Days of our Lives Recap, October 23: Maggie gets Xander to tell Sarah the truth

Here is your Days of our Lives recap for Thursday, October 23, 2025.

What happened on Days of our Lives

Xander greeted Maggie in the Kiriakis living room, where he told her all about Victoria's trip to the pumpkin patch. The little girl had liked something the other kids did not. That prompted Maggie to say, "Sounds like Sarah. She was always attracted to things that scared others away."

"You mean, like me?" Xander asked. Maggie didn't answer that question. She only let Xander know she was worried about Xander and Sarah's newfound closeness and hoped everything would go well. After all, they also had Titan to worry about. They even mortgaged the mansion to save the business.

"Because of the risks, I need you to promise that we're going to be able to trust you this time," Maggie said. She reminded Xander that she had always been his biggest champion. She saw how much he had changed since falling for Sarah. Still, Maggie was afraid that Xander's anger issues had not been resolved and worried history would repeat itself.

Xander was grateful for his second chance and promised not to let anyone down. Maggie stressed that Sarah couldn't handle another heartbreak. Xander promised that things were different this time. Now, Marlena has given Xander the tools to control himself. "I'm committed to moving forward as a better father, husband, and man," Xander said.

Maggie soon realized that Xander was still hiding something, and deduced that it was Philip's attack. She remembered how his hands looked when he had come home that day. Xander did his best to deny, but to no avail. "I guess I've always known deep in my soul that it was you," Maggie said. Xander asked her to let it go, but Maggie claimed she couldn't because she loved him, but she also knew who he was and what he was capable of.

Maggie then asked Xander straight out if he attacked Philip. That's when Sarah walked in. "Xander, look my daughter in the eye and tell her you didn't attack Philip," Maggie demanded. Sarah was stunned to hear this topic was brought up again.

Sarah asked Maggie to leave. She questioned Xander, but he tried to hedge and claimed Maggie was hurling false accusations. Sarah wanted to know why, so she asked Xander herself. Could he look her in the eye and tell her that he didn't attack Philip? Xander looked Sarah in the eye and said, "I can't tell you that cause it isn't true. It was me. I attacked Philip."

At the hospital, Sarah explained to Amy Choi that Marlena recommended intensive inpatient treatment for Sophia at Bayview. "Are you telling me that you want me to institutionalize my daughter?" Amy asked, aghast. Sarah told her that Bayview was one of the best facilities that would take care of Sophia.

Amy was adamantly against the idea. She wanted to take Sophia home and get her outpatient therapy. Sarah refused to recommend that. "If she goes into a facility, it will mark her for life. People will think that my daughter is crazy. What will that mean for her future?" Amy asked.

Sarah admitted that society often stigmatizes mental illness, but Sophia might not have a future without proper treatment.

"You must think I'm a terrible mother, knowing my daughter gave birth at home and she didn't confide in me. I had no idea what she was going through," Amy said. Sarah acknowledged that Sophia made some questionable decisions, "but she did do what she thought was the right thing to protect her child," Sarah replied.

Later, Amy visited a catatonic Sophia and told her she would be going to Bayview. "I just want to say that I deeply regret how hard I was on you when I learned that you were pregnant," Amy said as tears streamed down Sophia's cheek. "And that I didn't support the decision to give the baby up for adoption, but I want you to know...I love you, Sophia, with all my heart. You're my oldest, the one who made me a mom. You are my pride and joy, always," Amy added in tears.

Brady approached Tate as he was working at The Brady Pub before Belle's birthday party started. Tate admitted he was adjusting to a new reality, as he spent months thinking he was a father. Tate said he felt a combination of relieved and sad. Brady confessed that he felt the same way.

"It's strange. How do you mourn the loss of a child that you never really had?" Brady wondered. Tate lamented that Holly expected him to just snap his fingers and be over it quickly.

Marlena, Belle, and Rachel soon arrived for the birthday get-together. Tate presented Rachel with a special dessert before she even had her dinner. Rachel complained about her new teacher, Jeremy Horton. "If my mom were around, she'd march down the school and talk with him," Rachel declared.

While Belle took a call, Marlena and Brady had time alone together at the table. They talked about Xander and Basic Black. When Marlena told Brady that John wouldn't mind if Brady wanted to do something else with his life, Brady confessed that he just didn't know what that something else was.

Soon, all four were sitting at the table, but Marlena suggested Rachel go ask for more ice cream when Belle brought up EJ. Once Rachel was gone, Belle told Brady that EJ wanted her to press charges against Sophia for what she did to Johnny, but Belle and Brady agreed that it was a bad idea. They all agreed she had been through enough.

When Rachel returned and they all began joking about ice cream, Rachel was alarmed when her glass fell. She remembered breaking the paperweight in front of Uncle EJ back in the summer. Marlena noticed Rachel zone out for a moment and asked if she was okay. "I made such a mess," was all Rachel could say.

Marlena took Rachel outside. Rachel told Marlena that dropping the glass reminded her of dropping EJ's paperweight. "He got really mad at me," she said. Marlena assured Rachel that EJ was not mad.

In their dorm room, Holly and Ari lamented the meeting they just had with the university's disciplinary committee. The girl got probation, which didn't seem to bother Ari, but Holly was down in the dumps. "It means if I do anything else, I'm out," she said.

Ari thanked Holly for taking full responsibility for the fire. Holly thought she deserved the punishment. "I know I've done some pretty reckless things in my life, but I never even got a detention in high school, and now I'm at risk of being expelled from college?" she asked.

Ari was pragmatic, telling Holly she just needed to stay out of trouble and start with a clean slate next year. Ari changed the subject to Sophia. The girls marveled at the fact that Sophia gave birth by herself in her bedroom.

"That must have been so scary for her," Holly said. "But honestly, it doesn't excuse what she did."

Holly thanks Ari for bringing their clothing to the dry cleaner. Ari informed Holly that she had some help in the form of a handsome stranger. She later realized he was Theo Carver. Holly pointed out that he was way too old for Holly. "If there's one thing I learned from Johnny and me, it's no good to be thirsting for some older guy," Holly asserted.

When Tate arrived, Ari left, but Holly rejected Tate's advances as she tried to focus on her schoolwork. Eventually, Holly told Tate she was on probation, which was causing added stress. Tate asked if things were okay between them. Holly said it was hard to jump in where they left off. Tate finally decided to leave.

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