Days of our Lives Recap, September 17, 2025: Sarah seeks a reconciliation with Xander

On Days of our Lives today, Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Steve and Brady launch their plan, Cat and EJ bond, and Thomas quizzes Chad.

What Happened on Days of our Lives

At Marlena’s place, Marlena’s curiosity was piqued when she discovered Brady slipping a toothbrush into a clear plastic bag. Brady only stated he was “exploring a theory,” and he didn’t want to trouble Marlena with it. He assured her he had the situation under control, but Marlena seemed skeptical. Their conversation turned to Rachel and the little girl’s unapproved trip to the prison. Brady outlined the punishments he was giving his daughter and affirmed that nothing like the incident could ever happen again.

While Marlena realized there needed to be “consequences” for Rachel’s actions, she compelled Brady to remember what his daughter was enduring emotionally. Kristen’s sentence seemed like a “lifetime” to Rachel, and if Brady failed to take her feelings into consideration, he could lose his daughter. Brady felt caught between properly punishing his daughter and respecting her struggles, and he acknowledged that Rachel had likely acted out because she believed her dad would keep her from her mom. Marlena conveyed her belief that Rachel needed to visit Kristen regularly, and – to Brady’s astonishment – she offered to help facilitate the meetings. “I would do anything for that little girl,” Marlena vowed.

At the hospital, Steve updated Kayla on his and Brady’s theory that the baby Javi had could be Tate and Sophia’s child. The PI asked his wife to run a DNA test. Kayla expressed reservations when she realized that neither Tate nor Sophia knew anything about the test. Steve claimed Brady, and he wanted to be sure, and he presented the sample that Rafe had obtained from the baby. When Steve repeated the request, Kayla flatly refused.

Kayla didn’t want to push the bounds of her doctor-patient confidentiality oath any further, and she didn’t want to give EJ an excuse to fire her. Steve backed off and said he understood. Kayla, however, raised his hopes again by providing a link to a website that ran DNA samples – without the need for a doctor’s approval.

Steve noted the irony that Tesoro could be John’s great-grandson. He had watched John struggle for years with his true identity. Steve was determined that the same fate not befall John’s family. He got choked up talking about his friend, so Kayla comforted her husband.

Later, Brady dropped off the toothbrush to Steve at the hospital and braced himself for the “waiting” game.

At the nurses' station, Sarah asked Xander about the press conference disaster. Xander conceded that Tony likely knew about Philip’s fraud. He dreaded his next-day meeting with Tony and expressed fear that the family stood to lose “everything.” Sarah sympathized with Xander’s predicament but saw a bright side in Philip and Xander seeming to mend fences.

Xander briefly talked with Sarah about Victoria, but Sarah admitted she had wanted to finish their conversation about Philip that had been interrupted. She again apologized for assuming that Xander had put Philip in the hospital. Xander appeared guilty by the continued deception, and he told Sarah he did forgive her. When Sarah asked for clarification on whether he could forgive her for lying to him about Philip’s fraud, Xander said that if he could forgive Philip, he could forgive Sarah as well. Sarah followed up with a question about whether they could save their marriage.

After Sarah said that finding out Xander hadn’t attacked Philip had “changed everything,” Xander tried to put off the conversation about their future by claiming he had an appointment with Marlena. Sarah believed Xander needed Marlena, and perhaps Xander and she needed each other, too. Xander left her with a promise to finish the conversation “soon.”

At the Brady Pub, Chad and Thomas enjoyed a father-son dinner. Thomas caught his dad off guard when he asked why Grandpa Jack and Grandma Jenn had said they wanted to keep an eye on Cat. After Thomas filled his dad in on what he’d overheard, Chad explained the situation was “complicated” but that Cat had done something to hurt Jack and Jennifer’s feelings, as well as his own. While Chad had been mad at Cat for quite a while, he eventually realized how sorry she was for what she had done. Thomas wondered why his dad could forgive Cat, yet his grandparents couldn’t.

Chad told Thomas that every person had their own timetable for forgiveness. Thomas compared the situation to Julie’s initial inability to forgive Doug's grandson. He threw his dad another curveball when he asked Chad, “Do you like her like her?” in reference to Cat. Thomas said Felicity had talked about Chad and Cat at the mini golf course, but Thomas had told Felicity that his dad still loved his mom. Chad pledged he would always love Thomas’ mom, and Cat and he were just friends who liked spending time together.

Chad asked Thomas if he was okay with Chad and Cat’s friendship. Thomas replied that he was okay with it since he liked Cat, too. Reassured by his son’s answer, Chad asked Thomas how things were going at school with Rachel. Thomas told his dad about Rachel running away from school again, which had landed her in trouble anew. Chad reminded Thomas of his promise to be supportive of his cousin Rachel.

Later, Chad and Thomas greeted Steve and Kayla when the couple entered the pub. Thomas went with Steve to talk about video games while Steve placed his order, so Kayla joined Chad at the table. Following a short chat about Thomas, Kayla asked for Chad’s opinion about the clinic plans EJ had for the hospital. Chad couldn’t say for certain that his brother had no nefarious intentions, but he hoped for the best. Kayla wondered if EJ’s new assistant, Cat, could be an ally for them to keep EJ in check.

Chad didn't know, but he asked Kayla to keep watch over Cat for him. Kayla surmised that Chad really cared about the woman. Their conversation was interrupted by Steve and Thomas’ return. Father and son said their goodbyes. After they departed, Kayla hinted to Steve that “complications” might be in store for Chad.

In EJ’s new hospital office, Cat put the finishing touches on the office décor while EJ made a congratulatory phone call to Tony about the coup with Titan. When he finished the call, EJ surprised Cat by inquiring if she had any questions about the blueprints she had found. Cat claimed she had just knocked the prints over and had no knowledge of how to read them. EJ nonetheless updated her on his plans to open a free clinic in the closed wing of the hospital. He added that he did have an “ulterior motive.”

Cat correctly guessed that EJ wanted to clean up his family’s image. He admitted he wanted to “launder” his own reputation as well. Cat thought the clinic was a worthy cause, since she now understood that EJ’s “penny-pinching” at the hospital had been for a good reason. EJ mentioned the fundraiser Cat had helped plan, which got the duo to talking about their date that didn't happen. EJ confessed he felt “cheated” that he had never gotten his “prize” with the date.

Cat admitted that she and Chad were seeing each other, albeit not on an “official” or public level. EJ informed her he’d long suspected Chad’s feelings, and he understood why Chad wanted to keep the relationship secret for the sake of his kids and in-laws. He invited his assistant to dinner as a thank you for her work.

Later, at the Bistro, Sarah approached Cat and EJ’s table. She expressed gratitude to EJ for planning a free clinic named after her grandfather and then made her way to her own table. EJ believed Sarah – much like everyone else – still didn’t trust him. The topic of EJ’s altruism made Cat ask why he had bid on her at the charity auction. EJ acknowledged he had done it in part to make himself look good. But a part of him had also simply wanted to go on a date with Cat.

EJ continued that something about Cat felt “different, yet familiar,” which had intrigued him and made him want to know more. Cat attributed the connection EJ had sensed to his belief that she was Abigail, with whom he had shared a history. EJ made his dinner date slightly uncomfortable when he commended her on how skillfully she had pulled off the con. Part of the reason he had hired her was that he wanted someone like her on his side.

Over at Sarah’s table, Brady settled down for his dinner with Sarah…but not before shooting a glare at EJ. He remarked on the “unlikely” couple, and Sarah clarified that Cat was only EJ’s assistant. Ready for a change of subject, Brady confided in Sarah about Rachel’s latest antics and his subsequent frustration. Sarah, in turn, gave Brady the lowdown about Tony’s allegations against Titan. She claimed no knowledge of the specifics of the situation.

Brady worried Xander and Philip had done something that could “sink” his grandfather’s company. Worse yet, they could take down Basic Black – a big part of John’s legacy – in the process.

Back at Marlena’s place, Xander arrived for his counseling session. He joined Marlena on her couch and immediately vented about Tony “hijacking” the press conference. Xander feared Tony’s antics could destroy his company. Marlena asked what he planned to do about it, and Xander admitted he didn’t know. He pledged to Marlena, however, that he would handle the matter in a “civilized” way and not resort to violence.

Xander also let Marlena know that he’d taken her advice about trying to make amends with Philip. He wanted to be a “united” front with Philip during the upcoming battle. Moreover, Philip's testing of him had made Xander realize that he truly desired a better relationship with his brother. Marlena commended Xander for the progress he had made. Xander confided that he was trying “to be the man I want to be, not just the man my father wanted me to be.” His insight impressed Marlena further.

Xander also opened up about the renewed hope he had for Sarah and him. He felt confident that if he could forgive Philip, he could forgive Sarah as well.

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