Salem is bracing for a week of upheaval, heartfelt reunions, and a generous helping of Valentine’s Day romance — because when Days of Our Lives leans into love

it rarely does anything by halves. Spoilers for the week of February 9 promise major comings and goings, emotional reckonings, and a few developments that

could reshape the canvas for months to come. While some familiar DiMera-flavoured chaos continues to bubble in the background, the dominant mood

is connection: families finding one another again, old memories resurfacing, and fragile hope pushing through grief.

Here’s what viewers can expect as Salem heads into its most romantic holiday.

Love, loss, and legacy take centre stage

Valentine’s Day episodes can sometimes veer into saccharine territory, all grand gestures and tidy resolutions. But this year, Days of Our Lives appears to be using the holiday to honour its history rather than rewrite it.

At the heart of the celebration are three women who carry decades of that history between them: Julie Williams, Maggie Horton Kiriakis, and Marlena Evans.

All three are navigating life after devastating loss. Widowhood has reshaped their futures, altered family dynamics, and forced each of them to reimagine who they are without the partners who defined so much of their adult lives. Bringing them together on a day devoted to romance could easily tip into melancholy.

Instead, spoilers tease something warmer, richer, and far more moving.

The trio gather to reminisce about the great loves of their lives and the Valentine’s Days that once were. Expect laughter through tears, affectionate teasing, and stories that reach deep into the show’s vault. Whether presented as full flashbacks or lovingly retold memories, these moments promise to bridge generations of viewers.

For longtime fans, it’s a tribute to the relationships that built Days. For newcomers, it’s an invitation into the emotional architecture of Salem — proof that love stories don’t end simply because someone is gone.

Julie, in particular, is set to receive a surprise that leaves her reeling in the best possible way. After years of heartbreak, any spark of joy for her feels profoundly earned, and it may become one of the week’s most talked-about beats.

A family comes home

If nostalgia is one pillar of the week, renewal is the other — and it arrives with the long-awaited return of Eli Grant and Lani Price-Grant.

Their move back to Salem is more than a homecoming. It’s a structural shift.

The Salem Police Department has been running on fumes, and Eli’s reputation as one of the town’s most capable, principled officers makes his presence instantly vital. Whether partnering with Rafe or diving headfirst into the latest criminal storm, Eli’s return restores a sense of procedural backbone.

But the professional implications are only half the story.

Eli’s reconnection with Julie carries enormous emotional weight, especially during a week already steeped in memory. Their bond, forged through tragedy and deepened by unconditional love, offers exactly the kind of intergenerational storytelling the series excels at.

For Lani, the possibilities are just as intriguing.

She shines brightest in the orbit of family — Abe, Theo — yet her combustible chemistry with Kristen DiMera remains irresistible. When those two share scenes, sparks don’t merely fly; they threaten to burn the house down.

Kristen’s crusade intensifies

Kristen continues to wage war over Rachel’s future, and her determination to pull her daughter out of Bayview is reaching fever pitch.

To be fair, her complaints about the institution aren’t without merit. The facility’s history of negligence would rattle any parent. But the deeper issue, as always with Kristen, is control. Her maternal instinct is tangled with obsession, vengeance, and a lifelong inability to trust anyone else with the people she loves.

That’s where Lani could prove crucial.

Time and again, Lani has been the rare person capable of talking Kristen back from the brink. She understands her, challenges her, and, perhaps most importantly, refuses to be intimidated by her. With Kristen ramping up her efforts, Salem may desperately need that moderating influence again.

Still, redemption arcs in this town are never straightforward. Kristen’s history looms large, and many residents believe Rachel’s turmoil is inseparable from the example set by her mother. The tension between legitimate concern and dangerous overreach will define the drama.

Romance in a complicated key

Elsewhere, love is in the air — just not always in the fairy-tale way greeting-card companies might prefer.

Couples across Salem will find themselves reassessing where they stand. Some will be drawn closer by shared adversity. Others may discover that old wounds, once reopened, refuse to heal neatly.

That emotional messiness is precisely what gives the week its charge. Valentine’s Day isn’t presented as a magical fix but as a magnifying glass, intensifying everything already simmering beneath the surface.

A week that honours the past while rewriting the future

What makes these episodes feel especially potent is their balance. The show is celebrating its heritage — the epic romances, the matriarchs, the families that endured — while simultaneously repositioning key players for the road ahead.

Eli and Lani’s return injects fresh energy. Julie, Maggie, and Marlena’s reflections anchor the narrative in legacy. Kristen’s escalating fight ensures chaos is never far away.

By the time the week ends, Salem will look familiar, yet subtly transformed.

And if the promise of love, memory, and second chances doesn’t define Days of Our Lives, what does?