Monday’s highly-anticipated episode of Days of our Lives did not disappoint. In fact, we think that this episode should be a strong contender for DAYS to consider for one of their Outstanding Drama Series submissions for next year’s Daytime Emmys.  Why? It has it all – emotional heart with Abe’s journey to and from the light, touching flashbacks, a great performance by James Reynolds, and some special effects and editing during the John (Drake Hogesytn) vs. MarDevil scenes, which also gave us a delicious performance by Deidre Hall.

At the start of the episode, Abe has flatlined after being shot as Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) tries to revive him, but they are losing him.  As this is going on, Paulina (Jackée Harry), Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) and Eli (Lamon Archey) are gathered at the hospital awaiting news on Abe’s condition.  Later, Eli decides to go find out what is happening with Abe, and gets the shock of his life when he walks in on Abe flatlining, while Kayla tells him that Abe is gone.  Eli implores her to try to bring him back. He tells the others they are working on trying to save Abe, as Julie and Paulina bond, and later, Lani must call Theo and Brandon to let them know about Abe’s condition.

Photo: JPI

Julie reminisces about Abe, and how they have known each other for 40 years, our wink-wink that this is James Reynolds’ 40th anniversary episode.   Then, we see Abe has gone to the light wearing a white sweater and who should he see but his beloved late wife, Lexie.  No, it’s not Renee Jones, but an actress who delivers Lexie’s lines, since it had been previously reported that Jones was unavailable for the episode.  In scenes with the replacement Lexie, Reynolds showed us why he is an MVP of DAYS.  He acted up a storm and brought the emotion regardless of who was standing there.

However, longtime viewers got a wonderful surprise when flashback clips of scenes between Renee Jones and Reynolds were shown and they were some major moments in the history of Abe and Lexie’s relationship including: the moment when Abe learns Lexie’s pregnant, the moment when he is disgusted by Lexie’s betrayal when he learned of her involvement in the Zack baby switch storyline, and what she did to Bo and Hope, all because she was desperate for a child. Later, it’s the five-hankie moment of when Lexie, who was dying from a brain tumor, passes away in Abe’s arms.

After all the flashbacks, Lexie tells Abe he needs to go back and not to come with her to heaven. He has children, and people who love him and need him. Eventually, he says his goodbyes to Lexie and returns to the present, just as Kayla is about to call his time of death in the hospital room. All of a sudden, Abe’s heart begins to beat.

Photo: JPI

Kayla brings Julie, Eli, Lani, and Paulina the news that Abe will need surgery, but he will make it.  Then, Paulina and Lani make their way to see him. In another emotional moment, they tell him how much they love him (Paulina looks worried about her lie being exposed that Lani is not really Abe’s bio-daughter).  As the episode comes to its conclusion, we see the back of Lexie making sure Abe is safe and sound among the living, while signifying she is watching over him.

And if that was not enough, this episode also picked up where John had confronted MarDevil in the church, letting Satan knows he is on to him and that he is not going to win … he is going to get Marlena back.  Satan drives home the point that Marlena belongs to him now.  John is mortified as the cross on the church wall turns upside down. Later to show off his prowess and control, MarDevil turns the holy water blood red. As the scene progresses, MarDevil is jumping all over the church and showing up in different spots.

Photo: JPI

John then gets the lowdown on how Satan struck a deal with Marlena to let Doug (Bill Hayes) live if she let him in.  That is followed, by some of the back-story of Marlena’s first possession over 25 years ago, and why it happened when she was alone and very distraught.  MarDevil even goes on to say that he tried once before to regain control of Marlena during the Salem Serial Killer storyline, but it did not work out that time, because all the victims turned out to be alive.  MarDevil brings up Stefano and how he had made Marlena believe John was dead which left her vulnerable.  He goes on to relate that Doug was the gateway for Marlena’s re-possession.

Photo: JPI

MarDevil tells John what she did with Doug by committing him and how she wanted to kill Julie. John knows that Marlena can hear him and tries to bring her back, but as the devil struggles with that, ultimately, he wins and begins to show his strength to John tossing him around the church, where he is eventually is knocked unconscious and then dragged to, we don’t know where, by the MarDevil!

Throughout the scenes, Deidre Hall looked like she was having so much fun playing the devilish one in this campy storyline revisited.

So, what did you think of James Reynolds performance and his 40th anniversary episode? What was your favorite moment? Are you glad John knows for certain now that Marlena is once again possessed? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

Monday’s episode of The Bold and the Beautiful featured a stand-out performance by Lawrence Saint-Victor (Carter) as after Carter professed his love for Quinn (Rena Sofer) and asked her to run away with him, only she put on the brakes!

Quinn tells him that she loves her husband, Eric (John McCook), and is going back to him and can’t run away with him, although that prospect sounds enticing. She goes on to say that she has built a life for herself with Eric and she is not willing to give it up.

Photo: JPI

Carter is devastated.  He believed what they had was so special that they could get through anything – mind you, the two have been having an affair (OK’s by Eric at this point, because of his ED), and she is a married woman.

Following their heart-to-heart, Quinn walks out on Carter determined to make her marriage work.  Meanwhile, Katie (Heather Tom), who had just told Bill, (Don Diamont) she won’t give their relationship another chance, heads to Carter’s to give him a piece of her mind on his fling with Quinn, and how he could do that to Eric!

Following her tirade, she gets quite the surprise, when Carter admits to Katie that he loves Quinn.  Katie is stopped in her tracks.  We fade to black.

Many have been suspecting that Katie and Carter will actually become the next couple on B&B.   Do you think the two will begin a relationship? What did you think of Lawrence Saint-Victor’s performance in the episode? Are you rooting for Quinn to come back to Carter? Let us know via the comment section, but first check out a pivotal scene between Heather Tom and Saint-Victor from the episode below.

Friday’s episode of The Young and the Restless brought with it the vows and the “I do’s” of Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) to Ashland Locke (Richard Burgi), and the couple are now officially married.  However, pangs of guilt, emotion, and ‘how to solve a problem like Ashland’ also filled the ceremony.

Leslie Brooks (Janice Lynde) played the piano, Tess (Cait Fairbanks) sang a song, and Victoria came down the aisle with her father, Victor (Eric Braden).  It was actually the moments between Eric Braeden and Amelia Heinle that were the emotional high points as you could see the love between the characters, and the actors.

Photo: JPI

With the nuptials in Tuscany, which brought Hunter King and Michael Mealor’s characters of Summer and Kyle back into the mix, along with Janice Lynde, Victoria was said to never look more beautiful and she chose, after all of Sally’s (Courtney Hope) machinations, to actually wear the dress Sally designed, which was a smash!

The drama came from what was Gaines (Jamison Jones) going to do and what ammo did he have to bust up the nuptials in his revenge against Ashland.  Nick (Joshua Morrow) comes upon him in a upstairs terrace room, and instead of helping him stop the wedding, he actually locks him in the room.

Photo: JPI

Nick then has a decision to make …. does he stop the wedding, which he knows his sister would never forgiven him for (he was already uninvited to the nuptials), or bust open the situation?  It is none other than Adam (Mark Grossman) that tells Nick to look at Victoria before he makes his move saying, “She’s happy. Do you really want to be the guy who wipes that look off her face on what should be the best day of her life?” Just then, Ashland and Victoria become husband and wife, They kiss as everyone in attendance applauds.

Throughout the wedding, another highlight was every time the camera would pan to Billy.  His face said it all as it was exceedingly and increasingly hard for him to watch Victoria marry another man, let alone Ashland. Jason Thompson played those moments to perfection. After the wedding, Billy goes up to the newlyweds and wishes them well.  During the ceremony, he received a text from Gaines, but did not read it.  When he later opens it, there is a video attachment.

Photo: JPI

Meanwhile, back in the upstairs room, Gaines is confronted by Nick, Adam, and Victor, who Adam alerted to the situation; instead of calling security, which Nick asked him to do.  A stern Victor tells Gaines that he’s still a threat to Victoria and her company, and he won’t allow that to happen.

When we go back to Billy, who is now with Lily (Christel Khalil), he looks shocked by what he just saw in the video message from Gaines.  He shows it to Lily saying: “He (Gaines) just sent us a video of himself detailing all of Ashland’s crimes including the evidence.” Lily knows this is huge news! Billy tells her that if they don’t publish within the hour, Gaines is going to send it around to other press outlets.  When Lily asks, “What should we do?”  The camera pans to Billy looking at Victoria and Ashland, where Victoria is smooching with her new hubby.  Billy looks very concerned and very torn. Will he be the person to break the backstory of Ashland and his crimes including the forged will and his conniving for Camilla Rhodes’ fortune… or will he not do anything with the intel to save his enduring relationship with Victoria?  We fade to black.  Tune-in Monday.

So, what did you think of the wedding of Ashland & Victoria? Share your thoughts in the comment section, but first, check out some of the moments and looks from the wedding in front of the camera and behind the scenes in our photo gallery below.

Nikki and Victor look fabulous on Victoria's big day.

The bride in a solo photo.

Looks like Sally and Adam have drawn closer!

Billy and Lily strike a pose.

Skyle - show us the love.

Victor tells his daughter, Victoria, how proud he is of her.

Behind the scene photo with Elena and Nate (Brytni Sarpy and Sean Dominic).

Tessa arrives to the nuptials and sings a song for the couple.

Kiss, kiss! Ashland and Victoria are husband and wife.

Father and son, Jack and Kyle, reunited in Tuscany.

Leslie Brooks attended the wedding ringing in a return of Janice Lynde.

The mother-of-the-bride, Nikki Newman, looking beautiful.

And now ... let us introduce to you ... Mr and Mrs. Ashland Locke!

Photos: JPI and CBS