A deafening shot rang out on Friday’s episode of “Days of our Lives,” but the piercing blast wasn’t able to drown out cries from fans who realized that the bullet probably spelled the end of EJ (James Scott). And once the howling began — onscreen and off — it built into a frenzy leading up to the character’s final moments in Salem, which played out on today’s episode. But just how powerful were the scenes, which seemingly put the nail in the coffin for the relationship between EJ and Sami (Alison Sweeney), as well? And was the story the best way for Scott’s alter ego to be written off the canvas?
When James Scott announced that he wasn’t renewing his contract earlier this spring, “DAYS” fans knew it was only a matter of time before EJ would be exiting the canvas. And the long-awaited moments finally played out, beginning with a fight between EJ and Clyde (James Reade) on Friday that came to a halt after the criminal’s henchman shot the DiMera dynamo. Hearing the blast, a panicked Sami called 911 and later stumbled upon her love, bleeding and barely holding onto his life. Holding his shaking body in her arms, she urged him to hang on. Through labored breath and with eyes wide with shock and pain, EJ sputtered, “I don’t want to leave you.” Then, after asking Sami to tell the children he loves them, he professed his love for her, met her lips with one final kiss and then closed his eyes for good. Realizing the gravity of the situation, a panicked Sami couldn’t stop repeating the words, “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…”
Paramedics arrived on the scene, along with Rafe (Galen Gering) and Abe (James Reynolds). Sami urged the medical team to stop EJ’s blood from coming out, refusing to believe it when they stated that her husband was dead. Later, at the hospital, a numb Sami answered a call from Stefano (Joseph Mascolo) and filled the patriarch in on a grim reality: EJ was in the morgue.
Flash forward to today’s episode, which — along with a host of flashbacks of moments from EJ’s life in Salem — featured Sami crying over his cold body. And then the reveal that things may not be exactly as over as they seemed: Kristen (Eileen Davidson) snuck in and injected EJ with a mystery substance, presumably to bring him back to the world of the living!
So what did you think of the storyline that ushered Scott and his alter ego off the canvas? Let us know in the poll and comment section below!