by Tony S and Laurisa

Posted Wednesday, March 11, 2015 5:43:50 PM

Being soap fans, we're used to the roller-coaster-like drama that unfolds on a daily basis, but sometimes those fireworks happen behind the scenes. Most DAYS fans can agree that the last few months in our beloved Salem have been a little rough. As such, most of us were excited when we heard that DAYS is welcoming new co-head writers. Though in another soap-like twist, that excitement only lasted through part of the announcement as some are a little weary to welcome back Dena Higley as one of the writers in charge.

But we've decided to remain optimistic until proven otherwise. So, to celebrate what we loved and what we hope the new writers change, your faithful DAYS Two Scoopers have teamed up to present the following "Save It/Change It!" list. To read Part One and the "Save It" list, click here.

Deep down, Nicole is a good guy. But she does bad things that are a little on the crazy size. And we like her that way! Rather than have her constantly apologize for not being good enough, let her own her hell cat tenancies and be unapologetic about them coming out! Sure, this may mean that she'll have to crawl her way out of the holes she gets herself into. But, at least she'll have some self-respect again!

We're not talking about Serena's passion for pachyderms; we're talking about missing characters and dropped storylines. For example, it took the writers over two years to give us a pretty underwhelming story as to why Bo isn't in Salem anymore. Two years! That's pretty crazy. We cried, too, Fancy Face.

The audience invests time and emotions into characters and we need some major updates. Is Tommy Horton, Jr. still alive? Where is Anny DiMera, anyway? When's the last time we heard about Melissa and Sarah. We get that writers don't want to give it all away -- what if they say Chelsea became a circus performer and the next day she returns to Salem with a law degree? That might be hard to explain, but the audience that's invested time with characters currently not on the canvas still wants updates, and that would prove especially meaningful with a sea of new faces in Salem to know the old ones who've left are doing just fine.

There were a lot of things wrong with Dannifer. But, the problem really boiled down to the fact that they characters were pretty similar - Dudley meets Lady Do-Right. Jennifer is the "straight man" in the comedy duo and she needs to be paired with someone with a lot more life. Plus, with Eve back in town, we'd love to see Jack and Eve square off again too.

We know budgets are tight, but DAYS needs to find a way to bring back the action and adventure. In recent memory, the last two big-budget events were the "doomed return flight from Ireland," where Shawn, Sr. died, and the DAYSaster. We're not saying the town needs to be blown up again, but a storyline with some bang would help. Maybe a Towering Inferno type storyline, or a natural disaster, maybe even a blackout. We crave something to get the action going and create the soap staple of trapping enemies or estranged lovers together, characters being in life or death situations, and secrets coming to light if a character things they are dying. It would also give the underused vets of the Salem P.D. something to do as well as showcase doctors and nurses like Kayla, Maxine, Melanie, and the lot. Oh, added bonus!? Salem has a slew of reporters who could cover the story!

Melanie came to town as a criminal in training who was a total ends-justify-the-means kind of gal. Now, she's practically going door to door of the town sinners and trying to shame them out of their own demons. Learning from your own mistakes is great. But, projecting your experiences on other people and demanding that they act just like you is the most annoying. thing. ever—both in real life and on soaps!

You have Kassie Ever-Lovin' DePaiva on your show and she's literally the other woman in a teenage crush. Kassie and Eve deserve so much better. So, try pairing her with the ever-available Roman and see how this mismatched pair spars. Plus, it would be nice to see Eve fret about something actually fret-worthy, like her man fighting crime -- not her legally adult daughter moving out of her house.

No, we're not suggesting the Caped Crusader move to Salem, though we'd never rule out a handsome billion with a tragic backstory and the skills to kickass for good, but we digress. In the "Batman universe" he fought a rouge gallery of bad guys. Even if you're not a Batman fan, we're sure you can name at least four or five. That's what Salem needs! Some guest bad guys (and gals) that can hold their own. Plus, DAYS should use the ones they already have. Baddies like Peter Blake, Vargas, Doc Baker, Charlotte Taylor, and the gang from the organ heist ring are all still in prison. Imagine if there was a prison break, or a corrupt D.A. (hello, D.A. Woods and mean Melinda Trask!) shadily released some of these sinister Salemites. We'd even buy baddies we never heard of because we know Abe, Roman, Bo, Hope, and Rafe rounded up some thugs we've never heard of.

Let Serena struggle to get something (a man, a career, heck a cup of coffee) so that we can see what she's made of. And then, let Lucas ­ a guy who has a weakness for women who scheme ­ see what he thinks of her.

If Stefano isn't available, dig up Peter Blake, Anna or (please oh please) get Eileen Davidson back as Kristen permanently. The show deserves to have a villain with history with the other characters. Right now, Clyde's big beef is squabbling with Victor over rights to a trucking route. When in the history of ever has a hot soap storyline been based on a trucking route dispute? We'll save you the time. The answer is never.

Not every couple needs to be super, and not every tryst needs to have meaning, but DAYS needs to rebuild couples to root for. As is, there's been a ton of questionable affairs (or near affairs), short-lived romances, and romances that seemed built on the writers looking around and thinking, "That one's single, so is that one. Well, okay. Let's make this happen." We need more than that! We need slow burns, passion, rebels on motorcycles! We know it isn't the ‘80s anymore, but we still think there are some potential super couples out there.

As always, we want to hear your wants, too! We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.