Days of our Lives celebrated a milestone 15,000th episode with familiar Salem faces 

The 59-year-old Days of our Lives ended an era and started a brand-new one on December 2, 2024, when its 15,000th episode streamed on Peacock and Salemites prepared to bury Doug Williams. The memorable episode was filled with flashback moments that hadn't been seen in decades, as well as returns that made Salem feel like home again.

Who dropped into Salem?

Thanksgiving saw the return of Matthew Ashford and Melissa Reeves as Jack and Jennifer Deveraux, as well as Sal Stowers and Lamon Archey as Lani and Eli Grant. They were there for Julie after Jack discovered that Doug had passed away. On Friday, we welcomed back Kristian Alfonso as Hope Brady and Brandon Beemer as Shawn Brady.

However, Monday also brought back some blast-from-the-past faces that hadn't been seen since the 1970s and 1980s. Stephen Schnetzer returned as Steven Olson, and Gloria Loring made her way to Salem as Liz Chandler. Maree Cheatham's Marie Horton also arrived, but she was last seen at Alice Horton's (Frances Reid) memorial in 2010.

The heart of Days of our Lives

During the 15,000th episode, our favorite Salemites reminisced about Doug, but none of it felt contrived, and all of it fit with the storyline. Even the returning players remained in character and showed us that the more things change, the more they stay the same, with plotlines that span generations in a way that only soap operas can.

It felt like catching up with old friends as Marlena visited with Liz and learned that she had two more children after she left Salem in 1986. We even got a reminder of Liz and Marie's old rivalry, which will come to a head on Tuesday. Steven Olson's scoundrel ways came back into play as he told Julie how he was suddenly reformed after time spent in India.

When one door closes...

The episode began with Billy Hayes' first scene as Doug as he anticipated his release from prison. In the next scene, Jennifer wondered how Julie would ever get used to sleeping alone after being married to Doug for 50 years. We then saw Julie wake up and reach for her husband, only to realize he was gone. Knowing that Susan Seaforth Hayes had also said goodbye to her husband, Bill Hayes, in January of this year made the scenes all the more real.

Throughout the episode, we saw black-and-white jail scenes of a young man named Doug waiting for his release. He was even reading a book about Davy Crockett, which was an homage to Hayes, who was famous for recording the song "The Ballad of Davy Crockett."

Trending

While the audience was not supposed to know who this young Doug was, casting news tells us that he is Doug Williams III (played by Peyton Meyer) and is headed to Salem to usher in a new generation for the Horton family.

Catch all-new episodes of Days of our Lives weekdays on Peacock.

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