Days of our Lives Recap, July 17: Leo ends up on Johnny's jury

Here is your Days of our Lives recap for Thursday, July 17, 2025.

What happened on Days of our Lives

Ari and Holly remained locked up in a strange storage room, huddled under a blanket. Holly wondered if it was morning, but Ari said there was no way to know. They noticed a paper bag across the room with bottled water. Holly lunged for Ari as she tried to drink it.

Holly warned Ari that the water could be poisoned. Ari didn't think so because the kidnapper just wanted money from Doug, and they were of no use dead. Holly wanted to call Maggie for the money. Ari wished they could, too, but "instead we're waiting on stupid Doug."

Holly wondered if their families had even noticed they were missing. Ari was sure that her mother had to be having a meltdown by now. "Would it be unusual for you to blow her off?" Holly asked. Ari realized that Holly had a point. They still hoped that someone had figured out they were missing.

"Let's just try to relax," Ari said as she handed Holly a granola bar. She was surprised when Holly seemed to be defending Doug, saying he never intended for this to happen to them. Holly pointed out that Doug was probably trying to push them away to protect them.

Gabi was alarmed when she realized that Ari hadn't responded to any of the texts she had sent the day before. "She's probably just having fun at the lake, but you think she could at least take two seconds to let her mother know that she's at the very least alive," Gabi said.

Gabi convinced herself that Ari was giving her the silent treatment for embarrassing her by giving her a box of condoms for the lake trip. "The last thing that this family needs is an unwanted pregnancy," Gabi declared as Leo appeared in the kitchen with Tesoro.

When Leo announced he had to report for jury duty, Rafe offered to watch the baby, but Leo insisted Tesoro would go with him to the courthouse. He was sure the baby would get him dismissed quickly.

Once Leo was gone, Gabi changed the subject back to Ari. Rafe felt he was in the doghouse with his niece because he ratted her out for seeing Doug III. Rafe had to talk Gabi out of driving up to the lake and checking on Ari herself. Rafe suggested she call the hotel and see if Ari had checked in.

Gabi nearly went into a panic when she learned that neither Holly nor Ari had checked in. Rafe tried to calm her down and promised to put "some feelers" out to find them.

In Marlena's townhouse, Belle searched for her phone as Tate questioned her about Johnny's trial. Apparently, jury selection was beginning just two weeks after Johnny was arrested. Both Tate and Belle admitted that they believed Johnny was innocent.

"Still, I have to prosecute the case to the best of my ability, whether EJ likes it or not," Belle sighed.

Tate noted that it was a good thing that Johnny and Chanel didn't adopt his and Sophia's baby because "that would have been a huge mess." Belle changed the subject and asked how the lake trip was. Tate admitted Holly was a no-show and he had no idea what happened. "Now that a whole night has gone by, I'm starting to really worry about her," Tate said.

Doug made sure that Gwen wasn't in her Salem Inn room so he could break in and get his hands on the famous necklace. He looked at the photo of Ari and Holly on his phone. "Just hold on a little longer. I'm going to get you guys out of this mess," he promised.

Doug soon opened the door to Tate, who demanded to know where Holly was. He was sure that Doug had been lying to him the day before. They almost came to blows until Tate noticed the photos of Ari and Holly and accused Doug of stalking them. Doug finally admitted that Ari and Holly were in trouble.

Tate offered to give Doug money from his savings to make sure Holly and Ari were safe. Then, he learned how much Doug actually owed. He had the money and went to the bank to get it, but warned Doug that he needed to leave town as payment.

While sitting in a hotel room, Sophia answered the phone to talk to her mother. Amy wanted to know why she didn't answer when she knocked on her bedroom door earlier. Sophia said she was in Chicago to meet with a couple who wanted to adopt her baby. Amy was shocked and horrified that Sophia had traveled on her own.

Sophia claimed she was with her new lawyer, but Amy wanted to know why she wasn't informed. Sophia pointed out that the baby was due any day, and she didn't want to waste time consulting with her mother. Amy was ready to skip jury duty and head to Chicago, so a panicked Sophia tried to stop her.

"You already ruined one adoption for me. I'm not going to let you ruin another," Sophia asserted.

When Amy got to the courthouse, she told someone on the phone that nobody cared that she had a pregnant daughter who needed her. "Sam, can you just drive to Chicago and look for our daughter?" Amy asked. Leo requested that Amy keep it down so Tesoro could sleep.

Amy hung up and apologized. "They're so much easier to deal with when they're that age. All you have to worry about are feeding schedules and diaper changes. When they grow up, you how no idea how little control you have over them," Amy lamented.

Leo said he didn't have to worry because he was just fostering him. Amy felt bad for the baby when she learned he had been dropped off at the firehouse shortly after birth. As Amy and Leo waited to be called, Amy played with the baby who happened to be her grandson.

At the DiMera mansion, EJ went over police photos from his shooting. He was disturbed when he remembered the gunshot. He was frustrated because he couldn't remember the details from that night.

Later, EJ met Belle in the courtroom as they prepared to meet potential jurors. They remained silent for a few moments until EJ finally spoke. "For the record, I didn't seduce you so you'd drop the charges against Johnny. I made love to you because I wanted to," EJ insisted.

"But also because you wanted me to drop the charges against Johnny," Belle said. "But also, because I wanted you," EJ replied. Belle asked EJ to keep things professional in the courtroom. EJ asked to talk about the matter later, in private. Belle agreed to do so.

When potential jurors walked into the courtroom, EJ and Amy made eye contact. EJ told her that the case she was called for was "The People vs. John Roman DiMera." EJ then questioned her and asked if she could be impartial and only focus on the facts.

"No, Mr. DiMera, I cannot. Because you are a miserable human being. And I'd like to tear you limb from limb for all the trouble you've caused my daughter," Amy said, matter-of-factly. When Belle asked the same, Amy replied, "No, I cannot. His trigger-happy son ruined everything for Sophia." Amy was quickly dismissed by both attorneys.

Leo was surprised to see Belle and EJ when he entered the courtroom. He quickly used Tesoro as his excuse to be dismissed. Belle pointed out that he had four other adults in his home who could watch the baby. So, Leo ended up on Johnny's jury after telling them he was very open-minded and thought any number of people could have shot EJ.

Once jury selection was over, EJ confessed how frustrating it was not to remember what happened. "The key to exonerating my son is simply recalling what happened that night," EJ said. Belle then came up with an idea to help EJ remember.

The new and dismissed jurors had their own encounters after court. Leo told Gabi he was selected for the Johnny DiMera case. Amy ran into Tate and told him that Sophia was in Chicago to meet with potential adoptive parents. Tate promised he'd talk about the matter later cause he had to get to the bank.

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