I'll be honest. Writing this week's Two Scoops was difficult. My jaw was on the floor, and I had trouble maneuvering around it. To say, "What a week!" would be a complete understatement. It was like all of the Sweeps months rolled into one. And at the center of it all, Alison Sweeney brought down the house. #givethiswomananEmmy!
Technically, Sami and Kate brought down the house. The house of DiMera, that is. In several power plays, they became co-CEO's of DiMera Enterprises. Well, at least for the next six months. That doesn't bother me one bit. It just assures me that for the next six months, Sami and Kate will be partnered up, running the show, and, as The Jeffersons' theme song told us, "there ain't nothin' wrong with that."
But let's talk la Sweeney for another second. I mean, really! How astonishing was she!? Alison humbled me with her performances. They were so raw. From her sly smirks to the hurt and hatred she hid behind them, Alison simply sucked me into Sami's world, and I was sad when Friday's show ended because I wanted to stay there longer. I could go on praising Alison this entire column. She was that great. But I'll move on purely because there are only so many words in a thesaurus for brilliant, and I could easily use every one of them up describing Alison.
Of course, I have to give it Sami. She took tickling their ribs as you slide in the knife to a whole new level. E.J., Abigail, and Jennifer were all sidelined by Sami, and it was 100% delicious. She lowered the boom on those unsuspecting baboons. They didn't see it coming. And that made it even better!
As for said baboons, I don't feel bad for Abigail (though Kate Mansi's honest performance made that difficult). Still, Little Abs went around proclaiming she was an independent woman, so throw your hands up at her. She didn't need protection or coddling. Yep, she knew what she was doing when she climbed Mount E.J. every chance she got. And then she got busted and cried like a baby. It was a brilliant moment when Abigail realized Sami had been playing her for weeks. Sorry, little girl, time to take your medicine like a grownup. Abs, dear, if you want to mess with a spoken-for man, you better be ready to get messed with by the woman who stands beside him. Life lesson: 1, Abigail: 0.
Plus, I have to admit, Sami handled it better than St. Carrie did. Big sis Brady went off and slapped Abigail in public. Sami humiliated her in private. Well, not completely private. Jennifer was there. Snap! Of course, Jennifer immediately placed the blame on E.J. because innocent Abs wouldn't do such a thing. Never! Oh, but there was some gritty, dirty proof. Whoops! And still Jennifer went on supporting Abigail as if she didn't do anything wrong, which is her right as a mama bear, but Jennifer might want to check her smugness at the door.
But there are two bright sides to Abigail's humiliation for Jennifer. One, you didn't worry about Eve for a second or two, did you, Jenny? And, two, as opposed to when Abigail said she slept with Austin, but didn't, she actually had sex with E.J. So, congrats, Ms. Jen, you're daughter's not a lying ho; she's just a ho. There's that.
And then there's E.J. James Scott completely wowed me, too. He flexed more emotions in a few short scenes than many actors do in a lifetime. Had a lesser actor been tasked with going through that particular range of emotions, anger probably would have prevailed. But James managed not only anger but complete shock, sadness, remorse, and regret. James brought us to that devastated spot on the floor of E.J.'s jail cell with him, and, for a moment, I sympathized with him, which one shouldn't do when it comes to the cheater. So, bravo, James! Bravo!
Finally, there's Kate. Lauren Koslow seems to have an endless bag of tricks. She gets more fabulous every day. And when you combine her fabulousness with Alison's fierceness, it's magic. You can tell the actresses have genuine trust and affection for one another, which enables them to just go there. By "there," I mean deliver every snide, nasty comment to one another with such a believable conviction that it makes them as fun to watch as it does Sami and Kate a lethal combo to be reckoned with. I'll repeat that my eagerness to watch them work together for the next six months is off the charts. This should be good. No, great! And I can't wait to see what happens next.
LOOSE ENDS:
The gala seems to be going well, but it's kind of hard to tell from a glorified storage room. In any event, Kristian Alfonso and Deidre Hall looked all shades of amazing! And let's just gush about Deidre Hall for a moment. How hysterical was M.C. Marlena!? Loved it completely! The last time we got to see Deidre perform comedy at any length was during Kristen and Brady's wedding as Marlena fumbled to play the DVD. She was funny then and still cracking me up now. More of this Marlena? Yes, please!
Of course Hope and Aiden had a moment to shine at the gala as well. They did a little waltz then shared a moment that was a bit intense. By "intense," I mean hot. But Hope pulled away, and I think I Bo, whoops, know why. Yes, that little issue still needs to be resolved, like yesterday, so I can officially enjoy "Haiden" guilt-free.
E.J. and Nicole's scene was random, but damn if James and Ari weren't completely entertaining. I loved their contempt-filled banter. It just makes me wonder if Planets Nicole and E.J. will be orbiting each other again? Hmm!
Well, what do you know about that! In last week's Two Scoops, All the angry games we play, I mentioned it would be a good idea if John brought up his past with pill addiction to Brady, and he did! Unfortunately, it didn't have much on an impact. Brady attempted to wheel and deal with John, otherwise known as "let's ship daddy to Europe." Nice try, Brady, but John wasn't biting. He's staying in Salem to ensure Brady gets the help he needs. Not that Brady "Blackout" Black needs help. He managed to spend a fortune in Vegas and get married while totally not on a bender. See, John. He's okay. And he totally won't regret that when he wakes up.
Speaking of Brady, I loved his scenes with Maggie. Suzanne Rogers can pull off tough love well. It's just a shame Maggie couldn't get through to Brady. Then again, Brady can't even get through to Brady. The man's a hot mess.
Finally, Eve continued to stir the Salem pot. Yes, please! She's only been here a few weeks, but Kassie DePaiva is kicking butt and taking names. I love that Eve is able to spin her sordid schemes to make them seem like common sense. Why wouldn't one want to get the most money from a deal? Why wouldn't Eve want to date a hot doctor? And why wouldn't she extend an olive branch to J.J.? I'll tell you why. It all makes Jennifer miserable, and that seems to make Eve just a little happy. So, ladies, this summer, revenge is the new black. Wear it with pride!
HOT
Last week. Just last week. I don't think I could pick just one of the memorable moments that made it shine. The acting was flawlessly superb (see above). There was action, romance, comedy, and full-out revenge drama. I feel bad for anyone who didn't watch. It was that amazing!
NOT
I thought it was super tacky that Mr. Shin announced the new co-CEO's as, "the Beautiful Miss Roberts and Mrs. DiMera." I wonder if he addresses E.J. as the handsome Mr. DiMera? I'm glad these lethal ladies are getting the last laugh.
LINE OF THE WEEK
Sami (to Jennifer, regarding Abigail): "You don't think I get to speak to her first, since the man that she is devouring in that photo is my husband!?"
RANDOM THOUGHTS
I don't know why, but hearing super sophisticated Maggie say "blow" was unintentionally funny to me.
Cool your sassy pants, Mr. Clyde! Don't you tell Arthur the cat to shut his mouth.
I was digging most of the summer wardrobe choices last week. Good work, ladies.
Yeah, I think it's time for Jordan to get a new lockbox. You know, one that doesn't suck.
OMG! It's Maxine. Where have you been, girl? What have you been doing?
Double-OMG! It's Stefano on a plane. He needs to land in Salem and stay there. Conversely, "Stefano on a plane" sounds like a Saturday Night Live digital short.
I wonder if Chase will send that photo/video of Aiden and Hope to Bo?
Was Paige's shirt on backwards?
I love Victor's way of making new friends by asking, "Who the hell are you?"
Would they really serve cupcakes at such a swanky gala? Not a complaint. Just an observation.
Also, how did the gala committee afford a nice audio/video setup but couldn't cough up the change for a security guard to watch the loot? Not that being stuck in a makeshift supply closet isn't cool.
I wonder if Brady and Jeanie-T ever pillow talk and say, "Ha! Remember when we thought we were related?"
PARTING THOUGHTS
So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of July 14. @LaurisaDays will be back next week to cover more of the fabulous fallout as well as usher in the second installment of our Summer Lovin' series! And, "That's a fact!"
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.
