Thriller

If Rafe has jealousy issues over exes, Sami Brady might not be the best match for him. Girl's got a list longer than pretty much anyone in Salem.

Happy Halloween! It's that time of year when ghost and goblins make out with their girlfriend's best friend and reveal themselves as long-lost sons. Is there a better holiday? I think not. And while the first four days last week may have been a bit scary in the storyline department, Friday more than made up for it with a spectacular Salem Halloween party. Let's start the festivities now!

RAFE, AUSTIN, and SAMI So, part of me sees where Rafe was coming from. I get mad when my husband invites friends over for drinks at our house before I've had a chance to put out my company candles and stash the laundry in the spare bedroom. But that doesn't seem to be the whole issue with ol' Rafe.

Rafe "I'm all about family" Hernandez was mad that Sami wouldn't kick her brother-in-law out of the house. Yes, yes, I know. Rafe was ticked because of the history between Austin and Sami. But the problem is that if he knows that Sami used to love Austin, then he must know that Austin picked Carrie over Sami every single time.

And it's that point that really makes me grumpy with the way Rafe flirted with Carrie in front of Sami. He was intentionally trying to tap into Sami's insecurities and punish her with them, and he did so with malice. Honestly, if Rafe has jealousy issues over exes, Sami Brady might not be the best match for him. Girl's got a list longer than pretty much anyone in Salem.

Finally, can we all agree that Rafe got himself fired? Rafe was the one who broke the rules, and it doesn't matter who tipped off the D.A. (My money is on any one of the officers who turned a blind eye while John got his face beaten in.) Rafe blaming someone else is bogus. Would he sue McDonald's for hot coffee too?

MARLENA I loved Marlena's scene with Will where she joked with him about calling her "grandma." These two could have a very interesting relationship, and I'm anxious to see more. Deidre Hall's giggle is terribly charming, and the more she can bring it out, the better! Marlena is delightful with Will.

Such is not the case with Brady and Sami. Apparently they both need to read Marlena's authored self-help book, How to be the Perfect Child: The Story of Carrie and Belle. At one point, Marlena even admonished Sami for not bringing her children over to see John, which really isn't Sami's fault, as Caroline probably has a hard time driving right now.

All joking aside, if Marlena had listened to Sami, she would learn that Sami thinks Stefano could be behind all of this too. Sami isn't questioning John's moral code. She's just pointing out that it's 100% possible for John to be under mind control, since, well, that's happened to John at least a dozen times before. Sami named her son after John, so we're clearly not talking about the bratty kid Sami anymore. So, I wish Marlena would give her daughter the same benefit of the doubt that she gives her husband.

JOHN Call me a jerk, but I see where Sami and Austin are coming from. John's brain has been Stefano's playground for the better part of two decades, and it's not out of the question for John to be under Stefano's control again. In fact, I think he's still suffering from some mental health issues. How else can one explain the "exercises" that John does in the living room?

Furthermore, John didn't do himself any favors when he took off his ankle monitor, sneaked past his guard, acquired a Halloween costume, showed up at public party, and took his mask off in said public setting multiple times. I'm not saying that the real John isn't a stand-up dude. I'm just wondering if John Black DiMera is completely out of John's system. MELANIE, ABIGAIL, and CHAD Remember a few months ago when all Will and Gabi did was talk about Rafe and Sami's love life? Yah, that sucked. I'd like it very much if Mel and Abigail found something other to do than talk about their parents' love life. And if that means a love triangle, I'll accept it. I'm not overly attached to Chad and Abigail as a couple. For the most part, I like all three characters, so let's see where this goes.

To be clear, I don't think that Melanie set out to steal Chad. We've seen what happens when Melanie sets her sights on a fella before, and subtle is not her tactic. (See: Kiriakis, Philip) However, she let that kiss go on way too long for me to dub her innocent here. Furthermore, she didn't have someone floating around the party who should have been kissing her. It's not like Dario is still in town or anything. Mel has some explaining to do. A sentence that sounds something like, "Abigail, I'm sorry that I was such a jerky hosebeast for kissing your boyfriend" would be appropriate about now.

SONNY Um, what the hell is going on with Sonny's hair? Am I too old to think it's attractive? Is it because I still have a horrible reaction to anything resembling a bowl cut? Is Sonny just a big Dumb and Dumber fan? I know I should be more worried that someone is using their site for illegal gambling, but daaaaaaang, that hair is ridiculous! Right?

JENNIFER, DANIEL, and JACK I think that both pairs have merit. And I think that all three actors are doing a fine job with the material. I just can't get past the fact that this storyline is just, well, really silly. Jennifer's going to casually date one man that she married and another that she was going to move in with? Please. All three of them are a bit too mature to carry on this dating game. And with all due respect, being in love with two men and not being able to choose between them is something much more Sami Brady than Jennifer Horton.

However, I loved Jack and Jennifer's date because it was cool material for Matt Ashford to play. I like that the writers are developing the story of what happened to Jack while he was away and not just leaving it at, "Well, I was in jail and now I'm back!" I just wish the stories would come out in a venue other than this strange dating game. That's my way of asking for more Jack/Adrienne scenes. I love those!

E.J. and NICOLE I share Stefano's sentiments exactly. God help us, indeed. E.J. and Nicole part three is upon us. Sure, she asked for a divorce, but I have a hard time believing that she'll go through with it. Once the papers are in front of her, I can see Nicole advising against it as his campaign manager. You know, for his image and all.

And considering that she's all about his campaign, I wish that we had seen Nicole with the crisis management team rather than just hearing about how great she was. By the way, shouldn't the DiMeras have a crisis management team on the payroll on standby at all times?

In good news, their costumes were awesome. Not only is James Scott a total sport for working that Elvis costume, but Arianne Zucker looked amazing in her 60's fringe spectacular number! By far, the biggest surprise of the week was that Nicole and E.J. both mentioned Susan. It was a cute nod to the history of the show and made for a fun scene with Johnny and Sydney where E.J. had to explain who Elvis was.

MAGGIE Wow. That was fast. It was just nine episodes ago that we found out that Maggie had another child out there in soap land. On Thursday, we learned that it was Daniel. Well, we learned that the woman who had Maggie's eggs has the same name as Daniel's mom and a child born on Daniel's birthday. Partner that with Victor's mysterious involvement in the whole thing, and it's a safe bet that Daniel is a biological Simmons.

For those of you wondering, we're clear on the incest front with Daniel/Jennifer, Melanie/Nathan, and Melanie/Nick. Maggie is related to Jennifer and Nick through marriage. And, Nathan's mother is Maggie's adopted daughter. No bloodlines were crossed in the making of this mystery baby.

Daniel knows exactly what Maggie is going through, as he had the same experience when he learned that Melanie was his daughter. But, I wonder what it will be like for him to learn that his mother was involved in some sort of crime. Or, was she? We don't know if Lillian Parker is a Vivian who stole the eggs or a Hope where someone interfered without her knowing, leaving her to raise a different woman's child.

The only downside to this that I can see is the breakup of Victor and Maggie. Vic was a big time meanie back in the day, and I wouldn't put it past him to steal eggs for his good friends, the Parkers, if they were unable to have children. She may surprise me, but I don't see Maggie forgiving Victor for this. But I'm super hoping that I'm wrong. She should be sympathetic to another woman who had fertility issues and the lengths a woman will go through to have a child. Plus, Victor's a total teddy bear now!

ABE Abe asked Jennifer to do PR for his campaign. Finally! A hiring that I can get behind. I loved that she pointed out that being a reporter and being a campaign PR rep are two totally different things. I'm excited to see what she'll do because her mind doesn't think the same way Nicole's mind works. I can't wait to see Jennifer and Nicole go head-to-head. The former sisters-in-law haven't shared scenes in a while.

Also, I love that Lexie and Jennifer had a closure conversation about how Jennifer left her position at the hospital. Lexie and Jennifer as friends is a cool thing. Considering that Lexie already offered some DiMera skeletons to Jennifer, this relationship could get even more interesting.

By the way, Stefano, if you hurt one hair on Jennifer's head, I will come in and steal your chessboard, and you will not get it back until the end of the school year. You've been warned.

LOOSE ENDS: Kate offered Austin a room at the DiMera mansion, which he properly turned down. I'm okay with him not wanting to stay with Stefano. However, I still agree with my partner Tony that Roman's, Jennifer's, or Bope's house is a million times a better option than Sami's apartment.

I don't have a problem with Chad's attitude towards E.J. Chad did take a bullet that was meant for E.J., and that would make anyone a little cranky. But, Chad should absolutely can the 'tude when it comes to Lexie. She's a wonderful sister and, considering the mess that Chad is about to get himself in, he could use someone in his life to give him dating advice.

Mel and Abigail made a valiant effort to pretend it's not a big deal that Will hasn't wanted to be alone with Gabi since their first time. They both knew it was ridiculous, but I have to love that special blend of friendship deniability that we ladies share with each other when we know darn well that a guy just isn't into us.

Flip-flopper news of the week, Abigail now wants her parents back together. I hope she can get a refund on the Team Daniel shirts.

Jack went to London to see J.J....we think. Madison told a mystery phone person not to come to Salem. She seemed to hint that they were in cahoots and that their plan was on schedule. That can't be good for Brady.

I loved Austin having lunch with Kate. It got me thinking about what would happen if Rafe continues to make problems for Austin. We know that mama Kate is protective of her kids.

HOT We had a Halloween party! Wahhh-hooooooo!!!! Touches like this are splendid and need to continue whenever possible. It gets characters who usually don't interact a chance to chat. (See: Marlena's adorable interaction with Will and his friends!) Most importantly, we actually get to see our characters be happy for a day. You could tell that all of the actors had a great time with this one!

NOT This is a tough one. If Brady and Madison's lotion scene was supposed to be funny, then it was a stellar success. If it was supposed to be serious and sensual, then it was a spectacular failure. I have a feeling that someone thought this would be a romantic scene. But, come on! She whipped out a razor and shaved him at one point, for crying out loud! Not to mention, he sat with cucumber slices on his eyes while she admired how shiny his chest was. These two are supposed to be the high-power executives who are attracted to each other's power, but instead, they got to reenact a deleted love scene from The Naked Gun. Hilarious, but nowhere near sexy.

LINE OF THE WEEK: Brady: "My manliness is intact, no matter what kind of cream you put on me." Ha! See what I mean? Give Eric Martsolf an Emmy for delivering that line with a straight face. That, my friends, is acting!

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Trick-or-treating at the DiMera mansion sounds amazing. Perhaps they can stop by Whyndimere too!

Rafe's argument that Austin is trying to put John away for life would hold a lot more water if Rafe was also telling off Roman, Abe, Bo, and his old buddy Kevin from the FBI.

Hope's toy soldier outfit was heinous. Good thing she redeemed herself with that awesome pirate lady costume!

John Black is in need of better private security. The guy had a brick thrown through his penthouse window. Now, if only there was someone looking for employment. Say, someone who came to the show as a personal bodyguard. Think, think, think...

It's a shame that Daniel mucked things up so badly with Philip. Daniel really could have used Philip's advice when it comes to bio mom vs. embryo mom. Oh well, I guess he could always look up Rex. (Yeah, good luck with that!)

I'd really like for Rafe to have a conversation with Will about what kind of dude Austin is. Austin did raise Will for a good chuck of his life.

Parmesan popcorn sounds amazing.

What was Marlena dressed up as? A poet?

And now, it's time for the time-honored tradition of the Salem Halloween costumes. Many hours and a few glasses of wine went into the selection process. Never let it be said that we don't take this job seriously! Click here to see part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4 of our Halloween blog and let us know if you have any ideas of your own!

I'd love to hear what you think so click here to share your thoughts with me! Thanks for reading, Laurisa

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