For the week of July 9th-13th, 2012 

EJ agrees to take a polygraph test and is amused when Will has second thoughts. Roman wonders if EJ will sabotage the test. Will he? (A mystery person pays off the polygraph administrator, making EJ look guilty.) Nicole and Daniel have a day of romance and fun at the arcade. They wind up in bed. Brady tries convincing Madison that Ian set him up. Kate almost drinks one of Brady’s spiked protein shakes.

EJ is shocked to have failed his polygraph but Rafe starts to wonder if EJ may not be guilty after all. Spencer has to remind Roman to use evidence against EJ, and not to use his gut instincts. Sami learns EJ failed the polygraph and asks him if he killed his father. Lucas finds Will barking orders on the phone and gives him a stern warning. Daniel and Nicole are once again swept away with ‘love in the afternoon’, and Daniel is concerned he will be in a love triangle.

Sami continues to accuse EJ of killing Stefano, and EJ lashes out at Sami, while Will sides with EJ. At the end of the day, Sami and EJ’s argument is fraught with sexual tension and they end up face-to-face, about to kiss. John decides to claim his birthright and sets his sights on the DiMera empire. Gabi and Chad bond until Carly calls Chad and tells him that Melanie never came to Europe! Melanie, still a captive, tries to charm Andrew, who flies into a rage.

EJ can’t prove his innocence to Sami. They still have feelings for one another. Lucas is shocked to find Sami with EJ. Are Sami and Lucas really back together again? Daniel and Chad finally go to the police department to report Melanie missing. Gabi panics and insists to Andrew to let Mel go, but he won’t.

 There is an epic confrontation between Lucas and EJ. Sami kisses Lucas passionately and he tells her he’ll protect their family. Another mystery person plants EJ’s gloves that he threw away at the pier. The cops find the gloves during a search of the mansion. Chad and Daniel keep up the search for Melanie, while Andrew takes off with her! Chad does a house-to-house search on Andrew’s block and finds something!

Updates: The character of Melanie was said to be leaving the show in June, but it looks like the month of July is more likely. The actress wants to try some roles in primetime. There is a rumour that Eileen Davidson may be returning as both Kristen and Susan, and the character of Eric has been recast, and the characters of Shawn, Belle, and maybe Chelsea are still said to be high on the to-do list. The new writers are looking for excitement and less repetition, unlike the recently fired writers – who just won a Daytime Emmy Award. Contract negotiations have evidently broken down between Peter Reckell (Bo) and NBC, with his wife revealing on social media that he will not be returning to the show. The character of Nick Fallon (Blake Berris) is now said to be returning to Salem in the next few months.

Insider information: Word is that either Lexie or Will ‘killed’ Stefano, but he is not really dead.