Days of Our Lives Round Table: Lani Confesses All!

Abe and Paulina tied the knot. Salem celebrated Juneteenth. Lani made a startling confession. The suspect list concerning Abigail’s murder grew while Jan named her and Shawn’s son.

Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by PhloeForever from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate the Juneteenth wedding, Lani’s untimely confession, if EJ should sign those divorce papers, and who they believe killed Abigail!

Rate Abe and Paulina’s Juneteenth wedding from 1 (I hated it.) to 10 (I loved it!)

PhloeForever: I give Abe and Paulina’s wedding a 6 out of 10. I loved the whole idea of a strong, stable African American family coming together and showing Lani support, especially with Big Mama back.

I liked the wedding on the Juneteeth celebration, where slaves were freed in Texas in 1865. Really liked how this day tied in well with Paulina being free due to Lani finally confessing.

Jack: I’m giving it a 6. I liked the wedding itself, and I love that DAYS acknowledged both the importance of Juneteenth to Black Americans and Black cultural practices around weddings.

This is only the second on-screen wedding we’ve had of a Black couple in all the years the show has been on, and I think it’s important to include such things. However, it all came out of nowhere, with no buildup.

During the past several weeks, Days focused almost exclusively on Abigail’s murder, and all of a sudden, Paulina was out of jail and marrying Abe. It would have been much better if this story had had more consistency.

I also dislike the whole “We want to get married, let’s do it tomorrow” trope. It’s so unrealistic, even if Chanel and Allie were willing to bake a cake.

Also, Allie was totally obnoxious, and that put a damper on the celebration even before Lani decided this was the time to confess and turn herself in. And TR’s blood-covered ghost did not need to be an uninvited guest, either, thanks.

Christine: I give it a 7. I wish it were a bigger event, but Days doesn’t do many big weddings anymore due to budget constraints. I loved how they incorporated the history of Juneteenth as it made the entire event more special.

And everyone looked gorgeous, which should be a prerequisite for all soap weddings.

Your turn, Days fans! How did you rate Abe and Paulina’s Juneteenth wedding?

Should Lani have confessed? Do you think all those people at the wedding would have kept her secret if she hadn’t?

PhloeForever: I’m not too surprised Lani confessed because of how she has mostly tried to be decent and law-abiding. So I could see that whole notion of her being a police officer and shooting an unarmed man bothering her, even though TR deserved it.

Lani was protecting Paulina from his abuse. I think people like Kate and Nicole would keep her secret even though they don’t know her well because they, too, had to deal with abuse, so they understand.

Jack: I did not think the wedding was an appropriate vehicle for this. It was big and dramatic but also predictable, and it felt inappropriate.

I didn’t trust Eric. Everyone agreed immediately, but Eric was hesitant, as is often cast in his holier-than-thou role. I dislike when he’s like that, and I’d rather Lani confess at the police station than Eric be the one to betray her.

Also, why on Earth did Lani not ask for a lawyer? She and Eli appeared to have concluded that she was going to jail, and that’s that. She should have spoken to an attorney before she confessed to see what her options were.

Christine: I’m glad Lani confessed and that she waited until after Abe and Paulina were married. It would have been nice if she could have held off until after the reception, but her mental state was deteriorating fast.

I was also worried about Saint Eric being unable to keep Lani’s secret. He was the one person in that crowd that would arrogantly believe he knew the “right” way to handle things. Although I wonder if even ex-Father Eric would go up against both Julie and Big Mama!

Do you want EJ to sign the divorce papers?

PhloeForever: Yes, I want EJ to sign the divorce papers because I’ve never been an Ejami fan in the past or now. I saw their relationship as mostly toxic.

I’ve always liked Lumi’s chemistry and their old-school vibe with each other more and wish they could get a proper chance.

I actually like Ejelle’s dynamic more with each other. EJ is there for Belle and listens to her feelings. Shawn is such a pushover with Jan, And I honestly don’t think this actor who plays EJ has much chemistry with Allison Sweeney, who plays Sami.

Jack: Absolutely. I prefer Sami with Lucas, but that’s beside the point. Sami has moved on, and EJ is moving on with Belle, so why keep Sami tethered to him?

Christine: Yes! EJ and Sami both need to move on. Sami and new-EJ don’t have great chemistry, yet EJ has chemistry with almost everyone else.

Sami was quick to believe that EJ kidnapped her, which doesn’t say much for her trust in him. Even once the truth comes out, these two have serious issues. And if Allison Sweeney isn’t coming back full-time, they need to let EJ find romance elsewhere.

Should Shawn have allowed Jan to name their baby after him?

PhloeForever: I hate that Shawn let Jan name the baby after him because he’s being such a pushover. He should be more angry with her because she deceived and raped him, which started this whole thing, not listening to her request for a hamburger.

So if Shawn didn’t want the baby to be named after him, he should let her know that. He didn’t look too pleased about it. It’s annoying that Shawn seems to have an unconscious, magnetic pull towards Jan, given all she’s done.

Jack: Of all the issues with this, that’s the least consequential. I can understand Belle being upset that Shawn helped Jan manipulate the warden into extra time on the outside, but throwing a tantrum over the baby’s name is stupid.

It’s Shawn’s son. Why shouldn’t he name his son after himself just because Belle doesn’t like the child’s mother?

Christine: The bigger issue isn’t so much the name, but that Shawn just lets Jan make all the decisions, even naming their child after him.

Jan named the baby Shawn to make it clear that this child is her unmistakable and unbreakable bond with Shawn Douglas. I can understand why Belle was upset.

Gwen snuck out of prison the night Abigail was killed. Do you think Gwen is the murderer, and if not her, then who?

PhloeForever: I think Gwen is Abigail’s murderer because they have always had a nasty, confrontational dynamic with each other. Abby was her main reason for not getting married to Xander.

And Abby looked gleeful in embarrassing Gwen and revealing all she knew that happened with Sarah. It was understandable, given how horribly Gwen treated her. Gwen even threatened Abby after her ruined wedding.

Because of Abby, Gwen lost her freedom and is in jail. So yes, all the bare facts point to Gwen being the killer.

Jack: I still think Sarah is the one who did it. We know she was hallucinating and almost attacked Victor and that Marlena made the boneheaded decision to send Sarah to talk to Abigail unsupervised.

Clyde is another possibility, but it’s a stretch to think he killed Abby to get back at EJ. Other people he could have attacked are far closer to EJ than Abby, even if she had an affair with him years ago.

I also think that it’s being made to look like either Gwen or Leo is 100% guilty means they are both innocent. There is no way the real killer will reveal themselves this early.

Christine: I’d love for it to be Gwen, although I’d hate it for Jack. I don’t know how Jennifer could ever get past Jack’s daughter being responsible for both her mother and daughter’s deaths. Although Laura started this whole mess decades ago by deciding to hide Gwen’s existence to protect Jennifer. But I digress.

As much as I think Gwen likely wanted to kill Abigail, it was probably Sarah in a delusional state, which still makes it Gwen’s fault since she’s the one who double-dosed Sarah.

Nicole and Rafe have postponed their wedding. Do you think this wedding will happen? Was it weird of Eric to ask to be invited?

PhloeForever: Rafe and Nicole’s wedding will happen, even though all signs point to Nicole’s heavy feelings for Eric.

Rafe, Nicole, and Eric need a continued storyline after this wedding, with Ericole still having that inevitable, magnetic pull towards each other. They can’t deny their feelings for each other, and Nicole will probably cheat on Rafe with Eric.

Yes, I think it’s weird for Eric to ask to be invited to the wedding. He has feelings for Nicole, which I’m guessing will most likely become much more intense after he sees Nicole marrying Rafe.

Jack: I’d be sadder about this wedding being postponed if I knew it was happening. I hope it will still happen, and I hope that Eric isn’t going to stand up to object to it because he’s in love with Nicole. Ugh.

I am not a fan of people inviting themselves to weddings and such. If Nicole wanted Eric there, she would invite him. Also, if we really want to up the drama quotient, Nicole could ask Eric to officiate instead of inviting him just as a guest!

Christine: We’ll probably get to it soon. I foresee Nicole and Rafe getting married, and then Nicole and Eric having an affair, similar to John and Marlena. Then ex-Father Eric can sulk about his sins, and a guilt-ridden Nicole can try and make things right with Rafe until the whole thing blows up.

Who will end up with whom in the end is anyone’s guess. And it wasn’t just weird of Eric to invite himself to his ex-wife’s wedding; it was rude.

What, if anything, disappointed you this week in Salem?

PhloeForever: What disappointed me was how Kate just started sniping at Nicole for no reason. I thought this was uncalled for and unnecessary. Many times I’ve thought Kate should be given a rest from this show, and this was of them.

Jack: I’m disappointed, but not surprised, that Abe was so quick to agree to keep Lani’s secret. Abe used to be Salem’s moral compass, but when it comes to Lani, he always throws the rules out the window. He saw no problem with her lying about the father of her first baby either, which was also out of character for him.

I also have had more than enough of Eric and Nicole’s attempts at a relationship, so I’m disappointed that we seem to be headed that way when Nicole and Rafe have barely had a chance to get off the ground.

Finally, could Allie be any more obnoxious? If we have to have this triangle, fine, but she’s very snooty and annoying. I don’t think she’s mini-Sami at this point. She’s just a spoiled brat.

Christine: I was disappointed in Eli trying to emotionally manipulate Lani into keeping this secret when it was clear that she was on the brink of a mental breakdown. Instead, he should have gotten her into therapy and found a great lawyer.

Also, has Shawn thought about who will take care of his son once Jan is shipped back to prison? He seems completely clueless unless Jan or Belle leads the way.

What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline on this week’s Days of Our Lives?

PhloeForever: My favorite scene was Chloe and Belle, with both of them catching up with what is going on in each other’s lives and Belle telling Chloe what happened with Clyde. I have always enjoyed their friendship.

Jack: I was glad that Sami returned! It was also great to see Victor, even if the scenario he was involved in was on the silly side.

And while I didn’t think the wedding was the right time for Lani to confess, I thought Sal Stowers knocked her confession scenes out of the park.

Christine: I loved how EJ stood by Chad when he needed him most. Understandably, Chad dreaded telling the kids about Abigail, but it needed to be done, and EJ was loving but firm enough to help Chad take that difficult step.

I enjoyed Abe and Paulina’s wedding far more than I ever expected I would. It was really a lovely moment for their entire family. 

Also, Victor’s snarkiness with Nancy was wonderful! It made having to watch Bonnie and Nancy tolerable.

Now it’s your turn, Days fans! Hit that SHOW COMMENTS below to share your round table answers with us. Then check out our Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.

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