Austin and Nicole

Could Austin Reed and Nicole Walker be Salem's next supercouple? These two have so much chemistry together, they practically burn up the screen!

I have to take a moment here and devote a few lines to my new favorite Supercouple. I am crowning them with the title because...well...because they just are! Yes, I'm talking about Austin Reed and Nicole Walker! These two have so much chemistry together; they practically burn up the screen! Nicole's fantasy sequence of kissing Austin made my mouth drop open, that was some kiss! Wow! I can believe how much I want them to get together! For those of us that got a glimpse years ago of how great they could be; this relationship has been a long time in coming! The only problem? I'm fairly sure that the woman who Austin was referring to - when he spoke of loving someone - was probably not Nicole or Sami. I have a sinking suspicion that his heart is still stuck on Carrie. And since she will soon be returning to Salem...I have a feeling that it will be sans Mike, which will give Austin his opening. I'm also guessing that Nicole will scheme to prevent their reunion. The question is; what will Sami do? Will she team up to help either Carrie or Nicole? Or, perhaps neither? It would be so nice if Sami just sat back and let someone else claim the dunce cap for once. Anyhow - much as I loved Carrie and Austin together, they can't hold a candle to Austin and Nicole. I don't think I've been this excited about a couple since Lucas and Sami finally discovered their true feelings for one another. The other problem is that, because Austin and Nicole are SUCH a juicy couple, you just know TPTB will string us along for a few years before we finally see fruition. Much like what's happened with Sami and Lucas. Oh well...I guess that - again much like my devotion to Lumi - I will hang in there and watch every second that I can. Darn it all! ;-) What can we call them though? Austle? Nicotin? Nistin? Auscole? Aole? Naustin? I can't make anything work. Any ideas out there? Send me some as well as your thoughts about the couple and I'll post as many as possible.

I'm sure the sky is falling but...I actually found myself feeling bad for Belle this week. I just couldn't help myself! I think it's because she acted so out of character by being argumentative and hostile toward Philip while at the same time; making it SO obvious that she was upset because she's not with Shawn. That's what made me feel for her, because I could only imagine how hard it would be to see the love of your life moving on with a former best friend. When you consider this happening in real life, I think anyone could sympathize. BUT, even though I felt bad for Belle, it did not change my opinion that she had made her bed and now has to lie in it. And I still have no desire to see Belle and Shawn get back together. Initially, I was happy when Philip realized that Belle was upset over Shawn. I had thought maybe we would see an honest discussion between the two and that perhaps Belle would take her own advice and put her feelings for Shawn behind her. But of course, the jarhead talked himself out of his own suspicion and said that he knows he has Belle's heart so therefore, he isn't bothered that she's upset over Shawn. Whatever buddy...nice logic there! Most people would see red warning signs flashing like crazy but not Phil! Anyway, we did have some nice scenes of Marlena and Belle bonding. We saw a flash of the old Marlena as she strove to soothe Belle, who was of course crying hysterically. Ha Ha! As you can see, my sympathy for this character doesn't run too deeply anymore.

Foreshadow alert...Foreshadow alert: Shawn heard Claire crying and mentioned to both Mimi and Philip that JT used to cry the same way when they found out that he was sick. If you weren't watching at that time, then you probably have no idea who JT was. In a nutshell - Stefano switched Hope's baby with the baby that Lexie was adopting and the baby got sick. It was JT's illness that revealed the baby switch. Hope eventually got her real baby back; which was Zach. Even though she and Bo wanted to keep JT, his real father hit town and reclaimed him. So...what does Shawn's seemingly innocent comment tell us? That Claire will get sick and it will come out that Philip is not the father? This is NOT what I hope will happen (I want the baby to be Philip's) but I think my hopes are futile. There wouldn't be as much drama if Philip was the baby's natural father and as we all know; drama, drama, drama is the name of the game on Soaps.

I have to say that I am utterly shocked by Hope's attitude about Shawn dropping out of College. I have never seen her be so obstinate about something, especially where her children's happiness is concerned. Shawn is an adult and can make his own. He's obviously happy with his decision and feels it is the best path for him. Even if it turns out that he is wrong, it is his mistake to make. I understand wanting the best for your kids but...you can't force them to do something they have no desire to do. I think it's a parent's job to support their children in their choices, not make those choices for them - unless it is something dangerous. Hope told Bo that she would drag Shawn to College every day if she had to; which is just dumb. How is she going to force him to attend classes, learn the material, and write the requisite papers and exams? And why did she turn on Mimi? What does she expect Mimi to do about Shawn's decision? Mimi did her best to talk Shawn out of his plan, but he asked her to drop it. What else can anyone do? Why does that make Mimi a bad influence? I hope we aren't going to see much more of this "mother knows best" attitude. Since her recent behavior is just not ringing true to character; it must mean that TPTB are setting things up for future storyline potential. I thought it was interesting to see Belle and Hope's mutual agreement that Shawn should not quit College. Happy to find an ally, Hope told Belle that she wasn't sure if Mimi was a good influence on Shawn. Of course Bonnie overheard this and jumped all over the remark; prompting Hope to react in kind. Is this a 'feuding families' set-up for Mimi and Shawn?

If you are a John and Marlena fan - this was a great week to be watching. Not only did we see a few great flashbacks (though for the life of me, I can't understand why they are always blurred and strangely colored), we were also treated to some fabulous scenes of the two of them reconnecting again. I loved their "date" at Alice's as well as John's earnest attempts to help Marlena regain her memory. It was great to see her warm up to John again and surprise, surprise, she actually remembered a few things! But of course...the evil Dr. North was up to his tricks again and managed to trump the small headway that John had made. How frustrating! The consolation was that, even though Alex managed to convince Marlena to go home with him, I think she's beginning to resist his brainwashing tactics. Her memories of John are not being erased as easily as Dr. North had hoped. Let me just pause for a second and say how great I think Wayne Northrup has been! I hate his character, but I love the actor and I think he's doing a fabulous job! Okay...back to the point: What a flash of inspiration John had of sending Father Jansen over to speak with Marlena. How come he didn't think of that before now? Anyhow, Fr. Jansen urged Marlena to stand by her vows and have faith in her husband - specifically quoting the "let no man put asunder" part of the vows. I let out a hearty "yahoo" when she subsequently told Alex that she wanted to rescind the divorce papers. The look on Alex's face was priceless. I have no idea who the heck this guy is but many people are still convinced that he is the "real" Roman Brady. I just can't buy it. As I've mentioned in previous columns...there would just be too many loose threads if TPTB went that route. Besides, I really do want Marlena and John to get back together and the past week has reminded me why I love them so much.

If you're a Sami and Lucas fan - this was not the best week to be a watching. Sami made one last attempt to have Lucas forgive her and put their family back together. Unfortunately, Lucas refused, citing all of her past lies and indiscretions as well as his inability to trust her, as the reason. He admitted that he still loves her (after she laid one heck of a kiss on him) but he insisted that he couldn't take the chance of him and Will being hurt again. Will then got in on the act and yelled at both of them. He wanted to have a say in the matter and he felt that since they love each other, they should work it out. Lucas stood his ground however. To add to Sami's anguish, Little Miss Sophie then showed up for her date with Lucas. Poor Sami...she almost choked when she saw the tonsil hockey that Lucas played with Sophie at the front door. And what's that about anyhow? I can't believe how rude and hurtful Lucas's behaviour was. Does he have no respect for Sami's pain at all? She was crying her heart out not two second prior to that. I can only imagine how he'd react if the shoe was on the other foot. I've heard on the grapevine that the actress who plays Sophie was given a contract and the character is supposed to be around for a while. While I do like her; there's something suspicious about her and about how fast she's moving with Lucas. Who wants to bet that Kate is paying her to seduce Lucas and keep him from getting back together with Sami? My money's on it for sure, and it's paying great odds. The worst part of this week was that, after Sami attempted to spend time with Will, and he rebuffed her; she fled to a local park and listened to some complete stranger tell her to give up on Lucas. What the huh? Yeah cuz it's always a good idea to take advice on your love life from someone you don't know. ;-)

I'm really surprised by this but; I like the Bonnie/Roman pairing. Bonnie just seems more Roman's type than Kate ever was; they actually seem to have fun together. I do think Roman could be biting off more than he can chew with Bonnie Lockhart though. She's not in the same league as Kate but she does have many of the same traits and Roman could wind-up getting hurt again OR Maybe he'll rub off on her and she'll straighten out. Either way, I think it's nice for Roman to date and have some fun for a change.

Jack and Jennifer's story is once again in the dumpers. Raise your hand if you are sick of the red herrings in this story! They keep writing it in such a way as to make us think that Jennifer has stumbled upon Jack's assisted-suicide plan. But no...of course not...it's always something stupid instead - like the price of a book, a misunderstood comment, yada, yada. How annoying! This is exactly what they did when Jack was keeping his disease from Jen in the first place. And now we're going through it again with his suicide plan. Move it along all ready!

Oy! I was wrong once again (it does happen once or twice a year ;) Frankie IS a lawyer! I guess you guys saw a scene that I missed when he first came back to town and mentioned that he became a lawyer. Sorry guys! And thank you to all the readers who wrote in and corrected me, I appreciate the help!

Reader Feedback: Thanks to everyone who wrote in for the survey, the response was amazing! I wish I could have posted all the emails and I apologize to the people who don't see theirs below. But keep them coming because I love reading your comments and feedback about the show and this column.

From Cindy Young-Johnson:"REASONS TO WATCH DAYS: Austin/Sami/Nicole and probably Carrie when she gets back. I said I wasn't going to watch any more and I didn't for about a week. However, I saw it one day with Austin and I was re-hooked. Bringing him back is the best thing the writers have done in years. And he is the new, more mature, improved Austin. As you said in Two Scoops, he grew a few brain cells. He got me at least back part of the time, to watch his scenes with Sami and Nicole. Except for the mean, uncalled for trick Nicole paid with the email from Will, I love seeing this trio."

From Kamia:" You said that you didn't remember Frankie being a lawyer, but he said this when he first returned to Salem, so I was happy to see him in an actual office in Salem doing some type of work. I'm also loving MiMi and Shawn. I think Farrah is such a great actress and deserves to have a romantic storyline as good as Martha's. Even though I know Shawn is still in love with Belle, I think it would be interesting to see them have an affair once Shawn and MiMi really hook-up and possible even get engaged. I also love Austin coming back to Salem and can't wait to see who he gets romantically involved with. Since Carrie will return without Mike, the whole Austin and Carrie relationship would be great to see rekindled. But I wonder, since Sami and Carrie made up right before Carrie left (which seemed so bizarre at the time. All those years of hatred and they make up over coffee?). Will Sami still hate Carrie? I hope not because that would just seem like old news. It would be interesting if Lucas and Carrie hooked up. Then Sami and Austin could both be jealous and could maybe even push them together, for at least one night anyway. Wouldn't that be fun! Especially if Sami really did get pregnant by Austin. I say it's about time Sami have another baby anyway." From Theresa Zakrzewski:"Can't anyone see that if Philip & Belle stay together, Kate wins. They wouldn't be married if it wasn't for her. Shawn tried to stop the wedding, by phone and by trying to get into the church. Kate had the doors locked and guarded. I hope the baby is Shawn's. Unite Shawn-Belle Fans!"

From Jen Matl:"I love the storyline between Shawn and Mimi. I can't see the chemistry between Martha Madison and Jason Cooke. The chemistry was there with Kristin Storm, but I don't think that she could have played this current storyline. She is too young looking. I do think Martha brings a more mature looking Belle to the screen. I do wish though that the characters would just say what they feel. Belle needs to admit that she really is not "in love" with Philip and let it be known that she wants Shawn and she feels like she threw her life away. At least then someone would be able to tell her "grow up! You made your own decisions." No one forced her to marry Phil. Anyhoo, back to my original thought. Mimi and Shawn are fun. And there's this electricity between them. WOW! On a side note, Hope needs to shut up. College is not for everyone. I love Hope and Bo. I've watched for the better part of 20 years and what have TPTB turned them into? Whiny, wimpy, wishy-washy adults. Hope used to be feisty. Bo used to be tough! Why don't they work? I know that cops work different shifts but actually put the badge on and do something or get another job. How was Bo able to afford a boat? Did he dip into Shawn's trust fund when no one was looking? And who carries $250 around in their wallet? Someone needs to set Chelsea, a.k.a. the antichrist, straight. Who does she think she is? Wow! She blasted Billie for being a hooker and she's following in her footsteps as far as clothing is concerned. Does anyone else agree with me that Kate needs to take a long walk off a short pier? John, Chelsea, Belle, Doc North can all go with her. Whoa! I didn't realize I felt this passionately about the soap. Thanks for letting me rant. Love the column :)"

From Dayswatchr:"In response to your question about why we watch the show... Lately the SL that has kept me interested and watching is Shimi's unfolding relationship. This couple is a breath of fresh air. To see two young adults deal with real life, lost love, trust, support and growing feelings is something new and exciting. Finally we get to see Shawn as a young man who is maturing. And Mimi as the spunky young woman who more than his equal. It's refreshing to be eager to something again. To eagerly anticipate spoilers and airdates of this fantastic couple. Shimi is definitely a winner for this show and it's time that they take advantage of that. "

From Jamison Rountree:"I just wanted to answer your little survey of my reason to watch. My reason to watch DAYS is for one particular couple I don't think anyone else likes: Patrick and Billie. See, whenever a new character is being added to the canvas or an old character is returning to the canvas (as a previous portrayer or as a recast), I always try to predict that they will be romantically paired up with someone already on the canvas who doesn't have a love interest yet. When I first heard that Julie Pinson was joining DAYS as a recast Billie Reed, I immediately predicted that she'd be paired up with Patrick, who, while currently crushing on Jennifer, had no real love interest yet. I knew it'd happen for certain when I heard that some of Billie's first scenes would be with Patrick. Since they first met in that cave on Melaswen, I definitely felt the chemistry between them. And since it looked like my prediction had come true, I decided to invest most of my time watching DAYS to watching their buildup to becoming a couple. Finally, over a year after their first meeting, they are now a couple! And I've adored every single one of their chemistry-laden scenes together! It's great to see that Billie has finally moved on from Bo (or is at least very, very close to it). Bo's obvious jealousy is gravy, in my opinion. Brody Hutzler and Julie Pinson play off each other extremely well as Patrick and Billie. I even met Brody Hutzler personally on October 22 at a recent fan event and complimented both him and Julie on their fine work and told him that I hope they continue pursuing the pairing of "Pillie" (which I've affectionately named them). In a previous column, you said that they could probably become a Supercouple. I hope you're right!" From Meg:"Hey, the most interesting thing about days right now is your column!!!! Of course I have to vent about the whole Marlena/Dr. North scenario. Marlena has amnesia - she is not STUPID!!!! For a woman of supposed intelligence how in the world can she not SEE how pushy/manipulative he is being. And btw - since when to therapists LIVE w/their patients??? Talk about malpractice. And could John PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stop making all those stupid faces!! Another thing that irritates me; as some other viewers have mentioned, how in the world are ANY of these young people qualified to work ANY where much less in a high powered position in a large company when to my memory NONE OF THEM EVER WENT TO OR FINISHED COLLEGE?????? I for one am loved the fact that Bonnie spouted off all her many "degrees" or soon to be "degrees." There is absolutely no shame in making a good honest living without a degree. I think Hope could have made her point about the importance of college without coming off as such a snob. QUIT KILLING JACK ALREADY!!! LOVE YOUR COLUMN." From DF:"Dr Alex North is being too well thought out. When the truth comes out, it will be revealed that he is ROMAN BRADY....... If anyone has been watching days 15 years or more, they would know that Roman was taken out of the picture, put back into the picture (but somehow different), then John married Marlena. So yes, technically that will make 2 men claiming to be Roman on the show, one the real Roman, and one will be somebody else (maybe John black has another 1/2 brother). Marlena will come to her senses before the end of the year and there will be a reunion between her and the man she loves -- but I cannot reveal who that will be....just yet. Anyway, on to Sami/Lucas. Eventually, after Lucas experiments with a few women on some dates, he will come to his senses about Sami (look for this to happen at Christmas Time!!!!) Austin/Nicole will be sweet at first, until Carrie's arrival, then you will get to see both these woman cat fight -- should be interesting. MiMi/Shawn will be together this Christmas... while Philip realizes his wife Belle still loves Shawn. Belle will then not only loose Shawn forever, but also loose Philip and possible Clare. This turns Belle into the new Sami!!!!!!!!!!! Sami, when she gets Lucas back, will turn into the new Belle!!!!!!!!! (for a little while.... Kate Roberts will find new love, a new man will enter the show (old character) and steal her heart...... cant reveal who, but, it will be VERY surprising! Sophia, the new woman in Lucas life, will stay on the show after Lucas reunites with Sami.... She will be a really big plotter in the year to come. Bonnie does not find any love soon, but does get a new juicy storyline... Patrick/Billie/Chelsea will really heat up before the holidays. Patrick will make a HUGE mistake which will reveal all his secrets and this will be SHOCKING TO ALL OF SALEM! Billie/Chelsea will be devastated finally bringing them closer together as mother/daughter. Of course Bo & Hope will have a Merry Christmas!!! Finally, all you Jack & Jennifer fans, don't worry, Jack is not really dying. Someone keeps tampering with all the tests - when Lexie discovers the truth (it will be her lover) it will be too late! Jack will have disappeared (ditching the suicide storyline) and Lexi will be pregnant again - but not with her husbands baby! Jennifer will be destroyed knowing that after everything Jack purposely abandoned her and will temporarily accept Frankie's help.....interesting! Ok, all done, this should cover all the major shockers. One more thing, Look for Doug & Julie to get a surprise!!!! Remember Jan,,,, she will have something to do with that!" Thanks for sharing the info DF - I'm not sure if you're an insider or if you're just putting your theories out there but...if even half of what you said comes true; I'll be one happy camper! ~P From Barbara Heiden:"When Frankie first came back to town he did mention that he was a lawyer. I thought it was an excellent idea for him to work with Mickey. Hasn't anyone ever noticed that Mickey never wins a case?? Think about it. Maybe Frankie can do better. I have been watching Days since 1966 and feel I am a part pf the Salem family. Thank You"

From Sarah:"I am really enjoying the whole storyline with belle and her PPD. Martha is doing a good job with the storyline, and although I agree with you on this, I still am hoping for a Shelle reunion. I think I am one of the few shelle fans out there but I am still hoping. I do love Farah and her character but I think she would be better with someone else. I don't hate Shimi, but I think I am too much of a Shelle fan. I am also enjoying the whole sami/nicole/austin/lucas storyline. I love that nicole and sami are going to be living together because it should be funny, but I think that lucas is moving on way to fast. Nicole should be with Austin and Sami with Lucas. I am interested in the Marlena/Dr.North storyline but I do still think that it is pretty stupid...but we will see how it ends. It is something I can't really try to guess. Jack shouldn't commit suicide either! I can't believe he's even considering it! Thanks a lot! Keep up the great column!"

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