The Wednesday, May 28th episode of Peacock’s Days of our Lives continues the incredibly moving and heartbreaking story of John’s loved ones trying to rally around him in the most dire time in his life.
Previously, on the Monday, May 26th episode, it provided viewers with many hankie-inducing moments from the cast and the same held true for today’s DAYS when Christie Clark returned in her signature role of Carrie Brady. In story, Carrie comes back to Salem to be by Marlena’s (Deidre Hall) side in her time of need, and to be there for John, a man who meant so much to her growing up.
At that time, the audience believed John was the real Roman, but as the story played out over many years, he eventually went by the name of “John Black” and the OG Roman reappeared. As for her new scenes, Christie Clark was gut-wrenching in her performance but it was, in part, because her emotions were so on the surface and so real for John’s portrayer, the late Drake Hogestyn.
What made this more impactful (as DAYS has done this far with John’s final storyline) is incorporating flashbacks into the character’s remembrances as they sit vigil by his bedside, or remember how John touched their lives, or was a “hero” to everybody. Carrie flashes back to the heartbreaking moment when John (as Roman) had to tell her that Marlena had “died.” If you forgot the scene, it features Christie as a young Carrie crying her eyes out, and Drake Hogestyn as John trying to console her after delivering the heartbreaking news. It reminds us of the on-screen father/daughter chemistry these two had which was palpable still today.
Back in the present, Carrie insists that John’s greatest power wasn’t being a super spy, but being a dad, and thanks to John, she’s got two amazing fathers. Marlena and Carrie recall when the young girl came into their lives at 5-years-old and how she has been Marlena’s daughter ever since. In another flashback, Carrie remembers when she and John decorated the Christmas tree, after believing that Marlena had “died.” Now, at his bedside, Carrie grabs John’s hand insisting he is superman. Next thing you know, John touches Carrie’s hand!
On her return to DAYS, Christie Clark shared with Soap Opera Digest that she was hoping to visit with Drake when she was in Los Angeles filming her scenes but it was not to be. Clark noted, “I was hoping to see him, but he was so ill that it wasn’t going to happen. He sadly died, like, five days after we filmed everything, Everybody knew that it was going to happen, because it was terminal cancer, so nobody was acting. It is just raw emotion for someone that we all loved.”
Next, Abe Carver (James Reynolds) comes to sit with John and is greeted by Carrie. The two have an endearing and emotional hug. Now, alone with John, Abe is heartbroken and recalls how he knew from the moment John and Marlena locked eyes they were destined to be together. Abe says he feels so lucky to have been in Salem since the moment John arrived and saw their entire love story unfold. In Abe’s flashback, he remembers the moment that John asked him to be the best man at his wedding to Marlena. Back in the present, Abe tells John, they are family and they always will be.
Soap operas are known for their twists, emotional gut-punches, and returns that leave us reaching for tissues—and “Days of Our Lives” just delivered a big one. Carrie Brady is back in Salem, and her return couldn’t come at a more emotionally charged moment.
As John Black fights for his life, Carrie steps into a town full of haunting memories, unresolved emotions, and old wounds. This isn’t just another storyline—this is one of those moments fans will talk about for years.
Let’s break down everything that’s going on, what Carrie’s return means, and how this could reshape the future of “Days of Our Lives.”
