What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

It’s nighttime, and Scotty shows up at Britt’s office. She asks how he got there so fast, and he says, as luck has it, he was in the hospital. She asks what ambulance he chased to get there, and it says, it was actually an archery accident. It could have been prevented, but there’s some money in it. He asks, what’s going on? Does she have an idea where Obrecht is? She says, she doesn’t, but he does, looking at Jason standing behind Scotty. Scotty asks what this means, and she says, Jason’s agreed to help them.

Crete, Greece. Drew tells Obrecht, he has to assume Peter knows the shortcut Faison installed inside his head. She says, with his conditioning restored, there’s no telling what Peter’s been forcing him to do, and he says she has to tell him how to stop Peter from taking control again.

Anna tells Robert, there are Crete agents there to rendezvous with them. Now that they found out Peter is working with Victor Cassadine, the objective is to apprehend Victor. Robert says, or kill him. He’s supposed to be dead anyway; no harm done there. She says she’s going to be leading the team to find Peter… and Valentin, and he says, assuming Peter hasn’t killed him already.

Nope. Valentin is playing chess with himself in his room at the compound. Russel stands guarding him, and he asks if Russel can clear something up for him. Why is he still locked up there with Russel standing guard over him, when he’s on Victor’s side? Russel tells him, all he can say is, taking Victor’s side isn’t the smartest move.

Anna tells the agents, she’s going to set up a command post. She wants the compound completely surrounded before they breach. Listening from the side, Sam asks what Dante thinks. He says he thinks they’d better get to Drew before all hell breaks loose. She says, same.

Obrecht tells Drew that she’s sorry, but in their current circumstances, there’s little she can do to help him. But perhaps she can help him to help himself.

Peter tells Victor, let’s focus on what’s important here. He’s discovered how to activate Drew; that’s a good thing. Victor says, it is, but keeping things from him, not so good. Betraying his trust, that’s downright bad, and after everything Victor has done for him. He’s alive because of Victor. Peter says, for that, he’s eternally grateful, and Victor says, eternal is right. I’m done with you, Henrik – forever. He tells the guards to secure Peter.

Curtis leads Portia into The Savoy, and she tells him, go ahead and say it. He knows he wants to. He says they made the right choice. The place isn’t so stuffy at all. It’s perfect for the post museum gala wind-down. Portia thanks him for taking her. The gala is legendary, and she knows the tickets weren’t easy to get. He says, it was beautiful, and so is she. She thanks him, and says she noticed him enjoying the collection. He says, it was nice to look at it with no crowds. He loved that he could look at a Magritte for as long as he wanted to with no one else around. She says, he’s into Magritte? and he says he says he loves the mystery, the shadows, and the sense of foreboding. She says he never fails to surprise her.   

Sam shows Dante her phone, and says, they can go down this road, and sneak in from there. He says, the dirt road? and she says, yeah, the element of surprise. He says, he’ll go, but she says, no, she will. He says, for any particular reason? and she says, he’s probably a better shot than she is. He says she’s a helluva good shot, but he’ll take it. They start to leave, but Robert says, hold it, you two.  

Anna tells the agents, one of their own is being held in this compound. A former WSB agent, Valentin Cassadine. She wants a special detail devoted to finding him.

Valentin says, Russel works for Victor, right? and Russel says, going on three years. Valentin asks why he’s still under watch. Doesn’t Victor trust him? Tell him what he knows. Russel says, Victor isn’t the issue, and Valentin asks, who is? Russel tells him that he’ll know soon enough, and leaves. Valentin listens, and tries the door, but it’s locked.    

Peter says Victor doesn’t want do this, and Victor says, he doesn’t? That’s funny. He’d convinced himself that he did, but he’ll play along. Why not? Peter says Victor will never have the key. He’s the only one who knows it. Victor needs him. Victor says, unless he has other means of controlling Drew. Then he wouldn’t need Peter. Peter says, ordering his men to kill him is the last thing Victor wants to do, and Victor says, let’s find out, shall we? He tells his men to execute Peter, but they don’t move. He asks what they’re waiting for, and they move to either side of Peter. Peter says, surprise.

Obrecht tells Drew that the trigger to activate him is psychological. His mind is his battleground; does he understand what she’s saying? He says, so what does he do? and she says, the next time Peter is there, concentrate on the most important thing to him. He says, that’s his daughter, Scout, and she says, there’s great power in their love for their children; use that.

Scotty says, it’s good to see Jason on the side of the angels this time, and Britt says she’d hardly call her mother an angel. Scotty says, nobody’s perfect, but her mother doesn’t deserve to die at the hands of Peter. Britt suggests they not discuss the fate her mother deserves. The point is, Jason is going to help them. Scotty asks, what’s the plan? Are they going in with Sonny’s henchmen or trained assassins? They’re going in guns blazing, right? They’ve got to get Obrecht out of that dungeon. It’s Peter; they know he must have a dungeon. Jason says he’s not the one who’s going to find Obrecht; Scotty is.  

Curtis asks what surprised Portia the most; that he likes surrealism or he’s into art? She says she was impressed by both, and glad to see another side of him. He says, Curtis Ashford, dilettante, and she says, Curtis Ashford, the man who went above and beyond, not to just make the evening special, but extraordinary. He says he figured he owed her, and she says, for what? He says, one fine day she asked him to be her guest at the Chuck, and he damn near got her killed. After she was nearly asphyxiated at the record keeper’s house, being her escort is the least he can do. She says, there’s something he does need to know, and he says, sounds serious, but she says, not serious as much as important. She heard from his Aunt Stella today.   

Scotty says he doesn’t know diddley about where Obrecht is. If he did, for cryin’ out loud, he wouldn’t have had Britt go to the extreme measure of bringing Jason in. News flash; he’s no big help. Jason asks if Scotty knows Britt has the gene for Huntington’s disease, and Britt says, Jason knows everything. Jason asks if Scotty told anyone else, but Scotty says, no. He was doing what any loving boyfriend would do; searching the internet. He looked for every study, and knows everything about it. So when the day comes that his schnitzel asks him for help, he’s ready. Britt says, that’s very sweet, but Jason says, maybe not the best strategy. Scotty asks if Jason is saying it’s his fault, but Jason says he’s not blaming Scotty. He tried to do the right thing – Scotty says, for once in his life – but unfortunately – Scotty says, here we go – he left the door wide open. He calls Spinelli, and asks how fast Spinelli can get to GH.  

Victor says, Henrik made his employees a better offer, and Peter says he did, and it’s Peter. Victor says, as he wishes. He’s not used to being outmaneuvered like this. He completely underestimated Peter. Peter says Victor is one of so many who’s made that mistake, and Victor says, what next? Russel arrives, and Victor asks if Russel has come to rescue him, or has Peter gotten to him too? Russel says, his apologies for betraying Victor like this, and Peter says, they know what to do. The men take Victor away.

Obrecht tells Drew to think about his daughter, about being reunited with her. Do not allow Peter to distract him. Keep her at the center of his mind. He says he can do that, and she says, feel her in his arms, and see her smile; hear her laughter. He says he can hear it now, and she says, good. That is how to survive Peter. He looks at Scout’s name on the wall.

Anna asks, what’s going on? and Robert says, Sam and Dante think they’re part of this operation. Anna says, okay. They weren’t just privy to the briefing on how to approach the compound, and don’t know the security they’ll be facing. Dante says, they don’t, but they can improvise pretty damn well. Sam says, Anna, of all people, should understand why she wants to do this, but Anna says she thinks Sam’s personal involvement with Drew is going to be more of a liability rather than an asset. Dante says he’s worked with the WSB, but Anna says, he’s not an agent, and Sam is a civilian. Sam says she can take care of herself, and Anna says she’s sure Sam can. She asks to talk to Dante privately, and she tells him that he was held captive, and returned with PTSD. Dante says he was cleared, and he’s allowed to go back to work, but Anna says, in Port Charles, where he’s not going to find the same circumstances he’ll encounter there. This is too similar. It’s a WSB operation where they’re entering an enemy compound. He doesn’t think it will trigger his trauma? She thinks it’s too much of a risk, and tells one of the agents not to allow Dante or Sam to leave the premises. Sam says she can’t do that, but Robert says, actually, she can. The agent tells Sam and Dante to come with him, and Anna tells Robert that she feels bad, but he says, don’t worry. When do they go? She says, they go now, and they leave.   

Valentin continues playing chess, when the door opens. It’s Victor, and Valentin says, he’s been waiting to talk about the agreement they had. Why is he still locked up? Victor says, about that. Funny story. Peter comes in with Russel and says, Victor is no longer Valentin’s captor; he is. Victor says, his men have turned against him, even Russel. Russel says, remember those inside jobs? That’s what this is about. Victor says, don’t tell him Russel is too subtle even for Valentin, and Valentin says, he thinks he knows where this is going, and asks what Peter has in store for him. Peter says, he’s glad Valentin asked, but he doesn’t think Valentin is going to like the answer.   

Curtis says, Aunt Stella reached out to Portia? and Portia says he can’t be more surprised than she is. He says Stella is supposed to be in Baltimore, recovering at a friend’s house from her stroke. He really doesn’t like the idea of her stressing herself out. Portia says she hates to tell him, but Stella definitely put a lot of effort into it; she wrote Portia a letter. She hands it to him, and says, in ink. on paper, in an envelope. She sent it snail mail. He hopes Stella wasn’t going in on Portia again about interfering in his marriage, but she says, not at all. Stella apologized for all of it. What Stella doesn’t know is that Portia already forgave her. But it was such a beautiful gesture, maybe now they can start off on the right foot when Stella comes back. Curtis says, funny. The whole time they were in the museum, he kept thinking about his auntie. She says, what every man’s museum date wants to hear; you look so beautiful, you made me think of my auntie. He says, it’s just that Aunt Stella took him and Thomas to museums – all kinds, science, transit, local history, but more than anything else, art. She’s the reason he knows about art at all. She says, how wonderful, and he says, it was, but as usual, Aunt Stella had a higher purpose. His family was going through a lot of chaos, and she knew it was affecting them. She would put them in the car or drag them on the bus, and the next thing they knew, they were in the marble halls of a museum staring at paintings and statues, traveling through space and time. It really opened his eyes to the beautiful things in the world. She says, he never talks to her about his family. He doesn’t have to answer of course (🍷)… He tells her, go ahead and ask him anything, and she asks, what happened to his parents? What was the chaos?

Curtis says, his childhood… She says, he doesn’t have to tell her, but he asks, how else they can come together if they’re not open and honest about their lives? His childhood isn’t a deep, dark secret. His earliest memories were happy. His beautiful parents loved each other, and he looked up to his big brother. Everything was normal. She asks what his happiest memory is, and he says, it has to be his birthday. He thinks he was 3 or 4, when his dad bought him a lawnmower. When his dad mowed, he would pretend alongside him; he loved that toy. It’s the first birthday he remembers, and the last birthday he had with his dad. She asks, what happened? and he says, one night his dad never came home; a massive heart attack, they said. He just died suddenly. She says she’s so sorry, and he says, it devastated his mom. She did everything she could for them, but she never get over the loss. So when Aunt Stella swooped in to put the family back together, eventually he and Thomas were able to heal, but his mom never fully recovered. Portia takes his hand.

Britt says they need Scotty’s computer, but Scotty says, no. He has confidential business on there. Spinelli tells him, have no fear. He’s going to do a thorough search, and suss (the new word) out whatever information has been ascertained by the unwelcome intruder. Scotty says, all right, but don’t look at anything he’s not supposed to look at.  

Drew says, Scout was only two and a half when he disappeared. She was such an incredible bright light in his life; curious and full of energy. She had the best laugh. Obrecht says, she has the best laugh. Speak about her in the present. Drew says, she’s four now, and will be five in February. He wonders if she remembers him, and Obrecht says she’s certain Scout will remembers him. He says, is she? and she says she doesn’t know Samantha well, but it’s clear she’s not the kind of woman who would let her child forget her father. It helps having a father worth remembering. Britt, on the other hand, if she could burn the memory of Cesar from Britt’s mind, she’d do it in a heartbeat. Maybe that will be her next science project. He says, if you’re going to dream, dream big. A guard wants Obrecht to come with him, but she says, the prisoner has an infection and perhaps a concussion. Tell his superiors that she can’t leave. He says, let’s go, and she tells Drew, Scout his best protection. She leaves with the guard, and Drew looks out the door window.

Peter says, Victor and Valentin are much more trouble than they’re worth. Victor says, Peter should know, and Valentin says, father, don’t antagonize him. Peter says, father? So when Victor said my son a moment ago, that wasn’t a joke? Valentin says, kind of a cosmic joke, and Victor says, he’s right here. Valentin says, they’ve gotten to know each other in the last few hours, days, and Victor says, time flies with family. An alarm sounds, and Victor says, it seems the compound has been breached. Today is full of surprises. Russel runs in and says, the WSB has stormed the gates; they’re heavily armed. Valentin says, looks like Anna found them. If Peter wants a prayer of surviving, Peter had better let him live. Peter tells Russel to keep an eye on them, and if either of them moves, father or son, kill them both. He runs out.

Spinelli says, not to worry. He won’t access confidential files; they aren’t relevant. However, he will need full access to Scotty’s browser history, and Scotty says, hang on, but Spinelli says, far be it for him to shame anyone. They all have their predilections and fetishes. In any event, the word didn’t always denote unusual impulses or unique urges. Au contraire. The original definition of the term is meant to bring good luck. Britt says, they’re going to need a lot of it to find her mother, so everybody, fetish up. Spinelli says, they don’t need luck when they have godlike technical skills. He says, there. They have it. Their answer.

Dante says, he and Sam need to take down the agent, and get out, but she says, he’s big and armed, and they have to do something without  being noticed. Any ideas? He says, maybe. He asks the agent if there’s any way he could let them out of there. His friend has a personal interest in Drew Cain. The agent says, Dante doesn’t remember him, does he? He was with the WSB when Dante was in Angora. He’s always regretted how it turned out. Dante says,  him too, and the agent says he’s glad to see Dante made a full recovery. Since they’re stuck there, how about a drink? He goes behind the bar, and Sam tells Dante, he said something about knocking the agent out? Dante says, and stashing him behind the bar? Yeah.

Drew hears the alarm, and Peter comes into his cell. He says he has a job for Drew, but Drew says, never again, and lunges for Peter’s throat.

Curtis tells Portia that the grief took its toll on his mom’s body, and illness allowed the grief to hit that much harder. It went round and round until eventually, his mom checked out as a parent; not because she meant to, but there just was no choice. Portia says, it was a battle she couldn’t win, and Curtis says, exactly. That’s when Aunt Stella took over, as she does, and cared for him, Thomas, and their mother. To this day, he doesn’t know how Stella managed it, but she did. In the middle of that hurt, chaos, and grief, she would take the time to take them on outings, as she called them. Portia says, to the museums, and he says, and ball games and amusement parks. And not one time did she mention the ultimate price she paid. A man watches them from across the room.

Dante asks if Sam is ready to do this, and she says, she feels terrible, but Dante says he doesn’t, for one reason; he’s in the way. The agent comes over with shots for them, and Sam says, he’s not joining them? but he says, no can do; he’s on duty. She asks if he minds if she goes to the restroom, and he says, no problem. He’ll call for call backup to escort her. She says she knows her way around, but he says, Anna warned him not to leave them alone. Sam laughs, and says, why? and he says, because they’re desperate to get in that compound. Dante already explained to him that she has a personal interest in one of the prisoners. She says, Drew Cain. He’s her daughter’s father. Her daughter is four going on five, and hasn’t seen her father for half her life. She only recognizes him from pictures. Dante says, now they have a chance to reunite her with her father. He knows it’s against procedure, but what’s more important; family or following procedure? Sam says, please, agent. What does he say?

Anna and Robert go down a hall in the compound with a couple of other agents, guns drawn. They get to Drew’s cell, and the door is open. They go in, but it’s empty, and Anna sees Scout written on the wall. She shows Robert, and says, this is Drew’s cell. Robert says, they’re too late.

Valentin says, whatever Peter offered Russel to betray Victor, he’ll double it. Victor says, take the deal; Valentin has the money. Valentin asks if Victor’s been spying on him, but Victor tells him to try and think of it as fatherly interest. Valentin says he doesn’t know how long Russel’s been working for lunatics, but now is his time to cash out. Russel says, if Valentin had the actual cash, he’d be tempted, but he doesn’t, and Peter has already wired it to his account. Drew comes through the door, and as Russel turns, Drew shoots him in the leg. Russel falls, and Valentin says he should have taken the money, grabbing Russel’s gun. He says, nice one, Drew. He likes that; shoots first, then asks questions Valentin says, where’s Victor? and Drew says, who cares? Let’s go. They run out.

Spinelli says he found the malware used to hack into Scotty’s computer, and Jason asks when it happened. Spinelli says, months ago. Every site Scotty visited, even every keystroke he made has been tracked. Scotty says, every keystroke? and Spinelli says he’s afraid so. Whoever installed the spyware on his computer, presumably an operative for Peter, analyzed his search for information on Huntington’s, and planted advertisements and events they knew would entice Scotty. For example, a pop-up window for an underpriced trip to St. Lucia on a private jet. Britt says, he responded to pop-up ads? and Scotty says, who doesn’t like a good deal? They don’t think when he was given the bum’s rush out of the airplane that he didn’t think he was scammed? Jason asks if Spinelli can tell who was spying on Scotty, and Spinelli says it’s going to be tricky, but give him a minute to work his magic, and he’ll see what he can find.  

Curtis tells Portia, his name was Marcus, and he was the love of Aunt Stella’s life. She gave him up to take care of them. Portia asks, why? and he says, she didn’t think she could do both. She says, his Aunt Stella? She didn’t think Stella knew she had limits. He says, she was sure Marcus didn’t want the responsibility of a sick woman and two children, and she says, that’s certainly a sacrifice. She has a whole new level of respect for his aunt. He says, she does sort of command that, and she says, what was it like growing up with her in charge? He says, oh. wow. Aside from the outings, there were rules; many, many rules. As Portia might have noticed, Aunt Stella has a clear sense of right and wrong, at least from her point of view. Portia says, learned that the hard way. Is Stella’s sense of right and wrong what influenced him to be a cop? Is that why he went into law enforcement? He says, sort of, and she says, Stella must have been so proud of him. He says, proud, yes, approving, not so much. She prayed he’d find a new career, something safe; at least safer than police work. She made him call every night to let her know he’d lived through the day. She hated that he was putting his life in danger. The man across the room continues to watch them.

Dante and Sam go through the compound, guns drawn. Dante says, let’s check this one first, and Sam opens a door. Victor is right there, and says, don’t point those things at him. Peter is somewhere around here, and he’s totally deranged. They need get out of here. Dante blocks him, and says, no. They want to talk to Peter, and he’s going to help them find him.

Outside, Anna and Robert walk across a footbridge, holding flashlights. Anna looks over the edge, and says, that is a long drop. It’s a long way from the compound site. Robert says, he’ll be intercepted if he makes a run for it, and she says, he could try the main gate. Robert says, in which case, there will be a nice group of agents waiting to welcome him. It’s not Peter’s M.O. He’s going to wait for darkness, and slither away. Anna says she’s not going to shoot to kill, but Robert says, he is.

Spinelli says, there’s good and bad news. What do they want first? Britt says, bad, and Scotty says, you always give the bad news first. Spinelli says, as they wish. Unfortunately, but not unsurprisingly, he was unable to ascertain the identity of whoever was receiving Scotty’s information. The good news is that despite their ridiculous efforts to send whoever dared trace them on a wild goose chase across the globe… Britt says, he knows where they are? and Spinelli says he traced the IP address to Greece, specifically the island of Crete. Scotty says, so he’s telling them, all roads lead to Greece? and Spinelli says, and there the Cassadines lie.

Curtis tells Portia, Aunt Stella didn’t know he was using at the time. He damn near destroyed himself. Eventually, she did find out. He’d hidden it from her for a long time, but he thinks she suspected. Portia says, if she did see it, she didn’t want to believe it. A river in Egypt and all that. He says, but Aunt Stella likes to stare the truth square in the face. So soon, she was staring him square in the face, reading him the riot act back to sobriety. She says she can so picture that, and he says she did help him get through it. Something else he owes her for. She says, look at him now, all dressed up, an armchair expert in classical art, with everything he’s been though. He says, his life has been anything but boring, and she says she gets why he likes Magritte, the shadow and the mystery. This might shock him, but she’s looking forward to getting to know his aunt better. He says he is shocked. Is she sure she’s up for it? She says, Stella is a huge part of his life, and he wants to honor that relationship. He says, it’s important to him that they get along. She says, for the record, as exciting as it must have been, she’s glad his detective days are over, private and otherwise. It’s one thing she and Stella have in common; they both like knowing he’s safe and sound. He says he intends to stay that way. He certainly has a lot to live for. They kiss, and the man continues to watch them.   

Spinelli says, the only connection he knows between Obrecht, Peter, and the Cassadines are Helena and Faison, but they’re both dead. Scotty says, there is one more, and Britt says, Victor Cassadine. Her mother was involved with him. Spinelli says, involved as in… She says, involved, and Spinelli says, there’s only one word to describe such… Scotty says, cringeworthy. That’s the way Liesl described it – cringeworthy. Spinelli says, forgive him, but isn’t Victor Cassadine also in the underworld? Jason says, at least now they know where to start looking for Britt’s mother, and for Peter.

Dante says they know Victor is working with Peter, and Victor says, he was, up until – and this may be a shock to them – Peter betrayed him. Dante says, oh no. His heart breaks for Victor. It must be really frustrating, being played like that. Victor says, at least he’s still breathing. Thanks to the WSB’s timely arrival. Peter took off; he’s probably desperate to escape. As he said before, Peter is completely out of his mind. They really need to get going. Sam says, he doesn’t know where Peter is, fine, but what about Drew?

Anna says, he’s coming, and Robert says, here we go. They draw their guns, but Anna says, it’s Drew and Valentin. Drew and Valentin are crouched down, sneaking across the footbridge, and Anna says, Valentin. Valentin stands up, and says, Anna, and Peter shoots him. Drew fires at Peter, who fires back. Drew is hit, and falls over the side of the bridge into the water.

Tomorrow, they showed nothing but Drew floating in the water, and bleeding out.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Ostrica, Croatia. Mathew says, the eggs are going to put him over the edge. He’s going to cry. In Katie’s interview, she says, Mathew’s stress is getting the better of him. We flash back to the guest calling him out on the beets. She doesn’t know what to tell him to do. Just stop spiraling. In Mathew’s interview, he says he’s embarrassed to send the dishes to the table. They’re the worst egg dishes in his career. Katie says she needs to finish service, and a guest asks for toasted bagels. Captain Sandy tells Mathew about the bagels, although how she ended up with that task escaped me. The guest who got egg whites isn’t loving them, and in her interview, Katie says, they have two stews and demanding guests. She just has to move forward. She has to drop the sh*t, let it go, and carry on. The jet skis are brought out, and the guests mess around on the water toys. Katie pats Mathew on the back, and says, it’s the last day. He says, everything went backward, and she tells him, lunch is at 2:30. Malia says the tender is loaded for the picnic, and the captain tells her to take someone from interior over with her. Courtney leaves on the tender, and two guests sit in the hot tub wondering where service is, but Katie is finishing up in the laundry.   

Guest Deborah goes to the bar, but there’s no one there, and she calls for somebody . Mathew hears her, and says he’ll grab Katie. Deborah is all, my God, and Mathew radios Katie that drinks are needed in the hot tub. In Katie’s interview, she says, she was complaining that they needed more stews, and she just kept two. What is wrong with her? Courtney helps set up the picnic, and it seems like they always have to climb a bunch of stairs. Katie gets the guests their drinks, and Mathew asks Katie what he should do. She tells him to do what he wants, and in her interview, she says she loves Mathew, but doesn’t have time for him right now. She asks what’s wrong with him, and he says he’s a mess today. Today? Malia tells Mathew to have the food ready in ten minutes, and Mathew says he’s going to lose it. The guests get in the tender, and in Malia’s interview, she says she’d love to reward David, since he’s been busting his ass, and sends him to the picnic. It’s at the lookout tower of a 600 year old fortress, and she tells us, it has dungeons. It’s the perfect place for a picnic – or an execution. The guests are impressed.

Captain Sandy curses the wind, and says, they’re dragging anchor. The sooner they get all the water toys in, the sooner they can move. They’re drifting into shallow water. She tells the deckhands, no neatly packing things away; just get them in. Malia and Lloyd deal with the dreaded slide, and in Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, drifting into shallow water can be disastrous. At the picnic, one of the guests wants a crab cake. The food arrives, Katie and David set things up, and Katie tells the guests to help themselves. Guest Terrence wonders why she’s not bringing it over, but guest Deborah says, she did, on the boat. Back at the yacht, the crew manages to help get the boat out of shallow water, and in Malia’s interview, she says, chaos is the ultimate test, and they passed it. The captain says, they’re headed for the fortress, so when the guests finish, they’ll be there. The guests proclaim the food fabulous. Mathew gets an eggshell in some batter he’s mixing, and Courtney lies on the laundry room floor. In Mathew’s interview, he says, throughout the charter season, he’s been trying to get out of his head and to his happy place. When he messes up, he questions whether or not he’s a good chef. It’s not healthy, but he does it. In Katie’s interview, she says, it’s common to work 19 hour days in yachting. During her very first charter to Ibiza, they went three weeks straight where the guests were going to bed at 6 or 7 am. She tells David that she’s going to be up all night again.

Sandy drops anchor, and in Courtney’s interview, she says, it’s hard with only two, but she doesn’t want to let Katie down. The picnic stuff is packed up, and brought back to the boat. David lets Mzi drive the tender, and in his interview, Mzi says that he’s grateful David and Malia allowed him to do things. He’s stoked to be where is, paving a new path. Mathew asks Katie what to make again, and she says she doesn’t care. In her interview, she says she needs a shower and some water. She tells Mathew to do what he’s going to do. The guests get back, and get in the hot tub. Courtney serves drinks, and Mathew says she wants to do everything. Captain Sandy says she thinks they’re going to make it, and Katie says the guests will be fine. The captain says she’ll help Katie in any way, but in Katie’s interview, she says, it was her decision, and she has to live with it. Mathew says Katie told him not to make too many courses, but won’t tell him what to cut out. Katie explains that with all the courses the night before, she was cleaning up late. In her interview, she says, she can’t deal, and needs him to do his job. She’s trying to be awake for the guests. Just do what you’ve been doing… without asking her.

Mathew says he’s sick of this, and Lloyd sneaks to a computer to make a card from the deckhands to Malia. The guests are seated, and Katie asks Malia for help. Malia asks David where Lloyd is, and if the hold has been rinsed. David says it hasn’t, and Lloyd is on the computer. Malia tracks Lloyd down, but luckily he’s able to change the screen before she sees it. She says, as much as she loves him working on personal stuff… He says, the hold? and she says, yeah. Courtney says it’s less than 24 hours to go, and Matt says he’s stressed. Malia helps serve dinner, and her phone goes off as she’s serving, but she can’t answer since her hands are full of plates. She asks first officer Marten to consider Lloyd for the crossing position, and Mathew tells himself, keep it together. Katie tells Mathew that she’s sorry about cutting him off earlier, but the guests are happy. In his interview, he says, he needed that. He couldn’t focus or think of what to cook, and he freaked out. He thinks coming out of a spiral in itself was a success. I’m thinking he should really consider a new career, or at least not be in yachting. Malia calls Lloyd to the bridge, where Marten tells him that they’re looking for an engineer to go from Sibenik to Barcelona. In Lloyd’s interview, he says he was crapping his pants on the way up. He can’t believe how his outlook on life has changed from the beginning of the season to now. His situation is different, and he’s got a new job going forward. Malia has been the best boss.

In her interview, Katie says, the charter has been hard for all of them, and now they’re going to a house to be together. She hopes it doesn’t backfire. Courtney goes to bed, and the guests play cards. They want constant drinks, and one asks for gummi bears. Then it’s back to the hot tub again, and in Katie’s interview, she says, it was her f*** up. She has to take the punishment. She’s been working 19 hours with no break, and has officially been awake for 24. She wishes she could drug the guests with sleeping pills, and David says, can she? The guests finally go to bed at 4:20, and David says he’ll finish the dishes. In her interview, Katie says she doesn’t know who she is. She wants to sleep for three weeks straight.

Final day. In Mathew’s interview, he says, after yesterday’s breakfast disaster, he wants to  finish as simple as possible. Cook your own effing eggs. Courtney tells the guests that she makes a great bloody Mary, but in reality, doesn’t know how to make one, and doesn’t want to wake Katie. Mathew makes French toast, and anchor is home in Sibenik. The deckhands dance around. In his interview, Mathew says, French toast and strawberry syrup; what can go wrong ? He wants to end the charter on a high note. Captain Sandy says, it’s the smoothest docking she’s ever had, and Katie manages to get five hours sleep. The captain tells everyone, nice work, and in David’s interview, he says, it’s bittersweet, and they’re all exhausted. In Katie’s interview, she says, Courtney started off in laundry, and ended by serving breakfast service by herself. That’s why she deserves her stripes. The captain tells the crew to meet on the dock.

Jenelle says the trip was a magical experience to cap their first year of marriage. It was phenomenal. The guests leave, and Captain Sandy tells everyone to change from their whites to their reds, and meet in the salon to count their final, very large tip. The captain says she knows it was hard for Katie, but she stepped up and worked hard. It was incredible. Mathew continued to be opposite of the person who boarded the vessel, and she thanks him. When she gets to Malia, she says she’s going to cry; she’s so proud. It’s like she said the first time they worked together, Malia is a natural born leader. She brings out the best in her team, and it was a pleasure. They did it, and the tip is $20K or $1818 each in US dollars. They made $132,380 for the entire season. She says she’ll be joining them at dinner, and also invited quarantined chef Luka for a drink to say thanks.

Everyone gets ready to go out, and Captain Sandy texts Luka. He arrives, and meets the crew, except for Mathew, who slinks away. He explains that he was the back-up chef in case something went wrong. In Mathew’s interview, he says, it’s effing uncomfortable. Malia asks if Luka wants a beer, and gets him one. Katie says, Mathew only quit twice, and Luka says that’s why he was there. Mathew mumbles to himself in his cabin, and tells David that he doesn’t want to end the season by attacking. He shuffles into the crew mess, and barely makes small talk with Luka. Luka leaves, and I think Captain Sandy slipped him cash. The crew all has a shot, and goes out.

Courtney says, it’s so emotional, and they go to a restaurant near where Mzi and Courtney had their drunken fall. Captain Sandy tells them that they’re the best crew she’s worked with, and in her interview, she says, they’re the epitome of team work makes the dream work. They had each other’s backs. Katie says she couldn’t have done it without them. Their vibe was what she needed. Malia toasts to Katie, and in Malia’s interview, she says she doesn’t know if she would have made the same decision, but she liked working with Katie. Katie works her ass off, and Malia respects that. Captain Sandy says her low was having to cook, and Mathew says, sorry. The captain says, even worse was having the client tell her how bad it was. Mathew says he knows he’s got a personality, and Katie says he’s weird AF. Captain Sandy says her high was the dinner, watching people who’ve never met each other, pull it off. Mathew says, it was a team building exercise, and everyone laughs. David thanks Mathew for everything he’s done, and there’s a round of applause. Malia says, David was the most overlooked. He doesn’t act for praise. He’s officially a lead deckhand. She toasts to him, saying, cheers to their leader, and in his interview, he wonders if she’ll marry him now. Malia says she never felt as supported, and they all stand up and raise their glasses to the captain. Captain Sandy leaves after the toasts are all given, and Lloyd gives Malia the card that has a group photo on it, and says they appreciate her. She thanks them, and in her interview, she says she loves them. They’re like all her brothers, and she never had this on a boat before. They do a shot to the end of the season.  

Back at the boat, the girls have snacks, and the guys roll around on the couches, while Mathew sleeps. Everyone dances around, some of them on the table. Courtney twerks, and they take turns spinning around on the big lazy Susan. In Lloyd’s interview, he says, the lazy Susan is being ridden hard. David takes a turn and falls off, crashing into the seats. Maybe he shouldn’t get on anything that moves, or get out of anything that doesn’t.   

In the morning, Malia tells everyone that they have to get up and off the boat. Lloyd says, you are a boat. Malia tells Katie, a fairy came and cleaned the crew mess, and we see a clip of Malia doing it. Courtney says goodbye to the captain, and Mathew thanks her for the second chance. In his interview, he says, this finishes his old life. His mom was a chef, and he’s worked with the best. He has some growing up to do. He’s glad he didn’t freak out last night; he feels that’s something. Lloyd says goodbye to Captain Sandy, and thanks her, saying, he couldn’t have picked a better captain. Mzi thanks her, and says, it’s been amazing. He’s grateful for the experience. Katie thanks her as well, and says her support meant the world. The captain says she pushed Katie to make her a better leader, and in Katie’s interview, she says, you can’t always please everyone. That’s something she can learn and take to everyday life. Captain Sandy is a boss lady, and she’s glad for the opportunity to work with her. The captain says Katie is a great leader. She tells Malia, they did it. What an incredible 180 Malia is. Malia says the captain inspired her. In her interview, Malia says she wants to be to the deckhands like the captain was to her. If they’re unsure of where they fit, they’ll figure it out together, and get them where they want to be. She thanks Captain Sandy for the season. In her interview, Katie says, it’s a strange group of people. She doesn’t know how it works, but it works effing well.  

They leave, excited for going to Split. Captain Sandy wonders, what’s next? A producer asks them, what happened in Split? Katie and Malia just laugh, and Courtney says, she can’t say anything that happened. It can’t be spoke. Mathew says, it was like one of those sex parties, and David says, he and Lloyd had a banging kabob. Lloyd says, it was all very PG, and Mzi says, um… Mathew mimes zipping his mouth and throwing away the key, and Courtney says, what happened in Split, stays in Split.

This was the finale, and immediately afterward, they had the…

Below Deck Mediterranean Reunion

The Reunion was virtual on Watch What Happens Live. Andy told us that Lexi very firmly declined the invite. We flashed back to the boatmances, or lack thereof, and went through Mathew’s spirals. A viewer asked if he’d returned to other jobs he’d walked out of, and he said two of them were one-off dinner parties where it was more than he could handle, and he backed out. Andy asked if the crew thought he’d come back after he left, and Mathew said he didn’t think he was coming back. Captain Sandy she wasn’t sure if he would, and another viewer asked why she let him come back again. She said she wasn’t making excuses, but being a chef was hard, and sometimes it’s better to go with who you know. Katie says, his food blew her away. Not one person complained about their food being cold, which is a common complaint. Everyone said they’d work with him again, except Captain Sandy, who said she liked reliability and dependability. Mathew was a great guy, but after watching the show, she saw how he poked the bear. She didn’t see everything throughout the season, and she was mortified, Mathew got mad, saying it was editing, and she said, there’s your answer. Andy asked if Mathew thought they’d made him look worse than he was, and Mathew said he regretted his bad moments, but he was a good employee, and Captain Sandy was one of the worst captains he’d ever worked with. Because he’s seven years old. Courtney told him that was going too far, and the captain said, you could be great at your job, but personality also came into play. You had to be able to diffuse situations. It wasn’t easy, and when you added alcohol, people said and did things they regretted. Some people couldn’t take constructive criticism. Mathew didn’t know when not to talk, and his Achille’s heel was himself.   

We saw clips of the nightmare that was Lexi, and the captain said, the reality was, she didn’t get to see everything. If she’d seen it, she would have fired Lexi immediately. Malia said, if anything, Lexi had been edited nicely, and Courtney said she understood grief, but that didn’t mean you could be aggressive to another person. It wasn’t an excuse. Her dad was now in a home, and doesn’t remember who she is. This made me feel pretty sad, and Courtney seemed to really be slugging back the wine, so I wondered if that was why. Viewer Kelly from North Carolina wondered if, watching the show, Mathew realized he was as much at fault as Lexi. Mathew said alcohol was a factor, and Andy said, on social media, Lexi blamed production and unfair editing. Malia said that was classic when people didn’t like seeing the way they behaved when they were drunk. It’s not the edit; it’s you. Ha-ha! That should be on a bumper sticker. Mzi said, one of the things Lexi said about him through social media was that he wanted to be white, and it couldn’t be further from the truth. A lightbulb came on over my head, since I’d been thinking maybe Lexi was racist when they’d flashed back to her blatantly not fake apologizing to Mzi, when she’d fake apologized to everyone else. It was even pointed out later that she’d skipped over him. We already know she’s classist, but I have the funny feeling she’s the one who wants to be white. Just saying, and often people accuse you of things they’re doing.

Delaney came on for a hot minute, and Mathew said his only problem with her was that he’d just wanted his bed back. Lloyd also left the party, because he was losing his connection on the boat. We flashed back to Captain Sandy getting pissed at Malia about the jet ski plug, and then later, David’s bruise. Malia pointed out that, although some viewers thought so, it wasn’t the end of the world when she and the captain argued. They worked things out.

A viewer wanted details on the trip to Split, and Katie said they just partied a lot, and enjoyed each other’s company. Andy asked if Mzi and Courtney hooked up, but it was a no, and Andy and the viewers were collectively disappointed. Mathew said he saw everyone naked, but wasn’t specific, so I’m not sure if he was just being a pervert and had peeped all of them. Courtney was pretty drunk, and said they always saw each other naked. Andy asked Malia about hooking up with engineer Jake, and if he went on the trip. She said, obviously they needed an engineer there. We also found out they did a group chat every day, called Let’s Get Effed Up in Split. In her final thoughts, Captain Sandy said she was proud of her crew. They followed protocol, no one got sick, and they made it through. Andy wrapped it up, and Malia said she had to go anyway. The boat she was on was dropping anchor.

🏡 There was a preview of Winter House afterward. Right now I’m saying, I don’t know if I can, but I probably will.

Paige, Amanda and Kyle Dish on Austen’s ‘Winter House’ Romances

🦋 Dreaming On…

This was one long Deck, so see you tomorrow when Vanderpump Rules. Until then, stay safe, stay taking the road less traveled, and stay not being your own Achille’s heel.