An intriguing character with a lot of promise left Days of Our Lives on July 25. Doug Williams III (Peyton Meyer) left Salem after stealing Julie’s necklace back from Gwen in an effort to make amends. Doug III arrived in Salem shortly after Doug’s (Bill Hayes) death, fulfilling the favorite soap trope of long-lost relatives appearing at inopportune moments.
Doug III’s tenure in Salem was marked by a wild Days of Our Lives story in which he stole a Horton family heirloom to pay back some loan sharks. He seemed destined for romance with Holly, but that abruptly ended when she got back together with Tate and Doug III learned the sharks wanted more money.
After Doug III’s debts led to Ari and Holly getting kidnapped, he decided to leave town, but first he had a heartfelt goodbye with Julie. Check out what Julie said right before Doug III left (via TVLine):
Would you do me a favor? You have a great deal of potential. You’re loaded with wonderful DNA. You’ve just got to get your life together. And when you do, come back to Salem and show me how well you’re doing.
What Doug III’s Exit Means For Days Of Our Lives
It’s Disappointing That He’s Leaving, But The Door Is Open For A Return
It’s disappointing that Doug III was written out so quickly after the new writing team took over from outgoing head writer Ron Carlivati, who had created Doug III. There was no reason to revisit his loan shark story, and doing so merely undid all the progress in his story with Holly and Tate.
Additionally, most of Salem vilified Doug III despite his behavior being typical soap fare. He had strong chemistry with Holly, but his exit clears the way for Holly and Tate to continue to get closer again.
Sophia likely wants Tate for herself, so writing out Doug III allows the soap to shift its focus to Sophia interfering with Tate and Holly, especially if the truth comes out about her abandoning their baby rather than allowing Tate to assist in finding an adoptive family.
That said, if Doug III had to leave, it was fitting that his final scenes were with Days of Our Lives soap legend Susan Seaforth Hayes and that Julie finally forgave him. Hopefully, their relationship will continue off-screen and Doug III will be able to return in the future.
Our Take On Doug’s Exit From Days of Our Lives
It Was Rushed And Disappointing
Doug III was the grandson of a legacy character who had just died, so his stories should have been more respectful of how he fit into the Horton family. It was especially disappointing that his exit story was a regurgitated version of his initial story. Redoing this story in order to write him out unnecessarily vilified Doug III and justified poor decisions Tate had made in the past.
Holly and Tate had broken up because Tate told Julie about the stolen necklace for the sole purpose of causing his rival trouble. At the time, Holly rightly castigated Tate for his abusive and controlling behavior, and she should not have so easily forgiven him. Furthermore, it made no sense for her and Ari to blame Doug III for their kidnapping.
Tate demanded Doug III leave town, which is no different than his earlier behavior, and should be something Holly strongly disapproves of.
Doug III’s decision to try to protect both women by distancing himself from them instead of telling the police about the threats was no different than the way almost all Salemites behave when in danger and should not be an unforgivable sin. Furthermore, Tate demanded Doug III leave town, which is no different than his earlier behavior, and should be something Holly strongly disapproves of.
Unfortunately, Days of Our Lives has a bad habit of making certain characters pariahs for minor crimes while allowing others who do far worse things to be forgiven. The only silver lining to this exit is that it’s possible for Doug III to return in the future, hopefully with a stronger storyline.
