There is beauty in the world

Sometimes lemons need to be turned into lemonade. Sometimes frowns need to be turned upside down. And sometimes the biggest storyline shocker can be simply a happy ending! So, let's celebrate with Eli, Lani, and the rest of the family at St. Luke's in this week's DAYS double-dipping Two Scoops!

In the interest of full disclosure, last week was rough in real life. Okay. That could be extended to the better part of the last year-plus. It's all been a sea of rough with some hopefulness on the horizon. So, when life hands us lemons it's important to make Limoncello in honor of Stefano, or lemon bars with Maggie. Or, as of late, centerpieces with Rafe. See, DAYS really does make life less sour, and last week was no exception.

While some weeks in Salem are bursting with bombshells, last week was filled with some sweet surprises. Doug's "I'm Awesome!" tour swung back into town to remind us just how, well, awesome he is. We got some more charming scenes between Jack and Xander. Jen called home! Random, but Kate and Roman almost reconnected...again. I'm all in for the hilarity of Sami with her exes, as well as the "frenemy" fun of Abigail and Gabi. Claire served Gwen a piece of humble pie, which was amazing, and then did some day drinking. And we watched Salem's next gen babies bring family together in a beautiful ceremony. Let's put on our Sears best and start there...

It's been since Ben and Ciara's wedding blowup, but we're finally back at St. Luke's to celebrate! It was Jules and Carver's big baptism day, and I enjoyed it all. I'll jump to the biggest surprise first -- there weren't any bombshells or even bombs! It was fairly smooth sailing for the Grant-Price family. I know that sounds anticlimactic, but when you think of Salem's track record of big events being blown to kingdom come (some literally), well, one having a happy ending IS actually a shock.

The day was also filled with fun tidbits and heartwarming moments. Sure, Val did have to sacrifice herself to tell Paulina she wasn't exactly handed the final fairy godmother rose, but Auntie P ended up taking it like a champ. She even showed up to shower her family with love. Well. Love and a blank check for the twins' college education. If she couldn't be godmother, she was going to be their financier and make sure they get an education. Why? Because she can. Respect, Ms. Price.

Some of said fun tidbits and heartwarming moments were, but not limited to, Val, Abe, and Theo's speeches and Julie's sincere, show-stealing one. I got misty. Well played, Mrs. Williams. The Brandon Walker shout-out was awesome! I'm glad David Abraham was remembered as well. Paulina's playfulness with Doug was a trip, as were the "Fairy Godmother" T-shirts. Julie and Paulina even learned to play nice. Auntie P reminding Lani to always "speak the truth to power" had me applauding. Nothing was game-changing, but that was the best part -- it was a day of love for the Grant-Price family, and sometimes, all we need is love and some laughs. And some gold balloons!

Still, not everyone in the family was laughing or full of love. Enter Chanel -- her credit cards were cut up, and she had to eat those orange peanut butter cracker thingies. Or, as I call them, a snacking guilty pleasure, but I'll let that be water under the bridge, as Chanel fascinates me.

Now, it was kind of poetic that on a day that Julie and Paulina made peace, Auntie P's daughter showed up in a very vintage Julie-esque way. She didn't shoplift a mink from a department store, but she did swindle some Champagne in the middle of Horton Town Square (of all places). On a day that we celebrated two of Salem's next generation, are we witnessing the rise of a next gen Julie-like character? There are some similarities there, after all. A young, spoiled woman with a grand sense of entitlement who feels neglected by her well-off family, lashing out by committing a crime. Yep, that does sound familiar. I kind of can't wait for the former Miss Olson to meet the young Ms. Dupree.

It also wasn't lost on me that Lani and Chanel gave off a very "Carrie and Sami" vibe. Lani seems like the one who gets the compliments. She's the older "perfect" one in the fam who has it together, complete with a good-looking husband, whom Chanel is certainly a fan of. I can't blame her there, of course. Eli is made of win and handsomeness, but I digress.

Side note: If Chanel needs some ammo down the road, I have a selfie-stick photo and some receipts from a shady motel stakeout I can slyly and anonymously slide under her door.

Okay, if Lani is "Carrie"-like, Chanel seems more of the "Sami" who feels "less than," even though she's just as loved. She also has other Sami-like qualities, such as the bending the law thingy, shouting before thinking, and being quick to turn even a small criticism into an argument. A public blowout instead of a private argument is very Sami Gene, too. So, Chanel is either going to be amazingly entertaining or exasperating. We'll see. Though she does have one thing that neither Julie nor Sami had...

Paulina! When worries arise that she'll be one in the series of new characters that rely solely on the "I'll do bad because I wasn't loved enough by mommy or daddy" schtick (hello, Gwen and Charlie), she has Paulina to shut. Her. Down. Sure, Julie and Sami both had well-meaning loved ones, but Paulina doesn't seem like the type that will fall for a quick apology and a promise to do better. It seems like she'll make Chanel work for it.

Oh, and Chanel must work, too. That is, if she wants the posh life she feels she deserves. As Paulina reminded her daughter, "I'm rich. You need to work." Mic drop. Well played, Auntie P. Who do you think will end up employing Chanel? Will she snag a job at Julie's Place or maybe working for Kate? Those are the two people Paulina hasn't exactly fallen in favor with yet. What do you think!?

So far, I like Paulina's tough love with Chanel. She's blunt but honest. And I think Chanel needs blunt and honest. I also like that Paulina was self-aware enough earlier at the baptism, as well as later with Chanel. She told her daughter, "I love you, but I failed you." This bodes well for such a strong character. I hope this remains, but I also suspect that Paulina feeling like she failed her daughter might be her Achilles heel. What she does -- what they both do -- from here will be interesting to watch play out. Again, we'll see.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Yes, it was a beautiful day celebrating Carver and Jules, but there was another shocker. Lani didn't arrive at St. Luke's with a statue of St. Kristen of DiMera on a dolly. That progress bodes well for Lani's self-awareness and growth, too. Oh, happy days, and mazel tov, Elani!

So, in week something-or-other of "Who killed Charlie Dale?" we continue the guessing game. Allie admitted she didn't do it. Sami admitted she did do it, but not really. Ava was appalled when Nicole asked if she did it, but she didn't say "no," so, as Allie asked, "Who was it?" Funny enough, after she asked that, the next scene was Tripp at Charlie's door. I think that, like Sami, Allie, and communism, Tripp is just a red herring. Therefore, as Sami asked, "Who did kill Charlie Dale?" That I'm still unsure of, yet I stand behind my myriad guesses in prior columns. Two things are for sure...

One, Sami interacting with her exes is more entertaining than Sami romantically involved with them. At least that's the case with Lucas and Rafe. Like, I could watch that show all day. And, two, Trask is out for Sami's blood and won't let her off the hook. The D.A. vs. the Lady Brady-DiMera won't end well for one of them. My guess is that Melinda won't like the outcome. At all.

Rafe and Ava are kind of cute, no? I'm not sure if I'm ready to build that ship a sail, but they're certainly not un-cute together. Then again, it might have been the puttanesca. That sounded delish.

I'm obsessed with the chemistry between Marci Miller and Camila Banus! Abby and Gabi's "frenemy" status is hysterical. They give no flips about being nice to one another. The gloves are off. They just each must appeal to the other's ego long enough to get what they want. Of course, Gabi wants none of what Abs is offering at the moment. I hope this changes. I need more of them.

I also enjoy Abigail's overexuberant Scrappy-Doo take on revenge. She's ready, coach. Put her in! Just, like, what should she do? Ha! She reminds me of Winston Bishop on New Girl. She's either going to put a feather in Gwen's shoe to tickle her foot or cause an embittered badger to fall from the ceiling onto her head during a big life moment.

Sure, I feel bad for Chad and the kids. He's trying. Now. But maybe he and Brady can come together and raise their kids with one another once Abs eventually joins Kristen in the joint. I kid. Abby won't see jail time, and that's a thing...

Here's some things I don't want to see regarding Abigail: The Revengening. Abs seeking retribution doesn't get Gwen off the hook. Gwen needs to do the redemption leg work, and one bad deed by Abigail doesn't give her a head start. Redemption also doesn't mean playing daddy against daughters. Jack shouldn't have to referee his adult daughters or be their judge, jury, and excommunicator to one.

Also, Gwen might have had a year-plus head start on revenging, but two wrongs don't make a right. I'm not saying Abs isn't due some comeuppance, but if she is of sound-ish mind going into this, then Abby needs to realize the consequences. I don't want to see a new personality emerge named Tabby because she's catty or Abs is off her meds. If she wants revenge, she should go for it, knowing what she might lose. And she knows that, thanks to Gabi's grand "Revenge will turn you into somebody you're not"/"You will lose everything" speech. So, go big or stay home, Abs.

Then again, Kristen might be impersonating Abigail, also, so who knows. Special K wrote my last several Two Scoops while I was in the DiMera wine cellar. You know, being held hostage, not taste-testing and such with Anna. Of course.

Did you see it!? Chad and Jake were kind of nice to one another. You know, "kind of." I liked it. Chad offered up that Kate's like a second mom to him and the reason he's a DiMera. He brought up (though not by name) Madeline in the process. Yay! Oh, right, and he warned Jake not to hurt Kate. Yep, I kind of liked this all.

Though, as for all the stupidity surrounding Kate's age, really, you lazy sons of a Salemite? Age-shaming Kate is the ONLY thing her foes can come up with? Really!? Not her shoulder to well-manicured fingertips-long rsum of evil deeds or crooked cooking segments. Abigail might have started with, "She's still drop-dead gorgeous," but she should have stopped there, too. It just goes to show you how weak Kate's opponents are if that's all they have in their arsenal. So, sure, gang, call Ms. DiMera old and such. Actually, text her that. She'll reply to those messages once she's done in bed with her hot, just-so-happens-to-be-younger lover who fancies her. I think they all secretly just wanna be Kate when they grow up. Good luck with that, chumps.

First, Xander's following rant is amazing: "Oh, come on, Jack. Stranger things have happened, especially in Salem. People have come back from the dead. We've had demonic possession, exorcisms, microchips implanted in people's brains...what's so hard to believe about some poor son of a bitch getting dumped on his wedding day?"

Okay, two. Funny. Very funny, but, more so, three -- I love that Xander called Salem out on its crazy. It makes storylines so much less frustrating when characters are woke to what's around them. Believing in the bizarre makes them seem far less dense -- or even downright dumb in some cases. So, instead of someone pearl-clutching and "I can't believe"-ing themselves into a frenzy when someone comes back from the dead or an alien ship lands with twins wearing silver undies inside, a good old, "That checks" or "Sounds about right" would be such a better reaction.

In any event, I feel bad for Xanimal. Kristen's done him wrong. Sure, payback and all, but having sympathy for Kristen is hard these days. She's swatted away every seven million of her second chances she's gotten in the most selfish ways possible. And while syringe-ing Sarah was an accident, her treatment of her afterwards was hard to watch. I felt sad for Sarah, as her state was so pitiful. I also felt incredibly uneasy. They were brilliant performances, but, again, those scenes were hard to watch.

Also hard to watch, to keep Brady from cheating with Chloe, Kristen cheated on Brady with Rex while impersonating Sarah. It's very convoluted. It hurts my head. It makes me sad for the schemer she once was. It makes me sad for Rex, too. I kid. I kid. He's a dolt. But, Special K, people are starting to laugh at you and not with you. Nearly nobody cares about "Bristen." Let it go. Let it all go, and learn to focus on taking over the DiMera Empire while sharing custody of Rachel.

On one hand, I completely comprehend Ben's exasperated, "Oh, come the hourglass on!" reaction to Ciara's amnesia. They haven't been together in their full mental capacities since their wedding day last July. Trust us, Old Ollie, we agree this is getting old, too. Though Jake frustrates me, as well. My first anniversary gift to "CIN" was going to be two doses of Dr. Rolf's Brain Balancer tucked inside a giant sponge shaped like a fortune cookie. Thanks, Jake. While on the other hand...

Ben needs to calm WAY down. I get his excitement to get this storyline over with -- um, I mean -- to get a mentally sound Ciara back, but going against doctor's orders might not be the way to do it. It's counterproductive, not to mention the lady woke from surgery ten minutes ago. If their love is so grand, it'll be there in the morning, Ben. Don't pet the bunny too hard. Though I'll always appreciate a Jake and Ben scene, as well as CIN story time to remind us of the good old, pre-psychic Reading Rainbow connection days.

Though, really, where is Hope? It might be time to either lure Kristian Alfonso back with a boatload of bling for an episode or two, or (gulp!) think about a guest-star recast. Hope's entire exit storyline was to bring Ciara home. Ciara's home. So...

Speaking of "recasts," I recently read this Soap Central story. It's all but been skywritten that the original portrayer isn't about returning. At all. He's donezo. So, I think seven real years plus one Salem flashforward year is a long enough grieving period. I'm ready for a new take on E.J., as long as someone is willing to help me drag this big shoe out of storage for the new guy to fit into. No pressure, though.

HOT

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes -- Doug is a blessing! From his chuckles with Claire to his Julie-whispering to Paulina flattering him and his response of "Ninety-five years young and counting" to his crocodile cuteness with Ciara, last week was dripped in Doug deliciousness, and it couldn't have been sweeter. More, please!

NOT

I don't know what's worse: all the Kate age-shaming or Kristen's ideas these days. Shut it down. Shut it all down. Thankyouverymuch.

LINE OF THE WEEK Lucas (to Sami): "He made you spend the night in jail. Jail's terrible. I hate jail."

TRUE 'DAT LINE OF THE WEEK Rafe (to Sami): "Because, once again, I am dealing with a Brady, so I have got to claw through 19 walls of crap to get to the truth."

EXCHANGE(S) OF THE WEEK

Chanel: "You're paying for two college educations...for two kids you barely know!?" Paulina: "Well, they were just born. I'm getting to know them."

Abigail: "Aw, you do care." Gabi: "Not a -- not a lot, no --"

Paulina calling her daughter "Little Miss Match Girl" was everything. Hilarious, Ms. Price. Just hilarious.

I got excited by Cady McClain's cameo as Jennifer! I thought her last airdate had come and gone. Woot! I love little surprises like that. Again, "More, please."

I always enjoy the St. Luke's set and thoroughly enjoyed the updates since the blast.

As soon as I saw Lani's christening dress, I immediately thought of the WW84 movie trailer and, uh, wondered, "Who wore it better -- Lani Price or Diana Prince!?" In my opinion, this might be one battle Wonder Woman loses.

Whoomp, there it is! John said, "That's a fact." Did you follow the DAYS Drinking Game rules and do a shot from your Brady Pub shot glass?

I applauded when Paulina asked Lani, "Didn't I always teach you not to be afraid to speak the truth to power!?"

Wow! A Roman-Kate flashback, whatdoyouknow!? This must mean the show is considering giving them a possible reunion.

Speaking of random references, Ciara brought up Club TBD! Fun. Still, years and years later, I am not over the loss of the Cheatin' Heart, which had stood on that site first.

I cracked up over Doug and Claire's response to Julie "enlightening" them. Ha!

Um. Okay. So, is anyone else a little nervous that Julie wants to be the one who teaches the twins history lessons? I'm asking for a friend.

When Ciara mentioned to Theo running away as a child, I also remembered her kidnapping, and it was one of the most unsettling storylines I can remember.

Okay. Since I last Two Scooped, the DiMera Mansion has gotten brighter and the Kiriakis one darker. Is that an intentional tone switch meaning the Kiriakis clan is about to get, well, meaner, or just me reading too much into it? With my track record, probably the latter.

Also, I do love the changes to the DiMera Mansion! As for the Kiriakis one, well, is that to be the equivalent of the DiMera study, or did their living room just take a hard hit?

I want to see Tamara on tour! I wonder if Paulina could hook us all up for tickets when she comes to Salem. It might be a good time to re-reopen Doug's Place so she has a venue.

Okay, as the scene was really random, we'll discuss it here. Abe and John had a joyful run-in outside the pub. They discussed the christening as well as Paulina, with an emphasis on powerhouse, big personality Paulina. Hmm! Is this setting up Abe and Paulina to eventually become a thing, or is John's general curiosity going to blow up in his face? That is, John has lived many, many lives over the years. From a priest to a pawn and everything in between. Was Paulina part of one of them!? Or did they bump into one another outside of a dead Charlie Dale's apartment? I'm totally curious now (and probably reading too much into that line). Still, I repeat, "Hmm!"

So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's it for March 29. I'm off to fill a basket full of candy. I also hear it's Easter soon. Laurisa will be back next week with an all-new, April Fools'-sized Two Scoops! As always, thank you for reading, and "That's a fact."

Tony

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