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Days: Whats working and Whats not..; Currently on the show...
Topic Started: Jun 12 2008, 11:39 PM (2,728 Views)
Kevc1980
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Well the ratings suffered a huge drop this week, and have been slowly dropping the past few weeks..Obviously the show isn't that exciting right now..I'm just curious what people seem to think is working and what isn't working on the show.


What i like:
- i'm excited that Abe and Lexie have a big storyline coming up dealing with Theo autism
- Nicole has been a breath of fresh air to the show and i love her zingers..
- Nicole and EJ are hot, hot, hot....and have tons of potential..
- I'm a little more into the EJ, Sami, Lucas storyline now that Nicole and Chloe are becoming involved.
- We finally have a strong 30 something set, now just give them exciting stories..
- The John vs. Phillip/Victor storyline is finally getting a little interesting and with the Paul spoiler should get better..
- I'm on board with a Phillip, Chloe, and Morgan triangle..
- Ava and John's flirtation
- Nick is finally being used a little more

What i dislike:
- All the green garbage, its just embarrassing..
- Bo and Hope not having a storyline and just having the role of town cops..
- Marlena being sent off again (but i'm thankful she's back..and hope they keep her on the forefront)
- Steve and Kayla not dealing with the Ava aftermath and being sent to the backburner..
- Stefano in a coma and JM let go (there is so much potential for a Stefano and John brotherly showdown
- Max's Good Will Hunting storyline, its dragging big time..But i'm excited for him to reveal that Trent's his father..
- Stephanie and Max as a couple
- Daniel and Chelsea going around in circles..I can't stand this coupling and its making me not like both characters..Which sucks because i love both the actors..
- Daniel as a hip surfer...please no more surfer talk..
- Flashbacks have returned big time
- The production values even seem to be lacking a bit lately..
- No big events (weddings, deaths, explosions)...nothing exciting to look forward to
-The fact that Tony and Anna got married offscreen
- The fact that they completely wasted Joe Penny..Seriously what was the point???
- also why aren't we seeing more of Mickey and Maggie..They have barely used Kevin Dobson..What a waste...

Edited by Kevc1980, Jun 12 2008, 11:42 PM.
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Mason


What's working:

Ed Scott

What's not:

Everything else
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Nubia
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The Queen

.....Nothing
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PhoenixRising05
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Good topic, Kev. I like threads like this.

Anyway, here goes:

The Good:

-John/Philip feud and the way the Philip/Morgan aspect plays into it. This is the only story that seems to click and work IMO. Love the Paul aspect and how J&M play into it. The Philip/Victor tension works too with this. Love Philip getting darker and seemingly trying hard not to let things spin out of control.
-The possibility of a Chloe/Philip/Morgan triangle and Chloe's involvement with Lucas.
-EJ/Nicole. Major potential and hot as hell.
-Family scenes. I know people hated the Green stuff but I did like the family stuff it brought.
-cast balance.
-John/Ava and anything Ava. Ava/Nicole rock.
-Anything Nicole and I love that they have tapped into her vulnerability of late.
-The casting has been solid.
-Actually attemping to develop Max and Nick, to an extent in regards to Nick.
-Abe and Lexie's story.
-Finally "getting" Steve and Kayla (although I have major complaints about the material-more on this later).
-Using Caroline and Victor more, as well as Maggie (still could be used more but at least they are back to being used how they were prior to 2007).
-Ed Scott and the production of the show.

The Bad:

-The blatant way the Green stuff was done. I don't mind it and I know it's forced on the show but be a bit more subtle please.
-Steve/Kayla: Higley gets them but the way the Ava aspect was dropped was dreadful. Plus, the Joe story never got enough attention and felt rushed. Backburnering them is not helping either.
-The domination of the Max story of late. They are pushing this way too much.
-The forced nature of Chelsea/Daniel. Not against the pairing. Just against the approach.
-The constant stalling of the J&M stuff and making Marlena a pathetic mess that follows John around like a puppy (although it seems like this happens no matter what when she is with John IMO)
-The neverending Lucas/Sami/EJ crap and the mess of a character Sami has become.
-Bope doing nothing bit being cops (better then bounty hunters though).
-The flashbacks are not as bad as many make it out to be but stopping them altogether would be appreciated, unless you want to show classic stuff.
-A bit too much fanbase pandering and the show needs to stop wasting time and needs to start committing and picking directions. They just need to tell good stories. Things are picking up but more is needed.
-No more big events and it seems like none upcoming.
-The way Tanna has been handled. Write for them or keep them.
-The way JM was treated.
-Not doing everything in their power to keep Tamara Braun.
-Bringing Dobson and not making an effort to show him more (hell, we've see Maggie more then him since he came).
-Having characters like Kate and Roman bouncing around needlessly. Give them something!
-Bringing Joe Penny and seemingly dropping the whole Vitali story. Ava's redemption was fine but something changed big time. We had the Kate/Martino aspect and all that build up for two weeks of Martino and the way he died was so uneventful and had no impact. It felt rushed and felt like a major rewrite.

I think I covered alot of the issues. I have ideas and how to fix the issues but maybe that can be a separate thread.
Edited by PhoenixRising05, Jun 12 2008, 11:58 PM.
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King
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What's working:


-EJAMICUS - the first time EVER!
-Nicole
-Love in the afternoon: the return of love scenes - and hot ones, at that
-Jawn
- Ava
- Morgan

What's not:

- STAX
- Nick/Trent
- Kayla/Mary Beth Evans has been horrible for two years now. Can her!
- The docks storyline is getting pretty stupid
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Dayzfan
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Kevc1980 said it best . My main problem is the lack of big storylines right now.Nothing is interesting. I also think if DH dropped the Daniel/Chelsea paairing,both characters would be more likeable. I still believe they could have a great pairing in Kate and Daniel.DH just isn't imaginitive enough
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SoapGal1
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What's working 4 me (let me rephrase that) What WAS working 4 me:

EJ and Sami (sans Lucas) chemistry off charts
Nicole (love her just not with EJ, would love to see her with Phillip)
NuJohn (w/Marlena if she will get over herself and accept him now)
Phillip (love him)
Chelsea and Dan (don't throw rocks!! there's just something I kind of like there)

What's not working 4 me:

Stax (yuck)
Steve & Kayla (don't get me wrong I love them, always have, but their current storylines
have sucked, they need to deal with the elephant in the room)
Lucas (what can I say, he grates on my last nerve, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to like him in
any storyline)
Chloe (ditto with what I said about Lucas, which makes the thought of them together like
fingernails on a chalkboard)
Phillip/Morgan (don't see the chemistry there)
All the green bulls@#t
Bo/Hope not in a storyline

What I would like to see more of:

EJ and Sami actually talking about what happened between them and Sami getting real to who Sami is...not default Sami.

Bo & Hope actually having something to do besides filler.

NuJohn and Marlena falling in love.

Phillip and Nicole having a love/hate relationship.

More families interacting...Why do EJ, Lexie, and Tony never talk to one another??, Where were the Brady's when little Joe was hanging on to life??

Tony & Anna doing ANYTHING!!!

Ok I'll quit ranting now...I'm just really upset with how TPTB have dropped the ball on what looked to be a promising summer!
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Days4Life


Since I'm on a temporary hiatus from the show, I don't think much of anything is working. If just one story would grab my attention, I would be willing to suffer through the rest--but nothing is working for me right now. At first, I liked the John/Philip story and the EJ/Nicole interactions, and I love Ava.....but then everything stalled. Nothing is happening. And the characters that are being featured--Chloe, Lucas, Max. Stephanie, Chelsea, Daniel--are the ones I care nothing about. They could all plummet to their deaths from the terrace of the Penthouse Grill, and I wouldn't care in the slightest. Sadly, Sami is coming close to joining that list. Hear that, Dena? You've taken one of my favorite characters and destroyed her to the point that I don't care what happens to her any more. To be fair, that process was started by Hogan's vendetta storyline, but DH had an opportunity to turn Sami around and she's not done it.

The flashbacks bother me a lot because I see them as a symptom of a bigger problem. To me, it appears that the writers are using them because they have nothing better to fill out the episode. If there were hot stories going on with lots of drama and emotion and excitement, they wouldn't need to pad the episode with flashbacks of things that happened just a day or two before. Instead we'd have conversations that matter (Steve and Kayla discussing the Ava situation) and important events (Tony and Anna's wedding). IMO, the flashbacks are a sign that the writers have no direction for the show right now. They simply have no idea what to do, so they give us flashbacks and repeat conversations and recycle worn out triangles (please stop the EJ/Sami/Lucas nightmare!).


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Sindacco
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What's working:
Philips rise to power/Victor and Philip scenes
Abe and Lexie's problems

What's not:
Everything else
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DrewHamilton
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What I like
- The balance is definitely back. It seems like all of the characters are featured in at least one of the many storylines we have going on right, as opposed to the way Hogan wrote storylines. With Hogan, there were only 2 or 3 big storylines going on and he used characters when he needed them. When they weren't needed, you never saw them.
- Sami is no longer being played as the show's heroine. Sami is no heroine. If anything, the's the show's anti-heroine, and that would have worked if Hogan wrote it correctly and had Sami still doing bad things for the right reason. Instead, she was just an emotional mess and was scared 24/7. That's not Sami Brady.
- Nicole wasn't needed, but I am glad she's back. I still don't think she was brought back with any other purpose, but to be a thorn in Sami's side, and I hate that. Dena Higley had no intentions to bring Nicole back so that she could help develop the character. Nicole is still the drunken selfish slut she's always been, and it doesn't look like she's going to change. You see shades of her possibly changing, especially in scenes with EJ. But then, nothing. It just shows that it's just part of the plot. The plot calls for Nicole to have a change of heart, but she really doesn't. She's become a contrived character.
- Abe and Lexie finally seem to be getting a storyline that James Reynolds and Renee Jones deserve. The only down side is that it's so predictable. Who doesn't think Theo's autism is going to pull Abe and Lexie apart and push Lexie right into Daniel's arms?

What I hate
- Everything on this show centers around the plot. There is no character build-up. The plot calls for a character to act a certain way and that happens. But that's just because Higley is a plot-driven writer. That's all she knows.
- Things just happen with no rhyme or reasons. Max's sudden genius-trait? Where in the hell did that come from? And now he's acting like an ass to everyone in town, including Stephanie? Why? Oh, that's right, because the plot calls for Max to be a jerk that wants to keep his secret and he will be an ass to anyone that stands in his way.
- I had such high hopes for Lucas and Sami, as individual characters, when I found out that Higley was returning to the show. Before, she got them, but now that's not the case. These two need to break up and be kept far away frome each other. Higley has done nothing for Sami's character either, other than making her the biggest bitch in Salem, and again, for no reason. Sami has gone from whimpy cowardly all about the Brady family poster child, and now has gone to uber-bitch, practically overnight. Why can't we just get a middle ground?
- The excessive flashbacks are back. We are definitely getting flashbacks of the previous episode, ones that aren't needed. Now, I'm not against flashbacks, but when I have to watch the same exact thing happen over and over again, when it was just a few days before and still in my memory, that's when we have a problem. And if the flashbacks were about something, rather than just filler that would be another thing, but they're not.
- Bo and Hope have no storyline. That's obvious. But since Higley is a Bope fanbitch, she will keep them on the screen and involve them in other's stories as much as she can. Would that ever happen to John and Marlena? Hell no. Once this J&M storyline is over, say goodbye to those two.
- What was the point of recasting Mickey?
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Tripp
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Geekette

What's working:

Screen testing of different actors (really enjoying mixing things up)
Nicole
Nick with his balls back
Phorgan
Jawn and Ava


What's not working:
Daniel/Chelsea
MadMax
No Ava discussion with Steve/Kayla
Bo/Hope not on enough
Constant rehashing of the same conversations over and over.
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IMissAremid
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After all... tomorrow is another day!

The good:
-The return of Nicole Walker.
-The reinvention of John/Jawn Black.
-JKJ and JS being used as leading men who are allowed romance/sex.
-Everyone in Salem interacting with everyone else rather than just being on little islands isolated from the other stories.
-Friendships. Love the Ava-Nicole friendship, love the Stephanie-Nick friendship, like the Lucas-Chloe friendship so far.

The bad:
-The writing for Marlena.
-The writing for Max.
-The Daniel-Chelsea suckfest that I still don't understand why either of them is attracted to the other one.
-Too much lust and not enough love in Salem.
-The secrets the writers keep from us that aren't ever totally explained (EJ's secret meeting with Steve turning out weeks later to be him subletting the apartment/EJ's mystery meeting with the immigration guy after the fact)
-The execution of the EJ-Nicole story. If EJ is supposed to be head over heels in love with/obsessed with winning over Sami, then it doesn't make sense for him to be making out with Nicole. At all. I excused the drunken scene, because EJ was intoxicated and upset but this is getting ridiculous. If the writers wanted to give EJ and Nicole any chance of succeeding, they shouldn't have had Sami sleep with EJ right before they decided to try to make EJole happen and/or they should have given EJami some sort of closure where they actually talked things out. And if the show isn't trying to make EJole happen then they really need to give EJ and Sami at least the same number of scenes together as EJ and Nicole, if not a whole lot more together.
-Lucas's return. Aside from the one moment of drama when Lucas found Sami and EJ in bed there has been nothing dramatic or exciting about this at all and it seems like despite their time apart and despite Sami sleeping with EJ, really there relationship has not changed at all from the tedious suckfest of Lucas complaining and Sami groveling while the show insists we are supposed to care about these two dysfunctional losers who are twuwuv4evr just as it was before they rested Lucas.

The ugly:
-Ejamicas. Kill this thing. It's simply poisonous to all three characters. Have Sami unable to choose between EJ and Lucas, take the twins, and run off to Europe to be with Will for a few months so she can come back at a dramatic moment like before someone is going to get married, be it EJ and Nicole or Lucas and Chloe or Jawn and Ava, etc... Ali Sweeney could probably use the break given just how much she has been working on both Days and The Biggest Loser and I would argue viewers, writers and the actress herself I think could use a break for Sami so she can be retooled about exactly who she is and the show can bring her back stronger and better and more consistent than ever. At this point I really see no other solution than blowing this the fuck up and letting all three of them go their separate ways somehow and have their own stories to give their characters room to breathe and grow. The Three's Company at DiMansion just ain't working. Let EJ establish his law career and if they are going to go for EJole then cut the cord on EJami. Also let Lucas have his own place, maybe get a work release program so he has a job for the first time in years and continue exploring Chloe and Lucas or keep testing him with other women. Because at this point I can't understand why either of them would want to have anything to do with Sami.

-The atrocious pacing, lack of excitement or spark and just generally uninspired stories. Just how many medical crises are they going to give us (First we had Bo, then Chelsea, then BBJ and now we have Kate and then Lexie and Abe dealing with Theo's condition)? Can't they come up with something else for the vets? I'm so sick of Steve and Kayla, I wish we had more Tanna and Bope.

-The Salem time/space warp. I feel like I get whiplash during some of these episodes where a character will start out an episode at say the DiMansion, then midway through the show suddenly they'll be at Java Cafe, then at the end of the show they'll be back at the DiMansion. And this problem is only made more noticeable and unpleasant by the show using certain sets over and over to the point it's embarrassing and in some cases illogical to the story (I'm talking to you, Brady Pub, and your catering to people who one would think have no business being there and wouldn't want to be there like Ava and Trent)
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ArizonaDaze
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IMissAremid
Jun 13 2008, 12:45 PM
The good:
-The return of Nicole Walker.
-The reinvention of John/Jawn Black.
-JKJ and JS being used as leading men who are allowed romance/sex.
-Everyone in Salem interacting with everyone else rather than just being on little islands isolated from the other stories.
-Friendships. Love the Ava-Nicole friendship, love the Stephanie-Nick friendship, like the Lucas-Chloe friendship so far.

The bad:
-The writing for Marlena.
-The writing for Max.
-The Daniel-Chelsea suckfest that I still don't understand why either of them is attracted to the other one.
-Too much lust and not enough love in Salem.
-The secrets the writers keep from us that aren't ever totally explained (EJ's secret meeting with Steve turning out weeks later to be him subletting the apartment/EJ's mystery meeting with the immigration guy after the fact)
-The execution of the EJ-Nicole story. If EJ is supposed to be head over heels in love with/obsessed with winning over Sami, then it doesn't make sense for him to be making out with Nicole. At all. I excused the drunken scene, because EJ was intoxicated and upset but this is getting ridiculous. If the writers wanted to give EJ and Nicole any chance of succeeding, they shouldn't have had Sami sleep with EJ right before they decided to try to make EJole happen and/or they should have given EJami some sort of closure where they actually talked things out. And if the show isn't trying to make EJole happen then they really need to give EJ and Sami at least the same number of scenes together as EJ and Nicole, if not a whole lot more together.
-Lucas's return. Aside from the one moment of drama when Lucas found Sami and EJ in bed there has been nothing dramatic or exciting about this at all and it seems like despite their time apart and despite Sami sleeping with EJ, really there relationship has not changed at all from the tedious suckfest of Lucas complaining and Sami groveling while the show insists we are supposed to care about these two dysfunctional losers who are twuwuv4evr just as it was before they rested Lucas.

The ugly:
-Ejamicas. Kill this thing. It's simply poisonous to all three characters. Have Sami unable to choose between EJ and Lucas, take the twins, and run off to Europe to be with Will for a few months so she can come back at a dramatic moment like before someone is going to get married, be it EJ and Nicole or Lucas and Chloe or Jawn and Ava, etc... Ali Sweeney could probably use the break given just how much she has been working on both Days and The Biggest Loser and I would argue viewers, writers and the actress herself I think could use a break for Sami so she can be retooled about exactly who she is and the show can bring her back stronger and better and more consistent than ever. At this point I really see no other solution than blowing this the fuck up and letting all three of them go their separate ways somehow and have their own stories to give their characters room to breathe and grow. The Three's Company at DiMansion just ain't working. Let EJ establish his law career and if they are going to go for EJole then cut the cord on EJami. Also let Lucas have his own place, maybe get a work release program so he has a job for the first time in years and continue exploring Chloe and Lucas or keep testing him with other women. Because at this point I can't understand why either of them would want to have anything to do with Sami.

-The atrocious pacing, lack of excitement or spark and just generally uninspired stories. Just how many medical crises are they going to give us (First we had Bo, then Chelsea, then BBJ and now we have Kate and then Lexie and Abe dealing with Theo's condition)? Can't they come up with something else for the vets? I'm so sick of Steve and Kayla, I wish we had more Tanna and Bope.

-The Salem time/space warp. I feel like I get whiplash during some of these episodes where a character will start out an episode at say the DiMansion, then midway through the show suddenly they'll be at Java Cafe, then at the end of the show they'll be back at the DiMansion. And this problem is only made more noticeable and unpleasant by the show using certain sets over and over to the point it's embarrassing and in some cases illogical to the story (I'm talking to you, Brady Pub, and your catering to people who one would think have no business being there and wouldn't want to be there like Ava and Trent)
Good post Mary. I agree with a lot of your assessment. I use to be so pro Lumi, but now not so much. That doesn't mean that I have jumped on the EJami band wagon, I haven't. I think (much to my surprise) that Sami needs a rest. Maybe a couple of weeks, or a month off so. like you said, she could come back more of her own person, not so dependent on getting what ever man she desires at the time. I would like to see her get her shit together before hooking back up with either one, or perhaps someone completely different.
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King
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I agree that the balance is back, for SURE.
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Tammy
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I really haven't watched in the last several weeks, so all I can talk about is the bad stuff that made me STOP watching!

Good Stuff (Two things IMO)
- They did have a better balance going on the show
- Nicole... she can always make me laugh

Bad Stuff
- The writing is stagnant and repetitive
- They are going full steam ahead with the character assassination
- As a fan of the MOVIE Good Will Hunting I find Max's sl to be a colossal joke
- As much as they promote it, I still haven't become a fan of incest (Staxs)
- I hate the fact that they got a new Mickey just to pimp EJ's sl.
- The Ejamicus "horse" has been beaten to a bloody pulp and I wish they would just let the poor thing die lol
- As of right now the writers have RUNIED John and Marlena for me, both characters!
- I hate the fact that a large amount of the Salem women are being used as props for the Salem mens sl's
Edited by Tammy, Jun 14 2008, 01:32 AM.
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☼ Jinx ☼
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Live. Love. Laugh. ♥

GOOD STUFF:

- the balance of characters and storylines
- new John
- the upcoming Carver storyline


BAD STUFF:

- Max's personal storyline
- the going green stuff
- the writing for Marlena (its so not her)
- all the women John is messing around with
- Chloe hanging around for no reason whatsoever
- the same sets are being used repeatedly (never see anything new)
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PhoenixRising05
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Anyone that cites sets as a problem isn't going to ever have that rectified. Days has to cut budget somewhere if they are going to keep as many vets as they have around. I think what needs to happen is the writer needs to be cognizant of the set situation and, like Hogan did, needs to be write in a way that accommodates the limitation of sets so that it's not as noticeable. That is really the only way to handle it IMO.
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Kevc1980
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There have been times when the set situation has been ridiculous...There was one episode when the Brady Pub was closed, yet Phillip had meeting with a shady guy there and EJ and Nicole were pouring themselves their own drinks..That would never happen...Also we get to see Marlena's office when she met with Victor those few times, yet when Daniel and Ava come for a session it has to take place at the Dimera mansion..

the only set thing that i like is Marlena, John, EJ, Sami, and Lucas all living under the same roof..Thats been kind of funny..and i loved that Ava commented on that in fridays show..
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Sindacco
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I don't see the problem with Jinxed Soul listing the sets as bad, it is bad. We know they have budget problems but that should not mean we can't list it as bad.
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King
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Ooo, good call, Jinxed! Add the Carver story to my good list!
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