What I Watched Today

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

 

 

General Hospital

At the MetroCourt, Jason asks how Sonny’s meeting went. Sonny says it will take a lot to rebuild in Puerto Rico, but he was lucky that there was no structural damage. It’s good, but it won’t happen overnight. Jason says it makes you realize how much we have to be thankful for. Sonny invites him to Thanksgiving dinner after they go to the gym. He says he’ll come to diner, but has to skip the gym. There’s someone he needs to see.

Michael tells Ned that Olivia-Q is going to cover every inch of the place in decorations. He calls her an excellent Quartermaine. Ned says they need to have a talk about Jason, his twin, and the future of EQ.

Finn goes to the gym and sees Chet using the punching bag. He’s impressed how fast Chet bounced back.

Amy visits Nathan and Maxie, and asks if they still have debtors prison. Nathan says no one is going to jail. Amy reads some internet comments out loud, but he says tomorrow, they’ll find someone else to go after. Amy wonders what if some enterprising lawyer comes after her for fraud? Maxie says if she’d thought about it before, this wouldn’t have happened. Amy says it wouldn’t have happened if someone hadn’t leaked it. Maxie asks if Amy is suggesting she did.

Felicia and Mac arrive at Anna’s for Thanksgiving, and are surprised to see Robin. Mac asks where the rest of the family is, and she tells them that Patrick had to work, but Emma is at a friend’s house and Noah is upstairs sleeping. Felicia gets excited over the baby, and says she gets first dibs when he wakes up. Robin says she had to come; she couldn’t wait to find out about her mom’s new boyfriend.

Chet infers that Finn must have no troubles, but he says he did, and they weren’t not that far removed from Chet’s troubles. He’s seven months sober. Chet asks how that’s working for him, and he says it depends on the day. He’s most thankful just to be alive. He tells Chet it’s not too late to fix things, but Chet doesn’t know how. He says the first thing is, not to run away from Amy.

Amy tells Maxie that she’s just Jealous of her success. Maxie says she’s pretty sure jail time is considered a universal failure. There’s a knock at the door. Nathan says they can’t keep dodging the publisher forever. It’s Quinn, and she tells them that their days of dodging are over, and so are they.

Ned tells Michael that the twins don’t even know who the real Jason is. They have to figure it out before it affects ELQ. Olivia follows Monica into the room, trying to get her to wear a homemade pilgrim hat. Monica doesn’t know why she bothered decorating, since no one is going to be there; everyone is doing their own thing this year. Olivia says it’s supposed to be a day of gratitude and family, and what difference does it make where they’re eating? Monica says she’s grateful not to be wearing that hat, and that it will all be done by the time she gets back. Olivia dubs her the first Thanksgiving Grinch. Ned tells Monica they need to have a serious discussion about ELQ. Michael says Ned thinks they’re in trouble, but Monica says it’s been a banner year. Ned tells her everything will be in doubt because of there being two Jasons. Monica says there aren’t two Jasons. Susan gave birth to twins, and Alan never knew. Ned says it’s going to affect the distribution of ELQ stock. The Jason who was presumed dead all this time couldn’t care less, but the other one used money that might not be his to bail the company out. Everything they’ve worked for is in jeopardy.

Sonny tells Jason that he can save him from his enemies, but not from Carly. Jason leaves, and Cassandra approaches Sonny, saying he’s just the man she’s looking for. She introduces herself, and tells him she’s a big fan of his coffee. He asks if she lives in Port Charles, and she tells him she’s based out of Monaco, but came there seeking medical advice. Since arriving, she hit on a lucrative business opportunity. She understands he’s a man who likes a business opportunity. Valentin joins them, and Sonny tells her that any friend of Valentin’s is no friend of his.

Chet tells Finn that he’s not running from Amy; he’s just there to clear his head. Finn says she’s a mess, but Chet says she’s better off without him. Finn wonders how he can believe that after all she’s done for him. Maybe it’s his pride talking. Finn understands the impulse, but people care, and it’s hard to look them in eye when they find out you’re not the man they thought you were. Chet says he didn’t mean to go on this path, and didn’t realize he was on it. Finn says if he can come back, so can Chet. It helps to have help (the same way it’s nice to be nice), and he needs to suck it up and accept it, before he drives them away.

Quinn uses just about every word for fraud in the thesaurus, and says they lied. Nathan presented himself as Ask Man Landers, and Amy as his representative. She was the writer; he was her beard. Nathan says they didn’t mean any harm. She tells them that the paperback sales are cratering, Black Friday is a bust, and they have to pull the hard copies from the shelves. The damage isn’t about a single book, but the entire company. Customers will think if they were duped with Man Landers, what about the diet or DIY books? They’re going to go public with a confession, and then pay through the nose.

Monica says every time she looks around, it gets more absurd. Every surface is covered. She’s right. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many Thanksgiving decorations, especially since the stores jump right to Christmas from Halloween. Jason comes in, saying he got her text that she was leaving, and he wanted to say goodbye. She tells him that she’s going to a spa for harmonic convergence. She doesn’t know what it means, but could use some harmony in her life, so why not? She says she’s not good at lying to him, and she’s really running away. The holidays are too difficult with so many missing faces; Emily, Lila, Alan, Edward, AJ. They need the snarking and imploding dinners. Jason says she’s welcome to come to Sonny’s, but she tells him, as Tracy would say, she’d rather stick cocktail forks in her eyeballs. He and Michael are all they have in common, and it’s easier to keep her distance and keep the peace. She’s thankful he’s home, and he says he’s thankful to be there. They hug.

Robin tells Anna it’s time to fill in the blanks; she’s been less than informative. She accuses Robin of  interrogating Finn via texts, and says she can’t do that to an adult. Robin says Anna wasn’t being helpful, and Anna tells her the relationship is in its early stages. She’s sorry she didn’t post a status update somewhere. Mac says there’s no need to get defensive, and Felicia reminds him that he said Finn wasn’t good enough for her. He says no one is, and Felicia only gave him a B. Felicia tells Robin that Mac played him like a fiddle, and it was embarrassing. Mac says Finn is a good guy, and adores Anna. That’s all that matters. Robin says that’s only half. Does Anna adore him back?

Valentin tells Cassandra she’s better off not talking to Sonny, and she says it’s too bad Valentin made an enemy of him. He says it wouldn’t matter. Sonny hates drugs, and he’s going to hate them being shipped through his territory. Cassandra says he needs to change his tune, or have it changed for him.

Sonny sees Finn at the gym, and asks how things are going. Finn says okay, and Sonny asks if he’s going somewhere for Thanksgiving. Finn asks if Sonny is worried he has the blues, and will make a bad decision, and Sonny says it’s that time of year. I assume for both the blues and bad decisions. He tells Finn they have a big table and a lot of food. Finn says he has somewhere to go, and Sonny says the offer stands. Finn tells Sonny there is something he can do. What does he know about street drug traffic?

Chet arrives at Nathan and Maxie’s place, and Maxie tells him not to get in the way of the public shaming. Quinn is preparing to live stream their admission of guilt to shield herself from a lawsuit. Quinn asks who Chet is, and he introduces himself. She says that nobody is going to sue Amy and Nathan, because when they’re done covering the costs, they’ll have nothing left to sue for, including their good names.

Jason looks at a family photo. Michael walks in, and Jason says it’s good to see him.

Valentin tells Cassandra if she rubs Sonny the wrong way, her operation could be over before it begins. She thinks he could be an ally, but will yield to Valentin’s expertise as soon as he’s productive. She’s not about to let some mafioso stop her. She tells him she spent a lot of money on research and development, and has a synthetic opioid that’s twice as potent and addictive. The formula is raw and unrefined, so she’s looking for someone with the right background to help her.

Finn tells Sonny that scores of people are OD’ing at GH, and he wants insight on how to mitigate the problem. Sonny says it’s bigger than one person. The drugs are cheaply made overseas, and it’s difficult to stop. Even if he knew something, bringing them down would just put a dent in the problem. Someone else will fill the gap. He tells Finn to stick to what he does best, saving lives and research. This is above his pay grade. Sonny says, hell, it’s above mine.

Anna tells Robin that she likes Finn just fine. Mac says she’s playing it close to the vest, and Felicia says she doesn’t need to make any declarations today. The baby cries, and Anna says, saved by the squall. Robin tells Felicia to go up, and she and Mac race for the stairs. When they’re gone, Robin tells Anna, out with it. Anna asks what, and she says the truth about her and Finn.

Quinn says they’re live, and Nathan and Amy look uncomfortable as hell. Amy explains that she’s the writer of the Ask Man Landers blog and book – surprise! Well, maybe not a surprise, since The Intruder announced it yesterday. She says it wasn’t a trick or scam; the whole situation got out of control. When interest arose in a book, she asked her friend Nathan to be the face. She didn’t think anyone would buy it if it wasn’t written by someone they’d want to be. The editor never knew the truth, and the publishing company is innocent. Everyone should be mad at her. Nathan says, and him. He made the decision. Amy says it started with her and should end with her. Chet steps in, and Amy says pay no attention to that man. Chet says none of this would have happened if not for him.

Michael didn’t know Jason was there; he forgot his phone. Jason says he came over to see Monica and him. Monica wanted him there for Thanksgiving. Michael says it would break her heart if he wasn’t there; he’s all they can talk about. He says he should have come to see Jason, but Jason says it’s okay. Michael says he was hiding, and scared to talk to him. He’d offered “Jason” a job at ELQ, but he went in a different direction. He wasn’t surprised. Jason Morgan working at ELQ makes no sense, but it did to him, because so much had changed in the last three years; “Jason” changed. Michael thinks the reason he asked him to join was that part of him knew he wasn’t really Jason. He felt too guilty to face the real Jason, because he had put his faith in someone else. Jason made the first move to make it easy for him. Jason always took care of him. It’s who he is, and he should have known that. He’s sorry. Michael starts to cry, and they hug. Jason tells him, it’s okay.

Robin tells Anna that she can play secret agent with anyone but her. She knows Anna is holding back. Anna says things are complicated, and that’s why they’re keeping it casual. She doesn’t want anyone getting the idea there’s a future with them. Robin says it’s been a while since she dated, and they’re just happy for her. The only thing that matters is if it works for her. The doorbell rings.

Cassandra says she’ll be vetting candidates, and he’d better get to work; the product won’t sell itself. Her phone rings. She steps away to take the call, first telling Valentin that she’s excited about their partnership. They’re going to do marvelous things together.

Anna opens the door to Finn. He tells Robin it’s nice to see her after all those text messages. Robin goes upstairs, and Anna asks what he’s doing there. He says he thought she was expecting him. She says every time the subject comes up, everyone keeps pulling for them as a couple. He tells her for what it’s worth, he’s willing to keep dating for as long as it takes. She tells him that he’s very noble, but she tried to explain she doesn’t need his help to bring Cassandra down. He asks why, because she has Valentin? He wonders if Valentin will have her back when the going gets tough. He can’t sit on his hands while the epidemic spreads. There has to be something he can do. Anna’s phone rings. It’s Valentin, who tells her that he just had an enlightening conversation with his new boss, and it’s worse than they thought.

Quinn starts to interrupt Chet, and Maxie tells her to shut up. She wanted the truth, and she’s going to get it. Chet explains that he was wounded in action, and the VA benefits weren’t enough to cover his medical expenses. Amy wrote the book to pay for his care, and Nathan agreed to be the face. He’s not always deserving of what she does for him, but he’s deeply grateful. This isn’t fraud; it’s love, friendship, and sacrifice. Amy never took credit for any of her work, and her work is pretty damn amazing.

Olivia tells Monica to enjoy something for once. Monica’s car has arrived, and Jason and Michael say they’ll walk her out. Monica tells Olivia not to get a Christmas tree until she gets back. Ned asks if she saw that; Michael and Jason. He is Jason, although Ned’s not sure how he’s going to prove it. In the meantime, the other one will hang on to what he thinks is his with a death grip. He tells her this is going to get ugly, and he’s seen more than his share of family infighting.

Amy says she’s proud of Chet, and he says it’s about time he did something for her to be proud of. Quinn makes noises about them hearing from her lawyers, and Maxie says, eat it, bitch. Quinn says, they commit fraud, and I’m the bitch? Happy Thanksgiving. Maxie tells her to feel free to spend the rest of it somewhere else. Quinn suddenly stops, looking at her phone. She says she’s getting real time updates from vendors. The presales are picking up, up, up. Chet turned the tide. Readers are no longer burning Ask Man Landers; they’re buying it in droves. The second Chet stepped in, I’m sure we all knew this was going to happen.

Valentin tells Cassandra that he’s leaving for dinner. She tells him they shouldn’t be late, and she hasn’t been to Thanksgiving dinner in years. He says she’s not invited. She threatened his family, and she can have his service, but not his friendship.

Finn asks Anna if it was Valentin on the phone. She says maybe, and he asks her to tell him what he said; he already knows almost all of it. She says Cassandra is working on developing a new product that’s cheaper and more addictive. He asks how far along she in in the development, and Anna says, pretty close. She needs someone to perfect the formula. They need to put end to the operation before it gets into production and starts killing people. Finn suggests they give her exactly what she wants.

Ned tells Olivia he has no intention of letting Alan’s sons feud ELQ into the ground. Olivia asks if he’s thinking that Michael is in over his head, and it’s time for him to step in as CEO.

Sonny does some sparring by himself at the gym. Michael and Jason come in. He asks if they’re going to just stand there, or spar with him. The guys laugh, punch each other on the shoulder, and everything is all happy. I’m sure not for long.

Tomorrow, Nora holds a press conference, Elizabeth tells Andrew/”Jason” that answers are on the way, and Carly tells Robin they made a terrible mistake.

The Real Housewives of Orange County – Reunion Part One

Kelly’s navy blue sparkly dangling earrings! Okay, I got that out of my system. There aren’t really any outfits that are standouts, but the accessories are all fabulous. Andy asks Lydia if she can stick it out this time, since at her last reunion, she had to take a breather. We look at clips of “hilarious hijinks” from this season. Shannon’s face looks thinner, and we hear that Sophie passed her driving test. Andy asks why Diko knows colloquialisms and Peggy doesn’t. I understand what he’s saying, but I don’t think colloquialisms are what she has a problem with. She says she understands half of it, but some doesn’t make sense, like Santa putting coal in your stocking. I think it’s because Diko wants to be in the know, and Peggy isn’t that interested. Meghan says she thinks Peggy is smart, and doesn’t believe she’s as ignorant as they pretend. They briefly discuss the ladies’ drag night costumes, and Andy asks Vicki when Steve is popping the question. She thinks it’s only a matter of time, but they’re comfortable right now as is.

He says Steve seems solid and straight as an arrow, but wonders if he’s enough for Vicki’s whoop-it-up personality. We go down Vicki’s Memory Lane, and see clips of her and Steve, as well as her medical appointments. Andy says Vicki claimed she didn’t want to get married again, but she says enough time has passed, and she doesn’t want to be alone. Tamra says she went from a crook to a cop. Andy asks how Steve reacted to Tamra saying he’s too boring for her. Vicki says they do whoop-it-up, but she’s interested in a stable relationship. He asks about her health, and she says she’s doing well. Ryan has retired from the service (I forget which branch), and Briana is having another surgery. A viewer asks if Tamra is still in contact with Briana. She says she recently got a text from her. She’d seen the shows from the Iceland trip, and it made her sad to think of how Tamra and Vicki used to be so close.

Lydia is up next. We flash back to the kids, the magazine, and Doug’s vasectomy. She talks about being uncomfortable on bingo/drag night, and says she saw things online about her being homophobic. She says Shannon contributed to it by retweeting something, and Shannon pretends not to remember. Lydia tells Andy it’s never been an issue, and one of her closest friends is a lesbian who was in her wedding party. Meghan says it was uncomfortable to watch Lydia being uncomfortable. Lydia asks what did they want her to do, dance on the table? They discuss psychics, and Meghan brings up her party where there was a psychic, and Lydia said she didn’t really want to be there. Meghan says It doesn’t make sense, since they’re not trying to push anything on her. She tells Lydia to use her brain, and not just believe whatever the Bible tells her. Lydia gives the perfect answer, saying she uses her brain to read the Bible, and tries to be open minded. Vicki says it’s her choice what she wants to be around. This whole conversation annoyed the hell out of me. Lydia is one of the few cast members I like. She’s honest, open, says what she means, and means what she says. Meghan desperately tried to find fault with her, continued to come at Lydia (who, at one point, told her to bring it on), and just came off looking like she wanted to argue. She can’t seem to grasp that, as a Christian, Lydia uses the Bible for guidance, but also uses her brain to figure out how it applies to today and what’s really important. Even though Lydia is willing to be a good sport, it’s like they want more than that; they want her to think like them. I love a good drag queen, but I might not have been comfortable with some of that evening either.

A viewer thinks it was sweet how Lydia prayed for Shannon at The Quiet Woman, and wondered why they didn’t become better friends. Lydia says they ended well, but Shannon got ridiculous when the show was aired. Shannon says Lydia called her crazy multiple times during the season, and Lydia stands by that. HAHAHAHAHA! Andy asks about Doug’s vasectomy, and if they’re still going to try for a girl with the frozen sperm. Lydia says it would be fun, but she’s overwhelmed with three kids, and thinks they’re at capacity right now.

Andy calls Kelly the comeback kid. He talks about the procedures she’s had, and wonders if it’s enough to save her marriage. We flash back to all of that, my favorite part being when she said she literally married her mother. Kelly says it’s sad. She’s lived with Michael most of her life, and they have a child together; it’s hard to see it go. They’re totally separated now. Andy asks how long after the show did she realize she wanted a divorce? She tells him a few months later. Michael would be nice one minute, and not the next, and wanted her all to himself; she had enough. He asks about Vicki’s advice regarding making it work. Vicki says she’s sad. Divorce isn’t easy, and she would have done things differently with hers. She thinks Kelly did what she could, and the age gap is a factor. Andy asks about custody, and Kelly says they’re working on it. Tamra’s advice is to say nothing bad about Michael to their daughter, and be supportive. A viewer asks why she made up with Shannon, and Kelly says she’s a good person and she likes her. Shannon felt Kelly’s apology was sincere, and likes her back. Another viewer wants to know why Tamra forgave her, and Tamra says time, and understanding that Kelly can be impulsive. Andy wonders what single Kelly will be like, and Kelly says she’s afraid. Andy says, lock your doors.

Tamra is next in line. The focus of her montage is mostly on her relationship with Sidney, and how left out she feels, ending with her going to Sidney’s graduation. She says it was the next milestone she didn’t want to miss, and was grateful to be invited. She gets weepy, saying it was hurtful not being involved, and tells Andy it’s not good now. For a few weeks they got along, but Tamra was seeing horrible stories coming out online, and she was impulsive, posting pictures when Sidney didn’t want her too. Sidney made a public Facebook post, saying her father pushed her to invite Tamra to the graduation. Andy says Sidney doesn’t want to be in the spotlight, but Tamra asks how you stay quiet? She thinks Sidney will understand when she has her own kids. Andy asks how Tamra reconciles Sidney not wanting her to talk, and if she wasn’t on the show, would it be better? Tamra says she’s been nothing but a loving mother. Vicki says it’s super sad because family is everything. I might as well put in my two cents here too. I doubt Sidney would care nearly as much if Tamra didn’t act like a screechy shrew half the time on national TV. I’m betting it isn’t as much about the pictures being posted, as it is the embarrassment over Tamra’s behavior. Andy asks about Ryan and Sarah. Tamra says they’ve been split up for a few weeks, and Sarah has a boyfriend. That was quick. We find out Tamra got a facelift for her 50^th birthday, and it looks surprisingly good. She still looks like herself. Andy asks what’s next, and if she wants her implants back from the clubhouse. She says she’s good, but she might want vaginal rejuvenation in a few years. When did this become such a thing?

Andy tells us that Shannon wears her heart on her sleeve, and it was never more evident than this season. We flash back to her weight gain, and her blaming Vicki for it. They show one of my favorite clips, when Shannon gets stuck on the exercise bike. They end with her saying that she and David are in the same place they were before he had the affair. Andy says a lot of viewers related to the struggle. She’s lost twenty-five pounds, and says that when the season started, she didn’t want to be in front of the camera. She didn’t mean to offend anyone who’s over a size four, but says for her, it was a huge (I don’t think pun intended) change. Yeah, right. Like I don’t think she’d look at me and think I was fat, being an eight to ten, depending on what time of year it is. A viewer asks why she can’t take responsibility for her weight gain, and she says it was taken out of context. Sure it was. They all say that when they get caught saying something stupid. She makes the excuse explains that it started the ball rolling. Andy asks for Vicki’s reaction. She feels badly, saying it was a private conversation never meant to be discussed. Shannon says she could tell more about her relationship with David in scenes where they weren’t together. She was trying to convince herself it was okay, and took it out on others. She claims that she’s a fun person, and didn’t recognize herself. I think Shannon can be fun, but she’s way overreactive. Not that David should have treated her the way he did. She might be a drama queen, but he’s a total schmuck. Andy asks for the status of her life. She gets weepy, and says she and David aren’t together anymore. It’s not what she wanted and it’s hard, but she’s a mom and role model for her kids, and it got to the point where there weren’t any positive lessons. They deserve better. Andy asks whose decision it was. She says they went to Hawaii, and David left early. When she got back, he said they were done. The girls are living with her, and she’s grateful for that. They’ve agreed to be amicable, so they meet for dinner on Sundays and go to games together. Andy says Vicki seems emotional, and she says she’s sad because she didn’t know. She’d thought they were doing good, and if she was responsible for anything, she feels awful. Shannon says Vicki didn’t cause it; there were issues from the beginning. She talks about how difficult it was to go from the way it’s supposed to be, and have it taken away. She’d asked him what happened, since they had a few amazing years, but he told they only had a couple of good months. This is kind of interesting, since usually it’s the man who thinks it’s all good, when they woman has had enough. Shannon says it’s her job to show the girls, and she’s scared, but can teach a positive lesson. Vicki says wants the best for Shannon, and didn’t expect it. She tells Shannon that she’s got ladies who will be there for her. Shannon says she’s blessed. Vicki says she’ll be okay, but a bad marriage isn’t what life should be, and she deserves the best. Shannon says it will all be good.

There’s an hour break. Everyone is sad and teary-eyed. Shannon says that she needed time to process, and didn’t want anyone to know. Tissues are passed, and they all go back to the dressing rooms for lunch. Shannon tells Tamra it’s real now because she said it and it’s out there. The first time he goes on a date, it will kill her. Vicki talks to Kelly about how shocked she is, but says you can’t make somebody love you.

Next time, part two, a fly attacks, the arguments start, and Vicki says she’s off the show. The OG of the OC? No way.

⛅ Monday, Monday…