The sweeps-end blues

Arianne Zucker is always great, but, without a doubt, she stole the show last week! Grief hasn't been portrayed that well on Days since Kristian Alfonso's Hope reacted to Zack's death.

I have to admit - I'm still stuffed from Thanksgiving, broke from "Black Friday" and a little sad that Sweeps is over. Actually, the last week of Sweeps made me a little sad in general. Talk about heartbreaking! Sure there was some fun and fights thrown in there for good measure, but between Nicole and Nick I couldn't keep a Kleenex dry to save my life. I should also confess I cried about Max and Chelsea getting closer, but those tears were shed for an entirely different reason. All in all it was a crazy week in Salem, U.S.A. so let's talk some Days turkey.

The Baby Blues (Nicole)

I bow down to Arianne Zuker! She's always great, but, without a doubt, she stole the show last week! I don't think I've seen grief portrayed that well on Days since Kristian Alfonso's Hope reacted to Zack's death. Like Kristian, Ari was off the charts! I can't even pinpoint what the most gut wrenching part was, but the "dream" she had of the doctor handing her a healthy baby girl was certainly right up there. Talk about sad to the max.

However one big question remains - now that Nicole lost her miracle baby, will she lose E.J. too? I mean, I shouldn't even ask that as those two have such a rock solid relationship based on love, trust, and ... wait ... no ... it was all based on the baby. My bad.

Yet, it doesn't look like the end of "Ecole" will happen anytime soon because, when the proud papa asked her about the baby, Nicole assured him things were just fine, peachy, fit as a fiddle. Well, I'm paraphrasing, but the point is Nicole lied and now it seems like we might be gearing up for a big ole' fake pregnancy storyline. This twist could possibly get really messy, really quickly especially if a certain woman who just lost her baby eventually gets her hands on a certain other woman's new born ... a certain woman who just went to a convent/orphanage and possibly seems to be considering giving up her child. The big twist - E.J. would still end up the daddy, but the baby mama drama will certainly be off the charts! Nope, things aren't fine, peach or fiddling fit in Ejamicole Land, but at least they're getting a little more interesting to watch - finally!

Nunsense (Sami)

I'm not an expert on the Witness Protection Program by any means, BUT ... but ... don't they usually create new lives for people and send them far, far away. It just seems like Sami was taken down the street and told to stay inside ... and not open the curtains. Seriously, that is silly ... almost as silly as that big, beautiful blonde "Hilda the Hun" chugging nighttime cold medicine while on the case. Yep, it's that time folks - extend hand and slap forehead, we have a new stupidity winner!

So Sami snuck out of her hidey hole and her excellent adventure ended at the convent where Sister Theresa gave her a kind shoulder to lean on. Sami, er, Colleen said she had problems, but didn't go into them yet still garnered the sister's blessing to return and a St. Anne's Medal. That was a nice consolation prize, but, as I mentioned above, my bet is that she might just take the good sister up on her offer to help after a little soul searching - God help us all!

Inspector Gadget (Rafe)

Rafe is a great agent! Really, he is. I mean the man knows how to bug a park bench! Where did he learn such tricky undercover maneuvers?! And with the scoop he got by spying on Julie and Hope he now knows everything ... well, he knows the latest gossip, I guess. He knows Julie thinks E.J.'s a "pompous ass" and that Hope isn't too certain E.J. and Sami are over and done with. He also found out Ciara and Johnny had a nice play date. Well done, Agent Hernandez.

But, I should point out the upside to his little park adventure - he was out of that stinking room! Seriously, I was SO glad to see him interacting with other characters ... and by interacting I mean stalking them, but let's not split hairs. He was out and proud and that's all that matters. And, I must admit, it will be interesting to see what comes up with as he investigates E.J. a little more. Will he get some juicy scoop or simply find out how E.J. likes his coffee in the morning? Stay tuned!

Act of Condition (John and Marlena)

D'oh! The killer got away! For a second there I thought Ole Blondie took a bullet, but she managed to successfully dodge it, unlike John's attempt to dodge going to therapy. Yep, she and John are at it again and Mar Mar gave him another ultimatum - get help or buh-bye.

Reluctantly, RoJo (RoboJohn) promised to seek treatment from an old colleague of hers which totally scares me more than it does John ... remember the last time another therapist was brought to Salem? Does the name Alex North ring a horribly shrill bad storyline bell for anyone else? Right! So let's hope his new doctor is a little more helpful and a lot less psychotic. Actually, we should be good - I think Salem filled it quota of crazy this year.

Party People (Victor & Company)

Boy, oh boy - does Victor know how to throw a party or what!? First, let's check out the guest list ... Victor, his ex-lover Kate and her new lover, Dr. Dan, who's her granddaughter Chelsea's ex. Then there was Brady, his ex-wife Chloe who dated his uncle, Philip, but is now dating Phil's brother Lucas. Not to mention, two of those eight people are recovering addicts! Right. Instead of a chic soiree maybe they should've played laser tag as it's a safer way to get out all their aggressions.

Now, the reason for all the festivities was Kate's good news - her first round of chemo was successful and she was free to leave University Hospital Hotel. Lucas, Chloe and Chelsea threw her a little celebratory lunch at the Brady Pub and then it was on to the big bash at Case de Kiriakis. That's where all the "fun" began. Let's start with the return of the prodigal grandson and the reunion us Scoopers were longing to see!

Victor welcomed Brady back with open arms. It was touching for, well, a minute or so then the names Chloe and Nicole came up. Whoops! Grandpapa K read Brady the riot act! Brady tried to cough up the lame understatement of the year, "I know you had your problems with Nicole ..." To which Victor replied, "You think because you're into forgiveness and mending fences I should follow your example? ... I don't need to. I'm not a recovering drug addict trying to redeem myself." Ouch, right!? But at least those warm, fuzzy holiday memories will give Brady something to scrapbook later.

Surprisingly, Victor's mood didn't get any merrier upon seeing Chloe. Go figure. He spat words at her that would make a sailor blush. Again, ouch! I have to admit, she held her own, but I'm still trying to figure out why he was so angry with her since Brady admitted his addiction problem was his addiction problem. But, Vic is old school and I get that. Plus it was his house. Moving on ...

The rest of the party was pretty much a hodgepodge of awkward glances. Kate's eyebrows rose when Dr. Dan abruptly left and returned. Unbeknownst to her, he went back to the hospital and, sadly, it doesn't look like good news for Kate, but that's yet to be determined. However, my eyebrows rose a few times throughout the shindig too.

First - what was up with Chloe and Dr. Dan's longing glances!? I can't fathom why he would be into her as Chloe isn't sick. Granted, she was sick, but I'm not sure if that falls into his modus operandi. I'll have to reread the dating healthy girls section of Dr. Dan's Guide to Dating Patients and get back to everyone.

Second, when did Brady and Kate become such good friends. And he and Chelsea for that matter? It was cool to see them getting a long, and I particularly like the idea of Chelsea bonding with her cousin, but it just seemed a little out of left field. Hmm.

Finally - Dr. Dan and Brady knew each other? I guess that makes sense since Victor is Dr. Dan's godfather, but I was also wondering - could he be one of the people who helped treat Brady while he was in Europe? I seem to remember Dr. Date-A-Patient remarking he'd seen Chloe sing. So, perhaps there's a back story there somewhere. I repeat, hmm.

Dimples' Dumb-Dumb Decision (Philip & Mel)

So, basically after a week's worth of trading jabs, even jabs made after Ole Phil rode to Mel's rescue by saving her from Bob, everyone's favorite drunken "silver haired fox," he still decided to hire her as an Administrative Assistant at Titan. Really. Really? Yep, really. Don't get it either. This just has train wreck written all over it and if Victor thinks Chloe is a "sadistic little slut," I can only imagine what he'll think of hellcat Mel clawing her way into Philip's life. I must admit - I'd be on Team Victor if he kicks her out of the company, like the Crazy Quota, I've also reached my Mel vs. Stephanie Quota for the year.

Just Say No! (Max & Chelsea)

Let me start of by asking a question - why, oh why was Morgan shipped off to Chicago? Seriously, we're teetering on the verge of Max Niece Loven' Brady striking again and one of the only women not related to him was given the heave-ho. That makes as much sense as wearing sandals in a snowstorm. Somewhere I'm sure Max has a clock counting down to the moment Ciara turns eighteen. Ewe.

Anyway, we've seen this scenario before, writers, we can't be fooled again! It starts by Max offering his shoulder to whine on, followed by the "I'll always be here for you" speech and it all ends with audience members rushing for a refresher course on the Brady Family Tree then shaking their heads in disgust. Big time ugh!

Crazy Pants (Nick)

Like Ari, Blake Berris once again knocked my socks off last week! The scene that really clinched it for me was a simple one. After apologizing to Nick, Chelsea wanted to give him a hug and he remarked he couldn't stand up because the police took his belt. It took her a second to realize why, but as soon as she did this heartbroken look echoed across her face and his reaction was one of pure shame. It was such a chilling, well acted scene. Kudos to Blake and Rachel!

Otherwise it was a quiet week for Nick. He rotted in jail as everyone from Big Red to Swamp Baby played rounds of "Poor Nick/Poor Me/I feel so guilty/I hate Mel." Like Laurisa pointed out last week, all the Mel Bashing has got to stop. I get that she's a rotten apple, but people hardly get that worked up over Stefano and he's the biggest rotten apple around. Note to the Salemites - take a chill pill ... well, except Nick and Brady, I think they've had their fill of pills this year.

Hot & Not

Hot: No surprise - Arianne Zuker was hotter than hot last week! I can't get over her performance, it almost made up for the months "Ecole" rinse and repeat dialogue. Almost. One thing is clear, though, Ari surely deserves some sort of shiny gold trophy type thingy next year. Yes, that was a not so subtle hint to the Emmy crew, thankyouverymuch.

Not: Where was Caroline with her break'em up baseball bat when Chelsea and Mel went all Jerry Springer on each other? That full blown cat fat was a long time in the making yet was a few slaps short of entertaining me. I guess I'm just over the combination of Mel bashing and Chelsea feeling sorry for herself as both characters are too cool to waste on petty subplots.

Line of the Week:

"You're like the training wheels to his craziness!" Melanie to Chelsea ... sure those scenes made me wince, but that line was still pretty funny.

Randomness ...

Although I know the ole budget is tight right now over at NBC, I really hope Jessica and Joshua show up to help Nick. The guy needs as much support as he can get right now and I think the support of his parents would be best medicine. Scratch that - with support of Nick comes Melanie bashing so maybe it's better they just keep phoning home.

Was Marlena a little bit, I dunno, rude to Maggie or was it just me? I get that she was in the middle of a very important after school special-esque talk with John, but considering Mags is one of best friends, I thought she'd be a little more sympathetic all things considered. Well, I just hope Big Red tells her to take a big hike of a short pier the next time Doc asks for a ride from the airport.

Last week we got to meet Dr. Baker played by legendary soap vet John Callahan and John Callahan's hair. Unfortunately he couldn't save Nicole's baby girl, but it doesn't look like the good, or bad, doctor's interactions with Ms. Walker are over just yet. I have a feeling there's more to him than meets the eye - or hairdo.

Parting Thoughts ...

So friends and Days fans, that's "Two Scoops" for the week of December 1st! Let's hope things get a little sunshinier as last week was emotionally exhausting! Laurisa will be back next Monday with all the latest scoop, but remember to mark your calendars for the end of the month - that's right, the Second Annual Golden Donut and Alex North Memorial Awards are right around the corner! 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