Abigail got blindsided when faced with the truth about Dario’s manipulations, Anjelica enlisted Hattie’s help with her plan, and John Black returned once again to Salem.

Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by Mikey and Tony from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate Hope forgiving Rafe, Abigail hiding Dario’s blackmail from Chad, Anjelica’s insane plan and and John's new hair on Days of Our Lives. 

What do you think of Anjelica and Hattie working together?

Mikey: Their scenes were a lot of fun, and for the first time since Morgan Fairchild arrived, she seemed to settle into the role and have some idea of what she’s supposed to be doing.

And it’s a thrill to watch Deidre Hall completely change her body language — even the way she holds her face — when she’s Hattie instead of Marlena. 

That said, this plan sounds like such a convoluted waste of time that it I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that it was hatched by the DMV.

Anjelica waited almost 30 years to try and get Justin back, and in order to do so, she needs to enlist an incompetent Marlena doppelgänger to enlist an Adrienne doppelgänger even though Adrienne isn’t even *with* Justin right now? My head hurts even trying to think about how this could possibly work.

Jack: I am finding Anjelica and Hattie's interactions hilarious. This whole scheme seems unnecessary, since Justin and Roman are both single--the ladies could just try to get their eye without all this! 

But so far it's a badly needed dose of lightheartedness that helps bring some balance to the show.

Tony: I think the idea is great, but it almost doesn't make sense. The two men they want are both available, so why don't they just go for it? 

Christine: I guess I’m in the minority, but I kind of hate it. The plot makes absolutely no sense and I can’t stand this new, dumbed down, version of Anjelica. Even Hattie, who was the one character I enjoyed during the prison storyline, is grating on my nerves now. 

Do you think Abigail should have told Chad about Dario’s evidence against him?

Mikey: Probably, but I don’t fault her for not telling him. He found out about the money, and now he’s on the warpath. Trying to help him without informing him will probably blow up in her face, but I think her intentions and her logic check out (and this is the first time ANY of her logic has checked out in months!).

Jack: Absolutely. That would have interfered with Dario's blackmail, and Chad undoubtedly would have done something about it. 

Considering she went to Andre for help and Andre would undoubtedly have stepped in anyway if Chad did anything crazy in response, there was no reason not to tell him.

Tony: Yes! That would have been the smart thing to do! Especially since Dario would incriminate himself if he showed the pictures! He saw it, could have stopped it, but didn't.

Christine: No question she should have, but whatever the right decision is, Abigail will inevitably do the opposite.

By only telling him that Dario stole the money, she’s ensured that Chad will go after him, and yet she’s failed to tell him the possible consequences of trying to take Dario down.

Abigail says she’s protecting Chad, when she’s actually set him up for disaster.  

Should Hope be more upset with Rafe for hiding the real reason Abigail was marrying Dario?

Mikey: Yes! I was crossing my fingers that she’d dump him for that, but this is a woman who deepened her romance with him after he helped her cover up a murder, so I’m not sure why I would expect that sort of reaction. 

Rafe’s explanation about not wanting to implicate her actually made sense, but still. End it!

Jack: I think so. Rafe has been treating Hope as if she is a helpless, weak, woman for months, and she should have really let him have it now that she's finally stood up to him about it. Plus, Rafe held onto a secret that affected Hope's family.

Tony: Yeah! I would be! 

Christine: I couldn’t believe she let that go so quickly. If she had known, she could have stopped Abigail from making a huge mistake, then there would be no need for his “protection.”

All I could think was that if Bo had pulled this kind of over-protective, macho crap she would have given him hell for it.

Are you happy to have John Black back, and what do you think of the more natural hair color?

Mikey: Thrilled! John is a Days of Our Lives institution. And I love that he isn’t dying his hair anymore. He looks handsome and age-appropriate. I’ll be even happier when they stop this merry-go-round of “I love you, but I have to go on a mission” / “I’m upset about this but also I love you” between him and Marlena. Is it just me, or has this been going on for a century?

Jack: I love John's hair. I've never been a huge John fan, and the mission he was dragged away on right after returning was silly. But I enjoyed his interactions with Kate and Paul and was glad that he and Marlena had a mature conversation about his job duties for once instead of the same old argument. 

Tony: I am so happy! And I like his hair color just fine. He looks great with silver hair! 

Christine: He looks so handsome with the new hair! I’ve had a love/hate relationship with John Black for years, but if recent scenes are anything to go by, I’m glad he’s back. 

What are your thoughts about the Martin House becoming Salem's new boarding house for so many residents? (Abigail and Dario, JJ, Lucas and Adrienne, Eric, Paul, etc.)

Mikey: I like the idea a lot. I wish the set were, uh, cuter, but I’ve long thought that a boarding house would be a great way to handle the limitations on home sets for characters.

I used to want them to turn Maggie’s old house into a boarding house for the 20-somethings. But this works, too — definitely better than everyone living in hotel rooms or just roaming the Town Square and the Bench Area 24/7.

Jack: It's kind of silly that so many people live in boarding houses/hotels. I'd much rather see people live in apartments. I wonder if there will be any family breakfasts at the Martin House, since JJ, Abby and Lucas now all live there.

Tony: I don't really have any problem with it. It's a Mansion supposedly, so there's got to be plenty of rooms. 

Christine: I wish the decor was a little less ornate, but overall it’s not a bad idea. The boarding house makes sense for the singles and the younger crowd, but why are Adrienne and Lucas living there. They should have more than enough money to have a nice place of their own instead of renting a room!

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

Mikey: Not much. I know some people were expecting a huge, wholesale change the minute Ron Carlivati’s name appeared in the credits, but he still has to work with Dena Higley’s canvas — her choice of characters, the stories she had in motion, etc. 

I already noticed an infusion of energy in the way the episodes are broken down, so I’m optimistic.

That said, there was one very weird thing that leapt out at me: Abigail didn’t even react to Thomas when she walked into the DiMera mansion. It was very strange. Her kid was in the room, and she didn’t even acknowledge him -- nor did she have any reaction to the fact that Andre and Kate were babysitting. What kind of mother is cool with two homicidal maniacs hanging out with her toddler?!

Jack: I'm really disappointed that JJ didn't get any story around his move out of Jen's house, which should have been a big deal, especially so soon after he was released from jail. 

In addition, the whole point of him moving out seems to have been so he can have sex with Lani, and I don't enjoy this pairing at all and don't want to see Lani in his room ever again. In fact, I'd rather JJ had joined Steve on his mission to clear Kayla's name after his conversation with Tripp than taken Lani back to his room. 

I also was hoping that Hope's investigation of Dario would lead to the beginning of the end of her relationship with Rafe but it doesn't seem to be the case.

Tony: I guess that John's return to Salem was so short. I would have liked him and Marlena to have more time.

Christine: There was too much time given to Anjelica and Hattie of my tastes. 

Abigail believing she could get Dario to give all of the stolen money back just by asking. Her naïveté and stupidity continue to astound me. 

Hope forgiving Rafe in under a minute for keeping important information about her family from her. 

What was your favorite quote, scene, or story?

Mikey: A lot of the dialogue between Anjelica and Hattie cracked me up, but my favorite aspect of the week was probably the way that they played the Hattie reveal.

They led us to think that Marlena was conspiring with Anjelica for a good half-an-episode, only to pull the rug out from under those scenes and reveal Hattie -- just before cutting to the real Marlena with John.

That felt dramatic and soapy, and the episode breakdowns have been missing that sort of fun for way too long.

Jack: The Hattie/Anjelica interactions were hilarious. My favorite serious scenes were Abby finally seeing the light about Dario. The stars were removed from her eyes, and boy was it painful! 

I also am really enjoy Claire and Theo's awkward post-breakup and liked Marlena counseling Claire. Marlena's comment that she raised Sami so Claire's behavior didn't faze her cracked me up.

Tony: All of the new writing has been good, but I absolutely love the Kate and André scenes! Anytime those two are onscreen, especially together, it's amazing! 

Christine: Kate and André sparring over baby food one minute and then plotting how to take down Dario and protect Chad the next was the highlight of the week. I love these two working together. 

A close second was Claire and Theo. I love that the show is finally showing a realistic young adult story that isn’t filled with rape and murder. Seeing these two grapple over whether it’s possible to be friends after a breakup has been refreshing and entertaining. 

Want to chat more about the happenings in Salem? 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.