What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna tells Lulu that technically, Valentin has full custody of Charlotte, and has done nothing wrong. Dante comes home, and Lulu tells him about Valentin taking Charlotte.

Omg, Valentin has taken Charlotte to one of my favorite places in the world – Niagara Falls. He tells Charlotte they’re on vacation. She asks where Nina is.

Having coffee at Perks, and thinking about Valentin saying no matter what, he loves her.

Jason calls Elizabeth who fills him in on Jake. Carly walks in just as he’s leaving. He tells her that what happened started with Helena and ended at the Nurses Ball. Wasn’t she there? She tells him she knows why Morgan spiraled out of control. It was Ava; she sabotaged him.

Sonny tells Ava that she deserves what she’s getting. She asks him to kill her.

Lulu tells Dante that it’s all her fault. She went upstairs for a minute, and now she’ll probably never see her daughter again. She says Valentin is a master of vanishing in plain sight. Anna says he’s not going to make it easy. They don’t even know where to start looking.

Nina calls the hospital and asks about Valentin. She’s told that he checked out. I find this hard to believe, since they won’t give you any information about anyone these days.

Valentin tells Charlotte he’ll get situated, and she can pick out cool stuff to do. He has to meet a friend. He says Nina is a little angry with him. Charlotte asks if it’s because of Jake.

Laura stops by Elizabeth’s place to see how Jake is, but he’s sleeping. She tells Elizabeth how worried Charlotte was, but she and Emma woke up in good spirits, and Jake will get over it too. She shows Laura the shipping label from the magic kit. She thought it was odd how obsessed Jake was with it, but she was glad he was interested in something. She asks if she’s a bad mom.

Carly explains to Jason how Morgan’s pills were switched. He asks why Ava did it, and Carly says she thought he was bad for Kiki and wanted him committed. He asks where she is, and Carly tells him about how she and Sonny confronted Ava at the warehouse, and Ava started the fire. She says they got out, but she was trapped. He asks if it was anything they did, and Carly says they’ve been cleared of any wrongdoing. He tells her to steer clear of Ava, but Carly says Sonny wants her dead, and she’s not stopping him this time.

Ava tells Sonny to do what he came to do. He says he should have done it a long time ago. He talks about wanting payback after Connie’s murder, but he let her live because she was pregnant. He doesn’t regret Avery, but regrets every breath Ava has taken since. She could have ended up killing Carly like she did their son. Ava asks him to put her out of her misery. That was probably the wrong thing to say. Now he’ll never do it.

Sonny says no. He says the fire did a number on her, like it did on Morgan. He talks about the weeks before Morgan’s death, and how his mind was on fire, and he didn’t understand why he was spiraling. He suggests that he switch her morphine to sugar water. He says he has plenty of time, and she’ll be trapped in agony. Death is too merciful.

Nathan meets Nina at Perks. She tells him Valentin checked himself out of the hospital, and she can’t get ahold of him. Popping in out of nowhere, Anna says he’s a fugitive, and Nina has to help them find him.

Charlotte tells Valentin that when she brings him up, Lulu changes the subject. He says it’s a misunderstanding, like when you play telephone, and it’s better that they go away for a while. Charlotte says she never said good-by, and it’s rude. He tells her they can send Lulu a postcard. She goes off with the tourist maps, and Valentin calls someone. He needs to meet them right now.

Dante tells Lulu that they’ll find Valentin, and to let them do their job. She says she shouldn’t have told him, and never thought he’d run, but Dante says he had to have known. Dante tells her that Charlotte would have become a ward of the state, and Lulu says she can’t even blame Valentin, she’d do the same thing in his position. She says that she needs to be searching, but Dante says there’s a reason families aren’t involved in searches, and they have to do it by the book. He suggests Charlotte might call her, and Lulu says she knows how to find her.

Nurse Deanna asks Griff to do an assessment of Ava. Ava asks if Sonny is just going to watch her suffer, and he says it’s his pleasure. She’ll wish every day that he’d ended things. If there’s a minute she isn’t suffering, he’ll kill her. Griff walks in and asks what’s going on.

Carly tells Jason that Morgan is dead, Ava is alive, where the justice? Jason says she’s not going to honor her son this way, and she says easy for him to say. His children are alive.

Laura makes coffee. Elizabeth says Jake is still asleep. Laura tells her she’s not a bad mother. She had no way of knowing that Spencer didn’t send the package, and she would have had to be a psychic to know what was in the box. Elizabeth says she felt powerless, but Laura says that she wasn’t. Anna told her about how she talked Jake down. She says there’s something that goes deeper to the core of his soul than Helena’s programming – Elizabeth’s love for him; that’s what saved him. She brought her son back from the brink of disaster, and saved a lot of other people.

Lulu says Charlotte has a cellphone that can only call Valentin, but can receive calls. She finds a Post-It with the number, and calls it.

In Niagara Falls, Charlotte’s phone rings, and she answers it. Charlotte tells Lulu that she sounds scared. Lulu says she is; when she came back downstairs, Charlotte was gone. Charlotte asks if she was mad, but Lulu says just concerned. She asks where Valentin is, and Charlotte tells her that papa is in the other room. Lulu says she can pick her up, but Charlotte says they’re finally going on a trip that she wanted to go on. Lulu asks where she is. Valentin takes the phone and asks who Charlotte is talking to.

Nina tells Anna it’s not her problem they set her up. She says she just found out Valentin isn’t in the hospital. Anna asks if she wants Charlotte to be a fugitive for the rest of her life. She says Valentin isn’t thinking clearly. Nina says she doesn’t know where Charlotte is. Anna asks if she’d tell if she did.

Valentin takes the phone. Lulu asks where they are. He tells her that calling is a violation of their agreement. She says when Anna finds them, it won’t be good for Charlotte. Valentin says if she wants what’s best for Charlotte, not to contact them again, and hangs up. It wasn’t enough time for Dante to trace the call.

Elizabeth wonders how Helena had the Chimera, and Laura brings her up to speed. Elizabeth asks if there’s anyone’s life Valentin hasn’t turned upside down. Laura tells her that even so, Valentin wouldn’t turn over the Chimera, and got shot saving Nina’s life. He’s alive and wounded, but expected to survive. Elizabeth says it sounds heroic, but Laura says it doesn’t redeem him in her eyes. She can’t dismiss him as being an unfeeling monster anymore though. He raised her granddaughter and Charlotte loves him. She doesn’t know how Lulu is going to reconcile this. Elizabeth says she loved Nicholas and hated his dad, but Laura says by the time Nicholas came back, Stavros was gone. Elizabeth says that people who you believed are past redemption can find the strength to do better. Laura says Valentin is facing criminal charges, and will be sent to prison. It won’t erase the problems, but it should make them simpler, and they could all use a little bit of simple.

Sonny says he didn’t know Griff was the attending physician. Griff says it’s on the chart that Sonny isn’t supposed to be holding. He tells Sonny that he should have him arrested. Sonny says he was just checking on Ava’s condition, like Griff is stupid. He tells Griff about how Ava’s machinations killed Morgan. Griff says it’s a matter for the police. Sonny says he hopes that Ava lives a long life, and leaves. Dammit, Griff! I wish he would call the police. It’s annoying to me that Sonny and Carly have both done horrible things, yet act all sanctimonious when the shoe is on the other foot. And okay, I didn’t really like Morgan all that much and miss him not at all.

Carly apologizes to Jason. She never wants to make light of what happened with Jake. He says he’s there for her. There’s a knock at the door. It’s too-creepy-for-my-taste-right-now Sonny. Jason says he’s sorry. Sonny says there’s no way he could have known. Carly says Sonny put all the pieces together. He says he thought if he got answers, they could get closure and peace, but he’s not feeling the peace. He tells Carly he went to the hospital, but thinks the best punishment is for Ava to live.

Griff tells Ava they don’t think there’s any permanent nerve damage, which is good news. She says not good news to her. She can’t live like this. He says she’ll be assessed for skin grafts, but it will be a while before they can start. He talks about the complications. Ava says there’s no hope.

Charlotte asks if she did something wrong. Valentin says it’s his fault. She asks if they can see some sights, and he says they’re going to see her nana too. There’s a knock at the door, and he asks her to go in the bedroom while he discusses boring stuff with his friend. When Charlotte is gone, the friend gives him two passports.

Nina asks Anna if Valentin deserves to be arrested. She goes over what Alex did, and says it wasn’t Valentin’s idea; he did it to help her. He went on the run with a life-threatening condition; the scoliosis would have killed him. She says he had no choice and didn’t know what he was doing, being so young. He didn’t do any of it, and saved the day. Nathan says it’s not that simple, but Nina says what if it is? Valentin changed his life. She asks if he believes people can change, then asks Anna if she doesn’t think people deserve a second chance.

Lulu calls Anna, telling her about the phone call, and says all she and Dante know is that Charlotte is taking a trip she wanted to go on. Anna says thanks, and she’s working on it. Anna tells Nathan and Nina what happened, and asks Nina if she knows where they might be. Nathan says she really needs to tell them if she knows anything. Don’t do it, Nina.

Elizabeth straightens up. She looks at the shipping label again.

Carly asks how it’s punishment for Ava to move on with her life. Sonny says she’ll be in recovery a long time, and if she does recover, she’ll be tried. Carly asks when he started trusting the legal system. She says that there are ways it wouldn’t be traced back to them, but Sonny says that Ava will suffer for life. Carly says that at least she has a life, unlike their son, and walks out

Griff tells Ava that he didn’t say there was no hope. In medical school, they’re trained to speak clinically, but he can speak with her as a priest. In difficult times, he’s found his faith to be a comfort. He says it might be breaking regulations, but he can pray with her. She thanks him. He takes her hand and prays the Hail Mary. She prays with him.

Laura asks Lulu why there are squad cars outside. Lulu tells her that Valentin went on the run, and took Charlotte. They hug. Dante promises they’ll find her.

Anna asks Nina where Valentin might take Charlotte. Nina says maybe Bulgaria. Nathan thinks there must be somewhere closer to home. Anna insists she has to tells them, and Nina is like, are you kidding? Nathan says life on the road is no life for Charlotte or Valentin. Anna says the WSB will never stop looking, and it won’t be old friends who find them. Nina balks at Anna being an old friend, but Nathan asks what if he gets shot, and says that they should take him peacefully while they have the chance. Nina says Niagara Falls is where Valentin would have taken Charlotte for a vacation. Dammit!

Valentin says that once they cross border, they’re disappearing.

Tomorrow, Jason and Sonny talk, Lucas is alive (I sometimes wonder, when he disappears for so long) and talking to Julian, Anna thinks she knows where Valentin is, and Valentin needs a car now.

Southern Charm

A petting zoo with kittens and bunnies is set up for Saint’s birthday party. I guess it’s better than the kids poking at llamas and donkeys. Thomas says the days are long, but the years are short. Everyone is getting ready, but Landon cancels. Elizabeth is riding with Kathryn. Kathryn tells us it’s a huge deal for her. She’s in a completely different place, and she’s anxious to show that.

On the way there, Cameran and Patricia talk about the party. Patricia thinks it must be embarrassing to come as a guest to your own son’s party, and they bemoan that there probably won’t be booze.

Kathryn arrives. Kelsie is drinking sweet tea, which is just what children need to consume – caffeine and lots of sugar. Kathryn thanks Thomas for his letter, and he apologizes for his penmanship. I’d be impressed that penmanship was involved at all. He watches as Kathryn holds Saint. She compliments him on the party. Some little kids arrive, and JD (bleh) calls it a perfect family gathering.

Thomas tells JD (bleh) that it’s a baby step with Kathryn. Patricia immediately wants to know where the pseudo petting zoo is. If she can’t have liquor, she can at least pet a kitten. Chelsea shows up with Austen, and the cheese Shep arrives alone. Kathryn waves to Jennifer, but keeps walking. In her interview, Jennifer says you would think she’d want to see the baby. She says she knows all she needs to know. Whatever that means.

Chelsea asks Kathryn if she’s done her headshots yet, but she’s still waiting on that. In her interview, Patricia says she has no intention of having a conversation with Kathryn, since she’s not a hurricane or tornado tracker. The cake comes out, and everyone sings Happy Birthday. Saint gets a little cake of his own. Because he needs more sugar than everyone else. In her interview, Kathryn says if things could be this way forever, she’d be happy. No, you’d still have to deal with Thomas.

Kathryn gives Thomas a picture of Saint from when he was just born. In his interview, Thomas feels sad that the kids can’t have both parents all the time. The Great Philosopher JD (bleh) says that kids do better with both parents. Thomas and Kathryn take a family photo.

Landon meets Jennifer at a restaurant, bearing a baby gift. A pillow with Ascher’s name on it, which I assume is more for Jennifer, since baby’s aren’t supposed to have pillows now. Sitting out on the deck, they order champagne and fancy food. Landon asks about the party. Jennifer says there were no altercations, and in her interview, Landon says two-hours of good behavior doesn’t impress her. She tells Jennifer about going to dinner with Thomas. She says just as she was telling Thomas that she didn’t want a relationship, a drunk stranger said they were soulmates. They actually keep leaving out the drunk part. This woman was practically falling out of her chair, and I wondered if Bravo paid her to say that. Landon is concerned that people will say she’s only after Thomas’s money. In her interview, Jennifer thinks there would be an explosion if Kathryn found out they were dating. She tells Landon that she thinks Thomas has done an about-face. He isn’t perfect, but neither are they. Landon thinks she might have a point. Jennifer says it’s cliché, but you only have regrets about what you don’t do. Landon says it’s the best advice she’s heard. Apparently, she’s not on the internet.

Thomas visits Patricia. She talks about taking seven years of French and only being able to order clothes and food. I took two years, and can only tell you how to pack a suitcase and curse you out. She asks about the birthday party, and Thomas says he thinks Saint was oblivious. Of course he was – he’s a one-year-old. She says he and Kathryn seemed amicable, and asks if he’s over Kathryn. He says no way they’re getting back together. She asks if he’s met anyone, and he tells her about his date with Landon, and how she’s giving him mixed messages. Patricia says there’s something to be said for friendship first, and you can’t find lasting romance at the bar. She tells him that when men really knew how to court women, they called on them, took them places, gave them flowers, and it built into a relationship. She suggests he and Landon go for a walk. She tells Thomas that if he doesn’t take chances in life, he’ll never get anywhere. He says faint heart never won fair lady, quoting Gilbert and Sullivan, who were probably quoting someone else.

Cameran, who’s wearing an awesome black crocheted top with bell sleeves, goes to see her therapist, Myra. She tells her about the psychic proclaiming that she’ll have three children. Myra tells her to reflect on it. Cameran wonders what if she’s putting off her greatest purpose, and thinks she’s too self-involved, which is gross to her. In her interview, she says there has to be more. She talks about her husband wanting children, and how it breaks her heart because he’d be the best dad. She thinks she’s robbing a child of the opportunity of having him as a father. Myra says she knows her answer, and it will be okay. Cameran whines that she’s going to get fat.

Chelsea and Austen go crabbing. He says when he caught crabs before, he went to a doctor to clear it up. BA-DUM-CHH! In his interview, Austen says he’s not the type to jump into a relationship, but when he meets someone he likes, he’s into it. He keeps calling the beginnings of a relationship “puppy love,” and it’s incredibly annoying, since that’s not what the term means. Chelsea says they’re going to crab the way the “Indians” did, and puts some sticks in the ground. I guess she didn’t get the memo about it being Native American now. Frankly, I’m not a stickler for labels, since they change monthly, but that’s one I appreciate, since it makes sense to differentiate our own indigenous people from those of Indian descent. Austen doesn’t think he’s Mr. Relationship, but his parents are like partners in crime, and that’s what he’s looking for. Crabbing doesn’t work out so well, and Chelsea says they’ll be stopping at Chick-Fil-A on the way home.

Landon’s business partner, Anna, calls her. Thomas puts on eye cream. Landon tells Anna they have to figure out the name situation, and lists some names that even I know they can’t use. Thomas arrives in a suit, bearing a rose like he’s a Bachelor contestant. He says he was in the neighborhood. Ugh. I hate that. An ex-boyfriend once called me saying that, and I asked why he was in my neighborhood. Landon tells Thomas that for the future, orchids are her favorite. She ends the call with Anna, and Thomas asks her to go for a walk. As they leave, Landon says that her house is for sale, and she’s just renting. Because he’s clueless, Thomas tells her to just buy it, but she doesn’t have a million dollars.

They sit on a bench by the lake. Landon has brought Charlotte, and says it’s nice to have Thomas along, since she usually does the walk alone. He tells her to just call him, since he doesn’t live far. Well, she got what she wanted – someone to walk the dog with. She says she couldn’t believe the (drunk) woman at dinner. He asks if it rang true to her, and she says she’s happy when she’s with him. He suggests they take a chance. She wonders what they do from here, and he says get some wine.

On their way to a drive through with Gizmo, Craig tells Naomie that he has a surprise for her. She tells him that she’s a worrier, and he says it’s a slippery slope to paranoia. In his interview, he says he’s working on a better relationship. They talk about Shep, and Naomie says he’s a kind person, but not to Craig. She wonders if Shep is jealous of Austen, but Craig thinks he’s just unhappy. In his interview, Craig says Shep can’t stand seeing other people happy, and covers it up. Craig pulls up to a house. Cameran is there, and they’re doing a final walk-through.

Naomie approves of the neighborhood. Good. I was so worried. Naomie says she wasn’t sure Craig was actually going to do it. She thinks the house is bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside, and I know exactly what she means. It’s so weird when a house is like that. She tells Craig that she’s excited for him. Cameran says he’ll have the keys in ten days. In his interview, Craig thinks that he’s adulting well. They talk about Saint’s party. Cameran says she’s planning something for her own birthday, and is thinking of inviting the whole circus. Naomie thinks the sh*t is going to hit the fan, because Thomas showed up at Landon’s proclaiming his love. Not quite, but okay. Cameran wonders why Landon out of everyone in the world, and if they really did get together before.

Commercial break with important information. The Real Housewives of the OC starts a new season on Monday July 10^th at 9 pm.

Shep goes to Chelsea’s house. Another one who was “in the neighborhood.” He asks for a beer, saying he’s in a major shift with his lifestyle. He thinks he wants to move, and Cameran is showing him a house tomorrow. Chelsea says it will just be another frat house, but he says it’s a recalibration, and he might even become a one-woman guy. He asks if she and Austen are happy. She says they’re just hanging out, no pressure, and Shep thinks that’s very adult. He asks if they see other people. Chelsea says she’s not out with anyone else, but doesn’t like checking in. Shep says he’s an idiot for not cultivating their relationship because she’s like a unicorn. He says they smooched, and then he took off. She says she felt like just another late-night rendezvous. She doesn’t want to feel like “that girl.” Shep wonders what he was thinking.

Cameron checks out the house she’s supposed to show Shep, and says there’s potential. There are also two big dogs on the enclosed back porch. She calls Shep, and gets voicemail. She leaves a message saying that she’s waiting for him. A half-hour later, she calls again, and gets voicemail again. She’s not happy. We see a snail. She thinks Shep must be in jail or still in bed. She calls Chelsea from the car, telling her that she can’t find him, and she’s pissed, but also worried. She’s headed to his house. Chelsea tells Cameran they were hanging out for a while, but he left to meet his cousins. Cameran says his whole idea of getting the house was to get a new lifestyle, and he can’t even show up.

Cameran drives to Shep’s place. She knocks. No answer. She opens the door. Again, who does that??? She looks around. No Shep, just a messy table with empties. She goes upstairs. What if he was with someone? Geez. He’s still in bed, alone, and she tells him it’s one in the afternoon and his door was unlocked. She waited at the house for an hour. He says he feels bad about that, and she says that he should. Definitely agreed. She thinks it’s one of the lowest points she’s seen him. She asks what happened, and he says what happened is why he wants to leave. There’s a frat party every night. She tells him that he needs self-control. He says he’s usually punctual, and she says she knows that, so she was making sure he wasn’t robbed or dead.

Next time, Kelsie has a photo shoot, Cameran talks to an unhappy Shep, Chelsea tells Austen that Shep tried to kiss her, and Austen confronts Shep. Lotsa Shep.

🌟 More good news! The Shahs of Sunset (one of my favorites!) begins again on Sunday, July 16^th at 8 pm. Thank you, Bravo, for that time slot. For once, it won’t interfere with something else.

🍸 I still can’t decide if I like Southern Charm Savannah or not. I don’t think I like the cast members as much as the original show. Other people might be feeling the same way, since there was a crossover this week with both Shep and Thomas making appearances (with some Austen on the side) when the cast evacuated to Charlotte because of Hurricane Matthew. Not to downplay anyone’s angst, but it must be nice to get mani/pedis while worrying about your home being okay. I slept upstairs during Hurricane Sandy and hoped I woke up. I had to laugh when one of them suggested it would take a month for the town to get back to normal. It took at least three years here, and some places still aren’t back to normal. Shep, whose brother and sister live in Charlotte, partied hardy and Thomas gave life advice to Catherine. It was odd to see them out of context. The best quote of the night was Shep saying that “Bad decisions are on the horizon.” I have no doubt.

👸 Yet something else to look forward to – Odd Mom Out premieres on Wednesday, July 12^th at 10 pm. My head might explode with all this joy!

🌱 Another nugget of wisdom…

Eat, drink and remarry. – Patricia Altchul, Southern Charm