DAYS: Jake And Stefan Are Twins!
■ While Jake contemplates taking the serum to restore his memories as Stefan, he learns more about the twisted man everyone insists he is. “Jake’s done a lot of research on Stefan and found out a lot of crap about him that he does not like,” says Brandon Barash, whose Jake is horrified when he learns about the sordid relationship between Stefan and Abigail’s alternate personality, Gabby. “Like Jake says, ‘The more I get to know this guy, the more I’m glad I didn’t know the guy.’ Stefan doesn’t sound like a nice guy.”
So when Kate shows up with the serum, Jake’s initially reluctant to take it for all of the above reasons. “Jake also has this whole life that he knows,” points out Barash. “He’s like, ‘If I’m not who I think I am and these memories that I have, then what is this life?’ ”
After Kate leaves, Gabi pleads with Jake to take the serum in spite of his reservations. Finally, Jake relents and jabs himself with the needle, and he and Gabi wait for it to take effect. Vivian calls, asking him and
Gabi to come down to the police station. The pair arrives and meets Ivan, Vivian’s longtime faithful manservant, who relays a shocking tale to Vivian, Jake and Gabi. Namely, that Vivian actually gave birth to twins all those years ago, and that Ivan kept Jake a secret because the doctor told him that Jake wouldn’t survive.
“Jake’s caught up in the moment of, ‘Wait. I’m not this guy. Am I relieved? Am I disappointed?’ ” explains the actor. “Because if he actually was Stefan, that meant he’d get to assume Stefan’s life. He’d get to assume Stefan’s wife. He’d get to move into that big mansion, which would have meant the end of all his financial troubles. But he’s also relieved, because he doesn’t like the guy Stefan appears to have been. So all of that is swirling around in his head, on top of meeting his mother after all these years of not knowing who she was.”
A heartbroken Gabi tells Jake to leave her alone and go back to Gwen. Then she breaks down, having lost Stefan once more. “Gabi wanted her true love back,” notes Barash. “When that doesn’t happen, she’s pretty upset about it. Jake is definitely empathetic. He’s disappointed for Gabi and feels for her, but he’s also relieved that this nut job is finally going to leave him alone.”
Jake heads home, where Gwen finds him. He tells her he’s relieved he’s still good old Jake, but she says he’s much more than that: He’s rich. “That doesn’t change anything for him,” insists Barash. “He is a man who just cares about living a good life, living a happy life. Of course, he’d like to be financially stable, where he doesn’t have to worry about money anymore. But [the money] matters much more to Gwen than it does to Jake.”
“That doesn’t change anything for him.”