Days of our Lives Recap for Monday, December 16, 2024: Belle puts Sarah in the hot seat

Kate arrived in Philip’s room as he dressed for court and began criticizing his choice of attire. Philip told Kate about his lawyer’s resignation but assured Kate that his new lawyer “had it in the bag.” After he told Kate the lawyer in question was Belle, Philip assumed she disapproved. Kate clarified that she found it “fascinating” that Philip had his exes working for him and sarcastically asked if Chloe would be next. Philip defended his choice by saying that he’d had little time to find a replacement.

Philip also admitted that he’d asked Kate over because he wanted her to testify as a character witness for him. Kate scoffed and declared it wouldn’t be a “good idea.” Philip was flabbergasted and insisted that Kate could make his case since she knew about his prior mental illness. Kate reminded Philip that Vivian was still a thorn in their side and that the convict could decide to bust them at any time. Philip balked at the suggestion, but Kate remained unmoved.

Kate lamented how hard it had been to lie to Roman about the letter. She warned Philip to be prepared since Alex’s claim to the fortune had also been based on a forged letter. Philip promised he would be vigilant. Kate affirmed that while she would always support Philip, she wouldn’t perjure herself for him.

At the Brady Pub, Roman greeted Shawn with a hug. Roman had assumed Shawn would have already left town, but Shawn updated his uncle on his plans to stay in Salem. He showed Roman his police badge. Roman congratulated Shawn and expressed how nice it had been to see Shawn and Belle again. Shawn then had to break the news to Roman that Belle and he were divorcing, and Shawn assumed that Belle had already left town.

Roman joined Shawn at a table and told him how sorry he was about the divorce. He related to Shawn how he’d felt when Marlena and he had divorced and she reunited with John. Roman reminded Shawn that things had worked out for both Marlena and himself, as he was happily married to Kate. Roman conveyed his belief that Shawn was on a similar journey and that his nephew would find his way as well.

Later, Kate met with Roman at the pub. The couple filled each other in on Belle and Shawn’s respective decisions to stay in Salem. Kate hoped to be rid of Belle once Philip’s case ended. The conversation was interrupted by a phone call for Roman. When he answered, he indicated that the call had come from the prison.

Roman asked the caller, Vivian, what she wanted, but Kate abruptly took over the phone call when Roman had to tend to the pub. Kate ordered Vivian not to say anything to Roman about the forged letter. Vivian apparently signaled her intention because Kate responded that if Vivian exposed Kate, Vivian would also be hurting Philip.

At John and Marlena’s place, Brady brought Belle a sealed envelope that had been left by a messenger. Belle informed Brady that the documents were her divorce papers. She sighed and wondered when she would even see Shawn again. Brady expressed his regret about the divorce and stated he was sorry that he hadn’t gotten a chance to speak with Shawn. Belle said that Shawn had returned overseas to be with his dad.

Brady inquired if Belle would be staying in Salem longer than Shawn. She claimed her stay would be open-ended since she had taken Philip’s case against Xander. Belle filled Brady in on the sudden departure of Philip’s previous lawyer, and Brady agreed that the development had been “convenient.” Belle affirmed that she didn’t want “that SOB” Xander to get away with another underhanded tactic. She desired Brady’s help in stopping him and asked Brady if he would testify against Xander.

Belle reminded Brady of the conversation in which he had confided that Xander had attempted to maim and kill him. Brady refused to testify and gave his reasons why. For one, Xander had apologized to him, and he could understand why Xander had gone after him at the time. In addition, Brady worked for Xander. Finally, Brady remembered that Philip had set him up for murder, so Brady wasn’t Philip’s biggest supporter either.

Belle threatened to subpoena Brady. He countered that Belle would never be able to prove Xander’s intentions with either the bat incident or the incident where Xander had been in Brady’s room. Brady flatly told his sister to find another way to win the case.

Later, Belle encountered Shawn in Horton Town Square. They were surprised to learn that the other was remaining in Salem. Shawn wished Belle well with her case, and Belle, in turn, requested Shawn’s assistance with Philip’s lawsuit.

In Sarah and Xander’s bedroom, Sarah watched a restless Xander rouse from sleep. When Xander awoke, he admitted that he was worried Philip would successfully take everything from him. Sarah wondered what had happened to Xander’s positive attitude, and he confessed that it had been a “façade.” He had spent the night thinking about everything that could go wrong and worried about Philip bringing up his past. Sarah reminded Xander that Philip’s past was just as problematic, and she doubted Philip's lawyer would bring it up.

Xander said his plan to leave Philip without a lawyer had “backfired.” He fretted that the new lawyer could force Xander and Sarah to admit that he’d held a gun on Philip. Sarah reasoned that the incident had shown Philip’s instability. She assured Xander that he would always have Victoria and her no matter what happened. Xander was grateful for the support but was insistent that he wanted to provide financial support for his family since he had given up his work at the paper. Sarah continued her pep talk, which ended in a loving kiss between the couple.

Later, Xander and Sarah snuggled in bed after their lovemaking. Xander expressed his love for Sarah and mentioned needing to get ready for the day in court. Sarah urged him to stay in bed so she could distract him, and he gladly complied.

Downstairs at the Kiriakis mansion, Maggie walked into the main room to pour herself some coffee and was greeted by Justin. He apologized in advance for the favor he was about to ask. Justin wanted Maggie to testify in court on Xander’s behalf. Maggie challenged Justin on why he needed her testimony since Victor’s will had seemingly settled the matter.

Justin reminded Maggie that Philip had a letter that refuted the will. Plus, Philip benefited from Stephanie’s PR campaign, which successfully swayed the public to believe that Philip was “a poor little rich boy deprived of his birthright.” Justin also conceded that Xander’s history and the “notoriously unpredictable” judge charged with the case would make victory even more difficult. He believed Xander needed a character witness.

Maggie insisted that she didn’t want to get in the middle of a “family matter.” A frustrated Justin reiterated that Maggie was “the head of the family,” so her statement would carry a great deal of weight with the judge. He couldn’t understand why Maggie seemed unwilling to help Xander when she had been such a strong supporter of him in the past. Maggie explained that while she loved Xander, she wanted to support Philip as Victor’s son, too. She believed the battle for Titan was a legal issue and didn’t want to “tip the scales” in either direction.

As Justin joked that Maggie would be neutral like “Switzerland,” a formally dressed Xander came downstairs and overheard the comment. Xander asked Maggie if the comment meant she wouldn’t take sides. Maggie admitted she wouldn’t and apologized to Xander. He assured her she had nothing to be sorry for after everything she had done for him. He was confident that he wouldn’t even need Maggie’s testimony, as Sarah had helped him realize that he had a strong case.

Sarah joined Xander downstairs and linked arms with her husband. Maggie was happy to see that Sarah no longer needed to use her cane. The group expressed hope and optimism for the day ahead.

Later, Maggie stopped by John and Marlena’s place to check in on Brady. The duo shared a warm hug and talked about the impending lawsuit. When Brady revealed that he had rebuffed Belle’s attempt to get him involved, Maggie acknowledged that it would be best if they both steered clear of it. As she sat down with Brady, Maggie asked him about his recovery. He said that even though the road had been hard, he had managed to stay on the wagon.

Brady turned the conversation to Sarah and asked how her recovery was going. Maggie beamed and confirmed that Sarah was “literally making great strides.” Brady was relieved and happy for both Sarah and Maggie.

At the courthouse, Justin, Sarah, and Xander arrived in the judge’s chambers. When Justin and Sarah temporarily stepped out, Philip entered the chambers. Xander approached him and suggested he drop the lawsuit for Maggie’s sake since she had been through so much during the past year. Philip brushed off the suggestion and goaded Xander about his rocky relationship with Victor. He snidely offered that if Xander needed a job after Titan was taken from him, then Xander could always return to trimming the hedges at the mansion.

The comment enraged Xander, who started to call Philip a “son of a –” Philip sneered and supplied the punch line: “son of a Kirakis.” The brothers backed off when Belle came into the chambers. She took Philip aside and informed him that Brady had refused to testify. Belle pondered if someone else could confirm Xander’s attempts to harm Brady.

Just then, Sarah walked inside, and Belle looked at her contemplatively. Justin and the judge also entered the chambers, and the latter began the proceedings. Belle submitted the letter purportedly from Victor as evidence, and then she surprised the onlookers by calling Shawn to the stand. Shawn testified about growing up with Philip and witnessed Victor grooming Philip to take over Titan. He also referred to Xander as the “black sheep” of the family.

Shawn acknowledged that his relationship with Philip had been contentious, but he believed he should tell the truth about Victor’s wishes. When Justin questioned Shawn, the lawyer got Shawn to admit that letters and opinions should not supersede Victor’s will. When the judge asked Belle if she wanted to call any more witnesses, she indicated that she was done “for now.”

Justin began his case by submitting the contents of Victor’s will. When he tried to submit a letter of support from Alex, the judge refused to admit the letter into evidence on the grounds that Alex was not present in court and could not be cross-examined. A rebuffed Justin then called his next witness: Sarah. Once she took her place beside the judge, Sarah answered questions about both Xander and Philip’s relationships with Victor. She claimed that although Victor and Xander had a tumultuous bond, Xander had always loved and respected his father.

Sarah also took a shot at Philip for having been absent throughout most of Victor’s last years. She brought up a time when Philip had been in charge of Titan and had gotten mixed up with the mob because of gambling debts. She relayed that Victor had been very disappointed in Philip and his perceived recklessness with the company. When Belle started her cross-examination, she quickly got Sarah to clarify that Victor had still retained Philip as head of Titan, even after the scandal.

Belle then suggested that Sarah would do anything for Xander, to which Justin objected. Sarah calmly stated that she wanted to respond. She vowed that although Xander was the most important person in her life, she would not lie for him. Belle pounced on Sarah’s words and asked Sarah if Xander had recently tried to kill his nephew Brady.

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