C'mon...let's rant...

Poirot

Poirot

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Various happenings to different characters on Days, plotlines, and more, have been grating on our nerves like chalk on blackboard. So, let it all out here.

Number 1 for me is the asinine plot of the elderly Kristen stealing the fetus Theresa is carrying. A woman past menopause, who can instantly provide the womb environment necessary to carry a child to full term.

2. The audacity of the writers to recycle the Nick/Billie/Chelsea story with JJ/Eve/Paige. Shame on them. Horrible.

3. The failure of Corday to recognize/realize that current writers are ruining the show, are not up to the task, & his reluctance to find those who can do the job. With all the soaps that were cancelled, wayyy better writers are out there.

4. Again, the failure of TIIC to understand that shoving the favs/vets off camera, changing their personalities, is not the way to keep viewers, or entice new ones.

5. Bringing on new characters without giving insight into their background is not the way to create interest in the character or story. And dragging out the reveal forever is even worse. If there is not a background already in place before a new character appears, to be revealed within a few weeks, it just won't work.

6. And of course the very inappropriate clothes the characters wear. Mostly female. But it is already November in the midwest, it is cold, folks are donning winter jackets, but Salemites are dressing like it is July. There is not a female in the entire mid[west who would be wearing super short mini dresses/skirts, and sleeveless top at this time of year.

and what is YOUR pet peeve?
 
Oh I agree with all of the above but that first one takes the cake.. UGH Like Kristen's body has been prepared for that already and ready to go...STUPID! Even surrogates take shots get prepared etc..

Give Rory a last name please, he has been on screen for what a year or two? and still has no last name.

Some back story on Paige father would be nice. In my opinion it would help fill in the blanks story wise.

The continuing of dumbing down Jennifer. She should never be paired with Dan Tanna again. In my opinion it does not work. Burn the bridge they are awful. They are turning her into a stalking shrew.

Don't insert certain characters into every story (yeah Dan I'm looking at you) just because you don't know what to do with them.
 
There are soooo many but I think the one that drives me insane is the Kristen and Theresa's baby storyline. As a person that was infertile and went through six years of infertility testing just to find out I had uterine cancer and could never have biological children and to see that the writers just magically are able to "transfer" a fetus is unconscionable! I would understand if this was a sci-fy show but it's not...well maybe it is?
 
I would be here all night. :rotfl: You pretty much hit the firepoker on the head with these points; I agree with all of them.

Some top ones for me:
- The writers' disregard for character/couple history unless it's convenient for them. And when they do utilise history, they often rewrite it.
- Their complete lack of understanding about what the audience wants, and what characters we want to see. Of course you can't please everybody, and the show would be boring if we got what we wanted 24/7, but sometimes it seems like they're laughing at us.
- The fact that they tape so far in advance. I know it's a budget thing, but this show is as cheap as it gets. Cheap writers, cheap clothing, cheap sets, and cheap characters.
 
My pet peeves:
  • Not using the vets or giving them storylines. The reason people watch General Hospital and the Young & The Restless is because they are constantly mixing vets with the younger generations. And there are usually family ties as well. We see very little of this on Days.
  • Isolating characters. Once upon a time, Rafe was intermixed with most Salemites. For the past year, he has been stuck between Jordan and Kate and neither of those relationships work.
  • Too many newbies. I'm all for a couple but this is overkill. Especially they are not connected to existing Salem families.
  • Eve: I'm sorry but this recast just doesn't work for me. And the writing is abominable to boot. She may as well be a new character.
  • Kate and Daniel: I've had more than enough of these 2 air hogs. Let's get Roman, Marlena and John equal airtime.
  • Bring Sheryl back pregnant with Lucas' kid. What a wasted opportunity.
  • Rafe: Galen Gering (Rafe) does NOT and I repeat NOT belong on the back burner. He is one of the best lead actors the show has and does not deserve this treatment.
  • The noticeable absence of Belle and Shawn. If ever 2 characters were needed onscreen, now is it.
  • Nicole not being allowed to be happy. If the show can "forget" EJ raping Sami, then why not forget Nicole shredding the papers?
  • Speaking of rape, enough! And I'm tired of the double standard. It's ok only if EJ does it Sami. :sick:
  • Stefano: Either kill him or recast him.
  • The blue office--I need to see some new sets, especially home sets. I'm tired of people only communicating in public spaces. Or characters who have no business visiting other characters suddenly popping up in their homes (i.e. Hope and Daniel). That's not realistic.
  • The lack of medical and business stories
  • Joey Johnson: Why does he only appear on Christmas Day? And I honestly don't think it is realistic that Steve would leave his young son either.
  • The entire past 2 years of Sami and EJ
 
I totally agree about the isolating characters thing. And on the same sort of note, no one has any good friends. Like actual legitimate friends that they have heart-to-heart conversations with. I miss when characters supported each other once in a while instead of hating each other. I've been watching a lot of late '70s to mid '80s Days lately and the show is unrecognisable.
 
The Kristen/Theresa fetus steal is the topper. Other rants: there are NO Happy people no JOY in town, no friends. People don't interact with others. There is no ensemble feel. Eve only with Paige, JJ, Daniel and Jenn, as an example.

Scenes are too short and choppy, taped too far in advance to change if something suddenly works.

Since I live in Arizona I don't notice as much as the rest of you the lack of seasons in Salem, but come on, the town is in the midwest, if you are going to be taping shows for October-April viewing, dress the cast for cooler/cold weather.

I know daily chores are annoying, but couldn't someone mention to a "loved one" to stop by the store and get milk, or "I'd love to go but I have to iron my blouse first".

The lack of celebrations of holidays. Halloween came and went not a ghost/goblin in sight. We used to have a 4th of July picnic. We used to have most of the show dedicated to the Horton ornament hanging. Now we are happy if we get one short scene.

Lack of families that actually meet together and share joys. When was the last time the Hortons or Bradys got together? This coming Thanksgiving, the Pub should be closed, everyone shows up for dinner, talking teasing, you know family stuff. Or the Horton's show up at Tom and Alice's old place, now Jen Jens house.
 
Oh, so many things. But first and foremost I agree with bringing on new characters and giving us no reason to be interested in them. No build-up, no background and so who cares about them? And the characters we do care about are being ruined so we no longer care about them. I get it, we need new characters but PLEASE writers, give us a reason to root for them.

The whole Theresa/Kristen baby storyline? I don't care if Kristen took the baby from that druggie alcoholic nitwit. I have no interest in Theresa. If you thought that just because she was Shane and Kimberly's daughter I would immediately empathize with her YOU ARE WRONG. She is a sleazy, low-life self-centered witch and I DON"T CARE ABOUT HER. I almost believe that baby is better off with Kristen as a mother than Theresa.

There is no longer a grounded central core of citizens that make me want to watch. Where are the Mrs. H's and the good old days of rooting for Marlena and John even though we knew Marlena was doing Roman wrong? I don't care about any of these characters.

Eve and JJ....just plain disgusting. He is way too young to be involved in that storyline and I know that somewhere down the line bottom-feeder Eve is going to try to make out that JJ raped her and make that poor creampuff Paige believe it. And I am sure that it will be Dan and Nicole and holier than thou Jennifer will be on a tirade against the two of them while she goes to bed lonely as usual.

Who knows what the story will be with Abigail and whoever her flavor of the moment is and who cares? Dang folks, I know people hated Sami but at least there were storylines with background (good or bad) that we could follow.

These stories are just spur of the moment and if the writers decide they didn't have a well-plotted developmental arc and they decide they don't like where it is going they will just drop it and act as if nothing ever happened.

Poor writing, poor story line, poor plotting....POOR WRITERS with short term investment and no interest in the characters or how the story goes. But do they realize if they continue to write stuff no one likes they will no longer have a job? Probably not because, like in their storylines, they can't see further than tomorrow.
 
Ooh... I too have so many pet peeves.

First of all, I hate that the show appears to have become Everyone Worship Jennifer (except for Nicole, G-d bless her). They keep writing characters OUT of character so that Jennifer's word can be sacrosant.

We have Daniel, who normally doesn't care what anyone thinks and has the confidence to do what he believes is right regardless, destroying both his friendship with Nicole and limiting his friendship with JJ, doing things he would never ever do, because Jen said these relationships are proof he's no good so therefore he has to get rid of them to prove to himself that he's a good person.

Eve hiring prostitutes and seducing a vulnerable 19 year old just to get back at Jen. Victor telling Daniel that it doesn't matter if the woman you date mistreats you if it's Jen. And while all these characters are twisted all out of shape to support this idea that Jen is some sort of goddess, the writing for Jennifer herself gets worse and worse and worse.

There are a lot of reasons I hate this Eve storyline right now; that's just one of them. Another is that it's unnecessary (and drama for the sake of drama is another pet peeve.) After watching today's episode, she and Paige could have had the exact same conversation about how Paige loves JJ and wants to be with him and Eve could have still been all worried because she was the one who hired Jill.

Same story, no gratuitous character-ruining sex. I can't stand it when they're either creating conflicts that don't make sense (this one, Daniel being mad at Nicole after having already forgiven her, etc.) or the story just goes around and around in circles. For example, what was the point of John's storyline? We're right back where we started with Brady wanting to disown him.

Another reason I hate this storyline is because it's another example of what they've done to JJ throughout the last couple of years. He's basically a good kid who acts out when he feels like nobody cares about him. Well guess what? They keep making him everyone's lowest priority.

His mother never talks to him, his sister only talks to him when it's convenient, and even Daniel--who is his strongest ally most of the time--never follows up on anything and only talks to JJ if JJ makes the first move, and that's only if Daniel is not busy with one of the other five storylines he's involved in at the time (and apparently, after today, only if Jen approves :angry:).

Kayla is seen sporadically (which is a rant in itself) and is shown to be supportive of JJ but is never around. The kid has no friends except for sometimes Rory, who we also rarely see. And don't even get me started on how when he had his meltdown that resulted in his breaking the store windows and continued exhibiting violent, angry behavior after his arrest, nobody saw fit to call Marlena in for a consult.

It's bad enough that Marlena is used mainly as the meddling mother when the storyline depends on it and is rarely seen working, but that was such an obvious cry for help that not involving her in the storyline was ridiculous.

Love triangles, affairs and blackmail are part of soaps, but why do they have to be the only part? There's no romance, no couples facing life together. Just anger and pain and people hurting each other.

The evil characters have no backstory, no plausible reason for being the way they are, and they never, ever pay for anything they've done. Why is Theresa not in jail for hitting John over the head? Why did everyone conspire to keep it secret that she blackmailed JJ?

Too many loose ends also drive me nuts. Liam tormented Jen, was killed and we never heard of him again. Adrienne never apologized for introducing Jen to him. Rafe never followed up on the fact that Nicole had told him she was worried about Liam.

Nobody ever stands up to a blackmailer anymore either, no matter how ludicrous the threat. Everyone records things secretly and uses them to blackmail others even if it's totally implausible (how did Theresa know to record JJ doing drugs with her--she couldn't have predicted she was going to OD and Daniel cover for him!) or the blackmailer would have to implicate himself to reveal the big secret. These plot devices are overdone and there are other stories that could be written.

Drama also doesn't have to mean gloom and doom, drugs and alcohol, sex without love. It. is. enough. There are so many ways to create drama that springs from the characters, but instead the writers keep forcing them into stories in ways that don't fit or don't use them at all.
 
I'll be up all night!!! LOL

First of all, about the wardrobe, I agree! It's been sweater weather for quite some time here in Philly, besides a few nice days: since Salem is in the Midwest, it should be even colder there, so they need to dress like it. And not just half the cast, but all of them! And the wardrobe is either hooker-like or ugly. Sometimes, the makeup and hairdos are also pretty unsightly.

I don't know what's more upsetting to me: The Kristen-Theresa baby storyline, or Eve & JJ's recent roll in the hay. For that matter, Daniel & Kristen were also disgusting. I think the show focuses too much on sex and shock value. I told my grandma this. They think that, just because EJ-Abby were successful this year with the shock value, that it will be like that for everyone. Instead of writing compelling stories with great drama the way they used to, the writers got lazy and I swear they're just picking names out of hats for "who will sleep together next?". BORING!! What makes it worse is that there aren't really any happy couples. The soap is just doom and gloom and unrealistic and/or boring storylines.

The underutilization of vets, and overuse of certain characters and then the soap bringing on newbies who, besides Aiden, aren't well integrated into the cast. It turns a lot of older viewers off, and makes the show seem a bit shallow and dull for younger generations. Believe it or not, a lot of us young'uns want romance, happy and funny storylines, and some friendships and family life shown. Sure, some sex would be great, if it makes sense (a loving super couple making love, as opposed to a random romp between acquaintances).

How TIIC refuse to stop taping so far ahead and are too proud to admit their mistakes. Days has been at the bottom of the soap ratings chain for years now. Instead of trying to change this by firing the writers and replacing them, they distract the audience with more ridiculous stories (Eve & JJ, for example) and try to convince everyone that the fans are enjoying what is currently airing.
 
I have a lot of pet peeves on this show:

  • I absolutely loathe Kristen stealing Theresa's fetus story. Theresa may be a rotten, selfish gold-digger druggie, and Brady is an immature druggie and drunk, but this is their baby, and this baby might have been a way to soften Theresa while she waited for her baby as a start to her redemption. The idea of being a father might have sobered Brady up and helped to mature him. Kristen is a psychotic witch and is way too unstable to have a baby in her possession. She had baby Elvis for awhile, and look what happened to him.
  • Predictability and a long wait for reveals. Jordan was brought on over a year and half ago. The actress has mentioned that her story was changed partway and rewritten. Finally today, we get to the big reveal, and it turns out to be rape, which many people have already guessed.
  • The lack of use of some characters/and the overuse of other characters. Sometimes we see characters like Daniel, Abigail, JJ, Sami, EJ, Kristen in multiple storylines, 5 days a week, even in stories they do not always belong in, but we can go weeks without seeing Rafe, Lucas, or Nicole, and then only see them briefly or in one story. I know Lucas is a recurring character, but he should be contract, and that is another gripe I have.
  • The overuse of certain plot devices. Love triangles, who's the daddy, and, the biggest one of all, RAPE. These writers have to drag out some form of a rape storyline all the time.
  • Not using family ties effectively. When the Brady's came on they were always depicted as a very close-knit family. Theresa has hardly been shown to interact with her family, and none of the Bradys seem to know Paige or that she was in Salem last winter alone in the care of her father's cousin. Eve and Eric did not recognize that they interacted together when she was a teenager and he was a child.
  • Repetitive dialogue. Characters stand around all day meeting up with one another and chattering about the same issues.
 
Definitely wardrobe - I don't really care what the weather is, but the skin-tight, too-short dresses are tired. Very tired. They'd like a break. And more fabric.

Drama - you can definitely create drama worth watching without making it "shocking" or long-lasting. Or gross! The idea of giving in to someone in a wave of crazy emotion is one thing. It can happen. Rarely, but it can happen.

Giving in to someone you dislike in a crazy wave of emotion is something totally different. It might be successful like once in a generation or more, with the right, delicately placed story. But we have two of those (with crappy stories) in, what, a week's time? Even if you want to include the "grief sex" that won't go away, even when the characters have :), that's still three in just a few years. I'm not saying one is ok, but I AM saying that two is not, and two in one week is DEFINITELY not ok. Come on... writers are supposed to be creative. Get creative!

Misunderstandings - I guess this falls under drama, really. But relationships (of any kind) souring over misunderstandings is also tired. They'd also like a break. And a little dose of creativity.

Investments - I think this is the biggest problem. Whether we're talking about vets or new characters, we are really lacking any reason to be invested in storylines, and not just invested for a minute. It's got to be long-term. I'm trying to think of the last storyline in which I was invested... I think it was EJ and Sami from probably the pre-Rafe time.

This is not to start a debate, but to emphasize that it's been a long time for me to really be invested in a story. And for most of you who hated EJ and Sami, it probably has been even longer! There has been a lot of complaining on this board about the majority of the storylines in recent memory.

Back in the day, people were invested in Bo and Hope. They even had major hurdles, like other women, other men, and death. But people still seemed to be invested in them. Now, it seems that even the strongest supporters just want them to move on.

Even John and Marlena - back in the day, even with all the major hurdles, folks were invested in them. Now, not nearly as much. I guess storylines don't have to involve couples, but that's all that's coming to mind right now. Anyway, for me, the Hope and Aiden story is the only one I might become invested in right now. There could have been more, but those were quickly squashed.

I'm sure there's more, but that's what comes to mind easily. What I would LIKE to see is a little more happiness. Some solid couples who can weather storms together, as opposed to break up and get back together, break up and get back together. Some real surprises, and not the kind that make me want to hurl. Even a little real, sincere romance once in a while! Maybe that's too much to ask for.
 
Why are last names are always used when there talking about another character. STOP, already we know who they are.

The predictability of what's going happen in a story line such as JJ and Eve.
I like a book that makes me say "WOW, I didn't see that coming"!

Jens superior attitude. If her nose gets any higher she'll drown in the next rain storm.
Get a story line that finally knocks her down a peg or two. Better yet get rid of her.

Someone please teach Princess Abby and Ben how to kiss with out all the lip smacking sound effects. It's like listening to a three year old with a lolly pop.

It would be oh so refreshing to keep just one character maintain their comedic
edge such as Nicole. I remember how they totally ruined Mimi.

Give Brady a brain, morals and loyalty. I think it's WAY past time to give him a happy go at life. So tired of seeing him with his chin on the ground And I think he could be incredibly sweet and funny if they gave him a like partner.

Poop or get off the pot with the whole Jordan story. Her forced/fake cry baby face is annoying.
This has to be one of the dumbest story lines ever written.

edited to write out word....JS
 
Agree with pretty much everything here.

The last name thing is going to get on my very last nerve now that someone else mentioned it. I've noticed here and there and never spent too much time stewing over it, but now it's going to kill me. Eve is especially bad for it.

Their stupid accelerated filming schedule has so many negative effects. The wardrobe, inability to change direction with stories. Lack of current events mentioned, ever. Poirot mentioned in another thread recently something about characters dressed for warmer weather when Chicago and everywhere surrounding was buried in snow.
 
My pet peeve is the way the writers seem to begin destroying Will and Sonny's marriage recently. Not only theirs but seem no relationship is off limits for these writers. Many relationship do have a happy ever after, but the writers must not have any good relationship or they have no relationships at all!
 
My pet peeve comes from the fact that the writers seem 100% against writing any real romance. I want to see real love stories, not hate sex and scheming to be with someone or relationships built upon false pretenses and lies.

The last episode of The Big Bang Theory had Sheldon telling Amy he loved her. It was the sweetest and most weirdly romantic thing I've seen on TV in awhile. Even though The Big Bang Theory is a "silly comedy", they showed more romance in that little scene than Days has shown in years.
 
I saw that, and agree, JS. It was so HUGE for Sheldon, so unexpected for Amy, (and the audience). Well done.

It really is hard to understand why Days is so obsessed with hatred, meaningless sex, anger, violence, schemes, revenge, confrontation, backstabbing...the list goes on and on. And has nothing to offer on the opposite end.
 
Oh, my. You all pretty much NAILED it!

These writers just have no clue...the main fan base is used to a COMPLETELY different Days Of Our Lives. I know times have changed, budgets have gotten smaller. How about not hire so many dang newbies??? Use the vets, that's who we "pay" to see. (I had a dream last night Bo came home!) We want to see more of Hope, Victor, Stefano, and semi - vets like Rafe and Nicole. Much more of John and Marlena. But, more GOOD stuff! Not Brooding Brady and John the Weak.

I want depth, intrigue, and FUN. Remember the good ol' "Days" when people had ADVENTURES? Well, dang - that takes creativity, and these guys don't know how to write that. Pay me a few dollars more than minimum wage, and I'd be TICKLED pink to write better storylines...just to keep the show as it should be. About the Hortons, Bradys, and the mean Dimeras...

Shoot, guys. Now I'm sad because I'm sitting here thinking of all the fun the 80s were. Bo and Hope fleeing her wedding...Steve and Kayla truly falling in love...Shane Donovan and the real Roman Brady... SIGH.
 
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