Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Cat and Mouse

Two episodes to go before the search for the jewels wraps up!

Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem Season 1 Episode 3 ramped up the drama while also being more light-hearted than previous installments of the limited series.

But how in the world are the writers going to resolve this story before the end of the week?

There was plenty of action as Shane jumped in to help find Paulina’s ring, Kristen stole Carrie’s necklace, and Billie and Graham got help from a surprising source. But before we get to all that, this has to be said: Leo’s constant attempt to get between Will and Sonny is not funny.

Greg Rikaart is a good actor, but Leo’s character is mostly one-note. All he does is flirt with both guys and try to create trouble for them so that he can snag one or both of them for himself.

I had a feeling that the shower scene was meant to be comic relief, but it ended up being cringe-worthy.

Flirting is one thing,  but getting in the shower with two naked guys who didn’t want him there was… inappropriate, to say the least.

Ugh. I was glad when that segment ended!

Leo’s connection to finding the emerald was more interesting, though I could have done without his text exchange with Jackie Cox.

And Chad, Leo gets turned on when you threaten him, so cut it out.

Anyway, Jackie Cox’s inclusion in this story was a much more compelling and funny addition than anything Leo has contributed thus far.

While I’m not quite sure yet how this drag queen ended up knowing anything about a stolen emerald, I appreciated the in-jokes Cox offered.

Billie: I’m sorry, I have no idea who you’re supposed to be.
Jackie Cox: I’m one of the ladies from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Billie: I’ve never heard of it.

Even though Billie apparently doesn’t watch the reality show her portrayer is known for, it was silly that she didn’t realize that Cox looked just like her!

But it allowed Graham to flirt with her, further cementing my theory that he and Billie will hook up by the series’ end, so it’s all good.

Billie hasn’t been on air since 1995, but her appearance here has been a breath of fresh air.

Billie is smart, strong, and funny and adds a ton to every scene she’s in.

I’ll miss her once Beyond Salem ends.

Anyway, it was odd that she and Graham showed up in Phoenix so quickly. What happened to the plan to infiltrate the Favershams’ party?

Hopefully, we’ll get back to that soon, and Ciara and Ben aren’t left hanging at that party with no ISA backup!

Meanwhile, in Miami, Paulina struggled to let go of the ring that had been stolen.

That guy held a gun to Lani’s head! I only gave him my ring to save her life. And you’re letting him go? What does ISA stand for? Ignorant Stupid Ass?

Paulina

Her interactions with Shane were fun, and I didn’t blame her for being upset that that goon who had threatened her family had been let go.

While she might have been overly attached to the ring, being robbed at gunpoint is a traumatic experience, and Paulina’s already experienced more than her share of trauma in her life.

She is also starting to have difficulty keeping up the pretense that Lani isn’t her daughter. She was more scared for Lani than anything else and didn’t want her to go chase down the goons,

She’s already slipped up once, and it’s only a matter of time before Abe picks up on the truth, either during this series or on Days of Our Lives’ main series.

Those goons were as dumb as most DAYS goons. We knew that already since they robbed someone in broad daylight in front of a million witnesses, but their attempt to escape Lani and Shane cemented it.

As soon as Shane and Lani showed up, I knew they were going to try to grab a gun and shoot at the cops… even though two people trained to shoot to kill if needed were pointing weapons at them.

In typical DAYS style, the goons almost got away with it, though. Just once, I’d love for Lani to watch her own back instead of Eli showing up at the last second, but I can’t deny this was an effective sequence.

Finally, the Zurich storyline took a baffling turn when Kristen stole the sapphire necklace before Carrie could return it to John.

As soon as “Sister Mary Moira” showed up at Anna’s door, I knew it was Kristen in disguise. There was even less reason for a nun connected to the Dimeras to show up at Anna’s door than for Kristen to do so.

The question is, though, what on Earth does Kristen want the necklace for?

The jewels belong to the Alamains, who are rivals with the Dimeras, but that doesn’t make it worth the risk for Kristen to snatch one of them.

Not only could she go to jail for stealing it (not that she’s likely to — this is Kristen we’re talking about, after all!), but she’s also a fugitive who is wanted on multiple charges!

Does she think this necklace will somehow help her win Brady back? That’s her usual motivation, but I don’t get how this has anything to do with that.

And now the ISA will be after her as well as the regular police. It seems like she’s bringing a ton of trouble on her head for no apparent reason!

At least Tony and Carrie both understand the importance of giving John that necklace now, and Tony’s friendship with John and Marlena no longer appears to be in jeopardy.

It was foolish for him to think that chocolates would make up for Anna stealing that necklace out from under their nose, and that did nothing but inspire John’s wrath!

Tony should have known better. Just because he’s a good friend of Marlena’s doesn’t mean Anna can get away with just about anything!

Your turn, Days of Our Lives fanatics! What did you think of Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem Season 1 Episode 3?

Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know.

Eager to discuss the original series? Check out the latest Days of Our Lives reviews and Days of Our Lives Round table discussions.

Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem is available on Peacock. New episodes will drop every day from September 6 – 10.

Edit Delete

Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.

You can view the original article HERE.