Kiss Me, Kate, RIP VCRs, and Joy to Salem: Days of our Lives Two Scoops for the week of April 20, 2026

Days of our Lives has first and foremost been about family. This past week, the show reminded us of that as members of the Horton, Brady, DiMera, and other clans came into conflict and attempted to resolve their differences! A special spotlight was put on Kate and Roman Brady's relationship. Can a scheming woman and a good guy make a go of it? Maybe. Just maybe, they can!

Days of our Lives, the Brady Bunch

Roman and Kate had (mostly) an honest chat about family on DAYS | Image: Peacock

Kate's chosen a lot of wrong men throughout her life, but she sure chose the right guy in Roman Brady. But there's a big issue between them now. Roman believed that Kate had set Johnny up to take a fall regarding Bonnie's book. Kate swore up and down that Johnny must be wrong. Roman pushed back, pointing out that Kate's lied in the past -- over her son, Lucas, kidnapping his daughter, Sami.

Kate is just simply brilliant in that she knows when to lie, and she also knows that a strong offense beats a good defense any day. "I hate to question your honesty," Roman sighed. "But you're going to anyway," Kate semi-snarked back.

Kate forced Roman's hand to recall Lucas kidnapping Sami, but Kate responded by saying that that wasn't similar to Johnny's situation at all! Kate pointed out that by the time she found out that Lucas was behind Sami's kidnapping, she was home safe and sound. (Good point!)

Roman accused Kate of doing whatever it takes to protect her family. And Kate shot back that he would do the same thing! See, we have something in common! Kate pointed out to Roman that she and he were the same family. "How can I fix this?" Kate asked her husband. "What can I say to convince you that I only want the best for Johnny?"

Kate's savvy. She's steering the focus away from the past and what's been to Johnny to asking how she can help him. Or at least, she's doing an excellent job of convincing Roman that that's what she wants.

Kate gently told her husband that she couldn't do the one thing that he wanted her to do -- drop the lawsuit against Johnny. She claimed it'd taken on a life of its own once Bonnie's book was published.

Who hears a Horton

Lani is back in Salem on Days of our Lives | Image: Peacock

Lani's return to Salem has come at the right time. The Horton home has felt a little empty since Jack and Jennifer returned to Boston. Lani's back in town, and soon, the Horton home will be bustling with activity.

Lani being back in Salem is good news for her pals Chanel and Kristen. While Chanel has no problem making friends, Kristen, well, she kind of does, because she's Kristen!

Chad's return home, following his road trip with Thomas and Charlotte, is also bringing life to the home that once belonged to the late Tom and Alice Horton. Soaps are all about families

Psychiatric advice

Marlena knows how to handle Xander on Days of our Lives | Image: Peacock

Marlena is tasked with one of the greatest challenges of her life -- helping Xander reform or helping Xander become a better person. If that actually works, there's the chance that Xander and Sarah can reunite. We totally understand Sarah's reasoning for breaking things off. There's no excuse for violence. But then, there's the whole #Xarah fandom thing. Their fans want them to find their way back to each other!

Marlena's more than Xander's therapist. She's involved in the lives of people in Xander and Sarah's lives. Xander is grateful to Marlena for her help, but he's not about standing up for himself. He observed that Marlena was no fan of EJ's, which treaded into waters that made the psychiatrist/patient dynamic rather muddy. Marlena responded by uttering that line that most patients loathe to hear -- "And here we are out of time. We can pick that up in our next session."

Marlena and Xander stepped outside the doctor/patient dyanmic that they share when Xander informed Marlena that while John, her late husband, was many things, he wasn't a fashion expert -- Kate was. And that's why he wants her on board at Basic Black.

Kristen was less apprehensive about allying herself with Xander. She deftly felt him out to see if they were on the same side when it came to not being fond of EJ. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Kristen said. She smiled at Xander and quoted a line from the film Casablanca, "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Sorry, Sophia

Sophia (Rachel Boyd) on Days of our Lives | Image: Peacock

Tate came thisclose to threatening Sophia. He apologized for calling her crazy, but insisted that she understand he and Holly are solid. The poor girl is unwell, and her alliance with Kristen may not bode well for her future well-being. Sadly, it's never a good thing when a character brings up death or talks about someone threatening to kill them. Sophia, take care of yourself!

Brady is there for his family and friends

Brady and Sarah bonded over Kristen and Xander on DAYS | Image: Peacock

The warm relationship between Brady and Marlena continues to give us all the feels. When he told her he was joining Patch at the private eye agency, we saw Marlena light up -- not because Brady had work, but because he was continuing a line of work that his late father was so passionate about. Brady's continuing his father's legacy. Brady was livid when he found out that Kristen had barred Marlena from seeing Rachel.

Sarah brought Brady to a "Smash Room," where people go, put on protective eyewear and clothing, and take baseball bats to objects, smashing them to smithereens. It's supposed to be highly therapeutic.

Let's hit the pause button on smashing VCRs

There was no need for Sarah or Brady to destroy an innocent VCR on DAYS | Image: Peacock

However, we strenuously object to the destruction of old VCRs. Most of us have old VHS tapes sitting in boxes that we somehow need to get transferred to digital platforms or flash drives. We need those VCRs so that we can access classic soap opera episodes! Paging Dr. Rolf! You're needed to bring a few smashed VCRs back to life!

Friday tag, Alex -- you're it!

Joy is back in Salem, which could bring conflict to Alex and Stephanie's lives on DAYS | Image: Peacock

Speaking of classic soaps, remember great Friday tags? DAYS sure does. They gave us one when Alex answered the door, and we saw that Joy (AlexAnn Hopkins) is back in Salem! Stephanie and Alex may be rid of Owen, but is the return of Joy going to bring new conflict into their lives?

Catch all-new episodes of Days of our Lives weekdays on Peacock, NBC's streaming platform.