In a poignant and emotionally charged installment of NBC’s long-running daytime drama Days of Our Lives, the episode airing on May 17, 2025, marks the beginning of the end for one of the soap’s most beloved characters—Bo Brady. Simultaneously, the show electrifies its fanbase with the shocking return of Arianna Hernandez, setting the stage for seismic shifts in Salem’s ever-evolving tapestry of secrets, redemption, and heartache.

Bo Brady’s Farewell: A Legacy in Motion

Peter Reckell delivers a masterclass in understated heroism as Bo Brady takes his first steps toward a heartbreaking goodbye. As viewers have come to expect from Reckell’s portrayal, Bo’s final arc is being treated with both gravitas and emotional depth, honoring his decades-long presence in Salem. This episode opens with Bo reflecting on a life lived fully but fraught with sacrifice, duty, and love—primarily for his longtime partner, Hope Williams Brady (Kristian Alfonso).

After being rescued from the experimental lab where he was presumed lost forever, Bo has been on a redemptive journey, slowly regaining his health and memories. But just as he seems ready to reclaim his life, an unexpected medical complication threatens to silence Salem’s most noble renegade forever. Doctors reveal that residual neurological trauma from his captivity is accelerating—a cruel twist that begins Bo’s graceful, if painful, swan song.

Kristian Alfonso’s Hope shines with quiet strength as she remains Bo’s emotional anchor. Their scenes together are rich with the kind of chemistry that only decades of shared screen time can produce. “You are my heart, Brady,” Hope whispers in one of the episode’s most moving moments. “And I’ll carry you in it long after you’re gone.” It’s a line that’s destined to become iconic within the canon of Days’ greatest love stories.

Arianna Hernandez Returns: A Ghost from the Past

But just as Salem gathers its breath to mourn a legend, a ghost from its past returns to stir the present. Arianna Hernandez (portrayed by Lindsay Hartley in a surprise comeback) makes her shocking reappearance in the final act of the episode, sending ripples through the Hernandez family and beyond.

Last seen over a decade ago and presumed dead following a tragic hit-and-run, Arianna’s re-emergence is both baffling and exhilarating. In a cinematic reveal set in Rafe’s dimly lit apartment, the camera pans slowly to a shadowy figure standing in the doorway—her face shrouded until a single whispered name: “Rafe.” The camera turns. The expression on Rafe Hernandez’s (Galen Gering) face says it all. Disbelief. Joy. Fear.

“Is it really you?” he breathes, tears brimming in his eyes. “I buried you.”

Arianna’s comeback is bound to unravel layers of intrigue. Where has she been all these years? Who kept her hidden—and why? With ties to the DiMeras, the Hernandez crime past, and the late Father Tim’s covert investigations, Arianna’s survival could mean explosive revelations for Salem’s tangled underworld.

Family Ties and Torn Loyalties

This episode doesn’t merely rely on its headline-grabbing events; it deepens the emotional complexity by exploring the ripple effects on the ensemble cast. Shawn-Douglas Brady (Brandon Beemer) struggles with his father’s condition, balancing his grief with his own role as a husband and father. His tension with Belle (Martha Madison) adds nuance, as the two differ on whether to keep Claire informed of Bo’s condition.

Meanwhile, Rafe’s life—already complicated by his rocky reconciliation with Nicole—spirals as he grapples with Arianna’s miraculous return. Nicole Walker (Arianne Zucker), who shares her own tragic past with Arianna, is blindsided. Her quiet confrontation with Rafe at the Brady Pub—delivered with signature sharpness—leaves a clear message: “Don’t ask me to make peace with the past when you haven’t told me the whole story.”

Even the DiMeras stir in the background. EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) receives an anonymous message hinting that Arianna’s survival might tie back to his late father Stefano’s shadowy legacy. Whether EJ chooses to uncover the truth or protect his family from more scandal remains to be seen.

The Impact and What Comes Next

Bo Brady’s farewell is shaping up to be one of the most heartfelt storylines Days of Our Lives has mounted in years. Executive producer Ken Corday previously teased “a farewell worthy of a hero,” and this episode delivers the opening notes of what promises to be a crescendo of remembrance, legacy, and loss. Fans are already speculating that Bo’s final days could coincide with the show’s 60th anniversary this fall, adding a meta-layer of poignancy.

Arianna’s return, meanwhile, injects much-needed unpredictability into the canvas. Her re-entry throws the already-complicated Hernandez family dynamics into disarray and opens doors to long-dormant storylines involving drug trafficking, FBI conspiracies, and DiMera cover-ups.

The episode’s dual storylines masterfully juxtapose loss and resurrection, bidding farewell to one cornerstone while resurrecting another. In many ways, May 17’s episode serves as a mirror to Salem itself—a place where death is rarely the end, and every return carries the weight of secrets yet untold.

Final Thoughts

With Bo Brady’s departure looming and Arianna Hernandez’s return crackling with dramatic potential, Days of Our Lives proves once again that its heart beats strongest in moments of emotional catharsis and shocking resurrection. As fans prepare to say goodbye to a hero, they must also prepare to welcome back a mystery—one who may hold the key to rewriting the rules of Salem forever.