The November 5 episode of Days of Our Lives saw the culmination of a year-long story arc that began this month in 2024, when Sophia (Rachel Boyd) shared the shocking news with Tate (Leo Howard) that she was pregnant with his baby. Of course, that eventually turned out to be false: Tate was proven not to be a DNA match to little Tesoro, and viewers learned that the actual biological dad was Tate’s best friend Aaron Greene (Louis Tomeo). Almost as complicated was the path toward adoption for Johnny (Carson Boatman) and Chanel (Raven Bowens). The two set out to adopt the baby Sophia was expecting, but lost the opportunity when Johnny panicked upon learning he was conceived when his own father, EJ (Dan Feuerriegel), raped and impregnated his mother, Sami (Alison Sweeney). Eventually, Johnny worked through his crisis of faith about whether he could be a good father, and on this episode, Johnny and Chanel finally got to take their new son home — but not before many tears were shed by others who also loved the baby deeply. Read on to find out how it all went down.
Bittersweet Moment
Rafe (Galen Gering) and Gabi (Cherie Jimenez) were gathering all the items their family had bought for baby Tesoro since taking him in as their foster child back in July. Emotions were running high for them, but they acknowledged it was even harder for Javi (Al Calderon) and Leo (Greg Rikaart), who had done the lion’s share of the work taking care of the baby. Ari (Marissa Reyes) soon joined them, having skipped her morning class. Instead of putting up a fight, Gabi hugged her daughter and said she was exactly where she needed to be.
Javi and Leo were with the baby, who was in his crib. Both men acknowledged how difficult it would be to let him go when the time came. They brought Tesoro to the kitchen to join Gabi, Ari and Rafe, and Leo tried to lighten the mood with a story about Mike Myers’ Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Linda Richmond, where the character popularized Yiddish terms. He said her catchphrase “verklempt” perfectly described what they were all feeling — overcome with emotion. As everyone looked at him blankly, not getting the reference, he admitted he tends to say these things to cover his emotions and this wasn’t the time to be making lame jokes. Gabi told him it was okay and stepped forward to comfort Leo with a hug, and offered one to Javi, as well, aware that this day was especially hard for them.
As the Hernandez family prepared to meet Johnny and Chanel in Horton Town Square for the handover, the new parents were signing the adoption papers at Belle’s (Martha Madison) office. As the joyous couple prepared to leave to get their new son, EJ turned up at the door. He received a frosty welcome from the three inside, and Johnny revealed that he and Chanel were there to finalize the adoption of their baby. EJ wondered if his discussion with Amy Choi had been the final tipping point that secured the couple’s adoption of the baby. All were surprised he had done spoken to Amy on Johnny and Chanel’s behalf. The young couple quickly headed out, leaving EJ to tell Belle what had brought him to see her — wanting to announce her late father John’s contribution to the hospital at the gala. Little did Belle know it was not an act of kindness but rather a diversion to keep everyone distracted while Rita retrieved their secret equipment, which had been delivered to the highly secure section of the clinic.
Hello and Good-bye
The Hernandez family arrived at Horton Town Square and were soon joined by Johnny and Chanel. A couple of heartfelt requests were made: Johnny asked Rafe to be their son’s grandfather (instead of EJ) since he had always been a father figure to him, and Chanel asked Javi and Leo to be the baby’s godparents. Javi and Leo eagerly accepted, admitting they had hoped for this moment. Javi and Leo were a little disappointed to discover the new parents planned to give the baby a new name, and were told they would be updated once a decision was made. Gabi and Ari left to get breakfast together, while Rafe ran into EJ and told him he had been asked to be the baby’s grandfather. Back at home, Javi was reminded of the child he lost and Leo made it clear that he would be there to help Javi deal with his pain.
While all of this was happening, Marlena (Deidre Hall) and Paulina (Jackée Harry) had set up Johnny and Chanel’s apartment with a welcome home party for the baby. Paulina also acknowledged that it had to be a difficult day for Marlena since it was her anniversary with John, her late husband. Marlena was touched she remembered, and Paulina confessed that it was Tamara, her sister and Marlena’s longtime best friend, who had reminded her. Belle soon arrived, and the three women were eager and excited to meet the newest addition to their family.
It wasn’t long before Johnny and Chanel arrived with the baby, so everyone introduced themselves, with Marlena deciding “great grandma” was too much of a mouthful, so she’d go by GG. Realizing they didn’t yet know what to call the baby, Johnny announced his new name — Baby T; then he clarified it stood for Trey, as in three, John III. Johnny noted that living up to his grandfather’s name had made him a better man, and he wants that same legacy for his son as well. Marlena and Belle were touched. Johnny took a call from Sami, and he shared that she was coming to town to meet her new grandson, which wasn’t exactly good news for Belle.
Are you happy that Johnny and Chanel have finally added to their family? What do you think EJ is really up to in that secret room? Are you excited for Sami’s return? Let us know your thoughts about the latest episode of DAYS in the comments below!
