If the crypt storyline is a thriller, then this week’s “Christmas in Salem” storyline is a true melodrama: everyone has a crack in their relationship, and Christmas only makes that crack more apparent.

Brady finally arrives at Marlena’s house, not to argue, but to talk in a way that says, “I’m tired, I don’t want to lose you again.”

This is the kind of scene that fans find heartbreaking, because Brady has been out of sync for a long time, sometimes angry, sometimes withdrawn, while Marlena has to brace herself as a doctor – a mother – someone caught in the middle of a family storm.

Belle’s appearance makes everything tense and real: Belle doesn’t soothe, Belle speaks directly, pulling her brother away from self-destruction before he makes another mistake.

And while the Black/Brady family is trying to mend things, DiMera’s side is in freefall, making Salem this week feel like a city cracking from every side. Paulina steps in as the “big sister” best friend, comforting Marlena with genuine, unpretentious energy, like, “You can’t give up, I’m here.” It’s a rare moment of warmth, but it’s precisely because it’s rare that viewers are all the more worried: Days usually warms things up a bit before delivering another blow.

That blow could come from Chanel. Chanel hears that her cancer might return, and Sarah is the one holding the results. Just a few seconds of the doctor looking at the file and Chanel’s world changes. If the results are bad, her Christmas won’t be lights and presents, but fear and questions no one wants to ask. If the results aren’t inconclusive, Days will prolong the feeling of limbo, leaving Chanel both hopeful and panicked, to the point where even breathing feels painful. Meanwhile, the teen plot gets even worse: Tate pulls Holly aside and drops some “bad news”—the kind that will make Holly’s face fall.