Monthly Archives: March 2022

March 7, 2022 – Josslyn Corners Esme, What the What, PITA Back On Deck, Repeat Sails & Regret

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Finn comes downstairs, telling Elizabeth that her shower has great water pressure, and she says, Franco had just put in a new head. Sometimes it’s like he’s still here, all around us. Finn says, or so someone wants her to believe.

Sasha tells Brando, it’s so beautiful here; so peaceful. She doesn’t want to go back to the real world. She doesn’t want this trip to end. He says he wishes he could give her that, but what he can try to do, is make the real world just as special. She asks how he plans on doing that, and he says he’s planning on spending the rest of his life with her. She says, let’s do it, and he says, do what? She says, let’s get married – today. He says, they’ll just elope somewhere… She’s not kidding, is she? She says, the aisles, the I dos, the ring, the works. The two of them going to the chapel. He says, today? and she says, today. He says he doesn’t know what to say, and she says, here’s a hint; say yes.

As she shows Curtis and Portia the house, Lucy says, four bedrooms, four bathrooms, high end finishes everywhere, state of the art appliances, and – wait for it – your own dock. The lot is so private, they have no neighbors close by, and total waterfront access. Portia asks if the dock comes with a yacht, and Lucy says, sorry. Luxury watercraft sold separately. Portia says, good, because that would make it just a little too good to be true. Lucy says, it is too good to be true; this place is amazing. She just needs to mention one little thing. A smokin’ hot legal eagle divulged to her that a certain don is also in the market for new digs.

Carly waits for the elevator at the MetroCourt to open, and when it does, Sonny is there. He asks if it’s okay that he’s here, and she says, yeah. It’s a public place. She’ll make sure the hostess gets him a seat. He says he doesn’t need a table. He’s just here to see her. She says, they talked about this, and he says, it’s not about them. It’s about today. She says, it’s about Courtney.

Spencer puts flowers on his mother’s grave, and Trina walks through the cemetery. She asks what he’s doing out of Spring Ridge, and he says, it’s a long story. Is she alone? She asks, why? Is he planning on taking her hostage while he makes his getaway? He asks if she liked her gift, and she says, that’s what he wants to talk about right now? She guesses they’ll cover the jailbreak later. He says, excuse him for being glad to see her. Please tell him she’s not with anyone. She says, anyone who might rat him out… besides her?

Professor Kahn asks her disrupted class what’s more important than the lesson, and one of the students says, see for herself. He puts the video of Cameron and Josslyn having sex up on the screen at the front of the classroom. Everyone laughs, including Esme, and Josslyn says, turn it off. Kahn says, yes, of course (🍷), and yells to the kid to turn it off.

Portia says, Lucy really has a handle on all the details. Between her real estate career and Deception, how does she keep it all straight? Lucy says, it’s crazy, but she doesn’t mind it. She’s waiting for the impending IPO for Deception to come through. Then maybe she can let go of one of her two revenue streams, but until then, she’s not letting go of her precious leads. Portia says she appreciates Lucy showing them the place, and Lucy says, of course (🍷). Jax called her right away, and said he wanted to put the property back on the market. She didn’t want them to miss out. She couldn’t live with herself. She thinks it’s the perfect spot to start a family.

Sasha says, surprised? and Brando says, maybe a little. Don’t they need a license? She says, people elope all the time. They can hop on a plane to Vegas and get it. He says, she wants to go to Vegas? and she says they don’t have to. Niagara Falls is right here, and it’s notorious for quickie weddings. He asks if she’s not going to regret rushing this. None of their friends will be there, no family. She says she’s sure they’ll get an earful from them, but it’s fine with her, and he says, Niagara Falls it is then. She says, good, because he’s her family. He’s all the family she needs.

Kahn tells everyone to calm down, and says, clearly, they’re not going to get anything more done today, making me again wonder if this is really college. She tells them to look up a case for the next class, and dismisses them. Josslyn tells Kahn that she doesn’t know what to say, and Kahn tells her, she doesn’t have to say anything. Allow her to apologize. Cameron says, for what? and she says, one, for not thinking faster, and closing the video for the laptop, and two, for losing control of the situation. She’s so sorry everyone had to see it. Brian, the student who chose to share it with the room, will be disciplined. Having said that, she advises them to keep better track of their intimate personal files.

Spencer says, Trina’s not going to get in trouble, and she asks if he’s on a jail field trip, or did Spring Ridge let him out early for good behavior? He says, how would she know if he’s been well-behaved? It’s not like she visited. She says, first of all, his sentence is 30 days, and he says, it’s still prison. She says, secondly, and most important, do not make this about her. She’s not the one who snuck out of country club jail to tool around some old cemetery. He says, this is where his mother is buried, and she says, it is? He points to Courtney’s gravestone, and says, this is her grave, and visiting her on the anniversary of her death isn’t exactly his idea of tooling around. She says she didn’t realize it was today, and he says, it’s the first time in years he’s visited her in person. He sent sunflowers every year when he was in school. Even though he was away, he could feel her presence, not that it stopped him from completely screwing up his life. She says, at least now he’s making an effort to clean up his act, jailbreak notwithstanding. He says, he actually is. It’s just that this day, of all days, he wanted his mother to know that. So is Trina ever going to visit him or what? She hesitates, and they hear something. He says, don’t give him up. If anyone finds him here, they’ll send him straight to Pentenville. He ducks behind some bushes, and Trina sits on a bench, taking out her phone. Jordan walks by, and says, Trina.

Carly asks if Sonny would like a drink. It feels like a bloody Mary kind of day. He says, actually, he’s trying not to drink too much these days, and she says, that’s good. She’s sure Courtney would be happy about that. He says, Carly misses her, and Carly says, the MetroCourt is named after her; she thinks about Courtney every day. Courtney was her best friend. Best friends are hard to come by nowadays. He says he knows how she feels, and she says, does he really? He says, maybe this was a mistake; he’ll just go. She says, he can stay, and he says, he just thought Courtney was something they could share together. She says, they’re always going to be connected, and he says, yeah, through the kids. She says, they have a history together. They had a life together, and he still thinks Courtney is a good enough reason to seek her out. He asks what she’s saying, and she tells him that she’s saying it hurts when she sees him, so she should see him less.

Brando says, Sasha is his family too, but it’s so sudden. They never really discussed marriage… under their current circumstances. She flashes back to them saying goodbye to Liam, and says she knows they haven’t discussed marriage specifically, but they were planning a life together and know what they mean to each other. Unless… Have his feelings about her or them being together changed? He says, no, they’ve only gotten stronger, and she says, he doesn’t seem 100% sure. He says, it’s more like he feels like he missed an episode. He’s not opposed to them getting married, but there’s one thing he doesn’t understand. Why now?

Finn gives Elizabeth some coffee, and asks how she slept. She says she tossed and turned all night. And him? How’s the couch? He pats the couch, and says, they’re old pals by now, although it did take a moment for him to turn his head off. She says, this is going to sound crazy, but did he feel like he was being watched? Because she did. He says, not exactly, but he knows what she means. Finding out Betsy wasn’t behind all this was unsettling. She tells him, to say the least, and he says, so he stayed up most of the night trying to solve the problem, but her trouble sleeping has been going on for a while. She asks, what gave her away? The circles under her eyes? He says, they’re beautiful. He wonders if she’s spoken to her GP about maybe taking something, and she says she has and she is, but she doesn’t want to take anything stronger. She just really needs to turn her screens off earlier. He says, don’t they all? and asks if they boys are okay. She tells him, they say they are. Not that they would tell her if they weren’t. They’re all about projecting strength. He says, they’re worried about their mom, and she says she’s worried about them, especially Jake. He needs help, and she doesn’t think he can get it from her.

Trina tells Jordan, hi, and says, her mom told her Jordan was back. Jordan says, live and in person. Is she interrupting? Trina says, interrupting? and Jordan says she heard voices. Was Trina talking to someone? Um… she has her phone in her hand, and this woman is Police Commissioner? Trina says, herself. She’s taking voice notes for a course she’s taking on art and death. Jordan says, sounds cheerful, and Trina says, it is. Jordan would be surprised. That’s why she’s here. There’s so much more to cemeteries than death. Spencer listens in, pleased Trina is covering, and Jordan says, things are different than when she was in college. They were just shown slides, and called it a day. Trina asks how Jordan’s been doing; all better? Jordan says, and ready to get back to it, and Trina says, bad guys are officially on notice? Jordan says, damn right, and Trina says she’ll let Jordan get back to it. Jordan asks if Trina is sure she’s okay, and Trina says, positive. Jordan says it’s good to see her, and moves on. Spencer comes out and thanks Trina, saying, he knew he could count on her. That story about being here for school… She says she is here for school. Unlike him, her being there is not a felony. He should try it some time. He says he can’t thank her enough, she pushes him, and he falls to the ground.

Cameron wonders how that just happened, and Josslyn asks how there’s a video at all. Cameron says, and how did it get sent to their entire class? Josslyn looks at her phone, and says, everyone is texting her; all of her friends. She doesn’t think it was just this class. He looks at his phone, and says, him too. Does she think it was sent to the entire school? She says, it’s in her email. There’s no message; just a file. He says, him too, but he doesn’t recognize this email. Does she? She says, of course (🍷) not; what does he think? He asks why she’s yelling at him, and she says, their entire class just saw them having sex. Their professor saw it, and God knows who else. He says, this is freaking him out too. It’s not like he made the video and sent it out to everyone… Wait. Is that what she thinks he did? In the hallway listening, Esme laughs.

Sasha says she sees no reason why they should wait, and Brando says, he wants to marry her more than anything, but a part of him wonders if she’s asking now because it’s what she truly wants, or she might be distracting herself from something they’re both truly missing. Is it about them, or is it about Liam?

Finn tells Elizabeth not to sell herself short. She’s single-handedly raising three amazing young dudes. She says, one of whom might be taking a page out of Spencer Cassadine’s playbook, and he asks if she means trying to break them up. She says, and unnerving the entire family in the process, but he says, they don’t know it’s Jake. She says, but they both think it could be, and he says, he’s just trying to approach this as logically as possible. That way, they can rule Jake out sooner. She says, and if it is him, they can put a stop to things before it goes any further. He says, at least they’ve eliminated the most obvious suspect, and she says, Betsy. Jake has been through so much. Losing Franco and Jason in the same year, not to mention all the years he spent on Cassadine Island. Finn says, his history and his behavior might lead Elizabeth to think he’s involved, but it’s not a given. It could be someone from Franco’s past. He wasn’t exactly a saint. She says, that’s putting it mildly, and he says he’s sure there’s some people out there who Franco wronged who are still angry; yet, it could be someone completely unknown to them. She says, believe it or not, a complete stranger in her house messing with her things, setting fire to Franco’s studio, and bringing that – she indicates the portrait – in here isn’t comforting. He says, sorry. His bedside manner… She says, is horrible. He says, yes. People have complained. Lots and lots of complaints. She laughs, and he says, they should do something about this. She says, such as? and he says, such as a road trip, a change of scenery. Why don’t they go somewhere warm? There’s good therapists everywhere. Maybe they could find someone by the beach, and take off for few weeks; her and the boys, him and Violet… She says she can’t go anywhere with him.

Curtis says, great spot, and Portia says, it’s stunning. He says he’s just not sure he wants to get in a bidding war with Sonny, but Lucy says, that can absolutely be avoided. She has this listing exclusively, and she hasn’t even publicized it. She an tell them for certain Jax would literally rather sell it to anyone else but Sonny. So clear their heads. She wants them to picture a hot summer day, smell the sea air; it’s so wonderful. Picture themselves lolling in a hammock, drinking a lemonade, or perhaps the beverage of their choice, watching the boats go drifting by… It sounds so good, she might even buy this place herself. She tells them to take their time, and makes herself scarce. Portia says she’s not a hammock kind of gal, but this is a nice house, and Curtis says, very. It’s a lot of space. She asks if that isn’t a good thing, and he says, there’s only two of them. Is she sure they need three extra bedrooms? She says, they could make an office, maybe a home gym. Trina’s going to need a room, at least for a few more years. He says, that’s true, but it leaves two extra bedrooms, and she says, or just one. Maybe they could leave a room for his father.

Jordan brushes the leaves off a gravestone, and asks how her old partner is doing. She’s sorry she hasn’t visited in so long, but she’ll tell him the same thing she told Bob; never again. She doesn’t just mean the time between visits. She promises to do the job they all swore to do; to protect and serve and uphold the law. She’s back, and the bad guys are on notice. She kisses her fingers, and places them on the stone.

Sonny says he doesn’t like to be the reason Carly is hurting, and she says, he’s not the only reason. He says, there was a time she didn’t see him at all. Maybe they should go back to that, where he’s like dead to her. She says, Nina would love that, right? and he says, whatever she wants, just say the word, and he’ll make it happen. If she doesn’t want him here, and he’ll be gone. When he picks up Donna or drops her off, she doesn’t have to be there. When she wants to visit Morgan at the cemetery, they’ll pick dates. Whatever she wants, they’ll do.

Spencer says he’s sorry he put Trina in that position, and she says, good luck with his escape, but he says he didn’t escape. It’s kind of a furlough. She says, if this was on the books, he wouldn’t have pressured her into lying for him, and he says his uncle arranged it. It’s his mother; have a heart. No one would have let him come out to see her; it’s such a short sentence. She says, exactly. He couldn’t have waited? No. Because he’s a spoiled rich brat who doesn’t know how good he’s got it. She couldn’t imagine skipping out on her prison sentence. It doesn’t seem very rehab to her, but he does as he pleases, with no regard to rules or consequences because it’s second nature to him; instinct. He says he knows. Privilege.

Cameron asks how Josslyn could think he’d do something like that. Esme continues to listen, and Josslyn says she doesn’t think that. Right now, she can’t think about anything, and he says, but she’s wondering, isn’t she? If he set up a hidden camera so he could secretly record  their first time. Why would he do that? She says she doesn’t know, and he says he wouldn’t do that. Esme smiles broadly, and he asks if that’s who Josslyn thinks he really is. She says, of course (🍷) she doesn’t think that, and he asks if she’s sure. She says she’s sorry she made him feel like she doubted him. Her mind just froze, because someone recorded them without their knowledge in her stepfather’s cabin, none of which should be possible by the way, and it’s really freaking her out. He tells her, everything’s going to be fine. Does she think her brother and Nelle could have done it. They used the cabin, right? She says, no. That was years ago, and Michael? No. He asks, what about her stepfather? Could Sonny have some kind of secret camera set up? Esme hears them coming, and tries to jet, but Josslyn yanks her back by her backpack strap, and I laugh at the look on Esme’s face. Josslyn says, you going somewhere?

Trina says, she never thought see the day, Spencer Cassadine admitting to his own privilege. She guesses their previous conversations on this topic haven’t been completely lost on him, and he tells her, nothing she says has been lost on him. Being his friend must be exhausting. She says, that’s one way to put it. Fortunately, every time she says she’s going to give up on him, he does something that shows he might – might – be capable of evolving. He says, he man, she woman, poking her shoulder, and she tells him, never do that again. At least do his best not to try his patience. She has friends who aren’t currently in lockdown who are taxing enough.

Cameron comes out in the hallway, and Esme says, oh my God. She hopes they’re both okay. Josslyn says she just bets Esme does, and Esme says she was just waiting in the hallway. She figured they might need some time, but she stuck around to make sure both of them knew they had her complete support. Josslyn says, is that right? and Esme says, of course (🍷). What Brian did, showing their video to the entire class, was heinous. They should complain to the dean, and if they need a witness, she’ll be at the front of the line. Josslyn says Esme is such a giver, and Cameron says, the video wasn’t just played in front of the class. Seems like whoever did it, emailed a copy of the video to everyone. Esme says she knows; she got one too. Do they think there’s any way it could be unsent or something, or is it just out there for good for the whole world to look at and enjoy? Josslyn says, only one person is enjoying this; the bitch right in front of her.

Finn says Elizabeth is right. Forgive him. Of course (🍷) there’s no way they should be going anywhere together. She says she just doesn’t want to create more upheaval for Jake and Aiden, especially if Jake is the one behind what’s going on. Finn says, until all this gets settled, he can hunker down here, but she says she doesn’t want to uproot him and Violet, and Dante has a patrol coming by. He says he’d feel better being here, but she says she woudn’t. Getting close to him has been amazing, and she’s ready to move on from Franco, but she’s not sure the boys are. She thinks they need more time, and right now, they need their mom to put them first in her life. He says he understands. That’s kind of been his life with Violet; she needs to be first. He just wants her to know he’s okay coming in second, but she says, that doesn’t work for her either.

Brando asks Sasha if he ruined this. If he’s wrong, just say so. He just has a thought, and if putting it out there hurts her, he’d do anything to take it back. She says she asked, and he was honest. He deserves the same from her. She shows him a $10 chip, and says, her winnings from last night. Not much, right? For a long time, not much was what she was used to. Money, people, things all came and left, so she got used to going without. Not being attached to anything because nothing ever lasted long. She came to Port Charles with nothing to her name and zero expectations, and slowly that changed. She started to see maybe things could last. With Nina, with Michael and his family, with Deception, and most of all, with him and Liam. She doesn’t want to live with all that impermanence anymore. She takes his hands, and says, losing their son made her see that her life has become so full, and she wants to hold on to every bit of it so hard, so yes, asking him to marry her is about Liam, but it’s about him too; about them. She wants him and wants all the joy he brings to her life, and never wants to let him go.

Sonny says, however Carly wants it to be is the way it’s going to be, and she says, they agreed to be a team for the girls. She suggests they see if they can manage that, and he says, it’s a good first step. He tells her that he’s got to go, when Jordan walks in. Sonny says, welcome back, and Jordan says, same to him. Carly asks if she’s back on the job, and Jordan says, she’s getting caught up. She was sorry to hear about Jason. Carly thanks her, and Sonny says, it was a big loss. Jordan says, she knows. Cyrus Renault might be walking free today if it hadn’t been for Jason, and Carly. Carly says, Jordan’s no slouch either; she’d say it was a team effort. Jordan says, it was, one that came with shared sacrifice. Carly put herself on the line, letting Cyrus know she was in charge of Sonny’s business while he was out of the picture. Sonny says, well, he’s back, and Carly is focused on the hotel. Jordan asks what he’s focused on, he says, his coffee business, and they smile. He says, they can talk business if she wants, and Carly says she’s going to run her hotel business, and leave them to it. She goes back to the bar, and Sonny says, as he recalls, they got along much better when they worked together. She says, they did. That was when they had a common enemy. Now Cyrus is out of the picture, and his cooperation is over.

Curtis says, they haven’t even made a bid on the house, and Portia has Marshall moving in with them? She says she was thinking more like a dedicated guest room. It does seem like he and Marshall are getting along better these days, and he says, they are, but it’s more a no-longer-want-to-punch-a-hole-in-the-wall kind of better; not can-you-move-in-to-our-dedicated-guest-room better. They still have a long way to go; Marshall has 40 years to account for. She says, maybe they can manifest some father and son bonding. Maybe some bonfires on the beach, a holiday barbecue now and then. He laughs and takes her hands, saying, she really wants this house, doesn’t she? and she says, it is a lot of space, but they’ve got a lot of life and love to fill it with. That’s the way she sees anyway. What about him? What is he thinking?

Spencer says, Trina must be referring to Josslyn. That woman is always about the drama. Trina says she’s not getting into this with him. He’s got to get back to Spring Ridge. He says, if they can both keep quiet about running into each other there, neither one of them will get into trouble for it. She says, unless Jordan doubles back, and he says he should get back to prison. She tells him, be careful. He’s so close to the end of his sentence, and she bets his mom would be the first to say not to mess it up now. He says he bets she’s right. Besides, he wouldn’t want to miss the party she’s throwing him when he’s released. She says, party? He’ll be lucky if he gets so much as a cookie. He says he likes ginger snaps, and she says, he would. He tells her, she didn’t say if she liked his gift, and she says, finish his sentence, then she’ll give him her review, and she leaves.

Esme says, sorry. She doesn’t get her jollies from low-fi armature porn. Cameron says, maybe not, and Josslyn says, but Esme does get off from sticking it to her and Cameron. Esme says, they’re in a bad place right now, so it’s not surprising they’d take this out on her, but it’s a shame. All she wanted was to be their friend, and from the looks of it, they’re going to need all the friends they can get. Cameron says, with friends like her… Josslyn says, who needs pornographers? Esme says, most people find it hard to rebound when their sex tape goes into wide release online for the world to see, but if they want her support, she’ll gladly give it to them. Cameron asks if that’s why she did this; so they’d want her comfort and support after she completely screwed them over? Esme says she tried, and Josslyn says, tried what? To convince them once and for all she’s a sociopath? She succeeded. Esme says she doesn’t have to take this abuse, and Josslyn says she’ll show Esme abuse. Esme asks how Josslyn can be this cruel, and Josslyn says, because Esme is the one who did this.

Sasha says, that was probably a lot for Brando. If he wants to take a step back and reevaluate… He says, the answer to her question is yes. He’ll marry her today, tomorrow, in Niagara Falls, in Las Vegas; wherever, whenever she wants, he’s hers. She laughs and they kiss. She asks if they’re really doing this, and he says, not if they don’t get themselves in gear, get over the border and get to a chapel. She tells him, use the shower, and she’ll look for possible venues.

Elizabeth tells Finn that her kids need her attention right now; her undivided attention. He says he gets it, and him being around, he gets it. She says she’s not asking him to wait for her, and he says she doesn’t have to because he was probably going to do that anyway. Not forever, just like 100 years, 200 tops, but then, he’s walking. She laughs, and he hugs her. He says, in case he wasn’t clear, she’s worth waiting for. He says he’ll see her and leaves, and she looks at the portrait.

Portia asks what Curtis thinks, when Lucy comes back. She’s on the phone, and says, he’d better get home soon because she can’t wait to gobble his cobbler. Curtis says, she’s back, and Lucy says, indeed she is. Do they have any questions? Curtis says, just one, for Portia. Is she ready for that boat life? Portia asks if he’s serious, and he says, let the bidding begin. Portia squeals, Lucy applauds, and Curtis and Portia kiss.

Sonny says he thought he and Jordan were a good team, especially when he was helping her when Cyrus was blackmailing her. She says she thanked him then, and thanks him now, and he says, but her gratitude is limited? She says, it is, which is why she’s offering this token of her appreciation. She considers the slate swiped clean. As far as she’s concerned, the past is just that. He asks what the future looks like, and she says, they have a chance to move forward. Sonny says, as long as he behaves? and she says, just be a good citizen. Maybe it will be easier now that he’s sampled a simpler life. He says, now that he’s back in stride, he’d prefer something a little more spicy, and she tells him, you do you, and so will I. I want badly to make a joke here, but I’ll let it go – too easy. She says, just know, whatever happens next, she won’t be looking the other way.

Sasha fishes the pills out of her bag, and takes another one.

Spencer says, the next time his mother sees him, he’ll be a free man; one she can be proud of. He touches her gravestone, and leaves.

Esme says, how dare they blame her for this? and Josslyn says, because she did it. Esme says, typical Josslyn, record her first time, share it with the world, and blame her. Cameron says, they didn’t make the video, and Josslyn says, Esme did. Esme asks, how? Explain that to her. Josslyn says, how about if they start with Esme constantly trying to push her and Cameron into bed? and Esme says, they’re college freshman. If they need to be pushed into bed, she recommends seeing a doctor. Josslyn says, it’s all Esme talked about for weeks; she couldn’t have been more obvious. Cameron says, actually, she could have. Esme went all in with it at the cabin. Esme asks when she had time. They practically forced her and Spencer to leave. Josslyn says, Esme stayed long enough to piss everyone off with her drinking game, and Esme says, which she apologized for. Josslyn says, the only reason Esme apologizes to anyone is so she can manipulate them again, and again. Esme says she doesn’t know what’s sadder; Josslyn not taking responsibility for taping her revolting little spectacle and sending it out – Cameron says, they didn’t even know it existed – or that Josslyn can’t do a halfway decent job of blaming her. If she’s so hellbent on blaming someone, don’t look at her; she wasn’t there. Why doesn’t she ask someone who was? They turn around, and Trina has walked in.  

Tomorrow, Drew wants to find out what someone’s objective is (probably Victor); Victor says Ava is just making things worse; Maxie asks if Britt can forgive her secrets; and Trina asks, who the hell is Esme calling dysfunctional?

🤷🏽 Is it me? As Scotty would say, for cryin’ out loud, why such a bizarre reaction to the video by Cameron and Josslyn’s peers? It’s not like they had a goat with them or something. Are college kids 12 now? I just can’t see it being so hilarious to people of college age. And Cameron and Josslyn’s friends would all ditch them because…? The only thing they should really be concerned about is someone distributing it and making money. In which case, they need to make sure to get a cut.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

We backtracked a little, and Ashley tells Tom that she feels she’s more mature than he is. Tom insists that just because he got f***ed up the first night, doesn’t mean he’s not mature. In Ashley’s interview, she says she’s not into guys her age. Get over it. If she changes her mind, she’ll let him know. Tom whines that he’s not a f***ing child. Ashley tells Kelsie, Tom’s having a meltdown, and Tom grumbles to Colin and Gary. Colin says, Tom has a crush, and he can’t wait for them to have make-up sex.

In the morning, Ashley says she feels like sh*t. She’s got to stop drinking tequila. Colin also admits to a hangover. Daisy tells Ashley to vacuum, and Ashley makes an exasperated sound. In Gabriela’s interview, she says, Ashley makes a big stink over things when she doesn’t have to. Tom tells Gary that maybe he heard the whole thing wrong… or maybe he didn’t like what Ashley said. Gary thinks Tom should clear the air. Everyone does what they need to do in turning the boat over. Ashley bitches to Marcos about not wanting to date guys her age, and being entitled to her opinion. In Marcos’s interview, he says, to be young again. When he was young, he’d worked a charter with all women crew members, and had sex with everyone, but nobody knew. Until one day, they started drinking and ended up wanting to burn him alive. He says, they’ll learn the hard way. Captain Glenn calls Daisy, Gary, and Marcos to the crew mess for the preference sheet meeting.  

Glenn gives them the sheets upside down, and when they’re flipped over, it’s a collective, noooo. It’s returning primary Erica and her mother Cindi. Marcos doesn’t know who they are, and, being generous, Glenn says, they’re very interesting. We flash back, and it’s the rude blonde girl with a Kim Kardashian voice from last season. The husbands are coming, along with some new friends who want to experience the luxury and adventure of sailing in the Mediterranean. Glenn says, since the husbands are coming, it could be different. Because there are seven guests, they want the master divided, so Erica and her husband will be separated from her mother. Glenn doesn’t think it’s feasible to use the divider they have on board, since it hasn’t been used in years, but maybe they can hang something. The guests want a steak dinner, and a boozy beach party, as well as a party to celebrate each decade they’ve been through. Erica also expects a higher level of service than they received last season. In Daisy’s interview, she says, these people are disrespectful, exhausting, emotionally draining, and unpredictable, which is scary.

Glenn and Gary work on devising something to separate the rooms, while Daisy tells the stews what a horror show the guest were last time. She explains that Erica wanted her luggage unpacked, and there was so much luggage. She says, their cabins were vile, and we flashed back to that. She tells them, be prepared. Gary phones around to find material, and Daisy calls for scotch and cigars. Gary wants Tom to sort things out with Ashley, and in Gary’s interview, he says, a little argument can turn into a massive thing on a boat. Tom tries to radio Ashley, who isn’t picking up, so he hunts her down. He tells her that he’s sorry about last night, and she says, she gets it, but she got angry since she’s allowed to have her opinion. In Tom’s interview, he says, Gary is 32, and he’s Gary. Tom might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but his mom would tell you that he’s a catch. He and Ashley hug it out. Gary goes over stuff with the deckhands, and Gabriela discovers the bar is a mess. She cleans it, mumbling, that’s what she makes a list for. She chants, I’m pissed, I’m pissed, I’m pissed. Meanwhile, Ashley is in the crew mess talking to Daisy about décor as she stuffs her face. Gabriela confronts Ashley about not doing what was on the list, saying, she guesses Ashley thinks the bar isn’t important, but Daisy tells her, it will be fine. In Daisy’s interview, she says she’s hoping they could tell she doesn’t want to hear it. They’re on ego trips, and better find a way to work with each other. Gabriela goes up on deck with Gary to grab a smoke, and asks what she should do. Ashley wants to be second stew, and she thinks Ashley is trying to make her look bad. Gary tells her, calling someone out in front of the crew isn’t a good look, and in his interview, he says, your problem becomes everyone else’s problem. Pull up your socks and say sorry. Gabriela says she’ll apologize, and approaches Ashley, who’s busy on her phone instead of working. Gabriela says, calling Ashley out wasn’t cool, but she was nervous about everything getting done. Ashley says, it was uncalled for, but Gabriela says, it was rude, but not uncalled for. Ashley says she thinks having titles is obsolete, and Gabriela says, when Ashley doesn’t do what she’s told and jumps over her, it makes her look bad. Ashley insists talking to Daisy wasn’t jumping over Gabriela, and in Gabriela’s interview, she says, so much for taking the high road. Ashley says, the mentality she’s going with is that they’re on a level playing field, and in Ashley’s interview, she says, Gabriela isn’t her boss; she’s not chief stew. Gabriela asks if they’re good, and Ashley says, it’s fine. I decide Ashley is a real ashhole.

Ashley hopes the charter goes by fast, since she’s ready to have another night out. Marcos notes that the preference sheet for co-primary and Erica’s husband, Charles, says he likes everything. Tom suggests he highlight that to show Charles when Charles complains.  Glenn announces there’s been an update. He got a text saying their guests were removed from their flight at Heathrow, and met by the police. The brouhaha caused them to miss their connecting flight. That’s f***ing crazy. Daisy says she told him they were crazy, and he says, Cindi will be coming later, and picked up by the tender. In Daisy’s interview, she wonders, who gets kicked off a plane? Provisions come in, and I’m suddenly hungry. Gary cuts a door in the dividing material so there’s access to go between the makeshift rooms. Everyone does a  final walkaround, and Marcos does fast feet in the galley. Gary hugs Daisy from behind and won’t let go. Glenn says the transom doesn’t look done; it has to be washed, rinsed, and shammy dried. He tells Kelsie, you can do all the work, but if it still looks like sh*t, it’s not done. In Glenn’s interview, he says, they can’t neglect certain things. He wants results, and it has to be perfect moving forward. The guests arrive, and Daisy repeats that she loves her job. Glenn says, oh God.

Erica says they’re at the point where they can give hugs, and Glenn says he’s happy to welcome them, and looking forward to having Cindi back. Erica says, she’s on her way, and Daisy gives the tour. The deckhands bring on a million bags. Erica declares the room division perfect, and tells Daisy that there was drama at the airport. Her mother was flying in economy class, and wanted the omelet that first class had where she and Charles were. She snuck into first class to get Charles’s omelet, and they were met by fully armed cops at the airport. I have the feeling there’s more to that story, and in Daisy’s interview, she says she doesn’t have the words. She tells them it will be a drama free charter, and the boat sets off.

On deck, Charles talks about his triple astrological tendencies, and says he comes off as peaceful, but he’s crazier than sh*t. Daisy asks if Erica would like them to unpack, and she asks Charles, when has she hung up things in her entire life? Daisy asks Ashley to unpack the master, and the sails go up. Sailing music plays in the background. You know the kind I mean. The boat starts to tilt, and things start falling. Ashley unpacks a wet bathing suit. Charles parks himself on the bed, and talks to Ashley while she unpacks, and talks, and talks. In Ashley’s interview, she says, oh my God. Pray for my sanity. She might lose her sh*t this charter. She suggests Charles check out the views, and he finally leaves. Marcos studies the preference sheets, and I go get some cheese and crackers during the commercial.

Colin realizes Tom didn’t take the pins out of the transom door before trying to open it. Tom says, it’s not a big deal, and in Colin’s interview, he says he doesn’t like Tom’s attitude.. Cindi is ready to be picked up, and Gary leaves in the tender. If you try to open the transom without removing the pins, you could damage the door. Then you can’t take people on and off the boat. It’s a serious thing Colin talks to Tom more calmly about the pins, and in Tom’s interview, he says he’s not much of a sailing expert, but he knows superyachts, and he’s not a moron. He’s going to forget tiny things; be patient. Cindi arrives, and I remember her. She wanted a massage, and one of the stews was certified, and gave her one. And she talked, and talked, and talked. Then the stews were talking about her, and Erica overheard. Marcos goes over the menu with Daisy, so she can double-check with the guests. Charles says, gazpacho sounds disgusting, and he doesn’t even want to be anywhere near it. In Daisy’s interview, she says, just tell her WTF they want. There’s definitely tension, and she’s trying to hold it off, because it will be her who has to deal with it. She tells Marcos that Charles and Cindi are not into the gazpacho, and he says he’ll make a salad. Erica beelines to the galley, and Marcos tells her the rest of the menu. One of the courses contains broccoli mousse, and she asks there’s any way he can make it not mousse. In Marcos’s interview, he says he gets it now. Just because they have fancy clothes and are on a fancy boat, doesn’t mean they have fancy tastebuds. Gabriela feels the vibe is different from the last charter, and she’s not wrong. Tom bitches, and Gary helps wash dishes in the galley.

Charles paces on deck, making me think an impending storm is brewing. Ashley makes a drink for Cindi, and Gabriela gets a load of the master, which is already a mess. In Gabriela’s interview, she says, holy sh*t, dude. So gross. The guests sit for dinner, and Glenn hunts for gummi bears in the crew mess. Marcos presents grilled vegetables and marinated steak. Charles says, at first, he didn’t know if he liked it, but it turned out that he did like it. Erika says that she doesn’t like any pink in her steak; she wants medium, no pink. Charles says he thinks she means medium well, and in his interview, Marcos says, this cannot keep happening. He takes the steak back to the galley, and returns with another one, done medium well. When they finish, Cindi says, it’s a man’s dinner, and Charles says, it’s one of the best steaks he’s eaten. This is in the top five dinners of his life. Erica tells Daisy that they’d like brunch tomorrow, and Daisy tells Marcos, brunch at the beach; no breakfast and no lunch.

In Marcos’s interview, he says, messing up Erica’s steak sucks. He’s going to pay close attention. He’s making simple food for simple tastebuds. When the guests get up, Charles immediately starts bitching about waiting until 11 to eat. Daisy asks him to let her know what he’d like, and suggests an omelet. In Daisy’s interview, she says, she’s so confused. Not only was it on the preference sheet, didn’t he confirm it with the co-primary, his wife? Cindi asks for bacon and poached eggs. Daisy brings Charles and omelet, and he examines it like it’s a bug under a microscope. He says he wants another one; there are ingredients he didn’t order, like tomatoes. Daisy brings it back to Marcos, and tells him to just include bacon, onion, and cheese. At the table, Charles starts complaining that the food isn’t even as good as Chili’s; it’s worse than bad. Cindi retroactively gripes about her steak, and Erica tells Daisy that Charles is disappointed. Charles says he’s disgusted. Gabriela tells Ashley that he’s just an entitled a-hole, and Charles doesn’t like the next omelet either. In her interview, Daisy says, he was raving about the food last night. This guy is just looking for a fight. He’s uncultured, unmannered, and untraveled. He can go f*** himself. Charles rants that he’s had better food at the ballpark.

We actually have a local ballpark – go BlueClaws! – that has very decent food, but highly doubtful it’s better than Marco’s food.

Next time, the beach; Glenn says, it looks like someone sh*t their pants on the sofa; Marcos gets a head injury; and a drunk Daisy kisses Gary

⛵️ The Bloom Is Off the Rose…

I couldn’t find out what exactly happened at the airport, but there was some info on Erica out there. Apparently, she’s no stranger to reality TV.

https://screenrant.com/below-deck-everything-know-about-guest-erica-rose/

⚾️ Rounding Third For Home…

Come by and take a break tomorrow, and check out some soap and drama with the RHONJ husbands. Yes, I said husbands. Until then, stay safe, stay on an even keel, and stay not being too unpredictable. It scares people.

March 6, 2022 – Eugene Finds Out Some Hard Truths, Occam’s Razor, Autopsy, Holes, Gracing Pages, At War, Memories, Dead Game, SAG Snaps & Fire

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Eugene wakes up, and Stephanie is next to him, reading his manuscript. He asks, what in the name of little Billy goats is she doing? She says she’s almost finished, and he says, on the other hand he’s nowhere near finished. Several early scenes without context will be made clear in subsequent chapters. She says she loves it; she’s proud of him. He says he went to get some knives sharpened and was thinking of her, and she asks if she should be alarmed. He says, his thoughts were not homicidal; the cutter was also a key maker. He wants to see more of her, and knows her job is taking up time, so he wants to make it easier. He gives her the key to his apartment, and says he loves her. She says she loves him too, and they kiss. Eugene walks out, manuscript in hand, and she waves from the fire escape.

Eugene tells Princess that he and Stephanie are meeting for ice cream, and he’s uncertain what his follow-up move should be. What transpired was a positive outcome, but he can’t conceive what comes next. Princess asks if he said he loved her, and he says, affirmative, and she told him that she loved him too. Princess tells him, then relax. When a woman tells you she loves you, believe her.

Eugene sits at a table outside, holding two ice cream cones, and smiles. He’s still sitting there, alone, when darkness falls, the ice cream has melted, and he’s no longer smiling.

Eugene goes to Stephanie’s apartment building, and sees a light on inside. He rings the bell, but there’s no answer, and when a man comes out, he uses the opportunity to get inside the building. He knocks on her door, and asks if she’s there. He keeps knocking and calling to her, but inside the apartment, she’s quickly tossing clothes into a suitcase.  

In the newspaper office, Connie looks at what’s being printed, and signs to Kelly while Kelly interprets to Jan. Connie signs, it doesn’t look good. Tyler Davis has a story to tell, and wouldn’t risk being locked up. Jan says, he didn’t. There’s a statement from his doctor backing up that he had a PTSD episode. Connie signs that she doesn’t trust the military. Something happened to Tyler; something he blames Pamela Milton for, and was worth confronting her in public over. They clearly have a reputation for suppressing the truth. Jan says, that’s one interpretation. The other is that Tyler had a mental crisis, and it’s the only interpretation backed by the facts. Connie signs, and Kelly says, she should be… Kelly stops, and Connie looks at her, continuing to sign. Kelly says, Connie thinks she should be finding out what really happened, instead of paraphrasing the government’s press release, but Jan says, no. She wants Connie to paraphrase it so next time, she doesn’t have to.

Eugene confronts the guy who’s filling in for Stephanie at her job. Eugene says, no one has seen or talked to Stephanie. How could she have called in sick? The guy says, all he knows is, he was told to be there because she didn’t show up.

Kelly asks if Connie is sure; Tyler took a hostage. Connie signs that he was afraid for his life, and Kelly says she’s been afraid for her life too, but never took an innocent hostage. Connie wants to know what Milton did to cause this, because they’re keeping it a secret. The guard tells them, it’s a private room, and translating Connie’s signing, Kelly asks if Tyler has a lawyer, and what the charges are against him. Mercer opens the door from inside, looks at them, and closes it again.

Rosita and Green make a wellness check at Stephanie’s apartment. They come out, and Rosita tells Eugene, she’s not there. He thinks he should make a statement immediately, so he can recount the details while they’re fresh in his mind. Rosita says she’ll come to the station and help him fill out the paperwork. He looks up at Stephanie’s window, and remembers her waving to him.

Carol rides on a road through the woods in a wagon driven by Lance, while troopers stab any zombies that get in their way. Lance says, it might sound crazy, but he feels better out here than in the city. She says, it doesn’t sound crazy; a lot of her people feel that way. He says, she still sees it as her people and his people. He wants her see how the place works, and wants her to be part of it. He’s done fairly well, but didn’t start out at the top. The governor runs the city, but he knows how it runs. She asks if he started at the bottom, and he says he proved himself to the Milton family a long time ago. If you know the right people, the sky’s the limit. Lean climbing up in any organization, there are two types of people. Mercenaries, who are doing it for the money, or whatever psychological itch they have to scratch, and patrons, true believers, the ones who want to do good. In their hearts, they believe in the organization. She asks if he wants to make a true believer out of her, and he says he read her file. She’s there because she’s smart, and he needs her help dealing with this a-hole, but what she gets out of it is up to her.

They come to a clearing where a lot of people are milling around a camp, and Carol asks if they’re smugglers or drug dealers, and Lance says, smugglers, but it’s not what she thinks. This place isn’t part of the Commonwealth, but they need each other. The Commonwealth uses the poppies to make opium for the hospital. Things would be bleak if they ran out, so he makes sure that doesn’t happen. Sometimes it means dealing with guys like Moto. Lance approaches a guy, who says he told Lance this would happen. Lance says, Moto is supposed to be managing it, and Moto says, he told them to process the last batch, but they’re holding this harvest hostage. They’ll let it rot without a raise. Lance says, he’ll see what he can do.

Kelly and Connie go up to a soldier among the team in the woods, and Kelly says, they’re with the Tribune. He tells them where to go, and Connie signs, this is bullsh*t. Jan knows how she feels about militarizing the police. Kelly suggests if Connie doesn’t want to be on Jan’s bad side, do it just one time. They see Mercer getting in his truck, and he and Connie lock eyes for a moment.

Princess knocks on Eugene’s door, and says she hasn’t seen him in a few days. How’s he holding up? He says he’s functioning within the relative parameters, and she says she can see that, calling him an a-hole. Let her in; she brought lasagna. She comes inside, and sees a chart like detectives make, with threads going to different pictures and articles. He says the dish is empty, and she says, sorry. She didn’t make lasagna, but people always let you in if you’re carrying food. She asks, what’s up? and he says, since they gave up the search, he decided to investigate Stephanie’s disappearance himself. Truth be told, as the hours ticked by with nary a breadcrumb found, he let despair get the best of him, until a chance encounter put him on her trail. Eugene remembers drinking in a bar, and seeing the guy who came out of Stephanie’s building go past. He goes outside, and approaches the guy, saying, he needs to talk to him. He saw the guy coming out of 1634 Racine, an apartment in Residential 1, three days ago, at 7 in the pm. The guy says he doesn’t remember being there, and Eugene says, someone dear to him has gone missing from there, and he might have seen something. The guy asks, where? and Eugene says, Residential 1, three days ago, at approximately 7 in the pm. The guy says he remembers now. He’s a plumber, and was called in to fix a clogged sink. Eugene points to a missing poster with a drawing of Stephanie, and asks if he remembers seeing her, or anything suspicious in or around the premises. The guy says, no. Are they done? Eugene says he sincerely apologizes for troubling him, and wishes they could talk another time, but the guy is already walking away. Eugene tells Princess, needless to say, he greeted the story with skepticism. When he came out of the building, the guy was wearing no uniform and had no tools, and there were no service trucks around. The one person who was there had a flimsy alibi. So Eugene started following him. Princess asks what he found out, and he says, the guy’s name is Roman Calhoun, and he is definitely not a plumber.

Eugene tells Princess, they mostly conduct business at night; the base of the operations in the warehouse district. It’s a plumbing business that on the surface seems legitimate, but the lights are on at odd hours when they’re closed. People go in and out all the time, but it’s the same four people. They arrive alone, and depart shortly afterward. On only one occasion did they all come together, and met with a fifth, who he thinks is the head honcho, the mastermind; maybe someone from a rogue element of the government that Stephanie ran afoul of. Princess asks if Eugene thinks Stephanie was kidnapped by the government, and he points to a drawing of a man who he calls, co-conspirator #2, aka Beany Hat Man. He belongs to the group of movers that took Stephanie’s belongings to an unknown location. The same day, he found a file at the station in Stephanie’s transcript saying she’d resigned, but the man who was filling in for her said she gave no notice. Such orders can’t falsified or fabricated without powerful influence. Stephanie knew they were coming for her, and eluded them. They took her belongings, anything that could be evidence, and silencing her is the last step. If he’s right, his only hope is to expose them before they find her.

Lance fishes with Moto, and says Moto’s hobby is also an apocalyptic skill. He can’t give them a raise, but he can meet them halfway with incentives. They more they produce, the more they make. Carol watches a woman watching them.

Two troopers are chased by zombies in the woods. They get to their car, but one is grabbed before he can get. He fends off the zombie, and stabs it in the neck, but another takes its place and gets him down. The zombie’s head suddenly splits open to reveal Mercer, who calmly walks away. Mercer asks if Connie saw what she needed to see, and she signs, more than enough. He says, then this is the part where she asks the questions they sent her, and she signs, it’s been a month since Tyler has been in the hospital under armed guard. What is he charged with? Mercer says, that’s not one of the questions, and she asks if it has anything to do with the woman Tyler took hostage being Mercer’s sister. He says he was wondering when she’d figure that out. For the record, the answer is, his sister doesn’t have a goddam thing to do with it. Connie signs, Tyler was loyal, and had been recommended for early promotion by Mercer. The military is being manipulated by the politicians. If she was him, she’d be interested in who she was risking her life for. He says, if he was her, he’d wonder why he was out there digging for answers that they both know will never see the light of day. He leaves, and Kelly signs, a-hole.

Eugene and Princess sit within watching distance of Roman’s apartment building. She tells him, it’s really cool how he’s doing so much for Stephanie, but he says, strike that; reverse that. He’s repaying what he owes. He made promise himself in the early days, when they thought this would blow over quickly. If he lived through this, he’d pursue his dream of being a science fiction author. He jokingly related that story to Stephanie over the radio, and she told him that he can’t wait until after he’s lived through it. Ready or not, right now is all they’ve got. It gave him the courage to do what he’s always wanted to do. When someone does that for you, words like love seem insufficient.

They see Roman leave to go jogging, and Eugene runs to the back of the building. Princess says, Eugene might want to break in, but she doesn’t want to get into trouble. She’s got a little job, and a little flat, and she might get a little cat. Eugene says, Roman will be gone for 90 minutes, and begs her, please. She relents, and he gives her a boost up.

Lance tells Moto that he’s sorry they can’t stay for the fish fry, and Moto says, next time. On the side, Lance asks what Carol thinks, and she says, Moto is robbing them. She talked to one of their lieutenants, and he’s pocketing the money from their raises, and beating them to keep quiet. He went too far, and that’s why they’re on strike. Lance says, they’ll get their money back and their raise; he promises. She says, what about Moto? and Lance says he’s not going fishing with Moto anymore, that’s for sure. He tells a couple of the troopers, take him into custody. They grab Moto, who says, what the hell? and calls Lance a mother pussbucket as they take him away. There are imperceptible nods between Carol and the watching woman.

Eugene looks around Roman’s apartment, and finds a set of keys. It starts to thunder, then rain, and Princess asks what this guy does when it rains on his 10 mile run? Eugene says, because of the lack of precipitation, he has not gathered that data, and she says, he has it now. He’s here. They have to get out. He tells her, count his range, but she says she’s not good at that, and he says, just tell him how much time he has. He fiddles with the keys, trying to open a large case, and she says she is telling him; he has no time. He opens the case, and they see a bunch of weapons. Roman goes into another apartment, and they sneak out. A woman says, she saw them on a ladder outside. That’s them.  

At the hospital, Mercer finds Tyler’s room empty, and asks a nurse where the patient in M-33 is, and soldiers with him. She says, no one is in M-33, and he says he realizes that. What happened to the man who was in there? He can’t be moved without Mercer’s authorization. The nurse says, apparently he can, and Mercer punches a hole in the wall.

Eugene tells Princes that he’s sorry he manipulated her into accompanying him on his lamebrained mission. He told them she was an unwitting participant. Lance comes in, and says, he just got back to town. What the hell, you two?  

Lance looks through some papers, and tells Eugene that Roman Calhoun is who he says he is, a plumber for Ruby’s. They’re lazy with the paperwork, but have a contract. According to the invoice, he was sent to fix a sink in the building where Eugene saw him. Princess asks, what about the kidnap kit? Those weapons are illegal. Lance says, for them. Roman is a citizen, and a lot of people have go bags. He told Eugene’s story about Stephanie to Calhoun, and explained the mental anguish Eugene was going through, and Calhoun agreed not to press charges, but Eugene has to leave him alone. He also has to sign a statement saying he was emotionally distraught and in a paranoid state following the disappearance of his girlfriend. He’s sorry it didn’t lead where Eugene thought it would. Eugene was wrong, and needs to accept it. If he doesn’t, Lance can’t help. Eugene signs.

Back at his apartment, Eugene tells Princess that he should have known the conspiracy goes deeper than he initially thought, but she says, none of this is happening, Stephanie broke up with him. He says, that’s absurd, and she says, she’d been thinking, what if he right was right, but the guy was a plumber. There was paperwork for Stephanie’s work transfer order, and the moving guys literally came and took her furniture. Maybe it’s not that complicated. He says, her first bit of advice to him was, when a woman says, I love you, believe her, and Princess says, when a woman quits job and moves away without telling maybe he should believe that too. He sits heavily, and she says, the day her dad had enough, he just split. She thought it was because she’d smoked his cigarettes. She never saw him again, so who knows? Maybe that was it. You can think you know someone, then find out you never even met them. It sucks, but it happens all the time. He says he appreciates how she reached that conclusion, but he’s privy to one piece of data she is not; he knows how it felt. She says, okay; it was just a theory. She pats his shoulder and leaves. He looks at the board, gets up, and takes a rendering of the plumbing building down.

In Connie’s room, Kelly says, Connie did her job, and that’s a good thing. They’re not going be here forever. Every day doesn’t have to be a fight. That’s what moving here temporarily is about. Connie signs, maybe, and her doorbell light blinks. She goes to the door, and no one is there, but she finds a note. She signs to Kelly that it’s a list of names. Look at the last one. Tyler Davis.

Eugene sneaks into the plumbing building and watches a woman go upstairs. He goes to the stairs, and hears a door open and close. He takes out a spray bottle. A man says, hey, and grabs Eugene, but Eugene throws him off and sprays his eyes. A woman flies out, and kicks Eugene in the stomach. She says she told the guy that she heard something. We see it’s Stephanie, and  Lance comes downstairs. He says, he’ll handle it, and the others leave. Eugene says, you played me. Lance corroborated Calhoun’s bogus alibi, and Eugene was certain he was involved in covering up Stephanie’s disappearance. Now he realizes the depth of his self-delusion. Occam’s Razor should have led him to this conclusion, before a kick to the belly did. There was never any Stephanie, was there? Who is she? An undercover agent? A con artist who owes Lance a favor? She was very convincing. Lance used her to pull at his heartstrings, and trick him into telling Lance everything he wanted to know about the communities. It worked. She led him to the trainyard where they were captured by Lance. Lance thought he was easy mark, and split Eugene and his friends up, thinking he’d break, but he didn’t break. Then Stephanie led him to the radio room, where they were captured again. Lance got money’s worth; Eugene fell for that one twice. She told him that he could trust Lance, and he did. She read his book, so she could get helpful autobiographical information to serve Lance’s needs. When Lance got everything he wanted, there was no need to continue the ruse, but Lance didn’t see this twist. He’s going make absolutely certain everybody knows who and what Lance is. Lance says, okay. Who or what is that exactly? The villain, the boogeyman, or the best goddam thing that ever happened to him? Eugene is right. He did lie. Just like Eugene and his friends lied to get inside these walls, but who’s keeping score? Lance did what he had to, to get Eugene here, and Eugene should thank him for it. It’s not his fault they’re too stupid not to know a good thing when it lands in their laps. Eugene says he fell in love and everything was fiction, and Lance says, they tried to rip the band aid off when they saw it was getting serious, and Lance did what he could to get Eugene to stop looking. At least he can stop now. It wasn’t going to get better for his people; they were about to starve. Now Eugene is here, his community is getting fixed, and they’ve got everything from concerts to cancer surgery. All they’ve been asked in return is to be productive members of society as long as they choose to stay. The statement Eugene signed says he was suffering from paranoia as a result of nervous strain. Look at him. This has obviously taken a toll. Lance is sorry Eugene’s heart got broken, and he’s sure Eugene’s friends will be sad to hear about it too, but in the balance of things, Lance still thinks it worked out in everyone’s favor. Eugene’s friends probably would to. He puts his hand on Eugene’s shoulder for a moment, and starts to go up the stairs. He stops and turns, and says, by the way, Stephanie’s real name is Shira. She hates Iron Maiden, but genuinely enjoyed his book. He should stick with it. Lance continues on up.

In an alleyway, Eugene burns all his evidence, and throws his manuscript in the fire. Outside the gate, a woman asks if he’s all right. She needs to talk to him. This is Blue Weevil to Tater Bug; please come back. He turns around, and asks, who are you? She walks through the gate, and he sees it’s Max. She says, it’s me. I’m the one you were talking to on the radio.

Next time, Pamela says, nothing good is going to come from stretching their resources; Lance tells someone, if Maggie says no, cut them off; Maggie doesn’t trust the Commonwealth; Mercer tells Daryl, remember, they’re always watching; and Maggie and Pamela meet.

🪒 What He Said…

This is actually the third time I’ve heard this expression this week. Occam’s Razor: the simplest explanation is likely the correct one.

I wonder how many hits this webpage got tonight?

https://conceptually.org/concepts/occams-razor

⚰️ Going Rogue…

The AV Club does some dissection.

https://www.avclub.com/the-walking-dead-season-11-episode-11-rogue-element-1848613733

🧀 Dead Swiss Cheese…

Nerds Fans pick apart TWD’s plot.

https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1576584/The-Walking-Dead-season-11-Rick-Grimes-plot-hole

👠 Side Hustle…

When Alycia’s not being Alicia.

🔥 Strand Off…

What’s to come on FWD.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7b-return-photos-alicia-morgan-strand-tower/

🤔 Theorizing…

I prefer the hybrid zombies myself.

https://screenrant.com/fear-walking-dead-alicia-zombie-memory-theory-twd/

🎮 Can’t Get Enough…

Just what we need, a Facebook game.

https://www.radiotimes.com/technology/gaming/walking-dead-last-mile-release-date/

📸 Totally Off-Topic…

More photos from the SAG Awards.

https://people.com/movies/sag-awards-2022-best-photos-of-the-night/

🍹 Come Monday, It’ll Be All Right…

Join me tomorrow for soap and Sailing. Until then, stay safe, stay moving it or losing it, and stay remembering, you can think you know someone, then find out you never even met them. It sucks, but it happens all the time.

March 4, 2022 – Sam Suggests Setting a Trap, New Old Faces, Kindest Cut, Vile, Fake, Past Sins, Possible Exit, Yuck, New Amityville, World Changer, SAG Fashion, Mardi This Gras, a Half Dozen Quotes & Give

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sasha wakes up and Brando brings her coffee in bed, because no one on TV ever has to go to the bathroom first thing like IRL. She asks if she overslept, but he says, there’s no such thing on vacation. She can go back to sleep if she wants. She says, thanks, but she needs to wake up. She takes a sip, and says, good. He tells her that making coffee is one of his many skills, and she says, the others being? He says they have an entire vacation for her to find out. She says she can’t wait, and he says, they have a lot to celebrate. Maxie is finally home safe, and Peter August is gone, and they can just spend time together. Just the two of them. This is exactly what they both need. They kiss.

Trina puts her stuff in her bag, as Professor Kahn tells the students to read chapter 8 and be ready to discuss. The professor asks Trina for a moment of her time. She seemed pretty silent in class; is everything all right? It’s not like her. Trina says there’s been a lot on her mind, and Kahn says she knows freshman year can be overwhelming, but Trina seems to be handling it well. She’s one of the few A students this year. Trina thanks her, and the professor tells her to remember class participation is a third of her grade, and she’d hate to see Trina get lost in the shuffle.

In the hallway, Josslyn thanks Cameron for walking her to class. She knows he has a lot going on at home. He says he’s sorry he can’t be there for her, and asks if things are still weird between her and Trina. Josslyn says, they’re roommates and they barely see each other. A lot of that’s on her, between team meetings and practice she’s really busy, but Trina only comes back to the room to sleep. She’s not returning any of Josslyn’s texts or calls. He says, things have been weird since the cabin with Esme and Spencer, and she says, they’ve only gotten worse since, and it’s all thanks to Esme.

At Spring Ridge, Esme looks at her phone, and flashes back to her plot to film Josslyn and Cameron having sex in the cabin. Spencer throws The Brothers Karamazov on the table, when Esme comes up behind him. She kisses him, and says, happy belated birthday. He asks if she’s crazy; she’s going to get him in trouble. She tells him, lighten up, boyfriend. She knows he spent his birthday alone; the kiss was her present. He says, if the wrong guard sees her, it blows back on him. She says she’s sorry to bother him. He’s lucky, she’s leaving. Class calls. He says, see you around, and she says, someone woke up on the wrong side of the prison cot this morning. What’s with the mood?

Sam sees Carly at the MetroCourt bar, and says she guesses their day of hatchet throwing didn’t cheer her up. Carly says, it did. Sam and Olivia were right; she definitely needed to blow off some steam. She’s just sad today. She’s been thinking about Courtney. She shows Sam a picture of Courtney on her phone, and says, today’s the anniversary of her death.

Sonny leaves flowers at Courtney’s grave, and says, it’s hard to believe how much time has passed since she left them. Her son is a full-grown man, getting himself in trouble. He couldn’t make it last year because… He’s sure she knows what happened. He likes to think she’s always watching out for him. He just wants to let her know that he’s thinking about her, and she’s still in his heart. Nikolas walks into the cemetery, and says, his too.

Victor greets Ava with a double cheek kiss at the MetroCourt, and she says it’s good to see him. Nikolas is meeting her for brunch. If he’d like to join them, that’s fine. He says, unfortunately, he can’t stay; he has some business to attend to. She says, he’s been keeping himself scarce since Valentine’s Day, and Laura approaches, and says, keeping a low profile? Trying to avoid being implicated in an ongoing investigation? That sounds right, doesn’t it?

As they walk out of Kelly’s, Anna thanks Drew for meeting her. She didn’t realize it was going to be so cold, and he says, too bad they weren’t in Port Charles during the heat wave. She says she just wanted to speak to him in private. He says, her message sounded pretty urgent; what’s going on? She says she has this feeling they’re headed for danger, and at the center of it all is Victor… and Drew.

Sonny says he didn’t expect to see Nikolas here, and Nikolas says, Courtney was important to him too. He loved her. Sonny asks if it was worth Nikolas breaking up his marriage to Emily for an affair. He’s just curious. Nikolas says, he loved Courtney, and he was going to marry her, and Sonny asks if Nikolas thinks they’d still be together if Courtney was alive. Nikolas says he thinks so, but the truth is, he doesn’t know. Sonny says, at least he’s honest, and Nikolas says, he does know this though. Courtney is always going to be the mother of his son; nothing is going to change that. Just like Carly is always going to be the mother of Sonny’s children.

Carly says, the MetroCourt was named after Courtney, and Sam says she knows. Carly says, she and Courtney were close, and with Jax out of town, Spencer and Josslyn on the outs, and her impending divorce to Sonny, she feels like all her connections to Courtney are slipping away. And Sam doesn’t need to hear this. Sam says, it’s true she and Courtney weren’t the best of friends, but had she lived, they might have been friends. If she and Elizabeth can be friends, anything is possible. Carly says, hell sure did freeze over there, and Sam says, who knows? Maybe she and Courtney would have been able to bury the hatchet. Carly says, or throw the hatchet at a wall, not at each other.

Victor tells Laura, he’s sorry, but he has no idea what she’s referring to. Laura flashes back to telling Sam that she doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that Victor resurfaced at the same time Luke died and the Ice Princess was stolen; it’s all connected, and Victor was behind it. She tells Victor, there have been a lot of suspicious activities in Port Charles recently, and he asks if this is her way of accusing him of helping Peter escape. If so, he categorically denies having anything to do with it. Peter August was a blight on this city, and all of them are better off without him. Laura says, he can deny it all he wants, but if he was involved, there will be a way to prove it. He says he’ll take that as his cue to leave, and tells Ava, a pleasure as always, kissing her hand. He says, Madam Mayor, and leaves. Ava says, well, that was fun. Does Laura want to tell her what’s going on between her and Victor?

Drew says he’s been working under the same assumption, that Victor is dangerous, and his agenda did not die with Peter. How did Anna get that? Anna says, Liesl bugged Victor, and overheard a conversation he had with Drew and Sam. He says, at the docks, and she says, yeah. He says, he and Sam were convinced Victor was trying to reactivate his old conditioning, and Anna says, exactly. He asks if Valentin knows about this; did Anna mention this to him? Because they shared a cell in Greece for a little bit, and he seemed to have such solid insights into Victor. She says, Valentin’s out of commission right now. He was abducted right before Peter escaped. He turned up in an alley, he was drugged, disoriented, and still recovering from the gunshot wound in Crete. He’s at a clinic out of town, but he’s making progress. He’ll be home soon. Drew asks her to give Valentin his regards when she talks to him, and she says, her wish is, that they expose Victor for whatever his crimes are before Valentin comes home. Drew says, that’s a tall order; they’re going to have to move very quickly. She says she just feels that Victor is going to exploit the father/son relationship, and manipulate Valentin, the same way he’s coopting the rest of his family.

Spencer says, sorry. He didn’t mean to take his anger out on Esme. Forgive him. She says she gets it. Spring Ridge might be minimum security, but it’s still a prison, and he’s still incarcerated. He says, it’s more than that, and starts to cry. Today is the anniversary of his mother’s death. She sits next to him, and takes his hand, and he says, even though he never knew her, he still feels they have a connection. Every year, he made sure there were flowers on her grave, and he’s never missed a year. Until now. She says, his mother understands, but he says, it’s not about her understanding. It’s about letting the world know that he remembers her, because his mother lives on as long as he keeps up these little traditions. When he was talking to Trina about how she felt when she thought her father had died, he thought she felt the same way.

Josslyn says she hates that there’s tension between her and Trina. All she did was call Esme out for playing mind games with her. Cameron says he’s sure Josslyn was very nice and polite, and she says, her mother taught her, you can’t just ignore an Esme and hope they go away. They’re like sharks looking for blood, so the best way to deal with them is to punch them in the nose, and hope they retreat. He says he thinks the expression is to bop them on the nose, and she says that’s not how she does it. Trina walks out of the classroom, and Josslyn asks, how brutal was Kahn’s class? Trina says, there’s lots of participation required today, so be prepared to be called on more than usual. She starts to leave, and Josslyn asks her to wait. She asks if Trina is still mad at her for what she said to Esme the other day.

Esme says, that’s a beautiful sentiment, but Spencer doesn’t need to keep his mother’s memory alive on the anniversary of her passing. He can get flowers for her when he gets out, which won’t be that long. He says, true, and she says, he was in boarding school for years. What did he do during those times? He says Alfred and Ross left flowers on her grave for him, and she says, there you go; you can do that again. Or, she’d be more than honored to leave flowers for his mother. He says, that’s not the point. The point is, he’s finally here in Port Charles, and – he gets louder – he should be able to do this for her, but he can’t, because of the choices… he made. She says she was involved too, and he says, but she doesn’t understand. She says, but Trina would.

Brando and Sasha kiss, and he says, it’s too bad they spent most of the night talking. She says, he could have made a move, and he says he was waiting for a signal from her. He didn’t want to pressure her. She asks if anyone’s ever told him what a great guy he is, and he says, a great guy? That’s something you tell someone you want to put in the friendzone. She says she’s missed him, and he says he’s missed her; he missed them. They kiss some more, and she asks if they have plans in town. He says they have lunch reservations, tickets to Maid of the Mist, or they could just hang out here. They get busy.

Sonny says, he and Carly might not be together, but she’s still a great mother to Michael, Josslyn, Donna, and Avery. Nikolas says, Ava’s Avery’s mother, not Carly, and Sonny says, he’s not here to argue with Nikolas, especially in front of his sister’s grave. He’s just saying she would have been an amazing mother to Spencer if she had lived. Nikolas says, Courtney had a kind soul and the patience of a saint, and Sonny says he would have loved for Spencer to get to know her. Nikolas says, she would have been a good influence on him. She might have even negated the mistakes he made while raising him. You can say he did the best he could raising Spencer… Sonny says he wishes he could, if he believed it, but he’s not going to lie.

Trina says she’s not mad at Josslyn, and Josslyn says, just too busy to respond to her calls or texts? Trina says, maybe she’s a little annoyed. Josslyn made her collateral damage when she got all up in Esme’s face, and Josslyn says, come on. Trina knows that apology was as fake as Esme is. All she did was call Esme out on it. Trina says, and told her something Trina told Josslyn in confidence, and Josslyn says she told Trina that she was sorry for that, but obviously Trina doesn’t believe her. Trina says she just needs a little time to process. Josslyn put her in the middle of her war with Esme. Josslyn says, but Esme wasn’t coming for her; she was coming for Trina. The whole thing was a set-up, start to finish. Esme texts Trina saying she wants to meet up, shows up to apologize, so she can do some saccharine speech about how she made a mistake and wants to be friends. Josslyn admits she lost her temper, and the thing about Spencer giving Trina that book just slipped out. Cameron says, Spencer gave Trina a book? and Trina says, he asked his grandmother to give it to her, and she happened to get it on Valentine’s Day, but it wasn’t a Valentine’s Day gift; it was just a gift. And what part of in confidence does Josslyn not understand? Josslyn says, Cam cares about Trina, unlike Esme. She’s sorry for betraying Trina’s trust, but she’s not going to apologize for defending her friend.

Esme says, so only Trina understands what it’s like for Spencer to lose his mother? She gets up, and he follows. She says, Trina hasn’t experienced real loss. Her father isn’t even dead. He says he’s sorry; it was a stupid thing to say. It’s just that Esme never really talks about her parents. She says she doesn’t like talking about them, and he says he gets it, and he forgets sometimes. (How much you want to bet she ax-murdered them?) He promises to do better; it’s not going to happen again. She asks what about the gift he gave Trina? and he says he gets all his friends thank you gifts. It’s a lot easier than sending handwritten cards. She says, and it’s just a coincidence that his grandmother just happens to give Trina his gift on Valentine’s Day, and he says she has to believe him. Victor walks in, and says, apologies for not visiting Spencer on his birthday… He’s sorry. Would Spencer like him to come back another time?

Laura asks what Ava thinks is going on, and Ava says she thinks Victor helped Peter escape from that prison van, the one that was taking him to Pentenville, and she thinks Victor helped smuggle him out of the country, and she thinks Laura thinks the same thing. Laura asks if it matters now. Peter’s dead. Ava says, but this isn’t about Peter really, is it? It’s about Laura’s Uncle Victor, and for her it’s very, very personal. Laura laughs and says, Ava can think whatever she likes. Actually, she came to meet Sam. Ava asks if Laura doesn’t trust her, and Laura says she was watching Ava with Victor, and it looked kind of close. Ava says, keep your enemies closer and all that. She trusts Victor as much as Laura does.

Drew says, Victor coopting his family is one thing, but what use does Victor have for him? Anna says, the working theory is that Peter was stringing Victor along, and Drew says, right. Peter was going to give Victor the means to activate his conditioning, but he still doesn’t understand it. Why? What use does he have for an ex-Navy SEAL to do his dirty work. He’s got plenty of ex-military on his payroll. She asks if he doesn’t think it’s possible Victor believes he knows something, or rather that he did?

Laura says, she thinks Victor is planning something that could spell trouble for all of them, and Ava says, he has made some cryptic comments about his plans. Laura says, and now, Spencer just idolizes his great-uncle, and it seems like Nikolas warmed up to him too. So she feels like she can’t say anything negative because they both defended him, and that would just drive them closer to Victor. Ava says she knows Nikolas has his guard up, but Laura is right; she thinks Victor is making some progress there, and Spencer is already firmly in Victor’s camp. Laura says, but Ava is smarter than that.

Nikolas says, he walked right into that one, and Sonny says, Nikolas has made a lot of mistakes; mistakes that have changed Spencer’s life and shaped his character. He can’t change that. Nikolas asks what Sonny wants him to do; own up to his decisions and his past? Sonny says, that would be a start, wouldn’t it? Move forward with the people he loves. Don’t run away from his mistakes. Because when you do that, it makes your pain worse.

Sam say she guesses they’re all starting new chapters, and Carly says, things are going good with her and Dante? Sam says she doesn’t want to jinx it, but things are going great. Carly says, what about Drew? and Sam says, that’s definitely over. They just realized they were better off as co-parents, and friends. Why does she ask? Carly says, he’s been very supportive with everything she’s been going through with Sonny and the divorce. She’s trying to look out for him the way he’s looking out for her.

Ava says she’s listening, and Laura says, Victor is trying to make nice with Nikolas, and he’s going to do the same with Ava. Ava says, he’s already trying pretty damn hard, and Laura says, good; let him. Get him to lower his guard so much with her, that he might even confide in her. Ava says, and if he says something incriminating, Laura would like it passed on to her? Laura says, if she likes, and Ava says she’s guessing Laura doesn’t want her to tell her husband about this arrangement. Laura says, they dealt with that situation with Ryan together. She wouldn’t ask for Ava’s help if it wasn’t something serious. Ava says she’s sure she’ll know if Victor says something relevant, and Laura says, she’s sure Ava will. Laura has every confidence in her. She thanks Ava, and leaves.

Carly says she was ready to lose her mind, then she walked in on Sonny and Nina at the Haunted Star. She ran into Drew right after, and he let her vent. He didn’t try to fix her, and he didn’t try to stop her, or make it better. He just let her talk. Laura joins them, telling Sam that she’s sorry she’s late. She got a little sidetracked. She says hi to Carly, and Sam says, not a problem. Sam tells Carly that it was nice talking to her, and Carly says, her too. Carly leaves, and Sam asks, what was so important Laura couldn’t talk to her on the phone about it? Laura says, it is about Victor’s associate, and Sam says, Yohan? Laura says, new details have come to light, and she thought Sam should know about them, considering it involves Drew.

Esme tells Victor, as always a pleasure. She’d like to stay and chat, but she has to bounce. Class calls. She says goodbye to Spencer, and leaves. In the hallway, she takes out her phone, looks at the video, and says,  time to get this done.

Victor asks what all that was about, and Spencer says, his fault. He took his frustration out about being stuck in here on Esme, and she didn’t deserve it. Victor says he takes after his grandfather. He always had a much shorter fuse than the rest of the family. So what exactly lit this particular powder keg? Spencer says, every year he leaves flowers on his mother’s grave on the anniversary of her death. He can’t this year for obvious reasons. Unless… He moves closer to Victor, and Victor says, unless what? Spencer says, unless Victor busts him out.

Drew says, Anna thinks that Victor is trying to access his old memories? and she says, it’s possible. He gets up, and so does she, saying, Andre confirmed to her those memories were gone. He says, but Peter made him believe otherwise. She says, Peter and Faison were in charge of the whole memory experiment. But then Victor took custody of Drew at Creighton-Clark – Laura and Sam walk through the gate – and this kind of tracks with this new information she’s privy to. He says, such as? and Laura says, it’s all right. She thinks Drew has a right to know the truth.

Victor says, absolutely not, and Spencer says he knows Victor has connections in Spring Ridge. He arranged for Samuel to make sure Spencer was safe, how hard can it be for him to arrange a furlough? Victor says, furloughs are almost exclusively reserved for family funerals, and deathbeds. Spencer says, then it can be off the books. This place is surrounded by barbed wire. He can be shuttled out, and be back in an hour. Victor says, he won’t risk extending Spencer’s sentence, much less joining him in here. Not when there’s so much in the works for the future of this family. Spencer says he wants to be a part of that future. They are Cassadines; family means everything to them. They don’t get to pick and choose who they love, who they trust. Just because his mother died hours after he was born doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss her every single day. He knows he screwed up, and he’s being punished for it, and deservedly so. But think about the people Victor’s loved and lost. Wouldn’t Victor do everything in his power to make sure they weren’t forgotten? There must be something he can do.

Trina says, they were so close to being past this, but Josslyn just can’t help herself, can she? Cameron says, let’s just take a moment right now… and Trina says she didn’t know he was taking a course in mediation. He says, none of his business, and Josslyn asks if she was wrong for defending her friends. Trina says, it’s not wrong, but it doesn’t make it better when there are certain things she won’t apologize for, after saying she’s sorry. Josslyn says she’s trying her best here. They all mess up sometimes, like Trina did at the cabin. Trina says, oh my gosh, apologies aren’t transactional. Who made her feelings for Spencer part of the Josslyn Jax show? Josslyn says, it was Esme, not her, and Trina says, it’s always Esme, isn’t it? Can’t Josslyn just take responsibility for making things worse? Can she, for once in her life, think about what Trina is going through? Esme appears, and says, my, my, you can cut the tension with a knife, can’t you?

Nikolas says, Spencer loved Courtney. Maybe he needs to remind Spencer of that more often. He leaves, and Sonny gets down on one knee at Courtney’s grave. He says, he knows he should have been nicer, but he thinks that’s what Nikolas needed, and that’s what Spencer needs, and he’s going to look out for her boy. Just like he trusts she keeps an eye on his dad, Morgan, Jason, and Brando and Sasha’s baby boy.

Sasha says she loves Brando, and he says he loves her too. She says, that was good, and he says, like the first time. She says, except they’re in a bed this time, and not the back seat of a car he’s working on, and he says, there is that. She asks what he’s thinking, and he says he’s thinking it’s been while since they’ve been with each other. Not since… She says, let’s not wait so long next time. She kisses him, and says she’ll be right back. She goes to another room, putting on her robe, and takes a little plastic bag of pills out of her purse. Possibly black beauties. Not that I would know. She takes one. She goes back, and Brando is standing in front of the window. She tells him not to move; she needs a mental picture of this. She walks toward him and says, beautiful. He asks if she means the view, and she says, that too. They look out the window together.

Cameron tells Esme to stay out of this, and she moves on to class. Trina says she should go, but Josslyn says, wait. What if she ditches class so they can talk? Trina says, she’s all talked out; maybe another time. Josslyn says, text her; she’ll always answer. Josslyn goes into class and sits down, ignoring Esme. Cameron tells Trina, for what it’s worth (🍷), he’s very sorry. She says, thanks, and he joins the class. Trina’s phone dings, and Esme bounces out of class, saying, Trina. Trina says she really doesn’t want to hear from Esme, and leaves. Esme looks at the video, and says, don’t worry. Trina probably won’t hear from any of them soon enough.

Nikolas asks if Carly is holding up okay, and she asks, is he? He says, he’s joining his lovely wife, and tells her, take care, but he comes back. He says, Courtney would have loved what Carly’s done with the place; what it’s become. He’s sorry he never told her that. She thanks him, and says he just missed his mother, and he asks what Laura had to say. Carly tells him that she didn’t to say but hello, but she did seem to be getting into it with Ava and Victor.

Drew says, Laura really thinks Victor had something to do with Luke’s death, and Laura says, they don’t have proof; they only have circumstantial evidence. Anna says, they all believe Victor’s been planning something for months. What if Luke stumbled upon it? Victor would only have one way to stop Luke. Drew says he barely knew Luke. How would Luke come across something that relates to him?. Laura says, Creighton-Clark, Helena, Victor, the Ice Princess… Anna says, common threads, the Cassadines, but they can’t stop Victor until they have proof. Drew says, but dozen of people died in that crash, and Anna says, the only way to prove Victor is responsible is to go to Austria. Laura says, she has to tread very carefully. That was deemed an accident. If they reopen the investigation, it’s going to let Victor know they’re on to him. Sam says, there is another way to find out what Victor wants.

Sasha tells Brando, it’s so beautiful here; so peaceful. She doesn’t want to go back to the real world. She doesn’t want this trip to end. He says he wishes he could give her that, but what he can try to do is make the real world just as special. She asks how he plans on doing that, and he says, by planning to spend the rest of his life with her. She says, let’s do it. Let’s get married  today.

Carly is about to get in the elevator, and Sonny is there.

Sam says, something in Drew’s past motivated Victor to help Peter escape, and Anna says, and Peter misled Victor, but now Peter’s dead. Laura asks if it’s possible Victor got access to Andre Maddox and questioned him about Drew’s memories, and Anna says, she doesn’t know, but she can contact Andre for sure. She’s confident he’d never reveal that kind of information, and certainly not to someone like Victor. Drew says, Victor believes he can still access his memories, and Sam says, exactly, so what if they set up a trap for Victor, convincing him it’s possible?  

On the phone, Victor says, no further action from Anna or Drew in regard to their connection to Peter August. But he fears this is only the calm before the storm.

Nikolas walks up behind Ava, and kisses her cheek. He sees her martini, and says, without him? but she says, it’s never too early to continue celebrating Peter’s demise. He says, amen to that. Carly just told him that he saw her with his mother, having a pretty intense conversation. What was that about? She says, they were just gossiping about him. Every once in a while, Laura needs a little reassurance that Ava is taking good care of him. He says, and nothing to do with his uncle? and she says, no. She told Laura that she had a nice conversation with him. She’s making more of an effort with Victor. He says he’s making more of an effort with Spencer, and he’s not having much luck. Ava says, and he’ll keep trying until he does. In the meantime, since his uncle wants to get closer to him, what if they invite him to dinner?

At Courtney’s grave, Spencer says, hello, mother. He’s sorry he’s late this year. He puts the flowers by her gravestone, and says, he sees someone beat him to it, and she wasn’t alone. Trina is cutting through, and sees him. She says, Spencer. What is he doing out of Spring Ridge?  

Kahn is giving a lecture, and talks about free will and a social contract. Cameron asks if Josslyn is okay, and Josslyn asks, who’s being stubborn? Her or Trina? He says, maybe neither; they both had great points. Josslyn says she needs to find Trina and apologize before they start fighting. The professor talks about devising the roles of imprisonment and incarceration, as Josslyn gathers up her stuff, and Esme looks at the file upload/cancel button. Kahn talks about punishment being used sparingly, and happiness being when the greatest good is shared by the greatest number Esme uploads the file, and everyone in the class gets it on their phones. The professor wants to know what’s more important than the lesson, and one of the students says, see for yourself, and puts it on the screen at the front of the classroom. There’s a lot of laughing, including from Esme, and Josslyn and Cameron are mortified. Esme smiles slyly.

I just have to say it, seriously, these are college kids?

On Monday, Lucy thinks it’s a perfect spot; Cameron asks if Josslyn thinks he did it; Elizabeth says she can’t go anywhere with Finn; and Carly says it hurts when she sees Sonny.

In Case You Forgot…

Jake, the son who comes and goes, along with Aiden.

Spencer’s mom, Courtney.

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/03/05/what-happened-to-courtney-on-general-hospital/

🤷🏽‍♂️ In Case You Didn’t Know…

All about Betsy Frank. The first time around was during a period when I wasn’t watching the show, but I always find it amusing that James Franco played Franco.

✂️ Covid Hair No More…

I’m only including this because I sat behind her at Shakespeare in the Park once. And yes, she’s just as gorgeous in person.

☠️ Heather De Vil…

I’m no big fan of Heather’s, but I wouldn’t call her vile. Then again, I’m not batsh*t crazy. I don’t think…

🎭 Be Real…

Another one I’m not a fan of, but maybe she’s scared of them. I would be.

🧂 Salt This…

Don’t ever make it a challenge.

🏛 What a Tease…

I had to give up watching this one, but I peek in once in a while.

🍸 Eww…

I honestly have no problem with an age gap, but I do have a problem when the gap is with Randall.

https://people.com/tv/lala-kent-says-randall-emmett-started-relationship-with-23-year-old-the-same-month-daughter-ocean-was-born/

🚀 Space Haunt…

Come on now. Seriously, what is happening with horror films these days?

👠 She Rocks…

I love Lizzo.

https://people.com/music/lizzo-women-changing-the-world-people-cover-story/

💃🏻 The Carpet Wore Red…

More fashion from the SAG Awards.

https://www.eonline.com/photos/34047/sag-awards-2022-red-carpet-fashion

🎊 Party In NOLA…

Everything you need to know to celebrate Fat Tuesday, even if it’s a little late. You can be early for next year.

https://people.com/human-interest/mardi-gras-everything-to-know/

🛎 Quotes of the Week

Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny. – Lao Tzu

Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. – Maya Angelou

Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be. – Shel Silverstein

I haven’t been thrilled since 1865. – Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski), The Gilded Age

I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom. – Umberto Eco

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

🖋 Very Truly Yours…

Signing off until it’s time for the Dead to Walk. Until then, stay safe, stay cultivating a good support system, and stay keeping traditions of remembrance, but not to the point of breaking out of prison.

March 3, 2022 – Obrecht Proposes a Détente, a Goodbye, a Welcome Home, New Pup, Next Role, Bad Baby, Shining Review & Still

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Portia tells Curtis to check out the double-sided fireplace, and outdoor space for entertaining. He says, and a big room for Trina in case she wants to escape dorm life, and she asks what he thinks. He tells her that he thinks it’s perfect, and takes it she agrees. She says she absolutely loves it and he says he absolutely loves her. She asks if they just found their new home, and he says, they might have. She squeals and hugs him, and they kiss. Jordan asks, what does it take for a girl to get a drink around here? Curtis says, Jordan, and she tells them hello.

Britt finds Nina in her office, and Nina apologizes for surprising her. Britt says, it’s fine, and asks if everything is okay. Nina says, no. She’s tired of Carly painting her as this homewrecking schemer. Everyone’s just standing in line, taking Carly’s side. She’s not blameless, she’s human, but Carly’s the one who rejected Sonny. The divorce is on Carly, not on Sonny, and it certainly isn’t on her. Britt asks if she feels better, and Nina says, thanks, a little. She just needed to say that out loud. She knows Britt has been on the receiving end of Carly’s special blend of malice, so she can sympathize. Britt says, not really.

On the phone, Anna says, it’s not that I don’t trust you; it’s just that I don’t trust you. Why meet there, of all places?… All right. She’s on her way, but if this is a trap, one of them will regret it, and it won’t be her.

Maxie says Austin’s friendship means a lot to her, and he says, how much? She says, like on a scale of one to ten? and he says, sure. There was a time not that long ago when they talked about being more than just friends. She says she remembers, and he says, but she said she wanted to focus on getting her then Louise, now Bailey Louise, back. Maxie says, and she is, and he says, right. So what is she going to focus on now? She kisses him.

Elizabeth opens the door to Betsy, and says she wasn’t expecting her. Betsy says, she needed to… and sees Finn. She says she thought Elizabeth would be alone, and starts to go, but Elizabeth says. Wait. Betsy’s clearly here for a reason. Just tell her what it is. Betsy says she wasn’t honest with Elizabeth before, and Elizabeth deserves the truth – all of it. Finn says, truth about what? and Betsy says, he’s the doctor, right? Elizabeth says, this is Dr. Hamilton Finn, a friend of hers, but Betsy already knows that. Betsy guesses she does, and Elizabeth says, Betsy told her that she deserved to know the truth. About what? Betsy notices the portrait, and takes in a sharp breath. She says, about why she’s here, and what she’s done.

Austin says, he shouldn’t have done that, and Maxie says she’s the one who kissed him. He says, that’s true, she did, and she says, should she not have? He says he’s wanted them to kiss since… He can’t pinpoint the exact moment, but quite a while now. She asks what stopped him, and he says, when they first met, she was under extreme duress from her life before they met. Then she was holding vigil for her lost daughter, even though she was hiding in plain sight from her psycho ex. Maxie says, and Austin was comforting her, and he says, he tried. He felt terrible about accidentally telling Victor something that helped him. Then, after her nut job ex was no longer a threat… She says she thinks the word he’s looking for is dead. Why didn’t he kiss her then? He says, when Peter died? She was in Europe. She says, since she got back, and he says he thought she might want a little time to process things. She asks, is he not trying to rush things, or trying to respect her feelings? He tells her, she says that like it’s a bad thing, but she says, not at all. If that’s really the reason. He asks, what other reason could there be? and she says, maybe he’s having second thoughts?

Curtis says he knew Jordan was coming back soon. How about giving a guy a heads up? He hugs her, and she says, ever since she got the okay from her doctors, all she’s been focusing on is getting back. He asks if TJ knows, and she says, he does, but she hasn’t seen him yet. She went straight to GH, but he was still in surgery. Portia says, isn’t that doctors for you? Always inconsiderate of people’s time. Jordan says she knows; what’s wrong with all of them? She says, it’s good to see Portia, and they hug. Portia says, it’s good to see Jordan too, and since she’s a doctor, she can’t help but ask how the recovery is going. Jordan says, as long as she doesn’t inhale a basement full of carbon monoxide again, she’s good to go. Portia says, once was good enough for her too, and tells Jordan that she looks absolutely wonderful. Jordan thanks her, and says she feels good. She’s sorry to interrupt things. She’ll catch up with them some other time. Curtis says she knows better than that, and pulls out a chair, but she says she’s meeting TJ and Stella for dinner. She thought… Never mind what she thought. They’re busy, so she’ll catch them later. Curtis tells her, wait.

Nina asks if Britt is on Carly’s side, but Britt says, absolutely not and Nina says she didn’t think so. Clearly, she was distracted in Nixon Falls with everything that was going on, but she gets the impression that Britt had a real connection with Jason. Then Carly swoops in, and the next thing you know, he’s marrying her. Britt says, yeah. That happened because Carly and Jason thought Sonny was dead. And that happened because of Nina. She’s not judging Nina. She’s done more than her share of scheming. She’s told lies that were just as damaging. Besides, they’re family. That promise they made at Nathan’s grave is one she wants to keep, so if anyone is coming for Nina, Britt has her back. Nina thanks her, and Britt says, as family, she feels justified to call BS when she hears it, and maybe Nina didn’t set out to wreck Carly’s marriage, but that’s what she did, and there’s bound to be fallout.

Anna walks into the ax throwing bar, and asks what this is about. Whatever game they’re playing, she’s had enough drama recently to last her a lifetime. So whatever game this is, just count her out. Obrecht picks an ax up off the table, and says she’s sorry, but she’s afraid Anna is all in now, up to her pretty little neck.

Elizabeth asks what Betsy has done now, and Betsy picks up a drawing from a stack of them. She asks if these are Elizabeth’s, but Elizabeth says, they’re Jake’s. Betsy says, the artistic one. Bobby wrote her all about him. He was so proud of Jake. She looks at the portrait, and says, maybe Jake will grow up to be as talented as Bobby was. Elizabeth says, Betsy was just about to tell them what she’s done, when the doorbell rings. It’s Dante and Sam, and Elizabeth says, perfect timing; come in. They remember Betsy. She was just about to tell them what she did, and why she did it. Dante says, they think they know why.

Austin says he’s not having second thoughts. He’s having a thought, then another thought, then another thought. He’s thinking that to respect somebody’s boundaries is a really nice thing to do. Maxie says, boundaries? and he says he figured she wanted some time and space after a solid year of fear and doubt. She says, he’s right. Space and time and boundaries, those are all usually good things. He says, but not this time? and she says, Peter kept her in a cage for a year, confined by his obsession. At long last, he’s finally gone, and she can do things that make her happy without worrying they’re going to jeopardize her children. So, no. She doesn’t think she needs boundaries. She’s ready to make up for lost time. Is he?

Portia says if Curtis and Jordan need to talk, she can step out, and Jordan asks why she’d step out. Curtis says she should stay. He didn’t want Jordan to hear this from someone else. Jordan says, they’ve been house hunting, together. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she heard something about a double-sided fireplace and a nice big room for Trina. Sounds ideal. Portia says, it’s a little early to get their hearts set on anything; they haven’t even called the agent yet. Curtis says, they should move fast, and Jordan says, then do that. An opportunity like this, they don’t want to wait. Portia says, once Jordan is settled in, they should get together and grab some lunch, and Jordan says, absolutely. Maybe they can do her a favor. Portia says, name it, and Jordan says, Laura gave her a mini briefing of the criminal activity going on during her convalescence. Maybe they can catch her up on what the law abiding citizens have been doing.

Nina says Britt is right; she fell in love with a married man. It was a mistake, but she can’t be the only person in the world this has ever happened to. Carly insisted on this divorce; she rammed it through practically overnight. Britt says, correct her if she’s wrong, but that was after Carly found Nina and Sonny in bed together, and Nina says, they thought the marriage was over. Britt says, convenient, and Nina says she didn’t go to the Haunted Star intending to sleep with Sonny. All these feelings they’d been fighting for months, they couldn’t fight anymore. She’s sorry she hurt Carly, but she’s a good grandmother, and she sure as hell doesn’t think it should cost her grandson. Britt asks what this has to do with Wiley, and Nina says, Willow just informed her that there’s no clear path in her seeing Wiley. They want to shut her out of her grandson’s life.

Elizabeth introduces Sam and Dante to Betsy, saying, they’re friends. Betsy says, Sam is married to that man who hates her son – Jason. Is he here? Sam says, Jason passed away, and Betsy says she’s sorry for Sam’s loss. Sam thanks her, and Finn asks if she knows Dante. She says, yes. He’s the cop. Dante says, that’s right, and she asks if she’s in trouble. He says, no, nothing like that. He did notice her checking out the portrait. Does she like it? She says she loves it. Bobby painted that. Dante says, it was brought there; saved from a fire in his studio. A lot of strange things have been happening with Elizabeth and Franco’s belongings. Betsy says, what strange things? What’s going on? Dante says they were kind of hoping she could tell them, but she says she doesn’t know anything. What can she tell them? Dante says, maybe she could tell them why she was committed to a mental health facility recently? She asks how he knows that; that’s private. He says, it was part of a police record, and she says, right. She guesses it would be. He says, she was temporarily hospitalized, so that she wouldn’t hurt herself or someone else.

Obrecht says she hasn’t heard from Anna since she returned from Switzerland, her mutterland. She begins to sing in German, and Anna says, what’s happening? Obrecht says, it’s rude to interrupt the something-in-German song, and Anna asks why Obrecht thinks she should have heard from her? Obrecht says she sees, and Anna says, sees what? Obrecht says, their cathartic afternoon in the rage room bonding over their destructive empowerment meant nothing to Anna. Anna says, she wouldn’t call it nothing, and Obrecht says she thought they’d achieved a kind of breakthrough that day, and they might begin to put the past behind them. Anna says, okay, sure. She thought so too. Why is she here? Obrecht says, she thought that would be obvious, and lifts the ax.

Austin says he’s all for making up for lost time, and Maxie says, that’s great. But… He says, but she was just chased into a European forest like she was in some kind of Grimm’s fairytale. She says, she knows what she went through. She lived it. That’s even more of a reason to put it behind her. He says, right, but it would be all right if she didn’t want to rush into anything, and wanted to take her time. She says, oh, she understands now. He’s scared.

Jordan tells Portia that she’s not surprised Trina is going full steam at PCU. The gallery exhibit sounds amazing. Portia says, it was, and Curtis sits down with them. He says he knows Jordan asked about law abiding citizens, but… Jordan says she knew that would only last for so long. Who did what now? He asks what she’s heard about Sonny, and she says, Laura told her that he and Carly are over, but she didn’t get many details. He says, don’t worry, she will. Everybody’s talking about it. She says she also heard that Jason Morgan never came back from Greece. Curtis says, he’s missing, presumed dead. That was after he rescued Britt Westbourne and Liesl Obrecht, of all people. Jordan says, in spite of his faults, Jason was a remarkable person. There’s really no hope? He says, doesn’t look like any. He’s just glad Jason was able to rescue Drew. Jordan says she’s happy for Curtis. She knows he missed his friend. Curtis says, it’s really good having him back, and Jordan says, question. Why did she have to hear from TJ that Curtis’s father finally resurfaced after all these years? Curtis says, when Marshall came back, he didn’t want to talk about him or to him. He’s gradually getting used to having Marshall in his life; it’s a process. Jordan says she can’t wait to meet him. So, are there any other secrets out there? Anything else she should know? A good cop likes to be prepared. Her phone dings, and Curtis says, TJ? She says, yep, and she’s officially late. Again, good luck on the house. She knows they’ll be happy there. She leaves, and Curtis tells Portia, that went well, doesn’t she think? Outside the club door, Jordan pauses going down the stairs.

Nina says she’s gone over and beyond avoiding a legal battle, but they’re leaving her no choice, and Britt asks if she’s sure about that. The more Nina escalates things, the more Michael and Willow are likely to come back at her twice as hard. Nina says she gets it, but it’s not just them. She admits, her interactions with them are at an all-time low, but it’s also Carly. Carly doesn’t want her to have a relationship with Wiley at all. Carly can dress it up as much as she wants, but it’s retaliation, plain and simple. Britt says she’s stopping Nina there, not because what she’s saying is untrue, but because what she’s hearing Nina tell herself is that, Nina’s right and she’s the victim, and Carly’s wrong and she’s the bad guy. The more Nina locks in to that kind of thinking, the less likelihood of a compromise. Nina says she tried to compromise, and she still doesn’t see her grandson, and Britt says, one more consideration. Sonny may be divorced, but Nina is starting a war against his ex-wife and his son. That could put a real crimp in her romance. Nina says, so Britt thinks she shouldn’t go to court, and Britt says she thinks Nina needs to be honest with herself about what she can gain, and what she stands to lose. Britt’s phone beeps, and she says she has a patient. Nina thanks Britt for talking to her. It’s not what she wanted to hear, but what she needed to hear. Britt says, anytime.

Anna says, that was a very good shot, and Obrecht says she’s been practicing. Anna says she still has explain what this is about, and Obrecht says, she needed privacy to discuss a détente, a peace between them. Anna says, really? Given their history? Obrecht says, their overall history has been contentious, complex, and Anna says, an understatement. Obrecht says, but their recent history has been more constructive and straightforward. Anna in the northern alps of her mutterland… Anna says, she’s not going to sing again, is she? and Obrecht says, and she in Port Charles, their mutually adopted home. Together, they were able to locate Maxie, and bring her home safely to her daughter. Anna says, a lot of people helped, but yes, Obrecht was one of them. Obrecht says she wishes she could have been there when Peter met his end, and Anna says, it was necessary. It’s not something she takes any joy in. Obrecht says, of course (🍷) Anna doesn’t, but she does, and Anna says, Obrecht does have every right, given what Peter did to her. Obrecht says, the most entitled to see Peter die was Jason Morgan. Perhaps Jason can torment Peter in the afterlife, yeah? Anna says she’s forever in awe of what Obrecht considers comforting thoughts, and Obrecht says, but Anna understands it. And in her own way, Anna understands Obrecht, and Obrecht understands Anna. Anna says, what if they do? and Obrecht says, what does she say to a new beginning?

Elizabeth asks why Betsy didn’t tell them she was admitted to a mental health clinic, and Betsy says, because it’s embarrassing. Finn says she doesn’t have to be embarrassed, and Sam says, no one’s there to judge her. Finn says, they just want to know the truth about why she came here, and Elizabeth says, she was just about to tell them. Betsy says, was she? She’s having trouble now. Dante says, maybe he can ask her a few questions to get her back on track, and she hesitantly agrees. He asks her to have a seat, and they sit on the couch. Dante says, she didn’t go to Franco’s grave today, did she? She shakes her head, and says, she wanted to, but she couldn’t. From the moment she heard Bobby was killed, she just couldn’t face up to it. Elizabeth says, it was a terrible loss to everyone who loved him. Betsy says, and Elizabeth is one of those people. Elizabeth loved him, stood by him. Elizabeth gave him hope. It was different with her. Dante says, different how? and she says she failed him when he needed her the most. When she heard he was gone, and she’d never get the chance… She starts to cry, and Elizabeth says, it’s okay. They understand. Dante says, but she couldn’t face losing Franco, so she put it on Elizabeth? and Betsy says, what? No, she didn’t. Cross her heart.

Austin says, he’s not scared of Maxie. Why would he be scared? She says, oh come on. There’s a reason he was living in the middle of nowhere when they met. He says, yeah, he was waiting for the right time to come to Port Charles. Maxie says, he could have done that at any point. He was hiding from the world. She basically dropped in out of the sky, in labor no less, and in a crisis. He helped her, they had this connection, but something was always getting in the way, namely havoc being wreaked by Peter. He says, but not anymore, and she says, now that Peter is dead – he says, yay – there’s no longer a crisis, where everything they feel is heightened. She wants to know if their crisis feelings are crisis feelings or real feelings, doesn’t he? He says, definitely.

Curtis says, Jordan seems to be in a good place, and Portia says, she’s very supportive of them moving in together; her and Jordan’s ex-husband. Curtis asks if she thinks Jordan is trying too hard, and she says she thinks Jordan is still in love with him. Not that she blames Jordan. She knows from experience, he’s a hard man to get over. He says, based on experience, back at her. She says, the point is, he’s the type of man who comes along once in a lifetime; for her twice. If she knows that, than Jordan knows that too.

Cameron sees Stella at the hospital, and asks how she’s feeling. she says, she’s fully recovered; it’s kind of him to ask. He says he’s happy to hear that. He doesn’t know if she remembers, but he was at Kelly’s the day she had her stroke. She says, he was? She’s sorry, but her memory of that day is still cloudy. He says, no problem. He’s happy to hear she’s feeling better. Although he’s sorry about her envelope. She says, envelope? and he says he hopes it wasn’t important.

Anna says, if this was just about surviving Peter, she’d say yes to a new beginning, of course (🍷), but she can never forgive the hell Obrecht put Robin through. Obrecht says, that was Cesar’s doing. Her most heinous misdeeds were at his behest. Most of them anyway. But that fact doesn’t move Anna, is that what she’s saying? Anna says, she understands a lot of damage can be done when you love someone and it’s not returned. She gets that; she’s seen it. For Obrecht, it was Faison. Obrecht says, for Peter it was Maxie, and for Cesar, it was Anna. Anna says she guesses that’s something they share; they have in common. That they’re free of that obsession now. Obrecht says, thankfully, she’s shed hers and found real love with Scotty, and Anna says, okay. Obrecht says, their pairing amuses her, but Anna says she’s happy for Obrecht says, for the woman who’s brought such pain and sorrow on Anna and those she loves? and Anna says, none of them are blameless, are they? Faison’s obsession with her brought him to town, and cost Nathan his life. Obrecht thanks her for that, and says, when it comes to her son’s death, there’s plenty of blame to go around. Anna says, she’s not sure they’ll ever be friends, but she does think they should find a way to put the past behind them.

Finn tells Betsy, it’s okay. She’s upset and confused. She asks if he’s ever gone crazy. Not upset and confused, but grief that hits you so hard you go all out nuts. Finn says he has, and she says, terrible, isn’t it? Sam says, here’s a possible explanation, maybe Betsy doesn’t remember taking Elizabeth’s wedding ring. Betsy asks what she’d do with Elizabeth’s wedding ring, and Dante asks if she has any recollection of cutting up Elizabeth’s dress, or burning down Franco’s art studio. She says, she would never, and he says, or bringing that painting here? She says, of course (🍷) not. She loves her Bobby and loves his art. She’d die before she let anything happen to his work. Finn says, people handle grief differently. Some withdraw into a shell; others act out. She asks which one he did, and he says, he acted out. How about her? She says she’s a shell person, and he says, if she ever needs help, they’re here. She says, he’s being nice and understanding; all of them are. But she couldn’t have done any of those things. Sam asks, why not? and she says, she’s been under 24 hour surveillance at the clinic, and she wasn’t released until right before she came to Port Charles. She may not be in her right mind, but even she couldn’t be in two places at one time.

Austin tells Maxie not to  take it the wrong way, but there’s something different about her since she came back; she seems lighter and more buoyant. He likes this Maxie Jones. She says, he means the Maxie Jones who likes to keep moving forward with no regrets? The one who doesn’t hide how she feels because there’s no reason to hide anymore? There’s no way he could have known this, but this is the real Maxie Jones. He asks why he’d be scared of that, and she says she heard it takes some getting used. He asks what she’s doing tonight.

Curtis tells Portia that he and Jordan signed the divorce papers long before she got hurt and went away. He’s moved on and so has she. Portia says, she doesn’t doubt Jordan’s intentions. If she were in Jordan’s shoes, she’d say all the right things, just like Jordan did. She might even believe them, but if there was a chance, even a long shot, she’d never let him go.

Stella says she’s doing her best to recall, and Cameron says, she had an envelope with papers inside. She was going to mail it, and that’s when she had her stroke. Stella flashes back to that moment, and Cameron asks if she’s okay. She says, she’s fine, but for the life of her, she can’t remember what was in that envelope. Since she hasn’t gotten any calls or emails asking for missing documents, whatever it was must not have been important. He says, that’s a relief. He felt horrible that whatever was in it got soaked. She asks what he said he did with the envelope, and he says, in the midst of the confusion, a waitress threw it out. He can’t help but feel it’s all his fault.

Obrecht and Anna sit down, and Obrecht asks how they begin. It’s no small feat to distance oneself from one’s past. Anna says, especially one as contentious and complex as theirs. Obrecht says she’s got it. They’ll join a book club. Together, they will steamroll armchair bibliophiles. They can take turns choosing the books. Then they’ll tell them what to think, and devour their homemade snacks. Whoever brings crudités, forfeits their life. Anna says, she likes crudités, and Obrecht says, why is she not surprised? She’s more of a charcuterie lass herself. Anna says, she likes that too, and Obrecht says, see? Just when they thought common ground would impossible to find. Anna says, so this ax throwing thing. Were they imagining their enemies or each other as the targets? See what she did there? Our enemies or each other. Obrecht says, they are no longer one and the same.

Dante gets off the phone, and Sam says, well? He says, the director of the clinic says Betsy was there from Thanksgiving until she came to Port Charles. Finn says, obviously, she didn’t do anything with the ring or to the dress, and Elizabeth says she guesses Betsy couldn’t have started the fire or taken the painting. She’s so sorry for thinking Betsy did all those things, but Betsy says she doesn’t blame Elizabeth. In Elizabeth’s place, she would have suspected her too. She should have been more open about how Bobby’s death hit her. If she’d had the chance to say how sorry… Elizabeth says, Franco loved her, and knew she did her best. If he were here right now, he’d tell her that she had nothing to apologize for. Betsy says, she thinks so? and Elizabeth says, absolutely. Betsy says she’s glad her son had someone like Elizabeth to love him. She should go. She has a bus to catch home. Dante says they’ll give her a lift to the bus station, but she says she thinks she’ll call a Ride Share. She’s sorry Elizabeth is going through this. Maybe it’s just a simple explanation.

Maxie asks what Austin thinks she’s doing, and he says he thinks this is the point where she says she’s going out with him, but he’s getting a strong vibe that maybe that’s not what this part is. She says she’s spending time with her daughter and her siblings, and he says, awesome. He doesn’t want to be somebody who comes between her and her kids. He tells Bailey Louise goodnight, and says, it’s nice to have met this Maxie Jones. In the hallway, Maxie says she’ll see him tomorrow, and he watches as she goes down the hall.    

Obrecht suggests they start with something simple. Perhaps a drink at The Savoy. She’ll even leave Scotty at home. Anna says, that would be best, and Obrecht says, it would just be the two of them. Anna suggests they not push their luck. Why don’t they just start with not plotting each other’s demise and go from there? Obrecht says, agreed. Auf Wiedersehen, Scarecrow. They laugh, and Anna says, until they meet again. Obrecht smiles, and leaves. Anna looks at the ax, picks it up, and throws a bullseye. She says, yes. Still got it.

Curtis tells Portia, they don’t want to loose out. They need to book a tour with the broker, and come in with a strong bid. She says she’s ready when he is, and he says, this is it. This next chapter is just the beginning. They kiss.

Stella tells Cameron, don’t give it a second thought. She made the mess, and someone did their job and cleaned it up. Cameron says he hopes her experience doesn’t prevent her from coming to Kelly’s again, and she says, as a matter-of-fact, she’s on her way there right now to meet TJ and his mother. Jordan’s back in Port Charles, so they’re all getting together. He says he thinks he’s working there later tonight, but in case he doesn’t see her, he’ll call one of the waitresses and tell her that dessert is on him. She thanks him, but says he’ll do no such thing. He says he’d like to treat her, and she says, it’s a lovely gesture, but her dessert is not coming out of his paycheck. He’s going to spend that money on his education. He says, but the envelope… She says, is gone, and that’s the end of it. She doesn’t want to be late. It was wonderful to see him. He says, her too, and she leaves.

Finn says, there’s no way Betsy could have pulled any of this off, and Sam says, none. Betsy is barely holding it together. Dante says, it sure seems like she’s suffered enough, and Elizabeth thanks them for their help. Dante says he wishes they could have actually found the person who’s harassing Elizabeth, and Elizabeth says she’s at a complete loss. Sam says, if it’s not Betsy, who was it? Elizabeth picks up a drawing, and Finn asks what it is. She says, it’s a sketch of Franco that she’s never seen before. Jake drew it.

Tomorrow, Brando tells Sasha, they have an entire vacation to find out; Ava asks if someone doesn’t trust her; Laura says, new details have come to light; Anna tells Drew, they’re headed for danger; and Spencer says, there must be something Victor can do.

😟 But We Hardly Knew Ye…

Just when I was thinking he’d find a reason to stay.

💣 He’ll Be Back…

Apparently, he’s been burning the villain candle at both ends.

🐕 Old, But Not Saint, Nik…

It’s really just about the dog.

🚗 Julian Moves On…

I knew he wasn’t really dead. He’s just going under another name.

👶🏼 Infant Evil…

I’m not even sure what to think about this.

https://ew.com/tv/the-baby-first-look-hbo/

🏴‍☠️ The Usual Evil…

Okay, this is more in my wheelhouse of thought.

https://ew.com/tv/tv-reviews/shining-vale-review-starz-courteney-cox/

🌷 Rest Time For Blossoms…

Drop on in tomorrow for soap, tea, words to heed, and perhaps an earworm. Until then, stay safe, stay looking for the upside, and stay remembering common ground is never impossible to find, even if it’s crudités or charcuterie.

March 2, 2022 – Information About Betsy Emerges, Fairy Godheather Waves Her Wand & Ides

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Dante shows up at the ax throwing bar where Sam is by herself, and totally misses the target. He says, that was special… which was the nicest word he could think of. She suggests he give it a try, but he says he doesn’t want to show her up. She says, now he’s sounding like an egomaniac. She hands him an ax, and tells him, give it a whirl, positioning him. He tells her to stand back; he doesn’t trust himself with this thing. He makes a perfect bullseye, and she says, of course (🍷).

Finn says he doesn’t want Elizabeth to worry. Dante will figure out how the painting got here, and he’ll be here in case anything else weird happens. She says she just doesn’t understand why. Is she in danger; are her kids not safe? What’s the endgame here? Jake walks in, and says he heard the police were here earlier. What’s going on?

Portia sees Drew at the MetroCourt bar, and asks if he minds if she sits down. He says he’d be lucky, and she sits down, saying, she’s grabbing some dinner for Curtis, and it’s going to be a minute. She says, he’s not expecting anyone, is he? but he says, no. He just finished a meeting. She asks if it was business or personal, and he says, it was a little bit of both actually; business on behalf of a friend.

On the phone at the Bistro, Curtis says he’ll send the paperwork over, and tell the band he’s excited to have them at the club. Marshall comes in, and Curtis asks why he wanted to meet. Marshall says, because he knows what Curtis did.

Mac makes noises at Bailey, while Felicia talks babytalk, and asks if she knows she’s the cutest baby. Mac says she’s asking the softball questions, and has to hit Bailey with some hard ones, like FDPC or PCPD? when Anna walks in and says, PCPD all the way. Felicia asks if she’s ever seen a more perfect picture, pointing at Maxie holding Bailey, and Anna says, beautiful. Maxie says, Bailey maybe, but she barely had time to brush her hair this morning. Mac says she’s absolutely glowing, and it’s all because of Bailey. Maxie says, it’s because Mac gets to go home today. She’s going to let them visit with Anna, and Felicia leaves with her to pick up a prescription for Mac. Mac tells Anna, talk to him. Will the WSB be able to get any information out of compromised Agent Kreger? She says, doubtful. He’s dead.

Laura sees Maxie with Bailey, and says, there’s the precious baby girl that so many people worked so hard to protect. Maxie says, talk about guardian angels. Her heart is so full of gratitude, it could burst. Austin joins them, and says, how about forgiveness? Is there room in her heart for that?

Dante guesses they can chalk that up to beginner’s luck, and Sam says, beginner’s luck, her you-know-what. He says he loves her you-know-what, and she says she thinks he’s done this before. He says he’s never thrown an ax before, and she says, liar. He says he’ll swear on anything she wants him to, but he’s never thrown an ax a day in his life, and she says, liar. He asks why they don’t chalk it up to beginner’s luck, and his superior hand/eye coordination, and she says, or maybe… You know how some people think they had a past life, and you can bring those skills to this life from that life? She thinks maybe he was a frontier guy, a mountain man. She certainly wasn’t either of those. He says, that’s good because he doesn’t want to picture her as a mountain man. She asks how his day was, and he says, good; a lot of work. She says, anything interesting? and he says, more like strange. He thinks Elizabeth has a stalker.

Jake asks why the police were here, and Cameron comes downstairs, and says, because when he and mom came home, they found this on the mantel. He indicates the portrait, and Jake says, that’s Franco’s. He thought Elizabeth said they were all destroyed, and Elizabeth says, that’s what she was told. Finn asks if Jake saw anyone around the house when he left yesterday, but Jake says he doesn’t think so. Finn says, what about something unusual, like a car he didn’t recognize? What about Betsy Frank? Has she been in contact with him? Jake says, no, and wonders why Finn is asking him this stuff. Cameron says, because someone broke in and placed that here. Finn asks if Jake knows anyone who would do this.

Austin says he never intended for Louise to be in danger, and Maxie tells him, it’s Bailey Louise now. He says he loves that; it’s beautiful. He tells Bailey, he Bailey Louise. He’s Austin. They met when she first arrived. He tells Maxie that he’s sorry. He didn’t know Victor was helping Peter, and Maxie says she asked him to stay out of Brook’s business multiple times. He says he didn’t know what was going on, and that’s no excuse; there is no excuse. He did a dumb thing, and his stupid vendetta could have cost her everything. If she can’t move past it, he gets it. Laura says she’ll give them some privacy, and thanks Austin for giving her the information about Victor. He says, a lot of good it did, and Laura says, the jury’s still out, and leaves. Maxie asks what he had on Victor.

Mac says, so there’s nothing to clue them in as to who could have sent Agent Kreger to kill Peter? and Anna says she thinks it’s significant that Kreger’s dead. He was hit and it was serious, but nobody thought it was fatal. The prognosis was that he was going to recover, then he up and dies here in the hospital? He says, it’s convenient for somebody, when Laura walks in, and asks, how’s the patient? Is he ready to get out of here? He says, the sooner, the better. There’s a loose end in Europe. Anna says, she was just explaining that a Bureau agent went after Peter, and there ended up being an exchange of gunfire with her team, and he got hit, but died before he could be interrogated. He had a phone on him though. Laura says, anything there? and Anna says, no. Most of the data was related to navigation. There was one phone number that piqued her interest. Mac says, belonging to? and she says, it was a burner unfortunately, but the area code was local. He says, local to here? and she says, yes. Laura says, so whoever the agent was communicating with was likely here in Port Charles. Is anybody thinking who she’s thinking? Mac asks Anna to hand him his clothes. He’s not waiting for the nurses anymore. He has to get down to the precinct. Felicia comes back, and says, no, he doesn’t. If he thinks he’s going anywhere other than home, he has to answer to her first.

Marshall sits down, and says he just got a job offer from Curtis’s boy Drew, and Curtis asks, what kind of job? Marshall says, jazz consultant-slash-concierge for Aurora, but Curtis knew that already, didn’t he? Despite the subterfuge, he appreciates Curtis sending work his way, but why couldn’t he just be honest? Curtis says, like Marshall has been with him? and Marshall says, oh, so this is payback? but Curtis says, no; this is an opportunity. One that he knew Marshall would turn down if he knew Curtis had a hand in it, because he’s stubborn and prideful. Marshall says, traits he passed down to his son, and Curtis laughs, and says, fair enough. But he knows Marshall operates on a need to know basis, so he can’t be mad when someone else does the same thing. Marshall says, it’s a moot point anyway. The job requires an extensive background check. Curtis says, and that’s a problem? and Marshall says, it could be. There’s an incident from back in the day that concerns him. Isn’t Curtis going to ask, what kind of incident? Curtis says, no. He’ll wait for Marshall to tell him – or not. Marshall says, progress. If he accepts this offer, Drew might discover he has a criminal history.

Jake tells Cameron that he has no idea what’s going on right now, and Cameron says, mom’s a little but weirded out with this whole portrait thing. She’s also relieved Peter August is toast. Jake says, what? and Cameron says, mom didn’t tell him? Jake says, tell him what?

In the kitchen, Elizabeth says she doesn’t want Finn giving Jake the third degree, and he says he just asked if Jake noticed anything. She says, it felt like he was insinuating Jake had something to do with the portrait, but he says he wasn’t suggesting that. Does she really think he’s accusing her sons, or is she actually worried they could be involved?

Sam tells Dante, it’s so creepy to have a portrait in your house, knowing that someone had been there. Then the ring and the dress. Ugh. He says, Elizabeth was pretty shaken up, and she asks what he thinks. He says, it sounds like it could be a jealous lover, and she asks if he thinks Franco was cheating. He says, no, but he doesn’t know, and she says, he can’t rule anything out. He says he barely knew the guy, and asks what her take is. She asks if he thinks she paid attention to Franco, and he says, no, but she’s friends with Elizabeth. They’ve gotten closer, so maybe she knows about some trouble in paradise. She says, the only thing she saw was, Franco was devoted to Elizabeth, Elizabeth was devoted to him, the kids loved him, he loved the kids; they were one big happy family. He says he guesses he’d better look through Franco’s cell phone records to see if there was anyone he was in constant communication with. She asks if he floated it by Elizabeth, but he says, not yet. She asks if Elizabeth had any ideas, and he says, she’s convinced. Sam asks who Elizabeth thinks is responsible, and he says, Betsy Frank.

Portia says she’s really glad Drew is back, which she knows is a strange thing coming from her, considering they’re not close, but she can see how much he means to Curtis. It’s so sweet, the friendship they share. Drew says he’s really grateful for it, especially considering he’s now lost both his brothers, and she says, she’s so sorry. He thanks her, and she says, when you think about it, he and Curtis have gone through so much change recently. She could write a book about him… He says, please don’t, and she says, but Curtis too. Just this past year, his aunt’s health issues, a divorce, a change of careers. Drew says, and a father reappearing after four decades.

Curtis says, Marshall has a criminal history that Drew may discover, and Marshall says, the records are sealed. Curtis says, sealed records don’t usually show up in a background check, and Marshall says, but it exists, which means it can resurface. Forty years ago, he got locked up briefly, a non-violent offense, but it was the inciting incident that precipitated his disappearance. Curtis says, the reason he went into hiding, and Marshall says, for lack of a better term, yes. He wishes he could forget it ever happened, but it did, and severely impacted his life. He told Drew that he can’t move forward, and Curtis asks if he even wants the job. Marshall says he does, but he wanted Curtis to hear about it from him, not his friend, and Curtis says he appreciates that. He hopes it means Marshall trusts him. Marshall says, of course (🍷) he does. His holding back is not for lack of trust. In fact, telling Curtis is a relief. Curtis says, in that case, why hold back at all?

Felicia asks if Mac heard her, and he says he thinks the whole hospital did. She says, his choice is here or home; work is not an option. He says, there’s a situation… and she says, there’s going to be a situation if he tries to do anything other than get better. Does she have Laura and Anna to thank for this? Anna says, no, and Laura says, us? Felicia asks if they’re encouraging her husband to prematurely return to work, and Anna says she was just briefing him. Mac says, turncoat, and Laura says she was just checking on him. He is indispensable. He says, see? and Laura says, she too, is concerned about his health, so she’s going to see about his temporary replacement. NuJordan walks in, and says, no need for a replacement. She’s back, and reporting for duty.

Austin thanks Maxie for coming to his office to talk to him. When it comes to people like Victor Cassadine, the walls have ears. She asks what Laura was saying about him giving information on Victor, and he says, it wasn’t enough. Victor destroyed the bug before they could hear anything… She says, hold on. He planted a bug on Victor Cassadine? He says, technically, Liesl did, but he set the stage. She looks confused; is she confused? She says, he and her former mother-in-law hatched a plan to trap Victor? and he says, she’s not confused. She says, what was… how was that… why? He says, the answer to that is twofold. First of all, Liesl didn’t really give him a choice, and she says, and the second part? He says he really wanted to make it up to her. It was entirely his fault that Victor found out about Louise. Sorry. Bailey Louise. And he just needed to know what Victor’s game was. She says, but he didn’t find anything, and he says, the bug bit the dust before they heard anything. All they really heard was Victor talking to Drew Cain about memory suppression and tarot cards. She asks if that’s important, and he says, he doesn’t know. The mayor seemed to think so.

Everyone crowds around Jordan, hugging her, and asking how she’s feeling. Mac says, they could have sent a squad car, and Laura says, they could have done better than a squad car. Jordan says, she left yesterday. She took a car service, and she feels great. Anna says she looks great, and Jordan says, being at the clinic for so long had its challenges, but she couldn’t argue with the level of care. Anna asks if she’s back for good now, and she says she is, and apparently needs to get caught up. Laura suggests they step outside, and Mac says, it’s really good to see her recovered. She says, now it’s his turn, and he gives her a thumbs up. They go into the hallway, and Felicia tells Mac that he nurse gave her the discharge papers. Is he ready to go home? He says, he was born ready, and she says, to leave the hospital? He says, that really doesn’t work, does it?

Dante says, Betsy told Elizabeth that she was at Franco’s grave around the time the break-in happened, and Sam asks if he questioned her. He says he tried. He called the hotel, but she wasn’t there. She says, what about an APB? Betsy is technically a person of interest. Dante says, the problem is, Elizabeth is worried Betsy is involving her kids, and she thinks a formal inquiry will blow back on the family. Plus, he’s not convinced that it’s Betsy. She says, Elizabeth is, and he says, because the alternative for Elizabeth is, she has to consider the fact there might have been another woman in the mix. She says, Betsy’s very scary, and he says, she’s scary, crazy, all of that, and he will look into it, but how obsessed with your own kid do you have to be to shred a wedding dress, and burn his art studio? Sam tells him, she’d have to say, pretty obsessed, and he says, he has to retrace Betsy’s steps; find out if she was actually at the cemetery when she said she was. Sam messes with her phone, and he asks what she’s doing. She says she has skills too, and he says, other than throwing axes. She says, hey, Spinelli. She’s going to need his help.

Elizabeth says her boys wouldn’t terrorize her this way. They adored Franco; they would never use his memory to punish her. He agrees, and asks if she’s being defensive because she thinks he shouldn’t question them at all, Because he just wants her to be safe. But if she thinks he’s overstepping, say the word, and he’ll back off.

Cameron asks Jake to say something, and Jake says he’s glad. Is that wrong to be glad when someone dies? Cameron says, not if that someone was Peter August. He took Franco away from them. Jake says, and everyone believed his dad killed Franco, and Cameron says, including him, which made things pretty crappy between the two of them. Jake wishes Peter had died sooner, and Cameron says, Jake’s dad died fighting him. He wishes that too. He hugs Jake.

Marshall says he knows he’s not an ideal father, and Curtis says, ideal for who? Marshall says, anyone, but talking specifically, Curtis, and Curtis says, he’s a grown man. It’s not Marshall’s job to live up to some boyhood fantasy. If Marshall can trust him, and feels a sense of relief to unburden himself, then why not fill in all the pieces of the puzzle? Marshall says, because it might not be safe to do that yet, and Curtis says, Marshall is under no obligation to unburden his soul to him, but if he’s harboring secrets that could be a danger to either his club or his home, he needs to know. He will not put Portia and Trina at risk. Marshall asks since when Portia became a fixture in Curtis’s home, and Curtis says, since he asked her to take the next step with him. The plan is to find a new place and make it their own. Marshall says, that’s wonderful; it fills him with joy to see Curtis so happy. Curtis doesn’t have to be afraid of anything. On everything they hold dear, he promises he will not allow anything to hurt any of them. Curtis says, understood, and if Marshall needs to share more, Curtis is here for him, and he won’t pry. Marshall says, that’s his plan, but right now, he needs to see a man about a job.

Portia says, having Marshall drop from the sky, certainly has knocked Curtis for a loop, and Drew says, he got that impression. It does seem like they’re working toward something. She says she hopes so. All she wants is for Curtis to be happy. He says, what do you know? They want the same thing. Is she doing what he’s doing? She says, what’s that? and he says he’s giving Curtis a little space so he can draw his own conclusions, but at the same time, he’s keeping a cautious eye out. She says he must have been spying on her, and he says, obviously, he prays that Marshall’s intentions are good, but just in case there’s any doubt, he’s at his buddy’s disposal. She says she loves that Drew has Curtis’s back, and he says, always. She raises her glass, and says, to long friendships. He says, and to new ones. He really looks forward to getting to know the woman who clearly has stolen his buddy’s heart.

Anna says, it’s good to see Jordan; she’s looking so strong and healthy. Jordan says, and ready to hit the ground running, and Anna says she’s missed Jordan so much. Jordan says she missed Anna too, and thanks her for all the calls and texts, and Laura for the beautiful weekly flower delivery. They both kept her spirits up. Laura says, they’re both grateful to have her back, but is she sure she’s ready to go back to work? Jordan says she’s sure. They should have seen her when she heard Peter was on the loose. Anna says, they probably had to lock her in her room, and Jordan says, almost. She knows that’s wrapped up, but there have to be other pending cases. Anna says, the investigation’s not completely wrapped up, and Jordan asks, what’s the status? Laura says, some of this is classified, and Jordan isn’t officially back on the job yet. Jordan says she’s sorry; she should have called first, instead of assuming she could just pick up where she left off. Anna thinks they might need as much help as they can get, and as soon as they can get it, and Laura says, barring a few small, but necessary formalities, she hereby reinstates Jordan as Commissioner of the PCPD. Welcome back. Jordan says, she won’t regret it, and Laura says, she knows.

Finn says they haven’t established who he is to Elizabeth’s boys, but he’d like to build something with them… if it’s okay with her. She says she’d like that, and he’s not overstepping. She just wishes she had answers. He says she’s going to. They’re going to figure out who’s doing this, and put a stop to it, he promises.

Jake tells Cameron that he’s sorry mom is freaked out, but also happy Franco’s painting was saved. At least now he has something to remember Franco by. Cameron says they have their memories too, and Jake says, yeah, but memories fade. People move on, and sometimes he worries Franco’s being forgotten. Finn listens in.

Dante stands behind Sam, putting one hand on her waste, and the other on her hand holding the ax. Much like when he taught her to swing a bat, he explains how to throw the ax. He says, just like how she throws a baseball, and she says she likes baseball. He tells her to bring it forward, let it go, and let the ax do the work. She says she’s ready, he steps back, and she throws. She says, bullseye, and it’s very close, but not quite. She thanks Dante and hugs him, and says, she just needed… He says, a little lesson, but she says, a little him; her mountain man. They kiss, and her phone rings. She says, Spinelli is the best in the biz, but his timing is always off. She answers saying, hey… Okay… Send it over right now. Dante asks what Spinelli’s got, and she says, he’s sending over camera footage from the entrance of the cemetery. They look at her phone, and Dante tells her, roll that back. Is that Betsy? She says, sure does look like her. He asks what she’s doing, and Sam says, she never went in; she just left. He says, which means she lied, and they can’t account for her whereabouts. The phone rings again, and she says, talk to her… Okay… She’ll tell him. She tells Dante, Spinelli was about to run a background check on Betsy, mostly insignificant. He says, mostly? and she says, it looks like last November, she was arrested by the New York State Police.

Portia says, a dumpster, why? and Drew says, they were looking for a bag from a defunct Chinese restaurant. It’s a long story. They were hoping to the bag would tie a guy to the crime. They’re in there, and come across this enormous rodent. She says, no, and he says she should have seen it. He’s never seen anybody jump so high so fast in his entire life. Curtis’s exact words were, no, no, no – he waves his finger – I don’t do rats. She says she can see him doing that. How Indiana Jones of him. Drew says, it really was, and she says, they’ve really had some adventures together. He says, they have, and he hears Curtis is about to embark on a new one with her. He heard they’re moving in together. She says they’re looking at properties, and he says, congratulations. Any luck finding one? She says, not so far. They want spacious, and they want contemporary, but nothing’s been quite the right fit. He picks up his phone, and says, before he moved in with the Quartermaines, he was shown a property that was amazing, and it’s still available if she wants him to email her the listing. She says she’d love that. If it works out, she’ll owe him for sure. He says he hears her culinary skills are amazing, and he never turns down a homecooked meal. Just saying. She asks about the kitchen in the new house, and he says, it’s incredible. It’s super high end. It’s got a dual fuel range. It’s got an induction cooktop. She’ll love it. She says, all right, then it’s a deal, and they shake hands.

Austin tells Maxie, he listened to Victor for as long as humanly possible, and that guy, that slippery bastard, didn’t say anything even interesting, much less incriminating, and they had no idea where Peter was taking her. He wishes he could have done more. She says, he did a lot. Making a move like that on Victor took guts. He says, it took Peter. He was afraid they wouldn’t find her. He was afraid of what would happen to her. He was afraid she wouldn’t forgive him. Maxie says, she was afraid too, and he says, of course (🍷). He didn’t mean to compare what she was going through with what he was going through. It must have been very difficult for her, especially when she had to leave Bailey behind. She says, that was the easiest decision she made actually. Believe it or not, she’s used to leaving Bailey behind, especially if it means she’s being protected, which is funny, since now she can’t let Bailey out of her sight. He says, that was the easy part; what was the hard part? She says, staring down the barrel of forever, alone with Peter. Not seeing the peoples she cares about anymore. That made her blood run cold. He says he could imagine. Her mom and Mac… She says, Anna and Britt… Liesl… you. He says he made the list, and she says, whatever Victor’s involvement was with Peter, it wasn’t his fault. She knows he only wanted the best for her. He says he still does want the best for her, and she says she knows. He thanks her for saying that, and asks if this means he’s forgiven. She says, hmm… How do they say yes in Pawtuck? He says, we pretty much just say, yes, and she says, yes. He holds out his hand, and she takes it.

Jordan says, Obrecht told Laura that Victor seemed to want something from Peter? and Anna says, something related to Drew? Laura says, and his conditioning, and Anna says, it’s most likely Victor was working with Peter, quid pro quo. Jordan says, but if the theory is Victor helped Peter escape, why send someone to kill him? and Anna says, maybe he outlived his usefulness? Laura asks if Anna thinks Victor got what he wanted, and what would that be? Anna says, Laura’s guess is as good as hers, and Laura says, all right. They’ll meet tomorrow at the precinct; she’ll text Jordan. She leaves, and Anna asks if Jordan wants to grab dinner. She thinks TJ will probably be in surgery a while. Jordan asks if she can take a raincheck. There’s someone she needs to see.

Portia walks into The Savoy, empty except for Curtis, and says, she comes bearing gifts. He asks if it could be a steak from the MetroCourt, medium rare, and she says, it could. And it’s still warm; she got green lights all the way. He says, this is his lucky day, and she says, luckier than he knows, because she has some exciting news for him.

Dante asks what Betsy was arrested for, and Sam says, a driving infraction. Her phone can’t provide details of the arrest. She usually goes to a friendly neighbor law enforcement guy. He says, how friendly? and she says they’re pretty tight. They have great chemistry, and make the most beautiful ax throwing together. He says it sounds to him like she wants him to like this guy, and she says, no one likes him better than she does. They kiss, and he takes her phone. She says, she knew it; he’s going to show her up. He calls Donovan, and asks if he can do Dante a favor. He tells Sam, she’s not the only person who knows people, and kisses her again.

Finn says he didn’t mean to question Jake earlier, and Jake says, it’s okay, but Finn says, it’s not, and he’s sorry. Jake doesn’t know him well, and sometimes he has a tendency to live in his head. Communication is not always his best suit. Forgive him. He’s just worried about Jake’s mom. Jake says, he and Cam can take care of their mom. They have been ever since Franco… Elizabeth says, they have been, and they’ve been amazing, but it’s not their job to take care of her. She wants, and Franco would want, for them just to enjoy being kids. Jake asks how could she know what Franco would want when he’s not there to tell them? and she says, the same way they knew his favorite paint color, and what part of the movie would make him laugh. They knew him, and they’re so much luckier for it. Finn says he’s not trying to replace Franco, but he hopes together, if Jake is willing, maybe they could forge a different bond. One of their own.

Portia and Curtis look at her phone, and she says, double-sided fireplace, and all that space for entertaining. He says, and a big room for Trina in case she wants to take a break from the dorms. She asks what he’s thinking, and he says he’s thinking it’s perfect, and he’s thinking she looks great. She says she absolutely loves it, and he says he absolutely loves her. Did they just find their new home? He says, they might have, and she squeals and hugs him. Jordan has walked in, and sees.

Marshall finds Drew still at the MetroCourt bar, and says, about that job… Drew says, he reconsidered, and Marshall says he was always interested. He just had to run it by someone important first. He’s grateful for this job offer, and would like to be considered. Drew says, after he fills out the standard application, they’ll get started on that background check, and Marshall says he’s got nothing to hide.

Austin says he’s glad they can talk through this, and Maxie says, her too. His friendship means a lot to her. He asks, how much? and she says, he means on a scale of one to ten? He says, yeah, how much? There was a time not so long ago, they talked about being more than friends. She says she remembers, and he says, him too. She said she had to focus on getting her Louise, now Bailey Louise, back. What is she going to focus on now?

Anna’s phone rings, and she answers it with, what on earth do you want?

Dante says, Betsy was arrested for driving erratically, but she was not under the influence, and Sam says, being sober doesn’t get you arrested. He says, no, but attacking a state troper does, and she says, yikes. He says he guesses Betsy was in such a bad way, they had to stop at the first hospital, and put her on a 19-7A hour hold for evaluation. Sam says, a 72 hour involuntary psychiatric hold? and he says, that’s pretty good, P.I. She says she has her moments, and asks if he knows what it means. He says, Betsy was a danger to herself and others

Finn says he wants to be here for all of them, but he agrees with Jake. Franco shouldn’t be forgotten, and he won’t be. Jake asks if he can go upstairs, and Elizabeth says, of course (🍷). The doorbell rings, and Elizabeth opens the door to Betsy. Elizabeth says she wasn’t expecting Betsy, and Betsy says, there’s something she needs to… She sees Finn, and says she thought Elizabeth would be alone, and starts to leave, but Elizabeth says, wait. Clearly she’s hear for a reason. Tell her what it is. Betsy says she wasn’t honest with Elizabeth before. She deserves the truth – all of it.

Tomorrow, Cameron tells Stella, he can’t help but feel it’s all his fault; Britt tells someone that she has their back; Maxie says she’s ready to make up for lost time; and Anna tells someone, whatever game they’re playing, count her out.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

Emily talked to stepdaughter Shelby about Annabelle’s baptism. Shelby says she’ll feel warm inside, and Emily said that Shelby seemed different; grown-up and so happy. She felt emotional, but didn’t know if it was about the baptism or menopause. She told Shane that it made her think Annabelle could be like Shelby. In Emily’s interview, she said she had no doubt or apprehension about Annabelle’s baptism into the Mormon church, but if you’d asked her a year and a half ago, she would have said, absolutely not. She told Shane that she wondered why she was so emotional. She wanted better for her children than she had. Shane said she had that, and Emily said her dad left when she was young and wasn’t around; she wished he’d been more like Shane. In her interview, she said her parents divorced when she was six, and she didn’t see her dad much. She didn’t know if her mom had alienated him, but she’d had no foundation of a father/daughter relationship. Shane said she didn’t know the whole story, and she said when she saw her dad now, he was the coolest guy ever. She wished she’d had that her whole life. She told Shane that he was a good man, and he said he didn’t need a stack of vaginas. He was a one woman man, and she was his woman.

Heather, Shannon, Jen, and Heather’s friend Tawnie met for drinks. Tawnie was wearing the stupidest outfit I’ve ever seen. Okay, maybe not ever, but it was high on the list. She had some kind of wench-type cincher under her boobs, which were hanging over it, and it was definitely not the sexy look I think she was going for. Jen said her day had been stressful, and Heather asked, why? Jen said it was her relationship. She wanted to talk to Ryne in a professional setting or it would end up worse. In Jen’s interview, she said Ryne felt distant. He’d walked out, and it was humiliation. Then he came home the next morning to yell at her, and she had to go to work and be a normal person. It was an exhausting cycle. She told Heather that she got an email that the mortgage hadn’t been paid, freaked out, and Ryne told her to quit yelling at him. Heather said she had to figure out Ryne’s language, and Shannon said she’d written David a letter since she felt talking went in one ear and out the other. Jen says, she used a sports analogy; Ryne was on the court, but not catching the ball. Instead, he walked off the court. Heather said Terry wasn’t good with feelings, and Shannon said, most men weren’t. We flashed back to Terry wanting onion rings at a dinner party, and Heather working them into their Western party. She told the women, she thought, let’s change the narrative, and got jewelry as a bonus. Jen said she’d mocked Ryne’s gold necklace, and he got her a mini version when he was in Hawaii. Heather said Jen had to pass the ball back, and she’d have them over. In Heather’s interview, she said she thought this was a make or break moment in Jen and Ryne’s relationship, and we flashed back to Jen saying Ryne needed an example of a normal relationship. Heather said it would be helpful for them to be around couples who had navigated the ups and downs of life. They needed to learn how to communicate.

Batsh*t crazy Noella visited friend Keni, and popped some champagne, saying, it was an all the way to the top kind of day. Keni asked how mediation went, and Noella said, it was crazy. She could see the airport where James’s jet would be, but he wasn’t physically there. He’d pushed for them to do it in person, and Keni said, but only for Noella to be there in person. In Noella’s interview, she said James was on FaceTime, but they were in separate rooms. She didn’t hear his voice or see his face. She said, the whole thing felt sad, and all they discussed was money. Keni asked if James asked about personal stuff, and Noella said, zilch. He asked about no specifics like art, furniture, or his $20K shoes. She was into details, like life insurance and their son’s education. In Noella’s interview, she said, there was nothing about James’s concerns, thoughts, or what was in his heart. She would have even settled for hate. She wanted something, but there was only silence after six years of so much noise; joy, excitement, and their child. She told Keni that she could do nothing more to get closure from him, and needed to do it on her own. Keni said Noella couldn’t fix him anymore, and needed to be happy. What she got in her divorce settlement was herself.

Heather visited Gina, and since they were going through Gina’s closets, she brought Gina a new pink leather jacket. In Heather’s interview, she said Gina was launching a business, and needed clothes that reflected the changes in her life. Gina could think of her as her Fairy Godheather. Gina showed Heather around, and in Gina’s interview, she said she and Heather both recognized that her tour was shorter. We flashed back to Heather’s tour of her house, which is as big as a small town. In her interview, Heather said, it was amazing that six kids lived there, and it hadn’t been ravaged. They went to Gina’s bedroom closet, which wasn’t too shabby, and possibly as big as my first NYC apartment. Gina brought out her old prom dress, and Heather wondered why she was keeping it. She was never going to wear it again. Gina said she probably couldn’t fit in it, but when she tried it on, she said it was tight, but she fit. She could wear it to the supermarket there, and no one would bat an eye. Heather went through Gina’s clothes, and wondered why so much still had tags. Gina said she didn’t go anywhere, but she liked to shop. In Heather’s interview, she said Gina didn’t understand her own personal style yet. She wanted Gina to dress young and fresh, but also professional and edgy. She had some nice pieces, but you couldn’t see them because they were smashed together with blobby silhouettes  and weird things. She told Gina that some of her clothes needed to find a new home, but she didn’t know whose home. Gina brought out her wedding dress box, and said it had moved with her several times. She’d wanted her daughter have it or thought maybe the kids could make it into baptism gowns or something for their children. It made her sad. In her interview, Gina said she never thought her life would be different. In letting go of the dress, she was letting go of the life she thought she’d have. She told Heather that even though she was happy, and had no regrets or doubts, that doesn’t make it not sad. Heather suggested she do something fabulous, and give it to someone. It was time to let it go, and make some other bride happy.

Emily had a baptism reception for Annabelle, and Lizzie was there. Remember her? She was on RHOC for a hot minute. Emily joked about it being a Mormon baptism where there was drinking afterward. She told Shane that he hadn’t known he was going to do the blessing. He said he’d spoken from his heart, and it had felt like someone was telling him what to say. In Emily’s interview, she said their friends and family were there, and Shane dunking Annabelle was a beautiful thing to see. It was a beautiful moment between her husband and daughter. She told Shane, in the thirteen years they’d been married, it was only the second time she’d seen him cry. In her interview, she said, she and her sister grew up and floundered. They made stupid mistakes because they didn’t have guidance. She picked the best guy ever to be a dad, but she’d never know what it was like, and it made her sad. Gina and Travis arrived, and Gina said, the ceremony was so beautiful, it made her cry. Emily said she was glad she wasn’t the only one, and everyone applauded Annabelle. There was a huge spread, and they sat down to eat. Emily and Gina sat privately, and Emily thanked Gina for coming. She asked if Gina remembered when she said Shannon was jealous. She had six glasses of champagne, and told Shannon. In Gina’s interview, she said, it wasn’t her first day in high school. She knew if she told Emily something, it would probably get back to Shannon. That wasn’t to say, she didn’t want to take that shot herself. Emily said Shannon told her that Gina liked to talk about herself a lot, and Gina said Shannon was starting to piss her off. There wasn’t much more of Shannon that she could take. If that’s what Shannon got from who she was, Shannon didn’t know her, and she was pissed.  

John and Shannon went out to lunch at the Not So Quiet Woman, and sat at what Shannon now called her booth. Shannon said she was surprised hearing the doctor talk to her about her energy levels possibly being related to hormones. We saw a clip of the doctor saying, if Shannon wasn’t balancing her food properly, she might have a problem with hormones. In Shannon’s interview, she said she and John both said they’d never experienced this level of intimacy with any other partner. She didn’t know some of this stuff was possible. I really didn’t want to know any more, and thank God she changed the topic. She told John that when she’d had the lunch for the women, Heather had brought up Gina’s skincare line. Gina told Emily that Shannon appeared jealous. John said that was so irritating to hear, and in her interview, Shannon said she didn’t know where to go with her friendship with Gina. It went back to the sushi party. We flashed back to that, and Shannon said she was confused as to where the judgment was coming from. She thought it was arrogance. She wondered why Gina wouldn’t bring it up to her, and John said Gina tried to find things to make Shannon look bad. Shannon said it was pretty low of Gina to ask if she even had any friends, and we flashed back to Shannon telling Gina that she only had a small circle, and John said, it was beyond mean; it was cruel. Where the hell did Gina get off saying it looked like Shannon had no friends? In John’s interview, he said, confidence was super attractive, but cockiness was not. In her interview, Shannon said they needed to get to the deeper issue. The little comments kept coming. John said he’d never been anything but kind to Gina and Travis, and for Gina to talk behind Shannon’s back and the comments that came out of her, who did she think she was? Not knowing John that well, I wasn’t sure if he was bored or enjoyed adding to the drama. Either way, I thought they were both exaggerating just a tad.

In Heather’s interview, she said, having a dinner party was like putting on a stage production. Since she had no time, it was simpler than she usually did. Translation: pretty fancy to the rest of us. She found an error on the menu, and in her interview said, she liked things to be the way she envisioned them. It was going to bother her all night. Terry was happy that onion rings were on the menu, and Heather said she’d made the menu of things he loved. Jen wanted Ryne to see how they operated. Terry was like, Ryne? and Heather said, like the river. Terry said he needed to process that.

In the car, Jen whined for Ryne not to talk superficially all night, and he said sports weren’t superficial. They were a metaphor for life. In Jen’s interview, she said Ryne had no idea what he was stepping into when she asked him to wear clothes.

Heather gave last minute instructions to the waitstaff, and Terry realized there was still a tag on his shirt. He asked if that wasn’t how you showed you were successful, and got a hard no from Heather. Coming up the walk, Ryne wished he’d brought dog, and said, who doesn’t like that dog? Not me, and I wished he’d brought Mr. Puppers too. When asked what they’d like to drink, Ryne asked for water, and Jen said he’d never had alcohol. Terry asked if the first question wasn’t always, was he a Mormon? and Ryne said, or an alcoholic. He’d never had any drugs either. It was noted that he was wearing athletic ankle socks with his dress shoes, and he said he didn’t wear shoes often. In Heather’s interview, she said she was just glad he was wearing a shirt. Jen went with Heather to the kitchen, while Terry and Ryne went downstairs to hang. Jen said it wasn’t easy for Ryne. Terry asked what Ryne was into, and Ryne said, sports and gambling. Terry said, so he did have a vice, and asked what Ryne’s game was. Ryne said he played poker until the kids were born, and Terry asked if he did more stuff with the kids than Jen. Ryne said he did, and Terry said it was a kind of role reversal. He couldn’t imagine, as a guy, being married to a doctor. That actually surprised me, coming from him, and he said Jen had met the perfect person. Ryne suggested Terry mention that to her.

Heather’s friends arrived. Michael and Nancy, who had been married 40 years, and Sara and Paul who had been married 20. In Heather’s interview, she said the couples were good compromise, family, and communicating, and had fun together. Jen and Ryne could learn a lot by being with them. In Jen’s interview, she said Ryne acted aloof in social situations, and people sometimes took it as arrogance. They thought she was married to an a-hole.

They sat down to eat, and Jen told Ryne how to angle his chair. In Heather’s interview, she said, Jen was hammered, and we saw clips of all she drank before sitting down at the table. Heather said she liked to see Jen letting loose, but the more loose she became, the more introverted Ryne was getting, and that was bad. Heather suggested a toast, and Jen said, to women’s underwear; not the best thing in the world, but the closest thing to it. Heather said, oh dear, and dinner commenced. Ryne tucked his napkin into his collar, and Jen told him to take it down, but he said he didn’t want to dirty his shirt. Jen was insistent, and he said, for her, he would. In her interview, Heather wondered what he was protecting; the one shirt? Terry said being married successfully for 20 years wasn’t easy; you needed to get past the down time. Heather said nothing about it was easy, but it was worth working for. Paul said his father told him the secret to a successful marriage was to wake up every morning and say he’s sorry. Paul was following suit. Heather asked how Jen and Ryne met, and Jen said she saw a guy in Louis Vuitton sunglasses, and wondered, who TF is he? She slipped him her number, and he called four weeks later. Terry asked how long they were dating before Ryne proposed, and Jen said they had the children before they were married. She’d gotten a job offer at Harvard, and told Ryne that she wasn’t giving up her career unless he asked her to marry him. She was only willing to stay if he proposed. Heather asked what Ryne’s side of the story was, and he said he was going with what Jen said. Heather said, but why did he pick that moment? and Ryne didn’t say anything. Terry said they needed to swear the witness in, and Heather said he was going to be thrown out of court. He actually started to talk, when Jen interrupted, and Heather said it was Ryne’s floor. I think it’s pretty obvious what the problem is in their relationship. He was right when he said it had to be the Jenny Show.  

Ryne said he’d go with what Jen said, and in Heather’s interview, she wondered if he was scared because it was a different story or if it was embarrassing. Jen wouldn’t let Ryne talk, and he was happy not to. Jen said the wine was fantastic, and Heather said, wait until they had the 2013; it was insane. Jen said the wine was very good about ten times, and told Heather that she was connoisseuring [sic] everything that was put in front of her. She might seem drunk, but she was concentrating. She didn’t give a f*** who you like, this was good. She caressed Ryne’s face, and he asked her to stop, to which she responded, f*** you, and told the server to fill her glass. Ryne got up, and she grabbed at him. He told her that she needed to stop drinking, and she said it was good wine. He wandered off, and got on his phone, and Terry gave a toast, to well-established friends and newly established ones. Jen said Heather was awesome. She couldn’t believe Heather put this all together. In her interview, Heather said she’d never seen Jen like this. Loosening up was a goal, but getting hammered was the polar opposite of what she’d been hoping for. Jen needed to be honest about what her part was. Whatever you say was not good. Jen teetered to the door, gathering up Ryne on the way. She said she loved Heather; she was awesome.  

Heather told the other guests that Jen and Ryne had been going through some rough waters, and they’d all been through that. Nancy said Ryne was very shy.

In the car, Jen said Ryne did awesome, and asked if Terry was cool to hang out with. Ryne said he was, and Jen said she literally wanted to collapse in his arms. She put her head in his lap, and he talked workouts with the driver.

Everyone said how Ryne was sweet and nice, and Terry said, let’s be honest. They’re a mess.

Next time, the trip to NYC, Heather and Gina get drunk and eat pizza on the street, Shannon says Gina needs to put a pin in it, and Jen sees a therapist.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Saying Goodbye With Shalom…

Come on down tomorrow for soap and tea. And for those of you who would rather watch people cook than do it yourself, like me, the new Top Chef starts tomorrow (Thursday), along with spin-off Top Chef Family Style. Until then stay safe, stay choosing your friends wisely, and stay leaving your connoisseuring at the door when going to a fancy dinner party.

March 1, 2022 – Carly Throws an Ax At Nina (In Her Mind), Melissa Nearly Has a Fistfight & Winds

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Elizabeth sees Franco’s painting of her propped up on the mantel, and drops the mail in her hands. We see someone in a pair of boots is also in the house.

Sam hugs Drew, and says, it’s good to have him back safe and sound. He must be relieved that Peter is dead. He says he’s especially relieved that Maxie is safe and finally reunited with her daughter. She says, Peter held him prisoner for two years, and kept him away from his own daughter. He says, and killed his brother, so yeah, he’s glad Peter is dead. He feels free, and now that he does, he’s thinking about his own future.

At the MetroCourt bar, Carly says she’s sorry she missed the staff meeting, and asks Olivia how it went. Olivia says, it was great, and asks how the kids are. Carly says, the kids are fine, but that’s not why she’s late. She’s late because she went to file her divorce papers. Olivia says, already? and asks how she feels. Carly says, like a failure.

Willow is digging through her bag at the hospital, and Michael asks if she forgot something. She turns around to see him with her tablet, and she says, he’s a life saver. She has a huge exam to study for and all her notes are on it. She asks, what’s going on? and he says, his mom called. She filed the papers, so the divorce is in motion. She wanted him to be prepared to answer questions from Donna and Avery, and help with the transition. Willow says she’s so sorry his family is going through this. She hates bringing this up, but thinks now’s the time. He says, time for what? and she says, to have a talk about Nina.

Curtis and Stella walk into Charlie’s, and she thanks him for indulging her craving. He says, only because she agreed to share, but she tells him that he’d better get his own. At the bar, Nina flashes back to telling Drew that she doesn’t care what anyone thinks anymore. She just wants to move on with her life. He says, with Sonny, and she says she cares about Sonny, but they’re not together. He asks if Sonny knows that. Curtis says, long time, no see, and Nina hugs him and Stella, saying, this is her lucky day. She’d ask them to join her, but she’s actually leaving. She was dawdling, hoping she could talk to Phyllis, but she’s not going to be in until later. Stella says she’s sorry they missed her; she likes Phyllis too. Nina says, Phyllis always knows the perfect thing to say, and she needed that today. Curtis says, then it’s a good thing they came to Charlie’s. What’s on her mind?

Chase asks, what strange things have been happening to Elizabeth? and Finn says, there was a fire in Franco’s art studio; the police think it was arson. Then the night of their first date, Elizabeth found her wedding ring in her locker at work, which was weird because she’d left it at home. Then she was going to donate some clothing, and discovered the dress she married Franco in, completely cut to shreds. Chase says, it’s suspicious that everything had significance to Franco, and Finn says, it is. They thought maybe one of the boys was having a problem with him seeing their mom, but Chase says, those are sophisticated pranks for kids. Finn says, agreed. Then again, these boys aren’t kids anymore.

Elizabeth turns around, and gasps. It’s Cameron, who says he’s sorry; he didn’t mean to startle her. Is she okay? She says she didn’t hear him come in, she was so distracted by the portrait. He says, that’s the portrait of her that Franco painted. He thought it was destroyed in the fire. She says, so did she. When she walked in, it was just there. She never thought she would see it again. He says, she didn’t put it there? and she says, no. Was it here when he got home? He says, yeah, but he got here ten minutes ago. He crashed in Carter’s dorm room. What’s going on? She says she’s not sure. Aiden spent the night at Laura’s last night, and Jake is at an overnight trip for school, so she slept at the hospital. As far as she knows, nobody’s been home for the past 24 hours. Which means whoever put that there was in their house. She needs to check on the boys and make sure they’re okay and where they’re supposed to be. He asks what he should do, and she says, call the police.

Chase says, whoever did this had access to Elizabeth’s wedding ring, which means they also had access to her house, and also access to her locker at General Hospital. Does Finn remember what day it was, or if there were any signs of Elizabeth’s locker being tampered with? Because they can access the footage at the hospital. Finn tells him to slow down. He’s not even sure Elizabeth would want Chase to know about this. Chase says, then what are they going to do about it? and Finn says, Chase is his brother, so he told him, but they have to wait and see what Elizabeth wants to do about it. How long before Chase is reinstated anyway? Chase says, a few months. He can’t wait. Finn asks if he’s given any thought to what he’s going to do in the meantime, but Chase says he hasn’t given it much thought. Don’t worry about him; he’ll be fine.

Willow says, remember when she told Michael that she ran into Nina the other night at the hospital? and he says, the night he found out about Nina and his dad? Yes. She says, Nina made a point of asking if there was a way for her to see Wiley, even if she and Carly could never get along, and he says he’s guessing she skipped over the part where his mom had just found Nina and his dad in bed together. She says, Nina played her. She intentionally held back about what she’d done, knowing full well something that monumental would have ramifications for their whole family, and of course (🍷) affect her relationship with Wiley. He says she knows how he feels about Nina, but his dad doesn’t get a pass; he’s just as much to blame. She says, it’s a pattern with Nina. She reaches out, makes a pitch for access to Wiley, and carefully omits whatever objectionable thing she’s done. She doesn’t want to keep Wiley from family members who love him, but she thinks Michael was right all along. Nina isn’t the type of person she wants in Wiley’s life.

Stella says she knows what she wants, and asks if she can get Nina anything, but Nina says, no. Curtis says he’ll have a double order of whatever Stella’s having, and Stella says, coming right up. She goes to the bar, and Curtis tells Nina, she won’t be gone long, so they better talk fast. What’s going on with her, and does it have to do with Sonny? She says, that was a quick change of subject, and he says, the last time he saw her was at The Savoy when she diffused tensions between Sonny and his father. She says, Sonny wasn’t himself that night, and he says, he’s never seen Sonny like that. She says, but his father, she’s never seen anyone stand up to Sonny like that, and he says, it’s not his father’s first time dealing with someone of Sonny’s caliber. She asks how he feels about that, and he says, nice deflection. He just accepted it, and accepted he’s never going to get the answers he wants from Marshall, so he let it go. It definitely eased tensions between his father and him, but then things changed.

Olivia brings Carly a drink, and says, it’s five o’clock somewhere. Carly says she knows she made the right decision, but it’s just hitting her pretty hard, and Olivia says, of course (🍷) it is, because she’s not a robot. Does she want to talk about it? Carly says, no, she thinks she should just work, but Olivia says, forget work. What is the strongest emotion she’s feeling right now? Carly says, disappointment. Obviously in Sonny, but also in herself, because she just wants to be done with it. She keeps asking herself over and over again, what happened? How could her marriage be over? How could she mean so little to Sonny in the end? Then she has to stop herself, because whatever Sonny does or however Sonny feels, it’s not her problem anymore.

Drew tells Sam that he’s considering a leadership position at Aurora, and taking a more active role. He knows she hired Michael as head of media, and he’s doing a great job. The numbers are solid, so he doesn’t want to step on what Michael’s doing, but he does have ideas on where the company should go. Sam says he doesn’t need her approval. He still owns the company, and now that Jax is devested due to conflicts of interest, he can implement anything he wants. She thinks he should go for it. Her phone beeps, and she says she has another appointment; she has to run. He has her full support.

Sam goes to the bar, and joins Olivia and Carly. She says, so are they doing this? and Carly asks what they’re doing. Olivia says she took the liberty of planning a little something to help Carly process her emotions. Carly says, okay, and drains her glass.

The three women go to an ax-throwing place that also serves alcohol (great combination), and Carly asks if they’re really doing this. Olivia says, damn straight. We’re going to throw some axes, ladies.

Nina asks if something happened between Curtis and his dad, when Stella comes back. She says she thought Curtis was making progress with Marshall, and Curtis says, they were. Where’s the food? Stella says, it’s coming. He was saying? Curtis says, he and Portia are moving in together, so the equation has changed. Nina says, that’s great news. She’s glad things are working out for him. He says, they are, but with his situation changing, he needs to know more about his father’s past. Stella says she thought he made his peace with that, and he says he was keeping an open mind. Marshall, of his own admission, said he got mixed up with some dangerous people. So now that Portia is moving in with him, he needs to know he’s not putting her life at risk. If he’s going to let Marshall in his life, he needs to know more about his. Stella says, give him time, but Curtis says, it’s not dependent on Marshall anymore. Drew is helping him find out what Marshall’s been hiding. Nina’s phone dings, and she says she’s sorry. She’d love to stay, but she can’t. She says it was nice to see Stella, and hugs Curtis, telling him that she loves him and to be safe. She leaves, and Stella asks if Curtis is out of his damn mind. He says, absolutely not. He just wants to protect the people he loves. She asks, how? What exactly is he planning?

Drew shakes Marshall’s hand, and says he’s glad Marshall gave him a call. Marshall says Drew had him curious at this proposition, and they sit. Drew says, now that he’s back in town, he’s getting more involved with his media company. He’s not exactly sure how much Marshall knows about his past, and Marshall says, Curtis told him that Drew had been presumed dead for two years, but had really been captured by this August guy. Drew says, sad, but true, and Marshall says he’s been doing some reading about Drew online. He knows Drew is a member of the Quartermaine family, and he also read about Drew’s brother who died. Drew says Marshall has done his homework, and Marshall says he always likes to know about the people he’s potentially doing business with. He hopes that doesn’t make Drew feel uncomfortable. Drew says, not at all. He feels exactly the same way.

Finn tells Chase, he wouldn’t pretend to know the first thing about life or love. He just wants his little brother to find the happiness he deserves. If there’s anything Chase needs, Finn’s here for him. Chase thanks him, and Finn’s phone rings. He says, it’s Elizabeth, and tells her that he’s sorry he’s late. He stopped at Chase’s, and he’s on his way right now. Elizabeth says, someone broke into her house, and he asks if she and the boys are okay. She says, nobody was home, and he says, that’s good. Was anything taken? She says she doesn’t know; she hasn’t had a chance to look. Does he remember she told him about that painting Franco did of her? He says, she told him that she was sorry she didn’t bring it home. It got destroyed in that fire in the studio. She says, except it didn’t. Somehow that painting survived, and whoever broke in, placed it front and center in her house. She has to go; the police are here. Finn says he’s on his way, and Chase asks, what happened? Finn says, someone broke into Elizabeth’s house, and Chase says he’ll come with Finn, but Finn thinks Chase being at a crime scene while he’s on suspension isn’t a good look. Chase tells Finn to call and keep him posted, and Finn says, absolutely.

Michael says he’s all for keeping Nina away from Wiley, especially now, but something tells him that they should take their time and look at the situation from all angles, so they know emotion isn’t driving their decision. The bottom line is, they both want what’s best for Wiley. She says she’s glad she talked to him about this. She’s really angry at Nina right now for a variety of reasons, but they don’t know what will happen in the future, right? Carly and Sonny could reconcile. He says he loves her optimism, but she shouldn’t hold her breath, and she says she thought Chase would never forgive her when he found out about them, but they found a way past the pain and betrayal, and he forgave her… At least until she kind of blew everything up again. He says he thinks she means we. They judged Chase and Brook for sleeping together, when the whole time, they were actually trying to protect Maxie’s baby. She says, now they owe them an apology; she especially owes one to Brook. He suggests they stop by tonight, but she says she has a big exam tomorrow. If he wants to go without her, she promises to touch base with them tomorrow. He says, that works, and tells her, study hard. He’ll see her at the house later. They kiss, and she says she’ll try not to be too late, and Michael leaves. Willow sits down, and Nina comes by.

Finn runs into Elizabeth’s house, and asks if she’s all right. She hugs him, and says she’s a little freaked out. Dante joins them, and says, there’s no evidence of forced break-in anywhere. Could this person have stolen a key? She says she used her key to get in, and Cameron says, him too. Dante asks, what about his brothers? and Cameron says, they have their own housekeys, but Aiden’s at school and Jake is at the library doing a project. Elizabeth says, there’s a hidden key out front, but only she and the boys know about it. Of course (🍷) Franco knew. Dante says he supposes whoever broke in could have used that one. Is she sure the painting was in the studio at the time of the fire? She says, yes; she never moved it. He says, it seems that whoever this arsonist is, is the same person who broke into her house. Elizabeth says, oh my God. She thinks she knows who did this.

Drew says, he wants to expand into the jazz empire. With Aurora’s reach, he really believes they can help talented artists connect with their audiences. He has to confess, he’s not even a novice. He knows little to nothing about jazz. He needs expert advice. He needs a consultant or a concierge, if you will. Somebody who really has a feeling for the music, and where it’s evolving. Marshall says, it sounds like he’s Drew’s man, and Drew says he needs Marshall’s experience. Has he always strictly been a gig musician? Marshall says, it’s how he made the majority of his money, but a job in that field is feast or famine, so from time to time, he had to take jobs to pay the bills. Drew asks, what about now? and Marshall says he hasn’t had a steady gig since he came to Port Charles. He’s starting over and going to reestablish himself. Drew says, he knows the feeling, and Marshall says he supposes Drew does. Come on, man. He knows what this is. Curtis put him up to this, didn’t he?

Curtis says, Drew is just helping him get answers to the questions Marshall refuses to answer, and Stella says, in other words, he’s sneaking around. No good has ever come from that. He says he was a former P.I. Sometimes sneaking around is the only way to get to the truth. If it was just him, he could let it go, but he has Portia and Trina to consider. Marshall left this family for decades. That speaks volumes for how dangerous the folks he was running with are. She says, Portia knows what he does about his father, and she’s still in. Give her credit for making her own choices. He says, what about Trina? He doesn’t want to gamble with her safety. He pulled her out of danger one time, and doesn’t want to put her back in it again. He needs complete answers. She says she understands that, but she’s just worried he’s going about it the wrong way. Instead of him and Drew sneaking around like spies, why doesn’t he do what she suggested, and talk to him. He says he’s tried repeatedly; with Marshall, it’s always a dead end. He’s made it abundantly clear, he’s only going to tell Curtis so much. He knows Stella has her opinions, but could she please trust that he knows what he’s doing? She asks if he remembers when she interfered with his and Portia’s relationship, and he says, how could he forget? She says she stuck her nose in where it didn’t belong, and Trina was hurt as a result. If he keeps poking around behind Marshall’s back. someone could get hurt, and she’s afraid that someone will be him.

Chase is about to go out the door with a box, and finds Michael about to knock. He says, Brook’s not here, and Michael asks if he can come in. Chase says, sure, and Michael says he was hoping to talk to both of them. Will Brook be back soon? Chase says, she’s in Bensonhurst visiting her mother. It’s been rough on her, giving Bailey back to Maxie. She needed to decompress. He’s packing up his things, and he and Michael are far from friends right now, so can it wait? Michael says he’s afraid not.

Carly says, this is ridiculous, but Olivia says, this is therapeutic. Instead of avoiding her emotions, she can release them by throwing an ax at some wood. She even brought a picture for inspiration. She shows a picture of Nina to Carly, but Carly tells her to put it away; she’ll use her imagination. They throw axes, and there’s a song part, but it’s not nearly as fun as when Anna and Obrecht smashed stuff.

Nina tells Willow that she’s visiting her photo editor; she got her appendix out. Willow tells her, enjoy the visit. If Nina will excuse her, she has a big exam to study for. Nina asks if she can spare a few minutes, but Willow says she has a lot of notes to go over. Nina promises it won’t take long. She was hoping after their conversation the other day, Willow was more open to her spending time with Wiley; maybe this weekend. Willow says she can’t talk about this right now, but Nina says, she’s missing her grandson. She knows Willow has to discuss it with Michael, but she was wondering if Willow could give her any indication of how he’s feeling. Willow says she’s astounded that Nina would ask her about Wiley, given the situation with Michael’s parents. Nina says she’s sorry Carly and Sonny weren’t able to work things out, but she doesn’t see how it has any bearing on her relationship with Wiley. Willow says, Carly caught Nina in bed with Sonny. Nina went after a married man like a heat seeking missile, and she doesn’t see why they’d have a problem with that? Nina guesses she shouldn’t be surprised Willow found out, but she never intended for that to happen. Willow asks if Nina keeps a running tally on how many times she’s used that phrase. How many lives have been ruined or damaged by things she never intended? How the hell can Nina ask Willow to advocate for her when she doesn’t believe a word Nina says?

Drew says, it’s a job interview, and Marshall says, and Drew is only doing this because Curtis asked him to help Marshall out. Or does Drew expect him believe he’d hire a musician he doesn’t know to be his jazz concierge? He’s nobody’s charity case, least of all his son’s. The interview is over. He gets up, and Drew says, hear him out.

Michael says he came to apologize, and Chase says, for what? Michael says he had no right coming down so hard on Chase about Brook and Bailey. He’s sorry. Chase says, apology accepted, and Michael says, that was way too easy. Chase says, he’s in the middle of packing up his life; he doesn’t really have it in him to lay into Michael right now, even though he most definitely deserves it. Michael says, Chase loved Bailey too. He can only imagine what Chase must be going through having to let her go. Would he feel better unloading? Chase took a lot of heat from everyone, himself included. He got suspended from the PCPD. He was doing a good thing; Michael had no right to judge. Chase says, Michael had zero right. He acted like Chase sleeping with Brook – which did not happen, by the way – was on par with what Michael and Willow did to him. Michael slept with his wife, and then had the nerve to lay into him because he hurt Willow’s feelings? Cut the crap. The real reason he’s here is to absolve his own guilt. It’s selfish and self-righteous. Michael asks if Chase feels better, and Chase says, actually, yeah. Wow. It would take a lot more than that for me to feel better.

Dante says, Elizabeth has a suspect? and she says, Betsy Frank. He says, Franco’s mother, and Finn asks if she told Dante about the other incident. She says she did, and Dante asks what evidence she has that points to Betsy. She says, Betsy sent her a Valentine’s card. It was very gothic, almost morbid. So she called Betsy today, and it turns out she’s in town visiting Franco’s grave. Convenient, doesn’t he think? She claims she just got here, but she could have been here for months. Dante says he’d like to see the card, but what did she and Betsy talk about? She says, Betsy told her about visiting Franco’s grave, and that she likes to pretend he’s still alive. She also knows Elizabeth is dating Finn because Betsy follows her on social media, which makes her wonder if that pushed her over the edge. Finn says he doesn’t know this woman at all, but for her to go to those lengths seems kind of extreme. Elizabeth says, Betsy’s not there on a good day, and now she’s grieving. People can be pushed to do desperate things while they’re grieving.

Nina wonders where this is coming from. She thought she and Willow had a cordial conversation the other day. Willow says, they did, but she realized it’s just part of Nina’s pattern. Every time she thinks they’ve made headway, she finds out Nina held onto information, or just plain lied by omission. Nina says, what happened between her and Sonny is no one else’s business, and Willow asks, then why go out of her way to drop hints that things between her and Carly were irreconcilable? This isn’t the first time Nina threw her under the bus, but it’s going to be the last. If she’s going to create discord between Michael’s parents, then be nice to her while withholding that information, Willow is going to feel used, played. And trust her, she’s going to resent it. Nina says she’s not trying to play Willow. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. She’s so appreciative of Willow trying to be her ally. Willow says, she’s not Nina’s ally; she’s Wiley’s mother. And until Wiley is old enough, it’s her job to decide what’s best for him, and that includes vetting the people he spends time with. Nina says, Wiley is her family. He’s her grandson. He’s the only thing she has left of her daughter. He’s her blood. Willow says, blood doesn’t entitle Nina to have a relationship with someone. Not if she’s going to hurt them.

Stella says, maybe Curtis should trust that Marshall knows what’s safe or not safe. He’s the one who’s lived his life, and in a much better position to judge than Curtis. Curtis says he wants to know and trust his father, but he can’t do that when he’s so closed off, and Stella says, he needs to trust Curtis too. Give the relationship time to grow; put in the work. Maybe then Marshall will disclose the things he wants to know. But mark her words, if he sneaks around in Marshall’s private business, there will be no chance of that happening.

Drew says, Curtis did ask him to interview Marshall for this job, and he was happy to oblige because he needs a jazz musician. Curtis thought Marshall would be a good fit, and he agreed. Is it so terrible his son is trying to help him out? Marshall says, he supposes not, and sits back down. Drew says, if his friendship with Curtis complicates things, feel free to walk away; no harm, no foul. He’s just got to look elsewhere. Marshall says he doesn’t want to be hasty; the job does sound interesting. Drew says, if they are going to work together, he does have to tell Marshall about the company’s HR policies. Aurora has contracts with the government, and due to their sensitive nature, he has contacts with intelligence agencies to do in depth background checks as a precaution. Marshall asks if all that is necessary, and Drew says he’s afraid so. It’s a condition of their standard policy, just in case of clearance or security issues; it’s pretty simple. HR sends some forms, he puts in his past employers and past addresses, any aliases in case he performed under a stage name. Marshall says, this job doesn’t sound like he’ll have enough time for his own music. He’s going to have to respectfully decline. He hopes there are no hard feelings. Drew says, no, and they shake hands. Marshall says he hopes he sees Drew at his gig, and Drew says, absolutely. He looks forward to it. He thanks Marshall for his time, and Marshall says, sure thing, and leaves.

Michael says, what Chase said about him feeling guilty, he was right. He and Willow felt guilty about their feelings for each other, and hated that it would hurt Chase, so they put off telling him for what they thought were the right reasons, but it was still dishonest. When Chase said he’d slept with Brook, it seemed to balance the scales, and let him off the hook a little. He’s sorry. Chase says, Willow married him because she thought he was dying. Then when he couldn’t walk, she stayed with him to give him hope. He’ll always wish they hadn’t lied to him, but he understands why they did it. Michael wonders when they try to do the right thing they always end up lying, and Chase says, it’s definitely counterintuitive. Michael says, when it comes to doing the right thing, Chase definitely wins. This is the second child he’s saved, right? Chase says, yeah, but Michael and Willow kind of saved his life, so they’re even. Michael says, not even close, and Chase suggests Michael help close that gap by helping him load boxes into his car. He hands Michael a heavy box that says BLQ Bathroom on it.   

Dante asks if Elizabeth minds if he hangs onto the card, and she says, not at all. He asks if Betsy knew about the spare key, but she says, not to her knowledge. She supposes Franco could have told her, but she can’t imagine why. He asks, what about the boys? Could she have checked in with them, and they told her? Cameron says he hasn’t spoken to her, and how weird would it be for her to contact Jake and Aiden? Dante says, Jake and Aiden didn’t mention anything when Elizabeth checked in with them, did they? She says she didn’t tell them about the break-in; she just wanted to make sure they were okay. She never considered Betsy could be using her sons. Dante says, in case one of the kids is involved, he’ll keep a low profile on this, so she can take that worry off her mind.

Olivia tells Carly, looking good, as they pour from a pitcher of beer. Carly says, who knew it could be so much fun and feel incredible to throw an ax? Who came up with this idea? Sam thinks a lumberjack, and Olivia says, if only they could throw axes at all of their problems. Although she guesses in Sonny and Nina’s case, that might not be a very good thing. Sam asks if they really think it’s a good idea to drink beer and throw axes at the same time, and Carly says she does. Speaking of Sonny, she just signed away all her claims to community property. Olivia asks if Carly thinks that’s a good idea, and Carly says she just wanted it to be over, and move forward. Sam asks if she thinks she can, and Carly says, not right now. She can’t move past all the damage Nina did, no matter how hard she tries, and doesn’t think she’ll be able to move past it until Nina pays. Olivia says she doesn’t blame Carly, but karma will take care of this. Nina will get what’s coming to her. Carly says, karma takes too long, and Olivia says, it’s not healthy to focus on revenge. Sam says she thinks Olivia is right. Carly has a new life ahead of her; why doesn’t she focus on that?

Nina asks how Willow could say that. She’d never hurt Wiley. Willow says she doesn’t doubt Nina’s love for Wiley; she just doesn’t know what she’ll get with Nina. Nina says she thinks about Wiley all the time, and misses him every day. She realizes she’s made mistakes. It might be hard to believe, but she’s learning from her mistakes, and promises to be more forthcoming in the future. Willow says she wants to keep the door open for Wiley to have a relationship with Nina, but Michael is another story, and she’s starting to understand where he’s coming from. Nina says, do not keep her from her grandchild.

Curtis says, maybe he and Drew planned the wrong move, and Stella tells him, be patient a while longer, and she believes he’ll learn all he needs to know, and then he can make better decisions to keep all of them safe. He says, that’s all that matters, and his phone rings. He says, Drew, and tells Drew that he was just about to call him. Drew says he has news about Curtis’s dad, and Curtis says, never mind about the interview. Drew says, too late, they just finished, and Curtis asks how it went. Drew says, Marshall turned him down. He wouldn’t agree to a background check.

Dante says he’ll look into Betsy’s whereabouts for the last few months or so, when Cameron comes in, and says he just finished talking with the officer. He showed him the hiding place for the key. Dante thanks him, and tells them not to touch the painting for a little longer. He leaves, and Finn asks how Elizabeth is holding up. She says, the thought that Betsy’s been here for months, using her knowledge of Elizabeth and Franco to play these games is creepy. Has she been breaking into the house the entire time? Following her to work, getting her key, and bringing it back? She’s been working too much. Betsy could have hurt the boys, and she wasn’t there to protect them. Cameron says he can protect them just fine. He’s going to get someone to cover his shift. He doesn’t want Elizabeth to be alone. Elizabeth says she doesn’t want Cameron upending his life over this, and Finn suggests he bunk there for a couple days, just until Dante sorts this out. Chase has been bugging him to spend time with Violet, and she’d like it; more candy, staying up late, and Chase could really use her company right now. Elizabeth says, it’s not an imposition? and Finn says, not at all. Under the circumstances, he’d feel better if he stayed. Cameron says, then it’s settled. He’ll get ready for work. He goes upstairs, and Finn holds Elizabeth. She says she doesn’t want Cameron taking this on. Does he thinks she’s overreacting? He says, no. She’s doing the right thing. He’ll stay until she feels safe again.

Carly tells Sam and Olivia, she’s going with her Initial instinct; she deserves a fresh start. They clink glasses, and she says, watch this. With this throw, she releases herself from Sonny and Nina. Good riddance. She throws the ax, and makes a bullseye. Olivia and Sam cheer.

Willow tells Nina, she’s not saying Nina will never see Wiley again, but they need to let things settle. Nina asks what that means, and Willow says she doesn’t think there’s a path to Nina seeing Wiley on Saturday. Nina says, let her remind Willow, as Wiley’s biological grandmother, she has rights in this state. She hasn’t pushed it out of a gesture of goodwill. But if this is the path they’ll be taking now, that Willow and Michael get to decide to block access to her grandson, then they leave her no choice. She will fight for her rights. She walks away.

Tomorrow, Finn asks if Elizabeth thinks he’s accusing her sons; Anna says, the investigation isn’t completely wrapped up; Marshall says, it might not be safe to do that; and Dante thinks Elizabeth has a stalker.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Another show I often wonder why I watch.

Teresa said Luis was the love of her life, and she was going to protect them. She told a producer, go f*** yourself, and peeled out. Jennifer tried calling her, but got voicemail, so she sent a message for Teresa to call. Bill called, saying he was on his way, and Jennifer told him that Teresa had stormed out, but she had no idea what happened. Teresa was having a party at her house, and invited people Jennifer didn’t like, then took off. It was the definition of leaving someone hanging, and now she had to play hostess. Dolores ranted to Frank about Jackie commenting on Bill sticking his d*ck in someone else, and in her interview, she said it pissed her off that Jackie questioned her loyalty to Jennifer, then talked behind Jennifer’s back.

Bill arrived, and the the guests follow shortly after. In Marge’s interview, she said things were improving with Jennifer, but things were awkward with Bill. She had nothing against him, but she had an issue with the way Jennifer chastised women. In particular, this woman. Jennifer told them about Teresa jetting, and Jackie asked what upset her? She wondered if it had something to do with Luis, and Melissa said she was warned this would happen. Marge asked if Teresa took the food, because she was starving, which sounded like something I would say. Jennifer said they had food, and everyone sat outside. Melissa said she and Jennifer were always going at it, and Jennifer insisted she was just teasing. We flashed back to some nasty comments from Jennifer that didn’t look like teasing to me, and Jennifer said she didn’t know Melissa would get offended that much, which was really another dig. Dolores and Frank joined the group, and they started eating. Dolores asked if Teresa was coming, but nobody knew.

Marge wondered if Teresa wasn’t going to show up for her own party, and Melissa said Teresa was terrified they’d talk about Luis. In Teresa’s interview, she said, since Marge brought up the video, she was sure Marge was talking behind her back. She wanted to handle the situation, and said no one should judge, especially about someone’s past. That’s when she steps in. At the party, Marge said Luis wanted to be with Teresa, and things being made public went with the territory. Teresa and Luis arrived, and in Marge’s interview, she said it was so Teresa. She leaves in a huff, and comes back like nothing happened. Joe #2 asked what Lewis played in high school, and without missing a beat, Frank said, with himself. I laughed so hard, I have no idea what Luis said. It suddenly got very quiet, and Marge said, an awkward silence. Traci whispered to Melissa that she wondered if they’d be addressing the elephant in the room, and Teresa honed in on it, demanding, what elephant? Marge told her that Jennifer had said she left in a fit, and Teresa looked all shocked like she had no idea what Jennifer was talking about. Jennifer said Teresa had been upset, and she was unsure if Teresa was coming back, but Teresa insisted that didn’t happen. She said if stuff was going on behind her back, she was going to find out. Marge said nothing was being said behind her back, but they were curious about the video. People were concerned about her. Teresa said, whatever happened in the past was past. All she wanted to focus on was her present and future with Luis. Luis asked what they wanted to know, but Teresa said he didn’t owe anyone an explanation. Marge said, it was out there, and Teresa was a public figure. Why was she so  defensive? Teresa got louder, and said she didn’t like how nasty Marge was, talking behind her back. She’d been with Luis a year, and Marge should be happy for her. Marge said she was happy, but concerned, and Teresa told Luis not to answer Marge’s question. Marge said she hadn’t asked anything, and Teresa said she got protective when someone went after Luis. Marge said, no one was going after him, and Luis got up to talk. Teresa told him, stop, but he ignored her. He told Marge that on her best day, she didn’t intimidate him, and in Marge’s interview, she said she was trying to help him explain himself. Everyone thought the video was crazy. Teresa kept trying to get Luis to stop talking, and he told her that she had two ears and one mouth; stop interrupting him. Marge said the video was all over the internet, and everyone had wondered about the camp. Luis said he’d become good at business, but had grown up in trauma. A friend of his had started a Warrior camp in California where men could visit their pain and get clarity. He had to learn to be vulnerable, and he’d needed to tell someone that he didn’t want to marry them, and apologize for not being honest. In Jackie’s interview, she said, in the video she saw, Luis was asking someone to marry him. In Marge’s interview, she wondered if he was lying to their faces. Luis said he had a thirsty ex who tried to embarrass him by posting it, but he was proud of the work he’d done. Teresa said, happy now? and Joe #2 asked what she was upset about. Jennifer gossiped all the time, and called him a crook, but Teresa still hung out with her. Teresa said he and Melissa hung out with Marge who went after Jennifer. Marge said Jennifer had been coming at her since they met, and in Dolores’s interview, she said she couldn’t believe they were talking about this again. Has she seen the show?

Jennifer said Marge had exposed a secret, but everything she brought up was already out there. Melissa said Jennifer had dug around, trying to find out who Evan was banging, but Jennifer said Frank had said he knew the woman. Frank told her that he’d never said that, and Jennifer threw Bill under the bus, saying, he was the one who told her. In Jackie’s interview, she said, if Jennifer had found out Evan cheated, she would have shouted about it so everyone could hear it. Jennifer had just been trying to hurt her, like Teresa did. Be a real woman and admit it. Tiki walked into the middle of this mess, and I’m surprised he didn’t walk right back out. Melissa said, when it was about Luis, Teresa said they were digging, but when Jennifer went after someone, it wasn’t digging. Jennifer had called her husband a crook. Jennifer said it was hearsay, and already out there. We flashed back to realtor Michelle telling Jennifer that Joe #2 hadn’t paid her husband. Melissa said Jennifer had written a f***ing novel on social media. Jennifer whined that Melissa had started it, and she was retaliating, adding Joe was a little bitch boy. In Melissa’s interview, she said she would never speak of any of the men that way. Melissa got up, and she and Jennifer got in each other’s faces. When Melissa tried to go into the house, Jennifer grabbed her.  

No surprise, this triggered Melissa to start swinging (and rightly so), but Dolores got in the middle. Melissa said Jennifer looked like a loser; have some couth. Jennifer said, no, you, and Melissa said, you don’t you’re your hands on people. Because she can take responsibility for nothing, Jennifer said Melissa started it. Melissa said she didn’t give a f*** about Jennifer, and Jackie said she was done with Jennifer. Jennifer said Jackie had come to her, pretending to be her friend, and then said Bill had stuck his d*ck in someone else. Jackie said, he did. By the way, during this entire thing, Bill just hung around the outskirts, looking like he wasn’t even paying attention. In Jackie’s interview, she said Jennifer had tried to dig up information on Evan, and shown no remorse. Then she put her hands on Jackie’s friend, so she was done with her. Jennifer screeched for Melissa and Jackie to get out of her house. Jackie had tried to ruin her friendship with Dolores. In Dolores’s interview, she said, Jennifer got herself into trouble and pissed people off, but they were ganging up on her right now. Jennifer was hurt, and no one had empathy for her, when her husband had been called out as a cheater. Tiki and Traci escaped with the others, and in the car, Melissa said, Bill can’t stand Jennifer.

Jennifer ranted that Melissa had started with her, then Teresa’s brother got in on it. Um… He is Melissa’s husband. In the car, Melissa said that if her sisters had been sitting there, everybody would need to watch it, but Joe’s sister didn’t even budge, and it annoyed her. As a matter-of-fact, she was going to text Teresa right now. Bill hid in the kitchen with the other guy, and Teresa said she knew Jennifer had no ill intentions. In Frank’s interview, he said, these women are crazy. This wasn’t going to be the end of it, but he was a man’s man, and took the position of not getting involved in women’s drama. Teresa texted Melissa back that she’d make this better tomorrow.

Back at their own house, Dolores told Frank that melissa had charged at Jennifer, and when you charge at someone, where they come from, it means a fight. I don’t know where she got this charging business, since Jennifer grabbed Melissa as she was walking past, but they’re all idiots who make it up as they go along. Joe #2 told Melissa that Jennifer was not a nice person, and Melissa said, Bill checked out of the building, walking away when his wife got in another woman’s face. Jennifer wasn’t happy about that either, and told Bill that he just stood there. He should have gotten in the middle, and now everyone is thinking he didn’t defend her, and probably can’t stand her. Jackie told Evan that she’d made the comment in the context of feeling bad for Jennifer. Jennifer had taken all the pain, when it was Bill who had done wrong. In Jackie’s interview, she said she knew how it hurt because she’d been there, and to think Jennifer had been trying to add to her pain was upsetting. Jennifer had taken the friendship she’d offered, and thrown it in her face. She was done. Joe #3 told Marge that it had been psychotic, and Marge said she was glad they went past the video topic. Luis told them he’d been breaking up with someone, but on the video, he’d asked them to marry him. Tiki told Tracy that he didn’t even get to finish his drink, and Teresa told Luis that Marge had an evil streak. Luis asked if they could stop talking about it. I’m starting to like him, but I wonder if he’ll last.

At Missy G’s, everyone gathered for breakfast, and Jackie wondered what happened at Jennifer’s after they left. At Jennifer’s place, she made a traditional Turkish breakfast. I don’t know what all was on the table, but it looked good, and it was a lot of food. She told the kids to go play because it was going to be adult time. Jennifer insisted Melissa had charged at her. Marge told Joe #3 that Luis had said she wouldn’t intimidate him on her best day. What man would say that to a woman? Melissa got ready for her pink party, and said, pink makes people happy. Teresa said she was going to talk to Melissa. She was family, and Jennifer was a dear friend. She was going to make it worse help then make up.

At Joe #2 and Melissa’s house, everyone got in the pool. They played a stupid game where the couples were asked questions like, who was more likely to…? The questions ended up being mostly about sex, and it was TMI. Jennifer told Gabby that since they weren’t going to Melissa’s party, they’d have a family night, and their own pink party. Dolores found a photo of her and Frank’s first New Year’s Eve together, and OH MY GOD, THE HAIR. In her interview, she said it was her first night out with her older boyfriend, and she was so excited. Frank ended up staying over on a mattress in the living room, and woke to her mom throwing holy water on him. He’d thought the dog was peeing on him. At Melissa and Joe’s, Marge said, a friend who couldn’t be honest with you wasn’t a friend, and Traci wondered why Teresa was staying at Jennifer’s after Jennifer insulted her brother and fought with Melissa. If someone had done that to her, she would demand her siblings not be friends with them. At Jennifer’s, Teresa left for Melissa’s party, and told Jennifer that they’d make it better. Jennifer said, don’t lose her temper.

Melissa squealed over all the pink, and the food looked fantastic. Melissa asked, what happened after they left? and Dolores said Melissa had charged at Jennifer like she was going to hit her. Again, is she watching the same show I am? Melissa said she stood up to make her point, but Dolores said she thought Melissa was going to hit Jennifer, and Melissa said, Jennifer was the one who grabbed her. Marge said Jackie had been empathetic toward Jennifer, and Jackie said that showed how much she could let go of things. Dolores said she thought what Jackie had said was cruel and vulgar, and Jackie said, it had been misconstrued. I’m sure Dolores wished she had a dictionary handy, and Jackie said, Jennifer shouldn’t have had to shoulder all the guilt and shame. In Jackie’s interview, she said, Dolores would take any opportunity to throw her under the bus, and make herself look like the better friend. Jackie said Jennifer had only doubled down on the things she’d said, and she had enough. Dolores said everyone had ganged up on Jennifer, and Traci said, everyone jumped in, but it could have been resolved. Marge said Jennifer never apologized for anything, and she was an a-hole.  

Luis said he felt bad for Jennifer, but Joe #2 said he didn’t. Jennifer had evilness in her. Teresa said, if she thought that was true, she wouldn’t hang out with Jennifer, but Joe said Jennifer was malicious. Crook was a serious word. He’d been offended, but Teresa still hung out with her. Marge said that Jennifer talked sh*t, and Joe said they might have wondered about Luis’s video, but didn’t say he was a crook. In Joe #2’s interview, he said, when Jennifer talked about Teresa’s little brother like that, who’d busted his ass as far back as he could recall, Teresa should have eaten her alive. Traci told Teresa that Jennifer had called Joe #2 a little bitch boy, and you had to stand up for family; it worked both ways. Teresa said, only family? and in Teresa’s interview, she said Traci was trying to cause problems. Traci said she’d think Teresa would want Joe #2 to be vocal in supporting her, if the shoe was on the other foot, and this pissed Teresa off, so she and Luis left the party.

Tell me again how she doesn’t storm off.

Next time, a (literal) hornet’s nest, Dolores asks if Jennifer is still mad about the affair, and Evan tells Bill that Jennifer is not a good person.

🪕 Fare Thee Well…

Meet me tomorrow for soap and some OC. Until then, stay safe, stay having strength in the face of adversity, and stay remembering it’s not healthy to focus on revenge.

February 28, 2022 – The Divorce Papers Are Signed, Hip-Hop PJ Party On Deck, Torturing Myself, Award Worthy & Free

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the phone, Elizabeth leaves a message for Betsy that she got the card. She has some news, and wonders if Betsy can come to town so she can give it to her in person. Even if she can’t come to town, Elizabeth would like to see her. She’s working today, but give her a call. Scotty comes into the hospital, and Elizabeth asks what brings him by. He says, a client; a little slip and fall case. So Peter August finally got what he deserved. Of course (🍷) Scotty wanted him to go to trial and face being charged with Franco’s murder. He doesn’t want anybody to ever forget that. Elizabeth says, her either, and asks if he has a minute. He says, sure, and she asks if he’s ever sensed that Jake or Aiden resented her dating Finn. He says, Aiden, no; Jake, most definitely.

Diane visits Alexis’s office, and says, looking very good behind that desk. Alexis says, not too shabby, huh? and Diane says, not at all. She’s sorry she’s been remiss in not coming by to see Alexis’s new digs. Alexis says, that’s okay. Diane has a law practice with clients, and Diane says, that’s true, but she should always have time for Alexis. Congratulations on her second act. Alexis thanks her, and asks her to sit. She’s glad Diane is there, because she wants to pick Diane’s brain about something, and Diane says, goodie; what’s the subject? Alexis says, the legal question she asked Diane about before, and Diane says, the hypothetical situation where a woman forges a birth certificate for an abandoned child that she never legally adopted. Alexis says, that’s the one, and Diane says, let’s cut to the chase. The woman in question is Alexis’s newfound friend Harmony.

At Charlie’s, Harmony tells Shawn that she’s just on her way out, and he says, she likes the macaroni and cheese balls, doesn’t she? Whenever he tries to rope his son TJ into meeting him, he invites TJ there. She says, they’re a weakness of hers too. She was just having lunch with a friend. He asks if she still hangs with criminals.

Finn comes by the beach house, and says he wanted to see how Chase is doing, and Chase says, now that Bailey’s back with Maxie, her real mother? The way it was always intended to be? Finn says, it still has to hurt, and Chase says, big time. Finn asks if Chase is packed, and Chase says he’s working on it. There’s no point in staying here. Finn asks if Brook feels the same way, but Chase says he wouldn’t know. Brook is gone.

At the penthouse, Carly asks Frank if Sonny is inside, and Frank nods. She’s about to knock, when Sonny opens the door, and asks what she and Drew are doing here. Carly says she guesses she doesn’t have to ask Sonny and Nina that question. Um… It’s his apartment and they’re getting a divorce that she wanted. Why does she think she gets to have an opinion on what he does now?

Chase says, about an hour after Maxie picked Bailey, up, Brook came down with a suitcase. She claimed she was going to Bensonhurst to visit her mother. Finn asks if Lois knows the whole story, but Chase says, just the basics. Brook said she wanted to explain everything face-to-face, but he thinks she just wanted to get away. Finn says he guesses the house seems pretty empty without Bailey in it, and Chase is moving out, Chase says, there’s no point in him staying here now that the whole charade is over, and Finn says he saw Chase and Brook in action together when Bailey went missing. They’re pretty good together. They were there for each other and held each other up. He thought they’d lean on each other again to get through this. Chase says, but then he kissed her and she ran.

Elizabeth says, the boys told her they like Finn, and Scotty says, Aiden likes him okay, but Jake complains about him a lot. Elizabeth is surprised, and he says, Jake’s a teenager. He’s lucky he can get Jake to talk at all; they really just want to text. Jake complains about his brother, about Finn, about no good action movies… She says she’s been worried about him since Jason died, and asks if Scotty thinks he could be acting out. He asks why she says that, and she says, a lot of weird things have been happening recently. Like her wedding ring. She decided to take it off. Scotty says he noticed, and he thinks it’s good. It means she’s decided to move on. She says, but the night she and Finn decided to have their first official date, she found her wedding ring in her locker at GH, like it was some kind of reminder of Franco before she went out on her date. He asks if she thinks Jake did that; he thinks it’s a bit of a stretch. She agrees, but says, who else could it be? How did her ring get from her house to her locker? She asked the kids and they denied it, and seemed sincere, Jake included, but after what he just said, she doesn’t know. Does he think Jake could be trying to tell her something?

Alexis gives Diane some coffee, and says, she of all people knows the value of deniability. She wasn’t hired, therefore isn’t protected by attorney/client privilege. Diane says, if Harmony admits to the forgery, which she hopes wasn’t used in the commission of a crime, it doesn’t matter what she knows. Alexis says, speculation, counselor. She hopes that the person in question is going to do the right thing, and she’s speaking hypothetically because she has to protect her sources. Diane says, that’s right, because Alexis is in journalism now. Hypothetically speaking, she hopes the person in question is trustworthy, and Alexis’s trust is well-placed. With regard to Harmony, she did come through in the end with her testimony against Shiloh, but the woman has a long history of manipulation, and she’d hate to see Alexis taken advantage of. Alexis asks if this is Diane’s way of saying she doesn’t trust her judgement.

Harmony says, criminal? She’s not sure who Shawn is referring to. Shawn says he’s referring to Bucky. He and Shawn go way back to some of Shawn’s more nefarious days. He’s an artist. No one can craft a fake ID like Bucky. Driver’s licenses, fake passports, you name it. She says she had no idea, and he says he thought Harmony said Bucky was her friend. She says, more of a drinking buddy. He plays a mean game of darts, but thanks for his concern. She’s a big girl. She starts to leave, but he steps in front of her, and says he really doesn’t care what she does with her life, but he cares how it affects Alexis. She says she doesn’t see how an occasional game of darts would affect Alexis, and he says, Alexis has a lot of friends in Port Charles who care about her, none of whom would let Harmony drag her into something shady. She says, Alexis is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and he says, that she is, but Harmony is missing his point. Alexis no longer has to take care of herself. She isn’t isolated in Spring Ridge. She has real friends and loved ones around her. Harmony would do well to watch her step around Alexis.

Sonny asks Carly not to start, and she says they need to talk. He says, she already told him that they have nothing to say, and Nina says she’s going to go, but Sonny tells her to stay. Nina says she was going anyway, and Sonny tells Carly and Drew to go inside; he’ll be there in a second. He walks Nina out to the hall, and thanks her for last night. He wasn’t thinking straight, and she stopped him from making a huge mistake. Nina says, their lives are already too complicated, and he says she’s a good friend. She tells him goodbye and leaves, and Sonny goes back inside. He asks if this is about Donna, but Carly says, it’s about Jason.

Harmony tells Shawn that she’s glad Alexis has a strong support system. It’s a challenge reentering society, which they both know. Nina comes in and goes to the bar, and Harmony says she really has to go, and leaves.

Finn tells Chase, let him get this straight. Chase kissed Brook, and she left town. Chase says he knows how bad that sounds, and Finn says, it sounds like Chase needs to check his ego. Brook just had to give up the child she’s raised as her own since birth, and Chase thinks it’s his disgusting kiss that sent her running? Chase thanks him for stopping by, and says, if he’d please leave now, that’d be great. Finn says, he’s kidding. He only knows because he’s been there. Talk to him. Chase says he wouldn’t know where to start, and Finn says, start with the truth. Up until now, when Chase has talked about his feelings for Brook, it was shaded by the pretense that he was Bailey’s father. Now’s his chance to be honest. Chase says he’s sorry about lying about Bailey, and Finn says, it’s done. Peter’s dead, and Bailey is back with Maxie. The only unfinished business is between Chase and Brook. So he’s curious how Chase really feels about her.

Scotty asks if Elizabeth thinks Jake is doing some weird things to break her up with Finn, but she says she doesn’t know. He has struggled in the past, and now with what Scotty is saying about him… Scotty says, that was because of Helena Cassadine, and that was a long time ago. Jake is mentally stable, but he is a teenage boy, and with that, comes a lot of angst and a lot of trouble. She says she knows, and she’s hoping that’s all it is. They sit, and Scotty says, but planting her ring in her locker sends a message. It could be a little more sinister as well. He doesn’t think Jake would ever do that, but somebody did, and that is harassment. She says, there have been some other odd occurrences, and he says, anything dangerous? She says, no, they might not even be related, and he says, if anything goes on that seems fishy or sketchy, she should get ahold of him. There are a lot of criminals out there, so promise him that. She promises, and he says he’ll catch her later. He leaves, and Elizabeth walks toward the elevators, where she sees Betsy. Betsy says, there she is. They said Elizabeth was on this floor, but she began to wonder. Elizabeth asks what she’s doing here, and Betsy says, she got Elizabeth’s message. Elizabeth said she was at work, so here she is. Elizabeth says, but she just called, and Betsy says, she was already in town to visit Bobby. Elizabeth says, she came to visit Franco?

Carly says, she thought Sonny would want to know Maxie is safe, and Peter August is dead. Sonny says, it’s about damn time, and thanks her for making the trip over here. Dante was here earlier. And Drew is here because…? Drew says he was in Switzerland, and can give Sonny the details if he wants, but Sonny says he knows all he needs to know. He died like the dog he was. Drew says, he can attest to that, and tells Carly that she said what she came to say. He can give her a ride back if she wants. She says, no thank you. She’s not done yet. She and Sonny need to get a few things straight.

Elizabeth says she didn’t know Betsy was in Port Charles, and Betsy says, she was at Bobby’s grave when Elizabeth called. She can’t believe it’s already been a year since they lost him. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t think about her sweet boy. She knows Elizabeth understands; she loved him too. Elizabeth says, she did, very much. She called because she wanted Betsy to know, Peter August, the man who killed Franco, is dead. Betsy says, she’s glad. After the hard life Bobby had, he finally found happiness with Elizabeth and her boys. They should have had more time together. Peter robbed them of all the years they should have had with Bobby. Elizabeth says, Franco will always be in her heart, and Betsy says, he’s very present for her too. Sometimes she can even pretend he’s still here. Elizabeth says, he would want Betsy to be happy, and to keep living her life, but Betsy tells her, easier said than done. Elizabeth says she’s had a hard time with it too, but she’s slowly starting to find life after Franco. She’s seeing someone. Betsy says she knows all about it.

Chase tells Finn, his relationship with Brook is complicated, but first of all, they’re friends. That’s why, when he figured out what was going on between her and Maxie, and saw Valentin was about to blow everything up, he stepped in to help cover for her. It was intense, acting like Bailey’s father and assuming those responsibilities, but he saw how relieved Brook was when she had someone to talk to. She could tell him because he knew the truth. She was carrying it all by herself, and she was taking hits from her family, because she was terrified Peter would find out and do exactly what he did, kidnap Bailey. Finn tells him, he never thought he’d say this, but let’s get to the kissing. Chase says, he and Brook were friends, and they had this huge secret between them. Sometimes they’d look at each other, and he thought maybe… but then the moment didn’t last very long, and nothing ever happened between them until they found out the news that Maxie was safe and Peter was dead, and everything was over. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, and he couldn’t pull away – not that he wanted to – and he kissed her. Finn says, and? and Chase says, afterward, she dodged the moment. He could tell Brook wasn’t into it, so he let it go. Finn says, he just let it go? It sounds like this kiss wasn’t a spur of the moment thing for Chase, which begs the question, does Chase have feelings for Brook?

TJ hugs Shawn and says, sorry he’s late; he was in surgery. Shawn says, no problem, and hopes the surgery was a success. TJ says, get this. It started as a simple breast reduction. The patient was experiencing some back problems, so she opted to have a reduction mammoplasty. While she was on the table, they discovered a tumor. Shawn says, as in breast cancer? and TJ says, right. This was a young woman with no family history, no symptoms, and no indication of breast cancer. They were able to remove the entire tumor during the reduction procedure. They don’t know if it’s invasive yet, but his guess is, they caught it early, and women who are diagnosed during reduction have a statistically better chance at survival than the general population. So he’s optimistic. He thinks they might have saved this woman’s life, not just her back. Shawn says, this is definitely worth waiting for, and they have another reason to celebrate. TJ asks, what’s the first one? and Shawn says he wants TJ to know how great these past few months have been, getting the chance to hang out with TJ and get to know him. TJ says, for him as well, but asks why Shawn is talking like it’s over. Shawn says, never, but he does have some news. He found this interesting business opportunity, but he’s going to have to move to San Francisco.  

Drew walks into Charlie’s and sees Nina. She says, guess what? There’s no need to track her down. That collision at Sonny’s penthouse was an unfortunate accident; she didn’t want to run into Carly either. She really tries to avoid Carly altogether. He says he just came in to get something to eat, and she says she’s sorry. It’s just that her friend Phyllis manages this place, and she was hoping to talk to her. He says, no harm done, but since he ran into her, he might as well say thank you.

Alexis asks if she’s fallen so low in Diane’s eyes, that Diane shockingly thinks she doesn’t know when someone is manipulating her? Diane says, that’s the whole point of manipulation, that the person being targeted is never aware they’re being manipulated. That being said, she believes in Alexis. Alexis says, does she, because she’s not feeling it. Diane says, Alexis forged a relationship with Harmony at Spring Ridge. Harmony was the only person Alexis could talk to at a time when she was uncharacteristically vulnerable. Alexis says, when she was vulnerable? and Diane asks how else she would describe incarceration. It was minimum security, but a far cry from the life Alexis was used to. She doubts Alexis’s fellow inmates were good at scintillating conversation. Harmony was the closest thing she had to a contemporary – while she was at Spring Ridge. But now she’s out, and Diane is worried Harmony’s motives are less than pure, and is Alexis sure Harmony is someone who deserves her support? There’s a knock at the door, and Alexis says, come in. It’s Harmony, who asks if she’s interrupting something. Alexis says, Diane was just leaving, and Diane gives Alexis a look, but says, yes, she was just leaving. She has things to do. Nice to see Alexis behind a desk again. She’ll call her next week and they’ll arrange lunch. Good luck with her little project. She leaves, and Harmony says, sorry. She really didn’t mean… Alexis says, stop. She wants to know everything. How did Willow take it when Harmony told her that she wasn’t Willow’s birth mother?

Sonny asks what’s on Carly’s mind, and Carly says, she doesn’t have a say about Avery, but she doesn’t want Nina staying over when Donna is there. It’s going to be a confusing enough situation for Donna. Unless Nina is going to be a permanent fixture. Sonny says, it’s not like that. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt Donny or Avery, and she should know that. She says, there’s a lot she thought she knew about him, and he proved her wrong, so she doesn’t take anything for granted. He asks if she really doesn’t think he’d put Donna and Avery first, and she says she knows he’s a good father, so she trusts he’ll act in the girls’ best interest. He looks at the bottle of scotch, and flashes back to Nina saying he was on a bender, and alcohol can dull the affects of his medication. He could still be emotionally vulnerable until the meds kick in. Carly says she’d like to bring Donna over on Saturday. It will be her first night staying with him, so she’d like to make the transition as easy as possible. She’d also like to be there when he shows Donna her new bedroom, and she’d like to bring some toys over, so Donna feels comfortable. He says, we’re not going to do that.  

Chase says, Finn sure knows how to ask loaded questions, and Finn says he’s welcome. Chase says he doesn’t know how to feel about Brook, and Finn says, on the surface, they’re not an obvious match. Chase says, tell him about it. In the beginning, he couldn’t stand Brook. He thought she was so selfish and self-centered, but that was just a front. Finn says, really? and Chase says, mostly. The more he got to know Brook, the more he was impressed by her strength and courage. She’s gorgeous and makes him laugh, and she’s so loyal; fiercely loyal. She’s a trip, but underneath all that attitude, she’s got a big heart. Finn says, as does Chase. For what it’s worth (🍷), he says Chase should go for it when she gets back. Chase says he doesn’t know when she’s getting back, and she has so much to process. She just gave up Bailey after being her mother for months. He can imagine the emotional roller coaster. He doesn’t want to wreck their friendship pushing for a relationship when he doesn’t know if she’s ready, or if she even wants to be with him. Finn asks, how will he know until he tries?

Elizabeth says, Betsy knows about Finn? and Betsy says she’s seen photos of them together on social media. Elizabeth says she hopes Betsy’s not bothered by their relationship, when Scotty comes along, and says, Betsy Frank. What the hell is she doing here? Betsy says she’s visiting her daughter-in-law. They’re still family. He asks if she’s kidnapped any kids lately, and Betsy thanks Elizabeth for calling her and telling her about Bobby’s killer. She’ll be in touch. She leaves, and Scotty waves his hand dismissively, and says, Elizabeth called her? Elizabeth says, yeah, to tell her about Peter. She didn’t know Betsy was in Port Charles. He asks if Betsy contacts her a lot, and Elizabeth says, no… except for this. She hands him the card, and he asks, what the Sam Hill is this? She wonders if Betsy could be behind all these strange occurrences, and he says, strange is Betsy’s M.O. That makes her suspect number one.

Harmony tells Alexis, she was right there, face-to-face with Willow, and couldn’t say the words. How does she tell the daughter she loves so much that she’s not her biological mother? She’s let Willow down over and over again, and it’s just because of Willow’s big heart that they even have a relationship. And now that they’re talking, Willow is letting her get to know he grandson Wiley. She can’t lose either of them. Alexis says, she understands it’s difficult, but what is Harmony doing? She’s just avoiding the inevitable. Willow needs her birth certificate, and Harmony doesn’t have one. How is she going to explain that? Harmony doesn’t say anything, and Alexis says, she didn’t. Harmony says, Willow needs a birth certificate, so she made sure Willow is going to get one.

Nina asks why Drew is thanking her, and he says, Maxie told him that Nina knew Bailey was really Louise, and she kept it a secret. He thanks her for stepping up and saving that little girl from Peter. She says, Maxie is her family. She should be thanking him for bringing her home, and ending this nightmare. She can hardly wait until Maxie holds Louise, and finally tells Louise that she’s her mother. He says, it will be a beautiful sight, and she apologizes for being defensive. She assumed he thought she was a horrible person after listening to Carly badmouth her. He says, they’re not going to talk about Carly.

Carly says, she’s not trying to step on Sonny’s time with Donna. It’s her first night in a strange place, and Carly wants to be there to help her. He says, it’s not that. He thinks they should postpone Donna staying over. She asks, why? and he says, because he had some problems with his medication, and he’s not feeling 100%. She asks if he thinks it’s a problem with the dosage; does he think it needs to be adjusted? He says, it’s not that. He actually went off his medication for a bit. She asks, for how long? and he says, a few days, but he’s back on and just wants to make sure his levels are up before Donna stays the night. Carly flashes back to Nina saying Sonny wants to be with Carly and needs her, and Carly saying she’s not going to argue with Nina on the subject of her marriage and has nothing left to say. She says, Nina knew Sonny was off his meds, didn’t she?

Elizabeth tells Scotty, if Betsy is pretending Franco’s not dead, maybe Betsy thinks she’s cheating on him with Finn. Scotty says, that woman is out of her gourd. He wants to find her and see what’s going on, but Elizabeth says, there’s no proof that she’s doing anything other than grieving the man she thought was her son. He says, that man was his son, and that crazy woman chiseled him out of a lot of years with Franco. Her grip on reality is tenuous at best. Elizabeth says, it’s only been a year, and she knows Betsy is struggling, but she doesn’t think Betsy is dangerous.

TJ says, Shawn Butler, media mogul. He’s spreading his empire quickly. Shawn says, he has a lot of time to make up for. He can’t be sitting around. TJ says, not much chance of that. He’s proud of Shawn. He lifts his glass, and says, to all the success he’s sure Shawn will have, and Shawn says, back at him. He has no doubt his son is destined for greatness. They clink glasses, and TJ says, he’ll feel a lot more impressive when he and Molly move out of her mom’s house. With their work schedules, it’s taken a lot longer to find a place, but they did. Well, Molly really did. It’s a real nice building at the edge of the Charles Street district. Molly fell in love with it, but there were no vacancies, and every other place they considered, Molly would find a flaw in it, and bring up that building. She finally dragged him over there, and said, knock on doors and leave their card, in case someone is thinking of moving. What do you know, the ground floor tenants were moving out, and they put in an application the same day. Shawn says, sounds like they found the perfect space, but they’re still going to see Alexis, right? TJ says, of course (🍷). Why does he ask? Shawn says he’s worried, and TJ says, he and Molly were too when she got out of Spring Ridge, but ever since Shawn made her editor-in-chief of The Invader, she’s active and engaged. All seems right in Alexis’s world. Shawn says, actually, it’s her affiliation with Harmony he’s worried about.  

Alexis asks how Harmony explained suddenly finding the birth certificate, when Willow and Michael have been looking for weeks, and Harmony tells her that she said Clairborne County was rural and underpopulated, with an antiquated recordkeeping system, which is true. She told Willow that she did a lot of coaxing and called in a few favors, and they unearthed her birth certificate. Alexis asks if Harmony thinks Willow believed that, and Harmony says she thinks Willow was just so relieved at the thought of getting her actual birth certificate… Alexis says, but she isn’t, and Harmony says she knows. She bought another fake, and she knows it’s against the law. Alexis says, you know who else knows? Me. At least it’s a victimless crime. It’s not like she stole a baby; the mother abandoned the baby… right? Harmony just looks at her, and Alexis says, Harmony has a legal problem, but she has a bigger emotional one, because she can’t have an honest relationship with Willow when there’s a huge lie in the middle of it, but it’s not too late to tell the truth. Harmony says she can’t. She’s not strong like Alexis.

Drew says, his opinion of Nina isn’t shaped by what he’s been told. It’s based on what she’s done. What she did to Sonny and his family is so appalling; it’s selfish beyond belief. Let’s be honest. Sonny is not just a simple coffee importer. His absence created a power vacuum, which in turn made it dangerous for his widow. Carly could have died trying to keep his company together. Nina says, she’s sorry she doesn’t know the inner workings of the mob. She goes to pick up her coat, and he says, she didn’t know the details, but she was aware of the general circumstances. The bottom line is, she was a liar, and those lies created a world of damage. Let him be honest. Carly is his friend, and he’s not going to sit around and let her get hurt.

Sonny says he didn’t tell Nina that he was off his medication; she figured it out. Carly says, right, and Nina made a point of telling her that Sonny needed her. At the time, she thought it was manipulation, but it was classic Nina. Trying to clear her conscience so she could tell herself she tried, when really, Nina should have told her was that he was off his bipolar medication. He says he didn’t want her to know. He didn’t want to cause her any more trouble. He didn’t want to worry her, and didn’t want her to come back to him out of pity. She asks, how many times has she gotten him through a breakdown? and he says, many times. That’s why he didn’t want to ask her for help yet again, because of what was going on between them. She says, yet again, he can’t trust her enough to tell her the truth. It just goes to show how apart they’ve grown. It breaks her heart.

TJ says, Shawn doesn’t have to worry, and Shawn says, he feels better knowing that. Alexis is fierce, but she has a weakness for underdogs. TJ says, so does Molly, but it doesn’t extend to someone taking advantage of her mom. Shawn says he’s just sorry he can’t be here to keep Alexis from getting involved in whatever shady business Harmony is involved in.

Alexis says that she thinks Harmony should tell Willow the truth. She thinks Willow deserves the truth, but it’s Harmony’s life and her decision. Harmony says, so Alexis isn’t going to write her off? and Alexis says, Harmony doesn’t make this easy, but Harmony stuck by her, and she didn’t make it easy for Harmony. So she’s afraid Harmony’s stuck with her.

Carly thanks Sonny for being honest about his meds, and she appreciates him putting Donna first. He says, always. He still wants to see Donna, just not overnight. She says, that’s fine with her, and is about to go out the door, but she turns, and tells him, take care of yourself. He says, you too, and she leaves. He looks at the divorce papers sitting on the table.

Nina tells Drew that she has no intention of hurting Carly again. Despite what people may think, she doesn’t live her life with Carly in mind. He says, she certainly wasn’t thinking about Carly when she kept Sonny in Nixon Falls, and she tells him, think of something original to say. What she did was horrible, but she can’t change it now. He says, that’s so convenient. She can’t change what she did, but gets a free pass? She actually reserves the right to feel sorry for herself when someone is calling her out. She says, what about him? Is this some kind of sick game he’s playing? Setting her up by saying he wants to thank her, when he obviously despises her. He says, she approached him, and when he thanked her for what she did for Maxie, she brought up Carly. She slipped in there that Carly was badmouthing her. Nina says, he’s right. That was her mistake, because she doesn’t care what Carly thinks about her. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her anymore. She just wants to move on with her life. He says, with Sonny, and she says she cares about Sonny, but they are not together. Drew asks if Sonny knows that.

Sonny picks up the divorce papers, and signs them. In the hallway, Carly takes the papers out of her bag, and signs them, holding them against the wall. This looks kind of stupid, and I think, she couldn’t wait to get to a flat, level surface?

Chase tells Finn that he doesn’t want to complicate things for Brook right now. What he thinks she needs most is a friend, so that’s what he’s going to be. Finn says, at the end of the day, Chase is a good man. Chase thanks him, and Finn says, he’ll let Chase get back to his packing. He has to run a few errands before he heads to Elizabeth’s. Chase says he’s sorry. They just talked about him the whole time. Finn says, that’s the way he likes it. He doesn’t want to talk about his feelings. Chase asks if things are okay with Finn and Elizabeth, and Finn says, things between him and Elizabeth are okay. Although there are some strange things happening that have her a little on edge.  

Elizabeth comes home. She sees something, and drops the mail in her hands. She says, oh God, and we see Franco’s painting of her, propped up in the living room.

Tomorrow, Drew feels the same way, Stella asks if someone is out of their damn mind, Curtis wants to know what’s going on with Nina and Sonny, and Willow says, now’s the time.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

When we last left, Gabriela told primary McCordia to go to bed after he asked her what two women did together. In her interview, she said, with her experience in bartending, she learned how to talk to drunk people, and how to tell people to f*** off politely. She wondered what she’d done to deserve this. Chris mopped the deck, and in his interview, he said he had to turn things around with less talk and more walk.  

Daisy explained to Chef Marcos that they serve as the guests get up, and in Marcos’s interview, he said the guests had big appetites. We flashed back to them still being hungry after a substantial dinner, and he said he planned on making a lot of food until they told him to stop. Daisy told him that two guests were awake, and wanted to start eating. Gabriela told Daisy and Ashley about McCordia’s drunk talk, and Daisy said that’s why she couldn’t give up drinking. She’d have to listen to drunk people sober. It was beach picnic day, and Gary suggested getting to the beach as soon as possible. Captain Glenn told him to grab some chairs and stake a claim. When McCordia got up, he said he hoped he hadn’t offended Gabriela, but she said he hadn’t. She’d worked the bar in a strip club in Miami, and he was nothing in comparison.

Gabriela taught Ashley about hospital corners on the beds, which seemed to annoy Ashley. Daisy said Gabriela would go to the beach for setting up, and she’d send Ashley with the food later. In Gabriela’s interview, she said she wanted Daisy to be able to depend on her as second stew, but she’d only done two beach picnics. Still, she had this; no big deal. The wind was against Gabriela trying to set up on the beach, and she told Kelsie that it wasn’t the guests or the work, but the f***ing elements that made yachting difficult. Everything kept falling over, and in her interview, Gabriela said that the picnic was a f***ing mess. The joke was on her. She was going to look like an a-hole.

The guests arrived at the beach, and in Gabriela’s interview, she said she was going to distract them from the mess with more champagne. She made mimosas and guest Ailaya toasted to a great lunch, a beautiful island, and her 43rd birthday. The food was served, and Gabriela reminded Ashley to serve from the left, which seemed to piss Ashley off. Marcos told Colin that he was going to knock their socks off tonight, and had a birthday cake to bake. They talked about being in the yachting business, and Colin said he’d been doing it for five years. Marcos said he’d been in yachting for twenty years, and had been all over the world. The only place he couldn’t go was Venezuela. In his interview, he got emotional while saying, he used to cook for the dictator president, and whoever quit become a target. He left because he realized he’d die at some point. He told Colin that a lot of them couldn’t make it because they got killed. His family had tried to get back together, and he missed them. Whenever he had issues or problems, he remembered that. Gary called for the guests to be picked up, and Tom told Ashley that she needed to learn to drink. In his interview, he said, Ashley thought his personality wasn’t mature. She wanted him to be boring. Gabriela wondered why Ashley wouldn’t date out of the older age group if a guy was cool and she liked him.

The guests came back to the boat, and asked for a snack. Glenn thought they’d do some sailing, and Gary said the wind was only at 7½ knots, so they shouldn’t be heeling too hard. Marcos made shish-ka-bobs, and in his interview, he told us, the one thing you’d never hear him say was that he can’t do that. He wasn’t happy, but had to keep it moving. Shortly after the ka-bobs were served, everything tilted. Balancing the cake, Marcos said it was the most important. The table of food fell, and everything crashed to the deck. In Daisy’s interview, she said, Gary didn’t think it would heel this hard. Come on, Gary. She made sure no one was hurt, and in Glenn’s interview, he said, it happens. Deal with it. They can always make more drinks. The stews cleaned up the mess, and Glenn let Kelsie take the wheel. Marcos prayed for strength, and Daisy asked Gary if he was trying to piss her off. In his interview, he said she had a nice ass, and she told him that the whole table was smashed, and there was glass everywhere. I still do not get what the attraction to Gary is. He isn’t particularly brilliant or funny, he’s average looking, he seems like a jerk, and to top it off, he wears a man bun. The only two people in my book who get to wear a man bun are Sensei Guillermo Gomez and Roger Howarth.

Glenn dropped the sails and the anchor. Daisy told the other stews that she was thinking a fancy dinner, black and gold, and afterward, they’d have the hip-hop PJ party. Ashley was asked to help set the table, and in her interview, she said she wasn’t the most artistic person, but if it wasn’t laundry or being bossed around by Gabriela, she’d take it. The guests sat down for dinner, and Daisy took a photo. In Marcos’s interview, he said, normally, the portions of a tasting menu were small, but these guests couldn’t stop eating. He was going make sure there was a lot of food on their plates. They were going to beg him to stop. McCordia licked his plate for the second course, and I thought, Marcos must be living in a dream world. Daisy told the guests that the PJ party would be at 11:15, and they requested the deckhands go shirtless. I cringed. In Tom’s interview, he said he was from the north, and they needed a layer of fat to keep warm. He took off his shirt, and asked if someone called for a dad bod. And yes, it is.

The guests gathered on deck, and Tom brought out the cake. Ailaya said it was amazing, and thanked everyone so much. Glenn came out wearing a bucket hat and pants with a crotch down to the knees. Tom put icing on his nipples, and Gary and McCordia licked it off. There was lots of screeching, and I was beyond cringing. Gabriela did the robot, and several of the crew made an attempt at break dancing. The guests went to bed at a reasonable 2 am.  

On the final day, Marcos said it was the last meal and he needed to smash it. He was making brunch, and going to put so much food on the table, there was no way the guests would leave hungry. Ashley said she couldn’t wait to go out and have a shot of tequila, and Gary said she was naughty. Ugh. In Glenn’s interview, he said, Daisy and Gary were working better together this season, and we flashed back to last season. He said they were both quite stubborn, but good at their jobs. He wanted them to keep it going. Colin asked if Gary had been flirting with Ashley, but Gary said Ashley had been flirting with him. Colin told him to hurry up since he wanted to live vicariously. The guests started to get up, and Daisy told Marcos that she was going to bring the food up slowly. Anchor was raised, and the guests packed.

In his interview, Gary told us the fundamentals of docking, to which I paid zero attention. In Tom’s interview, he said he didn’t know what anything was called because the slang was different. He was afraid he was going to look stupid. He was getting no direction, and just guessing, and it was pissing him off. Lots of pissed off people in this episode. He told Colin that he needed one person talking; he couldn’t listen to nine people. Where he got that number from, I have no idea. Glenn coached him through, and afterwards, Tom said he didn’t enjoy it at all. He told Gary that he’d just been guessing, but Gary said he did fine.

The guests said goodbye, and there were lots of hugs for Marcos. Guest Arnita said the service was amazing, and thanked Tom for the party. She said she couldn’t tell them how much the food was appreciated. When the food was right, everything was right. She gave Glenn the tip envelope, and Glenn told the crew to keep waving, while he went back inside the boat, and tooted the horn. He told the crew, well done, and asked them to meet in the saloon for the tip meeting.

They gathered on the huge semicircle couch, and Glenn told them, fantastic charter. That Marcos warranted a mention said a lot about his culinary skills. The interior kept the drinks flowing, and he liked the way the department heads were working together. In Gary’s interview, he said, if it kept Daisy off his back, he’d put on his stew face. The tip was $17, 800, or $1955 each, and Ashley said, that’s what they were here for. Glenn said, Tom had a little issue the other night, but the next morning was no worse for the wear. That’s what he needed, but they should pace themselves. They had a long time to go. The crew got ready to go out.

Gary flirted with Daisy, and Ashley said he was testing the waters. He said he didn’t know what she was talking about, even though I’m sure he did. They went to a restaurant, and toasted to nothing in particular. Tom drank beer, saying, he was better on beer than mixers, and Ashley hoped she didn’t turn out like Tom tonight. In Tom’s interview, he said, he wasn’t a complete twat or a child. Gabriela said she hated small talk, and Ashley told Colin that just because she was third stew didn’t mean she was sh*t. It was hard to be fake.

Gabriela called for going in the jacuzzi when they got back to the boat. Back on board, Ashley chugged from a bottle, and Gabriela said she was an animal. In Ashley’s interview, she said, if it was up to her, she’d spend the rest of the night in the guest cabin with Gary. She didn’t want to cause trouble, but she knew how good she looked with her boobies hanging out of her bathing suit. In Gabriela’s interview, she said she liked defiant drunk Daisy. Daisy was a little intimidating, and she loved it. The crew got in the hot tub, and Gary licked Daisy’s toes, for which there was no cringe big enough. Glenn wisely slept in his cabin with his headphones on, and Gary went down to the bar. Ashley followed, and in Tom’s interview, he said he had no chance. Nothing happened though, and everyone went to bed in their respective bunks. Ashley, Tom, and Colin hung out for a while in the crew mess, eating, and Ashley told Tom that no girls would go for him because of his age. At least not sober. She felt she was more mature than he was. He stomped off, saying, he was not immature. She said, he threw up on the first night, and he turned back, saying, she was basing her opinion around one mistake. In his interview, he said, if she liked maturity, jump on the Gary wagon. He told her, f*** off, and went to bed.

Next time, disrespectful and exhausting guests, Gabriela thinks Ashley is trying to make her look bad, and the primary complains he’s had better food at the ballpark, which I find extremely difficult to believe.

🏖 On Summer House, which I watched peripherally because I’m sick in the head, they had some kind of B&D/S&M party, and looked like a bunch of kids playing weird dress-up. Looking somewhat out-of-place was Kyle in a state trooper outfit, chugging from a bottle. Paige called Craig to tell him about the group’s drunken make-out game, and he asked if she kissed anyone. She told him that she made out with Adrian for a second, and he got pissed off. He probably shouldn’t have asked, but apparently they weren’t exclusive at that point, so it’s not like she shouldn’t have fun. That is, if playing elevated spin-the-bottle at her age is fun. Kyle said, everyone seemed to have opinions, questions, and doubts about his and Amanda’s relationship, but until they lived with their significant others, planned three wedding dates, and tried to keep the excitement alive, they could keep it to themselves. He needed rallying, not questioning. Lindsay wondered WTF she missed, and I wondered why I keep watching this trash. I’m going with the can’t turn away from a trainwreck theory.

🏆 To Round Out the Month…

The winners and the fashion.

https://www.etonline.com/53rd-naacp-image-awards-the-complete-winners-list-179572

https://ew.com/awards/sag-awards/sag-awards-2022-full-winners-list/

📅 Calling It a Month…

Drop by tomorrow for soap and a New Jersey showdown. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping your feet on the ground, and stay knowing that if you have to tell everyone how mature you are and how good you look, you’re probably not and you probably don’t.