Days of Our Lives Round Table: JJ's Devastating Christmas

JJ planned his suicide while the rest of the Hortons decorated the Christmas tree this week in Salem.

Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by Ronnie from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to discuss Gabi saving JJ, the annual hanging of the ornaments on the tree, Eve vs. Brady and more…

Rate the scenes between JJ and Gabi from 1 (awful) to 10 (the best) and why.

Ronnie: 6. The acting was really good, but after the past year, I don't believe that Gabi cares this much about JJ. I wish these scenes could have been with his mother or sister instead.

Jack: I'm going to give them a 9.5. I'm shocked that Gabi was able to be so empathetic, firm, and loving, and was able to not only get JJ to put the gun down but to agree to turn to a therapist.

I have to take off half a point for a couple reasons. One, because I will always, always, always mourn Paige and wish she had been here to give JJ the support he needed, and two because we didn't need Lani acting like her usual idiotic self at the end of the scenes.

Plus I don't trust Gabi to go back to being man crazy, selfish and bedhopping once this crisis is past.

Christine: I give it a 10. I thought it was wonderful. I remember JJ and Gabi when they first met and I loved their friendship.

My heart broke for what JJ was going through and I cheered when Gabi read his letters back to him, showed him how his death would devastate those who loved him, and even went so far as to block the door when he tried to leave.

I was thrilled that she knew not to leave him alone and got him to promise to see a therapist in the morning. These were some of the most well written, well acted scenes we’ve seen in a long time.

Lani misunderstood what she saw with JJ and Gabi and ran into Eli’s arms. Which of these four characters do you hope ends up as a successful couple (JJ and Lani, JJ and Gabi, Lani and Eli, Gabi and Eli)?

Ronnie: I don't really have dog in this fight, but i can see JJ and Gabi building something solid in the future.

Jack: I'd like to see Lani be alone. I'm tired of her drunken trysts that she mistakes for love.

I'm on the fence about JJ and Gabi. They were great together in these scenes but I'm wondering if they are better off as friends, because when they tried dating before Gabi became insufferable. I also think JJ needs to get his mental health issues under better control before he's ready to date anyone and I hope he really does see a therapist and that person encourages him to work on himself first and leave romance alone for the time being.

As for Eli, his horrible attitude towards JJ has really soured me on his character so I guess he and Lani deserve each other but I can't say I'm rooting for that couple.

Christine: I’d like to see JJ and Gabi give romance another try, but not for a while. I’d really enjoy seeing them as friends and have this relationship build up slowly.

Eli started off as an interesting character but has become less likable as time goes on. And I feel nothing for Lani. If she left Salem tomorrow and never returned I’m not even sure I’d notice.

Was this one of the better annual hanging of the ornaments on the Horton family Christmas tree, or did you find it lacking?

Ronnie: I found it very lacking. Usually when new people get their ornaments, like Chad and Rafe this year, we see ornaments being handed to them with a sweet speech. I was disappointed that we did not get to see that this year.

Jack: It was lacking but I felt like that was purposeful, that it underscored the pain JJ was feeling that no one knew about when he was absent from the party.

Usually the whole episode is devoted to the ornament hanging instead of just two or three scenes. I could have done without Ciara and Claire's breaking each other's ornaments, too, though Doug calling that adolescent fireworks was funny.

Christine: It went by much too fast! Doug calling out Ciara and Claire was the one upside, but these two aren’t 14! These are 20-something young women who should know how to act at a family gathering.

Who would you like to see win in the war for Basic Black, Eve or Brady?

Ronnie: Would it be really rude to say that I don't care? Eve just feels out of place with the Kiriakis family, I like her better when she's torturing Jennifer. And Brady has been an idiot for too long.

Jack: Eve. I don't always like Eve's schemes and I hate what she did to JJ and Paige but at least she's not a drunk fool like Brady, and I want to see her get the upper hand for once.

Christine: Eve. I’m tired of certain women always being the town losers. I don’t want Eve to be the next Nicole.

I’ve had a soft spot for Eve since she was a teenager and I’d love to watch her find some success in both business and love.

Did the flashbacks of their past renew your interest in the Sonny and Will romance?

Ronnie: No. Because i've really grown to dislike Sonny in the past year or so and therefore I have very little interest in anything he does.

Jack: Not really. I felt like they just showed that the time for this romance has come and gone. Sonny is definitely a different person now. He was sweet and kind in those flashbacks and we haven't seen THAT Sonny in a long time.

And Will either doesn't remember their romance or is pretending not to for some schem-y reason. Either way it's not a recipe for romance.

Christine: The flashbacks made me miss the couple they once were, when Will was trying to find himself and Sonny was sweet, kind, and patient. I’m not sure that those two people still exist.

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

Ronnie: I’ve already talked about it, but i really wanted the ornament hanging ceremony to last longer.

Jack: Ciara and Claire were both so immature at the ornament hanging. I felt they should have been barred from going near the tree after the way they behaved.

Lani's drunken tryst with Eli was a close second.

Oh, and Rafe, tell Hope you slept with Sami and get it over with before the next big blowup happens over this, please.

Christine: When Hope was talking to Ciara, who was obviously upset, she got the phone call about JJ and decided she had to run to the precinct. Why? Ciara was finally beginning to talk to her and she bolted to go see Rafe. I found that really disappointing.

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

Ronnie: My favorites scenes were the Deveraeux family scenes in JJ's special episode. It was everything we should have been shown before, but we didn't really have competent writers back then. Thankfully, Ron Carlivati is there now!

Jack: I was heartbroken yet enthralled by Casey Moss' performance during JJ's suicide note writing marathon. I loved seeing the flashbacks of the scenes with Jack, too.

I also liked Jennifer confronting Abe and FINALLY reminding him that he once shot someone too.

Christine: The scenes between JJ and Jack were the highlight for me. I so miss Mathew Ashford and these scenes between he and Casey Moss were almost bittersweet because they reminded me of all that we as viewers could have had but missed.