What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

The week continues with me missing the beginning, so here’s what happened before it had my full concentration. Alexis called someone for backup, and her daughters arrived, asking what the emergency was. Alexis said she was changing her plea to guilty, which didn’t go over too big with the Davis girls. Valentin rang the doorbell, and Molly told him it wasn’t a good time, but Alexis said she wanted to see him. At Kelly’s, Trina and Josslyn looked at the social media posts about Franco’s funeral, and hoped Cameron was ignoring them. They decided to put flowers on Sonny and Dev’s graves. Already at the cemetery, Cameron saw his biological father’s gravestone, and listed all the bad things that had happened to him, saying that if Zander had been there, it might have been different. Zander appeared and said he got it; it was all his fault. Sasha went to see Brando in his hospital room, where he was getting dressed. She told him the nurses had been talking about the hot guy who was checking out against the doctor’s advice. She helped him with a button he’d missed, but Cyrus interrupted. Maxie told Peter that Sam would be back soon, but he doubted it, since he’d seen her leaving with the boxes. She wanted him to unlock the door and give her back the key, but he said she was safer with him around. Michael saw that Brook was pregnant, but she avoided the subject, and told him how heartbroken she was to hear about Sonny. She said she would have come back, but she figured Michael had Willow… or Sasha. And then…

Zander says it’s good see Cameron. He can only imagine what Cameron’s mom told him. Cameron says she almost never mentions him. He was her best friend’s boyfriend, something happened, they left town, and he got Cameron’s mom pregnant. Then, he died. He read about Zander’s death online at a site on suicide by cop. He was surrounded by police, saw no way out, and pulled an imaginary gun. He knew the police would have no choice but to shoot him. He’s got to say, as father figures go, Zander went in style. Zander says, and he’s to blame for everything wrong in Cameron’s life. Cameron says, when he was seven, he fell off his bike, and got ten stitches. Maybe it is Zander’s fault. Maybe if he’d been there to teach Cameron how to ride a bike, it wouldn’t have happened. Zander says, maybe he can still teach Cameron something, but Cameron says, one problem; he’s dead. Zander says, true, but Cameron isn’t. Is he really throwing away his future because today hurts so bad? Cameron asks why he cares. He had his chance to be a dad, and blew it. Zander says he’s still Cameron’s dad, and always will be, whether Cameron likes it or not. Cameron should take the opportunity to from his mistakes.

Cyrus says, so it’s true. Brando is being released. He asks if Brando is ready to leave. His job has been on hold since his unfortunate accident, and still needs his attention. Brando says he wasn’t sure he had a job to come back to, and Cyrus asks who Brando thinks is paying his medical bills. Brando says he’s grateful, but Cyrus says, there’s no need for gratitude; benefits are part of the job. Sasha asks if the job benefits include getting shot, when Gladys comes in. She asks, where’s her boy? and runs to Brando, hugging him. She says, if something had happened to her boy, she could never forgive herself – or anyone else.

Michael tells Brook, some things have changed since she’s been gone. He and Willow had their marriage annulled, but Willow is living in the gatehouse so she can be close to Wiley. Brook says she’s glad Nelle’s plan to abduct Wiley was stopped, and he says, thanks to her. Any update on her voice? She says, let it suffice to say she won’t be singing any duets with Taylor Swift any time soon. But she’s alive, which is more than she can say for Julian. Michael says, he was on the bridge with Sonny, but only Julian’s body was recovered. She asks how Lucas is handing it, and he says, it hit Lucas harder than Lucas wanted it to, but he thinks Lucas has moved on. Lucas sees Wiley, which is good for both of them. She guesses that was his idea, and he says, there can’t be too many people to love Wiley. She says she can think of one more. Sonny was someone she thought would always be there. They hug.

Alexis says she wants Valentin to stay, and asks for Molly’s take on her plea. Molly says just because she’s in law school doesn’t mean she’s an expert, and Kristina says she works at the DA’s office, but Molly says that doesn’t mean she has privileged information. Alexis says she just wants Molly’s legal opinion, and Molly says, it hasn’t changed. If Alexis pleads not guilty, even if she’s not acquitted, the sentence should be lenient; maybe a combination of rehab and community service. Alexis says, and if she pleads guilty? Molly says, she’ll be sent to Pentenville.  

Maxie says she knows what she told Peter at the hospital wasn’t easy to hear, but she hasn’t changed her mind. If anything, she’s more certain they have no future together. He says they have to, for their family and daughter. She says she’s thinking about their daughter. She knows no matter what else he’s done, he loves their daughter. He says he does. That’s why they have to provide a healthy, happy home. He’s not suggesting rushing back into a wedding. They can take time to work things out. Maybe go to couples counseling. She says she doesn’t think couples counseling is the answer. He killed Drew. He says, hearsay from unreliable sources like Valentin and Obrecht. They have no proof. The past is dead. He killed it. She asks, how exactly did he do that?

Zander tells Cameron, he made mistakes. He made bad choices, and now his time was wasted. He did a few good things – Cameron is one of them – but in the end, his bad choices won. They dragged him down like a riptide, and pulled him under, but it’s not too late for Cameron to make good choices. Cameron says he’s a senior in high school. Now Zander is giving him fatherly advice? It’s too late, doesn’t he think? Zander says Cameron sounds like him. For him, it was a bluff because he was hurting, and didn’t know how to express it. Cameron insists he’s not hurting; he’s mad. Zander says, Cameron is right to be mad as hell. He feels hopeless, and like it will never end, but he can’t give in. Cameron says, like him? but Zander says they’re not talking about him; they’re talking about Cameron. If Cameron doesn’t want to do it for himself, do it for those who need him, and give him a purpose. He’s seen Cameron with Jake and Aiden. He puts his hands on Cameron’s shoulders and says, he has so much potential. Don’t follow his example. Don’t give in to negative impulses and anger. Cameron says, easy for him to say, and Zander tells Cameron that he was hurting, and wanted the world to hurt with him. Cameron has a chance he never did. Franco turned out to be a great father. Cameron was safe and loved. Don’t make a lie out of everything Franco did for him. It’s his choice.

Brando asks when Gladys got to town, and she says, actually, she’s been there a few days. She was working up the nerve to see him. Things didn’t end on the best note. She says hello to Cyrus, and says, it’s good to see him. She hopes in the future, Cyrus takes better care of her son. Cyrus assures her that Brando is in good hands, and Gladys says she and Sasha met at Sonny’s house at Christmastime. Sasha was with Michael. Sasha says, they broke up, and Gladys says she bets Sasha couldn’t stand his pushy mother. She can’t say she blames Sasha. Brando says, sorry about his mother, but Sasha says, it’s okay. It’s not easy for her to see her son in the hospital. She’ll leave them alone. Cyrus says he’ll join her, and they leave. Brando closes the door, and says, okay. Now they’re alone. What is she doing there, and what’s in it for her?

Brook tells Michael, the last time she spoke to Granny, she said Ned and Olivia hadn’t reconciled, despite her best efforts. He asks if Tracy told her how far she went, and Brook shakes her head. He says, Tracy framed Alexis for drunk driving, thinking she’d go to rehab, and wouldn’t be able to talk about her and Ned’s one-night stand. Brook guesses it backfired, and Olivia found out. That’s why her dad wanted her to come back. Michael says, and Tracy went back to Europe. That leaves him with the question, who’s the father? She says, the answer is, none of his business. 

Molly says, Alexis injured Dante, and almost killed him. They’re not going to give her a slap on the wrist. Kristina says, Franco was just shot. Someone else thought he was dangerous too. Alexis says they’re talking about her. She did it because she was drunk, and never would have done it if she’d been sober. She won’t get sober unless she faces what she’s done. Kristina says, if Dante can forgive her, maybe the jury can, but Alexis says, it’s a disease, not an excuse. She asks what Valentin thinks, and he says he thinks she’s a fighter. She asks if he thinks she should plead not guilty, and he says, not if she wants to take responsibility. If she wants that, she’ll have to plead guilty.   

Peter tells Maxie that he was talking symbolically. The past died when he turned his back on Anna and her lies. The past died when he found out Valentin wasn’t his true friend. For better or worse, he’s the son of Alex Marick and Cesar Faison. Faison was Nathan’s father too, and Maxie loved him with all her heart. Maxie almost smiles, remembering Nathan, and says, he’s right. This doesn’t have anything to do with DNA or what name Peter uses. It’s about the man Peter is. He says, exactly, and starting today, everything he does is for her and their daughter. The bond between the three of them can’t be broken. She says he already broke it, with his lies and his actions. He was never honest with her, but she’s going to be honest with him. He’s going to have no part in her life or this baby’s.

Cameron tells Zander that he’s the very definition of too little too late. Where was he when Cameron was afraid of the dark? When he needed someone to check under the bed and look in the closet, and promise no monsters were there? Where was he when Cameron’s dog died? Where was he when Cameron messed up, and had to face a judge, and got community service? Where was he when Cameron’s heart got broken, when he was kidnapped, or lost his best friend to cancer?

Peter says Maxie doesn’t know what she’s saying. They got into her head. Spinelli and Robert have been gunning for him since he got to town. Valentin and Anna are just the latest. Don’t listen to them. He understands why Mac is important to Maxie, since her father abandoned her, and she was deprived of a father’s love. Would she do the same with their child? She says she’s going to do her best for their child, and he says, of course (🍷) she will. She’s loving and generous, and also smart. She knows better than to try and keep him from his child. She asks if he’s  threatening her, and he says she’s been lied to by people she loves and trusts. He’s trying to give her time to recover from the shock. When she’s healed, her natural goodness will give her the clarity to see through the lies, and everything will be as it was meant to be… as they’re meant to be.

Michael says, it’s not like Brook can hide until the baby comes. What if he arranges a family dinner? She can tell everyone at once. She says her immediate plans are up in the air, but who would he invite? He says, Ned would want to be there, and maybe he and Olivia could make it through a full dinner if they don’t have to focus on themselves. Monica and Willow; maybe Valentin. She asks if he’s kidding her. That crazy guy tricked her into selling her stock, and took ELQ away from Michael. He asks if that’s why she waited until Valentin left before she said hello, but she says she didn’t know he was there. He says, then she missed the part where Valentin offered to give him back control of the company if he’d let Nina spend time with Wiley. She says, did he really? He actually has a heart. Who knew?

Molly asks Alexis to help her understand. If she pleads guilty, she’ll be sent to prison, and somehow free herself of addiction? Kristina says, it makes no sense. If Alexis needs help, go to rehab. Alexis says Dante told her that demons follow you wherever you go, and Valentin says, unless you face them. Alexis says she’s tired. Tired of running. She needs to confront what she did, and not just one thing, all of it. She tells Kristina and Molly, it’s the only way she’s going to survive.

Gladys says, Brando got shot. Of course (🍷) she’s there. How could he doubt her intentions? He says he knows her, so save the lecture. He already knows she told Cyrus that Dev wasn’t Sonny’s cousin, but a refugee Sonny was shielding. She says she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Poor Dev. She couldn’t have loved him more if he’d been her own grandson. To think he was killed in a blast… It’s surreal. Now her son was almost gone. He says, let that be a lesson to her. The closer you get to Cyrus, the more dangerous life gets.

Cyrus asks if Sasha has time for coffee; his treat. And he’s not talking the diesel fuel from the vending machine. He has an espresso maker in his office. She says the last time she accepted his hospitality, she ended up in the hospital, and he says, as she wishes. She tells him, wait. She’s not minimizing who he is, or the things he sells, but no one put a gun to her head. She has no one to blame but herself. He asks if it’s her talking, or her counseling, and she says she’s quoting her counselor, but she believes she’s responsible for her choices.

Zander says he should been there. Instead, he gave up. He gave up on himself, life, everything. In one moment, he threw away everything. Now Cameron is at his own fork in the road, and it’s time for him to choose. If he chooses wrong, he knows what they’ll say; like father, like son. Trina and Josslyn show up, and Trina reads the gravestone, Alexander Smith. Josslyn says, Cameron’s biological father. He used to be called Zander, right? Cameron says, right. He was just here.

Cameron repeats, he was just here, and Trina says, who? Cameron says, it doesn’t matter. He left, just like everyone else. Josslyn says, that’s not true. She and Trina are there. That counts, right? He asks who the flowers are for, and Josslyn says, they’re for Dev and Sonny’s graves. Cameron says, typical. Someone else gets the flowers and the girl. Trina asks what he’s talking about, and Josslyn says, no offense, but has he been drinking? He says he wishes he had that as an excuse. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much.

Gladys says, if anyone is close to Cyrus, it’s him. What does he do for Cyrus? Anything his mother should know about? He says he’s a driver; it’s just a job. And if she doesn’t mind, he’d like to get out, and get back to earning his pay. She says he’s so conscientiousness, but she’s not letting him do anything until he recovers. He asks how she’s going to monitor him from Bridgeport, and she says she’s sticking around to make sure her baby boy is okay.

Sasha says, sometimes she can’t figure Cyrus out. It seems like he has genuine concern for Brando. He says he’s not the only one, and she says, Brando has been a good friend, and she appreciates Cyrus looking out for him. It makes him seem almost human. Cyrus says she’d be surprised how human he is, and she says she knows exactly what he is.

Michael tells Brook, of course (🍷) he wants the company back, but his duty is to his son’s interests first. He’s not trading Wiley’s emotional well-being for stock. She says, whatever the case, she’s tired and wants to lie down. She asks him to get her suitcase from the car; she has no energy to talk to anyone else about the latest developments. He says she’s going to have to talk to the baby’s father, and she says, no offense, but he had a baby with a psychopath, and he’s offering her advice? Back off. He says he’s trying to make her understand it’s imperative she tells the truth, and she tells him to handle the suitcase; she’ll handle the rest. He says, Valentin is the baby’s father, isn’t he?   

Kristina says, what’s it to Valentin if her mom goes to prison? Molly says she agrees with Kristina. She tells Alexis that it sounds brave and noble to take responsibility for her actions, but Pentenville isn’t equipped with the kind of rehab Alexis needs. Alexis says she doubts she’ll be the only one drinking. There’s probably an AA meeting, and if there isn’t, she’ll start one. Sam says, prison isn’t rehab. If she goes to Pentenville, she’ll have no support system. Is she ready for that?

Maxie tells Peter that she wants to believe there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s not a freight train coming at her. He says, the light she sees is real. Their love and their family is real. Maxie says, he was right. She just needs time to figure out where they go from here. He tells her to take all the time she needs. He thinks he’ll hold on to the key in the meantime. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if something happened to her, James, or the baby. She looks at him stone-faced. Um… can’t she just change the locks?

Trina says, okay. They went to Dev and Sonny’s graves. Josslyn says, now they can take Cameron home, but he says, actually, he’s not going home. One thing he learned tonight is that he doesn’t need anybody. Josslyn says he’s not the only one who lost someone. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of grief to go around. Quit feeling sorry for himself. He says, she’s right. He’s just another loser. We see Zander watching, and Cameron says, like father, like son. Trina hopes the pity party is over soon. For the record, she and Josslyn don’t hang out with losers. He’ll have to accept they’re amazing friends, and he’s lucky to have them. Cameron says, right, the luckiest, and smiles. Zander watches.

Gladys comes back out, and tells Sasha that Brando is asking to see her. Sasha goes to see Brando, and Cyrus asks how Gladys likes her accommodations. She says she’d prefer an upgrade to the MetroCourt. It’s the least he could do in exchange for her looking out for his interests.

Brando is packing when Sasha comes in. She asks if he needs a ride, but he says his mother insists on taking him home. She says his mother is talking to Cyrus, and he says, hopefully, she’s just passing through. His advice, keep her distance. She tells him, don’t worry. She has no intention of letting anyone too close.

Michael tells Brook, don’t deny it. He knows she spent the night with Valentin before she left Port Charles. She admits Valentin is the father, and Michael asks when she’s going to tell him. She says, it’s complicated, and she might not tell him. Michael says, the man can do the math, and she says, if she deceives him though, there will be fewer heartbreaks. Michael says, he didn’t say that, she did Still, playing with Valentin Cassadine is playing a dangerous game.

Kristina and Molly tell Alexis that they love her, give her a hug, and leave. Sam asks Valentin if he’s leaving too, and he says he’d like to stick around and discuss options if it’s okay with Alexis. Alexis says it is, and Sam asks if she’s sure about that. Alexis says yes, Sam tells Alexis that she loves her, and leaves. Alexis tells Valentin, this is getting to be a habit. He says if she wants him to leave, say the word. She says, milk and sugar? and he says, two sugars.

Maxie says, maybe there still is a place for Peter in her life, with her and the baby. He says, that’s more like it. He smiles and leaves, and she calls a locksmith. Not really, but she should. She puts the chain lock on the door, and tells the baby, one thing I’ll never share, sweetheart, is you. Never ever.

Tomorrow, Laura asks how she can help, Sam tells Dante there’s been a change in plans, Peter asks Cyrus what’s in it for him, and Elizabeth says she’s going to make sure Jason pays.

👔 Cameron’s Bio-Dad…

If you need a refresher course, like I did.

Zander Smith on GENERAL HOSPITAL — Everything You Need to Know

🥾 Same Zander, Different Day…

I wonder if it felt like going home.

https://www.tvinsider.com/990371/chad-brannon-zander-returns-to-general-hospital-first-look/

🐎 I caught a little of The Real Housewives of Dallas, and the women did some kind of meditation exercise with D’Andra’s shaman. Kameron and Kary reacted the same way I would. While everyone else was going, ohm-m-m, they could barely contain their laughter. Kary had a birthday party for Tiffany, which included a weird wall, where hands came out of small windows to hand them glasses of wine. I have to mention that D’Andra wears expensive headbands. I’ve noticed them on her before, and I can’t remember the brand, but I checked them out once. I couldn’t see paying $40 for a headband, when I can get one for a fraction of that at Ulta. It’s not a tiara for God’s sake. Tiffany was thrilled, since she never had a birthday party while growing up. She received a boiled egg per tradition – symbolizing wishes for a good year ahead – and a red envelope containing $20. Since the alcohol was flowing, she got sappy, telling the women that she’d just wanted to fit in. They said they’d thought she was the cool one. Me too. In her interview, she said it felt good to be part of this messed up group. I guess her bar is set pretty low. Everyone got really drunk, and Brandi fell off a swing, but she didn’t let it slow her down any. D’Andra ended up pitching a fit at Mama Dee over why she’d changed her last name to her stepfather’s. While D’Andra said it was because he’d taken care of her, Mama Dee said it was because D’Andra thought the name could open doors for her. It got pretty nasty. Brandi and Tiffany tried to comfort D’Andra, who also fell off the swing along with Tiffany, while Brandi managed to stay standing. I have no idea if a good time was had by all, or anybody really.

Next time, D’Andra defends the practice of meditation, and calls Brandi a cafeteria Christian.

🍷 Windows Of Wine…

Everything old is new again. They literally came in handy then and now.

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/plague-wine-windows-italy

🥚 Birthday Egg…

Why Tiffany got that egg, and some other interesting traditions.

https://russian13chinesefoodsuperstitions.wordpress.com/author/angelazhu96/

🚴‍♀️ No Moss Gathering Here…

While tomorrow brings Teresa and tea, for now, it’s time for me to roll. Until we and the Jersey Wives meet, stay safe, stay classy, and stay off the swing at Kary’s parties.