The Flaws, They Keep on Comin'

A lot of changes have come up since the last time I weighed in on Days, so it's time for another run-down.  While I still think that the show is tremendously improved...I find myself watching even less than I used to.  Maybe it's just that I'm too busy, or maybe it's that it's harder to watch now that hulu doesn't offer the episodes, but there are certainly still flaws that are there to keep me from caring enough to catch every single episode. Lets explore these flaws, shall we?

The Next Generation

Fix it, Satan Marlena.

 An important aspect to weigh in on are all the the new teens representing the next generation of Days of our Lives characters.  Some are great, some are so-so, and some are gawd awful.  I'm a lot easier on Ciara than the internet seems to be, however I think she's the weakest link.  That's not a good thing when she seems to be the main focus of this teen scene. The new Chase is a capable actor, however is it just me or did they decide to NOT go the "soap hunk" route with this batch of teens.  The new actors aren't ugly or anything, but they certainly don't ooze sex appeal.  Theo is a total cutie but he's such a cream puff that he'll never pull off "sex symbol". Hunky guys aren't everything to a soap, but my shallow ass sure would enjoy looking at them from time to time.  Just make sure they can ACT for the love of God.  None of these kids are super fantastic in that category except for Claire.  I would not be terribly upset if they recast all these teens except for her and maybe Theo.  I'll give that boy time to blossom.

Other New Castings

"This book on acting couldn't possibly be mine!"

Speaking of bad acting, can we recognize how absolutely terrible Lani is?  I like that they're expanding the Carver family, but GIRL!  You are so lucky you've got connections because talent didn't get you that part.  I also find it odd that they decided to add this character to the canvas when what exactly has she really brought to the table as a character?  It's like they know she's not a strong actress so they're keeping her at arm's length from the rest of the characters until they quietly forget she ever existed.  It was kind of fun to see her get involved in the Necktie Killer drama, but then she's back to being wallpaper.  There was absolutely no suspense or mystery involving who she freaking was.  What could have been an interesting storyline for Abe turned out to be a reveal you'd miss if you blinked.  The character herself isn't too terrible, but they need to utilize her.  And get the girl some acting lessons STAT. 

Philip's Haircut

 

Caramba!  Cut the man's hair!  I love the new actor playing Philip, but it's like they tried to give him the same haircut as the old Philip in hopes we wouldn't notice he was a recast! Don't worry about "transitioning" us!  Philip hasn't been on the show in years!  Not to mention we've got Shawn over here with an entirely new face one month after his return.

The Death of Stefano DiMera

Out with a whimper.

I had a big problem with this when it happened. Really? This is how Stefano bites the dust? I know, I know--Stefano never really dies, but DUDE! Joseph Mascalo is like 90 years old now!  I don't think he has another return in him!  If this is his final swan song, he needed to go out with a BANG!  And I guess he did go out with a literal bang, but I'm talking about the figurative BANG.  There was no deserted island involved in this downfall.  No possession.  No kidnapping.  Just Hope losing her cool.  So lame.  A character like Stefano deserved the BIGGEST, CRAZIEST send off ever.  One last hurrah.  Even if he just sits in a fucking chair telling minions what to do the whole time, make it NUTS!  Make it WILD!  Make it an adventure!  It's not like in any of the classic Stefano stories the actor was ever physically pushed to his limits or anything.  He's always been the mastermind behind it all.  He doesn't get his hands dirty!  So it doesn't matter how old and frail Joseph gets--Stefano is still KING!  And this send-off was insulting!

But thank God for Andre DiMera.  Thank God they brought this man back.  He is the only character even comparable to Stefano and they'd better put him front and center as the over-the-top villain that he should be--unleashing batshit crazy shenanigans upon the people of Salem. Unfortunately, he has not been nearly diabolical enough since returning to Salem.  Sure the Chad thing was a little diabolical, but as usual that storyline was resolved entirely too quickly.  And now that that's over, he's focusing his attentions on seeking revenge against Hope Brady--for which he is ENTIRELY JUSTIFIED!  Hope and Rafe are the damn vaillains in this storyline! They killed Andre's father in cold blood and covered it the fuck up. They've turned Andre into the PROTAGONIST! Go get them, Andre!  Just make sure that there's a god damn tropical island involved in your revenge somehow.  Seriously.

An Island just like this.

A Days Vacation

Send these bitches on a trip.  I'm tired of Salem!  I just got done watching the original "Island" storyline on youtube (before those copyright fuckers came along and took down all the classic Days channels--a moronic move unless Sony plans to actually stream those old episodes) and the Island storyline was unbelievably fun.  It brought together a random batch of characters and put them in an exotic location for a wild adventure.  You might say, "oh they don't have the budget for that kind of storyline anymore" but that's some bull shit because the majority of this story was NOT filmed on location.  The initial plane wreckage and Roman's death were the only scenes filmed on an actual beach.  Yet the quality of this storyline was phenomenal. SO much happened!  It shook up the entire show and really tied all the characters and storylines together beautifully!  That's what's really missing from Days that they just cannot seem to get back. It remains one of my largest issues with the writing on this show and it's not the first time I've brought it up.  They've GOT to start utilizing the interconnectivity of the Days universe. Write stories that build on top of other stories, intersecting and colliding, creating interesting outcomes that lead to even more interesting conflicts.  I want the writers to go back and study "The Island" storyline to see what made it work!  Take a page from that book!  (Though I have a feeling the only thing they'd take away is, "DEATH!")

"Didn't I just do this last week?"

These new writers love Death.  And the unfortunate reality of the show's current situation is that it's ONLY good when someone dies (Stefano's death excluded).  They've really got to find other ways to make the show good before EVERYONE is dead!  There's been so much death lately, that if I were living in Salem I would move.  The body count is getting ridiculous.  I'm surprised Eve didn't choke on a bagel and die when she made her exit.

An unfortunate side effect with all these deaths is that when one actor makes his exit, another actor pops up to take their place.  They're adding SO many new characters to the canvas that they can't juggle all the storylines at once!  What am I supposed to be following here?  It's so schizophrenic I think they must have six dozen writers. Especially since NONE of the storylines really relate to one another.  They're all way too independent.  And too many of them are just not that interesting.  I love John and Marlena, but I do not care about the 746th search for John's true origins.  I was perfectly satisfied with the Daphne DiMera resolution of 2003 and it should have stayed that way, especially now that Andre is back.

So while John is boring me to tears, even worse over here is Jennifer with her ridiculous battle with addiction!  OH NOES!  We've never seen a story like that before!  No, sir! Like when Jennifer didn't throw Carly in the shower for getting addicted to pain killers. Or when Brady/Lucas/Maggie/Eric never had a problem with alcohol?!  This is new and interesting territory we're entering here!  This one's gonna go down in Days history, y'all!.  But seriously.  For Christ's sake we have TWO addiction storylines going on right now!  TWO!  (And not ONE possession storyline!  What the fuck is THAT!)  I'm getting terribly bored with 900 storylines that are mediocre when what I really need is 4 or 5 that are fucking good. I'm sure that would help out their budgetary problems too.  But I feel like the producers of Days are more concerned with keeping as many people employed as possible than actually putting out a quality program.

Did I really say I think the show is improved?  Because I think I just argued my way out of that stance.  The writing and casting on this show is still riddled with problems.

You lucky you got renewed for another season, Days.  Because if I were a studio exec, heads would be rolling.