Happy Tuesday, Salem friends. Lexie Carver has been awake for over a week now, and today she finally stops being a miracle and starts being a person — her first real conversation since coming back isn't with Abe or Theo, but with Kayla, and it's the scene this storyline has needed. Meanwhile, Stephanie is doing everything right with the baby situation (reading up on infant attachment, telling Alex to skip the wedding and bond with his daughter), and yet one detail from today's episode keeps nagging at me. Plus Gabi turns down the job she's wanted forever, Theo meets someone new, and EJ says the quiet part out loud. Let's get into it.

Forwarded to you? I write The Salem Dispatch daily for other fans of Days of Our Lives: full recap of yesterday's episode, tomorrow's spoilers, and what other fans are saying.

Lexie Gets Some Answers — and Asks for More

Lexie's first real conversation since waking up isn't with Abe or Theo. It's with Kayla. And it's the scene we've been waiting for — not a tearful reunion, but an actual exchange between two old friends catching up on fifteen lost years.

Kayla fills Lexie in on Trip (Steve's son with Ava Vitale, conceived when they thought Steve was dead), and Lexie absorbs it the way she's been absorbing everything: quickly, gracefully, with just enough of a pause to remind us how surreal this all is for her. "I can't believe I lost the last fifteen years," she says. "My Theo is all grown up."

But Lexie didn't ask Kayla to stay so they could talk about Trip's wedding. She wants to know about Paulina. She's done her own research, and she has concerns. "Can I hate a woman I've never even met?" she asks, and Kayla doesn't flinch. She tells Lexie the truth: Paulina is funny, smart, and a force of nature with a good heart. Lexie takes it in. "Abe always had good taste in women," she says. And then: "But he can't have two wives, Kayla."

Later, when Abe finally comes to her room, Lexie is done waiting. She tells him the time for careful consideration is over. She wants to meet Paulina. Abe, who has been avoiding this exact conversation for days, doesn't say no. He says he'll bring Paulina to the hospital as soon as he can.

Abe Thanks the Man He Doesn't Trust

Abe walks into the DiMera mansion and does something nobody expected. He thanks EJ. For bringing Lexie back. For making the impossible real. EJ, who is usually three moves ahead of everyone in the room, looks genuinely thrown.

But the gratitude has a wall around it. Abe tells EJ he doesn't trust him or his motives, and asks him — respectfully — to stay away from Lexie and Theo. There's a moment where Abe reveals he's protecting Theo from ever learning what Stefano's role was in Lexie's illness. "I'm protecting Theo," Abe says. "He loved his Nonno so much."

EJ pushes back. He points out that he used Lexie's potential return to steer Theo away from the DiMera CEO chair — and it worked. But when Abe says he has no intention of leaving Paulina, EJ drops the mask: "Paulina tried to ruin my life. I can't deny it'll be satisfying to watch you kick her to the curb." Abe's response is ice cold: "Who said I was doing that?"

Stephanie Tries — and the Gun Goes Back in the Drawer

Alex comes home from meeting with Joy. The news: they're taking it one step at a time. First step is adding Alex to the birth certificate and officially changing Kelsey's last name to Kiriakis. After that, they'll plan some real one-on-one time for Alex and the baby.

Stephanie listens. She doesn't blow up. She asks questions. And then she does something genuinely selfless — she tells Alex he should skip Trip and Wendy's wedding in China. Not because she doesn't want him there, but because these are days he'll never get back with his daughter. "You just cherish every moment with your daughter, okay?" she says. "You've got a lot of time to make up for."

She's also been reading up on babies — how to make them feel comfortable and secure, how important one-on-one time with a parent is at this age. Alex notices. "You've been reading up on babies?" She has. She's trying.

But the gun goes back in the drawer. Stephanie is making progress on every front except the one that worries us most.

Philip Checks In on Joy

Philip finds Joy at the Kiriakis mansion with baby Kelsey. Chloe texted and asked him to check on her little sister, and here he is. The conversation is warm but honest. Philip lays out the financial reality: Titan has a hiring freeze, the Kiriakis inheritance is mostly tied up in the company, and Alex and Stephanie are likely living off her book profits. He's not trying to chase Joy away — he's making sure she's realistic.

Joy holds her ground. She's not here for a big payout. She's not here for Titan. She came back so Alex could be part of Kelsey's life, and her parents are helping her out. All she wants is stability. Philip softens. He tells her there'll be a job waiting for her when Titan recovers, and welcomes Kelsey to the family.

Gabi's DiMera Chapter Is Over

Theo and Gabi catch up at the pub. The big reveal: Tony offered Gabi the DiMera CEO chair. She turned it down. Theo can't believe it — Gabi has wanted that job forever. But Gabi has learned her lesson. Tony offered it once before and yanked it back. "I have had my fill of DiMeras," she says. "Present company excluded."

The conversation turns to Stefan's inheritance. Gabi knows the DiMera family won't make it easy, but Theo offers his support. There's a passing note about Johnny: Tony doesn't think his heart is in the CEO role and sees him as an artist, not a businessman. Theo laughs it off — Johnny's staying.

Theo Meets Joy (and Kelsey)

This one sneaks up on you. Theo spots Joy struggling with a crying baby at the pub. Kelsey has dropped her stuffed animal and is inconsolable. Theo picks it up, hands it over, and the baby calms down instantly. "We all need help every now and then," he says. Joy laughs. There's an ease between them that neither of them expected.

It's a small scene. Two people on the edges of everybody else's story, both recently arrived in Salem, both figuring out what comes next. Worth watching.

The Hospital Board Bites Back

In the episode's final business scene, Kayla delivers news that wipes the smirk off EJ's face. The hospital board has called an emergency meeting about his research activities and decided to file a complaint with state medical regulatory and licensing agencies. EJ scoffs — he owns the hospital, the board has no teeth, he keeps them around for PR. Kayla's reply: "How's that for some teeth?"

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Six weeks ago, Stephanie Johnson told her husband she wanted to buy a gun. It was the final scene of the episode, played as a quiet bombshell — not a shout, not a threat, just a woman who had been kidnapped, held captive, and rescued telling the man she loves that she was done relying on other people to keep her safe. Alex was stunned. So were we.

Since then, the show has returned to that gun again and again, and every time it appears, it tells us something new about where Stephanie's head is. Steve brought over a gun safe, taught her the four rules of firearm safety, and made her promise to keep the weapon locked up with the ammunition stored separately. Stephanie agreed to his face. The moment he and Kayla left, she took the gun out, loaded it, and put it in her purse. She went to the range with Steve and Brady, and her focus fell apart — flashbacks to Owen, to the kidnapping, to every moment in her life when someone else had the power and she didn't. At Marlena's office, she started pulling on a thread that scares her more than Owen ever did: the pattern of choosing men who control her, starting with Jeremy Horton, and whether that pattern has followed her all the way into her marriage.

And now there's a baby. Not her baby — Alex's baby, with another woman, conceived during a period Stephanie doesn't even want to think about. She wasn't sure she wanted kids at all, and now a child has been thrust into her life without anyone asking her permission. She told Brady at the gun range yesterday that every time she looks at Kelsey, all she sees is a reminder that Alex slept with someone else. Today she told Alex she doesn't need to be at that first meeting with his daughter — and she said it kindly, citing research she's been doing on infant attachment. She's trying. But the gun went into the drawer again.

That's the detail that matters. The show keeps making us watch Stephanie interact with that weapon the way you'd watch someone interact with a coping mechanism they know isn't healthy but can't quite let go of. She doesn't carry it to threaten anyone. She carries it because it makes her feel like she has control over something — and right now, between the PTSD, the baby, the marriage strain, and the custody conversations happening without her, control is the one thing she doesn't have.

Fans on Reddit are already theorizing about where this is heading. The dominant prediction is that Stephanie accidentally shoots Joy, forcing her and Alex into full-time parenthood for Kelsey — a cruel irony for a woman who wasn't sure she wanted to be a mother at all. Whether or not that's where the writers land, the setup is textbook Chekhov: you don't spend six weeks showing the audience a gun unless it's going to go off. The question isn't whether something happens with that weapon. The question is who's in the room when it does.

Today, Lexie is learning about the woman who married her husband. But Lexie's own family tree has always been complicated. Who is Lexie Carver's biological mother?

Gabi Goes Back on Her Word

Less than a week after Ari begged her to stop interfering, Gabi corners Liam with a cash offer to disappear from her daughter's life. It's the exact move Ari warned her not to make — and the kind of thing Gabi swore she wouldn't do after that gut-wrenching mother-daughter confrontation on May 14. If Liam takes the money and walks, Gabi might actually get what she wants. But if he tells Ari — and we all know these things come out in Salem — this could be the thing that breaks the fragile peace between mother and daughter. We just watched Cherie Jimenez and Vico Escorcia earn Daytime Performers of the Week for that scene. Now the writers are testing whether Gabi learned anything from it. The answer, apparently, is no.

Belle and Chad's Dinner Date Gets Derailed

They've been trying to have this dinner for what feels like weeks, and Wednesday it finally happens — at the town square, dressed up, ready to be a normal couple for one evening. Then EJ and Cat walk in. Chad watching his brother out with the woman Chad was recently involved with, Belle stuck watching Chad watch her. The double date nobody asked for. Whether this is the show pushing Chad and Belle closer together or pulling them apart probably depends on how Chad handles seeing EJ with Cat, and Chad's track record with handling things gracefully is not great.

Cat Presses EJ

Cat is asking questions — specifically, what's really going on with EJ's research activities and Lexie's return. After today's episode, where Kayla told EJ the hospital board is filing a complaint with state regulators, Cat poking around is the last thing he needs. EJ has been juggling Kristen's murder plot, Abe's distrust, and the board's legal challenge all at once. Cat pulling on any one of those threads could unravel the rest.

Amy Mourns Sophia

Amy Choi returns to the canvas Wednesday, still deep in grief over Sophia. Jason is also present. The question hanging over Amy's scenes is whether her mourning is purely private or whether it's fueling her campaign against Holly — the cyberbullying pressure that's been building since last week hasn't stopped, and Amy has shown no signs of letting up.

Finally, Holly and Ari are each grappling with difficult feelings. Holly is still under Amy's digital assault, with potential charges hovering. Ari is processing the Liam situation without knowing her mother is about to make it exponentially worse.

Dan Feuerriegel (EJ) says he's done apologizing. In a new SoapHub interview, Feuerriegel says EJ has moved past the post-chaos apology cycle and wants to fully own the destruction he causes. He describes Lexie's resurrection as "a little bit of heart mixed with basically capitalism" and EJ's pull toward Cat as "curiosity" rather than romance. Given today's scenes — where EJ openly admitted he'd enjoy watching Abe dump Paulina — the "done apologizing" part tracks.

Deidre Hall celebrated 50 years as Marlena Evans with an on-set party on May 15. Michael Fairman TV has the full coverage — video tributes from Alison Sweeney, Thaao Penghlis, Leann Hunley, plus Eric Braeden and Melody Thomas Scott from Y&R. Hall's take: "Every moment has been a gift." Access Hollywood aired a tribute segment. Susan Seaforth Hayes and Judi Evans also posted their own celebrations.

Patrick Muldoon was laid to rest on May 16 at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica. Days stars attended the celebration of life, with Kate Mansi sharing photos. Former USC teammate Rodney Peete was also there. Muldoon, who played Austin Reed, died April 19 of a heart attack at 57.

Cherie Jimenez (Gabi) and Vico Escorcia (Ari) were named Daytime Performers of the Week by TV Insider for their mother-daughter confrontation over Liam. The scene was praised as "healthy and multi-layered" — which makes tomorrow's Gabi-bribes-Liam spoiler hit even harder.

Looking further ahead: Soap Dirt's two-week preview flags Philip exploding in fury during the week of May 25, Paulina making some kind of exit (likely moving out of her penthouse with Abe), and Gabi potentially losing everyone around her if the Liam bribe backfires. Theo reportedly pushes Abe to make a decision between Lexie and Paulina, and Amy's mission against Holly continues to escalate.

Monday's Xander/Kristen sex scene lit up r/DaysofOurLives — and not in a good way. The spoiler post called it "creepy" and "way over the line," and the comments piled on: whip sound effects, BDSM cues, intense close-ups that had fans reaching for the remote. "I'm not a prude but…" was practically a chorus. "I may need therapy after that." "Out of character for both." The biggest question fans kept asking: why would Xander, freshly showered after Gwen, jump into bed with Kristen? A few defenders pushed back — they're both single, enjoy your life — but they were outnumbered. One thing nearly everyone agreed on: Stacy Haiduk looked fantastic regardless.

Fans are already mapping out where Stephanie's gun storyline ends (and it’s right in line with my personal theory). The leading theory on Reddit is that Stephanie accidentally shoots Joy, forcing her and Alex into full-time parenthood for Kelsey. Some commenters are adding a wrinkle — Joy survives and ends up convalescing at the Kiriakis mansion, which only deepens her bond with Alex. Stephanie is being written as increasingly sympathetic but also increasingly cornered, and fans see the gun range scenes as a slow-burning Chekhov's gun that the show keeps putting in frame for a reason.

Deidre Hall has now been playing Marlena Evans for fifty years. Let that sink in for a second. She first appeared on Days of Our Lives in 1976, and she has been the emotional spine of this show through five decades of possessions, serial killers, alien abductions, and at least one trip to hell. This past week, the cast threw an on-set celebration that spilled across every corner of the DOOL community — Susan Seaforth Hayes and Judi Evans posted tributes, Access Hollywood ran a segment, and the subreddit was wall-to-wall Marlena memories. No debate, no hot takes, just genuine love for a performer who has shown up every day for longer than most of us have been alive.

The Lexie reunion, on the other hand, is losing the room. A SoapHub piece that went straight to Reddit for its sourcing found the dominant fan position is firmly pro-Paulina. Fans are naming specific moments — Paulina helping Abe rebuild after his amnesia and kidnapping — as the earned bond that matters to them. They don't want Lexie as the wrecking ball.

On the recast itself, fans are being careful to separate the performer from the problem: nobody is blaming Nikki Crawford, who at least one commenter praised for doing a wonderful job in an impossible situation. But Renée Jones played Lexie for nearly two decades, and that's history this version of the character simply can't replicate. One fan put it bluntly: recasting Lexie is like recasting Hope.

Resurrection fatigue is compounding the issue — fans are tired of people coming back from the dead, and some are openly speculating that Crawford's run is already wrapped given the show's ten-month filming lead, which gives them even less reason to invest.

Javi and Leo are getting a second look. A returning viewer's post asked why Javi quietly moving on with a coworker three months after his wedding is getting a pass while Leo takes all the heat. The thread was sympathetic to both characters, with the consensus that the writers undersold Javi's pivot.

And in lighter news: someone posed the question "If you woke up in Salem, what would you do?" and the survival advice was immediate — avoid all weddings (they end in explosions), stay out of the DiMera tunnels, keep your DNA results to yourself, and whatever you do, don't book Marlena as your psychiatrist. Also, a new viewer just discovered Anna DiMera and recognized Leann Hunley's voice from Dawson's Creek. The sub was delighted.

A few things I'm chewing on after today.

Hit reply and tell me what you think. I read all of your responses!

Celeste Perrault. Celeste was Stefano DiMera's mistress, and Lexie was the product of that affair — making her both a Carver by marriage and a DiMera by blood. Celeste became a fixture in Salem as a psychic and her daughter's closest confidante, and she was one of the first people to suspect that Stefano's grip on the family would outlast him. Given what EJ pulled off with Lexie's resurrection, she wasn't wrong.

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