Some things are just better together. Peanut butter and jelly. Chocolate and caramel. Vodka and Nicole. We get an amplified joy from these pairs. The world seems better when they are together. The same can be said for some of Salem's newest and oldest pairs.
The top of my list is E.J. and Sami. The two are on their way back together, which is the way it should be. Would having her end up alone and miserable make sense for Sami? Probably. She's been a disaster for most of her life.
But those of us who love and root for her do so because she's picked herself up every time and fought on. I want her to leave finally landing the guy who deserves her (take that anyway you want) and happy. Despite what Kate says, Sami isn't wrong for wanting love in her life.
The only thing that was going to heal Sami was time. Good on E.J. for hanging in there and letting her work through this. (Pssst, Eej, if you had employed this tactic last winter, you wouldn't be in this mess in the first place!) It was such a treat to see Sami admit that his affair made her feel empty, sick, and like she was missing a piece of her soul. I love that DAYS found a way to give us three different Sami reactions -- the frantic dream sequence Sami, the calculating revenge Sami, and now the raw, honest Sami. And she's not the only one who would benefit from being honest right now.
Hope filled Kayla in on Aiden's confession of feelings and drunken liplock. I'm totally Team Haiden, and I love Kayla just as much as the next gal. However, she shouldn't be saddled with being the sole Bope pardoner. I'd still like to see Caroline and Victor help Kayla carry the load.
And that needs to move fast because Nicole had drinks with Aiden. Well, technically Nicole drank, and Aiden sat there winced. I completely forgot that Aiden and Nicole knew each other from Danifer's party. Perhaps that chip I had Stefano install to delete Danifer memories is working after all.
I didn't see any chemistry between Nicole and Aiden, but it was worth it for Aiden to call out Hope. Indeed, she was the one who walked up to them. Point, Mr. Jennings.
Next up to be "reunited and it feels so good" were Ben and Abigail! By the way, what are we calling them? Babby? As in, "No one puts Babby in a corner!" Okay, sorry. That was terrible. Where was I? Oh yes. First date.
They had takeout sandwiches, sat on a park bench, and talked about their feelings. It was actually kind of nice. I loved Ben pointing out that Jack was nowhere near the bad guy that Clyde was. I don't know if that's totally true, since I don't know much about Clyde. But I do know that DAYS seems to be all-too-eager to reduce Jack down to his worst moment. And I'm over that noise.
Plus, I liked that Ben put Abigail in her place and told her that he wouldn't be her consolation prize. The fact that Abigail was the one who pursued Ben in the end speaks to her growth as well. And if the show is adamant that Abby be the doe-eyed ingénue, then Ben is the right guy for her. He's not squeaky clean, but he's definitely not knife-fighting demons at every turn.
He's the exact opposite of her ex. Oh, that's right, Chad came back, y'all! First, the dude knows how to make an entrance. I love the creepy camera work into the DiMera mansion. And slugging E.J. right in the face has to be one of the more memorable ways for someone to make their Salem return.
Second, Chad is back at a very interesting time for the DiMeras. E.J. is on his way out. Kristen is just passing through. And Stefano may never get out of that Dr. Claw chair and into Salem proper. That means that for these brief few weeks, Chad's going to have to marinate in enough DiMera secret special sauce to carry on the banner of evil on his own. There's no way that this Chad is the same hipster, sucker-for-love Chad that left last fall.
In other couple news, Marlena got John the dose of the miracle drug, and now we just wait for him to wake up. Before we go any further, I have to give a bit of side-eye to the whole Salem crew for not asking Victor for help before taking Kristen's deal. The man gave Philip an entirely new face at one point. Clearly, Stefano's not the only one who has super docs on the payroll.
But for now, Kristen's deal it is. I'm sure glad Daniel told Brady of the sacrifice that Eric made for John to have the drug. It felt a wee bit manipulative on Marlena's part that she didn't give Brady all of the information before he made his decision. But that's to be expected, as Marlena is a first-class a-hole when it comes to anything involving John.
Sure, she hugged Eric and cried over his sacrifice. And I'm not saying that she enjoys hurting her children at all. But deep down, Marlena always knew what she would do. We all did. John comes first. For her sake, I hope John wakes up as the same John. For my sake, I want RoboJohn. I just adored Drake Hogestyn playing that role!
But either way, I'm sure he will wake up. And I'm sure Theresa will be just sick with guilt. And by "guilt," I mean morning sickness. Yup, a pregnancy seems to be the only way that Theresa will avoid jail time. Neither John nor Brady would want Baby Black to be born in prison. And the little bundle of immunity would also keep Kristen away. As Kristen said, hurting children is off-limits for her.
On that topic, can I get a ruling on whether or not Will is a child anymore? Because I'd love for Krissy to put her particular set of talents to use to knock Big Willie Style down a few pegs.
I'm tired of him complaining about how everyone is mad at him for his article -- excuse me -- that article that wasn't his fault. And Will is quite the diva if he thinks that an editor will actually run changes by the author first. Changing things without your approval is sorta the whole point of editors, Will.
Second, I think he went over to the DiMera mansion to apologize to Sami. But, funny thing, I didn't hear an actual "I'm sorry," and I do think he owes it to her. Lord knows she's apologized to him repeatedly over the years.
Furthermore, while there, he said that he missed the Sami that used to intimidate the children on his school bus. I kid you not, that's the example he used! Whether he meant it that way or not, it further solidified my opinion that Will is totally cool with bratty Sami when it's to his own benefit. The hypocritical man in the pink shirt needs to check it at the door.
Thank goodness he has Sonny in his corner. Sonny's the voice of reason and manages to do it in a way that is supportive without being condescending. Their relationship is great, but Sonny is easily the bright spot right now.
LOOSE ENDS
I don't mind J.J. talking to Daniel, especially when it's not about Jennifer. I'd love to see this friendship continue when Daniel moves on with another lady. (Hint! Hint!) Also, when J.J. was asking Daniel about dating a gal whose friend doesn't dig you, I kind of wanted Daniel to say, "Ever mention my name to your uncle Lucas?"
I just can't bring myself to care about Clyde, mainly because I feel like he is Trent Robbins light -- right down to the creepy relationship with his stepdaughter.
Jordan and Lucas shared a second scene where they talked about her ex. By the Ejabigal logic, they could be an official couple with a deep, meaningful connection now!
I gave DAYS a hard time for having Daniel be the one who finally bested Kristen and brought her back to Salem. But the one good thing that came from that is the balance of power, which actually allows them to be very entertaining together. Daniel can laugh off her threats in a way that Marlena "Secret Room" Evans really can't.
Eve hired Pretty Woman to break up J.J. and Paige. While I appreciate a gal who can go out for a glass of Pinot Grigio and come back with a henchwoman, I wish Eve would handle this little dirty deed on her own. No more drugs and assaults, please. But some more bonding over music and travel wouldn't be so terrible.
SUMMER LOVIN'
Before the final installment of the Summer Lovin' series hits the web next week, be sure to check out the third one, Super kids from supercouples.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
I do like how people keep mentioning Allie and Johnny, but I am very concerned that they may return from this camp as teenagers.
I wonder if Austin was one of the forensic accountants Kate used to comb over the DiMera books.
I didn't get a romantic rival feel from Jen Lilley and Eileen Davidson at all. In fact, I got something much better. I wish that John and Kristen's baby lived so Jen Lilley could have played Eileen Davidson's daughter.
I'm ready for Rory and Mary Beth to be a couple.
I'm almost sure that teachers don't answer their phones in the middle of class, regardless of whose kid forgot her book.
Oh Jennifer, showing up at a dude's house and asking to see his child might be coming on a bit too strong.
The "broken-down whore" line was hilarious, as was Sami's impression of Stefano.
Giving Henderson 'tude will not endear you to me at all, Theresa!
There need to be more Lucas and Sonny scenes.
I remember those first days of classes where they'd just hand out the syllabus and split. I miss them.
And idea who Maya and Mateo could be? Please have your answers to me by February 2016 so that I can have at least a full four months to tally the votes before the characters debut.
Right on, Sydney. Pirate costume all the way!
The closer Sami gets to forgiving E.J., the blonder her hair gets. It's like some sort of Ejami hair mood ring thing. I dig it.
Sorry, Daniel and Kayla, but explaining the intricacies of brain functions to Brady is like speaking Klingon to a Kardashian.
For the record, the message of Cinderella is not about a woman needing a man. It's about a woman needing the perfect pair of shoes. ;)
On that note... nice work, Kristen.
That's it for this week. @Tony_S_Days will be back next week to see if Ejami keeps playing nice and Kristen keeps playing dirty. I have my fingers crossed for both!
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