Ava and Harris Enlist Help In Tracking Down Susan, and EJ Tries to Do Some Belated Damage Control

Talia smells a bouquet she’s carrying through the square when she runs into Belle and tells her the flowers are for somebody “really special.” She feels so lucky for this second chance with Chanel. All her second chances started when Belle became her lawyer. Everything’s gone great since then, and now she has Chanel! Belle advises her to surprise Chanel with her flowers and Talia gives Belle a rose, thanks her again and walks off.

Johnny and Chanel are kissing at her place and he marvels over how he’d assumed they weren’t going to work out. Chanel assures him that he’s the one she wants to be with, then kisses him again. She’s just not sure about Talia. She likes her, but it was never what they had together. She’ll have to let her down easy. Just then, Talia knocks on the door with a huge grin.

Johnny awkwardly leaves and Talia starts gushing about how great last night was and maybe they could hang again. Chanel stops her and tells her Johnny wasn’t just stopping by. He told her he still has feelings for her and Talia says it must not have to be easy to let him down after that. “I didn’t.” Chanel haltingly drags it out, but Talia gets what she’s saying and starts crying as she realizes Chanel and Johnny are getting back together. “I don’t deserve you, Chanel.” Chanel tries to apologize and reassure her that it was timing and she deserves good things, but Talia leaves.

EJ gets off the phone after trying to find out how long Jada’s been in Joyce’s room, then storms off to “shut her up.”

Jada is interrogating Joyce in her hospital room and tells the assassin she can either dummy up and go down for attempted murder or turn on her employer. Joyce doesn’t budge from pretending she’s a nurse, so Jada reads EJ’s message on her burner phone asking if Ava’s “out of the picture yet.” Jada pushes again just as EJ walks in and tells her to keep her mouth shut.

“Mr. DiMera, what a pleasant surprise.” She thinks he can clarify things and when EJ asks if she’s inferring he’s Joyce’s employer, he says he’s her lawyer. EJ was just watching the news and he wants to help this “poor woman” seeing as how Ava Vitali shot her. Joyce doesn’t say anything for a moment, then agrees to let EJ represent her. Jada warns her that this is a mistake, but her offer still stands. As soon as she’s gone, Joyce admits she scares her.

Rafe and a cop burst into an empty hotel room in search of Ava and Harris. They’ve got nothing but a leftover pizza and hospital ID bracelets. Then Shawn shows up, offering backup, clearly drunk and Rafe tells him he shouldn’t have come. He tries to toss Shawn out and says he needs to think about what he’s doing to Belle and his daughter. He then asks the cop to take Shawn home.

Shawn storms into the square with the cop following and telling him to get back in the car. He’s supposed to take Shawn home. Belle takes over and asks what’s going on. He tells her and she’s dumbfounded that he wanted to work “tonight, like this?” He’s drunk. Belle tells him that he’s struggling and drinking isn’t working. Shawn goes off about all that went wrong and Belle tells him she gets it, but neither Bo nor Victor were his fault. But if therapy isn’t working, maybe they should consider a “residential facility.” He’s aghast. “Rehab?!”

She just wants to help, and Shawn nearly bites her head off and brings up lying about Philip and representing him, then goes off about her “cheating on me, every single time we have a problem.” Yikes. Then he brings up EJ, launches off again about everything he’s supposed to get over and as Belle tries to get him home, he storms off. Belle tries calling him, then pulls out the rose Talia gave her.

Back home, Tripp apologizes to Wendy for cutting their night short. He knows it was EJ who tried to kill his mom. He goes into his room and finds… Ava and Harris! Tripp and Ava hug and she tells him what happened just before Wendy comes in. Tripp says Ava can stay as long as she needs, then asks what Harris is doing there. He apologizes for all his brainwashing shenanigans. He’s just there to help Ava.

Ava then explains that Susan is alive and Tripp dubiously responds: “So you started seeing… Susan.” Ava insists she remembered seeing Susan run off and she keeps having visions of her. “Susan has strange powers. Psychic powers.” Tripp and Wendy look at her like she’s lost it, but Ava and Harris want to head to London to find Susan. And she needs Tripp’s help.  Harris has contacts for fake passports, but they need Tripp to deal with him.

They realize it’ll take too long to get the passports, but Wendy chimes in. “No. It won’t.” She used to make fake IDs all the time. She just needs actual passports to doctor and she and Trip whip theirs out that they were handily carrying. They then have an impromptu photo shoot.

In the show’s last few moments, Talia thinks back to happier times with Chanel and throws back a shot at the pub. Shawn walks in and asks if he can join. Over at the DiMera mansion, Johnny paces, worrying about Talia right up until Chanel shows up on his doorstep.

Back at the hospital, Jada tells Rafe what happens and they make it clear neither believe EJ’s story. They’ll get a warrant for his phone as they try tracking down Ava and Harris. EJ tells Joyce she’s lucky to be alive after her run-in with Harris. “But if Ava thinks he’s going to keep her safe from me, then she is in for a rude awakening.”

Back at Tripp and Wendy’s, Ava and Harris marvel over the fake passports. Tripp worries about her safety, but Ava hugs him goodbye and says she has to tell Susan. Tripp tells her to come back safe and they hug one more time.