Days of Our Lives Round Table: Should Eli and Lani Return?

Megan escaped! Does our round table team want her back?

Our TV Fanatics, Jack and Christine, are joined by Silvananoir from MyHourglass, a Days of Our Lives fan forum, to debate Dimitri kissing Leo, Talia’s sparks with Chanel, and who is the worst couple in Salem.

Plus, with Eli and Lani’s brief return, should they be back in Salem permanently? Read on to see what our round table team has to say…

Megan escaped! Do you hope she returns to Salem, or do you never want to see her again?

Silvananoir: I hope she comes back. I enjoyed Megan. She was a breath of fresh air and a Dimera that was bad in a different way from the kind of cartoonishness we get from someone like Kristen.

Megan was fun while she lasted, but I think the writers understand that someone like Megan is good in small doses, something they have completely forgotten about Kristen, who’s been on the canvas for way too long.

I hope Megan comes back, but it’s nice to get a bit of a break from her.

Jack: I expected Megan to escape, but I’m disappointed she’s gone. She’s a far better version of Stefano 2.0 than any of the other Dimeras, and it’s a shame that she and Kristen never followed through with their plan to wrest control of Dimera from the guys.

She will probably turn up again later. Stefano was forever disappearing at the end of storylines, only to reemerge eventually with a new plan, and I don’t expect Megan to be any different.

Christine: Megan was far more entertaining than I expected, so I do hope she returns. I would have loved to have seen her and Kristen take control of the company from EJ and Stefan. That could have been a fun storyline.

But as Jack said above, I hope she rises like the original Pheonix and makes her way back to Salem soon.

Megan set Li up to take the fall for Harris trying to kill Stefan. Do you feel sorry for Li?

Silvananoir: No. I like Li, and I hope the show does more than just have him mope around like a sad sack all the time. Maybe this storyline will be good for him because the actor definitely needs more to do.

But Li should have known better than to get involved in another Dimera plot as it only blows up in his face. He didn’t learn his lesson from getting involved with Kristen.

The Dimeras only look out for themselves, and the fact that he didn’t understand that and didn’t foresee the chance that Megan would throw him under the bus and back it over him is curious. He’ll get out of this, hopefully as a stronger character and away from Gabi.

Jack: Not at all. While Li wasn’t the mastermind, he did harbor the stupid fantasy that Gabi would forget Stefan and return to him if Stefan was again killed, and he willingly went along with Megan’s plan.

Granted, she manipulated his desire for Gabi, but still. Li needs to learn a lesson already, and he absolutely deserves to spend some time in jail.

Christine: I don’t feel sorry for him at all. Li wanted Stefan dead and was willing to go along with this plan over some delusion that Gabi would come running back to him.

Li plays the victim, but he has a twisted dark side that gets him into these messes, and he deserves to pay for it.

Lani returned for Abe’s “funeral.” Would you like to see Eli and Lani return to Salem permanently?

Silvananoir: As a woman of color, I always like more representation on the show. But they have completely slipped my mind. It could be just that I don’t like Lani; I never have.

I didn’t miss her, and I didn’t miss Eli either, but having them back has made Cop Central feel more important and fuller in a way. So if only to have more than just Rafe and Jada and occasionally Shawn represent the Salem PD, it would be nice to have them back.

Jack: Surprisingly, yes. I never really liked Lani in the past, but Lani and Eli are a solid couple, and Days needs more of that. Eli also tends to be a better detective than the rest of the Salem PD, and Lani working on the side to help him solve cases would be fun!

Christine: I was never Lani’s biggest fan, but I’ve grown to enjoy Eli and Lani. They’re one of Salem’s few stable couples and are better detectives than most of the rest of the Salem PD.

Plus, they actually come across as realistic parents to young children, which is delightful. So, yes. If there’s a way to bring them back to Salem, I’d love to see it.

Now it’s your turn, Days fans. Should Eli and Lani return to Salem?

Dimitri kissed Leo to shut him up. Will Dimitri offer to marry Leo instead of Gwen? And if so, will Leo take him up on the deal?

Silvananoir: All we know is what Megan told Dimitri, that he needed to be married as soon as possible before he reached his next birthday in order to claim his inheritance. There was no mention from her that it had to be a woman.

So if it’s not specifically stated (and his lawyers gave him the okay to prevent it from being contested), I suppose he could do it. I just don’t know if he would want to.

Yes, it’s a little more difficult with Gwen because emotions are involved, and he’s winding her up and getting her to fall for him. It’s more work, but so far, being with Gwen is working. Would he jeopardize that for something that is uncertain with Leo?

I guess the show wants the two besties to fight over this dude who is not worth it. I don’t even know how I feel about a potential Leo and Dimitri pairing. I don’t feel anything, but I don’t feel anything for Dimitri and Gwen either, so I’m kind of ambivalent.

Leo’s probably the better choice. He’s incredibly pragmatic at times, especially when it comes to money. If Dimitri explained to him the situation, Leo would go along if he was promised certain things and didn’t get greedy, which is always the concern with Leo.

Jack: I doubt that. I think Dimitri will instead resort to blackmail: don’t tell Gwen about this contract, or I’ll tell her you planted a kiss on me.

I have no doubt Leo will be torn between letting Dimitri marry Gwen or trying to snag him for himself now that he thinks he has a chance, though. He tends to be desperate for male attention, and Dimitri gave him some.

Christine: If Dimitri thinks Gwen is dragging her feet over the actual wedding date, this may be his backup plan. I can also see him offering Leo money to keep quiet, and I’m curious to see if money or loyalty to his bestie will win out.

I’d like to see Gwen let in on the con. That way, she can decide if she wants to be married for the money or not. If she declines, I’m sure Leo would jump at the chance for a big payday.

Talia and Chanel’s scene with the fireworks overhead seemed to hint at sparks between them. Do you feel there is romantic chemistry between these two? Would you like to see them pursue a relationship?

Silvananoir: I guess we need a new partner for Chanel now that Allie is gone, but I don’t want it to be Talia.

Again representation matters, and I understand what she was trying to do here, but Talia is nowhere near ready for a relationship, especially not at the speed that current modern-day soaps tend to go. She needs time.

Talia just got out of a physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive relationship; she does not need to be getting into another one that not only involves someone of the same gender but a victim of hers.

Jack: I guess Talia pretending to seduce Chanel only to fall for her for real is typical for this soap, but I don’t like the idea of both of Chanel’s girlfriends being women who identified as straight until they met her.

I’d like Chanel to be with someone who already knows their orientation and is 100% comfortable being with her. And since Chanel’s bi, Johnny is still also an option.

Christine: Ugh. First, I’m just not a fan of Talia. Second, she seemed really uncomfortable pretending to be attracted to Chanel, so having that suddenly change feels inauthentic. And third, as said above, Talia is nowhere near ready to be in a romantic relationship with anyone.

Plus, Chanel has amazing chemistry with Johnny! I’d love to see those two have another go as a couple. Given that the devil sabotaged their marriage, they deserve another try.

Who is the worst couple in Salem right now?

Silvananoir: I am just not interested in Chad and Stephanie. I don’t care how much the show pushes them together or push a love triangle with them and Alex to make them more interesting.

Chad and Stephanie are boring. They have no chemistry whatsoever. It may be an issue with the actors not being interested or just not having chemistry together, but it’s not working, and I wish the show would drop it.

Jack: Not officially a couple, but I can’t stand this Wendy triangle. I think she should forget both of these guys and find someone new.

Christine: Chad and Stephanie are the most boring couple in Salem. There’s just nothing there to get excited over.

And this Johnny, Wendy, Tripp triangle isn’t working either. Johnny needs to go back to Chanel, and I’m not sure what to do with Tripp and Wendy, but they don’t feel right together either.

What annoyed the heck out of you this week in Salem?

Silvananoir: I love Nicole. She’s one of my favorite characters on the show, next to Chloe. But God, Nicole and Eric are the worst. Just either be together or don’t.

Instead, they involve everyone else in their drama and make promises that neither of them seems to be intent on keeping with their current partners.

The minute EJ was unavailable, they were together. Neither one of them thought, oh, it’s weird that EJ just went missing; Nicole didn’t even really question it that hard. She just let Eric be the shoulder that she cried on.

And even though I’m not her biggest fan, Eric is making promises to Sloan that he seems to be unable to keep either. So either commit to each other or stop. Either way, I am getting so sick of Eric and Nicole.

Jack: I’m frustrated with how every time anyone gets close to realizing what Whitley has been up to, they back off. Even Lani seemed to drop the idea of looking into the truth about what happened at the docks.

I’m also annoyed with Gwen being so gullible and willing to move full speed ahead with Dimitri like this, although it would be a great twist if she is aware Dimitri is playing her and has decided to marry him for his money anyway.

Finally, too much was offscreen. Megan’s escape and EJ and Kristen’s session should have been part of the show, not things we heard about secondhand. At least have a flashback as Gabi is telling the story if they didn’t want to devote time to Megan escaping!

Christine: Eric brooding and watching EJ and Nicole kiss and talk about their baby was just creepy. If Sloan gets pregnant, will he give her as much attention as he gives Nicole when he believes the baby isn’t even his?

I wanted to see Kristen and EJ’s hypnotherapy session with Marlena. Having it happen offscreen was disappointing.

And please tell me someone is going to figure out that Whitley is holding Abe soon. This has gone on too long, and I want it resolved now!

What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline in Salem this week?

Silvananoir: I am no fan of Paulina. However, I really enjoyed the scenes of their family bonding together over Abe’s loss. Having her family together shows that when Days wants to, it can do family scenes really well.

I also really enjoyed the 4th of July stuff.

Jack: Whitley’s comments to Paulina were so creepy! I loved that and hoped Paulina would realize what was up.

Leo continued to crack me up this week, too. His banter with Kristen was hilarious.

Christine: Leo coming to the rescue of EJ and Kristen was great fun. I really didn’t see that coming.

And Gabi attacking Harris while Rafe stood there with his gun looking useless was one of the funniest moments of the week.

Okay, Days fans. Now it’s your turn. Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below to tell us what you thought of this week’s Days of Our Lives.

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.

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