My fair Brady

In the grand tradition of Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, DAYS managed to dig up pairings that are just loverly. Read on to find out what duos were truly dynamic last week in Salem.

Last time around, I was a huge Melanie fan. We saw her tragic backstory with Trent play out. She had a believable enemy in Stephanie. Molly Burnett had amazing chemistry with Suzanne Rogers, well before the whole magic egg thing. And Melanie's romances with Nathan and Dario were both convincing.

But this time around, I find her nails-on-a-chalkboard annoying. Did we really need to see her stand in the woods (Or was it San Francisco? They look so similar.) and talk to herself? No. The answer is no.

The problem isn't Molly Burnett. The problem is that Melanie is written too much like Maxwell Smart and not enough like Agent 99. Despite being the whole catalyst for the Brady/Kristen reunion, she comes across as a giggly, fumbling idiot. I actually hoped that she'd stay stuck in that closet with the inflatable raft.

And that's because Melanie has been cast in a completely unnecessary role in this storyline. First, she absolutely would have done all that investigating for her best friend Brady. There was no need to throw another "great love" Brady's way.

Second, Brady and Kristen are absolutely perfect together and need no assistance from a gnat like Melanie. Eric Martsolf and Eileen Davidson bring everything to the table. There's a reason they both won Emmys for working together.

Eric's brilliance is that he perfectly encompasses the audience's reaction to Kristen. We know there's just enough of a crack in her crazy for the normal to seep out if we handle her just the right way. And Eileen has so masterfully played Kristen as an equal blend of bat-pooh crazy and heartsick that I had no idea if Kristen would lie to Brady or fall into his arms in tears. I don't think Brady did either.

Only now she has someone she loves more than Brady. His name is Christopher, and he's "Daniel's" son. Kudos to Kristen for whipping up such a believable lie on the spot. There's always a sprinkle of truth in what Kristen says. That's why her lies work. Plus, she wants a baby more than anything, so she had no problem justifying her actions to herself.

But the problem with this lie was that it was easy for Brady and Mel to debunk. Plus, Kristen's story still didn't explain why Theresa was pregnant. So Brady asked to look at the baby. And this is where I admit that I'm a terrible person because I think all babies look alike. Unless you happen to be someone who has very dominating features, no one else sees you in your newborn baby.

Anyway, Brady asked for a paternity test, and instead, Kristen showed him a gun. I'm thinking there's a secret room with Brady's name on it. So now the only remaining question is how Daniel is going to rescue them all from the castle. I know, I know. But can't you see it coming? Victor knows where Brady is. Daniel will soon discover that Melanie is missing and will want to go after her. He bested Kristen once. I have a feeling we'll have to watch him do it again. I hope I'm wrong.

Speaking of dads going after their kids, John went to San Francisco to see if he can smooth things over with Paul. It's a credit to Christopher Sean's acting that I'm buying any of this "feud" between Paul and John. They met, like, five times, and John was rude twice.

And to be fair, John had good reason to be. Sure, Paul is mad that John jumped to conclusions based on John's allegiance to Will. But isn't that exactly what Paul is doing to John because of Tori? Family members trump acquaintances. I'm not that mad at John for frowning upon the dude who came between Will and Sonny. Heck, if Marlena had taken this approach with Rafe, Sami and Carrie might be on speaking terms again!

I digress. I'm glad we got to see Grandpa Narita again. He's been the one who's supported Paul at every turn. Something tells me he'll play a role in bringing Paul into the Black family fold. And I can't wait to see that.

Though, I do have to say that I'm a little disappointed we didn't hear John recount all his history to Paul. All we heard was the part where he doesn't remember the first 30+ years of his life. Wait until you get to the part where he was brainwashed and programmed to kill the woman believed to be his mother, Paul. Oh, oh! And wait until you hear about your adoptive Auntie Vivian! Your family reunions are going to be so fun.

One family reunion that isn't so hot right now is between Xander and Victor, and this news upsets me greatly. It's not just that I want Xander to be happy and stick around. It's that this just seems horribly out of character for Victor.

First, Victor has always been willing to go to the mat for his boys. No matter who they kidnapped, what paternity they kept secret, or how many drugs they used, Victor stands up for them. It's one of his consistently best qualities. I don't like to see that shaded.

Second, no less than three months ago, Victor took a hit out on a man. Sure, it was Clyde. And yes, I supported every ounce of that hit. But that doesn't mean it wasn't murder. So it bothers me that Victor seems to judge Xander on not "turning his life around" when Victor's life is pretty much facing the same direction. I love Victor that way, don't get me wrong! But seeing Victor judge his own nephew for the same behavior seems like something Victor is just too smart to do.

Besides, there are enough fights taking place in the Kiriakis mini-room, thanks to Lucas and Kate. Again, thanks to the time vampire that is Clyde Weston, I've been robbed of the magic that is Bryan Datillo and Lauren Koslow together. It seemed like Lauren was thrilled to finally sink her teeth back into some heavy scenes. And this one did not disappoint!

I love it when Kate is backed into a corner. She comes out swinging, even if it is at her kid. Now, I have no doubt that Kate will move heaven and earth to get Lucas a job back. (For the record, she was the one who basically blackmailed Victor into hiring Lucas in the first place.) And I agree with @Tony_S_Days that Kate and Lucas never stay mad at each other for long.

Plus, this is actually pretty lame for Kate. Sami ended up on death row. Chloe ended up in a coma. The fact that Adrienne just got scolded and Lucas got fired is a downright nice day for Kate.

But who knows? Maybe Lucas and Paul will start a business together called "Our Parents Are the Worst." Oh, wouldn't Will love that?

Yikes. Will is reaching King Joffrey levels of annoying. He was mad at John for going after his son. He was furious with Victor for daring to set off a series of truth bombs. And most ridiculous of all, Will actually said that Paul was worse than Kristen because everyone likes Paul.

Let's unpack that last one for a minute.

First, no, Paul is not worse than Kristen. As far as I know, Paul has never raped a priest. Second, Will is the last person in the world to criticize someone for benefiting from people's admiration. Will's parents spent years at each other's throats for the privilege of raising the kid. As an adult, Will's hardly hurting for people who will steal information from Victor Ever-loving Kiriakis and then go cross country on an errand for the dear boy.

I'd like to believe that Will was serious when he said all the right things to Sonny -- therapy, not blaming Paul, etc. But then Will went and demanded all the feedback from the Paul article. That doesn't sound like a guy who's willing to let this crusade against Paul go.

In his defense, I do think he's coming from a place of desperation, not entitlement. But this mess is all his doing. No one targeted him or led him into this situation. Paul didn't misrepresent himself to garner Will's attention. But Will's so adamant that everyone forget what he did that he'll change his story in a heartbeat, depending on who is unfortunate enough to be listening to him at that moment. I have a really hard time rounding up any sympathy for the dude. I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait until Gabi returns!

LOOSE ENDS I was glad to learn that Victor knew Kate set the whole thing up. The thing with Clyde and then with Stefano led me to believe that Victor had lost his touch. After decades of hating Eve, Jennifer decided that Eve is actually traumatized from her childhood and now feels kinda sorry for her. Clearly, this storyline is taking the "throw everything against the wall and hope something sticks" approach.

The one consistent thing about Will is that his articles usually end up in disasters. They're like that cat in the nursing home who curls up with people who are about to die. So, thank the soap lords that Will's next article subject will be Clyde. Let's get this tragedy started!

Abigail's outrage that Ben gave some dude tips on where to find a card game seems grossly misplaced for a girl who tried to orchestrate two affairs, least of all on a show where a lady snatched an embryo right out of another woman's uterus and grew the baby in her own. However, I enjoyed seeing Chad and Stefano toast to fooling Abigail. She needed that shot of humility. She was getting a little too comfortable with Ben and Chad worshiping her. (Okay, I can't blame her too much for that one!) But none of the characters were going anywhere as long as that dynamic was in play. The power needed to shift. Robert Scott Wilson agrees with me too. Three cheers for Victor for handling a secret the way I always wish soap characters would -- give 'em 24 hours and then squeal. I'm also glad that he called Adrienne out on cheating in the Kiriakis mansion. She really didn't have a leg to stand on there. Even though they were on the phone and fighting, it's never bad to see Justin and Adrienne together. I agree with Victor -- Lucas will be nothing more than a footnote in this story. Hurry home, Justin! However, I hope this storyline has proved to DAYS that Bryan Datillo deserves to get a shot at a leading man role. He can do romance and humor with ease. Let's find Lucas a relationship that can stick and give Daniel a break for a while.

HOT

Sonny was the MVP of the week. From his heartfelt talks with both of his parents to holding his own with Victor, Sonny (and Freddie Smith!) are doing excellent work in Salem. Much like Lexie was the token "good DiMera" for years, Sonny is the token Kiriakis who doesn't exactly act like the rest of his family, but they all love him to pieces. I'm a fan.

NOT It pains my heart anytime I have to scold Victor. But he forced my hand when he said that Sami had a history of "screwing around." Sami did a lot of things, but she wasn't a serial cheater at all. For that matter, Lucas wasn't either.

And furthermore, all the comparisons between Will and Sami need to stop. (You hear me, Marlena?) I get it from a purely superficial standpoint. I really do. But to put Will in the same category as Sami is disrespectful to her decades of character development. Besides, Sami had nothing and schemed because she was strong enough to fight back. Will had everything and schemed because he was too weak to handle himself. There's a huge difference between the two.

LINE OF THE WEEK Victor (about Paul): "I know where he is." Sonny: "You put a chip in him?"

Justin: "I heard that you and Paul were close." Sonny: "Yeah, I guess there's not much room in the closet." You guys, Sonny is funny now too!

RANDOM THOUGHTS Marlena drinks white. Hope drinks red. This says so much about them.

I like Ben with the scruff.

I was more than a little uncomfortable with Brady commanding the pilot to land the plane in unsafe conditions.

I liked Jen's red dress. One of these days, I'm going to get Melissa Reeves to give me her arm workout too.

Yes, Xander! You have to visit Chez Rouge! Take us all with you! We miss that place.

If Brady didn't want Kristen to know that he was coming, maybe he should not have taken the Kiriakis private jet? I'm sure that thing has "Titan" painted all over it.

Aiden needs to hold a class on confidentiality in the Town Square. He'll pull his beautiful hair out when he hears that both Chad and Clyde knew all about Wollensky, thanks to Abigail and Ben, respectively.

Check out what True O'Brien has to say about all things Jeve.

I loved the throwback to Maggie living on a farm and Chez Rouge going green.

Make a note that International Drug Smuggler Serena Mason didn't bother to close the door before she fished out the diamonds. Then again, I guess I really can't get on Serena too much when Mandrake didn't, either, and his door was to an entire castle.

I laughed out loud when Victor said he'd towed Lucas' car.

What were those microphone-looking things on the airplane seats between Clint and Theresa? Obviously, I don't fly first class.

After Alison Sweeney and James Scott, dream sequence fake-outs just need to be retired and hung from the rafters.

And with that, I'm off to prepare for the Daytime Emmys! You can catch all of soap.com's coverage here. Hopefully we'll have a lot to celebrate next week!

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