Something to talk about

Billy Warlock is slated to reprise his role as Frankie Brady. This should give Jack and Jennifer a juicy storyline.

The popular song title is very apt this week as my main theme will be "What's changed since we last spoke?." Well, let's see....Kate was exposed as the evil, scheming woman that she is...Jack came back to Salem and was joyously reunited with Jennifer and the kids...all the supposed-dead characters returned to their lives in Salem...Brady finally discovered that Chloe is alive and well and he kicked Nicole to the curb...Mickey booted Bonnie out and renewed his vows with Maggie...Shawn finally remembered that he was locked in a cage all summer, told Belle the truth and had Jan sent to jail...John kicked the drug habit all on his own...Abe and Lexie spent family time with Theo...Mimi told Rex the truth and he was supportive...Lucas chose to believe in Sami and married her......Billie stopped trying to interfere with Bo and Hope and concentrated on finding her daughter..... Oh....don't we wish Scoopers? Don't we just wish! I am joking of course. None of those things happened the past week; but I can dream can't I? I read an article that was published in a recent TV guide - here is an excerpt: "Tony resurfaces on Feb. 25 and will start mind-controlling Sami to do his dirty work. 'The audience loves to hate us both,' says Thaao Penghlis, 'so this should be very titillating.' JER also announces that the Tony/Sami pairing will lead to 'a story that's never been done before.' 'Also, depending on how contract negotiations go, we're planning to reignite past love affairs by bringing some old faces back to the show. I'm not happy about the notion that Tony will use mind-control to have Sami carry out his plans. For years now, we fans have been pushing for a Sami/Lucas pairing. And now that we finally got what we asked for...Reilly is going to destroy it by pairing Sami with Tony. Excuse me but...EWW. I love Tony as much as the next person, but Sami does not, and never did, belong with Tony. The poor girl needs a break! Also, I wish Reilly would use something more original than 'mind-control' - he's really overused it. I'll wait and see how the story plays out - I guess - if it's well written and paced, it could be interesting. That's what it comes down to for those of us who have stuck it out over the past two years; we hope for the best but expect the worst. Cross your fingers that Reilly will make an attempt to tailor his writing style to please the fans.

The other part of the article that I want to comment on was about bringing past characters back to Salem. Spoiler AlertYou might have read that at least one of the characters returning will be Frankie Brady/Francois von Leuchner. And his original portrayer, Billy Warlock is slated to reprise the role. I am very excited about this prospect for two reasons; I love Frankie and his portrayer Billy Warlock and, this should give Jack and Jennifer a juicy storyline. That is - if Jack EVER returns to Salem. Before I get complaints - let me just assure you that I do not want Jack and Jennifer to split up. But...I do have a very soft spot in my heart for Frankie - as does Jennifer - so the potential triangle with Jack and Frankie could be a lot more interesting than one with Patrick. For those of you who don't know Frankie Brady - here's a quick bio. His character came on the scene 15-20real years ago as a homeless teen and was taken in by the Brady family, which is why he assumed their last name. He and Jennifer fell in love (he was her first love) but he eventually left town to go to College. Jennifer moved on to stable boy Emilio and then on to newspaper man Jack Deveraux. Frankie wasn't seen again until a few years later. At that time, Jennifer was impersonating an old friend of hers (Carly Manning - who was really Princess Katerina von Leuschner) in order to help her escape an arranged marriage to a man named Lawrence Alamain. To make a long story short, Lawrence forced Jennifer to marry him by kidnapping Alice and Frankie and holding them as his prisoners. After they escaped, Frankie told Jennifer that he was really Carly's brother, Francois von Leuschner - heir to one of the wealthiest families in Europe. Francois told Jennifer that when he first came to Salem, he was trying to escape his family and therefore pretended to be a homeless teen. He hadn't wanted to hurt the Brady's and herself by telling them the truth, so he stuck with being Frankie Brady. By the end of his storyline, Frankie/Francois realized that Jennifer was in love with Jack (who rescued her from Lawrence) and would never love him the way that she loved Jack. Frankie then hooked up with Eve Donovan and they left Salem for Africa. I think - or some other part of the world. So.... that's the original story but I'm sure Reilly will take the liberty of re-writing history. As I said above, we'll just have to hope for the best. :-)

Day's 10,000 Episode was not what I expected. It would have been nice if the episode had been structured a bit differently. I thought we'd see more flashbacks of DOOL from years past, perhaps some interviews with cast members, a few bloopers maybe, clips of the cast with their real family members - any of these things would have been nice. Oh well, at least we got to see Alice, who looked great, recounting a few memories from over the years. Too bad Days didn't show France's most infamous blooper - it was approx 20 years ago and went something like this: Alice was standing at the nurses' station, directing traffic, and was asked by another character where everyone was. She answered "Well, Tom's in surgery, Mickey's in court, Maggie's at the store, and their son....what is that little fart's name?." It was too funny Scoopers!!! By not showing scenes such as that, I think TPTB missed out on a huge opportunity to ease some of the fans' ire over the direction that DOOL has been taking. It would have given us a chance to reminisce and remember why we love this soap so much.

The forced Hope/Bo/Billie/Patrick quadrangle is really getting on my nerves with all the nonsense about Billie and Patrick being charged with hitting an officer and possibly going to jail. Firstly, Patrick didn't hit anyone, so what's his crime? Just being with Billie? And secondly, the cop could have dropped the charge against Billie once he realized that it was an accident. Why didn't he do that? And what's up with someone needing to vouch for Billie? The fact that she has to stay with Bo and Hope just doesn't make sense. Are we supposed to believe that Billie is flat broke? She could go to a hotel or rent a room or apartment somewhere. And if she is broke, and her intentions are good, she could ask Kate for some money to stay elsewhere. I'm finding that the character of Billie has sunk even lower than the last time she appeared in Salem - if that's possible. That little smirk she flashes Hope all the time is really getting on my nerves.

The only storyline that really moved this week was Sami/Lucas and their aborted wedding. Kate and Eugenia were successful in tricking Lucas in to calling off the wedding. The one thing that I didn't want to happen has - of course - happened. After watching Kate's fake tears and joyous celebrations, I'm so done with the character - she has been completely destroyed for me. I felt terrible for Samantha-Jean as I watched her plead with Kate to tell the truth and not hurt Lucas and Will. But of course Kate - being the selfish cow that she is - just kept lying and lying. All I can say is 'Ugh'.

Poor Mimi! Not only has she endured an abortion and a septic infection that could possibly rob her of having more children; now she's being haunted by an imaginary baby and hearing negative voices in her head. The poor girl needs to come clean with Rex and get some counseling. I would imagine that anyone in Mimi's situation would be dealing with a tremendous amount of emotional pain and negative thoughts and need some sort of help dealing with her decision. If done right, I think it would be good to show Mimi cope with the repercussions of her decision but please... no more imaginary babies! That's just creepy!

Guess what Scoopers? I received an email from Sari and she says "Hello" to all of you in cyber-land. She is doing well and hopes to return to writing the Two Scoops column in the near future. But for now...you will be stuck with me :-). Sari had a fabulous comment about John and his supposed drug addiction and since I FF through those scenes, I thought I'd share her observations with you. Some words on the John Drug Addict story (and this has been bothering me since the beginning...) First, as Lauren pointed out, John was on the drugs for one day. That kind of withdrawal--not happening. Here's the thing that I have learned from Pain Care Management physicians: you are only an addict when you continue using after you no longer have reason to (meaning, basically, pain). John is in obvious extreme physical pain. The meds make that pain go away. That's not addiction. (And what was Lexie's excuse for not giving him drugs to ease his pain?? Apparently Salem Hospital, with all it's "finest physicians" have never heard of Pain Care Management.) My point is this: addiction to pain meds does not happen overnight. It doesn't even happen in a few weeks, especially when the patient IS in pain. It takes a long time to develop. This story is stupid and another example of Reilly getting everything wrong, as usual. I totally agree with you Sari - especially the part of Reilly getting everything wrong. He seems to have a problem converting his grand ideas in to believable storylines. Random:

• How utterly fantastic to see Nancy and Craig again! I loved this couple when they were on the show full-time and I really hope that they can find their way back to Salem once again.
• Didn't Hope look stunning in the blue dress? I wish we could see more loving moments between these two.
• Okay; let's do an informal survey - as Philip has now embarked on some sort of dangerous mission, I'm betting that he will end up either: a) missing and presumed dead; b) a POW; or c) returned home with amnesia. Send me your vote and I'll post the results in my next column.

Reader Feedback: I want to address two different types of emails that I have been receiving lately. The first batch are from people suggesting that I personally start a "Let's get Reilly fired" letter-writing campaign. The other batch is from people who think that I have some sort of affiliation with Days of our Lives and they are questioning why "I" don't fire the guy. I think anyone who reads this column should be aware that this site is not affiliated with DOOL (or any other soap or broadcaster) and certainly has no pull to fire or hire anybody. But trust me - if I had the power, James E. Reilly would have never been re-hired in the first place. As to the first request - that I start a letter writing campaign - all I can do is provide the address. If you want to write in, feel free to do so. Days of Our Lives C/O NBC Studios 3000 Alameda Blvd. Burbank, CA 91523

In my last column, I asked that you, the viewers, write and tell me what you love about the show and what keeps you watching. Of the 30-40 emails that I received; there were only two that mentioned what they love (the characters) and why they still watch (loyalty). Thanks to everyone who wrote in - I appreciate the feedback. It's good to know that I am not alone in my frustration with TPTB for what they have done our soap. Below is a sampling of emails that I received from you guys in the last two weeks. It was very difficult to choose which ones to post, as they were all so wonderful. So.... I apologize if you don't see your email below, but keep writing because yours could be next!

From Jordan N:"It saddens me deeply to see what Days has become. I have been a faithful viewer since I was 5 years old. I watched it with my grandmother who has watched it since it debuted. What you said about wanting to know why we watch. Truthfully, I have always loved Days of Our Lives. I am tragically disappointed with the way it is going right now, but I will probably never stop watching because I am a devoted fan. I feel that Reilly needs to be fired. I am sure that you or I could write better stories and I am tempted to stop watching but I probably never will. The storylines are boring. Shawn and Belle need to reunite and expose Philip for helping Jan. She needs to be locked up and Bonnie needs to take a hike. Mickey needs to realize his love for Maggie. When it comes to an imbecile, Bo takes the cake. He is being so disrespectful to Hope, but I was thrilled to see the "bad" Hope come back. I missed seeing the Hope that we love. The strong willed woman that kicks @$$. I used to love Kate and I still do for how she cares for John, but she was wrong in meddling with her son's life. I want to see more of Abe and the babies of Days. There are so many babies but we never see them. Where are Theo, Zack, Jennifer's baby, and Chloe's sister? I loved Days during the time of Vivian, Evan, and Lawrence Alamain. Stefano was the greatest. I remember when he held Marlena captive under the streets of Paris. I cannot wait for Jack to finally return to Jennifer and the baby. Abbey needs a good smack for disrespecting her mother like that. Maybe Jack can finally open her eyes." Thanks for sharing Jordan - I'm with you - I'm only watching out of loyalty too. Sad isn't it?

From Sharon Mulloy: "Reason I keep watching Days is the same reason I started JOHN & MARLENA. I also like Jack and Jen, Chloe and Brady,Billie and Roman with Kate. Last time I quit watching during the Reilly period and I am headed that direction again. BORING! BORING! BORING!" We feel your pain Sharon!

From Abihim: "Lucas should drag sami from Brandon's room to the alter and marry her. Secretly Lucas should have put a PI for Kate and knew her plan all along" Great comment Abihim - I wish you were writing for the show! It would have been SUCH a fabulous twist if Lucas had hired a PI to follow Kate around, knowing from experience what lengths she'd go to in order to prevent his marriage to Sami. I mean, GMAB! Lucas & Kate have schemed together for years - he had to know what his mom was capable of!

From Sad Soaper: "YUCK! And gag a maggot! And I'm playing nice!! I agree with all the other friends in feedback land. Our once favorite soap is stinking & stagnant and Reilly is to blame! Our favorite characters have been written into stupidity and the storylines are dumb -- again Reilly is to blame. The purpose of Jan has long since run its course. Have her parents show up, very much alive, and take them all away, far FAR away. Kate, and her meddlesome ways, needs to be found out in some grandious fashion. I envision a red strapless gown & cream pie in the face with all of Salem watching. Too bad for Billie & Philip let them find their own true love (and not someone else's!) without mommy's help. This whole serial killer/Salem Island thing -- GIVE IT UP Reilly! Geeze!!! It's a dead horse! That story is what, 2 years old? Does anybody care anymore??? At present there's no romance, no drama, no suspense, & no comedy. I record the program & can speed through with the remote in less than 20 minutes. Give me a reason to watch again!!!!"Great email! I hope TPTB are reading this column. Thanks for sharing Sad Soaper - I think you encapsulated our anger and apathy very well

From Christine: "Remember when those "near misses" used to make you hold your breath and get excited? Now when I watch this show, its just a given, you know that Brady will not see Chloe at the Hospital or Kate and Eugina will not be cought trying to break up Sami and Lucas... I knew Jen wasnt going to get that voice message from Jack when he left it!! Its so overused!! If Jer would throw in a "surprise" every once in a while, I think we could get those feelings of anticipation back. Until then, I will just expect the expected, this show isnt moving me emotionally in any way!! Where's the entertainment!!"Yes I do remember the near misses and how exciting they used to be. Not anymore! I agree - that message from Jack was doomed from the minute he left it. It's sad when the viewers can predict where the show is going long before it actually gets there

From Antoine: "I can't think of something on the show I like now that its on, I was really trying to think of something because I really want my comment posted on your web page but I can't think of anything. OH there is one thing I like...I am glad Belle and Shawn are finally reunited!!! I also Like the whole Maggie/Mickey/Bonnie love triangle it is really funny and amusing! It is funny how they cat fight, its like the comedic portion of the soap. I also like that Patrick is seeing Billie, they make a cute couple! Umm...and about the Chloe Brady Nicole triangle, I like that Chloe is not going to get her face fixed right ONLY BECAUSE I want to see Brady choose her and not because of her looks!." Thank you Antoine - I agree, the Mickey/Maggie/Bonnie triangle is good comic relief and it would be nice to see Brady choose Chloe, scarred face or not.

From Angie LaCroix "I love your column, and I totally agree with you about Days of our Lives. I have watched for 34 years(sickly child) and it makes me so sad what JERk has done to the show. The ONLY way I can watch it is to tape and FF. I actually see maybe 10-15 minutes of it. The men have all become stupid and there are very few couples I even care about anymore. And wasn't John trained with torture to resist pain? The writing is so poor and weak, JERk writes like a 12yr. old boy. I'm this close to tuning out, the only reason I'm still hanging on is loyalty I guess. Keep on writin'." Getting through the show in under 20 minutes is probably the most frequent feedback that I get from viewers. I posted this email because of the hilarious reference to James Reilly as 'JERk'. Thanks for the laugh Angie, that was very clever!! :o) Take care Scoopers! See you soon! Pamela

What are your thoughts on ? 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.