Better late than never

Philip only has eyes for Belle -- whoops! MEL! He only has eyes for Mel. But Mel's in love with Shawn-Douglas, too. Drats! Nathan. Mel's in love with Nathan, too. We've seen this before.

I'm shocked. I mean, utterly shocked. DAYS finally got Sweepsy last week! Um, Sweepsier? Sweepsiest? Alright, I'm not sure about the term. And although the show was bit late to the game, I'm happy DAYS picked up the storyline ball and decided to run with it, given this is February Sweeps and all.

Well, technically, the show only picked up one storyline ball, but let's not dwell on that just yet because there was another shocker -- a couple in Salem actually made it down the aisle, through the ceremony, and said "I do" without any major catastrophes (sans that wedding dress itself). I think that's a first for DAYS. So, let's put on our formal wedding attire, grab some bubbly, and discuss.

PHILIP, MELANIE, and COMPANY

Now, I won't lie -- I'm not the biggest "Phelanie" fan. In fact, I'm not really one at all. I like Mel. I like Philip. I just don't like Mel AND Philip. But, ironically, I did like their wedding and all the drama surrounding it. For starters, I thought the attendance was great. It seemed to be the largest gathering of characters since...since...well, since...no, during Mickey's memorial, half of the folks were in "the other room"...hmm. Okay, it was a large gathering, and it was great!

Abe -- you remember him, Lexie's husband -- was there and even officiated the ceremony. Oh, and he was there with Lexie! Yes, the two of them were in the same scenes. Shocking, I know.

On the flip, I wasn't too shocked that Bo "I Miss Weddings" Brady wasn't there, as the dude never seems to make it to any of Salem's nuptials, but Stefano and Kate showed up. Will, Allie, and Mia weren't forgotten. The obligatory random extras joined the happy couple. And Maggie arrived despite a case of the blues.

Admittedly, I'm a big softy for "Big Red and Mel" moments, so I was all gushy about that. Of course, Philip's vows to Melanie were also gush-worthy. They were cheesy and sappy and perfectly soapy. However, unfortunately for Philip, we've seen this scenario before. And, thanks to Stephanie, history just might repeat itself.

You see, Philip only has eyes for Belle -- whoops! MEL! He only has eyes for Mel. But Mel's in love with Shawn-Douglas, too. Drats! I meant Nathan. Mel's in love with Nathan, too. The solution seems like a no-brainer -- Mel should open up to her men. And she did, but Mimi Stephanie decided to keep the truth about Claire's paternity a secret the letter, thus thwarting Mel's openness. Whoops!

I'll be honest, I'm glad Stephanie's tapping into her inner bitch. She's already more interesting than the faux-goody two-shoes we're used to seeing. Yet when one really examine things, she wasn't THAT nice to begin with.

Stephanie's always been a bit of a demanding, self-righteous, obnoxious girly-girl who's used to getting her way. But now she's not getting her way by simply batting her eyelashes. So she chose to fight dirty. That didn't seem like such a hard choice for her despite her moment of pause. It's like her wickedness was simmering under the surface this entire time. And I for one am glad it's bubbling out.

Overall, Sweetness Jr. needed something -- anything -- to make her character more interesting. This bad-girl shtick might just do the trick. And the eventual potential payoff of Stephanie getting taken down a few more pegs when Mel, Nathan, and/or Philip berate her is just a win/win all around. Conversely, I'm still not sure why she agreed to be in the wedding in the first place seeing that Philip is her ex-fianc of less than a year and she doesn't really like Mel, but I digress.

Of course, the wedding itself wouldn't have even happened if it weren't for one man -- Victor! He got to play the unsung hero. I'm not surprised that he saved Mel, as her death would have hurt Philip, but I'm surprised it played out the way it did. I was expecting Mel to be poisoned and perhaps had Nathan or Carly save the day. Victor saving the day is much better in my book.

Finally, all of the flurrying and fluttering about before the wedding was entertaining. Okay, most of it was. Truth be told, some of the Viv and Mel scenes could've been streamlined a little, but I enjoyed them nonetheless because I enjoy the actresses.

With that said, the other flurrying and fluttering was great. Gus certainly proved to be more than a patsy -- he's an all-out creep. Carly vs. Vivian was downright awesome. Bravo to Crystal and Louise! And I loved that Lucas was running interference for Philip. It was great to see Bryan do what he does best -- adding a few laughs to the show. More, please!

HOPE and ABE I purchased a Thank-You card for Abe if anyone would like to sign it. Yes, Mr. Mayor is officially my new hero. He slapped Hope with some much-needed tough love and, I loved it. His advice -- work on your marriage and think of Ciara first. Yes, good advice, indeed.

And let's face it, Abe actually is the best person to give advice on the matter. Not only is he best friends with Bo and Hope, which means he only has their best interests at heart, but the guy knows a thing or two (or three affairs) about having to work on a strained marriage. He's pretty much an expert at this point.

In fact, I wouldn't have blamed Abe if he just laughed in Hope's face and said, "Really, Hope!? Lexie slept with my son, a fellow cop, and flirted with my brother and we're still together. What's your problem again?" But he took the high road, and it seemed to sink in. Here's to hoping! I'm also hoping that Hope is on a little road I like to call redemption. Abe's advice seemed to sink in, but she seemed generally more palatable last week. A lot of that had to do with her being back on the force. I've always enjoyed Detective Fancy Face. She's smarter, ballsier, and generally more likeable, than the current incarnation of Hope. Again, here's to hoping Hope wises up!

E.J. and ANNA

Holy tired of this storyline, Batman! I'm down to two thoughts about Sydney's kidnapping, week 2,384. One, I'm still thrilled Leann Hunley's back. I continue to blindly hope she'll be asked to stick around once the abduction-smoke has cleared.

Two, I really hope that smoke clears soon. Aside from seeing Anna in all her awkward fabulousness, I've seen pre-global warming glaciers move faster than this storyline is moving right now. "Right now" being during Sweeps, for goodness' sakes! Love her or hate her, at least things were never boring when Nicole was around. *Sigh*

RAFE and SAMI

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I think Sami's definition of a miracle is a bit askew. Sure, Rafe figuring out how to tie his shoes Sydney was really Sami and E.J.'s daughter was a bit miracle-ish. But Rafe and Sami reuniting for the umpteenth time? Sorry, Sami, I hardly call that a miracle. That routine is about as played out as Carly grabbing her toys and threatening to go home.

In general, I can't stand when couples break up and make up every five minutes. It's a bit tedious and eye-roll inducing in real life and a lot tedious and eye-roll inducing on TV. And also so much "fun" for the people who are forced to watch the stale drama unfold again and again...and again.

However, I think it was Rafe's line, "When we were apart..." that was the clincher for me. Um, right. My only thought was, "When you were apart for those entire five minutes -- is that the 'time apart' you were talking about, Rafe?" Good grief. Enough with the filler already, dear writers. LOOSE ENDS

Go, Lexie! I was glad she's not letting Stefano off the hook so easily for lying to E.J. Actually, I'm impressed. The writers took the time to craft E.J. and Lexie's relationship and didn't let it fall through the cracks. Thumbs up!

However, I'm not as enthusiastic about Dr. Duh and Chloe's bun in the oven. I've come to hate Chloe a little less lately, but if any two characters shouldn't reproduce, it's those two. They're going to have book-smart, common-sense-devoid, doe-eyed cheaters who grunt a lot and get lost in steamy daydreams at the drop of a hat. I fear for the future of Salem.

Speaking of fears, and although I appreciated the writers' attention to detail, I got chills and became a bit queasy when Justin handed the phone to Philip and announced it was dumb ol' Austin. Why can't the writers just "Cassie" him? And with that, I'm heading back to my Austin-less happy place. EXTRA SCOOPS

HOT

DAYS might not be winning any awards for speedy storylines, but it's definitely tickling my funny bone! As soon as Carly slipped and they cut to Victor in the next scene, I started to crack up -- I knew his reaction was bound to be hilarious, and it was. As were the catty jabs exchanged between Lucas and Stefano. And Stefano's faux-kung fu stance!? Brilliant!

NOT

Perhaps this isn't the "Not-iest" thing that happened last week, but if the writers expect us to actually root for Dr. Dan, they need to stop writing him as such a complete and utter douchebag. I mean, really, it's sort of a general rule of thumb that the person who steals your significant other and breaks up your marriage shouldn't ask you for a favor -- any favor, large or small. Dr. Dan's request was downright laughable. Maybe Chloe should have thought of Allie before cruising down Whore Street into Lover Ville. Nope, I don't feel so bad for Chloe at all. And, sure, Allie might be upset now, but someday she'll realize she dodged a big VD-laden bullet. And I don't mean Valentine's Day.

LINE OF THE WEEK:

Victor (to Philip) "In many ways, marriage is like a leaky canoe. The two of you can paddle like hell, but you'll still sink."

Honorable Mentions: Stefano (to Kate): "I'm always nice to Philip. It drives him crazy." And Melanie, "Vivian, you need to dial it down."

RANDOMNESS...

I'm fairly certain that Ciara-Scissorhands and Allie-Oop were upstairs chain smoking, sipping sloe gin, and bitching about their screwed-up lives. Why didn't Billie phone home? I suspect "lurking in the background" is on Lexie's resume.

More Maxine, please! Is anyone else a little bored seeing the same sets over and over?

Why was Nathan carrying a motorcycle helmet? And, if he has a bike, why didn't he ride it through the Kiriakis' living-room window to stop the wedding? Didn't he learn anything from his cousin, Shawn-Douglas?

THIS Casting Spoiler continues to make me giddy!

PARTING THOUGHTS...

So, friends and DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of February 15th. As Laurisa's absolutely NOT locked in the basement of an old warehouse because she killed my pet parakeet and I want revenge, I'll be back next week to Scoop. But don't worry, she'll be back in two weeks to wrap up Sweeps and usher us into all the madness of March. And, "That's a fact!"

Need more Two Scoops? Head over to read blogs by Laurisa or Tony for more ranting, raving and all-out randomness

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