Days Recap: Days of our Lives Recap, October 28: EJ Disavows and Disowns Johnny

In today’s Days of our Lives recap for Wednesday, October 28, 2026, EJ gets alarming news, Johnny lays it all on the table, Cat refuses to abandon her mission, Joy continues playing pretend for Halloween, and Gwen laments her DOA love life.

Bad Romance Reflections

Gwen didn't appreciate being the last to know | Image: Peacock

In Horton Town Square, Gwen was puzzling over a newspaper crossword when she saw the headline about Xander’s shooting. Leo arrived just in time for Gwen to lambast him about not telling her sooner. Although things had gone sour with Xander and her, she did almost marry him and still cared about the man. Leo apologized and reassured Gwen that Xander had made it through surgery.

Gwen was relieved, as Leo fondly reminisced about his journey from trying to seduce a man too handsome to play James Bond to eventually becoming Xander’s “therapy buddy” and friend. Gwen used Javi’s presence during the crisis as an opportunity to pry Leo for information about his and the paramedic’s relationship status.

Leo played coy at first but eventually blurted out that Javi and he were back together. He cautioned himself to stay reserved and hopeful, gave up, and gave in to being a hopeless romantic. The announcement caused Gwen to burst into tears.

Leo expressed concern for his bestie. Gwen insisted she was crying tears of happiness for Leo, as she’d felt guilty for her role in Javi and Leo’s breakup. The tears grew more mournful, and Gwen admitted she was saddened by the lack of love in her life. It turned out money couldn’t buy her true happiness. Leo pledged that Gwen would one day have her “Bridget Jones” rom-com moment. In the meantime, she had him; the friends shared a hug.

DiMera Life Lessons

Johnny and EJ pondered the latest DiMera crime scene | Image: Peacock

At the DiMera mansion, EJ ordered someone over the phone to get George O’Halloran’s laptop at all costs. He then strode with purpose out the door. Meanwhile, at DiMera Pharmaceuticals, Johnny gazed upon the shooting scene before him and mused that it hadn’t needed to end this way. He was soon joined by EJ, who told Johnny he had just as much responsibility for the chain of events as EJ himself. Father and son needed to have a “long-overdue” talk.

The DiMera men went to an office, where EJ launched into a long diatribe about Johnny’s betrayal. EJ had raised Johnny and had strived to teach his son the most important family lessons. Now Johnny would listen for the final time. “I put the world in your hands because I believed you could carry it…that you could carry us,” EJ began. He added that he had handed his son the keys to a legacy that most men “would burn kingdoms for” and “where the DiMera name means something --more than scandals and headlines and ghosts.”

Johnny had treated this legacy like a “lost wallet” to be handed over to the police. “You didn’t just betray me. You betrayed every chance I bled to carve out for you.” EJ had crawled his way “back from death to reclaim” that legacy. And Johnny had tossed it all away with the “righteousness of a child who doesn’t know the cost of anything.”

Johnny was not “noble,” “good,” nor “a serious man.” EJ’s son had instead mistaken “impulse for morality, guilt for conscience, and betrayal for integrity.” EJ proclaimed he was “profoundly, irrevocably disappointed” that Johnny had given up the “chance to shape your own destiny before someone else shapes it for you.”

EJ deemed Johnny “not a leader, not an heir,” but rather “a child who ran to the police because he couldn’t stomach the weight of his own name.” He commanded his son to “run to your righteousness…hide behind your confessions because I release you…I forsake you.” EJ then cautioned Johnny that "when the world stops applauding your moral theater,” Johnny would realize “power inherited has to be earned, weakness is not forgotten, and a father’s disappointment is forever.”

Johnny didn’t back down in his response. He conceded that EJ had raised him, and he had listened to EJ’s assertions that “nothing is more important than legacy and that power is the only shield worth raising. I listened when you said the world is divided between those who win and those who become collateral damage.” Johnny had believed EJ because he had loved his father and because “every son wants to believe his father earns the pedestal he stands on.”

But Johnny finally understood real strength. It wasn’t “twisting the truth or dressing up a lie in a three-piece suit and calling it a legacy.” Johnny would rather “burn the whole DiMera mansion down than live in the shadow that you call destiny.” Johnny refused to “sentence” his children to “thinking that fear is the same thing as respect…that leadership is cruelty…that a family name is more important than the family itself.” Moreover, Johnny wouldn’t make his family wonder every day “what version of you I’m gonna become.”

Although Johnny might not be the son EJ wanted, he was a good husband, father, and “a good man”…one who refused “to let the DiMera curse determine the fate of my children.” Johnny was willing to be called weak and foolish. “If choosing my family over your empire means that I lose everything you gave to me, I’ll survive.” Real love — and the life Johnny was building with his family — was stronger.

“Your disappointment will last forever,” Johnny declared to EJ, “but so will my choice. I choose my family.” As the final verbal blow, Johnny added, “for the first time in my life, no thanks to you, I finally understand what it means to be a man.”

EJ delivered his own final blow. Although he loved his son, Johnny’s betrayal could never be forgotten or forgiven. “You finally got what you wanted. I am out of your life — for good this time.” EJ walked away, leaving his son to absorb the words.

PT and PR Crisis

Stephanie was the bearer of good and bad news | Image: Peacock

At Alex and Stephanie’s apartment, Stephanie returned from the hospital with the good news that Steve was okay and had been released from the hospital. Alex was happy for Stephanie but had worse news to deliver about his own family. He told her about Xander’s shooting, and Stephanie expressed her hope that Xander would pull through. Alex had better news about Joy. When he filled Stephanie in on Joy’s miraculous restoration of feeling in her legs, she was shocked and happy for the development.

Stephanie soon admitted her plan to bust Joy for faking her paralysis. Alex conceded he’d had his doubts at times, but he didn’t think Joy would intentionally be separated from Kelsey. Stephanie begrudgingly agreed and said she must have been wrong. As Alex and she embraced, though, Stephanie’s face still reflected doubt. Alex showed Stephanie the ladybug Halloween costume he’d bought for Kelsey and made time for a little canoodling with his wife before he took off for trick or treating.

Later, Stephanie met with Johnny at DiMera Enterprises. Stephanie did her best to prep Johnny for the public relations fallout that would come from Xander’s shooting. Johnny regretted ever getting Xander and Sarah involved in the whole mess. He confided in Stephanie about EJ cutting him out of his life. Stephanie assured Johnny that even if he was no longer considered a DiMera, he would always be a Brady.

Joys of Recovery

Joy put on a show for Tate and Alex | Image: Peacock

At the Kiriakis mansion, Joy happily talked with Kelsey in her room. She apologized for all the time she’d had to spend away from her daughter but pledged to the little girl that it would all be worth it when Kelsey’s daddy moved in with them. Joy also promised Kelsey that her flirtations with Tate were all for show because she “only had eyes for your Daddy.”

On cue, Tate arrived for a training session with Joy. She told him about how she was regaining feeling in her legs and wiggled her toes to prove the point. Tate was pleased with the progress, and Joy credited him with helping her recover. She was determined to continue regaining strength, with Tate’s help. When she heard Alex outside the door, Joy embraced Tate just as he entered.

Tate said his goodbyes and left Joy alone with Alex. She sang Tate’s praises some more and then turned her attention to the upcoming trick or treating excursion with Alex and Kelsey. Joy looked forward to the family outing.

Best-Laid Plans

Cat took Steve up on his offer. Image: Peacock

At Black Patch, Cat went to Steve for advice since Rafe was out of town. She commended the PI’s quick recovery. Steve let it be known he believed EJ was responsible for tasering him. He again advised Cat to drop her mission, or else she “might not live to regret it.” Steve likened the situation to Cat entering a cage and being “mauled by the tiger.” Cat called out Steve on returning to work and to his mission so soon after being released from the hospital.

Cat knew Steve would never shirk a duty, and neither would she. Steve acknowledged Cat’s determination and offered his assistance. Cat updated him on EJ’s newest obsession: Dominic Marino. She didn’t believe EJ truly knew anything about his possible brother, and she had agreed to help him find answers by securing Dominic’s birth certificate. Steve indicated he had a copy and would give it to Cat on the condition that she remain discreet about where she had obtained the document.

Later, at the DiMera mansion, Cat caught EJ in the middle of a tirade. He bemoaned the multiple emergencies at his doorstep, including his son’s betrayal, Rita’s sudden disappearing act, and George O’Halloran’s death. Cat promised EJ that he still had her, which calmed him down a bit. His mood improved even further when she showed him a copy of Dominic Marino’s birth certificate that she’d secured with “a little coaxing.” The certificate listed Stefano and Marlena as Dominic’s parents and his birth year as 1988.

Cat said she’d look into where the document had originated. EJ warmly thanked her for the help and the support. After Cat departed, however, EJ got a call informing him that the ISA now had O’Halloran’s laptop. He flew into a panicked rage and threw his glass in the direction of Stefano’s portrait.

Is EJ’s downfall imminent? Is Johnny really out of the family fold for good? And will Joy and Gwen get what they want most: a little love in their lives? Sound off in the comments.