Days of Our Lives Full Episode Recap | Xander Gets Wrecked & Marlena Brings the Heat - Thursday, April 17, 2025 [SPOILERS]

Here we go, Days of Our Lives fans—secrets explode, betrayals cut deep, and Vivian delivers drama like only she can. This full episode recap is your no-holds-barred ride through everything you missed on Thursday's Days.

Xander gets wrecked by Vivian | DOOL, Peacock

Stephanie, Secrets & a Side of Guilt

Over at Kayla’s office, things start out all misty-eyed. Kayla’s getting emotional over a photo of her and Steve when Stephanie strolls in, visibly panicked but trying so hard to play it cool. Girl, please. You’re freaking out, and we can all see it.

Turns out Stephanie’s conscience is throwing a tantrum over the juicy secret she’s been sitting on (and basically forcing Alex to sit on too). She’s in way too deep and has no idea if she’s saving lives or torching them. Kayla, queen of gentle advice, tells her to "follow her heart" — as if that ever goes well on Days of Our Lives. Still, points for trying.

Marlena & Steve Crash the Party

Meanwhile, in Estonia (because why not), Steve and Marlena are playing spy games. The ISA still can’t figure out what “Rosebud” means, which, spoiler alert, is not a Citizen Kane tribute. They’re desperate to get to Orpheus, the eternal cockroach of DOOL, but he’s locked down tighter than Victor’s vault.

Cue Marlena’s genius plan: she and Steve don some lab coats, waltz into Orpheus' hospital room, and fake being his psychologists. Honestly, Oscar-worthy performances. They sweet-talk Orpheus by dangling the idea that a rogue nuclear weapon could ruin his grandkids' lives. Suddenly, the guy’s ready to cooperate — with conditions, of course. He wants his son Christian to get visitation rights. Marlena fake-promises with a letter, drops her bag on his bed, and gets the dirt: “Rosebud” is the codename for a sketchy arms exchange in Latvia.

Marlena & Steve grill Orpheus | DOOL

Of course, he’s conveniently fuzzy on actual coordinates. Shocking. Before peacing out, Marlena vows to help Christian (again, fake news). Steve reports everything to Andrew, but the ISA’s big wigs basically tell them to sit down, stay cute, and let the pros handle it. Marlena is NOT here for it, but she begrudgingly agrees.

Until she finds the note on her bag that changes everything: “If you want to see John alive, come back and come alone.” Because naturally, nothing can ever be simple on DOOL.

Alex & Stephanie’s Guilt Party Continues

Stephanie bumps into Alex, and it’s about as awkward as you’d expect. She’s dying to confess to Xander, while Alex is out here praying for silence like his life depends on it (because, let’s be real, it kinda does). Stephanie apologizes for dragging him into her dumpster fire of a situation, but that’s cold comfort when you’re carrying a secret that could blow Titan sky-high.

Stephanie & Alex | DOOL

Meanwhile, Alex has his own run-in with Philip, who casually tries to bond like nothing shady is happening. Alex, dripping sarcasm, basically tells Philip that all their "achievements" are built on lies — and when the truth comes out, it’s gonna be biblical. Spoiler: he’s keeping quiet for now, but it’s a ticking time bomb.

Sarah Drops a Bomb on Maggie

At Maggie’s place, Sarah comes home and instantly gets ambushed by her mom, who has some feelings about Vivian. (Spoiler: they're not warm and fuzzy.) Maggie waves around Vivian’s goodbye note like it’s Exhibit A in the trial of the century, but Sarah’s got bigger drama.

Sarah finally admits she’s harboring a secret so big it could destroy her relationship with Xander. Cue Maggie’s eye-roll. Turns out Sarah found out about the forged letter — the one Philip used to sneak his way into Titan — and kept it a secret out of pure fear that Xander would go full berserker.

Sarah shares her secret with Maggie | DOOL

Maggie’s surprisingly chill about it, though she can’t hide her horror that Stephanie and Alex are in on the secret too. The bottom line? Maggie tells Sarah that spilling the tea (oops, spilling the secret) would only make Sarah feel better — and rip Xander apart for no good reason. Mother knows best... at least in this Days of Our Lives full episode recap.

Vivian: Queen of Chaos

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for: Vivian storms into Xander’s new office looking like she owns the place and drops a nuclear truth bomb.

Vivian drops a bomb on Xander | DOOL

At first, Xander thinks Vivian’s dirt on Philip is just the same old boring Stephanie affair rumor. Bless his heart. Vivian is delighted to inform him otherwise: she’s the one who forged Victor’s letter. Not Philip. Not Theresa. Her.

When Xander doesn’t buy it, Vivian pulls out the big guns, flawlessly forging Victor’s signature right in front of him like she’s signing an autograph. She even quotes the entire fake letter by heart. Xander’s whole world crumbles right there, and Vivian? She’s just tickled pink about it.

Before sashaying out, she makes sure to rub it in: Philip’s betrayal is the real kicker. “Ta-ta,” she purrs, leaving Xander alone with a betrayal so deep it might just break him. Savage doesn’t even cover it.

Betrayals, Breakdowns & Plot Twists Galore

As if Xander’s life wasn’t enough of a mess, Philip shows up in the square just in time to catch Vivian on her petty victory lap. She’s practically glowing as she tells him that Xander now knows everything. Philip looks like he’s about to pass out. Honestly? He deserves it.

Sarah, meanwhile, is busy having a heart-to-heart with Victor’s portrait, guilt eating her alive, when Xander storms in and pours himself a stiff drink. Bad news travels fast, and Sarah instantly knows something catastrophic has gone down. Xander barely manages to choke out that he’s been betrayed in the “worst possible way.”

Xander informs Sarah he's been betrayed | DOOL

And just when you think Marlena’s day couldn’t get worse, she returns to Orpheus without the whole costume party vibe. Surprise: Orpheus lied about “Rosebud” because he’s still shady after all these years. He swears up and down that only he can save John, but Marlena is done playing games. Steve shows up just in time to drop the real bomb: the ISA cracked the code, and the arms exchange is actually in Minsk. Orpheus can take several seats.

Marlena and Steve stroll out, leaving Orpheus screaming in desperation. Salem’s finest win again — for now.

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