Playing with fire... who will get burned?

A cool, calm, and calculating Kristen offered John's loved ones a deal with the devil in order to save his life while Stefano made the lives of Kate and Sami a little scarier by ominously proclaiming the games are over. Plus, things between Aiden and Hope got a little too hot to handle. Feel the heat in this week's Two Scoops!

Over the years, cautionary advice sort of becomes unofficial rules to live by. Things such as don't stand under a tree during a lightning storm, don't lick a mental pole if it's below freezing outside, and, of course, you shouldn't play with fire unless you want to be burned. Thankfully, in Soap Land, I don't think those folks know these things, especially the one about playing with fire, because several Salemites were pretty quick to flick their Bics last week. And that meant a fiery week for us soap fans. Let's discuss!

Kristen set Salem ablaze with an offer she knew her enemies couldn't refuse. That was, Stefano found a biochemist who has an experimental drug that could possibly reverse John's comatose condition, and the DiMeras would pony up said drug if Eric agreed not to testify against Kristen in court. Whoomp, there it is! That's Kristen's Get Out of Jail Free card. Well, played, crazy lady, well played.

Of course, in the real world, there's no way this would work -- any of it, really, but, thankfully, this is the Soap World, where the same rules do not apply. As such, it was a brilliant plan to keep Kristen out of the clink. And let's be real, Salem is a lot more interesting with her roaming free to wreak havoc, not that anyone there would agree with that.

Let's start with Eric. Kristen tried to apologize, but he wasn't having it. Okay, can't blame him for that. And I have to add that Greg Vaughan crushed those scenes. For a guy who came to Salem as sweet and sugary, Eric can certainly pull of surly very well. Again, don't blame him.

Eric was the key to Kristen's plan, and it worked, especially after all of his scenes with his family. Sami reminded him that he's the favorite twin, and he and Brady made up (they even hugged it out, aww). Eric put family first, which was excruciating for him but made for juicy drama.

And then there was Kristen's dramatic meeting with Theresa. Kristen seems to make new friends wherever she goes, doesn't she? Oh, did I say "friends?" I meant enemies. These two immediately went at each other's throats. It began with Theresa getting off the phone by saying, "A crazy person just sat down at my table." Kristen followed up with, "Well I heard you had a mouth on you." And so it began, and it was all shaded of delicious.

In truth, Kristen could probably outmaneuver Theresa in one or two beats, but that doesn't negate that they are fun to watch as the claws come out. I just can't wait to see Kristen's reaction to learning Theresa and Brady hit the sheets again. Kristen did give her fair warning to stay away from her man. Oh, the joys of crazy thinking! That should be epic.

And speaking of epic, Kristen had showdowns with two of my favorite sparring partners for her, Brady and Marlena. They each warned her to stay away from their loved ones. Like that will happen, gang, but nice try. I actually hope it doesn't! Pairing Eileen Davidson with Eric Martsolf and Deidra Hall is DAYS Must-See TV.

To elaborate, Kristen and Marlena had another amazing confrontation. Oh, how I missed these two together. And it all began with Kristen stating, "Marlena, although it's always so much fun to listen to your various pronouncements, could you just say what's on your mind and get the hell out?" Love! Of course, Marlena threatened to kill Kristen, which, you know, is kind of rude, but I'll let Doc have that one.

Actually, Mar and I have to talk, but first I'm going to give her another spoon full of sugar to help the medicine go down. The scenes where Marlena asked Eric to not testify in order to save John were powerful. Deidra Hall and Greg Vaughan did an amazing job with the emotional material. In fact, it was a perfect soapy moment filled with anguish and drama. And, I do feel, for the most part, the writers attempted to stress how much Marlena hated to ask Eric for such a tiny favor, and how much pain it caused him. Kudos for that! And with that said...

I don't have such a huge problem with Marlena asking Eric. For one, most people will do whatever it takes to save the life of a loved one. Two, the writers did their best at expressing how hard it was for her to ask (even if I did yell at my screen a bit). Three, have you met Marlena? She'd sell Belle on the Black Market herself if it meant snacking on strawberries and cream with John again. Sorry for the visual.

However, if Mar's on the campaign trail for Mother of the Year, she deeply dipped in the polls by sitting down for a chat with Abigail. Little Miss Hot For Sami's Husband has enough support. It would be unlike Marlena to attack Abs, but she didn't have to offer to braid her hair, metaphorically speaking. Not only did Abigail try to destroy Carrie and Austin's relationship (you know Carrie, Mar's favorite former stepchild who falls slightly under Belle, Eric, and Brady and usually way above Sami on the MSS (Marlena Support Scale), but Abigail ruined Sami's marriage. Cordial is one thing, but Mama Mar Mar could have just passed her a business card of a colleague and sent her on her way. But no. And here's the funny thing about that...

Had Sami walked in and seen Marlena sitting with Abs, Sami would have come out the bad guy. Follow me here and tell me if you agree. Sami would have seen said scene and made one of her own. In fact, she probably would have blown up. Some of Sami's points would be valid, some would be just lashing out, but she'd blow up nonetheless. Then Mar would chastise her for said outburst.

Here's food for thought, I wonder...if Shawn-Douglas cheated on Belle, would Marlena sit down with "the other woman" and chitchat? Methinks no. But then again, while Sami was married to Rafe, Marlena was a day short of begging Celeste for Rafe and Carrie voodoo dolls so she could make them kiss and set them up in a Barbie Dreamhouse. So, I really shouldn't be shocked now by her lack of support for anyone not named John.

Fortunately, E.J. seems to be mastering in support lately when it comes to Sami. He's doing everything short of a tap dance to ensure her that he wants to make their relationship work. He's also claiming he has nothing to do with Stefano's pending return, which has surely shaken up Sami and Kate. I actually believe him, especially since he went to Rafe with further proof to nail Stefano. That's good news for EJami fans, but bad news for E.J. himself. As we learned recently, DiMera on DiMera crimes are the worst thing to ever happen and are punishable by twenty years on a deserted island. Oh, wait. I think we were supposed to forget that part. I digress.

In a wonderful moment, Joseph Mascolo was back on our screens. I missed you, Steffie Bear! Stefano isn't exactly in Salem yet, but the stage is being set, and Kate is going into panic mode to make sure he's neutralized upon his return. This is going to be a showdown I don't want to miss! More, please!

LOOSE ENDS: So there's another stage being set. That is Clyde wants to do business with Carlo the Crooked, but there's another game in town. Methinks he's talking about E.J. because Clyde was pretty stoked to meet him. Hmm! I have to wonder if E.J. is getting back into the biz only to frame Stefano. I repeat, "Hmm!"

And so it ends. Wilson's fighting, that is. They made up and then kissed a lot. I'm voting "Yes!" on this. One thing I have always liked about Sonny and Will is that they quickly calm down and talk things out. This time was no different, and I'm glad. I like communication. It's a good thing.

Also communicating were Will and Abigail. She still thinks he's a jerk, but she seems like she's beginning the forgiveness process. That's a good thing, too. I was worried about these lifelong besties. And by "lifelong" I mean since the beginning of this storyline when it was convenient for them to be named Salem's newest BFFs. In truth, I'm simply happy that we're moving on a bit. They're both screw-ups, but I'd rather the show focus on other characters for a while. Characters like...

Hope and Jennifer! I adore their friendship. They're supportive, they talk about their issues, they gossip about boys, and they create makeshift sundae bars in the living room. Um, yes, please, I'll have another scoop of that.

Speaking of sweet things, J.J. racked up about a bazillion boyfriend bonus points with Paige due to his caring care package. The teddy bear wearing the neon safety vest was totally a win in the Swoon Department and the flip-flops were a funny, realistic touch. Take that, athlete's foot. Although I'm sort of disappointed J.J. didn't send her a CD of him playing the guitar and singing. That seemed like a missed cheesetastic opportunity on his part.

On the topic of opportunities, since Eric has a new disgruntled vibe, he should consider using his photography talents for the dark side. It seems like there's a market for taking pictures of people for malicious use. Just ask Sami, Kate, Gabi, E.J., or Abigail. And you can soon add J.J. and Paige to that list, too. Their lakefront frolicking was caught on camera. I wonder who captured that Kodak moment. Hmm!

J.J. and Paige weren't the only ones frolicking in Salem last week! Brady and Theresa hit the sheets again. I know that he was just taking the edge off of fighting with Kristen and that Theresa played Whack-A-Mole with his daddy, but there's something endearing about these two.

Okay, I'll break it down a bit more realistically. Brady and Theresa are totally and utterly a hot mess of a semi-couple with more issues than the Spectator, but they are somewhat endearing nonetheless. Jen Lilley is amazing at creating layers to Jeannie-T, especially when she lets that "hopeful girl who just wants to be loved" side peek out in perfectly timed moments. Like how cute was it that she was so giddy that it was the first time they made love sober? By "cute," I should probably say "sad," but what the heck. For a bad gal, "sadly cute" is about as far as it goes sometimes, and you just have to make those lemons into lemonade. Drink up, Jeannie-T. Drink up.

Finally, you know those "Eat this instead of that" lists we often read online or in magazines at the supermarket checkout? They have health tips such as use cottage cheese instead of Ricotta for your lasagna, or Greek yogurt for your baked potato instead of sour cream, otherwise known as cheese is the devil lists. Anyway, here's one food for thought for the writers as we go into a new season. I know. I know. They already have November Sweeps 2024 recorded due to their crazy advance taping schedule, but indulge me.

Instead Of: Eric and Nicole having the same scene every day, five days a week. We get it. He's hurt, confused, and tormented. The acting is beautifully done, but the outcome is always the same -- a heated confrontation and a lot of been there, done that hoopla.

Instead Try: Give Hope and Aiden more than one day a week to do their thing! Kristian Alfonso and Daniel Cosgrove have amazing chemistry. They do uneasy well and flirty fighting like champs. And a bonus? Sure! With more than one or two scenes between them to go on, we'd have other flashbacks to choose from (no offense, steamy waltz). Yet, I shouldn't complain too much. We might be low on "Haiden" screen time, but this certainly isn't a quality vs. quantity issue. Their limited scenes are always pretty spectacular. Like this one...

HOT Now that's a first kiss! I'm talking about the one Aiden stunned Hope with. And Fancy Face can try to deny her feelings aloud, but she certainly responded to said first kiss, and it looks like the lingering feeling of Aiden's lips on hers makes her want more. Yes, please! This has been a slow burn, for sure, but definitely a hot one.

NOT OMG, no. No, no, and, meet my friend, no. I'll hang out in front of Club TBD 24/7, but I need volunteers. I need people to guard the Brady Pub, the shops at Horton Square, the Java Caf, and the coffee bar at the hospital in order to block Jennifer and Dr. Dan from having their coffee date. We so don't need another round of Dannifer. #pleasemakeitstop LINE OF THE WEEK Kristen (to Marlena): "Well that didn't take long, did it? The imperious tone. The self-righteous attitude. I think I've missed you."

SUMMER LOVIN' With only a few official weeks left of summer, Laurisa and I are making the final tweaks of the last installment of the Summer Lovin' Series! In the meantime, you can catch up with Part 3, Super kids from supercouples, by clicking here!

RANDOM THOUGHTS Here's a quick fix solution: if Nicole really wants to make up with Dr. Dan, she only needs to jump into a hospital gown. Has he met a woman in one he's resisted? And you're welcome, Ms. Walker.

The writers are (thankfully) slipping. When Jordan was having her nightmare/flashback(?) about Clyde's creepy ways, she was sitting on a bench near some shrubs. What's wrong, writers? Couldn't get a hold of a hay bale and a cornfield?

Dan's propping Paige for an internship at Salem U. This should end well. Let's just hope she doesn't have access to a rabbit and a stew pot.

Well played, writers! The scene where Sami saw the open door then turned to spot the picture of Stefano was perfectly creeptastic.

Shocker! Nicole's not moving. I mean, not that she ever claims she's going to.

I don't think John's gotten this much screen time in the past few years. There's that. #veggietales

I don't blame Caroline for giving Nicole a piece of her mind after what happened with Eric, but snatching away her martini was just cruel and unusual punishment. The gal's gotta refuel, after all.

I'm putting out a suggestion. Sonny should team up with Maggie and write a good advice book. Sonny's caring and levelheadedness reminds me a lot of Big Red.

Another suggestion -- if Anne needs a drinking buddy, she should give me a call. Lady is a funny drunk.

Mar Mar would be safe while biking at night with that bright blazer.

Speaking of fashion, J.J. looked like he was channeling his inner Johnny Castle last week.

I wish I could master at least a portion of Eileen Davidson's facial expressions so I could talk a lot less.

Nicole's beautiful coworker (I hesitate to say friend) looks a lot like a young Scary Spice, and I mean that in the best way possible. #spiceupyourlife

Like sundae chitchat with Hope and Jennifer, I also want to have breakfast with Kate and Sami!

Belle's name was actually brought up. Suck on that, Rex and Cassie.

PARTING THOUGHTS So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of September 8! Laurisa will back next week to see if there's a safe hiding place now that it looks like Stefano is heading back to Salem. And, "That's a fact!"

What are your thoughts on ? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.