I dos and I don'ts

In an interesting twist, Rafe wasn't the most annoying Hernandez last week. Arianna seems to be getting more irritating as Lindsay Hartley gets closer to exiting the show.

I love soaps. I have my entire life. I can't even remember a time when DAYS wasn't one of my regularly scheduled programs. I watched Another World and Santa Barbara until they were canceled. I also watched all three years of Sunset Beach. And I've dabbled in most of the shows currently on the air. Yep, I love soaps and I'm not ashamed to admit that.

Ironically, part of loving a soap is also being driven mad by them at times. And my fair DAYS frustrated me last week. It seems like a lot of storylines only have one point to drive home and that's it. There's not much overlapping. There's hardly any layering. And I think that's hurting the flow of things. So, please bear with me as I nitpick my way through the darker side of DAYS.

DR. DAN, CHLOE, MELANIE, CARLY, PHILIP, and COMPANY I'll come right out and admit that I was disappointed in this storyline last week. Sure, part of me was happily surprised that a Salem wedding actually took place, but I think things are starting to get a little ridiculous. And by a "little," I mean a lot.

Here's the thing. Currently, ten characters know about Philip and Chloe's affair. Here's the roll call: Philip, Chloe, Carly, Melanie, Nathan, Steph, Kayla, Nicole, Ian, and Father Matt. I might even be missing a few. Victor certainly won't be shocked when he finds out. I even suspect he already suspects that something's up, thanks to Philip, who will be known as "Captain Obvious" going forward. And so at this point, Dr. Dan is the only one who didn't get the newsletter, and it's starting to make him look ridiculous.

To avoid that mistake, the current writers only needed to dig into the DAYS history books. They could have even skipped ahead to Chapter 42, "Everyone Knew About Philip and Belle's Affair But Shawn-Douglas." That wasn't fun to watch back then, and it's not fun to watch the replay now. The scenario simply makes normally smart characters look silly.

However, what made the Philip/Belle affair upsetting is because I cared about Shawn-D. I've warmed up to Dr. Dan, especially since he broke up with his highlights, but I wouldn't say I'm ready to send him an Edible Arrangement for his birthday just yet. After all, it wasn't that long ago that he was an unlikable man-whore. Therefore, there's a bit of karma that's being played forward, which keeps me from feeling too bad for him.

The current writers could have also leafed through Chapter 12, "Mike Horton's Paternity." That secret literally went on for years...and years. I don't want to see this particular storyline go on for that long, but I think it would behoove the writers to give it a little breathing room. Throw it on the back burner. Let it simmer unnoticed for a bit while the characters involved do other things. Then, just when the audience nearly forgets, rock Dr. Dan's world by exposing things. That would be a nice payoff instead of the constant rounds of guilt and near misses.

To back up my claim, let's take Philip, for example. Aside from dashing up the stairs to save Melanie from Vivian -- a feat I'm still not entirely sure how he pulled off so gracefully given his injuries -- he's basically danced in circles with Chloe for an entire year over this secret. That's a huge injustice to the character, especially when that character is the son of Victor Kiriakis and Kate Roberts, who was carried by Vivian Alamain, and whose stepfather is Stefano DiMera. Methinks he could have more on his plate at this point. To boot, we know Jay Ken can acting-multitask rather well, so, dear writers, give the man more material to play with.

Finally, I'm disappointed that Mel stayed quiet. I get her reasons. I really do. And I loved that she made it clear to Chloe she wasn't happy about her decision. But I wasn't happy about it either. I know Mel didn't want to hurt Dr. Dad, but, again, it's just coming off as lame now that he's practically the only one not to know.

E.J., SAMI, RAFE, WILL, and ARIANNA I'm not entirely sure why, but I was a bit bored with this storyline last week. I think getting E.J. up and out of the hospital bed was a nice step in the right direction, but I'm not eager for another round of Sami and E.J. trying to out-hurt each other right now. Like with Philip, I think E.J. and Sami need more to do than duke it out. A career for Sami? Rehab for E.J., perhaps. Moral of the story, these characters are too vibrant for rinse and repeat.

In other news, Rafe quit the FBI so there wouldn't be a conflict of interest. This is interesting. And could be made more interesting if he and, say, Hope teamed up to start a private detective agency once she's out of the slammer.

Then again, I'm not sure I should make that suggestion. Hope is suffering enough in jail, and teaming her up with annoying old Rafe might put her over the edge. I kid. I kid. But I do wonder what he'll do for money, considering he has Sami and four kids to feed, plus payments on his ultra cool condo. I'm guessing Sami will have to make another withdrawal from the Bank of Marlena.

And in an interesting twist, Rafe wasn't the most annoying Hernandez last week. Is it just me, or is Arianna getting more irritating the closer Lindsay Hartley gets to exiting the show? In any event, Ari knows Sami's secret and rushed to tell E.J. I understand her loyalty to him. He had stood beside her during her struggles. Of course, he was playing her, but, I digress, she doesn't know that. The thing that bothers me about Arianna is something that always has -- her character is inconsistent and underdeveloped. I hate to say it, but I won't be sad to see her go.

Okay, now that those complaints have been filed, I'm going to a happier place...

HOPE, BO, and COMPANY Oh, Fancy Face -- you're back! I must say, I enjoyed Hope's "pink tutu" advice. I have a feeling I'm going to use that a lot. It seems like a nice stress reliever. I also loved that Theo had Ciara's back! That was awesome. Those pintsized Salemites could probably teach the adults a thing or two about friendship.

All and all, this storyline is what it is, but I don't mind what it is at all. I've enjoyed seeing Robin Mattson grace my screen, and I continue to wonder what makes Lee such a shady lady. Of course, I will get tired if each and every inmate tells a story of a man doing them wrong, hence why they're in jail. That could get old, but we'll cross that bridge if we come to it. In the meantime, I'll keep swooning over Robin and, as long as Hope continues to pay for her crimes a while longer and we get to see her struggles as she copes, I'm in.

VIVIAN and GUS For starters, I really want to sign up for whatever wireless service Vivian uses. Sometimes I can't get a call in my living room. She gets service -- via a remote control, no less -- in a sarcophagus. That's impressive.

Anyway, Gus man-servanted up and rushed to Viv's rescue! There was only one hitch. He was knocked out before he could free her. Victor did mention going to the mausoleum, so I have to wonder if he struck Gus. Hmm!

If that turns out to be true, that could mean Victor knows about Vivian's premature burial. The only thing that worries me about that is Maggie. Vic might love the idea, but I have a feeling that will only knock him off his white horse in Maggie's eyes. And I'm not ready for my favorite new almost-couple to split for good!

LOOSE ENDS Last week had more of Kayla basically calling Stephanie a desperate, needy hosebeast. Okay, I added the "needy" and "hosebeast" parts. Nevertheless, Kayla continued to call Sunroof Steph out, and I continued to love it! My only hope is that we get to see Kayla spread her charm around town a little more. After all, no one deserves to be stuck in a room with Stephanie all day.

I love that E.J. and Kate had a bit of a showdown! James and Lauren have fun chemistry. I'd like to see Kate take a more active role in DiMera Enterprises. It would be fun to watch them spar in the boardroom from time to time with Stefano as the referee. But who am I kidding? Doctors, cops, and teens are the only ones who work in Salem!

So, Will and Gabi are going to homecoming together. It's been interesting to watch their relationship blossom and grow. They have great -- oh, huh? RIGHT! They haven't shared a scene in months. Never mind.

Something you can do to get to know Gabi a little better - well, at least the new actress who plays her -- is to check out Soap Central Live's interview with Camila Banus! The show aired last Friday and, in case you missed it live, just click on the link and enjoy! Also be sure to check out Dan's other indexed interviews with soap stars, daytime experts, and even a few of your (*cough cough*) faithful Two Scoopers. And don't worry, your boss won't mind if you listen at work -- consider it supporting the arts!

EXTRA SCOOPS

HOT: I nearly fell off my chair -- Hope mentioned Shawn-Douglas AND Claire! Granted, she didn't actually say their names. She simply recognized she had a son other than Zach and a granddaughter. Given Shawn-D and Claire have barely been mentioned since they left -- not even at Alice's funeral, mind you -- I'm thrilled at the baby steps the writers are taking to acknowledge their presence.

NOT: I feel entirely cheated that we missed out on seeing all the Kiriakis men together! In fact, I'm convinced the writers have an inside joke about writing Bo out of family gatherings. That has to be the case. I mean, really, he missed another wedding? The guy better be sending some mad gifts in his absence. In related news, just how late was Justin running!?

LINE OF THE WEEK: Maggie (to Victor): "You know, that mind of yours must have a lot of pieces. You give them out so liberally."

Honorable Mentions: Dr. Dan (to Victor): "A happy wedding. Should be a learning experience for you."

Nicole (to Chloe, regarding her affair): "The truth would have been great four months ago. " Well said, Nikki!

RANDOMNESS... Sorry Oz, but Salem has the prettiest inmates ever.

Set your watches and grab your tumblers -- Victor has officially declared it's "cocktail hour!"

I think Melissa Horton/Lisa Trusel needs to pay another visit to Salem.

I have to agree with Rafe and Sami. He did pick a cool apartment.

Rafe brought up Mama Hernandez again. Who is this lady? And in an interesting turn of events, I think she's been officially mentioned more than Marlena, John, Belle, and Shawn-D combined!

PARTING THOUGHTS... So, friends and DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of October 18th. Laurisa will be back next week to report if anyone else learns Philip and Chloe's secret, you know, aside from Dr. Dan. She'll also report on who struck Gus! 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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