What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

We see a guy in the shower. He reaches for a towel, and we see his feet come out. He wipes the steam from the mirror, and it’s Dante. A clean-shaven Dante. I don’t know if I like it. I kind of liked the scruffy Dante.

At the MetroCourt, Curtis examines flyers for his club at the bar. Portia dashes in, and apologizes to Trina; she’s running late. Trina says she just got there, but she’s decided, whatever dessert they get, she wants it to be on fire. She’s not specific about if she means something that’s actually flaming, or the colloquial term. Portia suggests Trina grab a table; she wants to say hi to Curtis. Trina says, Curtis can wait. Their table is ready and waiting. Portia is sure they’ll seat Trina without her, and she’ll be right behind her. Trina goes to the table, and Portia walks over to the bar. She says, what is all this? and Curtis smiles at her.

At another table, Nikolas tells Ava that he’s sorry to leave, and she says she knows. He has a pressing engagement. She hopes he’s taken all the necessary precautions. Cyrus will have all his people in place. He promises he’s covered all of his bases. It’s time they stopped looking over their shoulders, and Cyrus started looking over his.

Alexis is pushing a book cart through the library, and Shawn is reading at a table. He says she can’t give it up, can she? She says, give up what? and he says, being a lawyer. He heard she was instrumental in helping her cellmate prep for her parole hearing. She says she can’t drink in there; allow her one vice. Anyway, parole hearings aren’t that complicated. You just have to take responsibility for what you did, say you learned a lesson, and show remorse for the crime, and Maggie did that, so… He says, here’s hoping, and she says she’s really going to miss Maggie as a cellmate. She liked Maggie, and you never know who you’re going to get next, right? She says she’ll be really happy for Maggie if she gets out, and asks if his parole isn’t coming up soon. She thinks it is, and if he needs a lawyer, he’s got one. He says, thanks, but he won’t be attending his parole hearing.

Fresh Dante knocks on Jordan’s door, and says, Detective Falconari reporting for duty. She says, welcome back, Detective. She gets up, and says she thinks he’ll be wanting this, handing him his badge. He looks it over, and she says she can see he’s missed it. He says he didn’t realize how much until he came back for that one case. She says she thinks that was Mac’s strategy all along. He knew if Dante came back, he’d want to stay. He nods, and she says, glad to hear it. Now let’s get to work.

Josslyn opens the door to Jax, and he says, hi. She says, hi, less than enthusiastically, and walks away, leaving the door open. He comes in behind her, and says she can pretend she’s glad to see him. She says she’s always glad to see him… mostly. She just wishes they didn’t have to do this today. He says he knows, but he and her mother agreed they can’t put it off any longer, and decisions have to be made. She rolls her eyes, and they walk into the living room, where Carly is waiting. Carly thanks Jax for coming. She knows things have been a little hectic lately. He says, that’s one way of putting it, and she says, Josslyn is the priority. She was hoping he could help her convince their daughter that it’s time to stop putting off her life.

Jordan points at the computer screen, and tells Dante, the two fake janitors enter Dr. Westbourne’s office here… and here’s footage of Jason Morgan and an orderly leaving the 10^th floor. Now… wait for it. He watches, and says, what the hell? Jason’s made it out, and he turns around and runs right back in. She says, mm-hmm. And where did he go? Dante watches, and says, Britt Westbourne’s office. He could have gotten away. She says, free and clear. Al he had to do was keep going, although she doesn’t think she can say the same for Britt.

On the phone next to her car, Sam tells Spinelli, the passports are perfect. Jason is probably avoiding Sonny’s safe houses, but she thinks Britt might know a place. Nikolas owns a property east of Elmira, a nature preserve. It’s a perfect place for two fugitives to hide… Well, if she’s wrong, she wasted an afternoon, but if she’s right, she could help Jason get away.

Jason says he doesn’t want to push Britt. Under other circumstances, he wouldn’t even ask. She says, under other circumstances, he doesn’t even talk. Can they just pretend these are those circumstances? He says, okay, but they’re on the run, and if something is wrong, he needs to know what it is if he’s going to protect her. She says, that’s actually very sweet, but if this is what she thinks it is, no one can protect her. She’s sick. She has Huntington’s Disease.

He asks if she’s sure, and she says, yeah; her father had it. He says he remembers, and she says, as luck would have it, it’s hereditary. If you have the genetic markers for the disease, it’s not a matter of if you get sick and die, it’s when. He asks if she has the markers, and she says she has a 50/50 chance. He says, so she doesn’t know? and she says her mother insisted she get the test. She lied, and said she did, and it was negative. She knows it sounds creepy, but she didn’t want her mother to worry, and she wasn’t ready to make the call. It’s not like she can do anything about it anyway, so she decided to stay in the dark. But it turns out, Huntington’s likes the dark.

Jax says he and Carly both know how badly Josslyn wanted to attend Southern Coastal University, but that’s looking more unlikely. Meanwhile, she’s been accepted at three other excellent schools, all with volleyball programs. Carly says she’s going to have to make a choice.

Curtis tells Portia, Olivia hooked him up with the MetroCourt PR person. They’ve been talking promotional strategies for opening night. Portia says, that sounds promising. The MetroCourt is always packed. She’s sure they’ll be able to put some magic together for him. He says, here’s hoping. He knows he has to pull out all the stops for this. He just needs all the right people to show up. She says, and she’s on the list? and he says, right at the top. Portia preens, and Trina watches.

Nikolas tells Ava, Cyrus is an egotistical, narcissistic thug, and she says, yes, but do not underestimate him. Nikolas says, Cyrus thinks he can hold Alexis and Avery over their heads? No. Cyrus might cling to the fact he’s Laura’s brother, but he’s about to meet Nikolas’s father’s side of the family.

Dante says, that’s one of the janitors from Britt’s office, and Jordan says, that’s the one who was shot in the garage. He asks, what happened to the other guy? and she says, no trace of him. Dante says, the wreckage in Britt’s office indicates there was a fight in there, and Jordan says, which means that Jason, instead of getting away minutes earlier, went back in and stopped these two men from attacking Britt. He says, the question is, how does Jason know Britt’s being attacked when he’s in the garage? What’s the connection between them? She says, or something else. Computer forensics looked at Britt’s access logs, and she recently made several failed attempts to log into the GH drug database. He says, the Chief of Staff is locked out? and Jordan says she’ll give him three guesses as to who. He says, Renault? and she nods. He says, Britt must have done something to piss him off. Maybe she starts questioning what’s going on in the lab, he locks her out, sends his guys after her, Jason figures that out, and goes in to get her. Jordan says, but it looked like a kidnapping to Cameron Webber, and Dante says, but Jason was really rescuing Britt from Renault’s guys. She says, they have no way of proving who they worked for, considering one is in the morgue, and the other will probably wind up there if they ever find the body. Dante says, so it not only looks like Jason saved Britt’s life, from what they found in the safe house, it seems that Britt saved Jason’s life too. Jason is going to disappear, until his gunshot wound has healed. She says, that’s why she’s glad he’s back on the job. He understands how Jason thinks. Find him. He says, someone matching Britt’s description was spotted at a gas station buying medical supplies, 50 miles east of Elmira. He’s going to check that out now. She says, okay; keep her posted. He says he will, and she tells him, stay safe He says, copy that.

Alexis says, now Shawn lost her. Why would he serve the full term if he doesn’t have to? He’s been a model prisoner. If they give him a parole hearing, take it. And if he needs a lawyer, her schedule is free. He says, knowing her, she’ll probably help him even if he doesn’t let her. She says, harsh, but true, and he says, being granted parole takes more than being a model prisoner. They want to hear you learned your lesson, and see remorse. She says, and? and he says, he’s far from an innocent man, but he can’t show remorse for a crime he didn’t commit.   

Curtis tells Portia, all he can say is, he wishes he could say more, but he doesn’t want to ruin any surprises that may or may not be in store for his many, many patrons. She say, that’s fine, since she’s very anti-spoiler. She likes seeing him this happy. It looks good on him. It reminds her of the night they met. He says he approached her in a bar. What was the immortal line he used? She says, excuse me, but this is a cop bar, and you don’t seem like a cop. And what did she say? He says, she told him, no, she’s a doctor. How could he tell she’s not a cop? She says, then he said he used to be one, and could tell one of his own. He was in such a good mood that night. He’d just gotten his three-year chip, and she was thinking, why… He says, celebrate in a bar. Then he explained to her that he was an addict, not an alcoholic, and for every anniversary, he liked to go to a bar. She says, so he could prove he was in control. He says, then she asked, was he always in control? and he said… She says, only about this. The rest of me is free. They laugh, and he asks why did she leave the bar with him? She says he was sober and sexy, and she honestly assumed she’d never see him again. He says, damn, and she asks why he left with her. He says he was sober, she was sexy, and he assumed he’d have to see her again.

Ava asks Trina if it’s a private viewing party, or can she join? Trina says she was just… and Ava says, she was watching her mother with Curtis. Why is she so upset?

Josslyn tells Jax and Carly, she thought if Southern Coastal saw her play in the tournament, they’d change their minds. So she over-practiced and got an injury. Then she made a dumb decision, and injured herself more. Now she’s completely out of the running. Carly says, it’s a bummer, but look on the bright side. Josslyn says, there is no bright side, but Jax says, sure there is. The news is officially behind her now, and she doesn’t have to worry about it. Her foot will heal, and she’ll play volleyball for the school she chooses to go to. If she doesn’t like it, she can transfer, maybe to SCU. Josslyn says, if they want her, and he says, going to an alternate school is a change in plans, not a change in direction. She’s still moving forward. Carly says she might discover it was the best thing to happen to her. Like it or not, she has other options out there. Carly’s phone rings, and she steps away. She tells someone that they need three more men on the docks, and two more at the warehouse. Eyes open; Cyrus will retaliate. Let her know when the next shipment is coming in. She goes back to the living room, and says, where were they?

Josslyn says they don’t need to do this now, but Carly says, they do. Jax says, all schools have a waitlist, and as a courtesy, Josslyn needs to make a decision. Josslyn says, then there’s no reason to wait. She’ll go to PCU. At least Trina will be thrilled. Jax says, he’s thrilled, selfishly. She’s going to be closer. Carly says, but not too close. Josslyn can live in the dorm. Carly gets another call, and she says she needs to take this. Jax asks if it’s something more important than Josslyn, and she says, sorry; it’s business. He says, hotel business, coffee business, or some other business?

Curtis says, when he and Portia were together, she’d just finished her residency, and was working non-stop. She says she still feels like she’s working non-stop, and he says he respects people who do the tough stuff. They show up when they’re needed, no matter the circumstances. She asks if this is residual guilt because he’s no longer a cop or a P.I., and he says he’s not a P.I. because he made that choice, and not a cop because he made other choices. But even with messy cases, he helped someone. Now that he’s moving away from that… She tells him, stop. It’s okay to make a change in his life, and it’s certainly okay to enjoy it. As far as helping others, when the people he cares about are in need, he shows up. Family, friends, even Trina, and all she does is yell at him. He says he thinks they’ve gotten past that, mostly. She says he even helps his exes. She suddenly seems somewhere else, and he asks, where’d she go? She says, the hospital parking garage, and he says, and Jordan. She says, talk about somebody who has the guts to walk into the worst situation time and time again. She can’t stop thinking about it. How Jordan talked Cameron into handing her the gun he’d picked up. Cameron is such a good kid. She’s sure he was terrified and in shock. There are so many ways it could have gone wrong, but Jordan kept her cool. He says, Cameron is lucky to be alive, and she says, thanks to Jordan. She has a lot of respect for Jordan.  

Trina says she doesn’t mind that her mother and Curtis are friends, and Ava asks if she’s sure. Trina says she really doesn’t. But Curtis and Commissioner Ashford are getting a divorce, and she feels like it’s partly her fault. Ava says, no; she’s certain it’s not. Trina tells her, she said partly. And she’s starting to think that her mom also might be part of the problem.

Alexis asks Shawn why he’d plead guilty to a crime he didn’t commit, and he says, it’s not the first time anyone has ever done that, as he’s sure she knows. She says she’s done many a plea deal on both sides of the courtroom, but typically, innocent people plead guilty to avoid jail time, not get more. Why would he do something like that? He says, at first, he believed he was guilty, since he took a shot at someone, someone got hit, and he was arrested. It seemed pretty open and shut. She says, why would he not fight it, and let the court prove that he did it? There was her or Diane; he could have gotten any number of decent attorneys that could argue reasonable doubt. He says, it came down to a simple decision. The deal Jordan arranged with the DA, or do the time. She asks what the offer on the table was, and he says, turn State’s evidence against Sonny or accept his sentence, but Sonny didn’t force him to be where he was, or do what he did. It was his choice, and these are the consequences.

Britt tells Jason that she started getting tremors in her hands a few months ago. They only happened every now and then, so she figured it was stress or… not Huntington’s? She knew it was a possibility, but it could be anything. Anyway, that was then, this is now, and now they’re happening more often, and not easy to stop. Sometimes she has to wait until they pass . He says, it could still be something else; she hasn’t been tested for the markers, so she doesn’t know for sure. She says she was ready to know, and had the test lined up, but then things got crazy, and they went on run… it’s fine; she can reschedule. Jason asks how fast Huntington’s progresses, and Britt says, as fast as it wants, or as slow. There’s no predicting it. She could have been symptom free until 40, 50, or 80. Then this started. Involuntary movements are a big part of Huntington’s. Of course (🍷) other symptoms are far more insidious. Faison is the poster boy for the Huntington’s related cognitive of psychiatric disorders. He says she’s not going to become her father, but she says he doesn’t know that, and neither does she.

Carly tells Jax, she doesn’t have any other businesses, and tells Josslyn, what she meant is that it’s not too late for Josslyn to room with Trina. Josslyn says they don’t need to do this, and Carly says, do what? Josslyn says, pretend everything is normal, when it’s not.  Jason isn’t missing and injured, and Cameron held a gun on him. That’s a little more important than housing in the fall. Carly says she understands that Josslyn is worried about everything that’s going on, but right now Josslyn has to worry about her future. Josslyn says, her future can wait; the present is a disaster area. Carly says it’s wonderful that Josslyn is worried about those she loves and cares about, but she needs to worry about herself. Josslyn asks if her deciding on PCU isn’t enough for tonight. She’s going to call Trina. She leaves, and Carly tells Jax, she guesses they should send in a deposit. She doesn’t know why Josslyn is so upset. He says, maybe it’s Carly. She’s more interested in concentrating on business than on Josslyn. Carly says, not true, and he asks if she wants to tell him what was so important it couldn’t wait. It’s not the hotel; Olivia and Carly’s assistant are there. Does she ever think Josslyn isn’t comfortable with her mother running an organized crime enterprise from her living room?

Jason says he understands Britt is overwhelmed. It’s not the possibility of the disease, but the uncertainty. She says, that’s a big part of it, if she has it or not. She starts to cry, and Jason says, the tremor could be something else. He has to admit, she had good reason to be afraid. She says, terrifying as it was nearly being drugged to death, then dragged through a hail of gunfire, they weren’t powerless. They could run for their lives, and it worked – at least she thinks it did – but you can’t fight Huntington’s. You can’t escape. Jason can’t grab her hand and help her outrun it.  

Sam sits in her car, and sees Dante approach the gas station attendant. She says, dammit, and gets out. Dante shows the guy Britt’s picture, and asks if he recognizes her. She’s pretty memorable. She bought a first aid kit, and she’s a person of interest in a high profile incident. The guy says, he’s just not sure, and Dante says, she’s with a suspected murderer, and her life is in jeopardy. Is there anything the guy can tell him? Sam approaches them, and says she needs to talk to Dante. He says if she’s there, he knows he’s on the right track. What’s she doing on a lonely street off the freeway? Don’t tell him. Go back before he has her arrested. It will be detrimental to her kids, and his mother won’t talk to him for months. She says she appreciates his concern for her children, and his mom’s support, but what are the charges? He says, he doesn’t know; interfering with police business. She says, they won’t stick, and she’ll sue for harassment. It will take most of the night, and whoever he’s looking for will be long gone, but he has another choice. He asks, what’s that? and she says, they can work together.

Portia tells Curtis that she has to get back to Trina. They’re celebrating Trina getting into PCU. He says, okay. Give Trina a big congratulations from him.

Trina tells Ava, now she gets why Jordan and her dad did what they did. They were protecting her from Cyrus, so Cyrus couldn’t use her against them. Ava says that sounds like Cyrus’s fault, not hers, but Trina says Jordan told her that she kept too many secrets for her marriage to work. Jordan told her to apologize to Curtis and her mom, and when she went ask Curtis to forgive her, her mom was there at The Savoy. Ava asks what they said when they saw her, but Trina says, they didn’t. Her mom was so busy helping Curtis take off his wedding ring, she didn’t even know Trina was there, and she left. Ava says, his ring, huh? and Trina says, it’s so stupid, but Ava says Trina’s mom is an adult. She’s entitled to a little privacy, but Ava thinks Trina’s mother would be honest and tell her the truth. Portia joins them, apologizing for being late. It took longer than she expected. So what were they talking about?

Carly tells Jax, it was one phone call and a text. People need decisions made. He asks, what people? and she says, it doesn’t matter, but he says, it does, especially if it involves breaking the law. She says, it didn’t, and he asks if he’s supposed to take her word for that. She asks if he’s saying he doesn’t believe her or doesn’t trust her, and he says, should he? They agreed a long time ago to be honest with each other, and do their best for Josslyn. She says, he wants to know what she’s doing? She’s protecting their daughter.

Dante says, no, and Sam says, just like that? He says the last time they worked together, just yesterday, she screwed him over. Now he doesn’t trust her anymore. She says she deserves that, and he says, yeah, she does. But even if he did trust her, he wouldn’t trust her with this. Is she going to tell Jason to turn himself in? She says, of course (🍷) not, and he says, wrong answer. She says, it’s the absolute right answer. If he goes back to prison, Jason is a dead man. Dante knows that. He says he’ll put Jason in protective custody, but she says, that’s not going to happen. How about this? They find Jason and Britt. Dante takes Britt back to Port Charles. He can tell Jordan that he rescued Britt, and Jason got away. He says, it’s way more believable if he brought Jason in, because he’s got a gunshot wound, and say Britt got away. She says, Jason is an innocent man; Dante knows this. Peter killed Franco, and is most likely working with Cyrus. Take Britt, and let her take Jason somewhere safe. He says that’s not how he operates, and she knows that. The attendant says he remembers something about the woman Dante was asking about, and Dante tells Sam that he’ll come back. He’d love it if Sam was there when he does. She says, fine, but as soon as he goes to talk to the guy, she looks around, and runs behind the gas station.

Dante tells the attendant, so the woman bought a first aid kit, and then what? The attendant says, she bought two to-go coffees. Dante looks toward his car, and gets a worried look on his face.

Alexis tells Shawn, she has good news and bad news, and they’re both the same. Sonny is dead. He doesn’t have to lie to protect Sonny anymore. Just tell her what went down, and they can work on his parole hearing strategy. He says he knows she’ll make a great case, but it doesn’t concern her. She says, it does. His son and her daughter are domestic partners; that makes them family. Telling her that a family member is serving time for a crime they didn’t commit, then saying it’s none of her business, is wrong.  

Curtis goes to Jordan’s office, and she asks, what brings him by? He says he wanted to check on her. He knows it’s been a rough couple of days. She says, that’s a major understatement, and he says he heard she was a hero with Cameron. She says she doesn’t know about being a hero, but Cameron was in a bad situation, and she talked him down. He says Cameron is lucky she found him. Not every cop would be so quick to deescalate. She thanks him, and says she appreciates him checking in. She sees a manila envelope in his hand, and asks if it’s for her. 

Josslyn calls Trina, who says she knows Portia just sat down, but she’d like to take this. Portia says, as long as it’s not at the table. (Thank you.) Trina steps away, and asks Josslyn, what’s up? Josslyn says she thought Trina would like to know she accepted the offer from PCU. Trina says, that’s the best, and Josslyn says she’s glad they’ll be going together. Trina says, if Cameron decides to join them, even better. I get déjà vu since Trina has said that before.

Portia thanks Ava for keeping an eye on Trina. Ava says she loves spending time with Trina, but had no idea she was such a romantic.

Jason says they’ve got to get going, but Britt says, they’ve been through this. There’s no way the police can trace them there. He says, by now they’ve probably figured out she’s not a hostage, and will look for places connected to her. She says she and Nikolas haven’t been together in ages, but he says, it doesn’t matter. She bought medical supplies… She says, a first aid kit, but he says, the attendant might have noticed and informed the police. Even if he didn’t, they’re over the ten-hour limit. She says, if he insists. Where are they going? He says he’ll tell her when they get there.   

Alexis asks Shawn to please let her just look. She’s an advocate and a lawyer. She can’t sit by and let an innocent man stay in prison for something he didn’t do. Nikolas walks in, and she asks what he’s doing there.   

Curtis says, Jordan doesn’t have to look at them today, and she says, their divorce papers. She can’t believe it’s really happening. He says, it’s all real, and she says, yeah. She shrugs, and thanks him for bringing them by. He tells her, take care, and she says, him too. He leaves, and looks like he wants to cry. Jordan takes off her wedding and engagement rings.   

Portia says she never thought of Trina as particularly romantic, and Ava says, Portia remembers what they were like at Trina’s age. Portia says, vaguely, and Ava says, seeing the people they know getting along just fine. Smiles, a hair flip, and a laugh. You just assume there’s an attraction. Portia says, speaking of romance, where’s that handsome husband of Ava’s? Ava says, he’s at a business meeting, but they’re planning a night out for the opening of The Savoy. Will Portia be there?

Trina tells Josslyn, everything about home is driving her crazy. Would Josslyn be into rooming together? Josslyn is deep in thought, and Trina says, Joss…? Josslyn says, yes. Let’s do this. She’s so ready to get out of there.

Jax says he sees Carly is working overtime to protect Josslyn, but it’s the things Carly is involved with that are putting Josslyn in harm’s way. She says, she’d never do that, and he says, yet she is. She’s not the only one who wants, or can, protect Josslyn. She says she knows Jax can protect Josslyn, and he says, just not as well as she can. He guesses they’ll have to see. He’s going to ask Josslyn to move out of there and stay with him until she goes to college. Carly says, that would be a huge mistake. The compound is the safest place for her. He says, Josslyn shouldn’t have to live in a compound, surrounded by armed men to protect her, and she says, too bad; it’s the situation they’re in. He asks, who’s fault that is. It’s not Sonny’s anymore; he’s gone. Who does that leave? It’s unbelievable; she’s changed. She says she’s trying to protect her family, and he says, he knows. From Cyrus, the Five Families shrimp parmesan, rival factions. None of that would matter if she were just importing coffee and running a five-star hotel. He used to think he wanted Josslyn to be just like her, with her heart and her passion, but seeing what she’s becoming, he doesn’t want Josslyn to be anything like her.

Sam is nowhere to be seen, and Dante gets in his car. An alarm sounds from the dashboard, and he gets out, stepping on something that crunches. He sees his tire is flat, and says, son of a bitch.

Britt asks if Jason is going to give her directions, and he says, no, he’s driving. She says, the last thing she needs is for him to pass out behind the wheel, but he says, he won’t. She shows him the keys, and says she knows he won’t, because she’s driving. They open the door, and Sam is there.    

Just a suggestion, but maybe Sam should be a cop. She found them in ten minutes, while the police have been looking for how long?

Tomorrow, Nina says, the question is, can Sonny handle this; Sam tells Jason, don’t fight her on this; Sasha gives Lucy an out; and Jax says Carly is no longer collateral damage, she’s a target.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey – Season Finale

We finally met Luis, and in Teresa’s interview, she said Joe #1 didn’t know how to act, but she laughs every day with Louie. She said he was smart, an entrepreneur, and also had two sons. He took Teresa out to dinner, and they talked about when they first met. He said it was like a dream come true, and in her interview, Teresa said that she loves that Louie gets her. She didn’t know what the future held, but it was the best she’d felt in a long time. Probably since she married Juicy Joe.

Everyone was getting ready for Halloween. Delores and Frank tried Halloween costumes on Delores’s dogs, which was pretty amusing. Jackie was carving pumpkins, and Jennifer thought kids would be willing to walk down her king size driveway for king size candy. Marge was preparing for her party, and said Joe #3 was in cranky mode. In Marge’s interview, she said they were getting ready for Joe’s Halloween/birthday bash, and if he didn’t get the house presentable, no birthday sex for him. Melissa bitched at the kids for being on their phones, and wanted them to give some time to real life. (Thank you.) In her interview, she said things had been tense since she and Joe had the fight. Joe told her that he just wanted her to put as much time into their relationship as she did in her brand, and she said, when he’d been working and she was home with the kids, she could have said the same thing to him. In Joe’s interview, he said, in the beginning, Melissa had asked him to come to events, and he felt included, but not so much in the past few years. She wanted to do it herself. She told him that he’d had his personal success while she raised his kids, and in her interview, she said it was a battle in her head. She didn’t want to make him unhappy, but it had been 16 years. Now it was her turn.

Jennifer and Bill were celebrating their 18^th anniversary, and in Jennifer’s interview, she said, when Olivia knew her parents were having a romantic dinner, that meant they were still in love. This time, the kids were all included; a chef preparing the dinner. Jennifer said the reason she loved Bill was that he gave her all of them, so they should enjoy the night together. Olivia deconstructed her hors d’oeuvres, and not in a good way, prompting Jennifer to say. gourmet food was wasted on children. Jennifer explained that Bill had never directly asked her to marry him, as the elders in the family give a promise for engagement. Bill said that he hadn’t had the money for a ring (he certainly made up for it later), and got down on one knee, presenting her with a mammoth 9-carat yellow diamond ring. In Jennifer’s interview, she said she knew she was the luckiest girl in the world. She felt bad that her mom didn’t get to have her fairy tale, but she thanked her parents for giving her a better life, and thanked God every day for what she had.

Frank was doing work on Delores’s house, and told the contractors to listen to him, not Delores. In Delores’s interview, she said, back in the day, the world revolved around your man. She had to learn to live on her own, and she never wanted to live with a man again. She couldn’t understand why the girls couldn’t accept it. Frank told her that people knocked things they couldn’t understand. Teresa made some apple pies with the apples she’d picked at the orchard, and had bonding time with her daughters. Gia asked if Teresa was going public with Louie, and Teresa suggested they see how it goes. She wanted a moment for herself first.  

It was time for The Marge’s party. Joe #2 and Mellissa came as a mermaid and merman; Marge and Joe #3 were Morticia and Gomez Addams; Jackie and Evan came as Sonny and Cher; Jennifer and Bill were J-Lo and Prince; Delores and Frank were an accident victim and… the Tiger King? I really wasn’t sure; and Marge Sr. came as Marilyn Monroe, with Teresa arriving last as Cotton Candy. The actual confection. That’s not a stripper name or anything. In their kiki before the party, Marge told Joe #3 that the last time they were all together, was when Delores had a fight with Joe #2, and everyone was still upset with him. She was a little concerned. The décor and food were so beyond amazing, it made Halloween at Bluestone Manor look like amateur hour. Jennifer said she was ready to turn it up, and started downing tequila two seconds in the door. Delores told Marge that the poll thing had upset her most, but Marge didn’t want to give Joe #2 a pass, just because he’d known Delores forever and was cute. Teresa came alone, and Marge asked when they were going to meet Louie. Teresa said she wanted to be sure… and Marge said, before her friends abused him, but in Marge’s interview, she said, enough with this taking it slow. No surprise, early on Jennifer got sloppy and dropped a plate of food on the ground, not even making a move to pick it up, and instead, hopping away from it like it was a live spider. Delores tried to give her a soda, reminding Jennifer about last time when she got sick, but Jennifer insisted she was okay. In her interview, Marge said nothing anybody did was going to ruin this night,

Marge made a speech, thanking the most important person in her life, her dog Bella. Just kidding. She said Joe #3 stood by her through everything. He let her be her. In her interview, she said she got emotional because they were both in relationships that weren’t the best for them. When they found each other, they knew how special and precious it was. She had hit the jackpot. She told the guests that Joe let her be independent, and put up with what she wanted, never diminishing her. In Joe #2’s interview, he wondered if Marge’s praise of Joe #3 was also a dig at him. If she thought he was holding Melissa back, she was wrong. Marge said she was blessed, and told Joe #3, happy birthday. Afterward, Joe #2 approached Marge, and asked if she really thought he was chauvinistic. She said the way he’d spoken to Delores was chauvinistic. While watching this conversation, Delores told Teresa not to let any of them get involved in her relationship, and Teresa said Joe #2 was already running his mouth too much. Joe #2 told Marge that he’d known Delores since he was five, and Marge said, some men thought a woman’s happiness was derived from a relationship, but that wasn’t the case. His mind was in 1985. Joe #2 said Marge had him all wrong, when Melissa joined them. In Melissa’s interview, she said she was watching them and sweating. She loved that her friends were backing her, but she didn’t want to see her friends and her husband end up not liking each other.   

Melissa told Teresa that Joe #2 and Marge were having an argument, and she was getting the brunt of it because of what Joe had said. She was pissed because Joe was wrong – Delores wanted her independence – but Joe was upset because he was being called a chauvinist. Melissa said it was hard for him to flip the switch, and see her as independent. The guys had a group chat, and Bill said Marge had a point. He wanted Joe #2 to listen, and Joe told him, STFU. Melissa said she’d been battling this for years, and in her interview, she said, no matter how annoyed she was, she was going to defend Joe. She didn’t want to hear their two cents. She told them whatever they thought she was dealing with, it was probably more. Delores was worried about what was to become of Joe and Melissa if this wasn’t fixed. She told Melissa that usually a man needed to see what he had to lose before he changed the way he thought. Joe #2 came over, and asked what was going on.

Melissa said he needed to apologize to Delores, and Delores asked if he thought because she was independent, she wasn’t happy. She loved it, and it made him get nervous and insecure. He said, not true, and in his interview, he said he was sick of everyone telling him that he was holding Melissa back. He only asked that she not deprive him; not forget him. He asked Melissa if she thought he was okay with change, but she said she wasn’t having a relationship talk with the girls. She told the group, if they were real friends, they wouldn’t talk about her marriage. She’s the one who had to deal with that. Melissa told Joe #2 that she could say what she wanted about him, but she didn’t want to hear it from the others. If there was a problem with the relationship, they didn’t need to be discussing it among themselves. Jennifer wondered if it was serious, and Delores told her it was. Melissa wanted her independence, and Joe #2 didn’t want that. Melissa said the way she and Joe lived was old school, but he said he thought she was in lala land. In her interview, Melissa said it was her own fault. She created a keep-your-man-happy world that her mom and mother-in-law believed in, but she didn’t. She didn’t want to die unhappy. She wanted to be fulfilled, and not just as a mom. She’d never seen Joe fight so hard against something she wanted, and she was getting scared about the relationship. She’d never felt such exhaustion, or felt like giving up. Big Baby Joe said he wanted to go home. Marge told the women that Melissa and Joe #2 had to work on it, but Joe didn’t want to. Delores said, at the end of the day, Joe and Melissa were adults, and had to figure it out. (Well, one of them is an adult anyway.)   

Sine this was the finale (I would say, phew! but I’m sure I’ll hear the word analogy a thousand times at the reunion), there were little summaries at the end. Melissa was building her brand, and had just started a new workout line, but said her hardest job was still being Joe #2’s wife. Jackie’s family threw a double Bar Mitzvah for her boys, and she was staying away from analogies. Joe #3 had completed the construction on his and Marge’s house, and they were getting along better than ever, while looking for something to fight about. Sadly, Jennifer was still not speaking to her mother, and she still couldn’t find a housekeeper. Delores was enjoying her independence from David, and considering more plastic surgery. She was not, however, taking a poll. Teresa finally admitted she was madly in love, and she and Luis bought an investment property together. If that doesn’t say commitment, I don’t know what does.

The show ended with Teresa on the phone with Louie, who said he was in it for the long haul. He’d be with her until her boobs sagged to the floor. Ah, true love. We’ll see I guess.

😵 The Late Me…

Due to dealing with a mini home emergency, I ran later than expected for a Wednesday, but there’s time for tea tomorrow, when we’ll visit the hospital, and maybe check out some Million Dollar real estate. So until Fredrik’s return, stay safe, stay finishing what you start, and stay not keeping yourself in the dark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JewBloL0V6I