E!He's back and he's better!
In Wednesday night's all-new episode of EJNYC, EJ Johnson is finally making moves to pursue his fashion career in New York City. Unfortunately, a major opportunity doesn't pan out exactly the way he hoped. But instead of letting that discourage him, he decides to host a party—with attractive, eligible men! Alas, the event turns dramatic when his friend gets sour and storms out.
Meanwhile, Elisa Johnson is dealing with big changes in her personal life and struggling with the aftereffects of her adoption when she was a baby.
If you missed out, catch up on the latest episode with these nine must-see moments!
1. Jump to the Dump: After Elisa's boyfriend Anthony blew up at her for privately talking to her ex, DJ, in a bathroom at her 21st birthday party, she asks him to meet up at a cafe so they can clear the air. But when they start bickering again, she quickly realizes there's no point in salvaging the relationship, especially after his conflict with EJ.
"I'm over it," she tells him, before leaving the table. "We're done." After she pulls the plug, Elisa explains, "In my heart, I feel like it's not going to work. It was too messy. It wasn't pure in the beginning, so it's definitely not going to be pure now, and there's no reason for us to carry this out."
2. Brotherly Love: Woo! EJ is ecstatic when he hears the news about Elisa's single relationship status, but he also wants to make sure that his little sister is doing okay following the split.
"I just think that it's time that you really do need to focus on you and doing you and living your life because it's important," he tells her. "These are the best years of your life. It's time to have fun, but also put your life in order."
3. Say No to Tinder: When EJ's friend Sanaz Panahi hosts a dinner party at her house, the conversation turns to the topic of dating and relationships. Duh. "I've just been like playing around," EJ says. "I've been having fun doing it, but sometimes I wake up and I'm like, 'Oh, it would be nice to have someone to curl up with.' I just want a friend with benefits." LOL!
Then, Sanaz's friend asks him if he's ever tried online dating or Tinder. "I've tried like little stints of that," he replies. "I just feel like all of this can't come across through an app." Tell 'em, hunny!
4. Hard Work Is Everything: EJ meets with his friend Kyle Bryan and designer LaQuan Smith to figure out what his next steps should be in the fashion industry, and they bluntly tell him it's all about hard work and the grind. "This is not a situation where you can buy your way in," Kyle says.
LaQuan advises EJ to really take the time to build and solidify relationships. "I think LaQuan confirmed that the fashion industry is cutthroat and a hard industry to climb," EJ says. "I definitely take everything he said to heart, and I'm very much prepared to work that much harder to make my name in this industry."
5. Cosmo Crash: EJ takes LaQuan's advice and sets up a meeting at Cosmopolitan in the hopes of forming a partnership. However, EJ gets flustered in the interview and can't provide an answer when he's asked what he sees himself doing with the magazine. In the end, they decide not to make him an offer.
Nevertheless, EJ is still determined not to let that minor setback hold him down. "I'm definitely going to go ahead and just prove to them that I can do this," he says. "And I'm just going to do it in a different way."
6. Shopping Shade: Elisa invites Sanaz to come shopping with her friends, Maya McHenry and Rachel Tabb. But she immediately regrets the decision when Sanaz can't refrain from throwing shade. "Sanaz comes in, and she's a lot," Elisa says. "I love a good shade, but I don't like the shade. And she came kind of shady!"
Sanaz definitely doesn't hold back with the attitude as she candidly criticizes everything from the store merchandise to Rachel's wardrobe choices. "If you're going to pay the price, you might as well look like you are," she tells her. Ouch!
7. Matchmaker, Matchmaker: EJ and Sanaz team up to cohost a matchmaking party for all their friends, and EJ takes it upon himself to make sure everyone has a fun time. "Each member of the group gets their own bottle and their own little table, and then I just wanted to, you know, put a D in every seat," he explains. "You get a D! You get a D! Everyone gets a D!"
8. Mission Aborted: While everyone is having a good time at the party, Sanaz starts making a scene after she feels rejected by her match. "Persian boy insulted me," she explains. "That's when bitchy Sanaz came out of her shell. You're at my table, my party!" EJ offers to let her switch with Rachel, and the guy is totally down just to avoid her wrath. "He likes the basic girls!" Sanaz yells to EJ.
Eventually, she ends up leaving her own event early because she's still freaking out about being denied—and no one is too disappointed to see her go. "We don't have time for tantrums," EJ says. "This is not Toddlers & Tiaras, sweetheart. We're bomb, we handle our business and we carry on."
9. Emotional Reunion: After her breakup, Elisa is feeling lonely and decides it's time to reunite with her birth mother, Dawn. "The last time I saw her was a few months after my 18th birthday," Elisa says. "It's surreal, like, you can't explain that to see your own flesh and blood for the first time. It's an incredible experience."
They spend a day in the park reconnecting, and it's exactly the therapy Elisa needs. "Seeing my birth mom…I feel on the right track," she says. "Thinking about how I have the Johnson family and I also have my birth family, I just feel like I definitely will never be alone. There's no reason for me to feel alone at all."