Days of Our Lives Round Table: Should Xander Be CEO?

Jack spent time with his family after a little encouragement from Chad, Xander lobbied to be CEO of Titan, and Ciara broke up with Ben and took off for South Africa this week on Days of Our Lives.

Our TV Fanatics Jack Ori and Christine Orlando are joined by Tinab and Fluffysmom from MyHourglass a Days of Our Lives fan forum to debate Xander’s chance as CEO, Ciara and Ben’s breakup, if Gabi’s truly sorry, and Jack’s first family dinner in Salem.

Should Xander have a turn as CEO of Titan?

Jack: I am so uninterested in the constant CEO drama, but I say no since he has no experience in anything but blackmailing people. How about Victor hire someone from outside the family who has business experience and is trustworthy so we can end the revolving door of family CEOs?

Tinab: Xander is not CEO material; he is pool boy material.

Fluffysmom: I think Xander should get a shot at CEO. Can he do any worse than Sonny, Brady, and Chad? Victor should keep an eye on him though.

Christine: Why not? It’s not like Brady or Sonny had any real experience. Victor even handed over the reins to a Dimera, so why not give Xander a chance?

Goodness knows he’s motivated and as much as I enjoy Xander shirtless, I’d also like to see him in a suit.

Is Gabi really sorry for what she’s done or just sorry she got caught?

Jack: She's totally sorry...that she got caught! The way she talked to Julie proves she has not changed and hasn't a shred of remorse for what she did.

Gabi seemed shocked and hurt that JJ wasn't on her side. She thought that having saved his life gave her a free pass to do whatever she wanted to his family.

I didn't buy anything she said to him about how sorry she was because it was all manipulation that was conveniently similar to ways he felt years ago so that he would believe her, identify with her, and forgive her.

Tinab: I think she is truly sorry. We have seen her be sweet and loving for years and she had been through hell so I kind of get it.

Fluffysmom: I think Gabi is sorry. She showed moments of regret throughout this mess. I believe that she was obsessed. I think Gabi has some mental problems after everything she went through in prison and being set up by her best friend.

Christine: She’s sorry she got caught. She had no intention of coming clean and now she cries to anyone who will listen about what she’s been through and threatening people’s lives if they don’t buy her crocodile tears.

Ciara broke up with Ben. Are you relieved or upset, and why?

Jack: I have mixed feelings about this couple. Ben being a serial killer can't be redeemed with an apology. With his dark side coming out, there is always the risk he could turn violent towards Ciara if she says or does something that upsets him.

However, the way Hope is going about engineering this breakup is all sorts of wrong, and the stupid drama with Claire being the straw that broke the camel's back is ridiculous.

Tinab: The Ben/Ciara chemistry is great and we all know they will be back together. I can’t believe that I pull for Ben like I do!

Fluffysmom: I'm somewhere in between. I don't get this plan with Claire being the final straw for Ciara. She was okay with dating a serial killer who left her cousins, Will and Abby, for dead.

Christine: These two have great chemistry, but I don’t know how you redeem a serial killer. Then there’s Ciara being okay with Ben being a murderer but breaks up with him for conspiring with Claire in order to spend time with her. They’ll probably get back together but I don’t see a future for these two.

If you were Jack, would you have taken the 10K to go to dinner?

Jack: I would have rejected the 10K and gone anyway. I have this feeling that deep down Jack does feel some connection to his family even though he doesn't remember them.

He seems to remember all the literature he and Jennifer shared and I had a feeling the way he talked to JJ and Abby was the same way he used to talk to them when they were growing up even though he has no memories of the actual events of their life together.

Tinab: Jack needed the money, as he said, and he has no allegiance to anyone. Ten grand is a lot of money when you don’t have any.

Fluffysmom: I understand Jack taking the money as a way to have some financial independence from Eve. I'm glad he was honest about taking the money.

Christine: I don’t blame Jack for taking the money. Chad certainly has it to give, Jack kept his end of the bargain, and it’s the quickest way for Jack to get independent of Eve whom he’s beginning to realize he can’t completely trust.

What is Haley’s secret and why is Trask so desperate to keep it hidden?

Jack: Isn't the fact that Haley is related to Trask enough of a secret? I really don't care about her secret or Trask's drama.

Trask is so unlikeable and I'm not happy that she's been given a role beyond being irritating in the courtroom every now and then. And Haley was an irritating enough addition to the cast without being related to her too.

Tinab: I can’t figure this one out at all, I have nothing. JJ is one of my favorite characters though, so I am glad he has a storyline.

Fluffysmom: Unless Haley was involved in something illegal I don't see why Trask is desperate to keep the secret. Trask doesn't seem to care that the secret led to Haley's suicide attempt.

Christine: Haley’s a bore and I can’t stand Trask so I’m not sure I really care but I have two theories.

First, that Haley is really Melinda’s daughter whom she had her parents raise and pretended the child was her sister or…Haley was born in another country and is here illegally, which could hurt Melinda’s career if it ever got out.

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

Jack: Trask's reaction to Haley's suicide attempt was cold even for her. Her sister tells her she tried to kill herself and her reaction was to worry about keeping her secret and not about her sister's well-being and then tell her thirty seconds later she wants her to move out of her house ASAP!

The writing not taking suicide seriously is bad enough without that. Also, Hope's continued corrupt behavior is annoying, and I can't believe Gabi threatened to kill Julie again! Who thought that was at all entertaining?

Tinab: The Will/Sonny story is boring right now and I’m not enjoying it at all. Hope and Rafe aren’t exciting either.

Fluffysmom: A brand new character having a big secret. I'd much rather see stories for characters I care about.

Christine: That Melinda Trask is getting more air time. The character is like fingernails on a blackboard to me.

Also, Hope is willing to make a deal with Stefan, the man who’s responsible for Steve being arrested, in order to get Ben away from Ciara. I used to love Hope but she’s become a horrible excuse for a cop.

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

Jack: The Deveraux family dinner scenes were all great, and I was thrilled that we not only got a story about their shared past but a mention of JJ playing the guitar! It's funny that it took amnesiac Jack for the writers to remember that as a teenager JJ was obsessed with playing and was thinking about majoring in music in college.

Tinab: Jack is my favorite right now. I loved him before, and now every scene with him was good!!

Fluffysmom: I enjoyed the Deveraux family dinner and I was amused seeing Leo panting after Xander.

Christine: Absolutely Jack and the Deveraux family dinner. Amnesia is an old, overdone, soap opera trope but Jack and Jennifer are breathing new life into it and making it more enjoyable than I ever expected.

Want to chat more about all the happenings in Salem? Check out Jack Ori’s weekly Days of Our Lives review here at TV Fanatic.