What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
In the park, Curtis asks if Jordan doesn’t have Christmas Eve guests, but she says, it’s not Christmas without him; without the two of them. He asks how she found him, and she says she remembered last year, and took a chance on him being there. He says, the sad part is, it feels like so long ago. She says she knows, but it’s Christmas again, and he needs to come home.
Molly says, what she has to tell TJ is going to hurt him. There’s no way around it, but it doesn’t change the fact that she loves him more than anything in the world. He says, whatever it is, it’s still from her. It can’t be that bad. She says she made a horrible mistake. She slept with someone else.
Michael tells Willow that Wiley is so excited about Santa and getting presents in the morning. Is she sure she doesn’t mind staying? He was hoping his dad would be back in time to celebrate. She says she likes being around his family, and it’s good that Wiley has Avery and Donna to play with. It was truly wonderful for Michael to invite Lucas to spend time with Wiley. He says Lucas couldn’t spend the next 20 years hiding from Wiley at family functions, and she says he knows what she’s talking about. It’s fantastic that he’s keeping Lucas as part of Wiley’s life. He says Lucas will always be part of the family, like her, no matter what happens with them.
Terry visits Elizabeth, apologizing for getting there late; mass ran long. Elizabeth says she’ll pour Terry some mulled wine, but Terry says, a small pour. Her flight to Denver leaves early. Her parents always ask about Elizabeth’s parents. She knows Elizabeth hasn’t been close with her parents, but maybe it will be different this year. Elizabeth says, probably not. She’s sorry Terry missed Jake and Aiden; they’re in bed already. Terry says Cameron is still there, and Elizabeth says, that’s debatable. He’s had his head buried in a handheld game, like a zombie.
Franco sneaks around the hospital. He motions to Scotty, and Obrecht in a blond wig and lab coat. All three of them sneak into an office. Outside the office, Maxie and Peter come around the corner. Peter tells Maxie reading stories to the elderly and the kids at the hospital is a great tradition. He asks her if everything is okay, and she says she really is excited, but feels guilty about the wedding and the baby. Looking forward to huge life events when so many people are suffering isn’t fair.
Obrecht says she wants to find Franco’s scan before she examines him, and Scotty says, she just got out of prison. Does she think accessing medical records is a good idea? Franco says he’s pretty sure it’s a felony, but explain why she’s on the downlow?
Britt asks if Jason is okay, and says he looks like hell. They’re friends now, so tell her the truth. He looks like he hasn’t slept in 48 hours. He says he has a lot on his mind, and she says, that makes two of them. She heard Sam and Lucas had to identify their father’s body. He needs to be straight with her. Should Julian’s death be on her conscience?
Carly opens the door to Chase and a uniformed officer. She says she knows he wouldn’t be interrupting on Christmas Eve if it wasn’t important. How can she help him? Chase says he’s sorry to bother her on a holiday, but he needs to speak to her husband.
Cameron say, it’s nice to see Terry before she leaves for her holiday travels, and she says it’s nice to see him too. He makes a beeline for the kitchen table, and puts earplugs in, sitting down to play his game. Elizabeth tells Terry, it’s the most social he’s been in the past few days. Terry says, she gets it. His friend died. That’s hard anytime, let alone close to the holidays. Elizabeth says, Cameron saw Trina for a few minutes, but that was it. He hasn’t picked up his guitar in over a month, and Franco being sick isn’t helping. Terry says it’s the first time they’ve been alone and could talk. She hopes Elizabeth knows how much she hated lying, but Elizabeth says, walk back. She didn’t lie. She’s ethically bound not to tell, and Elizabeth doesn’t blame her. Terry is glad Franco finally let her in, and let her weigh in on the diagnosis, but she’s concerned that he left the country before he started radiation. She can’t imagine what would be more important.
Obrecht says, it’s imperative that she keep a low profile, but Franco says, the charges were dropped. She says, it won’t matter to Anna and her petty vendetta. She sure Anna will make an attempt to slap another charge on her. She needs to stay focused on treating him. He says it’s a huge relief that she wasn’t behind the attack on his life at GH. He doesn’t have a lot of friends, so it’s nice to know he didn’t lose one, but that does make him question who did want him dead.
Peter says he knows how much Maxie misses Lulu, and she says, it doesn’t seem right to have a wedding and a baby and not have her be part of it. He says she doesn’t need to feel guilty. Accepting their gifts isn’t insulting to those who have less; it’s honoring them. She says he’s absolutely right. And he gave her the best idea.
Willow tells Michael, she was hoping to put off talking until after Christmas, but they said the same thing at Thanksgiving, and they’re no closer to figuring out their situation. Michael says, there are unresolved feelings with Chase, Sasha, and the two of them. Willow says, part of her is afraid if they don’t sort that out first, before they figure out what’s going on between them, they’ll end up hurting each other.
TJ tells Molly, it’s not funny, and she says, she’s not joking. He says they’ve been together every night; it’s not even possible. She says, it happened months ago, and he asks, when? She says, it was after they had the enormous fight, when he proposed then disappeared. Of course (🍷) she learned later that he’d been kidnapped, but at the time, all she had were vague texts that he needed time to think. She tried to get his mom to talk to him, but Jordan said she wouldn’t, and even read her the riot act. Jordan said her actions had hurt TJ, and she had to accept the fact it was over. She thought he wanted nothing to do with her. She thought they were done. He says, what exactly did his mother say?
Curtis says he’d like nothing more than to go home, and Jordan says she hopes TJ and Molly are still there. He says they still have things they need to sort out, and she asks if they can’t sort them out under the same roof. He says it might be a new song to her, but to him, it’s the same replay. If they go home, and he forgives her like always, nothing will ever change. She says they love each other and they’re faithful. Nothing else matters. He says, really? How about honesty?
Carly suggests Chase contact Diane if he wants to speak to Sonny. The point is moot anyway, since he’s not home. He asks if she’s expecting him home, and she says, it’s Christmas. Of course (🍷) she’s expecting him. She asks if there’s a reason for his visit, and he says, there was a bridge collapse in Secaucus. A body was recovered that had two bullet holes in it, and was ID’d as Julian Jerome.
Britt tells Jason, Julian was found shot, and it’s interesting timing, since she just told him about Julian’s involvement with Brad and the baby switch, and that it might be the reason Cyrus tried to kill Brad. If what she told him caused Julian to get killed… He says she didn’t cause Julian’s death. He and Sonny wanted to bring Julian to the cops; he was more valuable to them alive, but Cyrus wanted the opposite. She says she feels like she’s being pulled into the middle of Sonny and Cyrus, and she’d rather watch from a safe distance. If she throws in with them, she needs to know if she’s choosing the right side.
Franco says, he loves breaking and entering as much as the next guy, but he’d like to wrap it up so he can get home to Elizabeth. Scotty says, it’s not a three man job. Go home, and he’ll swing by later. Franco should be with Elizabeth and the boys. Franco says, thanks, and wishes them, merry Christmas. He slips out, sneaking some more, even though he doesn’t really have to. Obrecht asks why she gets the feeling Scotty wanted Franco to leave, and Scotty says he wanted to see how she’s doing. Franco doesn’t know their secret. She says it’s not her first rodeo. She’s kept low to the ground many times. He says he’s not talking about that. Dr. Kirk tried to kill her. She says, and now Kirk is dead. There’s only thing that matters to either of them.
Maxie tells Peter, she’s never going to give up hope that Lulu will recover and come back. She wants their daughter to carry a piece of her best friend always. What does he think of Louise? Peter says, they can call her Lu, and Maxie says, that’s what she was thinking. He says, it’s a splendid Idea.
Jason says, if Britt wants to watch from a safe distance, resign as Chief of Staff, and go back to Boston. She asks if she told him that she had been living there, and he says he had someone check. She says, Spinelli. What else did he dig up on her? He says, nothing useful, and she says, what a relief. If he wants her to keep helping him, he has to stop running checks on her. He asks if she just admitted she’s helping him, and she says, the alternative is helping Cyrus. He says, and that doesn’t appeal to her? Since when? She asks why she should trust him, and he says he thinks they both want the same thing. They want the hospital and the city free of Cyrus. She nods, and says, okay. She doesn’t want to help Cyrus. He’s developing a new pharmacology drug in the lab there. It will legitimately help people, but he’s going to exploit it for his own profit and benefit. Jason thanks her, and says she made the right choice. He leaves, and she says she sure hopes so.
Jordan says she and Curtis are honest with each other about the things that matter, but he says, sorry. Their relationship has always been one-sided. He tells her the truth, but she can’t lower the walls enough. Trina tore into him again, since she assumed he was in on the lie about Taggert. A teen has a better idea of what marriage means than she does. She says, it was a judgement call; it wasn’t meant to hurt him. He says she’s always been independent, and comfortable making decisions by herself for herself, and she says, he’s the same way. He says, that was before they got together. After they were married, he changed. He grew, and learned to be a team player, but she didn’t. It got worse after Cyrus came to town. Even when she claimed it was the truth, she always left something out. She make calls on how much he’s allowed to know. It’s not the kind of marriage he wants.
Molly tells TJ, his mother was giving her vague texts from someone pretending to be him. She thought he was gone; that she’d broken his heart. His mother said so, but she’s the one who lost faith. What happened is on her. He says, it happened months ago. Why didn’t she tell him? She says she should have. She wanted to. At first, she thought she should be honest, but he was so badly hurt at the hospital, and she knew he had a long recovery ahead, physically and emotionally. It felt selfish to pile on more bad news. She told herself that she would tell him eventually when he got stronger. Eventually got pushed further and further away. He asks, why come clean now? and she says, he saw their mothers tonight, and the pain keeping secrets causes. She didn’t want go through with the commitment ceremony keeping a secret, even if it means losing him. He asks, who was it? and she says, that’s not important. It was a one-time thing. As soon as he was back, and she realized they hadn’t broken up – it was a misunderstanding – she told him it never should have happened, and that she was completely devoted to TJ. TJ says, so she saw him afterward. It wasn’t someone random, but someone she knows. She says, it doesn’t matter. He’s not responsible. He didn’t know TJ when it happened. TJ says, but he does now. Tell him who it is. She says, Brando.
Brando tells Michael, there are squad cars in the driveway. Does he know why the cops are there?
Carly says Sam told her about Julian’s death, but what does it have to do with Sonny? Chase asks when they last spoke, and Carly says, yesterday afternoon. He asks if Sonny said where he was going, and she says, he went on a business trip; he doesn’t discuss them with her. What’s going on? Chase says, there was an anonymous tip that Julian wasn’t alone on the bridge. The security footage showed Sonny pursuing him, so they assume he was the other person on the bridge. Carly says, so they think the bridge collapsed with Sonny on it? What are they doing to find him?
Chase tells Carly, the local PD are doing a search and rescue in the surrounding area. They sent him to confirm if Sonny is missing, and it appears he is. Michael and Brando walk in, and Michael asks, what’s going on? Chase says he’s so sorry, but Michael’s father may have been in a serous accident. They’re not sure if he survived.
TJ tells Molly, it makes sense. He was so stupid. No wonder she was so standoffish with Brando. She says he’s not stupid, but it wasn’t Brando’s fault. He didn’t know. It was her mistake. She was hurt and angry, and lost faith in what they had. She’s so sorry about what happened, and especially sorry for not telling him months ago. None of it changes the fact that she loves him, and wants to spend her life with him. He says he needs time by himself (which I find somewhat ironic, since that’s what started this), and Molly says she understands. She tells him that she loves him, and leaves. He looks steamed, and sits down.
Jordan tells Curtis, don’t say that. They have a good marriage. She admits that she didn’t handle the Taggert situation well, but she promises there will be no more secrets. He has to believe her. Curtis says, the thing is, he wants to believe her, but he doesn’t think he can anymore. She should see TJ. It’s a holiday; she should be with family. She says, he’s her family. If he changes his mind, she’ll save a seat at the table for him.
Elizabeth tells Terry, Franco thought it would be a good idea to see a specialist; a neuropsychologist. Terry says, it makes sense, and Elizabeth thanks her for not saying everything will be fine. She’s been getting a lot of that lately. Terry says she can’t promise certainty, but she can promise faith and not giving up on Franco. Franco walks in, laden with gifts, and Elizabeth she throws herself at him and hugs him.
Cameron comes out, and says his mom told him Franco wasn’t going to be back until after the new year. Franco says he changed his plans. He wanted to spend Christmas with his family. Cameron says, merry Christmas, and Franco says, that’s his welcome? He got Cameron a righteous gift in the duty-free shop. Cameron says he’s super excited and happy to see Franco. He was worried that Franco was spending his last… Jake and Aiden are super psyched for tomorrow morning, and he’s sure Franco and his mom have a lot to catch up on. He jets back to the kitchen, and Terry goes with him. Franco asks how Cameron is doing, and Elizabeth says, better, but it’s been a rough couple of weeks. Dev’s death hit Cameron hard, and he won’t talk about it. She knows he’s happy to have Franco back, like she is. Tell her everything. Did he get the answers to what was up with the voice in his head? He says the specialist he was supposed to see was indisposed, but he’s confident someone is there who can help him out.
Britt’s hand begins to shake, and she hides it. Peter and Maxie come to the desk, and Peter asks if she’s okay.
Jordan gets home, and asks TJ, where’s Molly? He says, she slept with another man, and Jordan says, Molly did what? When? He says, when he was abducted, and he thought she’d turned down his proposal. Jordan says she’s so sorry. She can’t imagine how he’s feeling. He says he thinks she can. The night it happened, Jordan told Molly that he wanted nothing to do with her anymore. He’s been thinking about the last few months. His adduction and recovery, struggling to make sense of the trauma. She showed Molly alleged texts. How could she believe they were from him? How could she not check? He wondered what else she lied about, then it hit him. She knew the whole time that he was abducted, didn’t she?
Brando says, Sonny might be dead? and Michael says, Chase said there was an accident. What kind? Chase says, a bridge collapsed, and they think Sonny was on the bridge at the time. Michael asks what makes him think that, and Chase says, Julian’s body was recovered there. The security footage shows him heading there with Sonny pursuing him. Jason walks in, and asks if everything is okay, which is a really stupid question since two cops are there, obviously in official capacity. Chase says he’s glad Jason is there. He needs to asks him a few questions. Jason says, about? and Chase says, Julian Jerome.
Terry asks if Cameron minds if she gives it a shot. She used to be a kick ass gamer. He asks if she’s an ancient side-scroller, and she tells him, don’t say he wasn’t warned. She starts to play, and he says she’s pretty decent. She says she told him. How many people have asked if he’s okay? He says, too many, and she says she figured. It sucks losing a friend. He watches her work the game, and says, awesome play, and she thanks him. She says, between them and the game, he doesn’t have to tell everyone what they want to hear. He’s allowed not be okay. He tells her, if she says so, and she says she knows so. She’s been there. When she was first ready to transition, she moved. She made new friends from different backgrounds. Some of them had the means and support systems to back them up. They were fortunate. She was too, but others, not so much. She had one friend, Abby. Abby was targeted by horrible, horrible people… and died. Terry was angry and sad, and stayed in her apartment for weeks because she was scared. He asks, what changed? and she says, not a whole lot. She’s still angry a lot, sad even more, but she realized Abby wouldn’t want her give up living because she lost her. Abby wouldn’t want her staying home, and living vicariously through a video game that was safer than the real world. She doubts Dev would want that for him either. She shows him the game that she’s been playing while talking, and says, she told him.
Britt tells Peter, it’s Christmas Eve and she’s still working. She asks how Maxie is feeling. Is everything okay with her niece or nephew? Maxie says they’ve gotten clarity on that issue, and asks if Peter would like to do the honors. Peter says, they’re having a baby girl. She’s healthy and they’ve found the perfect name. Maxie says they’re not ready for that announcement, and Britt says, congratulations, especially on the healthy. He asks if she has plans, and if there’s any chance she could join them at Mac and Felicia’s. She says, there’s no rest for the Chief of Staff, but Maxie says she should come. Britt says, she’s not Mac and Felicia’s favorite person, but Maxie says, it’s the perfect opportunity. A chance for everyone to put the past behind them. They’re about to be a family again.
Scotty arrives at Elizabeth’s and says he was afraid he’d miss Santa. Elizabeth says she’s glad he’s there. Franco said he was going to get answers from someone local. Has he found a neuropsychologist in Port Charles? Scotty says he has some leads, and Franco tells her, what he said. Scotty asks, where’s the mulled wine? There it is! He goes to the kitchen, and Elizabeth asks Franco if his dad seems jumpier than usual. Franco says, nothing is usual for that guy. She says she knows it’s hard. He didn’t get a definitive answer to the voices in his head, but she hopes that hasn’t changed his commitment to fighting the tumor, and fighting for their family.
Chase knows Jason was involved in another incident in the area, and asks if he has any insight. Jason tells Chase, Diane already handled it and he was released on his own recognizance. If he has any questions, Chase can speak to his attorney. Carly says Chase has over stayed his welcome, and can contact Diane if he wants to speak with Sonny. He says he intends to, and for what it’s worth (🍷), he’s truly sorry. He leaves, and Michael asks, what the hell happened to his dad?
TJ says, Cyrus was behind his kidnapping, wasn’t he? and Jordan says, she suspected he had something to do with it. That’s why she needed Molly to stop asking questions. The more noise she made, the more danger TJ cold be in. There was shootout, and Taggert was murdered. TJ says, Taggert’s death wasn’t real, but she says she was keeping Molly safe. She didn’t know Molly would sleep with someone else, and he can’t blame her for Molly keeping it a secret. He says, supposing that’s true, can she look him in the eye, and promise she’s telling him everything he needs to know about his abduction? Jordan says she wishes she could, but she can’t. She takes his hand, but he shakes her off. He says, merry Christmas, mom, and walks out. She cries alone.
Scotty officially wishes Elizabeth and Franco a merry Christmas, and Franco asks, who wants more mulled wine? Terry says, unfortunately, not her. She has to take off before she turns into a pumpkin. Elizabeth asks if she remembers how they would stay up late and sing carols, and Terry says she loves Elizabeth, but no one wants to hear her belt out Mariah Carey. Elizabeth says she won’t subject them to a sing-along, but Cameron says, it sounds kind of nice, and picks up his guitar.
Britt says if they’re sure it’s not an imposition, but Maxie says, she’s family. She’ll call and have Mac and Felicia set an extra place. She leaves, and Britt says Peter is really getting into the family thing. He says she is his sister, and she says, it’s nice to know, now that Nathan is gone, her mom is in the Hague, and her best friend is going back to prison, she has someone to celebrate with. Obrecht peeks out, and says, even Britt is close to Peter. it’s unacceptable. Enjoy a merry Christmas, Peter, because the new year will bring your downfall.
TJ sees Molly in the park, and she asks how he found her. He reminds her that they downloaded a tracker app after… She says she doesn’t know what else to say except to tell him again, she’s so, so sorry. He says he knows. Just like he knows she’d never cheat under normal circumstances. She thanks him for knowing that, and knowing her. She just wishes she’d trusted him to tell him a lot sooner. He says she wishes that too, but the important thing is, she did. She respected him enough to be honest. It means more than she knows. She asks what it means for them. Where do they go from here? TJ says he honestly doesn’t know. They have so much to sort out. It feels like everything is different. She asks if that means they’re done, but he says he doesn’t want to be done. Does she? She says, absolutely not. She loves him and always will. He says he loves her too, and suggests they take it day by day, and see where they go next.
Jordan looks at the tree, and shakes her head.
Jason says, Sonny was on the bridge when it collapsed. He jumped in after Sonny, and searched, but couldn’t find him. They have a crew searching, and so are the cops. Michael says he’ll call the New Jersey authorities, and coordinate. He’ll throw the family name around, and make sure it’s done right. Willow goes upstairs to check on the kids, and Jason looks stressed. Carly says, when the guard told her the police were there, she thought they were going to tell her that they found Sonny’s… She cries and Jason holds her. He says he’s sorry he doesn’t have more answers, but she says the only answer she wants is that Sonny is alive and coming home.
Tomorrow, a midnight swim in the cold, Laura says Jackie gave her an idea, Cyrus wonders why someone’s family didn’t tell them something, and Carly says she knew Sonny would come back.
Below Deck
Nonsuch Bay, Antigua. Francesca wants to get rid of Elizabeth, but Captain Lee says, sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don’t. She tells the captain that she can’t have Elizabeth as second stew, and he tells her to do what she has to. In Francesca’s interview, she says Elizabeth isn’t doing a good job, but she doesn’t know anyone available that would be up to the standard she needs. There’s pressure on her to make the right decision.
Rachel curses out the food processor. On the beach, Izzy tells Elizabeth about Francesca and Ashling going swimming. She suggests they have a tiki torch swim when they’re alone. As soon as the guests leave, they get into their underwear, and into the water. Elizabeth says, this makes it worth it. In Izzy’s interview, she compares Elizabeth to a prisoner, and says Francesca is the evil sheriff. She tells Elizabeth that she understands.
The guests return for French night, and Eddie asks Rob to help pick up the stuff from the beach. The captain says, viva la France, as he walks by. The guests do a jigsaw puzzle, and Izzy and Eddie curse the slide while they bring it back in, as everyone does. In Rob’s interview, he says, when he was around 17, he went through a period where he was very involved with Dungeons and Dragons, and didn’t have a huge friend circle, but it gave way to other creative things. He shows us his Pegasus tattoo, saying, he’s a big nerd. In Rachel’s interview, she says she has to nail this charter. She’s done well in the past with overcoming sh*tty situations. Pulling off Mardi Gras was a feat in itself, and homemade marshmallows. A ten-course tasting menu – bring it. The stews put on berets.
The guests dress in various supposed French outfits; berets paired with striped shirts, and one dressed like Napoleon. One of the guests says another one looks like the Hamburglar, and I agree. In Eddie’s interview, he says he’s let it go for the most part, but he hasn’t forgotten Rachel left them high and dry before a charter. If he was Captain Lee, he would fire Rachel as soon as he could. Ashling helps Rachel plate, and in the captain’s interview, he says he wants to fire Rachel. He doesn’t know if she’ll get a wild hair up her ass, and take off on them again, but the guests requested a 10-course tasting menu, which means 60 effing plates. He’ll see how she does. She has no room for error.
James asks if the Rob if the guests are still eating dinner, and Rob says, they’re on course 483. In Izzy’s interview, she says, if she was cooking, the courses would be very basic. She can’t even fry an egg. If someone wants a housewife, don’t pick her. Primary Bryan says, the egg course is the perfect consistency. Francesca tells Ashling to do cabins. In Rachel’s interview, she says, it’s an arduous process, the timing and execution of the food. The Chilean sea bass is deemed buttery and delightful, and the guests wonder what planet Rachel is from. James and Rob discuss Keanu Reeves movies, and in James’s interview, he says Rob is everything he wants in a dinner partner. Rachel gets applause, and in her interview, she says, at the risk of sounding like a narcissistic f***, she thinks she nailed it.
Bryan gets in the hot tub with another guest. Something I will never be able to unsee. Everyone heads to bed, and Francesca discusses new deckhand Rob with Rachel. She says she’s finding him more attractive as time goes on. In the crew mess, Elizabeth tells James that she keeps getting thrown in the doghouse, so she’s just rolling with it. James says she’s worked on boats for a while, and asks if she’s ever had a boatmance. She says she has, and it can be cool when people who wouldn’t meet otherwise, find out they really have a connection. In her interview, she says, James is an escape. When you’re working in this type of environment, it’s nice to have someone to connect with. He asks what she wants to do with her day off, and she says, drink
It’s morning, and Francesca serves coffee and croissants outside. Captain Lee heads out to Falmouth Harbour. He tells Eddie, the docking is going to be a procedure; two anchors out, and the stern in. In his interview, the captain says the dock is extremely challenging. During the high season, every spot is spoken for, and there are very expensive boats docked there. Make a mistake, and you can spend a hundred thousand dollars without batting an eye. The guests get omelets, and Bryan says, as demanding as he is, his standards have now grown more. Eddie draws a picture on the whiteboard to show the deckhands how the docking is going to happen. He says, it’s the Super Bowl of docking maneuvers. They’ll be backing in with no lines to help guide them, and he’s nervous.
The crew waves to Laura on another boat, and in Francesca’s interview, she says, the crews end up being like family, but this crew doesn’t see her as a person. They see her as a bitchy, mean chief stew. She cries a little, and while I feel badly, I can’t help thinking, if you’re the common denominator, maybe you should look in the mirror. The captain says he hates this. There’s are so many ways to get in trouble. He tells the crew that he wants radio silence. If you’re not part of the docking team, be quiet. The guests watch, and Bryan says, amazing. Seeing the crowd on shore, James wonders why people want to watch, and Rob says, they hope someone f***s up. Alarms go off, but it ends well, and Bryan goes to the galley to tell Rachel that her food was amazing. She says reading a preference sheet is different from meeting the person, and his enthusiasm and appreciation helped her want to step it up.
It’s time to say goodbye, and Bryan says, it was an absolute pleasure. He tells the captain that he has an amazing crew, and he was overjoyed with Rachel’s talent. She’s one of the best chefs he’s encountered. He’s emotional beyond words. He gives Captain Lee the tip envelope, and Eddie tells the deckhands to cover up. Francesca tells Rachel, well done. No other chef has nailed it like that. The captain tells the crew to come to the crew mess immediately. Eddie says, it’s the only time when the crew actually shows up immediately.
Captain Lee tells the crew, they did a really god job, and he’s proud of all of them. The tip is $25K or $2,250 each. In Rob’s interview, he says, that’s a big number for three days of not working too hard. The captain says, the charter was successful, but they didn’t know if they’d have a chef. In his interview, he says, once you’ve touched something hot and get burned, you approach it cautiously the second time. He tells them that he doesn’t have the luxury of holding their hands, and Rachel says, sorry; she had a moment. He says, everybody has a moment, and she says, she’ll never let it happen again. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says Rachel is possibly the talented chef he’s come across in his 35 years of yachting. He tells the crew that they can visit a donkey sanctuary after this, and he might tag along. It’s not mandatory, but a reward for an outstanding job. They can stay if they want, and scrub their asses off. I just have to mention, for all the wailing about how demanding these guests were going to be, they were more appreciative than anything else. They weren’t obnoxious in the least, and polite to the crew.
Rachel wants to relax, but most of the crew opts to see the donkeys. Eddie says he’d rather take a nap. In the captain’s interview, he says, there are a lot of donkeys in Antigua, and someone has to take care of the donkeys who can’t take care of themselves. He thinks it will be a good experience for the crew. He’s taking his jackasses to see their jackasses, and they’ll see who has top jackass. They take a limo bus to the sanctuary, where the director explains that they have over 150 donkeys that they protect. All of their names have to do with their stories. She introduces them to Stevie, who was hit and became blind, so he was named after Stevie Wonder. In Izzy’s interview, she says she’s in heaven. She loves the smell of horse manure. It reminds her of her youth, before she was old and jaded like she is now. They brush the donkeys, and hold baby goats.
Back at the boat, party pooper Eddie scrubs, while Francesca meditates. In her interview, she says she doesn’t know what to do about Elizabeth. She doesn’t want to be mean and fire her, but she needs to do something to light a fire under Elizabeth’s ass so there’s an improvement, or she’ll explode. The rest of the crew returns, and the captain says, donkey time’s over; back to work. Francesca radios Elizabeth to meet her in the Sky Lounge. Izzy asks Rob how his first charter was, and he says, the easiest $2,000 he ever made. Francesca says she feels Elizabeth’s priorities are in the wrong spot. James walks past the window, distracting Elizabeth, and proving Francesca’s point. Francesca says Elizabeth takes one step forward, then two steps back. She still has to check on her. Elizabeth asks if she wasn’t happy with this charter, and Francesca says, a little bit, but not enough. Elizabeth says, sometimes she feels Francesca is hard to please. Francesca says she doesn’t have to explain it any further. The bottom line is that she’ll keep Elizabeth on board, but not as third stew. She’s dropping Elizabeth down. In Elizabeth’s interview, she says she can’t believe this is happening. She tries her hardest every day, and believes the demotion is personal, not business. Clearly there’s no pleasing her. She’s in shock.
The deckhands clink beer bottles, and Eddie says he loves pre-drink drinks. Elizabeth tells Izzy and Ashling about her demotion. In Ashling’s interview, she says, Elizabeth will have to suck it up, and pull her weight. She leaves, and Izzy tells Elizabeth that the captain probably wanted to keep her, since he can manage a team better. Francesca hears them, and asks if they don’t want to involve her if they’re going to be talking about her. I’d say that’s probably a hard no.
Francesca asks, what’s going on; why is Izzy there? Izzy says, it’s not her department, but she was talking to a friend. Francesca moves on, and Elizabeth tells Izzy she hasn’t said anything offensive. The crew gets ready to go out, and Francesca tells Rachel about hearing Izzy and Elizabeth talking about her. Izzy tells James, in her opinion, the demotion was an ego trip. James asks Elizabeth if she gets paid any less, but Elizabeth says, no. She doesn’t care; maybe it will take some pressure off. He tells her, forget work. Drink and enjoy herself. Izzy tells Eddie and Rob that she had a breakdown last year, after she was sexually assaulted. She was drinking with work friends, and felt she was too drunk to go home, and passed out on the sofa. She wasn’t raped, but woke up with a guy’s hand down her pants. When she realized what was happening, she froze. She didn’t want to make a scene, but thinks she should have fought. Rob says, nobody deserves that sh*t, and in Izzy’s interview, she says she thought something like that would be a fight or flight situation, but she froze. She’s the type that can fend for herself, but felt she had the choice and control taken away from her. Eddie says she bounced back well, and she says she has a coping mechanism and can pull herself out of anything. He says, you got fight in you, kid. Eddie sounds like an old man sometimes.
The crew goes to a restaurant, and do shots before the mean. Eddie says, let’s finish strong. In Rachel’s interview, she says, in retrospect, they did a good job, and she’s super stoked. Tonight, she wants to celebrate and get wasted. She sticks her tongue out at James, who asks, what’s wrong with her? She starts talking with the people at another table, and this pisses Eddie off. She comes back, and tells him, relax, but he says she’s bothering him a little. In his interview, he says, she’s wasted drunk, being rude, and embarrassing the crew. He has no respect for people like that. Funny. Since I recall a few huge blunders of Eddie’s in earlier seasons. He whines to Francesca that Rachel is acting like nothing happened, and it effing bothers him. Francesca doesn’t seem to care a whole lot, and in his interview, Eddie wonders if he’s the only one still pissed that Rachel abandoned them. Funny too, since it probably has the least to do with him, but a lot more with the interior.
They head over to a club, and Francesca tells Ashling that she likes Rob. She likes Canadian. In her interview, she says she kind of likes him, but she doesn’t know, and laughs. The crew hits the dancefloor, and in Rob’s interview, he says he doesn’t know what to do with himself in social situations. He’s always been quite… aloof. He thinks Francesca is neat, but he feels awkward. Sometimes it takes a minute for him to expose himself. He realizes his word choice, and says, what am I saying? They go back to the boat, and Elizabeth wants to go in the hot tub. Rob talks to Eddie regarding his social skills, and Eddie tell him, it’s important to be open. Rob says he’s used to being in the woods, and looking at rocks.
Elizabeth and James get in the hot tub, and she asks if they’re the only ones up again. He says, at least they get alone time, and Elizabeth says she keeps getting into trouble. Then they make out. Rachel finds a half bagel in the toaster and eats it, saying it’s the best bagel she’s ever had. Elizabeth tells James she’s been waiting so long, and he says she’s so tasty. I really don’t want to know.
Later this season, turtles; Eddie talks to James about separating work and pleasure; a guest talks about her daughter passing away, causing Captain Lee to need a moment; Elizabeth doesn’t think it’s fair; Rachel gets on stage with a random band; the captain tells some charter guests that their charter is over; Elizabeth says, this is war; Francesca doesn’t want to work with Elizabeth; and Captain Lee tells the crew that they have a situation.
⛴ More Deck…
In keeping with my favorite reality theme, cast members watching episodes of their own shows and making comments, comes Below Deck Galley Talk. The deets:
https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/below-deck-galley-talk-cast-premiere-date-trailer
The same thing, said differently:
https://decider.com/2020/12/28/below-deck-galley-talk-bravo/
A little extra from the captain:
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/12/10243794/below-deck-galley-talk-bravo-series-trailer
🥕 Crunch Time…
Running to finish an article for https://mupoentertainment.com/theresa-krakauskas/. All the shows are on at their regular times until Thursday, but I’ll have some tea to pour too. Until we meet again for Temptation Tuesday, stay safe, stay keeping it simple, and stay living la vida loca. While socially distanced of course.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 