Blood and water

Nathan dreamt of Melanie while in bed with Stephanie. Have fun fighting that uphill battle for Nathan's affections, Steph. Keep an eye out for your self-respect while climbing said hill.

In my last Two Scoops column, I revealed that I was utterly shocked that DAYS finally hopped aboard the Sweeps Train and rode it into Interesting Storyline Land. I'm happy to report things are still Sweepsing along quite nicely, but last week it was one simple, random act that shocked me even more than all of the storylines put together.

You see, this crazy, rarely seen plot twist still has me shaking my head in wonderment. I mean, wow! All right, I'll take a deep breath and just blurt it out - yes, DAYS fans, Abe and Lexie shared in a romantic moment! I'll wait for everyone to close their mouths and stop OMG-ing.

Now, just to be clear, Abe and Lexie shared said romantic moment with each other - not Lexie with another man...or other men. Their tender scene was almost as shocking as Abe praising Lexie as "the most wonderful wife in the world." He didn't add, "When you're not cheating," but I think that was implied.

Of course there's other news to report from last week's episodes - none quite as monumental as Abe and Lexie, but still Scoops-worthy nonetheless. So in addition to the headline of "Mayor Gets His Groove On," the Spectator could run stories like "Dr. Manning Shoots Illegitimate Daughter," "DiMera Fakes Daughter's Death," and "Chloe Goes Cuckoo." Although I'm not sure if that last one's breaking news, the others are rather shocking. Let's discuss!

CARLY, MELANIE, VIVIAN, and COMPANY

This storyline was rather Sweeps-tastic last week. In fact, it nailed nearly all of the textbook Sweeps plot devices. There were danger, action, and adventure, as well as tender moments, heated confrontations, explosive reveals, smart characters doing dumb things that somehow paid off, and all of the will-she-live-or-die drama you could shake Philip's curiously turbocharged prosthetic leg at. I mean, really, how did he make it up the stairs that quickly?

Right. Back on track, I'd say the storyline easily clinched gold medals in the both the Sweeps-Worthy Excitement and Acting competitions. I'll wait while everyone gives the cast a thundering round of cyber-applause.

Now, I'll spare you the laundry list of why I enjoyed it so much. I won't go on about the absolutely amazing performances. I won't gush about all the gushy "You'll pull through" moments at Mel's bedside or the fact her makeshift "family" showered this one-time outcast with love and affection. I most certainly won't tell you that I'm starting to re-warm to Hope as she pulled a pretty classy move by helping Carly when she could have easily watched her go down in flames. Nor will I discuss how much deliciously evil fun Victor and Vivian are to watch. Nope, I won't go on about that stuff. Instead I'll just generalize and say that, all in all, this storyline is finally starting to shine despite some slightly maddening hiccups.

E.J., SAMI, and COMPANY

I'm fairly convinced that E.J. and Sami are a bottle of bourbon away from being the daytime version of J.R. and Sue Ellen Ewing. Like their primetime counterparts, the line between love and hate is extremely blurred. They seem to love to hate each other, yet hate to love each other. And they also seem to enjoy doing despicable things to one another.

Take E.J.'s current scheme, for example. He faked his daughter's death by throwing her bloody dress into a river. I'd say that's rather despicable. Did he cross a line? Perhaps. However I'm fairly sure E.J. crossed the line years ago, so his latest evildoer deed isn't really THAT shocking. But it is an interesting plot twist.

Foremost, I like the idea that E.J. is so off his rocker that he thought this plan was a good idea. He's coming across as simply delusional, which is exciting to watch because James is playing the part so well. Then again, E.J. does deserve a break from reality - a reality in which his wife, ex-wife, and father all lied to him about the paternity of not one, but two babies. That's got to leave a mark.

But don't get me wrong - I'm not condoning his actions. I think E.J.'s as far from being a saint as Stephanie is from being the spokesperson for healthy relationships, but he does have a legit reason to go a little loco. Point being, "Insane E.J." is much more interesting to watch than "Chump E.J." who dominated the screen last year.

Now, about that plan being a good idea - it's not. There are a ton of loopholes. Actually, there are a few wide-open pits, not just teeny-tiny loopholes. Those pits are named Anna and Johnny. If something is going to cause his plan to disappear into a sinkhole, something tells me it's going to be one of them. Of course, toddlers are known for their remarkable secret-keeping abilities, so it will probably be Anna.

Then again, some random eyewitness could come forward who saw him plant the evidence in the river. But who really goes to the pier anymore? It's not like it's one of the most common places to go in Salem. Oh, wait - it is. Nope, I don't think he's playing with a full deck or else he might have remembered that.

However, while we wait for E.J.'s plan to blow up, at least last week provided us with something shiny and new to examine. That's a good thing, seeing as this storyline needed more CPR than Melanie did. Was it the greatest, most surprising twist ever? Not so much. But at least I can remember last week as the week something interesting happened in this storyline for the first time in a month, and that's got to count for something.

CHLOE and DR. DAN

First, I need to compliment the seldom-complimented-about-her-acting-but-always-about-her-beauty, Nadia Bjorlin. I thought she gave one of her best performances last week. Bravo, Nadia!

With that said, this storyline detour did little but confuse me. When did Ho-E want to become a mother so badly? Did I miss a scene where she and Father Matt were getting their nails done while discussing motherhood? I sympathize with her loss but was left feeling as confused as Chloe herself when someone asks her to add two and two.

But I did find a silver lining - Chloe seems to be going cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Why is that a good thing? For one, I like Nadia, but I think Chloe's been a big mess since she returned (a scenario which sounds eerily similar to a certain Ms. Johnson).

Truth be told, I never loved Chloe, but I never loathed her either. That is until she returned as a whorey damsel in distress. That hasn't been working for me, and my initial shoulder-shrug "whatever" towards Chloe during her first run became an all-out "She sucks" over the past few years. Therefore, if they can reinvent Chloe into a bit of a crazy-pants and give Nadia some fresh material to work with, I'd be willing to giving the character another chance.

Besides, seeing her go all-out crazy and Lorena Bobbit Dr. Dan would just be funny. Whoops, I meant to say not funny. No, not funny at all.

LOOSE ENDS

Ha! Ha! And Ha! Nathan dreamt of Melanie while in bed with Stephanie. Again, I repeat, Ha! It serves Stephanie - otherwise known as the worst bridesmaid ever - right. Have fun fighting that uphill battle for Nathan's affections, Steph. Oh, and she might also want to keep an eye out for her self-respect while she climbs said hill. Yep, this eventual reveal is going to be fun to watch!

Speaking of fun, I kind of laugh every time E.J. says he knows Syd's "out there somewhere." Technically, he's not lying. He does know that. Then again, she's not the only one who's "out there."

As a Pre-Crazy-Hope Bope fan, I was excited to hear Bo call Hope Fancy Face! Of course, later it kind of bummed me out to hear Hope say to Bo that he saved her "one more time." The way it came out, "more" meant "last."

Carly's claim that she never loved anyone like she loves Mel is interesting. I'm sure her son, Nicholas, would love to hear all about it. Hmm, I wonder why they're on the outs...

HOT What last week lacked in other areas, it made up for in strong performances! In fact, it's a wonderful treat when you're still amazed by actors you've watched for years, but the cast really wowed me last week. I say they all deserve another round of cyber-applause!

NOT As most everyone probably knows by now, Bryan Dattilo is leaving DAYS. Now, I've read contrasting articles about the exact date of his last appearance as Lucas. One of the dates tossed around was February 18th. Yes - like, last Thursday, February 18th! If it was in fact his last day, I'm royally annoyed that DAYS decided to "Steve-and-Kayla" Lucas. The character, the actor, and the fans of Lucas and/or Bryan deserve more than watching Lucas fade away into the Land of Forgotten Characters. Boo, writers, major boo!

LINE OF THE WEEK:

Mia (explaining her take on Valentine's Day to Will): "On the Cheesiness Scale, it is above Snuggies, but then it's below Celine Dion songs."

RANDOMNESS...

Did anyone else find it ironic that Mel had too many visitors while Hope only had two? The ironic part being several of Hope's family members were in the same corridor waiting to hear about Mel. Whoops!

Dr. Manning's idea of dressing up like a doctor and hanging out in the hospital's main thoroughfare just outside of her daughter's room was brilliant under-the-radar work.

Did anyone call Max RE: his sister being shot and almost killed by her not-so-dead mother? Just wondering.

I think it would be funny if Chloe, Stephanie, and E.J. all end up at Bayview Sanitarium weaving baskets.

There's a thin line between suspenseful and silly. And sometimes I think DAYS drags out their...their...their...reaction shots a little too long, even by soap standards. It's getting worse than the reveal of a Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? answer.

Is the quickest way to the E.R. REALLY through the reception area?

PARTING THOUGHTS...

So, friends and DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of February 22nd. If you haven't already, be sure to cast your Dankie votes for your favorites and least favorites DAYS offered up in 2009. With that said, Laurisa will be back next week to share her thoughts on the end of Sweeps and predict whether March will come in like a lion or lamb. And, "That's a fact!"

Need more Two Scoops? Head over to read blogs by Laurisa or Tony for more ranting, raving and all-out randomness

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