What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

 

Wow. The celebrities have been dropping like flies. Carrie Fisher just passed away. Not quite as much of a shock as George Michael or Alan Thicke, but still, wow.

General Hospital

Valentin curses his life. Nina comes running in, and he tells her he lost something.

Anna is having coffee at the MetroCourt and Laura joins her. She wants to follow up about Valentin. Anna wonders what the Christmas thing was about, and Laura says he’s playing with them and needs to be neutralized. Funny, she never uses words like that.

Curtis and Jason meet Sam at Kelly’s. Jason tells her they’re no longer convinced that Julian is behind the bombing.

Winston tells the boss that he thinks Julian and Alexis have assumed relations and Julian is no longer convalescing. What? Ha-ha! Nobody uses the words like the villains use on this show. He says that they need to keep Julian in line. He needs to be reminded that there are consequences to any disobedience.

Alexis wakes to Julian’s face, but it’s just a dream. He calls to her from downstairs. Holy! She takes a drink before she even gets out of bed. I went to a party last weekend, and even now, just the thought of that makes my stomach turn.

Curtis tells Sam that they haven’t ruled Julian out officially, and they think he knows more than he’s saying. Jason says whoever did this used the van and deliberately left it to be found. Sam asks if they think it’s a set up, and Curtis says they’re not ruling out any possibilities. Curtis leaves to do “that thing.” Jason says he thinks both Julian and Sonny were set up.

Alexis asks Julian if it isn’t enough that he ruined her life and blackmailed her, does she really have to clock in? He says anyone would be worried if they knew how hard she was hitting the bottle. She asks if he doesn’t have someone to answer to, like a boss. Speaking of which…

Winston tells the boss that they have other means at their disposal, and he’ll deal with it right away. Maybe Winston is nuts and he’s really the boss. I don’t really think so, but this one-sided conversation is getting old.

Nina says she’ll help Valentin look, but he says he overreacted. He tells her that it’s an old photograph.

Anna tells Laura not to do anything, because she’s working with the WSB. Laura says she’s running out of time. Lulu is going to fight for custody, but if the court rules against her, Laura is afraid of what Lulu will do. Anna says Lulu should be careful or she’ll lose all access to Charlotte. Laura says if Lulu loses, she’ll eliminate Valentin herself. Man, Laura is feisty today.

Jason tells Sam that Sonny had controlled Port Charles for over twenty years, and Julian came along two years ago and took over. He wonders what if someone else wanted the territory? He talks about the pawn shop, and Sam says she’ll help to investigate. Lucas walks in. I forgot he’s even on this show, it’s been so long. Curtis calls Jason who tells him the pawn shop is closed. He’s going to track down Winston, but in the meantime the shop is unattended. Jason says he’ll get on that and jets. Lucas asks Sam about Julian’s accident, and Sam says she’s sorry she bothered visiting him.

Julian tells Alexis that he’s being supportive, giving Alexis someone to talk to. He says he’s the only one who knows how terrified she is that she won’t get back to where she was, and drinking isn’t going to get her out of it.

Anna says that Laura has every right to sacrifice herself, but they should make sure it doesn’t come to that. She promises there’s always something to be found with someone like Valentin.

Nina asks what’s up with the photo. Valentin says it’s a relic from his past, and it reminds him how far he’s come and how far he has to go.

Laura asks Anna what she’d do if Valentin came after Robin or Emma. Laura sees Lulu and says good-by to Anna. Andre arrives and takes Laura’s place at Anna’s table. He says Anna’s message sounded urgent.

Lulu joins Laura talk about Rocco’s new Christmas puppy. Lulu says the only thing missing on Christmas was Charlotte. Laura says she spoke to Scotty. Lulu wonders what court would let Valentin keep Charlotte. Laura says plenty of courts would do just that.

Anna shows Andre the photo, and tells him that an associate found it in Valentin’s possession. Even though the picture is from her early WSB days, she says Robert told her that Valentin never went through the WSB program. Andre says he could have gotten the photo and information from someone else who knew her back in the day.

Valentin tells Nina that the photo was sentimental. She says he’s doing it again – the mysterious thing. He drops a hint and pulls back, and it doesn’t work for her anymore. He apologizes, and says he doesn’t trust people very easily. She asks if they don’t both have to take a leap of faith and trust each other if they’re going to have a relationship.

Laura tells Lulu that they have to come up with a plan. Lulu says she’s Charlotte’s mom and wants Charlotte with her. She says she can offer Charlotte a safe, stable environment, while Valentin is a single parent and a murderer. Laura says that Charlotte is old enough for the court to take her wishes into consideration. They need to have their best strategy to win before they go to war. She suggests striking a deal and sharing custody.

Alexis tells Julian that she doesn’t interfere with his publishing business, and to stop acting like he cares. She says he’s delusional if he thinks you can love your wife and then try to kill her. He says what about when she kissed him last night, or is she going to deny it happened? Um…didn’t they already talk all about that last night?

Sam tells Lucas that ever since she got pregnant, Danny keeps asking when Lucas and Brad are having kids. Lucas says that Julian would want to place himself in his hypothetical child’s life, and he doesn’t want that.

Alexis tells Julian the kiss meant nothing, and unfortunately, she wasn’t drunk. She was trying to give him a tiny taste of how he treats her. Julian is about to tell her something that’s supposedly a bombshell, when the doorbell rings. It’s Winston. He says he’s there to see Julian and Alexis asks if he works for Julian. Winston says he works with him.

Jason lets himself into the pawn shop. The boss watches on the monitor. Curtis watches as Alexis lets Winston in, and says that’s just weird. Jason checks out the model ship.

Sam shows Lucas pictures of Danny on her phone, and he sees the Chinese food bag by accident. She says it’s just something she’s working on. He tells her that the characters don’t say “good taste” in Chinese.

Jason remembers Winston talking about the ship and how he’s holding it for a customer.

Curtis wonders what the owner of a shady ass pawn shop has going on with Alexis. He hears on the scanner that an armed and dangerous guy has broken into the pawn shop.

Winston comments that Julian has a lovely wife. She says ex-wife, and Winston says Julian must be doing something right. He asks for privacy, and Alexis says he doesn’t need to ask twice. After she’s gone, Winston says that Julian didn’t say anything about relocating, and keeping secrets doesn’t look good. The boss has asked him to show Julian something they’ve been keeping from him.

Andre tells Anna that one of her former classmates or instructors could have given Valentin the information. She doesn’t believe it. She says that Valentin enjoys provoking her, and everything is calculated. Whatever happened between them is personal to him.

Nina tells Valentin that she’s the one taking a big risk. If she has to trust him, he has to trust her. He says he’s spent his life not trusting anyone.

Lulu can’t believe what Laura just asked her to do. Laura says she’s afraid of the consequences Lulu will face if she doesn’t win. She’s asking the court to place Charlotte with a stranger. Lulu says that’s why she needs custody right now, so they can bond. Laura says strike a deal so she can do that, and they can bide their time until the circumstances favor them, and then pull the rug out from under Valentin. She tells Lulu that they have to be patient, but the WSB will get enough information to put him away. Lulu says if Valentin was a good man, she’d be glad to share custody, but she thinks Charlotte is in danger, and one way or another she’ll win.

Nina asks Valentin about the photograph. He says pain is useful and can keep him from making the same mistake again. There was someone he trusted, and he let her see the real him, and she made him pay a steep price. (Anna?) The only one he’s trusted since is Charlotte. Nina says there’s good news – if he let Charlotte in, maybe he’ll let someone else in.

Sam asks Lucas when he started speaking Chinese, and he says he just speaks a little. She asks him to translate. He says it seems to be saying “reincarnation.” I laugh because I totally misunderstood. I guess Good Taste is the restaurant name. I thought Lucas was inferring that the characters were not in good taste and cursed you out or something.

Curtis calls Jason and tells him to get out of the pawn shop; the cops are on their way. We hear sirens and Jason says, too late.

Winston shows Julian security footage of when Alexis hit him. Oh please, can we see him fly in the air again? Nope. Julian says she called 911, and wonders why he was told the footage was unusable. Winston says maybe someone got there first and took out the good parts. He wonders about Alexis’s standing with the bar association if this comes out. Julian says if he harms Alexis, and begins to threaten him, but Winston says Julian won’t let that happen, right? He lets himself out, and Alexis comes back downstairs.

Laura tells Lulu that the next step is for her to sit down with her lawyer and husband and plot the case. Lulu is surprised that Laura isn’t fighting her harder. Laura says bottom line, she has Lulu’s back, and Charlotte belongs with her no matter what.

Nina tells Valentin that they have to look for the photo, but he says someone took it. She wonders if it’s Charlotte, and he says someone else.

Anna tells Andre that she has a bit of a memory. She was young and walking down a corridor, and hears whistling – the same tune that Valentin taught Charlotte. Andre says with the intense training, her memory might not be reliable. Anna starts to tear up. She says even if it’s just a fragment or out of context, she has to get to the end of the memory. She has to walk down the corridor and find out what’s behind the door. She thinks the answers will tumble out when it’s opened. She wants Andre to hypnotize her.

Jason and Curtis come back to Kelly’s. Sam asks what’s wrong. Jason says good thing Curtis has a police scanner because he almost got caught. Curtis tells her that he called 911 to report a scary clown incident down the block to divert them. He says obviously, someone saw Jason.

A cop arrives at the pawn shop. He asks Winston about the security footage, but Winston says the cameras are just for show and haven’t worked in years. He says that the sirens must have scared the intruder off and nothing was taken.

Jason tells Sam that it wasn’t a total loss; he snagged the model ship. It has the same Chinese characters on it that are on the bag. Sam tells them that it means reincarnation.

Winston tells the boss that the model boat is missing.

Curtis wonders if the person Winston met with this morning might give them information. He tells them Winston was with Sam’s mama.

Alexis asks what part of Julian’s work includes her. She wonders why he’s so tense. Julian says if he didn’t know any better, he’d say she was worried about him. She tells him not to flatter himself.

Winston says that Julian has been put in his place for the time being, but he and the boss have a more urgent problem. It’s time to do something about Jason Morgan.

Because the shows are out of sync, there’s no preview, just the extra-long credits where they actually show everyone who worked on GH, which usually happens on Christmas Eve.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Erika is going to the CBS studio to discuss her part on The Young and the Restless, and she’s nervous. In her interview, she talks about when she first moved to LA and went on auditions, and how she’s a showgirl rather than an actress. She makes a good point in saying everyone hits their strides at different times, and she hates when people give you a shelf life, like if you don’t do something by a certain age, you’re done. Says who? she says. You go, Erika Jayne!

Kyle and LisaV meet for drinks. Lisa tells Kyle that West Hollywood is supporting her fight against the Yulin dog meat trade, and she wants to put political pressure on China. In her interview, she says she wants to make it her life’s work to stop dog torture. I love Lisa and want to know when I can move in. They joke about Erika not wearing underwear at the pre-white party kiki. Kyle thinks Dorit is just a little annoyed and not ready to let it go. Lisa says she likes her knickers. Me too.

Erika arrives at the studio, and Eileen meets her. She tells Eileen she doesn’t want to let her down. Executive producer Mal meets with them. We find out that Erika was (loosely) named after Erika Kane on All My Children. They discuss what kind of part she would like. She says she’s more like the hooker next door than the girl next door. He asks if they would like a scene together, and they would. In her interview, Erika jokes that she doesn’t want to single-handedly sink the show.

Dorit and PK take daughter Phoenix to the doctor. She wears a headband because she favored one side while sleeping, and it started to affect her skull. Dorit is hoping they’re getting closer to being able to take it off. They look at before and after pictures, and the doctor says she’s done wearing it. Dorit is ecstatic.

LisaR goes to do her QVC thing. She started with them after her stores tanked, and she has a “today’s special value” going on, which means you sell during a 24-hour period. I gotta say, the duster sweaters she’s selling are nice. She says her hustle has just begun, and you only get an hour’s sleep on a day like this. She’s happy that Harry is at the point where he no longer has to work, because there were so many years where he took parts just to support the family.

Lisa calls Harry. He wonders why she’s selling sweaters in the middle of summer, but she says she’s halfway to her goal. He admits they’re cool sweaters. Told you. Even Harry thinks so. (#WhatDidHarryDo) She asks if he talked to their daughters who are loose in NYC. He says he texted and tracked them, and they were where they were supposed to be. Like a kid can’t figure out a way around that.

Kyle just got back from the callback session for her show. She calls Mauricio and tells him how surreal it is seeing people playing herself and people she knows. She thought Portia was too young to audition, and it would also be too strange. She’s happy that they’ll be filming close to home, and talks about how difficult it is for her and Mauricio to be in the same place at once lately.

Eileen calls QVC saying she wants a sweater in every color. She nicely plugs the line while she’s on the phone.

Giggy! Harrison! LisaV and Ken visit their dog rescue. The manager thanks her for the donation. In her interview, Lisa explains that they started the foundation, and use both donations and their own money. Lisa wants one of the dogs, and Ken says every animal she sees, she wants. She says well, she did marry him. In her interview, she talks about how Ken made a U-turn in the middle of the highway to rescue a dog when they were first dating, and she knew she was going to marry him. He helps groom one of the dogs. They’re also doing a documentary and entering a resolution into Congress about stopping dog torture. Lisa says her life has gone to the dogs, and wonders how many you need before you look like a crazy person. The manager says she’s the wrong person to ask. So am I.

Dorit gets together with LisaR and Eileen, who go nuts over her shoes. Lisa calls her taste “exotic,” and Eileen is shocked that she just had a baby and looks so good. Dorit tells them about Phoenix’s skull problem, and that she’s officially on the other side of it. They talk about the various traumas their children have put them through.

They discuss Erika inviting them to an escape room experience. Eileen suggests no one drink beforehand. Dorit tells them about Erika’s lack of underwear at the kiki. She says she thought that Erika was wearing nude-colored panties, and then realized how hard her husband was staring. Not that she blames him. She says he told her later that it was uncomfortable, even though he couldn’t look away. In her interview, Lisa thinks Dorit is overreacting, and it would be easy to forget about crossing your legs. Um…I don’t think I’d forget. Lisa thinks they’re misjudging Erika because of her looks, and Eileen doesn’t think she was flashing on purpose. Dorit plans on giving Erika some panties, and Eileen wants to witness that.

Kyle meets Dorit for some shopping in one of those rich people stores that has like five dresses. Dorit tells her about having drinks with Eileen and LisaR. They talk about Erika, and Kyle says she doesn’t think Erika did anything on purpose. Dorit tells Kyle about what PK said. In her interview, Dorit says she thinks Erika has a good sense of humor, and buys a pair of lacy panties for her. Kyle thinks it could go terribly wrong, but wants to be there when it happens. What is up with these women?

Eileen tells Erika that Mal wants her to read, and the writers will come up with something for her.  The girls all meet at the escape room place. Dorit says she’s giving Erika a cheeky gift, since they’ve all seen her pretty little puss. Erika isn’t happy about PK seeing the view, and wonders why he didn’t say something. Well, he doesn’t really know Erika, and it’s up there with telling someone their fly is open. Worse. I’m pretty good with things like that, but not everyone is.

Erika takes the undies in good humor. Dorit says the whole thing took on a life of his own. Erika tells her that the only reason she wasn’t wearing underwear was because of the dress. In her interview, Dorit wonders how you wouldn’t know that you’re flashing someone. Erika tells her the more you talk about sh*t the worse it gets, so be careful. Dorit wonders if that’s a threat. She tells Erika that she didn’t want it to be a thing, and they act friendly. LisaV arrives. Erika tells her about the underwear, and Lisa says she already heard about it.

The host gives them instructions on finding clues, etc. It’s cool, like an old, weird apothecary – their adventure is called “The Alchemist” – but looks complicated like a Survivor challenge. They break into teams. LisaV is with Eileen and Dorit. In her interview, Lisa says that she’s escaping from both the room and Eileen. LisaR thinks she’s going to be trapped forever. It looks like fun, and they do pretty well, making it out of the room. Eileen is proud that she and LisaV teamed together, considering where they were a few months ago.

The ladies go for drinks afterward. They’re very proud of themselves. They talk about Kim’s daughter having a baby. In her interview, Kyle says the baby couldn’t come at a better time for Kim, who’s doing well with her sobriety. Kyle says they’re all starving because they’re not used to using their brains so much. LisaV asks what happened, since she wasn’t there for the delivery of the underwear. Omg, let’s keep beating that dead kitty horse. Lisa is disappointed that there isn’t more to the story. Erika says the only thing she feels badly that PK didn’t say something, and Dorit says what I did. Erika says it’s all good. Dorit tells her that they can always have a chat about it, but Erika thinks there’s nothing else to say. In her interview, Kyle says Erika seems cool, but probably wants to take this bitch down. They order another Margarita round. LisaV asks if they’re done with the conversation, and both Dorit and Erika say, “I am.” Wondering about Dorit though…

Next time, LisaR tells the others about Eileen losing her mother, Erika says someone (Dorit?) takes the fun out of hanging out with women, and the no underwear saga continues. 👙

♚ Ladies of London mention. Caroline #1 thinks that her family should just blindly back her even if she does the worst thing in the world, so she’s very disappointed in Alexis Carrington Sophie. Her husband explains that what Caroline is doing is like drinking poison and expecting the other guy to die. Julie is worried that because her daughter likes coffee, the second she goes to university in Scotland, she’ll hole up in a coffeehouse and smoke marijuana. Huh? Marissa’s husband wants to move back to the states, but she’s not too keen on it. She says she’s had enough adventure this year to last her a lifetime. Juliet’s hair keeps getting lighter…and so does her brain since she’s been hanging around with Caroline #1. Caroline #1 actually surprises me by being less of an a-hole this week, finally listening to Adela, who’s going through a bitter and stressful time with her ex. Although it looks like she might make up for that next week, when she’s mean to Caroline #2. Who, btw, is writing a new cookbook, and tells a lovely story about how her passion for food came from her mother and grandmother, talking about picking mushrooms and berries in the forest. We also get a look at the estate she’s responsible for running. Sigh…

📻 And the soundtrack tonight was excellent!