Today’s Days of Our Lives recap for October 17, 2023, details Harris’s new job and Ava’s new danger. Plus, Talia made a major life decision and Chad looked back on his life with Abigail on a very special day.

Ava’s Life Spins Out of Control

Ava (Tamara Braun) was alarmed when she received a creepy phone call from Clyde Weston (James Read) telling her that Tripp (Lucas Adams) might be in danger if she didn’t cooperate. This prompted Ava to head down to Statesville and see for herself what Clyde wanted. When she got there she learned that Clyde had wanted to force EJ to help him run a prison pharmaceutical business by keeping Susan hostage. Clyde was angry that Ava managed to rescue Susan before he could reveal his leverage with EJ so his new plan to make Ava be his unwilling partner on the outside. Ava refused to cooperate until Clyde threatened Tripp again. Then, she gave the matter some serious thought.

Tripp had no idea why a patient violently attacked him at work and didn’t even want to tell Wendy (Victoria Grace). However, she noticed him wearing a bandage and had to come clean. Little did they know that Clyde was responsible for the incident.

Chad (Billy Flynn) remembered Abigail (Marci Miller) on her birthday as he sat staring at their wedding picture on his phone. He talked to her and told her he wanted to move on with Stephanie (Abigail Klein) but he still missed Abby so much. After Chad, Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes), and the kids visited Abby’s grave, he commiserated with EJ (Daniel Feuerriegel), who was missing his mom because Susan (Stacy Haiduk) went back to Memphis. Chad wanted to know if EJ forgave Ava and the answer was a solid no.

Harris Gets a Surprising New Job

Rafe (Galen Gering) and Jada (Elia Cantu) were both surprised that Shawn (Brandon Beemer) handed in his letter of resignation to the Salem PD so he could attend rehab closer to Bo (Peter Reckell) and Hope (Kristian Alfonso). While Jada felt bad for Shawn’s plight, she was relieved he wouldn’t be around Talia (Aketra Sevillian) anymore. She also felt bad for Belle (Martha Madison), the betrayed wife in this scenario. The subject soon turned to replacing Shawn on the force and the second Rafe mentioned it, Harris (Steve Burton) popped in with a solution.

He needed a job and believed his Navy SEAL skills would make him a perfect addition to the force. Harris felt funny coming to Rafe for work but Rafe didn’t think it was a bad idea. Sure, Harris might have done some sketchy things over the past year or two, but that didn’t mean Rafe didn’t think he’d make a good cop. Harris was thrilled to be the newest member of the Salem PD.

Later, things went from bad to worse for Ava when Harris told her his first assignment as a new cop was to find the person who gave Susan to her deranged ex-husband in London.

A Big Move for Talia

Talia and Belle ran into one another outside The Brady Pub where Talia apologized to Belle for sleeping with her husband and promised it would never happen again. Belle assured her she was right since Shawn left town. Talia felt terrible that she broke up Belle and Shawn’s marriage, but Belle was insistent that she and Shawn were still together. He just needed some time away from everyone. Belle didn’t blame Talia for what happened, but she wanted Talia to steer clear of her.

Jada was there to comfort a distraught Talia but was shocked when Talia told her she was also leaving town. Too many bad things have happened to her in Salem and she knew she had to get away. Jada was disappointed but she understood why Talia needed to escape.

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