Days of Our Lives Review for the Week of 1-30-23: Heartbreak In Heaven and On Earth

Spoilers

Marlena, Kate, and Kayla’s reunion in Heaven led to more questions than answers. Chief among them: are the ladies in Heaven or what?

The set looks like the Heaven set that Bo spent time in on Beyond Salem 2. But no annoying angel is hanging around, and the dead people who welcomed the three ladies to Heaven turned out to be the Devil.

Back on Earth, Steve, John, and Roman made a pact to kill Orpheus on Days of Our Lives during the week of 1-30-23 — did the Devil get them, too?

Although initially, it appeared that Kate was in purgatory and the other two were in some version of Heaven, all three ladies ended up signing contracts with the Devil.

How did the Devil get to Kayla and Marlena if they were in Heaven? And what happens now?

Most stories about people signing their souls over to the Devil involve an element of choice — the person is tempted to agree by the promises of riches, fame, the love of a seemingly uninterested person, and so on.

In this case, the Devil tricked them by pretending to be various people in the women’s lives that they trusted. Are these contracts enforceable?

The Salem version of the Devil plays by its own rules, so who knows? But if this is Heaven, God and His angels should have something to say about the Devil poaching souls outside the Pearly Gates!

Maybe (hopefully!) this is the Devil’s last stand, and the three women will band together, defeat him for the last time, and earn a second chance at life.

Kate Arrives in the Afterlife - Days of Our Lives

Days of Our Lives went all out on the cinematography for this story. The backgrounds, music, and outfits all contributed to the otherworldly feeling in these scenes.

The story is silly, but it’s entertaining despite the plot holes and general ridiculousness. I’m interested in how the ladies will get out of this mess and back to their Earthly lives!

Kate: Jordan Ridgeway. I can’t believe this.
Jordan: It has been so long, Kate, and we have so much catching up to do.
Kate: Yeah, well, I guess it’s official, then. Because if I’m stuck here with you, that means I died and went straight to Hell.

The lowest point of this goofy Devil-in-Heaven story wasn’t the Devil itself; it was the Kate/Jordan interactions.

Kate got some great lines in. Her comment that being stuck with Jordan proved she was in Hell was one of the best. Still, Jordan is nobody’s favorite character, and the idea that she gets to decide whether Kate goes to Heaven is laughable — didn’t Jordan try to kill Ciara to keep her and Ben apart?

Jordan is Possessed - Days of Our Lives

She looked creepy with those yellow eyes, though, and of the three “spirits,” she made the most believable Devil.

Meanwhile, Steve hatched a ridiculous plot to kill Orpheus back on Earth. This development was disappointing on many levels.

Roman: John, you can’t believe that killing Orpheus is really the answer to this.
John: Roman. There’s something you don’t know. When Orpheus was first released from prison, Steve wanted to meet me here. We sat at that table right there and he told me he wanted to take Orpheus out before he hurt or killed anyone. And I talked him out of it. And I used the same argument you just used. Now, if I hadn’t done that, we would probably be having breakfast with our beautiful wives right now. So I gotta side with my partner. We need to rid this Earth of Milo Harp now.

There’s been more than enough death and destruction in Salem, and Steve and John’s claim that Orpheus won’t leave them alone until he’s dead is laughable.

Orpheus wanted revenge for his wife’s death. Now his enemies’ wives are dead. Thus, there’s no reason for Orpheus to continue to bother the men — they’re even in his mind.

Marlena Signs Papers - Days of Our Lives

John’s also wrong that killing Orpheus earlier would have saved the women’s lives. Orpheus had probably already poisoned them by the time Steve came up with that idea — he gloated to Rolf that it was already done when Rolf discovered his poison was missing.

The reason Steve didn’t kill Orpheus at that time was that everyone who loved him talked him out of doing something that would land him in prison.

It’s inconceivable and out of character for Roman to give in and be part of this. His previous objections still stand. He’s a former police commissioner and can’t be part of a murder pact.

Hopefully, Kayla will escape the Devil soon and stop Steve from doing this stupid thing, just as she did when she was alive.

Kate in Purgatory - Days of Our Lives

Orpheus, like Stefano, has been “killed” before, only to come back to life.

Murdering him won’t accomplish anything except for the men lowering themselves to his level and possibly ending up in prison.

While many Salemites might rejoice that Orpheus is gone, Trask isn’t likely to overlook the fact that he was murdered, and if she can get prominent citizens such as Steve, Roman, and John on the hook for it, she’ll be thrilled to do so.

This is a horrible idea, probably borne out of grief. Why are there no other therapists besides Marlena in Salem? The guys need someone, especially Steve!

Kayla Tries to Get Help - Days of Our Lives

Meanwhile, Salem seems to be suffering from an overabundance of love triangles.

Gwen/Xander/Sarah is fighting with Allie/Chanel/Johnny for the most obnoxious triangle award, while Wendy is a bit player in the twins’ fight over Chanel while dealing with a triangle of her own. And let’s not forget Alex/Stephanie/Chad.

I know triangles are a soap staple, but this is ridiculous! Can’t we have any love stories that don’t involve two people fighting over a third? This is a bit much!

Sarah: You really slept with Gwen?
Xander: Uh huh.
Sarah: The ink on our divorce papers isn’t even dry yet and you already slept with that horrible woman?
Gwen: Uh, I’m right here.
Xander: What I do now is officially none of your business, Sarah. And I want to make something clear. I don’t want you putting Gwen down.
Sarah: How chivalrous of you, defending your girlfriend’s honor.
Xander: You couldn’t wait to be rid of a criminal like me. What do you care how I spend my nights?

I was glad that Sarah dumped Xander, or would have been if that had been the end of it.

Chanel's Had Enough - Days of Our Lives

Sarah has never accepted Xander for who he is. He was right — she knew what he was when she married him.

Sarah: I never once made you feel inadequate. I never once asked for you to support me. You could have worked at Buddy’s Burger Barn for all I care. All I wanted was to be with the man that I love.
Xander: And who was that?
Sarah: The man that I thought you were.
Xander: Oh, don’t give me that. You knew exactly who I was when you married me. I mean, sure, every now and then I’d try to turn over a new leaf, but it never worked, did it? I always failed, as you keep reminding me. And you… you admitted that part of what drew you to me in the first place was I was a bad boy, that you were drawn to the side of me that breaks the rules. That is the man you fell in love with. You know it’s true.

She’s always gone into it thinking she’ll change Xander into this good guy, which never works. Either you love and accept the person you have, or you move on; changing someone into the idealized image in your head is a recipe for relationship disaster.

Sarah either had to stop trying to change Xander or give up on this relationship. She chose to walk away, which was an honorable choice. But once she did that, she didn’t have the right to police who he moved on with.

Yet she had a tantrum about Xander sleeping with Gwen when she ran into them in the Square. She’s still in love with Xander regardless of her claim to have washed her hands of him, but that doesn’t make her behavior any less ridiculous.

Paulina Comforts Chanel - Days of Our Lives

Xander and Gwen’s decision to go full evil doesn’t help things. “Proving the people who don’t love us right” is still allowing others to control your behavior!

Gwen is rarely likable, but she shows a softer side when she tends to a drunk-off-his-ass Xander and tries to get him to sober up. I want more of that and fewer ridiculous schemes. Revenge is another overused theme on this show; we don’t need more of it, thanks.

Where Gwen goes, Leo is sure to follow, and it’s disappointing that Xander nearly choking Leo to death has been glossed over.

There was no real reason for Leo to inform Xander that he planned to testify against him. But this was still witness tampering of the worst sort, and all that happened was that Leo rubbed his neck while encouraging Gwen to tell Xander she loves him.

Chad Feels Awkward - Days of Our Lives

Paulina was wrong to encourage Chanel to apologize to Allie. For what? Chanel repeatedly tried to explain that she and Johnny got caught up in a moment, but there was nothing between them, only for Allie to reply with biting sarcasm and then give Chanel the silent treatment.

Allie was in the wrong here, and Paulina should have been on her daughter’s side. Period.

Chanel may have overreacted when she saw Alex’s underwear, which magically appeared on the couch at the perfect moment to trigger a fight. But she also gave Allie a taste of her own medicine.

She showed Allie exactly what it feels like to be accused over and over and then rejected instead of being treated like an adult by your partner.

Sarah Claims She's Done - Days of Our Lives

What’s going to happen now? Is Chanel going to keep bouncing back and forth between Allie and Paulina, trying to make up because Paulina says so but changing her mind when she sees Allie?

And if Allie is afraid that Johnny will steal Chanel from her, then why on Earth is she discouraging Wendy from pursuing Johnny? If Johnny were in a committed relationship with Wendy, he’d be less likely to turn to Chanel.

Allie’s motive seems to be to destroy Johnny’s happiness no matter what it takes. It’s almost as if she’s still not over him dumping her friend when they were in high school. Poor Chanel is caught in the crossfire of Allie’s desire to sabotage any friendship or positive relationship in Johnny’s life.

She’s become unlikeable. It’s not that she’s her mother’s daughter — the snark and nasty behavior are only part of Sami’s personality, where it seems to be all there is to Allie.

Chad and Stephanie Discuss The Next Step  - Days of Our Lives

It’s sad. When a pregnant Allie first arrived on Eric and Nicole’s doorstep, she had a lot of potential, and I enjoyed Nicole mentoring her despite Sami’s distaste for Nicole.

But now, Allie is a whiny, bratty mess who I can’t stand. The sooner she loses everything, as she so richly deserves, the better!

The Chad/Stephanie/Alex mess took another turn now that Stephanie has chosen a finally-willing Chad.

Many viewers were disappointed that Jack encouraged Chad to move on only six months after Abigail died. But in soapland, six months is an eternity, and Chad is a far better match for Stephanie than Alex, the walking epitome of the kind of guy who sees women only as sexual conquests.

Paulina Encourages Chanel to Forgive Allie - Days of Our Lives

Stephanie only settled for Alex, agreeing to date him because Chad wasn’t available. If Alex hadn’t decided to be a controlling ass, she might have talked herself into happiness with him, but it’s nothing compared to her delirious joy over being with Chad.

Paulina told Alex to apologize in person. She didn’t tell him to get flowers, write a card, or walk into Stephanie’s home without knocking. And she certainly didn’t tell him to whine to Chad in the Square afterward about how he saw them together.

Hopefully, Sonny can talk some sense into Alex. But why did Chad and Stephanie have to rush to the bedroom and THEN discuss their relationship?

Everyone does this on Days of Our Lives, and it’s always felt backward to me. Why doesn’t anyone ever discuss where their relationship is headed before they sleep together instead of the other way around?

Stephanie is Disgusted - Days of Our Lives

It makes sense that Chad would decide to open himself to love again and that Stephanie would want to date him, but why do they need to jump into bed right away? Chad keeping his wedding ring on while making love to his wife’s cousin made this feel more like a one-night stand than the beginning of a relationship, and afterward, he seemed to have doubts.

At least Steve was accepting instead of being the stereotypical angry parent who doesn’t think anyone is good enough for his little girl. But he didn’t bat his good eye at the fact that his niece’s widower was sleeping with his daughter!

Chad has children to think of, so it behooves him to take it slow, so they don’t get overly attached.

That’s not what happened here, and even though IU like Chad and Stephanie far better than Stephanie and Alex, I wish Chad would take his time and be a responsible father to his two grieving, motherless children.

Rolf Improvises - Days of Our Lives

Finally, Stefan’s unbrainwashing took a strange turn when he awakened in love with BOTH Gabi and Chloe!

Chloe won’t be interested in a threesome or any other non-exclusive relationship, and Gabi won’t share her man. But will Stefan accept Chloe backing out of this relationship?

Gabi’s already throwing tantrums about Rolf needing to deprogram Stefan further, which Stefan doesn’t want. Gabi’s got all the mileage she can get out of this scheme to deprogram Stefan against his will, but what’s her next move?

And Li wants to cause trouble now that Gabi tricked him, so how will that affect this situation?

Stefan is Skeptical - Days of Our Lives

Your turn, Days of Our Lives fanatics! Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS buttons and let us know your thoughts.

Don’t forget to check on Sunday for the latest Days of Our Lives Round Table discussion.

Days of Our Lives streams exclusively on Peacock. New episodes drop on weekdays at 6 AM EST / 3 AM PST.

Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.

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