(Jack Ori needed the week off, so I’m filling in for this week’s Days of Our Lives review. But not to worry, he’ll be back soon.)
When characters drive in Salem, tragedy ensues, so it’s hard not to see the writing on the wall as Dimitri and Leo swerve into a pregnant Nicole’s car at high speed.
Will everyone survive? We’ll have to wait until Monday to find out, but one way or the other, the results of this crash will likely be catastrophic for someone.
But driving in Salem is dangerous. It feels like Ava and Susan just drove off a cliff, although that was a year ago.
And I couldn’t help but recall a drunken Eric driving and killing Dr. Daniel Jonas, Nicole’s late fiancee and Holly’s father.
This is supposed to be Nicole’s miracle baby, no matter who the father is, and I’m still holding out hope it is somehow EJ’s, even as I admit that’s a hell of a long shot.
The show seems determined to pair Nicole and Eric once again, and while I know there are plenty of Ericole fans, I was once one of them, this couple has done nothing but make one another miserable for years.
Can’t we move on? Can’t Nicole just be happy? She and EJ really seem so, and I wish the show would just let that be for a while.
But this is Salem, and no one is happy for very long. It’s easier to write soapy drama when characters are miserable, not blissful.
However, the show did celebrate its 58th anniversary, and I’m thrilled the show keeps trucking along on Peacock.
John and Marlena celebrated their sixth anniversary, and it was difficult not to laugh. How many times has this duo gotten married? They must have a wedding anniversary every other month.
Instead of just strawberries and whipped cream, there was also strawberry body butter and edible massage oil.
As much as I love a good tradition, I am happy we didn’t have to see them have to use any of it. I know they can show a lot more on Peacock, but sometimes, it’s best to leave something to the imagination.
However, I did love the family tree. That was a thoughtful gift and a nice nod to the show’s anniversary as well.
Sadly, it would have been Victor and Maggie’s anniversary too. I can’t believe they were only married less than 13 years ago. I do wish they’d had more time.
The one upside to this melancholy event was that Steve immediately pegged Konstantin as the conman he is. Maggie is just too vulnerable to see it since Victor’s death, and Kayla wants to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Steve may not have been Victor’s biggest fan, but he’s not about to let one of Victor’s enemies con Maggie. Plus, when Steve does uncover Konstantin’s motives, it will likely unearth that Alex isn’t Victor’s son, which should be all kinds of fun.
Elsewhere, Eric was so thrilled when he heard that he and Sloan would be adopting a baby soon that it almost hurt, especially since Melinda was only getting them the child with a payoff, and even that fell apart.
Melinda is a bad influence on Sloan. Every time Sloan considers doing the right thing, Melinda is the devil on her shoulder, persuading her to the dark side. Trask pushes for just a little more deceit. What’s one more lie? It’s just making up for what you’ve already done.
Sloan needs better friends.
Since when did Melinda Trask, who once touted law and order, become such an unscrupulous snake?
Speaking of snakes, Dimitri would have had no problem shooting Jada if Leo hadn’t persuaded him otherwise.
I wanted to see Leo physically spar with Dimitri to try and stop him, but that didn’t happen. Not only is Dimitri physically much bigger than Leo, but Leo’s also in love with him.
And that depresses me. Leo, despite his conman ways, deserves to be loved by someone better than Dimitri.
Maybe before we met, you were a ruthless sociopath bent on world domination, but I like to think I brought out your gentler, softer side.
Leo
Unfortunately, love is blinding Leo because, despite Leo giving up his best friend and a job he loves for Dimitri, it wouldn’t surprise me if Dimitri ditches Leo to save himself.
He already told Leo as much in this Days of Our Lives quote.
Dimitri: If we rush her, she can’t hit us both.
Jada: Try me.
Leo: And why would even shooting one of us be an acceptable outcome?
Dimitri: Who’s side are you on?
Leo: I’m on the side of people who don’t want to be shot.
Sarah might not be a sociopath like Dimitri, but she’s definitely a hypocrite and, at times, almost seems mentally unstable.
She refuses to see that the only reason Xander went to court in the first place was because she was trying to keep him from his daughter and pretending Rex was the child’s father.
Now, she insists on pursuing this court case, even though Xander has reached out multiple times to try and come to an amicable agreement.
Then Sarah still manages to paint herself as the aggrieved party when Xander and his attorney actually plan to fight her in court with her own past actions.
Does Sarah expect him to just let her paint him as the villain while he sits on his hands and acts like she’s a saint? That’s not the way a custody battle works.
Justin tried to explain that to Sarah. Maggie’s warned her that this court case could possibly not go her way, but Sarah is so righteous she can’t see how any of this is her fault.
It makes me hope that Xander does win this case. In Salem, stranger things have happened.
Now I have two questions. Am I the only one with a severe case of Salem deja vu, and am I allowed to call out Everett as being a creep yet?
Stephanie was in love with Everett. She wants to give him the benefit of the doubt, but Chad’s not wrong about the guy.
Everett referring to Stephanie as his girlfriend was as much of an accident as bringing her her favorite coffee or greeting her with, “Good morning, Gorgeous.”
Everett is setting himself up as the shoulder Stephanie will cry on if she and Chad break up. He’s also trying to get under Chad’s skin, and Chad needs to be smarter if he’s not going to fall for it.
Stephanie and Chad already have problems without her ex being involved. Chad is still grieving Abigail. He wants Stephanie in his life, but he’s clearly not ready to let her in all the way.
Stephanie wants a commitment from Chad, maybe not now, but soon. Neither is wrong, but they may need some time apart to figure out if they’re destined to be together.
The last thing they need is Everett in the middle of it.
Having the same actor play Everett, who played Nick Fallon, is either a big problem or convenient foreshadowing. Nick could be nice and charming, but he was a sociopath who abused Gabi. It’s easy to see Everett and Stephanie headed down a similar road.
Chad is listening to EJ again, albeit with an ounce of caution this time. EJ’s plan isn’t bad, except for the fact that Everett is an experienced investigative journalist. He’s likely to figure out who bought the paper and fired him and then go running to Stephanie.
Stephanie will inevitably be furious with Chad and sympathetic to Everett, who will happily play the victim and continue his campaign to win her back.
Speaking of victims, Gabi is right. She’s likely being set up for Li’s murder, but I can’t feel sorry for her.
Not only did she heartlessly play Li and blackmail him for his Dimera shares as he was struggling to put his life back together, but she was also happy to use Rachel and set up Kristen as a child abuser.
And to hear Gabi, Stefan, and Belle tell it, this is all EJ’s fault.
Let’s forget that Gabi was found over Li’s body holding the bloody knife and was overheard planning to dispose of the evidence by two witnesses. Or that Li named her as his killer just before he died.
According to Belle, all charges should be dropped because EJ holds a grudge against Gabi. (Insert eyeroll here.) I know Belle has to come up with a defense, but is EJ being mean really the best she can do?
I’m loving EJ as district attorney. He’s no more unscrupulous than Trask turned out to be, and he’s far more entertaining. No one enjoys a good verbal sparring match more than EJ, and his arrogant smirk frequently makes me chuckle.
But back to Gabi. To hear her tell it, she’s the innocent victim here, never mind that Li is the dead man.
I do believe she was likely setup; I just don’t mind because it feels like she deserves it.
And I’m going to throw out my theory for this whodunit.
I think it’s possible that Li made a deal with Dr. Rolf to stab him in the back, literally, then bring him back to life with his magic serum, but only after setting Gabi up for his murder.
It would be Li’s ultimate revenge against Gabi and Stefan. He also wouldn’t mind making his father suffer.
But the person who has gotten hurt the most by this is Wendy. Would Li do that to his little sis? Possibly. I can see Li’s desire for revenge superseding his love for his sister.
For the first time in a long while, Wendy is interesting again. I love that she’s grieving and angry, and I’m not sure what she’ll do next.
As for Gabi, I’ll be surprised if she stays in Statesville for long even with Camila Banus leaving the show. I’m betting that Stefan will break her out and whisk her away to some Dimera island until he can figure out who really murdered Li.
Those are my theories, Days fan. What are yours?
Do you feel for Gabi, or are you happy to see her suffer after all she’s done? Will Chad try to oust Everett from The Spectator now that he’s hired Stephanie as his PR rep?
And will anyone die in this car crash?
Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below to share your thoughts.
Then check back tomorrow to see what our Days of Our Lives round table has to say about the happenings in Salem.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.