While the DiMeras are caught up in the crypt, kidnappings, and burning secrets, another layer of characters continues to run Salem, answering phones, signing papers, and… worrying.

Gabi Hernandez and Philip Kiriakis are two names who are clearly seeing the sky above them no longer clear.

Both have lived through drama long enough to know that when the DiMeras start to shake, the rest of the city is affected.

For Gabi, Salem is a constant battlefront.

She is constantly at the intersection of her personal life, raising her children, and her tangled business dealings with the DiMeras, Kiriakis, and Carver. This week, the prospect of secrets in the crypt being revealed has Gabi on edge. The disappearing names, the rumors of “another locked up DiMera,” EJ’s instability, Cat’s ghostly appearance—all of these are signs that Salem’s power structure is being reshuffled. And whoever is negligent will be thrown off the table.

Philip worries differently. As the heir to a personal empire, he knows that a major scandal involving the DiMeras or any other major family can have a ripple effect on the economy. Shares, contracts, alliances – things that sound dry but determine the salaries of a lot of people. If the crypt goes bust, if someone decides to bring the underground deals to light, Philip and Gabi will face both a financial and moral crisis. Their dinner table these days is less laughter, more sighs and “what if it really blows up?”