Ciara tried to con Victor, Ben protected Will, and “Hope” admitted her feelings for John all while scrambling to cover for Stefano.
Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by Kathy from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate if Ciara is Salem’s newest heroine, whether Will and Ben should be friends, and which character they’d like to send out of Salem!
Is Ciara Salem’s newest heroine or a spoiled, selfish brat?
Jack: Neither. She’s a not-too-bright wanna-be heroine. It’s a shame, because the original Ciara was a bright, energetic child, and the idea of Ciara investigating Victor could be compelling.
But instead she’s making obvious mistakes that are just going to turn her into a damsel in distress yet again.
Kathy: Ciara has an entitled attitude. She is a little old to be considered a brat and she certainly is not a heroine.
Christine: Ugh. I loved Ciara as a child. She was smart, witty, and had a bit of an edge. This grown-up version is more entitled brat who thinks of herself as a heroine.
It feels like this character should be the future of the show but so far I find her somewhere between marginally interesting an unwatchable.
What do you think about Will and Ben being friends?
Jack: Meh. At this point Ben has been “redeemed” so it doesn’t surprise me, and this is the least annoying aspect of this storyline.
Kathy: Ben did protect Will from Clyde so I can understand that Will would feel gratitude. It seems a little too soon for a friendship but misery loves company.
Christine: Only in Salem could you become friends with the person who “killed” you, whom you are now sharing a prion cell with.
It’s kind of a ridiculous twist but I can’t say I dislike their scenes. They make a charismatic duo but I just can’t let myself think about their past too much or I’ll roll my eyes so hard it will hurt.
Has the reveal about how Adrienne died been dragged on too long or are you still interested?
Jack: I’m mildly interested. I pretty much know from spoilers how Adrienne died anyway, but what I want to know is…was that really Adrienne or did Will kill Bonnie?
Kathy: I am interested to learn how Adrienne died but the reveal is taking too long. We are given bits and pieces but not enough to put the story together.
Christine: I haven’t read any spoilers and I’m surprisingly okay with the wait, at least so far. I’m really curious how Will is responsible for Adrienne’s death to the point of being in prison for the rest of his life!
I mean, Kristin killed Hayley but she got to walk away, and yet Will is sitting in prison. That has me intrigued.
Hope (Princess Gina) admits that Marlena was right about her feelings for John. Were you surprised she told John the truth? Who do you have the most sympathy for in this awkward situation?
Jack: If this was really Hope I’d be more sympathetic for her because this would be real. This is just Gina trying to cause trouble and is a redux of when Hattie took over Marlena’s life and pursued Roman.
John has been oblivious this whole time, which doesn’t garner much sympathy from me either, and Marlena should realize what’s going on considering that she’s been a victim of doppelganger interference too. So I guess nobody gets my sympathy in this case.
Kathy: I have a little sympathy for John since he seems so clueless. The whole situation is a little silly. The only high point is that John told Marlena that Hope/Gina confessed her feelings for him.
Christine: I have sympathy for John. He’s been platonic friends with Hope for years so I understand how he didn’t see this coming.
Plus this is Princess Gina, not Hope. It would be far more interesting if it was really Hope falling for John. Surprisingly,
I have little sympathy for Marlena. I know Hope has been acting pretty wacky but you’d think she’d be a little concerned for her old friend rather than just snarky and rude.
What was the biggest surprise of the week in Salem?
Jack: Eli actually telling Abby where JJ is. It was surprising that anyone cares about JJ being missing anyway, since no one has given his plight anything but lip service up to this point, and Eli doing the right thing instead of this dragging out was shocking.
Kathy: I was surprised how much Kate knows about Stefano/Gina and how long she has known it.
Christine: I couldn’t believe how Ciara used MacKenzie’s illness against Xander to deflect Victor’s questions. That was really low.
Also, why was Victor giving Justin a hard time about moving on with Kayla? He never even liked Adrienne!
Rolf has left Salem. If you could send one other character out of town, who would it be?
Jack: I need a break from Gabi. She can go on a wild goose chase to the convent to find Lani and Kristen, who are not there, and be out of town for a while figuring that out off-screen.
Kathy: I really need a break from Marlena. She and John should take a long cruise, it does wonders for Julie and Doug.
Christine: I know we didn’t see him this week but if Eric could stay out of Salem and Sarah and MacKenzie could come back to Xander, I’d be thrilled!
Also, I’ve had more than enough of Ciara. Maybe she could leave Salem to try and find evidence to clear Ben, and take her time doing it.
What was your favorite quote, scene or storyline from this week on Days of Our Lives?
Jack: I was glad Julie was there for JJ. I also liked Justin standing up to Victor in this Days of Our Lives quote…
Justin: If you’re done chastising me, I’m going to go meet Kayla at the Pub for dinner now.
Victor: Yes, wouldn’t want to be late to meet with Steve’s leftovers.
Justin: Don’t talk about Kayla that way!
Victor: If you hadn’t decided to move out, I would have kicked you out of the house for that.
Justin: Well, I’m sorry to have ruined your fun!
Kathy: I am surprised that I am enjoying Lani and Kristen working together “to take back what is theirs”. I hope Kristen can help Lani loosen Gabi’s hold on her and Eli learns the truth (Julie too).
Christine: I loved Justin telling off Victor. More people should try that. I’m also enjoying Kristen and Lani’s scheming. It’s far more entertaining than I ever expected.
Want to chat more about the happenings in Salem? 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.