The Devil “killed” Ben and kidnapped Ciara and her unborn child. Tripp and Chanel’s relationship took a turn. Jan moved in with Shawn, while Johnny was finally freed from the crypt this week in Salem.

Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Trey and PhloeForever from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate the Devil’s new plan, Johnny’s future, Belle and Shawn’s reactions to Jan, Tripp and Chanel’s new dynamic, if Jake belongs with Gabi or Ava, and more!

What do you think the Devil has planned for Ben and Ciara’s baby? What’s your guess on how this storyline will wrap up?

Trey: I have no clue. I don’t think that Days writers will allow the Devil to do anything to their baby. I suspect the show’s heroes will save the day just in time!

Jack: I have no idea. It seems to me that instead of all these convoluted plans, the Devil could just work with Jan to corrupt her baby. Jan already considers Satan her new BFF, so it would be a lot easier.

Since Ben is now free, I expect that he will find and rescue Ciara and the baby from the Devil’s clutches at the last second.

Hopefully, that will lead to the Devil being permanently banished from Salem, even though, at this point, it doesn’t make sense to ever trust that the demon is completely gone.

PhloeForever: I think what the Devil has planned for Cin’s baby is for someone to claim it and continue to let evil and destruction happen in Salem. I

think Eric, who is a priest again, would successfully cast out the Devil, as it was shown for a reason to mainly go through his line of relatives, starting with Marlena.

Christine: It seems like the Devil wants to steal the infant, but I have no idea where it plans on taking it. I hope we learn the Devil’s master plan before this wraps up.

But I’m confident that Ben will save Ciara and their child. Personally, I hope Ciara and Ben fight the Devil together to save their son.

Was Belle right to walk back out when she discovered Shawn moved Jan into their home?

Trey: I don’t think she should have left in the first place. However, I don’t blame her for walking out the second time.

If I were in her shoes, I don’t think I could sleep comfortably under the same roof as someone who has tried to kill me more than once because she’s obsessed with my husband. I also can’t believe that Shawn didn’t talk to Belle first before making this move.

Jack: Yes and no. Belle was right to be angry that Shawn moved Jan in without even consulting her. But I’d rather she use her legal smarts than continue throwing tantrums. She played right into Jan’s hands with the way she reacted.

PhloeForever: Given Shelle’s history with Jan, from back when they were teens to  now involving Jan’s deception where a baby is concerned, and wanting to kill Belle to have Shawn to herself, I understand why Belle would walk out on Shawn.

Shawn’s being taken advantage of by Jan because she knows he would want no harm to the baby. He’s a good person.

The best thing for Shawn would be to discuss his options with Belle legally, in trying to not have Jan be in their lives as much as possible but for the baby to be safe.

Christine: I know Belle was upset with him, but I still can’t believe that Shawn didn’t call Belle and ask her what they could do legally to keep the baby safe.

Shawn had to realize that moving Jan into their home meant Belle couldn’t safely return. If that didn’t occur to him, he really is pretty dense.

I felt for Belle. Every time she gets her bearings, she gets blindsided by Jan’s schemes and Shawn’s lack of communication.

Johnny is finally free from the Devil. Would you like to see him paired back with Chanel, or should they be over for good?

Trey: I don’t know. I liked them together originally. However, Chanel has been romantically linked with his sister and his sister’s ex-fiancee since they were together. Chanel needs to figure out what she really wants before jumping back with Johnny.

Jack: It’s not really fair for them to be over for good when the Devil was the one who dumped Chanel. Chanel now has her choice of three people: Johnny, Allie, Tripp, or she will once Allie is also un-Deviled.

Chanel needs to choose based on who these people really are without interference from Satan. I liked her and Johnny, so I wouldn’t mind if she gave them another chance.

PhloeForever: I really liked Janel in the past, and given Johnny’s behavior and actions were driven by the Devil and not of his own free will, they should get back together.

And nothing happened with Tripp and Chanel, but they talked things over and became better friends. It would be nice for Johnny to finally find out that the hug between them was friendly.

Christine: I liked Johnny and Chanel from the start, so I’m rooting for their reunion. But they’ve got a lot to talk about, considering Chanel has slept with his sister!

However, being that the Devil broke up with Chanel both times, she really needs to carefully choose with which sibling she’d like to move forward. Either way, this will be complicated and awkward, which is what makes it so entertaining.

Of her three children (Eric, Sami, Belle), does Marlena have a favorite, and if so, who?

Trey: Marlena believes that Eric is a saint who walks on water. He is definitely her favorite. Followed closely by Belle (who is John’s favorite).

The way Marlena refers to Sami is definitely passive-aggressive. To be fair, Sami does a lot that Marlena disagrees with.

Jack: Sami was always jealous of Carrie, who isn’t even Marlena’s biological child but seemed to be her favorite!

Of Marlena’s biological children, Eric seems like her favorite. She treats him as the golden boy who can do no wrong. Even though Eric got drunk and killed Daniel, Marlena treats him like a saint.

PhloeForever: I really don’t think Marlena has a favorite as she has been there for Eric and Belle this week. Belle’s been staying at her and John’s house.

And Marlena questioned Eric about his feelings for Nicole, knowing it must be painful seeing Racole together if he intended to revive his relationship with her.

Christine: Eric can do no wrong in Marlena’s eyes, even though he got drunk and killed a man, and loses his temper and hits people.

Belle comes in second. Marlena can be critical of Belle, but there’s always a preference as the child she shares with John.

Sami is the black sheep of the family. Sometimes I wonder if Sami would be as bad as she is if she felt more accepted by her mother. It’s sort of a chicken and egg conundrum where we’ll never have an answer.

Would you prefer Jake to rekindle his romance with Gabi, move on with Ava, or someone else entirely?

Trey: Wow, hard question!!! I like Jake and Gabi when they have something to do together. I also like the budding friendship/romance between Jake and Ava. He’s just a likable fellow, and I’m glad they no longer have him linked to Gwen.

I think I lean more towards Ava only because I don’t think Gabi was over Stephan, and Ava is a little more of a fresh start for him. I could also see him with someone new like Chloe, though I couldn’t see the drama that pairing could bring to the show.

Jack: I’m not a big fan of Jake or of any of his romantic relationships so far. I like his friendship with Ben and wish he’d go back to working on cars.

I think he and Ava have chemistry, but I can’t stand Ava, so definitely not her. I’m neutral on Jake and Gabi. They do nothing for me. So I guess someone new.

PhloeForever: I hated how Gabi just passionately kissed Johnny, which led to Jabi’s breakup. Considering she was with Jake at the time and didn’t show much hesitation by fighting Johnny off when he was influenced the Devil.

So I wouldn’t mind seeing Jabi breakup and Jake move on to Ava, as they both know how it feels to be cheated on by someone else.

Christine: I like Jake so much more when he isn’t paired with Gabi. I know the Devil was involved, but Gabi seemed to enjoy Johnny’s attention way too much, considering she considered Jake her true love.

And I’m loving Ava these days too. Jake and Ava understand one another and have similar backgrounds. I like them as friends, but I’m not opposed to them teaming up romantically.

It could be fun if Jake and Ava found some sort of a business they could run together. Perhaps they could be good competition for Black Patch.

If you could hang out with anyone currently in Salem, who would it be?

Trey: There are quite a few people I think would be great to hang out with. I would enjoy splitting a nice bottle of wine with Kate as she always seems to have a good sassy wit and is pretty supportive of her female friends. She doesn’t cross anyone until they try to mess with her family or business.

I’d also want to hang out with Chloe, if only just to tell her to wake up and stay far from Brady.

I also like this version of EJ. He seems like he needs a friend.

Jack: Do Jack and Jennifer count? I’d love to spend a day working with them on the Spectator, and it would be fun to hang out with them outside of work (especially if they can convince JJ to come for a visit too)

Chanel also seems like she would be fun to hang out with now that she’s not sticking people with the bill anymore, and she needs more friends who aren’t possessed by the Devil. So I guess I’d also hang out with her and maybe Tripp.

PhloeForever: I would hang out currently with Ava in Salem if I could, as I liked how she got herself out of the situation with Rafe.

Gabi planning to bring up something from Ava’s past to try to capture her, and Ava using what she had on Gwen to get out of it shows she’s a survivor.

Christine: I’d love to hang with Ava. She’s fun, feisty, smart, and you know there’d be great food!

EJ would be fun to verbally spar with and share a nice meal.

Being friends with Leo would be great fun. Whether Leo makes me laugh, roll my eyes at his antics, or feel for him because I think there’s a vulnerable side buried there, it would never be dull.

What was most disappointing to you on this week’s Days of Our Lives?

Trey: I was disappointed in Shawn’s bonehead decision to let Jan Spears live with him (without consulting Belle first). This is definitely in the top ten in the history of bonehead moves!

Jack: Too much Devil. Too much nonsense in that crypt. I was also disappointed that Andre turned to dust when Susan attacked him. I enjoy Andre, and he was one of the few high points of this whole Devil story for me.

Also… Ciara kidnapped again? Yawn. The kidnapper being a supernatural creature doesn’t make this story any more interesting than any of the other times Ciara’s been kidnapped.

Finally, Paulina needs to get her head on straight ASAP. She should NOT allow the man who abused her anywhere near her grandchildren

And where were any of the participants in the double wedding disaster? We haven’t seen them at all since everything fell apart, and I want more of the aftermath!

PhloeForever: The most disappointing to me is Jan using the baby to take advantage of Shawn’s good qualities and him just letting her. Jan tells him their baby loves either cherry or apple pie, with him just catering to her needs when she really wants the pie.

Christine: Where is the double wedding disaster aftermath! I can’t believe they forced us to go an entire week without checking back in with Leo or Gwen. That’s so wrong! Too many gaps in storylines make people lose interest and Days does this too often.

And Ciara threatening to scream in the car is Allie didn’t turn around. I know she still thinks Allie is her friend but is screaming really the best you’ve got.

What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline this week in Salem?

Trey: I’m glad that Johnny was finally found! I hope they can wrap up the Devil in Salem story. It’s lingered far too long. Though the bright side to the story was seeing Andre DiMera!

I also thought Jan’s snarky comments while Belle/Shawn fought over her staying with him were fun. I’m also enjoying something developing between EJ and Belle!

Jack: I was glad that Paulina stopped Chanel and Tripp from sleeping together.

PhloeForever: My favorite was Paulina preventing Tripp and Chanel from making the mistake of sleeping together because they were both drunk and would have done it for all the wrong reasons.

There was no build-up of romantic feelings there. It was different and nice to see them talking things through, apologizing where necessary, rather than the same old tired plot of sleeping together on the rebound and regretting.

Christine: EJ sharing his worries and regrets about Johnny was very sweet. And I’m thrilled that everyone will know that Johnny was possessed so we can move on to Johnny dealing with the mess it’s made of his life.

And thank goodness Paulina stopped Tripp and Chanel from sleeping together. I loved Tripp and Chanel’s conversations afterward, and I look forward to their developing friendship.

It’s your turn Days fans! What’s next for Ben and Ciara’s baby? Should Chanel choose Johnny, Allie, or Tripp? Does Jake belong with Gabi or Ava? And what disappointed you the most this week in Salem?

Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button and tell us all! Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.

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