Christine Orlando
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Shawn cheated on Belle!
Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Mikey from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate if Dick Van Dyke should return, Gwen knowing the truth, Chanel and Johnny’s reunion, and more!
And which storylines should be eliminated? Read on to see what our round table team has to say.
Gwen knows about Leo and Dimitri! Were you surprised? And what do you think is her plan?
Mikey: I was genuinely surprised! She was acting differently toward Leo on Friday’s episode than she was in Iceland, so I wonder when she figured it out — not that Leo and Dimitri have been anything close to subtle — and if we’ll see flashbacks to something in particular that confirmed it for her.
If she’s smart, which is questionable where any of these people are concerned, she’ll play dumb for a while longer in order to divorce Dimitri for his infidelity and walk off with the Von Leuschner millions.
I still don’t understand why he didn’t just tell her about the codicil in the first place, though. This is a woman who ran numerous cons on her own biological family. If he’d offered her a cut of the inheritance to stay married for a few years, he would’ve been spared cutting in Kristen *and* having to invoke Gwen’s ire.
Jack: I was relieved. She’s been acting so ridiculously stupid that, in retrospect, she’s had to have been playing the guys for a while. Her best revenge is to stay in the marriage in exchange for a huge payday so that she can torment the men by not allowing them to be fully together. I hope that’s what she does!
Christine: I started to suspect when she was so over-the-top in talking to Leo about her sex life with Dimitri. That was a lot, even for them. But, overall, I was surprised because Gwen has seemed so clueless up to this point.
I really hope she makes Dimitri pay her off. She’d end up with a fortune, and he could tell Gabi, Stefan, and Kristen to take a hike.
But Gwen can’t be happy her bestie played her like this. I hate that this could ruin Leo and Gwen as they are one of my favorite male/female friend pairings in Salem, but she does need to make Leo pay for lying to her about something so important.
Shawn told Talia he thought Belle owed him the space to fall apart, especially considering she’d cheated on him. Does he have a point, or is this just an excuse for him to act self-destructive?
Mikey: In theory, sure, he has a point. He needs space to grieve and heal. But Belle hasn’t been hounding him to forget it and move on. She’s offered various forms of help, from her own support to therapy to inpatient care, and he’s scoffed at all of it.
No one “deserves” space to drink themselves into a constant stupor, destroy their career, and make life-ruining decisions. Ultimately, those are Shawn’s choices, but he’s digging up old dirt to justify his self-loathing and spiraling.
I suspect they’ll ultimately brush aside his cheating with Talia just like they’ve done with Belle’s various affairs and go back to “normal” until there’s another round of tension in their marriage, though.
Jack: He has the right to space, and he has the right to self-destruct if he really wants to, but there are ways he could fall apart without drinking and starting public arguments. (Or cheating on her with Talia. Ugh.)
In any case, Belle can’t force him to fix himself, and her attempts at support feel like invalidation to him, so it’s understandable that he wants her to leave him alone.
Christine: It’s been months since Shawn shot Bo. This isn’t about needing space. If space meant dealing with things on his own or time to get the help he needs, then he’d have a point. But Shawn is in a self-destructive spiral that he seems unwilling or incapable of pulling out of.
And yes, Belle cheated on him, but that shouldn’t be a free pass for him to cheat on her. I’ve never felt as though these two had the strongest marriage, and the cracks are definitely showing. If this becomes a game of self-destructive one-up-manship, then they’re both in trouble.
John brought his father home to meet his grandkids. What did you think of those scenes, and would you like to see Dick Van Dyke stick around?
Mikey: I’ve enjoyed Dick Van Dyke’s stint, even if it’s comical how easily the pieces got put together. I really appreciated that they didn’t create an entirely different backstory for John and instead just tweaked the most recent, pretty unsatisfying one, and DVD has been incredibly charming.
If that whole family reunion had stretched over more than one episode, it would’ve tipped over into saccharine, but for a single episode, it was lovely. I appreciate just about any sense of family unity and togetherness among familiar characters that we can get these days!
Seeing Paul be a part of it was great, too, although I was laughing at how people just kept marching into that townhouse right on cue after they’d been mentioned. You would think Marlena and John would lock their doors after all they’ve been through.
Jack: I loved these scenes. It reminded me of what’s been missing in DAYS for a while. Family used to be the backbone of the show, and now it’s an afterthought. It was great for John to have all his kids there.
I do wish Dick Van Dyke was staying. I know it’s not likely that we’ll see him again, though I’ve read he had a blast and would love to come back for another guest shot sometime. But it seems a little anticlimactic for him to meet the entire family, move in with John, and then disappear from our screens.
I’d love a story of him working to get the rest of his memories back and being a mentor to some of the younger generation as he gets to know them.
Christine: This was just a lovely, heartfelt story that finally gave John the father he deserves. The family reunion made me smile from beginning to end, and I loved that Paul got to be there with Andrew.
It was a wonderful way for Dick Van Dyke to be on the show and I’d love for him to return, even on a limited basis, I’d love that too. He’s a real charmer who had instant chemistry with the cast.
Chanel chose Johnny! Are you happy to see this couple back together?
Mikey: I still think these two have a certain X-factor together, and I’m happy to see them reunited, but I wish there had been more of a story to it.
They used Johnny as an occasional friend or talk-to for Chanel all throughout the Sloan/Colin storyline, and I still feel that it should’ve culminated in some life-or-death situation that brought them back together.
At any rate, I’m happy to see her away from Talia, which was an absolutely insane pairing and made Chanel look like a fool, and I’m interested in what comes next for them.
Jack: I am, but I don’t like the way it was done. Johnny and Chanel should have reunited after Wendy chose Tripp, full stop. If they needed more angst, Johnny’s fear of being rejected again would have been enough without the stupid Talia detour.
Chanel should not have dated the woman who tried to ruin her life, whether Talia was being manipulated at the time or not, and it felt cruel for her to move on with Tallia and then, out of the blue, dump her for her ex. I haven’t liked the million times that Eric has done that to various women to be with Nicole, and this wasn’t any better.
Christine: I’m thrilled that Johnny and Chanel are back together. They’ve always made a great couple, and the only thing that broke them up was the devil, which wasn’t Johnny’s fault. I’m really hoping these two are gifted a good story together moving forward.
As for Talia, ugh. I’m not a fan, and having her paired with Chanel only made that worse. I do feel for Talia and wouldn’t be surprised if getting dumped sends her spiraling.
That’s why I was surprised when Marlena didn’t caution Talia about diving into another relationship so soon after Colin. Talia is still struggling with her mental health, and this could really derail the work she’s already put in.
Which current storylines would you eliminate if you could?
Mikey: This entire thing with Ava, Harris, and Susan is beyond ridiculous and unnecessary. Ava and Harris could vanish tomorrow, and I wouldn’t blink an eye.
I don’t know why this is even airing on Days of Our Lives when it’s clearly just an ill-advised cash-in on something General Hospital did 20 years ago. I already found Tripp and Wendy boring, but roping them into this makes them look terrible, too.
Jack: Can we pretend this drunk Shawn story is a bad dream or false memory implanted by Dr. Rolf to get revenge on Shawn for ruining Megan’s plans? Please? I can’t stand any more of this.
I also think this Ava/Harris on the run story is stupid. There is literally zero reason for them to be fugitives, and now they’ve dragged Tripp and Wendy into their unnecessary criminal behavior.
Finally, thank goodness that this Dimitri story is ending! His inability to control himself enough to make any effort whatsoever to pretend he wasn’t into Leo rather than Gwen was irritating and stupid.
Christine: Gabi and Stefan have become boring and one-note. They’re always scheming for money or Dimera shares, and it’s all become nothing more than filler.
Brady, Alex, and Theresa are in Greece. Harris and Ava are off to London. Which adventure are you looking forward to the most?
Mikey: Absolutely the Greece storyline! I’m not especially interested in Theresa’s romantic pursuits, but I love that this ties in with Victor’s death and the situation going on over at the mansion with Vivian and Maggie.
As for the London thing, I was hoping Ava and Harris’s exploits would play out offscreen, but it appears I’ll have no such luck.
Jack: I’m excited about the Greek adventure! I’m especially excited about who is at Theresa’s door, according to the promo video. I hope that Brady gets over himself soon and accepts Theresa’s help.
Christine: Definitely Greece. I love how this story involves Victor’s death, Vivian’s scheme, and Maggie’s future while having Victor’s family involved in the intrigue.
Maybe I’ll be more interested in Ava and Harris once they’re in London. I’m not a fan of Harris, but Ava does make him more tolerable.
What annoyed the heck out of you this week in Salem?
Mikey: Wendy offering to make fraudulent passports for two people on the lam whom she doesn’t know, one of whom has endangered both her and her boyfriend’s lives in the past.
Tripp covering for his fugitive mother who loves him so much that she didn’t even bother to tell him she was alive until it was convenient for her.
Harris existing.
Shawn continuing to throw his stupid tantrum. But overall, I enjoyed this week more than most of late.
Jack: Shawn sleeping with Talia. That was unnecessary, extremely predictable, and annoying. And Shawn is likely going to say Belle deserved it because she slept with EJ or Philip in the past. This will probably also push Belle back toward Philip, which I don’t want to see.
I wish instead of Brady suddenly being hostile to Theresa, the two of them plotted together to get Rachel back from Kristen. That story seems to have been totally forgotten.
And why is Paulina and Abe’s relationship taking place entirely offscreen? The drama of Paulina trying to make a good impression on her amnesiac husband and having to act like they are in the early stages of dating should not be told to us secondhand!
Christine: Yes! Why are Abe and Paulina offscreen? They are two talented actors who are more than capable of pulling off this story of Paulina trying to woo her husband to fall in love with her all over again.
Fans are missing out on what could be a charming and heartfelt storyline because we only get to hear about it instead of seeing it.
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline in Salem this week?
Mikey: Vivian’s confrontations with just about everyone were wonderful. The dialogue in that scene with her, Stefan, Gabi, Kristen, and Dimitri was fantastic, and I love that they used the Alamain/Von Leuschner connections there.
Louise Sorel simply has IT, and the writers have a great handle on Vivian and her one-of-a-kind perspective on the world. So glad we have her around for this!
Jack: I loved the scenes with John and his family.
In addition, Vivian is my favorite villainess for a reason, and she did not disappoint this week. She always has some of the best Days of Our Lives quotes. I especially liked her sarcastic explanation about how she got out of jail:
Stefan: How’d you get out of prison?
Vivian: I found a pickaxe on the floor and chiseled my way to freedom. Come on, hasn’t anyone ever heard of good behavior?
(Side note: Does anyone doubt that a prisoner in Statesville might find a weapon on the floor suitable for escaping with?)
Christine: Julie rolling over Vivian’s foot with that suitcase and not even slowing down was priceless!
I also love Johnny and Chanel’s reunion and Paul and Andrew being there for John’s family reunion.
Veterans Julie, Maggie, and Vivian shined this week, and then Paul and Andrew, Johnny and Chanel, and Teresa felt like the new blood Salem needs.
Now it’s your turn, Days fans. Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below to tell us your favorite scene from this week’s Days of Our Lives. Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.