Leo attempts to have Hattie committed; Days of our Lives Recap for Tuesday, August 20, 2024

In the Bistro, Stephanie was working on her laptop when Alex asked if he could join her. Stephanie motioned at Alex to sit, but she noted that she needed to leave shortly to meet a new client. "That is too bad. I was going to invite you to have a drink with me and Dad and Bonnie. They're coming to meet me," Alex said. Stephanie asked for a rain check.

As Alex stood up to leave, he bumped the table, and Stephanie's glass of water poured out onto her closed laptop. Alex apologized profusely as Stephanie wiped the water off. When Stephanie checked her computer, she confirmed that it was frozen. Alex apologized, and Stephanie told him not to worry because it had been an accident. "I can figure something out [for my meeting]," Stephanie said. Alex insisted on paying for Stephanie's lunch, but she refused.

As Stephanie and Alex realized that his hand was patting hers, Justin and Bonnie walked in and said hello. Alex and Stephanie quickly pulled their hands apart. "What's going on here?" Bonnie asked. Alex explained what had happened with the laptop. "You didn't save [your proposal] to the cloud?" Justin asked. Stephanie said no.

"I do have to go to my meeting now, and I will pitch my proposal without notes. But don't feel guilty, Alex. It was an accident, and I'm sure I can get my laptop fixed," Stephanie said. After Stephanie left, Alex lamented that he had ruined Stephanie's meeting. "I have something that might just lift your spirits," Justin said. Justin handed Alex annulment papers. "It's like [the marriage] never happened," Justin said. Alex sighed with relief.

"Now you can put that whole nightmare behind you," Justin said. "And then maybe get back together with Stephanie," Bonnie added. After a moment of silence, Bonnie asked if she had put her foot in her mouth again. "You didn't. It's just that Stephanie and I are just friends," Alex said. Bonnie noted that she had noticed that Alex and Stephanie still had chemistry.

"That's probably from her laptop short-circuiting," Alex joked. Bonnie disagreed, and she asked Justin if he agreed with her. "I am staying out of my son's love life, and so should you," Justin said. Bonnie argued that there was no reason that Alex and Stephanie could not give their relationship another chance. "It's not happening," Alex said. Alex stressed that he and Stephanie were still reeling from the end of their most recent relationships. "Neither of us is ready for something new," Alex said. Bonnie apologized for pushing the issue.

"With everything you've been through, I just want to see you happy," Bonnie said. Alex thanked Bonnie, and he promised her that he would be fine. After Alex left, Bonnie's phone beeped, and she giddily told Justin that she had received her contract from the soap. "It's official!" Bonnie yelled. "Congratulations! Abe said you were fantastic, a natural," Justin said. Bonnie credited Johnny for his assistance.

"They want to pay me scale," Bonnie said with disappointment. "That's the minimum," Justin explained. Bonnie was eager to sign her contract, but Justin counseled her not to. "This is their very first offer. So let me try and negotiate a better deal," Justin said. Bonnie admitted that she had worried that Justin would think that her decision to act was "silly." Justin told Bonnie that he was proud of her.

At the café in the square, Hattie ran lines for Body & Soul. "Grandma?" Johnny said. "Do I look like a grandma?" Hattie grumbled. "You certainly look like mine," Johnny said with a chuckle. Johnny introduced himself as Marlena's grandson, and Hattie cheerfully shook his hand. "I knew that you looked like my grandma, but the resemblance is uncanny," Johnny marveled. Hattie noted that people often confused her with Marlena.

"From what I understand, you and I are going to be working together [on the soap]," Johnny said. With a grin, Hattie asked Johnny if he was her love interest. "No, I'm the director," Johnny said. Hattie pointed out that the script did not sound like her. Johnny reminded Hattie that she was playing Charlemagne, not Hattie.

"The writer doesn't know Charlemagne the way I know her," Hattie said. "Right. Well, with all due respect, Hattie, it is my personal philosophy that actors and directors are not in the business of revising scripts. Only a writer should do that," Johnny said. Hattie agreed, and she walked away.

At the Body & Soul offices, Abe asked Kate if she had read Leo's sample script. "I did," Kate said. Abe asked her opinion. Kate called the script "melodramatic and filled with hyperbolic dialogue." "That's too bad. I thought it was terrific," Abe said. Kate shook her head, and she noted that Abe had misunderstood her compliment.

"I mean, I think melodrama is exactly what the show needs," Kate said. Kate did a reading of Leo's script for Abe, and he smiled. "Did you happen to see Leo's story pitches?" Abe asked. Kate admitted that she was intrigued by Leo's ideas. "I really like the idea of giving Charlemagne double lives. I mean, I think that's going to play right into Hattie's wheelhouse," Kate said. Kate talked about the other plots, and Abe worried aloud about the number of new characters. Kate noted that a couple were connected to the existing families on the show.

"Also, we need young characters," Kate added. "I get that. But these two were born eight years ago. And now they're full-grown adults. That's an extreme case of SORASing," Abe said. Abe explained that it meant Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome. "Are you telling me the audience really accepts this?" Kate asked. Abe noted that with the right story and actor, the audience was usually open to the idea. "We have a damn good story. Now, all we have to do is find two appealing young people to make it work," Kate said.

Johnny sat with Chanel at the café in the square, and they talked about his meeting with Hattie. Johnny noted that personality wise, Hattie and Marlena were opposites. Chanel confessed that she was envious of Johnny. "I wouldn't mind having a job that was a little more unpredictable and exciting," Chanel said. When Johnny asked Chanel if she was bored with the bakery, she said no. Chanel explained that her new staff, including Felicity, had been doing an excellent job running the shop.

"You used to be the one that was always so busy, and now it looks like we've switched roles," Johnny said. Chanel assured Johnny that they would find time for one another. "Who knows? Maybe with you pursuing your dream, it will encourage me to pursue mine," Chanel said. Curious, Johnny asked Chanel if her dream had not been the bakery. Chanel said the bakery had been her dream, but now she wanted to find a new creative outlet. Johnny encouraged Chanel to continue with her poetry and network with local writers.

When Stephanie arrived for her meeting at the soap offices, she met with Abe. "I'm sorry. I had this whole presentation ready to go. And long story short, my laptop froze. But I think I can remember most of my pitch from memory," Stephanie said. "That won't be necessary," Abe said. Abe explained that the meeting was a formality because he was already familiar with Stephanie's work with Paulina. "The job is yours if you want it," Abe said. Stephanie happily accepted, and she promised to devote herself to the relaunch campaign.

When Stephanie and Abe chatted about the cast, they agreed that Bonnie and Hattie would need help with the press for the show. Stephanie told Abe that she was looking forward to working on the show. As Stephanie turned to leave, Johnny walked in, and the cousins said hello to one another. "Stephanie is Body & Soul's new publicist. And Johnny is our new director," Abe announced. Stephanie and Johnny congratulated one another.

After Stephanie left, Johnny picked up a headshot of Hattie, and he informed Abe that he had met her in the square. "And what did you think?" Abe asked. After a moment, Johnny said, "She's interesting." With a laugh, Abe admitted that Hattie could be a handful. "She's also very green," Abe added. Johnny reminded Abe that Bonnie was new to acting, and she had nailed her audition.

"Hattie could benefit from your direction, as well," Abe said. "I'll see what I can do. Honestly, I'm optimistic. I mean, from what I saw of her, she certainly has a flair for the dramatic," Johnny said. Abe handed Johnny a list of story pitches, and Johnny said he liked the ideas. "I particularly like this one about the young couple," Johnny said. Abe mentioned that he and Kate had discussed that plot line in particular.

"It's exactly what we need," Johnny said. "Now we just have to find the right actor for the part," Abe said. Johnny cocked his head, and he suggested Chanel for the role of Faith. "As in my stepdaughter?" Abe asked. Johnny reminded Abe that Chanel had been amazing in her audition to play a role in his devil movie. "What about the bakery?" Abe asked. "It's funny you mention that," Johnny countered. Johnny told Abe about his conversation with Chanel and her desire to find a new creative outlet. Abe thought about it, and he agreed he could visualize Chanel in the part. "Now we just need to find a leading man that she's got chemistry with," Johnny said.

In the square, Alex stopped by the café to say hello to Chanel. "Long time no see. How are you?" Chanel asked. "Better than ever. Just got my annulment papers. I am officially single," Alex announced. Chanel said she had heard about Theresa. "I'm really sorry. That must have been rough," Chanel said. Alex said yes. Alex added that he shared part of the blame for the debacle, because he had not trusted his gut about Theresa from the start. "Sounds like you listened to another part of your anatomy. As usual," Chanel said. When Alex asked Chanel to elaborate, Chanel reminded him of his affair with Allie.

"Wow. Still holding a grudge against me for sleeping with Allie, huh?" Alex said. Alex reminded Chanel that she was happily married. Chanel argued that regardless of outcome, what Alex had done was not okay. Chanel and Alex bickered back and forth about the state of Chanel's relationship with Allie at the time of the affair. As the argument grew more heated, Johnny and Abe intervened as they passed by in the square. Chanel said it was nothing.

"It didn't seem like nothing. We could hear the two of you going at it across the square. And the tension between you is off the charts," Johnny said. Abe furrowed his brow. "That's exactly what I was thinking," Abe said

Stephanie was walking past the pub when she saw Roman, and she stopped to tell him that Kate had hired her to be the publicist for Body & Soul. "That is great! Congratulations!" Roman said. Roman admitted that he had not been much of a soap fan, but with so many friends and family involved, he thought he should start watching the show. "You're gonna get addicted!" Stephanie said. Roman worried aloud that Kate was not ready to deal with the crazy world of television. Stephanie said she was sure that Kate would be fine. Roman warned Stephanie, "[Kate] can be a very tough boss."

Roman's smile faded, and he changed the subject to Everett. "I'm very sorry. How are you doing?" Roman asked. Stephanie admitted that Everett's death had been difficult to process, and she noted that Jada intended to release Everett's ashes to Stephanie. "He didn't have any family?" Roman asked. "None that they could locate. And since he and Jada were divorced, she felt it was best that I get his ashes," Stephanie explained. Roman said he hoped that Stephanie and Jada could put the tragedy behind them and move on.

Leo lay on the bed in his room at the Salem Inn and read about DID. Leo gasped, and he noted that it sounded like Marlena's recent behavior. "You have got to help this woman. But how?" Leo said. Leo decided to set up an intervention, and he called Marlena and left a panicked voicemail.

Hattie stopped by Leo's room, and Leo admitted that he was surprised to see her. Hattie asked Leo if he had gotten the writing job at Body & Soul. Leo said he was hopeful, but he had not heard any news. "[While you are waiting for an answer], you can get busy rewriting this script for me," Hattie said. Leo told Hattie that the bad dialogue was the least of her problems. "I know what's wrong with you," Leo said. Leo told Hattie that she had DID. "What is that?" Hattie asked. Leo attempted to explain the disorder, but Hattie kept interrupting.

"I'm trying to help you, Dr. Evans!" Leo shouted in frustration. Hattie explained that she was not Marlena. "Hattie is one of your alters," Leo said. "What are you talking about?" Hattie countered. Hattie argued that she was her own person. Leo grabbed Hattie by the shoulders, shook her, and yelled for Marlena to fight her way to the surface. Nauseated, Hattie pulled away.

"You have got to let me talk to Marlena Evans," Leo pleaded. "Okay. Pick up the phone and call her," Hattie said. Leo raised his eyebrows in confusion. As Hattie turned to leave, Leo explained that he did not want Hattie to end up dead like his former boss Everett Lynch. "I don't need any help. You're the one that needs help!" Hattie said. Frustrated, Leo grabbed Hattie's wrist, and he insisted on taking her to Bayview.

As Leo opened the door, a startled Kate took a step back in the hallway. "What the hell is happening here?" Kate said. "I'm so glad you're here! He is trying to have me committed!" Hattie yelped. Leo explained that he wanted to help Marlena with her DID. "Hattie is not Marlena's alter. That's her doppelgänger," Kate explained. Leo was stunned.

"Why did you accept my invitation to watch Drag Race?" Leo asked Hattie. "I thought you were just being friendly. And you know what? I also thought you seemed a little bit lonely," Hattie said. Leo apologized for the misunderstanding. Marlena called, and Leo explained that his last phone call had been a product of his anxiety. After Leo confirmed that they would watch Drag Race together the next day, he ended the call.

"I really hate lying to my shrink, but it's better than having her think that I'm ready to be committed," Leo said. Kate interrupted Leo's ranting to announce that Leo was the new head writer of the soap. Leo gasped. "This isn't some sort of prank, is it?" Leo asked. Kate told Leo she would send him his contract, and she walked out. In disbelief, Leo sat on his bed and marveled at his new title. Hattie sat next to Leo, and she shouted, "I am so happy for you! Now you can get busy fixing my script."