Steve regained his memory leaving Kayla with a decision to make, Sarah went on the run with the baby, Orpheus was set free, and Christian wants his son back!
Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by Fluffysmom from My Hourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate what Kayla should do next, Orpheus sticking around Salem, the ups and downs of the baby switch and more!
How do you feel about the Justin/Kayla/Steve triangle and what should Kayla do next?
Jack: I am pleasantly surprised by how much I love this story. I usually hate triangles, but this is written perfectly — it’s a choice between two good guys, not one good guy and one secretly bad guy that the writers want us to hate.
I think Kayla should take some time for herself, not be with either guy right now. She should use that time to figure out what she really wants. Some sessions with a therapist would probably help.
But that doesn’t make for good soap drama so she won’t do that. I just hope she doesn’t try to date them both at once. That awful Daniel/Jennifer/Jack triangle where Jen did that still gives me nightmares.
Fluffysmom: It’s not that compelling to me probably because I have no doubt that eventually Kayla and Steve will be reunited.
I’ve been enjoying Kayla and Justin. I feel like Kayla needs to take time to make the best decision for herself.
Steve and Kayla were having issues before he left. I hope that is addressed before any instant happy reunion.
Christine: I’m loving it because I’m loving Justin and Kayla!
I never thought I could like anyone but Steve paired with Kayla, but Justin and Kayla are a joy to watch. They’re mature adults who go out of their way to be there for one another and show their love in little ways.
Steve and Kayla were always so tumultuous and he’s left her to raise their kids on her own (sometimes his choice, sometimes not.) I wouldn’t blame Kayla if she chose her life with Justin instead.
Kayla should take a vacation and clear her head, away from both men. Will that happen? Probably not, but that along with talking to a therapist (not Marlena!) is what she should do.
Now it’s your turn TV Fanatics! Who should Kayla choose?
The truth about the baby switch finally came to light. What have you loved about the storyline and what have you hated?
Jack: Best part of this storyline — somehow Xander became sympathetic despite his ruthlessness while trying to cover this up.
Runner-up — Nicole in investigative mode, which is a better fit for her than running a fashion company.
Worst parts: Victor has so far escaped all blame for this, Sarah acted entirely out of character by running off with the baby, and we didn’t need this cancer scare or dead baby. Also, while I didn’t like Haley, her death was entirely unnecessary.
Fluffysmom: Brady’s reactions and sensitivity have been the best part of the story. He’s genuinely concerned about the impact on Eric and Sarah.
I hate the way Xander is getting all of the blame when it wasn’t even his idea. I didn’t like Kristen’s subdued reaction to the news. I expected her to have a huge excited reaction. I didn’t like Sarah not even bothering to question Xander about the baby switching accusations.
Christine: I’ve enjoyed Brady and Kristen bonding over the loss of their child and I look forward to seeing them get her back.
I hate that Xander is getting all the blame here when Dr. Raynor took money to let it happen and it was Victor’s idea.
I also think Sarah should have been asking Xander a lot more questions. I want to see her reaction to realizing that her mother caused the accident that killed her child and, thus far, that’s been missing.
Does Evan/Christian have a right to his son? Do you want to see him fight for David?
Jack: I’m torn on this one. I don’t think Ben, of all people, has any right to judge whether Evan should be in David’s life.
I don’t think Evan makes choices that are in David’s best interest and could very well be headed for jail (though this being Salem, it’s unlikely.)
But I also think that David has a right to know who his father is, is probably attached to Evan since Evan took care of him for over a year, and that these decisions should left up to his legal guardian (Rafe) and the courts, not to random people with grudges.
Fluffysmom: Sadly I think he has the legal right because Ciara obtained his confession at gunpoint. I don’t want to see a legal fight for a child that I don’t feel attached to.
Christine: Legally, yes he has a right to his son, especially if he’s found not guilty of murder or the charges are dropped. There’s no litmus test that says you must be a good person to have and raise a child and Evan seems to love David.
Do I want to see a custody battle over David? Not at all. I don’t care about David, Evan, Rafe, or Orpheus, but my guess is we’re headed that way.
Should Hope feel guilty for the things she did as Princess Gina? Should she be held accountable for any of it?
Jack: UGH. This is a rerun of the Abby DID story. Just as Abby wasn’t responsible for what she did in a dissociated state, Hope is not responsible for the things she did while under Gina’s control. And that goes for Steve, too.
Enough people feeling guilty for things they did while asleep.
Fluffysmom: Hope had an appropriate reaction when she found out the awful things she did as Princess Gina. I think it’s right to apologize to the people that Gina hurt but I don’t want her to mope around feeling guilty for months on end.
I don’t see anyone that Gina hurt wanting to press charges against Hope. I don’t think she should be held accountable considering the major crimes that Salemites get away with on a regular basis.
Christine: No, she shouldn’t feel guilty but I get why she does. She may not have been in control but she appears to be stuck with the memories of doing horrible things to people she loves. I don’t know how anyone mentally and emotionally processes that.
Do you hope that Orpheus sticks around Salem for a while and what do you see for his future?
Jack: Again, I have mixed feelings. Back in the day, Orpheus was one of my favorite villains. But his vendetta against Roman for killing his wife got lost somewhere along the way and now he just seems to be a random violence-filled dude.
Last time around, he shot JJ for no reason at all, and now he’s just wandering around Salem looking for trouble. If that’s what his story is going to be, he can go back to wherever he came from.
Also, it makes no sense that the ISA would do anything to protect an agent that went rogue 30 years ago.
Fluffysmom: I’d be okay with Orpheus staying in Salem if he’s not spending his time being a criminal mastermind.
I could see Kate being interested in him. He may be the first bad guy that she hasn’t taken a shine to yet.
Christine: I don’t care much about Orpheus but I am wondering if Christian/Evan and Zoey were the kids that Marlena was playing mom to on that island all those years ago while she was held by Orpheus.
If they’re all sticking around Salem for a while, I’m hoping that will be a part of the story.
What, if anything, would you have changed from this week’s storylines?
Jack: Is it too much to ask that legal storylines make at least a little bit of sense? Orpheus confessing to masterminding the kidnapping doesn’t magically make Evan a non-kidnapper. That’s ridiculous.
They could have at least had the judge rule that Evan was not a danger to the baby as long as he stayed away from Orpheus and let him out on bail instead of dropping the charges altogether.
Also, I would have loved some made-up flashbacks to go with Justin’s beautiful retelling of how his relationship with Kayla blossomed. His narration made me sad that we didn’t see this on screen instead of jumping in time to after the fact.
Finally, the writers missed a great opportunity to use history during the Jack/Steve scene. In 1990 or so, when Steve was in the hospital right before he was written out, Jack visited him and asked him to help rescue Jennifer from Lawrence as soon as he recovered, but Steve gave Jack a pep talk and convinced him to rescue Jennifer himself.
Now the tables were turned and it was Jack who was trying to encourage Steve to go after his woman. Jack should have mentioned that!
Fluffysmom: I’d have skipped the Ben and Ciara scenes and replaced them with more scenes involving the baby switch.
Christine: How could we have nothing about Sarah and the baby for two whole days? And Sarah’s histrionics didn’t quite ring true to me. I wanted more disbelief, more questions, and more tears. She should have collapsed on the floor along with Xander not stealing a jet and running away.
And enough with Ben and Ciara rolling around in bed. If we have to watch them can they please get a job already!
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline from this week in Salem?
Jack: I loved all things Steve/Kayla/Justin. But my favorite of those scenes was Jack and Steve’s talk. I couldn’t stop laughing at some of their exchanges.
Fluffysmom: I liked Eric and Nicole telling Brady about the baby switch. Xander was heartbreaking when he collapsed onto the floor after Sarah attacked him for switching the babies.
Christine: Justin talking about his relationship with Kayla and why he’s not just bowing out was unexpected and wonderful and had me rooting for him.
Also, it was a nice change of pace to see Marlena being kind to Kristen. If nothing else, as a psychiatrist she should have some understanding for Kristen’s pain and I’m glad that came across.
Want to chat more about the happenings in Salem? Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.
And hit that BIG, BLUE, SHOW COMMENTS BUTTON down below to be a part of the conversation!
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.