Credit: Peacock screenshot (4), Jill Johnson/JPI

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Rafe is back! But somehow, he’s even worse off than he was being held captive by EJ. Much of the week was spent with the DiMeras working to stay out of trouble as Days of Our Lives made it clear there’s no easy way out of this mess. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing! The way it’s being handled, though, sometimes is… 

I need to get this off my chest first. Completely ignoring last Friday’s cliffhanger for two whole days, then addressing it by having Kristen and EJ just calmly talk about what happened was such a weird choice. Show, don’t tell! What was the point of a cliffhanger if it wasn’t going to be returned to on Monday? You want people to want to tune in the second the weekend is over, not teach them that it doesn’t matter if you do or don’t.

And then this week, they had an entire week of the Rafe/Ava storylines (both of which are tied together at this point), only to jettison it all on Friday for baby stuff, which just brought the momentum skidding to a halt. Again… Why?

Rafe’s Returned… With a Twist!

Look, I know everyone’s upset that the Rafe switch story is still going, but I don’t have a problem with stories lasting a while, so long as they’re not just stagnant. Konstantin, for instance, was just months of treading water while he was a creep and Maggie was oblivious. Pass.

More: The time is now for a big return

I didn’t mind the Arnold switch at first, because he hadn’t been around Rafe’s loved ones enough that I could buy them not catching on. But when that kept going and going and going and no one could figure out something was wrong, that’s when I got frustrated. What just happened this week, though, is movement and, I kind of dig it.

Breaking out the memory erasing serum is too convenient and lazy a plot device — but doing it to switch back and amnesiac Rafe just as everyone catches onto Arnold and Gabi even gets DNA to prove he’s not Rafe is kind of clever.

With that said, as Kayla pointed out, the DNA test will only prove that the man Gabi plucked the hair from wasn’t Rafe. It wouldn’t show them who he is. That’s where getting his fingerprints would come in handy, as Arnold’s would surely be on file. And that’s when they’d realize that this really is Rafe and be confused as all hell about what happened.

Then again, I don’t see them being that smart with this… Still, we’ll have to see. But it’s hooked my attention back in. Give me twists and turns. Surprise me. Just keep the story moving. One question though: What happened to Arnold? At this point, he’s the only one who might be able to sort this. Rafe has no memory, I doubt they’ll fingerprint him and EJ’s not blowing his cover. So is Feniger dead, in the catacombs or just shipped off somewhere?

Who’s Going to Tank the Adoption?

It looks like next week, the stories will fold into each other a bit more, which makes sense as EJ’s son looks to adopt Brady’s son’s child. Which, when I write that out, it sounds a bit convoluted… But I don’t see Brady being happy that the kid’s going to be EJ’s grandchild at this point. Yeah… Johnny is kind of his nephew, but not really.

Nor do I see at all how anyone pushing for this adoption thinks it’s a good idea. Chanel and Johnny can put on all the show they want about being good devout Christian church-goers, but it won’t take Amy much to see through that. And even if she doesn’t and they do adopt the baby, then they’ll have to deal with Amy being there the rest of their lives. Legally, they may be able to keep her at arm’s length, but it’s just going to be a stressful time for everyone.

So the question is, who’s going to ruin this? Paulina? She’s not really onboard with this and she’s clashing with EJ next week. Though who knows over what, since he’s got a litany of crimes at this point. Brady? He’d love to figure out a way to punish EJ and Kristen without losing Rachel. Amy? There’s no way Johnny and Chanel can convince her they’re the perfect Christian couple. I can see her quizzing them on Bible passages — especially since Chanel supposedly leads Bible study!

Stray Thoughts…

• It took Gabi forever to get there, but seeing her stand up to RoboRafe and then stare down Arnold (and outsmart him) was fantastic.

• Boy, Joy must have really been hit hard by that poisoning because we haven’t seen her in ages. But she’s finally showing up next week!
• Yes! I called it! Kristen played the Rachel (Black, not Blake) card to get out of this! And I knew Brady would go right for it.
• Wait, wait, wait. Today. Friday, February 28th in the real world is only the morning after Valentine’s Day in Salem?? I know they stretch time, but wow.
• What are the rules of cheating? I genuinely don’t know what to consider Shawn and Jada’s romp besides… unfortunate.
• Next week: Marlena starts digging into John’s disappearance.