BRAVO: The Days of Our Lives Kristen Reveal Surpasses All Expectations

If you’ve watched soap operas for decades like the staff at Soap Hub, it’s hard to be surprised or impressed by much anymore. But, the Thursday episode of Days of Our Lives fully delivered on a story that has been building for months now — and it was certainly worth waiting for!

As if we didn’t think the first time Nicole (Arianne Zucker) was revealed as Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) wasn’t exciting enough (see below), the reveal in front of everyone at John (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena’s (Deidre Hall) anniversary party was everything we could have wanted and oh-so-much more.

Little bits of information kept spilling out all hour, helping people like John and Hope (Kristian Alfonso), who had been working together to find out who killed Ted (Gilles Marini), connect the dots. Hope provided a key tidbit to John just as Marlena was trying to tell him how much she loved him.

The fact that they were gathered there on the one-year anniversary of when Kristen had Xander (Paul Telfer) shoot up their wedding, which almost killed Marlena, makes it even more poignant.

Because while Kristen these days is all about Brady (Eric Martsolf), there was a time decades ago when she was obsessed with his father.

So it’s safe to say that John knows Kristen pretty darn well and that’s a fact. As Hope’s information that Xander spilled on Kristen, meaning that she’s still alive, started to sink in, John remembered other key pieces of information — like Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) mentioning Dr. Rolf’s ability to make masks that can change you into anyone.

The episode’s director did a fantastic job showing how each piece of the puzzle built on the next for John, as memories flashed as he put it all together in the “Nic” of time — Nicole’s really Kristen. After all, hasn’t everyone said that Nicole’s not acting like herself? John realized why.

And when he ripped the mask right off her head, revealing Kristen underneath — the look on Haiduk’s face as she realized John of all people was the one to unmask her — all that history (even if Haiduk wasn’t the one to have played Kristen at the time) was evident on her face — and on Hogestyn’s.

It was a masterful moment by all actors involved, as well as the production and writing teams. Now that is drama and that is how you do it! Bravo! Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.