Days of Our Lives Week in Review

Sweeps went out with a bit of whimper on Days last week, but it was still some pretty good soap.  In a week of overall non-outrageousness, though, there were some outrageous happenings.

How outrageously excessive has Deidre Hall's 2008 screentime been? Enough with Marlena-palooza!  If I have to sit through another week with Marlena on every day, my soul might react thusly:

But whatever.  They're back in Salem, so Marlena can't possibly be on every damned day anymore, right? 

I was all prepared to be extra-traumatized this week by a John and Marlena sex scene (I occasionally read my Soap Opera Digest, you know!), but it turned out it was just them making out a little bit.  Regular readers know I have been traumatized on the regular by these two getting it on, but somehow with the cheesy soundtrack covering up any overly dramatic moaning, and the absolute non-smurfiness of John's mad woo-ing skills made it okay this time.  I mean, this was freaking hilarious:

Marlena: ...You're not here.
John: Well, maybe my mind isn't.  But my body sure as hell is.  So just take what you can get.

Hee.  Are you swooning yet, Doc?

And then, when she decided to take what she could get, right before they got down to business, this:

John: Brace yourself.

Haaa!  Robotic dickhead John never ceases to amuse.  (Marlena did later use my most despised soap phrase, "making love," but I can't rant about that without access to lots of alcohol.  I am, seriously, physically revolted by that phrase.)

Anyway, "Brace yourself" is the new "You complete me."  You heard it here first.

How outrageously hideous is this coat? 

And how inexplicable it is that Sami hasn't burned it in her tiny apartment's gigantic fireplace yet?

How outrageously well-stocked was John's private jet?  It had on board (all of which survived the supposedly devastating crash):  a defibrillator, multiple pup tents, and many packaged meals.  I love that the saboteur thought of everything, except removing the survival supplies.

The pup tents did lead to Phillip shirtless, though, so I'm not mad at them.

Outrageous hotness.

How outrageously gorgeous and charming is Leann Hunley, even in a mud mask?

More Tony and Anna, please.

After having totally come around to them as a couple because of the actors' chemistry, I was outrageously squicked out by Stephanie and Max being worried about their family on the plane.  Because, you know, it's the same family.

Max worried about his dad, who is Stephanie's grandfather, and Stephanie worried about her mom, who is Max's sister -- among many other inter-relations! -- was so wrong.

But they're still cute.  I'll get over my outrage by next week.  I'm a slave to chemistry.

Is Tamara Braun's Ava going to have been romantically involved with Steve?  Outrageous!

She looks like she's 25!  I realize it's difficult to remember, because he still looks like he's in his 30s,

but Stephen Nichols is 57 (!!!) years old.  Please let her be his long-lost daughter, or something.  Maybe a love interest for EJ? 

Oh, and substance aside, Ava's note was terrifying based purely on its outrageously bad handwriting

which is also suspiciously male-ish.  Oooh, maybe she's transsexual!  Now that would be a soapy twist.

The most outrageous moment of the week for me was Caroline's family standing around stammering like assholes as survivor after survivor filed in to University Hospital and none of them had the decency to tell her her husband was dead.  She was talking about looking forward to seeing him, and none of them stepped in to tell her what had happened.  For like, many, many minutes! 

I swear, the point at which it looked like effing Marlena was going to be the one to tell Caroline about Shawn, I had heavy objects primed and ready to hurl at the TV.

But then she didn't.   

So Caroline found out when they wheeled Shawn's corpse into the hospital!  What the hell is wrong with this show?  Are the writers hanging out with Bob Guza?!

So disturbing.  RIP, Shawn Sr.  I still don't get why you took that good oxygen mask with you, and it looks like you all would have survived that totally unsurvivable plane crash anyway, but at least you didn't have to sleep in a pup tent and listen to Marlena and John have sex.

Screencaps courtesy of Days of Our Lives 2.

Comments

[callie]

Of course the fact that Tamara Braun will be 37 this year doesn't help. I hope I look that good at 37. Hell I wish I looked that good now.

[Kade]

So I must be about the only person in the world that doesn't see the "chemistry" between Max and Steph, not to mention the only person who thinks Shelley Hennig (still) can't act. Oh well. The whole incest thing doesn't help either.

I love Tony and Anna too! I only wish the rest of the show wasn't in the evil clutches of Dena Higley. I just can't stand to watch, though I did catch Friday's previews of Steve manhandling Ava. Yay! Dena's violent misogyny is back! :barf:

[Nolebucgrl]

I swear, the point at which it looked like effing Marlena was going to be the one to tell Caroline about Shawn, I had heavy objects primed and ready to hurl at the TV.

I was scared to death that the "Pillar of Strength" (thanks Colleen) of the Brady family was going to tell Caroline as well. After we had to endure 37 straight days of Marlena (someone on TWOP counted, god bless them), the thought that the PoS (we use it for another nickname, other than Pillar of Strength) might be the one to break the death news had me in a fit of rage for a good part of the episode. Thank god she was not the one. I had things ready to hurl as well.

I'm not giving up on EJami, so I don't want TB to be for EJ. I think she's going to be BSC and fun to watch though. I know S&K can survive whatever terror she brings, so bring it on.

How hilarious that the "long slow love scene" that D Hall was rhapsodizing about hit the cutting room floor? I was in major fear of watching that episode, but it turned out to be much ado about nothing. If nothing else we can thank the editors for removing the horror from our screens.

[Nolebucgrl]

Also, yes, more Tanna!!!! please! More DiMera clan (minus Marlena and only occasionally showing John) please!

[junie]

OMG. Tony and Anna..LOVE!

I realize that above statement does not come close to resembling correct grammar but I just have to be excited about a couple that is soapy and fun and makes me like watching my soaps. GH certainly does none of that for me these days.

[Honeybee]

I just adore Robotic asshole John. Everytime he crushes Marlena's heart, I smile. I loved his Anna foot massage, as well.

[Jes]

Hurray for Tony and Anna! They've brought romance back to the show. They're cute and funny and I love them!

My name is still on the oddly shrinking list of those who are dead set against Max and HIS NIECE Stefanie being involved with each other. I don't watch their scene closely enough to see if there is any chemistry, and when I try, I'm often distracted by Max's hair.

I wouldn't have a problem with an older man/younger woman relationship, but I'd rather not see Steve and Kayla broken up or even messed with in a philandering way.

[Charlie]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who hates that phrase...I hate it so much that I can't even bring myself to say it because it's just so cheesy. I give out a small shudder every time I hear it. Thanks for the catch up as well.

[Tripp]

No, Kade, I don't see the chemistry between Max and Stephanie either. I find they are propping Max something awful, and I don't find DB charming enough to get into his scenes. I could get past the Uncle thing maybe, but scenes like this week where they talk around their relatives exasperates me to the point I'm livid by the time the scene is over.

As for Ava and Steve, I really do think SN is all kinds of hot but nothing is going to showcase his age more than putting him up against a woman who looks that young.

I only could take this many days of Marlena with John being an asshole to her, but enough is enough.

[bringbackeugene]

You have been reading my mind AGAIN. The Marlena countdown was broken today by one day, thank goodness. It's good to know that PoS can stand for something more than pillar of strength. I still wanna keep this Jawn. He's fab. And kudos to the editors who deleted the LOOONNNGG love scene (read: long gasp-a-thon)
Still not sure about the Max/Stephanie thing. It's all sorts of weird hearing her refer to Max's family, which just HAPPENS to be her family! How many more dance moves around this can they do?

[jackpeyton]

EEEEE!! Tamara Braun is back on daytime! and Ava is PSYCHO! I love it.

Dee Hall being on every day is great. She was so undersued last year.

Max/Stph are gross. I loved it when one would be like "my family", you mean "OUR family?" Max/Cheslsea have had good scenes (in a family sort of way).

[kazou]

Count me as another who just doesn't see the chemistry between Max and Stephanie. Sorry Becca -- I still defer to you on Jarlena (and the ridulousity of nicknaming them), GH, Guza, Sonny and your miraculous Liz-love in the face of legions whining, "She's the lyingest liar who ever lied and she smirks."

[minirth]

I adore dickhead John! Especially when he called Belle "Dink". That was classic!

I'd totally watch the John and Claire show.

[Lauren]

"Making love" always flashes me back to Eddie Murphy's riff about it in Raw. If you don't know what I'm talking about, rent it. You won't be sorry.

Another soap term that makes me cringe is "chemistry". It's entirely over-used.

I'm sticking to my assumption that, eventually, Ava and Bo's [impending] soapily-cute-surgeon doc are going to work their way together. It makes sense to me, so I'm hoping they screen tested together and it translates to the the audience. I'll be watching for their "chemistry".

[gloriouslydisconnected]

Okay, so I understand that this is ridiculously after the fact, but I am choosing to disregard my dignity and post anyway. I was feeling nostalgic last night and decided to watch some old(ish)-school Days. It was this impulse that lead me to discover something truly horrific: the coat Sami is wearing (again? had she worn it before?) is not only atrocious, but it is also a wardrobe repeat. FROM 1998.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmwfIEnffIg&feature=related (skip to 6:24)

So basically, they re-used a piece of clothing from almost a decade (!!!) before. And it couldn't be just any piece of clothing, it had to be that heinous excuse for a jacket. Unacceptable, wardrobe department, just... unacceptable.