Critiques #3 - Misc. Salemites

Kate...Years ago, when Kate first came to Salem to head up Titan, liked the character. As we learned more about her, the abusive husband, raising Lucas alone, thinking older 2 children dead, she was tough, but sympathetic. The Kate of the last several years is still tough, but definitely not sympathetic. Conniving, trying to manipulate her children's lives, sleeping her way thru the Salem men, especially the crime kings. And then there is attempted murder, determined attempted murder. Kate needs to go back to working at the Hudson St. Diner.

Rafe...Loved this guy from the moment he appeared. He had Sami's number right off the bat, was a great FBI agent, a wonderful cop. He is so good with children, and it sure doesn't hurt that he has such a wonderful smile. Right now, is being wasted as bar manager. The writers have not wanted him on the show, have treated him as they did Jack Deveraux, comas, backburner, filler. He is worth more than Daniel, Eric, & Brady together.

John....another ill used fan favorite, who was actually written completely out of the show, and only brought back because of fan pressure on the suits, but who was treated horribly by the writers. John is a hero, a great father, and is responsible (with marlena) for the invention of the phrase "supercouple". His value to the show is enormous.

Marlena...Nearly all written above for John, applies to this character as well. She is friend and counselor to nearly everyone, has gone thru major heartache, is the mother of favored characters, and yet was also written off, returned at last only to be used as filler. To have both John & Marlena on the show at last, only to never share a scene until last week has been a travesty.

Paul.....A most welcome addition to Salem. I do like, that with Paul being such a good ball player, he was attached to John, who loved and still loves baseball so much. (Inherited gene??, lol) He did well with the Will affair, and dealing with Sonny being an ex-lover, etc. I like that he is bonding with his family......Brady, John, Marlena, Tate, etc.

I doubt that, whether the writers wanted to write for Rafe or not, that has any bearing on the screen time he is allowed. It seems to me that would be up to the higher ups. The same goes for Jack. Whether the writers wanted him or not, their stories have to be approved by someone with more authority than they have.

While I don't like the changes in some characters over the years, it is human nature that people do change. I loved Kate's portrayal by Deborah Adair (ex-Kate), but the current actress has done a fabulous job. Yes, she has changed, but she has also gone through a lot of things that have made her that way. I'm not excusing Kate's actions, and have wanted to reach through the screen and "slap her upside the head," but I do understand why she has changed.

I think Kate turned the tide years ago when she was recast with Lauren Koslow. I LOVED Deborah Adair in the role and thought she did a great job with the Billie and Austin reveal. At the time, she was also on Melrose Place as her husband was the producer. So the character left Salem and was brought back a few years later as a recast. That is when she became more villainous and has been that way ever since. The problem with Kate is she doesn't change. She is constantly scheming and there are no limits to her scheming as evidenced by what she did to Lucas. She is smart and does well in the business stories. But she is also a horrible mother and has slept with pretty much every guy in Salem. Time for this character to go on hiatus or severe backburner. I'm tired of her being the only character in the 50+ age range who gets storylines and love interests at the expense of other vets.

I too am a big Rafe fan and was disappointed with everything after the hate boink. Then again in 2013 when it looked like he and Sami were reconciling only to suddenly change. Yes he was brought on the show for Sami but he is capable of storyline without her. It's clear that someone high up was making strategic decisions based on a certain fanbase persistently campaigning for Sami to be with her rapist and abuser. That same fanbase openly hates Rafe as well. I'm not so sure it's TPTB that hate Rafe or the actor playing him. Anyway, I mention this because it's relevant to how the character has been treated the past 2 years. I really hope the new regime writes it so that Rafe has been undercover all this time. He needs to get away from Hope and with someone new. Maybe a Sarah Horton recast? That way he'd be connected to a core family again. I also want to see him bonding with Eric and Brady instead of Daniel.

John and Marlena: These 2 have been filler for far too long when they should be leads on the show. Not Daniel not Kate. They have 3 sons in Salem between them and share a daughter too. They have 2 grandchildren together, 1 of whom is in Salem. Why are we seeing other characters (MAGGIE) mentoring their children when it should be them?!? Not to mention we are not seeing any romance except for the last 2 weeks. Marlena should also be counseling folks in Salem, NOT Daniel. What happened to Basic Black and why aren't Belle and Brady running it? Such a travesty.

Paul: He is an ok character for me but I'd prefer him to be a Dimera offspring rather than John's. John has enough to deal with with his and Marlena's kids. He doesn't need another one.

Whatever happened to Sandy Horton? And how old would she be now? She seemed like a character with some good potential. Smart.

I love Rafe, and I would be OK with a pairing with Hope as long as it was built to last. He deserves a solid relationship.

Sandy's in the attic. Or she went to mail a letter.

Seriously, though, she hasn't been mentioned in decades. My guess is that she'd be in her 50's now.

Rafe: I loved the character. He and Sami shared a beautiful love story, and he's involved in his family's life (which is rare for Salemites). I even enjoyed him with Carrie. However, ever since he slept with Kate, the character has been a total snooze and waste of time. And I certainly don't think putting him with Hope is a way to improve that.

John & Marlena: I'm still a Marlena & Roman fan, but I wouldn't mind it if these two truly reconciled. Not just a brief 5-minute meeting every other week of "we'll talk later". That's silly. As for John, I'm liking him with Paul, but still having a hard time getting over the fact that all of a sudden in 2013, he never stopped loving Kristen, which is why he treated Marlena so poorly. Similarly, I really like Marlena, especially with her family, but can do without her self-righteousness regarding Nicole.

Paul: I love Paul. He's hot, and he's a nice guy (so far). He's a great actor and I'm looking forward to seeing him more with Derrick, Brady, Tate, and John.

Kate: I still want her back with Stefano. While her dalliance with Clyde was interesting at first, I feel like she hasn't had a true love match since she and Stefano divorced in 2012. Ever since then, she's been acting like a cougar and gossiping all the time. It's dull.

I like all of them. They're just so different than the 'core family' characters. All of them have careers and success. Can't say that about the core family these days.

JJ: Almost ruined by the hate boinks, but still salvageable. That said, he needs story lines that won't have Jenny hovering about.

Rory: A must have. Cheerful, friendly, he provides comic relief and is a needed friend for JJ.

Abigail; Take a very long vacation. The bed-hopper needs to go somewhere to have her child and then decide not to come back for a long time.

Anne Milbauer: A good character who provides needed relief from much of the hospital cast, especially the Love Doctor, Prissy Jenny, and Ms. Perfect. However, she needs story lines that don't have her enabling Jeannie T.'s idiotic plots to get her claws into Brady and his money.

Paul: The presence of a former baseball superstar in Salem is a stretch, but the Paul character has promise, particularly once brat boy Will stops obsessing about him stealing Sonny. That said, let's not have him become estranged from the long-suffering John, and then be treated to poor Mr. Black plaintively saying: "Please, son," as happened with the loutish Brady.

Nanny Megan: This character should appear periodically. Salem hasn't had anyone bluntly telling foolish Salemites the honest truth since John was in his "RoboJohn" persona.

T: Like Rory, he's a fan favorite for his cheerfulness, friendliness, and common sense. Most of his Salem age group are angst-ridden, and T provides blessed relief from their many woes.