Christine Orlando
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Are Stephanie and Chad over?
Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Horizon from My Hourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to discuss Chad and Steph’s honest conversation, Sarah and Xander’s custody dispute, if Gabi and Stefan have hit a new low, and more!
And are you looking forward to another wacky Halloween episode in Salem? Check out what our round table team had to say.
After realizing they aren’t on the same page about marriage, should Stephanie break up with Chad?
Horizon: Absolutely. I believe, after their invigorating and very revealing conversation, it is quite clear Chad’s feelings for Stephanie are fogged up with his emotional ties to his departed wife.
And he has not been very sensitive to Stephanie’s feelings. Pointedly, when he went on about Abigail after Steph went through all the trouble to look grand in her Halloween costume, to me, that was the final straw.
Jack: Stephanie should learn to be less self-centered. If she didn’t want to “compete” with Abby’s ghost, she shouldn’t have entered into a relationship with Chad in the first place. Now, kids are involved, and she suddenly has decided, “We’ll get married eventually,” means, “I’m going to leave you,” so she’s considering leaving. Ugh.
She needs to do some soul-searching and decide whether she has the empathy and patience to be with someone who is moving on while grieving. If not, she needs to cut ties ASAP, but it needs to be done in a way that is sensitive to the kids’ feelings and needs.
Christine: Yes. Their timing is completely off, and they moved in together much too quickly, especially with kids involved.
Chad cares for and is attracted to Stephanie, but I’m not convinced he’s in love with her. But having her there for him and the kids eases his loneliness. And I don’t think Stephanie realized just how far in second place she’d always be to Abigail.
And Chad’s “eventually” didn’t sound very convincing. These two should likely cut ties, and perhaps they’ll both be in the same emotional place somewhere down the road. But they should have Stephanie visit with the kids regularly so they don’t feel like she’s just dropped out of their lives.
Is using Rachel to blackmail Kristen a new low for Gabi and Stefan? Should there be consequences?
Horizon: I have to admit, I was shocked Days ventured into this territory. It is a very uncomfortable and repellant thing, and it just reinforces the thought that the endlessly witty Gabi and dastardly clever Stefan are not people who have a conscience.
Such a dirty trick could result in terrible consequences for the two of them.
Jack: It’s absolutely a new low, though it seems everyone uses Rachel to get what they want. Eric and Brady did it, too, even if it was in a different way, and Kristen has played games to keep Rachel from Brady in the past.
And yes, there should be consequences. I’m shocked that Kirsten gave in so easily, and I’m not sure she really did. At the very least, she should have a long talk with Rachel about the consequences of participating in this kind of “game.”
I wouldn’t mind if Rachel went ballistic against Stefan and Gabi for trying to take her away from Mommy.
I agree with Marlena — I don’t like Kristen, but this was the wrong way to go about things.
Christine: Wow! This was definitely a new low. I couldn’t believe that Gabi, who has a child, would do this and not worry what kind of revenge would send her way. Kristen is too much of a badass to let this go unanswered. Talk about short-sightedness.
Kristen needs to tell Rachel to steer clear of Uncle Stefan and Aunt Gabi. Maybe even tell her the truth about their scheme. I can only imagine what that kid’s reaction would be.
Brady was happy to go along with Gabi and Stefan’s plan. Is he any better than Kristen?
Horizon: Frankly, Brady’s involvement in this sick plan suggests he has a screw loose. On the surface, Brady always seemed “better” than Kristen, but that isn’t saying much.
This latest move knocks him down to her level, but unlike the calculating Kristen, Brady can be just plain stupid at times.
Jack: No, and he hasn’t been in a while. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he and Kristen teamed up, for Rachel’s sake, to take down Gabi and Stefan.
But as it is, this was a stupid, terrible plan, and Marlena wasn’t able to talk sense into Brady. I still think Rachel should be in her grandparents’ care because neither of her parents is focused on her best interest.
Christine: No! First, he let Eric “kidnap” Rachel, then there’s what he did to Stefan so he could have Chloe back, and now he’s willing to pretend somone is abusing his child! Brady can be just as despicable as Kristen. He’s just not nearly as bright.
When Marlena told Brady, “This isn’t who you are,” I kept thinking how wrong she was. This is exactly who Brady has become.
If the custody battle over Victoria continues, who should get custody of her?
Horizon: Xander deserves to be part of his daughter’s life one way or another. Sarah is being a selfish bitch baby by lashing out at him even after he wanted to meet her halfway.
I am currently frustrated he hasn’t been able to spend time with little Victoria because I have no doubt he would shower her with love. And I would like to see the baby as well. Come on Days.
Jack: As with Rachel above, I think Maggie should get custody. Sarah is acting like she’s not much older than Victoria, and Xander is wasting a lot of time telling Alex to stay away from Theresa instead of doing anything to demonstrate he’s capable of being a good father to Victoria.
If I had to choose one of these two, it would be Xander, though — at least he’s got more emotional maturity than his child does.
Christine: Xander may have a criminal record, and on paper, Sarah seems the obvious choice, but Xander is far more emotionally stable than Sarah. Her mood swings are scary, her judgment highly questionable, and it makes me wonder if she has some undiagnosed mental health issues going on.
If I had to choose between the two right now, I’d choose Xander. He’d adore Victoria and do whatever it took to take care of her.
Which was Rafe’s worst hire? Harris as a detective or Wendy in IT?
Horizon: Harris, to me, is a nice fellow, but unfortunately, bad luck almost comically follows him like a shadow.
Still, I think busybody snoop Wendy could cause unintended havoc for the SPD when it is all said and done.
Jack: Neither one is a bad idea. However, in Wendy’s case, Rafe didn’t bother to do as much as interview her, and these on-the-spot hires never turn out well in soapland (we also saw this on this week’s Neighbours), so I’m guessing Wendy is not going to work out well.
Christine: Neither is a great hire. Harris has had serious mental health issues and was used as an assassin!
And how do you give Wendy access to the entire police IT network knowing that she faked passports for criminals? And if Rafe did a little digging, he’d learn she’d tried to hack her last employer’s phone. I know he hates EJ, but this behavior doesn’t bode well for his newest hire.
Halloween is almost here. Do you look forward to the holiday in Salem or wish that they’d skip their generally crazy stories for the holiday?
Horizon: I am pumped up for Halloween week. I liked the spooky soundtrack playing when EJ and Kristen were consorting, and in general, some ominous things have been weaving into some of the storylines.
Besides, I like the costumes too. Stephanie won first prize so far; she looked stunning, but killjoy Chad rained on that parade. That really boiled me. And it is always fun to see excited kids in cute costumes have some fun.
Jack: I hate the Halloween episodes because they’re always a fantasy that has nothing to do with the real stories. I would rather have the Horton Town Scare.
I think they did that last year, with the kids in costumes and the adults arguing with each other. That would be fine. These ghost stories that are totally disconnected from the show are a waste of screen time.
Christine: I used to dread them, but over time, I’ve come to enjoy the wacky fun of a Salem Halloween. My most recent favorite was Nick trying to drag people into an early grave.
So, I’m looking forward to seeing what the show has cooked up next for their most creative holiday.
What annoyed the heck out of you this week in Salem?
Horizon: Stefan and Gabi made me squirm in discomfort with their diabolical plot.
Chad and Konstantin annoyed me, too, as did spineless Sloan, who may or may not have botched her switcheroo.
Jack: There are SO many holes in the Theresa/Konstantin story that I feel like the writers are gaslighting viewers! We’re apparently supposed to forget that Brady and Alex came in immediately after Theresa read the letter, so there was no time for Konstantin to barge in and demand to see the will.
Theresa was, up until that point, obsessed with getting Brady to reconcile with her, but we’re supposed to believe that making sure Xander didn’t get his inheritance was her top priority.
Plus, this story is so similar to what Gwen would do that it makes it hard to believe that this is Theresa and not Gwen in a blond wig. That’s not Emily O’Brien’s fault — she’s doing a fine job as Theresa — but the writers seemed to have decided that as long as she’s playing the role, they’ll turn Theresa into Gwen.
It would have made far more sense for Theresa to be trying to help Brady get custody of Rachel back from Kristen. She and Brady went up against Kristen when Tate was a baby, so there’s no reason they can’t again, and that would have made him see her in a different light.
Konstantin also fulfilled the tired soap trope of the new love interest turning out to be evil, and that’s a big disappointment. I’d much rather he and Maggie have a real romance while Maggie struggled with the question of whether she was really into him or was using him as a substitute for Victor.
Outside of this awful story, the thing that annoyed me the most was this stupid Gabi/Stefan/Brady plot. Child abuse isn’t a joking matter, and DAYS too often uses the trope of fake child abuse reports to cause trouble.
Stephanie was incredibly self-centered and lacked empathy for Chad’s situation, which made me dislike her — and I’ve shipped her and Chad from the beginning.
And Steve, butt out. There was no reason for him to put his nose into Stephanie and Chad’s relationship and cause trouble.
Christine: Konstantin makes my skin crawl. That Maggie is so naive as to invite a man she knows nothing about, a man Victor never mentioned, and let him live in her home makes me crazy. Did Victor teach her nothing?
And that Sarah would hand her infant daughter over to him instead of simply walking upstairs and giving her to the nanny is maddening!
And where are Johnny and Chanel? I’ve waited so long for them to get back together, and now that they have, it feels like they’ve been back-burned, which is highly annoying!
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline from this week’s Days of Our Lives?
Horizon: Xander to Alex and Theresa saying ” she is already on the case” after she heard about Alex’s big fortune. My favorite line was Steph’s parting shot to Chad at the Brady Pub, dripping in hurtful sarcasm intimating he isn’t in love with her “as much as his dead wife.”
I have been digging the Ava/Gil face-off, as it gives off some neat mobster vibes. Also, the fact it is taking place at Salem’s elite restaurant and her buddy/boyfriend-to-be Harris is unknowingly on the case gives it some extra depth.
Stephanie won my heart this week with her perceptive and dissecting probe of where Chad’s heart actually lies, and as one who never liked this relationship, I say Go Girl.
Why waste time with Chad, who strikes me as too much of a thoughtless, self-absorbed George Costanza type? I get his pain. But don’t drag Stephanie into your whirlwind.
Jack: I loved Marlena trying to talk some sense into Brady.
I also liked Steve and Kayla talking about Stephanie and Chad and having flashbacks of their relationship. It was a nice tribute to the couple, and although it’s annoying that Steve was minding Stephanie’s business in the first place, I liked having a couple talk honestly through an issue instead of the high drama we usually get.
Christine: I loved Chad and Stephanie finally being honest with one another, even if it hurt. It’s one of the few times I’ve found this couple truly interesting.
And Marlena trying to talk sense into Brady, which was a lost cause, but someone had to try.
Okay, TV Fanatics. It’s time to hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below and tell us how you felt about this week in Salem.
What annoyed you the most? What was your favorite moment? Click that button and share!
Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.
Days of Our Lives streams exclusively on Peacock. New episodes drop on weekday mornings at 6/5c.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.