Stupid Cops Doing Stupid Things — Nothing New Here

by
Eli and Lani arrest Ivan days of our lives

This week’s Days of our lives column includes my opinion, such as it is, for the week of February 8-12. I’m ranting a little this week. I tried to let it go but Eli and Lani’s stupidity irked me, and I really think Days might have forgotten that Philip is Kate’s son. I did wish that Steve and Kayla had their own special day and that CIN’s reenactment of Romeo and Juliet wasn’t so rushed. I wrote a separate column this week to discuss my unpopular opinion about Dr. Laura Horton’s death, which may surprise some. Last week I discussed CIN’s romance, and Vivian and Ivan’s return now let’s move on to what went down this week.

Did they forget who Kate was to PhillyK?

I’m not going to pretend I could write Days of our Lives better than the current regime or any regime. I don’t think anyone should be casting those aspirations. It’s hard work. But when they see that certain storylines aren’t cutting it, why revisit? And why keep writing to meet plot points and instead, write for the characters, without changing them to suit each storyline? I know that viewers would drift from watching less of that. Even if they weren’t thrilled with a particular storyline. Take Kate and Philip. Kate has had zero involvement with Philip since his mob storyline when she’s his mother. How is that possible?! I know I’m not the only fan who would like to see them interact more, and organically when it fits the storyline. These actors have history, as do the characters, and we’re missing out on the familial connections. Look at how many people agree from Twitter alone…

Stupid cops, doing stupid things

I’ve talked with a lot of Days fans recently and one thing they (we) all have in common is that they’re laughing over Eli and Lani’s poor judgment in leaving their ammunition and cell phones in the hall at Vivian’s condo. I don’t think anyone is surprised at how dense they were, because they’re Salem cops. They come by it honestly. All cops are good until they join SPD. It’s a curse, I tell ya. Look at Rafe. He was FBI. Though he’s been good recently, it comes and goes. Back to Elani. As parents of the kidnapped twins, they should have sat this case out. I can’t fault them as parents for throwing guns, cell phones, and ammo outside for a chance to see their kids but holy shit did it cloud their judgment. My Ivan wasn’t even armed and he was able to lock them up, which made things even worse.

Strangest moments and there were a few…

  • My Vivian telling Ivan that she was already attached to the children after less than one day and couldn’t give them up. After. One. Day.
  • My Vivian faking an insanity plea. Um, if you really are insane, does it count?

What I loved about this story, Vivian and Ivan were fantastic together as usual, and the scenes between my Val and Lani. Watching two women support each other over motherhood was a highlight of the week. I swooned, especially since they had a rough road to get to this point. Give us more female bonding!

One more highlight? Kate canoodling with Jake in order to get Vivian to crack. Worked like a charm!

Xander & Gabi

Because I find Sarah has gotten weirder and dorkier and more motherly (gross) toward her hottie beau Xander, it’s turning me off the couple entirely. Someone asked me if I was into her new hairstyle. The short answer is a long, drawn-out sigh. We’ll keep it at that.

When I saw Gabi barge into Titan, telling Xandy that he was going to accept her business proposal — and yes, I loved her confidence — and I’ve shared that confidence. It’s nice to see this when they’ve written Sarah as the usual harpy.

I couldn’t help but notice how hot Gabi and Xandy would be together. I know that’s not where they’re going with this, but it was a sexy moment to me.

Valentine’s Day

I’m a Steve and Kayla fan, but I rolled my eyes when I heard they were getting married. For the fourth time. Then I watched the wedding and cringed at the lack of family or friends on hand to celebrate. But as soon as they started their vows, I was overcome at how loving it was. I wished that their special day could have included more family and it’d have been nice to see it as a stand-alone event.

I like Ben and Ciara as well, but to a lesser degree because I always find the storylines for them lacking. Seeing them reenact Romeo and Juliet was excruciating to me. I’m not a fan of the play. Anything from Shakespeare but that! It felt as though I was watching a high school play, though they were cute together and the costumes and sets were well done. But Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, much like their story. (A couple meets at a party, falls in love, marries, and dies for each other all in the space of three days? Lame.) I would rather have seen something more loving play out for them. I guess that’s not meant to be since Victoria Konefal isn’t even on contract anymore.

Highlight: Ben telling Claire that Romeo was an idiot to off himself!

I quit!

Xander finally had enough of Victor’s BS and quit Titan. I thought it was a bold move and admirable, considering Victor has been stringing his nephew along for years. It’s time he proves to himself that he can make it on his own. I also liked that Philip wasn’t happy with the news. Even Philip must know that Xander was doing a good job and that seeing him gone could mean a loss for Titan in the end. But to play devil’s advocate, I’m not sure Victor owes Xander anything.

Some fans thought PhillyK should be regaled to working in the garden or as Victor’s pool boy for a while. That could have been fun!

What’s the rush?

Jack did an about-turn on his feelings for Gwen. He took exactly one day to forgive her for her many transgressions. A day. I understand he’d have guilt over not being a part of her life and maybe he’s got the feels for her knowing she’s his kid but all in a day? I even get him hugging her while she was having a panic attack but I’d much rather have seen this played out over the rest of this entire year. Most viewers aren’t ready to forgive her yet. But hey, sweeps did dictate the story.

Here’s another way that this storyline could have played out. This was written by Wayne-Daniel Benard and done with a cool twist. For those who haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it.

Part 1

Gwen learns Jack’s her dad

Part 2

Eve’s Gwen’s mother

Part 3

Sticking it to Eve

Chabby’s reunion

Abigail has agreed to move back home with Chad and the kids but wants separate bedrooms, therapy, and to take things very slow. She wants to rebuild their foundation. It’s logical. She hasn’t said she’s completely forgiven him. But she’s moving toward that reconciliation and I’m into it. So with that in mind, Julie and Chad set up the lounge for romance, decorating with candles, selecting the (non-alcoholic) wine, and a delicious dinner. Um. I want them to reunite too, but he needs to slow down!

Best Lines:

Gwen, “Maybe Abigail and I would have been close. Maybe I would have borrowed her clothes instead of her husband. Maybe I wouldn’t be the miserable vindictive bitch I am now.”

Kristen to Susan, “What are you afraid of?”
Susan, “Climate change, murder hornets, you hurtin’ me.”

Vivian, “I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
Jake, “Okay, Blanche.”

Vivian about getting home to the babies. “You know what they say, the breast is always the best.”
Jake, “Oh God I wish I hadn’t heard that.”

Gwen about Laura, “I grabbed her arm and she tried to break free and she sorta lost her balance and hit her head on the corner of that desk.”