Days of Our Lives Spoilers: Julie Says Doug ‘Had So Much Potential’ As Fans Rage Over Wasted Characters Like T.R., Charlie & Li Shin

“YOU HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL”: SALEM’S GRAVEYARD OF WASTED CHARACTERS PROVES WRITERS COULDN’T TELL THEIR STORIES

When Julie Williams looked at Doug and said “You had so much potential,” she might as well have been speaking directly to viewers about the NINE characters who were killed off simply because the writers ran out of ideas.

Doug Williams got a peaceful death with Julie by his side – a dignified exit for a legacy character. But his farewell just highlights the tragic pattern that’s plagued Salem for years: introduce a character, write them in circles, then kill them off and let a murder mystery do the heavy lifting. Because apparently, that’s easier than actually developing compelling storylines!

THE FORMULA: INTRODUCE, STALL, KILL

Let’s expose the embarrassing pattern that viewers have been calling out for YEARS:

Step 1: Introduce Character with Big Potential

Step 2: Write Them in Predictable Circles

Step 3: Kill Them When You Run Out of Ideas

Step 4: Let Murder Mystery Create False Drama

It’s storytelling by default – when you can’t figure out where to take a character, just make them a corpse and suddenly you’ve got six months of “who killed them?” to fill airtime!

THE VICTIMS OF POOR PLANNING

T.R. Coates: Three Months from Arrival to Murder Mystery

T.R. Coates showed up as Paulina‘s abusive ex and Lani‘s bio dad. That’s HUGE potential for family drama, redemption arcs, complex relationships. Instead? They wrote him as a one-note villain for three months, had Lani shoot him, then spent months on the “who takes the fall” drama. The murder mystery literally did what the writers couldn’t – create compelling story!

Charlie Dale: Introduced Just to Be Killed

Charlie Dale started as a Titan intern. Could’ve been the next corporate climber, romantic lead, anything! But no – they made him Allie‘s rapist because they needed a villain, then killed him four months later because… what else could they do with him? The subsequent murder mystery with Sami framed lasted longer than Charlie’s actual life!

Li Shin: From Boardroom to Morgue

Li Shin went from recurring board member to major player keeping Stefan and Gabi apart. Corporate intrigue! Romantic triangles! Business drama! But once Stefan was deprogrammed, the writers clearly had NO IDEA what to do with Li. Solution? Stab him and let a murder mystery fill the gap. (Though hints of Dr. Rolf‘s involvement suggest even the writers might regret this one…)

Haley Chen: Wasted During Time Jump

Haley Chen – immigration storyline, secret daughter of the DA, JJ‘s love interest. The potential was ENDLESS. But they literally killed her OFF-SCREEN during the time jump! They couldn’t even be bothered to show us her death because they had no idea how to continue her story. Easier to make her past tense and give JJ drug addiction than actually write for her.

Jordan Ridgeway: Even Writers Admitted This Was Wrong

Here’s the smoking gun – the writer LITERALLY admitted on Twitter “I shouldn’t have killed this character.” Jordan Ridgeway was Ben‘s sister, a mother, mentally complex. But instead of exploring that complexity, they killed her to frame Ben. The execution storyline that followed was more “compelling” than anything they could think to write for Jordan herself.

THE LEGACY CHARACTERS: WHEN EVEN HISTORY CAN’T SAVE YOU

Laura Horton: Decades of Story Killed Off-Screen

Dr. Laura Horton had MORE history than almost anyone – rape survivor, mental health struggles, mother of Jennifer, grandmother of Abigail. You’d think all that backstory would give writers material for YEARS. Nope! Brought back just to be killed OFF-SCREEN by Gwen. They couldn’t even show us her death because they had nothing for her except being a plot device for Gwen‘s secret.

Abigail Deveraux: The Ultimate Waste

Abigail Deveraux DiMera – investigative reporter, mother, Horton legacy, one half of Chabby. The writers had EVERYTHING to work with. But after years of DID storylines and going in circles, their solution? Have Clyde stab her to death. Now Chad‘s grief and the murder mystery could carry story for months! Why develop Abigail when you can just make her a victim?

Andre DiMera: Killed to Ruin Another Character

Andre‘s death is the perfect example of this lazy writing. They killed him just to trigger Abigail‘s DID, which then wrote HER in circles until they killed her too! It’s like dominoes of bad planning – one death to create story for another character who then gets killed when THEY run out of story.

THE PATTERN IS UNDENIABLE

Look at the timeline:

• Introduce character with fanfare
• Give them 3-6 months of the same repetitive story
• Writers hit a wall: “What do we do with them now?”
• Solution: Murder mystery!
• Spend next 6 months on “whodunnit”
• Rinse and repeat with new character

The murder mysteries aren’t compelling drama – they’re creative bankruptcy! When you can’t write actual character development, just make everyone a suspect and call it a day.

NEW WRITERS INHERIT THE GRAVEYARD

Paula Cwikly and Jeanne Marie Ford promised “emotion over plot” – acknowledging the previous era’s obsession with plot mechanics over actual storytelling. They inherited:

• The “Cat Green might be Abigail” mess
• Li Shin‘s unresolved murder
• A canvas full of characters fans don’t trust will survive
• The ghost of nine wasted characters

Their first task? Landing the plane on Doug Williams‘ exit – which the previous regime had already fumbled. At least they gave him dignity instead of making Julie find him stabbed in the living room!

SPECULATION & WHAT’S NEXT

Will the new writers:

• Resurrect characters killed for lazy murder mysteries?
• Actually develop characters instead of killing them?
• Find new ways to create drama besides “who’s the killer?”

Abigail and Li Shin seem most likely for resurrection. But what about the others? Will their deaths remain monuments to creative failure?

The real question: When the next character starts going in circles, will the new writers reach for the same tired solution? Or will they actually do the hard work of writing compelling story?

Because Salem doesn’t need more murder mysteries. It needs writers who know what to do with characters BEFORE they become corpses. Doug Williams proved you can create powerful story without chalk outlines.

“You had so much potential” shouldn’t be Salem’s epitaph for wasted characters. It should be a challenge to actually fulfill that potential while they’re still breathing!

Catch all the must-know Days of Our Lives spoilers and updates here.