Days of our Lives recap for Monday, January 23, 2023.
In today’s Days recap, after Marlena’s death, her children and grandchildren remembered her influence on their lives, while Allie caught Johnny and Chanel about to kiss, Eric turned his back on God and started drinking and Marlena’s soul left her body and journeyed to the hereafter.
In the last Days recap, Johnny and Chanel reconnected while helping John with a surprise for Marlena, Kristen was arrested for her part in the deaths of Kate and Kayla, EJ admitted to Stefan he knew about the brainwashing and John and Marlena watched a slideshow of their happy memories before she died in his arms.
Wendy sits on the Alice and Tom bench in Horton Square and texts Johnny with good wishes for Marlena, not knowing what has already happened.
As she gets up to leave, she runs into Tripp.
Wendy asks about his visit with Ava at the mental health facility. Tripp says it was a nightmare.
They grab a bistro table and Wendy pours some tea for Tripp.
“Okay drink this and tell me what happened,” she says.
Tripp tells her that Ava was hallucinating and thought he was his dead brother Charlie.
Wendy is shocked at this, so Tripp gives her the condensed profile of Charlie.
Wendy remarks she has a brother like that.
Tripp says Charlie was a lost soul and felt so much pain, he had to inflict it on other people.
Tripp tells Wendy about his brother’s knack for getting under people’s skin and the way Charlie made Ava feel like all the terrible things he did were her fault.
Tripp says when he visited Ava, she thought he was Charlie and started screaming, blaming him for everything that happened.
Tripp had to watch his mother get drugged, restrained, and dragged away, with Ava begging for his help.
Tripp wonders if Ava hates him for leaving her alone with Charlie at the mental hospital, alone in a nightmare she might never wake up from.
Wendy hugs him.
Johnny and Chanel sit in the hospital waiting room after setting up the rooftop slideshow for John and Marlena.
Johnny remarks on how much his grandparents have gone through.
“It’s like the days of their lives were written by Emily Bronte, directed by Hitchcock,” he says.
Johnny reminisces about how solid John and Marlena were, despite all the things that happened.
They always knew they were with the person they were meant to be with.
He goes on to compare John and Marlena with his favorite movie couples and the special connection they always had, no matter what was happening around them.
Johnny says he always thought he would find true love like theirs with the first person he fell in love with.
Chanel caresses his tear-stained face.
They’re just about to kiss when Allie walks in and asks what the hell is going on.
Chanel explains that Johnny was upset about Marlena and Johnny tells Allie their grandparents are up on the roof.
Chanel tells Allie about setting up the slideshow on the roof.
“Hmm,” Allie mutters. “I’d think you’d avoid roofs.”
Johnny tells Allie their grandmother didn’t want to die in a hospital bed.
He also informs her how he got Kristen arrested, to which Allie cooly asks if he wants a medal or something.
Chanel tries to explain how upset Johnny is, but Allie unleashes on her, too.
“I really don’t need you to explain my brother to me,” she snaps at Chanel.
Allie tells them both this isn’t about Marlena. This is about what she just walked in on.
Allie makes it clear she saw everything and knows what was happening between them.
Eric leads a candlelight prayer for Marlena with Belle and Will in the hospital chapel.
Eric and Belle ask God to save their mother.
Sonny comes in and tells everyone that the nurse said they can visit Marlena, but only two at a time.
Will tells Eric and Belle to go first, and they exit the chapel, leaving him alone with Sonny.
They talk about when they first got together and how confused and scared Will was about his feelings.
Will remembers that the only person he could talk to about what was happening was Marlena. She counseled her grandson to fight for Sonny.
Sonny says it wasn’t much of a fight because he wasn’t playing hard-to-get.
Will’s phone rings. It’s work. He picks up.
Will gets good news: the project he’s been working on got the green light, which means it will go into production.
Sonny congratulates his husband with a hug, but Will doesn’t look happy.
He tells Sonny that he’s needed on set when filming starts – in New Zealand. They want him to come now.
Sonny tells him he can’t turn down the opportunity because of Marlena, but Will says he can’t leave because of Sonny.
Will reminds Sonny of the 16-hour flight to New Zealand and how he will be there for six months. How can they make that work?
Sonny worries if Will turns down this opportunity, he might not get another.
Will is more worried about the state of their marriage and the vicious fight they had at Christmas about Leo.
Sonny admits he was wrong about Leo, who has only changed into a worse person than he already was.
Sonny tells Will if he lets their relationship hold him back, he won’t be himself anymore.
John and Marlena sit on a bench on the hospital rooftop, having just watched a slide show of some of their happiest moments together.
“Oh, Doc,” John says. “We’ve had a lifetime of wonderful memories, haven’t we?”
Marlena doesn’t respond. John realizes she’s died in his arms.
He weeps and holds her closer.
He tries talking to her, but there’s no response.
Sarah walks into Marlena’s hospital room to check on her and finds it empty.
She makes a call to find out where her patient is, but no one seems to know.
Eric and Belle walk into the room and panic at the sight of the empty bed, but Sarah calms them down.
Just then, John rushes in with Marlena in a wheelchair.
While Sarah tries to revive Marlena, John explains to Eric and Belle that their mom didn’t want to be in a hospital bed, so he took her up to the roof to be under the stars.
He apologizes for doing too much with Marlena, but Belle tells him he did the right thing.
Eric interrupts them and they all look to Sarah, who is standing silently next to Marlena’s lifeless body.
“I’m sorry,” Sarah says. “She’s gone.”
Belle is shocked and runs from the room.
After asking Eric to stay with Marlena, John runs after Belle.
A tearful Eric sits at his mother’s side and takes her hand.
Sarah offers to tell the rest of the family and leaves the room.
Eric strokes his mother’s hair and says she’s with God now.
“Maybe you can talk some sense into Him,” Eric says. “Because none of this makes any sense to me.”
Eric says, like Marlena, lots of people came to him for help with their problems. But Marlena was the only one he could count on to listen to him.
Eric goes on to say his faith always sustained him but now God has ignored his plea to save Marlena.
Eric thinks God has stopped listening to him.
He cries and puts his head on Marlena’s chest, wishing he could talk to her.
John and Belle walk back in.
Eric hugs Belle and John before leaving the room.
Belle sits at her mother’s side. She talks to Marlena about how people not only loved her but respected her, too.
“I’ve been so proud to be your daughter,” a tearful Belle says.
She remembers when Marlena was in a coma and Belle had to fight her family to honor Marlena’s wishes not to be kept alive by machines.
When Marlena woke up then, it was Hattie. Belle wishes Hattie was the dead person right now and not Marlena.
Belle talks about playing hide-and-go-seek when she was little and how she was always afraid that Marlena wouldn’t come back.
Now Belle wants to close her eyes and count to ten, so she can find her mother again.
Belle is inconsolable, but John tells her that she’ll always be a part of Marlena.
“Just like you are,” Belle says and hugs her father.
She tells him she’s going to let him be alone with Marlena, but she’ll be right outside if he needs her.
Belle leaves the room.
John reminisces about how he and Marlena first met when he didn’t even know who he was.
Marlena saw right through him, John thinks. She was the man he was and the man he could be.
John says he will always love her and gives her a final kiss.
He remembers more moments from their epic love story, including their reunion on the foggy pier.
John says their story isn’t over because he knows in his heart that one day they’ll be together again.
He rests his head on Marlena’s lifeless body and cries.
Sarah comes back into the room.
John stands up, smooths Marlena’s hair, kisses her on the forehead and walks out.
Sarah turns the light out and shuts the door behind her.
In the hospital waiting room, Johnny is trying to convince Allie she didn’t see anything, but Allie says she knows what she saw.
She turns to Chanel and demands her girlfriend tell her the truth, but just then, Sarah walks in.
Sarah’s face tells them everything.
Chanel tries to hug Allie, but Allie pushes her away and hugs Sarah instead.
A shocked Johnny says he needs some air and walks out.
Allie and Chanel sit silently, side by side. Belle comes out and hugs her niece.
They talk about how John is doing. Allie says she never saw anyone love anyone like John loved Marlena.
Belle says she’ll call Sami to break the news and leaves the room.
Against Chanel’s protest, Allie goes off by herself to find Will.
Johnny wanders Horton Square and sees Tripp and Wendy in an embrace.
Wendy sees him and asks about Marlena.
Johnny tells them his grandmother just died.
Tripp expresses his condolences, but Johnny wants nothing from him.
Johnny reminds Tripp that his mother Ava just recently killed Johnny’s grandma Susan.
Tripp tells him Ava is mentally ill, but Johnny thinks she played the victim card to get what she wanted.
“Your mother is a homicidal lunatic bitch,” Johnny says and then punches Tripp, who falls to the ground.
Wendy pleads with Johnny, but he walks off, saying Tripp started it.
Wendy helps Tripp up, who says he’s fine.
She says even though Johnny was upset, he had no right to say those things about Ava.
Tripp thanks her and Wendy tells him that’s what friends are for.
Will and Sonny are still in the chapel talking about Will’s work conflict.
Sonny agrees that no decisions need to be made until they find out how Marlena is doing.
They hug, just as Allie walks in.
The look on her face says it all, and she hugs her big brother.
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Belle finds Eric sitting alone in the hospital waiting room.
She suggests they go to the chapel and say a prayer for Marlena.
“You go,” Eric says. “God isn’t listening to me anymore.”
He makes a hasty exit, leaving Belle on her own.
Chanel sits on a park bench by herself, rubbing her cold legs.
Just then, Johnny walks by.
“Hey,” he says. “Mind if I join you?”
Sure, she answers, and they sit together quietly.
Belle joins Sonny, Will and Allie in the hospital chapel.
She tells Sonny how much Marlena loved him.
Sonny remembers how Marlena was on Sonny and Will’s side from the very beginning.
Will wants to say a prayer for Marlena. Allie asks where Eric is.
A despondent Eric is sitting alone at the Brady Pub bar, staring down a full shot glass.
He downs the drink.
“Hit me again,” he says and slams the glass down.
John is alone on the hospital rooftop, back where he and Marlena spent their final moments together.
Their wedding photo is still projected on the wall.
John gathers up her blanket and looks to the stars.
“I know you’re gonna be up there, Doc,” he says. “Looking out for all of us.”
Marlena’s lifeless body lies in the dark hospital room when the perspective shifts to her point of view.
Marlena is literally going towards the light!
Marlena’s soul pulls away from her body and stands up.
She finds herself entirely dressed in white and walking down a brightly light corridor.
Even in heaven, Dr. Marlena Evans is wearing a blazer.
She comes to a set of doors and pushes them open.
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