She's baaaaack! Carrie Brady has returned! Yay! How wonderful to see Christie Clark again! And she looks fabulous! Carrie's return is sans-Mike (unfortunately) but a welcome return all the same. I've always loved the character of Carrie Brady and I find myself very excited that she's back. To me, she represents a little piece of the "good ole Days" (pun intended) - that I remember so fondly. The character was introduced at a time when Days was at the top of the pack, as far as soap operas went; when the show boasted good quality writing as well as interesting characters with engrossing storylines that drew viewers in and turned them in to loyal followers. Unfortunately, she also represents a little piece of the "bad ole Days." The time when James Reilly became Head Writer for DOOL (the first time - approx 10 years after Carrie was brought on Days) and proceeded to dismantle everything that was once loved about the soap. Anyway...My hope for Carrie's return is that she and Sami will have a chance to work out their differences and develop a friendship. However; things are not getting off to a good start. Judging by Carrie's comments to Lucas that she's happy that he didn't marry Sami because she's a manipulator and a liar, etc - it doesn't sound like Carrie has forgiven and forgotten. And judging by Sami's reaction to finding a picture of Carrie amongst Austin's things and her subsequent "vow" (she's always vowing something!) to prevent Carrie from getting her 'hooks' in to him - it doesn't sound like Sami has forgotten their differences either. Nope, the odds of a happy family reunion aren't looking good. I guess that there's juicier storyline potential with feuding sisters than with ones who get along.
So...Carrie is back, but Mike is not. The explanation was short and sweet and typical of when TPTB are trying to gloss over the details. It was the standard "we grew apart" explanation that is meant to cover all the bases. And we are meant to simply swallow the story; even though Carrie and Mike's relationship was originally sold to us as a story about True Love - complete with spinning bed and all. Theirs was a love so strong; it led Carrie to break her marriage vows to Austin and sleep with Mike in a hotel room in Las Vegas. If you weren't watching at the time, my reference to the spinning bed is infamous amongst those of us who have been around for a while. While making love in their hotel room, Carrie and Mike's bed took off and flew around; spinning this way and that way, to music and weird kaleidoscopic colors. Uh-huh. That's right. It was as ridiculous as it sounds. Beyond the fact that it was stupid; it was supposed to signify that they experienced such a depth of feeling for each other that they were swept up away in a wave of passion that felt like flying. (Or at least, I think it was supposed to signify that ;-) Now, however, we are expected to believe that Carrie and Mike simply grew apart and have broken up. But, they remain good friends. Okay...Whatever. I can't say that I'm too fussed about Mike's absence. I always felt that their relationship was just a bunch of hooey, perpetuated by misunderstandings and manipulations designed to keep Carrie and Austin apart and push her and Mike together. I hated that whole storyline. I had always loved Carrie with Austin together and I was devastated when she turned to Mike. Having said that, you'll be surprised to hear that I'm not sure that I want Carrie and Austin to reunite. Too much water has flowed under the bridge for me to enjoy them together and of course, there's the matter of Nicole. As I've said before, I really like Austin and Nicole together. They have a fire that Carrie and Austin never had. Carrie and Austin were sweet and sugary together; Nicole and Austin are hot and spicy together. I might change my mind once Carrie and Austin start interacting again but for now, I am still hoping that Nicole will find a True Love for herself with Austin. One thing is for sure, it's an interesting triangle and one that will keep me watching. The only thing I ask is that TPTB keep Sami out of it!!! Let her continue to pursue Lucas or let her find out what Kate is concealing about Claire and let her torture Kate for a while. Anything! Anything other than meddling in Austin's love life is fine with me.
It was (cough) revealed this week - thanks to Kate and her 5 second lesson on blood types - that Shawn is Claire's biological father. Well of course she is. Who didn't see that coming a mile away? It's only been rumored for at least a year now...shocking really! ;-) Okay so anyhow... I know it's kind of useless but I just have to protest the ease with which Kate obtained the information; including how she simply walked in to the records room which was unlocked once again. One would think that - after the hospital fired Eugenia for doctoring the records - the security would have been beefed up somewhat. I'm so irritated that Days keep recycling the same old storyline again. Seriously! It makes one want to rip their hair out! Reilly has proven for the umpteenth time that he does not have one original thought when it comes to story direction. Sheesh. And of course, we all know that the truth won't be revealed until serious damage can be wreaked. My guess is that Shawn and Mimi will get engaged [the 'rush-to-the-altar-because-it-suits-the-storyline' style of writing that is so often used by JER] and just before Shawn and Mimi say "I Do"; the truth will come out. I really hope that Shawn does not dump Mimi as soon as he finds out but it's really a 50-50 shot. The factor that will tip the balance is whether or not Mimi gets involved in concealing the truth. Some people are predicting that Mimi will find out the secret and conspire to keep it for fear of losing Shawn. I hope that turn of events doesn't happen because if it does, it would be the nail in the coffin as far as Shawn is concerned and he would definitely dump her.
So I guess my theory that Philip would jump to the conclusion that Belle had an affair with Shawn was only slightly off; it is Kate that has jumped to that conclusion. Particularly after she was enlightened with the news that Belle was a virgin until she married Phil. First of all...WHO tells their freakin Mother that information??? And if you were going to do that; would you really share that info while you were sitting vigil in the hospital for your seriously ill infant daughter? That conversation was so out of place. And you know...being a mother...I can completely empathize with the fear that a parent would experience when their young child is critically ill; BUT if I have to hear Philip say that he won't want to live if he lost his daughter one more time; I might scream. I don't mean to be heartless but it's not my fault; once again, TPTB are so darned heavy-handed with the dialogue. They don't need to beat us over the head. We know that Phil is not Claire's father. I think it's obvious that Phil will lose it when he discovers the truth. We don't need Philip repeating it over and over again to believe it. By doing that, it wrings out any iota of sympathy one might feel for the guy. And it also makes it seems as though the writers are trying to use Philip's fear of losing his daughter to give Kate the justification for meddling in her son's life. They don't need to bother. We saw it coming a mile away. The one huge upside here is that when Philip does find out that Claire is not his daughter; he will also find out that his mother lied and concealed the truth. That will mean that yet another of Kate's sons will turn against her. That should be fun to watch.
Last week, I asked you guys to give me some feedback on the Shawn/Mimi sex scene (see Reader Feedback section for a sampling of responses) and the answer that came back was that most people simply felt that though it pushed the envelope for daytime television, it could not be considered pornographic. Apparently there was some simulation of the act that some people did not feel was necessary but overall the response was positive. Not having seen it, I defer to you all out there and thank you for responding to my query. I'm pleasantly surprised by the conversations that Shawn and Mimi have had since they slept together. Mimi (as most insecure girls would) needed to hear some reassurance from Shawn that he did indeed want to be with her and not Belle. What girl wouldn't want to know that considering the circumstances? Although I'm of the opinion that those are the things one faces when hooking up with a close friends' former boyfriend; I found those scenes to be as close to "real" as it gets on Days.
Ay-ay-my freakin eye! What in the world are TPTB trying to do with the character of Alex? Could they seriously have underestimated the intelligence of their viewing audience so much that they thought we would buy their attempts to make him out to be a good guy? I don't know what's going on but all of a sudden, Alex is acting all noble and stuff. He's trying to make out that the only reason he hypnotized Marlena and put drugs in her tea etc, etc; is simply because he was trying to help her. That, he was using every 'tool' of his trade to make her whole again. That, he will respect her decision and leave Salem right away (he was under the mistaken impression that Marlena wanted to be with John). Uh-huh, sure; I buy that. Because he only had a ton of chances to "do the right thing" and leave town months ago. But NOW he decides to give up and leave eh? Suuuuuuure! Sigh. The only thing I care about with regard to this story is Marlena's mysterious memory of being choked. I'm more certain than ever that it was Alex. After watching the catastrophe that has been the character of Dr. Alex North in the past few months, I refuse to believe that he really is a good guy and has told the whole truth about himself.
So Jack is gone. Crashed his car and ended up in a river. His body is though to have floated down river somewhere. Bo attempted to reach the submerged car and look for Jack but his foot got stuck underwater and needed rescuing himself - by Patrick of course. Who didn't see that coming? Oh well, at least we had some great scenes with Jennifer as she absorbed the news that Jack was missing and presumed dead again. This time (she vowed) she will not believe he's dead until she sees his body. Unfortunately, both Billie and Frankie have spilled the beans about Jack's suicide plans. And now of course, everyone will naturally assume that Jack crashed his car on purpose and Jennifer will have to deal with her husband's supposed suicide. I don't know what to tell you readers, I'm not that excited about this storyline. I know that Jack will be back, that he's only presumed dead, but the question is; when will he be back? I haven't heard anything about Matthew Ashford's contract status so I'm not sure if this is going to be a long-term or short-term absence. My spider senses are tingling though...but what I sense is a radical change in Abby's character. Something tells me that this former goody two-shoes is about to give Chelsea a run for her money in the 'acting out' category.
Reader Feedback: Thanks to everyone who wrote in! I love reading your comments and feedback about the show and this column; so keep them coming!
From Mary J:"I love Shawn and Mimi (Shimi) together for a number of reasons. First, they are long time friends who are both coming out of heartbreaking relationships. Even though they are both hurting, they are there providing support, comfort and a sympathetic ear to the other one. For example, when Shawn had to listen to the sounds of Belle in the throes of passion with her husband coming through the vents, Mimi tried to protect Shawn by putting her hands over his ears. When Shawn saw that Mimi was feeling depressed, he offered to watch a movie with her. These sweet gestures aren't big things but to a person who is going through the pain of heartbreak, it can mean a lot. Also, it's nice to see two young people realize that sometimes, the greatest blessings come from those things which at first glance seemed to be the worst thing that could possibly happen to you. Knowing how predictable the DAYS writers are, I'm sure they only intended to use Shimi as an obstacle for an eventual Shawn and Belle reunion. I just hope they are smart enough to realize that they accidentally created the best couple DAYS has had in years."
From Rachel:"As a huge Shimi fan I was really glad at how TPTB handled them both before and after having sex. Mimi was very natural in all her insecurities and very un-soap like in her honesty about it (i.e., not doing something totally self or relationship destructive). I admit that the scenes of Shawn and Mimi actually having sex were more suggestive than I would have expected. As for being pornographic, that's a little exaggerated. There were no exposed parts, but significant simulation. Not more than in a basic hovering-between-R-and-PG-13 movie. Probably the most extreme aspect was how long individual shots were held. I've seen stuff on other soaps that was similar, just not on Days in recent memory. As for references to "S&M," I assume it was short for Shawn and Mimi. Nothing about the scene warranted such a reference. Overall, I think the hoopla wasn't all that necessary. As an aside, I would love for Shawn to find out about the baby and deal with it like an adult. Take responsibility, but stay ith Mimi since his relationship with Belle is really over.
From Jackie:"How can they make Marlena a wimp again. Doesn't anyone remember when she first arrived in Salem to treat Mickey Horton? She was so intelligent and witty. Her laugh was infectious and she was always on her toes when it came to her relationships. Where has that woman gone? I remember her long ago with her husband Don Craig. I cried with her the day he died. I remember their baby and the sadness when he died of SIDS. I remember when Roman(now Alex) came into her life and the years of love and family they shared before she left the show. I remember her kindness to Isabella even though she was with John. This character should be revered on this show as is Alice Horton. Instead they have made this strong vibrant woman, possessed by the devil, a serial killer, an amnesiac, a Demira slave amongst other no nonsense characters that do not fit her character. WHY??? Oh yeah, does anyone remember that the "now" Roman used to be attorney Chris Kostichek who was in love with Kayla Brady?
From Carol Reid:"Okay guys I guess I am the only one who wants Shawn and Belle together. Belle said to Mimi that she loved Philip because he was the father of her child. Do you get it she thinks she has to stay in the marriage because of her child. I hope little claire has to have a blood transfusion and then Kate will have to tell the truth or some way it will come out. I think Mimi would be good with Philip or someone else. Does any one feel as I do about this? Please Please maybe the writers will help I am so sick of this storyline. I can't believe what Kate was massaging John as she did in her nightgown - can't this get any worst. This storyline needs to come to some sort of ending. John and Marlene together again and Shawn and Belle together again."
From Cindy Young-Johnson:"Pamela, your readers are so astute. I can never understand how they have such a great grasp of truth and reality, love and life, while the writers of DAYS don't seem to get it so often. It isn't hard to predict the things the writers will have our beloved characters do because they always use the same ploys and manipulations. I agree with the comment that they are making Marlena into an idiot. With all the problems she's had over the years she must have the weakest mind in the world. They also let Kate get away with everything, delivering the message that if you are rich and powerful you will get away with any awful thing you try. I love the Shawn/Mimi/Bell/Philip storyline because it is what soap operas like DAYS should be about. I thought the love-making of Shimi was about par for the Soap course now, no worse or better and what a fun turn of events! I too am interested to see what will happen with the memory of hands around Marlena's neck. I want to see the writers give more thought to the Sami/Austin/Nicole/Lucas and soon to be Carrie storyline. There is so much potential here, if they can just stay away from amnesia, possession, dead vs not dead, missing presumed dead, switched medical records....all the over-used favorites of DAYS writers. I hope they give us something new, fresh and interesting, with surprises galore. I still love your column and I still love DAYS, even when I don't like what the writers do to it."
From Natalie:"how would this be for Kate FINALLY! getting caught out? She keeps the paternity info about Claire a secret and manages to change the medical records and it results in either a) Claire's death because the forged medical records prevent the doctors from making a correct diagnosis (if that happens, ideally, the autopsy would reveal the medical records were forged and she gets caught that way or b) Kate coming clean at the last minute to save Claire's life. A baby character dying is obviously not a very pleasant storyline, but if it has to happen, it would be an explosive way for Kate to pay for all of the harm she's done in her life--karma finally catching up!"
From Ally:"Shimi making love was absolutely beautiful and HOT! It didn't even come close to resembling soft porn - let alone S&M! It was well done, sexy and filled with tenderness and affection. The best love scene - Yes LOVE scene - I have scene on Days in a long long time. I was not offended in the least! In fact - I think it should have been longer! This is a former Shelle fan SCREAMING Gimme some Shimi! They are phenomenal together!"
From Mary:"I think the storyline with Shawn and Mimi stinks. I really enjoyed Mimi with Rex and I loved seeing Belle and Shawn together. Mimi drives me up the wall with her ditsyness. I definitely do not see the same chemistry with Shimi as I do with Shelle. I have actually stopped watching the show as frequently because I hate this storyline. Belle and Shawn, to me, just seem to have the right fit and have been sweethearts for as long as I can remember. Enough with Shimi, let's find out much sooner than later than Shawn is Claire's father so Shelle can reunite. I'll keep checking the show once a week or so to monitor this SL but until it Shelle reunite, I do not see myself watching the show on a regular basis any time in the future. Sorry to disappoint y'all."
From: Shannon:"What in the world was the that "love" scene between Shawn and Mimi? Sorry folks, Shimi sex was just gross and uncalled for and besides the fact that i am not a fan of theirs, the actual scene itself was poorly done. That being said, how predictable was is that Claire is really Shawn's baby and now faces a life threatening illness and Kate finds out and keeps it a secret. Ho hum.. Of course the next progression to this story will be Mimi falling completely in love with Shawn who obviously could never be completely in love with her, she will get jealous and Kate will feed on her insecurities and weak nature and get her in on the secret keeping. Philly will get in on the action as well to keep Belle. Belle and Shawn will eventually find out and prepare to dump Dear old Meems and Philly, when Mimi will suddenly find out that by some miracle she is pregnant (or she may just pretend like Kristin DiMera did). She will lay a guilt trip on Shawn and he will feel obligated to stay with her (much like Belle with Philip currently). Thus the whole screwed up cycle will continue. I love Shelle and know they are the end game, but this worthless righting is just killing me. I am not even going to mention any other storylines because they are all equally horrible too. I can sort of get into the Sami/Austin/nicole/lucas thing, but Sami gets on my nerves with her continued desperation. When is she going to learn a real lesson? I can't wait for Carrie to come back because i loved her. She needs to seriously catch my attention because right now I can honestly watch 1 weeks worth of days of our lives in about 1.5 hours by the time i am done fast forwarding. That is just sad!"
From Alisha Woodward:"I could not believe the other day when Lucas starting insulting Sami about being quick to get over him and moving on to Austin. Hold the presses folks, is this not the same man who couldn't love Sami enough to see why she did what she did and then is sleeping with a stranger the first chance he gets and rubbing it in Sami's face every chance he gets? I really really thought that Sami and Lucas were a great couple until I see how quick Lucas is to judge her every chance he gets and then its okay for him to resort back to his manipulations and conniving, to get the makeup account with blackmail? But not Sami? I don't really want Sami with Austin, I love the friendship that they have forged, but maybe a new man needs to come on the scene and give her back a sense of self worth. I love the direction that Sami is taking in growing and trying to make a niche for herself without a man as well."
As everyone knows, former Two Scoops columnist, Sari, has decided to retire from her commentary duties. In the quest to find a replacement for her, the site is going to ask for YOUR help and input to help determine who will share writing duties with me. If you think that you have what it takes to become a Two Scoops columnist, we'd like to hear from you. Please send over a sample column along with a brief introduction message telling us about you and why you'd like to be a columnist. You can send your submissions to Dan at dan@soapcentral.com
Until next time! Take care Scoopers!
Pamela
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