Holy hell! It's true. Satan is back in Salem. This time, Beelzebub's a little bit more sensitive and a lot snarkier. Yeah. It's amazing. So now, when people find out that you watch DAYS and ask, "Is that the show where the lady got possessed?,"you can reply, "Yes. Yes, it is. And the old devil's at it again." Would adding a hearty Lucifer-like belly laugh upon concluding that response be too much? I can never tell.
So, here we are again. Amongst the characters recounting the tale of the time the devil went down to Salem. Remembering and sharing our own experiences as fans. The "Do you remember whens?" of it all. Wondering if the sequel will be as scandalously spectacular as the first time around after all these years. Twenty-five years, to be exact, though it's fantastic that all of us still look as young and vibrant as before, amIright!?
Full disclosure, in the beginning, I had reservations about the original "Possession" storyline. It was somewhat jolting compared to the DAYS we'd always seen. It changed the fabric of the show. We were entering an era of "anything goes." I wasn't sure I was ready for the change, but that didn't last long.
I quickly became riveted and amused once I realized what was truly unfolding. It was groundbreaking and fun once the absurdity was embraced. It was also a significant risk for the show, and it paid off for better or worse (or, perhaps, a bit of both) because it got people watching and talking. I was completely hooked!
In fact, I recall racing home from school with one of my besties to catch all the demonic drama. My friend had an impeccable impression of Devil-Doc. When she said, "Listen here, priest," or "Nothing can stop me, and no one can save you," I almost believed the devil had come to my town, too. Of course, she was one of the first people to text a few weeks ago, "Is Marlena going to be possessed again!?" So, yes. I love all the warm, fuzzy feelings Satan is stirring up right now.
Another disclosure: I'm deeply delighted that Doug's diagnosis is not dementia and, instead, is the devil. Like, "Let's pause this column, blast 'Slow Clap' and sing along with Stefani and Saweetie while we happy dance" delighted. Whew. Bullet dodged. And now, all we must concern ourselves with is Satan. Not so bad, right?
Okay, I'm still worried about Doug, but as we saw with the first time around, love will eventually win. I know he'll be okay. I have -- wait for it -- faith. Plus, does the devil really want to mess with Julie!? I don't think so.
So, I'm all about enjoying the ride as Ron Carlivati and company take us on a twisted trip about things that go bump in the night. I'm actually thrilled that it's a fun, far-out storyline that we don't have to take so seriously. Like I said in my last column, my threshold for sad (and I can add "seriousness") had been reached for the year back in January. Bring on the spooktacular, history-laden fun of it all! I need fun. I think we could all use more fun in the world, even if it's only for an hour a day in Salem.
Plus, when I thought this would be a dementia storyline, I'd stocked up on comfort food and tissues, so now we have snacks for the show. I can even light a few candles for those of you who might be afraid of the dark. Not me, of course. Wait. What was that noise? Whoops. Just the sound of my typing. I'm not scared. You are! I digress...
One of the reasons I'm excited to revisit this storyline is that it's like the trifecta of storytelling for Ron. He must be excited. It encompasses three of his (obvious) favorite things: campiness, horror, and digging into the DAYS history books. Oh, maybe four! Since Satan is suited up as Marlena, it's sort of a doppelgänger thingy, too. A quadfecta? Anyway. If there ever was a head writer to take what James E. Reilly created and not only pay homage to it but add his own fantastic flair, it's certainly Ron. Bring it on, good sir.
LOOSE ENDS:
Welp! Now we know who owns the DiMera mansion. It's E.J. Not Gabi. Nope. Not even a bit. She got kicked out after tying to kick Chad out. Turnabout is fair play, I guess, though I'm as curious as Gabi is that she was never notified of the transactions by, well, anyone. Regardless. Congrats, Eej! This round (and the house) belongs to you.
It's not fair. Every time Abe gets all giddy about Paulina and she's her fabulous self, I get excited for them...until I remember her big lie will blow apart the mayor's heart. Okay. We might need to keep some of that comfort food and tissues, after all. Then again, Lani was rather excellent when she gave Auntie P some tough love and put her on notice. Things might turn out okay-ish, after all. Right? Okay. Not even I can believe that. Moving on...
I'm such a sucker for "Phloe" flashbacks. They're like thumbing through a yearbook. And by going back to the past, he helped to plant a better future. It also dialed down Philip's creep factor a few notches. So, that was a win, too. He was the charming fella Chloe fell for years ago. I hope it sticks.
Why hasn't Philip ever thought about finding a woman for Brady? Matchmake him and such. He knows people. How about his ex, Morgan Hollingsworth! I'd love to catch up with her. That one's for selfish reasons. Though, really, Philip could put Bugs Bunny in a dress and point him in Brady's direction. Within a day, Bugs would be the new love of his life. Brady's been without one for months. He must be jonesing for a love fix.
I'm here for Ava and Philip teaming up. I liked their little something-something the first time around. This time they're on equal footing, which is better. I think they'll give Jake and Gabi a run for their money. This might be the boost this storyline needs to get it exciting again -- trying to keep up with who has the upper hand at the moment. And we always have the devil roaming around to involve itself, too.
While all the gloriously acted apologies will eventually be rendered useless, I think the best part of Jack accepting Gwen and apologizing to Xander, and Abigail apologizing to her sister, is that it seems -- and I might be giving her too much credit -- that Gwen is realizing that the people she set out to destroy are flawed, but mostly good people. That one must sting. I still want to see her go down in flames for the big lies she's lugging around. No doubt about that. Still, this type of torture is appropriate in the meantime. She's totally squirming. Good! Now let's get to that reveal sooner rather than later.
Ben and Ciara have been having all the baby talk lately, but I suspect they're not the only ones who may become pregnant. Something tells me a baby would further complicate the unsure complicated sex status Gwen and Xander have going on right now.
Also, I wouldn't be shocked if "CIN" did conceive, and it turned out to be a Rosemary's Baby-like scenario. Ben is close to Marlena and is worried about his horrible history. That just seems like an easy recipe the devil may like to follow. Sperm from a former sinner. An eager egg. A dash of diabolical. And poof! A Satanic conception. Chef kiss.
Chanel and Johnny are kind of cute together, right? I love that she calls him out, and I adore that he's doing the legwork to prove he's not a man-ho anymore. He also has good taste in movies. I'm glad she's giving him another chance.
As Johnny's film becomes the talk of the town, I can't help but to be sad that our little Claire Bear isn't around. No offense to Allie, but given Claire's past as a performer, she would be a perfect match for the project. She'd probably eat up the opportunity, as stardom was always on her agenda, and Ms. Brady can sing! That's right. We could be talking Sami and Satan: The Musical!!
I mean, Belle's daughter playing Sami!? Hell-oh! 'Tink would have a meltdown, watching her little girl play her big sister at her hellraising highest. Claire as Sami stealing Baby Belle!? C'mon. This needs to happen. Alas, it probably won't. Claire's still in Joburgh, and Johnny's switched focus more on the possession and less on Sami. Boo.
I feel like Paul should be in Salem to help his dad through this saga. I'm pretty sure Tori took off with Baby P around the time John was believed to be a priest. Like, she didn't want to drop a baby on him while he was with God. This would sort of be a full circle thingy. And, well, I miss Paul.
I'll be steamed if Belle doesn't play a large part, too. I'm sure Satan will need a lawyer at some point. Oh, right. Belle's love might also help save her mother's soul.
On the topic of "saving souls," I feel like Lani would be a good person to have in John's corner, too. With her dabbling in nunnery and proven skills as a kick-ass detective, Lani should be a frontline defender of all things the devil. She's like Salem's own Buffy Summers. Step aside, Eli; you can sit with Julie and the kids. Detective Price-Grant has this covered.
The entire "Possession Revisited" is made better by the fact that Stefano sort of started this all by obsessing over his "Queen of the Night." A nod to the Phoenix is never a bad thing. His shadow will never not be felt in Salem.
Without a doubt, Kristen has one of the best "fall from grace" storylines ever. It was organic and slow burned. So, yes, she was rather pious back in the possession days, but something tells me Satan might like the current version of Kristen better. MUCH better. If there ever were a time for Kristen to come to Salem, this might be it. Evil-Evans and Special K, best friends forever and teaming up to terrorize the town? That could be a mighty amusing time.
Okay. There's been a lot of Roman talk lately. Like, people are worried that Johnny's film will freak him out and bring up bad feelings. Ro brushed it off, but something tells me that Satan will stir up trouble for his (possible) rekindled romance with Kate. The timing just seems perfect. Roman and Kate even chatted about his hookup with Marlena and her tryst with John. Satan messing with Roman's heart could crush all four of them.
Is the fact that John wasn't really a priest during the possession a loophole that brought the devil back? Or did Satan simply miss Doc!? He did seem hurt when she wouldn't admit to remembering their good times. Even the ruler of Hell has feelings, Mar Mar. Be nice!
HOT
"VICTOR!!!" In all caps. That was simply my note as soon as I saw John Aniston. What a sight for sore eyes. I missed the epic King of Shade. Welcome back, John!
NOT
I'm embarrassed for Brady. Persistence is charming to a point. He passed that mark months ago and is now coming off just as creepy as his foe for Chloe's heart. She had every right to give him yet another "respect my relationship" speech. Funny enough, he probably just needs to have a little patience and let Philip burn his own bridges. That will likely free the Chlomeister up. Though that doesn't mean she'd turn to Brady, as she seems as sick of his antics as most of us are.
LINE OF THE WEEK
Satan (to Marlena): "You need to stop pretending that you don't remember me. It hurts my feelings."
EXCHANGE OF THE WEEK
Victor: "He says to me that you're clouding Philip's judgment. And I say that since he's chasing after you, he has no judgment."
Chloe: "Hmm, really. But I'm good enough for Brady?"
Victor: "Well, unfortunately, Kristen has set the bar for 'Good Enough for Brady' so low that even you can crawl over it."
Wow. Not only is he one of the most charismatic and lovely men around, but Bill Hayes also plays scary so spectacularly! One could say he's a charming devil, eh?
Actually, props to the entire cast! They're rocking this satanic storyline so well. I'm proud to be a DAYS fan.
Really, though, how much fun do you think Deidre Hall is having right now!? A ton, by the looks of it.
I know we just saw Will Beyond Salem and again a few weeks ago on DAYS, but my heart did a little happy dance when Chandler Massey showed up again. Will and the twins being all cute and getting along!? Straight up endearing.
I'm loving the reaction shots of the Salemites who weren't in town during the possession as the story is disclosed to them. Paulina cracked me up! Allie learning the history from John was awesome. And Chanel's shock was on-point, too.
Satan telling Doug he's been "a little bit of a tattletale" was hilarious.
I honestly don't think Johnny reached Sami. So, who does have her (and her phone)? Satan, perhaps!?
Roman called Kate his "favorite person in Salem." I'd give him a chance just for that. Well played, Ro Ro.
I also give Kate credit. She is totally self-aware of her good, bad, and ugly sides. I like that Roman is aware, too. He seems to like them, as well.
Oh, right! I forgot Steve and Kayla weren't in Salem at the time of the possession.
Aww. Father Francis! Bless his heart. Talk about another warm, fuzzy memory.
Also warm and fuzzy, I adored John and Abe's scene. He's going to need his old pal (and his Black Patch partner, too) now more than ever. I think the three of them could combat Satan. Maybe.
Kate brought up Ted. I still think he had eons of potential left. Is it too much to hope Dr. Rolf got to him in time?
I know I shouldn't like it because there are still lies in play, but I do enjoy that Jack and Xander made up. Their friendship is great.
Speaking of apologies, Marci Miller slayed the scenes in which Abigail did so to Gwen. They were beautifully written and acted. I may have even misted up. Good on Abigail, but shame on you, Gwen.
I'd like to see Ashleigh from Oak Alley again.
I feel like Julie is playing the "Caroline" part from the original possession storyline. Not a bad thing. Ma Brady was a force, too, and, like I said, does the devil really want to mess with Julie!?
The possession storyline makes me miss O.G. Kristen. It also sparks memories of Celeste, Mike, and Robert Kelker-Kelly Bo, to name a few. What wild, wonderful memories! Though I'm excited to make some new ones.
Hmm. I wonder if Mike or Celeste would come back to help with Satan?
Oh! Maybe Billie could return, too. She was done wrong by the devil before.
On Tuesday's episode, did anyone else notice a creepy person in the background during Julie and Marlena's scenes at the hospital front desk? I might be reading too much into that. It could have been a random staff member. Still, it could have been Salem's version of Indrid Cold. From this point on, everything -- and everyone -- is suspect.
While chatting with my mom about "the story," she was delighted that Philip and Brady were playing nice. I agree! I wouldn't mind getting used to them being on at least cordial terms.
Love him as I do, I feel like Will should have done a lot more research on his script. You'd think the Salem Spectator would have several articles in their archives. And he is Marlena's "My Dear Boy." He could have gone straight to the source.
Also, I think Mike Horton recorded the exorcism sessions. The tapes might still be out there. Perhaps in John's possession memory box. I'm sure some Gen X-er could explain how to play them to Will or Johnny.
Allie promised to ship Will goodies from Sweet Bits. Great. I'll text her the address of the DAYS Two Scoops office, since she's feeling generous.
Twenty-five years later, and I'm still wondering: how did the black jaguar open the door to the penthouse? Was it psychokinesis, or did the big cat use its paws? If the latter, I'm sad I didn't witness that. "Marlena-Cat Opens Door" would be the ultimate in online feline videos.
So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's it for September 27. If Salem hasn't been spooky enough lately, we're entering the even eerier Halloween season. I wonder what Ron has planned for us this October!? With that, the much-braver-than-I Laurisa is back next week to help battle Satan. As always, thank you for reading, and "That's a fact."
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