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Days of our Lives spent the week proving that inviting a woman who is secretly faking paralysis into your apartment is probably not the fastest route to domestic tranquility. Joy moved herself and Kelsey directly into Alex’s home while Stephanie tried very hard to be supportive.
Johnny decided that covering up EJ’s crimes had gone far enough and promptly handed the whole mess to law enforcement. Meanwhile, Maggie and Kate turned the Kiriakis mansion into a do-it-yourself disaster zone; Marlena learned Dominic may be moving closer to Salem; and EJ discovered that the person who finally put him in danger was his own son.
Joy is Exactly Where She Wants to Be
Joy started the week with a very specific problem. She needed somewhere wheelchair accessible to live with Kelsey, and Alex happened to have an apartment and an inconveniently large sense of responsibility. Once Joy called, the rest unfolded exactly the way she wanted.
Alex initially suggested the Salem Inn, which would have solved nearly everything except Joy’s actual objective. She quickly dismissed that option and asked to stay with him instead. Stephanie was clearly not thrilled, but she eventually agreed because Kelsey needed somewhere to live and because saying no would have made her look cruel.
That was all Joy needed. By the end of Monday, Alex was telling Stephanie the arrangement would only be temporary while Joy privately promised Kelsey that they were not going anywhere. Nothing says reassuring co-parenting arrangement quite like one person quietly deciding the other two people involved have misunderstood the entire plan.
Friday made Joy’s intentions even clearer. She praised Alex to Kayla while emphasizing how difficult it was being stuck in a wheelchair and unable to care for Kelsey properly. Kayla reminded Joy that Alex was a good man and that Stephanie was lucky to have him, which probably was not the exact response Joy wanted to hear.
Joy then managed to get Alex to reassure her that taking her in was not a burden. He framed everything around doing what was best for Kelsey, but Joy clearly heard what she wanted. Her black-and-white 1950s sitcom fantasy of Alex carrying her across the threshold while they played happy family removed any lingering doubt about where her mind was headed.
The problem is that pretending to be paralyzed becomes considerably harder when there is a crying baby a few feet away. Joy tried to manage from the wheelchair until Kelsey’s cries became too much. She finally stood up and went to the baby just as Stephanie approached the door.
Joy wanted proximity to Alex. She got it. Now she also has Stephanie within walking distance every time she forgets she is supposed to be unable to walk.
Johnny Finally Turned on EJ
Johnny began the week by deciding that protecting EJ had gone far enough. He went to Belle and Jada and told them what he knew about EJ and George’s involvement in the pill scandal and subsequent cover-up. Johnny understood that he could face consequences himself, but he pushed ahead anyway.
There is something refreshing about Johnny finally reaching the point where family loyalty stops being an excuse for everything. He helped cover up parts of what happened, and he knows that. Rather than pretending it never happened, he put himself at risk to tell the truth. Naturally, EJ was less impressed.
By Thursday, EJ realized that Johnny had been the one who talked. He tried to hold himself together in front of Jada and Belle, but the betrayal hit harder than the investigation itself. For all the crimes, schemes, and legal maneuvering surrounding him, the part EJ could not easily dismiss was that his own son had finally drawn a line.
That does not mean EJ is finished. Belle and Jada still lacked enough to hold him, and EJ was already falling back on his usual strategy of denying everything and suggesting Johnny misunderstood what happened. Nobody should start measuring EJ for prison curtains just yet.
Johnny also turned to Stephanie for help managing the fallout at DiMera. She understands crisis management and immediately recognized how serious the situation could become. Her concern was not just about Johnny surviving the scandal. She questioned whether DiMera itself could survive what was coming.
That may be the larger problem. Johnny wants to clean up the company while simultaneously exposing the man who has spent years treating DiMera like his personal extension cord. Those two goals may not coexist peacefully.
The Kiriakises Tried to Make their Own Mansion Unsellable
Maggie and Kate came up with one of the more entertaining plans of the week when they decided the best way to stop Dominic from buying the Kiriakis mansion was to make the place look completely undesirable. Nothing complicated. Just plumbing problems, electrical issues, fake mold, asbestos, and rats. Perfectly normal real estate negotiations.
Xander, Philip, Sarah, Brady, and eventually Roman all joined the operation. Xander created leaks. Roman worked on the electrical system. Sarah painted fake black mold. Philip placed a little asbestos in the attic. Brady arrived with friendly rats because apparently Salem now has a reputable vermin rental service.
The whole thing was ridiculous, but it also worked because everyone involved genuinely wanted the house back. The Kiriakis mansion is not just property to them. It is a family home tied to decades of history, and Dominic’s interest in it already feels suspicious.
Roman made the connection even harder to ignore when he pointed out that Dominic is tied to Stefano, the DiMeras, and Marlena. That means the Kiriakis family may be operating under the assumption that Dominic cares about property value when he could be interested in something else entirely.
If Dominic wants the mansion because of its history, its location, or something Stefano left behind, a few plumbing leaks probably will not scare him away. He may simply wonder why the previous owners suddenly turned the place into a condemned building five minutes before closing.
Still, Maggie and Kate deserve points for commitment. Salem has produced plenty of elaborate schemes over the years. Few involve quite this much home maintenance.
Dominic Kept Pulling Marlena Back Into Stefano’s Past
The Dominic mystery continued hanging over everything this week. Marlena is now dealing with the possibility that he may be her son, while Stefano’s involvement makes the entire situation even more disturbing.
Dante’s arrival only pushed things further. He brought word that Dominic plans to come to Salem when he is ready to make his move. That wording did very little to make Marlena feel better about any of this.
Belle stayed by Marlena’s side and encouraged her to wait for proof. DNA testing should eventually provide answers, but even that will only settle one question. If Dominic really is Marlena’s son, there is still the much larger issue of how that happened and what Stefano did.
The timing also makes Dominic’s interest in the Kiriakis mansion more suspicious. He is not simply appearing in Salem asking family questions. He is already tied to property, Stefano’s history, and people who do not know what he actually wants.
That is why the Kiriakis sabotage may end up missing the point. Everyone is trying to convince Dominic that the house is a financial headache. He may not care. If Stefano connected that mansion to whatever plan he set in motion, Dominic could see rats, mold, and broken pipes as little more than decorative inconvenience.
Marlena has spent years surviving Stefano’s attempts to control her life. Dominic could represent one last secret he managed to leave behind. Salem should probably prepare accordingly.
OUTRO
Join us next time when Joy tries to keep pretending she cannot walk while living a few feet from Stephanie, EJ keeps insisting everything is under control, and Salem discovers whether Dominic’s arrival makes the Kiriakis mansion mess look tame by comparison.
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We also got one last Friday surprise when Kristen turned up at a remote diner in Paducah and found Sophia waiting tables under the name Amelia. Salem really does save some of its best trouble for the last five minutes.
Days of our Lives is available on the Peacock streaming app.
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