From One Jailbird to Another: Does Eric Rescue Hope?

On January 17, Greg Vaughan makes his triumphant return to Days of Our Lives as ex-priest turned alcoholic drunk driver Eric Brady. But, before that, ex-cop turned vigilante murderess (maybe?) Hope Brady breaks out of jail. We all know Eric is in jail, but clearly not for long. Could their good guy-jailbird ways find a connection?

Eric received a 10-year jail sentence last March for vehicular manslaughter, so he either serves just 10 months of that decade-long sentence legally–or he makes a break for it, as well. Spoilers don’t tell us exactly how Roman and Marlena’s son gets out from behind bars, but they do reveal that someone comes to her rescue and that Eric ends up helping someone you least expect.

So, will Eric’s first days back on our screen involve he and Hope (Kristian Alfonso) on the run? Does he somehow become a part of the brigade to prove Stefano’s alive? We assume Hope escapes prison because she’s become a sitting duck with the other inmates, but she also likely wants to prove her own innocence. Rafe (Galen Gering) is off in Europe with Shane trying to do the same, so someone needs to rescue her. Why not Eric?

When Vaughan returns, Eric has any number of long-term story possibilities, but throwing him front and center with Hope in this current storyline is a way to get him back on our screens in a way you’d least expect.

Now, of course, Hope is going to end up with Rafe in the end because that seems writer-pre-destined, so we expect Eric to at least pay a visit to the loveless Jennifer (Melissa Reeves) and see if in a sober state they have any desire for each other at all. And, of course, Nicole (Arianne Zucker) will likely learn sooner rather than later that she has a child with the sainted Daniel, the man Eric accidentally killed after turning into a drunk upon Nicole’s rejection. For Eric, the possibilities are endless, but something tells us he’ll have something to do before he ever lays eyes on Jen or Nicole.

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