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Allie moved in with Nicole, Ben learned Ciara may still be alive, Gwen tried to gaslight Abigail, while Steve had a touching moment with John, and Eric left Salem to go back to Africa.
Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by Andy and Monica from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate Eric’s return to Africa, If Ciara is still alive, Allie’s decisions for her son, if Jan and Bonnie can be redeemed, and more!
Eric has left Salem? What did you think of his departure, and will you miss him?
Andy: Eric’s departure was another sudden exit in a long line of characters leaving over the past few months. I don’t really get why Nicole wouldn’t go with him, and would have preferred that to get her out of the Allie/Henry storyline.
I can’t say I’ll miss Eric, his holier than thou attitude regarding both himself and Nicole is tiring. He can stay gone for a good long while.
Monica: I’m not a big fan of this storyline. I was glad that Eric and Nicole were finally in a good place. It’s also a little offensive that the villagers in the Congo need a savior from Salem to give them hope for the future.
Finally, that must have been some express transportation Eric took to leave Salem in the evening and call Nicole from a remote Congolese village the next afternoon!
Jack: I hate these random jobs out of the blue departure stories. And this one seemed silly.
He’s going to leave his new wife and stepdaughter behind to go minister to people in Africa…and Nicole is encouraging him to do so. What?
Christine: Ugh. I agree that it’s pretty eye-roll worthy that former-Father Eric needs to run to the Congo in a day to give hope to people in Africa suffering from Ebola.
I was glad that Eric and Nicole finally got married, but I won’t miss him. Eric is equal parts boring, self-righteous, and ill-tempered. I hate the way half of Salem still seems to look upon him as Saint Eric.
Do you hope Ciara is still alive? Was Hope right not to tell Ben there’s the possibility she didn’t burn to death in that car?
Andy: I may not care much for the character, but I do hope that Ciara is alive. I don’t think Hope should have to lose another child, especially in such a ridiculous way.
It makes no sense that anyone believed she died in the explosion without any real evidence at the scene, and it would be more interesting for Hope and Ben to team up to find Ciara given their history of Hope not trusting him.
Monica: I do hope she’s still alive, but I wonder about the rings they found in the car. Was it Vincent or Ciara who was staging her death?
I think Ben needed the time to recover in the hospital, so it’s probably best that he didn’t know Hope’s theory. It seems cruel, though, that so many other people knew before he did.
Jack: There’s too much death and destruction in Salem, so I’m fine with Ciara still being alive. I understand Hope not wanting to raise Ben’s hopes until they knew something, but he was really suffering, and I think he should have been told.
Christine: I do hope and believe Ciara is alive. The show has invested a lot into making Ciara and Ben a modern super-couple, and it would be a waste to kill her off after all of that.
I think it was a bit cruel of Hope not to tell Ben, although I don’t believe she meant to be. Ben is Ciara’s husband, and he has every right to know that his wife might not be dead, even if the chance seems slim.
Now it’s your turn TV Fanatics! Do you think Ciara is still alive?
What’s your best guess as to why Gwen hates Abigail and is trying to gaslight her?
Andy: My guess is that Abby or one of her alters did something during the time jump that’s just never been shown to viewers. I can’t think of anything from her known past that would have affected Gwen, unless the writers just totally retcon it.
That little bit of mystery is about the only thing holding my interest with these characters.
Monica: I’m scratching my head over this one, especially since there are some serious timeline issues. Wasn’t Gwen at Bayview when Abigail’s drink was spiked the first time?
Does Gwen have some connection to Andre DiMera and is angry that Abigail killed him when she was Gabby?
Jack: Honestly, my sense is she hates Abigail because Camila Banus left, so they needed someone else to continue the story they had planned for Gabi. Other than that, I have no clue. She seems jealous that Abby is “perfect,” but why? Who knows?
Christine: Got me. So far, this storyline makes no sense. As Monica said, the timeline seems off, and all we know about Gwen’s past is that she was involved with Jake in Philadelphia.
No one in Salem seems to know Gwen, so why would she target Abigail? At first, I thought someone else was paying her, but suddenly this seems personal, and I’m completely lost as to why.
Are you onboard with the Bonnie Lockhart Redemption story? Would you like her to stay in Salem? Are Bonnie and Justin as a romantic couple a real possibility?
Andy: I honestly barely pay attention when Bonnie appears on the screen; I have zero interest in her or whatever is going on with her.
I do not want to see any romance between her and Justin. It’s weird, creepy, and just wrong. If the writers wanted this actress back, they should have just resurrected Adrienne like they do everyone else.
Monica: I believe that Bonnie has changed and that she really is sorry for the things she did. I can’t imagine Bonnie and Justin ever getting together. But what if that’s really Adrienne somehow? I wouldn’t mind having Adrienne back.
Jack: Ugh. Can she take her settlement money and go away? And there was no reason for Justin to be so upset over her attempted kiss that he got drunk. He rebuffed her, and that should be the end of it.
Christine: Bonnie goes from being despicable (like when she tried to bed Lucas) to mildly likable. Her only real redeeming quality is that it’s nice to see the actors (Wally Kurth and Judi Evans) get to play together again.
Other than that, I see no purpose for her character in Salem.
What do you think of Allie’s son’s name, Henry Lucas Horton? Are Allie and the baby living with Nicole a good idea?
Andy: Henry’s a cute enough name. I did chuckle at the One Direction reference (I’m partial to the name Liam).
I hate that Allie, Nicole, and Henry are now living under one roof. It rubs me the wrong way that everyone in Allie’s life keeps pushing her to decide to keep the baby after all of this, and I wish the writers weren’t pushing that narrative.
It’s like they want to appear progressive when characters consider adoption or abortion, but then always make it out to be the wrong decision. I know it’s a controversial thing, but I just wish they’d handle it differently.
Monica: I think it’s a fine, old-fashioned name. But why, Henry? The last Henry I remember on the show was Dr. Shah, and things didn’t turn out too well for him.
I’m glad that Nicole is getting the baby since that’s what Allie wants, but I feel like Eric, Sami, and Nicole are forcing Allie into a maternal role, which she has said many times she doesn’t want. I wish they’d respect her wishes.
Jack: The Henry part was random and came out of nowhere, but if that’s the name she wants, I guess it’ll do.
I think Allie and the baby living with Nicole is a great idea. Nicole can continue to be there for Allie as well as for the baby.
The only problem is that Sami engineered it and thinks that means she has the right to come over and say nasty things about Nicole, and if she comes back from Europe someday, she’ll probably do just that.
Christine: I wish there had been a little more explanation about Henry, but I do like Henry Lucas and was happy that Allie decided to honor her father that way.
But I hate that Allie is being pushed to be a mother when she’s been pretty clear that this isn’t what she wants.
Personally, I don’t think Nicole and Eric really want this child. If so, Eric wouldn’t have taken off to Africa without much thought to Holly or this baby. I wish they could all help Allie find an appropriate adoptive family for her son, and then they can all move on.
Is Jan manipulating Claire to get some sort of revenge against Shawn and Belle, or do you think there’s the possibility that she’s making a fresh start?
Andy: I’m all for giving people the benefit of the doubt, but I don’t trust Jan Spears as far as I can throw her!
Going through Claire to get to Shawn and Belle is smart. Any argument they have against Jan really reflects back on their feelings toward Claire’s own recovery, so it’s an interesting dynamic.
I have no doubt Jan will strike when the opportunity presents itself.
Monica: Even though Ben and Claire have made fresh starts after mental illness, I’m skeptical about Jan. It does seem as though she’s planning some kind of revenge, and making Xander’s acquaintance doesn’t bode well.
Jack: I’m not sure. The odds are that she’s manipulating Claire, but it would be a great twist if she was actually sincere.
Christine: Like Jack says above, I’d love it if Jan really was recovering and making a fresh start if only because no one would expect that!
What were your favorite and least favorite moments of the week?
Andy: I felt kind of disconnected from the show this week. A lot of my favorite characters are gone now (Will, Sonny, Gabi, JJ…) The current storylines are starting to drag or feel repetitive.
I’m glad Sami and Allie were able to reconcile, their tearful hug and “I love you’s” were sweet.
I hate that Nicole ended up with the baby after all that, I would have much preferred Sami to leave with her grandson. Terrible resolution to that drawn out storyline.
Monica: I really loved the beautiful and realistic conversation Marlena and Ben had about grief and loss. I like the new relationship between the two of them, where he gives support to her as a friend.
The whole Gwen/Abigail/Dr. Rolf interactions were my least favorite moments. It’s all so convoluted and implausible, even by Salem standards!
Jack: Sami’s goodbye scenes with Allie and Lucas were phenomenal, as were John’s scenes with Steve.
I could have done without all things Gwen and Trask gloating about prosecuting Kristen was not a welcome addition to this story.
Christine: I loved that Sami and Allie found some sort of resolution before Sami left. It was a sweet moment between the two of them.
Also, the way Steve dealt with John’s outburst was perfect with this Days of Our Lives quote…
[to John] I sat here for hours watching you hooked up to all of those machines, thinking that you might die. So, having you alive and yelling at me, I’m grateful for that. Okay? So, whatever’s going on with you, you want to yell at me, I’m right here, I can take it.
Steve
But if Gwen, Abigial, and Chad all left Salem tomorrow, I don’t think I’d miss any of them. And for characters I don’t particularly care about they are taking up far too much screen time.
Tell us your answers to this week’s round table by hitting that Big, Blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below!
Then go check out Jack Ori’s weekly Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.