Days of our lives jab with a pawn missing from Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo) chess set, which 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 is meant by this gift.
We’re going to talk about the missing farmer in Chad and Belle’s theory about another farmer and whether it could be Brady Black or someone equally interesting to take his father’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 chess board and pieces were an heirloom meant for both Marlena and John.
And Chad pointed out that Stefanohis father, would have no idea that John would not be alive to receive the bequest in person. So Chad and Belle debated whether it could have been a mystery meant for John instead of being about John.
And that leads us to the question of is there a different farmer right now versus a different farmer in the past? Marlena recently gave her daughter Belle permission for her and Chad to investigate the mysterious chessboard that Stefano gave his queen of the night and his original pawn John.
However, Marlena was aware that she did not want to know what Belle and Chad discover. So when they start to think it through, Chad and Belle decide that the missing game piece isn’t just a symbol of John Black’s past as Stefano’s brainwashed mercenary.
Chad and Belle think the farmer may be referring to a completely different person. Maybe a new person. After all, there are 16 pawns on the board. Eight on each side, eight in each suit, not just a single pawn.
DOOL: Stefano’s operatives and the key discovery
This suggests that Stefano previously had or still has another operator or operators or possibly a victim that he is using as a pawn in this sick twisted game he is playing from beyond the crypt. We’ve also recently received other hints EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) and Theo Carver (Tyler Joseph Andrews) plays a frustrating game of chess this week in the living room under Stefano’s portrait as he talks about his will and legacy.
This week Theo and Chad looks over the chess set together at Brady Pub. And a key falls out of Theo’s hand. And that key could be the first step to finding out who this farmer is.
We wonder if there’s a chance it’s Belle’s brother, John’s son, Brady Black, who could be some sort of unwitting pawn in Stefano’s twisted endgame. He plays 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 is a puzzle or some kind of secret message that needed to be solved. If you remember when Marlena first refused the bequest, the pawn and the queen were there and they stood out from the rest of the set. So I’m thinking that this missing pawn signals that an undiscovered player may have already been on the board and John and Marlena just never knew, or that a new pawn will appear soon.
But Stefano could not know that John would suffer the untimely and tragic death that he did. So there is definitely a chance that there is another farmer out there. Maybe someone like Dr. Wilhelm Rolf (Richard Wharton) may have brainwashed Stefano, just like it was done with John Black back then. And this mysterious farmer could be lurking around any corner in Salem. And they may not even know they are the farmer. They can basically be a dormant cell that has not been activated.
Days of Our Lives: Brady Black as the new farmer
And this could all link back to the coin that was left at John’s gravesite that Marlena found. If you remember. And of course the next clue is the key that Chad and Theo discover while playing 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 pretty likely candidate to be the new pawn. Plus, his closeness to Marlena, his bonus mom, I think would also appeal to the late Phoenix. And this is something Stefano knew about. So Brady could be positioned to become the new farmer.
He also has a connection to Stefano through Christian DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) and their daughter Rachel Black (Lorelei Olivia Mote). But if Days of our lives would really twist things up, skip a generation and Rachel as a farmer would be really wild. But assuming it’s an adult, Brady could very well be the next generation of farmers if you think about it.
John was Stefano’s farmer. 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 villain fabric we’ve seen.
Is Stephanie Brady Targeting Days?
In addition, Brady ran his father’s company, Basic black, before he went along with Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols) at Black Patch. So already Brady is following in his father John’s footsteps. Plus Brady and Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey) soon investigates DiMera Enterprises Pharmaceuticals’ roles in Destiny and the death of her sister Clea. So this puts Brady at odds with Stefano’s heir evil son EJ. But I don’t think Stefano’s heir really knows anything about this new pawn game.
Days of Our Lives: Other Possible Farmers and Theories
But Dr. Rolf is probably neck deep with Stefano’s new pawn. And if it’s not Brady, maybe it’s evil little Rachel since she seemed so in love with Arabian Nights book. It is of course one of Stefano’s tools when playing mind games with Marlena.
And of course there is Tate Black (Leo Howard). He could always be an unsuspecting sleeper agent, especially when he got all those 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 remember, Tate was ripped out of Theresa’s womb and implanted in Kristen’s, there Tate traveled as one infant.
Kristen even named Tate after herself, calling him Christopher with a K like Kristen. So Tate could very well be used as the new pawn in this story arc. But I feel like he’s a long shot. Because the actors got fired and are on their way, and they’re deep in another story 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 that Stefano was not against 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 plays from the afterlife. But I tend to think Stefano wouldn’t have done that to Theo.
Now we know it from the big summer campaign someone is sitting behind a computer watching them play this game. They manipulate them, drop hints, drop little keys and clues. So I think it could be pretty cool if it was Brady Black and he didn’t even know he did it. But since Rolf snuck in and gave Peter that shot to kill him, Stefano’s adopted son could have been kept in a person capsule, awaiting a role to play in this new game. So we’ll just have to wait and see.
