I get that post-event letdowns are a thing, but I’ve actually found myself more engaged lately because of how layered the custody situation has become—especially now that it’s clearly operating as a power triangle between Sarah, Xander, and Philip.

It’s not just emotional fallout—it’s tactical. Sarah could take Xander down in court by exposing the assault, but she’d risk outing herself for covering Philip’s forged letter. Philip could side with Sarah and ruin Xander’s custody case, but that means exposing himself and risking Titan. Meanwhile, Xander and Philip could easily form a temporary alliance—bury the violence, protect the Titan partnership—and suddenly Sarah’s the one who looks unstable and compromised.

I appreciate the current dilemma because it explains why Sarah isn't holding the threat of community property against Xander in a way that feels honest, and not contrived based on his assumed power or wealth.  

What Xander uses in court will tell us everything about whether this story is meant to be balanced, or meant to humiliate Sarah. If he plays the Sarah-kept-her-pregnancy-a-secret card, she has every right to go after Titan. If he sticks to the fraud of Philip's letter, they’re on equal footing. But the show can't have it both ways.

That kind of storytelling—where no one can fully press their advantage without detonating something else—feels sharp, contained, and honestly kind of refreshing. It's not plotty in the old sense, but it is dramatic in a way that rewards attention.

If this is the direction we’re heading in under the current team, I’m paying attention.

HOWEVER, I wonder if the writers know how easily scenes with Felicity slip into infantilizing beats. I keep waiting for her to be treated like a woman in her 20s with an emotional interior, not just a workplace mascot. What would it look like if she were allowed to want respect from Chad and Xander, not a toy recycled as a gift meant for a baby.

Edited July 7Jul 7 by j swift

10 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Was it just my TV or was the audio not matching the actors movements today?

There did seem to be a lot of filler today though. And the whole Xander/Felicity thing has always been unnecessary.

I think with Xander/Felicity, the show knew they were going to take Xander down a dark path and are using Felicity thing to try and show a more remorseful Xander, perhaps sowing the seeds of a deeper friendship (since Jack was his only friend and is no longer on the canvas). We could’ve done without the blatant PSA that set stuff off, but I don’t mind it as long as it balances out his character in the end.

10 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

As for Julie and her necklace, this is another thing that's just not necessary. And definitely a Ron storyline that Paula/Jeanne should not have followed through on. 

A very understated Fourth of July for Salem this year, perhaps due to the loses of Doug and John.

However if there had been a Fourth of July event this year, a picnic with the Hortons and friends, I think it would have been the perfect setting to reveal the current owner of Julie’s necklace, with everyone in attendance connected to said character(Xander, Jack and Jenn included). JER would’ve milked the hell out of it, stakes and all back in the day. 

 

Edited July 7Jul 7 by MichaelGL

I find the Felicity/Xander stuff a bit preachy, but it doesn't bother me too much.  I can see how Felicity would feel infantilized by Xander's gift given the way I am sure some people treat her like a child due to her disability.  To be fair though Felicity is in high school, not in her 20's, and a lot of teenage girls like or collect stuffed animals.  Sophia had a stuffed bear on her bed.  Holly probably would have taken that stuffed dog, just saying lol.

I am confused about what Melinda's plan is.  I am sure we will find out, but are they going to Chicago to find an adoptive couple, saying Sophia had the baby, taking the baby back from Leo/Javi, then giving it away again? 

1 hour ago, MichaelGL said:

However if there had been a Fourth of July event this year, a picnic with the Hortons and friends, I think it would have been the perfect setting to reveal the current owner of Julie’s necklace, with everyone in attendance connected to said character(Xander, Jack and Jenn included). JER would’ve milked the hell out of it, stakes and all back in the day. 

I can even imagine it 😂

Gwen, strutting in, wearing the necklace and everybody stopping what they're doing and looking up in shock. 

End of episode.

I'm still not a fan of Gwen but that would've been pretty good. If only Days had money 😂😂

2 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Gwen, strutting in, wearing the necklace and everybody stopping what they're doing and looking up in shock. 

Is Gwen tall, or did the necklace look bigger and more garish on Melinda?

3 hours ago, carolineg said:

I am confused about what Melinda's plan is.  I am sure we will find out, but are they going to Chicago to find an adoptive couple, saying Sophia had the baby, taking the baby back from Leo/Javi, then giving it away again? 

Here's what I understand. Melinda and Sofia don't know that Leo has the baby, but they assume it has been placed in safe care and will be placed into foster care after 72 hours if one of the parents (aka Tate) doesn't claim it. So, Melinda wants Sofia to go to Chicago and come back in 72 hours saying she had the baby there, and it was adopted there. To prevent Tate from interfering with the safe haven process and allow it to be adopted. Most importantly, Melinda and Sofia don’t know the baby is at the Hernandez House—they think a random stranger took it in.

Edited July 8Jul 8 by j swift

15 minutes ago, j swift said:

Is Gwen tall, or did the necklace look bigger and more garish on Melinda?

Here's what I understand. Melinda and Sofia don't know that Leo has the baby, but they assume it has been placed in safe care and will be placed into foster care after 72 hours if one of the parents (aka Tate) doesn't claim it. So, Melinda wants Sofia to go to Chicago and come back in 72 hours saying she had the baby there, and it was adopted there. To prevent Tate from interfering with the safe haven process and allow it to be adopted. Most importantly, Melinda and Sofia don’t know the baby is at the Hernandez House—they think a random stranger took it in.

Wiki says Tina Huang is 5'5 1/2 and EOB is 5'6 so they are the same height.

The show said Sophia had 14 days to claim the baby and I assume that's still true.  I believe Sophia had the baby 2 days ago in Days time so they still have 12 days to wait.  Melinda also said it was only a day trip.  I doubt Amy Choi wouldn't notice her 9 month pregnant daughter gone for 3 days lol.

 

I thought Javi explained (like in real life) the parent has 72 hours to immediately reclaim the baby (no harm, no foul). Then a 14-day “cooling off” period of foster care before placing the baby for final adoption, which implies there's a second chance to rescind the abandonment, but this time it would need family court approval.

 

Either way, the point is to keep Sofia out of Tate's sight so she can give a reasonable explanation why he couldn't attend the birth of the baby. And, Melinda, Tate, Holly, and Sofia don't know the baby is the Hernandez house.

 

@carolineg and I may have difficulty reconciling the logical dissonance that keeps Sofia from telling the truth of the recent traumatic birth to Tate. Which makes it confusing because this is not how actual human 18-year-olds would react. But this is the best summary I can give based on what I saw.

51 minutes ago, carolineg said:

Wiki says Tina Huang is 5'5 1/2 and EOB is 5'6 so they are the same height

Thanks for that.  But, if they hadn't specifically implied Gwen was wearing Julie's necklace, would you have been able to recognize it?  Because it looks different than I recall from the scene with Melinda and Julie at the Bistro (RIP).

Edited July 8Jul 8 by j swift

6 minutes ago, j swift said:

I thought Javi explained (like in real life) the parent has 72 hours to immediately reclaim the baby (no harm, no foul). Then a 14-day “cooling off” period of foster care before placing the baby for final adoption, which implies there's a second chance to rescind the abandonment, but this time it would need family court approval.

 

Oh got you. I understood it as 14 days total to reclaim the baby.  I didn't realize there were different hoops to jump through between 72 hours and 14 days.

@carolineg To recap: mostly just for my own clarity. Sofia needs to keep Tate away from the baby for another 24 hours, to make it to 72 hours, so he won't reclaim the baby. BUT she doesn't know that baby is living at the Hernandez house for another 12 days, until it gets adopted. AND, if Tate finds out before Sofia that Leo and Javi have the baby, Sofia is concerned that Tate will mess up the chances of the baby getting adopted as soon as possible. OF COURSE, since it is a soap opera, this could all be avoided if Sofia told the truth and garnered sympathy for being a victim of a system that left her with no other viable choices but to abandon her baby after giving birth in her bedroom alone at 18. However, that would be inconvenient for the love story of Tate and Holly (a couple who has only been able to sustain a relationship for a few weeks when one of them wasn't in a coma, juvie, or in hiding on Smith Island).

One thing I keep circling back to is Melinda’s own background. She was 18 when she had her daughter. So why would she, of all people, suggest that a traumatized girl who just gave birth in her bedroom should hop on a bus to Chicago with a pillow under her shirt? If the goal is to delay Tate, wouldn’t hiding out in Melinda’s apartment make more sense? The plan doesn’t feel protective or strategic—it just feels narratively convenient. The plan’s only purpose is to mislead Amy and Tate about where the baby was born. But why does that require physical travel? Melinda could easily say Sofia took a bus to Chicago for a clinic appointment and went into labor—no need to actually go.

Edited July 8Jul 8 by j swift

I think Chicago is only 30 minutes from Salem.   At least that's what was mentioned about 10 years ago.

40 minutes ago, janea4old said:

I think Chicago is only 30 minutes from Salem.   At least that's what was mentioned about 10 years ago.

If Salem is actually based on Salem, Illinois, it would be over 4 hours to drive to Chicago. Technically there is an airport in real Salem, Illinois so that trip would only take about 30 minutes.  But none of this is real so who knows lol.

53 minutes ago, janea4old said:

I think Chicago is only 30 minutes from Salem.   At least that's what was mentioned about 10 years ago.

11 minutes ago, carolineg said:

If Salem is actually based on Salem, Illinois, it would be over 4 hours to drive to Chicago

I still don't know of any adult who would suggest that an 18-year-old who gave birth without medical supervision 48 hours ago should ride on a bus for any amount of time with a pillow stuffed down her pants. When logically, she should either hide out with Melinda. Or, simply tell the truth since she has nothing to be ashamed of, which Melinda is aware of as a former teen mother herself.

15 minutes ago, j swift said:

I still don't know of any adult who would suggest that an 18-year-old who gave birth without medical supervision 48 hours ago should ride on a bus for any amount of time with a pillow stuffed down her pants. When logically, she should either hide out with Melinda. Or, simply tell the truth since she has nothing to be ashamed of, which Melinda is aware of as a former teen mother herself.

I don't disagree.  I suppose Sophia wouldn't have to travel with her pillow since she would be with Melinda, as I was under the assumption Melinda was accompanying her.  Idk, I think we have to put some medical logic aside for this considering this is Days.  We still don't exactly what Melinda's plan is so there might be some method to the madness here.

8 hours ago, j swift said:

Is Gwen tall, or did the necklace look bigger and more garish on Melinda?

I don’t think it looks good on either of them 😂😂

Welcome back, Gwen... now go away 🖕

I love that Chad and Julie had no time for her crap.

Like I said yesterday, this all just seems so pointless and unnecessary. It would have made much more sense for them to have brought Theresa back full time. Not only could she be used effectively in Tate's storylines, but she could also play a big part in the Kiriakis family storylines as well. Knowing Ron, he probably just did this so that Gwen and Leo could become besties again, which honestly makes me sick and kinda pisses me off a little. That's the last thing that needs to happen. The more that I think about it, Gwen was probably just meant to be a big F U to Abigail, which was probably the reason why he discarded her so easily, and disgustingly, once Abigail was dead.

But now that they finally fired Ron's ass, and if we're stuck with Gwen, hopefully she makes Leo's life miserable. Maybe she'll pay a guy to seduce Javi away from him 😂😂

I admit I like seeing Javi in paramedic mode though. It adds more layers to his character, and it gets him out of that bubble that he's been stuck with Leo and the rest of the Hernandez's. Him and Kayla work well together too.

Alex and Stephanie were kinda sweet today, but also kinda boring lol. They really, really need some good conflict. 

And, while I didn't hate Rafe being such a gossip girl with Gabi and Arianna, I couldn't help but cringe a little too 😂😂

Edited July 8Jul 8 by AbcNbc247