Building a mystery

DAYS puts the "S" in suspicious as several storylines seem like they're more than meets the eye. Is Abe a slim shady!? Nicole a murderer!? Are we being set up to take a trip back to Melaswen!? Let's compare notes and solve some capers in this week's DAYS Two Scoops!

I feel so Jennifer Rose right now! I was working on a story for the Spectator. Okay. Fine. I was writing this week's Two Scoops, and I stumbled upon something rather curious. In the "RANDOM THOUGHTS" section, I was going to put a bit about how funny I thought it was that Andre wore a shirt with tigers on it, considering he (posing as Tony) was mauled "to death" by a tiger at the circus during the entire "Salem Stalker" storyline...

Then it hit me! Maybe that's not just a nod to crazy DAYS, maybe it's a tie-in to the craziness that's been going on lately and a sign of things to come. Bear with me as I hash this out -- but there are other clues, too.

Aside from said tiger shirt, another nod to the "Salem Stalker" era is that Roman and Kate are canoodling again. After he shot down Hattie posing as Marlena, Ro Ro went on to talk about revisiting lost love. He and Kate were totally together during that time! Hmm. Just "Hmm."

But let's loop back to that tiger shirt. There's been some question for a while now about the kinder, gentler side of Andre DiMera. Many people have been wondering if he's secretly Tony. You know, Tony the Tiger. That might be gr-r-reat! Sorry. You see my point. Is there yet another Salem doppelgnger running around town? Maybe. Just maybe, but he certainly seemed more "Andre" than "Tony" last week.

And let's not forget what a majority of the "Salem Stalker" storyline was about -- revenge, undead "dead" citizens, and building a New Salem. That saga was staged by Andre, after all, not Stefano (as he was believed to be dead at the time. I know. I know. Shocking). So, is Andre the mastermind behind everything weird in Salem right now? I'm not entirely sure about anything yet, but he certainly had that old Andre sinister gleam in his eyes when dealing with Kate's deceptions last week. I repeat, "Hmm!"

Still, with Salem's crazier storylines right now and the growing list of returns being announced, I'm more convinced something big is being set up. The fact that most of said Salemites returning are supposed to be dead and Andre was the mastermind behind Melaswen only makes me believe more that we're on the road to some more retro DAYS shenanigans.

Wait! Shenanigans. Chris Kositchek. He looked a lot like Roman. Yet another double, perhaps!? Yes. There's surely something strange in the neighborhood.

LOOSE ENDS: Well. I didn't see that coming. Abe is Dario's silent partner!? As Balki Bartokomous would say, "Don't be ridiculous!" I'm with Abe and Val. He's being set up. The question is, why would Dario set up Abe? I don't recall them ever having anything to do with one another other than Abe marring Dario and Abigail. (Wait! Was Abe in on that, too!?) Then again, that might be the brilliance of Dario's plan; the Salem P.D. would be so busy trying to connect the dots that he'd have time to vanish without a trace. I guess maybe I shouldn't have helped Dario pack, as that saved him even more time to escape. Boo. I hate when one of my plans blows up in my face.

Though one would think that Rafe and especially Hope wouldn't believe for a second Abe could do something so shady. He's one of her best friends and like family. Like, really, Fancy Face, stand by your pal.

Oh, yeah, Eli. What is this evidence against Abe? I'm not sold. At all.

Nevertheless, at least Raines got to be smug toward Abe and congratulate Eli on being cool with arresting family and friends. That trait should serve Eli well in Salem. At least Julie, Valerie, and I are all Team Abe, and I never thought we'd be a trio on anything. Well, ladies, I guess we can do lunch now and work on "Free Abe!" posters. #progress

You know. This is one of those times I really hate spoilers. The payoffs to two storylines are sort of "meh" now that we know that [spoilers mentioned...obviously] Arianne Zucker and James Lastovic are leaving DAYS. Don't get me wrong; the acting has been brilliant in both storylines, especially last week with the Joey, Kayla, Steve, and Tripp scenes, but knowing for so long that characters are leaving (and not being recast) kind of softens the blow to big blowout conclusions. Instead of, "I didn't see that coming!" it's more, "Oh, that's how that's going to happen." Still, that's a complaint as old as time with DAYS the past few years. Moving on...

Joey is pretty sure he's going to turn himself in for Ava's murder. Kayla's a hot mess. Steve's a hot mess. Tripp was apologetic and less of a mess than he has been. I guess it's as good of a storyline conclusion as we're going to get with this gang. I feel that the current writers were sort of boxed into a corner by a certain former thrice-fired hack who decided it was a great idea to have a legacy character and the son of a supercouple kill a woman. Still, the acting has been brilliant. I'll cling to that nugget.

As for Nicole, Eric is totally hot for her. "I'm super shocked!" said no one. But I don't mind. These two Rollerbladed into my heart when Nicole was still a teen model and Eric looked like a guy from some CW show. Still, I never minded Nicole and Brady as a fallback plan, but they're no Eric and Nicole. Well. Normal Brady, I never minded. Jealous Brady gives me a headache. Great acting by Eric Martsolf, but Brady needs to take a chill pill. Whoops. He's in recovery. How about take a brisk walk to a meeting then, Brady B? Anyway...

That's neither here nor there, though. Nicole is likely not going to end up with either smoldering stepbrother. She remembered that perhaps she may have killed Deimos as she recalled holding the amulet. It's an easy out for the show to have Nicole as a killer, since Ari is leaving, but I don't love the idea. Well, there's little to love about Ari leaving. I just wish that Nicole will get some sort of a happy ending. Fingers crossing in five, four, three...

Let's go from departures to a return -- welcome back, Chlomeister! See, this is the Chloe I've adored over the years. The one that's compassionate and caring...and not all "MY baby!" Whew. I'm glad we're past that stage. And she came back to sing! Yes, please. Though with Dario out of the picture, we need someone to step in and buy Club TBD. Wait, aren't Belle and Shawn coming back? Just saying. Maybe Belle can buy Claire another place to sing at, and Claire and Chloe can begin an All About Eve or Showgirls mentor/mentee/mentee usurping their mentor which leads to crazy things relationship. But I'm burying the lead...

Chloe returned right in time to help Lucas and later express her concerns to Brady about them falling off the wagon. Again, I'm glad. Sans a little wonky "Baby Be Mine!" sidestep, Chloe is an amazing friend. She'll not only lend you her favorite blouse, she'll let a bestie borrow her uterus for nine months. That's a Chloe I want in my corner. Again, welcome back, Former Ghoul Girl, and thank you for being a friend!

Yay to Victor for giving Brady the tough love he needed! And another stint at a rehab clinic. By the way, I never knew 12-hour rehabs were a thing. I totally didn't. I thought it was simply a lot of Gatorade and regret, but I digress. Brady needed that dose of reality if for no other reason than to be there for Tate. Oh, yeah, where is Tate? Maybe he was the peanut Lucas tripped on, but again, I digress. Yet "Boo!" on Victor for being so "Victor" with Chloe, you know, the woman who was there with the same concerns for Brady that he has. Calm down, Vic. You're both fighting the same fight.

True confession, these twin doppelgnger storylines are starting to lose a bit of shine. Sure, it's classic, crazy DAYS stuff, but aside from the kicks I get out of Deidre Hall and Judi Evans seemingly having a ball with the material, I'm getting a little anxious. It's been almost five weeks, and all we know of the plan is that Anjelica wants Justin, Hattie wants Mr. Roman, and Bonnie wants to wear her cowboy boots and walk all over Big Red. It just seems like there should be something more to it all. I may need to consult with my sleuthing pal, Jenny Bear, and we can work on this together.

Finally, in happier news -- Chad popped the question to Abigail again! She didn't have time to answer him yet because of Mr. Friday Cliffhanger, but all signs point to her saying, "Yes!" One thing's for sure, though: Billy Flynn and Marci Miller certainly don't lack in the chemistry department! Zing, zing.

HOT In one week, both Roman and Abe got storylines! I had to pinch my hourglass just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Sure, sure. Some aspects of them are suspect, but I'll take these two once back-burnered vets getting some screen time, well, anytime!

NOT Did John really need to punch Roman in the face? The gut-punch heartache he caused him in the past should have been enough for Mr. Black, but he went and served Ro a knuckle sandwich. Not cool, John. Not cool at all.

LINE(S) OF THE WEEK Lucas (to Chloe, regarding his drunken stumble): "Must have been a peanut."

RANDOM THOUGHTS Well, Mary Beth Evans. You just won another Daytime Emmy. Please clear off a space on your shelf. #werenotworthy #fabulous

Speaking of acting brilliance, Vanessa Williams was also fierce as Valerie took off the jewelry Abe gave her and gave Eli a piece of her mind. I'm Team Abe, too, Val!

Roman's "golden boy" comment about Eric was pretty spot on, but poor Sami living in that shadow. It's a miracle she didn't go crazy. Oh, wait. Right.

Oh, snap! Julie vs. Andre. That was fun. More, please.

Speaking of Andre, it's still odd that he and Abigail are friends, but I don't hate it. It looks like they even bonded over mental illness, and bonding over diseases is a Salem mainstay. SEE: Maggie being pals with most of Salem's drunks.

I'm pretty sure getting to scream, "Adrienne!" is on every actors' checklist. You nailed it, Bryan Dattilo!

Oh! Victor brought up what Kristen did to Brady. Any Kristen mention is a great one. Tick tock, tick tock, Mr. Clock. Let's get our gal back sooner rather than later.

Can someone please get Sonny some chowder? Thank you!

Did anyone else crack up at the blonde female police officer in the background while Abe was at the station after his arrest? She had the best "OMG!" face ever.

I am starting to like Lani more and more each week. That's a bold statement. And a long, continuing journey.

"I didn't fall off the wagon. I was pushed." Another good one, Drunk Lucas.

Drunk Lucas also said, "Sorry I didn't have time to freshen up this morning. I was going with the 'I just got dumped' look." One, ha! Two, if I had a quarter for every time I said that...

Who else is going to miss James Lastovic!? There's something so loveable about him.

On topic, I'm also sad we'll miss a Steve/Kayla/Joey/Tripp family therapy session most likely hosted by Hattie pretending to be Marlena.

Does anyone else think Deidra Hall made a deal with the devil to look so amazing in white clothing? She wears a white outfit, and I think, "Classy. Dignified." I wear white, and it's all, "Stay Puft," and "You better carry a Tide To Go stain stick."

I firmly believe DAYS should borrow a page from SNL and do a digital short where Anjelica, Hattie, and Bonnie cover Dolly Parton's 1993 song "Romeo." They could even use the Brady Pub as a set. Susan Banks and Anne should join them, too. Let's make that happen, Ron!

PARTING THOUGHTS So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of August 21! I'll be back the next few weeks as Laurisa is locked in Bayview Sanitarium and I'll be posing as her enjoys some much-deserved time off! So keep track of your evil look-alike and meet me back here next week, and "That's a fact!"

As always, thanks for reading! Tony

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