Days of Our Lives Gave Us Four Exits, a Baby Name, a New Mystery and More!

Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI

This week’s episodes of Days of our Lives left us with more questions than answers… including when some of our favorites will return, whether we just met Allie’s babydaddy and — perhaps most important of all — why the heck does Gwen hate Abigail so much? There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dive in! 

Sorry, I Must Be Going!

Salem might feel a little empty next week, given how many people left town over the past few days! Eric jetted off to Africa, Sami headed for Rome, Hope went looking for Ciara, and Ben — poor, poor Ben — followed after finally being clued in to the fact that his wife might not be dead after all! This was one of those scenarios where we knew the exits were coming, but they still hit us sort of hard. Eric leaving didn’t particularly make a lot of sense — did he think that things were going swell in those poor African villages since he left? (When he was told the area had been hit by both ebola and an earthquake, all we could think was, “Well, that’s 2020 for ya!”) Now we simply sit back and wait to see if Eric returns with a new face — 10 possible recasts here — or suffers one of those off-screen deaths, complete with air quotes, which are so popular on soaps. After all, Nicole isn’t going to simply sit home raising those two kids by herself! She’s got a lot of living to do!

Sami’s departure was a little easier to take for a few reasons. Mainly, because we know Alison Sweeney will be coming back soon. (As Lucas told his departing ex, “Things are a lot less interesting when you’re not around!”) What really surprised us about Sami and Allie’s final scenes were just how incredibly moving they were, thanks in no small part to a script which really spoke to the complicated nature of not only their relationship, but, as Sami said, “this thing between mothers and daughters.”

“There were times I thought I would never speak to my mother again,” admitted Sami. “But every time I needed her, she was right there for me. She is always there for me, just like I will always be there for you, Allie.” Admit it: When Allie stopped her mom from walking out, ran into her arms and declared, “I love you, too!” you were weeping. It’s OK. We all were.

Who’s Your Daddy?

Meanwhile, Allie’s baby finally got a name (Henry Lucas Horton), so we’ll have to stop referring to him as Kiddo. And by all appearances, he also got a daddy. Sure, that Friday-episode-ending cross between Tripp and Allie might have been nothing but a coincidence, but seeing as it came immediately after Nicole chatted up Henry about his pop, that seems pretty unlikely. (On an unrelated and possibly scandalous note, did anybody else spend the entire Kayla/Tripp scene thinking they should make out? It’s not the first time we’ve noticed the inappropriate chemistry between Steve’s wife and son, and it probably won’t be the last!)

In other news, the show seems to have shelved the “Gwen drugs Abby” story in favor of a longer-term “Gwen destroys Abby’s life for reasons that are as of this moment entirely unclear” story. Honestly, we’re kinda thrilled that this didn’t turn out to be a case of Gwen simply acting on Rolf’s orders. Much as we love the guy, we’re more than ready to take a break from brain chips and the other types of plots which tend to be associated with Stefano’s henchman. (We’re also still kinda hoping that the show explores the idea of two Abigails — one real, one a reflection — as was toyed with this week!)

If Days of our Lives suffered from a problem this week, it might have been that there was too much going on! Think about it: On top of the stories mentioned above, Bonnie kissed Justin, John continued to berate his loved ones, Xander and Philip plotted against one another, Jan bonded with Claire, Kristen dealt with the consequences of her actions, Lani and Eli worked out their marital issues… that’s an awful lot to pack into a week! On the other hand, it somehow didn’t feel as if any of those stories got the short end of the stick. That’s a lot to balance, but the show managed it pretty darn well.

What’s your take on Gwen’s true motives? Do you really think Tripp is Allie’s babydaddy? Should we keep calling Henry Lucas “Kiddo”? Hit the comments with your take on this week’s actions, then be sure to sign up for the Soaps.com newsletter so you’ll be the first to see next week’s biggest stories!