Days of Our Lives’ Double Wedding Disaster Was Everything We Could Have Wanted — Only For the Week to End on a Flat Note

Credit: NBC screenshots (3)

Even if we saw a whole lot of Days of Our Lives‘ wedding drama coming, the way the soap unraveled it and gave us both comedy and pathos was nothing short of masterful. It didn’t hurt that the devil was mostly MIA. Now if only the show hadn’t ended such a strong week by leaving us with an incredibly icky feeling…

A Wedding Drag

I’ll be the first to admit that I was not expecting to enjoy that wedding nearly as much as I did. Heck, I’m even happy to overlook some oddities for the sake of the dramedy. Like why did the guys tell Justin to stall if they knew Craig and Leo’s marriage wouldn’t be valid even if it did go forward? Eh, who cares? Justin wasting time with guest commentary was funny and Chad bursting in at the last second with Jackie Cox made it more than worthwhile.

“Look, Craig, I have no idea how she got my high school report card, but I swear I’ve turned my life around since that F in art class!”

Credit: NBC screenshot

I wasn’t sure exactly how they were going to split Craig and Leo – the whole wedding being a con seemed likely, though that prenup confused things a bit — but Leo and Jackie marrying to give the Canadian drag queen a green card was a fun twist. And the audience reactions, from Chloe’s jaw dropping at Jackie’s entrance, to Jack’s response to Jennifer asking if the whole debacle was real — “I don’t know, but I find this strangely riveting!” — capped off one of the most amusingly entertaining episodes the show has had for a while.

Craig’s very real heartbreak at the end, though, no matter how much Leo protested that he really did fall in love, brought things back to earth and set us up for much darker reveals in day two of the wedding disaster.

Losing It All

Gwen’s turn at public excoriation was everything you could want in a soap. Abigail unspooled Gwen’s web of lies with the practiced storytelling panache of a seasoned reporter. The show paced it all perfectly as she slowly built on her half-sister’s misdeeds. By the time she was done, Gwen had lost everyone, from Jack telling her he was not her father, to Xander, of all people, calling her the worst person he’d ever met.

All Gwen wants is to be loved! Is that so horrible? Lying, assaulting, kidnapping and drugging aside…

Credit: NBC screenshot

I know everyone hates Jack’s eldest daughter (or non-daughter according to him) and all the horrible things she’s done, but Emily O’Brien deserves so much credit for tearing at our hearts as Gwen’s world crumbled around her. Say what you will, but Gwen’s far from a one-dimensional villain and her pain as her chance to be loved slipped from her fingers was palpable.

Plus, she had a point that Abigail wasn’t trying to get justice but was — perhaps understandably, considering all Gwen has put her through —self-righteously relishing in revenge and publicly humiliating her sister. Either way, the encounter was riveting.

That last line Gwen dropped about killing Laura on purpose, though… Whew. It’ll be interesting to see where that goes. Was she lying to hurt Abigail back or did she just reveal to her sister that she’s not just a schemer, but also a cold-blooded killer?

Mismatched Couples

Bonnie and Nancy finding a date for the wedding was a hoot, and I loved how in a world where people are so used to just Googling things online, Nancy revealed she’d been researching failed marriages by reading a ton of books. Clyde, though — oh honey, no. Anyone but him. Granted, the man pretty much did and said all the right things during the date, but he is a horrible, drug-dealing monster with a history of abusing his kids — if not more.

“Wait, Clyde’s done what? I’m not that desperate, Bonnie!”

Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI

Eric and Nicole didn’t get a ton of screen-time this week, but we’re already feeling bad for poor Rafe. He doesn’t stand a chance in the face of Nicole’s chemistry with her ex. It was nice, though, seeing the tight-laced cop let down his hair, as it were, a bit with Gabi and toast to Ava’s downfall. Far too prematurely, naturally.

Bigger Fish to Fry?

I get that Gwen’s crimes — assaulting and kidnapping Abigail, keeping mum on Sarah’s whereabouts and drugging her a second time — are terrible, but I don’t know that I buy that she’s a higher profile case for Trask than busting the Vitali mob princess. Ava went after a cop. Law enforcement does not take kindly to that.

“Hello? Do you deliver ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ cards? I’ve got some lives to ruin.”

Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI

Plus, Ava wasn’t an innocent bystander in Abigail’s kidnapping and she, too, knew about Sarah. Even as an accessory, her crimes were pretty horrible. But freeing Ava to get steamy with Jake and, presumably, go after Gabi should make things interesting.

Devil of a Return

Satan popped back up on Friday and it made me realize why I had been enjoying the show so much — it was his first appearance the entire week. We got most of our drama by watching two relationships spectacularly implode, undone for the first time in what feels like ages not by some mysterious supernatural force for reasons unknown, but because of characters’ own misdeeds.

“I promise this will all be over soon. Your pregnancy, I mean, when you give birth. This devil business isn’t going anywhere.”

Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI

Speaking of reasons unknown: what is the devil trying to accomplish with all the taunting and knife twisting? At least Johnny got some TV while he’s in the crypt. Could’ve left the poor guy with a remote, at least, as he watched Chanel and Tripp hook up. The good news is, it looks like we may finally be getting close to an end to Satan’s reign, as spoilers indicate he reveals his plan to Ben next week. (I know, I know, how many times have we thought the end was near?)

A Greater Evil

It was lovely seeing Paulina and Abe back together, even if just momentarily, but TR’s plan to worm his way back into her graces and take her for her money better not work. Paulina letting her abuser back into her life even this much still rankles me. And that kiss between them practically deflated all the goodwill I was feeling towards the show after such an amazing week.

TR is far, far scarier than the devil ever will be.

Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI

And while TR’s Jekyll and Hyde act continues to chill, his encounter with Beth was… odd. He all but told her he shot Eli, then when she echoed it, he growled and lunged at her, demanding she mind her own business. What? Maybe he was just acting confusingly erratic due to being, as Beth noted, “high as a kite.” Now to see if she spills the beans right away or decides to keep it to herself for some awful reason.

Stray Thoughts

• Is it just me, or was all of Ben and Ciara’s talk about naming their kid and remembering Bo getting everyone hyped for his and Hope’s Beyond Salem return?

• Jackie’s “Hold my purse, Mary Poppins” to Gwen made me chuckle. I’m going to assume the two had met through Leo “Matty” in Philly and that’s how Ms. Cox knew Gwen was English since the bride hadn’t said a word.

OK, no offense, Jackie, but we all know Mary Poppins has the cooler purse.

Credit: NBC screenshot

More: Is this the beginning of the end for Gwen?

• Jackie’s telling Craig that Leo “thinks you’re good looking, for your age,” on the other hand… Ouch.

• Where was Sonny? He was the one who pushed Chad to try this one last desperate effort to take Leo down, but he didn’t want to be there to watch it happen? What, was he too overcome with excitement? Then again, it kind of feeds into our theory that “Chabby” might have just put themselves in the crosshairs.

• Speaking of “Chabby,” they were such a cute couple throughout the wedding. Everything from Chad bursting in and stopping to tell his wife how amazing she looked to those adorably proud glances they exchanged as Abigail went off on Gwen were making me swoon.

We won’t be getting any honeymoons, but you can still take a vacation or two with our photo gallery of daytime’s greatest location shoots!