Days of Our Lives Review: Everything Implodes
Jack Ori
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Seeing lies unravel is part of the fun of watching a soap.
When evil characters finally get caught after months of lying to the person they claim to love and get some comeuppance, it's satisfying.
On Days of Our Lives during the week of 9-24-18, all the lies surrounding Eve's involvement in Brady losing Tate and Brady's involvement in Eric losing Nicole came out, with disastrous results.
But to my surprise, I found myself siding with Eve more than anyone else in this mess.
This drug planting plot was a rerun of 2013's plot to break up JJ and Paige by hiring a prostitute to seduce JJ. When JJ didn't cooperate, the prostitute drugged him, and Eve proceeded to cover it up.
That storyline was dropped, but it seemed to me the writers did it all over again by having Victor plant drugs in JJ's apartment and then having Eve tell everyone who would listen that JJ had probably relapsed even though she knew he hadn't.
In both cases, Eve didn't intend for JJ to get tangled up in a drug-related mess but participated in covering it up anyway.
Brady: Where's the tape?
Eve: I don't know. And honestly I think Victor was just as surprised as I was that it wasn't in the safe.
Brady: And you bought that? That was performance art, Eve. Victor was lying to you just like you lied to me and the upshot of all of this is that I don't have my boy. Do you understand that, Eve?
Brady equated Eve to Kristen because she didn't tell him the truth about this, which was ridiculously harsh. Kayla had recently told Jennifer that her lie in no way made her into a murderous psychopath, and that's equally true for Eve.
Eve's daughter was murdered, for goodness sake, so calling Eve a murderer because she didn't tell Brady what she'd done is cruel as well as ludicrous.
There's also the fact that Eve didn't tell Victor to plant drugs. Although her confession made it sound that way, which didn't help, she just told him to do what it took to make sure Theresa was discredited.
Planting drugs was Victor's idea, not Eve's. She should have realized she was playing with fire and she should have known better than to cover it up, considering that her lies about her tryst with JJ cost her her relationship with Paige shortly before Paige's death.
But she doesn't deserve the brunt of Brady's wrath either, especially not five seconds after he promised her there was nothing she could say that could ruin their relationship.
I'm also not sure what to make out of this Eric/Jennifer mess.
This is not the first time Eric has acted this way, only the first time he's acted like that towards Jen.
Back in 2014, Eric was engaged to Nicole, but Jennifer overheard Nicole and Daniel arguing about whether Nicole should admit to Eric that she'd shredded the evidence that he had been raped.
Jennifer told Eric and he broke up with Nicole, then proceeded to rant at her about what a liar and horrible person she was every time he saw her for the next 24 months or so.
Fast forward to 2018. Eric is now engaged to Jennifer, learns she has been keeping evidence to herself that Nicole still loves him, and rants that she is a liar and horrible person before storming off.
It's hard to believe that Nicole is the love of Eric's life when he treated her just as badly as he's treating Jennifer now, if not worse -- especially since Jennifer telling him the truth was the catalyst to that breakup!
Jennifer: I saw Brady. I can never imagine you hitting him like that.
Eric: He had it coming.
Jennifer: I know, and I'm not saying that to judge you. It's just clear that for you to go after him like that... what this has done to you... I've been looking for you ever since. Where were you?
Eric: I went to go see Maggie, to see if she knew where Nicole was. She doesn't.
Jennifer: And now that you know the truth, you want her back again. It's over between us, isn't it?
This story just makes Eric look like an abusive jerk. His reaction to hearing this news was to verbally abuse Jennifer, then go punch Brady in the face before considering taking a drink.
Drinking probably would have made him more violent, but as it was, he lost his temper enough to punch Brady and throw a glass across the room at the Pub.
Jennifer said it was "understandable," but how does she know Eric wouldn't lose his temper and hit her someday?
I know the story isn't going that way, but I'm just saying. The soap trope of men having short fuses and resolving relationship issues is way outdated, and I'm not comfortable with female characters -- especially formerly strong women like Jennifer -- excusing violence on the grounds that the man had a right to be upset.
Jennifer's son almost went to jail over his temper issues and her daughter's problems stem from having dated a man whose rages literally became murderous, so she should be the last person to excuse this behavior, not the first.
Honestly, if Eric is going to be like that, both Jennifer and Nicole are better off without him. He constantly claims he's over whatever his last love was (church, Nicole, whatever), then suddenly gets mad and blames his current partner for keeping a secret that he said he didn't care about.
I'm not happy with Jennifer's behavior either, though.
There's no need to sit around moping after a fight as if the only important thing in life is her relationship with Eric. She's supposed to be the owner of the Spectator, so how about going to work? With Kristen on the loose and Sami's arrest for Marlena's murder, there's a ton of juicy stories she could be writing about.
She could even uncover something that sends her off to the other side of the world that might be fulfilling enough to make her realize she doesn't need Eric to make her complete.
All of this pales in comparison to the annoying and offensive Abigail/Gabi story.
Gabi continued to drug Abigail in order to make her think her Dissociative Identity Disorder had returned.
There are so many problems with this that I don't know where to begin.
This storyline continues to treat mental illness as something to be used against someone. Gabi's anger towards Abigail stems from not believing her mental illness is real and now trying to make her think she's dissociating when she's not just to get revenge.
Drugging a pregnant woman is in poor taste no matter what the pill bottle says about the meds being safe for pregnant women to take.
There's no guarantee that they won't affect the baby, and safe to take during pregnancy and safe to take over and over during pregnancy are two separate things.
Plus, Gabi doesn't seem to realize that texting Stefan from Abigail's phone is playing with fire. Stefan is delusional and thinks that the Gabby alter is a real person who is in love with him. This could lead to him raping Abigail a second time.
Abby forgave Gabi's actions with Melanie even though they led to the death of Abby's father, so surely Gabi could find it in her heart to forgive her friend for her behavior during a dissociative episode instead of trying to destroy her.
This storyline makes me squirm, and every time it's on I'm tempted to change the channel. It needs to end FAST.
It's also totally ridiculous that Gabi can enter the Horton House whenever she wants and drug Abigail. Doug, Julie, and Jennifer are conveniently absent whenever she does this and nobody ever sees her car on the street.
And Chad and Kate's behavior both leave a lot to be desired, too. Not only does Chad seem oblivious to Gabi's obvious manipulations, but he's continuing to live with her when he clearly wants to be with Abby, which only makes sense if it serves this idiotic plot.
Kate is the ultimate unflappable woman and cannot be blackmailed, so why is she allowing Gabi to push her around? She made Ted disappear and he was a lot worse of a threat than this idiot of a woman.
The only good part of any of this is that JJ appears to be on the case.
Related: 7 Ways Days Of Our Lives Could (And Should!) Be Using JJ Deveraux
JJ is at his best when he is in investigative mode, and he appears to be going back to his roots and going undercover to catch Gabi.
It's sad that he has to do this to stop the woman who saved his life from messing with his sister, but it could lead to some strong drama for JJ, and he's been MIA for far too long.
Up until now, he has been wandering around the Square comforting random people, and that's not a proper use of his character.
Plus, he has this nice apartment -- or he did until the Theresa story ended. So there's no need for him to keep showing up in random places to talk to people as if he's homeless.
Meanwhile, Will and Paul's relationship hasn't imploded yet, but maybe it will soon.
I'm more of a "Horita" fan than a "Wilson" fan nowadays, but this is ridiculous.
I don't buy that Will fell hard for Sonny just because he remembered being in love with him. It seems like Sonny pushed and pushed until Will decided that's what he felt.
But either way, it's cruel for Will to tell Paul he loves him forever and is committed to him while secretly pining for Sonny. And Paul is astute enough to realize he's being snowed, even if his opinion is being influenced by his depression over not being able to walk.
I really miss Steve during this story, too. Steve would have been able to relate to Paul since it wasn't that long ago that he was blind and unsure how he could continue as a detective.
Related: Stephen Nichols Breaks Silence on Days of Our Lives Departure
I'd rather see that than this endless merry-go-round about whether Will should stay with Paul or be with Will. Paul's story should be about his injury, not just his love life, but DAYS doesn't seem to be very good at these kinds of realistic stories.
Look how Steve's story was shoved onto the backburner in favor of a lot of Stefan/Abby/Chad nonsense!
Anyway, if I were Paul, I'd forget both these guys and go join Theo in that rehab in South Africa rather than constantly being bounced back and forth between the two of them and ending up alone.
And since Sonny has decided it's so noble to walk away from this relationship, he needs to stop sulking and find something to do. I'm tired of seeing his sad eyes and Adrienne trying to convince him that he's making the wrong choice.
Stay in your suite. Otherwise you will see how mean, mean, mean I can be, be, be.
Victor
Elsewhere in the Kiriakis mansion, Victor had a showdown with Susan. I'd been waiting for this since she moved in and I was excited that it finally happened!
They both got in some great lines and Susan trying to use Maggie's teacup to take a pee test was hilarious, even if it was kind of gross.
I'm not sure why Victor felt a need to be rude to Eli, but I'll take it over more of him mooning over Lani. This was the first time we've seen Eli do anything not Lani-related in a while and it was refreshing to see.
The Hattie story took an even siller turn now that Kristen showed up.
First of all, I'm tired of the Salem PD being so incompetent that someone like Kristen who's on Salem's list of the most wanted criminals in the city could just waltz into a hospital, don a pair of scrubs, and wander around pointing a gun at people.
It's also irresponsible in these times of random shootings to use someone breaking into a hospital with a gun as entertainment, so score -1 for social consciousness, again.
Anyway, even more unbelievable than the whole setup was Kristen not believing that Marlena could have a doppleganger.
Eli was just testing Susan's teeth to make sure Kristen hadn't disguised herself as Susan again! Does she think she has a monopoly on goofy dopplegangers?
Hattie and Kristen's scenes were funny, though. I loved Hattie annoying Kristen into admitting she had the wrong woman!
I think Hattie should have told John the truth about Kristen, but that would have gone against her interests so I understand why she didn't.
I'm guessing Sami will be the one to save the day now that Kristen has attacked the real Marlena. I'm so glad Sami's out of jail, though I wish she wouldn't make finding EJ her top priority.
I don't believe EJ is the love of Sami's life and I'd rather see her team up with Lucas to defeat Bonnie's idiotic plan.
I also am curious as to how Sami would react if she knew that Stefan had left because of the text from "Gabby." Abigail slept with EJ in 2014, and no one can hold a grudge like Sami, but Sami also hates Stefan.
As for Hattie and John's wedding, I doubt it's going to be as easy to annul that marriage as Roman thinks.
Hattie insisted John sign a new wedding license and said she wasn't as stupid as he thinks, so I'm sure she has double crossed him somehow.
I also wish Abe had insisted on having a psychiatrist check "Marlena's" competence before officiating the ceremony, since she was saying off-the-wall things and didn't know who Valerie was.
The million dollar question is who planted the evidence against Ben?
I was thrilled that Rafe finally pointed out that someone ELSE could have done it and that Hope should double check that she hadn't been tricked.
I'm not convinced that she didn't do it, given her determination to keep Ciara and Ben apart even if it means abusing her power.
But Ciara told Tripp she finally trusts him, and given how that's gone with Brady/Eve, Eric/Jen, and a million other Salem couples lately, that's a strong sign that he's the one who did it.
I'm irritated that Tripp hasn't had any reaction to his father's absence. It's like the show thinks that now that Kayla's had a one-sided phone call with Steve, there's no need to mention him ever again.
Tripp had grown close with Steve and was helping him navigate the world during his blindness. He should have some reaction, and the fact that it's not even mentioned is yet more disrespect for one of the most iconic characters in the show's 52-year history.
Your turn, DAYS fanatics!
Whose side are you on with this Eve/Brady/Eric/Jen/Nicole mess? Anybody's?
Weigh in below, and don't forget to check back on Sunday for the Days of Our Lives Round Table discussion.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.
