Can we all just stop and marvel at the wonder that is the Price/Grant/Carver crew of actors?! Sal Stowers, Lamon Archey, James Reynolds, Susan Seaforth-Hayes, William Christian, Vanessa Williams, and a side of Mary Beth Evans were a murderers' row of performers. Top to bottom, all were amazing.
To the shock of absolutely no one, it turns out that the dastardly Mr. Coats hasn't turned over any new leaves. He's still using drugs. He's still beating women. And he's killing people. Poor not-Rory (thank goodness that wasn't Rory!) showed up at the wrong time and lost his life for it.
You guys, T.R. Coats is not a good fella.
I watched the scene several times, and I don't think the shooting was an accident. They struggled for the gun, but T.R. knew what he was doing. He also showed no remorse for trying to murder Lani's husband, other than the nuisance the cleanup now caused him. I'm sure he does want a relationship with Lani, but more so because she's one more woman he can control.
So, I was so glad when he showed up at the hospital and had to face Abe, Julie, and Paulina at the same time. Paulina's flex by introducing Abe as "Mayor Abe Carver" was masterful. Abe didn't cause a scene, but he didn't back down, either. I wouldn't have expected less from our man.
And I wanted to reach through the TV and hug Lani when she told Eli, through tears, to take as much time as he needed to come back to them. Amazing work out of Lamon Archey, too. Eli's seizure was haunting.
I always wonder if comatose people will come out of a coma with their memory or not. But to see Eli suffer such a violent brain incident right before the coma makes me almost sure that this man will not wake up the same Eli that we know and love. It will be such good soap.
Across town in the DiMera Devil Den, Marlena joined the ranks of fools who think Belle is the devil now. To be fair, she came face to face with Belle and saw those glowing yellow eyes. DAYS must have found a great Groupon on contacts because Doug, Marlena, Johnny, and Belle all got pairs.
Anyway, give Martha Madison all the high-fives because she rocked the devil scenes. Belle's been angry before, but I don't think Belle's ever gotten to be evil and vengeful. The Divine Miss Madison looked like she was having a blast.
It was her performance that made me forgive dummy Marlena for now thinking Belle was the devil.
Side note: Shawn and John both made comments that, while Marlena exhibited weird behavior for weeks before anyone knew she was possessed, Belle has been acting completely fine. How telling is it of regular Johnny that no one has said anything he's done recently is truly abnormal for him?
We know the devil can be in two people at once because MarDevil sorta-possessed Chanel during Abe and Paulina's wedding. So, it was a fun callback that both Belle and Johnny were under the spell for a temporary time, too. I still don't quite understand the physical rules with the devil. MarDevil broke out of police handcuffs. But Marlena thinks that some rope will keep BelleDevil down just fine. Also, does Marlena just carry sedatives around with her wherever she goes?
Tony and Anna's fight was a little controversial. I found myself 10% Tony, 20% Anna, and 240% Sarah. I get Renee is triggering (and justly so) to Anna. I also appreciate that, to Tony, Renee isn't just a crazy lady. But, both of you -- Sarah is the one who is actually alive and real! I can't imagine Anna would tolerate anyone treating Carrie with anything less than true compassion. Same needs to go here for Sarah.
Leo is still aggressive and petty. Is that better than crazy and malicious? Sure. But being kicked in the shin is better than punched in the throat. And both still hurt. At this point, though, I feel like everyone needs to leave Craig alone. He's heard the truth. He's actively choosing to ignore it. I'm with Steve. I'm thrilled Craig is able to live his truth. But his choice of partner leaves a lot to be desired.
Allie's starting a new relationship with her best friend/business partner/still sister-in-law just a few days after her engagement to someone else ended. You guys, Allie makes great decisions. What could go wrong here?
I can't believe I'm going to say this, but Allie could learn something from her Uncle Brady. He finally figured out the delicacies of jumping into a relationship with one of his best friends and a current colleague. To be fair, he's got years on Allie.
And Allie's got to move the Challie relationship along so that Chanel and Johnny's divorce won't be final by the time Johnny either escapes the devil's grasp or everyone figures out who Johnny is and next-of-kin Chanel needs to sign the commitment papers. Sarah's going to need a roommate at Shadybrook!
I'm not sure if I buy this news about the hospital board wanting Kayla to fire Marlena. Last we saw of the board, both Kate and Victor (or at one time, Brady) were on it. I don't see any of them letting Marlena be fired. Also, if the board is looking to run a tighter ship at the hospital, maybe they should be more concerned about Val treating her own son while not even on staff at the hospital.
Also, I could make an argument that Marlena should get an award because she let the devil possess her to save Doug when he was her patient.
I'm all sorts of out on Abigail being blamed for Sarah being drugged. Sarah didn't trip and fall on that thing in the middle of the town square. A crazy person held Sarah hostage in a dungeon, and while trying to escape, the crazy lady picked up a syringe and stabbed Sarah with it then proceeded to get zero help for Sarah after seeing its effects. No one thinks Kristen would have let Sarah go if Abigail hadn't left the syringe there.
HOT Will won the week. First, he set off a truth bomb surrounding Johnny. I loved every second of him telling his baby brother he was being a bit of a twerp. I may have even slow clapped.
Second, he was part of the Chillson reunion! I swear, these three have filled the friendship hole in my heart left when Hope/Jen scenes ended. Their plan seems silly, but I don't care. For these three, I'll buy the admission ticket. They're wonderful together.
Finally, his talk with Allie was touching and wonderful. These PSA-type scenes are always tricky to pull off. But the writers and actors did a tremendous job here. Specifically, the writers knew that these two characters could make this scene feel earned. The audience has seen pretty much every moment of Will's life. We've been through similar steps with him. We trust what he says on this matter.
Also, we know Allie loves and respects her older brother. She almost gave her child to him not too many months ago. I loved seeing him be there for her.
This may make me sound old, but the scene with Allie brought Will full circle for me. He's suddenly all grown up. The little floppy-haired moppet we saw freak out over his parent's shenanigans was now giving out sage advice as a grown-up man.
NOT:
Come on, Brady Pub! No Saint Patrick's Day celebration? Are you telling me that Chad, Will, and Sonny couldn't have concocted their plot over green beers? There's no way I believe Leo doesn't fall over himself to celebrate a holiday that partially glorifies mischievous creatures obsessed with money.
Dishonorable Mention:
Really, Marlena? You're not going to call Shawn to tell him that you've sedated and tied up his possibly possessed wife because he is having a busy day at work? Wrong answer! That's the kind of stuff that will land you in the mother-in-law hall of shame. You call Belle's husband immediately. Also, if John is serious about true, deep love being able to conquer evil, Shelle is right up there. They've been together for decades. They're supercouple love. Call that man!
LINE OF THE WEEK:
SarahRenee: "Maggie Horton? Wow, you've aged."
Renee's whole stance is so silly that you had to laugh at the line. Also, how dare you? Maggie is a beauty!
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Blood aside, Lani's outfit looked incredibly comfortable. I always love a posh scarf!
It's always fantastic to see Val!
Beth seems relatively harmless, but has Chanel not learned her lesson about spilling her family's business to near strangers? Shut it down, lady!
I like that Julie calls him "Shawn-Douglas."
If Kayla attested that Sarah wasn't competent to make her own medical decisions, how could Sarah refuse treatment in the first place?
Allie's manicure was super cute!
They sure do make sure to say "acting commissioner" when referencing Shawn. I like that. It shows the respect Shawn has for the position.
Excuse me, Chanel. Those cookies were for Will! But I get it. Snickerdoodles are yummy.
I loved Chloe's dress. Her style is on point these days.
"Belle is my cool aunt" -- oh, Johnny. I love Tink, but Johnny, my man, your cool aunt is Anna. Hands down.
They're really hammering home how much older Craig is than Leo, aren't they?
Hopefully, Tripp still gets to see Henry. He is Henry's uncle, and they've obviously bonded.
Lindsey Godfrey's Renee is soap scenery chewing at its absolute finest. Chef's kiss, perfection.
Did Tony and Anna sleep through all the devil stuff? Just how big is the DiMera mansion?
That's it for this week, DAYS fans! Tony will be back next week for Belle's exorcism. This should be interesting, or the shortest exorcism ever, since the devil isn't actually in Belle.
Laurisa
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