Days of Our Lives is gearing up for one of the most unforgettable and electrifying weeks in recent memory. The dates September 22–26, 2025, will forever be remembered as the week Salem was swallowed by a citywide blackout—an event that shatters illusions, exposes deadly secrets, and pushes every resident to their breaking point.

This is not just a flick of the power switch. This is a seismic shift in Salem’s history, a story crafted to strip away the masks everyone hides behind and force them to confront truths they’ve buried for far too long.

And as the lights go out, obsessions intensify, villains lurk in the shadows, lovers are trapped together, and a beloved star collapses in a medical crisis that will devastate an entire family.

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A City Drenched in Darkness: The Blackout That Changes Everything

The blackout begins innocently enough—a sudden flicker, a hum, and then total darkness. But this is Salem, where nothing happens by accident. The timing is too precise, the scope too vast, for this to be dismissed as a random power failure. Entire neighborhoods are cut off, hospitals scramble to function on failing generators, and communication lines are severed.

For viewers, the blackout is more than a backdrop—it is a metaphor. Darkness reveals what daylight conceals. Without electricity, distractions vanish. People are left face-to-face with their fears, their mistakes, and the people they’ve wronged.

It is in this atmosphere of vulnerability that the most shocking revelations and dangerous confrontations unfold.

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Sophia’s Descent: From Love-Struck Girl to Salem’s Darkest Obsession

Every crisis needs a villain, and Salem has found its newest one in Sophia Choi. Once introduced as a seemingly innocent young woman, Sophia has undergone a chilling transformation that now has viewers comparing her to Jan Spears, one of the most infamous villains in Days history.

Her obsession with Tate Black has crossed into a disturbing territory. No longer content with sabotaging his romance with Holly Jonas through petty jealousy, Sophia has escalated her schemes to terrifying new levels. She has begun secretly photographing Holly in her most private moments—while she sleeps in her dorm room.

These photographs aren’t just trophies. They are weapons—tools Sophia intends to use for blackmail, to frame Holly, and to systematically dismantle her reputation.

But Sophia’s obsession doesn’t stop with Tate and Holly. She’s weaving her way into other storylines too, manipulating Johnny and Chanel’s adoption journey and inserting herself into multiple relationships, determined to destroy as many lives as it takes to get what she wants.

The darkness of the blackout gives her perfect cover to move undetected, escalating her twisted campaign. With every passing moment, Sophia steps closer to becoming Salem’s most dangerous predator.

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Lovers in the Dark: Trapped and Tested

The blackout traps Salem’s most powerful couples in situations that force long-buried feelings to the surface.

• EJ DiMera and Belle Brady find themselves stuck in an elevator, a setting that quickly becomes a pressure cooker. Years of unresolved tension, unspoken resentments, and complicated history boil over as the pair confront the truths they’ve long avoided. The fallout of this entrapment could permanently alter their future.

• In contrast, Chad DiMera and Cat Green emerge stronger from their ordeal. Navigating the blackout together proves they can withstand uncertainty side by side, creating a powerful metaphor for their love story. Amid the chaos, their romance becomes a beacon of hope.

• Xander Cook and Sarah Horton also face critical choices. As the world outside crumbles, they are forced to strip away all distractions and focus on the raw truth of their relationship. Will the blackout push them toward reconciliation, or will it cement their separation once and for all?

  

• Meanwhile, Philip Kiriakis, Brady Black, and Gabi Hernandez are thrown into a life-or-death situation that forces unlikely alliances. The necessity of survival pushes them to put aside grudges and work together, but will old resentments resurface once the crisis is over?

These confined, high-stakes situations amplify every emotion, giving couples no choice but to confront the truths they’ve been avoiding for far too long.

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The Stalker Strikes: Stephanie Johnson in Peril

For weeks, fans have watched in growing unease as Stephanie Johnson has been stalked by an unknown figure. The blackout creates the perfect cover for this mystery to escalate.

Ominous gestures—flowers left on doorsteps, shadows lurking too close—now take on a terrifying new weight in Salem’s darkness. Many suspect Jeremy Horton, Stephanie’s ex-boyfriend, who may have returned with dangerous intentions.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Stephanie has a scheduled public Q&A session during the blackout, a moment that could serve as the stalker’s perfect opportunity to finally make his move. With chaos in the streets and fear running high, Stephanie finds herself more vulnerable than ever before.

Caleb Brady senses the toll this is taking on her, but even his support may not be enough to stop what’s coming.

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Tragedy Strikes: Marina Evans Collapses

As if Salem needed more heartbreak, the blackout claims its first major victim when Marina Evans collapses. With hospitals running on backup power and emergency responders overwhelmed, her medical crisis turns dire in an instant.

Earlier in the week, Marina received troubling news about her health, but she chose to suffer in silence rather than worry her loved ones. Her collapse shocks the Brady family, leaving John Brady in particular terrified at the thought of losing the woman he loves.

This tragedy raises painful questions: Could Marina’s condition have been prevented if she had spoken up sooner? And will Salem’s strained medical system be able to save her life in time?

Her collapse becomes the emotional core of the blackout storyline, reminding viewers that even in a city of schemers and villains, the most devastating crises are the ones that hit closest to home.

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Villainous Shadows: Is Orpheus Back?

No Salem crisis is complete without whispers of Orpheus. The blackout’s suspicious timing and scale—crippling multiple systems at once—seem far too coordinated to be random.

Fans know Orpheus thrives on chaos. He has used citywide crises before as the perfect backdrop for revenge and manipulation. The blackout provides him with cover for infiltration, surveillance, and the execution of long-laid plans.

Could Orpheus be pulling strings once again, waiting for Salem’s residents to let their guard down before striking his deadliest blow yet?

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Fan Frenzy: Theories and Reactions

The Days fanbase is ablaze with speculation. Social media is flooded with theories about the blackout’s true cause, Sophia’s next move, Marina’s fate, and the stalker’s identity.

Comparisons between Sophia and Jan Spears have sparked passionate debates. Many applaud the writers for creating a villain who feels fresh yet rooted in the show’s iconic tradition of unforgettable antagonists. Others are bracing themselves for the heartbreak of losing Marina if her health crisis proves fatal.

The beauty of this blackout week is how it threads together multiple storylines, creating a sense of urgency and unpredictability that keeps fans glued to their screens.

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The Legacy of the Blackout

When the lights finally return, Salem will never be the same. Relationships will be forever altered, villains will rise, heroes will falter, and families will be forced to pick up the pieces.

The blackout is not simply a plot device. It is the catalyst for a new era in Days of Our Lives—an unforgettable week that will ripple through Salem for months, perhaps years, to come.

As obsessions turn deadly, secrets explode, and one beloved star clings to life, viewers are reminded why Days remains one of the most gripping dramas on television.

This is Salem at its darkest—and its most powerful.