KBrownie

Maybe she did. But nevertheless, he married an actual Horton. Basic requirement. He gets an ornament. Maybe the nasty retcon can start with not messing with a member of the Horton family for a significant amount of time before she feels entitled to an ornament. Gwen was harassing Abby up until the moment she died and was threatening Julie about Jennifer in their family home. But poor her. No one gave her an ornament. Never mind the fact she’s currently putting herself, yes with Xander’s permission, but I thought she changed according to her and stupid Jack, in the middle of Sarah’s marriage. But she thinks she should get an ornament from a family whose members mostly include people she’s actively sought to destroy. She only cares (supposedly) about Jack. Where’s she going to hang an ornament? Next to Abby and her kids? Nope. Jack? Nope, because he wants next to Jennifer, who places hers next to her kids and Laura. She hates Julie. Everyone else is either indifferent to or hates what she did to their loved ones. Dumb wench shouldn’t expect ANYTHING from the Hortons, but thinks she should get treated like everyone else. She should go and find the old Deveraux home, take her lame lapdog of a father, and start their own tradition. She acts as if she can’t stand anyone in that house/family but Jack. Like she’s so over them not liking her for all that she’s done. She can always get out of their family home if it’s just too much for her. But she won’t. Just like when her latest schemes with Xander come out, she’ll somehow be flabbergasted that the Hortons will continue to treat her like the trash she is. Why should the ornaments get retired just because some worthless newbie retcon who might be gone in a year had a sad she didn’t one? Please. I’m glad she didn’t get one. In the grand scheme of things, she matters none. And it wasn’t the moment for her. Let Jack, Jennifer, Chad, and the kids get through their first Christmas without Abby without having it become all about the person who tried multiple times to kill her, and only got lucky that she didn’t. The person who was still trying to kill her and someone beat her to it. Let this Christmas be about Eli and his kids. There were actual Hortons to focus on instead of the entitled Gwen.

Somewhat related in terms of Jack and Hope is the time period around 2002-2006 when Jack/Jennifer and Bo/Hope would hang out a lot and do things together as couples/family. They interacted with each other and each other’s children and it felt genuine and real. I wasn’t much of a fan of the Chelsea character, but it was well done how she started out as Abby’s friend hanging out in the JnJ household, but end up a part of the Bope family. It was new dynamic that JACK had the greater experience and knowledge about dealing with a teenage daughter. I just shake my head at just how much of a DAD Jack was during this time and how that all got blown to smithereens for the retcon. I really enjoyed the love and friendship between all four and the actors were all so familiar and comfortable that it played really nice on screen. I used to really get a kick out of Jack and Bo scenes because they were just so different, but were very much the same as well. I don’t remember the specifics, but I remember one instance where Jack was really hurt that Jen/Bo/Brady family deliberately kept him in the dark about Hope being kidnapped or something so that him writing about it in the paper would be more authentic or something? But they told other people like teen Belle? Again, my details might be iffy 😉, but Jack was just SO hurt that they didn’t trust him. A far cry from today where Jack is only trotted out to prop and salvage the failed retcon with a weak tie to the canvas and a reason to exist.

And yet, as awful as that crap was, I'd 100% take that Jack back over the empty shell that is present Jack. At least that Jack loved his daughter Abigail fiercely and was ready to fight Jen if she tried to keep her from him. Hell, I'd take 2019 amnesiac mayor Jack back over this current version. At least there was a reason for him to not be himself. That Jack at least cared about his kids that he already had and wasn't going to let Eve keep him from them. Memory or not. Today's Jack exists only to prop the nasty retcon. He literally ONLY shows up to continue to force the audience to buy into this supposed "bond" between Gwen and Jack. "Call me Dad." "I'm so proud of you." If you have to repeat these same lines and go through these same motions EVERY time, it's not working. No one cares about Jack and Gwen. It's never going to be what they are pushing so hard. It's so insulting to Jennifer, Abigail, and JJ. This just highlights the utter dud that is this forced father/daughter mess they are trying so hard to push with the retcon. There's nothing between the actors which makes the story even more terrible than it already was. If the story, especially involving such epic retcons and twisting of a character's ENTIRE personality, is already bad and nonsensical, then the actors really need to bring it. That's not happening here. Especially considering that MA has had tons of great fatherly rapport with Casey Moss and all the kid/teen/adult actresses who played Abigail. I LOVED him with Ashley Benson and will always be impressed how natural he and Casey Moss were when they first shared scenes in that special episode with JJ.

This show man . . . Something is seriously not quite right here. Never mind the fact that Sarah should have a salary and multiple rich family members (Why can't Maggie give her some cash) that should gladly be willing to help her out, but . . . Wouldn't it make more sense for it to be Sarah, not Gwen to be staying at the Horton house? You know, the actual member of the Horton family, the actual granddaughter of Alice and Tom, the ones whose legacy is wrapped up in that house and set? Shouldn't it really be her and her husband staying there with her family if they are struggling financially and his family/uncle is no longer an option? I guess not. The made-up retcon daughter a Horton by marriage (but none of the other Hortons he's primarily connected to are even there) takes priority. The overgrown adult who terrorized and made multiple attempts on the lives, of not one, but two Horton granddaughters gets to stay in the Horton house. I'm sure Alice and Tom must be thrilled that Jack lets the fake retcon in while Sarah is in some nasty motel. He's so up Gwen's ass that he'd probably tell Sarah she couldn't stay in her family's home because it might cause his precious fake daughter to be upset. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge (real) Jack his place in the Horton family. Alice and Tom loved him. Independent of Jennifer. I LOVED when Tom and Jack would have scenes and Alice was his biggest supporter. Jack as sort of the de-facto representative of the Horton house along with Jennifer and Doug /Julie would make perfect sense if he was still himself and doing anything other than propping Gwen and holding her precious hands. It would make sense if he was still at least pretending to care about or be a father to his Horton children and hadn't spent the last three years brushing them aside and completely forgetting their existence in service to Gwen.

He lives only for Gwen now. Not the 30+ years love of his life soulmate who showed him what true love was or his surviving child with that soulmate, but Gwen. The despicable sociopath who has brought nothing positive into his life. It's painfully obvious that RC has eliminated EVERY other person in Jack's life to put her at the top and force some bond that isn't there. It's still not going to work. It just makes people resentful. Even more painful is the fact that MA has no chem w/ EO as family. Nor CM. He's so much more natural with KM, MM, and CM. The Gwen stuff has always been too sudden and totally forced.

Of course Jack and Jennifer can't say goodbye to each other without mentioning the stupid retcon. Of course Jennifer is the one who now is the retcon's biggest cheerleader and propper. Everyone who had a problem with her is all good now. You MUST like her. It's all so incredibly forced. If a character can't stand up on their own without all the ridiculous, nonsensical, propping that's destroying other characters, then that character should cease to exist. Of course that's why Jack has to stay, to take care of that overgrown, jobless, pointless joke of a character. Him staying behind doesn't mean that he could maybe take the opportunity to visit and spend some time with JJ, the child that apparently doesn't rate a mention anymore, or check in on his brother whose wife is dying . . . Nope. He has to stay to take care of Gwen. He has no other purpose other than that. Jack is Gwen's bitch at this point. He exists to serve her only. It will forever be utterly ridiculous and insulting that there's no room for characters such as Laura, Mike and his offspring, Jennifer, JJ, Abigail (hey Ron has pretty much decimated almost the entire Horton family that was left on this show), all with rich histories, deep characterizations, and strong ties, but one-note caricatures like Leo and Gwen remain and eat up tons of screen time.

Fuck off Gwen. Leo too. Who the hell is she to feel sorry for/forgive Jen? If this is supposed to somehow paint Jen as equal to Gwen, b/c Jen, like Gwen, did something that she regrets, then the idiotic writers can keep that shit. Jen’s one ACCIDENT does NOT remotely compare to all Gwen’s INTENTIONAL deeds. THIS is the angle Gwen should be approaching this from, with some actual self-awareness not yet another reference to her sad, sad, childhood that she feels justifies all her dirty crap. All of that is being ignored to somehow draw some bizarre parallel between Jennifer and Gwen's mother. It's such a reach. I guess this is somehow supposed to pave the way for Jen to be Gwen's mother now. SUCH a reach. They want so bad for Gwen/Jack/Jennifer to be Tripp/Steve/Kayla. Nope. I was never sold on that either. That article is completely tone deaf. This just all proves that this was never meant to be about Jennifer. Gwen should NOT have been a part of this. It’s just yet ANOTHER way to get sympathy for Gwen & wipe the slate clean for her using Jen. How convenient. Kill off one of Jen’s kids and keep the other off-screen. All for the retcon everyone hates. Jen will of course be magically cured or sent off-screen once the retcon gets absolved of all her sins on Jennifer's back. And then she'll have Jack all to herself because Jack serves NO other purpose anymore other than to prop Gwen. Same for Jennifer Rose Horton as well it seems. Such an absolute shame for these characters who use to have such rich personalities and relationships to be reduced to propping the British dead weight. Jennifer should have been driving faster and taken the wench out. Whoever referred to her as "low rent fish and chips" was spot on.

Source? I believe both sets of scenes were after she came back. When they settled on Clyde as the killer. There’s no way that Clyde as the killer was planned from the beginning. It’s easy enough to put MM in the same robe/nightgown as when Abigail was killed. She may have filmed those first flashbacks with the retcon at the same time, but came back to do the ones for their lame reveal and the ghost scenes with Jennifer. As for today’s episode, Gwen can seriously STFU. REALLY wench?! YOU, of ALL people, can’t believe someone would do something like that & drive off?! Seriously? What about all the nasty, INTENTIONAL things you’ve done & not given AF about the fallout? In fact, you’ve hoped for the worst impact possible. This bitch just is the worst. I don’t GAF if Jennifer WAS the one who hit her. She shouldn’t even be in this story, but gotta try, YET AGAIN, to get people to feel sorry for her. This should have been all about Jennifer and her grief and Jack’s failures, due to his obsession and guilt towards the retcon, not being there for his wife in her time of need. But now it’s about fucking Gwen. If ever there was a character that needed a break, it’s this one Even if Jennifer did it (b/c if it was her, why not just show it), at least it’ll have been an accident. UNLIKE most of the retcon’s shit. Someone MUST remind her of Laura when Gwen no doubt has the nerve to demand justice for herself. Remember how you claimed ACCIDENT and therefore you weren’t responsible Gwen? Nope. She poisoned Abby, making multiple attempts on her life & got away w/ it. She poisoned Sarah with no regard for her well-being and served two days before getting a free pass. But she will cry big tears and want justice for herself. Nasty bitch. Jack needs to remember all this as well. His next move here will make or break his character. If they have him sell Jennifer out in ANY way in favor of the retcon, when he’s asked all of them to be “understanding” and ignore all she did to them, Jack will be truly destroyed as a character. There should be no “torn between Jennifer and Gwen” on his end. But there’s apparently no character or history that won’t be sacrificed to prop Gwen. It’s been over two years now and the character continues to be an utter dud. ETA: Having said all this, YES, Jennifer needs help and Jack needed to know what was going on with her, but Gwen did NOT need to be involved in this whatsoever. Her inclusion will shift the focus back on her and grievances and continue to drag Jack, Jennifer, whoever else gets sacrificed in service of trying to salvage the unsalvageable. Somewhat unrelated, I love how CM, in all her recent interviews keeps ALL the focus on Jennifer and her grief and doesn’t mention the stupid retcon at all.

Yeah, but she's the LAST person that needs to be involved with telling him. Let Maggie do it. She has more experience and has the history with both Jennifer and Jack that it would be helping Jennifer without all the nasty backstory involving Gwen. Same with Julie. It would be about Jennifer getting help. Not providing a way for Gwen to score points with Jack. There was no need for her in this story. Except that it's really a Gwen story disguised as being about Jennifer. Gwen can talk some more about her dead mom and her sad, sad upbringing. She can whine some more about how mean Jen is being to her and how she's so misunderstood. If it was really about Jennifer, let the people who were with Jennifer the last time confront her and tell Jack. And Gwen will forever just need to STFU when it comes to Jack and his family. Jack needs to know? This isn't who Jennifer is? Oh, really Gwen? Like you seriously GAF. He didn't need to know about all the nasty things you were doing to him and his family behind his back though. It was okay for him not to know you were poisoning Abigail. YOU certainly have NEVER been upfront with him about anything until you had to be, but Jennifer has to tell right now? NOW you want to come clean when it suits you and you can score points with Daddy? Fuck off. How convenient that Abigail is no longer around and JJ is offscreen, she wants to be the good daughter and play nice. They ship both of Jennifer Rose Horton's kids are off-screen but this nasty retcon gets to waltz around the Horton house like it's no big deal. The absolute gall. Good for Jennifer not buying her fake sympathy act and kicking her out. She should have never been allowed to step foot in that house. Gwen would do herself a lot of good to just stay away. Stop trying to insert herself in things that don't involve her. Call Jack to meet you somewhere. You are his family. No one else's. It has been made clear to her more than once that he's the only one in that family who wants to deal with her. Leave Jennifer and the rest of them the f- alone unless they call for you. But, no. She just has to keep showing up with her unwanted condolences and fake concern. No one but stupid Jack wants or is buying it.

Good for Jennifer to get out what she's probably been feeling for a long time. She's been asked by Jack repeatedly to be "understanding" of all the vicious and nasty things Gwen has done, including deliberately trying to take Abigail's life. Just because she didn't do it this time doesn't negate all the times she DID try to kill her. If Jack wants to just forget and hand wash all that away, that's his business. He shouldn't ask Jennifer to. Jennifer has had to push all her feelings down, including grieving her own mother in service of poor, poor, Gwen's feelings. Good for her for not doing it anymore. Gwen should STFU and get out of Jennifer's face and her house. How dare she even talk to her after all she's done. She should call Jack if she wants to see him and stay away from Jennifer and her home. This is just another attempt to salvage and redeem the failed retcon. This time on Jennifer's back. Poor Gwen. Jen's being mean to her even though she's right. Poor Gwen went through this with her mother. No doubt they'll have Jen apologizing to the nasty wench before this is all over. Gwen to the rescue! NO mention of how Gwen's actions are partly responsible for all Jennifer has been through to get her to this point. Stupid Jack is just clueless. I hope Jennifer does make him choose and kicks him out when he makes the wrong choice because "poor Gwen." The two of them deserve each other at this point.

It's barely been three months. He still has no idea who or why his wife was killed. Is he supposed to already be re-married with a new baby on the way? It's not like it's been a year and he's still grieving. I would prefer that to romance with his drip of a once was a cousin-by-marriage Stephanie. What is it with her and pseudo-cousins anyway? What exactly are Chabby fans doing to prevent him from moving on? If Chabby fans had any power to do anything, they'd probably prefer that Abby not be dead in the first place. I hope she does come back magically from the dead. Given her stupid father, her coming back is pretty much in her DNA. If the pointless retcon Stefan is so vital that he can be resurrected after getting shot in the chest, throat, wherever he got shot, I've no problem with Abigail. Or anyone else for that matter. It's so stupid for the show to claim one character as forever dead but then brink back another who was also forever dead.

Gwen may or may not (I totally believe she did it) have killed Abigail, but she damn sure is trying her best to frame Sarah for it. So Xander and Sarah will still be absolutely correct in their assessment of what kind of nasty, sick, sociopath of a person Gwen is. Yes, Xander is a total hypocrite and really not at all better than Gwen considering his past crimes. Doesn't make him wrong about Gwen though.

I really hope this big change also brings big changes in quality of the writing. I’m fine with streaming, but I’m surely not PAYING for the garbage that is the show right now. Who would? Jake, nor Stefan, Dr. Rolf mad scientist, flop Gwen, etc. aren’t pulling in viewers when it’s free. They really are going to have to cut out a LOT of fat to get people to pay.

And if she's been close to Steve, then she should also know that her murder victim is Steve's niece. She should also know who Jack is as well from her father and Steve. Her father's best friend's baby brother. The father of her murder victim. I was waiting for that to come up. Maybe it still will. Marcus and Jack weren't ever BFF or anything, but they got along okay for the most part. Jack asked Marcus to stand in for Steve as best man at his wedding to Jennifer. I'm still going with Gwen as the killer. It's obviously NOT Sarah. That wouldn't be revealed on a Tuesday. Someone will take possession of the Salem brain in this investigation of Sarah and recall the recent use of masks in the attempt to pretend to be her. Someone important will find out that Gwen was out the night of the murder, and that her killing Abigail while wearing a Sarah mask eliminates two people she hates in one shot. There's a reason she hasn't been a focus yet. I'm guessing they're saving her for last but keep having her pop up to remind viewers that it could be her. This is from yesterday, but why can't Jack have some of the same time with JJ that he got with Xander yesterday? Why can't they have a conversation with Jack asking about things in South Africa or JJ's business? They just insist on presenting Jack as a lousy father. He walks out on JJ when he doesn't like what he says about the nasty retcon but has time for Xander. If Jack can't do both, I'd much rather the time be spent on his son who's been gone for over a year. Also, unless I missed it, I noticed that Jack didn't have any comment on Lucas as a suspect. I gather the show realizes they can't have him say boo about anyone in Jennifer's family hurting Abigail when he continues to be such a staunch defender of all the things Gwen deliberately did. Lucas and Sarah at least loved Abby and anything they may have done have extenuating circumstances. Lucas has been cleared, but he was drunk and blacked out. I don't believe Sarah is guilty, but she is hallucinating and suffering the effects of being drugged in part because of Gwen. Gwen has no excuse for anything that she's done, and I really hope Jack has to deal with that fact one day.

Yeah, I get that it's allowed, but the whole "Preselling" seems awful deceptive if you ask me. Mac n Cheese and Senoreatas KNOW when they start selling that they won't have anything ready to serve for at least 45-50 minutes, but fail to pass that information on to the customers. It would be one thing to unknowingly fall behind, but this is a deliberate strategy on their part. They just tell the customers, "oh the wait might be a bit" knowing full well "a bit" is 45 minutes. They need to lead with that and not hold people's money hostage out of fear they might leave. I guess the customers could always ask for a refund if they didn't want to wait, but the entire strategy is shady as hell. Plus, it puts all that pressure on the people cooking the food. I felt so bad when Sugar kept handing Keith and Mahogany list after list of orders and they both KNEW they were just falling further and further behind. Oh well. I was rooting for Amaweles. ESO was my 2nd choice, so I hope they win.

I'm not to the point of wanting to see him dead, but I certainly agree that RC has twisted him into something unrecognizable. Jennifer too. JJ is the only one, minus the apology, behaving true to form on the Deveraux side. Jack showed more emotion and anger at JJ for daring to speak truth about Gwen than he has about Abigail dying. All while Gwen just nonchalantly goes about her day not giving one care about him or anyone else other than her own skin. He totally deserves to have to deal with Gwen being the one who so violently stabbed Abigail to death. Explain that away Jack.

Also think, and would be thrilled, if it was Gwen. It's really the best way to deal with the failure of this character. The overwhelming majority hasn't fully and wholeheartedly embraced her as Jack's daughter anyway, so the argument that the show wouldn't kill off two of his daughters becomes moot. Who's really going to be: *gasp* "They killed ANOTHER of Jack's daughters?!" *gasp* A significant portion of the audience would be happy to see her eliminated as Jack's child. There's no attachment to her, so she's fair game as far as being the character killed off. She's dead weight. Cut her loose and try to salvage what's left of Jack. Let him focus on his son rather than walk out on him because he dared to call out the useless retcon. And let the record show, JJ was absolutely correct. The bitch doesn't GAF about Abby being dead. Jack is just stupid and ruined. Killing her off would be the best way to at least try and fix the damage done to Jack. As long as she's around and he's trying to justify anything about her, he will continue to be damaged goods. Like, how can he even be upset about anybody that turns up as a suspect in Abby's murder when he has brushed aside everything Gwen did, including HER multiple attempts on Abby's life? So, it's okay when Gwen tried to kill Abby, but anyone else deserves punishment Jack? STFU. Best case scenario is for Gwen to be the murderer and that she dies after going after JJ or Jennifer and Jack finally has to choose his real family over her and see her for what she really is. He wants to have his cake and eat it too and it's not possible. The retcon made it that way. No one else has as a motive like she does for such a personal attack. Anyone else as the murderer will be lame. With a lame motive. But this whole entire thing has been a lame afterthought. I don't think it's Victor because he hardly counts as a main character these days. "Main" is not the same as the historical value and legacy that Victor has. Plus, I think they'll keep Victor alive, on-screen or off (if JA decides to retire) until JA's actual death. There's plenty of precedent of that with other characters.

That, plus the other person who also spent lots of time trying to kill her (even up to the moment she actually was killed) and may have actually killed her also should not rate so much discussion at her funeral. I don't care whose daughter she is. JJ was absolutely correct in his assessment of Gwen and should not have apologized to his weak joke of a father. Gwen, if she were truly sincere in her "condolences" should have just kept quiet and let Abigail's family mourn her without any input from her. No one needs or wants her condolences, and she knows it, but she's a narcissist who still can't stand that anything be focused on Abigail and not her. She has to direct their attention and focus back to her, and dumb Jack and fake Jen fall for it every time. The two of them were WAY too fucking focused on Gwen for my taste. CM's Jennifer reverts to being nothing but a Jack cheerleader and he continues to look a fool in service of propping the retcon. There should have been NO mention of Gwen at all on this day. How convenient it is for her that she can act all magnanimous and selfless about Abigail when she now doesn't have to do any actual work or make any real effort to not be a murderous, heinous, bitch to her. She can just pretend that she would have if Abby hadn't died, and Jack is more than willing to live and let her live in that same fantasy. He is SUCH a disappointment. Putting Gwen in Abby's obituary? Really, Jen? Is that what ABIGAIL would have wanted? The person who LITERALLY tried to destroy her multiple times listed alongside her kids and actual family and friends? Nope, she was just catering to stupid Jack. I was wondering before why the kids couldn't be with them instead of John and Marlena, but I'm now glad they aren't with their grandparents. Jack would probably pack them up for a visit to the prison so Gwen could feel good about herself and he could pretend that all was just peachy. Jack Deveraux, Jr is the only Jack Deveraux that is acting like how any Jack Deveraux should behave. The elder Jack can f-off.

This so much. They need to give a Chanel a break. She's teetering on being on too much and overexposed. Theo wants her. Johnny does too. And Allie. Why couldn't Theo talk to JJ about how he's doing? Or better yet, Chad. God forbid, Jack and Jennifer appear more than one day a week, but another day of yet someone else wanting to be with the irresistible Chanel is apparently necessary.

But let's be real. They probably aren't. If they were going to happen, they should have happened already. Chad should have been with Jack and Jennifer at the hospital. He should have been the one to tell them rather than them finding out off-screen. There should have been some discussion between Chad and Jack and Jennifer about the kids. All the most important emotional beats that Jack and Jennifer should be a part of have taken place off-screen. The big stuff has already occurred. Off-screen. Those moments were probably all the meaningful stuff Jack and Jennifer were going to get until they're needed for the reveal of the murderer. This is the problem. Chad should have been interacting with Jack and Jennifer, the parents of his deceased wife, long before John and Marlena. It's not a problem that he's interacting with them, the problem is why do we need to see these scenes, but not the ones with Jack and Jennifer? They and their POV certainly shouldn't take place over Jack and Jennifer. This is true of multiple other characters as well. If we were getting Jack/Jennifer/Chad AND John/Marlena/Chad, there wouldn't be an issue. They all bring something different to the table. If there can't be both, then Jack and Jen should be the priority as the dead person's parents who Chad has had a decent relationship with. They, not John and Marlena, were the ones watching the kids (that was all off-screen too) while Chad was with Abby when she was recovering from Gwen poisoning her. It's not like Jack and Jennifer have been portrayed as distant and absent while John and Marlena aren't. This is a very deliberate decision to highlight John and Marlena here while paying nothing but lip service to Jack and Jennifer. And considering how much story, screen-time, and promotion those two already get, it sucks that it feels like they are taking what should rightfully be for Jack and Jen. As was pointed out, the majority of the show is already focused on them and all their children and grandchildren, did they need to be at the center of this too? I'll say this as well. I like Chad just fine, but I'm more into Jack and Jennifer as characters and it is absolutely frustrating that they aren't getting nearly as much focus on their grief and everyone is apparently content to just leave them to their own devices because RC doesn't care about them. Sure, those scenes could be coming too, but I won't hold my breath. Unless you already knew, you'd think Abigail had no other family besides Chad and the kids.

It's crazy wrong how absent Jack, Jennifer, and JJ have been from the fallout of Abby's death. I mean, the audience keeps hearing about what they are up to and how they are dealing with the death of their daughter/sister, but I guess it's just too much to show any of that. None of them got told about the death on-screen. We didn't get to see Jack and Jen's reactions to seeing their grandchildren for the first time after they and/or the kids were told. No reunion with their surviving child. I have no problems with John and Marlena usually, but I've seen more of their (and Belle's for some reason) grief and reactions than Abigail's own parents. Same with Lucas. And Gwen. Leo. Jack and Jennifer are total afterthoughts and don't seem to matter at all in any of this. They are just props for others. Jack for Gwen. Jennifer for Lucas. JJ, if we ever see him, will probably be another shoulder for Chad to lean on (not that there's anything wrong with that), but not his own parents who lost their other child.

So I guess we aren't going to get to see JJ's reunion with his parents not only after such a long time, but after the death of their only other child. Could have been a powerful moment between the three of them. Viewers also didn't get to see Jack and Jennifer finding out on-screen about Abby's death. Probably won't get to see Chad telling Thomas and Charlotte about their mother. Julie should be comforting Jack and Jen. But we absolutely needed to see a super special trip from Jack to tell Gwen. We've seen more of Gwen's reactions and discussion of Abby's death than Abby's own parents, husband, and real sibling. There are some serious emotional beats not being played out here. Like, standard, what you would think would be obvious stuff. This whole death is playing out like an afterthought. Setting up the suspects has been more important and had more focus than the emotional fallout of those who loved Abby. RC just wanted a whodunnit, but doesn't care about any heart to the story. Also, I guess the time jump never happened. Eric read today's date with the current year, but shouldn't it be 2023 in Salem? Does that mean we can ignore everything that supposedly happened in that year they skipped over? Kind of an important detail to forget about.

Good to know someone finally told JJ about his sister. And that he still exists. Sad that Jack and Jennifer apparently can't also be there for Chad. Does this also mean they aren't around for Thomas and Charlotte? But they have enough time to consider how Gwen is handling things . . . ? 🙄 Guess Sarah can be eliminated as being the killer. She'll be a suspect, but her running around attacking people and pulling knives is too obvious. Xander will think she did it and Jack's best mate will cover for her. And blame Abigail for her own death, because just like his sociopath of an ex-fiancé, he too was blaming Abigail for Kristen's actions because she left the syringe in the tunnels. What a mate.

Jack is willingly and all-in on his deep, deep denial about who Gwen really is. To the point of being stupid. Despite being a trained investigative reporter. If he and Jennifer disappear from the investigation of their own daughter's murder given their background and credentials, well, let's just say that it would speak volumes about their value.

And the whole “a recast possibly wouldn’t have been accepted” is nonsense not only for the reasons already mentioned, but because of all the recasts coming with Beyond Salem 2, some of those coming to the regular show. It was the perfect time to recast. Ron just didn’t want to with this character. He should just own it instead of twisting himself into a pretzel with all these nonsensical explanations. He should also own that he has no use for the Horton and Deveraux families other than how the ones that remain can prop his pets. JJ doesn’t even rate a mention and Jack and Jennifer are just shells of their former selves whose only purpose is to prop and move plot forward.