I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free

Nick returns to DAYS, but will he be back in Salem? And, you'll never guess who Sami is taking away with her this weekend. You won't have to guess if you check out this week's opinions in the Two Scoops column.

Surprise cameos! Triumphant returns! Adrienne appears again! Let's jump right in.

NICK I was a Nick fan last time around. And, it didn't take long for my heart to remember Lonely Splicer again. What can I say? I have a soft spot for geeks! And Blake Berris can act his fanny off.

No pressure. His first day back on the job, and they throw him in emotional scenes with Kristian Alfonso, Deidre Hall, Suzanne Rogers, Susan Hayes, and a surprise Jean Bruce Scott. It was like a car wash of emotional women, and B2 ('cause that's what I call him since we're buds) held the stoic intensity of the scene. Well done, sir.

Hope was especially brilliant because she knew exactly what it's like to commit crimes under the influence of drugs. Likewise, I would have liked to see Bo have a scene with Melanie where they talk about being the victim of a drug-induced alter. But, that can wait until next week I guess.

It all shook out to Nick agreeing to go to the parole hearing. He should get it, not because he really is one of the good guys, but because he's now on his third year of an eighteen-month stint. I guess since the Salem Police Department doesn't catch many criminals, they make the ones they do catch stay in jail even longer.

SAMI and E.J. E.J. arrived at Sami's apartment with flowers in her favorite color. She answered the door like a girl on a first date. It was unbelievably cute. The kids came running out, and the four of them spent all of about seven seconds together before Caroline emerged to cast the Brady judgment. And in that moment, I realized what I like best about E.J. and Sami. He doesn't put pressure on her to do the socially acceptable thing all the time.

For example, he certainly could have played the "you don't know how long you'll have with your sister" card, but he didn't. Sami doesn't have too many people in her life who don't try to manage her relationship with Carrie. And while I think that sisters should get along, I know that a guilt-induced reconciliation isn't going to stick. Sami's not ready yet. I like that E.J. gets that.

However, the biggest strike against E.J. is not that he is a rapist, murderer, or blackmailer, but that Sami's family doesn't approve of him. And Sami desperately wants her family's approval. Blame it on growing up in Carrie's shadow, but nothing motivates Sami more than when someone tells her that they are proud of her. And ain't nobody telling her they're proud of her for falling for E.J.

So, after some self-reflection and flashbacks, Sami decided that she needed to chillax with the fellas and just concentrate on herself for a while. Raise your hand if you think this decision will stick. Anyone? Me either. This is all too reminiscent of the time Melanie broke up with Nathan (the dude she should have been with all along, by the way) because she needed to be "alone for a while." And, please note that "alone for a while" really meant "single when she saw Dario in his towel the following week."

SONNY After Sonny covered up a hate crime (for reasons that are completely unbeknownst to me), he decided to take matters into his own hands and punch T in the face. I'm not advocating violence, but T kinda had this one coming. And for a brief second, I saw a glimmer of personality in Sonny. This needs to happen a lot more for me get behind a Will/Sonny pairing.

Yeah, I know I'm supposed to be a fan of Will and Sonny. But, I see no chemistry there. Sonny is a nice guy but needs to work on becoming less vanilla.

He should take lessons from Brian. Scratch that, he should go out with Brian. They have oodles of chemistry. If Sonny turns him down again, I have a list of friends to introduce this guy to.

NICOLE Holy mojitos, Nicole has officially gone bananas.

First, she gave Daniel the oh-so-ringing endorsement, "I feel less used by you than any man I've ever been with." Shockingly, that didn't work. Strange, I read that in a Hallmark card just the other day.

Then, she told Daniel that he was soul mate material. When that didn't quite seal the deal, she upped the ante and threw in her kid. Yup, she went all "we can be a family" on him. *Shakes head* Ladies, even if you do look like Arianne Zucker, I strongly discourage these courtship techniques.

Maybe it's Jennifer. Maybe it's Nicole's increasing clinginess. Or, maybe it's the very real possibility that he could lose his medical license if E.J. figures out that Daniel's been playing along with Nicole's DNA swap. But, Daniel kept Nicole at arm's distance.

And that gave her just enough room to warp other realities to suit her needs. Playing the Brandon card during her "apology" to Abe was a low blow. And, for the record, E.J. was hardly breathing down Nicole's neck. The only reason he's spoken to her since he's been back in town is because they happened to run into each other. Yet, after hearing Nicole talk, you'd think he sent the hounds out after her.

VICTOR Maggie found Victor in a surprisingly good mood, so she decided to spring some more good news on him. Nicole should move in! (crickets.....crickets...)

Yeah, I have to side with Victor on this one. Brady doesn't need his ex hovering around right now. And Victor is not obligated to open his home to the woman who tried to kill him, no matter how much Maggie and Daniel like her. Besides, you can't tell me that Victor can't just assign men to guard Nicole for a while.

Just as I was about to suggest my brilliant idea, Jennifer walked in and offered to have Nicole move into the Horton house. It took me all of three seconds to jump on board with this idea. Hear me out.

JENNIFER Jennifer returned from scattering Jack's ashes in California. I hate that we didn't get a memorial in Salem, where fans have gotten to know and love Jack. It's like the writers couldn't get Jack out the door fast enough. On behalf of all fans, we note the disrespect and aren't cool with it!

And another thing not cool is the way Daniel is being shoved back into Jennifer's mix harder than me trying to fit into a pair of skinny jeans. I actually liked Danifer the first time around. But Jack just died. If Daniel was reaching out to Jennifer to support her as someone who knows what it's like to lose a spouse, I'd be okay with it. But all of the reminders about how Daniel still loves Jennifer were a little heavy-handed and, frankly, inappropriate.

That brings me to my wish for Nicole and Jennifer to shack up. Let me tell you, I love this idea. Not because Daniel will be around. But because Rafe will.

I'm serious. Rafe and Jennifer could work. Rafe clearly can't be with someone like Sami. And I can't think of anyone less like Sami than Jennifer. Furthermore, Rafe wasn't really around enough to have a real connection with Jack, so it wouldn't seem that strange. And Rafe did lose his fianc on their wedding day, so he could bond with Jennifer over loss. This could mean character development for Rafe and a believable, respectful transition for Jennifer. I'm serious. Let's make this happen.

LUCAS Okay, the majority of what Lucas said to Sami was completely untrue. Sami is, in no way, shape, or form, responsible for the demise of Lucas and Autum's relationship. But I am not mad at Lucas one bit for going off on Sami.

Sami may not have been malicious, but guuurrrrrlll, she did not do right by him at all. I can't think of a more brutal way to dump a guy than literally jumping in between another guy and a bullet. She can't gasp and bat her eyes out of this one. Oh, and Sami better cough up Alice's bracelet too. #TeamLucas

MELANIE and COMPANY Melanie was so traumatized by Andrew's kidnapping that she started having nightmares of Nick. Um, okay. I'd buy that a little more if she had Nick flashbacks when those website guys kidnapped her a few months ago. But, I'd still have a hard time getting around the fact that she forgave Nick before he left.

But enough about me and Melanie. This was really about other people.

Usually, I love me some Julie. But she came across as an insensitive busybody. The fact that Julie tried to use Jack's death as a bargaining chip left me very peeved at Jules. Though, I do agree with her that Nick shouldn't have to pay for what Gabi and Andrew did.

Maggie, on the other hand, was much more empathetic. I loved that she thought about both Melanie and Nick. It's not an easy situation for Maggie to be in, and I liked how she struggled with what to do. Like it or not, Melanie's mental health and Nick's freedom are directly connected. To pretend like they aren't would be delusional.

Daniel was a compassionate supporter. I know I'm in the minority, but I really like that Daniel is Mel's father. Both lonely characters find solace with each other, and I think it's very charming. I like that he doesn't want to push Mel to do anything she doesn't want to do. He's just happy to have her in his life.

Brady was predictably there for Melanie. However, as much as I love the Brady and Mel friendship, I was pretty disappointed that Brady didn't speak up for the idea of recovery. He can't speak about Nick since Brady's never met the guy. But I wanted Brady to at least mention that the things people do under the influence are hardly indicative of who that person can become in recovery.

Chad was...well...he needs his own section.

CHAD I have no idea what Chad's damage was last week.

First, he was ticked off that Mel didn't tell him about the parole letter. Then he went to see Abigail to demand that she pick sides between Melanie and Nick. Finally, he literally stood over Melanie and pressured her to make the decision he agreed with. Dude, I repeat, what's your damage? I guess they're trying to drive the wedge between Chad and Mel to make it easier for Mel to leave.

The only bright spot was his scene at the police station with E.J. I really like these two as brothers. And once Mel is gone, I wouldn't mind seeing the brothers DiMera hitting the singles scene together.

SAMI and RAFE To summarize Will's brilliant rant, there has to be a reason to make me think that it's going to be different this time. To this point, Safe is still exactly the same.

You'd think with all those Safe scenes over the last few weeks, Rafe would have taken the opportunity to apologize to Sami for how he treated her. Never mind that she saw evidence that made her believe E.J. was innocent. Heck, Rafe didn't feel confident with the evidence against E.J. either, but heaven forbid he be honest with Sami and tell her that! Why, that would mean he'd have to stop rolling his eyes and scolding her. Remember, those passive aggressive comments go to waste if they're not used in a week.

MARLENA Did you know that Nick going crazy was actually the best thing ever to happen to Maggie? It was. It brought Maggie out of mothballs and suddenly put her in the mix with "the kids." She took Melanie under her wing, and soon Mia. She had scenes with Will, Nathan, and Stephanie. It gave Suzanne Rogers a chance to stretch as an actress and really be introduced to a whole new audience.

Likewise, as Marlena had scenes with Melanie, Will, and Nick, I realized that the same treatment would infinitely benefit Marlena this time around. With all due respect to Drake Hogestyn, Chandler Massey is my favorite screen partner for Deidre Hall. Will brings out a softer, yet still "doc" side of Marlena.

And seeing her in scenes with Melanie and Nick made me appreciate how smart and compassionate this character can be. Marlena doesn't know these two. She talked to them out of respect for Maggie. Yet, when Nick gets out, I'd like to see him continue to talk with Marlena. I like what "the kids" do for her.

GABI T is a bigoted little twerp, and I was still happier to see him than Gabi. Once she heard that T and Will got into a fight, she decided to storm off and be a total B to the one friend she has left on this planet, Will. And Will apologized (again!) to Gabi for disrespecting her.

I adore that Will realized that what he did to Gabi was hurtful. But Gabi was a more than willing participant. She doesn't get to act like she wasn't using Will to make herself feel better. She could have stopped it just as much as he could have. Gawd, I really want Will to find out what Gabi did so he stays away from her.

LOOSE ENDS: I agree with Kate that she's the only one who hates Ian as much as Brady does. But what struck me most about that scene was how off John acted. Did it seem like he hadn't slept in days?

Abigail kind of freaked when she heard that Steve and Kayla were divorcing. She got so mad that she broke her date with Cameron. I have no idea what one has to do with the other.

Billie's still in town. She hugged Jennifer and annoyed E.J. That was all.

Roman and Sami had a heart-to-heart about her choice in men. No offense, but I don't think that I'd be taking dating advice from Roman. Just sayin'.

The Will and E.J. bromance ended with mutual respect and, dare I say it, an alliance that may come back to help Will down the line. It's always good to have a DiMera be in your debt.

Abigail and Will had an adorable, and surprisingly light-hearted, chat about some serious issues. These two actors work very well together, and I'd love to see more Will and Abigail scenes in the future. Read = replace Abigail as Will's best friend and give Gabi the boot!

Huzzah! Brady is taking the reins back at Titan!

EXTRA SCOOPS

HOT: Hope was the epitome of class. She was understanding with Nick, yet firm enough to get her point across. And she was the only one who clearly had no agenda when talking to Melanie. When Hope told Melanie, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do," I absolutely believed Hope. Nice work, Fancy Face!

NOT: Since it was brought back up this week in flashbacks, I feel that it's fair game to address it this week. Rafe's statement, "I loved you. Why'd you have to go and throw it all away?" is quite possibly the most asinine, oblivious piece of drivel this dope has ever said. He was playing footsie with Carrie long before Sami and E.J. hit the DiMera couch. Yet he's going to lay this whole thing at Sami's feet? She deserves half of the blame, not all of it. Obviously the accountability dodging gene runs rampant in the Hernandez family.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Victor: "I'm glad that you could handle yourself." Sonny: "Like a man?" Victor: "Heh, like a Keehdehakis!" Mind you, this conversation happened after Victor shook Brian's hand and remarked to Sonny about how good-looking Brian is. Have I mentioned that I love Victor?

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Mel's bracelet was fierce.

I really like the night shots on the square.

In an email from my esteemed colleague, Tony: Why was the TV behind the sofa in Nicole's daydream?

Okay really, where's Spencer?

LOVE Maggie's pride in Nick talking about the 12 steps.

I haven't quite figured out how Rafe can get a promotion for not solving a murder that actually didn't even happen, but Abe is still sitting unemployed. If the Salem P.D. is that hard up for good cops, someone needs to call up the fella who's actually been a good cop.

My sister told me that she thinks Chad and Nick kind of resemble each other -- tall, lanky guys who love hair gel and a certain redhead. She's right!

Since E.J. is Nick's lawyer of record, shouldn't E.J. be at Nick's parole hearing?

Holy cow! Daniel mentioned the mistake he made sneaking around with Chloe. Which makes me think, have Daniel and Lucas shared a scene since he's been back in Salem?

Did Nicole get a letter from the parole board, since she was Trent's wife at the time of his murder?

It's amazing how many people gave Rafe condolences on his mistress leaving town.

Is it customary to have a different father for each trimester?

SHAMELESS PLUG: Before I leave you in Tony's capable hands for the next two weeks, I want to tell you about a little side project that I'm working on.

The recent issue of Health Magazine featured a completely amazeballs-looking Alison Sweeney on the cover. Seriously, I don't know how soap stars do it. They have to be camera-ready pretty much every day of their soap lives! So, when the Lady Sweeney posted a month's worth of tips in the magazine, I took her seriously. So seriously, in fact, that I'm going to play her reindeer games and try out one tip a day for the month of September.

I'm sure I'll love some things and hate others. (I have yet to find the day where you make yourself chocolate fudge brownies.) But, I'll blog and tweet about the whole thing for those of you who are interested. My review of Ali's fit tips begins...now!

P.S. Be sure to let me know your thoughts on DAYS by clicking here to share your thoughts with me. Or, tweet them to me -- @LaurisaDays.

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