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Tuesday, August 21

At the DiMera hideaway, Rafe cuffs Sami to a chair to get her to turn on EJ.

Wednesday, August 22

Sami shoots Silvio to prevent him from attacking Rafe, leading to an electric moment between the two. ‘There are still unresolved feelings with both men and I think there’s a valid tension between all three of them,” notes Alison Sweeney (Sami). “It’s so confusing for Sami, but it’s really good story.”

Friday, August 24

Julie tells a stunned Melanie (both r.) that she is working to have Nick Fallon released from prison.

SOD Spoilers for week of August 20, 2012 (issue date August 27)

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In the aftermath of Jack’s death, Jennifer and Abigail console themselves with a peek into his soul. Explains Kate Mansi (Abigail), “Abigail and Jennifer see the galleys of Jack’s book,  which is a journal of his time in Afghanistan. They go through the pages reading his stories.” Mother and daughter feel a new connection to Jack. ‘The words are Jack’s words, personal accounts of a really dark time in his life,” Mansi notes. “It’s the only physical thing that Abigail has that feels like a portal to him.” Later, several of Jen and Abigail’s friends gather at Alice’s house to memorialize Jack. “Bo and Hope and Abe are there. Jennifer also has private time with Brady and they talk about Jack.” Nicole stops by to express her condolences
— and to try to make sure that Daniel doesn’t reunite with Jennifer. “Nicole is somewhat notorious for causing trouble,” sighs Mansi. “Even though Abigail doesn’t have a personal  relationship with Nicole, she knows her reputation. Abigail feels that seeing this unexpected visitor in her home is another indication that she’s losing control.”

During Nicole’s visit, a protective Abigail hovers over Jennifer. “Abigail is very supportive of her mom,” Mansi points out. “Abigail feels that if she wouldn’t have been such a child,  screaming for help, then her dad would never have rushed to save her. Jack would never have died. He’d still be around for the family. So Abigail feels a great deal of responsibility to take care of her mom now.”

Cameron, meanwhile, tries to support Abigail, but she fmds herself being very remote with her boyfriend. “Abigail feels like she is an egg about to crack with emotion,” shares Mansi.  “The second she comes close to intimacy with Cameron, she pushes him away. Abigail is afraid that once the trickle of emotion starts, there will be a flood she won’t be able to turn off. She wants to be close to Cameron, but she won’t allow herself to go there with him. Every time she has an honest moment with him, she ends up pushing him away.” At week’s end, Jennifer and Abigail depart Salem with Jack’s ashes. “Abigail’s brother, D., isn’t able to come home, so they go to him and have a ceremony to spread Jack’s ashes. Jennifer and Abigail feel that it’s something they should do together as a family.”

SOD Spoilers for week of August 20, 2012 (issue date August 27)

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EJ — who was knocked unconscious last week — wakes up to find himself being held captive by Ian. Ian then drops a few bombshells, including the reveal that Stefano is alive and that EJ and Stefano are, indeed, bio father and son. Joseph Mascolo (Stefano) previews, “It’s going to take time for Stefano and EJ to work through everything that has happened in the last few months.”

EJ manages to overpower  his captor and get free. He isn’t interested in reconnecting with his estranged father, choosing instead to go directly to Sami. Bo and Hope arrive at the  hideaway, where they find Stefano alive and rush him to the hospital. Word quickly spreads that the Phoenix has risen, again. Meanwhile, Kate is sent reeling by the realization that she has also been a victim of Ian’s manipulations. “As the story unfolds, it’s like a series of punches to the gut for Kate,” voices Lauren Koslow (Kate). Including the news that her ex is alive. “Kate is shocked,” offers Koslow. “When she puts all the pieces together, all the events that have happened, it wounds her to the core.” Kate rushes to the hospital, but Stefano doesn’t want to see her. A determined Kate barges in to his room, only to find that he has already left.

Roman presents Kate with a letter that Stefano has penned to Chad, which she delivers in person. “Kate wants to hear what’s in the letter, but she doesn’t read it,” notes Koslow. “Even
though Kate does things that are devious, when it comes to family, there is a code. She considers Chad part of her family.” Kate watches as Chad reads his father’s words. “At first, Chad doesn’t want to share what’s in it,” states Koslow. “But then he does and Kate finds out that Stefano has totally forsaken her.”

Kate meets with Lucas and Billie and updates them on the situation. “Lucas and Billie think that Kate is better off because both Ian and Stefano are out of her life,” Koslow points out. “But Kate cuts to the chase and says, ‘I’m still in love with Stefano.’ They’re pretty resistant to that idea, especially Lucas. Even though Billie may not be happy about it, she  understands, where Kate is coming from.” Though Kate may be down, she is not out. “Kate has lost everything,” observes Koslow. “She has lost love. She has lost her business. Her son Austin has left Salem, again. It’s been one devastating blow after another, so we’re going into a period of Kate battening down the hatches, retreating and trying to figure things
out. Above all else, she’s a survivor.”

SOD Spoilers for week of August 20, 2012 (issue date August 27)

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The Phoenix rises again: Joseph Mascolo returns to Salem on August 22. The actor, whose alter ego was killed off in early June, says the plan was always in place for his comeback.

However, while he was gone, HW Marlene MacPherson and Darrell Ray Thomas, Jr. were replaced by Gary Tomlin and Christopher Whitesell. “The ones before [Tomlin/Whitesell] came to me with these ideas that I didn’t think were so incredible, Mascolo admits. “But they wanted to [tell Stefano's story] in a certain wain, so we did. Of course, there’s no way that Stefano was really dead.” Meanwhile, during the break from DAYS, “I ha d some person, physical stuff that I had to deal with,” Mascolo adds.

The actor is delighted to see DAYS’ former co-EP Tomlin now in place as HW. “I really like Tomlin, Mascolo enthuses. “I like his insights. I don’t know exactly where they’re going with the story because I haven’t been back that long. I think there are somethings that we talked about before he left last year that we’re kind of aiming for. We’ll see where it goes.

Mascolo’s exit from DAYS coincided with Renee Jones’ decision to step down as Lexie.  Mascolo reveals that they were both disappointed that Stefano wasn’t by Lexie’s side when she died. “I thought there might be a little more than we had, but then Stefano went first. That’s the way they were writing it, which was too bad. If there was any time that those two should have been together, it was at the very end.”

Looking ahead, Mascolo is excited to see Eileen Davidson back as Stefano’s daughter, Kristen. “I haven’t seen Eileen yet, but that shoudl be very interseting. We did alot of weird things in the story when she was on before, what with those scenes, when Stefano dressed as Elvis with Susan.”

While Mascolo was away from DAYS, he heard from viewers who missed him. “I’m very thankful to the fans. They always let me know how they feel and what they think. I have found their insights to be right on the button.”

SOD Spoilers for week of August 20, 2012 (issue date August 27)

The EJami section only:

In the warehouse, Sami is dangling over the edge of the catwalk, holding onto EJ for dear life.”Her life is literally in EJ’s hands,” begins Alison Sweeney (Sami). “He can’t pull her back up. There are more sparks and there is another mini-explosion and her life is in even more peril. She has the though of ‘Both of us can’t die; one of us has to be there to parent our children.” Obviously, at this point it’s going to be EJ, so she tells him to let go, which is a tough decision for Sami. She’s a survivor and is always looking for another way out. in that moment, I think you really see that she wants what’s best for her kids and she is ultimately going to do the sacrificial thing.”

Fortunately, Will arrives just in time to help EJ save Sami. “Of course, there is a huge relief and amazing comfort from the disaster averted,” says the actress. EJ announces his plan to run away and Sami shocks him by declaring she’s going with him. “As we’ve seen over the years, Sami is a bit impulsive and in her mind, the reason she wants to go with EJ is protect him,” explains Sweeney. “She thinks that Rafe and Roman and the rest of the police force are just looking for a valid reason to pull that trigger. If it comes down to it. she’s willing to stand in front of EJ again until he gets what he needs to prove he’s innocent.”

What about Lucas? (Ed. Note: Pfft, what about him? Sami’s protecting EJ again! Squee!) “She knows that when she made the choice to go with EJ that was a deal breaker for Lucas,” points out Sweeney. “He made that abundantly clear. She’s moving forward with what she thinks is best and she’s going to deal with the consequences later.”

Sami and EJ head to a DiMera hideaway outside of town, where they share a passionate kiss. “The truth is, she is attracted to EJ. She always has been,” declares the actress.  “There has always been this pull between them.  So standing there and feeling like the only people in the world, there’s that tension and chemistry, and then he makes a m ove toward her. She knows none of this is okay with Lucas, so in her mind, she is free and clear to do what she wants and once those barriers are out of her way, it is impossible to resist. The intimacy of these shared kisses (Ed Note: squee!) and the connection of it means a lot to them in that moment.”

The mood is broken when EJ gets a call from someone who says they can prove his innocence. he heads out. Sami then spills tea on herself. “She changes into the only other thing that is there, which is a very sexy dress that Silvio [Stefano's henchman] brought for her. She’s not uncomfortable with what will probably happen with EJ as a result of her wearing that sexy dress,” says Sweeney.

Suddenly there’s a knock at the door: it’s Rafe. “The second Rafe walks in, there is alot of baggage and emotion and shared history that comes crashing back down on both of them, especially in these elevated circumstances,” teases Sweeney.

The full article can be found in the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest! (publish date August 20)

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Roman is Injured

After the explosion, Bo and Hope rush to an injured and unconscious Roman to the Brady Pub, which has become a makeshift triage center. Kayla immediately treats her brother’s wounds. Josh Taylor notes that Roman wakes up and is in a daze, he’s not seriously hurt.

Roman remembers that Sami was on the catwalk with EJ when the explosion hit and is worried about her well being. No one can tell Roman anything about Sami. Roman’s main concern is finding his daughter. He doesn’t understand what Sami was doing with EJ or why she was willing to take a bullet for him. Sami may have made arrangements for her kids, but from what Roman can tell, she was willing to take off on them to be with EJ. Roman wonders, how far will Sami go for this guy?

Later, Roman updates Marlena and John about Sami. They hope that she isn’t in serious trouble. Taylor notes, This takes it to the level above frustration to flat out anger mixed with disappointment. He wonders what Sami will do next.

 
The full article can be found in the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest! (publish date August 20)

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DAYS: Nicole’s Baby Drama

After the explosion both Nicole and her unborn baby are in danger. Daniel struggles to reach Nicole, who is buried under a avalanche of debris. Bope arrive to assist Daniel and it becomes clear to them that he cares deeply for Nicole. They finally break trough the rubble, but Nicole is nowhere to be found. After the search for Nicole in the ballroom proves futile, Daniel and Bo go outside, where they spot her wandering aimlessly through the town square. Suddenly Nicole is struck by premature labor and Daniel is able to stabilize her.

Nicole is admitted to the hospital where she receives a visit from Father Matt.  Nicole opens up to him about Daniel and Rafe, hoping to find clarity. It gives her the strength to understand that she needs to let go of this delusion of being with Rafe because he’s already in love with two other women, Sami and Carrie.  Rafe is a really good friend and Nicole doesn’t want to screw up that friendship.

Nicole shifts her focus to Daniel, and the affection that’s been building between them. Meanwhile the explosion has also had an impact on Daniel, who decides it might be best to shift his priorities and make Melanie his top concern. Daniel pays Nicole a visit, poised to end their affair….