Wednesday’s episode starts with Hope helping Bo walk to the couch. (He’s surprisingly mobile for someone who’s been in a coma for several years!) Reminding Bo that she’s his ride-or-die, Hope says she sat by his side the entire time. Suddenly, Bo is rocked as he recalls the terrible things he did to his loved ones while under Megan’s influence. But she kisses him repeatedly, saying this is the first day of the rest of their lives.
Ciara enters to find her parents kissing, declaring that “a sight for sore eyes.” She updates Bo on her life, telling her dad that she has two kids and is traveling the world on a boat with Ben, the same way her folks did years ago. Bo wants to meet Ben, make sure he approves.
Next to enter is Shawn Douglas. Bo is thrilled to be surrounded by his beautiful family, but Shawn wants to know exactly what his dad remembers about what happened to him. Shawn says he’s been tortured every minute of every day since shooting his father (read the recap of that moment here). Bo remembers everything, saying Shawn did what he needed to do to protect Hope. “You are not responsible,” says Bo, insisting that it was Megan’s fault. Declaring how proud he is, Bo pulls his son into a hug.
Bo is surprised to learn Chelsea has a baby, and that he is now a grandpa four times over. “Bring them on! Grandpa needs hugs!” In rapid order, he learns that Belle and Shawn are divorced, Claire is in Africa with Theo, Kimberly’s cancer has returned and the fact that Xander is his half brother. “Gardner to CEO? That’s quite a move!” he quips. But the mood changes when they have to tell Bo that Victor died. Bo struggles to accept this. “He’s tough. He’s indestructible… he can’t be gone!”
Bo breaks down, sorry that he never got a chance to say he loved his father. And no sooner has he processed this news than Hope reveals that Doug, too, has passed away. He pulls her into a hug, apologizing for not being there. “You were always there in my heart,” she insists.
Ciara exits long enough to return with her children, Addie and Bo Jr., allowing her dad to meet his namesake. Later, alone with Hope, Bo admits he’s overwhelmed and doesn’t know what to feel. “So much has happened since I’ve been gone,” he says, adding that one thing hasn’t changed: His love for Hope.
John’s Last Wishes
As Carrie, Will and Eric deal with the seemingly never-ending stream of food being brought to Marlena’s penthouse by friends and neighbors, Marlena is sitting in town square, next to the memorial for Alice and Tom. “Oh, John,” she weeps. “I miss you so much already!” Will gets a call from Sami, who shares that her daughter had an accident at the airport and needs surgery, so she won’t be able to attend the yet-to-be-planned memorial service.
Marlena returns, saying that she needed to tell John’s father the news. Will protests that they could have done that for her, but Marlena says she has to “start to learn to do things on my own now.” She reveals that among John’s wishes was for a reception at the Brady Pub. Will and Carrie head to the restaurant to connect with Roman and begin making plans. Alone with Eric, Marlena reflects on who John was and that there’s never enough time, “not when someone is your everything.” She admits to wondering if the miracle Bo’s family is experiencing came at the expense of theirs. “Is that terrible of me?” she wonders, to which he replies it is human.
Johnny Mourns His Grandfather
Johnny’s ready for his first day at Titan-DiMera, but Chanel tells him about his grandfather’s death. Johnny is knocked by the news, believing that despite having John’s name, he never lived up to it. But Chanel tells him he did and will continue to. “We’re all works in progress, and we’ve all made mistakes,” she says, adding that he has a heart of gold and is brave like the grandfather who adored him.
Johnny and Chanel arrive at Marlena’s to offer their condolences and are told that his mom, Sami, won’t be able to attend the memorial. “Even though Sami won’t be here for John’s funeral,” Marlena says, struggling with the words, “I hope she can find some peace in the knowledge that he did raise her.” Johnny hopes to do his namesake proud, but Marlena insists he always did.
Returning home, Chanel tells Johnny she wants to be there every step of the way. “I know that I can’t take that pain away from you, but maybe sharing some of it with me will help lessen it,” she suggests. When he wonders what he’d ever do without her, she assures him they’ll never have to find out.
Heading For a Wedding
Andrew tries to comfort a distraught Paul, who admits that just this once, he wishes his dad hadn’t been a hero. Talk turns to their wedding, which they’d hoped to do as soon as John was released. They later cross paths with Will and Carrie. “Who would have thought that the sons of the ISA superspies Shane Donovan and John Black would one day fall head-over-heels in love with one another?” muses Carrie.
They all return to the penthouse, where Paul says they are planning to postpone the wedding. Marlena, however, won’t hear of it. “What this family needs right now is a celebration of love!” she declares. She convinces them to tie the knot in Salem before they leave. Paul agrees to do so, saying it will be “in honor of my father.”
And in the final moments, Hope is filled with joy as she revels in the return of her beloved Bo. But once alone with his mom, Shawn musters up the strength to tell her that John didn’t survive…
