You've really got a hold on me, baby

Emotions ran deep in Salem as several characters realized just how strong the ties that bind them are. Which ones strengthened? Which ones fell apart? And which new bonds might be in the making? Discuss all these mixed up emotions in this week's Two Scoops, brought to you by cupcakes and side-boob!

So, due to the preemption a few weeks ago, last week didn't exactly end up being the craziest week ever, complete with a Friday cliffhanger, that I've been looking forward to since, well, when did Kristen leave last time? But I digress. Although there was a lack of action, last week was still an interesting one nonetheless. Characters were faced with a question -- how strong are the ties that bind them together?

If you ask Caroline, for example, she wasn't too shy to point out that Sami and E.J.'s bond is a great one. I'll admit right off the bat that I'm a sucker for Caroline and Sami scenes. I always have been. While Marlena sometimes judges Sami's actions, Caroline is usually unwavering in her support, which is not an easy feat, no doubt.

More so, Caroline knows she herself isn't perfect. That's one of the things I've always admired about her. She isn't afraid to face her own ugly and bring up the things she's done wrong, like her Bo-producing romp with Victor. When she told Sami she was the E.J. in her affair, I think that brought her point home perfectly. Well, for a minute, anyway.

The truth is Sami needed to have that breakdown. The audience needed it, too. Hearing her sob that E.J. ripped her heart out of her body and that she's broken -- E.J. broke them -- brought another level of depth to her anguish. She isn't just mad. She's hurt. In the interest of full disclosure, my roommate paused to watch those scenes with me, and both of us avoided eye contact because we both got a little misty alongside Sami. I guess you could say we both felt Sami's heartbreak. And a tip of my hat to you, Alison Sweeney, for another beautiful performance!

Then E.J. came home. James Scott did an amazing job, too, conveying sincere emotions. There was regret, shame, remorse, and, above all, E.J.'s love for Sami. The thing is, she felt it, too. And for a hot second, I almost believed she would give him a chance. I mean, who didn't momentarily thaw a little to learn E.J. makes paper cranes with Allie to help her heal from the trauma of Nick's death? And then came Johnny praising Abigail's, uh, cupcakes, and all was lost. Sami hopped back on the bitter train, and she's vowing to utterly destroy E.J. and his little cupcake ho, too. As much as I'm ultimately hoping for (and blindly thinking we will get) a happy ending for EJami, this deliciousness doesn't bother me in the meantime, mostly because Ali and James are crushing their scenes.

The same can't be said for Will. He's upset that Sami is messing with poor cousin/best friend Abigail. He feels bad for Sami, but... But nothing, Will. Dude needs to check it at the door. I'm not saying that Will didn't make a few valid points, and sure, Sami moving on would be best for her in the long run, but Sami has a right to be mad. Heck, even Abigail admitted she was wrong; she is not the victim. Abs even said that she's willing to take her comeuppance like a big girl. I can see why Will wouldn't want harm to come to her, but he needs to take the advice Dr. Dan gave J.J. and not pick sides in this. Instead, he's pissed off an already pissed off Sami, and that doesn't really give me confidence that Will and Sami's relationship will rebound (SEE: Marlena and Sami).

As for another rocky relationship, I kind of love Kate and E.J. It's a shame his heartfelt plea was wasted on Kate. She couldn't care less. And honestly, Kate is cracking me up when it comes to her feelings toward E.J. That shower comment? Legendary. Of course, Kate ultimately tipped her hand to Rafe. She revealed why she's done everything she's done. The answer? Rafe himself.

Yep, Kate cooked up her half of the revenge plot to take down Stefano because of what he attempted to do to Rafe. I'll give points to Kate for feeling guilty, but I would have much rather Kate vowed vengeance because Stefano broke her heart by testing their relationship. I'm not sure why the current writers are more focused on Kate and Rafe rather than the genuine bond Kate and Stefano had built. I watched the show. "State" truly loved each other for a time. To me, I'd much rather see that as the focus of Kate's anger over what Stefano did to her personally, or at the very least have that be part of it. But nope. We have her doing all this for Rafe's Peen of Salvation. Drats!

On the Rafe topic, Clyde wants to know a little more about him. He doesn't think Rafe's the right man for his Li'l Tammy Sue. I cringe that there might be subtext there that Clyde thinks he is the man for her. It's unsettling.

Finally, it's clear that Aiden and Hope are a little unsettled, too. Their waltz shook them both up, and they don't know what to do with the emotions they're clearly having for one another. I like this. I like this a lot. More so, I love that Kayla has been brought into this storyline as a sounding board for Hope. I just wish the scenes had lasted longer.

Kayla was like an ambassador for the Brady family. She admitted she's furious with Bo, too. Kayla basically gave Hope the nod of approval to move on. Of course, Hope admitted that she felt abandoned and hasn't betrayed Kayla's brother, but I don't think Kayla cares at this point. She's like the rest of us -- give us a random reason why Bo is gone, and we'll take it. It's past the point of absurdity. Let's just close the door.

Still, I have one more suggestion to help close the Bope door. I'd love to see Hope have a Sami-like breakdown with Caroline and Victor present. Not only would Kristian Alfonso no doubt crush a scene like that, but Bo's parents giving her the thumbs-up to move on would be the ultimate pass. I think Caroline would budge first, and then Victor would reluctantly give his blessing. In any event, if this happened, I wouldn't be upset. But, I would have also addressed the Bo issue about a year and a half ago if I were in charge. So, what do I know?

LOOSE ENDS: So, Aiden's wife had a beach house. He's not fond of said beach house. Hmm! Something fishy must have gone on there, and I'm really curious to know what Aiden is hiding. This reminds me of a storyline on Sunset Beach, involving a handsome but mysterious leading man, the lady who loves him, and his dead wife whose death he blames on himself. I repeat, "Hmm!"

Brady has officially hit rock bottom. He's seen the error of his ways, and he's going to meetings. I'm good with this. Sure, Boozer Drug Buddy Fun Brady was a hoot from time to time, but that dead horse was beaten enough. It's time to see what he does next. In the meantime, Maggie is there to support him as he deals with what he's done. More so, what he hasn't done, but thinks he has. I'm curious to see how Brady reacts when everything comes to light -- will he be able to stay sober in the reveal of Theresa's deception, or will he fall off the wagon (again)?

One thing is for sure. Brady has a pissed off Greek tycoon in his corner. Victor let Theresa know just what he thought of her (again)! He always cracks me up, and this time he has a mission. That is, to destroy Theresa. Considering Eve may be in her corner, this could get good. However, I'd love to see Kim and Shane back for this brawl. I doubt they'd approve of what Jeannie-T did, but I don't think either of them would let Victor get away with harassing their daughter, especially given the rocky relationship between Victor and Kimberly.

It's officially. Ben came out to Abigail. He told her who Jordan and Clyde are, that he did live in Miami, and his name is Oliver. Just don't call him that. I'm enjoying the candor between Ben and Abigail. I like that they're not judging one other. It's one of the more honest relationships in Salem right now.

It's a shame Dr. Dan and Jennifer don't know how to end a relationship. They had a breakup speech, and they haven't even been together for weeks. Sure, they may still love each other, but I'd be shocked to hear there are still fans out there who love them together. Can't we just take Dannifer out behind the town square and Old Yeller them? I'm sure Clyde has a shotgun in his pickup.

I'd also like Clyde to take a shot at Eric. Not to harm him, but just to scare him. I'm usually on good terms with the padre, but I was firmly on Team Nicole last week. Eric does only seem to treat her like a human when he wants a favor. I'm glad Nicole told him just that, though I don't know if I would have been as nice as she was. Hypocrisy irks me, but I digress.

Nicole also tried to mend fences with Dr. Dan and Jennifer. Both told her no. I get that, but Jennifer especially might want to reconsider Nicole's olive branch. Here's why!

Sure, Jen might not be able to fully trust Nicole, but Eve's bringing a knife to a fistfight. Jennifer would be smart to up the ante and bring a gun, and that gun could be Nicole. It's sort of like the standoff in Adventures in Babysitting between Brad and the guy who cheated on his friend. Brad wanted to punch him, but wouldn't stoop to his level. Brad's bestie, Daryl, on the other hand, was a bit cruder and totally took the swing. So, the point is, Jennifer could totally stay on her high horse and let Nicole kick up the, well, dooty. It would be a win all over -- Nicole gets to make amends, Eve vs. Nicole would no doubt be amazingly entertaining, and Jennifer gets to watch and wring her hands. Done, done, and done.

Last thought on Nicole: how didn't this "ace reporter" know about John!? This is like the billionth time she's missed out on breaking news, well, at least the stories she's not a part of. I love my gal, but maybe she should consider a career swap. Doesn't Mad World need a new C.E.O.?

Finally, and not to further rain on Jennifer's parade, but I'm still confused as to why she can't explore the possibility of getting more money for the movie rights to Jack's book. It seems simple enough to me -- the more money they sell it for, the more money the vets and Eve get. That's like ripping up a holiday bonus check from your boss because you get paid already. Good grief, Jenny.

HOT Sami + Caroline = made of win!

NOT There's a reason I don't watch reality game shows. Do you know why that is? Do you? Let me tell you. The answer is this. It's a simple answer, really. I will tell you about it...now! And I'll tell you that answer now, right after this word from our sponsors. Stay tuned!

In all fairness, soaps probably invented the prolonging scenes to stretch content, but reality game shows took it to the next level. Hence, I'm doubly annoyed by the not-so-classic show, Padre: Pardon or Persecute? I hate to see him suffer, but at this point, I don't care if Eric's name is officially cleared in the church or not. We know he didn't do it. That truth should be enough to set him free. I just know I want to be set free of this storyline sooner rather than later.

LINE OF THE WEEK Abigail: "I am not the victim here!" Someone please print this on a t-shirt so I can hand it out to all the Hortons during their annual tree-trimming party.

EXCHANGE OF THE WEEK Eve: "Well, hope to see you soon!" Jennifer: "Well I hope I don't see you." Eve: "I hope I do." Jennifer: "I hope you don't!" Eve: "Have a great day."

This! This cracked me up. Melissa Reeves and Kassie DePaiva are playing off each other beautifully.

SUMMER LOVIN' Need more love in your life? Check out the second installment of DAYS Two Scoops Summer Lovin' series, Love is lovelier the second (or third, or fourth) time around. As always, be sure to add to our list by leaving feedback or Tweeting us your comments!

RANDOM THOUGHTS Contender for Line of the Week was totally Sami saying, "He [John] is going to wake up, and that's a fact."

Um, okay. The new portrait of Kate and Sami in the living room is something else. Though hysterical and bringing home the point of Kate and Sami's recent "Girl Power!"... I have to wonder, would you want your side-boob immortalized like that?

Okay, writers, Allie presenting Sami with that touching wedding present was just a bit of overkill. We get the point you're trying to make.

Will threatened Sami to back off Abigail. What is he going to do if she doesn't -- make her wear an ugly shirt and cardigan?

Gee, Eve gets kicked out of a lot of places. I hope she doesn't take it personally.

Drats! Justin is still in Dubai. I'm not lovin' this.

OMG! Abe said "jive," and I totally love it. #oneofmyfavoritewordsever

Hmm. I'm trying to come up with a category for Clyde's intro/outro music. Right now, I think we could call it either Psychedelic Banjo or Hick-Hop.

Speaking of music, Eve's moany, pseudo-seductive ditty doesn't really fit into every situation. Just saying. More so, a little bit goes a long way.

Isn't the Horton Town Square supposed to be an indoor atrium?

Um, hell no! Kayla talked all about the gala, but we didn't get to see Mary Beth Evans all dressed up!? Not cool. Not cool at all.

NuChase's favorite X-man is Gambit. I can support that.

Dr. Dan said he's taken a sabbatical from dating for a while. This might be a good time to sell your stocks in STD antibiotics. With him out of the game, the sale of them may plummet.

Poor Roman. It was bad enough when he had to compete with an alive and well John, but now Mr. Black has the sympathy vote from Marlena.

PARTING THOUGHTS So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of July 28. As @LaurisaDays will be gone another week on her search for Bo, I'll be back to usher in the return of Kristen DiMera! And, "That's a fact!"

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