What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brando gets in the elevator with Sasha, and she says he’s starting to make it a habit. He says, what? and she says getting in her way. He tells her that he’ll make her a deal; he stays out of her way, if she stays out of his.

On the phone, Franco says he misses Elizabeth and loves her. For the first time in a while, he’s hopeful. He can heal, and they can put all this behind them. All thanks to Dr. Kirk.

In the office, Kirk lies there with the knife protruding from his chest. Scotty says, he can’t be dead, and Obrecht says, yet here he is, with a knife sticking out of his chest. Scotty says, it’s a small, little knife. Kirk was the only shot at saving Franco.

Sasha gets out of the elevator, and walks into the MetroCourt restaurant. Maxie thanks Sasha for meeting her, and Sasha says she’s glad to get back to work. Are they on track for the trunk show? Maxie says she has some bad news. The trunk show is off, and Sasha is out. Sasha says, in the hospital, Maxie said they were still partners, and Maxie says that was before she and Lucy met with the lawyers. Sasha is a liability.

Tracy calls 9-1-1, and says she needs help. Her friend is driving drunk. She gives them Alexis’s address, and asks them to hurry. She looks at Alexis, passed out in the car, and says she brought this on herself.

Britt goes to the MetroCourt, and sees Cyrus. She asks if he has a moment. He says, for his Chief of Staff, always, and she sits down. He asks what’s on her mind, and she says, the overages of the lab expenses are draining the hospital budget. He tells her, say no more. She has every right to know what he’s got cooking, so to speak.

Julian drops down into the alleyway, but on his way out, he’s confronted by Sonny, holding a gun. Sonny tells him not to go anywhere. They have a lot to talk about. Julian says, before Sonny kills him, let him explain some things. Sonny says he can try, and cocks the gun.

Maxie tells Sasha, in order to continue her partnership with Deception, the lawyers and insurance companies are going to need a few guarantees that she’s clean. Sasha promises she is, but Maxie says, unfortunately, she can’t just take Sasha’s word for it. She can’t risk Sasha showing up to a photo shoot or to work with drugs. People are already talking about why she was in the hospital, and she means industry gossip. People pay attention to a Lucy Coe endeavor, and if word gets out, they could lose their contracts. She knows it’s a lot of pressure, but it’s more than Sasha losing her job as a spokesmodel. It’s about losing the company the three of them worked so hard to build; the company that’s been Lucy’s dream since the 90s. Sasha says she knows Maxie can’t take her word, but she’s giving it anyway. She swears she’s finished with drugs. Deception means too much to her to risk losing it. Maxie says she and Lucy were hoping Sasha would say that. After some negotiating, they were able to get the lawyers to convince the insurance company to back down, as long as Sasha agrees to a few tweaks to her contract. Sasha says, anything, but Maxie says maybe she wants to hear them first.

Chase shows up, by Alexis’s car, and asks if anyone is hurt. Tracy says, they sent a detective? and he says he was in the neighborhood. Chase asks if Alexis can hear him, and Tracy is surprised they know each other. Alexis wakes up and asks what he’s doing there. He says, apparently, she drove her car off the road. She says she didn’t, but Tracy says she thought Alexis was going to kill herself.

Scotty tells Obrecht, don’t just stand there, fix him, and she asks how he expects her to do that. He says she’s a doctor. Get some paddles and zap him. She says, silence. The only thing this schwein needs now is a mortician or a taxidermist. He says, if she won’t do something, he’ll find someone who will, and she says, in a WSB facility? Where he just killed one of their top researchers and physicians? He says, it was an accident. The guy was accosting her, and he hit him with a left hook. She says, yes, but repeat that story in the Hague, and he’ll be sent to a WSB black site never to return. He says she was there and can vouch for him, but then says, what is he talking about? Who’s going to take her as a reliable witness? He’s going to be put in a hamster cage for the rest of his life. She says, a big expense to hold an ineffectual criminal, and he says, the guy is dead, isn’t he? She says, for that, she owes him her thanks, and suggests he remains silent while she figures out how to deal with the carcass, or they’ll both rot behind bars.

Cyrus says, while Britt was busy reorganizing the staff – a commendable job – he was working on another venture that might be profitable to the hospital. He became aware than Finn had developed a treatment for a rare, but lethal disease… Britt says, Blackwood, and he says, the point being, not only did the drug save lives, it also saved the hospital from financial ruin. He was determined to follow Finn’s example, and his researchers’ efforts weren’t in vain. She asks, what researchers, and what efforts? and he says, there’s a promising new pain medication, and thanks to some well-placed calls, it’s being expedited for a government review. She says, really, and he says he’d hoped for a more enthusiastic response. She says, a new medication is always a good thing, and he says, but…? She says, if the doctors at GH were found to be incentivizing a patient’s prescription, wouldn’t it put the hospital at risk?

Julian tells Sonny, everything he did, he did for Lucas, and Sonny asks if Lucas wanted Julian to plant a bomb. Julian says he’s not talking about the bomb. Sonny says they know he planted it, and Julian says Cyrus forced him. Sonny asks what Cyrus has on him, and Julian says Cyrus knew, like he did, how Sonny would react when Sonny found out he was keeping Wiley from Michael. That’s what he did for Lucas. He didn’t want to take Lucas’s son away from him. Sonny says, no, but he took Michael’s son away from him. Julian says, Brad did that, and Sonny says, so it’s not Julian’s fault at all. Julian says, why don’t they finish this? They both know how it’s going to end; two in the back, two in the head, or does Sonny want to just shoot him in the gut and watch him bleed out in the alley? Sonny says, that’s one option. Or he could take Julian to the police station, and have him explain how Cyrus ordered him to plant the bomb. Julian says, then Cyrus will kill him. Come on, let’s go. Sonny says the information Julian has is the only thing keeping him alive. Suddenly, a masked gunman pops out of nowhere, and Sonny ducks for cover.

Chase helps Alexis out of the car, and Alexis says she wasn’t driving; Tracy was. Tracy says, Alexis is right. She drove Alexis home and got her in the house. She was a little worse for wear. She couldn’t leave Alexis in that condition, so she went into the kitchen to make coffee. We see what she really did, moving Alexis to the driver’s seat. She says she couldn’t find the coffee, and when she came out to ask where it was, Alexis was gone. The car keys were gone, and the door was open. When she went outside, she saw Alexis pulling out of the driveway. That’s when she called 9-1-1. She ran out to see which direction Alexis went in, and saw she’d run off the road. She found Alexis passed out behind the wheel. Chase thanks her for the information, and asks Alexis if she’d like an ambulance. Alexis says, no, and tells him that she doesn’t remember anything Tracy said. Why would she get back in the car? Tracy says, maybe to buy more vodka. She was complaining all the bottles in the house were empty. Chase asks, what’s the last thing Alexis remembers? and Alexis says, Tracy drove her home; that’s it. He asks if she ever experienced a lapse of memory after drinking before, and Tracy asks if she blacked out again.

Scotty says, dammit! and Obrecht asks what’s wrong with him? He says, A, they have a dead guy over there, and B, she’s trying to concoct some evil masterplan. By the way, she’s taking her sweet time with it, and C, this guy was going to cure his son. Franco has these voices in his head that could be babbling there forever. He can’t believe this is happening. Franco knocks at Kirk’s office door, then tries it, but it’s locked. He asks if they’re okay. Inside, Obrecht tells Scotty that he has to do as she says. He tells her, that depends, and she tells him, take Franco and go back to the hotel; she’ll handle the body. Now go. Scotty comes out, and says he was looking for Franco. Franco says, in Dr. Kirk’s office? and Scotty says the architecture there is tricky. They need to get back; he has a big day tomorrow. Franco wonders why Scotty is shouting, and Scotty says Franco knows how he gets hopped up and carried away. He tells Franco that he’s going to be okay, and Franco says he can’t wait. Scotty says, let’s go.

Obrecht tells dead Kirk that no one lays a hand on her and gets to keep it. Now, what should she do with him?

Maxie says Sasha will have to agree to drug tests – regular and random – and only eat the food provided at photo shoots and meetings. Of course (🍷) they’ll totally get her whatever she wants. They just want to make sure nothing is slipped into her crudités or caviar. Sasha says Maxie doesn’t trust her, does she? but Maxie says she doesn’t trust the drugs. She knows about addiction. Sasha insists she’s not a drug addict, and Maxie says, Lucky was. He’s forever recovering in Africa now, but a long time ago, he was addicted. Sasha says, and Maxie helped him too? but Maxie says, not in the way Sasha means. She got him drugs, and he destroyed his career and family. She’s not letting drugs destroy another person she cares about like she let them destroy Lucky. Sasha says she appreciates that, and Maxie says, she will. Sasha says, the bottom line is, Maxie doesn’t trust her at all, but Maxie says she cares about Sasha. She’s Sasha’s friend, but as a partner, doesn’t trust her. Sitting at the bar, Brando watches both Sasha and Cyrus at another table. He flashes back to Cyrus telling him, addicts are easier to train and tame, but someone like Sasha is unpredictable. Brando tells him that he can handle her, and Cyrus says he hopes Brando does, and proves him wrong. Brando wanted responsibility, now he’s got it.   

Sonny and Jason have a shootout with the guy in the mask, who gets shot. Jason calls to Sonny, and Sonny asks if it’s all clear. Jason kicks the guy, and says, all clear. Sonny comes out, and says, where the hell is Julian? Jason checks the dead guy out, and Sonny asks if Jason recognizes him. Jason says, no, and he has no ID. Sonny says they don’t have to guess at who sent him. We hear sirens, and Sonny says, they’ve got to go. They jet.  

Cyrus tells Britt, certainly he can see her point. However, he believes becoming a pharmacological base for a new pain medication will add to the hospital’s prestige. He hands her some papers, and says, as she can see, his team has researched it. She says, it’s very thorough and detailed. It seems highly effective, but she doesn’t see much information on the side effects, and he says, that’s forthcoming. She tells him, to be clear, she’s all for less pain for the patients, and more money for the hospital. He says, so they’re in agreement, and she says, her priority is medical care, not the sale of drugs.

Maxie tells Sasha, if she needs more time… Sasha flashes back to Cyrus slipping her drugs at the MetroCourt, and her subsequently having a heart attack. She tells Maxie, yes, and Maxie says, yes, she needs more time? Sasha says, yes, she agrees to the protocol. Maxie asks if Sasha is sure, and Sasha says she told Maxie that she’s not a drug addict. It shouldn’t be a problem. Maxie says, theoretically, no, and Sasha says, if it’s what Deception needs to move forward, she’ll do it. She signs the agreement, and asks if they can talk about the trunk show now. Maxie says, one more thing. Sasha knows how this business is. People are always ready to gossip, and the tabloids are always unearthing a story. Sasha says, what story? What happened to her is nobody’s business. Maxie says, maybe not, but people will make it their business to dig to find a story, unless Sasha gets ahead of it. She should consider going public before anyone else does. She and Lucy will stand by her, and make her as comfortable as possible. Sasha says, a public shaming? and Maxie says, it’s going to come out anyway. Sasha says, it was one incident; she’s fine now. Maxie says, Sasha took drugs and they gave her a heart attack. It’s not fine. Sasha asks if it’s a deal breaker, and Maxie says, no. It’s up to Sasha. Sasha says, good, and Maxie says if she’d like to consider it and commit to getting healthy, she can do that by signing her new contract. Sasha signs, and asks, now can they please talk about the trunk show? Maxie says she’ll get on it. She’s sorry about this, but she’s Sasha’s friend, and cares about her. Sasha asks if Maxie minds if she takes a few moments. Maxie says, not at all, and Sasha gets up. Brando keeps an eye on her.  

Alexis tells Tracy, no, she did not black out, and Tracy asks how she can be sure. Alexis says she’s blacked out before, and it takes a hell of a lot more than three drinks. Tracy says she doesn’t know how many drinks Alexis had, and doesn’t think she knows either. Alexis says she does know. She had two before Tracy got there, and one after. Chase asks her to follow his pen with her eyes, but she says, nope. He asks if she’s refusing to follow the pen, and she says, if he’s asking her to take part in a sobriety test, she declines. He says he’s sure she’s aware it’s within her rights to decline, but there will be consequences.

Cyrus tells Britt, it may come as a shock… and she says, little shocks her; have at it. He says he agrees the priority is the well-being of patients, but the drugs will support that. Britt says, while making money? and he says, she, of all people, should appreciate the value in an opportunity dropped in one’s lap. She says, rest assured, she appreciates the chance he gave her. He says he needed the right person for a difficult job, and there she was. She says, and here she still is. He says he knew they’d see eye to eye, and thanks her for being generous with her time. He’s sure she has somewhere else to be. She laughs, and says apparently, she does. She’s not sure what business he thinks he’s in, but she’s in the business of saving lives. She gets up, and walks off.

Tracy tells Alexis, she can consent to rehab. She could dry out, out west, away from the pressures of Port Charles. Alexis says, from the look of things, she doesn’t think she’ll be able to leave the jurisdiction. Chase asks for Alexis’s license, and asks if she still refuses the sobriety test. She says she does, and he says he has no choice but to confiscate her license. Tracy asks how that’s going to help, and Chase says Alexis is under arrest for suspicion of a DWI.

Scotty paces in the hotel room, when there’s a knock on the door. Franco says, he’ll get it, but Scotty tells him, wait. Before he answers the door, he wants Franco to know that he’s really important to him. He cares about Franco. Franco asks who Scotty thinks is on the other side, and Scotty says, it could be anyone. Franco says he knows Scotty is nervous, but Dr. Kirk seems to have it together. Relax, and let the doctor do his job. Franco opens the door, and it’s Obrecht. Scotty asks what brings her by, and she says, what else? She has come to save Franco; to cure his unfortunately distressed and traumatized brain. Franco says, cool. Not that he doesn’t appreciate it, but he has a meeting with Dr. Kirk tomorrow. She says, Dr. Kirk is no longer available. It seems Franco’s fate rests entirely in her hands.

Sasha sees Cyrus, and sits with him. She says she believes she owes him an apology. He says he can’t imagine for what, but he’s intrigued. She says she’s sorry for running off on him last night, and he says he got held up himself with sudden business with the mayor. She says she’d love to make it up to him if he’ll give her another chance, and he says she has a habit of storming in and out of his life, which makes the prospect of knowing her better even more intriguing. Brando grabs Sasha’s arm and tells her to come with him. Cyrus says, that’s not how you treat a lady, and Brando says he caught her searching Cyrus’s apartment for drugs. She said she blames him for her heart attack. Cyrus says, how disappointing, and Brando says, don’t worry. He’ll make sure knows not to bother him again.

Cyrus tells Brando, he’s sure Sasha got the message. He doesn’t know what she thought she could do to him, but she’s way out of her depth. He suggests she go back to playing dress-up. There’s less chance of getting hurt. She pushes past Brando, and Cyrus thanks Brando for his loyalty, and timing. Now is the perfect time to be in his good graces. The tension of the past month is coming to an end, and ahead lies prosperity. Cyrus’s phone rings, and he asks, what’s the problem?  

Britt asks Maxie if she minds if she joins her, and Maxie says, not at all. Britt sits down, and Maxie says, Peter is loving having her in Port Charles. Britt says, that explains her invitation to the wedding. Does Maxie want her to send her regrets? Maxie says, Peter wants her there, so she does too. Family is about acceptance, and like it or not, they’re about to be family. Britt says, which brings her to her nephew. Is there any universe where Maxie would feel comfortable about her seeing James? Maxie says she’ll have to think about that, and Britt says, with her mother in prison, James is her only connection to Nathan. Maxie says she and Peter are committed to keeping Nathan’s memory alive for James, and Britt says she’d like to help. Even though James is a toddler, he must miss his oma. Maxie is sure Obrecht misses James too. He brought out the softer side of her, and they formed an Obrechtian bond. Unfortunately, that bond was broken. It’s probably a good thing Obrecht is in Steinmaur. She doesn’t want to tell Obrecht that she’s marrying Peter and having his child. Britt says, her head would explode.  

Franco tells Obrecht, he doesn’t understand; Kirk just agreed to treat him. Scotty asks, what happened? and Obrecht says, unfortunately, Kirk was sent on urgent WSB business far, far away. Scotty says he could have called, but she says, his reassignment was as sudden as it was unexpected. She’s certain if he could have called, he would have. Franco says he’ll see Kirk when he gets back. He’s coming back, right? Obrecht tells him, who can say? and Franco says, Kirk was kind of his last hope. Obrecht says, look at her and smile. He’s happily mistaken. He says, about…? and she says she took the liberty of perusing his file. She’s certain she can help him. Franco says, that’s generous, but he couldn’t possibly accept it, the way he treated her. She says, fortunately, she’s inclined toward forgiveness, and he says, no offense, but since when is neuropsychology her specialty? She says she has many specialties, and Scotty says, they’re talking about his son’s brain. He’s not letting her mess around with that. She reminds him that before moving to Port Charles, she was director of something-in-German. Scotty looks at Franco, who says he’s got nothing. She says, a clinic to heal the mind. She knows her way around the brain. His file says he’s having potential complications from the memory transfer being reversed. Tell her what happened. Franco says he hears things in his head; other people. She says, disembodied voices? and he says, kind of. It’s not random. It’s more like eavesdropping. Like he’s listening to part of a conversation other people would understand.   

Chase reads Alexis her rights, and asks if she understands them. She says it hasn’t been that long since she was disbarred, and he asks again if she understands them. She says she does, and asks if he’s sure he wants to do this. He says she was in the driver’s seat of a car driven off the road, and she says, maybe she got tired and pulled over. He says they both heard what Tracy said, and without taking a field sobriety test, she’ll be given one at the station. Tracy says, and they’ll send her to rehab, right? but Chase says, if it’s under .8 she’ll be charged with a DWAI, driving while ability impaired, but if it’s .8 or higher, she’ll be charged with a straight-up DWI. 

Maxie tells Britt, despite Obrecht’s unique personality, she decide to keep Obrecht in James’s life; she’s his grandma. She knew Nathan’s death was hurting Obrecht as much as it was her. She’d thought Obrecht was unfeeling, and that she’d been proved wrong. Unfortunately, Obrecht can’t stop blaming Britt’s other brother for what happened. Peter bent over backward to be accommodating, when Obrecht had literally broken his arm, and left him in a burning stable to die. Instead of retaliating, Peter gave her a column in The Invader, and gave her respectability, but she couldn’t let go of blaming him for her crimes. Maxie had to choose between Obrecht and the man she loved. Obrecht lost.

Obrecht tells Franco, they all get stymied, even her. When she’s stuck about a column, what does she do? Anything else, and then poof! the solution comes to her. He’s been distracted long enough. What’s the first thing that comes to his mind. Schnell! He says, Drew, and she says, his dearest friend besides her. What about him? He says he was talking to Kirk as Kirk went through his file, and the doctor thought he wasn’t hearing voices, but one of Drew’s memories. His brain wasn’t super scrubbed after all. She asks if the voice he’s hearing is Drew’s, but he says, no; Peter August’s.  

Tracy tells Alexis that she’ll wait for the tow, but Alexis says, leave it. They should have taken her license away long ago. Let the forest reclaim it. Tracy asks if there’s anyone she can call, but Alexis says, don’t bother. No one cares.

Sasha sits at the bistro, and remembers Brando hustling her out of Cyrus’s apartment, and telling her, stay away for her own good. Her phone rings, and it’s Brando, who asks if she’s okay. She says, after he told a drug kingpin that she was ransacking his apartment for evidence to put him away? Thanks. He asks if she’s alone, but she says, it’s none of his business; stay out of it. Brando asks Cyrus is anything is wrong, and Cyrus says, it’s just a loose end. Nothing he can’t handle. Brando asks if something happened.

At a bar in Brooklyn, Sonny tells Jason, the last time he was there, he was with his dad, who almost died. Jason says Cyrus is shooting at them again, but Sonny says he’s pretty sure Cyrus wasn’t after him. Jason asks if he means Julian, and Sonny says, Cyrus knows Julian is alive. He’s going to be desperate to shut Julian up. Jason wonders if Julian will admit he planted the bomb on Cyrus’s orders, and Sonny says, if Julian was smart, he would have never gotten involved in the first place. If Julian doesn’t give up Cyrus, Sonny is going to kill him, not Jason. He’s going to line up the shot and pull the trigger.

Tomorrow, Martin tells Valentin it’s not going to stay private, Violet is worried about not being the flower girl, Finn needs to say something, and Laura asks Curtis if it’s time to go to Plan B.

Below Deck

The captain calls Shane to the bridge and tells him, have a seat. They need to have a conversation. Captain Lee says, the learning curve is steep, and Shane says, it’s crazy. The captain says he thinks Shane underestimated the amount of work, and then had no time to catch up. Eddie says Shane is a good guy, but sleeping in – we flash back to that – naps in the middle of clean-ups – we flash back to that too – and this morning, missing the alarm. It was the final straw. Captain Lee says, unfortunately, the time has come to part company. Shane isn’t getting it done for him. He wants Eddie to help Shane to get his stuff together, and he’ll have someone take Shane to the airport. In Shane’s interview, he says he feels empty, like a vacuum sucked everything out of him. He was giving everything he had to give, but it’s not enough. He tells the captain that he learned a lot, and in Captain Lee’s interview, he says he takes no pleasure in firing anyone, but there’s no trophy for participation in yachting. It’s not all fun and games.

36 hours later. Rachel says, it’s disgusting and despicable, so no. She’d like a flight home. The captain asks why don’t they don’t talk to them, and Rachel says, go f*** yourself.

Back to earlier, Eddie tells Francesca about Shane leaving, and in her interview, she says he’s not surprised. He wasn’t up to par experience-wise, and if you don’t cut it, you don’t cut it. The captain calls James to get Shane’s surfboard out. Elizabeth asks Francesca what she thinks, and Francesca says, it’s a shame Shane is leaving, but the captain said everyone has to pull their weight, and he’s not pulling his weight. Ashling says goodbye to Shane, and in her interview, says, Shane should have stepped it up, but he’s a sweetheart. We flash back to Shane being just that, and she says, it’s really hard. Shane says goodbye to Izzy and James, then Ashling (again) and Francesca. Francesca goes to the galley, and asks if Rachel wants to say goodbye, but Rachel says she’s good. He’s a nice guy, but you make your bed, you lie in it. In her interview, she says she doesn’t want to lie, and say he’s so amazing, and a wonderful human being. Best of luck. Effing don’t let the past hit you in the ass. Eddie says he’ll miss Shane in a lot of ways, and in Shane’s interview, he says, it’s not fun getting fired. If he had it to do over again, he’d do it differently. He’d study more and learn his knots. He’s heading to the closest beach, and overall chalks this up to a success… except for sleeping… and the logs… and the fenders… and the docking. He leaves, and I yell, Shane! Come back, Shane!  

Eddie tells Elizabeth that Shane couldn’t change his work ethic, and she says she’s been there. Eddie says Shane was sleeping when he was off the boat, and taking naps when he shouldn’t. Francesca comes to get Elizabeth, and Elizabeth tells Eddie, it’s not as if she was just sitting around. Izzy tells James that she used his Comet, and he says they share everything now. It’s like they’re married, but not happily. Eddie joins them, and says, when the captain talks about them not working to their full potential, he’s talking about the deck crew. In Eddie’s interview, he says he’s in a funk. He never wants to lose a crew member, and it reflects on him as a bosun. Someone he looks up to is watching his team fail miserably. He tells James and Izzy that he doesn’t want to get in the middle of their weird relationship. He’s tired of getting yelled at, and hopes they are too. He’s just going to grab a brush and help them clean. Rachel texts with Vincenzo, and tells Francesca that 90% of her stress is missing her boyfriend. Francesca says she can be Rachel’s boyfriend. In a non-sexual way. In Rachel’s interview, she says she and Vincenzo have been together a year. He can handle her; he’s like the Rachel whisperer. It’s the first time she’s had a relationship with someone on land since she started her career. It’s hard to be away from him. She tells Francesca that he helps her keep her sh*t together. Eddie wonders why James is taking so long. The captain calls Executive Crew Replacement, and Francesca radios Ashling and Elizabeth to meet her in the Sky Lounge.  

Francesca tells them that she wanted to do a de-briefing of the last charter. She thinks it went well, and they performed better as a team. Ashling is killing it in laundry, with a smile. She asks to talk to Elizabeth privately, and Ashling leaves. She tells Elizabeth, the guests are the most important thing. When service is down, it reflects on her. Last night was an example. She told Elizabeth to check on the guests every 10 minutes. We flash back to when they hadn’t seen a stew in nearly an hour, and a guest telling Francesca, they’re dying upstairs. Francesca says it’s the reason she’s staying up, and she shouldn’t have to. Elizabeth promises to be on top of things, and Francesca tells her, there are ashtrays, ice buckets, and some other loose ends from the last charter going on. In her interview, Francesca says, she’s trying to get second stew out of Elizabeth, but it’s not happening, and her patience is growing down. She tells Elizabeth, part of being a stew is being proactive. In Elizabeth’s interview, she says there are things she needs to work on and get better at. Francesca is a Gemini, and has two sides. She needs to figure out how to please both sides. She tells Ashling, there are only so many of them to do every little thing.

The deck crew finishes up, and the crew is ready to party. They get dressed, and James finds Izzy crying in her bunk. She tells him that she’s just tired, and it’s her way of letting out stress. In her interview, she says she tried hard to do well, and put any issues aside, but she feels terrible. She’s still being told she could be fired. She wonders if they’re chewing through the crew, and James tells her, no one is sacking her. In Izzy’s interview, she says, she was the youngest growing up, and she’s still her parents’ baby. When they split up, she was 17, and felt broken. She got depressed and anxious. She was out of control, and when things get to crumbling, she’s an anxious mess. Eddie asks if she’s coming, and she says she’s good. Everyone finishes getting ready, and Rachel says her goal for the evening is to get wasted. She’s stoked. James says, when Sunshine went, the vibe went hostile. Elizabeth says she’s bitten her tongue for so long, she doesn’t have one. It’s bleeding out of her soul. <insert eye roll here>

They go to a restaurant, and get espresso martinis. Rachel says, they keep you up and drunk AF. Francesca says it feels weird that Shane isn’t there, but Eddie says he feels good about the team; it can only get better. Elizabeth babbles at James, and he tells her that she’s getting spiritual, and losing him. She says her goal is not to lose him, and says he can be physical and spiritual. In his interview, he says, this is getting deep, but I think it’s more like Elizabeth is getting drunk. She asks if she’s too much for him, and he says she just blew his mind. Francesca asks if Rachel is okay, and Rachel says she just wants to have a life. She loves Vincenzo. Eddie says she’s all right, but in Rachel’s interview, she says she just wants to be with her boyfriend, and it sucks. Eddie tells her, it’s just a few weeks, and in her interview, she says, it would be amazing to have children. She cries, and says Vincenzo makes her feel calm and collected. He’s her best friend, and she just wants to see him. The crew has to be up at 8 am, so they head back to the boat.   

In the taxi, Eddie asks if Elizabeth wants to work on deck, and she says she’s trying not to get in her head. She’s been working hard, but Francesca called her in for a little chat. Rachel says, if she wants to be a yachtie, she has to suck it up. In Eddie’s interview, he says, Rachel is a different person when she’s drinking. It’s like a switch is flipped, and she’s dark and combative. Rachel keeps repeating, suck it up, along with a few other choice phrases, some of which I’ve never heard before.

James jumps rope on deck, and Rachel goes to see Eddie. She says, a lot of bullsh*t is happening in interior. He asks what that has to do with her, and she says she doesn’t know. Something else is happening, but she doesn’t know what. We flash back to her haranguing Elizabeth, and Eddie says if Rachel needs him, he’ll be there. She says he doesn’t have to, but he says he likes being there. Elizabeth virtually introduces James to her friends on her phone, and says he’s the only one up except her. Elizabeth apologizes for interrupting James’s workout, and Eddie tells Rachel, it’s his room now; go to her room. She tells him to s*ck her d*ck. Elizabeth tells James that she has a bad  taste in her mouth about the conversation with Francesca. In James’s interview, he says he’d like to know Elizabeth more. She’s his type of girl. They can have a laugh, and she doesn’t take things seriously. Sometimes it’s risky, but it’s a lot of fun. They hug, and go to their separate cabins.

8 am. Ashling asks if James’s hair is ready, and if he and Elizabeth had a smoochie, but he ignores her. Rachel comes into the crew mess, and Eddie asks how she’s doing. She says, hung over. James tells Eddie, it’s great to be alive, for the most part. Elizabeth tells Ashling that she’s stressing, and Ashling tells her to relax. Francesca joins them, and says, the next charter is coming tomorrow. They need to strip the beds. Lunch is usually, at 1, so they’ll work until then. Elizabeth says she’s getting coffee, then she’ll start the laundry. She needs advice on how to bleach a shirt, and Francesca tells her to use cold water, and go outside, but she should check the instructions. Ashling does the ironing, and Izzy asks why James is grunting. He says he’s hung over, and Eddie jokingly says, no more talking for the rest of day. Ashling says she’s feeling dizzy, and Rachel says she is too. We see the shirt sitting in a bucket of bleach in the laundry room.

The captain says James is washing sh*t that was just washed five minutes ago. Eddie tells James that he just saw Izzy washing the same thing he is, and asks why he’s washing it again. In Eddie’s interview, he says, Shane was just fired yesterday. He knows the captain’s standards, and wants to exceed them. He doesn’t like looking like an a-hole. Chief Engineer Mario asks if they smell something, and says, it smells like solvent. He’s not liking it, and tells everybody to get out while he looks around. Rachel cleans the galley, and Captain Lee radios Eddie to see him. The captain points out that James is washing the same side again. It’s making him effing nuts, and he’s losing his sh*t. Eddie goes out, and asks why James is rinsing what was already rinsed. Go to the top, and work his way down. Mario checks the laundry room, and thinks it could be the bucket. Rachel tells Ashling, if she smells something funky, tell the engineer. Mario radios that there’s no more danger. Rachel calls Vincenzo, and says she wants to see him, but he says he can’t promise. The coronavirus is everywhere. She says, in Europe? and he tells her, they’re starting to isolate cities. She cries, saying she misses him, and he tells her not to cry. She says wants him there, and Elizabeth hears her crying.

Feb 23, 2020. Rachel says she doesn’t want deal with this, and cries. Elizabeth asks, what’s wrong? and Rachel says she wants to see her boyfriend. Elizabeth hugs her, and says she’s sorry. Elizabeth says it’s the fourth charter, and they’re halfway though. Rachel says she’s fine with the charters, and Elizabeth says, they all have those moments. Mario tells Captain Lee that he thinks he pinpointed the safety issue; something was soaking in a bleach mixture. The captain says, not good. James calls his mom, and in his interview, he says he and his mom have the same personality. That’s why she’s his best friend. He tells his mom, they’re not allowed to make jokes. In his interview, he says, Eddie is like his dad. He just absorbs, and doesn’t interact. His mom tells him, it’s a job. Mario tells Francesca one of her staff was using bleach mixed with soap, which causes a gas. It’s the same mixture they used for mustard gas during WWII. The after-affect is caused when it’s inside confined spaces. We flash back to Elizabeth making the concoction. Francesca thanks him for bringing it to her attention, and he says he’ll report it to the captain. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says, it’s a massive f*** up. It not only makes him look incompetent, but puts the crew in danger. It’s negligence. Francesca calls Elizabeth to the pantry, and tells her the Chief Engineer came to her, and told her that chemicals in a confined space caused the problem. She’ll have to talk to Captain Lee. Elizabeth says she’s used it on every boat she’s been on, but Francesca says, it was in a confined area. Elizabeth says she’s sorry; it was a mistake. Francesca says, it’s a mistake she shouldn’t be making, and in Elizabeth’s interview, she says she’d never think to approach someone the way Francesca does. She feels like she’s constantly walking on eggshells. It sucks. Francesca says she’s rethinking the stripes she gave Elizabeth. Elizabeth says she doesn’t want to lose her job; they can work this out. Francesca says she needs to think. She tells Rachel about what Elizabeth did, and says that’s why they were feeling dizzy. Rachel says she’s not getting involved, and Francesca says she doesn’t know whether they can keep Elizabeth. Rachel says, if Francesca feels she can replace Elizabeth with someone who’s capable, she’ll support her, and Francesca says she appreciates it. Rachel says, they’re dealt the cards. They need to effing fold, and deal again. In Francesca’s interview, she says, safety is paramount on a yacht, and Elizabeth was putting them all at risk. She asks if she can talk to the captain.

Francesca tells Captain Lee that she wanted to chat about Elizabeth. They’ve gone through a couple of meetings, and she’s not improving. The bleach was the last straw. Elizabeth asks Rachel if she’s getting fired, and Rachel says, Francesca told her to take the bleach outside, and she didn’t. It pissed her off. Francesca tells the captain, Elizabeth isn’t pulling her weight or following through. He asks what she proposes, and she asks if he can get someone else and let Elizabeth go. He says, possibly, but not before the next charter; it’s coming too quickly. In his interview, he says he’s not doubting her rendition of what happened, but he can’t just let Elizabeth go right now. He tells Francesca that she’ll have to make it work, and they’ll discuss it after the next charter. In Francesca’s interview, she says, she gets it, but it’s annoying that she has to pull more weight. It’s not fair.

Elizabeth tells Rachel that Francesca has a perception of her that’s hard to change, and Rachel suggests Elizabeth talk to the captain. Francesca sees them talking, and turns around. Elizabeth asks to talk to her, but Francesca says, not now. In Francesca’s interview, she says, WTF? Elizabeth is getting everyone involved. She’s disappointed that Rachel told Elizabeth to overstep. Elizabeth asks if she can talk to Captain Lee. He says, no problem, but looks like he has a headache. She wants to know what’s happening, and he says, nothing right now. She asks if she’s fired, and he says, no. She says, okay, but he tells her that her future on the boat depends on how she performs during the next charter. If she wants it bad enough, she’ll be there. She says she does, and plans on delivering. He says, that’s all anybody can ask. She thanks him, and leaves.

Francesca is working in the crew mess, and James asks where she wants the laundry. She asks where he thinks it goes. The refrigerator? He tells her not to get upset, and she says he’s asking a stupid question. In his interview, he says, she takes her job too seriously. From now on, she doesn’t exist to him. F*** you. Rachel apologizes to Francesca, but in Francesca’s interview, she says she doesn’t trust either of them. Rachel doesn’t have her back. She tells Rachel that she needs a moment, and Rachel says, effing whatever.

It’s time for the preference sheet meeting, and Eddie says, it’s been a stressful day, but let’s do it. Captain Lee says he won’t be saying that once they read the sheets. The primary is Brian Guarani, a top realtor, and he’s coming with another realtor, and a stay at home dad. They want the slide, the jet skis, and rainbow unicorn floats. He reads off two pages of different cuisines they want, including a Viva la France party with an elaborate 10-course dinner. In Francesca’s interview, she says, it’s crazy, but it’s yachting. No request is too massive. She’s seen it on many a charter. They want truffles from Italy, an Austen Martin to drive them to a club, and she’s chaperoned until 6 am sober. Rachel says, it’s disgusting, and it’s despicable. She could be a private chef in Monaco and make more. She’d like a flight home. It’s ostentatious bullsh*t, and they can s*ck her d*ck. Captain Lee says they can talk to the guests to see if they’re as ostentatious as they are on paper, and Rachel says, go f*** yourself. The crew, the captain, and I are all like, what did she just say? and Captain Lee says he’d rather not do that. Rachel says she loves him, and respects the crew, but she’s out. She’s packing. Francesca asks if she’s sure, and she says she’s dead serious. The captain tells her that she’s gotta do what she’s gotta do, and so will he. In his interview, he says this is a first for him. He’s never had a walk-off the day before pick-up, and he’s pissed. The day just got bleepity-bleep-bleep-bleep. Rachel goes to her cabin, saying, she doesn’t play games. They can shove it up their ass. She can make more money at home. In Rachel’s interview, she says, the preference sheet is absolutely ridiculous. She’s overwhelmed, and has to walk away or she’ll explosion. She tells Francesca that she’s sorry. Rachel loves her, but they can eat her cooter, (new one on me) and shove it up their ass. She’s out. Eddie tells Francesca, it’s a tough charter. He just got the provisions, and they’re asking the world and then some. He asks how Rachel is feeling, and Francesca says, she’s quitting. It sounds like she’s lost it. The captain asks Rachel if she’s got a second, and she says she feels like a prisoner. I wonder if he can’t get her a sous chef.

Captain Lee tells Rachel that he’s not looking forward to these guys, but just because they ask for something, doesn’t mean they’ll get it. They’re in the middle of the Caribbean, and some of it is outrageous. That being said, would she consider doing lunch and dinner on day one? Rachel says, no, and he asks if there’s nothing he can do. She says she knows she’s leaving him between a rock and a hard place. An alarm goes off, and she says she respects him, and loves working under him. The alarm continues, and he gets up, saying, like they don’t have enough. Rachel asks if he minds if she packs. In his interview, Captain Lee says he has less than 24-hours to find a charter chef. They’re screwed six ways to Sunday. Rachel packs, and Eddie asks if Izzy saw the provision list. It’s so bad, Rachel is quitting. Rachel says she’s tired, and they can eat her ass. She looks at the cameraman, and says, in his best interest, she thinks he should call their hounds (not sure what that means). It’s not cool. She gives the finger to the camera.

In her interview, Izzy says they’re down a chef and a deckhand. She thinks they’re f***ed. The captain calls Eddie, and asks him for a hand with Rachel’s luggage. Rachel tells Francesca, she’s sorry, but she drew a line, and Francesca tells her to take care of herself. In Francesca’s interview, she says, if Rachel is bouncing when they need her, she never cared in the first place, and that sucks. Rachel leaves, and Eddie tells Ashling what’s going on. Captain Lee tries to figure out what he did in a previous life to deserve this. In his interview, he says he never had to tell a guest they needed to cancel a charter. His chief and second stew aren’t getting along, they’re down a deckhand, and the chef split. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do.

To be continued…  

🎁 Spoiler: I’m guessing things work out, since on Watch What Happens Live last week, Captain Lee said Rachel was the whole package as far as yacht chefs go.

🤸 Time For Me To Split Too…

How can it be such a long week when it’s only the first day of it? Not to mention, ho-ho-how is it that Christmas is almost here? Although I can’t say I’ll be sorry to see 2020 in the rearview. Show of hands. How many said, 2020 is going to be my year? Yeah, me too, but until the forecast changes, stay safe, stay well-adjusted, and stay not making disgusting, despicable demands.