John Black @ soapcentral.com

Think you're a Days fan?  Here's a tank top that Amy made to show her support of Days!  It combines an awesome 80's vintage picture of Drake on the front with the essential catch phrase, "That's a Fact!" on the back.  I love it!  Take a look are her handy work and then let me know some of the greatest things that you've seen or done in support of Days of our Lives.

John hasn’t been his old self lately, but a drug lord? Nah. Aside from Victor and Philip, here are some other suspects to ponder:

 

First we come to Paul Hollingsworth. He blames John for getting him involved in the entire DiMera-Kiriakis War. Is he resourceful enough? Does he have the actual resources? He is/was a customs guy and has probably made some friends that could help him pull it off. And, it would be ironic if he used the money John paid him off with to frame him. Likelihood? That’s TBA.

 

Two, Nicole. This is a little far fetched and probably won’t happen, but he did scorn her and nobody messes with that drunken mess. Her motive – pure and simple revenge. Resources? Oh yah! She could easily use the Kiriakis fortune and that would be an even bigger twist as she could frame Victor or Philip for framing John! Likelihood? Not really, she’s too busy drinking, planning shopping trips with Ava and flirting with E.J. Yet, Philip is on her “to do” list as well and she might think this is a way to impress him. Hmm …

 

Next we come to Dr. Rolf. Sure he’s afraid of John, more so the fact he could be sent back to the slammer, but he’s been a little humiliated by his “master” and once an evil scientist, always an evil scientist. He was never the brains behind Stefano’s plans, but the guy does have a corrupt mind. Now, does he have the resources? Sorta. He knows all of the Phoenix’s secrets which could include hidden money and shady connections. Likelihood? Probably not.

 

Then there’s Martino Vitali. Ok, he’s dead and didn’t seem to know John, BUT he seems like the kind of shady character that Stefano would do a little wheeling and dealing with. This could have been a case of horrifically bad timing for John and quite possibly the drugs may have been funneling through DiMera ships for years. This would not only be a cool twist, in my humble opinion, but incorporate Ava into an entirely new storyline. Likelihood? A skeptical maybe/probably not.

 

Finally, let’s ponder our last suspect – E.J. This is another “I highly doubt it” theory, but one that should be pondered for a second or two. He did have wads of cash to pay Nicole to help him scheme his way into Sami’s heart when he’d only been working for a day. He may have had some money saved up, but that just made him a little suspect. His motive? The easy way out is by simply stating the obvious … he’s a DiMera and we never really get a rational explanation for their actions. Yet, he was cut out of the family fortune and this could be an easy way to gain control of the empire. Likelihood? Again, probably not which leads us back to Philip or Victor …

Trying to figure out who’s related to who is Salem has been an arduous task lately. In an attempt to help, I answered a few of the most common questions Laurisa and I have been getting recently. Trust me, I had to down a few vodka tonics until this all made sense. I suggest you do the same. So let’s start clearing up the big questions. I’ll wait while you pour yourself the above mentioned suggested cocktail.

 

Number 1: “Are Belle and Shawn related?” That answer is yes – they are married, ha-ha. BUT, are they related by blood? Absolutely not.  This is a good time to remind everyone that Bo is only a Brady in name. He is the result of an affair between Caroline and Victor Kiriakis. However, he believed Shawn Sr., whom he calls “Pop,” was his father until the truth was revealed many years ago. During that time, he hated Victor for tormenting his family therefore his name remained Brady. Shawn Sr. would only be his step-father as he is married to Bo’s mother, but, by all rights, Bo is not a Brady.

 

Here’s a breakdown for Bo and his children:

 

Bo: 50% Kiriakis and 50% whatever Caroline’s maiden name was before she married Shawn Sr.

 

Shawn Douglas, Zack and Ciara: 25% Kiriakis, 25% whatever Caroline’s maiden name was …, 25% Horton and 25% Williams

 

Chelsea: 24% Kiriakis, 24% whatever Caroline’s maiden name was …, 24% Roberts, 24% Reed and 4% swamp baby (thanks to Laurisa for pointing that out, ha-ha)!

 

I suggest taking a long swig of your beverage of choice.

 

Number 2: “Who is John actually related to?” The easiest way I can answer this is to list his relatives. Please be advised, some characters appear more than once as they are related to John in multiple ways. I’ll put a little * by their names.

 

Also, this would be a good time to take a big gulp.

 

Father: Santo DiMera

Mother: Colleen Brady

Half-Siblings: Stefano DiMera and the other children of Santo DiMera who mysteriously appear and disappear.

 

Children (that we know of): Brady Black and Isabella “Belle” Black-Brady 

Step-Children: (via his marriage to Marlena) Eric Roman Brady*, Sami Brady*

Grandchildren: Claire Brady*

Step Grandchildren: (via his marriage to Marlena) Will Roberts-Horton*, Alice “Ali” Roberts-Horton*, Johnny Wells*

Son/Daughter-in-Laws: Chloe Lane-Black, Shawn Douglas Brady*

 

Paternal Uncles and Aunts: Any siblings of Santo. Again, they tend to mysterious appear and disappear according to storylines.

Maternal Uncles and Aunts: Shawn Brady Sr., Eric Brady (I), Molly Brady-Murphy. Mr. Murphy and Caroline Brady would be his uncle/aunt through marriage.

 

Paternal Nieces and Nephews: (via Stefano) Renee DuMonde, Megan Hathaway, Dr. Lexie Carver, Benjy Hawk and E.J. Wells. Tony DiMera would be his step-nephew (only related through marriage AKA Stefano’s wife’s child). Andre DiMera would also be his nephew via an unnamed DiMera half-sibling.  

 

Paternal Great Nieces and Nephews: Theo Carver, Steven Hawk and Johnny Wells.* Alice “Ali” Roberts-Horton* through his nephew E.J.’s marriage to Sami.

 

Paternal Cousins: None that I know of, but if there are some out there they would be the off springs of the mysterious DiMera aunts and uncles that appear and disappear.

Maternal Cousins: Dr. Colin Murphy, Roman Brady, Kimberly Brady, Kayla Brady-Johnson and Frankie Brady and Max Brady via adoption. Bo would technically be his step-cousin by marriage (AKA not related by blood).  

 

Paternal Second Cousins: Please see Paternal Cousins for answer.

Maternal Second Cousins: Carrie Brady, Sami Brady*, Eric Brady*, Rex Brady, Cassie Brady, Andrew Donovan, Jeannie Donovan and Stephanie Johnson. Shawn Douglas Brady,* Chelsea Brady, Zack Brady and Ciara Brady technically would be his second cousins by marriage (although, again, not by blood).

 

Maternal Third Cousins: Will Roberts-Horton*, Alice “Ali” Roberts-Horton* and Johnny Wells*. Technically, Claire Brady would be his third cousin by marriage as Shawn Douglas (his step second cousin) is her dad AND she would be his granddaughter. Twisted, huh?

 

Set down the glass, grab the bottle and chug.

 

Number 3: “Are Sami and E.J. Related?” I won’t be sassy like I was with my Belle and Shawn answer, even thought Sami and Elvis are legally married too, but the answer is no. Sami is from the Brady/Evans bloodline and E.J. is through the DiMera/Banks bloodline. I’m sure in some convoluted way they might be something or other through marriage, but in the end they are definitely not related.

 

Hold the bottle upside down and tap it a few times to fish out the remaining drops.

 

Number 4: “If Colleen was alive, how the holy heck did Sami see her ghost?” I don’t think Colleen was supposed to be a spirit in a sheet and rattling chains. When she saw her great aunt it was more or less like talking to an imaginary friend or a loved one who has passed on. Sami was very emotionally invested in her doppelganger’s story and also trying to make several very hard choices at the time. It was more a glimpse into Sami’s mind perhaps. I think Colleen was shown on screen more for the audiences’ sake – just so it wouldn’t look like Sami was talking to herself as well as reinforcing their connection to one another because of their looks and interactions with the men of the House of DiMera.

 

Whew! I’m nearly spent, but I hope all my rambling helped! In case my verbal breakdown of John’s relatives was confusing, I drafted a little makeshift, revised “Brady Family Tree” that I’d be happy to pass along. It’s in JPEG format and can easily be attached to e-mails. If you’re interested, just drop me a line via the handy dandy link at the bottom of my Two Scoops column and I’ll be sure to get back to you.

 

 

 

 

 

Be it Blogs or Two Scoops, Laurisa and I are always up to something so make sure to check out the latest column each week or, if you've missed an article or two, head on over to the Archive Section! As always, we appreciate your feedback!