I'd forgotten he was still around.

Nothing against Brandon, but they really missed the boat on finding a more definitive performer for the role when Bo and Hope were around.

The Arianna and Theo meet-cute has officially happened. I don't have any trouble buying that they didn't recognize each other. Regardless of the joke that both had different heads the last time they were in Salem together, Arianna was also a little girl last time they were around each other, and despite the recasts, I think that part of it is probably still canon.

When JJ said he wasn't aggressive, I wanted to slap him. I'm probably JJ's biggest fan, but that was some bs. Maybe he's just a bad cop. Time to become a mechanic, like Mike, Shawn (who should still be one), and Max before him. Plus, then he could be shirtless half the time.

We're inching closer and closer to Sophia's lies coming out, and I can't wait. Hopefully, the climax doesn't disappoint.

When Holly said she never wanted to come back to Salem, my only thought was, "No, you can act, we need you!"

I'm confused on how to feel about this. On one hand, it's always sad to lose the prominence of a Horton. However, with this show, recurring doesn't necessarily mean anything at all. However, since Bo and Hope left, he hasn't done much, which makes me think it wasn't his choice. It's a crying shame the HWs seemingly don't think building a Shawn/Jada pairing is worthwhile. However, like was reiterated above, I just know there's a better actor out there who can play Shawn. I do feel bad for Beemer though with the amount of times the show has jerked him around.

First, shouldn't this be in the spoiler thread? 

Brandon Beemer is average at best as an actor. I wish they'd recast the role of Shawn with a better actor. But it's obvious the current writers and previous ones weren't  interested in writing for him.

55 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

First, shouldn't this be in the spoiler thread? 

Brandon Beemer is average at best as an actor. I wish they'd recast the role of Shawn with a better actor. But it's obvious the current writers and previous ones weren't  interested in writing for him.

Is it a spoiler after the episode has already aired? I thought it was only a spoiler if something had not aired yet.

I genuinely don’t understand Jada’s reaction to JJ’s resignation.

Are we supposed to believe she’s so short-staffed that she’s willing to overlook her own lived experience as a Black woman? JJ openly acknowledged that implicit bias has shaped his ability to serve as a peace officer.  Why would that not be taken seriously? If Roman or even Rafe were commissioner, I could see them responding with personal sympathy, framing JJ as a good cop trying to do better. But coming from Jada, the reluctance to accept his resignation felt disconnected from everything we know about her.

None of her dialogue in that scene tracked. It was as if JJ’s self-awareness and accountability were being brushed aside, and that’s a strange choice for a character who’s usually written with more nuance.  I'm trying not to get ahead of things, but if we are being set up for a story where Theo is trying to get revenge on JJ, rather than justice, I may scream. It is one thing to have a Black mayor, and a Black chief of police, who only mention their race on Juneteeth.  It would be crossing a line of bad taste to have a Black man use his race to get revenge on a white policeman.  I also don't think the writers are responsible if some in the audience choose to interpet it that way.  But, I am giving DAYS a chance to play this story out a bit more, because the consequences could be interesting.

I am hoping this is simply setting the stage for an Ari/Theo/JJ triangle with a bit of Holly and Tate sprinkled in.  Because Holly can run all around the square, and I won't believe that she's leaving Salem.  Everyone knows the airport only allows people from Salem to leave if (1) their contract expired, or (2) they're taking that direct flight from Salem to Alamania that's so popular.🛫🛬

 

Edited October 7Oct 7 by j swift

I haven't caught up to the JJ/Theo material . . . it's what I'm most looking forward to, though.  This may be the writers' well-intended course correction of a WILD storyline that never should've happened.  This was one of RC's first stories in the fall of 2017, when police injustice against black people (esp. youths) was finally getting the attention it deserved.  And what did he do?  A Blue Lives Matter story told completely from the wrongly accused cop's perspective.  And there wasn't room for interpretation--go back and watch the scenes . . . Theo was holding some electronic lock descrambler that resembled a weapon and due to his autism, he didn't respond to JJ's commands.  And iirc, Lani was however far behind so she couldn't corroborate anything as a witness/JJ's partner.  Should JJ have fired his weapon?  Probably not, and he definitely shouldn't have shot to kill . . . but the SHOW was very clear that it was a horrible, horrible, but totally believable, misunderstanding.  We all remember what followed, culminating in JJ's standalone Christmas Eve suicide episode (which was, imo, one of the strongest episodes of modern "Days").  This provided really good content for Casey Moss, Jim Reynolds, Missy Reeves and others, but it was such a tone deaf story.  It was lovely that years later, RC had JJ and Theo's story continue off-canvas, but without him around, maybe tptb are trying to undo some of this . . .

The thing with streaming, for me, is that DAYS so easy to digest daily, that I forgot how slowly soaps progress. As a result, I tend to get ahead of myself and feel outraged about what might happen, as opposed to just sticking to what is on laptop screen.

1 hour ago, j swift said:

I genuinely don’t understand Jada’s reaction to JJ’s resignation.

Are we supposed to believe she’s so short-staffed that she’s willing to overlook her own lived experience as a Black woman? JJ openly acknowledged that implicit bias has shaped his ability to serve as a peace officer.  Why would that not be taken seriously? If Roman or even Rafe were commissioner, I could see them responding with personal sympathy, framing JJ as a good cop trying to do better. But coming from Jada, the reluctance to accept his resignation felt disconnected from everything we know about her.

None of her dialogue in that scene tracked. It was as if JJ’s self-awareness and accountability were being brushed aside, and that’s a strange choice for a character who’s usually written with more nuance.  I'm trying not to get ahead of things, but if we are being set up for a story where Theo is trying to get revenge on JJ, rather than justice, I may scream. It is one thing to have a Black mayor, and a Black chief of police, who only mention their race on Juneteeth.  It would be crossing a line of bad taste to have a Black man use his race to get revenge on a white policeman.  I also don't think the writers are responsible if some in the audience choose to interpet it that way.  But, I am giving DAYS a chance to play this story out a bit more, because the consequences could be interesting.

I am hoping this is simply setting the stage for an Ari/Theo/JJ triangle with a bit of Holly and Tate sprinkled in.  Because Holly can run all around the square, and I won't believe that she's leaving Salem.  Everyone knows the airport only allows people from Salem to leave if (1) their contract expired, or (2) they're taking that direct flight from Salem to Alamania that's so popular.🛫🛬

 

The optics of the JJ/Theo storyline continue to be really messy. As was just mentioned, the original storyline did this annoying thing where it gestured at an important social issue but didn't actually engage with it. Theo was committing a robbery at the time of the shooting. JJ was trying to stop a robbery in progress, not targeting a random black person. He also knew Theo personally -- which of course doesn't prevent or erase bias, but this wasn't someone he was only judging based on race or appearance. It was like they wanted credit for a topical storyline but without doing any of the work to engage with the real ugliness of the actual issue. The scenes in this revisit of that storyline have been strong, but they don't entirely make sense if you actually remember what happened. 

I do think JJ acknowledging his implicit bias wasn't supposed to be an admission of guilt, per se -- it was protecting him by having him acknowledge that all white people have implicit bias, and acknowledging it is the first step toward correcting behaviors. So for him to deny having it would've been more of a red flag for Jada, I think.

Also, unless you're suggesting a triangle in which Theo is torn between Ari and JJ... Ari and JJ are biological cousins, so they couldn't play that a pairing there.

The dialogue among Johnny, Chanel, and Holly was driving me nuts today. I know they were trying to string the whole thing out for dramatic effect, but Sophia sent those photos "this morning" so that they'd arrive while the social worker was there. Johnny said that they were sent "last night," which wouldn't make any sense unless he hadn't checked his phone AT ALL since the night before. Or am I losing it? And if those were the first messages or photos he'd allegedly gotten from Holly, how would the Anonymous Birth Mother have witness Holly sexting Johnny long enough ago to write that letter? They set up all these specific details and now they're playing fast and loose with them.

2 hours ago, j swift said:

I am hoping this is simply setting the stage for an Ari/Theo/JJ triangle with a bit of Holly and Tate sprinkled in.

This is speculation but I'm guessing that Ari 

Spoiler

is going to be put in a triangle with Theo and newcomer Liam Selejko

 

That's too bad.

Hopefully, we'll still see him at least. There's a lot that can be done with Shawn, in addition to the relationship with Jada which shouldn't have been dropped.

He can even be a part of whatever EJ's doing at the hospital.

Edited October 7Oct 7 by AbcNbc247

@AbcNbc247, I totally agree with your speculation.

@DynamiteKiddo & @Michael , thanks for reminding me about the specifics of the original scene.  I went back and watched the JJ-stand alone episode, which, out of context, does not hold up well.  Although the performances were engaging, the message was very off-putting.  It goes without saying that it is hard not to watch without thinking of visual comparisons to other young white guys crying over feeling falsely accused of racially motivated hate crimes, rather than expressing remorse for their actions. 

That being said, I only recall minor concerns from Gabi when JJ went back to the force.  One would think she'd put up the biggest red flags.  But, she was busy with Ari's return.  Doesn't Chad have a place for JJ at The Spectator?

From a storytelling perspective, I get that JJ needed to tell someone he was quitting.  My question pertains to why, many years later, they didn't include more nuance for Jada in those scenes as a Black woman.  Logically, if an employee says they can't do their job, you would take them at their word.  So, what is Jada's motive to ask JJ to take more time to consider an issue that should be of major concern to her, as a manager of an urban police force?

If they had two cents more in the budget, the whole thing could have played out in a scene between JJ and Shawn as partners.  Thus avoiding making Jada seem blind to obvious concerns.

Also @Michael , here's my take on the texts. 

1. Johnny could see the photo had been taken the night before, because it was time stamped (remember he has expert digital forensics knowledge from the trial). 
2. Sofia sent the text with the photos the next day -- which will be important because Holly now knows she didn't have her phone when the text was sent. 
3. And Sofia's plan was to say that Johnny and Holly were having an affair for a while in the letter, and then show proof of it by sending the text during the meeting.  
   1. I'm probabaly giving too much credit.  But, I like that Sofia's plan is dumb, because this is her first scheme.  I expect Kristen or Sarah to be good at scheming, due to their involvement in dozens of schemes.  But, Sofia did not plan for the risks, due to her lack of experience.

Speaking of returns, one of the many arguments against too many Hortons is that biology reduces the possibilities for romantic entanglements. Unless they bring one with them. And when was the last time DAYS cast two characters at once since Rex and Sarah?  Although, from Addie and Tommy to Max and Stephanie, inter-familiar relationships have not been taboo in Salem.😉

Edited October 7Oct 7 by j swift

I would rebuild the Horton name through Bill's branch of the family.  Have Jeremey reveal that he is divorced with two sons, Will could have a son via surrogate, Lucas returns to Salem with a wife who is pregnant with a son and Allie and her son Henry return.  

 😎

 

Edited October 8Oct 8 by j swift

Is it true that all five of the original Horton off-spring were on the show at the same time around 1971?  If so, I would enjoy watching those episodes.