Credit: Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI

Highlights for “DOOL” in the 1990s

Marlena (Deidre Hall) survived the plane crash and was comatose. Stefano took her and hid her on an island and impregnated her with genetically engineered twins. When she gives birth, they’re taken from her. She has no recollection of this. Ernesto Toscano (Charles Cioffi) took Isabella Toscano (Staci Greason), John Black/Roman Brady (Drake Hogestyn), Bo Brady (Peter Reckell, later Robert Kelker-Kelly), Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso), Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford), Jennifer Horton (Melissa Brennan Reeves), Julie Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes), and Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston) on the Cruise of Deception, on which it was revealed that Isabella was Victor’s daughter, not Ernesto’s. There was an explosion and Ernesto and Hope were believed dead. Carly Manning (Crystal Chappell) came to Salem and was attracted to Bo. She was revealed to be Jennifer’s college roommate, Katerina Von Leuschner, who was expected to marry Lawrence Alamain (Michael Sabatino). Jennifer pretended to be Katerina to help Carly, but it backfired when Lawrence raped her. Lawrence also supposedly killed Steve ‘Patch’ Johnson (Stephen Nichols) while trying to kill Bo. Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) romanced Shane Donovan (Charles Shaughnessy), who had split with wife, Kim (Patsy Pease), before leaving town. Jack and Jennifer had issues because of her rape and she romanced her old flame, Frankie (Billy Warlock) and he married Eve Donovan (Charlotte Ross). When Jennifer finally pressed charges against Lawrence and Jack got Kayla’s forgiveness for raping her previously, the two finally married. Meanwhile, John, who believed himself to be Roman, learned the real Roman Brady (Wayne Northrop) was alive. Marlena reunited with Roman, and John remained with Isabella. When Isabella died of pancreatic cancer, John and Marlena had an affair and were caught having sex on the Titan Enterprises boardroom table by her daughter, Sami (Alison Sweeney). Sami was devastated by this and later tried to sell Belle (Brianna and Chalice Fischette, Brianna and Brittany McConnell, Ashlyn and Kaylyn Messick, Chelsea Butler, then Kirsten Storms), her half-sister produced by the affair. Roman left town, and John took up with Kristen Blake (Eileen Davidson) who was raised by her not legally adoptive father Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo, Frank Fata (1991)). John and Roman discovered Stefano in a Mayan pyramid in Mexico but after the pyramid collapsed, he was believed to have died. He survived and returned to Salem only to be taken hostage by jazz musician and crazed Curtis Reed (Nick Benedict) who was trying to extort money from Kristen. Curtis’ plans fell through when Stefano. Carly was buried alive by Lawrence’s crazy Aunt Vivian (Louise Sorel), which ultimately led to Carly and Lawrence falling in love and leaving town after learning their son was alive. Jack left town also, and Jennifer romanced Peter Blake (Jason Brooks). Jack later returned when Peter was arrested and he and Jennifer left for Africa with their daughter.

Sami schemed with Lucas Roberts (Bryan Dattilo) to break up her sister Carrie (Christie Clark) and his half-brother Austin (Patrick Muldoon/Austin Peck). Sami drugged Austin and they slept together, and she tried to convince him he had fathered her child, but the truth later came out – Lucas was the father. Carrie and Austin married. Carrie later had an affair with Mike Horton (Michael T. Weiss), with whom she left town after helping him win the chief of staff position at the hospital despite the scheming of Dr. Craig Wesley (Kevin Spiritas) and his wife Nancy (Patrika Darbo). Hope returned from the dead, and during her time away was thought to have been Princess Gina, a persona created by Stefano. Bo was involved with Austin’s sister, Billie Reed (Lisa Rinna/Krista Allen), but eventually reconciled with Hope. Tony DiMera (Thaao Penghlis) returned and framed John for his death out of jealously over Kristen. Stefano, meanwhile, made numerous bids to win Marlena’s love. One attempt caused her to inadvertently become possessed by the devil and John had to perform an exorcism. Stefano’s other schemes involved holding Marlena in a golden cage in the catacombs of Paris (she escaped with John) and he also played a role when Kristen faked being pregnant with John’s baby (she’d actually miscarried) and trying to pass off Susan Bank’s (Eileen Davidson) child as hers and John’s. Kristen’s ruse was discovered and Susan relocated to England with Edmund (Adam Caine) and baby EJ. Throughout Stefano’s escapades, Lexi Carver (Renee Jones) learned that he was her father and Celeste Perrault (Tanya Boyd), whom she had called Aunt Frankie, was her mother. Near the end of the ‘90s, Sami, embroiled in a custody battle with Lucas, was framed for the murder of Franco Kelly (Victor Alfieri) by Kate Roberts (Deborah Adair/Lauren Koslow). Lucas won custody of Will after marrying Nicole Walker (Arianne Zucker). Sami was nearly executed but Lucas confessed and she was freed.

– Candace Young