EJ strong-armed Johnny, Roman verbally ripped Nicole apart, Ava called Rafe out on his feelings for Nicole, while Brady coerced Chloe into a trip to New York this week in Salem.

Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Doolfan4life and Tony from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate EJ's attitude towards Johnny, if Brady's being romantic or a jerk, if Roman was right about Nicole, if they'll be watching Beyond Salem, and more!

Are you surprised that EJ is trying to force him to work for Dimera Enterprises? How far do you think he'll go, and what should Johnny do?

Doolfan4life: I'm not really surprised. As the saying goes, we all turn into our parents, and he doesn't seem to be taking after Susan Banks. Seeing as how they are really making him the big bad wolf, I reckon he will stop at nothing until he gets Johnny working for him.

However, Johnny seems to be a bad combination of EJ and Sami personality-wise, so I don't know who will get their way in the end. Especially if EJ is responsible for Sami's kidnapping

Should Johnny go? I'm going to say no as he's an adult and should be able to make his decision, but I think he needs a backup plan for his future. If film is his passion, then work for a company that has a media division and work your way up.

Too many people in Salem just wake up one morning and demand these high-profile jobs without any education or experience and refuse to work for anything.

Jack: I'm not surprised. As Johnny told Allie, this is the same old, same old for EJ. EJ is probably doubling down on the controlling behavior because he just lost Sami, too.

EJ is going about this the totally wrong way. It would make a lot more sense for him to frame it as Johnny having the opportunity to learn the business management skills he needs to succeed in the film industry while working on the artistic side in his spare time. But instead, he's forcing the issue and alienating Johnny.

Since Chanel has dealt with this with Paulina and came up with a business plan to prove she was serious about opening a bakery, I'm hoping that she can help Johnny do the same with EJ. I'm a bit worried, though, that EJ will resort to some crazy plan like blackmail or worse to force Johnny to cooperate with his plans for him.

Tony: Not at all surprised. EJ will go as far as he needs to and will likely alienate Johnny in the process. I think Johnny should stand his ground.

Christine: I'm a little surprised. EJ always loved his kids. This version of EJ is more overbearing and a lot less fun than the original.

I hope Johnny remains independent from his father, but I'm sure EJ won't make it easy on him. Odds are, EJ will kick him out of the mansion at some point, and then we'll see how determined Johnny really is about pursuing his dream.

Is Brady pushing Chloe to go to New York with him romantic, just business, pushy, or downright creepy?

Doolfan4life: I'm going with pushy and downright creepy. Brady is always ripping on Philip about being a spoiled trust fund baby, yet Philip doesn't act like that, and Brady does.

Brady decided this week he's in love with Chloe and who knows who the unlucky girl will be next week. He had no right to demand anything, and Chloe didn't need to give an explanation even though she did. She said no, and that's all there is to it. He is a controlling piece of work, and I'm tired of his love stories.

He should be with Kristin, off-screen, and when he gets bored with her because she won't do as she's told, she can put on one of her masks and give him a new person to fall for.... we all know she has enough personalities to offer him.

Jack: Pushy and a bit creepy. Brady pulled an EJ and called Chloe in to inform her she was going rather than asking her. There's no legitimate business reason for Chloe to go on this trip.

In fact, with Nicole out for the week, Chloe going means there's no one available to run the home office. That doesn't strike me as a great business decision.

Tony: Maybe slightly pushy, but I'm not sure that it's creepy.

Christine: Brady told Chloe she needed to go with him to New York and gave her no notice and little in the decision. He was a bullying jerk, and I wish Chloe would have put him in his place for it.

Does Gabi's determination to take down Philip and make Jake the CEO of Titan make sense? Are you enjoying this storyline?

Doolfan4life: No, it makes no sense at all, actually, as she and Philip seemed to be bonding as friends, and then she just decided to turn on him. She wasn't interested in double-crossing him before Jake got ousted, so why now?

Especially when it seems that she and Jake are about to battle for the title if they succeed... it's all over the place, and it makes Philip look stupid, which I don't believe he is.

I hope he is on to them and pulls the plug on them both. And no, I'm not enjoying this story at all.

Jack: This makes no sense. If Victor decides Philip is out, he will tap another relative to take over the CEO position. Gabi and/or Jake are at the bottom of his list if they're on it at all. Sonny's brothers, who have never been seen as adults on-screen, have a better chance at the CEO position than Gabi and Jake!

This story is also annoying because Philip and Gabi had a good working relationship, a nice friendship, and even dated for a bit... only for Gabi to suddenly decide she wants to stab Philip in the back for her own gain. Ugh.

Tony: No. Titan should stay in the Kiriakis family. I'm not a huge fan of this story, but it's not my least favorite at the moment.

Christine: This storyline leaves me asking, why? Philip has been nothing but nice to Gabi. So why is she trying to screw him over?

Why does she think Jake should be the CEO of Titan? It was one thing when it was Dimera Enterprises because Jake's a Dimera. But this feels like Gabi is simply propping up her boyfriend instead of going after the position herself.

Overall, it's a lame story for everyone involved, and I wish they'd ditch it and move on to something else.

Have you seen the Beyond Salem trailer? (If not, you can check it out below!) It airs on Peacock for one week, beginning September 6th. Does the trailer excite you, and will you be watching?

Doolfan4life: Yes, I watched the trailer, but unfortunately, I won't be able to watch it as the website doesn't work where I'm located.

Jack: I am SO excited about this! It looks like a throwback to the storylines of the late 1980s and early 1990s, as well as a takeoff on the Maltese Falcon.

I'm thrilled that Shane has a cameo, according to the trailer. When I'd heard Beyond Salem was going to be an ISA story, my first thought was, where is Shane?

I also love Billie and am glad she's back and has a big role, and I am curious about how Paulina and Abe fit into this story. And it appears Sister Mary Moira will be back too!

Tony: Yes, and I am so excited! I can't wait to see what happens! This looks so good!

Christine: Beyond Salem looks like fun! It has the feel of Days from its heyday in the '80s and '90s. I'm thrilled to see Leo back, as he always brings the fun, and I'm a fan of Greg Rikaart. I'm really looking forward to checking this out.

Is Ava right to be jealous of Rafe and Nicole or is Rafe right that he shouldn't have to spend less time with Nicole.

Doolfan4life: I think she isn't wrong to be jealous because it's disgustingly obvious that Rafe is pining over Nicole, especially when he's walking around talking to a perverted bear about it.

Is Ava crazy? Yes, but that doesn't mean she's stupid. Rafe should do what he wants, but he shouldn't be stringing Ava along if he has feelings for someone else.

Also, he needs to consider that Ava and Nicole are friends, and if Nicole wants to keep a bit of distance to save that friendship, he should respect that. It would be different if they both felt that they shouldn't spend less time, but Nicole said that's what she wants, and Rafe is trying to call the shots.

I wonder if he and Brady exchange notes on how to act like baboons.

Jack: I'm in the middle with this. I've been in situations where I was friends with someone's partner, and that person became jealous and insisted we end the friendship even though nothing was going on, so I empathize with Rafe here... except we know that he has feelings he's keeping to himself.

I think the three of them need to sit down and talk this out, but that is too logical for a soap opera, I guess.

Barring that, Rafe needs to communicate better with Ava and not act like he's having an affair with Nicole and Ava needs to share how she feels without deciding she has a monopoly on the truth and storming away.

Nicole is partially right. While I think ending their friendship is going too far, if Rafe is spending every waking moment with Nicole and not with the woman he's supposedly in a relationship with, that's excessive and unreasonable.

And really, Nicole needs to find a better way to deal with her heartbreak and grief than crawling into bed for weeks at a time and depending only on Rafe for help.

Tony: Rafe is right. He and Nicole have been good friends for a long time. It is possible to have friends of the opposite gender, and it doesn't have to lead anywhere romantic.

Christine: Ava didn't have a problem with Rafe and Nicole being friends. Her problem is with Rafe constantly running to Nicole's side and acting like he's the only person who can be there for her.

Plus, we know Rafe has more than platonic feelings for Nicole due to that stupid talking bear, so it's not like Ava is making this up. Her instincts are spot on.

This was Rafe's opportunity to say that maybe he and Ava should break up as he's unsure of what he wants. But, instead, he wants Ava to make his meals while he's sniffing around Nicole, which is not fair.

This will likely blow up in Rafe's face, but Ava will be made to look like the bad guy.

Was Roman too hard on Nicole for cheating on Eric, or was he spot on?

Doolfan4life: Naturally, Roman is upset and going to take his son's side. He laid it on a little too thick for my liking, though, and I'm tired of hearing what a saint Eric is.

I'm more disappointed that we had Nicole agreeing that she wasn't good enough and self-pitying all over again. It's just too much. I like Roman, but that wasn't my favorite scene for him.

Jack: Roman angered me with his attitude. Eric at least admitted that he had neglected the marriage and was partially to blame for this mess.

Roman wanted to blame Nicole 100%, even to the point that he didn't believe Sami had manipulated the situation and blamed Nicole for Sami revealing the tryst publicly.

It was ridiculous and overly judgmental and made me not want to see Roman again for a long time, and I generally like Roman. Eric is NOT a saint, and Nicole is NOT the worst person who ever lived. Enough already!

Tony: WAY too hard on her! Eric is no saint, no matter how the show chooses to portray him, and I hate how the show continually uses Nicole as Salem's favorite punching bag.

Christine: In Roman's defense, I saw part of his over-the-top anger probably harkened back to Marlena cheating on him with John.

Still, Nicole didn't deserve to have all the blame heaped upon her. She made one drunken mistake, whereas Eric chose to walk out on his wife and step-daughter for the first year of their marriage.

But Roman and Marlena will always see him as Saint Eric, no matter who he kills, how many people he punches, or who he runs out on.

Which was the most ridiculous plot of the week?

Doolfan4life: All things Bonnie and Justin are ridiculous. The idea that Kayla and Steve, of all people, would stand up for them at their wedding was ridiculous and not even believable for a show like Days, where people come back from the dead and age overnight.

The sister-in-law, with her threats, didn't make it better either. It made it more cringe-worthy and frustrating to watch

Jack: How soon is this Calista person leaving? This Bonnie/Calista plot is stupid, ridiculous, and over-the-top.

We don't need any more goofball characters or stereotypes of Southerners, thanks. And it took up half the episode on Friday, too! I was impatient to get back to Tony confronting EJ and didn't appreciate how much time this nonsense was taking up instead.

Tony: Any of the Xander and Gwen scenes.

Christine: Calista Lockhart and her late-husband, Harrison Lord! Seriously? I know Days is trying to be funny, but it's falling flat. These scenes were terrible.

Just when I didn't think they could go lower with this Justin/Bonnie mess, they find a basement door.

What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline this week in Salem?

Doolfan4life: I loved EJ telling Xander that Justin never wins his cases, and it was even more hilarious when Xander told him that he was right in this Days of Our Lives quote...

Xander: I’ll just hire Justin, I’m sure he’ll give me the family discount.
EJ: Remind me again, when was the last time Justin won a case?
Xander: That’s a fair point. I think he just lost a custody case to your wife and she’s not even a lawyer.

• Permalink: That’s a fair point. I think he just lost a custody case to your wife and she’s not even a...

I also liked seeing Steve again, as it feels like he hasn't been on screen for a while. I loved the advice he gave Ava, and I loved him reminding her that Nicole is her friend.

I really liked that Chanel and Johnny didn't sleep together because of no protection, it's nice to see a couple behave a bit more responsible, and also, it's a better story when they don't rush into it, and it builds slowly.

I always enjoy Tony and Anna anyways, but I liked the scene with Johnny and them also reminding EJ how he was the same, not wanting to work for the family business because he was busy racing. Tony was good at putting EJ in his place and reminding him who he's dealing with.

I don't think Tony and Anna should be underestimated, and they need more of these kinds of scenes.

Jack: I loved Tony putting EJ in his place, especially when he mentioned that EJ was a race car driver!

You have to understand where your father is coming from. He just wants you to follow in his footsteps. He wants you to have something that is stable and secure. To take the safer path... like race car driving.

Tony

• Permalink: You have to understand where your father is coming from. He just wants you to follow in his...

I'm enjoying the Johnny storyline more and more, and I also can't wait for Allie's reaction to finding out that he's dating Chanel.

Tony: Tony putting EJ in his place. Really, any of Tony's scenes, but I always love seeing him with EJ!

Christine: I enjoyed EJ and Xander far more than I ever expected, and their conversation about Justin never winning a case was hysterical.

Also, Johnny is a real charmer and just cute as a button. But my favorite was when he and Chanel decided not to have sex because they didn't have a condom. It's great to see two people on a soap opera being responsible and actually having that conversation.

So what did you think of this week's Days of Our Lives, TV Fanatics? What were your favorite and least favorite stories.

Hit that big, blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below to let us know, then head over and check out Jack Ori's Days of Our Lives review!

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.