Pans of the Week

As candidates for the commissioner job, Hope and Rafe are put in a tricky position.

If This Is It

You’d have to be a fool to say that Days Of Our Lives is not a better show under the new writing regime. In only three months, the show has not only become watchable but enjoyable again thanks in part to characters coming back to their true selves and storylines gaining energy. Similarly, while some characters found their old personalities again, some were given personalities too! All in all, most characters have been retooled in a way to make them at least a bit likable but oh no, not Rafe Hernandez!

It’s so peculiar that nearly every other character has gotten better with Carlivati’s writing, but Rafe just seems to get worse. Remember that blip in time also known as the fall of 2015 when Rafe was actually likable? He was smart, he was caring and not at all overbearing as he investigated Aiden Jennings for his trusted partner Hope Brady. I loved that Rafe! It’s so upsetting that just as quickly as he’d arrived, he was gone again only to be replaced by a nosy loudmouth.

Why is it that his more than grown sister, Gabi Hernandez can’t get her mack on with him leaning over her shoulder? This last week had this adorably romantic scene between Gabi and crush Eli Grant, one that touched on the former’s dire need of self-defense lessons. Gabi is a character I’ve gone back and forth loving and hating over the years. The majority of that hatred stemmed from her constantly being a damsel in distress, much like Chloe reclaiming her life by buying a business, Gabi is trying to learn to protect herself. God knows she’ll probably need it.

There’s natural banter between Eli and Gabi that you can’t just help but to smile watching, not to mention they’re just beginning to connect on a deeper level too. Eli offering his experience growing up without a birth father but with a great step-father, likening it to Ariana Grace’s situation was really heartwarming to see. I think after many tries, the show has finally found in Lamon Archey’s Eli, someone who can work really well with Camila Banus’ Gabi. The two of them really pop on screen together! Plus, isn’t it nice to see a romance develop naturally before us? DAYS had this rampant problem a few years back when character hooked up (which is totally fine!) only to want to get hitched in two weeks. But then in comes Rafe the wet towel, breaking it all up with his constant shouting of Eli almost shooting Gabi. Doesn’t he know that almost doesn’t count? The best part of his belligerent rant was seeing how both Gabi and Eli didn’t let him get to them. Eli took a back seat and let his lady shut her brother down, send him on his way and together they walked home. That’s how Rafe should be handled, like a child that needs to be shushed and put into a corner.

Hope Brady will have to realize that soon too. Abe Carver appointed her as Salem’s new police commissioner (simply ignoring her past crimes that made national news) instead of Rafe. I actually prayed for Rafe to lose so I’m very happy to know those wishes were granted, however I know it’ll only get worse from here. There’s this undertone that Rafe may not be as happy as he seems for Hope’s promotion – or it could very well be me just nitpicking. But I can’t help but see how Rafe seems to cling to Hope even more now, trudging right behind her so that he can put his two cents in whenever she runs into an issue. When JJ Deveraux exerted extreme force on Ben during his interrogation, Hope struggled with how to reprimand her little cousin so she turned to her former partner for counsel. Rafe immediately pushed her toward suspension when I think the best way to play it was to have Hope show some empathy to JJ. She was in a similar situation and had the entire town mobilize to protect her, she should have wanted to protect her beloved cousin’s son as well. Also, was it just me, or did Rafe seem overjoyed at helping to make that final decision?

Hope’s been commissioner for a full minute or two and she’s already begging for help to make big decisions. I can very easily see this turning into Rafe trying to strong arm his way into the position while showing Hope to be incompetent, but that’s only if the writing is going the way that it seems. This race to the commissioner role caused some much-needed stress on this highly unliked pairing and with those crack in the surface made, it’s only a matter of time until something breaks.

Hopefully it’ll be someone breaking something over Rafe’s head.

Got My Mind Set On You

NBC.com and JPI Studios

Everyone who knows me knows that I am ride or die for Chad and Abigail Dimera! It’s always hard to put my favorite couple in the pans section and I really debated whether or not to do so this last week. Mind you, there was so much beauty in a majority of the Chabby scenes but there was one misstep that made me place them here.

I absolutely adored the scene of Abigail reclaiming her strength in the face of one of her biggest fears, Ben Weston. There’s no question about it that Marci Miller knocked the scene right out of the park, even silencing some of her naysayers with the gravitas in which she Story wise, that was meant to wrap up ties to her ex so she can move on with her true love – however, wasn’t it a bit too easy for Ben to move on too? I understand he was sent to deliver the message about Will Horton’s current status but we can’t forget the basis of why he was sent away in the first place, and that was his obsession over Abigail!

I get that he wanted to deliver this news so that hopefully his sentence would get overturned, but he should also care about Abigail moving on and with Chad nonetheless. Those two literally drove him to murder! More than anyone else, I’d love to have Chabby take some time and enjoy each other after countless obstacles but Ben should be their lifelong enemy, the eternal thorn in their side. It’s so strange to have everyone else in town berating him while Chad and Abigail get it on for the first time in months. Cute scene nonetheless!

As usual, if I missed something you really wanted to talk about or something you felt was important, let’s start a discussion! Comment below, tweet me and let’s chat!