Days of Our Lives spoilers wonder if EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) and his secret lab are somehow involved in Stephanie Johnson‘s (Abigail Klein) kidnapping. She’s handcuffed to a chair and terrified. Owen Kent (Wes Ramsey) claims EJ didn’t hire him, but that may not be quite true.
Days of our Lives: EJ DiMera, Stephanie Johnson & Owen Kent Drama Unfolds
One thing we can say for certain is Dr. Rolf (Richard Wharton) has Owen Kent helping keep an eye on the pod person, presumably Lexie Carver. However, we also know Rolf is not the guy who writes checks and does payroll. That’s EJ and Gwen Rizczech.
DOOL History: Kidnappings and Dark DiMera Secrets
Owen Kent is obviously working for Rolf. And Owen wanted to keep Stephanie and Jeremy Horton quiet while he knew Rolf was in the lab next door. I think it’s safe to say Rolf has no idea that Owen kidnapped Stephanie and also trapped Jeremy.
So, here’s the bottom line. I want to figure out if EJ DiMera is payrolling Stephanie’s kidnapping again like he did last time. Or, it could be that EJ is totally in the dark about Owen even being back in Salem. That’s the best-case scenario, but Days of our Lives history says EJ may be involved.
Kiriakis vs DiMera Feud: Victor, Stefano & EJ’s Master Plan
Many years ago, the Kiriakis versus DiMera feud took a really dark turn. Victor Kiriakis had kidnapped Stefano DiMera. In retaliation, EJ hired Owen to do some dirty work. Owen had been working at the Kiriakis estate for Victor as a gardener and a handyman.
It was kind of like what they had Xander doing later. EJ had Owen kidnap Stephanie, who was dating Philip Kiriakis at the time. EJ wanted to use Stephanie as leverage to get his dad Stefano released. Initially, Owen’s abducting Stephanie was just a job. But then it turned into so much more than that on Days of our Lives.
Obsession on Days: Owen, Stephanie & the Mortuary Horror
Owen developed a creepy obsession with Stephanie. As she told Jeremy back then, Owen’s family had a mortuary. He kept Stephanie there in the morgue, stowed away in a cold, claustrophobic metal drawer.
Back then, Stephanie tried to manipulate Owen by using his obsession to her advantage. She was trying to convince Owen to release her. Then the guy went completely rogue. He stopped following EJ’s orders as he became increasingly fixated on Stephanie.
Eventually, Philip Kiriakis, Brady Black, Melanie Jonas, and Shawn-Douglas Brady all worked together. They had a hand in rescuing Stephanie. In the end, Owen was arrested. But he escaped when his prison transport had an accident years ago on Days of our Lives.
That accident is believed by most people to have been orchestrated by the DiMeras, specifically EJ. This was back in 2009, I believe. So nobody even thought of Owen as a suspect in Stephanie Johnson’s kidnapping because it had been so long.
Stephanie Johnson’s Realization and Jeremy’s Framing on Days of our Lives
Once Stephanie saw Owen, everything clicked. It all made sense. That’s why she almost immediately apologized to Jeremy. I was very impressed with that. I thought she might hold it out a little longer, but she apologized right away. Good for her.
With Stephanie now missing again, everybody is out looking for Jeremy because Owen did such a thorough frame job. That’s why Stephanie freaked out when Jeremy showed up in the storage room. Stephanie also believed the frame job.
Jeremy’s Devotion and Stephanie’s Escape Attempts on Days of our Lives
Jeremy is actually being great about all this. He’s very patient and understanding with her. Plus, he seems determined to save Stephanie from Owen no matter what. We know from Days spoilers later this week that Stephanie tries to escape.
Jeremy may even encourage her to go without him if she gets the chance. Stephanie wanted to know from Owen if EJ hired him. He smirked and said no. But he said he understood why Stephanie would ask that.
So they may not believe that this could be going on right next to the super-secret lab without EJ knowing. Plus, Owen told Stephanie and Jeremy that he has a job with night shifts. Owen used EJ’s name when he sent the bugged photo frame to Stephanie and Alex Kiriakis (Robert Scott Wilson) as an engagement gift. This may be Owen setting up EJ too.
I doubt EJ directly hired Owen. If you recall, EJ helped Alex locate the listening device on the frame when they realized the stalker, not EJ, had sent the frame. We also know now that Owen babysits the pod person at night, likely Lexie.
Owen told the tube lady that once she wakes up, he plans to recycle her tube and use it to smuggle Stephanie out of the hospital and out of Salem. That way, they can begin their new life together.
Owen Kent’s Deadly Plans: Jeremy’s Fate Revealed
As for Jeremy, he was supposed to be in jail right now as a scapegoat. Owen said that flat out. But since Jeremy found Stephanie, now kidnapper Owen has to decide what Jeremy’s fate will be. He said it’s going to be a more permanent solution.
That sounds deadly. So, yeah, I think Owen is planning to kill Jeremy. While EJ doesn’t seem to have hired Owen this time, at least according to the kidnapper himself. The question is — does EJ know that Dr. Rolf hired him?
If so, it must have crossed EJ’s mind that Owen could be the kidnapper. I suspect Dr. Rolf has no idea that Owen kidnapped Stephanie. Rolf has been working for the DiMeras since the late ’90s.
So I’m sure he’s at least heard of Owen. But Rolf might not know about the past kidnapping or just doesn’t care because he’s focused on his work. Rolf doesn’t care about extraneous things. EJ may not be screening who Rolf hires as overnight lab support.
History Repeats? Will EJ and Owen Work Together Again?
The big question is whether history repeated itself and EJ is involved. Maybe he and Owen are both lying. Or maybe, like Rolf, could be that EJ is too distracted. He’s trying to resurrect his dead sister Lexie, run the hospital, deal with Johnny, and juggle other stuff.
Maybe EJ wasn’t paying attention to who exactly Rolf was hiring to work as the henchman on this project. I personally suspect EJ may be totally innocent. If so, that would be a pretty rare occurrence for him. He was involved in Stephanie’s last kidnapping.
But then again, EJ didn’t hesitate to let the cops come into the main lab to investigate the area. That being said, EJ might have said okay to the search because he knew the cops wouldn’t find the real lab.
It was behind the secret door. The cops wouldn’t find the pod person, who is behind the secret door. Nor would they find Owen, who is only there at night and, again, behind the secret door.
So, I have to acknowledge there’s a slim chance that EJ could be in on Stephanie’s kidnapping. Maybe he suggested that Rolf hire Owen. Or EJ hired Owen to do one thing, knowing he would do another. That way, EJ’s hands are somewhat clean.
He might want revenge on Steve for continuing to investigate him. Or this whole thing could be an Owen and Dr. Rolf production. Owen could be, like last time, going rogue and acting alone against DiMera orders.
