It's not me, it's you: Days of our Lives Two Scoops for the week of November 11, 2024

We played a lot of the blame game this week. Surprisingly, it was fun! A lot of the blame being swung around was correct and landed on targets that needed to be taken down a few notches.

First of all, Gabi correctly pronounced that it was EJ’s fault that her marriage fell apart. She’s correct in her assertion but used the wrong reasoning. EJ pressed charges against Gabi and kept her in jail for a while after he knew she was innocent. That was the bigger stressor on Stabi.

But I was over that the very second JJ showed up on screen to come to Gabi’s rescue. Look, Gabi is not one who needs rescuing, but the fact that someone had her back was nice for a change. I was a fan of Gabi and JJ the first time around, and I’m here for them again. For those who don’t remember, Gabi saved JJ’s life when she interrupted his suicide attempt

Next, Cat got her turn in the blame game. Anyone who blames her is right. And I think she knows it, too. But Chad telling her that it’s asking too much for her to ask him to ask Clyde about her mom was spot on. Good thing this character is in the hands of such a capable actress because Cat is nearly impossible to root for by any stretch of the imagination.

Furthermore, James Reed is a great actor. And when he’s there, Clyde’s scenes are powerful. But having Clyde be such an omnipresent villain when he’s hardly ever on screen is asking a lot of the audience. I found myself as equally perplexed as JJ and EJ when they gave Chad the side-eye about having Cat released to use as bait. Since Clyde just seems to always play with an ace up his sleeve, we all kinda know that this is going to fail, too. And Chad’s taken enough “L”s recently. I’m not sure I’m game to watch him get another one.

Third, in a rare moment of clarity and accuracy, Brady confronted Kristen about her serum shenanigans. I loved when he told her to stop this embarrassing charade about Sarah being the bad guy and rightfully asserted that this was always about Kristen. He went further into the realm of win when he pointed out that Titan is Rachel’s legacy as well. True, Brady! Get this man a gold star!

Finally, there’s no easy transition into Body and Soul, but darn it if I didn’t find myself really enjoying this storyline this week!

I understand that Kate and Abe need the rule that you have relations on the set, but this rule that you can’t be in a relationship with someone at work is silly. This is the second time Abe’s made the “no dating in the workplace” rule, and I didn’t like it the first time! I’m championing Alex and Stephanie. I’m here for Chanel counseling Alex on how to navigate his feelings. I also love how Stephanie tries — and fails — to be professional around Alex at all times.

Next, holy mess, this situation with Johnny, Chanel, and Joy is soaptastic. I find myself sympathizing with all of them. Johnny feels like trash, which he should. But, Carson Boatman is selling the deep regret that Johnny feels over cheating on Chanel. Regret and guilt usually aren’t DiMera characteristics. They soak more in the blame and anger. But Johnny is paving a new way for DiMera men at the moment.

Joy had some good points, too, but hers are much more self-serving. She’s worried she’ll lose her job. Now, she’s not beholden to Chanel at all. She’s not the one married to Chanel. However, the longer she accepts Chanel’s goodwill and grace, the worse Joy looks as a human. So, Joy’s on a short clock here.

Finally, Chanel is moving about this thing in all sorts of the right way. Still, I’m rooting for Johnny to make this up to her. Deep down, he truly does love her. But, she ended her last relationship because of infidelity. I struggle to see how Chanel will feel differently this time.

Oh, Body and Soul! You were full of fun drama this week!

Loose Ends

How cute are Leo and Javi?! Finally, a use of Leo where he doesn’t have to be aggressive, scheming, or lying. And Javi gets to mix it up with multiple characters across Salem which helps with any character’s introduction. Al Calderon and Greg Rikaart are fantastic scene partners and ooze charm.

Oh, good lord. Roman might give the worst advice ever! It seems like there’s a step between hearing the news that Rafe’s not returning as a commissioner and go ahead and sue the city of Salem. Sheesh, Roman. I feel like that might not be the best idea. Then again, if it keeps Belle in town longer, I could get behind it!

After a lot of threatening and snarling, Xander finally presented Sarah with the serum of wonder that would make her walk again. It makes a big difference that Sarah is a doctor and ultimately made this decision. Otherwise, I’d feel a little less comfortable with this miracle drug.

But, speaking of something I’m entirely uncomfortable with, Philip is coming across as suuuuupppper slimy this time around. He ratted out Xander trying to “kill” him like Philip was just a poor, innocent flower. Something about Philip is giving me Konnie 2.0 vibes this time and I hope Sarah sees it.

Brady and Ava have another meet cute where Ava calls Brady on his emotional maneuvering of Kristen and hat-tips his efforts. Both of these actors could have chemistry with a stop sign, so it’s no shock that they work well together here. But more so than that, this is a necessary relationship for both parties. With Nicole out of the picture, Brady needs a gal pal who will translate things for him. I like them starting out as friends. That way, if they do end up together, Ava knows exactly what she’d be getting into — which isn’t really something she’d had with any relationship ever on the show.

Extra Scoops

HOT:

If that was her swan song, at least Sophia got to go out on a high. I know she was supposed to be the interloper, but the majority of the time, I found her strong and went for what she wanted. Furthermore, I love that Sophia broke up with Tate and told him not to come back when Holly breaks his heart. This is correct. This is how I want women to act. And I love the assist from Ava to remind Sophia that none of this was her fault. I find myself rooting for Sophia to stay around and get involved with someone new. What’s Steven Hawk up to these days? How about Tyler Kiriakis?

NOT:

Tate’s f-boy behavior was on full display last week. Yikes. He literally crawled out of bed with one girl to go pursue another. Did he even bother to change clothes, or did he put right back on the clothes Sophia took off of him to go grovel to Holly? Sure, this realization could have been a nice romantic moment if Tate had allowed himself a few moments of self-reflection to realize why he had said the wrong name during coitus. But, nope. Why bother with a think-like class when you can pursue another piece of… tail. Amiright, Tateman?

Line of the Week

Paulina: “There’s my beautiful daughter, Chanel! Come give me a hug!”

Ha! This well-placed burn on Paulina’s behalf made me laugh out loud.

Random Thoughts

Does he want her head on a pike or head on a spike?

Everybody drink! They said "serum".

Dan and Stacey are fantastic screen partners. I love how E.J. taunts Kristen like a real brother-sister.

Sarah’s multiple necklaces were lovely.

I’m kind of glad their sexy time was interrupted because then I could see that Sophia’s outfit was, in fact, a sweater with a skirt and shirt bottoms underneath. Mystery solved!

I don’t completely love Ava describing herself as Sophia’s surrogate mother. Sophia has a mother who…as far as we know…has the only fault of being concerned where her teenage daughter is.

LOVED the checkmate of Brady walking in as soon as EJ says Brady won't ever come to this house again.

If Rafe is resigning, does this mean we can have JJ back on the Salem PD?