Days of Our Lives Round Table: Who Are You Thankful For in Salem?

Abe flipped out about JJ, Justin and Adrienne consummated their reunion, and Kristen DiMera was alive and well and headed back to Salem.

Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by Mikey from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate Kristen’s return, Will’s reunion with family and friends, and which characters they're most thankful for on Days of Our Lives.

Kristen DiMera is back. Are you happy?

Mikey: Very! We all kind of knew she would turn up alive at one point or another, and it made for a really fun end-of-episode twist.

I would have been irritated if they’d gotten Eileen Davidson for a stint as Susan and not addressed Kristen at all. For drama’s sake, it’s always useful to know these villains are out there, waiting to strike...

Jack: Not really. Kristen is one of my least favorite characters and I hope that little bit we saw of her is all we ever see.

Christine: Eh. I’ve never been a big fan of Kristen, she’s a little too over the top for me, especially the last time she was in Salem, but I’m willing to give her a chance and see where this goes this time.

Justin and Adrienne consummated their reunion. Was it too soon?

Mikey: Not really, given that Adrienne already decided that she wants to be with Justin (again). The time to pause would’ve been a week or two ago -- you know, before she decided to reunite with someone who cheated on her out of the blue.

Maybe they could’ve had a conversation or two about that…but that would be reasonable, so what am I thinking?

Jack: I feel like Justin and Adrienne's whole reunion was rushed. Part of the fun of watching soaps is to see the buildup to big moments like couples getting together and then finally their sexual union or reunion. I'm not a Justin/Adrienne fan to begin with and this whole thing was so quick that I couldn't become one.

Christine: I’ve enjoyed Justin and Adrienne being back together more than I thought I would, but I agree that their reunion was totally rushed. Justin cheated on her. Adrienne almost married somebody else. There should have been a lot to talk about, but they skipped all of that which was unsatisfying.

Is Abe's anger towards JJ understandable or over the top?

Mikey: It’s both, and I think that’s okay. Eventually, as both a reasonable human being and someone with a long history in law enforcement, I would like to see him look at this from a more objective position, but in the first few days and with his son still in a coma, I get it.

I wouldn’t mind someone else pointing that out, in his career as a cop, Abe shot and paralyzed not one, but two young men (Larry and Brady)...

Jack: Way, way, way over the top. Abe seems to have forgotten that he used to be one of JJ's biggest supporters, that he helped him and Paige get together (and came over to apologize when he inadvertently embarrassed JJ in front of Paige during one of their first meetings), that he complimented JJ on turning his life around, and that he made a point of going to court to support him after he saw Theresa bothering him in the park.

Abe is continuing to treat JJ as some stranger that he knows nothing about except for that he lost his temper for 5 seconds with Ben and ended up shooting his son. And his reaction to JJ's visit to Theo was totally ridiculous. He acted like he caught JJ about to pull the plug on Theo's respirator!

Christine: I get that Abe is distraught, and that’s to be expected, but his hatred of JJ and his inability to see things from a cop’s perspective after being a cop for decades doesn’t make much sense. And I agree that his reaction to seeing JJ in Theo’s room was way over the top!

Which character are you most thankful for in Salem?

Mikey: There are a lot of people who come to mind that I’m NOT thankful for, but I’ll go with history and say Julie. I love that this original character is still around 52 years later. She’s a great anchor to the very heart of Days, and in spite of some wacky and awful stories, they keep coming up with interesting ways to use her.

I wish they’d give Eli more to do, and more involving his grandmother, but I like that he’s there to keep her bloodline going. I also love the partnership between Julie and Chloe, and I hope they do more with that.

Jack: JJ. My heart breaks for him but I'm so glad to see him have a real storyline. I missed him so much over the last two years when he suddenly became a glorified extra with no personality.

Christine: Over the last two weeks it’s been JJ, Will, and Marlena. It’s about time JJ had a real storyline and Casey Moss is hitting it out of the park with this shooting story.

I’m also so grateful that Chandler Masey is back as Will. His scenes with Marlena reminded me of some of the best scenes these two had during his coming out storyline and I am thankful to see that kind of thoughtful writing and low key but effect acting on screen yet again.

Who had the best reunion with Will so far? Who had the worst?

Mikey: I got emotional when Marlena saw him for the first time, and I’ve really enjoyed her response to him: you can see that she’s very affected, but she’s also using her professional smarts (for once) not to pressure him (as opposed to Sami coming at him like a bull in a china shop).

I’ve found a lot of the reunion stuff between Will and Sonny disappointing; even with Will’s amnesia, I’m just not getting much heat from them, and that includes from Sonny’s side. During some of those scenes

Jack: Marlena for sure! I'm loving seeing them slowly rebuild their relationship. Sami the bulldozer was the worst. She wants so badly to reconnect with her son but she's just alienating him with her impatience and impulsivity.

Christine: Definitely Marlena. Sami can only see things from her own perspective and won’t give Will a moment to breathe, and Will and Sonny have been a snoozefest.

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

Mikey: As I mentioned above, it really bugged me that Adrienne and Justin didn’t address his affair with Elsa. The issue between them wasn’t that she was torn between Justin and Lucas; it’s that Justin cheated on her, so she turned to Lucas.

Even a few scenes spread over a week or so of episodes, to create a little arc, would’ve been helpful in feeling like they had dealt with this.

Jack: Abe's behavior gets a big fat F from me. I wish Roman had reminded him that this is how Orpheus' vendetta began and that he needs to control himself.

Also, Lani needs to grow a backbone and not decide she's not seeing JJ just because Abe said so.

And why has no one informed Lucas yet that Will is alive and in Salem? Dishonorable mention: Sonny needs to get over Paul taking 24 hours to tell him Will is alive.

Christine: Lucas being MIA from Will’s return, and Sonny and Sami using Paul as their whipping boy for their frustrations about Will.

Brady becoming more neurotic, irrational, mean, and borderline abusive by the day. He either needs to change or face some consequences for his behavior.

And Rafe deciding JJ was to blame for the shooting when he wasn’t even there and had no details about the event. What a jerk! This from a guy who’s broken numerous laws over the years while wearing a badge.

What was your favorite quote, scene or storyline?

Mikey: Susan breaking down as she admitted the truth about Will and EJ was fantastic. She’s a silly, over-the-top character, but the reason she became more than a one-story joke back in the day was because Eileen Davidson imbued her with a surprising humanity.

That was on display this week, too. In spite of the asinine plot and how heinous Susan’s deeds were, I felt horrible for her as she was taken to the hospital.

Jack: I was surprisingly happy that Gabi went to see JJ, since her behavior towards him in the past made me cringe. I loved their exchange in this Days of Our Lives quote...

JJ: This damn guilt is eating me alive, Gabi. My job is to protect and serve. Protect. And now Theo is in a coma because of me, because I didn't take one extra second that could have made the difference.
Gabi: Yes, I understand, but you cannot keep torturing yourself like this. You know that?
JJ: I breathe it. When I sleep, if I sleep, it's right there. This morning I had a dream I went to visit Theo at the hospital. He pulled out a gun and shot me.
Gabi: JJ, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
JJ: I just need to see him, Gabi, I need to apologize, to let him know how sorry I am. Even if Theo can't hear me, I need to say the words. I need to tell him that I am sorry.

Permalink: I just need to see him, Gabi, I need to apologize, to let him know how sorry I am. Even if...

Christine: Will and Marlena had some of the best scenes of the week. Also, Gabi’s visits with both JJ and Will showed how much she’s grown.

But my favorite was when Hope got in Rafe’s face when he said horrible things about JJ. She seemed to get the inkling that she and Rafe weren’t going to work long term and I couldn’t be happier. These two can’t break up soon enough for me.