Orpheus abducted Marlena and Kayla (nothing new there). Li Shin stopped Stefan from reaching Gabi. Ava sparred with EJ, while Leo turned on Gwen once again.
Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Mikey from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate Orpheus’ plan, whether there is really heat between Ava and EJ, if a threesome spells doom for Chanel and Allie, who is their favorite couple in Salem right now, and more!
Orpheus kidnapped Marlena and Kayla. What do you think he wants?
Mikey: To quote Taylor Swift, “I think I’ve seen this film before…” Orpheus’s motives (money, revenge) always seem to be secondary to the plot mechanics. I feel like I’ve seen so many versions of this at this point that I can barely muster a shrug.
Are they actually going to die? No way. Will they be rattled by this even two days after the fact? Probably not.
I suppose it’s time for Marlena’s annual kidnapping, but I have a suspicion that whatever Orpheus hopes to gain from this will barely even make sense in light of the fact that he was just pardoned and could go about his life anywhere in the world for the first time in decades.
Jack: Probably the same thing he always wants: to torment and get revenge against Roman and his family. Thirty years ago, this made sense. But now, Orpheus doesn’t even mention Roman killing his wife anymore and even claims to have accidentally killed Justin’s wife! The loss of his backstory has made him less compelling of a villain.
Christine: Who knows? Who cares? Orpheus going on a kidnapping spree is so redundant it’s difficult to muster up an eye roll.
I’ve always thought that Orpheus was smarter than this. He was given a full pardon. There have to be better, more devious ways to make his enemies miserable than openly abducting someone and risking going back to prison.
After dreaming about Nicole, Eric had sex with Jada. React!
Mikey: I was surprised by how quickly Eric and Jada fell into bed together. I don’t really get Hot Chemistry from them, but they have a pleasant vibe together, and she seems like a nice, relatively sane person amidst the insanity of Salem.
It’s pretty clear that this entire storyline is building up the tension between Eric and Nicole until they crack and give in to their feelings. I’d hate for Jada to become roadkill left in their wake, or worse, turn into a psycho over Eric.
And I hope Eric and Nicole learned from what happened when they cheated together behind Brady’s back and that once they admit their feelings, they end things with their respective partners before hopping into bed together. That would show a lot of growth on both their parts.
Jack: Yawn. This whole “Nicole and Eric had the same dream” nonsense annoyed me. I would have rather seen Eric have a real relationship with Jada.
Christine: I’m disappointed. Eric woke up hot from a sex dream about Nicole and channeled those feelings to Jada, who had no idea she was being used as a place filler for his ex. The least the show could have done was give some build-up to Eric and Jada so that we’d feel something when he ditches her for Nicole.
Instead, this is just another disposable relationship and not very compelling to watch.
Were you surprised that Leo turned on Gwen…again?
Mikey: Since it appears to be a week of quotes for me, what’s the old saying? “You lie down with dogs, you get fleas.” Or, “there’s no honor among thieves.”
These two are BFFs as it suits them, but they’re really just two desperate grifters. I’m zero percent surprised that Leo turned on Gwen, and I don’t think she’d hesitate to do the same to him if it came down to it.
Jack: I was! Even though I don’t like either of these characters much, I enjoy their friendship and was looking forward to them teaming up to find out who really killed Abigail.
Christine: A little. Leo and Gwen do seem to care about one another. The problem is they have no sense of loyalty to anyone but themselves.
I actually might have enjoyed Gwen and Leo teaming up to find the real killer, but now it doesn’t look like that will happen.
Chanel was eager to hang out with Alex once again. Do you think this bodes well for Chanel and Allie’s future?
Mikey: I do think it could indicate trouble in paradise. However, I also appreciate that it’s a very realistic note to play between two young people finding their way in a new relationship.
I’ve had a lot of issues with the storytelling on Days the past few years, but they do seem to be making an effort to tackle some real, contemporary dynamics that the Days of 10 or 20 years ago would’ve completely shied away from.
The reality is that people in serious, committed relationships might also find someone other than their partner attractive, and it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to cheat or leave their partner, so to see Chanel and Allie really communicate about that could be refreshing.
That said, this is a soap, so the odds of two women in their early 20s staying together for the next six or seven decades are pretty low.
One thing I hope they avoid is the trope that a bisexual person in a same-sex relationship will always be yearning for someone of the opposite sex, as well.
They’ve handled Chanel and Allie’s complex sexualities pretty well so far, so I’m optimistic that it won’t devolve into a tired stereotype.
Jack: Chanel is more sexually adventurous than Allie and may be interested in threesomes, polyamorous relationships, etc. If Allie isn’t up for that, this isn’t going to work.
That said, Alex could use some friends, and the women could help him learn that he can have friendships with the opposite sex instead of it always turning into a one=night stand.
Christine: Hard to say. It’s not wrong to find someone else attractive. And if Chanel and Allie were both interested in a threesome with Alex, there wouldn’t be an issue.
The upside is that Chanel and Allie talked about it and were honest about their feelings. That bodes well for their future. But if Chanel feels like she’s missing out on something, or if Allie worries she isn’t enough for Chanel, then there could be problems.
And Alex could use some women who are just his friends, so I’m hoping that’s how this “threesome” turns out.
Gabi remarked that there was “heat” between Ava and EJ. Do you agree? Would you like to see them eventually become a romantic couple?
Mikey: I definitely see the chemistry between EJ and Ava. It seems more like the cat-and-mouse sort of chemistry than romantic, and much like Leo and Gwen, I wouldn’t for a second doubt that either of them would flip on the other if it became advantageous. But as far as pure chemistry, yes, I definitely see some.
Jack: I am surprised by how much I like the idea of Ava and EJ! Neither one is my favorite character, and I hated EJ with Sami. But there is definite heat between him and Ava, and they could be a fun evil couple.
Christine: Yes! EJ and Ava are both smart and devious, with questionable morals. They could end up being a great couple and a whole lot of fun to watch if they finally team up.
That said, I want to see a slow build with these two. Neither is the trusting type, so they’ll be fighting their attraction and feelings for a while, but that will just make it all the more satisfying if/when they become a couple.
Not it’s your turn, Days fans. Do you hope to see Ava and EJ become a long-term romantic couple?
Li knocked Stefan out and dragged him back to Rolf’s lair lab. Has Li Shin turned the corner into villain territory?
Mikey: Totally. He’s very clearly the spoiler in the Gabi/Stefan ‘true love’ relationship right now. I can’t say I mind utilizing him this way.
The character was a pretty blank slate prior to his relationship with Gabi, and I find the actor pretty limited, so it’s not some huge waste of a really promising, dynamic presence. He finally has a point-of-view besides “keep DiMera Enterprises in the black.”
Jack: Li became a villain the second he told Rolf to delay awakening Stefan in order to keep Gabi for himself. This just solidified it.
Christine: Oh yeah. Li Shin is definitely the villain in this story. It’s clear that Gabi is truly in love with Stefan. Why Li would want to be her second choice is beyond me, but I guess it has to do with power and possession, not love.
I don’t find Shin all the appealing, so I hope manipulations don’t last very long so he can head back out of Salem soon.
Who is your favorite romantic couple in Salem right now?
Mikey: Hmm… I always appreciate John & Marlena and Steve & Kayla for their history.
I actually kind of enjoyed seeing Roman and Kate reunite since Kate displayed a modicum of growth by taking responsibility for her role in covering up Lucas’s actions.
And I do like Chanel and Allie together, though I don’t get a ton of heat from them.
I’m not sure there are any other couples lighting my world on fire, though. That’s been a pretty consistent issue with this regime, actually: the romances don’t really feel earned or rewarding. I’ve wanted a Broe redux for years, and now they just kind of seem… there.
Jack: Most of my favorites mostly keep the romance off-screen. Steve/Kayla, Jack/Jennifer, and Doug/Julie are the three best couples in Salem, and Jack and Jennifer rarely share airtime, never mind romance, while Doug and Julie are rarely seen together anymore.
Christine: Xander and Sarah! When they’re together, it’s flirty, sexy fun.
And for anyone who watched Beyond Salem: Chapter Two, I loved Paul and Andrew. Any chance we can get those two to come to Salem permanently?
What, if anything, disappointed you this week in Salem?
Mikey: I don’t know if this is ‘disappointing’ exactly, but Alex and Sloan hooking up in their underwear on Victor and Maggie’s couch was both ridiculous and disgusting. I’m no prude, but that showed such poor judgment and lack of taste and class.
Alex can and should sleep with however many consenting partners he likes, but he should also get his own damn apartment and do it there.
Jack: Ugh, I so don’t want any more of Eric and Nicole nor Nicole’s childish jealousy of Jada. I also wish Gabi had seen through Li’s lies, and I hate that Leo turned on Gwen again.
Christine: Nicole and Eric’s dreams were cringe-worthy. And what married person runs to their ex to tell them they had a sex dream?
And Eric and Jada jumping into bed after their second date was boring. Why not have Eric develop real feelings for Jada before Nicole ends up on his doorstep? That would be far more interesting.
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline on this week’s Days of Our Lives?
Mikey: I enjoyed Stephanie and Chad’s brunch. It didn’t feel like much of an agenda was being pushed there, and it was nice to get some information on Stephanie’s personal life since she left Salem.
I also liked that they mentioned her engagement to Phillip (although what about Nathan Horton?!).
In general, I like the actress playing Stephanie and am glad she is back in Salem… but that’s about to nosedive if she’s going to be in a lot of scenes with Alex now.
Jack: I’m glad Abe is running for governor! Also, I like the way Stephanie stands up both to Steve and to Alex. It’s nice to have a strong young woman in Salem!
Christine: I liked that Ava got EJ to show his hand and drop the fake sympathy. These two are well-matched. I’m looking forward to seeing their feelings grow for one another, making the game of one-upmanship far more complicated.
And I’m enjoying Stephanie being back in Salem. She loves her parents but doesn’t hesitate to stand up to them. And I’m curious to see how things progress between her and Alex.
Hit that big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button to tell us what you think of Orpheus, Li Shin, the idea of a threesome, and more! And if you want to chat more about the happenings in Salem, 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.