Angel Gabriel showed up to put the MarDevil on notice, Paulina pled her case to Abe, Philip took a psychotic turn to the dark side, while EJ showed his vulnerable side to Nicole, and Kristen had help making another escape.

Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Kathy from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate the MarDevil's claims about John, if Abe should forgive Paulina, EJ's soft side, the best friendships in Salem, and more!

John says that Abe is the most forgiving man he knows. Should Abe consider forgiving Paulina?

Kathy: I think Abe should listen to Paulina but take his time forgiving her. She has lied to him and deceived him more than once. Forgiving her is one thing; reuniting with her is another.

Jack: I think he should. For one thing, Paulina was not the author of this lie, and it annoys me that everyone gives Tamara and Olivia more of a pass than they do Paulina.

And even more importantly, this lie really changed nothing. Abe was upset but quickly came around to the idea that he could still treat Lani like his daughter, so nothing has changed between them besides biological knowledge.

How exactly is this lie, based on 30+ years of Paulina kowtowing to her mother plus the belief that it would cause unnecessary harm for Abe to know the truth, "worse and more appalling" than her attempt to demolish Horton Town Square?

I was glad that Abe softened by the end of their conversation on Friday. It makes sense that he would have a hard time trusting Paulina, but not that he would be enraged about this particular lie.

Christine: I feel for Paulina. She wasn't the one that told Lani that Abe was her father. That was Tamara. So why isn't anyone furious with her?

And telling the truth at this point only hurt Lani and Abe, so I can understand keeping the secret. And in keeping the secret, she was also keeping her promise to Tamara. The agreement was that if Tamara raised Lani as her own, Paulina would keep her mouth shut and be Aunt Paulina.

I understand Abe not trusting Paulina. For him, this was the second big lie in their relationship, and that's not going to be easy to get past, but I hope he forgives her for lying about Lani because it's not all her fault.

Philip assaulted Brady. How do you feel about Philip apparently taking this violent turn?

Kathy: I agree with others. Philip is being influenced by the demon force in Salem. All of his reactions are heightened to an extreme level.

Jack: I'm so angry about this. I get something had to happen to shake up the Phloe/Broe triangle. We couldn't keep going in circles forever with Philip getting jealous then realizing he was mistaken.

But the person on our screens bears no resemblance to Philip, except physically. This isn't the kind of person he is, and his thought processes didn't even make sense.

Chloe being concerned about him hiding away in a dark room and not telling her he got fired is proof she doesn't care about him and is sleeping with Brady? What?

The violence was unnecessary, plus it would have been a far better story if someone ELSE attacked Brady and Chloe blamed Philip for it. And Philip's plan for Brady doesn't make much sense either.

If he wants it to look like Brady attacked him, how does that help him hold onto Chloe? He has to stay away from her, or she'll see he's not actually injured.

All in all, this is like when DAYS advertised True O'Brien was returning only for it to be a Halloween fantasy in which Paige's character was destroyed and turned into this violent, jealous person she wasn't. In this case, it's not a fantasy.

Still, it did raise the hopes of the Phloe fanbase, who have wanted their couple back together for over a decade, only to dash them with a character-assassinating story that makes it impossible for the couple to be endgame.

Christine: This turn in Philip's behavior makes no sense. Yes, he's always been a bit insecure, but he's never been a bad or violent person. And I hate how the show seems to forget he's a war hero who has suffered major trauma and had his leg amputated.

So please tell me the Devil has possessed Philip too. Or maybe this is Kristen is another mask. Any explanation other than they've decided to destroy this character for this lame storyline.

Kristen escaped once again. Do you think she'll leave Salem, or does she have other plans?

Kathy: Kristen always has a plan. I think she will stay in Salem and exact revenge on all those she perceives wronged her.

Jack: I think she'll leave Salem but run into Johnny and Chanel in Italy. I don't know what she plans to do, but she can never stay away from Brady or Rachel for long, especially now that Brady has been attacked, so even if she doesn't run into Johnny and Chanel, she'll be back in Salem soon.

Christine: I'm secretly hoping that she's wearing a Philip mask and sneaking around Salem trying to cause havoc for Chloe. I know it's a long shot, but a girl can dream.

For all of Kristen's craziness, I hate that she doesn't get to see her daughter. I find it difficult to believe that Kristen would leave town again without trying to take Rachel with her.

Marlena convinced Ben that she needed protection from John, so he took both Marlena and Ciara to the cabin. React!

Kathy: Bad move. They are in a remote spot, with no way to get help if they need it. Plus, there seems to be only one bed in the cabin. How is that going to work?

Jack: I was annoyed by this. The only good part of it was Gabriel showing up, which drove this story forward, gave it more of a theological basis, and suggested it might actually end soon.

But there was no reason for Ben or Ciara to believe MarDevil's story or go to the cabin. Plus, this fake domestic violence claim trivializes what real domestic abuse survivors go through.

Christine: Kathy, I was thinking the same thing about the sleeping arrangements! You know Ciara isn't sleeping on the floor, so I hope the MarDevil brought a sleeping bag.

I understand why Ben feels such loyalty to Marlena, but I hate that he's willing to set aside all reason and drag his pregnant wife off to the cabin when there are other more logical options. As Ciara said, Shawn is her brother and Marlena's mother-in-law. He wouldn't allow John or anyone else to hurt Marlena.

And as someone who watched the original Possession storyline, I was thrilled to see Gabriel back. This is a great way to link back to that storyline, and I really enjoyed the conversations between the Angel and the Devil. I can't wait for more.

EJ was brought to tears when his mother was willing to sacrifice her own life for him. Then he opened up to Nicole. Do you think this is a turning point for him?

Kathy: I hope this is a turning point for EJ and his relationship with Susan. I am surprised that he needed his mother to sacrifice herself for him to realize the depth of her love. Susan has never hidden how she feels about her son.

Jack: I think to an extent it is. He realizes now that he took his mother for granted and wants to be a better person. But such changes never last long for EJ.

He had a similar realization when he returned to Salem after recovering from the fire/resurrection, yet went right back to the dark side when he found out Sami cheated on him and arguably was trying to control her before that.

Christine: I loved this scene! Let's face it, EJ has always been a bit embarrassed by his mother. Susan is an eccentric (to put it nicely), and I can only imagine what that was like growing up.

But Susan adores Elvis Junior, which he's probably always taken for granted. Susan, willing to sacrifice her own life for him, brought that home.

I hope it's a bit of a turning point. It was wonderful to see EJ allow himself to be vulnerable with Nicole, but to be honest, I'd never want him to lose his edge completely. So a mix of the two moving forward sounds like a great option.

Lucas is on his way to rescue Sami. Are you looking forward to her return to Salem?

Kathy: I will be glad that Sami is out of danger. I want to know who kidnapped her and why. It will be nice to see more of Lucas.

Jack: Yes and no. I enjoy Sami, especially with Lucas. But if she's going to spend her time fighting with Nicole over EJ when EJ is not the love of either of their lives, that's a waste of time that I could do without.

Christine: Sami always keeps things interesting, so I am looking forward to her return to Salem. We haven't seen her interact with Johnny yet, and I want to see Sami's reaction to his movie.

As for the Lucas/Sami/EJ/Nicole quadrangle, I'm here for it. There's a lot of love, hurt, and chemistry between these characters.

At the moment, I'm rooting for Lucas/Sami and EJ/Nicole, but either way, I know these actors will give us great performances, so I'm ready to be entertained.

Which is your favorite friendship in Salem?

Kathy: My favorite friendships are Roman and Abe, Abe and John and John and Steve. The show seems better at writing male friendships than female friends.

Jack: I can't watch Lani and Kristen without wishing they would become the new power couple. They have so much chemistry and don't act like they're just friends. They keep sacrificing things for each other!

Of those who are really just friends, I enjoy both Steve and John and Abe and Roman, but Abe and Roman have a slight edge because of their long history.

Christine: My favorite Salem friendship of all time was Bo and Steve, but with Bo gone, I've got to choose Steve and John. We don't get to see nearly enough of them. The scene with Steve getting John to stay in his hospital bed was a highlight of the week.

What were your favorite and least favorite moments from this week on Days of Our Lives.

Kathy: Favorite - EJ realizing what Susan was willing to sacrifice for him, Abe telling Lani that she was still his daughter.

Least Favorite - Ben and Ciara running off with Marlena. Ben seemingly rejecting Ciara's doubts about Marlena's fear of John. Philip attacking Brady.

Jack: Even though Victor was being a pain in the butt, as usual, I couldn't stop laughing at his comments in his conversation with Maggie.

I also loved Abe's conversation with Lani, and Lani's visit to Kristen brought out Kristen's softer side.

Though I don't like EJ/Nicole as a couple, I also enjoyed EJ being more vulnerable with Nicole, and I was glad that Susan clued Xander into something not being right in Sarah having dumped him.

Least favorites: MarDevil lying about John abusing her is tied with Philip's over-the-top violence for things I could REALLY do without.

Christine: The show was really working on all cylinders this week as there was a lot more to love than hate.

Favorites: EJ's reaction to Susan and then sharing what he felt with Nicole. Abe telling Lani that she was his daughter no matter what and sharing John Black's story as an example, Lucas determined to rescue Sami, and Lani visiting Kristen.

Ooh, and don't forget Maggie and Victor. Only Victor can make you love him and want to strangle him all at once. Heck, I even enjoyed Ava and Gwen as reluctant partners in crime.

Worst: Definitely Philip taking this violent turn. There's no reason to ruin his character this way, and I hated everything about this storyline.

Okay, TV Fanatics, now it's your turn. Hit that SHOW COMMENTS BUTTON down below to give us your answers to our round table questions. Then check out Jack Ori's Days of Our Lives review.

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