Days of Our Lives’ Devious Reveal Just Set a Storyline Right — Plus, Victor’s Will Mystery Could Hand Us a Connection We’ve Only Dreamed Of

Victor’s Will Mystery Could Hand Us a Connection We’ve Only Dreamed Of

We got some sweet, we got some salty, we got Vivian ticking off everyone and anyone she came in contact with. And in the midst of it all, two international trips kicked off to varying degrees of excitement and success… But the biggest win may have been just how delicious Days of Our Lives‘ Friday cliffhanger with Gwen and Kristen was. Color me surprised, but I’m excited for what Monday brings! 

Cute… But Inconsequential?

I’m going to start off this week a bit light and fluffy with the Dick Van Dyke stuff. Because it is sweet, don’t get me wrong, and I get why it’s flying by so quickly. Van Dyke was just stopping by for a visit, not joining as a cast member. But something as big as John’s father running through this fast makes it tough to get emotionally invested. I still can’t rag on it that much because first off, I mean, Dick Van Dyke. Come on. It’s stunt casting, but even the way it came about was cute, with Drake Hogestyn working out at the same gym as Van Dyke and bringing up the idea of trying his first ever soap opera.

And second, John finally has an actual family unit and what’s shaping up to be a loving relationship with his father (which I presume is going to develop off-screen since they won’t be keeping Van Dyke around). That’s so overdue. But I would’ve liked a bigger story and a more lasting connection to the rest of the canvas. This was so blink and you miss it.

A Tale of Woe

I’m feeling less empathy towards Shawn again. He’s way too into the “Poor me” stuff and isn’t being written all that sympathetic, which I guess is needed in order to drive Belle off (I’m assuming that’s how we’ll be losing Martha Madison). But, good grief, it makes it tough for fans to get onboard with his suffering.

But I did not have Shawn and Talia hooking up on my 2023 bingo card. Yeah, they’re tangentially in the same circles, but that was a left field surprise for me. Again, one more thing to push Belle away. But I’m trying to figure out what’s in store for Shawn once she’s gone and I’ve got nothing. He and Talia aren’t going to be a thing since she’s not sticking around either!

Oh, wait. Now I know. Jan’s going to come back with Shawn’s not-baby. Please, God, don’t try redeeming her, though. Just be a quick blip and then find something else for Shawn to do.

London Calling

You either love Susan or she drives you crazy. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of in between, so I’m sure her return, while inevitable for Days of Our Lives, is kicking up some strong feelings. It can’t be permanent, though. Usually, when Susan’s around more, Kristen isn’t and vice versa… Unless Kristen’s going to be taking a break shortly.

But of the two, I think Susan’s the one better in small doses, especially now that Kristen’s arch villainy has been toned down a bit lately again and Susan’s psychic powers are ratcheting back up. As for the Ava and Harris stuff… I’m not getting into it. That’s about all I have to say.

Family Ties

I’ve got so many theories about what happened in Greece to make Victor change his will. There’s the Isabella is alive theory. And then the Xander is his son theory. But what about if Justin was secretly his son?? That’s one relationship I think fans would enjoy seeing pan out.

Victor was already a father to Justin and the two have been the Kiriakises who have been around from the beginning of the family. It’s not like they’re robbing us of some deep connection to Justin’s parents who we never met. He should be Victor’s successor as the family patriarch. Why not make it official? One downside, though, would be the bittersweet knowledge that we’d never see Wally Kurth and John Aniston play it out.

But I don’t know if they’d go there, especially since ideally it would involve a lot more Justin and Kurth is still going to be splitting his time between Days of Our Lives and General Hospital. And with the news that Rena Sofer is returning as Lois to his Eddie Maine, it seems like Kurth might be busy over in Port Charles for a bit. With that said, Days does film so far in advance, we could get a good five months of extra Justin time in Salem before they catch up to General Hospital…

Whatever the reveal is, though, it’s got to be big enough to be able to shake Vivian loose from her death grip on Victor’s legacy.

Finally!!

The pacing on Days of Our Lives has driven me crazy at times, but I was actually glad for the Leo/Dimitri/Gwen break for most of the week. We needed it, and getting into it just in time to dovetail into Vivian’s return was a nice jolt to pull it out of the rut it had gotten stuck in. Getting troublemakers like her, Dimitri, Kristen, Stefan and Gabi in a room together are the type of scenes I love. I wish they’d done more with it, but I’m guessing (hoping?) that’s just the start of the DiMera/Alamain/Van Leuschner kerfluffle.

Plus, Dimitri got outplayed by a fed-up Kristen, who finally told Gwen about her hubby… only to reveal she was ahead of them all! That was a phenomenally devious cliffhanger and confirmed what I started suspecting ever since the honeymoon. And her visit to Leo on Friday clinched it. I loved how Emily O’Brien played every bit, from Gwen’s over-the-top sex talk that couldn’t have been true to her sympathy for Leo that seemed right, but felt wrong.

I don’t know what Gwen’s got planned for revenge, but I’m hoping there’s a brilliantly devious long con in motion to nail both of them and leave them destitute and with no one but each other. This is what her character was made to do. Please don’t water it down, Days.

Stray Thoughts…

• I appreciated Dimitri acknowledging how his Leo in drag plan sounds like a “bad SNL skit.” Because it does.

• Theresa said what, let’s be honest, we’ve all been thinking: “Before your great-uncle Victor departed to heaven or… wherever.”

• Is The Pinball real? I’m too afraid to look it up.

• The fake passports… No. That’s now how it works. That’s not how any of it works.

• I was actually surprised that Dimitri almost sounded protective towards Carly with Vivian. But then, she did relinquish her rights to the family fortune, so it’s not like she’s a threat to him!