I don't get why people are expecting everything to be resolved or for them to not have growing to do. Ava's got some really deep issues that got majorly triggered by Mick's fake girlfriend walking around and everyone being just fine with it.
Do you really think when Ava looked at Garima, she wasn't thinking of a whole army of mindless clones used in similar ways and wondering just how different she really is? She doesn't always verbalize what she's feeling, so Sara can't always know. And Sara is a bit oblivious, but part of that is because she doesn't think of Ava as anything less than she would think of anything else.
But Ava baking snickerdoodles (her fake mother's specialty) and telling Sara she keeps a picture of them are because these are all things Ava does trying to feel normal and she does a very good job of hiding behind the mask that is the persona Rip created for her. The life, the history, the job, even the name. They are all things created and forced on her, but they are also a part of her personality and she's not sure at all where the line is supposed to be between her and 11 other Ava Sharpes that came before her, not to mention the scores of them in 2213.
The things that are definitely real are those traits and actions Ava wasn't meant to have. She wasn't meant to fall in love with Sara, or anyone, I doubt she was meant to obsess over serial killers. Consider the level of excitement they showed her having over pursuing something that actually came from inside of her rather than the things given to her.
She's trying to figure out who she is with the weight of the job and life implanted in her struggling for balance with those aspects of her personality that are actually her own choices and unique to her as an individual. Sara can't define those boundaries for her. She can encourage her to value herself as an individual, which is what the big fuss over her birhday was about, but the whole point is that Ava has to decide for herself and make her own choices. Sara will be there to support her anytime she needs it, but she's not going to understand every potential trigger for Ava because how could she?
All she can do is listen when Ava's ready to open up and encourage her in whatever ways she can and give Ava room to be jazzed about catching a killer if that's what's important to her. And most importantly she can learn from her mistakes, which I think she tries to do.
It's a story and we're still in the middle of it, of course there are things they both need to work on.
But bathed in red light, giving into the urge to kiss Sara before taking off to chase a killer was all Ava and Sara's supporting her by accepting and encouraging her passions as she reveals them and listening when she opens up about what's going on. It's not perfect, but it's a beautiful work in progress.
Can't wait for the second part of this episode to see where it's all going with Ava and Garima and all the messed up timeline.