Days Of Our Lives Spoilers For The Week Of 1/1: Tripp Faces Ava, Sloan Puts Up With Leo

As 2023 winds down, several "Days of Our Lives" characters are taking the opportunity to reflect. The unlikely trio of detective Harris Michaels (Steve Burton), Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn), and Everett Lynch (Blake Berris) had drinks at the Brady Pub on the December 19 episode. Side note: Has anyone ever considered that the character of Everett was most likely given that name because he'd be interacting with Chad in a probable homage to actor Chad Everett, who gained fame playing Dr. Joe Gannon on the hit 1969 series, "Medical Center"?

After breaking up with Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) — unaware that she and Harris recently shared a drunken kiss — Chad and Harris commiserated about mistakes they'd made without giving too many details. Everett joined them, with Chad being surprisingly nice to him. When Chad declared that he had been replaced in his relationship with Stephanie, Everett stated that they were just friends, and Stephanie made that abundantly clear to him. 

Harris received a tip on the new drug ring that's been operating in Salem, but wouldn't let reporter Everett ride along for his own safety. Before the men parted ways, Chad suggested they make meeting for drinks an annual holiday tradition. If Chad's civility wasn't surprising enough, there are many more surprises in store for the first week of 2024!

New Year's is going to ring in with a disaster as it seems that Holly Jonas (Ashley Puzemis) will ingest unknown pills that are somehow "tainted" at a major party, landing her in the hospital. Tate Black (Jamie Martin Mann) finds her unconscious and gets help, but will be blamed for drugging her while Holly's mom, Nicole Walker (Arianne Zucker), understandably starts to fall apart with worry. Holly's stepdad, the ruthless district attorney E.J. DiMera (Daniel Feuerriegel), then goes on the warpath, blaming Tate, and plans to send him up the river most likely without any actual proof.

Meanwhile, the imprisoned Clyde Weston (James Read) is going to ramp up the pressure on Ava Vitali (Tamara Braun) and Stefan DiMera (Brandon Barash) to get his drug operation running more efficiently. Stefan's wife, Gabi Hernandez (last played by Camila Banus), already broke her leg while serving time herself, terrifying him. Ava's son, Tripp Johnson (Lucas Adams), was also attacked at the hospital, so clearly Clyde means business. Ava and Stefan better implement their scheme to get rid of Clyde soon before their loved ones are harmed any further.

It looks like Xander Cook (Paul Telfer) — who still doesn't know that he's actually Victor Kiriakis' heir — is going to ask Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey) to move in with him so they don't have to deal with taking the baby back and forth to each others' homes. The new family unit of Xander, Sarah, and baby Victoria will then gradually blossom, so hopefully Xander won't turn to crime to provide for his family again, once more screwing everything up royally.

Laughs are always guaranteed when Greg Rikaart's character, Leo Stark, is in a scene. He knows that Sloan Petersen (Jessica Serfaty) "adopted" Nicole Walker and E.J. Dimera's baby, letting the poor parents think their child had died. Leo's taking advantage of Sloan by blackmailing her, and is racking up exorbitant bills that she'll eventually need to pay. Sloan's got to act fast and figure out a way to get out from under Leo's thumb, or she'll be on her way to the poor house!

Ava Vitali, who's got her own list of jaw-dropping deeds on "Days," is currently running the villain Clyde Weston's drug operation in Salem to prevent him from hurting Tripp Johnson. However, Tripp knows something is up as she's been rather squirrely lately, and he's finally going to confront her about whether or not she's dealing illegal narcotics this week. Meanwhile, Tripp's girlfriend, Wendy Shin (Victoria Grace), is contemplating moving to China to be with her ailing father in the aftermath of her brother, Li Shin's (Remington Hoffman), death. Will Tripp go with her, or will he become an eligible bachelor again?

Mayor Paulina Price (Jackée Harry) has had a lot to deal with ever since her husband, Abe Carver (James Reynolds), got amnesia. Thankfully, despite not remembering their marriage, Abe's starting to fall for Paulina all over again. But she hasn't been feeling well as of late, and her latest diagnosis indicates it could be cancer. This will affect the couple's intimacy and could spell disaster if Paulina is terminal. Hopefully, they'll get past it soon, and Paulina will be fine because this cute couple is a true fan favorite!