Days of Our Lives Update
Update written by Joseph
Philip is packing up his room at the Salem Inn while on the phone with Gabi, telling her how he and Xander won over the home inspector and that Dominic backed out of the sale. Gabi calls it wonderful news and asks if that means he’s moving back. Philip confirms he’s packing as they speak and that once he’s settled in, she’s invited over for a romantic dinner. Gabi says she’ll see him tonight in his beautiful home and she can’t wait as they hang up. Gabi then opens the door to her home to find Leo inside with all of the boxes of counterfeit Gabi Chic purses. Gabi questions what the boxes are doing in her kitchen and how Leo even got in. Leo says he still has a key and explains that he couldn’t keep the boxes in his tiny room at the Salem Inn, so they had to go somewhere. Leo asks what Gabi suggests they do with them. Gabi says this is his problem and she doesn’t care what Leo does with them, but demands he get them out of there.
Eli joins Lani at home and says they had a successful case, but he’s sorry he missed Chanel’s baby shower. Lani jokes that he may have had to make a few arrests because Julie’s donuts got mixed up with Chanel’s medical marijuana donuts, so everyone had a good time. Eli wishes he could’ve seen that. Lani admits it was pretty funny but jokes that the bright side of her not being a cop anymore is that she didn’t have to make any arrests.
Cat tells EJ that she’s just returning his laptop, company card, and house key. Cat jokes about making copies for the ISA and then guesses that’s it. Cat says goodbye to EJ and wishes him well, but EJ stops her and says he doesn’t want her to go.
Eli tells Lani that he thought maybe there was a way but Lani says there’s not. Lani explains that she took his advice and allowed Paulina to ask the Governor for a pardon, even though she wasn’t thrilled with the idea but she thought since the Salem PD was understaffed, maybe it was worth it. Lani then reveals that the Governor didn’t share their point of view and said no.
Leo asks Gabi what he’s supposed to do with the counterfeit bags. Gabi suggests he burn them by driving down to the lake and throwing them in a bonfire. Gabi argues that she paid good money to have him buy all these knockoff handbags and he has yet to tell her what he found. Gabi asks if he identified the supplier and when they are going to cut the snake off at the head. Leo responds that they are not.
Philip continues packing until Gwen shows up at his door with a suitcase of his that she says was delivered to her room by accident. Philip mentions having a few more in storage in case they also get sent to her room. Gwen guesses from the looks of things that he’s moving out. Philip confirms he’s moving back home which Gwen questions as she thought his home was sold when EJ called in the loan that made his family lose everything. Philip declares that it turns out the rumors of Titan’s death were greatly exaggerated. Gwen thought they needed an absurd amount of money to settle that debt. Philip confirms they did and they have it now thanks to him. Philip explains to Gwen that he got on a flight to Monte Carlo and came back with heavy pockets and a big smile.
Chad sits with Belle in the town square and informs her that EJ told him about Dominic’s birth certificate after he heard Marlena questioning Rita about it. Belle realizes that now he knows what had been upsetting Marlena so much. Chad guesses EJ wanted to share it with somebody who would also be profoundly affected by it. Chad declares that if Dominic is their secret DiMera sibling, he doesn’t think he’s going to stay hidden for long.
Cat tells EJ that there’s no point in her staying since she doesn’t work for him anymore. EJ admits he felt blindsided when she quit so suddenly. Cat asks what he expected after telling her that he didn’t trust anymore. EJ argues that she said that while Cat points out that he didn’t push back against it. EJ recalls that he said she had to earn back his trust. Cat questions how to do that when she didn’t violate his trust in the first place. EJ admits she didn’t and states that he’s beginning to realize she may be the only person in his life that hasn’t.
Gabi questions what Leo means when he told her that he had a plan. Leo says he did but the plan wasn’t as well thought out as he thought. Gabi yells at him that this is business. Leo explains that his idea to track the merchandise back to the supplier hit a dead end. Gabi can’t believe she was so desperate that she thought she could trust him. Leo then says she hasn’t heard his other brilliant idea. Leo reveals that he has enlisted Philip, who told him that he needs to look at it from the money side and follow the money. Leo informs her that Philip is convinced that whoever is selling the bags is laundering money and one way to do that is through casinos where Philip obviously has connections. Gabi cuts him off and says absolutely not.
Gwen can’t believe Philip won all that money gambling. Philip confirms he first won at the poker table and then a lucky spin at the roulette wheel. Gwen calls that amazing and brilliant because he got one over on EJ, beat the house, and saved his company. Gwen guesses it must be such a rush. Philip agrees there is nothing like it. Gwen wants to hear the whole story and asks how he won the poker game and roulette. Philip invites Gwen out for mimosas, so Gwen says she’s all in.
Belle tells Chad that it’s so crazy as they set out on this journey to find answers and the last thing she expected was they would find they have a brother in common. Belle is praying it’s not true for Marlena’s sake. Chad says he and EJ are too. Chad remarks that if the birth certificate is true, EJ could lose his place as Stefano’s favorite son.
EJ tells Cat about Johnny turning him in to the police and remarks that it turns out he was not loyal to his father, but to some dubious sense of morality. Cat points out that they didn’t keep him. EJ says that there was no proof he did anything wrong. EJ tells Cat that if she doesn’t believe him, she can leave, but he hopes that she does believe him because he needs her right now. Cat asks what about needing to earn his trust back. Cat questions if EJ needs her to believe in him as much as she needs him to believe in her.
Eli is shocked that the Governor said no to pardoning Lani and says he’s sorry as he hugs her. Lani doesn’t know why she’s so disappointed since she kept telling herself not to get her hopes up, but she did anyway. Eli argues that Lani never should’ve been charged in the first place since she was protecting her mother. Eli calls the charge bull and says she shouldn’t have to deal with it for the rest of her life. Lani responds that the Governor doesn’t feel that way and now she wishes she just left it alone. Eli hates seeing her down like this and now he feels like it’s partly his fault since he encouraged her to take a chance. Lani says he knew it’s something she wanted, even if she didn’t admit it. Lani adds that she’s grateful for every minute with him and their babies, but it will always be in the back of her mind to have the constant worry of how to tell their kids what she did. Eli assures she won’t have to do it alone as he’ll be right there with her and they will understand. Lani tells Eli that he never has to apologize for wanting her to do something, even if it doesn’t work out, because she knows he wants the best for her and that’s why she loves him. Eli says he loves her as they kiss.
Leo questions Gabi saying absolutely not when she was so fired up. Gabi says she doesn’t want to talk about Philip behind his back, but he has a serious gambling problem that nearly ruined his life. Leo says he also heard that he overcame it, but he’s not asking Philip to gamble. Gabi argues that he’s asking him to step back in to that world and she never wants him to enter a casino again. Leo asks even if it’s the only way to put the counterfeiters and EJ out of business. Gabi says even then.
Philip and Gwen walk out of the Salem Inn and in to the town square as Gwen talks about how exhilarating Philip’s win must have been and says they should make a movie out of it. They come across Belle and Chad, so Philip greets them. Belle notes his good mood. Gwen tells Philip to tell her why. Philip responds that he’s in a great mood as it turns out his family get to keep their house. Belle questions that while Chad adds he thought Dominic Marino was buying it. Philip reveals that he was, until they failed the house inspection.
EJ informs Cat that it’s not just Johnny he has lost faith in as Rita has also proven herself untrustworthy. Cat thought Rita was his ride or die. EJ says that’s why he was all the more shocking to learn that she lied to him about a salient piece of information. EJ declares that everything he thought he knew and understood about his life has been turned on it’s head, so he doesn’t know who to rely on or trust, which is why he needs Cat by his side if she’s willing to come back.
Eli asks Lani how Paulina took the news of the Governor declining her request. Lani says Paulina is not one to take no for an answer, so she’s refusing to give up. Eli asks if there’s any way she can get the Governor to change his mind.
Belle questions how it’s even possible they failed the house inspection. Philip reveals that they decided to stack the deck with hazardous materials and a few pesky rodents. Philip decides since Belle is district attorney, the less she knows, the better. Belle says she’s glad it worked out for him since knows how much the house meant to his family and she’s glad he gets to keep it in the family. Gwen raises her glass as they toast to that.
Leo questions Gabi being willing to let the counterfeiters walk just to keep Philip from gambling which she confirms. Leo admits he’s impressed that she’s putting Philip’s needs ahead of her own and that he means that in a good way. Leo decides to start moving some of the boxes. Javi then comes home and assumes the boxes are Gabi’s but is surprised to see Leo inside. Leo tells Javi that he’s so sorry about their date as he tried to call him. Javi mentions getting his messages and asks about him being detained. Leo informs Javi that he was arrested. Javi calls it on brand for him and questions what he did this time. Gabi clarifies that Leo was arresting for doing something to help her.
Cat questions if EJ is saying he needs her because he needs an assistant after losing Rita. EJ responds that even if he wasn’t thrilled to learn she was former ISA, he realizes now that she may be the one person in his life that can help him figure out if he has a half brother named Dominic Marino. Cat questions why he thinks Dominic may be his half brother. EJ reveals that he recently learned his birth certificate lists Stefano DiMera as his father. Cat asks if he thinks it’s genuine. EJ admits he doesn’t know, but given the facts, he believes it could be. EJ knows it’s a lot to process so he’ll start from the beginning.
Gwen and Philip return to the Salem Inn as Gwen thanks Philip for the drink and the stories. Philip asks who doesn’t like boasting about a big win. Gwen then tells Philip that she’d love to get some poker tips and mentions having a deck of cards in her room. Philip thought she was rolling in money and questions what she needs to gamble for. Gwen responds that she still enjoys a round of Texas Hold ‘Em every now and then. Philip thinks his system only works when one is in dire straits. Gwen suggests making the stakes more stimulating then. Gwen then challenges Philip to a game of strip poker.
Javi is confused as he questions what Leo did for Gabi. Leo questions Gabi not telling him. Gabi explains that she hadn’t seen Javi since this all went down. Gabi tells Javi that Leo has been looking in to the counterfeit Gabi Chic bags, but he was caught with the fake merchandise and arrested, but only because he was trying to help her. Javi guesses he brought the bags here. Leo points out that he didn’t have anywhere else. Javi admits it makes for a good story and suggests he tell it on Stark Raving Mad. Leo happily asks if Javi listened to his podcast. Javi tells Leo that he made a really good case for Lani and hopes she gets a second chance. Leo says she deserves it and then asks if he gets a second chance.
Lani tells Eli that Paulina said the Governor is stubborn, but she did send him Leo’s podcast and all the comments supporting her which Eli calls a good idea. Lani doesn’t think he would care. Eli questions why the Governor doesn’t want her on the force in the first place. Lani explains that he apparently wants to run for Senate and doesn’t want to come off like he’s doing favors or being soft on crime. Lani feels that her getting this pardon is pretty much dead in the water.
Belle tells Chad that she’s really glad that Philip and his family get to keep the house, but she really wonders if Dominic couldn’t afford to fix up the house anyways so she questions why that would make him pull out of the deal. Belle guesses the only way to get answers is from Dominic himself. Chad questions her wanting Dominic to show up in town. Belle says the way he’s living in everyone’s heads is like he’s already here. Belle argues that they went all the way to Italy for answers and now they know it’s not just some random mystery guy as Dominic could be their brother. Belle states that if it’s true, Marlena will have to deal with what Stefano did to her and if it’s not true, Stefano went through a lot to torment her. Chad declares that one person that could give them answers is Rita but apparently she’s in the wind. Chad tells Belle that he’s really sorry for what Stefano is putting them through even in death. Belle assures that Chad is not responsible for any of it. Chad says he knows, but says sharing Stefano’s last name feels like a curse.
EJ tells Cat about Dominic’s place being like a shrine to Stefano. EJ guesses part of him can’t accept that Dominic truly is his brother. Cat understands why he’s so anxious to get to the bottom of this. Cat says she no longer has access to ISA resources, so she doesn’t know how much help she could be. EJ encourages that she does have the research skills and he trusts her. Cat questions if he means that. EJ assures that he does.
Eli tells Lani that whatever happens, he wants her to know how proud he is of her for being brave and a great mother and wife. They kiss until Lani gets a call from Paulina. Lani is shocked and asks if she’s serious. Lani tells her to wait until she tells Eli and that she loves her as they hang up. Eli says it sounds like really good news. Lani reveals that the Governor saw all the comments from Leo’s podcast and realized how many people were supporting her, so he changed his mind and is granting her a pardon. Eli and Lani excitedly embrace over the news.
Philip informs Gwen that he has a girlfriend who might take issue with him disrobing in another woman’s room. He reveals to her that he and Gabi are back together. Gwen says good for him and assures that she does not want to incur the wrath of Gabi Hernandez. Gwen argues that they can play anyway with snacks. Philip says he’s sorry as he has to pack, so maybe another time. Gwen reluctantly says goodbye then and to send her best to Gabi as she walks away.
Leo asks Javi if he gets a do over. Gabi argues that Javi can hardly stay mad at Leo for doing her a big favor. Javi agrees to reschedule their dinner date which excites Leo. Gabi then orders them to get the boxes out of there with a smile.
Belle tells Chad not to do this to himself, encouraging that he’s a good man. Belle adds that maybe this is another one of Stefano’s games and the birth certificate could be a counterfeit, so they don’t know anything for sure. Chad agrees to just pray it’s all a big setup and they are all just being played. Belle states that all they can do right now is pray.
Cat doesn’t know if coming back to work for EJ is a good idea when it’s pretty clear their relationship was a bit more than employer and employee, so his lack of trust hurt a lot and she doesn’t want to go through that again. EJ promises that she won’t. EJ admits he’s missed her and wants her back in his life, not just as his assistant, but as his friend and maybe more. Cat responds that she’s missed him too as they begin kissing.
Back to the Main Days of Our Lives Page
Back to the Main Daytime Updates Page
