What I Watched Today

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

 

 

General Hospital

Elizabeth says she missed being in the studio with Franco, and he says he missed being everywhere with her. He tells her she should paint again, and to consider his studio hers. She says for now she’ll live vicariously, and tells him there’s a reason he’s famous. He says not for the reason he’d like.

Ned sees Alexis at the MetroCourt. He was looking for her because he’s in the market for her legal services.

Julian’s trial starts again. The prosecutor – whose name I still can’t find out, so I’m continuing to call him Will Smith – has an addition to the witness list. Scotty says the prosecutor is playing games, and he’s had no prep time. Will says that he has a witness that can speak to Julian’s motives. Julian wonders who it’s going to be. It’s Winston! Scotty asks how bad it’s going to be.

Sam tells Carly that she shot Sonny. Carly says that the Garvenator bragged to her about it, and Sam says that’s not the whole story. Jason tries to get her to leave, but Sam says she’s not staying silent anymore, and Carly deserves to know what happened.

Elizabeth says that Franco is a powerful artist. He says the purpose of the paintings was for people to feel the darkness. He worries that his talent and the darkness were intrinsically connected, and he won’t be able to create anymore. She says he was literally in a different head space then, but he says he can’t blame everything on the tumor.

Ned tells Alexis that he wants to update his will, adding Olivia-Q and Leo. Alexis calls Leo his stepson, but he says that he hasn’t been able to adopt Leo yet.

Wow. Winston is the same actor, but looks younger; maybe because he lost weight. Scotty doesn’t understand how he can speak about anyone else’s motives. Will says he was there during many of their conversations, and his testimony is vital. The judge allows it. Will asks when he first met Olivia-J. Winston talks about her having him opening the store. All he knew was that she had unfinished business in Port Charles, and her brother was involved and willing to do whatever she needed.

Carly says Garvezilla told her that he killed Sonny. How could Sam have shot him? Sam says she collapsed afterward. She woke up in the hospital, and didn’t remember anything. Then she started to remember, and she’s sooo sorry. Carly grasps that it’s real, and Sonny confirms that it’s true. Sam says she didn’t know what was real or wasn’t anymore. Her hallucinations were like a walking nightmare, with Sonny telling her that he was going to take her family away. Sam tells Carly that it sounds crazy, but she was so scared and would have done anything. Carly realizes this is what Sam wanted to tell her at the hospital. Sam says it makes her nauseous to know how far it went. She bought a black-market gun, and staked out his house, following him to the site.

Elizabeth tells Franco that she loves their world. Franco says that he does too, and it scares him. He tells Elizabeth that she thrills and calms him at the same time, and he loves her. He says she’s probably the first sane woman he’s been with, and the first normal person to love him. He doesn’t deserve her. He loves the world they’ve created, but is terrified he’ll mess it up. Elizabeth tells him that he won’t, but he says she doesn’t know that. She says that everyone has darkness inside, but there’s also light. She understands the paintings have brought up bad memories, but there’s one in particular that she wants to know about. She pulls out the painting she’d been looking at. Two boys side-by-side, looking down a road.

Alexis tells Ned that she’s not representing him in a custody case. Ned says this must mean she thinks Julian might get off. He thought she’d have the best chance of getting Julian to agree to an adoption. She says that she wouldn’t go anywhere near it for a million different reasons. He asks her if one of those reasons is that she’s still hung up on Julian.

Winston says he ran the pawn shop and carried out Olivia-J’s orders. Will Smith asks if he was present at Olivia and Julian’s first meeting. When he says that he wasn’t, Will asks when was the first occasion they met? Winston says that Julian came by to lay out future plans and how best to achieve them. but he wasn’t privy to everything. He says they spoke in conspiratorial tones, and when Julian left, Olivia told him what he was to do. Scotty is like, he wasn’t present, what is up with this? Will reads off something about Alexis meeting with Julian when Winston was there, and Julian saying he was just a friend.

Jason says that Sam doesn’t have to do this. She says she does. She says that Sonny was amazing and sympathetic. He tried to talk her down, saying he’d never do anything to hurt her. Carly is like, of course he wouldn’t, and I wonder if she forgot Sam was sick. She answers my question by saying that she gets Sam was sick, but she’s trying to understand everything. Sam talks about Sonny walking toward her, and how he tried to take the gun, but it went off. Carly says it was an accident then, but Sam says she meant to shoot him and she did.

Will Smith asks Winston what he and Julian discussed. Winston says that Julian was pleased that Morgan was killed, and was looking forward to helping Olivia-J. Will asks what the plan was, but Winston didn’t know. He says Julian seemed to be a willing participant. No surprise Scotty objects, since it’s total conjecture, and it’s sustained. Winston says that Julian was concerned about legal ramifications, and wanted to help, but not get caught. They agreed to say he was coerced, but he was a willing accomplice.

Alexis tells Ned that she knows how she feels, but doesn’t know which feeling wins out. She asks what’s wrong with her. Ned says she’s beautiful, smart, and complicated, and way too good for Julian. She agrees, but loves him, and can’t let go. She wonders why she picks men who are bad for her, and dangerous. She says Ned is the only one who didn’t fit the mold, and she ran from him, but if she had it to do over, she’d do it differently. Ned tells her she wouldn’t, and she says he’s right. He says she knows the answer, and Alexis says they’re all like her father, and her father didn’t love her. Ned says maybe it’s time to break the pattern.

Elizabeth tells Franco that the painting stands out from the others. The energy is lighter, and hopeful. Ava texts Franco, and he says he gets to show his work at the gallery. He’ll be killing two birds with one stone; getting rid of the stuff, and making money. Elizabeth asks what he’s going to do with it, and he says that he wants to help her with the groceries, mortgage, and sexy stuff. She tells him that he makes everything sexy, and when he adds helping Kiki, she says it’s getting sexier by the minute. Franco wonders what if the art doesn’t sell, and Elizabeth says it will, especially the painting she likes. He tells her that one’s not for sale.

Sam tells Carly that a lot of it is a blur, but Sonny is clear. He put his hand on hers to stop her, and she deliberately pulled the trigger. Sonny says that it wasn’t her, and to stop apologizing. She says he did nothing to defend herself, but she had to finish it. Sonny didn’t fall into the hole; she kicked him in, and thought he was dead. She tells Sonny that she left him there to die, and is sooo sorry. He calls her over to him, and says it wasn’t her fault. She had an infection, and it wasn’t her. She has nothing to be sorry about. Carly looks pissed.

Winston says he was just there to facilitate things as the driver/delivery person. Will Smith asks if he was aware she was unstable, and alludes that Julian was. Scotty’s objection is sustained. Will asks if Winston was there around the time of the hospital bombing, and he says that Julian told Olivia to make it look like he’d been tied up, so he could deny accountability.

Scotty says this is the definition of hearsay, and there’s nothing to back it up. The judge tells Will to ask a question or excuse the witness. He asks Winston about Julian trying to kill Olivia, and asks why he would do anything for her if he wanted her dead. Will tells Winston to speculate, and Scotty is like, ha! Winston says Olivia told him that Julian felt guilty, and would do anything in his power to make it right.

Franco tells Elizabeth that he’s keeping that painting. She asks why it’s special, and talks about the counterpoint in the picture. Franco thinks her talking about art is hot. She asks if the mirror effect is significant. Franco explains that when he was little, he had an imaginary friend who lived in an imaginary world that mirrored his. He outgrew it, but missed his friend, so he did the painting with each of them in their respective opposite realities. He says it was the last nice thing painted; a manifestation of his childhood psychosis.

Sonny tells Sam to stop blaming herself for something she couldn’t control. She does the “what if” thing, and he asks if he or Morgan were responsible for things they did when they were sick. Sam says no, and Jason says to blame him. She was sick and not herself, and he did nothing. He should have realized it was serious and made her go to the doctor. Sonny says that he didn’t expect it, but Jason says he should have been paying attention. Sam says she was hiding, but doesn’t know why, because she trusts him most of all. She wonders why she didn’t she ask him for help.

Alexis tells Ned that Julian’s proclamation of love made her head spin. He means it, but the other side of him can’t help it; he was born into it. She knows she’s making excuses, and Ned thanks her for not making him say it. She says he’ll hurt her again, but when it’s happening to you, and you’re in love with them, and they’ve made you happier than you’ve ever been, the thought of saying that it can’t work out is impossible. She wants off the roller coaster. She wants it to end, and has to figure out how to make that happen. I dunno. Kill him?

Scotty asks why Winston’s visit upset Julian. When Winston says that he can’t speak for Julian’s state of mind, Scotty wonders why, since he’s speaking for everyone else’s. Will Smith objects, saying it’s hearsay, but Winston says maybe Julian wasn’t feeling well. Scotty asks if Olivia wouldn’t have known that, since Winston was following him and she was bugging his phone. Winston says she didn’t tell him everything, and Scotty says that he wasn’t always in the loop then.

Scotty asks Winston how jail is, and suggests that he might get better accommodations for his testimony. He asks if Winston is trying to save hide, but Winston pretends to be noble, saying that he wanted to make things right for everyone who suffered at Olivia and Julian’s hands. Julian jumps up and yells liar! and it gets loud in the courtroom.

Elizabeth says that to escape the loneliness, Franco made someone up who would understand him. He tells her that she’s special, and she says that she feels the same way about him. He doesn’t want to lose her, and she says, then don’t.

Sonny tells Sam that losing your mind is terrifying. Telling someone makes it real, so you make them your enemy. He talks about how he would cover until the dam broke, and he couldn’t take anymore. He tells her that she’s not like him; it was something temporary. Sam worries that it unleashed something in her. Sonny asks if she feels the same way now, and she says no. Jason tells her to trust herself. Sonny says it’s over, but Carly says not as long as the police are investigating.

Elizabeth asks Franco if there’s something he’s not telling her about the painting. At first he says no, but then says that maybe about the subject matter. When he imagined the friend, he imagined him being helpful. Like when Franco couldn’t tie his shoes, the friend learned and helped him. He has a real memory of being on merry go round, and not knowing how to get off, but his friend jumped off first, and he followed. He wants the picture as a reminder, but tells Elizabeth not to worry; he doesn’t have an imaginary friend now. She says that it makes total sense, and now that she understands, she loves it even more – and loves him. They kiss.

Alexis wonders if there’s a support group for her problem. Ned thinks there is, but she says AA is all she can handle. Ned offers to be sounding board. Alexis says that she wants to like someone sane, safe and gentle, but can’t get out of her own way. Ned says, so far, but she’s fiercely intelligent, and if anyone can break the cycle, it’s her.

The courtroom is out of control. The judge tells Scotty to calm his client down, or there’s going to be some contempt handed out. Julian threatens Winston, and the prosecution rests.

Carly asks Sonny if he knew all along, and he tells her he did. Jason admits to covering for them, and says that he and Sonny decided to protect her. Carly gets it that Sam is sick, and that the last thing she needed was being hounded by the police. What she doesn’t get, is why they didn’t tell her. Sonny says the situation was volatile. Carly tells him everything always is, and after twenty years, how can he keep something like that from her?

Tomorrow, Lucy asks Finn about the house, Julian wants to take the stand, and Carly asks Sonny when trusting each other changed.

The Real Housewives of New York City – Reunion Part Two

Andy asks how LuAnn feels about Tom seeing Missy. She insists he sees her at parties because Ramona brings her, but Ramona says that’s not true. LuAnn reminds us that Ramona’s husband was in a full-blown affair, and Bethenny says it’s not the bar by which they should set their relationships. Andy asks LuAnn why they’re together, and LuAnn makes noises about how they live. Bethenny says you can make a lifestyle out of a life, but not a life out of a lifestyle. LuAnn says she loves being married, and blah-blah-blah, the same stuff we’ve heard a million times. She talks about her penthouse, and Bethenny says that’s pretentious AF, since it’s really just a one-bedroom on the top floor. Andy remarks on how happy everyone is. Really, Andy?

It’s Tinsley’s turn in the hot seat. We flash back to her arrival at Sonja’s, and her explanation of the arrest. (Tinsley Mortimer, google it.) There’s a clip of Carole reading to her from Page Six about her comeback. And more clips about her relationship. The montage ends with her meeting Scott, and Carole saying she sees a pink dress in her future. A viewer asks why she still has the same look, neighborhood, and activities, and she says she didn’t want to reinvent herself, but get her life back and be herself again. Carole talks about how funny and genuine she is, and says although they’re polar opposites, they connected. Tinsley is still at the hotel, and talks about how cool her room is. Bethenny asks if she and Scott are moving in together, and she says in the fall. She thinks he’s “the one.” Good for her. He seems like a nice guy, and more geared to her than someone named Topper. Andy asks if she’s in a better place now. Again, really, Andy? Tinsley tells them about how she kept going back to her abusive relationship. Dorinda asks why she didn’t ask her mother for help, and she says she hid a lot of things. There was also a lot of drinking going on, and she carried it into the season as a crutch.

A viewer asks if she uses humor to make light of her drinking, and if she has a problem. Tinsley’s non-drinking problem is discussed. Andy asks if she was drinking first thing in the morning in Mexico, which isn’t really a fair question, since that was a vacation that revolved around liquor. LuAnn says that Tinsley can out drink her (holy!), and Tinsley says she’s amazed at how she can put it away. Bethenny says it’s doubtful she’d be in a six-month relationship with Scott if there was a problem, and I agree. I think this one just likes to party. And why not?

Carole is next. We flash back to Carole being positive that Hillary would win the election, and how very informed on politics she is. Obviously not informed enough to make a correct prediction. We see her insulting Ramona, and her emotions taking a nosedive on election night, and there’s a clip from the Women’s March. We move on to her shacking up with Adam, and how that goes downhill pretty quickly, and he moves back out. Andy asks what’s going on with them now. Carole says he was in-between apartments when he lived with her, but they’ve decided to take a break and give each other some space. She likes feeling free. She’s not seeing other people; she’s focusing on the me-centric parts of her life. Andy asks how she’d feel if Adam was seeing other people, and it doesn’t seem like she cares a whole lot.

Andy asks Bethenny if the election was the most irritated she’s been at Carol, but she says no. Bethenny thinks we need dialogue, not badgering. Carole talks about how no one appreciated her election expertise, and Ramona says she felt like she couldn’t even talk to her. Andy asks who knows either candidate and who voted for who. Ramona says she met them both, but pleads the fifth about voting. Dorinda brings up the picture that Sonja has of her and Donald, and Sonja says she used to consult with him about hotels. Dorinda says Hillary has been to her home. Luann knows no one. Bethenny told Bill Clinton that he had spinach in his teeth at Barney’s. She also told a funny story about doing the walk of shame literally into Donald, who recognized her and decided to introduce her to whoever he was with. She said she probably still reeked of the night before’s liquor. Yep. That’s always when things like that happen. She says she didn’t like the election whatsoever or her choices, and I’m with her. Tinsley is good friends with Ivanka, but claimed that she wasn’t in the state where she was registered, and couldn’t vote. Okay. It sounded like she didn’t really care, saying it wasn’t her thing, almost giving Carole apoplexy. I hate that. Yes, it’s your right to vote, but then shouldn’t it also be your right not to vote? Just sayin’.  Oddly enough, this political discussion is one of the few times no one argued.

Sonja juggling Frenchie and Rocco is brought to the table, and we flash back to both of them. I love Sonja saying that she’s between a Rocco and a hard place, and we see how Frenchie moved in. Andy asks what the status is. She’d originally thought of Frenchie for Tinsley, but he had eyes for her, and they’re still seeing each other. Carole heard he was “cast” as Sonja’s boyfriend. Sonja is like, what? and says he was staying with her all the time anyway, so she suggested he live with her when he’s not in France. She likes getting it. Thanks for the visual. She says they went to Paris when they finished filming, and she met his parents. Dorinda thinks it’s a mistake to have someone move in so quickly. Andy asks how Rocco feels, and Dorinda says they’re good friends. Why is she suddenly answering for Sonja? Bethenny thinks it’s genius, and Sonja says the long game wins. She wants someone who’s really there for her, and says Rocco is a good person. She’s not giving him up, and they’ll see. She thinks Frenchie might eventually want children even though he says he’d give it up to marry her. She wants someone to grow old with, and thinks someone like Rocco would fulfill that need. Bethenny thinks she should give him the old bang down one-two and check it out, since Sonja has never slept with him.

Bethenny’s divorce is the next topic. We flash back to suckerfish Jason Hoppy making her life a living hell, even after the divorce was finalized. What a creep that guy is. Andy asks what’s the latest on her love life, and Bethenny says she’s with Dennis. She says things needed to be dealt with, and she’s in a better place to make a sane decision. She says she has a difficult time letting people get close, but she had ended the relationship due to the circumstances of their divorces. She says she’s freer and happier now, and Dennis has dealt with his own issues. A viewer says she should consider I gotta go as her next tagline, and we flash back to her jetting early from events. She says she mostly removed herself from arguments, and if she doesn’t like how someone is speaking to her, she’s gotta go. Andy brings up suckerfish Jason’s latest stalking charges, and Ramona reminds Bethenny about how she’ll never be rid of this slimebucket because they have a child together. Bethenny flat-out doesn’t want to discuss it with her. She says it’s been a negative, inexplicable situation that’s hopefully getting better now. Andy milks the topic some more, and Bethenny says it cost her $3 million in legal fees. He asks about Brynn, and Bethenny says she doesn’t understand at her age. She’s isolated in her life and happy. Carole adds that Bethenny has never said anything negative about Jason to her daughter, unlike the crap Jason has pulled on her. Bethenny says by the time Brynn is old enough to be aware, a new story will have eclipsed hers. She doubts she’ll be relevant by the time Brynn is googling things. Carole says by then she’ll have a sense of the dynamic. Bethenny says life isn’t fairytales and rainbows.

Andy brings up Bethenny talking to her mother for the first time in years, and if she’s had contact. Bethenny says that her mother talking to the press was the problem in the first place, and when she was getting ready to visit Florida, her mother told a magazine negative things. Andy wonders if stress affects how Bethenny interacts with others, because he’s the king of idiotic queries. Bethenny says they can’t imagine the torment this has been, and if she lets it out, she’ll break down. Ramona talks about Mario trying to force his way into her life when they’d started filming after the divorce, and how awful it was. Carole says she saw how Jason interfered with Bethenny’s relationships, and Bethenny didn’t even realize how the emotions wreaked havoc in her life. Bethenny says it’s impossible to explain and it’s torture. She starts to cry, and Andy asks if the ladies knew what was going on. LuAnn says only from the papers. Carole says he’s obsessed with her, and LuAnn wonders where his anger is coming from. My guess is from that sleazebag suckerfish losing his meal ticket and not being able to face reality. Andy asks if LuAnn understands Bethenny’s breakdown in the Berkshires now, but LuAnn says she understood it then. Andy asks if there’s a resolution, and Bethenny says any resolution is court mandated. She has faith that somehow, she’ll have a normal, free life, but it won’t happen unless there’s zero contact. Ramona talks about how important it is to teach their daughters independence, and it’s the first rational thing that’s come out of her mouth in maybe ever. Dorinda says you need to have options, and you can’t afford to lose them financially or emotionally. Bethenny says it’s important not to have a man be your identity. Andy asks when Bethenny is at her happiest, and she says being with her daughter and doing simple things. She thanks everyone for being respectful, and says that was fun.

Next time, the reunion concludes, Ramona is front and center, and Tinsley argues with Sonja.

🍄 I missed the first hour of the two-hour MasterChef, but caught the second half. There was a chicken and potato challenge with teams of two – there are ten cooks remaining. Dino and Jeff knocked it out of the park, and I thought Christina was going to leap across the stage and grab the chicken out of Aaron’s hand. Caitlin and Adam tried some kind of Japanese fusion thing without tasting all of the elements together, and it was a bust. Gordon said they had brilliant moments, but this wasn’t one of them, and most of his critique was bleeped out. Eboni and Cate were the winners and their recipe will be in Family Circle magazine. Cool! Yachecia escaped a third pressure test, and Adam and Caitlin ended up on the chipping block after Gordon played with them, at first acting like they were safe. It was mean, but I laughed. They had to replicate Gordon’s signature chicken dish, Chicken Supreme. Adam’s chicken was raw. The cardinal sin of cooking. Gordon rubbed it in by saying it’s the best dish he’s cooked in the competition – other than the chicken being raw. You’ll never have to worry about raw chicken with me, since I cook the crap out of it.  Adam cried, Caitlin cried, the balcony cried. Christina tried to make him feel better by talking to him about the rest of the dish, and how fabulous it was, acting like Gordon didn’t just go, oh dear, a million times. I’m no expert, but even I knew what a grievous error this was. Although there was a group of girls in my Home Ec class who failed to get Jell-O to set overnight, which might top that. Gordon said the big loser knew who they were, and Adam took his apron off. For a moment, he hesitated, and I thought we might all have to stay in for recess. Next time, there’s a tag team challenge, and everyone, including the judges, looks like they have a headache.

🐓 I checked out Jax and Brittany Take Kentucky. The look on LVP’s face when Jax told her that he’s working on the farm made it worth watching, but not much else. She suggested he was good at stirring the sh*t, but didn’t know about him shoveling it. It was okay. Since this is just a filler until the next season of Vanderpump Rules, I didn’t take it too seriously. I was a little disturbed that Jax told Brittany’s mother and grandmother that he was going to marry her, after he sought out contraband liquid courage to do it. They seemed thrilled, although I’m not sure why, but what bothered me was my immediate reaction that this might be Jax’s way of trying to stay relevant within the Bravo franchise. Could a wedding spin-off be far behind? Bleh.

💃 Odd Mom Out continues to be entertaining. And you don’t have to be a mom, or the odd one out, to enjoy it. Like Seinfeld, if you’re a New Yorker, the jokes are funnier, but you don’t have to be one to laugh.