“Perfectly written”— Days of Our Lives fans praise the emotional perfection of Doug William’s funeral episode

Days of Our Lives had emotional episodes at the start of the first week of December. The soap kicked off the last month of the year with Doug Williams' funeral, coaxing the return of many iconic Salem personalities to town.

In the comments section of a Facebook post for the soap, many fans gathered to share their opinions of the episode. Many felt that the episode with Doug's funeral was emotional and well-written, and a true mark of the 15,000th episode of the show.

A post on Doug's funeral episode (Image via Days of Our Lives Official/ Facebook)

Fans appreciated actress Susan Hayes' portrayal of Julie, comparing how Julie's loss of Doug mirrored Susan's loss of her husband Bill earlier this year (who also portrayed Doug on the soap).

Fans appreciating Susan Hayes and Julie's emotions (Image via Days of Our Lives Official / Facebook)

A post on Julie's final speech during Doug's funeral (Image via Days of Our Lives Official/ Facebook)

Fans felt emotional while watching the funeral episode, and said their own goodbyes to the longtime character.

Netizens mourning the loss of Doug (Image via Days of Our Lives Official/ Facebook)

---

What happened during Doug Williams' funeral episode on Days of Our Lives?

A still from Days of Our Lives (Image via @dayspeacock/ Instagram)

Many familiar faces returned to Salem for Doug's funeral. One of the first ones was Liz Chandler, who reunited with Maggie Horton in the square. She also came face-to-face with Marie Horton, and the two women dealt with some tension and old rivalries over Neil Curtis.

Ciara Brady returned to the Horton house to reunite with her family. She also discovered an old time capsule, opening it in front of some of the returned family members— Lucas Horton, Shawn Brady, and Jennifer Horton. The family went through the mementoes in the forgotten box, associating the objects with the times they spent together.

Julie Williams also had many loved ones around her to lean on in her moments of grief. She shared a reunion with her brother Steve Olsen, and the two discussed lingering memories of Doug together. On the other hand, Belle Black returned to Salem, making a beeline for her parents' house immediately. She reunited with her mother Marlena and even met Shawn at the funeral service.

At the funeral service, Shawn read from scriptures while Ciara recited one of her grandfather's favourite poems, Gone From My Sight by Henry Van Dyke. Julie remained misty and tearful throughout the ceremony but delivered a heartfelt eulogy for her late husband. This reduced everyone to tears and was immediately followed by an emotional rendition of the song, Always, by Liz.

A still from Days of Our Lives (Image via @dayspeacock/ Instagram)

Marlena and Belle walked back from the funeral, discussing the wonderful service and talking about Doug. Their conversation then shifted to Shawn, and Marlena advised her daughter to talk to him about their shared love. Just as Marlena left the room to check for news on her husband, John, Shawn showed up at Belle's door.

Many Salem residents also had toasts in honor of Doug after the funeral. Paulina, Abe, Lani, and Eli met in Abe's living room. They raised champagne glasses to Doug and paid their respects. Meanwhile, Steve Johnson, Roman Brady, and Kayla Johnson met at the pub and toasted Doug too.

After the funeral, Marie returned to the Horton house and asked to see the time capsule. Ciara opened it to show the contents to Marie, Lucas, and Jennifer, but one item was missing. They remembered Julie telling them about Alice Horton's necklace— the priceless piece that was now missing from the old box.

Meanwhile, Julie still struggled with her grief after the ceremony. She was seen resting her forehead on Doug's portrait, shedding tears at her lost love. At the end of the episode, she sat at her late husband's grave, when a young man came up to her and introduced himself as a young Doug Williams.

---

Episodes of Days of Our Lives can be streamed on Peacock. New episodes of the soap are released on all weekdays.