Tripp refused a DNA test, Chad and Jake continued to do battle, Kristen pled guilty, Philip held a secret, and Nicole spilled the beans to Lucas this week in Salem.
Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by Bradys from My Hourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate what Abe should do about Trask, Eli, and Lani, Jake and Chad’s ongoing feud, Tripp balking at a DNA test, Kristian Alfonso’s last scenes, and more!
Kristen will be sentenced for stabbing Victor. Should Abe make sure that Melinda faces the consequences of blackmailing Eli to get Kristen’s confession?
Bradys: I think so. Melinda works for Abe, and she’s using the power of her job to blackmail Eli, so Abe should make her pay for that. It can also happen that Lani goes to prison, being the daughter of Abe and unborn twins.
Jack: Abe absolutely should. He also should have a bone to pick with Eli for deleting that recording (which is destroying evidence) and with Lani for breaking Kristen out and causing all this in the first place.
Abe used to be Salem’s moral compass. It was one of my favorite things about his character. But lately, he will look the other way at anything involving Lani.
It’s very disappointing, and if DAYS is going to keep doing that, I wish they would at least have Abe admit he’s doing it out of guilt for not being there during her childhood.
Christine: Yes! Melinda could have just investigated Lani, but she blackmailed Eli and should be fired for it. Of course, Lani helped Kristen escape, which means she should be fired and charged too. But we know that’s probably not going to happen.
Like Jack, I’d like to hear Abe admit that he has to give Trask a pass on this to protect his daughter. It’s sort of ironic that now, Kristen is the only one willing to tell the truth and face the consequences.
Who do you think had more reason to be angry, Chad, because Jake is trying to become co-CEO of Dimera Enterprises, or Jake because Chad keeps blocking him.
Bradys: I believe Jake since he went from being nobody to being part of a big family. There is no excuse to block Jake just for wanting to have a little “power”, and it is not his fault he’s Stefan’s twin; they are two totally different people.
I think Chad is exaggerating, and they will finish moderately well, and Jake will get a position at Dimera Enterprises.
Jack: Jake has more reason to be angry. So what if he asked for a job Chad doesn’t want him to have? Chad is very elitist and obnoxious with his constant assertions that Jake is inferior because he worked in a garage.
Bet Chad wouldn’t be so dismissive of Jake’s career if he had to rely on Jake to fix the Dimera limo to get him to an important meeting on time.
Christine: I’ve really grown to despise Chad of late. He’s been nothing but a condescending ass to Jake. Jake isn’t Stefan and he’s done nothing to Abigial, but he is family, and he has a right to a part of the Dimera legacy.
Jake might have been willing to take a position other than CEO if Chad hadn’t made it sound like he was putting Jake back in his place.
Why do you think Tripp balked at a DNA test? Could he actually be guilty?
Bradys: I think Tripp just refused out of frustration at the moment, as he thought Kayla didn’t trust him. I don’t think Tripp is guilty after everything he said and his reactions to hearing Allie and Claire.
I also think Kayla misbehaved by going to Nicole’s house and lying about what Tripp said about the DNA test.
Jack: I think the writers think we will all think he’s guilty if he balks. But it seemed to me that Tripp is doing stupid things for immature reasons.
He’s angry that Kayla doesn’t believe him without a DNA test, so he won’t take one to spite her. He’s not guilty, so he tries to convince Allie of that even though it makes him look like he’s intimidating her. He’s innocent, so he doesn’t want a lawyer—that kind of nonsense.
Christine: I think the writers are trying to drag this story out as long as possible! I don’t believe Tripp is guilty, but I believe the writers are trying to make us feel there’s that possibility by making Tripp react like an immature hothead.
That he’s frustrated with being wrongfully accused and having even close family members doubt him is understandable, but balking at a simple test that can clear him makes no real sense.
Your turn TV Fanatics! Do you think Tripp is innocent or guilty of sexually assaulting Allie?
Philip is working with an unknown person to launder money through Titan? Any guesses on who he’s working with and why?
Bradys: It is almost obvious that Philip is working with a person linked to the mob and that they want to destroy Titan. The truth is that identity is a closely guarded secret.
They can easily surprise us with the mysterious person, but I think it will be Ava Vitali since I do not see another person interested in Titan. But the question is, why would he want to destroy Titan?
Jack: I have no idea, nor do I care. My first thought was that maybe he and Chloe are working together to get revenge on Victor, but that’s a long shot.
All I know is I cannot stand another minute of Philip behaving so arrogantly and hope he gets caught and kicked out of Titan altogether.
Christine: It really makes no sense. Philip has been living independently for years, so why come back now and try to destroy the family company?
For some reason, I keep thinking of Orpheus, but I don’t know why Philip would ever team up with him unless Philip got himself into some sort of trouble and needs to launder money through Titan to get out of it.
Was Nicole right to tell Lucas about Allie being sexually assaulted so that Allie didn’t have to do it?
Bradys: I don’t agree with Nicole at all. I’ve hated her for a couple of weeks with the attitude that the character is carrying.
First, she starts out laughing stupidly in Tripp’s face while they were in her apartment, and then she doesn’t let Lucas’s own daughter tell him her stuff.
It’s amazing that Nicole feels like Allie’s mom right now when she only met her when Allie came to Salem. The truth is that the character has been changing since Eric’s departure.
Jack: IF she had spoken to Allie first, tried to convince her to tell Lucas herself, and ultimately got her permission to do it, this would have been okay. But none of that happened.
Instead, Nicole took it upon herself to tell Lucas because “a father has a right to know.” It happened (due to the writers’ ignorance of issues around sexual assault) that Allie was okay with it. But it was HER news to tell, not Nicole’s, and in addition to violating her privacy, Nicole could have contributed to Allie’s sense that she had no control over her life.
Christine: Ugh! Sexual assault survivors frequently feel as though their power has been taken away, so, although perhaps well-meaning, when Nicole makes decisions about what’s best for Allie, she’s also taking away her power and sense of control.
Nicole has no right to run around town, telling anyone she stumbles across that Tripp raped Allie. I really wish someone would say to her how wrong she is and damaging she’s doing, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.
And I’m tired of Nicole belittling Sami. Sami is Allie’s mother and also a rape survivor! If “a father has a right to know,” then so does her mother!
This week was Kristian Alfonso’s (Hope) last air date. What did you think of the way they left her story?
Bradys: I think it was not a fitting ending for the most important character in the show’s history. It was just her on the ground crying for Ciara, and then what? Mysteriously disappears from the show forever?
We won’t hear from her until who knows when. It seems to me that she must have had a more dignified ending after more than three decades on the show, but obviously, the ending is not the fault of the writers, as Kristian’s decision took everyone by surprise.
Jack: This was quite frankly annoying. It was the same kind of non-exit that JJ got.
I understand that the actress didn’t want to return to film exit scenes, but since the story they had pitched to her before she quit was for Hope to be off-screen for several months, they could have written her out “temporarily” before they even knew it would be permanent.
In any case, our last view of Hope was her lying on the floor mourning the “death” of a daughter who I have no doubt will turn up alive sooner or later.
That was about as terrible as the rest of this story and not at all respectful to the 30+ years Kristian Alfonso has devoted to this character.
Christine: It was terrible. I know that Kristian Alfonso decided not to come back, and I don’t blame her one bit. The show hasn’t written a decent storyline for Hope since they chose to turn Aiden into a villain.
I was a kid when Kristian Alfonso’s Hope Williams first turned up in Salem. She was a powerhouse character on the show for decades. Having her last scene be Hope lying on the floor in tears was just depressing.
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline this week on Days of Our Lives?
Bradys: The truth is that this week did not have very good moments; they were more discussions.
If I have to choose one, I choose Tripp’s talk with Steve on Thursday. I think Steve did what a father has to do, and Tripp handled the situation well until it all exploded with John’s appearance at the end and the slap he gives Tripp.
Jack: Even though I hated that Nicole told Lucas about Allie’s rape, I loved Lucas’ full-throated support of his daughter and his assertion that it wasn’t her fault. If we had more moments like this and less cliched nonsense, this would be a good story.
Christine: Agreed. The two best things about this week were the scenes between Tripp and Steve, Lucas’ support of Allie, and even him thanking Nicole for being there for his daughter. Both were well played and heartfelt.
Want to be a part of the discussion? Then hit that BIG, BLUE, SHOW COMMENTS button down below, and let us know what you think of this week in Salem.
And don’t forget to check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives weekly review here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.