DAYS OF OUR LIVES: 2023 Best & Worst

After Bo (Peter Reckell) surfaced alive at the end of BEYOND SALEM, CHAPTER 2, excited fans of one of DAYS’s most beloved supercouples were eagerly awaiting an eventual Bo and Hope (Kristian Alfonso) reunion. Unfortunately, when the soap picked up where the special left off, the Bo that emerged wasn’t the hero who had “died” in Hope’s arms. The new, brainwashed Bo was obsessed with power and his Kiriakis roots. Instead of putting Hope in Bo’s path from the jump, the show curiously played him heavily in scenes with sister Kayla. When Hope finally entered the chat, things came to a head on a mountaintop in Greece, where Bo pulled a gun on his No. 1 love. And just when he had total recall about his past and cried out “Fancy Face” — a sure sign the real Bo was back — Shawn came upon the fraught scene with his parents and shot Bo to keep him from harming Hope, putting Bo in a coma, where he’s lingered ever since. Although the fan-favorite pair did have a romantic fantasy reunion, it wasn’t nearly enough, leaving Bo and Hope fans sadly disappointed by the wasted opportunity … and still yearning for a happily ever after.

Saying a proper good-bye to a legendary character and actor is no small feat, but DAYS delivered beautifully with its scripted farewell to Victor and his portrayer, John Aniston. The Kiriakis patriarch’s funeral was small, yet graceful. The soap brought back key cast and characters (Philip, Chelsea, Sonny, Theresa) for the occasion, while current Salem-ites like Victor’s grieving widow, Maggie (Suzanne Rogers, r.), who clutched her wedding photo and reminisced about her husband, and his nephew, Justin (Wally Kurth, l.), who led the service honoring the life of his uncle, were given poignant roles to play. A montage of Victor flashbacks over the decades highlighted his opulent life, loves and offspring, and the memorial ended with a twist when Vivian charged in, claiming to be Victor's legal wife. Fans had to brace themselves emotionally for this arc, given how little we relished the permanence of the loss of Aniston that Victor's death represented, but DAYS made it worth the heartache.

It’s long been a head-scratcher why Belle (Martha Madison), the daughter of John and Marlena, and Shawn (Brandon Beemer), the son of Bo and Hope, aren’t treated as A-list players in the Salemverse. Instead, the legacy offspring were once again shuttled out of town with zero fanfare. Beemer arguably did the best work of his career in the wake of Shawn shooting Bo only to see his alter ego abruptly dispatched to an outpatient rehab facility; it's a true shame that fans didn't get to see the character work through and conquer his addiction on screen. As for poor Belle, she was simply on the canvas one day and not on it the next — no splashy on-screen sendoff, not even a proper good-bye with her parents or brothers, Eric and Brady. A couple of Shawn and Belle’s importance, and actors who've made important, decades-long contributions like Beemer and Madison, deserved more than this haphazard treatment — more story, more airtime, and at the very least, a more satisfying departure. Or, even better, they both could have stuck around Salem where they belong.

It appeared DAYS had the makings of an interesting triangle with widower Chad, sweet Stephanie and carefree playboy Alex; sadly, it never actually took flight. The problem — and it's a big one — is that there was never compelling rooting value for either pair. When Steph and Alex’s burgeoning romance blew up in the wake of his shenanigans while Kayla was “dying”, she pivoted to Chad and they became an insta-couple. They barely went on any dates, and viewers never got to witness a genuine love, let alone a genuine love story, develop between them. Suddenly, though, the two moved in together along with Chad’s children, and awkward conversations about marriage ensued even as he was still clearly mourning late wife Abigail. By the time the arrival of Stephanie's ex Everett sent Chad’s jealousy into overdrive and split the pair, viewers were mostly just glad that something pulled the plug on a pairing that just wasn't working.

DAYS always has at least a few strong contenders in this category, thanks to the more outrageous elements of the show's writing. But this year's batty plot, where Kayla, Marlena and Kate "died" after being poisoned by Orpheus, really stretched the boundaries of credulity. As we watched their devastated families mourn their senseless deaths, the ladies lingered in a confusing afterlife that featured heavenly white clouds, mentions of the in-between, and various incarnations of Satan. That is, until the next convoluted twist: the trio woke up in cryogenic chambers in a lab, where they were being held captive by the evil Megan. The ensuing weeks featured the women trying to send psychic messages to their husbands while they fought to free themselves and return home. Eventually, Kate escaped, John saved Marlena, and Kayla was kidnapped by her suddenly alive brother, Bo, before being rescued by Chad and Stephanie. With that, the months-long drama was finally over — with little lasting impact on any of the characters.

Just when the audience was trying to figure out how to feel about Sloan, her sleazy brother Colin (Jasper Newman) came to town, determined to exact revenge on Chanel for her past, off-camera transgressions (sleeping with his dad and playing an accidental role in his mother's demise). It was hard enough to invest in his vendetta, and his gross manipulation of lovesick girlfriend Talia (who, as Jada’s sister, seemed like a promising addition to the canvas) only made the situation worse. It all led to a silly biscuit-drugging caper, designed to destroy Chanel’s bakery, and a contrived rooftop climax that had Colin sought to push Chanel to her death, but rendered Abe amnesiac in the process. The only bright spot about the story is that it wrapped up relatively quickly, with Colin being shipped off to the slammer. But what was the point of his presence — to have Eric impregnate Nicole while under the influence of the tainted biscuits? Ultimately, we feel the screen time given to Colin screen could have been put to far better use.

Eric (Greg Vaughan, r.) and Nicole’s (Arianne Zucker) on-again, off-again relationship got a sudden shot in the arm by adding Sloan (Jessica Serfaty) and EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) into the mix. Eric turned to the town's vixenish legal eagle in the wake of Marlena's "death", while Nicole found herself drawn back to her ex, EJ, in a way that felt organic. But the "Ericole" pull will always be there, so thanks to some tainted biscuits, the two fell into each other's arms, which left Nicole pregnant with his child. In true soap fashion, Sloan — determined to keep Eric for herself as their relationship became more serious and she miscarried his child — tampered with the DNA tests to name EJ, not Eric, the dad. The complications deepened when not only did both couples marry, but Sloan took a page from Nicole's playbook and agreed to Melinda's plan to pass off Eric and Nicole's bio baby as hers and Eric's. The calculated switcheroo has not only intensified the drama between all of them, but has added shades to Sloan — guilt, remorse — that we haven't previously seen. It's anyone's guess who will ultimately end up with whom, but this much is a sure bet: It's only going to get messier from here.

John Black’s (Drake Hogestyn, l.) identity has changed multitude times over the decades, some versions more wild and convoluted than others, but DAYS finally it right by bringing on Dick Van Dyke as John's long-lost dad, Timothy Robicheaux. The legendary film and TV star was utterly charming from the moment he and his twinkly eyes arrived at Salem University Hospital as an amnesiac. Van Dyke’s scenes with everyone he crossed paths were magical, whether his character was flirting with the town’s female cops, receiving counsel from Marlena, or two-stepping with Julie. But, ultimately, it was the revelation that Timothy and John were father and son that stole the show. The real-life friendship between Van Dyke and Drake Hogestyn resonated in their fictional connection, and though their time together was limited, it packed a big emotional punch.