In a truly dramatic episode of Days of Our Lives, the ghosts of the past are anything but forgotten. Troubled histories and the chilling possibility of Stefano DiMera’s (Joseph Mascolo) return were the talk of the town, all while a heartbreaking love story came to a painful and official end. The stage is being set for multiple storylines to collide in a spectacular fashion, threatening to upend the lives of everyone in Salem.
The most shocking revelation of the day came from Susan (Stacy Haiduk), who, in her role as a medium-in-training at the Mediums Institute of Transcending (MIT), is convinced that Stefano is not truly gone. She claims to feel his presence—not in body, but in soul—and is now in full investigation mode to figure out why. This is a chilling development, especially since Marlena (Deidre Hall) has been having unsettling dreams about Stefano and the “Queen of the Night.” Susan, with her keen mediumistic senses, also felt “bad vibes” emanating from Marlena’s body, mind, and soul, suggesting a deep and spiritual connection to Stefano’s presence. As if that weren’t enough, even Cat (AnnaLynne McCord) and Rafe’s (Galen Gering) conversation turned to the infamous DiMera patriarch, with Cat getting a crash course in his many lives as part of their investigation into EJ’s (Dan Feuerriegel) hospital purchase. The convergence of these three separate storylines all pointing to Stefano’s return is no coincidence, and somebody needs to warn Marlena about the dark path she may be headed down.
Meanwhile, another ghost from the past is looming on the horizon, threatening to disrupt Stephanie’s (Abigail Klein) newfound happiness. Steve’s (Stephen Nichols) investigation into the Kirikakis brothers revealed an unsettling truth about Alex (Robert Scott Wilson), who had a brush with the law before arriving in Salem. The details are scarce, but Steve is on high alert, his protective instincts for Stephanie kicking in. He knows all too well the pain she endured in a past relationship with Jeremy Horton, a man who was not only shady and up to no good but was also abusive towards her. All signs now point to Jeremy’s return, as he must be the ex who sent the mysterious package and the same one Stephanie fears will see the passage she wrote about their tumultuous relationship in her romance novel.
The question on everyone’s mind is what version of Jeremy will return to Salem? Will he be the same seriously shady individual who abused Stephanie and ran a criminal operation, or has he been reformed, hoping for a second chance? And how will Alex’s mysterious criminal past affect his present with Stephanie as her dark history comes back to haunt her? The emotional stakes are incredibly high, as Stephanie is about to face her demons from the past and confront the trauma she worked so hard to leave behind.
Finally, in a separate but equally heartbreaking storyline, Xander (Paul Telfer) and Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) are forced to confront the painful reality of their relationship. In a surprisingly kind gesture, Xander delivered their daughter, Victoria, to Sarah a day early, claiming their daughter wanted her mommy. Sarah, however, ever skeptical of his motives, questioned his generosity. The two then had a civil but deeply painful conversation, acknowledging their love for each other while simultaneously agreeing that a legal separation was the only way forward. In a moment of gut-wrenching finality, Xander produced the signed legal documents, and Sarah, with a heavy heart, signed them as well. As they looked at each other, it was clear they didn’t want their love story to end, but they had resigned themselves to a scenario where they were simply unable to live as husband and wife. The official end of their marriage sets the stage for new romantic entanglements and painful new beginnings for both Xander and Sarah.
