What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

At the hospital, Deanna tells Griff that there’s a hostage situation. Peter drags Maxie out, holding a gun to her head. She asks why Griff didn’t tell her that he’s Faison’s son. An officer shoots. Griff wakes up, and Ava asks, what’s wrong?

Peter tells Lulu that her article on Henrik has the buzz. She thinks instead of being proud, Maxie will see it as another betrayal.

Maxie waits for Nina at the hospital, but she’s busy meeting Curtis. She asks what dirt he dug up on Peter.

Nelle calls Michael who’s also waiting at the hospital. She says she’s running behind because of work. Michael says Ava has been leaning on her a lot, and wonders if she’s not over-worked. She thanks him for caring, but she and the baby are fine, and she likes to keep busy.

Sonny asks if Carly talked to her mom, and Carly tells him Bobbie said everything was fine with the electric at the house. She told her about thinking there was an intruder, and how the police didn’t. Sonny asks if she wants an extra guard, but she says, like him, Bobbie doesn’t think anything happened. She tells him that she made an appointment with Griff though, so he won’t think she’s going crazy.

Maxie runs into Michael at the birthing class. He says Nelle is even later than him, and Maxie thinks there’s a lot of that going around. She says it’s nice he’s being supportive of Nelle; she’s sure it means a lot. He tells her even so, they’re not together, and she says, noted, but he is the father, and she thinks he’ll be a good one. Michael says he’ll do his best. At first, he wasn’t thrilled, but now he can’t wait to meet the baby. He might be getting ahead, but he’s already thinking about college funds and teaching his child how to ride a bike. Maxie says she’ll see him later.

Lulu tells Peter she’s there to apologize. He’s in the middle of another fight between her and Maxie, and he made it clear he wasn’t comfortable with the story in the first place. He says, typically, he doesn’t interfere with his writers. His hesitation was for her. Lulu says she thought if she uncovered the truth – what motivates Henrik, and if he’s like his character, conflicted, or as bad as Faison – she thought the answers might bring closure to Maxie and pave the way for forgiveness. Instead, she’ll see the man who murdered Nathan, and Lulu’s byline below the picture. She says there won’t be another one. She’s dropping the investigation. Peter tells her not to do it.

Nina looks at her phone, and asks Curtis to give her the highlights. Curtis says, originally, he wasn’t sold on her suspicion, but now he’s intrigued. The job references pan out. He rechecked them and confirmed it, but Peter’s last known address is the only address, and it’s the one in Port Charles. So where did he live before that?

Griff throws his stuff in his bag, saying he’s behind schedule. Ava says she didn’t want to wake him because he’d been tossing and turning. He says he just hates rushing, and has a lot on his mind. She picks up the envelope holding the test results, and asks if that’s what’s giving him bad dreams. He says he can’t talk to her about it, but she wishes he could tell her what’s bothering him. She says he can trust her, but he tells her it’s a matter of patient confidentiality. He appreciates her caring and understanding, and respecting his wishes.

Sonny tells Carly that no one thinks she’s going crazy. She says she’s not confused. She knows what she saw and heard. It’s all real. She doesn’t know what it means, but it’s not in her head. If the only way to convince him is to see a doctor, then that’s what she’ll do. She wishes he’d believe her, but after everything that happened with Sam last summer, he just wants to be sure. She says, so they’ll be sure.

Ava brings out breakfast. Griff is still in the shower, and since she can’t help herself, she looks in the envelope again. She wonders what it’s all about. What’s It All About, Alfie? starts to play in my head, and I know I’ll have an earworm for the day.

Max asks Sonny about going over the schedule for the warehouse. Sonny asks if Jason told him about Carly. Max says he knows about the phone calls from Angel’s Bluff, and that last night, she thought there was an intruder in her old house, but the police didn’t find anything. Jason said she found a picture of Morgan that was broken, but it sounds like earthquake damage to him. Sonny says Carly doesn’t think so. She thinks it’s some kind of message about Morgan. He says grief can play tricks on the mind; it makes connections that don’t exist. He doesn’t want that happening to her.

Griff drinks some coffee, and apologizes about being short. He didn’t get enough sleep. Ava tells him to just remember that when she’s not so sunshiny herself. He thinks once he destroys the test results, he can put it out of his mind. Ava asks if he’s sure about that, and he says he needs to try. He shouldn’t have been carrying them around in the first place. Nelle comes by with some contracts. Griff hurries out the door. Ava tells him that she loves him, and he says, see you tonight.

Curtis tells Nina on the surface, Peter has a flawless background, but the job references only state his title, and the start and end date. He can do additional digging, but it will raise suspicion. Nina says it’s not worth the risk. She doesn’t think he’s shady businesswise, but it’s his personal background she’s worried about. Curtis says he checked Peter’s criminal record, and there isn’t so much as a parking ticket. No history of an address is weird though. Nina thinks maybe he lived in corporate housing but Curtis doubts it. He couldn’t even find a magazine subscription or credit report address. It’s like he came out of nowhere, and he had to live somewhere. Maybe he didn’t work for the companies listed. It’s possible the employment records are fake. Nina says that would mean his entire background is fake.

Peter asks Lulu what the point would be in dropping the story? He’s argued against it because she and Maxie were already estranged. He thought it would make things worse, but now it’s been written; the damage is done. Lulu says Maxie doesn’t have to see more. The quicker it’s dropped and forgotten, the better. Peter says she went to all this trouble to bait the hook, why not see if he takes the bait? Lulu says, speak of the devil; Henrik just contacted her. He’d like to meet and tell his side. Peter says she doesn’t sound very excited. She says she’s heard from a lot of Henriks. One asked for pictures of her feet. Peter remembers they had a lot of false leads last time. She says, don’t remind her; crazy attracts crazy. It’s more evidence that this is a mistake. She gives him her phone, telling him to look at them. He asks if she’s looked at last one. It has some weird phrasing. If rot comes from both ends, rot must be severed from both ends. She grabs the phone, saying, forget what she said, this might really be Henrik.

Michael asks if Maxie is okay. She says Nina is so late, they’ll probably have to reschedule. Michael apologizes for being insensitive, but she tells him that he should be excited. Nathan was over the moon, and told everyone about how excited he was about doing future things with their child. Michael reminded her that he won’t get that chance, but she doesn’t need anyone feeling sorry for her; she can do that herself. She just doesn’t want to feel this way. It hits in waves. She saw the happy, excited couples, and felt like a spectator, watching what could have been, and that now she’ll be alone with the baby. Michael says she has family and friends help. She’s thankful for that, but they go home to their families, and it’s still just her and the baby. He understands. Grief hurts like hell, and all you can do is fight through it. Some days you win, some days you lose, but she’s stronger than she thinks, and will be a great mother. He tells her to look at Georgie, but she says that’s because of Spinelli and Ellie. There’s a difference between being a single parent and the sole parent. Nelle isn’t her favorite person, but she kind of envies her. Michael says Maxie has him has him too, and suggest going to the class together.

Ava thanks Nelle, who says she has to get to the hospital for class. Ava tells her to just say she’s busy next time, but Nelle says Michael is there holding her spot. Ava says he’s always thinking of her, and it’s a good sign. Nelle asks if Ava is trying to talk her out of her plans for Carly again, but Ava says she’s just pointing out the inroads Nelle has made without devious tactics. Nelle says as long as Carly is whispering in his ear, Michael won’t trust her. Ava tells her to keep in mind that she’s using deception to gain his trust. Nelle suggests Ave concentrate on her own relationship. Ava asks what that means, and Nelle says she noticed when Ava told Griff she loved him, he didn’t say it back. Ava says that’s none of her business. Ava gets a call from Carly, who says there’s been a change of plans with Avery.

Sonny tells Max that he’s dealing with this dad, and he needs Carly’s help to navigate. He knows there’s no timetable on grief, and they’ll never really get over Morgan’s death. Max says Mike has been doing better lately. He heard they had a great time at Luke’s. Sonny says Mike was doing good for a while. So good, Michael recorded him, but he said something that didn’t sit well with Sonny about a field in Croton. There was something that happened a long time ago. He had to get rid of a problem for Skully, and buried it in a field. Max asks if Mike knew about it, and Sonny says, no, but what else might he know? Max says, even if someone found the problem, there’s no evidence linking it to Sonny. Sonny says, there is.

Nina wonders why the companies would lie, but Curtis says someone might have altered the information to show Peter worked there. All HR would do is check the database. They’re all multinational corporations, and hackers happen. It’s all speculation, but he knows there’s more. She tells him to stay on it; he’s given her a lot to think about. He says, just to keep it 100, there’s no whiff of wrongdoing. Maybe his references are legit, and he just can’t keep a permanent place of residence for whatever reason. Nina says at least she knows she’s not paranoid. Peter is too good to be true, and might be hiding something.

Lulu tells Peter that the words are from the epigraph, but the book hasn’t dropped yet. Peter says there are a lot of advance copies out there. She says, for due diligence, she’ll call the publisher and ask for list. Something rings true, and this could be Henrik Faison.

Carly tells Ava that she has a doctor’s appointment, and it’s not convenient for her to come to the house. They agree on meeting at Charlie’s later. Ava complains to Nelle, and Nelle says maybe now Ava understands why she’s not taking any chances.

Max asks Sonny if there’s evidence linking him to the problem, like witnesses. Sonny thinks the major players are all dead, but he’s worried about physical evidence. He buried the body with the gun. Thirty years ago, you wiped it clean, and it was a done deal. Now there have been new developments in forensics. If someone finds the body, he might be compromised.

In the hospital parking garage, Nelle watches Carly get out of her car and go upstairs. She starts to write a note, but hears someone, and ducks behind the car. A dude puts an ad for a noodle shop under the wiper. Nelle looks at it. It’s probably making her hungry.

Max says it’s a cold case. No one is looking for the guy, so maybe they should just let well enough alone. Sonny says he hasn’t thought about it all this time until Mike brought it up. What worries him is how Mike knew about it. Mike has no filter, and he doesn’t know what’s true. There’s always a chance Sonny is being investigated, and the FBI could be monitoring him. Max says they’ll just do what they have to do. Go dig up the problem.

Maxie and Michael do breathing exercises, and they joke around. Nelle arrives.

Lulu tells Peter that Henrik wants to tell his side. He thought that’s what she wanted. She says she wanted that with Henrik’s father, and look how that turned out. Faison came back because of the article she wrote. She’d give anything to take it back, and can’t, but she can learn from her mistakes and not repeat them. He could also be a fraud. Maxie will see it as Lulu exploiting Nathan’s death to further her career. It’s not like she’s obligated. It’s not her duty, but her choice, and last time it ended up leading to pain for the people she cares about. Lulu cares about other people? She says Dante lost his partner and best friend, and he didn’t want her to do it. She hopes deep down he’s not blaming her. Peter says he had reservations, but thought it might help with closure. Lulu says one way to find closure is to drop the whole thing. Faison is dead, and the only one who can give any answers is Henrik. Peter tells her that she has to decide if furthering the investigation is worth it in the end.

Max asks Sonny for an address, and a reference point as to where the problem is buried. Sonny says they have to be smart. He doesn’t want to draw attention to the problem by digging it up, but has to focus on what Mike knows and who else knows about it.

Griff sees Carly, who says she needs him to tell her that she’s not crazy. They go to his office.

Ava looks at her phone. She remembers Griff saying he can’t talk about the envelope. He doesn’t have to. She took a picture of the contents.

Curtis sits on a bench talking to himself. He says, no active records. Peter is a ghost, but good thing he don’t believe in no ghosts. If he can’t find any records of Peter as an adult, he’ll look for something from his childhood. He puts Peter’s name and birth record into Spyder Finder.

Nelle watches Maxie joking with Michael, and makes herself known. Maxie acts like a bit of an a-hole, telling Nelle to sit somewhere else, since they’re practicing. Nina arrives, and tells Maxie she was stuck on a project. She switches places with Michael, and Maxie tells Nina to focus on breathing.

Lulu tells Peter that she can’t miss this opportunity. She’s gone too far to give up. If she wants to continue to call herself a journalist, she can run from a story, no matter how uncomfortable it is. Peter tells her to keep her editor in the loop, and no going over her head. She says she won’t let him down.

She leaves, and Peter calls Valentin. He says, it’s done, and smiles, totally confusing me as to whose side he’s on.

Tomorrow, Stella tells Sonny to forgive himself, Mike asks if Avery wants to hit the road, and Carly thinks something is wrong, but not with her health.

I don’t know if they were using a different type of film or what, but there was an odd quality to it today.

Southern Charm

We left off with everyone on their way to Shep’s barbecue. Yum! Raw chicken! In the car, Thomas thinks no nanny will be Kathryn approved. Ashley suggests they get married, but he doesn’t think she’d like that either. I’m not liking Ashley a whole lot so far.

Cameran compliments Shep’s party décor. She’s about ready to pop, but waddles upstairs to look at the renovation. She’s impressed. She thinks if he could put the same amount of time and effort into improving himself, he’d be the perfect ten. She asks Craig if he brought a date, but Craig isn’t there yet. It’s the first time he’ll be seeing Naomie since the break-up, and he’s not sure how to feel.

Naomie is anxious, but Kathryn tells her not to let it affect her. In her interview, Naomie says Craig seemed to be fine with the whole thing, going out with his friends every night. Chelsea says when she saw Austen being touchy-feely with one of her friends, she wasn’t cool with it. Kathryn chimes in, having been the victim of Thomas, who said she was nuts.

Austen tells Whitney that he and Chelsea are over. Craig wonders why there’s no aluminum foil. Whitney suggests they put the ribs in the oven, since Craig can’t seem to cook anything beyond raw. The girls arrive. Austen holds his breath. Ashley is nervous. So far, this is a great party. Everyone is stressed, tense, and worried. Except for Cameran, who is too pregnant to be anything except just that.

The second Kathryn walks in, Thomas reacts like he’s five, and inches away from Ashley, who tells him not to let go of her hand. Kathryn goes upstairs to hide Shep’s gift, and barely acknowledges either one of them. Naomie gives Craig a hug. He says they’ve been grilling all day. Then why is nothing cooked? Naomie tells Whitney she’s uncomfortable and this sucks. Austen tells Chelsea that Ashley is cute, but he’s not looking. Chelsea feels sorry for Kathryn – she knows what it’s like. Austen deflects by saying Chelsea looks great

Kathryn’s gift is the word home in nautical flags. Nice! She pours Red Bull into a wine glass to fit in. Shep tells Naomie that Craig has nothing but nice stuff to say about her. He thinks they should stay friends. In her interview, Naomie says Shep can give her advice on how to drink and not get a hangover, but not on relationships. Craig says he usually cuts exes off, but she’s going to be around, making it impossible to move on. Shep throws some cheese down from the deck.

Naomie asks how Thomas and Ashley met, and he says he was playing polo in Santa Barbara. Naomie lived there when she was a child, but only remembers big spiders. That doesn’t say much for Santa Barbara. Thomas tells her that Ashley was going to move to Las Vegas, and he suggested she move to Charleston instead. In her interview, Kathryn says Ashley is as dumb as a rock. It’s beyond awkward in the kitchen at this point. Just when I think it can’t get worse, JD (bleh) shows up. Chelsea says all the girls hate him. Include me in that club. Austen wants the dirt.

Chelsea asks if all is good. Naomie says she’s never been violent, but tonight, she’s feeling it. Austen is cooking, and says it’s on Craig if everything goes up in flames.

Kathryn thinks there are a lot of unsaid WTFs going on. I’ll have to remember that. Danni asks if Ashley said anything, but Kathryn says only nice to meet you. She says she still loves Thomas, and Naomie doesn’t get how she can love someone who effs up all the time. Ashley sits on the deck with Cameran and Whitney. She doesn’t want to go down by herself. Whitney tells her to face the music.

Dinner is served, and actually looks pretty good. Naomie says Kathryn is handling it better than she is. Cameran chows down at the table by herself. In her interview, she says since she’s been pregnant, eating is like a drug. When you’re pregnant, everything tastes better, and she eats like Roseanne. I assume she means Barr. JD joins her, and asks if she loves being pregnant. She says it’s not as bad as she thought it would be, but doesn’t love it. In her interview, she admits to liking having boobs for the first time ever, but too bad they’ll be teabags in six months. Everyone starts going downstairs to the table. Shep asks how Craig is doing. Craig wishes it hadn’t ended, but Shep says he gave it a good try. He left no stone uncovered [sic]. And this guy is well-read. Naomie tells the other girls that she almost cried in the kitchen. Shep is happy that everyone’s together. Craig says everyone is dealing with their awkwardness just for Shep.

Thomas is hanging out by himself, and Kathryn asks how he’s doing. He says she looks great, and tells her a blonde joke that isn’t worth repeating. She tells him about her new place. He gets a text, and tells her it’s the new nanny who thought they were meeting for training tonight. Kathryn says he was supposed to consult her before hiring someone. She’s disappointed that she wasn’t part of the process, and Thomas says it came up quick. He says told the new nanny, who apparently doesn’t have a name, what Deidre’s failings were, and that she needs to be respectful of Kathryn. Kathryn says if they did these kinds of things together, it would be nurturing for their relationship as co-parents. In his interview, Thomas says if Kathryn had been this calm and composed when they were together, it might have ended differently. BTW, Kathryn does look the best she ever has. Her haircut is perfect for her, and while I’ve never knocked her style, the more classic look she’s sporting now suits her.

Ashley suddenly appears, and says she’s heard a lot about Kathryn, but doesn’t think Kathryn knows anything about her. She goes blah-blah-blah about meeting Thomas, and that she moved in July to see what real life was like with Thomas. Shep looks out, and says, so far, nothing has been thrown. We flash back to some previous tornadoes. Ashley says she has nothing but respect for Kathryn as the mother of Thomas’s children, and that the kids are beautiful. Kathryn says Ashley caught her off guard, since Thomas never mentioned he had a girlfriend. Thomas makes a stupid face, mumbles that he thought he had, and shrugs. Ashley says she’s looking forward to getting to know Kathryn. Kathryn says she’s happy to meet Ashley, but it was a surprise. They hug, sort of, and Kathryn moves along. Well played.

Cameran asks if Shep is giving a toast at his first big boy party. He says that everyone there means something to him. They’re friends for different reasons, and he appreciates them all coming. He hopes they’re all as happy as Cameran one day, and in a relationship that makes as much sense. They all clink glasses. In his interview, Shep says thirty-eight is the age to take time for introspection. They talk about foods not to order on the first date, like ribs or spaghetti. In her interview, Naomie says even though they’re not together, she’d want to kill whoever Craig was dating, which she thinks is normal. Maybe in the short term.

JD says he’s half-single. Elizabeth doesn’t want him, but doesn’t want him to be with anyone else. The girls aren’t buying it. Shep tells him, safety first. Shep opens JD’s gift. It’s a blanket in case he needs to crash on Shep’s couch. Austen says it’s a full moon, which means women are fertile tonight. Has he been reading old wives’ tales again? In her interview, Kathryn thinks Ashley has an agenda, but plays the stupid card well. JD’s laugh annoys the girls. Naomie says it gives her nightmares.

Cameran goes upstairs to sit inside. Shep tells her that he and Craig are like old buddies again. He says when Craig isn’t in a relationship, it’s like old times. In his interview, Shep says he and Craig are like the Hatfields and the McCoys. They never agree – even though Shep is always right – but he loves Craig. Cameran asks Craig if he feels like he got closure. He’s bummed it didn’t work, but it didn’t.

Thomas follows Ashley to the bathroom. Really? Craig tells Cameran and Shep that he couldn’t be himself anymore. It was a snowball effect that they couldn’t move past, and stopped communicating. They see Thomas and Ashley close the bathroom door, and laugh. Really?

JD says he’s staying in the guest house, which is two houses away. Must be nice. He says he loves Elizabeth, and Naomie laughs. He says the last thing he wants is to be in this position with her. Naomie asks if he knows why she’s not at the party, and he says because he’s there. Naomie says, no sh*t, and JD asks what she wants him to do. She tells him, be a better husband, and Danni almost chokes on her drink. JD says she’s absurd, and Naomie tells him she goes by his house almost every day, and makes Elizabeth get out of bed. He says they’ve made mistakes, but they’re working through it. Naomie says Elizabeth calls her crying every day, and is not doing well, while he’s seen out every night, screwing twenty-year-olds. He asks what she’s talking about, and she says she knows the girls. Chelsea calls him a con artist, and says he must be good at hiding this sh*t. He asks if they’re upset, and says, fine; he’ll be the bad guy. Austen tells them not to throw all of them in that category, and the girls are like, oh please. Kathryn says they like to smear women who have no voice. JD says he’s not smearing Elizabeth; she’s a great girl. Kathryn says she wants to make sure the narrative isn’t misconstrued, whatever that means, and the good old boy’s system is dying. Naomie says everyone there knows JD is a complete piece of sh*t. He says at least he knows how they feel, and wisely bids everyone goodnight.

Thomas and Ashley come out of bathroom. Really? smh

Chelsea says that everyone knows, so why not say it? Austen says he doesn’t really know what goes on, but Chelsea doesn’t believe he hasn’t heard. He says he’s not defending JD; he just doesn’t know what he did. Upstairs, Whitney says Craig’s ex was ripping into JD. In her interview, Naomie tells us that no one will say it, but the good old boys protect each other. She wasn’t born there – she was born in France – so she’s more apt to tell the truth. Craig tells her she did the right thing, sticking up for her friend. He has her back. She says she heard he was on JD’s side, and said he’s going through a lot. Craig asks what the context was, but she says she wasn’t there. He tells her not to say he’s on JD’s side then. Ask questions before she jumps to conclusions. He agrees with her, and trusts her convictions. She wonders why he didn’t trust her during the relationship. He says she never believed in him. They broke up because she shot down everything he said. He always had to prove himself, and his word was never good enough. She starts getting weepy. He says people asked why he didn’t bring a date, but he didn’t want to ruin any chances. She starts bawling, and tells him to stop. She says it’s hard to see him, and it seems to be the first time he’s cared that they broke up. He says if she thinks he wasn’t upset, that’s just her guard. She says he seems happier than she could make him. He says they’re damaged, and she doesn’t understand why. She asks to talk to him later; she’s going home.

Shep wakes up to a mess and leftovers.

Naomie visits Kathryn, who is still recovering. Chelsea says she can’t talk to Craig when he’s nice, or she starts crying. Kathryn is glad Naomie busted JD. She says that’s exactly what Thomas did, then told everyone she was crazy. They believed him, since they didn’t know her. She says it’s bringing up old feelings, and starts to cry, saying she’s ruining her makeup. In her interview, she says everything they went through took its toll. Thomas dominated the relationship. She’s glad she and Naomie are talking; she doesn’t know how to have girlfriends. Naomie is glad to have a bond stronger than the guys. Kathryn says she’s feeling co-dependent already.

Thomas and Ashley go out to eat. He orders for them, but she says no on the mescal shooter, and wants to stick with wine. In his interview, Thomas says their energy melds well, and he and Kathryn were a bad fit. Is this some kind of Vulcan thing? Ashley says she wants him to be attracted to her, and she wants to turn him on, but don’t ask her to dye her hair red. Wow. That was uncalled for, and I like her even less than I did at the beginning. Thomas says everything seemed civil at the party. Ashley says Kathryn probably doesn’t know if their serious, which makes me think Ashley doesn’t know either. In his interview, Thomas says when estrogen is involved it’s winning for winning’s sake. He tells Ashley that Kathryn just wants to win. She doesn’t want him, but doesn’t want him with anyone else or to be happy. Ashley asks if Kathryn loved him in the beginning, and he thinks she tried, but it all happened quickly, and she was so young. Ashley asks if he wishes it had worked out. We flash back to good times, and Thomas says it was nice to be with her when she was sweet and nice.

Next time, Cameran’s baby shower, Elizabeth makes an appearance, and Craig asks Naomie the question that’s on everyone’s mind – what’s wrong with his sewing?

🎶 The Southern Charm Theme Song… It’s Easy…

Great song!