Over her (nearly) dead body

With Daniel incarcerated, we're finally getting to see Lexie save the day again! That's refreshing, since Daniel has been the go-to doctor for the past year.

Hello, Days fans! Last week was a great one. Not only was Chloe in a coma which meant we didn't have to deal with her lust-filled flashbacks for the first time in months, but, behind the scenes, hot-off-the-press casting news delighted me to no end. It's big news. No, no - huge news! Warning: If you want to be surprised come late September, skip the next paragraph because I can only hold in my excitement for another moment before I burst...

Ok, here it goes - Louise Sorel (the Vivian Alamain) is returning to Salem!!! Notice the three exclamation points - yes, I'm that excited! And that's not all - there's more news! It's been confirmed a certain nephew of Auntie Viv's is coming back as well. Combined with the other casting gems Laurisa reported on last week on her blog, let me just say my feet hurt from doing the Happy Dance! Ok, that dance basically consists of me flailing around like one of those balloon people outside of a car dealership...Laurisa's the Scooper with coordination. I just flail. Right, I'm calming down...we're here for reasons other than celebrating returns.

The happenings in Salem last week made me cheer a little, too. Sure, I could've been watching under the influence of the above mentioned good news, but between tons of vet screen time, actual movement in storylines, and seeing Victor and Kate giggle over Chloe's condition, I was a pretty happy Scooper. On the icky side, the week seemed to revolve around a woman who's nearly dead, one who is dead, and one who will be once her husband finds out the truth! Let's discuss...

COMATOSE CHLOE & COMPANY

Believe it or not, I don't mean my next statement to sound totally insensitive, but Chloe lapsing into a coma is probably the best thing to happen to this storyline in a long time. My reason for saying that is simple - things are actually starting to happen other than Chloe and Dr. Dan's steamy daydreams. In fact, a lot of things are happening, which is finally making this an intriguing storyline.

For starters, the screen is on fire with vets! Bo and Hope are actually getting to do what they do best - try to solve crimes. I loved seeing Hope interrogate Dr. Dan. She simply rocks. She also made one of the best points of the week - if Kate is responsible, she won't hurt Chloe because that will take the heat off Dr. Dan. Yep, that Fancy Face is a smart cookie.

More coolness - this case is putting Bo back in a place we haven't seen in a while. He's torn between his gut and his badge. Because of that conflict, ABE showed up with a stern warning to Bo. He told him not to "coddle" Dan like he did with Philip. Ouch! Yet I actually felt bad for Mr. Mayor Carver. Tough love is hard. Sure, he's protecting the force and trying to appease the upper brass, but he's also looking out for Bo. That "big brother" type relationship they have is what I've missed seeing since their screen time together has been scarce these days. More, please!

Speaking of "More, please," with Dr. Dan incarcerated, we're getting to see Lexie save the day! That's refreshing as he's been the go-to doctor for the past year leaving Lexie (and Kayla when she was on) to stand around and act like they need to rely on him for answers. They're smart gals. They don't always need Dr. Kiss-A-Patient's help on every case. Lexie also got to see Kate acting all shades of shady when she was "adjusting" Chloe's IV. This gives me hope that we'll see her involvement continue.

While on the subject of doctors, we're also finally getting to see the much hyped Dr. Nathan Horton in action. Well, truth be told, he hasn't done anything too impressive yet, but he's still an intern, he has time. Besides, he has Tom Horton's DNA, so he'll be just fine. Wait...Jeremy also had Tom's DNA...maybe I should be worried...moving on!

Then there's Victor and Kate. As heartless as they were, they totally cracked me up! It was hysterical to watch them celebrate, yet be totally elusive at the same time. You could just tell Lauren and John were having a blast. Again I say, more, please!

However, as amusing as they were, it will be interesting to see Victor and Kate really go head-to-head. There's a thin line between love and hate, and those two have teetered on it for years. Now Kate's messing with the one thing you don't mess with when it comes to Victor - his family. I highly doubt she'll back off of her pursuit to frame Dr. Dude just because Victor said so. Besides, according to her, she has nothing to confess. Rrriiiggghhhttt. Yes, this should get interesting!

There's also a bunch of details the writers are addressing that makes me more confident they're covering all the bases. Both Mel and Mia have been notified about the situation at Maggie's house...sure, it's a small detail, but I was impressed. Another example - I was glad the writers addressed the fact that Craig and Nancy hadn't been contacted yet. Oddly, Will wasn't contacted right away either. That didn't make much sense, but I'm not going to harp. Lastly, aside from Will (who seems to be oblivious to Kate's dark side), Bo and Hope brought up what she's done to Sami in the past after Dr. Dan urged them to look into her possible involvement. Great point, Bope!

To backtrack for a second, here's a spoiler - Will's an idiot. What rock has he been living under? After Kate told him that people might start saying ugly things about her, his response was, "I don't understand. What ugly things could anyone possibly say about you, Grandma Kate?" Really, Will...really? Here're a few people who could say ugly things about Kate: Lucas, Sami, Nicole, Victor, Bo, Hope, and probably most manicurists in Salem, to name a few. I don't know, maybe Will's been kept in the dark about her past misdeeds. Umm, maybe. Moving on...

Finally, Shawn Christian rocked his scenes! His acting chops are impressive. However, I wish I could say I was impressed by his character. Dr. Dan is smart, I'll give him that. He managed to piece things together. Go him! And I almost...ALMOST...felt a little bad for him when he was arrested...until Friday's episode at which point I wanted to smack his smug face clean off when he talked to his "lawyer."

News flash, Dr. Duty-Head - you slept with Lucas's wife! Lucas has every right to be royally peeved at Chloe. I'd have to read the "The Adulterers' Handbook," but I'm pretty sure finding out your significant other played doctor with someone else gives you a free pass to call them a whore or slut. Sure, name-calling isn't the most mature approach, but, come on, it was warranted. You'd think Lucas would get a free pass, but, no, he got punched in the face instead! Yes, that's right, the man who slept with Lucas's wife punched him first! What's up with that, writers!? Lucas is already the laughingstock of Salem. Was that really necessary?

On the subject of unnecessary, Dr. Dan decided to tell Lucas that Chloe only married him because of her "pact with God." Oh, yes, and he also mentioned that after they were married she was "committed to him body and soul." Um, are you sure about that, Dr. Dan? But, if you're wondering - no, Lucas doesn't have a set of "family jewels" anymore...they've been thoroughly kicked off by Dr. Dan after last Friday. Whereas this storyline has a lot of things I finally like about it, I'm a little worried that after it's over Lucas will spontaneously combust out of sheer humiliation.

BRADY, COMATOSE CHLOE & NICOLE

Brady, Salem's resident Care Bear, popped up in Chloe's room to lend his support. That was after he supported Dr. Dan by saying he'd keep an eye on Kate. And that was after he supported Maggie when she shed tears because Chloe collapsed in her house. I'd probably feel guilty as well, Big Red, so don't fret. Besides, Mickey's always around if she needs a shoulder to cry on. Right. But, let's get back on track...Brady and Chloe.

Truth be told, "Broe" fascinated me about as much as stale bread. I really hope I never have to watch a repeat of those two singing and yodeling. Yet I did enjoy the scenes when he tenderly tried to coax her back from the brink. If nothing else, it cemented what we already know - Brady's a nice guy. I'm glad Arianna is finally realizing that, too, but we'll talk about them in a bit. In the meantime, let's discuss Chloe's other visitor.

Nicole showed up to lend her support. Albeit touching, that support quickly turned into a deathbed confession...Nicole's confession, not Chloe's. Arianne Zuker was amazing throughout those scenes. She effortless expressed the helpless, desperate feelings one normally has when visiting a loved one in the hospital. Although, I should admit, it's still a bit odd to see Nicole sobbing over Chloe. But, all in all, I'm glad they're pals, and those were scenes were great - from concern to confession, Ari Zuker was fantastic!

The ultimate outcome, however, has me curious. Nicole laid it all on the line - the miscarriage, the baby swap, everything! I'm placing my bet now that Chloe heard and will remember everything. I think her little hand squeeze confirmed that...even though my favorite gal Maxine passed it off as an involuntary action. Point being - what will Chloe do with all this info? Will she remain on her "I've Found God" high horse and speak up, or will she keep her BFF's secret? Stay tuned!

Finally, there's Brady and Nicole. Surprise - he (not E.J.) showed up at the exact moment she needed some support! I'm convinced there's a chapter in Chicken Soup for the Soul stating that a hug from Brady will make everything better. And it did! Nicole melted into his arms...they're friends. I'm glad about this, and, I should confess, a part of me is still holding out for a Brady/Nicole reunion at some point. Yet, I'm a little torn about that thought as I also like him with another one of Salem's sassy ladies...

BRADY, ARIANNA...& MR. DEALER!

Brady got to prove he's John's son through and through when he came to Arianna's defense with fists blazing! She said some "perv" got a little aggressive when he tried to hit on her. Brady got aggressive right back and kicked the crap out of the guy! I haven't seen moves like that since the Karate Kid...although I was disappointed Brady didn't use The Crane. Anyway, the "perv" scampered off, leaving Brady and Ari alone. Then it happened - they locked lips for the second time! Not only that, she finally agreed to go on a date with him. Dear Days Journal, that made me happy!

However, my Spidey Senses were a tingling as soon as that guy initially approached Ari. Therefore I wasn't at all shocked when the "perv" returned after Brady left. The shocker was that the "perv" is a drug dealer and Ari seems to be one of his clients! This totally intrigues me as there are a lot of possible scenarios.

Initially, I thought that Ari pushed Brady away because she's a user and didn't want to get him re-addicted. But that seems too noble...I don't think a strung-out junkie would be thinking clearly enough to worry about someone else's well-being. That led me to my second thought, which I mentioned in a past article - I think Ari is an undercover agent. Her secretiveness seems to support that theory, and it doesn't hurt that Rafe was a former agent. Maybe it just runs in their family. Although I do hope her skills are a little more honed than Agent Whoops-I-Screwed-Up's. So, what is Arianna's secret? Send me some feedback; I'd love to know what other Days-o-holics are thinking!

ROMAN & RAFE

Last week, I dug out my "I 'Heart' Roman" pin and wore it proudly. It always cracks me up when he channels his inner sassy-pants and tells it like it is. This time he directed his sarcasm at Agent I-Know-Sami-Better-Than-You. Upset that Sami didn't do exactly what he wanted, Rafe tried to get Roman to spill the beans on what he's been discussing with her. First Ro tells him he doesn't need to know. Excellent point! Then Ol' Rafe tries the softer approach expressing his concerns as Sami can be impulsive (which only made him look creepier). Roman's reply - "Like asking her bodyguard to move in with her?" Oh, snap! You tell him, Ro...but next time might I suggest saying it with your fists. He needs taken down a few pegs.

SAMI. RAFE, MEREDITH & STEFANO

Oh, Sami! She's remains so close, yet so far away from figuring out what we all know - Rafe is shady. Just ask Meredith - she seems to think so. In fact, she seems to think Rafe killed Emily. I kind of believe her after that flashback at the end of Friday's episode. Let's examine that for a second as well as what happened to Emily...

She and Rafe were living in Virginia, where he was working for the FBI. Points to the writers for geographical accuracy...the main FBI headquarters is in D.C. Now, he and Emily took a suspicious drive shortly before their wedding, but after Emily found out a secret that could destroy Rafe's career with the bureau. Hmm! Meredith noticed the night before at the rehearsal dinner Rafe was acting all shady. You don't say, Mer, Rafe acting shady? I don't believe it! Ok, moral of the story, Rafe accidentally wrapped his car around a tree which killed Emily! Meredith thinks it was murder. I think it was stupidity and here's why...

If she didn't die on impact from the car accident, it might have been the fact that Rafe kept moving her head around. I'm not a doctor, but I seem to posses that common knowledge that you shouldn't move a victim's neck since they could have spine damage. I guess Rafe missed that day in Common Sense School or has never seen ER, Grey's Anatomy, or any other TV show or movie involving a hospital.

Nevertheless, Emily is dead. Meredith blames Rafe. And Stefano is going to use that to his advantage! He already tricked her into returning to Salem...he donated a huge sum of money to the hospital in Florida where she's an administrator. Nice move, money is always a good start. The next trick seems to involve Meredith involuntarily, or perhaps purposely, planting doubt into Sami's mind about Rafe's involvement in Emily's death. I actually hope that works because nothing else seems to be getting through to Sami these days.

In fact, Sami laid it all out on the table for Rafe with the hopes he would do the same. Those scenes I loved! Hearing Sami shuffle down her very own Murky Memory Lane was a nice treat...albeit a little depressing because it reminded me that once upon a time Sami wouldn't have stopped until she got what she wanted. Now, she wanted to know about Rafe's past, but settled for him saying nope and stopped pressing the issue. I understand tragic events are hard to discuss, but Rafe needs to grow a pair if he really wants an open and honest relationship with Sami. I respect privacy and wouldn't expect a partner to share things like passwords or secret tamale recipes, but a dead fianc who died under mysterious circumstances is something that, yes, I'd want to know all about. If it takes Stefano playing a little dirty for this cat to finally claw its way out of the bag, I'll get behind that. I'm beyond ready to know about Rafe and, more importantly, move this storyline along.

E.J. & NICOLE

I'm super shocked - E.J. and Nicole had a discussion about her acting weird. She made up some excuses. He seemed to believe them. Ok, there was a little more to it than that...

He accused her of acting crazy when it comes to Sydney. At first she said she watched a TV movie that scared her. Even dense old E.J. saw through that one. Then she admitted it was about Grace and the fact everything comes back to Sami. E.J. still persisted that she's being irrational...because E.J.'s never irrational. Points to Nicole for saying, "I don't know about that, E.J., you've had some pretty dark days." Yes Nicole, we've noticed that too.

In the end, they continued to make love, and afterwards, E.J. woke up to see her loving face starring back at him - Sami's loving face! Sure, he was dreaming, but I'm beginning to think he might not be over Sami, but that's just a hunch. However, I do think E.J.'s onto Nicole's scheme. I don't think he's totally figured it out, but I think he senses something's off. Then again, I might be giving him too much credit...he could simply just have the hots for Sami. We'll see!

THE TEEN SCENE

This storyline makes me giggle. It's a good giggle, don't worry. It's just funny to watch teen characters act like, well, teens. When Shawn Douglass and friends were young they globe-trotted to Puerto Rico to find a ruby, ended up in a hurricane-like storm, there was a hostage situation...you know, stuff like that. Not Will and pals. They just seem to hang out and wallow in teen angst. Well, except Mia - she's going through a major crisis, but teen pregnancy and illegally giving up a child happens all the time.

The "end of the earth" plot twists last week? Chad's big bomb drop was that he'll be attending Salem High, not Salem West. Mia's not too happy about that. Nor was she happy to see Will talking to Jan Spears Kinsey. By the way, Kinsey has the hots for Will now. Yep, those fickle twists scream high school in the most amusing way possible.

MEL & NATHAN; STEPHANIE & PHILIP My favorite little redheaded spitfire wasn't on too much last week, but Mel did have a major breakthrough. She scored a make-up date with Nathan! I'm excited by this and can only hope a certain self-righteous Johnson gal doesn't muck up their second attempt at dinner. Not only is Steph on Laurisa's bad side, but she's still on mine, too, these days.

Yet, while on the subject, Stephanie went to Philip to tell him about her fight with Mel. She admitted she made a mistake. Yep, she did. Then they basically had a few more rounds of "I still love you/I'm not going to change." Those rounds were ended with a miss-kiss because Henderson interrupted them. The outcome - Philip stood his ground and basically said she called it off, he's not changing, deal with it or else. You go, boy! Although they decided to remain friends, I have one question...when is Morgan's two-year internship in Chicago over?

HOT & NOT

Hot: John Aniston and Lauren Koslow rock! Victor and Kate were mean, ornery, and downright nasty, and I couldn't get enough of their hysterical take on Chloe's condition. Those two should take that show on the road!

Not: "Lucas the Loser." The poor guy's never been a total winner, but he's simply being humiliated now, and I'm not sure how his character is going to bounce back. Not only did most of his loved ones know about the affair before him (a fact he's going to have a breakdown about later), he had to piece it together in front of Dr. Smug while standing in a jail cell. On top of everything, he actually got punched in the face by the guy his wife cheated on him with! Really, writers? He didn't get to throw the first punch? I repeat, what's up with that!?

Line of the Week:

"Victor's criminal lawyer? He should have a lot of experience." Hope to Bo regarding Dr. Dan's defense team.

Exchange of the Week:

Kate and Victor discussing what happened to Chloe...

Kate (nonchalantly): Oh, Chloe was on the set of Hearth and Home and she collapsed. Victor (cheerfully): Did you get it on tape?

Randomness ...

Lexie made comments to both Abe and Nathan that she's a doctor, not a cop. Um, wasn't she a cop before she was a doctor? And couldn't her former skills as an officer help "Bope" solve the crime? Just wondering.

Does it strike anyone else odd that the locker room at the hospital is coed?

Wow! We saw Abe for two days in a row...someone call Guinness, I think we have a record.

My Sunset Beach-loving heart is still thrilled to see Nick Stabile roaming around Salem! In case you're not familiar, he's one of the officers who brought Dr. Dan into the station. Although he hasn't been featured yet, I have a hunch his part is going to get a little bit bigger!

Parting Thoughts ... So, friends and Days fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of August 3rd! Laurisa will be back Monday to see if Comatose Chloe wakes up or if Kate gets her wish that Chloe will go towards the light...and make a left. In the meantime, don't forget - the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are right around the corner! Make sure to check out all the latest news and discuss your predictions on the message boards. Laurisa and I already have our outfits pressed, our fingers crossed, and our catty comments on standby as we recap Days' Emmy Hits & Misses again this year on our blogs. Remember to support the home team on the 30th, and "That's a fact!"

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