The devil went down to Salem

Did you suspect Doug was ill? Is Johnny driven or clueless? And should someone be sending out the search party for Sami by now?

A little behind-the-scenes look at Two Scoops -- Tony and I have been texting back and forth for any possible way that this Doug storyline didn't end up being an Alzheimer's storyline. We had evil twin and the possibility that maybe he really did think Julie needed some time in the freezer.

But what we got was so much better.

I'd heard we were revisiting the possession storyline, but I didn't expect it to be ushered in so quickly and by the great Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes. It's campy and crazy, sure. But the fact that so many established characters are playing it so straight here helps.

Julie believing Doug was losing his mind really sold the misdirection. And Kayla dutifully running all the medical tests, as well as sharing her own experience with Caroline made this storyline have a true tether to reality. But then, to reveal Doug is possessed was the chef's kiss of a storyline bomb!

I can't wait to see what happens if Marlena starts working while possessed. Something tells me that won't fare too well for Paulina's secret. And, who knows? She might actually be able to tell Johnny to, you know, just simmer down a bit.

I really am trying with Johnny. But there's a lot of him that veers into a walking personification of entitlement and general air-heat-ery. Shooting two short videos on his iPhone equates to him having a "lifelong dream" to be a filmmaker. Sure. This is a dream he's so attached to, yet he doesn't actually have a theme for his movie, nor did he bother to read the whole script yet.

But a little thing like a lack of a plan isn't going to stop him from shaking down every branch of his family tree for donations. Most people try to avoid borrowing money from family, but Johnny is not burdened by things like common sense or shame. Cool. Live your life, my man!

And finally, he's making a movie all about Sami, yet he doesn't seem the least bit concerned that she's missing. To be fair, that's not on him alone. No one seems to be all that concerned that Sami hasn't communicated with her kids at all, outside of a single text. That's just not a Sami thing. She's all up in her kids' lives, whether they want her to be there or not!

Speaking of involved moms, Abigail is back on the call sheet again! I'm so glad to have Marci Miller back on-screen. Abigail's storyline to accommodate Miller's pregnancy didn't do the character any favors. Abigail's always been a bit of a fragile flower, allergic to accountability. Watching Chad try to convince her that she's a good mom because she FaceTimes with her kids was a tough beat. But I'm ready to move on to what's next. The fantastically awkward scene with E.J. was promising for both Chad and Abigail.

Abigail will be glad to learn that her big sister learned her lesson, came clean, and is leading a life of bettering the world around her. Oh, wait. Nope. No, she's not. She just teamed up with someone who's a better liar than she is and told Jack a very effective lie. Gwen's story of a history as a prostitute managed to make Jack double down on his Gwen fandom. I'm really interested to see how the secret is going to come out now.

Hey! I remember Lucas and Kate! I loved Lucas teasing Kate, and even more his endorsement of Kate/Roman part two. I liked them together and wouldn't mind seeing it again.

Nicole and Rafe have never run into each other so much as since they decided to stay apart. Rafe admitted that he had feelings for Nicole before, but he's way past that and so into Ava now. Sure. We all believe you. No doubt.

I cringed just a bit when Ben and Ciara showed up to tour a plantation. But the show really handled that scene with care and perspective. Good on you, DAYS.

Boris and Natasha continued their scheme to drive Philip into madness, getting him kicked out of Titan. At that point, Victor will obviously hand the company over to Gabi. The first part of their plan is easy, mainly because Philip's behavior is truly childish. But it's the second part that I don't see happening in any universe. Victor isn't handing his company over to anyone other than a male Kiriakis.

HOT I'm legitimately scared of Bill Hayes now. That final scene on Friday will haunt my nightmares for a bit. What a show-stopping performance all around by this legend of a man.

NOT: The only reason I was willing to endure the Calista nonsense was because I thought it would surely mean the end of Bonnie and Justin. But instead, Steve (Steve!) turned into Bonnie's spokesperson, Justin is back on Bonnie's side and case, and we have this weird retcon where 2003-Bonnie had a heart of gold and didn't really want to commit any crimes.

Justin: "She was ready to say her vows, knowing her sister-in-law was lying dead in our bed upstairs!" Steve: "That's all true, and disturbing." Wow. Steve coming in with the understatement of the year!

I love Philip's new haircut!

E.J. went first-and-middle name on Johnny -- "John Roman" -- and you know parents mean business when they do that!

I love the idea of Ava as a chef! It's a power position usually held by men, and I'm here for Ava breaking up that club.

Perhaps she always did, but I thought it was odd for Julie to refer to her grandmother as "Alice." Yes, that's her name, but I was expecting "gram" or something more familiar.

Points to Gabi for mentioning Tate!

I did like that John and Johnny both thought of Roman's feelings if the conference room scenes made it into Johnny's movie.

I'm glad the show is keeping Nicole and Chloe as friends. I'd like it if they talked about getting Parker and Holly together, since they are siblings.

I didn't hate the Philip/Ava scene at all! It wouldn't hurt for Philip to have someone in his corner who has a little street smarts.

I'd have loved to accompany John and Marlena through Home Goods as they looked for the perfect box for John to store all of his Father John memorabilia. It had to be tasteful enough for the penthouse but still a little creepy. Also, why is John keeping these things?!

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