Frustrated Days of Our Lives Viewers Sound Off: ‘What an Insult to the Veteran Actors’
If there’s one thing we’ll say for Days of Our Lives’, it’s that it’s never been afraid to go all-in on some pretty wild storylines. Sometimes they’re a hit and other times they’re… well, divisive may not be strong enough a word. That’s essentially what’s been happening on the show recently — though this time, the storyline in question does not involved demonic possession! Right now the show is in the midst of its soap within a soap storyline as Abe and Kate bring Body and Soul to Salem, and its been clear from practically the start that it’s evoked some strong feelings in viewers.
So we thought we’d just flat out ask viewers how they feel over on Facebook. And since the show’s treated us to three days of the soap within a soap this week, it seemed like it was time to share what we found!
The results? We’re willing to bet they’re hardly a surprise for anyone: Fans overwhelmingly called it a miss. Among other things. Not everyone agreed, to be sure. There are people who enjoy it! But they’re few and far between. In fact, by our last count of the Facebook responses, those who hate it made up a whopping 95% of responses.
The biggest problem the show might have is that even if some good things come out of Body and Soul, it’s already lost a good chunk of the audience and they’ll never see any of it.
“It’s total garbage,” Linda Beck wrote. “And when I see it’s on, as it was today, I do not watch the episode. What an insult to the veteran actors who have to go along with this nonsense! A total and unequivocal ‘miss!’”
Sabrina Rials mentioned something similar, writing that, “I’m reading recaps, if it mentions Body and Soul, I skip watching the show.”
And Debbie Doyle can’t get past the absurdity of how it’s being handled. “I fast forward through all scenes related to the Body and Soul storyline,” she shared. “So ridiculous that they could just find local people to play actors and the way they just went and bought the rights to the defunct soap. I am not a fan. I big miss in my opinion.”
Others just fast forward through it, though that’s admittedly a bit tougher when entire episodes of Days of Our Lives are devoted to it. And having that much Body and Soul could be a part of the problem. “It was fun at first,” Cheryl Weckesser Heitz noted, “but now it’s just annoying! Move on!!”
But as we noted, the fun hasn’t died down for some people, who may like it for a mix of reasons — including the fact that it’s something new and different! “It beats watching the wash, rinse and repeat storylines, that’s for sure,” Wanda Morden exclaimed.
“It’s good silly fun and using characters we don’t generally see front burner,” John Johnson replied. “Reminds me of Fraternity Row on One Life to Live.” And Lisa Rose-Harter the meta humor about daytime television. “It’s hilarious,” she responded. “Love watching them poke fun at the genre.”
Of course, we’ve finally gotten to a point where it’s not all fun and games. In fact, this week especially, we’re starting to see some pretty big repercussions spinning out of the soap. Johnny and Chanel’s marriage is on thin ice after his jealous explosion. (At least it should be after what he called her.) And Johnny may have even slept with Chloe’s little sis, Joy, in drunken retaliation to the affair that did not happen.
Plus, Stephanie and Alex have reconnected after their extended estrangement — though that may be over thanks to the PR snafu around hooking up onset. The point is, things are now happening beyond wacky behind-the-scenes hijinks.
But it’s like that old thought exercise: If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Because if folks are already skipping over and tuning out Body and Soul all this drama may just amount to trees falling in an empty forest with no one left to witness.
