Stop in the name of love...or something like it; Days of our Lives Two Scoops for September 23, 2024

By count, the Greenes are on their third mother. The first one passed away, leaving Mark to raise two of his younger siblings. The second one threw a fun Fourth of July barbecue, which sounded just delightful. The third one is being held hostage by Clyde and forcing Mark and “Abigail” to scheme the DiMeras out of their fortune.

That leads me to my next question. Why does “Abigail” need to get Chad back down the aisle? If she’s alive, and thus never died, their marriage should still be valid. This same storyline happened when Trent came back from the dead and thus made Nicole’s marriage to Victor invalid. So, “Abigail” should still be Chad’s legal wife.

That still doesn't make it easier to watch what “Abigail” is doing to Chad. The show’s been working overtime to attempt to show that Mark and “Abigail” are decent people. And, for sure, AnnaLynne McCord has magical powers of charisma. But, gosh, this is a hard sell for me. I’ve watched Chad grow from a hipster teen into a fantastic dad. He’s been a decent partner to every gal. And he’s managed to charm both Julie and Kristen. Julie AND Kristen!

So, that’s why it’s hard to watch these people victimize him in a truly personal way. He’s reciting his wedding vows. He’s thinking about his children’s dreams coming true. He’s willing to sacrifice so much for the hope of a dream, and I can’t help but be mad at the people doing this to him.

The harshest thing is this all comes back to Clyde. He’s blackmailing both Mark and “Abigail” because he wants access to the DiMera fortune. Sure. That checks out. I’d want the DiMillions, too. But I worry that at the end of the day, it’s going to be that the man who killed Abigail, dug up her grave, and blackmailed an imposter, will revictimize Chad all over again. I only hope that this storyline pulls in Kate. She has history with both Clyde and Chad and could be the strategy on Chad’s side that he needs to fight this villain.

On the sleuth side, Steve called out everything about “Abigail.” Yes, she’s got a new face for not-a-face injury. He also said that anyone other than Kalya meant there was another person in the chain of custody. But Steve is not convinced he’s wrong. And he’s not!

Across town, Melinda made a true ninja move to wait for Connie to come after her then reveal that she’s come loose from the ties. The physical therapy that Mel will need on her shoulders after this is going to be huge. I hope DiMera Enterprises has good health insurance.

Anyway, Connie stashed Mel in the DiMansion tunnels and then went after Gabi. As soon as Connie began confessing all her sins to Gabi, I knew/hoped that The Connie Chronicles were coming to an end. And the bark of joy that came from my soul when Connie set a timer for two minutes and 31 seconds could be heard from miles away. Finally, one way or another, this was going to be done.

The string of events in this episode should be noted, as I fear there will be lasting consequences. Gabi tried to call Stefan. He’s who she wanted to rescue her. However, E.J. found her and rushed her by hand to the hospital. I can’t get past the fact that she’s his stepson’s baby mama. As an Ejami fan, and one of tons, I need more to believe in the Ejabi fan train.

Loose Ends

Is it weird that I think Stephanie and Everett have better chemistry now that Everett is dead? Abigail Klein is really selling Steph’s grief. It makes it more believable that even Alex recognized that she’s not ready for any sexy time, considering what she’s been through. Additionally, Alex pumping the brakes is undoubtedly the most mature and appealing thing he’s done in ages. This makes the Alex and Stephanie pairing one worth watching.

Sarah told Maggie that she didn't see Brady behind the wheel during hypnosis. I’m still holding out hope that Sarah remembered seeing Fiona and is just waiting to confront her.

It was a bad day for Roman when he announced that Gabi was not in the DiMansion when she clearly was. Then, Ava leaving a job Roman clearly offered her as a gift didn’t end well.

Extra Scoops

HOT:

Hold onto your seats, Scoopers. I was standing and applauding Kristen this week. I love how she looks out for Chad. I giggled when she called him her least non-favorite brother. Maybe the way to redeem characters it to have them, you know—behave like a decent person, rather than just declare that they’re “changed.”

NOT:

Oh, good lord, Fiona. I know you’re not the queen of awesome decisions, but telling your already-mad son that you slept with the man he’s about to beat up was about the biggest gamble in the history of ever. It wasn’t even a declaration of, “No! I love him!” It was, “Hey, we’ve been doing this behind your back!” Sheesh. Brady covered for her and told Xander that Fiona wasn’t drunk, just really sad. That surely won’t come back to haunt Brady at all. As much as I love Fiona, I’m worried about her and Brady continuing a relationship. Eventually, the two of them may have to screw in a lightbulb and, you know, that could end in disaster.

LINE OF THE WEEK:

Kayla: “Don’t you 'Sweetness' me, Steven Earl Johnson!”

I loved Kayla for this!

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I don't think there's any way Steve can "just ask a few questions."

Of course, Ted is a personal hero of Alex.

Paulina seems like she would love PSLs, and I mean that in a very good way.

It probably wasn’t the best idea to have Clyde send a text right after a scene where Kayla says that there’s no way people can communicate with him.

There were lots of wedding rings this week. E.J., Stefan, and Gabi are all still wearing theirs.

I missed Eric and Holly this week.

I’d be worried about anyone having their heads together with Rachel. Stay strong, Thomas.

I’m not so sure about Xander walking back in the mansion with a bat. I’d probably leave that outside, Xan-man, but you do you.

Billy Flynn and Stacy Haiduk have the same shade of blue eyes—which is interesting when you think about how Chad and Kristen aren’t DNA related.

Ava wore colors this week!

Kristen’s hairstyle was amazing. I loved the braid.

Isn’t it so nice that they happened to have a full “Abigail” wardrobe at the mansion, including a floor-length champagne wrap dress?

Can we talk about the layout of the pub apartments? Is it normal to walk right into the bedroom?

E.J. had the kd lang constant craving haircut again.

Aaron has been gone for the summer, so I’ll give him a pass. But, shouldn’t Felicity notice her mom has been missing for a few weeks? Is Chanel working Felicity that hard at the bakery.

I have to think that E.J.—as an officer of the court—would have known better than to pick up a bloody poker without wearing gloves. Extend arm, palm up, slap forehead.