Days of Our Lives Round Table: Are Hope and Rafe a Great Love Story?

JJ finally learned that Lani’s baby isn’t his, Chad followed Stefan and Abigail to Hong Kong, and even Shawn Douglass encouraged Hope to forgive Rafe on this week’s Days of Our Lives.

Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by Ronnie from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate whether JJ will forgive Lani, if Hope and Rafe are really a great love story, and which character should leave Salem for good.

Is there any chance that JJ will forgive Lani for lying about the baby?

Ronnie: No way. I think they're done for good and Lani will have to live with her choices.

Jack: I really want the answer to be no. This is an awful pairing that never should have happened, and Lani deserves to be the town pariah for awhile. But JJ is already blaming himself and self-hate is part of his mental illness, so I expect he will decide that this is all his fault.

And if what's going on with Rafe and Hope is any indication, the whole town will agree that Lani is a wonderful person and push him back towards her.

I hope he stays strong and doesn't allow everyone's nonsense to get him to forgive his rapist for her latest attempt to hold onto him.

Christine: Of course there’s a chance, and I hate it! JJ is a great guy and he deserves so much better than Lani. I hope he cuts all ties with her and moves on, but the way the show pushes awful couples together, I fear he’ll somehow blame himself and forgive her.

Will Chad begin to suspect Abigail's problems, or will he think she is having an affair with Stefan?

Ronnie: Chad has been dumbed down for this story, so it's hard to tell. If he's written in character, he will suspect that something is wrong with Abigail.

Jack: I hope Chad begins to suspect Abigail's problems! He told Kate he was worried about her mental health. If he does suspect an affair, he'll probably assume Stefan is seducing her. Abby is another one that everyone thinks can do no wrong.

Christine: This story is so convoluted that anything is possible. He might see Abby and Stefan together and be crushed, but he’s already worried about her recurring mental illness. I’m so tired of seeing Stefan and Abigail/Gabigail/Dr. Laura, I just can’t wait for all of this to be over.

Most of Salem seems to believe that Hope and Rafe have a great love story. Do you agree?

Ronnie: Absolutely not. It's baffling that they keep pushing this. Hope and Rafe are okay, but they're not a great love.

Jack: I don't think there's a big enough font for my NO on this one. Hope and Rafe are a terrible love story. Rafe belittles her and treats her as incompetent and stupid, and Hope becomes weak and spineless around her.

They were good as friends/cop partners, but awful as a couple and they need to stay broken up permanently. In fact, if the writers can somehow turn their whole relationship into a nightmare Hope was having that would be wonderful.

Christine: NO! Hope and Rafe are one of the worst couples in Salem. I agree that Rafe is condescending to Hope. He always wants to play the white knight to the point of putting Hope down to do it.

Hope has always been one of my favorite characters, but every time someone encourages Hope to forgive Rafe I think I might just tune out and not bother tuning back in.

Chloe is back! Are you rooting for her and Lucas as a couple?

Ronnie: I'm always happy to see Chloe. Lucas and her okay, until something better comes around for both of them. I can't see them lasting.

Jack: I'm reserving judgment on this one. So far Chloe is the fun Chloe and not the crazy drama queen that we sometimes get, but I don't trust her to stay that way. I don't see much spark between her and Lucas yet, and I don't like that some random bad guy is stalking her.

Christine: I like Chloe when she’s not written as a crazy person. I like her and Lucas as friends, but I’m not sure about them as a couple. They didn’t work the first time around, but I’m willing to give them a shot if it gives them both a decent story.

If you could choose one character to leave Salem for good, who would it be?

Ronnie: I can't choose between Stefan and Rafe.

Jack: Lani! Get that amoral, man-crazy, rapist out of Salem and forget she ever existed. So far she has stalked Shawn, had sex with a too-drunk to consent JJ, and then continually tried to force him into a relationship with her, got drunk with Eli and had sex with him, too, and shown herself to be an incompetent cop over and over.

There's nothing interesting or valuable about her character, yet the show is insisting on painting her as a heroine, so the sooner she leaves town, the better.

Christine: Rafe! If only to get him away from Hope. She’s a great character, except when she’s kowtowing to him. Plus, I find Rafe boring overall, so I’d happily see him leave Salem.

What, if anything, disappointed you this week in Salem?

Ronnie: Everything Stefan. I can't stand this character. He's boring and creepy.

Jack: I wish JJ had been written more true to character rather than randomly punching Eli and not caring that he got into trouble after five years free of legal issues. And the reveal scenes should have been in a jail cell, but DAYS seems to have got rid of that set for some reason.

Actually I wish JJ had punched Trask! Not really but I can't stand her smirky unprofessional ways and I wish we could put her and Lani on the same bus out of town never to return.

Oh, and this Gabigail Disasociative Identity Disorder story keeps getting worse and worse. The sooner it ends, the better.

And don't get me started on everyone pushing Hope to forgive Rafe, including characters like Shawn who should know better. (And Justin's priority should have been trying to get JJ out of trouble, not telling Rafe not to give up on Hope.)

Christine: That even Hope’s own son encouraged her to forgive Rafe and told her how happy she was with him and how much they are in love. How can no one blame Rafe for sleeping with Sami or have a problem with him sharing that secret with Hope’s daughter? I just want Hope to sign those annulment papers and move on.

What was your favorite quote, scene or storyline on this week’s Days of Our Lives?

Ronnie: I love Shawn and Belle, so seeing them was the highlight of my week.

Jack: Despite the problems with the set-up, I did like that JJ stayed strong when he confronted Lani in the police station. And I'm thrilled that secret is out!

Also I'm glad that Kayla stood up to Marlena about John because she's right. John is being too easily forgiven and I love seeing Kayla stand up for herself and Steve.

Christine: Every scene between Steve and Kayla has been fantastic. These two are saving the show for me.

Also, that JJ finally knows that Lani’s baby isn’t his. Now if he dumps her for good, I’ll be thrilled.