Saturday, January 19, 2008

Friday, January 18th, 2008



“Yeah, I know, Elvis. This is pointless. But we need to at least pretend we’re not wasting screentime, so let’s go through the motions, okay?”



“Want me to bring Carpe in, Junior? I think you can make a case for libel. We all know Hero EJ doesn’t really wear a cape.”



“Relying on EJ is so difficult. I just don’t know how I put up with having a hot, intelligent British gentleman around who adores me and my children and helps with the housework.”



“Elvis, I saw this advertisement on television last night that I thought you’d like because it was really rather amusing. Let me tell you about-
“For the last time, Father, now that I am no longer on your family plan, I need to watch my cell phone bill. Quit wasting my minutes, and call me back after 9 p.m.”



“Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?”



“Thank goodness I decided to get a Big Mac that day McDonald’s was handing out free pedometers. I’ll definitely hit my steps quota today."



“Damn extras. Character with actual lines coming through!”



“Father tried to have me killed, but unfortunately for him, I’ve seen Goldfinger.”

The Grade:

Man, the scab writers really stepped up here. Other than killing a little too much time with Bo and EJ and the inadvertent Bond movie plot, I actually liked the writing. Credit where credit is due, A-.

The Not So Great Escape

Stefano and Lucas get impatient and decide to escape their cell.

Stefano: "Now, Lucas, how are we going to get out of this cage?"

Lucas (whining): "Why do I have to come up with the plan? Aren't you the criminal mastermind?"

Stefano (annoyed): "We are brainstorming here. I want to hear what you have to say. And I am a legitimate businessman, Lucas."

Lucas (unconvinced): "Sure you are. Anyway, I don't have a clue. This place is rock solid. There's no getting out."

Stefano (encouraging): "Think hard. You have to have some idea."

Lucas (hesitant): "I dunno...oh wait, maybe we could tie string around the bars and saw our way out."

Stefano (incredulous): "What? That will never work! Where did you get such a stupid idea?"

Lucas (explaining): "It was this movie."

Stefano (sarcastic): "Oh, well, in that case, excellent. Because the cinema always depicts reality with 100% accuracy."

Lucas (defensive): "Lay off, old man! You wanted an idea, and I gave you one."

Stefano (waving his hand): "Alright, alright. You have a point. Now, did this inane plan of yours actually work in the movie?"

Lucas (recalling): "Nah, I don't think so. He was still in there at the end. No, wait, did I watch the whole movie? Was that the ending?"

Stefano (putting his head in his hands): "Now I understand, Elvis. Now I understand."

A Supercouple Stifled


Dr. Rolf knocks on Willow's door

Dr. Rolf (handing over the flowers): "May I say you look wunderbar, miss? Und zees are for you. Zhey are imported from Englund."

Willow (sneering as she takes them): "Looks more like you got them out of a dumpster. Let's go, old man."

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Know Your EJs







Rejected Motivational Posters























The Market Has Spoken



Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Détente

After spending time with his Samantha, EJ returns to his apartment and uneasily sits down on his couch, aware that along with several other things, it may not be his for very long.

Sinister Voice (darkly): “And here I thought complete lobotomies required some recovery time.”

Good EJ (wincing): “Dammit.”

Evil EJ appears from the shadows of his room and enters the living room, drink in hand.

Evil EJ (snidely): “Look at any good pop-up books lately?”

Good EJ and Evil EJ glare at each other.

Good EJ (already annoyed): “Don’t you start. I don’t want to hear it.”

Evil EJ (sitting down on the other end of the couch): “That’s unfortunate for you because you’re going to listen to every last word, sunshine.”

Good EJ (backing off): “It’s late. Everyone else is asleep. Can’t we discuss this in the morning? Please?”

Evil EJ (sipping his brandy): “Oh yes, let’s do this later, when we’re even more dim than we are now. Maybe after we’re unable to follow the plots on the Nick Jr. lineup. How does Dora manage to make it all the way to her abuela's casa with a map and her monkey friend, eh?”

Good EJ (apologizing and gesturing): “Okay. I get it, and I understand. I’m sorry we had to be so stupid today, Evil EJ. I’m sorry we had to believe that Stefano wasn’t capable of evil.”

Evil EJ (mocking): “Oh, really? Because we seemed rather happy about the realization to me.”

Good EJ (trying to be nice): “That wasn’t happy. That was our comprehension of our father’s unspeakable horrors.”

Evil EJ (leaning back): “You could have fooled me. I guess we’re already too dumb to tell the difference.”

Good EJ (irritated): “I don’t like this any more than you do.”

Evil EJ (pointing): “I doubt that. Very much. I think you enjoy every single second of this. You know why? Because this excuse, as puerile as it is, validates your entire worldview. TPTB are stating that we were always a good man, that we were so blinded by our love for our father that we were unknowingly corrupted. That we’re basically innocent in all this.”

Good EJ (begrudging): “You’re right, I do like that…a lot. Because it’s the truth.”

Evil EJ (seething): “I’ll mentally file that right next to unicorns and elves.”

Good EJ (continuing anyway): “But I agree with you, too. We don’t have to be this dumb for this part of the redemption to work.”

Evil EJ (finishing his drink): “No, we do. For us to admit that we were actually evil, well, that’s a road Days just doesn’t want to go down. A good person cannot willingly commit evil actions according to the morality rules of this show, much less relish the beauty of the experience as much as I do. So since they want us to be a good person now, that means we were never truly evil, just misguided.”

Good EJ (nodding his head): “I suppose you’re right.”

Good EJ (suddenly suspicious): “But if you’re telling me all this, does that mean you now accept this? You accept our redemption and me being in charge?”

Evil EJ (getting up): “Certainly not. But a leader has to know when to delegate. Why should I pretend to be a blubbering imbecile when you’re already one?”

Good EJ (hurt in his eyes as he pleads): “It doesn’t have to be like that, you know. You don’t have to keep undermining me in order to get control back. We could work together. We could come to an understanding.”

Evil EJ gets up off the couch, moves around it, and leans behind Good EJ.

Evil EJ (whispering menacingly): “If I were you, I’d understand that I should enjoy Samantha while it lasts, Boy Scout.”

Evil EJ pats Good EJ threateningly on the back before he leaves the room. Good EJ turns his head as he watches Evil EJ leave.

Good EJ (quietly to himself as he sighs): “Always.”


Monday, January 14th, 2008



“We’ve got some screentime to kill. So repeat the end of Friday’s show with slightly different lines and over the top emotion.”



“What? I can’t hear you over the string music.”



Worst video game ever.



“How dare you not come with us? It’s standard police procedure to bring unarmed civilian family members on raids!”



“Your father’s a monster. Let me say that a couple more times because I don’t think I’m twisting the knife enough.”



“I never imagined my father would be capable of such cruel and inhumane behavior. Which makes me a total moron, but whatever works for the redemption, eh?”



“Actually Evil EJ has several secret accounts in the Caymans, South America, and Switzerland….but the plot says I can’t touch any of it.” Photobucket

The Verdict:

Not bad. Honestly, besides the “MY DAD IS EVIL? WTF BBQ SAUCE!!” moment Photobucketand the fact that I’m really supposed to buy that Evil EJ didn’t have any hidden assets Photobucket, everything else was pretty decent. I will say that while EJ engaged me this episode, I felt that Sami was too neutral here. Sure the “it makes you a better man” comment was nice, but a hint of a smile somewhere in those scenes would have been better. EJ A, Sami B-.

Friday, January 11th, 2008



“Thank goodness I waited to have this brilliant idea until I got to the front door. It wouldn’t have been nearly as dramatic otherwise.”



“First it’s Wells, then it’s DiMera, now it might be Wells again…Lucas and I certainly are playing surname musical chairs on this show.”



“Samantha, I decided to change for no reason because Marlena and Bope can’t see me in casual clothes. Anyway, I’m going for a 1986 cruise ship captain here-what do you think?”



“I love it, EJ. I’ve put up my hair like pseudo-punk phase Cyndi Lauper to match.”



“Even though I willingly made a deal with you, I won’t make the mistake of trusting you again. I save those mistakes for Lucas.”



“Just the obsessed sociopathic rapist DiMera we were looking for.”



“I’ve always believed in you, EJ. All those times I said you were a monster? That’s just my cute nickname for you, like how John calls me Doc.”



“We wouldn’t normally do this, but TPTB say that you get a chance to be part of our Brady/Horton cult. So for your initiation, you have to cut all ties to Stefano, be nice to all of us, and become a good person, by which we mean a self-righteous, sanctimonious hypocrite. Then we’ll let you have Sami.”



“I come up with an insightfully perfect morally gray solution to the conflict with my father, but now I have to give in for Samantha and become the white knight. Damn you, Days, and your rigid morality rules.”

The Verdict:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB7tc9pVvYg

Days has officially kicked it up a few notches, and we’re now going at ludicrous speed. The lack of setups, dropped transitions, missing scenes, dialogue that’s cut off in the middle, etc. all point to “MUST GO FASTER TO AVOID CANCELLATION! LOLOLOL!” While I like a lot of the moments here, the show as a whole couldn’t be more incoherent than if someone doped it up with Haldol.

So, split decision. Carpe the viewer who loves her EJ, Sami, Ejami, and Days gives it an A. Carpe the critic who demands tight, inventive writing in her television gives it a F.