Unholy Irony

We are gathered here today to celebrate...

Sami& Gabi at Ari's Christening (Photo: nbc.com) 

a secret coming out,
a near-death experience,
a beatdown, or
a dead man coming back to life.

Days of our Lives really likes to play with time and setting in huge storyline events. If you ask yourself, "What is the worst possible time and place for this to happen?" then DAYS responds with..."St. Luke's Church."

Over the years, it has been a tradition that a big reveal or any key event in a storyline happens when the audience least expects it. Therefore, a lot of things that could go wrong do go wrong in a church. However, it has been so common for the irony of having bad things happen in a sacred place, that now the audience does expect it.

There is no such thing as a wedding uninterrupted or a christening that ends happily. You see the irony: this is supposed to be a merry and holy event, but something sinful and tragic always happens. In Salem, the main church is St. Luke's; This is where all the drama takes place. (Most recently, Arianna Grace's Christening)

Many of the events and secrets involve sins and violations of the Ten Commandments. At Arianna's Christening, we saw Abigail stare at the one about "Adultery." Gabi's conscience was plagued by the one stating, "thou shalt not kill," before her victim walked through the door. Others include "bearing false witness," "stealing," "taking the Lord's name in vain," and "honoring thy father and mother"(paternity reveals- who is thy father?).

So, we know that Ari's baptism involved murder, adultery, and deception (bearing false witness). On the same day(supposedly), a year ago, Nick and Gabi's wedding fell apart when Chad objected and prompted Will to reveal that he was the father of Gabi's baby. Nick was trying to steal Will's baby: that's a sin too.
Read a detailed account in A"Big Reveal" is a Big Deal.

So, there we've got lying, stealing, the honoring-father question, and a disregard for the sanctity of marriage. (that last one's a little weak: this is Salem, and Will for obvious reasons.)

Another Christening that went horribly wrong is the famous Phloe one-night-stand reveal in 2010 that led to one of the many twists for little Parker. Right at the end of his baptism, Caroline and Kayla burst in exclaiming that Daniel was not Parker's father because of Philip and Chloe's indiscretion. This led to two divorces, a paternity swap, and a old lady's stroke. Now, that's a Baptism! Complete with adultery, lying, the honoring-father question, disregard for marriage vows, a medical emergency, and to top it all off, Dan tried to beat Phil with a crucifix. If that's not taking the Lord in vain I don't know what is!

The other church event that seems to warrant drama and upset is a wedding. Almost every church wedding is met with unholy irony. Let's go in chronological order to name a few big ones:

In 1992, Isabella gave birth to Brady Black in the middle of her wedding to John. A happy occasion, but not really a proud moment for the parish.

Before Sami had a wedding of her own, she ruined her sister Carrie's in 1995 when she fainted and announced she was pregnant with the groom, Austin's, child. The sanctity of marriage is clearly present at the time, but this wedding's real sins are revealed at Sami and Austin's wedding two years later. Will's true paternity is revealed as are Sami's lying, stealing, and father switching schemes. Once Lucas holds his son, Carrie and Austin get married, so there was some happiness there.

In 2005, Philip Kiriakis and Belle Black have their wedding at St. Luke's. However, Shawn D, who had been kept away from Salam and still loved Belle, decides to crash the wedding. Literally. He drives his motorcycle through the stain glass windows in the middle of the ceremony, showering the guests in shattered glass. With a white dress stained in blood, sins committed at this tragic union include bride stealing and potential murders.

In keeping with Sami's terrific history with weddings, her wedding to Lucas in 2005 ends in Kate revealing that Sami had been masquerading as "Stan." An interrupted ceremony with a man peeling his face off to demonstrate Sami's lies causes yet another failed wedding for Miss Brady. But that's not the only exciting thing that happens: after Lucas calls off the wedding, Sami's sis and maid of honor, Belle goes into labor and gives birth to Claire right there in St. Luke's.

If that wasn't enough, when Sami reluctantly marries EJ in 2007 the groom gets shot in the back with a bullet from Sami's son, Will. The marriage was brought on by blackmail, so there's lying in addition to the attempted murder. Will definitely wasn't honoring his step-father that day...

Finally, the most recent wedding was probably as sacrilegious as you can get. In November 2013, Brady and Kristen were to be married by Father Eric when mommy Marlena played a scandalous sex tape before the ceremony. The entire congregation watched a steamy visual of Eric, the priest, and Kristen, the bride, going at it.

Eric, Kristen, & Sami watching the sex tape (Photo:tvsourcemagazine.com)

 And then Victor said, "Let's watch it again!" Only Mr. Kiriakis can inject humor into a situation as tense and serious as this!

Brady started beating up his brother in his ceremonial robes. Eric realized that Kristen had drugged and raped him. It was hard to watch as Eric thew those vestments on the ground, shuddered as he knelt against the altar, and yelled at his mother. Because it looks like he broke his vows, Eric has been suspended from the priesthood and his future is still unclear now in February. A public sex tape in a church at a wedding involving the bride and the priest has got to be the most unholy event that has ever taken place inside St. Luke's.

In addition to all of the situational irony, there may also be some verbal irony in the name of the church.  In the Bible, St. Luke went with Paul on many journeys and was loyal throughout Pau's imprisonment. DAYS's culminating storylines could reflect the journeys and a few of the incidents resulted in imprisonment (Shawn D, Lucas) or they should have.

 Luke's Gospel is the only one that shares the stories of the Annunciation to Mother Mary and the Prodigal Son. This could reflect the many mothers who lied about their children's paternity. Also, the son who does wrong could be any of the sons who have sinned in this church, and then got off scott free as the prodigal son got rewarded. Also, Luke's preaches that we should be open to all hope in God's mercy. After all of these tragedies, there seems to be some level of forgiveness...unless it's evading retribution or revenge.

Luke is the patron saint of physicians and surgeons. Many of the characters that were involved were doctors. Dr. Tom Horton was the patriarch who started it all; Dr. Daniel's life changed at Parker's baptism; Dr. Marlena delivered Belle's baby and played the sex tape, Dr. Lexie was involved in many of the medical emergencies, and Dr. Cameron let Gabi's secret slip.

The writer's probably did not go that deep, but it's interesting!

One thing the writers did do was arrange for big drama to occur in a supposedly peaceful place. Next time the St. Luke's set is being used, expect there to be some irony in those happy moments.

Two Faces, One Soul

"Wilson is the new half on WilSon!" read the Soap Opera Digest headline.

With a heavy heart, the fans bid farewell to Chandler Massey, who brought life to Will Horton for nearly four years and single-handedly transitioned the viewers into DAY's gay storyline.

Many fans are sad to see him go, but still support the show and are excited to see Guy Wilson take on the role. Others are swearing to never watch the show again because apparently "there is no WilSon (and no show) without Chandler."

Um...no!

Yes. He was a big asset. But the show must go on. The storyline must go on. And after all, this isn't the first character to switch actors in the middle of a storyline. And this won't be the last.

Characters like Cameron Davis and Taylor Walker lost their actors without notice and had to be replaced immediately. Characters like Gabi Hernandez and Will Horton were switched to accommodate   a different storyline and to take the character in a new direction.  This is where Chandler Massey got his break.

Some actor switches are the result of a character coming back and the show is unable to get the original actor. Abby Deveraux was on in 2006 and came back as someone else in 2011. Philip Kiriakis left in 2002 and returned as a different face in 2003. (And then the reverse happened in 2006 and 2007). Brady Black was one actor in 2004 and then another in 2008.

To see a chart of these recasts view my Tumblr posts Here

And Here

The famous couple, Shelle, was played by four different combinations of actors. Originally, at Salem High it was Kirsten Storms and Jason Cook. Then, Storms left and Charity Ramher stepped in for two seconds. Then, they cast Martha Madison as Belle alongside Cook. These two were the ones who were involved in the infamous year-long paternity secret regarding their daughter Claire. Jason Cook played the man in love with his best friend's wife and secretly wishing Claire was his. Until..the secret came out. He was!

Unfortunately, that's all Cook got to play. He found out he was the father, had a fight with the step-father, Philip (the replacement, Kyle Brandt), and then was recast!

Brandon Beemer was thrown into the middle of a love triangle and a custody battle. And then started the last version of Shelle, Madison and Beemer.

Interestingly, the custody battle included another recast. When Philip reappeared for the hearing in 2007, Jay Kenneth Johnson, the original Philip, returned to the role.

So, the award for most recasts in a storyline goes to...this one!

If Brandon Beemer can transition into a 7-year supercouple role in the middle of a paternity reveal and still carry the story with the support of the fans... then, I think Guy will be fine.

The key to a recast is keeping the character true. If the new actor doesn't have the same motivation in the scenes, or the same demeanor, or the same chemistry with their scene partners, then the recast fails


The transition must be seamless, so much so that it doesn't seem like a different person.

If the fans don't like it, then it tanks. In the world of soaps, this kind of thing happens all the time, and the fans deal with it. We pretend it has been the same person all along. Like nothing has changed.

Within the two actors, the characters themselves stay the same. Although they may have two different faces, they have one soul.

Don't Forget

"You wanna forget dad? You wanna replace him with this joke of a relationship? Fine. But just don't ask me to respect it."

JJ Deveraux called out his mother on Days. He admitted that he is infuriated at her being able to jump into a relationship so quickly after the death of her long-time love.

Jack and Jennifer have gone through the soap opera ringer. Although they became a supercouple and shared many romantic and happy moments, it seems as though they could not escape tragedy. A brief look-back at the couple's history reveals more bad times than good (all leading up to Jack's tragic death).

Interestingly, after almost two decades in a tumultuous relationship, filled with love and heart brake, and then more love, Jennifer moved on rather too quickly.

JJ did not JUST criticize his mother; he ALSO criticized Days' storyline.

Many fans were understandingly upset by the demise of an unstable, but beloved character. Everyone expected Jennifer to be in mourning. Therefore, her love-life would be put on hold.

At first it seemed as though Daniel would respect her mourning period. But as we all know,  respecting someone's space makes for boring daytime!

SO, naturally, after the whole fiasco with Nicole, the Dannifer ship set sail once more! Yay!

But, wait...didn't the love of her life just die?
Oh, no. Don't worry. We are using the excuse that, "Jack would want me to be happy."

Days of our Lives, like many soaps faced with the aftermath of having to kill off a major character, try to play the progressive card. We are all about the future. We are moving forward and are not dwelling on the past.

HOWEVER, most of the best soap opera storylines, including Days', are based on dealing with or dwelling on events from the past.

JJ brings storylines about teenage rebellion, drugs, mom-son tension, and children-based relationship problems,  by revisiting the emotions surrounding his father's death.

In fact, many Days' deaths inspire other storylines. They usually involve the fallout or the aftermath in the lives of people who were close to the person who died. Characters' reactions to deaths evolve into stories of their own.

One of the most heart-braking death's on Days was Zack Brady's. As Hope Brady screamed in disbelief and agony, clutching Bo's arm until she wailed at the top of her lungs in the middle of Salem University Hospital after Lexi informed her that her youngest son was brain-dead, those of us watching at home felt our hearts break and reached for tissues.

Zack's demise, however, was the beginning of a storyline that would tear a family apart. Hope would go on to blame Chelsea and blame Bo for her son's death. Chelsea would later gain back Hope's trust when she saved Bo's life by donating part of her pancreas.

Ciara's birth would bring both happiness and bad memories for Bo and Hope. Their relationship would constantly be suffering from the old wounds from Zack's death. Somehow, he always was the source of their marital problems. Even six years afterwards, in a session with Marlena in 2012, Bo and Hope admitted that the "Zack issue" had never been resolved.

In 2010, Hope had even gotten addicted to medication, became a serial killer, nearly had an affair,  got sentenced to prison, and escaped from prison( while uncovering a conspiracy), all originating from issues surrounding Zack's death.

UNLIKE JACK, Zack's death was not forgotten.

Another plot-important death was the supposed murder of Tony DiMera in 2009. Now, Tony has been off and on the show for almost thirty years, ending when he fell off the staircase on the pier and was skewered by a sharp, broken pole after a fight with Philip Kiriakis. Days made sure that Tony would be remembered!

Thus, Stefano started a DiMera-Kiriakis war!

The war between the families officially began when Stefano accused Philip of murdering Tony. Stefano ordered a hit on the young Kiriakis and his shooting stirred up a lot of drama.

The DiMera-Kiriakis feud consisted of turf wars, hit men, business project theft, culminating in a truce in 2011 when Maggie got shot in the crossfire.

Even Will's blackmail is a good example. EJ, Stefano, and Nick have all blackmailed Will about his shooting EJ in 2007. Will's past actually came back to haunt him!

 EJ recovered and now he and Will are on good terms. Seriously, it's old news, six years ago...and yet we are still talking about it!

JJ is determined to ensure that his father's death is not forgotten. Like Zack Brady, Tony DiMera, and many others, his passing should generate stories and not simply be accepted as part of the past.

So, soaps may be pressured to keep things fresh and move on to new storylines. But the most entertaining, are those that are rooted in past events.

Besides, JJ has a point!

"You mourned dad for, what, eight months before you jumped into the sac with this guy?"

Take some time to dwell on your past, Jennifer. It may lead to some great plot twists!

 Because Jack Deveraux refuses to be forgotten.

Thin Line Between Love & Hate

Question: Why do we all like Vargas? He's not a nice guy...he's not a veteran character...he's not related to anyone we love....he's not a positive asset to Salem...WHY then?

Answer: Because he's against Nick. And we like characters who are enemies of characters we hate! Simple as that.

But that seems kind of odd, doesn't it? Do we really hate Nick that much that we'll like anybody who opposes him? ...Yup.

How did we come to dislike Nick so much? When he first was up for parole, many people wanted to give him a second chance. That's one of Days' big themes. SECOND CHANCES. We remembered the Nick Fallon pre-prison.
The sweet guy who Chelsea dumped for Daniel. The guy who was buds with Max. The guy who took in foster children he didn't know and helped support their mom. The genius who created an alternative fuels project. The guy who tugged on all his relative's heartstrings when he took responsibility for his actions and went to prison.

This Nick Fallon is who we felt for when he came back. Unfortunately, we were in for a classic Days twist: turning a good guy into a bad guy...or vice versa.

Even the most conservative, anti-homosexual person would agree that Nick's behavior is unjust, uncalled for, and cruel.  The fact is, our perspective of Nick changed the second he started in on Will.

It's safe to say that WilSon is one of the most popular couples on the show right now. So, any threat to a fan fav, especially a threat based on social bigotry, is a catalyst for character hatred.

The young, skinny, super-genius, underdog is gone. And the writers have re-worked his character so that we all turn against him, and root for his demise.

The same phenomenon happened recently when Salem's opera-singer came back. Chloe Lane is a complex character whose "good guy" and "bad guy" status changes constantly. (Read full bio in "Trip Down Memory LANE")

When Chloe first came to Salem in 1999, she was the unpopular, independent, different, taciturn, shy, and dark new girl. Not fitting in, being bullied, and yet having an amazing talent made "Ghoul Girl" a powerful character that you rooted for and tried to relate to.

However, her following storylines shook up that image. Her seductive, cheating, lying, and sneaky ways soon stole any sympathy we previously had for her. Occasionally we'd switch back over to her side when Kate tried to kill her, or when Vivian was manipulating her, or when she had post-partdom depression.

But upon her return, which was soley for the purpose of destroying Daniel's relationship with Jennifer and getting back with him, she crossed the line to "HATE" again.

This is where I realized the power of this trick--of liking one character JUST because one hates another.
Admittedly, at first, I was not in favor of the Dannifer ship. I was far too devastated over the Jack&Jennifer break up and later widow issue. I LOVED watching Jack&Jennifer scenes. They are adorable and had that quality that always brought them back together, even through years of tumultuous relationship problems.

Therefore, I was absolutely against Daniel nudging himself in and ruining a long-time-running super couple.

However, Days was clever and got me to sing a different tune by using this trick. They brought back Chloe so that I had to chose a side: Dannifer...or Danloe.
By making me hate Chloe, I was forced to root for Dannifer.
My perspectives completely shifted because of this. If I don't want Chloe to be happy, then I want Jennifer to be happy.

Curse you, Days writers for forcing me to change my attitude!

Days has been exploring the different sides of "villains" to make them into people you empathize with. Notable ones include: Anna DiMera, Kate Roberts, Kristen DiMera, Nicole Walker, Mimi Lockhart, and...Sami Brady!

Yes. Samantha Gene Brady. The role won a special fan award for "America's Favorite Villain" at the 2002 Daytime Emmy Awards.

Sami was quite the villainess back on 1995 when she was conspiring against Austin and Carrie, drugging people, lying, scheming, seducing and hiding paternity results. The Carrie-Austin shippers really hated Sami and were relieved when she could no longer hold being a father to Will over Austin.

The continuing plays for Austin, Brandon, and Franco, kept Sami on the "Hate" side of the line. Her constant floating from one guy to the next never guaranteed a solid "Team Sami."

However, somewhere along the line, the way we viewed Sami changed. Maybe it was giving birth to twins, maybe it was being committed to Lucas, maybe it was being manipulated by the DiMera's, maybe it was in Witness Protection.
The fans begun to root for Sami. Her support skyrocketed and everyone started saying, "Go Sami!"

Lumi, EJami, Safe. So many people were pulling for these couples to work out. Now, Sami's many men are an ENDEARING part of her character.

Fan's perspective on characters can change on a dime. One minute you love them and want them to have a second chance. The next, you find yourself rooting for whoever can bring about their downfall!

The fabulous writing on Days is what makes these personalities so complex, that we are constantly deciding whether to LOVE them, or HATE them.

How to Become a Main Character

Toss your tasseled cap in the air, Sonny. You have officially graduated! Now you are a mainstream character.

This week, Sonny has gone beyond the confines of his storyline. Now that he has immersed himself in a storyline that has nothing to do with him, he can officially be called a series regular.

For the most part we have only seen Jackson Kiriakis within the walls of "Common Grounds" which is the name of his coffee shop that everyone has seemed to have forgotten. Sonny's screen-time has been dictated by what is he is doing in the "Will-gay" storyline.

Granted he talks to many character within this storyline (Will, Sami, Lucas, Kate, Gabi, Nick, EJ, Brian, Chad, Justin, Adrianne). But every time we see him, we see that his scenes at their core are dedicated to "Will's storyline."

HOWEVER, on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, Sonny Kiriakis stepped into the RATE storyline.

Rafe and Kate's relationship is a completely separate story. Now that Sonny knows their secret, he shall become the third character associated with the storyline. He is now THAT CHARACTER who finds out the secret, who is debating whether or not to tell, who will be persuaded to keep it quiet, and who will eventually be the one to unveil that secret.

Congratulations!

Because he is now a part of a storyline apart from the one he was originally brought on the show to do, he can now be recognized as part of the main cast. His character is being used for stuff outside his own story. This is a sign of a versatile character; one who will stay on for a while. He's versatile!

Sonny has surpassed other characters who were brought on to play their part in a specific story, but once their story was over, they had no use and their time on Days came to an end...
Some recent examples are: Prison Warden, Dr. Ben Walters, Madison James, Ian McAllister, Taylor Walker, Andrew...

Sonny has proven to be a sustainable character. He has earned his place in Salem. Being a Kiriakis, owning Common Grounds (again, "the coffee shop"), being the first gay character, being Will's boyfriend, and just being awesome!

Props to Freddie Smith! (who turned 25 this month)

Other characters before Sonny have done the same. They have come on the show intended for one specific storyline, but then graduated to others because they were so adaptable.

Probably the biggest success story is Rafe. Raphael Hernandez came on Days as Sami's flirty safe house guard. After the "Sydnapping" storyline ended and Sami returned, he could have disappeared. BUT the writers brought him back, gave him a job at the Salem PD, and put him together in a volatile relationship with Sami.

Rafe has gone beyond his original placement. He has been cloned. He has been with Carrie. He has been on John Black's detective team. He has been wrapped in EJole drama. Rafe was even the cause of three other characters on the show: Ariana, Gabi, and Dario.

Like Sonny, Rafe graduated into the main cast and is now one of the major hunks in Salem.

Another character who stayed on was Melanie Layton. She stayed on so long, her name changed three times!

She was originally brought on to the show as Max's half sister, Melanie Robbins- but her name was found to be Layton. After Max rescued his half-sister from Trent and her questionable lifestyle in Europe, she still had some reforming to do. Her scenes involved Max, Stephanie, Chelsea, Trent, and Maggie. Her story climaxed with Trent's murder and Nick's kidnapping.

After that, Max was to move to London. Melanie could have gone with him, but she stayed for one reason. As Max said, "Can you spell Kiriakis?"

Her following storylines gave her the names "Melanie Kiriakis" and "Melanie Jonas." Just before she left, she could have been "Melanie DiMera."

Smaller characters who did this would be people like Mia. She came to Days to give Nicole a baby, but stayed after that mess was over to move in with Maggie, have a relationship with Will, and to bring in Chad.

Cameron is a very recent one who came for Lexi's death, but stayed for Abigail...and to be a doctor (with a secret, now).

Yes, this seems to be the tradition in Salem. This is the test. The character is either good or bad, adaptable or non adaptable.

Luckily for Sonny, he's the kind of character who can be involved in other people's lives. He's not just the gay character. He's not just Will's devoted boyfriend. Now...he's the guy who knows about RATE.

ConGRADulations Sonny! I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of you.

Everybody Loves Lumi

The Lumi chemistry makes an appearance on screen this week. In case you are a novice to couple names, Lumi refers to the dynamic duo of Lucas and Sami!

Sami Brady and Lucas Horton have been doing scenes together since they began their careers on Days in 1993. Twenty years later, they still find themselves stuck in situations together.

The obvious explanation for this is that they are connected through the children they share: Will and Allie.

Since 1995,  Lucas and Sami have fought over Will, come together over Will, been forced apart because of Will, and have temporarily joined forces for Will.

Allie was the child that came out of really the only loving, stable time in their relationship.

 The legendary "green" wedding they had in 2007 marked a relatively happy time for this couple. Around the time Sami was pregnant with the twins, Lumi were hiding in a safe house. One particular scene that sticks in my mind is Sami doing pregnancy yoga and Lucas gets sooooo turned on! Gotta love Lumi!

Whatever storyline they are in the middle of, the BEST part of Lumi is the dialogue. Whether they are arguing about EJ, cuddling and reading Coleen's love letters, baking cookies, or giving birth on Marlena's bed, their dialogue makes the audience collectively smile.

They always cleverly play off of each other's personalities. The back and forth shots at each other make for humorous and playful conversation. Even in their serious, life or death, deeply romantic moments have that sweet, classic lightness.
Here are some examples:

Lumi are baking cookies for Will:
LUCAS :Yea, it so happens I bake. I roast. I simmer. I slice. I dice. I do it all...I have muffin pans. I have cookie sheets. And I have one thing that very few people possess.

SAMI: An ego the size of the Hulk?

Lumi are discussing John's role as a father figure in Sami's childhood.
SAMI: He didn't do a very good job. I mean, look at me. I'm a mess.

LUCAS: Well, that's true. *Sami hits Lucas with a pillow*

SAMI: You were't supposed to agree with me.

LUCAS: Aw, come on. You spoon-fed me that. I couldn't resist.

Since Lucas has come back to Salem he and Sami have gotten back together, shared some cute, sexy moments, and broken up over EJ. Not much has changed for this couple over the years. However, for their children's sake, they can still communicate on good terms. (relatively good terms: there was a time when they were raising Will when they weren't speaking.)

Most of their interactions now have to do with Will and Allie. Lucas comes by to pick up Allie's drawing. Lucas and Sami talk about Will coming out. And now, they have a special bond as they are about to become grandparents! Yay!
"That's what happens when you're a kid and you have a kid." -Lucas.

This brings us to this week's hilarious Lumi moments. Sami and Lucas team up to help Will get out of Nick's trap and get his daughter back. Go Team Will!

Sami has a plan. Rafe calls her his "partner in crime." That assessment is all too true.
Here are some wonderfully nostalgic Lumi lines from this week:

SAMI: I have a plan
LUCAS: That is the scariest thing you say. That is the scariest sentence you ever say.
SAMI: Don't wuss out on me.

SAMI: Yes. Thats sounds more like the Lucas Horton I know and love. Please.
LUCAS: It's just I'm a little reluctant to go to jail these days- but, fine. I'm in.

LUCAS: We should have, you know, a code in case someone's coming. Like a code word like, "We are going to JAIL! (fake cough)"
SAMI: Ya. Perfect, Lucas.

LUCAS: You brought equipment with you? Come on, really? And gloves? Come on, Sami.

SAMI: Oh, look. Salem Stalker.
LUCAS: Ooh, John Black shooting right here.
SAMI: Where are the newer files?
LUCAS: I got Trent Robbins homicide.
SAMI: Alright, we are moving in the right direction.
LUCAS: It's like taking a trip down Salem's own murderous row.

SAMI: That one says, "DiMera shooting.
LUCAS: Well, you gotta be a little more specific.
SAMI: It says 2007. That's when EJ was shot.
LUCAS: Well, maybe that was a big year in mob justice.

LUCAS: When did you put on weight?
SAMI: The same time you quit working out.

RAFE: I can't just let you walk outta here.
LUCAS: Then, arrest me. Now. Go ahead. Do it.
SAMI: Yeah, me too.
RAFE: That's it. And you both agree? Since when?

LUCAS: And I don't wanna go back to jail, ok. I hate jail. Jail sucks!

LUCAS: Sami's plan was swiss cheese. Had a bunch of holes in it.

LUCAS: (to EJ) Aw, man. She's all yours, buddy.
SAMI: Ok. I see you are growing soft in your old age, Horton, but- thank you for saving my ass back there.

And we all look forward to seeing more of this legendary chemistry in the future. No matter whom Sami's with, she can always find a friend, an ear, and an ally in Lucas.

Just wish for better success next time for these grandparents-to-be!

A Lost Storyline

Ok, Days fans. Erase everything that we have built up for the last three years from your mind. Forget every shred of revealing evidence, and think of a storyline completely differently from the way it actually happened.

Now that you've done that: Big Reveal: Parker is Daniel's.

...What?

Yes, Parker was actually Daniel's all along.

But...everything you said for the past three years led us to the conclusion that-

-No, Parker is Daniel's.

But...

No, Daniel's. We changed it.

This joke of  reveal is very disappointing. The new writers were doing such a great job.

They brought Kristen back, and revisited EVERYBODY's previous inclinations toward the character. Brady, Marlena, John, Hope, Jennifer, all of which coincided with their characters from twenty years ago.(about). The introduction of a homosexual relationship; making it just as volatile and lovable as any other relationship on daytime. Paternity questions with a young pregnancy. Sami caught in the middle of two handsome men.

Classic Days with new and captivating twists and at the same time keeping it real.

But, now? Turning one of the show's most elaborate and dramatic paternity reveals into a joke. Not cool.

Let me explain...Chloe Lane is coming back to Salem. How do the writers explain this? Well, apparently they couldn't come up with anything better than, "Parker's real father is someone in Salem at this time."

What really makes this a terrible storyline is the fact that the writers are asking us to throw out everything we remember from 2010-2011. If they think they can just come in and say, "Oh, no. That was a mistake," they are sadly mistaken.

The old writers worked their butts off to make that a thrilling story for the viewers at the time. And the Chloe/Daniel/Philip question was played out so much, that fans began collecting facts, trying to put the pieces together. Once the reveal happened (that Philip was the father) that fact was solidified and all the loose ends were tied.

The timing was even right. Philip and Chloe got together on April 23, 2010. Chloe was with Daniel just long enough afterwards to make the baby's father questionable. It made so much sense: Dan and Chloe had been trying for a while and nothing happened. Then Philip gives it a try....

What happened to that logic?

During the test results story, the writers made us think that all the characters involved switched the results by having them do something on their computers/mobile devices. (Philip, Melanie, Chloe, Daniel) But, all four situations were explained.

Then, they made Caroline switch it who has a surprising knowledge of technology for an old lady. But what they did was explained: she heard Stephanie talk about it, she had the password 'cause she worked there, and she hated Kiriakis love children. She had the means, motive, and opportunity.

They story the new writers try to pass off---completely illogical. Ian, Stephanie's friend, was a nerd. And now he's gotten in an AA program for substance abuse? He was a shy nerd. Also, he didn't know what the results meant when he retrieved them for Stephanie. She told him that "Neg." meant that Phil was the dad AFTERWORDS. That flashback they showed was completely out of context. Why would he switch it, if he didn't know what it meant?

Also, after Parker was born, there was multiple evidence that they came up with to support the idea that Philip was his father. Whenever Parker was fussy, Philip's touch and voice would calm him down. On multiple occasions.

What happened to that?

Philip had such a connection with Parker that he felt that he was ready to be a father after holding him. (They did the same thing with Mia: she had a stronger connection with Grace than with Sydney cause Grace was her real daughter.)

Where'd that go?

And the kicker: Parker has DIMPLES!  Hello?! Jay Kenneth Johnson(Philip) has the biggest dimples ever! Dan said, "I don't know what side of the family that came from but it sure is cute," as they close up on JKJ's dimples. If you notice, one shot of Parker now, in 2013 showed him smiling with dimples.

How do the writer's explain that? They don't!

Also, Chloe and Daniel are both dark-skinned with dark hair. Yet, Parker is light-skinned with blonde hair. After they had the big dramatic reveal in the church (so awesome), Parker was shown with blonde hair growing in. He looks so much like Philip!

If the writers were going to switch paternity, then why did they cast a light-skinned toddler with blonde hair and dimples? That's very suspicious. He does't look like either of his "parents."

This secret and reveal was so incredibly huge that it took a whole year to do. Most storylines last half a year, if not a few months. The Phloe affair and Parker's paternity dominated the screen-time from 2010-early 2011:
Phloe having sex. Phloe keeping it secret. Nathan finding out about Chloe. Carly finding out about Chloe. Carly telling Chloe she's pregnant. Paternity test. Steph finding out. Steph schemes. Dan suspicious of Phil. Mel finding out about Chloe. The wedding. The birth. Dan finding out about Phil. The "Beatdown at the Baptism." Mel leaving Phil. Dan kicks Chloe out. Chloe suicide. The last name switch.

Such a great story! Seriously...a guy get's his ex-girlfriend and step-mother in-law pregnant! Come on! That's a fantastic storyline! How could you just turn everything that happened that year around? It's like they took an eraser and slid it over April 2010-August 2011.

You can't just erase the hard work of the writers. You can't un-experience that storyline. You can't take back that moment when it all came together and all made sense. You can't forget this.

For Phloe fans everywhere whose hearts were broken, I offer this: the actor playing Parker is light-skinned and dimpled. They could've cast a dark one. Perhaps, they will correct this mistake some day.

For now, we must cringe every time we are reminded of the facts, evidence, emotions, upheavals, reveals, stories... and the days of our lives that year that were lost.

A "Big Reveal" is a Big Deal

It's time for a Days of Our Lives classic "Big Reveal" episode! Another wedding interrupted and ruined by a big event...or a secret coming out!

This kind of drama is not a stranger to Days. One of Days' favorite times to reveal a secret, ruin happiness, and start a fight is during a wedding or a happy church moment.

Just when everything seems like it will work out, and the secret will be kept...well, secret, something happens or someone comes forward.

This year was kicked off with a big one: the Nick/Gabi wedding fiasco. Where the secret about her baby's paternity was revealed.

These "Big Reveal" storylines usually dominate the scenes of an episode. And will last for at least two days. Then, there will be a "fallout" plotline that will follow each character involved and how it this "big reveal" affected them.

The Gabi/Nick/Will secret is no different. And this is an an especially big event. We know because it seems like every character in Salem is somehow involved.

Because both Will and Nick are Hortons, it will affect all of the veteran Horton characters, and they will all have something to say about this.

Will is also a Brady, so the Irish family is affected.

Gabi brings her Hernandez family into the mess as well.

Will's boyfriend is a Kiriakis, so that family is affected.

And every DiMera somehow has a connection to this also.

Yes, everyone in Salem seems to be involved! And the scenes of January 11th, 14th, and 15th all follow each member of the community as he/she finds out, and/or deals with the fallout.

The fact that Will, Nick's gay cousin and best man, knocked up the bride, Gabi, is all anyone can talk about.

Everyone thinks they could've done more...or been there for him/her....and maybe this disaster wouldn't have happened. The truth is- this scandal happened under everyone's nose and they would have gotten away with it...if it weren't for that meddling kid, Chad!

It seems like everyone is blaming Will. Given that he is the baby's real father and he didn't accept responsibility yet...one could see that point.
HOWEVER, Will was the one who ultimately told the truth. (thanks to Chad's incentive). And it was Gabi and Nick who were proclaiming the lie all over Salem, and who lied to the priest, and who put on this show that was meant to fool everyone. Seriously, this isn't all Will's doing. Heck, it wasn't even his idea!

Let's jump to the conclusion that Will doesn't want the baby because he has his new gay lifestyle, and he would be worse father than the responsible employed (ex-felon) Nick! Nevermind the fact that when  Nabi persuaded him into agreeing, and when he tried to say that it wasn't the right thing he got out-voted and shut  down. No! This is clearly all Will's fault! (sarcasm)

Now add on top of all this: Nick's homophobia.

It will be interesting to see how Days incorporates the new GAY dynamic into a paternity reveal. People are upset about the lie. But it's not like they can think that Will wanted to steal Gabi, or that they were cheating on their respective others. (like Sami's paternity secret regarding Will: Victor's right, that is ironic).

So people cannot characterize Will as a promiscuous womanizer...because he's gay. And yet, they are all hoping that it will work out for Nick and Gabi. Umm, hello? What about Will? Do you hope it works out for him? Or do we just not care?

Sami hit it right on the nose: Gabi put into motion what was best for Gabi...and Nick. Keeping the baby from knowing Will and vise versa is not good for the baby... and especially not good for Will. Even if he kept his distance, like Lucas said, it would be torture. And much worse than having the kid go between two parents.

See? Sami, Lucas, putting in their two cents. And everyone else is fighting about it, taking a side. Sami/Rafe. Hope/Kate. Sonny/Chad. Maggie/Victor. Abby/Chad. Sami/Gabi. Lucas/Will. Julie/Maggie. Caroline/Eric. Abby/Cameron. Will/Sonny. and a rumored...Sami/Adrianne (can't wait to see that).

BTW: Where the heck was Allie when all this was happening? She was the flower girl...where did she go? Did she hear Will's reveal? She wasn't with mommy or daddy...so what happened to Auntie Allie?

Be warned. Just because the initial "Big Reveal" is over does not mean that the fallout is not still in progress.

Nick is determined to be the dad, even if that means using the information he now knows to put Will in prison. Rafe is swearing off Sami while EJ steps in as a  supportive ally. Will and Sonny are in love but on the rocks. And what will become of the baby?

Stay tuned for the "Big Reveal"'s fallout storylines.

The Magic of SORAS

SORAS- the acronym. What does it mean? Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome.

In the magical world of soaps, the writers cannot wait for characters to grow up to put them in storylines. Children who are born are more exciting if they are of "drama age." Therefore, the solution: make them older.

This is why a character can go from age 4 to age 16 in one year. And why it's weird that people's kids seem to be too old to be born to their parents.

And this is why the current Brady-Kristen match up is SUPER awkward. Let us dive into the magical world of Rapid Aging Syndrome.

Fun Fact: who holds the record for the most SORASed character? Answer: ......E.J. !!!! Elvis was born in 1997 onscreen (as John Jr.) to Kristen and John Black. However, he returns to Salem in 2006 as a grown adult. He should have been 9 years old, but he's SORASed a full 12 years!!!

Coming in second is a tie: Philip Kiriakis, born in 1995 and SORASed from 4 to 15 in 1999, and Brady Black, born 1992 and SORASed from 8 to 19 in 2000.  (both 11 years)

Right behind them in 3rd are Belle Black, born in 1993 being SORASed 9 years in 1999, and Chelsea Brady from age 7 to age 16 in 2006 (also 9 years).

Other notable SORAS characters are Shawn Douglas Brady who went from age 12 to age 15. And Will Horton who went from age 13 to age 15.

Let's focus on Brady and EJ for the moment, because they are both relevant with the Kristen storyline.

EJ, who was born to Susan, is Kristen's former adopted son. Now he's her brother. Is it weird for Kristen to be helping him with his love life and at the same time be thinking, "hey, I used to be your mom,"? Or "I took care of you when you were a baby,"? If Susan comes back, (which I hope she does) that conflict with Kristen will be revisited and will be really awkward because  John Jr./ Elvis is now a grown man.

With Brady, the weirdness comes into play regarding his father and his relationship (or current lack thereof) with Kristen. Miss DiMera was his stepmother when he was 5. Now, she's sleeping with him?!?!?! Kristen was sleeping with John 15 years ago and now she's doing it with his son. If we guess that she was in her 20s then, then she'd be in her 40s/50s now. And Brady is supposed to be 20, but is currently 31. This could only happen with a SORASed character!

So be prepared for when the Brady-Kristen affair becomes publicly known, or just known to John, for it to be extremely awkward and confusing. How could this even happen???

Well, this program is brought to you by the magic of SORAS! SORAS... bringing you rapidly aged Days of Our Lives characters for the past few decades!

Sweeps Sweeten Storylines

"November DAYS are here!" With back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back intense storylines.
Aside from the Days official site design change, a  November promo is circulating Days news.

The November Sweeps are here! What are the "november sweeps" anyway?

Well, fresh out of a college media class: here's the answer.

In 1940, TV broadcasting began a "Neilson" survey within households using a "people meter"on top of the tv set to determine what people were watching, when, for how long, ect. This was a device that eventually measured TV ratings. It sampled 18,000 households.

Today, they still take "sweeps" of ratings based on "Neilson points." One Neilson point means 1.1 million households in America. They currently do 4 sweeps a year: in February, May, July, and November.

Therefore, the 2012 November sweep is under way. The TV program ratings from the end of October to Thanksgiving will be measured. So, Days has to make sure that they have solid ratings in November.

This is why they released a November sweeps promo. Hopefully, people will tune in and the sweeps will reveal high ratings that will ensure a cash flow into the pockets of the producers so they can keep this show on the air!

How will the writers rise to this important challenge? Well, I'm guessing the writers room went something like this:
"Hey! Let's pile on one tragedy after another. Let's have conflicts in every storyline! Let's bring back evil DiMeras, suicide, sex, marital troubles, secret revelations, parental disputes, breakups, hospital-bed scenes, and scandalous pregnancy all in one week! Yay!"

And, somehow, they did.

Fans of Days could not keep their socks on these past few weeks.

No one watching an episode could help being pulled into Daniel and Jennifer's relationship. Everyone had to pick either the Sami/John/Kristen side or the Marlena/Brady/Hope side. Whether positive or negative, viewers had big reactions to the Will/Sonny storyline. And who else felt a mixture of sadness and pity for Nicole?                      

It's so intense, it feels impossible to keep up with it all. Thank goodness there is a recap section on the site, because if god forbid someone misses one day, they would be lost.

With all the drama, it's a miracle we are all still following and are still hopelessly engaged. If viewers are feeling bombarded by so many dramatic storylines one after another, don't worry. That's the goal.

They purposely put John and Marlena arguing in between Nicole crying and Nick and Gabby in bed. Well, that's daytime!

They saved all the good storylines for November sweeps. So, you know that this month is going to be good!

Let's hope the ratings reflect that, and Days stays in production and on the air!

It's Ok, 'Cause They're Not Gay.

Has anyone noticed how paralleled the relationships are in Days of our lives?

Every couple is compared to another. Particularly, all the "young ones."

Back in early 2000s, Phloe and Shelle were the two big young storylines.
Just going back a few years, Chick (Chelsea and Nick) was always compared to Stax (Stephanie and Max).
In the last couple of years, Phelanie (Philip and Melanie) was paralleled with Stathan (Stephanie and Nathan).
Last year, Chad and Abby's relationship was played out alongside Will and Gabby's . Both ended...the latter for obvious reasons.

Today, after the whole "gay relationship" has become less of a shocking, radical storyline, the writers are trying to bring back that parallelism. Now with a new gay twist!

Today's episode really played this. To demonstrate the scenes I will use letters (W: Will, G: Gabby, S: Sonny, and T: Tad)
Scene1: ST
Scene 2: WG
Scene 3: WT
Scene 4: SG

I feel like I'm in high school bio learning about DNA configurations!!!!! Tad talks to Sonny. Gabby talks to Will. And then they switch. Classic.

The lovely parallel between Tad/Audrey & Will/Sonny AND between Nick/Gabby & Will/Sonny is very obviously flushed out.

Meanwhile, Abigail, Cameron, and Chad are floating around preparing to be inevitably worked into this too.

It seemed that both "Wilson" and "Nabby" reached that point in their relationship at the same time: sex.
However, only one went trough with it. Any guesses as to which?

The straight couple! Obviously. There has to be one couple who just jumps right in and enjoys basking in the afterglow. And there has to be one that comes so close but some stupid thing gets in-between them and ruins everything.

Interestingly, Nabby has moved faster than the speed of light. Whereas Wilson has been developing for months and everyone is saying "SLOW DOWN!!!"

Coincidence? I think not. People find out about the straight couple and think, "eh." and then drop it. BUT the gay couple: everyone who could possibly be connected must be involved and give their input.

Boy and a girl: "oh, whatever. as long as you are happy."
Boy and a boy: "whoa! stop the presses! be careful! i think....."

Complete double standard. It's funny because Nick is the one with the questionable background (you know, prison). Oh, but let's go after the gay guy who owns a coffee shop!

This is probably how it is in the real world. So, Days gets the award for reflecting reality.

The fight between the guys was well-done in that it was a plausible argument and reflected a dispute that is real and could have happened between anyone. You don't have to be straight to fight about ex-boyfriends! or interfering fathers!

Luckily, the fight will end in a make-up...and possibly make-up sex. Very Days.

One more thing. Ken Corday was not very subtle when he released the spoiler that Gabby with have some big news that will affect Nick, Will, Sonny, Rafe, and Sami.

Hhhmmm. What could it be? Gabby is probably pregnant! She slept with Will for a reason. Now that will allow for some serious parallels!Can't wait for this storyline to unfold!

Until then, Days will keep it real, keeping it unequal.

Don't DisapPIER

What set has been used the most frequently over the years? The Pier. What set has disappeared from the screen since the Horton Town Square was built? The Pier.

One aspect of Salem that makes it unique is that it is near a waterfront. It has docks. It has a pier. And over the years it has been the setting that ties all of Salem together. Everyone meets at the pier. Everyone bumps into their friends at the pier. Everyone bumps into their enemies at the pier.

Clearly the pier is the most direct path to The Brady Pub from the DiMera Mansion. The pier is obviously on the way to the park from the Horton house. It's clearly the fastest way to Chez Rouge from the Kiriakis mansion. And you just have to pass by the pier when you are traveling to The Cheatin' Heart from Salem University Hospital.

And yet, after September in 2011, the pier has not been as busy.

Once the Horton Town Square was built, everybody started to take that route. The pier has not been traveled along.

With such an iconic setting, why has DAYS just dropped that set? Everything happens at the Town Square now. But does that mean that we ignore Salem's historic pier?

So many storylines have begun and ended at that pier. For example:

- Lexi taking Theo to watch the boats routinely
- Bope on the docked "Fancy Face"scenes
- Daniel and Philip beat each other up
- Marlena reunites  with "Roman"
- EJ proposes to Sami by fishing for the ring

Chandler Massey on the famous pier set 

- Chloe attempts suicide
- Shelle reunite after separation
- Bo officially meets Billie
- Jarlena admits that they still love each other
- Phloe's first "relationship" scene
- Tony DiMera dies
- Brady beats up EJ
- Carly told Daniel that Melanie was his
- Nicole was arrested for her baby stealing
- Gus beat up Chloe for being a prostitute
- Taylor and EJ meet: love at first sight
- DiMera and Kiriakis turf conflicts
- Madeline (Chad's mom) falls down stairs and dies
- Belle is pushed into the water when Claire is kidnapped
- Chloe falls for Daniel on New Years
- Maggie was shot
- Will meets Sonny

That's not even scratching the surface!


The pier's presence has provoked many storylines. Some of the characters have worked on the docks. The ferry to the Horton cabin takes off from there. Many romantic dates end on the water. The pier hosts shady deals, shootings, and New Years Eve parties.

On Youtube, where you can still view some of these scenes, people comment on how much they love those clips with the words "at the pier" in the title:

- On Marlena's return, "One of the best moments of days of our lives---it never gets old."&"classic clip"
- On Jarlena admitting their love in '93, "One of D&D's best scenes."
- On Chloe scene with Brady, "I love it! After a fight with Belle, Chloe finds comfort in the water."
-On Belle and Shawn scene in '03, "My all-time favorite Shelle!!!"

Personally, my favorite is that Phloe scene when they start to see each other in a new light. The water symbolizes change. And after that night, their relationships had changed forever. The water washes away their previous judgements about each other and they connect on a new level. So well-done and meaningful!

And curiously, no one goes by there anymore. Did they tear down the set? Did they build the Town Square in its place? Where did the Pier go?

My guess: with the budget cuts, they can only afford a few sets now. Oh, the decreasing production industry! Days has survived cancellation, and lower salaries, and the writers strike. But that does not make it easier.

The sets used most this year: The Horton Town Square, Sonny's Coffee Shop, The Brady Pub, The Horton House, and character apartments depending on the prominent storyline (Sami's, EJ's, Daniel's, ect.)

Another possibility: with the new writers, they made so many changes....so they cut so many sets or are using some minimally. Such as: the PIER, the police station, Chez Rougue, Titan, the Mansions (DiMera/ Kiriakis), the hospital, and switching the "Cheatin' Heart" to a coffee house! REALLY?????

These new writers clearly do not have the knowledge of the many iconic storylines that took place on that pier. If they can just cut it out entirely, they obviously have no regard or respect for its history.

All we, as devoted fans, can do is remember those classic pier scenes that touched out hearts. And recall those storylines set on the pier that got us hooked on this show.

And spend hours searching on Youtube for a clip featuring that old familiar pier.

A Trip Down Memory LANE

Chloe Lane.
Chloe Lane Black Horton Jonas.

The ending to classic couple names such as "Phloe" "Broe" "Danloe"
and the beginning of "Chlucas"

The lovely, opera singing Nadia Bjorlin is reported to return to the Days family sometime in January.
After a short break, where she starred in the film, "the Divorce Invitation," Bjorlin will cure us all of our Chloe withdrawals. (accept maybe Victor)

Although she was only gone for a year and a half, in the soap world it seems like we haven't seen the former opera star and former prostitute in forever. In tribute to Chloe's impending return, let us travel back in time to discuss her history...and we might be able to predict some future storylines!

2000. Yes, that was twelve years ago!
Chloe comes to Salem claiming to be the daughter of Nancy Wesley's deceased friend. Little does anyone know, that Nancy is actually Chloe's mother! Wasn't a pretty sight when Craig found out...

Chloe, a victim of foster care detachment, cruelty, and lonliness had lost all faith in trust and relationships....and people.  "All I had was my dark clothes, my glasses, my singing...and my anger. They were my defenses against everything, especially the anger. It was like a drug." (Chloe, June 2001)

She was the girl who thought she was better than everybody else and so she hid behind her glasses. Until one bold rich kid took off her glasses and called her out on it. That was Philip, her high school boyfriend and first love. He got her to come out of her shell and tried to help her trust people.

And it worked. Chloe had a few friends, Shawn Brady and Belle Black. And over time she would develop a better relationship with her mother.

Once shy Chloe was gone and independent Chloe took her place, the dynamics of her relationship with Philip began to change. Combine that with impulsive, confused teenagers and an interloping nephew and you have a classic "make-up, break-up" relationship until 2002.

When Chloe develops leukemia, Philip and Brady(interloping nephew) fight over her care. Since Brady seems like the more practical and responsible person, Chloe ends in with her first love.

Later, Chloe discovers that her mother's rapist is not her father, but that her step-dad, Dr. Craig Wesley is her real father. When her little sister, Joy is born, Chloe is able to get a bone marrow transplant.

She and Brady grow closer, emotionally and physically! She, however, leaves to pursue an opera-singing career in Europe.

After a horrible accident in which her face received much damage she pretended to be dead so as not to face Brady. Nicole schemed to give her a flesh-eating bacteria in order to steal her beau, but it did not work because she revealed herself and married Brady in 2005.

When she returns in 2007, she is alone, being tracked down by Austrian authorities, and seeks aid in her old boyfriend, Phil. ( when I say seeks aid I mean seduces ).

Turns out Brady got addicted to drugs and so he divorces her from rehab. Not good for her ego. That very night, she begins her "friends with benefits" thing with Philip. As we all know, that never ends well. One usually develops actual feelings.

This time it's both. Chloe first: she gets jealous seeing him with a girl he's manipulating for work, so she sleeps with his brother in an elevator. Good payback, girl.
When she's engaged to Lucas, Phil realizes how he feels but it's too late.

Because Lucas was a rebound, Chloe never truly could commit to Lucas 100%. Then, she meets Daniel. A hot, sexy, sensitive, doctor. Did I mention sexy? Guess what comes next.

A jealous and protective mother-in-law, Kate, devises a cooking show with Chloe as the host. After poisoned eggs and apples, she finally bites a poisoned brownie. Her relationship with Daniel is revealed and she falls into a coma.

When she wakes, Lucas has divorced her, and she's engaged to Dr. Sex addict. All seems well until Chloe grows suspicious of his baby-mama. Thanks to some manipulation, curtsy of Vivian, and a bottle of red wine, she ends up crying on the shoulder of Philip.

Funny how it always circles back to Philip...hhhmmmm.

In a depressed, hopeless, drunken state, she reverts to a comfortable and familiar setting. Sex with this man.

Even though, she had  a hysterical pregnancy and was told that she couldn't conceive, Chloe ends up wondering who the father of her unborn child is. And ten years ago, she had strayed away from all personal interactions!

"Ghoul Girl" has grown up!

Not wanting to hurt Daniel or Melanie (his daughter and Phil's wife),  she decides to come clean if it's not Daniel's and keep quiet if it is. However, Caroline switched the test, so her son, Parker Kiriakis was born with the name Jonas.

Once the truth was revealed and her life destroyed, Chloe did everything she could to "return to normal" and "forget the truth." She attempted this by seducing Daniel, keeping Philip at a distance, and eventually resenting her own son.

In an increased depressed state, she attempted suicide only to be saved on the brink of death by Philip. Man, this guy shows up a lot in her life! Curious....

Because of this incident, she lost custody of Parker. When, she put herself before her baby and drunk fought Melanie and Kate, she lost the respect and support of Philip. Her last and oldest ally was slipping away, and she found herself alone, ill, and regretting not appreciating the friend she had.

In an attempt to earn money to satisfy Social Services, she became a prostitute. My oh my, how things have changed since high school!

After being beaten and comatose in a hospital, her friends (Brady and Nicole) help her get back on her feet and move to Chicago where she will work as a singer to get custody of her son back.


******
Now, she is returning!!!
I really don't see how she is going to come back with the baby without Jay (Philip). It was difficult and unbelievable to fit him in without his dad who has full custody.

Chloe shall have to return without her son, at least for the most part. What buissiness would she have in Salem??? So far as I can see, she has nothing here.

 Unless she's back to claim a man! Which one of her exes shall it be? Lucas. Brady. Daniel. What about Philip and Parker in Chicago? Where is her life going and why in the world is it taking her back to Salem? I guess that's for the writers to come up with.

We'll just have to wait and see where the road (or the Lane) takes us!

A Black who's fallen through the Cracks

Where has Brady been?
He has not been seen on screen in his own independent storyline since the debacle with Ian. And before that, the only stuff he was involved in was the Madison drama and the transfer from Titan to Basic Black.

Has anyone noticed that Brady has not had a stable relationship since his marriage to Chloe? And we all know how that turned out. Drug addiction. Suspected murder. Secret Rehab. Divorce.

And his post-Chloe relationships in the "Eric era" (as opposed to the "Kyle era") have not lasted long enough to count.

There's Ariana Hernandez. She and Brady had a wonderful beginning, but their story ends with  Nicole interloping and a secret under-cover drug deal with the cops. They were engaged and were in the middle of eloping when a storm blew in. (literally and figuratively: a rainstorm and Nicole). Unfortunately, his ex-fiance did not live to see the end of that year.

The reason for Brady's distance with Ari was primarily because of Nicole's dramas with EJ and her miscarriage. Being a good friend, Brady always dropped what he was doing to help Nicole. However, to Ariana this was an obsession with his ex that interfered with their relationship. Actually, Brady corrupted his with Ari and Nicole's with EJ. At this time, he helped Nicole with her rouse about hiding the miscarriage, although he certainly opposed it and reproached her often.

After she was released from prison and she discovered his secret about Vivian in the coffin, they began seeing each other again. However, she dumped him like yesterday's trash once EJ offered her a better deal.

Once this storyline was over, Brady really didn't do anything. For the longest time he was simply a background character occasionally having scenes with Melanie or Maggie.

Then, the war erupted between the Kiriakis's and the DiMeras. Here Brady got some screen time. After this was settled, Brady again fell into the background.

Here comes a change with new writers and new location and old characters. His father returned to Salem and he was brought back. Madison James then entered on his radar. Their relationship (buisiness and personal) was scattered over a long period of time. Their scenes only aired occasionally and as one of the "filler" or less important storylines.
Even the drug using storyline was put on the back burner. Those scenes were not as prominent as others.

After Madison's tragic demise at the explosion, Brady is alone again. And he only appears in scenes as a secondary or supplementary character. For example, alongside Daniel, Jennifer, Maggie, Melanie, Nicole, John. The man needs his own storyline (other than his mourning Madison).

What Brady needs is a real woman. A nice, stable, long-term relationship. Maybe he'll get engaged and actually marry her before she dies for once.

Eric is one of the nicest people in real life. He's also ten times more handsome in person! He combines drama with humor. And his delivery is real. Whenever you watch a scene with Brady, you laugh or at least smile. He deserves a good solid storyline. I'm sure that we all wish that we could see him more often.

Let us all hope that once the current ones end, Brady's new storyline will highlight his entertaining and engaging character.

Nicole and Jennifer smack down!

Girls are going at it!
Embodying the classic chick fight over a man, Walker versus Horton stretches over many weeks. How long have we been seeing Jennifer scenes where she tells everyone that she care about Daniel as a "friend" and she only wants to help. That is complete BS!

How long have we been seeing Nicole justifying her lies by convincing herself that Daniel cares about  her and her baby, and that she is able to completely seduce him. That is BS!

Neither of these women has a hold on Daniel at this point. However, I will concede that both have severely impacted his life and his decisions.

Let's take a closer look at Dr. Jonas, shall we? He came to Salem as a specialty doctor as a favor to Victor and stayed because of the women he got involved with. Then he discovered he had a daughter. Wonderful! Then daughter leaves...now what? Oh, I know! He sticks around for the women that he's involved with.  Who are these women? How did they meet Daniel?
Chelsea Brady- pancreas transplant patient
Kate Roberts- lung cancer patient
Chloe Lane- bone marrow donor patient
Jennifer Horton- heart transplant patient
Nicole Walker- high-risk pregnancy patient

Anyone seeing a pattern? Why these girls are fighting over this guy is a mystery...
Oh,wait. He's HOT. Mystery solved.

Nicole's argument has some validity. She did not seduce Daniel into switching the test. The seduction/ relationship really happened afterwards. She didn't even know that he wasn't going to switch the labels back.

One thing she should not have done was use her baby to gain sympathy. Allowing her child to be a way to connect...that's fine. But don't start naming him after the guy! Don't ask him to be the godfather! Seriously, after what he went through with Parker? Do you really think that Daniel is eager to play daddy to a kid that's not his...again?

Even now that the boy is gone, she is still using him to secure Daniel. Yes, it's a tragedy. She's sad. We get it. The bottom line is, she's manipulating Daniel, and at times she might not even realize it. She has convinced herself that Jennifer is to blame in order to deal with this. She has convinced herself that if she lost her baby, then she is meant to hang on to Daniel. This logic can only come from a depressed, post-tramatic, previously murderous mind.

As for our friend Jennifer, she has some justification for her actions. It's amazing how on soaps every character is a psychologist. "I'm trying to do for Daniel what I couldn't do for Jack." Classic survivor's guilt. Well, on some levels that would be true. However, if that was the case, she probably could not admit that to herself. Therefore, she must have reasons that she cannot admit to herself: her feelings for Daniel, perhaps.

Even so, intentions become moot when the police get involved. Jennifer has an almost clean record, she's well-liked throughout the community, and she is a mother herself. All of these could be used as character references to prove that she would not do such a thing. One thing that might sink her ship= Nicole.

Which brings us to the current story. "Daniel gives Nicole an ultimatum" reads a spoiler on NBC's Days website. Since we know that he later tells her that he still wants to leave town with her, we can assume that he says something like, "If you drop the charges, I'll leave Salem with you."

Will Nicole let go of her vengeance to secure her man? If the past is any indication, no. She might agree, but she'll still try to accomplish her goal. Maybe send EJ after her. Nicole won't give up on Jennifer. And she sure as hell won't give up on her latest romance.

Problem is, Jennifer's a fighter too. If you thought the PR war in the mayoral election was intense, don't count the casualties yet. This war's still raging.