Beyond Salem Critiques

Poirot

Poirot

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Beyond Salem ended after it's 5 episode run, there has been commentary each day, some of us plan on watching it, when we can/if we can get Peacock. But, once all 5 episodes have been viewed.....what is your overall thoughts on the entire show/story?
Overall, I enjoyed the different take, especially Chad whose demeanor was so different, he was enjoying himself and the storyline so much, and it showed. I loved the humor, seeing Shane, so glad the Sonny recast went so well. The search for the missing gemstones sort of pulled it all together. Most of the various locations were done well, loved the stock footage of the cities, etc.
However, the Miami segment did not go over well for me. Paulina was on wayyy too much, yakked or reacted constantly, while everyone else just watched. The "Michelle" in the "White" house was overused, stretched out, & not at all humorous. Leo & his puns caused some laughs, but again, overdone, but Greg Rickaart is such fun to watch overplaying Leo. LOL
Loved Tony/Anna plus John/Marlena in the bidding war for the necklace (Anna overpaid, by far), but interesting to know she has that much money to use as a "gift" to Austin & Carrie. The Salem money tree sure has been fruitful!
Ciara pretending to be Princess Greta was a fail.....(the princess would have been a lot older, having been born before Prince Philip died, and Princess Gina got recruited by Stefano - which was early 80s) The "sex party" was a bit "out there", but loved the Faversham family being remembered. but the "drag" contest was a triple hoot, for sure!.
And the ending was a twist, , and then some, with history being remembered, referred to, Von Leuschner, Von Omberg, Faversham, & even Drew Donovan! All the jewels got recovered, despite Leo's deception, which ended up saving many lives. Regular Days needs some of that humor.
 
I loved all of the Phoenix stuff with Chad and Leo especially. The Miami segments left me feeling like they just really wanted those characters in there but it was all a bit too stupid.

I always love Anna and Tony. Somehow their scenes with Marlena and John seemed really stilted of something to me. At times I almost felt like their scenes weren't filmed together. Like Marlena and John seemed off but I couldn't really put my finger on it.

Ciara and Ben were just an excuse to have his shirt off and I kept getting distracted because I first though Ciara had a tattoo on her chest and then thought it was a bra. Who knows but I don't really want to get distracted by her stuff.

Loved seeing Shane and the old Kristen and the humor. I'd probably watch another if Leo was in it because that's what kept me going back after the first episode. A bonus would be throwing Xander in.
 
I enjoyed the Phoenix part of the story more than any of the others, especially the Drag Show, which I literally laughed out loud while watching. Leo was a little over the top for me, but I still thought he added a lot. I loved the new Sonny, and he and Will seemed to have really good chemistry.

I enjoyed the Switzerland story, and it was a treat to see Carrie and Austin. I loved Anna. The picture taking at the end of the finale was a gift to the fans.

I like Ciara and Ben, but the whole New Orleans section of the story seemed forced to me. I thought Robert Scott Wilson did a good job, but I‘m kind of tired of seeing the two of them kissing.

Miami was the worst part. Abe, Lani, and Eli just sat and reacted to Paulina, and the less energy they had, the more she seemed to overact. The Michelle story was wasted.

I thought it was an entertaining diversion, because I didn’t care about the outcome, and I didn’t have spoilers.
 
I thought New Orleans and Miami would fit during the day time. I like Paulina but Michelle and White house.... really? And the "robbery" at the lunch spot, while it was nice it appeared to be outside was beyond scripted. No one tried to get out as two large white guys held guns on a table of 4 people. No one moved, pulled out a cell phone to film... Nope the entire Miami story was a fail. New Orleans was a partial fail, Ben and Ciara just got to have sex in a different place. But Shane meeting Ben and reacting to each other was a nice touch as tangled Salem's trees are sometimes one needs a reminder that X is related to Z. Another negative, was the entire Kristen DiMera portion of the show.... Believe me when I say that I didn't think anyone but Eileen Davidson could be Kristen but..... Stacy Haiduk has done such a good job that I felt that Kristen was not needed.

While a little Leo goes a loooooong way I really enjoyed 98% of Leo time. NU-Sunny was a pleasant surprise, but really can we stop with the I think he's cheating on me storylines? What do the new potential stock holders think of their CEO performing? I enjoyed Phoenix sections. Zurich was fun too. John and Marlena were solid. Austin plays clueless to perfection. It would have been nice to at least see a picture of the mythical Noah.

Best of all was it had music, real music. It wasn't the best thing I've ever scene but it was enjoyable. If you can watch and you have time it's worth a watch. Give it time, it grows on you.
 
Overall I enjoyed it.

Paulina and Miami was a bit over the top but she generally is.

I liked some of the New Orleans stuff but not all of it. I did think it was an odd choice to not bringing the sort of familial connection with Billie and Ciara aka half sister Chelsea - that would have made more sense than “she’s Kates daughter” when neither Ben or Ciara have a lot to do with Kate.

I absolutely loved the drag show part — that was pure hilarity. but yes Leo can be too much.

I loved seeing Eileen as Kristen again - she’s always a blast in the role.

I did enjoy the “sets” as they were because even though we know they didn’t go on location - they really did make it feel like we were outside of Salem.

There definitely did seem to be more money and care put into these episodes and I loved how it all came together and gave us a touch of nostalgia in parts.
 
I enjoyed Chad. It was nice to see him smile and not be grumpy.

Great seeing Shane. I loved how he got angry at Ben.

Nice seeing Carrie and Austin.

The location pictures were good. You felt like everyone was in that location.
 
I enjoyed the fresh locations and the good balance between old and new. I’m begging them to build new sets and widen the visual landscape of Salem, including giving people proper homes of their own. They can put them all in an apartment building and use the same layout but change the set dressing for all I care.

Nothing much happened in Miami aside from the one day at that warehouse. It was obvious they were setting up a confusion around Michelle Obama that was supposed to be funny. It fell flat.

I am tired of Ben and Ciara not having much to do besides sex, so for their plot to have to do with a sex party was either on the nose or too much. I can’t decide. But I found the scene with Ciara handcuffing the guy funny. I look forward to their getting a life when they get back to Salem.

The rest I enjoyed. I agree that Leo can be too much, but we didn’t hit that point in this series. He helped make Chad less of a sourpuss. Chad in drag was so funny, I wish it had been on the main show. It would be one of those things everyone would remember. Back in Salem, he’s turned into such a killjoy, and I used to love him as a character.

I don’t hate the current Kristen actress (Stacy Haiduk), but I prefer Eileen Davidson. The tiny slice of seeing her again was a welcome addition. Her crazy feels more grounded, which makes it less absurd that anyone takes her seriously or counts her as a friend. Seeing her with Billie was fun. When they were on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, it was the only time I watched that show.
 
The highlights:

The different locations, with the pictures of each city before they showed the characters.

Chad being so carefree and happy. He has not been like that on the show in so long, it was refreshing.

Having Carrie and Austin involved so front and center in the Zurich storyline. Carrie has not been much featured since she was a child even when they brought her on the main show for a visit.

Anna being Anna at the auction. Even when Marlena told her that John was bidding on the necklace for ISA business. However, Anna deciding to bid anyway to save Carrie and Austin's marriage.

The drag queen show. This was something I did not expect and it was so enjoyable to watch Will, Sonny, and Chad dress up and participate so they could win the emerald back.

The scene between Shane and Ben was so good. It was obvious something was up when "Shane" seemed so disinterested when Ben first apologized about killing Paige. It then became clear that it was Drew and not Shane.

I also liked them taking pictures at the end in Switzerland before everyone left. They need more stuff like that on the main show with someone taking pictures at the Horton tree trimming or other big events in Salem.

Over the top:

Leo was his usual Leo self. I will say though he was hilarious in this mini series, and while Ron drags him out on the main show to the point it makes you scream and you want him gone, he fits on this mini series as we only see him for a few episodes.

I found Kristen's scenes unnecessary, and it was obvious they only wanted a scene between Eileen Davidson (Kristen) and Lisa Rinna (Billie) because they were both on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and some fans prefer Eileen to Stacey Haiduck playing Kristen. However, I also find it doubtful that Kristen would drop that necklace while she was running away from Billie and Agent Graham.

Paulina dominated the Miami scene and I did not like that. The references to "Michelle" were obvious and I knew it would turn out not to be Michelle Obama, but it was typical Ron. Like Anna, Paulina did not seem to understand the necessity of the jewels being part of the ISA mission and her scenes with Abe lamenting that until Abe explained that it probably had to do with holding on to money because of the man in her past who abused her (I did like Abe in that scene).

The overly sex themes. I don't mind romance, but the sex references were too much. Lani and Eli, and Carrie and Austin sexy time was fine. But Leo joining Will and Sonny in the shower making sexual innuendis, and hitting on Chad was too much. And Ben and Ciara attending a sex party when most of their story on the main show revolves around them kissing and having sex all of the time. Couldn't the writers give them a different storyline for their adventure?

I'm not quite clear when Shane was Shane or when he was Drew at times. Which one met Leo and took the emerald? I would say Drew since it was the fake emerald that made his mission fail when he put the six jewels in the Peacock, but it could have been Shane and then Drew jumped him and took the fake emerald. Also, how did Will, Sonny, and Chad get the real emerald to the gang in Zurich? And who was it with Paulina in Miami when the Orange Diamond was taken and recovered by Lani and Eli?

Overall, I found this series a refreshing change from the regular show. While some of it was eye rolling inducing, there was enough humor and lightness about it that has been missing on the regular show for far too long. I found myself laughing out loud at many of the scenes and I anticipated watching each episode daily in a way that has not happened on the regular show in a very long time.
 
Overall how would you rate the show 1-10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest?
I give it a 3 - too much filler, not enough story.
 
I'd say a 6 which is good because I'd give the regular show a 3 most days if I was feeling generous.
 
To me, this felt more like the Days I remember. Of course there was some over acting and unbelievable stuff, but that’s what made the Days of old so enjoyable - it felt like an escape, and that’s what this was. Finally having a story that connected so many Salemites that wouldn’t normally share storylines was refreshing. Sort of like the Cruise of Deception way back in the day.

Things I liked:
The many references to Days history
Seeing Billie and Austin as siblings together
The whole Phoenix story - just fun!
Sonny recast - hope they come back to daytime
A scene in actual outdoors
Shane!

things I could have done without:
Ciara’s outfits
The overdone Paulina stuff
The way Kristen was incorporated. There should have been more recognition from Anna and maybe even a confrontation with Kristen and Tony.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and hope the writers can take some of the positives to reintroduce them into the regular series since they have 2 years to turn the ship around.
 
I enjoyed it very much - I liked all the characters except Ben & Ciara. Ben seems bored all the time. No way could Ciara pass for Greta. The scenes at the sex party were fun, and different.

I liked the Miami story, too, mainly because it was nice to see happy characters being happy. I like Paulina about 80% of the time (the 20% I don't being the silly pa-ma-ternity snafu). I also enjoy Lani and Eli displaying basic competence.

The only criticism I have is that they should have shown it during a break (and tied the story to the Olympics cliffhanger to encourage people to stream/watch) or dropped it on a Friday morning in a pack of 5 episodes. When I had to choose between Beyond Salem and Days of Our Lives, the parent show didn't stand a chance. Sometimes I don't have 2 hours to watch new TV in a day, but I could binge it on a Friday or over a weekend. I'm not sure others didn't make the same choice, especially with the generally-low ratings Days receives.
 
65days said:
how would you rate the show 1-10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest
Click to expand...
Great question. The week as a whole I'd rate a 9 on first watch. The plot was a little see-through but there were enough twists and times that I said, "Wow," during a reveal to make up for it. I also appreciated the von Leuschner callback (frankly I'm on Dmitri's side in this whole mess) as well as other callbacks.

That may be what weakened the Miami story in some viewers' eyes - fewer nods to history.

I definitely liked that they tried to look like they were spending money, too.

For comparison, I'd rate the current show a 2 that sometimes pulls a 3.
The Curtis Brown era would rate a 9/10.
The Kristen/Susan early story a 9, late story a 7 (still funny but dragging and dumbing down characters).
The Parker paternity umbrella was an 8/9.
The 2012 reboot would be 6-7.
 
I liked it, in general.
Although I find it strange that we saw some of the characters still in their locations (Miami and Phoenix) while on the main show they were either back in Salem and/or already on their way to Boston...
The ending had a nice twist and I too felt like I was watching the old days.
 
Another thought I had about the whole series & how it fits into the bigger show - it seems clear that they knew they'd send Paulina and Abe to Miami, but didn't know much else. That may be why the Paulina stuff seemed so tacked-on while the rest moved organically.
 
Paulina's place in Miami looked liked part of the room that we got the last iteration of Princess Gina painting in. The drag race really didn't interest me but Leo at least cracked me up in his other scene's. Anna was just as over the top as Paulina was. Loved seeing Shane again. But that red dress on Ciara was terrible. It's just tacky having your bra show like that and they had to have used toupe tape to keep that covering her butt. She's a beautiful girl but that was a bedroom outfit not one for running around the town mid day.
 
I enjoyed it for the most part. I thought the Miami and the New Orleans were the weakest parts for me.

I feel like Ben and Ciara are in bed and or kissing 90% of the time. The sex party was too much for me. It was nice to see their interaction with Shane. And to see them doing something other than having sex or talking about how much they love each other.

Paulina's reaction to the time having a stolen jewel was not believable. I mean why Michelle be mad at her she should be mad at Michelle for giving her a stolen jewel. But it was nice to see Lani and Eli in cop mode. And Shane visit with Abe.

Phoenix and Zurich were for the most part enjoyable.

I know it was a miss for some people but seeing Eileen Davidson as Kristen was great. I almost forgot how fantastic she was. And Stacy Haiduk is so good as Kristen but Eileen Davidson will always be Kristen to me.

Since I watch the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills I loved all the callbacks to it and there were many. Most of them were quite iconic scenes so it was a lot of fun to see that incorporated.

Overall I enjoyed it. I'm just confused why this isn't how they write for the show on a normal basis.
 
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