Days of Our Lives Round Table: Was Jennifer Defending Lani?!?

JJ dumped Lani but she managed to turn the tables and place some of the blame on Valerie. Chloe was being stalked by a super-fan who wanted her to move to Mexico City, and Shawn Douglass continued to push Hope to get back together with Rafe on Days of Our Lives.

Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando were joined by Silvana from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate Jennifer defending Lani, Abe’s anger towards Valerie, and whether Tripp can keep the peace between Ciara and Claire.

Were you surprised by Jennifer’s reaction to Lani lying about the baby?

Silvana: I'm not sure why Jennifer is justifying Lani's actions. It’s like she really doesn't want to consider the selfishness that went on here.

Yes, JJ was in a dark place and maybe in the beginning Lani was trying to protect him. But as time went on she continued the lie.

Jennifer should not be defending what Lani did. I'm not saying that she should 'Kate' her, but defending her to JJ is the wrong move here. It's as they say, the cover-up is often worse than the original lie.

Jack: I was both surprised and disappointed. I'd been looking forward to Jennifer going Mama Bear on Lani but instead she was written out of character to defend the woman who messed with her son's head.

Christine: I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! She was actually justifying Lani tricking JJ into believing he was the father of her child. Jennifer should have been furious. Her response wasn’t just disappointing, it was mind boggling.

Did Lani have the right to make Valerie look like the bad guy to Abe?

Silvana: No. While Valerie isn't the victim, Lani is just trying to throw the blame off of herself. She doesn't want to take full responsibility and, I guess, is reluctant to throw Eli under the bus, so she's taking it out on Valerie. What's next backing the truck over Kayla too?

Jack: Technically Lani can say whatever she wants to whomever she wants but morally…no. Lani caused this mess and Valerie was the only one trying to get her to cut out the lies instead of enabling her.

Christine: Wow! Lani is a piece of work. Heaven forbid Valerie want Lani to be truthful about her future grandchild.

And what was up with Abe? Abe didn’t seem to have any problem with Lani roping JJ into being the father of her child, and cutting Eli out of their lives, but he’s furious with Valerie.

The residents of Salem have a strange way of looking at right and wrong.

Can Tripp keep the peace between Ciara and Claire?

Silvana: No. Tripp may not want to admit it but he is the catch in this love triangle. As long as he's a factor, as long as the three of them are living in that apartment, things are going to get worse.

He has to chose a girl and get his own place. Until then neither side is really going to listen to him.

Jack: Probably not. But at this point, I don't care. Get him and Ciara out of Claire's orbit before I lose my mind, please.

Christine: I don’t think anyone can keep Ciara and Claire from acting like spoiled brats. Tripp is a great guy, and he deserves better than either of them, but Claire is the more annoying of the two. I wish she’d enjoy a very long visit with Theo in South Africa.

Do you have any ideas about who Chloe’s super fan might be?

Silvana: I'm of the belief that it's an obsessed fan. What Miguel said rang true to my theory that it's someone who saw her and wants her.

But I've recently been swayed a bit to the side that it's the drug dealer that Theresa left with. This is a way to get the character back on the scene and integrate Chloe and Lucas into a bigger story line.

Of course what I actually want is some dark and handsome stranger to come and sweep Chloe off her feet. But anything juicy for the character is something that I'll accept.

Jack: Possibly some guy involved with Theresa's disappearance.

Christine: Yeah, the moment they mentioned Mexico City I thought of Theresa’s former drug dealer/boyfriend. This could be a way to give Chloe a story and bring Theresa back to Salem.

Were you happy to see Shawn Douglass and Belle once again?

Silvana: I love the characters and over the years the actors have really grown on me. I started watching Days during the Teen scene years (I was a pre-teen myself) and Shelle were my second favorite couple next to Phloe.

While these aren't the actors I knew, I've grown to like them and enjoy the pairing. I wish they'd be signed full time.

Jack: I was, until Shawn opened his mouth about Rafe and was on the wrong side of this thing. This visit was mostly a waste between the Rafe propping and the nonsense with Chad and Gabigail.

Christine: No. Shawn and Belle bore me. Add to it that Shawn Douglass couldn’t stop pushing Hope to go back to Rafe and I couldn’t wait for Shawn and Belle to get off my screen.

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

Silvana: I can not express fully in words my disdain for the Dissociative Identity Disorder story. I hate it with a passion.

It was played out during head writer Ron Carlivati's One Life to Live years, and I'm not a fan of it now. The actors are doing the best that they can with the material but everyone comes out of this looking badly.

The character that's been done the most damage is Stefan. I don't know what he was supposed to be, but with this the character is almost completely ruined for me, and I actually like the actor. I don't know what the plan is, but hopefully we end this as soon as possible. If not, I don't know if I could ever truly accept the Stefan.

Jack: All of Hong Kong was a bust. Also, JJ getting arrested should be a story, not a plot point no one cares about, especially considering his past and his tendency towards self-criticism and guilt.

And Chad should not be so oblivious that he doesn't question why his wife suddenly needs reading glasses.

Christine: Hong Kong was boring, and Stefan almost having sex with Gabigail was icky. How much of a sleaze is this guy?

Then there was Shawn Douglas, who almost made me ill with his insistent pushing for Hope to forgive Rafe.

And I couldn’t believe that Marlena actually asked Kayla if she was okay right after Steve went completely blind. Of course she’s not okay! Marlena is incredibly poor at her job.

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

Silvana: I enjoyed having Chloe back. I love the character and despite my complaints I like the way she's being written. She’s funny, sarcastic, in control, and competent in her business life. She's back into her music and living her life fully.

I'm glad to see her being given an interesting story line that doesn't make her look like some bimbo who just happens to look like Chloe Lane. Hopefully they keep it up.

Jack: Steve and Kayla! Their love and determination to face his health issues together were moving and emotional. This stuff was so good it was like a different show.

Christine: Steve and Kayla were fantastic! It’s so wonderful to see two people who love one another deal with these obstacles like grown ups.

Also, I was thrilled that both JJ and Gabi dumped Lani and Eli, respectively. They didn’t buy into any of their justifications for their lies and didn’t allow themselves to be emotionally manipulated. That made me happy.