What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

General Hospital

Maxie noses around on Nathan’s laptop, trying to find out what her wedding gift is, but he catches her. He tells her it’s not a surprise if she keeps snooping. She claims she was setting up something with a dance lesson, and says they need practice before the wedding. He says, let’s dance.

At Kelly’s, Jason tells Sam that Julian is the one who set up the bomb hoping that Sonny would get the blame. Curtis adds that it’s speculation, and they don’t have much in the way of proof. Pete was killed before they could talk to him. He thinks they should combine resources. Jason says they’ve already told him everything. Curtis thinks maybe they should go to the cops.

Jordan asks the mayor if she wants things fast or right. She says if anything unusual comes up, she’ll call. Another call comes in. She sees that it’s Andre.

Andre tries to call Jordan. Anna comes to his office asking for his help.

The doorbell rings at Windemere. Valentin answers. It’s Nina. Shouldn’t he have someone to answer the door for him? And aren’t there guards or bouncers or something? Valentin shows Nina the Christmas tree, which of course is fabulous. Charlotte is out at a movie, while Valentin and the staff decorate.

Lulu is in the hallway, pondering. She tells Dante she can’t stop thinking about Charlotte. She says when she looked at her, she felt a connection.

Curtis says the police have access to information and resources that they don’t. Jason is afraid they won’t admit they’re wrong, since they’ve been after Sonny for a long time. Sam agrees and doesn’t think they should trust the cops. Curtis wants to talk to Jordan, but Jason asks him to wait. Jason and Sam leave. I think they stuck Curtis with the check.

Andre thinks he should refer Anna to someone else, considering their history. She tells him that she’s not there as a patient; she wants to consult him on a case. She needs some insight into Valentin.

Valentin asks Nina if he’s missing anything as far as the decorations go. She asks if Charlotte has a stocking, but he says she puts it up on Christmas Eve. Nina says she did too, but it was in the playroom, so that it didn’t clash with her mother’s theme for the year. There was never anything under the tree either. It wasn’t a place of love and togetherness, but a place to conduct business. She got a lot of presents bought by assistants. It was extravagant and completely empty. Valentin says he had a gift one year from the cook at school. She knitted him a scarf. He had it for years until the airline lost his bag. They both can picture each other as children. He asks her to stay for dinner, but she has to go. She tells him to have Charlotte open the gift right away. It’s an Advent calendar.

One of the staff comes to the door. The launch has been grounded because of a storm. No one can leave Spoon Island.

Lulu tells Dante that when she saw Charlotte, she had a physical reaction and immediate need to protect her. She says she literally feels a pull toward her, like she feels toward Rocco. She asks Dante if he thinks it’s possible that Charlotte is her daughter.

Curtis goes to the station. He wants to talk to Jordan, but she wants him to leave. He says it’s purely professional, and she says he has 30 seconds. He tells her it’s about the Corrinthos case. He says they both have information that the other doesn’t, and you show me yours, and I’ll show you mine.

Jason goes with Sam to her doctor’s appointment. While they’re waiting, Sam asks what he thinks about Curtis’s idea. He says it’s a great idea, but highly doubtful it would work. He says Jordan seems honest, but he doesn’t think she’ll listen. He says at least they’re making progress, and thinks Sonny will eventually go free. They discuss moving away from Port Charles.

Lulu wonders why she’d feel so strongly about a child she’s never met. Dante says the embryo was destroyed. She says they don’t know for sure, and how do they know that Claudette is really Charlotte’s mom?

Valentin calls Charlotte who’s at the MetroCourt and going to spend the night there. I guess it’s a mall, and a hotel, and all the restaurants in town rolled into one – and there’s a movie theater! Nina says she’s leaving. She thinks Valentin is manipulating her, but he says he’s not in control of the weather. She leaves and he counts. He gets to one and she’s back inside, soaking wet.

Andre tells Anna that it isn’t a typical WSB profile, and she says she knows it’s slim. He asks what she’s looking for, and she wants to know what Valentin’s agenda is. Andre recognizes his alias, Theo Hart, as being involved in an international diamond ring. He says they were smart and connected, and just as the authorities were ready to make an arrest, they closed up shop and disappeared. Anna tells Andre what little she knows about Valentin. Andre says they can get the Bedlington transcripts, but Anna says after he left, the school burned down, and the files were lost. It was arson, and she’s sure it was him, and she intends to uncover whatever he’s hiding about his past.

Jordan asks why Curtis is still investigating. He says he wants to get to the truth. She says he’s not known for his altruism, so what’s the angle? He says if she wants Lomax off her back, he has what she needs. She gets a pair of handcuffs and cuffs him to the desk.

Nathan puts on some music. He and Maxie start to do a swing number. When Maxie goes to answer her phone, Nathan takes a spill.

Lulu thinks it’s possible that after things didn’t work out with Daphne, Helena hired Claudette instead. She says no one has investigated if she’s Charlotte’s mother. Dante says there’s proof Valentin is her father, so she’s not Stavros’s child.

Valentin gives Nina some clothing. He thinks it’s from Nicholas’s ex-fiance. He tells Nina to get dry and he’ll see about dinner.

Andre tells Anna it’s possible that it was a cover up, but Valentin could have been seeking closure and catharsis. He might have felt abandoned, and once empowered as an adult, went back to the source of his powerlessness and unhappiness. Andre thinks there’s definitely an inferiority complex going on. Anna talks about Valentin stammering when she asked about his father. She thinks there’s something missing. Andre asks what is it about Valentin and why is the case giving her so much trouble?

Anna says she’s unsettled that Valentin has researched her. She tells Andre about Valentin telling her “open your eyes,” and says he told her it was just a coincidence. Andre says it’s no secret she was with the WSB, but she says there’s more to it. Valentin seems familiar. Andre asks if she thinks she knows him, but she says it’s more like he knows her.

Valentin presents dinner to Nina. She says he makes her nervous. He asks if it’s because of what people say about him. Nina tells him that she’s been warned about him, but she’s spent more time with him than with the people who warned her. He makes her nervous because they’re eating in front of the fire and it feels like the start of something. He says maybe it is. I’m in. She says she’s only had two relationships. The first was cold and distant. She invested time and saw a future, but he didn’t see it. Valentin says the same thing happened to him, and she asks if he’s talking about Claudette.

Lulu says Stavros and Valentin were brothers, so maybe there was some kind of mistake. Dante wonders if there’s competition for the estate, but Lulu tells him that Mikkos left everything to Valentin, no question. Dante wonders if Valentin was just going after the other Cassadines for sport, and says maybe Charlotte is still alive because she’s no threat. Lulu admits that maybe she just wants Charlotte to be her daughter.

Jason is hesitant about moving away just now,  and Sam says they don’t have to make a decision yet. He thinks it’s not the right time to move, and she’s okay with that. The doctor comes in. She asks if they’re ready to meet their baby.

Curtis says that Jordan has no grounds to detain him, but she says he’s a person of interest, and she can legally keep him for 24 hours. He tells her that he can get out of the cuffs, and she asks if he can get out of an arrest warrant, or does he want to cooperate? He says he’s aware of the surveillance footage and that there was a van blocking the camera. He tells her that the van belongs to Julian’s company. She tells him he used the word “we,” and asks who he’s working with.

Jason and Sam look at the ultrasound. The doctor says the baby is looking good. She asks if they want to know the sex. I do! I do!

Curtis tells Jordan that he likes to work alone and misspoke. She doesn’t believe it, and he says she’s right, but he’s not telling her, and he’s given her all the information that he has. She let’s him loose. She says there’s something she thinks he should see. She takes him in the back, and brings out a laptop. She says she has the footage at a different angle from a red light camera, adding that technically it’s public record. She says he gave her something, and she’s returning the favor.

Jason says it’s up to Sam. Sam thinks a surprise is exciting. The doctor says she wrote it down, and they can open it or forget it exists. Jason says thanks for the temptation.

Nathan has hurt his back. Maxie suggests going to the doctor. She asks if he’s going to be okay to do the first dance at the wedding, and he says wild horses couldn’t pull him away; he’ll be there with his dancing shoes on. He has to get back to work, but promises only the desk and an ice pack. As soon as he’s out of the room, Maxie reaches for his laptop, and he tells her to stay off of it. I laugh.

Lulu tells Dante that she can accept that Charlotte isn’t hers. Dante suggests a mini-vacation, but she says they can’t just drop everything and leave; she still has to finalize things for Haunted Star New Year’s Eve party. Dante leaves. Lulu sees a Christmas bow on the floor and ponders again.

Nina tells Valentin that she was lucky. Those relationships weren’t going to last. She needed to live her own life and find out what made her happy. Valentin tells her she’s already learned the most important lesson – you have to get what you want for yourself. She says most people think she’s fragile and defined by her past, but she’s not fragile, and she’s an independent adult. He says they have that in common, being defined by their past. They kiss.

Lulu visits Maxie. She wants an honest opinion. She says she can’t let something go, even after talking to Dante. She thinks Valentin has her daughter, and wants Maxie to help her prove it.

At the station, Dante asks to talk to Nathan. He tells Nathan about Lulu’s theory on Charlotte.

Valentin tells Nina that he doesn’t want to take advantage. She says he’s not.

Andre asks if Anna thinks Valentin came to Port Charles purposely to follow her. She says she’s not that self-absorbed, but thinks she can find what she needs in the rubble at Bedlington.

Jordan tells Curtis that if he clears Sonny’s name, to make sure that Sonny doesn’t take the law into his own hands. She says she knows he’s working for Jason, but she’s trusting him. If he gets a lead as to who planted the bomb, he needs to come to her first, not Sonny. She tells him to just think about it. After she’s gone, he looks at the footage and says, what the hell…?

Sam asks Jason what he wants to do. His phone rings. It’s Curtis. Curtis tells him not to get mad, and Jason says he shouldn’t start a conversation that way. Curtis says he has something really big.

Tomorrow, Lulu and Maxie look at some files that could have the answer, Tom introduces himself to Kiki, and Dante wonders if Charlotte is Lulu’s daughter.

Hairspray Live!

🎶 I hope a lot of you watched this. Harvey Feirstien reprised his original role of Edna, and – sorry John Travolta – nobody does it better. I saw him on Broadway and I still get excited just thinking about it. But that’s not why I’m hoping a lot of people watched it. John Waters said more with his story about a fat, white girl wanting equality for all than anyone will ever say with the negative crap I see online. If you don’t like musicals, check out the original movie with Divine playing Edna (I was also blessed to see him on stage in Women Behind Bars). Same message without the songs. But if you watch this, be prepared for – horrors! – cultural appropriation, or what we used to call sharing our culture. Today, people can’t seem to make up their minds as to whether they want to be homogenized or smack your hand away from their hair-do. Personally, I prefer to call the USA not a melting pot – a term we were once described as, but never seemed to grasp – but a stew pot, where every ingredient is different, yet all of them work together.

Mini-lecture over. Hairspray Live! was everything. More than a play, it was an event, with live feeds on TV from various cities, a live audience for the show, behind-the-scenes footage, and the Facebook Live comments going so fast, it was hard to read them, much less reply to any. There were a few technical glitches, but the cast didn’t miss a beat, and you could tell they were enjoying the hell out of it. It was a wonderful way to bring people together. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that I felt good afterward, and certainly better than I do after looking at my Facebook newsfeed.

And while my father can no longer build us a stage in the barn, we can still join together in singing and dancing to promote unity.