EJ, Rolf, Belle, Stephanie, Steve: Stefano’s Final Game Pulls Salem Back Into the DiMera Maze: DAYS Two Scoops for the week of August 24th

Days of our Lives spent the week grieving Lexie for the second time, watching Chad and Belle pack for a mysterious trip to Italy, and wondering how many different disasters EJ could personally supervise before needing a larger desk. Stephanie and Alex kept trying to repair a marriage that seemed determined to produce another problem every time they solved the previous one.

Meanwhile, Philip decided the Kiriakis family fortune might best be rescued at a high-stakes poker game. Somewhere beneath all of this, Dr. Rolf stood before three cryogenic pods and announced that he was finished playing God, which in Salem is roughly as reassuring as hearing the shark has promised to stop swimming.

EJ found himself surrounded by enemies, secrets, and one very dangerous friend

Dr. Rolf swore off resurrections | Image: Peacock

EJ started the week furious with Dr. Rolf after his experimental drug failed and the family lost Lexie all over again. His anger made sense because he had trusted Rolf’s science, spent an enormous amount of money, and believed his sister had been given another chance at life. Rolf responded by insisting he was finished tampering with life and death, then promptly appeared in a room containing three glowing cryogenic pods, so his retirement paperwork may still require a few signatures.

Lexie’s death also brought out a much more vulnerable side of EJ, particularly with Cat. He admitted that she might be the only friend he had left and opened up about the guilt he carried over what happened to Lexie. The problem is that Cat is still working against him, and she recently remembered telling a comatose EJ that she was ISA. If those memories return to him during another round of hypnosis, Cat may discover that becoming emotionally attached to the man she is supposed to take down was perhaps not the cleanest possible approach to undercover work.

By the end of the week, EJ had accumulated a remarkable collection of people with reasons to distrust him. Johnny was angry about the secrets surrounding Lexie, Ari overheard enough of his conversation with Johnny to become suspicious, Sarah stormed into the mansion and threatened him over what he had done to the Kiriakis family, and Holly nearly exposed the Coriseal secret herself. Sarah’s confrontation even seemed to tip EJ off that his enemies knew more than they should, because he contacted Rita almost immediately afterward and ordered her to tighten things up.

EJ ended Friday looking considerably less composed than he had at the beginning of the week. The more he tried to protect the DiMera empire, the more evidence he seemed to leave behind for everybody circling him. Salem villains often fail because one person finally catches them. EJ appears to be testing the exciting new method of giving half the town separate reasons to investigate him at once.

Chad and Belle finally followed Stefano’s chess game to Italy

The game is afoot as Chad and Belle prepare to traipse around the world | Image: Peacock

The mysterious chess set Stefano left behind finally pushed Chad and Belle out of Salem and toward Italy. Their investigation has already uncovered a missing pawn, hidden compartments, a key, old currency, and other clues that appear to be part of a game still unfolding long after Stefano’s death. Belle believes someone is actively carrying out his wishes, which means the mystery is no longer about deciphering something Stefano left behind. Somebody may still be moving the pieces.

Marlena understandably hated the idea of Belle putting herself in danger, although she eventually accepted that going to Italy might be the only way to find answers. She gave Belle the coin that reminded her of John and hoped it would make her daughter feel that he was watching over her. Considering how carefully the story paused on that coin, it would be surprising if it simply spent the rest of the trip sitting politely inside Belle’s purse.

Marlena also hired Steve to investigate whoever is continuing Stefano’s game. Rolf remains the obvious suspect, especially since helping Stefano execute elaborate schemes was practically part of his employment criteria, but Steve believed that answer might be too easy. He has a point because Stefano collected allies, enemies, servants, doctors, mercenaries, secret children, and assorted people who somehow decided working for the Phoenix was a sensible career move.

Then EJ decided he wanted in. He pressed Chad about the trip, became frustrated when his brother refused to explain anything, and eventually asked Rita to learn whatever she could about the chess set. EJ claimed he only wanted to understand Stefano better, but his sudden curiosity arrived exactly when Chad and Belle were getting close to something. He even sent them champagne before they left, which could have been a friendly gesture, although this is a DiMera story and friendly gestures generally deserve to be examined under laboratory lighting.

The most interesting part is that Chad and Belle still do not know what they are searching for. They have a trail but no destination, which makes Stefano’s final game feel much larger than a treasure hunt. If somebody is deliberately feeding them clues in real time, the question is no longer what Stefano hid. It is what somebody wants Chad and Belle to find.

Stephanie and Alex repaired their marriage by creating another secret

Alex and Stephanie's relationship continued to strain | Image: Peacock

Stephanie and Alex spent another week trying to navigate the enormous complications created by Joy and Kelsey. Alex wanted to reassure Stephanie that their marriage remained his priority, while Stephanie continued struggling with how much their lives had changed. Neither one behaved perfectly, but both still appeared invested in keeping the marriage together, which would be encouraging if Salem did not immediately place Theo nearby with impeccable timing.

After another argument with Alex, Stephanie found herself leaning on Theo. He was grieving Lexie and needed companionship, while she was upset and needed somewhere to go after accidentally walking in on Shawn and Jada enjoying their evening a little too enthusiastically. Theo invited her back to his place, and Stephanie eventually woke up beside him fully clothed. Nothing happened, but she immediately asked Theo not to tell Alex.

That decision created the actual problem. Stephanie later let Alex believe she had stayed elsewhere, even as the two of them apologized and tried to put their marriage back on steadier ground. Alex was worried he was losing her, and Stephanie assured him that he was not while withholding the fact that she had spent the night in Theo’s bed. Salem relationships have survived considerably worse, but honesty is generally more useful before the secret becomes a storyline.

Theo then saw Stephanie and Alex kissing after their reconciliation attempt. Whether he has developed feelings for Stephanie remains unclear, although the story certainly keeps placing him exactly where he needs to be if that is the direction. The chemistry may not be setting Horton Square on fire yet, but the ingredients for another romantic complication are all sitting neatly on the counter.

The Kiriakises gambled on Philip, while Sarah went directly after EJ

Xander, Sarah, and the evidence are closing in on EJ | Image: Peacock

The Kiriakis family spent the week facing the very real possibility of losing their home, but Philip believed he had found a way to save Titan. Unfortunately, his plan involved a high-stakes poker game in Monte Carlo, which is not the most comforting solution for a man with a history of gambling problems. Philip insisted the scheme was neither dangerous nor illegal, and Gabi quickly made it more complicated by announcing that she intended to accompany him.

That required Philip and Gabi to pose as an engaged couple, because apparently financial rescue missions become more effective when they also require fake jewelry and romantic improvisation. Still, Philip may have a genuine chance to pull off the miracle EJ told Holly was still technically possible. If he wins enough money to rescue Titan, the family could keep the mansion and finally stop packing boxes.

The larger concern is what winning might do to Philip. A successful return to gambling could remind him exactly why he once found it addictive, and saving his family would give him an excellent reason to tell himself this time was different. Sometimes the dangerous part is not losing. Sometimes it is winning and deciding to sit down for another hand.

Meanwhile, Sarah stopped waiting for somebody else to deal with EJ and marched directly into the DiMera mansion. She blamed him for hurting Holly and threatening the Kiriakis family, then promised that karma was coming for him. EJ mostly dismissed her until she left, at which point he immediately contacted Rita about keeping the Coriseal situation contained.

That reaction gave Sarah and Xander something far more useful than another argument. When Holly later revealed that Ari had questioned her about EJ’s conversation with Johnny, Xander and Sarah realized EJ’s behavior may have amounted to an admission that he had something to hide. By Friday, the two men were effectively framed on opposite sides of the battle, with Xander trying to save his family while EJ scrambled to protect his secrets. It was a fine visual reminder that Salem rarely settles major disputes with paperwork when it can arrange two angry men and several months of revenge instead.

Join us next time…

Join us next time when Chad and Belle arrive in Italy armed with a coin, an incomplete chess set, and the reassuring knowledge that Stefano has never once turned a family vacation into a nightmare. EJ may discover that enemies are easier to manage when they do not occupy several separate ZIP codes. Philip will hopefully remember that casinos traditionally make money because the house wins. Meanwhile, someone should probably check those three cryogenic pods before Dr. Rolf returns with a clipboard and claims he was only defrosting the freezer.

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