It's only for now

It's probably the strangest summer ever on record in Salem. What storylines would you like to see carry over into the fall? What ones will fade away? Let's discuss in this week's Two Scoops.

It's an odd time to be a DAYS fan. With the revolving door of cast and writers, not to mention the show's own producer admitting that he doesn't recognize DAYS anymore, it's hard to know what storylines will actually matter come September.

So this summer, DAYS is my first true summer fling. There are no expectations of anything permanent. I mean, save for the fact that I want the stunning Kate Mansi to teach me her arm workout. Other than that, nothing is set in stone.

Usually I'm not a fan of love quads. They're even harder to pull off than love triangles. The last round of Sami/Lucas/Austin/Carrie involving High Style wasn't bad. But that's about the last one I remember not totally making me reach for the fast-forward button. Until now.

Zoe makes everything better about the Chad/Abigail/Ben triangle. She speaks sarcasm, which I obviously appreciate because that is my first language. But she knows when to put it away when a serious topic like Theo comes up. And she's not a fool at all. She knows that Chad still wants Abigail. But Zoe's a straight shooter who isn't afraid to speak her mind. I don't know if Zoe, specifically, is the right girl for Chad, but I liked seeing him in scenes with someone who matched his level of cool, while still challenging him.

Also, I adored that the show didn't make Zoe and Abigail catty with each other. Sure, they both knew why the other was there. But they both behaved way more maturely than I have ever seen, say, Nicole and Serena act toward each other. Both women (and men, for that matter) get huge kudos for putting Theo first.

Finally, there's Ben. He's the weakest link in this chain because he's got little character history. But because Zoe is a relatively new character, too, Ben doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. (Okay, as much...) Truth be told, at this moment, I'd rather see the triangle between Zoe/Chad/Abigail. But Ben's going to be sticking around, so let's make the most of it!

Since we may have nine months of this storyline to play out, I'm hoping that we get to use that time to learn more about Zoe. What I've seen so far I love!

Speaking of women speaking their mind, Theresa saw Brady having a conversation that didn't consist of "I despise you" with Nanny Hayley, so of course Theresa was jealous. Then again, Theresa could see Brady drinking a cup of coffee and get jealous of the coffee because Brady spends his money on it and not on her. Which, really, is rude because Theresa is pretty entertaining.

At least she is to me! A good chunk of my Theresa fandom is Jen Lilly's ability to seamlessly maneuver from nasty-little-piece-of-work to hard-luck-kid. The other chunk is that I have to side with Theresa a bit when it comes to her frustration of being up against Brady and his money. It's more than a little irritating to watch Brady hand off the kid to a nanny and then pivot to give Theresa a lecture on parenting. Try it like normal people, Bradster, with no sleep and a diet of Hot Pockets and diet soda.

Sorry, I'm burying the lead here. Baby Tate already has his own room! Caroline has been schlepping it out over a pot of chowder for decades, and do we see her with her own room? Noooooo! Ugh. Welcome to the 1%, Tater!

I guess Carrie and Austin didn't let Will watch soap operas, growing up in Switzerland, because he's still acting like Paul is the genesis of all the Wilson problems.

Okay, Paul certainly has not been invisible. And his rinse and repeat dialogue is dancing on my last nerve. (Also, why do these boys always have to meet in person? Do they not know how to use a phone?) But by soap standards, he's been a saint when it comes to respecting Will and Sonny's marriage. He hasn't blackmailed a soul or swapped a single DNA test!

Anyway, Will packed up his daughter/favorite trump card and convinced Sonny to plop down right where they could see Maverick and Goose play beach volleyball together. Shockingly, this plan did not work. Probably because a) Paul and Derek aren't sleeping together, and b) there's no amount of guys that Paul could sleep with to make Will not a bozo.

In better news, how about that moment when Nicole saw Xander in the hospital? Gawd, I love those soapy moments! What I love even more is that Nicole didn't back down. She called him an S.O.B. and swatted at him. Atta girl, Nicky!

I'll give Xander this -- the dude has some serious chutzpah. For as many bad guys as there are on soaps, there don't seem to be that many who commit the crimes themselves (Stefano and Victor usually hire out) and then use the most gentlemanly sweet voice ever to deny involvement to their victim's faces. That's Andre DiMera stuff right there!

And as hard of a time as I give the Salem P.D., it sounds like they're legitimately stuck here. Xander constructed a pretty solid alibi and witness testimony. I can see why the D.A. wouldn't want to take this case.

So why not give him the same "ugh/eye roll" that I send Clyde's way for getting away with everything? One, because Xander's victims are still very much alive and on the show. Two, because Xander pays in other ways.

A few years ago, I wrote a column about soap justice and how I'm okay with not everyone going to jail because then the entire show would be Maggie visiting every single person in lockup. But as long as characters see some form of negative consequences, I can live with it. And Xander's consequence is Victor. All Xander wants is Victor's approval, and he's not going to get it. You can tell Xander's genuinely hurt by Victor's response.

But apparently, some people are into that kind of disrespect. Despite not having a date that didn't end up in a lecture, Nicole decided to forget all about Eric and move in with Daniel. Oh, goodie. Look, Nicole is picking the wrong guy. But I give her credit for not being wishy-washy. She's committed to pushing Eric out of her mind, which can't be easy, considering how many flashbacks they keep showing of the furnace room frolic.

Daniel's behavior isn't the only problem with this pair. The show hasn't exactly done a bang-up job of establishing why Daniel wants Nicole either. Unlike last year when we saw Eric genuinely struggle with his feelings for Nicole for months, Daniel seemed to be able to brush her off and slam the door in her face pretty easily up until just about...oh...yesterday. LOOSE ENDS Just thinking about Anne's response to the Kiriakis mansion makes me smile.

Paige joined forces with a guy who probably drives a van with no windows to scheme Eve out of $10,000. It wasn't a bad little scheme, but it's a little anti-climactic considering we've spent the better part of the last month, watching Paige scouring through Tinder for the "perfect" guy.

Eve's plan is to find a drug that will make Jen think she's going crazy. Solid soap plan. I kinda wish they'd let Eve go full-on Kristin here.

I'd like to say that I'm excited about Stefano and Victor joining forces. And I do adore it any time John Aniston and Joseph Mascolo share scenes! But considering that Clyde's completely gotten away with E.J.'s death, I don't have much faith in Stefano's assistance when it comes to eliminating Clyde. And that bothers me.

Serena seems to be under the impression that she did everything she could to stop mean, ol' Xander, so Eric should really stop yelling at her. Xander is bad news, no doubt. But if Serena had come forward at any time during the last year and owned up to the diamond smuggling (for which she definitely would have gotten immunity in exchange for her testimony), things would never have gotten to this point. But she didn't. So I get why Eric is ticked. It's kind of like if you drive an angry drunk guy to my party and he punches someone there. I'm going to be mad at you, too, not just him.

I get that Adrienne is hurt. And Judi Evans is crushing all of her scenes. But, darn it, I feel bad for Lucas! One time is understandable, but Adrienne is now making a habit of crying on his shoulder about another man. Soon, Adrienne is going to ask Lucas to give her a ride to Justin's house and $20 so that she can take Justin out for coffee to "talk." Lucas deserves better!

Roman and a (kinda-dreamy) Agent Watts informed J.J. that he has a very specific set of skills that will make him qualified to take the task of an undercover agent. J.J. said no, but I say yes! Sure, it's a blatant excuse to get Casey Moss to act with the adults again, but that's okay. I'm all for a 21 Jump Street storyline. It's a nice nod to Jen and Jack's pasts as investigators too! Plus, I chuckled when a panicked J.J. asked just how long the Salem P.D. been trailing him and what exactly they know.

Whew! For a second, I thought Clyde was just an average misunderstood child molester. I like him so much more now that he's a homophobic bigot too!

HOT I feel like I just hit the dollar on The Price is Right Wheel. Martha Madison and Tamara Braun are both returning to DAYS! Taking over Kirsten Storms's iconic role was no easy task. But Martha grabbed it with both hands and gracefully ushered Belle into adulthood. (Well, as "graceful" and "adult" as a soap character can be, I guess!) I loved her work with the role. Now that Belle has a new brother, nephew, and a dad fresh out of a coma, it's about time for her to come back!

Probably the complete opposite of Belle is Ava Vitali -- a character Tamara Braun originated and left entirely too soon. This woman is a B.A.D.A.S.S. mafia princess who doesn't take too nicely to men who throw their power around, especially at their own children. Did I mention that she was completely crazy enough to hold Bo, Hope, Kayla, and Patch prisoner too? Ohhhhh, Clyde, you better watch it!

NOT This one is more of a "Huh?" than a "Not" but why are we hinting at Rafe and Hope being a romantic pair? Bo is coming back. Aiden is apparently getting the boot. And, I repeat, Bo is coming back. There's no way Bo and Hope won't reunite.

And, if I may, a word of caution -- I fully support Beauregard and his Fancy Face reconciliation. However, if Hope feels one ounce of guilt over moving on with Aiden when Bo comes back, I will throw a Two Scoops-sized temper tantrum, the likes of which hasn't been seen since Tony found out that Marlena "killed" Kristin. Bo should have to work to earn back her trust. He's the one who left. If that's not the case, projectiles will be en route to my TV screen.

LINE OF THE WEEK Stefano: "What's going on between you and Clyde Weston?" Victor: "Well, Maggie and I go square dancing with him and Kate every Tuesday night!"

RANDOM THOUGHTS I'm disproportionately annoyed at those huge pieces of hair Paige forgets to put in her ponytail.

It would be nice if Hope knew exactly what Chad did to save Marlena's life. Maybe then she could tone down that judgmental eyebrow around him just a smidge.

Marlena, we're finally getting along. So, I'm going to need you to stop shipping Eric and Serena.

Are Abe and Maxine still a thing?

"No one at the department is going to give up" is not exactly a ringing endorsement from the Salem P.D.

I so adore the love between Hope and Victor.

Does Paige's bed look tiny to anyone else?

I want Zoe and Abigail to take me swimsuit shopping. I loved both of their looks!

Shocker. The pregnancy test fell out of the bag.

Yes, Daniel. Question why on earth Eric is seeing Serena. When he's done, maybe you can explain to us how you ended up in bed with Kristen.

I'm fairly certain Arianna's first words are going to be, "Why are you telling me all these adult problems, Dad?"

That Kyle dude is right out of a D.A.R.E. commercial. "Hey man, wanna try some good stuff?"

You guys, Ben had flashbacks of things he didn't see. Good lord, maybe Ben is the new Celeste!

If you have a few extra minutes, check out our special Two Scoops Summer Blog Series! It's a wish list of gems we'd like to see for the fiftieth. So far, we've got Dream Girls and A Few Good Men ready to go!

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