*Sigh* This post has been coming for awhile now so here goes ... I've said it time and time again, and I stick to it: We were screwed out of a truly
magical, fantastically written, layered, suspenseful, exciting, romantic love story that truly was about redemption and true love when Corday fired Hogan and
put Dena Higley (I'm sorry, but I must say this considering what we're seeing now is her "good" stuff) -- a hack in every way -- in charge of
Days was a huge mistake. The ratings were going up, the show was exciting and just about EVERYONE watching -- except
for die-hard John/Marlena and Lucas/Sami fans -- was loving the overall show. It's easy to forget just how in awe everyone was about how damn good the
show was in November and December because there was so much crap beforehand (which, again, I blame in large part on Stephen Wyman, former executive producer)
and the longevity of that (again, Wyman) overrides the few months of awesomeness. Corday had an amazing, gifted, winning formula with Ed Scott and Hogan
Sheffer and he threw it away.
Don't get me wrong, I still love EJami. I still think that Alison Sweeney and James Scott have the best chemistry I've seen in a while on daytime. But this story, these characters, this dynamic is NOT the story I fell in love with. And that's the difference I suppose. I love *this* EJami; I was in love with the EJami we saw from August to December 07. I was tense, excited, exhilarated, passionate, crazy about what was happening. I could not wait to read Prevuze, to see the clips, to read everyone's thoughts on them, to share my long-winding thoughts myself. Now? Well, let's put it this way ... I've downloaded today's clips ... I haven't watched them yet and probably won't until tomorrow because that burning desire to do so is just gone. I'm sure it's been noticed that I rarely find the time to write long posts about the episodes we do get nowadays.
When I said above that Higley was a hack, that may seem harsh to some, but it is my opinion and that is how I see it. I read so many wishing her many hosannas because she finally put our couple together and honestly? It makes me see a little red. The set-up that Hogan created: The marriage of convenience, Lucas in jail, the two going into hiding, the tearing down of the Lucas/Sami relationship, the rebuilding from the bottom up of the EJami relationship ... was leading up to EJ and Sami coming together. Higley is getting credit for HOGAN's set-up. And furthermore, in my opinion, she completely and UTTERLY squandered the potential of what we SHOULD have gotten from that set-up. And now the story that she's crafted for them has come out of nowhere for the most part because she didn't develop their relationship to this point. No, she kept them offscreen essentially for three months where they grew closer without us witnessing that growth, and then brought in someone to make Sami jealous because actually crafting a story that explored the twisted, but so very real connection between EJ and Sami is clearly out of her scope.
Instead, we have a story that is full of out of character actions that don't match the last two years they've been on screen. That intangible connection and push/pull between them has disappeared. Higley is resorting to cliched machinations (Nicole and jealousy) to make Sami realize her feelings, instead of the reality of those feelings. And, no, I don't buy that Sami NEEDED to be made jealous to realize those feelings. Lucas out of the picture, EJ there for her, that twisted, amazing, undeniable connection between them ... that is all that was needed, it just needed to be pushed and pulled to the breaking point. Which would have happened with Hogan's set-up, ie. the marriage of convenience, DiMera vs. DiMera, on the run together, etc. Instead, Higley dropped all of that, went for cliche and all of the twists and turns, subtle hints and anvils deliciously placed by Hogan and co. have disappeared. Their story is now a broad, simplistic, typical story that would work with just about any love/hate relationship on any soap opera. The unique factors of their history, together and separately, has been drained away.
Tom Cassiello essentially revealed that Hogan had planned a year-long arc that would have built on what we were seeing in November/December culminating in this amazing love story at the end of 2008 that was told with care, time and heart and honesty to both characters and the fanbase. Instead we're getting a quick fix, a broad comedy, cliched, unnecessary other partners added to the mix. EJ DiMera and Samantha Gene Brady DiMera have more than enough substance and story on their own and what was created (both good and bad) between them to fuel an original, exciting, passionate story and we saw that building in August through to October before all cylinders began to hit like fireworks in November and December. Hogan had the vision and finally the support from his executive producer behind him; Higley wouldn't know a true original vision if it came up and smacked her upside the head. The last few months of Hogan's era -- which was his stuff FINALLY untainted and untethered by Wyman's "vision" -- gave me a Days of Our Lives unlike I'd ever seen before. I was becoming genuinely interested in a good 75% of the show; I found it refreshing, intelligent, funny, sweet, romantic and I cared about the characters. Now, I watch the EJami clips and don't even bother watching the show. I tried; I just don't care. It's typical, cliched soap opera and maybe that's my problem -- because that IS what Days was for so long in its own fashion. It cornered the market on bringing to life, in the best way possible, soap opera cliche. However, I've found since Hogan left and Higley's returned it to that state that I preferred Hogan's version of Days and the ratings showed that other people did too.
Maybe it's just me. I just felt that Hogan gave me filet mignon while Higley serves up hamburger. Personally, I feel that EJami should be served as the former, but hey, I do still like the latter so I'm still watching. I guess that shows the power of EJami, huh? I just wish *sigh* ... I just wish it all was as powerful as it once was for me.
Don't get me wrong, I still love EJami. I still think that Alison Sweeney and James Scott have the best chemistry I've seen in a while on daytime. But this story, these characters, this dynamic is NOT the story I fell in love with. And that's the difference I suppose. I love *this* EJami; I was in love with the EJami we saw from August to December 07. I was tense, excited, exhilarated, passionate, crazy about what was happening. I could not wait to read Prevuze, to see the clips, to read everyone's thoughts on them, to share my long-winding thoughts myself. Now? Well, let's put it this way ... I've downloaded today's clips ... I haven't watched them yet and probably won't until tomorrow because that burning desire to do so is just gone. I'm sure it's been noticed that I rarely find the time to write long posts about the episodes we do get nowadays.
When I said above that Higley was a hack, that may seem harsh to some, but it is my opinion and that is how I see it. I read so many wishing her many hosannas because she finally put our couple together and honestly? It makes me see a little red. The set-up that Hogan created: The marriage of convenience, Lucas in jail, the two going into hiding, the tearing down of the Lucas/Sami relationship, the rebuilding from the bottom up of the EJami relationship ... was leading up to EJ and Sami coming together. Higley is getting credit for HOGAN's set-up. And furthermore, in my opinion, she completely and UTTERLY squandered the potential of what we SHOULD have gotten from that set-up. And now the story that she's crafted for them has come out of nowhere for the most part because she didn't develop their relationship to this point. No, she kept them offscreen essentially for three months where they grew closer without us witnessing that growth, and then brought in someone to make Sami jealous because actually crafting a story that explored the twisted, but so very real connection between EJ and Sami is clearly out of her scope.
Instead, we have a story that is full of out of character actions that don't match the last two years they've been on screen. That intangible connection and push/pull between them has disappeared. Higley is resorting to cliched machinations (Nicole and jealousy) to make Sami realize her feelings, instead of the reality of those feelings. And, no, I don't buy that Sami NEEDED to be made jealous to realize those feelings. Lucas out of the picture, EJ there for her, that twisted, amazing, undeniable connection between them ... that is all that was needed, it just needed to be pushed and pulled to the breaking point. Which would have happened with Hogan's set-up, ie. the marriage of convenience, DiMera vs. DiMera, on the run together, etc. Instead, Higley dropped all of that, went for cliche and all of the twists and turns, subtle hints and anvils deliciously placed by Hogan and co. have disappeared. Their story is now a broad, simplistic, typical story that would work with just about any love/hate relationship on any soap opera. The unique factors of their history, together and separately, has been drained away.
Tom Cassiello essentially revealed that Hogan had planned a year-long arc that would have built on what we were seeing in November/December culminating in this amazing love story at the end of 2008 that was told with care, time and heart and honesty to both characters and the fanbase. Instead we're getting a quick fix, a broad comedy, cliched, unnecessary other partners added to the mix. EJ DiMera and Samantha Gene Brady DiMera have more than enough substance and story on their own and what was created (both good and bad) between them to fuel an original, exciting, passionate story and we saw that building in August through to October before all cylinders began to hit like fireworks in November and December. Hogan had the vision and finally the support from his executive producer behind him; Higley wouldn't know a true original vision if it came up and smacked her upside the head. The last few months of Hogan's era -- which was his stuff FINALLY untainted and untethered by Wyman's "vision" -- gave me a Days of Our Lives unlike I'd ever seen before. I was becoming genuinely interested in a good 75% of the show; I found it refreshing, intelligent, funny, sweet, romantic and I cared about the characters. Now, I watch the EJami clips and don't even bother watching the show. I tried; I just don't care. It's typical, cliched soap opera and maybe that's my problem -- because that IS what Days was for so long in its own fashion. It cornered the market on bringing to life, in the best way possible, soap opera cliche. However, I've found since Hogan left and Higley's returned it to that state that I preferred Hogan's version of Days and the ratings showed that other people did too.
Maybe it's just me. I just felt that Hogan gave me filet mignon while Higley serves up hamburger. Personally, I feel that EJami should be served as the former, but hey, I do still like the latter so I'm still watching. I guess that shows the power of EJami, huh? I just wish *sigh* ... I just wish it all was as powerful as it once was for me.
