers need to be fired, yesterday. I am a friend of a friend of Cwikly. Nice woman, bad headwriter. Cwikly get her and Ford out of there.

I'm bored, too. Lamest blackout ever. The cliches are clicheing. 

And Susan is on my screen again. Kill me now and light me on fire.

I'm not anti-blackout, as I am on a wait and see basis.

However, it pains me to remind us all that Cat and Chad just played out the "stuck in the elevator and kissed" scenes last month.

3 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Thanks!

I had no idea.

I wonder if they'll be discussing the anniversary coming up on the show.

Now that the blackout is over, I still say that the low stakes of it all is the reason why it didn't seem to work as well as it should have. It didn't need to take a blackout for a lot of this stuff to happen. It almost felt like a typical night in Salem.

But Chad and Xander did look hot though 😍😂

And, I'm definitely enjoying this umbrella storyline a lot more than the last few times they did an umbrella storyline like this #biscuitgate#scriptgate 🤮🤮🤮

I'm also a little interested in the fact that the blackout may have been caused by the work that EJ was doing at the hospital. 

I enjoyed JJ and Theo's showdown in the square as well, even though I still think Theo's PTSD seemed to come out of nowhere. They both raised a lot of good points and did a pretty good job, and I'm interested in seeing what happens next for the two of them. I'm glad that it looks like Casey Moss is going to be used more. And if the way Tyler Joseph Andrews speaks is the way that he chooses to play Theo as an autistic man, it's working pretty well. Even better than the choices Kyler Pettis made.

As for Xander and Sarah, they were really sweet today but I hope that this isn't the end of the conflict for them. There's still a lot of meat left in their storyline, especially meat that doesn't involve Xander beating up Philip lol and what about her growing friendship with Brady?

I still don't get Belle's never before known asthma and the fact she slept with EJ, but the cologne prompts multiple asthma attacks now?  Weird.  A panic attack would have done the same job and wouldn't have been so out of the blue.

I agree Theo's PTSD is coming out of nowhere.  I don't doubt he has it, but it seems odd that he and JJ ran a company together, were very close, and lived in South Africa together for years and this discussion never came up. I am no expert on PTSD though, so what do I know?

I am probably in the minority, but I find Xander and Sarah's make up and break ups tedious.  It reminds me a lot of Eric and Nicole where the couple keeps getting back together, but nothing has actually changed about either person and they make the same mistakes over and over again.

Here’s what I found on Belle Black’s canon history using Chat GPT, and whether there is any documented asthma or breathing‑disorder diagnosis. (Short answer: I found no credible evidence of her having asthma prior to a more recent storyline.)

Character Background & Major Storylines (Brief)

• Belle Black (full name Isabella “Belle” Black, sometimes Belle Brady or Kiriakis, etc.) is the daughter of John Black and Marlena Evans. (Wikipedia)

• The “Who’s Who in Salem” bio notes that in 1998, Belle ate chocolate laced with penicillin (intended for Marlena, who is allergic to penicillin), but Belle survived. (SoapCentral)

• No major medical‑chronic‑illness arcs appear in standard bios or histories. Her dramatic troubles tend to be emotional, relational, or threats (kidnapping, memory loss, betrayal, paternity secrets, etc.). (SoapCentral)

So: Belle’s documented canon history includes medical crises (pregnancy risks, miscarriage, near‑death events) but nothing that is obviously an asthma or chronic respiratory diagnosis in the standard character profiles or “Who’s Who” entries.

Search for Asthma / Breathing Disorder Mentions

I conducted deeper checks, and here’s what surfaced:

• A recent soap news article (The Rinse, Soap Hub) mentions that in a current episode, Belle suffers an “asthma attack” while stuck in an elevator with EJ. (Soap Hub)

  • The article states: “She had an asthma attack. He said: Feel better. She wanted to take a nap.” (Soap Hub)

  • However, this is presented in a spoiler / recap context, not in a verified “character bio / canonical medical record” format.

• A Facebook forum post (NBC/Peacock DOOL group) mentions “she begins coughing, claims she has asthma (have they ever mentioned that?)” (Facebook)

  • That post is viewer speculation / commentary, not a canonical reference.

• I did not locate any earlier canon source (SoapCentral, official “Who’s Who,” DOOL wikis, or major historical recaps) that documents Belle as having asthma or any chronic breathing disorder prior to this more recent storyline.

• The major character histories (SoapCentral, Fandom) do not list respiratory illness or asthma among Belle’s known medical conditions. (SoapCentral)

• If we search more broadly across fan wikis and historical recaps, nothing credible turns up describing Belle Black having asthma historically.

Assessment & Caveats

• The mention of an asthma attack in The Rinse suggests that the show (or at least recent plotlines) is introducing or acknowledging asthma as a condition for Belle. That might be new canon (a retcon or new development). (Soap Hub)

• But as of now, there's no evidence in the archival canonical sources that Belle had ever been diagnosed or pegged with asthma or a breathing disorder prior to that mention.

• Because soaps sometimes introduce new medical conditions as plot devices, this might be a recent addition rather than a longstanding trait

Theo & PTSD

• However, I disagree with the consensus on Theo's PTSD being a similar "newfound plot device"
• After JJ quit the police force, he and Theo formed a friendship
• Then, JJ left South Africa, and immediately went back to being a cop
• So, I understand Theo's feeling of betrayal of their friendship
• It's like if your friend was a bad chef who gave people food poisoning because he refused to wash his hands.  He vows to go into food safety philanthropy.  Then, you meet him three years later, and he's slinging burgers with dirty hands again.  The anger would be understandable.

 

Edited September 30Sep 30 by j swift

I remember Belle being allergic to Penicillin, but I don't think it's been brought up since child Belle ate the chocolates from Kristen.  The asthma thing is odd.

Idk, Theo and JJ were more than just casual friends.  They were roommates, business partners, and best friends.   I am not saying Theo isn't right to have these feelings or the scenes are bad, it does feel like it came out of nowhere to me.  Everyone's milage may vary on that though.

Edited September 30Sep 30 by carolineg

Just now, carolineg said:

I remember Belle being allergic to Penicillin, but I don't think it's been brought up since child Belle ate the chocolates from Kristen.  The asthma thing is odd.

Idk, Theo and JJ were more than just casual friends.  They were roommates, business partners, and best friends.   I am not saying Theo isn't right to have these feelings or the scenes are bad, it does feel like it came out of nowhere to me.  Everyone's milage may very on that though.

Perhaps it was a story point that Jeannie and Paula intended to bring in when they were last in control and never got the chance to? Or it was something they were implementing prior to their replacement?

3 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

Perhaps it was a story point that Jeannie and Paula intended to bring in when they were last in control and never got the chance to? Or it was something they were implementing prior to their replacement?

I do get that sense.  It was a story they wanted to tell but didn't get the chance.  Which, again, doesn't negate the story currently playing.  It's just a lot of backtracking on what we previously knew about their relationship.  

I assume you are talking about Theo/JJ, not Belle's asthma lol.