It’s not strange that EJ DiMera is furious over his stepdaughter’s overdose on Days of our Lives. He’s furious with Stefan for bringing drugs to Salem. He’s furious at Ava for running them through that restaurant. And, he’s furious at the medical establishment for not instantly patching Holly up. He’s furious at Eric for, well, existing. But, he’s also furious at Tate. And determined to put him behind bars. Which is a bit over the top, to say the least. A trip to the couch is called for, to figure out precisely why.
On the Couch: EJ DiMera
Obviously, EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) feels helpless to comfort Nicole (Arianne Zucker) — especially so soon after the “loss” of “their” baby. Obviously, EJ wants to do something beyond standing by helplessly — especially since Eric (Greg Vaughan) has the bedside comfort piece under control. And, obviously, EJ feels guilty about his role in enabling Clyde’s (James Read) operation, which is why he is yelling at his brother down at the docks.
Digging Deeper
That’s just the surface stuff. Even EJ’s initial anger at Tate (Jamie Martin Mann) is deeper than it seems. EJ’s just blaming Tate because that takes the blame off Holly (Ashley Puzemis), which will make Nicole feel better. And, he’s not targeting Tate because a kid is easier to prosecute than Stefan (Brandon Barash) and Ava (Tamara Braun). He’s not doing it to annoy Brady (Eric Marstolf) and Theresa (Emily O’Brien). If not for these reasons, then why?
Well, he’s doing it because, in Tate, EJ sees who he used to be. (Or, at least, he thinks he sees who he used to be. Tate isn’t nearly as interesting, but EJ is assuming he is.) EJ thinks if he can punish Tate now and keep him from heading down the same path as EJ, that will make up for some of his own past crimes. All of which lead to Holly being in a coma now.