And yeah, she wanna be, wanna be queen (c'mon Meg)

Every family seems to have one, um, "standout," and the DiMeras definitely have their most determined, demented sibling yet! Will Salem crown "Queen Megan" once she has the whole world in her hands!? Whoops. That's "Queen Megan DiMera," thankyouverymuch. So, let's discuss global domination, divas, and bringing up babies in this week's DAYS Two Scoops ''written with my by myself''!

To start, let's break out some non-alcoholic bubbly (sorry, Shawn), as we have a reason to celebrate! With all the modern medical advancements, Doctor Specialist says there's "a very good chance" that Nicole will be able to carry her baby to term. I love this for her. I really do. Cheers to Nicole and Baby Mystery Dad!

I'm warning now, though, in a DAYSverse where "Essence de Phoenix" by Brain Microchip and *whispers* Resurrection by Wilhelm are things, Nicole better end up with a healthy baby, or else... Well! Let's just say a future ruler of the world owes this shorty a solid. *Insert evil laughter*

In a non-laughing matter, with all the buildup to the big baby doctor specialist person coming to Salem, I was a smidge disappointed we didn't meet them. I thought this would be a perfect way to introduce a new character or welcome back a returning one. My first thought was Dr. Joy Wesley or, perhaps, Jada and Talia's mother, who might be a superstar specialist. Maybe even a grown-up Dr. Steven Hawk!? I don't know if any of those characters are doctors. They could be, but I digress.

I do have a bone to pick with Salem regarding Nicole. I know Ms. Walker's track record with sensitivity is spotty at best (SEE: baby swapping, flesh-eating bacteria, etc.), but I feel like many characters -- WAY too many, like all the many-ies -- now treat her as the person you can say anything to. From, well, many, it comes off super intrusive and insensitive. When was the last time someone other than Kristen said to Sarah, "Like the time you ran away with a child," or to Marlena, "When you conference room tabled John behind Roman's back?" Chloe is Nicole's bestie, there's wiggle room there, but most others? Tsk. Tsk.

Speaking of "Tsk. Tsk," Megan had to school her siblings in the art of war. That is, interfere with her plans for world domination and get locked in the wine cellar. I mean, this seems fair. Being out of reach of wine in a jam is pure torture. I guess so is missing your possible baby mama's meeting with Doctor Specialist, securing a future with your daughter, and blah blah blah. But it was kind of E.J.'s fault. Megan did proclaim, "Look what you made me do?" See. That pins the blame perfectly on him. Ah, the joy of demented DiMera logic. It only needs to make sense to one person for their delusions to be true.

Truth be told, I think being locked up together was the best thing for E.J. and Special K. They've re-bonded a bit. She was *thisclose* to calling him "Eej," I swear. And the scariest thing about Kristen last week? She actually made sense!

Okay. Sure. I'll wait while the shock wears off. I had to check hell's temperature myself, too.

Really, though, Kristen gave E.J. rational, sound advice about Nicole. I was shocked. E.J. was shocked. I think she even shocked herself, and she made him pledge not to share her sentimental side with anyone, of course.

Kristen wasn't alone in serving sage advice to a DiMera brother. I'm also enjoying the "Julie Gives Great Guidance: Tough Love, Big Heart 2023-ish* Tour!" She struck gold with Paulina recently and did the same with Chad last week. From survivor's guilt to forgiveness, I loved the entirety of her speech. Chad did, too. Little Gollum took off his precious, and Stephanie approved, too. Suck on that ring, Alex.

But whoops! Back to Megan. As it should be, right, Ms. DiMera? And now we can pour the full-blown bubbly (you're welcome, Shawn) to celebrate Megan's upcoming self- coronation.

I know "love in the afternoon" is what draws us to daytime, but I enjoy a good power struggle and a great diva. Megan is providing both. She's a queen, after all, damnit. Just ask her. I know la Lady DiMera is fifty shades of psycho, but Miranda Wilson is so wonderful in the role that I will follow her around the globe and back. It's been a while since we've had such a convincing, commanding baddie. She's certainly a chip off the old Phoenix's block.

I also loved that Megan called foul on the old "DiMera Code" conceived by her siblings but rarely used by them. Stefano stranded Tony on a desert island for decades. He had Andre steal organs from his kin. Megan's honest -- Stefano would eat his young if he had to. Stefano-awareness was wisely played by her. Hat tip to you, Future Ruler of the World.

Will Megan succeed in her plans? Maybe. Just maybe. She has two tied-up siblings, thwarted the first attempt at her abduction, and has Dimitri solidly in place to seduce Gwen and secure their Von Leuschner windfall. So far, she's on a royal roll.

Who's not on a roll? That's Kristen. Sans good advice to Eej, in addition to the entire tied up in the wine cellar predicament, sometimes I worry about Special K's once-sharp scheming skill set. Megan laid out the plan that her sonny boy plans to pursue and propose to Gwen. Kristen did...nothing.

Okay, but Kristen knows Ms. Rizzy-chick's playbook. She knows Gwen wouldn't be opposed to playing the part of a wooed woman. Hello! Gwen's initial stint in Salem was impersonating a decent person. She's not above deceit. This has been handled so poorly. Kristen could ensure herself personal success by playing both sides -- alliance with Megan and money from Gwen if she struck a financial deal once her prison pal became Lady Gwennie of Von Leuschner. C'mon, Special K, think.

Thankfully, we have Megan to lead the DiMera charge. This has me scared and on the edge of my seat. Though one thing bugs me about this storyline, and it has nothing to do with Megan...

Remember when Kate's urn was purple instead of blue? Like, DAYS missed a ground ball with that one, especially with the "Blue Streak Freaks" whose love of everything Lauren Koslow is legendary. As it should be. Lauren is a queen, but I digress, again.

The show missed another ground ball by not giving Steve the "Harris role" in the plot against Queen Meg. Here's a list of reasons:

Steve probably wouldn't kill Megs, either, but I could totally see him shipping her off to some uncharted desert island or ISA black hole. Instant struggles with his Sweetness whose moral compass is a bit more fixed than his. More on that in a minute.

Steve is Bo's bestie, and Steve looking out for Bo's son would make it special instead of the "Okay. Thanks, dude" of it all as it was. Steve and Shawn scenes have proven to be stellar. Add in a splash of Roman rallying his nephew, and I'm sold.

Let's be honest, Stephen Nichols is one cool cat. Lauren Koslow is effortlessly cool. Those two sharing scenes is always a win. Steve and Kate go back further. There's more gravity with them plotting, especially as they're married to rather do-gooder siblings who may not approve of their tactics.

Steve was Megan's pawn, too. I'm sure Steve's "Winter Soldier" activation code is still rattling around in his subconscious somewhere. Added bonus, Stephen Nichols can play sinister spectacularly!

The fight for Steve's soul would not only include Kayla, but Stephanie and Tripp this time, too. It was fun watching the Brady cousins work together earlier in the storyline. Seeing Steph and Shawn swoop in to save Steve would be great. Should, say, Andrew and Paul come back to help, that would be like all the cherries on top of this sundae.

Steve's been saving Salem and the world since before Harry was commander of anything. If The Patch Man needs a partner, he has John. If he needs a sidekick, he can call Andrew. If he needs a day drinking buddy, well, Shawn would like that very much, it seems, sadly. Yep. The hero role -- roles, plural -- seems filled to me.

Or if Kate manipulated a surly Shawn into doing the dirty work, that would have huge ripple effects, too.

Instead, we get the "Bope" interloper. "That's interesting, too," said someone, I bet. Maybe.

*I think Salem's un-time jumped. Technically, it should be 2024 there. Though technically, most of the town should be dead, and Special K made valid points, so it's all crazy-cray en este momento. Carry on 20-23. Carry on.

LOOSE ENDS:

As we've been on the subject of DiMera siblings and babies, I'm sliding something into the suggestion box now. Can "Lex" or "Lexie" be considered for "Baby Nicole And Who's The Daddy!?" If "E-Cole" are naming said bundle of questionable parentage, that would be special to him, as clearly Lexie was his favorite sister, and, from Nicole's vantage point, a nice nod to Abe's love for his first wife. Win-win, methinks.

Also, Abe needs to be the godfather of Nicole and Whoshisface's baby. That choice should easily be both E.J. and Eric approved. Yep. Abe is the purr-fect fella for the job.

Someone call Gwen and Lady Whistleblower! We might have a hot story here. Nurse Whitley doesn't seem to like Jennifer. I want this tea spilled. Was Whit Gwen's nurse when she was hit by the car and heard the truth!? Did a teenaged Jenny rub her the wrong way (and do they know classmate Harris)? Did Jennifer get greedy with the friendship bracelets and not give one to Whitley!? Yep. There's a story here.

Or as my better Two Scooping counterpart, Laurisa, suggested -- because we text when breaking news happens and want to know why someone might hate Jenny Bear -- perhaps Nurse Whit was friends with the much-missed Anne Milbauer! She hated Jennifer. Whitley also seems to be a "ride or die" kinda gal and has an apartment full of crazy to back up that theory. So, that suggestion totally tracks.

With all the "Back from the deads" and talk of Nicole's other pregnancies, this would be a great time to bring back Fay Walker and one of Nicole's children. I could certainly see Stefano faking deaths then setting up one of his grandchildren to be raised by its grandmother on some island or DiMera castle in Europe. That plan would be very "Stefano!" and something I'm sure Megan would take the reins on.

I enjoyed Gwen's interview with Dimitri! What a fun way to get to know a newer character. Yet, as "open" as he was, there are still a lot of cryptic things to decipher. I think what wasn't said in some of their scenes was as loud as what was printed.

And bonus to the interview being great, we got to witness Leo in his best light yet! His bestie-ness is brilliant. Granted, Leo's best is a low bar, but it's a start.

I feel self-awareness was wasted on Bonnie. I mean. I give her points for realizing she's become a bad liar since landing Justin, but there's about a million other things she should realize about herself first. I'm going to slowly slide an apology card with Lucas' Statesville address on it and see if that helps ring any more self-awareness bells for Bon Bon.

Also, Big Mouth Bonnie, just stop blabbing Sarah's secret. Not cool. Not. Cool.

If Xander is as handy is the kitchen as he seems to be, he should really know not to put all of his eggs in one Chloe-sized basket. That's no shade to the Chlomeister. I adore both characters, and as a friend, must warn them to slow their egg roll.

I love that Martha Madison and Brandon Beemer are getting more airtime! They've been amazing. More "Shelle in 2023"? Yes, please.

If Kate is playing a little fast and loose with morals these days, she should really track down Tyler "Pocket" Kiriakis and set him up for success at Titan. Say, in Alex's vacated role. It would be a great diva test for Maggie to work with Kate's grandson, especially if Ms. Roberts is pulling the puppet strings.

Also, if Pocket would return, that would further connect "Stayla" and Kate. See. Proof that Steve should have that Megan-snatching position!

HOT

Wait. Hold the phone. Did Tuesday's episode just foreshadow a Megan vs. Vivian feud!? If so, yes. Yes, please! This will be like Goddesszilla vs. Queen Kong. I'll be there for that all day. All. Damn. Day.

NOT

Oh, Eric and Sloan. Sorry, pals. There's so much "NOT" to unpack here...

Um. I love me some Kate, but she didn't exactly seem to read "the room" (Read: "Eric!") when giving them her sage advice. Sage means horrible, right? Having a baby with whomever shouldn't be an impulse purchase like a King-Sized Reese's Cup while you're waiting in line at Salem's version of the Piggly Wiggly. Kate knows better than this, especially as one who's been tied to terrible parenting partners like Curtis. I agree with Kate that carpe diem-ing has its time and place, but that place shouldn't be someone's womb unless both parties are absolutely certain.

Eric looked like a terrified man on a motorcycle who's holding on for dear life and exclaiming, "This is so much fun!" through gritted teeth. I'm fairly sure Nicole picked up on that, too, and I suspect even Sloan knows he's not fully sold on siring a little Sloan or Sloane. Peer pressure is not a great way to become a parent, despite one's past desires.

More so, Sloanie Bologna! You went from "Girl Power!" to "What the hell, girl!?" in a matter of a few desperate moves. I'll lend you a little bit of my self-worth because you seemed to have totally lost yours with this begging for a baby stuff. Also, I'll lend you some bling because if you think keeping a man via a baby is a brilliant idea, you might need to check into Bayview yourself, sister.

LINE(S) OF THE WEEK

"Who knew taking over the world was so labor intensive?" Megan

"Those fish sticks can wait!" Abe to Whitley

"You wouldn't, really? I mean, again, you brainwashed a dude." Wendy responding to Li stating he wasn't obsessed with Gabi

"Have you checked between the couch cushions?" Stefan to Nicole regarding her search for E.J.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Riddle me this! How can you tell when Bonnie is "acting strange"?!

Really, though, Anne Milbauer!? I miss Meredith Scott Lynn in the role. She totally needs to make an appearance. I feel like an Anne, Anna, and Leo scene might be one for the ages. Those three could totally be Mahjong and Chardonnay ladies.

Am I the only ones who think Body & Soul Dee and Mary Beth look like Joan Rivers and Michelle Pfeiffer in Married to the Mob!?

That green hand-painted cat statue with the weird grin is equally wonderful and terrifying.

Julie quoting Hamlet is fun.

Why do I have a bad feeling that Thomas and Little Lotte will bounce back from Boston as bitter tweens? Summer is coming up, and that's when they're usually trotted out for storytelling.

It took me a hot second to remember why Parker would send Maggie a birthday gift. Then I remembered. Doctor Dude. Oof.

I wonder if Parker's gift to Mags was one of his dad's old puka shell necklaces? She may need the luck, so that wouldn't be the worst thing.

I've heard before and neglected to "RANDOM THOUGHTS" it, but did the music accompanying Julie and Chad's scene have an "Ave Maria" note to it? Like, maybe a sample of it and then bridge to something else. It's pretty, nonetheless.

That "Unabomber" reference was eerily well timed for a show that tapes so far in advance! I think Celeste is stealthily part of the writing team, darlings.

Shawn's "Meggies" were sidesplitting.

Gwen's reaction to Dimitri stating, "Your best friend is a lot," was great.

I keep forgetting about Emily. Whoops! Then again, I highly suspect that's how most parents in Salem feel about their children when they're not acting as a plot point. Oh, snap. Yes, I did.

Anyway, Bonnie taught Emily how to play poker, and that made Mimi mad. I know I should feel for the child in this, but Mimi's displeasure kind of trumps Bonnie's bad grandmothering. Have fun with that, Meems.

Belle and Nicole chitchatting was strange (in a fun way). I like it when random characters interact. I guess they have Sami stings in common. That's a start.

Okay, Dimitri gets a funny point for "Odd little friend," but Leo landed so many hilarious verbal punches. From "von Liar Liar Pants on Fire" to "Mr. Too Handsome For The Room," he kept cracking me up.

Also, Leo's not wrong. Dimitri does look like the love child of Clooney and Martin.

Also-also, I don't think I've ever written "Leo's not wrong" until now. Progress? Maybe. Just maybe.

Only in Salem can, "He locked me in a shark cage" and "left you with a drug lord" be considered NOT dealbreakers. Raise those standards, ladies. I know it's hard when Xander looks like Paul Telfer, but, well. Never mind. Carry on.

PARTING THOUGHTS

So, friends and fellow fans, that's it for June 19! I've been ordered to order a red carpet and crown for Megan's coronation, so Laurisa will be back next week with a royally new DAYS Two Scoops! As always, thank you for reading, and "That's a fact." Tony

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