Days: Baby Sydney Saga

I have wanted to write about the baby Sydney saga for weeks, and finally we’ve hit a lull in the story. Other plots on Days of Our Lives are taking center stage, giving a natural break in the action.

I wasn’t too happy when it was discovered that both Sami and Nicole were pregnant. Two women pregnant at the same time, by the same man, is not my kind of storyline. Sami had just finished another pregnancy plot (twins with two fathers, which is a premise I abhor even if it is scientifically possible and when Days told the tale, I fast-forwarded many scenes.) Nicole wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant at all, and she did, which pushed credibility. During the portion of the plot, when Sami and Rafe were isolated, I just had no interest. I was annoyed that Sami was pregnant, if that makes any sense at all. Too many babies, too many pregnancies, it felt like other than Sami every other female couldn’t have children, due to infertility or age. Of course, this isn’t what was going on, but it was my general impression. Sami wasn’t the only fertile woman in town obviously.

Even with my reservations about this story, I started to begin to care, when Sami, Rafe and baby Grace came back to town. Perhaps it was my anticipation of what was to come. While Sami did not know that Sydney was not Nicole’s child, she did have the bomb that she and EJ had a child together. That would put a huge crimp in Nicole and EJ’s relationship, as EJ still had feelings for Sami and part of why he chose Nicole was her pregnancy. Unlike Sami, Nicole fell in love with the idea of being with EJ and raising their child as a member of the Dimera family.

What was strange in my book is how some viewers including myself still found Nicole sympathetic. It was understandable why Brady stayed on her side even if he started seeing Ari, as he never fully got over his feelings for Nicole. Brady would have gladly taken Nicole away from EJ. He loved her regardless of the baby, and if she could never have his child, it didn’t matter to him.

Here is a list of some of the bad acts Nicole committed in the baby Sydney saga.

1. Faked pregnancy once she miscarried making everyone believe Sydney was hers.
2. Illegally adopted Mia’s baby.
3. Switched Mia’s baby for Sami’s baby, so EJ would be raising his own child.
4. Allowed Sami to mourn Mia’s daughter Grace as her own, and didn’t tell Mia that Grace was her child as Grace was dying.
5. Once Mia’s baby daddy Chad asked for rights to Sydney, Nicole made Mia lie about her sexual experiences to keep Sydney with Nicole/EJ and to explain why Chad wasn’t a DNA match.
6. Ran with Sydney only to come back to town due to Stefano.
7. Kidnapped Sydney after Sami & EJ found out the truth about Sydney.

Once Nicole’s dastardly acts were discovered, she was arrested. Nicole could not leave well enough alone and took Sydney a second time. Before she left the country with the baby, her conscience got the better of her and she called Sami. Then she was hit on the head, and Sydney was stolen from her.

Nicole returned to Salem, and the search for Sydney continued in earnest. She gave clues to the police, as the kidnapper’s shoes were unique. This pointed at Kate, but she was not guilty. Rafe gave Stefano a truth serum, which accomplished nothing, as he was not involved in the kidnapping. Nicole got a 20-year prison sentence for switching the babies and kidnapping Sydney. Obviously Nicole won’t be gone for that long, and it will be interesting to see how they justify that.

After a few days, the audience was shown Sydney’s kidnapper and it was none other than Anna Dimera, who is an aunt to the child. They spent the holidays together, and left a ransom note for EJ to discover. Sami was told about the notes, but Rafe was kept in the dark, due to his ties to the FBI. Later Rafe was reinstated by the FBI, and still didn’t know about the contact from the kidnappers.

This past week, the audience was told that Anna and EJ were working together. I’m not sure what it says about EJ that he wants to take his child away from everyone. Sami did lie to EJ about being pregnant with his child. If Grace had never become ill, would Sami have kept her mouth shut about her pregnancy forever? Would Sami’s other kids never have been told about their sibling? That would have been an interesting wrinkle for future story, but we will never know.

Now that Sydney is known to be EJ and Sami’s daughter. Is Sydney’s kidnapping “punishment” for the baby lie, or for some other crime in Sami’s past? When Sami was a teen, she kidnapped her baby sister Belle, and now the same thing has happened to her.

EJ has the right to be angry with everyone who knew about Sydney, and with Sami and Rafe for lying about her pregnancy. I think taking Sydney away was an act of taking control of the situation and make everyone suffer.

While the story of Sydney’s parenthood may have been told, this story continues… How and why will Sydney return to her family? Will anyone find out how Anna and EJ kept the baby from her mother? Is anyone going to be punished for what they have done? Yes, Nicole has gone to prison, but she is not the sole guilty party. If Days lasts long enough, will Sydney’s kidnapping influence her as she grows? All of these questions are of interest to me. This is an umbrella story that can continue for years to come, as it involves not only Sydney’s parents, but also the extended Salem family.