Days of Our Lives quietly celebrated its 56th anniversary in between bouts of Devil-inspired madness.
Our TV Fanatic Jack Ori is joined by Kpatch and Tony from My Hourglass: A Days of Our Lives fan forum to discuss the anniversary, the Devil’s possessing Susan, and more.
Please scroll down to see our thoughts!
Days of Our Lives just turned 56, but there was only a small mention of the anniversary on air. Was this enough for you, or would you rather have had something more?
Kpatch: It was enough for me. It was cute without being intrusive.
But while we’re on the subject, happy anniversary to Days. It’s been part of my life for all of my life and has only become more important with time because of MyHourglass.
Tony: I’d rather have something a bit more. It’s not a huge anniversary, but 56 years is still quite an achievement and should have been marked a bit more than it was, in my opinion.
Jack: I’m a sucker for nostalgia, so I’d have wanted something more. It might have been hard to pull off at the same time as this Devil business, but family and friends talking about Alice and Tom and their years in Salem would have been nice.
Is it confusing, a novel twist, or something else altogether for Eileen Davison to appear as the Devil’s version of Kristen while Stacy Haiduk is playing Kristen over at the cop shop?
Kpatch: I was stunned and delighted to see Eileen. It was a fun and unexpected surprise.
I didn’t find it confusing, especially since Eileen’s Kristen is portraying a spirit of sorts. Plus, I’m used to Kristen’s portrayer playing multiple characters at once.
Tony: I enjoy the novelty of seeing both Kristens at once. I think it’d be funny if Kristen met the Devil in Kristen’s form.
Jack: That was an unexpected twist! I’m curious as to John’s reaction to a completely different-looking Kristen than the one that’s currently trying to blackmail Gwen over at the police station.
I was surprised the Devil didn’t know what Kristen currently looks like. Still, at the same time, this was also a great throwback to the original possession story, in which the Devil disguised itself as Kristen to try to seduce John away from his priestly vows.
Is Jack right to refuse to forgive Gwen for the lies that Abigail uncovered?
Kpatch: Yes, he is right not to forgive her (not that I expect it to last). He’s been her gullible doormat for too long.
Tony: I don’t think so. He’s forgiven her for far worse offenses, and this was kind of a non-secret.
Jack: I thought this was over the top.
First of all, Jack already knew that Gwen had lied about Abby causing the miscarriage. The only thing he didn’t know was that she had lied about WHEN the miscarriage occurred.
I get Jack being angry that Gwen kept a lie up around him for months, but come on. He can forgive her for trying to destroy his marriage but not telling a half-truth that didn’t mean much in the scheme of things?
Plus, he turned on a dime from “you’re my daughter, and nothing can change that” to “I never want to see you again and don’t call me Dad.” That’s not a good look for Jack.
And he keeps telling everyone else that Gwen is his daughter and he still loves her, but won’t tell Gwen that. Ugh.
I think Jack needs Jennifer to come home and talk some sense into him with this.
Now that Philip’s jumped to conclusions (again!) and gone as far as pulling out the new tree he planted for him and Chloe, where do you want the Brady/Chloe/Philip story to go next?
Kpatch: Is there a character limit for these answers? LOL.
Philip seems so isolated in his own story.
I want him to win for a change. Win the girl. Win at business.
Someone with Philip’s looks, charisma, and money wouldn’t end up the loser so often.
Philip is my favorite character of all time and not just Days. I hate how he’s being written right now.
He’s never been this out of control.
I also hate that the writers seem to have forgotten Chloe and Philip’s relationship from 2007-2011. He was Chloe’s rock, her best friend, and her lover.
To answer the question, I want Brady out of the picture and Philip and Chloe to have a real triangle-free relationship with Chloe showing her love and appreciation for Philip. He deserves that.
Tony: I’d rather it stopped, and Chloe chose to be with one guy or the other, or neither.
Jack: I’m with you on this, Kpatch! I don’t like the way Philip is being written lately. The writers have turned him into a mini-Kate, though at least he acknowledges he doesn’t want to be that way.
I’d like for Philip to take a step back and take the time to work on himself for real. Maybe spending a lot of time with Lucas could help him get his head on straight. I love when there are scenes between the brothers.
In the meantime, I’d love for Chloe to realize that Brady is trying to manipulate her into being with him and give more than lip service to telling him to cut it out.
If you could end ONE storyline on Days of Our Lives right now, what story would you end, and how would you wrap it up?
Kpatch: The possession. It’s sucking up too much time, too many characters, and there is zero credibility to it. I like realism in my stories.
Tony: I’d get rid of Kristen once and for all.
I don’t know about the buildup, but it would end with her being carted off to an ISA facility that she can’t escape from.
Jack: I’d end the possession story right now too. At this point, it feels like they are just dragging it out.
I’d have Marlena wake up while the Devil is seducing John and have her put a stop to that, and then John and Marlena do some sort of ceremony together that imprisons the Devil in the Dimera Crypt and stops it from possessing any more Salemites.
So far, the Devil has possessed Marlena, Doug, and Susan. Who would you most like it to possess if you could choose any character?
Kpatch: No one. I think it’s also possessed the show’s writers.
Tony: I know he’s not onscreen at the moment, but André.
It’s such a missed opportunity not to have him around, as he was instrumental in the original possession storyline. He was, if not possessed, then in regular communication with the Devil, and made many attempts to kill Father Francis.
André is highly dangerous at the best of times, and I’d love to see what havoc he would wreak upon Salem if he allowed the Devil in.
Jack: If fans wouldn’t think it was too disrespectful to Joe Mascalo’s memory, I’d love for the Devil to possess that portrait.
They could use CGI to make Stefano move and use a computer-simulated voice to make him talk. That would be truly creepy, especially since this particular Devil shares Stefano’s obsession with Marlena and with defeating John for her love.
Beyond that, the Devil should possess EJ or Kristen since it would be hard to distinguish between their ordinary behavior and Devil-influenced behavior.
What was your favorite scene, line, or story from this week’s Days of Our Lives?
Kpatch: This was not one of the better weeks on Days, in my opinion. I’d say my favorite scene was when Allie told Tripp she loved him.
Tony: Much as I think this is all a bit silly, I don’t mind the scenes of characters rehearsing lines for the film of the original possession.
Jack: I’m not normally a fan of Xander, but I enjoyed his scenes with Jack, and I thought he made some good points.
Your turn, Days of Our Lives fanatics! Hit that big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know your answers to these questions!
Hungry for more Days of Our Lives chat? Check out the latest Days of Our Lives review right here on TV Fanatic!
Days of Our Lives airs on NBC on weekday afternoons. Check your local listings for airtimes or watch on Peacock TV on weeknights after 8 PM EST/5 PM PST.
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.
