November 1, 2022 – Valentin Gets an Unexpected Assist, 21st Birthday On Deck & Fall

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the Halloween Festival, Sonny asks if Donna and Avery want to check out the pumpkins or bob for apples, and Avery says, Mama Carly says bobbing for apples is a bad idea. You never know what might be floating in there. I laugh, thinking of Mary Pat’s head in the barrel – best Halloween episode ever. Sonny says, that’s a good point. Avery tells Donna, they have to get candy before there are only raisins left, and Sonny says, raisins are the worst. Nina comes by, and suggests they come with her. She can lead them to all the good stuff.

Sam asks Carly to tell her about Jacksonville, and Carly says, she feels more level and centered than she ever has before. She looks distracted, and Sam says, before what? Sam follows Carly’s gaze, and sees Sonny and Nina with Donna and Avery.

In her office on the phone, Alexis says she’s happy with the lead story, but not the headline. She asks if they can give her revision, and thanks them. Drew comes in with Scout dressed like a butterfly, and Alexis picks Scout up, spinning her around, saying, how beautiful. Drew asks how Alexis’s day is going, and she says, much better now that they’re here. Her laptop beeps, and she says, one second. She looks at the article headlined, Can Cops Stop Hook Before Halloween?

Valentin tells the nun, what an unexpected pleasure to see you… She takes off her cowl, and he says, Laura. He asks if this is some kind of divine intervention, but she says, God didn’t send her. His girlfriend did.

The guard tells Anna that she has a visitor, and Finn walks in. She asks if he was in the neighborhood, and he says he tried to bring flowers with a chisel inside, but these guards are taking their job very seriously. She says, nice try though, and he says, sorry for missing her hearing. He was on his way when he got held up at the hospital with this Heather Webber woman. She says, oh God, Heather. She hopes Heather is in a straightjacket with armed guards, but he suggests they not talk about his problem and talk about hers. He heard she was denied bail. She says, her occupation. Spy for the international community is right next to flight risk in the dictionary. He asks, what happens now? and she says, now, it’s only going to get worse.

Robert brings Holly into his office, and she asks, what’s the plan to break Anna out of jail, short of an actual jail break? He says, now that she’s been denied bail, he’s run out of options, but she says, the Robert Scorpio she knew wouldn’t have stopped until he exhausted every last one. He tells her, he said he was running low, not giving up. He’s still the man she knows.

Elizabeth says she hates to disappoint her parents, but she came here looking for answers, and she’s not leaving without them. Over the last twenty-five years, she’s built a good life for herself and her family. She’s been independent for so long, she can’t remember what it’s like to have parents. Now she needs answers only they can give. Jeff asks what kind of answers she’s looking for, and she says, answers about their past in the Mariana Islands. He says, they haven’t seen her in years, and this is what she wants to discuss? She says, it’s the only thing she wants from them; answers about what happened. Carolyn asks, what makes her think something significant happened? and Elizabeth says, about a year and a half ago in Port Charles, there was an accident in one of the stairwells at the hospital. It triggered a memory. Carolyn asks if she’s sure it was a memory, and Elizabeth asks, what else could it be? Carolyn says, the brain responds to trauma in any number of ways. Could this just be something she made up?

Alexis asks, who likes candy? and Scout says, she loves candy. Alexis offers her a bowl, and says, she can have some now, but she’s giving the whole bowl to Scout’s daddy, so she won’t eat it. Happy Halloween. Scout says, look at her wings, and twirls around. Alexis says she can’t stop looking at them; they’re so beautiful. Drew says, she couldn’t wait to show her grandma, and Alexis says she looks forward to any opportunity to see her grandbaby. Drew’s been out of town, and not alone. His name’s been in the news, along with someone else’s.

At the fair, Donna and Avery run to Carly, who hugs them, and says, their costumes are amazing. (Donna is a pumpkin and Avery is a colorful leopard.) Avery says, Carly’s been gone a long time; they missed her. Carly says she missed them so much. Maybe they can have a sleepover. Avery asks if Aunt Nina can come too, and Donna says, can she? Avery says, they had an awesome pajama party the other night. Sam suggests they let Carly and their dad talk, while they loot some candy. Avery asks, what’s looting? and Sam says, they’ll talk about it, as she leads them away. Sonny says he didn’t expect to see Carly until tomorrow, and Carly says she didn’t expect to see Nina with her daughter, but Nina says, the MetroCourt is one of the sponsor’s of the fair. Carly asks to talk to Sonny in private, and they step away. She asks, what the hell is going on? and he says he brought his daughters to the Halloween Festival. She says, on a date with Nina? but he says, she’s working the Festival. He brought his daughters. What’s the problem? She says, she specifically asked him not to have Nina spend the night when Donna is there. So why is Donna talking about sleepovers with Aunt Nina?

Robert tells Holly that Anna’s been in the PCPD lock-up overnight, pending a transfer to Pentenville where she’s awaiting trial. Holly says, Pentenville’s a dangerous place for anyone, let alone a decorated law enforcement agent like Anna, and Robert says, she’ll be a target. And Victor gets his way when he had her framed for Lucy’s murder. Holly says she was hoping Lucy would be found by now, and Robert says, right now, he’s grateful she was found. As for Lucy, they just sit around and wait for the next miracle. His phone rings, and he says he has to take it. She says, what is it? and he says, Anna’s last chance.

In Switzerland, Laura puts her nun garb back on her head, and tells Valentin that Anna called. She said Valentin was visiting Charlotte, and she was afraid his father had set a trap for him. So she got the first flight out of Milan, and now she’s here. Valentin says, Victor did set a trap by sending him here, but it was for Anna, and Laura asks if something happened to her. He says, while he was out of the country, his father set a trap for Anna by having someone pose as her and shoot Lucy Coe on the dock in Port Charles. Laura says she heard about it; poor Lucy. He says he’s grabbing Charlotte and getting out of here, and she says she’s here to help him any way she can. He says, let’s go, but the door is blocked by a big bald man.

Elizabeth says, this is definitely a memory, but Jeff asks how she knows. People remember things wrong, even important things, so how can she be sure? She says, something went wrong in the Mariana Islands, and their behavior since proves that. The two of them have been missing from her life and her family’s life for the past 25 years. Then all of a sudden they decide to reach out. Not to her, but through Jake and Terry. Something had to have happened to make them want contact. Jeff says, Jake had just lost his father; they were concerned. Elizabeth says, they weren’t concerned over any of her pregnancies, or any of the times she got married or divorced, or when her husband died. There was plenty of time for them to show up; if not for her, at least for their grandchildren, but they never did until now. Why did they contact Jake after Franco died? Jeff says, they’re sorry for what she’s been through, but what is it she wants to know? She says, who is Reiko Finn?

Finn asks Anna if there’s a plan, and if so, how can he help? She says she’s glad to see him, but it’s her problem. Shouldn’t he be with Violet, getting her ready for trick or treat? He says, she’s with his dad. His dad can enjoy the getting ready part, and he’ll take her around the neighborhood later, and eat all the good candy when she falls asleep. Anna asks what costume she’s wearing, and he says, purple princess, showing Anna a picture on his phone. She says, she’s so cute, and he says he made it himself. She says she misses Violet, and he says, Violet misses her. She asked the other day when Anna is coming over for a tea party. Anna says, it might be a while, and he says, in the meantime what can he do to help? She says she meant what she said; stay clear of her problem. He has his life and his family. Be there for them; for Violet, his brother, his father, and Elizabeth. He asks, where’s Valentin in all this? and she says, he’s dealing with something; it’s important. He says, more than her being framed and jailed? and she says, he’ll be here when he can. He says, trust isn’t easy though, is it? and she shakes her head.

Robert comes back, and Holly asks if he found another way to help Anna. He says he’s trying to schedule another hearing before a judge who will grant her bail, but she says, if memory serves, in New York State, once a bail decision has been made, the only way it can be modified is if there’s a change in circumstance. He asks if she’s been brushing up on New York law, but she says she’s been before a judge or two in her day. Has anything changed to help Anna get another hearing? He says, that’s what he’s trying to figure out. He has to find someone who will go over Judge Walsh’s head. She says, this is a big mistake that could backfire disastrously. He needs to stop.

The man comes over to Laura and blesses himself, saying, sister. She says, good day, sir, and she and Valentin start to leave, but the man says, he’s Charlotte Cassadine’s father. Valentin says, that’s right, proudly so. The good sister was just about to show him the bell tower, since he’s waiting for Charlotte to get ready. You know how teenage girls are. The man says, indeed, but he’s never seen the sister here before. What’s her name?

Sonny tells Carly, there’s not much she can say as far as the time he spends with Avery, and she says, but Donna on the other hand… He says, Nina never spent the night when Donna was over. And not that she cares, Nina never spent the night when Avery was over either. She says, what about the pajama party? and he says, that was movies and pizza. She says, okay. She misunderstood. She’s sorry. She thanks him for respecting her boundaries, and he says, about that. Her boundaries aren’t working for him anymore.

Nina asks Sam where Avery and Donna are, and Sam says, Danny and Rocco are helping them rack up candy. Nina asks if Sam came back to run interference in case Carly had a meltdown, and Sam says, Nina is with Sonny, and Nina’s happy, and Sam is happy for her, but Carly is her friend, and she’s here to support her.

Carly says, as long as she and Sonny are co-parenting Donna, he needs to respect her feelings, but he says, that goes both ways. When he asked her not to have Nina spend the night when Donna was over, Nina wasn’t a part of his life. She says, Nina’s been a part of his life since Nixon Falls, but he says, it’s different now; they’re together, and it’s official. She says, congratulations, and he thanks her. He says, it’s getting difficult to separate his relationship with Nina from his family, and she thanks him for making the effort, but he says he didn’t agree to put his life on hold indefinitely; that would not be realistic. And if the roles were reversed, and she was seeing someone, he wouldn’t ask her to keep Donna from them. She asks how he knows she’s not, and he says, is she?

Alexis says she read Drew was on a crusade with Carly to save a working class cemetery from redevelopment, and he says, it didn’t end the way they’d hoped, but it all worked out. She says, now that they’re done with the small talk, why doesn’t he tell her why he’s really here. He asks if it’s that obvious, and she says, he’s in the company of a beautiful monarch butterfly, yet he looks troubled. He says he needs advice on a legal matter that could ruin more than one life.

Carolyn says she remembers Reiko, and Jeff says, she was another physician in Doctors Without Borders. There were a few of them stationed on the various islands. Elizabeth says, but she wasn’t just any physician to them, was she? and he asks what she wants to know about Reiko. Why ask about her at all? Elizabeth says, because Reiko is who she remembers. She has this memory of arguing with Reiko – which is crazy to begin with, since she was a teenager and Reiko was a doctor – but she remembers telling Reiko to stay away from her father. Why would she say that? Just tell her. What was his relationship with Reiko? Jeff says, he needs a breather, and suggests they go for a walk; just him and Elizabeth, father and daughter. She asks why they can’t do this in front of her mom, and he says, fine, since she refuses to let this go. He and Reiko had an affair. Elizabeth says, when she was married to Finn at the time. From what she was told, Reiko was a good person. I say, please, you know better than that, and Jeff says, good people do bad things. Thrown in the middle of nowhere, working long hours, with only strangers as friends, people get lonely. She says, he had his entire family with him, and she looks at Carolyn, who looks at the floor. Elizabeth says she’s sorry. They probably should have gone on that walk. She’s sure it’s a shock. Carolyn says, it’s not.

Holly tells Robert, look at himself. Moving around court officials, looking for loopholes. He says, it’s called practicing law, but she says, it’s not him. It could jeopardize his standing as DA. It could destroy his career and mess up his life. He says he can’t sit around and watch the mother of his child get squeezed by Cassadine. She says, keeping Anna out of Pentenville is just the first step. Anna is going to need him as the DA to help her out later on. If he gets into trouble, it could cause even bigger problems for both of them down the road. He says, she’s got a point. He already has the Deputy Mayor breathing down his throat because she works for Cassadine. It certainly wouldn’t be a good thing if he was caught doing a favor for Anna. She thanks him, and he says he thinks she’s onto something. They could use a break. She says, and while they’re at it, maybe they could figure out how to nail Victor. She starts to get up, but sits back down, and Robert asks if she’s all right. She says she just got a little dizzy for a moment, but she’s fine. He says, she’s definitely onto something, and suggests they get some fresh air.

Laura says she’s Sister Margaret, visiting from the diocese. It’s lovely to meet you, Mr… He says, Mattis, and she says, Mattis, meaning gift of God. His parents must have been people of faith. He says, they are, and she says, as is he. Unless he has other business here in the chapel. He says he came to pray, and she recommends he commune with nature. They’re meant to have a very beautiful sunset tonight. Perhaps he can find God in the sky. He thanks her, saying, he thinks he’ll do that, and she says, marvelous. Charlotte’s escort groans from somewhere in the shadows, and Mattis moves toward him. Valentin and Laura try to jet, but Mattis says, stop. What happened to him? Laura says, that poor soul. They found him, passed out drunk on stolen Communion wine. She thought it would be best to just let him sleep it off. Mattis draws his gun, and says, he only drinks vodka. Laura says, a gun has no place in the house of the Lord, and Mattis says, agreed, but neither do imposters. The bell tolls, and while Mattis is distracted for a moment, Valentin picks up the collection plate, and whacks him on the back of the head, knocking him out. Valentin wonders who rang the bells ten minutes early, and Doc walks in, wearing a priest’s collar. He says he thought his timing was spot-on, and Laura hugs him. Valentin says, peace be with you father, and Doc says, and also with you.

Carly tells Sonny, it’s not about who she’s seeing. It’s about the fact that he is seeing Nina and how that impacts Donna. He says, he’s being very careful in how he introduces Nina to Donna, but Nina is a part of Donna’s life. She says, all right. That’s his decision, and she’ll try to respect it. He thanks her, and says, one more thing. He believes their family is safe from the attacker, but he’s cautious. She says she wants the girls protected, and he says, he also wants protection on her. She says, she’s fine; she can take care of herself. Carly goes over to Sam, and Sonny follows. Nina says she just wants Carly to know, when it comes to Donna… Carly says, don’t talk to her about her daughter. Leave that to Sonny. She asks if Sam is ready, and she and Sam walk away together.

Sam says she’s not telling Carly what to do, and Carly says, Sam would never do that. Sam says, Carly told her that she was in a good place, and she’d hate to see Carly throw that away. Carly says, Sam’s right, and Sam says, tell her about Jacksonville, but Carly says she told Sam already. Sam says, Carly told her the ending. Start over. She wants to hear everything. Carly flashes back to kissing Drew, and Sam says, tell her every single detail.

Anna asks, what’s going on with Elizabeth? and Finn says, nothing compared to what Anna’s dealing with. She says she has plenty of time to ruminate about her situation. She thinks she can spend five minutes for a friend. He says, he’ll give her the five minute version then. Elizabeth is with Terry at a medical conference and spa, and she says, that sounds amazing. He says, the spa is in Monterey, and that’s where Elizabeth’s parents live. Parents she hasn’t spoken to in 25 years. Anna asks if Elizabeth is planning on seeing them, but he says he doesn’t know. Elizabeth didn’t mention it to him; he heard about it from Cameron. He has to believe Elizabeth just didn’t think about it. Her parents aren’t in her life, and it’s all a big coincidence. Anna says, but? and he says, not when he thinks about how much it weighs on Elizabeth. She says she sees why he’d doubt that was a coincidence, but sometimes that’s all it is. He says, and other times? So he’s not completely crazy thinking Elizabeth left him out of the loop on purpose, and she says, no, he’s not. What does he think he’s going to do about it?

Holly and Robert walk to the Festival, and Holly says, this is so charming, and just the right amount of scare. He says, the color’s come back to her cheeks; the fresh air agrees with her. She says, it could be the company, and he says, that too. He’s sorry he’s been preoccupied with Anna’s situation, but she tells him not to apologize, not to her. What game should they play first? She wants him to win her a candied apple, but he says, these days, people buy candied apples, but he feels like he’s already won.

Nina says, of course (🍷) Sonny doesn’t have to tell her anything if he doesn’t want to, but it seemed pretty intense between him and Carly. He says, they spoke frankly about her and Donna, and Nina says, and? He says he told Carly that she doesn’t get to call the shots in his and Nina’s relationship. He respects Carly as Donna’s mother, but the time Nina spends with his daughters is his decision. She says, yay, and Sonny sees Holly. He says, hot damn.

Elizabeth says, Carolyn knew about Reiko? and Carolyn says, she and Elizabeth’s father have been through a lot. They’ve worked through their difficulties over the years, and don’t need Elizabeth dragging it up. Leave it where it lies. Elizabeth says, she’s sorry; she can’t. Did she walk in on Reiko and her father? Is that why she told Reiko to stay away from him? Jeff says, yes, and she says, but it didn’t end there; there’s more. He says, what does it matter? and she says, it’s taken over her life. She’s been blacking out, losing time; she attacked someone. She’s been lying to the man she loves, who happens to be Reiko’s widower, because she doesn’t want to lose him to her dysfunctional family’s history. Finn looks out for her and the boys, and she wants answers as much for him as for herself. Something bad happened. Just tell her what it is.

Doc and Valentin come into the chapel, and Laura asks if it’s all taken care of. Doc says, luckily, the stairs to the crypt are right here. They’re all tied up there, and no one’s going to find them for a while. Valentin thanks Doc for the assist, and Laura says she thought it was best not to come alone. Doc says, the plan was, he was going to wait in the car until Laura came back with Valentin and Charlotte, but when no one showed, he thought there might be trouble. He found the bell tower, and thought it could be a distraction, or at least a signal. Laura says, it was perfect, and Valentin suggests they grab Charlotte and get out of here. They start to leave, and Valentin stops. Laura says, what now?

Sonny says, Holly Sutton, alive and well, and she says, the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. He asks how she is, and she says, physically, she seems to be fine, but the last two years of her life, gone. He says, been there, and she says, maybe he can tell her about it. Robert says, she can read about it online, and Sonny introduces Nina and his old friend Holly, and Nina says, it’s nice to meet her. Holly says, likewise. She just saw they’re selling hot cider; she’ll be right back. Sonny tells Robert, he heard Anna was arrested for Lucy’s murder, and Robert says, she was. Sonny asks if they found a body yet, but Robert says, not yet, Sonny says he also heard Victor Cassadine was behind all this. Robert says, that’s the popular theory, and Sonny asks, how’s Anna? Robert says, she was denied bail, and they’re shipping her off to Pentenville tomorrow to await trial, and Sonny says, Anna can’t go to Pentenville. Nina says she can’t believe they denied Anna bail, and Robert says he’s not happy about it, but his hands are tied. He’s had to recuse himself from this entire case. Sonny says, it’s all Victor’s doing, and Robert tells him that he can’t say that. Sonny says, Robert doesn’t have to because Victor is going to pay. Robert says, on that, they agree, and Sonny says, maybe he can help. Robert asks what he has in mind.

Carly tells Sam, she didn’t save the cemetery, but she was able to do right by Virginia. Sam says, no surprise there, and Carly says she came back feeling like herself, and feels closer to both her mothers than she has in a very long time. And she took her mother’s last name; she’s Carly Spencer. Sam says she likes it; it suits Carly. Carly says, it does and she loves it, and Sam says, Drew went to Florida to visit her, right? Carly says, he helped her with the whole cemetery thing, and Sam says she bets it was nice to have some support. Carly says she couldn’t have done it without him, and Sam says, yet Carly’s barely mentioned him. Why is that?  

Drew says she knows Alexis isn’t a lawyer anymore, but he has questions and trusts her. She says, make no mistake. She is a lawyer. She’ll always be a lawyer. She’s just not a practicing one at this time, which means there’s no attorney/client privilege here. He says, okay, understood, and she says, but he could run by a hypothetical scenario, and she can offer unofficial advice. He says, okay. Let’s say there’s a CEO of a company, and he wants to merge that company with a larger company that happens to be owned by his family. And what if his friend purchased stock in that company before the attempted merger. Would that look like insider trading? She says, hypothetically, did this CEO share this information with the friend before the merger was official? He says, yes, but, and this is important… She says, and thoroughly imaginary, and he says, he didn’t ask his friend to drive up the stock value. In fact, he tried dissuade said friend – she says, said imaginary friendfrom being involved whatsoever. Would that be an example of insider trading? She says, hell yes, and he says, she didn’t even have to think about it? She says, the friend bought the stock based on confidential information from the CEO of the company. That is textbook insider trading. He asks, how bad could this get in real life? and she says, both parties could serve prison time. She asks if there’s been any inquiry from the SEC, hypothetically, and he says, no. She says, that’s good. They would have to prove the CEO and the friend were entering into conspiracy, and that would be harder to do, unless there’s a family or romantic connection. As long as these hypothetical individuals are just acquaintances or casual friends, anyone trying to press charges would have a hard time finding someone to look into it.

Jeff tells Elizabeth to walk him through it. What exactly does she remember? She says, she and Reiko were at the top of a flight of stairs. She warned Reiko to stay away from him, and next thing she knows, Reiko is at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious. He asks if that’s all she remembers, and she says, yes. Can he fill in the blanks? He says, she walked in on him and Reiko in a… close moment, but Elizabeth says, that doesn’t explain how she was at the bottom of the stairs. Does Carolyn know what happened? Carolyn says, she wasn’t there, but Elizabeth says, that’s not what she asked. Is Carolyn protecting him? Jeff says, this is all he can say. Please just leave it alone. Elizabeth asks if he pushed Reiko down the stairs. Come on, we all know the answer here.

Valentin says he has no idea how many men Victor has watching Charlotte, and Laura says, there’s a rear entrance to the building. Maybe they should take that. Valentin thanks them, and says he owes them, and Laura says, they plan to collect. Doc says he still owes Valentin a bullet to the shoulder, and Valentin says, maybe now’s his chance to collect, but Laura suggests the find Charlotte before there are any more surprises.

Alone, Alexis goes through the mail and takes out a letter. She tears it open, and reads it. She looks scared and/or shocked.

Carly says she doesn’t know what Sam means, and Sam says, Drew helped her through a very personal time in her life, and she seems reluctant to talk about him. Carly says, it’s Drew; he’s helpful. Not much more to say. Sam says, if there were something more, Carly knows she can say it to her, and Carly says, since she’s asking, there is something Sam should know. Drew sees them talking.

Sonny suggests he find a way to keep Anna out of Pentenville, and Robert asks if any of his plans don’t involve Anna going on the run and becoming the Bureau’s most wanted. Sonny says, any suggestions? What is Robert doing to stop this from happening? Robert says, whatever he’s doing, Sonny is going to stay out of it. He’s got this under control.

On the phone, Holly says, she has an update. Robert is making moves on Anna’s behalf. He’s planning to intervene with the judge, and get Anna another hearing… Yes, she’s sticking close to him. Her eyes are filled with tears, and she looks at Robert.

Finn tells Anna, he wants to be there for Elizabeth, but he doesn’t want to push to the point where she ends up shutting him out. She asks if he’s going to confront Elizabeth about it, but he says, no. She needs time to figure this out on her own. Him pushing isn’t going to solve any of her problems. Anna says, she thinks that’s wise, and asks if she can make a suggestion. He says, by all means, and she says, whatever reason Elizabeth has for keeping her movements from him, she doubts it’s to push him away. She thinks in addition to figuring things out, Elizabeth might be trying to keep Finn safe from whatever consequences there might be. Finn says, Elizabeth is protecting him, like he’s been trying to protect her, and Anna says, different methods, same intention. She thinks when the time is right, Elizabeth will tell him that, and she has every faith they’ll work it out. He thanks her, and says, for what it’s worth (🍷), he has every faith the truth is going to come out, and Anna will be exonerated and out of here in no time. She thanks him, and says she hopes he’s right. But they both know with situations like hers, the future’s not really very certain.

Jeff tells Elizabeth, yes, it was him. He pushed Reiko down the stairs. He didn’t mean to do it, but that’s what happened. End of story. Carolyn tells him, stop, but he says, he’s told Elizabeth what she needs to know. It’s fine. Carolyn says, no, it’s not. What it is, is over. He says, they’ve given up so much; they’ve missed so much. It can’t all be for nothing. Carolyn says, she’s remembering. It’s time she knows the truth. She tells Elizabeth, what happened was, when she was on the stairs… Jeff says, he’ll do it. He was there; he should tell her. Elizabeth says, so he didn’t push Reiko? and he says, no, he didn’t. It was you, Elizabeth. It was you who caused Reiko to fall down the stairs.

Tomorrow, Jordan tells Alexis that she will do no such thing; Sam says, Spinelli is going to help her find out the goods on Cody; Scotty tells Cody that he knows trouble when he looks it in the eye; and Drew tells Carly that it’s something she cannot do.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Kyle takes a good tumble down the stairs, and calls for help. He tells Natalya that he twisted his ankle, and she tells him, stay there. She radios Captain Sandy, and tells Storm to grab an ice pack. Tasha runs downstairs to help, and Storm wants to assess the damage. He asks what Kyle felt when he fell, and Kyle says, just pain. They carry him to a couch, and Natalya tells the captain that Kyle rolled his ankle. Tasha straps the ice pack on his angle, and the captain asks, what happened? Kyle says he missed the small step around the corner, and she says, if he can’t put weight on it, he’s going to the hospital. He needs an X-ray. Storm and Tasha take him to a taxi, and Captain Sandy sends a text to him, telling him to keep her updated. In Tasha’s interview, she says, the interior is taking the pressure for them being stuck on the dock. Losing a member is hard. She feels sick that it’s Kyle. Word goes around the boat about what happened.

Kyle leaves the hospital, and Captain Sandy and Storm meet him at the dock. His ankle is bandaged, and he says he strained the ligaments. The captain says, the good news is, it’s not broken, and in Kyle’s interview, he says he’s so thankful it’s not broken, but he has to be off his foot for 7 days. Being gay and working in interior, he’s had walls to overcome, and he doesn’t want people looking at him and saying he’s soft. He tells Tasha, and she says she doesn’t want him to leave. In his interview, he says he fought hard to be in this position, so thinking he’s going to be sent home is tough. Tasha says she loves him, and I’m thinking, if she loves him, maybe she should give him the bottom bunk.

In the morning, Captain Sandy says, it’s still terrible, and calls Storm to the bridge. Dave gripes that there are no dish washing tablets, and Tasha asks if he ordered them. He says, it’s not his department, and continues to grumble. The captain tells Storm that she doesn’t think they can leave the dock, but there’s a cove where the guests can do water sports. In Storm’s interview, he says, these guests are used to the world of yachting, and it adds extra pressure. He tells Courtney that he thinks the tip is going to be $30, and Captain Sandy asks Tasha to come to the galley with her. She tells Tasha and Dave that there’s tension here and she can feel it. Service was slow last night, and whatever they’re going through, they’ve got to work through it. She wants to end on a high note. They need to put aside whatever it is, and be professionals. Service was slow, and they need to figure it out. Rise above, and think about the entire crew, not their feelings and emotions. She repeats that she wants to end on a high note.

Guest Grace wants to invite the captain to breakfast, and Tasha asks Captain Sandy if she’d like to eat with them, like she might say no. No surprise, they ask if there’s some way they can do water sports, and the captain says, the sea is so big, but there’s a corner inside a port that she thinks might work. There have SEABOBs and paddleboards. Grace says, the waves are dangerous, and Captain Sandy tells them that Kyle took a bad fall. Primary Katherine says, their luck. No. Kyle’s luck. Wow. Not too self-centered. They are, however, impressed with the breakfast, and Captain Sandy says, Dave is the best chef she’s had, and also the most immature.

In his interview, Storm says he’s aware they need to impress the guests, and the demands on them have been non-stop. Storm and Mzi go to the cove, and put the toys in the water. At the breakfast table, Katherine tells Captain Sandy, if she needs a boat broker, Lila is fabulous. Guest Lila says, she’s sure Captain Sandy is fine; she’s a captain. The guests leave for the cove, and Dave tells Tasha that he doesn’t want to mess up the last two charters. Tasha suggests they speak and try to work properly. What a concept! He says, they wasted a lot of energy, and she says she feels like her normal spark is gone. In Dave’s interview, he says, last night was out of control. He needs to be able to push it away and be professional. The guests get to the cove, where they swim, and use the paddleboards and SEABOBs. On the yacht, Storm helps Natalya do the cabins, and they find tanner all over the bedding – so gross. Kyle tells Tasha that his foot is sore. The doctor told him not to do any vicious activity. How can he be inventive, and not be a sh*tty stew? She tells him that he can Febreze and fold. On the way back, the tender’s anchor gets stuck on a pipe underneath it, and Courtney asks Mzi for help. He dives in.

Primary Garold suggests a strategy, and Courtney says, this is embarrassing. She moves the boat as Garold told her, Mzi gets the anchor off, and everyone cheers. In Courtney’s interview, she says, every day is a school day. When they get back, she apologizes to the guests, and tells Storm that he has no idea what she’s been though. The anchor brought up a pipe. She thanks Garold, and says, sorry, again, although I’m not sure what she has to apologize for. Captain Sandy asks Tasha if they need someone else, but Tasha says, they’ll be fine. They give the guests mini margaritas as the welcome cocktail, and Storm tells Captain Sandy, the guests loved it. In Storm’s interview, he says, the guests were not happy. All they wanted was water sports, but they pulled it off. Now interior needs to take the ball and knock it out of the park. Tasha asks if Kyle fancies helping. It’s Lila’s 21st birthday, and they can’t fail. Kyle blows up balloons, and tells Dave they’d be nowhere without him (Kyle, that is – he’s joking). In his interview, Dave says, it’s a lot of pressure. Last night’s dinner was a nightmare. Tonight’s dinner is his opportunity for redemption. The guests get ready, and the table is elegantly decorated. Dave’s made a two-tiered cake, with orange icing, blue icing dripping down over it. I’m assuming these are Lila’s favorite colors. He says he’s putting 21 sparklers in it. Storm and Courtney offer to help interior, and Katherine tells Tasha that she doesn’t like fish, and Lila doesn’t like raw fish. In Dave’s interview, he says he makes his food according to the preference sheets. We’re screwed, aren’t we? Pretty much all his courses involve fish.

By some miracle, they like the sea bream, coconut broth soup starter. It must be a miracle, because I love seafood, and it sounds weird to me. Tasha asks Storm to help run the dishes, and Mzi cleans cabin mirrors, while Courtney hangs up bathing suits. The next course is tuna – almost always served close to raw – and another miracle occurs. Lila says she didn’t think she liked fish, but now she’s obsessed with it. In Dave’s interview, he says, he’s been so stressed with the tension between him and Tasha affecting the entire boat. He needed that. Katherine says she thinks it’s her favorite meal the entire trip, and I have to say, the tuna does look amazing, and more appetizing than the soup. The servers come in with champagne, sparklers, and the cake. Reid pours champagne directly into Lila’s mouth using a funnel thing. Tasha thanks Courtney and Mzi for their help, and guest Isaac says, Chef Dave, this sh*t is fine. Grace tells interior that it’s midnight, and they want to turn it into as much of a frat party as possible. They’re going into full wild mode. Tasha says, Natalya needs to go to bed, but Natalya says, sleep is not an option. The deckhand’s hunt down a stripper pole, a must for every yacht. In Reid’s interview, he says he set the record in his fraternity for being drunk the longest number of days in a row. He says it’s 69 because he doesn’t want his mom to know the real number. He once sold $1000 of his stock shares to pay his bar tab. They set up the pole near the hot tub, and Tasha serves drinks. Storm causes the dishwasher to overflow with suds, and Natalya tells him, they use tablets. The guests decide to do a conga line through the boat, and in Natalya’s interview, she wonders if this is a joke. Natalya and Tasha have respectively worked 20 and 21 hours with no break, and in Tasha’s interview, she says, it’s obvious with Kyle down, they need extra help. The thought of replacing Kyle is so hard. She knows what she has to do, but she doesn’t want to replace him.

Captain Sandy says, the weather is good, and there’s no danger; they can get off the dock. Thank you, God. Tasha radios the captain to meet her in the pantry. She tells Captain Sandy that she doesn’t think they’ll have Kyle for the rest of the season. She can’t take Courtney because she’s lead deckhand, and Storm needs her. Kyle wants to finish, but it’s not like it’s a large boat where he could just be on laundry. Dave brings Kyle breakfast in bed, which is surprisingly kind of him. The captain tells Tasha that she needs a third person, and goes back to the bridge, telling Storm to free the lines. It’s going to be a little bumpy, but it’s okay; at least they’re off the dock. Storm tells the deckhands, when they anchor, get the toys out immediately. The guests are leaving in three hours. In Storm’s interview, he says, it’s going to feel like ten minutes to the guests. They need to get them in the water as soon as possible. Mzi tells the guests, they’ll make the most of their last hours. Captain Sandy anchors, and the guests cheer. The deckhands put everything out, while Tasha brings a buffet to the table. Lila says she never wants to see the dock again. The captain texts provider Norma that she needs a stew, and Norma says he has just the girl. Katherine says she’s so happy, and suggests they jump off the boat. In Reid’s interview, he says, the guests have to fit in three days in an hour. They’ll try to make the most of it. Tasha tells Dave that she sees Natalya getting exhausted, and she’s a ball of energy. Storm hugs Natalya, and suggests a movie, tea, and cuddle later. Tasha tells Kyle that they need a stew for the next trip, and he says he’s f***ing devastated. She says, but it’s not working, and he says he doesn’t want to be replaced. She says she doesn’t want him to be replaced, and he says, the job is his passion, and being with her is his life. She says she feels like she’s losing her other half, and in Kyle’s interview, he says, the pain in his heart is worse than the pain in his foot, but he respects Tasha’s decision. Kyle tells Tasha that he’s proud of her.

The captain tells the crew to get in their whites, and they line up. Everyone hugs like they’re old friends, and Garold says, Captain Sandy runs a great ship. He thanks her, and says, everyone did a great job; he appreciates them. Geez. Being in the yachting biz, he couldn’t think up something a little more personal? They leave, and the captain tells everyone, they’ll do a quick turnaround. Meet in the salon for the skinny envelope tip meeting. Natalya says she thought they’d say something negative, but they didn’t. Captain Sandy tells them, being stuck sucked for them. They worked so hard. Teamwork makes the dream work. (Ugh.) She tells Kyle, thank God that’s all that happened, and Kyle thanks her, and his two girls who ran to his assistance. The captain says, Kyle is leaving them, and they’re taking on a new stew to fill in for him while he’s hurt. He’s not fired; he’s part of the team. But he’ll be on shore because she doesn’t have an extra bunk. The tip is a surprising $18K, $1600 each. Captain Sandy says, well done, and in Natalya’s interview, she says she thought they’d get the minimum of the minimum of the minimum for being stuck.

In Tasha’s interview, she says, all season she’s had to deal with Natalya’s disrespect, and Dave had issues with her. Kyle has been her rock and emotional support. To lose that, she doesn’t know how she’s going to cope with the next trip. Storm tells Kyle not to forget coffee, and Courtney says, he’s not going to the desert. Tasha and Kyle sit together in a lounge chair, and Kyle tells her that Natalya too much energy; she needed to burn out. In his interview, Kyle cries, and says, Tasha is literally his best friend. They were neighbors, and now their worlds apart. He hopes they can keep their friendship going no matter where they are. He leaves by boat, and looks totally bummed. I’m bummed too. I really like Kyle.

Next time, the final charter; obnoxious NFL players; and Tasha’s ex bugs Dave, who wants to throttle him.

📌 Putting a Pin In It…

Best thing I saw last night – two T-Rex’s cavorting about 🦖, then begging me for some water since those costumes were probably 110 degrees. Here you go, little dinosaurs. Godspeed. Tomorrow, soap, tea, and as many costumes as I can find. Until then, stay safe, stay enjoying the colors of autumn (and pumpkin spice, if you must), and stay understanding good people can sometimes do bad things.

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