Days of our Lives Recap for Monday, December 2, 2024: Familiar faces return to remember Doug

The 15,000th episode opened with a scene of a young Doug in a jail cell. Reclining on his bed, he proclaimed, “Look out world, or should I say Salem, 'cause here I come.”

At Doug’s memorial site, mourners began gathering, including Kayla, Steve, Abe, Paulina, and Jack. The group waxed poetic about Doug and the indelible mark he had left on Salem. Kayla reminded everyone of the Thanksgiving celebration when Doug had confronted a possessed Marlena and had outed her as the devil. Kayla believed the incident had been a testament to Doug’s resilience and his innate goodness. The group pondered which "blasts from the past" might arrive for the memorial.

At Marlena’s place, Marlena read over an obituary for Doug from The Spectator. It listed his birth year as 1925. Marlena answered a knock at her door and was surprised to see her old friend Liz Chandler. The two women exclaimed how long it had been since they had seen each other and then shared a hug.

Marlena and Liz sat down for a chat. Liz filled Marlena in on her daughter Noelle and revealed that she also had two grown sons. She invited Marlena to visit and expressed her regret that she’d lost touch with her dear friend. Liz admitted that being kidnapped by Stefano had “bonded” her and Marlena. She had missed everyone in Salem, with the exception of “that wretched Marie Horton.” Marlena mentioned Liz’s feud with Marie over Neil Curtis.

Liz and Marlena’s talk turned to Doug. Liz fondly recalled how Doug had offered her a job as a singer at his club, which had been her first big break. After Liz left, Marlena thought about Doug. She had a memory of Doug and Julie helping her prepare for one of her weddings.

Belle stopped by Marlena’s place and reunited with her mother. Belle was sorry she had missed Liz since she had always admired Liz’s music. When Marlena asked about Shawn, Belle revealed that Shawn didn’t know she was in Salem. She confided that she hadn’t spent a lot of time with Shawn and that she was still uncertain about the status of their relationship.

In Horton Town Square, Marie Horton walked up to the plaque dedicated to her parents, Tom and Alice. Maggie passed by and noticed Marie sitting on the bench. They exchanged smiles and greetings. Maggie joined Marie, who expressed her condolences about Victor's passing. Marie remarked that Salem had lost many great men, including Victor and Doug. She sadly recalled all of the Horton family members who had passed and made special mention of her brother and Maggie's first husband, Mickey.

Maggie believed that Tom and Alice had left the town “quite a legacy.” Marie said the only thing she hated about living in Salem was her bad taste in men. She mentioned Alex Marshall but conceded that he had given her a lasting gift in her daughter Jessica. Marie had less kind words to say about Neil Curtis. When Maggie brought up Marie’s rivalry with Liz over Neil, Marie proclaimed that she would consider herself lucky if she never saw Liz’s face again. Just then, Liz approached and declared, “It’s not your lucky day.”

At the Horton House, Jennifer sat in Doug’s old chair. She gazed at a picture of Doug, then clutched the picture to her chest and cried softly. Later, Jennifer looked at old pictures of family members on the fireplace mantel. Lucas walked through the door and said, “That’s a good-looking family.” Jennifer ran to her brother and hugged him.

Lucas explained that he had to come for Julie, and he asked how she was doing. Jennifer believed it would be difficult for Julie to wake up for the first time without Doug by her side. Lucas picked up a picture of Tom and Alice and grew emotional as he affirmed how much he loved the Horton home. He recalled how he had felt like a “black sheep” when he’d discovered he was a Horton. Doug had made Lucas feel welcome and wanted and had always been ready with a “big hug.”

As Jennifer and Lucas reminisced about Doug, Shawn and Ciara arrived. Ciara asked if she could “get in” on the family love. Jennifer and Lucas conveyed how happy they were to see the siblings. They asked about Hope’s whereabouts. Ciara explained that Hope was not coming and then shared the happier news that Bo had seemingly squeezed Hope’s hand. While the doctors were not certain what the movement meant, Hope had been convinced that her presence had helped Bo’s improvement.

Jennifer was elated by the news, and she was certain the family would understand why Hope needed to stay with Bo. Later, Ciara showed Jennifer and Lucas photos of her son Bo and of her daughter Addie, who had just turned one. Jennifer thought it was a nice gesture for Ciara to have named her daughter after her grandmother. Shawn spotted a box sitting on the table and picked it up. Jennifer explained that it was the Horton time capsule, which no one had been able to open.

Ciara volunteered to give opening the box a try. As the group talked up the challenge of the time capsule, to their astonishment Ciara presented them with the open box. She grinned and cracked, “Piece of cake.”

In Julie and Doug’s bedroom, a sleeping Julie smiled and extended her hand to Doug’s side of the bed. When she awoke and saw the bed beside her empty, she sighed and remembered one of her earliest interactions with Doug. “Something tells me you make an impression on every woman you meet. You’re a very difficult man to forget,” Julie had told Doug. Julie emerged from her memory, reached over, and stroked a picture of Doug and herself. She gasped and laid her head back down on the pillow.

Later, after Julie had dressed and made the bed, she picked up her wedding ring, which was placed in front of a photo of a younger Julie and Doug. Julie sat on the end of the bed and recalled her wedding to Doug. She was startled by a noise at the window. When she approached the window, she was even more startled to find her brother Steven outside. “Long time no see,” he announced. Julie pulled her brother inside and scolded him for his method of entry.

Steven grinned and reminded Julie that he had always entered their grandparents’ house the same way when he and Julie were kids. Julie acknowledged the point and remembered her grandparents’ horror at Steven’s antics. She ordered him to stop “grinning like a Cheshire cat” and give her a hug. He gladly complied.

Steven said how nice it was to see “Jules” in person. He apologized for not having kept in better touch. Steven also gave his condolences for the loss of Doug, as Steven had always thought fondly of “the insightful man with a heart of gold.” Steven added that his “fellow con man” had always had his number. He remembered a time when Doug had put a stop to one of the cons for the sake of Julie.

Julie asked Steven if he was in town because he was on the run. Steven assured her that he had put his criminal past behind him. Julie hoped that was true since her grandson was also visiting and was an FBI agent. Steven’s eyes grew wide at the news. With a strained smile, Steven said he looked forward to meeting Eli and his family.

A skeptical Julie wondered if Steven meant it. She pressed her brother on whether or not he had really turned over a new leaf. She reminded him that he had been a drug dealer, a jewel thief, and had even swindled her when she had given him a job at her antique store. Steven talked about meeting a guru in India who had shown him the error of his ways. He insisted he had changed, and Julie stated that Doug had demonstrated how much someone could change for the better.

At Paulina’s place, Lani read Doug’s obituary and marveled at the man’s colorful past. She couldn’t believe that his real name was Brent Douglas or that he had been in prison. Eli explained that in Doug’s younger days, he had been “quite the grifter” and that he had been sentenced for securities fraud. Eli further detailed that Doug’s cellmate, Bill Horton, was his future in-law. Eli then told Lani the sordid tale of Doug’s simultaneous involvement with both Julie and her mother, Addie.

Eli acknowledged his grandmother’s past involvement with some unsavory characters and mentioned her brother Steven, who had fled Salem years earlier after getting involved with mobsters. Lani was incredulous but affirmed that Doug and Julie’s story had evolved into a lasting love story with a happy ending.

In a black-and-white scene, an unidentified man (played by Peyton Meyer) raised up from a jail cell cot. He held a book in his hands: The Ballad of Davy Crockett. The man’s cellmate asked about the book, so the man offered it to his cellmate. He referred to the cellmate as “Bill,” and it was insinuated that the man reading the book was a young Doug.

Bill thanked Doug for the book. A guard came up to the cell and opened the door. Doug stood, wished Bill well, and walked outside the cell. He echoed his iconic line, “Salem, here I come.”

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