Grief hung heavy over Salem on February 7, but if anyone believed Stefano DiMera’s memorial would be a quiet, dignified farewell, they clearly forgot what family they were dealing with.

The latest episode of Days of Our Lives unfolded like a powder keg wrapped in black silk — elegant on the outside, volatile underneath. Old enemies shared rooms,

uneasy truces trembled, and decades of trauma resurfaced as loved ones, rivals, and reluctant relatives gathered to confront the legacy of the man who shaped — and scarred — all their lives.

And in true Salem fashion, the tears were only the beginning.

Private Goodbyes Before the Public War

Before the formal memorial even began, emotions were already splintering families.

Kate, determined and visibly shaken, insisted on going ahead alone. She wanted a private moment with Stefano, something unfiltered by the politics and hostilities that inevitably follow the DiMera name. Roman understood. After everything they had endured, some farewells could not be shared.

Elsewhere, Chanel wrestled with her own impossible position. Pregnant and emotionally exhausted, she admitted she couldn’t face standing in a room full of DiMeras — especially EJ. The history was too painful, the civility too fake.

Johnny, protective and gentle, didn’t hesitate. If skipping the memorial made things easier for her and the baby, that was all that mattered. His loyalty was clear: whatever bloodlines said, his family was Chanel, Trey, and the child they were expecting.

It was a beautiful promise.

One that would soon be tested.

Theo’s Grief Meets Salem Reality

Theo, meanwhile, prepared himself to mourn a grandfather he loved deeply — despite knowing others in attendance might secretly feel relief at Stefano’s passing.

Marina and others tried to offer comfort, acknowledging the complicated history. Stefano had been many things: brilliant, ruthless, destructive. Loving him often meant living with contradictions.

Theo insisted he would be all right.

But “all right” in Salem rarely lasts.

At the Mansion: Civility With a Countdown Clock

The DiMera mansion filled with familiar faces, air kisses, cautious condolences, and daggers disguised as pleasantries.

Tony attempted grace. Chad leaned into diplomacy. Kristen balanced grief with simmering resentment. And EJ… EJ stood in the eye of every storm, aware that several people in the room might happily see him pay for past sins.

Even light conversation carried bite. Jokes about urn designs and Stefano’s dramatic flair couldn’t mask the truth: everyone there had been wounded by him in some way.

Yet they had come.

Because escaping Stefano, even in death, is never simple.

Bombshells Ripple Through the Guests

If the tension wasn’t high enough, whispers began circulating.

Rafe’s investigations. Questions about old crimes. Uncertainty about who might be implicated next. Names like Dmitri and Gwen floated through conversations, each mention tightening shoulders and sharpening looks.

Salem knows what happens when the past is dug up.

It rarely stays buried.

Johnny Faces the Devil in the Details

One of the most powerful moments of the day came when Johnny stood before Stefano’s memory alone.

His words were complicated — gratitude tangled with pain. Stefano had once made him feel chosen, valued, special. Yet the cost of belonging to that world had been enormous.

Johnny shared the joy in his life now: he and Chanel had adopted Trey, and another baby was on the way. Happiness, real and hard-won.

But beneath it lingered the ache that Stefano would never meet them, never change, never make things right.

Love and damage, forever intertwined.

Marlena’s Final Reckoning

If Johnny’s goodbye was conflicted, Marlena’s was seismic.

Standing before the man who had terrorized her, possessed her life, and warped her destiny, she delivered a farewell that was equal parts closure and defiance.

Stefano had tried to make her an obsession, a fantasy he could control. But through the wreckage came something he never intended: John. Strength. Courage. A love powerful enough to fight the darkness he embodied.

Her wish was simple and cutting — that he rest in peace, because the living deserved freedom from him.

Whether Salem will ever truly get that freedom is another matter.

Blood vs. Family: EJ Crosses a Line

After overhearing news of Chanel’s pregnancy, EJ made what he likely thought was a heartfelt attempt at connection.

He congratulated Johnny.

But then came the fatal misstep — drawing distinctions about blood, about who counts as a “real” DiMera.

Johnny erupted.

Family, he said, is not DNA. Stefano himself had once embraced children regardless of biology. To suggest Trey was anything less than a grandson was insulting, cruel, unforgivable.

If EJ wanted to help, Johnny told him, he could start by staying away.

The rejection landed like a slap.

Roman’s Checkmate

In another quiet corner, Roman offered perhaps the most unexpected goodbye of all.

Yes, Stefano had stolen from him — his identity, years of his life, pieces of his happiness. But Roman looked at the family he built anyway, the love that survived, the future arriving with new grandchildren.

Despite everything, Roman had won.

Checkmate.

After the Service: The Fallout Begins

Later, Johnny returned home to Chanel with news: EJ knew about the baby.

Apologies followed, but the damage was already done. Chanel’s fear was immediate. EJ had a history of retaliation, of manipulation, of forcing himself back into lives that had pushed him out.

If he decided fatherhood gave him an opening, what would he do next?

Neither of them had an answer.

The Legacy Lives On

The memorial ended without violence — a miracle by DiMera standards — but peace remained an illusion. Alliances are shifting. Investigations are brewing. Old rivalries are reawakening.

Stefano DiMera may be gone.

But the war he started?

It’s very much alive.