Days of Our Lives Looks to Be Setting Up a Scandalous New Love Triangle — and Salem’s New Family Dynasty?

Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI

Days of Our Lives seems to be laying the groundwork for quite a few stories, while igniting renewed interest in others. That’s due in part to changes in characters and actors. While possibility and intrigue is brewing in some parts of Salem, at least one story wrapped up this week in the most anti-climactic way. Let’s get to it…

Put On Some Pants

Robert Scott Wilson playing Alex mere weeks after he left the role of Ben is working for me way better than I expected. It helps that he’s been paired with people Ben didn’t interact with all that much. Which actually is most of the cast since Ben’s world didn’t extend much further than Ciara. It’s nice to see Wilson play with new people and not be saddled with so much storyline baggage and angst.

While I’m a sucker for a good player-turned-one-woman-man trope, I could do without all the fetishizing and objectifying. It makes Alex more sleazy than suave. Drooling over the beautiful Gabi and biting his hand over Chanel and Allie making out like he’s Jack Tripper on Three’s Company makes me think he’s the one who never had a threesome. As they say, act like you’ve been here before, my friend.

More: How to watch Days this fall

I am pleased that Days so far hasn’t written Alex’s sex partners as ditzy clichés, but instead intelligent, successful women who seem to enjoy a good one-night stand as much as he does. Much to Sonny’s bewilderment. While I agree Alex needs to respect women more and maybe not wear such revealing briefs around the house where half his family lives (while we’re at it, Sloan could use some guest etiquette), Sonny’s rant to Alex about settling down and finding love felt like something out of his own sitcom in a longer ago decade. Or was he projecting about the state of his own relationship with Will?

Keeping It In the Family

Lucas getting sentenced and going to prison for Sami’s kidnapping off-screen, while Sami herself was off-screen is one of the most anti-climactic endings to a storyline in some time. Not having Sami on the canvas was bad enough, but there was zero fallout between Lucas and EJ, which was never capitalized on. And EJ simply blackmailing Kate and Chad for their DiMera shares over their role in setting him up was a bummer too. Where’s the fire and brimstone EJ is capable of raining down?

Maybe he’s saving it for Ava. But then again, he kinda let her get the best of him when she called his bluff over ratting her out to Rafe. However, all their banter proves they have the makings of another of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers. I’d love to see Ava keep her edge (and stay out of the kitchen), allowing her and EJ to be all kinds of shady together. Of course, it looks like he might have to contend with his son for her heart, assuming Johnny’s sympathy toward his “aunt” leads to something less platonic.

Johnny just got out of a love triangle with his sister, why not enter one with his dad next?

More: Soaps’ all-time best villains ranked

Shin Family Rising?

Li as a villain makes this character so much more interesting. I’ve wanted to like Li since he was first introduced in Chad and Abby in Paris, but he’s never lived up to the ruthful power player the character was presented as.

Welp, that all changed.

While I can see how his plan to make Stefan love Chloe could keep Gabi free for himself, I don’t know how it will benefit Kristen. At least it shouldn’t. Just because a guy Chloe was briefly involved with years ago expresses interest again, doesn’t mean she’s going to dump the man she’s loved for decades and with whom she just reunited.

That said, I am looking forward to this storyline because it will hopefully give Brady and Chloe something to do. Their reunion has been super lackluster, and this twist should change all that. While Kristen’s tireless pursuit of Brady is well past its expiration date, and in no universe should Brady want to be with Kristen, you can’t deny the chemistry between Stacy Haiduk and Eric Martsolf. Whether they’re tearing each other’s clothes off or doing battle, they always spark in scenes together.

I just hope Li being a sudden villain doesn’t mean the theory that he is Abigail’s killer proves true. I’d like to see the character stick around. For one, he’s a fresh villain whose tricks we haven’t seen repeated ad nauseam — looking at you Kristen, Jan, Clyde, Orpheus. Plus, I’m gonna need his sister Wendy, who was introduced in Beyond Salem, actually to come to Salem.

Wendy was a fun, spunky, smart character in the limited series, who had great chemistry with both the Johnson brothers, Joey and Tripp. Not to mention, Salem could use another family dynasty to do battle with the DiMeras and Kiriakises — and Li’s already got Rolf doing his bidding. Besides, after years of mention, but only occasional appearances, it’s time for their poor father, Wei Shen to step into the light and finally get his due.

Odds and Ends

• Could Jack’s sympathy with Gwen be an act? Is he just playing her while trying to prove that she actually did kill Abigail?

• Xander and Sarah’s return to slapstick sleuthing is great fun, even if her sudden change from weepy and hallucinating to cute and bubbly is more jarring than RSW changing roles.

• Chad’s going to have to snap out of it at some point (with Stephanie?), but his utter lack of despair is what I want to see from a soap character who just lost the love of his life. And Billy Flynn is selling the heck out of it.

Favorite Exchange

Shawn: “The [DiMera] tunnels. My mother-in-law and my sister-in-law were both held captive there. More than once.”

Jada: “What is with everyone in this town acting like that’s completely normal?”

Welcome to Salem, Jada!

That’s all I got this time around. As always these are just my thoughts on the week in Salem. What are yours? Tell us below!

Beginning September 12, Days of Our Lives will be airing exclusively on Peacock. To make sure you never miss an episode, click here. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Curious about the goings on in Port Charles? Catch up on the latest storylines with our quick guide to General Hospital in the photo gallery below.