Charlie admitted he raped Allie and went to extremes to make sure Tripp continued to take the fall. Jennifer and Chad’s paranoia continued to believe their spouses were cheating on them. Jake turned the tables on Gwen, but did it work? And all of Salem prepared for the Christmas holiday.
Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Silvananoir1 from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate Charlie’s big reveal, Steve interviewing Allie, Jake trying to outsmart Gwen, and which Salem family they’d like to spend the holiday with.
It was revealed that Charlie raped Allie and is the father of baby Henry. React!
Silvananoir1: Yeah, I don’t think it was subtle. I never believed that Tripp did it. Not because I like Tripp but because the show made it so clear that it wasn’t him. At no point did the writing ever suggest that Tripp was guilty.
I’m not surprised that it was Charlie, though. They dropped heavy anvils about his personality due to his behavior with Claire. I’m just glad that we’re rounding the end of this awful story.
Jack: I predicted this as soon as Charlie showed up. I’m irritated that every “nice guy” turns out to be a crazed stalker, and I expect Charlie will eventually kidnap Claire. Because that’s how it always goes.
That said, I did think Charlie and Ava’s argument scenes were the most riveting scenes of the week. Very well-acted, and I was surprised by how interested I was because I usually hate Ava!
Christine: I think most fans had guessed that Charlie was the perpetrator because of the timing of when he first showed up in Salem, so this big reveal wasn’t that much of a shock. Still, it was nice to hear it finally confirmed.
I’ve always liked Tripp, so I’ll be happy when he gets beyond this mess. And I’ve never enjoyed Ava before, but I am now. Her scenes with both Tripp and Charlie have been compelling and some of the most watchable this week.
Do you think it was okay for Steve to interview Allie about the sexual assault? Were you surprised that Allie chose to talk to him?
Silvananoir1: No. It was widely inappropriate. They are technically family, and they live in the same town. I doubt that the show could have avoided it forever. Steve tried to be gentle, but unless he completely denounced Tripp, there was no way this conversation could end well.
I’m not surprised that Allie talked to him, though. But I wonder what the motive was? Maybe to turn Tripp’s father against him?
Jack: I have mixed feelings about this. Steve did display a sensitivity toward Allie’s plight, but I’m not sure that was enough. I feel like DAYS is giving lip service to Allie’s rape being a big deal.
There are characters who say they know it’s hard for her or that it’s her story to tell, but Allie will always say it’s okay when they insist on her talking about it or tell someone who they shouldn’t have told. And I don’t like that Allie suddenly doubts herself or that it’s framed as either she’s a liar, or Tripp raped her.
And yet again, the story is focused on poor Tripp being the victim of a false accusation instead of Allie being the victim of a sexual assault!
Christine: Since Allie gave her consent, yes, I thought he had the right to the interview. If she had refused, it was obvious that Steve wouldn’t have pushed.
This story is such a convoluted mess that it’s challenging to put norms of behavior to it. No one believes Tripp but Steve because of the DNA test, and he feels the need to advocate for his son while trying to be respectful of Allie.
What bugs me the most is that no one has pushed Allie to seek counseling, whether to clarify her memories, which took a year to surface, or to handle the trauma of being a victim of a sexual assault that led to the conception of a child.
That’s a lot for anyone to handle, and yet no one who loves Allie, even her psychiatrist grandmother, seems to be overly concerned that she’ll need some help to process it all.
Jake turned the tables on Gwen and pretended the bracelet was for her instead of Abigail or Kate. Will that assuage Chad’s suspicions? Will Kate come forward and tell the truth? Do you want her to?
Silvananoir1: No, it won’t. Gwen is committed to ruining that marriage, and this is where the Gabigail situation comes in. A part of Abby, not the true person, but a part of her psyche did fall in love with Stefan and have a relationship with him.
And now Chad is faced with a man with Stefan’s face. Even though he knows that what happened wasn’t Abby’s fault, I think a part of Chad never truly got over that, and that is why it’s so easy for Gwen to manipulate the situation.
Chad isn’t dumb. He knows that things have fallen apart for Jake and Gwen, and he knows that Gabi and Jake aren’t together. Until Kate comes forward about the relationship, he will continue to doubt and be open to Gwen’s manipulations.
Jack: I’m hoping Kate will tell the truth and put an end to this idiotic story. Literally, all the problems between Chad/Abby and Jack/Jennifer would be solved if she just did that, and there is no reason to keep her affair with Jake secret from Chad or anyone else!
Also, I hope Gwen overplayed her hand. She pushed Abby to open that gift in front of everyone, and it was such an obvious set-up. No one has been using their brains so far, though.
But Tony doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and Anna seemed suspicious of Gwen, to begin with, so hopefully, one of them will see through this.
Christine: How did Gwen become the superior mastermind able to manipulate everyone in Salem? Why are Abigail, Chad, Jennifer, Jake, and Kate so easy to manipulate?
It hasn’t taken much to make Chad doubt his wife’s fidelity, which doesn’t say much for the state of their marriage.
Unless Kate finds her backbone and calls Gwen out on her scheme—and I’m desperate for the real Kate to show up and do just that— I fear things will continue to get much worse in the near future.
Which Christmas celebration are you looking forward to the most: The Horton’s, the Dimeras’, the Kiriakis’, or someone else’s?
Silvananoir1: The Kirakis. Phloe is really all I need. But it also looks like a complete trainwreck, which I’m here for.
Second place is the Dimeras’. I really enjoy Tony and Anna and am glad that they’ve come back for a visit. I haven’t been interested in the Hortons for a long time.
Jack: I always love the Horton Christmas. The tree trimming is my favorite part of the year.
Christine: I love the Horton tree trimming, but it has gotten shorter and more boring over the last several years.
The Kiriakis Christmas looks like it could be some fun with Philip, Xander, and Victor all in the same room. And Tony and Anna will certainly liven up the Dimera shindig, so Christmas is looking much brighter in Salem than Thanksgiving did.
Are you looking forward to Tripp getting to know Ava better, or do you just wish Ava would leave Salem for good?
Silvananoir1: I’m torn. I admit to kind of enjoying Ava, though it might be because I’ve always liked the actress since her General Hospital days. And I’m glad that she is here to destroy this awful story.
But I’m not really interested in yet another crazy lady who can’t take no for an answer. We already had Jan, and that was actually fun.
Jack: I don’t like Ava, but Tripp getting to know her and coming to terms with her being evil could be an interesting story. So if we can have that instead of this Tripp accused of rape nonsense, I’ll be happy.
Christine: I’ve never liked Ava, but she and Tripp trying to forge a relationship has been more interesting than I expected. The actors have some chemistry, so I’m looking forward to more, plus I’m curious to see how this storyline with Charlie eventually plays out.
Who is the whiniest character in Salem right now?
Silvananoir1: I’m really torn. I want to say Lani because right now I can’t stand Lani.
But it’s Chad. How he went from leading man to the most insufferable character on the show so quickly is quite amazing. Allie only gets a pass because I’m chalking up this current behavior as trauma.
Jack: Sarah is always super whiny and annoying, and Gwen is always whining about Abigail and her family for no apparent reason.
But Jennifer gets the whiniest character award this week. She got it in her head that Jack was still cheating with Kate, wouldn’t let it go, and has endlessly complained that he “lied for a year.”
When exactly was he supposed to tell her that he had sex with Kate when she was in a coma? He’d already forgotten it by the time she was lucid enough to understand, and she was already devastated by the news of Adrienne’s death.
She’s being totally ridiculous and not empathetic in the slightest. Stop it already!
Christine: Jennifer! You’d think Jack was having an ongoing affair for a year, instead of a one-night stand when he thought Jennifer was never coming back to him.
And where did the intrepid investigative reporter that Jennifer Rose used to be disappear to in this story? One word from Gwen and Jenn was making huge assumptions to “prove” the theory that Jack was sleeping with Kate.
If she ever ran a story with that much flimsy evidence, she’d be fired. Chad definitely takes second place. He looked like such a petulant child when he had to introduce Jake to Tony that It was almost funny.
Now it’s your turn, TV Fanatics! Who did you think was the whiniest character in Salem this week?
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline from this week’s Days of Our Lives?
Silvananoir1: I loved everything Chloe did. She was a bright spot of the week. Just a calm in the storm. More of that, please, less of the nonsense rape story.
Jack: I loved Lucas trying to talk some sense into Jennifer and proving that Kate did NOT sleep with Jack the night before. I just wish he had confronted Kate. That would have been fun!
I also liked Kate’s conversation with Allie, and it cracked me up that she brings up Allie stealing the gun the way you’d talk to a toddler about not taking an extra cookie when your back is turned.
Finally, Nicole and Rafe! I have shipped this couple for YEARS, and I’m hoping they fully write Eric and Hope out so they can finally get together without it being an affair.
Christine: I loved that Tripp didn’t break down Ava’s door but when over all his options and then sought help from his father. How many people in Salem are that rational?
I also appreciated that Kayla understood why Tripp wanted to spend time with Ava and didn’t hold it against him that he wanted to get to know his mother, even if Kayla had every reason to despise the woman.
And for two characters I didn’t think I cared a wit about, the scenes between Ava and Charlie were compelling and had me glued to the screen.
Now it’s your turn, TV Fanatics. Hit that big, blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below and let us know what you thought of this week’s Days of Our Lives.
Want to chat more about the happenings in Salem? 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.