The mystery of why Stefano left Marlena a chess set has been lackluster, to say the least.
Chad and Belle’s investigation was snoozeworthy, even though it led to the reveal that Marlena may have had a son with Stefano.
This all seems pointless now that Stefano is gone and Marlena is a grandmother many times over, but Days of Our Lives could offer a twist that makes it all worth it.
It’s Not a Given That Dominic Is Marlena’s Son…
Many fans have predicted this twist since the chessboard first appeared, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
Considering the number of forged documents and DNA tests in Salem, a birth certificate that showed up out of nowhere, listing Marlena as the mother of a child she doesn’t remember giving birth to, should raise a bunch of alarms.
Marlena’s supposed to demand answers from Rita on Days of Our Lives during the week of 9-28-26, but that likely won’t get her anywhere, and if Rita does tell the truth, it will probably be an unsatisfactory explanation.
That’s why my personal headcanon (which is, sadly, where this idea is likely to stay) is that all of this is an elaborate ruse… by Orpheus.
Orpheus is the perfect villain to pull this off.
He has always wanted to use Marlena as a weapon against Roman (and later John).
He even kidnapped Marlena and forced her to play stepmother to his young twins on an island once, which seems like a strong foundation for a hoax in which he makes her think she had a child with Stefano.
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Orpheus is an intellectual type of villain — more like Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes series than anything else — and mind games, elaborate riddles, and hoaxes like this are among his favorite activities.
Best of all, he wouldn’t be doing all this from beyond the grave.
Days of Our Lives Needs a Living, Breathing Villain For This Story
Joe Mascolo’s death is part of what makes this story so frustrating.
Stefano is gone, and that’s as it should be, because no other actor would be a satisfactory substitute.
But that also means Marlena, Chad, and Belle are fighting a ghost who isn’t on-screen, and that makes the story fall flat.
Days of Our Lives has tried to compensate by introducing other people for them to interact with: Dante, EJ, and now Rita.
That helps, but doesn’t fully work, because the mastermind of this scheme is still dead.
If Orpheus turns out to have orchestrated a massive hoax, that would solve that problem.
Marlena would have someone in front of her (eventually) whom she could try to reason with or outsmart.
Orpheus is an entertaining villain in his own right, too, so his presence would add life to this dull storyline.
Sadly, this is likely fantasy—the missing pinky ring and Rita’s behavior suggest Dominic’s presence is part of Stefano’s final master plan against Marlena.
Still, I think the story would be a thousand times more interesting if we could bring in a living, breathing, intelligent adversary instead of all this.
What’s your opinion about this Marlena storyline? Do you want Orpheus to be behind it?
Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends so they can join the conversation!
Want to talk more about what’s happening in Salem? Check out our other recent Days of Our Lives editorials.
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