What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

In the hospital parking garage, Drew asks Jake, how about that earthquake? like it’s the Mets. Jake says some of his friend’s houses got wrecked, but he guesses they’re okay. Drew asks what brings them by. Elizabeth says they’re visiting Franco, and Jake says he’s been sick. Drew says that’s why he’s there.

Inside the hospital, Jim acts shifty, and avoids David.

Josslyn and Oscar go to Kelly’s. He orders an incredible amount of food, telling her that he’s going crazy, since he just got loose. Josslyn tells him not to go too crazy. She promised his mom they’d be low key.

Julian brings Kim flowers. He says it’s quiet, and she says Oscar couldn’t wait to escape. Putting on his Captain Obvious hat, Julian says, so she’s alone.

Jake wonders why Drew would be seeing Franco, since he doesn’t like him. Elizabeth is like, hey, but Drew says it’s a fair question. He tells Jake that sometimes feelings change when you understand someone more, and you shouldn’t judge until you’ve walked in their shoes. He’s actually there to see Franco’s mom. He hopes she can help him understand Franco more. Jake says Franco is seeing Doc, and hopes they both help. He wants Franco to come home.

Franco cries, and says he can’t. It doesn’t matter; no one would believe him. Doc tells him to take a breath, and remember that Doc can bring him out any time if it’s too painful. He asks if Franco can continue. Can he tell him why he’s so afraid of Jim? Franco cries, saying, he hurts me. Doc asks what Jim did to hurt him.

Jim slithers around, and grabs some scrubs.

Jake wants to show Franco his award. Elizabeth says they’re surprising him in a good way. He runs off for some kid reason. Drew tells Elizabeth he wants to help, and hopes Betsy is more forthcoming; her stories go back and forth. Elizabeth says she could be reacting out of fear. Drew hopes he can make her feel safe and she tells truth, especially about what happened with Franco and Jim. Elizabeth is a little freaked out because Drew is being so amazing. He supposes she knows about Sam. Elizabeth knows she hurt Drew, and never wanted him to feel that pain again. He says they’re good. He doesn’t want his wife to be confused about who she loves. They both deserve better than that.

Kim suggests some wine. Julian says he can’t fault Oscar’s style, getting locked in a freezer with his girlfriend. Kim says she wants to pull her hair out. Even now, she’s anxious. Julian says she can’t protect him forever or blame herself if something goes wrong. If it hadn’t been for crooked Jim, they’d have had the party at his place. Kim asks what’s up with Jim? The last she heard, he was accused of trying to kill Drew and Franco. Julian says she just saw Drew, and wonders why the subject didn’t come up. What were they talking about that he’d forget something so important?

David meets Kiki at Kelly’s. He’s glad she called. He assumed she was avoiding him, and hopes this means she’s over being upset.

Doc tells Franco that he’s going deeper; total relaxation. Franco puts his head on the desk. Doc says, twice as deep… three times. He’s in a state of total relaxation. He’s being taken back to a time in his childhood, when he instinctively knew something wasn’t right. He’s safe. Franco says his mom isn’t around, and Jim is scary when she’s not around. He’s just pretending to be nice, and says they’re friends. Doc asks why he’s frightened, and Franco says because they’re not friends. Andy is his friend; Jim is phony, bringing toys. Andy feels left out, but he can have Franco’s toy. Uncle Jim is bringing Andy a toy, but he tells Andy that he can’t take it. Jim says he’s jealous, but that’s not why. Doc says he’s safe, and asks him why. Franco says, stop it… no… no… he’ll tell mom. Doc asks what’s happening, then tells Franco to close his eyes, and slowly come out. I wonder, why now? He tells Franco to open his eyes when he feels ready. In his mind, Franco sees Jim in the hotel room.

Elizabeth tells Drew that she heard about Franco’s panic attack at the hotel, and that Drew rescued him. Drew says he just wants to know the truth too. She tells him that Betsy is under sedation, and pretty fragile. Jake comes back from wherever he disappeared to, and Elizabeth tells Drew that she knows he’ll get through the rough patch and find happiness.

Kim tells Julian that Drew was there to visit Oscar. Maybe he didn’t want to talk about it in front of his son. Julian says after their time in his office, they promised to be honest. She says she’s trying to. He tells her if it has nothing to do with Drew, maybe it’s him or her. She asks what he’s talking about, and he says, her hesitation. He didn’t expect her to be walking on stars, but would love to continue to be friends, and possibly more.

Josslyn tells Oscar there’s no way he’s going to finish the mass quantity of food he ordered. He suggests she help him. Josslyn says he’s back to his old self, and Oscar adds, but better. He has her, his mom, and for the first time, his dad.

Kiki says upset doesn’t begin to cover how she feels. Try furious. David knew what he was doing. He said he was the final vote, and then kissed her like it was payment due. David says he misunderstood. She doesn’t want his explanations or the book, and she’s turning down the program. He says he was under the impression she wanted more than friendship. He read the signals wrong.

Franco hears Jim calling him a bad boy, and saying everyone knows it. If he tells, it will kill his mother and Andy will hate him. Franco doesn’t care; he’s going to tell. Jim says he’ll cause more trouble for his mom, Andy, and himself. Is that what he wants? Franco says, no, but he has to do something to make it stop. Doc tells Franco to look at him, and asks if he can hear him. Franco says Jim wants to hurt mom and Andy. He has to do something. He says, no! and ducks away from Jim.

Betsy tells Francesca that she wants to see her son. Drew asks for a visit, but she wants to see Bobby. Francesca offers to see if he’s still there. Drew asks if she’d mind a few words, and Betsy nods. Francesca says Betsy is not to be upset or agitated. Betsy asks if Jim sent him. Drew says he knows Jim had her locked up, and he’s sorry. Franco was desperate to find her; so was he. He tells her that Jim is long gone. She asks who he is, and he says Andrew Cain. Andy. He’s the boy she took in; the boy she gave away.

Francesca says she has some samples she’s about to send out; she’ll go get them. We see she was talking to Jim, who’s now wearing a lab coat.

Doc tells Franco he’s counting backward, and to realize that it was the past; there’s no reason to be frightened. He begins to count, and tells Franco to recognize he’s in a safe place. Doc is with him, and no one can hurt him. The memories are in the past, and are no threat in the present. He’s fully awake and aware; safe and unafraid. How does he feel?

Betsy says Drew looks wonderful; all grown up. She’s so sorry. He says from what he hears, she treated him like her own son. She took him in, and gave him a home when she didn’t have to. She tells him that he was a delight. A sweet, dear boy; affectionate, generous, and smart. He was on his way to reading. He was a joy to have. He thanks her. He says he doesn’t want to upset her, but has some questions for Bobby’s sake. There’s no blame, and he’s not ungrateful. She’s the only mother he ever had. He needs to know what happened. Why did she send him away? Because Franco pushed him? Jim peeks into the room.

Julian senses Kim’s shift has something to do with Drew. Kim says he might want to know because Sam is his daughter, but Sam and Drew aren’t together. She thinks it has something to do with Jason, since Carly said it was only a matter of time. Julian thanks her for telling him. He wishes Alexis had told him, but he’s been excommunicated from the family. He asks what happens next, and she says nothing needs to change between them. Julian says he’s not talking about them. What about her and Oscar’s father?

Oscar tells Josslyn that he made Drew feel better; at least that’s what he said. Josslyn asks what happened. He says he doesn’t know everything, but Drew said he and Sam broke up. Josslyn says, that’s huge. Did they say what happened? What did his mom do? Oscar says she served them ice cream.

David tells Kiki that he thought they had chemistry. She says, no. She told him that she didn’t want to be touched. Does that sound like chemistry? He thought she was denying her feelings. Last night, she said she’d overreacted and apologized. She says she thanked him for the Shadow Program, and he tried to kiss her. She never sent out signals, and never wanted him. She’s going to the board, and telling them to choose another candidate. David says, absolutely not. She can’t do that.

Drew asks Betsy why she felt the need to send him away. Was it dangerous for him there? Was she trying to protect him. Betsy nods. He thanks her, and asks if it was Bobby or Jim. She sees Jim outside the door, and yells, nooo!

Doc asks Franco if he knows where he is. Franco says in Doc’s office. Doc asks how he feels, and he says he’s going to kill Jim. Doc says it’s better than being terrified like he was a few minutes ago. Franco doesn’t understand what’s happening to him. Doc sits on the floor with him, and says what he’s experiencing is abreaction. Reliving a traumatic event can be therapeutic, cathartic, and helpful, but sometimes it can lead to more harm. He took him out of it because he was suffering. Franco says he was close to figuring it out. Doc tells him that his well-being is more important. It’s not going to happen in one session. Franco says he was right there, and he has to do something. Doc asks, like what? Franco doesn’t know. Doc thinks putting him under again today could be detrimental or dangerous, but if they do it again, he needs to know Jim can’t hurt him. I’m not sure how Doc can say that, considering Jim nearly just buried Franco alive.

Betsy yells, no; don’t let him in, and Drew says he’s sorry. Francesca runs in. Drew tells her he doesn’t know what happened. Francesca says she’ll get a doctor, and Drew tells Betsy to breathe.

Doc tells Franco it’s not a race get to his memories, but a way to do it safely. Franco wants to do it now. Doc says it’s exploratory not experiential. Instead of reliving it, he wants to explore the events. Franco has to remove himself from his feelings. Franco says he has trouble with that, so how? Doc says they’ll work together – safely. Doc checks his phone, and says something urgent came up. He asks if Franco will be all right alone for a while; he’ll be back. After he leaves, Elizabeth comes in, and asks if Franco is okay. He says he’s better now, and she says she has a surprise if he’s up for it. Jake runs to Franco and hugs him. Franco says Jake has no idea how glad he is to see him, and they have a group hug.

David tells Kiki that rejecting the Shadow Program will be a slap in the face of the committee. She’ll look ungrateful and unfocused. Kiki says it’s better than owing him something. He says it’s not worth throwing away the chance of a lifetime. She suggests maybe he’s more concerned about how it looks for him. He thinks she has potential. She’s gifted; he believes that from the beginning when she was just a nurses’ aid. He encouraged her to do more, but she got into pre-med and med school on her own. She deserves the compliments, and he never wants her to think he didn’t mean them. The only one who doesn’t believe in her, is her.

Josslyn says Oscar’s mom found out the love of her life is free, and all she did was serve ice cream? Oscar says it was awesome being to together like a real family. He never knew how much he wanted it until then. He wishes it could be like that all the time. Josslyn says now that Drew is single, he might get his wish.

Julian tells Kim that Drew just lost his wife. Not to just any man, but his brother. Kim thinks the only thing he can handle is putting one foot in front of the other right now. He and Oscar bonded, and they had a nice time. That’s all there is to it. He says he’s accepted that he and Alexis have gone their separate ways when he found out she and Finn were serious. It was like a door slammed in his face. Now a door opened up for Kim. Is she not going through it? Is there no hope for a future with Drew?

Franco complements Jake, who says Franco is the one who taught him. Jake wants to paint with him, and Aiden wants to play his new video game with him. He tells Franco that his prize was a gift card to the art supply place he likes, and wants them to go together. Franco tells him to say the word. Jake asks when Franco is coming home. Elizabeth says they can’t put a time line on it, and Franco says he wants to, but can’t right now. He says he’s trying. He wants to get better and show them he belongs there, and hopes he’s welcomed if he ever gets there.

David tells Kiki to promise she won’t turn down this golden opportunity. She can think of him as a jerk, but keep her position. She knows it’s an incredible opportunity, but if she keeps it, she doesn’t want any favors. David says it’s all good, and hopefully, they can get back to the productive work relationship they had. They had an easy rapport. He asks if she forgives him, and she says she has to get to work. She leaves, and I take that as a no.

Doc comes to Betsy’s room, and Drew tells him that he clearly said something to upset her. Doc says, maybe, maybe not, and asks what transpired before her outburst. Drew says she tried to apologize, but he told her that she didn’t have to. He thanked her, and said he didn’t blame her. Everything was calm, and he asked why she needed to send him away. Was it because of Franco or Jim? She lost it, and it looked like she had a panic attack.

Jim creeps around the parking garage. He looks at his phone and hyperventilates. He hears Elizabeth and Jake coming.

Drew tells Betsy he didn’t mean to upset her, and he’s sorry. He starts to leave, and she tells him to wait. She asks him to get Bobby. She has to tell him about Jim.

Julian and Kim make out. He accuses her of changing the subject. She tells him that he doesn’t give himself enough credit. He says Oscar will be home soon, and he should be on his way. She hopes he’s not upset with her, and he says he’s not. He’s no one to judge, and he enjoys her company either way. He asks if she still has a glimmer of hope about Drew, and she says she never felt love like she did with him. After all these years, she guesses she never got over him. Outside the door, Oscar overhears.

Francesca tells Kiki congratulations on getting in the Shadow Program. She says David stepped up, so she must have made quite an impression. Kiki says she’s lucky to have him on her side.

David listens to the message from Kiki again, like the weirdo he is starting to become.

Franco tells Doc that he needs to get back in right now. Long enough to find out about Jim. Good or bad, he needs to know now, and not just for his family.

Elizabeth tells Jake not to rub it in with Aiden about his visit. Jake says, why not? It’s so much fun. There’s the bad seed Jake that I know and love. Jim comes up behind Elizabeth with a gun. He tells her to do as he says, and they won’t get hurt.

Tomorrow, I don’t know because I had a hair appointment, missed the show, and watched a bootleg video that didn’t include a preview.

Southern Charm

We’re at a black-tie Christmas party. Patricia says there’s no craziness coming on; maybe she missed something. Kathryn and Thomas’s new girlfriend Ashley have words, ending with Kathryn telling Ashley eff you, and calling her an entitled gold digger. Ashley had hoped she and Kathryn could be cool, but Kathryn says that will never happen. Ashley calls Kathryn nothing but an egg donor.

Three months earlier…

Kathryn uses sage to get the negative stuff out, and protect her place from a-holes. If only that worked.

Cameran is HUGE, and getting ready for the new baby. She reminds us about the psychic telling her she’d be pregnant before the end of 2017. She’s been blessed with an easy pregnancy, except for the last two weeks – she’s over it. Shep brings her some fast food. Palmer Corinne is the upcoming baby’s name, and Shep asks if he can touch it. He tells Cameran he went to New York, but was on a different wavelength from his RelationShep pick. He says he put his chips on the table, but she wasn’t in the same headspace. She only spent two nights with him out of the five he was there. Cameran tells him he’s not young, and suggests dating women his own age, which is 38 today. He thinks they should go bowling, but she thinks a party at his beach house is in order.

Danni visits Kathryn in her new apartment. Kathryn thinks Thomas always doubted her ability to take care of herself, and this is showing her independence. Even though she hasn’t failed one in a year and a half, Thomas has the ability to ask for a drug test at any time, and her arm is totally black and blue. She says if it means more time with her children, she’ll do it. Danni tells Kathryn that she realized she and her fiancé weren’t meant for each other, so they broke it off. Kathryn says the one thing Thomas agreed to was getting rid of the nanny, who she thinks stands between her and the children.

In his interview, Thomas says he has a new kid-friendly house, but misses his downtown compound. Soon to be ex-nanny Diedre shows him some learning games he’ll need to do with the kids. New girlfriend Ashley shows up. Thomas met her in California and they’ve been inseparable ever since.

Danni asks if Kathryn has met Ashley, but she says, no. Her three-year-old told her about a woman sleeping in daddy’s bed. She thinks it’s clear what Ashley’s intention is. She tells Danni that it’s lucky Ashley is a hospice nurse. It will come in handy.

Naomie comes by Chelsea’s salon. She also has a new house, and we see Craig moving stuff into his. They gave it their best shot, but it didn’t work out. He says nothing was ever good enough, and we flash back to how mean she was to him. He’s now sharing a house with best friend Sean. They celebrate by having a beer.

Naomie says she misses Craig, but then remembers how bad it was. We flash back to her airing their dirty laundry. She says the good ones are either already taken, work too much, or have an STD. She asks about Austen, and Chelsea says he quit his job and hasn’t been working. He still lives a frat boy style. She was constantly picking up the tab for dinner, and he was totally okay with it. She says he and his friends were out at a bar, and met up with a bachelorette party. Then he showed up at her house at 3 am, and thought she’d be cool with a booty call. That was a no.

In his interview, Austen tells us he quit his job because it wasn’t working out. They wanted him to move to Savannah, and he wasn’t down with that, but he’s getting a lot done being unemployed. We see him napping, drinking, and playing with his phone. Shep joins him on the balcony of a bar. Austen tells him, happy birthday, but Shep says he’s not into birthdays – starting now. Austen says that he thought he and Chelsea were getting along great. He told her they should be exclusive or move on, and thought it was cut and dried, but it wasn’t with her. He met up with another girl, who turned out to be a friend of hers, and she wasn’t comfortable with that.

Chelsea tells Naomie that she’s not mad, but she and the friend are not homegirls anymore.

Austen says he ended things with the friend, and thinks clearly something is holding him back. Shep asks if he has any residual feelings for Chelsea, and Austen says the door is ajar.

Whitney meets Shep for lunch. Shep guzzles a water, saying he was out late last night. Whitney tells Shep that Patricia has a gentleman caller, and he thinks an engagement is coming. We see Patricia admiring a ring with a rock the size of Rhode Island, and telling Whitney it’s a promise ring, but could be bigger. Whitney says he found out about one of Patricia’s marriages by telegram. He suggests having a grown-up birthday at Shep’s house. Shep says he has a friend who’s a party planner, and wants to recruit Craig for the food department. Whitney asks if Shep thinks Craig will pick up. Shep says they’re good, and we flash back to the party where they called each other drunken a-holes, and Craig pounded Shep on the leg. Whitney bets Shep twenty bucks that Craig doesn’t pick up. Craig picks up on the first ring. Shep tells him about the party, and Craig is psyched to be the chef. Shep tells Whitney not to forget his twenty bucks.

Thomas visits JD (bleh). We see a headline about him ditching the rent bills for his bar. Ha-ha-ha! He tells Thomas he’s back in the guest house, and they have drink. JD says technically, he and Elizabeth have been separated for a couple months, but he doesn’t want to talk about it until he knows what’s happening. He says the stress made their problems apparent, and he didn’t get her support. He whines about her saying she didn’t love him anymore, and says it snowballed. A week went by, and he didn’t hear a word. Thomas asks what that tells him, and JD says she took off her ring, and he took off his.

Craig meets Shep at a butcher shop, and they pick out meat for the cookout. Craig says Shep is doing his best to adult. He’s glad they’re friends again, since being at each other’s throats was exhausting. Craig asks who’s coming, and Shep says Naomie will be there. It’s the first time Craig is going to see her since they separated. He’s not sure what to do. In his interview, he says you can’t google something like that. He amends that, saying you can, but he doesn’t know what would come up. Shep says Thomas’s new girlfriend is coming, and Craig doesn’t think Kathryn has met her yet. Shep is like, oh great.

Party planner Katie is making Shep look like he knows what he’s doing. Craig arrives with trays of ribs, chicken, and other meat. He’s also embroidered an apron for Shep. Shep shows him the grill, which is mammoth. Like all of us, they have a problem getting the fire going. Shep suggests using the gas, but Craig holds steadfast.

Ashley babbles to Thomas about what to wear, and gives him a fashion show. In his interview, Thomas says Ashley is very different from Kathryn. She has beautiful manners, which he doesn’t see with Kathryn. She puts on booty shorts, then says she doesn’t want to look like a hoochie while meeting people for the first time. Thomas votes yes on the shorts. I’m wondering how long this could possibly last.

Katie and her staff are taking a half hour before dinner happens, leaving Shep and Craig alone to argue over grilling. Austen walks in with two beers in a six pack carton. He gives Shep a book for his birthday, and Shep is all excited because it’s something he’s watching on PBS. Craig googles some stuff about grilling. Austen explains that they’re going to need some appetizers, and wonders what kind of sh*t birthday party this is without Tostitos and salsa. Austen is sent to store for cheese cubes.

Naomie goes to Chelsea’s place for a kiki before Shep’s party. Danni and Kathryn arrive next. Chelsea asks Kathryn if she’s had sex with Shep, and my mouth falls open. Not only is Kathryn now getting along with this group, apparently, they’re pretty close. Or very rude. She doesn’t remember it too well, since it was long ago – which doesn’t say much for Shep’s skills – but he made her shower beforehand because he’s anal about his sheets.

Austen brings back a crudité tray and some other finger food.

Naomie tells the girls that Elizabeth isn’t coming because JD roped her into watching the kids. They all talk about what a sh*t JD is, and Kathryn compares him to Thomas. Naomie says the good old boys band together and have the power. She’s hoping Craig doesn’t bring anyone.

Thomas – being the juvenile that he is – wonders what Kathryn’s reaction will be seeing Ashley in the shorts. She wonders if she’s dressing for Kathryn. She asks if Thomas will protect her from Kathryn, like there might be a throw down.

Shep calls the bartender over for advice about the grill, even though he tells Shep that he’s no cook. Craig babbles irrationally, and tells Shep not to do sh*t he doesn’t know about. Shep uses the same tongs on the ribs that he used on the chicken, and Craig nearly has apoplexy. In his interview, Shep is incredibly chill about Craig, attributing it to the break-up. Craig continues to ramble. Shep asks if he can put paper plates in the oven.

Pasta salad has appeared. Shep says Craig is frazzled, although I think the word insane might fit him better right now. Austen thinks they should test the ribs, but Shep says the tongs are now radioactive.

Chelsea says she and Austen are seeing what happens. Naomie asks Kathryn is she’s cool about meeting Ashley, and Kathryn says, Ashley who?  Thomas hasn’t even told her that he has a new girlfriend. They all think it’s weird to move across the country to be with someone you don’t know. Chelsea says, some girls are thirsty. Kathryn adds, dehydrated, making them all laugh. She says she’s not involved in drama anymore. She’s into her life and kids and girlfriends. Chelsea says she has her side chicks.

Shep says they’re getting there, despite the friction.

Naomie tells the girls that at the end of the day, they’re all they’ve got. They drink to women [sic] empowerment.

Thomas and Ashley arrive at Shep’s party. We hear the honey bee theme song, It’s Easy, while everyone gets up and leaves for the party in slow motion.

To be continued…

This season, polo, Cameran has the baby, Craig wonders what Naomie finds wrong with his sewing, Kathryn realizes she has a support system, and Ashley doesn’t go over too well with the others.