If you're keeping score, there were two major takeaways from DAYS last week, friends and fellow fans. I'll wait until everyone gets a notebook and pen to jot down these pearls, and grab a snack, you know, since Dr. Raynor never shared her banana bread with us. As if I needed another reason to dislike you, Amanda, but I digress...
Takeaway One: In addition to successes in science-y stuff and fragrance such as *whispers* "Resurrection" by Wilhelm and the more recent *insert Dennis Haysbert voice* "Essence" by Rolf, we now know the good doctor, well, bad evil scientist is an audio engineer! I mean, really -- how loud was that freaking microchip in Steve's brain? I was a tad disappointed that Cardi B didn't record the voiceover, but, again, I digress...
Maybe the Patch Man doesn't have amnesia. Maybe that little sucker blew out his eardrums. Either way, *hat tip* Dr. Willie. If evil science-ing doesn't work out, he could make a mint setting up sound systems.
Which leads us to "Takeaway Two: Epic Looks Edition." Oh, you know which one I'm talking about. "That look" on Sarah's face when she came home to confront Xander!? Like, "that look" should be registered as a weapon. I will never, ever make Sarah mad and risk getting it. I feel like I should apologize to her, and I didn't do anything wrong.
Okay. Well. I didn't get Sarah and Xander a wedding gift. I kind of, you know, Salem weddings and all. I figured I'd say I forgot it in the car and give it to them later if it was a success, after I bought it. Anyway. Sorry, Sarah. And I'll be closing my eyes for a few, so someone warn me if she's looking at me angrily. No? Whew.
Now, before tremendously thunderous microchip warnings and rage-filled looks, we had wave one of the baby-swap bombshell being dropped. Nicole told Eric, and I knew it was coming, but Greg Vaughan defended his title as the "King of Pain" and kind of tore my heart out. The balance of disbelief, anguish, and anger was perfectly portrayed. It was downright rough when he realized he had to say goodbye to cute, wiggly little Mickey as his daughter. Greg sold that hard. I felt his pain.
When Eric finally told her, "You'll always be my angel," I just wanted to give him an encouraging pat on the back and one of Dr. Rolf's new audio greeting cards which are read by Cardi B and scream, "Sorry for your loss, okuuuuuuurt," so loudly you can hear it at least four rooms away. Yep, Rolf and Cardi are tight, I'm told. The birthday one is highly recommended, but we'll move on to sadder things again.
Eric was, as described, a justified mess. I loved Nicole being his rock and his tour guide through the disaster, but her suggesting shadier tactics like keeping the baby-swap secret a, well, secret was worrisome. Those kinds of plots never really work out swimmingly for Ms. Walker. Never. It's for the best that Eric chose to tell everyone, starting with Sarah...eventually.
Look, it took awhile for Eric to tell Sarah and there were a lot of false starts with her and others (looking at you "Bristen"). This baby-swap reveal hasn't been so much of an explosion so far as it has been a series of smaller blasts, but I'm okay with that! Wanting it to move along quicker is just me being excited to see what's next, yet rushing it would have certainly cheated us out of the characters' journeys to comprehend what happened. And that's a lot. Nicole navigated Eric through, and then Eric steered Sarah to the truth. Those were all poignant performances.
Plus, this baby-swap juggernaut's a huge scoop of drama that's not going to stop for a while. Aside from the spearheads (Xander and Victor) and strong-armed accomplices like Raynor and twitchy lab tech guy, who later saved the day by providing proof, only Nicole, Eric, and Sarah know. I love that John and Brady both suspect the swap, too, but they haven't been officially looped in. So, yep, Kristen, Brady, and Maggie all need to find out. I'm most curious if Kristen will be as forgiving as she wants others to be of her or if she'll go full-steam, chip-off-the-old-block Stefano-like revenge cray-cray, you know, once she puts down the baby that isn't hers (more on that later).
Alas, if you're worried about pacing, I don't think you will need to be for long. Remember "that look" I feared earlier? Oh, yeah. On Monday, we get to watch Sarah Smash, and I'm popping some corn for that show. Look, I love the Xanimal as much as the next DAYS fan (and Paul Telfer deserves all the awards out there and the ones that haven't been created yet for his brilliant portrayal of Xander), but, because Paul's given Xander such depth, it means this showdown will be all the more gut-wrenching and glorious to watch. Ring the bell. Let's get this rumble started.
LOOSE ENDS:
Could I love Tony and Anna more if I tried? No. No, I don't think so. There's something so magical about the charm between Thaao Penghlis and Leann Hunley that I can't get enough of them. More, please!
I applaud that Abigail's love got through to Chad, but I'm worried about him, nonetheless. Something deep inside is concerned that if a bell rings three times in a row or he's watching a cat videos on YouTube, he will revert back to his Manchurian, umm, Chadchurian, mode and start dirty DiMera-ing all over again. Keep an eye on him, Abs, and good luck!
The Fauxnix's goodbyes to his children were odd but oddly touching. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Stefano, as he reminds me of Joe, and I adore me some Joseph Mascolo. So, here's a quick breakdown:
Stefano told Tony he has heart. He stayed firm that he doesn't like Anna but admires the fierceness with which she loves him (who doesn't, Dirty DiMera?). Oh, Steffie also apologized to Tony for that 20-plus year little island thingy. Better late than stranded?
He called Chad his youngest (and that's true last week, but you never know when the next illegitimate DiMera will pop up). He loves that Chad has "such goodness in him" and his family loyalty. Chad did not get an apology for the brainwashing bit, that I recall, but I think Stefano subtly calling him his favorite was enough.
Stefano did not reach out to E.J. Or Peter. Boo.
Oh, and Kristen. She got all the compliments! And she won't need therapy after receiving them (yesshewill). Daddy DiMera said he admired her ruthlessness and stated that she's the most like him. She stated that she's changed. He was all, "Have you, my darling?" And then a short time later, someone handed her a baby she refused to hand back over. So, Steffie for the win?
But, really -- who would have thought letting Kristen hold babies would turn out to be a bad idea? I never. Oh, wait. Yep. Everybody did. Don't let John near the poison, don't give Maggie the key to the liquor cabinet, and don't let Kristen hold babies. Three simple rules, people. Oh, it's moments like these I really miss Nurse Maxine. She would have shut it down with some side-eye and an "I'm not asking again."
Sidebar: Stacy Haiduk will need to work on her arm strength for award season. Something tells me she's going to be carrying around a lot of gold. She's that great.
Dr. Sweetness yanked that talkative chip out of Steve. Now we're circling the airport, waiting to see when it's safe to land in Patch Town or if his memory is gone for good. I think their "strength and courage" trip down memory lane was, one, very sweet, and, two, effective. It will probably guide him back, but this all has me nervous. I'm loving that Justin is front and center right now. Wally Kurth is the best. I don't want Justin negated to the background should Kayla get back on the "Stayla" supercouple bus. Justin can support Kayla, and Jack and I will be there for him. On it!
So, what does everyone think Stefano's last mission for Dr. Rolf will be? I'm sure his essence chip will be safely tucked away for further Phoenix-ing in someone else's body down the road, but something tells me Stefano's reign isn't over yet. There's a big boom coming. I'm sure of that. Well. Pretty sure of that. My predictions are right about as often as Celeste's. So, fifty-fifty...ish.
As you know, my friend Kate and I disliked Evan from the beginning. As such, I really want Rafe to walk away with the artist formerly known as "Baby David," who is probably more like "Toddler David" now, no? I'm not sure how babies work. Anyway, Kate and I will do what we can to make that happen, but if Evan ends up microchipped into thinking he's Jordan's cat, Arthur, that would be funny. I'll personally get him a giant ball of yarn -- a new pair of stilettos just saying.
I love the way John loves Marlena. He's a ride or die kinda guy. She loves him back, sure, but he just drips with adoration for her, and she loves that, based on her sassy Doc smiles. Get a room, you two crazy kids.
Oh, but John and Marlena loving on, okay, liking on Kristen may take some time to settle in. Still, the "Kristen's Changed Tour 2021" was in full swing. Nicole even got an apology! I'll give it to Kristen. She is trying. Though I wonder if she'll feel as Zen once she knows what Victor and Xander did to her and Brady. Methinks lady might put down the baby she's holding, pick up her actual baby, and then throw down some revenge. Thoughts!?
I'm sure Ben's having a hard time snagging a new gig, but would it really be that hard for Ciara? She not only has executive experience, but she's part Kiriakis, Williams, Horton, and (for all intents and purposes) a Brady. That equals Salem royalty. Though, if they're applying to the FroYo place or to Fran at the café, then I get it. The FroYo manager didn't hire Theo, and he's the mayor's son, and, well, we all know Fran is a pain in the hourglass to work for.
HOT
If Greg Vaughan's performances kind of tore my heart out, then Linsey Godfrey stepped on it later in the week. These two did pain so heartbreakingly perfectly. Also, I'd be remiss not do at least one chant of "We're not worthy!" to Arianne Zucker, whose nuanced performances were just as epic. Even though I've been watching DAYS for literally all of my life, I'm in constant awe of the talented cast. Thank you all for keeping us entertained!
NOT
Dear Mr. John Black,
Do not bring up "submarine sex" ever again. Ever. Never, ever again. Capisce?
Love, everyone.
LINE OF THE WEEK
Sonny (to Xander): "Well you know exactly where you can put your olive branch."
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Hello. I think everyone neglected the most important question. Did Dr. Raynor burn her banana bread, and, if not, when do we get some? With Maggie in the clink, I gotta know someone is cranking out the baked goods in the DAYS-verse other than Jennifer and the occasional Horton doughnut.
Nicole needs to either join Jack, Jen, and Abby at the Spectator or become part of Black Patch, as she certainly gets things done. Respect!
Maggie is the cutest inmate ever.
Speaking of cute, Xander and Mickey's wedding day scene was top-tier adorable.
I also may have gotten the warm fuzzies when typically unwarm and unfuzzy Victor and Xander shared that charming scene before the wedding. I knew there was a heart in there, Vic. Now, come on! Give me a hug. Okay. I swung too far. An old coin will be fine, too. Thanks.
The look on Justin's face when Xander asked him to marry him was everything.
I'm jealous! John got to talk to Belle. When do we get 'Tink home for a visit?
Does anyone else think Lab Tech Guy might be what Johnny DiMera looks like when grown up? I know. I know. Johnny is supposed to look like Mark Hapka someday, according to worrisome visions, but he just had a grownup Johnny vibe.
At first, I thought Marlena was wearing a really boring ascot then I realized it was a bandage. Totally unrelated, I've been allotted only one scotch per episode going forward.
Billy Flynn never ceases to amaze me! Brainwashed Chad was cold, obedient, and dead-eyed, but now that Chad is back to normal, Billy's baby blues twinkle again. He mastered eye-twinkling. That's talent, my friends.
Also, Abby and Chad have been on fire lately. Kate Mansi and Billy Flynn look as if they know how to crack each other up. It's delightful. So, and I'm just throwing this out there, I kind of want to see a cheesy Chad/Abby and Tony/Anna laugh-track-filled DAYS Digital series in the vein of The Brady Brides.
PARTING THOUGHTS
So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's it for April 13! Since I still have the budget allotted for Sarah and Xander's wedding gift, I'm off to do a little online retail therapy at gabichic. I'm thinking the Two Scoops offices need some throw pillow flair, or I might spring for a new pair of stilettos Anna. Either way, Laurisa will be back to give you a breakdown of the blowup when a seething Sarah unleashes on Xanimal. Stay tuned (and safe and healthy), and, "That's a fact." As always, thank you for reading!
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