The dark shadow of Stefano DiMera is looming larger than ever over Salem, and EJ DiMera is marching straight into his father’s ruthless footsteps. Between desperate kidnapping plots, island exile schemes, and high-stakes corporate sabotage, Salem is heading into two explosive weeks from July 27 to August 7. But as EJ pushes his family to the absolute limit, an unexpected voice from his past arrives to issue a chilling reality check.
Gabi Targets DiMera as Arianna Secretly Plots Revenge
The drama kicks off during the week of July 27–31 as Philip Kiriakis shares some close, supportive moments with Gabi Hernandez. Philip manages to convince Gabi that she is not actually responsible for the messy counterfeit purse scandal that has thrown her life into chaos.
Shifting her focus, Gabi begins to suspect that someone inside DiMera Enterprises is actively targeting her, with her suspicions naturally falling on EJ DiMera. However, the real threat might be far closer to home. Viewers know that Arianna “Ari” Hernandez is deeply bitter over Gabi paying Liam Selejko to leave town. Driven by a desire for vengeance, Ari could have recruited outside help to set up the entire counterfeit bag scheme to drag Gabi down.
Joy Pushes Alex to the Edge and Xander Exposes EJ
Over at Titan, Joy Wesley takes her demands up a notch when it comes to Alex Kiriakis and what she expects from him. Joy continues finding new ways to push Stephanie Kiriakis out of the picture, leaving Alex uncomfortably stuck right in the middle of their bitter conflict. When Joy ultimately reaches out to legal eagle Belle Black, questions arise as to whether she is seeking a restraining order against Stephanie or preparing to play hardball over custody.
Meanwhile, Xander Kiriakis brings a massive theory to Brady Black and Sarah Horton: he suspects EJ was the one who planted the illicit pills in Holly Jonas’ bag. While Tate Black patches things up with Holly, EJ receives a lecture from Marlena Evans about listening to his conscience—assuming he still has one.
Susan Returns to Stop EJ as Kristen’s Island Escape Fails
Sensibly terrified that her son is morphing into a monster, Susan Banks pops back into Salem with a desperate warning. Fearing EJ is transforming completely into Stefano DiMera, Susan tries her best to put a halt to his darkest impulses.
EJ’s dark turn is already in full swing, having set Kristen DiMera’s kidnapping and island transport into motion. Trapped, Kristen hopes that Lexie Carver can step in and pull off a high-stakes place-swap before the shipment actually departs.
Before showing up for the swap, Lexie attempts to make up for lost time and missed holidays with Abe Carver and Theo Carver. However, the switch goes completely off the rails when EJ unexpectedly arrives to oversee the island transport in person. Days of Our Lives spoilers hint that EJ and Kristen will have an honest, raw discussion to hash things out. Seeing the situation clearly, EJ might just realize how far he has crossed the line and call off the island shipment after all.
A Rescue Mission in Alamainia and a Mother’s Heartbreak
As the calendar turns to the week of August 3–7, Cat Greene receives Gwen Rizczech’s written confession detailing how she kidnapped Dimitri von Leuschner and held him hostage. When Cat hands the document over to Rafe Hernandez, the commissioner suspects that Dimitri may have snatched Gwen and forced her to write the confession under duress.
Realizing that Dimitri is the true architect of this mess, Leo Stark rushes off to Alamainia to save Gwen. Rafe follows close behind, helping Leo negotiate directly with Dimitri for Gwen’s freedom. Going to such extreme lengths to save her life could go a very long way toward repairing Leo and Gwen’s fractured friendship, leaving her deeply touched and grateful for his loyalty.
Back in Salem, Gabi continues picking up new clues surrounding the counterfeit purse frame-job. Viewers are wondering if the upcoming evidence will point straight back to Ari, leaving a devastated Gabi to confront the heartbreaking realization that her own daughter betrayed her.
With EJ standing at a dark crossroads and secret plots unraveling across Salem, will Susan’s plea reach her son before he destroys his family, or is EJ destined to become the next Stefano DiMera?
