What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

I missed the very beginning, but here are the takeaway points. Peter and Maxie surprised Anna and Finn, along with some welcome home signs made by Violet. Peter told Anna that he thought Maxie was glad to get her mind off Lulu, but was spaced out when they all sat down to talk. Cyrus showed up as soon as Curtis and Jordan got back, and encouraged Jordan to get back to work. Curtis wondered if he was on to them, but Jordan said Portia had doctored her medical records perfectly. Josslyn and Trina packed up Dev’s things, and Josslyn gave Brando a bracelet that had belonged to Dev, and said Dev had considered Brando a good friend. Franco told Cameron that he was sorry about Dev, but Cameron didn’t want to talk about it. At Pozzulo’s Jason told Sonny the shoreline had been searched for miles, but there was no sign of Julian. Sonny thought Sam needed to know that Julian was behind the bombing at The Floating Rib. And away we go.

Curtis thanks Jordan for the medical records she so brilliantly copied in Mexico. He tells her, the person Cyrus was housing in Oregon is Florence Gray. The connection to Cyrus is still unclear, but he tracked her back to Port Charles. She and her husband lived there years ago, but there’s not much information online. Jordan says he needs paper records. Does he have any idea how to get them? Curtis says, if anyone got sick while they were there, there would be hospital records, and Jordan says, what a coincidence. She has an appointment later.   

Carly calls upstairs, telling Trina that her mom is there. She tells Portia that Trina will be right down, and Portia thanks Carly for letting Trina stay over. She asks how Josslyn and Trina are holding up, and Carly says, they’re processing. They’re going to be doing that for a while. One minute, they’re crying, and  the next, they’re laughing about something they did with Dev and Cameron. Portia says she’s trying not to hover, and Carly says, Lucas called, and told her how Portia helped with Lulu. The entire family is grateful. Portia wishes she could have done more. She’s sick of telling that people that, and wishes she could actually do it. Trina comes down, and thanks Carly for having her. Carly says, anytime, and they hug. Trina asks Portia if they’re getting breakfast, and Portia says they are, but she needs to make a quick stop on the way.

While Finn and Anna chat with Peter, Maxie suddenly says she wants to talk about Alex. What’s up with her? Why was she obsessed with Maxie and the baby?

Cameron asks Franco what they do to trim the tumor, and Franco says, they took a little bit off the top and sides. Elizabeth says the medical term is debulking. It reduces the size of the tumor. Cameron says, but it’s still there, and Franco says, it’s smaller, but present and accounted for. Cameron asks, what’s next? and Elizabeth says they need to take it a step at a time. Franco needs to recover first. Franco says he’d like to spend some quality time with the people he loves, and Cameron says, it’s great news. Franco tells Elizabeth that he has a sugar craving, and she leaves for the vending machine. Franco says, Cameron’s mom is gone, so… Stepfather to stepson, man to man, he’s scared. He tells Cameron, his turn, and Cameron says he’s more than scared. He’s terrified.

Cyrus opens the door to Brando, and says once again he appreciates Brando coming in despite his loss. Brando says he wants to keep busy, and Cyrus says, perhaps that’s best. If there’s anything he can do… Brando says, actually, there might be, and Cyrus says, name it. Brando says he’d do anything to get his hands on the  bastard who killed his son. Cyrus wouldn’t happen to know who it is, would he?

Cyrus asks Brando how he would know who did this heinous crime, and Brando says, Sonny has a lot of enemies, and he knows Cyrus keeps his ear to the ground. Cyrus says he can’t fault Brando for asking, and he’s glad Brando did. Sonny might assume he had a hand in the situation, and he needs to clear up any unfounded misconceptions. He asks if Brando thinks his cousin would respond to an appeal from him, and Brando says he and Sonny aren’t exactly on the best terms, but if Cyrus wants, he’ll reach out. Cyrus says, that would be ideal. He says, Brando has a phone call to make, and trusts Brando would be more comfortable without him hovering. Brando leaves, and Cyrus’s right-hand guy (whose name I don’t remember) comes out. He asks if Cyrus believes it’s in his best interest to meet with Sonny, and Cyrus says, it’s in his best interest that Sonny believes his hands are clean.

Anna tells Maxie, her sister wasn’t always like this. She’s done terrible things, but years ago, Alex saved her life. Maxie says, wonderful. She’s sure they’re all grateful. Go, Alex. But more recently she tried to kill Anna, and that doesn’t explain why… Anna says, it kind of does, oddly. In her own way, family is important to Alex, but because of her choices and the mistakes she made, it kept her from being a part of one. She knew the WSB would never stop searching for her. Maxie says, so Alex had to pretend to be Anna. It’s so sad, having to pretend to be someone else to others to love you, but it’s not you they love. They love a lie. Peter asks if it wouldn’t make more sense for Alex to stay far away from the people who know Anna well. She was falling all over them at dinner. Maxie says, it was creepy the way Alex wanted all the details of their lives.  

Franco says he wants Cameron to fight; he needs Cameron to fight. He’s going to do anything and everything to be there for Cameron, his brothers, and his mom, and continue being the husband and father he loves being. Cameron says, he’d better, and Franco says he needs Cameron to promise he’ll fight the impulse to look for the worst in every situation, and force himself to expect great things to happen to him. Can Cameron do that for him? Cameron says, okay, and Franco tells him, come here. He hugs Cameron, and says, onward.

Josslyn gets frustrated with the packing tape (been there), and Sam says, let her help. Josslyn says she’d give anything to be putting effort into Dev’s yearbook page, or helping him with his college apps. He was so excited to be going to college in the states. It’s not fair. Sam says, it’s definitely not fair, and Josslyn says, Dev deserved so much better. Sam says, what happened is terrible, and Josslyn says she knows Sonny and Jason do their best to protect her, and she loves them so much. She never wants to complain, but sometimes she has to wonder what life would be like if they were safe, normal people.

Jason puts Brando on speaker phone, and says they’re listening. Brando says, Cyrus wants to meet, and Sonny asks if he said why. Brando says he wanted to clear up any impression Sonny might have about his involvement with the explosion at The Floating Rib. What should he tell Cyrus? Sonny says if Cyrus wants to talk, he’s willing to listen, but he’s got terms.

Martin asks Elizabeth for a word, and she asks if there’s something she can help him with. He says he represented her husband for a time, and she says she remembers he tried to convince the court that Franco was Drew because he had Drew’s memories. He says that brings him to the point. He has Franco’s will. Elizabeth says, when he thought he was Drew… and Martin says, he filed a will, yes. Recent events reminded him that he still had it. It’s technically Franco’s property, and he should feel free to dispose of it as he sees fit. As for him, he’s officially off the case. He hopes she accepts his best wishes for her husband’s speedy recovery.

Anna says, it’s not the first time Alex tried something like this. She had Anna drugged up and locked in a hospital for months, but was eventually found out. Finn says, by Emma, if his memory serves. Anna says, Emma knew who she was, and Maxie says she’s embarrassed to admit they didn’t figure it out. Anna says, Alex was very good at making people believe it. She was convincing enough to insert herself into a family she wasn’t part of. Maxie asks why Alex would bother to kidnap her, and Anna says she was rescued. She’s fine, the baby is fine, Finn is… She looks at him, and he says, not in the traditional sense, but he’s on the mend. Maxie says, but Lulu’s not, and Anna says she’s so sorry. Maxie says she keeps trying to tell herself that Lulu will make it out of this soon. She’s a Spencer. Anna agrees, she’s a Spencer, and she thinks Lulu would want Maxie to concentrate on the good things in her life; the baby, their wedding, Anna and Finn’s wedding. They haven’t told anyone about the changes they’ve made yet.

Jordan and Curtis meet with Portia, and Curtis tells her, they found a lead. Cyrus had someone stashed in a house in Oregon. They don’t know where that person is now, but they lived in Port Charles at one point. Portia says, that’s something. What do they need from her? Curtis tells her not to feel obligated, and she can opt out at any time. She says, it’s not game to her. She wants to bring down a drug dealer and murderer who directly affected her family. What do they need? Jordan says, by the time they got home, Cyrus was knocking on her front door, and Portia says, even a medical investigator wouldn’t be able to tell that Jordan’s documents weren’t true. Jordan says Cyrus is pressuring her to get back to work, and Portia says she’ll refuse to clear Jordan. Anything else? Curtis says, they need access to medical files from 40 years ago.

Cyrus tells his guy, Julian made claims that Taggert is still alive. If he is, they need to drag him out of hiding. Julian is the perfect means of disposal. Brando comes back, and says he got ahold of Sonny. Cyrus asks if Brando was persuasive, and Brando says, yes, but Sonny has one condition. If they meet, Cyrus has to come alone.

Josslyn tells Sam, sometimes, when she’s in Australia, she pretends that’s what her life is like all the time; no lockdowns, no sudden trips to Puerto Rico, no Friday night game with a bodyguard. Sam asks how Josslyn thinks that would make her feel, but Josslyn honestly doesn’t know. It’s not possible. She says, don’t get her wrong. She’d never want to leave. Australia is great for vacations, even long ones, but her life is there. She guesses that’s just the way it is. Over there, life is one thing, and here, it’s this. Carly has been listening outside the door, and comes in. She asks Josslyn how the playlist for Dev’s service is coming, but Josslyn says she put it aside to pack boxes. Carly suggests she and Sam let her get to it. She’ll be downstairs if Josslyn needs anything. Josslyn thanks Sam for listening, and Sam says, of course (🍷).

Trina sees Cameron at the hospital, and he asks if she’s cutting school. She says she’s thinking about it; him? He says he’s not going back today. She asks how Franco is doing, and he says, the brain tumor came back. She says, that’s awful; she’s sorry. She asks what the prognosis is, and he says, they were able to remove some, but not all of it. The rest they’ll treat with radiation. She says, that sounds encouraging, and he guesses it is, but he feels guilty that Dev died because he was in The Floating Rib. Dev’s life is over, and it seems selfish to be happy about the news regarding Franco. She says he can grieve and still be happy. He can be angry and sad about one thing, and feel happy about the other.

Carly says she knows what Sam is going through; she’s been where Sam is. Sam says thinking that Danny and Jason could have been caught in the explosion, is beyond terrifying. If she’s questioning all this, how the hell can she stay with it? Carly says, talk to her, but leave Josslyn out of it, and Sam says she didn’t mean to overstep. Josslyn wanted to talk, and she was just listening. Carly says the kids can’t see that Sam is struggling, but she does because she’s a mom. Sam says she doesn’t know what to do. The information about the explosion, then lockdown. Danny is old enough to understand and ask questions. What is she supposed to say? He’s going ask why daddy is leaving at all hours. Is she supposed to keep saying, great, dad is back again tonight? Carly says she can tell them the truth when they’re older, but Sam wants to tell him now. Carly says she doesn’t owe him a full explanation, and discussing it might make him anxious and afraid. They don’t need to tell their kids the truth if the truth will hurt them. She learned to cope that way, and so can Sam. The kids need to see that she and Jason love each other, and have faith in each other. Sam says their son almost died because Jason took him to play pool. She needs better than that for her kids.

Finn tells Maxie and Peter, they’ve decided to throw in the towel on a formal wedding. Maxie asks if Anna is okay with that, and Anna says it was her idea. Maxie says, okay, continue, and Finn says they decided on something small and intimate, with the people closest to them. Peter asks if he’s still invited, and Finn says he can be Maxie’s plus one. Maxie says she can understand them not wanting to make a fuss, and Peter says, no, she can’t. She says she understands it happens, and Anna says they don’t want to put it off any longer than they have. Peter tells Finn that Violet has some surprises when she comes home from preschool. They involve Roxie and some new dance moves. Finn says his emotional support animal will need an emotional support animal. Peter goes to get their coats, and Maxie tells Anna, one thing Alex said has her freaking out. Alex said she and Peter were alike. What does Anna think she meant? Anan says she thinks Alex was trying to trouble them both because she could. That’s who she was. Her advice is, Maxie needs to let it go. Alex is dead now, and she wouldn’t want Maxie to waste a moment of happiness because of her. Peter comes back, and asks what he missed, but Maxie says, nothing. She and Anna were just talking about how much they love him. He tells Anna, I love you too, mom, and he and Maxie leave.

At the bistro, Trina tells Portia that she thinks she’ll go to school. Portia says it’s understandable if Trina wanted to take a few days off, but Trina says she wants to feel normal, and ancient history will do that. Portia asks what they’re studying, and Trina says, The Iliad. It’s all about justice; what’s not to love? She says she can’t have Portia looking over her shoulder, and Portia says she’s leaving, but come home right after school.  

Cyrus shows up at Pizzulo’s with Brando, and Jason says he was told to come alone. Cyrus says Brando is Sonny’s family. How could he not bring him? Jason tells a guy to put Brando at a table, and Cyrus goes into Sonny’s office. Cyrus asks if Sonny is going to offer him some Corinthos Coffee, but Sonny says he’s fresh out. Brando said Cyrus wanted him to tell him something about the explosion at The Floating Rib. He’s listening. Cyrus says, to begin with, his sincere condolences on the death of Sonny’s cousin Dev. Sonny says he’s running short on patience; cut to the chase. Tell him what he wants.   

Martin sees Jordan and Curtis, and says he heard Jordan was under the weather. He hopes she’s better soon. As he walks by, he says, Mr. Ashford, and Curtis says, Mr. Gray. When he’s gone, Curtis looks at Jordan, and says, Mr. Gray…

Elizabeth goes back to Franco’s room, and Franco says Cameron was showing him some videos. Elizabeth says she smells social media happening, and Franco says Cameron is trying to convince him to do a dance number with his brothers as soon as he’s out of this bed. Elizabeth suggests he sleep on it, and gives him the candy she got, saying, here’s his sugar. She says she loves him, and Cameron says he does too, but he’s never going to admit it. Franco tells him, don’t forget their deal, and Cameron leaves with Elizabeth. In the hallway, Elizabeth asks, what deal? Cameron says, it’s just something they came up with to make their futures brighter. Franco starts to fall asleep, and hears Peter’s voice saying, I’m telling you, I want this to happen.

Finn asks if Anna is okay, and she says, actually she’s fine. Right at this moment, everything is great; at home, with their wedding happening in a few weeks, Peter and Maxie are happy. Everything is looking up for a change.

Peter asks if Maxie has something on her mind; she doesn’t seem happy. She says, Finn almost died. Peter doesn’t think they should concentrate on that, and Maxie says, they’ll concentrate on happy things, like their wedding. She has some ideas she wants to run by him.   

Trina looks at the picture of her and Taggert on her phone. She says, ancient history has been around thousands of years; it will be there tomorrow. A guy approaches her table, and asks if she’s Trina Robinson.

Josslyn looks at Dev’s jacket, and packs it.  

Carly tells Sam, they all want that for their kids; a perfect life with no disappointments and no danger. But that life doesn’t exist. They have a father who loves them, and would do anything to protect them, but doesn’t always tell them everything. Sam asks what she tells them. Scout is too young to understand, but Danny’s old enough to ask questions. Carly says, tell them that she and their father love them, and whatever is happening in the world around them, they have a mother who will always keep them safe.

Brando sits at the table, and looks at Dev’s bracelet. He puts it on.

Cyrus tells Sonny, he’s not there about what he wants. He’s there for Sonny. Sonny asks, how’s that? and Cyrus says he’s there to give Sonny everything he’s looking for.

Tomorrow, Curtis tells Laura they might have a lead, Cyrus tells Sonny to look no further than Julian, and Carly tells someone that all of this is on them.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

Still in Palm Springs, Kelly, Braunwyn, and Elizabeth went to the Frey House, designed by Albert Frey. In Kelly’s interview, she revealed she was a history buff, and loved the mid-century modern that was now hip, funky, and cool. Like her. It wasn’t my style, but still beautiful. It used a lot of natural elements, which I love, and was built around a section of mountain. Kelly thought the house was like Arizona meets Cabo, and in her interview, she said it had a lot of windows. She and Rick could live there and be expositionists [sic]. Seriously, someone needs to get that girl a dictionary. Shannon, Gina, and Emily went on a hike. Shannon wanted to get the toxins out of her body. We flashed back to Shannon talking nonsense when she was drunk at Braunwyn’s vow renewal. The best quote of the night was when Shannon said, you know, the thing about the thing. They discussed Elizabeth’s divorce, and in Emily’s interview, she said she’d met Elizabeth before the other women did, and they’d connected. Now she didn’t know who this emotional chick was. Kelly told Elizabeth that she didn’t think they were getting the whole story, and in Elizabeth’s interview, she said, because of the gag order, she couldn’t discuss her net worth or what she’d be receiving, and she didn’t want to poke the bear right now. I think Elizabeth has some serious money issues, especially since she said she was set for life, but still didn’t want her ex to win. I would assume she’s still going to get a bundle from him too. Braunwyn and Kelly suggested she stop talking about it; it was annoying. Elizabeth said she was glad they told her. She thought she was annoying too. In her interview, Elizabeth said she wanted to be perceived as successful. Old pictures of her were shown, and she was unrecognizable, and certainly not a blonde. Gina told Shannon and Emily that Braunwyn had done a 360, and in her interview, said Braunwyn had opened up and got in her heart. Elizabeth talked about going out after the party, and said she got hammered, and Shannon went off on Jimmy. She was screaming she didn’t like his opinions, but they had no idea what he’d done. She asked if Shannon did that, and got a resounding yes. Elizabeth thought it was the alcohol, and in Braunwyn’s interview, she said it hit too close to home. It goes from drinking is fun, to fun with problems, then just problems. It seems like alcohol is the problem with a lot of them. Maybe we need The Real Housewives of Sobriety.

I have to mention. I didn’t even realize how much Tamra and Vicki brought this show down until they were gone. While there are still arguments, they seem more like normal people, and the show is more enjoyable. I even found myself laughing a few times.

We saw that WHO declared a global pandemic. Gina played tennis with friends Kyle and Tatiana, and boyfriend Travis. In her interview, she said if she got emotional, Travis was good with bringing her back. Braunwyn saw therapist Jamie, and in her interview, she said the AA meetings were good, but she went to therapy to have the one-on-one, and deal with the root issue. She was learning how to deal with life on life’s terms. She told Jamie that she’d started drinking at 14, and when she moved to DC at 30, had a miscarriage, she began drinking and abusing Xanax. She said she was so dark, she couldn’t see around or through it, and contemplated suicide, ending up in the psyche ward. Sean had been managing and protecting her since she was 18. There was a dark side to her that few people saw, but he had.

Shannon shopped with Sophie for a debutante ball gown. In her interview, Sophie explained that a deb ball was an entrance for young women into society. The dress had to be white, not ivory, not strapless, and no flowers or lace. While Shannon had been a surfer chick, Sophie’s grandmother and great-grandmother were debutantes. Meanwhile, Braunwyn took Jacob to Cos Bar, which was like Sephora, to get some makeup for him. He seems like a real sweet kid. In her interview, Braunwyn said she never had support growing up, and thought it was important for children to know they’re accepted the way they are. When she was a kid, she needed to fit in a box, but she could only be boxed for so long. Jacob’s journey inspired her, since she’d never been authentic. She said, at the end of the day, the only thing that mattered was that we be true to ourselves.

Elizabeth met with personal trainer Casie, and in her interview, said that she’d spent $2 million in legal fees with the divorce. She’d just lost 30 pounds, and losing the weight was like losing the stress of her husband. When she lost a pound, it was like shedding him from her body. She called mom Lyn, and said the women were finding it annoying that she talked about her divorce, and felt the pieces of the story didn’t fit. Lyn said they’d never understand because Elizabeth’s divorce was in the 1%, and in Elizabeth’s interview, she said the questioning was why she doesn’t get to know women. Well, it’s called friendship, and they just want to know what’s going on in her life.

Sophie tried on Shannon’s old wedding dress, from when Shannon was like a triple-zero. In Shannon’s interview, she said the dress symbolized hardship, but on the flipside, she had three beautiful children she wouldn’t trade for anything. She loved John, but wasn’t rushing into another marriage. She wanted to make sure the relationship was right, and wanted to be smart about the future. Shannon called John’s daughter Julia, who was at Costco, and Julia said they were out of Corona. Everyone thought this was sooo funny, until Julia said they also didn’t have any chicken. She should have gone to the Italian market Gina and Emily went to, since there seemed to be no shortage of anything there. Gina said the market made her feel at home. She told Emily that Shannon was freaking because Braunwyn’s grandma had gotten up close and personal at the party, and thought the pandemic was the end of the world. We flashed back to when Shannon freaked out about Zika when they were on a trip. Shannon realized that instead of antibacterial wipes, Sophie had ordered baby wipes, which were pretty much useless. In Emily’s interview, she says she didn’t know who to trust, or get information from, and wondered what to do about keeping her kids safe. Shannon got weepy over paper towels, and I felt her pain there. She didn’t want to use them in case she could never buy another one. In her interview, she explained that she had permanent scarring in her lungs, which put her at high risk.     

In Kelly’s interview, she talked about the expo being cancelled, saying it was disheartening, since they were looking for investors to get next Positive Beverage to the next level. She said toilet paper was now like a Birkin bag. You had to be on a list to get some. She told Shannon that she thought things were being blown out of proportion. Shannon reminded Kelly that she was in a high risk group, and Kelly said, there were old people, babies, and Shannon. In her interview, Kelly said Shannon was the biggest hypochondriac in the world. Manager Zach told Kelly they should put everything on hold, since it was costing them $50K a month. Gina called mom Susan, and said the kids’ school was closed for a month, and she couldn’t even get toilet paper on Amazon, but she had enough pasta for three months. In her interview, Gina said it felt like 1700 feet just got a lot smaller. I wondered if it was sadder too. Her victim impact statement was coming up, and she said it was going to affect the dynamic of her and Matt’s relationship, and she didn’t want him to be mad at her. She fretted about having six kids there with no school.

Braunwyn told Sean, when they first started canceling things, she thought it was ridiculous, but now she believed they were in uncharted territory. Daughter Rowan said she was terrified. Not of the illness, but of the older people in her life getting it. Braunwyn found Sean’s optimism annoying, and told him not to give the kids false hope. In Braunwyn’s interview, she said it freaked her out watching Rowan get anxious. She was glad she was sober to deal with it. She explained that when she had her first drink, it wasn’t the being drunk she wanted, but she wanted the anxiety to go away. She told Sean if she was drinking, she wouldn’t be able to handle what was needed. She was afraid she might drink, and said there was a bottle of tequila in the cupboard that she’d kept for company. She wanted to get rid of it. Sean was proud of the fact it was unopened and still sealed. Sean got rid of all the liquor, and Braunwyn said she was 43 days sober. She started talking about a meeting, when Sean interrupted, and she got loud, saying no one let her talk. In her interview, she said that she felt like she needed to escape, but there was nowhere to go, because she wanted to escape herself. Being home with 9 kids scared her. She was afraid she’d get bored, and that’s when she made bad choices. It’s when the little voice told her, you can have a drink. No one will know.

At this point, production on season 15 came to a halt.

Later this season, filming virtually, Shane is sick, Shannon says her relationship isn’t a perfect fairytale, quarantine divides the women, Elizabeth says she has a secret she’s been carrying her entire life, and Kelly and Braunwyn argue.    

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

My jury is still out on this show. I find it somewhat fascinating, since it’s slightly different from the others, but Jen. She’s about as antagonistic on a good day as Dorinda was when she was drunk off her ass.

We were still at Whitney’s 20s party, and Jen questioned Meredith about canceling the sleepover. Let me stop right here. What adult calls staying overnight a sleepover? Meredith suggested they have this conversation not at a party. In her interview, Meredith said she wanted to spare Jen the embarrassment over her kids’ discomfort at Jen’s antics when she visited. Jen then moved on to questioning her about why she was friends with Mary. Meredith wisely said she didn’t engage in other people’s conflicts. She didn’t think it helped to resolve them. Jen asked if Meredith was going to be Switzerland for the rest of her life. In Meredith’s interview, she said Jen was unhinged. Jen wanted her to pick sides, telling Meredith that if someone did something to her, Jen would back her up 100%. In Whitney’s interview, she said there was no point in trying to talk Jen down. When she got pissed, she blacked out, and there was nothing you could do. Jen wanted to know how Meredith could be friends with Mary, and asked if she was okay with this. I guess this being Mary having said Jen smelled like a hospital. She wailed that it hurt her feelings, and in her interview, she wondered where the friendship and loyalty were. Meredith said, as far as she knew, they’d apologized to each other, said they loved each other, and everything was fine. We flashed back to that, and Jen said she’d accepted Mary’s apology because it was Meredith’s birthday. In her interview, Meredith said her birthday was weeks ago. She hadn’t heard anything more, and thought everything was fine. Even if there had been a problem, they’re not ten. No one can dictate who’s friends with who. Lisa came over, and told Jen to simmer down; it was a party. Meredith said she was disengaging, since this was not productive. Jen yelled that Meredith was going with Mary, who f***ed her grandfather. In Mary’s interview, she said she heard it, but she ignored it. Clearly, there’s something about her that Jen finds fascinating, since her name is always in Jen’s mouth. In Whitney’s interview, she said, whether it was true or not, it wasn’t appropriate. Jen told Lisa that it was either her side or Mary’s. Lisa tried calming her down, and said loved them both. Jen screeched f*** you at Meredith, at which point, Meredith had enough. In her interview, Whitney said Jen had a history of freaking TF out. She decided to check on Jen out of fear, since she didn’t want Jen to freak out because she didn’t. Jen wanted to bounce, and called husband Shareiff on the phone, yelling, where are you? and telling him she wanted to leave because she’s ten and can’t take cab. In Heather’s interview, she said, it was a crazy night. Between the pole dancing, drinking, and grandpa comment, it was a good thing their Mormon friends weren’t there. The flesh would have melted off their faces. Apparently, they were serving lollipop drumsticks, which Heather desperately wanted, and demanded be guarded when she got up from the table. I thought if I heard lollipop drumsticks one more time, I was going to find her and throw one at her.

Jen split, and screamed at everyone in street that she wanted to go TF home. In her interview, Heather said the best way of dealing with Jen on a rampage was to not react. Express your love and support, end it, and move on. She told Jen it was going to be okay, she loved her, and put her in Sharieff’s car.

The next day, Mary visited Whitney, who asked if she’d enjoyed the party, and Mary said, until the end of the night. Meredith told son Brooks about Jen getting upset, and Lisa and Heather went to lunch and discussed. Meredith said that no one should speak that way to another human being, and Jen needed to apologize. Mary thought Jen hated her, and Whitney couldn’t understand it.

Meredith went to MAR gallery, and chatted with gallery owner Maren. Lisa joined her, and in Meredith’s Interview, she said she just moved into her house a couple months ago, and didn’t feel settled in. It needed a part of her, and she liked modern, clean lines that were monochromatic, in her wardrobe and décor. Lisa wanted to touch everything in the gallery, which was weird. Meredith told Lisa she dreaded telling her, but she and her husband were separating. In her interview, Meredith said she and Lisa’s families were close, and she’s held off telling Lisa. She didn’t want her feeling that she had to take sides. She told Lisa they’d been kind of regrouping, and dating each other. Lisa felt blindsided, and Meredith said Jen was the only other one who knew. Lisa said she wouldn’t talk to anyone about it.

Meredith visited Mary, and in her interview, said she’d seen her fair share of homes, and Mary’s house was disjointed from her personal style. Mary was always so put together, but her house was eclectic. We saw one room was dedicated to Christmas, and I don’t think it was December. Mary’s son hung out with them for a millisecond, and Meredith asked what he wanted to do with his life. He said he wanted to be a fashion designer, which was news to Mary, since he’d always  wanted to be a brain surgeon. In Mary’s interview, she said her son had gotten his girlfriend a dog and a Prada purse for her birthday, which was more than he’d ever gotten her. The purse would last a lot longer than the relationship. Mary and Meredith discussed the party, and Mary said she preferred intimate gatherings. She wanted to have a formal luncheon where they could be real. In her interview, she said she wanted them to hear each other. They don’t listen, and she was breaking that yoke in a fun, fashionable, her-style way. She wanted the Met Gala feeling of dressing up. Meredith said Jen had gone from zero to one hundred, and Mary said she’d been going back and forth about inviting Jen. She thought it would be better to invite her, but Jen could end up being a downer. In Mary’s interview, she said she’d be doing the right thing if she invited Jen. If she didn’t, then it looked like she was in this with her.

Jen went to Heather’s house, followed by a food delivery she’d initiated. In Heather’s interview, she said she’d never been with Jen when she didn’t order food or bring her own snacks. She was like a toddler who needed her sippy cup and fruit snacks, or all hell would break loose. Heather told Jen to talk to her about the party, while she made green bean casserole for her kids. Was she okay? Jen asked if her lips looked okay, and Heather said, physically, she was a dream, but she was a mess on the inside. In her interview, Heather said she thought Jen was crazy, but Jen was her friend. Jen told Heather that she held it together to be a supportive wife, but didn’t see her husband much. She said it was the one-year anniversary of dad’s death, and we saw a clip of her at cemetery with Shareiff. I’m not loving Jen, but I felt badly for her here, since I’ve been there. Heather asked if Jen felt lonely and/or over it, and Jen said she was lonely. Shareiff couldn’t come to her dad’s funeral because had to go to a game. She sucked it up like a good football wife, and he never knew how much it hurt her. In her interview, Heather said loyalty was everything to Jen, and she expected Meredith to be loyal, but she was putting way too much on Meredith. Jen was frustrated with Shareiff, and didn’t know what to do with her anger. Jen ranted while Heather nodded, and Jen let fly about Meredith’s separation, and subsequent dating of her husband. We saw a clip of Meredith explaining it to Jen, and in Jen’s interview, she said she’d held on to the secret for months, but she felt betrayed, so now she was going to spill it. This girl is so fourteen-years-old; I can’t stand it. Jen told Heather she’d thought Meredith was a better friend.   

Mary set up for her luncheon. She’d decided to invite Jen, since, if she didn’t, there would be negativity. Jen called Sharieff for a morning pep talk, and he told her not to bring up any negative stuff at the luncheon.

Heather and Whitney rode to the luncheon together, and Heather wasn’t sure that Mary knew what the Met Gala was, since she was using it as a theme, and the Met was a location that had a different theme every year. She thought Jen would make an entrance. She and Mary would have to cross paths at some point, and she hoped Jen would move on. She told Whitney about Meredith’s separation, and Whitney was surprised, since Meredith always said everything was okay. So much for keeping that on the DL. Heather thought, whatever happened, Meredith would handle it with dignity. They pulled up to beefeater valets, and in Whitney’s interview, she said, beefeaters and a red carpet at noon in Salt Lake City. WTF is going on here? It doesn’t make sense, but it screams Mary.

I wasn’t all that impressed with the outfits. They were nice, but didn’t exactly bring glamour to mind, and definitely not the Met Gala. There were a lot of pants suits. There was a beautiful journal set, and a box from Louis Vuitton by each place setting, and Heather was all in. In Meredith’s interview, she said she was apprehensive about seeing Jen. She didn’t know what expect, but thought an apology would be in order. Mary told them to write about something no one knew about them in the journal. She asked them to open the gift, which she said was so they could hear each other. Inside the box was a set of LV earbuds. Before lunch was served, Mary they’d be together as one, and have a beautiful lunch. She thanked God for what they had, and got teary, but Jen wasn’t buying it.

The food looked amazing, and Mary asked them to talk – one at a time with no interruptions – about something people didn’t know. Mary started since it was her party, and said she didn’t trust people; she had issues. Whitney said she was working on not caring about other people’s opinions. And for the record, she wasn’t a swinger. Lisa said she set high goals for herself, and started tearing up. Mary asked what was up with Jen, and Jen said her dad grew up in Tonga with nothing, and wanted a better life for his family in the US. She was the oldest, and in their culture, the oldest child carried a lot of responsibility. She was expected to be perfect. Growing up, everyone thought she was Black, she was stood up for homecoming, and she didn’t go on dates. She understood how it was to work, and loved her friends, but needed to have loyalty reciprocated; the kind of loyalty she learned from her father. She explained she had a tough exterior, but wanted them to understand why she behaves the way she does. Mary said Jen could use words as a weapon. Jen apologized to Meredith, who thanked her for explaining where she was coming from. In Mary’s interview, she said, where’s her apology?   

Next time, Mary asks why Jen is so angry with her, Whitney’s dad does rehab, and Meredith doesn’t want to move to Ohio with her husband.

🌅 Another Night Turns Into Day…

See you in the charming South tomorrow, and in the meantime, stay safe, stay of staunch character, and stay being Switzerland your whole life if you want to.