Parental rights

Andre has to be one of the smartest characters on a soap opera. Why? Simple -- he actually carries a tape recorder around with him.

Welcome to another week of our Two Scoops auditions, Soap Central fans. In this latest column, Laurisa is back to offer up a column for your enjoyment. Please take some time to read over it and then drop us a line to let us know what you think, whether you'd like to read more from Laurisa every week -- or if you'd like to wait to read from someone else.

Ok Days fans, it looks like the Phoenix has risen and is in full flight. After Benji pulls a gun on "dead" Stefano just to make sure Stefano really is dead (Benji may be the smartest DiMera), Stefano wakes up (in the coffin) and tells everyone that he's leaving. Inexplicably, the funeral still goes on- even though Shawn, Belle, Roman, and Kate are all missing/in danger and Stefano is awake. Grandpa Shawn starts to tell Abe about the truck and young Stefano, but Abe goes to take a phone call!!! Just like I don't answer my phone when "The Office" is on, Abe should not answer his phone when...say...we're about to get clarification on the biggest storyline in Salem history. Jeeze Abe! The one time that Grandpa Shawn decides to put aside his own selfishness and open up about the thing that could SAVE HIS WHOLE FAMILY and Abe needs to take a call. (I agree with Sami and Caroline this week for telling Shawn that he needs to shed some light on the story!)

Aside from the brief scenes on Monday, I'm honestly pleased with the EJ/Sami/Colleen/Santo "light" week that we had. Even Alison Sweeney and James Scott need to recharge their greatness batteries. (They are like Energizers but instead of plain energy, they supply volts of awesomeness.) We still had the complimentary Lucas hissy-fit over the feud that Sami "obsesses" over. Don't worry though. As soon as his chastising of Sami was interrupted by his mommy calling, Lucas was off leaving his wife alone with the man who just confessed his love for her to go help his own family. Anyway, it made sense to have a week without the quad. Certainly, we weren't supposed to believe that the feud stood still while the Brady clan reads letters. Nope. This week Andre took control of the reigns.

I'm fully convinced that Andre is one of the smartest characters on a soap opera. Why? Simple. He actually carries a tape recorder around with him. How many times have I yelled, "Just get that on tape!" at the screen? Don't bother counting. They don't make a number that big. Anyway, our favorite villain de jour, managed to send Bo on a wild goose chase, stuff Roman in a coffin, and leave Kate naked in a deserted ally (I told you he was smart!) Steve, who managed to fool every other DiMera, couldn't even pull one over on Andre. While I'm totally rooting for the Bradys to win, I can't help but love the sport that Andre is bringing to the feud. He's tricked death too many times, that I can't believe this will be an easy fight. Near death is a walk in the park for this guy.

But, the near death experience in the cooler brought Shawn and Belle closer. And, I have to say that it brought this viewer closer to embracing Belle. I've always liked Martha Madison and I really wanted to like Belle, but I just never did...until this week. For the first time, Belle tells Philip to back off and she starts making all kinds of sense. She tells him that she will always be his friend and a second father to Claire- but she can't be available to him the way she has been. Then she tells Shawn that he was right to be suspicious of Philip and apologizes for not seeing it sooner. By the end of the week, she does offer to go with him to help find Tyler, but I'm giving Belle the benefit of the doubt on this one. She came clean with Philip and with Shawn. Now she just needs to keep up her end of the bargain.

While Belle was getting smarter, Shawn was getting dumber. Or at least his judgment of advisors was. Taking monogamy advice from Lexie is like taking diet tips from The Hamburglar. Why doesn't Shawn talk to Hope? Shawn is a similar position with Belle and Philip as Hope was with Bo and Billie. Hope always tries to be supportive (read= keep her lunch down when thinking) of Bo and Billie while still managing to protect her marriage. Shawn could learn a lot from Hope.

Speaking of kids who could learn from their moms, Stephanie agrees to let Jeremy hide out in her house. That is, until Kayla finds Jeremy and reads him the riot act. Jeremy gives her a defense about how no one in the Horton family paid attention to him. Yeah, that Gran- she's a real meanie! Anyway, Steph comes home and tries to reason with Kayla and Jeremy. Steph tells Kayla that she loves Jeremy. Kayla says that when you love someone, another man is not a one night option- point: Kayla. Kayla further goes onto say that Jeremy needs to show Steph how much he loves her by not taking her last dime- point: Kayla. Then she does the most remarkable thing of all, she tricks Jeremy into walking out of the penthouse with no money, no Steph, and no lead on the cops- game, set, match: Kayla. That Mrs. J sure makes a lot of sense.

In other "Touch the Sky" alumni news, Jett recovers from his gun shot wounds and learns that he's been discharged from the ISA. I'm very grateful for the scene between Abe and Jett, and I really do hope that Jett's new job as a rent-a-cop (you know you called them that too in college) doesn't interfere with more scenes with uncle Abe. I think that these two characters could learn a lot from each other. While Jett may have a new job, he definitely has no memory of his ambulance confessional- or at least not that he's letting on. I'm glad. For now, I want to see how the storyline with Nick and Chelsea plays out.

While most people aren't a Chelsea fan, the D and Art storyline is getting really good. Just like these two help Belle and Shawn escape Canada and Philip, I hope Nick and Chelsea get to the bottom of the boy's paternity with the same intoxicating mix of nerd logic and Forest Gump luck that made me root for them in the first place. And, I have to say that I'm ready to jump on board the DiMera paternity train. Smart kids, who love chess, the arts, opera, and have a famously wealthy "dead" father don't sound too far off from DiMeras to me. I say check these kids for pinky rings!

Total speculations and predictions sure to go wrong: The previews for this fall flash pictures of Sami, Lucas, EJ, Belle, Philip, and Shawn across the screen while a voice announces, "In November, two of these people will get married". But the voice did not say, "...to each other". Of course I know this probably means a Shelle wedding, but what's the harm in thinking that Philip and EJ will end up with different women at Thanksgiving dinner.....

I'm still guessing that Pocket is really Tyler. The storyline sets up for one of the best things on Days- a Victor sighting!!! As soon Patch and Kayla learn that they are raising their ex-nemesis's grandson, Victor has to come out of that mansion!

Finally, do you think that Mrs. Santo DiMera is really alive? What do you make of Marlena advice to Sami? How long will it take for Max to find a new "right girl?"

Happy viewing! Laurisa

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