Where do we go from here?

It's beginning to look a lot like November Sweeps, everywhere you go! There's a cliffhanger in the Memphis bar, one in the park as well -- the shocking kind that really ended the show. Brady and Eve were at it again, Andre made amends, and I have to wonder if Rafe is a little slow. So, let's discuss all things November Sweeps in DAYS Two Scoops for this week. Ready? Set. Let's go!

Oh, snap! If you only watched the last fifteen or twenty minutes of last Friday's episode, you're pretty much set to jump into this week's excitement. That episode delivered a bunch of punches and one big bang. That's not to say the beginning of the week didn't render a few twists and turns, but that Friday cliffhanger, am I right?

That ending was the type of reason why soap fans return on Mondays. The acting, the back and forth scene splices that created anticipation and fear, everything was impeccable as it led up to the final moments. And, boom! Boom. Wowza. And fade to black. We have to wait until Monday! Well played, DAYS. Well played. And while I could easily gush more about that powerhouse cliffhanger, it would be mean, mean, mean of me to ignore the rest of week before that. So, let's start with the search for Will...

For many Salemites, it was dead in the water due to Susan's confession. Yep, many believed Susan's word that Will was dead-dead. You know, Susan who believes in vampires. Right. Sounds logical. Out of everyone, I'm shocked that once-dead Mama Bear Marlena, who is engaged to at-least-once-dead John, would encourage Sami to move on without undeniable proof. If it were Belle, Eric, Brady, Carrie, or Sami -- Ha! Just kidding. Not Sami, but if it were Belle, Eric, Brady, or Carrie, could Mar move on? Methinks not. Sure, Doc was trying to comfort Sami and refocus her on the present, but it still came off a little wonky, all things considered. But, okay, then. I'm not sure why many believed Susan, but they did. Except Sami. She wasn't ready to give up, and I'm glad she didn't.

In fact, Sami was so ready not to give up that she went to Rafe for help. Sami and that version of Rafe were delightful together. They partook in some rapid repartee while waiting for Will's body to be exhumed. It was, thanks to one of Rafe's many connections. And you know what? No Will! That sent Sami straight back to Memphis. Like, straight back in record speed, but I digress. Sami was seeking Sonny but ran into Paul, and my sinister side snickered at the thought of Paul having to tell Sami why he's there and Sonny isn't. Oh, Paul. You've got some 'splainin' to do! Have fun with that.

To his credit, Paul did pass along the fact that Will is alive to Sonny. You know, 24 hours later, after nearly everyone left Memphis, thinking Will was gone forever (again). Yeah. That didn't go over too well for him. At all. Sonny -- who was ready to marry down on Paul moments before -- threw the ring at Paul, called him a jerkface, and went hot steppin' off to find Will. Okay. Sonny didn't call Paul a "jerkface," but it was strongly implied.

Conversely, Paul's obviously never read up on Kristen. Rule one, if your lover's ex gets in the way, you lock them in a secret room. You don't let them roam free, Paul. Amateur. But, again, I digress...

You're terrible, Muriel Paul. Was he wrong? Totally. Was he right to tell Sonny the truth? Totally. Was he kind of painted as a selfish sap who just got thrown under the bus to make way for the "Wilson Train"? To-tal-ly. Look, Paul was wrong any which way it's spun. This wasn't a Claire/Theo/Ciara moment where a love letter was lied about; Paul let a gaggle of Salemites keep believing Will was dead so he could keep Sonny. Sure, it was a 24-hour turnaround confession, but that'll only give someone a little leverage in a court of law, not when dealing with Sonny's (former-ish) mother-in-law, Sami. Again, Paul, have fun with that!

Back to Sonny's hot steppin'! He made his way to the Suspicious Mind -- which looks nothing like the Cheatin' Heart or his old coffee shop. Nothing. Nothing, I tell you. There, Sonny came face to face with Will and...and...and -- scene! Boo on you, Friday Cliffhanger, making us wait an entire weekend! Though, from just a few exchanges of looks between Sonny and Will, it instantly reminded me of the rapport between Freddie Smith and Chandler Massey. And that was a warm and fuzzy feeling. For a moment, and then the waiting for more began.

And speaking of waiting, the wait is over! We now know why Abe had issues with J.J. and why they hugged it out at Lani's surprise birthday bash. Why? Because it's going to be uglier now between them, since J.J. shot Theo. Yep. You read that correctly. J.J. shot Theo. And, yep, that was a Friday cliffhanger, too.

I'm not going to get too much into the thick of what I suspect will happen until I see how things play out more on-screen, but I will say it's bold of DAYS to tackle this storyline. It's certainly one that mirrors far too many real-life tragedies. I already feel it will be uncomfortable to watch at times, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I embrace the moments when shows make us think -- make us feel. As long as it's done with respect and not exploitative, I'm eager to see what next week has in store for Salem!

What did happen prior to the shooting was a buildup of many factors. For one, Kate's continued investigation into who's sabotaging DiMera Enterprises led her to reach out for Theo's continuing help. She was sure Andre was the culprit. She was sure Andre did it when Chad confronted him. Abigail was Big A's only ally. And then they all kind of, sort of believed in Andre's innocence. That meant someone else was guilty, and that meant Kate needed Theo to break into a building for evidence, after all. But before we get into break-ins, let's break down who could be behind the sabotaging...

Andre is a wild card. He should never fully be counted out as a culprit. I mean, he's one of the only Salemites who can make Sami's police file look like casual beach reading. So, there's Andre.

I would suspect someone at Titan, too, but they've got their hands full. Sonny is knee deep in Will drama. Brady is boohooing himself while hitting the bottle and battling Eve. I don't think Xander has the resources (or motive) to do it himself. Victor seems occupied keeping his kin in order. I could see a back-from-the-dead Deimos wanting to mess with Kate, but I'm not sold.

It certainly could be someone with a personal vendetta against the DiMeras. That, of course, is a long, long list. A certain fabulous and ferocious Ms. Alamain drifted into my thoughts immediately. She does hate the DiMeras, and she certainly hates Kate. But if we're talking DiMera and Kate hate, Clyde is right up there, too. Who knows, maybe Jeremiah is a hacking wizard working remotely with Clyde as he serves his time. Though, if it were Vivian, I'd love it a lot more.

Or it could even be a scorned DiMera themselves. One that's not Andre. I could see Peter Blake wanting to pick apart the family for abandoning him in jail once upon a time ago. Or maybe a not-so-dead Kristen wants to take the family down a peg. Though, with Kristen, that's harder to believe. Her schemes were always more emotionally driven than financially. Plus, she adored Chad. So, I think that's a no-go on Kristen. Maybe. Or maybe Renee DiMera isn't so dead and is wanting comeuppance on Andre (yes, please, make this happen). We also don't know what Sonja Hawk is up to these days, or her son Steven. Maybe they're expert hackers ready to topple the empire that led to Benjy's death. See! So many suspects.

Still, it's unfair to think it's a rogue DiMera, since Kate's the big dog at the company. Billie wasn't too thrilled with her last time she left Salem, nor was Philip. Did they team up to take mommy dearest down? Or perhaps Philip's working by himself to impress everyone who thought he couldn't hang with the corporate in-crowd. Is Tyler Kiriakis back to make her pay? I have no clue, but I want to!

In the meantime, Kate sent Theo into the lion's den to find out who's the culprit. Technically, Theo agreed to Kate's request, but said request didn't come without a little emotional manipulation. Like Theo would say no to helping Chad and the rest of his family. Kate knew that, but Kate also loves Chad, too, so there's that. It's a bit of a "chicken and egg" argument that could go round and round, but I felt uncomfortable that Theo was put in that position/put himself there. I'm a little protective of Abe and Lexie's son.

Plus, it was a little wonky that one of Theo's storylines is fighting with Claire over Twitter followers and the other is an attack on the family's corporate empire. That was kind of "I dropped my phone into the toilet" vs. "the Titanic sinking." But anyways...

The police were called to the break-in. Theo panicked, ran, and was chased by J.J. and Lani, who had no idea who the hooded figure with something in his hands was. To J.J. and Lani, it was just a suspect fleeing the scene of a crime with a possible weapon. J.J. and Lani split up, J.J. cornered the possibly armed suspect and demanded he drop the weapon. J.J. stated he didn't want to shoot. The suspect -- Theo! - didn't drop said seeming weapon and started to turn to J.J. when he was shot. It was a powerful, tragic, and unfortunately ripped-from-the-headlines moment. More than 24 hours later I'm still coming down from the OMGness of it all. Again, well played, DAYS, and we'll see you on Monday to discover where things go from here.

LOOSE ENDS: Of all the obstacles Gabi and Eli could face, does Rafe really need to be one of them? I get why he doesn't like the actions Eli took while saving Gabi, but Rafe's reactions and petty digs at Eli are bringing out the worst in his character. It's been nearly a decade of two steps forward and ten steps back with Rafe. I guess he's constant. There's that.

Oh, and quick! Where's Chloe? Gabi really needs more friends. Her, Chad, and Abigail's run-in was awkward. Actually, super awkward. While I respect Kate's convictions to bring Gabi Chic on board with Countess W, I'd want to get it in writing that I wouldn't have to work with Chad and Abigail, if I were Gabi. When these three get together, someone or two usually gets kidnapped, someone tries to pawn Chad off onto the other, and someone ends up in the timeout chair in front of a church congregation. Yep. Super awkward.

Congrats to Abigail for getting her old job back! That was some fast soul-searching for the right career path. She didn't even have to backpack though Europe or fake her death again to discover what makes her want to work hard for her money. As a welcome back gift, Kate gave her Jennifer to deal with. Christmas at the Horton home should be fun this year.

Poor Jenny Bear. The hopeful looks she shoots Eric's way after he walks away are sad. She needs to be invited to a girl's night out so that her friends can encourage her to move on from Eric. A few weeks ago, she was nursing his bloody wounds after he trashed his home (and a perfectly good cake) over a woman who isn't her. Last week, she broke up a near fistfight between Eric and Brady over Nicole. Then Eric told her she's a "great person." She is. And that's special. But Jennifer needs to ask Gabi for Dario's number, so he can explain the "Friend Zone" to her. I don't want Jennifer to settle for a consolation prize romance, especially when she's in top-notch reporter mode. Aim higher, Jennifer. Aim higher.

Watch out, John and Paul! Steve and Tripp might be gunning for your title of "Cutest Dad/Son Duo." I thoroughly enjoyed their chitchats this week. Hearing Steve bring up Bo was icing on that cake. I still miss Bo, but anyways, I particularly liked how Steve said love triangles do bad things to the head and soul. It was like his smooth Steve way of telling Tripp, "Look, son. I know what you can do when upset and irrational. Don't forge any reports. Don't do anything stupid. You already gave up your fortune as payback for the last time. You've got nothing left. Be good." And he used Sinatra to explain it. Match points go to the Patch Man!

Lucas and Sami's scenes about Will and her vowing to help him beat the bottle were touching. And the next time we saw Lucas again, he was drinking. Right. Sami's plate is kind of overflowing, so I'm not sad to see Chloe step in to help guide Lucas onto the wagon. Though I'm a little curious as to why Maggie, Jennifer, and Kate haven't been attempting to do so again. They sort of gave up trying after one or two attempts. So, go, Chloemeister! And good luck.

Hearing Brady call someone else a "golden boy" provided a few chuckles. Sure, Sonny is one, but if Brady doesn't think he is, he should ask Philip. Once a golden boy himself, Philip and his newest face are still teetering pretty low on Victor's family hierarchy scale, at least last we saw. Still, Brady isn't doing himself any favors. When he cried, "Why me?" when Victor asked him to take care of getting Eve out of their lives, I just rolled my eyes at him. Hard. Really, Brady Black? Didn't you just whine about Victor taking away your position at the company? Maybe cries of "Why me?" is a reason Victor has little faith. Just maybe.

Speaking of Brady whining, does anyone else scream, "What about Tater Tot!?" each time Brady says he has nothing left but rage? Thank goodness the Kiriakis clan are rich. They can afford first-rate therapy for Tate.

HOT The look that Eve gave to Brady after she found the amulet in her purse was everything! In general, Eve vs. Brady is a slice of amazing. It's fun to watch Brady go snark to snark with someone who isn't afraid to give it back to him. Unlike Nicole, who had Holly to lose, Eve doesn't have much left and isn't all that afraid of him or his silver spoon. In fact, Eve doesn't seem to really give a flip about Brady, other than he's the father of Tate, whom she adores. Also, Eve giving it to Rafe and Eli (but mostly Rafe)!? Love. Just love. Eric Martsolf has been crushing the Bad Attitude Brady role, and Kassie DePaiva has been fantastic at layering Eve -- her underlying, ongoing grief over Paige, yet still ready to go up against the Kiriakis men with razor sharp wit and a (mostly) cool demeanor -- love. Every. Minute.

NOT I'll let Rafe take this "NOT" for me. He said to Sami in a moment of witty banter between the two, "Well, as I recall, everything I say to you is annoying, so..." Hey, Rafe-A-Roni, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Okay, here's the thing. Rafe and Sami were surprisingly fun together. I dig their friendship, but Rafe as Detective D-Bag toward Eli is just maddening. His comments such as, "This is a police station, not a kissing booth," or "Uncle Rafe was available, too," win him the award for Most Hypocritical Dolt. I'm glad Eli called him out on a lot of his stupidity, but I'm sorry we had to watch it, too.

LINE OF THE WEEK Sami (to Roman and Marlena): "Exactly! It is possible. It is possible to come back from the dead. Look at the two of you. It's practically in Will's blood."

RANDOM THOUGHTS A "LINE OF THE WEEK" contender was Sami stating, "Don't get all judgy on me now, Rafe." Ha! That's like asking the wind not to blow or the sun not to shine. Good luck with that, Sami Gene!

I wonder who's running the Gabi Chic website? I hope it's not Myron! That could have been a job for Hattie, as she knows a little something something about fashion blogs.

"Uncle Rafe" forgot that "Cousin Eli" is family to Ari Grace, too.

I'm adding the throw pillows on Lani's bed to the list of Salem items I want to snag on my next visit.

It was a nice moment when Sami and Rafe brought up Grace, and it was hysterical that Sami was casually thumbing through her police file (as was Rafe's comeback). Fun stuff. The writers are doing their homework. Well played!

Lucas has to be really, really drunk in order to conjure visuals of Will. It's like how if Superman flies really, really fast around the world, he can reverse time. Sure, Lucas. We pick up what you're putting down. Cheers.

When Victor asked Brady, "Are you ready to throw Nicole under the bus?" I lost it and replied, "Like the writers did with her last few and exit storylines?" Poor Nicole. She deserved better.

The dinner specials at the place where Tripp and Claire work sound scrumptious. I want to go to there. Like, now.

While Chloe ranks up there as one of the best friends a Salemite can have, Gabi is probably one of the best gift-givers in town.

Oh, and Chloe and Eve being friends? Love! Brady being the reason Chloe and Eve are friends? Love even more.

"I haven't had a drink today" is not a ringing endorsement for your sobriety or your prowess to run a company, Brady Black. Vic's right. He is a mess. He needs to be sent back to that rehab drive-through thingy again.

Another shocker we were delivered last week -- we now know where Johnny, Allie, and Sydney are! They're with Austin and Carrie in Switzerland. I wonder if Anna is still with them, too? Either way, I want more updates!

PARTING THOUGHTS So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of November 13, 2017. Laurisa will be back next week, and, "That's a fact!"

As always, thanks for reading! Tony

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