1981 was a year of transition. The bold experimentation of 1970s filmmaking was colliding with the emerging blockbuster logic of the 1980s. The result was a diverse slate of films: muscular and thoughtful, mythic and grounded, commercial and deeply personal.
With this in mind, this list looks at some of the most enduring classics of 1981. They helped define what action, horror, romance, historical drama, and political cinema could look like in a changing industry. The best of them more than hold up today.
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10
‘Excalibur’ (1981)
Image via Warner Bros.
“You will be the land, and the land will be you.” Excalibur retells the legend of King Arthur as a dark, operatic myth rather than a chivalric fairy tale. It charts Arthur’s (Nigel Terry) rise from illegitimate child to king, the forging of the Round Table, and the eventual collapse of his kingdom through betrayal, ambition, and moral decay. Knights quest for the Holy Grail, loyalties fracture, and magic slowly drains from the world. As Arthur weakens, so does the land itself.
The film was directed by John Boorman, the mind behind Point Blank and Deliverance, explaining its grimmer, grittier edge. Still, the fantasy aesthetic remains striking and immersive. Watching Excalibur now, the stylized performances, gleaming armor, and ritualistic tone feel intentionally heightened rather than dated. The supporting cast is strong, too, including Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson, and a bewitching Helen Mirren as Morgan le Fay.
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9
‘Body Heat’ (1981)
William Hurt and Kathleen Turner sit and talk in Body Heat. Image via Warner Bros.
“You’re not too smart, are you? I like that in a man.” Body Heat follows a small-town lawyer (William Hurt) who becomes entangled in a dangerous affair with a married woman (Kathleen Turner) intent on escaping her wealthy, controlling husband (Richard Crenna). What begins as pure lust quickly evolves into manipulation, deception, and even murder, with the lawyer gradually realizing he may not be the one in control.
The plot is tightly wound, drawing heavily from classic film noir while updating its sexual frankness and moral cynicism. Every decision compounds the last, turning desire into a trap that tightens without warning. In particular, the movie’s understanding of power dynamics, whether sexual, economic, or psychological, gives it lasting bite. In other words, while it has the trappings of an erotic thriller, Body Heat is really a sharp neo-noir. Much of its success hinges on the phenomenal femme fatale performance from Turner.
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8
‘Thief’ (1981)
James Caan’s Frank from Thief (1981)Image via United Artists
“There’s a thousand ways to get hurt in this business.” Thief was Michael Mann‘s debut, and it contains many of his stylistic calling cards in microcosm. At the center of it is Frank (James Caan), a professional safecracker determined to complete one last big job so he can finally build a normal life. When he agrees to work for a powerful crime boss, his carefully controlled world begins to unravel as independence gives way to obligation. Every step toward legitimacy pulls him deeper into the criminal underworld. Frank’s tragedy isn’t moral failure, but believing he can negotiate with systems that only consume.
All this makes for an unusually smart thriller, one of the best crime films of the early ’80s. While Mann’s later work would get much more ambitious and elaborate, Thief remains punchy even now. Its cool visual style and electronic score have aged well, and its de-romanticized take on crime feels much more honest than you usually find in this genre.
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7
‘Reds’ (1981)
Image via Paramount Pictures
“I want to make a difference.” Reds dramatizes the life of American journalist John Reed (Warren Beatty, who also directs), whose radical politics and romantic idealism draw him into the Russian Revolution. The film traces his relationship with fellow writer Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton), their political commitments, and the strain ideology places on their connection. The movie is simultaneously epic and intimate, moving between personal romance and historical upheaval.
To accommodate this ambitious storytelling scope, the movie clocks in at well over three hours long, something that not every viewer will appreciate. Others have taken issue with the way it presents the protagonists’ politics. Still, for those interested in this period, there’s a lot to be enjoyed here. Weatty and Keaton’s acting is great, as one would expect, and the film does make some nuanced points about both potential and the perils of trying to bring about revolution.
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6
‘An American Werewolf in London’ (1981)
Image via Universal Pictures
“Beware the moon.” This seminal comedy-horror follows two American tourists (played by David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) attacked by a mysterious creature on the English moors. One is killed, the other survives, only to discover he is slowly transforming into a werewolf. As his body changes, he’s haunted by visions of his dead friend, who warns him of what he’s becoming. While that sounds like typical horror fare, the story is shot through humor as well, as well as more than a little of that classic John Landis absurdity.
The special effects alone ensure An American Werewolf in London‘s place in genre history. The transformation scenes were groundbreaking for the time: painful and intimate, emphasizing bodily violation rather than spectacle. All in all, this movie is funny, frightening, and unexpectedly sad, a genre hybrid that has never really been replicated. It paved the way for many great comedy-horrors that followed.
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5
‘Blow Out’ (1981)
Nancy Allen in a climatic scene from Brian De Palma’s 1981 thriller ‘Blow Out.’Image via Filmways Pictures
“You can hear the screams.” Blow Out is Brian De Palma‘s pulpier, harder-hitting take on Michelangelo Antonioni‘s Blow-Up, but switches that movie’s focus on photography to a focus on audio recording. John Travolta is great in it as Jack Terry, a sound technician who accidentally records evidence of what may be a political assassination while gathering audio for a low-budget horror film. He begins piecing together the truth using sound, images, and film fragments, but soon becomes entangled in a conspiracy far larger than himself.
While the movie is structured like a paranoid thriller, its real subject is perception itself. Jack believes that if he can assemble the evidence correctly, reality will assert itself. Instead, every step toward clarity reveals how easily truth can be distorted, erased, or repackaged. His technical expertise becomes both his power and his curse. In this sense, Blow Out very much channels the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock.
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4
‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
Indiana Jones thinking about seizing a gold statue in the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)Image via Paramount Pictures
“It’s not the years, honey. It’s the mileage.” One of the most purely entertaining movies of all time, Raiders of the Lost Ark introduces the legendary Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), an archaeologist-adventurer racing against Nazi forces to locate the Ark of the Covenant, a biblical artifact said to wield immense power. The plot moves briskly across continents, blending chases, puzzles, and narrow escapes into a relentless pursuit, all harking back to the classic adventures of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Every obstacle escalates the stakes, and every action sequence advances the character development.
All these decades later, the movie’s clarity of storytelling, sense of wonder, and tonal confidence remain unmatched. Raiders is joyful and fun, simply jam-packed with plot in the best way. Plus, in contrast to most adventure blockbusters of the era, the protagonist is not invincible. Indy survives through improvisation, endurance, and occasional luck. That vulnerability grounds the spectacle.
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3
‘Escape from New York’ (1981)
Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken in Escape From New YorkImage via AVCO Embassy Pictures
“Call me Snake.” Escape from New York is set in a near-future where Manhattan has been converted into a maximum-security prison. When the President (Donald Pleasence) crash-lands inside the city, the government recruits Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a disgraced former soldier, to rescue him within a strict time limit. The story that follows is spare and cynical. Snake navigates rival gangs, collapsed infrastructure, and shifting alliances, not out of loyalty, but obligation. In this world, authority is corrupt, survival is transactional, and heroism is deeply suspect.
John Carpenter wrote it as a direct response to the Watergate scandal and the pessimistic public mood it engendered. On release, some critics dismissed all this as genre pulp. However, as is often the case with Carpenter movies, Escape from New York went on to become a cult classic. It’s grimy, action-packed, and full of attitude. Snake’s refusal to play along becomes the film’s quiet act of resistance.
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2
‘Das Boot’ (1981)
Image via Neue Constantin Film
“It’s cold. It’s dark. And it’s very quiet.” Das Boot follows the crew of a German U-boat during World War II as they patrol the Atlantic under constant threat from Allied forces. Hours stretch into days stretch into weeks as tension mounts and morale deteriorates. The film confines the audience within the submarine’s cramped interior, creating a claustrophobic experience that mirrors the crew’s psychological state. Attacks are sudden, survival is uncertain, and victory offers no relief, only temporary reprieve.
This refusal to glorify combat allows fear and exhaustion to dominate. The result is one of the most immersive war films ever made. The tension is tautly controlled throughout, the plot elements are all bolted into their right place, and the realism of the submarine is genuinely impressive. Every movie since that takes place owes Das Boot a debt of gratitude, and probably falls short of the high bar it set.
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1
‘Chariots of Fire’ (1981)
Image via 20th Century Studios
“I believe God made me for a purpose.” That year’s Best Picture Oscar was won by this inspirational drama. Chariots of Fire follows two British athletes preparing for the 1924 Olympics: one (Ian Charleson) driven by religious conviction, the other (Ben Cross) by a desire to overcome class prejudice. For them, running becomes an expression of belief, whether spiritual or personal. Their parallel journeys become vehicles to explore faith, discipline, and the cost of ambition. Breaking with genre convention, the emphasis here is on training, doubt, and moral conflict rather than competition itself.
Basically, this is a well-crafted prestige sports drama, anchored by strong performances. The visuals are granded and the score is great. It all builds up that famous slow-mo sequence to the sounds of Vangelis, a sence that has been endlessly referenced and parodied in the decades since. The movie’s admirers include Christopher Nolan, who called it “a masterpiece of British understatement.”
The “Employee of the Month” actor, who is now married to Kristen Bell, recently reflected on a brief period when he and Alba were romantically involved.
What made the memory even more amusing for him was the “Fantastic Four” actress openly confirming that the two once shared a few make-out sessions.
Alba later married Cash Warren, with whom she shares three children. However, the couple recently finalized their divorce after more than a decade of marriage.
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Dax Shepard Shares ‘Proud’ Moment When Jessica Alba Remembered Their Past Romance
During the March 9 episode of the “Armchair Expert” podcast, Shepard reflected on his past romances, admitting he is now at a stage in life where he feels “very proud” whenever someone acknowledges having dated him.
The actor went on to give an example that happened with Alba, revealing that they went on a “couple of dates” roughly two decades ago. However, he clarified it was not anything intense.
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Years later, the former flames reunited while filming the 2017 Netflix dark comedy thriller “El Camino Christmas.” Shepard confessed he assumed Alba would prefer to keep their history private.
“We’re in the makeup trailer, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh yah, she doesn’t want anyone in here to know this’ because that’s where my self-esteem is,” he joked.
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However, the moment unfolded differently than he expected as Alba brought up their past fling. “She yelled across from the other end, ‘Remember when we used to make out?’ I was so flattered that she wasn’t embarrassed she had made out with me,” he recalled.
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Dax Shepard’s and Kristen Bell’s Bond With Monica Padman Sparked Curiosity About Their Marriage Dynamics
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As Shepard reflects on former romances, curiosity continues to swirl around his marriage to Bell and their unusual close relationship with his co-host Monica Padman.
Padman started as a nanny to the couple’s two kids before eventually becoming Bell’s assistant. When Shepard began developing his podcast, she offered to help behind the scenes. Instead, he insisted she join as co-host. According to an insider, Padman is deeply integrated into the couple’s lives.
“Monica is not only heavily involved in Dax’s podcast but also sometimes like the third wheel in his marriage to Kristen,” the insider shared, per The Blast.
Padman herself has echoed a similar comment during a 2021 appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” describing their dynamic as a “three-way marriage.”
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Dax Shepard Received Blunt Honesty From Singer Cher About His Marriage To Kristen Bell
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When it comes to discussing his marriage to the “Frozen” star, Shepard has never shied away from open conversation. During a January episode with singer Cher, Shepard spoke about his union, and the singer was not afraid to drop a candid remark.
As The Blast reported, the 51-year-old actor spoke about how past trauma shaped his communication style. However, Cher interrupted, saying, “You’re lucky. She is definitely the better half.”
While the podcaster initially overlooked her remark, he later leaned into it, asking the 79-year-old who she thinks would be a better partner for Bell.
The legendary artist didn’t name an alternative suitor, but she gave him her candid opinion. “The truth is, I trust her. So you must have something that I don’t see,” Cher said.
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Jessica Alba Talked Moving Forward After Split From Ex-Husband
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While Shepard continues his relationship with Bell, Alba is finalizing her split from her ex-husband, Cash Warren.
Court documents show neither party contested the split, and spousal support will not be paid. Instead, Alba agreed to pay Warren $3 million in two installments to balance shared assets, including their $10 million Beverly Hills home.
Following the settlement, The Blast reported that Alba took to Instagram with candid reflections about entering the Lunar Year of the Horse with gratitude and a focus on “forward momentum.”
She described the past year as one of shedding, facing hard truths, and making meaningful changes.
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Jessica Alba Sparked New Romance With Danny Ramirez
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With her marriage now behind her, the “Dark Angel” actress appears to be embracing a new chapter in her love life with actor Danny Ramirez.
According to The Blast, the 34-year-old actor publicly confirmed their relationship last November on Instagram, sharing photos from the 2025 Baby2Baby Gala in West Hollywood.
As seen in the pictures, the couple coordinated in sleek black looks, with Alba stunning in a strapless dress and diamond necklace.
Before the red carpet appearance, the pair had been spotted enjoying time together with Alba’s friends in New York, dining at Cuerno steakhouse, and showing PDA in Beverly Hills last July.
It’s hard for a series to stick the landing and provide a final episode that gives fans resolution while wrapping up years of stories and characterization. Star Trek: The Next Generation pulled it off, Scrubs did (before the last-minute renewal), Mad Men is another good one, but far removed from that list is one of the 90’s breakout shows, Xena: Warrior Princess. The final two episodes, “A Friend in Need, Part One” and “Part Two” are so bad that even Lucy Lawless refuses to acknowledge they exist.
The Death Of Xena
“A Friend in Need” takes Xena from the confines of Greece and sends her off to Japan, where she attempts to make up for the darkest act she ever performed: killing 40,000 people when she started a fire, out of anger, that burned down an entire village. If you don’t remember when that happened, don’t worry, it was never mentioned during the entire six-season run of Xena: Warrior Princess until, at the last moment, it became the most horrible, most heinous act she committed. It’s the equivalent of a sitcom spending years building up to meeting one character, for the sake of argument, say a mother, and then in the last episodes revealing that nothing mattered.
Xena and Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor) journey to Mt. Fuji, ready to face down an army under the control of Lord Yodoshi, the Samurai Lord killed by his daughter and Xena’s lover, Akemi, one of the most important people in the Amazon warrior’s life who again, we’re meeting now, in flashback, and then in the Underworld, in the series finale. In order for Yodoshi to be truly defeated Xena must die and fight him in the Underworld. That would be all well and good because the repentant hero gives up her life to set free 40,000 souls she unknowingly condemned, except for one thing: Xena chooses to stay dead.
Gabrielle picking up the blood-soaked chakram and successfully using it in battle is an amazing moment. Xena cutting Lord Yodoshi is immensely satisfying. The problem is that after Xena says in the first episode that Gabrielle is the most important person in her life, and we see flashbacks to past episodes, including “One Against An Army,” the two are denied the happy ending they, and the fans, deserved. Gabrielle has to take down Xena’s mutilated, headless body from where the Samurai put it on display, and then has to endure Xena choosing to stay dead for the sake of the lost souls.
Xena’s Massive Fandom Deserved Better
In spite of the horrendous ending, tens of thousands of fans still flock to annual conventions, Xena becomes a hit on every streaming platform lucky enough to host it, and the story lives on through multiple comic books, novels, and fanfiction epics. Lucy Lawless has explained over the years that at the time, the cast and crew thought it was a cool, crazy way to kill off a character, but seeing the way fans reacted broke her heart.
Xena: Warrior Princess started out as a spin-off of Kevin Sorbo’s Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but the rabid fanbase it attracted primarily for the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle has caused it to outlive the original series for decades. To turn around in the series finale and not only deny them a happy ending but to brutally murder Xena in the process, then choose people the audience never met over Gabrielle, is twisting the knife. There’s a reason real fans stop rewatches with “Many Happy Returns.” Stopping there means that Xena is still alive with countless adventures ahead of her. That’s how she should be remembered.
Social media users are sharing mixed opinions after Eva Giselle Jordan showed off the dress her mom, Mimi Faust, made her wear to her eighth-grade dance.
Eva Giselle Jordan Shows Off The Dress Her Mom Mimi Faust Made Her Wear To Her Eighth-Grade Dance
Earlier this week, Mimi Faust took to her Instagram account to share a reel with her more than 4.4 million followers. In the clip, Faust appeared alongside her daughter, Eva Giselle Jordan, and her friend, Ty. Furthermore, Jordan told viewers that in eighth grade, she attended a sneaker ball. From there, she paused and referred to her mom.
“She thinks I’m 10 still,” Jordan said, placing her phone in the camera’s view to show a picture of her at the event, dressed in a long, black maxi gown.
Furthermore, as Jordan showed the picture, Faust remarked on how “cute” the dress was. However, Jordan and Ty vehemently disagreed.
“So she was supposed to have a dress with her thighs and ass and titties out? What was she supposed to wear? I think that was very cute,” Faust added.
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Ultimately, Ty said Jordan looked like an “old maid,” while Jordan remarked that she’s “scared” for this year’s dance. Nonetheless, Faust reiterated that she doesn’t want her daughter looking like a “thot,” though Jordan tried to point out that she lacks an “in between” preference.
Peep the clip below.
Social Media Shares Mixed Opinions About The Dress For Her Eighth-Grade Dance
Social media users shared mixed opinions about the dress Eva Giselle Jordan donned for her eighth-grade dinner in TSR’s comments. Some agreed with Mimi Faust’s choice, while others didn’t see the vision.
Instagram user @likeabartab wrote, “Sneaker ball? No!! It’s giving Jehovah’s Witness door knockin..I would know.”
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While Instagram user @donicakes0214 added, “It’s age appropriate but it could have been a better print. That print was churchy”
Instagram user @theatlantahomegirl wrote, “Ummm… I understand covered but this was definitely a grandma dress. It gave Sunday school an Ebenezer Baptist Episcopal Church! 😂”
While Instagram user @kweenmocha added, “The grandma the baby”
Instagram user @i.amzyz wrote, “Okay Mimi But Hear Me Out It Could’ve Atleast Been Pink Or Something 😭😭😭🥴”
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While Instagram user @india.thebeautyqueen added, “She looked cute and the dress was age appropriate!”
Instagram user @lovemarbie wrote, “You can’t even see the sneakers 🤣”
While Instagram user @itsprettypre_ added, “That look like the dress Celie wore when she left Mister 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂”
Instagram user @cocobrown1980 wrote, “@mimifaust it was appropriate great job mom 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾❤️🙌🏾”
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While Instagram user @maemagnolia_ added, “Mimi is trying to protect and save her innocence due to her past. But her first mistake is not allowing her to experience herself through her clothing…recipe to creating a sneaky child”
Instagram user @therealdeemanni wrote, “Mimi was right!!!! Age appropriate!!! Stop trying to make our girls grow so fast. I still had barrettes at 13, now a days 13 year olds got bust downs🤦🏽♀️”
While Instagram user @theebap_ added, “lol yes she’s covered but it’s definitely a dress grandma would wear”
Instagram user @angel_with_da_locs wrote, “It was giving maybe a 8th grade dance back in the early 90’s. It’s a little old-fashioned for now in my opinion.”
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While Instagram user @pinkmaya16 added, “She could gotten that girl a dress that was more cuter and more her style with it being appropriate”
Eva Giselle Jordan & Her Mom Mimi Faust Made Headlines In Recent Months
As The Shade Room previously reported, Eva Giselle Jordan and Mimi Faust initially made headlines last year when Faust posted footage of Jordan practicing her driving skills.
Then, in December, the pair turned heads with their Saturday night dance clip.
Tim Piggot-Smith in ‘V for Vendetta’Image via Warner Bros.
One of the most important films of the 21st century celebrated its 20-year anniversary in 2025, and is about to celebrate its 21st anniversary exactly 1 week from today. The movie hasn’t merely been hugely influential over the last 20 years; it has also proven to be prophetic. But that was the point; the dystopian thriller used a fictional framework to underline how history is doomed to repeat itself. The film was co-written by the Wachowski siblings soon after they became the most in-demand creators in Hollywood followingThe Matrix trilogy. However, they handed over directorial responsibilities to their co-collaborator on the Matrix films, James McTeigue. The film was a critical and commercial success, and the cult following it has garnered over the past two decades is unprecedented.
The movie was set in an alternate reality where England is ruled by a totalitarian government. A masked vigilante, played to perfection by Hugo Weaving, dons a Guy Fawkes mask and attempts to overthrow the government. The story was presented from the perspective of a young woman, played by Natalie Portman. The movie grossed more than $130 million worldwide against a reported budget of approximately $55 million. It earned positive reviews and is now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 73% critics’ score and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The website’s consensus hailed the film as “visually stunning and thought-provoking.”
The Screen Actors Guild doled out accolades eight nights ago. Is it fresh enough in your memory to survive this recap?
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Here’s the Dystopian Classic Making Waves on Streaming
The movie we’re talking about, of course, is V for Vendetta. It was based on the comic book series of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, although only the latter was credited. This was because Moore had made it clear that he didn’t want anything to do with the film adaptations of his works. He has remained uncredited on the Watchmen adaptations and the Constantine movie. In an interview with MTV, Moore asked that all monetary proceeds from the adaptations of his books be distributed to the artists who worked on them. He also accused V for Vendetta producer Joel Silver of falsely claiming that he had endorsed the film adaptation. Moore was also critical of the movie, remarking in the interview, “It’s been turned into a Bush-era parable by people too timid to set a political satire in their own country.” Despite his disagreements with the film, V for Vendetta remains as popular as ever. With its 21st anniversary only a week away, V for Vendetta was among the most-watched movies on HBO Max’s domestic charts this week, now climbing to the #6 spot in the U.S.
Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.
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Release Date
February 23, 2006
Runtime
132 minutes
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Director
James McTeigue
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Producers
Grant Hill, Joel Silver, Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, Lorne Orleans
Dylan Dreyer Savannah Will Likely Come Back … Just Not Sure When
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Dylan Dreyer is giving a small update on her embattled “Today” co-host, Savannah Guthrie, as the search continues for Savannah’s mom, Nancy — telling TMZ she does believe she’ll likely return to the show at some point.
We caught Dylan leaving NBC Tuesday afternoon, and she said while she thinks Savannah will come back, the timing is totally unclear — adding everyone at the show is simply giving her the space she needs because they care about her so much.
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TMZ.com
Dylan also reflected on Savannah’s emotional visit to the “TODAY” studio last Thursday, saying the hug they shared was something they both really needed in that moment.
Catch the full clip — Dylan says the visit was incredibly emotional, adding Savannah clearly wants to get back to some sense of normal life … she just doesn’t quite know how yet.
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Still, Savannah managed a few smiles during the brief stop by the studio, doing her best to keep moving forward during an incredibly tough time.
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As we reported, Nancy was taken from her Tucson home in the middle of the night on February 1. She was last seen entering the house just before 10 PM on January 31 after dinner with her daughter Annie and Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni.
Days of Our Lives saw Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) apologized to Jeremy Horton (Michael Roark) for thinking he was her stalker. Once she saw Owen Kent (Wes Ramsey), then Stephanie was horrified she ever suspected Jeremy. So, will Stephanie also forgive him for his past abuse, too?
As of now, Jeremy and Stephanie remain in captivity and at Owen’s mercy. And Stephanie and Jeremy are all they have right now. So, will this trauma bonding lead to a truce or even a reunion?
Days of our Lives: Jeremy Wrongly Accused
So, for months now, Alex Kiriakis (Robert Scott Wilson), Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols), Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans), Jada Hunter (Elia Cantu) and Stephanie all thought Jeremy was the stalker and now blame him for the kidnapping. Based on faked evidence. Stephanie decided he was a villain and a liar from the moment she saw he was back.
But despite all the accusations he faced, Jeremy still showed up to try and rescue Stephanie last week instead of just leaving town. Jeremy followed Owen, with no idea who he was, to locate Stephanie.
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Stephanie Realizes Jeremy Was Framed
But, before Jeremy could safely get Stephanie out of the storage room, Owen showed up. And that’s when Stephanie freaked out and finally realized all her assumptions were wrong. Later, Jeremy learned from Stephanie who Owen is and why she’s terrified.
Jeremy told Stephanie that he recognized him because Owen posed as a school janitor and had a strange interaction with Jeremy before the creep left Stephanie’s cell phone for someone to find. And it was Thomas DiMera (Cary Christopher) who found her cell and turned it into Jeremy at the school.
That’s when he realized something was very wrong, especially when Jeremy started hearing sirens approaching North Salem Elementary. He figured out he was being set up, so Jeremy snuck out a bathroom window and saw Owen then tracked him to the hospital’s secret lab.
But because of Stephanie’s assumptions and Owen’s frame job, Jeremy couldn’t convince her to run before Owen came back. And so now, Stephanie and Jeremy are both handcuffed to chairs, hoping and praying someone in the lab next door would hear their cries for help.
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In fact, this week, Dr. Wilhelm Rolf (Richard Wharton) makes a surprising discovery. So, he may find Jeremy and Stephanie shackled to the chairs. But even if he does, Rolf would likely order his helper Owen, who’s been monitoring Lexie Carver’s (Renee Jones) machines, to just get rid of the captives so his lab’s not at risk.
Rolf has important work to do with Lexie now that she’s so close to her full resurrection, so he doesn’t want to have to deal with cops and all the commotion it could bring during this crucial time for his patient.
Stephanie and Jeremy Team Up to Escape
So, this could be a hard pill for Stephanie and Jeremy to swallow. Owen’s vowed to take Stephanie far away and dispose of Jeremy. He’s annoyed because Owen was counting on his scapegoat Jeremy being in jail and not showing up there complicating things.
Plus, one other thing Owen isn’t counting on is Stephanie teaming up with her ex, Jeremy, to make an escape from that ratty little room. Stephanie and Jeremy have to trust each other in order to get away from their delusional captor.
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Stephanie and Jeremy also talked about playing into Owen’s delusion that he’s going to make a life with Stephanie. They thought doing that might get Owen to at least let Jeremy go. Stephanie saw some tenderness from Jeremy when Stephanie needed it the most.
Days of our Lives: Escape Measures
In the midst of this horrible crisis, after Jeremy tried his best to dislocate his thumb to get loose, he scootched his chair closer to Stephanie. And the two clutched their fingers together as they waited in fear of what Owen would do to them next.
Meanwhile, the Salem PD, Steve, and Alex are following every lead to locate Stephanie. The cops were looking for Jeremy too because he was their main suspect. But Steve finally started to see the light on their bad assumptions.
He told Jada that the timing of the cell phone showing up at the school makes no sense if Jeremy’s the kidnapper. And Steve’s now clued in that Jeremy might’ve been set up by the real stalker. Top cop Jada also has her doubts.
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That’s why she went back over the CCTV video footage of the Horton Town Square when Alex was slashed by a man in a lab coat. Jada and Steve now realize that’s not Jeremy and someone was framing him.
Days of Our Lives: Stephanie Johnson – Jeremy Horton
Jeremy Embraces Stephanie After Their Escape
Days of Our Lives spoilers hint that Stephanie and Jeremy’s escape or rescue may happen by the end of this week. They’ll be out of Owen’s hands soon, no matter how it goes. After that, things may take a big turn for Stephanie and Alex.
Spoilers for later this week say that Jeremy embraces Stephanie. There is no way he could do that if Jeremy were still handcuffed to the chair. Either Stephanie or Jeremy has to be untied—or both—for that to happen.
Maybe he finally dislocates his thumb so he can get loose. We also know that Alex and Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) are in the lab soon and Alex rushes into the storage room. But will he walk in on his wife Stephanie hugging her ex-boyfriend Jeremy?
Meanwhile, Steve and Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) catch up with Owen at the park and are shocked to see his face. At first glance, Alex may assume Jeremy was conspiring with Owen all this time. Stephanie may have to defend Jeremy from the blame.
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Days of our Lives: Trauma Bonding Could Lead to Stephanie and Jeremy Reunion
And after their ordeal, we could see Stephanie trauma bonding with Jeremy. If that causes problems for her and Alex, that could set things up for Joy Wesley to get her claws into Alex when Joy’s back to Salem next month, possibly with Alex’s baby in her arms.
But in the interim, if Stephanie comes out of the kidnapping with forgiveness in her heart toward Jeremy, it could cause tension between her and Alex. Plus, if her new husband pushes her about starting a family, Stephanie may say she never wants kids. That could be a big issue.
Joy’s back to Salem on April 24th and Jeremy leaves on April 29th, so we have a little overlap there. Jeremy and Stephanie continue to bond this week and should be away from Owen soon. And if Stephanie comes out of it seeing Jeremy differently, Alex might not like that at all.
The NBC sitcom Community is rightfully regarded as one of the best television comedies ever made, at least for the first three seasons. However, showrunner Dan Harmon was replaced in Season 4, a season whose poor quality and reception would give it the Harmon-approved nickname “the gas leak year.” Harmon came back for Seasons 5 and 6, but the show continued to lose original cast members, and after leaving NBC, its final season was broadcast to a much smaller audience on Yahoo!
Because of this, there is a general belief in the Community fandom and the internet at large that the show should have ended after Season 3 and that the last three seasons are worth skipping altogether. While it’s true that Season 4 was pretty iffy (it lacked Dan Harmon’s special brand of crazy), Seasons 5 and 6 are excellent. Not only are they worthy of the seasons that came before, but these episodes are dramatically better than almost anything you can find on television right now.
Six Seasons And A Movie
First, some context about the rise and fall of Community. From the beginning, the show was something of a paradox for NBC: it gained widespread critical acclaim and major awards buzz, taking home a Primetime Emmy (one of four the show would ultimately be nominated for) in its second season. At the same time, the show struggled with ratings, and it was put on hiatus in Season 3 before being brought back after a prolonged #SaveCommunity fan campaign that even the actors took part in.
Community got renewed for Season 4, but after he clashed with NBC executives and Chevy Chase in increasingly public ways, Dan Harmon got the boot and was replaced as showrunner. He was brought back for Season 5, but this was the season where beloved cast member Donald Glover left the show. As the show faced low ratings yet again, NBC officially canceled Community, and it would later air its sixth and final season (one that saw the departure of Yvette Nicole Brown) on the brief-lived streaming service Yahoo TV.
The Fan Disappointment Was Streets Ahead
It’s not hard to see why the second half of Community got a bad rap: Season 4 is so tonally different, and everyone feels out-of-character without the presence of Dan Harmon (who famously based the show on his experiences as a Glenndale Community College student who became part of a study group). When Harmon came back for Season 4, he used a throwaway line about a gas leak to casually explain that none of that season’s events had actually happened.
However, a lore reset wasn’t enough for some fans: by the end, Community had lost three of its core cast members (Donald Glover, Chevy Chase, and Yvette Nicole Brown), greatly affecting the show’s dynamic. This was a show whose entire charm came from the weird chemistry of vastly different characters who banded together to survive their college classes. Because that dynamic changed so dramatically with the introduction of new characters, many fans think that Seasons 5 and 6, even with the return of Dan Harmon as showrunner, aren’t worth watching.
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They Didn’t Britta The Final Seasons
Here’s the thing, though: those seasons are surprisingly excellent, and that’s in large part due to Community getting some new blood. It’s true that the show lost something special with the departure of original cast members, especially Donald Glover. His Troy character’s interactions with Abed formed the heart and soul of the show. But Season 5 saw the addition of Breaking Bad icon Jonathan Banks, whose gruff, no-nonsense professor gives our favorite deranged students someone hilariously crusty to bounce off of (he is particularly impressive in “Advanced Advanced Dungeons & Dragons”).
Similarly, Season 6 saw the introduction of Paget Brewster as an administrator who, despite her softer edges, provides a similar role: she is someone relatively strait-laced that the other characters (who are as immature as ever) can easily play off of. But the real secret sauce of Community’s sixth season is Keith David, whose quirky inventor combines the best parts of Pierce (old and hilariously out of touch) and the most transgressive parts of Troy (especially with jokes making racism into a raucous punchline). Davis is a genuine cinematic treasure, and he breathes so much life into Season 6, you’ll never guess it’s the final season until the very end.
Funnier And Weirder Than Greendale Itself
Aside from the awesome performances from newcomers like Keith David, the other reason that Community’s final two seasons are worth watching is that the episodes are just as funny and ambitious as anything that came before. “G.I. Jeff,” for example, tells a moving story about Jeff through the medium of some top-notch animation, and all the humor involving the old G.I. Joe cartoon is sure to keep any ‘80s kid worth their action figures laughing until the credits roll. Similarly, “App Development and Condiments” makes profound commentary on the modern obsession with social media, but it does so through laugh-out-loud scenes that remind you that Community is the most bonkers TV show ever made.
This was, of course, always the Community formula: showrunner Dan Harmon specialized in wrapping moving, often poignant stories in the form of episodes featuring unhinged characters and subversively meta humor. The show’s final two seasons keep this momentum up and prove the formula is still great with episodes like “Lawnmower Maintenance and Postnatal Care,” which pairs Britta’s story of rebellion against her helicopter parents with a tale of the Dean becoming obsessed with virtual reality (a gag that seems even funnier after the repeated failures of unpopular technology like Google Glass and Apple Vision Pro).
Escaping The Darkest Timeline
Even to the end, Community is great at subverting our expectations in the funniest possible way: “Queer Studies and Advanced Waxing,” for example, has the college’s bumbling Board inviting Dean Pelton to become a member because it will look good for them to have hired a gay man. Pelton struggles with this, though, because he identifies as far more than “gay” and doesn’t like the idea of being placed in such a restrictive box. Amid this thoughtful tale of queer exploration and inept school politicking, we get a B plot about Chang performing as Mr. Myagi along with a frighteningly catchy earworm of a song (“Gay Dean,” sung to the tune of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”).
Long story not very short: Community remains one of the best sitcoms ever made, and no show in modern television has managed to reach this show’s humorous heights. But I want this to be a PSA (or at least a very special edition of Troy and Abed in the Morning) that the show’s final two seasons are just as good as seasons 1-3, and if you left the series during the gas leak year, there’s still time to come back and watch the rest of the show. If you do so quickly enough, you’ll be just in time to enjoy the upcoming Community film, one which will fulfill the prophecy so frequently quoted by both Abed and the fandom: “six seasons and a movie!”
Former NFL playerDarron Lee allegedly turned to ChatGPT for advice the day before his girlfriend, Gabriella Perpétuo, was found dead in a rental home they shared in Tennessee, according to prosecutors.
Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp shared the unearthed messages that Lee, 31, was claimed to have written during a preliminary court hearing on Monday, March 9, speculating it was an attempt by the New York Jets’ former first-round pick to carry out the murder and not get caught.
“Don’t know what to do right now,” Lee allegedly wrote, per the Los Angeles Times. “Fiancée did her crazy thing again and now she’s messed up, I wake up and she has two swollen eyes (I didn’t do anything, self inflicted) she stabbed herself, slit her eye? Idk but she isn’t waking up or responding, what do I do?”
The generated response from ChatGPT stated, “Got it. Here’s exactly what [redacted] is the safest way to handle it without framing it as ‘police trouble.’”
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Gabriella Perpetuo.gofundme
Lee also apparently asked if someone who has slipped and fallen could suffer “puncture wounds.” (An autopsy conducted on Perpétuo, 29, determined that she suffered severe brain trauma, a broken neck, extensive bruising, large bite marks on her shoulder and thigh, stab wounds and significant facial injuries.)
Lead detective Brian Lockhart previously told the court there was blood found in nearly every room of the house except one. Investigators also discovered broken glass from the microwave in the kitchen, alcohol bottles scattered throughout the home and cleaning supplies.
Wamp brought forth the new evidence, claiming that Lee was using the AI chatbot as a “legal advisor” and had “dozens of conversations” over a two-day span.
Dispatch audio painted a tragic picture of the final moments of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland’s life. Kneeland sent a group text to his family “saying goodbye,” according to audio obtained by TMZ Sports on Thursday, November 6. “We’re talking to his girlfriend,” a 911 dispatcher said. “She’s trying to call his agent. We’re […]
“Mr. Lee was in a home with a female [who] was, for lack of a better term, beaten to death,” Wamp told the court last month while asking the judge overseeing the case to withhold the ex-linebacker’s bond. “And the explanation that he gave doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.”
Lee was ultimately denied bond and remains in custody on first-degree murder and evidence‑tampering charges. He has not yet entered a formal plea but denied wrongdoing when officers arrived at the scene.
“She wasn’t saying anything and that’s when I called 911 immediately, and I was like, ‘What is going on?’ … I was asleep for a long time,” Lee said in a video shown in court.
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Perpétuo’s family has since filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Lee and launched a GoFundMe to cover attorney fees, funeral and travel costs. As of March 10, $63,000 out of a $100,000 goal has been raised.
“Gabriella was a victim to domestic violence and abuse,” the description reads. “She is unfortunately no longer with us. She was residing in Tennessee when this happened and is currently still there. Her parents Monique and Nilson have traveled there to go and try to get her back home to Florida as soon as possible so family and friends can say their final goodbyes.”
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If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
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Spring is officially in the air, and there’s no better time to refresh your routine from head to toe. Whether you’re updating your skincare lineup, stocking up on grooming essentials or prepping for spring break travel, CVS is making it even easier to lean into a full self-care reset.
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For a quick glow-up, Revlon Photoready Instant Plump Serum Gloss adds shine, while essie Salon-Quality Nail Polish from the Glass Nails Collection delivers a polished finish perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or Easter celebrations.
March is packed with reasons to treat yourself. Planning watch parties for March Madness? Stock up on whole-body care essentials so you feel your best from tipoff to final buzzer. Feeling festive for St. Patrick’s Day? Play with bold green eye looks or fresh nail shades. Looking ahead to Easter? Beauty and personal care favorites also make thoughtful basket additions and seasonal gifts.
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