Power dynamics in Salem can shift in the blink of an eye, and no one knows that better right now than EJ DiMera. On Days of Our Lives, Rita (Maggie Carney) has long served as a trusted confidante and a loyal partner in crime to EJ (Dan Feuerriegel). However, a single explosive conversation has changed everything, delivering a brutal reality check to EJ about the person he assumed always had his back no matter what.
The Conversation That Changed Everything
The tension boils over when EJ comes in hot, confronting Rita after he overhears Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) demanding to know if Dominic is truly her son with Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo). Hoping to dodge the crossfire, Rita tries her best to be vague and blow him off, but her evasiveness only serves to make EJ even angrier.
When the conversation escalates and Rita insists she doesn’t have any answers, EJ resorts to making threats. Instead of cowering or bowing down, however, a switch flips inside Rita. She pushes back hard on EJ, shattering the status quo in an instant.
Rita drops a massive bomb by reminding EJ that she knows all of his dirty little secrets, including his calculated plans regarding Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) and the tainted Coriseal. To make matters worse, she reminds him bluntly that she knows where all the bodies are buried. In one fell swoop, EJ completely loses his upper hand.
EJ Gets a Reality Check About Rita’s True Loyalties
The dynamic between Rita and EJ has been forever altered. Up until this moment, EJ firmly believed he could control Rita and that her absolute loyalty belonged to him. What EJ never even considered—or perhaps chose to ignore—was that Rita’s foundational loyalty was pledged to the entire DiMera family, and specifically to Stefano, long before EJ ever came into the picture.
Rita has just demonstrated to EJ that she will not hesitate to throw him under the bus if pressed, and more importantly, she possesses the receipts to back it up. Because EJ foolishly confided his deepest, darkest secrets in her, Rita now holds the power to use them against him whenever she sees fit.
Gone are the days when Rita allows EJ to push her around. By standing her ground, Rita has successfully shifted the power balance of their relationship. Yet, the true extent of the danger facing EJ remains unknown. EJ has no idea what else Rita might know or who she has actually been working for behind the scenes.
Days of Our Lives fans will recall a telling sequence of events: Rita previously found EJ’s ring, and then, out of nowhere, that very ring arrived at Dominic’s place enclosed in an envelope. While that specific move doesn’t necessarily mean she knows Dominic personally, it heavily implies that Rita is taking orders from more DiMeras than just EJ—potentially including the late, great Stefano himself.
With Rita holding all the cards and the ultimate upper hand, how long can EJ manage to keep his dark secrets hidden before everything collapses around him?
