After a Week Packed With Fun, Days of Our Lives Has Us Wondering If Maybe, This Time, EJ *Doesn’t* Get Away With It All

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I’m just going to say it: I enjoyed this week’s Days of Our Lives — especially with the parties. And you could tell the actors were having fun, which makes it even better for us. One thing I’ve consistently enjoyed about this last writing regime has been the weddings. So it’s no surprise that I had fun with this week’s buildup to Jada’s big day. And while I wasn’t watching for the first go-around in Aremid, I’m intrigued enough to want to know where this story is going. 

Party Animals

Yes, I am firmly in the camp of folks who had a blast with the bachelor/bachelorette party episode. The Jell-O shots, Chanel being the mopey, wasted friend who everyone feels kind of sorry for and kind of annoyed with, Jada’s reaction to them casually mentioning the devil in Salem (“Say what now?!”) and everyone just ignoring her and moving on — it was all just fun. Those cupcakes had me salivating, but I guess no one touched them. Rookie mistake drinking on an empty stomach. If I had one complaint, it’s that they should have had more variety than shots and champagne.

But there were nice ties into history even with the ladies’ silly game. Stephanie reminded us that one of the first relationships we saw her in was a pretty horrible, abusive one, which can contribute to all the trouble she’s had finding a stable relationship. Belle brought up EJ as a nice lead-in to them restarting their fling. And even the horrible boy Jada lost her virginity to added another layer that could make it tough for her to trust guys, from Bobby to now “Rafe’s” betrayal.

And I appreciated how the ladies were fun and messy, while the guys were the ones causing the drama. EJ showing up and angering everyone, Javi and Shawn having to pull an angry Steve away from Rafe. It felt almost like a flipping of expectations. And even knowing it was Arnold all over Savannah, I still couldn’t help but feel horrified like Rafe was cheating on Jada. So I can only imagine Javi’s horror in thinking his beloved cousin really did. (Also, I noticed the men defaulted to calling Savannah a stripper, while the women defaulted to calling her a dancer. It was a nicely subtle nod to unconscious bias with gender.)

Just Admit It, Already

I even enjoyed the Aremid stuff. I don’t know why they’re dancing around just saying the Woman In White is Rachel Blake, but OK. They’re really teasing us hard with everything she’s sharing, and if Stefano survived, there’s no reason Rachel couldn’t have. Though where she’s been and what she’s been doing for decades better have a more exciting answer than haunting an abandoned house. And it needs to explain why she took a villainous turn away from the kind woman we knew before.

But I like Roslyn Gentle’s performance and I’m curious about where they’re going with this. I’ve got a few ideas, but for now I’ll just say if this is going to end up diving deeper into the Blake/DiMera history and connection. They’ve dropped Peter’s name a few times now, and I’m more sure than ever that Michael Dietz is going to be bringing him back.

I’m pretty sure that all of this is going to culminate in Brady and Kristen realizing Rachel needs more than therapy, and that she’s seriously disturbed, and sending her off to some specialist place for help. Then she’ll come back as a whole new Rachel. (Quite literally, with a recast.) And I hate to say it, but if Rachel is that messed up, her plan could work to bring Brady and Kristen back together as they lean on each other to get her help.

Side note: I was yesterday years old when I realized that Aremid was DiMera spelled backwards — and that’s only because the fans pointed it out. I don’t know that I ever would have gotten there by myself, even though now that I see it, it’s glaringly obvious. And especially so since it’s not a one off thing with Days of Our Lives! See: Melaswen/New Salem. But that brings me to something important: Arnold.

Double, Double, What’s the Trouble?

I know there are folks frustrated at how dumb everyone’s being about how fake Rafe obviously is. But when you look back at the interactions since the switch, EJ’s mostly kept Arnold from spending too much time with Rafe’s friends and loved ones. And thankfully, he’s kept the intimacy tamped down with Jada. Every interaction he does have with them, they can all tell something is off about him. Jada even flat out said that the morning of the wedding, but her own past trauma with Everett/Bobby made her doubt herself.

I didn’t see Aremid because I wasn’t expecting it, but I feel ridiculous not knowing until someone pointed it out. I think that’s a human trick of the mind. We don’t see what’s right in front of us if we aren’t looking for it. And who expects their loved one to be replaced by an exact duplicate — even if it has happened before? Jada wasn’t around for that, and neither was Javi. Steve wasn’t even there when it happened. That was when he was running around the world for the ISA.

And as I said above, even knowing Arnold was Arnold, I still had a gut reaction to seeing him all over Savannah because my brain is still trying to force me into saying he’s Rafe. So yeah, it’s stretching credibility that they haven’t commiserated on how odd Rafe’s been acting, but it still works for me and I’m enjoying the ride. The story hasn’t dragged on for months and months and, despite Rita’s intervention, I expect it to wrap in the February Sweeps period.

Wedding, Take One

Thursday night, I was explaining why I was excited for Friday, saying that it’s Jada and “Rafe’s” big day, but Rafe just got free from EJ, so he’s going to crash his own wedding (though he didn’t). And even just trying to explain it felt like good, wild soapy fun — without being over the top sci-fi/fantasy or whatever. One thing that does make me sad is when the big weddings are actually stopped, the real ones that take place after are usually quickie affairs.

And that means Jada and the real Rafe likely will exchange their real vows in their kitchen or something. Having an outdoor wedding in the winter is crazy, but at least it was a wedding and they acknowledged weather and put some heaters up.

We’ll see how it ends on Monday, but I want to know what EJ got on Jada. If it’s something real we’ll discover about her that EJ’s just twisting out of context to frame her as crooked. And if it’s actually enough to haul her in and arrest her. If his plan works, Arnold gets to be commissioner and somehow convinces Paulina to hire EJ back, then I can see this stoking the fire between him and Belle even more… Until she finds out the horrible things he’s done to make it happen.

And that leads us to how in the world EJ is getting out of this. But maybe… he isn’t. I speculated a little while back that his shooting will somehow get him out of trouble, but sometimes characters do go actually pay the piper. I don’t see EJ leaving the show, but he could spend a stint in jail until they come up with a reason for him to get out. Maybe the buildup to him getting shot involves time in jail and running into old enemies who could be put on the suspect list.

Stray Thoughts…

• It’s absurd that Rita would risk serious prison time for aiding a kidnapping, but money talks and the DiMeras are actually loyal to those who are loyal to them. And I loved her explanation: “I’m loyal to all the DiMeras. Besides, you never know when the next palace coup will happen.”

• The other week, I ranked Chanel and Johnny middling as a couple right now after all they’d put each other through. But Chanel immediately copping to kissing Shawn, Johnny understanding and her realization that maybe they should try to work through it all, scored major points with me.
• Is Belle a grown woman who can sleep with who she wants when she wants? Absolutely. But Marlena’s fury and her telling Belle that if she is sleeping with EJ, it won’t be in her house makes sense after all he’s done to the family.
• They answered the “Where is Aremid?” question this week: Right next door to Salem. I enjoyed the speculations in the comments of last week’s Soapbox, though, and I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who was confused.
• Who knew Leo would grow on me, and his friendship with Marlena would actually be… fun? (But come on, she does have other friends to confide in. It’s not just John or Belle.)
• This version of Gabi and JJ are delightful. That’s all.