'Til there was you

This summer in Salem has been like finding a bag of Christmas M&M's in your pantry. While still your beloved chocolate, there's something truly funky about the whole thing. Can the new writers right the ship? Find out in this week's Two Scoops.

The new writers' material started airing this week. It's way too early to tell whether this is a good thing or not, but for the sake of the change, this is a good thing. DAYS was not headed in a good direction, B-storylines were being forced to spend too much time in the spotlight, and characters we'd never met before last year were the ones driving the drama.

We kicked off the week with what may go down as one of the quickest exits in soap history. Just when we were sure that Sonny was going to forgive Will yet again, Mr. Jackson had enough, packed his bags, and headed off to clear his mind -- as we all do -- in a casino in Paris.

Personally, I feel a little cheated that Sonny's exit was all of one day. (Serena's been "leaving Salem" for what...two months now?) A legacy kid who ushered in one of the most important storylines of this decade deserved more of a to-do.

But his reason for leaving was all kinds of on point. He gave Will chance after chance. Despite the fact that Sonny never once made it a competition, Will kept banging...err...sounding the drum that Sonny's feelings for Paul were really what was keeping them from reuniting. (Because it couldn't have been the fact that Will cheated on Sonny twice before Paulson's history ever saw daylight.) And that delusion became too much for Sonny to deal with. I totally relate.

Plus, let's be super honest here -- maybe it was the shock of a Will recast, but the version of Wilson we ended up with was a far lesser version than the one we fell for in the first place. That's through no fault of the actors. Sometimes these things just don't work.

But the one thing that did work in a big way was Sonny saying goodbye to Arianna. That's when my tears came. Sonny delivered that little girl. He loves her to pieces. I think it hurts him more to leave her than it does to leave Will. So for that reason, I hope that he's back in Salem again. Whether he and Will make it, I love that special Belle/Roman-type bond where an honorary parent looks after a legacy kid as if they were their own. Sonny has that with Ari.

Speaking of kids with screwed up parents, I liked sassy Paige. But you know which Paige I really love? I-heard-your-conversation-on-the-phone Paige. Thank goodness this undercover storyline isn't being dragged out more than it has to be. Now that Paige knows, I have the sneaking suspicion that she'll try to help J.J., be the one who actually uncovers the name of Kyle's boss, and then find herself on the business end of Clyde's black gloves.

Of course, I'd be a bad scooper if I didn't point out the irony of Jack J.J. going off and doing something for Jennifer Paige's "own good" without telling her. I'd just caution the writers to tread lightly here. J.J. and Paige are a long cry from the chemistry and angst developed through years of Jack and Jen.

They definitely don't have the history of John and Marlena either. These two are certainly headed for a "reunion," though I put reunion in quotes because despite not physically being on the show together, John and Marlena have hardly split up. Neither of them has had any other love interest but each other in years. But still, it's nice to see a couple that's stood the test of time. Plus, Drake and Dee together are like DAYS comfort food. These two are going to be okay!

The other supercouple that got tons of screen time was Bo and Hope, which was quite impressive, since Bo wasn't even on-screen. But Julie showed up for a chat with Hope to recant the events that led up to Bo's departure. I have to agree with everything Hope said about Bo in that conversation. While the word "abandon" might not sit well with people, the sentiment is not incorrect.

Bo left of his own free will. He knew he was going somewhere dangerous and didn't know when he'd be back. But Hope supported him and held up their home life so Bo could be away. Finally, Bo sent Hope a letter saying that he was choosing to go further undercover, and she would not be able to contact him again. John -- who'd seen Bo personally -- hand-delivered the letter. There's no reason for Hope to believe anything else.

And then she waited...a long time...for two years before moving on with anyone else. That's enough time to complete college and med school at Salem U! Finally, she ended up with Aiden, who, thanks to the talents of Daniel Cosgrove, has remained rather interesting on his own.

Last week, Clyde found out what Aiden was digging into and took out his aggressions on Aiden's face. Yup, in addition to being made of Teflon, Clyde now has the super-strength to beat up a guy at least a decade his junior. First, this is a deliciously wonderful turn for James Reed as Clyde. This is the role he should have been playing from the beginning. Second, it took Aiden about 48 hours to uncover what Kate should have found a year ago. The Lady Roberts needs to review her strategy for P.I.s.

Clyde did what I thought to be and pretty darn good job of threatening Aiden. But then Aiden dropped the bomb on him. Aiden said he's got more important things to deal with. Hmmm... Again, the new writers have some major latitude here because Daniel Cosgrove is kind of a rock star at steering Aiden between sweet and menacing. I just hope that the secret is more "Marlena is the Salem Stalker" and less "Ian McAllister thinks he should have Stefano's money."

Finally on the Hope front, we've got Rafe. I've been fighting it for a while now, but darn it, I can't help liking Hope and Rafe together. A lot. Hope is what Rafe always wanted Sami to be -- all the strength and chutzpah without any of the underhanded scheming. But alas, it will not be. Because Bo is coming back. And the show isn't stupid enough to bring Bo back and not reunite him with Hope...is it?

LOOSE ENDS I appreciated Kyle balking at having to prove himself to Paige. Using love as a conditioning tool for good behavior, like you'd use a piece of cheese with a dog, is not a good look for a soap heroine.

Three cheers for John rejoining the ISA! I love John in spy mode. And, to be fair, Marlena can grasp her pearls all she wants about this career move, but no job will ever be as dangerous as being the man who has the heart of the woman Stefano wants. So John might as well have more powerful friends than the Salem P.D. I adore how Chad loves Abigail. I just wish his attention and effort wasn't wasted on such a lopsided partnership. Just how many people have to tell Abigail exactly why Chad yelled at her before she'll get over herself and go after what she wants? Absolutely no one is forcing her to chose Ben. Kate Mansi is diving headfirst into this role, so I keep checking. But, nope, I've still got zero sympathy and even less patience for Abigail's angst.

You gotta love Caroline's compliments. Only she could bring someone to tears by thanking them for not being "one of those tramps or lunatics." Victor, Maggie, and Caroline are all made of win.

HOT

You guys, Hope has a house again! I thought we'd never see that place. But there is was in all it's non-generic hotel room glory! Plus, we saw the front porch too! I don't want to get ahead of myself, but could it be that someday soon Marlena, Daniel, Hope, Roman, and Sonny might not have to share the same office? Oh, to dream!

NOT I adore Susan Seaforth-Hayes. Everything about her is class and splendor. But every time I see Julie, I cringe. She's like that relative I don't want to see at family events, but she's there and I have to be nice to her.

LINE OF THE WEEK Hope: "Once you've been up against Stefano DiMera, Clyde Weston is nothing." Yaaaasssss! This is what I've been screaming for months! #TeamFancyFace

Unintentionally hilarious line of the week: Will: "Abigail, Chad can do math!" Raise your hand if, like me, you said, "And Ben probably can't." in your head. Come on. Let's see 'em!

RANDOM THOUGHTS Andre turning into a good guy? Hogwash. Thaao Penghlis plays a positively chilling villain. To have Andre return to be reformed would be a disservice of epic proportions. I'm so glad things seem to be corrected.

I'm looking forward to the new teen scene in Salem! Continuing on with legacy kids is essential to soaps, even if one of those "kids" does appear to be old enough to rent a car. Plus, I can't stop happy dancing that Ciara will finally be old enough for someone to put her in her place.

Seeing Paige in her apron made me miss the Java Caf.

That shade of red lipstick looked gorgeous on Abigail.

I'm old, but can someone please explain why Kyle wears his belt sideways?

Did anyone else notice that the lighting was off? On Monday's episode, Paige, J.J., and Kyle were talking in the daylight, as were Sonny and Paul. Tuesday comes, and it's nighttime for all of them.

Sonny tapped out. It's time for Joey to come back.

Um, Eve, "Ohh...I saw that cute friend of yours, Kyle?" is probably not the best opening line when trying to earn your way back into Paige's good graces after sleeping with her last boyfriend.

I'm sorry, I could have sworn I heard John warn a man about pursuing a woman who's already in a relationship with another man. My ears must have been playing tricks on me!

Truth time -- if someone planted a microphone in the crevice of my mantel decorations, it would be months before I found that thing. It would probably be around Christmas when I take down that stuff to dust and put up my stockings.

Woot! Chad gets his leading man certificate for throwing a glass!

Serena, Clyde, and Eve must have all gone to the same "hidden microphone" sale that Salem Electronics had last month.

I adored Maggie's robe!

No matter how bad the beating, Aiden's hair remained perfect. #respect

2015 SUMMER SERIES @Tony_S_Days and I are winding down summer as well! The fourth installment of our blog series takes a look at what lesser-known characters we'd like to see back for the fiftieth anniversary! Check it out! Then, dive into the others below!

Part One: Dream Girls Part Two: A Few Good Men Part Three: Phantoms of the Soap Opera Part Four: Somewhere out there

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