Just a little patience

Stefano and Kate shared a sweet little scene last week that proved that under all of the sinister scheming, they really do have hearts. And those hearts seem to only beat for each other. Aw!

The word "now" seems more prevalent these days than ever before. People don't want to wait. Heck, most can't even make it out of a subway station before checking their phones, oblivious to the annoyance of anyone behind them as they creep up the stairs while wildly pressing buttons. Wow! That's a double rush -- the people who can't wait to check their messages and the people who can't wait to get where they're going. But I digress; from food to loan approvals, everything is faster than a speeding bullet, just the way we like it.

But perhaps being a "now" generation is detrimental to soap fans. After all, soaps are an ongoing marathon that doesn't have the need for speed. Yet sometimes even the best soap fans finds themselves frustrated and wishing things would just hurry up already. But when we can remind ourselves to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, soaps often prove that there are good things worth waiting for.

As a matter of fact, just last week we had a payoff that sent "Magic" fans everywhere reeling with excitement. On the flipside, other aspects of DAYS tested our tapping toes of impatience. So, let's take a look at what was worth waiting for and what storylines prove we need to listen to that old sage advice, "patience is a virtue."

VICTOR and MAGGIE Magic's scenes were worth every second of anticipation. I could have easily -- EASILY -- given these two another "Hot" of the week. I wanted to. I planned to. But I decided to share the love as I suspect my Magic gushing is not going anywhere anytime soon. So, we'll get to my pick for "Hot" later, but in the meantime, yep, I'm going to gush more about Magic!

You see, after last week, John and Suzanne put Tom and Meg, Richard and Julia, and all of the other romantic comedy giants to shame. They were simply amazing! Their chemistry bubbled over to create the most romantic scenes I've seen in a long while.

The scene I'm specifically talking about was Big Red's "around you" speech. I mean, let's just all giggle and do each others' hair while listening to Whitney's "So Emotional" because that was a full-blown chick-flick guilty pleasure moment. And I ate it up!

I can't even pinpoint the best part, but here are some highlights. First, there's Maggie's tricky surprise luncheon leading to her heartfelt confession. Of course, Victor being rendered speechless was noteworthy, too. John pulled off Victor's overwhelmed stance perfectly. Who would have thought -- Victor Kiriakis so happy he actually smiled! All in all, the writers knocked this one out of the park with a believable pace and a lot of respect for Mickey and Maggie fans. What's next for Victor and Maggie? That's one question I can't wait to have answered!

STEFANO and KATE Since we're talking about gush-worthy romance, Stefano and Kate shared a sweet little scene that proved that -- under all the sinister scheming -- these two really do have a heart. And those hearts seem to only beat for each other. Aw!

Their relationship is especially refreshing, since Stefano was a man who spent over a decade trying to capture the heart of Marlena, his "Queen of the Night." I'm glad he's finally found a formidable woman who loves him back. See, even mob bosses need love too.

I will admit, I lost my patience with the writers a billion times when I thought this storyline had been forgotten. I'm happy to admit I was wrong as "State" (or Stef N' Ho, if you prefer) were worth the wait! More, please!

KATE and VIVIAN I'm going to have to practice what I'm preaching and show a little patience here. I want to see more of Kate vs. Vivian, but in a less gimmicky way. The fall into the cake was a bitch much. If the writers were able to entertain us with mature love stories like "Magic" and "State" then I want the same type of maturity from dueling divas. Bring on the backstabbing, bickering, and bitterly plotting, but I think these two normally classy ladies should save the cake catfights for the likes of Dario and Mel and stick to strategically scheming.

VIVIAN and CARLY Hmm, these two both had buried-alive flashbacks, and then a nasty little to-do about what Vivian has done to Carly. Auntie Viv even took a potshot about Carly's relationship with Bo. Ouch! I felt bad for Carly, and I'm curious to see just how much more she can take before she snaps.

One thing's for sure, when Carly snaps, she really snaps. Just ask Lawrence. Oh, wait! He's dead. She killed him. I hope Vivian's picking her battles wisely these days because I don't want to see her next on Carly's kill-list.

CARLY, DR. DAN, and JENNIFER Writers, you done good! Jennifer, Dr. Dan, and Carly's scenes at Alice's house were absolutely refreshing. I wish more characters had such honest interactions.

Carly and Dr. Dan knew that Jen was playing Cupid. Dr. Dan bowed out of the conversation to let the besties talk. Carly told Jen she loves her, but back off. Jennifer got that because of her own heartache, apologized, and all was forgiven. So, you see, characters can act mature when given the chance (and I hope Melanie and Dario are reading this, thankyouverymuch).

JENNIFER and ABIGAIL I simply adore Jen, but I will nitpick and take her to task on something. She basically warned Abigail to stay away from Chad. Jennifer has a valid point to make, but said valid point wasn't made making Jennifer just look like every other card-carrying member of the "All DiMeras Are Evil" club.

That point you may be wondering about is that Jennifer was married to a DiMera. Well, technically a Blake. Anyway, she knows firsthand what it's like to be Stefano's daughter-in-law. Peter started out a good-ish guy, but fell under Stefano's nefarious spell, and that didn't end well for Jennifer. If she had brought that up to Abigail, those scenes wouldn't have felt so generically anti-DiMera. In fact, I probably would have given the writers props for remembering Peter and what he and Stefano put Jennifer through.

At the very least I thought Abigail would have remembered Peter. Then again, the poor girl's been aged and de-aged so many times I'm sure she has some memory gaps. But like her mom, she also seemed to slap Chad with some curious smack-talk without giving him a real reason to be concerned about living with Stefano. Call me crazy, but when warning someone about moving in with a dangerous mob boss, it's probably good to give firsthand accounts and not vague, foreboding warnings.

JENNIFER In happier Jennifer news -- you know, because like Carly, I just can't stay mad at her -- she accepted a job at the hospital! This makes me happy on several levels. One, she's working where so many Hortons have worked before. It's a family legacy being fulfilled, and I'm down with that.

Second, it gives Jennifer and Dr. Dan a legitimate reason to orbit each other's planets. No more, "Whoops! I got your divorce papers by accident." This will be like a Salem safari for us viewers -- we get to observe Dr. Superman Dan and Jen in their natural surroundings and see what develops organically.

Finally, it puts Jennifer front-and-center. Face it, aside from the piers, everyone hangs out at the hospital. There's no way she can't easily slip into several storylines. Rightfully, we should be seeing a lot more of Jennifer (and Dr. Dan), and I like it!

DR. DAN Dr. Dad could really benefit from a chat with Roman. If anyone else understands what it's like to deal with daddy's little girl's sordid past, it's Roman. He could easily write the book...books...on it. Volumes one through five would only begin to cover Sami's teen years. Somewhere around volume eight would include Sami's latest mishaps including, you know, shooting E.J. (in the head). Yep, Dr. Dan and Ro-Ro need to grab a beer and commiserate.

However, I loved that Dr. Dan stuck up for Melanie. It's what dads do. Did he need to deck Dario? Well, probably not. Besides, I don't think his method of an "old-school" left hook lesson actually sunk into Dario's thick skull. Ah, well, at least he proved chivalry isn't dead, and we got a cute Jen/Dan scene from it, so, I consider it a win.

DARIO and MELANIE Okay, let's get this section out of the way. I love Mel. And I don't dislike Dario, which probably has something to do with, but is not limited to, him being in town to solve Arianna's cold case and, well, Francisco San Martin isn't hard on the eyes. With that said, Mel and Dario have a long way to go before I'll stop tapping my foot during their scenes. Add in a side of snide Stephanie, and I was ready to fast-forward a few times.

I think it all breaks down to this -- they don't know each other. They don't know each other at all. Yet they were verbally attacking each other like lifelong enemies. They both need to back off. We know why Mel is in such a bad place right now, but Dario doesn't. We know that Dario's intentions are good, but he's a bit of an arrogant douchebag (with a heart of gold, I'm sure). It seems they have the same goal -- to honor Arianna -- but my patience was tested with all of their rinse-and-repeat screen time.

More so, the writers need to take a step back from the hate-to-love relationships. I think it would be more interesting if Mel and Dario actually stay enemies. Something tells me my wish isn't going to be granted, but I'm reserving my right to judge them as a potential couple until they grow up and have an actual conversation. Was that too harsh? I can't tell.

FAFE I hope we don't have to wait until May Sweeps to see this storyline wrap up. Galen has been entertaining and all, but I'm over Fafe's new penny shine. He's so all over the place that I don't even think the writers know what they want to do with him. I'll give them an idea -- show him the door.

Grr! So much for my attempt at patience. Let's update the scoreboard: Impatience-1, Tony-0.

Fafe's only valid point was to be mad at Sami for drugging his drink. Sure, sure, what he's doing is much worse on the grand scheme of things, but I'd be mad, too, even if Sami thought what she was doing was right. After all, the last time she had good intentions, E.J. ended up with a bullet in his head.

SAMI I was so disappointed in our gal! It seems she's bit rusty these days. She didn't crush the antianxiety pill before slipping it into Fafe's drink. That's common knowledge from Drink Drugging 101.

Anyway, Sami's fed up with "Rafe." Girl, I feel your pain. In fact, if anything, this storyline is starting to make the real Rafe look better. But at least I know we're in for one mega-Sami meltdown fit when she finds out what Stefano did this time, and watching Alison Sweeney (presumably) kill those scenes will make the wait worth it (for the most part).

STEFANO and E.J. In addition to obligatory Fafe jibber-jabber, Stefano and E.J. had a heart-to-heart about Taylor. At first, I was a little taken back by Stefano's advice. You know, for E.J. to "scratch his itch." Then I remembered -- dude has at least six kids we know about. Stefano's scratched more itches than Freddie Kruger with chicken pox. Ultimately, it wasn't the best advice to give E.J., who really didn't need the encouragement.

E.J. and TAYLOR The writers need to shut it down. If E.J. and Taylor's contrived romance was a color, it would be boring old beige. And, sorry, writers, but no heartfelt E.J. confession is going to change my opinion, I fear. My stance especially won't change if E.J. keeps playing childish tricks to reel Taylor in. Yawn!

Sadly, I can't see anyone winning from this storyline. E.J. is going to have his heart broken when he realizes Taylor is boring won't commit to him because she feels bad. Taylor will have a guilt attack and probably hang herself with E.J.'s scarf; this is, after she keeps pretending to be honorable. Nicole will have a full-blown meltdown, and her character will regress back to the dark, original "ECole" days. Taylor and Brady fans will be left disappointed. And both "EJami" and "ECole" fans will be left annoyed. Nope, this doesn't look pretty.

End Warning: If the writers are going to "go there" with E.J. and Taylor, make sure he wraps it because a little E.J./Taylor baby will drive me as insane as it will Nicole.

LOOSE ENDS Sorry, folks, but Fay still holds the number one spot on my Ghoul Pool.

Okay, I'm "this" close to feeling bad for Rafe. His psych ward doctor/jailer is all shades of creepy. I was waiting for him to say, "Rafe rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again."

Shut up, Steph. Just shut up. I'm not saying that in defense of Mel, but simply in my own defense. I find her as grating as having popcorn stuck between my teeth, which is odd, because I actually really like Shelley Hennig. Go figure.

I love Joseph and Casey's father/son chemistry. Chad's a little bit rock n' roll and Stefano's a little bit opera. It's fun to watch him interact with a child that isn't as posh and prim as E.J. and Lexie.

Sami take note -- in one week, Jennifer, Chloe (CHLOE!), Taylor, and Dario all managed to secure and/or start new jobs. Call me crazy, but I love it that characters actually work, or at least that I have a reasonable explanation as to why they can afford ten lattes a day.

Nathan and Maggie's goodbyes were so bittersweet and terrifically acted. I think giving Nathan some off-screen breathing room is a good idea, but I'll miss Mark Hapka and Suzanne's scenes.

I loved Bo and Hope's stroll down memory lane while at Alice's house. Her home seems like the perfect place for Bope to recommit to their relationship. I just hope that Ciara's new pinky-swear plan doesn't throw a wrench into things. Bo and Hope have certainly been through enough missing kid drama. Tread lightly, dear writers.

Finally, Ciara and Theo are absolutely adorable! With that said, I repeat, tread lightly writers. Ciara's plan to run away from home has me nervous. I felt horrible for her misunderstanding! But the poor tyke's been through enough. Ah, well, at least she'll have Theo riding shotgun, and perhaps we'll get to watch Bo, Hope, Abe, and Lexie all interact.

EXTRA SCOOPS

HOT: I'm proud of Chloe. She declined Dr. Dan's money, and she decided to make her own by giving voice lessons. She even turned down a great job with the Seattle Opera to stay in Salem and rebuild her life with Parker. She's really taking charge, and I like it! Let's hope her upswing keeps going, and, if it does, I know some former outcast who just might snag a Golden Donut at the end of the year.

NOT: Riddle me this -- what was Nicole SO busy doing that she couldn't spend time with Chloe before last week? She doesn't work. Her husband's kids are with their mother half the time. She's a trophy wife with a house staff that can look after the kids if need be. Sorry, Nicole, my love, but trying to play the busy card with Chloe was utterly lame. When one's best friend's life crashes down around her -- to the point where she attempts suicide -- you pawn your husband's kids off on maid Mary and pay the Chlomeister a visit. Oh, and do I need to mention that when Chloe and Nicole actually got together, the conversation was about Nicole? Not cool, Nikki, not cool.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Stefano: "I deplore manipulation."

EXCHANGE OF THE WEEK: Maggie: "Do you remember when you got me out of the sarcophagus?" Victor: "Vaguely."

RANDOMNESS... Where was Dario working out? Please don't tell me that Rafe and Sami have a home gym in their ever-expanding apartment.

Did Sami call for "Nurse Thomas"? Does that mean my favorite gal Maxine finally has a last name?! Granted, she can still pull off simply "Maxine" like Cher or Madonna in my book.

I find it odd that Sami calls Carly "Dr. Manning." Um, does she know the lady was hitting the sheets with her uncle? But say what you will about Sami, she's always respectful enough to call people uncle and aunt, even when screaming at them.

I love how Sami said there was no food in the fridge, yet she had sausage, toast, and a lovely fruit salad ready to go.

Hmm, there was a lot of comparing Chad to Madeline last week. Although the writers blew a lot of potential with Maddie (and wasted Jessica Tuck's talents), I kind of wonder what she would think of all this.

I know Stefano wants to make a go of it with Chad, but don't most parents want their grown kids out of their house?

Whatever happened to Fay and Taylor living in the guesthouse?

I give Fafe oodles of credit for being able to dial E.J. and Stefano's numbers. After I got my cell phone, the only number I remembered was 867-5309.

PARTING THOUGHTS... So, friends and DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of March 28th. I know it's a little early, but I'm off to help Stephanie pack, even if she doesn't know she's going somewhere yet. Laurisa will be back next week to see if our patience is paying off or if we need to tap our toes and urge the writers to speed things along. And, "That's a fact!"

As always, thanks for reading! Tony

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