Trials and tribulations

A pseudo-sauced Nicole saved the day for Marlena, but Ms. Walker was denied a spot at the cool kids' table despite her efforts. Will this schemer ever be part of the 'in crowd,' or is there a darker fate in store for her? Plus, Salem's most sensationalized trial began, and it didn't get off to a good start for Sami. Will Justin be able to save the day?

Please rise. Two Scoops is now in session. The semi-honorable me is presiding. I'd raise my right hand and swear to tell the entire truth about my feelings towards last week, but since I can't use profanity, I'll have to skip the parts about J.J.

One truth I can confirm is that Justin is the hardest working man in Salem. He's knee-deep in Sami's case but also had time to help J.J. bargain his way out of the big house. I really think Nicole needs to buddy up to Mr. Dimples, Attorney at Law, next. It seems like she may need a helping hand soon.

Actually, I'm fairly sure Nicole is headed down a dangerous path, one she doesn't even know she's on. Because of her chat with Father Matt, she's looking a bit more suspicious to Father Eric these days. I'm sure it won't be long before the hunky padre believes Nicole drugged and seduced him, at which point all hell will break loose. And by "hell," I mean a lot of angry accusations and Mar Mar going all-out crazy on her.

I kind of feel bad for Nicole in this case. Some could argue her past sins are coming back to bite her in the designer purse, but she's trying to be bad for a good cause, and nobody wants her on their team. Both Victor and Marlena turned down her offer. Of course, Marlena wasn't too proud to accept Nicole's help in a pinch, but Mar Mar's got to do what she's got to do. I personally would love to see these three officially team up, but I fear I might have to put that dream in my hope chest next to Roman getting a lady and Abe having another storyline.

One question remains from Marlena and Nicole's sting -- who has the real flash drive? As smart as she is, I'm a little unsure of why Kristen didn't keep such a smoking gun in a safer place. Tossing it in her purse is sort of amateur for a gal who had her very own secret room. But I digress. Either Marlena now has all the evidence she'll need and the granddaddy of all things you can never un-see, or Kristen is one lucky lady. I'm dying to know which one!

As for the trial, well! As Justin pointed out -- and, really, why argue with him -- things started out bad, but that's normal. Okay, normal, maybe, but Sami's trial was a hot mess so far with the exception of Justin's cross examination of Marge. But on the plus side, "hot mess" means a lot of fun drama for fans. I'd be more worried, but this trial is far from over, and I'm keeping my front row seat until it all plays out!

LOOSE ENDS: Okay, as for Jennifer and J.J., my only thought was this, "Oh, no! Not that cake." Well, at least Jennifer took somewhat of a stand. And at least she didn't fall onto a stack of biscotti and really injure herself. There's that.

Abigail's scenes with J.J. were a bit more pleasant. Kate Mansi did a great job at portraying Abigail's concern and affection for her little brother. The flashbacks were a nice thought, although the picky fan in me wants to point out that during that time period, they were supposed to be living in London, with Jack. But I won't.

I also have to admit something. I agree with Cameron. Chad needs to tell his loved ones about his diagnosis. There're enough people who love him that he'd be showered with support. It seems said showering is the reason he doesn't want anyone to know, but I'd consider it a personal favor if he'd divulge the information, thus stopping the rinse and repeat dialogue between him and Cam. Trust me, Cam doesn't need another reason to be boring. He's got that covered on his own.

Finally, Maggie needs to call the loony bin the next time she happens upon Nick ogling an eight-by-ten of a girl. That's what Mar Mar would call an early warning sign I believe. Sure, Big Red wants to see the best in her nerdy neph, but it's all fun and games until someone is dangling off a balcony.

Granted, would Gabi falling a few stories be that bad? I don't know. I do know, however, that the town's resident weirdo with a penchant for obsessive tendencies and kidnapping staring longingly at a photo should set off a few alarms. In fact, he's probably at his new place right now, digging a giant pit and putting lotion in a bucket.

SUMMER OF SINNERS Sure, it might be getting a little cooler outside, but summer is still in season for another week, and we're sending it out with a bang! Keep an eye out for the final Summer of Sinners blogs dropping this week! We'll be revealing the sinniest of sinners. In the meantime, check out our last blog, "Parents' Worst Nightmares: Salem's Biggest Problem Children, by clicking here !

HOT I'm not too proud to admit that I'm a sucker for sappiness. Sami's letter to E.J. was pretty saptacular, and I ate up every second. More so, it was a very romantic EJami moment, but also a great moment for Sami herself. She's always wanted to be loved, but seldom seemed to know what to do with it once she got it. Well, it finally looks like Sami is letting a man love her -- faults and all -- and I couldn't love this more.

NOT J.J. really needs to shut up. No, really he does. I love how he made his arrest into Dr. Dan's fault. Um, and what was his excuse before he got to Salem and was selling drugs in boarding school. Right! Young Master Deveraux needs a history lesson. Someone needs to sit him down, use a few flow charts, and maybe even some shadow puppets if necessary to explain to him that before Jack even fell into that cake, Jennifer had moved on with Dr. Dan. He's not a new addition at Jennifer Land. So, if we're supposed to believe that J.J.'s actions are a result of losing Jack and he's displacing his pain by selling drugs and tormenting Dr. Dan, then I'd like to order something else off the menu, please.

LINE OF THE WEEK Victor (to Nicole): "Shouldn't you be off electrocuting someone?"

Honorable Mentions Justin (to Sami): "Try not to pull a gun on anyone else by the time I get back." Kate (to Melinda): "I have a rather dark sense of humor." Nicole (to Brady): "The whole world -- with the exception of you, of course -- knows that Kirsten DiMera is crazy. She's a whack job. Out there where the busses don't run!" Jennifer (to J.J. regarding Rory): "He's not even smart enough to be a bad influence!"

RANDOM THOUGHTS Arianne Zucker looked all shades of amazing in that green dress. How does she follow up all that fabulousness? With a new hairdo! You go, girl.

I think the bailiff should play the 90210 theme song every time Judge Jim Walsh approaches the bench.

Sonny's support of Will is a little swoon-worthy!

I enjoy that Brady and Ciara "Brady Brunch" together.

I love Father Matt! He says things like "the fast crowd." If he only knew the entire story that J.J. was selling the marijuana down in front of the nickelodeon picture show, he'd get the heebie-jeebies and that wouldn't be too swell.

I couldn't help but wonder if the anger dog chasing Kristen was actually the ghost of Nicole's pooch, Pookie!

Why doesn't Maggie ever knock on my door with some lemon bars?

That's nice that Lexie has a tree. I just hope Jeannie-T doesn't try to cut it down and smoke it now that J.J. is out of business.

Why I love Kristen Example 5,659: She's mastered accomplishing any to-do list. Shopping? Check. Trying to throw a priest off her tracks? Check. Showing up to support her best friend? Check. Inquiring about fertility doctors? Check. Threatening a corrupt doctor? Check. Trading barbs and fighting off her fianc's ex? Check. Discussing the downfall of her nemesis and chatting about boys with her father? Check. Dodging an angry Shih Tzu? Check! See, girlfriend really does deserve all those drinks she has at the end of the day.

PARTING THOUGHTS So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of September 16. I raise my right hand and swear that Laurisa will be back on Monday with all the latest testimonies and tirades. And, "That's a fact!"

As always, thanks for reading! Tony

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