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A Critic’s Review Of Days of our Lives: SORAS, Rewrites & Farewells

The author’s opinions on DAYS are his and his alone. They’re suitably scathing, fairly humorous, and normally bang on target.

days of our lives critic's review for october 9 – october 13, 2023, three images, holly, brady, and susan.Holly Jonas, Brady Black, and Susan Banks.
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When it comes to Days of our Lives, every fan has their own opinion – and Soap Hub is no different. For five days we sat and watched the good, the bad, and everything in between, and now we offer you a handy review, and a cheeky critique, of the Days of our Lives week that was.

Days of our Lives: The Critic’s POV

Thanks to a nasty case of SORAS, wee ones Tate and Holly redebuted this week as teen tearaways, and DAYS is all the better for it. Actors Jamie Martin Mann and Ashley Puzemis are primo finds who ooze chemistry not only betwixt themselves but with their senior co-stars to boot. Mann and Eric Martsolf [Brady Black] in particular seem fated to play father and son.

Further DAYS Musings

* As great as it is to see them used so heavily as of late, wouldn’t it be even better to actually see Kate (Lauren Koslow) and Marlena (Deidre Hall) embroiled in storylines all their own rather than serving as recappers and support (or hindrances in Kate’s case) for their offsprings storylines?

* Emily O’Brien, despite what I can only assume is her best efforts, continues to disappoint as recast Theresa. The adopted accent is as atrocious as the wig on her head, which makes very little sense seeing as how O’Brien speaks with an American twang, and, perhaps most unforgivable of all, the actress clearly isn’t having fun with the part.

* For decades now DAYS has habitually dismissed, downplayed, and even romanticized instances of sexual assaults and rape, but I was especially galled to hear Bill’s drunken attack of Laura reframed as an “affair” between the two. Also, what was up with Maggie (Suzanne Rogers) terming Mike her and Mickey’s son? As if he wasn’t nearly a grown man by the time Maggie entered the picture.

* I can’t help but feel that I’d probably be more inclined to invest in and care about, Abe’s (James Reynolds) predicament if the story wasn’t doled out in dribs and drabs. That said, I’ll always welcome scenes featuring Abe and Nicole (Arianne Zucker).

* It’s moments like Bonnie’s (Judi Evans) and Kayla’s (Mary Beth Evans) chit-chat at the Brady Pub that makes me wonder why DAYS dispensed with the character of Adrienne in the first place. Turning Bonnie into Adrienne-lite is a poor substitute for the genuine article.

* The revolving door continues to spin. In just this week alone it’s been so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye to Philip (John-Paul Lavoisier), Chloe (Nadia Bjorlin), Rex (Kyle Lowder), Susan (Stacy Haiduk), and Shawn (Brandon Beemer), and we know that in no time flat we’ll also be saying Sayanora to Talia (Aketra Sevillian), Belle (Martha Madison), and Gabi (Camila Banus).

Of the multitude of exits, I’m personally saddened by Belle and Shawn’s. It seems that, no matter the regime in charge, these two are forever being underused and undervalued.

* The writing is clearly on the wall where Chad (Billy Flynn) and Stephanie (Abigail Klein) are concerned, and I can’t say that I’m going to much mind when the two are torn asunder. Stephanie and Alex are the money couple anyway — in my opinion at least.

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