There’s a (would-be) killer amongst us: Days of our Lives Two Scoops for the week of February 3, 2025

In Estonia, Steve saw Orpheus’ picture in a folder in the nuclear weapon facility and wasn’t completely surprised. I don’t know if I wrote it down, but I guessed last week that the villain was mentioned in the file. It was cool seeing Andrew and Paul team up again with Steve, who showed them that the villain was behind everything. I was disappointed that they dispatched the anonymous henchmen off-screen, but they did manage to grab the master keys to access everywhere in the place.

I feel like the pacing is off here. The John story should start taking precedence and as it amps up, we should be seeing more and more of it. Sometimes cutting away to other stories breaks the momentum, and then it has to start all over again to get the viewers’ attention. But I guess that’s the nature of soaps. It would be nice if they could have one whole episode dedicated to the good guys thwarting the bad guys in an effort to locate John.

At the facility, Steve kicked in the door to one room and shot more anonymous henchmen. At least we got to see that! There was a dude at a table with his head down, and he had white hair like John. I was holding my breath when Marlena came in, but they realized it wasn’t John but one of the scientists who worked there. He figured out John was infiltrating the place and tried to protect him but got shot for covering for John. Of course, before he died, he said the word “Rosebud.” That’s a reference to the classic film Citizen Kane, directed by and starring the legendary Orson Welles. I won’t spoil what that word meant in the film if you haven’t seen it, but I’ll bet there’s a parallel here.

Jada and Rafe got into it after she confessed to sleeping with Shawn. Her defence was that Rafe had just dumped her at the altar, and she was distraught. Rafe was beyond angry that everyone who knew him, especially his fiance, thought he’d turned into a scumbag. He was justified in his anger and ultimately threw her out. I think he’ll calm down after some time, but hopefully, she stays out of Shawn’s bed in the meanwhile.

Belle wore a wire and tried to get EJ to confess his sins to her. She was so obvious, he saw her coming from a mile away. You can tell she's still into him, but can't act on those feelings. If she's boo-hooing by his bedside, we'll know her feelings are real.

Okay, so the big thing this week, that they set up last week, is that several characters are not only pissed at EJ, but they also have guns. Kristen showed the audience that she had a gun after EJ angered her. Johnny swiped the gun that Roman had in a lock box. Roman later went to the lock box, and we thought he’d find it empty, but he put a gun back into it! Ava took the gun that Melinda gave her out of her purse with a cloth napkin and dumped it in a trash can in the park. And we were reminded that JJ stopped Gabi from shooting EJ, so we have a great whodunit set up. Paulina even said to Jada at one point that someone would be doing the world a favor if they got rid of EJ! Who can it be now?

One thing that happened initially seemed like it was out of left field: Kate got a call that Rex was injured in a hit-and-run accident. However, we understood why that scene was there because she recalled EJ threatening her kids and speculated that he might have been behind it.

While EJ would like to think that he’s just like Stefano, I don’t think he’s at the level yet where he can have henchmen doing his bidding in other states. I mean, he could certainly do that, but Stefano had cast a wide net over the world and was on top of everything. EJ can barely hold his personal life together, along with keeping his lies straight, so messing with Rex seems like just a coincidence to me.

EJ got shot! Someone walked into his living room and put a bullet in his chest. It couldn’t have been a professional because they would have made sure he was dead by putting another one in his head. What a horrific scene as he was struggling to take a breath when Chad walked in! It almost seemed like his death rattle and was a very disturbing sequence. Dan Feuerriegel should be praised for his acting again. The music was very tense, like a John Carpenter score or an homage to the Stranger Things theme song, which itself is also an homage to Carpenter’s works.

So now, the mystery begins! You know it’s going to turn out to be someone we don’t expect at all and isn’t on the list. Perhaps little Rachel? Or Arnold come back to exact revenge?

The week ended with Kayla telling everyone that they put EJ into a medically induced coma after he had a seizure. He’s got a long road ahead of him, so anyone expecting that he’ll wake up and finger his shooter soon may have a long wait.

LOOSE ENDS

I hate how soap opera characters have absolutely no peripheral vision. EJ would’ve totally seen the secret door opening out of the corner of his eye as Rafe snuck into the room. EJ eventually leaves the room, and Rafe skulks in, secretly planting a bug on a tabletop statue. First of all, he didn’t wear gloves, so his fingerprints are all over the place. Second, he took his sweet time doing so! Of course, EJ walked into the room, and Rafe managed to talk his way out of it, but he has no sense of urgency. No sense of ‘get in, get it done quickly, get out.’

If the Salem PD does their job, they’ll find Rafe’s fingerprints in the room, and he’ll have some ‘splaining to do. However, one major loose end that needs to be followed up on is: What exactly came out in Rafe’s recording? He may have the gunshot and perhaps the voice of whoever came in and shot EJ!

Okay, so even if Arnold Feniger had the same body size as Rafe and had his face and voice altered to look and sound like him, his girlfriend would know. I once played a prank on my ex-wife when we were married where I swapped shirts with a dude that I knew. He sat at a table with his head down, and my shirt at the time was a distinct orange, so she walked in thinking it was me. She asked what was wrong and put a hand on his shoulder. She immediately knew it wasn’t me by simply touching him. The same should have happened with Jada, even with a kiss. A kiss is like a fingerprint and everyone’s kiss is unique. But, we have to willingly suspend our disbelief if these stories are going to work.

Rafe seemed like he was a million miles away, and Javi said to him, “I know you, and I know when something‘s wrong.” Where was that when Arnold was impersonating Rafe?

EXTRA SCOOPS

NICE

Chad felt guilty that the article he allowed to be published pissed people off so much so that someone shot his brother. Sure, he’s a sad sack again, but it was nice to see that his concern for EJ was real. And Cat was on hand to console him. Perhaps once EJ recovers, Chad’s going to distance himself from the chaos in Salem and move with Cat to Canada so she can be with her mom. (Did I already speculate that before? Well, even if I did, my theory stands.)

NAUGHTY

Pretty much everyone who had a beef with EJ is on the Naughty List this week. They all have access to guns and all had the means and the motive to shoot him. Heck, Johnny doesn’t even have an alibi because he told Chanel that after he talked with Roman (and subsequently stole the gun), he went for a walk to gather his thoughts.

LINE(S) OF THE WEEK

When Marlena asked Orpheus what the heck he was doing selling nuclear weapons, his answer was, “Well, I can’t very well waste time rotting in a cell when there’s so many important things to do.” Marlena responded, “You mean, create a nuclear device to sell to the highest bidder?”

And in grand Scooby Doo fashion, the baddie said it was time to get her “meddling husband out of the way for good.”

After Orpheus got the drop on Andrew, the villain asked, “Turning your back on a master criminal. Who trained you?” Who indeed.

At one point, Orpheus stated, “It’ll be quite a notch on my belt to kill the director of the ISA's son.” I love the comic book nature of DAYS.

Kayla told Cat that even though she had worked a ridiculously long shift, “The biggest thing I’ve had today was a consultation for a foreign object extraction...lima bean up the nose.”

When Johnny learned that EJ had been shot, he was asked if he was going to visit his dad in the hospital, and the young DiMera said, “Why would I go to the hospital? He got what he deserved.” Ouch!

Leo bumped into Gabby in Horton Square. She was in a rush, and he asked her where the fire was. She responded, “There was no fire. I just don’t like being out on my own. You never know what sort of unsavory characters you might run into.” Leo wondered if she was talking about him, as he replied that he thought what she was saying was plausible deniability. He then let her know, “Just FYI…very passive aggressive.”

After she called him a “Depraved Muppet,” he said to her, “There’s a killer amongst us.” He then amended his statement with, “He’s not dead. That hoity-toity alpha male is still alive. So I guess I overstated things when I said there was a killer in our midst. More like a would-be killer. Unless, of course, EJ doesn’t make it. Then it’s just your garden variety 12-part podcast series killer.”

He told her that EJ might not make it, and she remarked, “Good! That bastard deserves a one-way ticket to hell.”

REACTION OF THE WEEK

Andrew went back to the hotel to make sure Marlena was okay because the guys knew Orpheus was on the loose. I laughed out loud when she opened the door for him, and he saw the villain zip-tied at the table. The look on his face was priceless.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Who knew Marlena had Spider-Man’s spidey sense? When Orpheus went to shoot her, she grabbed a suitcase and held it up, blocking the bullet. It was a great scene, albeit a tad unrealistic. That gun would have blown right through the suitcase and right through Marlena. It’s possible, given the angle she was at, that she could have tilted her head and dodged it, much like the famed webslinger.

Of course, she left Andrew to guard Orpheus, and he turned away for a brief second to talk on the phone, and when he looked back, Orpheus was untied and holding a gun on him. Some super spy he turned out to be. With spies like Andrew, who needs international villains? I think he needs to take a quick jaunt over to Port Charles and join Josslyn in her spy school classes on General Hospital. He could learn a thing or two.

Here’s a nifty little tidbit: Steve entered a room in the facility, and there was a nuclear radiation symbol on the wall with Ohtlik Kiirgus written on it, which, duh, means ‘Hazardous Radiation.’ I truly appreciate little details like that.

PARTING THOUGHTS

Ava tossing the gun and high-tailing it for Hong Kong makes her seem like the most likely culprit in EJ’s shooting. With all the hoopla about Tamara Braun exiting the role, it seems likely that Ava did the deed and fled the country. But the actors come and go frequently, so I don’t understand why it’s a big deal whenever they “leave.” You know she’ll be back.

EJ being shot is throwing the DiMeras into chaos, making their company ripe for the picking. I’m sure Xander, Philip, and Alex will find this information pleasing, and Titan will probably make its move on DiMera Enterprises next week! That’s going to be fun to watch.

OUTRO

Thanks for joining me again, DOOL-ers! Come back next week when I demonstrate how to split a beer atom.

Days of Our Lives can be found on the Peacock app.