I am a happy scooper as I sit down to write this column. It's 70 degrees outside, I've got a stash of left over Easter candy, and my beloved Days of Our Lives actually ended with a cliff hanger on Friday so good that I applauded in the middle of my living room. Yup, it's a great time to be a Days fan! Considering that you all are stuck with me for the next two weeks, that's a good thing. Hopefully I'll be able to keep you interested and hold your Tony withdrawal to a minimum until he returns from his opera gig in Vancouver. (Just because Chloe gave up on her dream, doesn't mean that everyone has to!)
PHILIP and STEPHANIE
I really, really hope these two make it. Stephanie pleasantly surprised me when she didn't sit there and pout when Philip had to work. Instead, she got proactive and set up a plan to get Philip alone in that hotel room. And now that they've done the smart thing and get to know each other before hopping into bed together, I hope that the writers reward them by keeping them together. I'm a fan of their chemistry- both romantic and comedic- and I'd like to see these two be happy for more than a minute. But I don't think that's going to be the case. These two certainly didn't practice "safe sex" as there was a guy with a gun standing outside the door. I don't know about you, but gun shots always ruin the mood for me.
NICOLE
Have I mentioned how much I love Nicole? I know that most of you think I'm a total hater. But please don't mistake my disgust for EJ and Nicole as a couple as hate for either of them individually. Truth be told, Nicole is one of my favorite characters of all time and I think that Arianne Zuker is amazing. I love Nicole's interaction with Dr. Baker. I love how Nicole ends her prayers with "Thank you" instead of "Amen". Sure, Nicole's a conniving, cut-throat twit, but that's kinda what I love about her.
But, I am worried that the writers are going to the well of awesomeness a bit too many times with Nicole. She's involved in so many stories right now that I don't think the writers are going to be able to keep it straight when it comes down to shoveling out the tuck loads of blame that Nicole has coming her way. Lucky for them, that's where I come in.
One shovel needs to go her way for her now involvement in Mayor Marino's murder plot. As soon as Nicole recognized Rafe as the cable guy who showed up in her room a few months ago, she fluffed up her feathers and pranced home to tell EJ that mean ol' Sami sent a spy to the mansion. EJ fell down and kissed Nicole's feet. But, that's just one more stone to throw in Nicole's direction at a later date. Because, you see, the real deal is that Sami didn't send her boy-toy to encroach on anybody's "privicy". Rafe, an FBI agent assigned to investigate Mayor Marino's murder, decided on his own to go investigate Stefano's possible involvement in the case despite Sami's warnings that such a mission would be too dangerous. And, surprise of all surprises, Stefano WAS involved in the case! When that comes out, Nicole better get a taste of her own medicine.
Second, I completely forgot that Nicole knows about Daniel and Chloe's affair. Don't think Nicole won't throw Chloe under the bus in a hot second if it will help keep Sydney's maternity a secret. Say, perhaps, should Nicole be in need of another doctor to lie for her. If I were to speculate, I can see Grace getting sick and with Lexie and Dr. Baker both at the wedding, Dr. Dan would be the one on life saying duty right now. Grace comes in, needs some matching stem-cell neurofluid (something like that), and Nicole makes sure that Mia isn't a match. Ok so maybe it won't play out just like that, but Nicole is armed and dangerous with a lot of secrets right now.
Then, there're Nicole's own secrets. The main being that she might have jumped the gun with the whole baby stealing thing, since now she's got an admitted spark with Brady. I can't tell you how many times I've swiped a baby for a guy only to find out that he's not the one I'm really into. Sure I acted too early, but I'm a hopeless romantic. What can I say?
BRADY
I wasn't a fan of Bricole back when Kyle Lowder played Brady. (Odd, I know since Ari and Kyle are a real-life couple). But Ari and Eric Martsolf totally do it for me together. And by "do it" I mean they melt even my cold heart. Brady told Nicole that he needs her and that she shouldn't marry EJ. He made a bevy of good points including the fact that EJ just loves the wife/baby package deal. But the best arguments he made were those two almost kisses that he tried to plant on Nicole. I forgot my own name when I watched their scenes. Nicole needs to be with someone who knows her past and accepts her anyway- and that isn't EJ. I don't mean to be all sensible here, but if it took EJ until the night before the wedding to actually commit to the wedding, perhaps he's marrying the wrong chick. Further more, if Nicole deems that as acceptable behavior, then maybe she needs to reevaluate her taste in men.
I did think that Nicole made some valid points when she rejected Brady. He is much more "by the rules" then she is. Being with him would mean that Nicole actually wants to be a better person. And she's not there- not yet. Despite what we thought for that brief time after Nicole got pregnant, Nicole doesn't really want to change. She just wants to be with someone who doesn't make her look as bad. She always has. That's why she dumped Eric for Lucas. That's why she married Victor. And that's why she's marrying EJ.
EJ and NICOLE'S WEDDING
I'm always a little confused as to why characters on soaps act like a wedding totally solidifies a relationship. In real life, that's the right sentiment. But with the way that soap characters go through annulments you'd think that eventually a wedding wouldn't have the same meaning. Case in point: Nicole is on her second (legal) marriage and her fourth husband. Brady just needs to head over the Pub and get himself a burger. By the time he's done eating, Nicole will probably be free.
For those of you interested in specifics, Chloe was the matron of honor, Stefano was the best man, and I chuckled at the possibility of the two of them dancing together during the contractually obligated wedding party dance. No special guest stars attended the nuptials. I knew that my hope for a cameo from Susan Banks was a long shot, but I was actually letting myself believe that Brandon Walker might show up to walk his sister down the aisle. But Brandon didn't show up. Instead, he sent a toy blue bunny for Nicole to use as her "something blue". Her "something old" was a set of pearls from her mom (Faye didn't show up either) and her "something new" was a bracelet from Chloe- which Nicole promptly broke. At first I thought that Nicole forgot her "something borrowed" but then I remembered that Sydney was there and Nicole did borrow her from Sami. So that counts. Whew! For a second I was worried that EJ and Nicole's wedding might be in trouble.
Speaking of people at the wedding, who the heck were all those people? The church was full, but I only recognized four guests- Sydney, Lexie, Brady and Dr. Baker (and the latter two were last minute walk-ins). Where was Lucas? His wife was the matron of honor! And Lucas could have brought Johnny. You know... EJ's other child. And who not give Mary and the rest of the staff the day off to attend the wedding? Perhaps one of Stefano's invisible six siblings could have shown up? Ok, you get it.
For a second I was worried that the writers would let the "speak now of forever hold your peace" moment go by without someone throwing their peace in Nicole's face. But Mia showed up at the end of Friday's show and demanded to speak. We'll have to wait until next week to see if Mia follows through with it, but I applauded when she showed up. Considering all of the heavy hitters- Stefano, EJ, Lexie, Victor, Sami - that Nicole has managed to snow, it's it kind of ironic that an 80 pound, 17 year-old girl is the one who presents Nicole with the most problems.
MIA
As Tony has so brilliantly pointed out in his column last week, Mia is not the brightest bulb in the bunch. It took her way too dang long to smell what Nicole's been steppin' in (which is coincidentally the same stuff that Nicole is full of). Normal thinking gals might have caught on to Nicole when she tracked down Mia from a baby broker's rolodex and offered to buy Mia's baby since the fake pregnancy pad that Nicole was wearing didn't actually produce a real child. Alas, Mia let all that slide. But after a brief meeting with Will and a few hours Googling, Mia finally question Nicole's character. Whodathunkit? Oh well, no matter how long it took Mia to catch on, at least she finally took action when she did!
She marched right up to Nicole and told her to return the baby! Nicole did her best convincing act, and by "best" I mean I wanted to flick Nicole right between the eyes for feeding Mia a load of crap about being able to care for Mia's baby. I get how Nicole can lie to everyone else. But if we're supposed to believe that Nicole's pregnancy actually changed her (which, for the record, I don't believe for a second) then I have a really hard time watching Nicole show no ounce of guilt around Mia. Nicole threw Mia's baby away for a shinier, prettier, more EJ model. I can't wait until Mia finds out that little detail. She'll probably need that news, told, written, texted, and e-mailed to her so that she actually understands it, but she'll get it!
On a side note, Will's reaction to the idea of Nicole mentoring troubled teens was awesome. Finally, a situation where his stank attitude was completely appropriate.
EJ and STEFANO
I find EJ and Stefano far less interesting when they are in perfect agreement with each other. If the writers need a yes-man for Stefano maybe they can dig Rolf out of the basement? I love me some Rolf! Anyway, Stefano said that Philip needed to die in retribution for Tony's death. EJ stalled for a bit, but ultimately agreed with Stefano. He agreed so much so that EJ took over the whole operation- giving the hit man implicit directions never to contact Stefano directly, but contact EJ instead.
With all due respect to the mobsters who read this column, (what? You don't think I got street cred?) Stefano ordering a hit on Philip is a little boring. I mean, Stefano's the guy who stores people in his basement, puts their old memories on a disc, and then re-programs them to be assassins. I would think that he would come up with something a little more creative than hiring a hit man. Although, I have to say that I'm impressed with the number of enforcers that Stefano and EJ whipped up- one to track down Philip, one to hold EJ's cell phone, and one to beat up Brady. It's like Stefano carries around a Pez dispenser of bad guys in his back pocket.
SAMI and LUCAS
Sami told Lucas the truth about Grace. The actual, real truth. But wait....there's more. Lucas didn't hit the fan when he heard the news! He actually told Sami that he wouldn't blame her if she never told EJ and yet he's proud of her for wanting to tell EJ the truth. My head almost fell off my neck. I couldn't believe what I heard. Are Sami and Lucas actually both behaving like realistic adults at the same time? Could it be that TPTB are allowing Alison Sweeney and Bryan Dattilo the opportunity to recapture some of that friendship chemistry that they do better than anyone else in the history of Days? (Sorry, Hope and Jen. I'll take Sami and Lucas's friendship any day.) Sure, Sami and Lucas are both misfits, but they're misfits with good hearts and these two should be there for each other. I would be thrilled if this friendship continued.
KATE, DANIEL, CHLOE, and MAGGIE
Despite the studio burning to the ground, Kate's Hearth and Home Talk Show, staring the lovely Chloe Horton is still a go. Maggie stepped in and offered up Chez Rouge as a set. They are going to tape their show after hours- which probably means before 4 pm or after 11 pm. Daniel is going to be one of the first guests. His segment will feature healthy food choices, which Chloe will sample. I'm resisting the urge to make a joke about Dr. Dan's special sauce. That would just be crude and I am far above that. Instead, I'm going to predict that some of that dangerous medication that Kate is so fond of makes its way into the entrees. It's an interesting plan. But, Kate is forgetting one thing. It isn't a great idea to try to kill someone in front of Daniel "Wonder Doc" Jonas. I'm thinking that Daniel will be able to save Chloe with some immediate mouth-to-mouth. (Again, that was not a crude joke. I wouldn't go there. You know me...)
LOOSE ENDS
Chelsea was happy to learn that Max had applied to medical school. I'm flat out impressed considering that Max has never attended undergrad! I'm sure it's a way to usher Darin Brooks of canvass as his primetime show has been picked up and he too will soon be leaving Days. And while I'll miss the Johnny Depp look-a-like, I do like the idea of a SORASed Max Brady returning in a few years with a medical degree to work at Salem U Hospital.
Bope's scary vision has come to fruition- sort of. Hope and Roman did make in into a hotel room alone, but it was all for the sake of an undercover drug bust. But, the actual bedtime and wedding ring removal never happened. So maybe there's more to this vision? If not, it's proof that Bo's visions can be altered if acted upon in time....hmm....
I didn't particularly care for Melanie's involvement with Brady this week. Sure, I think it's super that Brady acknowledged that he's a lot older than Melanie so those spontaneous make out sessions can not happen again. (A quick trip to Wikipedia assured me that Molly Burnett is over 18) But, her speech about how a marriage to EJ is a sure death sentence kind of came across as sour grapes from the chick who got played by the Brit. Besides, EJ didn't do anything to Melanie that she herself hasn't done to other people.
Extra Scoops:
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Did you catch Lauren Koslow in the audience during American Idol this week?
As a former Passions fan, I'm pumped to see Eric Martsolf get to play a character who is actually in on the schemes, knows what woman he wants, and goes after her.
Does anyone else watch Philip's love scene closely to see if you get a glimpse of the leg that he's supposed to be missing? Just me? Darn.
If Max isn't recast, that spells trouble for Melanie. I think it's time to start investigating Melanie's maternity ASAP. We don't know who her mom is, and if it's someone in Salem, she would have a real connection to the town.
HOT
Kate and Chris. I fell in love with Ross "The Intern" guest staring as Chris "The Assistant" the first time he was on screen last year. But, as my smartie partner Tony pointed out in his pick for Worst Guest Star of '08, the writers missed the boat by not having this fast-talking ball of stress share a scene with cool-cat Kate Roberts. But, consider that wrong righted! I love this comedic duo. I hope that Chris is back again. I can't help it. His "Chicken Little" schtick makes me laugh.
NOT
Sami and Rafe are trying my nerves. We spent almost a full year watching Sami and Lucas play out this very same storyline: Sami's boyfriend is so jealous of her association with EJ that he threatens to leave each time she mentioning EJ's name. Only this time, it's with a guy who officially isn't even Sami's boyfriend. Safe isn't a major enough couple for me to care about stupid fights over Rafe's insecurity. It's like expecting people to be devastated when the second date doesn't go well. Quite honestly, if Rafe is going to balk at this situation then he's totally not the right guy for Sami anyway. He needs to shape up and make himself more interesting right away. PS- Safe house flashbacks two days in a row?!? Booo!
LINE OF THE WEEK
Nicole: "I'm a good mother"
Mia: "No, You're an alcoholic porn star who tried to murder somebody."
Well jeez, Mia! If you're going to put it that way, it almost sounds like maybe you shouldn't have given your baby to Nicole!
"BRIING A FRIEND TO SALEM" DAY
I'm pretty sure the soap gods are smiling down on me because each year around this time, Days turns in some great episodes. I remember the time of year because it's my best friend, Jamie's birthday. As you may remember, she and her mother are the ones who introduced me to Days in the first place. So, since I'm eternally thankful/ furious with her for getting me hooked on this soap, I invite you all to spread the Days love and find one buddy to watch the show with. And, please leave me some comments on my blog to let me know how your friend enjoyed the trip! Trust me, it's the stuff that good friendships are made of.
And there you have it, Days fans. The week closed with so many questions that I'm dying to see how they play out. What do you think Mia will say? Will Sami actually tell EJ the truth? And, any chance that Philip will hire Rafe as his personal body guard? Something tells me that Dimples is going to need someone to look after him over the next few weeks. I'd of course offer to do it myself but I think I have a different interpretation of the job description. Have a great week and I'll see you back here next Monday!
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