Amidst a Salem rife with disappearances and accusations, Steve’s meeting with Stephanie and Alex to discuss ending the stalker might seem like a minor issue, but it’s a clear sign that the city is shifting to a state of psychological warfare.

When Steve Black gets involved, the threat is no longer vague; it’s a real, potentially harmful target.

Stephanie has been living in agonizing stress, constantly feeling like someone is watching her, that someone knows her whereabouts.

Alex is both worried and trying to appear calm, but the calmer he appears, the more his helplessness becomes apparent, because you can’t hug the person you like 24/7 to stop an invisible intruder.

Meetings like this usually lead to two things: a plan or a mistake. Steve will want to reconstruct the timeline, narrow down the suspects, and turn fear into logic. But Salem is currently in such chaos that logic is easily broken. Just one piece of false information, and the whole team will be heading in the wrong direction, and the stalker will change targets. And the scariest thing is that stalkers often enjoy this kind of reaction: the more people investigate, the more power they feel because they’ve turned the whole city around them.

This line becomes even more tense when you put it in the context of December 16th: Gwen has openly threatened Leo, Johnny discovers EJ’s disappearance, Gabi and Javi have a huge argument over suspicions of involvement in the disappearances, and Salem has started living on high alert. When everyone is on guard, everyone is easily provoked.