Australian air-date: Wednesday 23rd September, 1998.
US air-date: Monday 12th June, 1995.
Cast (in alphabetical order):
John Aniston (Victor Kiriakis), Eric Christmas (Father Francis), Christie Clark (Carrie
Brady), Roark Critchlow (Mike Horton), Bryan Dattilo (Lucas Roberts), Eileen Davidson
(Kristen DiMera), Ivan G’Vera (Ivan Marais), Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans), Drake
Hogestyn (John Black), Peggy McCay (Caroline Brady), Miriam Parrish (Jamie Caldwell),
Austin Peck (Austin Reed), Thaao Penghlis (Tony DiMera), Louise Sorel (Vivian Alamain)
Father Francis reminds John and Kristen that they had prepared themselves for the possibility that Marlena may not survive the exorcism. John is determined, however, to find a sign that Marlena is still in there.
The demon forces Tony to look into Marlena’s eyes and inflames his jealousy with an image of Kristen and John making love. He still refuses to help the demon, who tells him he’ll follow in the evil footsteps of his father. He ends up passed out on the floor after the whole ordeal. Arriving back to see the (dead) flowers on the table, John and Kristen worry that Tony might be susceptible to the demon’s tricks and rush upstairs. The demon manages to get Tony off the floor by the time they get there, and he tells them nothing happened while they were away. Francis, however, tells the gathering that the demon can sense moral flaws and human weakness and uses these to draw people into his world of deceit, and that they must be very careful who they leave alone with him. While Mike examines Marlena before the exorcism resumes, Francis asks Tony to drop some books off at the church for Father Jansen, which he is ultimately unable to deliver following difficulty experienced actually entering the church.
When the exorcism recommences, John asks for the real Marlena to come out, but is told by the demon that he is too late to save her and that her soul is condemned to burn in hell. Mike suddenly announces that they must stop the exorcism. It is taking an enormous toll on Marlena’s body and it is too risky to continue. They all wish there was some sign that Marlena was still there, and when Caroline and Kristen go to change her clothes, they find the words "help me" scratched into her stomach.
Vivian and Ivan tell Lucas they were talking about business, and manage to stop him from telling Victor anything as he arrives home. Vivian tells Lucas she’ll come up with a plan to break up Carrie and Austin by tomorrow. She decides to try and find Sami when Lucas tells her that Carrie doesn’t know that Austin slept with her. To this end, she and Ivan go to the pub to try and manage to conclude with some inadvertent help from Jamie that Sami is in Seattle.
Later, Lucas helps Carrie and Austin finish planning the wedding. While Carrie goes up to the Penthouse Grill, Austin reads the vows he wrote to Lucas to see what he thinks. Lucas imagines that it is him reading them to Carrie, not Austin. Upon her return, Carrie thanks Lucas for making the wedding everything they dreamed it would be. Austin hugs him and tells him he’s glad he’s his brother. Lucas vows to make Vivian’s life as miserable as his is if she doesn’t come through for him.
Australian air-date: Friday 25th September, 1998.
US air-date: Wednesday 14th June, 1995.
Cast (in alphabetical order):
Jaime Lyn Bauer (Laura Horton), Jason Brooks (Peter Blake), Eric Christmas (Father
Francis), Roark Critchlow (Mike Horton), Eileen Davidson (Kristen DiMera), Deidre Hall
(Marlena Evans), Drake Hogestyn (John Black), Stan Ivar (Daniel Scott), Peggy McCay
(Caroline Brady), Thaao Penghlis (Tony DiMera), Melissa Reeves (Jennifer Horton), Mark
Valley (Jack Devereaux)
Marlena’s blood pressure rises and Mike announces that she may have a stroke or die, despite him administering some powerful drugs to help sustain her through the rigours of the exorcism. John blames himself for her illness, but Francis advises him to remain faithful to his choice, and that God’s grace has such power that He can save the body as well as the spirit. The decision whether or not to continue is left with John, who decides that it must go on, as Marlena can never be a mother to her children until she is rid of the demon.
The demon continues to torment Tony, telling him at one point that Kristen betrays him with John every day. Peter and Laura come by and Peter learns that Jennifer is on Smith Island and is shocked that she’s been so close to him all this time. He decides to go over and surprise her (but not before asking Tony to hold all of his possessions that associate him with Stefano. These include a gun, which Peter announces he’s prepared to use if necessary. Tony is disgusted with such talk). After Peter leaves, Tony relates his problems to Laura (who came to talk to Tony about some ideas she’s had to expand the Horton Mental Health Program, as he’s on the committee that administers the DiMera trust to University Hospital) and tells her he senses something sinister. Laura asks him if he is afraid Kristen is having an affair, and tells him that she can relate to his problems, as her inability to cope with infidelity put her in a sanitarium.
His torment continues after Laura leaves. The demon wants Tony to kill John and he finds Peter’s gun in his hand.
Jack manages to convince Jennifer to stay another night on the island. She realises it’s his birthday and attempts to arrange a birthday surprise for him. Jack is overwhelmed by her generosity and Abby asks her mother to kiss Jack, which she does as Peter arrives. She is left to explain herself to Peter. They argue and Jennifer refuses to return to Salem with Peter in his boat. He leaves while Jennifer goes to pack. Maybe Jack has a chance after all?
Laura meets up with Daniel and tells him that they should stop seeing each other. He asks her if there’s someone else and she tells him there is.
Australian air-date: Monday 28th September, 1998.
US air-date: Thursday 15th June, 1995.
Cast (in alphabetical order):
Kristian Alfonso (Gina/Hope), Jaime Lyn Bauer (Laura Horton), Jason Brooks (Peter Blake),
Scott Groff (Shawn-Douglas Brady), Jon Huffman (Bobby Lee Cooper), Robert Kelker-Kelly (Bo
Brady), Melissa Reeves (Jennifer Horton), Frances Reid (Alice Horton), Lisa Rinna (Billie
Brady), Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Horton), Mark Valley (Jack Devereaux)
"No one believes that Hope and Gina are the same person. Except maybe Alice Horton." - Bo
Laura tells Alice she’s broken it off with Daniel and she’s sure she has a chance with Jack. Alice isn’t so sure, but Laura can’t give up without at least trying. Later, Jack tells Laura about the wonderful time he had at the cabin with his family, but she is dismayed to hear that Jennifer and Peter are fighting. However, they have made it up by now. Peter asks Jennifer if she’s ready to go to Aremid with him. He’s been waiting a long time to take her there and it will be the perfect place to get married. He’ll have everyone flown in for the wedding. They come upon Jack and Laura in Salem Place and announce that a date has been set for the wedding. Jennifer asks Laura to be her Matron of Honour. She agrees, and asks her how she would feel if Jack found another woman. Though curious as to who this other woman might be and doubtful that anybody she knows would be interested in him, Jennifer insists that there’s no chance that she and Jack will remarry, and that Jack and his woman would have her blessing. While all this is going on, Jack tells Peter that he’s determined to find something rotten in his past. Peter counters that if Jack keeps making a nuisance of himself he’ll dig up the dirt on him. Laura tells Jennifer that she’s broken up with Daniel - it looks like Clark and his wife won’t be reconciling.
Billie thinks the only way Gina could have known so much about spider bites is if she had experience with them in the past. She concludes that Gina must come from a scientific or medical background - it’s the only clue they’ve had which doesn’t link Gina to Hope’s past. Bo thought they were beyond all this, but Billie explains that Gina acting more like Shawn-Douglas’s mother than her has brought out all her insecurities. They go in to Shawn-Douglas’s hospital room to find Gina asleep with him. Bo wakes her up and Shawn-Douglas wakes and says "mummy". Gina must stand back as Billie goes to him. Shawn-Douglas tells them all he dreamt his real mother was with him. Bo has a word with Gina - he tells her that he and Billie are grateful for what she’s done, but asks her to reassure Billie that the bond that’s developed between her and Shawn-Douglas is only friendship. Billie is further shaken when Maggie tells Shawn-Douglas that Hope was once bitten by a spider. Bo reassures her it is coincidence, but it seems to make perfect sense to Billie. She goes to the chapel and pleads with Hope’s spirit to let her put her memory at rest.
Gina tells Alice she finally knows in her heart that she really is Hope. Alice tells her that she must now find the box and convince Bo. While Billie and Bo prepare to take Shawn-Douglas home, Alice and Gina accost Laura and Gina asks her to hypnotise her.
In New Orleans, Bobby Lee considers that he may be able to use the information he has about Gina to get himself out of jail. He sends a message to the D.A. saying he’s ready to make a deal, but the D.A. isn’t interested in what he’s got to say. He sets about writing a letter to Salem...
Australian air-date: Tuesday 29th September, 1998.
US air-date: Friday 16th June, 1995.
Cast (in alphabetical order):
Kristian Alfonso (Gina/Hope), Jaime Lyn Bauer (Laura Horton), Tanya Boyd (Celeste), Roark
Critchlow (Mike Horton), Scott Groff (Shawn-Douglas Brady), Robert Kelker-Kelly (Bo
Brady), Joseph Mascolo (Stefano DiMera), Peggy McCay (Caroline Brady), Frances Reid (Alice
Horton), Lisa Rinna (Billie Brady), Mark Valley (Jack Devereaux)
Celeste warns Stefano about something terrible about to happen at Marlena’s, but he gets very angry with her, wondering what the hell could be more terrible than Marlena being possessed by a demon.
Mike tells Caroline that Father Francis fears that the demon is planning something. For the meantime it appears to have gone dormant and they are unable to reach Marlena. Later, while at the hospital, Mike runs into Stefano and is asked what is happening at the penthouse. Mike warns him not to go near her again. However, he knocks out a man delivering medical supplies to Marlena’s for Mike, planning to infiltrate in disguise. Celeste is horrified when her tarot cards predict death.
Laura hypnotises Gina and she has a memory of being Hope. Laura warns her against being to optimistic, asking if the memory was in Stefano’s book of memories (it was) and why after all this time she’s so sure she’s Hope. Gina tells Laura she has no idea what she’s going through, but really she does.
Bo gets a call from the police station. They are taking Gina off the puzzle box case again. Bo agrees to give Gina two more days before she finishes up with it. Meanwhile, Jack has taken the puzzle box to a specialist to see if it can be opened, but he has no luck.
N.B. - Intriguingly, this episode attempts to continue with the possession storyline without any of the major players in it (Deidre Hall, Drake Hogestyn, Eileen Davidson and Eric Christmas) being hired to appear. It is suggested that the exorcism is continuing in Marlena’s bedroom, but the chanting we hear from there is most certainly not being performed by John, Kristen or Father Francis.