Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI (4)

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Xander’s going off the rails, Johnny’s in a heap of trouble, Vivian is already taken down, Clyde’s making bizarre requests (we think), and Gabi’s closed the door on the DiMeras. So it was a typical week in Salem. But Days of Our Lives ended it all by making one thing clear: We’re soon going to have to say goodbye to Doug and John. And in the process, we’re going to get some beautifully painful stories. 

Impossible Goodbyes

The anniversary episode wasn’t the biggest, most exciting Friday episode, nor did it have obvious cliffhangers, but it still set things up for two very, very big goodbyes. The first, more subtle one was Doug. His funeral will be after Thanksgiving, and today was a nostalgia trip with Julie giving Holly a pep talk about young love, grown love and messy, complicated love. She talked about her and Doug, then went home to take care of her beloved husband, who’s sick right now and has been feeling down on top of it. That final scene of her and the photo, then taking a tray up to Doug was just beautiful, but also a bit painful. Her and Susan Seaforth Hayes’ love shone through.

And taking a moment to remember and honor John Aniston and Victor today made it all the sweeter.

In other words, Doug’s farewell is finally here, and if today’s any indication, I have faith that they really are going to do it right.

And then there’s the bigger surprise: John. Him being called away on ISA business is the beginning of his farewell tale, as well. We know from the season preview video that he’s going to go missing, I’m guessing while on assignment. And in the end, he’s going to die — something Drake Hogestyn signed off on before his own death, as the show faced uncertainty over whether he’d be able to come home to Salem.

It’s going to get rough, especially since it looks like we won’t be getting as much of a break between the onscreen deaths of two deeply beloved characters as we thought.

However, the good news is that we know both men are going to be honored, and we’re going to be going deep down Memory Lane, not just in their history but in the lives of everyone Doug and John have touched. Look, we all know that while Days of Our Lives can get, er, outlandish (though executive producer Ken Corday promised that those days are behind us. Mostly.), in times like these, it can also tell heartfelt, character-driven stories and farewells.

So get ready, because we’re already seeing family come together, from Julie, Maggie and Sarah’s pep talk to Holly (Honestly, girl, just ask Aaron out. Wait, no, he’s got too much family drama… Find a nice, boring day player), to Belle, Andrew and Paul all coming home for Marlena. And we got an engagement!

I’m not sure how long anyone’s sticking around, but I know we all saw Belle and EJ going at it in the preview, so I’m really hoping she’s staying to support Marlena and getting some juicy storyline. Especially since the Gabi/EJ tease went absolutely nowhere and she’s back to hating and blaming EJ. And I’m now not sure what the point was besides simple plot to drive her and Stefan farther apart.

Here and Gone

And speaking of Gabi, the way she reacted to learning Vivian was in town, it seemed like she was right on the cusp of connecting the dots to Stefan! Gabi! Be smart! But then that was swept right under the rug and she focused on Rafe, Jada and pulling Javi away from Leo. And since Barash isn’t coming back… I guess she’ll just be clueless and think Stefan ran away forever.

The Kate/Vivian confrontation was fun, but I was hoping for more before Viv was nabbed. Though I do love how Kate cheerfully turned her in the second she could. Hopefully, we’ll see Vivian again, but if we do, I think it’ll only be another episode or two before she’s hauled off.

As Louise Sorel said, she just doesn’t see any way Vivian can stick around for long. She’s persona non grata in Salem. The show wrote a way out for her after having her serve her time and get released, only to immediately turn her into a fugitive when Gabi turned her in for shooting Dimitri. This is why we can’t have nice things.

Unhinged

OK, so Xander actually did try to kill Philip. In fact, he tried to shoot him. With the gun in the house. In the living room. As I said last week, the show wouldn’t let him go through with it, but he tried. He thought he was shooting Philip point blank in the face. Xander’s not even desperate anymore, just dumb. Xander, be smart! I think I’m detecting a pattern lately with characters…

I don’t get it. Honestly, Philip may be the better choice for Titan. Him saying how he rolled the dice that the gun wouldn’t be loaded because Victor never kept a loaded gun in the house did kind of hit the point home that he knew their dad better and knows how to emulate him better. Not that that’s necessarily a good thing… But Xander’s just doing dumb, violent stuff right now.

Who’s left? Can Maggie take back over? Bring Sonny back? I know Justin doesn’t want Titan. Screw it, just give it to Kristen at this point.

Curiosity Killed the Cat

OK, I’m not entirely sure what the point of this would be, but it’s heavily implied that Clyde asked Chad to set Cat free in exchange for Abigail’s remains. And that seems odd. Unless there’s a specific reason for it. And that got me thinking: Why did Clyde pick Catherina, Cat and Mark to con Chad?

Maybe they were just at the wrong place and the wrong time. Clyde stumbled upon the accident somehow, swiped Catherina, then nabbed Cat in the rehab facility. That’s what we’ve been assuming, even if it did stretch credulity a bit. Coincidences like these just seem to happen in Salem. But sometimes the coincidences run deeper than that.

What if Clyde had been keeping an eye on the family because he already knew Catharina and, perhaps, Cat? He’s a criminal, Konstantin was as well, they could have run in the same circles and Kon’s daughter may have even caught a young Clyde’s eye. So… What if he’s Cat’s father?
Again, I don’t know why the show would do that (or why they’d think the fans would care), but there are holes in this story that we’re clearly still missing, and now he may suddenly be concerned with whether or not Cat is free.

I’m not saying she knows it, or that any of the other Greenes are Clyde’s kids — but Cat seems to be the oldest sibling, so Catharina may have met everyone else’s dad after getting pregnant with Cat, fleeing from Clyde because he’s a psycho, and having her husband raise Cat as her own. Thoughts?

Stray Thoughts…

• I wish they’d find something more for Ava to do, but her scenes with Sophia were sweet. And she was so, so right to caution Sophia that just because she slept with Tate, doesn’t mean he won’t ultimately go back to Holly.

More: Go behind the scenes of Day of Days [Photos]

• On the one hand, Javi and Leo can clearly match each other’s energy. On the other: Meh. Find someone else for Javi.
• Congratulations Jada and Rafe! I have a good feeling about these two. Mainly because neither is currently in love with anyone else or ex mob family or… whatever.
• I think we should start a drinking game every time someone refers to Joy as a homewrecker, thinking they’re being cute. Because clearly, we’re gonna be hit over the head with the Body and Soul parallels until we develop amnesia and decide we’re all Renée Dumonde.
• Brady may have given Tate some great, fatherly advice (even if it was ignored), but he’s still the most clueless character on the canvas. Kristen is self-serving and dishonest?! Gasp!
• The Day of Days season preview video actually got me excited. And I’m hoping they’ve filmed far enough ahead that it’s got some new writer material in it, too.