What a week last week was! Not only has May Sweeps successfully swept into Salem creating tons of drama, but let me start by following up Laurisa's gushing with a bit of my own and scream, "Days got six Emmy nominations!!!" Seriously, I'm so happy for Rachel, Thaao, Judi and Darin who were nominated in the acting categories as well as the "behind the scenes gang" who got noms for hairstyling and makeup! Not only is it wonderful for the individual actors and technicians, but by bringing home a little gold it might show the brass at NBC that Days is a great show and deserves to stay on the air. Ratings are up, spirits are up and things are being set up for a pretty good sweeps month.

I felt like I needed to put on a referee shirt and grab a whistle as Days is heating up for an all out, no holds barred rumble! You have the Vitali Familia going after the Brady-Johnson Bunch, the Kiriakis Crew going after, well, themselves as well as Camp Black-DiMera. John himself is pretty ticked at Victor as are Nicole, Philip and Chloe! Anna and Kate squared off too and Stephanie pulled out the battle gear and laid into Dr. Dan and Ava. Everyone seems to be mixing it up and even the "Boys in Blue" seem to be gunning for the bad guys a little more ruthlessness. So, let's sound the bell for the first round and talk some Days!

The Blame Game (Bo, Hope and Chelsea)

Let me just say, "Wow, wow, wow!" The scenes between Chelsea and Hope were amazing! Heartbreaking yet heartwarming. Take some bad news, a lot of regret and forgiveness, two talented actresses and you get one heck of a scene. It just screamed, "And the Emmy goes to ...!" On top of everything, I couldn't believe I could actually like Hope more than I already do, but now she's pushing sainthood instead of just rock stardom. She's definitely Alice Horton's granddaughter through and through.

Bo, of course, blames himself for Chelsea's inability to have children. Everyone from Lexie to Dr. Dan to Chelsea herself tried to convince him she did what she wanted to do and doesn't have any regrets, but that hardly softened the blow. I'd probably feel the same way as Bo if something like that happened to a loved one who was trying to help me. Even though he got a clean bill of health physically, the mental road to recovery is going to take a lot more time to travel down for him. Chin up Brady, everyone still loves you.

Dr. Feel Bad (Dr. Dan and Chelsea)

Speaking of love or something like it, I'm actually getting into the Dr. Dan/Chelsea storyline. It's easy to scream things like, "She belongs with Nick!," "He's too old for her!," or "He's taking advantage of her condition," but you know what I realized - as an audience we don't actually know that much about him yet. He could easily turn out to be a genuinely good guy with good intensions when all is said and done. Most new characters tend to be a bit shady to create that "air of mystery" until their back stories unfold. Other than making some inappropriate remarks to Chloe, Nicole and Kate, the three queens of inappropriate remarks, at dinner once he hasn't done anything that suspect (yet). I put yet in there to save my butt should I need to recant that statement later!

As far as not entirely adhering to Bo's warning - he did step away from Chelsea's case once he felt himself getting too close to her so maybe he did listen. Late is better than never after all. That showed some professionalism and integrity. One could argue falling for her isn't professional to begin with, but one could easily combat that with a long list of "workplace" relationships on Days starting with Roman and Marlena - he was assigned to protect her from the Salem Strangler and they ended up falling in love.

I'm not entirely sold on them as a potential couple yet, but I'm not repulsed by it either. They're not members of the same family and they're both consenting adults - two good starts. Plus there are so many dimensions to this plot in addition to the age difference - his past relationships, her doomed relationship with Nick, Bo's reaction, Victor's reaction and so on. It seemed like Lexie and Hope, and maybe even Kate, picked up some of his/her interest already. I think if the show plays it safe and addresses the age difference head on it might ease the blow a little. However, I'm not sure if it will ease the blow Victor and Bo might give Dr. Dan, but let's move on ...

BFF's (Stephanie)

In a showing of what makes a best friend a best friend, Stephanie lashed out at Dr. Dan for hurting Chelsea. Way to go Sweetness Jr.! And let's face it, Chelsea called at the worst possible time for Stephanie (and the best possible time for a lot of viewers), yet she got out of bed with her uncle, charged downstairs and laid into Dr. Dan! Now that's what I call a friend!

Just Say Yes (Brady and Company)

Now for the big news - after all this time, and I do mean ALL this time, we finally found out what happened to squeaky clean Brady Black thanks to Nicole's snooping. It seems like he made nice nice with Mary Jane and some of her pals. Nancy Reagan would be so disappointed in him, but Victor blames everything on Chloe! I can't say I really fault him because she's often made me want to drink. Ok, ok, in all seriousness drug/alcohol addiction is a real problem for millions and I think it's great the show addressed it again. Perhaps it's not the storyline payoff we were all expecting, but I really didn't mind it. In fact, I kind of thought it was more interesting than using the default excuse - the DiMeras did it! Although it had some loopholes, here's why I liked it ...

One, it made Brady a heck of a lot more interesting! He's always come across as the sickening sweet mayor of Candyland and now at least we know he has faults other than hitting an occasional flat note. It would've been interesting to see him spin out of control, yet I'll take the off screen dimensional version of Brady over "Sing Along Brady" any day. I also think it's a very believable scenario - a young, homesick guy who supported his wife by moving to a place where he didn't know anyone and she became too busy being a mini-diva and he got lost in a sea of drugs to cope with his loneliness and frustrations. Sure, she introduced him to her friends, but she didn't say, "Brady do drugs with them or else!" The show did a good job of pointing that out as well as conveying his feelings of regret and embarrassment. A+ for responsible writing!

Reason number two - it sparked a new battle within the Kiriakis Civil War. In addition to Nic and Vic and Chlo squaring off on a daily basis, Philip's ticked off too! I mean, he was a little miffed to start with because his dad kicked Chloe out, but it's gone beyond mad now. It was nice that he made sure his dad was protected, but you could tell that didn't diminish his hurt/anger. I'm waiting for Nicole's little dog to do its business on Victor's shoe as Papa K is in the dog house with everyone else in his messed up family. That doesn't prove to be a good situation for him to be in considering reason number three ...

By keeping Brady hidden from his family it added a lot of fuel to his and John's already blazing battle! To be honest, I feel like this turf war finally holds some merit. At first it was just John and Victor trying to show everyone who has the bigger, err, empire, but now it's even more personal and that's when things get really dangerous!

Finally, it gave Chloe another chance to display what she learned in her "Becoming a Bitch 101" classes. Our little scrapper showed no fear in giving Victor a piece of her mind and he's one of the biggest bullies on the block. I was as amused as Nicole was when she said, "God this is fun!" I even think she was even impressed too! As much as I don't agree with the way Chloe handled things when she first came back and although I questioned her concern at times, she didn't deserve to be tortured like that - nor did the rest of Brady's loved ones. Even Sami slightly ripped into Victor. Tisk, tisk Mr. K, you really done it this time and things are only going to get worse before they can get better!

My Dad is Better Than Your Dad (Philip and Morgan)

You know, these two really do have a lot in common and I'm rooting for them. The only major difference is that Philip has already learned a lot of hard lessons while Morgan is still floating down the river denial. I love her spunkiness, but I think she could learn a lot from this dimple laden yummy (instead of dummy, get it? Anyway ...) SO they went a few rounds about her dear old dad, but she still refused to accept the truth.

Normally I'd be frustrated by this, yet I have suspicions if we're patient it might turn out to be a positive thing for supporters of this would be couple. My guess is that she'll need a shoulder to cry on once she finds out the truth and that shoulder will hopefully be Phil's! Now, if we can just keep Chloe from getting all up in his business the sailing might be a little smoother.

Playing House (Sami and E.J.)

From smooth sailing lets move into choppy waters and talk everyone's favorite (or least favorite) controversial pseudo couple - E.J. and Sami. All things considered, these two are hysterical! Alison Sweeney has done such a great job of combining utter disgust and seemingly genuine fascination. I sense that Sami hasn't totally forgiven, yet feels something other than hatred for him at the same time. And where's her Emmy nom? Anyway ...

The way they bicker is just great, especially when she pokes fun at his accent! And E.J.'s right - they don't have to pretend to be a loving couple and can just be their sparring selves. That's probably more believable anyway as it's not that much of a stretch to see their underlying interest in one another peek out between jabs. I know that thought makes a "Lumi" Fan's skin crawl, but Lucas might actually have some serious competition once he's sprung from the slammer if E.J. and Sami get anymore cozy while playing house.

A Safe Bet (The DiMera Family)

Geesh - it took John long enough to remove Old Stef's portrait! Why it was up that long is my question!? But, that's not the point because behind it was the wall safe filled with goodies including, but not limited to, the disk filled with John's memories! However, I bet it's still going to be a while until it's popped into the DVD player and they realize what it is. Granted, like Marlena, John 2.0 has grown on me and I'm not all that eager to get "Conservative" John back yet a little balance of the two would be nice. I do enjoy RoboJohn's reaction to someone expressing their love for him, "Good to know."

The one thing that made me raise a John Black eyebrow was his reaction to seeing Roman's nameplates. Blondie thinks he's remembering something, but, and correct me if I'm wrong, he doesn't have memories to remember as they were erased! This is either a slip up on the writer's part or something more sinister. Perhaps Colleen wasn't the only person on his hit list - maybe Roman was number two! That would make sense as Stefano and Roman were the original dueling duo between the Brady and DiMera families. Then again, I'm probably reading too much into it as it will turn out to be a "love conquers all" type thing and John will remember the memories that he doesn't have despite technically not having them. I vote for a Roman/John fight. That's been years in the making, yet they were always both too nice of guys to take off the gloves and get nasty. Not anymore!

The "D" in Dysfunctional (Lexie and Abe)

Lexie and Abe need marriage counseling? Wha!? That's like telling the captain of the Titanic to watch out for icebergs a minute before the ship split in two. They should've gotten it a long, long time ago, say, after affair one or two. I'm convinced the only reason she hasn't cheated lately is because he doesn't have any male relatives or single co-workers around. Yet, a preemptive strike is always good and I'm glad these two are getting a little screen time alone together. I'll take some realistic filler opposed to "Lexie the Cheat" any day!

Lights! Camera! Claws Out! (Anna, Tony and Kate)

Speaking of filler, it isn't always an easy job to make it entertaining, but Emmy Nominated Thaao Penghlis and Emmy winner Leann Hunley totally cracked me up this week! Sorry, I'm still a little Emmy giddy, can you tell? These two are just fun to watch and I'm glad the writers are given these seasoned vets a storyline.

Now, I don't want to be greedy, but it would be nice to see them intertwined a little more with the other characters on the show too. Don't get me wrong - I love Kate and Anna clawing at each other, but Tony and Anna have so many roots planted in Salem that it's sometimes annoying that they're off in their own little world surrounded by sorority girls and dorky film students. Writer's take note - Emmy winning and nominated Judi Evans was let go because of a lack of storyline, don't make that same mistake twice!

For a Good Time Call ... (Kate and Martino)

I gotta say - me likey! Martino calling Kate was a pretty good twist and no history re-writes were involved in the making of this storyline. Sure, it was a little random, but I think that's why it worked. This one has some potential! Just think, if all the men from Kate's past started to pop up more often she'd never have time to meddle in her kid's love lives. My only question is what does he has up his sleeve? It almost seemed too random that he called her, yet she really doesn't have too much involvement with the Johnsons or Bradys so maybe he just wants a booty call, I mean, to catch up with an old "friend."

Saints and Sinners (Crazy A, Papa V and the Bradys)

I said Hope is bound for sainthood, but I think Kayla should be on that list too. She's just too dang nice. She's actually helping Ava, say what? I give her a lot of credit because I don't know if I could do the same thing. Yet, Kayla's limits have been pushed and I think sooner or later she's really going to blow up. Remembering Steve and Ava in bed together combined with the scorning glances she gave him and the way she backed away from some of his touches proves that she might be a good doctor, but she's one ticked off wife!

However the good doctor part won out as she discovered, because of her brilliant hunches, that the pills Dr. Nussbaum was giving Ava were actually making her worse! And who does the doctor answer to? Her daddy dearest! Ava already knows the evils her father is capable of, but something tells me he did something that harmed her directly and let Steve take the blame. I'm sure he blamed the Patch Man for her attempted suicide. MAYBE, he knew Stefano wanted Steve back and had him kidnapped from the church and returned to the DiMeras to get him out of the way. Those two goons that took Steve, Patch!, in the flashback a few weeks ago kind of looked similar to the ones at the Vitali Compound and Spa. Then again, all goons sort of blend together after a while.

A Dead Man's Tale (Martino and Earl)

Before he sauntered into Ava's room, Papa Vitali ran a few errands, had an espresso perhaps, made a date with Kate and, oh yeah, offed Earl. Note to self, do not tick off anyone in the mob. Those were some pretty gory scenes. I feel bad for Earl, but it certainly proved that Martino is no second rate bad guy. The warning bells have been ringing for a long time before he stepped foot in Salem and this time they were well warranted. Build up often falls short, but I have a feeling Martino is going to be a formidable enemy for the Brady-Johnson clan! I say get Victor and John involved and have an all out battle royal!

Extra Scoops

Hot & Not

Hot: Go Stephanie! Not only did she stick up for Chelsea, but she gave Crazy A a tongue lashing she'll never forget! Well, unless her medicine messes with her memory, then she might, but regardless, Stephanie was kidnapped, rescued, scared for her family's safety and had a date interrupted which means watch out Ava!

Not: Even though Nick's unknowingly sitting on a relationship time bomb with Chelsea, I had a hard time coughing up sympathy for him as he treated Max pretty rudely. Hmm, you don't want to be interrupted while you work then, I don't know, don't go to a bar to do it! Like most professors, I'm sure Nick has an office or classroom that would be a little less distracting than a pub where his best friend works. Max should have given him some cheese to go with his whine. Granted, Shady Max could always tell the truth and offer him some advice on his grant, but that would be practical and for hidden geniuses I guess that's out of the question.

Line of the Week:

"I see. Well at least you're used to working nights," Anna to Kate after she found out Tony had to work late with Salem's newest domestic diva.

Parting Thoughts ...

So friends and Days that's "Two Scoops" for the week of April 28th. I should mention a little "programming note" - I'll be back next week and then Laurisa will be Scooping the next two consecutive weeks after that. I'm moving and will be knee deep in boxes and U-Haul rentals so she is really helping me out by rearranging her schedule! Yay to great partners and yay to great moms as Mother's Day is Sunday the 11th! I hope that everyone is as lucky in the mom department as I am! Thanks mom and best wishes to every mother out there for a fun, safe day of pampering and praise! And, as old John Black used to say, "That's a fact."