Almost paradise

For just a minute, DAYS got a holiday right. There was fashion, romance, comedy and just the right amount of drama. Then it all came to a crashing halt. Let's sort through both the glamour and shame in this week's Two Scoops.

Well, it took three four tries, but the writers finally got a holiday right! The drama played for comedy, not for tears. It all lead up to the big moment of the night when, holy Moses, Anne's wore something other than a wrap dress! I never thought I'd see the day!

Oh! Oh! Plus, Nicole and Ava finally reconnected! I really could stop the Two Scoops here since nothing else could possibly top those two moments! But I'll keep going because I have to give DAYS piles of credit for the New Year's Eve/Basic Black fashion show!

We're in a different era of soaps. The grand sets and shoots are a thing of the past. So, the writers have to make due with a limited budget and time. So, with a pretty basic set and some snazzy lighting, we got a very posh scene -- filled with fan-favorite characters, all dressed to impress. The whole thing put the Bicentennial Celebration to shame, if I do say so myself. So, very well done Team DAYS!

As for the Basic Black storyline itself, all the pieces are there. I'm still pleased with the idea of Kate, Nicole, Theresa and Anne all having an excuse to play together. Throwing in Gabi and Paul could be fun too, as there is some interesting potential there since both of them have complicated histories with Wilson. And, I will keep smiling like a goofy idiot each time J.J. shows up with flowers for Gabi.

However, the three main ladies do need to have a slight adjustment to avoid repeating some mistakes.

First, Nicole is the voice of reason here. Just let that one sink in for a minute. (And I don't even know what to say about Nicole turning down a martini. Is nothing sacred?!)

Second, sure, Kate can be as mean as the worst of them. But she's always had an agenda -- usually revenge for one of her kids or for her own self-advancement. But she's mean just for the sake of play a Devil Wears Prada plot point here. I hope this isn't residual effect from her time-out in the dumb closet with Clyde.

Finally, there's Theresa. She's always had a hint of insecurity, which is what made her a layered character. But the show is indulging in that characteristic way too much right now. And, sorry, but Brady's declarations of love for a gal have worn off. That's like me saying, "Guys, I have a confession...I'd really like a piece of chocolate right now." So, as Theresa was a sobbing mess and Brady was trying to comfort her, I realized that despite the chemistry and general goodness between the two actors, the characters have plateaued together.

But that may all change soon. Since the show loves to pit Brady and Philip against each other, Theresa's promise that she's going to help Brady get Titan back all but guarantees that she'll end up in some sort of compromising situation with Philip.

And I think that Theresa's Brady roots may mesh a little better with John-Paul Lavoisier's new Philip. This time around, Philip is much less Bruce Wayne and a little more Dr. Evil. And that change would be fine with me because Belle needs to be free to hang around with Chad any and all possible minutes.

The chemistry between Billy Flynn and Martha Madison is smart and scorching. See: "Since you haven't slapped me, I'll keep talking. Snowboarding's more my speed and I haven't brainwashed a soul." #swoon

Belle brings up something that has been missing in both of Chad's previous pairings with Jordan and Abigail. Unlike them, Belle is not the damsel he needs to save. She's his mark, which makes this pair very soapy. Plus, sooner or later, TPTB are going to have to realize that Abigail is just not interesting enough to hold up her end of the super couple bargain when it comes to Chad.

The ironic part is that Belle was Abigail in her previous stints -- the gal for whom all the boys arrived at the yard in order to partake in her milkshake. Granted, I don't think access to Belle's pants ever drove a man to commit murder, but you get the idea. Back in the day, Belle totally would have been self-righteous enough to barge into a hotel room and go all "you're married!" on a woman, despite the fact that say...nothing stopped her from stripping down and climbing on top of a married man when he was passed out. I mean, of course Abigail never did anything like that. I'm just giving a random example.

So, I hope that the Chad-bot and Belle aren't over. I love the idea of a triangle where one gal falls for the brainwashed version while the other gal tries to hold onto the previous version. It's a fun, soapy twist on the traditional love triangle especially since Andre's brainwashing "mi familia" thing is going to come back and bite him in the butt now that Chad knows Abigail's bambina is also his "mi familia". Though, it would be very interesting if Andre was the match for the transplant/donation that Thomas is going to need to recover from his illness*. Andre's so not above using his nephew's life as a bargaining chip.

*I'm entirely convinced Thomas is suffering serious side effects from being born at least a trimester early and ten pounds. Wait, you guys, maybe he's Benjamin Button!

LOOSE ENDS It was actually nice to see Kate meddle in her son's love life. It's the first time I've recognized the real Kate in months.

There's some irony in Ava creating her own stalker in Joey. I'm okay with it as long as Ava isn't feeling things for him. (Unlike with Eve and J.J., Joey actually is underage.) Though, I do have to wonder why they are wasting Ava's return on her playing the exact same storyline she did last time -- a revenge plot on Kayla and Steve. Why not give her an age-appropriate suitor (Finn's not a terrible idea) and see where things go from there?

Why is it that Claire seems to have no idea of this mythical land of Salem into which she's just been deposited? Does Claire really not know the important role Philip played in her life? He's not just "Belle's date". He's Claire's great uncle and the man who was her father for the first part of her life.

I feel the need to point out that Victor and Caroline were not some great love. Yes, the fact they share a kid was always sweet, as was the regard in which Victor held Caroline. But that relationship never played out on screen. It wasn't even a relationship, at that.

We haven't seen Daniel or Eric in a month of Sundays, so it's hard to drum up concern that Eric is an alcoholic or that he probably just killed Daniel and injured Jennifer and Brady.

Much as I'm ready to see the show move on, I will say that Chabigal fans got royally hosed here, and that's not cool to do to any fan base. Their couple got about four minutes of happiness before something ripped them apart. Chabigail fans -- who at the end of the day are DAYS fans and therefore a-okay in my book -- deserve better.

Hope -- the main suspect in a murder -- just walked right into the police station and started chatting it up with the other detectives. Oh, Salem. Never change.

HOT

I love Belle's 1-800-OverIt attitude. Sure, she's kind of a mess of a mom and all over the place when it comes to dudes. But she owns it when she says that she feels like doing something impulsive and stupid. She marched herself right over and scolded Philip for being late for their date. And darn it if she didn't put the hot in that hot pink dress. Go on, Belle. I'm not mad attcha!

NOT It's not a huge shock that Marlena broke Sami's confidence to Abigail, as Marlena has sided with Abigail over Sami before. But, to tell Abigail that she'd have her back against Belle was a huge blow. Marlena has followed Belle around with gold dust for years. Now Mar's going to tell Belle to stay away from Chad because Abigail said so? Wow. Just wow.

LINE OF THE WEEK Anne (to Gabi): "Girl...respect!" It was the fist-bump between Gabi and Anne, with a nod to Gabi breaking up fights in the prison yard that made my week.

Exchange of the week: Chad: Why would you go out with him? Belle: Because he asked. Chad: So did I. Belle: He asked, and he's not you. Ha! Even the throw-away lines between these two are fun.

RANDOM THOUGHTS Unless Paul and Gabi were performing in Austin Powers on Ice, those first outfits were turrrrible.

I'm a bit all over Claire's green coat, scarf, and dress combo.

Kate's outfit was fierce.

Not sure about those pants though, Jen.

Considering she's got a shrink mom and a spy dad, I don't blame Belle one bit for not wanting her parents to see Philip picking her up.

I'm tossing some serious side-eye at that reporter for asking Kate if she had a supportive husband. I don't know if you know this sweetie, but sisters are doing it for themselves these days, even if that means that a man may or may not be at home throwing a load of laundry in by himself.

I'm not on board with Kayla's ring made from a bullet, for many reasons, but mainly because it makes the ring more about Steve than about Kayla.

LOL at Anne shaking her keys at the models to get them to focus the way you do when trying to get a baby's attention to take a picture.

Yes, Steve. I'm so sure that someone is going to blurt out the results of a football game at a fashion show.

That's it for this week, my fellow Basic Black fashionistas! Tony will be here next week to remind us all about the dangers of being self-righteous for years and then riding shot-gun in Brady's car. Err...I mean drinking and driving. Yes, that's what's dangerous.

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