What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Kristina has asked Sonny and Alexis to meet her at the MetroCourt. She has big news. Kristina walks in with Sam.

On the phone, Peter tells someone he wants to run story on the anniversary of the Ryan Chamberlain murders, but not at the expense of any survivors. Felicia is the mother of someone important to him. Chase walks in, and Peter ends the call. He asks what the police want now, and Chase says it’s about his mother. Peter says he has nothing to do with Anna’s disappearance, but Chase tells him that they’ve found her.

In Finn’s hotel room, Finn remarks that Anna seems happier. She says she’s happier than when they were kidnapped. Finn says when there was the possibility of rescue, she made them stay kidnapped. She says she wanted to find out who was behind it. Someone wanted Finn to cure Cassandra. He can’t believe that they don’t have better things to do, and she says she definitely wants to celebrate their survival. They kiss.

Josslyn pushes Cameron away. He says he knows she’s been kissed before, but she says not when she hasn’t wanted to be. Hasn’t he heard about #metoo? And Oscar is her boyfriend. Cameron asks where he is on their anniversary?

Elizabeth tells Kim that she doesn’t have to handle this by herself. Tell her; tell Drew. Kim wonders how she can tell Drew that his son is dying. Elizabeth says that’s why Oscar is seeing an oncologist. She’s sorry. She asks what kind of cancer, but Kim can’t talk about it, and she walks away. Drew comes in, and asks Elizabeth if Oscar is okay; what happened?

Kristina says, surprise! Sonny thought she went back, and she says she heard Brad and Lucas got permanent custody of Wiley. Alexis tells her the birth mother dropped the petition. Kristina wonders why she wanted him back in first place, but Alexis says she’s had no contact. She assumes the mother just wanted what was best for her baby. She asks, what’s going on? The last thing she knew, Kristina was on a plane back to Oregon with her sister. She wonders if everything is okay. Kristina says she’s just glad that Sam was with her to keep her head and heart straight for the big decisions she needed to make.

Finn opens the room door, and pretends someone grabbed him. Anna says it’s not funny; the people who kidnapped them are extremely dangerous. She tells him, don’t do that stuff. She says Robert thinks they’re going to lay low for a while, and is hoping to pick up the trail. She peeks in on Roxie, and says she’s happy Finn is back. Finn thinks so, and asks if she wants to talk about her son. He’s back, she’s back, and he’s not going to prison. He thought she might want to talk about it. She tells him that he’s subtle, and he says he’s trying. Peter is out of the hospital, and he wonders how it is that Obrecht isn’t in custody. Anna says, that happens a lot with her; she should be locked up forever. She’s angry that Robert didn’t press charges against Peter, but Finn says maybe after all the time in captivity, Peter is rethinking his life, and maybe forgiving her.

Peter tells Chase that Anna dropped responsibility of him the day he was born. Chase says he’s a grown man now; he should find some understanding. She was kidnapped, like he was, survived the ordeal, and is back in Port Charles. Peter asks why Chase is telling him. Chase says if he even looks at Anna wrong, his new freedom, job, and hope of being part of the community will be gone. He won’t know what hit him.

Kristina tells Alexis and Sonny that her life was centered around Parker, and Parker’s life was all in Eugene and things she didn’t belong to. She had no part in college life, and Parker’s friends dismissed her. She felt smaller and smaller. Alexis says she’s strong and capable, and has so much to give. Kristina says she needed her own life, separate from Parker. She wasn’t thinking about that when she moved. Sam gave her confidence to trust her feelings. She broke up with Parker, who talked about the long-distance thing, but she needed a clean break. Sam convinced her to move back for good.

Josslyn asks Cameron why he kissed her. They’ve been friends since they were three, and now he’s jeopardized the friendship. He asks why, and she tells him that he overstepped the boundaries. Cameron says if she thinks Oscar is the perfect boyfriend; he knows her better. She asks, since when? and he says, since she gave Oscar the silent treatment. He didn’t know how to deal with it, but Cameron did. He’s the one who sent the riddle.

Elizabeth tells Drew that he should talk to Kim. Drew wonders what Kim isn’t telling him about their son. In Oscar’s room, Oscar asks if Kim has been crying. Drew comes in, and asks what’s going on? Oscar asks if Kim called him, but he says he ran into Jason. Oscar says he passed out; it’s a thing. Drew asks if it happened before, and Oscar says it’s low blood sugar; he’s fine. Kim dashes out, saying she has to speak with someone. Oscar tells Drew that he wants out. This isn’t a big deal.

Kim tells Elizabeth that she couldn’t deal. She can’t look at Drew and say Oscar will be all right. Elizabeth says Kim raised him alone all this time, but now his father is a part of his life. It should be a relief to share this with the one person who loves him as much as she does. She should tell him the truth. Kim says she’s trusting Elizabeth to keep Oscar’s illness to herself. Elizabeth says she will, but Drew needs to know. Kim says, once he knows, he can’t unknow. Elizabeth says if Drew finds out later, it will color everything. She’s not Oscar’s only parent. Just think about it.

Oscar tells Drew he’s sorry, but Drew says it’s not his fault. Oscar says he needs to eat right, or better, or more. He tries to stay on top of it, but it was a crazy day. He was getting a surprise ready for Josslyn. He asks if he can borrow Drew’s phone.

Josslyn tells Cameron, no wonder Oscar didn’t know the answer. Cameron says, to be fair, he doesn’t either, but he got her attention because he knew how to reach her. Josslyn’s phone rings, and she says it’s Oscar’s dad. She answers, and Oscar says he’s using Drew’s phone; he doesn’t have his with him. He tells her not to freak. He’s in the hospital.

Peter tells Chase that Anna’s legion of fans don’t need to be concerned. He has a good gig and he’s not interested. She’s not a part of his life, and never will be. Chase says Peter doesn’t know her well. He doesn’t think she’ll stay away from Peter. Maybe he should change his attitude toward the one person who wants to make peace with him.

Kristina says she needs to regroup; figure out what she wants to do, and start over. Most kids her age are embarking on a career. Sam says life experiences are more valuable than she thinks. Alexis tells her to do what’s right for her. Sonny is glad she’s back, and she asks if she can manage Perks again. He’s sorry, but he can’t give her the job back.

Drew approaches Kim. He says Oscar tells him it’s no big deal; low blood sugar. Kim says she tries to get him to eat small meals, but he knows how it is. He asks why she didn’t call? If it happens again, he could hurt himself. Kim says he has a specialist, and it’s under control. He suggests getting a second opinion from Monica, but she says she doesn’t need Monica to weigh in on Oscar. Drew asks what she’s not telling him, and she starts to cry. She says it’s not low blood sugar. Oscar is sick, and there’s nothing they can do about it. They can’t save him.

Sonny tells Kristina the manager at Perks is doing great. He can’t fire her for no reason. She can be a barista if she wants. He knows it’s not ideal, but she has experience. She says she needs something more challenging, and Sam agrees. Alexis knows the perfect job for her.

Anna tells Finn she’s going to do what she can to have a relationship with her son. She’s not afraid of his anger. No matter what their history, he’s her son and they’re connected. Finn understands. He hopes it’s all picnics in the park, but he’s worried. Not just for her physical safety, but Peter could hurt her heart. There’s a knock at the door. It’s Chase. Anna jets, saying she wants to give them time together.

Josslyn runs into the hospital, with Cameron tagging along. Elizabeth sees Cameron, and asks if he’s okay. He says he’s here with Josslyn. She freaked out when she heard Oscar was there. Elizabeth says Oscar is okay, but why was Cameron with Josslyn in the first place? He’s still grounded.

Josslyn asks Oscar what happened? He tells her that he passed out. He was on his way to the park, and apologizes for not showing up. She says she’s the one who’s sorry. She was getting upset when wasn’t there and didn’t text. She got mad, but it didn’t occur to her that something happened.

In Kim’s office, Drew asks if Oscar is sick. She tells Drew that Oscar has an inoperable brain tumor, and it’s malignant. She’s consulted with the best doctors in the country, but at present, there’s nothing they can do. Drew asks, how long? and she says it could be months or longer. They don’t know how much time Oscar has left.

Anna shows up at Peter’s office. She says she’s glad he’s out of the hospital. He went through quite an ordeal. Peter says Obrecht hates her, and Anna says she’s been working on her grudge for years, exacerbated by his father. Peter says, as is everything. It seems like they both have enemies. She tells him, it runs in the family. She’s heard he’s staying in port Charles. For what it’s worth, she’s grateful he’s nearby.

Chase tells Finn that he needs to talk to Anna as well. He’s following up on the case. There have been new developments. Robert coordinated with the Canadian authorities, and they did a sweep. Whoever was behind this, was thorough, and Finn needs to be careful. He tells Finn the kidnappers were Michael Carson and Sean Phillips, professionals who claim they never saw their employer. There was no trace of Cassandra, but he’s going to keep working on it. Finn tells him, good work. Chase hopes he wasn’t the reason Anna left, but Finn says she was going to see her son. Chase says he had a chat with him earlier, and he’s determined to keep his freedom. There shouldn’t be an issue with Anna. Finn marvels that Chase did that.

Anna sees that Peter landed on his feet. He says he’s in the process of repositioning the brand. Anna tells him that Robert said he had no money, and Peter says, Robert doesn’t know everything. She says he could have turned to her. He still can. He says he has all the help he needs. He has a friend who owes him more than she does. She asks if it’s Valentin.

Alexis says she could make some calls, and Kristina could get a paralegal job. They’d be lucky to have someone so quick on their feet and intelligent. Kristina says she doesn’t know anything about the law, but Alexis says she could help her. She could learn on the job or work in her office. Sam thinks they should let Kristina make her own decisions, and Alexis says she was just trying to help. Sonny says Kristina is capable of a getting job without them, and Kristina says, absolutely. Alexis apologizes for being overbearing, and says she’ll just be quiet supportive. She’s happy Kristina will be moving back in. Kristina says, what?

Cameron says Elizabeth told him he could have anyone over. She agrees, but also said he can’t leave the house. He says he was only at the park, helping Josslyn set up something for Oscar. He was just trying to be there for her. Is that so bad?

Josslyn tells thought she’d driven Oscar away by her weird behavior. He says it would take more than that. Nothing could keep him away.

Drew tells Kim there has to be something they can do. New treatments are being developed all the time. She says there’s nothing out there right now. She says she couldn’t figure out how tell him that his son is being taken away from him. He asks, what about Oscar? and she says he doesn’t know. He thinks she’s being overprotective when she gets more tests run. She’s managed to keep it from him. He doesn’t know how sick he is, and won’t until it’s absolutely necessary. Drew understands the need to be protective, but thinks Oscar should know.

Elizabeth says Cameron was being a good friend, and he asks if he’s not grounded anymore. She says she’s adding time on. There are consequences to his actions. She tells him to go home, and take a selfie so she knows he’s there. He asks if he can say hi to Oscar, and she says, five minutes.

Oscar never thought they’d be spending the anniversary of their first date in the hospital. He tells Josslyn happy anniversary. She says for a while, she thought he forgot, but he says, not a chance. it must have hurt thinking he wasn’t coming. He says he’s sorry, and asks if they’re okay. She says, definitely, and they kiss. Cameron sees, and backs out of the room.

Kim asks if Drew is questioning her judgement, but he says he’s offering a different perspective. Maybe there’s something they should be doing. Kim says they’re already doing it. Oscar wanted a father and got him. He’s happy Drew is in his life. She says he’s still a little boy. Drew says if he could die in a few months, shouldn’t he be able to determine how he does it, and choose how he lives his last days?

Kristina appreciates Alexis’s offer, but it didn’t work out last time. Alexis says it’s different now. Sam thinks Kristina wants a fresh start. Sonny says she could live with him, but she says Mike isn’t getting any better. She wants to spend time with him, but living there doesn’t feel right; she’d be in the way. Sonny says she’d never be in the way, but Sam says she would feel like she’s in the way. Alexis asks how she can afford to live anywhere. Sam says on the way back, they decided Kristina will live with her. Alexis says that’s great, but she has so much space,  and Sam has kids. Kristina says she’ll have a backup babysitter. Alexis says she loves Kristina. Kristina knows, but thinks they do better with some distance. Across the country was too far, but across town might be perfect.

Anna asks if Valentin gave Peter the money to buy the magazine, and Peter says it was the least he could do. She knows Peter wants to get his life together, but says he can’t trust Valentin, and should stay out of his orbit. He says he was just telling Chase that he wanted the same from her – to stay out of his life.

Finn tells Chase that Robert said he was instrumental in finding them. They’re lucky he was assigned to the case. Chase says Jordan didn’t want him near it, but he insisted. He wanted to do everything he could to make sure Finn was okay. He’ll let them know if he finds out anything else. He starts to leave, but Finn asks him to wait. Chase and Roxie got off on the wrong foot. Maybe he should stick around and see if they can’t make peace.

Oscar tells Josslyn, full disclosure; he was already running late. He was putting the finishing touch on something he made for her.

Kim tells Drew that she’s thought about it over and over, and always comes to the same conclusion. She wants Oscar to have a normal life instead of worrying if tomorrow might be his last. She wants him to believe he’ll live forever like any other teenager. Can Drew give that to him? Drew says she’s been Oscar’s mother much longer than he’s been Oscar’s father, and she’s done an amazing job. If this is what she wants, they’ll do it together. She thanks him.

Chase confirms that Roxie’s lettuce of choice is Romaine. Finn says if he gives her that, he’ll have a friend for life. Chase says he knows Roxie was innocent in the Charlie’s Pub incident, and Julian just wanted Finn out of there. Finn admits he should have backed up before he got arrested, but he likes to howl at the moon sometimes. Chase is glad he and Anna are okay. Finn says, thanks again for the save.

Peter opens the door. Anna says she’ll never stop caring about him, and hoping he forgives her. He says they’re not sitting down for cup of tea anytime soon. She says, maybe not, but if he needs anything, be it tea or something significant, he can always turn to her. She’s his mother, and she’ll never let him down again. She leaves, and he closes the door.

Sam and Kristina leave to get Kristina settled in. Sonny tells Alexis it seems like Kristina is thinking things though. Alexis says they’ve been here before. He says maybe this time it will be different. She says, from his lips.

Oscar tells Josslyn it’s a little goofy; a montage of their times together in the past year, set to one of his favorite songs. It’s Josslyn singing at the Nurses’ Ball. Elizabeth hugs Cameron. Josslyn can’t believe it’s only been a year. They have so much to look forward to.

Drew asks Kim, who else knows? She says Elizabeth recognized Oscar’s doctor’s name; she’s an oncologist. She told Elizabeth some, but she’s the only one. Drew says she’s been carrying this around by herself for two years. She says she didn’t realize how hard it was until right now, and starts to cry. Why does no one ever carry tissues? He tells her that she doesn’t have to carry that burden. They’ll give their son the best life they can for as long as they can. He holds her as she cries.

Tomorrow, Anna tells Valentin he’s done enough damage, Curtis didn’t see this coming, and Stella says she’s pushed things too far for too long.

The Real Housewives of New York City – The Reunion – Part Three

We backtrack a little. Bethenny asks how she bashed Carole. Andy says they bashed each other. Carole says he’s full of sh*t, and asks if he’s afraid of her too. Bethenny says Carole even did an InstaStory bashing her. We see a clip of Carole and a friend, saying SkinnyGirl is over. Carole says Bethenny blocked her on Instagram anyway; talk about being a child. She blocked Dorinda too. Andy says they seemed to have different ideas about Brian aka Red-Scarf-Guy. He asks if anyone is still in touch with him. Bethenny isn’t, but Carole is. Andy asks Carole if she believed Bethenny after watching the season. Carole says she and Brian ended up having dinner, and she asked how he knew Bethenny, since she didn’t want to get involved if they were dating, and he said they weren’t. She says there was no love connection, but he was a nice guy. She didn’t understand why Bethenny was so intense and angry. Bethenny says Carole was smug. Carole insists Bethenny’s story about Brian wasn’t true. We flash back to Bethenny reading his texts. Carole whips out her phone, and Bethenny does the same, like it’s High Noon. Carole says she has a screenshot that Brian took from his phone. Like I’d believe what some dude sent me. Bethenny says hers are directly from him. Carole tells Bethenny to get off her jock. Interesting how Carole uses something Bethenny originated. Andy looks at Bethenny’s phone, and reads about Bethenny telling Brian that she can easily set him up with Carole. Carole still doesn’t believe it, and Bethenny gets up and puts the phone in her face. Carole insists that it was after she and Brian had already gone out. Bethenny thinks Carole needs a career. Sonja says, this is a power play and egos. No one wants the red guy. He doesn’t even live in Manhattan. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! That sounds very real. Andy asks where they go from here; is it over? Bethenny says the season wouldn’t have ended it. It was the bashing blogs. Andy points out that the season ended with Carole saying maybe the friendship would find its sweet spot again. Bethenny says Carole lies on the show. Carole says she was trying to salvage the friendship, but realized Bethenny didn’t seem interested. She thought they’d regroup after the season, but when she watched it she thought it was superficial. Andy says he’s sorry to see it go. Dorinda says they should put a comma on it; things change. She’ll make up with LuAnn eventually. Bethenny brings up the blog again, and Carole says only two people read it. I’ll bet it’s more than that. At least ten or twelve. There was so much of them talking at the same time and trying to

Andy says Sonja was refreshed after Costa Rica, but when she came home to some of her dearest friends, she felt like she was on the outside looking in. We flash back to her butting heads with Tinsley, her altercation with Dorinda, her text to Ramona, and her slippers with the family crest. We get a look at some previously unseen footage of Sonja leaving the townhouse. Sonja says she was leaving her memories, but it’s not forever. She’s made a two-year commitment. She stayed in a hotel for a while, but found an apartment near Columbus Circle. Andy asks for a show of hands from whoever thought the day would come. Bethenny is the only one, but she says she was in on the process. Sonja also got full asking price. A viewer asks if something happened to make Sonja go off to Costa Rica. She says Bethenny pointed out she was partying too much, and she started seeing a therapist. They suggested trying antidepressants, and she doesn’t regret it, but went cold turkey. The withdrawal caused her to have no filter, and she still had some resentment against Tinsley. Tinsley says it was hurtful, and she can’t blame the antidepressants. Ramon says, if you go cold turkey, it messes with your head. Any doctor will tell you that. Sonja says she’d just say anything that was in her head for a moment.

A viewer asks why Sonja thought Dorinda shouldn’t talk about her dead husband. Sonja says she has no problem with that, but she should also be able to talk about what she wants to. Dorinda says a death and a divorce are two different things. Bethenny says, some people process things differently. Dorinda tells Sonja what she said was a death is a loss, and a divorce is a choice. She’s done both, and you can’t compare the two. Sonja says her marriage was out of control. Other people helped them decide they should divorce. A viewer asks why Sonja seems to trigger Dorinda. They don’t think Dorinda likes her. Dorinda says one on one, they’re fine. It’s the environment that triggers it, and she’s sorry for that. Another viewer asks if the reason Sonja and Ramona fight so hard and make up so easily, is because they’re like sisters. Sonja says they argue well; they don’t chop each other down. We see a clip of them going blah-blah-blah in each other’s faces. Andy asks why Dorinda was upset about Sonja wearing her ex-husband’s family crest on her slippers? Dorinda says her daughter wears her father’s tartan, but personally, she wouldn’t do it. Sonja says it’s not about her. Bethenny says Dorinda thought it was pretentious. Ramona gets up and starts pounding herself on the leg; she has a cramp. Andy asks how often Sonja sees her ex, and she says, it’s getting better. She felt like she lost her best friend over lawyers. Andy asks if she sees his current wife, and she does when the collective families get together. It was awkward during the divorce, but over time it became okay. Andy wonders how she’s feeling toward everyone now. Sonja says she cares about everyone there. She’s said stupid things, but she has to be herself around her friends. That’s why sometimes she feels the need to chill for the summer, and get herself centered. Ramona kisses her and Sonja says, as much as they argue, they don’t verbally abuse each other. Although Ramona doesn’t stick up for her as much as she’d like.

Andy says before this season, the only running Carole did was for the co-op board, and then she ran the NY marathon. We see clips of that, and also of Carole and Adam. Carole says she and Adam get together once in a while, but there’s nothing romantic. She’s not dating anyone seriously. Andy suggests Tinsley pay forward, and set her up. He asks if Carole is going to run the marathon again, but that’s a no. She thinks she came in last. He asks what Carole and Tinsley have in common, and Tinsley says Carole introducing her to Scott brought them closer. Carole says they really don’t see each other that much. Bethenny made it seem like they were BFFs, but they were just friends. Tinsley’s feelings are hurt, and Carole says she’s just telling it like it is. Andy says they went to three countries together, but Carole says they only spent six days in Spain with their boyfriends. Bethenny asks even if they’re not close, why hurt Tinsley’s feelings. Carole says Bethenny is the one who said they were thick as thieves, when she hung out with other people just as much. Since this is beating a sad, dead horse, Andy switches topics to Carole’s writing. A viewer points out that she identifies herself as a journalist, but shirks deadlines, and hasn’t written anything in two years. Carole says it’s actually longer, since she considers her real journalistic career when she worked for ABC News. She and Bethenny bicker a little over how many years it’s been, and hen compare their resumes. Bethenny brings up Carole’s blog again, and Carole says she was trying to put the weekly arguments into context.

Next, the trip to Cartagena is discussed. Andy says that Tinsley had to navigate rough waters to keep them afloat. Ramona says a lot of sh*t happened; no pun intended. Andy acknowledges that Ramona was a grown-up about hotel room choices this season. Ramona says watching herself, she saw how she thought she was entitled, and realized that’s not the right way to be. Everyone applauds, and Andy says she’s a big girl now. She mentions that Bethenny and Carole were acting like a-holes, and Bethenny says she shouldn’t have gone, since she was on overload after Puerto Rico, and stressed out. She took on more than she should have. Andy asks Carole what about Bethenny’s crying was such a turn-off? Carole says she’s sensitive to unstable energy, and it feels menacing, whether it is or not. Carole says she’s a very sane person, and approaches things logically. She has a huge hippocampus (the elongated ridges on the floor of each lateral ventricle of the brain, thought to be the center of emotion, memory, and the autonomic nervous system). She doesn’t react emotionally, and doesn’t do panic. She’s also not much of a hugger. Okay, Sheldon. This chick is sounding more egocentric with every sentence.

Andy asks if it occurred to Tinsley that the trip might not go well. She says it never did. She’s always had a great time there; it’s beautiful and rich in history. Bethenny says it can happen to anyone; sometimes you’re just unlucky with a trip. Tinsley says she didn’t think it would go so badly. Andy wonders why she wasn’t concerned about the rough water, and Bethenny says because she was boozing it up. Dorinda says there was a fire alarm going off, and people going by with machetes. Tinsley says the same thing happened when she went with her ex-husband. She was freaked out, but he was like, don’t. She says she didn’t think it was that scary at the time, but watching it later, it looked terrifying. Ramona says they couldn’t film how bad it was. Carole says she was getting sick. Ramona says, furniture was flying. Dorinda says she was looking for lifejackets. Ramona adds that the waves were coming over the boat. Andy asks if Ramona really doesn’t swim, and Sonja says that’s why she needs a pool noodle. We see clips of Ramona attached to a noodle in every pool situation. Andy says he knew she loved a noodle, but didn’t know she needed one. Carole says none of them could have swum in that. Sonja says when the anchor came down, she knew there was a problem. Bethenny says they smelled the fire first, then the alarm went off. They realized there was a fire from the rope on the anchor. Ramona says they would have capsized without them cutting it. Tinsley tells them not to worry; she’ll plan the next trip – Tinsley’s Travels. Andy wonders why Bethenny and Tinsley were the only ones not to get diarrhea, and Bethenny says she has chronic constipation. Tinsley says it happened after she got home. They have a brief poop discussion, and Carole says it was everywhere. This doesn’t exactly make me long to go there, but Sonja says she’d go back, and so would LuAnn.

At last, the final thoughts. Andy says it’s been a long, bumpy ride, and asks for everyone’s biggest regret. Bethenny is first, and Carole makes faces before she even starts talking. Carole is like the face-making champ this reunion. Bethenny says she regrets calling Dorinda a drunk. Even though she didn’t mean it that way, that’s how it sounded. Dorinda chokes up, saying it means a lot They hug. Tinsley says she didn’t like how she lost her temper at Sonja. Sonja says she regrets starting the season off by opening the wound when they had gotten over it, and thanks Tinsley for helping her get over it. Ramona regrets posting the Instagram photo, saying she should have asked LuAnn first. She also regrets not thinking at all when she texted Tom. If she could take it back, she would. Andy asks if Carole regrets telling him that he’s full of sh*t. She says she didn’t, but oh yes, she did, and we see the clip. She tells him that she said it in anger. Andy admits to screaming at both her and Bethenny. Carole says she thought they’d reconnect their friendship, but it never happened. Watching it made her upset and angry, and she wishes they’d had a conversation to put it in context. She tried, and regrets failing. Dorinda regrets what happened between her and LuAnn. She didn’t mean to inflict the pain she did, and prays they get back together. She also regrets getting drunk at the dinner in Puerto Rico, but hopes she’s grown. She’s better and healthier, and it won’t happen again.

Andy says we couldn’t have asked for a more memorable, eventful season. Shots of green juice are brought out, and Ramona asks if it’s tequila because she doesn’t listen to anything except what’s in her own head. They toast to Lu, and I feel strangely sad.

MasterChef

The cooks took over Michelin star restaurant Providence, in LA. The entrées were duck, NY strip braised in its own fat, and salmon. Gerron was captain of the blue team, and Ashley the red. Gordon yelled at everyone like they were on Hell’s Kitchen, but with less cursing. It took Gerron a while to get in the groove, but then he was on a roll. Bowen got duck and beef confused, so Ashley had to babysit him. Gordon said the team captains were strong, and the types that don’t give up. This time, the judges made the final decision, but said they needed to sleep on it – it was that close. Gordon said the red team started slow, but Ashley found her voice, and made a great captain. He called Gerron extraordinary, and I was surprised that the red team ended up the winners. Gordon told them Bowen found his feet late, but their captain led the team to victory. The blue team got the black aprons. Gerron’s team let him down, but he was personally killing it because he didn’t want to let Joe down. And he was not going home. He’d better not; he’s my pick to win. The pressure test – which Joe called the most difficult the show had ever seen, foregoing the traditional in the history of – had the cooks making three chocolate desserts. Joe explained the first, a white chocolate panna cotta with raspberry something on top, that needed to be creamy without being gelatinous. Aaron showed us the most popular chocolate dessert, whipped milk chocolate mousse. I have actually made that, but it was many moons ago for a French Club dinner. I could eat a whole tub of it. Gordon finished the trio with a dark chocolate molten lava cake. The contestants had to make exact replications of all three in 60 minutes. Samantha ended up with liquid mousse, although Gordon said it was delicious. Farhan’s molten lava cake was way too molten, and reminded me of Easy Bake batter. Gerron got a fist bump from Joe on the panna cotta, but Joe told Farhan, there’s set and there’s concrete. He peeled the raspberry top off in one piece, and suggested using a jackhammer. On the other end of the spectrum, Samantha’s raspberry top was more like raspberry juice. Gerron was told did an incredible performance, and he said, who thought his big old hands could produce such delicate desserts? Time got the better of Farhan, and he was out, but Aaron told him that all of his restaurants had an open door for mentoring. Farhan said it was difficult to walk away, but he learned so much, in leaving he could see a career in food. It was just the beginning.

The mystery box held ingredients. Instead there was a taste of home underneath, letters of encouragement from loved ones – Gerron’s fiancé, Ashley’s dad, Cesar’s mom, Bowen’s husband, and Samantha’s mom. Everyone was crying, and the task was to create a dish inspired by the person who wrote the letter. And they got to use THE PANTRY. Gerron used his mom’s recipe for potato soup (I love potato soup!), as it was the first dish he made for his fiancé. Sam decided on a bowtie pasta dish that her mother makes for her birthday, but tweaked the sauce, amping it up MasterChef style. Bowen made a pan seared pork dish with sweet and sour peppers, Ashley went with pork chops and biscuits, and Cesar made pork/potato tacos.

Gordon said Gerron’s potato soup was the best he’d ever tasted, and he nailed it. Bowen hit a home run, and Sam’s pasta was perfection. Cesar used heat to elevate his dish, giving it a magical taste. Ashley’s pork chops were fantastic, and Aaron said he tasted home in it. Bowen was the winner, and given the advantage for the next challenge – he got to decide on which ingredient each cook would be using. I had the feeling when they’d said it was a challenge with heart last week, that it would be exactly that. The choices were lamb, which went to Ashley; beef, going to Gerron; duck, to Samantha; tuna, to Cesar; and Bowen took the artichoke heart for himself. True story. I’ve mentioned before that I ate what I call Depression Food when I was growing up. One of those dishes was gizzard and heart soup. It tastes better than it sounds, but the hearts are quite small, and I assume that’s why they weren’t included in this challenge. Hey, it was the Depression. No food was left unturned.

The contestants had 45 minutes to work magic and make a restaurant quality dish, with the clock starting before they even got their hearts. Cesar called Bowen a jerk when he found out he got the tuna, but managed to make some amazing grilled kabobs with an Asian flare. Aaron said his flavors complimented, rather than obscured, the tuna. Bowen made cabbage rolls, and although they were tasty, Gordon said he chose the easy route. I missed what Samantha’s dish was called, but it involved cranberries, rice, and cabbage. She wasn’t happy with her plating – which did look like a mess – and Gordon said no one was happy with her plating. Ashley fried her duck heart, and did it up Moroccan style, and Gerron did a beef heart and onions dish. His plating lacked as well, and he said he’d be pissed if he went home on presentation. Joe was blown away by the quality of the dishes. It was pretty impressive, considering no one had ever cooked anything like it before, including Bowen, who had never even eaten an artichoke. Gerron and Samantha were the two who scored lowest – for the plating alone – and Samantha was pronounced safe. I was all, no-no-no-no-no, but once again using the American Idol mold of judging, he was safe too! He declared from now on, his plates will be on point. Next time, another two-hour episode, and the most daunting challenge of the season. A series of tests and an epic culinary battle for a spot in the finale.

🎲 I got lucky with the NYC Wives being rerun at 10 pm, but not so much with The Real Housewives of Dallas, which didn’t repeat until 12:30. While I watched it, I still need to edit, so stay tuned for that tomorrow.

⏰ Until Then…