What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

TJ and Curtis spar at the gym, and Curtis asks TJ what he’s got. Usually he has to work twice as hard to get a hit in. They stop, and TJ says, sorry. His head isn’t in it. He’s been thinking a lot about that patient he lost.

Portia is walking past Kelly’s, and literally runs into Marshall.

Michael says good morning to Willow, and tells her, it’s renegotiation time for the broadcast station; it always goes down to the wire. What’s her day looking like? She says, same old, same old. Nothing as important or powerful as his. He says she was pretty quiet last night. She didn’t say a word before they went to bed. She says she has a lot on her mind, and he asks if it has anything to do with what happened to Nina.

At the MetroCourt, Ava hugs Nina, saying, that was fast. An overnight extradition to Pennsylvania, and Nina is back, looking no worse for the wear. Nina says, looks can be deceiving; she’s exhausted. Ava says, gutsy move, showing her face there, and Nina says, she can’t very well stay away from her own business. She thought she’d just get a quick caffeine fix, and go to her office to see how many fires her arrest caused. Ava says she’s surprised Scotty’s strategy worked, and they let her leave the state. Although she did tell Nina that he can be fiendishly clever. Nina says she’s impressed too. All she had to do was give them her passport. Ava says, sounds like she got off pretty easy, but Nina says, far from it.

Sonny gives Avery a stack of cinnamon pancakes, and tells her not to put too much syrup on them. Kristina is taking her trick or treating tonight; she’s going to get a sugar rush. Know what he means? Can he get a little sugar rush? She hugs him, and he laughs. Carly says, this is just perfect. She’ll never take moments like this for granted again.

Spencer is reading For Whom the Bell Tolls at Kelly’s, when someone clears their throat, and he says, be right with you, not looking up. Molly says, is that any way to talk to a customer? Can they get some service, or is she going to have to speak to a manager? He runs around the counter and hugs her, saying, it’s good to see her. Shawn stands there looking… I dunno… Like he’s studying this.

Nikolas visits Alexis at Spring Ridge, but when he moves to hug her, she steps back. He asks if everything is all right, and she says she needs to talk to him. They sit down, and he says he has some news for her too, but she can go first. What’s this about? She says, Hayden Barnes.

At the MetroCourt, Josslyn thanks Jax for breakfast. She hates to eat and run, but she’s meeting Trina at Kelly’s for a study session. He asks if they don’t live together, and since when did Kelly’s become a study hall? Oh, that’s right. Cameron works there. She says, please. A ton of people study at Kelly’s, and change is good. They both have a very big exam next week. He says, getting an early start, huh? And he does mean early. She asks if he’s forgotten what Halloween is like in college. They need their evenings free. He says, has she forgotten he went to college in Australia, and Halloween was considered an American influence their country was trying to battle? She says, yet here he is, a venture capitalist, having drip coffee with his American daughter. So she wonders who won that battle. He says, touché. He’s glad that she’s not letting this thing with her mom and Sonny get to her, especially after everything that went down last night. She says she learned to compartmentalize early. She wasn’t going to bring it up, but since he did, how is he doing with everything? She thinks Nina got what she deserved, but still, watching her be arrested last night must be hard on him.

Ava asks if Nina has heard anything more from the Corinthos clan. She can’t believe Sonny stood by, and let Michael do that to her. She’s tempted to go and tell him what he can do with his offer for Charlie’s. Nina says, that’s not necessary, but she appreciates the support. Let Sonny buy Charlie’s. She has no choice but to let things play out. Ava says, so much for their hope that Nina and Sonny could co-exist in peace.

Willow tells Michael, having Nina extradited to Pennsylvania is part of it, but mostly it’s about their breakdown in communication. He says, that’s a pretty big statement, and she says she thought they had a good talk the other night about Nina. She went away thinking they were on the same page, but clearly, they’re not. He says they agreed not to do anything about Nina and Wiley while tensions were high, but he didn’t. She says he convinced the DA of Lantano County to have Nina arrested, and he says he’s confused. Didn’t she agree that what Nina did was wrong? She says she did, 100%, especially after he told her about the confusion it caused for Avery and Donna. She’s not opposed to pursuing legal action against Nina. If that’s what the family decides, she supports it. He says, so what’s the problem? and she says, the problem is, he wasn’t honest with her.

Marshall says he’s sorry if he startled Portia. He’s just as bad as those kids who walk and text, or tweet; he’s sorry. She says, that’s quite all right. She supposes she’s a little jumpy; the spirit of the holiday. She asks if that’s a map he has, and he says, it is. He probably looks like one of those throwback tourists. Maybe he could pretend this is his costume, like she said, in the spirit of the holiday. She laughs, and asks if he’s from out of town, and he says, just checking up on family. He was looking for the Chuck. Is it nearby? She says, it is, but she happens to know it’s closed today; she’s a member. Is he an art lover? He says he is. In fact, he appreciates all forms of art. He just read about a relatively new music venue, it’s called… The Savoy. Does she know it?

Curtis says, he’s sorry TJ lost a patient. That’s got to be hard. TJ says he’s talking about that guy who vanished from the exam room the other night. He asked around the hospital, and the volunteer meeting the guy said he was there for wasn’t real. He thinks he freaked the guy out when he asked for identification. Curtis says, there could be a number of reasons why he took off. Hell, he could have been undocumented. Or maybe he was just trying to get a prescription for some drugs. TJ says he thought about that, but it wasn’t the vibe he got. Something about that encounter felt almost personal. Curtis says that’s because TJ is an empathetic doctor; it’s his superpower. On the positive side, TJ gets two days off. Just let it go. Correct him if he’s wrong, but two days in a row is like luxury for a first year intern, right? TJ says, it definitely is. He plans to live his best life. As a matter-of-fact, what is Curtis doing tonight… and tomorrow? Curtis says, TJ is off, he’s not, but forget about him. What about Molly? He’s sure Molly would appreciate seeing more of TJ now that he has time off. TJ says, Molly’s fine. She’s catching up with Shawn right now. Curtis says, is that what all this was about?

Spencer says, it’s been too long, and Molly says, he’s the one who’s been in town for months, and didn’t bother reaching out to his cousin. Spencer says, they have this new thing called texting, and it works both ways. She says, true. She’s been super busy. From what she’s heard, he has too, and they’ll leave it at that. She asks if he remembers Shawn, and Spencer says, of course (🍷), of course (🍷), and shakes Shawn’s hand. Shawn says, look at Spencer, all grown up. A working man, he sees. Spencer says he’s come a long way from the son who could get his father to do anything for him. It’s been years since he’s seen Shawn. He’s been away; Shawn’s been away… They’re both back now, so that’s good. Molly says, from what she’s heard, he should be focused on his own legal issues, and Spencer says, right. She’s at the DA’s office. She says she’s had to recuse herself from his case. He says, no hard feelings. Duty calls. Grab a seat, and he’ll be right over.

Nikolas says he knows Alexis and Shawn were looking into what happened to Hayden, but he doesn’t know how Alexis thinks he can help. She says, they’re close, right? And despite the last few years, she’s hopeful that the Nikolas that she loves and that she trusts, and that she knows, is operating in there somewhere. So she needs Nikolas to tell her the truth. No lying. No dodging. Just be honest with her. He says, think long and hard before she goes any further with this, and she says, true or false? He hired the hitman who shot Hayden Barnes. He says he knew this is where she was going, especially after that tense moment with Shawn the other day. He hoped her was wrong, that it was all in his head, but here they are. He gets up, and she follows him. She says, that’s not a denial, and he says, it’s not an admission either. He’s insulted that she would think so little of him. She says, that’s even less of a denial. She’s known him since he was born. She knows him better than almost anybody. She said to herself, if she can look him in the eye, she’ll know if he’s telling her the truth. Please tell her that he did not allow a man to be locked up for six years of his life for a crime that he committed.

Molly says she hopes Shawn doesn’t mind that she roped him into breakfast. He says, not a bit. He barely sees her and TJ at home. He enjoys spending time with his daughter-in-law of sorts. Is that an okay term to use for domestic partners? She says, especially the in-law part, and he says, say it with pride, Assistant District Attorney. She says, it’s a far cry from writing romance novels, and he says, don’t knock it. Her lover man had chops. He guesses he can admit it now, but the notes she asked TJ for were actually suggestions from him. She says she didn’t know he read her manuscript early, and he says he volunteered to write articles for the armed forces newsletter. He was trying to help, but she didn’t need it. He thought they had a prodigy on their hands; a future bestselling author. She says, as much as she loved writing, she ended up finding a new way to express herself, trying to improve the justice system from the inside. But she’s not the only one with an appreciation for righteousness, is she? Is he looking to make a difference too?

Michael asks how he was dishonest, and Willow says, he agreed not to challenge Nina about visiting Wiley, because the whole time he knew he was going to get the Lantano DA to file criminal charges against her. He says, one thing has nothing to do with the other, and she rolls her eyes and starts to walk away. He says, the whole point of charging Nina with identity fraud was so it wouldn’t involve Wiley. It solely has to do with what she did to his father. She says, this is what she means by dishonesty. She’s sure he’s right about the legal tactic, but she’s also sure he didn’t let her in because he thought she wouldn’t approve. He didn’t ask her, or the rest of the family. He took it on himself to deal with Nina, and he handled it. He says, she’s right. He did.  

Sonny watches Avery pour syrup on her pancakes, and tells her, what did he say? She’s got a lot of candy ahead of her. She says, Mama Carly said she can’t have it until tomorrow. Carly says, that’s not true. She said Avery could have a piece for how old she is, so she gets six pieces. Avery says, but the Kit Kats always disappear. I feel her pain. Sonny says he knows where the Kit Kats go, and Carly says, Halloween is a magical night. Who knows where the Kit Kats go? It’s kind of like the socks in the laundry. Sonny and Carly go over to the sink, and Sonny says, Carly is in a good mood. She says, thanks to Michael, she doesn’t have to run into Nina at every turn.

Ava tells Nina that she accepted Sonny’s offer before his family had her arrested. She’ll be happy to take Nina’s counter-offer. Nina says, what’s done is done. Besides, she doesn’t want Ava turning the sale of Charlie’s into a battleground. If she wants to make amends to Phyllis, she can’t buy Phyllis’s forgiveness, can she? You cannot pay for absolution. Ava tells her to take it easy on herself, and remember there are plenty of people in this world who will give Nina hell for her mistakes, but she’s not one of them. She leaves, and Nina hears Jax call her name. She turns to see Jax with Josslyn.

Nina says she just came in for a quick cup of coffee, and Josslyn asks why she’s there. She was arrested last night, and extradited to Pennsylvania. Nina says, she was. She made bail, and was allowed to come home until the trial. Josslyn says, that’s it? Nina stole Sonny’s life for nine months, and took him away from his family. She’s finally arrested and didn’t even have to spend the night in jail. Jax asks if Josslyn doesn’t have some studying to do with Trina, and Josslyn says, and Nina shows up at her mother’s hotel, acting like nothing happened? Jax says, Josslyn, and she says, fine. She gets in the elevator, and Nina tells Jax that he doesn’t have to feel like he has to protect her from his daughter. Josslyn’s made it crystal clear how she feels about her. He says, she’s her mother’s daughter; what can he say? She says she can take it from Carly, but Josslyn broke her heart. He says he’s sorry, and she says they haven’t talked since the night of the fire, and they couldn’t really talk in the hearing room. He says he’s been keeping his distance, especially since he figured out she’s been keeping her true relationships with Mike – or Sonny – a secret. She says, Sonny is not the man she fell in love with. And he’s not the man who fell in love with her.

Willow says, it’s like Michael was honoring the letter of their conversation, but not the spirit. He says he realized he was doing that while she was saying it, and it wasn’t right. She says she’s not thrilled by his strategy, but she’ll admit it’s affective. The DA thinks he can win the case, and the fact is, Nina did commit the crime. If he’d told her from the start, she would have had his back, but he didn’t give her the chance. He made a preemptive decision and went around her. He tells her, everything she’s saying is valid, and he’s sorry. He thinks because of the last few relationships he’s been in, he’s more guarded than he realized. He should have told her, but at the same time, he stands by his actions. Nina needs to be held accountable. Not for anything to do with Wiley, but because of what she did to his family. Willow says she thought she was his family too.   

Portia tells Marshall, The Savoy is great. She feels a little responsible for it coming into being. The owner is a good friend. He says, really? He read that the owner never ran a club before; is that true? She says she doesn’t remember there being any profiles on Curtis when the club opened. Where did he read that? He says, somewhere online. Anyway, he’s just curious, what made him jump into the nightclub business? She says, he seems more interested in the owner than the venue, and he says he’s just a people person. She says, okay. It’s been nice speaking with him, but she has to get going. Enjoy his visit to Port Charles. He thanks her, and she moves on.

TJ says, it’s okay if Curtis can’t hang, and Curtis says, it’s not that. He’s noticed all the extra time they’ve been spending together, as much as he loves it, all started when Shawn was released, and came back to town. TJ doesn’t see what one has to do with the other, and Curtis says, for six years it’s been him, TJ, and TJ’s mother; they were a family. Now TJ’s biological father is in the picture, and he’s okay with that, but TJ doesn’t have to demonstrate that their relationship isn’t different. He’s not insecure in any way about TJ’s relationship with his father. He thinks it’s important, so he encourages that, and he knows he and TJ are rock solid. TJ says, always have been and always will be, and Curtis says, they’re family. Nothing is ever going to change that.  

Molly says Shawn has been staying with her and TJ at her mom’s for few months now. She always hears him talking to TJ about finding out what his next step in life should be, but when they talk, it’s non-stop news and current events and social justice issues. It’s clear he’s passionate about these things. Maybe there’s a path in the social sphere that he can explore. Somewhere he can bring awareness to the issues he cares about. He says, like what, a podcast? He has no idea how to pod or cast. He doubts his criminal record will support any bid for being a public official. At least not until he clears his name. She asks how that’s going, and he says he does have a new lead to follow, but it could send him down a bath that could cause a lot of trouble. She says, whatever he decides, she’s behind him. She trusts him.   

Nikolas tells Alexis, Shawn Butler is far from an innocent man. He showed up to kill Drew, the father of her granddaughter Scout. It’s only due to bad luck and bad aim that Drew wasn’t hit by Shawn. She says, the salient point is, Shawn didn’t shoot Hayden. A hitman or hitwoman did, but only Nikolas would know that, since he hired them? He had Hayden shot, didn’t he? He tells her, don’t. If she keeps pulling this thread, he’s going to make helping her impossible, especially since he’s secured her release.

Nikolas says he and the governor got quite close, ever since he dated the governor’s daughter. He thought he’d play his card at the right time, and the right time presented itself last night at a fundraiser they both attended. He spent most of the evening championing Alexis’s cause with him. She says, what a fortuitous coincidence. She doesn’t suppose it had anything to do with their conversation the other night. He says he reminded the governor of her role in exposing the corrupt Judge Carson, and he suggested the state show its appreciation by offering her a pardon. They sit again, and he says, it’s incredible, right? The governor plans to issue her a complete pardon for her attack on Detective Falconari, which is a little dicey for him, her stabbing a cop and all. But the governor is prepared to take the hit as a personal favor to him. Of course (🍷) if he has to fend off groundless charges and allegations, it can tarnish his reputation, and his political sway could disappear, along with her pardon.

Josslyn walks into Kelly’s, saying, she had to see for herself, and Spencer says, and smirk? She says, yes. Watching him work at Kelly’s is like watching the Lock Ness Monster play the tuba. He should wear it as his Halloween costume. Grandma Bobbie loves her employees to dress up for Halloween. He says she’s loving this, and she admits she is. He tells her, please enjoy his utter humiliation, but do it from across the room; he’s not in the mood. She says, there’s nothing to be humiliated about. As a matter-of-fact, she’s impressed. He’s not relying on his inheritance. He’s making money on his own, and that’s admirable. He says she realizes that all three of her parents are probably as rich as his, right? She says, which makes her incredibly fortunate, and she tries not to take that for granted. By the way, she never betrayed her parents trust, or used a good friend and lied to her. Or committed several crimes and wound up awaiting trial. Shawn, who’s been listening in, asks Molly to tell him more about Spencer’s legal difficulties.

Michael says, that came out wrong. He didn’t mean she wasn’t part of his family, because she is. The two of them, and Wiley are a family together. She says she gets it, but she doesn’t look at him, and he says, after their conversation about taking things slowly and that she’d be more comfortable with boundaries… They’re already living together, they’re sleeping together, they’re raising Wiley together, it’s hard to figure out where those boundaries are. She says he doesn’t have to explain, and he says, it’s hard to find the line between moving too slowly and moving too quickly when they’ve been in love for so long, and they finally get to be together. She takes his hand, and says she loves him too. He says, he’s glad to hear it because he’s clearly blowing it. He’s sorry for keeping her out of the decision making process. He guesses maybe on some level, he was trying to keep her in the clear. She says, what about him? and he says, he did what had to be done. And he always will to keep his loved ones safe. He hopes she understands.

Jax and Nina go to the bar, and order coffee. He says they have a chance to talk, but she says, they don’t really have much to say, do they? She’s in a no-win situation, and in order to respect Sonny’s wishes, she has to continue to lie about the nature of their relationship, even though she’s facing criminal charges. So if she can’t fix her legal problems, she’s just going to focus in on Crimson. That is, if she still has a job there. He says he’s not going to force her out, and she asks if he wants to rethink that. It’s bad optics having a convicted criminal at the helm. He says she can’t run Crimson from behind bars, that’s for sure, and it was a mistake to come back to Port Charles without consulting a lawyer first. They could have protected her, and maybe stopped things from escalating further. She says, there he goes again, trying to be her white knight. If this ordeal taught her anything, it taught her that Jax has to stop trying to save her. She’s a lost cause.

Ava comes into the former home of the beloved moss bowl 🎍, and Avery hugs her. Ava calls her Miss Sticky, and asks if she’s been eating her father’s pancakes. Avery says she was, but she thought she wasn’t staying with Ava until tomorrow. Ava says she thought right; she came by to talk to Avery’s daddy. Carly suggests Avery go upstairs and see what Donna is doing, and Avery runs out. Carly says, if this is about custody… but Ava says, no, and walks over to Sonny, giving him a manila envelope. She says it’s the closing papers. She had her lawyer look them over already, so just have his lawyer do the same, sign them, and Charlie’s is his. Carly says, that was fast, and Ava says, especially since there was a bidding war. Carly says she wasn’t aware of it, and Sonny says, things were kind of crazy last night. Ava says, right, with Nina. It must have slipped his mind. She thought he shared everything with Carly.

Portia arrives at the gym, and sees Curtis with TJ. She asks if someone forgot to invite her to the party. TJ’s not working? He says, he’s not playing hooky; he has two days off. She says, he scored. She’s on her way to a kickboxing class. Enjoy his days off while he has them. TJ says, while he has her, has she heard anything around the hospital about a patient of his who skipped out before he could grab their ID? She says, oh, one of those. She hasn’t heard anything, but she’ll let him know if she does.  Did he say or do anything fishy? Curtis says, TJ is taking it a little personally, and TJ says, maybe he is. The gentleman was so amiable, he can’t figure out why he would lie to him, and then ghost. They hit it off, and were talking about life, family. Curtis says, he’s going to find, working in a hospital, he’ll meet all kinds of people. TJ says he even asked questions about Curtis, and Portia says, wait. What did this patient of his look like?

Shawn asks Molly, Nikolas wouldn’t even post bail? He thought Nikolas adored Spencer, and vice versa. She says, a lot has happened since Shawn was around. Starting with Nikolas pretending to be dead for three years, and ending with him marrying Ava. Spencer feels Ava double-crossed him when he was trying to get justice for Nikolas, who, as it turned out, wasn’t actually dead. He says, that’s a damn shame, and she says, it’ll all work itself out. The funny thing is, all Spencer needs to do to make things right is apologize; like a real, sincere apology, where he holds himself accountable. Nikolas feels so guilty for staying away, he would be putty in Spencer’s hands. He says, that easy? and she says, that may be a slight exaggeration, but it would be a good start. Nikolas has that Cassadine ruthlessness, and a seemingly cold heart, but that heart melts when it comes to his son. Spencer has always been his Achilles heel.

Alexis tells Nikolas, so they have quid pro quo, huh? She and Shawn drop the investigation, and forget Nikolas initiated the a hit on Hayden, and he facilitates her pardon. Her silence buys her freedom. He says, he never said that, and she asks if he thinks she’d be tempted by this blanket attempt at extortion? He says he has no idea what she’s talking about, but for argument’s sake, he contends that everyone has a price. The question is, what’s hers?

Willow says, just because she and Michael aren’t on the same page right now, doesn’t change how she feels about him. She missed snuggling with him last night. He says, so did he, and she says, knowing how hard they fought to be together, and they already know they want to spend their lives together raising Wiley, maybe taking it slow made it messy. He says, he’ll go with confusing, but she says she’s not confused. One thing she knows for sure, she doesn’t want that division between the part of her life where he lets her in, and the part of his life he shields her from. That might work for some relationships, but she doesn’t want that for them. He says he doesn’t either. Other than their son, there’s nothing more important, and he’s going to spend every day proving it to her. Starting now.

Sonny says he’ll have Diane look it over, and Ava says, when the papers are signed and the money is wired, she’ll leave the keys with Kristina, and they’ll be done. She’d like to say goodbye to Avery before she leaves, and he says she knows the way. She goes upstairs, and Carly says, that was quick. She loves the way he does business. She hopes Phyllis takes him up on his offer, and stays there. She has to go to work, and says she loves him. He says he loves her too.

Jax tells Nina that he’s hanging up his armor. He didn’t do so well, trying to shield Nina from the truth about Nelle. But he can’t help but wonder if that didn’t set this whole thing in motion. She says he’s got to stop. Part of her making things right is is taking full ownership for her actions. He had nothing to do with her choices. They’re her responsibility, and she’s going to face the consequences. It’s the only way that she can move forward. He says, for that, he appreciates her, and she says, enough to respect her wishes? She’s talking about Carly. Is he planning on telling Carly the truth about her and Sonny?

Curtis tells Portia to enjoy her class. He’s going to check on his new sound system upgrade. She tells him to wait. She ran into someone on the way over here, and he was asking questions about Curtis too.

TJ goes to Kelly’s, and asks Molly where Shawn is. She says, he had someplace to be. She thought TJ was busy all day, and he says he was planning to be, but came to his senses. Instead of spending his precious time boxing with Curtis, he could spend it with his beautiful partner. They kiss, and Marshall looks through the window. Spencer tells Josslyn, on the bright side, he’s learned how to make Kelly’s famous hot cocoa, and she says, yum, giving him an A+ for it. He gives her a check, and she asks if he can leave her tab open. She’s meeting Trina there for a study session. He asks if she wouldn’t mind studying at the Bistro. He doesn’t want Trina to see him like this. She says, she’ll take Trina someplace else for today, and today only, because he has nothing to be embarrassed about. To work is a good thing; it’s an admirable thing. When she sees Cameron doing his shifts there, it not only makes him hotter, it makes her feel prouder of him. He says, that’s a horrible pep talk, and she says, there’s always the easiest solution. He says, pray tell, enlighten him, and she says, he can get over himself, and make things right with his father. Keep the change.    

Nikolas tells Alexis that she doesn’t have to give him an answer now. Just think it over; the benefits, the consequences. Shawn comes in, and Nikolas says he’ll let them get caught up. He leaves, and Shawn asks, what happened? Did Nikolas say anything they can use against him?

Michael says he’s finished talking himself out of this, and Willow says, out of what? He gets down on one knee, and she asks what he’s doing. He says, what does it look like he’s doing? He’s asking her to marry him.

Nina walks Jax to the elevator, and says she’s not the only one who’s been rethinking her life. He needs to focus on something other than her and Carly, which means staying out of the war zone. Carly won’t hear the truth Nina has been keeping from her. Not from him. He gets in the elevator, and Nina turns around, coming face-to-face with Carly.

Sonny’s phone rings, and the operator says Sonny has a collect call from Flatlands Federal Prison inmate Cyrus Renault. Will he accept the charges?

Tomorrow, Curtis tells Portia that it would be a mistake to ignore that feeling, Spencer asks if Nikolas is at Kelly’s to gloat, Nina tells Carly that Sonny was better off in Nixon Falls, and Sonny asks Cyrus what he wants. I guess he accepts the charges.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – The Reunion – Part Three

Kathy over doing the show, and Andy wondered if they would have felt differently had they seen it. Kathy burst into tears over her mother not being there anymore, and Kyle told her it was okay to cry and hugged her. Andy asked if Kyle regretted doing the show, but she said she didn’t do anything wrong; it was a love letter to her mom. She felt bad that her sisters thought it was something it wasn’t, and if they’d just watched it they would have seen that. She’d never do anything to shame her mother. Andy asked who called who first, and Kyle said it was the kids. They’d been bummed that holidays weren’t the same, and eventually, she and Kathy realized they had to do something. Andy asked if they’d hashed out their issues; he got the sense they still hadn’t worked it out. Kathy said he was their psychiatrist. I wondered if they were desperate. Kyle said it had been poorly handled on both their parts, but it was all good now. Andy asked if the show had brought them together, and Kyle said they’d been speaking already, but Kathy had never done things like a girls trip, and it was fun seeing her do them for the first time. He asked who The Lady was, referring to someone who works for Kathy, and we found out her name is Paula. We also saw a clip of Paula serving Kyle and Kathy on TV trays. In another bombshell, Kathy said she, Rick, and the kids ate off of TV trays every night. We flashed back to when Garcelle had forgotten her sister Carol’s name (Garcelle is one of seven kids), and she said, something had happened, and they had let it fester. Andy wondered if it was Freudian, which I guess was the psychiatrist in him coming out. Kathy had been voted favorite Richards sister on Watch What Happens Live, and Andy asked if Kyle was jealous, but even Kyle isn’t that stupid. Andy asked if Kathy had gotten any advice before coming on the show, and Kathy said Kim told her, just don’t lose your temper. He asked how Kyle’s relationship with Kim was now, and Kyle said she now had Kim’s current phone number, and they were good. Andy said he was hoping to see all three of them this season, and Kyle was cagey, but it sounded like Kim will make an appearance.

We saw clips of newbie, and descendant of Confucius, Crystal. Her stint at an escort agency in college was touched on, and a vote was taken on who would wear her ugly leather pants. I think it was everyone except for Sutton, and Kathy, who said they wouldn’t look good on her. Sutton said she wore a lot of things people hated, and to each his own. Andy moved on to the coat that launched a thousand tweets, and asked if when Crystal finally saw the show, did it look like less like a violation than an awkward mistake? There is no way Crystal is every going to back down from using the word violation, so she didn’t even answer that, saying, how she was feeling was something that had compounded over two days; it wasn’t an isolated thing. We flashed back to the  color conversation, and Crystal said, it was cumulative. She wished they’d started off on the right foot. Sutton said she thought violate was a strong word – as does every other person on the face of the earth – and it inferred Sutton had done something purposely to hurt Crystal. During the season, Crystal had admitted to having an eating disorder, and Andy wondered if her body image issue was a factor in feeling violated. She agreed it was, and I began to think, maybe he should hang a shingle out. He father’s experience with racism was discussed, and she said he handled it in the classic Asian way – don’t speak about it. She started crying at the thought of her dad, and how fearful he’d been. Andy said he’d been upset to hear Crystal had getting threats and hate speech about being on the  show because she was Asian. She said she still got hundreds of messages a day like that. I’m not a huge Crystal fan, but that made me sad to think that people are still behaving like that in 2021. She said she came on the show because she thought Asians needed representation. It was an incredible opportunity to speak out for people who were too afraid, like her dad. Sutton said she was sorry for any part she played in that, but I’m sure people like that will find any reason to spread their hate. Andy said Crystal should feel great about sharing her culture, and not let a percentage of a-holes on social media define her experience, or what she put out there for others to experience. She said she was grateful to the group for being open and accepting, and she’d been excited to show her culture. Andy asked what everyone enjoyed about getting know Crystal, and Kyle said making the dumplings was the best, which was no surprise. She also loved the Chinese New Year celebration, as did I. LisaR said Crystal was like a little sister to her.

Andy said the women had been eager to dress up again. Let glam squads rejoice. Beverly Hills is back. We flashed back to Dorit saying, it had been a hundred years since they dressed up, and then we saw a billion fashion moment clips. The vintage designer collection LisaR kept in her garage was discussed, and Andy said he’d been concerned that she basically inviting thieves to help themselves. She said she’d realized that, and it was now in special storage. Since Garcelle had been a legit runway model, Andy asked who had the most fashion sense, and she said, Dorit. We found out Dorit pays full retail, because she wants to wear what she wants, and not what someone else fronted her. Andy asked Kyle what the most over-the-top gift was Mauricio had ever given her, and she said a pair of diamond earrings that he’d sent to WWHL. We saw a clip of Andy giving them to her, and they were stunning. Unfortunately, they’d been stolen, along with Kyles whole jewelry and bag stash, when they’d been burglarized.  

Kathy said she was surprised to have been voted fan favorite, since the group was dynamic, intelligent, and fierce. Which is debatable. She said it was nice to be received well. Apparently, daughters Paris and Nicky were disgusted when she’d signed on, but were okay with it now. We saw a Kathy retrospective, and Andy said, we’re all hunky dory for Kathy. He asked if it was a surprise to Kyle, but Kyle said Kathy had always been hysterical, and a practical joker, and has a laugh like their mom’s. Andy said Kathy reminded him of Kim, who was eccentric. That’s one word for it. Kathy said no one knew the real Kyle, but I’m not sure what she meant by that. She talked about living at the Waldorf Astoria for nine years. Andy asked about her connection to Hilton hotels, and she said Rick’s grandfather had founded it, but it had been sold ten years ago.

Erika said she’d love it if Andy wasn’t hard on her, but he said he was putting her on a skewer and firing up the barbecue. She said she was so ready, and we flashed back to all that. Erika said she was keeping score of who was for or against her, and Kyle said she hoped Erika knew the difficult position they were in. Erika said the thing that had hurt her the most was when Dorit and PK got together with Kyle and Mauricio, and mocked her life and family; it was hurtful. Kyle claimed Mauricio had said all along that he believed Erika, even though we just saw him say just the opposite. Erika said whatever anyone needed to ask, she was there, and Garcelle asked why Erika didn’t understand their concern over being possibly pulled in. Erika said there was nothing that legally tied anyone there to her. The tabloids were going to project, but they couldn’t be fearful. They knew the truth. Sutton said it felt like Erika had run from questions in Palm Springs, but Erika said she left because of the altercation with Garcelle. We flashed back to Garcelle letting the cat out of the bag about Tom calling Erika. Andy said the difference with Erika’s legal issue was that there had been actual victims. It wasn’t like RHONJ where Teresa and Joe had defrauded the IRS. Erika said she understood, however, they were a long way from finding out what happened. She’d loved her husband, and he was now accused of defrauding widows, orphans, and burn victims; she felt horrible. There were also boundaries as to where she could and couldn’t go, but if anyone was proven wronged, she wanted them to be remedied. Andy said the way people perceived it, it looked like Erika saw herself as a victim. Sutton agreed that’s how it was coming across, and Erika (no surprise) got pissed, saying, her life was broken. What should she have done? Andy said her sympathy didn’t seem to be landing with the group or the viewers, and Erika said she had a limited way she could express herself; everything she said was picked apart. The best thing to do in the situation was to sit and be quiet. She wasn’t surprised at viewer reaction, but she was at the women. Kyle said Erika was doing herself no favors with Instagram, and Andy said she had the attitude of consumption and indifference. Erika said she was paid to post, and had to pay the bills, but Andy said it landed differently when there were victims. LisaR said she could understand why Erika was doing it, but she was feeding the fire, and she didn’t think it was helpful. Andy asked what she’d known, and if she had any sense that an alleged theft was happening, and she snapped that she didn’t work for the Girardi law firm. There’s his answer. He asked who didn’t believe Erika, and that was no one, and LisaR added that nobody knew anything. Garcelle suggested there may have been signs that Erika didn’t want to see, and Crystal wondered where Erika’s anger was at Tom, which really riled her. She asked what Crystal wanted her to do. Before the show, she’d said she wondered who she was married to for twenty years. She was very angry. Besides, they didn’t know what she had done or what she was going to do. Andy asked what she was going to do, and she said he’d have to wait and see. We flashed back to a lawsuit against Tom that Erika had been named in some time ago, and Erika said she’d gone to him, and said, what is this? He told her it was bullsh*t, and don’t worry. Everything was resolved like that. She asked Crystal if she seemed angry enough, as she steam came out of her ears.  

Next time, the conclusion of the Erika Show Reunion, Erika says Tom called five times that day, Erika says they can’t find the police report for Tom’s accident, Erika insults Sutton again with the c-word, Erika wants to know if someone will back her TF up, and Erika wants to know why everyone in Beverly Hills is so precious.

🏚 On the godawful Winter House, Gabby (an actual model) thought she was in love with Luke because of his rugged ways. He did build a legit igloo – ice bricks and all – which was pretty impressive, but IMO, he’s bad news. Like any of these guys are good news, but that’s beside the point. He said in his interview that he was oblivious to women coming on to him, but I’m not sure if he actually is, or just pretends to be to make himself more desirable. Paige made out with Andrea in the hot tub, and was already married and living in Italy in her head, and friend Julia was already living vicariously through Paige in her head. After their hot tub make-out session, Andrea fist bumped with Craig, which was juvenile creepy. Ciara was in love with Austen and they made out, but then Lindsay showed up. Apparently, Austen and Lindsay had hooked up back in 2018, and Craig told Austen that he thought Lindsay would have left any boyfriend for him.

Amanda said Kyle was ruining the mood by working. When he wasn’t doing that, he was ruining the mood by drinking too much, and complaining about things like no winterizing in the house. In Lindsay’s interview, she said she and Austen were both single at the same time in a long time. She passed out small bottles of Fireball upon her arrival, and didn’t seem happy when Austen told her that he’d made out with Ciara, pulling her hood up, and pulling the drawstring to hide her face. Because she’s five. In her interview, she said, when Austen came to NYC, they hung out for four days straight. They were having an emotional relationship, and had FaceTimed on New Year’s Eve. Austen told Craig that he loved Lindsay, but had feelings for Ciara, and he was over the love triangle. Ciara, who was keeping her eye on all this, said Austen and Lindsay had the longest hug she’d ever seen. In her interview, she said, since Lindsay walked in, she’d literally been trying to take all of Austen’s attention.

Lindsay ended up getting so drunk, she fell on the floor, and Austen had to carry her to her bed. She told him that she was in love with him, and it wasn’t just because she was drunk. He hated that Craig was right, and in Ciara’s interview, she said Lindsay was f***ing up her sh*t. She thought she was going to have a cute vacation romance. Perfect timing… They did some winter sports, which was cool, no pun intended. I love the snow. They made snow angels, which is the thing I love doing most during the first snow of the season. Gabby thought she totally go to the Arctic with Luke. She’d never go hungry, but she’d need to learn to sew. I’m guessing the Arctic might not be quite as primitive as she thinks. Austen told Lindsay that he loved her like a sister, totally friendzoning her.

I finally noticed Carl was missing, but if I remember correctly, he had a lightbulb moment where he realized he was too old for this sh*t. Which is exactly what bothers me about this whole show, along with its summer counterpart.

Next time, Ciara and Austen go on a double-date with Kyle and Amanda, and Andrea bench presses Paige.   

💬 Dashing Off…

See you tomorrow for soap and fashion, possibly made out of soap. Until then, stay safe, stay appreciating other cultures, and stay honoring both the letter and spirit of the agreements you make.