Frozen in time

Is Maggie being taken for a fool? Does Nicole have her foot in the door of the biggest secret of her life? And if not, will Bobby/Everett stand in Chad's way of knowing the truth? Let's discuss all the possible hidden places for the truth in this week's Two Scoops

Well. That was a week in Salem. Or more like a collection of days and vignettes (or DAYS vignettes). It's almost like DAYS has a substitute teacher.

Most likely a stall tactic to bridge the gap between the FiCore writers and the strike ending, DAYS felt very busy but not actually productive last week. That's fine every now and then. Hopefully, it's setting up for a great May Sweeps.

As a midwesterner, I completely appreciated a snowstorm in April. Yes, these have happened. The weather here is bizarre. No doubt, Thomas and Charlotte will be throwing a pool party at the K-Mansion next week because that's how the weather here rolls.

And aside from the later disappearance, I think Snow Days with Julie looked downright delightful. Hear me out! You get comfy clothes, fireside party games, snow games, and boozy hot chocolate. I want to sign up now!

Plus, the snow meant that someone would go missing -- enter our fair Chanel. It also meant that someone would be the hero. For that, we turned to a radioactive Nanook of the North. You know, as the classic tale goes!

This whole move was bonkers for a lot of reasons, but mainly because Paulina needs to pump. the. brakes. Find a lower gear on that snowmobile, lady! While I can appreciate a mom being worried about her child, this particular woman has had her cancer cured, cheated heart disease/death, and had her husband's memories completely restored. As my brilliant partner Tony pointed out, she's racking up the miracles, and maybe she needed a different approach.

But this all begs the question...to what end? For all the talk of natural disaster and radioactive dangers...everyone is...fine? I hope? I'm a little concerned that there may be some lasting effects on Chanel, since Paulina literally carried her into the cabin.

Speaking of seemingly simple, forensic accountant Eric Brady is not doing well at uncovering the mystery. Two weeks ago, he didn't know the difference between a legal pad and a spreadsheet. This week, fixed vs. variable expenses perplexed him. He walked in on Leo literally saying he was blackmailing a woman. You know how sometimes one twin can absorb the other in the womb? I think Sami got all the perceptive genes in the womb.

Tate's apology press conference went great, save for the facts that E.J. didn't mention Tate and he didn't invite the press. Other than that, it was actually pretty great. Much like weddings or funerals, this gave characters that don't interact a chance to talk. In this case, it was a Nicole de Force.

First up, my favorite pairing was Chad and Nicole. They both share a common bond in knowing what devastating loss feels like. I liked that Nicole was having exactly zero of Chad's apology because she stated that none of this was his fault. Truth. There's a mutual respect, if not outright care there. I enjoy seeing them interact.

Next, in all her divaliscious glory, Nicole laid into Stefan for his part in the drug ring. This was the right move. Saying he didn't know the drugs were laced was not a great defense. My dear Steffie, non-laced illegal drugs are still not okay, either.

But Stefan used that confrontation to re-re-blackmail E.J. Give him his stuff back, or Stefan will tell Nicole that E.J. knew Clyde was behind the drug ring all along. This seems pretty weak for E.J. As much as I'd like to see this chicken come home to roost on E.J.'s stoop, Stefan can't prove any of this. Nicole's not going to believe Stefan because he's a stand-up dude who said so.

Loose Ends

Bella magazine didn't succeed. Weird. Usually, Alex's ideas are all winners.

Stefan and Kristen decided to work together to oust E.J. as CEO because Kristen is merely a pardoned criminal, not a convicted criminal, and could thus hold the seat. This DiMera Enterprises morality clause is fantastic.

Wendy's still having PTSD from her time in the beer tank. This is understandable, as is Tripp's very loving suggestion that she talk with Marlena. But, with Stefan and Kristen seemingly getting ready to finally investigate Li's murder on their own, I'm hoping that Wendy throws her talent behind this search instead. We really don't need a second recounting of Wendy in the tank. We watched it live. And we watched her recite it to Tripp. We want determined, feisty Wendy back!

Nicole mentioned to Chad that she used to be a reporter. Eric went to apply for a job at the Salem Spectator. Both of them in an investigative setting during a time when a whopper of a secret is being kept from them? Yes, please!

Also, sweet baby Jesus, I can't help but think if Eric spends some time with Chad, Xander, Nicole, and Everett -- maybe, just maybe, Eric's one brain cell will spawn replicas. This is a time when peer pressure would be beneficial.

Speaking of Everett, he signed the divorce papers as "Robert Stein" with Stephanie as his witness. After doing so, he gave a look to the universe that didn't look menacing at all. And for sure, Stephanie is totally safe to be in a private room with this man with no witnesses, save for his other personality. Just guessing.

There was some bananas moment where Johnny thought it was not only okay for him to answer Chanel's phone but for Julie to answer it, too. Whaaaatt? Look, J-Ro, Paulina has your phone number, too. If she's really worried about Chanel, she'll call you. Then, you can feed her the line about Chanel being in the shower.

HOT:

Congratulations to all our https://www.soapcentral.com/daytime-emmys/news/2024/0419-daytime-emmy-nominations-list.php>Daytime Emmy nominees! While we're rooting for all of the DAYS team, it would be disrespectful (and downright dismissive of my/everyone's childhood) to not acknowledge that American Treasure Dick van Dyke set the record for most "vintage" Daytime Emmy nominee ever. The big deal win would mean just that -- a win for a gifted actor in a genre that demands the best of its actors.

Honorable Mention:

It's rare that I agree with Rafe, but this week, he was one hundred percent right! At the end of the day, he's a boss in charge of a place of business. Jada is his employee. If a person comes into that place of business and makes an employee uncomfortable, it's the boss's job to ask that person to leave. Rafe was right to tell Everett to find another member of the press to take Everett's place.

Furthermore, Rafe and Jada's talk about moving in together was downright charming. There's a nice relationship between these two. I wish they'd address the age difference, but I'm still happy for them. This makes me even more hopeful that Kristen/Stefan/Tripp/Wendy are able to prove Gabi's innocence because I can't wait to hear Gabi actually be supportive of her brother's girlfriend.

NOT:

Let's unpack the layers of horror to Maggie's proposal to Konnie.

Straight up, this is not a Maggie move. She's one of the few soap characters who can claim that she holds marriage fairly sacred. Her great loves were really that -- loves. I didn't ever see her viewing marriage as just a legal contract.

Doesn't this put the K lawyers in a tough spot? Her last call to them was to find a loophole in Konnie's deportation. Her current call is to draw up a marriage license. I know that lawyers can't knowingly help their clients commit a crime, and this seems to be the most clearly criminal act ever. At the very least, paging Justin Kiriakis! You're wanted in the pre-nup aisle.

Konnie threatened a kid who dared to play with his toys. Not that I want Thomas to go all Rach3l here, but Thomas is a DiMera. You don't have to take that, tiny sir!

Since when does Maggie think it's her job to make up for Victor's wrongs?! And if she really thinks so, perhaps she could start closer to home? Victor ousted Xander and Brady (and by extension, Tate) from the family. How about we make good with those fellas?

Or if you want to go back further, look at John and Steve. In this specific case, perhaps Kayla and Marlena might have a better chance of appealing to Maggie's mercy for a release of their husbands.

Tears and declarations of, "I'm not ready!" do not signal a good choice, Mags! I'll be over here waiting for the Emancipation of Maggie.

Finally, I with Maggie's stance that no one liked Victor, but she married him, so others in the same peril can be okay. Well, no one likes smallpox; did you want to try that too, Mags? How about low-rise skinny jeans? What about fat-free ranch dressing? Some bad things are just bad!

Inheritance works best when someone is dead. So, the future Mrs. Konnie is about to face the same fate as the former Mrs. Konnie -- unexpected death or outright murder.

LINE OF THE WEEK

Holly: "Gee, I wonder why I did it? Hmm... I'm on my third stepfather, and oh, FYI, your last name comes with a lot of baggage."

Nicole: "Stop it, okay? Do not blame E.J. or me for this. You made your choices, and you have to live with it."

I continually respect how Nicole doesn't take the bait and calmly but lovingly puts Holly in her place. Also, considering those three stepfathers were Eric (who still has an important relationship with Holly), Rafe (who is pretty well known as the best stepdad ever), and E.J. (who, not for nothing, got Holly into the Italian hospital that cured his own coma, curing her, as well), and I'd say Holly doesn't have a lot to complain about as far as soap kids go.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

It's really weird to hear Nicole mention God. She's never struck me as the God or even fate kind of gal. She's more a "make your own luck" lady.

Sigh. After Abe was abducted and Harris was almost killed in his bed, shouldn't the hospital upgrade its security system?

Who is that not-Henderson person?!?!

Not a single person who's slipped through the snow and gotten caught between the rocks has had better hair and makeup than Chanel.

Love that peach color on Jada!

I get it, baby Jude. I want to burst out in tears when John martyrs himself over Catharina's death, too. Enough!

I love that the Brady Pub has chocolate chip cookies from Sweet Bits! Now that Caroline's not perpetually in the kitchen, cooking them, someone had to fill that gap.

Oh, geez. "Tell Eric we're proud of him" -- I guess it never hurts to hear words of affirmation, but Marlena saying this made Eric sound like he's all of six years old.

Anyone catch that Jada signed the papers as "Jada Hunter Stein"?

It was very strange that John referred to her as "Chanel Dupree." She's his granddaughter-in-law.

Sarah's perspective as a doc who treated overdosed kids was a nice, emotional touch to add to the storyline.

You know, I keep thinking back to Ava's nice apartment. Don't you think it might be worth it to dip a little back into the mob just to have that place again?

I kind of loved it when Chad and Xander showed up to the press conference, proclaiming, "The press is here!"

I'm a faithful Muppets fan. They are my peak celebrities and can do no wrong. So, I was downright tickled when I saw the parallels between Paulina and Miss Piggy in this classic . Fast forward to the 0:47 mark where you can see why I think Paulina has a fellow pop culture goddess who was caught in a snowstorm that no one could get through. (BTW -- Watch the whole special with your kids, nephews/nieces, or grandkids! It's delightful!)

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