Not to put pressure on anybody, but I'm going to need Steve and Hope to speed up this John's rescue thingy. I need some day-drinking buddies for both commiseration and celebration. Last week was a lot, on- and off-screen. There were a lot of boo-hoos. There were a lot of hoorays. There were plenty of head-scratches and head-slaps and heads exploding, too. And there was a lot of news about a tiny little golden lady named Emmy, and we should really start there with a huge...
Congratulations, Team DAYS! The cast and crew drew in oodles of nominations, and I couldn't be happier for each and every nominee. All the show's 22 nods are well deserved accolades. I could go on and, well, you know me, on and on and on some more about how much I adore each individual nominee, but I'm simply going to say mazel tov and much love to them all. And for all things Emmy, click here for soapcentral.com's ongoing coverage, including full lists of nominees and interviews!
Oh. Right. I did it again. I buried the lead. I can now see why my old journalism professors begged me to switch my major to underwater basket weaving. The lead -- the freakin' 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will actually be held AND it will be televised on real television. Like, no Periscope-ing or Livestream-ing or waiting for shoddy YouTube connections or Laurisa and I doing shadow puppets while our boss plays an applause app from his cell phone. Nope. None of that. And mercifully no red-carpet pre-show, umm, idiots. It's all wonderfully retro. We just, you know, turn on our televisions to watch coverage of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Who would have thought? Though we don't know what the broadcast will look like yet, I'm just grateful to have one to watch. Who's with me?
In other "Real World" daytime news, The Story of Soaps aired last week. Oh, boy. It did. At first, I was excited as I sat down to watch. Within a short time, I even got a bit misty from the outpouring of love for a genre near and dear to my heart. It was a celebration. Happy tears. Yeah! It was well produced, and it was exciting to see some of my favorite actors gush about the impact of soaps on their lives. For a moment there, Adult Me even caught a glimpse of awkward Teenage Me, who wanted to escape his small town and grow up to write for soaps. We watched together, but then Adult Me eventually went into a rage and scared off Teenage Me. You see...
The Story of Soaps took a hard turn into the O.J. trial's ramifications on daytime as well as the rise of reality television, and, well, it was maddening. Sure, O.J. happened, but it was a sadly frustrating time for soap fans, and the trial was not a "better soap opera than anyone could ever write." Nor do I believe soaps are "unnecessary" due to reality T.V. I'll gladly watch a well-written, well-acted soap storyline over any reality show any day and all day. Hooray to those who clapped back at the absurdity of inserting such negativity toward the genre in what should have been an all-encompassing salute to soaps.
Okay. The show kind of missed the mark on "all-encompassing," too. There were a lot of daytime history lessons and icons that were left out. I can't help but wonder -- would it have been more comprehensive had they cut the hour or so devoted to O.J. and reality T.V.? Regrettably, we'll never know, but I can say I certainly didn't hear the names Bell and Corday enough, nor did we get enough love for the shorter-lived fallen soaps like Passions and Sunset Beach, which was a Spelling production. Was there Santa Barbara love? I didn't notice. All in all, my reaction to The Story of Soaps was much like being a soap fan itself -- mostly gratifying, greatly nostalgic, a tad maddening, microscopically critical at times, and inspiring us to put up our dukes when others disrespect our genre.
As for life in Salem -- finally, I know! I think David's adorableness nearly balanced out all the sadness last week. Maggie's suicide attempt was rough, I'm not going to lie. Maggie was just so shattered. I was a complete mess due to Suzanne Rogers' mind-blowing performances. My Soap Gods, that woman is a national treasure!
Thankfully, Maggie's tale had a somewhat happy ending, as Kayla would say, "right now," but there's still the issue of "Magic." Will they or won't they reconcile once they're both home from all the hospitals and infirmaries and prisons? Many took their totally justified whacks at the human piñata known as Victor last week. He (and Xander) have done wrong. They know that, but Victor is being, well, very Victor about the entire situation, and, while Maggie's suicide note was telling, she hasn't really had a chance to look him in the eyes for a while. Will she send him packing to the guest room, or will they work on forgiveness? Whatever the answer is, I love that epic vets like John Aniston and Suzanne are at the center of the storyline.
To loop back to Maggie's attempt, the beautiful scenes that came afterwards as Maggie's loved ones expressed how much she means to them were incredible. Wally Kurth, Linsey Godfrey, Eric Martsolf, Paul Telfer, and, really, everyone brought me to the boo-hoos once again. DAYS truly has the best talent in the industry, and that includes the writers for penning those scenes. Applause all around for those!
At the end of the day, that leaves Maggie a free and guilt-free woman. Will's free, too. Victor and Xander are being (justly) scrutinized by everyone. And Orpheus is the real bad guy. Oh, and he is charmingly bad due to George DelHoyo's wicked acting chops!
Of such real bad guy deeds in addition to, well, everything that happened on Mother's Day 2020, Orpheus has abducted both John and David. He wants some major bling for Black's release so he can raise David himself. Again, do John and Marlena really have 15 mill laying around!? If so, I should start being nicer to Marlena. Anyway. If not, this would be a good time for Brady to get some capital from Victor. If the grumpy, stubborn titan's unwilling to really admit he was wrong, at least Brady can hit him in the wallet, where it hurts.
Still, Old Orph has another plan for John and Marlena. We don't know what it is yet, but he's certainly brewing up something other than coffee to go with that sponge cake. Alas, we were cliffhung and will have to wait until next week!
LOOSE ENDS:
Someone should tell Sonny that the "sun's getting real low," and he can stop smashing, but, really, he's an MVP of last week, so let him tear up Salem for a second longer. I loved, loved, loved him ripping apart Christian. Freddie Smith was on fire as Sonny got the con artist formerly known as Evan to confess to his part in drugging Maggie and causing the accident that killed Adrienne and real-Mickey. Seriously! I love when this Care Bear's claws come out. I just wish Kate were there to watch, as she and I bonded over our hatred of Evan, and I think Ms. Roberts would be a little impressed by Sonny's Smash 'Em side. Oh, I'll be starting the chant of "Sonny!" *clap clap* "Sonny!" after I'm done with this column, so feel free to join in.
I don't mind the something-something that's going on between Rafe and Zoey as much as Hope appears to. I wouldn't ship them yet, but I could see it. Rafe has a history of hankering for strong women who sometimes need rescuing. While we don't know much about Zoey, she does have a vintage Kristen vibe about her -- that entire wanting to be good, but raised by evil who wants you to do bad things conflict.
Umm. If Abigail doesn't want to play Scrabble with Jack and Jennifer, I know two Two Scoopers who would gladly volunteer. Spoiler: it's me and Laurisa. Plus, Jack and Jennifer spill the best tea, so you know during the game, some juicy Salem gossip would come to light. That gal is not thinking clearly. Oh, right. She's not. It looks like Abigail is Florida bound to seek psychopharmacological support from some super specialist Marlena's friends with. Kate Mansi and Billy Flynn have been so fantastic in their roles, and I wish that we could watch Abigail's recovery process. Another "Chabby" digital series, perhaps? Maybe. *fingers crossing*
Meanwhile, a "not-happy-at-all" Lani got to arrest Gabi, and Doctor Rolf got to rattle her in the cage. Okay, the latter was hysterical. Camila Banus and William Utay's back and forth had me in stitches. However, I don't believe for a hot second that Gabi is guilty this time. One, she's being painted as too obvious, and, two, she loves to talk aloud to herself. Like, a lot. I'm convinced they shut down the pier, as that's where a lot of self-speaking happens. So, yeah, she would have monologued while clutching her wedding band by now. So, someone should dust off those "Free Gabi!" signs just in case this goes on, and I'll have Harold whip up some Gabitinis for the rest of us to keep us hydrated while we watch whoever volunteered dusting said signs. Sound good? Cheers!
Kayla is a fantastic doctor! I mean, "spin doctor." She's impressively managed to insert just enough enthusiasm while sliding in the "right nows" to smooth things over with Justin time and again. I do believe she cares for him. Maybe she even loves him in an "I love you, but I'm not in love with you" kind of way. But...yeah. They both admitted they're not the loves of each other's lives, and Kayla still has a shot with her "irreplaceable" one, so, again...yeah. This won't end well for Justin. As Gump would say, "And that's all I have to say about that."
The Victor and Xander bond kind of warms my heart. I know. I know. They're both boneheads a lot of the time (and that's putting it nicely). Even so, I oddly felt sad when Victor fired Xan. Oh. They completely deserved to feel sad, but, you know, it still was. There was an entire Harry and the Hendersons air to it all.
So, Sarah -- excuse me -- Sarah 2.0 and Brady have teamed up to take on Victor and Xander! I'm kind of into this, with conditions. I'm not ready for a real romantic entanglement between the duo. It's way too soon. Though it wouldn't surprise me, as they both tend to attach easily to the next best thing that crosses their paths after a breakup. It's been days. Relationship junky Brady has to be itching to call someone the love of his life by now. We'll see, but those two battling Victor and Xan could be a nutty ride I'm willing to take.
Last time Brady went bad, he petted the rabbit a little too hard. Sarah's only known breakdown ended fairly well, all things considered, with only minor rope burns for Rex. So, they'll either balance each other out perfectly or burn down Salem in their attempt to make Vic and Xanimal pay. Yep. I'm in. So, cheers to "Sweet revenge."
HOT
Between the Emmy announcements and nominations and just a spectacular Sweeps Week showing from Team DAYS, I can't applaud the entire cast and crew enough! I'm wearing my "Soap Fan!" and "I *heart* DAYS!" pins with more pride than ever these days. A sincere thank you to the dream team that never fails to deliver our weekday dose of magic.
NOT
"Bring her. Maybe she can help," said Marlena of Hope. Ouch, Doc. Sure, she's worried about John, but I'm kind of over Mar's attitude toward Fancy Face, which looks especially hypocritical when she's palling around with Steve. Like black gloves in the summertime, being mean to an old friend is not a good look on the normally good doctor.
LINE(S) OF THE WEEK
Jake (on Dr. Rolf): "The Frankenstein Muppet guy?"
OH SNAP! LINE(S) OF THE WEEK
Sonny (to Christian): "I want to see the animal who killed my mother." [Later] "God, I hate you."
Sarah (to Xander): "...so, congratulations on this whole baby-switch thing because you gutted us all."
Sarah (to Xander): "Kidnap him. Lock him in a cage."
Xander (to Sarah): "While you were sleeping with my cousin to punish me, I saved your mother from committing suicide."
Dr. Rolf (to Gabi): "Because I don't like you." [Later] "It's called playing the mark 1-0-1."
EXCHANGE(S) OF THE WEEK
John: "What's your bunny's name?"
David: "Bunny."
Ciara: "How are you doing, Grandpa?"
Victor: "Ready to get out of this joint."
Ciara: "Yeah. You must be driving them all crazy, huh?"
Victor: "It's a gift."
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Hope having day wine and doing jazz hands is a complete win!
Also, Ben wins everything. He got to sample cake for breakfast. That's a mimosa and a Li Shin across the table away from being the perfect start to a day. Hi, Li *giggles*
I cheered when Justin said he's going with Mar Mar and Steve to confront Orpheus. Yes, please! The more Justin, the better.
Remember when Marlena was close friends with Maggie? About that...
And shouldn't Julie be at Maggie's side, too!? She kind of lives for Horton-related drama. You'd think she'd be there with bells on.
Zoey telling Rafe that, "You're the man in the white hat," was everything. He is. He really is (sans his Weekend at Bernie's phase with Stefano's body). And I enjoyed the Scandal memories it conjured up, too.
A Kimmy Schmidt-sized high-five to the writers! I didn't think we'd ever hear about Nicole attempting to kill Victor again, but she brought it up herself, and it helped Eric to boot. Not that I wasn't already with Eric on this issue (I was strongly), but it was a good dip into the history books. High-five, writers, and high-five, Nicole!
I don't know if he's Stefan or not, but Jake makes me chuckle. I enjoy his jabs at Gabi. "Ease up, turbo." Ha!
I know Kayla's outburst to Jake was really an easy way to trigger Justin's insecurities as he overheard her, but Sweetness-ish might want to heed Jake's warning to Gabi and, "Ease up, turbo." But, it's all good. "Right now."
I'd like to hear more about these memories of the past Jake's been talking about. Can't he just pull out an old yearbook and say, "See! Class of..." and I had the hip-at-the-time hair to prove it. Please, let there be a picture of Jake with a mullet.
Brady talking to Tate on the phone was super sweet and made me choke up. Eric Martsolf, man. The guy's amazing.
I want to know more about this expert in psychopharmacology and if he or she is related to Dr. Charlotte Taylor. Hmm.
Speaking of long forgotten Salemites, remember Brady cousin Colin Murphy? He was last seen swept away during a sea storm while escaping Melaswen. Considering Jennifer and Nicole could use a storyline right now, this might be a good time to wring him out and bring him back to town. I repeat, "Hmm."
I loved all of Orpheus' Avengers references. Steve is totally a Nick Fury kinda guy. They need to bring in Sonny as the Hulk, as he was in pure "Smash!" mode last week, and I loved every flippin' second. Let him loose on Orph now. Puny super villain!
Did anyone else find it odd that John has never met David? It just seems like John would have crossed paths with Rafe while he had David with him at some point.
It dawned on me last week that Gabi's "never doing herself any favors attitude" is much like Sunset Beach's Annie Douglas'. It's kind of a warm fuzzy. I adore them both.
Remember Ben's "Benjamin" phase?
I loved Will's "reporters can talk their way into a prison" gumption. I would thoroughly enjoy more Will in the newsroom with Abigail, Jennifer, and Jack adventures. Hint.
Say what you will, but Orpheus is a fine host, err, captor. He serves sponge cake! That's classy with a "k."
Blazer shopping with Brady seems like it would be a fun time.
Maggie's "It wasn't me" realization was beautiful and beautifully acted, but, to cut the tension, maybe she could have jumped out of bed just as Will arrived with reggae fusion superstar Shaggy, and they all could have performed a rendition of "It wasn't me." Just saying.
PARTING THOUGHTS
So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's it for May 25! Laurisa will be back with a Gabitini and 15 million next week, but, in the meantime, I hope everyone is safe, healthy, and enjoying Memorial Day as best they can this year. I know. It's weird. Trust me, I do. But amidst the weirdness that's going on in the world right now, there's also still beauty and laughter. So, I hope your days are filled with both!
I also want to send (and encourage everyone else to follow suit) Judi Evans all the positive vibes I can muster as she recovers. For all of the years I've watched television, no matter the show she's on, Judi's always such a bright spot, and I admire her tremendously. Cheers to a speedy recovery!
One final "A Very Special Episode" PARTING THOUGHTS note, DAYS dug deep into some dark territory last week. In the real world, emotions are especially high during these scary, tumultuous times, and the darkness can feel much darker for a lot of people. Please reach out to a loved one or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 if you're overwhelmed. Please. Like Maggie's family on DAYS, your loved ones' lives are better because you're in them, and "That's a fact."
What are your thoughts on Days of our Lives? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
