MarDevil Is No Match For John, Love, and the Horton Christmas Ornaments — Plus, Jan Cryptically Taunts Belle

Friday, December 24, 2021: Today on Days of Our Lives, John gets an assist in overpowering MarDevil, Shawn arrests a delighted Jan, and the Hortons hang their ornaments.

In Julie's living room, MarDevil holds out two lit torches. John thrusts his hand at her, as Ben, Ciara and Julie cower behind the devil. Days of Our Lives

Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI

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Steve calls John from the hospital to check on him and urge him to keep the faith. They wish each other a Merry Christmas before hanging up. John says to himself they could certainly use a Christmas miracle right about now. There’s a knock at the door. John answers it to Gabriel. He’s stunned, but pleased to see him. John knows Gabriel can’t interfere, but he needs the angel to tell him how to find his wife. Gabriel reveals MarDevil is at Doug and Julie’s. He gives John a St. Benedict medal, which invokes God’s blessing. It will help John find the strength he needs to drive the devil away from his friends. Gabriel can’t go with him, but assures John he can do it alone if he doesn’t lose faith.

More: Backstage secrets of A Very Salem Christmas

Julie sprays a fire extinguisher on the Christmas tree. Days of Our Lives

After MarDevil sets Julie and Doug’s tree on fire, she announces she came for her present. She rests her yellow eyes on Ciara and Ben. Julie uses the fire extinguisher to put out the fire, declaring there’s no place in his house for Satan. Their goodness will protect them. MarDevil laughs. She always gets what she wants and what she wants is Ciara’s little angel. Ben protectively stands in front of his wife, who orders MarDevil to stay away from her. Ben tells MarDevil she will have to kill him before he lets her get to Ciara. MarDevil says that can be arranged. Julie joins Ben to protect Ciara from MarDevil with their love.

After more verbal battle, MarDevil raises lit torches, mocking Julie’s assertion that love will protect them. Suddenly, the torches blow out. John walks in. “It looks like I got here just in time,” he says. MarDevil reignites the torches, but John puts them out by thrusting Gabriel’s medal at them. John thrusts his hand again, sending MarDevil flying against the wall.

After Ben helps get an unconscious Marlena to the car with John, he returns to the house alone. He holds a teary Ciara, assuring her she’s safe now. Julie knows if anyone can drive out the devil, it’s John and his love. Doug thinks they showed Satan there are powers greater than the ultimate evil.

More: Are Kayce and Monica too happy on Yellowstone?

Ben and Ciara hold each other in front of a burnt Christmas tree in Julie's living room. Days of Our Lives

Shawn jumps up in bed when Belle walks in. Confused, they look to the Belle in his bed, who morphs back into Jan. Shawn swears he thought it was Belle as he hurriedly gets dressed. Belle can’t believe he didn’t make sure it was her before he jumped into bed with her. Shawn insists he checked with Rafe first. Jan grins. She says she had a partner, revealing Kayla and Steve saw someone else in her hospital bed. She taunts Belle about having sex with Shawn, before he arrests her.

Belle follows as Shawn leads Jan in handcuffs to the police station. Belle demands to know where MarDevil is. Jan doesn’t know and wouldn’t say anyway, because she has the devil to thank for this glorious day. Shawn prevents Belle from lunging at her as Jan continues her taunts about sleeping with Shawn. Jan adds that they are now bonded for life.

More: James Reynolds celebrates his wife on their anniversary

Shawn drags a smiling, and handcuffed, Jan into the police department on Days of Our Lives

At the hospital, Allie and Steve compare notes over not being able to find Tripp. After getting Kayla’s okay, Steve uses her office computer to look at security footage for his son. As the piece together that MarDevil was probably involved, Belle calls Steve. She tells him to check Jan’s bed because whoever is there is not her.

Steve and Allie rush into Jan’s room to find Tripp hooked up to machines. Allie holds his hand and tells her unconscious boyfriend he needs to come back to them. After the tubes have been removed, Allie continues to tell Tripp how much she loves him. He stirs awake.

More: Alison Sweeney’s back on Hallmark in January

A teary-eyed Belle faces Shawn at the Salem P.D. on Days of Our Lives

Back at the station, Shawn apologizes to Belle for getting fooled by Jan. Belle tearfully says she doesn’t blame him, but it will take a while to get it out of her head. Shawn hates that Jan took their anniversary away from them. Belle reminds him that Jan did her worst, but they are still together. However, she looks concerned as they embrace.

At the DiMera mansion, Chad and Abigail prepare to wrap presents for the kids. Jack and Jennifer enter, surprising them. As they revel in being together again, Abigail notes it’s almost time to hang ornaments at Doug and Julie’s.

More: History of the Horton Christmas ornaments

At the DiMera mansion, Chad holds two bags of Christmas presents, as Abigail hugs Jack. Days of Our Lives

As Doug, Julie, Ciara and Ben look forward to a Horton family Christmas, the Deverauxs walk in. Off to the side, Ben suggests to Ciara that he leave so as not to ruin their family Christmas. She reminds him she’s his family. Chad and Abigail walk over to peacefully wish Ben a Merry Christmas. The ornaments are brought out and the family hangs them on the tree. Julie remarks how beautiful the tree now looks, but they need an angel. Jennifer pulls out a box and hands it to Julie who opens an angel that belonged to Laura. Jennifer knows her mother would want her to have it on her tree. Ben takes it and places it on the tree.

MarDevil wakes up, restrained in bed. John says, “I hope these accommodations are to your liking.”

More: Chrishell Stause opens up about latest breakup

Julie, Jennifer and Jack pull out Christmas bulbs from a box at the Horton House. Days of Our Lives

Next on Days of Our Lives: Tripp and Allie learn of Johnny and Chanel’s marriage, and EJ spends Christmas behind bars.

EJ and Chanel were two fantastic recasts this year, but did they land on our list of best recasts of all time? Look through our photo gallery below to find out.

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Miss today’s episode? Catch up via Peacock.

1/33

Justin Gaston (aka the husband of The Young and the Restless’ Abby, Melissa Ordway) had only played Days of our Lives’ Ben Weston for a short time in 2014 before the NBC soap replaced him with Wilson. Which turned out to be a genius move. Even after the character was turned into a serial killer, the powers that be couldn’t get out of their heads his charismatic portrayer, so ultimately, he was brought back, Ben was cured, and we all delightedly descended into, um, “Cin.”

2/33

When General Hospital decided in 2021 to transform Nikolas Cassadine’s son Spencer from a scheming tween into a complicated hunklet, it may have been less a recast than a reinvention of the legacy character. But that in no way diminishes the magnitude of Chavez’ accomplishment in the role, played by Nicolas Bechtel since he was 8 years old. The soap newcomer infused Spencer with a pathos that was as compelling as his charm was irresistible. Within weeks, we couldn’t even type his name without adding “fan favorite” before it. That’s how good he was — and is.

3/33

We know from ABC’s primetime soap Queens that Precious Way is a natural born scene stealer. But for our money, the character of Days of Our Lives’ Chanel Dupree didn’t really take flight until Bowens took over the role in 2021. She blended a sweetness and vivacity into the mischievous mix that makes up Paulina’s daughter that left us as enchanted as love interests Allie and Johnny. Ironically, Bowens originally auditioned for the part but was passed over in favor of Way. “I was pretty sad about it,” Bowens admitted to <a href="https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/meet-dayss-raven-bowens/" target="_blank">Soap Opera Digest</a>. Thankfully, all’s well that ends well.

Michael Mealor kyle gallery "The Young and the Restless" Set Photo ShootCBS television CityLos Angeles02/11/19© Howard Wise/jpistudios.com310-657-9661

4/33

Maybe the bar was set a bit low where The Young and the Restless’ Kyle Abbott was concerned. When Mealor became the fourth adult version of Jack’s son with Diane Jenkins in 2018, the show had yet to cast a really successful one. But Mealor still deserves a truckload of credit. When he picked up where Station 19’s Lachlan Buchanan left off, he overcame writing that reintroduced the character as a snotty jerk, showed even the soap itself Kyle’s potential and struck supercouple pay dirt opposite Hunter King as Summer Newman.

5/33

Are you surprised to see Evans on this list? Long-longtime viewers of Days of our Lives won’t be; they’ll remember that before she brought her, um, sweetness to the role of Steve Johnson’s better half, the part was played, and quite successfully, by Catherine Mary Stewart, whose version of Kayla was smitten with Chris Kositchek (to the point that she even lost her virginity to him!). Three years after Stewart split to do movies like Weekend at Bernie’s, Rituals vet Evans stepped in and laid claim to the plum part.

6/33

The Young and the Restless’ latest Chance Chancellor might have been fated to pick up where Donny Boaz left off. While he was waiting to audition, sitting in the CBS lobby “nervous and sweating,” future on-screen wife Melissa Ordway (Abby) approached him, he told <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-young-and-the-restless/news/615928/young-restless-new-chance-conner-floyd-first-interview/" target="_blank">Soap Opera Digest</a>, and provided a crash course in the legacy character. And ever since he took over in 2021, we’ve had to scratch our heads to remember that there ever was another Chance — and no, not just because Floyd bears more than a passing resemblance to his predecessor. (<a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/584032/soap-opera-stars-real-life-lookalikes-pictures/" target="_blank">See here</a>.)

8/33

The Young and the Restless scored the casting coup of the decade when it landed Knots Landing legend Joan Van Ark — you know, “poor pitiful Val” — to play Michael Baldwin and Kevin Fisher’s Mommie Dearest, Gloria, in 2004. So it was a total “Ack! WTH do we do now?!?” moment when she took a powder shortly after making her debut. What the soap did was call in daytime’s Bette Davis, Chapman. The rest, folks, is history. Delicious, delicious history.

9/33

Even now, Grossman strikes us as a smidgen youthful to be playing Victor Newman’s black-sheep son, Adam, on The Young and the Restless. Nonetheless, his charisma — and chemistry with leading ladies Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) and Sharon Case (Sharon) — have enticed us to accept him in the role played in bygone days by This Is Us’ Justin Hartley and <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-young-and-the-restless/news/572300/michael-muhney-demands-apology-tmz-young-restless-adam-newman/" target="_blank">headline-maker Michael Muhney</a>.

11/33

Given that James Scott wasn’t just liked by Days of Our Lives fans as EJ DiMera, he was freakin’ adored, his successor, it seemed, had been set up to fail when he stepped into the role in 2021. However, it only seemed so because, at the time, we didn’t yet realize just how sharp an actor Feuerriegel is. Without trying to replicate his predecessor in any way, the native of Australia wore his new character like a pair of expensive shoes until the fit became so good that it dawned on even us — you know how slow we are! — that he wasn’t merely talking the talk, he was walking the walk.

12/33

If you’re stepping into shoes left empty by Buffy the Freakin’ Vampire Slayer, you’d better be prepared to bring it. Luckily, Minshew was. Though the role of All My Children’s Kendall Hart was her big break, the relative newcomer managed to make the most of it, convincing us all to forget Sarah Michelle Gellar and invest wholeheartedly (or whatever comes after wholeheartedly) in the romance of Zendall — to the uninitiated, that’s Kendall and her true love, Zach Slater.

13/33

Don’t even start with us about how it turned out that St. John wasn’t really a recast of One Life to Live’s Todd Manning, he was the character’s brother, Victor Lord Jr. St. John did such a bang-up job of making his own the infamous role for which Roger Howarth had won a Daytime Emmy that when the o.g. returned to the ABC soap, a whole new part was created for his successor. Don’t buy it? When was the last time you saw backstory massively upended and rewritten to keep an unsuccessful recast in the mix? Mm-hmm. St. John wasn’t just a hit, he was a megahit.

14/33

The fact that you’re probably at this moment asking yourself, “Wait, why is Wally Kurth on this list?” is exactly the reason that he is. Before he assumed the role of General Hospital’s Ned Ashton in 1991, the part had been played — and to great success — by Kurt McKinney (who’s better known now as Matt Reardon on Guiding Light); in fact, it was McKinney’s Ned who embarked on that infamous, pseudo-incestuous affair with the strumpet played by the actress at No. 2!

AS THE WORLD TURNS, Martha Byrne, 1990s, 1956-2010. ph: Robert Milazzo /© CBS /Courtesy Everett Collection

Sharon Case, gallery from the cast of the CBS series The Young and the Restless, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

16/33

The third time was definitely the charm for The Young and the Restless’ Sharon Collins. Future Parenthood star Monica Potter was cast first but, as she put it 2010, “I was fired because <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/the-young-and-the-restless/news/577323/young-restless-sharon-newman-timeline-photos/" target="_blank">I was terrible</a>.” Not a whole lot better was Sharon No. 2, Playboy’s Miss July 1995, Heidi Mark. But then in came Case, already a soap vet, thanks to roles on As the World Turns and General Hospital, and suddenly, we could not only see the potential in the character, we could see it being realized.

delia ryans hope ilene kristen randall edwards

19/33

When Ryan’s Hope debuted in 1975, force of nature Ilene Kristen didn’t just request viewers’ attention, she commanded it. So it was a terrible blow to the new soap on the block when she exited stage left as manipulative mantrap Delia Reid four years later. That is, it was a terrible blow until the powers that be discovered Randall Edwards and dropped her into the role. Suddenly, Delia was as daffy as she was devious, and fans ate it up as readily as Ryan’s Bar customers did matriarch Maeve’s corned beef and cabbage.

20/33

When an actor has played a part for as long as Hunter Tylo did Taylor Hayes on <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/wp-admin/_wp_link_placeholder">The Bold and the Beautiful</a>, the chances of her being successfully replaced are about as slim as the chances of Tylo taking a bad photo — and recast Krista Allen knew it. “I feel like I’m about to be introduced to my fiancé’s mom,” <a href="https://twitter.com/KristaAllenXO/status/1468790970393128962" target="_blank">she tweeted</a> ahead of her 2021 debut, “but she’s made it very clear that his ex is the only one for him.” Yet as quickly as you could say, “The part of Taylor Hayes is now being played by… ” the Days of Our Lives vet hadn’t just gotten us to accept but embrace her in her new role.

21/33

When the Another World alum (as Sam Fowler) joined Days of Our Lives as Bo Brady, he famously <a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/gallery/real-life-soap-scandals-photos/" target="_blank">failed to make a fan of leading lady</a> Lisa Rinna (ex-Billie). The rest of us, however, bought what he was selling in the role that Peter Reckell originated. In fact, after Kelker-Kelly’s first stint as Bo ended, he “negotiated a second contract,” he told <a href="https://www.welovesoaps.net/2013/09/robert-kelker-kelly-interview.html" target="_blank">We Love Soaps</a>, “and then that one fell apart” (paving the way for Reckell’s return).

22/33

Back in 2018, when the primetime vet was tapped to take over for Eileen Davidson as Days of Our Lives’ Kristen DiMera (and Susan Banks), the world was like, “Mmkay, good luck with that.” Not us, though. Having been blown away by Haiduk’s work as The Young and the Restless’ poor, crazy Patty Williams and her empathetic shrink, Emily Peterson, we knew that she wouldn’t need luck. And she hasn’t. With a blindingly bright flair, she’s brought a method to the look-not-at-all-alikes’ madness that has only made us wonder ever more loudly how she doesn’t have a trophy case full of Emmys.

25/33

You can argue all you like that no way, no how was Miller’s Jake Doe in any way, shape or form General Hospital’s Jason Morgan (and, in fact, he turned out not to be Stone Cold but his heretofore-unknown twin brother, so you’d technically be right). However, the passionate fan base that for ages was committed to the connection that Drew Cain formed with Kelly Monaco’s Sam McCall would beg to differ, despite the 2017 return of Steve Burton as the real McCoy, the preppy-turned-hitman that he’d played since 1991.

26/33

All these years later, of course we know that Days of our Lives’ amnesiac John Black was never Roman Brady, as was initially believed. However, that doesn’t in the slightest diminish Hogestyn’s accomplishment, in making fans obsessed with Wayne Northrop as Marlena Evans’ one and only accept someone new in the role. Heck, even after Northrop was reintroduced in 1991 as the real Roman, he wound up being jettisoned in favor of Hogestyn, whoever it was he was playing!

27/33

OK, this one’s a no-brainer. In the late 1980s, when The Bold and the Beautiful debuted, Katie Logan was a secondary character, the sort of (in her own mind!) Plain Jane whose dramas played out in the background of her gorgeous older sisters’ affairs. But when Nancy Sloan was finally replaced by Emmy winner Tom (previously Victoria Newman on The Young and the Restless), Katie moved front and center, shining as brightly as either of her blonde-bombshell siblings could’ve ever hoped to!

28/33

Somewhere, Erica Hope has kinda-sorta gotta be gnashing her teeth — because in 1979, grown-up child actress Scott left The Waltons — The Waltons, for John Boy’s sake! — to step into Hope’s former role of The Young and the Restless’ troubled Nikki Reed. Scott — then just plain ol’ Melody Thomas — had options, too; she reportedly joined the soap instead of signing with a sitcom pilot (which, as luck would have it, didn’t get picked up). The rest, as we well know, is history — more than 40 years of it at last count!

29/33

We don’t need to tell you what a hard act to follow is Robin Strasser (Dorian, One Life to Live). So it will come as no surprise that her original replacement as Rachel Davis on Another World was such a flop that the Daytime Emmy winner had to come back for a few months while the show re-recast. Thankfully, the powers that be discovered Wyndham — a veteran of Guiding Light as Charlotte Bauer — and once she took on the role in 1972, she made it so definitively her own that she played it until the NBC soap was cancelled in 1999.

30/33

You could have argued — and credibly — that after three-time Emmy winner Sarah Brown split from General Hospital and her role of Carly Roberts, no one could possibly hold a candle to her. But then Tamara Braun (who later played Kim Nero on the show) did just that, so brightly did she burn. And, ultimately, Wright, by then a veteran of Loving, The City and Guiding Light, did the unthinkable: put yet another unique stamp on the part. So, as she put it after signing a new contract in 2009, “you guys are <a href="https://www.soapcentral.com/gh/news/2009/1109-wright.php" target="_blank">stuck with me.</a>” And happily so!

31/33

If you really want to gauge how successful a recast this record-holding six-time Daytime Emmy winner was as One Life to Live’s embattled Viki Buchanan, all you have to do is ask yourself, “Hmm… who played the part before her?” No idea? Exactly! But the role of the sometime Niki Smith was actually originated by the well-liked Gillian Spencer (later Daisy Cortlandt on All My Children). When she left in 1970, someone no one remembers tried and failed to fit the bill before Slezak stepped in and brought Viki to life for the next four-plus decades.

32/33

When the soap vet, who’d already paid her dues on A Flame in the Wind, As the World Turns and Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, was tapped to play General Hospital’s Dr. Monica Webber, “I walked into something that I would never want to do again — replacing Patsy Rahn, who played [the character] before me and was rudely let go,” she told <a href="https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/tbt-leslie-charleson-3/" target="_blank">Soap Opera Digest</a> in 1981. “It was done in a very tactless way.” Nonetheless, Charleson rose to the challenge and has become one of the longest-serving actors in daytime history.

33/33

When in 1989 the late Terry Lester not only left behind The Young and the Restless but Jack Abbott, the popular playboy he’d portrayed for almost a decade, the soap worked itself into a real lather trying to find a suitable substitute. Thankfully, Bergman had just been canned by All My Children, where he’d played Dr. Cliff Warner for two decades. “I think <a href="https://www.tvinsider.com/834711/peter-bergman-young-and-the-restless-jack-abbott-30th-anniversary/" target="_blank">my firing was on the cover</a> of every soap magazine,” he told TV Insider in 2019. “Melody [Thomas Scott, Nikki] had one with her and said, ‘That’s Jack Abbott.’ Isn’t that just crazy?” Mm-hmm. Crazy-brilliant!

Belle opens the door to see Shawn in Bed with a blonde on Days of Our Lives

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Rafe and a Pair of Handcuffs Interrupts EJ and Sami's Reunion — Plus, Belle Gets Quite the Christmas Surprise

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