Let the games begin

It's time to take a look at the road map for the latest DAYS reboot. What storylines got left by the wayside? Which ones are going full speed ahead? Find out in this special edition of Two Scoops.

It's here! It's here! The DAYS reboot is here! We're ready to head down the road to a new day in Salem. What's that road look like? Well, let's take a look.

A good use of the brakes: 1) Chad needed to take back his son. Thomas wasn't Jen's to negotiate away, which is what she did. Her "I thought we agreed" scolding of Chad was a hot, steaming piece of horse pucky. I bought Jennifer's grief over Abigail from the start. And eventually, the show (specifically Missy Reeves) sold me on Jennifer's addiction. But I never once believed Chad was an unfit parent. So it was hard not to be anything but annoyed when Jennifer led the charge against "Chad the Terrible."

I totally understand that it's easier for Chad to be "a dirty DiMera" because the DiMeras are the bad guys in Salem. But I really, really can't stand it when characters like Laura and Jen accuse Chad of things he hasn't done yet just because his biological father is someone they don't like. Furthermore, are we really that sexist on soaps that we give more credence to the handful of months Chad spent with Stefano than we do to the years Madeline -- a woman who pulled herself up from forced prostitution to become a respected judge -- spent raising him? #momsmattertoo

2) Gabi and J.J. have problems. More specifically, Gabi and J.J. now have Stayla's storyline about a gal and her guy who takes off. It's actually suited better on them than on Stayla. And while I liked Gabi and J..J at first, Gabi's having to carry too much of the likability load for this couple now. So if they were to split, I wouldn't be too upset.

Full speed ahead: 1) Kate is Tate's kidnapper. Okay, sure. That was "totally" the plan all along. And really, if they were to try to make Kate suffer for it, I'd have to throw all sorts of flags on that move. However, watching Kate blackmail Victor and Deimos right back was delightful! For the record, it took two Kiriakis brothers to take on one Kate. Get it, girl. 2) Let me back up; I'm burying the lead here. You guys, I didn't want to throw Deimos off a cliff last week! So much about Deimos' start on the show meant bastardizing characters we knew so they could fit with Deimos' arc. Victor turning on yet another family member was part of that. However, now that Vic and Deimos are teamed up (or, more importantly, John Aniston and Vincent Irrizary get to showcase their cool Kiriakis bro chemistry), I'm in! Let's see what this cat can do as Victor Jr.!

The only downside is what impact it may have on Justin and Sonny's screen time. Pretty much 100 percent of both of their storylines went to taking on Deimos. If he's not the bad guy, that basically leaves them with nothing to do. Let's fix that, shall we, DAYS?

Wrong turns: 1) I knew it was coming, but Belle got her pink slip pretty fast. It's a shame DAYS doesn't recognize Martha Madison's Belle as the show's new female lead. But, hey, I guess I should be happy they're not killing her off.

2) And that brings me to Theresa. I mentioned a few weeks ago that Brady and Theresa are going to suffer some massive heartache to split. Unless Andre has plans for Theresa to bunk with Abs at his ranch for not-really-dead gals, it looks like Brady may be the one heartbroken. I'm more than a little concerned that Xander is going to kill Theresa. I can't say that he doesn't have a legitimate beef with her either. But it's an interesting way to kick off the "brighter" DAYS by foreshadowing the murder of a legacy kid.

Side note -- Nicole's speech about Brady not knowing what it's like for his love to die is a bit out of place, considering three of his ex-fiances are dead -- one literally dying in his arms after a tragic accident. So, yeah, Nicole, you don't have a monopoly on grief -- especially when it comes to Brady.

3) While we're at it, considering the fact that she's sleeping with the free man who crippled Maggie on purpose, you'd think Nicole would at least read a letter from the love of her life who is actually paying for the crime he committed while suffering from an addiction.

Still need to chuck out the window: 1) Rewrite Chloe's pregnancy to be Philip's kid. It's clear from this interview that the storyline was modified to accommodate Nadia Bjorlin's real-life pregnancy. From a personal standpoint, I love that DAYS was so wonderful to Nadia. But considering that Chloe has way more history with Brady and Philip, it would have made more sense for one of them to be the father.

2) I do love that Steve and Kayla are getting airtime. But, Steve and Kayla need a change. Like, yesterday. And the most needed reboot here was right in front of them. Kayla could (and should!) be furious with Steve. But not for being a "danger man." Yah, he's a super ISA dude who found Bo Brady in -- literally -- a hole in the middle of Mexico. I wouldn't blame Kayla for holding it against Steve for schlupping Ava with no attempt at trying anything else first.

Route with incomplete data: 1) Aiden reopened Stefano's murder case, which makes Hope as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I've always had more problems with the cover-up than I did with the crime itself. And I do like Aiden as the D.A. However, I'm not sure what the point of all of this is. Since Clyde is back, can Aiden reopen the investigation into E.J.'s death as well?

2) Just who are these prisoners? Let me try to dust off the cobwebs of my brain and help out:

Viewers who joined DAYS in the last 15-20 years will find this hard to believe, but once upon a time, Roman was the main dude. Like, really. Guy ran the show and had the girl (Marlena), and all vendetta roads lead back to him. Orpheus (which I can't type without thinking Morpheus -- and then I'm all Matrix-y) had a beef with Roman because Ro accidentally shot his wife. Some people wear white after Labor Day. Others accidentally shoot people. It happens. Anyway, Orpheus was an eye-for-an-eye guy, so he snatched up Mar to make Roman feel what he felt. I'm not really sure why he's mad at Marlena and not Roman or John right now, but so it goes.

Clyde is Ben's daddy. Clyde is also a child molester (he raped Ben's sister when she was a teenager). So, yeah, Clyde, everyone is better than you. It's not just an act people in Salem are putting on. He got sent to prison for offing a witness who was going to testify against Ben for a crime that didn't happen in Salem and thus we care very little about. What we do care about is that he stabbed Sonny and was responsible for E.J.'s death. He's never paid for either. Tick tock, justice.

Xander is Victor's thug nephew who didn't take too nicely to Nicole looking into his past, so he sorta, kinda locked her in a heating vent with Eric. (The latter detail made it not all that bad.) He should have gone to jail for that, but instead, he went to jail when Theresa falsely accused him of rape.

HOT

Seeing the fabulous Kassie DePaiva back in Salem was spectacular. If I could find a way to give that gal a cyber group hug, I'd arrange it. I adore her. I love that she came back to DAYS to reclaim the Donavan sisters' charm. I wish her nothing but the best and hope we see her again soon!

Honorable mention: Adrienne was on fire this week! In addition to having the cute scene with Steve where she scolded him for bailing on their lunch dates, she did what no Horton had managed to do and actually offered to move in to help Chad with Thomas. Yasss, Adrienne!

NOT: I'm so mad Laura is gone! Two days was not nearly long enough for Kate to wipe the floor with that self-righteous punk. Sure, Kate got in the righteous jabs like: Laura: "I promised Jen I'd take a step back." Kate: "It's a little late for that, isn't it?" But, really, Kate deserved more time to rub Laura's Johnny-come-lately nose in the fact that she knows exactly jack nothing about Chad and how he got Abigail her job back at the hospital, turned his back on his father for her, and literally rescued her from a madman who'd dragged her to the middle of nowhere. Kate's BS-o-meter is calibrated better than pretty much anyone's in Salem, but even she didn't have adequate time to explain all of this to that buffoon. So not fair!

In all seriousness, Lauren Koslow and Jamie Lynn Bauer were all shades of amazing together. I wouldn't mind seeing them together again!

LINE OF THE WEEK: Sonny (to Chad): "If you ever need anything, you can call me. I take calls from friends." Aw! Yes! I loved these two joking about paying for coffee and being there to help each other out. They can sympathize over losing a spouse.

RANDOM THOUGHTS When talking to Victor, Maggie said, "Wait, back up..." I thought I heard "Wait, buttercup..." and then I giggled at the idea of Maggie referencing Victor as her "buttercup."

I can't believe Julie said, "Honey, my opinion doesn't matter," and the good Lord didn't send a bolt of lightning right down on her for lying. For no one liking the DiMeras, a whole bunch of people just stop by that house! Is it bad that I kinda want one of those chambray shirts that double as prison uniforms in Salem? Excuse the unfortunate pun, but Deimos doesn't have a leg to stand on if he's going to lecture Kate about using innocent people as pawns in your revenge. See: Maggie I'll give her this, at least Julie's loyal. She's been carrying that Nick flag to the end. Those Teflon* Hortons do their thing. *Offer does not apply to Will. Observation from my mom: "Pretty soon, everyone in Salem is going to live in either the DiMera mansion or Kiriakis mansion!" She's got a point! Ha! Now that Abs is "dead," I guess Thomas is getting her inheritance from beloved what's-her-name nanny in Ireland?

Laura does get a point for mentioning Peter.

Laura threw shade at Kate because her affair with Bill (which resulted in Lucas) caused Laura to slip into madness. The next day, Clyde remarked that Abigail's affair with Chad (which resulted in Thomas) made Ben go crazy. I have to admit that when Clyde said that, I laughed. What's that foolio talking about? Those are two totally different situations! For starters, Ben was...um... No, I got it. There's the huge point that Abigail didn't...err...uhh...

Shoot.

I don't like it. I think Ben is a monster. But, still...there's a bit of a double standard there that makes me uncomfortable. I don't think the writers realized the door they'd open by bringing Laura back to weigh in so heavily on Abigail's situation. The point of all of this isn't to exonerate Ben. Blaming Abigail for him is absurd. But, by the same token, so is blaming Kate for Laura.

As someone whose name is mispronounced all the time, it irks me when people refer to Theresa as "Tur-AYE-sa." We'd correct someone on the spot if they said "Vike-tur" or "Jull-ee." Theresa should get the same respect!

My subconscious is forbidding me from writing off Joey simply because James Lastovic looks identical to one of my baby cousins. I know that @Tony_S_Days has a special place for Hope just because Kristian Alfonso looks like his sister. Anyone else ever have a quirky association with an actor?

That's all for this week! Tony will be back to cover it, as apparently he didn't get that gig as Chad DiMera's style consultant. Bad move, Chad. I'm just saying.

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