The Unlikely Ally EJ Could Turn to When The *Whole* Truth Comes Out — and What Alex’s Story Desperately Needs

Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI

We recently asked our Facebook followers about their thoughts on Days’ current stories. A recurring theme was that the Jude, Alex’s inheritance, and Everett/Bobby stories need to wrap up. It seems they’re starting to finally do that, but it’s all very anticlimactic and convoluted. Let’s dive in…

Who’s That Girl?

The biggest thing to happen this week was that Sloan finally confessed to Eric that she stole Jude from Nicole while leaving out the part where he’s the biodad. While it’s wonderful Nicole’s suffering is over, this made little sense to me. Sure, Sloan’s terrified of going to prison, but where’s the Sloan who fights for what she wants even when backed into a corner? Nothing about her conversation with Melinda made it clear why she let EJ win. She’s resourceful enough she could have told Eric the whole truth while taking away EJ’s leverage.

And where has this sudden love for Jude come from? She was getting drunk and resenting him not long ago, which felt more true to her character. But all of a sudden, she’s a doting mother happily feeding Jude his bottle and putting him down for naps. I could have bought the change of heart had we seen them bonding, but we didn’t. So, her pain from losing Jude is falling super flat for me. Though, Eric’s reaction to her was fantastic.

Then there’s EJ. I do prefer his darker personality, but his stealing Jude from Eric is hard to swallow. It’s certainly going to blow up in his face, leaving him with zero allies. I, for one, won’t miss his and Nicole’s smoopyness, and it could be an interesting place to watch him wallow in for a while. But who will he turn to? Melinda’s going to need an ally should the walls close in on her. Now that she’s DA again, she could do him favors in exchange for him ignoring the fact that she helped Sloan steal Jude in the first place.

The Heir and the Spare

As for the Alex story, the biggest problem is there are no real stake

s. For starters, we don’t see the toll it’s taking on his and Justin’s relationship because they never interact. It’s likely due to Wally Kurth’s General Hospital schedule, but hearing Alex dismissively call him Justin instead of Dad over the phone doesn’t cut it.

Maybe if Alex’s spending spree gets out of hand or he invests in a bad deal or risks the company, there might some be weight to it. But as it stands, the reveal will just knock Alex down a few pegs. As for the real heir, Xander’s life is the most perfect it’s ever been. He has a respectable job, a fiancée, and a child — he doesn’t need the inheritance to save him. He’s not even connected to any of the Kiriakises, except for Maggie, and they mutually adore each other. Since Sarah was so focused on his mother a couple of weeks ago, I need her to arrive in Salem to create some havoc just as her son’s about to have it all. (Is that who Serena Scott Thomas is playing?)

Who’s the Real Villain?

Back to Alex: While it’s super slimy that he’s going back and forth between Kristen and Theresa, I could live with it if I understood his motivations. We were led to believe he truly cared for Theresa, but then he tried to make her jealous despite her always wanting to be with him, which led him to sleep with Kristen. Now, he’s inviting Theresa to move into the mansion while still seeing Kristen on the side. But why?

I catch myself feeling bad for Theresa, and then I remember she set all of this in motion by engineering Alex as Victor’s heir. But again, that’s super inconsistent. She’s seemingly into Alex, but then just his money, and then Brady. If these were all murky mysterious character choices, it’d be one thing, but it feels more like continuity issues.

Odds and Ends

• I’ve ignored my fair share of red flags in my day, but when Stephanie and Everett are out drinking, playing pickleball, and flirting, it feels like they’re in a different storyline from the one where Everett doesn’t remember cheating on Jada with Stephanie and constantly switching personalities.

• Where’s Rita? I need more of her than just getting screamed at off-screen by EJ.

• Chanel wants to tell all her and Johnny’s friends that they’re expecting, except they have none. Confident, charming, twenty-something Leo Howard should have been cast as part of their demographic instead of as the awkward teenage Tate. (Side note: cheers to Johnny, who is refreshingly not like his controlling, domineering father when it comes to Chanel’s decisions about her pregnancy.)

• Hopefully Felicity gets fleshed out as a character. Making her Aaron’s sister is a great start, and she did mention a boyfriend. Hey! Maybe Rita is a relative. (Another side note: Leo Tomeo is great as Aaron.)

• Based on the establishing shots, Salem is a metropolis, but the paper’s gossip columnist thinks two high school students sneaking around behind their parents’ backs is a hot item?

• Can we get more of the Kate who threatened Ava on Tuesday?

• I do love that Chad hasn’t gotten over his one true love yet, but as Curtis wondered last week, what is the point of retconning the reason Clyde killed Abigail?