10-28-2016 (Friday) HALLOWEEN SURPRISE

Abe tries to reassure Theo that he is going to be okay; Theo is upset because the doctor said he would be okay after the first surgery.  He doesn’t trust her; Abe does his best to convince Theo that it was his fault, not hers, because he had never gotten a checkup to find out that his heart had a faulty valve.  Theo leaves the room, upset.  Abe tries to excuse Theo’s behavior by explaining that you just have to know him; Valerie says she is familiar with the symptoms of autism.  He tells her that he is worried about Theo, as he had just tried to go after the man who shot him; Valerie tells Abe that Theo seems to have a good head on his shoulders and she’s sure he will just fine.  Ciara gives Theo a costume to wear and begs him to come to the festival (it's a superhero uniform, with a  giant “T” on it).  She reminds him that she always wants to his friend.

Hope and Rafe are going through the stacks of paperwork, when Roman comes in and tells them to get down to the Halloween festival being thrown by the DeMira’s; it is being thrown in Abigail’s honor, as well as the first responders.  Hope talks Rafe into wearing a costume she had picked out; it matches the one she’s going to wear.  At home, Doug and Julie are dressed in roman garb; Hope is dressed as Cleopatra and Ciara is a police-woman.  Hope talks to Ciara about the trust fund she just found out her grandfather is leaving her; she said Bo always felt the Kariakis fortune was created with ‘blood-money’ and wouldn’t want her to have it.  Hope is asking Ciara to turn it down; Ciara is disappointed at first, but then agrees.  

People wander around the square, which is all decorated for Halloween; Andre welcomes John and Marlena, acting disappointed when Marlena tells him they are not going to stay because she has a party to attend for the kids in the hospital; he tells her to have fun, but hurry back.  She comments about how this is unusual for a DeMira, to be so civic-minded; Andre says he would like the name DeMira to be known for decency.  Marlena tells him she almost thinks he really means that; as they walk away, Andre smiles and says, “if you only knew.”  Hope, Julie and Doug arrive at the festival; Hope finds Rafe (who is dressed like Julius Ceasar).  Julie mentions to Hope that she had seen Valerie Grant, Abe’s surgeon, at the hospital; she said it was awkward… for some reason, Valerie did not seem happy to see her.  Andre approaches them, welcoming them to the festival; he boasts about how this is in the honor of the PD for doing such a good job.  Roman thinks he’s laying it on a little thick.  Andre laughs and says he is letting bygones by bygones.  Hope says that was creepy.

Claire finds Theo sitting on the park bench... he says he didn’t want to come to the festival; he wants to go back to the hospital.  Claire tells him they should go then; she takes his hand and says she will handle Ciara if she gets mad.  The deputy mayor begins the ceremony, announcing that the fund raising is in honor of Abigail Devoraugh and will go to benefit research for aplastic anemia; he says the even is also in support of the local law enforcement for all their hard work to keep the town safe.  He then calls Hope and Rafe to the stand; a recording of Hope, saying she killed Steffano, begins to play.  Andre chuckles to himself.  

At the hospital, a magician begins the show.  Marlena asks where they found this magician; Kayla says he volunteered.  Marlena looks concerned.  The magician asks for two volunteers; then requests Kayla and Marlena to be those volunteers.  He has them each step into a box standing on stage; the lights go out, the magician is gone… and so are Kayla and Marlena.  John and Steve receive a message; the magician was Orpheus.

10-27-2016 (Thursday)

The steam seems to be rising just a little bit between Gabi and Chad; she makes him a tray for breakfast and he gives her a hard time about putting a lavender blossom on the tray.  The talk gets serious, as he asks about the qualities of lavender; then he asks how JJ is doing this morning.  She says he’s doing better.  Things get awkward.

Chad offers to take Gabi to the hospital; they see Jennifer there.  Gabi goes in to see JJ; he opens his eyes.  He apologizes to her and she tells him he has nothing to apologize for – she tells him, he is a hero.  Chad tells Jennifer that he wants to talk to her; he lets her know that Adrian and Lucas moved out last night, and assures her that he is better and ready to be a full-time father.  He wants her to be okay with that; she tells him she can see that he has changed.  She also tells him that she wants to be a bigger part of Thomas’ life and asks if he would allow that.  He tells her she is someone to be admired from his viewpoint; she reaches out and hugs him.  Chad goes back home where he has a slight confrontation with Andre; he tells him that he still doesn’t completely trust him.  He says he wants to know what he hasn’t told him about his relationship with Clyde Weston; Andre tells him that he has nothing to tell.  But he insists that Chad is going to have to trust him to be creative if he wants the company to work.  

Even though Kate had told Eduardo she wanted to spend some time with him, she gets pissy about his ex-wife, asking if he’s just looking for something to fill his time until his ex-wife comes back again.  He says that’s not true; then he questions how sure she is that Chad isn’t going to cut her out of the business once he learns everything he can from her.  He asks her to come work with him.  She asks if he is flirting with her; then tells him she is going to stick with DeMira… he says they may be competitors then.  She says, capable of handing him his head on a platter; then she tells him they need to stop this before anything gets started.  He hands her a burrito and tells her not to give up on this, saying it’s made up of many ingredients, all wrapped up together deliciously.  He tells her she is going to enjoy it; he walks away, and she looks strangely intrigued.  

Dario and Blanca walk through the park and he asks her to go out dancing, which he had promised to do when he got back up on his feet again.  She tells him she has to work.  He tells her he has been looking for a woman to help him be a better man, and asks if she thinks she’s up for the job.  She does not reply; after she leaves for work, Eduardo talks to Dario and tells him that he has plans for the club and wants him to keep working for him; he says the club is going to be a front for other business.  Dario questions the legitimacy of this other business; Eduardo insinuates that it is right up Dario’s alley.  Dario accepts the job offer; they shake hands.  

A man comes into the hospital and asks where to find the morgue.  Kayla and Steve go back to her office where they have another serious conversation about what lies ahead of them; they end up making out, getting ready to lay back on the desktop to make love, I think.  There’s a knock on the door; the girl tells Kayla that they have an emergency.  So all of the sudden, Dario is back with Blanca; they are kissing passionately and starting to strip their clothes off.  Back home, Chad talks to Thomas and promises him that he is going to do the best job he can to take care of him; he says he just wishes he wasn’t doing it alone, as he sniffs the Lavender Gabi left for him. Orpheus thanks his man for coming to get him, saying rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated.

10-26-2016 (Wednesday)

Victor calls everyone to a meeting at his house; he welcomes everyone, Sonny, Philip, Deimos, Brady and Justin.  He tells them all that he is retiring, once and for all, to spend more time with Maggie; they all toast to Maggie being on her feet again.  He tells them all that they need to deal with the future of Titan; Victor announces that he is giving the helm to Deimos and says they will all report to Deimos just as they reported to him.  They are all pissed.  Victor hands them a booklet with new guidelines and job assignments; Philip gets pissed, chews his father out for this decision – saying nothing he said when they had that little talk was true – he throws down his copy of the changes and storms out.  Victor actually chases after him and apologizes; says he could have handled things better in there, and knows he’s not very good at being a father.  He tries to explain that what he is doing is for the best long-term survival of the company, and of their family, which includes him.  He says he can’t go on arguing with him about everything; he tells him he needs him with him right now.  

Deimos tries to talk to the rest of the guys, attempting to be encouraging.  Victor comes back in, unsure of what Philip is going to do; Philip comes back in and hugs his father.  Deimos take s Brady aside and tells him that he needs his help; he says the others won’t listen to him and he needs Brady to persuade them to listen.  Victor takes Justin aside and makes him a generous offer; he tells him that he needs him to oversee things, to make sure that everyone works together because he knows the meaning of family.  Justin says, indeed, he does.  He goes back in and oversees the signing of the documents by everybody.  

Abe’s heart stops; Theo starts freaking out… the nurse closes the door.  They get his heart restarted and stabilize him; Kayla tells Theo he is alright now.  He asks if his heart will stop again; Kayla says she doesn’t know.  Theo gets mad at the surgeon when she comes out of the room; she assures him she will figure out why this happened so it won’t happen again.  Theo gets even more upset when the surgeon tells him he can’t go in to see his dad right now.  Theo sneaks in anyway; he touches Abe’s hand, and he wakes up.  Abe tells him not to worry; he says he’s not going to leave him – Theo says he is not going to leave him, either.  The surgeon tells Kayla that they are going to have to open Abe back up to fix what they missed the first time (a defect in his heart that went unnoticed).  Theo wants his dad to get a different surgeon, but Abe assures him that he has all the faith in the world in Valerie.  

Rafe invites Hope on a trip out of town; she tells him she can’t go right now, so he goes and sets up a ‘fake’ camp sight in the park and calls Hope to meet him there.  She loves the surprise.  The get all sappy, sitting on the ground, pretending to look at stars (which they can’t really see with all the city lights) play-acting like they are out in the wilderness – he tells her he hopes the past few weeks can become a distant memory.  She says it already has.

10-25-2016 (Tuesday) THE SECRET IS OUT

Victor and Deimos are at the mansion… Victor tells Deimos he is going to retire; Deimos asks if he is serious this time.  He says Maggie seems to be doing better – and she says he frowns less and smiles more; Deimos gets a phone call.  He tells Victor that Nicole told him, he is the father of Chloe’s baby after all.  He asks Victor not to say anything to Philip; Victor tells him he won’t, tells him to take the baby away from Chloe the minute it is born – and suggests that he leave Nicole alone and find someone else.  

Nicole talks to Daniel at his grave; she tells him she is pretty sure she has lost both Chloe and Deimos.  Maggie comes up behind her, on crutches, and says it sounds like she could use a friend.  Nicole tells her everything; Maggie asks her how she feels about Deimos.  She says she doesn’t really want to talk about that, especially there (looking at Daniel’s grave).  Maggie tells her that her son would want her to be happy, to move on; Nicole says she is scared by how much she’s attracted to Deimos.  Maggie says she felt the same way with Victor at first, and she’s glad she’s stuck it out; they hug.  Nicole goes to find Deimos; she does her best to explain everything to him, her reasons for keeping Chloe’s secret in the beginning… she says they could still work things out and she can help him and Chloe raise the baby.  He almost seems to come around, comforting her by putting his hands on her shoulders; then he gets a call.  He says Chloe is missing; Nicole looks surprised, asking, “you went after her?”  He says of course he did.  He can’t believe she warned her; Nicole said she owed her the warning… it’s only fair.  Deimos tells Nichole if Chloe gets away, he will never forgive her.  

Roman tries to talk Rafe out of confessing, which is what he has decided to do in order to protect Hope; he says, if he confesses, then Aiden has nothing to hold over her head.  Aiden tries argue his case with Hope, saying what he is doing is nothing like what Chase did to Ciara; she insists it is, telling him that he is trying to rape her, forcing her to put on that dress and have dinner with him, forcing her to dance, kissing on her.  He looks stunned.  She asks if he is going to force her to have sex with him; he says he could never do that.  He apologizes if he made her feel that way; he says he just wanted to remind her how good they were together.  He says he knows he messed it up, but he also knows they can get that back… he tells her he will never stop loving her.  She shakes her head.  He says she just needs to forget how they got there, to which she flips out; she tells him she cannot forget what he was hired to do, how he lied to her over and over again.  She tells him there is NO love in this, and there will never be love in it.  Aiden looks devastated; she asks what he is thinking – he’s thinking about a time when he was a better man, and wishing they could have met back then.  He apologizes again for everything, all the pain he’s caused her and for making her wear that stupid dress.  He says he didn’t mean to show her a sick, twisted version of his love, but that’s what he did; he tells her he is going to leave her alone from now on.  He tells her she can go; he deletes the recording and gives her a flashdrive, saying it is the only other copy.  

Roman calls the Deputy Mayor and tells him they have a ‘situation’ (he says it sounds serious, Rafe says, “it is.”)  Just as Rafe is about to confess, Hope walks in with Aiden, asking what’s going on… Aiden says he’s sure it’s about him, and announces that he is resigning as DA, effective immediately.  Rafe asks if that just really happened, after they go the office to look over the caseload; Hope tells him Aiden finally got it.  He says he is leaving town to go be with his son.  Aiden comes out, tells Roman the Deputy Mayor wants to see him, apologizes to Hope and Rafe again and leaves.  Hope gives Rafe the flashdrive and tells him once that is gone, it’s over.  They smile.  Andre pushes a button his phone; the recording of Hope and Rafe plays.  Andre smiles.

Theo tells his dad that he has the fridge all cleaned out and ready for him to come home, adding that he has been keeping lights off and taking care of things; Kayla comes in.  Theo asks if his dad can come home soon; she says she hopes so, but they are waiting on a specialist to get the bullet fragments out.  An old friend, Valerie somebody walks in; she is the surgeon that flew in to save him.  Abe is happy to see her, asking how many years it’s been.  He tells her she is still as beautiful as ever.  He tells her about his wife of twenty years, and Theo; he tells her he can’t leave him… she tells him not to worry, he is not going to die on her operating table.  Julie comes into the hospital and sees Valerie (Kraft?) – she is happy to see her, but Valerie is rather cold to her.  Julie looks confused.  The surgery begins; everything goes well – Kayla tells Theor and Ciara that Abe is going to be fine.  They look through the window; Abe’s monitor goes off.

10-24-2016 (Monday)

John, Marlena, and Adrian have coffee at the diner; they discuss how people have come together and talk about their upcoming wedding…they say they shouldn’t be putting off happiness.  Orpheus is dead.  The guys take off to go set up their new business “Black Patch” investigative services; Marlena mentions how happy Steve seems, and Kayla asks for her help with a surprise.  

Kate and Andre have lunch and drinks; she brings up Tony, and Andre says everyone loved him best; she says he should ask himself why.  He tells her this lunch could be a valid DeMira business expense; he asks her about the DeMira shipping business revenue, and refers to it as ‘poaching’ – Kate says that was seizing the moment.  Marlena comes by and commends Andre on his bravery and loyalty to friends and family; he says he has an appointment and has to go.  Marlena sits down and tells Kate they sound like an old, married couple, the way they are bickering; then she tells Kate that she needs to be careful.  

Hope is looking through a drawer; it has a gift box in it with a dress Aiden bought for her – a gift to show her how much he loves her, he says.  He tells her he wants to have lunch; she says she doesn’t have time for lunch because she is backed up on paperwork.  He threatens her with turning her confession in; she says she isn’t going to let him blackmail her.  He turns and runs into Rafe, who tells him he is tired of having this same conversation; he tells him to leave Hope alone.  Aiden threatens to call the commissioner and report improprieties; Hope steps in and tells him he has a lunch appointment he doesn’t want to miss, so he should go.  Aiden leaves. Rafe asks her what she thinks she’s doing; he tells her she cannot go along with  Aiden’s demands.  He tells her they will handle this together and take him down; he asks her to tell him how Aiden found out about Steffano.  She refuses. Roman calls Rafe into his office.  

The guys get done with the search for office space; Kayla texts Steve and tells him to meet her down on the docks.  He runs down there in a panic and finds a little table set up, with flowers on it, a candle, and decorative lights all around; he tells her she scared him.  She apologizes; she tells him she just wanted him to know she appreciates him.  She says this gesture represents a new beginning.  She reminds him they used to spend a lot of time down there when they first got together; she said it seemed like the right place to start over.  She tells him that she has realized going slow means there is a chance something could happen; she doesn’t want to miss out on any more time with him.  They make a toast, click their bottles and laugh.  He tells her that he has realized he should talk more, and that he is going to keep going to therapy.  She tells him she has ordered the full package of cable for him to watch in THEIR living room.  She asks him to dance, turning music on her phone; they kiss and basically just hang on to each other as the music plays.

Rafe comes out of his office to find Hope gone; he looks in her drawer and sees the dress is gone.  Hope shows up at the assigned room, for her lunch with Aiden; she sits down and says, “let’s get this over with.”  He tells her how much he loves her; she tells him this is not love… forcing her to wear a particular dress, blackmailing her into being with him.  She insists he doesn’t really love her.  He apologizes for lying to her before, and tells her he just wants to get past all of that; she tells him they can’t… she won’t ever forget, and she won’t ever love him.  He asks her to dance with him when a certain song comes on; she says no.  He takes out his phone and plays the conversation with Rafe; she tells him to turn it off and gets up to dance with him.  She is certainly not happy about it; he smiles and spins her around.  

Eduardo goes to see Kate, and confesses how badly he’s been feeling about what he did and all he caused; she tells him all he intended to do was protect his family, so he should go easy on himself.  He tells her he is planning on staying in Salem; she says she would like the chance to get to know each other… he says he’s been thinking the same thing.  They smile sweetly at each other; he kisses her hand.  Hope tires of the dance when Aiden tries to lean over and kiss her neck; she says she’s had enough, she can’t do this – she sternly looks at him and tells him he is NOT going to do to her, what his son did to her daughter.

10-21-2016 (Friday)

Chad gets home; Lucas tells Chad that Ann said she was out of gas, stranded and had been accosted, so he let her stay in the guest room.  Chad tells him that’s fine – and thanks Lucas for everything he and Adrian have done for him; Chad says he thinks he is ready to take care of Thomas on his own again.  Lucas understands.  But he says, since his sister (Jennifer) is the one who asked them to stay there, they better be careful about how they tell her.  Chad agrees, saying they can take their time bringing it up to her.  

Sonny recalls finding Paul on the floor, when he sees him leaving the hospital; he tells Paul he is so glad he’s okay and asks if he can buy him a cup of coffee while he waits for a friend to show.  Paul gladly accepts the invitation; they go to the pub.  They talk about the power being out and how they missed their video games; then Paul thanks him for saving his life.  Sonny tries to be modest; then says he wants to talk about what happened between them   Paul claims their “moment” was only because he thought he was a dead man; he says Sonny has made it clear that all he ever wants to be is friends, and he apologizes.  Sonny says he doesn’t have to be sorry; he just wanted to talk about it.  Paul tells him he really just wants to put yesterday behind him.  They start talking about Halloween; Paul brings up a comic convention they once went to and the green tights Sonny wore.  He mentions, at least he was wearing a mask; Paul likens it to the mask he wore for many years (hiding the fact that he was gay).  Sonny tries to tell him he has decided maybe they could be more than friends, just as Paul’s date walks in the door.  Sonny is surprised to see who Paul’s “friend” is… he knew him as a bellhop in the past, but he tells Sonny he is an administrative assistant at the hospital now.  (They don’t reveal this guy’s name, but Sonny doesn’t look truly happy to see it is him Paul has a date with.)  This guy tells Paul that Sonny looked pissed that they were going out together; he says he thinks Sonny has feelings for him.  But Paul argues that there is no way they could ever be together again because of what happened with Will.  

Gabi wakes from a dream of JJ being shot, her head on his hospital bed; Jennifer tells Julie that Gabi has been there all night.  She puts a headphone in one of his hears (the other in hers) and tells JJ that she made him this play list; she tells him she loves the look on his face when he plays guitar or listens to his music.  She wants to see that look again; she begs him to be okay, saying please wake up.   Gabi comes out to find Chad there, with Ariana; she agrees to go for a walk with him, but says she is not going very far because she is sure JJ will be waking up soon.  Gabi and Chad take Ariana to eat lunch in the square; she thanks him.  They mention how glad they are everything is back to normal; but then she gets frustrated that things aren’t over for JJ.  Chad diverts her attention with a silly story.  Lucas and Adrian come by; Adrian offers to take the kids back to the house, while they pack.  Lucas says he is going to check on Jennifer.  Chad says he is happy this is all behind them; he is looking forward to living life again.  He tells Gabi that he will do anything they need for JJ, just to let him know.  

Jennifer and Julie stand over JJ’s bed; Jen says she can’t lose him… she can’t outlive both of her children.  She questions why he wanted to be a cop; Julie reminds her it was to turn his life around, and he did.  She tells Jennifer she did a great job raising him, saying he is one of the good guys; she says he will okay.  Lucas comes to see Jennifer (reminding her that there is a meeting downstairs right now); he tells her she can’t lose focus on her recovery.  She agrees to go with him.  

Nicole tells Deimos that she has to tell him, Chloe lied to him; the baby she is carrying IS his.  He looks stunned.  He questions the paternity test; she tells him Chloe got the doctor to fake the results.  He asks if she is absolutely sure; she shakes her head, yes.  He hugs her, thrilled that he is going to have a child.  Then he asks how long she has known; since August, she tells him; she says she begged her to tell him, but Chloe said she didn’t know the real him – he gets mad.  She explains Chloe is her dearest, oldest friend so she made her this promise; she says it was only because she didn’t know him that well at the time.  He angrily tells her truth matters to him, and questions how he could ever trust her now.  He walks away.  She follows him and defends her position; he angrily comes back at her, saying he would never lie about something like this.  He says it is unforgivable, kicking a crate on the dock as he storms off.  She doesn’t let him leave, though, she pleads her case once again and begs him to tell her she didn’t misjudge him – that she hasn’t made a horrible mistake.  He still looks pissed.  He says it doesn’t surprise him that a woman who would steal another woman’s baby and let her believe the child was dead, would do this.  She slaps him when he says no child would want her for a mother in the first place; how dare he, she asks, knowing she miscarried two babies.  He tells her he was wrong to think that they were soul-mates; he leaves her crying.  

Now back by JJ’s bedside, Jennifer is thrilled when he starts waking up; he is apologizing to Gabi for not being more careful.  Nicole calls to warn Chloe that she let her secret out; she says Deimos is angry and she doesn’t know what he is going to do next.  Deimos gives money to a man, telling him to take it easy on this woman because she is pregnant with his child, but not to come back to town until he has her with him.

10-20-2016 (Thursday)

Teresa steps out onto the square, in her wedding dress; Brady appears around the corner, bleeding from the stomach.  He collapses into her arms, as she wakes up.  Brady brings her breakfast in bed; she jumps up and kisses him.  He tells her this is the first day of their honeymoon; unofficially, she says.  He says that she is his wife, officially, in his heart and that’s all that matters.  Nicole is having breakfast with Deimos; she thanks him for keeping his promise – he smiles, sheepishly.  Nicole sees Dario and confronts him about lying to her, and breaking into Chloe’s; he’s a little miffed when she admits that she was spying on him.  Deimos asks if everything is all right… he says he’s hoping everyone can see, in time, that his intentions were pure.  

As Blanca sits at a table with Dario, another man stares through the window at them; he looks mean.  The man comes in and says, “Olla, Blanca.”  She looks terrified… or just pissed.  Dario says this is the man from her past she had talked about; she tells him she left without telling him, for a reason.  She says she caught him in bed with another woman and tells him to go away.  She threatens to tell his old boss that he was skimming from him, adding that he’s not the type of boss to forgive and forget.  He asks if she would really rat him out to Mateo; she says she would do whatever was necessary to keep him out of her life.  Dario says maybe he will call his brother and tell him about this man’s cartel connections; the man agrees to go.  Blanca is trembling as he leaves; Dario hugs her, asking if she is okay.  She sits down and thanks Dario for sticking up for her; she says she really thought she was in love with this man – Giordano? - but it was a lies.

Philip meets with Deimos; Deimos tells Philip that he wants him to make up for causing the rift between him and his father, by talking to his father about putting him back on with Titan.  Deimos says absolutely not.  He argues that, since he was the one who caused the fight, he would only cause Victor to remember that.  He says he invited Philip to move into the mansion, hoping maybe it could help fix the rift between them; he tells Philip he needs to ask his father, himself, to come back to the company.  Deimos explains, as Nicole watches from a distance, how love shouldn’t be a weapon (to be withheld for obedience) and the father-son bond should not be dismissed lightly.  He mentions that being the reason he so badly wanted Chloe’s baby to be his, so he could give that love to his son; Nicole appears to be feeling guilty about keeping Chloe’s secret.  She tries to call Chloe, leaving a message that it’s getting harder to avoid the truth; Deimos rounds the corner and is surprised to see her there.  She hands him his phone; says he left it at the pub.  

Brady and Teresa go to the park; as they sit, Teresa tells Brady that she has to tell him something… she explains that she had lied (way back when) about Xander raping her.  Brady, though upset that she lied, tells her that he has not lived a perfect life either, and he loves her anyway.  They kiss.  The doctor tells Maggie that there is no physical or physiological reason that she shouldn’t be walking now; she suggests that there is a mental block keeping her from standing up.  When Victor tells Julie this, she says it makes sense; Maggie is, possibly, afraid of losing him and feels the need to stay dependent upon him.  Philip goes home and tries to talk to Victor; Victor tells him not now – of course, Philip says.  He asks how Maggie is and what her doctor said.  He tells Philip that Julie says it may be because of her fear of losing him; Philip says he knows how much Victor loves Maggie.  He is surprised that Maggie doesn’t know it; he suggests maybe just a small change in thinking would show her.  Victor says that might work; he decides he wants to spend more time with Maggie, but would need to step back from Titan a bit and would need someone to step in for him.  Philip waits, hopefully.  

Victor leaves the room; he goes to tell Maggie.  She is happy.  Philip runs into Brady in the square; he tells him that Victor is planning on retiring and mentioned that someone in the family would need to step up and take over.  He asks Brady to put in a good word for him; Brady says he is not the only viable candidate.  They leave it with, “may the best man win.”  Brady tells Teresa he feels like this is going to get ugly.  Giordano stops in his tracks when he sees Teresa and Brady on the bench; he calls someone and tells them they won’t believe who he just found – Teresa Donovan.  Deimos tells Nicole that talking to Philip earlier, and giving his advice, kind of felt like he was being a father to the son he never had; Nicole, hesitantly, tells Deimos there is something she needs to tell him… it’s a secret she’s been keeping from him for some time

10-19-2016 (Wednesday)

Kayla tells Julie about the events at the pub… she explains that her mom got out, but Orpheus took John.  Steve went after him; Julie says of course he did, assuming that Kayla did her best to stop him.  Kayla tells her she actually helped him sneak out of the hospital.  She understands that he had to try.  Justin rushes in and hugs Julie, saying thank God she is okay; she asks why he is so anxious.  He said Lucas told him she was taken to the hospital; she corrects him, saying she was only escorted there.  He tells her he had to sneak in, climbing up the fire escape and in through a window; she asks why he would do that – he asks, “why do you think?”  The he faints.  

Steve tells Orpheus that he called in a SWAT team, told them no sirens and no negotiator; he says they are right outside.  He says he doesn’t believe it, still he hesitates.  Steve lets Orpheus know that Hope diffused his bomb, and while he has Orpheus distracted, John reaches back and punches him.  Orpheus and John struggle; Steve shoots.  John binds Orpheus’ hands behind his back with a zip-tie.  They congratulate each other.  Steve calls Kayla to let her know that Orpheus is in custody.  Lucas is watching the children at DeMira mansion and Ann happens to come by.  He has an obvious dislike for her (something from their past); however, he agrees to let her stay after she tells him she just got mugged outside.  She ends up giving him a synopsis of her life story and crying over being such a horrible sister and daughter.  She settles down and reads a magazine, after he comforts her.  Lucas isn’t sure how to react; he hands her the tissues.  

JJ struggles to breathe, even after Marlena relieved an air pocket from his collapsed lung; Gabi helps Marlena and tries to comfort JJ by talking to him; Chad goes to get help.  JJ passes out just as they hear the ambulance sirens approaching.  Jennifer arrives at the hospital and Gabi tells her JJ is strong; he will make it through this.  They hug.  Orpheus demands medical attention for his arm; Marlena agrees to look at it – she tells the guard he will have to un-cuff him (which is stupid because he was only grazed on his left upper arm), but of course, he takes advantage of the situation and grabs her, grabbing the guard’s gun when he leans in to try to help her; now he has the two of them at gunpoint.  He says he wants to talk to Marlena, alone.  Julie fusses over Justin a bit when he comes to; he thanks her… she thanks him for being worried about her.  JJ makes it through surgery; Jennifer begs him to be strong.  She asks him to squeeze her hand if he can hear her; he doesn’t respond.  She tells Julie and Justin that she won’t be able to go on if she loses JJ, after losing Jack and Abigail; they assure her JJ will be alright.  

10-18-2016 (Tuesday)

Kayla is pissed because she can’t do her job… the director of the hospital has closed the doors; he says no one else enters or leaves until the siege is over.  Eduardo tells Rafe that he has forgiven Dario for what he did; Rafe finds it hard to believe that there is no anger.  His dad says he has a troubled heart; growing up without a father can do that to you – Rafe says what about him and Gabi – Eduardo says they were stronger than their brother.  Eduardo asks Rafe about Hope; Rafe says they decided to take a break.  He says love is complicated, but it’s not over.  

JJ comes to see Gabi; he tells her that he would like to take her back to his mom’s, but she doesn’t want to be around Julie, so she refuses.  She says she would rather stay here.  Chad says that’s not a problem; JJ says okay them, if that’s what she wants.  JJ gets a call about the bomb in the diner; he has to go.  Orpheus tells John that if anyone tries to leave the pub, he will blow it immediately by remote control.  John says this has gone on long enough; it’s time to give Orpheus what he wants.  Orpheus is glad to hear this; he tells John that he will let everyone else go, if John goes with him.  Marlena tells John they can’t let him separate them again; he tells her he will find his way back to her.  Orpheus comes in, disarms the bomb and tells Hope to tie John up, handing her a rope.  He backs out of the diner with John as his shield… Hope tells Marlena John will be fine.  Jennifer walks into the room with a bomb strapped to her chest, with less than ten minutes on the timer.  She said a man came into the bedroom through the fire escape and put it on her; Hope sends Marlena to the hospital to check on everyone else and tells Jennifer she is not leaving her.  She says she is going to find a way to disarm this bomb herself.  

Orpheus forces John to make the money transfer he failed to make before.  He tells John he’s not just going to slither out of town and not kill him; he knows that’s what this is all about.  John just asks him to promise that he will leave afterward and not hurt anyone else; Orpheus tells him it’s too late for that.  He tells him he didn’t just plant the one bomb.  

Gabi calls JJ; she says Chad told her why he had to run out… just then, he sees Orpheus and tells him to drop the gun, as he pulls his – Orpheus shoots.  JJ falls to the ground, dropping his phone.  Gabi shouts out to him, asking if he is okay.  Marlena happens by and sees JJ; she puts pressure on his wound and tells him he is going to be fine.  Chad and Gabi decide to go out looking for JJ; Chad calls the PD to tell them they may have an officer down.  Steve is sneaking out of the hospital to go help John; Kayla tells him to be careful.  Orpheus wants John to understand how his children suffered at the loss of their mother and then rejected him, because John and the ISA painted him as some kind of evil monster.  John tells him his kids were better off without him; Orpheus tells him to get down on his knees, pointing the gun at his head, and asks if he is prepared to die.  

Meanwhile, Rafe employs the assistance of his father to help decide which wires Hope should pull to stop the bomb that is attached to Jennifer.  She stops it with 4 seconds on the clock; they get the vest off.  Rafe calls Hope; he tells her he loves her and she says she loves him too.  They agree to talk soon.  Jennifer thanks Hope for not leaving her.  As Orpheus is ready to pull the trigger, a click sounds behind him – Steve has a gun pointed at Orpheus’ head, and demands that he let John go.

10-17-2016 (Monday)

Gabi talks to Thomas, worrying about Ariana, when Chad walks in with her; Gabi grabs her baby girl and thanks Chad.  She tells Chad she is worried about JJ; he reassures her he will be fine, he is trained to deal with these kinds of things.  The alarm goes off; Thomas cries.  Chad assures Gabi every thing is okay; they compliment each other’s skills with the children.  Gabi talks about her relationship with JJ, how she never wanted to be dating a cop, and how Julie doesn’t like her (because of Nick) and now that she’s living at Jennifer’s, Gabi says, it’s just uncomfortable.  She reminds Chad that he also has to give himself a chance to love again; Gabi revels in the silence after the sirens stop.  Chad says he is very content, just sitting there with their kids, enjoying the silence together; Gabi says Abby would be proud that they have worked out their differences and become friends.  Chad tells her he is glad she is there.  They fall asleep leaning up against each other; Chad puts his arm around her.  

Hope tells Marlena that Rafe sent her over to help watch things; there is still looting going on all over.  Marlena says she is glad for the company; she can tell something is wrong and tells Hope she is there for her, anytime she wants to talk.  Hope thanks her.  Jennifer comes in with a box full of food; she says there are more in the car…the food drive was a success.  They compliment each other’s strength; they say they have a lot to live for, but Jennifer says she feels like they are sitting ducks waiting for Orpheus to make his next move.  Jennifer asks Hope about Aiden and his warped plan to get her back, telling her she cannot go along with this.  She asks why she would even consider it.  Jennifer tells Hope she won’t let her be with that man again; Hope tells her she has to protect Rafe – this is on her, and her alone, she says.  Jennifer says a judge and jury would feel differently; Hope says if she doesn’t play along, she’ll have to leave her daughter permanently.  Jennifer says she has to figure out a way out of this.  

John, Deimos and Nicole discuss their plan to catch Xander; Deimos claims they have him right where they want him, even though he is still out there.  He describes their meeting at the hotel, and his offer to give up Teresa Donovan; he says his nephew will be in for quite a shock once he realizes what’s in store for him.  Orpheus is getting agitated because Xander isn’t responding to his texts.  He thanks his man for his help planting the bombs and asks if he is clear on his mission; the man says yes.  Xander, holding a gun, says it’s time to “rock and roll.”  John goes to get Xander, thinking he has him in his sight, he tells him to drop his phone and put his hands up; a man, who is not Xander, turns around and says he was just trying to call his girl.  John tells him to get out of there; he calls to report that Xander is still at large.  

Deimos goes to meet him on the docks; he tells him that he will help him, but he wants him to work for him in his Greek compound – but the deal is that Victor, Brady, nobody can know about this deal.  Xander asks about Teresa; Deimos tells him that he was never going to let him have Teresa… and warns him that he better stay away from Nicole as well, or he’s a dead man.  He tells him his boat awaits, but before he gets on it, he has to do Deimos a favor; Deimos comes back to the mansion, with bruises all over his face, and a bloody lip.  He says Xander did it, but he’s gone…for good, he tells them.  He claims Xander learned it was a trap, so he met him at another pier (Pier 9); he said Xander got violent, and he shot and killed him, claiming Xander fell into the river.  Brady apologizes for not believing in Deimos; he said he greatly underestimated his genuine concern for their family.  He extends his hand for a handshake and thanks Deimos.  

Orpheus gets the call; everyone is right where they want them – Orpheus says, it’s showtime.  He calls John; John suggests he turn himself in.  Orpheus tells him they are exactly where he wants them, and tells John to look under the table in the center of the room to see for himself.  There is a bomb strapped to the table, with fifteen minutes on the timer, and counting down.

10-14-2016 (Friday)

So far, eight explosions have rang out all over town; Abe lies in his hospital bed, worrying because he can’t do anything about it.  He tells Theo he knows how hard it was to stand by and watch his mother slip away, but trying to take on Clyde Weston on his own was dangerous… the machines beep; Theo looks worried.  Abe tells him to promise he won’t take things into his own hands again; People at Club TBD are on the ground, coughing, some injured; Dario comes around the corner.  Eduardo is calling for help; he catches Dario as he collapses.  Sonny finds Paul, injured on the floor of John and Marlena’s house; Paul passes out.  Sonny calls 911 and gives him a few breaths (yay, writers!); Paul comes to, and Sonny is relieved.  Paul asks what he’s doing there; he says he just came by to check on him.  Paul looks happy for a moment, and then sees one of Will’s plaques on the wall and pulls away.  John arrives and offers to help get him to the hospital.  

Kayla is on the phone with the hospital; Steve is on the phone with Adrian… she’s concerned because she was on the phone with Sonny when she heard an explosion.  The kids, waiting at the hospital, offer to help with whatever they can; Blanca says they need more beds from the basement.  Eduardo takes Dario to the hospital; Dario asks why Eduardo is helping him, after what he did.  Eduardo says he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.  Dario confesses everything to his father; Eduardo tells him that was a serious mistake, but he wants him to forgive himself.  

Kayla asks Paul what happened; he says a bomb knocked over a tree and it fell on him… she orders x-rays.  Sonny offers to stay with him, but Paul tells him he’ll be fine.  Sonny stays by his side anyway; he falls asleep.  Kayla checks on Abe; she says the bullet fragment is on the move to his heart, which will cause significant damage.  He needs another operation as soon as this emergency is over; she asks him to stay still and as calm as possible.  He says he’d rather be out there; she says he is staying put.  Blanca bandages Dario’s chest; she calls him “bullheaded.”

Eduardo is feeling guilty about everything because the convicts being on the loose is his fault (from wrecking the prison van); Kate has a suspicion that he is not telling her something.  He tells her everything, and says it’s all his fault.  She tells him that he should talk to his kids.  Joey comes to get Paul for x-rays; he congratulates Sonny on saving Paul’s life and says it’s obvious that he cares about him.  He thinks they should be together.  Kayla asks Steve what it’s like out there; if there is more to come.  He tells her he just doesn’t know

10-13-2016 (Thursday) ARMAGEDDON LOOMS

Orpheus makes his plans to “rain fire down on Salem” – Clyde hears the baby crying over Adrian’s screams; Chad appears to be dead, or unconscious, on the floor.  Clyde makes his way to the baby’s room; he still hears the crying, walks to the crib and pulls back the covers… it’s a doll, and a recording of the baby crying.  He throws the doll and turns around to realize he is locked in the room.  Adrian tells Andre to untie her; she says this is not okay.  Andre says they had to be convincing; Lucas tells him he will always be convincing as a psycho killer.  JJ arrives; he tells everyone to stay downstairs.  Chad gets up and jokingly tells Andre he thinks he enjoyed shooting him a little too much; they all giggle.  John waits by the phone; Marlena tells him watching it won’t make it ring any faster.  She tries to assure him everything will work out, even though she’s worried that her profiling might not have been perfect.  He tells her she did a great job.  

Clyde is put in handcuffs and brought downstairs; he says, “well played” to everyone, but then starts mouthing off about how Chad better still watch his back.  He says Andre is going to sell him out; Andre offers a handshake, but Chad’s hands are covered in fake blood.  They both laugh.  Lucas calls John to give him the good news; he and Marlena are relieved.  Rafe tells Hope that he has overloaded Aiden with cases from all the arrests they’ve made lately; the idea being, the busier he is, the less time he has to bother her.  He says he is going to take Aiden down.  Hope sees a box on her desk; Aiden comes out, telling her to open it – it’s a dress.  She tells him she doesn’t want it; he tells her she is going to need it.  She asks him how he thinks this is going to work; he says she just needs to give it a chance.  He asks why she still has Rafe ‘hanging on.’  She tells him she broke it off with him, reminding him that she told him Rafe wouldn’t buy it.  

Kayla and Steve talk at the diner; she reaffirms her faith in him.  He promises he will always be there for her.  Andre gives Steve a call to tell him that Clyde is in custody; he asks how everyone is.  Andre says, fine thanks… he played the scorned brother well, he says.  Steve replies, “practice makes perfect.”  They both chuckle.  Andre tells him it’s his turn to do his part; Kayla hugs him and tells him to be careful.  He promises he’ll be back.  Kayla calls Chad and tells him to tell Andre thanks for her, which surprises Chad; he wishes her luck on their end.  Andre and Chad make a toast and drink champagne.  Aiden tells Hope she is going to have dinner with him, alone; she is resisting.  He gets even more adamant about it, and closer to her face, making her obviously uncomfortable.  Rafe notices and comes over; he asks what’s going on.  He tells Aiden to leave Hope alone, and says he better stop harassing her.  

Clyde is brought into the station; Rafe welcomes him back and takes him to get settled in the interrogation room.  Aiden tells Hope he can’t wait to see her tonight, in his room, reminding her to wear the dress.  Aiden goes in to question Clyde; he tells him he knows that bullet Abe took was meant for him… Hope saw the red dot on his chest; he tells Clyde that he will be in solitary confinement for a very, very long time.  Rafe questions Hope again about what’s going on with her and Aiden; she gets mad at him and tells him to back off because he’s only making it worse for her.  She tells him to let her do this; Aiden smirks in the background.  Orpheus meets a man, giving him a bag (full of bombs I guess) with a map, directions and timing in case he forgets – he tells him “that is Armageddon in installments” and says he better not mess it up.  John calls Orpheus, on Clyde’s phone; Orpheus is surprised to hear John’s voice and hangs up.  John calls back; Orpheus tells him he is not turning himself in.  John says he knows that; he offers to meet him, himself, with the money.  Orpheus tells him to meet him at Pier 28, alone, in twenty minutes.  Marlena looks frightened for John; he promises to be home in time for dinner.  

Gabi shows up with a clean shirt, as Chad is talking to Thomas; he thanks her.  She goes to leave and he tells her she can’t go; it’s not safe – he tells her to call her boyfriend, see if he agrees.  They bet fifty dollars; she loses.  He offers her a glass of champagne; they hear an explosion.   John and Steve are on the docks; another explosion…Kayla and Marlena run for cover in the diner.

10-12-2016 (Wednesday)

I can’t tell if Nicole looks regretful ‘the morning after’ or not; Deimos is on the phone.  He apologizes for the conversation; she says business is business.  He asks if she’s alright; she says, surprisingly, yes – she tells him that she is ready to embrace a new life, but needs to leave the house, though (to get the closure she needs on her old life).  He assigns a guard to go with her; she sneaks out without the guard.  Someone grabs her shoulder in the park; it’s the guard.  He holds out her jacket.  She explains to him that she needs to do something that is very personal and she needs him to leave her alone.  Nicole goes to Daniel’s grave; she tells him she’s scared.  He always knew when she was and made her feel safe; to give someone else a chance to do that means she has to find a way to say goodbye to him.  She takes off her engagement ring and lays it on his headstone.  Behind her, Xander knocks out her guard; he tells her not to worry because she will be joining Daniel very soon.  Nicole tells Xander he better be careful; she didn’t think he was stupid, she says.  She tells him that she can arrange for ransom and safe passage out of Salem; taking her phone out of her purse, she continues to talk about the Xander she knew and how well she knows his uncle.  She says he’s on speed-dial, adding, he can have him out of there in no time.  Xander tells Deimos he wants money and tells him what he expects him to do.  

Teresa stares at a picture; Brady sits down.  They joke a little about their life, who Tate looks like, discuss their need to still get married; lighthearted discussion, given the circumstances.  They kiss.  Brady asks her what is stopping them from getting married right now.  She reminds him of the three convicts running around; he says they won’t invite them… he says they have the license.  He always has his higher power with him, he says (cute) and the only other things you need are a bride and a groom (unofficially, I suppose).  He prepares for a mock-wedding in the bedroom.  They say vows and kiss.  

Clyde sneaks into the mansion behind Chad; then pulls his gun and demands the baby.  Chad questions how he got into the mansion; Andre steps into the doorway and says, “he had a little help from his friends.”  Chad does not look surprised.  Andre tells him he despises him, a little twit who took the empire his father built without doing anything to earn it; Chad tells Clyde he has made phone calls and everyone knows about his plan – and he adds that Clyde will never find his son.  Lucas and Adrian hold hands, vowing to keep Thomas safe (no indication as to where they are).  Clyde tells Chad that Ben’s insanity is his fault; he says he pushed him over the edge because he couldn’t stay away from Abigail.  Chad screams at him about his psychopathic son and Clyde slaps him across the face, telling him not to sneer at his son; Chad stands up and tells Clyde he’s not sneering at Ben… he pities him, for having him as a father… he says, “I sneer at YOU.”  

Clyde mocks Chad, because his brother cut all the wires; enter, Andre – he has Lucas and Adrian (guess they were just hiding in a room); he says they won’t tell him where the baby is.  He demands to  know where the baby is; Adrian says he is safe and she would rather die than give him two minutes with him.  As Clyde is trying to convince them to change their mind, a shot rings out; Andre shot Chad!  Clyde gets pissed, saying, “he was mine.”  Andre insists Chad was coming up from behind him.  Deimos brings money and a passport, private freighter headed to Greece and an itinerary to the room where Xander is holding Nicole.  As an added incentive, Deimos offers Xander the chance to pay back Teresa Donovan; as Xander reaches out to shake his hand, Nicole jumps up to stop him.  Nicole tells him if she does this, she will hate him forever; she turns to run, a guard stands at the door… Deimos puts a cloth over her mouth and she passes out.  Xander asks how he is going to explain this to Nicole; Deimos says it doesn’t matter.  He tells Xander this safe passage is for him and him only; Xander says the other two have their own agenda.  

Clyde appears to have found Thomas, as Chad lies bleeding on the floor; Adrian is screaming

10-11-2016 (Tuesday)

Clyde is tired of waiting; he says he is going to settle some scores, kill Chad DeMira and grab that baby before this day is out.  Xander is getting anxious too; he says maybe he can create a diversion for Orpheus to do his thing.  Orpheus and Clyde exchange some nasty words; Clyde leaves and tells Orpheus to take care now.  

Andre is on the phone again, asking if “it” is ready… but whom is he talking to?  He tells them Chad knows nothing about this and he wants to keep it that way.  Gabi talks to Paul at the diner; they talk about Joeys rescue, and the shootout debacle on the pier.  They agree that now is not the time for friends to be fighting.  Chad fills Lucas and Adrian in on ‘the plan’ and their part in it; he says these guys will blow the whole plan up, unless they get to them first.  Chad tells them that Clyde will kill anybody who gets in his way; he tells them this will probably go down soon, they need to get ready.  They tell Chad they will stand with him; they are not leaving him alone with Thomas.  Aidrian puts Thomas down to sleep.  

Gabi and Paul call Chad and Sonny to the diner, to talk; Gabi insists that they work things out – she tells Chad to start trusting himself and stop listening to Andre.  She reminds them both, what good friends they are and says they can’t let business come between them.  Paul agrees.  Chad apologizes to Sonny and they hug; Sonnys says everything is going to be all right.  

Andre surprises Clyde; he tells him he has a business proposition for him. At gunpoint, Clyde tells Andre to start talking.  Andre hesitates, which makes Clyde think he’s lying; Andre proceeds to tell him he can’t afford to pass on this opportunity, but he wants him to put the gun down.  Andre tells him he could get somebody else just as capable to work for him – and offers to help Clyde grab the baby if he’ll consider it.  Clyde listens; Andre tells him he was lucky to cross his path, saying this way there is no risk for him (well almost).  Andre promises him a payment when the job is done.

Hope talks to Jennifer; she tells her of Aiden’s demands.  Jennifer is stunned; Hope says she doesn’t know how to handle this.  Jennifer tells her they will figure things out and hugs her.  Rafe brings a huge box of files into Aiden’s office and tells him that Roman says they need his personal attention; cases on all the looting and other crimes that have happened since the power went out.  Aiden tells Rafe trying to keep him busy, won’t keep him away from Hope.  He tells Rafe he will be making Hope dance in the sheets for the rest of her life (what a weird thing to say); Rafe tells him to get busy because there’s another box after that one, and then another, and another.  

In the square, Sonny thanks Paul for his part in getting him and Chad to talk; he says he was glad to.  Paul brings up Will and Sonny immediately gets angry with him; he tells him to shut the hell up.  Then he apologizes, explaining plans he had to take his daughter to the cemetery, which he had to cancel today because of the danger (why take a little girl like that to the cemetery?); he tells Paul he has to go.

10-10-2016 (Monday)

Nicole and Deimos watch the news; she tells him how many bad memories talking to Marlena brought back.  She is nervous with Xanderr still on the loose; Deimos assures her she is safe (and with power thanks to his generator).  He talks her into staying the night.  They start making out there in the living room; Brady walks in.  They apologize; Brady says it’s okay.  He tells Nicole it was nice to see that smile on her face; she admits, she is happy.  Kayla fusses over Joey, glad to have him home; he refuses to stay at the hospital, insisting on going with them.  

John and Marlena talk about all the years they lost with each other because of Orpheus, and how grateful they are to be together; he promises they will stop him this time, for good.  Once Kayla and Steve arrive, Marlena reviews her completed profiles with them; Orpheus, she says is the most dangerous.  They determine that the best thing to do is to flush these men out of hiding and bring them onto their own turf.  They determine that they have to bring everybody together on this; anyone who is a target of these three.  

Teresa is over-stressed with the baby not sleeping through the night; she snaps at Brady about being there, with everybody, jumping at every noise, and feeling not pretty with spit-up all over her shirt.  Brady looks concerned.  After going to take care of the baby again, she starts complaining about how Victor treats her; Brady makes her smile by complimenting her.  Just as they start to get romantic, they get a call from John.  Kate talks to Lucas (her son), mostly about her despise for most of the people in Salem; says, she is fond of Chad…and Andre.  Lucas tells Kate she should go to Europe to live with Austin, but asks her to at least consider moving in with Philip at the Kiriakis mansion, or coming to stay with him at the DeMira mansion.  She agrees to go there with him for now.  Andre talks to Chad about the business, offering some other sleezy opportunities; Chad refuses to go against his principals, even though he (sort of) already has.  He justifies that move as “one questionable transaction.”  He tells Andre he is still in command.  

John goes to talk to Brady, while Marlena goes to talk with Deimos and Nicole.  Steve and Kayla go to Chad’s to talk to him and Kate about Clyde; they want to use Kate to lure him in.  Kate takes offense to being offered up as “bait.”  They tell her they all have to do their part.  Chad reads a bedtime story to Thomas and vows to do everything in his power to keep him safe; Kate is started by Andre when she returns to the Kiriakis mansion he asks to know what’s going on and she tells him it doesn’t concern him.  He mumbles that he will find out soon.  John and Steve head out to initiate the first step of their plan.

10-07-2016 (Friday) JOEY RESCUED!

Chad runs into Sonny in the square and Sonny is pissed; he tells Chad they have nothing left to talk about – he says he wouldn’t listen to him – he’s returning the favor.  Chad tells him the last thing he wanted to do was betray him; Sonny says, if it really was, he wouldn’t have done it.  He tells Chad to stay out of his sight; Chad says he knows where to find him.  Sonny finds Paul at a table in the square and offers to get them coffee.  He talks to Paul about his conflict with his family; he thanks him for believing in him, saying it really means a lot.  He decides to go get food; Paul seems entranced because Sonny touched his arm.  

Ciara tells Theo she is worried about what he has in his bag; he says it’s going to make everything better.  Ciara tells him he could put Joey’s, or his own, life in danger.  Final plans are set for Joey’s rescue; the men are ready to head out.  The convicts select who they each ‘get to kill’ and make their final plans as well.  Xander tries to start an argument; Orpheus tells him and Clyde that they need to table their fight and get their heads in the game.  Weston tells Xander he is going after Thomas, and asks if they are good; Xander shakes his head.  Kayla is still concerned about their safety; Steve promises her everything is going to be fine.  Ciara begs Theo to stay out of it; he says his dad could die.  She tells him he’s not thinking straight – he makes an off the wall autism joke, saying he never thinks straight.  Cute.  She tells him not to say that and agrees to leave with him.

Nicole comes to see Marlena at Victor’s mansion; she talks about Xander – when she mentions that he always wanted Victor’s approval, Marlena looks at Victor.  He says, “what?”  He says it’s not his fault Xander turned out to be a looser; he admits he never tried to be a father figure to him.  Nicole says this IS his fault, telling him, “you created a monster.”  Scenes of Xander and Victor’s past play, and fade into Xander’s angry face in remembrance.  Victor refuses to accept any blame and tells Nicole to shut up.  Marlena intervenes and quiets them; she excuses herself.  Victor stops Nicole as she tries to leave; he explains his reasoning.

John waits at the park, with a bag; Orpheus enters the gate, also carrying a bag.  John asks where Joey is; Orpheus says he’s in a safe location.  He’ll be released once the transfer is made; John says he wants proof Joey’s alive… Orpheus makes a video call; they each pull out their computers – Paul, keeping watch via computer at the diner, says he’s been online long enough to locate him; they can find Joey.  Paul tells him to keep him online; John stalls by telling Orpheus he is having trouble connecting to the server.  

Steve and JJ arrive at the warehouse and can see Joey; Steve thinks he could take him out from there.  They wonder where Xander is; Theo walks in with his gun pointed at Clyde; Clyde grabs it from him, but it’s enough of a distraction that Steve and JJ can get down the stairs.  Clyde runs out the door; the boys are safe.  Orpheus and John pull a gun on each other, when he doesn’t finish the transfer; there is a momentary standoff and then Orpheus leaves.

10-06-2016 (Thursday)

Ciara is worried about the way Theo took off from the hospital; he hasn’t shown up anywhere (though it just showed us, Theo, sitting in the park, thinking and deciding he is going after these guys himself).  Roman assures Ciara that they will find him.  Orpheus sits and works on a crossword puzzle, while Clyde Weston talks, pretty much to himself, about his regrets and his hopes for the future; he mentions some lament for shooting Abe Carver, remembering that he had a kid of his own (who wasn’t quite right).  Theo walks into the warehouse; the men hear a noise.  Someone grabs Theo’s shoulder; it’s Roman.  Roman chews him out for ditching his protection and asks what he thinks he is doing; Theo says he was just upset and wanted to walk alone.  Roman calls Jennifer and tells her to tell Ciara they are headed to the station; Ciara heads that way, with her security.  When she gets to the station, Theo shows her a gun he has; he tells her he is not afraid of these men and he is going to stop them.  

Rafe asks Hope what she means by ‘they need to take a break’ – she says she is just overwhelmed right now by everything; she needs time to think.  Rafe doesn’t buy it.  He tells her she is a really terrible liar and demands she tell him what’s really going on.  She insists that she just really needs some time alone – he tells her not to lie to him anymore; he suggests Aiden is making her do this.  She breaks down and admits that he’s right; she doesn’t tell him the whole story though.  She tells him he can’t help, except by leaving this alone.  She begs him to back off; Rafe realizes Aiden knows he covered for Hope and understands she is trying to protect him.  He kisses her and tells her he loves her; she says she knows.  That’s what is making this so difficult; she leaves the room.

Hope goes to Jennifer’s and tells her that she broke up with Rafe; Jennifer says she doesn’t understand.  Hope asks her just not to judge; she says she would never…she is on her side.  They hug.  Marlena talks to Kate about Clyde Weston; she wants to get into his head a little more and Kate knows him better than anybody.  Marlena thanks Chad for his time; Kate asks if doing this psychological profile is going to help find Clyde – she says she doesn’t know, but it’s all she can do.  Kate talks about business being a distraction for Chad.  She sits down and recalls her earlier interactions with Clyde, his demands and the first time he got physical with her.  Chad tells Kate he is still having a hard time with the decision he made to acquire DeMira holdings.  Kate tells him he can’t start feeling bad about it now.  

Aiden talks to Andre, who taunts him about his love for Hope.  Aiden tries to walk away and Andre stops him in his tracks with the mere mention of blackmail.  He runs off the list of problems Aiden has lingering over his head; Aiden tells him he is not privy to his personal life.  Andre tells Aiden he’s not squimmish about saying the word blackmail, like he is.  Aiden warns him to leave him alone.  Andre speaks on the phone with somebody who is waiting to make their appearance in town.  Rafe shows up at Aiden’s door and the second Aiden opens it, he punches him right in the face!  Aiden tells Rafe that Hope is going to be with him, whether he likes it or not.  Rafe says he’ll have to kill him first; Aiden tells Rafe not to tempt him.  He tells Rafe to leave before he brings him up on police brutality charges, or worse.

10-05-2016 (Wednesday)

John and Steve wait for a ransom call; Marlena offers her advice about Orphius’ psyche.  She talks about why he kidnapped her all those years ago, what his motivation was and what saved her; Steve says he is sure Joey is smart enough to keep himself alive.  John assures Kayla that Orphius has to keep Joey alive, too, because he’s his ticket to twenty million dollars (which he won’t see a cent of if Joey isn’t safe).  Kayla still insists that there is no guarantee she will ever see her son again.  Joey tries to connect with Orphius when pictures of children fall from his coat pocket.  He talks about how he despised his dad when he first came back; but gave him another chance after all.  He suggests maybe Orphius could have another chance with his kids.  

Abe is still in critical condition, but he is still conscious; he asks Kayla if he is going to make it or not.  Theo waits to see him; he is nervous.  Ciara tries to comfort him, but Claire comes running in and jumps into his arms; they talk about how they missed each other and how worried he was about her.  Ciara looks disappointed.  Theo goes in; Abe thanks him for holding his hand last night and tells him he knew he was there, even though he was out of it.  He tells Theo how proud he is of him; Theo says this should not have happened to him.  He gets upset and leaves; the girls are surprised when they find Theo is already gone.  

At the station, Rafe gets a call and Hope gets a bouquet of flowers, with a note demanding her appearance for a “date” in a hotel room.  Creepy.  She goes; he waits there to talk to her about the move to Oregon… she scoffs at the idea, especially when he suggests Ciara might come with them.  She gets good and angry and tells him to go ahead and push her; he committed a crime too – she tells him, if he keeps this up, she will make sure everyone knows that Chase shot his mother dead.  Interesting.  He says she has no proof; she says he told her himself.  He covered it up; he says he destroyed any evidence of that night.  What he has, he says, could send her and others to prison for the rest of their lives; think about it, he tells her.  Rafe calls.  She makes up a story about following a lead; tells him she will be back soon.  Aiden continues harping on her about covering up Steffano’s murder, telling her even if she doesn’t want to save herself, she needs to consider whether she really wants to destroy Roman and Rafe’s lives as well.  She recalls when she went to his beach house; and a cryptic note she found from his dead wife.  She leaves in tears.  

She comes into the office and snaps at Rafe when he tries to get food for her to eat; he apologizes for upsetting her.  She says she’s sorry; she blames it on no sleep.  He tells her its okay; she tells him she just is so confused, she doesn’t know who she is anymore.  She tells him they need to take a break all of the sudden; Rafe is stunned.

10-04-2016 (Tuesday)

Teresa comes into the mansion to find Philip, Brady Sonny, Justin and Deimos all working together; on phones with investors, going through financial records.  She asks if Titan has relocated its offices; they cite the power outage as their reason for being there.  Deimos escorts her back to the door, telling her they need to be left alone.  Chad is appalled when Kate suggests that they bring Andre back into the company (because he knows the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of the family business – and he’s family).  Chad scoffs at the suggestion that their family means anything to Andre, or anyone else, as corrupt as they have always been.  He stresses that he is trying to clean up the company; he says he can’t be watching Andre all the time.  

Kate says she will take full responsibility; then Andre chimes in, offering to leave willingly if Chad is at all disappointed in his performance.  Despite his strong objection at first, Chad concedes in the end; Andre is back in the family business.  Now, Andre tells Chad he knows Belle returned half of the money her sister stole; adding that he is entitled to half the money… he says, as a sign of good faith, he wants Chad to take that money and reinvest it into the company.  Chad likes that idea. Andre then suggests a new form of capital, going after the Kariakis holdings down on docks (sounds crooked as hell); Chad declines the suggestion. Kate pressures him to reconsider.  She tells Chad that the company actually owes a lot more debt than he knows about.  When he asks why he wasn’t told, she says they just didn’t want to burden him; Andre supposedly knows all about it.  He asks how much debt they owe, and Kate claims that they will probably be filing bankruptcy within the next six months unless they do something else now.  Chad doesn’t like the idea.  Justin tells the others that all the looting is causing increased surveillance down at the docks.  That is interfering with business.

JJ and Dario are following a lead; they hear something – they split up.  Gabi is walking with a customer, to get some jewels to be transported for a showing; With PRIVATE PROPERTY signs posted all over the place, they stroll right up to a locker, not noticing the two obvious-looking thugs right behind them.  After they unlock the door, the one thanks them for making their job a whole lot easier. Gabi recognizes him; the guy who tried to grab her in the park.  She pulls out her pepper spray again and tells them not to even try.  They make a move and Gabi sprays them both, but the one manages to grab onto her again anyway; her associate gets away.  JJ comes to the rescue, with his gun pulled; the man lets go of Gabi and runs the other direction… straight into Dario, who appears to know him.  

Philip and Brady fight; Philip says all of this is Brady’s fault for being so impulsive last week; he somehow blames the whole black-out on Brady.  Deimos steps in, saying, Brady’s decision last week might have been misguided, but it was out of a desire to help this family.  Sonny and Justin, as the only officially employed members of the family by the company, say they will be ‘the face’ of the company; Deimos gets a call that he says makes matters even worse.  JJ tells Justin that he is positive Chad doesn’t know anything about it going on at the docks right now; he says he wouldn’t allow it.  He’s right; Chad doesn’t know... he says it would be completely unethical.  However, Andre and Kate have something already well under way.  Why Chad ever thought he could trust Kate, I don’t know; and he knows he can’t trust Andre… why are the writers doing this?  Later, Sonny and Chad talk; Sonny asks why they are looking into the shipping industry when DeMira Enterprises has so many other avenues.  He begs Chad, in the name of their friendship, not to make a move on Kiriakis holdings. 

Teresa calls her sister, complaining about being shoved out of the meeting by Deimos; she says Deimos was being really mean to Brady and Brady was standing up for himself – and he didn’t defend her when Deimos was roughly showing her the way out earlier.  Eve tells her she should go back over there and tell them that she has just as much right to be at that meeting as they do; Teresa agrees.  Just as Philip is berating Brady for his impulsive actions on the docks last week, Teresa comes in and asks how dare they… she chews them out pretty good, sticking up for Brady, saying he’s done more than any of them.  

The bad buy tells on Dario; Gabi is pissed.  He explains that he did it to make their father look bad, so he would leave town – she’s even more pissed.  She tells him to get out of her sight; he says he’s sorry.  Andre tells Chad the ‘power players’ down on the docks are looking for a change; they are interested in DeMira Enterprises taking control (what exactly does this family business do?).  All Andre needs is for Chad to give him the word, he says.  Regardless of the fact that Sonny is his oldest and dearest friend (and irregardless of how unethical all this is, as he was just protesting earlier), Chad decides at the end of the day that he has to do what is best for Thomas; he tells them to make it happen.

10-03-2016 (Monday) GET READY!

Aiden calls Hope and demands that she meet with him; in order to avoid him causing a scene at the PD, she agrees.  At the park, he plays her the recording on his phone; she looks a little scared.  He asks how she could let Monahan, an innocent man, sit in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.  She argues he wasn’t innocent; he had committed other crimes.  Aiden explains, he knew it wouldn’t be easy to catch her, but that recording is enough to take this to the grand jury.  Its over, he tells her… there is no way out.  He says he can’t believe she lied to him…she reminds him that he lied to her several times.  She is somewhat dumbfounded and asks if she is talking into a microphone.  Aiden says, no, he is not recording…”it’s just me,” he tells her, asking what happened.  She admits to shooting Steffano and tells him her story; she cries.

Claire comes running into the PD.  John, Roman, Hope and Rafe are there; Hope leaves.  Marlena n Kayla show up; they ask about Joey… no sign of him; Steve promises Kayla they are going to find him.  John/Marlena take Claire home; they tell her they are not going to be mad, they were too worried, so Claire gets mad for them, says she should have, and shouldn’t have, etc.  Kayla and Steve go home.  Kayla calls to check on Abe – there has been no change.  Steve promises her Joey will come home; saying, hang on with me.  She sobs in his arms as they sit together on the couch.  

Chloe has the doctor run another DNA test; she says she understands now, but nothing is revealed to us.  Philip comes in, says he’s confused; reminds her that he once thought Parker was his son, and had him taken away.  How could she so this to him again, he asks..  All he needs is the truth, he says, and he will still help her. She says no… and ‘sets him free.’  She tells him she also wants out of the recording contract…if he lets her out, they can handle the public “break-up” any he wants.  She says she cares for him so much, she cant drag him into this drama.  He reminds her he volunteered.  She says she cant let him; sorry.  

Deimos meets with Nicole for diner; he tells her something came up – the rest of world still turning, after all.  He leaves and meets Dario; Nicole follows him and  overhears them talking about breaking into Chloe’s apartment and finding the appointment date and time.  Dario leaves.  Nicole confronts Deimos.  What happened, she wants to know, to “being straight” with her?  They go back to the diner; she asks how he could pay off a friend of hers to spy on Chloe.  Deimos claims he didn’t take pleasure in it; that’s still not okay, she tells him.  He calls her out for following him. Self defense, she says.  Deimos tells her he doesn’t want to fight. Chloe comes in; walks over,to talk to Nicole. Nicole makes Deimos confess first…he says he’s sorry.  Chloe first says she is going to call the cops; Nicole stops her…they talk.  In all fairness, she says, Deimos thought she was lying –and she was.  Nicole says she knows how it feels to lose a child you thought you were going to have.  Chloe tells her she is going to move back to New York; they promise to stay in touch, and hug goodbye.  Deimos comes back and Nicole fills him in; he says he can’t believe Philip is going to let her take the baby away – Nicole says, it’s just for now.  

Aiden tells Hope he’s not going to do anything to her; he’ll close the case, he’s not pursuing it; he won’t turn over the recording on his phone.  Hope questions, what - they go on like none of it happened?  Aiden says, he didn’t say that.  What he wants, he says, is her…as he touches her necklace.  She tells him she will turn herself in right now, rather than be with him again – and asks, “why would you want woman who doesn’t love you”?  You did love me, he answers.  She says he didn’t really love her; it was a job… but he says he fell in love with her, and has never stopped loving her since.  She looks even more horrified than before.  

He goes on about talking how things could be…and asks for another chance.  She says she gave him another chance, when he came back, and he lied to her; she tells him they are over.  He sternly tells her not to ever say that, shaking his finger in her face.  He says he can’t just step aside for someone like Rafe; then he starts to plead his case, telling her he knows he can make her happy – he says they WILL be together again, that much he knows.  Hope asks how he can possibly say that.  His reply; because if it doesn’t come to that, she, Rafe and Roman will all be sitting in prison… wishing she had made a different decision.  He says, that’s how he knows it will happen, and walks away.  Oh my God.  She is obviously sickened.

Marlena hugs John, happy that Claire is home; tells him that she feels so bad for Kayla, though, adding “she must be in crisis mode.”  Steve assures Kayla they will get Joey back.. Rafe calls Hope… has a lead; a possible Xander sighting to check out, and from there he is going to warehouse, to see if he can find anything on Joey; says, if she’d like to join him, meet him there.  If not, he says, it’s okay; he tells her to be careful.

09-30-2016 (Friday): SALEM UNDER SEIGE

The residents watch in horror as their Mayor is gunned down in front of them after finishing his speech; Theo is terrified that his dad has been shot.  Hope sees a red beam of light on Aiden’s shirt just before Abe steps out from behind the podium; Abe wasn’t the target – Aiden was!  Damn...too bad he missed.  Clyde packs up his gun and gets out of the hotel room as fast as possible; the guys stand there with their guns pointed up at the window where the shot came from; John realizes he’s lost his phone.  When he sees it, the signal is going off from Claire’s necklace.  Rafe keeps aim while Kayla and Marlena try to help Abe; sirens can be heard coming down the road.  Abe is having trouble breathing; Ciara holds onto Theo as he begins to panic, curled up in a ball.  John and Steve decide to leave, to look for the shooter.  

Rafe and JJ enter the building, but when they get to the room, the shooter is gone; Rafe finds a shell casing from a sniper rifle.  He makes a guess it was Weston.  Abe is brought into the hospital, Theo right behind him; Marlena assures Theo, whatever happens, they will get through this.  Steve and John follow the signal and show up at the warehouse; they get close to it and lose the signal… Xander saw Joey holding the necklace and Orphius discovered the GPS chip.  Gunshots ring out and are returned.  

As Hope and Rafe review the footage of the shooting, JJ comes in and announces that “Mr. Jennings” was the actual target.  A camera captured the red light on Aiden’s chest.  Hope, of course, already knew this.  Rafe tells her that he noticed Aiden lean over and say something to her that seemed to upset her – she claims not to remember what it was.  Theo calls his brother and sister; he sits down by Ciara and tells her how close he is to his dad, since his mom died, it’s been just them.  He is nervous that the surgery is taking so long; Kayla said the bullet exploded on impact and went everywhere.  Kayla tells Theo that his dad made it through surgery, but that there’s a very real chance that he could still die, if any part of the bullet embedded into the heart.  Marlena recalls the confrontation with Orphius before he grabbed Claire; she tells Kayla, she keeps seeing Claire’s face… she was so frightened.  They agree they cannot give up. 

Orphius steps out and Claire (who has worked her ropes off rubbing them on the back of the chair) and Joey (who apparently wasn’t really tied to his chair) jump up and tackle Xander; Joey shoves Claire out the door and Xander grabs him, knocking him over the head with the butt of a gun.  Theo now sits by his father’s bedside and recalls a conversation they had about Ciara, his father’s dislike of her and how he stood up for her – he told him she wasn’t a bad influence on him, he was a good influence on her.  His father looked at him and told him he just realized that he was actually now a young man, not so much in need of his protection anymore.  He reaches out and takes his father’s hand; Ciara watches through the window.  Aiden tries to confront Hope again, but is interrupted by Claire running in and hugging her grandmother.

09-29-2016 (Thursday)

Police are heavily patrolling the square; a man asks the officer talking with Aiden for an escort to “the box.”  Aiden recalls his conversation at the PD with Hope and Rafe, their denial, and his smug confidence about the false evidence… and then about going back for his hidden phone that was recording their conversation.  Meanwhile, Hope and Rafe are getting lectured by Abe for not having captured the convicts; Rafe says, with all due respect, that they are working around the clock and trying as hard as they can.  Abe says, then this is not going to end well—especially for the hostages.  He then apologizes for being insensitive, offering Hope the chance to step back because Claire is family; Hope declines, saying she will be on top of it.  Rafe hugs her; Aiden looks at them through the window from the hall.  

Steve tells Kayla she needs to rest; she says she isn’t going to rest until the kids are back in town and safe.  She wants to be strong and be there to hold Joey in her arms when he gets back.  Marlena tells John that Claire is smart and will figure out a way to lead him to her and Joey.  He tells Marlena that he had a talk with Claire; and he gave her a necklace that has a transponder that will go straight to his cell phone to tell him where she’s at.  Xander worries now that the two child-hostages will be more trouble than they are worth; saying they will slow them down.  Claire mouths off a little, and Milo/Orphius pulls the gun on her; he tells her she better keep her mouth shut.  She, without fear, says he doesn’t know what he is in for because her grandpa John will outsmart him.  Orphius tells Xander that he is going out to prepare for “the press conference this afternoon.” Xander inquires about Clyde and is told that he has his own errand to attend to; Clyde is in an alley, picking up a suitcase, with guns in it (or one big-ass gun that needs assembling). It looks to be in six different pieces.  

Ciara and Theo talk about Claire and Joey; they both admit they are worried about them.  She inquires about his feelings for Claire, but then admits that it’s kind of trivial, assuring him that they will be fine.  Theo says he can’t imagine how scared they are; Ciara responds that she knows exactly how terrifying it can be.  John comes to get Steve; he asks if he is ready for this.  Steve lifts his coat, revealing a firearm, and says he’s ready.  Kayla and Marlena go with them.  Clyde is in a motel room somewhere looking over what he says is “perfect” as he stands in the window, looking at the view – he holds up the rifle.

Aiden corners Hope in the file room, and tells her they need to go somewhere quiet to talk.  She says no, and loudly says it again; Rafe hears and steps in the room.  Aiden tells him this is personal between he and Hope; Rafe tells Aiden that he’s going to make it personal between he and him if he doesn’t back OFF.  Hope exits the room; he steps back away from Aiden’s face, and walks off, telling him to leave her alone.  Hope tells Rafe that she doesn’t know what Aiden is trying to do; she can’t imagine that he still thinks there’s anything between them.  Rafe assures her, she always has him and they shouldn’t worry about Aiden.  Aiden watches them walk out the door.  

The mayor (Abe) holds a press conference; warning the public of the danger and encouraging them to remember the pride they have for their city… not to be pilfering or playing vigilante.  Orphius breaks into the broadcast; he shows the kids tied up to chairs, has Claire plead for her grandparents to help them, and makes their demands for money and transportation out of the country, threatening chaos and terror to spread across Salem like a plague, if the demands are not met.  Abe tries to offer reassurance to the residents of Salem.  Joey finally presses the necklace, which he fell over with his chair to pick up off of the floor (he’s been holding it for quite a while; why they waited so long, only the writers know).  

While still in front of the cameras, Aiden steps over next to Hope when Rafe walks away to take a call, and he whispers to her that he KNOWS she killed Steffano DeMira.  A shot rings out; Abe is shot (Theo crawls to him)… panic ensues in the square.