Days of our Lives Recap, May 12: Ari pursued Liam in defiance of Gabi

On the Tuesday, May 12, 2026, episode of Days of our Lives, Holly struggled with her emotions, Ari pitched Liam on a romantic relationship, Gabi offered Philip a gift, and Belle asked Marlena for advice on a case.

What happened on Days of our Lives

Marlena had a chat with Belle | Image: Peacock

At the penthouse, Marlena told Belle that Stefano had left a chess set for John with a pawn and a queen chess piece on top. “That is deeply creepy,” Belle noted. Marlena admitted she had left the reading early without the chess set. “I don’t want anything from that man in my house. I don’t want him in my head at all. He’s gone,” Marlena said.

Belle agreed that was a reasonable decision. Despite the obvious metaphor, Belle wondered if Marlena was curious about the meaning of the gift. With a shrug, Marlena said that it was clear that Stefano had wanted to torture John with the gift, and that Stefano had not expected that John would be dead when the gift was bequeathed. Marlena said she did not want to play games with Stefano any more.

Marlena asked about Shawn, and Belle confirmed that Shawn would move into Jada’s the next day. Belle did not mention to her mother Shawn’s preference to be intimate with Jada instead of her. Belle simply said she understood why Shawn had rejected her offer. Belle told Marlena about Amy’s quest to charge Holly with cyberbullying. “It’s your job to prosecute criminals, not protect family,” Marlena said. Marlena reminded Belle that John would advocate for her to do the right thing and recuse herself.

Nothing more than feelings

Holly got a lecture from Sarah | Image: Peacock

In the town square, Brady told Sarah that he had decided not to tell Rachel about Sophia until there was more news. Sarah admitted that she was worried about Holly’s emotional health after recent events. Sarah explained that Amy was telling everyone that Holly had driven Sophia to suicide. Brady said he had heard about the online comments from Sophia’s dad.

At the Brady Pub, Tate reminded Holly that although he was almost done with work, he had to go to the dojo to teach a class. Tate asked Holly about her big chemistry test. Holly said she had been unable to concentrate because of Sophiaand left the last half of the test incomplete. When Holly said she was certain that she had ruined her future with this one test, Tate disagreed.

Holly argued that grades did not matter to Tate because he was a dropout. “It’s not a forever thing. I could change my mind,” Tate countered. Tate argued that Holly should not worry so much, because “It’s not like your life is over.” Holly frowned. “Not like Sophia’s,” Holly said. Tate apologized for having been insensitive. Holly admitted she had been obsessing about the past, and Tate said he was struggling too.

After Tate left, he ran into Brady on the way to the dojo. Tate admitted that he was angry at Sophia, but that he also cared about her. Brady agreed that despite all the drama, he was upset that things had ended in Sophia’s probable death. Brady encouraged Tate to talk to a therapist. Tate said he wanted to talk to Amy to advocate for Holly, but Brady warned Tate that it would make the situation worse.

Sarah met up with Holly at the pub for dinner, where she told Holly that she needed to acknowledge her feelings and talk to someone about them. When Sarah told Holly that Amy had talked to Maggie about the message board posts, Holly apologized. “I wasn’t in my right mind after everything Sophia did,” Holly said.

Sarah reminded Holly that Amy needed to blame someone as part of the grieving process. Sarah promised Holly that she and Maggie would support her, and she advised Holly to think twice before posting negative comments in the future. Defensive, Holly argued Sarah was calling her a bad person. Sarah told Holly that she loved her, and she wanted to make sure that she did not withdraw from her support system. Although Sarah acknowledged that Holly had suffered from the medication Sophia had given her, Sarah did not appear to give Holly any slack for her emotional outbursts. Frustrated, Holly stormed out.

Catch of the day

Gabi was grateful for Philip | Image: Peacock

As predicted by Philip, Gabi’s order not to date Liam backfired. Ari went to the bookstore to plead her case with Liam about dating. Liam argued that Ari did not know him, and she should not get to know him. Ari told Liam that she knew he was learning to read and that he had a five-year-old son. “Is there anything else I should know before I decide if you’re good for me?” Ari asked. Liam stressed that he had gone legit. Liam told Ari that he liked her, but that he was bad for her.

“I kind of like bad boys,” Ari said. Liam argued that he needed to prioritize his son. Liam added that Gabi would not approve. With a laugh, Gabi noted that her mother was an ex-con herself, and she did not have a say in Ari’s life. Liam argued that Gage did. Ari asked for a real kiss first and Liam obliged.

Gabi met up with Philip in their bedroom when she returned from Stefano’s will reading. Gabi told Philip that although her news about being a widow had been a surprise for the DiMeras, it had paled in comparison to the news that Lexie was alive.

Gabi told Philip that she appreciated all he had done to help her, but that the DiMera family was eager to disprove any evidence that she was still married to Stefan when he had died. Philip handed Gabi a stack of papers with Vivian’s handwriting. “In case you can’t prove that Stefano didn’t sign those papers, you can prove that she did,” Philip said. Philip said he wanted to give Gabi closure and help her stick it to the DiMera family.

“Knowing that Stefan went to his grave still loving me, still married to me, it would mean so much to me,” Gabi confessed. Gabi promised to give Philip some of the inheritance since he had helped her, but he refused it. When Philip said Gabi did not owe him anything, she whispered, “Yeah. I do.”

Philip argued that he had not done much for Gabi, but she recounted all the ways he had supported her emotionally. “I am kind of a catch,” Philip agreed. Gabi noted that his family had helped her through a tough time, and she wanted to help them. Despite Gabi’s many hints, Philip still did not appear to sense that she felt guilt for having betrayed him.

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