Hope tried to force Ben to leave Salem, Chad walked out on Abigail, and Chloe declared her love for Lucas on Days of Our Lives. 

Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by Kathy from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate Abigail’s shame, Hope crossing a line, and Kayla keeping secrets from Steve on Days of Our Lives.

Was Hope out of line in trying to force Ben to leave Salem?

Kathy: As police commissioner, Hope was out of line in manipulating Ben to leave town. I can understand her concern as a mother but she is only pushing Ciara to Ben's defense.

Jack: More than out of line. Total abuse of power and incredibly disappointing. Where is strong, moral Hope of yesteryear? I wish Aiden was still in Salem to represent Ben and put her in her place!

Christine: I can understand Hope being scared for Ciara. Ben is mentally ill and has killed people, but she and Rafe just can’t decide Ben is guilty when there’s no evidence to support it.

Hope has gotten far too comfortable taking the law into her own hands. This isn’t the character I knew and once loved. This is someone I no longer want to watch.

Abigail keeps insisting that she’s ashamed that she considered ending this pregnancy. Should she be?

Kathy: I don't think Abigail should be ashamed for considering ending the pregnancy. She had to consider all her options.

Jack: No! I hate how 1) it's written like we are all supposed to agree that no woman should ever terminate a pregnancy and 2) like this isn't rape, including writing inaccurate nonsense about a serious mental health condition to make the rape into consensual sex. I was relieved Marlena actually didn't go along with the "taking responsibility for the sex is a sign of health" garbage!

Christine: Absolutely not! Not only was she raped but her rapist never faced justice and has made it clear he’s going to be a huge part of this child’s life. Any sane person would consider not having this child.

Would you like to see Bonnie Lockhardt return to Salem?

Kathy: I wouldn't mind seeing Bonnie back in Salem for a short stay. She always shakes things up.

Jack: I liked the funny Bonnie from her original run, but I didn't enjoy the vindictive, mean Bonnie we saw last time around, and I don't see a need for her to return. Then again, I saw no need for Ben and I'm enjoying his return so I guess we'll see what the writers do with this.

Christine: I’ve never enjoyed Bonnie during any of her stays in Salem, so I’ll be much happier if she just stays away.

Should Kayla tell Steve the truth about her deal with Stefan?

Kathy: Kayla now knows that Stefan can control the bionic eye and take Steve's sight away whenever he chooses. I would like her to tell Steve the truth only if he could hold his temper and work with his wife to take Stefan down. I'm not sure Steve could hold it together to do that.

Jack: Of course she should. This out of character, a stupid story for her and Steve irks me when we could have had a great story about his blindness. Plus, if she did tell Steve, he would put a stop to Stefan bothering her, and we would lose one of the billion secret-from-spouse stories going on all the time.

Christine: Of course she should tell him, especially now that Stefan is threatening to cause Steve to lose his sight again. I think she should tell Steve with John there so that he can help calm Steve down and they can all come up with a plan to take Stefan down.

Chloe declared her love for Lucas. What do you think of their romance?

Kathy: I like both characters but I have not seen the growth of their romance. It seems so sudden, without any groundwork. I think they are both lonely and more in the friend zone than lovers.

Jack: *Yawn* Another romance built up off-screen so that there's no way we can possibly invest in this couple.

Christine: I wish these writers could figure out that a love story doesn’t happen just because you have the characters say I love you. There’s been no story involving Chloe and Lucas together. No emotional moments. Nothing. I like both characters but why should anyone care about them as a couple?

What disappointed you the most this week in Salem?

Kathy: I am most disappointed in Gabi's revenge plot. Now that her relationship with Ari is on the mend I hope she will rethink her plan.

Jack: All the rape-shaming taking prominence. Also, why does JJ have nothing to do but wander around town consoling people?

Once again, the story I wanted to see was moved off-screen and he's been miraculously cured of his suicidal depression and is now mentoring others.

Plus what was with that hug with Lani? Why are JJ’s romantic choices two unstable women who have hurt him deeply? And why is he never allowed to mention what Paige was to him when she was the only one who was at all good to him?

Also, Hope being eager to have sex with Rafe after a hard day of abusing her power to interfere with her daughter's relationship was all sorts of wrong.

Christine: Hope Williams Brady. I grew up with Hope. She was fun and feisty and had a real moral compass. I don’t know where that person went.

Also, I loved her with Bo and she and Aiden made a great couple, but watching her with Rafe is worse than watching paint dry. They’re boring and bring out the worst in one another, so having this couple reunite was a real low point this week.

Which storyline are you the most excited about on Days of Our Lives?

Kathy: I'm not really excited by any storyline at the moment but I am interested to see how Jennifer and Eric's relationship plays out. I am interested to see what happens when the truth about Nicole leaving Salem comes out.

Jack: I'm excited whenever we see Steve and whenever we see JJ even though they're both victims of having their storylines stolen from them. Also, while I'm not a big fan of John and Marlena and their fifth wedding, its nice to see some genuine romance.

Christine: I’m looking forward to John and Marlena’s wedding because I know Sami will most likely swoop in with some horrible secret and I’m hoping it will bust up Hope and Rafe for good.

Want to chat more about what’s happening in Salem? Check out the Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.

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