Beauty and the beast

Can Nicole deal with Xander on her own? Are people over-hyping Wyatt's secret? What will happen to Lani? Let's discuss the ladies and the beasts they face in this edition of Two Scoops.

Well, one title is still safe. Jan Spears still has the best cages on DAYS. Shawn-D got a spacious cage with a big screen TV, a bed, even velvet sheets. Nicole got a cage basically the size of a phone booth. Then again, she has the view of Xander, so that might even things out.

Yup, Nicole's locked up, and I really can't believe it. I mean, she found the best hiding place ever, and Xander still managed to find her! That guy is so good! Can we keep him?

In all seriousness, Paul Telfer is delightfully creepy as Xander. Plus, Xander's filling the role that Andre vacated -- but with a twist. He's as ruthless as Andre but not quite as soulless. In truth, he's been desperate for his family's love. He accepted crumbs from Victor in hopes it would lead to being a "real" Kiriakis. So it's no wonder that's part of the reason he lets Uncle Deimos treat him the same way. I saw him flinch when Deimos referred to him as "a loyal employee." Ouch. It's also the one vulnerability he has.

So that brings me to a crucial point. Dear writers, in addition to Nicole once being a strong woman, she was also an investigative reporter. In fact, she was the one who was able to track down Xander's past in the first place. And now, she's just experienced the feeling of having a real family bond. Do you see where I'm going with this?

I need Nicole to appeal to Xander's desire to have a family, keep pushing him about his "death," and get him to tell her that Deimos never shot him. It's stupid that Deimos can talk himself out of things at this point. At least former big bads like Stefano, Victor, and Vivian were more likely to laugh and say something like, "You can't prove that!" They didn't insult us by playing this level of indignant when people questioned them. But now we've got to watch Deimos the Diva clutch his pearls and gasp in utter horror each time someone dares question his good name. I'm so over that.

I cheered when Brady asked Eric to go find Nicole and Holly! Not only do we need to get Eric and Nicole back in each other's orbits, but Eric has his own score to settle with Xander. Nicole wasn't trapped in that furnace room alone. Plus, he needs to beat Deimos there. Unlike D-money, Eric doesn't think so little of Nicole that she'd fall back into the arms of the man who rescued her.

I have a sinking feeling that Jennifer is going to tag along with him. But Melanie tagging along with Brady to go rescue Theresa and Tate was the start of the merciful end to Brady and Melanie. Here's hoping Eric and Jennifer have the same result. Like Mel and Brady, these two are much more delightful in the friend zone.

Speaking of the friend zone, Dario and Eli might start a club for dudes who are gluttons for punishment. I'll give it to both of them and their respective ladies -- everyone is being completely honest with each other.

Gabi gets all the credit in the world. She really is trying to get over Chad despite everyone asking her about him every two seconds! Maybe, since I never bought Chad and Gabi's relationship as this grand love affair, it's hard for me to see Eli as a rebound. Eli is a genuinely good prospect for Gabi. There's built-in drama with him being law enforcement and her brother being a criminal. Plus, she's learning how to shut Julie down, which is damn near a magic trick.

As for Dario and Abigail, she is absolutely right that she's always needed Chad to save her. And Abigail does deserve to be loved by someone with their whole heart. Dario's super willing to do that. But Dario is just as much of a bad guy as Chad (probably a bit more), and that won't sit well with Abigail. Would Dario be willing to go straight if Abigail asked him? Something tells me he'd do it in a heartbeat. Not only does he not have Kate and Andre in his ear or a legacy for a kid to think about, but I literally have no idea what GDR actually does. So, sure, it can be anything at this point! He'd probably turn it into a nonprofit that educated women on how to do their hair like 1940s movie stars if she asked him to! (I, of course, would sign up for the first class!)

Across town, Lani is lying in a hospital bed. Sigh. There's a lot that bums me out about the Lani storyline. First, I'm not a fan of the J.J. and Lani pairing. The way DAYS refuses to handle the fact that Lani arguably raped J.J. still bothers me. Second, did we really need another storyline where a man came and saved the damsel? No. The answer is no. Especially in this case, when said damsel was a fully trained police officer who was at work at the time. Third, Snake should have had some connection to J.J. from J.J.'s drug-dealing days. Fourth, ugh, there's a guy named "Snake."

On the positive side, Sal Stowers has been great in this storyline, especially playing Lani's withdrawal. I wouldn't mind if she gets a chance to play out an addiction storyline. I also wouldn't be heartbroken if Raines feels so guilty about letting Lani go meet with Snake that he stays around her a lot more. I saw some chemistry with Raines! We need to see another side of him.

In other love connection news, I'm totally shipping Ciara and Wyatt. First, Scott Shilstone is doing an excellent job with the role, and we know he can do more!

Second, and more importantly, I see nothing malicious about what Theo and Wyatt are doing. Wyatt's "big hidden secret" is he was handpicked by Ciara's longest and best friend and has put in the time to study everything said best friend keeps telling him about her because he's legitimately into Ciara. He's not getting money out of this. He's not being blackmailed. Like he told Theo in the first place, he wants a good relationship with a nice gal! I mean, wow, what a creep!

LOOSE ENDS: Nooooooo, Chad! If Deimos is about to be in possession of an object that will curse him, you let that happen!

I understand they had to deal with Nadia Bjorlin's real-life maternity leave. But now that she's back, why isn't Parker in Salem with Chloe? Certainly between hassling Eric, she could watch her kid -- or at least shuffle him to a nanny like other self-respecting soap moms do.

Braintrusts Jade and Joey don't seem like much of a match for Tripp. Give that girl half a beer or show Joey a shiny object, and Tripp will hear the truth. I had a feeling Tripp was going to suspect Kayla killed Ava. Joey may be okay(ish) with Steve taking the blame, but I don't think he'll be able to stomach Kayla doing it. So now the only suspense in this storyline is who is going to tell Tripp the truth first. And when he does learn the truth, will he want his brother in jail?

Deimos intentionally set out to hurt Bo, ultimately causing his death. Eric made a careless decision, accidentally resulting in Daniel's death. Victor admonishes Eric every chance he gets. Victor turned his company over to Deimos. Ugh. Have all the seats, Victor.

I'm proud of Chad for realizing Kate was meddling. I also don't blame Chad for being a little ticked at how Abigail was shuffling Thomas around and not letting him know. It's probably time for them to get some legal parameters around this situation. Or learn to text each other. Either way.

How great was Jennifer and Steve's scene?! I loved that they talked about Jack and the challenging family dynamics of bringing those brothers together. Much like Jack and Steve, Joey and Tripp are going to have to come to an understanding as well.

I have a bad feeling Brady will end up with Xander's heart. I have a worse feeling it will be because Nicole promises to be with Deimos in exchange for him getting that heart to Brady in time.

HOT: Thank you, Sonny! Somebody finally told Victor to his face that his guilt over what happened with Deimos is clouding his judgment when it comes to the guy. I love that Sonny is onto Deimos. I think Brady is close to catching on too. The more that come to this party, the better.

NOT: I'm not saying that Dario's schtick isn't worn out. Dude makes a pouty face more than a Kardashian on Instagram. Buuuut that doesn't mean he's wrong for throwing shade at Rafe about Eddie. Remember a few weeks ago when Galen Gering killed that scene where Rafe had a "come to Jesus" moment about his selective morals? That was fantastic. They should have left it there, or at least each time someone brings it up, have Rafe revisit that point. What they should absolutely not have done is unleash Hope to praise Rafe's ability to uphold the oath he took when he joined the force! Good lord, woman! Rafe helped you drag a body across town after you shot a man and then frame someone else for it! I love Hope, but she needed to shut her fancy face on that one.

PREEMPTIVE NOT: Seriously, this sex tape idea needs to go away. Shut up, Jade.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Jennifer: "There isn't anything I can do to fix it. I just have to love 'em through it." It really is good real-world advice too! I like it, Jenny Bear!

Line of the Weak: Deimos (to Xander, about Nicole): "You'll be wise not to harm her" Yeah, he said that line knowing full well a chloroformed Nicole sat in Xander's trunk. I just can't with this cat.

RANDOM THOUGHTS Gabi's black lace-up heels were fantastic.

Somewhere around Club TBD is the recipe for an Abitini.

Something tells me Dario has been punched before.

When Eric said to Brady, "Let me get you a lawyer," who else hoped Belle would march right through that hospital door?

If you follow Camilia Banus' Instagram, you know she's quite the dancer!

Snake reminded me of The Dude from The Big Lebowski, as played by Josh Brolin.

I love it when Eric calls Brady his brother.

Xander was right. A lot of not-dead people come out of the river. You guys, Xander is funny too!

I'm trying to remember the last time Rafe and Brady shared a scene. It was probably way back when Rafe and Nicole were friends.

I love that Jade kicked ass at a football game. #yesshecan

LOL! Jennifer absolutely does not put J.J.'s dates through the wringer.

I'm sorry, there's a computer that can turn water into wine?! I must have this.

Pretty sure everyone needs two shots of tequila before meeting up with Julie. Good call, Hope.

I'm guessing that hardware store went to one of the other five bidders, since Brady and Nicole are both otherwise occupied?

I wonder if Brady and Jennifer bond over being heart transplant recipients. Well, technically, Jennifer was her own donor, too, but same basic idea.

If Eric sends all people pizza, I agree he is amazing.

Nicole didn't even get to put on shoes before leaving Canada!

A dance off?! Tell me more! The world would be a better place if all arguments were settled by dance off.

Rafe set two extra seats to symbolize Eddie and Mama H -- the people he wished were there. Tough break, Arianna. #RIP

Oy vey, if Jennifer thinks that Holly is her family because she's Maggie's granddaughter, then shouldn't Eric be her family too, since he's Hope's nephew? Awkward!

Finally, congrats to all of the DAYS Daytime Emmy winners! If you didn't get a chance to watch the ceremony, a lot of good things happened -- the biggest being the show got back to being a celebration of soaps. There was a fun opening number featuring stars from all the soaps (including our very own Eric Martsolf and Nadia Bjorlin!) We actually saw clips of all of the nominees. And the winners got time to give real speeches! Lexi Ainsworth's was my personal favorite of the night, but they were all great! If you haven't had a chance, read all of our Daytime Emmy coverage here, including awesome red carpet interviews!

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