Days of our Lives: 5 Big Changes Now That Ron Carlivati’s Gone

Days of Our Lives sees the new writing regime’s first episode and the beginning of the end for storylines written by now exited head writer Ron Carlivati. We’re going to talk about some big changes we’re hoping to see now that Ron Carlivati is gone.

Days of Our Lives New Writers: Emotional Storylines and Faster Pacing

So, the new writers Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford stepped into their roles in July of last year, but it has taken up until this week for their work to appear on air because of the 8 to 9-month average tape to air delay. But from April 24th, Ford it’ll be winding down Ron Carlivati’s work and then ramping up the story lines that Cwikly and Ford have created.

So, the female co-head writers said they plan to focus on emotion over plot, but with the understanding that obviously the plot drives the emotions. They’re already doing more emotional stuff this week with Paulina Price (Jackee Harry) and Chanel Dupree (Raven Bowens) bonding over the coming adoption.

And Jack Junior (JJ) Deveraux’s emotional plea to try and get Gabby to reunite with him. Stuff we were seeing with EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) when he woke up, stuff with Maggie Horton Kiriakis (Suzanne Rogers) and Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn), all that.

Days of Our Lives: May Sweeps Showcase New Ideas

Then in May, as we head into sweeps, the new writers are going big with the return of Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso) in a huge arc. And that’s going to lead into John Black’s (Drake Hogestyn) big goodbye and funeral in June. And they said they tried to ensure that his exit was meaningful and respectful.

At the time, they wrote it, of course, hoping that Drake Hogestyn would beat that cancer and be able to come back to Days of Our Lives. So, Ford and Cwikly also promised their writing tries to make them laugh, make them cry, but not make them wait, saying that their intent is to do faster paced storyline. And yay. I mean, we all get tired of the dragging plots, right?

Five Huge Changes Fans Want to See on Days of Our Lives

So with that in mind, we want to talk about some huge changes that we expect to see that we would like to see, five of them. And you know, we’re really looking forward to this new regime along with the fans who had #Ronisgone trending on X the day the new writer work debuted on Thursday of this week.

A Kinder, Gentler EJ DiMera: Redemption and Reunion

So, first of all, a kindler, gentler EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel). That’s something I’d like to see just right off the bat. I like that he woke up as a gentler, more contemplative version of himself who was unsure about the shooting, wondering if Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) did it, insistent he didn’t harm her mom, Rachel Blake (Roslyn Gentle), and genuinely wondering who shot him, and then of course remembering that he saw that camera of rapes. Not only was it giant, it had a blinking light.

Come on, man. That’s not subtle. That’s terrible. Terrible private eye work. is, by the way, so I also liked to see that EJ was stunned and a little teary-eyed about Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman) and Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) coming to see him while he was in the coma.

And I did appreciate that EJ didn’t want to play Christine’s reindeer games against Xander Cook (Paul Telfer). And EJ is insisting to his sister that he has to be a better man who does better things than he has been doing. Yay.

So you there’s a chance that he’s playing games, but it didn’t feel like it. If this is an epiphany for EJ, I’m here for it. I would love to see him reunited with Johnny winning over Belle Black (Martha Madison). And while we’re at it, I’d like to soften up Xander on what Philip Kiriakis (John-Paul Lavoisier) has done because he clearly adores his brother.

Resurrection-Free Halloween Episodes: Focusing on Current Storylines

Another thing I’d like to see is a resurrection free Halloween and an episode that’s part of the actual storyline on Days of Our Lives that moves plots forward. You know, every year on October 31st, we get resurrections like Nick Fallon (Blake Berris), horrible Charlie Dale, and other low lives. And most years, the Halloween show is basically a standalone.

Occasionally, it’s somebody waking up from a dream. Sometimes it’s just all out nonsense, but it generally never moves the show forward. I don’t mind a holiday episode with flashbacks and special guests, but it should fit into the narratives that are going on in my opinion. I know some years the Halloween show is better received, but when you have a creep like Nick Fallon crawling out of the grave, it just it’s icky. The guy’s a creep.

Less Mad Science, More Mad Love: Ditching Dr. Rolf’s Experiments

All right, third. As much as I love Dr. Wilhelm Rolf (Richard Wharton) and the dear doctor’s occasional drive by appearances, I would like to see a whole lot less mad science and instead see some more mad love. The last bit of this, of course, was when Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) delivered the CRS17 formula.

You know, they can’t remember squat version number 17 that they gave to Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering). destroyed his memories and the whole thing really stuff like that. Dr. Rolf, Megan Hathaway (Miranda Wilson) and her giant test tube science lab, all that, you know, resurrections galore.

We’ve got people stuck in heaven that we thought were dead. It just it takes you out of authentic storytelling about actual human beings. You know, a well explained return from the plausible dead is one thing. All soaps do it.

But Dr. Rolf and the Frankenstein science and the submarine and just resurrection serums, all that. To me, it makes episodes feel almost like an SNL soap parody skit instead of a quality, thoughtfully written daytime drama.

Strengthening Family Ties: Hernandez, Horton, and DiMera Reunions

So, the fourth thing I’m hoping to see a whole lot more of is family ties, like we got with Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans) being so sweet to Jack Junior (JJ) Deveraux this week and Maggie Horton Kiriakis (Suzanne Rogers) stepping in to bid a million for a date with Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn).

So he didn’t have to go through the ordeal of putting himself up on the block for a date he did not want to go on because he’s just not ready to do that. He’s still grieving Abby Deveraux.

We already know more good family stuff is ahead since Will Horton (Chandler Massey) is back in a few weeks with aged up Ariana Horton. So, we’ll have a house full of happy Hernandez, which is good family stuff. If they reconcile Johnny and EJ, that’s even better. And if Johnny and Chanel Dupree wind up adopting.

I think it’d be sweet if EJ got to be a real grandpa to the kid because he’s truly reformed. It’d be nice to see the new writers acknowledge existing relationships that sometimes under the old regime got ignored. And if they could avoid creating history where there was none, that’d be great, too.

Eliminating Assault Storylines: Moving Towards Love and Romance

And last but not least, I am certainly hoping to see and hear a whole lot less about rape. It just clearly Johnny was going to find out his origin story at some point and that’s highly relevant because he is stepping into fatherhood himself. But over the years of Ron Carlivati’s tenure, you got to admit there’s a lot of rape.

Just literate and not just on Days on other shows when he was writing there too because I’ve watched him at GH some of you guys have watched him write on one life to live you know Allie Horton (Lindsay Arnold) that the whole revisit of Kayla and Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford) assaulting her now we’ve got the EJ and Sammy thing.

And then her talking about her drugging and raping Austin we had Clyde Weston’s (James Read) henchman try and rape Ava Vitali (Tamara Braun) at least he got served by karma with a bullet but just icky they need to go ahead head and just also unplug rapist Clyde Weston.

Remember he raped Jordan I think when she was like a teenager offscreen, but just do it while he’s in a coma and then maybe just don’t ever have another rape in Salem again. We don’t need it. Ron Carlivati infuriated fans with what some call insensitive tweets on the subject (see pictures above). I’m going to show you these tweets where he said that Stefan DiMera‘s (Brandon Barash) relationship with Abby’s alter Gabigail was wrong, but said he didn’t consider it”

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