Picking up from Friday, Marlena’s dreaming of being the Queen of the Night, over thirty years ago. She wakes with a start and looks thoughtful, then sees a note from Belle saying she went back to court and Brady took Rachel to give her a quiet rest. Marlena smiles, then grabs her bag and leaves.
Can Tony and Gabi Derail the Kiriakises?
Gabi stops by the DiMera mansion to meet with Tony — and he’s already pushing her to come up with a plan to get the company back. She doesn’t have one, but he does: Cause infighting in the Kiriakis family. Gabi’s noticed that Xander and Philip are already turning on each other, though she’s not sure why. It’s like someone flipped a switch.
No one knows why, Gabi says, but Tony points out that while they don’t, somebody does. She likes this plan. Tony’s just glad she’s onboard, since she seemed reluctant to turn on Xander. “Business is business,” she says and walks out.
Gabi Hires Steve
Kayla’s having chowder with Steve in his office, but she’s a bit distracted, thinking of John as she visits Black Patch. Steve knows what she means — but then he pivots with some good news. Julie has her necklace back. He tells her how and Kayla admits that while she doesn’t condone stealing, Doug did the right thing.
She says she’s got to get back to work — there’s too much to do. Though it’s too darn hot over there. EJ’s saving money by barely using the AC, and Rita’s gotten rid of fresh fruit and vegetables. Steve’s worried Kayla’s running herself into the ground, but she turns his worry to Marlena. She tells him about Marlena’s fainting in court.
Kayla leaves and shortly later, Gabi shows up. She wants to hire him to investigate Xander and Philip. “Absolutely not,” Steve says without hesitation. He has no doubt they’re up to shady stuff, but he stays away from personal cases. “I call BS on that,” Gabi says. Steve points out that his brother-in-law and nephews are Kiriakises, Stephanie’s dating Alex and has a past with Philip.
He then asks Gabi what’s in this for her. They won’t let her take Gabi Chic, so she’s got no choice but to play hardball. She then points out that Salem was bad enough with Titan and DiMera, but put together, it’s even worse. Steve finally relents and agrees to take the case.
Marlena Is Worried About Her Soul
A short time later, Marlena gets into work, where Kayla’s shocked to see her. Marlena insists she’s fine, no more symptoms. And she’s there to consult with Dr. Fuller on a patient. “Can’t you just give yourself a few days,” Kayla tries. Nope. Plus… she’s the patient. Kayla figures it’s about grief counseling, but it’s not.
Marlena figures whatever’s wrong with her isn’t physical. She’s a bit worried that whatever’s wrong with her has to do with… her soul. Kayla worries she’s possessed again, but Marlena’s quick to assure her that’s not it. “There was a time when Stefano would invade my dreams, and he would refer to me as his Queen of the Night.” That made her vulnerable to evil, she reminds Kayla, who tells her that was a long time ago. Maybe, but Marlena hasn’t forgotten how that feels, and she just had a dream about being Queen of the Night. That combined with Susan’s “premonition” has her worried.
Kayla reminds her Stefano is dead. “Hopefully,” Marlena muses, then walks it back, insisting she knows he’s gone. She describes reading to Rachel from Arabian Nights and the dream was similar. “Well there you go!” Kayla says. That plus all the stress surely is the reason for the dream. Maybe. Marlena heads to her appointment and promises to let Kayla know how it goes afterwards.
Julie’s Saved By a Friend
As Gwen’s moving the last of her bags out of the Inn, Julie strides up in the square and happily shows off the necklace. Gwen accuses her of stealing it, but Julie makes clear that she couldn’t steal something that was hers to begin with. Feel free to call the police and report it missing.
“Nah,” Gwen snaps. It’s not worth it. “Enjoy your gaudy necklace.” For now. Julie warns her that it better not be a threat. If she comes for the Hortons, she’ll finally get what she deserves. Gwen fires back and then an older gentleman wanders over and yells at her to shut the hell up. She’s been making a scene in front of his bookstore long enough.
He chases Gwen off and Julie thanks Foster for his chivalry. They head into the bookstore (new set!) and Foster says he’s missed Julie. So has she. She’s missed the store and her chats with him. But she’s here now.
He notes how beautiful that necklace is that Gwen was yelling about. Julie thanks him, then nervously asks what the For Sale sign is about. His family’s in California and he’s been widowed for a few years — he wants to spend time with his loved ones. He’ll miss the store, but he’ll miss seeing his grandchildren more.
Julie understands, but she’s going to miss the shop. It’s been her solace for ages. He hopes it goes to someone who wants to keep it open. Julie promises to ask around. Foster then asks what she’s there looking for, and Julie wants a book on grief to give to her friend. Julie describes Marlena a bit and Foster suggests two memoirs, which Julie happily says are perfect.
He grabs them and they wax on about how important books are and how they help build connections. Julie wishes Foster happiness and good fortune, telling him he’ll be sorely missed.
Tony Tries Getting Information from Gwen
Gwen finally gets to the mansion with her stuff, where Tony notes that she’s moved in. And no, he assures her, it’s not a problem. He’s happy she’s moving in. “Really?” He’s the first person who’s been nice to him since getting back in Salem. Of course! And maybe they can catch up, Tony suggests, about her time in Alamainia.
He asks if she’s found it strange that Dimitri hasn’t tried divorcing her and taking his fortune back. Nope, not at all, Gwen shrugs. Tony moves on and asks if she heard anything about Stefan while she was over there.
No, she didn’t. Tony starts getting agitated as he notes how strange it is that Vivian claims he’s living it up in Alamania, but Gwen didn’t see hide nor hair of him. Plus, she adds, Tony always treated Stefan and Dimitri, why does he care?
He doesn’t particularly care that they’re not here, but he doesn’t like “being left in the dark.” He prefers to keep track of his family. It’s safer that way.
In the Show’s Final Moments
Marlena tells Kayla after the appointment that she’s got more questions than answers. And she can’t shake this unsettling feeling. But she doesn’t think she wants the answers. She gets back home and picks up the Arabian Nights book just before Julie shows up for a visit.
Marlena happily marvels that Julie got her necklace back, and Julie tells her Doug III got it back. “The boy redeemed himself.” But she’s there with gifts. She has two memoirs about grief and embracing life again. “That is so kind of you,” Marlena tells her friend. Julie gets emotional, saying Marlena’s helped and still is helping her so much, and she’s there for Marlena.
Gabi hands some papers back to Steve and he says she’s got herself a detective. “I’ve got myself the best detective.” She leaves, asking him to let her know when he finds something. Kayla calls and tells Steve that she’s decided to heed his advice and take the rest of the day off. That’s great, he says, but he just got a new case. She’ll beat him home.
