The band's back together again

Are you excited to see E.J. back in Salem? Has Nicole been cheating with Rafe this whole time? And is Lani the wrong person to try to steal a man from? Let's talk about it all in this edition of Two Scoops!

Perhaps I'm a little biased because this was the main group when I started watching DAYS. But, for my money, it doesn't get any better right now than Sami and Lucas. Add in some Nicole, Rafe, Ava, E.J. (!!!), and Eric, and I'm a happy scooper! You can mix and match any of these, and you have a great storyline.

We'll start with Sami and Lucas. He took his best shot with Sami. It didn't quite land with me, but I can't say Lucas didn't put it all out there. These two actors have a spectacular history and a grand chemistry. It always landed in the buddy comedy chemistry camp for me, but that's not to say this pair isn't important, if not essential, to DAYS! No one but Lucas could tell Sami that she was projecting her own feelings onto Nicole. I laughed out loud when he read off a Google search to her. Sami admitted it, too. The reason she's going over the top to nail Nicole is because it's easier for Sami to hate Nicole than it is to hate herself. Point, set, match: Lucas.

All that will come to a head now that E.J. is back in town. All we got is a suit, a smile, and some sincere Sami shock, but I can't wait to see what happens next week. Although, I have to say that I was very surprised to see E.J. walking under his own power. The way we last saw him and the way Sami's described his intense therapy and treatment, I thought he'd appear in a wheelchair with an entourage of caregivers. Something along the lines of Mr. Potter from It's a Wonderful Life. Anyway, I wouldn't doubt if Kristen fled to Italy and tipped him off, just to be a Kristen. We'll have to wait and see.

But, for sure, his return will give Nicole a brief reprieve from Detective Sami. Nicole is spiraling out of control. She physically cheated with Xander. But she's been stepping out emotionally on Eric for a while now with Rafe. Bless his dumb heart, Rafe has no idea. But Nicole being upset about Rafe dating Ava just might be a deeper betrayal than her drunken tryst with Xander. There are long-lasting feelings with Rafe that won't go away.

Side note: when I have to send an important email, one I know I'll have to read multiple times before pushing send, I don't ever fill in the "To:" line for fear I'll push send before it's ready. What are the chances Nicole left that field blank? Probably about as high as Ava and Sami not teaming up once Ava finds out Nicole confessed her feelings for Rafe.

I'm all sorts of here for Ava and Sami. Sure, this plot point should have taken weeks to play out. Allie's mom vs Charlie's mom had more beats to play. But they needed the characters to reach an understanding and somewhat of an uneasy alliance. This is a game-respects-game situation here, and I don't think we've seen the real payoff yet.

I usually find Rafe's pairings a little exhausting, but I don't mind Rafe and Ava. They didn't get together out of his need to save someone. If anything, he's done the least for Ava of any of his pairings (save Carrie). He let her stay in his spare bedroom. She was the one who put in the work with Tripp and started the work with Steve to repair her past. I dunno. I like seeing Rafe in a fairly low-maintenance relationship. If he fakes a birth certificate or hides a body for Ava, I'll revisit that stance.

Speaking of schemers, Gwen's trying to keep everyone from finding out she lied about the fall causing her miscarriage. Honestly, I'm on Gwen burnout. I adore Emily O'Brien. But DAYS keeps dumbing down character to prop Gwen. It's maddening. First, it was Abigail and Chad. Now, it's Xander. I love that Xander's motivation is to protect his one and only friend in Salem. But he's doing so with totally blindness. Backing off Gwen because he has sympathy for what Sarah went through felt like a weak excuse. And I about hit the fan when Gwen declared the truth about her blackmail would hurt Jack most of all.

No. It. Wouldn't.

The person who will be most hurt if Gwen's lie comes out is Gwen. Sure, Jack will be upset. But Gwen is the one who will look bad in the end. For the record, I don't think Jack will turn his back on Gwen even after the truth comes out because Jack is a decent guy. But Gwen will lose what little favor she has with him, and she doesn't want to think about that. That's what makes Xander's defense of her so maddening. Xander actually is looking out for Jack. Gwen -- shocker -- is looking out for herself.

Tripp gave Kayla the tip on Dr Snyder. She started to sniff it out, but she needs some help. Shoot, if only Kayla knew a good P.I.

I adored the intercut scenes with Allie talking to Marlena, and Tripp talking to Kayla. Allie's having a hard time getting close to Tripp. She keeps having flashbacks of Charlie. I love that Kayla refers to Allie as a survivor and does us all the favor of reminding Tripp that he's been in this similar situation with Ciara. I find both Tripp and Allie very rootable, so I'm hoping they make this work, too.

Hey, Hortons. Whoever gets Eli's name in the Christmas gift exchange, get this man a robe! Chanel ogling him each time he is naked in his own home is getting ridiculous. I had to laugh when Lani clocked it right away. Oh, Chanel. You don't know who you're messing with. Lani wrote the book on moving in on other people's fellas. You're not going to fool her.

So, what is Paulina's goal? Is she not into diversity? Does she really just want the whole Horton Town Square to herself? I sincerely hope this is a storyline where her affection for those she's scheming (Abe and Chanel) will make her change her initial plans. Or not. Honestly, any excuse to have Jacke on-screen is okay with me. I adore me some Auntie Paulina!

HOT How much Abe is too much? Trick question. There is never enough Abe.

First, he went to see Paulina to tell her Chanel's proposal was great, and he's sending it to the city council. Paulina protested, saying Chanel never commits to anything. But Abe calls B.S. and asked Paulina to try again. Paulina said she didn't want Chanel to fail. We all know this wasn't exactly true, either, but, oooof, Abie summoned the power of all sitcom dads across all time to give Paulina a speech about believing in yourself and your kids. Even dynamo Paulina couldn't fight that one.

Next, my favorite family connection, Nicole and Abe got to have a scene. She confided her marital troubles in him and even asked him how he forgave Lexie for her infidelity. Grounded and right as always, Abe simply said Lexie was the love of his life, and he's ultimately glad she told him so they could get past it together. The lie would have been worse. Of course, Abe was right. Of course, Nicole wasn't ready to do the right thing yet. But I'm sincerely hoping that when Nicole does need him again, Abe will be there for her. I simply adore this pair.

NOT: Is Nicole suffering from short-term amnesia? First, she said sleeping with Xander was the worst mistake she made in her life. Really, Nikki? Not stealing a baby, swapping it with another one, and letting the new mother grieve that swapped baby's death? Or how about anything involving flesh-eating bacteria?

Later, she declared even Eric couldn't forgive her for what she did. Again, this is in reference to cheating with Xander. Even if you frame this specifically in context to Eric, I sort of feel like burning evidence that would have exonerated Eric from breaking his vows to the church might top this. The bottom line is Eric and Nicole have been through so much together. Once he broke up with God for her and she came back from the dead for him, other obstacles don't seem too big for this couple.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Lucas: "I'm not wearing a wire!" Sami: "Why not? It's John's! It's fancy!"

The comedy between these two is always a delight!

RANDOM THOUGHTS I like how Xander refers to Jack as his "mate."

I always took Ava for a red wine drinker, not a white wine drinker.

Totally forgot Tripp and Gwen were cousins.

Love that Paulina is in Apartment 227.

Even if Dr. Snyder's records are handwritten, aren't there time codes on the ultrasounds?

Nicole and Sami both looked AMAZING on Wednesday.

I love that Paulina owns a label maker that makes labels that large.

I see Kayla borrowed Maggie's Colonel Sanders outfit from a few years ago.

I'm fascinated how Kayla can be such an accomplished chef and baker with that small kitchen. I cover the kitchen in dishes just making popcorn.

That's it for this week! Tony will be back next week when we will get to hear E.J. actually speak!

Laurisa

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