Days Opinion: Lack of Romance in Salem from Eric and Nicole’s Destiny, to Johnny and Chanel’s Second Chance and Brady Gets Smart

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gabi shakeson li's deal Days of our Lives recaps

Sex, drugs and cryogenic chambers.

Last week on Days of Our Lives, Kate and Kayla persuaded Marlena to renege on her deal with the Devil, Anna convinced Roman to change his mind about offing Orpheus, who admitted someone else killed the women, while Sloan and Eric saw EJ on a date with Nicole and Will and Sonny made plans to go to New Zealand with Allie and Henry.

This week, Kate, Kayla, and Marlena woke up in Megan’s secret laboratory, Sloan dumped Eric after he tricked her to free Dr. Rolf, who had another go at deprogramming Stefan, while John and Steve figured out who the orchid thief is, and EJ realized Stefan is drugging him.

Funeralpalooza was a disappointment

The longest and probably least romantic Valentine’s Day in Salem history finally ended this week, not with hearts and flowers and sexy times, but with the end of the triple-header funeral of Kate, Kayla, and Marlena.

Bummer!

Sure, we know the women are still alive, but their friends and loved ones don’t. So not seeing these iconic women laid to rest made the off-screen funeralpalooza a major disappointment.

While I have enjoyed the outstanding but infrequent emotional moments caused by their absence – Steve’s ongoing struggle to accept Kayla is gone, Roman talking to Kate’s urn and John trying to connect with Marlena at her grave – it seems like most of Salem didn’t spend much time grieving before getting back to their own drama.

I’m not saying everyone should be wailing and throwing themselves on the coffins, but appearances by their children and a bit more appreciation of three women who are pillars of Salem doesn’t seem like much to ask.

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Not enough love in Salem

Is it just me, or are Abe and Paulina, Justin and Bonnie and Tony and Anna the only couples who are with the person they really want to be with this Valentine’s Day?

On a holiday that’s pretty much designed for soap opera love stories, it seems like all our favorite lovers are with the wrong person, whether they realize it or not.

While keeping lovers apart is always part of soapy stories, having all of them apart all at the same time made for one sad and unsexy Valentine’s Day in Salem.

We know most of these temporary twosomes like Li and Gabi, Eric and Sloan, EJ and Nicole, and Johnny and Wendy, are all doomed to fail because they’re not with who we want them with. At least not yet.

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Gabi and Li: for love and money

This week, Li put his money where his mouth is and started talking Gabi’s language when he signed over his DiMera shares in exchange for staying married to him.

While Gabi being very rich and having a seat in the DiMera boardroom sounds awesome, six more months of Li’s goofy attempts to make Gabi love him might be too high a price for this fan.

The problem is I don’t quite understand why Li is so desperate to be with Gabi. It never really felt like they were in love until they split up and he got desperate to win her back.

Maybe Li is one of those guys that just hates to lose and sees Gabi as a prize possession that’s been stolen from him. I could see that coming from a strict upbringing that prioritized success over happiness and turned him into a slimeball.

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I totally get why Gabi is considering staying married to a man she clearly finds repulsive – she’s all about the Benjamins and there’s not much Gabi won’t do to line her glamorous pockets.

While she may not always be a positive role model for women, Gabi’s consistent and unapologetic for who she is and what she does. What’s not to love about that?

I admit seeing how Gabi can get through six months of being married to Li and away from Stefan is intriguing. But I suspect it won’t take long before she and Stefan have a secret rendezvous at the Salem Inn and Li goes a little more crazy.

Will Gabi ultimately choose love or money? Knowing Ms. Hernandez, she’ll figure out a way to have both.

I really like this idea of a “who killed Li” murder mystery because he might be more useful and create more drama dead than alive.

Getting rid of Li would even solve a few problems for a few people. It would stop him from testifying against Kristen and possibly keep her out of prison.

A dead husband would let Gabi have the DiMera shares and Stefan – and make her a prime suspect.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of Li being dead.

Unlike some viewers, I’m also good with the extreme lengths Gabi is going to reverse Stefan’s deprogramming because Gabi always goes big with her plots and she’s doing this one for love.

Plus, we get more of Dr. Rolf and his droll, deadpan replies, which I love. Undoing a bit of brainwashing with a super-charged waffle iron and a slideshow is the kind of laugh-out-loud stupid funny comic relief that is totally on-brand for Days.

Whatever happens after Rolf’s latest try at fixing Stefan, it’s obviously Gabi that Stefan really loves, not perpetual second-best Chloe.

So while this story has a mad scientist and a back-from-the-dead lover and brainwashing, it’s really about love and that’s what soaps are all about.

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Eric and Sloan: bringing out new sides

We all knew that Eric and Sloan wouldn’t last. Like Jada before her, Sloan was destined to end up on the scrap heap of Eric’s cast-offs because no one will ever replace Nicole in Eric’s heart.

I almost wish it weren’t so because I liked Eric and Sloan together. They were an unexpected match that brought out a softer side of her and a lighter side of him that’s been missing for years during his quarter-century bouncing on and off Nicole.

But, as we all know, Eric and Nicole are true love and nothing will ever get in the way of that for very long, not even a woman as gorgeous and savvy as Sloan. Still, I’d love to see Sloan give Nicole a run for her money in winning Eric’s heart.

I wasn’t surprised Eric chose to help Brady kidnap Stefan for some more non-consensual brain surgery. Even when Eric is breaking the law, he’s still doing good.

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Eric must have known that tricking Rolf would be the end of his relationship with Sloan, but he did it anyway for the greater good. He may not be John’s biological son, but Eric is still a chip off that block.

I suspect Eric has probably been looking for a way out of things with Sloan since Valentine’s Day when he saw Nicole with EJ. Showing off with a new partner to make each other jealous is a classic and still obviously effective Ericole move.

No doubt Sloan will be okay without Eric and move on to greener pastures. But her bitter parting words tipped her hand – Sloan was starting to have real feelings for Eric, so she responded to his betrayal with words she knew would put a knife through his heart.

Sloan, to Eric: “Maybe you can go crawling back to Nicole. Oh, right. That won’t work. She’s already screwing EJ DiMera five ways to Sunday. Enjoy that image in your head, you bastard.”

EJ and Nicole: surprisingly cute and sexy

It was inevitable EJ and Nicole would drift back towards each other after Eric accused her of convincing Jada to have an abortion.

Nicole frequently needs a man to scoop her up from the wreckage of her life and EJ is always happy to play knight in shining armor to a damsel in distress. Seems like the perfect rebound romance for both.

To my surprise, I like them together, too.

Nicole and this version of EJ work for me because they’ve both been kicked in the teeth by love they thought was true.

They’re also a case of two heads being better than one. In fact, I like EJ and Nicole more together than I ever have as single characters.

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EJ’s drugging by Stefan could have gone on for a while, but it only took a few minutes for EJ and Nicole to work out what Stefan is up to. You can’t fool a fooler!

Isn’t it refreshing to see soap characters use their brains to figure out what the bad guy is up to, rather than having to sit through a story out that’s dragged out by characters being dumbed down?

Now that EJ knows what Stefan’s up to, I’m interested in this story. I’m even more interested in what sort of epic revenge EJ might cook up with Nicole. DiMera vs. DiMera is always good drama.

Speaking of revenge, when Eric and Nicole inevitably get back together like they always do, maybe EJ and Sloan could nurse their broken hearts together and scheme to get back at Eric and Nicole?

EJ and Sloan are both lawyers with flexible morals, so they’ll know how to destroy Ericole’s reunion and how to get away with it.

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Johnny and Wendy: destined for heartbreak

The unpredictable friendship between Gabi and Wendy has been a treat. It reminds us Gabi isn’t just a vixen, she’s also a mentor to Wendy, who’s desperately in need of schooling in the ways of love.

But while Gabi’s proven tips and tricks for keeping a man (at least one who’s not brain-washed) may help Wendy in the short term, but I doubt she’ll be with Johnny for very long.

You know how those Brady men are – it’s all about that one true love for them and Johnny is no different. Johnny’s first love is Chanel and now that she’s single, it’s only a matter of time before they get back together.

Johnny will dump Wendy as soon as Chanel bats her eyes, but maybe this is the love lesson Wendy needs to learn – never get involved with a DiMera, even if he’s a Brady, too.

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Exciting developments

Brady having a brain and using it is one of the most exciting developments of 2023!

Brady not only came up with plans to kidnap Stefan and get Rolf out of jail, but both schemes actually worked. At least so far!

We all know from history Brady’s intelligence will come and go, depending on which way the story wind is blowing, but it’s always fun to see my own favorite Days hunk live up to the Brady and Kiriakis names.

Here are a few of my favorite tweets about Brady’s latest bout of smart.

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Quote of the week!

Rafe, about Eric’s alleged skill set: “Yeah, like maintaining celibacy. Failed at that one.”

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What do you think?

Can Rolf’s super-charged waffle iron fix Stefan’s brain?

What does Megan have in store for Kate, Kayla and Marlena during their enforced South American spa weekend?

Is there a market for funeral urns that are also Bluetooth speakers that communicate with the great beyond?

Please feel free to leave us a comment about the show.

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