A Critic’s Review of Days of our Lives: Tough Love & Tough Sell

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: A Critic’s Week In Review

I genuinely appreciate Ron Carlivati, his genuine love for the soap opera genre, and his genuine dedication to Days of our Lives. That said, I’m about to dish out some tough love. What Ron has done in regard to the recently paroled rogues gallery is lazy, lazy writing.

In the past, when Ron is in need of an out, he stretched credulity to its limits. In this instance, I fear that credulity has finally given way. Sure, the shot of the criminal fraternity sauntering out of Statesville all Reservoir Dogs like was a hoot, but the build-up to that moment left little to be desired, and I can’t help but feel that the follow-up will be little more than retreads of what we’ve seen before.

There are only so many times that Orpheus (George DelHoyo) can reenter the populous and practice his peculiar brand of out-and-out crazy before it wears thin – and we passed that point about two escapes ago.

Another issue that I have with Ron – and it’s one which I have discussed at length in the past – is his seeming inability to balance a large cast. Granted you can always count on seeing veteran actors/characters front and center as well as legacy characters driving the story, but there are, inevitably, persons and plots that get short shrift.

Case in point – we’ve had to infer, hear through dialogue, or watch Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem 2 to know that Gabi Hernandez DiMera (Camila Banus) and Li Shin (Remington Hoffman) are making a real go of it as a couple. Ditto Jake DiMera (Brandon Barash) and Ava Vitali (Tamara Braun) – two characters that I had honestly forgotten about given their distinct lack of presence on screen.

Further DAYS Musings

* Can we all agree that Abigail Deveraux DiMera’s (Marci Miller) murderer donned a Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey) mask, and that said murderer is Gwen Rizczech (Emily O’Brien)?

* Come on Chanel Dupree (Raven Bowens). Give both of those twins the ole heave-ho and be done with it. Haven’t they both proven that they aren’t mature enough to embark on a romance with?

* I have really been enjoying Marlena Evans Black (Deidre Hall) as of late. Far too often the character is written as a put-upon, oft imperiled heroine in need of rescuing – so much so that I fear the majority of Days of our Lives fans have forgotten that Marlena was once a fiery, feisty, force of nature. Her blatant “overness” of Kate Roberts (Lauren Koslow) and Lucas Horton (Bryan Dattilo) reminds me of the Marlena of old. The Marlena whom James E. Reilly and Hogan Sheffer really understood.

Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Salem, check out all the latest that’s been posted on DAYS spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.