Greece is the word

Who doesn't love a fun summer vacation? This week, the group packed up and headed to Greece. And it just might be the best trip ever. Let's discuss the various travel itineraries in this edition of Two Scoops.

Cage accommodations aside, Greece is being very good to Nicole. For starters, her hair and wardrobe haven't been this good in months. And I love her scheming again! I would have liked her to have a little more time to dig into the source of Xander's money. She was on the right path. But we didn't have time because -- thank the sweet soap baby Jesus! -- Eric showed up and literally rescued Holly in a matter of minutes. Oh, and he speaks Greek. Because of course he does.

And then Xander threw them both in a room together, which may sound familiar, but I'm oh so glad it happened again. These two have some tiny differences to work out. Admittedly, when I read the descriptions in my DVR for this episode, I was ready to throw the book at Nicole for being a selfish twit. And while I disagree with her that Eric is the reason her life is a mess now (it's not his fault that she picked Deimos, nor that Xander is a nutter), Arianne Zucker and Greg Vaughn were so good in this scene. And I'll grant Nicole clearance this once, as this is their first real, extended scene since he got out of prison.

Side note -- one thing I won't grant Nicole a pass on is her stance on Holly and Eric. Yikes, Nicole. Being a mom means putting your kid before yourself. That whole "Maybe she's safe, but I'll never see her again" was pretty selfish. Right now, the alternative is have her stay in the house with a mad man who literally puts her mother in a cage. Yeah, she's better off on a plane home to Maggie.

But back to Eric and Nicole!

I still haven't forgiven the writers for the hard right turn that story took when Nicole picked Daniel after confessing to Eric that she was happy to die in his arms in that furnace room. So maybe this imprisonment is their second chance to get it right. This pair even survived an actor change, which is no small accomplishment on a soap!

Eric is and always has been Nicole's best pairing. He's always given Nicole enough room to still be Nicole but managed to soften her edges when needed. It's a tough task, and Brady's the only other one who has come close. But the Ericole history, all the way back to Rollerblading on that beach, is something that none of her other pairings have been able to come close to matching. Sorry, everyone else in Salem, but Daniel put her on such a short leash until she got in line that I can't say he ever truly loved the real Nicole. Eric, on the other hand, broke up with God for her! I'm holding onto hope that once Nicole gets her anger out of her system, things can move on. We've got a whole box of letters to get to as well.

Plus, this Greece party is about to get better! Sonny, Paul, J.J., Eli, Lani, and Gabi (go on, Gabbers!) headed to Greece on the Kiriakis private jet! It's about time! Why exactly did Paul and Sonny have to campaign to get the FBI to follow Deimos? Shouldn't there already be a federal case opened against Nicole, since she took a child she doesn't have custody of out of the country? Deimos managed to track Nicole down twice while she was on the run. You'd think he'd be one they'd follow, anyway, as part of their investigation into Nicole.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised with the fun that the last Scooby-Doo gang had in Prague. I'm looking forward to seeing what this group can do too! Especially since Hope, Andre, Chad, and a mystery amulet holder might be joining them! Half of Salem is in Greece. Surely, they'll all run into each other at some point!

I kept my expectations low for a story about an ancient Egyptian amulet. So far, that decision is paying off! Sure, I have to snicker at the idea of Chad being cursed. Um, to review, his list of relatives he's buried include his: mother, father, daughter, brother, and two sisters. Oh, and his wife just left him. The guy doesn't exactly lead a blessed life as it is. Of all the characters to fall victim to a curse, I'm thinking a DiMera isn't really one who needs it. That family seems to make its own bad luck!

But there's still a lot to like about this storyline! I love Andre, Chad, and Hope having an adventure together. Better yet, Andre and Hope are on the same side! (Are we sure he's not Tony?) And, the shot of just a hand and the amulet makes me wonder who exactly is holding it. Could it be someone from the DiMera past? E.J.? Tony? Dr Rolf? Vivian? There's an opportunity here for a great reveal!

Best of all, this storyline gives Chad something to do other than sulk about his love life! While I very much enjoyed the fallout of Abigail leaving Chad, the storyline was stalling. And Kate had to waste a perfectly good martini at the Brady Pub on Chad stressing about Gabigail. So, I'm happy to see this triangle take a break for a bit.

That goes for Gabi and Abigail too! I can't say enough about how much I love these two ladies right now. Abigail is making it on her own! Good for her! She has to remind Dario every couple of days that she's not in love with him, but really, shouldn't we all be so lucky as to be burdened with rejecting a Latino hunk?

And I'm really starting to like Gabi and Eli. This pairing is bringing together characters that don't often get to interact, like Abe and Gabi. It's good stuff! I'm thrilled she tagged along to Greece too because I am not at all in for a J.J./Lani/Eli triangle, nothankyouverymuch. I want to see where Gabi and Eli can go.

LOOSE ENDS: I find myself less concerned with when Jade is going to who tells Tripp the truth as I am with the fallout of the secret. I feel very strong on both sides of this story. I completely get why Steve and Kayla did what they did. I'd do the same thing if it were my kid. However, I absolutely see why Tripp will (and should!) be furious with all of them for lying to him. He's supposed to take their word on all things Ava, yet they can lie to him about family secrets? Yeah, it doesn't work that way.

One way out of this would be for Joey to get out in front of this secret. The scene where Tripp got all protective big brother over Joey at the pub was adorable. I hope it's to solidify the bro bond.

Also, I need Tripp to be a little smarter when it comes to Jade. She's playing him too. He should take care to ensure that his quest to uncover the truth about Ava doesn't leave him blind to other deceptions around him. I think they're trying to make Jade into Ava 2.0 -- the tortured gal with a crappy, abusive dad and an unrequited love for a Johnson man. For many reasons, this will not work.

I finally connected with Lani this week. When she said that she has to power through this because she's a woman and can't risk being judged as weak, I got it. That's a position I fully support.

Yup, Deimos. You're totally right. Brady turned Nicole against you. It's all Brady's fault. Let me guess, you also blame the "fake news" mainstream media for turning Nicole against you as well. Oh, and Chandler Bing tricked you into doing all those bad things you did, huh?

Claire's request for money for lessons and coaches was exactly the right thing to do! Yes, Claire! This is how we common folk have to advance in life. We train, practice, go to school, etc., to make ourselves better. It's about practice, not about followers and likes!

Look at the Chloemeister getting back to her old self! I love her apologizing to Brady. Chloe's never really been a villain, so I like that they're humanizing her again. Though, even if she does turn custody back over to Nicole, I'm not sure what she can do about the criminal charges against Nicki.

Whiny Theo is kind of getting on my nerves. I don't blame Claire at all for being ticked when her boyfriend is jealous over another girl. Is she more sensitive because she's worried Theo would leave her for Ciara? Absolutely. But, that doesn't mean Claire isn't founded in her annoyance with Theo's diverted attention. Maybe Claire should have a conversation with Cousin Abigail about sharing your fella with a brunette temptress!

In fact, I say cut down on the Theo drama altogether and swap in more scenes with Victor! I love the way he handles both gals. I like that Victor acknowledged the parts of himself he saw in Claire. (With Vic and Sami's DNA both in her bloodline, of course this should be one feisty kiddo!) And I like that Ciara brings out the cuddly side of Victor, the same way Chelsea did when she was around.

HOT: That thundering noise you heard across the Internet on Monday was me jumping up and down for joy because Will is coming back to Salem! Even better, the ber-talented Chandler Massey is bringing him home ! Chandler's take on Will was superb. He's got three Emmys to prove it. His wins were no flukes! So, let's start the theories about why Will's back! Current working theory -- Will was kidnapped in L.A. and swapped with an imposter. This explains why he was MIA for a while, as well as why he cheated on Sonny in California.

HOT (Part 2): This is how you display class. Good on you, Guy Wilson! It was never his fault that Will was written to be a bit of a flake during his tenure. Guy did a fantastic job with the role. We're lucky to have him on the DAYS team as well!

NOT: To date, Maggie and Deimos have had the same scene in the Kiriakis living room 9,628 times. Each time it happens, it makes Maggie look like more and more of a chump for believing him. I do not like Maggie looking like a chump. Nope. Not on my watch. Deimos needs to peddle his "people can change" faade to someone else.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Kate: "I'm worried that you -- head of DiMera -- are going to fly off to Greece to meet some middleman. You know, unless you're secretly Indiana Jones, that could be very dangerous." Chad: That reminds me, I gotta bring my whip.

RANDOM THOUGHTS Xander describing Brady as a "bit of wet ramen" and "Mr. Frittata" was kind of funny.

I'm sure Chad and Abigail were saying something, but I'm always distracted by Thomas' cuteness.

Steve must have found some Groupon for the Salem flower shop.

Nicole commented that it was 100 degrees in Greece. Cut to Chad in a suit and Eric in a long-sleeved black T-shirt.

I wonder if Roman will install a modern POS (point of sale) system in the pub so that servers don't have to hand-write out tickets.

I completely forgot Eric knew Xander in Africa. This is perhaps because I've tried hard to forget all that diamond-smuggling elephant foolishness.

Eddie's going to jail for two years. Wonder if he'll meet up with Patrick Lockhart?

Is Theo going to be this self-righteous when he learns that Claire asked Ciara what to buy him for Christmas last year? Gasp! The deceit!

I love that the executive director of the ISA is a woman. #goalsforLani

Anyone else really want Andy Samberg to pop in and yell "Get in the cage!" to Nicole on Xander's behalf?

Suzanne Rogers should wear red every day of her life. Flawless!

How dare they put Andre in a letter sweater? Stop it.

Tell me I'm not the only one who was downright floored to learn Ciara was smart. Nothing about her ever screamed "brain trust" to me.

I don't think Chloe can have children later. I'm pretty sure Parker was a miracle baby.

It seems like it's been a long time since Rafe did non-Hope-related police work. Even the Eddie bust was because he was tagging along with Hope.

Speaking of that, shouldn't Hope wonder why her tracking device at the Kiriakis mansion isn't working anymore?

Hi-ya, Harold!! I love it when he shows up.

I could have gone without a second man trying to blackmail Nicole for sexual favors.

Oh, to be a soap billionaire and able to afford daycare and a nanny...

Sonny with a gun doesn't seem normal. He's always been more tickle fight than gunfight. Paul with a gun, I buy.

I want there to be a story behind Lani's neck tattoo.

Oh, Chloe, you live on a soap. You're going to need to ask God for other things. Don't be silly.

Just a friendly reminder that Ladies of the Lake starts on Monday, May 15. What's Ladies of the Lake? Oh, just a little series starring gems like Arianne Zucker and Martha Madison in an adaptation of Ken Corday's sure-to-be-soapy novel. You can find it on Amazon.

That's all for this week! Tony is on his way to Greece, as well, to chaperone this summer vacation. He'll be on duty for the next two weeks while I'm definitely not looking for a heart for Brady. Anyone have Summer's new address?

What are your thoughts on ? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.