A Critic’s Review of Days of our Lives: Holding Out For A Hero

When it comes to Days of our Lives, every fan has their own opinion – and Soap Hub is no different. For five days we sat and watched the good, the bad, and everything in between, and now we offer you a handy review, and a cheeky critique, of the DAYS week that was.

Days of our Lives: A Critic’s Week In Review

Though it was a delight to see John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena Black (Deidre Hall) celebrate the 4th, the presence of the former only served to remind us of a very serious problem facing this soap – and it’s one we’ve discussed quite a few times previously. Namely, it’s all the bad men we’re told to root for as romantic heroes.

John has always been a good’un – that whole strangling Jan Spears (Heather Lindell) to near death, and all the bad things he did and said while operating as “RoboJohn” notwithstanding. Ditto Abe Carver (James Reynolds). But the other Salem men…not so much.

Even the so-called best of the best on Days of our Lives, like Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford) and Justin Kiriakis (Wally Kurth), and Doug Williams (Bill Hayes) have their demons. Jack’s a rapist; Justin’s a serial cheat and an attempted murderer, and Doug was a conman who married Addie Horton to both spite her daughter (the actual love of his life) and reap the benefits promised to him by the wealthy widow.

And then there’s Ben Weston (Robert Scott Wilson), EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel), and Xander Cook (Paul Telfer) – and, yes, even Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) and Theo Carver (Cameron Johnson).

As the “stone-cold bitch” version of Ciara Brady Weston (Victoria Konefal) is always quick to point out, Ben’s a serial killer, and we’ve witnessed him going to some pretty extreme lengths to try and get the Ciara of old back.

Name a crime, EJ’s probably committed it…and most of them have been leveled against his “beloved” Samantha Gene Brady DiMera (Alison Sweeney). It’s hard to care whether or not these two stand the test of time when the romance was born of rape and fostered with adultery, child-snatching, and other atrocities.

Xander is a murderer, a dealer of blood diamonds, a kidnapper, and the kind of man who’s literally locked the object of his desire inside a cage. And yet, we’re (apparently) suppose to root for him and Gwen Rizczech (Emily O’Brien) to get together – because nothing says aphrodisiac like disposing of a dead body, and threats to expose the other’s private business to the world.

Brady has never met a woman that he didn’t fall head over heels in love with…and that’s one of his biggest problems. He’s a waffler extraordinaire, and he’s also a cocky little so and so. Are we really supposed to want him and Chloe Lane (Nadia Bjorlin) to get together? Even after he forced a kiss on her, then declared that because he said so, that he and Chloe were now an item? Dude, that’s not how it works!

As for Theo…poor, poor Theo…if he can’t see that it’s morally AND ethically wrong to enter into a marriage with a woman who missed an entire two-year gap in her memory just because he “liked” her as a little boy, then there is something seriously wrong with him. Thank goodness that someone like Shawn Douglas Brady (whom we’re categorizing as a good’un) is calling shenanigans on the impending nuptials.

Further DAYS Musings

* Where the heck is Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso)? Is she still in South Africa patiently awaiting the return of her daughter? Is she actually on board with Ciara’s plan to marry Theo? Last we knew, she was totally Team Ben – and this was even after he nearly throttled her to death of Eve and Vincent’s orders.

* Kudos to Raven Bowens for stepping into the breach. It was surely no easy feat entering your first scene in tears over an incident played out by your predecessor.

* Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) has done a whole lotta evil things in her time – most of them in the name of her so-called love for Brady. But while he seemed to be A-okay with all the torture his ex inflicted upon his brother, and two of his previous lady loves (Theresa and Nicole), it was Kristen’s defacing a photo of Chloe that seemed to finally drive him over the edge?

* Will Paulina Price (Jackée Harry) step up and do the right thing? Is she capable of stepping up and doing the right thing? Does/should knowing about her past excuse her crimes in the present?

* Anyone else hopeful that Jack’s write-up of Dr. Snyder’s (Michael Lowry) death will soon be read by Julie “I Never Forget A Face” Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes)?

Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Salem, check out all the latest that’s been posted on DAYS spoilers.