Snap out of it

Is Ciara overreacting? Is Hope abusing her power? And does D.A. Trask make both of them look levelheaded and calm? Let's discuss all the tantrums and treats in this week's Two Scoops.

As I write this, I've just completed my first full week of work in four weeks. There's that fog that comes with the first real grind after the holidays. So, I have to kick my own rear into gear and go full Cher, "Snap out of it!" to get myself moving. There are a couple Salemites who could use the same pep talk. So, let's get them moving in the right direction!

I have to laugh every time Eve ponders what kindness has ever gotten her. When, exactly, did she try this "kindness" thing? Perhaps she's referencing those five minutes after she duped Brady and right before she planted drugs on her sister? LOL! Eve's stint with kindness is like me four hours into a keto diet. Nope! This is not going to work. Where's my chocolate?

Still, I'm not complaining! Eve is -- and always should be -- a diva. I want her to stay in this lane. The only thing is, I want her in a different pool. Eve's spinning her wheels in the wrong storyline.

First, this vendetta with Jennifer over Brady doesn't check out. Yes, Brady dumped Eve when Jennifer let the truth out. But then Brady came back to her after Nicole "died" -- right back into her bed, in fact. It was actually Eve who walked out on Brady when she realized he'd slept with Kristen ten minutes before coming home.

But more so, why is Eve trying to avenge her lost title as the 2nd 3rd Xth Love of Brady's Life, when Hope is, one storyline over, ready to betray her entire country in order to get Ben back in jail? Eve has a much bigger beef with Ben than she does with Jennifer! And Hope's willing to go slumming with anyone to get it done. Why not Eve?

And seriously, I do mean anyone. Hope is willing to make a deal with Stefan! Ted -- an expert in identifying tomfoolery (hi, Eve and Brady!) -- told Hope she was off base. I pretty much rose my testify hand when Rafe went on and on about Hope forgetting about everything except Ciara. Again, I have no problem with Hope going to great lengths to protect her kid. I have major problems with Hope abusing her position of power to do so.

The only thing working in Hope's favor at the moment is D.A. Trask coming back on-screen. This one-note angermonger makes Hope look like a pillar of law enforcement virtue. Ugh. I've never been able to wrap my arms around this character, despite Laura Kai Chen's determined performances. (I wanted to high-five Abigail when she threw Trask out of the Horton house!) I get that being the D.A. in a town with the most incompetent law agency since F-Troop has to make one cranky. But this gal operates at a thirteen at all times.

Maybe connecting Trask to Haley could help? Maybe?? Both characters need a lot of work in opposite directions, so they could balance each other out. Ron's a very intentional storyteller. So, in order for him to tell the stories he wants, he has to shoehorn characters into positions that aren't completely organic for the character, but often result in stellar storylines. I'm hoping that's the case here.

Meanwhile, while Rafe sneaked into the DiMera mansion to throw Stefan in a chokehold for personal reasons, Hope arrived at Ciara's house to declare that Ben was violent and therefore not appropriate relationship material. That's cool. Nothing to see there.

But that wasn't the only trouble in Cin City.

Ciara found out that Claire and Ben "schemed" to break up Ciara and Tripp and had the most overreaction I've seen, well, since she took her bike and... You know what. Never mind. Overreactions are kind of Ciara's thing. I'm not too mad at that, either.

She's running away to South Africa this time to see Theo. Yes! That dude is so dull, she's sure to get a good nap in! I'm sure after some rest, she'll see things clearly.

Mainly, I hope Theo can talk some sense into Ciara about Claire. I want these two to be friends. That high school crowd was really great, and they're the last two standing. And really, Ciara needs to get some perspective on this one. Neither Claire nor Ben made Tripp plant evidence on Ben, nor did either one whip up feelings on Ciara's behalf. Claire and Ben were more a support system for each other while they watched Ciara and Tripp implode on their own. But I think Ciara will see that soon.

And then she'll be left to deal with her feelings for Ben again. I wish she had let him explain that he absolutely did go and quit his job. For her. Just like he admitted to working with Claire. For her. Ben knows he has to wear the badge of dishonor. He does it. For her.

DAYS knows this, too. It can't be a mistake that Kayla told Jack, "You changed because of Jennifer's love" in the same episode Hope claimed Ben will never change, no matter what Ciara does. The parallels between Jack's arc and the one the show seems to want to do for Ben (tortured kid of a monster has problems as an adult) are there if DAYS wants to expand on them.

Speaking of Jack, his return has been nothing short of wonderful. The light he's brought back into both Jennifer and Missy Reeves is fantastic. I'm thrilled to watch Matt Ashford's quirky chemistry with Casey Moss grow even more. And Abigail's angst plays as more appropriate here than anywhere else in her storyline.

Chad's grand gesture of the dinner and the job offer to Eve ranks up there with one of the most romantic I can remember. He's fascinating to me. I have to wonder how a kid who grew up with little to no love in his home can have such a knack for being a rock of support for someone. He's just a good dude. I really hope Abigail listened to her own speech at the end of Friday's show.

The Deveraux family dinner was spectacular. Jennifer saw what Lucas just went through with Will, so she's got to appreciate that Jack's at least willing to learn about his life before. And I adore that while she's not sugar-coating anything, she's also making him realize that they're one of the only couples who can recite Shakespeare to each other and have it not be the least bit ironic. Someone get me a seat on the JnJ fan bus. I've got my T-shirt all ready.

LOOSE ENDS: Gabi: "You left me there...with that evil bastard!" Me (via Karma): Melanie called to ask if you remember leaving her tied and gagged in Andrew's underground lair.

Eve knows Jack wouldn't sleep with her if he had his memories back. So, it's a little icky for her to be the aggressor here. (And yes, that differs from Will and Paul on three big points: 1. Will did sleep with Paul before he had amnesia. 2. Will was the one who pursued Paul the second time. 3. Paul never lied to Will about his past.)

Okay, I've got some tough love for some Horton ladies. Maggie, you cannot hop on the elliptical machine when you're supposed to be watching a toddler! They're eyes-on the entire time. Why? Because you never know when something's going to happen to them...like being sorta kidnapped by their Aunt Sara. You looked lovely in that yellow color, Sara, but leaving a note saying you took a kid isn't the same as getting permission.

Sara and Eric's whatever-it-is is really crowded. Not only is Rex back in town, but every other word out of Eric's mouth is "Nicole," and he spends a good chunk of time staring at a photo of Nicole.

J.J. and Gabi's scene was wonderful. J.J. handles Gabi with such care, and really, he's the only one who can. J.J. knows what it's like to be on a path to self-destruction -- he literally owes his life to Gabi -- yet he's fiercely loyal to his sister. Casey Moss's tender performance made me want to hug J.J. His family has recovered from much, much worse, so I know they'll be okay. But I just wanted to tell him that!

I'm loving things over in Wilson land! First, Xander meeting Leo, Leo calling him "X-man," and all of the banter that followed was excellent. Of course, Leo and Xander should work together. They have a lot in common. (P.S., Xander. If you can free Uncle Vic's favorite nephew from this blackmail marriage, that might just endear you to the family.)

Next, I'm thrilled to see Will using his investigative journalism skills! It never sat quite right with me that Sami and Lucas' kid would be this easy to blackmail. He comes from better pedigree than to be so passive. He needs to launch a counter scheme of his own. It's in his blood.

Finally, can we give Paul Telfer all the credit for doing a serious, dramatic scene in his skivvies opposite the great John Aniston?

I can see why Julie would lay blame on Gabi. However, Gabi did not push Julie down the stairs. Furthermore, Julie was in the process of committing a crime when she got hurt. As a Twitter friend pointed out to me, Julie's like one of those burglars who sues the homeowner because they got hurt while in their house!

Victor making a joke about his granddaughter running Titan made me mad. First, I thought he was going to suggest Chelsea, and I was ready to start clapping. Second, what's wrong with Ciara running Titan? I'm pretty sure Philip was Ciara's age when Victor handed him that envelope on the balcony that awarded him the company. Now, what's the big difference between Philip and Ciara? Think...think...think... Oh, that's right. Ciara still has two real legs. I'm sure that's the reason.

HOT:

The hottest hot that ever hotted -- DAYS got renewed for a 55th season! A huge congratulations goes out to the entire team at DAYS for changing with the times, hanging in there, and still continuing to turn out amazing stories for us decade after decade! Cheers!

NOT: Man, Ron is usually so great about using DAYS history. So, it really bums me out that the Abigail/Ciara scene completely missed the mark. Abigail is, literally, the only other woman in the whole DAYS universe to fall in love with Ben. He supported her through some tough times. They had a real relationship. She's uniquely qualified to talk with Ciara about her feelings for this man, his temper, his history, and his demons.

But instead, we had Abigail (Abigail!) insisting that you shouldn't believe someone with a mental illness when they say they're okay. And we had Abigail saying that Ben going to work for Stefan is a dangerous move like she wasn't the one who just married Stefan and moved her toddler into his home. Sigh. There was enough hypocrisy to fill up ten Horton living rooms! This is more than a swing and a miss. This is a swing so hard you miss, spin around, land on the ground, and tear your ACL.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Kate (in reference to Julie): "Chad, can we speak somewhere privately, away from the noise?" Yassss! As long as Julie keeps up the racist insults, I'm fine with people dismissing her.

Robert Scott Wilson's great delivery on the following lines cracked me right up: Ben:"I don't kill people...anymore." Chad: "How's Hope feel about you dating Ciara?" Ben: "Not great, Chad. Not. Great."

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Does Gabi still own Gabi Chic? Can she hire Ben? I hear he'd make a great male model. *wink*

Once again, I have to say how shocked I am that the DiMera Board gets all pearl-clutchy at the thought of their fearless leader being in legal trouble.

I have a green dress. I have a tan jacket. Thanks to Gabi, I'm going to pair them now with an orange scarf.

Of all the people in Salem, Will should be the least surprised to hear of another Dr. Rolf alum.

When Julie started giving a speech about the importance of forgiveness, I moved a few steps away just so the lightning didn't hit me.

Forget Chad. Abigail needs to have it out with whoever made her wear that Golden Girls dress. They were not her friend. (Cool color, though!)

There was a pretty righteous smug-off between Rafe and Stefan. I'd actually have to give the edge to Rafe in that one. Congrats?

Abigail's birthday is probably going to be super awkward this year. "Oh, great, presents. I bet you all know what's in here and I don't. Isn't that just like all of you?!"

I adore Roman looking out for Tripp.

Are we ever going to learn who the eager intern at the Spectator is?

Doug's Place's Yelp rankings are going to tank. They canceled a lot of people's reservations last-minute! Julie better get a call in to Claire to see if she's got some social media tricks to share!

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