Days of Our Lives Round Table: Should Jarlena Retire Their Strawberries & Cream?
Is our round table team enjoying the Greek adventure, or are they craving something more?
Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Tony from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate Bo and Hope’s return, Li’s next move, Brady’s parenting skills, Rafe and Jada’s future, and more.
And should John and Marlena retire the strawberries and cream? Read on to find out what our round table thinks…
Should John and Marlena discontinue their strawberries and cream trope? Are you a fan of this long-term couple?
Jack: I don’t see why it’s necessary for them to discontinue it. It’s part of their romance; why should that change?
I have mixed feelings about this couple. I like their romance but dislike the damsel in distress trope that surrounds them so often. That trope — in which Marlena is constantly kidnapped/missing/in danger, and John has to rescue her — is outdated and uninteresting.
Tony: I see no reason for them to end it. It’s their thing. And yes, I am a fan of theirs.
Christine: There are times it feels overused, but perhaps that’s because it’s been their thing for decades. But it is their thing, and I don’t know what they’d exchange it for.
I’ve been a fan of John/RoJohn since the very beginning. I will say that I don’t feel the emotion from Marlena that I did in previous years, and there are times the character annoys me, but I’ve always loved John, and the two of them belong together.
Are you enjoying Days’ Greek adventure storyline? If not, what would you change?
Jack: For the most part, I am. There are a few little things I would change. For one thing, Paul should have accompanied Andrew on his part of this adventure. It makes no sense for them to agree to get back together if Andrew is going to disappear to Greece or anywhere else and Paul is never going to be seen again.
I also don’t believe Kate is dead and am impatient for them to get to the part where we learn she’s not.
Tony: To a point. It’s nice to see Bo and Hope back, and I understand that there’s going to be a cliffhanger at the end of all this. I just think it’s kind of silly to bring them back and not have them share any scenes together. At least give Bo his proper memories and personality back!
Christine: Overall, yes. It’s been a fun throwback to the adventures of the 1980s and ’90s. And as much as I like Bo being drawn to his Kiriakis side, I want him to spend time with Hope and Steve or his kids.
And where is Kate? I don’t believe she’s dead, and I really want her back.
What will Li do now that EJ has sent him a video of Gabi cheating with Stefan?
Jack: I think Li is going to mess with Gabi now. He’ll refuse to break up with her and give her “another chance” but make the terms even more strict. It’s all about control with him, and Gabi should see it for what it is and walk away.
Tony: I would imagine, probably confront Gabi and/or Stefan.
Christine: I wish he would take his Dimera shares back and walk away, but he still has this delusion that he can win Gabi back. It’s obsessive and creepy.
He’ll probably continue to toy with Gabi, and unfortunately, Gabi and Stefan’s greed seems to be stronger than their love.
Should Brady continue his romantic pursuit of Chloe, and if so, how should he handle Rachel?
Jack: I’m not invested in this couple. However, if Brady is in love with Chloe and wants to date her, his six-year-old should not get to tell him he can’t.
Brady needs to learn how to discipline his brat. Yes, it is important to listen to her feelings, but that doesn’t mean she can express those feelings in any way she pleases.
Brady needs to impose consequences whenever she’s rude, nasty, or tantrum-y and stick to them — no more letting her talk her way out of punishment by saying she hopes he’s not mad or that it’s not fair.
Tony: Brady is way too soft on Rachel. He lets her get away with acting however she wants and hardly disciplines her outside of a halfhearted “go to your room” or “that wasn’t nice.”
Though honestly, I don’t think he should continue to pursue Chloe. Not because of Rachel, but because it’s just getting old now. I used to love Brady and Chloe as a couple, but they’ve had their time. Time for him to move on.
Christine: I wish he wouldn’t, if only because I find them to be one of the more boring couples on the show.
But if he’s going to, there’s no reason for him to expect Chloe and Rachel to act like instant family. Brady can date Chloe and not have Rachel involved.
I won’t even go into Brady’s lack of parenting skills. He seems completely incapable of disciplining his daughter and lets her call all the shots. That doesn’t bode well for his future or hers, whether it includes Chloe or not.
Abe and Talia kept talking about the possibility of Rafe and Jada as a couple. Would you like to see them pursue a relationship despite the new rules at the Salem PD?
Jack: Absolutely not! It’s not because of the rules, which seem to have been put in place for the sole purpose of making it harder for Rafe and Jada to date. I don’t see any chemistry, and I’m still annoyed that Rafe and Nicole imploded for no good reason.
Tony: If they do more than stand around and snark about people they don’t like, sure. In all honesty, I don’t find this pairing all that interesting.
Christine: The only couple Rafe was a part of that I found interesting was way back when he was with Sami. And that’s probably because Sami had enough personality for two characters.
Rafe and Jada have been pretty boring so far, and I don’t expect that will get better if they become romantic.
Do you think Sloan is the person harassing Paulina, or is Paulina harassing an innocent Sloan?
Jack: While I don’t think Sloan is guilty this time, Paulina is not harassing her. Sloan keeps getting in Paulina’s face, then whining that Paulina is bothering her when Paulina stands up for herself.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Sloan resents the fact that a Black woman dares stand up to her, either, though this has never been made explicit, so I could be off base there.
Tony: Yes, but I have a feeling it’s going to turn out to be someone totally unrelated. I hope it’s Sloan. She is far from innocent.
Christine: I doubt Sloan trashed Paulina’s office or left that note. And if that’s the case, then Paulina and later Abe, showing up on Sloan’s doorstep or yelling at her in the square is bordering on harassment.
Paulina keeps insisting that Sloan has done all this, but she’s done nothing to help her case by handing the note off to multiple people or telling the police there was no need to fingerprint anything. I expected better from Paulina.
Should Maggie have allowed Alex to pursue the prisms? Is this something Victor would have agreed to?
Jack: Whether Victor would have agreed to it is irrelevant. Maggie is in charge and has good reasons for not wanting Alex to do it. Alex also should not have done it as a “surprise.”
If Victor had come to Maggie with this scheme, she would have shot it down for the same reasons she shot Alex down.
I don’t know if Victor would want these prisms since he saw the value of not having an unnecessary war with the Dimeras, but if he did want them, he’d be way smarter than Alex and would be aware that Maggie would oppose such a deal.
Tony: Maggie is acting the same way she used to when Victor would do something underhanded. I know the show has tried to convince us that Maggie is just a nice old lady who makes lemon bars, but that is far from the only thing there is to Maggie’s character.
She’s tough, and she’s got a backbone. And it’s nice to see her stand up to somebody the same way she used to with Victor.
Christine: Victor likely would have gone after the prisms, but Maggie would have opposed it for all the reasons she gave Alex, and Maggie is the one in charge.
Alex doing this as a “surprise” just shows that he’s still thinking of Maggie as his aunt and not the CEO of the company he works for. Most bosses don’t appreciate surprises, good or bad.
What disappointed you the most this week in Salem?
Jack: I’m annoyed with this Tripp/Wendy/Johnny triangle. Right now, it appears that Wendy has no romantic interest in Johnny. She dismisses their dates as “just watching movies” and views Johnny as a friend, while she is very clearly smitten with Tripp.
That’s not a triangle. The longer it goes on, the worse Wendy looks because, at this point, she’s stringing Johnny along when she’s not interested in him that way. That’s not cool, regardless of her claim that she doesn’t want to hurt him.
Also, Chloe and Brady need to start acting like adults. Rachel may be pushing Chloe’s buttons, but Chloe is the grown-up here. She needs to control herself and not say things like she hates Rachel, no matter how much Rachel pushes her buttons.
And Brady needs to actually discipline Rachel and not take her out for ice cream after telling her to stop misbehaving.
Tony: Any time Gwen and Leo are on is annoying. Same for Sloan.
Christine: Brady taking Rachel out for ice cream after she stole his fun and his Uber account and snuck out to the prison was pretty disappointing.
Also, everyone suddenly pushing Rafe and Jada together. Especially Talia. Jada tells her sister she could be risking her job if she romantically pursues her boss, so Talia then sets them up in a pseudo-date in a public place. Gee, thanks Sis.
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline on this week’s Days of Our Lives?
Jack: I’m continuing to love the Greek adventure. I also like Paulina and Chanel standing up to Sloan, and I’m glad Abe tried to talk some sense into Eric.
Tony: While I find parts of it frustrating, I am loving the return of Bo, Hope, and Megan! This whole storyline is fantastic!
Christine: As much as Rachel is a brat, I am enjoying her. She is Kristen’s daughter, and it was fun to see her outsmart Chloe and Brady and then smirk her way out the door.
And Leo looking for Lady Whistleblower stories while Gwen tries to keep him in check may be my new favorite guilty pleasure.
Now it’s your turn, Days fans. Are you enjoying the Greek adventure? Should Marlena and John drop their strawberries and cream (pun intended)? Is Rachel smarter than her father?
Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below and share your thoughts.
Then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
