Hope, Tears, and Memories — John Black Becomes the Center of Salem’s Collective Heart: Days of our Lives Two Scoops for the week of May 26, 2025

Get your hankies or tissues ready, DAYS fans! This week was full of people visiting John in the hospital, and while they clung to hope, we know the sad truth that he’ll soon meet his demise. That being said, I’m going to change things up a little so we can get a look at all of those who visited with John and had some good flashbacks of Drake Hogestyn. Characters weren’t saying goodbye just yet, and so we got to see many characters coming together to rally their support for Salem’s greatest hero.

But first, the big news was that the hospital board ended up choosing between Xander and EJ’s bid to buy it. Ultimately, after Xander was arrested just before the vote, the winner was EJ. Instead of being the lesser of two evils, it seemed like they were just simply “two evils” that the board had to choose between. Where that goes remains to be seen. While EJ is supposedly attempting to be a better person, it would be nice if Xander tried the same thing. He’s been told more than once that Philip stole the Versavix to win back his brother’s trust, so Xander needs to reflect on that and hopefully atone for his violent act.

Xander also slashed the portrait of Victor that the evil Konstantin had given to Maggie and threw it in a dumpster. Boy, he’s really going off the rails and needs to be reined in soon. Maybe she’ll have a new one made to replace it.

FLASHBACKS AND REFLECTIONS OF JOHN

MARLENA

In the hospital chapel, Marlena prayed for a miracle, explaining that John had always risked his life for people and deserved to be saved. “He didn’t just save my life,” she said, adding, “he saved my very soul.” She recalled the first time she was possessed by the Devil, and she was strangling John, who also had demonic eyes. He cried out to God for help as she did so. Then she released him, and he returned to normal. A very compelling flashback.

CARRIE

Sitting at John’s bedside, Marlena remarked how happy she was that he had a lot of visitors, which showed how loved he was. She called him a hero, “To me…to Bo…” and suddenly Carrie showed up, adding, “To all of us.” She recalled that even though John wasn’t her father, he took her in and took care of her when she was little, and Marlena stated how she would always be her and John’s daughter. Carrie flashed back to when everyone once thought Marlena was dead and John had to break the devastating news to her.

ABE

Abe sat with John and said he needed to stick around because he was beloved. He mentioned that he was in Salem when John first arrived and watched his and Marlena’s romance blossom. He flashed back to when John was planning on proposing to her and asked Abe to be his best man. In the present, Abe said they would always be family.

WILL

Will arrived to visit with John. He had a flashback to the time John told him that he was proud of his grandson for having the courage to come out. Will explained how Arianna was doing and said that her rebelliousness was a lot like John’s, and that she was like him.

BRADY

Brady told John how glad he was that John supported him over the years, despite his many misdeeds. He had a flashback of John giving him a plaque from the Venice gondola that he and Isabella rode on before she died. Brady was thankful that John always helped to keep her memory alive and hoped that he could be the same kind of father that John was.

PAUL

Paul was with Marlena, and the two told John he needed to get better for them. John was able to give a thumbs up, and Paul recalled the time he asked John if he could call him “Dad.” Flash forward to the present, where Paul said he was proud to be John’s son and John uttered the words, “Proud to be your dad.”

REFERENCES

I don’t recall if I’ve mentioned this before, and I apologize if I already did. There’s a piece of background music where the notes are very familiar to me. One example of where it can be heard is around 13 minutes into Thursday’s episode. It reminds me of the song This Is It, which was the theme for The Bugs Bunny Show, which aired in prime time from 1960 to 1962. It can be heard here.

At the hospital, Julie said to Maggie, “Oh, what a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.” That’s a reference to legendary comedy duo Laurel and Hardy in which Oliver Hardy often said to Stan Laurel, “Well, Stanley, here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten me into.”

With regards to the hospital board having to vote between Xander's or EJ’s bid to buy it (and thereby saving it from closing), Julie said to Kayla and Maggie, “I don’t suppose there’s another option? Perhaps behind door number three?” That’s a reference to the classic 1960s game show, Let’s Make a Deal, hosted by Monty Hall. On the show, contestants (often dressed in crazy costumes) are presented with choices between known prizes and mystery options - usually hidden behind three doors labeled “Door #1, Door #2, and Door #3.” Door #3 became a pop culture catchphrase because of how often it was chosen, and the risk that came with it.

LINE(S) OF THE WEEK

Xander swore to baby Victoria that he would stay in her life. But Maggie told him she would protect the girl, and when he asked if she was threatening him, she stated, “I just want to remind you of who I am. I managed to keep Victor Kiriakis in check whenever he stepped out of line, and I won’t hesitate to do the same to you.”

She also added, “As far as I’m concerned, you’ve run out of do-overs,” meaning no more free passes for his misbehavior.

Of John, Marlena said, “He didn’t just save my life. He saved my very soul.” She recalled all the great deeds John has done, and reminded God that, “John and I have survived Stefano and Orpheus and Kristen…even the Devil himself.”

Sarah didn’t want to, but she ended up telling Xander that John almost died. She basically said he was at the center of Phillip being beaten and John almost dying because of the Versavix. Xander said to her, “Well, why stop there, darling? Why not blame me for every single sick person in this hospital? Hey, throw in climate change and the rise of fascism while you’re at it.”

Praying for John, Steve referred to God as “Big dude.”

Sophia had lunch with Melinda to get her to be her adoption lawyer. Melinda basically told her she knew her way around adoptions, stating, “Well, you’ve come to the right place, and I think you’ll find that I’m exceedingly well-versed in the adoption process.” OMG. All I could do was groan, considering what happened with Sloan Peterson.

After their roll in the hay, Arianna asked Doug III if they could hook up again sometime. He kept shutting her down at every turn, and explained that the Salem Inn was too expensive (although that’s where they were). She said she would pay for it, and he replied, “I don’t mean to be like hyper masculine or anything, but there’s no way I’m letting you do that.”

Gabby told JJ, “Regardless, my daughter is not the type to sneak out in the middle of the night and meet a boy…Even though she’s always been a little boy crazy.” I guess she doesn’t know her daughter very well.

Doug III asked Leo for help finding out who Melinda sold the necklace to because she wasn’t returning his calls. He didn’t want to hire a PI because he felt that he needed someone more like Leo, to which the journalist asked, “You need someone with a better dress sense and amazing sense of humor, not to mention a heart of gold, and a stellar work ethic?” Doug clarified that he meant someone who knew how to deal with people on the other side of the law.

Alex was talking to Bell and said, “Unfortunately, I didn’t find out about the stolen drug until it was after it was recovered, not to mention I can’t believe Phillip would do anything so stupid, although I shouldn’t be surprised given all the other stupid things he’s done.” Belle replied, “Like fraudulently claiming to be Victor's heir?”

Kristen said John was the first man she truly loved. EJ said, “And you were willing to do anything to keep him, even passing me off as your child.”

EJ was on the phone with Dr. Russell and was all giddy, telling him how he now owned the hospital. Then he turned around and saw the plaque of Tom and Alice Horton looking at him, and he said, “Why are you looking at me like that? Stop it!” Of course, for those who don’t know, Dr. Tom Horton and his wife, Alice Horton, were the founding members of the Horton family, which has been central to the show’s narrative since its premiere in 1965. Tom and Alice were portrayed by Macdonald Carey and Frances Reid, respectively, and their characters served as the moral compass of Salem for several decades. The plaque in Horton Town Square honored their memory and enduring legacy on the show.

Of EJ, Johnny told Belle, “I don’t wanna see or speak to that evil son of a bitch ever again. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from him, too.”

Rachel told Kristen that she saw Johnny fighting with EJ the night he got shot, and told her Mom, “Like you said, Uncle EJ came at grandma. He got what he deserved.” Ouch! Coming from a little one, that was pretty harsh.

Julie told Maggie, “Well, all of this mano a mano conflict has given me an appetite for red meat.” She then asked Maggie to go to the hospital cafeteria with her to split a roast beef sandwich.

When Chad asked EJ if he was the one who stole the Versavix, EJ responded, “Oh, this is becoming a habit of yours, Chad. You ruin a nice moment by accusing me of a crime.”

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Johnny and Bell almost collided in the square, and he said, “Oh, sorry, Aunt Belle.” I just think it’s hilarious that everybody in the town passes by each other and it’s like, “Hey, Auntie, this,” and “Hi, Uncle, Mom, nephew, etc.” It’s the fun of soap operas that nearly everyone in town is related to each other.

There was one scene that I didn’t find funny until I thought about it afterwards. EJ was on the phone with Brady, and he said he was sorry upon hearing about John’s predicament, then promptly asked if Brady was going to vote at the hospital board meeting. I thought it was hilarious that he was so careless and then had the gall to turn around and yell at Kristen, ordering her to teach her ex some phone etiquette.

OUTRO

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Thanks for joining me again, this week, DOOL-ers! Come back next week when I will determine which came first, the mondegreen or the eggcorn.

Days of Our Lives can be found on the Peacock app.

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