Days of Our Lives Evaluation for the Week of 8-14-23: Victor Swan Music Was a Lovely Tribute

The week we dreaded lastly got here, and it was as lovely because it was heartbreaking.

Since John Aniston’s dying in November of 2022, followers knew that Days of Our Lives would ultimately have to write down his iconic character out.

And on Days of Our Lives throughout the week of 8-14-23, Victor’s household realized he had perished in a airplane crash, sending shockwaves of grief and guilt all through most of Salem.

I used to be skeptical of the thought of Victor dying in a airplane crash. It appeared pointless, contemplating the character had suffered a number of strokes, and it appeared extra probably he’d have one other one in his sleep and by no means get up.

Which may have been exhausting to drag off since Aniston was lengthy gone by the point these scenes have been filmed, and it would not have been satisfying for that sort of dying to be off-screen. However on paper, it sounded extra respectful and lifelike than Victor’s airplane taking place over the Mediterranean.

Victor’s exit sequence labored much better than I anticipated. When Victor’s airplane went down, his household clung to hope that he’d in some way survived, however viewers knew he hadn’t, making the invention that he was gone extra painful.

And to make issues worse, airplane crashes resulting in survivors being caught on an island are a cleaning soap opera trope; everyone knows that if Aniston have been nonetheless with us, Victor would ultimately transform doing a Robinson Crusoe imitation.

The state of affairs additionally launched a little bit of a thriller. Victor had left Bo’s bedside for components unknown and allegedly appeared to have the load of the world on his shoulders.

Followers are as anxious to be taught what he had been as much as and whether or not his airplane had been sabotaged as his household is.

That thriller should wait; first, we needed to get by way of two days of flashbacks and tributes, with extra to return subsequent week.

That is accurately. Victor Kiriakis was one among Salem’s most iconic residents, and if anybody deserved this kind of send-off, it was him. He touched individuals’s lives in numerous methods. However nobody may truthfully say he hadn’t affected them in any respect.

Whether or not you liked him or hated him, you needed to admit, there was solely, and ever will likely be, one Victor Kiriakis.

Kate

Days of Our Lives did a unbelievable job encompassing who Victor was. Many individuals had combined emotions about him or knew they’d miss him terribly regardless of their usually adversarial relationship with him.

Steve was the bluntest, asking Kayla point-blank if it was so dangerous that Victor died.

Whereas Steve had his share of run-ins with the previous Victor, it appeared just like the ice had thawed lately, and Steve was greater than prepared to achieve out to Shane to search out out if there was any information in regards to the Kiriakis patriarch’s disappearance.

Nonetheless, his response was sincere, resulting in some unbelievable flashbacks that newer followers might by no means have seen.

Days of Our Lives additionally outdid itself with its tribute to Suzanne Rogers, which it principally built-in into Maggie’s grief over Victor’s dying earlier than giving us some bonus clips on the finish of Friday’s episode.

All the things that makes you cry immediately,will consolation you tomorrow, and in years to return will deliver you pleasure.

Julie

If Victor had been alive, he and Maggie would in all probability have talked about how glad they have been to have discovered one another, and we nonetheless would have had loads of flashbacks. However Maggie’s dialog with Julie about dropping two husbands was simply essentially the most emotional a part of a heartbreaking week.

Xander, Bonnie, Justin, Brady, and Shawn additionally grieved in their very own methods, demonstrating their difficult relationship with Victor and their deep love for him.

John Aniston was beloved by lots of his co-stars, so the characters’ grief over dropping Victor probably mirrored their real-life heartbreak over dropping his portrayer.

Shawn’s insistence on blaming himself for Victor’s dying and operating off to the closest bar will get an enormous, fats F.

Everybody grieves in a different way, however this was an annoying step backward in an irritating storyline.

The Shawn-as-alcoholic story by no means rang true — it appeared extra probably that Brady would hit the bottle after Victor died or due to different stress in his life — and its resurgence now detracts from the in any other case fantastic manner that Victor’s dying has been dealt with.

In each actual life and fiction, individuals suppose all kinds of issues which have little resemblance to actuality, however Shawn’s insistence that everybody blames him for Victor’s dying appeared like a stretch.

It was additionally totally predictable that after once more pushing Belle away, Shawn made his method to a bar to drink.

It will have been a compelling twist if he’d as an alternative gone to Marlena’s for an emergency session or a help group assembly.

As an alternative, Victor’s dying is an excuse for Shawn to return to dangerous habits. That is doubly disappointing as a result of I loved sober Shawn going head-to-head with the performing mayor.

Rawlings: Are you accusing me of abusing my energy?
Shawn: I am not the one throwing round accusations.
Rawlings: I had what that girl did to me on tape!
Shawn: And I’ve precise assault victims whose instances I might like to unravel. So when you can go and act as mayor whereas I’m going and do my job, that might be nice.

If Rawlings finds out Shawn’s ingesting once more, he’ll use it in opposition to him, and that is not a compelling storyline.

It will be significantly better if Shawn stayed sober and helped examine what Victor was as much as and why his airplane went down. That thriller is value exploring!

Likelihood is, Victor was headed to Europe to go to Philip. Maggie would not know Philip is alive, so Victor would not inform her the place he was going, and if it seems that is why he was on that deadly airplane journey, Philip will give Shawn a run for his cash within the unearned guilt division.

Shawn placing Rawlings in his place earlier than studying about Victor’s dying was one of many week’s most satisfying scenes.

Rawlings: Are you accusing me of abusing my energy?
Shawn: I am not the one throwing round accusations.
Rawlings: I had what that girl did to me on tape!
Shawn: And I’ve precise assault victims whose instances I might like to unravel. So when you can go and act as mayor whereas I’m going and do my job, that might be nice.

Your entire Rawlings vs. Abe story’s already gotten out of hand. Something can and does occur in Salem. However Rawlings was unelected, and his appointment was short-term, and Abe needs to renew his duties as mayor, in order that must be that.

I do not purchase that he can determine that Abe is incompetent and that, anyway, he would not like Abe’s insurance policies, so he’ll simply reject Abe’s resolution to return and keep within the place himself.

Luckily, Abe’s persona is unbroken, so he is not accepting it both.

That disastrous press convention may have gone a special manner with some prior planning.

Abe rapidly realized all his pals’ and relations’ names, even when he did not keep in mind the individuals. If he needed to be mayor once more, he ought to have spent a couple of minutes on the town council web site memorizing names, which might have rapidly taken the wind out of Rawlings’ sails.

Somebody additionally ought to level out that amnesia is not a disqualification for political workplace in Salem.

Did not Jack serve half a time period, solely relinquishing the mayor’s workplace to Abe after he acquired his reminiscence again? If his lack of reminiscence did not make him unfit, why ought to Abe’s?

Abe and Paulina’s new plan is on the weird aspect. Why ought to Abe resign after appointing Paulina as his new deputy fairly than staying within the place and researching previous political points as wanted?

Going again to work would possibly spark Abe’s recollections anyway. Eventually, Abe all the time turns into mayor once more, so why ought to this time be any totally different?

Hopefully, when Abe will get his reminiscence again, he’ll clarify why he appointed Rawlings as Deputy Mayor within the first place for the reason that two agree on nothing, and it is extra probably than not that Appearing Mayor Rawlings is a racist.

The Johnny/Chanel/Talia triangle took an annoying flip elsewhere in Salem.

Marlena was proper to encourage Johnny to specific his emotions to Chanel, although giving the identical recommendation to 2 individuals occupied with the identical girl appeared ridiculous.

However Talia acquired there first, and Johnny slunk off with out saying a phrase.

It is exhausting responsible him for that. Johnny’s been on the dropping finish of two love triangles and has no need to be rejected but once more.

Nonetheless, Johnny and Chanel must be endgame. The Johnny/Wendy/Tripp story felt like a brief impediment for Johnny and Chanel, and now that Johny’s free, all that is left is for him and Chanel to confess they’re nonetheless in love.

However as an alternative of the payoff for sitting by way of the final terrible story, Johnny now has to deal with Chanel’s emotions for Talia.

Come on! It is a continuation of the identical downside with a special individual in the way in which—sufficient with the Johnny love triangle tales. Put Johnny with Chanel and transfer on already.

It is also not plausible that Chanel has woke up emotions in two ladies who previously recognized as straight.

There are closeted bi individuals on the earth, after all, and a few dwell in denial till they can not anymore. However the way in which that is written implies that Chanel has this superpower that turns straight ladies bi.

That is not how any of this works, and it isn’t a constructive illustration of bisexual individuals to repeatedly write tales that recommend individuals who previously thought they have been straight randomly grow to be bi after they experiment with a beautiful bi girl.

Elsewhere, Brady acted like an entire ass to attempt to cease Chloe from marrying Xander.

I beloved Chloe placing Brady in his place, and I did not thoughts Xander punching him. Normally, the macho fistfights over ladies worsen me, however Brady solely advised Xander he kissed Chloe to get a response.

He acquired one, and now Chloe is contemplating saying ‘sure’ to the proposal. After all, when Philip returns for Victor’s funeral, she might really feel in a different way.

Brady overheard, so his subsequent transfer is more likely to whine that Xander hit him, however hopefully, that will not work any higher than his different silly plans.

I am not even a Xander/Chloe shipper — that is acquired no future, and with Sarah returning, it is on its manner out anyway — however Brady is so obnoxious relating to Chloe that I am thrilled for his plans to fail.

He could not even hold the peace out of respect for the truth that Victor simply died. Sheesh.

Even that wasn’t as ridiculous because the Gwen/Dimitri/Leo nonsense. I do not know why Dimitri thought inviting Leo to remain on the similar lodge the place Gwen and Dimitri are honeymooning made sense.

There was by no means any manner Dimitri may get away with this. This foolish dishonest story must cease ASAP.

The perfect a part of this nonsense is Gabi’s try and get the reality out of Rachel. For as soon as, Rachel did what she was advised and saved her mouth shut, and Kristen walked in on Gabi attempting to control the key out of Rachel anyway.

Kristen likes to be the one one to control her daughter, so this must be enjoyable!

Your flip, Days of Our Lives fanatics. Hit the massive, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and tell us what you consider Victor’s send-off and the opposite tales this week!

Examine again on Sunday for our Days of Our Lives Spherical Desk dialogue for extra DAYS chat.

Days of Our Lives streams completely on Peacock. New episodes drop on weekday mornings at 6/5c.

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Jack Ori is a senior workers author for TV Fanatic. His debut younger grownup novel, Reinventing Hannah, is offered on Amazon. Observe him on Twitter.