What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny asks what Nina is doing at the Haunted Star, and she says she was at Charlie’s with Obrecht, and Obrecht overheard someone saying he’s in a bad way. She didn’t want him to be alone on the boat if he wasn’t taking his medication. He says, he is taking his medication. He’s been taking it ever since she took him to General Hospital. This is something completely different. She says, she’s so relieved. She’s not relieved he’s in a bad way, she’s just… He says he knows what she means. He says, Charlie’s, huh? Is that where Obrecht overheard Kristina? Nina says, she was on the phone with someone. She asks if he wants to talk about it, and he says he was making a play to save his marriage. She says, she got the impression he was alone. She’s so sorry; she’ll leave, so she doesn’t cause anymore trouble. He says she doesn’t have anything to worry about. His marriage is over.

Carly runs into the hospital, and tells the reception nurse, Dante Falconari was brought in tonight. Can she tell Carly how he’s doing? The nurse asks if she’s family.

Still in the ER, Dante says, Sam doesn’t have to hold his hand to keep him calm, but she says she’s holding his hand to keep herself calm. She’ll feel better when the tests come back, and they know everything is okay. He says he’s fine. She can’t get rid of him that easy. She says she’s going to hold him to that, when the doctor comes in.

Maxie asks Felicia if there’s any word, and Felicia says, Mac is still in surgery; that’s all they’ll tell her. What about the kids? Maxie says, they’re good; they’re fast asleep. Spinelli will stay with them for as long as they need. Felicia wonders why it’s taking so long, and Maxie says, Mac is strong. He’ll pull through this. He has an amazing team of doctors, and he’s survived far worse than a gunshot wound. Felicia says, he was younger then, but she’s right; he’s strong and he’s resilient. They sit down, and Maxie says, he’s going to come back to them because he has to. Felicia puts her arm around Maxie.

Anna asks Robert if there’s any word on Mac, but he says, no; Felicia checked. Anna was with Mac when they found him. How’d he look? Leave nothing out. She says, it was bad. He lost a lot of blood. They managed to stabilize him, so they could transport him. She wouldn’t count him out though; not just yet. She asks if Robert wants coffee, but he says, please, stay.

On the docks, Victor tells Yohan, he’s late, and he’s alone. That wasn’t the plan. Yohan says, the plan hit a snag, and Victor says, that much is obvious. Where’s Peter August?

On the phone, Chase says, it’s Bailey Quartermaine. She’s eight months old… Yes, he has a recent photo, and he’ll send it now. He wants every available man and woman out there looking for her. Brook comes out, and says, she’s nowhere to be found. The monitor was turned off. He says, someone broke into his car and took it. Dammit! Peter got his daughter. He’s got Bailey.

Peter leans back in his seat, and tells Bailey/Louise, sorry for the delay. Sometimes daddy just needs a little downtime to think things through. They’re probably looking for both of them, but don’t worry. He won’t let them get her. This baby cracks me up. She’s one of those kids who, like the first Wiley, seems like she knows what’s going on.

Dante asks the doctor, what’s going on with him? and she says, his CT scan shows no evidence of a concussion or traumatic brain injury. He should be ready to go home tomorrow. He says, what about tonight? and she says she’d like to keep him for observation. Someone will be in shortly. She leaves, and he tells Sam, just like his mom always said; he has a hard head. Sam laughs, and Carly flies in. She says, they’re smiling, so Dante is fine? He says, they want to hold him for precautionary reasons, but he’s good to go. She says, she’s glad. Sonny is going to be relieved. Where is he?

Nina says, what does Sonny mean his marriage is over? Did something else happen? He says, Carly’s been distancing herself from him; shutting herself off. He wanted to show her how much she means to him, and let her know he’s 100% in this marriage. That’s why he wanted her to show up here tonight. No expectations. He wasn’t insisting she forgive him, and forget everything that happened. He just wanted her to come here so she could let him know if she wanted the marriage to move forward. He’s been looking at his phone for hours and hours; no sign of Carly. So he guesses Carly gave him the answer. He throws his phone, startling Nina, and says, they’re done. She says she’s so sorry, and he says, there’s a lot of people who don’t believe she is, but he does. She says she is; she’s so sorry. All she ever wanted was for him to be safe and happy. He says he’s been on this boat, and he’s been thinking a lot about why Carly didn’t show up. She told him that part of her anger was because Sonny was always defending Nina. Maybe he was.

Laura says, they’ve lost a lot of good people lately; Luke, Sean, now his brother. She says, they haven’t lost Mac, and even if they worst happens, they’ll get through it together, like they always do. He says, it’s just getting harder and harder, and she says she knows, but let’s not go down that path just yet. They have every reason to believe Mac is going to pull through, so please don’t lose faith. He says, every time he turns around, it seems the bad guys win. His faith is getting hammered on the ropes. She suggests he borrow hers, so he can come out swinging, and he puts his forehead against hers.

Felicia asks how Maxie is doing, and Maxie says, she just wants to focus on Mac coming out of surgery. She’s so happy Felicia is here with her. Anna and Robert join them, and Anna asks how they’re holding up. Felicia says she just checked on Mac. He’s not out of surgery yet, and it seems like it’s taking forever. She had a chance to see him before they wheeled him off to surgery, and she pleaded with him to come back to her, but he was just so still. She starts to cry, and Anna says, if there’s one thing she knows about Mac, it’s how much he loves his family. He’s going to do everything in his power to come back to her.

Chase finishes his calls, and tells Brook, they have a bulletin out on Peter and they’re working on a missing child alert. She asks how he knows it’s Peter who took Bailey, and he says, look at how all this went down. Peter escapes, tonight. He’s on the run. Chase’s car gets broken into, and Bailey gets abducted. That means someone is worried about her safety. It’s someone who’s improvising. It’s an unplanned abduction by someone who’s willing to risk everything for that child. She says, like a father on the run, and he says, all signs point to Peter. He’ll call Dante, and she needs to call Maxie.

Dante tells Carly that Sonny isn’t there; he hasn’t called Sonny yet. How did she find out? She says she was with Drew when Anna called him with the news that he’d been injured in Peter’s escape. What the hell is it going to take to stop that monster? After everything he’s done, even prison was too good for him. Dante says he wishes he wasn’t in there; he could be out helping hunt Peter down. Sam says he needs to rest. The WSB and the PCPD have it covered. Carly says she needs to let Sonny know what’s going on. She’s really glad Dante is okay. She tells Sam, take care of him, and Sam says, of course (🍷). Carly leaves, and Dante says, they were so close. His phone rings, and he asks Chase, what’s up? Chase says, Bailey’s been kidnapped, and they think Peter did it. Dante says, they think Peter kidnapped Bailey? How can he be sure? Chase says they don’t have conclusive proof, but his gut says 100%, so he called it in. He knows Dante is swamped, but with Peter on the loose, they could really use him here. Dante says he’ll be there as soon as he can. Sit tight. Sam says, Bailey’s been kidnapped? and Dante says, he thinks it was Peter. Sam asks why Peter would want Chase’s baby, but Dante says he doesn’t know. He’s got to get home. He starts to get up, but she says, he’s not.

Carly leaves a voicemail for Sonny, saying, she’s at the hospital. Peter August escaped while being transferred to Pentenville, and Dante and Mac were injured. Don’t worry. Dante’s okay; she just left him. But she came straight to General Hospital because she thought he’d be here. Mac is in surgery, and she’s going to do what she can to find out about Peter, but they’re going to have to do Martinique another night. If they’re lucky, they can get the guy who killed Jason. They can do it together.

Nina says, Sonny was put in an impossible situation just trying to do what’s right, and he agrees. He says, it was difficult when he came home. His wife was married to his best friend, but he was trying to keep the peace because he knew that’s what was best for his family. All he wanted to do was get back to the way it was before he went into that river. His life was so good. Nina says she just kept complicating it, but he says, no. When he was focusing on getting his life back to normal, what he didn’t see is he had an instinct to make sure Nina wasn’t hurt. Even though he was genuinely trying to do what was right for his family, he acted on that instinct. Despite everything she did, there was a part of him that cared about her, but because of that, he’s now lost the person that he loved the most. She promises she never intended for any of this to happen. She’s so sorry that she keeps hurting him over and over again. If she could, she’d make everything all right. She’d tell the world from the beginning that he was Sonny Corinthos. He says, even if it meant their time together never happened?

Carly sees Maxie, and hugs her. She says she heard what happened, and she’s so sorry about Mac. Where’s Maxie’s mom? Maxie says, she’s in the chapel with Anna. Robert’s here too, but he’s taking a walk. Carly says, she knows Maxie is exhausted, and they sit. She asks if Maxie has heard anything, but Maxie says, no. They’re just waiting and hoping. Carly says she knows how that goes. Dante’s here. He’s in the ER, but he’s okay. Maxie says, that’s a relief, and thanks Carly for letting her know. Austin comes out, and Maxie asks if he’s heard anything. He says, no, but that’s a hopeful sign. If it were bad news, they would have heard. Maxie says, that’s kind of a backwards system. They should give regular updates if it’s good news. He says he’ll bring it up at the next staff meeting, and says, hello, to Carly. She says, hello, back, and tells Maxie that she’s going to go. Call if she needs anything. Maxie says, okay, and Carly leaves. Maxie says she didn’t have a chance to thank Austin for helping Mac when he was brought in. She’s glad he’s there. He says, him too, and asks how she’s holding up. She says, she keeps thanking God that Louise is safe with Brook and Chase. She’s been constantly living in fear that Peter will evade law enforcement again, and here they are. That’s why she has to keep lying until Peter is caught again, or hopefully, dead. He says he still flinches a little when he hears her talk like that, but he’s beginning to understand. She says she can’t help thinking, if Mac doesn’t make it through surgery, the last thing she’ll have done is lie to him. She doesn’t know if she can live with that.

Yohan tells Victor that Peter shot Kendall. Peter hit Yohan in the shoulder, and he had to swerve off the road. He played dead while Peter dragged him and Kendall out of the car. Peter left them on the side of the road, and took off. Victor says, he really must have been in a hurry if he didn’t stop to check Yohan’s pulse, and Yohan says, he was desperate to get to the kid. Victor says, Peter probably figured he’d have no more use for him once he told Victor what he needed to know about Drew. Right now, he’s probably congratulating himself on how smart he is for getting away. Well, he couldn’t be more wrong.

Sam says, there are other detectives on the force, and Dante says, but Chase is his partner. He and Brook must be going out of their minds. He takes his blood pressure cuff off, and she tells him, stop it. She almost lost him tonight. Dante says he’ll do his best to make sure she’s never put through that again, but Peter’s hurt too many people. He’s caused too much damage, and Dante can’t let him hurt someone else. Not when there’s something he can do about it. She says, all right. She’ll get the nurse. He says, she’s something else, and she tells him, remember that. She leaves, and he calls Olivia. He says, two things. Peter’s transport didn’t go that well; he’s at GH… Calm down. He’s fine. The other thing, Brook’s not.

Brook tells Chase, she keeps hoping she’ll hear Bailey crying, she’ll go upstairs, and this will all have been bad dream. He says he takes it she hasn’t called Maxie yet, and she says she can’t. Mac’s been shot; she’s probably a mess. He says, she has to know, and Brook asks how is she supposed to tell her that her worst fear has come true? How is she supposed to tell Maxie that she left Bailey’s monitor inside when she went out on the patio, and Peter just waltzed in here and took Bailey? She starts to cry, and asks how she’s supposed to tell Maxie that Bailey is gone, and it’s all her fault. She begins hyperventilating, and he tells her to put her hands on his chest. Take deep breaths, and match her breaths with his. She does, and when she calms down, he says, this wasn’t her fault. She’s been protecting Bailey for months, and she’s going to keep doing that, and the best way to do that is call Maxie. Then they’re all going to figure out a way to bring Bailey home together. All right? He hands her the phone, and says, she can do this.

Maxie answers the phone, and says she was just about to call Brook… She knows about Peter. Mac’s been shot, and he’s in surgery. Brook says, Maxie? and Maxie says, what is it? Brook says, Bailey’s gone, and Maxie asks what she means. Brook says, Dante called Chase to tell him about Mac, and he mentioned Peter’s escape. By the time they went upstairs, they were too late; she was already gone. Maxie says, it was Peter; he took her. Brook says she doesn’t want to believe that, but Maxie says, he did. She can feel it. Brook wonders how Peter figured it out, but Maxie says, it doesn’t matter. They kept the secret for as long as they could, but Peter is smart and he’s connected. All that matters is he has her daughter, and she’s in danger. The doorbell rings, and Brook says, that’s the PCPD. Chase called them, and they’re doing everything they can to find her. She promises they will not let that son of a bitch get away with their girl. Maxie says, she’ll be there as soon as she can, and Austin asks how he can help. Maxie says, he took Louise. He has her. Austin hugs her.

Peter says, he knows Louise has probably heard awful things about him from her mom, or he should say, her mom’s friend. Regardless, he wants Louise to know she’s a liar. They’re all liars. He’s not a monster. He just wants to be the father she deserves. Unlike the poor excuse he had. She’s so beautiful. He spent so long looking for her, and now that he’s found her, he wants to give her the world.

Dante tells Anna that he’s checking out against medical advice. This is too important. Chase and Brook’s baby was kidnapped. She says, what? and he says, they think it was Peter. She wonders why Peter is doing this, but Dante says he doesn’t know. That’s what he has to find out. The nurse gives Dante some paperwork, and says he’s good to go, but take it slow. She leaves, and he says, not a chance. He signs the papers, and Anna says, the WSB is conducting a massive manhunt for Peter right now. Since they’re looking for the same person, she suggests they join forces so they can find him faster. He says, sounds good. There’s no way in hell Peter is getting away this time. They leave the ER, and Carly asks what Dante is doing. She thought he was staying overnight. He says, an emergency’s come up, and she asks if they’ve found Peter, but he says, no. Anna says, he’s taken Bailey. Carly says, oh my God, and Anna says, this whole thing is a nightmare, but she’ll find Peter and bring that baby home. Carly asks if she can swear to that, because Jason warned over and over again about Peter, and she didn’t listen. Anna says, she wants Peter captured. She needs this to be over. Carly says, she hopes so, because Peter needs to be stopped once and for all. Anna says she hears Carly, now hear her. When she finds Peter, she will stop him, once and for all for good.

Nina tells Sonny that she stopped in Nixon Falls on a whim, because she remembered Phyllis lived there and at that time in her life, she needed someone who was going to be on her side. Someone who would support her; someone who understood her. Nixon Falls ended up healing her. She found a peace and happiness she hadn’t known, and he was a large part of that. She never expected to fall in love with him. Strange as it sounds, she developed real feelings for him. He says, Mike never expected to fall in love with her either, and she says, to answer his question, would she give it all up if she had a do-over, the answer is yes. If she could spare him the pain he’s feeling right now, she would let all of that go in a heartbeat. He says he knows she means that, but they can’t change the past; they live with the consequences. She touches his face, then leans in to kiss him. He kisses back.

Maxie says she needs to go to Brook’s, and Austin says, no one’s going to be mad about that. She says, what if her mom needs her? and he says, he’ll stay here. He thinks she needs to talk to her family; tell them what’s going on with her and her daughter. He thinks they’ll understand. She says, what if it’s too much? but he says, she told him, and he understood. It’s up to her. Whatever she wants to do. He’ll be right back.

Felicia walks around the corner with Robert, and says, she never wants to see another cup of tea. She sees Maxie, and asks, what’s wrong? Is it Mac? Maxis says, no. Bailey Quartermaine’s been kidnapped, and they’re sure it’s Peter who took her. Felicia says, that’s horrible, and Robert says, he just got a text from Anna about that. She’s headed over to Brook and Chase’s house right now. Maxie says she’s going there too, and Felicia says, while Mac’s in surgery? Austin says he has an update. Mac has come through the most critical part of the surgery with flying colors. It’s still a long road, and there are no guarantees, but everyone is optimistic. Felicia thanks him, and Maxie says, that makes this easier. Felicia asks why she’s leaving. She’s sure Brook will understand that her mother needs her here. Maxie says she knows Felicia needs her, but her daughter needs her more. The baby Peter took isn’t Brook’s; she’s Maxie’s. She’s always been Maxie’s. Maxie was hiding her. Bailey is really Louise. She knows they probably have a lot of questions… Felicia says, which can wait. Go to her daughter, Felicia’s grandbaby. Just be safe. They hug, and Maxie says, until she’s back… Austin says, he’ll take care of it, and Maxie says, Austin can tell them what’s going on. She leaves, and Austin tells Felicia and Robert, have a seat. This is a helluva story.

Ned walks in, and hugs Brook. He says, Dante just called them. Olivia sends her love support; she didn’t want to get in the way. Brook says, sorry to interrupt their night. First granny, now her. Ned says, nothing is more important than her and his granddaughter. Liv feels the same way. He knew it was a mistake for her to move out here. This wouldn’t have happened if she’d listened to him and stayed put. She says, that’s not fair, and Chase says, they’re all scared, and emotions are raw, but Ned can’t blame Brook for any of this. Ned says, he doesn’t blame Brook; he blames Chase. Chase is the reason his granddaughter is missing. Brook says, dad… and Ned says, Chase is the one who insisted they move into this beach house with no security. Chase says, they did have security; he’s a cop. Ned says, a cop, who just got suspended for exercising poor judgement. Brook tells him, stop it. She made the choice for the two of them to move in here because it was the best choice for Bailey. And there is no one she trusts more to keep her safe than Chase. He’s been wonderful. So if Ned wants to blame someone, blame her. She can promise Ned one thing. Nothing he says can make them feel worse than they already do. They just have to focus on finding Bailey. Ned says, yes. She’s absolutely right and he’s sorry. He’s trying to get a handle on his temper when he’s upset or worried, and right now, he’s terrified. So he apologizes. Brook hugs him.

Sam says, Carly hasn’t heard from Sonny? and Carly says she guesses he’s still waiting at the Haunted Star. Sam says, the Haunted Star? and Carly says, long story. Sam says, something to do with their separation? and Carly says, Sonny planned this big, romantic gesture at the Haunted Star. He wanted her to show up as a signal that she’s willing to try and work on their marriage. Sam says, Dante’s gone; there’s nothing keeping Carly there. Carly says she was talking with Drew. She was there when he found out about Dante. She was really torn about showing up tonight, because it felt less like an invitation, and more like an ultimatum. Drew helped her see that maybe it’s not a line in the sand. Maybe it’s something Sonny really needs. Drew called it a cry for help, and that really resonated with her. She thought maybe she could do this for Sonny; show him that she’s willing to try. Sam says she admires that, but she gets Carly’s hesitation. Carly and Sonny have some real issues. Carly doesn’t have to forgive Sonny just because he wants her to. Carly says, she knows. Her faith and trust in Sonny are shaken right now, and she knows everything’s not going to be repaired just because she shows up; that’s going to take some time. Tonight would be about affirming her desire to try. She can meet Sonny halfway on that. Sam tells her to make sure he’s meeting her the other halfway, and Carly says, absolutely. She really does think she and Sonny could have a fresh start after all.

Nina tells Sonny that she shouldn’t have done that. She’s so sorry. He says, don’t, and kisses her again.

Anna asks why Brook believes Peter took Bailey, and Brook says, who knows what rationale that guy has for anything? The important thing is to find them as soon ask possible. She asks where the cops went, and Dante says, they’re searching outside the premises. Anna says, Peter has to have an endgame. There has to be a reason Peter thinks he can use Brook’s baby as leverage. Does he want something from her, or the Quartermaines? Dante says, first things first. Does Peter still think Valentin is Bailey’s father? If that’s the case, they need to send a protective detail over to him and Charlotte. Chase tells him, don’t waste the manpower. This isn’t revenge. Dante asks why Chase would say that; does he know something? Chase tells Brook, they can’t keep this up anymore, and Anna asks, what is going on? Ned tells her, if they know something, they need to tell the police, when Maxie comes in. Brook says, it’s not her secret to tell, and Maxie says, she’s right. It’s mine.

Austin says, he knows it’s a lot to take in, and Felicia says, she’s just so happy that her granddaughter has been safe and nearby all this time. She even knows what Louise looks like. She hates that Louise is with Peter, but it’s just a small window of time. They have a better chance of finding her; the trail hasn’t gone cold. She tells Robert that he spent months searching and chasing after fake Chloe, and she doesn’t even exist. What does he think? He says, he thinks her daughter is absolutely brilliant, and hugs her.

Peter tells Louise, he assumes they’ll have to ditch this car. It won’t be too long before someone recognizes him driving it. He wants her to know, he’s usually not this disorganized, but he doesn’t want any loose ends this time. It’s a small price to pay to finally hold her in his arms. Unfortunately, this means daddy has to make another deal with the devil one last time to get them out of here. Let that be a lesson. Her daddy will do anything for her.

On the phone, Victor tells someone to get everyone in position and await his call. He’ll send the coordinates momentarily. He tells Yohan, as long as he stays in Yohan’s car, they can track him. He installed a GPS for that very reason. He can’t wait to see Peter’s smug little face fall flat when they catch up to him. Victor’s phone rings, and he says, this is from Bruce’s burner phone. Hello, Peter. Peter says, hello, friend. Victor thought he’d heard the last of him? Peter is so sorry to disappoint him.

Sonny and Nina kiss there way to the stateroom. They go inside, and start ripping their clothes off, falling onto the bed.  

Brook tells Maxie, she didn’t say anything, she swears. She was just so worried about Bailey. Chase says, there’s no point in keeping this a secret anymore, and Ned asks, what the hell is going on? and Maxie says, they’re right; it’s time. It’s the only way they’re going to find Louise. Anna says, she means Bailey, but Maxie says, no. Bailey is Louise. Bailey’s her daughter. Everyone gives each other soap looks.

Felicia thanks Austin for telling them all this, and being a good friend to Maxie. He says, it’s his pleasure. He wishes there was more he could do, and she says, she’s sick knowing Peter has Louise. She hopes they don’t vanish before they get a chance to find her. Robert says, he’s alerted the team. It’s much easier to track a guy traveling with a baby than a guy traveling alone. They’re going to get this bastard, and when they do, they’re going to put him away. Unless of course (🍷) Robert accidently shoots him. Felicia says, Anna is on this, and Mac needs them. Austin says, if there’s anything he can do, let him know, and Felicia asks him to stay a minute. She stands in the middle of Austen and Robert, holding their hands.  

Peter asks if Victor isn’t happy to hear his voice; he should be. He’s ready to tell Victor everything he knows about Drew, but first, he just needs one more small addendum to their deal. Victor asks how many times Peter thinks he’s going to let Peter play him, and Peter says, it had always been his intention to hold up his end of the bargain. He just couldn’t let Victor detain him when he needed to get to his daughter. Now that he has her, he just needs one small favor from Victor, then he’ll give Victor the information, and Victor will never have to hear from him again. Wouldn’t that be nice? Victor tells him, save it. Peter is of no further use to him. He tells Yohan to let the men know there’s a baby in the car, and tells Peter, goodbye. Peter says, one more thing. If Victor is planning on tracking him with the GPS he installed, Peter threw it into a ditch. Victor asks what Peter wants this time, and Peter says, safe passage out of Port Charles for him and his daughter, so they can begin their new lives where no one can find them.

Carly sees the rose on the yacht steps, and goes inside. She calls to Sonny, and sees the white rose petal path to the stateroom. She smiles, and gets all verklempt. Nina and Sonny are getting very busy, while Carly continues feeling the romance. Carly opens the door to the stateroom, and surprise!

Tomorrow, Ned says, there’s going to be real hell to pay; Victor says, Peter dies; and Carly asks how they can fix their marriage when there’s three people in it.

Below Deck – Reunion

The whole cast, minus Jake – no excuse given; just, he couldn’t make it – attended, including Kaylee, but she was an in and out item.

Andy asked if Fraser knew how much talked to himself, and Fraser said it had been an eye opening year. He hadn’t known half the things he did. Andy asked Rayna about eyerolling, and she said she got grounded for it when she was growing up, but she was trying. Andy told us, the crew wasted no time in turning My Sienna into the Love Boat, and we were treated to flashbacks of moments of love on the high seas. Andy asked how Rayna reconciled getting busy with Jake, since he was engaged, but she said it was just for the pseudo fiancé’s green card. Speaking of which, Eddie’s girlfriend, who is half Brazilian and half Japanese – got her citizenship.

Andy said, Heather ran the interior with an iron fist (really?), but it didn’t stop the stews from talking about each other. Kaylee joined the group, and Andy asked Captain Lee if he thought the criticism about the interior in the beginning was a reflection of their capabilities. The captain said he thought they were all qualified, but had been getting used to working together. A viewer wondered why Jessica took the job when she was obviously miserable, to which Rayna said, Karen, mind your own f***ing business, apparently forgetting this was a reality show, and that comes with the territory. Jessica said, most of them hadn’t known what they were getting into. She’d worked on a private yacht where she was the sole stewardess. She had anxiety with the cameras being around 24/7. Heather said she thought the first few days were difficult, but then production disappeared into the background. Jessica said she thought Heather had been setting her up for failure, but Fraser said, no way. Heather begged to differ, saying, Jessica must have seen the show, and knew it wasn’t a solo stew gig. She’d said she was depressed being in the laundry, and had volunteered for service. They were also tired of picking up after her. Heather’s conversations with Fraser were to reassure him that she was doing something about it. Fraser asked, what good it would have done them to set Jessica up for failure? To him, it was absurd. Jessica said they’d talked behind her back, and she knew conversations were taking place, but Heather only talked to her when the cameras were around. Heather said the cameras were around 24/7, and Jessica kept saying she was fine. All they did was come at her with love. Jessica said, there was no love. She wanted to finish the season, but she’d lost 15 pounds, and wasn’t letting what had been done to her emotionally and mentally play out on camera. Heather said she dealt with repercussions of anxiety afterward in a different way, but had learned in looking back. She apologized to Jessica, and said she wished her nothing but the best. Jessica said she was sorry she couldn’t finish it out, and now works in sales and catering for a beach resort in Florida. A viewer asked what Kaylee felt in joining so late in the game, and she said, watching Fraser was a shock, but he had apologized to her. Another viewer asked why it was a big deal to Fraser that Kaylee was coming? Didn’t he want help? Fraser said he did, but he felt like he wasn’t in the loop. Andy said, on Watch What Happens Live, Fraser had said Heather could be cold and blunt, and Jessica said, sometimes personalities just clash. Kaylee said, on a yacht, you had to get stuff done, and Heather admitted her delivery wasn’t light, but that’s why she didn’t teach kindergarten. She couldn’t be a cheerleader 24/7. At this point, Andy said, here’s your hat, what’s your hurry? to Kaylee, and she left.

Rayna reveled that she was two months sober, and said she was super happy. Eddie asked if something specific caused her to get sober; he’d never seen it as an issue. Rayna said she had a lot of personal drama, and issues that she needed to deal with, and she’d been having depressed episodes. Rachel had a huge influence on her as well. When they were in a hotel after the season ended, Rachel said, Rayna needed to face her demons, fight her battles, and stop running. It was time.

We flashed back to primary Chelsea and her wired jaw, and Rachel cooking lobster for the person who said, no cooked fish. Andy asked Captain Lee if Rachel had redeemed herself, and the captain said, they’d had speedbumps, but Rachel had been truly remarkable this year. He was amazed at her command of her craft. Rachel said she didn’t consider shellfish fish, and she didn’t serve raw lobster. Andy asked what the weirdest thing was that she’d pureed for Chelsea. She said, it was the oysters, and everyone looked sick, including me. Andy asked if they agreed with the captain that Rachel was the best yacht chef he’s worked with, and everyone was on board (sorry, couldn’t help it). Heather said, it amazed her what Rachel could pull together in a short amount of time. On top of it, Rachel fed them incredible food. Andy asked if Rachel bought the bus she’d been talking about. She had, and we saw the pictures to prove it.  

We moved on to deckhand disfunction, and flashed back to several screw-ups. Andy asked Rayna her final impression of Eddie, and she said she loved Eddie, and had the utmost respect for him. Andy asked Captain Lee, who was to blame for the problems on deck? and the captain said, the responsibility ultimately rested on him. It was up to him to recognize the problems they were having. Andy asked if Jake had been a good lead deckhand, and Eddie said he’d gotten a little big for his britches at first. Captain Lee said, Jake didn’t wear britches that often. BA-DUM-CHH! Viewer Kathy M. asked why Rayna signed up for the job when it seemed like she didn’t like being corrected, and Rayna said, a lot of it was context, and Eddie had been disrespectful. Andy asked the captain if the crew had improved over the season, and would he bring back Eddie as first officer. The captain said the crew did improve, but there were such lapses at the most inopportune times. Eddie had been in a new role, and it was difficult transition; like going from a half full plate to one overflowing. Note that he didn’t answer the question about bringing Eddie back. We found out that Eddie was running tugboats in Baltimore.

Then it was time for the n-word issue. We flashed back to, it’s okay, it’s not okay, I’m over it, I’m adding people to it, not wanting to be the angry Black person, and being the passive/aggressive person. Andy asked, what kept Rayna from saying what she felt? and She said, although she accepted Heather’s apology, she didn’t think it was sincere, but she’d wanted to keep the peace. If she snapped, she would have been called ghetto, but if she shook it off, she was fake. A viewer said, at first, Eddie seemed dismissive, but then he took it seriously. Eddie said if Rayna said everything was okay, he respected that and took her at her word. Rayna said she hadn’t felt comfortable in a lot of instances. Rayna said Eddie claimed she said the f-word when she was drunk – f-word being a gay slur – like that excused Heather. Her sister was gay, and she was in the wedding party. Eddie pretended not to remember this exchange, and it seemed like the other crew members were tuning out, or maybe drinking heavily. I remembered another Eddie from many season ago. An Eddie who tried to gaslight stew Rocky, by saying that they’d never hooked up, when they had on several occasions. Then, when he finally admitted she was telling the truth, he said she’d initiated it, when clearly he’d texted her to start things off. I wondered if I was seeing this Eddie now, when some unseen footage was brought out. In it, Eddie was saying, Rayna used a homophobic f-word, but Rayna insisted she’d never used that word; it wasn’t in her vocabulary. Andy said, production wasn’t able to corroborate Rayna ever saying that, and since there was only one mention, they didn’t include the scene. Rayna said she didn’t think Heather was racist, and wished her well. She thought Heather was just being ignorant, and Heather agreed. Andy asked for Captain Lee’s opinion, and the captain said, Heather had apologized, and Rayna accepted. There had been a thorough investigation with several members of the production team, and they’d come to the conclusion that no action was required. It was a basis to move forward, and try to be better in the future.

Andy said Wes’s attempt to diffuse the Rayna/Heather situation went the wrong way, and we flashed back to Rayna insulting Wes, and saying he wasn’t Black. Andy asked if they’d discussed it, and Wes said he’d love to discuss it further in private. He got it all the time, being called half-Black or not Black. He suggested those watching let it be a teachable moment. No one should ever be called a derogatory term who was part of a disenfranchised group, not just African Americans.

Andy asked if Heather had final thoughts, and what had she learned? She said the n-word should never be used. At the end of the day, it was one of the biggest regrets of her life. Context was everything, but there was no excuse. Whether Rayna thought it was genuine or not, she was sorry. Rayna said, the whole experience was a lot. She didn’t hate Heather or wish her anything bad. She wished Heather nothing but the best. Andy asked Captain Lee, who in the crew had the best work ethic? Who got a gold star? The captain said he’d have to hand it to Wes. Wes was focused and did his job, and Captain Lee wished him continued success, since Wes is a captain. Wes said it meant a lot. Andy said Fraser was now a Chief Stew, and asked what his biggest lesson was. Fraser said he didn’t always see the big picture, and thanked Heather. Andy thanked everyone for a wild charter season, and we were out.

🏖 On the God awful Summer House, Carl remained the voice of reason, getting up early to go for walks, looking for a real relationship, and most of all not drinking. Ciara still wasn’t over Austen, but that was okay, since the housemates acquire the biggest bottle of rosé I’ve ever seen. I can’t keep track of who’s crushing on who, or even sleeping with who, but someone was eating chips alone in bed. There was a birthday party for Amanda, who was turning 30, and she wanted Kyle to make it a special day for her. She asked a lot, since I don’t think he can stay sober enough to get through a party, much less plan one. Off-the-grid Luke showed up, and a hula hoop game was played. There was some theory going around that if you were good at hula hooping, you were good at sex. By then, the housemates were well-inebriated, and played a drinking game that involved kissing. I’m pretty sure the last time I played drunk spin-the-bottle was in high school. No surprise, Amanda ended up in tears, and told the girls that the whole thing felt forced.

If anyone cares, next time, Lindsay says she needs to stop fighting the universe, Amanda wants a dog, and for Kyle to show her there’s a possibility he’s not an a-hole. Again, she wants a lot. And I’m not talking about the dog. Seriously, don’t watch this. These people are awful.

🚛 I’ve Got a Little Convoy…

Signing off, but join me tomorrow for a little soap, a little New Jersey. FYI, Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip airs on Bravo tomorrow, as well as an all-day marathon of Below Deck’s season three. I love the early Decks. Until then, stay safe, stay being introspective on occasion, and stay making sure, if you’re going to meet someone halfway, they meet you the other halfway.