Nicole took the baby!
Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Horizon from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate what EJ will do now, if Stephanie slept with Harris, will Holly continue to mess with Johnny and Chanel, and more!
And what was the most annoying moments in Salem this week? Read on to see what our round table team has to say.
Nicole took the baby! How do you think EJ will handle this?
Horizon: I think EJ will handle it with some sympathy. I don’t see him changing course at this point.
Jack: EJ will protect Nicole. He’ll probably assume this is another manifestation of mental illness and seek to ensure she doesn’t get in trouble while also making sure the baby is returned to Sloan and Eric.
Christine: Yeah, EJ will likely sympathize with Nicole, but make sure the baby is returned and ensure that Nicole doesn’t suffer any consequences for it. If anyone needs a Christmas miracle, it’s Nicole.
However, I am curious to hear Nicole’s rationale for taking the child instead of staying with the stroller and blasting Sloan once she came out of the bakery or calling the police.
Do you think Stephanie actually slept with Harris? And if so, will there be consequences?
Horizon: I do not believe Stephanie slept with Harris. It would be way out of character for Harris, who is much older and, besides his casual behavior in the morning, didn’t suggest for one second he slept with her.
So, color me confused regarding Stephanie’s flashback that showed them kissing. I don’t know what to make of it, but I truly hope they didn’t sleep together. That would be awful.
Not to mention Steve’s reaction if he got wind of it. He hates Harris with a passion, so it would set his hair on fire, and he would be very disappointed in his daughter.
Jack: I hope not. I dislike these stories where the ability to consent is dubious. If she did sleep with Harris, I expect us to be in for a who’s-the-daddy trope soon.
Christine: I agree with Horizon. I don’t think Harris is the type to sleep with someone who is so obviously drunk.
My guess is that Stephanie kissed Harris, and he pushed her away. How she ended up sleeping it off in his bed is another story.
Lani’s release from prison has been delayed, so they won’t be back for Christmas. Should Lani and Eli return to Salem permanently?
Horizon: If they rejoined the Police Department to go along with newbies Harris and Jada, I suppose that could conjure up some interest, but I am not heavily invested in either character.
One major caveat. If they somehow resurrected her biological dad, T. R. Coates (Ray), then I am all in.
He was played by a great actor who was given the short shrift when they turned him into a truly disturbed and violent man.
Jack: Yes! Eli is a good cop, which Salem desperately needs. I never particularly liked Lani, but I think she could be a good supporting character to her family right now. Abe needs more people around who love him (and more screen time.)
Christine: I’d love to have Eli and Lani back. They were the one stable yet entertaining married couple where we actually got to see them realistically struggling with their kids.
Plus, they have lots of family in Salem with Julie, Paulina, Abe, and Chanel, so there are plenty of possible storylines there.
Despite Holly’s efforts to break them up, Chanel and Johnny just get closer. Would you like to see them remarry?
Horizon: Frankly, Johnny has grown up more than Chanel. She is a very hard worker, but her past is littered with the likes of Allie and Talia, and she almost slept with Tripp. What would prevent her from straying?
But I do give her credit for reading Holly right, and Johnny, for some reason, hasn’t picked up on Holly’s moony love rays. Yet.
Jack: Yes! It’s clear they’re right for each other. Let’s stop these stories with other people getting in the way and solidify their relationship already.
That said, if they want to move more slowly since the first time was a whirlwind romance (interrupted by the Devil), a long engagement is fine.
Christine: I love Johnny and Chanel. They’re a great couple, and I want to see them get remarried, but I’m good with them taking their time getting there. They say love conquers all. Their love may not have conquered the devil, but it can certainly conquer Holly.
John encouraged Xander to turn over a new leaf permanently for Sarah and Victoria. Will Xander take his advice? Is he capable of real change?
Horizon: Xander is not obligated to hear John’s pompous pontificating. Of course, his past is riddled, but when you break the fellow down, I find him more sympathetic than most of the Salem characters who like to proclaim their moral superiority but have very little to show for it.
And certainly, he has already slipped into the role of a loving, doting dad to his baby daughter Victoria. As I expected.
Jack: Remember how Victor once told Maggie that the desire to change was there, but he wasn’t sure the ability was? I think Xander takes after him in that respect.
I’d like Xander to stop doing stupid and illegal things when offered money.
But by the same token, if Sarah wants to be with him, she needs to accept him for who he is and not fly off the handle every time he does something shady. She’s as bad as Eric is with Nicole when it comes to that, and it ruins this couple.
Christine: Xander’s heart is already in the right place. He loves Sarah and adores Victoria. He wants to do right by them.
But Xander is prone to making stupid decisions when the pressure is on. Hopefully, he’ll stop and think before he does so again, but I wouldn’t expect him to never screw up again. That’s just unrealistic.
Can Ava and Stefan take down Clyde? Should they ask for help, and if so, from whom?
Horizon: I don’t know if this messed up duo can take down Clyde. Clyde is a wizened and grizzled sinister presence, so I don’t see him as an easy target.
One possibility, however remote, is if Clyde decides to take his sleazy activities elsewhere and lets Ava and Stefan off the hook, which is a roundabout way of saying, I have no idea what will happen.
Jack: I would like them to take down Clyde, if for no other reason than to be true to character. I can’t stand these two mob bosses cowering because Clyde made a stupid threat.
I don’t understand why Ava won’t ask her cousin Angelo for help with this. It doesn’t mean she has to return to the mob life full-time, but she should still have power within the family.
Christine: Ava and Stefan are supposed to be ruthless! Where is that side of them when it comes to Clyde?
Stefan makes a lot of noise, but he hasn’t done much yet. And Ava is so scared of Tripp getting hurt that she’s virtually paralyzed.
I really hope these two pull it together and come up with a plan because if they don’t. Clyde will take them both down when they’re no longer useful to him.
Tate finally told Holly off. Do you think she got the message, or will she continue to use him to get to Johnny?
Horizon: I’m awfully proud of Tate telling one way Holly off. He should have been cooler with the credit card stuff, but even he knows Johnny is too old for the smitten Holly.
Lecturing her may not be the best way to get through to her, though. But proving to her that he can make her happy is probably the key to snapping Holly out of her trance.
Don’t give up, young man. Stay persistent and positive. Watch that credit card, though. It could turn into a live hand grenade.
Jack: I hope Holly got the message, but I doubt it. If Tate doesn’t want to play ball, she can find someone else to do her dirty work.
I also think Holly/Tate are end game, but if Holly were to decide now she’s turning over a new leaf and really wants Tate, would anyone believe it?
Christine: I was proud of Tate for telling Holly off, although I hope he paid the bill on that shrimp cocktail before he left.
I agree that Holly and Tate are probably destined for one another, but I think we’ve got a long way to go before we get there, and Holly is likely to cause a lot of trouble in the meantime.
What annoyed the heck out of you this week in Salem?
Horizon: The longstanding frustration of Sloan continuing to get away with murder, but the cherry on top, with Nicole stealing the baby, will likely get Sloan off the hook yet again.
That boils me to no end. It’s another Roadrunner/Coyote moment.
Jack: This Stephanie/Harris thing came out of left field, and I didn’t like it at all. It’s so random and annoying. I hate the tired soap trope of people getting drunk and waking up to find they slept with the wrong person.
I have a major bone to pick with Sloan. Why on EARTH would she leave the baby unattended in the Square? It’s not even like it was a far walk to Sweet Bits to get her wallet.
It would have been one thing if they were right outside the store, and she could reason that she could still see him out the window. That would still show questionable judgment, but at least she’d have considered her baby’s safety and needs for half a second.
Nicole and EJ have suddenly become stupid when it comes to investigating what happened to their baby. Now Sloan became stupid so that Nicole could steal the baby back.
I hate that! If you need your characters to randomly become idiots to make the story work, something is wrong with the story.
I also continue to hate this Chad/Stephanie/Everett triangle. I’m still rooting for all three of them to be single, and I saw zero reason for Stephanie to call Everett after her conversation with Tripp.
I also could have done without that contrived “broken toe” story and Chad ranting and raving instead of apologizing.
Why on Earth would Brady give Tate a gold card and trust him to keep his spending within reason?
What happened to wanting Tate to be accountable and pay back the money he already owes for the damage to the school? And why isn’t Theresa spending ANY time with her son?
Finally, this is a small thing, but who gave Alex permission to give Chad a beer out of Steve’s fridge?
Christine: How stupid is Sloan supposed to be that she left her child in the town square unattended even for a second? If she had gotten distracted by something, that may have made more sense, but this was just reckless.
How could Brady give a teenager a gold card and not set any boundaries or know what the plan was for it? That’s putting Tate in a dangerous position he may not have the judgment to manage.
And yes, who the hell do Alex and Chad think they are raiding Steve and Kayla’s fridge!
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline from this week’s Days of Our Lives?
Horizon: My favorite quote was the exasperated and witty way Ava told Stefan, “You look just like Jake.”
Several scenes stood out. The drunken Stephanie and Jada session, along with square Harris reluctantly joining them, was a comic delight.
Brady tossing his son his gold card was another out-of-the-blue fun moment.
There were also scenes of great beauty this week. Eric and Nicole commiserating in the park and the unbearably sad moment when EJ and Nicole hung up their little newborn boy Christmas tree ornament.
As for my favorite storyline, it lies underneath the grid, and while it is looming, it actually hasn’t happened yet. One unartful way to dodge a question. Simply put, I am anxiously awaiting the day when Nicole reunites with her son and for Sloan to be revealed as the wicked witch.
Despite the devastating ending on Friday with Nicole and the baby, this was a vibrant week for the show. It was inventive and thoughtful, and the wintry Christmas scenery looked great to boot.
Jack: Although it seemed random, I enjoyed Jada and Steve reminiscing about Marcus. We need more family/friendship scenes like this.
Christine: I loved Leo messing with Sloan. She deserves to be tortured for what she’s done. Leo bringing the stroller to the police station was a highlight.
I’m so hoping that Leo takes Sloan for everything he can, and then he makes sure the baby is returned to Nicole and EJ anyway.
Now it’s your turn, TV Fanatics.
Will EJ get Nicole off the hook for taking the baby? Did Stephanie really sleep with Harris? Can Ava and Stefan take down Clyde?
Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below to share your thoughts with us.
Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.
Days of Our Lives streams exclusively on Peacock. New episodes drop on weekday mornings at 6/5c.
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C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
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