It's all in the chemistry folks! Different characters interacting together makes everyone happy.

A good solid episode today. Beth Milstein has really been a miracle worker in the subtle changes she's made.

I really do have to brag on Farah today. Mimi was really a pleasure to watch and I'm certainly going to miss her. The writing for her has certainly made the difference in how she delivers her lines.

Can't wait for tomorrow show. I've already heard that Shawn and Philip's scenes were a real hoot.

I think Hogan needs to give Renee her deserving storyline. Lexie needs to become an alcoholic from all of this divorce mess and soon to be custody battle. I think Renee could do wonders with this type of storyline and will definitely garner an Emmy nomination.

The Mimi love is thanks to the end of the constant repeats in dialogue.

Ashford is so......GAHHH! I don't know! SOMETHING! Too theatrical or something. I don't know. I can't stand him sometimes.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Beth Milstein is kicking ass!

It seems to me that not only the writing is changing, but the directing is also getting better. The cast seems to be moving more instead of sitting at the same spot the whole episode.

Another rock solid episode. I can't believe we've gone almost a week without seeing Austin/Carrie/Lucas/Sami/EJ all in one scene together! I love it.

I'm so glad Corday hired Milstein back. That was a very smart decision on his part. She has a great feel to the show and has amazingly good talent. Especially by having A LOT of character interactions.

I can't get over that we've been having so many characters interacting:

-Steve/Bo

-John/Tek

-John/Bo

-Steve/Stephanie

-Austin/Chelsea

-EJ/Kate

-Lucas/Stephanie

-Kayla/Hope

-Lexie/Billie/Chelsea

-Lexie/Chelsea

-Sami/Chelsea

-Abe/Lexie

-Abe/Shawn

I could go on and on. It's just fantastic. If JER was still writing, these characters would never be talking to eachother (i.e. Abe/Shawn). I've never seen Reynolds in a scene with Cook in my life. Same goes for Pinson and Jones. It's just great. Beth gets better and better everyday.

When there is a transition EVERYONE steps up their game because they're scared they'll end up on their ass. So, usually, everything seems a lot tweaked and crisper.

Makes sense, KR. Good point.

Also, when Lexie was telling Billie how sorry she was for the devastation Abe must have felt when he walked in on Tek and Lexie--did anyone else wonder if Billie was thinking about what she put Hope through when she walked in on Bo and Billie--on the very night Hope and Bo's son was buried? Despite a lot of her actions, I like Billie but that was really despicable and I think she needs to come clean. I would love to see Billie finally take charge of her life and drop the Bo dependency she's had for years and years.

That would be nice, but I don't see it happening. If it did, it will show that she has finally moved on from Bo.

I loved Philip saying something like "How do you think I feel knowing you are raising my baby?" so true!

And to Abe just digging into Lexie... Go Abe!

I loved Abe digging into Lexie, myself. Reynolds was great during those scenes. He didn't even raise his voice once. Jones was also great.

I love it when they are in scenes together because it lets them both shine.

Mimi was of course a big selfish !@#$%^&*] today. I'm glad Belle brought up the fact of why she doesn't want the babies to grow up not knowing who their real fathers are, with her paternity mess during the 90s. Mimi does have a point about biological not mattering, but her whole attitude is so pathetic.

Wow, so Chelsea found out today about Claire! She would have never known so quickly if JER was still writing.

Jack/Jenn/Abby was okay. I always like seeing Matt onscreen. It was refreshing to reverse Abby & Chelsea, with Abby !@#$%^&*]ing and Chelsea being the patient listener. But having the younger characters always wanting their mommy and daddy together is annoying. We've had Shawn, Sami, Eric, Chelsea, now Abby---suck it up and realize your parents can make up their own minds about who they want to be with.

I love seeing Lexie miserable. Slut!

This is getting to be like reading a book that you don't want to put down It is really getting so good and after I read the previews of tomorrow's show, it's going to be hilarious. It's great to have some humor....real humor....on Days.

This was a compassionate day for Chelsea. Finally some insight into her character. The glove slipping the file folder while she was talking to Abby on the phone was neat and how she knew it was a new file and how she responded to the news as she read it was sensational.

What I loved best of today was Billie. This was a day to see growth and depth in Billie and I loved it. Also, she is really growing on me for the very first time. Was I imagining it, but did anyone else think that Chelsea was looking at Billie with worship in her eyes? I hope that is what I was seeing. If Billie is her idol, and continues in this venue with her, all is going to be wonderful to watch between them (unless or until it is revealed that she is actually Hope's daughter as bantered around the net).

Renee Jones is my choice for best actress. She is mesmerizing. She looks so fragile and tiny even beside Chelsea.

I'm glad the WAY that SkankHOHelsea found out about Claire.

One thing I'm liking about Days these days ( ) is that Salem is *finally* feeling like a real community. You just never know who's going to talk to whom. For *years* now, everyone was islanded into their own little niche storylines. Hell, it was possible for a couple to meet, fall in love, get married, have a child, and never even once have a scene with anyone else.

Also, I'm finding the praise for Milstein (often citing her "freshness") rather ironic considering how often in the past people have derided the 1980s and fans of that period ("The 1980s are over. Get over it." being one I remember stated on this board a few times). Milstein functioned as an associate producer for Days throughout most of the 1980s, an associate head writer during the late 1980s/early 1990s, and a co-head writer (with Richard Allen) for roughly 6 months in early 1992. She was replaced with Sherri Anderson who was joined by "the great" JER just 6 months later. With the arrival of JER, the show is taking us back *before* JER ever darkened (literally) the doors of Salem. Kinda makes you wonder if this is the pacing and style of storytelling going on on Days *before* JER, whether the JER detractors and fans of "the good ol' Days" might have had the right idea all along.

It's really good that Chelsea found out about Claire (PS I STILL can't believe viewers had a choice in the matter and picked that.) Anyway, as good as this week and last week WERE, nothing really happened. It was consistently good, but it was kinda...unfocused? You could tell it was transition-y. Like someone was too unsure whether to make any big moves. This is a biggie. I'm glad. You never know what the hell Chelsea is gonna do. She's so the new generation Sami.