The nightmare before Christmas

'Twas the night before the anniversary, and all through the show, the red carpet was rolled out for the return of our Bo. Then Ben snapped at Abs, in a sight most unpleasant. While Aiden gave Hope the worst wedding present.

Next week is the official anniversary episode. So, this week was like Christmas Eve -- busy, hustling around setting up new storylines, and trying to tie up last minute character motivations. And I loved it all!

The show was peppered with wonderful little touches. I adored Marlena's speech at the gala. People often forget that she's a Salem outsider who managed to weave herself into the fabric of Salem so well that we can't imagine DAYS without her. I also enjoyed the nod back to the first show, when Julie scolded Ciara for considering shoplifting.

And I liked that the show mentioned characters like Lexie during important moments. One such moment came when Abe looked into Lani's eye and realized that she's his long-lost daughter with Tamara Price. Seriously, this dude should really solve mysteries for a living!

But the main attraction was Beauregard blazing back into Salem -- in true cowboy fashion -- with good, bad, and some ugly.

If we're all a little lucky in life, we have someone around who champions us half as much as Caroline does Bo. That bear hug between the two was completely wonderful. The two of them have always had a special bond, and I appreciate that she show respects that and keeps it going. Plus, there's something about the way Peter Reckell says "Ma" that makes my heart oh-so-very happy.

Yes, Caroline and Bo together were nothing short of spectacular. My only issue was when Caroline was with everyone else. I hate to say this, but she was...well...pretty downright rude to Hope and the rest of her family all week. Hang on. Hear me out.

You see, it would be one thing if her visions told her that Aiden was going to kill Hope. But they didn't. Despite all Hope's done for Caroline, she couldn't see that this decision was what Hope wanted. And Hope's gone about it in a very respectful way. Considering that Caroline cheated on her own husband who wasn't missing or presumed dead at that time, I had a hard time with her giving no time or respect to what Hope may want.

Steve actually said it best when he told Bo that, married or not, Hope's moved on. Aiden isn't the real problem. Bo is.

Or, more specifically, the fact that Bo chose not to trust Hope with the truth about his mission is the problem. This is a pattern with DAYS that I am not particularly doing cartwheels over. (See: Jack and Jennifer, Steve and Kayla) I'm extremely uncomfortable with the fantasy that a man can lie to his wife, and she's supposed to just wait patiently by, following all the rules, until he returns -- whenever that is.

Please don't misunderstand that to say that Bo shouldn't have a chance with Hope again. They're one of the top couples on DAYS, and they deserve a chance to recapture that magic. But their reconciliation is starting to smell a wee bit misogynistic and old-fashioned here. I've heard a lot of "how could Hope do this?" and not much "I should have told her the truth from the beginning!" That makes my Hope-loving heart worry just a bit.

My loyalty lies with Hope and the astounding Kristian Alfonso. I love how Kristian Alfonso delivered Hope's vows with such heartfelt emotions. And she made the shock and horror palpable when Hope ripped off Aiden's mask. The lady worked overtime last week. She wins all the things for having Hope fight back!

Speaking of ladies who got to fight back, I was completely mesmerized by Ben and Abigail this week. First, a gush about the actors. I don't know what kind of scripts Robert Scott Wilson normally sees, but I would bet three dozen of Gram's donuts that they all tend to fall in the hunka-hunka-burning-meathead category. But after seeing his creeptastically brilliant turn as insane Ben Weston, I hope some juicier parts come his way. The talented Mr. Wilson has played Ben with an intoxicating mix of rage, self-loathing, desperation, and outright crazy.

And as for Kate Mansi, she managed to do that thing where she acted like a bad actor, which sounds strange but is so very hard. It was easy to see that Abigail herself didn't believe the things coming out of her mouth, but she was fighting for herself, nonetheless. Plus, I loved Abigail McGyvering the doorknob off to free herself.

In fact, the only big problem I had with this storyline is that we went two full episodes without returning to it! Well, that and the fact that Ben still hasn't called Abigail out on cheating on him. Don't get me wrong, he's insane in the membrane. Serial killing spree is not the appropriate reaction to finding out that your beloved is a cheater. However, that doesn't mean that every word he said about Abigail being obsessed with Chad and putting Chad on a pedestal wasn't true. Even lunatics have their moments.

Just ask Theresa.

Oh, my crazy little Jeanie-T doesn't know the meaning of the word quit, does she? To be fair, it was more than just a kiss for the sake of tradition. And I do like that she's going after what she wants. But she needs to tone it down in the desperate department just a bit. (Maybe pass that message on to Lani regarding Rafe too.)

Still, she has a point about Brady being hot and cold. They certainly ended on a hot note. But Brady's going to need to decide where he falls on Theresa (not a euphemism). She's somewhere between the little tart Victor sees and the doe-eyed cherub who looks up at Brady. Dude's got to get on board with her fire. Seriously, I have and it is so much fun on the Theresa party train! So, I'll save B-money a spot and a martini!

LOOSE ENDS Speaking of fire, Sami's back, y'all! I can't wait to see what she found in Switzerland.

I couldn't help but think, if the "someone" following John and Marlena turned out to be Kristen, @Tony_S_Days will do 187 backflips in a row!

I liked that Kayla stood up and told Caroline to knock it off for the sheer fact that I was tired of seeing Caroline play the same scene over and over again for the last three weeks. Of course, Kayla will have to apologize because she's a nice person who loves her mom. But, that didn't mean I didn't let out a "thank you!" when it happened. That bit was getting old!

And honestly, as someone who's dealt with a family member with dementia, my heart went out to Hope, Kayla, Victor, and everyone else who was trying their best to deal with Caroline without completely losing it. It's a horrible situation to be in.

The chemistry between Peter Reckell and Stephen Nichols doesn't skip a beat. In case you missed it, Bo and Steve are manly men who man the heck up. They don't wear oxygen masks during plane crashes. They rebuild motorcycles from spare parts on the side of the road. They fist fight and knock out cops. They do this all while wearing Wrangler jeans and leather jackets, chewing tobacco, and eating beef jerky. And they crack me up every bit of the way.

So, Justin and Eve are dating now? Lucas and Adrienne are back together? That was quick. Justin and Adrienne move on faster than high school kids the week after Homecoming.

Speaking of high school, the new teen scene looks promising! Sure, there are some acting kinks that need to be smoothed out. But I love that his friendship with Theo gives Joey a soft side. I enjoyed the step-sibling banter between Chase and Ciara. Theo's face was all shades of adorable when Ciara kissed his cheek. Ciara's completely obvious crush on Rafe could get interesting. Add in the fact that it was a total trip to see Shawn interacting with them as an adult, and I'm so ready for the Last Blast 2!

Why exactly do Andre and Stefano want Hope dead? Sure, Steffie and Hopers don't share season tickets to the Salem Opera. But, I didn't ever think that he wanted her dead. Plus, everyone's always talking about how the DiMeras have judges in their pockets. Why don't they call on one of them to dismiss evidence against Chad?

The former padre was downing more than his share of holy wine at the wedding. Then again, I can't throw too much shade since Danicole makes me want to drink too. I will, however, take a hard pass on any idea of an Eric and Jennifer pairing.

Wait! Are we dropping the search for John's past?! Wahoo!

HOT (Fashion Edition!): For me, this was the cherry on top of the week. So, let's talk about it!

The 60s were a great decade for men's fashion. Eric, Daniel, and Brady looked oh-so-great. In fact, seeing Brady in that uh-mazing suit makes me not too mad at Theresa for throwing so much attention at him.

If I looked as stunning in that black and white gown as Kassie DePaiva did, I'd wear it everywhere. Seriously. Gotta run to Target? I'd be in that dress.

That pink color on Nicole was amazing.

I adored that Doug's tie matched Julie's perfectly diva-ed ensemble.

The train on Gabi's dress was spectacular.

Even though she wasn't at the wedding, I'm living for Abigail's oversized shirt and skinny jeans.

Love the colored suits on the young gents like Chase and Theo.

If Caroline was trying to project the reputation of sane, she might not have wanted to put her dress back on over her hospital gown. Still, it was so funny that it looped back around into awesome. Also, I've found my Halloween costume for next year.

NOT (Fashion Edition!): A countdown I like to call "When Bad Wigs Happen to Good People": 6. Hope* 5. Kate* 4. Adrienne 3. Theresa 2. Theresa 1. Theresa

Did I mention Theresa? Good gravy. Jen Lilley weighs about 84 pounds. I'm surprised she could still walk upright with 173 pounds of wig on top of her! No wonder Brady wasn't sure if he wanted to be around Theresa or not. He was probably worried he'd lose his keys or cell phone in that mound of hair!

*Their fabulous shoes managed to counter some of the damage done by their unfortunate head pieces.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Roman: "John, I thought you were off playing James Bond." John: "I changed my mind and decided to play the love interest of the prettiest girl in the room." Aww! Look at John coming through and doing right by Marlena! Atta boy, Mr. Black!

RANDOM THOUGHTS I'm surprised Julie let Gabi be in that room without throwing forks at her and squawking about Nick.

There's a part of me that chuckled when Nicole started serving drinks during Caroline's outburst/wedding stall.

Maybe it was the hair, or the head tilt, but I got all kinds of The Graduate with Abigail screaming out "Beeeeennn!"

My DVR didn't record Wednesday's DAYS on NBC, so I caught it on Pop later that evening. Did you know that the cast filmed memorable cast moments about DAYS that air during the commercial breaks? They are wonderful!

Oh, my gosh, Steve mentioned Stephanie!

Why weren't Shawn and Ciara in that Horton photo?

I loved the wedding album! But could they have included anything in the last 20 years as well? There have been some great couples there too!

The Tom and Alice flashback was everything.

Right now, my something "more comfortable" consists of one of my husband's shirts and some UnderArmour sweatpants. I want to get to a place in my life when it's more like Hope's fancy robe and nightgown combo from the Christine Daae collection.

J.J.'s got balls of steel to kiss Gabi in front of Rafe. I like it!

I'll give Caroline credit. She has the most detailed visions ever!

I have to say, I never get the tears about people being married to another person. Marriages on soaps are about as binding as dollar store packing tape.

Apparently the lights follow around whoever is the acting Necktie Killer at the time.

LOL! Abigail isn't rude. I know what Jen meant. Abigail doesn't go around hurting people for fun. But she does try to break up relationships and cheats on her own. I wouldn't exactly classify her as a pillar of politeness.

Hope may have had the crappiest wedding party in history. One bridesmaid never showed up, and her matron of honor had to leave in the middle of the ceremony!

Want to gush more about DAYS? Tony and I threw our own party for the best soap in the land. Head on over and read our special anniversary column on the 50 reasons to watch DAYS!

That's it for this week! Tony will be back next with a full recap of the big anniversary week! Tune in, tweet with us, and then let's all meet back here to dish about it next week!

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