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Such an enjoyable week in Salem this last week! All of the high points were so much fun that ignoring all of the low points was incredibly easy. Though the viewers had a big helping of Daniel Jonas yelling at women all week, there was womb-napping fallout in Italy, boiling hot chemistry in Salem and a catfight to keep us all entertained. Let’s get into some of this last week’s highlights from Days of Our Lives!
Tainted love
After this last week, if any viewer is denying that Chad Dimera and Abigail Devereaux have the makings of a modern day super couple then they clearly were not watching the same show. With a showrunner who has publicly voiced his distaste for super couples, it was interesting to watch these two characters interact with classic super couple cat-mouse writing and fiery chemistry between them. Did Ken Corday take back his shocking statement about the super couple or is this a big fake out? Either way, Abigail and Chad’s scenes together were off the charts – amazingly entertaining especially when juxtaposed to Abigail and Ben Rogers scenes. Yawn.
Their visits have become more frequent lately, this time with Abigail showing up at the Dimera mansion unannounced to apologize to Chad. They’d had a little tiff before when Abigail mentioned EJ Dimera putting a hit out on Nick Fallon, only to be foiled by Gabi Hernandez doing the deed. She admits that her tryst with him and EJ’s death still has her upset, but continues to apologize for comparing the two of them. When Chad brushes it (and her) off, Abigail won’t stand for it and accuses him of pushing her away – until he shows her through a kiss that it wasn’t true at all. The two go back and forth until Abigail rushes out, both in guilt and thinking that Chad was the one who alerted the FBI on Ben after he mentioned doing anything to get her back. In more classic soap form, the upset Abigail runs into Ben’s arms and bed but she’s only got Chad on the mind. And why is that? Because they’re meant to be!
Unlike the first time around, this version of Chabby just feels so right. I have a belief that Chad’s recast has a lot to do with it. He’s not only been making sparks with Kate Mansi on screen, but Billy Flynn has been able to acclimate himself well with a whole host of veterans too and not fall behind. He’s just good. Not to say Robert Scott Wilson is bad, he did well on the All My Children reboot, the problem with him in this love triangle is the character of Ben. He’s much too flat and even when the writers try to build some foundation for him, it feels flimsy and unimportant. Some fans of the show had hoped his past back in Florida and connection with serial cougar, Eve Donovan meant that they’d fooled around. Maybe that she’d even bought his services for a night or two. Unfortunately, it was just another seedy crime underworld story that was tied up with an easy ribbon.
I’ve said it before but I think the character of Ben could be salavaged if they go into an abusive relationship with Abigail and he, something topical and real. The set up’s all there for that: Ben’s anger issues, Abigail’s daddy issues as well as his, Chad pressuring Abigail to take him back, Abigail’s need to fix everything and everyone. All of the factors could make for a compelling piece of drama but I can’t seem to understand why the writers would shy away from that.
What I am happy about with this triangle is that Stefano Dimera is for some reason, playing the puppet master to it all. It was his idea for Chad to pursue Jordan Ridgeway before and now he’s pushing his son toward Abigail. Could it be that Stefano needs a viable host for the Dimera seed? With his family’s numbers dwindling and grandchildren being kept away from him, Stefano might be desperate to have a new heir that he can help mold. Some fans are speculating that Stefano expressed his need for Abigail because he has a plan to revive Jack Devereaux, that somehow his daughter will factor into his reprogramming. It sounds far-fetched but this is Days of Our Lives. Stranger things have happened. Either way, if it involves more weird science then I’m all for it.
Photo: Courtesy of NBC
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