Eli and Lani finally got married, Brady left town with Kristen, Ciara’s wedding dress was mysteriously ruined, and Jake’s DNA test results arrived in Salem.
Our TV Fanatics, Jack Ori and Christine Orlando, are joined by Stephanie from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate if Jake’s DNA results are correct, if Rafe should adopt Allie’s baby, did Claire ruin the dress, and how they rate Eli and Lani’s wedding, including the bride’s dress!
Eli and Lani got married! Rate their wedding from 1 (it was horrible) to 10 (one of my favorites in Salem!), and did you have a favorite part of the ceremony?
Stephanie: I’ll give the wedding a 5. I’m glad it ended happily with Eli and Lani finally getting a chance to say their vows and actually make their union official since most weddings in Salem don’t end in an actual marriage.
However, the ceremony was painful to watch because of all of the unnecessary drama. The day that Tamara fainted, Gabi showed up, and Lani felt the need to give a drawn-out speech about her feelings of gratefulness was a complete waste of airtime.
I guess my favorite part was when all of the crazy interruptions finally ended, and the ceremony proceeded as it should.
Jack: I’m giving it an 8. I was excited about the wedding, especially after Sal Stowers (Lani) shared that it was the first on-screen Black wedding in DAYS history [Abe and Lexie were married off-screen], and I thought the ceremony itself was beautiful.
But the audience was super-small — when Tamara fainted it struck me just how few people were there — and we didn’t need so many interruptions.
That said, I loved the vows and the jumping-the-broom ritual, and I thought it was a nice touch that Abe gave Eli the ring for Lani, and Valerie gave Lani the ring for Eli.
Christine: I give it a 7. The constant interruptions were annoying, but when they finally got to the actual ceremony, it was lovely. I haven’t always been a fan of this couple, but their wedding won me over.
Tell us, Days of Our Lives fans, what did you think of Lani’s wedding gown?
Did you like Lani’s wedding dress, and other than the bride, who had the best outfit?
Stephanie: Lani’s wedding dress is not my style at all. I actually liked the one she had the first time she was going to marry Eli better.
Other than her, I think Tamara had the best outfit. She looked glammed up but in a classy way that didn’t overdo it.
Jack: I liked the headdress, but I didn’t like that the top appeared to be a halter top.
Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to the outfits. Gabi was dressed nicely for a wedding crasher, though.
Christine: The dress, with headdress, had a bohemian, almost mermaid vibe to it, and at first, I was taken aback by the open midriff.
But Lani looked so beautiful in it that by the end of the ceremony, it seemed perfect on her.
As for everyone else, I loved Valerie’s sky blue dress and thought it looked lovely, especially with her curly hairstyle.
I also agree that Gabi’s white sequined jumpsuit was particularly appropriate wedding crashing attire.
It’s your turn again Days of Our Lives fans! Who had the best dress at Eli and Lani’s wedding?
Did Brady do the right thing by running off with Kristen? Are you okay with them gone, or would you like to see Brady, Kristen, and Rachel return to Salem?
Stephanie: I think Brady should have convinced Kristen to stay in Salem. That way, they could have found a way to work through the situation with Victor and then ultimately raise their daughter in Salem.
A life on the run is no life for a child. And besides. In Salem, all someone has to do to get someone who has committed a crime against them off the hook is decide to drop the charges against them, right?
Jack: I think it’s silly that Kristen came specifically to see Lani and only saw Brady by coincidence when he’s the one she’s supposedly in love with.
Kristen did stab Victor. She should face some consequences for that. But I’d prefer Brady to be off-screen for a bit to that idiotic attempt to undo the charges against Kristen (really, Victor can’t use his influence to get the DA to drop the charges without making up a story?).
I like Kristen these days and wouldn’t mind seeing her more, but I can’t say I’m sorry to get a break from Brady.
Christine: I can’t believe it took him this long! That he didn’t track them down before now surprised me. I like the idea of the three of them together, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them in Salem.
I can only imagine the drama that would create with Sarah, Xander, and even Maggie.
Should Rafe adopt Allie’s baby, or is this a bad idea?
Stephanie: While I think that Rafe would be fine as a parent to Allie’s baby, I still believe that Will and Sonny are better choices. They have been wanting to add a new child to their family for a while now, and Rafe is in the process of grieving over the loss of David.
I don’t think Rafe is ready to become an adoptive father to another child just yet, but Will and Sonny clearly are.
Jack: I agreed with Rafe when he said that it’s too soon after David. You can’t just replace one child with another that way.
Plus, Rafe has his hands full with trying to work out visitation, staying in touch with David by phone, etc. Would he really be able to give a baby his full attention?
However, Sami not liking it should not be a factor in this equation. It should be about whether or not Rafe thinks he can be the best parent to this child.
Christine: Rafe would make a great dad, but he just lost David and is trying to salvage that relationship. I think it’s just too soon to be thinking about adopting another child.
And as much as this is Allie’s decision, Sami’s reaction would add more stress to Rafe’s life. It seems like one more complication he doesn’t need.
Are the DNA results correct? Is Jake actually Stefan, and if so, do you want to see him end up with Gabi?
Stephanie: Whether or not the DNA results are correct is anyone’s guess being that DNA tests in Salem are wrong or altered half the time.
I do want Jake to end up with Gabi if he is actually Stefan. She was happy when she was with him, so being reunited with him should hopefully stop all of her revenge schemes and her need to make people whom she feels have wronged her miserable.
Gabi needs a new direction in her life, and hopefully, having Stefan back will guide her down a new, less destructive path.
Jack: When are DNA results in Salem ever correct the first time? I laughed when Jake said the lab was reputable.
I am really hoping Jake is not Stefan. If it turns out he is, he and Gabi can go have their great love off-screen. Gabi is obnoxious enough without gloating that she was right all the time.
And I hate that she was exonerated in court when she attempted to inject Jake against his will. Why on Earth was she only charged with drugging Abigail?
Christine: Yes, I hope he’s Stefan; otherwise, this whole story feels like a waste of time. Gabi was happy with Stefan, and it would be nice to see her happy again. But then I wouldn’t mind if they moved out of Salem because I’ve had enough of both of them to last me a while.
Did Claire ruin Ciara’s wedding dress, or is there another explanation?
Stephanie: I think Claire probably ruined the dress. It seems too obvious, but at the same time, something about Claire still seems off. I’ll be very surprised if Ben and Ciara’s wedding goes off without any kind of major interference created by her.
Jack: I think the writers are making it look too much like it’s Claire for it to be her.
Christine: It seems too obvious to have been Claire, although how does nail polish get poured all over a dress that was just returned to the shop? It doesn’t make much sense.
And how does Claire have the money to pay for the dress? Wedding gowns cost a fortune! Maybe, like Allie, her parents or her grandfather gave her their credit card.
What were your favorite or least favorite moments of the week?
Stephanie: My favorite moment was Kristen visiting Lani before the wedding. I loved seeing them interact because their friendship seems very real and genuine, and we don’t get enough of this type of relationship on the show.
I am also still enjoying Allie, and her storyline since the idea of so many people wanting to adopt her baby is new and intriguing.
My least favorite moments were the manufactured drama at Eli and Lani’s wedding. There were too many crazy interruptions for it to be believable.
Jack: I enjoyed Lani and Eli’s actual wedding, Eric’s talk with Allie, and Allie’s talk with Rafe.
I hated all things Gwen/Jake/Gabi and this stupid storyline about the ruined wedding dress.
Christine: The wedding was lovely once we finally got to the actual ceremony and a highlight of the week.
I despised everything having to do with Jake and Gwen as the more I see of them together, the more repulsed I am.
Now it’s your turn TV Fanatics. Hit that BIG, BLUE, SHOW COMMENTS button down below to let us know your answers to our round table questions.
Want to chat more about the happenings in Salem, including the first on-screen wedding of black characters? Then 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.