Days of Our Lives Round Table: Will Lani's Baby Survive?

Theresa tried to use sex to win back Brady, Ben holed up in a cabin with Ciara, and Victor sent Xander packing, but not before he took some incriminating evidence with him.

Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by WendyLou from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate Theresa’s schemes, JJ’s living arrangements, Kayla’s plan to help Steve, and the future of Lani’s baby on Days of Our Lives.

Which version of Theresa do you prefer? The selfless woman who left to protect her family, or the person willing to use sex to win Brady back?

WendyLou: I prefer her somewhere in the middle. I'd like her to be spunky and fun but not nasty and sneaky. She was one of my favorite characters when she left and I was excited for her return. However, I don't like this desperate, conniving version of her.

I'm disappointed to see the character being trashed right now. I get that she loves Brady and wants him and her family back but I hate to see her begging him and obsessing over him. I'd like to see her get her self-esteem back and decide that she deserves someone she doesn't have to chase.

As much as I looked forward to a Thrady reunion, she needs to move on.

Jack: I think Theresa's exit story was ridiculous, but I preferred her as a good girl with an edge. The manipulative Theresa is annoying, immature, and in no way resembles anyone who could be Shane and Kim's daughter.

Christine: I hated Theresa’s exit story but I liked how she’d grown as a person to get to that point. Now she’s desperate, needy, manipulative. I want to see her working on her fashion career and being a great mother to her son. She can have an edge, but right now Theresa Donovan is more pathetic than edgy, and that’s really sad.

Did JJ make a mistake by letting Theresa stay at his place?

WendyLou: No, not at all. Theresa and JJ have been fun to watch together as friends. I also think, as much as everyone in Salem is saying the opposite, it might even be a good thing for JJ to have her there. They've been having some fun talks and she's made him laugh a bit. Who else has made him smile lately?

Jack: Not necessarily, but I think he needs to start setting boundaries, like not allowing her to tell him to leave his own apartment! The fact that they were discussing their former drug-fueled relationship isn't exactly a good sign either, though even though JJ still has some unaddressed issues, he seems to have given that up for good.

But I'm worried that Theresa could try to use him to make Brady jealous, which won't be good either.

Christine: I’m enjoying Theresa and JJ. They both need a real friend, and this is the most fun I’ve seen JJ have in a long while. Despite Jennifer freaking out, I think Theresa staying with JJ might be good for them both, and either way, it’s definitely entertaining.

Victor and Maggie both shut Xander out when he asked for the chance to run Titan. Were they right to do so?

WendyLou: Well, he is a loose cannon to put it mildly but it's hard to see how he could do much worse than Sonny or Brady right now. I kind of think a lot of Xander's bad behavior comes from his craving to be accepted by Victor and the rest of the family. It might have been the thing that set him on the right track.

Jack: Xander is not at all trustworthy and does not need to have any power at Titan. Victor was right. But Maggie and her tantrum about Victor not telling her about Theresa being in Mexico or Chloe being in danger were over the top.

Christine: First off, didn’t Maggie offer Deimos a second chance even after he poisoned her and caused her paralysis? Being this angry at Xander seems a little hypocritical.

Also, it’s not like Victor was a choir boy when he was running Titan. Brady and Sonny have proven to be screw ups and Philip doesn’t appear to be coming back. I think Xander deserves a chance.

If you were in Kayla’s place, would you turn over Kate’s medical records to Stefan to get Steve his sight back?

WendyLou: I don't think so, no. I know she loves Steve and wants to help but I just think there has to be another way besides doing something completely unethical and possibly career-ending.

Of course, Kate wouldn't hesitate to do this to anyone else for her own benefit but there's no need to see one of the few upstanding, ethical characters on the show sink to such tactics. I want her to find another way.

Jack: No. While Steve getting his sight back would be good news, it's not such an emergency that it's worth Kayla risking her medical license (or her self-esteem). If they waited a while, the Dimera patent would expire and someone else would manufacture the technology. But that would be boring so...

Christine: No! I can’t believe that Kayla is seriously considering this. Digging up some dirt on Kate is one thing but using her medical and psychiatric history is illegal, unethical and just plain wrong! It’s not as though Steve is dying. There has to be another way for Kayla to help him.

Do you think Lani is going to lose the baby? Will it upset you if she does?

WendyLou: No I don't think Lani will lose the baby. I honestly don't care about her story or her character so no, cruel as it is, it wouldn't upset me to see a fictional baby lost. I guess I might feel a little bad for Eli, Abe and Valerie, but Lani can go kick rocks, preferably somewhere outside Salem.

Jack: Losing a baby is always sad. But what upsets me more is that I think that without Eli's baby to remind him that Lani is a liar who didn't care about him at all, JJ might take her back.

Christine: I’m with Jack. Watching her lose the baby would be sad, but the only reason I care about Lani’s baby is that it seems to be the one thing keeping JJ away from her!

What, if anything, disappointed you this week in Salem?

WendyLou: Eve being sainted while Theresa is the town pariah again for making a very stupid decision after sacrificing herself for a year and half. Brady (and most of the town) were so quick to completely vilify her for being scared of El Fideo. I'd like to know what any of them would have done in her shoes?

Jack: JJ giving Lani the time of day. Also, too many judgmental people looking down their noses when they don't have squeaky clean backgrounds themselves. Jennifer was obnoxious and JJ should have told her to go away and come back when she could be civil to his roommate.

Eve judged Claire for her makeout session with Tripp when she has done far worse (like sleeping with her daughter's boyfriend).

Tripp joined the judgmental club by going on and on about how horrible it was that Chase was dealt with legally instead of by getting beaten up by Ciara and ignoring his own checkered past (anyone remember him holding Kayla hostage after nearly killing her patients?)

In addition, Eli whined about having to look for Ciara instead of working on other cases while he was standing around doing nothing, and the idea of Ciara and Ben possibly hooking up makes me sick.

Christine: Kate’s absolutely hideous outfits! JJ having anything to do with Lani, and Jennifer acting like JJ is an irresponsible teenager instead of a grown man, and Victor and Maggie shutting Xander out.

But worst of all was when Abe tried to strong arm Hope into forgiving Rafe. The only upside was that Hope stood up for herself during that conversation.

What was your favorite quote, scene or storyline on this week’s Days of Our Lives?

WendyLou: I liked Theresa and JJ's conversation where she told him she could have won Brady over if she'd only been able to get him back into bed. I thought it was cute when he told her she had a lot of confidence in her skills in that area. Just some funny interactions for once.

And as much as Lani bores me, her conversations with Valerie and Claire were pretty nice.

Jack: I loved Ciara pointing out how ridiculous Ben being proclaimed cured was in this Days of Our Lives quote...

Ben: I know that look. The fear in your eyes... I've seen it before.
Ciara: Yeah, I bet you have.
Ben: Look at me, Ciara. I'm not that man anymore.
Ciara: Why? Because one piece of paper says you're cured?

Permalink: Why? Because one piece of paper says you're cured?

I also liked JJ pointing out to Lani that her suggesting Theresa could hurt him was ridiculous, considering how she treated him.

Christine: Theresa and JJ’s conversations were the highlight of the week!

Want to chat more about the happenings in Salem? Check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanati