A mighty wind's a blowin'

With J.J. and Eve's sordid secret exposed and all the baby drama exploded, it was a cleanup week in Salem! The landscape is changing, and it might be just what DAYS needs right now as we blow into an exciting time of celebration. Let's batten down the hatches and pick up the debris in this week's Two Scoops!

I'll be honest. My kneejerk reaction to last week was, "Huh. That's it?" But that was only because of the Sweepy weeks that came before it. We had Kristen(!), epic Marlena and Stefano battles, baby drama, Will got punched (no! I wasn't giggling as I wrote that), and the big J.J. and Eve reveal birthday extravaganza. So, when noting like that happened last week, at first I was a little let down.

Then a funny thing happened. I reflected on the episodes and realized I actually enjoyed them, and more importantly, it's setting DAYS up for the future. And there's a lot to look forward to.

First, Kimberly is back. I love seeing her on my screen again. My DAYS in the '80s heart was warmed. I also loved the vintage Kimberly/Victor flashbacks. Those two have a dark history, and I'm glad that wasn't forgotten. Patsy Pease played the creeps well as he walked back into the mansion, and the Henderson hello was fun, too. Plus, the something to look forward to is the fact that Kimberly has a grandbaby in Salem. She may return again and bring Shane with her next time. Yes, and yes, please.

This would be a good time to talk about the Tater Tot drama. Everyone has a plan for the tyke. Kimberly wants him and Theresa in L.A. with her and Shane. Brady wants to put them up in a swanky house he's paying for and share custody. Anne doesn't care as long as she doesn't lose her bestie, which is good because I'd be sad without the Anne/Theresa duo in my life, but I'm getting off track...

Theresa wants a few things, while Brady only wants two. Brady's wish list is easy. He wants to marry Melanie and have a peaceful coexistence with Theresa so they can share custody of Tater. He'll even cover the bill, and she can order any and all of the appetizers she wants. I'd take that deal, but, nope, Theresa wants Brady (she loves him more than ever, aww), she wants him and the Tot to play house, Melanie to disappear, and Anne to be the nanny. Okay, I threw that last part in, but that would be a riot.

So, in true Theresa fashion, she blackmailed Melanie out of town. Melanie looked back at her own hectic family life and actually agreed that leaving Salem would be the best thing for Tater. But thankfully, one brilliant thing happened -- Brady figured out what Theresa was doing and called her on it. I was so happy. I didn't want Brady to be the dimwit in a storyline yet again. Kudos to that!

Ultimately, most of us know that Molly Burnett is leaving soon. Melanie is a goner. And it looks like she's stepping aside for Tot's sake. Yep. That sounds about right.

As much as I adore Molly, nothing has been that spectacular about Melanie's return. I'm glad that Mel got to play the hero. Her actions have been selfless, which helped mature the character, but it wasn't necessary to pair her romantically with Brady, which is my biggest beef. I'm glad they "put a pin" in the ring thing. It was overkill. She would have done what she did for bestie Brady while dating someone else, say, Chad because Molly and Billy Flynn had some pretty fun sparks. Alas, shoulda, woulda, coulda, but didn't. Moving on!

With Melanie leaving, that leaves Brady alone in Salem with Theresa. I'll admit it. I like the chemistry between Eric Martsolf and Jen Lilley. It's volatile yet passionate. Kind of Sid and Nancy meets J.R. and Sue Ellen (circa the birth of John Ross). Do I want them to find happily ever after? Maybe, maybe not, but they'll surely be entertaining in the meantime. Perhaps when Sami returns, she can give them a lecture about the dangers of what can happen to a child while using it as a weapon and pull out her example A, Will and all his Willness. #precautionarytale That'll make them sign that custody agreement pronto.

LOOSE ENDS: Hmm, Chad, Rafe, and Hope all want to know more about Clyde and his shady self. Will, on the other hand, would rather forget Clyde, but that's not going to happen, and it suits me just fine. There's sure to be some trouble for Will soon enough -- trouble that doesn't revolve around Will's insecurities of Paul. He needs to be brought down a few pegs. I'm fine with that. In the meantime, Will's research was the hot topic for Chad, Rafe, and Hope. They all wanted a peek. I like this. I like this a lot. Keep digging, Salemites.

Clyde strolled around Salem like the proud papa he is because Lil' Ollie Joe Bob Weston Rogers officially changed his name to "Benjamin Weston." Please, Clyde, calm down. Sean Combs changes his name every other day. It's not a big deal anymore.

Also, Ben and Abigail made up. All is good for them. By "good," I mean still dull. Sort of. Ben's now a lot more suspicious of Chad sniffing around, and Clyde nudged Ben to do whatever it takes to keep classy dame Abigail around. I'm even more certain a change is coming for Ben.

As for Abigail and Chad, I enjoyed their conversation. More so, I'm glad that Abs admitted to being judgmental and self-righteous. She was. Like, a lot. And admitting that is a step to looping her back to the cooler version of Abigail when Kate Mansi assumed the role. I'm all for that!

Speaking of returning to a cooler version of themselves, Jennifer made a small step last week. When Paige confronted her about keeping Eve and J.J.'s secret, she came clean. Sure, she tried to justify her actions, but she ultimately admitted being wrong. I hope that Jennifer really learned her lesson, but I disagree with Maxine. She told Jennifer to "be kind to yourself." Girl, no. Let Jennifer beat herself up as she's been beating us up for the past few years. Then we'll be even, and cool Jennifer can return.

I like Shawn Christian a lot, but last week was a little "Dr. Dan Overload." Okay, don't laugh. I know many will ask, "Just last week!?" I'm picking up what you're putting down, but last week seemed especially Dr. Dude heavy. He seemed to be everywhere...with Melanie, Maggie, Xander, Eric...and it wasn't all necessary. I was actually surprised that he didn't pop up in the window behind Hope and Rafe with a squeegee and bucket, or wait on Adrienne when she was that the caf, stating he picked up a few odd jobs in his spare time. Still, anything is better than him scolding Nicole. Or Dannifer.

Though, Dr. Dan had on his grade-A douchebag hat last week when he scolded Xander. I'm beginning to sense a pattern with Dr. Dan. I hope everyone likes puka shell necklaces and lectures about what you really feel inside because the doctor knows best, better than you, in fact, and he's going to let you know it. Ugh.

Okay, okay. To be fair. Yes, Xander's making a move on Dr. Dan's former gal that Dr. Dude strung along and lectured a lot, sorry, former girlfriend, but Dr. Dan wouldn't even let him talk, citing he was "tired of his endless explanations." Dude's only been in town for a few weeks, Dr. Danny Boy. I hope Dr. Dan is the next one who apologizes for being a judgmental, self-righteous jerk, even if he's not that wrong about Xander. Drats!

Finally, Serena tried to tip off Nicole about just how risky her business is with Xander. By "tip off," I mean she blatantly proclaimed that Xander is a bad, very bad man -- he's having Nicole watched and is off-the-charts dangerous -- Xander no goodie. Nicole thought she was jealous. Serena is not. She's simply as concerned as one can be for someone you hate. I'm forever and always on Team Nicole, but Serena wasn't wrong when she exclaimed, "I'm trying to save your life, you stupid bitch." No, not one of Nicole's finer moments. Well, at least she seemed to get it maybe a little bit by the end, and we got a sweet Eric and Nicole scene before that. There's that.

HOT

Oh, fun! Justin, Kate, Lucas, and Adrienne made a pretty entertaining quartet, especially with Victor as the conductor. You could tell the actors are having a blast with the material. This could be an amusing summer storyline for sure. And bonus! It keeps Kate further away from Clyde. Win meet win.

NOT J.J. told Eve, regarding Paige, "I'm going to get her back." Ugh. Just ugh. Let's cut the loss and move on, okay, J.J. No self-respecting girl wants her man to have her mama on his mind. #makeitstop

LINE OF THE WEEK Lucas (to Kate): "Mom, shut up. Have you never shacked up with a married man, really? Isn't that the whole reason I'm here!?" HONORABLE MENTIONS: Anne (to Theresa): "Do you think you're the poster child for rational decision making? Of course I thought you'd do something nutty. Your claim to fame is making horrifyingly stupid decisions." Victor (to Justin): "I can. I would. I did." Lucas (to Adrienne): "I've disowned my mom before, several times, in fact, and I forgot how liberating it can be." Kate (to Will): "Yes, two years old is old enough to start appreciating good shoes!"

RANDOM THOUGHTS Boo, Detective Frowny Face! I wanted to see Hope and Kate sit down to dinner. No awkwardness there. They can rehash the good old days. "Hey! Remember when your daughter blamed me for losing her baby, or when she slept with my husband because he was hallucinating and thought it was me?! Fun times." Still, Hope's comeback was funny. Well played, Hopester.

I really wanted Melanie to call Carly, but Parker's wake-up service was adorable enough for me to forgive not one Carly scene. #toocute

Oh, oh! Anne and Roman shared a scene. Sort of. That would be legendary if they got together and Anne became "Aunt Anne" to Theresa.

Aww! It was great to see Kimberly, Roman, and Caroline together. I wish Kayla had been there, too, but she was probably too busy at an intern's bridal shower or a christening.

I'm glad that Gabi got to make Arianna Grace a dress, but wouldn't sewing needles potentially be dangerous in the hands of convicts? Just saying.

Really random, I wish they'd bring Sonja Hawk onto the canvas. So much potential there! Maybe hook her up with someone like Lucas, Brady, or, well, open to suggestions. For those of you unfamiliar, she's Benjy's widow. Benjy is Stefano's other other dead son. And Sonja is the mother of Stefano's grandson, Steven (named after Patch). See, so much history there!

Why was everyone masked up around Tater except for Melanie? Maybe Jorge can donate that big bunny Melanie gave him to Tater Tot.

Why is the entire west wing of the Kiriakis manson vacant and Laurisa and I weren't asked to move in? Not cool, Vic.

I'm rather let down every time I see Nicole's office. I thought it would have more flair. Some animal print accent pillows, trendy furniture, maybe something chrome, an exotic plant, and poster-sized photos of herself.

You could totally tell Wally Kurth was having a hard time keeping a straight face during Justin and Victor's scenes. Loved it!

Why is Daphne dating a divorced 21-year-old with two kids when T and Rory are both single?

Kimberly had on a wedding ring. I assume she and Shane tied that knot again. Thanks, writers. Nope, wouldn't have wanted to see that at all. And I'm still happy I didn't have to watch Tony and Anna get remarried, or Justin and Adrienne. Okay. I'm still bitter about all that and the new matrimonial addition. Boo.

PARTING THOUGHTS So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of June 1! May Sweeps may have officially left the building, but there are big changes coming for DAYS, and Laurisa will be back next week to usher some of them in, and "That's a fact!"

As always, thanks for reading! Tony

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