Goodbye, my friend

Everybody's had a week in Salem! Gabi was hit with the harsh truth about Stefan and Ava. The Hortons and DiMeras were hit by the shocking truth that Abigail is alive! And Sarah was hit by a car driven by her new drunken mother-in-law! Let's keep the hits coming in this week's weary DAYS Two Scoops, as we also say goodbye to a very special soap legend!

It's ironic that in a week when we welcomed "Abigail" home (maybe and sort of), "goodbye" is the theme of my column again. A few Two Scoops back, my heart broke a bit writing a fond farewell to Arianne Zucker and Greg Vaughan. Writing this one is an even bigger heartbreak.

My boss. My mentor. My friend. The creator and the heart of Soap Central, Dan J Kroll is stepping away from the site. Please take a moment to watch his statement, if you haven't already.

This week's column will be my last journey with Dan here. In addition to, you know, establishing the entire site, Dan's delightfully twisted brain is also the one that comes up with the graphics for each article. Oh, the fun we've had together going back and forth to concoct the perfect blend of bizarre and brilliant! I will miss that. I will miss him, but like the sun, we may not see it every day, but it is there. Always. And Dan's touch on the soap world will forever be warm and radiant.

Everything that is Soap Central, Dan built from scratch. From a beta site to discuss All My Children to the site as you know it today, that was all Dan. His unimaginable hard work, his unmatched dedication, his passion for the genre, and his commitment to creating a safe space where all fans can come together is inspiring. It was an extraordinary endeavor that he shared so lovingly with the soap world.

Knowing Dan as I do, the only compensation he's ever needed was the joy of fans coming together. We have. He's created a legacy. And as fans, we may not always agree, but we love our genre hard, and Dan gave us a place to be informed, to share, and to make lasting relationships with other diehards who champion their shows and favorite characters just as much. Soap Central hasn't been just a website for most of us. It's been a safe space. It's been a home. It is and always will be the house that Dan built.

I remember one of the first things Dan said to me when I became a Two Scooper. Always give your honest opinion, of course, but find the positive, too. Don't just complain. That'll make people wonder, "Why does this person even watch the show if they don't seem to like it!?" I took that advice to heart with each column, and I have applied it to my daily life, as well. Find joy. Find the positive. Celebrate happiness.

Working with Dan at Soap Central over the last 17 years has certainly made me happy. There's never been a Two Scoops gone by when I didn't feel humbled and honored to be part of this soap family. A place where I finally felt I fit in. This column has allowed me to celebrate joy, positivity, and happiness, especially during some of the darker times in life when I needed that light to keep me going.

The opportunity to share my thoughts on DAYS with everyone who has read them over the years has been a blessing I will always hold near and dear to my heart. I adore you all. And to get to create content for Dan (along with Laurisa and our editor, Lisa, both of whom have such a large portion of my heart, as well), well, I'm one lucky DAYS fan and wordy writer.

I'm not sure yet what my future with Soap Central will look like without Dan. I guess we could consider it a "Friday Cliffhanger." I might be back with a new face and convenient DNA test result. There might be a cardboard cutout of me filling in. It might just be rambley old me. Or we might end up meeting again in some hidey hole in Poplar Bluff, a test tube in a lab on Megan Thee DiMera's private island, or even a giant golden birdcage in a Parisian tunnel. In the soap world, you never know, and that's the joy of it.

Funny enough, Leo Stark spoke recently about reinventing oneself. I agree with him. We should all be afforded a new start. I love Dan. I'm so very proud of him for embracing his needs -- his next chapter. Following your bliss is a brave thing, and I wish nothing but blissful days ahead for Dan all the days of our lives.

LOOSE ENDS:

To continue to focus on the sunnier side of life, I didn't get struck by a car driven by my new drunk-in-law last week. I didn't get cheated on while I was wrongfully imprisoned. Oh, and I didn't wake up to Special K and RACH3L on my doorstep. So. There's that.

Poor Sarah! That said, did the entire scene have a "steamroller guy" from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery vibe to it? Like, get out of the way! In the time Sarah was looking at the car, I had two plates of French fries from the Brady Pub and one of Maggie's lemon bars, and I showed "Abigail" where Stefano kept the good Limoncello. I mean, I feel bad for Sarah. That.

Seriously, though, I do feel for Sarah and her loved ones. And what beautifully acted scenes! That's hardly a surprise from the lot of Suzanne Rogers, Paul Telfer, and Linsey Godfrey, though. They're the goat.

Still, as much as there's delicious drama there, I feel like Fiona falling off the wagon and into the driver's seat was a bit rushed. Dame Cook is a complicated woman. We know she has an edge. Did it have to be shown just how sharp she can be so soon? The eventual truth emerging will be hard for Xander, but I can only imagine the impact had we seen their connection grow more and then she made such a tragic mistake.

Well. Fiona made a mistake by hitting Sarah, but she straight-up sucks for framing Brady. I don't like this entire "off the wagon" storyline for him, and it's getting worse. Now Kristen is involved. She's going to love throwing RACH3L at his latest mistakes. I hope that Paul sticks around Salem to help his brother. He'll need it.

I also suspect the waiter at Small Bar that Brady had a tiff with is going to play into things further. Like, Fiona will pay him off to say that he saw Brady driving. There just seemed to be too much lingering for it to be a one-off bit.

Does it matter in the long haul? It's safe to assume that Connie saw Fiona hit Sarah and will either blackmail or murder her. That seems to be a summer 2024 trend.

I think I'm decent at "Soap Math" at this point. Let's try out this equation. One positive DNA match to Jack. One daughter who now has money and a lot of mean-spiritedness about her. Plus, a lot of Leo gabbing about Gwen lately. Did the former Ms. Rizzy-Chick use her Von Leuschner windfall to hire Dr. Rolf to give her a new face to get payback on old enemies!? This wouldn't surprise me, especially after "Abigail" made that cryptic call at the end of Friday's episode (and the "So, I guess Abigail's home" comment on Wednesday).

While Gwen is an option, Jack was hardly a virgin before he met Jennifer. We know he bedded Gwen's mom, but I'm sure he had other trysts. Is "Abigail" the product of such an affair?

I am also going to need Jennifer to do a DNA test. She would want to be certain, right? This seems like a no-brainer, but I think the heart is going to win over the head on this one. Then again, there's also the fact that DNA tests could be altered. That may have happened at Salem University Hospital a time or 20.

Of course, this woman could be the real deal. Maybe Abs is the latest pawn. I wouldn't even put it past someone in the DiMera family to want a mole to infiltrate the rest of the gang for stocks, bonds, or just old-fashion revenge. Maybe the person on the other end of the phone hated the Hortons, too. I know one man who wouldn't mind seeing some of his family or Jack and Jennifer pay, and that's Peter Blake! Is he the mastermind!? I need to know.

I was into Chad and Stefan's conversation after "Abigail" left. First, Billy Flynn and Brandon Barash deserve a Wayne's World chant of "We're not worthy!" They're that brilliant.

Second, I enjoyed the lighter brotherly banter at first, even Stefan's familiarity with coming back from the dead, but I applauded when Chad slung back with, "When you raped her!?" The show not shying away from this is a smart move. Fans remember these things. They should be addressed.

Also, I applaud Tate and Holly for having that honest discussion about sex. I'm glad they agreed to wait. Their first time together (and in general) should be special. Though it makes me wonder if the writers have something nefarious planned for them now. Maybe Connie will go 21 Jump Street and pose as a teenage girl to break them up.

Speaking of Connie, Melinda fired her from DiMera Enterprises! As much as I love this, I loathe this, too. This means Mel is even further up on Connie's hit list. That usually doesn't bode well for breathing and such. Trask has too long of a history in Salem to have it end at the hands of this kooky cartoon. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm rooting for you, Melinda!

Finally, Gabi knows the truth! I really thought she'd known before, but here we are. Please pour me a glass of that bubbly, Gabs. I want to enjoy you ripping into Stefan and Ava as much as I enjoyed your confrontation with Kristen. Cherie Jimenez and Stacy Haiduk make spectacular sparring partners.

HOT

You! Thank you for reading and visiting Soap Central. Dan built this site for you -- for all soap fans -- and we're all grateful that you come back week after week. Cheers to our big soap family!

NOT

In the spirit of joy and the house that Dan built, this week's "NOT" is preempted by the one other thing Dan loves as much as soaps and his pet bunnies. That is, snacks! He is an unapologetic snackoholic. He goes bonkers for Brownie brittle. He's a devourer of Milk Duds -- when they don't mysteriously disappear from his desk, that is. He still mourns grape-flavored Swedish Fish. Yes, he is a snacker. So, in honor of Dan, grab a handful of your favorite goodies and send him some love at @DanJKroll on X!

LINE OF THE WEEK

"Why do you always look like you know something the rest of us don't?" "Abigail" to Stefano's portrait

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Speaking of "Soap Love!" I loved the nod to Guiding Light and Reva Shayne's "Slut of Springfield" scene. That's a soap classic.

On topic, Judi Evans is so amazing. Love. Her.

Leo brought up Harley Quinn! What a nice nod to our beloved Arleen Sorkin almost a year after her passing. She is still sorely missed.

Melinda said, "I'm someone who needs things to make sense." Oh, sister. You are in the wrong town for that.

Ha! I loved that the Green Mountain Lodge was brought up then quickly kiboshed. It is a hot zone for drama.

Was I the only one wishing for more "Abigail" scenes!? I felt like Connie dominated the day when a lot of that time should have been given to other storylines.

Bonnie mentioned Ballistics! That's a blast from the past, for sure.

I forgot that Johnny and Ava were once friends. Friendly. Friend-adjacent.

Leo and Hattie's exchange of, "Hey, girl," "Hey, man," was hilarious.

We might need to apologize to E.J. Maybe RACH3L was behind that entire "Concerned Citizens" creepy thingy a while ago. That seems on brand for the tiny terror, who apparently writes to Paulina but doesn't know that Abe was her uncle and that she could have used the connection.

My heart skips a beat for AnnaLynne McCord. I've always enjoyed her work, and I'm thrilled she's on DAYS. Win meet win!

I had a good chuckle when Xander said, "If our daughter's first word is 'beer,' we'll know who to blame." Though, with Bonnie babysitting, "beer" would be a best-case scenario. She's been known to say and do some salacious things.

I'm still waiting for the moment that it comes out that Leo is Marlena and Alex North's missing son. There was a child spoken about once upon that bad idea storyline ago. Just saying.

Again, I feel sorry for Sarah, but I enjoyed the street scene sets.

It's official. Thomas was SORASed to ten. He should be eight. Little Lotte is five, as per Chad. I just hope they don't recast. The two little actors are wonderful.

Oh, RACH3L! Brady already has been crushed by a giant steam roller. One named Kristen.

I was so happy to see Cady McClain!

Everything about Kristen's rust colored jumpsuit was great. Very chic, as it were.

When Connie told the Cardboard Li, "I am your retribution," I just wanted to flick her between the eyes and ask, "Who says that!?" Weirdo. She sounded like Darkwing Duck yet somehow more cartoony.

Doc being concerned about Brady parking in her spot was very Marlena.

Fiona's toast was very lovely. There's that. Cheers?

I want to meet this new DiMera chef. I have some ideas for her. Limoncello sorbet, anyone?

The Greek salad. Really, Mar? Why didn't you just order the Poplar Bluff puff pastry to really trigger John. Thankfully, she ended up with a Caesar instead.

Salem might be a dangerous place with deranged citizens, but damn, do they know how to cut up cake. Serving sizes are very generous. Yes, please!

PARTING THOUGHTS

So, friends and fellow fans, that's it for August 19. Laurisa will be back next week! As always, thank you for reading, and "That's a fact."

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