Days of Our Lives: Character Sketch--Stefano DiMera aka Joseph Mascolo

Days of Our Lives: Character Sketch--Stefano DiMera aka Joseph Mascolo

In 1982, veteran actor Joseph Mascolo joined the Days of Our Lives cast as devilishly handsome and manipulative Stefano DiMera. Complex, passionate and frequently controversial, Stefano has been the character the fans loved to hate. Even though family and power have always been important to him, it is the thrill of the hunt and the conquest which is the key to his character. To deny him is to only further attract his attention and in many cases his wrath.

Born the seventh son of a seventh son, Stefano not only considered himself indestructible, hence naming himself the Phoenix, but he also thought himself above the laws of man and God. Raised as the family crowded prince, he was never to be question, but blindly obeyed. Whether friend, family or foe, to disobey his command was to bring down the fury of Stefano. Not only did his charisma and magnetism attract the attention of the women who didn‘t learn to fear him until it was too late, but his intelligence always kept him three moves ahead of ISA and the Salem PD. In many ways his love of opera reflected how he fancied himself to be akin to the Divine as he controlled and manipulated the mere mortals he walked among. The people of the world, including his own children, were merely pawns to for him to use and discard at will.

In spite of the relatively recent rewrite in history, it was not the feud with the Bradys that brought Stefano to Salem, but the long standing dispute with the Bradfords and the legend of the Baka. The Brady's only became targets after Roman thwarted Stefano's plans. Nor was Marlena originally the target of his obsession. Instead, Stefano saw her as perfect wife for Tony. It was only after she interfered with his scheme and stood up to him, that he became fixated with owning and controlling her.

Larger than life, he was always a passionate character with a dynamic personality, whose laugh could be both amusing and terrifying. Stefano wanted what he wanted and it didn't care what he had to do or to whom as long as he achieved his goal. It was his strong will and quick wit that made him in many ways invincible. His schemes were a strange mixture of gothic romance, sci-fi fantasy and horror. From the faking his death to programming memories of one character into another, Stefano quintessential villain that fans love to hate. He was always the master conductor who orchestrated international plots, while his henchmen did the dirty work.

Unfortunately, for the Days and the viewers, the current writers have trivialized him. Instead of the dramatic character that considered the world his oyster, Stefano has been turned into a baby-cooing supporting character for the younger actors. The head writer has effectively castrated the character with her inability to write complex storylines that involve multi-dimensional characters whose power comes from between their ears not between their legs. Instead of being master of all her surveys, the writers have him worrying about grandchildren and his legacy, when the real Stefano thinks of himself as the seventh son of the seventh son destined never to die. The writers sent him out like one of his flunkies on the great diamond caper. Stefano isn’t an errand boy; he would have been at home smoking a Cuban cigar, drinking 100 year old brandy, and listening to opera while his pawns did the dirty work.

Although there are many storylines with diabolical plot and schemes that could yet be written for Stefano, they are not likely to be seen on the screen. No matter how talent the actors, unless there is writers create plots and storylines to for them to hang their performance on, there cannot be romance, drama or suspense; all the things that keep the viewers turning in.

So to quote Shakespeare:
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

So it will be as the sands run out and Days of Our Lives will fade in to history.

Days of Our Lives 11-15-08

Days of Our Lives

Alternative Storyline for Days of Our Lives
Here is the next installment of my alternative storylines for Days of Our Lives.

This is what I previously posted on the NBC Days boards http://geocities.com/tirgana/daysofourlives.pdf

http://www.geocities.com/tirgana/Days10-16.pdf

http://www.geocities.com/tirgana/days10-26-08.pdf

http://www.geocities.com/tirgana/days10-31-08.pdf

http://www.geocities.com/tirgana/days11-2-08.pdf

The newest entry is at http://www.geocities.com/tirgana/days11-15-08.pdf


The last three entries aren't in the proper format; I'll fix it later.

If you like what you are reading, please leave me a comment here or on the NBC message boards. Or better yet contact the executive producers at

Gary Tomlin or Ken Corday
Corday Productions
3400 W. Olive Avenue
suite 170 Burbank CA
91505-4630

818-295-2821

Days of Our Lives: EJ Wells DiMera AKA James Scott

Days of Our Lives: EJ Wells DiMera AKA James Scott

EJ Wells DiMera has become one of the most controversial characters in recent soap history. Originally presented as a mysterious jet-setting race car driver, he arrives in Salem with an agenda that quickly becomes apparent when he exposed to be son of Susan Banks and Stefano DiMera. It is later revealed that Stefano sent EJ to Salem to plant the DiMera seed in a Brady woman and carry out Santo’s vendetta against the Brady family.

From the Black glove crimes to the rape of Sami Brady to all the other acts of violence in between and since, EJ has become an all or nothing character. Viewers either love him or hate him. Both sides are equally passionate and rabid at the same time.

The Ejamies, as the fans who favor the couple Sami and EJ are called, have glossed over, excused and ignored EJ’s behavior and criminal acts. They habitually read between the lines of the dialogue and character behavior to suit their own point of view. For them Ejamie is the endgame, even if it means the end of the Days. In spite of what was said both on the show and interviews by actors, they refuse to see that EJ raped Sami. After two years, the debated is just as heated as when it first began. His fans dismissed or excused his other crimes . For months, many refused to believe that EJ shot John. They blamed Teck or an unknown shooter, even through there was video proving the contrary. It wasn’t until EJ was tricked by John into admitting it, that the controversy ended. Another tactic is to point out the crimes and bad behavior of other characters as a way to excuse EJ. One person’s bad behavior doesn’t excuse another’s bad behavior.

On the other side is the Sami and Lucas fans, who are called Lumi. They are equally as passionate and stubborn about their favorite couple. However, I have yet to read one statement by a Lumi wishing the show would be canceled if Sami and Lucas weren’t together. Sami and Lucas have a long history together as friends, lovers and adversaries. Their relationship has been bumpy to say the least; however, most of their problems were caused by outside forces, including EJ and Kate Roberts, Lucas’s mother. When I do Lucas’s character profile, I will go into more details. But this is not the time or place; the focus of this piece is on EJ.

I see EJ Wells-DiMera as a complex character who is at war with himself. He is more than a handsome face with a cool accent nor is he just Stefano’s pawn. EJ’s formative years were spent with his mother, Susan Banks and step-father, Edmund Crumb. Although Susan could be best described as unique, she had a kind heart and loved EJ very much. When she escaped with him to England, it was her way of protecting him from Stefano’s influence. It was Susan and Edmond’s influence during his first five years which gave EJ his core values and ability to love.

When or how Stefano gained custody would make a wonderful storyline It seems the writers are over looking this character developing plot; however, it is one that I will be using in the near future in my alternative universe storylines. Stefano is manipulative and controlling, whose love is conditional on him receiving total loyalty and subservience. To question Stefano is to be disloyal to him, thereby bringing down his wrath. Although EJ was the crowned prince to Stefano’s empire, he was taught that he was easily replaceable as Stefano played Andre and EJ off one another. Through this endless competition, EJ leaned to set aside what he learned in his childhood in order to survive. To be safe, he needed to be ruthless and heartless towards his enemies, while controlling those he cared about so that they could not be used against him.

While the core of his personality longed for the family he had in childhood, his conscious mind decided to set that dream aside. To bury it along with all the memories and feelings he had for his mother and Edmond. Whether it was a single event or a series, EJ chose to follow Stefano’s example, by taking what he wanted and the consequences were irrelevant because he was a DiMera. His new philosophy became that to love or need another was to give them power over you, which is not the DiMera way. Instead of asking and risking rejection, the DiMera way was to lie, manipulate and control; thereby retaining power and domination over others.

EJ might have been interested in Sami at the beginning, but it was not the reason he became obsessed with her. Stefano wanted a direct heir with a Brady woman. It was the one thing that Stefano wanted that only EJ could give him. Tony wasn’t a blood son. Andre was a nephew. If EJ could fulfill this one thing, he could permanently gain Stefano’s favor and insure his rise to the head of the DiMera family. However, the reality of having a child was much different than what EJ expected. It awakened and re-energized his early childhood memories. Suddenly he was no longer just Stefano’s pawn, but he was also his mother’s son. By seeing the innocence in Johnny’s eyes, he was reminded what it was like to be loved and loved unconditionally--hence, the inner turmoil and outer obsession.

EJ thought the strength to break away from Stefano came from Sami and Johnny. However, it was his own true self emerging--the part that learned trust and love through his mother. When the aspect remerged, the war within EJ began. He doesn’t love Sami for Sami, but for what she represents. Through her, EJ cannot only please his father but she also gives him the family his heart wants. The problem is that EJ knows that the family isn’t real. No matter what he has done, Sami loves Lucas and will always go back to him. In addition, EJ can’t get past the rape himself. Whenever he looks at Sami and Johnny, part of him remembers that December night and the pain he caused. As long as EJ tries to force a relationship with Sami, he will not be free from his past. She will always represent Stefano’s control over him and the pain he caused to so many, including Sami. It will only by releasing Sami and moving on will EJ be able to find peace within himself and a balance between his two halves.

As a character, EJ is best when his wears a gray hat. He will never be the hero, but he also is not good at being a true villain. The problems is that the writers took him too far dark, then tried instantly redeem him into a hero. Stefano is a villain. John is a hero. EJ needs to find his own niche between them. EJ is capable of great love, but he can also be very naughty.