Days of our Lives Recap for Monday, November 18, 2024: It's showtime for Body and Soul

At the Brady Pub, Kate joined Joy at a table and asked how she was adjusting to life in Salem. Joy told Kate that she’d made friends with the other castmates, including Chanel. Joy got uncomfortable when Kate made a light-hearted joke about Joy “stealing” Chanel’s man, however. Roman brought over a cupcake that someone had made in celebration of Body and Soul’s premiere, and Kate pondered who could have sent it. She excused herself so that she could call Abe.

Roman took Kate’s seat and confirmed with Joy that her accommodations upstairs were nice. He then asked if his grandson Johnny had been treating her right on set, and Joy responded that Johnny was “great.” Just then, Joy received a text from Chanel inviting her to watch the premiere. Joy assumed it was a “pity invitation,” but Roman encouraged her to go.

At the DiMera mansion, EJ showed Johnny a boxed cupcake that had arrived, presumably from someone congratulating him on the launch of Body and Soul. EJ chastised Johnny for his son’s muted reaction to the show’s premiere. Johnny admitted the situation with Joy was still weighing on him, and EJ urged Johnny to let it go. Johnny explained that Chanel had invited Joy over for dinner the previous night, which had increased his discomfort. EJ demanded that Johnny stop “wearing your guilt on your sleeve.”

Just as EJ insisted that Chanel couldn’t know the truth, Chanel entered the room. EJ quickly covered and claimed that he had been talking about a disagreement he had with Paulina about a case. Chanel brushed off the comment, and EJ took the opportunity to urge her to forgive his son’s “thoughtless” actions. Chanel assured him that Johnny and she were back on track, so EJ excused himself. Chanel then rattled Johnny by pronouncing that she’d invited Joy to watch Body and Soul’s premiere with them.

Johnny grew uncomfortable and claimed he had wanted to watch the show alone with Chanel in bed. When she said that she had already invited Joy, he told her to rescind the invitation. Before the disagreement could escalate further, EJ arrived back in the room with Joy beside him. Chanel happily greeted Joy and invited her to sit on the couch. Chanel sat on the other side of the couch and then told Johnny to sit between them.

Johnny awkwardly took his seat as EJ announced that he had to leave. EJ lightened the tension by asking if he could take one of the cupcakes with him. EJ then left, cupcake in hand, as Chanel compelled Johnny to eat the other cupcake. He obliged, and the trio prepared for the show’s start.

At Abe and Paulina’s place, Paulina opened a box that contained a cupcake. When Abe entered the room, she showed him the cupcake, along with a note of congratulations from an unknown person. Paulina joked that one of the actors was probably trying to kiss Abe’s “derriere.” Abe got a call from Kate asking him if he knew who had sent the cupcakes. Both Abe and Kate claimed ignorance of who had given them the gifts.

Abe then extended an invitation to Kate and Roman to watch the premiere of Body and Soul at his and Paulina’s place. Later, Abe and Paulina greeted Roman and Kate, who had brought champagne. Paulina encouraged Abe to celebrate by eating his cupcake. She, Roman, and Kate declined to partake, so Abe reluctantly consumed the entire treat.

Abe, Paulina, Roman, and Kate settled on the couch to watch Body and Soul. Abe commented that his stomach was upset, and Paulina attributed it to nerves. She and Roman commended Abe and Kate on the strides they had made with the show and on bringing more jobs to town. Roman reminded Abe he’d come a long way from “chasing down crooks” and raised a toast to his friend and to Kate.

Bonnie arrived at Alex’s apartment with two small boxes in her hands. Alex invited her inside so they could watch the premiere of Body and Soul together. Bonnie explained that the boxes contained cupcakes, one of which she had found on Alex’s doorstep. She showed him the enclosed note in the box that said, “From your B&S family.” Bonnie mentioned that Leo must be feeling lonely, and she theorized he could have sent the cupcakes.

Alex countered that Leo would take credit for the act. He prepared to take a bite of his cupcake, but a worried-looking Bonnie stopped him. Alex assured her that he would spend extra time working out to offset the effect on his physique. Bonnie clarified that she wasn’t looking out for Alex’s body but that she thought the cupcake could be poisoned. Alex scoffed at the idea, but Bonnie reminded him that Hattie had put a curse on the show.

Bonnie even speculated that the cupcakes could be from Hattie. She insisted that neither Alex nor she take a chance. Alex relented and raided the kitchen for another snack. Bonnie suggested that Alex invite Stephanie over for the watch party. Alex said Stephanie had to work, and he believed it would be best if they kept their distance from each other.

Leo awoke in his bed to see Javi beside him, watching him sleep. Javi grinned and said, "Buenos dias, Papi.” Leo smiled as Javi began speaking more Spanish to him. Javi translated his words for Leo: “You have the smile of an angel, the body of a god, and the mind of a devil.” Leo believed he must be dreaming, but Javi assured him that the moment and the night before were very real. The two shared a kiss before Javi pulled away and said that he needed to get to work.

Leo pleaded with Javi to stay, as he wanted to share something he was proud of – Body and Soul’s premiere – with someone he liked. Javi complained about Gabi paying him “barely above minimum wage to be at her beck and call” and decided to stay. Leo rewarded him with another kiss. Later, Leo brought Javi room service breakfast. He noticed a cupcake on the tray and was pleased to see it was a gift for the show’s premiere.

Javi asked Leo about Body and Soul, and Leo gushed about writing for a show that had been on for 59 years. He motioned to his laptop and said that all of the show’s stories for the next several months were contained on the laptop. Javi speculated about how eager the fans would be to see the contents, but Leo believed not knowing was part of the allure. He indicated that he had to sign a non-disclosure agreement promising he would not reveal secrets from the show. Javi and Leo quickly tired of the breakfast and eagerly returned to bed.

Later, Javi opened Leo’s laptop in the bed. Leo came from the bathroom, dressed in flashy attire for the big premiere. Javi wanted to watch the show on the laptop for a more “intimate” experience, so Leo agreed. He sat beside Javi and started the stream. On the screen, Abe’s voice introduced Body and Soul with the show’s opening lines: "True love is the gift God has given, which heart to heart and mind to mind in body and soul can bind.”

After Leo and Javi watched the premiere, an anxious Leo asked Javi what he thought. Javi proclaimed that the show had all the drama and hotness any audience could ask for. As Javi got up to leave, Leo thanked him for staying and for opening up about his mother’s death the previous night. Although Leo was sad for Javi, he was grateful that Javi had come to Salem. They promised to see each other again and then exchanged a goodbye kiss.

Back at Alex’s apartment, Bonnie exclaimed that she had “goosebumps” after watching the show. Alex complimented her on her acting ability, and she returned the favor. Bonnie said she had to get home, and she wondered if anyone would recognize her and ask for an autograph. Alex smiled and handed her a pen, just in case. They shared a warm hug.

Once Alex was alone, he retrieved his discarded cupcake and ate it. Back at the pub, Roman took a bite from a leftover cupcake as well.

Bonnie stopped by Leo’s place to talk about the premiere. Leo grabbed his laptop so he could surf the Internet for comments and reviews. His excitement turned to shock when he came across a new column from Lady Whistleblower, who announced her triumphant return. In the column, Lady Whistleblower declared that she had lots of opinions and lots of scoops to share about future stories on Body and Soul.

Post-show at the DiMera mansion, Joy mentioned that she had met all the cast members except for “Charlemagne.” Johnny and Chanel filled Joy in on Hattie’s firing and her supposed curse on the show. Joy attempted to laugh it off until Chanel hinted that the incident with Hattie had happened shortly before Johnny's birthday party. Joy suddenly gave her apologies and made an abrupt departure. A concerned Chanel asked Johnny to make sure Joy was okay.

Johnny caught up with Joy in the corridor and testily asked her why she had accepted Chanel’s invitation. Joy claimed she couldn’t get out of it, and both agreed that getting through the previous night’s dinner had been difficult enough. Johnny again expressed doubt about keeping the truth from Chanel, and Joy reiterated that he needed to stay quiet for both their sakes. When Johnny rejoined Chanel in the main room, she deepened his discomfort by musing about how much difference it would have made if her character “Faith” had been told the truth by “Arrow” from the beginning.

Back at Abe and Paulina’s place, exuberant congratulations were exchanged when the show ended. Paulina thought Chanel was a stand-out and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. Kate and Abe marveled at how they had pulled it off successfully despite all the setbacks.

Later, Paulina strode up to EJ in Horton Town Square and angrily knocked his cupcake out of his hand. She wanted to talk about Johnny’s recent behavior with Chanel, but EJ cautioned Paulina to stay out of it.

While Paulina confronted EJ, Abe waited in anticipation back home for Kate to finish a call. When she hung up, she informed him that the preliminary data revealed Body and Soul was a hit. Abe and Paulina were relieved and overjoyed, but the moment was marred when a sickened Abe suddenly rushed to the bathroom.

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