I am a huge Sami fan. And I have to say that seeing her behind bars is absolutely fabulous.
Why? Well, for starters, it's totally energized a fan base that's been waiting to burst out for years. I'm talking about how the show is finally doing right by long-suffering Ejami fans by solidifying Ejami as a believable couple. Last week, we got a great blend of moments of ruthlessness (E.J. meeting with Shady McSchemester in the park) with moments of tenderness (E.J. arranging the adorable phone call with Johnny.) Heck, even Marlena spoke of the benefits of having E.J. in Sami's corner.
Speaking of her family, this storyline has also (and hopefully permanently) done away with the horribly annoying trend of forcing Sami to constantly apologize for breathing. Kayla was fantastic this week, defending Sami to Adrienne. Will was legitimately appreciative of what his mom did to protect him and struggled with the guilt of putting her in this position. I have every hope that once Hope hears that Marge Bernardi was allowed in to see Sami, Aunt Fancy Face will take action too!
She wouldn't be the only cop this storyline would serve. Okay, truth time, even I have come to accept the fact that Sami and Rafe need to coexist, at least for Arianna. And having them be civil is a good thing. So, I really like that Rafe is getting involved in Sami's trial via Justin. I would actually love to see Rafe as a character witness for Sami. Plus, having a Stefano informant right under his nose and not knowing it may prove to be a nice dose of humility for Super Cop Hernandez.
And, oh how I hope to Alice Horton's doughnuts that the truth about Bernardi comes out to the whole wide world! I hate feeling like a widow needs to just shut up, but I'm so there with Marge. Either there needs to be a twist where Marge is in on this with Stefano (do we know that this woman is the real Mrs. Bernardi?), or Marge needs to start crafting a long apology. If she wants to include Sami in it, good. But mainly the apology should be to me for sucking up valuable screen time. Roman or Caroline's visit with Sami could have replaced just one of Marge's scenes.
Finally, irony of all ironies, Sami actually is innocent this time! She didn't even smell a jail cell when she shot E.J. in cold blood, but this time she acted in defense of Rafe and got sent to the slammer for days on end. However, I'm totally okay with it! I sincerely hope that this is a sign that DAYS is going to do a better job of holding characters accountable for their actions. After all, it's much easier for the audience to move on when we feel that a character actually faced the music for their dirty deeds.
Furthermore, this whole pay-for-your-sins concept that the show is (for the most part) doing now is a big reason why I'm able to enjoy watching the Eric/Nicole/Brady/Kristen quad. Well, that and the fact that any combination of two characters produces an interesting scene. There's really no weak link there.
Specifically, Greg Vaughn's continued inspired subtle acting touches leave me on the edge of my seat for Eric to remember that Kristen raped him. There are so many intriguing and important places for this storyline to go. I have no doubt now that Greg will do it justice.
Also, I'm okay with Nicole never straying far from Kristen for the indefinite future. Not only do Eileen Davidson and Arianne Zucker create fiyah together, but these scenes bring out the best in Nicole. And by "best," I mean the hard-nosed schemer and not the hypocritical martyr who proclaimed Rafe and Eric to be her only two friends right before heading to talk to her third friend (Daniel) about her fourth friend (Jennifer -- book club, y'all) and then going on to see her fifth friend (Brady). I really do love you, Nicole, but I'm going to need you to exchange your crocodile tears for your better-fitting talons. Kristen helps you do just that!
Oh and FYI, Father Matt, the next time you hear Eric utter the words, "You and I..." to Nicole, you do not ask if you're interrupting something. The answer is yes, son! Sheesh!
LOOSE ENDS
Winner of the least self-aware quote of the week went to Jennifer when she asked Daniel, "Don't you think it's a little egocentric of us to think that everyone in Salem needs to know what's happening with us?" Is she serious?!?! Sometimes it seems like the show is made up of two scenes -- those between Daniel and Jennifer and those about Daniel and Jennifer! With all that attention, I'd have thought this storyline would have gone somewhere by now. But, Jennifer still hasn't figured out that Daniel isn't the root of J.J.'s problems. At this point, I wouldn't blame Daniel for telling blondie to take a hike.
Maggie, Victor, Marlena, Eric, and I'm assuming Kristen's collarbone were less than thrilled with the news of Bristen 2.0. Silver lining? Marlena has a bit of do-over opportunity here. I realize that John has his fair share of atoning to do, too, but this is a good chance for Marlena to prove that she's learned that keeping information about John's kids from him is a bad idea.
Something tells me that Jordan Ridgeway will...ahem...really help Rafe regain control of his body again. When that happens, I don't want to have to watch Kate try to avenge a relationship that barely ever existed. So it's probably best to give Kate something better to do right now than tattle to Kayla about who's in Rafe's room. Just brainstorming here, but she could share her thoughts about Stefano's involvement in Bernardi's shooting with Roman. He's technically off the force right now, so he can break some rules if he wants to. And if I remember correctly, breaking rules used to be one of Kate's favorite things!
Just in case I haven't written enough statements that make me a terrible person, here goes: thank goodness that Chad has a brain tumor. At least now there's something exciting about the Chad/Cameron/Abigail triangle.
HOT
I applauded like an over-caffeinated seal when Theresa and Nick bumped into each other. Their scene did not disappoint! I had to chuckle at her, "I love mergers and acquisitions!" line. Admit it; we've all been there while trying to impress a potential date.
I found it extremely interesting that she didn't bat an eye at Nick's criminal past or his drug addiction. She hinted at some illegal activities of her own, as well as the fact that this job is her last chance. Perhaps a relationship with Nick will shed some light on what happened to Kim and Shane's daughter in California that made her such a fuss bucket.
Heck, I even love that she thinks he's beneath her. They wouldn't be the first couple who started out annoyed with each other's presence. I can't wait to see what happens when Theresa learns that J.J.'s intel on Nick wasn't exactly accurate. Nick is loaded and does not have alimony payments. I desperately want to see Theresa come flirting back just to see Blake Berris' Nick go toe-to-toe with a bratty brunette. I remember a very similar situation that worked out well before.
NOT
The old "mother protecting her young" is a staple on soaps, so I'm not that mad at DAYS for trotting it out. The problem with Adrienne using this excuse is that, in this particular situation, Baby Bear already knew everything. Will told Sonny about shooting E.J., the cover-up, who's involved, the whole ice cream sundae. Heck, Sonny technically knows more about Will's life right now than Will does because Sonny knows the truth about Gabi's crimes and still lets her live with them!
So, it's a bit hard to swallow this idea that Sonny needs protecting, because we all watched Adrienne's grown, business-owning, child-raising son go into this thing with his eyes wide open. Adrienne just flat-out didn't like Sonny's decision, so she took it upon herself to reroute his life. It was a stand-up thing of Sonny to extend an olive branch to his mama (wait 'til she hears that she has Sami to thank for that!), but until Adrienne apologizes for not trusting her son's judgment, this truce will be short-lived.
And as much as I wanted to hug Judi Evans during her masterful performance, I'm completely #TeamJustin in this argument. She completely blindsided Justin with something that concerned both his professional integrity and his son. She does not get to be a harping shrew about the amount of time he takes to deal with it. I hate to say it because I usually love Adrienne, but she needs to pull up a chair next to Marge Bernardi in Apology Crafting 101 class and get a head start on her material.
LINE OF THE WEEK
Theresa (to Nick): "Don't turn this around on me, poodle." The use of the word "poodle" as an insult coupled with Jen Lilly's rapid-fire delivery cracked me right up.
Honorable Mention:
Nicole (to Kristen): "The Bishop wants you...around children...many of whom haven't had their shots yet?"
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Anyone else notice that Jennifer's wardrobe gets a lot better when she and Daniel are on a break?
Hey, Bev, it's probably best not to use the word "marathon" when providing suggestions for a first date. That freaks most guys out.
Did Marge really find out via text message that her husband's body was being exhumed? Harsh!
I liked J.J.'s gray watch.
No one naps with their shoes on. Come on, Marlena.
Sorry, Victor, I have to deduct ten awesome points from your overall score because you mentioned Madison. Draw two for being on #TeamAdrienne. And you'll have to skip a turn because you think that E.J. was wrong for orchestrating a corporate takeover to oust Stefano. Trust me, this hurts me way more than it hurts you.
Be careful, Johnny. Narcing out your twin sister for playing with scissors may come back to haunt you.
When Rafe gets better, I'd really like for him to be partnered up with Mason. Maybe then Salem's top cop can teach the investigator not to keep all of his evidence on a yellow legal pad.
Bonus points to Daniel for admitting that the way he and Chloe acted when their relationship started was wrong.
Those DiMeras sure pick their words wisely. Kirsten saying that Brady is the only man she thinks of was like Stefano saying that he didn't send Bernardi to kill Rafe. Both were technically true. But neither answered the real question.
Can anything explain how Kristen could jump out of a second story window and neither be hurt nor seen? I'm going with the belief that she's Catwoman.
Um, yeah, I've seen his torso. I call B.S. on Cameron never eating leafy greens and quinoa.
I perked up when Jennifer went to visit Rafe. I've long thought that the show should try out these two as a romantic pairing. Alas, my overanalysis of their very short scene didn't produce much hope that they could work as a pair. Thoughts?
Getting all "Large Marge in Charge" with Sami is one thing. But just try to be an a-hole to my Justin again, Marge. You won't like me when I'm angry.
Want to know who else you won't like when they're angry? Check out our list of "Wicked Hot Witches and Short-Lived Villainesses!"
And that's it for this week! Tony will be back next week to see if Adrienne will be allowed out of time-out. Until then, be sure to let me know what you thought about DAYS this week!
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.
