Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Sami and EJ learn Johnny has retinoblastoma, a form of eye cancer, and doctors must remove his left eye. Sami and EJ are a wreck and incredibly upset. While everyone waits for a second opinion, Sami wishes there was something else that could be done. Ben tells her it’s best for the eye to be removed. Sami hates herself for being unaware but Rafe assures there was nothing they could have done differently. EJ confides in Lexie about Johnny’s eye surgery. Lexie wonders if Stefano should be called, and EJ thinks they should wait since he’s out of town. Lexie finds it interesting that EJ and Sami seem to have mended fences. EJ explains it’s only temporary. Later, EJ offers a partial apology for accusing Sami of doing something to Johnny, but he makes it clear it’s not forgiveness. Angry Sami lashes out and says he can’t keep her from her child. Later, the diagnosis is confirmed – Johnny’s eye will have to be removed. Rafe is with Johnny when he wakes up and vows he’ll beat this. Meanwhile, EJ and Sami prepare to tell Johnny the news. Gabi comforts Will when he hears the news about Johnny. Bo is determined to help Hope. He knows what he must do and he gently tells Carly he needs to leave town for awhile and doesn’t know when he’ll be back. Carly knows it’s because of Hope, even though he’s doesn’t say it. Carly thanks Bo for everything and vows to always love him. In prison, Lee gives Hope the beating of a lifetime. Nicole and Brady take advantage of being alone at the DiMera mansion and make love in the living room. Little do they know, someone is watching.

Daniel gets the call from Lexie to operate on Johnny and it hits him as a father. Chloe feels lucky it turned out Daniel is Parker’s dad and not Philip. Sami and EJ break the painful news to Johnny that he’s going to lose his eye. They try to fight their tension and put on a good face for their son, but end up fighting in front of him until he tells them to stop. They do for Johnny’s sake, and become bonded in their worry as he’s taken off to surgery. But as soon as he’s gone, they end up fighting again. Rafe comforts Sami. Lexie comforts EJ, but ultimately he’s left alone in his worry. In surgery, Daniel removes Johnny’s eye, but becomes concerned that the cancer may have spread. Bo goes into the prison disguised as a guard and finds a battered Hope. She tells him what’s been going on and he’s stunned to learn Warden Jane wants Hope dead. Hope begs him to believe her, even though they’re trying to portray her as insane and violent. Bo does believe her and realizes he has to break her out of there. Lee comes upon them and gets suspicious. Hope knocks Lee out before she can call the guard. They hide Lee under Hope’s blankets, and then make their escape! Maggie runs into Victor while she is dropping off Melanie and Philip’s things. She’s rattled by Kate acting like the “lady of the house.” Kate thinks Victor’s plan to make Maggie jealous just may work. Brady, Nicole, Kate and Philip all receive texts to meet Victor at the Kiriakis mansion. When they arrive, he claims he didn’t send them. As they all come to realize who did, Vivian explains to Gus that Christmas has come early this year. She arrives at the mansion and announces to all that she is now the majority stockholder of Titan Industries. As everyone bursts into rage, she promises she will bring them all down, and leave them with nothing.

Johnny’s surgery is a success. His doctors are optimistic that they were able to remove the entire tumor. Rafe anticipates EJ’s reaction and asks Daniel to look out for Johnny and Sydney. Meanwhile, Sami is floored when EJ says the crisis is over now, and he forces her to leave Johnny’s side. At home, Rafe comforts devastated Sami. Bo and Hope flee the prison. They eventually hide out at a remote cabin as they try to formulate a plan of what to do next. Bo persuades Hope that they can have no outside contact, but later, she secretly picks up the phone. Meanwhile, Jennifer is applying for a job at the prison with the intention of helping Hope when news of her escape breaks. She is stuck there as the prison is put in lockdown. Jane and Lee realize that Bo is Hope’s accomplice. A full-fledged manhunt ensues and Jennifer worries about Bo and Hope. Vivian apprises Brady, Victor, Philip, Kate and Nicole that not only does she have a controlling interest in Titan, but she also owns the Kiriakis mansion! She makes clear that she is not going to kill them. Watching them squirm is much more satisfying revenge. Everyone (except Nicole) decides to keep living at the mansion in hopes of reclaiming it. Vivian announces to Nicole and Kate that she has a special revenge planned for them. Later, Vivian gives Nicole an early Christmas present – photos of her and Brady making love. Bo stops Hope from calling Ciara and giving away their position. Hope’s emotions lead to an embrace and then she questions Bo about what he has done. How will Carly ever understand and forgive him? Bo tries to change the subject, but Hope is insistent. She knows the two most important people in Bo’s life are Ciara and Carly. Bo insists they will see Ciara again, but Hope realizes some sort of sea change has happened with Carly. Jane verbally attacks Roman and reveals the State Police will take over the manhunt for his brother. Roman steps down to avoid any bias and has Rafe promoted to temporary Police Commander. Roman has a feeling they must find Bo and Hope before the State Police do. Meanwhile, Jane tells Lee that she has friends on the State Police force and when they find Bo and Hope, they will kill them. Back at the cabin, Bo and Hope fear someone is outside. Daniel realizes something is wrong with Carly. He learns about Bo leaving to break Hope out of prison and comforts Carly. Chloe insists Carly stay with them. Nicole tries to bluff her way out of Vivian’s horrifying evidence. Vivian isn’t having it. Meanwhile, Maggie warns Brady off of Nicole, but he says he can handle it. At the same time, Nicole, desperate to find EJ, rushes home and learns from Mary what has happened to Johnny. At the hospital, EJ feels horrible about Johnny losing an eye, and still blames Sami. Nicole rushes to the hospital to find EJ, but Vivian beats her to it. Vivian nearly shows him the pictures, but EJ is so distraught and angry that she is forced to back off and bide her time. EJ also rebuffs Nicole, but her emotional plea causes him to crack for a moment and Brady arrives to see the two of them in an embrace.

Brady has caught Nicole and EJ in an embrace. He tries to cover his dismay, but Nicole does the heavy lifting for him. Brady goes with it and he blasts EJ. EJ shuts him down when he reveals Johnny just had his eye removed. He storms off. Nicole goes into Johnny’s room and finds EJ staring at his sleeping son. Nicole quietly says she’s sorry Brady jumped on him, but EJ isn’t so sure she’s being honest. Nicole tells him she is because she’s made her choice. She’ll be there for Sydney. Nicole goes on to say she cares about Johnny as if he were her own son. Stefano arrives and tells EJ not to believe a word out of her mouth. Later, EJ tells Stefano that Nicole is not a problem, she’s a solution. Stefano wonders if he trusts her. EJ says the kids do and he would prefer her to be around them instead of Sami. At the same time, Nicole manages a moment with Brady and shows him the pictures Vivian had taken. Fortunately, EJ wasn’t interested in her accusation and she wasn’t able to tell him anything. Brady promises to come up with a plan. Later, Nicole goes back to see Johnny and through her interaction with him, EJ realizes how valuable she is to his family. Bo is relieved that the noise outside the cabin was just an animal. He vows to come up with a plan to stop Jane and Lee. Hope knows her life is over and that she’ll go back to prison, but Bo disagrees. At the same time, Rafe interviews Carly in order to help Bo. After Rafe finishes the interview, Daniel and Melanie try their best to help Carly deal with Bo’s departure. Later, Rafe calls Jane to talk to her about Bo and Hope. However, a difficult Jane puts him off. Philip finds Melanie in bed. He’s apologetic about their living situation, but they make love and Melanie tells him she loves him so much. Later, they hear about Bo and Hope. Philip goes to the Brady Pub to find Caroline, but finds Stephanie and Nathan instead and learns about their impending move to Baltimore. Philip leaves, and Stephanie feels it’s the best thing for Nathan and her. Philip goes to Chloe and tells her the good news about Stephanie leaving town soon. Jennifer, Julie, and Doug pull out the Horton Christmas balls and realize Ciara wants the near impossible for Christmas.