Days Recap: Days of our Lives Recap September 7: Marlena Has Another Disturbing Stefano Memory

In today’s Days of our Lives recap for September 7, 2026, Marlena's memory brought more questions, Joy drove another wedge between Stephanie and Alex, Johnny buckled under the strain of his deception, and Abe and Paulina had a chance encounter.

Labor Day Pains

Joy got her flowers...just not the ones she was expecting. Image: Peacock

At Alex and Stephanie’s apartment, the couple enjoyed a morning of cuddling and kissing after spending the day and night together. They reluctantly tore themselves away from the alone time so Stephanie could go to work and Alex to check on Joy before her surgery. Before she left, Stephanie asked Alex to give the flowers she’d gotten to Joy as a gesture of goodwill.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Kayla brought Kelsey to visit with Joy, who was none too pleased that Alex had failed to tell her Stephanie’s parents had been babysitting her kid. Joy eventually plastered on a smile and thanked Kayla for taking care of Kelsey. The talk turned to the surgery. Kayla informed Joy that the procedure would likely take two hours and Joy would remain in the hospital for a couple of days. When Joy mentioned complications, Kayla assured her that the surgery had a very high success rate.

After Kayla departed, Joy called Melinda and asked her lawyer for an update on what they had discussed. Later, Alex arrived for his visit with Joy. He gave her Stephanie’s flowers, which she accepted with a strained smile and a “thank Stephanie for me.” Joy then confronted him about not telling her about Steve and Kayla. Alex apologized and explained he needed time alone with his wife.

Alex made his frustration clear about Joy’s continued demands. Joy said that she appreciated Stephanie’s efforts to get therapy and indicated that she had a compromise in mind. When Alex read over the amended custody papers, though, he was incredulous that Joy still insisted on keeping Stephanie away from Joy for an entire year. “At least it’s not 18 years,” Joy defended.

Joy added that they could “revisit” the issue at the end of the year. Until then, she still didn’t feel comfortable having the woman who had nearly shot her around her child. Alex protested, but Joy made it clear if he didn’t agree to the terms – to keep Stephanie at least 10 feet away from Kelsey at all times – she would ensure her sister Chloe got full custody of Kelsey if anything happened to Joy. Later, Joy told a returning Kayla that she and Alex had worked out an agreement. When Kayla left her alone, Joy tossed Stephanie’s flowers into the trash.

Keeping It Professional

Theo had plenty of things on his mind. Image: Peacock

At DiMera Enterprises, Theo urged Johnny to go be with Chanel and let him take care of the meeting with George O’Halloran. Johnny insisted on staying and taking the meeting himself, which led Theo to accuse his co-CEO of not trusting him. Johnny pledged he had full faith in Theo’s abilities and claimed he had a good rapport with the pharma tech. When Theo pressed Johnny about his vested interest in the pharmaceutical division, Johnny backed off and agreed to let Theo take the meeting.

Later, Theo took a business meeting with Stephanie. As she made her PR pitch, she quickly noticed Theo’s distraction. He eventually admitted he was having nagging trust issues with Johnny and EJ. Stephanie lent Theo support and encouraged him to talk with her anytime he wanted. Theo thanked her.

As the meeting wrapped up, Theo asked Stephanie how things were going with Alex. She beamed and declared they were a lot better after a much-needed day together. “Happy to hear it,” Theo replied with a smile. But when Stephanie departed, his expression said otherwise.

Stephanie made her way to the hospital and met up with Alex again. Her happy demeanor soon took a decided downturn after Alex told her of the amended custody arrangement…and the new terms involving Stephanie. When Stephanie called Alex out on giving in to Joy, he insisted Joy held “all the cards” and that he’d confirmed with Justin that she could make good on her threats. He hoped that when Joy was out of the hospital, he could reason with her. Stephanie bluntly stated that would never happen and walked away.

Old Friends, New-Old Grievances

Three friends walked into a bar... Image: Peacock

At the Brady Pub, Marlena convened with Abe and Roman so they could discuss potential times for Lexie’s memorial/celebration of life. Abe explained they’d have to wait until Chad and EJ got back from Italy. The news that EJ had accompanied Belle and Chad on the trip caught Marlena off guard. Abe said EJ had gone to visit Sydney, but Roman countered his granddaughter had made no mention of the visit. Marlena hoped EJ wasn’t up to no good.

After Abe said his goodbyes, Roman asked Marlena about the latest with Stefano’s chess set mystery. Marlena filled him in on the discovery of the Celtic knot and the memory she’d had about it. Although it had only been a vague and blurry memory, Marlena believed the knot’s symbol had been etched onto a blanket.

Meanwhile, in Horton Town Square, Abe ran into Paulina. The exes engaged in small talk about Chanel and the baby. Abe eventually worked up the courage to ask if Paulina ever thought about him. “Of course I do,” Paulina asserted. She constantly thought of all the pain Abe must be experiencing following the loss of Lexie, and she felt horribly for him. Paulina promptly found an excuse to end the conversation and beat a quick retreat, leaving a seemingly conflicted Abe behind.

Johnny, Joints, and No Judgments

Chanel had an idea about how to manage her pain. Image: Peacock

Prior to her awkward encounter with Abe, Paulina kept Chanel company at the hospital while the new mom underwent her latest chemotherapy treatment. Paulina questioned why Johnny was at work instead of with his wife. Chanel defended her hubby and said Johnny had already taken a lot of time off. Besides, he needed to support Theo while Theo readjusted following the loss of his mom. The answer seemed to satisfy Paulina, at least briefly.

Paulina then pressed Chanel about what she’d overheard Marlena saying to Johnny about keeping secrets. Chanel relayed Johnny’s assertion that he’d only been talking about keeping the Lexie secret. She believed him and wanted Paulina to extend Johnny the same courtesy. Paulina eased up and said that as long as Johnny remained supportive and loving to her daughter, that’s what mattered most.

Meanwhile, Marlena caught Johnny at the nurses’ station before he reached Chanel. She wanted to follow up on their prior conversation. Johnny tried to extricate himself, but Marlena managed to convince him to talk with her. Later, in Marlena’s office, Johnny confided that keeping secrets from his wife was getting to him. But he had to do what was necessary to protect his family.

Marlena stressed that Chanel and his children were Johnny’s family and should be his priority. Chanel was a smart woman and would soon realize Johnny wasn’t being truthful. Johnny admitted she already was suspicious. Marlena encouraged her grandson to be honest with his wife.

Later, Chanel — uplifted by a brief and pleasant visit from Alex — finally saw Johnny back in her hospital room. Kayla checked in to assess how Chanel was handling the chemo treatment. Chanel mentioned a friend recommending medical marijuana as a treatment for the nausea. Kayla said that although she couldn’t directly prescribe the treatment, she could get Chanel registered to receive it. She advised her patient that it should be fine as long as Chanel didn’t use it excessively.

Back in Marlena’s office, Marlena sent a text to Belle. Right afterwards, she had another flash of clutching the blanket with the Celtic knot. In the memory, Marlena looked around, perturbed and panicked. Her vision cleared to reveal more about her surroundings.

Marlena jerked from the memory with a gasp. She knew where she had been during the flashback: Stefano’s island.

What does the Celtic knot mean? Will Chanel experience a little reefer madness? And will Stephanie kick Alex to the curb and give another ‘friendly’ invite to Theo instead? Sound off in the comments.