Fight for the right

In what seemed like the longest departure in daytime, Jay Kenneth Johnson has finally left the building. Salem just lost two irreplaceable dimples...and a very talented actor, of course!

Raise your hand if you're still reeling from "Black Thursday," that dark day in Soap Land when AMC and OLTL were brutally massacred. Okay, that's a lot of hands. Now, lower those hands and use them to log onto soapcentral.com's Support Our Soaps campaign. You can simply click here or cut and past the direct link (https://www.soapcentral.com/sos/).

Please use that link. Take a few minutes to email, tweet, fax, or even send smoke signals to the networks to let them know you're an out and proud soap fan. Heck, even if DAYS is the only show you watch, do it for your fellow soap-a-holics across the board. Fans may never unanimously agree on which soap is the best (even though we clearly know it's DAYS), but we can all agree that we love our "stories." And now is the time to do what we need to do as a soap community to make sure the shows feel the love. So, tune out the naysayers and tune in to soaps. It's as simple as that.

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PHILIP In what seemed like the longest departure in daytime, Jay Ken has finally left the building. I knew the day was coming, but it still broke my frigid little heart. DAYS just lost two irreplaceable dimples. Oh, and a very talented actor, of course! Jay Ken will be missed, and I wish him nothing but the best (and a speedy return to Salem).

As for Philip's departure, well, let's break this bad boy down because I'm not sure how I feel about it as a whole. To start with, Philip had an actual exit. He even said goodbye to his parents. That's something compared to the oh-so-stellar ways exits are normally handled on DAYS, which is to say, not handled at all.

The reason for Philip's hasty retreat from Salem still hasn't settled in my ever-spinning brain. I get his logic to a point, but I wanted more. I know soaps are written and produced weeks in advance, but I still think the writers should have had enough time to craft an exit storyline that didn't leave me with whiplash. I mean, just last week Phil was Chloe's biggest cheerleader. Therefore, the about-transplanted-face was quick, even if Dimples made some valid points for needing to go.

Ultimately, what is done is done, and Philip is done with Salem, for now at least. Attempting to see the glass as half full, I'll say this: it's refreshing that an adult character took a step at bettering himself and doing what's best for his child. Sure, he should have started with a baby step, say, by simply moving out of his daddy's house, but, heck, Chicago is nice this time of year, so I say Godspeed, Philip!

Endnote: Isn't a certain Morgan Hollingsworth still in Chicago? Hint, hint, dear writers!

CHLOE Oh, Chlomeister! Drunk-dialing is never the answer. Drunk-dialing your archenemy is especially never the answer. In one dumb (but kind of amusing) move, Chloe "Say What!" Lane lost it all -- Parker, Philip's friendship, and a place to live.

Unfortunately, she got a quick fix on her living predicament when Maggie invited her to stay. I say "unfortunate" because I have a bad feeling Chloe crashing at Big Red's is going to cause big trouble for Maggie and Victor. That I don't like, especially now that Victor and Maggie are officially a couple! That news should cause me to gush. I tried to gush, but I can't. Damn you, Chloe, I can't even celebrate my Magic happiness with your dark cloud looming. Maybe Kate is right about you after all.

FAFE Poor Adrienne. She's going to have to change the Cheatin' Heart's slogan to "Bad things begin here." Not only was the Heart ground zero for Chloe's meltdown, but now Fafe is picking up skanks there. But as "Javier" and the ultra-shy Alicia headed back to Rafe and Sami's place, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Chloe had returned to the scene of the crime and they, um, commiserated? Then I thought, Chloe never does anything stupid, and moved on.

All in all, Fafe's skanky sidetrack is sure to backfire. Methinks either Dario, Will, and/or Gabi will bust him, and he'll have a lot of 'splaining to do. I'm sure Stefano will be a little miffed, as well, that Troy hasn't been "taken care of." Yep, Fafe's expiration date seems to be coming into focus. I just wonder who will finally figure things out. My money is on...

NICOLE Dig, Ms. Thang, keep digging for the answers! I know Nicole is scared to lose Johnny and Sydney time, but Nicole is at her best when she holds all the cards, and I can't wait to see her stun her loving family when she lays down a royal flush. That won't come without sacrifice for Nicole, but I'm tired of seeing her play the fool to E.J. and, especially, Taylor, whose inner conflict I just don't seem to grasp.

E.J. and TAYLOR Hey, E.J. and Taylor! Bo, Hope, Abe, and Lexie are devastated that their children are missing. While they're grieving in the living room, it might be a good time for you two to make out in the dining room. Oh, sorry, that would be inappropriate and they would never do that.

Well, I don't have much to say here. These two are kind of a-holes. When a woman gets into a car accident on the way to bury her mother, I should feel horribly sad for her. But Taylor's only concern seemed to be her dirty little secret with E.J. Ugh. Simply, ugh. My only advice to Taylor at this point is that you can't storm away after an argument with a sprained ankle.

RAFE I will give credit where credit is due. Rafe totally impressed me last week! Turning his white patient scrubs into blue doctor's garbs via a magic marker dye job was brilliant. Heck, his pickpocketing abilities were impressive, too. If only Rafe were that cooly MacGyver-ish all the time, I might actually like the guy a little more.

But the big Rafe news is this -- he's freely roaming the halls of the asylum with his magical key in hand. Let me try that again. He has the key to the safe house in hand. He doesn't know what it unlocks, but is confident it's the key to his past. I remain hopeful that the writers dig into his entire past in lieu of solely sparking his Sami memories. Although, I won't hold my breath on that one.

DARIO Before last week, I wondered if huffy Dario would do anything besides grumble a lot and respond with Napoleon Dynamite "Gosh!"-esque comebacks. Now, I'm not going soft, but I'm starting to warm up to him a bit. Seeing his vulnerable side helped a lot. I get why Fafe's rant rattled him, and I also dig his dedication to finding Ari's killer. And, amazingly enough, when he and Mel actually got on the same page, I didn't want to claw my eyes out during their scenes. He still has a long way to go, but I'm willing to invest some more time in getting to know him before I hand him an Alex North Award.

MELANIE Here's some advice. After pepper spraying someone trying to kill you, grab the nearest phone, lock yourself in a room, preferably one with a fire escape, and then dial 9-1-1. What you shouldn't do is dash for a door with a complicated lock. Also, try to avoid running through the woods while looking back. That never turns out well either.

Anyway, Mel was attacked by dreamy drug-dealer Troy. He's the one who killed Arianna. Twist! I'm pretty impressed the writers brought him back to be the scapegoat bad guy. Was it the best storyline wrap-up ever? Nope. It's one where there are loopholes you could drive a big rig through. Yep. But I'm not complaining, as I had originally thought this mystery would never be revisited. To have it solved by making the perp someone who was actually involved with Arianna was a smart move.

As for Dario being the hero, well, I think we all saw that coming. Oddly, though, I didn't mind as much as I thought I would. It was contrived, but I'm giving it a pass out of sheer exhaustion (watching E.J. and Taylor just zaps my energy).

What I will mind, however, is watching Dario vs. Brady. Those two fighting over gal-prize Melanie is so not something I look forward to. Although, if I have choice between gritting and bearing those three or another scarf flashback, I'll take the exasperating love triangle, please.

Nonetheless, Troy is now hovering in Coma Land with Jan Spears. I'm very curious to see if he'll wake up and, more so, what he'll say if he does. Troy doesn't have much more to lose, so would he sell out Stefano and E.J.? Hmm!

CARLY First I have to say I'm impressed. Carly is one hardcore pill-popping mama. She took a fistful of uppers without any water. I take a pill like a dog. You basically have to hold my mouth shut and massage my throat until it goes down. Well done, Doc Manning.

With that said, when Carly showed up at Bo and Hope's house, I was waiting for her to start singing I'm So Excited, ala Jessie Spano's caffeine pill freak-out on Saved by the Bell. She was tweaking pretty hard. Call me insensitive, but I couldn't help but crack up a little at Bo and Hope's weirded-out reactions to the most awkward situation since Nicole stood outside of a limo while her husband and sister made out.

Not so funny was Carly locking lips with Dr. Dan (and in front of Jennifer, no less)! I don't like where this is going. I'm worried the storyline will drift from the seriousness of Carly's addition to an arbitrary love triangle. That downturn would be a shame, especially since Crystal Chappell has been doing such a great job with the material so far. To see her focus switch to who's kissing who would be a waste.

BO and HOPE Okay, here's a question -- why doesn't Julie hang out at Bo and Hope's so they can go out and look for Ciara together? I know they're both upset, but Hope seems to be holding it together for the most part. In a really crazy way, it would probably be beneficial to the search party to have more people out and less people in their living rooms, at the pub, and so on. Just saying.

Even though this entire storyline is suspect, the performances have been great. I just think the writers should wrap this up. And then ship Ciara back to therapy.

ABE and LEXIE I loved nearly everything about the hospital scenes involving Abe, Lexie, and company! Overall, I'm glad the Carvers got to be the focus for a while. Their son is missing, too, after all.

What I really enjoyed was everyone rallying around Lexie. Heck, even Kate's concern seemed genuine. Granted, I could have done with a little more Stefano and Victor teaming up to find their kin. Way to ruin that, Bo Brady.

Perhaps the best part was Lexie's chutzpa! Rene Jones was on fire. I cheered when Lexie scolded her daddy dearest by telling him, "Do not turn this into the freaking Stefano DiMera show!" She was absolutely on point with her entire rant.

Of course, Abe's brilliant response to Stefano was also cheer-worthy. The majorly ticked-off mayor said, "You know, I think that's just what this situation calls for -- stupid threats." Roman should be so proud of his partner.

THEO and CIARA Here's the thing. The Ciara and Theo running away storyline is sort of like an unnecessary movie sequel, the original movie being "Ciara was kidnapped!" That movie was so-so and should have stood alone. But now we have part two. And like any good sequel the ante has been upped -- not only is one child in danger, but now there are two tykes in turmoil! [Cue dramatic music and explosion. Fade to black. End trailer.]

EXTRA SCOOPS

HOT: Do I want more Dr. Dan and Jennifer? Yes, please! These two make me miss awkward flirting and the excitement of a budding relationship. They could quite possibly give "Magic" a run for most adorable new couple in Salem. Then again, Dr. Dan and Jen aren't an official couple, but Victor and Maggie are! *squeal!*

NOT: Ay dios mio! Que estupido, estimado, escritoires! Estoy furioso! Justin y Adrienne estuvieron casados en Las Vegas y nosotros no fuimos invitados! Terrible! Whew! Sorry, I was channeling my inner Dario there for a second. Yep, the writers went there. Or, should I say, they didn't go there. Justin and Adrienne were married OFF-SCREEN! Not cool at all. I am seriously disappointed. Spoiler alert: look for this rant to make an appearance in December during the Fifth Annual Alex North Memorial Awards.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Creepy Doctor (to Rafe on his inpatient therapy): "We feel it helps your self-esteem to glue macaroni on things and then spray paint them."

Honorable Mentions: Kate (to Chloe regarding her road to recovery): "Oh, Hallelujah! Let me rent Chez Rouge. I can throw you a 'you go, girl you're back on your meds' party." Victor (to Chloe): "Go self-destruct on your own time."

RANDOMNESS... Ari Zucker not only rocked her performances last week, but she looked amazing doing so!

Also looking amazing were Wally Kurth and Judi Evans. I swear they get better-looking every time they appear on-screen.

I think Justin and Daniel need to hang out more often, especially if that means more Jennifer and Adrienne bonding time.

Jay Ken and the baby were all shades of cute.

Who knew milk helped with pepper spray?

Ciara sure bounced back from her head injury. I guess she shares the same mutant healing powers as Caroline, who recovered from her stroke in record time.

Speaking of quick recoveries, Chloe sobered up faster than a speeding bullet! If she wants money, she simply needs to market her sobriety formula. She'd make a killing from college students shuffling their way to class with hangovers (or still drunk).

PARTING THOUGHTS... So, friends and DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of April 25. Laurisa will be back next week to cover which new inappropriate places E.J. and Taylor have made out in. She'll also be taking tabs on who participated in "Take a Friend to Salem Day." And, "That's a fact!"

As always, thanks for reading! Tony

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