Sweeps!

The February Sweeps period has been a hit for Days of our Lives! For the first time in a long time, Days has delivered a stellar couple of weeks.

Excellent! I give it two thumbs up! The February Sweeps period has been a hit for Days of our Lives! For the first time in a long time, Days has delivered a stellar couple of weeks. We've seen a lot of fabulous acting, some juicy reveals, refreshing dialogue and long over-due movement in the storylines. What more could we ask for? I have complained about James E. Reilly and the rest of TPTB many, many times in the past...but I have to admit that I am enjoying the drama that they are creating right now. I have really enjoyed watching the past few weeks and I can happily say that I did not fast forward through a single scene.

Not surprisingly; Bo and Hope's sudden separation has touched a nerve with the viewers. Hope finally discovered the truth this week (unfortunately from Patrick and not Bo) and she has turned on Bo with a vengeance. The whole situation has stirred up a hornet's nest of controversy on the message boards and in the chat rooms. Fans are arguing with each other about whether Hope is justified in turning her back on Bo and whether he is to blame for Zach's death. I read everyone's posts and emails and for the most part; they are well thought out, well-written and each has their own points. Myself on the other hand - while I might agree or disagree with certain parts in this story - on the whole, I don't find myself on one side or the other. I can see both sides of the story and the thing that strikes me the most is how sad the whole situation is. Zach's funeral was an excellent example. I actually cried when Hope yelled at Bo to stay away from her. Her anger and his dismay really got to me. It was almost as if it was my parents that were breaking up. It was depressing to see this amazing and loving family being ripped apart at the seams. It was overwhelmingly sad to see Hope turn on Bo so angrily. To watch Shawn yell at his father that he is responsible for Zach's death. To see the pain on Bo's face as he watched his wife and oldest child pull away from him. Though I know that on some level, Bo deserves what he's getting, I still can't help but feel pity for the poor guy. He is poised to lose everything. His baby is dead, his wife and oldest son have turned their backs on him and his daughter is poised to go to jail. The poor guy must be ready to jump off the nearest cliff. Do I blame Hope for lashing out at Bo? No. How could anyone ever hold anything against a grieving mother? I think that she's pretty close to being out of her mind with grief, hurt and anger. She's probably barely aware of what she's saying. I only hope that when the dust settles and her anger subsides, that she can find a way to forgive Bo. Something tells me that hope may be in vain...

I guess it's fairly obvious where the story is going for Bo and Hope. Patrick will end up comforting Hope which will then result in them growing closer. Same for Bo and Billie, she'll end up being his sympathetic shoulder. It's weird; for the past three years I have been vowing to turn the television off if the aforementioned came to pass. Buuuut I'm cautiously optimistic. Billie has proved this week that she really does not want to pry Bo away from Hope. She categorically told her slimy snake of a mother that Hope needed Bo and that she would not come between them. I believed her. I think she's changed. I realize that this is the same woman who took advantage of Bo sexually while he was hallucinating from noxious fumes buuuut somewhere along the line in the past year; I started liking Billie. It might have something to do with Julie Pinson or just the mere fact that she had moved on with Patrick. Speaking of which...I'm so disappointed that she dropped him like a hot potato. I figure it was storyline driven however, they both needed to be single for plot purposes. The question is how long Patrick and Billie will be apart and how long we will have to wait for Bo and Hope to find their way back to each other. I can't for a second imagine Bo and Hope marrying other people, much less Billie and Patrick respectively. That would be like pouring salt on an open wound. Much as I have praised TPTB for the writing lately...I think that keeping Bo and Hope apart for any serious length of time would be a bad move. And judging by the tone of the email that I'm reading; it's a move that could result in a loss of viewers.

Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea! What to say about this character? Right up to the point before she went to the funeral, she had me convinced that she was just a scared little girl. I had puzzled over why people hated Chelsea and labeled her as evil. The only thing I saw was a messed up 18 year-old who had made one mistake after another. But then she went and took Kate's advice (of all people!) and showed up at Zach's funeral. What the hell was she thinking? I was shocked by how selfish and self-serving that move was. She knew how much her presence would bother Hope - she even said as much to Kate - but she went anyway. Then I remembered that this is the same girl that let her mother take the blame for her crime; I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Bo made a mistake by comforting Chelsea instead of Hope and Victor told him so. I can hardly blame Bo though...he's suffering too. He's caught in the middle and feeling his own pain. No; the person I blame is Kate. Why you may wonder? No particular reason other than she is a snake in the grass and one who easily fits the label of "evil". By her words and her deeds, she proves it over and over. The very fact that she is attempting to use the pain that Bo and Hope are experiencing in order to push her agenda of a Billie/Bo reunion is sickening. If Chelsea knew what was good for her, she'd steer clear of Grandma Kate and her advice. No good can come of it and most of her children would vouch for that. And in fact, Billie said exactly that to Chelsea not moments before she completely disregarded her and took a taxi to the funeral (where exactly did she get the money for that?). The best part was that at the end of Friday's show, Billie grabbed Chelsea and told her to take responsibility for her crime and stop blaming others. Given her track record, Chelsea will most likely spurn her for saying that, but at least someone said it. Hopefully Bo will grow a backbone where she is concerned as well.

I really feel for Mimi; she's in such a tough position. She loves Shawn but she knows that she has to do the right thing and tell him the truth. And I really believe that she wanted to tell Shawn the truth, but with the combination of Bonnie's pseudo-heart "event" and the circumstances in Shawn's life ... when has she had the chance? Shawn went to Zach's funeral where he found out that Chelsea was the one who killed his brother and that Bo covered for her. He's totally distraught, not to mention angry as hell. Should Mimi have dropped another bomb in his lap? He took her aside at the funeral and made her promise that they would never keep secrets or tell lies. Should she have blurted out the secret right there? I know that everyone has an opinion but...I wonder how many of us would stick to our ideals if we were actually faced with the same situation. Mimi said that she would tell Shawn the minute he walked through the door. But this is Days of our Lives and we know that the chances of that happening are slim to none. There's the Bonnie factor for one. Who wants to bet that another heart "event" is coming? If Bonnie is able to delay Mimi once again, that'll only put Mimi deeper in the hole with Shawn when he finds out. Plus, the longer she waits to tell Shawn the truth, the more time Bonnie has to plot (and now Kate as well since Bonnie went and told her that Mimi knows). I don't know how much longer Claire's paternity can remain a secret anyway; too many people know the truth for it to remain a secret for long. I am still hoping that Victor comes through in the end and tells his son and grandson the truth. The one consolation of this whole mess would be Philip discovering that his mother knew the truth and conspired to keep it from him. One more son's love down the drain for Kate...glub, glub, glub.

What a treat to see a few scenes of substance with Caroline Brady and Belle. For once, I wasn't annoyed by Belle. I really enjoyed the conversation they had about love and marriage and more specifically; Shawn and Philip. Belle finally admitted her feelings for Shawn, but she also asserted her love for Phil and that she had no regrets about marrying him. Caroline was fantastic, she asked the right questions and gave the right advice. She kept Belle focused on the NOW and focused on the good in her life. I just love her; she's so caring and real (Caroline; not Belle :). It was a great scene for Belle too. She showed more maturity and growth in the one scene then she has in months. If she keeps it up, I might be able to picture her with Shawn. Maybe...

Thanks to Zach's donated corneas, Abe's sight has been restored. Thank god this story has finally moved along. And none too soon it would seem since TEK has returned to the scene and is vowing to woo Lexie away from Abe. On the one hand, I'm glad to see TEK again...I was wondering if he had fallen in to the abyss that swallowed Cassie. I'm hoping that wherever the Abe/Lexie/TEK story goes; we don't see a return of "angry" Abe. He's scary! So it looks like the return of Abe's sight has coincided with the return of his police detective talents, which he put to good use by helping John bend the law in order to get some answers. Abe distracted the guard at Lois's door while John snuck in to Lois's room and injected some sort of truth serum in to her IV. Funny thing is...not 5 minutes previous, we saw her sneak out of her room, call Alex and sneak back in. At no time did she have an intravenous in her arm. Did I miss something? Or was it just another one of those inanities we are expected to disregard? Anyway - let's hope the truth serum, or whatever it is, works. I am eager for the Alex North storyline to be over.

Rumors...Rumors...remember, these are just rumors, not spoilers; there's every possibility they could be wrong. Apparently; Sami will end up pregnant with Austin's child and Jennifer will end up pregnant with Frankie's. Ugh. Personally, the thought of Sami having Austin's child disturbs me. I can't for a minute imagine that I'll enjoy that particular turn of events. That would definitely destroy any hope of a Sami and Lucas reunion anytime soon. Jennifer and Frankie are a different story. Her being pregnant with Frankie's child would put an interesting spin on the situation when Jack returned from the dead once again. This rumor definitely has the most potential of coming true when you consider the kiss that we witnessed between Jen and Frankie before they left for the funeral. As their romance seems to be full steam ahead, I would bet that a pregnancy could happen sooner rather than later. I wonder how Abby would react to that? Moving on to the last rumor...apparently; Alex is really Stefano in disguise. If that happens, I'll be seriously disappointed in TPTB. There's no way that fans will accept the Alex North fiasco of a storyline being swept under the rug by pinning it on all Stefano DiMera. Though I would loooove to see Joe Mascolo back on Days, it's too convenient to keep pinning every bad deed on Stefano.

Last thought? What 'da hell was Nicole up to? Out of the blue...she shows up at Roman's hotel room in a negligee? Roman? Roman of all people? Are ya kidding me? How weird was that? I wonder if it's a case of her being so desperate and lonely that she'll jump any man who gives her a flicker of interest? Or maybe this is all just an elaborate plot to get back at Sami? We know that Arianne Zucker is leaving the show soon - according to a message she posted on her website, she will film her last scene on February 20th - so whatever is going on; I'm sure it will lead to her departure from Days. Considering that Days tapes the show approx 3 to 4 weeks ahead of time; Nicole's character could be around until the middle of March. It may just be that we won't see much of her between now and her last air date or it may just be that her culpability in Zach's death will be revealed. Time will tell. I know that I, for one, will miss the unforgettable Nicole Walker Roberts Kiriakis and always wish for what could have been with her and Austin. Best of luck to Arianne Zucker!

The Emmy Nominations were announced recently (for a full list of Emmy Nomination, please see the relevant section of this site) and unfortunately, only 1 out of the 6 nominations that Days received was for an artistic achievement. The rest were mostly technical things like lighting, hairstyling and makeup. Outstanding hairstyling? Come on! All of the Soaps have top-notch makeup and hair teams. Picking one over another is more than likely a gesture of sympathy than anything else. Well, there is one thing we can hope for; Kristian Alfonso's performance during the current storyline is sure to garner her a nod at next year's Emmys. And in my opinion, she has all ready won.

Reader Feedback: Thanks to everyone who wrote in and provided their feedback! I truly look forward to reading your thoughts and opinions so keep them coming!

From Caron Kruger:"I agree with most everything you said, especially the Sami/Lucas/Austin/Carrie storyline. I just don't understand why they are pairing Sami and Austin when Sami was so in love with Lucas. No one changes their feelings that fast. I think they need new writers. I especially hate Marlena and Alex together. I do disagree on one thing: Shawn and Mimi. I just don't see the chemistry. I think Shawn and Belle are much better together. If you think you are tired of hearing Shawn repeating himself - what about Kate! How many times has she said, "Philip can't find out that he isn't the father to Belle's child"? I have been watching Days since the day it started and I am very disappointed in the writing of late. I would hate to see the show end but it definitely would benefit with new writers. I do FF through the Marlena/Alex scenes and the Chelsea scenes. She is one spoiled brat. Also, I FF through the Shawn/Mimi scenes. Thank goodness for Tivo!"

From Jennifer:" I totally agree with you Pamela about Sami and Lucas. I was so disappointed when I found out Carrie was coming back to Salem and this is exactly why. I didn't like the quad storyline years ago and didn't watch it, and guess what? I don't like it or watch it now. I just want Sami and Lucas back together and happy where they belong. I can't believe that Lucas is willing to give up on the love he had for Sami so quickly. And I say Lucas because time and time again you will see Sami admit that she still wants to be with Lucas and that she's sorry about what happened with Lucas. Reilly is writing Lucas like a real ass. Lucas is just really trying to get back at Austin for "being" with Sami and countless other things. Sami feels she has no chance with Lucas so she's trying to move on. I understand that but it's not entertaining to watch. Reilly needs to get out of the past and move Lumi back into the present and on the front burner. Get Carrie and Austin off the show. But better yet, I would like Sami and Lucas to get back together and admit their wrongdoing to Austin and Carrie but instead of the latter forgiving them, they declare an all out war. Professionally and personally. Now that would be something to see."

From Donna:"I agree with your views on Hope's (the actor who plays Hope) performance. I have watched her since she first appeared on DOOL and I think her acting has improved over the years more than any of the others. Samantha has gotten better too but wish they would give her more adult roles now that she has a son as big as Will. I am tired of her whining. Drake cannot act as good as he could when he first was THE Pawn!!! They are wasting Kate on her continual bitch performing."

From Babs:"I agree with you I am getting tired of these rerun storylines, LUCAS/CARRIE, Austin/Sami, they can't do better. They have Carrie come back and then back to the old stuff. I wish they would do something new or get a new character to come on the show and not use LUCAS AND Sami AGAIN! I also think that Eugenia was the one who ran over ZACK. She could hardly stand up and what other reason to have her drinking and leaving drunk? I thought at the time, "there's some reason for this staggering Eugenia". I also think they should stop dragging this storyline about Bo telling Hope about the truth, but maybe they are making up their minds about who to make the fall "GUY". I am also tired of Alex/Lois storyline. I hope this is over soon and they DON'T BRING ALEX BACK AGAIN! This was a sick idea and they could have done better."

From Carlie:"I think I will pull my hair out if Bo does not tell Hope the truth. He and Hope and are always on about being completely honest with each other and here he is keeping something very important from her. As for Billie, I understand that she is merely doing this out of guilt for not being there for Chelsea for the last 18 years but what an idiot! Okay she goes to jail to "protect" Chelsea, Chelsea is then free to perhaps hit someone again, so who will cover for her then? Bo? I must admit the actress playing Chelsea is doing a heck of a performance because she has surely stirred a lot of hatred for the Chelsea character. Sami/Austin/Carrie/Lucas story, give it a rest! The writers have milked this story for all it is worth. I am begging them to just let Sami and Lucas realize that they are deeply in love and come together as a family. If Austin has waited this long and not been with someone else because he was still in love with Carrie, for pete's sake let him have her and finally keep her. Poor Mimi, although I liked the idea of Shawn and Belle being together before, she is now married, let Mimi be happy and get Shawn. Belle missed her chance, she let go of Shawn and moved on so let it be. Like you I am confused about Dr.North and Banks. If they are in cahoots why were we shown Lois threatening to take care of Alex and then his precious Marlena in private when no one else was hearing her, she was not putting on an act for anyone else? Of course it is obvious that Alex is using Lois to get back at Marlena for something and when he has accomplished his mission he intends to discard Lois like yesterday's newspaper. Unfortunately she has delusions of finally getting to be with her beloved Dr. North. As for Marlena, it is amazing that she cannot remember her love for John but she is so willing to believe everything Dr. North says because he "saved" her? She is beginning to really annoy me."

From Regina:"PLEASE!!! If someone hit and killed one of your children, it doesn't matter who it was, you would not try to protect them. Bo has only been a father to Chelsea for a few short months. She hasn't acted like a loving daughter to him, and now since she needs his help she is calling him dad. She will let her mother go to prison for her and is now calling Billie, Mom. This is Bo's son who was killed. A son that he has been a father to for more than a few months. You can not choose one child over another. He should be avenging Zacks death, not harboring the criminal. The Sami/Lucas/Carrie/Austin storyline, old, dull, stupid, and BORING!!! Give Billie and Patrick and real storyline. They are wasting these two good characters. They have perfectly good characters and storylines right in front of them and they waste their time on Marlena, John, Belle, Shawn and a lot of other going nowhere characters and stupid storylines.."

From Trey:"I read your column and have to say I agree with you about Hope's performance these last few weeks. As an actor myself and someone who greatly appreciates the hard work that goes into the world of soap opera acting, I have to say, her scenes have been utterly riveting. I have literally shed so many tears identifying with Hope's pain. Although I absolutely love Sami/Austin/Carrie/Lucas, I have to agree that I assumed this storyline would be a little different than the one ten years ago. I wanted to see Sami and Carrie team up to keep Nicole away from Austin, but with Nic leaving, I guess it won't be happening. I also have to say, does anyone else think its weird that Chelsea wants to date her adopted uncle. I mean, no one has mentioned that fact. Salem is sometimes too close for comfort."

From Marcienne:"I just wanted to say that if Bo and Hope split up it will be the End of Days of our lives. The Horton's and The Brady's have kept the town of Salem going for years. Bo and Hope are the new age "Tom and Alice", no matter what Tom and Alice stayed together until "death do us part". Somebody needs to smack those writers upside the head and realize that they are killing the show."

From Charlene:"We watch days of our lives at work every day. We have all agreed that if they separate Bo and hope we will all go for a walk on our lunch hour, or maybe turn to all my children. Please don't break up Bo and Hope. We aren't the only ones that feel this way."

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.