What I Watched Today

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

 

🎅 As promised, Friday’s GH. Sorry to be a day late, but last night I did some Christmas caroling at a nursing home with a group of karaoke friends, and then made an appearance at a neighborhood holiday party. Since Yahoo Groups is closing, when I got home, I frantically scrolled through photos there in case there was anything important that I didn’t have. You know. Like pictures of other people’s dogs. Moving on.

General Hospital

Peter tells Deanna that he’s trying to ascertain the patient’s condition. The gunman wouldn’t be fighting for his life, if not for him. Jason walks over, and says, the gunman is fighting for his life because tried to kill two people. Peter says, even so, he’d like to know how he’s doing. Deanna says, he’s still in the OR, and Peter asks, what about Franco?

Anna finds Elizabeth drowsing in a chair near Franco’s bed. Elizabeth tells her that Andre just took Franco for an MRI. Anna asks if he’s still unconscious, and Elizabeth nods. Anna wonders if it’s to be expected at this point, but Elizabeth has no idea. Anna says, uncharted territory, and Elizabeth tells Anna that she just wants Franco to wake up; as himself or someone else. Whatever it is, they’ll deal with it later; just wake up.

Carly tells Sonny, she hates that Ava is at their house. He says, Avery was asking for her, and Carly says she knows it’s the right thing, but she still hates it. Ava comes downstairs, saying, it was a nice visit. Carly says, now it’s over. Time to go. Ava says, Avery is doing so well; she’s a fantastic kid. Carly rolls her eyes, and Ava thanks Sonny for taking such good care of Avery. He says he did it for Avery’s sake; the same reason he brought Avery to Shadybrook. Ava says she’ll never forget it, and Carly says she’ll never forget Ava trying to have Mike arrested for kidnapping Avery when he was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The lack of compassion is ironic, since Ava just got out of a mental ward she checked herself into. Ava says, turns out she was mistaken. She’s never been more sane.

Laura meets Curtis at Kelly’s and they hug. He says, it’s been too long. She says, work. Running the city would be so easy without it. He asks about the overcrowding at Pentenville, and she says there’s a mass of prisoners slated for early release, and her constituents are not happy about it. He says, it’s too bad they fill one of those freed up cells with Valentin’s ass. She says she hopes they can relieve Valentin of his fortune, and return it to it’s rightful owner. Curtis says he’ll drink to that, and they clink glasses.

Nina flashes back to Ava showing her Helena’s portrait at the gallery, and Ava saying she knows exactly what they’re going to do next. Jax appears, startling Nina, and he tells her Valentin paid him a visit last night.

Nikolas texts Jax; Pier 17 ASAP. He hears Valentin and Charlotte coming. Valentin is on the phone with Martin, telling him that their priority is the painting. He tells Charlotte to stay where he can see her, but she skips off, and sees Nikolas behind a gate. She whispers that she knows who he is. Valentin says, of course (🍷) the painting didn’t disappear. Nikolas tells Charlotte, of course (🍷) she knows him; he’s her secret bodyguard. She says she saw his picture on her grandma’s phone, and he says that’s because he saved her life once. That’s how Valentin knew he was trustworthy. She says she fell off the monkey bars, and when she called for him, everyone laughed. He says he has to keep out of sight, but she says she thought he got paid to help her.

Laura can’t believe TJ is thinking about getting married, and Curtis says, he’s gearing up to pop the question. She asks how Molly can be that old. He tells her, Jordan is on the fence. It’s not that she doesn’t adore Molly. Laura gets it. She likes Dustin, but… He says, they’re not thinking of getting married, and she says, they’re just in the getting-to-know-you phase. He says he thinks they walked in on that phase. She suggests they talk about Valentin. He’s dangerous, but no one has been able to pin anything on him. Curtis says, no one on the fringes, but maybe it’s time they took a look a little closer to home.

Jax looks at Nikolas’s text. He tells Nina that he’s worried about her because there’s more tension between him and Valentin. He doesn’t want her getting caught in the middle. She says she’s a big girl. She can take care of herself. He says he knows that, but it’s escalated past that point. She says, things have been escalating for months, and Jax says, ever since he rescued her from the wedding, Valentin has been openly hostile. She asks if that’s what last night was about, and he says Valentin accused him of trying to bring him down so he can have Nina for himself. Nina laughs, and asks if Valentin was right.

Anna tells Elizabeth, it stands to reason that if Cabot – who’s half the doctor Andre is – was successful, the odds are in Andre’s favor to reverse the procedure. Elizabeth says she’s sorry to sound ungrateful. They wouldn’t even be having this conversation if not for Peter. She wouldn’t be waiting for Franco to wake up; she’d be burying him. Anna’s son saved her husband’s life.

Deanna tells Peter that she’s sorry, but she can’t share the Franco’s status with him. Peter tells her not to apologize. He’ll check with Elizabeth. Jason wonders who Franco will be when he wakes up, and what he’ll remember. Peter jets, and Jason sees Anna. He asks if they can talk, but not there. They get in the elevator.

Laura says, Curtis wants to bring Nina into this? She’s Valentin’s apologist and chief. She’s been making excuses for him for years. When she did manage to take her blinders off, she put them back on, and she’s going to remarry him. Curtis feels that Nina’s decision was uninformed, and Laura asks how much information Nina needs? Her long lost daughter, who Valentin hired, admits she’s not Nina’s long lost daughter. What a scam. Curtis says they know Valentin was behind it, but Sasha still claims she acted alone. Laura says, Nina is the only person on the planet who believes it. He tells her, if they present hardcore evidence to Nina that Valentin was involved, she would ditch him and help them. Laura asks if hardcore evidence exists, and does he have it.

Jax says he has no desire to take Nina away from Valentin. That would presume she can’t make her own decisions. He thinks she should remove herself entirely from the situation. He asks if that’s still the plan, or did her revenge plot hit a snag? She asks him not to call it revenge. It’s evolving, but the snag is the same. She hates Valentin’s lies, and wants to bring him to his knees as payback, but she can’t deny that he and Charlotte brought her happiness, especially Charlotte. Being part of that family has meant everything to her. It’s made the walk on the wild side worth it. When Charlotte came into Valentin’s life, it was like a missing piece of the puzzle. Jax asks how a man doesn’t have a child one minute, and does the next. Didn’t it set off alarm bells?

Nikolas tells Charlotte, she has to be in way more serious trouble for him to come. Valentin calls to Charlotte. He asks what she was doing, and she says, talking to someone. He asks, who? and she says she’s not sure. Valentin says they’ve had this discussion, and she can’t talk to strangers. She says, he’s not a real stranger, and Valentin says she knows how important this is. He tells her, they’re late to meet Nina, and have to go.

Carly asks if sane what Ava calls the slo-mo nervous breakdown she’s been having for months. Ava says she’s no longer seeing things that are not there. Sonny asks how she came to this breakthrough, and she flashes back to Nina showing her the ring, and saying, ghosts don’t wear rings with the Cassadine crest. There are only a few in existence, and Nikolas has one of them. Ava tells Sonny that she realized sometimes there’s more truth to a so-called hallucination than there appears. Donna cries, and Ava says she’ll let them get back to their lives. She thanks them again for taking care of Avery during this difficult time. She tells Carly, Lucas is a lovely person. She hopes he gets better quickly. She’d say Carly is in her thoughts, but then Carly might think she’s crazy. Carly and Sonny look at each other.

Jason and Anna go into a conference room. Anna asks, what’s going on? and Jason says, it’s Peter. He’s the reason Sam’s in prison.

Leaving a message for Jax, Carly says she just saw Ava, and she’s not at Shadybrook. She checked herself out, and Carly thinks it has something to do with their mutual friend. Call her. She’s rapidly losing patience. Sonny tells Carly that Donna is asleep. He asks if she’s okay, and she says she was just negotiating something regarding Jax’s roommate. She asks if Sonny believed Ava’s performance, and Sonny asks if she doesn’t buy it. Carly says, there’s no doubt she’s better, but there’s more going on than Ava is saying. He says as long as it doesn’t involve Avery. He has more important things on his mind. Carly asks how it went with Mike last night, and Sonny says, it was fine; they played dice. She tells him that Josslyn told her about the Joe Skully thing, and that Mike thought he was Skully, and thought Dev was Sonny. Sonny says it’s not a big deal, and if she knows the answers why is she asking? She says they can’t be in denial. They need to have an honest discussion about what’s best for Mike. He laughs, and she asks what he’s laughing about. He says she’s talking about honesty when she and Jax have been lying to him for weeks.

Nina says, Claudette a mercenary little snake who was married to her late brother, then had an affair with a priest. He’s since left the priesthood, and calls himself Dr. Griffin Monroe. Jax says he just met Griff; he’s in town for a bit. Nina says fast forward to Claudette coming to Port Charles and wreaking havoc on Nathan. She produced a beautiful little girl, who she first said was Nathan’s, then Griff’s, and then she disappeared. Then Valentin announced Charlotte was his. Valentin is this bachelor with an angelic little girl, and looking back, it’s clear she fell in love with the pair of them. Jax asks how Lulu fits into it, and Nina says, after his announcement, Valentin explained that Lulu was Charlotte’s biological mother, and Claudette was a surrogate. Jax says, and by the time the truth came out, Claudette was gone? Nina tells him, it was reported as a suicide, and he says, unless Valentin  murdered her. Nina must be troubled by that possibility. Nina says, no.

Curtis tells Laura that he has evidence. He puts the odds of convincing Nina at about 80%. Laura thinks it’s not good enough. If Nina isn’t swayed, she’ll run back to Valentin, and tell him what they’re up to. He asks if she doesn’t think Valentin is on to them already. What about the run in she had with the lawyer who asked about the portrait?  Laura says Valentin wants the painting as much as they do, and he says Nina is the closest one to Valentin. If there are any skeletons in his closet, she can bring them to light, and they’ll bury him. They have everything to gain, and not much to lose. She says, not for her, but Nina is a friend of his. It could put a permanent rift in their relationship. He asks what kind of friend would he be, if he let Nina marry Valentin after what he’s done? and she says he wouldn’t be the friend he is. Valentin walks in, and she says, speak of the devil. They can’t afford lose sight of the portrait, so if Curtis is going to make his case, do it fast.

At the hospital, Elizabeth tells Peter that she’s glad to see him. He saved Franco’s life.

Anna asks if Jason wants her to believe Peter is responsible for all of it. Jason says Shiloh chose his words carefully, but dropped Peter’s name, so it would get back to Peter and light a fire under him. Shiloh was threatening to tell what Peter did to Jason and Drew. They know Peter was at the original memory transfer, and Andre confirmed it, but he played a bigger role than he’s ever let on, and Shiloh knew it. Anna asks if he has proof, but he says, no.

Jason says he wouldn’t say this if he wasn’t absolutely sure, but she says he has no evidence. He tells her, he can connect Peter to Brice, who implicated Sam in Shiloh’s breakout. Andre ID’d Brice as his attacker, and it ties into Drew’s disappearance. Anna asks where Brice is now, and Jason says, he’s dead, but he was cutting a deal to give Peter up to the Feds. Brice told him that Peter sent him to eliminate Andre before he could treat Franco. When it didn’t work, Peter sent a gunman to try and kill Franco and Andre in the OR. She asks, then why would Peter stop the man trying to kill them? Jason says, maybe the plan went south, or maybe the plan changed, but Peter didn’t want anybody messing with Franco’s head. He didn’t want the wrong memory to surface and implicate him.

Carly asks what Sonny is talking about? Sonny says she was whispering on the phone, but she says she wasn’t. She told him that she was talking to Jax. He says, about whoever is shacked up at Jax’s house, keeping Josslyn from staying there. She says Jax is trying to protect her, but Sonny says, she’s a junior in high school. It won’t blow her life apart if she finds out Jax has a new girlfriend. She says, after the year Josslyn has had? and Sonny says, she’s lying. She says, he’s the expert, and he says he can see right through her. Tell him that he’s wrong. What is she up to with Jax that she’s afraid of him finding out?

Nikolas paces at the pier, and says, where the hell are you, Jax? He looks at Spencer’s picture, and promises they’ll see each other again soon.

Trina shows up at the gallery, and Ava says, there she is, her intrepid intern. She hopes Trina didn’t mind being called in on her day off. She thought Trina would like to see how the prepare for an auction. This is the perfect opportunity. Trina asks, for what? and Ava says, a payoff that’s long overdue.

Laura says it’s a treat to see Charlotte, and Charlotte says they’re meeting Nina. Laura suggests they peruse today’s selection of scones. They go to the counter, and Valentin says he hopes he’s not speaking out of turn, but Nina misses Curtis. Curtis says he misses her too, and Valentin asks how come he hasn’t reached out? Curtis says he didn’t think Nina would want to hear from him. Their last conversation didn’t end well. Valentin asks if it’s Curtis’s plan ghost her over him, or can Curtis see fit to accept their relationship, and wish her well?

Jax says he doesn’t buy it. There’s no way Nina would look the other way when it comes to murder. Nina says he’s right, but as it happens, she didn’t have to; Claudette isn’t dead. He asks who told her, and she says Valentin did, but she has more information. Valentin staged Claudette’s suicide, and payed her off. She took the money, and it would have worked if Cassandra hadn’t taken her to use as leverage. But Cassandra slipped into a coma, and Valentin freed Claudette. He asks where Claudette is now.

Elizabeth tells Peter that she and her boys owe him a huge debt of gratitude. The only reason Franco is coming back to them, is because Peter got in the way of a killer. He says he only did what had to do.

Jason asks if Anna doesn’t think it’s strange that Peter was by the OR at the same time. There are too many coincidences. Peter being in the wrong place at the wrong time too many times. It all adds up. She says, it adds up for him. He was Peter’s prisoner, held for five years, drugged and insensible, away from his family. She hasn’t forgotten. She can’t excuse it, but she can’t give him back five years of his life. Peter has remade his life, and he’s not the same person he was.

Ava asks Trina if she’s pulled up the caterer’s information. She wants Trina to handle the necessary arrangements. She’ll need waitstaff, and enough food and drink for thirty people. Trina asks if Ava wants her to work the auction, and Ava says, unless Trina doesn’t feel she’s ready. Trina says can handle it, and Ava says she’s counting on Trina. Tonight, the Jerome Gallery is going to host some of the most discerning tastemakers in Port Charles. They’re going to auction off some of their most iconic pieces, including their most controversial one. Trina says, not Heather Webber, but Ava says, no. This beautiful masterpiece, and picks up the portrait of Helena.

Laura tells Charlotte that she’s glad they had cranberry scones; Charlotte’s favorite. Seeing Charlotte’s bandaged hand, she asks what Charlotte did to it, and Charlotte says she fell off the monkey bars. Laura tells her to be more careful, but Charlotte says she didn’t think she had to. Papa hired a bodyguard who’s supposed to protect all the time.

Nina tells Jax that she has no idea where Claudette is. She’s probably off swindling someone else. If Valentin was as bloodthirsty as everyone says, it would be easy for him to make the suicide real. Jax says she’s back to defending Valentin, but she says she’s not. She’s sorting things out; the good and bad. It would be easier if she could be childish, and say Valentin has always been the bad guy who she’ll hate forever, but Valentin’s not just that. There’s a lot of good in him. There’s a lot of love in him, and he’s done kind and generous things. She’s weighing the good and bad, and seeing which one will win. Jax says, it’s levelheaded of her, and she says she’s sensing sarcasm. He says,. He hopes Nina sees that she’s better off without Valentin. The alternative is that she keeps rationalizing no it, until all the bad catches up with Valentin, and she and Charlotte pay the price. He leaves before she can respond.

Carly tells Sonny that Jax asked her to do him a favor. Sonny says, a favor she can’t tell him about? and she says, yes. He asks if she’s cool with that, and she says, no. She didn’t want any of this. It’s just something she has to do. He asks if Jax is blackmailing her, and she says, no. She found out something she wasn’t supposed to. If Sonny knew… Sonny says, knew what? and she says it would make it worse for everyone, including him. He needs to not push her. Let her do this. He asks if she doesn’t trust him, and she says she’s asking him to trust her. She didn’t choose to know what she knows, but she can chose to carry it herself. He says, so now she’s doing him a favor? Carly’s phone dings, and it’s a text from Jax: Pier 17. NOW. Sonny asks, is that it? and she says she has to go. He’ll understand soon. She leaves, even though he asks her not to.

Peter asks Elizabeth how Franco is doing, and she says, he hasn’t woken up. He’s having an MRI. He asks if Andre has made a prognosis, but she says, no. They’re in the super fun wait-and-see stage. At least it’s an option. She was afraid he wouldn’t make it through procedure. Peter says, but he did, and she says, thanks to him. She wonders if she should check in, and he says, anything that would offer her peace mind, he’s for all it. She says, you and me both, and leaves.

Jason tells Anna that Peter kept him prisoner for one reason; to kill Faison, which is exactly what he did. Anna says she thought he was protecting Carly. He tells her that he hates having lost five years, and that he was kept locked up until he was needed, but he put it aside and got his life back. Out of respect for her, he put all that aside, but Peter used Sam. He paid Brice to tell the cops that Sam paid him to break Shiloh out. Now she’s locked up away from her kids. It all started with Peter. He knows Peter is her son… Anna says she doesn’t know what he wants her to do, but he says she does. The question is, will she?

Ava calls Sonny, and he asks what she needs. She says she just wanted to thank him for how well he handled her recent struggles with Avery. She’s doing so well. She was appropriate concerned, but not frightened or upset. Ava thinks they’ve finally landed in a good place of co-parenting. Sonny says he’s glad she and Avery had a nice time. He’ll set up another visit soon. She says, that would be wonderful. Take care. He hangs up, and looks puzzled.

Carly waits at the pier. Jax joins her, and she says, it’s about time. He asks if Nikolas is there, and she says, is he supposed to be? Jax says Nikolas texted him to meet there. He says he got her message; what’s going on with Ava? She says, first things first. Sonny is on to them. He’s going to figure it out, and Jax is handing over the information Sonny needs to deport him. Jax says, that’s not a wise tactic, considering Sonny’s cousin is there illegally. Carly says, Sonny doesn’t care. He’s going through so much with his father, it’s affecting his judgement. Jax appreciates the warning, but he’s handling things. He’s in the process of cutting Nikolas loose. Nikolas arrives, and says, good. They’re both there. They have a lot to discuss.

Curtis tells Valentin, make no mistake. He’ll be there for Nina, Valentin or no Valentin. Valentin says, good. Make sure he RSVPs. Curtis says he wouldn’t miss it. At the counter, Laura tells Charlotte, back up a second. What does she mean, bodyguard? Charlotte says she’s not supposed to talk about it. Her papa hired him after Cassandra snatched her. He’s always around, but she never sees him. At least not when anyone is around. Laura asks if he’s there now, and Charlotte says he said he’d only appear if she needed help, but how did he let her get this. She holds up her hand. Valentin calls her over, and Curtis goes to the counter. He asks if something is wrong, and Laura says she’s not sure, but she thinks after what happened with Cassandra, maybe Charlotte has a little PTSD. She’s conjured up an imaginary bodyguard.

Nina apologizes to Valentin and Charlotte for keeping them waiting, especially Charlotte. She got in so late last night, Charlotte was asleep. Valentin says she’s been burning the midnight oil a lot at Crimson. She says she has a tight deadline and a lot of pieces to put together. She didn’t know Valentin was going to see Jax last night, and he says he was hoping for a meeting of the minds. He’s hoping she wasn’t expecting a truce though. Charlotte excuses herself, and Valentin tells Nina that he didn’t come away completely empty-handed. Jax confessed that his motives aren’t purely financial. He wants Valentin out of the way, so he can have Nina to himself. She asks if Jax said that, and Valentin says, he didn’t have to. Jax will never come between them, just like he’s not going to get his hands on that portrait.

Trina asks how much Ava thinks this horror show is worth, and Ava says, mid six figures. Trina understands that the painting has inherent value, but who would want to hang it on their wall? Ava says, it is pretty nasty, but the art business is all about marketing. Zero in on the right audience, and you can make a fortune. She hits send on her phone.

Jax looks at the dry cleaning in Nikolas’s hand, and says, really? Nikolas says Jax took his sweet time, so he did some errands. Jax says all Nikolas should care about is finding the ring. Carly asks, what ring? and Jax says, the one with the Cassadine crest. Carly says, the ring no one could possibly have except Nikolas? Ava knows. She just saw Ava, and she’s making all kinds of noise about seeing things clearly, and how some hallucinations are real. Jax asks if Nikolas knows anything about that, and Nikolas says he haunted Ava the other night at Shadybrook, but it paid off. He got her to admit she still has the portrait. Jax asks if Nikolas had the ring on his finger when he left, and Carly says, oh my God. Nikolas says, the situation is still salvageable. All he needs is just one more crack at the painting. Jax’s phone dings, and he says Nikolas just might get his shot. He shows Nikolas the phone.

Laura gets a text from Ava. She says, Helena’s portrait. Valentin shows Nina his phone. There’s a picture of Ava with the portrait, and underneath, it says, J. Garrin’s masterpiece is up for auction tonight. Bring your checkbooks.

Ava tells Trina, that’s what you call building anticipation. Now all they have to do is sit back… Trina says, and watch the money roll in. Ava laughs, and says, you wouldn’t know to look at it, but this is the kind of art people kill for.

On Monday, Laura needs to talk to someone about Charlotte, Andre tells Elizabeth that Franco signed a DNR, Jax tells Nikolas to stop interrupting him so he can make it happen, and Valentin says may the best man win.

🙌 Quotes of the Week

We really ended in places no one has a reason to go, not even reindeer! – Mathilde Le Moullec, who searched for reindeer in the far reaches of Norway to track their recovery

Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. – The Red Queen, Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. – Anne Frank

Perception is reality, and the truth is not. – Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines, in Lauren Greenfield‘s chilling new documentary The Kingmaker (What freaks me out is, I think a lot of people subscribe to that theory.)

There’s more beauty in truth, even if it is dreadful beauty. – John Steinbeck

Sometimes, we are so attached to our way of life that we turn down wonderful opportunities simply because we don’t know what to do with it. – Paulo Coelho

If she has one more facelift, she’ll be wearing her ass as a hat. – Evelyn Harper (Holland Taylor), Two and a Half Men

🌃 Not Quite an Early Night…

Cutting it short, since I have zero cards sent out, and I’m not much further along in my Christmas shopping. I’d love to blame it on the late Thanksgiving this year, but the truth is, it’s my own fault. The wreath, however, is on the front door. So points for me.

🎄 Get Out Of My House, Kenny G…

Not exactly a Christmas song, but it was at the end of Bad Mom’s Christmas, so close enough.