Here’s what I thought was the Best and Worst of 2007.
Best Story: The Brady/DiMera story
What I liked about this story was the fact that the writers brought Stefano, Tony/Andre, and Anna back for the story. They haven't been on the show for a long time. I wasn't watching the show when she was on the first time so it was good to see her.
Worst Story/Stories: Colleen/Santo/Touch the Sky/Campus rapes
This was a three-way tie. I couldn't decide which was worse so I put them all together. I'll start with the Colleen/Santo story. I didn't like this story because it was taking over the show. It was about two recreated characters who were not a part of the show. It was an excuse to put Sami and EJ together by having them look like their relatives. The writers tried to romanticize Colleen and Santo's affair by having the other characters say how romantic their history was. Colleen was supposed to be a nun and Santo was a married man. There was nothing romantic about it. The worst part was, the story was taking place through letters. We only saw the story when Marlena, Hope and company were reading the letters. We know that the writers had to create a reason for the Brady/DiMera feud, but I was hoping that it would have been better than this.
The Touch the Sky story involved the younger characters and no vets. Chelsea, Stephanie, and Max worked with Jeremy and Jett on a plane. The big mystery was they were flying hookers to Vegas and Jett was working for ISA trying to bring Jeremy down. It was a story I was barely able to pay attention to.
The Campus Rape story was just as bad as the Touch the Sky story because it didn't involve the vets of the show. It was about a rapist we didn't know who raped people we didn't know with the exception of Stephanie. The writers didn't even give us a chance to get to know the characters before they threw them in a rape story. Now that the girls are covering up Ford's death, I have a feeling that the story will only get worse.
Biggest Waste of Talent: The Vets
The vets were sidelined for most of the year. They were nothing more than pawns on a chessboard. They were reduced to basically reading Colleen/Santo letters in the Brady/DiMera vendetta when they should have been involved in the story. John/Marlena, Bo/Hope, Roman, etc. were affected by the DiMeras more than Sami, yet she got more to do in the story than they did. If Bo and Roman weren't cops, they wouldn't have been involved at all. Lexie is a DiMera and could have also been involved in the story. The writers brought her back and didn't even use her.
Most Overused: Sami and EJ
I like Sami and all, but I didn't need to see her that much. Sami and EJ were already shown a lot as themselves, then they were given dual roles as Colleen and Santo which made them be shown more. The writers need to know that they are not the only two characters on the show.
Best Couple: Bo and Hope
They easily won this for me because they were the only couple who were happy throughout the year. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see that enough. I also enjoy watching Bo and Hope together so it was a treat to see them while they were happy.
Worst Couple: Jeremy and Stephanie
This couple did nothing for me. Jeremy treated Stephanie badly, but she stayed with him no matter how many times people told her to break up with him. I also didn't think they had any chemistry.
Best Triangle: Shawn/Belle/Philip
Shawn and Belle needed an obstacle in their relationship once they were back in Salem so the writers have her develop feelings for Philip. I liked how this wasn't a one-sided triangle the way some usually are. She actually had feelings for both of them. I also like how she's the one in the wrong. Usually Shawn is the one who messes up and has to beg her for forgiveness. This story also involves some of the vets since they knew about Belle's affair with Philip. I never really cared about Shawn and Belle's story, but involving Philip this way makes it interesting.
Worst Triangle: Chelsea/Nick/Jett
I didn't care for this triangle because Chelsea couldn't make up her mind about who she wanted. She didn't do this because she had feelings for both men. This story is different from the Shelle/Philip story because Chelsea didn't have a history with Jett the way that Belle has with Philip. Chelsea treated Nick like dirt because she was attracted to Jett and she did the same thing to Jett. Once she realized that Jett was lying to her about his identity, she was back to being in love with Nick. When Jett was introduced, it was obvious that his only purpose was to break up Chelsea and Nick. The writers went to a lot of trouble to develop a fanbase for Chelsea and Nick only to break them up so easily.
Most Rejuvenated: Chelsea
I never thought I would say this about Chelsea, but she has changed from how she was when she was younger. She actually seems to care about people. I' not totally convinced that she's a good person, but anything is possible.
Most Assassinated: Belle and Sami
Belle and Sami are both tied for most assassinated. I'll start with Belle. Belle turned into a liar, cheater, and schemer. The writers tried to make her seem like she's a good person, but she is not. They did this by having her use John's death as an excuse for her actions. Lying, cheating, and scheming were not things Belle was known for doing. She was always Miss Perfect.
Sami forgot about her love for Lucas when she married her rapist. He's also a man who did terrible things to her family, but she married him anyway. Her actions were supposed to be considered “noble” because she married him to protect her family. That excuse wasn't going to wash because they didn't want her to marry EJ. They tried everything they could to keep her from marrying him, but she did it anyway. She also turned her back on Lucas now that it looks like he might have shot EJ.
Worst Decision: Firing Drake Hogestyn (John)
For as long as I have been watching Days, John was on the show. He was one half of a super couple and the writers decided to get rid of him. He was a popular character so this was a mistake.
Best Decision: Hiring Ed Scott
Ken Corday decided to hire Ed Scott as a producer of the show and he's doing a good job so far. Since he's been added to the show, the vets have been seen more. I wonder if he made Hogan use them on the show more. There isn't a dominating story on the show the way it was before. It seems more like an ensemble show now. There's still room for improvement, but he's off to a good start.
There's my list for the Best and Worst of 2007. Here's hoping 2008 have more Bests than Worsts. Feel free to come up with the things you loved or hated about the year.
