Candle in the wind

Is Abigail's death forever? Who killed her? And will that wrath be any match for when Sami and Belle meet again? Let's find out in this week's Two Scoops.

I adore Marci Miller. She's a gift to DAYS. I absolutely respect every actor's wish to commit to whatever contract they want. I hope life brings her all grand things! We never really say goodbye in Salem, so we'll consider her a part of the larger DAYS family. And soap family is forever!

On-screen, Chad found Abigail on her bed -- still in an extremely comfortable looking robe/nightgown combo -- stabbed in the stomach. Get out your tissues for next week, as I'm sure Billy Flynn, Matt Ashford, Cady McClain, and more are going to take us on a ride, grieving over Abigail's death.

Who could have done this? Let's recap the suspects.

Gwen -- She's the most obvious and the most capable of committing murder, since she already murdered Laura. (I should add an * here, as that has not been verbally confirmed on-screen. But I've always thought Gwen did it.) She also has no alibi, since no guard can confirm where she was.

Leo -- Gwen called Leo and told him that Abigail broke her DAD mug, so she wants Leo to stab Abigail in the heart. Even Leo looked confused, but I'm guessing that's mostly because he doesn't know what a heart is. We know Leo was in the room where it happened (Hamilton echo -- room where it happened) and that a soaked, panicked Leo was clutching a duffel bag after. But we don't know what's in that duffel bag or who he may be protecting.

Lucas -- His alibi for the time of the murder is somewhere between passed-out drunk, drunk, or drugged into thinking he's drunk. I don't think Lucas is the guy who would murder his niece, but I didn't think he was the type of guy who would kidnap someone he loves, either. Drunk Lucas is another story.

Kate -- Not only does she have a history of protecting her kids at all costs, but she also mentioned that if Abigail were to tell the secret, Kate would lose Roman. Kate has the motive, means, and drive. Still, she's more of a negotiate/blackmail than get-your-own-hands-dirty kind of gal.

No one -- Finally, let's be honest, DAYS -- especially those connected to the DiMeras -- comes with a permanent "Get Out of Death Free" card at all times. And seeing as Chad is Rolf's favorite of all Stefano's kids, this is a pretty ask. Kristen is still out there somewhere, and I can certainly see her offering to trade an alive Abigail for, say, DiMera Enterprises if Chad ever found himself on top again.

But what will Chad do in the meantime? Chad still doesn't have a job, so I can see him taking over the Spectator in Abigail's memory. Does he have any journalism skills? No. But he didn't have any CEO skills when he was given the keys to DiMera Enterprises, either. Last I checked, Kate doesn't have a paying gig, either, so hiring her as an investigative reporter seems like it could be in her wheelhouse.

If it's true that death also means life, another life was brought into this Salem world. Jan had her baby -- a boy. No name yet, but my money's on "Why-Me Brady" in honor of his stepmother.

I adore all four actors in the E.J./Belle/Shawn/Jan quad and love that they have a front-burner storyline. Pair any of the four any way you'd like, and it's magic. And while I sense I should root for Belle because she's the legacy heroine here, goodness, I can't wait to watch her fall on her not-so-fancy face.

Belle is making me absolutely insane (a compliment to the divine Martha Madison) with her constant declarations of victimhood. It's telling that she calls Jan "my stalker" vs. "my husband's kidnapper and rapist." Jan's been dangerous to Belle, sure. But Jan is lethal around Shawn. Belle playing the victim is silly.

But, in doing so, she's made this easy work for E.J. Our dude is the one who convinced Sami, Nicole, and Kate that they were all due compassion, so Belle is a layup. That still doesn't make his charm any less effective. Everyone, a sex dream, and his own mother are reminding E.J. that Sami is his soul mate. But a dalliance with Belle and the complications it could mean for the Sami/Belle dynamic going forward is great soap. Perhaps E.J. doesn't know the power of his own strength.

Additionally, Belle's martyrdom has made John and Marlena villains, too. Now, I fully believe Marlena could and should have referred Jan to someone else. But I believe Marlena feels a sense of personal responsibility to help here. And that comes from a place of care, not from a place of "I'm out to tick off Belle." Still, there's no telling Belle that. She knows everyone is out to get her. Sure. Okay.

This will all come to a head now that the baby boy is born. He's not out of the woods yet, born months premature. But both baby and mom are somewhat okay. And, as a side note, I loved Shawn going to Jan's side to be there when she wakes up, mainly because I want a camera there when/if Jan on sedatives starts to speak. That could be a truth landmine!

Johnny/Allie/Chanel may be the strangest triangle ever on soaps, and it has nothing to do with sexuality. It has everything to do with the fact that everyone genuinely loves each other in this triangle. Johnny and Allie flat-out told Chanel that they'll be fine with each other no matter who she picks. Can you imagine Carrie and Sami saying that to Austin? Can you imagine Carrie and Sami saying many nice things to each other? It's so bizarre that they had to have their fathers proxy in for this argument. Lucas and E.J. can have it because they hate each other. But since the show just wrote it so that their twin connection is so strong it literally exorcised a demon, they can't have Allie and Johnny taking petty jabs at each other like...say...breaking the mug your sister made in art therapy. (Still cracked me right up. Go on, Abigail!)

Leo has really gotten into Sonny's head, and now Sonny is really paranoid about what Leo might do next. It's a valid concern, considering Leo's pretty much owned Sonny with no repercussions. Will heading back to Arizona for a brief time means Sonny's left to marinate in his fear, which can't be a good thing.

I adored how Xander and Sarah scooted right past the past and picked up where they left off. Well, mostly where they left off. Sara is worried that she's hallucinating things and the antidote might just be wearing down. As long as she doesn't forget Maggie and Xander, I wouldn't mind if the drug kept a slight essence of Renee around because, holy soap lords, the scene between Gwen and Sarah was fabulous! Hello to my new favorite soap feud!

Sarah's been a little preachy before (that Horton upbringing is real), but she was right on point with Gwen. I loved her hand waving off Gwen's attempt to blame Abigail. Gwen gave Sarah a second dose of the drug, and it was completely selfish. Sarah is collateral damage fighting back here, and I'm all in for it.

Lucas and Clyde chatting was so weird, it can't be random. Clyde's son killed Lucas' at one point. And while Ben and Will have worked things through, most people (Ben included) are still skeptical toward Clyde. For Lucas to accept Clyde as a potential ally in the anti-E.J. camp, it has to mean something is ahead.

HOT Once again, a standing ovation to the divine Miss Miller on her work as Abigail. I know she's not done, as flashbacks about what really happened to Abigail will keep her on our screens for a bit longer. But a huge amount of kisses, roses, and respect to this woman for gracing our screens. Don't be a stranger, please.

NOT: I'm not here for Leo's revenge. He deserved his downfall. Craig made the final call on this, leaving in the gentlest way. It had nothing to do with his anger over the misdeed. Craig left because of the person Leo was. Leo proclaiming to Sonny, "I'm on my own now because of you!" was indicative of what Leo thought he was owed. So, to watch Leo take on the lives of good people, including taunting the person he drugged, is infuriating. And Craig may not care...until Leo gets to Chloe.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Will (to Allie): "I leave you alone for five minutes, and you get possessed by the devil."

Line of the weak: Jan (about Paul Mendez, referring to him raping her): "That violation left me hopeless and angry!"

She's saying that in front of Shawn!

Dishonorable mention:

Allie (about Johnny): "My brother's the one constant in my life."

Sorry, Will.

Door Dart. Ha! That's the delivery system in Salem.

Chad mentions that having a third kid would mean they have to play zone defense. This is a common statement, but one of my best friends has a rebuttal. He and his wife have five kids. He said when they got to three, they thought they'd play zone defense. Instead, you still play man on man, and the third one just constantly dunks on you.

Sarah has some of Renee's memories...interesting.

If Abigail truly is gone, what's going to happen to her awesome, flowy maxi dresses? Asking for a friend.

Aw, I loved Tripp talking to Stephanie and Joey!

I would have liked for Will to have a conversation with Johnny before he left. He's Jonny's brother, too, not just Allie's.

Belle thought she was alone, drinking a bottle of wine. But John tracked her down. It must suck to have your dad be a P.I. You can't get away with anything.

I know Jan actually went into labor, but it was nice to see someone kind of roll their eyes at Jan for once.

Gwen called Leo "Leo" during this conversation, which seems strange. He's always been "Matty" before.

Lucas punched E.J. when Johnny was holding E.J. down. Cheap shot, Lucas. When Allie asks you if you've lost your mind, you've messed up. Oh, Lucas...

True story -- hide-and-seek at the DiMansion is probably great. Well done, Charlotte and Thomas.

It's never good when a character says, "I'm in the clear." Take note, Lucas.

Also, E.J. said he regretted not fighting for Sami in the same week. That can't be a coincidence.

Thank goodness, Johnny announced his devil movie is not going to happen.

The going rate for a tooth was $0.25 in my day. How much did you all get?

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