Legendary Love, Graduation Day, and a Dash of Danger Light Up Salem: Days of our Lives Two Scoops for the week of June 16, 2025

There were quite a few flashbacks this week, with episodes dedicated to Steve, Bo and Hope, and Tom and Alice Horton. I’ll have a section that touches upon each. Also, it was the final goodbye for John, who’s being taken care of in the afterlife, and Marlena may have a clue about a major crime. And it was graduation time for Salem High, but Sophia almost derailed things by going into labor!

We also got some answers about the mysterious man who’s been taking photos of the young women in Salem. Xander actually made some progress in his relationship with Philip. And Johnny showed some growth, although Chanel may not have been too happy about it.

LOOSE ENDS

I ask again: What happened to Abigail’s body?

Marlena was babysitting an ailing Rachel, who was snoozing on the couch. She was dreaming and said out loud, “No! Don’t shoot him!” Marlena was shocked. Perhaps they will finally uncover who shot EJ.

Johnny told Chanel that he was seriously considering letting EJ back into his life. This didn’t sit well with her, but it shows some good character growth. He’s considered the advice that many people have given him, and made an informed decision like any mature adult does. I’m hoping the two will reconcile satisfactorily. Of course, my idea of how soap characters can reconcile is always to put them in a dangerous situation where they have to work together to survive, but I don’t see that happening here.

EXTRA SCOOPS

REFERENCES

In one of Steve’s flashbacks, we saw him before he lost his eye. He was with Jada’s father, Marcus Hunter, who was played by the late, beloved actor Richard Biggs. He was also well-known for playing Dr. Stephen Franklin on the hit sci-fi show, Babylon 5.

Leo was walking with Chad, and Leo referred to Xander and Philip, stating, “I mean, with everything going on between Cain and Abel over at Titan, it’s only a matter of time before that company self-immolates, but as both a journalist and also a very nosy person, I do wonder what is this gonna mean for DiMera?” Of course, Cain and Abel were Adam and Eve’s kids, and the jealous Cain killed his brother.

Javi told Leo he had news to cheer him up, and Leo asked, “What? Please don’t tell me they’re doing a remake of Moonstruck?” That was a 1987 film starring Cher and Nicholas Cage in which her character Loretta falls for her fiancé’s brother.

Doug asked Leo for another loan to get the creep to back off, and he promised to pay him back with interest. Leo said, “Well, I’m not exactly Daddy Warbucks. I guess I would be Zaddy Warbucks.“ That was a hilarious reference to the business mogul character from the old comic strip Little Orphan Annie, which has been made into a few film versions over the years.

During the young Tom and Alice flashbacks, Tom was getting frisky because their grandkids had gone to the movies to see Miracle on 34th Street. That’s the classic film about a Macy's department store Santa who claimed to be the real St. Nick. His sanity was called into question until a little girl who believed in him entered his life. Although there was a 1947 version starring Edmund Gwenn and Maureen O’Hara, the one they were referring to was most likely 1959’s film that starred Ed Wynn and Peter Lind Hayes.

SHOT OF THE WEEK

There were some good ones this week, but the most endearing was Leo helping the limping Chad exit the office. The scene almost looked improvised and showed their growth as friends. Too bad Billy Flynn’s leaving soon.

STEVE’S 40th ANNIVERSARY

Since John died, Steve decided to shut the doors on black patch and retire. So, Stephanie threw him a surprise retirement party, which didn’t end the way everyone expected. Steve reminisced about arriving in Salem 40 years ago, and it was a nice way to celebrate both the character and the actor, Stephen Nichols. He told Alex how he and Bo got into a fight once over a woman, and that’s how he lost his eye. Some of the flashbacks included Kayla helping Steve after he got injured, and Steve worrying about feeling like a freak because of his missing eye. It was nice to see young Steve, Kayla, Jack, and even Adrienne.

Alex was worried because he didn’t think Steve liked him. They sat down, and Jack said, “So…the end of an era.” He continued, “I can’t believe you’re shutting down Black Patch. Who’s gonna keep Salem safe from all the riffraff?” Steve said he liked the riffraff, and he told Alex he came to town to work for his uncle Victor and wanted revenge on Bo. After the flashbacks and Steve telling the tale of his eye, Alex said, “Sounds like you were a certified badass.” Steve responded, “Oh, well, certifiable anyway.”

There was also a nice flashback of a young Adrienne and Steve in which she told him she was his younger sister. Steve had stated that she helped put their broken family back together, and the past scenes were very cool, especially since Steve felt she looked like their mother, which convinced him she was on the level.

Jack and Jennifer asked Steve to find Julie’s grandmother’s necklace, and mentioned that Bo and Hope wanted to partner up with him. So his retirement party became an “un-retirement” party, as Stephanie put it.

A BOPE TO REMEMBER

Bo and Hope reflected on the past and their renewed love. Hope explained the recent house renovations were due to a fire, which sparked memories of family history, including flashbacks of Tom and Alice Horton learning they’d become grandparents. Bo regretted missing Hope's hardships, but she reassured him that he was always with her in spirit. They fondly remembered their children and grandchildren, shared sentimental moments from their early years, and reminisced about the family time capsule filled with Horton treasures. As they move through the house, flashbacks show Alice and Tom beginning family traditions, and Bo and Hope remember the support they received from the Hortons.

This was a wonderful celebration of two characters who have endeared themselves to the fans over the years. Things ended wonderfully as they renewed their vows after Bo proposed again with Hope's mother's ring. However, Bo told her he had reacquired his boat called “Fancy Face,” and she agreed to go traveling with him in it, with a promise to return to Salem often. I wonder if this promise was one they were making to the fans as well? Bo and Hope walked off together, saying goodbye to Salem — for now.

TOM AND ALICE: THE EARLY YEARS

Throughout Bo and Hope’s emotional reunion, the episode was interwoven with heartfelt flashbacks of Tom and Alice Horton, highlighting the enduring legacy of the Horton family. Tom was played by Zach Chyz, and Alice by Sydney K. Smith. It was a great way to get into the origin of the Horton’s iconic Salem house, and we also were privy to how the family began, which was fun to watch. They did a great job of making it seem like the show was made in the 1950s, and the actors were also convincing in that regard.

We saw young Tom sharing the joyful news that their daughter Addy was pregnant, and Alice reacting with a mix of surprise and love at becoming a grandmother. Their bond was further captured in tender moments like Tom sending the grandchildren to the movies so he and Alice could share private time, and Alice reflecting on how the once-busy house felt too quiet with the kids grown. Flashbacks showed them beginning cherished traditions like Tom reading to children at the hospital and admiring the family’s Christmas ornaments, including Julie’s. These memories reinforced the emotional weight of the Horton home as a generational anchor and underscored Alice’s hope that it would remain a place of love “for all the generations after us.”

LINE(S) OF THE WEEK

Steve’s late sister Adrienne appeared to him. At first, he thought it was Bonnie, but she clarified, “Bonnie may have my face, but we are nothing alike. I mean, look at how I’m dressed. I’m very demure. Whereas Bonnie’s style is a little more, uh…” Steve finished her sentence with, “...Tacky?” She laughed and said, “Glad you said it, so I don’t have to.”

When Steve started to say that he thought she was alive, she interrupted with, “Oh, that I was one of those back-from-the-dead miracles? Or as I say, in Salem, a Tuesday.’”

Jennifer gave Jack a cupcake with a candle on it for his birthday and asked what he wished for when he blew it out. He said it was bad luck to tell someone a wish, and she replied that there were exceptions to the rule, such as, “You can tell the one true love of your life.” He said he’d never heard it before, and she responded, “I know because I just made it up.”

When Philip woke up, he said to Sarah, “I feel like I was hit by a truck. Was I hit by a truck?”

Chad limped into the office and asked what Leo was doing there so late. Leo responded, “Making my PD contact earn his dough. And since I don’t give him any, I guess I’m getting what I paid for.”

Leo then noticed Chad’s limp and said, “Are you limping? Oh, my God, you are. Wait a minute, does this mean…yes, I see it now. ‘Disaster at 10,000 Feet: Chad DiMera, something, something, plummets to his something.’ ” Chad replied that it was a pretty good headline.

Chad later asked Leo if there were any developments in EJ’s shooting case, and Leo responded, “No, I don’t have any updates about that. Neither do the fuzz. In fact, they seem to think that EJ’s case has gone colder than a night swim in the Laptev.” When Chad looked quizzically at him, he noted, “It’s a sea off the coast of northern Siberia, Chadwick.”

Leo then told him that Philip woke up, adding, “And get this: He’s saying that Xander is not the one who pummeled him.” When Chad asked who did, he responded, “He’s not. It’s a big old mystery. So I’m keeping my ear to the grindstone.” Chad corrected him, saying, “No, I think it’s ‘nose to the grindstone.’ ” Leo then asked, “Then where does the ear go?” Chad answered, “It goes on the ground.” Of course, upon thinking about it, Leo asked, “So nose, grindstone; ear, ground; eyes, peeled?” Chad then hilariously said, “I think you’ve done enough grounding and peeling and grinding for one day.”

Later, while walking, Leo made the Cain and Abel reference and then thought about things and asked, “Say, do you ever think of pitching yourself as the savior? I mean, you seem to be the only DiMera who doesn’t suffer from some sort of Cluster B personality disorder.”

Will showed up and said, “Don’t tell me you two are friends now?” Leo responded, “Hello to you, too, Wilhelmina. And in response to your somewhat caustic and derisive comment, Chad and I are colleagues now at The Spectator. Even though we had some growing pains, I would say we have a very copasetic working relationship, don’t we Chadwick?”

“No mustard will be involved in the making process of your meal,” is what Cat said to Chad when she offered to cook for him, and said she wasn’t going to cook hotdogs.

Bo told Hope, “I am the bad seed of an Irish Catholic fishmonger family. And you are the debutante granddaughter of one of the most prominent WASP doctors in town.”

Young Alice Horton was walking across her living room and nearly tripped over one of the kids’ toys. “I should be getting combat pay for just walking across my living room!” she yelled.

Xander was surprisingly apologizing to Philip and stated that after he learned about Vivian’s forgery, “The anger, it just kept building and building. And then I was forced to be with you. Forced to endure all your annoying habits,” Xander said, to which Philip inquired, “This is an apology?”

REACTION OF THE WEEK

Doug III showed Leo the envelope with photos of Arianna and Holly, and the note that said, “It’ll be a shame if something happened to those pretty faces”

RANDOM THOUGHT

When Jack invoked Jennifer’s wish rule, I had to knock on wood in real life to help ward off any bad luck he may have invoked.

Aaron returned just in time for the graduation, but Sophia thought she was going into labor. He admitted to Sophia that he liked her, so we’ll hopefully get some teen scene stories and adventures this summer.

PARTING THOUGHTS

I’m glad they wrapped up the whole John saga nicely. Having Adrienne telling Steve that John was healed up and she’d be looking over him in Heaven not only gave Patch peace of mind, but also the viewers.

OUTRO

Thank you for joining me again, DOOL-ers! Come back next week for a workshop where we will put our brains together and once and for all solve the mystery of how many pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.

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