Presto...
Where to start? Let’s just dig right in this week, shall we? Bad news first, so to speak? I’m now officially tired of EJ/Sami/Nicole/Rafe storyline altogether, so am ready for the younger crew. I’m really enjoying seeing the newer actors and hope this means an exciting summer for the younger characters of Salem. I found I was jumping all over this week with thoughts, so please bear with me.
EJ DiMera and his pet wife:
EJ has become this seething force of anger these past few weeks and it’s now starting to irritate me. He rants, he overreacts, he never puts himself in anybody else’s shoes except perhaps for his precious father. He’s a bloody Princess, isn’t he? His little confession to Nicole, that he has loved Sami this whole time, was not lost on me, nor was it needed. Why tell your wife you’ve been in love with somebody else during your time with her? What an arse. The only thing that’s going to come out of it is for Nicole to become even more pathetic and insecure. EJ admitted he allowed Samanther to disrespect Nicole, (dirtbag!) but then told his father that he wouldn’t ever allow anyone (he meant Sami) to control his life again or to disrespect his wife again. Oh, so now that he has found out Sami kept this secret of Grace’s paternity from him, it’s suddenly not alright for Sami to treat Nicole like rubbish? He’s a piece of work. I felt sorry for pet Nicole at that moment. She’ll never be what he wants or needs. Why she tries is beyond my comprehension. EJ admitted to Nicole that he loved Sami, up until she came clean with him about her lie. You can’t turn off love, but you can be hurt by the one you love. EJ can’t stand that a woman bested him, so she’s on his crap list. He should keep in mind that Sami forgave him raping her, when he comes to his senses – at some point along the road. And Nic? She has gone to an all time low. The man she "loves" in her own special way (because she has no idea how to truly love) just admitted he has loved Sami, her arch nemesis, the entire time he has been with her and she does nothing, says nothing and... I’m disgusted with her for being so pathetic. This feels to me as though there is hope for Sami and EJ. (And as you know, I’m not a ‘Safe’ or an ‘Ejami’ or a ‘Lumi’ or anything. I simply see the good and the bad.) If EJ, in the future, can ever forgive Sami for what she has done, and I think he could if he finds out Grace isn’t even their kid, then I think there is potential they could get together. I am starting to understand why Ken Corday called Rafe and Sami the new John and Marlena. (I laughed at that to begin with, but now I understand!) Who is Roman in this triangle, Rafe or EJ?
Nicole almost blew her cover a few times this week. She’s her own worst enemy, who is lucky to have such a good friend in Brady, who reminded Nicole that a simple blood test would prove that she’s not Sydney’s mother. Did he say this for a reason, or just to remind her that what she’s doing is mad?
Did you all laugh at EJ on Thursday’s show, when he told Nicole that nothing his father did in the past compares to what Sami has done to him? Stefano. Wow… he is either delusional, or has no bloody idea what dastardly deeds his father has done in the past. There is no comparison! Sami knows this. That’s why she kept Grace from him. Can anyone explain why she told EJ the truth, after the fact? (Purely rhetorical. I know why, but think it was a dumb move. Just like Rafe does.)
Safe/Rafe:
I don’t want to get into the funeral much. What’s there to say? It was sad, I cried, Bope was there, which was nice to see. It was good to see them reminisce about Zack and leave the door open for Sami if she needs them, Rafe was a stand up guy and supported Sami so readily, but now what? Some of the non Safe fans are wondering if they’ll last, now that the baby is dead. I kind of laughed when I read that, because there is a lot more to them than just Grace, (you naysayers!) but truth is, many couples break up when a child dies. I don’t see it happening, but then I don’t write the scripts, either! Safe seems to be very much in love, like a boring old married couple, and glued together. I don’t see them splitting up anytime soon. (If at all?) Now that Grace is gone, we’ve learned that somebody Rafe and Arianna knew named Emily Hudson, also died. Is she another child or an adult? It’s a mystery. I’m not sure I really care too much either. I’m not feeling Arianna, just as I’m still not feeling Luis - I mean, Rafe. Maybe once this secret past comes out...
Chloe/Lucas/Dr.Dan?Kate:
I almost left them out! Though Kate had few scenes this week, she made the most out of them. I love the way her assistant, Chris, shrinks from her wrath. Shrinks, not shrieks. I loved him when he had scenes with Sami, at the gym, (when Salem used to care about being healthier) but since then, his pairing with Kate does nothing for me. I'd love to see him pal around with Nicole! I digress. This week, Chloe struggled with her sexual feelings for Dr. Dan again, and who could blame her with that shirtless scene at the beginning of the week. Just kidding. I know she says she loves him but they only had sex a handful of times and though I see Daniel's feelings as being strong for her, I can't help but wonder what it is she loves in him. Aside from the great sex, and him being a great doctor, what else do we know about him? She confessed to Father Matt that she cheated on Lucas. This girl, this child, really needs a lesson in life. Looks like we'll be seeing a "whole lot of" Danloe on Hearth and Home, soon, (hot!) unless Kate decides to kill one or both of them! Do you think one of the two will be killed off?
Chango!
I’m perking up now. I’ve always been a fan of the younger crowd and their summer storylines. I’m also enjoying Maggie, immensely. I’ve always thought her house was spacious, (Do you remember the old sets during the Mickey/Maggie/Bonnie triangle? They were fantastic.) but feel a little cheated that all we get to see so far is the kitchen. I’d love to see more of it, assuming of course, it’s grand. If it’s not grand, the kitchen will do. In addition to Melanie moving in with Mags and never-seen-Mickey, Mia and Nathan also moved themselves in. We’ll be seeing Mia/Chad/Will/Melanie and Nathan a lot in the future (since Mel's not moving to London) and I for one will be happy to push this Sami/EJ/Rafe triangle rubbish aside for a while and concentrate on somebody else and something light and fluffy! Those crying scenes really got to me. Damned that Ali Sweeney for being sooo good!
Melanie/Nathan/Max:
Melanie is a really interesting character. Did you get a load of her interaction with brother Max at the pub on Tuesday? Very entertaining. Matt’s right. It’s almost as though she is acting on another show. [And because I’ve always liked my Melanie, and absolutely adore Molly, I’m asking everyone to check her out in "True Blood" this Sunday night on HBO, where she plays ‘Amanda Jane’! I'll be DVRing it. Have to know what happens to my fave character, Lafayette!] She also noticed Ari and Brady eyeing each other up at the crypt and accused Brady of having the hots for Arianna! So it’s out there, and it’s organic, which is nice, too. I think we’ll see more of Bradianna. Back to Mel. I enjoyed the touching Maggie/Melanie scene. We don’t get to see Alice often if at all these days, so Maggie fits the role of "Alice" perfectly for me as Salem’s matriarch. Melanie met Nathan, the new guy and intern this week. She fluttered her eyelashes at him and stumbled over her words and then Max brought her down to reality and reminded her of what happened with Philly. Wait…what? His sister can’t have a crush on somebody? Just because she had a crush on Philly and it didn’t work out, this crush on Nathan shouldn’t mean the same thing! That made no sense to me, whatsoever, but it doesn’t really matter. Max is gone and I’m shrugging. There hasn’t been much written for him for a while, so he was already gone in my mind for a while. It was great while it lasted. I really liked him, but I think his leaving will provide Melanie with some growth.
Steph/Philly:
Poor Steph. I’m glad we’re seeing the aftermath of her suffering. Great start of a new storyline for her and she’s doing well with it. At the beginning of the week I thought it would be great if the writers would fast forward her schooling and have her start a career and the next day, Philly gave her a car as a graduation present! (We don’t need to see a graduation scene or any fanfare at this point.) Where will she work? What will this mean for her future? This is big – it’s the start of the rest of her life. I like Stephanie now. A lot. Did you see her slap EJ and rip him a new one? Oh my! Good thing for the "truce," otherwise, I'm not sure what EJ would have done to her. The time spent in the -blech- blody drawer has certainly changed her, already. To think – I couldn’t stand her when she was with Max. That’s a big turn about in a character to go from whiny to capable. So she has a little addiction brewing to that prescription Valium or whatever they are. Nobody’s perfect, right? Maybe Doctor Dan will straighten her out…
I was surprised to see emails from people requesting the show bring back Owen as a love interest for Stephanie. Crazy. Truly. The man almost killed her. The man is clearly insane and not too bright, to boot. Why on earth would we want to see her with him? Because he’s "cute?!" I’m grinning, knowing that’s the only reason why! That and he has a great body! Okay, okay, you're right. They should have Owen return, especially in the summer. The heat makes for more shirtless scenes.
Blooper?
June 16 and 17, Stephanie and Philly were chatting on the garden about her (surprise) graduation and her new car, and how he had to make an impromptu trip to Chicago that would mean he wouldn’t make Grace’s funeral, when presto – chango, Stephanie got into her funeral apparel! Did you catch that? It was right in the middle of a conversation. I posted the photos for those who missed out.
Will/Mia/Chad:
When Will found out the truth about Grace, he felt hurt and ran out on Sami. After so many lies over the years, who could blame him? I don’t feel sorry for Sami on this one. Well, I did, but also kind of felt if I were EJ I'd probably do the same thing! Still... *cliché warning* You make your own bed and you have to lie in it. (What if you don’t? Make your own bed, I mean? I don’t. My housekeeper makes mine. Who lies in it then? Anyway…) I’m tired of Sami’s lies and the way she has always gotten away with everything over the years, but not this time. She’s going to lose Johnny. Sometimes it’s nice to see a character get hers. This time I think it has to happen. She has to lose custody. It’s a good storyline – all character driven. Enough about Sami. Mia has grown some …er…mammaries as of late. It’s nice, but I was a little perturbed with my sweet Mia when she started to tell Will what to do. "Your mother called five times. Call her!" Ugh, nothing worse than dating your own mother. What a turn off. I hope she doesn’t keep this nagging up, but I know for a fact we’re about to see some changes with Mia, because I chatted with Chad’s portrayer, Casey Deidrick about not only Chad’s personality but Mia’s.Read that link to find out more about Chad.
That’s all I’ve got to say about this week of DOOL. If you’d like to comment on anything I’ve said or add to my thoughts, I’d love to read them. For those of you who are considering reading my blog next Friday, I apologize up front, you will not see it next Friday the 26th, but you can find it Monday June 29th. I’m heading out right now, on holidays until then and am unplugging for the entire time I’m away! I wish you all a great week!
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- Christine Fix
He needs John and Marlena almost more than Sami does.
