Feniger's wake

Bend-the-Rules Brady pulled out another zinger! Bo phoned Victor, Victor phoned Governor Ford, and...BAM! Hope's criminal record was expunged, and she's back on the force. That's good news. Well, sort of.

Like any good soap that recently dropped a bomb, DAYS spent a lot of time last week sweeping up the debris in the wake of the Fafe Fallout. There were plenty of "ah-ha!" moments when characters suddenly remembered little instances that made sense on the grand scale. There was a scramble to answer the unanswered questions. And there was even a snazzy music montage wrapping up the big scenes!

In addition to that fallout, DAYS also kicked up some dust for future storylines. That is, storylines lasting from now until September. But regardless of their length, there are some juicy tidbits that might just tide me over until the big game-changing events of the fall.

For one, E.J. is starting to remember his attack! That is sure to have lasting effects, as will Nicole's surprising attitude towards Taylor, Vivian and Quinn's new plan of attack for Carly, and Sonny's big announcement. Let's discuss!

FAFE Please welcome the Detroit area's finest, Arnold Feniger! That would be Fafe a.k.a. the Creature a.k.a. Rafenstein a.k.a. Rafe 2 a.k.a. Fake Rafe, etc. And now that your identity has been made public, thanks to Detective McCarthy, what do you plan to do? Oh, rot in jail. Not as much fun as Disney, but, given his options, maybe a smart move.

You see, Arnie is in a pickle. He can come clean and risk DiMera retaliation, or he can take his chances in the slammer. I think he should go for option number one. But that's just me being selfish because I want to see this storyline wrapped up. The longer he ponders his options, the longer this storyline spins its wheels. Fafe was slightly amusing in the beginning, but I know one Scooper who's ready to move on. Spoiler alert: It's me!

ROMAN Okay, okay. He doesn't need his own section, but I don't know when he'll be on-screen again, so I'll just say it was nice to see him. More so, I hope that he starts to play a vital role in this case. After all, his daughter was the victim. Not to mention that he might just want a little of his own revenge for the years of torment the DiMeras have caused him. If there was ever a time for Ro Ro to be front and center, this might be it.

BO and HOPE Bend-the-Rules Brady pulled out another zinger! Bo phoned Victor. Big Daddy Kiriakis phoned Governor Ford. And, BAM! Hope's criminal record was expunged. And, BAM! She's back on the force. That's good news. Well, sort of.

Although I'm a sucker for all things Victor, I find it funny that Hope adamantly refused his help before, but now it's okay that his dirty hands are handing her badge back. Hmm, I think I smell a double standard. Then again, I'm also not sure if Hope even knows Bo made the call. Either way, someone threw out the rule book and is getting a little down and dirty, which makes it peculiar when the kettle-like Bradys call the DiMera-like pot black.

But in the interest of full disclosure, I knew Hope would be back on the force sooner or later. And Detective Fancy Face is much more interesting than Eat-Pray-Love, Soul-Searching Hope. I'm just crossing my fingers that she clears her busy crime-solving schedule for chats with Jennifer, as I need my Horton cousin fix every week or two!

SAMI, RAFE, and COMPANY Sami shooting E.J. in the head notwithstanding, I loved that she got the chance to do the Happy Dance with her kids. That includes Allie, who's back from her Hong Kong holiday! Whether or not Sami's innocent (and we know she's not entirely), she didn't ask for Stefano, E.J., and Fafe to firecracker up her life. Therefore, I'll support her gloating for the time being.

Although, it should be noted that Johnny broke my heart last week. When he proclaimed, "Oh, I understand!" I totally believed him. He seems to have the brains in the family. But that also means he's smart enough to know what's going on. Therefore Sami and E.J. -- you know, the grownups -- better find a way to coexist peacefully or I suspect Johnny might grab his trusty backpack and hit the road again. And for the love of all things holy in Soapland, we don't need another M.I.A. kid.

E.J. On the positive side, James Scott has some great material for his Emmy submission next year! His alter ego, E.J., on the other hand, had a bad, bad week. He lost Taylor. He lost Johnny. And he lost Stefano. I was actually waiting for a stray dog to walk by and pee on his leg, but that didn't happen...yet.

But I should recant that he lost Stefano. That lasted about as long as a cocktail in Nicole's hand. As soon as the Phoenix made his "I disown you" proclamation, I knew it wouldn't stick. However, I think three days is a new reconciliation record. Stefano and E.J. are fine and dandy again, and just in time for E.J. to start remembering his beating.

Methinks this revelation could go either way. As I ponder it, I recall Sami's speech to E.J. on the pier. The one where she said she's not going to rehash who did what to whom. With that thought in my head, it could be interesting to watch E.J. go after his enemies or it could be annoying if it turns into another round of baby-back-and-forth with Johnny and Sydney as the door prizes. If it's the latter scenario, I might have to start a countdown until September and join Nicole in an all-night drunk-a-thon or two.

TAYLOR After Monday's episode, it's no wonder at all that Tamara Braun won an Emmy! She totally killed her scenes. It was a little bittersweet, though. I wish Taylor could have been that awesome from the get-go.

Hmm, "awesome" might be too strong of a word to use for Taylor. Tamara is awesome. Taylor is not. But at least Taylor is starting to realize she was a horrible hosebeast to Nicole, and that's a start. Well, that start is also a bit of a stop, as we know Taylor's time in Salem is a dwindling. Huh, just when she's starting to become palatable, too. I'll file that under "Not Fair" and move on.

NICOLE Just when you think Ms. Walker will zig, she zags. And that's why I adore her! Maggie would be proud that her new drinking buddy took the high road and forgave Taylor. Please note, she forgave, but is not forgetting, thankyouverymuch. So, I guess if Nicole can forgive Taylor, I can too. Wait! Just had a scarf flashback. Nope. Can't forgive her. Not yet.

Anyway, Nicole not only forgave her slutty little sis, but she also ripped into E.J. for hurting her and his part in Fay's death. This had me cheering! Nicole tore into her soon-to-be double ex like "old-school" Nicole would do with any adversary. She no longer has anything to lose with E.J. Therefore, he's just like any other unlucky bastard who hurt her and her loved ones. Yep, Nikki's fired up, and I love it!

QUINN and VIVIAN Even in this crappy economy, there is one job I wouldn't want. That is working on Salem's tourism board. I mean, really, how can you sell a town that has more drug activity than Studio 54 in the seventies?

Case and point, Quinn's dealer buddy, Phelps(?). He was hanging out on the pier and ran into Salem's classiest junkie, Carly. He wasted no time in telling Quinn, and Quinn wasted no time in telling Vivian, who was utterly delighted by her new leverage. And her new bond with Quinn.

I'm with Gus on this one. I'm worried that Auntie Viv is going soft. I can understand her wanting to buddy up to her baby boy, but she needs to play it safe. The last time Vivian did all she could do to be with a man, she ended up in a sarcophagus. I'd hate to see her permanently buried under a possible revenge plot by Quinn. The Vivian I know and love is much too smart to let that happen. Well, let's hope so anyway!

JENNIFER and DR. DAN Jennifer Rose, dear, can we tawlk? I'll even grab Adrienne (and Maxine, just for giggles) and the three of us will show you how a real intervention works. You see, Dr. Dan is a catch. Sure, he's screwed up (and most of the women in Salem) in the past, but deep down, he's a damn fine dude. To give that up so that Carly might have a chance with him is dumb. And it's not just a little dumb. It's "If I fake a pregnancy, E.J. will stay with me" dumb.

Then there's poor Dr. Dan, who was dumbfounded by Jen's turnabout. Here's a great quote to sum up Dr. Dumped-by-Jen. As Truvy said in Steel Magnolias, "Oh, he's so confused, he don't know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt." Thankfully, Dr. Dan had Melanie and Lexie is his corner to help. Way to rally around the man, ladies!

SONNY Sometimes DAYS goes a little "After School Special" when dealing with social topics, but I thought Sonny coming out to Victor was well handled. Granted, I don't know how Kinsey will deal with the news, since she's already scribbling "Mrs. Sonny Kiriakis" in her diary. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the scenes.

For starters, I thought it was excellent that Big Red asked how Justin and Adrienne were doing. Her question was answered honestly, but it also gave some scope to the matter. Sonny's coming out affected his entire family. And because they love and accept their child, Justin and Adrienne did the work they had to do to grow with their son and understand what he was going through. I always thought they were cool, but they just reached new levels of awesomeness.

Adrienne's response also came complete with a touching story about how young Sonny looked for acceptance from cowboy print curtains. Nearly anyone who's ever felt like an outsider can relate to looking for acceptance anywhere they can find it. And those folks will normally cling on to their findings to not feel so alone or different. I appreciated that touch.

And then there's Victor! I totally cracked up when he asked Sonny if Brady put him up to this. DAYS definitely managed to stay true to Victor's set-in-his-ways, curmudgeonly character, yet remember that Victor's greatest love of all is his family. And he certainly loves Sonny, especially based on how hurt he was that it took his great-nephew so long to visit.

When it boils down to it, Victor just doesn't want to see anyone hurt Sonny. I applaud that, but I have no doubts that Sonny can surely navigate shark-infested waters, as he said. Besides, with Justin, Adrienne, Maggie, and Victor in his corner, I think now that Sonny is out and proud, he's ready for a real storyline.

LOOSE ENDS Kinsey and T were on last week! Is it sad when my favorite parts of the "Teen Scene" are semi-recurring characters? I have two hopes, though. One, DAYS drops the "semi" and changes them to "recurring" characters, on more than once a month. And, two, Will and Gabi stop talking about Sami and Rafe and spontaneously become more interesting. Crossing fingers in five, four, three...

While on the "Teen Scene," Kinsey is now besties with Nicole. Well, she's trying to be besties. I like their budding friendship. Nicole needs a new pet project now that Sydney's out of her life, and Kinsey needs to learn proper schemer etiquette.

I'm trying to like Abigail, but her constant hesitation -- as self-preserving as it is -- is more annoying than people who stop in the middle of the sidewalk to text. There's that old saying about doing something or getting off the pot. Although at this point, I wouldn't mind seeing Abigail flushed away.

If you're keeping score, Melanie is now "Melanie Jonas." She started out as a Layton, married Philip and became a Kiriakis, and is now going by Jonas. She's slowly catching up to Chad on accumulated last names. Regardless, I've always been curious as to where Layton came from in the first place.

Speaking of the Jonas-Manning family, I like that they're a bunch of misfits banding together. The only snag is that I'm having a hard time believing both Dr. Dad and Melanie haven't picked up on Carly's edgy, strung-out behavior. Wake up, gang! A gal can only have so many "headaches" or "flus."

Kate is pretty damn fierce! And she wears her "Lady of the House" badge like no other, especially considering her marriage started with little love and a lot of blackmail. However, she proved two valuable things. One, Lexie and Chad better be pretty damn supportive of Stefano and, two, bad guys need hugs, too.

EXTRA SCOOPS

HOT: Welcome back, Sami Brady! Whereas I can't entirely get past the fact she shot E.J. (in the head), it warmed my Sami-loving-heart to see that she wasn't going to be the victim or let E.J. and Rafe treat her like a chump. She tore into E.J. with old-school gusto, and also told Rafe to calm his jets -- she's a big girl and can handle her problems. I hope we see more of this new-old Sami Brady!

NOT: I'm annoyed. Chad is an underused character who has a lot of rinse and repeat dialogue. I'm pretty sure he and Nagigail* have been having the same conversation since they met, but I digress. We always hear about how horrible D.A. Woods was to him. How he was disowned faster than Carly on a mound of crushed-up pills. However, we never got to see the fights between them or any awkward encounters. In fact, I'm pretty sure Charles and Chad hold the record for the only two people who haven't run into each other on the pier. All the same, it was all secondhand storytelling, but those are scenes I would love to see Casey Deidrick tackle. Now, David Leisure pops us as the dastardly D.A., and it's in a scene with Abe and Bo. Boo!

* Nag + Abigail = Nagigail

LINE OF THE WEEK: Victor (to Sonny regarding his gayness): "Are you sure it's not a phase like the high-top sneakers with a suit?"

Honorable Mentions: Dr. Dan (to Melanie): "What the firecracker is that!?" Chad (to E.J. and Kate): "Okay, is this just your normal pre-coffee drama or do I need to brace myself for something worse?"

RANDOMNESS... I would not want to play one of those picture-matching games with Detective McCarthy! Girlfriend has a great memory!

Holy Ghosts of DAYS Past! Roman and Allie were both on last week. Stephanie was even mentioned. If someone brings up Rex and Cassie, I'm grabbing my shelter-in-place kit and heading for a place to hide.

Speaking of Stephanie, did anyone else giggle when it was deduced that she really wasn't any help in the Fafe case? Sunroof Stephanie useless? Never!

Um, does Officer Jenkins really think a co-ed jail cell is a good idea, especially when one of the felons alleged crimes is rape?

Did anyone else chuckle when Rafe basically told Hope she wouldn't understand Sami's pain caused by what the DiMeras did to her? Um, Rafe needs to borrow Fafe's Brady course books and flip to the "Princess Gina" chapters.

And we're down to 44 possible states where Salem might be located! According to Sonny, gay marriage isn't legal in "Salem, U.S.A." Meaning, it's not in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, or Vermont (or Washington, D.C., for that matter). So, let's grab a map, jump into the Two Scoops mobile, and try to solve the mystery. Road trip!

PARTING THOUGHTS... So, friends and DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of July 18th. Laurisa will be back next week with all the latest DAYS diss. In the meantime, I'm curious to know if you think the summer storylines are sizzling or fizzling, or you just don't care because you're counting the days until September's big changes! Feel free to give me your Scoop by clicking here! And, "That's a fact!"

As always, thanks for reading! Tony

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