Abe fought for his life after getting shot, Kristen snuck back into town, EJ confronted Nicole while the Devil played havoc in Salem.
Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Tony from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate the tribute to Abe Carver, Kristen’s return, Johnny’s Ouiji board, the Devil’s plans for Charlie Dale, and more!
James Reynolds has been on Days of Our Lives for 40 years. What did you think of the tribute episode to Abe after he was shot?
Tony: It was okay, but it could have been better. For one, it was almost a third of the episode, and it had to share much of its runtime with MarDevil taunting John. The tribute to Abe should have been a full episode in its own right.
While I understand wanting to focus on Abe and Lexie’s relationship, a lot of his story has involved other people, and it would have been nice to see some of that. Lexie didn’t even appear until Abe had been on the show for six years!
As wonderful as their relationship was, it would have been nice to see some of his scenes with other people, as well.
Jack: I liked it, but I was expecting more. Lexie absolutely should have been part of any tribute to Abe. She was the love of his life, and it would have been wrong not to include her. I enjoyed the flashbacks of their relationship, but there was more I’d have liked to have seen.
Abe has been friends with Roman for a long time. They’ve worked together in the police department, plus Abe has also worked as the police commissioner in addition to being Salem’s most beloved mayor.
After Lexie’s death, he was a single father raising a child with Autism. I would have loved an Abe-only episode with flashbacks and stories about all of those.
At the very least, I wish Julie’s story about Abe and David had included flashbacks and that we’d gotten the whole story!
Christine: Yeah, this really should have been an entire episode. There was so much more to Abe than was shown. I was disappointed we didn’t get any of his police work or time with Theo when Theo was young or when they learned Theo had Autism.
I’m glad they were paying tribute to Abe, the character and actor both deserve it, but with 40 years of work at their disposal, it felt like there was so much more they could have done.
Do you think Kristen would have returned Rachel if she hadn’t been caught? Are you happy to see her back in Salem?
Tony: Of course not. And no, I honestly wish she would have stayed away forever.
Jack: No matter what Kristen says, she would not have returned Rachel… at least not without Brady’s agreement to resume their relationship.
Kristen is on my list of people I’d be happy never to see again. I love Stacy Haiduk, but I can’t stand this character, her selfish ways, and her endless supply of masks so that she can impersonate kidnapped people.
I wish the story would end with Steve catching her, but unfortunately, that’s unlikely.
Christine: No, and I’m shocked that Kristen hasn’t abducted Rachel before this. I think Kristen’s plan was to see Rachel, but once she did, there was no way she could walk away from her daughter.
I think she would have taken her and then used her as leverage to get Brady back.
I’ve grown to love Stacy Haiduk’s portrayal of Kristen; she manages to add just enough vulnerabliity to Kristen’s craziness to make me care. But when the show throws in the crazy mask storyline, it just wrecks it. In the end, a little Kristen goes a long way.
Were you surprised that EJ and Nicole were able to reconcile after she allowed Steve to hack EJ’s phone?
Tony: Kind of. I wish they wouldn’t have, as I don’t think they’re a very good couple.
Jack: Not really. If we’re going to have EJ vs. Rafe, we need to have EJ forgive Nicole! I have to say it was a refreshing change from the YEARS of “true love” Eric berating Nicole while she begged for his forgiveness for one thing or another.
Christine: Yes, but I loved the way this turned out. EJ had the right to be angry, but Nicole stood up for herself and didn’t back down. Kristen has done horrible things to Nicole!
I liked the way they came to a truce and drew their new boundaries. It felt like they were in a stronger place once the fight was over.
If you were a character in Salem, which other character would you date?
Tony: If I had to pick someone, Allie, I guess.
Jack: I don’t find many of the women to be terribly attractive at the moment. They’re all written as either whiners or schemers or both. Ugh.
But since Nicole’s choices seem to be unavailable Rafe or abuser EJ, maybe I can show her what it’s like to be with someone who treats you well.
The men aren’t much better, and Theo’s a bit young for me, but I’d love to hang out with him and compare notes on life with Autism.
Christine: EJ. He’s smart with a bit of an edge and mischievous side. I think he secretly respects when someone can stand up to him and call him out on his arrogance. Plus, he used to be a racecar driver, which would be interesting to revisit.
As for the woman, I’d pick Chanel if I were younger. She’s smart, sassy, and has really come into her own. Chanel is up for anything but knows when to draw boundaries. I think she could be a lot of fun to date.
Have you ever played with a Ouiji board?
Tony: No, I’d rather not mess around with that kind of thing, thanks.
Jack: In my freshman year of college, a couple of friends had one, and we played with it. It told me I would meet my soulmate that summer, and he would be Russian. (None of that happened.)
So one of my friends asked a spirit its name and got scared when it began spelling out D-E- and rushed to push the pointer toward “goodbye.” And that was the end of the Ouija board in our circle of friends.
Christine: Growing up, I went to a lot of slumber parties, and there was usually a Ouiji board, but I never touched one. I remember being told they attract “low-level” spirits who had issues or were trying to play tricks.
They sounded like spirits that, if they were alive, I wouldn’t want to interact with them, so why try and make contact now that they were gone? It just seemed like asking for trouble, so I always chose to sit back and watch.
The Devil decided to go after Allie by resurrecting Charlie Dale! React!
Tony: That was a particularly cruel thing to do.
Jack: This is an awful twist. If Allie’s original rape story had been written with anything approaching sensitivity, maybe I wouldn’t feel so terrible about this, but it just seems like more exploiting her rape for cheap entertainment, and I don’t want to see Charlie try again to dominate her.
Christine: Wow! I didn’t see that coming. Is he coming back as himself, as a zombie, as a spirit? I’m curious to see how they pull this off; I’m just not sure if I’ll like it.
What, if anything, disappointed you this week in Salem?
Tony: The return of Kristen. I would honestly be more than happy if I never had to see or hear from her again.
Jack: I sort of expected it, but WAY too much Devil nonsense. And it’s not even done well. It’s done stupidly, with Marlena running around dressed in a Devil costume and Johnny wanting to interview the Devil because a Ouija board said so.
Christine: Johnny being an obnoxious jerk to Chanel. I like Johnny, but he needs to watch himself.
I thought Marlena’s devil costume was cute at first, but all of the scenes in the crypt with John were just over-the-top and got old fast.
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline this week on Days of Our Lives?
Tony: I loved all of the classic flashbacks this week! Particularly the ones of Tony and Anna on Friday!
As much as I wish it would have been more, I did like the Abe tribute episode. For what little time we got to see her (or at least her back), I liked the recast of Lexie.
Jack: I loved the tributes both to Abe/Lexie and to Tony/Anna. Days needs to do more of this!
I also liked Steve pointing out to Kristen whose fault it is that she’s in this mess. And it was nice to see Paulina bonding with Maggie and Julie.
Christine: The Tony and Anna flashbacks were a complete surprise, and I was thrilled to see them.
EJ and Nicole’s confrontation ending with him admitting his wedding ring was stuck and Nicole helping him remove it was unexpectedly sweet.
Ben and Ciara’s joy over finding out she’s pregnant. I know some people aren’t on board with this story, but it’s hard not to like seeing two people in love and so happy to learn they’re having a child.
Finally, Gabi’s line to Rafe about Ava made me laugh out loud with this Days of Our Lives quote…
You think all she does is have sex with you and make lasagna?
Gabi [to Rafe about Ava]
Now it’s your turn, Days fans! Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button down below to tell us what you thought of this week’s Days of Our Lives. Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.