Crazy like a fox: Two Scoops True Crime Edition

Are Charlie's #DAYS numbered? Could Tripp be the witness that makes Allie's case? And did Gwen murder Laura? Let's discuss all the crimes in this edition of Two Scoops!

I love Allie spending more time with Marlena! This allows us to see moments of Allie actually healing. I loved her telling her grandma how, just now, she's able to look at Henry and not see his father.

We'll get to that "father" in a minute, but first, we need to talk about a good father. Lucas is back! That hug with Allie was precious! And I giggle with delight each time he references his grandson by first and middle name. Lucas also apologized to Tripp, which is a scene I undoubtedly did not need to see. Rubbing the nose of the woman or people to believe the woman (and the evidence!) in it is gross. But, sure. Cool. Tripp said he understood why Lucas did it, which was the absolute right thing for Tripp to do. Then, Tripp got angry when he heard that Charlie was insisting things were consensual.

That brings me to my big question with this storyline. Tripp is a witness. Can't he testify to Allie's state? Can't he bring up all the things Charlie said to him? I feel like this case isn't as hopeless as everyone seems to think it is.

Then again, if the case were easy, we wouldn't be looking forward to a whodunnit when Charlie is probably, maybe, possibly murdered. I don't read spoilers, so I don't know for sure. But Lucas, Ben, and Ava have all made threats to Charlie's face. Kate, John, Roman, Tripp, Nicole, and Allie aren't holding tickets for the Charlie Praise Fest, either. He seems to be actively trying to make Gwen mad. Victor made some sort of deal with the Vitalis to get Philp off the hook. (I wonder if disposing of the bad seed could be payment?) And let's not forget that Sami is still on her way back to town. If he is alive when that happens, Chuck may wish he were dead!

For now, Charlie is sticking to his story that everything that happened that night was consensual. He also said he let his brother go up against rape charges because he was scared of losing Claire if the truth came out that he'd had a one-night-stand with Allie. What a prince, this one. Sheesh. Claire's so outraged that he's going to get away with the whole thing that she's probably going to set up a time to meet with him and try to get him to confess. This is not a good idea, especially when her cop dad and fairy-godfather/protector-bestie are focused on rescuing Ciara.

I think we all knew this was the case, but it's been nice to see her back on this mortal coil (sorry). Involving the Orpheus clan in this whole storyline is a nice touch. Rhodes's death was truly scary, but seeing Christian emerge and greet Ciara was downright terrifying. This is the first time I'm literally worried for Ciara's safety!

With the help of Clyde (It's always a pleasure to see James Reed!), Ben and Shawn quickly uncover Rhodes and almost track him down. They're about five months too late at that location, which makes me wonder. Where is Ciara being kept? Did Vincent build a stand-alone torture house, complete with plexiglass storage for Ciara and separate living quarters for Rhodes? Or, since Rhodes was being paid so well, did he ditch his humble old digs and buy himself a fancy new place and commute to work? If so, does he have a pet that someone is going to take care of now that he's gone? So many questions!

Speaking of questionable plot points, let's talk Laura's death. It's been a topic of debate. Personally, I side with the fans who aren't exactly devastated about Laura's death. I'm pretty indifferent to it. If anything, I hope it means that Gwen will finally be held accountable for something she did. Could they maybe have sent Laura into a coma rather than kill her? Sure. But I'm not furious, by any means, because she got some juicy material to play, and the repercussions are starting to get good.

By that, I specifically mean Abigail and Gabi teaming up. Yes! I love it when soaps make enemies into allies. Kate and Sami ended up being one of my favorite duos. Abigail and Gabi are along the same lines! The scene where Gabi rightfully scolded Abigail on her inability to apologize was a little slice of awesome. Abigail needed to be called out on that, but Gabi didn't linger on the point. More importantly, Killer Miller and Camila Banus have fantastic chemistry.

I can't wait to see what they have planned for Gwen -- a character who is so not my cup of tea that I fist-pumped at something Julie said! Yes, Jules. Not everyone with a bad childhood gets to claim a pass on being a terrible person. You are correct! Gwen's treatment of Abigail was misguided at best. It's more that it was downright cruel. Guys, Gwen is a bad guy.

I'm not convinced she didn't kill Laura. We didn't see the scene. All we have is Gwen's word. Seeing her cry in the cemetery didn't soften me at all toward her, either. If she had gone after Jack to begin with, maybe I could see it. But she went after Abigail -- knowing Abigail was her sister -- for revenge and spite. It's the same rage she had when lamenting that the paper didn't print Laura's Big Secret -- a.k.a. Gwen's motive -- in the story about her death. Sane people would consider that a blessing, but this is Gwennie we're talking about here.

LOOSE ENDS: Nicole begged to have Ava move in with Rafe. She thinks Rafe is a good influence on Ava. To be fair, Ursula the Sea Witch would still be a good influence on Ava because the Vitali family is not one of great standing. I'm a lot more intrigued by a potential Rafe/Nicole/Ava triangle than a Chloe/Brady/Philip one. But I had to wonder why Nicole didn't think to hire Ben for the job. Not only did he run security for DiMera, but Charlie is genuinely terrified of the guy.

Kristen's plan to protect her relationship with Brady is to trust in their connection and do all she can to support him, focusing on their daughter. Kidding. Of course, it isn't. Kristen is trying to guilt Susan into swapping places with her so that Kristen can...I don't know exactly. Poison Chloe? Pretend to have another woman's face again to trick Brady into sleeping with her? I sort of hope Susan does agree to it so that maybe, just maybe, Brady will wake up and smell the crazy. Kristen's just petty and mean now -- body shaming Chloe and guilt-tripping Susan. She's in jail for a crime she actually committed. I find her long-suffering plight impossible to buy.

Xander and Sarah's joint proposal was utterly adorable. I love that she wanted to propose to him. It's very Monica Bing of her. It's very rare for a soap character who's been on-screen for as long as Xander has to have only one love interest. I really like these two together. Maybe they can join in the hunt for Ciara! They cracked the Ava/Philip/mob case pretty fast!

While I'm still not sure why Victor shoulder-shrugged off Philip's entire attempt to turn Titan into a mob money-laundering scheme, putting Jake vs. Philip could be very interesting! However, no, I will not buy it if Kate goes to work for DiMera and battles her own son. Kate's made her brand on managing her kids' lives. She could have easily taken on Titan if Xander or (especially) Victor were at the head. But not Philip. Nope. No way.

Anticipating her return from the hospital, Tripp stocked Ava's fridge, changed her locks, and loaded movies on the TV. He says he's moving in with her, too. Man, for Tripp's sake, I really hope Ava comes through. I've got a fondness for the blonde one. A relationship with Allie may follow in some Stayla footsteps! Sorry, Charlie.

We're still waiting to see what awaits Viv in jail. First up, she battled with Kristen over how Viv has treated Lani. See, Lani and Kristen can be friends, but there's no way Brady and Chloe can be friends. Got it, KD!

HOT I was here for all of Gwen's speech to Charlie, pointing out that women do not make up accusations of sexual assault for attention. You know it's bad when one of the more sociopathic characters we've seen in a while is still with it enough to call out the utter ridiculata of what Charlie is doing. I didn't think I'd ever find a time to cheer on Gwen, but her line, "Crazy, or a man-hater. Or an attention whore, or just a regular whore, because we all know she's not telling the truth, right?" was dripping with so much sarcasm and intolerance. Emily O'Brien gift-wrapped that line and delivered it with utter perfection. For a second, I though the show was going to take it full circle and have Charlie tell Gwen who his girlfriend was! If Gwen has any shred of redeemability, it's through her friendship with Claire. Gwen's stuck up for her in the past. Hopefully, she'll get to do it again!

NOT: Listen here, Ben and Claire. The next time you want to bring people in on your hunt for Ciara, lead with the evidence that Ciara called Ben. Leave the phantom fortune cookie, the Susan sance, and the Shakespeare saga out of the discussion. That stuff sounds weird!

LINE OF THE WEEK: Xander (as part of the cute double proposal): "I'm on my knees, unemployed, apparently unengaged -- I'm not really in a 'cake' kind of place right now!" Never change, you two. Also, always accept diamonds from Xander. Dude knows his stuff!

Honorable mention: Nicole (specifying how long Ava would stay with Rafe):"Just until they lock up her other son. You know, the one who wants her dead."

RANDOM THOUGHTS Pancakes sound like a good Valentine's Day.

How dare you, Kristen? Ice cream melting is a very big deal!

I adore me some Shawn-D, but I think he was off base a bit with how he was scolding Abigail. She has a legit beef with Gwen. This wasn't petty fighting on Abigail's part.

Can we talk about the curling iron Kristen has in prison? Amazing!

While sitting alone with Charlie, Gwen said no sane woman would be alone with him. That checks out.

Really? Marlena doesn't know eggs have an expiration date?

Sarah's cake was cute! No way do I believe Xander eats carbs, though.

Is Ivan under arrest? If not, why not?

Does Ben get to see David?

Ava mocked the "mommy didn't love him enough" line, and I want to know how I can get her to say that to Gwen's face.

That's it for this week! Tony will be back next week to hopefully guide us on a house tour of the place Vincent was holding Ciara. Hopefully, there's a nice wine fridge. That would be a good touch! Thanks for reading!

Laurisa

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