I thought today was great for many reasons:

-no SFX ending

-good dialogue

-less filler (even Sami/Austin/Lucas/Carrie was good because there was movement as Lexie is now back in action)

-Jack/Abby/JJ was adorable and I love seeing J&J front burner again, Ashford, Benson, Reeves, and Warlock have been awesome this week. Jen and Frankie was very good and I am loving Benson as abby. Little JJ is so cute.

-The Belle/Shawn/Mimi/Philip stuff shocked me. Much better then usual. Bradnt was good lashing out a bit-he would make a great villian if they made him follow in his father's footsteps. The Mimi/Shawn stuff at the end was good. Fath actually made an effort there.

-Shawn/Bo was good. Cook did well today and Reckell did too but he always does. Hope/Patrick was alright and I have known all along about the pregnancy thing so I hope they find a way around that mess.

-Kayla/Steve was intriguing. I am happy with how their story is being handled. The story is interesting and the flashbacks were intriguing. I am really into this story and Nichols and Evans are fantastic.

I wonder if it could be some kind of forced witness protection. They could retcon it that the ISA tried to get Steve to agree to witness protection and he refused (knew Kayla couldn't be cut off from her family, they had the plan for the trip around the world, etc.) and so they forced it on him by wiping his memory and setting him up with a new identity.

Could make for a very interesting conflict down the road if it turned out the Bo or Roman or Shane knew about it.

I was going to do this for a fan fiction!

Loved it. Billy Warlock and Matt Ashford rock my socks. I love em both. And I hope to God that if they do reunite Jack and Jennifer, Frankie doesnt just dissolve. That would piss me off more than anything.

I wonder if it could be some kind of forced witness protection. They could retcon it that the ISA tried to get Steve to agree to witness protection and he refused (knew Kayla couldn't be cut off from her family, they had the plan for the trip around the world, etc.) and so they forced it on him by wiping his memory and setting him up with a new identity.

Could make for a very interesting conflict down the road if it turned out the Bo or Roman or Shane knew about it.

OoOoooOOoOo!!! Very plausible IMO!

DAYS is the show to beat, this summer, IMO. Maybe not ratings-wise, but quality-wise.

I wonder if it could be some kind of forced witness protection. They could retcon it that the ISA tried to get Steve to agree to witness protection and he refused (knew Kayla couldn't be cut off from her family, they had the plan for the trip around the world, etc.) and so they forced it on him by wiping his memory and setting him up with a new identity.

Could make for a very interesting conflict down the road if it turned out the Bo or Roman or Shane knew about

That would be quite interesting??

DAYS is the show to beat, this summer, IMO. Maybe not ratings-wise, but quality-wise.

Agreed .

I have to say that I am a little disappointed in the way they wrote Jennifer today, especially compared to Monday's show. Yes, she has every reason to be angry at Jack. Though to be honest, no one in Salem has gone through the emotional/physical pain/stress that Jack has gone through the last three years. He has spent more time imprisoned or dying than anything else. So, if he is acting a bit irrationally, I say cut the guy a break. It is a miracle he hasn't had a nervous breakdown yet. This is one reason why I think the character of Jack is potentially a gold mine in the hands of a writer like Hogie. He likes complex characters with emotional baggage and poor Jack has that in spades right now.

But the anger isn't my issue with Jennifer. I am just shocked that she told Frankie she loved him, was his wife and only felt a huge responsibility to Jack. Then, they played kissy face under Jack's window. It makes no sense given Jennifer's constant whining that Jack was the great love of her life. It almost seems that now he is back she just wants Jack to die already so she can start her life with Frankie. It is almost like Monday's and Tuesday's Jennifer were two separate people.

Maybe they are writing Jennifer this way so J&J fans will not care as much if she leaves Salem with Frankie and Jack remains in Salem.

I have to say that I am a little disappointed in the way they wrote Jennifer today, especially compared to Monday's show. Yes, she has every reason to be angry at Jack. Though to be honest, no one in Salem has gone through the emotional/physical pain/stress that Jack has gone through the last three years. He has spent more time imprisoned or dying than anything else. So, if he is acting a bit irrationally, I say cut the guy a break. It is a miracle he hasn't had a nervous breakdown yet.

But the anger isn't my issue with Jennifer. I am just shocked that she told Frankie she loved him, was his wife and only felt a huge responsibility to Jack. Then, they played kissy face under Jack's window. It makes no sense given Jennifer's constant whining that Jack was the great love of her life. It almost seems that now he is back she just wants Jack to die already so she can start her life with Frankie. It is almost like Monday's and Tuesday's Jennifer were two separate people.

Maybe they are writing Jennifer this way so J&J fans will not care as much if she leaves Salem with Frankie and Jack remains in Salem.

I also hated the writing for Jennifer yesterday. It was contrived and stupid, one of my only complaints for the whole show.

Well all I have got to say is why does Jack get a break but no one wants to give Marlena a break. Talk about playing favorites.

I mean look at what all Marlena has gone through but all that can be said is it is time she was off our screens for awhile or tired of her acting the way she does.

I mean look at what all this woman has been through:

1) She was possessed by the devil

2) She dealt with a snotty unappreciative step-son, Brady

3) All of Sammi's stuff

4) Finding out she gave birth to two children while being imprisoned

5) Then having her mind controlled and killing her friends

6) Death

7) Waking up on the Island

8) Then "death" again or at least knowing her family thought she was dead

9) Being locked in the castle and having to watch your husband play kissy face with someone else

10) Coming back to find out your husband was engaged to someone else (your best friend at that)

11) Learning she was pregnant by her ex-husband

12) Losing the child and then getting amnesia

No one on the show has put up with that much mind control (first by the devil and then numerous times by the DiMeras) - no wonder Marlena doesn't exactly act the way she used too

As to Jennifer I still hold that the writing was right on and very realistic. I mean I would have had a big problem if suddenly Jennifer just was able to walk away. I mean she still loves Jack but she had to have feelings for Frankie or she would have never been willing to marry him. The new writers would have been stupid to ignore that. It would have made Jennifer look even worse if she had. And it holds true to Jennifer's character with her even being able to sleep with Frankie - she had to have feelings for him. It wasn't like before when she slept with Colin to save Jack. That element just wasn't there.

Well all I have got to say is why does Jack get a break but no one wants to give Marlena a break. Talk about playing favorites.

I mean look at what all Marlena has gone through but all that can be said is it is time she was off our screens for awhile or tired of her acting the way she does.

I mean look at what all this woman has been through:

1) She was possessed by the devil

2) She dealt with a snotty unappreciative step-son, Brady

3) All of Sammi's stuff

4) Finding out she gave birth to two children while being imprisoned

5) Then having her mind controlled and killing her friends

6) Death

7) Waking up on the Island

8) Then "death" again or at least knowing her family thought she was dead

9) Being locked in the castle and having to watch your husband play kissy face with someone else

10) Coming back to find out your husband was engaged to someone else (your best friend at that)

11) Learning she was pregnant by her ex-husband

12) Losing the child and then getting amnesia

Don't forget her being drugged to become Stefano's Lady of the Night, putting up with Kristen and the Secret Room, John kidnapped on his wedding day.... it goes on and on....

I didn't have a problem with her telling Frankie she loved him. Obviously, she wouldn't have married Frankie if she didn't love him. I just had a problem with her suddenly referring to Jack as nothing more than a great responsibility and that Frankie was her husband. I am sorry but until Jack kicks the bucket, Frankie is not her husband. And kissing him under Jack's window where Jack could see was hugely insensitive. This is just not Jennifer in my opinion.

I just get the feeling that the writers don't have a firm handle on how Jennifer is feeling regarding Jack/Frankie. But that is just my two cents.

I don't know. It seems if the love of your life just returned you would be a little torn between him and your new love. It just seemed in that scene that Jennifer thought Jack returning was just one big inconvenienc. Very different from the way she played it Monday.

As to Marlena, I really don't understand where that comment come from. When did I ever say anything negative about Marlena? Yes, that woman has problems too though I think over the last three years Jack has suffered a little bit more than Marlena. I think I would rather have amnesia for the last year than dying of a fatal disease. But, definitely, no one would blame Marlena and Jack if they both had nervous breakdowns at this point.

I didn't have a problem with her telling Frankie she loved him. Obviously, she wouldn't have married Frankie if she didn't love him. I just had a problem with her suddenly referring to Jack as nothing more than a great responsibility and that Frankie was her husband. I am sorry but until Jack kicks the bucket, Frankie is not her husband. And kissing him under Jack's window where Jack could see was hugely insensitive. This is just not Jennifer in my opinion.

I just get the feeling that the writers don't have a firm handle on how Jennifer is feeling regarding Jack/Frankie. But that is just my two cents.

I don't know. It seems if the love of your life just returned you would be a little torn between him and your new love. It just seemed in that scene that Jennifer thought Jack returning was just one big inconvenienc. Very different from the way she played it Monday.

As to Marlena, I really don't understand where that comment come from. When did I ever say anything negative about Marlena? Yes, that woman has problems too though I think over the last three years Jack has suffered a little bit more than Marlena. I think I would rather have amnesia for the last year than dying of a fatal disease. But, definitely, no one would blame Marlena and Jack if they both had nervous breakdowns at this point.

I did not quote your post from before and did not intend the comment about Marlena just to you. It was a general statement. I mean just about all that is ever posted about Marlena is how she is not Marlena anymore. And the general concensus is that Marlena needs to be off and they are tired of Marlena. I mean it just seems that in general Marlena can't get a break.

And I see what you are saying about the 2 days not being consistent in the diologue part about Jennifer. I had forgot about that general statement of Jennifer concerning Jack and saying Frankie was her husband. I was gearing my remarks toward her telling him she loved him.

That other statement does not go with Monday's show at all. I think this can probably be attributed to the fact that evidently we don't have a headwriter overseeing anything right now. We are supposed to have a "ghostwriter" tweeking JER's stuff but if it is [!@#$%^&*] she is so new to it, that she may not be watching what the scriptwriters are doing from day to day. Or may just have let that slip somehow. Hopefully little inconsistencies like that will be fixed or not happen when Milstein comes and then esp. when Hogan comes aboard.

You would think the producers would step in and look things over in the absence of a headwriter, and limited writing staff as the rumors are telling us there is.

I enjoyed Tuesday's show. I liked the shawn and Bo stuff and I enjoyed Frankie and Jen. Of course, I really enjoyed Steve and Kayla. I l ike the mystery of what happened to him.

Well here's my fanwank about Jennifer. Jack's the great love of her life and she believed he was dead. She was moving on with a man she loves dearly and has all of her life. It's a different kind of love, but he's safe and he's caring and he loves her more than anything.

Re-enter Jack.

I think that Jennifer has to think of Jack as gone to her because the minute she acknowledges he's here and alive and in her life, she has to feel the pain of losing him all over again. She talks a good game of "let us take care of you and let us have this chance to say goodbye" but she's already said goodbye and she doesn't dare treat him as anything other than a temporary presence, a dead man walking. As soon as she does, her carefully constructed world shatters.

At least that's what I want to believe.

In a way, it's very much the same kind of thing that allows a man to encourage another man to love his wife. Jack thinks of himself as already dead. It's actually not so unusual for the terminally ill, distancing yourself from your possessions and the things you loved, giving things away that meant the world to you (not necessarily spouses, of course).

My favorite scene was definitely that last scene with Philip and Belle, with Belle oblivious to Philip about ready to explode