Diva Picks - 9/14 to 9/18
Winner of the Week: NATHAN HORTON. Okay, here’s my bone I’m throwing out to the younger crowd. Nathan’s problem all along for me (and I expect for Melanie too) is that he’s just too much of a nice guy. Seeing him break the rules at the hospital was a welcome change-of-pace. And even though he feels bad that he’s not living up to the Horton legacy, he really is. Sure, Dr. Tom usually played it strictly by the book; but Dr. Mike Horton was a rebellious renegade of the ER, often coming out the victor in the end. So this is probably a nostalgic choice on my part, but hey, there wasn’t much in the way of Winners this week. I still wish I knew who Nathan’s real father is. He seems way too smart to be the son of Pete Jannings. Maybe Melissa Horton had Jack Deveraux’s baby after she left town (which serves as a perfect excuse to bring Matt Ashford back).
Loser of the Week: SAMI BRADY. I’m sorry, but I’ve so had it with this whining loser that Sami has become. Yes, she’s grieving for Grace, I get that. But how I miss the file-faking Scami who would roll with the punches and give as good as she got! And nothing is more boring than when Sami starts playing at suffering martyr. Now she’s gone to the convent supposedly to get space and heal from her emotional wounds…with the occasional sexual fantasy about Rafe from time to time. Sorry, but Sami in a convent just gives me horrid flashbacks of Santos and Colleen from 2007. I really hope that when Sami finds out about Nicole’s plot, she’ll get some of her spunk back.
Dishonorable mention for another Loser of the Week: LUCAS ROBERTS (Repeat “Loser of the Week”). With the news that Bryan Datillo’s going to be put on backburner status for a while (possibly forever), it is too obvious that DAYS is now making Lucas completely insufferable so he can go quietly into that good night off-screen and no one will miss him. As is their usual strategy, the writers are hoping that we’ll all just forget about the Lucas that we’ve watched for the last decade so we’ll embrace the PASSIONS reject (Rafe) that they’ve foisted upon us. Yes, Lucas can be an immature Momma’s boy. He was capable of being incredibly vicious to Sami (back in the days when she gave as good as she got), but I don’t recall him ever being so nasty with anyone else. Laying into Chloe about her infidelity not ten seconds after she came out of her coma was pretty despicable…and in my opinion, out-of-character for Lucas. Usually, when the wronged cheated-upon husbands become a little too overbearing, that’s the storyline of doom that bodes no good for the future of said character. See “Roman Brady” during the early days of the John/Marlena affair and “Tony/Andre Dimera” during the John/Kristen affair. My heart goes out to all of the LUMI and Lucas fans. Also, I hope Bryan Datillo survives the Tomlin regime cuz he’s a helluva cool guy!
Scene of the Week: STEFANO and KATE. Both the scenes on Monday and Friday with these two vet villains were terrific…although it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around Stefano playing chess with any other woman besides Marlena. When’s the wedding for the happy couple?
Performer of the Week: LAUREN KOSLOW. Hands down, this was Lauren’s week to shine. First, we had the fantabulous Stefano/Kate scene with those love/hate barbs flying back and forth. And then there was the Hitchcockian madness with Dr. McCreepy. We got to see all different levels from her this week – from Cold Bitch Mode to Rejected Lover to Scheming Mommy Dearest to Homicidal Maniac. Over the top, but delicious at the same time.
Zinger of the Week: Stefano to Kate - “My driver is much bigger than Victor’s.”
What the Fuck Moment of the Week: So Justin is shot and assumed dead by everyone on Friday…and is in a business suit complaining that he can’t play golf on Monday? I can only repeat…WTF?! Maybe the writers were stumped to explain why Adrienne wouldn’t come to Salem to see her shot husband? Or maybe they thought that the viewers really would rather see yet another pointless and monotonous conversation between Nicole and Mia?
Random Thought of the Week #1: Arianna to Rafe (regarding the break-up with Brady): “We looked good on paper…but there was no way it was going to work.” Funny, I could say the same thing about the whole PASSIONS 2.0 romance that Tomlin’s trying to recreate. No…wait…actually, that didn’t even look so good on paper, come to think of it.
Random Thought of the Week #2: If we really have to sit through all of these godawful Mia scenes, the least the writers could have done was have Maggie talk about her adopted daughter, Janice Barnes, a little bit during the scene where Mia confesses about giving Grace up for adoption. It would have been a nice nod to history and a bonding moment that would have deflected attention away from Taylor Spreitler’s unmoving bangs, monotone voice and dull-eyed stares. That chick must have gone to the Nadia Bjorlin School of Acting.
Random Thought of the Week #3: Couldn’t we just keep Chloe in her coma? I liked her much better that way.
I would like to say : i loved Santo and Coleen. Yes i said it, yes it was cheesy but soap opera good old fashion and the actors nailed it.
ReplyDeleteMe too i don't recognize Samantha Jean Brady.
The TPTB put too hard the "tortured/beautiful, safe, healthy romance" between Sami and Rafe. Sami would stay strong not matter who she is pairing.
For the futur i am afraid of what it will be : a Rafe/Sami pairing with Ej as interloper where Sami deny any feelings for the poor Ej while professing never-ending love for her "hero" Rafe...it is just the Lucas/Sami/Ej redux..these writers have really zero ideas..
If this the case i would like a new girl for Ej and not Nicole (they do not click together sorry) but i don't know a girl like Marcy Rylan or Gina Tognoni as GL is cancelled could be cool.
Melissa was not a Horton. I have a real problem with this rewrite of history and pulling Hortons out of thin air. Nathan is in no way a Horton. Maggie is not his grandmother and was Melissa's guardian, not mother. Would have made more sense to have made him one of Bill's kids.
ReplyDeleteI do not want Matt/Jack to be the father of some loser. Nope. And what I loved about Jack was that he had no other kids -- same with Jennifer -- that his and Jennifer's two children's paternity were never in doubt, and that they both were not only born when J/J were married to each other, but also conceived when they were married to EACH OTHER. The Johnson Boys are the only ones who had more than one kid, with no Who's the Daddy issues, and whose two kids had the same mother -- though technically Stephanie was born and conceived when S/K were not officially married due to the recon history of Marina.
ReplyDeleteMelissa never took Horton for a name, she accepted that she was an Anderson. I do not know the story, but I gather that she had no problems with her biological father (not sure his first name). I believe she inherited his money too. Didn't he have Anderson Electronics, or some such business. I thought in the 80s that Chris K. ran it, and I know Eugene worked there, remember his robot invention?
They could have made Nathan one of Sandy Horton's kids, she disappeared in 82 or 83, and thus easily could have a kid in his 20s, her father Tommy was a doctor, she was a doctor, so it would fit the family tradition.
Tom-Tommy, Jr.-Sandy. And he would be Mickey and Maggie's great-nephew so it would make sense he would stay with them.
Please NO MORE people from other soaps. Bring back Matt, Stephen, Mary Beth, Thaao and Leann, and try to convince Missy to return.
He is too dark for Matt's Jack to be the father. Maybe he is Brian Scofield's, Melissa was involved with him -- though I do not remember any on-screen sex -- just before she left town, after outted as Emilio's killer. If he is Brian's then he would be Vern's grandson, and thus Jack's step-nephew.
ReplyDeleteTPTB can try all they like to make Lucas insufferable. They aren't fooling anyone who's been watching this show for more than a couple of years. Long-time fans know who Lucas really is. We want to watch Lucas and root for him. We'll continue to hope for a better story for him, despite the writers' lame attempts to convince us not to care.
ReplyDeleteThe point about Melissa not being a biological Horton is a good one. She was really the daughter of Bob and Linda Anderson, but since she was raised by Mickey and Maggie, she does seem more like a Horton. And her last name had always been Melissa Anderson. So why isn't he Nathan Anderson or Nathan Jennings or whoever the hell he really is?
ReplyDeleteI agree that I like the idea of Jack not having children with any other women. On the other hand, I'd be willing to overlook it to have Matt Ashford back on screen. It's like willing to overlook Justin being an attorney. Melissa Reeves doesn't seem to be coming back to DAYS any time soon, so why not have Jack paired up with a recast Melissa (preferably played by some powerhouse out-of-work soap vet of which there are plenty)? It would cheapen Jack and Jennifer's love story somewhat, but I could live with that if Matt Ashford could come back as Jack with a decent story to play. Granted, the chances of that are astronomical. Just saying.
True, but what if they have a grown Abigail return. If the guy playing Nathan is a decent actor then pair her with a good actress playing Abigail. I could never see Abigail falling for the idiot Max, but a smart, sensitive doctor would fit. And it would unleash a can of worms for Jack, the truth came out that he used Melissa to win his campaign for the US Senate, while was having quickies with someone else. This could bring out all of Jack's past deeds. Then, with Lawrence there -- he hates Jack, and would do anything to destroy him -- have Lawrence let Abigail find out about Jack raping Kayla.
ReplyDeleteBut I fear that Matt is not the type of actor they want, he thinks too much, and he spends more time honing his craft as an actor than working out in a gym. And I just think TPTB want to do away with classic DAYS, they are using the BS of bringing back CC as doing that but the character was not part of classic DAYS, Carly was not part of a major family, and in the end she treated Bo like dirt running off with the man who tried to repeatedly kill him. CC was never that close to Carly/Katerina as the fired vets or Matt and Missy were to their characters, so she will not care if Katerina is a new personality.
Seems like they are doing to Brian what they did repeatedly to Matt and Thaao, first time JERk had Jack responsible for Abigial nearly dying, though it was impossible the way it was written -- Jack was supposedly a teen when he was in charge of the company that dump the toxins, no way is that possible legally, and how could Abigail have gotten in contact with the toxins. They had Tony crazy for Whatshername, and fake his own death -- Thaao had to fix that on his return in 2002. Then JERk returned, and both Matt and Thaao were on again. He kept killing Jack, and having Thaao and Matt off screen. Tony was made a psycho again, and off as much as Matt again. Then before Jack's 3rd "death" in three years, they had Jack acting like a moron trying to pimp the 40 year old teenager Frankie with Jennifer, to make him look stupid. They eventually fired Matt yet again after his short return from a semi-firing. So, I can see this as a means to turn folks off the character and thus they think fans will not bother if they then fire Brian.
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous 1:32 PM - You are right that Matt Ashford is among that breed of actors that Tomlin (and predecessor Reilly) did not want to have around. But I will write and fight until DAYS' cancelation date to have the vets back and to bring "classic DAYS" -- the DAYS that most of us loved rather than this PASSIONS 2.0 anomaly -- back to the screen.
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous 1:39 PM - Yes, what they are doing to BD is all too typical and transparent.
Yes, you are right I would want Matt back,mostly due to the fact he deserves to be working, and he so wants to return. I would watch him. Maybe if they brought him back MBE and SN would follow. And is Scott's band doing well? Maybe Missy may have to return, her kids are pretty old now -- her daughter was born in 92, and son in 97.
ReplyDelete