Days of Our Lives shocks with a pawn missing from Stefano DiMera’s (Joseph Mascolo) chess set that he bequeathed to Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) and John Black (Drake Hogestyn) in his will. And now Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) and Chad DiMera (Connor Floyd) and Belle Black (Martha Madison) are all really interested in the chess set and exactly what was meant by this gift.
We’re going to talk about the missing pawn in Chad and Belle’s theory about another pawn and whether it might be Brady Black or somebody else equally interesting who’s supposed to take his dad’s place.
Days of Our Lives: The Missing Pawn Mystery
So, initially the assumption was that the missing pawn in the chess set referred to John Black, the original pawn himself. But then Chad pointed out this week that the chessboard and pieces were an inheritance meant for both Marlena and John.
And Chad pointed out that Stefano, his dad, would have no idea that John wouldn’t be alive to receive the bequest personally. So, then Chad and Belle were discussing whether it might have been a mystery meant for John rather than being about John.
And that leads us to the question of is there another pawn right now versus another pawn in the past? Marlena recently gave her daughter Belle permission for her and Chad to investigate the mysterious chessboard that Stefano gifted his queen of the night and his original pawn John.
However, Marlena was clear she didn’t want to know what Belle and Chad discover. So once they started thinking it through, Chad and Belle decided the missing game piece isn’t just symbolic of John Black’s past as Stefano’s brainwashed mercenary.
Chad and Belle are thinking that the pawn could reference a whole other person altogether. Maybe a new person. After all, there’s 16 pawns on the board. Eight on each side, eight in each color, not just a single pawn.
DOOL: Stefano’s Operatives and the Key Discovery
This suggests that Stefano had in the past or still has right now another operative or operatives or possibly a victim that he’s using as a pawn in this sick twisted game he’s playing from beyond the crypt. We’ve also gotten other hints recently with EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) and Theo Carver (Tyler Joseph Andrews) playing a frustrating game of chess this week in the living room under Stefano’s portrait while talking about his will and inheritances.
This week, Theo and Chad are looking over the chess set together at Brady Pub. And a key falls out into Theo’s hand. And that key could be the first step into figuring out who this pawn is.
We’re wondering if there’s a chance that it’s Belle’s brother, John’s son, Brady Black, who may be some sort of unwitting pawn in Stefano’s twisted final game. He’s playing with the family of Marlena and John Black.
Days of Our Lives: The Phoenix and His Chess Obsession
We all know The Phoenix loved chess and he loved manipulation and the deliberately missing pawn is no accident. It’s a puzzle or some sort of secret message that was meant to be solved. If you recall when Marlena first refused the bequest, the pawn and the queen were there and they were standing out from the rest of the set. So, I’m thinking this missing pawn signals that an undiscovered player may have already been on the board and John and Marlena just never knew it or a new pawn is soon going to emerge.
But Stefano had no way to know John would suffer the untimely and tragic death that he did. So, there is a chance absolutely that there is another pawn out there. Maybe somebody that Dr. Wilhelm Rolf (Richard Wharton) may have brainwashed for Stefano, much like was done to John Black back in the day. And this mysterious pawn could be lurking around any corner in Salem. And they may not even know that they’re the pawn. They may be basically a sleeper cell that hasn’t been activated.
Days of Our Lives: Brady Black as the New Pawn
And this may all link back to the coin that was left at John’s grave site that Marlena found. If you remember. And the next clue, of course, is the key that Chad and Theo discover while playing around with the chess set this week. So, Brady Black, as John and Isabella Kiriakis Black’s son, has deep family ties to Stefano’s rival and enemy.
So, Brady seems a fairly likely candidate as the new pawn. Plus, his closeness to Marlena, his bonus mom, I think, would also appeal to the late Phoenix. And it’s something that Stefano knew about. So Brady could be positioned to become the new pawn.
He also has a connection to Stefano through Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) and their daughter Rachel Black (Lorelei Olivia Mote). However, if Days of Our Lives really wanted to twist things up, skipping a generation and Rachel being the pawn would be really wild. But assuming it’s an adult, Brady could very well be the next generation pawn if you think about it.
John was Stefano’s pawn. But he also did dirty work for Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston), who eventually became John Black’s father-in-law when he married Isabella. And of course, Stefano and Victor were sworn enemies. And they were pretty much cut from the same type of villainous cloth as we’ve seen.
Stephanie Targets Brady on Days?
Plus, Brady ran his dad’s company, Basic Black, before he teamed up with Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols) at Black Patch. So, already Brady is following in his dad John’s footsteps. Plus Brady and Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey) are soon investigating DiMera Enterprises Pharmaceuticals’ roles in the deaths of Destiny and her sister Clea. So this puts Brady at odds with Stefano’s heir wicked son EJ. But I don’t think Stefano’s heir apparent really knows anything about this new pawn game.
Days of Our Lives: Other Possible Pawns and Theories
However, Dr. Rolf probably is neck deep in with Stefano’s new pawn. And if it isn’t Brady, maybe it’s wicked little Rachel since she seemed so enamored of the Arabian Nights book. That’s of course one of Stefano’s tools when he played mind games with Marlena.
And of course there’s Tate Black (Leo Howard). He could always be an unsuspecting sleeper agent, especially with him getting all these hand-to-hand combat skills. Brady’s son with Theresa Donovan (Emily O’Brien). If you remember, was manipulated in the womb by Kristen and Dr. Rolf. If you recall, Tate was ripped out of Theresa’s womb and implanted in Kristen’s, who raised Tate as an infant.
Kristen even named Tate after herself, calling him Christopher with a K like Kristen. So, Tate could very very well be used as the new pawn in this story arc. But I feel like he’s a longer shot. Because the actors were fired and are leaving and they’re neck deep in another story line right now. However, it is supposed to be DiMera adjacent. So we’ll see.
Days of Our Lives: Stefano Had No Limits
And I will say Stefano wasn’t opposed to messing with his own family. So that leaves other options open. Including EJ, Tony DiMera (Thaao Penghlis), not so dead Peter Blake (Dan Gauthier), not so dead Stefan DiMera (Brandon Barash). Heck, even Theo could be the next pawn in whatever endgame Stefano is playing from the afterlife. But I tend to think that Stefano wouldn’t have done that to Theo.
Now, we know from the big summer promo that somebody is sitting behind a computer watching them play this game. They are manipulating them, dropping hints, dropping little keys and clues. So, I think it could be pretty cool if that was Brady Black and he didn’t even know he was doing it. But since Rolf snuck in and gave Peter that shot to kill him, Stefano’s adopted son might have been kept in a person pod awaiting a role to play in this new game. So, we’ll just have to wait and see.
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