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Lani kicked Eli out of their home, Ava got in touch with Kristen, Jan went full-on crazy, everyone hated Jack, while Jennifer went after Kate and got an earful in return.
Our TV Fanatics, Jack Ori and Christine Orlando, are joined by Trey from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate the Lani and Eli split, Jan’s meltdown, Kristen’s gray area, everyone hating Jack, and more!
Was Lani right to kick Eli out of their home because of what he did to Kristen?
Trey: No. I think she is being completely unreasonable and unethical. He did his job. A job she should be doing as a sworn officer of the law.
Jack: Ugh, don’t get me started on the stupidity here. If Lani really isn’t in love with Kristen, she’s doing a good job of acting like she is. She makes Kristen her first priority, and Eli was absolutely within his rights to point out that he is Lani’s husband and is supposed to come first.
Beyond that, Kristen is no innocent victim here. She stabbed Victor. It was impulsive, but it was not self-defense, nor was she a battered wife feeling desperate for escape. She has no defense here. If she hadn’t done that, she would not be in prison. Period.
Eli did his job. Lani’s right that he didn’t tell her what was going on, and the lying is a problem. Still, her insisting Kristen shouldn’t be in jail for her violent behavior is also a problem, and Eli quite frankly deserves better than Lani at this point.
Christine: It seems like Lani has completely forgotten that she left Eli at the altar and lied to him for the better part of a year to protect him and his grandmother.
Eli shouldn’t have hid so much from Lani, but he was scared for her and their twins. That Lani can’t see the similarities or show any understanding is frustrating. If this is how Lani deals with conflict, by cutting Eli off or throwing him out, this doesn’t bode well for their marriage.
Your turn TV Fanatics! Was Lani right to kick Eli out of their home?
Jan Spears has gone full-on, violently delusional again as she pulled a gun on Belle and took her place at the wedding. Are you happy with this turn of events, or were you hoping to see Jan become something other than a crazed villain?
Trey: I was a little shocked to see Jan flip so quickly. She has been putting up a good act, but Jan is naughty to the bone. I don’t think she’ll ever change her spots when it comes to Shawn.
Jack: I’m disappointed they went such a predictable route with this. They could have kept Jan a villain without turning her into this cartoonish, delusional person.
It would have been fascinating to watch Jan subtly manipulate Claire into allegiance to her and toward bad behavior while Shawn and Belle seemed helpless to get through to their daughter about Jan being bad news.
Instead, Jan’s only interest in Claire was to pump her for information so she could be the latest person to take someone hostage in a desperate ploy to steal the heart of an uninterested person. Yawn.
And how is this any different than Ava obsessing over Steve? One of these stories is more than enough. We do not need two at the same time.
Christine: I was hoping for better. Do we really need both Ava and Jan obsessing over men they can’t have?
I enjoyed Jan as she tried to become “friends” with Claire just to make Belle and Shawn crazy. I’m sorry to see that end with such a comically absurd twist.
Are people in Salem overreacting to Jack and Kate’s one-night-stand, or do they both deserve all of the vitriol?
Trey: Yes-no-yes… Jack definitely cheated, but I understand why. He wasn’t seeking love or selfish pleasures. He needed comfort in that moment of despair. Both were vulnerable. I think they need a little understanding, but I do think Jennifer has a right to be upset and hurt.
Jack: I vote for overreacting. Cheating isn’t cool. I get that. And Jack bears some responsibility for choosing to sleep with Kate, though once again, consent is dubious because it’s not clear how drunk he was and how sober Kate was.
And Kate certainly didn’t have to agree to sleep with him. She could have done like Tripp allegedly did and say she wasn’t taking advantage of a depressed and drunk friend.
But everyone is acting like this is the worst thing that anyone in Salem has ever done, and half the people passing judgment are cheaters themselves. How many times did Abigail sleep with EJ while he was married to Sami? She cheated on Ben with Chad, too, and made it look like she slept with Austin when she didn’t.
Abigail has little room to judge ANYBODY for their sexual exploits, and certainly not her father.
And Jennifer seems to still be upset about Bill/Kate, which made me wonder how Lucas would feel if he overheard this conversation.
Also, her refusal to take Jack back is somewhat hypocritical. As much as I’d love to forget when she tried to be with both Daniel and Jack at the same time, it happened, and nobody was in a coma then.
I feel bad for JJ for being stuck in the middle. He hasn’t been judgmental of Jack, but I’d love to see him connect what happened here with his own past with Lani and Eve, which was also alcohol-fueled.
I would LOVE it if this story resulted in JJ realizing that he inherited an alcohol problem from Jack and have to come to terms with that, but I’m sure DAYS will never go there.
Christine: Geez, everyone is acting like Jack had some torrid affair! He thought his wife, who had been in a coma for months, was never going to wake up. The guy was devastated and looking for comfort and an outlet for his grief.
Was it the right thing to do? No, but it was certainly understandable under the extreme circumstances.
Does Jennifer have the right to be upset? Yes, but dredging up Kate’s past with her father from almost 50 years ago seemed self-pitying to me.
There are certainly no saints in Salem, so it’s ridiculous how so many people are now turning on Jack over this.
If there is a showdown between Kate vs. Gwen, who wins and why?
Trey: Kate could run circles around Gwen. Kate has held her own against bigger threats than Gwen. Plus, Kate doesn’t have anything to lose.
Jack: Kate is a true diva and could squash Gwen with her heel in five seconds if she really wanted to. Gwen is nothing but a petulant child and golddigger. Kate has dealt with far more savvy connivers than her.
Christine: I would relish watching Kate school Gwen on the art of manipulation. Kate is far smarter and has years of experience at this game. Gwen wouldn’t know what hit her.
Kristen appears to have a foot in two worlds; in one, she’s in cahoots with Ava Vitali, and in the other, she’s friends with Lani and relying on Marlena to help with Rachel. Do you like the character being in this sort of moral gray area, or would you prefer her to be redeemed entirely or a total villain instead?
Trey: Kristen will always be a villain. Her association with Ava proves she hasn’t reformed and really doesn’t want to. She’s so good at being bad.
Jack: I like her being in this gray area, but I don’t like the implication that Lani is her substitute Ava. And why does she keep going to convents to meet women?
Christine: I like Kristen walking this line because it brings more drama than just her kidnapping Marlena for the umpteenth time or trying to win Brady with some crazy scheme.
Brady loves Kristen, Lani sees the good in her, and Kristen being Rachel’s mom softens some of her edges, yet she unapologetically stabbed Victor and is friends with Ava. That dichotomy makes her a more interesting character than any straight-on villain.
What was the most annoying thing to happen in Salem this week?
Trey: I think Lani’s dramatic reaction against Eli doing the right thing in getting Kristen to confess.
Jack: The fact that Ava exists is bad enough, but that lame “oh, the picture is too blurry to see” tactic to drag out this storyline was infuriating. Let’s get this over with already!
Also, Xander’s interjections into Charlie’s conversation with Claire were obnoxious. And I don’t like how he keeps bringing up that Claire has spent time in a mental hospital to dissuade Charlie, especially since he also keeps pushing them together.
Finally, why is anyone surprised that Allie’s case can’t be prosecuted in America when it happened overseas? Kayla and Allie both acted like if Trask cared about Allie being raped, she would snap her fingers and magically change the jurisdiction.
And Kayla, Ava being Tripp’s mother has nothing to do with anything. The reason to believe Allie’s claim that Tripp is the rapist is because of the DNA evidence, not because of his family tree.
Christine: When Abigail mentioned her father being upset with her, and Chad responded, “Who cares about him?” I wanted to slap him. Jack has treated Chad like family and that’s the way Chad treats him when things get tough?
And talk about hypocrisy. Chad slept with Abby while she was still living with Ben, and Abby slept with EJ while he was engaged to Sami, but Jack makes one mistake under extreme stress, and suddenly he is the family pariah.
And yes, I was also annoyed with Kayla acting like Tripp allegedly raping Allie was somehow predestined because of his biological mother. I’m dreading this story because I’m sure her attitude will worsen before it gets any better.
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline from this week’s Days of Our Lives?
Trey: I giggled at Xander being defensive on behalf of Charlie towards Claire standing him up. It was a little over the top, but it was fun.
Jack: I loved JJ supporting Abigail. It was a nice role reversal from the past. JJ has grown up a lot, and I especially liked him acknowledging his own bad behavior when it comes to alcohol.
Christine: I liked Kate standing up to Jennifer far more than I expected. Jennifer hitting Kate was out of line, so I find it rather satisfying that Kate gave it right back to her. You can say many things about Kate, but if you mess with her, don’t expect her to sit back and take it.
Hit that big, blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below and let us know what you thought of the week’s Days of Our Lives.
And then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.