SOAP OPERA WEEKLY
June 6, 2000

Brandon & Sami kiss on Days
By Janet Di Lauro

An undercover scheme brings out heated emotions between Sami and Brandon this week on Days of Our Lives when the pair give in to their attraction and kiss.

The stolen kiss happens at Brandon's apartment while Sami is preparing to play hooker to Brandon's pimp in an attempt to infiltrate the mob the frequents the local strip club. Their plan is to gather all the information that could point their finger at Lucas as his killer, thereby ensuring that Sami will regain sole custody of their son, Will.

"The whole thing is Brandon's idea," Matt Cedeno (Brandon) says. "Although Sami's not that comfortable posing as a hooker, Brandon convinces her that it's the only way for her to get her son back. "So he goes shopping and buys clothes for her."

"Sami puts on a little fashion show for him," Alison Sweeney (Sami) explains. "We go through some ridiculous, bad outfits. Then we get into some pretty sexy things and settle on just the right one."

The next step is to perfect their couple act. "It's almost as protection for Sami, that she's not for sale. She's Brandon's 'special girl,'" Sweeney says.

Brandon explains to Sami that "they've got to be totally convincing - first by showing how well they move together," Cedeno adds. "So he puts on music, they start dancing, and it gets kind of heated."

Sami can feel the sexual tension, but doesn't pull away. "She is attracted to Brandon and wants to be close to him," Sweeney says. "She's never felt like this before with a guy who is so blatantly attracted to her. She can't help but be flattered, and she's responding to it."

Things reach the boiling point when Brandon suggests one last step to secure their cover. He pulls Sami into a passionate kiss. "Brandon knows Sami is going to be a little surprised, but OK with it," Cedeno notes.

"Sami is definitely rattled by the kiss," Sweeney says. "She's falling for Brandon hook, line and sinker. He's reeled her in, and she's into it."

Afterward, Sami asks Brandon why he kissed her. "Why do you think?" Brandon replies. "When she doesn't answer, he gets a little insecure and goes directly into Plan B: It was all part of their strip-club act," Cedeno says. "Nothing more. Brandon realizes Sami is still with Austin. He doesn't want to jeopardize what he and Sami have as friends."

Meanwhile, Kate is becoming suspicious of Sami's growing relationship with Brandon, and can't wait to plant some seeds of doubt with Austin as soon as he arrives home from Paris. Kate is less than pleased that Austin has dinner plans with Sami, but Austin is quick to defend her. Kate decides to check out the Sami/Brandon situation for herself, and heads to Brandon's apartment.

Inside, Sami announces that she can't go to the strip club with Brandon that night because she needs to get back to Will. "Brandon's patient. He knows it's all a matter of time, that Sami will come around," Cedeno says, noting that "Brandon's really the only one Sami can count on. She doesn't feel like she can talk to Austin about finding out the information (about Franco's murder) deviously. Austin plays by the rules. Brandon's the only one who understands that she has to do anything humanly possible to get custody of her son."

Sami's coming to rely on Brandon in a way that she would never rely on anyone else,"
Sweeney continues. "He's becoming a very integral part of her life in terms of advice and as a friend she can really trust."

As Brandon walks Sami to the elevator, he sees Kate lurking in the hallway. She trashes Sami, while Brandon defends her and insists they're just friends. Later, when Sami returns home, Austin immediately questions her about Brandon. Sami claims that Austin is the only man in her life.

"Sami is very caught up, mentally, in her relationship with Austin. It's something that she's worked so hard for. It's almost like she doesn't want to be wrong, now that she's finally gotten what she wants," Sweeney says. "But Brandon is sort of sneaking into her feelings through the back door. She's starting to rely on him. The physical attraction that they have for each other is something that she's in denial about. She feels as though it isn't right, that she shouldn't be attracted to him. But in a way, it's bringing out a maturity in her, teaching her something new about the relationship between men and women that she would never experience with Austin.

"I think she will definitely have to experience what she can find with Brandon before she'll realize that Austin isn't the one for her," Sweeney adds. "Breaking up with Austin and dating Brandon would be sending herself into unknown territory. Sami's not real good with that; she likes to stick with what she knows."

Yet, Sweeney doesn't believe Sami will be able to put off Brandon indefinitely. "She's just going to have to learn to throw caution to the wind. You only come across passion like she has with Brandon in romance novels. That kind of sexual chemistry between two people is very rare. There's no way to ignore it. There's never been a guy who really wanted Sami for Sami. In the end, she's not going to be able to stand up to that."