Days of our Lives Rehash, May 18: Xander plays a game of Dr. Awkward with Sarah after a rough romp with Kristen

Paul Telfer, a Daytime Emmy winner for his role as Xander on Days of our Lives, is adept at playing different sides to his character -- sometimes all in the same episode, as evidenced in today's DAYS show, where he was challenged morally, physically, and he threw in some humor for good measure!

Days of our Lives, injured reserve

Xander went on the injured list after romping with Kristen on Days of our Lives | Image: Peacock

Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) urged Xander to do away with her pesky brother EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) because he's crossed her one too many times. Of course, Xander objected as the man has been in therapy trying to better himself. And, of course, Kristen was going to roll her eyes at that notion, especially as Xander's therapist was her longtime rival, Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall).

Kristen dangled money in front of Xander to win him over to her side, and then, to sweeten, or perhaps celebrate, the deal, the two engaged in a rather rough romp, complete with restraints, teasing...the type of things that you may not have to worry about getting past the censors because you're on a streaming platform, not broadcast TV.

It was great fun watching the morally-challenged Xander give in to the dark side. Telfer is adept at both playing Xander's inner turmoil, but he's adept at some good old-fashioned comedy.

The last thing we expected was for the bad boy to dislocate his shoulder, but that's exactly what happened. Oops. And if we needed a reminder that Kristen doesn't actually care about Xander, her turning away as if to say, "Sorry, pal. You're on your own," reminded us that there's a big difference between sex and love. What Kristen and Xander share is the former.

Let's play doctor

Sarah saw through Xander's injury story on Days of our Lives | Image: Peacock

Xander wound up at Salem University Hospital. where the doctor on duty was, of course, his ex, Sarah (Linsey Godfrey). Ever the professional, Sarah objectively examined her patient. When she asked how he'd injured his arm and wrsit (restraints can leave marks if not employed properly), Xander made up a story about working out as if he were a character on Fraiser trying to lie his way out of a predicament.

"Okay," Gofrey's Sarah shrugged, clearly not believing a single word out of her ex's mouth. Brava to Godfrey's deadpan delivery, which let both the audience and Xander know that she didn't believe a word of what he was saying. The beauty of Sarah and Xander's relationship is that they know each other too darn well. Neither can lie to the other, but it's fun to watch them try.

We're hoping that a "Xarah" reunion is the endgame, provided, of course, that Xander's not, you know, in prison for killing EJ! The fun part along the way is watching moments like Sarah knowing Xander is lying about how he was injured, but, as they're not together, she truly has no right to call him out on it.

Kudos to Telfer, Haiduk, and Gofrey for such an entertaining episode, filled with drama, longing, and comedy!