If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. Do not let people throw you a party in Salem. Ever. No, really. Do. Not. Let. Them.
Jack and Jennifer's comaversary party blew up right in all our faces. The Deveraux family is in shambles, and the audience had to deal with a bonkers plot point that unfortunately becomes part of DAYS canon now. Ugh. Has 2020 not taught us anything? Stay home, people!
We learned Kate and Jack slept together when Jen was in a coma and Jack was taking Abigail's advice to take care of himself. Yikes. When Abigail gave her dad that advice, I'm sure she meant he should get more rest, do a better job staying hydrated, or, perhaps, do some yoga. I'm positive she didn't mean he needed to develop a borderline alcohol problem and sleep with Kate. That doesn't sound at all like the Jack-n-Jen Jack we've known for years, but here we are.
But she wasn't the only Deveraux who puzzled me. I guess we're supposed to believe it was a combination of the booze and the meds, but seeing Abigail publicly call out an affair was baffling on two points. One, I can't believe Abigail would do this to her mother. While Jack wasn't the right person to go in on Abigail for doing this in front of other people, his point was correct. No, she didn't "have" to give a speech that night. She could have passed due to emotion, and no one would have thought otherwise.
Two, it was rich seeing Abigail so indignant about affairs. She staged one with Austin when he was with Carrie. She slept with E.J. when he was with Sami. She slept with Chad when she was with Ben. Abigail is the poster woman for affairs because she's been on every side of them! This display would be like me admonishing people who put up their Christmas trees before Thanksgiving! (I currently have four up, on my way to 15. #notsorry)
Finally, the whole thing was told in flashbacks. I watched those scenes like I watch a figure skater try to land a triple at the end of a long program (bonus points!) only to have them fall on their rear. I thought they'd stick the landing for a moment and just have Kate take Jack home to sleep off a bender. But, nope. No such luck. Good thing Jack knows how to come back from the dead, because Jen's going to kill him.
There's a ton of good stuff happening over at Titan! First, I enjoyed the scenes where Xander gave Charlie love advice, not because Xander is in any way equipped to disperse it (first, you lock them in a cage, then you steal a baby for her), but because it gives Paul Telfer another part of Xander to explore. He and Mike Manning play off each other well. And while I sense there's something else going on with Charlie, I respect his stance that he's not going to hold it against Claire that she went out and got herself some help for her mental health issues. You're a good man (for now), Charlie.
Second, Xander is onto Philip, and Sarah is, too! I was so worried they were going to go for a love triangle here, but I'll take Sarah and Xander teaming up any day. Sarah's advice on how Xander can be a better man plays much better in this forum, where she's on his side and they're both working toward a common goal.
And that goal is to find out who Philip is working with. Good news, it's Ava Vitali! Sure, it's a pretty weak sauce excuse that Philip is willing to tank his family business/possibly kill his cousin because he has gambling debts. And, yeah, it's totally crazy that Ava went right to see Steve and not her own son. But, you guys, Ava Vitali is back! I adore Tamara Braun and can't wait to see what she does this time in Salem. If there is a soap god out there, we'll get an Ava/Victor scene!
Finally, the next generation Vitali is finding some luck of his own. Melina Trask decided not to press charges against Tripp. She still may send the case to London, where it would have to be tried, but that's up to Allie. I can't help but notice the show is very careful about how they speak of the DNA results. They don't say Tripp is the father. They say Tripp shares DNA with the baby. You know who shares DNA with my kids? Their uncle. My husband's brother shares DNA with my kids. Just putting that out there.
Steve still believes Tripp. I'm okay with this, despite my real-world stance that women should be believed. I'm not mad at Steve, or any parent, wanting to believe their kid. Considering his other son murdered someone and his daughter hid a dead body, maybe it's easier for Steve to handle the potential of this crime! Those poor Johnson kids.
I'm wondering if they're planting the seeds for someone else who's related to Tripp to actually be the father, but all Allie remembered from that night was Tripp. I can't believe they brought him back to make it so he can't live comfortably in town. Maybe Charlie's related? Maybe Ava had twins. Maybe Tripp is innocent, but right now, everyone but Steve thinks he raped Allie. And we know she was raped, and she does deserve justice.
LOOSE ENDS:
Lani walked in on a she-can't-ever-know scene twice. But, since Lani is a good detective, she left her purse behind to record Eli and Abe's conversation. Excellent move, detective! I still maintain that Eli did the right thing. The fact that Abe agrees with me feels like vindication. Still, I'm worried Lani is going to be climbing aboard the "how could you" train and take multiple trips around Salem.
Theo came back to town just because J.J. was going, and he thought he'd tag along -- as one often does from South Africa to the US. Claire spun out a bit and offered to move halfway around the world if he wanted to start casually dating. Oh, Claire. No, honey. Just no.
The scene with Brady and Sarah was actually quite sweet. I appreciated Brady telling Sarah she could come see Rachel whenever she wanted. Sarah's pain was obvious when Brady said, "She wants her mom," and it was nice to see Brady be human for a moment. Of course, seconds later, he went back into suck form and squawked about how Victor is responsible for Kristin being in prison. But it was nice for that brief minute to see the old Brady.
I'm starting to wonder if Jan actually enjoys being there for Claire. Jan's always been into gossip. And she's giving Claire legitimately good advice. Charlie is a cute guy, with a job, who is into Claire. That's date material! Also, I'll take all the Jan commentary I can. I chuckled at her, "Boy, did you take that the wrong way" line when Charlie confronted Claire about kissing Theo.
Thank you, Jake, for not being a total dummy around Gwen. Keep digging, my friend! I'm counting on you!
HOT
Shawn and Belle are engaged! The proposal scene was very sweet. I loved the change of Belle proposing to Shawn. I want these two to be happy. Oh, and I want them to stay in Salem. Please and thank you.
NOT:
Lauren Koslow is a national treasure. I have adored and loved Kate for years -- even when I hated her! But I don't think the show knows what to do with her at all.
First, there's this utter nonsense with Jack. I'm out on this every way you slice it. The whole storyline had to be done in flashback. Kate and Jack haven't shared so much as an awkward glance (if even a scene!) in a year. They have Kate completely delusional, claiming the affair proves she's a nice person because she "helped" Jack. Kate's now slept with Jennifer's husband and father. Someone please get J.J. safely out of town now! This whole character assassination seems to be for the sole purpose of propping Gwen, positioning her as a master manipulator over characters we know are smarter.
Next, they went there with Oliva and Johnny...err...Kate and Jake. This is really the lowest common denominator when it comes to Kate. Sure, she's sultry. But she's also smart, and I would much prefer her to lead with that skill. I like that she told Jake it can't happen again because of Chad. But it didn't need it to happen in the first place. It's fine. It's just not a good use of Kate.
LINE OF THE WEEK:
Jennifer (to Jack): "There's not going to be a good moment for you to tell me you slept with another woman when I was in a coma!"
The list of things in line to tell Jen before the affair news was unintentionally funny -- Adrienne was dead, Will caused the accident, J.J. was devastated, and Haley had been killed... The whole conversation was a moment that could only happen on a soap.
Honorable Mention:
Charlie: "What's a pop-pop?"
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Kate came through with an amazing robe. I expected nothing less.
I found something Tamara Braun can't do! Age.
Rachel's at least 18 months old. There's no reason for her to be sleeping in a bassinet.
It took me a minute when Kate called Abigail her sister-in-law. But that would be correct! Andre is Chad's brother. Kate was married to Andre at the time of his death.
It was a nice nod to history to see Melinda acknowledge Tripp's kindness toward her daughter.
I'm not opposed to recasts at all. And this is no slight on any of the actors. But the episode that featured Jack/Jen scenes split between the Claire/Theo scenes felt slightly jarring, seeing so many new faces for the majority of the episode.
Laurisa
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