Head Writer Ron Carlivati previews what’s ahead in Salem.
Will’s Discovery: “I wanted there to be some sort of adventure to the ‘Will is back from the dead’ story, so a bunch of our favorite characters pack their bags and head down to Memphis in search of Will. And he is there, in the flesh. What he’s doing, why he’s in Memphis, what condition he is in, remains for the audience to see. We were careful and picked and chose our moments about who sees him when, in some way saving the best for last, so it’s not necessarily Sonny or Sami that sees him first.”
Sami: “From day one, I’ve been joking about how many times Sami gets arrested when she comes back. It just seems so classic Sami and in keeping with her character that she is willing to go to extremes, and that often lands her in trouble and in hot water. We get to play the mama bear that loves her son, but you also get to play the extreme Sami that makes impulsive, rash decisions.”
Eve/Kiriakis Family: “We wanted to bring her back in a surprising way and with a little power and a little oomph. It’s very fitting that it’s on All Hallow’s Eve when Eve shows up and reveals that she is Mrs. Deimos Kiriakis, and then that sort of is what kicks off the story. She’s going to be a real headache for Victor and Maggie and Brady, and she’ll mix it up with some other people.”
Adrienne/Justin: “As the outsider looking in watching Lucas and Adrienne and Justin, to me it didn’t feel like the best use of Lucas and his character. I really enjoy Bryan’s [R. Dattilo, Lucas] work and what we did with Lucas’s alcoholism and how it continues to play through the Will story. So Justin and Adrienne find their way back to each other and it’s nice to see that legacy couple reunited and some romance in the midst of all this drama.”
DiMera Drama: “It seemed like DiMera was ripe for a shake-up. What we will see is there’s some outside interloper who is one step ahead of Kate, and there’s a little mystery surrounding that. Everyone wants to get to the bottom of who’s trying to undermine DiMera, and Andre is the No. 1 suspect at this point.”
Eric/Jennifer: “Neither one of them is really looking for romance, so we’re basically focused on just trying to rebuild their friendship, and she’s trying to be there for him and help him through this loss of Nicole. Knowing that there is this other history with them, you have to wonder if that is going to come back to the surface.”
Chloe/Lucas: “She has been this rock for him and stood by him at a really low, low point, so as we play through and after this Memphis adventure and what happens with Will, will Lucas finally be able to clean up his act? What’s nice is we’ve sort of rekindled the relationship between Chloe and Lucas, and there is the possibility that those two might connect on a deeper level.”
JJ/Police Department: “I had been plotting and planning an umbrella story for a while. There is a police event that will have a ripple effect on nearly every person in town. It does center around JJ, it is something that happens in the line of duty, and everyone in Salem will have an opinion about it, and I think everyone in the audience will have an opinion about it. It’s a highly emotional story designed to rip your heart out, so prepare accordingly. It will affect everyone in the police department. Hope as the commissioner, Rafe and Eli as partners, Lani is JJ’s partner and partner in life, and then by extension, Abe and Valerie. It really is about the family relationships, and so the net that we’re casting goes even wider than what I’m talking about.”
Steve/Kayla: “Kate resorts to some drastic measures to try to uncover who’s gunning for her, and that will sort of unexpectedly put her in direct conflict with Steve and Kayla, so they will be butting heads in a pretty major way with Kate as a united front.”
Tripp/Claire/Theo: “Tripp has a growing attraction to her, but he’s determined not to act on the growing feelings that he has for Claire, who is at this point recommitted to Theo. We have them all under the same roof, so that’s kind of a boiling pot that’s going on there.”
Abigail/Chad/Gabi: “Chad made his choice and loves Abigail with his whole heart and soul. But I wanted to keep Gabi involved in the DiMera orbit, so Kate is interested in bringing her back into DiMera. Abigail and Gabi are trying to move past everything, and while the rooting interests are clear, I think — it’s nice to keep Gabi in that mix.”
