laurisa

Monday, June 18, 2012:
Well, this is interesting. Peter Reckell is indeed confirming his exit from DAYS. There's no word on whether or not the show will recast the role or not. But first things first. Why is he leaving?

I don't want to read too much into his statement, but this part that struck me right away: "I took my place in the hierarchy of the show, in the storyline, moving others aside, in the [1980s]. Now others have moved into the place I once held." Hmmm.... I couldn't agree more.

I'm totally making this assumption on my own, but since the relaunch of '11, the character of Bo has been squeezed out of the top spot. John Black is clearly the elder statesmen, alpha male, whom everyone on the soap will rally around. He's a higher ranking law enforcement official. And, the writers put Bo in a coma for a few weeks so that John and Hope could team up to fight Stefano. It was as if Hope and Bo's storyline about Alice's secret was suddenly replaced with John and Hope's quest to find the coin.

And, in my mind, most egregious of all is how Rafe received a wreath of roses around his neck and the keys to the Salem PD. Rafe is the only person who's solved a major crime in the last four years and he's done it using Bo's signature blend of rule bending and swashbuckling courage. Perhaps if the show had set it up as more a mentor/student role the way they did with Stefano and E.J. it would have flown. But Rafe has been the lead crime stopper since the first day he appeared on screen. That didn't seem to leave much room for Bo.

This is not Drake Hogestyn's or Galen Gering's fault at all. It's just the way I happen to see it.

After the dust settles, I still wouldn't hate the idea of a recast. Yes, I know. It sounds like sacrilege.
Make no mistake. I adore Mr. Reckell. I think he is one of the extremely few actors who can make a "good guy" not seem pompous and annoying. But, with all due respect, I sincerely want my soap to continue and the only way it's going to do that is if people keep watching. Besides, Reckell's own statement hints that he would be open to returning to the show. I think that if they can find someone to hold down the fort until he gets back, I would be thrilled to see Bo and Hope's storyline grow.

Saturday, June 16, 2012:
Maybe it�s the cynic in me, but I think that we�re past the point of accidental tweets. Twitter is the biggest PR agent on the planet and I have a hard time believing any move isn�t carefully calculated. So, when Peter Reckell�s wife tweeted that he was leaving the show, my Spidey Sense started to tingle.

Could it be that the talented Ms. Moneymaker (Best. Name. Ever.) is making a power-play for her husband�s contract negotiations? Or, is she just a fan trying to comment on her favorite soap star? I�m not sure. But I do know that we haven�t heard the end of this story.

Because of the tweets, Reckell will have to say something soon. Coincidentally, the Emmys are a few days away and the red carpet would allow a very public place to confirm or deny these rumors. (Side note, if the rumors are not true, I hope Peter had a good spin on "My wife was wrong." That never goes over well.)

Having said that, if the reports are true that Reckell was asked to tape another crazy sized paycut, then I don't blame him for walking away. No matter how much you love your job and coworkers, no one wants to go into work everyday and feel cheated and under appreciated.

The question remains- what should become of Bo? Should their be a recast? Right now, I'm tempted to say yes if they can get someone talented who has chemistry with Kristian Alfonso. But, what do you think?