Brilliant show today. Great acting and writing all around.

Loved the Sami/Marlena scenes. Easily Deidre Hall's best work in a long time. Loved seeing feisty Marlena back and this is the Marlena I want to see and the Marlena Hogan promised so I am happy. Ali was excellent today and while this whole recent crisis is not all Sami's fault, she needed to hear what she heard. The dialogue was great and I am happy both characters said what needed to be said. Hogan is clearly making this the last time we see something like this out of Sami and it is clear she is going to blame everyone along with herself and have no one left but EJ, exactly what EJ wants. This is the beginning of her redemption. She has to reach her lowest point and build herself into the person everyone wants her to be. I am so excited about this. Loved when Sami interupted the proposal and Marlena was so obsessed with John picking up where he left off.

John and Bo working together was good. I am loving Drake lately. The Patrick/EJ scenes were chilling and I was seeing shades of late 80's/early 90's Days in these scenes. Very dark, spine-tingling feel to these scenes. James Scott rocks as a villain and Brody did a decent job. I noticed how EJ mentioned other employees so I wonder who else is in this? I also liked how they explained everything to us except Marlena kidnapping, which they will sooner or later, and I also liked Patrick mentiong how Mimi got hurt in all this. I loved Sami's line when she threatened to kill whoever sent the letter and we got the EJ closeup. I am surprised Patrick wasn't suspicious of John right away because he called him completely out of the blue but it seems like he questions his intentions tomarrow so good deal there.

I was happy Bonnie was on the phone with the surrogate. It was a nice reminder and Mimi is so much better as a supporting character. She has returned to what made her tolerable-the girl who blabs everything . I liked how they setup Mimi bringing her car to Max's and I also liked the beginning of Mabby. Nice, simply way to start them up and to bring Mimi into it. The little Abby/Shawn scene was nice and Hope yelling at Shawn was shades of the Hope I love. The dialogue was good there and I liked how she told him to be a father. Seeing Maggie was great and it's great to see so much use of the vets. The Maggie/Hope/Mimi/Willow stuff was entertaining.

I wasn't bothered too much by Max/Stephanie because they ended it. The flatlining scene was nothing. She was upset because he was leading her on and then the gift made it worse (he really should've looked in that bad before he gave it to her) so her hyperventilating was reasonable in my mind. I am glad the incest is offically over. Darin Brooks looked totally hot today and it was nice to see Dr. Berman. I also like Stephanie and Abby's relationship finally being utilized and the friendship between Max and Shawn is something I enjoy too because he will need someone as a friend with Philip gone.

Great way to start the week. Hogan's stuff is truly in motion now...

Today's episode was so good!! Loved the Mabby stuff. I was really looking forward to it after reading EE on Friday and the scenes played out really cute and innocent!! I liked seeing Max uncomfortable in the Stephanie scenes but you could also see that he's a good guy and pretty unselfish. Abby is so sweet and innocent. She's so adorable!! I'm really looking forward to the Mabby pairing.

As for the Marlena/Sami and Bo/Hope scenes, I'm still going with my Peter Brash theory. I believe that the Bradys think that their respective apartments, penthouses and the cop shop were bugged and they have been performing for the Gloved Hand/EJ's benefit for the past couple of weeks. I believe that Bo and Hope are working together to investigate Patrick and waiting for Patrick to make a wrong move. I also think that Sami is working with the police to help find the Gloved Hand and that she and her family have been pretending to have a falling out in order to make sure that she becomes isolated and a willing prey to EJ's advances. I've watched the scenes esp with Sami for the past week and I'm sorry, I'm just not buying how over the top Sami's family is in these scenes. Do you notice how Sami asks each family member, but you'll forgive me right? and then the family member makes sure to say I'll NEVER forgive you Sami and then Marlena added today, you're on your own...

Then we had EJ, Mr. arrogant himself, say to Patrick that the police/Bo Brady would never be able to catch him until he revealed his identity. I don't think so. I believe that the police/the Bradys are working to trap both EJ and Patrick. IMHO, Peter Brash, who wrote a similiar story for Bo/Hope/Larry Welch a couple of years ago, had a big part in developing this story and it's playing out a lot like it was back then, with LOTS of missing scenes that we'll eventually see in the next couple of weeks.

Oh, by the way, I think that Sami told the truth about Lexie's lie re: Carrie/Austin's offspring having genetic problems when Will was kidnapped and that Carrie, Austin, Lucas etc already knew about that before they played out that little scene for EJ's benefit last week.

I guess we'll have to see if the Peter Brash theory pans out or not. I know that a lot of you guys dismissed it when I brought it up last week, but I still have a STRONG feeling (not based on spoilers but what I'm watching on my screen) that the audience isn't seeing everything but that eventually Hogie will let us in on the secret too....

What's your Peter Brash theory?

I am with you ademption. I brought up some hints last week about this. Hope saying she can handle Patrick and I just got major vibes from the Roman/Abe/Hope/Bo stuff last week. Then again, why would Bo bring John in if there was already a plan to bust the person threatening them? I guess it could also be a sting with Abe/Roman/Hope too. Something is definitely up. Hope and Bo were on the verge of reuniting and then she just turned on Bo after Patrick was freed and she did nothing when Bo was arrested. Hope would've told Patrick not to do it but she remained quiet and then she made mention of Bo not being able to take much more to Abe. If this is some sort of sting, it will be one of my favorite stories along with the plot to lure out Larry in 2002.

What's your Peter Brash theory?

What I wrote in my post about Bo and Hope working together to investigate Patrick and Sami pretending to have a falling out with her entire family to catch EJ in what he's doing.....

What I wrote in my post about Bo and Hope working together to investigate Patrick and Sami pretending to have a falling out with her entire family to catch EJ in what he's doing.....

Why did you name if after Peter Brash? Is is a reference to the LArry Welch story? If so, why not credit Paula Cwickly too?

The only problem with the Sami reveal in the apartment being for EJ's benefit is how would they have known he was out there? He didn't reveal himself until well afterwards.

If it was a sting, I doubt Hope would tell Patrick she has doubts about his intentions and that she doesn't know if he's a good guy or a bad guy.

Why did you name if after Peter Brash? Is is a reference to the LArry Welch story? If so, why not credit Paula Cwickly too?

B/c Paula Cwickly no longer writes for the show but Peter Brash still does. He's a breakdown writer IIRC. If the storyline went in that direction, I would think that Brash may be responsible or contributed ideas for how the storyline proceeded since he (and Cwickly) did something similiar with the Larry Welch story.

As for how Carrie/Austin wouldn't know that EJ was standing at the door listening in on the convo, it wouldn't matter, especially if they believed that he was BUGGING the place. Remember, when Will was kidnapped, Sami asked her uncle Bo to check whether her place was bugged? There was no followup on that right? Well, my contention is that the police may have found the bugs but left them undisturbed b/c they wanted to trap the Gloved Hand. Carrie/Austin et al perform their little scene for the benefit of the Gloved Hand and EJ comes running.

Didn't you notice how EJ came across the hall when the catfight broke out? Also, yesterday, he just happened to go to Marlena's penthouse to provide Sami a shoulder to cry on. He said that he saw her car parked in front of the building but do you really buy that? Salem is a small town and everything, but that seems a bit too much of a coincedence for me. I'm sure that he is tracking her movements, but I also think that he has Marlena's penthouse, Sami's apt, the cop shop and other places in Salem wired so that he can hear EVERYTHING that is going on.....

Just a theory that I have and I could be WAY wrong about it. But it's fun to speculate.....

I agree that he's tracking Sami- too much coincidence (and I generally don't believ ein coincidence). You might be right about the sting- and as far as Hope goes, there's always the thought that she's telling him this so he doesn't suspect a sting.

ademption, I think that makes a lot of sense actually! For example how John calls Marlena for help and it appears she jumps right into it. Hope would tell Patrick that she doesn't know if she can trust him, but she wants to and appears to. It'd make sense.

Oh my god…I…I….I loved Marlena today!!

I hard as it is for me to admit, Marlena was on point today. Dee’s performance was excellent. Marlena said EVERYTHING that I have wanted her to say for 10 years. No more sympathy, remorse, guilt, or excuses. She called Sami out big time. No more blaming her “bad,” childhood or John. She held her accountable as an adult, and expressed her disappointment and disgust. I loved it.

Aww, Nubia! Welcome! *cyberhug* I've wanted that exact scene for so many years, and man did it feel good!

IMO, this is the best thing Marlena's done for Sami in a long time. There comes a time in parenting when tough love is the positive love.

Boy, are the reactions different from here and *coughMediaDomaincough*. Most of the posters are upset that Marlena told Sami off. They wanted her to coddle her daughter and gloss over all the crap she's pulled for the past thirteen years. Many of them also think it's not really Marlena, but Hattie. I don't think they can accept that Marlena has finally found her backbone again.

Well, if Sami was my daughter in real life, I'd probably kill myself.

And, if Marlena was my mother in real life, I'd probably kill myself.

So I don't think one is better than the other in this instance. They both deserved to be told off.