Days of Our Lives Round Table: Ava Vitali Is Alive!

Ava Vitali is alive and back in Salem! Jack lashed out at Abigail, Allie considered pressing charges against Tripp in London, Lani searched for the truth, while Belle asked Shawn to marry her, again!

Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by Stephanie and Monica from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate Ava’s return, if Allie should move forward with her case, if Jack had the right to be angry with Abigail, if they’re looking forward to another wedding for Belle and Shawn and more.

Ava Vitali is alive, is blackmailing Philip, and is back in Salem. React!

Stephanie: I’m not really excited about Ava turning up alive and returning to Salem. All she ever does is cause pain and heartache for people like Steve.

On the other hand, it could be interesting to see her and Tripp finally meet since her supposed “death” has kept him from ever knowing her.

Ava’s return also provides the show with an opportunity to resume her friendship with Nicole a long time ago. It would be nice to see another strong female friendship like the one Lani and Kristen have developed on the show!

Jack: Ugh. I’m sick of back from the dead stories in general, and Ava is one of my least favorite characters. The only upside of this is that Joey can finally get out of jail once Ava’s being alive is discovered.

But I had little use for this awful Philip vs. Xander story before this, and I’m not enjoying Ava encouraging Philip to become a murderer.

Monica: Ugh, another person back from the dead? I can’t stand it! The only good thing about this turn of events is that Joey can get out of prison since it turns out that smothering someone with a pillow until they’re not breathing doesn’t quite get the job done.

Christine: Do you think the writers at Days heard our collective groans at Ava’s return from the dead?

She was never a villain I enjoyed, so I was grateful when she was gone. Ava blackmailing Philip doesn’t interest me at all and continues to ruin Philip as a character.

Ava being alive means that Joey can get out of prison for killing her, but I never much liked Joey either, so there’s nothing positive about Ava’s return. I’d be happier if she stayed dead.

Was Jack right to be furious with Abigail for announcing he slept with Kate at the party for him and Jennifer?

Stephanie: The only thing Jack had a right to be furious about was the fact that Abigail revealed his indiscretion in such a public way. While he deserved to be called out for betraying his wife, Jennifer didn’t deserve to learn about it in front of a huge crowd of people.

Other than that, Jack has no right to blame Abigail for anything else. He made a choice to sleep with Kate while his wife was in a coma, and now he must deal with the consequences no matter how much he dislikes them.

Jack: Absolutely. There was no reason for her to announce it then. It was almost as if she decided to wait until the most embarrassing moment possible. She had several opportunities to talk to him and Jennifer privately, and at the time she announced it, she didn’t know the context of the letter or if it was even authentic.

Abigail didn’t need to drink while on medication over it, either. Jack was the one who had a one-night-stand, but Abby was responsible for the way she handled the discovery, and he had every right to be furious about her immature behavior.

Monica: Yes, Abigail shouldn’t have made such a scene at the party, although Gwen did a good job setting her up and getting her drunk. “I can’t even look at you!” seemed a little over the top, though.

Christine: I’m am so sick of poor Abigail. This is her MO.

She tried to sleep with Austin, but everyone reacted like poor Abigail was just misunderstood and needed help. She had an affair with EJ, but most of Salem never blamed her for that. EJ must have taken advantage of her, and people acted like Sami was in the wrong to be furious.

Abby cheated on Ben with Chad. She killed Andre and then set up Gabi for it, but poor Abigail has a mental illness, so all should be forgiven, and why won’t crazy Gabi just get over it?

Now, instead of taking her father aside in private and asking him about the letter, and then letting him tell Jennifer, she announces it to the whole world so that it will do the most damage, but we’re still supposed to feel sorry for poor Abigail.

Gwen supposedly set her up, yet Gwen didn’t make her read a private letter or trick her into drinking. And now her Daddy’s yelled at her. Poor Abigail! I agree with Jack, I can’t stand to look at her either.

Should Allie choose to press charges against Tripp in London? Why or why not?

Stephanie: I don’t think Allie should choose to press charges against Tripp in London. Even though the DNA tests have proven that Tripp is Henry’s father, I still don’t believe that it’s true, and I don’t think Allie does either.

She still doesn’t seem very confident in her memories of that night, and she seemed just as surprised as Tripp did when the DNA results came back positive. Before she takes her case any further, I think Allie needs to take some time to regain more memories of that night instead of letting people like Nicole keep pushing her into taking steps that she isn’t ready for.

Jack: I’m divided about this. Allie seems to think that charges will bring closure, which might or might not be true. She certainly has the right to press charges if she wishes, but I hope Trask really will keep her distance and that nobody will try to pressure Allie into doing this.

I don’t like the “rape survivors MUST press charges” messaging in this storyline, especially since Tripp’s name will be cleared sooner or later.

Monica: Since I believe Tripp’s version of events, I don’t think she should. I sure would like to know how that baby has his DNA!

Christine: Realistically, no. It’s been a year or more. It happened in another country. There are no witnesses, and Allie’s memories are sketchy at best. She has every right to pursue this, but I think it will only lead to more disappointment and heartache for her.

Plus, we all assume it wasn’t Tripp who raped her. That no one in Salem, especially grandma Marlena, hasn’t recommended Allie get some therapy to sharpen her repressed memories makes no sense at all.

Do you think Brady will tell Lani the truth about Eli’s role in sending Kristen to jail? Should he?

Stephanie: I think Brady may be triggered to tell Lani the truth about Eli’s role in sending Kristen to jail once Lani’s twins are born, and he sees her and Eli having happy family moments with them.

It will remind him of what he and Rachel have lost with Kristen, and that will cause him to become bitter and angry to the point that he will probably blurt it out whether he wants to or not. However, I don’t think he should be the one to tell Lani.

If anyone is going to tell her, it should be Eli himself. Hearing it from someone else will most likely cause more damage to their marriage than an honest confession from him will.

Jack: Brady was already considering it. The only reason he hasn’t so far is because Kristen asked him not to.

This irritating story has dragged on long enough, so I hope he does tell just so we can put an end to it. But at the same time, I really think the proper answer to “What are you and Eli keeping from me?” is “you should talk to Eli about that.” Brady is in the middle of someone else’s mess, and he doesn’t need to get blamed for going along with keeping the secret.

Monica: I think Lani is going to find out the truth soon, but not from Brady. I don’t think she fell for the baby shower cover story her dad and Eli cooked up.

Christine: I think Brady will send Lani back to Eli for answers. It seems like Brady has had enough drama for a while and won’t want to get in the middle of this, and I don’t blame him.

Belle proposed to Shawn. Are you looking forward to them getting remarried, or are you tired of all of the remarriages in Salem?

Stephanie: I honestly thought that Belle and Shawn had already remarried. With the rate that couples marry, divorce, and get remarried on this show, it is really hard to keep track of who is officially together. That’s why I don’t really get excited about remarriages anymore, especially if it’s a couple’s third or fourth time down the aisle. 

No one except for maybe Doug and Julie seems to stay together for life on this show, so it’s hard to root for marriages that will most likely be torn apart again a year or so later.

Jack: I don’t like it when the same couples get married and divorced over and over. I know it’s a soap staple, but it is so unrealistic.

Belle and Shawn should tie the knot, though, not just for romantic reasons but also for legal reasons. With Jan on the loose, it’s possible someone could get hurt, and the last thing Belle or Shawn needs is to not be able to make medical decisions for the other because they aren’t legally married.

Monica: This scene was so cringeworthy. The way Shawn was leaning against the desk and Belle got down on both knees in front of him (even though Shawn said “on one knee”!) was really awkward.

To be honest, I had forgotten that they hadn’t remarried, so I don’t much care.

Christine: Maybe it’s that I’m not a big fan of Belle and Shawn, but I hadn’t realized they weren’t married.

Weddings are a soap staple, so why not have another one for Shawn and Belle? But I used to get more enjoyment out of soap weddings when marriages and remarriages didn’t seem like a monthly event.

What was the most annoying thing that happened in Salem this week?

Stephanie: I think the most annoying thing that happened in Salem this week was the search for Abigail because she was never really officially missing. She spent time with Jack at the park and then came home and talked to Gwen in the living room, but Chad acted like she had run away or gotten kidnapped or something.

While those are certainly valid fears in Salem, this time, it was a little ridiculous because all it would have taken was Jack calling Chad or Abigail going straight upstairs to see him for Chad to call off the search party.

Instead, we got almost a full episode of him blasting Kate for causing her to run away while Abigail was right downstairs talking to Gwen practically the whole time.

Jack: I wasn’t happy with a lot of what happened this week.

I’m aggravated with the Jack/Kate affair, which seems to have been made up after the fact since Jack never had a single bit of guilt until after it came out. Kate immediately agreeing to another secret affair with Jake after that was beyond belief. (Also, the old sneak out from behind the door trick was silly.)

DAYS continued to emphasize how poor Tripp is falsely accused of rape instead of how Allie is dealing with having been raped and taking care of the child that resulted from that rape.

I couldn’t believe Tripp thought that if Kayla was his mother, she would put his word above scientific evidence of his guilt, either, and I was beyond annoyed that he showed up at Allie’s again.

And how can Trask prosecute this case when she thinks of Tripp as practically her son-in-law? Talk about a conflict of interest!

Also… what was the point of Theo showing up for two days? I hope he’s coming back soon because his visit was mostly pointless, and it seemed like a waste. And finally, Ava pushing Philip toward murdering Xander… ugh. Philip has been the biggest disappointment since he came back.

Monica: Where to begin?? I think the people of Salem need a PSA: Don’t talk out loud to yourself about your evil plans; don’t talk about your secrets with another person in a public place; close and lock your doors so people don’t walk in on you unexpectedly doing something that will be misinterpreted;

Also, don’t walk into the house of someone you don’t know well and then sneak out once you’ve seen the thing you’ve misinterpreted.

Christine: Philip considering murdering Xander was disappointing. That’s not the character I knew and loved.

Did Theo really just fly back from South Africa for a couple of days visit? Why? To bring Claire and Charlie closer together? If so, that was silly and annoying.

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

Stephanie: My favorite storyline was Xander and Sarah teaming up to find out what Philip is up to. I am glad that Sarah finally realized that Philip is involved in some shady business and that she isn’t falling for his charms anymore.

It will help us avoid a possible Sarah/Xander/Philip triangle and strengthen the bond between Sarah and Xander.

I also liked Claire and Theo’s talk since they brought up actual incidents that have happened to the show’s characters instead of making up a whole new backstory. It was a nice use of history.

I’m also glad that the writers remembered that Theo has autism and that they had him speak about how the disorder made him nervous about starting his relationship with his new girlfriend. I thought that that was very realistic!

Jack: Slim pickings this week, but I always enjoy JJ, and I was glad he was part of the festivities. I liked Jack’s defending himself against Abigail and later Jennifer, too. And as wrongheaded as the story is, I enjoy Steve trying to support Tripp.

Monica: It was slim pickings this week, in my opinion. Sarah Horton’s dress was gorgeous, and it looked really great with those boots she was wearing. That, and the fact that a hot, young guy is attracted to a more-than-middle-aged woman.

Christine: I love Xander and Sarah, finally working as a team. They are so much fun together, and I hope we get more of this.

And I agree with Monica, I liked Sarah’s dress too. As much as I hate Tripp being accused of rape, I love him and Steve’s scenes together. These two actors have wonderful chemistry as father and son, and their scenes together are one of the only highlights of this storyline.

I also couldn’t help but laugh at Jake’s reaction to hearing about Jack’s letter to Kate after the one-night-stand in this Days of Our Lives quote…

Wow. So, in other words, wham, bam, thank you, Ma’am, and please keep your mouth shut.

Jake [to Kate]

Want to chat more about the week in Salem? Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic. 

nd hit that Big, Blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below to chime in with your thoughts on Days of Our Lives.

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