What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Brad tells Monica the hospital is leaving itself open to a lawsuit because of an impaired doctor.

Hayden brings Finn a fresh shirt. He wants to talk to Monica about going to rehab.

Ned asks Olivia if she’s ready for a surprise. He told his mother they were engaged, and she said she’s happy for them. Olivia wasn’t expecting that, and Ned says he thinks she’s being genuine. Olivia says their most challenging test is still ahead of them.

Lulu lets Rocco go on a playdate, so as not to overwhelm Charlotte. She has scones, toys,  and arts and crafts. She tells Dante she feels like she’s forgetting something, and he suggests breathing. She’s sure Valentin will screw things up.

Nina tells Valentin that she believes him about everything, but when it comes to Anna he sees what he wants to see. Anna listens in on their conversation. Valentin says he doesn’t trust Anna. She’s part of his past and he can’t change that, but his priority is his family, namely her and Charlotte. He says the social worker is coming to pick up Charlotte, so she has to get ready. Nina notices his new watch, and asks where he got it.

Ned tells Olivia whatever she wants to do in planning the wedding is up to her. She says she was talking about her son, and she doesn’t mean Leo. I had to think about that for a minute.

Lulu goes on to Dante about how Valentin will probably sabotage all their visits. Dante says telling her not to worry would make him feel like a hypocrite. She’s relieved to know she’s not scared by herself. She suggests they put her nervous energy to good use. They kiss.

Anna talks to herself, saying that Valentin doesn’t want his wife to know he gave her the watch. Valentin tells Nina that he bought it himself. He apologizes for not talking to her about Anna. He says he should have been straight with her the way she always is with him. She tells him that she went to see Anna. Anna laughs to herself, remembering slamming Nina’s head on the desk, and I’m disliking her more every second. Her doorbell rings. It’s Andre.

Hayden tells Finn that she’s the money person, and even she thinks Monica is reasonable. With him, she’ll be talking to another doctor. Finn tells her he appreciates the pep talk, but has to face the reality that this could hurt his career. She says the hospital wouldn’t be open if not for him, and if Monica doesn’t factor that in, she doesn’t deserve him.

Finn sees Brad come out of Monica’s office. Monica tells him to come in. She says she wants a private conversation.

Hayden sees Brad and tells him he got his request for lab equipment. He says she can find the money for that, but not the people who operate it. He gripes about not getting a raise, and she says he wasn’t singled out. He says maybe if a hotshot doctor got fired, there would be more money, and it couldn’t be happening to a more deserving jerk.

Monica tells Finn that she just had a difficult conversation with Brad. He asks if his name came up. She says she doesn’t give credence to gossip. Finn says his decision to confess is probably too late, and he should have come to her sooner. He tells her that he’s an addict.

Anna apologizes for not picking up Andre’s call. He says he’ll come back, but she says she can take a break.

Valentin doesn’t suggest provoking Anna, since she’s a trained agent. Nina says she made it clear that Anna should keep her hands off her man. Charlotte comes in, whining that she doesn’t want to go on the visit.

Lulu tells Dante that the deck is stacked against them, but they’ll make it through it. Dante asks if she wants him to stay, but she tells him next time.

Charlotte says she’s busy having a bear tea party. Nina says she’s going to have her own tea party with her pony friends. She tells Charlotte that it will take her a while to prepare, but by the time she comes back, it will be ready. Valentin talks to Charlotte in French, and she goes with the case worker. Damn. I’d rather live with them than Lulu.

Ned doesn’t think Dante is going to have a problem with them getting married. Olivia says he’s protective, and Ned asks if he’s a momma’s boy. She says he has high standards, and Ned says too bad he didn’t talk to him first. Olivia says it might take time, but he’ll come around. No time like the present, since Dante appears.

Hayden asks Brad who’s getting fired. He tells her that the odds of a two-income household in her future are slim.

Finn explains everything to Monica. He says he intended to quit when he was cured. He tried, but was dependent. She says she had no idea, but she’s glad he came to her. He’s surprised that Brad didn’t say something, but she says she doesn’t go on what Brad has to say. Finn says that he thought he could detox himself – not one of his better ideas. He tells her about trying to score at the docks, and that he took meds from the hospital on one occasion. His patients never suffered, but that had more to do with his dumb luck. He knows he’s in no position to ask, but wonders if he’s out of a job. She says that’s the least of his problems.

Lulu greets Charlotte. Mrs. Watkins tells Lulu to pretend she’s not there. Lulu suggests they check out the playroom, but Charlotte says no thanks. Lulu moves on to the swing-set, but Charlotte doesn’t like swings. Lulu says they can do whatever she wants. What Charlotte wants is to go home.

Nina asks if Valentin wants to talk about Anna, and understands if he’s angry that she went to see her. He says he wonders if Anna legitimately wants peace, but it doesn’t matter; there’s not much she can do to him.

Anna tells Andre that she was listening to Mozart on the computer, and asks if something is troubling him. He says he bumped into Jordan with Curtis, and he’s not sure if it hurt more because he misses her or because he knows that she really wanted someone else. Anna suggests time and comfort food will be the cure. She asks if he wants some tea. She goes to the kitchen, and he listens on the earbuds. She comes back in, and he looks at her like she has two heads.

Anna asks what he thinks he’s doing, and Andre tells her that he thought it was Mozart. He says he’s not familiar with that requiem. He says instead he heard a private conversation between Valentin and Nina. He asks what she’s doing, and she says going on the defensive. She’s taking Valentin down.

Nina and Valentin play backgammon. He says she hates the game, and she says he hates losing the game. He’s worried about Charlotte, but Nina says Lulu isn’t going to do anything stupid with the case worker there. She tells him he’s not in it alone.

Charlotte tells Mrs. Watkins she wants to go home and doesn’t like it there. Lulu engages her, and they get in a conversation about scones. Lulu says she wants to make them for a party, but needs a mixer. Charlotte says she’ll do it if she can come to the party. That was quick, and I find it doubtful that Charlotte would have warmed up over making scones.

Brad tells Hayden that he told Monica about Finn’s addiction. He says Monica seemed surprised, but Hayden doesn’t. He asks how many millions in lawsuits she’s risked.

Monica tells Finn that dealing with his addiction has to be his first and only priority. He says he’s been looking at rehabs. She tells him to go today. Humble himself and seek help; he can’t do it alone. He says you’d think a doctor would know that already. She tells him that doctors are the worst addicts, because they think they’re above he rules since they create them. She says that she’s been sober since 2008, and. when he comes back, she’ll tell him all about it. She survived rehab; he can too. He asks if he’ll still be a doctor after he does.

Olivia wonders why Dante isn’t at the visit, and he explains they thought it might be too overwhelming for Charlotte. He notices her ring, and Ned tells him that he proposed. He asks if it’s a problem because Olivia didn’t think it would be an easy sell. Dante wonders what she told him. Olivia says she’s always relied on Dante, and now she’ll be relying on someone else. Dante says he just wants what’s best for her. Olivia says Ned is best for her. She knows he worries about her, and now he doesn’t have to. He says he’ll still worry, but it’s nice to know he won’t be the only one.

Monica says she’ll stop by for support once Finn has started his program. Hayden catches Finn before he leaves, and tells him that Brad knows everything. He says he should have given her credit for caring. He explains that he’ll have to go before a review board when he’s done with rehab, and if they approve, she’ll have him back. Hayden says it’s a start. He tells her that he only has one unresolved situation – what happens between them?Brad overhears, and shakes his head. Foiled again!

Lulu pretends to find an Easter egg, and tells Charlotte the Easter Bunny must have come early. They find a few more eggs, and she talks Charlotte into an Easter egg hunt. They go outside.

Valentin is worried, since Mrs. Watkins hasn’t called. I had to laugh at myself when Mrs. Watkins came to pick up Charlotte. Call me name-judgmental, but in my mind, the name implied a lady who looked like an old-fashioned grandma, and she’s nothing of the kind. She’s young and fashionable. Nina says Lulu never bothered to find out what kinds of things Charlotte likes, so as a responsible parent, Valentin should go over there and give her the information. That sounds like a terrible idea.

Andre says Anna is being aggressive. She says she’s learned there’s more to it. She pieced together the story with a WSB expert. Andre feels inadequate, since their sessions were thorough, but Anna says it was buried so deep, it took a lot to dredge it up. She says Valentin is a criminal, and she has to bring him to justice. Andre asks how she’s going to do that.

Brad accosts Monica. She says GH doesn’t show a staff member to the door because they’re ill, and they have a holistic policy if there’s a chemical dependency involved. She explains that a board will ultimately decide. Brad is livid that Finn isn’t losing his license. She tells him that all humans are flawed, and says that Finn’s research brought in the money to save the hospital. Crying before he’s hurt, Brad whines that Finn took all the credit, but Monica says he made it clear that Brad’s input was invaluable. She thanks him for his concern, and thinks that’s why Finn opened up. Brad might have saved his career, and even his life. I laugh as she shows Brad to the door. Foiled once more, but with kudos.

Finn tells Hayden that he doesn’t know how rehab will go. He doesn’t even remember how he is off of drugs. She might not like him sober. Hayden says get healthy, and deal with the rest later.

Olivia is shocked that Dante is giving his blessing to her marriage. Dante says they already talked; Ned wondered why she had turned him down. Dante says Ned is deserving of her, and welcomes him to the family.

Nina messes around with her collection of plush ponies. She looks at the note again. Then throws it out. She looks into the garbage can and reaches back in.

Anna tells Andre that if she wanted to kill Valentin, he’d be dead. He has to pay for his crimes legally. Andre asks how. She says she gets his version of the events, and can use it to get close to him. Lolling him into a false sense of security, and getting a confession. Andre says she’s playing a dangerous game. Anna says it’s her job, and she’s told him too much already. She doesn’t want him involved. If Valentin sees through her, he’ll retaliate, and she doesn’t want Andre to get hurt. She tells him not to tell anyone, and makes him promise.

Charlotte and Lulu come in talking about the bunnies they saw outside. Valentin arrives.

Nina sees the watch box. She puts to and two together. She reads from the note, saying, time heals all wounds. Good episode.

Tomorrow, Jason talks to Alexis, Dante asks about Morgan’s pills, Nelle wants to talk to Carly, and Sonny wants to kill someone.

🌴 Re the Survivor outing debacle. Unless you live on the moon, by now you’ve heard about the outing of transgender Zeke Smith by Jeff Varner during tribal council. While personally, I file this under who cares? I can’t believe that I haven’t seen one person propose that this might have been a set up for an old, tired show that should have been canceled years ago. First of all, none of that needed to be aired. Take it from me, I’ve been on a reality show myself, and editing is freaking magic. Secondly, Jeff Probst knew that Smith was a transgender. Apparently, so did half of the internet. In nosing around, trying to find out how Varner knew, I got no definitive answer, but took note of the fact that this has been an online topic of conversation for a loooong time. Funny how suddenly, this worn-out program that hasn’t been relevant for a while, is a topic of conversation everywhere, and is now current. It’s common knowledge that Survivor manipulates its contestants. (At one point, I was nearly convinced that Probst was the Antichrist.) At the end of the day, this seems as though it will be a win for everyone except Varner. Just sayin’.

👶 Will someone please give the father of the “Cash Me Outside” brat custody of her, before she ends up dead in an alleyway somewhere? I don’t have kids, nor do I fawn over those who aren’t in my life, but the attention that she’s getting for bad behavior, is disturbing even to me. She is not going down a good path, and she’s only 13 years old.

🍜 Tonight, the MasterChef Junior kids split into teams and created gingerbread houses. I can’t even make a house of cards using graham crackers. Gordon and Christina dressed like Will Ferrell in Elf, and a live gingerbread man (chef Aarón Sánchez) joined the group. The kids got sprayed with icing, and a good time was had by all. The babes in cookland also made a holiday dinner using Beef Wellington as the entrée. One little girl said she’d never cooked it before, so she hoped it was “cooked with a miracle.” Honey, that’s how I always cook. Unfortunately, there was no miracle for her, and she and another kid had to go home. But I hope they take heed in what Gordon said, that they’re moving on to another chapter. Chef Sánchez also offered one of them a job, making a ten-year-old further along in his career than most adults I know. Next time, they’re down to eight and some sushi happens.