Ready, set, sweeps!

Last week, Vivian admitted that she's over Victor! Then she told Maggie something that Maggie didn't exactly want to hear -- that there's no one standing in Maggie's way of being with Victor.

Let's review last week. There was a beloved heroine in distress. Two resident heroes were in life-or-death situations. A custody battle heated up. Add a bunch of pregnancy jibber jabber and the continued fallout of two paternity reveals and, that's right, folks, Sweeps is coming!

The big question is, what will DAYS do with Sweeps? The show kicked up a lot of dust last week that will need to be swept up over the next four, but I'm a little unsure if things will result in a clean house. As it stands, the evil bad-storyline dust bunnies just seem to be a bit too big for the writers to dispose of. Then again, there are some bright, shiny spots. So, let's discuss what was fresh and clean and what dirty messes need to be magically erased!

HOPE, BO, and COMPANY I'm not entirely sure that this storyline is getting the amount of airtime it deserves, but I like it nonetheless. I dig the fact that it involves so many characters and that those characters are acting the way we love to watch them. Bo is being a brave smartass. Hope is being a ballsy, clever detective while remaining warm and caring. Jennifer is getting to be her fabulous investigative-reporter self. And Carly is proving she's not just the go-to scapegoat these days -- she's smart and ready for a fight. Yep, the best is being brought out in all involved, and I like it.

I also like the wide scope of the storyline. That kind of goes hand-in-hand with all the characters being involved, but it's also one that should set a lot of wheels in motion after it wraps up. What will happen with Bo, Hope, and Carly? Will Hope and Bo be pardoned or will they face jail time, or more jail time, in Hope's case? Okay, I shouldn't even ask this one because I think we already know the answer, but will Stefano pay for the crime? What about Jen and Ben? Will Jen and Dr. Dan commiserate some more? I'm in, writers. Just don't blow it.

VIVIAN, VICTOR, MAGGIE, and COMPANY So, my friends, Victor had Brady rescue Vivian and Gus. We know why, but what we don't know is what papers Brady made Madam Vivian sign. Hmm! Methinks he's up to something shady, judging by his "I'm up to something shady" look. Get that man a scotch, and he's all sorts of entertaining and sinister.

But perhaps the bigger news that trumped her rescue is the fact that Ms. Vivian Alamain admitted she's over Victor! Yep, she claims she's done. She wants a divorce. She's wasted too much time on the man. And I, for one, am glad she's admitting defeat.

I say that not as a "Magic" fan, but as a Vivian fan. Louise Sorel is much too talented and Vivian is much too interesting of a character for her to be penned as a one-trick pony solely out for Victor's love. Now that it's out of the way and she's over trying to kill Carly, I'm eager to see what she cooks up (and who she goes after) next!

In the meantime, Auntie Viv told Maggie something Maggie didn't exactly want to hear. That is, there's no one standing in Maggie's way of being with Victor. Ouch, but true, Big Red. However, the most alarming part may be Vivian being the voice of reason. Yikes!

In the end, I'm staying positive about this one. All of us soap fans know the road to happily ever after for any couple is a bumpy, anticipation-filled one. And I definitely think Victor and Maggie have enough magic to make it. Aren't they just too dang cute? Love it!

JUSTIN and ADRIENNE And speaking of love -- yes, yes, and, oh, yes! I have a freaking section entitled "Justin and Adrienne"! And the most awesome part (er, awesomest part?) is that I'm not writing about them bickering about divorce. Nope, just the opposite! They walked down memory lane, then strolled over to the pool table to make some new memories. Umm, yes, please!

Needless to say, I love this couple. Thank you, dear writers, for throwing us somewhat agitated fans a bone. Now, if we could just get three times as much Justin and Adrienne and about four times less people fighting over kids, I'll bake you my semi-famous fruit tarts. I'll even FedEx them in an insulated package to ensure warm, gooey goodness. Deal?

SAMI, E.J., and COMPANY As if I didn't have enough reasons to love Justin, he goes and tells Sami something I've wanted someone to say for the past few months -- "Knock it off!" Those scenes were great! They were great not only because Justin was featured actually doing his job, but because he was the voice of aggravated fans everywhere. It was like the writers surfed the massages boards for complaints and had Justin rattle them off.

In addition to the "knock it off" advice, Justin told Sami to not come off so angry and self-righteous. He also told her to put her children's best interests first. Justin was spot-on. My only wish is that E.J. would have been there to be scolded, as well, because he and Sami both kind of suck at the parent thing right now. Ironically, I think Rafe and Super Nanny Nicole spend more time with Johnny than his parents.

But I'll break this down nice and simple -- I'm over this storyline right now. I'm exhausted by all the custody fighting. It's not about the kids. It's about E.J. and Sami trying to one-up each other. Their love/hate thingy used to be enthralling, but that's been blasted away by the trigger-happy writers. The whole scene moved way beyond tolerable to all-out maddening around last fall. Now I just want to fast-forward and make it go away.

I also don't like E.J. and Nicole, Part 2. They kind of sucked before, so I'm not sure why the writers want to attempt a new level of suck. It's just rather lazy and contrived. Speaking of which, I'm not thrilled at watching Sami and Rafe play the saints, nor do I want to watch Sami feel guilty for Rafe's crash. I wish Stefano would just lock them all in his new "wine cellar" and not let them out until they've all aged a bit.

LEXIE and CHAD I absolutely loved their scenes! Lexie's la carte advice was perfect. Sure, she isn't squeaky clean, but she knows better than most that you can be a DiMera and maintain a clean (or semi-clean) conscience. And I suspect Chad is starting to warm up to the idea.

Then again, Chad is a male DiMera, and Stefano seems to favor his sons a bit more. And by "favor" I mean try to mold them into evil mini Phoenixes until they go mad or die. Regardless, I really hope I gain a big sister like Lexie when my mom's arch-nemesis reveals that my biological father is actually the town's meanest mob boss.

CHLOE and COMPANY Spoiler Alert: Chloe's flipping bananas. I mean, geesh, hello, deep end, have you met your new bestie Chloe!? I've actually moved from feeling kind of bad for Chloe to feeling somewhat bad for her. And, yes, there's a difference, especially when talking about a train wreck that annoyed me for the better part of 2010.

Although I will confess, I'm into Chloe's breakdown. It's good, classic soap drama with all the fixin's. Chloe hasn't been this entertaining in a long while. Plus -- and I've said it before -- Nadia Bjorlin is doing an amazing job with the material!

With that said, I'm not sure if I like the idea of the Chloemeister crashing with Big Red. I know Maggie has a big heart -- it's one of the things we all love about her -- but having Chloe stay is a bit of a slap in the face to Melanie, don't you think? Wasn't Melanie staying at Maggie's house just last week? Furthermore, isn't it a little insensitive to Lucas (you remember him, right?) that his favorite aunt is letting the chick that cheated on him stay with her?

Ultimately, it's Maggie's house. She can invite whoever she wants to live with her, but I'm just a little worried this will drive a wedge between her and Mel. And that would be a shame, as their relationship is something DAYS has been undoubtedly getting right lately.

Another thing that DAYS did right last week was letting Dr. Dan keep his stance on Chloe. That stance? "It's over, ho, move on." The man was played for a fool. He deserves to give Chloe her walking papers, no matter how pathetic, sad, and/or crazy the circumstances. Dr. Dan isn't the bad guy here. He just makes bad choices when picking married women to get involved with.

KATE and MELANIE Kate and Mel teaming up could either be really interesting or fail miserably. I'm not sure which one yet, but I'm leaning towards the latter. My concern is that Mel is going to think she's trying to help Parker, while Kate's goal will be destroying Chloe. Whoops! I meant Kate wants what is best for Parker, too. Sure, that's it. Regardless, Mel will look like a fool if she can't smell Kate's scheme, especially since she is a reformed schemer. We already have Sami forgetting her roots. We don't need Mel to be the next former bad girl to do the same.

MELANIE and NATHAN Okay, so Nathan professed his love to Melanie (again). Keep in mind she is pregnant with another man's child and he knows this. He doesn't care. He loves her. He loves her unborn Dimples Jr. He wants to be there for them regardless of the less-than-desirable circumstances. Are you with me, so far? Good!

Now let's take a look at Mel's response. She gave him a cordial "please leave." Seriously, Mel!? I get that she needs time to sort things out and asking for it is a bit better than jumping into something she's not ready for, but, still, I kind of wanted Stephanie to jump out of the bush and Tonya Harding her with a lead pipe. Nathan is like desirable beachfront property, and his listing would read, "Single, hot, wildly understanding Horton doctor." You don't pass up a deal like that.

LOOSE ENDS So some chick with no money, a declined credit card, and a picture of a young, beach-going Nicole is trying to get to Salem. You may be wondering, "Who is she?" I'm wondering, "How did she afford such a nice manicure without any money?" But I digress, and if you're curious about this mystery lady and can't wait until next week, click here!

Riddle me this: Chad asked Adrienne for a job at the Cheatin' Heart. She turned him down because he's not old enough. He said he didn't turn 21 for a while. However, wasn't it just revealed he was a year older than he thought he was AND that he was born on March 3, 1990? I'm not a mathologist, but I thought 2011 minus 1990 equals 21. So, hey, Chad, check back in a month or so.

Obviously, Ben is not that great of a doctor. If he were, he would have noticed Rafe's worst condition right away and would have called for a personality transplant STAT! Then again, perhaps Stefano and E.J. are already on that one. Soap gods, help us.

EXTRA SCOOPS

HOT: Three words: Justin and Adrienne. Okay, a fourth and fifth word: More, please!

NOT: The writers need to stop having characters call Nicole an ex-porn star as an insult. Yes, she is a former porn star, and I'm not necessarily picking on Rafe because he's just the latest one that slammed Ms. Walker about her past, but, come on, writers! Having characters call Nicole an "ex-porn star" is like calling Adrienne "a silly molestation victim" or Jennifer "a ridiculous rape victim." Nicole has done horrible things, but she was forced into porn by her father. Her father! That's sick, man. It shouldn't be used as a jab, especially when she has a long, long list of things she's done on her own to pick from.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Justin (to Adrienne): "It just hit me what a really classy dame you are."

Honorable Mentions: Philip (to new mom Chloe): "Hey! What are you doing...in a bar...in the middle of the day?" Adrienne (to Chad, after he refused to write his last name): "Just Chad? Like Cher?" Maxine (to Dr. Dan and Chloe, as she walked out of the exam room so they could talk): "Keep your voices down."

RANDOMNESS... I forgot that Melanie had a history with E.J. Nice nod, writers!

Jennifer is one hell of a pickpocket. You go, girl!

Marco = swoon!

Maxine = awesome!

Raise your hand if you think Parker is kinda screwed no matter who he ends up with.

Chad talked to T on the phone, but I think T deserves screen time. The kid's a riot!

How exactly would one know if Rafe had brain damage?

PARTING THOUGHTS... So, friends and DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of January 31st. February Sweeps is officially upon us, and Laurisa will be back next week with a white glove on to inspect the writers' progress. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a fantastic Groundhog Day and, "That's a fact!"

As always, thanks for reading! Tony

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