Marlena, Kate, and Kayla ended up in the afterlife. Jack pushed Chad to pursue Stephanie. Gwen chose Xander over Jack, and Chanel and Allie continued to implode this week in Salem.
Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Kathy from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to rate the afterlife, debate Gwen’s decision, decide if Jack’s advice was right or wrong, and choose their favorite friends in Salem.
Rate the afterlife story for Marlena, Kayla, and Kate so far from 1 (Please make it end) to 10 (I love it.)
Kathy: I will rate the story at 8. I am interested to see how it plays out.
Jack: I’m giving it a solid 7. I’m surprised at how much I’m enjoying this story. I thought I’d hate it. But even though it’s goofy and the Devil stuff doesn’t make sense, it’s far more entertaining and less annoying than I expected.
Christine: I’ll give it a 7. Kayla and Kate’s deaths were rushed, but the afterlife has kept me intrigued. I’m really curious as to how this will all play out and how many characters we’ll see in heaven, hell, or wherever they are now.
Should Jack have been giving Chad advice about his love life? Do you agree that it’s time for Chad to move on? Should it be with Stephanie?
Kathy: I think it is fine for Jack to let Chad know it is okay to move on. How and when Chad moves on is up to him. I guess in Salem time, it is time for Chad to move on.
Jack: Six months is nothing in real life (in Jewish tradition, the mourning period is 11-12 months). But on a soap, it’s an eternity.
As long as Chad is not neglecting his kids or using a relationship as an escape from his grief over Abigail and now Kate, there’s no reason not to move on.
He and Stephanie are attracted to each other, and he respects her boundaries and vice versa, so why not?
However, he and Stephanie should take it slowly, especially considering Chad has young children who might easily get attached to their late mom’s cousin.
Christine: Ugh. I hated Jack’s advice. No one should be pushing Chad into a relationship. Abigail hasn’t been gone that long, and Chad is still adjusting to her loss.
It feels like Jack pushed Chad to pursue Stephanie, and although they clearly like one another, I fear that Chad isn’t ready for this, and I don’t think it will end well for any of them.
Did Chanel overreact to finding Alex’s underwear on their sofa?
Kathy: Chanel did overreact a little, but in her mind, Allie has some explaining to do. Allie has been raking Chanel over the coals, so turnabout is fair play. I think both young women were over the top.
Jack: Yes and no. She is still hurt that Allie refused to trust her and threw endless tantrums about Chanel and Johnny.
She was giving her a taste of her own medicine, and her extreme anger was about that more than the underpants. But she might have looked better to viewers if she was the bigger person.
Christine: Yes and no. If Chanel and Allie trusted one another, she’d believe that Alex innocently spent the night sleeping on the sofa.
But they don’t trust one another. Allie wouldn’t listen to Chanel about comforting Johnny at the hospital. And Allie and Alex were both very drunk. I’m not even sure that I believe nothing happened between them.
Did Gwen make the right decision by protecting Xander, or should she have agreed to Jack’s demands and turned him in?
Kathy: I can understand Gwen’s decision to protect Xander. She has probably been waiting for Jack to turn his back on her. I don’t think that she ever trusted that Jack would always stand by her.
Jack: Of course, she should have listened to Jack’s demands! Not because it was an ultimatum but because it’s the right thing to do, and if she wants to demonstrate she’s changed, then cooperating with the police in this matter would be a good way to do it.
I also think that Xander choking Leo should have had consequences, and it’s being glossed over in favor of Gwen being loyal to Xander and Leo encouraging her to pursue the man who tried to kill him five minutes before he made the suggestion.
Christine: Xander and Leo are Gwen’s only friends. I know it’s not technically morally right, but I would have been disappointed in her if Gwen had turned on Xander now.
Besides, if Gwen had to choose, she’d rather have Xander in her life than Jack. She’s still in love with Xander. And although she loves her father, she knows he’ll always be disappointed in her because she’ll never change enough to be accepted.
Rolf’s deprogramming of Stefan could have been more successful. So now he’s in love with both Gabi and Chloe? With whom would you prefer Stefan end up?
Kathy: I don’t really have a preference. Maybe he should just forget both and concentrate on getting his life back in order.
Jack: I’m not a fan of either of these pairings. I don’t like Stefan, I don’t like Gabi, and I don’t care if they’re together or not. However, Chloe had enough self-respect to decide it was over when she learned Stefan was brainwashed into loving her, so I hope she has enough to stick to it now.
Christine: I liked Stefan and Gabi back when he was killed the first time, but I’m finding them both a little hard to take this time around.
But Chloe and Stefan are simply boring, so if he’s going to be paired with one of them, I’ll choose Gabi and hope for the best.
Who is your favorite friend pairing in Salem right now?
Kathy: My favorite friend pairing right now is Roman, Steve, and John.
Jack: Abe’s friendships with John, Steve, and Roman never disappoint, and I enjoy the friendship between John and Steve (or I did until this stupid let’s kill Orpheus plot began).
I also loved Paulina and Kate’s friendship, but that’s over, at least while Kate is stuck in the afterlife.
I like Leo and Gwen’s friendship, too, although they are phenomenally terrible influences on one another. They truly are platonic soulmates.
Christine: I love Gwen and Leo. They truly understand one another, even when they’ve turned on each other, and their conversations are always fun and entertaining.
What surprised or disappointed you the most this week in Salem?
Kathy: I was surprised to see Jordan Ridgeway judging Kate. I can’t wait to see who shows up next.
Jack: A big fat ugh to this plot to murder Orpheus. I can’t believe Roman gave in to this! Orpheus likely won’t stay dead if the guys kill him, and they’ll end up in prison. Lowering themselves to his level is no solution and a terrible way to honor Kate, Kayla, and Marlena’s memories.
Also, what is wrong with Paulina? Her advice is usually on the money, but she was on the wrong side with the Allie/Chanel dispute. She absolutely should be pushing for Chanel to leave her immature brat of a girlfriend and should be angry on her behalf, not blaming her for Allie’s total refusal to listen to Chanel or work anything out.
Why is Bonnie so eager for Sarah to forgive Xander when he’s the one who kidnapped and tormented Bonnie?
And why does Sarah think she has any right to say ANYTHING about Xander and Gwen when she rejected Xander? I hate how people on DAYS always think they own their exes and can stop them from moving on. Quickly or slowly, it doesn’t matter. It’s over. Move on.
Finally, while I’m thrilled Chad and Stephanie got together, what’s with the rush to the bedroom? Why not go slowly and discuss where the relationship is headed BEFORE sleeping together?
Christine: That Stephanie and Chad jumped straight into bed was a disappointment. I’m not their biggest fan, but maybe I’d like them more if I could see them as a romantic couple before tearing each other’s clothes off.
And I, too, was surprised to see Jordan judging Kate, but I thought it was a great use of history and appreciated that Clyde molesting Jordan wasn’t forgotten.
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline on this week’s Days of Our Lives?
Kathy: My favorite storyline is the guys plotting against Orpheus. I hope that means we will see more of Lucas.
Jack: Kate’s reaction to seeing Jordan again cracked me up in this Days of Our Lives quote…
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.
I also was glad that Xander stood up to Sarah and pointed out that since she divorced him and said he wasn’t good enough for her, she has no say over who he’s with now…
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?
Christine: I loved the argument between Sarah, Xander, and Gwen. It was raw and honest and had some wonderfully biting lines. I hate that they broke up Sarah and Xander, but I can’t say I’m not enjoying the fallout.
Okay, Days fans, now it’s your turn. Click that SHOW COMMENTS button below to tell us how you feel about the happenings in Salem. Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.