Lucas rescued Sami only for her to run straight back to EJ, whom she found in bed with Nicole! Chloe found Brady covered in Philip's blood, and Kate and Paulina bonded over their abusive exes.

Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Kayla from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate Sami running to EJ, Rafe bouncing between Nicole and Ava, if Brady should be arrested, and from which character they could use a break in Salem.

Who do you think abducted Sami?

Kayla: I have a couple of theories, but since it was hinted it is a woman, I feel like it's either Kristen or Ava, more likely Kristen because she is a DiMera.

Jack: For a while, I thought EJ was behind it, but his surprise at hearing Sami had been kidnapped seemed genuine.

Kristen is a likely suspect now, I guess. Kidnapping is far more her MO than Nicole's (what a silly guess on Sami's part!)

Beyond that, I have no clue. I'm not sure the writers do either. They put this story together to explain Sami's absence when Alison Sweeney wasn't available, and now they seem to be scrambling to make it make sense. 

Christine: Kristen seems to make the most sense, but why not move Sami to the Dimera island with Sarah, other than the writers needing to keep those two storylines separate?

I'd love it if the mastermind were someone that none of us have thought of yet, but as of right now, Kristen is my only guess.

Were you surprised that Sami was so eager to get back to EJ, even though Lucas rescued her?

Kayla: As much as I hate to say this, I was not because Sami always wanted to make things work between them even though I think she is better off without him.

Jack: I was more disappointed than surprised. I feel like this happens all the time. Lucas runs to Sami's aide whenever she gets into a mess, only for her to rush back to EJ at the earliest possible opportunity.

I feel bad for Lucas that he puts his heart and soul into helping Sami only for her to make it clear he's her second choice, over and over and over. 

Christine: No, not surprised. When Sami was abducted, she was determined to win EJ back, and there's no reason for that to have changed.

I wish Sami had found EJ with someone other than Nicole. Now, all of her anger is focused on Nicole instead of dealing with her complicated feelings for EJ. Is she fighting for EJ because she wants EJ, or does she just not want Nicole to have him?

Which couples are you rooting for when it comes to Ava/Rafe/Nicole/EJ/Sami/Lucas?

Kayla: Is this even a question. Lumi (Lucas and Sami), of course. I must catch up on all their scenes because life has been hectic, but I am extremely glad the show is recognizing their love story after all this time.

Hopefully, they can now receive the happily ever after they deserved years ago, making the Lumily very happy, especially Will, as he always wanted his parents together. He hinted at it even in 2017.

Jack: Rafe/Nicole and Sami/Lucas all the way.

I have always felt that Lucas was the love of Sami's life, and I've been waiting forever for Sami to wake up and realize it. She and EJ always try to out scheme each other and tear each other to pieces, and EJ is downright abusive to Sami. That's not a love story.

As for Nicole and Rafe, I've shipped them since 2012. I hate the way this story is being written. It makes Rafe seems skeevy, as he flips back and forth from being totally into Nicole to totally into Ava. Ugh.

But still. At this point, there is no real reason for Rafe and Nicole not to be together, and I'm looking forward to the end of the manufactured drama so that they can be.

While Nicole and EJ have some chemistry, the fact that EJ abused Nicole so badly that she felt she had to hide her pregnancy from him makes this pairing a big NO from me. Plus, these two are not in love with each other!

Nicole admits that she is using EJ to get past her feelings for Rafe, and EJ's declaration that Sami is his past means he absolutely is not over her. This is a pure rebound relationship, so there's nothing to root for there, and EJ is better suited to a fellow criminal like Ava than he is to either Nicole or Sami.

Christine: I love Nicole and EJ together. Unlike Eric, EJ doesn't care that Nicole isn't a saint. Heck, he enjoys her bad girl side. These two have gotten to a point where they really seem to enjoy one another, and their chemistry is pretty hot, so I want to see more.

Lucas is always there for Sami, and I wish she'd stop using that to get her out of jams and then dropping him like a hot rock when she's done. I'd like to see Lumi finally get their chance.

As for Rafe, he's kind of a jerk when it comes to relationships. I know Ava's far from perfect, but she deserves better than to be Rafe's stop for sex and meals because he can't have her best friend.

As far as I'm concerned, Rafe can stick to playing police commissioner, and maybe Ava can find someone better.

With the evidence on hand, should the police arrest Brady for assaulting Philip?

Kayla: Honestly, no, I don't think they should for two reasons, one being I don't believe Brady did it, and secondly, he has a lot going on right now.

Jack: Well, there's more evidence than there was when they arrested Belle for killing Charlie, but that's not saying a hell of a lot.

Other than Philip's blood on a passed-out Brady, there is no direct evidence that anything happened between them. The rest is circumstantial.

Brady made some good points about how hard it would have been for him to send those threatening texts and go through with a premeditated attack on Philip if he was really as drunk as the tests claim, which no one is considering.

Everyone seems to have forgotten that Philip was the one who was getting violent because of his jealousy of Brady.

This is a VERY weak case or would be if this was anyplace but Salem. Trask really should think twice after how embarrassing the whole attempt to prosecute Belle ended up being for her.

Christine: The evidence is circumstantial but still damning.

A blood test shows Brady was very drunk. Brady sent angry texts to Philip. Brady was covered in Philip's blood. There's a knife at the scene with Brady's fingerprints on it. Philip is missing, and his prosthetic leg was found in the river near where Brady was found.

Yes, Brady's attorney can try and prove he was set up, but without another plausible explanation, I can't blame the Salem PD for arresting Brady. I think any police department would.

Of which character have you had enough and wish you could get off the screen for a while?

Kayla: There are a few I wish I could send offscreen for a while. I won't say MarDevil, even though I don't like MarDevil. I would say, Xander, Gwen, Ava, Chanel, and Paulina.

Jack: Could whoever kidnapped Sami decide they'll go after Gabi next, please? There is NOTHING redeeming about Gabi right now. All she does is whine, say obnoxious things, and have sex with Jake.

I was hoping Victor would put her more forcefully in her place and can't wait for him to double-cross her. Right now, Gabi is so annoying I wouldn't have minded if Ava had gone through with stabbing her, and I generally don't wish death on anyone, even fictional characters!

Christine: Gabi, and she can take Jake with her. Gabi's become annoying and obnoxious with no real purposeful storyline, and Jake's nothing more than her sidekick. They're a waste of screen time, and I could use a break.

What disappointed you the most this week in Salem?

Kayla: I reckon the fact Sami went back to EJ after she was recused and also the fact we didn't find out who abducted Sami.

Jack: Sami should not have been in such a rush to see EJ! Not only did she break Lucas' heart, but her family doesn't even know she's back or that she's been kidnapped.

And once Sami did see EJ, I wish she'd have realized that his involvement with Nicole was his problem and that it left her free to be with Lucas.

I also hate this Philip framing Brady story with a passion. This isn't Philip's character. He was always at odds with Victor because he rejected what the Kiriakis family stood for.

This whole plan is not the kind of thing he would ordinarily do and serves no purpose except for ruining his character and the possibility of Philip/Chloe being a real couple.

Also, why is Chloe so gullible? This is such an obvious setup, and while I don't ship Brady/Chloe at all, it SHOULD backfire and push her right into Brady's arms as she is the only one to defend him. Instead, she's fallen for this ruse completely, and only Belle seems to have an understanding that something isn't right here.

Christine: Rafe. He acts so happy to be with Ava, but the moment he gets near Nicole, he's trying to convince her that they should be a couple.

He's not respecting Nicole or Ava, and I'm kind of looking forward to Ava exacting some sort of revenge upon him. I just hope she doesn't end up paying for it in the end. 

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

Kayla: No questions asked when Lucas rescued Sami. I also loved when Sami told the guard Lucas would find a way to get to her. And, oh, didn't I mention I managed to reach my ex-husband!

Jack: Victor was the MVP this week. I loved him letting Gabi think she'd won, only to reveal that he knew what she was up to and had been manipulating her the whole time. His more serious scenes dealing with Philip's disappearance were also great.

After all these years, John Aniston still steals the show every time he's in it.

A close runner-up was Paulina and Kate, though. I didn't expect to like these scenes at all. It seemed like Paulina was going around talking to random people about her plight. But they turned out to be some of the best scenes of the week!

I loved that these two powerful women bonded over both having had to deal with abusive exes. And we even got an apology out of Kate for judging Paulina -- how often does that happen?

Finally, that little bit of romance between Kate and Roman was sweet, and I liked Kate's conversation with Lucas too. Pretty much all things Kate this week were a winner.

Christine: I agree; Kate was fantastic this week. I always love her scenes with her sons. They have a fun, snarky dynamic, yet you know there's love underneath.

Lucas and EJ's reactions to one another were great, and the two didn't even share a scene! EJ called Lucas a "sniveling beta-male," and Lucas couldn't contain his delight when he learned the Sami was about to find EJ with Nicole.

And Ava telling Gabi, "just so you know, she used an ax," reminded me once again why I like Ava.

Now it's your turn, Days fans! Hit that SHOW COMMENTS down below and let us know your thoughts on our round table team's answers. And then check out Jack Ori's Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.

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