Ciara woke up hating Ben, Kristen took Sarah’s face and destroyed her life, Abigail and Chad had it out over their future, while Sami told Lucas her real plan.
Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Trey and Andy from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate Ciara’s memory loss, Kristen stealing Sarah’s life, Ava’s next move, and what disappointed them most this week on Days of Our Lives.
Due to her memory loss, Ciara only remembers Ben as a serial killer and Claire trying to steal her boyfriend. Is this a brilliant plot twist or another annoying way to keep Ben and Ciara apart?
Trey: I think it’s an old soap trick, but super effective in this case. I don’t like Ben/Ciara as they’re too codependent on each other. They aren’t fun to watch (for me).
I’d like to see Ciara get some of her spunk and sass back. Once they paired her with Ben, she became such a lovesick puppy and cheerleader for Ben; she became unwatchable for me.
I know they have a strong fan base, but when they’re together talking about their love over and over, it’s not enjoyable.
Jack: I find this annoying. Maybe if I cared about this couple or they did something other than having lots of sex and declare their undying love, I would be rooting for them to get past this.
But as it is, I feel like this just rehashes old plot lines that I didn’t enjoy the first time. Also, why does Ben keep insisting on going in there to comfort Ciara when it’s clear she doesn’t remember their relationship and is scared of him?
And why doesn’t Kayla call Marlena instead of deciding the best course is to pretend that Ciara is right about Ben, Claire, etc.?
Also, this is a pet peeve that I know will NEVER be addressed, but I hate that brain injuries always lead ONLY to memory loss with no other symptoms. No language problems, no motor skills problems, etc. Just memory loss (or, in John’s case, emotional management issues) but otherwise 100% fine.
Andy: I will say it’s a bit of a unique twist on the typical amnesia trope to put the character’s memories at a different point in time versus simply not remembering who she or anyone else is. And given Ben’s history and how far they’ve come, it’s an interesting dynamic for these two in particular.
That being said, I don’t particularly love the characters, nor do I want to see them continue to be so dramatically pulled apart at every turn. They have enough baggage to deal with without all the theatrics of kidnappings, jail time, explosions, brainwashing, presumed deaths, and amnesia.
Christine: It’s exhausting is what it is, and I’m not even a huge fan of this couple. I will admit that having Ciara only remember Ben and Claire at their worst is a better twist than having her remember nothing and no one.
My hope is that this will allow Ben and Ciara to interact with other people. This couple’s biggest flaw is that they seem obsessed with one another, even when they aren’t sharing scenes together.
Maybe this is a chance to rejuvenate them as their own characters before bringing them back together.
Kristen abducted Sarah, so we only had a fantasy wedding between Sarah and Xander instead of a real one. React!
Trey: I am a big Xarah fan, so I’m heartbroken we don’t get to see them together! I love watching Xander be a better person for Sarah and watching Sarah call Xander out. They aren’t over the top ooey gooey like Ben/Ciara are. I hope this is short-lived!
Jack: I’m not a Sarah/Xander fan, but I felt bad for people who really love this couple. It was a total ripoff and has to be a letdown for them. This should have been a real wedding as payoff for the stories fans have sat through waiting for them to get together.
Instead, it only happened in fantasy. Not cool.
Also, can we NOT have four abduction stories simultaneously and NOT have a different doppelganger story every month, please? We just finished with months of Ciara in that glass box, and now we’re doing the same thing with Sarah.
Andy: I’m mostly disappointed that Sarah and Xander are missing out on a chance to have their wedding and be happy together after everything they’ve been through.
But I’m also tired of all the kidnapping stories and even more tired of these nonsensical face masks that Kristen keeps using. I’m okay with suspending reality to an extent when it comes to soaps, but her masquerading as Nicole first and now Sarah is just ridiculous.
Not to mention the issue of consent every time she sleeps (or attempts to) with another man who thinks she’s someone else, which they never seem to address afterward.
Christine: I’m so angry and disappointed. Sarah and Xander have become my one happy place in Salem, and now that’s destroyed…and with a crappy story, no less.
Another abduction and that idiotic mask is back. Ugh. And then there’s…
SPOILER ALERT—jump to the next question if you don’t want to be spoiled—With Linsey Godfrey, who plays Sarah, leaving the show, goodness knows if or when this couple will ever be happy again!
Do you believe Abigail will really use this counseling to get past her anger and growing obsession with Gwen or is she just placating Chad?
Trey: I hope she’s just placating Chad. Gwen deserves to have some bad karma come her way for all the nasty things she’s done!
Jack: Sadly, she’s just placating Chad. The writers have made it clear they don’t think therapy/counseling is something to be taken seriously, and all the writing is on the wall for a new DID storyline for Abigail, even though everyone hated the first one.
Andy: I don’t think Abigail will be letting go of her anger toward Gwen any time soon, and I don’t blame her. Gwen wronged her in too many ways and with no good reason.
I think the more Chad and Jack try to brush everything under the rug and encourage her to move on, the more it’s going to fuel Abigail’s rage. It’s good that she’s willing to talk to someone about it, but it’s going to take time to cope with everything Gwen did.
Christine: I’d be shocked if Abigail gave up her revenge plans against Gwen, and although Gwen did horrible things to Abby, I’m so tired of revenge stories.
The person I feel sorry for is Jack. He’s done nothing wrong. He missed out on Gwen’s entire life, and now he has to deal with two daughters or despise one another.
Ava walked away from her mob roots? Why do you think she really cut ties with her family, and what job would you like to see her do in Salem?
Trey: I’d love to see Ava paired up with Rafe. A mob princess and a detective can make for a good story, especially if she tries to do an admin job (like work for Abe) or even get into a nursing program where she has to learn to care for others.
Similar to how the writers redeemed Nicole working at the church with Eric. At first, she’d hate it, but over time, she’d learn to embrace it.
Jack: I believe she really wants to have a relationship with Tripp. It would be fun if Nicole went back to reporting and hired Ava as an assistant reporter! Two reformed bad girls using their sneaky ways for good. I’d be down for that.
Andy: There could be more to the story of why Ava cut ties with Angelo; I wonder if danger will be following her to Salem at some point.
I’m not sure what kind of job she’d be qualified for, but this is Salem…I could see Nicole giving her some kind of job at Basic Black.
Christine: First, I wonder if she found out Angelo had something to do with Charlie’s death, and that’s why she cut ties. But that’s just speculation, and Ava really does want to have a relationship with Tripp, so that could be the only reason.
I’d be surprised if she doesn’t end up at Basic Black, but I don’t know how well she’d do around Brady and Chloe: they aren’t exactly the most open or nonjudgmental.
Sami admitted to Lucas that she didn’t kill Charlie and she’s protecting Allie. Should Lucas tell Allie what Sami’s doing?
Trey: Absolutely! Sami and Lucas are likely wrong and could be facing jail for no reason. It is nice to see that Sami and Lucas are both on the same page helping their daughter, but I think that they’re going about it all wrong.
Jack: I think Lucas should definitely talk to Allie. He shouldn’t necessarily tell her what Sami is doing since he promised not to, but he should find out whether Allie actually had anything to do with Charlie’s death.
Andy: This family sure does love to cover up for each other shooting people! I still don’t believe Allie’s the one who shot and killed Charlie, so Sami is falling on the sword unnecessarily.
If Lucas said something to Allie, it could help resolve that more quickly…which means he probably won’t, so this can drag out longer.
Christine: Yes! Lucas needs to get the truth out of Allie somehow, and I’m not sure how he does that without telling her what Sami is up to.
What was the most disappointing scene or storyline in Salem this week?
Trey: I’m not a fan of Kristen stealing Sarah’s identity. It’s unrealistic that she can create a mask/voice box in less than a day while still being Susan. Why not just tell Brady that she broke out to be with him? She clearly doesn’t trust in his love for her.
And I also don’t like the writers thinking it’s okay to seduce someone under false pretenses again. Kristen thinks it’s okay to do all the Brady men, it seems (Eric, Brady, now Rex).
Jack: A better question: what wasn’t? LOL This was a bad week for me. It was full of Ciara/Ben and Kristen kidnapping Sarah, neither of which held my interest.
I think the most disappointing scene was Kristen seducing Rex just to mess with Xander and Sarah.
First of all, is it really consensual if Rex thinks he’s bedding Sarah and he’s really bedding Kristen? (I can’t believe I have to ask that question, but here we are.) And she’s just using him and will probably ghost him now. Gross.
Andy: Kristen wearing a Sarah mask and almost sleeping with Rex without him realizing who she is, hands down. It’s just so ridiculous, and the fact that Kristen has done this twice now, I can’t.
Also, the show has really painted Rex as a terrible person between his cheating on Sarah and now being down to sleep with her on the day she’s supposed to marry someone else. So disappointing.
Christine: The mask storyline is the worst. I can’t believe they brought it back. Also, Rex, the guy who cheated on Sarah twice, coming back just to help destroy her wedding was nauseating.
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline from this week’s Days of Our Lives?
Trey: I liked Belle holding her ground against Sami. She can support her as a sister but is right not to trust her enough to stake her career and reputation on her. Someone needs to call Sami out for her constant lies.
Jack: I loved Lucas and Sami’s conversation. I hope we’re moving toward them becoming a couple again! Rafe’s contributions to Lucas/Sami were good too.
Andy: Sami and Lucas together is always a highlight. They probably had my favorite scenes this week. I thought the way they played out the scenes involving Kate’s gun and Allie’s flashbacks were interesting, even though it all still feels like a red herring to me.
Julie and Xander’s scenes together were fun; we don’t see them interact too often.
Christine: I love seeing Sami and Lucas working together as friends and parents. We know that they’ll both do anything for their kids, even go to prison for them.
Also, Julie finding Xander asleep on the sofa was funny, as was her admitting that Alice’s antique sofa is probably a very uncomfortable piece of furniture.
Not it’s your turn, TV Fanatics. Tell us your answers to our round table questions by hitting that big, blue, SHOW COMMENTS button down below. 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.