The greatest show on Earth

It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times last week for DAYS! There was a ton of Emmy gold to celebrate, yet on-screen viewers had to say goodbye to a beloved fallen heroine named Kristen DiMera. But, girl's a DiMera, and maybe she'll bounce back. Let's party and mourn in this week's Two Scoops!

I attempted to write this week's column with my black mourning veil on, but I decided it was best to remove said veil in order to see the keyboard because I have a lot to say about last week. But, really, can one ever make sense over such tragedy? Kristen is gone far too soon, and I'm not just talking about the jive nine-day stint they brought back the legendary Eileen Davidson for. Really, only nine days!? That's like getting reservations at your favorite booked-for-months-in-advance restaurant only to be kicked out before dessert. Not fair! But I digress because we have to address the real problem here...

Well, well, well, Marlena. I can see we're going to have some issues again. She showed her true colors last week, didn't she? First, she barged into Kristen's home without an invitation and started making a scene. Next, a poor, frightened Kristen had to pull a gun to defend herself against Marlena's mad ravings. And then, good ole' Doc Evans cold-bloodedly murdered Kristen by pushing her out a window!

Okay. Okay. There's a chance it may have played out a little differently and my grief is talking, but if Mar Mar thinks she's getting one of my annual holiday newsletters this December, she's sadly mistaken, which is too bad for her because I was going to show off a new Christmas sweater. No spoilers, but there's a felt camel with googly eyes and a bedazzled baby Jesus, Mar, and you're gonna wanna see that. #toobad

Yet maybe I should be a little more like Will Horton, who said, "I am objective about every story I write." Yeah, I almost spit out my Scotch when he claimed that, too. But the point is last week was actually pretty darn amazing. From the vintage flashbacks to all the fighting to all the fawning over baby Christopher, my five-day DVR DAYSathon flew by, and I'm eager to see what happens next. And what happens next will certainly be interesting because there are a lot of possibilities now that Brady and Theresa are eternally linked. Or, well, until future writers change the paternity in a decade or two. Baby Christopher can ask Grandpa John all about that. But, again, I digress...

In addition to a fast-paced, action-packed week of episodes, we had other amazing things to celebrate last week, which certainly balance out what Marlena may or may not have done. That is, DAYS received several Emmy Awards, including a win for Outstanding Drama Series and Freddie Smith's win for Outstanding Younger Actor. Um, uh-huh, that's right -- our show is the shiznick! But we all kind of knew that already, despite some hiccups over the past few months.

Now, I'm going to put my serious hat on for a bit and do some cheerleading. Yes, I have a serious hat. No, really. I do. So, here it goes...

I'd be a hypocrite if I said I never pick on the writers. If I said I never covered them in snark and tossed them out a castle window, or if I never called them out on some of their lackluster storytelling, but I do that out of love for all things DAYS -- for each cast and crew member who's given us something to talk about for nearly fifty years. I commentate, sometimes snarkily so, because I want DAYS to be the best DAYS it can be and know what it looks like when it is.

So, sure, I pick on the writers -- okay, I pick on them a lot -- but I do admire what they do. To tell a story every weekday, every week for the past fifty years isn't an easy task, nor is it easy to keep every fan (and fan base) happy. There are going to be hiccups, some downright lousy spots, and even some fans who will exclaim, "I'm never watching DAYS again because they...," but I'd much rather have those hard times than no times at all. So, with morale high due to a great week of episodes and Emmy gold shimmering, I'm asking everyone for a favor:

Let's all take two minutes and tell everyone in a suit that counts what DAYS means to us! With rating a bit abysmal, the people who make decisions like whether or not the show should continue need to feel some love -- to know that we're sticking with "our stories" through the best of times and the worst of times. There is certainly a lot of sand left in the hourglass if we ban together as a soap-loving community, so stand up for our soap by clicking here!

That link will take you directly to NBC's "Contact Us" page. From there, simply select the "I have feedback on NBC programming" option from the first dropdown menu, "Days of our Lives" from the second, and the third is up to you! I did it. It literally took me two minutes, and I'm a wordy bastard who left a lot of feedback.

If the past few weeks are indicators, I truly believe DAYS is on an upswing, especially with all the fantastic fiftieth anniversary rumblings I've heard about. In addition to the amazingly talented cast we have now, legends like Alison Sweeney, Peter Reckell, Stephen Nichols, Nadia Bjorlin, Patsy Pease, and Camila Banus are returning! Plus, we have more Kayla and Adrienne airtime to look forward to as well as a new Joey Johnson who is sure to bring some trouble to Salem, and a very handsome Aussie named Alexander Bruszt who will be premiering as Fynn in November. So, let's do this. Let's make DAYS Must-See-TV again, blow up the ratings, and blow the minds of all those naysayers because bragging rights are the best kind of revenge, and I know this as a graduate of the Kristen DiMera School of Revenge and Fine Arts.

LOOSE ENDS: Okay, Billy Flynn. You win. You're Chad now. I'm totally and fully on the fan bus. I found Chad's honesty, well, his special brand of honesty, downright captivating. I believe him, Abs. He circled "yes" and likes you.

Grandpaps Narita is the best! I love how supportive he is of Paul. Though, I'm ready to see John and Paul patch things up. That means John will have time to tell Paul about his adventurous yet brainwashed-laden past, and Paul will have time to want to investigate what the DiMeras did to his dad and then convince Brady they should take down the DiMeras together, and...and...and. Yes, lots of potential here, new writers. Let's do this!

Kate vs. Adrienne was all shades of fun to watch! Sadly, I think Kate is right about the longevity of Lucas and Adrienne's relationship, but I enjoyed every second of that bitter battle. It's also nice to see Lucas stand up for himself. This may last. Okay, it won't, but I like when he shows off the family jewels.

I kind of love this Will writing an article about Clyde idea. There's a lot that could happen here, and in the end, possibilities like Kate and Clyde breaking up, Will ending up humbled, and/or Clyde ending up dead may result. Crossing fingers in five, four, three, two...

It was nice to see Abe and Roman last week! It would have been nicer if they were on longer than it's taken you to read these last two sentences about them. Well, at least Hope is on Clyde's case and has Rafe (and Victor) in her corner. I like this. I like this a lot, despite the drama that it means for Hope and Aiden. But like Kristen and her fall from the castle, they'll be all right in the end.

HOT

Emmy Awards, Eileen Davidson, a Kristen/Marlena showdown, a five-day stretch of great shows, Justin's back again, and a shirtless Xander all in one week? Yes, please!

NOT Dr. Danny Downer scolded Nicole again. Hip Hop hooray, ho! Hey! Ho.

LINE OF THE WEEK Sonny (to Will): "Desperate? You sent Marlena to Italy." Freddie Smith's -- sorry, Emmy Award-winning Freddie Smith's -- delivery cracked me up!

RANDOM THOUGHTS Like Ben trusting Clyde, Chad trusting Stefano when he says, "Only listen to what I tell you," is totally a smart move. Like, totally. Nothing can go wrong there.

Brady's super hot when he says things like, "We have people."

Laura Horton is having surgery? Wasn't she just hospitalized a few months ago? She's quickly becoming the new Mama Hernandez.

Who knew people were so easy to knock out?

Poor Melanie! She's Salem's newest hero and had to sit next to Marlena on a ten-hour flight while a baby cried a few seats away. Which one is worse, I don't know, but I do wonder whatever happened to tickertape parades and keys to the city.

Um, where's my Tori?

Though he may need to mind his own business a bit, I love how Justin says "Kiriakis!"

Joseph Mascolo did an amazing job (as always) depicting Stefano's grief for Kristen, but after the umpteenth time, you'd think Stefano would be immune to such tragedy. Methinks somewhere in Chinatown there's an old bearded man with a Mogwai who told a young Stefano for each time he faked his death or eats after midnight, one of his children will die.

Related, I'm calling foul that Chad is the only DiMera child left until I see Peter Blake's body.

I'm starting a rumor -- Chris de Burgh wrote "The Lady in Red" after seeing Arianne Zucker on DAYS last week.

Baby Christopher is downright adorable, and Brady and Theresa are downright adorable with him! But I'd expect nothing less from Kristen's child. Yeah, I said Kristen's child. #denial

Everyone does realize it's only a matter of time before Ciara starts to use her telekinesis, right?

PARTING THOUGHTS So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's Two Scoops for the week of May 4! I don't care if there's sharks in the bay, if the fall from the castle is 100 feet with cliffs and swift currents, there's no way I'm believing Kristen DiMera is really gone forever. With that, I'm lowering my mourning veil and I'm off to sing "My Heart Will Go On" in Horton Town Square. Laurisa will be back next week to keep the May Sweeps ball rolling and the Emmy post-partying hopping! May the Fourth be with you, and "That's a fact!"

As always, thanks for reading! Tony

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