Doug Williams III started out with great promise on Days of our Lives. He arrived in Salem right after his grandfather Doug Williams’ funeral, seemed genuine in his concern for Doug’s widow, Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes), and quickly bonded with her. However, the character fell apart in a matter of days when he stole Alice’s necklace, revealing an unappealing, shady side that he was never able to shake, and that’s why he ultimately had to go.

Mistake After Mistake

It was easy to forgive and forget that Doug (Peyton Meyer) spent a night in jail, after getting arrested for a drunken bar brawl his first night in town. His grandpa had a full-fledged prison record when he arrived in Salem. But all his actions that followed were of the seedy variety. He was being hounded by a loan shark, was beaten up by one of his thugs, and allowed Holly (Ashley Puzemis), whom he barely knew, to pay off his debt.

When the secret came out that he was the one who swiped Alice’s precious necklace, Julie was furious. She tossed Doug out of the Horton home and swore she never wanted to see him again, feeling totally bamboozled by the young man she’d welcomed like family. Although Doug profusely apologized, Julie was unwilling to listen, and it was hard to blame her.

Trying to Make Things Right

Although Doug eventually landed a job at Brady Pub, determined to make enough money to buy back the necklace he’d hocked once he tracked it down, it never came to pass. Things went from bad to worse when his loan shark demanded another payment via one of his henchmen, and, once again, Doug didn’t have the money he needed. Only this time around, Doug’s debts put Holly and Arianna’s (Marissa Reyes) lives in danger when the thug abducted them.

Fortunately, the girls were found and freed thanks to Rafe’s (Galen Gering) sleuthing and Tate (Leo Howard) coming up with the cash to pay Doug’s debt. However, by this point, Doug had exhausted every bit of grace extended to him. Tate demanded that he leave town. Holly and Arianna chastised him for putting their lives in danger. And Doug realized he’d worn out his welcome in Salem.

Time to Go

Sadly, the character never made any genuine connections with anyone in town. His crush on Holly never went anywhere, and his fling with Arianna was a total bust. Meanwhile, Tate loathed him from the get-go, and Julie, who initially accepted him, came to despise him.

Fortunately, the character did get to offer a sincere apology and goodbye to Julie before he skipped town, a move that at least left the door open for his possible redemption in the distant future. And she seemed to listen and accept it halfheartedly. Yet Doug’s contriteness was a case of too little too late. He was never truly embraced by DAYS viewers and very likely won’t be missed.