Salem is primed for a brutal January, a roller coaster ride that will yank the town from its holiday glow and plunge it into a maelstrom of danger, desire, and devastating revelations. As the new year dawns, our favorite schemers, lovers, and outcasts converge on a stage where every whispered plan could tip the balance, and every kiss could seal a fate. Get ready, because the first weeks of 2026 are about to redefine who holds power in Salem—and who will be left clawing in the ashes of the old order.

First up in this five-pack of jolts: Peter Blake’s return collides with a life-or-death crisis and a moral crossroads for Chris. Peter Blake isn’t merely a blast from the past; he’s a walking grenade with a heartbeat. Reborn into the hospital’s sterile lights, Peter lies at the center of a high-stakes battle over his fate, with Kristen Deare hovering at his bedside like a shadow of conscience and vengeance. Kristen’s decision isn’t just about mercy; it’s a choice that could either consolidate her bond with Peter or unravel the fragile threads tying her to EJ. EJ’s appetite for control is unmasked as a hunger to secure his throne at the Deare table, and Peter’s awakening could force him to confront a truth he’d rather bury. The twist: Peter may wake not to gratitude but to a trap. If he discovers he’s been left clinging to life as part of someone else’s test, the result could be a civil war within the Deare clan—brother against brother, loyalty against ambition, love against legacy.

Second, a wedding that doubles as a battlefield. Dmitri von Loyner returns on January 2nd, and the air instantly crackles with electric danger. Dmitri’s reappearance isn’t a simple homecoming; it’s a carefully plotted strike aimed at Leo, who believes he’s moved on with Javi. Dmitri’s kiss returns the old, dangerous flame, reigniting a chemistry that thundered through the halls of Salem once before. Leo’s confidence wobbles as Dmitri stalks back into his life, challenging his choices and testing the boundaries of loyalty. Javi, watching the rival flame rekindle, may reveal a darker, more possessive side as old wounds flare and new temptations pull at Leo’s restraint. The wedding becomes a crucible where past sins and present passions collide, threatening to derail the ceremony and plunge the entire Deara-Terran world into a fresh storm.

Third, the Bayview breakout—Rachel Black’s villain origin story—reaches its most claustrophobic, terrifying peak. Rachel and Sophia Choy, two minds sculpted by abandonment and a taste for danger, are homing in on an audacious escape from the psychiatric ward that has kept Salem’s secrets in its iron grasp. The pairing of Rachel’s volatile, inherited chaos with Sophia’s cunning creates a duo with the nerve to tangle with Chanel and Johnny, to pull off a kidnapping that would shake the town to its core. The plan isn’t merely to snatch a person; it’s to snatch a future, to seize what they believe should belong to them by blood and right. Rachel’s hold on Trey—the whispered heir to a dangerous legacy—surges as her obsession deepens, threatening to pull Chanel and Johnny into a nightmare where family bonds blur into ransom and revenge. The tension tightens with every moment: will they escape, and if they do, what price will Salem pay for their freedom?

Fourth, a power duo steps onto the floor: Kate Roberts and Xander Kuryakis, a match made in the boardroom and a fuse lit in the trenches of Titan. Kate, the relentless shark of Salem’s elite, teams with Xander, the wary wolf who’s learned to survive among titans and traitors alike. Together they form a pragmatic, ruthless alliance to salvage Titan in the face of EJ’s meddling, Alex’s incompetence, and a city’s worth of ambitions that refuse to die. Kate’s strategic mind meets Xander’s streetwise grit, creating a partnership that’s equal parts alliance and masquerade. Gwen and EJ aren’t far behind, each plotting their own forms of leverage. The war isn’t just about money or corporations; it’s a battle for influence over the town’s future, a clash of symbols: the business queen against the underworld strategist, the outside world pressed into service by two outsiders who refuse to disappear quietly.

Fifth, the emotional core—Johnny and Chanel’s life under the weight of a name that’s both a legacy and a target. Johnny, freshly tethered to Trey through adoption, is pressed by a fear that the Deara name is a beacon for trouble,