What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Finn tells Elizabeth, something doesn’t add up. If Nikolas always knew he could vouch for her whereabouts, why didn’t he just say that? More to the point, why didn’t she? She says, because Nikolas is lying.

Trina tells Ava that she’s going to be okay. Her family is right outside, even Spencer, just waiting for her to wake up. The alarm on the machine starts going off, and Trina runs out, yelling for help.

In Valentin’s hotel room (um… what happened between the pool and here?), Valentin tells Anna, they’ve been keeping secrets from one another. She says, they have? and he says he thinks it’s time they stop doing that. Put their cards on the table. She asks if he’d like to go first, but he says he thinks they can both jump in as need be. She’s got Lucy Coe trying to get information on him. That’s clever. She says, given the players, she thought sequins might be a good camouflage because he’s been so opaque. He says he has his reasons. Actually, he has one very good reason. She says, his daughter. Charlotte’s in danger, isn’t she?

Curtis asks what brings Drew by to The Savoy, and Drew says, after everything that happened at the family manse yesterday, he needed a bit of a distraction. Curtis says he heard what happened to Ava. Is she going to be okay? Portia joins them, and Drew says, last he heard, she’s critical, but stable. Portia says, it’s so horrible. Do they have any idea who might have done this to her? Drew says, the PCPD is working on it, the boathouse is cordoned off as a crime scene, and he spent most of the morning answering questions. Portia says, no wonder he needed a distraction, and Curtis says, speaking of distractions, should he tell Drew or does she want to? Drew says, tell him what? and Portia shows him her ring. Curtis says, they got engaged.

Carly lovingly cleans around the moss bowl🎍, and flashes back to blowing off a relationship with Drew. There’s a knock at the door, and Bobbie comes in. She says, Carly was a million miles away just now, and Carly says she was thinking things out. Bobbie says, that’s why she’s here. Her daughter needs her, and she’s here for her. They hug.

Finn tells Elizabeth, Nikolas lied; what a shocker. But he did find them together. She says she wasn’t with Nikolas the whole time, and he asks why Nikolas told Jordan that she was. She says, he was being a friend and covering for her, and he asks, where was she then? She says she doesn’t know, and he says, the Quartermaine estate is a big place. Nobody could fault her for not knowing where she was. She says she hasn’t told him everything. It’s time she did.

Bobbie asks how Avery is taking it, and Carly says, she’s really upset and confused. She can’t go away to a seminar with Avery’s mother in the hospital. Bobbie says, mmm… and Carly says, if she wants to say something, just say it. Bobbie says, Carly is using Ava’s stabbing as an excuse not to go, and Carly asks why she’d need an excuse. Bobbie says, after the merger disaster, Carly picked herself up, and was so excited to get her life back on track. Now she’s looking for excuses not to take the next step. So what changed?

Drew congratulates Curtis and Portia, and says he’s so happy for them. Portia says, they’re pretty excited about it themselves, and Curtis says, they’re pretty lucky, aren’t they. She says, yeah, they are.

Dr. Valero comes out of Ava’s room, and Nikolas asks, what’s happening? Why did the alarms go off?

Valentin says, Victor has Charlotte, and Anna says she wanted to be wrong. How did he get to her? Valentin says he thought Charlotte was safe. Peter was gone, and he made the mistake of letting his guard down. She says she thinks they both underestimated Victor. Using your granddaughter as hostage is a new low. He says, that’s the thing about his father; he has no low to hit. Victor saved Charlotte from Peter. She wanted to see him in the clinic, and he thought it was okay for Victor to bring her to him. She says, and he took her? and he says, as soon as he left the clinic, Victor took her to her new school, a state-of-the-art security boarding school, a place where sheiks and oligarchs send their children. He can send texts and call, but neither the school nor Victor will allow him physical contact. She says, with Valentin’s daughter as leverage, Victor knows he has control over him, and Valentin says, that’s exactly right. Victor made it very clear that Valentin has do everything he says, or he’s going to hurt her.

Dr. Valero tells Nikolas, Ava’s blood pressure was dangerously low. They gave her medication to stabilize it. Nikolas says, but she’s stable, and the doctor says, with her vitals and the way she’s responding to medication, they expect her to regain consciousness soon. Nikolas asks if he can see her, and Dr. Valero says, of course (🎍).Trina says she’s going to the vending machine, and Spencer says he’ll go with her. They leave, and Victor asks how Nikolas is holding up. Nikolas says he’s concerned about his wife, and goes into Ava’s room. Jordan suggests Victor let Nikolas have some time alone with Ava. It’s his turn to answer questions.

Curtis tells Drew, now that the charges have been dropped, PCU expunged their Title IX ruling, and reinstated Trina. Drew says, that’s so great that they’re throwing Trina a party. She deserves to have a little bit of fun after everything she’s been through. Curtis says he just wishes she didn’t have to worry about Ava now, when Portia comes over, and says, she has to check on some patients before the party. She’ll see Curtis tonight. She tells Drew, it’s good to see him, and leaves. Curtis says, now that it’s just the two of them, does Drew want to tell him the real reason he stopped by?

Carly tells Bobbie that she can’t fly off to Aruba to take a leadership course when her personal life is complicated. Bobbie says, don’t tell her this is about Sonny, and Carly says, God no. This is about Jason. Bobbie asks how Jason can be causing her problems, and Carly says she thinks she has feelings for his brother. Bobbie says, oh, that, and Carly asks what she means. Bobbie says, everybody knows, and Carly asks what everybody thinks they know. Bobbie says she doesn’t know what the big deal is. They’re both heathy, single adults. Carly says, it’s not nearly that simple, and Bobbie says, tell her everything. Carly says, after Jason died, she and Drew were getting closer and becoming friends. Then they started what she thought was just harmless flirting. Now she realizes she has feelings for him. Bobbie asks if Drew returns the feelings, and Carly says, she thinks so… yes. Yesterday at the picnic, she asked him point blank what was going on. Bobbie says she knows that look. She takes it the conversation went pretty well. Carly says, after a while, there wasn’t a lot of talking going on, so… Bobbie says she loves those conversations, and Carly says, but before it got too hot, the fire stopped everything. Bobbie says, Carly lost her, and Carly says, they left the grill unattended, but it was fine because someone put the fire out, and it gave her and Drew a minute to think. He stopped by earlier because he wanted to talk about where she thought things should go between them. Bobbie asks what she told him, and Carly says, she told him, in the past year, she lost her marriage, her career, and her best friend, and that her life has gone from stable to uncharted, and it wouldn’t be fair for her to start anything with him when she wasn’t sure where her life was going. Bobbie says, so Carly is putting her life on hold to protect Drew. The last time she looked, Drew was perfectly capable of protecting himself.

Drew asks if Curtis is accusing him of ulterior motives in looking up a friend, and Curtis says, Drew looks like he’s got something on his mind. Drew says he just came from Carly’s and… Yesterday at the Quartermaine picnic, Carly accused him of flirting with her. Curtis says, was he? and Drew says, oh yeah. Curtis asks if she returned the vibe, and Drew says, yes… but when he went to talk to her today, and told her that he wanted to see where this would go, she said she needs to sort her own life out first. Curtis tells Drew, he hates to say it, but she might be right, and Drew says, probably. Curtis says, and while she’s getting her house in order, maybe Drew should do the same.

Elizabeth says, Nikolas needed to cover for her because she didn’t know where she was, and Finn asks if she thinks she lost time again. She says, yes, and he says, maybe she doesn’t remember because she hit her head, but she says she’s lost consciousness before. This was different. It was like when those pills were making her sleepwalk, which means she can’t explain her whereabouts when Ava was attacked. Nikolas knew it would make the police suspicious, and she can’t risk anything happening to her because her boys need her. She doesn’t know what to do. She needs help. He takes her hands, and tells her, start from the beginning. They’ll figure this out together.

Jordan says, DA Scorpio said Victor showed up at the boathouse after Ava was found, and Victor says, one of many. They were concerned when they saw the police there. She says, prior to that, can he tell her where he was and who he was with? and he says, when Ava was so viciously attacked, he was with Spencer; he’d been taken ill. She asks if he’s sure, because the Quartermaine staffer who confirmed Spencer was intoxicated at the time of the attack said he was alone. Another witness stated they saw Victor and Spencer at around 10:15 pm, after the attack. Nikolas already stated he was with Elizabeth Baldwin when Ava was assaulted. So can anyone confirm his whereabouts? He says he commends Jordan on her pursuit of justice, but right now, his family needs him. He trusts they’ll find the person responsible for this dreadful crime. She thanks him for his time, and says she will be following up.

Nikolas tells Ava, Dr. Valero thinks she’ll wake up soon. He wonders if she’ll be able to tell them what she saw. She opens her eyes, and whimpers, no… Stop… She sees him, and says, Nikolas.

Elizabeth says, after she and Finn fought about him calling Sarah, she stormed off, and then she blacked out. He says, maybe their fight triggered it? and she says, maybe. She was angry, and all she could hear was his voice telling her that her boys were probably aware that she has a problem. Then she was someplace else, and has no idea how she got there. That’s when Nikolas showed up. He says, that was around the time Ava was attacked, and she says she has zero recollection of where she was or what she was doing. He says, even if she doesn’t remember, there’s no way she did this. She asks how he can be sure, and he says, she had no reason to want to hurt Ava. She says she hurt Chase, and he says, that’s because whatever part of her subconscious is doing this, didn’t want him to discover what was going on. She says, what if she ran into Ava, and perceived her as a threat? Anything is possible. She doesn’t know what she was doing.

Drew asks what Curtis means by getting his own house in order, and Curtis asks what Drew’s done since he came back to town. First, he threw himself into investigating Victor Cassadine. Then it was helping the Quartermaines get ELQ back from Valentin. Drew says, those are important things, and Curtis says, they are, to other people. Drew asks if Curtis is saying he should be more selfish, and Curtis tells him, he’s saying Drew’s been so busy righting the wrongs from his past, he stopped himself from moving forward.

Carly says, maybe Bobbie is right. Maybe she’s not protecting Drew; maybe she’s protecting herself. Bobbie says, from what? and Carly says, you tell me. How could it not be a mistake, after everything that’s happened in her life, to get involved with Jason’s brother? Bobbie asks if she’s afraid she’s seeing Drew as a substitute, but Carly says, of course (🍷) not. Bobbie says, because nobody could take Jason’s place in her life, and Carly says, exactly. Bobbie says, Jason was her safety net. No matter what shenanigans Carly got up to, no matter how questionable her behavior, and believe her, she’s not judging… Carly asks if she’s sure, and Bobbie says, Jason woudn’t either. There was nothing Carly could ever do to drive Jason away. He might be hurt, angry, or bitterly disappointed, but Jason would never turn his back on Carly, even when she might have deserved it. But Drew might not be as forgiving of her impulses. Carly flashes back to finding out Nina is Willow’s mother, and Bobbie says, like whatever it is she’s thinking about right now.

Portia sees Spencer and Trina at the hospital, and Trina runs over to hug her. Portia asks how Trina’s holding up, and Trina says, she was in the room with Ava when the alarms started going off. Portia asks if Ava is okay, and Trina tells her, the doctor said she’s going to be fine, but she’s scared out of mind. Portia says she’s sorry Trina has to go through this right now, especially after everything else. Trina says, about that. She was thinking maybe tonight isn’t the best time for a party. Would Portia be upset if they canceled it?

Victor joins Spencer, and Spencer asks if there’s any change with Ava. Victor says, not that he’s aware of. He’s been held up by the Police Commissioner. That’s someone who could benefit from more professional detachment. Spencer says, meaning? and Victor says, meaning, if Commissioner Ashford continues to make these insinuations disguised as questions, she’s going to find out the hard way what it’s like to cross a Cassadine.

Anna says, for what it’s worth (🍷), she knows what he’s going through, and he says he knows she does. He wishes she could teach him how she handled it, because Charlotte’s not safe, and there’s nothing he can do about it. He’s close to tears, and says, he’s helpless. She asks why he didn’t tell her. Obviously not at first, since he couldn’t risk having a message intercepted, but when he came home, she was here. He says, please believe him; he had no choice. Protecting Charlotte is his only priority. If Victor even knew they were having this conversation, there’s no telling what he would do to her. He’s going insane. She hugs him, and says she understands. They’ll bring Charlotte home, she promises, but in order to do it, they have to take Victor down. Valentin’s been working for him since he left the clinic? Valentin says he has, and she asks if he’s done everything Victor asked. He says, just about, and she says, what has Victor asked him to do?

Finn tells Elizabeth, they have to rule out a few things out. Has she been taking any pills again? She says, not since she checked herself out of Shadybrook. This came on, on its own. She doesn’t know what’s happening to her. He says, something triggered it. She said she was replaying their fight in her head. Anything else? She says, yeah. She’s been having these fragments of a memory. She’s a teenager, and she’s shouting at a woman to stay away from her father. He asks, what woman? and she says she doesn’t know; no one she remembers or recognizes. It happened again after their fight. That’s the last thing she remembers until she came to. He asks, how often has this been happening? and she says, the first time, it was after she talked to Scotty about walking in on Finn and Terry talking about her behind her back. He says, and this time, it was after she was angry about him calling Sarah. These events have something in common; she was angry at him. She says, there was another time. When she checked herself out of Shadybrook and came to work. Does he remember how he found her on the stairwell? She doesn’t think this is being cause by their arguments or her being angry. These images are happening every time somebody confronts her about what’s been happening, and normally that person is him. Maybe it’s more than grief over losing Franco. There’s something very wrong with her.

Jordan goes into Ava’s room, and Nikolas says, please. His wife just woke up and she’s in distress. She’s in no condition to answer questions. Jordan says she got the okay from Dr. Valero, but he says, she’ll also need his okay, and he’s not okay. Ava asks, what happened? and Jordan goes over to her bed. She says, Ava is in ICU. She was stabbed last night. They’re making every effort to find out who did this to her, but time is of the essence. Does she feel up to answering some questions? Nikolas says he wants them to find out who did this more than anybody, but not at the expense of Ava’s recovery. Ava says she wants to talk. She doesn’t know if she can help though. She didn’t see who attacked her. Jordan asks, what’s the last thing Ava remembers? and Ava says, she was at the Quartermaines; she was outside the boathouse. Jordan asks if anyone was with her, but Ava says, she was alone; she thought so. She wanted to take a moment for herself. Then there was pain… here. Jordan asks what else she remembers, but Ava says she’s sorry. It’s all a blur after that. She thinks she tried to call out for help. Does Jordan know who found her? Jordan says, Josslyn Jax. She and a man who works for Sonny found her. They saved her life. What was she doing prior to being at the boathouse? Why did she need a moment alone? Ava looks at Nikolas, and flashes back to Nikolas accusing her of not wanting him to be close with Spencer, because she only has herself to blame for her failed relationship with Kiki. Nikolas tells Jordan, clearly his wife needs rest; this can wait. Jordan says, when Ava woke up, she seemed upset with her husband. Why is that? Ava says, they had a fight.

Carly tells Bobbie that she doesn’t want to use Drew as a crutch to get over everything that’s happened, and Bobbie asks if he isn’t already. Carly says, as a friend, yes, but that’s not what either one of them are talking about. If something happens between her and Drew, they want it to be about them, not a rebound. Bobbie says she doesn’t see them being a rebound thing, and Carly says, neither does she, because it’s not going to happen. Bobbie says, what about all those feelings she just admitted to having? They’re not going to go away. And Carly knows better than anyone, you can’t help who you fall for. Carly says, they’ll just have to deal with it, and who knows? Maybe someday something will happen between her and Drew, but the way things are now, she can’t afford to lose a friend.

Drew tells Curtis, when he was in that cell, all he wanted was to get back to the life he remembered. Although he shouldn’t have been surprised when he got back, and time hadn’t stopped. Curtis says, time doesn’t do that no matter how nicely we ask, and Drew says, Curtis and Portia were lucky the found their way back. Curtis says, they weren’t lucky. They worked hard to get to where they are now, and to get away from the mistakes of their past. When he and Portia got together back in the day, she was married. He didn’t know that, and he was in his first year of recovery. Drew says, they still had a connection, but Curtis says, it was nothing they could build on, so inevitably, it ended badly. Now that they find themselves back together, they’re the same people, but they’re in different places. Drew says, better places, and Curtis says, much better places. The thing is, they’re not trying to recreate the past. They’re exploring the beautiful future. Drew says, that’s the thing with Carly. The future he wants with her is nothing like their pasts. He know what Curtis is going to say; that he has to respect the fact Carly doesn’t want to mess with their friendship. Curtis says, valid, but it’s also a good excuse not to take risks. Drew says, she doesn’t think it’s time. And he wishes she didn’t feel that way. He thinks they could be incredible together, but just because he’s ready to move forward, doesn’t mean she is.

Anna asks if Valentin is the French captain, and he says, Captain Françoise Olivier. She says she wishes she were more surprised, and he says he’s so sorry, but she says, please don’t. She understands why he did what he did. What is Victor after? Why is he doing all of this? Valentin says he doesn’t know. Victor won’t tell him, and he doesn’t have to. He’s got Charlotte. Valentin is completely in the dark. She says, now that she knows Jennifer was framed, she can call the WSB, but he says, that’s out of the question. This has to stay between them. If it doesn’t, and Victor knows Valentin betrayed him, he’ll take it out on Charlotte. She says, they can’t leave an innocent woman in prison, but he says he’s too far in. He’s not going to let anything happen to Charlotte. He’s not going to lose his daughter.

Jordan asks what Ava and Nikolas fought about, and Ava says, what they always fight about – his son. She and Spencer don’t like each other very much and it causes friction. Jordan says, and this was right before Ava was attacked? How heated did the argument get? Nikolas says he didn’t stab his wife. How is this relevant? Jordan says, it’s relevant because this morning, she asked Nikolas if Ava was upset before she was attacked. She asked if Ava experienced any conflict, and he said no, yet here she is, having fought with his son. Why did he lie to her? He says, the Cassadine family’s arguments are traditionally dramatic. So when she asked him about conflict, he assumed she meant outside of the family. (Nice try.) She says she’d love to believe that, and he says, one thing both of them should believe is that he deeply regrets getting in a fight with Ava. If they hadn’t fought, she might not have gone to that damn boathouse, and he might have been there to stop anyone who wanted to cause her harm. Instead, he was venting about the argument to Elizabeth. He’s so sorry. He should have never left her side. One silly fight, and he almost lost her. He should have been there for her. Ava thanks him, and says, it’s the thought that counts. She says she’s getting a little tired, and Jordan says she understands. She thanks Ava for speaking with her. They’ll pick this up when she’s feeling stronger. She’ll speak with Nikolas later. She leaves, and he asks how Ava is feeling. When he heard she was attacked, he was so scared. She shrinks away from him, and he asks, what’s wrong? She says, last night, they said a lot of things to each other, and he says, they did… Wait. She doesn’t think he did this to her, does she?

Portia says, of course (🍷) they can cancel the party, but is Trina sure? She’s always putting everyone else’s needs before her own. And after everything Trina’s been through, doesn’t she think she deserves an evening to herself to celebrate her accomplishments? Trina says she wants to do that, but she also wants Ava to be there. Portia says, and when Ava wakes up, what does Trina think she’ll say when she finds out Trina canceled the party on her account? Trina tells her, Ava would probably say she shouldn’t have, and Portia says, the Ava she knows, would insist she have the party as planned. It’s high time Trina focused on herself.

Walking through the hospital, Spencer says, he has no idea why they’re protecting his father, and Victor says, how many times does he have to tell Spencer? We Cassadines protect our own. Spencer says, there are limits. His father deserves to be in prison for the things he’s done. Victor says, this is one thing he didn’t do. The only interesting piece of information from Commissioner Ashford is that Spencer’s father has an airtight alibi. He was with Elizabeth Baldwin when Ava was being attacked. Spencer says, even better. If his father isn’t the one who hurt Ava, he has zero reason to withhold the truth. He will tell Commissioner Ashford that his father slept with Esme.

Nikolas says, Ava knows he’s not the one who did this to her, doesn’t she? and she says, he couldn’t have. He was with Elizabeth. He says, he was, but that’s not the only reason she thinks… She says she doesn’t know what to think, and he says, he’d never do anything like this; no matter what they said, no matter how angry. Please tell him that she believes him. She says she’s tired. She wants to be alone. Let her rest.

Trina sees Jordan, and asks, how’s Ava? Jordan says, she’s awake, and Trina hugs Portia. She says she has to text Joss and tell her the news. She runs off, and Spencer and Victor come by. Spencer tries to say something to Jordan, but Victor cuts him off, saying, that’s wonderful news about our Ava. He thanks her, and tells Spencer, shall we? He leads Spencer away, but Spencer keeps looking back at Jordan. Trina comes back, and asks if Portia thinks she has enough time to get some of Ava’s stuff before the party. Now that she’s awake, she’s sure Ava will want something familiar with her. Portia says, she’ll be cutting it close. Windymere isn’t exactly around the corner. Trina says, but the MetroCourt is, and that’s where she’s been staying the last couple of days. Portia says, in that case, Trina can take her car. They leave, and nothing is lost on Jordan.  

Victor says, listen to him, great-nephew. He’s only going to tell Spencer this once, and he’s going to remember it for the rest of his life. Neither his father’s marriage, nor anything else relevant to their family is of concern to the authorities. Is that understood? Spencer says, yes, uncle, and Victor says he knows Spencer is angry at his father, and he has every reason to be, but his movements at the time of Ava’s attack are well accounted for. His betrayal of Spencer, no matter how painful, is totally irrelevant. Spencer says, maybe to the authorities, but it is relevant to Trina. Victor asks, how so? and Spencer says, because if Commissioner Ashford knows why Esme left town, she can use that to find her. Victor says, it always comes round to Miss Robinson, doesn’t it? He admires Spencer’s good intentions, but Esme didn’t tell anyone where she was going. Spencer is just complicating things for himself if he goes back and changes his story now. He tried it once. Look where it got him. Spencer says, but, uncle… and Victor says, listen to him. Don’t invite any more trouble. He’s in enough already.

Finn says, there’s nothing wrong with Elizabeth. He thinks this just means there’s something in her past, something hidden, she’s not dealing with. She says she tried to fight it. She tried to push it down, hoping it would go away. She just can’t do it anymore. She has to face whatever she’s blocking out. He says, she’s not alone. They’ll find the answers together.

Curtis says, if Drew feels that he and Carly have something special, wouldn’t he want to find out if she feels the same thing? Even if it took a while? Drew says, that’s some solid advice right there, and Curtis tells Drew, he’s not saying what worked for him and Portia is going to work for them. But he seems to remember a saying that life is long and full of surprises. Drew says, he thinks he and Carly make each other happy, but the answer to Curtis’s question is yes. He can give her time. He can give her all the time she needs to make sure she’s ready.

Carly tells Bobbie, it’s a text from Josslyn… Ava’s going to be okay. Avery is going to be thrilled. Bobbie says, good. Now Carly has no reason not to go to that seminar. Carly says she thinks she needs to stay put, and Bobbie says, she’s doing it again; making excuses to postpone the next chapter of her life. Carly says she’s being sensible, but Bobbie says, sensible is not Carly’s thing. Carly hands Bobbie her bag, and says, great talk; nice seeing her. Bobbie says, Carly is a creature of impulse. When she sees something she wants, she goes for it. Carly says she’s really trying to look before she leaps. She thought Bobbie would be proud of her. Bobbie says, no. Carly is looking for reasons not to leap. Maybe losing the hotel was a blessing in disguise. Maybe Carly can find happiness with a new career. Maybe even a new man. Carly says she loves Bobbie, but she’s got to go. She hustles Bobbie to the door, and they exchange I love yous. After Bobbie’s gone, Carly goes to the refrigerator, and takes down the brochure for the seminar. She considers taking the moss bowl 🎍 with her to Aruba.

Anna tells Valentin, Charlotte is his priority, but she wants him to remember, he’s not carrying this burden alone now. That gives them some leeway. He says, no one else can be involved, and she says, all right. No WSB, no friends, no allies. Nothing. They’ll figure out a way to keep Charlotte safe themselves. He says, Victor has to think he can trust him, and she says, he will. He’ll never know Valentin confided in her. Once Charlotte is safe, then they’re going to put an end to Victor. She hugs him.

Tomorrow, Brook tells Chase, step one is complete; Sonny says he needs Dex to do something else for him; and Willow says her mind is made up.

Southern Charm

Shep says he reacted in the worst way possible, calling Taylor a f***ing idiot. He’s glad Taylor tells him how she feels. Even if he doesn’t like it or it’s not what he wants to hear, he respects the hell out of that. He says he’s an every now and then jerk, which I think is debatable, since he’s a jerk most of the time. He tells Taylor all the right things, but we all know how this is going to end up, so…

Whitney brings wine, bread, and cheese out to the pool for lunch with Patricia, but makes the faux pas of using paper napkins. Austen calls, and says he’s having a Friendsgiving at his aunt’s. Whitney says, he’s going to Texas, but his mother might be available. Patricia asks if Madison or Naomie are coming, and Austen says, Naomie will be there. He can’t believe Whitney is making her come stag. Patricia wonders what she’s hearing, since apparently Whitney hasn’t told her that he’s hooking up with one of her pets. Naomie tells her mother that she ended up staying an extra night at Auldbrass with Whitney, and seems as surprised as Patricia that they’re a thing. In her interview, she says she doesn’t know when that change happened, but yeah. Her mom says she needs someone who’s been through a little bit of life to understand her. Naomie says, none of her friends tell their parents about their hook-ups, but her mom is like, well, we’re French. Patricia tries to pump Whitney for more information, and no pressure, but she wishes he’d settle down. She could kick the bucket any day now.

In the car, Paige asks Craig if Naomie is coming to Friendsgiving, and he says, she’s dating Whitney now. Paige asks if they’re boyfriend/ girlfriend, but Craig says he doesn’t care. He thinks Naomie is lost. In Craig’s interview, he says he can relate to being lost, but he didn’t sleep with Whitney. However, he’ll officiate the wedding, be the flower boy, whatever they need, as long as it gets Naomie to back off. Paige says, anyone who thinks Naomie is over him is out of their mind. We flash back to their first meeting when Naomie was all like, girls before dudes, and Paige says, at first, she thought Naomie was cool. Craig says, he was good with her at Auldbrass, but Paige says, Naomie was probably just trying to impress him. They go grocery shopping, and in his interview, Craig is all psyched about the day-to-day with her.

Venita meets Madison for a workout with Madison’s trainer. In Madison’s interview, she says, her fiancé is hot as sh*t, so she has to look good. In Venita’s interview, she says she loves Madison, but if Madison ever asks her to work out again, she might have to ditch the friendship. Venita does some deadlifts, and Madison says, you got to lock a man down. In her interview, she says, thank God for plastic surgery. That sh*t will save you. They talk about Madison’s upcoming wedding, and Madison says she doesn’t care if it’s big or small; that’s not what it’s about.

In Shep’s interview, he says, after what went down at Auldbrass, he’s trying to be more considerate, thoughtful, and selfless. They’re making some dishes for Friendsgiving, and Taylor puts him on banana pudding duty, while she handles the traditional green bean casserole. She tells him, when they’re with friends who don’t understand their banter (her word), he looks like an a-hole, and it makes her looks bad for taking it. In his interview, he says, he doesn’t want their friends to think they have a bad relationship because it’s not. He’s learning on the fly.

Austen’s sister Katie sets the table for Friendsgiving, and they go down Memory Lane. In his interview, he says, his Aunt Barbara’s house is the epitome of thanksgiving. He’s always in charge of the punch bowl, and every year it’s different. Craig is going to be bringing the turkey, and has a phobia about touching raw poultry. In Craig’s interview, he explains, there was a 200 person chicken dinner at the firehall when he was in high school, and they put the cooked chicken back in the boxes where the raw chicken was. 130 people were hospitalized. Paige offers to pull it out of the brine it’s been in, but it’s too heavy, and Craig ends up having to touch it anyway. Kathryn gets to Aunt Barbara’s first, and prepares some meatballs using weird ingredients like grape jelly. Craig and Paige are next, and Craig and Austen bring the fryer out to the patio. Naomie arrives with a casserole and a salad, and it’s all awkward with Paige. Paige says she doesn’t think she likes bourbon, which I think could get her kicked out of Charleston, and in Naomie’s interview, she says, it’s obvious Paige isn’t happy with her. She tries to make small talk, and in her interview, she says she has no idea what Craig has told Paige. She’s just trying to be friendly and copacetic, but it’s not working out for her. In Austen’s interview, he says, Craig acts like he knows what he’s doing, but somewhere back there, he doesn’t know what he’s doing. In Craig’s interview, he says he knows what he’s doing; he just hasn’t done it before. But he’s been with people who have done it. The margin of error is small, but the turkey could possibly explode. Austen says, so this could be like a rocket? Shep gets there with Taylor and his banana pudding, and Marcie and John follow shortly after. Craig and Austen fumble with lighting the fryer, and high-five when they’re successful. Leva and Olivia come bearing gravy and mashed potatoes respectively. In Shep’s interview, he says, Craig has this thing like he knows what he’s doing in the cooking arena, but he really doesn’t. He’s terrified with Craig in charge of anything.

Kathryn and Naomie sit down for a drink together, and Kathryn asks if Paige is having fun. Paige says, the whole group together is a lot, and she doesn’t know who Naomie thinks she’s fooling. If she was with her friends, she would have already popped off. Naomie tells Olivia that she picked up weird energy from Paige already, and it’s awkward. She went to say hello to Craig, and he turned his back; it was weird. She thinks things have been misconstrued to Paige. Paige tells Kathryn about Naomie pulling Craig aside at the dog wedding, and says, it was one of the most inappropriate things ever. She would have sent Craig a secret text like a normal person. In Kathryn’s interview, she says she thinks Naomie liked having Craig wanting her back. Don’t insert yourself into someone’s happiness just because you want attention. Another reason she thinks Naomie is a petty little bitch. I’m not sure the word petty means what Kathryn thinks it means. Paige says she’s acted like a goddam peach, and Kathryn says she thinks Paige and Craig are perfect for each other. Paige says, as long as Kathryn doesn’t try to have coffee with him, they’re cool. The turkey is done, and Austen and Craig high-five again.

Olivia and Austen agree there might be drama between Paige and Naomie. The turkey is carved, and passes the taste test. They prepare their plates inside, and go outside to eat. Austen gets up and thanks Katie for her help. He says he adores everyone at the table, and everyone toasts to Friendsgiving. In Austen’s interview, he says, Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday, so Friendsgiving makes him happy. He thinks the group could use a nice meal together, and he’s thankful they don’t have to always yell and bitch at each other. Naomie, Leva, and Olivia put napkins on their heads to make Pilgrim bonnets, and for some reason, Craig thinks this is racist. In Naomie’s interview, she says, Craig is really mad at something else and blaming it on the Pilgrims. This is insane. She thinks it’s just her being around that bothers Craig.

They go inside for dessert, and Naomie asks if Paige wants to talk outside. Paige says she can’t imagine what they have to talk about, but she’d love to. Craig says, his crazy ex-girlfriend wants a conversation with Paige, and Leva tells him to choose different words. He says, Naomie has already pulled him aside, now she’s pulling his girlfriend out there. In his in interview, he says, ex-girlfriends from years ago shouldn’t create drama with new girlfriends. She’s just not firing on all cylinders. Naomie and Paige sit on the porch, and Naomie says, clearly, Paige is uncomfortable. Paige says, Naomie pulling Craig aside at Patricia’s and saying, if Paige is uncomfortable, she won’t come around, insinuates there are feelings there. Naomie says, that’s not at all what she meant, and Paige asks if Naomie feels Craig treats her differently when she’s around. Naomie says she does, and Paige says, that also insinuates there’s some kind of relationship. I’m not following this logic, and Naomie says she feels like Paige is coming at her, but Paige says, Naomie pulled her aside, not the other way around. She asks if Naomie still has feelings for Craig, and Naomie says, not at all. Paige says, the optics of it look like she does, and in Naomie’s interview, she says, this is for sure pointless. She understands why, in Paige’s mind, Craig seems like a shining prince, but this whole thing is bullsh*t. Paige says, when she met Naomie, she liked her, but she’s dealt with girls before. She knows Naomie and Craig have a past, and that they hooked up this summer, so it’s not crazy for her to thing Naomie has feelings for Craig, and that what happened at Patricia’s is what she thought. She thought they were cool, and Naomie should have just come to her and asked if she was uncomfortable. They’ll never be best friends, but she wants to be able to socialize with Naomie. She doesn’t hold grudges, and they’re cool. She thinks Naomie is pretty and funny, and she wants to borrow her clothes. Naomie says, Paige is a badass.

Next time, Patricia holds her annual guy’s dinner, while the girls have a dinner out; and Shep refuses to make his profile inactive on dating sites.

🍂 Summering Into Fall…

Jump into tomorrow’s free-for-all of soap, tea, and quotable quotes, with some music on top. Until then, stay safe, stay always bringing a gift no matter what the invite says, and stay not being so busy righting the wrongs from your past, that you stop yourself from moving forward.