2008 was quite a tumultuous year with new arrivals, shocking departures, worst moments, new pairings, sad deaths, surprising plot twists, edge of your seat cliffhangers, and those episodes that actually made us laugh. Take a look back at some of the best moments on Days of Our Lives for 2008.
Best Cliffhanger - Plane Crash Episode, February 15, 2008
Remember those exciting Friday cliffhangers that keep us hanging on the edge of our seats and we can hardly wait for Monday to arrive so we can tune in to see what happens next? Nothing quite tops the Friday cliffhanger moment of the year like that particular episode when John and Steve worked together in preparing for a crash landing after John's sabotaged plane ran out of fuel on the way back from Ireland. Unfortunately, this is the same episode when Grandpa Shawn took his last breath after giving up his oxygen mask to save Bo. The best part about this episode is that the vets we love the most were involved: Bo, Hope, Steve, Kayla, John, and Marlena.
Best New Character - Ava Vitali
Although Tamara Braun only signed on for a six-month stint as Ava Vitali, the Emmy nominated actress definitely made her mark in Salem as Steve Johnson’s scorned ex-lover out for revenge. Tamara rocked at playing a psycho crazed woman who sabotaged John’s plane, kidnapped Hope, and threatened to take Kayla’s unborn baby. She had the ability to look like a scorned vengeful woman one minute and look like a frightened little girl the next. Many of us took an instant liking to her fast friendship with Nicole, and it was also great to see a woman just accept John for who he was. Tamara is one of those unique actresses who has the ability to exude loads of chemistry with any man whom she’s paired with. Since it looks as though Lucas is about to get his heart broken by Chloe, how about Lucas and Ava?
Best Return - John Black
Fans were elated when John returned from the dead on January 8 of this year after being held captive in Dr. Rolf’s lab. Although fans were divided on which John version they preferred, the new version provided a new element of dry humor which the show was sorely missing. John had no recollection of his past or for his love for Marlena and was cold, sarcastic, and hungry for power. However, he had some of the best one-liners during his whole 22-year history of the show. Sadly, Drake Hogestyn and Deidre Hall were let go this year, but the “old” John and Marlena will reunite at last and give fans a happy ending.
Best Couple - Bo and Hope Brady
This beloved veteran couple has undoubtedly stood the test of time and endured happiness as well as heartbreak and betrayal. Hope has spent the majority of the year standing by her man Bo, urging him not to give up when he had a failing pancreas and nearly died. She also stood by him after he was caught covering up evidence in the Paul Hollingsworth case, and encouraged him to accept the position of police commissioner. They even renewed their wedding vows this year before friends and family. Through it all, these two exhibit humor with their playful banter and still hold that same magic spark 25 years later.Best Short-Term Guest Appearance - Shirley Jones
It wasn’t hard to figure out why Academy award winner Shirley Jones was brought on board. The critically acclaimed actress and singer signed on for a six-day episode stint as Colleen Brady, but in those six days she poured her heart and soul into her performances and ended up tugging at our heartstrings, as it was revealed that Colleen was John’s biological mother. John was now robotic and programmed by Stefano to kill his own mother, but in the end Colleen was able to elicit a teardrop from John as she begged him to hold her one last time before she died. Moreover, we got to see that the “new” John still had a flicker of emotion.
Most Improved Character - Stephanie Johnson
When Stephanie hooked up with Max, many fans couldn’t get past the fact that they were technically related and thought it was incestuous for Steve and Kayla’s daughter to be sleeping with her Uncle Max. However that wasn’t the only thing annoying about these two. After Trent Robbins, Max’s abusive biological father, came into the picture, Steph spent much of her time repeating the same lines every other day: “Where’s Max?” “Talk to me Max,” “I need you Max,” and just following Max around like a lost puppy dog even when moody, angry Max just wanted a little space. As a result, Steph turned into a whiny, needy, woman whom we wished would just be quiet and go away. Now that she’s on the verge of a blossoming relationship with Philip, Steph has displayed much more maturity, more independence, and she’s even able hold her own against Melanie. Melanie still tried to push her buttons, but Steph impressed many of us as she displayed tolerance for Max’s annoying sister at Titan, refusing to let Mel get the best of her. Although Steph still blames others for her past failed relationship with Max, she is much more enjoyable to watch.
Most Entertaining / Funniest Episode - Nicole Returns During Victor’s Dinner Party
What is Days of Our Lives without some good comic relief once in a while? After all, laughter is good for the soul. This particular episode back on April 2 of this year stands out as the funniest and one we can watch over and over on our DVRs or Tivos. We had Rolf the butler practicing his tongue twisters, since John urged him to “lose the accent” or else. We also had Victor’s dinner party at the Kiriakis mansion with the guests including Daniel, Chelsea, Kate, Philip, and Chloe. Victor made it quite clear that he hated Chloe, but some of us couldn’t help but laugh when Victor and Chloe kept arguing back and forth. The real kicker was at the end of the episode when the doorbell rang and Victor yelled that all he wanted was some peace and quiet, sounding more like a grumpy old man than an all-powerful Kiriakis business mogul. Shortly afterward, his ex-wife (or so he thought at the time) Nicole Walker waltzed back into the mansion after a two-year absence. One word can only effectively describe the look on Victor’s face at that moment: priceless.
