Why Days of our Lives’ Resurrection of Renée DuMonde Is Genius

Days of our Lives started its tradition of giving Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo) long-lost children all over the globe way back in 1982. Now one of those “kids” has been brought back — in a unique twist — that has longtime fans thrilled.

Days of our Lives Reaches Way Back

The first of the long-lost kids uncovered happened when it was revealed that Renée Dumonde (Philece Sampler), Lee Dumonde’s (Brenda Benet) sister, was really her daughter and had been fathered by none other than The Phoenix himself. Stefano’s son, Tony DiMera (Thaao Penghlis) had already fallen for Renée and was forced to give her up when he learned they were brother and sister. But then Tony learned Stefano wasn’t his father, so he could be with Renée.

By then, she had married David Banning (Gregg Marx) and was determined to make her marriage work. When that union fell apart, Tony was married to Anna Brady (Leann Hunley), and Renée tried to split them apart. And then, Renée was killed by the Salem Slasher (really Andre DiMera), and we barely heard a word about her again — until now.

DAYS Fans Get A Huge Blast From the Past

Those who were watching DAYS religiously four decades ago and were invested in the Tony and Renée story almost have a gift now, as that romance never went well and ended way too soon. And although Tony calls himself a DiMera, he is biologically not and is still “allowed” to love Renée today. Even Anna is still there to make sure that doesn’t happen and our Renée, in the form of Sarah Horton, is determined to get rid of Anna in any way she can. Have we been blasted straight into a time machine?

In recent years, DAYS has been known for making established characters believe they are other established characters, as when Dr. Rolf (Will Utay) injected the “essence” of Stefano into Steve Johnson (Stephen Nichols) and the “essence” of Princess Gina into Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso), but having Sarah Horton accidentally injected with a drug that causes psychosis and then reading Renée’s diary and convincing herself she is Renée, is definitely a new take on an old trope and so much fun to watch play out. Longtime fans will also remember Renée’s personality and mannerisms, and it’s clear that Linsey Godfrey watched the late Philece Sampler’s work because she is making us believe that Sarah is Renée resurrected.

What Will ‘SaRenée’ Do Next On Days of our Lives?

Sure, throwaway lines about Don Craig (Jed Allen) going out to mail a letter and never returning are music to DAYS fans’ ears, but the story potential is also juicy. At the moment, Sarah’s version of Renée is convinced that scoundrel Xander Cook (Paul Telfer), is really scoundrel Alex Marshall (Quinn Redeker), the gold digger Renée was married to when she died. What that will lead to in the Xander and Sarah romance is anyone’s guess, but it sure will be fun to see.

Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Salem, check out all the latest that’s been posted on DAYS spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.