Days of our Lives Recap, February 25: Ari makes a new connection

On Days of our Lives today, Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Holly confides in Maggie, Philip and Gabi both grapple with difficult news, Rafe and Cat make headway, while Dimitri and Leo hit a roadblock.

What Happened on Days of our Lives

At the Salem U dorms, Arianna tried in vain to get Holly out of bed. Ari wanted her roomie to accompany her to a sorority mixer. Holly moaned about destroying her chances with the sorority. Arianna encouraged her, but Holly testily replied she wasn’t going. She did take the time to check her phone and saw a story about Stephanie’s abduction.

Holly expressed concern…not for Stephanie but for how the development would affect her internship. Ari called out Holly’s self-absorption and reminded her friend that they – better than most – should know exactly what Stephanie was enduring. Ari bluntly told Holly to get it together and left.

Later, at the Kiriakis mansion, Holly visited Maggie and immediately flew into her grandmother’s arms in tears. Maggie sat Holly down and compelled her to open up. Holly told Maggie about her recent fraught encounters with the sorority girls, with Tate, and earlier with Ari. She confessed her fears about losing control. When Maggie questioned what could be causing Holly’s change in behavior, Holly didn’t have an answer.

Maggie gingerly asked Holly if she had been drinking. Holly swore she hadn’t. She admitted that Tate had also asked her about drugs. She hadn’t reacted well, but she could understand why people might assume she was using again. Holly felt the same way as she had before she had overdosed. Maggie wondered if any new medications could be causing side effects; Holly stressed that the only medicine she had been taking was a skin supplement, but she had been taking the pills well before her problems had started.

Maggie pressed Holly about seeing her doctor. Holly snapped that she would when she had the time. She worried about pushing the people she loved away, especially Tate. Maggie affirmed that just like herself, Tate loved Holly and would understand. She seemed to persuade Holly to have a talk with Tate. Holly thanked her grandmother for the support.

Gabi stopped by for her date with Philip, only to find him in a bad state because of Stephanie’s disappearance. Philip filled Gabi in on the kidnapping and confessed that he felt guilty. The last time Stephanie had been in a similar situation, it had been because of him and his war with the DiMeras.

Gabi assured Philip he had nothing to feel guilty about this time. In fact, his worry for Stephanie and desire to help find her demonstrated his true character. Gabi wanted to take Philp’s mind off his troubles. Philip acquiesced.

Later, on their date, Philip asked Gabi about the results of Stefan’s handwriting analysis. Gabi said the results had proven inconclusive, and she expressed frustration that she might never know if Stefan had wanted to divorce her. Gabi believed she should just let it go, but Philip urged her to continue seeking the truth.

For his part, Philip believed the signature had to be a forgery. He couldn’t see how Stefan could ever stop loving Gabi. She took Philip’s hand and conveyed how lucky she considered herself to have Philip in her life.

In Horton Town Square, Liam froze when he spotted EJ approaching him. EJ stayed calm and collected as he stated that he knew of Liam’s role in his family’s abduction. Liam braced himself for the fallout, but EJ only smiled and told him they could work out a deal. EJ wouldn’t seek retaliation against Liam if the other man did a job for him.

Liam didn’t want to land in trouble again with anything illegal. EJ suggested he merely wanted Liam to let him know immediately if the man who had arranged the kidnappings contacted Liam again. And EJ had one more caveat: Liam couldn’t tell the cops.

Later, at Small Bar, Liam nursed a drink. Ari entered the bar, and the duo quickly caught each other’s attention. Ari approached, and some light flirtation ensued. Ari’s upbeat mood took a sudden turn to panic, though, when she saw Gabi and Philip arrive. Ari blurted that her mom couldn’t see her drinking, so she pulled Liam into a kiss to hide her face. Liam readily responded and – after Ari begged him to hide her – he took her hand and hurried her out the door.

Outside, Liam and Ari finished their great escape. Ari thanked Liam for taking her improvised plan in stride, and she also thanked him for making a bad day much better. Liam suggested they “hang out on purpose” some time, and Ari readily agreed. She gave him another kiss on the cheek and walked off. Liam looked after her, seemingly smitten. His smile faded, however, when he saw EJ staring in his direction.

At the Hernandez home, Cat joined Rafe in evaluating the hospital footage of Stephanie’s kidnapping. Rafe worried that the kidnapper had covered his bases, since he had successfully avoided any close encounters with the camera. Rafe also updated Cat on the sedative that had been used on Stephanie’s guard. It had apparently not been for sale anywhere in the United States, which led Rafe and Cat to ponder how a schoolteacher like Jeremy could have acquired the drug.

When Cat brought up EJ’s indirect involvement with the case, Rafe took the opportunity to give her an update about the numbers she had retrieved from the lab lock. Unfortunately, even narrowing the numbers down left thousands of combination options. Rafe stressed they needed to get into the lab, but Cat admitted all her efforts to get access through her brother had proven fruitless. Both theorized that EJ’s experiment must be “hiding in plain sight,” since EJ had given the cops access to investigate Stephanie’s abduction.

During the conversation, Cat managed to get an update of her own, this time in regard to the DiMera kidnappings. A positive identification had been made on the man who had hired Liam. And, unlikely to be a coincidence, that man just so happened to reside in Alamainia.

Cat went to Horton Town Square to fetch food for Mark. She ran into EJ, and they briefly chatted about Stephanie’s abduction. After Cat jokingly mentioned her brother Mark’s busy schedule, EJ hinted that the progression of the lab tech’s work could free up his time very soon.

Back at Casa Hernandez, Rafe got a call from Javi, who asked about Leo. Rafe told his cousin that Leo was out of town.

In Alamainia, Leo tossed and turned in bed. Dimitri, who was sleeping on the floor, cajoled his ex about being the reason for Leo’s restless state. Leo denied it and claimed instead their interaction with the unhinged Vivian – who did have a propensity for burying people alive – had gotten to him. Dimitri joined Leo in bed and attempted to provide reassurance about his plan. Dimitri had noticed several lapses in security, and he planned to take advantage of his next outing to the estate…which he would undertake alone.

Leo protested and insisted he was accompanying Dimitri. After Dimitri took a jab at Leo’s lack of killer instincts, Leo defended that he could serve as an effective lookout. He presented an amendment to the plan: talk up the florists, who were known to be shameless gossips, and find out when Vivian and her faithful servant Ivan would be out visiting Stefan’s grave. Dimitri conceded that the suggestion was good and admitted he could use the help.

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Dimitri needled Leo about Leo’s seeming concern for his safety. Leo huffed and said he would feel the same concern for anyone. He did wonder what would happen if Dimitri’s attempts to prove his innocence were unsuccessful. Dimitri reasoned that since Alamainia had no extradition treaty with the United States, it would become their “forever home.” Dimitri, with a cheeky smile, added, “Then you’ll be stuck with me.”

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