‘DAYS OF OUR LIVES’ ANSWERS THE CALL

“Days of Our Lives” recently has ceased to be a soap opera and has become a live-action cartoon instead.

One of the basic ways daytime dramas try to keep fans tuning in is by developing and exploring multidimensional characters who will “ring true” even if they are involved in stories that strain credibility.

“Days of Our Lives” has turned that method upside down. In Salem, plot comes first--the more bizarre and convoluted, the better. No other show would dare let a character say, “Satan has come to Salem”--and mean it.

Before Satan’s arrival, “Days of Our Lives” brought its version of Catholicism to Salem. Most of the show’s religious ceremonies were nondenominational. Now, Catholicism has taken center stage, making it seem as if the whole town has converted.

Although the Roman Catholic Church is now prominent, “Days of Our Lives” thinks nothing of toying with its doctrine to serve the plot.

The show brought religion to prominence as a means of separating Kristen Di Mera and John Black, played by Eileen Davidson and Drake Hogestyn. The couple discovered that John apparently was a priest at some time in his past. He does not remember this because it had been erased from his memory via brainwashing (a common malady in Salem).

It turns out that Kristen is a devout Catholic, and she refused to leave her husband for John because he was already married to God, even if he doesn’t remember it. Since Kristen was not too devout to defy her religion by having an affair, her selective piety serves the plot while sacrificing character consistency.

John repeatedly proclaimed his certainty that he was never a priest. But as evidence mounted, he took an “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach. Of late, he has performed emergency last rites, appeared in full regalia at a wedding, and even considered performing a wedding ceremony.

The priesthood is hardly something to fiddle with. Yet, that is precisely what John Black is doing--all this without even remembering his spiritual education.

This is the latest in a series of identities revealed to John Black. How much more effective it might have been if John had turned to the church as a means of coping with his fragmented life.

Instead, John’s connection to the church is being tied in to the Satanic possession of his one-time lady love (and fellow brainwashing victim), the noble Dr. Marlena Evans, played by Deidre Hall.

The special effects on this story are unintentionally laughable, and the story is played out with the melodramatic intensity of a silent movie.

If the show runs true to form, it’s a good bet that part-time priest John Black will be performing an exorcism on his former love in the very near future.

“Days of Our Lives” airs weekdays at noon on NBC.