Hey, Jude

The biggest thing to happen this week was that a heartbroken and very drunk Leo told EJ that Jude is the baby Nicole thought they lost. Then, Sloan filled in the rest… Jude is only Nicole’s son, not EJ’s! The reveal should have been edge-of-your-seat exciting, but it lacked the impact I was anticipating. I am however, looking forward to what EJ will do with this information. The general consensus seems to be that he will cut a deal with Sloan and keep quiet so as not to lose Nicole to Eric. I’ve been waiting for EJ and Sloan to team up in some capacity, so I say bring that on!

Dear John

Speaking of Leo, I’m not buying Dimitri’s breakup letter for one second. It just didn’t ring true. Also, while I’m no prison expert, a cursory search tells me supermax usually means time largely spent in isolation. When would Dimitri have had the opportunity to fall in such deep love that he replaced Leo in his heart?

My working theory is that someone nabbed him and forced him to write that letter. Or forged his handwriting. Since Gwen is the only other person who knows about Matthew Perry, Leo’s code name for Dimitri, my money’s on her. She’s probably still bitter about Dimitri and Leo fooling around behind her back — and perhaps she needs Dimitri to collect the rest of his inheritance.

But also, both men’s mothers, Megan and Diana, are out there, both with questionable behaviors. And Diana is set to return…

Radioactive

I love that Johnny and Chanel are committed and married and happy. And I’m not opposed to them having a family, but they just got married. It remains to be seen what will happen with the baby in terms of radiation poisoning, but is there nothing else for this fun, charming couple to do but get pregnant right out of the gate?

I honestly still can’t believe Johnny’s family heirloom ring and the massive gem of an engagement ring he gave Chanel didn’t amount to anything. I truly thought they were about to go on a treasure hunt, invoking the days (no pun intended) of old. But at least they’ll have plenty of angst to keep them busy in their own storyline instead of playing supporting players to others.

On the Road Again

The same for Wendy and Tripp. They, too, should have been more dynamic, but as Curtis and I have both lamented, Wendy’s character quickly devolved from spunky hacker to typical soap heroine. At least she got her effortlessly cool vibe back wardrobe-wise before she and Tripp left for an undisclosed amount of time.

My hope is that Wendy will discover her parents are caring for Li who Dr. Rolf (I miss his shenanigans) whisked away to China and restored to health. Then, the Shins, including the parental figures, can return to Salem (which the 15000th episode party pics suggest will happen for at least the siblings) and become major players. Maybe then we’ll find out if Wei is actually a loving parent, as Wendy stated this week, or the hard-to-please father Li was so traumatized over in therapy.

Dazed and Confused

I’m on board for the theory Soaps.com’s regular commenter, Tango presented under Friday’s recap: John stealing Maggie’s prenup for Konstantin was one big setup. My only question is, how would John have been able to counteract the card? Oh, what am I thinking? Marlena probably deprogrammed him via hypnosis. But if it’s not a setup, John could still figure it out because Konstantin told him he needed the prenup before he activated The Pawn. Not the brightest move there, Konnie.

Odds and Ends

Should Alex pull back on his sexual prowess in bed before Kristen makes him her next obsession?

Longtime DiMera assistant Rita is a blast. Her bluntness with EJ is so much fun, made even better by EJ’s amusement and obvious affection for her.

Johnny is a DiMera with a gazillion dollars. He can’t build a film studio in Salem? Or travel now and then to make a movie? Also, what was with his wistfully distracted reaction to Wendy leaving?

That’s all I got this time around. What did you think of the week in Salem? Share your thoughts in the comments, and then check out the photo gallery below of fave couples abandoned by the writers — but not the fans.