Tensions boil over; Days of our Lives Recap for Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Abe visited Stephanie at her apartment, and she asked him if he was there to review the new press release for the soap. With a shake of his head, Abe said he wanted to discuss a photoshoot. Abe explained that although they had not had the budget for a photoshoot, Eric had volunteered his services for the evening. “Okay then. Well, I should help wrangle the actors,” Stephanie said.

At the Salem Inn, Leo worked on his script for the soap. Hattie stopped by to talk about a rewrite of all the scripts. “You need me to do what?” Leo asked. Hattie explained that her character was the star of the show, and she needed more lines. “In addition to improving the show, you’ll be putting Bonnie in her place,” Hattie said. “I’m sensing a rivalry here,” Leo said. Hattie called Bonnie a “super diva.”

Leo offered to add in some lines to insult Kassandra, but Hattie was unhappy with the suggestions. “I can’t just be making changes willy nilly. There’s a chain of command, and all of these scripts have been approved by the producers. And any rewrites need to be submitted and that really just slows everything down,” Leo argued. Hattie informed Leo that Bonnie had been making changes to the script, which was news to Leo.

“I don’t have any time to make any changes to anything that’s already been approved,” Leo reiterated. “This is the first week of our relaunch, so we have to get it right,” Hattie argued. Leo said he could not make any promises, but he would make an effort on Hattie’s behalf.

Johnny was in the DiMera living room, talking on the phone with E.J., as Chanel waited nearby. E.J. updated Johnny on what had happened in the house with the bomb. “Amazingly, my dad wasn’t hurt. Gabi did sustain a few minor injuries, but she’s gonna be okay,” Johnny told Chanel. Worried, Chanel asked if the house was structurally safe, and Johnny confirmed that the fire chief had confirmed that the house was habitable. Johnny noted that the only real damage was to the wine collection.

“I am just so happy that we do not have to move out,” Chanel said. With a sigh, Chanel said she was ready to get some rest before she had to face her co-star in the morning. “Wow, so you’re really dreading working with Alex, huh?” Johnny said. Chanel noted that she did not want to spend long days with Alex. Johnny reminded Chanel that her history with Alex was in the past.

“And everything worked out for the better, right?” Johnny said. As Johnny pulled Chanel into an embrace, she smiled and agreed. “I am married to the sweetest, sexiest man on the planet,” Chanel said. Johnny called himself the luckiest man on the planet. As Johnny and Chanel kissed, both their phones buzzed with notifications from the studio. The emails included rewrites. Chanel gasped.

“What? Faith and Arrow have sex?” Chanel said. Chanel argued that she had believed the characters were star-crossed lovers that were separated by circumstance. “Isn’t the whole point that they don’t have sex, at least not for a while?” Chanel said. Johnny admitted that had been his understanding, as well. Chanel groaned, and she complained about having to jump into a love scene with Alex at the start of the show. “Yeah, well, I have to direct it,” Johnny muttered.

With a shake of her head, Chanel said she would have to talk to Leo about the change. Chanel’s phone beeped. “More changes?” Johnny asked. “No, it’s a text from Stephanie. Apparently, there is a last-minute photoshoot, and they need the entire cast,” Chanel said.

At the Body and Soul office, Kate reviewed Justin’s counteroffer on Bonnie’s contract as Justin pitched the reasons why the increased salary was justified. “So, do we have a deal?” Justin asked. Kate countered that either Bonnie would accept the deal as is, or the show would recast the role of Kassandra.

In the square, Bonnie talked to Alex about how excited she was to act on the soap with Alex in the morning. “And you’re playing my son,” Bonnie said. Bonnie told Alex that Justin was negotiating her contract with the studio. “Have you ever heard the phrase you can’t get blood from a stone?” Alex said. Alex argued that the budget was too small to allow for pay increases, but Bonnie disagreed.

“[Body and Soul] is a household name, a brand. They got plenty of money to spread around,” Bonnie said. Bonnie predicted that Kate would comply with Justin’s demands. To prove her worth, Bonnie did a line reading for Alex. “That was really moving,” Alex said. Impressed, Alex called Bonnie a great actress. “Really? Can you believe I have all my lines memorized already?” Bonnie said. Alex confessed he had not memorized his lines yet.

“That’s the least of my worries. Because I’m really worried about working alongside my co-star,” Alex said. Bonnie asked why. With a shrug, Alex told Bonnie about his history with Chanel and why she hated him. Bonnie advised Alex to channel his tension with Chanel into his performance. As Alex complimented Bonnie again on her natural talent for acting, she suggested that Alex ask Justin to handle his contract, too. Bonnie gasped as she saw Justin approach, and she rushed to greet him.

“How did it go? Did you have Kate begging for mercy?” Bonnie asked. “Not exactly,” Justin admitted. Justin explained that Kate had refused to budge. “It was either accept the offer or walk. And I assume you don’t want to do that,” Justin said. “Of course, I don’t want to do that. Especially now that I feel like Kassandra is part of me,” Bonnie said. Bonnie agreed that Justin was right to have accepted the deal on her behalf "as is."

Hattie marched over to Bonnie and dropped a stack of scripts on her table. “What's all that?” Bonnie asked. As Bonnie read through the rewrites, she demanded to know who had made the changes. “Don’t look at me! I didn’t do it,” Hattie said. “Who did?” Bonnie yelled. Hattie stammered that Leo had made the changes.

“Somebody say my name?” Leo asked as he was walking through the square nearby. “Why would you do this? Why would you butcher the script just to make me look like a buffoon?” Bonnie said. Leo reminded Bonnie that the script was about Kassandra, not Bonnie. Hattie and Bonnie received texts from Stephanie about the photoshoot. As Bonnie and Alex headed to the car, Hattie told them she would catch up.

Once alone, Leo reminded Hattie that he had done her several favors, and he was annoyed that she had thrown him under the bus. “That’s showbiz, baby. Besides, it’s always the writer that takes the blame,” Hattie said. With a nod, Hattie walked away.

Leo returned to his room and fumed. “Try and be helpful, and this is the thanks I get,” Leo muttered. Johnny knocked on the door, and he asked to talk about the love scene. “I was just thinking maybe it’s a little too soon for them to have sex,” Johnny said. Leo was taken aback. “When is it ever too soon for them to have sex?” Leo said. Johnny clarified that he meant Faith and Arrow specifically, and he asked Leo to rewrite the scene. Leo refused. “I’m telling you, you need to build suspense,” Johnny argued. “No more rewrites!” Leo yelled.

When Abe returned to the Body and Soul offices, he told Kate that Eric was on his way with his equipment for the photoshoot. As Kate tossed Justin’s counteroffer for Bonnie in the trash, she told Abe about her meeting. “I made it perfectly clear, no sale,” Kate said. Stephanie walked in and announced that she had messaged the entire cast about the photoshoot, and most of them had confirmed they would head for the studio.

When Eric arrived, Kate thanked him profusely for his help. “We only wish we had enough money to pay you what you’re worth,” Abe added. Eric said he was happy to help. As the cast started to arrive for the shoot, Kate ordered Bonnie and Hattie to head to wardrobe. Bonnie asked Kate if they could talk about Leo’s rewrites, but Hattie interrupted to argue that there was no time to talk. Stephanie steered Bonnie toward wardrobe as Bonnie fruitlessly kept talking about all the changes.

In the square, Abe stopped by Justin’s table at the café. Abe apologized about Bonnie’s contract. “The thing is, Kate is in charge of everything that goes into the budget, and she doesn’t allow any wiggle room,” Abe explained. With a smirk, Justin asked Abe if he was playing good cop, bad cop. Abe smiled. “I’d give everyone a big raise if we had the money, and I believe that we should pay everyone their worth,” Abe said. “That’s very good of you,” Justin said. Abe noted that if the show became a hit, they could revisit Bonnie’s contract.

At the soap offices, Stephanie and Kate smiled when Bonnie returned in her sparkling Kassandra wardrobe. “You look absolutely stunning,” Kate said. Bonnie posed as Eric took photos. Hattie returned, dressed in the same outfit as Bonnie. The two women stared daggers at one another. “This is ridiculous! We can’t wear the same dress. You’ve got to go change!” Bonnie said. Hattie refused. Bonnie and Hattie bickered. Kate, Stephanie, and Eric stared in horror as the verbal taunts turned into full-blown wrestling. “What kind of angle you think we can get here?” Stephanie asked Eric.

After the fight had died down and the women had retreated from the room, Chanel walked in. Chanel noted that it looked like someone had been rolling around in the clothes in wardrobe. “You don’t say,” Kate grumbled. Stephanie directed Chanel in front of the camera, and Chanel posed for Eric. Alex arrived, and he joined Chanel in front of the camera. “We need some pictures of you together,” Kate said. After Chanel and Alex posed awkwardly, Eric directed them so that he could get usable photos.

Chanel asked Alex if he had seen the addition of the sex scene to their script. “Don’t you think it’s a little rushed?” Chanel asked. “I do, actually. I was thinking about maybe asking Kate and Abe if maybe they can pull it back a little bit,” Alex said. Eric instructed Chanel and Alex to look into one another’s eyes. “Act like you want him to hold you closer. You want him to be there. Turning you on. I see it,” Eric said. Chanel and Alex stared into one another’s eyes.

“I have to say, Alex, I’m a bit surprised,” Chanel said. “I may have been a player in real life, but this is acting. And whatever happens on the screen isn’t real. All that matters is that the audience thinks that it is,” Alex said. Kate ordered Alex to take off his jacket. Stephanie smirked at Alex, and he complied. Shirtless, Alex pulled Chanel into an embrace.

“This is perfect,” Eric said as he snapped photos. Kate argued that the photos were not sexy enough, and she shouted out a few directions. As Chanel and Alex stared into one another’s eyes with their faces inches apart, Johnny walked into the office. “You guys are sexy!” Eric said. Johnny frowned and looked away.

At the Salem Inn, Leo was settling in for bed when Bonnie banged on Leo’s door. Leo reluctantly let a disheveled Bonnie into the room. “I know Hattie put you up to these [changes]!” Bonnie shouted. Leo stressed that he had made the changes himself. “I have the last word,” Leo said. Bonnie argued that Leo could ruin the show if he let Hattie bully him into making changes to Bonnie’s character. Bonnie threatened to quit if Leo did not undo the latest changes to the script.

In the square, Hattie limped up to Abe’s table at the café. “Is everything all right?” Abe asked. Hattie asked Abe to fire Bonnie. “I’m telling you, it’s her or me,” Hattie said.