Ava and Xander back slid into a life of crime, Kristen worked to get closer to Brady, Nicole and Eric just couldn't say no, while Wendy and Johnny got closer to the truth.

Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Silvananoir from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate whether Susan will survive, if Ava is delusional, Stephanie's romantic future, and how they'd rate this Halloween in Salem.

Do you think Susan will survive this kidnapping attempt? Do you want her to survive?

Silvananoir: Yes. I like Susan Banks in small doses, and the show does a good job of that. Just enough to lighten EJ and move on. If anything happens to her, EJ will go off the deep end, and I don't want that for the character.

EJ in his current incarnation can be an ass, but he isn't terrible. Without Susan, he will go on a tear that I don't really want to see.

Jack: I hope she will. Susan is a goofy character, but she's not expendable, and quite frankly, we've had enough death in Salem recently.

Christine: Susan makes EJ more human. If he loses her, especially like this, he may become irredeemable, and that's no fun.

So yes, I definitely want Susan to survive. I may not want a steady diet of Susan Banks, but in small doses, she can be a bit of a treat.

Ava is plotting crimes with her dead son. Is this just some strange offshoot of the Halloween episode, or is Ava truly delusional?

Silvananoir: Ava has always had a history of mental issues, but I hate that EJ is the reason she went off the deep end. But she's always been vengeance driven.

There is no doubt in my mind that currently, Ava is delusional because we just went through the Devil storyline that never seemed to end, and I can't go through it again.

Jack: At first, I thought Charlie was a ghost, but after he appeared again, I wonder if he's supposed to be Ava's anti-conscience, like in cartoons when there's an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.

The whole setup doesn't make any sense. Why does Ava listen to him now? She never did when he was alive.

Christine: I kind of hate this story. Ava is far from perfect, but I like her because she's smart, and this storyline is dumb.

At first, I thought Charlie was back for Halloween, but he's been around all week, and it feels like Ava is chemically imbalanced.

As much as I didn't want her to fly off to Seattle with Tripp, I would have preferred that to this storyline.

How would you rate this year's Halloween episode from 1 (hated it) to 10 (loved it)?

Silvananoir: I give it a seven. I thought it was cute and enjoyed seeing Salem enjoy a devil-free Halloween. I also enjoyed the costumes, nothing over the top just people dressed in costumes that the regular folk could get.

Jack: About a 2, only because I hate giving the lowest possible rank! I found my mind wandering during this episode. The kids' costumes last week were cute, but the actual Halloween episode dragged, and the Alex/Sloan/trick-or-treating Holly scene was both silly and cringeworthy.

I also could do without ever seeing Charlie again as a ghost, a demon, or anything else.

Christine: A 4. I liked seeing everyone in costume, and I enjoyed Holly and Maggie interrupting Alex and Sloane's shenanigans.

But I despise Charlie (couldn't we have Nick Fallon back again?) And the rest has been boring.

Would you prefer to see Stephanie in a romantic relationship with Chad, Alex, someone else, or no one at all?

Silvananoir: No one. She has some chemistry with Chad, but it is way too soon for him to be in a relationship. I'd like to see a couple more months go by before they do anything.

As for Alex, that relationship has become completely toxic in my eyes, and I wouldn't believe them if they hooked up. At least not the way they are now.

Jack: If she has to choose one of these guys, I'd prefer Chad. A slow burn between these two is fine, so Chad can have time to heal a bit from losing Abigail before he moves on.

Alex should not get his way. That sends the message that "No" means "not yet" and that if a guy is annoying enough, he'll get the girl.

Christine: I'm going to say no one. I like Stephanie, but I don't want her with Chad.

As much as I like Alex, he was way too pushy in the beginning and it sends the message that if you just don't take no for an answer, you'll eventually wear a woman down. That's a pretty lousy message to send.

So, I'm content with Stephanie working on her business and being single for some time to come.

Does Kristen have any shot of winning over Brady, or do you think it's a lost cause?

Silvananoir: Yes. Because Brady Black has always been fickle. Sure he insists that he loves Chloe, but he's said that to how many women so far?

Sooner rather than later, he will cross the line with her. Chloe will see it and move on.

Jack: Brady thinks it's a lost cause, but I don't trust him. He always gives in to Kristen sooner or later, and every woman who pays attention to him turns into the "love of his life."

Christine: Oh, it's only a matter of time before Brady is in love with Kristen once again. The guy can't spend more than ten minutes in some woman's orbit without falling for her.

Brady has had so many "loves of his life" that I lost track long ago. I have little doubt Kristen will be that person once again.

Should Nicole or Eric have said no to modeling for Bella magazine?

Silvananoir: Yes. At the very least, Nicole should have. Rafe has made it clear multiple times that he is incredibly uncomfortable with Nicole and Eric spending time together and that he wants her to keep a little distance.

Nicole has promised him that she will be careful. Sure, it's a photo shoot, and yes, Alex is there, but once Rafe sees those shots, they are going to fight about it.

Out of respect for her marriage and her partner, Nicole should have said no.

Jack: They both should have. They weren't comfortable with it, either of them, and they were not hired to be models. Alex can find actual models and leave the photography to the person hired to do it!

Christine: Nicole and Eric were clearly uncomfortable, and they are adults who could have chosen to say no.

Maybe Eric feared losing his job, but Nicole had no such worries. Rafe told Nicole he didn't like how emotionally and physically close she was with Eric. How does Nicole think he'll feel when he sees the photos of the two of them hanging all over one another?

What disappointed you the most this week in Salem?

Silvananoir: Xander's backslide. I get needing money. I get wanting to provide, but if he does this for Ava, he will lose Sarah.

They just got married. They just had a real and frank discussion about her accepting his past. If he helps Ava in her plot, he will lose Sara, and it is completely his fault.

Jack: Xander shouldn't have given in so easily to Ava. I'm also tired of Susan getting kidnapped every time she pops up and of people wandering into the Dimera mansion through those French doors all the time.

These people are rich; why can't they seem to afford a lock on those doors?

The Kristen/Brady stuff was also nauseating, and I wish Chloe would figure out the truth already.

Kristen basically confessed to her the day before it happened. She should remember that conversation and connect it with Brady's constant insistence that he had no choice but to do this.

Why is our smart Chloe suddenly stupid? This Eric/Nicole setup is ridiculous, as is the lack of professionalism in Basic Black and at Dimera Enterprises. Why is Wendy allowed to wander around calling Johnny and leaving in the middle of the workday?

Why is Basic Black's office usually gossip central, second only to the police station in that regard? Why is Li having business meetings in the hallway?

Similarly, Jada, shut up! She's like a middle schooler when it comes to Nicole and Eric. Why is she always telling Rafe that Nicole visited Eric, worked with him, etc.? Grow up already!

Christine: Why can't we know what Chanel did that was so horrible it would have ruined Paulina's campaign? That this has gone on for weeks with no details makes me no longer care about this story.

And I hate that Xander slipped back into a life of crime so easily. I don't want Xander to be perfect, but I'd like him and Ava to come up with a better form of revenge than kidnapping.

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

Silvananoir: I'm shocked that I'm enjoying Stefan and Chloe. I also liked Chloe giving Brady multiple chances to explain. She knows he's keeping something from her; if he truly loves her, he would share. Chloe would accept it, and they could make a plan.

Instead, he shut her out and didn't take the chance to explain. So she left. I don't want her moving on with Stefan, I don't think she is, but I'm glad that she isn't going to mope over him.

Jack: There were a lot of great lines this week. One of my favorites was Li's response to Kristen accusing him of nepotism in this Days of Our Lives quote:

Li: Chloe is doing a great job at Basic Black, but I don't see why I should give her a promotion.
Kristen: Because the promotion will get her out of Basic Black and I want her here, far away from Brady as possible.
Li: I'm sorry, Kristen. I can't help you. I don't have a single position available.
Kristen: Huh. So your sister happened to snag the last opening in this entire organization? Nepotism much?
Li: Uh, what was your last name again?

• Permalink: Uh, what was your last name again?

I also liked Chloe standing up to Brady. He can't have it both ways. If he's going to break up with her, it's not his business who she dates instead.

Christine: I enjoyed EJ and Susan, and Susan and Johnny. Talk about a unique family dynamic, but at least it's never dull.

And Maggie helping out Alex with that file, whle she was trick-or-treating with Holly and finding Sloane handcuffed to the bed, was fun. 

Your turn, Days fans! Hit that big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button below to share your thoughts on our round table. Then check out Jack Ori's Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.

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