Adventures in brainwashing

Would you go back to DiMera Island? Should Gwen just pack her bags now? And just how many "changed" men can Salem handle at one time? Let's discuss it all in this week's Two Scoops.

DiMera Winter Break 2022 is going down as one of my favorite trips we ever took. Sure, the whole premise of a magic house hidden in the jungle that's stocked with mind-altering drugs is cuckoo bananas. But I loved every part of it.

I've been solidly in the Abigail camp for a while, and I cheered her on again last week. She can relate to Sarah's mental state. I'm not buying any of this "it's Abigail's fault Sarah got drugged" nonsense from Kristen, either. But Kristen's never been one to shake hands with reality, so no shock there.

Steve and Kayla's trip down memory lane about their most recent wedding was cute. When you've got screen partners as good as Mary Beth Evans and Stephen Nichols, they can make this type of filler feel like comfort food. I'm glad they were part of this storyline to back up Abigail's story. Abigail would be exhausted if she had to lay out this whole ordeal over and over again.

The family dinner where "Renee" revealed that she switched the poison was fantastic! I was worried they'd let Kristen just get away with something else. But now we can all return home and get on with this delightful Anna/Tony/Renee-Sarah/Xander/Gwen umbrella storyline! I'm always in for anything Anna!

It was such a smart move to have Anna go over to Jack and Jennifer's house for the reminder that she's had Gwen's number from the beginning. Obviously, she'll want Sarah back so that "Renee" will go away. But using Gwen's fianc to help Sarah get her memories back will be the cherry on top.

And really, between Sarah being back in town and Chad putting the screws to Ava to give up her accomplice, Gwen might as well start packing her bags now. Xander truly loves Sarah. He made a change in himself for her. They had to dumb down Xander so much to make him work with Gwen. I'd like to see him smart again. Tough break for Dumpling the golden retriever, though.

The whole Johnny-devil storyline seems to be treading water at the moment. I find it extremely creepy that he hits on Gabi and slightly rapey if they do end up in bed together. Johnny isn't trying to sleep with Gabi. What he is trying to do is get back to Chanel. I loved the scenes this week where Johnny started to try to emerge.

I also don't buy the devil's threat to kill Thomas and Charlotte. The devil can't get caught, otherwise their plan to get the Cin-a-bun will go out the window. That is, if that's still the plan. Thankfully, Ben and Ciara got custody of the Salem brain this week and pieced it together that Johnny could be the devil. Considering Susan left Salem in a brain fog thanks to the devil, I'm not sure how much help she'll be. Ciara may have to text Theo to get Celeste's phone number -- you know, the true psychic of Salem!

Oh, man, Tripp's proposal was impossibly tragic. My dude set up light features and everything. My heart broke a little when he said that he wanted to be Henry's father. We all knew this would end in disaster because Allie's back to being the airhead she was when she arrived in Salem. But it still was hard to watch things end like they did.

I joked a few columns back that Kristen has to have some help on that island. But I'm convinced of it now. Former Merchant Marine Patch knows how to tie a knot. No way Kristen could have wiggled out of that thing. Someone freed her. The delicious possibilities here to bring Peter Blake back have never been greater!

T.R. sure is selling hard that he's a changed man. I guess I'd believe that more if the other part of his storyline isn't him threatening to sue people. He may not be beating women anymore, but he still seems somewhat angry and unsettled. I loved how Paulina didn't accept his peace offering flowers. Lani may come around to accepting the new T.R., but I'd have a hard time watching Paulina sing his praises. That's not to say she has to actively bash him, just pointing out that his salvation should come from other places.

HOT What a week for my favorite mates, Jack and Xander! Jack agreed to be his best mate again. Jack's truly happy for Gwen and Xander, which makes me more mad at Gwen. Then, Jack wasted no time in calling Xander and telling him the truth we'd been waiting pretty much a year to hear! I hope Jack doesn't head back to Boston too soon because Xander's going to need a mate to get through the next few weeks. Plus, Jack knows a thing or two about returning to a love who thought you were gone.

NOT: I really, really hoped that Craig's boyfriend wasn't Leo. But deep down, I knew better. He's like a bad rash that won't go away. Maybe it's because the show is already doing the same redemption-off-screen storyline with T.R., but I didn't buy a single word of Leo's sob story. Not only has this character been pretty despicable every time he's been on-screen, but isn't that the whole point of Leo? To be a bit of a slimeball?

The bigger tragedy in this whole headache is that Craig's storyline, Craig and Nancy's past, and probably anything resembling a Chloe/Brady reunion are going to be sidelined so Leo can have the spotlight. Even the one scene he was in this week was all about him and had very little to do with Craig. Leo's just too much of a scenery-chewing character to play well in a storyline that should be nuanced.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Anna: "Don Craig? He went out to mail a letter and never came back!"

This line could be the best use of history ever. It's such a fun inside joke among DAYS fans. Whenever a character has been off-screen for a while, we can say, "Well, he must have gone out to mail a letter."

I smiled when Chloe thanked Brady for supporting the arts. I love that they keep music as a part of Chloe's character.

Does Chad usually eat half a chicken at dinner? I'm worried about this man.

It was insane that it was Valentine's Day for a whole week in Salem, despite it being full into March in the real world.

I hate to admit it, but when Kate ran into Allie, it took me a minute to remember that they're related. I honestly thought, "Oh, that's so nice of Kate to be kind to Roman's granddaughter."

How exactly is "Renee" reconciling the fact that everyone looks decades older than the last time she saw them? How does she recognize everyone and everything from reading a diary? That's some serious journaling.

I laughed at Gwen's Carmen Sandiego-ish disguise. Though wouldn't the police log who all come in to visit someone they have in custody?

Aw, man. Poor Tripp had to go back there and clean all that stuff up, didn't he?

I'm not mad at "Renee" for insisting that they not skip meals. This is a woman after my own heart. Plus, I'm not so sure I want to see hangry "Renee."

That's it for this week, DAYS fans! Tony will be back next week to make sure Xander stays hydrated and focused. Xanimal is going to be in for a bumpy ride.

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