HOLLYWOOD—If there was ever a soap not afraid to get rid of a character, it would be the soap opera “Days of Our Lives.” You can count on a character or two or three or even more in a single year. So who is the lucky candidate this time around? It’s a DiMera people, who had a doppelganger and who came to town not making the big wave so many of us expected. Any guesses? I’m referring to Jake DiMera who found himself the victim of a mugging when he attempted to rescue his new love Ava from taking a bullet.

I will admit Jake’s death seemed a bit forced for the writers; it did not naturally weave itself into the narrative as most deaths on the soap have done so in the past people. With a snap of a finger, another DiMera is out people. Jake is gone, Chad has been hit with another whammy discovering that the brother he just found out about is gone. First he lost his wife Abigail who was murdered and the suspect is still at large, and now he has lost his long lost brother. How much can one person take people?

With that said, Ava was heartbroken as it was apparent that Jake was ready to take their relationship to the next level and it led to a proposal, but it ended bloody with Jake taking a bullet that was intended for Ava. That mugger happened to be the same person that held up Nicole, who was rescued by Eric and felt a jealous rage thrown his way courtesy of Rafe who thought something else was happening that was not people. Rafe it seems you married a woman who you absolutely know is still in love with her ex, how do you think that is going to work out for you? I would argue not well.

Speaking of criminals on the loose, Orpheus managed to blackmail the governor to ensure his early release from the slammer as well as a few others: Gwen and Kristen notably. I will be honest I get sick and tired of seeing the same thing year after year. How many got damn prison busts can one city see. I’m sure this happened in 2020, 2021 and now again in 2022. Perhaps Orpheus and the other criminals who just got another get out of jail card, could finally meet their maker and we don’t have to see this transpire anymore people? They serve very little purpose to the narrative if I’m being honest. We already know Orpheus is only in town to reunite with his grandson who is MIA courtesy of Jan Spears being afraid of the truth coming to light.

Gwen doesn’t have any allies or friends in town so I have no idea how the writers plan to rehabilitate this character. She committed some heinous deeds and the most notable being messing with Sarah’s mental state. Yeah, Xander is never going back to Gwen; Sarah is his one true love and he’d move mountains to protect her that includes shielding the possibility that she could have been a culpable in Abigail’s murder. We know Abby was stabbed to death, but we still have no motive or no suspect. It almost feels like the writers are unsure how they plan to wrap this tale up or how it will ultimately culminate and if the viewers will be satisfied with the outcome.

Kristen DiMera knows that woman is a fun one. She dropped into DiMera making demands against Gabi who was forced to dump Kristen at Basic Black forcing Brady to have to deal with his wicked ex and prevent more chaos between Chloe in the process. Yeah, Kristen is not happy that Chloe has Brady’s heart. News flash Kristen, Chloe always had Brady’s heart, if anything she had his heart before you which explains their unbreakable bond. Making the situation intriguing is the fact that Kristen teased that Stefan, yes that Stefan people might be alive and the wheels are churning in Gabi’s head. Could Stefan DiMera actually be alive people because it certainly feels that way?

Another surprise in Salem is the return of Alex Kiriakis, Sonny’s brother and Justin’s other son who has been MIA in Salem for quite some time. Alex is back and he’s being portrayed by Robert Scott Wilson. I know what many of you are thinking, doesn’t he play Ben Weston. He did, but with Ben and Ciara sailing around the world it was the perfect outcome to bring Wilson back to the canvas as a new or revamped character. The character is a bit of a ladies man, arrogant and business savvy; the complete opposite of Sonny and its apparent Sonny was happy to see his brother, but it is apparent these siblings will clash in the coming weeks. What is Alexander’s endgame? The audience does not know just yet, but we are certain to discover in due time people.