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Steve and Kayla's intruder is going to turn out to be Tripp, isn't it? Which means he is almost certainly Allie's baby daddy and........yawn, I just fell asleep. I don't know why they are bothering with this stupid custody trial when we know Allie is going to turn up soon and want the kid back. Also, based on spoilers it seems like the trial is all about Sami outing some of Nicole's bad deeds. I've got no problem with that, but it just seems weird and anaemic that Sami and Eric's bad deeds are not going to be outed too. If we have to be subjected to this stupid trial, at least make it entertaining and turn it into an all-out free for all. We could probably have one full episode dedicated solely to both sides just lobbing shit at each other. "She was a pornstar...she tried to sell her sister on the black market...he killed someone driving under the influence...she stole a baby...she lied about the paternity of her child for years and has switched numerous paternity tests...he's a mopey buzzkill...she dated Daniel...she married the guy who raped her in person and by proxy...he dated Jennifer." And let me guess, Ron is going to have Sami cry and act shocked when Eric gets pissed at her for the courtroom shenanigans. Sami is also going to cry and act shocked when Allie turns up and is pissed at her for not abiding by her wishes regarding the baby. This whole visit has been an endless cycle of 1) "Hurricane Sami" blunders all over town like a bull in a china shop doing things she knows her family members will not like 2) Sami tries to hide her actions from said family members 3) Sami cries and begs for forgiveness when her actions are inevitably discovered and said family members bitch her out. Find a new tune!

Sami railing against Evil John Black had gone on for about 5 years too long back during the Salem Stalker days, when she was convinced he was the killer. It's certainly well past its used by date in 2020! Also, I guess we know where Allie got her manners from. It seems both mother and daughter like to screech at family relatives who are graciously giving them free accommodation. I am a little confused about the Marlena/Kate spoiler though. Does Marlena think Eric and Nicole should have the kid and Kate is pushing for Lucas/Sami to take custody? Or are Lucas and Sami fighting each other with Kate supporting Lucas and Marlena supporting Sami? Or is Lucas going to support Eric and Nicole due to Allie's note?

Yeah, if Tripp is the father that’s boring as hell. Two unrelated adults had consentual sex - how scandalous! Apart from Tripp going through Horton/Brady family members like he’s Brooke Logan (that would mean he’s hooked up with Claire, Allie and Ciara right?) who cares? I’d almost rather they make Philip the father and deal with the consequences of incestuous uncle fucking - at least that might have a chance of being interesting lol!

Do you think Sami ever told Allie and Johnny the real circumstances of their conception? Or do you think she fudged it a bit because otherwise it'd be kind of hard to explain why she kept willingly getting involved with EJ later? Yeah, I have to think Allie doesn't know that EJ raped Sami. I mean, given all the complaining Allie has been doing about her shitty childhood, you would think she would have mentioned it in one of her rants. In fact, I would say that would actually be a very legitimate gripe for her to raise with Sami and Lucas. Sami making Allie live with a rapist step-father is pretty horrifying, and Lucas not going to court to try and stop Allie from having to live with said rapist step-father is also terrible!

You would hope a LOT of people have a problem with her deciding to keep her baby. Anyone who would essentially abandon it, leaving a note, has absolutely no business thinking they can raise a child Lucas and Sami have been pretty vocal about wanting Allie to keep her baby. So if, after holding the kid, she grew attached and decided not to put it up for adoption, I don't see why they wouldn't support her change of heart. I also don't think the rest of the Horton/Brady clan would have an issue with Allie keeping the baby either. Allie has definitely been acting like an immature brat, but up until now she hasn't actually done anything that would put her parental rights in jeopardy. Even next week when she apparently runs off and leaves her baby at the hospital, aren't most hospitals "safe drop" zones or whatever that mothers can hand off a baby to without repercussion if they don't want to keep their child? Now, she might have an issue if she subsequently comes back and wants to re-establish / keep parental rights, but this is Salem lol. Rapists, drug dealers and murderers never seem to have problems having custody of their kids, so an immature 22 y/o who regrets an impulsive and bone headed decision probably won't have too much trouble. Especially since Allie is a rich white girl who probably has a bunch of family members willing to lend a hand. I'm guessing all she would have to do is take one parenting class and the Salem courts would say she was good to go lol.

Where is Lucas in all this Allie baby drama? I really hope he's not offscreen for this fight over the baby because that would be ludicrous. Also, the only way the Allie stuff makes even the tiniest bit of sense to me is if EJ is the father. It would at least explain why Allie ran away, was deadset on not telling Sami, why she refuses to tell anyone who the father is, and why she appears to run off after bonding with her baby (instead of deciding to keep it - which no one would have a problem with).

For me, the dumbest thing about the Allie storyline is that there seems to be no legitimate reason why Allie didn't get an abortion the second she found out she was pregnant. She has been presented as a spoiled party girl who liked running around London with no responsibilities, didn't want a job, and had a complicated relationship with her parents (especially with her mother - who she kind of hates). She has not expressed any interest in keeping the baby, and has been very firm that she didn't want Sami anywhere near the kid to screw up its life. So with that being said, why on earth didn't Allie get an abortion so she could continue her carefree life? I have seen no evidence that she would avoid abortion for religious reasons, especially since she did raise it as an option (even though she was a few weeks out from giving birth). As presented, it seems much more in character for Allie to get an abortion, then rub Sami's face in it and tell her that she got said abortion specifically to deprive Sami of another grandchild lol. I also think Ron has screwed up by writing Sami as a bad mother (for no real reason) with her dragging the kids all over Europe for this EJ quest. She could have been based in France or wherever and had DiMera goons doing the legwork, but instead they have practically had Sami on the run for the past 6 years. It's made even stupider by the fact that EJ being alive has had no impact on anything since he's never around, and also that Sami for some bizarre reason always left her kids behind when she came to Salem. Like ... Will died, was resurrected and then was dying again and Sami apparently never thought it was appropriate to bring Will's siblings to Salem? Makes no sense. Ron retconning Sami happily moving to LA and not caring too much that EJ was dead, and instead having her drag the kids all over Europe for no reason, was terrible for her character. It's also stupid that they have written Allie as (understandably) hating her life on the run with Sami putting finding EJ over her kid's happiness, yet they never had Allie leave Sami until she was 22. Based on what we know, 16 y/o Allie should have run away to Salem to live with Lucas, having had enough of Sami's shit. Lucas would surely have been happy to have her, and they could have even had her twin come and visit sometimes to bring him into things. The could have gone the tried and true Psycho Surrogate route, who falls in love with Sonny since she is carrying his kid. Then Psycho plots to gaslight Will and Sonny and break them up (because she is delusional and doesn't see Sonny being gay as an impediment), forcing Will to go into reporter mode to dig dirt on the surrogate and scheme to expose her.

Honestly, I have a hard time sympathising with anyone in this whole Allie baby story. Allie - Despite being 22 and a college graduate, she is acting more like a 16 y/o. She doesn't want her parents to know she's knocked up, yet decides to run away to the small town where 100 of her relatives live. Most of her dialogue involves screeching at or about her parents in a very Sami-like way. Remember when Sami went through a phase when every second word out of her mouth was a rant about Evil John Black? Allie has obviously inherited this single minded ranting and it is no less annoying. Sami - As per usual under Ron, she has no nuance and is 100% Hurricane Sami, almost a carton really. Despite being told by Allie that she didn't want Sami to "take over" the baby/pregnancy, Sami immediately sprints over to Rafe to do her best Julie impression and meddle in the possible adoption, then confides in Will for absolutely no reason at all and makes him complicit in this action she knows Allie will hate. Then, after acting like the buttinksi Allie didn't want her to be, Sami is shocked that Allie picks Nicole to be her birth coach. Teenage Sami would have hatched a way better scheme to ensure Allie picked Will over Rafe to adopt the baby. Will - Is rushing headlong into trying to adopt his sister's baby with absolutely no indication that the father wants to give up parental rights. Probably something that he should consider given he has experience with this issue as a baby himself and with Ari. Also doesn't seem to have given any thought as to how the adoption would work and what boundaries they would have with Allie, plus he has been a bit creepy with his "no pressure (except...pressure)" schtick. Is too dumb to realise Sami's actions with Rafe will piss Allie off and eventually come out, so he fails to use the situation to his advantage by "dobbing" on Sami to Allie. Lucas is the only one who seems to have a modicum of sense about this. He has flagged the baby's father and his rights (even though no one seems to listen to him), and while he doesn't want Rafe to adopt the baby he knows Sami's bull in a china shop approach is the wrong move since Allie has specifically stated that she wants Sami to back off.

I admit I have always had a soft spot for Lumi, and I found it revolting that Sami ended up married to her rapist, but I totally agree that a Lumi affair would be classic soap. There two have almost 30 years of history to mine so it could be really juicy. Plus, like you said, EJ is possibly still a dried up bit of crispy fried chicken with penis problems, so Sami could be super horny. Give us some scheming Will blackmailing his parents (in a lighthearted way), and purposely baiting them in front of Kate and Marlena etc. by dropping double entendres and making them squirm. Then, considering tween Will really wanted Lumi to get married and be a "normal" family, maybe call back to that and have him start to enjoy the family vibe and decide to switch up his scheming to encourage them to get together for real. Give us some old school Lumi bickering where they each blame the other for initiating the sex and being caught/blackmailed Will. Maybe call back to some of their fights from years ago when they each accused the other of initiating the Titan photo lab sex. Have them hatch a scheme to try to get some dirt on Will to counter the blackmail, which leads to them falling into bed again. There's so much fun stuff Ron could do, but all that will happen is that Sami will be non-stop dialed up to 1000 and a total caricature and Lucas will keep getting harassed by his rapist. Joy.

If Lucas is only back for a short visit, then I can see why they don’t want to invest in a serious love interest for him. Although these wacky hijinks with his rapist are not the way to go! Frankly, it would be much more soapy if Lucas and Sami had an affair while they were both in town. Their chemistry is still great, and they were always “breaking the bed” back in the day, so I could easily see them bonding over the Allie situation and falling into bed. If they want wacky hijinks have Will walk in on them the morning after and tease them about it, and maybe force his parents to perform some embarrassing tasks / stunts in exchange for keeping quiet.

So, is Allie giving birth like 3 months early, or are they already SORAS-ing her pregnancy lol? Wasn't it implied she still had a couple of months to go when she first showed up, given her claim that she was just under the abortion cutoff?

I can’t believe Sami is coming back to town and she is not going to do anything to Ben. Like, Ron is having her get into it with Nicole, but she is going to leave her son’s murderer alone? I would think it more in character if Sami teamed up with Lucas and Kate to come up with a scheme to kill/hurt/destroy Ben.

Seriously, is pretty much everyone leaving this show? So far we know Will, Sonny, Gabi and Rafe are leaving right? And this is apparently going to leave us with a Chad/Abby/Stefan triangle, Cin and Elani I guess? Yikes!!!

Allie giving up her baby to Will and Sonny seems like a disaster waiting to happen, any way you look at it. If she wants a traditional closed adoption where she has no contact with the kid, then giving it to her brother who she now lives in the same small town as is not a good move. She's liable to see the kid every day in the town square, which can't be good for her mental health and moving on with her life. Alternatively, if she wants some form of open adoption where the kid knows she is the bio mother, then from her end I can see how Will and Sonny are a good idea. But from their end, instead of a stranger they only have to send photos to once a year and occasionally meet up with, it's Will's sister who lives 5 minutes away and probably feels like there are no boundaries in this situation. She could be popping round every day and giving her 2 cents about how the kid is raised. She might want to take the kid out on her own every so often and sometimes act like a 3rd parent. That really seems like it's only going to result in custody drama. Maybe that's why Will and Sonny leave the show, they run off with the baby to escape Allie lol?

So Nicole questions Allie about the father of her baby? I wonder if they will make it someone on canvas we know? Or, if they were really going for pure soap, EJ would be the father.

Wait, so Lucas and Sami don't know Allie is pregnant? Has Allie been in hiding for the past 3 months, because I'm not sure how they could have failed to notice her giant preggo belly. I'm going to be annoyed if they try to play this as Allie was too scared and embarrassed to tell her parents. Like, Sami and Lucas were teen parents, and then Will was a teen parent. Teen pregnancy isn't exactly shocking in the Lumi family - it's pretty much par for the course lol!

Robyn is also one of the few, although her HIV status may be the reason for that since it was a lot harder for the writers to have her hook up with anyone other than Patrick.

I actually think Dumbledore bears just as much blame as the Dursleys for Harry’s poor treatment. He’s the one who decided to dump Harry with Lily’s estranged sister, and then he seemed to forget about him until Hogwarts. There was some excuse about that Figg lady keeping an eye on things but she didn’t and couldn’t do much to help. Frankly, Dumbledore should have kept a much closer eye on Harry and he should have threatened to turn the Dursleys into frogs or whatever unless they treated him well. No, Dumbledore couldn’t make them love Harry, but he could have at least ensured that he had a proper room and meals and wasn’t treated like an unpaid servant.

Has there been any spoilers about Will’s siblings coming back with Lumi? Considering everyone thinks Will is dying it will be ridiculous if they try to give a lame explanation about the kids staying in Europe.

It's seems incredibly unlikely that Dany dies in 8x05 though. The GOTit leaker who has a friend who sees the episodes a week early gave the "rape bells" spoilers for ep 5, and Dany clearly doesn't die yet in his spoilers. He claims to have asked his source who agreed that Jon killing Dany was where things were heading but it hadn't happened yet. Also, the other leaker who claims to have post-production sources, and also correctly predicted the main 8x04 plot points, seems to agree with this. He thinks 8x05 ends with Jaime and Cersei dying, then there is like 40 to 50 mins of stuff to get through in ep 6 before Jon kills Dany. So, hilariously, Jon apparently kills Dany like 3/4 of the way through the finale, then they have like 30 mins for Jon to take the black and have a council to elect King Bran or whatever, and truly wrap things up. None of the people who have leaked plot points from 8x05 this past week have mentioned that Jon kills Dany in this ep. So unless they/their sources have not seen the last 5 mins of the ep because HBO is holding it back somehow, or they are all fakers who haven't actually seen anything, Dany isn't dying until some point in 8x06.

Agreed. I also think we can rule out an "all magic dies" situation, because the dragons and Ghost seem to be doing just fine next ep. ETA: I wonder what will happen r.e. the cut Cersei miscarriage from season 7? If she's going to die in ep 5/6 they might think it will have more impact if Jaimie (or whoever) kills Cersei despite the fact that she is preggo. Alternatively, I guess Cersei could suffer a miscarriage in ep 4/5 and perhaps it will cause her to be reckless and demand that her troops go after Jon/Dany now?

I know right! After this episode I actually had the thought that horrible Randyl Tarly was right about his cowardly son all along. If Sam was just going to piss his pants and cry, he should have done it in the crypts rather than endanger the other people around him who were trying their damnedest to fight.

I could definitely see something like this playing out as well. It would be funny if they go battle and beat Cersei then Dany tells Jon he's the new king, and he's just like "WTF"? The ep 4 promo seems to suggest Dany gives one of her rousing speeches at WF (she is as WF right?), but we know there has to be a D/J fireplace convo at Dragonstone at some point. Maybe this convo happens even later than ep 4? I agree there is not going to be a throne. It will probably be destroyed, but to me it would make the most thematic sense for Dany to be the one to destroy it in a "breaking the wheel" moment. She is the one who has been fighting for the IT the longest, so her purposely destroying it would be more meaningful than anyone else destroying it.

Honestly, after 8x03 I'd be more inclined to believe that Tyrion betrays Dany because he wants to clear the way for a reconciliation with Sansa. If he truly does betray the Starks then right now the only thing I can see him doing is trying to have Jon killed to ensure Dany has no competition for the throne. But even then....I'm just not feeling it. He would be more likely to suggest a marriage to join their claims. Also, I'm wondering if in 8x04 Dany and Jon will have a convo where he confirms that he doesn't want anything to do with the iron throne, with the implication being that if Dany takes the throne then she will end up alone because Jon "ain't about that life" or whatever. So when push comes to shove Dany will choose Jon/family over the throne, which is more in line with her book inner monologues about just wanting a home/family. So Jon will end up being her house with the red door etc. ETA: If Dany wanted Jon dead she could have let him die in 8x03 instead of saving his ass with Drogon. So to me, a dance with dragons makes no sense. Jon has been clear he doesn't want the throne and will support Dany, and Dany has proven she won't kill Jon to ensure her path to the throne is clear. What could possibly lead them to fight over the throne in the last few eps?

Sam is a little bitch, Baby Sam was less of a whinger in the battle lol! Also, I can't believe that Jorah and Theon were the only significant people to die. Edd, Beric and Lyanna barely get any screen time and their deaths don't really affect any of the main players. So D&D still have a gaggle of people to deal with in e4. I was actually looking forward to the ranks being thinned a little bit. And seriously, we were all fooled about Pod dying. I can't even remember where that leak came from!