Next On Days Of Our Lives Monday, February 23, 2026| DOOL 2/123/26 Spoilers
It’s no surprise that Stephanie Johnson is going to be kidnapped on Days of Our Lives.
The winter preview promised that her stalking storyline would end this way, but it wasn’t clear when that would happen.
However, Days of Our Lives spoilers for the week of 2-23-26 promise that the week is finally here, which means this story may end without Jeremy still the prime suspect.
This Could Have Been a Fantastic Story, But The Execution Is Questionable
I was excited when Stephanie’s history with Jeremy was introduced because I wanted Days of Our Lives to finally treat domestic violence with the seriousness it deserves, and the initial scenes of Stephanie telling Alex what happened to her were realistic and moving.
Unfortunately, the story soon spiraled into the same type of cheap drama that Days of Our Lives often engages in when it wants to do a stalking or kidnapping story.
I’m not bothered in principle by this type of story — as someone who writes mysteries and thrillers, that would be hypocritical.
But it’s hard to be interested when the story revolves around the same ridiculous tropes we’ve experienced a billion times in the past few yearsThe stalker will somehow sneak into the hospital and kidnap Stephanie from her desk using the tried-and-true method of a chloroform-soaked rag.
I’m sick to death of the bad guys disguising themselves as doctors, nurses, or EMTs, and trained professionals not being able to tell that they don’t belong in the hospital.
It’s especially ridiculous here, given that Steve went to great lengths to ensure his daughter’s protection. How on Earth could he miss this potential attack?
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The stalking storyline could have been more interesting, too, because the idea of a stalker latching onto a well-known author who already has experienced severe trauma from abuse is psychologically compelling.
However, Days of Our Lives didn’t explore this much. There were only a few attempts at stalking, and even fewer at exploring how it affected Stephanie beyond the obvious anger and her belief that her abusive ex was up to his old tricks.
And instead of an original story about stalking, it will devolve this week into an oft-repeated type of kidnapping.
Fortunately, This Story Won’t Be All Bad
Days of Our Lives spoilers for the week of 2-23-26 promise that Stephanie’s family will immediately jump into action to search for her.
No one does determination mixed with vengeance and guilt like Steve Johnson, so his search for his missing daughter should be phenomenal.
I’m not clear on why Brady joins the search — doesn’t he have to look after his newly released and still mentally fragile daughter? — but at least that might lead to him joining the detective agency full-time, which he should have done months ago.
Best of All, Kayla Might Learn That She Is Wrong About Jeremy
One of the most annoying things about this story is how everyone jumped to conclusions about Jeremy — not only because it was unfair, but because it didn’t become a full story.
The idea of a former violent ex turning his life around and having to prove that he isn’t the one harassing Stephanie would have been compelling.
Do you think Jeremy should have had more of a role in this story, or were you satisfied with how it went down?
Hit the comments with your thoughts, and don’t forget to share this article with anyone else who might want to join the conversation.
Unfortunately, Jeremy wasn’t really the star of this story. After being held overnight by police, he ignored their insistence that he stay in Salem and moved away because he was tired of being falsely accused.
I can understand how he feels, but it felt like it cut his story short rather than giving him agency within it
If he is in New York when Stephanie is kidnapped, that should resolve the false accusations, although it came from an external event rather than him.
Still, before we get to that, it seems Marlena will finally talk some sense into Kayla.
According to the spoiler video, Kayla is surprised to learn that Marlena doesn’t think Jeremy fits the profile of a stalker.
I’d prefer she make that call after interviewing Jeremy rather than pulling an opinion out of thin air, but at least Days of Our Lives spoilers for the week of 2-23-26 appear to acknowledge Marlena’s expertise as a psychiatrist.
Kayla is more likely to question her preconceived notions after Marlena gives her opinion because, unlike Julie, Marlena doesn’t simply have a ferocious level of faith in Jeremy.
Hopefully, all of this leads to Stephanie being found quickly.
I’m glad that a spoiler for later in the week says that Stephanie will try to free herself. I hate damsel-in-distress stories and much prefer victims who actively fight to get out of the situation.
Some Other Interesting Things Are Happening In Salem (And Alamania)
If you don’t like this story, don’t worry — there are other things going on too:
- Sophia will push hard for Rachel. tohelp her mess with Holly. I would love for Rachel to tell Kristen so that mother and daughter can go up against Sophia together, but I somehow doubt that’s where this is going.
- Chanel and Sarah bond over motherhood. This is an unexpected friendship, but it should be interesting, although I still want Chanel to talk. toLani about pregnancies after miscarriages.
- EJ tries to make a deal with Liam. Damage control, I’m sure, but these two haven’t interacted before so I’m curious how this will go.
- Abe and EJ plot together to keep Theo away from DiMera Enterprises. Not. sureI like this sullying of Abe’s usually highly moral character, but at least Abe has a real story.
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