Holly’s holiday was anything but merry, as she was a drunken mess for her birthday.
Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Silvananoir and Kpatch, from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate Holly’s future, Andrew jeopardizing his career for his sister, and just how dangerous is Konstantin?
Do you have a favorite Horton Christmas ornament, and were the holiday flashbacks hit or miss? Read on to see what our round table team has to say.
It was Holly’s birthday. Do you find it odd that no one from her family reached out? Is this drinking binge a one-off, or will it lead to more drama?
Silvananoir: I do. But then again, Holly doesn’t have much family. I did think it was weird that it was so muted, but it made a bit of sense.
Holly is being overshadowed by Nicole’s and EJ’s grief and the holidays. It sucks for her. I wish Chloe had reached out, but I don’t recall hearing Holly mention it at all.
I think the binge drinking is only just starting. Hopefully, the writers take their time with this, but it does feel like they’re giving the actress something heavy to cement the character. I don’t know if I want yet another alcoholic on the show, but here we are.
Kpatch: It was very sad that no one gave Holly a thought, not just for Christmas, but for her 17th birthday. That’s cold. I think her drinking binge is setting the scene for more drinking and/or drugs.
Jack: I found it very strange that Nicole would leave and not acknowledge Holly’s birthday. Maggie’s in her own funk, so I guess she wasn’t thinking about her granddaughter either, but that seems strange, too. And doesn’t Holly have any friends?
Oh, this drinking is definitely going to be a problem. I’m all for a well-done teen alcoholism story, but this thing about people getting drunk because the alcohol is lying around is a tired trope in Salem.
Christine: Did Holly really hear from no one? I know Nicole is having a difficult time, but what about Uncle Brandon or Grandma Maggie or Chloe, the woman who gave birth to her and named her? Even her former stepfather-for-a-minute, Eric, could have reached out to Holly to say Happy Birthday.
Unfortunately, many teens who have easy access to alcohol turn to it when stressed or to feel cool, so this isn’t a surprise. I hope it stops here, but the odds aren’t good.
Ava broke up with Harris. Did it happen because of Clyde’s threats or because he almost slept with Stephanie?
Silvananoir: Both. Ava is really gun-shy and is right to be after what happened with Rafe and Steve. She didn’t react well to either one.
What Rafe did to her really sent her on a downward spiral, and then, as she was building another relationship with Jake, he died.
Ava doesn’t trust men and is unwilling to get hurt again. I don’t blame her. Harris is going to have to work hard if he wants her.
Kpatch: I think Harris’s unconditional honesty got to Ava. She knows she can’t be honest in return, and it is easier for her to end the relationship than deal with the complications of continuing to lie to him.
Jack: I think it’s because Stefan insisted that Harris would put Tripp and Gabi in more danger.
The whole thing is stupid. Having an ‘in’ with the cop who is investigating the drug trade makes them less likely to run into trouble, not more.
If Ava is just some woman with whom things ended badly, Harris has less motivation to give her the benefit of the doubt or look the other way.
Christine: I think she mostly broke up with him to keep him out of this mess with Clyde, but there’s probably a little part of what she said that was true.
Ava was obsessed with Steve, Rafe cheated on her with her best friend, and Jake died. I think she likely does feel some need to protect herself.
Brady and Teresa argued over their love lives. Who do you consider his best pairing out of all of the women Brady has been involved with?
Silvananoir: Brady and Chloe, round infinity bored me to tears, and I never really loved them as I’m a Philip and Chloe fan.
I liked Brady and Nicole until their last go around, but he never tried to change her like Eric did.
Honestly, OG Theresa and Brady had a good thing going and she might be his best modern pairing.
But I personally vote for Brady being single. Let’s stay alone and work on ourselves, Brady. You do not need to be in a relationship. Deal with your demon spawn for a while.
Kpatch: I really liked Brady and Eileen Davidson’s Kristen together during their original relationship. I also liked Brady with Nicole.
Jack: I loved Brady with Theresa before they ruined her character with this stupid story.
I wasn’t watching when Brady was with Madison, so I can’t comment on that, but all the rest of his pairings have been awful.
Christine: I always thought Brady and the original Theresa were well-matched and had lots of potential, but it feels like they’re dumbing Theresa down by the day.
I enjoyed Brady and Kristen for the sheer entertainment value of this crazy pairing. Everyone else was just boring and tedious.
Are you surprised that Andrew bought Teresa’s story? If the truth finally comes out, do you think he could lose his job with the ISA?
Silvananoir: Yes, but then again, Andrew is disposed to giving Teresa the benefit of the doubt. He’s a bit of a sucker for family.
I don’t want him to lose his job because of her shenanigans, but a demotion is in order.
Kpatch: More disappointed than surprised. Andrew is jeopardizing his career. I found it foolish for Andrew to keep Theresa’s secret when it’s not a secret to the ISA.
It’s easy for anyone at the ISA to take a look at the surveillance photo and see that there was a clear result. I hope the truth comes out soon.
Jack: We haven’t seen much of Andrew and Theresa together, so it’s hard to say what their relationship is generally like. I’m still surprised they get along.
I always assumed Theresa would see Andrew as the golden child and resent him because of her status as the black sheep. Wasn’t that one of the ways she and JJ related to each other when they were being self-destructive together?
Since Shane is the ISA director, it’s unlikely Andrew will get more than a stern talking-to about following proper procedure. But he should lose his job for covering up information!
Of course, this wasn’t an official ISA investigation — it was a favor to Steve — so that might make a difference, too.
Christine: Andrew loves his sister and wants to protect her from herself, but this is going to come back to bite him.
I don’t want him to lose his job, but the upside is that he’d have more time to spend with Paul, and I’d love to see this duo get more screen time.
Wendy’s mother wants her to come home. Will you be upset if Wendy leaves Salem and Tripp for good?
Silvananoir: Not really. I kind of forgot they existed. Tripp and Wendy bore me. I just can’t bring myself to care about this couple. Honestly, bring back Li.
Kpatch: I won’t be upset if Wendy leaves. She had a lot of potential in the beginning. Then, they turned her into a generic female in her 20s.
She doesn’t have much personality. I like Tripp, but he’s a little bland and doesn’t need Wendy to make him even more bland.
Jack: I will be forever upset if they don’t fix Wendy before she leaves. She was an amazing character when she first debuted on Beyond Salem, only to be turned into a blah character when she moved to Salem.
Where is the strong woman who wanted an equal chance despite cultural bias against women and felt like Li was always treated as superior because he was a man?
Christine: I want to like Wendy. She seemed like fun on Beyond Salem, but she’s become one of the more boring characters in Salem, and she and Tripp feel more like old friends than new lovers.
I feel bad because the actress has given good performances surrounding Li’s death, but I can’t say I’ll miss her if she leaves.
Do you have a favorite Horton family Christmas ornament?
Silvananoir: Sorry to say nope. I never really paid that much attention to the tree. Though I do like the Horton family tradition. It’s just such a staple of the show to have them all together.
Kpatch: Not really, but if Christmas went by without seeing Tom and Alice’s ornaments, it would feel like something big was missing.
Jack: I’m always happy that they show JJ’s ornament because I miss him and don’t trust the show to acknowledge he ever existed.
And, of course, I love seeing Tom and Alice’s ornaments on top of the tree every year.
Christine: I just love this Horton tradition, so much so that I’ve started getting named ornaments for my own tree. Abby’s is probably my favorite, but I also loved Victoria’s new ornament.Â
Seeing all of the ornaments, old and new, always makes me smile.Â
Konstantin keeps trying to play Maggie. How dangerous do you think he will become?
Silvananoir: Hopefully, actually dangerous. I’m getting Orpheus vibes where I’m not feeling the danger anymore. Right now, he feels like nothing more than a scammer.
Actually, he’s more El Fideo than Orpheus. At least Orpheus did stuff. Konstantin is giving a one-off villain vibe who you forget about once he’s arrested or killed. Utterly forgettable.
Kpatch: I like John Kapelos, the actor who plays Konstantin, and I wish they didn’t make Konstantin a bad guy. It would be far more interesting if he and Maggie had a true attraction that Maggie fought because it was so soon after Victor died.
Hopefully, John and Steve continue to investigate.
Jack: I don’t think he’ll be dangerous to Maggie. Right now, he wants to manipulate his way out of trouble. But he could become violent toward Xander since Xander has made it clear he doesn’t believe Konstantin’s story about the kidnapping.
Christine: I’m guessing if this really blows up on him and he can’t wiggle his way out of it, Konstantin could get quite dangerous. It just depends on how desperate he becomes.
Personally, I’m not a fan, and I hate how stupid Maggie and Sarah are in his presence, so I’ll be much happier when he’s gone.
What annoyed the heck out of you this week in Salem?
Silvananoir: I don’t care how much the show tries to make Stephanie’s relationship drama a front burner or that they are trying to make her main female lead ala Abigail. I don’t care.
It’s the same feeling I got during the whole Wendy/Tripp/Johnny triangle. I didn’t care then, and I don’t care now. I didn’t care when it was Alex, and I don’t care with Everett. She’s not that interesting.
Kpatch: Everett popping up everywhere, especially at the Horton ornament ceremony. I really don’t care for Blake Berris, and I am not happy he’s been recycled.
I also can’t stand Emily O’Brien’s Theresa. She is a Theresa imposter, and I find it so distracting every time she’s onscreen.
Lastly, the show has turned Holly into a one-note character. Her birthday episode mooning over Johnny was painful to watch.
Jack: How can Johnny still believe Holly has no feelings for him after that cringy discussion of how she’s now old enough to legally consent to sex?
And I want them to stop this pattern where Johnny runs off to help some other woman whenever he’s on a date. He did it when he was with Wendy while denying his feelings for Chanel, and now that he’s with Chanel, he keeps running off to help. Holly. Ugh!
I also wanted this baby story to end already. I’d hoped that it would somehow come out that the baby is Nicole’s so that she could have her Christmas miracle. Also, Rafe saying he has to arrest Nicole when the DA says he’s not pressing charges against her makes no sense.
Speaking of Rafe, his scenes with Jada were unusually boring, and giving her his house keys as a gift when she didn’t want to move in with him felt like pressure to me. I also wish Jada had run into Everett already so we could see her reaction.
I’m not sure how I feel about Everett being Jewish — it’s great to have representation, but making the only Jewish guy in town sleazy and borderline stalkery isn’t a good look.
Finally, this is a small thing, but the writers missed the obvious in-joke. Why didn’t they have Julie give Everett Nick’s ornament to hang so that he wouldn’t be standing there doing nothing?
Christine: I couldn’t believe that Sarah was still pushing Maggie toward Konstantin, even after Steve told her everything he and John found out about the guy. Maggie is grieving and lonely, but what’s Sarah’s excuse?
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline from this week’s Days of Our Lives?
Silvananoir: I loved Doug and Julie and the flashbacks. Don’t get me wrong, Julie gets on my nerves. However, they were really sweet and are a great reminder of how the vets can be used with nostalgia effectively. It was a great sendoff for the holiday weekend.
Kpatch: I liked it when Brady was forced to defend his love-life history.
I love any scene with Xander. When he smiles at Sarah, the whole screen lights up.
I am also enjoying Tate. Both the actor and character are appealing and layered.
I enjoyed the final flashback of the Christmas Eve episode. It was so great to see those characters who are long gone as well as those still on air, like Maggie, Doug, and Julie. This connection to the show’s history is what keeps me watching.
Jack: I loved everything about the Christmas episode. The flashbacks of Tom and Alice were great, and I loved Doug and Julie talking about them and how proud they’d be of their legacy.
I also liked the way they put Konstantin on notice about how they are protective of Maggie.
Christine: Some of those flashback scenes were really wonderful. I wish we got more of them.
And I liked that Chad finally admitted that he moved too fast with Stephanie and that the two of them decided to handle his children like loving adults.
I enjoy Chad and Stephanie more as friends than as lovers. Maybe that will change in the future, but for now, I like having them as exes.
And I have to admit that everytime I see Doug now, even at Christmas, I remember his turn as Doug the devil and it makes me chuckle.Â
Now it’s your turn, TV Fanatics. Do you have a favorite Horton Christmas ornament? Did you love the flashbacks? And is Holly’s binge drinking a sign of things to come?
Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below to share your thoughts, then check out Jack Ori’s Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.
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C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
