Falling into you

Thankfully, Hope did not go undercover as a hooker last week. Instead, she used her quite awesome nice-cop skills to question and get Mandy to agree to look at some mug shots.

I have a confession to make. I am not a summer person. My pale skin burns and my wine gets warm, both at a faster rate than I'd ever want. I'm not into mosquitoes, sleeping on the ground, or wearing swimsuits. Sorry. I'll take a nice, 70-degree fall day any time. So, when I saw that a group of Salem peeps were having a party to celebrate the end of summer, I rushed to sign up for a side dish. Anything that brings the fall faster is 110 percent okay with me. Not only does it mean that I get to break out my favorite high-heeled boots and fashion scarves, but we all get the returns and new stories that Corday promised us. Fall is in the air!

HOPE Thankfully, Hope did not go undercover as a hooker last week. Instead, she used her quite awesome nice-cop skills to question and get Mandy to agree to look at some mug shots. This is why I hate it when Bo and Hope act smug with suspects, as they did a few weeks ago with E.J. They are perfectly capable of doing good, effective police work. All that irrelevant cockiness proves to be a huge waste of time.

Anyway, Hope allowed Roman, Bo, and Rafe to sit in with her while she interviewed Mandy, therefore answering the question once and for all. It takes four members of the Salem P.D. to work a video camera. I've got witnesses standing by for the next time someone needs to change a light bulb. CHLOE It was just a few short years ago that I picked Kinsey as the "worst new character." But, our little gossip queen has come such a long way. She became my hero last week by outlining all of the jobs Chloe could take -- including waiting tables and mowing lawns -- as alternative employment to hooking. Indeed, she could. And we all know it. Allow me to speak for basically the entire viewing audience -- no one thinks hooking is Chloe's only option.

Sure, the phone chat with Parker was adorable. And the later scenes on Friday's episode where Chloe lay in a pile of her own blood, clutching a picture of the tiny tike, made even my Grinch heart melt a bit. But Brady and Nicole both declared that they were willing to lend Chloe money. Heck, Justin mentioned that Philip offered to help Chloe out financially. It's impossible to buy the idea that Chloe really thinks hooking is less risky than Victor finding out that Philip helped Chloe get back on her feet.

By the way, I am still holding out hope that Jay Johnson will make a guest-staring appearance to wrap up this Chloe storyline. Now that Brady knows what Chloe has been up to, he needs to contact his favorite uncle and get Philip involved.

VIVIAN Gus made me laugh last week. For some unknown Oedipus-like reason, he worships the Lady Alamain. Watching him roll his eyes behind Viv's back during her reunion with Quinn was funny. And I even snickered out loud when he unintentionally-on-purpose broke the goblet thingy "Vivian" bought for Quinn.

While it was quick and pretty out-of-left field, I'm okay with Vivian making up with Quinn. It preserves her presence in his life even after she's off-screen, which could lead to some pretty good storyline material in the future.

QUINN and TAYLOR So, the pimp and the other woman had a nice long chat about morals. Isn't that special? I thought so. If there's one thing we got out of the whole Taylor and E.J. catastrophe, it's a stronger Taylor. For that, I'm eternally thankful. I understood why she was so dismissive of Quinn's mea culpa. The last fella who told her that her love changed him ended up being partially responsible for her mother's death. I just hate it when that happens.

But I do like what this storyline is doing for Taylor! She's spunky and out for self-preservation -- a very fine blend for a Walker. And, call me nave, but part of me believes Quinn. It would help a truckload if Quinn went ahead and got a legal income, but we're moving in the right direction. Salem is full of slightly reformed sinners, so there's always room for one more.

JENNIFER and DANIEL I know I'm in the minority, but I think Jennifer and Daniel are cute. Make that, I think Melissa Reeves and Shawn Christian have a great banter with each other. The whole scene on the beach with the kids where the two were teasing each other about being senior citizens was highly enjoyable. And while I wish with all my might that these two would make it, I'm just not delusional enough to really believe that. (And I still think that Eric and Nicole have a chance!)

So, it was with a heavy heart that I watched Jennifer declare, not once but twice, that Daniel is the "only one in the world" she wants to be with and that he's "never going to lose" her. *shakes head* That pretty much means they're doomed. Maybe there can be a way that Jennifer and Daniel can still be friends. But, I'm not holding out hope. Frankie got sent to D.C. the last time Jack came back from one of Jack's head trips. So, Daniel should probably start either looking for places out east, or devote himself to a new hobby.

Didn't he help a hospital in Switzerland go green? Maybe he can work on doing that with Maxine as his assistant. We need more Maxine in our lives. Always.

MAGGIE Ahh, Maggie. She may look sweet and delicate, but she can argue with the best of 'em. While I understand that Hope and Jennifer were concerned for Maggie's well-being -- seeing as how she's dating the guy who was a recent target for bullets -- they could do nothing when Maggie whipped out the trump card. She loves Victor. And if there's anything that Hope and Jennifer know, it's that you don't get in the way of love. Neither of these ladies are ones to throw love away for power/money/blackmail/etc., so they have no business telling Maggie to do so.

CARLY I wish that I could watch Carly's scenes uninterrupted. There was a lot of ground to cover, you know with all the addiction, abuse, and murder stuff, and that made those scenes pretty intense. Yet, they were spliced in between the fun day at the beach and the hot date at the pool hall. The difference in tone made it hard for me to adjust back into "serious mode," and Lord knows that Crystal Chappell demands that you pay serious attention to her. For his part, Cody Longo did a fine job to handling the therapy scenes. And I'm glad the whole thing ended with Carly staying in rehab. Now, if we can only get a phone call from Frankie before she leaves rehab, I'll be a happy scooper.

MELANIE and NICHOLAS I am so glad this meeting took place! For a second, I thought that Nicholas was going to skip town before Mel got to the rehab facility. But all was saved as they passed in the hall and exchanged greetings! I swear, it took Melanie a full 30 seconds to get an attitude with Nicholas. Our girl must be losing steam in her old age. Anyway, they had the classic argument about which is worse: your mom killing your dad or your mom giving you to a pimp. Tough call. Good thing they called a truce and decided that it's more important to be there for Carly and start moving forward. I hope we get more scenes between the siblings. They've got a lot to talk about.

KATE I adore watching Kate get back into the work force. Part of what makes Kate and Stefano an intriguing pair is that Kate has some of her own money and power behind her. And from the looks of things, that power is quite impressive. E.J. practically jumped at the chance to fund the re-launch of Countess Wilhelmina Cosmetics, and it wasn't because he thinks women need better under-eye cream. It was because Kate's plan can make DiMera Enterprises a ton of cash.

But, Victor has his eye on an even bigger pile of something. I'm not sure if it's a pile of cash, power, revenge, or a blend of all of the above. But whatever "it" is that made Victor pass up Kate's offer, "it" is the first thing that Victor and Brady have agreed on in a long time. I have a feeling it's more than miracle under-eye cream, but I wouldn't expect men to appreciate that sort of thing anyway. Poor un-exfoliating fools.

NICOLE Nicole had a bit of a rough week. First, it's hard not to look desperate while parading around the Kiriakis mansion in pink lingerie and, regrettably, Nicole was no exception. Second, anytime you have to coerce a confession of happiness out of a man, he's probably really not that happy. Third, what the heck happened to Nicole and Maggie's nice little martini/coffee talk that they had a few weeks ago? I was shocked to hear Nicole say that Maggie hates her.

On the possible bright side, there have been numerous mentions that E.J. and Nicole are still married. E.J. still wears a ring. Nicole refers to E.J. as "my soon-to-be-ex." Brady said that their divorce wasn't final. Should E.J. find himself incapacitated for any reason, Nicole would still be the legal next-of-kin. That could be interesting.

LOOSE ENDS: I don't mean to make light of the T/Sonny storyline, but it's starting to get a little comical. Last week, T stood a few feet away from the picnic blanket and literally flared his nostrils at Sonny. I suspect next week we'll get the kicking and pouting.

Other than "he who has a letter for a name," the rest of the Summer End BBQ was fun! I always enjoy big cast scenes, so having Dario, Mel, Chad, Abigail, Will, Gabi, and Sonny all hanging out together was great! Melanie and Dario fit so much better in this demographic than in the Brady/Rafe/Nicole level.

Abe took a break from work to bring coffee to Lexie at the hospital. These two have to have set the record for "longest gainfully employed couple" by now. I'm personally going to make them a certificate and send it to Salem.

Sami's surgery went better than any medical visit I've ever had, as it ended with a gigantic banana split. Now, she just has to wait for Lexie's oncology specialist friend (please, oh please, let it be Mike Horton!) to look at the tests. I had a brief thought that Lexie could have sympathized with Sami about waiting for results since Lexie had her own cancer scare a few years ago. But then, we'd all have to remember that Sami had a slight um...acquaintance with Lexie's cancer tests.

HOT: I love that the new writers are giving Taylor more of a backstory and history. In one scene, we found out more about her than we did the entire time she's been on the show under Higley and co. Next, they might even explain why Rafe was an orphan when he first came to the show, but now has three siblings and a mother. Or, perhaps how Victor knew Daniel's parents.

NOT: As Sami was headed into surgery, a distraught Rafe stood in the waiting area, thinking about his beloved wife, and had a montage about every single time they spent between the sheets, complete with porny saxophone background music. Writers, that was not romantic at all! I sincerely hope that if I'm ever in life-threatening condition, my husband thinks of the amazing trips we've taken, the times I made him laugh, or how I looked in my wedding dress (note -- those last two instances better not be related). I've heard all of these promises about returning to love stories, and it might be time to write, "Love in the afternoon does not equal sex montages while a man is waiting to see if his wife has cancer" on the dry erase board in the writer's room. Shockingly, this is necessary to spell out.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Will: "Making out comes after schlepping." If I had a nickel for every time I tried to tell people that...

RANDOM THOUGHTS: I am a sucker for a good montage, and the one at the end of Wednesday's show with Sami, Rafe, and Roman eating ice cream was adorable!

Bonus points to Nicole for coining the term "Grandpa Victator."

At first I thought the Salem P.D. should have done a background check on Taylor before hiring her. Then again, if they hired people without criminal backgrounds, neither Hope nor Bo would have a job.

Kate mentioned both Billie and Lucas in the same scene! I love hearing about characters from the past!

Really, Roman? Did Rafe really need to be in the room when Mandy was questioned? Sami was flipping having surgery at the same time! I can't even get mad at him for standing in the corner and adding nothing to the questioning because he shouldn't have been there in the first place.

That's all for now, DAYS fans. Tony will be back next week to lead us all into the beautiful fall season. Hopefully, I'll get some answers to these important questions: Can anyone let me know where Melanie got that awesome cuff with the green stone? Did you catch Taylor's slip, "Roman, and Hope, and Brady are in there right now taking her statement"? Wouldn't Adrienne be a good candidate to take over Jennifer's old PR job at the hospital? Do you think Will will bring in his cousin, Nick, or former premier blogger, Melanie, on this new website venture with Sonny? And, are you Team Summer or Team Fall?

I'd love to hear what you think so click here to share your thoughts to me!

Laurisa

Need more Two Scoops? Head over to read blogs by Laurisa or Tony for more ranting, raving, and all-out randomness