Days of our Lives Recap for Thursday, January 9, 2025: Stephanie overhears Philip, Holly brings home Doug

Brady came to the DiMera mansion and warned Kristen that he knew the texts were coming from her house. He said if she didn’t stop bothering Ava, she’d be slapped with a harassment suit. Kristen told him it was Rachel sending the texts. She explained that she figured it out, and Rachel admitted to it. Brady told Kristen it was still her fault.

Brady accused Kristen of teaching Rachel that the way to get what you want is through threats and intimidation. Kristen blamed Brady instead. She said his relationship with Ava was indicative of his patterns and that it had messed up his kids. Brady was infuriated when Kristen called Tate a walking disaster and labeled his legal troubles as a cry for attention. Kristen told Brady that Rachel wanted his attention, too.

Brady and Kristen argued but then agreed that they were both at fault. Brady asked how they could prove to Rachel that they could get along for her sake. They agreed that Rachel was clever and defiant and had no problem disobeying them. He thought Rachel needed professional help, but Kristen was adamantly against the idea. Brady said they had to jump on it and fix it or else Rachel would turn out to be just like them. They agreed they thought she deserved to be better than that.

Kristen relented that if Brady found a therapist, she would ensure she went to all of her appointments. Kristen agreed they should try their damnedest to be on the same page about everything. Brady was relieved and asked to talk to Rachel. Kristen suggested they talk to her together.

Tate saw Sophia and said he had just seen Holly. Sophia apologized for telling Holly she was still pregnant, but Tate took responsibility for not telling her himself. He said he was too afraid to tell her. Tate shared that Holly didn’t say much; she just got upset and took off, and he had no idea where she went. Sophia felt bad that she had assumed Holly knew already. Tate told Sophia that now the two of them were having a baby together, Holly feared things would never be the same between her and Tate again. “I guess she’s right,” he said reluctantly.

Tate wasn’t sure if he and Holly could recover from it, but he wasn’t giving up. He told Sophia her mom had come over and wanted to plan their wedding. He added that Brady had told her mom there was no way they would get married. Tate reiterated that she wouldn’t go through it alone and that he and Brady would be there for her.

Sophia lamented about her pro-life mom’s lectures. Tate asked if Sophia had thought about adoption. Sophia thought her parents would hate the idea. She said her mom ruled everything and would probably want to raise the baby herself instead of giving it up to strangers. Tate told Sophia that they weren’t ready to be parents and thought adoption would be best for both of them. Sophia agreed they weren’t ready and thought adoption might be for the best.

Tate offered to go with Sophia to talk to her parents about adoption, but she didn’t think it was a good idea. Sophia asked Tate to go with her to her doctor’s appointment instead, and he said he would. Sophia was relieved. He told her that she didn’t have to beg for anything and he would be there for her. Sophia thanked him, but Tate said it wasn’t necessary. After Sophia left, Tate tried calling Holly, but she ignored him.

At Titan, Philip told Xander to get out of his chair. Xander sent him to an office down the hall instead. Philip told him it was the CEO’s office, and Xander asked if he wanted to draw straws or do a duel. “Why not?” Phillip responded. They resolved the issue by putting two desks in the office.

Once they started working, Xander told Philip they should take over DiMera Enterprises. Philip was surprised, given that Kristen had just done Xander “a solid” with the serum. Xander disagreed and thought the DiMera infighting should be exploited.

Xander and Philip squabbled about whether or not it was a good idea to take over DiMera. Philip said he had a second chance, and it wasn’t how he wanted to operate anymore. Xander said Victor would be salivating at the opportunity. Philip wasn’t salivating at the chance to attack Kristen. He said he wouldn’t do anything that would endanger Stephanie again.

Philip admitted that he and Stephanie were seeing each other. He reiterated his desire to do things properly and not pursue the DiMeras. “So your little plan isn’t happening,” Philip concluded. I knew this was going to be a disaster,” Xander sighed before leaving.

In the park, Holly told a beaten-up Doug she was calling the police, but he stopped her. She offered to take him to the hospital, but he didn’t want her to get involved, so he asked her to forget what she saw and leave. Holly said she couldn’t do that. Doug said the hospital would call the police, and he couldn’t risk it. Holly helped him up and told him that she knew someone who could help, and it was someone he could trust.

Stephanie came to the Kiriakis mansion and saw Sarah, who noted the Xander had gotten a jump start on the new year by going to the office. Steph said that was what Phillip had said before going to work as well. Steph admitted that she and Philip had been spending a lot of time together but weren’t officially together.

Stephanie felt partially responsible for the Titan situation so she hoped it worked out. Sarah said that’s what Steph was hired to do but it was the letter from Victor that tipped the judge’s decision. Sarah explained that when Philip showed up with the letter, it was at the worst possible time for Xander, but if it hadn’t happened the way it did, Kristen would have Titan. She added that Xander had issues already with his father and Theresa, so she understood his skepticism when Philip showed up with the letter, and Steph could see her point. They wondered if it was good for Xander to have a co-CEO.

Sarah thought Philip and Xander could keep each other in check. “Or they could team up and destroy the world,” Steph said. Holly interrupted by hobbling in with Doug and asking for Sarah’s help. Sarah checked out Doug and wasn’t sure his ribs weren’t broken without an x-ray. Holly held Doug’s hand as Sarah gave him stitches.

When she was done, Sarah insisted that Doug rest in one of the bedrooms, and they offered to clean his clothes. Once alone, Steph and Sarah couldn’t believe what just happened. Steph had to go meet Philip for dinner. She quipped that she couldn't wait to hear how his day at the office went. Xander came home after Stephanie left and slammed his briefcase down. He said his day turned into a nightmare, thanks to his brother.

Upstairs, Holly helped Doug to the bed as he noted he didn’t know she lived in a mansion. Holly took his shirt off so it could be cleaned. They sat on the bed and stared at one another as Doug smiled. Her phone rang, but when she saw it was Tate, she dismissed the call. Holly told Doug that she lied to her aunt for him but wanted to know the truth about why he didn’t want her to call the police.

At Titan, Philip was on the phone with his mom and told her to relax. He explained that he and Xander were off to a rocky start, but it was no worse than he had expected. As Philip assured Vivian that there was no way that Xander would find out, Victor’s letter was a forgery. Stephanie arrived and overheard them talking.

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