Days of Our Lives Round Table: Who Gives the Best Advice in Salem?

Maggie vowed revenge on Alex. Bonnie struggled to keep Sarah’s secret, while Chad and Stephanie made plans to move in together this week in Salem.

Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Mikey, from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate Talia’s sentence, if Jada and Rafe should take the risk, Dimitri’s proposal to Gwen, and more!

And who gives the best advice in Salem? Read on to see what our round table thinks.

Is Stephanie worrying too much about Alex? Is it the right time for her and Chad to move in together?

Mikey: Yes, she is, and no, it isn’t. The fact that Stephanie is still thinking that way about a guy she dated for like a month or two says a lot.

I find the Steph/Alex relationship skeevy on account of them *being cousins* and all, but it’s clear she’s attracted to him, and I don’t think lying to herself or to Chad and his kids about that is right.

I also don’t feel like we’ve really gotten to “dig in” on her and Chad as a couple. They still feel like they’re getting to know one another and finding a rhythm, and suddenly they’re going to move in together when he has two young kids.

It’s all a recipe for disaster, though I might feel more casual about it if there weren’t young children who lost their mom a year ago involved.

Jack: I think it’s too soon. Chad isn’t really over Abby — he let Julie convince him Abby would want him to move on, but he still is grieving her — and Stephanie seems more interested in what Alex thinks and feels.

This is a rebound relationship at best, and there are two little kids involved, so if they’re going to move in together, they’d better be sure.

Christine: Stephanie is clearly still attracted to Alex, and they are actually better friends now than when they dated.

And no, she and Chad shouldn’t be moving in together. Chad has two young kids who lost their mom and will likely become very attached to Stephanie. It’s not fair to them to let them get used to having a stepmom, even unofficially, so early in Stephanie and Chad’s relationship.

Alex took his knowledge of Yuri and closed a deal at Basic Black. Did Maggie overreact, or did she have the right to be angry?

Mikey: I think Maggie has a right to be angry about it on an emotional level, but I don’t think she has much logical ground to stand on. She blew up at Alex and fired him, and he took his existing business relationship elsewhere.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this was some of the better business stuff this show has done in quite some time because I understood what specifically was the issue, rather than just everyone wanting to be CEO.

And I’m not sure how intentional this was, but showing Maggie as making decisions from a place of emotion rather than a place of strict business sense was refreshing.

Sure, she has a history of running businesses, but not at this level, and we should feel that she’s somewhat overwhelmed and acting with her gut rather than her brain.

Jack: Maggie way overreacted. It’s understandable for her to be upset.

She lost the deal and Basic Black got it, but she’s refusing to consider any possibility other than Alex deliberately tanking the deal with Titan so he could steal Yuri for Dimera — even though Alex had no plan to work for Brady then and begged Maggie endlessly to let him keep his job at Titan.

I understand why Maggie thinks this way. Alex has consistently insinuated that she’s incompetent because she’s female, undermined her, and refused to follow directions. But the truth is that in this instance, Alex lost the deal because he followed Maggie’s orders, not because he didn’t.

As CEO, she needs to look at all the reasons the deal fell through, not just blame him. Plus, throwing a tantrum isn’t a good look for a CEO. I was disappointed with Maggie on this one.

Christine: Maggie overreacted. She thinks the worst of Alex because he wanted the CEO job and didn’t think she could hack it. But that doesn’t mean he’d deliberately try to sabotage her deal.

I like seeing Maggie strong, but this feels more like she’s reacting out of emotion instead of facts. Although, I will admit that Victor has done that on occasion too. The man was nothing if not vengeful if he thought he’d been double-crossed, so maybe Maggie has learned it from him.

Should Jada and Rafe take the risk and become a romantic couple?

Mikey: Sure! Why not? I can’t say I care either way, but they’re clearly into one another, and this whole anti-fraternization thing just feels so silly.

Yes, he’s her boss, and it wouldn’t be appropriate IRL, but no matter how often they point out that Rafe & Hope or Eli & Lani were partners and not supervisors/employees, it just feels false.

I realize I’m answering more as a seasoned Days viewer than a fully objective observer, but… meh. I was kind of surprised that they had Kate inform Jada about her own past with Rafe because that feels like a slightly forgotten piece of history, and they kind of blew past it without Jada having much of a reaction.

Is “I don’t really care” a good answer here?

Jack: I wish Rafe would go back to Nicole. It annoys me that Days sacrificed them so that they could play partner swap, with Rafe going to Jada and Nicole going back to Eric, especially since she and Eric were on the outs two minutes after getting together.

It also annoys me when other characters insist a couple belongs together, and then that couple decides they have to be because everyone said so.

I’m surprised Jada is already over Eric enough to consider Rafe. She didn’t even have a reaction to Kate mentioning Eric and Sloan being together!

Christine: Eh. I wish I cared more, but I don’t feel much chemistry between these two.

The working relationship is an issue, but no one seemed to care when Rafe and Hope were swapping Police Commissioner roles while dating.

But it is a risk. If Abe or Trask find out they’re dating, they could get either of them fired, so they should think carefully before moving forward. If this is just an attraction, it may not be worth the risk.

Is Bonnie right? Is Sarah’s pregnancy not her secret to tell, or does Xander have the right to know he’s fathered a child with Sarah?

Mikey: It’s not her secret to tell. They keep talking about it, but I don’t know why Bonnie feels any obligation whatsoever to tell a man who kidnapped and terrorized her that his ex-wife is expecting his child.

I do think Sarah has some obligation to inform Xander whether she wants to do so or not, but it isn’t Bonnie’s responsibility, and she didn’t seek out the information.

As dumb as a lot of the logistics of this story are, I did appreciate Justin bringing up his own past with Anjelica trying to keep Alex from him. That’s the most interested in anything Alex-related I’ve been since he arrived on the show, and he wasn’t even in the scene!

Jack: As much as I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Bonnie, she’s 100% right. Sarah’s pregnancy isn’t her business. It’s no different than if Sarah found out she had cancer. Her body, her health. It should be between her and her doctor, and random people have no right to tell anyone.

Christine: It isn’t Bonnie’s news to share, but I do think Xander has the right to know he’s fathered a child if Sarah is going to have this baby, which she clearly is.

Xander isn’t perfect, but he’d want to be part of this child’s life, and Sarah needs to come to terms with that sooner rather than later before this all blows up in her face.

Dimitri asked Gwen to marry him. Do you think she’ll say yes? Do you want her to?

Mikey: My answer here is a little like my Rafe/Jada answer, so… go ahead! I don’t really get why Dimitri and Megan don’t just let Gwen in on the whole thing and promise her a million dollars to go along with it for two years or however long it would take to certify the inheritance.

I can’t really say I “want her” to say yes because I genuinely do not care and don’t understand the stakes of this or care about any of the people involved.

Jack: Why doesn’t Gwen think this is bizarre? They’ve known each other all of five minutes. Someone wanting to rush into a big commitment after a short period of time is a red flag for the type of abuse that Paulina, Trask, and others in Salem have suffered, and we don’t need any more of that.

In this case, Dimitri seems more overeager than abusive, but still. Gwen should want to slow things way down.

Christine: Gwen has felt unwanted an unloved her entire life, so I can see her grabbing onto this fantasy with both hands.

However, I wish they’d tell Gwen the truth. I’m pretty certain she’d make a deal to stay married for a specific amount and play her role as the happy wife. That might be more interesting to me than Gwen getting conned.

Trask showed Talia leniency and gave her probation and therapy for her role in terrorizing Paulina and Chanel and poisoning the biscuits. Do you think the sentence was fair?

Mikey: So… I liked the twist of Trask relaying her own history in an abusive relationship and therefore finding some sympathy for Talia. That was a nice use of basically the only thing we actually know about Melinda.

And yes, probation is a punishment in its own way. But Talia is not mentally incapacitated, and Colin didn’t hold a gun to her head and force her to poison those biscuits. The woman is a doctor. She understood what she was doing.

I’m having trouble buying that the Colin/Talia relationship was an abusive, manipulative one because that isn’t what we saw during those seemingly endless scenes of them in that ugly motel room.

He kind of charmed her, but it felt like she wanted to go along with it because he was cute, not like he was threatening or manipulating, or intimidating her.

I don’t really think the setup we saw lines up with what we’re now being told, so I’m having trouble locking into it. I also really, really do not want to see Chanel fall for Talia, who tried to ruin her business and life after this. Boo-hoo, Colin took off his shirt and smirked, and told you to do something. That doesn’t excuse it.

Jack: I was surprised that Trask changed her mind, even if they did have a shared history of abuse. I think this was a fair sentence.

I believe jail should be reserved for people who are a danger to others; jails are overcrowded, and not everything warrants that type of treatment. Plus, some forms of probation are a little different than jail.

On Days, people get summary probation, but if Talia were sentenced to the type of probation where she has to check in with a PO every week, take random drug tests, adhere to a curfew, and not leave town or as much as stay overnight at someone else’s house without permission, that would be a fitting punishment.

Christine: I think the sentence was too lenient. Yes, Colin manipulated Talia and was emotionally abusive, but she knew what she was doing, and she knew it was wrong.

And it wasn’t just scaring Paulina. When she poisoned those biscuits, she put people’s lives in danger. And as a doctor, she knows that better than anyone.

Plus, Talia had options. She could have gone to her sister for help. She could have walked away. It felt like Talia was following Colin and doing things to keep him happy, not Colin stalking Talia or threatening her or someone she loved.

I do feel for Talia, and she definitely needs therapy, but I also think she should be held more accountable for her actions.

And the last thing I want to see is Chanel and Talia getting together. Chanel is emotionally more mature than Talia. Chanel may have been attracted to Talia, but I think her real love is still Johnny. 

Who gives the best advice in Salem?

Mikey: Ummm… well… Alice has been dead for 13 years, and she was the winner, but even with Alice, half her advice was just “Butt into someone else’s relationship because you actually belong with one of the partners involved.”

So… maybe Marlena, because she can be both compassionate and stern. I did like a lot of the Julie/Chad stuff this week, especially when they had that silent moment where she noticed his ring finger, and he nodded while on the verge of tears, but I’m not sure it qualifies as groundbreaking advice.

Jack: Julie has been channeling Alice lately. I also generally like Kate’s advice, although I disagreed with her about Rafe and Jada.

Christine: Surprisingly, Kate! I’ve enjoyed her going around and giving Salemites her two cents. And she’s not as serious and self-righteous as some are about it. With Kate, the advice is entertaining too.

What annoyed the heck out of you this week in Salem?

Mikey: The way they’re depicting Shawn’s drinking is so ridiculous. Is he slamming entire bottles of vodka and leaving them on the floor?

It feels like a very lazy way to fly through “Shawn is struggling with what happened with Bo” without even showing Shawn more than once a week.

If they were going to do this (and I think the idea is solid!), they should have actually planned to play it out, not just slap together bits and pieces of prior storylines into some half-baked thing to fill up a few scenes a week.

Jack: I really don’t get how Rafe and Jada missed the fact that Whitley left work early, especially since it was around the same time Abe disappeared. I get missing a detail, but that one is HUGE and should have been obvious. Kate must be right that they’re distracted by each other. Sheesh.

I also wish this whole Whitley thing would come to an end, and I was seriously annoyed that Eli walked away from Whitley just as he was about to question her. I also could do without her deciding she needs to kill Abe. I think she’s just going to fake his death so people stop looking for him, but still.

And not annoyed per se, but I’m disappointed Olivia didn’t stay longer and that none of the actual Juneteenth festival was on screen. Everyone went to it but the viewers!

Christine: That Sarah once again tried to use sex to mend her broken heart. She drunkenly slept with Xander when she broke up with Rex, then slept with Rex when she broke up with Xander, and here she was again when she heard Xander was dating Chloe. She definitely has a pattern.

And I also wanted to see some of the Juneteenth festival. I know the budget is tight, but it did feel like we missed out.

What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline in Salem this week?

Mikey: My favorite quote was Eli calling out Stefan for “jumping your stupid ass in front of a bullet.” Lamon Archey was great during that confrontation.

My favorite scene was my favorite rant, which was Belle rattling off all Xander’s crimes and questioning why Chloe would be dumb enough to get involved with him.

Finally, someone says it! I like Paul Telfer, and I do think he has chemistry with a lot of scene partners, including Nadia Bjorlin, but they keep doing this irritating thing where they just blow past actual redemption and simply tell us someone’s redeemed because they feel bad about something they did.

Jack: I loved the Price/Carver family reunion. We need more scenes like this! Family is supposed to be the backbone of this show, even if it was intertwined with this silly Whitley/Abe story.

Christine: I loved when Leo round Gwen in bed with Dimitri and then tried to talk his bestie down. He referred to Dimitri as Ms. Mustache Twirler, Voldemort, Count Dracula, Dimitri the Dastardly.

There is nothing more fun than Leo when he’s on a roll. Now it’s your turn, Days fans.

Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below and share your thoughts on the happenings in Salem.

Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.

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C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.