Okay, who watched Nicole's film noir fantasy today? Wasn't it great? It was the only bright spot in a week that seems to be sliding downhill on a very fast sled, both on screen and behind the scenes. But anyway, I was looking forward to the film noir segment and I'm glad I'm watching it. While it's far from innovative, I can accept it as the entertainment it was intended to be. So we have Nicole and EJ on the outs, EJ and Sami having an affair, Sami married to Lucas who pines for Chloe and Phillip also pining for a Chloe longing for Lucas. I think I got all that but I'm not positive. All we need now is shots ringing out and we'd have a good mystery on our hands. All the actors looked fabulous in their 40's era costumes and the scenes were appropriately smoky and in black and white. Several films were referenced in the dialogue and the performers did a wonderful job distinguishing their real characters from the ones portrayed in this fantasy. All in all, a lot of fun to watch - how will it turn out? It almost makes me wish Nicole would keep on dreaming for a few more days.

Sometimes we all wish we were dreaming. I was watching Stefano playing hide the Phoenix throughout the hospital (and amidst the purple haze) and growling something along the lines of "I veel have my big rrrrrrrevenge!" and insert sinister cackling here. I admit it. I laughed. Then I threw my hands up in frustration. I can't be the only Days viewer that believes that Stefano is an overplayed joke. He's not even scary anymore and that's scary in itself. Get revenge for what, might I ask? After all he's done to Marlena and the Brady's? Is he kidding? Seeing Stefano flapping his wings in a rage isn't even delivering the same amount of "OMG, what's going to happen next?" that it used to. Yes, there were some great key scenes between Tony and Stefano and even Anna stepped up to the plate. But overall, all I'm seeing is round number whatever of Bradys versus Dimeras. Oh and then Stefano starts insisting that Sami and EJ should be together. I know there are a lot of fans out there that want that very same thing but I personally could not help but say, "Not again??"

Right now, our show seems to be in disarray and for the life of us, we can't figure out just what nasty thoughts are in this show's heads? They go through head writers like I go through a pack of Marlboro's and now the merry go round of executive producers has had it's switch thrown in the on position. The show took it upon itself to release Ed Scott and many of us are scratching our heads in wonderment and disbelief. Scott, it is widely believed, is responsible for the overall look of the show improving greatly. He brightened things up, added interesting camera angles, character interaction and basically just made Days look a hell of a lot prettier. So why is he being shown the door? Don't ask. It's discouraging news to say the least. On the heels of that dismissal comes the news that Roscoe Born (Trevor) has also been released. I am not surprised since I didn't really see any long term story potential for his character, but that could've easily been changed. This is a show that hired Joe Penny for all of ten minutes and did nothing with those ten minutes.

The story behind Trevor and Nicole could've been interesting if only you hadn't added in the tidbit that they were still married. I think something far more... well, juicy could've been introduced to explain their past relationship but never you mind. It invalidated Nicole's marriage to Victor (and apparently her Lucas nuptials as well) and darn it, we hate it when you blatantly change history. Oh well, perhaps all is not lost. Trevor is slime. He creeps me out, in fact. And he's Max and Melanie's father. Okay, so much for that. And speaking of Melanie, several readers have asked me what I think of her. I may as well be blunt: Send her packing. She is not only not needed but she seems to be a combination of Chelsea when she was first introduced and the original version of Stephanie. Let's spend an entire sequence looking for a diamond bracelet that some chick named Tiffany insisted that Melanie stole. Come on now. I have no objections to Molly Burnett, who I think is adorable and a very capable actress, but as I said, this character was not necessary.

What kills me about Days, and I've mentioned this before, is the fact that we just flat out don't know what we're going to get from one day to the next. One week the show is must-watch and the next, it is almost screamingly boring. I think the main thing that Days needs is a healthy dose of consistency. Get on that great page and STAY THERE.