Days of our Lives Recap, August 18, 2025: Titan-DiMera drama takes a toll on Alex and Stephanie

On Days of our Lives today, Monday, August 18, 2025, Tony and Gabi iron out the details, Johnny makes a questionable decision, and Marlena takes a breather.

What Happened on Days of our Lives

At the DiMera mansion, Tony came upon EJ having a minor meltdown following a phone call. During the call, someone had informed him that the judge had approved Johnny’s request to have EJ removed as his counsel. EJ sullenly declared “my life is in ruins” to Tony. He brought his brother up to speed on the latest happenings with the trial, including Johnny’s unceremonious dismissal of him. Both EJ and Tony agreed that Johnny’s plan to represent himself was “a terrible idea.”

Tony mentioned the video EJ had used against Chanel and recalled seeing Rita and EJ with their heads together around the time the video had shown up at Belle’s office. He correctly surmised that EJ had sent a doctored video to the DA. Tony scolded his brother for taking such extreme measures. EJ defended that he was willing to do whatever it took to clear his son.

Tony harshly reminded EJ that those actions could personally cost EJ. He suggested the only way EJ could get back in Johnny’s good graces would be to go against family tradition, admit what he had done, and beg for forgiveness. “Eat crow,” EJ clarified with a huff.

At Marlena’s place, Belle expressed to Marlena how “disappointed” John would be in her for trying to send his namesake to prison. Marlena offered her daughter a comforting hug. She affirmed that John would be proud of Belle, but Belle continued lambasting herself for letting things progress so far with EJ. The conversation took a surprising turn when someone called to update Belle on Johnny firing EJ. After the call, Marlena wondered if the development could help Johnny’s case.

Belle concurred with Marlena’s assessment that EJ had gone “too far.” She was also cautiously optimistic that Johnny could win his freedom if he could prove EJ’s duplicity with the recording. She again swore off EJ.

At Johnny and Chanel’s place, Chanel arrived home to find Johnny studying the video of her confronting EJ. He was determined to prove the video was a fake. Chanel announced Johnny needed to drop it and focus on his defense. She only cared about clearing his name. The couple argued about the matter, until Johnny stopped the conversation cold by divulging he had fired EJ as his attorney.

Chanel didn’t know what Johnny was thinking. Her outlook did not improve when Johnny added he would be defending himself going forward. Despite Chanel’s reservations, Johnny pledged that he had the situation under control. He remained confident he was the best person to deliver a compelling closing argument that could win his case.

Later, at the courthouse, Belle observed EJ brooding in the courtroom and strode up to inform him she knew about his dismissal from the case. Belle had no sympathy for him and noted that EJ had pushed Johnny away just as he had pushed her away. She considered it a sign from above that EJ had once again shown his true colors. Belle coldly told EJ to get used to the feeling of being alone and stalked off.

Johnny and Chanel arrived next, and Johnny asked Chanel for a moment with his dad. EJ tried to explain himself, but Johnny read his father the riot act as well. He accused EJ of trying to drive a wedge between Chanel and him. EJ had wanted Johnny to make a choice between his wife and his father. Johnny told EJ he chose Chanel and then walked away, leaving EJ alone yet again.

At the Brady Pub, Kayla groused about EJ’s latest budget for the hospital to Steve. He found one silver lining in EJ's hospital takeover: the hiring of Stephanie. Kayla wasn’t convinced it was such a good thing, but she was happy that Stephanie was thriving professionally and personally. At the mention of Stephanie’s personal life, Steve took the opportunity to fill Kayla in on Alex’s police record. The tale of the toga amused Kayla, and she joked about Stephanie dating a “hardened criminal.”

Before Kayla left for work, Steve requested her help on a case. Her enthusiasm for the task dissipated when Steve revealed it involved Titan-DiMera – and specifically Stephanie’s associations with Alex and Philip. Kayla insisted she would not betray her daughter’s confidence. She was willing, however, to tell Steve about Stephanie’s vague reasoning for breaking up with Philip. Steve theorized that the “shady dealings” going on at the company had started with Philip, and he worried Stephanie was caught in the middle of it.

At Stephanie’s apartment, Alex presented his girlfriend with a small cake to celebrate her “book birthday.” Stephanie beamed when Alex showed her a market-ready copy of One Stormy Night. As she looked through the book with pride, Alex assured her she would soon be a bestseller and a beach-read sensation. Stephanie thanked him for his belief in her and rewarded him with a kiss. Alex had to cut the celebration short to get to work; he complained about Xander hounding him regarding a “special project.”

Stephanie grew curious when Alex mentioned he was investigating someone by the alias of “Daniel Lucas” who had been looking into the company. After Alex left, Stephanie called Steve and asked him to meet with her. Later, Steve greeted Stephanie and asked what she needed. Stephanie immediately got to the point. She wanted to know why Steve was investigating a matter involving Alex. At first, Steve assumed Alex had told Stephanie about his police record.

Stephanie was none-too-pleased to learn that her father had pried into Alex’s background. Stephanie eventually got around to stating that when Alex had mentioned “Daniel Lucas” in relation to Titan-DiMera, she had recognized the alias from stories Kayla had told Stephanie during her childhood about Steve. The detective confessed he was investigating the company, but he had no reason to believe his investigation would negatively impact Alex. Stephanie still wanted to give Alex a heads-up. Steve asked his daughter to refrain from telling Alex anything.

Steve wouldn’t give Stephanie any details about the investigation because he'd be breaking client confidentiality. He theorized that Stephanie might have some knowledge of the turmoil at the company. Stephanie turned Steve’s words back on him and said she couldn’t disclose information told to her in confidence either.

At Titan-DiMera, Gabi informed Xander that she “couldn’t stop thinking” about their kiss. When he tried to remind her it was a “one-time only, wine-induced occurrence,” she quickly corrected that she felt terribly about it. Xander brushed it off as bad judgment on both their parts but admitted that he considered Gabi a friend. He wanted her advice on picking a proper nanny for Victoria. After Xander finished listing all the potential problems with the nanny he had hired, Gabi deadpanned, “The only problem I see is you.”

Gabi lightly chided Xander about being a “control freak” both with Victoria and with the business. She suggested he let her help out in the latter regard by offering ideas to improve Titan-DiMera. Before she could get any further, Alex arrived at the door, and Gabi made her exit. As soon as Xander learned of Alex’s inability to find out the identity of “Daniel Lucas,” he deemed Alex a failure.

Alex protested that he didn’t have a way to uncover the mystery person’s identity. Xander confided he had a pretty good idea of who had put the investigator on their trail: the DiMeras. He thought they’d been lucky to have the roots of the family strife remain undetected for so long, and he wanted to keep it that way. Xander then instructed Alex to bring Stephanie on board to work for them. Alex wasn’t certain he could, but Xander insinuated Alex didn’t have a choice.

Back at the DiMera mansion, Gabi paid a visit to Tony and updated him on her progress with Xander. She wanted a written agreement detailing the terms of their deal. Tony obliged her and presented a pleased Gabi with a signed paper promising her the CEO position at Titan-DiMera, along with perks Gabi had demanded.

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At the hospital. Kayla was supportive after Marlena said she would be taking a leave of absence from the hospital. While she still intended to see a few patients privately, Marlena didn’t believe she could truly help anyone else until she helped herself. She admitted to still being disturbed about the dreams she was having of Stefano. Kayla suggested Susan’s focus on Stefano could have triggered the dreams. She gave a grateful Marlena contacts for grief counselors, but Marlena remained troubled.

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