Saturday Night Fever: November Promo Unleashed

Um...WHAT?!

Because I chew spoilers up and spit them out, I knew about Jack and Jennifer’s kiss. It was already spoiled that Fancy Face and Beauregard were going to find a “gift” from Stefano to Mrs. H amongst her belongings. Hell, if you were looking for it (I was), you’d even have already known about the attempt on John’s life.

But – What the fuck?! – Where the hell did that kiss between EJ and Sami come from?

The way it all went down.

Not that I’m complaining or anything. On the contrary, I loved it. I honestly didn’t see it coming, and Days hasn’t been able to catch me off guard like that in a long time. Now, it’s hard to figure out how we got from Point A all the hell the way to Point WTF, but I dig that in this case. If I want to know what’s going to happen, I have to tune in. A novel concept, that.

I will say this, though – while the content of the promo was amazing, on a technical level I thought it was terrible. Showing Justin and Adrienne was wonderful, but it was an old clip taken from Sonny’s first few days in Salem this past summer. The half-a-second shot of EJ noisily shuffling outside of the pub trying to see inside after the shooting was pointless and awkward. I didn’t even immediately register that it was him. The clip of Austin laying Carrie down on the bed had the same problem. I had to watch the promo twice to figure out who was doing what, and I’m still not one hundred percent sure I’m right. Was that Carrie? Was it Jennifer? Whatever it was, it was blonde and wearing boots.

Instead of a boring shot of Chabby playing pool at the Cheating Heart, they couldn’t find one second of drama or sexual tension that may be happening this month between Chad, Abigail and Little Red to give us?

The clip of Brady dancing with Madison was blah. I wouldn’t have missed that. I’d have preferred if they’d left their kiss as a standalone. The voiceover announced that there’d be “seduction” and you show me Madison and Brady looking like they’re going to launch into Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart?

Ding, ding, ding!

The Kate/Madison/Quinn clip was boring as arse. Kate and Madison are supposed to be empire-building big wigs. Could their “confrontation” have been any duller? What few seconds you give us have to pop, guys. You have a couple of seconds to make the story look amazing. All that beige. Quinn looking like a cross between a gym teacher and Dan Lauria. Wrong, wrong, wrong. This is a promo, fer chrissakes, and that was a blatant misuse of the magnificent Lauren Koslow.

Those plants could probably do with some watering.

The November promo probably could have devoted a second or two to Jack’s PTSD storyline. I mean that’s the only thing making the Dannifer/Jannifer triangle interesting, the only thing that makes it unique. Matt Ashford has been doing such a fabulous job with his scenes, and he’s been getting so much well-deserved praise for them, that you’d think TPTB would want to showcase a little more of that. Trim the fat and give us a little more of the good stuff.

You brought this all on yourself, Blondilocks.

The music is all well and good as background music, but doesn’t lend itself to the awkward stretches of dialogue-free footage. The long silence during the “seduction” sequence could have used some dialogue over it.

I’m being nit-picky. I know.

The things I loved…

STEFANO VS. HOPE

The Bo/Hope/Stefano sequence was great. I loved the quick shots of the paperweight, and not just because that paperweight looked like something out of a steampunk flick. Seriously, what WAS that thing? I must know!

Paperweight or the key to time-travel?

RIDDLE ME THIS

The mysterious sniper? The windows of the Brady Pub getting all shot up? People running and ducking for cover? Loved it. I actually got all caught up in the action. And, no – not because Bradys were being shot at.

And seeing Johnny hiding under the bar with his pupils dilated to the size of saucers?  I’m fully expecting the Kunitz Twins to steal the show again.

THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT

Finally! Some life in Gabi’s deep brown eyes! A little vibrato in that voice of hers!

Maybe I didn’t need to do all those stretches to keep my muscles from seizing up during all the cringing I thought I was going to have to do during her scenes with Will after all. Gabi might actually be able to hold her own. At least that’s what those two seconds in that promo told me.

THE KISS

That kiss.  THAT KISS.

Wow.

I was stunned.It was incredible.And, yes – I’ve watched it about a thousand times now.

A closer look at the kiss by the folks at Rogue Ejami

I’m sorry, but there’s nothing Alison Sweeney and James Scott can’t do when they’re together. He brings out the best in her, and vice versa. That kiss alone could be, and probably will be, its own promo. I’m looking forward to seeing EJ and Sami face off in scenes that don’t also include Rafe sucking up oxygen and wasting it on trying to work his eyebrows around his face. That kiss had four words worth of dialogue leading into it and the combined power of Jamison effortlessly handled the rest.

The gasp Sami lets out as EJ reels back from her slap. The look you can’t quite see on his face but know is there because Jamison are working to make you feel it. The cry Sami lets out before they start to devour each other. Woah. Just…WOW.

Exactly how Ejami’s pelvic affiliation goes down, I don’t know. I know the characters well enough that I can have some fun speculating, but I can’t do a thing beyond that. Again – that’s a very welcome change. I’m comfortable and content enough just knowing that whatever’s going to go down between EJ and Sami is going to be epic, because it’s impossible for EJ and Sami to go down any other way.

Fingers crossed Ken Corday doesn’t decide to drop in on SOD to let them know how excited he is about November.