The week of May 11th through the 15th is shaping up to be an explosive one in Salem, and we’re breaking down every jaw-dropping moment before it hits your screen.

It all begins with a miracle that comes wrapped in complications. Lexi has returned from the dead — but for her son Theo, this resurrection is anything but simple. He has been keeping a relentless vigil at his mother’s bedside, clutching her hand, waiting for any sign of progress. But hope is a fragile thing, and Theo may be losing his grip on it. Every day without improvement chips away at his spirit. Beyond the hospital walls, he knows the truth no one wants to say aloud: Lexi coming back will shatter Abe and Paulina’s marriage and tear the entire family apart. And yet, despite all of that, Theo wants his mother back. The question is — at what cost?

Meanwhile, the tension between EJ DiMera and Kristen reaches a boiling point. After their first explosive confrontation at University Hospital, the war of words moves to the mansion. Kristen finds herself on the defensive as EJ’s accusations grow darker. Is he suggesting she had a hand in Sophia’s attempt to kill Johnny? Make no mistake — if EJ discovers the full extent of Kristen’s role in that bombing, he will not hesitate to destroy her. And he would take a terrible pleasure in doing it.

But Kristen has a reason to be cautiously optimistic. She made sure Sophia was dead — silenced forever, and avenged for what she did to Rachel. Or so Kristen believes. In a moment that will make your blood run cold, Kristen sits alone in the DiMera living room when she hears a noise. She calls out, asking if it’s EJ. It’s not. Instead, a bloody, battered Sophia walks through the door and delivers a chilling line: “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

And that is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? This is Salem, after all — a town where ghosts walk, the devil possesses souls, and the dead rise again. Is Sophia a hallucination born of Kristen’s guilt-ridden mind? Did the explosion somehow fail to finish the job? Or — worst case scenario — did EJ’s men find Sophia’s body before Kristen could be certain she was gone, and bring her back alive? A spoiler photo shows EJ with his hand on Kristen’s shoulder, both of them staring at something — and a blood-soaked Sophia standing beside them. Whatever is happening, one thing is certain: Kristen’s terror has only just begun.

Roman makes a decisive move this week, telling Kate she needs to step back. His destination is University Hospital, where he plans to visit with Marlena — but make no mistake, Roman is really there to see Johnny. After everything Kate did to his grandson, Roman wants her as far away as possible. And he may unload to Marlena about Kate’s transgressions, since the good doctor is already furious with her. The two of them commiserating? That’s a conversation worth tuning in for.

Elsewhere in Salem, Chad and Cat share an awkward encounter in the town square. Cat works for EJ now, and in a small town like this, uncomfortable run-ins are just the new normal. Marlena, meanwhile, steps into Johnny’s hospital room to offer comfort and advice. His trauma runs deep — the attack by Sophia, the fear over Chanel’s malignant breast lump, the weight of everything crashing down at once. Marlena may be the calm he desperately needs.

Thursday brings a heated argument between Gabby and Ariana. Philip’s advice echoes in Gabby’s mind: if she bans Ari from seeing Liam, she’ll only push them closer together. The question is whether Gabby can keep her temper in check long enough to remember that wisdom and back off just enough. Johnny, meanwhile, reaches out to comfort a terrified Chanel. The biopsy needs to happen immediately, and the results look frightening. Being pregnant means cancer treatment is complicated, and Chanel is staring down a nightmare with no clear path forward.

Roman corners Kate and demands the full truth — but will she finally come clean? Her marriage hangs by a thread. If she keeps lying, Roman may walk away for good. But Kate is trapped in a prison of her own making, terrified that if she tells him everything, he’ll leave her anyway. She has painted herself into a corner with no good way out.

In a lighter moment, Justin and Alex bond over fatherhood. Justin can’t wait to meet his new granddaughter, little Kelsey Kiriakis. Alex may open up about the turmoil with Stephanie — and how Joy’s presence is a mixed blessing. A baby is a gift,