The Snow DAYS

Did you notice a change of pace with Holly, Tate, and Nicole out of town? Could Xander be on the verge of a new career? And if he does assume it, will Everett stand in his way to fight the journalism justice battle?

After the craziness of the holidays, it's always nice to get a slow day in January -- maybe even brought on by some weather that cancels your activities. I'm hoping that's the same approach DAYS took. Because, with all due respect, the show seemed verrrrrryyyy sloooowwww now that Holly, Nicole, and Tate are out of town.

But there still were a few fun things! For starters, I think my partner, Tony, is onto a brilliant theory that Harris -- or more specifically, a broken part of Harris' brain -- is the mole. Harris is the common thread between Lucas' informant status and the raid on the Bistro. It also explains how blatant Clyde was with his threats to Harris. Clyde's a sinister mo-fo, but it seemed strange for him to proposition and then threaten a cop/Navy SEAL with a history of brain damage! Clyde has to know something.

I'd love if Clyde somehow connected with Megan and the two of them are plotting Harris' pawn status again. Maybe Clyde and Dimitri crossed paths in prison and they're all some sort of villain trio? The sky's the limit if Megan is involved.

Back on earth, I'm loving this accidental Mr. Mom CEO thing that Xander fell into. Sure, his relationship with Sarah is puzzling. Not only are they acting like they don't really know each other, but they're acting like they didn't already raise an infant daughter together! But I chuckled with delight when Xander marched into the Spectator with a stroller in tow. It's kind of like when a cartoon villain has a cute pet that provides just enough contrast to the scene.

Plus, Xander is actually right here. The Valentine's Day geocaching doesn't exactly jump off the page. It could be that Xander is the only one not blinded by Stephanie's magical draw that makes him kind of tell the other fellas that this idea is silly.

Also, he's right about Chad, too! Yes, Sarah. Yes, it does make sense for Xander to be nervous about trusting the guy who bought the paper for the sole purpose of a personal vendetta running the paper -- operationally -- into the ground. Schemers can smell their own kind!

I'm not sure what was up with that call on Friday's cliffhanger, but I hope it has more to do with Xander saying "no" than them repeating the literal exact same story they had before where they're concerned about money so Xander takes a shady job. But, nah, the show wouldn't do it! Xander and Sarah haven't even talked about money in...wait...gah! Oh, no...

Loose Ends

Oh, goodness. Eric's photo studio is also in that postage stamp apartment? I mean, I guess starting a small business is always tight, but this just seems really, really congested.

Stefan and Ava hired Stephanie to help with their PR. This genius suggested posting photos of the New Year's Eve Party, which is literally the worst PR idea ever, unless you're looking to attract the true crime crowd to see photos of a scene minutes before a child overdosed and slipped into a coma at this party. Sheesh, Steph!

The two of them got called down to the police station. Actually, the three of them did -- Stefan, Ava, and Stefan's mustache. Sloan has an awful lot to defend here. Hopefully she's up for the task.

I'm not at all jazzed about Maggie being made to look like such a chump. Like I said, her kindness has always been her superpower -- not her weakness. She looks worse and worse each time she tells off a loved one.

Paulina's cancer diagnosis seems serious, but not threatening. It was touching watching her thank everyone for being there. And while Abe has fallen back in love with our dear Auntie P, his amnesia is leaving a huge hole here. He needs to be the connection that brings John, Abe, Roman, Kate, etc., all to Paulina. He lost his first wife to cancer, and the true Abe would have some complex feelings here -- if he only knew who he was. I miss the legacy character a lot.

Everett sure is a purist when it comes to journalism. It's not that he's wrong, it's that he's so very intense about it. Almost fanatical -- it's his church. It makes me wonder what other aspects of his life he's pushed to a secondary position for the sake of his faith.

HOT Johnny and Chanel -- you keep on going with your charming selves! This is one wedding I'm looking forward to keeping small, because the smaller the wedding, the less likelihood of a disaster. And these two are gold together, actually want to marry each other, and have no "other shoe" to drop here! I adored the attention Johnny put into her engagement ring. I love giving Paulina a welcome distraction to go all Paulina on. I'm so rooting for these two to make it successfully down the aisle!

NOT From that pair, to one I just need the clock to run out on.

When Alex saw Brady and Theresa kissing, she popped right up and claimed the drugs made her do it. Really? I'm not sure that excuse works instantly. Usually, people sober up, hear about what they did, and then claim it was because they were under the influence. Right?

Still, it's on brand for this utterly bonkers storyline. Their whole plot this week was tell, not show. They've done little more than stand next to each other in scenes over the last few months while other actions happen around them (Tate's case, Maggie's accusations). They're firmly roommates with benefits. Yet now Alex is telling Marlena he's in love? And Gweneresa has a heart-to-heart with Kayla -- a woman she really hasn't seen since she came back to town? Okie-dokie, smokie!

Making Alex and Gweneresa play together is even harder because Gwen and Alex did play romantic opposites -- and not that long ago. It's also very hard to see Gweneresa play a point-for-point replay of Gwen's speech that she found love with someone (Xander) who is also a screw-up and they don't judge each other.

There's also a ton of stress on Theresa's sobriety, which I don't ever remember being a real storyline beat. I thought her substance problems were more in line with Nicole's -- a history of overindulging but nothing foundational to the character.

LINE OF THE WEEK Brady (to Kristen about Rachel): "Maybe she's really upset because her mother has full custody and she can't see her father, who she has a really good relationship with. Maybe she's really upset because her mother is spiteful and manipulative and committed horrendous crimes that she is not one bit sorry about. Maybe that's why she's upset, Kristen. Not because her father missed an ice cream date!"

I slow-clapped when he started and was whooping and cheering by the end. This. Is. The. Truth. We've been needing Brady to say this for years -- not so much so Kristen could hear it, but so we can finally believe Brady believes it.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Steve describing John as "haggard" cracked me right up.

Do Sarah and Chanel know each other? That caught me off guard a bit.

I do not think saying "screwed in every way possible" is a legit threat for dirty-minded Leo.

Stefan told Ava that Gabi is in the loop and trusts him when it comes to their "affair." Of all the people after Stefan now, I put Angry Gabi ahead of all of them. Tread lightly, Stefan.

It's hard to believe Everett hasn't run into Jada yet with how much he hangs around at the police station.

Stephanie's dress and Marlena's blazer/shirt combo were both amazing.

Of course, Leo appeals to Rach3l's taste. That is the truest thing to ever check out.

Far be it from me to suggest how Salem's finest do their jobs, but why isn't anyone asking Theresa where she got her drugs? Currently, she's the only conscious overdose victim that we know of!

That's if for this week, DAYS fans. Thanks for enjoying the snow day with me. Tony will be back next week to see what excuse Everett shovels up. Lord knows Everett has a massive path to explain.

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