Brace yourselves — Dr. Rolf is leading EJ’s brain-regenerating project: Days of our Lives Two Scoops for the week of November 3rd

Well, folks, we’re doing a changeover here. This will be my last Days of our Lives Two Scoops, at least for the foreseeable future, just as Dr. Rolf is back, things are heating up with the possible Stefano return.

But fear not, I’ll be certain to drop opinion pieces as storylines go on! I’ll be sliding over to doing a weekly General Hospital “Best of” piece, so keep your eyes peeled for that. I’m going to miss analyzing every detail of DAYS, the show that managed to make me like Leo Stark, who was despicable at first.

So anyway, let’s get down to this week’s nitty-gritty! In a weeklong bittersweet story, Baby Tesoro was awarded to Johnny and Chanel. It was heartbreaking watching Leo, Javi, and the Hernandez clan say goodbye to the wee one. But as I hoped, they made Leo and Javi the baby’s godfathers. And Johnny and Chanel are going to want the periodic break, so they should work out an arrangement where, like every other week or even once a month, the kid goes over to Casa Hernandez for a sleepover. Johnny and Chanel renamed the child John III, with the middle name Paul (for Paulina) and the nickname Trey (because in Spanish, Tres means ‘three’), and he can still be Little T! At least no kidnapping or baby swapping was involved.

We learned that Gwen and EJ disappeared Dimitri! That was shocking, and leaves a lot up to the imagination as to what they did with him. She wanted to send Leo on a wild goose chase to find him, just so he’d stop snooping around the lab. She said that no one would ever find Dimitri, so that means he’s either dead or chained up in a dank cell somewhere in the world.

EJ showed Mark the new state-of-the-art lab. He explained to Dr. Greene that he’s personally funding the research into Versavix…you know, the miracle drug that saved Bo from sepsis. Mark was aware that it regenerates brain tissue, and EJ ominously added, “Among other things.” EJ wants Mark to find a way around the ridiculous amount of red tape involved in testing the drug, and introduced him to his supervisor, Dr. Wilhelm Rolf! Things are going to get incredibly exciting, especially with all this info that points to a return of Stefano!

LOOSE ENDS

Brady was watching Sarah interact with Rachel, and it looked like he was sizing her up to be a stepmother for his daughter. As I said before, I prefer Sarah and Xander together, but this pairing could possibly work out…that is, until Kristen returns to put a monkey wrench into their relationship.

Speaking of Kristen, it’s going to be very interesting when the truth about her sacrifice finally comes out. Brady and everyone else are going to have to eat crow and apologize to her when they learn that she took the rap for Rachel shooting EJ.

EJ made some good inroads with Belle this week when he told her he was going to announce John’s bequest to the hospital at the gala.

And speaking of the gala, EJ tasked Gwen with ensuring that no one saw them bring whatever specialized equipment they needed to the new lab. They also have a special power supply they’re bringing in, likely to prevent any future blackouts. That’s a nice detail. She told him she had the perfect distraction, and I’m sure it’s the gala. Everyone and their uncle will be there, so no one will be watching the lab. Except Rita, and that’s her job.

So, I pegged it. I was thinking about how Cary Christopher is exiting the role of Thomas, and figured they would write him out by having him catch Chad and Cat together, and he’d go off to live with Jack and Jennifer. However, things went down horrifically instead. Chad was hugging her, but to console her because she revealed her mom has some mental issues. But Thomas and Jennifer saw that, and it was all the kid needed to send him running…right into traffic! We heard the screech of brakes and a crash! Are they killing Thomas off, or is this just a red herring until Monday’s episode, and he’ll just end up moving to Boston with his grandparents? The horrified looks on Chad and Jennifer’s faces indicate that whatever happened, it’s not good.

EXTRA SCOOPS

REFERENCES

Brace yourselves, there were a lot of references this week!

When Leo interrupted an awkward silence between him and Javi, and Johnny and Chanel, with his tale of being assaulted by food (see the Lines of the Week for details), Leo apologized, explaining, “I’m sorry. Awkward silences make me anxious. And rather than sit with my feelings like my meditation app suggests, I feel compelled to fill the void with lengthy anecdotes, like a prisoner of Rumplestiltskin, just spinning that yarn.” He paused and then said, “No, wait, that was straw, wasn’t it?” Rumpelstiltskin was a mischievous magical figure from a classic German fairy tale who could spin straw into gold but demanded a terrible price unless his true name was guessed.

On Halloween, Tate was bemoaning his ‘lame’ costume and told Aaron that he and Holly "Were going to dress up as Fred and Wilma.” Aaron shockingly said, “Who?” Tate looked horrified that Aaron didn’t get the reference, and continued, “Fred and Wilma? What, you’ve never watched The Flintstones?” Aaron responded, “Not enough to be on a first-name basis with them, no.” I sigh as I write this because this is a reference everybody should get, but just in case: Fred and Wilma Flintstone are a Stone Age married couple from The Flintstones, a classic animated sitcom that parodies modern family life through a prehistoric, gadget-filled world.

Philip told Sarah not to tell Xander the truth. Sarah replied, “The truth about what? UFOs? Jimmy Hoffa?” Everyone’s talking about UFOs lately, but Jimmy Hoffa was a powerful American labor leader who mysteriously disappeared in 1975, becoming one of the country’s most infamous unsolved cases.

Stephanie was irritated that the news of her really being Anastasia Sands was causing her phone to blow up while she was working. Alex told her to get used to the attention, and she said, “I don’t get it…So what? I’m Anastasia Sands. It’s not like I took my glasses off and suddenly I’m Superman.” Alex responded, “I think it’s more of a Miley/Hannah Montana situation.” I don’t think I need to explain any of those references.

Alex thought he’d ripped his shirt when the pumpkin sent him to the ground. But he and Steph realized it was more of a slice, which we know was caused by the knife that Jeremy (or someone dressed up like him) swiped at Alex at the exact moment the pumpkin hit him, sending him careening. Alex said, “Maybe those razor blades in Halloween candies weren’t just an urban myth after all.” Reports of razor blades in Halloween candy first popped up in the 1960s, mostly in the Northeast, with the earliest well-documented case in New Jersey in 1967, when a few kids found razor blades hidden in apples. Police tracked it back to a handful of local teens pulling “pranks” rather than an actual malicious stranger trying to hurt kids. In a separate project, I found several articles in newspapers from October 1970 where police warned folks about such things, promoting Halloween safety.

Through the 70s and early 80s, newspapers amplified scattered reports, but investigations almost always revealed hoaxes, pranks, or kids placing objects in their own candy for attention. The only deadly Halloween-treat case on record was in 1974 in Texas, and it wasn’t a stranger at all — it was a father poisoning his own child. So the classic “razor blades in the candy from random strangers” panic basically grew out of a mix of isolated incidents, Halloween anxiety, and some very sensational headlines that took on a life of their own.

Leo said to Gwen, “You know, if I had to describe our friendship, I’d say it’s like the holiday movie Elf with Will Ferrell. Hilarious, touching, wonderful, but no chance for a sequel.” Elf is a warm, goofy Christmas comedy about Buddy, a human raised at the North Pole who travels to New York City to find his real father, spreading chaotic cheer everywhere he goes. It’s part fish-out-of-water story, part holiday hug, built around Will Ferrell’s big-hearted, childlike performance, and is absolutely hilarious! If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.

There were too many more references this week, including Dr. Jonas Salk, the film E.T. the Extraterrestrial, and the hit sitcom Friends. But since this is my last Two Scoops, I couldn’t let this one go: Gabi was telling Javi about everything that went down with Gabi Chic. She would only reveal stuff if he agreed to abide by the “cone of silence,” obviously meaning not to tell anyone. That’s a reference to the classic spy sitcom, Get Smart: The Cone of Silence is a running gag in which CONTROL agents try to hold top-secret conversations inside a high-tech privacy device that dramatically lowers from the ceiling, only to malfunction every single time so badly that they can’t hear each other at all. It’s a spoof of Cold War spy tech: big, elaborate, and completely useless.

SHOT OF THE WEEK

Rafe hands Little T to Chanel, and it was an amazing moment made even more amazing by the smiling little actor who portrayed the child.

LINE(S) OF THE WEEK

Leo and Javi told Johnny and Chanel about how someone got hit by a launched pumpkin in Horton Square (they didn’t know it was Alex at the time), and Leo said, “I was assaulted by food once. It was less of an aerial attack, more amphibious warfare. Specifically, a plate of mussels marinara poured into my lap on a first date that, needless to say, did not lead to a second date.”

After the pumpkin incident, Alex and Steph saw Jeremy and Chad in Horton Square, and Alex was not too happy about being beaned. When Chad tried to defend Jeremy, saying he had nothing to do with it, Alex asked, “How the hell would you leave a bunch of kids unsupervised with a friggin’ catapult?” How indeed. That’s what we in the biz call a plot device.

Philip asked Xander if he wanted to grab a drink, but a sad Xander said, “Don’t think I’ll be very good company tonight.” Philip responded, “When are you ever good company?” Xander gave him a death stare, and Philip, with a goofy grin, threw his arms up, stating, “I’m kidding!”

As the Hernandez family made their way to the square to give the baby to Johnny and Chanel, the kid was fussing, and Leo praised Javi for soothing the kid by rocking the carriage. Leo then added, “It’s all about the rhythm, which I sorely lack. I once had a tap teacher tell me I had something called beat deafness.”

Leo tells the baby, “We are going to godparent you like it’s an Olympic sport!”

REACTION OF THE WEEK

Stephanie got her first royalty check from the book, and her reaction was priceless. Her shocked look at all the zeros on it spoke volumes.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

You knew someone other than Cat was going to get beaned by a pumpkin. Alex took it well and wasn’t hurt, but it seemed dicey for a minute there.

I like that it’s the publishing arm of Titan that may save the business from financial ruin. DAYS is doing a great job of promoting reading through its bookstore storyline.

They should make a sitcom with Gabi, Rafe, Ariana, Leo, and Javi in which each week they foster a goofy kid who keeps them on their toes. Trust me, hilarity will ensue!

It was super funny when Leo gave Johnny and Chanel an instruction manual that he made on how to deal with the baby when he’s fussy.

PARTING THOUGHTS

It’s been really fun watching Leo grow as a character. I absolutely hated him when he was first on, but now he’s become a major part of Salem. Greg Rikaart should get major accolades for delivering a fine performance this week that was capped off when Chad came into the pub, saw him, and hugged him. It was a nice moment and showed how even Chad was won over by Leo’s change from scurrilous ne’er-do-well to investigative journalist with a heart.

OUTRO

Alright, gang — this is where I hand the ladle back and stop scooping for a while. It’s been a blast dissecting every wild twist, eye-roll, and miracle serum this show throws at us. I’ll miss the weekly deep-dives, but I’m not disappearing. Dr. Rolf’s return all but guarantees I’ll be back with speculation, analysis, and the occasional “what in the Stefano?” think piece. I’m not done stirring the pot. For now, I’m moving over to GH for the weekly Best Of. Catch me there — same chaos, different ZIP code.

I’m off to test whether Dr. Rolf’s revival serum works on overcooked pasta. Pray for me.

Days of our Lives is available on the Peacock streaming app.