So, Melinda Trask is the one who bought Julie’s stolen necklace. Holly told New Doug all about Melinda — and then told Melinda to her face that she was a horrible person. New Doug pleaded for Melinda to return it to him, but the smarmy lawyer declined his offer because she paid such a low price for such a valuable necklace. Just when you think Melinda has some redeeming qualities, she just goes back to jerk mode.
Meanwhile, the Woman in White, aka Rachel Blake, immediately went to Ava’s apartment after getting out of jail. Ava tried to explain that she wasn’t pressing charges, but the Woman grabbed a chef’s knife, a la Michael Myers from Halloween (1978). Ava would later mention the film reference to Brady.
Theresa returned, shocking Brady and Tate. They brought her up to speed on John’s disappearance and soon after Theresa tried to tell Tate that her super spy dad and brother, Shane and Andrew, were going to find John. At least we should soon see some ISA in action instead of just hearing about it when Shane appears this coming week.
Kristen realized Rachel Blake had absconded from the DiMera mansion. She said her mother wasn’t in her right mind and went to Ava’s to stop her from doing something that would cause Kristen and Brady to lose custody of little Rachel. I don’t understand how that brat gets away with causing all kinds of trouble and the adults around her scramble to clean up the fallout.
I liked how Theresa assumed it was Holly’s baby. She was both relieved and then horrified that it turned out to be Sophia. What a mess! Brady ended up having to excuse himself from the conversation because he could see she was about to get apoplectic — watching him turn tail and flee was hilarious.
Just when it looked like Ava was a goner, Kristen came in and stopped her lunatic mother. It was an interesting scene because it could have gone sideways really fast. Also, seeing Kristen’s more human side emerge was a nice touch. She’s a schemer and manipulator, but even she has her limits and is motivated by the fact that she doesn’t want to lose her daughter if she or her mother gets in trouble with the authorities.
One moment that was sure to satisfy audiences was when Rafe entered the DiMera mansion and started to strangle EJ. That was a great scene that showed Galen Gerring’s acting chops. It was also a long time coming. Jada managed to stop him. EJ reminded her that there was no proof that the DNA they tested was even Arnold's. They all knew he was behind it, but EJ not only stuck to the lie, but pretended he thought Jada was still a cop and didn’t know Rafe got reinstated as police commissioner.
Tate tried to argue to Theresa that it wouldn’t be a good idea for him and Sophia to raise a baby because they’re teenagers and have college ahead of them. Theresa couldn’t help but argue that sometimes adoption stories go bad like Kristen being adopted by Stefano and Eve's disastrous childhood. Such a great comparison! It’s clear that most people in Salem can see that bringing a baby into a world where EJ would be an influence on the child’s life could be a bad thing.
Of course, Gabi told Paulina that Belle was sleeping with EJ. Secrets in Salem don’t have a chance to stay secret since everyone just blabs everything out loud even when they’re trying not to. The story has to advance somehow, I guess.
Shawn and JJ had some time to talk. First of all, it was good that the detective partners continued to be each other’s confidante. It shows their ability to work together. Shawn was singing Jada’s praises and JJ surmised that he was into her. Eventually, Shawn revealed that he and Jada slept together when she thought she and Rafe were done. JJ told him he wouldn’t mention it to anyone and you know what? I believed him.
EJ and Kristen were trying to figure out how to deal with Rachel Blake, and EJ said he was sure that Bayview had a room for her. Kristen countered that Statesville has a room for them, too, and I couldn’t help but say, “Ouch!” out loud. She’s not wrong. These characters constantly teeter on the brink of being sent up the river. Rachel Blake would later prove herself resourceful when she told EJ that he couldn’t prosecute her because she’d sing like a canary about the fact that he stashed Real Rafe at Aremid.
Paulina asked Belle to recuse herself from the EJ case because Jada had a good argument that Belle couldn’t be impartial because of her physical relationship with him. After sleeping with EJ again later in the week, she realized Paulina was right and did what was asked.
Ava told Brady she needed someone whose top priority was protecting her and that wasn’t him, and sadly kicked him to the curb.
Uh oh! To himself, EJ told Kristen that her “old crone” mother was going to come to an end, and he took another needle full of CRS-17. He would later change his mind and put it back.
Alex met with Philip and Xander and was savvy enough to realize that an offsite meeting meant something important. They filled him in on their plan to take over DiMera Enterprises and have Wei Shin on their side. It’s great that the brothers are finally working in perfect tandem, and I think together they might actually be able to pull off a hostile takeover.
Javi and Leo have been in a good place. As Leo was trying to become a respectable journalist, Javi tipped him off to the fact that EJ was pretty much going to get away with his crimes. If Leo uses his skills and does his due diligence, he could have a major exposé on his hands.
In a cute scene, Cat ended up opening the door to Chad there while she was only clad in a towel. She went back to change, and Felicity took that opportunity to tell Chad that Cat “likes him.” It was so cute and innocent and even brought a smile to sad sack Chad’s face.
There was a hilarious moment when room service arrived at Leo’s room at the Salem Inn and when Javi lifted the cover off of his plate and said his food looked dry. It turned out there was a ridiculously long, rolled-up cash register receipt that contained everything that Leo owed since he got fired from Body & Soul. That was good because it prompted Javi to invite Leo to move in with him at Gabi’s.
The big story of the week was Johnny learning his own origin tale. Roman accidentally slipped and said that EJ was exactly like Arnold. He wouldn’t elaborate further, but when Kate arrived, Johnny pressed her to reveal what Roman was talking about. She sadly told him how Sami and Lucas were at a cabin when the ceiling collapsed, trapping Lucas. Sami went for help and bumped into EJ who said he would, but only if she slept with him.
It was an awful moment when Johnny realized he was the product of rape. It's something both of his parents tried to keep from him for years, but now the Band-Aid has been ripped.
Loose Ends
Rafe strangling EJ illustrated the anger that the whole Arnold mess caused. Now, Rafe, Jada, and Paulina have to sort out whether or not Jada or Rafe should become commissioner again. That’s definitely going to put a strain on Rafe and Jada’s relationship.
One loose plot thread that they finally gave some attention to was the fact that EJ brought Rafe to Aremid and Rachel Sr. knew all about it. I’m glad that Rachel brought that up to EJ and used it as leverage to prevent any kind of prosecution. She’s savvier than she looks and the writers get points for not letting the thread dangle for too long.
When Rafe told Jada that the thought of her being with another man was tearing him up inside, she recalled sleeping with Shawn. Does anyone think their dalliance is going to result in yet another pregnancy? It’s very likely. But that would make three surprises pregnancies all on one soap.
Extra Scoops
HOT
Chad and Cat are climbing the Hot List again. It seems that Chad’s starting to realize that he also “likes” her, and they’ve definitely got the chemistry, so it will be interesting to see where they go from here.
NOT
Poor Brady and Ava are probably done for good because of his daughter’s actions. But they do have some chemistry, so hopefully they’ll get a chance to patch things up down the line because I wanted to see where that story could possibly go.
Lines of the Week
As Rachel Blake approached Ava with the knife, Ava said “You really think you can take me on? I used to run a mafia organization!” And Rachel said, “And now you’re going to sleep with the fishes.”
When New Doug explained the whole story to Melinda about how he stole the necklace to pay back some criminals who threatened him, and now wants to make things right, she said to him, “That’s really a touching story. Really. Dickensian almost.” Dickensian means that it’s a reference to the tales of poverty as told in the novels of Charles Dickens.
EJ hilariously joked that if Rachel killed Ava, she wouldn’t be able to testify against them. Rachel told him not to joke and said Rafe was the one they should worry about, adding, “Yeah, Dudley Do-Right is sure to rat us out.” EJ was referring a cartoon character who appeared in a segment of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show called, Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties.
Leo was able to get an interview with Rafe about what he had gone through (which happened off-screen, no less). He then worried that the DiMeras would go after him. Javi said he would protect him and Leo hysterically said, “Have you seen the biceps on EJ? Or Kristen for that matter.”
Tate told Sophia that John was missing, saying, “Growing up I always thought of him as, like, this invincible super spy, kind of like Jason Bourne and Ethan Hunt wrapped into one.” Of course, Jason Bourne is the main character from the novel (1980) and the feature film The Bourne Identity (2002), about an elite assassin who loses his memory — and was famously played by Matt Damon.
Random Thoughts
When Tate told Theresa that Sophia was pregnant, the look on her face was priceless! Great acting from Emily O’Brien.
Having honest cops like Shawn and JJ is a refreshing contrast to scheming schemers like EJ.
EJ and Kristen are going through so much between the Woman in White and EJ’s misdeeds with Arnold that they’re definitely ripe for the picking for a Titan takeover. That story is going to be fun as it plays out.
Philip and Xander telling Alex their plan to take control of DiMera was a good thing, but they need to be careful how many more people they tell. They have the element of surprise on their side and DiMeras on shaky ground because EJ and Kristen have been pouring their energies into saving their own skins. Titan needs to strike while the iron is hot or they’ll lose their advantage.
Is Leo going to use the tip that Javi gave him about EJ to become a better reporter, or is he going to go back to being Lady Whistleblower? I think that would be a step back for him, although the whole Lady Whistleblower element was a good way to bring in more juicy plots and throw some chaos into things.
The fact that Cat and Chad are getting closer makes me think that, since we know Billy Flynn is jumping over to The Young and the Restless, Chad’s exit might mean he’s going to go off to Canada with Cat to be with her mother.
Parting Thoughts
I have to say I was very impressed that the show was able to keep the secret of Johnny’s conception a secret from the character for his entire life. That’s one of the great things about soap operas is that they can plant a seed that doesn’t come to fruition until decades later.
The show seems to be picking up steam with several storylines and plot bombs ready to go off that will have lasting repercussions for everyone involved.
