Ah, can you smell it? November Sweeps is in the air! It's almost here. Last week was sort of a wrap-up/setup week, and for the most part, moved along rather swiftly. So, let's start with an ending...
Bonnie's gone buh-bye. Judi Evans did an amazing job with the role...roles... and the reveal was a great group scene, but I'm not one bit sorry to see this storyline sail out of Salem. The amount of stupid that was shoveled upon normally smart characters hurt my head. Not even the handsome EMT from that Excedrin commercial shoveling pills into my mouth can erase that pain, but I digress.
Last week basically started out with a running list of excuses as to why all of Adrienne's loved ones believed Bonnie's ruse. Right. You'd think with Hattie just having duped everyone, there would have been at least one moment a lot sooner that someone suspected another switcheroo, but not so much, as it turned out. So all I have to say is thank the Soap Gods for Steve and Kayla!
Yep, the Patch Man and Sweetness finally figured it out. I adored them working together. They rock. Steve should consider having Kayla joining Black Patch, but, again, I digress.
Steve and Kayla pretty much figured it out over chowder at the pub in one sitting. Kayla was the one to strike genius by connecting the dots to Maggie, which made them realize Bonnie was behind all things "Odd Adrienne." Conversely, I don't even remember Steve and Kayla overlapping with Bonnie originally, but I'm okay with that. The Bon Bon's bounced. See you and you later, girl!
Still, the real Adrienne had to be freed from Statesville. Yeah, that was a bit drawn out. And that warden needs to learn a few things about life in Salem if he wants to keep his job. You'd think he would have been more open to what Steve and Kayla were saying, since Hattie was just busted for impersonating someone, just like Bonnie did, but nope. He needed DNA proof. Okay, warden, you're a consummate professional, but you might want to check that kitchen door at the prison. You know, the one several inmates have escaped from.
With the Bonnie reveal came a telling scene between Justin and Adrienne. The real Adrienne, to be clear. She totally planted one on him when they reunited. Yes, please. I'm ready for these two to become a couple again. While I don't want to see Lucas miserable, Justin and Adrienne just make sense. She and Lucas never did to me. Plus, no matter how it's spun, Lucas has a long road of recovery in front of him. I'm sure Adrienne would stand by him out of obligation, but her kiss with Justin (and chat with Sonny) proves that she has a case of the ex and may not want to.
Speaking of exes, Rafe supported Sami in a dazzling display of douchery when he lambasted Hope's decision to arrest Sami. We'll loop back to that later, but, nope. Hope's first weeks of commissionering haven't been amazing. At all. Look, she's not wrong for arresting Sami. Sami did break the law. Though not as hard as a cyanide capsule would be, it's hard to swallow Hope's "letter of the law" stance, since she was the broken, mourning soul wielding a gun at a foe not that long ago (and she did fire the gun). If Hope would just take a more "Look, this just happened to me, don't do it! Learn from my mistakes." position, I'd respect her actions more. Without that little footnote, she just comes across hypocritical in the case of Sami and J.J. But here's what I really need from the current writers...
A fix to Hope. She's a character I've adored since the first time we met way back when. She's had some missteps and frustrating moments, but Higley butchered the character. Can Hope be fixed, and how? I'm not sure. That's a tall order, but I, uh, hope we can find a way to move on because "as is" just isn't enough. Maybe Hope should have a scene with Abe and Roman to go through the motions of what she did and how she can move on in her current position. I need something because I want Hope to succeed as commissioner and as the character I once put in my top ten spot. So I guess I'll hold onto hope and move on.
Yep. That loop back. Oh, Rafe. Even when he's not entirely wrong, his smugness just rubs me the wrong way at times. Professionally, Rafe should bite his tongue and complain about the boss at the water cooler with his colleagues. He has Hope's ear at bedtime, but to question his boss's judgments at work is insubordination. And that's not cool, Rafe. Albeit a smidge ironic, Hope's "hypocrite" assessment wasn't that far off. Rafe has been known to be a time or ten. Two. I meant time or two.
Rafe throwing Zack in Hope's face wasn't cool, either. I get where he was going. Hope did, too. And I'm sure she would move heaven and earth to have another moment with her Tiny Man, but he needs to pick a side -- either support Hope doing her job by the book or accept it if she makes exceptions...for anyone Rafe-approved, of course. Ugh. He can't have it both ways.
Then again, that all didn't matter. Hope stood by her decisions and then handed Sami the golden ticket she was after. So, really, all of that maddening Hope/Rafe nonsense was totally worth the annoyance. I hope you could all actually hear me roll my eyes as I wrote that. It's just such an uncomfortable mess; I like that Hope wants to help a mother possibly reconcile with a child she believed was dead, but I also dislike that it puts Hope back into an odd, frustrating position. But I'll digress one last time, as I'm a bit magenta on my feelings for Hope at the moment...
Said golden ticket was an address in Memphis where someone has something to say about Will. So Sami, John, Marlena, Sonny, and Paul piled onto a charted plane and were there in, like, two seconds. They arrived to creepy music, an oddly decorated abode (that looks nothing...nothing...like Eric's farmhouse), and were shocked to see...to see...I don't know who was at the door!
So, aside from the questionable Hope/Rafe stuff, I'm into this "hunt for Will." It's interesting to see characters go through the motions of a "back from the dead" storyline rather than to just accept a person bouncing back from the grave with the casualness of a Starbucks run. Plus, the history the show has been using has been on fire, not only in the Will storyline but in general. Kudos for that.
LOOSE ENDS:
Maybe Victor and Brady should take the gloating dial down a notch until someone tells Maggie that Brady banished Nicole and Holly from the kingdom. You know, she might miss her granddaughter at some point. Just saying.
It was repeated that several of Lucas' loved ones tried to get him into rehab, but he said, "No, no, no." I see Kate as one of Salem's biggest power players. With that, if Victor can get a recovery roundup swat team to ship Brady to a clandestine center in the middle of the night, so could Kate. Then again, they might have just sent a shiny object in for Brady, and he followed it to the getaway van, while Lucas might not be fooled that easily.
Chad and Abigail's honeymoon might be a staycation, but it's delightful. Sleeping in, um, not-sleeping in (if you know what I mean), chocolate chip pancakes, grilled cheese. Yep. They're winning the happy couple contest right now. Though I know it's hard not to gush when happy, Abs might not want to share all of her honeymoon highlights with Jennifer. #awkward
Aha! So that's how Eli and Shelia know each other. They were old pals from Baltimore along with her brother, Russell. I admire Eli's remorse over putting his lifelong friends behind bars, but they were kind of dealing drugs/part of a huge drug ring, so he might want to focus on that. Still, it's an interesting connection, and I wonder if it will play out further.
Chloe really is the best friend ever. She even pays back her debts. And on one hand, I want her to be there for Brady. Maybe she can give him a Moonstruck double slap and a, "Snap out of it!" On the other hand, Brady might think she's flirting, and he'll end up falling for her again. He's kind of a glutton for punishment.
That explains the fuss about the DiMera board being "headline news!" It's been Jennifer raising a ruckus in the Spectator. Andre being a little cray-cray at a press conference would be somewhat of a chuckle to stumble upon on YouTube, but is it breaking news, Jenny Bear? Is it? Really, aren't the DiMera shenanigans kind of a company newsletter thingy? Does the general public care? I think after Stefano creating an underground Parisian-esque city complete with a giant birdcage for his "Queen of the Night" and a guillotine to decapitate his archenemy and, you know, the formation of Melaswen, it would take a bit more than outing an affair to rattle the board. Don't get me wrong! I love Jennifer in journalist mode, but maybe she could focus on some more sensational news like her business partner being doppelgängered, or the maybe-not-so-dead nephew in the family.
HOT
There was a lot HOT last week, so let's list a lot of it into a smoldering heap of goodness that goes a little something like this...
Judi Evans *cue Wayne and Garth chant of, "We're not worthy!"*
Um, hello! Dr. Rolf made a cameo. How you doin', Mad Doc? How are you alive? Sorry you're dead again. Bye-bye.
And a big, rolling, Oprah-like welcome back to, "Kaaassssssie DePaiiiva!" Love. Her. And can't wait for more Eve action, but that veiled entrance was soaptastic.
NOT
Can Bonnie take Eric and Jennifer's budding whatever with her when she leaves Salem? I don't mind their friendship, but hints of romance between them make me feel like we're slipping back into old, horrible Higleys, err, habits. They never even "dated," as it were. They had a few drunken high hookups and, much later, scheduled a date, which they kept postponing into oblivion. Maybe that was for the better, as this not-so-subtle hint at possible romantic reconnection just makes it feel like Eric and Jen are the last two kids in the dodge ball picking teams lineup, and the writers are simply giving an eye roll and begrudged, "Ugh. Okay. You two it is then."
Not to mention, Jennifer literally washed the blood off Eric's hand...twice. Once because he injured himself in a fit of despair and rage because his ladylove left him, and the second time, when he got into a fight with his stepbrother because his ladylove left him. That should make Jennifer feel left in the lurch. Come on, Jenny Bear, you're a great friend, but don't be a romance consolation prize -- you're too good for that!
LINE OF THE WEEK
Chad (to Kate): "In case you haven't noticed, Andre has a very steep learning curve."
EXCHANGE OF THE WEEK
Victor [mocking Nicole]: "Oh, Eric and I didn't mean to have sex. I tripped over his cat and landed on top of him."
Brady: "He doesn't have a cat, and I don't want to hear jokes right now."
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Oh, hot damn! Xander is a free man. If he doesn't want to return to Salem but needs a hideout, my address is...
Dr. Rolf totally Pulp Fiction stabbed Dead Will with that syringe! Kind of creepy. Kind of funny. Kind of made me want to enter a dance contest.
I can support Eric following his heart, but I can't get behind him wasting good cake. Eric's broken heart or wasted baked goods smeared against the wall? I'm not sure which was the sadder scene in that room.
I loved the twinkle in Victor's eyes when Maggie showed off her devious side with Bonnie.
I think Bonnie dodged a bullet. Driving with Brady seems like it would be scarier than prison. So much rage.
Shelia had some great zingers at the would-be wedding! "The love bug" made me chuckle, but I downright laughed at her "For real!?" when she learned about the psycho killer stopping Sonny's wedding. And then she left with, "Yeah, seeing that this wedding isn't happening, I'm just gonna go clean some toilets." Ha!
Speaking of Shelia, hmm! I'm surprised Gabi never ran into her while doing time at Statesville. That would have added another layer entirely.
While I'm not braiding matching friendship bracelets for Brady and me these days, Eric Martsolf is completely crushing the role. Completely.
So, cyanide smells like bitter almonds. Who knew? I guess Hope. Maybe that's why she's the commissioner.
I'd be nervous bringing Parker to a pumpkin patch due to his invisibility disease. #whereisPaker
Ugh. Bonnie mentioned "Mimi" a few times. I'm glad she didn't do it again. One more time, and she would have popped up like Beetlejuice, only not as entertaining.
Eric and Brady are like the DAYS version of Thor and Loki.
I don't think there's anything wrong with being single, but if Jennifer does want to date again, it wouldn't hurt to have Frankie Brady back in town. Or get Dr. Rolf to, well, first revive himself and then stick his magic syringe into Jack.
Oh, oh! Why hasn't Drunk Lucas run into Anne Milbauer yet!? She could finally get a new drinking buddy and a man. Win/win.
PARTING THOUGHTS
So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of October 30, 2017. Pack your bags and be ready to head to Memphis next week with Laurisa! The travel time is estimated at about one commercial break. In the meantime, be sure to check out what Laurisa and I scared up for our annual "Halloween in Salem" article this year. And, "That's a fact!"
As always, thanks for reading!
Tony
What are your thoughts on Days of our Lives? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
