Something seemed a little off while I watched DAYS last week, and, at first, I couldn't put my finger on it. Was I distracted by a case of the January blahs? Had I nodded off and missed something? Did I have my expectations that the writers would spice things up in preparation for Sweeps set too high?

All those questions led me to a conclusion. Ironically, that conclusion was two more questions. First, as viewers, do we know too much about what's going on right now? And if so, is that ruining some of the suspenseful nature of the show. I mean, why watch if we're not intrigued? Okay, maybe that was three questions, but why split hairs? Damn -- four!

Now, as a viewer, we're normally privy to a certain level of information that certain characters aren't. We know when the "bad guy" is hiding in the shadows, ready to attack, and that creates suspense, but we're not given everything. However, lately it seems like all of the characters' cards are on the table for the viewers to see, thus lowering the anticipation level.

Let's do a quick head count of the secrets we know. E.J. masterminded Sydney's kidnapping to seek revenge on Sami. Melanie is Carly's daughter. Vivian is plotting revenge. We know who the "mysterious" drug lord is. And those are just the major plot points!

There's also a point when the characters we love just look like idiots for either being in the dark and/or not knowing enough to question something über shady. And, as G.I. Joe taught me when I was a kid, "Knowing is half the battle." He failed to mention what the other half of the battle is, but I digress.

Because of all those "off" feelings, I felt DAYS was on a treadmill last week -- a well-acted, but highly repetitive, non-mysterious treadmill. I didn't really learn anything new about the characters. The storylines moved but didn't go forward. Perhaps that's just the normal week before Sweeps curse.


Or perhaps I'm simply selfish. That very well could be the case, but I want to want to "tune in" the next day because I can't wait to see what's going to happen, not just out of habit. Last week was more out of habit, and that disappoints me. I expect more out of the best soap on TV!

But when it boils down to it, I'm a DAYS-o-holic. Of course I'm going to tune in! And there were a few highlights (and lowlights) to last week that I'm itching to discuss, so let's get to it!

MAGGIE

Will she or won't she hit the bottle? That's the million-dollar question right now. And this is one storyline that is suspenseful. Why does it work? Let's take a look!

First, there's the obvious -- Suzanne Rogers is amazing. She could probably sit there and open mail and it would be entertaining because of her charm and talent. Over the years, she's created a character that is nearly impossible not to care about. And that's where the writers are coming in -- they're keeping her character consistent.

Unlike Hope, who's changed to the point where even devoted Hope fans are fed up with her, Maggie is the same old wonderful Maggie. She was dealt a crushing blow, but she's dealing with it in a way that's true to her character. Had the writers implored the same strategy with Hope, we might actually have a little sympathy for her these days, but that argument's a thoroughly beaten dead horse.

All in all, this is the beginning of a new journey for Maggie. I'm eager to jump into the passenger seat and go along with her. Although, I recommend everyone buckle-up as it's more than likely going to be a bumpy ride!

CARLY and MELANIE

I need a neck brace because of the storyline whiplash I got from Mel's sudden change of heart towards Carly. Hmm, perhaps I should sue Maggie since she was the reason Mel wised -- and grew -- up. Or, perhaps, I should just send her a Thank-You note. After all, I was over Mel's irrational hatred of Carly over spilt coffee, even if the turnaround was a tad drastic. Then again, Mel's attitude towards Carly has been drastic since day one, so I really shouldn't have been surprised.

In any event, I'm happy they're getting along now. Unfortunately, we also found out that Carly and Nicholas aren't getting along. Well, I guess you win some and lose some, Dr. Manning, and, as they always say, an angry child is better than being buried alive.

CARLY and JUSTIN

Justin and Carly's argument didn't entirely make a lot of sense to me unless I write it off as well-acted filler. In that case, it succeeded. However, one could argue Justin was wrong for attacking Carly in the first place. And one would probably be right.

However, from Justin's standpoint -- based on what the character knows -- he thought he was standing up for Hope, his longtime friend and current crush. Now, I'm not standing up for him because we know how off-base he was. Carly didn't come to Salem to reunite with Bo. She came for Melanie. But Justin doesn't know that. He only sees the woman he's interested in being hurt by Carly's "sinister seductive motives." I'm not giving him a pass for his somewhat self-righteous and mostly irritating rant, but I can't entirely fault him for trying to protect his friend. After all, isn't that what Bo's doing with Carly -- protecting a friend?

ARIANNA and COMPANY

Was Troy trying to say Ari is a narc? It wasn't entirely clear. One thing is -- pretty boy Troy is sure to be pretty popular in prison.

Now, was I the only one who wanted to tell Brady and Rafe to shut up when Roman announced Ari would have to go back to prison? They had Ari's best interests at heart. They were worried. I got that.

But here's the thing I don't think they get -- Ari was a drug-dealing junkie. She was found guilty of the crime and sent to prison. She should still be there, but she agreed to the DEA's deal. So how does that equal Roman being an unfair "jerk" for having to send her back to Statesville? Fortunately, thanks to Rafe's helpful meddling, Ari was given more time on the "outside," thus putting an end to what could have been a majorly annoying fiasco.

E.J. and COMPANY

James Scott is great. If he wasn't great, I would have been done with this storyline a long time ago. Don't get me wrong -- I think it needs to either wrap up or pick up the pace, but if it's going to stretch on, James is a good choice to lead the diabolical way now that Ari Zucker has handed off the bad-guy baton to him. However, I'm starting to have my doubts about his alter ego.

You see, one thing E.J. has going for him is that there was never any doubt he was a family man. Heck, his initial purpose for coming to Salem was to "plant the DiMera seed." Therefore, I'm not entirely sure why E.J. "I'll Do Anything For My Children" DiMera never brought medicine to Sydney.

Gross neglect doesn't seem like his style, so I'm starting to believe he's simply losing it. I also believe Kate is onto something by saying not even E.J. knows E.J. anymore. Stefano balked at her accusations, but I think he's suspicious, too. And I'm fairly sure Ari is. That makes me wonder -- is E.J. really cracking up and, if so, how long will he be able to hide it?

SAMI and RAFE

I apologize in advance to "SAFE" fans. In fact, said fans might want to skip over the next few paragraphs. Now that you can't say I didn't warn you, I can say that I simply find Rafe and Sami as exasperating as they are boring. In fact, the only thing I find sad about their breakup is that it's probably not going to last.

My wish is that the writers take this time to "chemistry test" Rafe with another lady and let Sami be single until she can get her "Sami-ness" back. Actually, I think that would probably be the best thing for both characters. Rafe has moments of likability and he generally does have others' best interests at heart when he helps in his Rafe-like way, but I'm curious to see if he would be more likable overall if paired with someone else.

As for Sami, we'll discuss her soon enough...

LOOSE ENDS

Something is wrong with me -- I was actually *gasp* glad to see Chloe last week! I know, I know. Although, I think a lot of it had to do with the fact her presence broke up some of the monotony, as I hadn't seen her in a while.

Stephanie, sweetie, if a guy isn't eager to tell people about you, "He's just not that into you." I hear Justin's looking for a new girl...and he gets his directions from the same crooked moral compass. Oh, and Troy will be available in five to ten years.

I actually enjoyed Carly and Hope's confrontation. Carly's "What You've Become" speech to Hope was pretty spot-on. And they both mentioned Shawn-Douglas. I'd chalk that up as a win/win.

Something tells me this Rebecca Jonas chick is going to make some sort of a comeback. I don't suspect a "back from the dead" type thing, but I suspect there is more to her story. Hmm...

What did Mickey's message -- "Don't forget" -- mean? Maggie said we'll never find out now. However, I have a feeling we might find out sooner or later. Stay tuned!

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