Murder, she wrote

Chad speaks the truth as Hope heads to the big house. But everyone else is right to want to break her out! Elsewhere, we said goodbye to a character who should have never left Salem. Let's discuss in this edition of Two Scoops.

The old writers had every intention of dropping Stefano's murder. I was okay with that -- mainly because I knew it happened so Joe Mascolo could enjoy some much-deserved time off. But now that I see the excitement the whole scene is creating, I'm so glad the new writers decided to pick it back up.

I love me some courtroom scenes. Everything about them sparkles. It's probably the only non-wedding or funeral reason we get a big chunk of the cast together. There's usually an underused character who gets some time to shine (hey there, Justin!) We get these amazing reaction cut shots from the audience. And we're always waiting for a shock.

That moment came when the door opened up and the three DiMera men walked in! Yes, Theo included! He didn't testify, but the fact that he entered with his uncles was a powerful nod to the fact that he is still part of this family. I'm glad to see DAYS doesn't forget that.

I have to love Andre because he's about the only person who can out-Julie Julie. The dude got up there on the stand and was only missing a fan and a glass of tea to declare that wretched little Hope Williams Brady gunned down big daddy in the middle of his sanctuary! Oh, Andre. Never change, you crazy bat!

But it was Chad's statement that could not have been more perfect. It illustrated the beautiful conflict that goes with loving an imperfect person. Chad's had to deal with a lot of loss in his short life. He's lost two parents, two siblings, a child, and now his wife (as far as he knows). So death is a permanent thing for him. Knowing that someone is a terrible person, even disowning them, is totally different from being okay with someone ending their life.

And despite all of the pearl grabbing in the gallery when he spoke his truth, you know who agreed with him? Hope. She gets it. And I love that she gets it. I appreciated Chad acknowledging that he and Hope are family, and he values their connection. I'm not saying that I don't think Stefano was a terrible creep who deserved what he got. But I am saying that I fully support and understand why Chad wouldn't feel that way. I'm relieved to see Hope did too.

And by the same turn, I totally get why all of Hope's family is outraged. Of course they should be! I cheered when Rafe, Shawn, Roman, Steve, and Justin jumped to her defense. File that appeal, fellas! Stand up for our girl! They feel like this is just another way Stefano wins. He's done more than his fair share of that, for sure!

That's the absolute beauty of this storyline. No one is 100% right. Rather than picking a side and setting myself up for being disappointed, I am loving just watching this unfold.

I'm also pleased with how the show handled Abigail's exit. A spouse leaving is tricky. But the writers seem to have learned from the backlash against Jen and Hope for not knowing that their spouses were alive. Not only did Chad, J.J., and Jen all believe Abigail to be dead, but we now know that Abigail herself orchestrated the whole thing and did indeed write that letter to Chad that Andre delivered. That's different than being captured and held against your will.

Welcome to the show, Marci Miller! Credit to her take on Abigail: when Abs first appeared, I thought that she was still mentally unstable. The blank face, empty eyes -- it was very creepy. In a good way! But then Abigail said that she met someone and got on meds and is better now? Really? Yeah, I don't buy that. Mainly because if I did, then she would be spectacularly selfish to only come back when J.J. was shot.

Yes, if DAYS wants anyone other than the die-hard Abigail fans (Fanigails?) on her side, they need to keep reminding the audience that Abigail is totally nuts. Otherwise, expecting fans to feel sorry for poor Abigail is going to be a tall order. She's having a hard time watching the people she left move on.

Speaking of her husband, oof. This is going to be hard on Chad. Sure, he'll be relieved that she's alive. But if she is "healed," there should be some anger there too. Why'd she stay away so long? More specifically, why'd she continue to fake her death? Heck, even Theresa is smart enough not to put Brady and Tate through that pain. Chad is on the verge of developing some serious trust issues. In the last year, the Salem PD lied about who killed his father, his mother-in-law tried to sue for custody of his kid, his wife died, and his brother was in on the whole thing!

Side note -- while we're on the topic, I'm still missing why Andre is even helping Abigail in the first place. I know that he's dabbled in good a time or two. But, come on. There has to be something in it for him. Maybe she turned that Irish nanny money over to Andre? Maybe they bonded over their mutual hate for Sami? I don't know. But these two make such strange bedfellows that there has to be more here.

Sorry. But back to Chad. Or specifically, Chabi 2.0. The show's done a good job of reminding us of Gabi and Chad's history, and a better job acknowledging their connection as adults and single parents. The great chemistry between Camila Banus and Billy Flynn doesn't hurt either. But, I'm glad that Chad and Gabi didn't "go there" yet. Gabi's vulnerable from her breakup with J.J.

Of course, the one woman I always thought was perfect for Chad is out the door. We said a sad goodbye to Theresa this week...and I do mean horribly sad.

Ugh. The problem with this storyline was not the heartbreaking performances from Jen Lilley and Eric Martsolf. And it certainly wasn't the delightful return of Shane and Kimberly. Nor was it finally bringing out Victor's tender side. The first problem was, like Abigail, Theresa making a unilateral decision on behalf of her family. The second, and much bigger, problem is this storyline reduces Theresa to a pawn for a powerful man.

Good or bad, when have we ever known Theresa not to fight back? The girl literally had a child ripped from her womb and still managed to claw her way back out. Yet in a matter of days, she has no hope. The influential people in her life (Victor and Shane) are miraculously not able to help. Even Kate (who owes Brady and Theresa a solid after that whole Tater Tot snatch) isn't even considered as a possible ally.

Sigh. When it's such a stretch to write a character off the show, I have to wonder why they didn't recast the role. I think Salem is better with Jeanie Theresa around, if for no other reason than that it means that Shane, Kim, and Eve might show up again!

LOOSE ENDS I agree with Jennifer. Adrienne is hands-down the nicest woman Lucas has ever been with. It's a shame that she belongs with someone else though. Can we get Lucas a believable love interest one of these days? Please?

Marlena is the expert on Hope's mental state? Okay, sure. Also, I wish Mar had mentioned the time that she injected Stefano with that trap-you-in-a-coma drug. That was way colder than shooting him.

You guys, I'm really worried about J.J.'s cop skills. He hasn't even managed to realize that he's the possible victim of a crime. His whole story about having one drink and then waking up naked is horrifying! That dude had to be drugged, if not drugged and raped. Yet, his spidey sense is picking up on nothing. Yikes. This boy might want to reconsider careers!

That's not to say that Gabi doesn't have every reason to leave him. In fact, she has two very good reasons. One, it says something about their relationship that in his time of need, he cut her out completely. It's certainly not like she would have trouble sympathizing with someone whose sister died. Second, he put her health in danger by coming back and sleeping with her without telling her what might have happened. Was he embarrassed, scared, and confused? Sure. But I'm fairly certain he went to eighth grade health class.

I agree with Philip. As long as Nicole is with Deimos, she can't be trusted. She's settling into that First Lady of Titan role way too easily too, passing judgment on Brady and Philip. Also, her concern for Chloe rings very hollow after all she's done to Chloe recently.

I have to 100% back up Tony's column last week. What the fudge is Laura's damage?! It's bad enough that Jack Jr. decided disappearing would be a good thing for her family. But now Laura is in on it too? Yikes. I wouldn't be holding my breath for a nice Christmas gift this year, Laura. If Jen finds out, you'll be getting a well-deserved lump of coal.

As Jennifer walked toward Chad after his testimony, I braced myself for the worst. But instead, we got the kind, calm Jennifer who would have made Alice proud. She admitted that she was caught in the middle but that Chad will always be family to her. That was huge of Jennifer, and she deserves all the credit in the world for leading with love instead of anger.

I completely get Sonny wanting to support his dad. But, ouch, that beautiful moment where Lucas thanked Sonny for being part of the wedding and standing in as a sort of proxy for Will right after Sonny encouraged Justin to crash the wedding had to sting. I'm thinking Sonny needs to do some matchmaking for Lucas when this is all over. That dude ran the poshest coffee shop in Salem for years. He has to know some eligible women!

Since Deimos is all about bullying women into pregnancy tests, can we direct him toward Jade? I'm having a really hard time believing she's pregnant with Joey's kid.

HOT Way back when Theresa and Brady were basically just drug buddies, Brady gave Theresa a white and black purse. Theresa made such a big deal about it, showing it off to all her friend (yup, it was only Anne). She carried that thing around for years. I always liked that she did that. So, when she walked down the stairs for her final scene, I loved that she was carrying it again. I don't know if it was written in, the wardrobe team selected it, or Jen Lilley herself thought to grab it. But, as someone who is a sucker for symbolism, I thought it represented Theresa love for Brady still being there. For the record, she actually gave him back the ring but kept the purse. It was a subtle but well-done detail that made me happy.

NOT Blanca and Dario seem like an afterthought, which is a shame. Both actors are good, and they probably could have had decent storylines with other characters. But neither has much to do with Salem. For that matter, neither does Eduardo.

His whole explanation of why things didn't work with Adrianna was super weak. For the record, she was in love with a man who didn't exist...just one she married long enough to father four kids at least fifteen years apart. Oh, and up until a few months ago, wanted her back. Gottcha, Eddie. Riiight.

LINE OF THE WEEK Abigail: "I didn't want Chad to see me." Andre (with legit-sounding concern) "Of course not. Then he'd have all those pesky questions like how are you still alive?" Ha! You know it's bad when there are two people in a scene, and Andre's the saner one.

Honorable mention : Kate: "Yup, I always stay out of my kids' business. Best not to interfere." Eduardo: "Ha! You said that with a straight face!"

RANDOM THOUGHTS Jen Lilley's eyelashes are a wonder of the world.

I see you, Adrienne. And I'm not mad at you at all. I kinda cheered for Justin, too, in that courtroom.

I'm a little shocked there aren't medical professionals on the grounds at the K mansion.

Marci is very well cast as Melissa Reeves daughter and Jaime Lyn Bauer's granddaughter.

I have to laugh that no one bats an eye when Kayla starts sentences with, "The last time Hope was in prison..."

DAYS is really into creating new flashbacks, huh?

Glad to see Jen is keeping up that unbiased news reporter promise.

Let's be honest, if we're considering it a public service when people kill off Salem's nuisances, then someone needs to let Eric Brady out of jail right away, if not sooner. (Kidding! Sorta.)

A merlot velour robe?! Yasss, Adrienne. You are my fashion hero for the week.

I don't think Jen's spontaneous offer to let Abigail live in the attic was supposed to be funny. But it made me laugh for some reason.

It was super weird to see D.A. Trask carrying the "Justice for Stefano" banner after how hard she fought to bring the DiMeras to justice last time we saw her.

Also, can she stay around? Something tells me Trask, Anne, and Derek meet for drinks once a week.

My mom has always insisted that I buy pantyhose in pairs. That way, if one ran, I'd have a backup. She's so smart.

Kate looked gorgeous at the wedding. I desperately want a black and white checkered coat in my collection now. #FashionGoals

Jade's new darker hair color proves that she can make good decisions. Love. it.

Has Brady considered that Theresa just lost interest in him because of his recent affinity for vests?

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