The sins of the father

For fear that it may be pushed aside in favor of others that were bigger, louder, or special effects-ier, allow me to make the case that Eric and Nicole's heartbreakingly beautiful confrontation is one of the best DAYS scenes of the year. Find out why this scene was so stellar in this week's Two Scoops.

Every once in a while, DAYS serves up something so heartbreakingly raw that I stop taking notes; my trademark sarcasm abandons me, and I just sit in awe. Last week, that moment came about halfway through Wednesday's show. Nicole and Eric broke my heart to pieces.

There were so many things to unpack from this beautiful scene.

First, Eric was adamant not to believe that Nicole could hurt him, right up until the point where he had no choice but to believe it. He was gut sick over his friend's "betrayal," and -- if I may be so blunt as to say it -- a little rocked that God would let this happen to him. Simultaneously, he questioned himself, in utter fear that his ability to see the good in people was now compromised beyond repair. That condition may seem like a mere inconvenience to us. But to a priest, it's downright detrimental.

Then there's Nicole. Telling someone that you love them is usually a positive experience. But my beloved Nicole confessed her feelings through tears, embarrassment, and disgust in herself. It shouldn't be that way! Not for my Nikki! Not for anyone!

It hit me what a turn-around this storyline has been for Nicole. She's always drifted toward men who can give her power or money. Eric can't give her either. He can't even give her the fulfilled companionship she wants. But she still has to physically remove herself from his presence for her own mental health. When she said that all she wanted to do was be next to Eric, I believed her. And that's the statement that convinced Eric that Nicole had raped him.

Yup. Someone finally said the word rape. So we're finally talking about the crime. I hope the show doesn't throw a gutter ball on this one. They screwed up when they passed on giving the uber talented Blake Berris an opportunity to portray a male victim dealing with rape. But they can make up for it a bit with the divine Greg Vaughn.

With all due respect, I hope they don't go the route of having the priest just believe that God will help him heal in time and then never revisit the healing process. While he wouldn't have the same intimacy struggles of a non-priest, Eric will certainly have complications trusting people. It's not too much to hope that we see Eric in some therapy scenes, or perhaps even some heart-to-heart scenes with his twice-raped twin sister, where Eric can acknowledge that this isn't going to be an overnight heal.

And as for Nicole, who will be on her side? Certainly her uneasy alliance with Marlena and Brady will go the way of Nicole's relationship with Sami. White Knight #1 Rafe is in no place to investigate things. And while White Knight #2 Daniel has the key to her literal salvation sitting on his desk, he's a wee bit too preoccupied with a very different kind of father drama right now.

In case you missed it, J.J. hasn't exactly been killing it on the decision-making front lately. I mean, yes, his fashion improved, but, oh boy, is he going to have some 'splainin' to do about Theresa. I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure that being a sober man with a drugged, passed out, half-naked woman in his company is not an ideal look for a guy out on probation.

Still, I feel bad for J.J. He's really furious with Jack, but since Jack isn't around to take the blame, it goes to Jennifer. She doesn't deserve it, but I get why it's coming at her. I thought waiving a bag of drugs in Jennifer's face and announcing that he's going out and coming back when he feels like it was a bit much. But Casey Moss is working this storyline like a boss right now, so I'm in.

Theresa, Jennifer, J.J., and Daniel have been dancing around this storyline for a while. I like how the writers tried to make it look like Theresa and Daniel were going to be an item. It literally smacked me in the face when Jennifer threatened Theresa that -- of course -- Theresa and J.J. are going to end up in bed on the couch together. All that talk about J.J. turning 18 wasn't solely for the benefit of the courts.

Yes, this storyline is picking up splendidly. In fact, I almost started a slow clap when Jennifer finally woke up and admitted that Daniel was right all along! J.J. was calling the shots. And she fell right in line. In doing so, she's lost Daniel, at least for the time being. Good on her for realizing that fact. And despite what Hope and Abigail thought, Jen's initial instinct to have J.J. arrested was the right decision. Here's hoping that she keeps it up and we get strong Jennifer back soon. (Note -- her fabulous leopard print jacket was another step in the right direction!)

Finally, Theresa is a layered little mess right now, and I can't wait for her to unravel. I mean this in the best way -- Jen Lilly's got the crazy eyes down. And we see them every time someone mentions Theresa's parents. It's an instant snap, and suddenly Theresa isn't yelling at Jen as much as she's yelling at Kimberly. It's a subtle, brilliant touch that makes me want to find someone strong enough to push back against Theresa because there's a lot more under that surface of skank.

No doubt, that person would be her cousin Sami. But Sami's a bit busy right now. You see, all this while, I've been wondering what would happen now that E.J. is vulnerable because of Sami and the kids. But watching Sami and Stefano's scenes this week made me realize that it's not E.J. who's vulnerable because of Sami. It's Sami who's vulnerable because of E.J.

Sami's rarely operated with much to lose. She's been on the offensive for much of her life. But now she has something precious to lose and a real opponent who could take it all away. Stefano vs. Sami could be a tremendous fight, and to be fair, there's more history between this pair than Stefano and E.J. I'd be down for seeing this play out a bit more. But, to be safe, we should all probably back up to a safe distance away from the DiMera living room. We've seen what DiMeras can do when they're angry. R.I.P. Sydney's Barbie doll.

LOOSE ENDS Will was offered a writing fellowship at Berkley. Sonny and Gabi decided that he should take it and they can handle baby duties while Will's away. If this translates to more Sonny/Gabi scenes, I'm all for it! They've quickly become my guilty pleasure.

I didn't see any way that Jordan was forcing Rafe to be dependant on her, but sure, whatever you say, Kate monster. (Bless you theater dorks out there that got that reference.)

Adrienne, seriously? Justin should represent Marge pro bono? Ignoring the fact that it would probably be a conflict of interest since Justin recently represented Marge's intended victims, Marge is a loon who's outstayed her welcome on my favorite soap. Don't tie your fabulous self to that sinking ship.

Dude, Dr. Dan. When Stefano DiMera comes to you and tells you that he owes you a favor, you pocket that thing, son! Do you know how handy that can come in down the line? That, coupled with your Victor Club card will make you virtually untouchable should you find yourself in an unpleasant situation with the law.

Lucas doesn't have any legal right to tell Sami where to live. However, Sami has no business legally fighting him. And I really don't think that either should set the precedent of dictating each other's lives. But at the end of the day, it's a tiny bit hypocritical for Lucas to criticize Sami falling for a dude who has a control-freak nut-job for a parent. Hopefully there can be a peaceful resolution because I hate it when Sami and Lucas fight. I'm sure Allie doesn't like it either, but they really need to work it out for me!

E.J.'s rant to Sami about how he was supposed to hate her from the beginning was spectacular use of the show's history. For all the rewrites in soap land, it's nice to see something remembered accurately. Plus, no one fights better than E.J. and Sami!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN BLOG Did you notice all the Halloween decorations up around Salem? We did too! So, @Tony_S_Days and I put our silliest hats on to come up with costumes for all of the citizens of Salem. Check out our selections here on Halloween!

HOT The exquisite work that Greg Vaughn and Arianne Zucker turned in this week should not be underestimated. Their scene was tough. There were no extras. There were no slow-motion shots. There were no props to throw across the set. And due to the nature of the dialogue and their characters' relationship, they couldn't even touch each other. Yet there they were. Delivering beautifully layered performances that not only stood up as fine pieces of acting, but -- more importantly -- did the subject matter justice. So very well done!

NOT I guess if Chad had made up the whole brain tumor thing on his own, I could get behind the Chad scolding. But he didn't. Cameron was the one who diagnosed it. But even if Chad had engineered the whole thing, he still never once lied to Abigail. It's not like he told her they slept together when they hadn't or anything like that.

LINE OF THE WEEK Stefano: "Samantha, I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart. Please accept my apology for everything that I've put you through." Will someone please pass me a Snuggie? It's cold here in hell.

RANDOM THOUGHTS That baby playing Arianna is a pile of cute. And this shot of her, "Whachoo talkin' bout, Sonny?" look cracked me right up.

Theresa got Carly's shower into Sami's old apartment! Nifty!

I'll have a very, very hard time feeling bad for Gabi if Nick gets so obsessed with her that he starts breaking the law. Pot, meet kettle. Instead, I'd still rather see Nick in rehab with Theresa or in therapy with Eric.

It's weird that Brady keeps saying that he was unfaithful to Kristen. I don't get how you can be unfaithful to someone when you're not in a relationship with that person. Newsflash: Brady might not be that bright.

Hope really shouldn't judge Theresa for shacking up with a biker guy. *wink*

Nick pronounced Gabi's last name with the same sporadic accent that Giada De Laurentiis has when she talks about moots-ah-reh-la.

Jen said that Maxine was Dannifer's biggest cheerleader. Snap. Does Maggie know about this?

I kind of wanted Theresa to bring up Daniel's history with her cousin, and fellow way-younger-than-he gal, Chelsea.

Chad's recovery must have really taken to be well enough for doctors to come into his room and berate him. Normally, they tell everyone not to stress out the patient.

I adore the idea of E.J. standing up for Kristen, and Sami standing up for Brady!

Just what kind of ninja ventilation system does Theresa have that Detective Aunt Hope didn't smell a whiff of pot when Theresa opened the door?

John may be coming back to Salem. But is he coming back to Marlena? Specifically, should she take him back? It's probably fair to assume that Will will look a lot more like Guy Wilson when Will comes back from Berkley. While I've been a proponent of recasting the role from the beginning, I'll miss the snot out of Chandler Massey and his amazingly talented self. He was one of those special actors who made being a soap fan easy, especially since he took a character that I loathed and turned him into a bona fide leading man. Chandler's got two Emmys (so far) to show for his brilliance on DAYS. I can't wait to see what he'll conquer next. Whew! Not only is that it for this week, but I'm pretty certain that's all I could take! I need the weekend to regroup, refocus, and refill (my wine glass) in preparation for next week. We've still got almost a full week until Sweeps start, and Tony will be back to get us through it.

Need more Two Scoops? Head over to read blogs by Laurisa or Tony for more ranting, raving, and all-out randomness

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