Well, I can say one thing, DAYS certainly wasn't short on prostitute and pimp talk last week. Nor was it short on depressing storylines. Then again, I'm not really surprised. Any week that begins with an east coast earthquake and ends in a hurricane is bound to be a little suspect.
In fact, I feverishly wrote this week's Two Scoops in order to finish my hurricane prep, i.e., taping up windows and soaking in ever last drop of electricity I can in the event that it goes off for a few days. So, bear with me if my thoughts are a little scattered this week. Then again, I think the writers' thoughts were a little scattered last week, so I guess that makes us even. Perhaps we can all just blame any mistakes on that rainy, windy bitch, Irene, and have a hug-fest.
And, I promise, I won't be the one who breaks the peace. Because there were, in fact, a few positive pieces of the DAYS puzzle last week. Those happier moments balanced out some of the ones that made me see red, and some others that left me wondering, "Haven't I seen this before?" So, let's start with one of the brighter spots. Let's discuss Big Red!
MAGGIE, TEAM KIRIAKIS, and TEAM DIMERA
Ms. Maggie wanted one thing -- peace! And that's what she got, thanks to Sonny's sly, but sincere, ways. The Kiriakis heir apparent talked both sides of the Kiriakis/DiMera feud down off the ledge. Yep, it appears Sonny has Justin's charm, Adrienne's common sense, and Victor's persuasive streak. Not a bad mix.
Justin and Chad readily agreed. Victor did so because Maggie wanted him to. E.J. agreed, which I suspect had much more to do with him simply wanting to get out of Maggie's hospital room. Brady reluctantly agreed, because he can't just fully agree and had to pout like a douchebag while doing so. And Stefano made a grand entrance and placed the final olive branch on the growing shrine surrounding St. Maggie.
I'm all for peace, and a little soap cheesiness, so I didn't mind these scenes. Anything that gets so many great actors in one place is never that bad. Besides, if the next few weeks are going to be semi-filler as we wait for new storylines to be launched, I guess watching a bunch of hunky Kiriakis and DiMera powerhouses is never bad brain candy or eye candy.
E.J. and KATE
Hmm, those two former lovers are spending an awful lot of time together. I repeat, "Hmm!" I doubt DAYS would "go there" between these two again, but their chemistry did make me raise a Hope-Brady-eyebrow.
In other E.J./Kate news, she's up to something, and that something has to do with Countess Wilhelmina. What a blast from the past! I could get behind this storyline. Although, my first thought was Krista Allen's take on Billie Reed. I don't know why, but my brain went there. Anyway!
E.J. seemed to have some knowledge of some corporate DiMera minion blocking her business proposal. Kate didn't like to hear the word no. E.J. used it a lot, and then declared he's the great and powerful Oz DiMera. Yep, E.J's Stefano's son again, and is taking control of the DiMera Empire.
This is interesting, but hasn't this happened before? I'm not sure if it was déjà vu or the fact that I nodded off for a second or two during those scenes as I was watching them well past midnight. Either way, this time around could be interesting if we get some kind of a new spin on an old favorite.
NICOLE
Ms. Walker was busy last week. First, she tried to move the semi-immovable Mount Brady into confessing his feelings for her. She sort of accomplished this, and they hit the sheets.
Then she tried to tick E.J. off by listing his failures in life. She accomplished that goal, too. Although she did get a little kindness from E.J., which I doubt she was suspecting. I wasn't suspecting it either, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for E.J. and Nicole, Part Three, if that's what the writers are hinting at.
Finally, Nicole tried to dig up dirt on Taylor's past. Yep, that was another accomplishment, as she found a mug shot of her husband-stealing little sister. Now, Taylor claims she was arrested for a Human Rights rally gone awry. I suspect she's lying. More importantly, Nicole suspects she's lying. And Nicole has made it her business to find out what Taylor's hiding.
I give Nicole an "A" for effort, but I'm not sure why she's going after Taylor at this point. I thought they hugged and made up weeks ago. I remember Nicole saying she would forgive, but not forget. Or something like that. Moral of the story: I don't like my Nikki Walker to go backwards, unless it's into Brady's arms. Because the last time Nicole went backwards, she married E.J. to be closer to Sydney, and we don't need a repeat of those bad habits.
TAYLOR, QUINN, and THE SALEM P.D.
As discussed, Taylor is hiding something. That something has to do with Quinn. For the love of all things holy in Soap Land, I pray that Taylor doesn't have a hooker past. That storyline is about as redundant as one of Chad and Abigail's conversations. I'll settle for any other twist, please!
As for Quinn, he's worried he's going to be busted. And he should be worried. Not only is he guilty on the pimp front, but someone is out to get him. That someone is most likely the serial prostitute attacker. The big question is -- who is out to nail Quinn?
One thing's for sure, it took the rest of the police force a while to muster up the resources to start looking into the case. Scratch that! It took Abe and Roman a while to muster up the care resources. I'm not sure what's up with them, but I'm glad Bo, Hope, and Rafe are on the case. Sorry, I just laughed at the last sentence I wrote. The odds of those three capturing the attacker are kind of a losing bet. My bet is they'll stumble on the perp while he's getting ready to attack someone else. They kind of have that "luck" more than crime-solving skills.
CARLY and NICHOLAS
Holy cheese and crackers, Batman! Nicholas finally admitted he was a little punk for blaming Carly for what happened to Lawrence. It's about time, especially considering Lawrence abused Carly for years. Perhaps if he would have picked up a few calls from Carly, he might have actually heard her side of the story. Then again, being angry at her without knowing the entire story seems like a much better option.
Regardless, it was nice to see Carly happy! Well, as happy as one can be while going through the DTs in rehab. Doc Manning and Nicholas have a long way to go, but I think his presence will be the best medicine for her. I hope Melanie gets in on that love-fest, too, as I'm curious to see what happens when Nicholas meets Melanie.
LOOSE ENDS
Bo and Hope, Lovers, are far more palatable than Bo and Hope, Super Cops. Their breakfast in bed was fun, and it reminded me of their old-school romantic days. However, and I know they're the "good guys," smug is never a nice look, especially on such pretty people.
Touching Roman and Sami scene aside, the "Safe" storyline bored me silly last week. It was depressing and way too redundant. I respect the seriousness of the topic, but Safe scenes can teeter on obnoxious on a good day. Last week? Well, those were just bad for business. I hope Sami is cured quicker than Chloe on a bad idea, and we can all just move on.
Speaking of moving on, Jennifer admitted she's absolutely ready to move on with Dr. Dan. Good! Well, good and bad. Dr. Dan and Jennifer are cute and cuddly, and I love the way he loves her, but, you see, Jennifer's contentment is like a flame to Jack's moth. You can set your clock to this predictable storyline. I'm crossing my fingers that they find some original spin on it this time around the old town square.
And while on the topic of predictable, Abigail and Chad argued about -- you guessed it! -- his family. Really, Abs? Give it up, girl! Or at least give up the guy so he can move on with someone who doesn't nag him as much. Then again, it's probably difficult to cut a funny, handsome, charismatic guy with a good heart some slack, even if he has crappy relatives he's basically denied for you. Okay, now I see your point, Nagagail.
The bromances amongst the Teen Scene are much more interesting than the actual romances between either Chad and Abigail or Will and Gabi. They're actually more interesting by leaps and bounds. I recommend two Chad/Abigail scenes and a Will/Gabi one in lieu of Nyquil if you're having trouble falling asleep.
In the Anti-bromance Department, T continues to be a bigoted wienerhead to Sonny. I'd like to say I get this, but I don't. And I'm not sure the writers do either. T painting Sonny as the gay antichrist because he posed for a picture that T asked him to pose for ranks somewhere between "Are you kidding me with this stuff?!" and "Okay, now you've simply lost me."
Finally, Sonny has a new Facebook-esque idea for Salem U called "salemunited.com." I wonder if T will be his first friend request? Anyway, Chad passed on the idea, but recommended Will. Sonny went for it, and asked the de-virginized Young Master Horton. Interesting!
EXTRA SCOOPS
HOT:
Chloe, you go on with your bitchy self! I was proud that Chloe stood up for herself against Kate. And, surprise of all surprises, she had excellent points to make! Hot-mess Chloe is fun to watch, but I could get used to this new self-assured Chlomeister!
NOT:
Although they came to their senses later, both Abe and Roman need a reality check. How does three people being attacked in similar ways in close proximity of each other not form a pattern? Furthermore, wasn't Mandy's picture already on the cover of the newspaper when they claimed they wanted to keep things quiet? Swiss cheese doesn't have this many holes. I vote that Maxine pays the Salem P.D. a visit and whips them into shape.
LINE OF THE WEEK:
Sami (to Rafe, insisting her health scare is karmic retribution): "Have you ever lied about your child's paternity? Have you ever kidnapped your baby sister and tried to sell her to strangers? Have you ever shot your child's father in the head? I have." Kudos to the writers for not sugarcoating that one!
EXCHANGE OF THE WEEK:
Scene: Kate opens the door and finds an agitated Chloe
Kate: "We gave at the office."
Chloe: "You bitch. You absolute bitch!"
Kate: "Wow! I've never been called that before."
Chloe: "I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner?"
Kate: "Really!? Really, you never figured out that you're a little slow out of the gate, Chloe?"
RANDOMNESS...
Roman told Bo that he and Hope are the best team in the history of the SPD. Um, okay, Ro-Ro. But that's sort of like being the winner of a race when you're the only contender.
Hope ate a waffle! I saw it!
What happened to Peter Reckell's fingers!? I don't remember Bo getting into a brawl.
Taylor is "Suspect 7924813." Would have been better if she was "Suspect 8675309"
If you're keeping score, Chad was back in his sling last week.
I'm just as happy as Justin and the fabulous Adrienne are that Sonny's staying in town and attending Salem U, but somebody better tell the lad his major sounds made up. Actually, we should also warn him not to take the same two-year internship in Chicago as Morgan Hollingsworth because we may never see him again.
I absolutely cracked up when Nicole nonchalantly told Bo and Hope that E.J. sold the drug ring. And that stellar delivery is one of the many reason I love Ari Zucker.
Hmm, Nicole and Mandy resemble each other. Coincidence or possible plot point?
Just where does a newspaper get a Glamour Shot of a prostitute for the front page?
When Taylor mentioned Mandy's sister was named Gina, I was surprised Bo and Hope -- or at least just Hope -- didn't groan and raise an eyebrow.
The coed that shot down T's advances at the pub resembled Nadia Bjorlin. Methinks she would have been a great Joy Wesley recast.
Maggie and Melanie scenes still turn my frown upside down.
Who knew there was such a thing as a "pimp hotline"? Be sure to dial 1-800-555-0198 to report a pimp near you!
I'm beginning to think that Sami and Rafe's neighbors are the Ochmoneks, and that Johnny, Allie, and Sydney are forced to hide in their rooms whenever they're home.
Okay, I laughed out loud when Lexie told Sami that Marlena would drop everything to be with Sami if she needed her. Sure. Sure she would. If by "everything" Lexie meant after Marlena was done swooning over John, sending care packages to Belle and Carrie, tending to the till, getting her nails done, clipping coupons, and updating her Facebook page.
Oh, by the way, you can send Mar Mar a Friend Request by looking up "Belle's Mom!"
PARTING THOUGHTS...
So, friends and DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of August 29th. I hope everyone fared well through Irene, and the quake for that matter. Let me just tell you, the next time I see that mean old Rex Brady I'll give him a piece of my mind for using his earthquake machine again. And, "That's a fact!"
As always, thanks for reading!
Tony
Need more Two Scoops? Head over to read blogs by Laurisa or Tony for more ranting, raving, and all-out randomness
