Days of Our Lives recap (August 14, 2025): Xander faces Sarah’s fury, Belle questions Marlena, Gwen brings in some new theory

Days of Our Lives on August 14, 2025, brought viewers a charged episode filled with courtroom tension and a mystery. Sarah delivered a sharp reproach to Xander over his involvement with Gwen. In court, Belle challenged her mother, Marlena’s, testimony after EJ claimed under hypnosis that his shooter was a woman. Meanwhile, Gwen worked with EJ to piece together clues, raising new possibilities about who could be responsible. The day’s events moved the trial forward while deepening personal conflicts among Salem’s residents.

First airing on November 8, 1965, Days of Our Lives has become one of television’s longest-running daytime dramas. The series follows the lives of interconnected families in the fictional town of Salem, where love, betrayal, and mystery unfold daily. 

Everything that happened in the episode on August 14, 2025

Sarah talks to Xander about treachery

When Xander got to the Kiriakis house to pick up his daughter Victoria, Sarah wasn't in the mood to make small talk. She told him straight out about his therapy sessions with Marlena and criticized him for acting drunk the night before. When Xander, who looked like he had been drinking, asked for coffee to help his headache, Sarah hit him hard instead. 

She told him that a kiss was still cheating, so she thought he was breaking their marriage vows with Gwen. Xander admitted that he went to Gwen's hotel room but denied that he slept with her. At the end of the argument, Sarah, clearly upset and hurt by his actions, told him to take Victoria and leave.

After that, in the town square, Xander confronted Gwen for lying to Sarah about sleepovers. Gwen said her only goal was to make Sarah envious. Xander didn't believe her excuse and told her not to get involved in his life again.

Belle queries Marlena in court

In court, the trial was the main event as Marlena took the stand. EJ talked about his hypnosis session and said that the shooter was a woman. Marlena told the jury that she believed his memory was real, which supported his claim. This made a fuss among the people there. Belle, on the other hand, worked to discredit this testimony as the opposing counsel. She asked her mother if memories retrieved under hypnosis could be trusted, which was a hint that EJ might still be lying. Even though Belle tried to convince her otherwise, Marlena was still sure that EJ remembered.

Belle told Marlena she was sorry for questioning her credibility when they were outside of court. Marlena told her that their relationship would stay strong even though they were going through a trial. As EJ continued to plan, the legal tension rose because he knew that the shooter's identity could point to someone close to both him and Marlena.

Gwen and EJ solve the shooter issue

EJ and Gwen had drinks at the DiMera mansion and talked about the shooting case. Marlena was asked by EJ if Samantha could have been the shooter, but Gwen made the idea even stronger. They thought the attacker was someone that EJ and Marlena both wanted to keep safe. After ruling out Sami, Gwen made the provocative claim that Belle might be to blame. EJ agreed that Belle might have had good reasons, even though she later threw the idea out.

Meanwhile, Kristen testified in court about her confrontation with EJ the night of the shooting. She acknowledged a gun had been found in her possession, but confirmed ballistics proved it was not the weapon used. Afterward, Kristen confronted EJ in the hallway, pressing him about whether he believed she was the shooter. EJ admitted uncertainty but hinted that Marlena’s silence might be protecting someone close to them. His suspicions lingered as Belle emerged from the courtroom.

Days of Our Lives episodes are available to stream on Peacock.