Clash of the titans or Death becomes her

Has permanent death come to Salem? If so, which one of the ladies will be its victim? And if someone finally stays dead, does that mean Kristen will actually pay? Let's discuss it all in this week's Two Scoops.

This week set up something massive -- a clash of our biggest heavies. Which plot point is least believable -- "death" or "Kristen finally paying"?

I'm pretty much the Judge Judy meme where she's slapping her watch during the whole death triplets. It was lovely to see some characters back and get mention of others. And it was nice to see pairings like Allie and Brady get to share scenes. But tick tock, people. Let's get to the heaven stuff.

The Kristen side is much more interesting thanks to the umbrella storyline. I loved Steve planting the bug. It showed immense character growth for Johnny to authenticate the recording. I'm enjoying Rafe and Jada working together! Rafe's giving out free pie, guys! What's not to love?

Brady and Chloe getting their separate digs in at Kristen was wonderful. E.J. was on all sorts of fire this week. And I actually agreed with Stefan when it came to his view on obligation to Kristen.

Bottom line, she is learning the same type of lesson Alex is. Being selfish can have huge consequences. Only in her case, she actually knew her game was deadly and played it, anyway. I don't buy her stance of never letting those women die for a second. Of course, she would have. I'm not sure if what she did was actually enough to warrant murder charges, but fraud, blackmail, manslaughter, and kidnapping are all on the table. Now that she's arrested, Trask can figure this out.

Loose Ends

I'm not her biggest fan, but holy sweet desperation, I'm about ready to show up in Salem and insist Gwen locate some modicum of self-respect. Xander is literally falling over himself to get to Sarah. He's a drunken mess with no thought of Gwen whatsoever. It's one thing to be a genuine friend in these cases. Nicole's done this for both E.J. and Brady before. But watching Gwen do this to herself, knowing how she really feels about Xander, is tough to watch. Totally understandable and relatable! But tough, nonetheless.

Years ago in a Two Scoops column, my brilliant partner, Tony, compared Victor being happy to watching the Big Bad Wolf giggle. The juxtaposition between a character's usual demeanor and current actions is infinitely charming to the watch. This is exactly how I feel about anytime Sonny gets super angry. It's like watching Elmo road rage. This is just one of the reasons I loved seeing Sonny blow up at Leo. The other was because it's been exhausting watching Leo's I've Totally Changed Tour. No one's buying a ticket to that one, my guy.

While I thoroughly enjoy all three performers in the Chad/Steph/Alex triangle, Stephanie's point of view is missing. Thanks to scenes with Sonny, Justin, or Kate, I know tons of what Alex and Chad think about Stephanie. But where's Stephanie's confidante? Someone put a call in to Chelsea! Stephanie is the legacy character here and the one we've known the longest. We've seen her with Jeremy before, which could mean that she'd go for Alex. But we've also seen her with Philip, which could mean rich, handsome, and brooding is the way she'd go, which is good for Chad.

Also, Chad and Alex are both in the doghouse a bit with me. Chad could have called Alex's phone. And I'm growing increasingly uncomfortable with how he seems to be a little careless about his kids' interaction with Stephanie. And, Alex, ugh. He has no right getting in the way of Steph's personal business -- whether it was her mom's death or an Amazon flash sale. You had no right, sir.

Hang on a sec. Stefan loves Chloe? Was that part of the brainwashing, too? It just seems crazy fast. I can see how Chloe would need to take a minute to process the fact that Brady didn't trust her enough to tell her the truth and that it might be nice for someone who looks like Brandan Barash to pay attention to you. But Chloe's not in love with him. He seems to be jumping the gun a bit here.

DiMeras fighting DiMeras is usually interesting, too. I feel like there need to be higher stakes between E.J. and Stefan than control of the business. (This would be a great place for Ava!) But I enjoy these performers and am excited to see where this leads. Also, if it means Tony and Anna make an appearance, I will never object!

HOT

I almost started the slow clap when E.J. put Kristen on speakerphone and told Stefano the truth himself. Not only did it take away all her leverage, but this is quite literally the things we scream back at the TV. The truth will set you free! Good on you, E.J.!

NOT Gabi demanding to see Marlena was atrocious. Gabi's usually not that heartless when it comes to Will and his family. Sheesh.

LINE OF THE WEEK:

Eric: "Kristen's been arrested."

Belle: "Great. Couldn't happen to a nicer bitch."

I snorted because she said this in the chapel.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I completely believe Julie keeps ingredients for martinis around the house. That checks out so hard.

If Marlena can cure a fear of clowns, she needs to monetize that.

Hey there, Tatter Tot! You, your mom, and Uncle Andrew all need to come by for a visit!

Belle mentioned that Victor sent the Titan jet, and he'll be grumpy when she tries to thank him. That just makes me smile.

I'm really impressed John had all those old photos digitized and added to his cloud account. One hundred percent, that whole service was a Christmas gift from Paul.

Hey Will, next time you're standing there listening to a confession with your phone in your hand, how about pushing record?

Oof. Leo said Sonny is the only friend he's ever had. Gwen can't love that.

Rachel's response to E.J. suggests that Brady did a good job of letting her see her maternal uncles. Good on Brady.

Rafe told Brady the details of an open investigation because that worked out so well with the Clyde situation and got absolutely no one stabbed.

Serious question -- how long does Brady think he can keep the truth about Kristen from Rachel? That kid will be able to Google shortly.

That's it for this week. Tony will be back next week to see if Kate, Marlena, and Kayla have finally gone to that malt shop in the sky. Hope you all have a good week! Laurisa

What are your thoughts on ? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- and there are many ways you can share your thoughts.