I remember being late for my 2:00 class one day in college. DAYS aired at 1:00. My class was right across from my dorm, so I thought I would make it. But I didn't because I stayed to the very end of the episode to watch something rarely seen. You see, this was the day Mike Horton rode up -- on a white horse, no less -- to Carrie and whisked her out of Salem.
It's a rare find -- this "happily ever after" business. Most couples end up torn apart (Ejami), dead (Wilson), or flat-out blown up (Ericole) when they leave the show. But, just like Mike and Carrie, Chad and Abigail got a real, true happily ever after.
The simple ceremony was very sweet. No shock to anyone, Doug was the secret weapon of that wedding. From filming the thing on his little iPhone to throwing rose petals at the happy couple as they left, he couldn't have been more charming. The guy's a ray of sunshine and a complete Salem treasure.
Melissa Reeves was brilliant conveying Jennifer's heartbreaking blend of grief, understanding, and excitement. Abigail has needed extensive mothering, and Jennifer's been there for her every step of the way. Sure, she made some mistakes along the way (cough *suing Chad for custody* cough), but Jennifer's never had any other agenda when it comes to Abigail.
At her core, Abigail's always been a hopeless romantic. For better or worse, she's the classic princess in the elevator burning cabin attic tower. So, there's something poetic about her starting over in the most romantic city in the world. I quite enjoyed it. I hope that Abigail finds some peace again and feeds upon the inspiration of the city. It would be lovely for her to return as an art curator, author, or something else along those lines. Kate Mansi conveyed a palpable sense of hope in her scenes that was lovely for Abigail.
In fact, my only complaint is the amount of mascara I lost thanks to Billy Flynn. Chad's goodbye tour sneaked up on my tear ducts!
I'm so glad he made up with Kate. Say what you will about her, but after Abigail, she's arguably the most critical woman in his life. The only reason Chad has the life he has today is because of Kate. She's the one who found out he was a DiMera and fought to let him know that. She's the only other one (save for maybe Sami) who truly understands that the dirty DiMeras have a heart. She understands what it's like to love and hate Stefano at the same time. Sure, in many cases where Kate went to the dark side, Chad followed the Force, but there's a through line between these characters that needed to be acknowledged. When he said to Kate, "I don't have a lot of family. You're it." my heart ached for him.
Then, there was Wilson. I love Chad offering to help them, no questions asked. I wish the conversation with Will had been more about their high school days and how part of Chad's soul rests easier knowing Will loved and cared for the daughter Chad never knew (See: Grace, Baby). But I'll take the hug. I'll also take all of the Chad/Sonny love. This bromance is one of my favorites.
And then, there was the picture. The whole run-in with Gabi and Stefan at the DiMansion seemed silly. But clearly it was for two scenes. One, between Stefan and Abigail, which we'll get to in a minute. But the other was for the scene where Chad looked at that famous Stefano picture and said, "I'll always be a DiMera. I love being a DiMera. Don't give me that look. I'll be back some day."
Stop. I'm not crying. You're crying!
So, bon voyage, Chabby! We look forward to seeing your ornaments at Christmas. Hopefully you'll stop by to hang them yourselves!
With Chabby gone, there's an opening for a young supercouple. The list of suitable replacements starts and ends with Cin. Robert Scott Wilson and Victoria Konefal's talents were on full display. This is such an intriguing soapy Beauty and the Beast storyline. I have to wonder why the writers want to get in their own way.
Exhibit A: Crazy Jordan. I'm not a fan of this storyline. I think it's an excuse to throw a character under the bus to prop a new couple that, frankly, doesn't need propping. Cin has huge fans, and I doubt the viewers who aren't fans are going to be persuaded now that Jordan is disturbed, too.
Plus, massive character changes off-screen are tough to pull off -- especially when the character is the same age, played by the same actress, and left Salem not all that long ago. For example, baby E.J. leaves Salem and returns a mid-30s man played by James Scott? Sure. Enough is different that we can believe this is a new character. But Jordan coming back a few seasons later with a complete rebuke of her previous storyline? (I can't even with this nonsense about her killing her mom and unborn sibling on purpose now.) Nope.
Exhibit B: Pyro Claire. Oy vey. Well, on the bright side, the show has been trying to railroad Claire for months by trying to spin her mischief into actual malice. If she did start the fire (and that's still a big if with a boatload of questions around it), they'll finally find something that sticks. And in doing so, they'd be destroying the once awesome family friendship between Claire and Ciara in order to prop a couple that -- once again -- does not need the help. I repeat, oy vey.
I think they're doing this in some way to reform Ben, which is a catastrophic mistake. Ben's demons are the most interesting part of his character. Negating those with some lame rewrite does more harm than good. I like seeing him try to work through them. I like the questions it brings up. This week, it looks like he would have killed Jordan for trying to kill Ciara. And is that wrong? I don't know. If (for example) Chad found someone trying to kill Abigail for the second time in two days, what would he do? How does someone who has anger issues handle that? These aren't easy answers. They make good stories. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss that.
LOOSE ENDS:
Gabi standing up to Leo was everything! Not only does that bully deserve a taste of his own medicine, but it's nice to see Gabi using her newfound skillset appropriately. I love that she's #TeamWilson, no matter what!
Ted and Hope are starting to lose steam for me. I loved the version of Ted where he told off Breve. But this version where's he a lapdog for Hope? I'm going to take a hard pass on that. She already has one of those. It's not working out well, either.
I'm here for Julie telling Jennifer not to give up on Jack! I'm not a fan of the Eve/Jack situation. I'm less a fan of the J.J./Haley situation, which is existing solely to prop Eve manipulating Jack into running for mayor. All of those fail in comparison to some good Jack and Jen storylines. Stay after her, Jules!
DAYS is missing the mark when it comes to Jordan vs. Kate. Their feud shouldn't be about Rafe. It should be about Kate bringing Clyde back into Jordan's life. That's the big sin Kate did to Jordan.
J.J. called Jack over to ask him not to say anything about his "friend" Haley. They chatted over beers. This conversation happened at the same time Chad and Abigail were waking up. Even if you assume Chabby slept in, Jack and J.J. were at least drinking by 10 AM. They had beers after the wedding, too. It's their thing, I guess.
To save time, I'm going to start passing around the sign-up sheet for the Salem brain. Chloe's had it for some time now, and I think she may be able to loan it out to a few people:
1. John -- Two words = DNA test. Why is this guy taking Diana's word for it without verifying?
2. Will and Sonny -- If only they knew a lawyer to consult with before taking questions from the police. Shoot.
3. Salem PD (a perpetual spot on this list) -- Don't you need to verify those photos first? And if there are photos of the cover-up, why aren't there photos of the actual crime? Too bad there isn't a process for uncovering proof and a team of professionals whose job it was to do so.
4. Lani -- Was Lani really being a prick about not getting a Valentine's Day gift because her boo was off trying to save a kidnapped baby? Even joking, that's not great.
HOT:
I never fault actors for choosing to leave DAYS. And seeing her amazing talent, I can understand why Marci Miller was eager to try something else. But Abigail's storyline deserved a quality wrap-up. I'm so glad Kate Mansi was willing to come in and see the character out. She packed everything she had into Abigail's exit and delivered for the fans. I suspect we'll see her again -- on the Emmy stage. Cheers to her!
And like Tony last week, I'm going to miss Billy Flynn something fierce. It can't be easy to come in as a recast and have your first scene be pulling a gun on the show's leading man. But Billy did that. And he made me see Chad -- the bonus DiMera who wasn't really a DiMera -- as a legitimate leading man. He went opposite Thaao Penghlis, Lauren Koslow, and John Aniston with the gravitas of a much more seasoned vet. His scenes with Joe Mascolo were both fierce and tender. And he partnered with Marci Miller and Kate Mansi with the swoon-worthy charm of a teen rom-com star -- and yes, I mean that as a compliment. And the camaraderie with Freddie Smith and Camila Banus conveyed that Chad might just be the best BFF in all of Salem. Good luck, Mr. Flynn. You were simply dazzling.
NOT: I really like single Sarah. Coupled Sarah is...well...a total idiot. Listen, lady, if a man's mother was almost killed, I don't care what he says, you get down to the hospital! Furthermore, I'm not mad at her for having feelings for Eric. But if she told Rex that she'd give him another chance and really wants Eric, she'd kind of on the same path that she's ticked at Rex for traveling.
Finally, if Eric's still into her after seeing her invent an affair and then call the woman out of the blue to confront her about it, I worry for him. Run, Eric. Run. I think her crazy is supposed to play for humor, but it's not coming across as funny. Sarah is a passionate person, and I'd rather see that skill put to good use. For example, she has to see tons of trends in the ER. Maybe she can work with one of the mayoral candidates on a platform about a public health issue. I don't know. All I know is watching her spiral out of control over Rex and Eric is not fun.
LINE OF THE WEEK:
Jack: "I'm sorry, I don't remember you."
Julie: "Really? Most people find me unforgettable."
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Every time Rex says, "I'm a doctor," it sounds like a line.
I suspend a lot of belief for soaps. But, really? Eric doesn't have Tupperware? Srsly?
I have a baby and a toddler. My husband and I can't get all of us out the door to the playground in under two hours. I have no idea how Chabby managed to pack to leave the country with two kids that same day. Ah, the magic of television!
Hope had Rafe question Jordan about the attack on Kate. That's a lot of exes in one sentence for the Raferino.
If -- if -- Leo is John's son, the idea of him reviving and running Basic Black makes me happy. Leo's all sorts of Devil Wears Prada.
On the downside, if Leo is John's son, that also means Leo sexually assaulted his own brother. Bummer.
Julie loses points for not working "all the days of our lives" into her ceremony. Come on, Jules! You know better!
Chloe unintentionally throwing Stefan in Melinda's face was funny. Once upon a drunken night, Mel tried hard core to get herself some Steffie.
It's rare for Rafe to be at a loss for words. So, his silence during Jordan's confession added a lot of power to the scene.
Eve's dress was absolutely perfect for those days when you think, "You know, my hands are just a little too accessible. I really wish it was more difficult to use these things. I like to work for it!"
What are your thoughts on Days of our Lives? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
