Paulina had to be crazy to think she could get away with demolishing Horton Town Square... especially while trying to hide that's what she was doing.

Her lies were sloppy, she kept talking about her secrets in public, and she knew that it was all going to come out eventually.

Still, though, the reveal of her true plans on Days of Our Lives during the week of 6-28-21 was one of the best secrets-unraveled sequences the show has had in a long time.

Everything from Abe reading the demolition paperwork to everyone running to the Square was perfect. These were some tense moments, even if the secret itself was on the silly side.

And is anyone surprised that Julie immediately declared she never trusted Paulina even though she'd just been celebrating Paulina and Abe's relationship?

The fallout from this promises some strong drama, too.

Abe is likely to break things off with Paulina. That's sad since he was finally experiencing some happiness and the beats leading up to their decision to date were played just right.

Abe moved more quickly than usual, spending at least two nights in a row with Paulina in her apartment. That didn't seem to fit his cautious, super-moral character, but it does make this all the more heartbreaking.

Not only will Abe probably end things with Paulina, but I'm sure he'll also put a stop to the demolition. Alice and Tom's plaque will undoubtedly be restored to its proper place, but what will become of Abe's career as mayor?

He wanted to create the initiative to encourage minority-owned businesses partially to cement his legacy as Mayor, and Paulina duped him.

Will voters believe he didn't know what she was up to? More importantly, will the authorities think that Abe was in on her scheme and set up a fraudulent grants program?

Salem's most honest resident could end up facing major charges after he puts a halt to Paulina's plans, and if it becomes public knowledge that he was sleeping with Paulina, that could be the end of his career.

Lani and Eli may never forgive Auntie P for that, and she may find herself cut out of the twins' lives thanks to this stupid scheme.

And everyone from Theo to Paulina herself has commented on how much more serious and mature Chanel seems to be ever since she found her purpose.

Paulina's plan threatens to turn the storefront for her bakery into a pile of rubble, and there may not be a way for Abe to salvage the original initiative now that Paulina's real plans have been revealed.

Not only will Chanel not be able to forgive her mother, but will she be able to live with her? If not, where will she go?

Eli and Lani don't want her staying at their apartment anymore. Will she end up getting a place with Allie and baby Henry, leading to trouble between Allie and Tripp?

And Chanel's hopes and dreams were all tied up with the bakery. Will she be able to regroup and find another way to make her dream come true or will she return to bad behavior now that the rug's been pulled out from under her?

The only good thing to come out of any of this is that hopefully, this is the end of Chanel and Paulina's conversations about how great a body Eli has!

Paulina's response to learning that Chanel has seen Eli naked more than once was uncomfortable, to say the least, and there was no need for her to bring it up at the party... or for Lani to be jealous that Chanel said Lani had a great husband.

Not to mention that Eli really should know better than to wander around in a towel when he has houseguests who don't necessarily need to see everything. Sheesh.

Also, sexually fluid means just that. Neither Paulina nor anyone else should be shocked that Chanel can be turned on by a man when she has said that she is attracted to all genders!

Eli's other storyline is not entertaining in the slightest.

It's great that a police officer is actually involved in solving a crime in Salem, but there is no excitement to this "mystery."

We know what happened to Snyder, we know who is responsible, and we know why Gwen and Snyder were having issues.

The only thing we don't know is whether Gwen and Xander will get caught, and that's not a compelling question since these two are among the most annoying characters in Salem!

It would have been a far more riveting storyline to keep Snyder alive and have him try to keep one step ahead of Steve and Kayla, with Tripp caught in the middle.

But alas, poor Snyder was nothing but a mere plot point. His death offered a convenient excuse to throw Gwen and Xander together, and if Eli hadn't knocked on the door I'm sure they would have kissed by now.

And any charm that Xander ever had -- I quite enjoyed fantasizing that he was EJ 2.0 -- went out the window with his half-joking threat against Julie's life.

Gabi's attempts to kill Julie were bad enough. Let's not go there again with Xander and Gwen, please.

As for Julie, what does she see in Ben and Ciara?

She went on and on about how wonderful a couple they are and how sad it is that they are apart, and I just don't see it.

Julie: You know, Doug, what I love about you being such a romantic?
Doug: Me giving you flowers?
Julie: No, that's just a perk.
Doug: Me serenading you as we stroll through the park?
Julie: I do like that, even though sometimes people do give us a look.
Doug: I say let them stare.
Julie: So what I was going to say is, I love being married to a romantic who always sees the bright side.

• Permalink: So what I was going to say is, I love being married to a romantic who always sees the bright...

I love Doug's relentless optimism too, but Ben and Ciara have never been a compelling couple nor one whose love was so strong that nothing could tear them apart.

Days of Our Lives has worked super hard to try to make viewers believe it, but their on-screen interactions tell another story.

These two are the epitome of a clingy, unhealthy relationship. Neither one of them has had any meaningful life outside of each other since the day they met, they can't go two seconds apart without being too lonely to function, and now that Ciara's rejected Ben he is acting like a stalker.

Ciara is NOT his property. It doesn't matter if he approves of her reasons for divorcing him, nor does it matter if she remembers their "great love" or not.

What matters is she wants a divorce. He needs to sign the damn papers and get it over with.

If nothing else, that would save viewers from having to hear any more renditions of this stupid argument about whether Ciara "loves Ben deep down" when she claims not to.

Ben/Ciara shippers seem to have latched onto Theo as the object of their ire as if he has no right to move on with Ciara because she "belongs with Ben."

But Theo has been respectful of Ciara's autonomy (unlike Ben, who has had to be talked out of randomly showing up on the other side of the world to try to force Ciara to take him back!), and she wants to be with them.

That doesn't make Theo evil -- quite the opposite. I just wish Days of Our Lives would remember he's Autistic.

Elsewhere, Sami and Nicole really need to stay out of each other's business!

To no one's surprise, Nicole didn't accept Sami's fake promise to back off, nor did Sami have any plans to do so.

Both of these women should have better things to do, especially considering that EJ likely already knows about Sami/Lucas (and if he doesn't, he will soon, thanks to Kristen's letter!) and Eric is unlikely to believe Sami's claims that Nicole cheated on him with Xander.

It's already at a stalemate, so move on!

Besides, if Nicole finds out about Xander's involvement in Snyder's death, she can neutralize him easily, and no one is really interested in Sami's opinion about Nicole's love life.

I really hope Sami and Lucas are end game, though.

Lucas is 100% right in his characterization of EJ's abuse of Sami and how it's affected her.

Sami: It's EJ. I have to take this.
Lucas: Oh yeah. His wish is your command.

• Permalink: Oh yeah. His wish is your command.

Sami was offended, but she simply isn't ready to hear it. She's lived with EJ for so long that she thinks his abuse of her is the proper way for a husband to treat a wife.

It's too bad Marlena, who cheated on Roman with John, suddenly thinks Sami should remain loyal to her abusive husband. If anyone knows how to help someone see the truth about domestic violence, it's her, and she should be eager to use her psychiatric knowledge to protect her often impulsive daughter.

EJ is far more interesting as a ruthless businessman than he is when he's bothering Sami.

This co-CEO thing didn't work out well when Philip and Xander tried it, and it's even less likely to work out now. But I wouldn't be surprised if it ended with EJ on top.

Of course, if Abigail ever comes back, it's anyone's guess what'll happen. Maybe EJ's lustful eye will turn again to his brother and rival's wife, leaving Sami free to admit her feelings for Lucas.

I'm also curious as to what will happen when Johnny returns. Allie is already caught in the middle between Sami and Lucas (and between Sami and Nicole!). But will Johnny push Sami and EJ to remain together because EJ is his father, possibly causing a rift between the twins?

EJ also seemed somewhat smitten with Kate and her plan to trick Jake into thinking she was blind and helpless.

Kate has slept with Andre and Stefano, so why not complete the trifecta by having her hook up with EJ?

That would be a more compelling story than this constant fighting with Gabi over Jake.

Jake bounces from one to the other without thinking twice, even going as far as to tell both women at different times that he's only ever had eyes for them and that the other is nothing to him.

He is not worth it, even if EJ and Chad are being unnecessarily snobby about his past as a garage mechanic.

I wonder, though, if Jake and Gabi will stumble onto the truth about Sami and Lucas.

These two would love to exact some revenge on EJ and possibly undermine his position in the company, so if they do find out about Sami and Lucas' latest tryst, there's no telling what they might do.

This could be fun, though I enjoyed Sami and Gabi's brief moment of friendship, and Gabi's interference in this would ruin that.

Meanwhile, Rafe's "conversation" with Duke the Bear provided a bizarre break from the norm as he struggled with feelings for Nicole.

I had suggested on the Days of Our Lives spoilers for the week of 6-28-21 that perhaps Duke would be the "unusual source" Rafe spoke with, but I was only joking!

This was undoubtedly meant to be comic relief, but I would have preferred Rafe to be aware that he was imagining the bear talking to him and not try to strangle the toy at the dinner table.

Getting back to reality, I still don't know why Ava insisted that Nicole attend what sounded like a romantic dinner Ava was planning with Rafe.

It upped the drama quotient for sure, but it was a silly set-up... even without the bear.

Nicole: I hope you don't mind that Ava invited me. I don't want to be a third wheel.
Rafe: Third wheels don't bring wine.

• Permalink: Third wheels don't bring wine.

I've shipped Rafe/Nicole forever and hope they're end game, but Ava isn't a bad alternative. I just hope Nicole and Ava can preserve their friendship no matter what happens.

I've also shipped Philip/Chloe for a while, but this latest iteration is disappointing, to say the least.

Philip's attempts at wooing Chloe seemed more like pressure, and he came across as an entitled, whiny rich man-child, while Chloe seemed stuck in the past and was only interested in him because he was nice to her in high school.

For some reason, the writers like to try to recreate the magic of the Last Blast crew's high school years... by redoing the same stories that worked so well when they were sixteen.

These characters are in their 40s now and it's time to have a grown-up story for them. Instead, Brady and Philip are both attempting to convince Chloe not to have a friendship with the other one, Chloe is torn between the man she really wants and the one she wanted 20 years ago, and nobody comes across as particularly mature or likable.

What a shame, because this could have been a compelling story!

Your turn, Days of Our Lives fanatics. Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know what you thought of Days of Our Lives during the week of 6-28-21.

Hungry for more Days of our Lives chat? Be sure to check back on Sunday for our latest Days of Our Lives Round Table discussion.

Days of Our Lives airs on NBC on weekday afternoons. Check your local listings for airtimes.

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.