Liars and tigers and beat-downs, oh my!

Salem might not be the place for the squeamish these days, but if you're looking for first-rate performances, DAYS is the place to be. Let's laugh and cry -- well, mostly cry -- in this week's Two Scoops!

Well, on the bright side, no one went to the virtual Garden of Eden last week. There's that. Right, gang?

Okay, like, DAYS has been a bit heavy lately. By "bit," I mean it's making Sophie's Choice seem like a rib tickler. I know Wilson Philips is way smart, but I don't know if I can hold on for one more day. I need a dose of fancy free fun in Salem because the emotional rollercoaster we're on right now is wearing me down. So someone spike some doughnuts, and I'll find a book club, okay? While that's happening, let's discuss the silver lining...

In one week, we were reunited with Alison Sweeney and Freddie Smith! Sure, sure. It wasn't under the best circumstances, as several characters pointed out. In fact, they were pretty much the worst circumstances I've seen on DAYS since Mimi making a decision -- any decision, just pick one, the gal was a mess -- but I'm glad to see Ali and Freddie nonetheless. Both powerhouses brought me to tears and made Salem feel a little less lonely. There's security in numbers, after all.

In the interest of full disclosure, some weeks, Two Scooping is super easy. Things happen on-screen, and I can't help but to ramble on about them, sometimes a little lot too much, and thank you all very much for bearing with me during those times. Last week? Eh, that was not an easy one to cover. Mar Mar's "gut punched" scenario pretty well sums it up. From the breakdowns over Will's murder to Ben and Chad's brutal, brutal fight, count me in on the gut-punched train, too, Doc.

Were the breakdowns and beat-down masterfully acted? You bet! Yet, whereas I expected to be sobbing along with Salemites as Will's death was revealed (and I did), was the fight a little, pardon the expression, overkill? You bet! I can handle a few punches, but by the time Ben beat Chad's head against the footboard for the third time, I was over the violence. It's like walking into a movie theater, expecting to watch Steel Magnolias and stumbling upon Bloodsport instead. You know, if you were going to the movies in the late '80s, but I digress...

For me, last week boils down to one thing -- the ber talented cast we're fortunate to watch. Their combined geniuses kept me on the edge of my seat, clinging to my tissues and Scotch. Both Ali and Freddie had me blubbering. Their scenes alone, their scenes with others, their scenes together -- it didn't matter, this two are made of win. They didn't miss a beat in stepping back into their characters' sorrow-filled shoes. And Sami promising to keep the tigers away and wishing Will a peaceful sleep sent chills down my spine. Oh, Ali -- you've been dearly missed.

But to be fair, it was Camila Banus' heartbreaking performance in the first few minutes of Monday's show that set the tears into motion. The back-and-forth of Gabi and Sonny's scenes while Will's voicemail played were powerful and perfect. No doubt. Kudos. You got me.

Then, Bryan Dattilo crushed my soul, especially when Lucas sobbed something like, "Not my son, not my son, damn it...he was a good boy..." Done. I was done. My note for Lucas and Marlena's scene was simply, "I'm dying." And I bow down to Deidre Hall, who had me going with just two words and a look. When Marlena said, "It's Will," I lost it again. I could go on, but I don't have the space or stamina to relive all the tears. Let's just say there wasn't an off performance last week.

But there was something off last week. And that was that Will died. Will Horton died. He's dead. From a writers' standpoint, I'm sure they're high-fiving each other right now. It was a blow to nearly every DAYS fan. Will's death has invoked anger, tears, and frustration. People are talking about it. That creates buzz. Buzz gets butts in the seats, and that means ratings improve. I get that. I do, and I know there's that "you can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs" mentality, but I'll pass on that meal if it means the past few weeks can be a beautifully acted WTF daydream.

So, if it wasn't clear, I'm not a fan of this part of the storyline. At all. Will's death just seemed like a cheap trick to rile people up. From my brilliant partner in crime, Laurisa (whose Two Scoops last week epically embodies nearly every fan's reaction to Will's death, including my own), to DAYS stars like Alison and Deidre ( who voiced her opinion via Facebook) to, well, most fans and fellow DAYS commentators, no one seems to be enjoying anything but the acting as far as Will's death goes. I guess that means we're all in good company, right? I repeat, "There's that."

LOOSE ENDS: If Will's death wasn't hard enough, he was murdered nearly a year after E.J., which is why Sami made it to Salem at lightning fast speed, as she was already headed that way (and thanks for the clarification there, writers). The good news, Sami got a letter from E.J. Why is that good? Because I'm taking this breadcrumb as a possible sign that E.J. might still be alive. Am I a delusional dreamer grasping at strange syringes filled with resurrection juice? You betcha. But this EJami fan finally has a little something semi plausible to hope for, and that's something in short supply in Salem.

Speaking of Will's death, as if I haven't enough, I know Eric was being strong for Sami, but did he seem more upset by Serena's death and not getting that photography job than losing Will? I mean, he was at the bar, looking at breaking Basic Black news, not at a picture of him and his nephew. I guess everyone grieves in different ways...

Like Kate! Lauren Koslow and Brian's scenes together were wonderful and heartfelt, yet I wanted more from Kate. She was ready to bake Chloe into an early grave for canoodling with Dr. Dan yet avoided her grief over Will's murder by going back to work? Um, okay. Not the reaction I was expecting, but I guess, better than Roman's reaction. Oh, wait...

I understand that the writers can't hit every bull's-eye, and fans, like myself, will always nitpick them for missing the mark, but there's been some big old blunders so far with the aftermath of Will's murder. Let's start with Roman's scenes with his loved ones. Oh, can't do. He didn't have any. Let's file that under "WTF!?" and move on. Has anyone called Carrie and Austin, who partially raised Will, or Billie, Will's partial namesake? How about T, Will's best friend? I'm just saying if the writers are going to throw down that gauntlet, they better not miss a beat because frustrated fans' outcries can carry a pretty loud tune. *Mic drop*

Okay, okay. Gotta get that mic back. Not done yet!

Theresa and Anne are still friends. This makes me happy. I mean, "Not happy." I'm afraid if I declare happiness, the writers will Necktie someone else, but I digress. Sure, Anne was a totally blunt ballbuster who showed about as much compassion as an orca shows a seal, but that's just part of her, eh, charm. Without their reconnect, we wouldn't have had such gems as, "Kate or that hooker Amazon," "billionaire bimbo," or "best only friend." More so, if Theresa intends to keep up with Kate and Nicole, she needs all the sassy, soulless sidekicks she can get. As for John, he's still on the quest to find his past, but you know what happened that I loved? Paul got involved. This was a DAYS wish-list item I had. I hope it plays out on-screen. Though for as much as I loved John and Paul as their scenes were warm and fuzzy, I'm not sure I can say the same for Paul and Sonny's scenes. I think Paul had honorable intentions, but let's just say I wasn't feeling it and move on, if that's okay.

And just in case you weren't sad or concerned enough, Adrienne tested positive for the gene. We get it, DAYS, you want to break us down. I'd wave the white flag, but I've sat through spaceship debuts and elephant statues, dammit. Just like Kristen, I'm not going down without a fight.

HOT

I've never been prouder to wave my "I 'Heart' DAYS!" foam finger and cheer on this tirelessly talented cast. What they're doing with the material is nothing short of staggering. I'd challenge any of those fabled non-soap watchers out there who turn their nose up at daytime TV to take a look at DAYS right now. If this cast doesn't blow them away, I'd check their pulse. So, as I tweeted out last week, "I want to give the #DAYS cast a group hug for their amazing work this week...and it's only Monday! Nothing but applause and a thumbs way up!"

NOT Um, Will's still dead. "Wilson" is dead. I'm sort of not over those ones yet. We'll reconvene in a few weeks if a Nottier Not comes up.

LINE OF THE WEEK John (to Steve): "So Caroline's psychic now?"

TRUE 'DAT LINE OF THE WEEK Marlena (Re: Sami): "Won't be the first time she's annoyed with me." RANDOM THOUGHTS I know people think the Necktie Killer is in a coma, but before that, people were still sitting in the park...at night. Methinks not the best idea since, you know, Serena was murdered in the park.

I'm kind of digging Rafe more and more these days. Can we please keep this version?

I'm not saying he should be a sobbing mess on the floor, but John didn't seem overly concerned that Bo died.

How wonderful were Billy Flynn and Robert Scott Wilson last week? If you can answer that, you're not using enough praising adjectives.

I adore that Johnny and Allie wrote to Rafe and he responded.

Drats! I loved the idea of Gabi staying at Jennifer's house, if for no other reason than it would make Julie's head explode.

Um, I know Adrienne is still processing the information she got from the lab results, but she might want to share things with other Johnson gals like Abigail and Stephanie.

Super sponsor Maggie might be busier soon as Eric looks like he's on a one-way street to Booze Town. Not that drinking alone is bad, but...

I figured out the mystery of those lights shining through the windows of Ben and Abigail's apartment! They're the lights of the bus going forward and backing up over Aiden. Boom.

PARTING THOUGHTS So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of October 19! Laurisa will be back next week, armed and ready. And, "That's a fact!"

As always, thanks for reading! Tony

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.