Monthly Archives: March 2023

March 30, 2023 – The Llama Is Running Late, In Addition, Extra Info, Another, His Status, Emo Reunion, Salty Talk, VanderGossip, Reaction, Pets (!) & Like Us

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Dex tells Sonny, the security sweep is complete, and Sonny walks out on the pier. He thanks Dex, and says he needs competent people around him during these times. Dex says, hopefully they’ll find out who’s targeting Sonny, and Sonny says, they will. Nobody’s interfering with the Pikeman deal. Dex asks if Sonny thinks she’ll deliver, but Sonny shrugs. Selina walks out with Li, and asks if Sonny hasn’t told his people, she always brings the goods.

Josslyn and Trina practice a dance for the Nurses Ball, and Josslyn suggests they go again. Trina says, they’ve done it five times, but Josslyn says, practice can’t hurt. Trina says she’s going to pass out from dehydration, and Josslyn says, five minutes. They get some water, when Maxie walks in, arguing with someone on the phone, and asks what they’re doing here. Josslyn says, they’re practicing their performance, and Maxie says, the show is tonight, and they still need to practice? This Nurses Ball is going to hell in a handbasket.

Violet and Finn are with Elizabeth in her kitchen when the doorbell rings. Elizabeth answers, and Laura says she’s, sorry she’s late, but Elizabeth says she’s right on time, and they hug. Aiden and Jake run in, and Jake says, Cam’s coming. They all line up, and Cameron comes downstairs, asking if he heard the doorbell. They shout, surprise! and he asks, what’s going on? He thought just the four of them were having breakfast. Laura says, he didn’t think they’d let him leave for California without a proper send-off, did he? and he says he feels like the luckiest guy right now.

Esme comes into the hospital carrying Ace, with Spencer following. She tells the reception nurse that she called ahead, and the nurse asks who her pediatrician is. Esme says, they don’t have a regular one; she gave birth outside the hospital. She asks if Portia is here, but the nurse says, she’s not available, and gives Esme some forms to fill out. Esme says, please. Her son is sick and needs to be seen right away. Spencer takes the clip board and thanks the nurse. Spencer tells Esme, yelling at the nurse isn’t going to do Ace any favors, but Esme says she doesn’t care. Ace needs medical attention, and she’ll fight for him, no matter what. Spencer tells her not to fight with the wrong person. She needs to fill out these forms. She asks what he’s even doing here. She didn’t want him here, so if he’s not on her side, he can leave now. He says, this isn’t about her or sides. This is about Ace, and he’s not leaving her alone with his baby brother.

Anna loads her gun, and Valentin asks if there’s something he should know. She says she’s just making sure she’s prepped; the situation is deteriorating. He says, something happened to make Eileen bolt. Now Victor’s after her, and will more than likely find her. Anna says, she can’t outrun Victor. She knows too much; enough to bring this whole thing crashing down. There’s a knock at the door, and they both ready their guns, Valentin ducking down behind the sofa. Anna flings open the door, and aims her gun.

Maxie asks if Josslyn and Trina knew there was a 10% chance of rain tonight. Water stains silk. Rain deflates hair. And what if the ground gets slippery? One slip or fall, it will be all over social media. Five or six are a catastrophe. Trina says, 10%’s not much, and Maxie says, and the llama has the nerve to be running late. Now they’re telling her that they’re also not ready? Josslyn says, they’re doing just fine. They were just doing a few run throughs and adding some finishing touches. Trina says, they’re beyond ready, and Maxie says, that’s great, but they’ll need to leave when the Wands get here; it’s a closed set. Josslyn says, got it, and Maxie leaves, already arguing with someone else on the phone. Trina says, six-minute break? and Josslyn says, fine. The Nurses Ball is about having fun after all. Trina says, that’s her plan. She’s all about fun tonight. Josslyn says, with Spencer?

Spencer says, Esme wouldn’t happen to remember Ace’s weight when he was born, and she says she does, snatching the clipboard from him. She says, and his length, and his Apgar score from when they first got to the hospital. Ace is sick, and if filling out this stupid form will get him seen, that’s all she cares about. If he wants to make himself useful, why doesn’t he fill out this part where they ask for payment. She tells Ace, it’s okay, and Spencer says, grandmother doesn’t seem to think that it’s anything serious, but Esme says, mommy knows it’s not right. He asks how long she’s going to keep up this angelic mother act, and she tells him to get over himself. She’s sick of trying to prove she’s not the person she used to be. She needs to be a good mother to Ace. He’s what matters, not Spencer. Spencer says, it seems she lost her memory, but not her personality. She’s not going to be able to hide behind Ace forever.

Cameron thanks everyone, and asks Aiden if those are banana chocolate chip muffins. Aiden – suddenly having made an age jump – bye, little dude! – says, his best batch yet. He hopes Cameron likes them. Violet says she made the toast, and Cameron says, fantastic. He loves toast. She says, it’s the only thing her daddy would let her make, and Finn says, she can move on to things that involve a flame when she’s a little older. Aiden says he could teach her some simple dishes, and Elizabeth tells Violet to take him up on that, since she hates Finn’s spaghetti. Cameron says, it’s so very cool of everyone. He doesn’t know what to say. Jake suggests, let’s eat, and Laura agrees they eat while it’s still warm. Elizabeth says she’ll get the orange juice, and heads for the kitchen. Laura motions that Finn should follow her. He asks if there’s anything Elizabeth needs, and she says she doesn’t want to bring down the mood. It’s been an intense two days. Finn says he’s here; whatever she needs. She says, just the strength to say goodbye to her firstborn, and she smiles at Cameron.

Felicia meets Ava at Charlie’s, and asks how she’s holding up. Ava says she’s hanging in there. A lot has come to light, hasn’t it? She wasn’t entirely surprised Esme turned out to be Ryan and Heather’s daughter. That girl is just as twisted as they are. But finding out Ryan was colluding with Esme to destroy her life shook her up a little bit. Felicia says, fortunately, they never have to deal with Ryan again, and Ava says, thanks to Felicia’s husband. That Esme though, she has yet to pay.

Anna lets Drew in, and he says, Felicia told him how to get here. He wasn’t followed, and took every precaution. Valentin asks, what’s happened? and Drew says, Victor disappeared. I get confused since I was expecting him to say Eileen disappeared.

Sonny asks if Selina found out anything about the contractor who tried to kill him, and she says, as she suspected, no one in her organization frequents The Highsider, nor did anyone recognize the gunman. However, she sent Li to make inquiries with the staff at The Highsider. He had a very interesting conversation with the bartender. Sonny asks if she got an ID on the shooter or not.

Everyone is talking and laughing at Elizabeth’s house, and Laura helps with the dishes. Elizabeth says she knew this was going to be hard, but it just got real all of a sudden, and Laura says she wishes she had some magical words to make Elizabeth feel better. It’s hard sending your kids out into the world. And Cam’s her first, so it’s a particular kind of pain. Elizabeth says, she’s happy for him, and proud, but she feels like a part of her is missing, and he’s not even gone yet. Laura says, that’s the sad part, but remember, there’s wonderment and joy in watching your children forge their own paths, become adults, and live full lives. Trust her, it’s a blessing, and Elizabeth will always be his mother. Elizabeth watches everyone in the other room.

Esme tells Ace, good job. He gained two pounds and grew almost an inch. That’s good, right? The nurse says, right on target, and tells Esme that the doctor will be with her shortly. She leaves, and Spencer says, the nurse seems to think he’s okay, and Esme says, they both have their reasons for not trusting each other, but it’s all in the past. He says, is it? and she says, can it be? Ace is her present and future, and whether she likes it or not, Spencer’s his brother. He says, what she did to him and his friends isn’t something he can easily forgive, and she asks if he can try. She’d hate to see him missing out on Ace because of it. He asks if that’s a threat, but she says, no. It’s just not good for Ace if they’re fighting all of the time, and the longer Spencer keeps seeing her as her old self, the more damage it’s going to do to him. He says he guesses he doesn’t see it like that, when Austin walks in. He says, I know you, and Esme says she knows him too. He’s the man her mother tried to kill the night her son was born.

Trina says, she and Spencer will see each other at the Ball, but they’re not going together, and Josslyn asks, what’s going on with them? The last time, she heard they’d kissed. Did something happen? Trina says, no, they’re fine. They’re definitely more than friends. It’s just… complicated. Josslyn says, that’s Spencer, he’s complicated, but Trina says, it’s not just him. She feels like they’re some kind of cosmic joke. Just when she thought, finally, they’re lives blew up. The night they kissed, she just found out her mother lied to her about her father. Then Ryan Chamberlain and Heather Webber showed up on Spoon Island, nearly killing Ava. Esme had her baby, and now Esme and her baby are living with Spencer in his grandmother’s apartment. Josslyn says, because of the baby, and Trina says she totally understands Spencer wants to be close to his baby brother, but it just feels weird that he, Esme, and the baby are living together like some sort of pseudo family. She really wants to be with Spencer, but now it feels like she should take it slow. Josslyn says, slow sounds like the right idea, but Trina says, it doesn’t feel that way. But what about Josslyn. It’s been months since she broke up with Cam, and now he’s leaving for California. Is she ready to get back out there?

Selina says, the bartender recognized the gunman, and Sonny asks if she got a name. She says, unfortunately, no. The bartender said the gunman came in only once and paid in cash, but he recalled the man was staying at a nearby hotel. So she sent her men to search the establishment. The shooter’s belongings were relegated to storage – Li tosses a duffle bag down – when he didn’t return. They were able to acquire them. Sonny says he appreciates that, and she says she hopes it restores his faith in her. Please let her know if she can be a further assistance. She leaves with Li, and Sonny says, looks like they found the guy. Now they have to find out who hired him.

Anna asks when Victor disappeared, and Drew says, within the last few hours. Ever since Robert broke into Victor’s hotel room, they’ve had the MetroCourt under surveillance, and he hasn’t returned. Drew even decided to search Victor’s room himself, in case somehow he slipped by them. Valentin asks how he did that, and Drew says, he asked Olivia for assistance. Both Valentin and Anna protest, but he says, time was his main concern. He knew Olivia wasn’t going to ask any questions, and it doesn’t matter anyway, because she said Victor checked out. He can tell them, Victor didn’t do it personally. Valentin says, this can only mean one thing, and Anna says, Victor’s on to us.

Josslyn says, it’s been months? Feels more like minutes. But Trina says, no fair. Josslyn doesn’t get to grill her on her love life, and she gets nothing back. Josslyn says she’s been swamped with classes, and has no time for dating, and Trina asks if she’s sure it’s a time thing. Break-ups are hard, but Josslyn can’t let it paralyze her. She’s got to get herself back out there. Hey, she knows Nolan. Josslyn says, water polo Nolan? What about him? Trina says, he’s in her Renaissance Art class, and they’re pretty cool. Maybe she could set them up. Josslyn says, thanks, but no, and Trina says, he’s one of the hottest guys on campus. Can’t she even have coffee with him? Josslyn asks what they’d talk about, and Trina says, they’re jocks. They could swap stories of the thrill of victory or something. Josslyn says they need to get back to rehearsing, but Trina says, they do not need to practice. Is Josslyn not interested in Nolan because she’s seeing someone?

Cameron says, Scotty is still stuck in court, and Laura says, that’s too bad. She knows he wanted to be here. Cameron says, Scotty told him that he’s due a visit on the west coast so… Laura says, he means it. Cameron is very important to him. Cameron says he feels very grateful having her and Scotty as his grandparents, and she tells him that she knows she speaks for both of them when she says, it’s been a privilege to watch him grow into the fine young man he’s become. He says he owes a lot of it to her. She’s always supported him, whether things were great or terrible. He thanks her, and she says she loves him so much. Her heart is bursting with pride right now. She hugs him, and says she can’t wait to see what he’s going to do next. It’s gonna be great.

Felicia asks if Ava is planning on making Esme pay, but Ava says, don’t worry about that. She’ll leave it to the authorities. Although she wasn’t happy to hear that Felicia’s brother-in-law isn’t going to prosecute her. Felicia says, timing is everything, and Ava says, what about all those months Esme terrorized her? She made Ava fear for her daughter’s life; she destroyed Ava’s marriage. She’s not excusing Nikolas’s actions, but they were building a life together before Esme showed up. And to find out she manipulated the whole situation… She’s just as rotten as her father, may he rot in hell. Now all she has left is that big old drafty castle. Felicia says, she’s not completely alone, and Ava says she has Avery, but not all the time. Felecia says, what about Austin? and Ava says, what about him? Felicia says, he was there the night Ryan and Heather made their appearance. Wasn’t he also there when Dante and the police were searching for Nikolas? Ava flashes back to telling Austin that she’s sure Nikolas was dead, and Austin asking, then where is he? Felicia says, he seems to be with Ava a lot.

Esme says, Austin has to believe her. She didn’t know that woman was her mother. Please don’t take Heather’s actions out on her son. Ace is innocent. Austin says, that’s his name, Ace? He loves that. (Me too!) She says, he’s not mad? and he asks why he’d be mad. Hhe certainly wouldn’t be mad at her or Ace. He’s Dr. Gatlin-Holt. She says she’s Esme Prince, and he says, nice to meet her under better circumstances. He addresses Spencer, and asks, what’s going on with Baby Ace? Esme says, he’s been fussier than usual. Crying when he’s not hungry and doesn’t need changing. She kept track of the episodes, and also noticed he’s been flushing. She has some pictures… He says he wishes all his first-time moms were this organized, and she smiles.

Dex asks if Sonny wants him to examine the contents, but Sonny says, no. They’ll look through it at the office. He’s going to have Frank bring the car around. As they walk past the water, Dex says, there’s a body in the water, takes off his jacket and shoes, and jumps in.

Valentin says, Victor suspects Laura and Robert are working together, because Laura told him the other day that Victor accused her of making a move against him. Anna says, if Victor already realized the necklace is fake, he’ll assume Robert knew, gave it to Eileen to hand off to him. Drew asks if Eileen would give them up, and Valentin says, if Victor pressured her, in a heartbeat. Anna says, she was just supposed to go in, give him the necklace, then get out. But she decided to take it on herself to make a play for the decryption key. Then something happened. Something spooked her enough to make her get out of town. Drew says, Eileen Ashby is definitely gone, but she did not leave on her own.

Dex places Eileen’s body on the dock, and Sonny says, of all the bodies he could fish out of the harbor. Dex says, he knows her? and Sonny says, yeah. She’s the Deputy Mayor.

Trina says, Josslyn is seeing someone, isn’t she? Don’t lie. Josslyn says she doesn’t want to lie to Trina. Yes, she is. Trina says, that’s great. How long has this been going on? Josslyn says, a few months, and Trina says, so not long after she broke up with Cam. Is that why Josslyn didn’t tell her? Did Josslyn think she’d judge her for it? Josslyn says, no, and Trina says, because she’d never. Josslyn told her last fall that she was starting to feel distance between her and Cam. Josslyn says she didn’t want Trina in the middle. Cam is her friend too, and Spencer definitely felt a way about her breaking up with him. Trina says, that’s on Spencer though. Of course (🍷) she felt bad for Cam. He was hurting, and he’s a great guy, but things worked out. Cam is going to play soccer at Stanford. He’s starting this major new phase in his life, and even if he wasn’t, Joss is her girl. She wants the best for both of them. They hug, and Trina asks if it’s someone she knows. Josslyn says, not really, and Trina asks if she has a picture. Josslyn says she’s really sorry, but she can’t tell Trina who it is right now. There could be really serious consequences if it became public knowledge.

Elizabeth thanks Finn for coming, and bringing Violet. He says, she loves her cousins. He’s glad they could stay a part of each other’s lives. She says, it’s the connections you make that matter the most. That’s what Epiphany used to say. Finn tells her that what she said at the memorial was really beautiful, and she says, as devastated as she is, one burden has been lifted. She found out Epiphany did write a letter to the Ethics Committee, and intended to deliver it herself. Finn says, Epiphany stuck by her, and Elizabeth says, thinking she had disappointed Epiphany was a weight on her; thinking she’d let down her mentor and friend. She’s incredibly grateful that wasn’t the case.

Aiden, Jake, and Violet come downstairs, and Violet tells Cameron that they got him something. Jake, now. Jake holds up a drawing of the four of them, with symbols of Cameron’s life, like a guitar and a soccer ball, pasted on it. Jake says he did the drawing; Aiden and Violet pasted on the cutouts. Violet says, so Cameron can take them with him to California. Does he like it? Cameron says he’s not sure like is the word to use here… He loves it. Violet runs to him and hugs him, and he says, thank you so much.

Esme asks Austin to just tell her what’s wrong, and he says, nothing’s wrong at all. Ace is a totally healthy baby. What we have here is a classic case of cholic. She says she’s read about that. Is Ace in pain? Austin says, he’s got gas, so probably more uncomfortable than in pain, and he’s just crying because he can’t tell her since he can’t talk yet. So he’s sending Esme home with some soothing techniques and samples of formula that might be easier on Ace’s stomach. He’s going to start Ace on a probiotic if a change in diet doesn’t help. Esme asks if that’s safe for babies, and he says, absolutely. Ace is fine. Whatever she’s doing, just keep doing it. She’s doing a great job. He says he’ll be back, and leaves. Esme asks if Ace heard that, and Spencer says, they’re going to get him fixed up, as he rubs Ace’s back.

Ava tells Felicia that she and Austin do have something significant in common. Nothing forges a bond like being victims of the same lunatic. Felicia says she hopes they have some peace of mind now that Heather’s locked up, and Ava says she’ll have peace once Esme’s dealt with. She has to run, and tells Felicia, it’s been a pleasure. Felicia asks if she’ll see Ava at the Nurses Ball later, and Ava says she wouldn’t miss it. Something big always happens at the Nurses Ball.

Drew says he went to Eileen’s apartment after Victor went missing. He wanted to question her, since she may have been the last person to see him. There were no signs that she made any preparations to run, with or without Victor. Valentin says, quick escapes don’t leave a lot of time to collect belongings, but Drew says, pet owners never leave their dog without making some provisions. Anna says she didn’t know Eileen had a dog, and Drew says, a very hungry, very thirsty dog that was barking before he even walked up to the door. This dog had not been cared for in some time. He took him to the Qs; the dog’s doing fine. I’m glad he says this, since I was already fretting about a fictitious dog. Drew says, the point is, she loved him. He was well-groomed, he had beds and treats, the whole thing, and toys. There’s no way she would abandon him willingly. Anna says, she’s not cold-blooded. He’s right. Eileen left under duress. Something really bad happened after she hung up that phone.

An officer puts a blanket over Eileen’s dead face, and Jordan says, imagine her surprise when she heard Sonny was the one who reported this. (Ha-ha! Yeah, right?) Sonny says, imagine how surprised he was when he came across her, and Jordan says, talk to her. How is he involved in this? He says he was just taking a walk, he saw something in the water, and it was the deputy mayor. Jordan says, he was casually taking a stroll, alone, on the docks, and a body just happened to wash up right by him? That is some timing. He says he told her everything that happened. If she wants to take it further, he has to call Diane, and then it’s going to be a waste of everybody’s time. He doesn’t think she wants to do that. Laura walks up, and says she came as soon as she heard. Is it true? Is that Eileen? Jordan says she’s sorry, when her phone rings. She steps away, and Laura says, oh, Eileen, as she looks at Eileen’s bare feet sticking out. Geez, dude could have covered those too while he was at it. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my feet hanging out there for the world to see if I end up dead on the docks. She asks if Sonny knows what happened, and he says, no, but his guess is Victor Cassadine. Jordan comes back, and says, the coroner’s en route to get the body, and Laura says she’ll have to prepare a statement for the press. Jordan leaves, and Laura turns to Sonny, obviously shook, and says, she has to deal with this. If it’s Victor, then Anna and Valentin and Lucy are all in danger, and they have to be warned. She’s barely keeping it together, and he says, he’ll check it out. Be careful. He leaves, and she quietly cries.

Josslyn promises to tell Trina when she can, but right now the stakes are just too high. Trina flashes back to Spencer having a problem with Dex at Curtis and Portia’s wedding, and Josslyn defending Dex. Trina says, it sounds serious, and Josslyn says, hopefully one day soon, she won’t have to keep this from Trina. But until then, please forget about it. Trina says, okay, but only if Josslyn promises, if she’s ever in trouble, Josslyn will come to her, and Josslyn promises. Dex walks in, and says hello to both of them.

Spencer says he’s going to take off, and Esme says, he’s leaving them here? He says he has something to do. She still has to stay and wait for the doctor to get back. She says, he’s their ride, but he says he won’t be long. She says, whatever, and tells Ace that he can’t count on anyone except her. Spencer turns back, and asks what that’s supposed to mean, even though it’s pretty self-explanatory. Esme says she can’t keep relying on him and Laura. She has to do things for herself. Like get a job. He says, doing what? She’s never worked a day in her life. She says she’ll figure it out. She got an internship, right? He says, that she orchestrated so she could spend some time scheming with her deranged father, and she says, when she was a person she doesn’t even remember. She’s a mom now. She needs to be able to provide for her son on her own. He says, the idea of her being a working single mother is ludicrous to him. He just offered to pay for Ace’s medical bills. Face it. She has no idea what to do now that she’s out of prison. My Spencer meter slides all the way past negative. She says, which was all his doing. Cameron told her how they all orchestrated (WOTD) her release; all part of the plan to take Ace away from her. But it’s backfired. She will never give up her son. He starts to say something, and she tells him, just go. He leaves, smirking, and I want to smack him.

Finn tells Cameron, good luck in California. He’s a good man. Cameron thanks Finn for being here, and for everything he’s done for this family. Can he ask Finn one last favor? Finn says, name it, and Cameron says his mom will need her friends when he’s gone. Finn says, Cameron can count on him, when Elizabeth comes out with Violet, who’s holding a box. Elizabeth says, some extra muffins for the road, and Violet gives the box to Cameron and hugs him. She and Finn leave, and Aiden and Jake come downstairs. Jake asks when Cameron will be visiting. He’s thinking of turning Cameron’s room into an art studio. Cameron says, Jake can’t wait for him to leave. He’ll visit as much as he can. Aiden says he’ll miss Cameron. Even though he was sometimes a pain, Cameron always stood up for him. Jake says, Cameron is a great big brother, and he’ll do his best to pick up where Cameron left off. He’s going to take care of Aiden and mom. Cameron says he’s going to be gone, but not for good. He’s still their brother. If they need anything, just call him. Aiden says he knows, but it won’t be the same, and they have a three-way hug. Cameron says he loves them, and they say they love Cameron too.

Valentin says, Victor and Eileen both disappear on the same night they meet; that’s not a coincidence. Anna says, best case scenario, she figured out a way to escape, she got out of there, and ran as fast as she could. Drew says, or Victor found out Eileen was compromised, which is more likely, and Anna says, then Eileen told Victor everything she knows. In which case, Victor will know they’re alive, and Lucy… Valentin says, and that the real necklace still exists, and Anna says, it puts everyone at risk. Robert, Laura, Felicia. He’ll figure out they were all working together to stop him. Drew says, Eileen never knew about him and Carly. Did she know how to find this place? Anna says, no. That is at least something in their favor. There’s a knock at the door, and Sonny says, Anna, it’s me. She opens the door, and he says, it’s good to see her, like this is nothing new. Anna asks what he’s doing here, and he says, Laura got caught up in an emergency. Eileen Ashby’s dead. And I’m thinking, half of Port Charles is going to be in on this by the weekend.

Dex says he was told to come here for rehearsal, and Trina asks if he’s the new Magic Wand. He says he is; Maxie talked him into it. Trina says, go, Maxie, and he says, they’re performing, right? Josslyn says, they’ve been rehearsing all morning, and Trina looks back and forth at them like it’s a ping pong match. Maxie walks in, and says, there he is. Wardrobe needs him for a final fitting come on. She drags him out, and Trina says, no one she knows, huh?

Elizabeth tells Cameron, it’s a great picture. It really captures the four of them. Cameron says he can’t leave, but she says, yes, he can. He says, Aiden and Jake still need him. She still needs him. She says, what she needs is to know he’s pursuing his dreams, and he asks if she’s sure. She says, it’s been her and him since the very beginning. He’s been her rock, and Jake and Aiden’s too. I get momentarily distracted by her haircut, thinking I should take it to my hairstylist. She says, he’s always stepped up for them. Now it’s time he stepped up for himself. He says, it feels so selfish, just leaving, and she says, he has a big heart and he’s so loving. It’s been the greatest gift of her life having him as her son. He’s given so much of himself to her and his brothers; now it’s his turn. So go out there and live his best life, and they’ll be here cheering him on. They hug and say I love you.

Esme wonders how much longer Austin is going to be, and suggests she and Ace take a quick trip to the vending machines. She walks out of the exam room, and sees Ava come out of the elevator. They look at each other.

Laura asks Jordan, what really happened to Eileen? but Jordan says, they won’t know until they get the M.E.’s official report. Laura says, Jordan knows something. Did she drown? Jordan says, the M.E. will check for water in her lungs, and Laura says, but? Jordan says, the coroner said she had multiple broken bones, including her spine. He suspects Eileen died from a fall. Does Laura have any reason to believe Eileen would take her own life? Laura says, no. Eileen was all about survival.

Sonny says, Jordan gave Laura the information. Laura wanted him to come here and warn them. Drew says, they have to assume they’re blown, and Valentin says, Victor got Eileen to give up the info, then disposed of her. Anna says, he’ll come after them now.

Spencer waits in the woods, and someone walks out. He thanks them for meeting him, and Victor says, anything for him. Is he to understand from this that Spencer is finally willing to do what needs to be done?

Tomorrow, Victor says he needs to hear Spencer say the actual words; Maxie asks what someone is doing here; Sonny says, if they leave now, they’ll be signing their death warrants; and Carly asks Nina, what the hell happened?

🩺 A postscript about the Epiphany memorial episode. No doubt what made this episode extra moving was the fact that you knew those tears from the characters were real. Probably one of the saddest episodes ever for me was when Mike died, but I knew Max Gail was fine and living his life in reality. I can’t even fathom how difficult it must have been for the actors to keep control, knowing that even though the storyline wasn’t real, the death was. While the episode was perfection – having real life friend Yvette Nicole Brown play the accident victim, Milo and Emma coming back to town, the photos, the flashbacks, the whole thing – it would have been nice to see Sonja Eddy in the credits one last time. But I know you can’t think of everything, so kudos again.

👩🏾‍⚕️ Whys and Whos…

Why this storyline was chosen.

All about Emma.

And Max and Milo.

🥀 More Loss For GH…

It’s so sweet that they named The Savoy bartender after her.

🏫 Not Going Too Far…

We won’t even notice he’s gone. And I hope he’s not bringing that hairdo.

🏥 Proud Papa…

I’m going to watch this later, since it’s on in the wee hours here.

https://ew.com/tv/general-hospital-maurice-benard-cries-emotional-reunion-with-daughter-tamron-hall/

🧂 Passing the Salt…

Jen gets the good news.

https://people.com/tv/jen-shah-sentence-reduced-1-year-after-reporting-prison-telemarketing-fraud-case/

And the bad news.

🍸 You Know You Want It…

If anyone has the right to shade, it’s Ariana. Tom and Raquel look like they’re dressed for a funeral.

Lala has a different kind of blackout.

Security was called? I can’t wait. I wasn’t a huge Raquel fan to begin with, although I felt sorry for her being James’s doormat. But now I can’t stand hearing her stupid baby voice saying she’s being young and living her life. I wasn’t aware that meant smiling in your friend’s face while you bang her longtime boyfriend behind her back. Normally, I’m with Trevor Noah and say, counsel, not cancel, but there’s no coming back from this.

💎 Oh Oliver…

I doubt even Garcelle’s Black Girl Magic could bring LVP back.

🐕 Recovery…

They make the world okay again.

🍳  Flipping Sides…

Stop by tomorrow for an end of the week cornucopia of soap, tea, words to regard, and music to enjoy. Until then, stay safe, stay balancing book knowledge with common sense, and stay knowing it’s the connections you make that matter the most. That’s what Epiphany used to say.

March 29, 2023 – Saying Goodbye To Epiphany, Perfect, When Did It Begin, Jax Talks Brawls & Not Alone

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Elizabeth walks into the hospital carrying a spray flowers. Bobbie sees Deanna at the desk and hugs her. I want to cry already. Felix goes to his locker, then slams it shut, sinking to the floor in tears. Marshall looks at his phone, and Curtis looks at Marshall. Spinelli and Sam look at the photos on the GH memorial wall and join hands. Outside, Laura sees Robert and they hug. Alone in the safehouse, Anna cries.

Elizabeth brings the spray to the chapel, and looks at the portrait of Epiphany there.

Bobbie sees Carly with Willow in a wheelchair, and says, Willow does realize she’s only two days out from her procedure. Carly says she tried to tell Willow to stay home and rest, and Willow says, later. Right now, this is exactly where she needs to be.

Anna looks at a In Loving Memory tribute to Epiphany on her phone, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Felicia, and Emma steps out from the side. Anna hugs her.

Obrecht says she’s officially cleared to donate her bone marrow to Willow, and Nina says, that’s such good news. God knows they can use that, especially on a day like today. She asks if Obrecht is going to the memorial, but Obrecht shakes her head. She says she couldn’t stand that people who openly wished Britta ill attended her service, and Nina says, Obrecht is many things, but a hypocrite isn’t one of them. Obrecht says, she and Epiphany did nothing but bump heads. She’s not happy Epiphany is gone, but she’s glad Epiphany died honorably. Nina says, just like Britt, and Obrecht says, we should all be so lucky. Amen to that.

Sonny goes out on the roof, when Milo joins him, asking if he wants company. They hug.

Marshall says, it doesn’t make sense that she’s gone, and Curtis says, unfortunately, a lot of things in life don’t make sense. Portia says, hanging out with Epiphany was often the highlight of her work shift, and Marshall says he’s sure it was. Portia says, they laughed so much when Epiphany was prepping for the MCATs, she’s surprised they got anything done, but she pulled through… with Marshall’s encouragement. Marshall flashes back to encouraging Epiphany to go for the MCATs, and telling her, a valiant effort is not a failure. Far from it. It’s courageous and he’s proud of her. He says, before Epiphany took the MCATs, she was scared, and said this was all his fault, and she was right. If it wasn’t for him, Epiphany would still be here.

Elizabeth looks at a photo collage of Epiphany in the chapel, when Finn comes in. He says he wanted to see how she was holding up, and she wonders if she should move the collage, but he says he thinks it’s perfect. The fact that she pulled this all together on such short notice is impressive to say the least. She says, it’s not like she had a choice. Epiphany had it in her will that she would organize the celebration. Finn says, still bossing her around from the afterlife, and Elizabeth says, although that was before everything had come out about what she’d done. Epiphany must have been so disappointed in her. She just wishes Epiphany could have focused on being at Johns Hopkins and her future, and not… He says, Epiphany was driving home, and there was an accident at the side of the road, and she jumped in to help, just like you’d expect her to. Elizabeth says, she was being the Epiphany they all know and loved. She just wishes she could have made it right with her. Finn holds her.

Brad goes into the locker room, and says he had the feeling he’d find Felix here. Back when they were almost kind of dating, he’d wallow in here when he was sad. Felix says he’s earned the right to a little wallowing, doesn’t Brad think? Epiphany was his friend. This vital presence, and now she’s just… gone. He flashes back to Epiphany telling him that he could do better than Brad, and Brad says, she’s not. No one’s really gone. As long as Felix holds on to her in here. He puts his hand on Felix’s chest, and Felix puts his hand over it.

Laura says, look at this place, caring for the people of Port Charles for 60 years, and Robert says, these walls have seen everything. She says she’s afraid today is going to be a hard one, and he says, General Hospital’s lost one of its best. She says she couldn’t agree more, but here they are; they’re still standing. He laughs and says, sometimes barely, and she says, still something to be grateful for. They have to keep going until they can’t anymore. He says he believes Epiphany would want that, when Diane joins them. Robert says he didn’t think they’d be seeing her today, and she says, Epiphany made her executor of her will. She just has one final thing to do before the memorial. Laura says, the grind never stops, does it? She can’t stay long either. She has to fill in for the Deputy Mayor while she’s indisposed. Diane asks if there’s any update on her whereabouts, and Robert tells Laura that he required assistance the other night, and Diane helped him. She can be trusted; she’s a friend. Diane says she’ll see them inside and leaves. Laura says, Robert seems a little happier. Does it have something to do with Diane?

Curtis asks, what’s Marshall’s fault? and Marshall says he pushed Epiphany into going to med school. Curtis says, that’s a good thing, but Marshall says, if she hadn’t taken the MCATs, if she hadn’t gotten into Johns Hopkins, she wouldn’t have been on the road that night and seen that accident, and she’d still be here with them. Portia says, no. Marshall reignited her dream and she attained her dream. She got to prove to herself that all those people were wrong all those years ago who said she couldn’t do it, and she actually did it. Think of how amazing that is, and how many people really get to have that satisfaction. Before Epiphany passed, any semblance of self-doubt and regret she’d been carrying around for decades lifted off of her. That’s a gift. And if she knows Epiphany, she knows in her heart that she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. She hugs Marshall as he cries, and Curtis mouths, thank you.

Sonny says, it’s good to see Milo. He wishes it was under different circumstances. Milo says, Epiphany was one of a kind. He’s so lucky he got to have her in his life. Sonny says, Epiphany was lucky too, and Milo flashes back to telling Epiphany that he worries all the time he’s not good enough for her. She’s beautiful inside and out, and that’s why he asked her out. He wouldn’t change a thing. He cries, and Sonny asks if he’s okay. Milo says he’s just grateful for all the memories. What about Sonny? How’s everything going? Sonny says, he means the business? It’s been a little dicey. Milo says, if he needs more hands on deck, for old times’ sake… Sonny says he appreciates it, but Milo’s one of the rare ones that got out… and lived. Let’s keep it that way.

Diane sees Obrecht, and says, just the person she was looking for. As the executor of Epiphany Johnson’s will, she’s been given a very specific set of instructions for her. They are time sensitive and must be completed today. Obrecht says, by her? But she and Nurse Johnson despised one another. Diane says, be that as it may, Epiphany thought Obrecht was the only one who could be trusted with this job, and hands her a paper. Obrecht reads it, and half-smiles. Nina asks what it says.

Willow says, Epiphany was important to her. If she hadn’t had Epiphany’s support, she may never have gone into nursing. She flashes back to telling Epiphany that she’s thinking of changing careers, and Epiphany saying, if she wants to talk about it, Willow knows where to find her. Willow says, she doesn’t think she ever told Epiphany how much she appreciated that. She just wants to attend the service and light a candle for her friend. Then she promises to head straight back home. Can she count on Bobbie and Carly’s help? Carly says, of course (🍷). She can count on them for anything. Bobbie says, always, and Carly takes Willow’s hand. She says, Willow can always count on them.

Anna asks why Emma is here, and Emma says she wanted to see Anna before heading to Epiphany’s memorial. Mom and dad really wanted to come, but sadly, they couldn’t get away from work. Anna says, of course (🍷) not. Doctors are always so busy trying to save people’s lives. Emma says, just because they couldn’t fly out, didn’t mean she couldn’t, and Felicia says, so this young lady booked herself a flight. Anna says, of course (🍷) she did. She can’t believe Emma is sitting here in front of her. Emma says, happy surprise? and Anna says, absolute happiest. She hugs Emma, giving Felicia a thumbs up. I have to say, Emma still looks like Emma, but so grown up and young lady pretty.

Diane sees Milo, and asks how long it’s been. He says, too damn long, and she takes his arm and walks with him. She asks, how’s Max? and he says, doing good. She asks how he is, and he says, very sad today. She says she’s so sorry about Epiphany, and he thanks her.

Nina tells Sonny that she’s so sorry for his loss. She knows he and Epiphany had a very special relationship. He says, it really hit home how precious life can be, and how it can be over – he snaps his fingers – like that. That’s why they have to be careful. She says, it’s funny. When she thinks of life being like that, it makes her want to stay close to the people she loves. I’m not sure why that’s funny; makes sense to me. She says she knows they can’t spend a lot of time together until things settle down, but if he wants company to the memorial, she’d love to go with him. He says he’d like that very much, and takes her hand.

Elizabeth wonders if she should cut some things, giving people more time to speak, but Finn says, the memorial is beautiful. She says she just wants it to be perfect. She needs to make it up to Epiphany. She just wishes she knew what Epiphany was thinking at the end. A woman (Yvette Nicole Brown) approaches them, and says, maybe she can help with that. Elizabeth asks if she was a friend of Epiphany’s, and she says, Epiphany was more like her guardian angel. Their dear friend died saving her life.

Felicia brings Emma into the hospital, and Emma runs to Robert, hugging him.

The woman says she read about Epiphany’s memorial service, and doesn’t even know what she was hoping to find, but she jumped in her car and here she is. Elizabeth says, she was with Epiphany when she passed? They’ve been trying to piece together all the details. The woman says, it was late. She was driving home after a double shift; she’s a nurse as well. The roads were a mess, visibility was even worse. She didn’t even see the downed power line before she was practically on it. She swerved to get out of the way, then crashed into a utility pole. There was so much smoke and fire; she was terrified. She managed to get out of the car, but she was in so much pain… there was so much blood… Then she saw the headlights. Elizabeth says, Epiphany? and the woman says, she pulled over and Epiphany just ran to her. She was barking orders at 9-1-1 the entire way. Finn and Elizabeth laugh, and Finn says, sounds about right. The woman says, Epiphany knew if she moved her that she’d bleed out, so Epiphany put pressure on her wounds, and talked to her in that soothing voice she had. She promised not to leave the woman’s side until the paramedics were here… and she didn’t. If it wasn’t for their friend… She couldn’t stop thinking about her, so she asked her colleagues at the hospital what happened, and they said that she collapsed at the site. They said she had a problem. They said there was so much smoke, she had complications. Elizabeth says, she had a pre-existing heart condition, and the woman says, and she didn’t even think twice about risking her life to save a stranger? Finn says, that was her. Epiphany was a true healer. Elizabeth says, Epiphany was a hero.

Sonny shakes Marshall’s hand and says he’s sorry for Marshall’s loss. Marshall says, they all lost her; that means Sonny too. Sonny introduces Milo, who says, it’s nice to meet Marshall. He’s heard great things. She spoke highly of him. Marshall thanks him for saying that, and Nina tells Sonny that they should head to the chapel. She, Sonny, Milo, and Portia leave, and Marshall asks Curtis how that nice young man knew Epiphany. Curtis says, that’s Epiphany’s ex-boyfriend. She was full of surprises. Marshall says, wow, and they follow the others.

Finn thanks the woman for sharing with them, and Elizabeth says, it means everything. Finn says they’re very glad she’s all right, and the woman says, only because of Epiphany. Elizabeth says, it’s comforting to know she left this world doing what she loved, and noticing people coming in, Finn says, it looks to be about that time. Elizabeth asks if the woman is staying for the service, but she says she should probably get going. She just wanted Epiphany’s loved ones to know what a wonderful person she truly was. Elizabeth says, they already knew that, but please stay. She drove all this way. Epiphany would want her here. The woman says she’ll stay, and takes a seat. Marshall asks, who’s that? and Elizabeth says, just one of the countless people who owe their life to Epiphany.

Elizabeth thanks everyone for being here. As she speaks, the camera pans over the crowd, all the people who loved Epiphany. How do you sum up a life that’s touched so many people in so many different ways? People fall into different categories. She’s the heart of the hospital, she’s the life of the operation, the soul, the glue, the entertainer, the comforter. She was all of those things wrapped in the soul of one magnificent human being. She was firm, and tender. She was a pragmatist and a dreamer. She was a taskmaster, and yet she told her nurses to take as many mental health days as necessary. There was a whole host of contradiction that for some reason never really seemed to conflict with each other. Today is just another one of those contradictions; a celebration of her life while our hearts collectively break, mourning a woman who was a mentor, a best friend, someone we all consider family. Elizabeth flashes back to Epiphany insisting they go out for a drink the night before she married Franco. Elizabeth says she’s going to miss her, but she’s also flooded with gratitude because who’s luckier than them? To have known, and loved, and been loved by Epiphany. No one’s luckier.

Deanna says, Epiphany had a gift for connecting people. For telling them the truth, even when the truth was scary. When Deanna first became a nurse, she was afraid of caring for terminal patients. She didn’t know how to be with them. Epiphany showed her by example. She got Deanna to push past her fear, so she could help those who needed her. She was generous with her time, her spirit, and her wisdom. Deanna had her credentials when she got here, but it was Epiphany who taught her how to be a nurse.

Portia says she didn’t know Epiphany as long as a lot of people in this room, but the impact Epiphany had on her life was indescribable. They were work colleagues. They got along great. Epiphany got along great with everyone. But there was a time Epiphany risked everything to protect Portia’s daughter and her daughter’s father. Portia thinks that speaks to her character. They became great friends after that, and eventually she became a part of Portia’s family.

Sonny says, his father once told him, it’s the people who show up at your darkest moments who are your real friends. God knows he’s been through some dark moments. He flashes back to being in a wheelchair after he was shot, and Epiphany helping him take his first steps. He says, if that’s the measure of true friendship, Epiphany was his best friend.  

Emma says, it’s hard to imagine General Hospital without Epiphany. She’s certainly been here for as long as Emma remembers. It won’t be the same without her.

Carly says, Epiphany was a truth teller. If she liked someone, then they were worth having in your life, but if she didn’t, it was probably best to avoid them. But Epiphany allowed for growth. Carly thinks it was one of her best qualities, because she believed people could change. They could get stronger, wiser, just better, and that’s a good thing because she was one of those people. Epiphany ran to her rescue so many times; a lot of people’s rescue. She looks at Sonny.

Diane goes up to the front, and says, just a moment before they all rush away. One last piece of business. When she agreed to be Epiphany’s executor for her will, Epiphany gave her a small, but very specific set of instructions for today. Chief among them being that she escort them to the roof. So please follow her. The guests begin to file out, but Elizabeth is still sitting, and Marshall asks if she’s coming. She says she’ll be up in a minute, and he leaves. She looks at the portrait of Epiphany.

On the roof, Diane says she has a note for all of them from Epiphany. I have to imagine some nice things were said about me today, and tears were probably shed, which I appreciate of course (🍷), but that’s not how I lived my life. Even in the darkest of times, I held on to the joy whenever I could, so be sad if you need to be…

Obrecht says, safe travels, my worthy adversary, as she lights some rockets elsewhere on the roof. She steps back as they go off.

…But I would much rather go out with a bang. Fireworks appear in the sky, and everyone marvels. Marshall raises his fist, and says, go out with a bang in peace. Milo says, correct him if he’s wrong, but these fireworks… Sonny says, are highly illegal, yes. Laura says she couldn’t hear that; the fireworks were too loud.

As Elizabeth is about to leaved the chapel, her phone rings. She says, Monica, and Monica asks if she’s disturbing the memorial. Elizabeth says, it just ended. Is she all right? Monica says she’s fine. She’s just terribly disappointed she couldn’t be at Epiphany’s memorial. If she hadn’t been the keynote speaker, she’d have backed out. Elizabeth says, Epiphany of all people would have appreciated her keeping her commitment, and Monica says she imagines Epiphany would, which brings her to why she’s calling. Diane Miller paid her a visit just before she left, and brought her a sealed letter that was written by Epiphany a few days ago; one she’d intended to hand-deliver to the GH Review Board on Elizabeth’s behalf. Elizabeth says, she did write a letter of support? and Monica says she just finished reading it, and she had to share it with Elizabeth. Elizabeth Baldwin is an extremely talented and dedicated nurse, and watching her grow from rookie to leader amongst her peers has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Her commitment to healing knows no bounds. And part of that commitment requires making snap judgements in the moment. I believe that’s what Elizabeth was doing when she made the choice to treat Esme Prince while in captivity. Was that choice the right one? Ultimately, no, as is often the case with snap decisions like that. But the thing that separates the good healers from the great ones, is accountability. Elizabeth didn’t run from her responsibility; she ran toward it, which makes her the best of us. In fact, it has always been my intention to recommend that she become head nurse when I leaved for medical school this fall. I stand by that recommendation now more than ever. Elizabeth has always made me proud, and she’ll make General Hospital proud too. Elizabeth cries silently, and Monica asks if she’s still there. She says she is, and Monica says, that’s quite a recommendation. And who is she to deny Epiphany’s last wish? Elizabeth asks if she’s saying… Monica says she’ll be glad to present the idea to the Board at the end of the month. Having another Hardy-slash-March run the 10th floor sounds right, doesn’t she think? Elizabeth thanks Monica, who says, don’t thank her. Thank Epiphany. She tells Elizabeth to take care, and Elizabeth says, thank you, Epiphany, for everything. I love you.

We hear Epiphany sing You’re Not Alone, and Elizabeth goes to the roof to join the others watching the fireworks. Sonny smiles at Carly; Milo puts his arm around Marshall, and vice versa. Brad holds out his hand to Felix, who takes it, and Portia smiles at Curtis. Laura and Bobbie put their arms around each other. We flash back to Epiphany over the years; with Robert, with Sonny, with Magic Milo. Singing, and getting together with Marshall. We flash back to Epiphany telling Obrecht that she wouldn’t dare mess with the Nurses Ball, and Obrecht saying, oh, wouldn’t I? We see her helping Felix, Carly, and Elizabeth. Elizabeth goes over to Finn, who puts his arm around her. Anna watches from outside the safehouse.

We see Epiphany’s picture, newly on the memorial wall.

Tomorrow, Maxie says, this Nurses Ball is going to hell in a handbasket; Austin knows someone; Cameron says he can’t leave; and Drew says, she did not leave on her own.

🌟 I don’t think they could have given a better send-off to Sonja Eddy. No wonder it took them so long. It was really perfect.

Vanderpump Rules

I get irritated even before the show starts. And why should Katie care about what Scheana wants anyway? Selfish twonk.

James’s dad Andros visits, and he’s impressed at how far James has come from the early days. In James’s interview, he says, back in the day, his dad was involved in the music industry, and was always his biggest supporter. James says, quitting drinking helped, and Andros says he couldn’t believe that James could DJ and not drink. Binge drinking is a rule of passage. James says his mom wasn’t happy, and we flash back to her telling James to proceed with caution. Drinking again is a dangerous game. He tells Andros that Ally is the light of his life, and Andros says he didn’t see James marrying Raquel. He can see it with Ally. They laugh about Raquel being on James’s turf now.  

At Schwartz & Sandy’s, the Toms get ready for the tasting. Schwartz says, they need balance on the menu. They went to dive-y. Manager Brett is hoping they can lock in the opening menu today, and tells them about the million and one things they still need. Schwartz says, they have so much sh*t to do, it’s unbelievable, and Sandoval suggests they ask Scheana to postpone the wedding so they don’t have to take the time off. Katie walks in, and in Schwartz’s interview, he says, after the pool party, they hugged it out; not literally, but verbally. They came to an understanding. He should have stayed out of it. He invited Katie to the tasting because he respects her opinion, and it’s also his way of saying he still cares and wants her to be part of his life. Greg’s wife JoLane and niece Gretchen join them, and in Sandoval’s interview, he says, they knew they’d have to swallow their pride and do what Greg wanted, and he was adamant about a more upscale food menu. The first thing that comes out is a lobster corndog, and I think, ugh, no. Love corndogs, love lobster, but hard pass on a lobster corndog. In his interview, Sandoval says, they want to open on August 31st, so they’ll say yes to anything Greg wants. Everyone applauds at the end, and Greg says he has a kickass chef in the back. The next thing they have to work on is desserts. Katie suggests they call her.

Scheana, Ariana, and Lala invite Ally out, and in Ariana’s interview, she says she’s hung out with Ally in group setting, but she feels Ally should be included more. She did let Raquel know she was inviting Ally. In Scheana’s interview, she says she’d love to get to know Ally more… if it doesn’t hurt Raquel’s feelings. In Lala’s interview, she says she doesn’t give a f*** if it hurts Raquel’s feelings. Scheana says she felt like everyone was arguing the other night, and Lala says, everyone got a don’t be mean text except Raquel. Raquel plans out how an argument will go, and when it doesn’t go according to plan, she short circuits. Raquel called her a mistress bimbo, when Raquel looked like a baby prostitute. Scheana says she heard Ally and James got a tarot card reading, and he’s her twin flame. Lala says she thought a twin flame could be toxic, but Ally says, not necessarily. It means a deeper connection; they’ve met in every lifetime. Ariana tells Scheana that Lisa wants to have a tea at her house, and Scheana says she swore off tea parties last year. We flash back to Lala bringing up Brock’s domestic violence charge at another tea party. Ariana says she thinks it will be fine, but wear flats if she has to run. Scheana says, nothing makes her run, and I desperately want to plop a big fat spider in front of her to test that theory.

Lala meets Brock and Scheana for lunch, and asks, how many people are coming to the wedding? Scheana says, the final count was 118, and Brock wonders how it will be with Lala and Raquel. Lala says, she told Scheana that if it was something with just bridesmaids, she can’t hide her energy, but if it’s in a group, she’s good. In Lala’s interview, she says, if she goes to events where she’s in close quarters with Raquel, there would be no escape. Unless she throws Raquel into the ocean, which she wouldn’t do because she’s afraid of prison. Brock says, the pressure Lala put on him changed his relationship with his kids’ mom, and in her interview, Lala says, she and Brock had a rough start, and we flash back to her berating Brock for not having seen his kids in years. She says, since then, she’s realized situations are not always black and white. Lala tells Brock that she’s happy he’s where he is, but it wasn’t her place. Brock says, that’s what friends do, and in her interview, Lala says, her and Scheana’s relationship changed and they got their kids together. She saw what an incredible husband Brock is to Scheana, and he’s an amazing dad. And the way he treats Ocean… She loves that dude a lot. Brock says he has a past, but he’s learned from his mistakes and won’t make them again. He doesn’t mind that Lala was holding him to a standard. Lala says she’s sorry for how she approached the situation, and gets all teary. In Scheana’s interview, she says, she and Lala even talked about raising the girls together, and having an unconventional family life. Brock would help with the kids, but the conjugal visits would just be hers. Is she confusing this with prison? Brock gets weepy.

Villa Rosa! Ponies! The tea party is on, and James says, it’s his first Pumptini in three and a half years. Lisa tells Ken that he’s on dog duty, and she’s on wild animal duty. After a false alarm lame shout of surprise! when Lala arrives, when Scheana gets there, they attack her ears with a worse rendition of Good As Gold than her own. In Ariana’s interview, she says, it’s next to impossible to surprise Scheana, since she has their locations on her phone. In Scheana’s interview, she says she was half-surprised. Her sister’s car kind of gave it away. Lala wonders if Ally wasn’t invited to the wedding because it would piss Raquel off, and James says, nailed it. In his interview, he says, it’s about what Raquel wants. He tells Lala, it’s an out-of-body experience having to be around his ex all the time. James wonders if he should ask Ally to marry him in Mexico, since Brock and Scheana got married during his engagement party weekend. Lala says, payback’s a bitch, and we flash back to that. It wasn’t a crass move unto itself, but their announcement of it was.

Lisa tells Scheana, since she can’t come to Mexico, she wanted to do something special. In Lisa’s interview, she says, if you want a successful marriage, don’t ask her to be involved. Scheana got engaged to her first husband at Lisa’s house, and Lisa officiated at Schwartz and Katie’s wedding. Her track record is 100% failure. Scheana points out that her anniversary is close to Lisa’s and Pandora’s, and suggests they share a trip every year, but Lisa tells her, slow down. Raquel and Schwartz sit in chaise lounges, and talk about Schwartz and Sandy opening on August 31st.  In Raquel’s interview, she says, she loves that she and Schwartz became tight, and maybe they’ll be tighter in the future. She tries to stick a vagina joke in there, but she’s no Lala. And I’m sure the viewers are collectively wondering if she’s already trying to divert attention. Schwartz tells Raquel about getting LVP tattooed on his ass, and in James’s interview, he says, Schwartz flirting with Raquel in front of him looks desperate and absurd. Hit the treadmill you fat f***. Apparently, some habits die hard.  

Katie had been invited, but said no, and gardens with Kristina instead. Katie tells her that tomorrow, she and Schwartz would have been married six years. Kristina thinks they should still acknowledge it to show they’re friends. Really? That sounds weird. Katie says they are having dinner in Mexico to celebrate the closing of their house. She’s been unpacking some strange emotions this week, and wasn’t prepared for how she’d feel. In Katie’s interview, she says she feels sad; the dream is over. Kristina asks about the sandwich shop, and Katie says, it’s in a holding pattern, but the owners haven’t said no. Kristina says she has a good feeling about it. Brock kicks around the bocci balls, obviously ignorant of how the game is played. James balances some of Lisa’s fine china, asking if he could do this if he was drunk, and nearly gives Lisa a heart attack. She asks how Lala can put up with him, and Lala says, he’s on a journey, and since she’s invested in him, she’s going on the journey with him. James says he thinks Ally is the one, and wants to put babies in there. Lala asks if he can say, create a family, and he says, make blond, blue-eyed gods and goddesses. Lisa says, he sounds like a dictator, and Lala says, he sounds like he’s 16. Bringing a child into the world is no joke. James says, if Brock can bring a baby into the world, it can’t be that hard. They all know how Brock left the country the first time. Lala says he’s acting out of pocket; bring it down. In Lala’s interview, she says, if you take time away from drinking because you think it’s a problem, then come back to drinking and think you can control alcohol, you’re wrong. Things are teetering on the edge right now.

They go to Schwartz and Sandy’s, and have a shot in honor of Brock and Scheana. Sandoval says, they’re looking forward to the opening, and James wonders how many soft openings they’re having. Raquel breaks the ice by saying hi to Lala, and asks if Katie is coming. Lala says, no, and we see Katie at home with her dogs, which seems preferable to hanging out with these people. Schwartz shows Raquel the sound bath, and James asks Scheana if Ally can come to the reception, since she’s going to everything else. He pulls the ace out of his sleeve, and says, remember his engagement party? In Scheana’s interview, all she says is, f***, and I laugh. Scheana says she’s visualizing the seating chart, and tells him, yes. He says he loves them, and in his interview, he says he’s glad they said yes, but if it was the final no on his final ask, it would have been his final f*** you. Raquel wonders if the men’s room has a vibe, and then decides she has to pee. Schwartz guards the door, and at least we know she flushes the toilet and doesn’t expect fairies to do it.

Everyone packs, and boom! we’re in Mexico. They all rave over the resort, and I want to go somewhere that has a welcome cocktail. Katie and Lala note how far apart their rooms are, and in Scheana’s interview, she says she had Katie moved to a different tower. Out of sight, out of mind. The group makes plans for dinner, and Schwartz says he’s having a mini celebration with Katie, then join them. Lisa and realtor Jamie call Ariana, who’s with Katie, and Lisa tells them, sometimes you can’t get what you want in business, and it can be disappointing… but don’t worry. This time it was a yes. I smelled that one coming. In Katie’s interview, she said, thank God they listened to Lisa. Because they did, they’re now business owners. Jamie tells them, enjoy Mexico, because it’s straight to work when they get back. They tell Lala, Schwartz, and Kristina, and Schwartz breaks the good liquor out of his duffel bag to celebrate.

Everyone checks out their suites, which are fabulous, no surprise. In Ariana’s interview, she says, now there’s nothing to get in the way of quality time with Tom. He’s her prisoner. Now the viewers feel collectively sick. The group meets for dinner, and Brock says, if they want, there’s a bar to go to afterwards. Kristina comes in the restaurant, but I blinked and missed her. In Scheana’s interview, she says, how dare Kristina walk into her welcome dinner uninvited? I double check, since she’s making it sound like Kristina sat down at the table. Nope. Scheana says, not only did Kristina and Stassi make fun of her first wedding dress, Stassi said it looked like it was from a skanky girl’s quinceanera, and Kristina laughed. Since Scheana is half-Mexican, making a tradition sound trashy hurt her. I don’t think she was trashing the tradition; just the dress. In Ariana’s interview, she says, when they were on the way to dinner, Brock’s drunk friend put his arm around James… In James’s interview, he says he’d never seen the guy in his life, and he was drunk, eyes rolling, falling all over… In Lala’s interview, she says, an annoying drunk hugged James, and James body checked him – hard. James says he should have Will Smith backhanded him. Ariana says she doesn’t want any fighting, but James says, it was no big deal. Ariana says, he’s already berating her, when he’s been rude and shoved a guy. In Raquel’s interview, she says, watching Ally cringe over James’s behavior makes her happy it’s not her. Lala tells James to disengage, and Ariana says, no fights is the only side she’s on. James says he didn’t punch the guy in the face, and Ariana says she doesn’t like him doing it period. In Ally’s interview, she says she can’t sit here. It’s making her question everything. Why is she in Mexico, and who is this person she’s dating? Ariana says she’s had enough – they’re done – and Ally leaves the table.

To be continued…

🍸 Scandovalish…

You figure it out.

https://www.yourtango.com/entertainment/when-did-raquel-leviss-tom-sandoval-affair-begin

🍿 It Don’t Feel So Good…

There was almost brawls.

https://extratv.com/2023/03/27/jax-taylor-confirms-near-brawl-at-pump-rules-reunion-exclusive/

🐻‍❄️ Will Do Nothing For a Klondike Bar…

Slide in tomorrow for soap and teatime. Until then, stay safe, stay never laughing at another’s expense, and stay remembering, a valiant effort is not a failure. Far from it.

March 28, 2023 – Robert Finds Victor’s Room Empty, Teresa Wants Louie To Fix It & Boots

Standard

I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Diane sees Robert in the hotel lobby, and says, what a surprise. What brings him to the MetroCourt this evening?

Victor paces, and says, it’s been too many years and he’s come too far. No, no, no. He will not be denied again. Eileen eyeballs the flashdrive on the floor as her phone rings. She tells Victor, the DA’s office, and answers, saying, she’s in the middle of a meeting. She already told them, she needs more time before she can come back to the office. Anna says, time’s up. Get out now. Eileen looks at the flashdrive again, and says she can’t. Valentin asks, what’s going on? and Anna says, she’s going to blow up the whole operation. She asks if Victor isn’t letting Eileen leave, but Eileen says, no. They can wait for her. Anna says, whatever it is Eileen is thinking, don’t, and Eileen says she can’t really talk right now, but don’t worry. When she gets there, they’ll have all the answers they need, and they won’t have to meet again. Anna says, oh my God, she hung up, and Valentin asks if Anna thinks Victor is on to her, but Anna says she doesn’t know. She calls again.

Eileen tells Victor that she’s sorry for the interruption. It won’t happen again; she’s putting her phone on silent. Victor says, she might as well leave. She’s done her part. She looks again at the flashdrive, and says she doesn’t want to leave him unhappy. She comes closer to him and adjusts his tie, asking if she can’t do something to make him feel better. There’s a knock at the door, and a man tells Victor that he has the information Victor is waiting for. He lets the man in, and says, not here; follow me. They go into the bedroom, and Eileen picks up the flashdrive.

At the safehouse, Lucy messes with her phone, telling Maxie to pick up her texts. Enter, enter, enter, enter. Answer her. Felicia comes in, and asks how Lucy is tonight. Lucy says, she’s good… that is if Felicia’s daughter would answer her texts. Felicia says, Maxie is diligent about responding to text messages, unless of course (🍷) she’s in a meeting and can’t. Lucy says, unless of course (🍷) Maxie’s choosing not to answer her, and Felicia says, there’s that. She asks Anna and Valentin, what’s going on? and Anna says, Eileen delivered the counterfeit necklace to Victor, but now she’s not picking up her phone. Felicia wonders if Victor is on to her, and Valentin says, it’s impossible to say, but they’re afraid Eileen might have gone rogue, and Anna says, putting herself, them, and the whole operation in jeopardy.

Cameron walks into Charlie’s with Esme and Ace, and Spencer says, what the hell? He knows this is Cameron’s party… Laura says, yes, it’s his party. He’s the man of the hour. She hugs him, and he says he knows his guests are unexpected. Laura says, welcome, and Esme says, for the record, this wasn’t her idea. Cameron invited her. Elizabeth says, this is her son’s going away party, and he can invite anyone he wants. It’s nice to see her outside of Spring Ridge. Esme says she doesn’t respond well to being locked up… as Elizabeth knows.

On the phone, Maxie says, the Nurses Ball is officially sold out, but they’ve been so generous to the hospital, she’ll see what she can do about squeezing in a party of four. She sighs.

Bobbie tells Brook that her list of performers is fantastic. She’s totally outdone herself. What a great lineup. Sasha says, Brook did a fantastic job recruiting people, and Brook says, now on to the hard part; what order do they perform in? Bobbie says, everyone knows it’s for a great cause, and she thinks they’ll just put their egos aside (she expects a lot), and accept whatever order they come up with. Maxie comes in and wonders how people can hear something is sold out and still expect to get tickets. She has to add another table. Sasha asks, where? They have to stick with the fire code. Maxie says she’s sure she’ll figure something out. Her phone rings, and Lucy asks why Maxie is ignoring her texts. And what is she hiding? What is Maxie doing to her show? Maxie says, hello… again. Let her get someplace more private. Maxie leaves, and Brook says, show order. Let’s start with the easy calls. GH doctors and nurses will start, but then what? The nurses will be a good emotional beginning, but the next act has to grab the audience’s attention; it has to be exciting. It has to have sex appeal. What act sends the message that you are in for the night of your life, and you don’t want to miss a single minute? Chase walks in.

In a back hallway, Maxie says, this is not what they agreed to. Texts only; no more phone calls. Lucy says she’s sorry. She’s not trying to micromanage Maxie. Maxie doesn’t know what it’s like to be stuck inside this safehouse while the Nurses Ball, her baby, is going on without her. Maxie says she hears that, but she can either talk to Lucy or get the Nurses Ball going. She can’t do both. Lucy says, that’s where Maxie is wrong. She has an idea.

Chase tells Bobbie that he’s here for his rehearsal, but she says, Felix is doing rehearsals, right next door. Felix comes in, and asks if Chase brought a copy of the song lyrics for the director. Chase says he did, and gives Felix the copy. Felix asks where Blaze is, and Chase says he’s sorry. She texted and said she couldn’t make it tonight. Felix says, this is her final rehearsal. She can’t just wing it on the big night. Chase says, he’ll go over it with her, and make sure she knows it. Blaze is a total pro. It will go off without a hitch. Felix says, from your lips…

Sasha says, whatever is going on with Brook and Chase, he’s clearly not indifferent to her. Don’t give up hope. Brook says, there’s no hope. Chase made that very clear to her yesterday.

Robert asks what brings Diane to the hotel, and she says she just finished a painfully boring dinner with an out of town client. What about him? He says he’s due to meet a contact for a drink, but he’s starting to think he’s been stood up, and she says she doesn’t believe that for a second.

Cameron tells Esme not to make him regret bringing her. Don’t talk to his mom like that. Elizabeth says, it’s okay. She was just speaking her truth. She’s sorry for everything. Cameron says, his mom just apologized. He feels like Esme should acknowledge that if she meant what she said earlier about being a better person. Esme says she’s sorry, and she does appreciate Elizabeth’s apology, but she really thinks she should go. It’s obvious no one wants her here. Cameron says, because of her past. She has to try and show people that she’s a changed person. There’s a life here. She’s just got to try. Elizabeth takes Esme’s diaper bag, and says she’ll help Esme get settled in. They walk to a table, and Laura asks, what happened? Cameron says he might have walked into her apartment, and might have caught Esme trying to walk through the front door, and Laura says she’s guessing Esme wasn’t just going for a walk. Cameron says, she actually tried to convince him otherwise, but after some grilling, she admitted she was trying to leave town with Ace. He eventually talked her down, but didn’t want to chance leaving her alone, so he brought them here. Laura thanks him, and pissing-me-off-by-the-moment Spencer says he’s going to have a quick chat with Esme about trying to take off with his little brother. Laura says, not now. Not here. Scotty comes in and says he can’t believe Cameron is headed to Stanford. The town won’t be the same. He sees Elizabeth fussing over Ace, who bounces on Esme’s knee, and says, what the hell is Esme doing here?

Josslyn asks, what happened to Jake and Aiden? and Trina says, Cameron told her that the family is going to have special goodbye breakfast for him on the day he leaves. Josslyn says she didn’t know. It’s so weird to see Esme with a baby. They need to get that poor kid away from her as soon as possible. Memory or no memory, she’s still bad news.

Anna says, she called Eileen’s cell, Eileen picked up, but refused to leave Victor’s room, and Felicia asks if Anna thinks Eileen double-crossed them. Anna says she doesn’t know; she doesn’t think so. Eileen told her that she’d be able to get them all the answers they need. Oh my God. Do they know what she’s doing? She’s going after the decryption key. Felicia says, that’s good, because they already have the real Ice Princess necklace, complete with the correct code. If Eileen can get the decryption key, they don’t have to follow Victor. They’ll be one step ahead. Valentin says, people who think they’re one step ahead of Victor Cassadine tend to get stabbed in the back.

Eileen puts the flashdrive in her pocket, when Victor comes back out. He says he thought they weren’t going to be interrupted again, and Eileen says she didn’t know how long they were going to take, and her real job is very demanding. Victor says, she works for him, and that’s the only job that’s important. Remember? Her very life depends on it. She says she’s well-aware, but she does have a meeting she has to go to with the Zoning Board. She picks up her coat, and he says, she’ll leave when he says she leaves. She’s not leaving yet.

Elizabeth checks her phone, and wonders why Epiphany isn’t calling her back.

Spencer says he knew his grandmother shouldn’t have left Esme alone, and Cameron says, he can’t watch her every second. Spencer says he can sure as hell try, and Cameron says he has a better idea. Since Esme is like a blank slate, can they at least try to co-exist with her? Spencer says, Cameron wants him to be nicer? After everything she’s done? Cameron tells him, he didn’t say that, but they can at least try to tone down the overt hostility.

Brook says she really screwed things up with Chase, and Sasha says, tell her what happened. Brook flashes back to Chase saying, if she was really trying to do the right thing, why didn’t she tell him? He’ll tell her why. She knew he’d be angry, and she knew what she did was wrong. But she was right about one thing; she’s not the person he thought she was. Brook tells Sasha, she blew it, and there’s no going back. Maxie comes back along with Bobbie, and asks Brook, what’s wrong? Brook says, nothing. Let’s go over the show order.

Lucy listens in, and Bobbie says she thinks they should just start at the end and work backwards. Lucy scoffs, saying, Bobbie would say something like that. That is ridiculous. Maxie, don’t listen to her. Maxie hears Lucy in her earpiece, and Bobbie asks if Maxie is going to be the one to announce how much money they made and say goodnight. Maxie says she thinks it should be someone from GH, and Sasha says, it won’t be the same without Lucy. They miss her. Maxie says, it’s funny. She feels like Lucy is right here in the room with them. Lucy says, I miss you too, Sasha, so much. You are a good egg. Sasha says, since Lucy isn’t here to be the Mistress of Ceremonies, there’s only one possible choice. It has to be Bobbie. Lucy yells, no! and Maxie can’t get her earpiece out fast enough.

Diane asks, who would stand up Robert Scorpio? but he says, it’s a business meeting, not a date. She says she still finds it criminal that two people such as themselves are working at this hour, but he says, she’s Killer Miller; she’s never off the clock. She laughs, and tells him, she’d never say never, but she’d be glad to put it all aside if she got the right offer. His phone rings, and he sees it’s a call from Anna. He asks Diane to excuse him. It’s his business contact. She tells him, have a good night, and leaves. He asks, what’s up? and Anna says, Eileen is still in there with Victor. He has to go in and get her out. He says he’s on it. Diane sees him at the elevator, and he says he thought she was leaving. She says she was, but Alexis called; she’s working later. She wanted Diane to meet her for dessert upstairs. She’ll ride up with him.

Victor says he still doesn’t have the information his brother Mikkos engraved onto the Ice Princess, and Eileen says she brought him the necklace. The decryption key failed him, not her. He said so himself. He says, regardless, he needs more time. He needs her to return the necklace to the PCPD secure locker room, so no one will know it went missing. His people need to work on the decryption key, and find out what went wrong. She takes the box, and says she’s only sorry he couldn’t crack the code. She was truly hoping this would all be finished today. He promises she’ll be done with this very soon. There’s just one more thing he needs her to do for him.

Lucy hears Bobbie say she’s not so sure she should be the one to close the Nurses Ball. What about Elizabeth… or Felix… or Deanna? Lucy says, Bobbie finally said something right. It definitely should not be you. Sasha says, true, they’re all nurses, but this is the 60th anniversary. Bobbie’s been at the hospital the longest, and she’s co-chair of the Nurses Ball. Lucy says, Sasha doesn’t need to be quite so literal. She wasn’t even a Candy Striper, and she represented GH just fine. Anybody but Bobbie. Why Bobbie? Not Bobbie Spencer, okay? The Ball needs to end with bang, not a whimper. Maxie yells, stop it! and Bobbie asks if she’s all right. Lucy says, sorry, she’ll shut up, and Maxie says she’s sorry for yelling. It’s just that all this talk about Lucy is creating this relentless chatter in her head telling her that the Nurses Ball isn’t going to be good this year. Sasha tells her to cut herself some slack. Maxie is working so hard; they all are. The Ball is going to be great. Felix comes in, and says he agrees with Sasha. He’s worked a lot of Balls with Lucy, and he knows what she would want. Lucy says, that’s right, Felix; tell ‘em. Felix says he thinks Lucy would be behind them 100% with Bobbie. Lucy says, please, anyone but Bobbie, and Maxie tells Felix that she agrees with him. She just needs to tell that annoying voice in her head to shut up. She shuts off her earpiece, and Lucy says, Maxie, come back.

Scotty says, Esme and the baby are staying with Laura? He knows she likes to take risks, but that’s crazy. She hands him a drink, and says she knows, but the baby is completely innocent, and he’s her grandchild, and she feels like she needs to protect him. He takes a sip, and says, what the hell is this? She says, club soda, and he says, where’s the vodka? Cameron’s underage, but he’s not. She says she thinks Liesl’s still mad at him, and he says he went to her apartment, and she threw all his suits out in the hallway. There were actually people trying them on. Elizabeth joins them, and says she’s really sorry she caused this rift between Scotty and Liesl, but he says, it’s not her fault. How did the Ethics Committee go? She says she got reinstated, and he says, good. She gets to keep her job. She says she’s worried she may have lost a friend, and looks at her phone.

In the elevator, Robert presses a button, and Diane says she thought he was heading upstairs for a drink. He says, plans changed; she now wants to meet in her room. Diane says, if his contact is staying at the hotel, why was he waiting in the lobby?

Josslyn walks over to where Esme is standing, holding a sleeping Ace, and Esme says her arm feel asleep. Josslyn suggests switching arms once in a while, and Esme does. She says, that’s better. Thanks. Josslyn says, so Esme met Spencer in boarding school. She didn’t babysit before that? Esme says she has no idea. She doesn’t remember anything before waking up at GH. Josslyn says, right, sorry, and Esme says she heard about what she did to Josslyn in the past, the revenge porn. She swears she has no memory of doing it, or even why she would. She honestly hopes she never remembers. She doesn’t want to be that person. She just wants to be a good mom to Ace. It’s important she set a good example for him. That’s all that matters to her now.

Diane follows Robert out of the elevator, and says, Victor Cassadine has a room on this floor. Is that why he’s here? Robert says, she should get back on the elevator, and find Alexis, and Diane says, uh-huh. What has Victor done now? He says, actually, it’s Eileen Ashby he’s looking for, and she says, the Deputy Mayor? He knocks on the door and yells for Victor to come out, and Diane asks if he’s sure Victor’s in there. Robert says, he was five minutes ago, and she says, maybe Victor has left the building. Robert tells her that he’s going to kick in the door, and she’s going to find Alexis. She strides off, and he says, what do you know? That’s never worked before.

Felicia wonders why Robert hasn’t called them back, and Anna says, he’s in the middle of something, there’s no update… Valentin says, Eileen can’t still be with Victor, and Anna says she’s worried Eileen is pushing too hard. Victor was already suspicious of her. By now he might have realized she’s working against him. Valentin says, Eileen would turn on them in a heartbeat, and Felicia says, maybe she saw an opportunity and she jumped on it. if she can get Victor’s decryption key, that’s going to make things a lot easier for them. Valentin says, if they still have the real necklace, then they have the advantage because Victor needs it. He’s been looking for it a long time. He can’t move forward without it. Anna says she hopes he hasn’t decided Eileen is standing in his way.

Robert tries using a credit card to slip the lock, when Diane comes back. She says she thought he was kicking the door down, but he says he suddenly remembered he’s not 25 anymore. She says, allow her, and hands him a keycard. He asks where she got it, and she says she found a maid, she borrowed the maid’s master key, and the city needs to reimburse her forty dollars. He tells her, stand back, and opens the door. The room is empty.

On the phone, Anna says, thanks for the update, and tells Valentin, Robert got into Victor’s room. He and Eileen weren’t there; it was empty. Valentin wonders how they got past Robert, but Anna doesn’t know. Service elevator or something? He said there was no sign of a struggle. Felicia says, then Eileen went with him willingly, and Valentin says, either that or they overpowered her and took her out back in a laundry cart. Felicia says, it doesn’t do them any good to assume the worst. Where do they think Victor took her? Anna says, it all depends on whether Eileen blew her cover or not.

Maxie thinks Bobbie is the perfect person to end the Ball, and Bobbie says she’s honored, but there are other nurses deserving of that honor. Maxie asks, what if it causes friction? Whoever they ask, someone else is bound to feel slighted. Bobbie says she doesn’t think they have to worry about that. What the heck. Maybe she should do it anyway. Sasha asks, what changed her mind? and Bobbie says, if anything can bring Lucy back from the grave, it would be seeing Bobbie up on that stage instead of her.

Elizabeth says, she’s been trying to reach Epiphany, but no luck, and Laura says, she’s probably just really busy. She’s probably having the time of her life at Johns Hopkins campus. Elizabeth says she can’t help but feel Epiphany is avoiding her, but Laura says she doesn’t think that’s Epiphany’s style. Scotty says he agrees with Laura. She’s a straight shooter. He knows that from personal experience with Epiphany. Laura says she’s sure Elizabeth will hear from her when she gets back to town. Elizabeth says she hopes so.

Cameron asks if Esme is okay, and she says, perfect. She’s the one who should be leaving town, not him. He says he thinks she’s better off here. Where would she go? She can’t raise Ace by herself. She says, Charlie’s is full of people, but she’s still on her own, but he says, it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s her choice.

Felix asks what kind of lighting Chase is looking for, and Chase says, it’s a love song, so he figured, keep it simple. Felix says, really? Because in his book, there’s nothing simple about love. He does know someone who might have some ideas though. He grabs Brook, and says, they need her two cents. How does she feel about love?

Victor brings Eileen to the footbridge, followed by mystery man, and she asks why he brought her here. Victor says he likes privacy for these kinds of things, and she asks, what kinds of things? Mystery man pushes her up against the railing, and frisks her, and she asks what he’s doing. He takes the flashdrive out of her pocket, and hands it to Victor. Victor says, this doesn’t belong to her, and wonders why he shouldn’t just kill her right now. She says, because she knows things, and he says, such as? She says, Valentin and Anna aren’t dead. They’re alive and in Port Charles.

Felix says he needs some direction for lighting and set design, so let’s get down to the basics. Is it a sad love song or a happy one? Chase tells him, he’d say it was happy, filled with love and optimism. Brook says, is it though? The lyrics are full of yearning. Chase says, and passion, and she says, which you had but lost. He says, not really lost; chemistry doesn’t fade away. She says, it doesn’t fade away, but it can take a wrong turn, and then where are you? You’re lost. He says, hoping to be found again, and Felix says, so lighting for lost and found. He can do that.

In Victor’s room, Diane says she can help Robert look. He’s just got to tell her what they’re looking for. He says, it turns out Eileen was working with Victor. They had a little talk with her, and convinced her to change sides. However, loyalty is not Eileen’s strong point. They’re concerned she may have panicked and told Victor everything. She asks what Victor did, and Robert says, he killed Luke Spencer.

Victor says, his son is alive? And Anna? What about Lucy? Eileen says, she’s alive too. They’re all hiding out in town. He asks, where? but she says she doesn’t know. A safehouse? They always blindfolded her when they took her there. He asks why she stole the flashdrive if the decryption key didn’t work, and she says, because the key wasn’t the problem. The necklace she gave him was a fake. He moves closer to her, and she says she didn’t want to do it. They threatened her. Wait. They have the real necklace, and she can get it for him. She’ll do anything she can to make this right.

Maxie’s phone rings, and she says she wants to ignore this, but it could be Nurses Ball business. It’s Lucy, who says, sorry, sorry. Please don’t hang up. She promises she’ll be as quiet as a mouse. Maxie says she’s so sick of Lucy trashing any idea that’s not her own. They’re all working their butts off here. Lucy says she knows and she’s sorry. It’s just that she cares too much about the Nurses Ball. Maxie says, Lucy has to trust her to do what’s right, and Lucy says she does, but please, Bobbie can’t host in her place. Maxie says, no one is taking Lucy’s place. They all agreed no one person could fill her shoes, so they’re going to have different GH staff members introduce various acts. Lucy asks if she learned nothing from the Daisy Awards. It’s really a terrible idea. Maxie says, call her again, and she’s blocking Lucy for good. Goodbye. She shuts the earpiece off.

Spencer watches Esme rocking Ace, and flashes back to voicing his concerns about Esme taking off with the baby to Victor, and Victor saying, there’s no way in hell Esme is raising a Cassadine heir. Not while there’s a breath left in his body. Cameron tells Spencer, it’s not that bad. They both know grandmother won’t let anything bad happen to Ace. Spencer says he wasn’t thinking about his brother. He was thinking, when Cameron leaves town, there won’t be anyone to keep him in line. Cameron says, what about Trina and Joss? and Spencer says, that’s true, but it’s not going to be the same. He’s going to miss Cameron.

Scotty asks for everybody’s attention. He’s got a few things to say about Cameron. Everybody gathers around, and he says, he and Cameron aren’t related by blood, but he certainly considers Cameron family. He’s had a tough year, but he’s kept his chin up. Now Stanford has him; their loss. So good luck. He shakes Cameron’s hand, and says, he loves Cameron. He puts his hand up like he’s whispering, and says he’s got something for Cameron’s wallet. Cameron thanks him, and Elizabeth says she’s so proud of Cameron, hugging him. He says he loves her, and she says she loves him too. Cameron thanks everyone, and begins his goodbye hug tour. Esme tells him that Laura’s offered to take her and Ace home, so they’re going to be leaving now, but she thanks him for inviting them. It just figures that the one person who’s been nice to her is leaving town. He says his grandma’s been nice to her, and she says, true. She does have an ulterior motive. He says, she’s not like that, when Laura comes over. She hugs him, and says she’s going to miss him so much. He’s a very, very special young man. He’s her soccer star. He thanks her and says he loves her. She says she’ll bring Esme’s stuff to the car, and Esme follows her out, Scotty opening the door.

Felix says he knows Brook and Chase used to be a couple. Is that going to be a problem here? Brook says, no, and Chase says, they’ll get it done. Felix walks out, and Chase follows him.

Bobbie says, the show order is set, and Maxie says, this Nurses Ball is going to be special. Worthy of GH’s 60th anniversary.

Lucy says, it’s simply madness not to have one host. You need that person to tie everything together; keep the evening moving. This is bad. This is really bad. This is not going to work. She has to be there. The Nurses Ball needs her.

Cameron thanks Elizabeth for the party; it was a lovely send-off. She says, everyone wanted a chance to say goodbye and tell him how much they love him. He says, it’s strange. He hates that he’s leaving, but he can’t wait to get there. (That’s a perfect way of describing leaving home for the first time. If you liked living there.) She says she knows. He’s going to love it there, but she’s going to miss him. He says he’s going to miss her too, and they hug.

Anna’s phone rings, and she says, it’s Eileen. She asks if Eileen is all right. Is she still with Victor? On the footbridge with Victor and mystery man watching, Eileen says she’s sorry. She thought she could get the decryption key, but it didn’t work out. Valentin asks if she’s compromised. Does Victor know the necklace was a fake? Eileen looks at Victor, who nods, and she says, no. Victor didn’t suspect anything. Anna says, and she’s all right? Just don’t go against orders again. Eileen says she can’t do this anymore. She’s out. Anna says, don’t forget the evidence they have against her, but Eileen says her life is ruined already. She’s leaving town, and she’s going to get as far away from Victor Cassadine as possible. Anna says, just calm down, and Victor disconnects the call. Eileen says she did what Victor wanted, and he says, well done. Now there’s just one more little thing.

Valentin says, they lost Eileen, and Anna says, she sounded terrified. She just hopes Eileen is halfway to the Canadian border by now. Felicia says, if Victor didn’t suspect her, he will when she goes missing. Anna says, at least they have the real necklace. As long as they have that, they still stand a chance.

Eileen says, Victor promised he’d help her get out of town, away from Anna’s reach, and he strokes her hair, saying, he promises she won’t have to worry about Anna Devane again. He flings her over the side of the bridge, with one hand no less, and she yells like a cartoon character going over a cliff.

Cameron tells Elizabeth, goodnight. He loves her. She says she loves him more. He leaves, and the pub is empty except for a few employees. Elizabeth calls Epiphany’s number. State Trooper Carlson answers, and Elizabeth says she’s trying to reach Epiphany Johnson. He says he’s very sorry, but he has bad news about her friend. We don’t hear him, but we see Elizabeth’s face as he talks, and it makes me want to cry. She sits down at the bar, and closes her eyes.

Tomorrow, Marshall says, this was all his fault; Robert says, General Hospital’s lost one of its best; Diane tells Obrecht that some forms must be completed today; and Willow says she’s right where she needs to be.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Last week, Danielle left the party after hearing her name one too many times. Teresa and Jennifer left with her, and in the limo, Danielle said she’d opened up, and now she was being talked about. The one person they didn’t want to have as an enemy was her.

Everyone struggles to wake up. Jennifer makes a huge breakfast for her guests, and tells them Rachel is having brunch later. Saddle up; it’s going to be a long afternoon. Among the three houses, there are various conversations involving Danielle and her brother. Jackie thinks something is missing from the story, and Dolores doesn’t think the rift is because Danielle blocked him, but she doesn’t know what it is. In Rachel’s interview, she says she likes Danielle. Danielle has the things she looks for in a friend, but it feels like a link in the chain is missing. Danielle says, Rachel is a sh*t starter, and she didn’t like that Rachel repeated the things she said. In Danielle’s interview, she says she saw Danielle as a new friend. Now Marge is mad at her because of what Rachel told her. Because she hasn’t played victim for a minute, Teresa says, they were making her feel bad because she didn’t invite Melissa’s mom to the wedding. In Melissa’s interview, she says, how dare Teresa paint the picture that her mother doesn’t deserve to be there? and Marge says, Louie went looking for Melissa’s mom to apologize. Melissa wonders if that’s coming from a genuine place. Does he believe Teresa is wrong? Joe #3 says, Louie makes himself look good, but he knows what’s up. In Joe #2’s interview, he says, in the beginning, he was happy about Louie, and a producer asks if something happened. Joe says, yes. In Teresa’s interview, a producer asks how it started, and Teresa says she kept her mouth shut to protect her brother and keep the peace. She tells everyone at Jennifer’s house that there was a business dealing, and Louie lost a quarter million dollars. In her interview, she says, Joe had an idea for a pizza oven, and Louie put out $250,000. He discussed it with an attorney, and they came up with the figure of 5% to give Joe, but Joe wanted 50%. She asked him if he put up the money. They ended up not doing it, and Louie took the loss. We see a clip of Melissa telling Tiki and Traci Barber that Louie acted like a knight in shining armor. In Joe’s interview, he says he didn’t want to talk, but if Teresa’s talking… It was his idea to honor his father; they were calling it Nonno Pizza. He ordered the ovens, and Louie put up the money. He figured he’d give Teresa 50%. Then his nephew showed him that Teresa and her girls had posted a photo shoot, something about Skinny Pizza. This was between him and Louie, so he called Louie, and Louie gave him lip, with his sister in the background, yelling, did he put up the money? It was his idea. At the pseudo shore house, Melissa says she thinks Teresa is just so selfish, she doesn’t want to share, and Joe says, it became ugly. Marge says, Teresa puts things in place that they can’t recover from, and in Melissa’s interview, she says she was so hopeful for a new beginning for Joe, and they stole it from her. She tears up, and says she feels bad for everyone that it’s getting to this point.

In Rachel’s interview, she says she goes above and beyond with everything, even planning parties. She’s a perfectionist in a bad way. She likes to make it more of an experience, and she can’t have John on the grill, or they’ll be eating charcoal patties. A giant clamshell with a live mermaid is set up, and in Jen’s interview, she says she doesn’t get the extra stuff. Teresa had a girl in a bubble – we flash back to that – and Rachel has a woman holding a bubble. She doesn’t know why all the Disney characters at parties, but it’s working. Since they have nothing to talk about except each other, Jackie says she thinks Jennifer is trying to be tough, but she’s not happy. She and Bill are fighting over how to raise the kids. In Dolores’s interview, she says, no matter how much Jennifer pissed her off, she thought she’d been a good friend to Jennifer. Jennifer had done a lot to her, but she doesn’t want problems for her and Bill; she likes them as a couple. If she ever cares for someone, there’s always a piece of her that still does. Some of the guests take a look at John’s stripped chest, and Joe #2 says, he couldn’t initiate Louie that way; he’d be crying. Evan shows them an Instagram post from Louie with Bill and Nate, where Louie is talking about God and forgiveness. In Joe #2’s interview, he says, maybe Louie should try teaching his fiancé forgiveness before trying to teach the world. Touché. They make their own video, and Joe says, last night was a great night. God told him to wax somebody. There’s heaping platters of wondrous barbecue and sides, and more talk about Teresa not inviting Melissa’s mother to the wedding. Melissa wonders, who doesn’t do something just because it’s the right thing to do? even though she knows the answer is, Teresa. Jen says, Danielle was upset about them talking behind her back, and Marge says, Danielle was talking behind her back.

In Marge’s interview, she says she doesn’t even want to have a conversation with Jennifer; she might catch on fire from the polyester. I’m not sure what that means. Is it highly flammable? Plus, it’s not 1970. Polyester is pretty amazing today. Dolores says, Paulie’s blood pressure was high, and he wasn’t feeling well, and Joe #2 asked what Dolores was doing to him. Jennifer suggests she and Marge get together some time, and Marge looks at her like she has two heads, as would I. In Danielle’s interview, she says she’s so mad, her brain is going to explode, and I wonder if I should get popcorn. She says, what everyone is hearing from Rachel isn’t true, and she doesn’t like holding things in. Marge tells Danielle that she was taken aback that Danielle would think she’s coming for her, and told Rachel that she had an arsenal. Danielle says she didn’t mean it that way, and she’s irritated that Rachel tried to create a divide. She calls Rachel over, and asks why Rachel said she claimed Marge was on the attack. Rachel corrects her, and says, Danielle told her that Marge had an arsenal of information. Danielle asks why Rachel is throwing her under the bus, and Rachel says, but that’s what Danielle told her. Marge asks if Danielle believes what anyone she had an argument with says about her, and Danielle says, Rachel is making her the bad guy when she was laughing about it at the time. Rachel asks what she said that was wrong, but Danielle can’t come up with anything. In Rachel’s interview, she says, Rachel is pissed and trying to throw her under the bus when she said nothing. Danielle says she was just repeating third party info, but Marge says, you can’t repeat things that aren’t true. It’s high school – graduate. In Danielle’s interview, she says she thought she and Rachel had a kumbaya thing going on. Now she’s seeing a different side, and she’s disappointed Rachel took advantage of their conversation and threw her under the bus.

Jackie asks if Dolores is okay, since she’d walked away from the conversation with Frank. Dolores says, it’s a touchy subject. She isn’t worried about Frank, and doesn’t want to hear it. In Dolores’s interview, she says, the women should worry about putting Paulie on a pedestal since that’s what these bitches have wanted for her for years.

Jen tells Teresa that she loves how Louie wants to make everything good, and Teresa says, if Joe #2 would have just called her about inviting his mother-in-law, she would have been receptive. If he had a problem, he should have called her. He’s making a mountain out of a mole hole [sic]. Louie asks to talk to Melissa, while the invitation conversation continues with Teresa. Louie takes Melissa’s hand and says he means this sincerely. The wedding is beautiful, but there are also bombs going off. Danielle joins Teresa’s table, and says she’s mad because they were all talking sh*t about her brother. When they were at Jen’s house, she was honest, and that should have been good enough. Jen says, she didn’t understand. If that’s what actually happened, it’s cuckoo. Danielle swears that’s what happened, and Jackie tells her, it didn’t make sense. Danielle says, after she blocked him, he called her like a raging maniac, and Jackie asks, what’s the rest of the story? Danielle wonders why she has to be villainized, and says she’s done explaining herself. She walks off, and in Marge’s interview, she says, Danielle is a drama queen, which I thought was a requirement to be in the franchise. In Danielle’s interview, she says, what they’re coming at her with is heartbreaking. They’re calling her out as a liar; everything she’s not. It would have hurt less if they’d sucker punched her.

In Marge’s interview, she says, Danielle was talking sh*t about her non-stop, and is she leaving? Maybe she should call Danielle’s brother and sister-in-law. They must have stories she can put in her arsenal. Rachel suggests Teresa should have invited Melissa’s mother out of respect, and Teresa snaps that she doesn’t know the whole story. Rachel tells her, the right thing to do is the right thing to do, regardless of the story, and in her interview, she says, Teresa created her own problem. Teresa interrupts Louie and Melissa’s conversation, and says she wants to know what Melissa’s problem is. Melissa tells her that she said she had issues with Melissa’s mom. Teresa tells her that she said there was a history with Melissa’s family. Louie keeps trying to tell Teresa that she interrupted, and finally says he doesn’t care if God came down and gave her a message. In Melissa’s interview, she says, there are two sides to Louie. He wants to look like the good guy who wants to fix it, but he can’t control his anger. It’s like the guy he wants to be, and the guy he really is. Joe #2 comes by, and Louie asks him to sit down. He says he’d love to have Melissa’s mom at the wedding, and Melissa says she wasn’t being judgmental; she was hurt. Louie says, Teresa was hurt too, which is the standard answer. He says they’re getting married in a month, and he wants peace, but Melissa says, Teresa is causing it all. Back at the table, Teresa tells everyone that Melissa has daddy issues, and Jackie asks if she doesn’t think that’s mean to say to someone who lost their dad at 16. Teresa responds by telling her, get out! like any well-adjusted person would. In Teresa’s interview, she justifies her comment by saying, Melissa had admitted she had daddy issues, so she had a leash on Teresa’s brother. Teresa tells Jackie not to get involved in her family’s sh*t, and Melissa decides to go see why the women are screaming. Louie asks if he and Joe can talk like they’re not back in the past. He lives with Joe’s four nieces, and wears Joe’s father’s pajamas to make them feel safe and loved.😐Teresa comes back, but Joe says she’s not in the right frame of mind. Louie tries to get them to talk using a pillow as a talking stick, but this works not at all. Teresa asks why Joe didn’t just call her instead of telling strangers their business.   She would have invited Melissa’s mother in a heartbeat. While this is a super valid point, it’s coming from Teresa, so we know it would have made zero difference. Joe says, when she decided not to put them in the wedding, he’d called Louie and Gia, and asked them to tell her not to do this to Melissa. Teresa says she was so mad. She felt that they should have had her back more last year. We flashed back to Teresa berating Melissa for letting Marge talk behind her back about her boyfriend, and screaming at Joe for not being on her side. She says, if Joe wanted peace and for them to be in the wedding, he should have had her back more. Melissa comes back, and asks if they’re kumbaya-ing, and Teresa says she wanted Melissa to tell Marge to STFU. Melissa insists she did, and says, Teresa should have stuck up for Joe when Jennifer was talking about him. Joe says he’s not understanding who she is, and Teresa says she’s going. She gets up, and Melissa says, when Teresa is wrong, she takes off. Teresa runs away, screeching at Louie, fix it! Seriously, WTF with this woman? And Louie wears her dad’s PJs? I hope he washed them.

Melissa says, Teresa has deep hate in her heart, and in a puff of smoke, Teresa reappears. Joe asks, if she’s so happy, why is she so mean? He’s been happy for years. Teresa says she doesn’t think so. If he was happy he’d want to see this beautiful family. Melissa says, Teresa is the one who kept them out of the family; not the other way around. We flash back to Teresa backing up Jennifer, and calling Joe a bitch boy at the Reunion. Joe suggests he and Melissa go home, and says, they’re Teresa’s biggest disappointment in life. Teresa says, he can change that, and Joe says they’ll go to therapy, and addresses Teresa as the matriarch of our family. I think of my Aunt Agnes, matriarch of an Italian family, and how she’d probably smack Teresa silly after chasing her around the kitchen with a broom. In Jennifer’s interview, she says, any opportunity that Joe and Melissa have to make Teresa look bad, they double down on it. Melissa has a sweet face, and gets away with it like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Marge and Danielle sit with Teresa and Louie, and Teresa tells Marge to make Melissa understand. Louie says he can’t take this. Teresa has to listen. She’s always talking and not listening; neither is her brother. Joe finds out he’s stuck behind Louie’s car, and comes back to ask Louie to move. He wonders why they’re sitting with Marge, since she supposedly was the cause of their problems. Louie tells him, stop, it’s not worth it, and Joe says, no matter what, he and Melissa do everything wrong. Teresa tells Marge that Melissa should want to make it better. She and Joe aren’t happy, because if Melissa was a good woman, she’d make it better between her and Joe. Marge asks if this is the life Teresa wants. Louie goes to move his car, and Melissa says she hasn’t done half the things Teresa accuses her of. In Melissa’s interview, she says, Louie also contributed. He can stop preaching. She’s good. Louie says he loves them, and wants them to be part of his and Teresa’s lives. Louie says, they can’t get back yesterday, since he gets his wisdom from motivational posters, and he thinks their family is going to learn the hard way. Teresa tells Marge, if Joe wants to be a part of her wedding, be a part of it. If not, God bless him. Which I think is similar to the southern, bless your heart.

This season, parties; a trip to Ireland, and a haunted castle; drinking; chickens; Rachel wants to adopt Jaiden; Danielle tells Melissa that someone claims to have seen her with another man; and Marge says, Danielle is a sh*t starter, which I also thought was a franchise requirement.

⛹️‍♀️ Full Court Pressing On…

Stop in again tomorrow for soap and some choice leaves of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay valuing your individuality, and stay doing things because they’re the right things to do.

March 27, 2023 – Victor’s Plans Are Thwarted, Danielle Encourages Lindsay To Be Her Old Worse Awful Self, Our Boat Daddy & Parts

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Spencer says he’s here to pick up Trina, and Trina says she’s heading out, but Marshall asks, what’s the rush? He invites Spencer in, and says he thinks they’re overdue for a chat.

Esme picks Ace up, and says, this is it. Grandmother Mayor be on the up and up, but she’s not willing to wait around and find out. She puts the money Laura gave her into her knapsack, picks it up, and opens the door, but Cameron is there, his hand raised to knock. He says, going somewhere?

A sign hangs in Charlie’s that says, Good Luck, Cameron, and Elizabeth writes out a card at one of the tables. Laura comes in, and asks how Elizabeth is holding up. Elizabeth says, letting go is hard, and Laura hugs her.

Anna tells Valentin that she thinks they should have heard from Eileen. She must have delivered the necklace by now. Valentin says, maybe she’s struck in traffic. Just give it time. They don’t have to assume the worst… yet. Eileen will convince him the necklace is real, and he’ll see the false code they engraved. Once he’s done that, he’ll make his move.

Victor looks at the necklace with a jeweler’s loupe, and Eileen asks what he’s looking for. He says, something’s missing, and she asks, what? He says, the key, turns the necklace, and says, that’s more like it. She says, he has what he needs, so are they done here? He says, to the contrary. They’re just getting started.

Anna tells Valentin that she’s convinced these codes are coordinates, but they’re not going to know until Victor takes the bait, and there’s no guarantee he’s going to fall for these fake codes. He could easily figure out someone’s trying to set him up. She has to say, she’s not in love with Eileen being their asset. Valentin says, there’s still the element of surprise. As far as Victor knows, they’re dead, and Drew Cain is completely above suspicion. He’s out of the loop. She says, it does give them the advantage, but they have to be ready for any kind of complication, and he says, one of them is taking an epic bubble bath as they speak. They just have to stay vigilant; they may have to improvise.

Eileen says she’s due back at city hall – good luck – but Victor says, city hall can wait. He’s spent years of blood, sweat, and tears to get to this moment. Surely she wants to witness it. She says she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t curious to know exactly what this is all about, and don’t call her Shirley, and he says, of course (🍷) she is, and she deserves some answers. He writes down the codes, puts the necklace back in the box, and hands it to her, saying, all hers. Call it a thank you gift. She says, this is worth millions. Doesn’t he want it? He says, fencing stolen jewelry really isn’t his style, and she says, but she’s a public official. She really doesn’t know what to do with that. He says, return it to the PCPD secure lock-up for all he cares, and she says, if he doesn’t want the necklace, what is he doing? He says, just saving the world.

Trina says, they have to go to Cam’s party early, so they can help set-up, but Marshall says, this won’t take long. Besides, didn’t she tell him that she had to get some photos ready for the party? He’s already had lunch. He promises he won’t bite. Trina tells Spencer that she won’t  be long, and goes upstairs. Marshall asks if Spencer wants to sit, and Spencer says, he knows Marshall and Trina’s family and most of Trina’s friends don’t approve of their friendship. Marshall says, except Spencer and Trina are more than just friends, aren’t they? Which changes everything.

Laura asks how the boys are dealing with their brother moving across the country, and Elizabeth says, they’re trying not to make a big deal out of it, but she can tell they’re sorry to see him go. Laura says, they’re not the only ones. She can’t imagine walking into Kelly’s and not seeing him there. Elizabeth says, it’s all she can do not to fall apart when she thinks of putting him on a plane to California. She knows it’s an incredible opportunity and a full scholarship. He’ll be playing division one soccer, and she wants him to live a full and happy life, but she wishes he was closer. Is that selfish? Laura says, no, it’s understandable. He’s her baby. Elizabeth says she wants him here where she can keep an eye on him, and Laura says she knows the feeling. They need to talk about Nikolas.

Esme says she doesn’t have to answer to Cameron. What she does is none of his business. He says he thinks it is; this is his grandmother’s house. She says, he’s Cameron Webber? Another one of Laura’s grandsons, and another one of her victims. Allegedly. He asks if that’s what her lawyers told her to say; allegedly. Actually. She actually ruined his life. She actually recorded him and his girlfriend having sex, and sent it to the whole university. She actually humiliated them, and turned what should have been a beautiful moment in their relationship into something awful. Now she doesn’t remember the hell she put him and his friends through because she lost her memory… allegedly. She tells him, come on in, and tell her more about the horrible person she was. He follows her back in, and she says she really doesn’t remember doing that, but he seems pretty adamant, so if she did, she’s really sorry. She hopes he and his girlfriend are all right. He says he doesn’t need her fake apologies; they mean nothing to him. She says, obviously, he’s angry, and she gets why he loves seeing her here, just out of prison and at the mercy of people she doesn’t trust. Karma’s a bitch, right?

Maxie sees Josslyn outside Kelly’s, and says she’s so happy she ran into her. Josslyn says, let her guess. Maxie wants to talk to her about the Nurses Ball. Maxie asks if she’s ever told Josslyn how smart she is, but Josslyn says, there’s no need to butter her up. Her grandmother told her that Maxie is trying to get everything together for the hospital’s 60th. Anything Maxie needs, she’s in. Maxie says, great, so she’ll perform, and Josslyn says, except that. She can do phone calls and decorations… Maxie says, anybody can do that stuff. She needs talent. Josslyn’s performance in 2020 was a huge hit. (So huge, I don’t remember it.) She can practically hear Lucy screaming, I need Josslyn Jax! Josslyn says, performing is really Cam’s thing, and it would feel really weird to do it without him, and Maxie says, it’s really unfortunate Cameron is leaving before the Ball, but she could perform with Trina, right? Josslyn says, that would depend on Trina, and Maxie says, think positive. And all the performers get a plus-one. Josslyn sees Dex come into the courtyard.

Eileen says she doesn’t understand. Victor said this was the necklace that would lead him to the place he’s been searching for. Victor says, the necklace is merely the conduit to the key. The code that’s engraved on the diamond is the key that unlocks the door. She says, to saving the world? and Victor says, many years ago, he and his brothers, Stavros and Mikkos, had the means of putting the world back to right. He thought at the time they were all motivated by the same idea; mitigating the harm humanity’s done to the world. What he came to understand was, Mikkos was largely motivated by power and money. He tried to make Mikkos see sense, but by then Luke Spencer showed up with Laura and ruined everything. Now they’re running out of time. He sits down and opens his laptop, and she asks how he intends to pull them from the brink; with that code? He says, they were aware their plan may well be thwarted, so they came up with a contingency. Mikkos had the code engraved on the back of the diamond, which he now has. All that remains is for him to crack the code. Eileen flashes back to Valentin saying, this isn’t over until they crack the code and find out what it’s for, and Anna saying, until they know what Victor is after, none of them are free. Eileen asks Victor how he plans to do that.

Josslyn and Dex say hello, and Maxie asks, who’s Josslyn’s friend? Dex introduces himself, and says he works for Sonny. Maxie introduces herself, and says she was just talking to Josslyn about the Nurses Ball. His boss is one of their biggest supporters. He says, Mr. Corinthos is quite charitable, and Maxie says she’s chairing the event this year, and is actually still looking to beef up one of their more popular acts. Does he dance? He says, not in public, but Maxie says, don’t sell himself short. She’s sure he has the pecs… pipes… chops. She asks Josslyn to tell him how fun it is, and Dex asks if Josslyn sings. Maxie says, she brings the house down every year; she’s excellent. He says, so she’s performing, and Josslyn tells Maxie that she didn’t say that. Josslyn says, don’t let them keep her, and Maxie says, okay, but she’s not done with either one of them. She’s going to get some caffeine. Don’t go anywhere. She goes inside, and Josslyn says, Dex enjoyed that a little too much. He says he didn’t know she sang, and she says, there’s a lot he doesn’t know about her. There’s a lot she doesn’t know about him. I’d say so, since they’ve known each other only all of five minutes.

Cameron thought Esme was staying at Kelly’s, but she says, that would require Ace staying here with Spencer and Laura, and she won’t be separated from her son. He’s all that she has. He asks why she was leaving then, and she says, they were just taking a walk. He says, it’s kind of cold out for a baby, but she says, babies need fresh air. He says, the old Esme was better at lying than she is, and she says, okay, he caught her. But he’s not going to rat her out to his grandmother, is he? By the way, she’s not here. Maybe they were testing her with this. She obviously failed. He says he didn’t come to see his grandmother; he came to see Spencer. She says, great. Now Spencer has more ammunition to take Ace away from her. Cameron asks if she can blame Spencer for wanting to protect his baby brother, and she says, he doesn’t need to protect Ace from her. Why doesn’t Spencer believe her? So Cameron’s not going to believe her either. She’s sure he loves seeing her taking care of her baby instead of in prison, but he says he’s actually not that mad about it. Especially since he’s part of the reason she’s free.

Spencer says he knows what Marshall is thinking, and Marshall says, enlighten him. Spencer says, when Marshall sees him, all he sees is the guy who hurt Trina, more than once, and Marshall says, no need to rehash it. Spencer says, but he does, every day. He lives with the regret of hurting Trina and hates himself for it, but he does care about her. He understands Marshall is reluctant, and doesn’t blame Marshall for wanting to keep him away from her. Marshall’s thinking Spencer doesn’t deserve her, but he’s honest with himself about what he did, and the kind of person he was, and he’s trying to be a better man. He knows Marshall has no reason to believe him… Marshall says, that’s where he’s wrong. Stop beating himself up before he knocks himself out. He knows Spencer is trying. He’s been steady support for Trina, with her mother and Curtis, and before them, with Rory. Now Trina tells him that Spencer is stepping up to fight for his baby brother. Despite what Spencer may think, he can appreciate Spencer for that.

Laura says she doesn’t blame Elizabeth. She just wishes Elizabeth had trusted her enough to tell her what was going on with Nikolas. When they made her aware of Elizabeth’s immunity deal, she realized Elizabeth had gotten involved with this right after she came back from seeing her parents. Elizabeth was in a very vulnerable state, and Nikolas shouldn’t have put her in that position. Elizabeth thanks Laura for her understanding, but says she owns what she did. She shouldn’t have gone along with his plan, especially once they realized Esme wasn’t The Hook killer, but by then, they were in so deep… Laura asks why Elizabeth didn’t come to her. Elizabeth can trust her; she knows that. Elizabeth says she does, but she didn’t want to bring anyone else in and make them an accomplice. Laura’s not only the boys’ grandmother, she’s the mayor. She didn’t want to bring Laura into this mess. And more than that, she values Laura’s opinion of her. She was ashamed of what she’d done, and didn’t tell Laura because she didn’t want Laura ashamed of her too. Laura says she’s not ashamed of Elizabeth. She’s proud of Elizabeth’s courage. Elizabeth stepped forward to take care of this thing, when Nikolas left her holding the bag. Elizabeth says, Laura’s still his mom and she knows Laura really loves him. It must be hard not knowing where he is. Laura says, it is, but she honestly doesn’t know what to do with Nikolas anymore; he keeps falling back into the same trap. He makes a rash decision, then he tries to cover it up, and then he runs away. If he felt able to confide in her, he’d be here right now. He’d be with his two sons instead of who knows where; possibly indebted to Victor. She’s sorry. She shouldn’t be doing this right now. Nikolas made the choices he made, and now they’re left to deal with the consequences. Elizabeth says, or in her case, almost no consequences.

Spencer tells Marshall, that was the last thing he expected to hear, but Marshall says, don’t get used to it. But seeing him stepping up for his baby brother, Marshall can’t be anything but appreciative. Spencer thanks him, and says, it means more than he knows. Marshall says, Spencer’s baby brother is one thing; Trina is a whole ‘nother thing. He’s not going to say he doesn’t have concerns about Spencer being with Trina, especially after all this mess with Esme. Spencer says he understands, but hopes he can get Marshall to believe he wants what’s best for Trina. He’s trying to be a better man for both her and his brother. Marshall says he’s glad Spencer wants to be better for the people he cares about, but in his experience, you have to want it for yourself. Looking for validation on the outside will only lead you back to your old patterns. Or worse still, down the wrong path altogether. Trina is willing to go to great lengths for Spencer. Marshall had better see her faith in Spencer rewarded.

Cameron says, he and his friends didn’t want the DA to prosecute Esme. It was Trina who pushed for it. So she contacted her attorney Diane Miller to intervene. She then spoke to the DA to ask him to drop all the charges. Esme asks why she’d do that? Don’t they all hate her? He says, if she were going to trial now without her memories, the jury might find her not guilty. Then if she got them back, they wouldn’t be able to try her again. She says, so this isn’t about grace. It’s about keeping her in check so she can still be convicted. He says, it’s also about keeping Ace out of prison, and she says, right. Spencer’s baby brother. He and Cameron are cousins and friends. She guesses Cameron would do anything for him, and Cameron says, pretty much. Spencer needs this for his baby brother, and he’s willing to wait to see her brought to justice. Sorry if it sounds insensitive. She says, it definitely does, but she thinks it just might be the first honest thing anyone’s said to her since she got back.

Anna and Valentin cuddle on the couch, and Anna says she can’t stand not knowing what’s going on with Eileen. Why couldn’t she just wear the bloody wire? He says, there’s nothing they can do about it now. Will she humor him? She says, yeah, and he says, it occurs to him that if everything goes according to plan, they’ll be heading home, resuming their normal lives. What is the first thing she’s going to do? She says she’s going to the airport and she’s going to book herself a ticket to the bay area so she can see Robin, Emma, and Noah, and she’s going to give them the biggest hug they’ve ever had in their lives. What about him? He says he’ll probably take a road trip with Charlotte, check a couple boxes off the bucket list while reconnecting with his teenage daughter; then dive head first into ELQ, and build some serious generational wealth. She says, it’s interesting. It seems like after all these months together, once they go home, they’re not going to be spending so much time in each other’s lives.

Victor tells Eileen, the trick was to track down the encryption key, but he finally – he digs in his pocket and brings out a flashdrive – managed it. All he needed then was the Ice Princess itself. But by the time he acquired that, Luke Spencer had already sold off several pieces. It took another several years to find the right piece, but now, finally, he has everything he needs to complete what he set out to do. (Does he even what that is?) She says, saving the world, and he says, and securing a place for his family and their progeny. But saving the world comes at a cost. She asks what he means, and he says he can insure the future of his family, but countless other souls will have to pay the price… possibly for generations to come.

Josslyn says she didn’t expect to see Dex back at Kelly’s so soon, and he says he was hoping she was still around. She asks, what happened to keeping their distance? and he says, it’s harder than it sounds. He just wanted to see how she was holding up. Cameron was a little intense earlier. She asks what he said, and Dex says, just that he cares about her and doesn’t want to see her hurt. She asks what Dex said, and he tells her that he said he cares about her too, when Maxie comes back out.

😐 Sorry, there’s a gap here. Circumstances beyond my control. Cameron starts to tell Esme about someone who was even worse than she was, but was redeemed.

Cameron says, after a while, they thought he wouldn’t be able to come back from any of it, but he stuck around and made a life for himself. Not only did he find acceptance, he found love, and a family too. She says, he’s not talking about himself, is he? but he says, no. He’s talking about his stepfather… and her brother.

Trina comes downstairs, and tells Spencer that she even has the photos on a flashdrive. He thanks Marshall, and says, it was illuminating. Marshall tells them to have fun tonight, and be careful. He leaves, and Trina says, be honest. Did Marshall put Spencer’s feet to the fire? He says, they’re a little smoky, but he’s good, and Trina says she’ll talk to him. Spencer says, not necessary. Marshall was honest and wise, and gave him a lot to think about; a whole new perspective. She says, on what? and he says, us.

Eileen asks what kind of cost Victor is talking about, but he tells her not to worry. He won’t forget her contribution. She’ll be taken care of. He puts the flashdrive in, and says, now all he has to do is enter the code engraved on the back of the Ice Princess into the program, and the program will decrypt that code and turn it into a set of coordinates. The laptop beeps, and he says, wait a minute. That can’t be right. She asks, what’s going on? and he says, she betrayed him.

Elizabeth tells Laura not to misunderstand. She’s incredibly grateful the DA gave her immunity. She needs her job. She has three boys to provide for, two of which still need her on a daily basis. It would have been incredibly irresponsible of her to jeopardize their well-being. Laura says, Elizabeth doesn’t have to convince her, but it sounds like she’s trying to convince herself. Does she think she’s feeling guilty because she didn’t pay a high enough price? Elizabeth says, maybe. In hindsight, she doesn’t know how she didn’t see what a colossal mistake she was making. In the beginning, she thought she was doing the right thing. Then it started to spiral and got away from her. People got hurt, and Liesl lost Britt, and she knows she’s going to encounter more people who think she deserves to be behind bars. Laura says, Elizabeth can’t concern herself with that or them, and Elizabeth says she’s already hurt so many people she cares about. Laura and Cameron, even Epiphany. Elizabeth hasn’t heard a peep from her. She knows Epiphany is busy visiting Johns Hopkins,  but she can’t help feeling there’s a deeper reason for Epiphany’s silence. Laura hugs her and says, Elizabeth made a mistake. Everybody makes them. What’s important is how they move forward. Elizabeth didn’t disappoint her. She didn’t disappoint Cameron. And Laura would bet money she didn’t disappoint Epiphany. The people who love her still love her.

Spencer says he’s not sure, but Trina says she is. He deserves to be happy. He says, she makes him very happy, and the only thing he knows for sure is that he wants her in his life. He moves closer, and she says, that’s a relief. She has no plans of going anywhere. They kiss, and Marshall comes in, clearing his throat. He tells them, the party isn’t going to decorate itself, and Spencer says, he’s right. They should get going. He goes to the door, but Trina hangs back, and tells Marshall, whatever he told Spencer, thank you. He says he always has her back, and kisses her forehead. She leaves, and Spencer tells Marshall, adieu. Marshall says, adieu to you too, Cassadine.

Josslyn goes into Kelly’s, and sees Elizabeth. She says she’s sorry. She thought Trina would be here already. Elizabeth says, it’s nice to see her, and Josslyn says, it’s nice to see Elizabeth too. She brought Cam’s favorite pretzels. Elizabeth says, that’s nice of her (everything’s nice!), and Josslyn says, she’s really sorry she hurt Cam. She doesn’t blame Elizabeth if she’s relieved that Cameron is getting far away from her.

Cameron says, Franco was Heather’s son, which makes him Esme’s half-brother. He died. She says, great. So the one family member who would understand how she feels is gone. He says, maybe Franco can still help her. Franco worked very hard to prove his haters wrong. he rebuilt his life here in Port Charles. He knew Franco very well, and would be happy to tell her about him before he goes. She says, he’s going somewhere? and he says he got into Stanford. Ace starts fussing, and she says she was just starting to like him. She gets up to tend to the baby, and he says, there’s plenty of other people to like. She says she hasn’t met them yet, but she’s pretty sure there’s nothing for her in Port Charles. He says, she has her son, and a very generous support system, but she says, Spencer is just trying to take her baby from her, and everyone in this town is Team Spencer. Except for her mother, who’s in an insane asylum. He says, if she skips town now, she really has no one. How is she supposed to prove to everyone she’s a changed person if she leaves town the first chance she gets? She says, he has some valid points, when his phone beeps. He says he has somewhere to go. Is she going to be okay? She says, he’s been honest with her so far. He doesn’t have to act like he cares. They’ll be fine; she promises. He can go.

Eileen says she doesn’t understand, and Victor says, this program should have revealed a set of coordinates, but there’s no way these figures are right, which can only mean the encryption key or the diamond itself have been tampered with. Where exactly did she find this necklace? She says, the secure evidence locker. She bribed a police officer to let her in. He says, she told him that she thought Robert and Laura might be on to her. Is it possible they knew she was about to retrieve the necklace? She says she doesn’t think so. She went in immediately after the officer gave her access. There wasn’t time to inform Laura or Robert, or do anything with the necklace. He tells her not to lie to him, but she says she would never. What about the key? Is he sure his brother didn’t do something with the decryption key? He says he supposes it’s possible Mikkos betrayed him, and if this is the first time he’s thought about that, maybe he’s not the dude for this job. He says, perhaps the code was never meant to reveal anything to anyone but Mikkos. Selfish bastard. Taking his secret to the grave. He throws the flashdrive down, and says, dammit. Eileen eyeballs the flashdrive.

Valentin says he doesn’t like the idea of not seeing Anna every night. So once they settle in with their children, he’d like to know what’s next for them. She asks what he thinks that looks like, and he says, after spending multiple days not getting out of that amazing bed of hers? She says, it’s not very practical, and he says, practicality’s overrated. Is there something she’s not saying? She says, ever since they decided to make a go of it and get together, Victor’s been in their way. She thinks if they’re successful in putting him away, the future will look quite different. He says, yeah. If Victor’s no longer an issue, it will be much better. She tells him, that’s easy to say now, but what if, in a few months’ time, he’ll be itching for excitement or an adventure? He says he’s not a danger freak. Look who’s talking. Any time they’re together, whether they’re cheating death or chasing whoever, or at the market, looking for the perfect papaya… She says she’s not a fan of papaya (me neither), but he says, his point is this. She’s his greatest adventure. She’s the only one he needs.  

Anna decides to call Eileen. Victor paces, and says, after all these years, he’s come too far… No, no, no. He won’t be denied again. Eileen’s phone rings, and she tells Victor, the DA’s office. She says she’s in the middle of a meeting, and already told them she needs more time before getting back to the office. Anna says, time’s up. She’s out now. Keeping one eye on the flashdrive, Eileen says she’s sorry; she can’t. Valentin asks, what’s going on? and Anna says, she’s about to blow up the whole operation.

Elizabeth says she knows Cameron is hurting; Josslyn meant a lot to him. But they can mean a lot to each other as friends, and she’s pulling for that. Josslyn says, her too, and she knows how badly he wants this. She’s happy for him, but it’s hard with him leaving. There’s already this weird distance between them. Elizabeth says she has faith the two of them will see their way through it and remain friends, and Josslyn thanks her.

Dex comes back to the courtyard and says, Maxie’s still here, and she asks if he’s ready to commit to performing at the Nurses Ball. Everybody has a talent, hidden or otherwise, and she thinks she knows where to place his. He says he doesn’t know, and she tells him, think about it. He could be front and center at the most amazing even in Port Charles. As she walks out, she says, he could meet someone. He could get married. Anything could happen at the Nurses Ball. Dex smiles.

Spencer and Trina walk into Charlie’s, and Trina says, everything looks great in here. She tells Elizabeth that she brought some photos, and Elizabeth says she’ll show Trina where to put them. Laura says, Spencer made it, and he asks if Doc minds pitching in with the baby, but she says, Doc got called away. Esme is taking care of Ace. He says, she left his baby brother alone with Esme, and Laura says, Esme is perfectly capable of taking care of her own baby. She’s a guest in their house; she’s not a prisoner. Cameron walks in, followed by Esme carrying Ace.

Tomorrow, Maxie says someone has to trust her to do what’s right; Cameron has a better idea; Victor says, Eileen will leave when he says she leaves; and Anna tells someone that they have to go in there and get her out.

🏖  So when is this thing over already? On tonight’s Too Old For This Summer House, we started with the housemates leaving, but sadly, they’ll be back in no time. Meanwhile, we saw what their week was like. Paige told Craig that she hated his newly redone bathroom, and showed him the sink and wallpaper she wanted. He wanted her more involved, but also wanted her to visit more. He wondered about the next step, but she said, right now she was content where the relationship was. He asked what it looked like down the road, and in Paige’s interview, she said she loved her friends, her career, and living in NYC. Why change that just because it was their one-year anniversary or her 30th  birthday? She wasn’t ready, and didn’t want to grow up. Paige said they were together every day; they weren’t even doing long distance. Craig asked for at least more space for his stuff, and she said she could clean out a closet, but it was for her spring coats. I have nothing to say here, since I have a lot of clothes and turned a bedroom into a closet.

Lindsay met Amanda for drinks, and said, the conversation was a long time coming. She felt there was tension because they hadn’t been able to talk. She’d thought they were getting closer, and then in the spring, Amanda was saying she and Carl were moving in to soon and that Carl had been tainted by her. We flashed back those things being said at the Reunion, and Lindsay said she felt like she had whiplash. Amanda said some hurtful things, and she didn’t know where they came from. Amanda said she’d apologized in a text. After he’d gotten together with Lindsay, Carl’s opinions changed, and she felt frustrated, but knew she should feel like he was right to support Lindsay. Tainted was the wrong word, and she’d tried to apologize afterward at the bar, but Lindsay didn’t acknowledge her. Amanda understood, but she went into a hole where she thought she’d wait until Lindsay was ready. Lindsay said, Amanda didn’t understand how sensitive she was. She was tough, but was still human and had feelings. She thought they had a friendship, then found out she was getting judged and attacked behind her back for things she didn’t even know were happening. Amanda said, Lindsay took things with anger and malice when they weren’t meant that way. She didn’t judge them moving in too soon; it just shocked her, but she processed it. It was like seeing Lindsay and Carl’s relationship change om the begnning. She was sorry for how she’d made Lindsay feel, and wanted to be friends. It should be the two couples’ summer. Lindsay apologized that it took so long, and said they were each waiting for the other to make the first move. In Amanda’s interview, she said she didn’t know if it was real, but she was tired of the tension and awkwardness. She was willing to give Lindsay the benefit of the doubt, and enjoy the rest of the summer.

Robert came back with Danielle, who said she’d love doing this more often, and told him that he was her party trick, since he was a chef. She said Carl was ready to be his sous chef, but warned him that it was different with Carl and Lindsay as a couple. They were still in the honeymoon/fairytale stage when everything was exciting and new. Robert asked if their relationship wasn’t, and she said it was an adventure every day. I couldn’t believe how fast these people got drinks up to their mouths after walking in. Everyone went straight from the front door to the liquor. Robert immediately started to cook, and everyone except Mya, who had a wedding, trickled in. They greeted each other like they hadn’t seen one another in years, and got dressed for dinner. Kyle said he was trying to get blond hair Enrique Iglesias vibes – whatever that is – and Amanda told him not to be the weird old man in the club –  I get what that is. Paige asked how lunch with Lindsay was, and Amanda said, Lindsay had been emotionally hurt by things she’d said and done, so she apologized, and they came to terms. She thought they could be friends, but would never have the relationship Lindsay had with Danielle. Someone needs to tell them that friendships are not this complicated, and don’t need to all be the same.

They toasted to Tulum, and Robert brought out an amazing spread of food. Paige asked those coupled up what was the one thing they didn’t anticipate when moving in together. Robert said, the amount of stuff Danielle had, and Danielle said, Robert had a minimalist vibe. Paige said she’d throw away her birth certificate if she thought it was cluttering up the place, but Craig loved a tchotchke. They’d talked about moving in, but she wasn’t ready. Paige asked what was their partners most annoying habit, and Amanda said, breathing. Kyle said, if Amanda had her way, he wouldn’t chew any food, which made me wonder how the hell he chews. There were more boring questions with equally boring answers, and Gabby asked when the couples thought it was an appropriate time to invest together, but everyone was like, we pay bills with our money. Gabby told Danielle that she wasn’t sure where she stood with Ciara, but Danielle said she was the worst person to talk to about this. She’d wanted to be Ciara’s friend, but they never got there. In Gabby’s interview, she said she was struggling to connect with Ciara, but there was underlying tension, and she couldn’t figure out what the issue was. She was intuitive and could understand something was off, but she wasn’t sure if Ciara didn’t like her or just didn’t understand her. Danielle said Ciara was a tough nut to crack (but what about Karma Brown?), and Gabby said she felt secure with everyone else.

The housemates headed to a club, and Chris waved a light around like it was the 90s, while Carl and Lindsay made out. Since all parties must end, they were home around 12:30. Kyle asked if anybody was cool anymore, and a bunch of the guys, including Robert, danced around in the kitchen. Danielle repeatedly texted, come to bed, and around 3 he finally did. Kyle wandered around and babbled for a while. Robert woke up at 9, jumping straight to searching for his phone, since he was late. In Danielle’s interview, she said she was happy Robert came, but not happy they spent all of 10 minutes together. That was her reality. They didn’t give you a pamphlet on how to date a chef. Amanda said they had a packed day, and in a moment of clarity, Paige said she was too old for this. Kyle was glad there was another dude in the house, since they’d been outnumbered, and he and Carl thought Chris should have a proper initiation. The housemates got dressed, and a party bus picked them up. Danielle told everyone that Robert had left. He was supposed to leave at 7, but didn’t get out until 9:30.  

The bus took everyone to a winery, where they were to be given the wine maker blending experience, where they would make their own blend at the end. Carl ordered an Arnold Palmer, and there was the usual bunch of sex talk about things I don’t want to know. Sam grossed out Kyle, and in Sam’s interview, she said she had a big personality, and wasn’t for everyone, but if Kyle was shook by her, she was here for it. Chris flirted with Ciara, who Danielle thought she suddenly needed to rescue. Chris moved along, and Ciara said she thought he was trying to suss out her personality. She’s an observer at first, and people can’t read her. Danielle said, sometimes when Gabby was talking, Ciara was rolling her eyes, and Ciara said, it was circus level. She wanted to know why people were the way they were, and Gabby was hard to tap into. It was difficult for Ciara to have an artificial friendship or even fake it. Danielle thought they both had going on than what meets the eye, and told Ciara to give it a shot. In Ciara’s interview, she said she was more guarded than the average person, and was working on it in therapy. Trust was a big thing for her; she liked to figure out how people were first. You couldn’t force things; they had to come naturally. Kyle said something about dresses making him horny all the time, and reminded me that he’s the most awful in the house.

There was a separate boys and girls night, and the girls got dressed up, and went out. At the restaurant, Lindsay said she tried not to drink in front of Carly, and she wanted to f***ing go. Not meaning leave, but like, go crazy drinking. The guys stayed home, and Carl told Chris to have a seat, and brought out a paddle. In Chris’s interview, he said he wasn’t nervous. He was happy Carl and Kyle had kissed and made up. Whatever they wanted to do, as long as they weren’t fighting, he was game. They had Chris assume the position, holding fake flowers in his teeth, but Carl stopped short of paddling him. Paige said it was the first time the girls had Lindsay alone, and Lindsay said she tried to be respectful around Carl, but she wanted to be balls to the wall. If she went out with a girlfriend, it was just to dinner. Paige asked how Carl would feel if Lindsay came home drunk, but we never got the answer to this, since Ciara said she felt like Lindsay wanted to go to Montauk (ugh. there it is again), and we flashed back that, and all of them saying go to Montauk ten thousand times. Ciara asked if Lindsay wanted him to go or did she want to go without him, and Lindsay said she had no reason to want to go without him. Danielle said she took offense to that, and would love to steal Lindsay to go out, but she knows it’s not a possibility. It wasn’t that she minded Carl, but she thought Lindsay was curbing her drinking or the intensity because of him. Lindsay asked if that wasn’t a good thing, and Danielle said she liked Lindsay the way she was. Congratulations. Danielle just entered the awful people category. WTF? Sam said, her last boyfriend had been sober for ten years, and she slowed her roll. Lindsay said she wanted to get f***ed up with the girls, and now they were talking about it. Paige insisted it was just normal conversation, and Lindsay was getting mad. Lindsay said, Danielle was hard on her, and Danielle said, if your best friend’s not hard on you, they shouldn’t be your best friend. While I agree, I don’t think that includes encouraging you to drink to blackout.

Next time, Lindsay asks why Danielle is questioning her; Danielle talks to Robert about their living situation; and Kyle turns 40.  

Tonight’s Watch What Happens Live was Ce-lee-brate Good Times! a beautiful tribute to Captain Lee Rosbach’s ten years on Below Deck. There were tons of questions, clips, guests who had worked with the captain, been guests on the yacht, or friends IRL. Queen of Versailles, Jackie Siegel, who’d been a yacht guest, also did a bartending stint. The captain’s wife Maryann was in the audience, and least awful on Summer House, Carl, joined Captain Lee. He explained the captain had reached out when Carl lost his brother to addiction; Captain Lee having lost his son to the same illness. Carl said that the captain had inspired him to be a better man, and I can see why. The secret word was captain, and they said it 34 times, so if you were playing, you’d be pretty drunk since it’s a half-hour show.

🌈 Tasting the Rainbow…

Take a break here tomorrow for some soap and those horrifying women from New Jersey. Until then, stay safe, stay helping bridge the gap between friends, and stay wanting to be better for yourself. Looking for validation on the outside will only lead you back to your old patterns. Or worse still, down the wrong path altogether.

March 24, 2023 – Victor Gets the Necklace, Not Being Nik, New New York, Not Quite Fatal, VanderTalk, Second Jackets, Kitty (!), Enough Quotes For an Octopod & Cornflake

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Valentin plops a hooded Eileen down, and takes off her hood. He says, welcome back to the safehouse, and she asks if all this cloak and dagger is still necessary. He and Anna say, yes, but Eileen says she doesn’t think it is. She thinks it amuses them to torture her by having Felicia Scorpio put a bag over her head, like she’s some… Anna says, like she’s someone who would sell them out, but Eileen says she wouldn’t do that. Valentin asks if they’re supposed to take her word on that, and she says, of course (🍷) not, but they have other leverage. So their best interests are her best interests. Anna says, they’d like to keep that imbalance of power in their favor for now, and Eileen says, fine. Tell her what they want her to do, and she’ll do it. They can at least rely on her for that. Anna says she hopes so, because they can’t afford to make one single misstep, and neither can Eileen.

Spencer says, if Esme isn’t hungry, she can at least stay hydrated. He sets a cup on the coffee table, and says, it’s an organic herbal tea said to promote healthy lactation. She tells him, so he says, and he tells her, don’t worry. Drugging people is kind of more of a you thing. Laura comes in, and Spencer says, good morning. She says she’d like it to be for everyone, including Esme, so let’s not forget Esme is their guest, and he asks how he can. Laura says she expected this to be a bumpy transition, but they want Esme to feel welcome, don’t they? and he says, of course (🍷). Forgive him. Esme says she won’t stay anyplace she feels unwanted or unwelcome, so wherever she goes, Ace goes. There’s a knock at the door, and Spencer opens it to Victor. He asks what brings Victor by, and Victor says, what else? He’s come for his nephew.

Trina is on her way upstairs, and Marshall says, stop right there, young lady. She says she thought the house was empty, and he says, she hoped it was empty. Why is she sneaking in here like this isn’t her home? She says, because she’s not sure it is.

At Kelly’s counter, Cameron looks at his paycheck, when Josslyn comes in and says she was hoping she could still find him here. He says he’s picking up his last paycheck, and she says, end of an era, huh? He says, yeah, and asks why she was looking for him.

Outside on the phone, Sonny says, thanks for the update, and tells Dex, Brick couldn’t ID the contractor from the warehouse. Dex says, so that’s it, dead end? and Sonny makes another call, asking someone to meet him on Pier 55 in an hour. He tells Dex, for you to survive in this business, you never give up. When somebody’s coming after you, they’re not going to stop at the first attempt. You have to keep digging. Dex asks if Sonny thinks his family is at risk, and Sonny says, he’s taking precautions; he doesn’t know. Dex asks, why not? Sonny says, because when it’s a hit like this, a hired gun, the only thing that matters is taking out the target.

Josslyn says she was thinking about her and Cameron’s conversation about Dex, when Sonny and Dex walk in.

Marshall says he knows there’s a lot up in the air with Curtis and Trina’s mama, but one thing he can say for sure, on behalf of them and himself, she’ll always have a home with them. She says, it doesn’t feel much like home, does it? and Marshall says, it is looking mighty grim. With Portia constantly working and Curtis at the MetroCourt, to avoid the quiet, he’s been staying out. She says, out with Miss Epiphany? but he says, she’s still out of town. She got accepted to a whole slew of medical schools out of state, including… Johns Hopkins. Trina says, that’s amazing. That’s really good for her. Marshall says, it is, and she says, Maryland isn’t all that far, is it? He says, the fast train usually takes nine and a half hours, and she says, so an airplane is out of the question? He says he could do that, but that’s not what’s really troubling him. Epiphany moving to Baltimore or somewhere, and everything that’s happening here, he doesn’t know quite where he fits in. She puts her head on his shoulder, and says she knows the feeling.

Spencer tells Victor, it’s not the best time, and Laura says, he’s not welcome here. She’s going to have to ask him to leave. Victor says, at least she’s giving him a choice in the matter this time, and she says she’d prefer he leave on his own, but she can and will have him physically removed by security. She takes out her phone, and Spencer says, that’s not necessary; he’ll handle this. Victor says, Spencer of all people should know he’s not one to be handled, and Spencer says, if Victor doesn’t mind, he’d like to talk in the hallway. Victor says, very well, lead the way, but Spencer says, after you. I insist. He closes the door behind them, and Laura apologizes to Esme. She says she’ll do her best never to have Victor bother her again, and Esme says she gets this really bad feeling every time Victor Cassadine is around. Laura says, that’s because Victor Cassadine is a very bad man.

Spencer says, when he told Victor that Esme and the baby were staying here, he didn’t expect Victor to just show up, and Victor says, the baby is a Cassadine and belongs with Cassadines. He’ll go wherever he wants, and take what or whoever he wants, and woe betide anyone who gets in his way. Spencer says, including him?

Anna says, Eileen is going to call Victor and set up a meet for today, and Valentin says, and she has a very special delivery. He opens a jewelry box, showing her the fake necklace, but when she reaches for it, he snaps it shut. He says he can’t stress this enough; this is the most critical juncture of their plan. Anna says, it’s imperative that Victor believe Eileen is delivering the thing he’s been looking for, and Eileen says, something’s gone wrong, hasn’t it? Some kind of setback. Anna says, not that it’s any of her business, but they’ve had to widen their circle of trust, and Valentin says, time is no longer on their side. Eileen says, don’t worry, she won’t double-cross them, but Valentin says, she’s thrown in with Victor before. How do they know she hasn’t struck a deal with him already? She says, because she values her own life. Victor has proven anyone is disposable, even his own son. She’d be a fool to betray the only people willing to give her a chance to survive. Valentin gives her the box, and says, people have died for the information engraved on what’s left of the Ice Princess. Now they’re giving Victor what he wants. Anna says, or so he thinks. It’s actually a very good forgery. Eileen says, how very good? They know Victor will have an expert authenticate this. Anna says, that’s why Eileen has to set up the meet for today, so Victor doesn’t have a chance to call an expert in, and Valentin says, hopefully, she’ll have left before questions are raised She asks how they’re going to protect her. They know Victor doesn’t like to meet in public spaces. Anna says, they’ve taken every precaution. DA Scorpio will be nearby the location, and he’ll have back-up. Valentin says, and if the whole operation goes south, the cavalry will ride in. But to offer her that protection, she has to be wired for sound. Eileen asks if they’re insane. First they send her in with a fake necklace, and then they want her to wear a wire? If Victor catches on, he’ll kill her. Valentin says, they need to know everything that’s happening in real time, but Eileen tells him, keep that wire, or the deal is off.

Marshall says, it’s a shame Trina’s buddy Cam is leaving. Seemed like a good kid. Loyal, reliable… She says, unlike Spencer, and he tells her, nobody said anything about Spencer. She says, Marshall didn’t say his name, but she knows how they all feel about him. Marshall says, at this point, he’s not sure how he feels about Spencer, except that he seems to tie Trina up in knots. Trina says, maybe it’s best they don’t talk about him. She’s just going to grab some photos and be on her way. He tells her, sit down and tell him what’s on her mind. What’s troubling her? She says, Spencer’s living with his ex-girlfriend again. I’m not sure what she’s worried about since Esme doesn’t trust Spencer and he’s mean to her. I don’t exactly see them socializing.

Spencer says, Victor of all people understands nuance and diplomacy, and Victor says, usually. Spencer says, well this is a very complicated situation. There are many people involved, and they all want the same thing; to protect Ace. Victor says, that name, and Spencer says he knows. It’s got to go. (What? I love that name!) Despite their common goal, they all have different methods. Victor asks what Spencer’s method is, and Spencer says, putting Esme back in prison where she belongs and away from that baby. Then, as next of kin, he’ll retain custody, and he’d never dream of keeping that baby away from his Great Uncle. Victor says, a long time ago, Spencer asked for his help in this matter. Does he still need it? (Is Victor senile? That was like, five minutes ago.) Spencer says he does, but they can’t talk about that here.

Laura asks if Esme wants coffee, and Esme asks if she’s sure. Spencer said caffeine isn’t good for breastfeeding mothers. Laura says, Spencer means well, but mothers need caffeine to deal with their kids he’s no expert. Coffee is fine in moderation. She gives Esme a cup, and tells her, enjoy. She says she hopes Esme knows she’s protected here, and Esme says, even from Spencer? Spencer comes back, and says, he’s so sorry for his Great Uncle’s intrusion. It won’t happen again. He talks nonsense to the baby, and Laura asks where he’s off to. He says he’ll see them later, and asks if Laura will be there. She says, of course (🍷), and he leaves. Esme says, Cameron Spencer? and Laura says, her grandson has been accepted to a very prestigious athletic program in California. Esme says she’s glad she didn’t ruin his life too, and Laura says, the person Esme used to be did an awful lot of damage. Esme says, damage you can never forgive.

Sonny congratulates Cameron on getting into Stanford, and Cameron asks how he knew. Sonny says, Spencer told him more than once; he’s very proud of Cameron. Cameron says, it’s kind of hard to tell. Spencer makes fun of him every time it’s brought up. Sonny says he knows Spencer is very proud of him, and tells Cameron, have a great time at Stanford. He’s going to be missed. Cameron  thanks him, and says he doesn’t actually work here anymore, but he can take down their orders and let the waiters know. Sonny says, two cups of coffee to go, and Cameron leaves. Sonny asks if he can talk to Josslyn for a second, and she follows him. As he opens the door, he tells Dex to wait inside. Cameron comes back, and he and Dex stare at each other.

Outside, Josslyn asks, what’s this about? and Sonny says he’s just rooting out his enemies.

On the phone, Victor asks if Eileen has what he asked for, and she says, he knows she wouldn’t let him down. He says he sincerely hopes not. Bring it to him tonight. She says, the longer they wait, the better the chances of them noticing it’s missing, and knowing she’s the one who took it. Unless he wants it to end up back in the secure evidence locker, with zero chance of getting it out again, they need to do this now. There’s a knock at Victor’s door, and he says, his suite, the MetroCourt, forty-five minutes. Not one second later. He opens the door, and Spencer strides in, saying, sorry about earlier, but Victor says he understands. He has a business meeting starting soon, so let’s get down to brass tacks. What exactly does Spencer want to happen to Esme?

Josslyn says, what enemies? Sonny has so many. He tells her, just keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary when she’s with her mother and her sisters. She asks if he’s going to tell her why, but he says he’s not giving her any details. She says, don’t worry about it; she already knows. He says, how?

Dex says he’ll go as soon as Sonny comes back, and Cameron says, but while he’s here, there’s some stuff he wants to say to Dex.

Esme says, the fact that she doesn’t remember what she did to Laura’s family doesn’t absolve her. She’s hurt both Cameron and Spencer, among others. Laura says, yes, she did, and Esme says, but Laura’s letting her stay here? Laura says she’s letting Esme stay here because she wanted her newest grandson to be safe and well cared for, not in a prison. That’s not entirely true; there’s another reason. She knows the pain of being separated from your child. She was separated from her son Nikolas for many years because of the Cassadines. Esme says, which is exactly what Spencer is trying to do to her, and Laura says, but Spencer has a lot of good reasons not to trust Esme. Laura is a mother, and she knows how much having a new baby can change someone. She also happens to believe in redemption. Esme asks if that means Laura believes in her. Laura says she wants to. She’s trying to. Esme says, but she’s not there yet? and Laura says, that doesn’t mean she won’t be. What about Esme? Does she believe in Laura? Can she accept Laura wants what’s best for her?

Trina tells Marshall that Esme and the baby are living with Spencer’s grandmother in her apartment, while Spencer also lives there. She knows Esme doesn’t remember all the terrible things she did, but Trina still doesn’t trust her. Marshall says, good for her. Trina shouldn’t trust her. That girl should be behind bars. He’s furious they dropped the charges, and denied Trina justice. She says, actually it was her idea to get the DA to stop pursuing the case, just for now, and he asks, what in the Lord’s name possessed her to do that? She says she’s having second thoughts about it now, even though she convinced Spencer there’s a better chance of getting the charges to stick if they wait. He says, Spencer again. Why is she the only one making concessions in this friendship?  She says, Spencer’s been there for her too. His life is just… complicated. Marshall says, and no sign of it getting simpler. Please tell him why she needs to remain friends with Spencer Cassadine.

Victor says, when Spencer first came to him for help, he was concerned Esme was going to raise her child in prison, and Spencer says, thanks to Trina, they got the DA to stop pursuing the case. Victor says, good for Trina. It’s best to keep the law at bay, at least until you know they’re on your side. Spencer says, the problem is, now that Esme is a free woman, there’s a chance she could disappear and take his brother with her. He can’t let that happen. Victor says he’s sacrificed a great deal trying to make this world a better place, and preserving their family’s legacy to the bargain. (Has he?) Sadly, Spencer’s father had neither the faith nor the resolve to help him in his aims. Does Spencer trust him? Spencer says he knows there’s nothing Victor wouldn’t do for this family, and Victor says, then understand this. There’s no way in hell Esme is raising a Cassadine heir. Not while there’s a breath left in his body.

Trina says, it’s really worth it, and Marshall asks, but is he worthy? How does he make her feel? She says, he makes her feel like she’s the best thing that’s happened to him, and Marshall says, it sounds like Spencer’s become special to her. Is that why she’s so bugged out about Esme sharing the same space? She says, it’s not like she doesn’t trust Spencer around Esme. It was strange seeing them all together, looking like a family. Marshall says, stop him if he’s wrong, but this sounds like more than just friendly concern. She says, Spencer’s more than a friend. Their relationship has evolved over a couple of weeks. She just hasn’t told anybody about it. He asks, why not? and she says, everybody’s been busy… They’re avoiding each other. He says, perhaps. Or is it because she’s not quite sure of it herself?

Esme says, from the first time she saw Laura, and definitely when Laura helped deliver Ace, Laura’s been nothing but kind to her. But Spencer is Laura’s grandson and doesn’t think she can raise her own son. Laura says, so she doesn’t know who to trust, and Esme says, even if she could trust someone, why would they trust her? Laura says, so she needs someone to take the first leap of faith. She’s willing to do that. Let’s start right now. Laura gets up and gets her bag, saying, everything is all new to Esme, and she’s got to get adjusted to her surroundings. So she’ll go out for a bit, and Esme can stay here on her own, relax, and bond with Ace. Esme says, by herself, with no one looking over her shoulder? and Laura says, yes, unless she’s worried about being alone with the baby, but Esme says, no. She’s just surprised Laura trusts her on her own. Laura says, she’s not a prisoner here, and Esme says, maybe this time. Laura hands her some cash, and says, in case of emergency. Esme says, Laura knows she can just take this and take off (it doesn’t look like enough to get her too far) , and Laura says, she could, but since she has faith Esme wants what’s best for her baby, so she knows that means staying right here. She wishes Esme a lovely morning, and leaves.

Eileen says she’ll take the necklace to Victor, but the wire is a no go. Valentin says he thought she might feel that way, and Eileen asks if he has a back-up plan. One that doesn’t involve her wearing a neon sign that says, Victor, I’m betraying you. Valentin says, if she doesn’t wear a wire, they won’t know she’s in trouble, but they have arranged for DA Scorpio to call her on official city business. Anna says, if anything feels off, raise the alarm, and he’ll come in and get her. Eileen says, fine, but she wants their promise, their guarantee that once she delivers this necklace, she’ll be free to move on. Valentin says, this isn’t over until they crack the code; find out what it’s for. Anna says, until they find out what Victor is after, none of them are free. Valentin puts the hood back on Eileen’s head.

Cameron says, after he found out about Dex and Josslyn, there were a lot of things he wanted to tell Dex. There were a lot of things Cameron wanted to do to him. Dex says he gets it, and Cameron says, despite all his anger and feelings, he realized it doesn’t matter, because all that matters is Josslyn. She’s been his friend for forever – she still is. But if Dex hurts her, he’ll tell Sonny about them, and Dex will find himself back on that hook so fast, he’ll wish he’d never met her.

Sonny asks how Josslyn knows someone’s targeting him, and she says, her mom told her there was an incident. One big enough for him to beef up security and keep Donna from spending the night? He says, temporarily, and she says she knows the drill. And Donna and Avery are young, but they’re starting to get used to it too, and think this is normal. She wishes it broke his heart half as much as it breaks hers.

Dex says, Cameron made himself clear, and Cameron says, Dex doesn’t think he’s serious. I swear, these two look like they’re on the verge of laughing. Dex says he knows Cameron’s serious, and he’ll never hurt Josslyn, and Cameron says, good. See to it he doesn’t. Dex says he means it. Cameron has no idea how much he cares about Josslyn. Sonny and Josslyn come back, and Sonny tells Dex, time to roll. Sonny reaches for his wallet, but Cameron says he’s got it. Sonny says he appreciates it, and Cameron says, of course (🍷). (I just included that exchange because of the of course – 🍷have one on me.) Sonny tells him, good luck at Stanford, Cameron thanks him, and Sonny leaves with Dex. Cameron asks what Josslyn and Sonny talked about, and she says, the usual; how his business affects the rest of them. How about him and Dex? Cameron says, they talked, and she says, sorry; that was awkward. He says, awkward is kind of their M.O., and she says, that’s what she wanted to talk to him about it. If he doesn’t want her at his goodbye party, she understands. He says he wants all his friends there. She is his friend, right? She says, it’s nice to hear him call her that, and he says, what else would he call her? She says, they’ve been friends forever, and that’s not going to change because of her feelings for Dex. He says, they’re pretty serious now? but she says she could never be with someone so soon after their break-up if it was meaningless. He says, he’ll see her, and leaves.

Victor says, if the DA doesn’t have enough proof to convict Esme, then they’ll just have to produce it, and Spencer says, he means, frame her? Victor says, they both know she’s guilty. If Spencer’s father hadn’t imprisoned her, she would have never lost her memory. Evidence can be… Spencer says, manufactured, and Victor says, the bottom line is, Esme is going to have to face the music, and Ace will be in the custody of those who love him best. Him, Spencer… Spencer says, grandmother. Does Victor mind if Spencer gets back to him? Victor tells him, take all the time he needs, but as Spencer said, Esme is a free woman, and could decide to take off at any time, taking with her Spencer’s innocent and defenseless little brother.

Esme asks Ace what he thinks. She sounded pretty sincere, didn’t she? Here they have food, warmth, and relative freedom. What more can they ask for? The baby throws us some cute smiles, as he/she desperately looks around for IRL mom. Esme says, they really don’t have any other offers, do they?… Ace is right. What’s stopping them from keeping him, and tossing her out on the street? She won’t let that happen. She looks at the money Laura left with her.

Trina tells Marshall that she trusts Spencer and the connection, but this is all new. And let’s just say some of her views are evolving. She guesses that’s part of growing up. He says, that never stops, and takes her hand. He says, learning who we are is a lifelong process. He doesn’t have to tell her, there’s circumstances in life that make us question everything we thought about ourselves. You’ve got to have good people in your corner to support you along the way, that’s all. Friends are great; family is better. She says, what if you don’t know who your family is? and he says, DNA doesn’t determine family; connection does. She puts her hand on his.

Outside Kelly’s on the phone, Laura says, Eileen has a lot to lose here… She doesn’t think Eileen ever had any real loyalty to Victor. She thinks Eileen’s always been in it for herself… She thinks Eileen will follow their instructions to the letter. Valentin says, she’d better. Because if she screws up or turns on them, this is over. Laura says, he doesn’t sound confident, and he tells her, all he’s saying is, they can’t let their guard down. Not where Victor Cassadine is concerned.

Victor opens his hotel room door to Eileen, and asks if she’s done as he asked. She says she’s a woman of her word. He says, where is it? and she takes the case from her bag. She says, as promised, and he snatches it out of her hand. He opens the case, and says, at last.

Sonny meets Selina next to a dumpster, which is maybe appropriate, since it looks like she didn’t comb her hair again, although her coat makes up for it. She says, he summoned her? and he says, someone is trying to take him out. She says she heard of his recent trouble, and he asks if she has any idea who’s behind it. She says, if only. An unprovoked attack is an unforgivable breach of decorum, and a threat to them all. Any leads? Dex takes out his phone, and Sonny says, whatever’s left of him. Does she recognize him? She looks at the phone, and tells him, not that she can say. What does Sonny want to know about him? Sonny says, if she doesn’t know, somebody in her organization must know, and Sonny heard he was spotted at The Highsider. That’s her bar, right? She says she does own it, but she’s afraid she can’t help him, and he says, can’t, or won’t?  She says, it’s purely an investment; one of the establishments she owns a stake in. She doesn’t keep tabs on the customers. Surely as a businessman, he understands. He says he’s disappointed, and don’t call him Shirley. That’s the second time she’s let him down in a couple weeks. She bought his late cousin Brando’s garage, right? She says, it was a good investment, and Brando’s mother was eager to sell. Sonny says, Gladys told him. What he wants to know is, why didn’t Selina? She says, he’s absolutely right. In fact, she should have let him know she was considering it before negotiating with Miss Corbin. Please accept her apologies. He says, let him tell her something. You mess with my family, you mess with me. Classic mob boss talk. She says, of course (🍷). All of that said, she hopes he’s pleased. The garage can be beneficial for them both. He says, the garage is the least of his concerns, and she says, the shooter’s connection to The Highsider is of concern to her as well. Her people never do business there, but regardless, she’s sure someone must know the man in the photo. She’ll make inquiries. He says, you do that, and she says she hopes he knows how much she values their association. Rest assured, this enemy is one they share. She leaves, and Dex asks Sonny, can she really be trusted?

Valentin says, Anna isn’t nervous, is she? but she says, of course (🍷) she’s nervous. Lucy just almost got herself killed. Now they’re sending Eileen back into that same lion’s den. At greater risk, with just as little protection. He says, look on the bright side; nobody likes the woman. She says, that’s very unkind, and he says, they’re this close to figuring out the insanity his father’s been cooking up, and ending it. And if anyone can finish the job, it’s them. Anna tells him, you know what they say, that most car accidents happen within a ten-mile radius of your home. They’re very close to home. He says, then he guesses, buckle up.

Victor says, Eileen did well, and she says she’s glad he’s pleased. He asks how she managed it, and she says, you don’t ask a magician her tricks. She heads for the door, and he asks where she’s going. She says, her office. She has a day’s work ahead. He says, nonsense. She can’t leave now. Not when they’re about to get to the most important part. She says, what’s more important than procuring the necklace from police lock-up? She got it. He has it. He says he wants them to inspect this masterpiece together. Come on. Take a seat. He starts to look at the necklace with a jeweler’s loupe.

Marshall says he knows Trina doesn’t know where she stands with her mom and Curtis, but whatever happens, they’ve forged their own relationship. He’s here to talk about anything. She says, even if she wants to talk about Spencer? and he tells her, he said anything. Whatever she says will stay between them, and he promises to always be honest with her. She says, thanks, she appreciates that, and he says, and in his honest opinion, if Spencer Cassadine’s life is going to remain so damn dramatic, maybe it’s time for her to exit stage left. They laugh, and the doorbell rings. Marshall opens the door to a sullen-looking Spencer.

Laura sees Josslyn at Kelly’s, and Josslyn says, she just missed Cam. Laura says she guesses she’ll see him at his party. How is Josslyn doing? Josslyn says she’s having a lot of trouble about Cam leaving, and Laura says she is too, but she’s also really proud of him. Josslyn says she is too. To play soccer at Stanford is huge, and it’s about time one of Cam’s dreams came true. Laura says, Josslyn was his first love, and Josslyn says she broke his heart. What if he never forgives her? He says they’re friends forever, but… Laura says, he’s hurt right now, and he feels alone. Josslyn says, because of her, but Laura says, Josslyn did what she had to do, and Cameron has to accept that no matter how painful it is. He just needs a little time. He’ll remember who really cares about him.

Esme picks up Ace, all swaddled up, and says, Grandmother Mayor might be on the up and up, but she’s not willing to wait around to find out. She puts the money in her knapsack, and picks up Ace’s blanket, throwing it over her shoulder. She opens the door, and Cameron is there, about to knock.

On Monday, Elizabeth tells Laura, there’s a deeper reason for someone’s silence; Josslyn says, anything Maxie needs, she’s in; Victor tells Eileen, they’re just getting started; and Cameron asks Esme, going somewhere?

📽  The Better Nikolas…

This actually sounds pretty good.

🗽 Who Are These People…?

The all new cast of RHONY. I dunno. I doubt it will have the same drunken energy as the original. It was one of the few in the franchise I still liked. Maybe the only one. Too bad the Legacy thing didn’t work out.

🧂 Look Out For That Cliff…

Maybe they needed more salt on the road. BA-DUM-CHH!

🍸 Those Crazy Kids…

I can’t wait for this.

Keep her away from the matches and lighters.

Just to emphasize how awful Raquel nee Rachel is.

🐝 Premiere Buzz…

Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD.

🐱 Not Last…

Well of course he got adopted.

https://people.com/pets/rescue-cat-named-after-pedro-pascal-gets-adopted/

🦜 Quotes of the Week

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. – Alice Walker.

The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs, one step at a time.Joe Girard

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.

I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.Kahlil Gibran

If you’re trying to achieve, there will be road blocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. – Michael Jordan (Or kick it down.)

In the history of men, it always emboldens them to get away with this sh*t. – Nancy Costello (Amy Landecker), Your Honor

Often any decision, even the wrong decision, is better than no decision. – Ben Horowitz

Once you face your fear, nothing is ever as hard as you think. – Olivia Newton-John

🛞 Catching the Dream…

Take the next two days off, but return refreshed on Monday really Tuesday for soap and more candidates for most awful people on Summer House. Until then, stay safe, stay dancing like no one’s watching, and stay remembering that DNA doesn’t determine family; connection does.

March 23, 2023 – The Ethics Committee Makes Its Decision, Casey Landing, Big Leap, Retiring, Why, Sailing, Jax Speaks, Reunion Buzz, Next Last, Festival News & Army

Standard

I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Terry tells Elizabeth that her part is finished; they’re making their decision now. Elizabeth wonders how long it’s going to take, and asks if it’s good or bad. Terry says she wishes she knew. What she does know is, Elizabeth is an excellent nurse, and she made that clear to the Board. Terry’s phone dings, and she says she’ll be right back. She leaves, and Elizabeth tells Finn, part of her wants this over, but the other part wants it to drag on forever because, what if these are her last minutes on staff? Either way, she needs to face it and deal with it. He says, and she will. He knows how important her independence is to her, and if she wants to face this alone, he understands. She says, her life might be about to change forever. There’s no one else she’d rather be by her side. Terry comes back, and says she just got a notification that they’ve reached their decision. Elizabeth says, here we go, and some grey-haired guy I don’t know approaches her. He tells her, after careful consideration, the Committee has decided not to take any disciplinary action against her.

Gregory goes to Alexis’s office, and she says she has his car keys. He says, she called Finn, after he specifically told her not to discuss what’s happening in his life with Finn or Chase. She asks how she can explain what’s happening in his life if she doesn’t know because he won’t tell her? She’s worried about him. He says, about what? She just said she doesn’t know anything, so let’s just leave it that way. She says she can’t. He’s her friend. She cares about him whether he likes it or not.

Maxie, Sasha, and Gladys sit at Kelly’s, and Maxie says she’s getting a whole new education about the elements of the Nurses Ball. They wouldn’t believe how important it is to have the right lighting package. Fortunately, the lighting designer Lucy always used is available, but he’s not cheap. Thankfully, the Nurses Ball is fully funded, so all the proceeds can go to AIDS/HIV research. Sasha says she’s so glad Deception’s able to donate 300,000, and match the donations, and Gladys says, that’s a lot of money. Maxie says, Lucy will be so excited… God rest her soul, when Cody comes by, and asks Sasha if Kelly’s makes biscotti. She says, not that she knows of, but the cupcakes are spectacular. She asks if he knows Gladys, and he says, sure do. They met at The Savoy. Right, Gladys? Maxie asks what Gladys was doing at The Savoy, and Cody asks if Gladys is going to tell them, or should he?

In the hospital elevator, Portia flashes back to asking Curtis if there’s hope for them, and if their love for one another is strong enough to get them through this; and him saying, he doesn’t think their love can fix this. She comes out, and sees Marshall. She asks if everything is okay, and he says he’s just coming out from his follow-up with Dr. Samuels. She asks how it went, and he asks if Curtis didn’t tell her. She says, Curtis said he’d tell her if he could, but the information is private. She thinks that says it all, doesn’t it?

Curtis goes to the bar at Charlie’s, and orders scotch, neat. Jordan comes out and goes over to him, and he says she doesn’t have to worry. This is his first drink, but he promises it’s not his last. It might get ugly, so she might want to get while the gettin’s good. She says she’ll have what he’s having, and sits down. Yuck. I hate the smell of scotch.

Trina stops by Laura’s, and tells Spencer that she was in the neighborhood. She wanted to see if the baby is settled in okay. He says, things didn’t exactly go the way he hoped they would, when Esme comes out with Ace, followed by Laura. Trina says, Esme’s here? and he nods. Esme says, they live here now. Laura is Ace’s grandmother. Just one big happy family. Laura says, it’s nice to see Trina, who is not receptive to a hug, and Trina says she’s sorry to just show up. Laura says, she’s always welcome, and Trina says she didn’t want to disturb the baby. Laura says, this is a very recent development. Everybody thought it would be best if Esme and Ace stayed with them. Spencer says, the alternative would be to get Esme a place above Kelly’s, but that’s no place for a baby, and Esme tells Ace, mommy came up with a compromise. Laura says, it seemed like a good idea, and Trina asks if Spencer is going back to Sonny’s place, but he says, his grandmother has been generous in letting him stay here. That way, he can be here if his little brother needs him.

Jordan asks why Curtis is at Charlie’s instead of his own nightclub, and he says, too many things to bother him at his nightclub. Tonight, he doesn’t want to be bothered. He will have another scotch though. He tells her to go ahead and ask him what’s wrong, but she says she figures if he wants to tell her, he will. If not, it’s decent scotch. He always did love a fine highland malt. He says, she remembered, and she says, cop’s curse. He says he ran into Trina tonight, and she says she’s guessing by his bar tab, things went badly. He says, actually, it was the opposite, and she says, Trina’s a good kid. He says, Trina’s the best, but she still doesn’t want to take a DNA test. There was a moment there he thought they could really have a relationship. There’s just one big if. She says, if she turns out to be his daughter. It sounds like they made a nice start. He says, it was… until her mom walked in.

Marshall says he hates that there’s still so much distance between Portia and Curtis, and Portia says she knows it’s her fault. But Curtis has so little trust in her, he wouldn’t want to share Marshall’s latest medical evaluation? She just hopes the information Marshall got from Dr. Samuels was good. She starts to leave, but he says, wait. Don’t go. Is there somewhere they can talk? She says she doesn’t want him to feel obligated to keep her in the loop, but he says, this isn’t obligation; this is gratitude. She’s the one who suggested he might have been misdiagnosed 40 years ago, so she should know what the specialist said. She suggests they go to the breakroom.

Gladys says, it’s still a free country, isn’t it? Can’t she stop in a club without it becoming the town gossip? Sasha tells her not to be upset. It’s just not like her to go to The Savoy by herself. Cody says he thinks he knows why Gladys was there. The same reason he was there; it was ladies night. Gladys says, he’s got her.

Gregory says, if Alexis was really his friend, she’d stop prying into his personal and professional lives, but she says, if she didn’t pry, she wouldn’t know he’d been lying to her for months. If she didn’t speak to the dean, she wouldn’t know he didn’t work there anymore. He says, which wasn’t her place, and she has absolutely no business pressuring Finn to dig up information on him. If he hadn’t been with Finn when she called, she was going to tell his son everything, wasn’t she? She says, she doesn’t know anything. She doesn’t know what’s going on with him. She’s just trying to help. He says he doesn’t want any help. Is that clear enough for her?

Grey-haired guy says, the Committee has determined that Elizabeth cooperated with Nikolas Cassadine in the service of providing medical care to a pregnant woman. They believe she had reason to assume involving the authorities would cause Mr. Cassadine to run off with Miss Prince, or worse, cause her harm. Dr. Finn and Dr. Randolph convinced them that Elizabeth might have saved Esme and her baby’s life. As such, no further action will be taken against her. Elizabeth thanks him, and he says she has an outstanding record, and many supporters. It was clear to the Committee that she’s an asset to the hospital. He wishes her good luck, and leaves. Terry says she has to speak to the Committee on another matter, and follows. Elizabeth hugs Finn.

Alexis says, so Gregory thinks she overstepped, and he says, she did. He’s not the one with a drinking problem. So in the future, please, save her sympathies for the people in her meetings. She says she jumped to the conclusion that he had a drinking problem because he appeared drunk at 11 am; then he was belligerent. And then he lied to her about really important stuff for a long time. He lost his job and lied about it. What is she supposed to think? He says he was wrong about her. She’s not a journalist. She’s like a cop who pulled him over. What’s next? A breathalyzer? She says, you tell me. Would he pass or fail?

Elizabeth thanks Finn for standing by her side through this whole awful ordeal, and he says, anytime. Terry comes back, and says, the Committee was influenced by what Finn had to say, but Finn says, it wasn’t just him. There were a lot of people willing to vouch for Nurse Baldwin’s commitment to this hospital and nursing. Elizabeth says, and Epiphany, but Terry says, fortunately, the Committee didn’t need to hear directly from her supervisor since she’s out of town, and there are several testimonies from Epiphany already in her file. Her support for Elizabeth is well known around here. So no excuses. She expects to see Elizabeth here tomorrow in uniform for her first shift. Terry leaves, and Finn asks if Elizabeth wants to call the boys with the good news, but she says she wants to tell them face to face when she gets home. This is her home too, and she almost lost it. He says he hated the thought of doing his rounds without her here having his back, and she says he’s managed without her in the past. He says he didn’t know what he was missing.

Cody says, Gladys was there for the music and the dancing. He was there because when it’s ladies night, there’s bound to be a few unattached ladies. Maxie asks if he got lucky, and he says, she knows how it is. It comes and goes. Right, Gladys? Gladys coughs, and says, went down the wrong pipe. She sips some coffee, and Cody says, be careful. Maxie says she has an offer for Cody that will change his life, and drags him outside. Sasha says she knows Cody upset Gladys, and she knows why.

Curtis says, Jordan doesn’t have to worry. He tried drowning his sorrows in a bottle on his wedding night; didn’t work. Tonight he’s just blowing off some steam. She says she’s probably not the best person for him to be talking to about this. If she hadn’t opened up to Stella, Trina might never have confronted Portia. He says, she wasn’t trying to sabotage his wedding. She knows him, and knows the kind of lies that… She says, the kind that blew up their marriage. She didn’t want the same thing to happen to him and Portia. He says he believes her. He’s just afraid it’s too late to do anything about it now. She says, as long as he meant the vows he said when he married Portia, there is something he can do. He says, which is? and she says, do what he couldn’t do with her – forgive her.

Trina says she hopes Esme knows how lucky she is to have someone like Laura looking out for her and her baby, and Esme says she did have her doubts when Spencer suggested she move above Kelly’s while Ace stayed here. She won’t be separated from her son. Laura says she never wanted that, and Esme says she did have a hard time believing that part, and that Laura’s loyalty wasn’t to Nikolas and Spencer. When she suggested they both stay here, Laura was so kind and quick to say yes, it reassured her. Laura says, they all want what’s best for Ace. Don’t we, Spencer? He says, it’s the only thing that matters, and Trina says she hopes it all works out for them. She has to go. Spencer says he’ll walk her out. In the hallway, Trina says, there’s no need to walk her to her car, and Spencer says he’s sorry. He didn’t want to spring this on her. She says, he doesn’t owe her an explanation, and he says, he wants her to understand the only reason he’s going along with this… She says she gets it; she really understands. Spencer and Esme get to raise him together. He says, that’s the last thing he wants, but if Esme and the baby hadn’t moved in here, he would have lost his brother for good. It was a necessary evil. Esme has the law on her side, and the power to keep his brother away from him. She says, moving Esme into his grandmother’s house was the only way to keep him close; she understands.

Esme and Laura come back from putting Ace down for his nap, and Esme says, the way Laura sang to Ace was so pretty. Laura says, it was the same lullaby she used to sing to her children, and Esme says, somehow she can’t picture Heather, or Ryan, singing to her, even if they had the chance. Laura says, fortunately, her biological parents didn’t raise her. She’s sorry Esme doesn’t have more good childhood memories, but it’s not to late to make sure her son will.

Trina says, in other words, Spencer is counting on Esme being someone completely new; a totally different girl than the one who was trying to do her crazy father’s bidding, and harm as many people as possible. He says, she has no memory of that time, and Trina says, she doesn’t seem to. When she visited Esme in Spring Ridge, she didn’t get the feeling Esme was putting on an act. But just because she doesn’t remember doesn’t automatically make her a good person. What if the new Esme is even worse than the old one?

Curtis asks what that makes him, and Jordan says, a loving husband, but he says, no. It makes him a hypocrite. Their marriage ended because of lies Jordan had been telling him for barely a year. So how is she okay with Portia’s even bigger lie that she told for 20 years? She says, he’s forgetting it wasn’t her choice to end their marriage.

In the breakroom, Portia says, Dr. Samuels is sure Marshall doesn’t have any of the markers for the disease? He says, not a single one. Of course (🍷) that doesn’t prove he doesn’t have schizophrenia, according to the doctor. She says, it makes it less likely because he doesn’t have any of the genetic markers, and he says, exactly. She says, it also explains why, after his original diagnosis, he never experienced another episode, and he says he can’t say he’s not pleased, after walking around for 40 years being afraid of a ticking time bomb in his head. He doesn’t know what he has, or if there was even ever anything wrong with him at all. She says, it seems like you’re stumbling around in the dark, and he says, it sounds like she knows the feeling.

Gladys says she hopes it hasn’t made Sasha doubt her. She couldn’t love Sasha more if Sasha were her own daughter. Sasha says she loves Gladys too, and knows Gladys is grieving Brando as much as she is. She just hates Gladys going out alone when they could be together. She suggests they make the Nurses Ball their coming out party. They’ll get all glammed up, and wow them on the red carpet. Gladys says, Sasha will have to wow them without her. She’s seen the fancy gowns they all wear, and she doesn’t have anything like that. Sasha thinks it’s a good excuse to buy her one, and Gladys says, with what? Sasha says, her money. What’s the fun in having it if she can’t share it with her? (Truth. I had money for a hot minute, and looking back, the things that made me happiest were doing things for other people.)

Cody keeps looking inside at Gladys and Sasha, and Maxie says, hello. Cody. Woman right here, giving him a great idea. Is he even listening to her? He asks if she wants him to ride in on a horse at the Nurses Ball. Do some rope tricks; what? She says, when she told him that she needed a cowboy, she meant to dance with the others, and he says, what others? She says, Magic Milo and the Magic Wands. Great music, they get to do this choreographed dance, all the women in the audience are screaming for him, and his costume is… simple. He gets a shirt that he gets to wear for about a minute, and he has these breakaway pants. He says, so this is a strip show. She wants him to take off all his clothes. She says, of course (🍷) not. He gets to keep his boots on.

Gregory tells Alexis that he’s going to say this one more time. He doesn’t have a drinking problem. Yes, he stumbled at the MetroCourt. Everyone stumbles now and then, even her. She claims he was slurring his words, but maybe it’s a case of confirmation bias on her part. She wanted to believe he was drunk, so she saw and heard what she expected. What she didn’t see was him pouring vodka into that orange juice. She says, just because no one saw, doesn’t mean… He asks if she’s ever seen him over his limit or out of control. In all the time they’ve been together, has he ever been drunk in her company? She says, no. Will he please explain to her why he got fired… He says, he wasn’t fired (told ya); he quit. She asks why he’d do that. That doesn’t make any sense. He loves to teach and loves journalism, yet he walked away from both. She can see something is really wrong here. Will he please let her help him? He says, he’s sick, and she says, is she allowed to ask what’s wrong? but he says, no. He already told her more than he intended. Next, she’ll want to see his medical chart. She says, no. He has someone to help him. Finn will get him the best hospital or whatever care he needs. He says, Finn doesn’t know, and it’s going to stay that way. She says, that doesn’t make any sense. Finn is one of the best doctors in the country. Why wouldn’t Gregory tell him? Gregory asks if she really wants to help him, and she says, she does. He says, there’s one thing she can do for him, and she says, name it. He says, give him back his car keys, and holds out his hand.

Elizabeth sends a text to Epiphany: I have some good news. Can we talk? Finn comes out of the elevator with Violet, and says, look who just got dropped off. Violet and Elizabeth hug, and Violet says, they’re going to Beradino’s for spaghetti and meat balls. Does Elizabeth want to come?

Maxie says she knows what Cody is thinking. This will be cheesy and embarrassing, and they’re exploiting men, but it’s not like that at all. It’s good, clean fun, and everybody loves it. He’ll be shaking his bootie for a fabulous cause. He says, for her, he’ll do it, and she says, that’s it? He says, no worries. He’s been a body double on location shoots before. He’s even shot a whole scene naked, on horseback. Just him; the horse still had his saddle on. She says, he’s still amazing, and they hug. Her phone dings, and he looks inside again.

Gladys says, Sasha is so sweet, but she wouldn’t feel right using Sasha’s money on herself. Sasha says she’s been doing some research. Traditionally, the conservator of a guardianship gets paid a salary. Gladys has been managing her finances this whole time for free. It’s only fair she get paid for all her hard work. Gladys says, that’s nice of her, and Sasha says she knows how hard Gladys has been trying to honor Brando’s memory. He would want her to do this. Maxie comes back with Cody, and says, who’s ready for some great news? but Sasha says, her first. They’ve got some shopping to do. Guess who’s going to be the belle of the Nurses Ball? She puts her arms around Gladys.

Portia says, she’s fine, but this is about Marshall right now. She’s sure Dr. Samuels explained that they’d be weaning Marshall off his medication, and monitoring him in case he had any unusual reactions. Marshall says, or that he doesn’t have any more episodes. Blah-blah-blah. What does that even mean? Were they that careless 40 years ago when they diagnosed him? Or did they just call it schizophrenia when he might have had something else? She says, Dr. Samuels is the expert in this field; she isn’t. He says, but she’s family, and he trusts what she tells him. She says she appreciates that. What she can say is the understanding of diseases like schizophrenia has evolved greatly over the last four decades. But she doesn’t want to second guess his original doctors, or hypothesize a theory, until they know more. He says, seems to him, she already knows more than she’s saying. Haven’t they learned keeping things to yourself does more harm than good?

Curtis says, if Jordan didn’t want their marriage to end, why didn’t she fight harder for it? and she says she fought as hard as she could. In the end, his happiness meant more to her than her own, because… She sips her drink, and he says, because he pushed her away. He was furious at the secrets she kept, but what if he wasn’t so quick to judge her? What if he’d handled things differently? Would they still be together? She says, they would.

Spencer tells Trina, that’s another good reason for Esme to stay here with the baby. If she starts to show her true colors, he’ll be the first to know. She says, Esme fooled him in the beginning, but he says, that was a long time ago, before he knew Trina. It’s like imitation vanilla; imitation anything really. Like that buttery stuff they put on your popcorn. Imitation crab, like a California roll. She asks if he just compared her to a California roll, and they laugh. He says, it’s easy to settle for an imitation of something, but everything Esme gave him, or pretended to give him in their relationship – support, understanding, connection – it was all fake, and he bought it and believed in it. Until he experienced the real thing. Trina showed him real support and real understanding, and a real connection. She gave him something that Esme could never give him – honesty. He may not always like what she has to say to him, but he never has to question whether it’s the truth.

Esme tells Laura that she wants to do right by her son; give him all the things she never had. Heather… her mother warned her not to trust Spencer… or Laura. Laura says, Esme’s mom isn’t anyone she should be taking advice from. Ace cries, and Laura says she’ll get him.

Trina says, the baby’s crying; Spencer should go. He says he’s sure the baby has all the help he needs, and she says, so does he. He says, does he? and she says, he knows he does. They move toward each other for a kiss.

Esme has her hand on the doorknob, when Laura brings out Ace, and says, she thinks this sweet little boy just missed his mommy. She gives Ace to Esme, who says, he should be sleeping.  She doesn’t know what’s keeping his brother. Laura says she’ll go warm up a bottle, and Esme thanks her. Laura leaves, and Esme opens the door, seeing Spencer and Trina. She says she thought Trina left.

Jordan tells Curtis, there’s no point in reliving all this again. The past is the past. Curtis says, but they’re still here, and she says, and drinking, which always makes people sentimental. He says, she knows good and well, it ain’t the blues, and she says, it’s been a long time since they’ve talked like this. He says, too long.

Portia thanks Marshall for his concern, but she thinks she’s burned all her bridges. In fact, she’s torched them. He says, she and Curtis need to build new ones, but she says she thought they were talking about him. She thinks if he wants answers, he should contact the original medical team that diagnosed him way back then. He says, if any of them are still around, and she tells him, it’s like he said, if a bridge is burned, build another one. She leaves, and he takes out his phone.

Sasha says, this is so exciting. She and Gladys are walking the red carpet together. Gladys says, and Sasha insists on buying her a fancy dress. How lucky is she to have such a generous daughter-in-law? Cody says, she’s lucky all right, and Maxie says, actually, they’re all lucky here, because Cody has decided to join Magic Milo and the Magic Wands, and bare almost everything for charity. He says, it’s for a good cause, and Maxie says, exactly. Now that her work here is done – she takes Gladys’s hand – let’s figure out something for Gladys to wear. She leads Gladys to another table, and says, she wants to know what Gladys is thinking as far as designers.

Sasha and Cody sit down, and Sasha says, he really made Maxie’s day. He says, same as she did with Gladys. So things are okay between her and Gladys now? Sasha says, they’ve both been struggling with their grief. That doesn’t always make for the best communication, but they’re working through it. Their conversation was so good today, she decided to start paying Gladys a salary. He asks if she thinks that’s a good idea, and she says, why not?

Gregory says, he asked Alexis to leave his keys – which, by the way, she had no right to confiscate – with the concierge, but once again she decides she knows best. She says she took his car keys because she cares about him. Whatever this is, he doesn’t have to go through it alone. She promises he can trust her. She promises, whatever he says to her won’t leave this room. He takes his keys, says, he hopes she meant what she told him about it never leaving this room, and leaves.

Elizabeth tells Violet, spaghetti and meatballs are her favorite. How could she say no? Violet asks if Jake and Aiden can come too, and Finn says, of course (🍷). What about Cameron? Violet says, he’s still too sad about Josslyn, but Finn says, maybe a night out would cheer him up. Violet says, then he can come too, and Elizabeth says, all her favorite people. That’s what she calls a celebration. Finn and Elizabeth each take one of Violet’s hands, and they leave.

Cody says, if Sasha thinks she can trust Gladys, who is he to say otherwise? and Sasha says, there’s a but in there somewhere. And she doesn’t mean the one he’ll be showing off at the Nurses Ball. He tells her, all he’s saying is, if she’s going to put Gladys on the payroll, trust, but verify.

Maxie tells Gladys, the more she knows Cody, the better she likes him. Yes, she’s grateful he agreed to be a Magic Wand with minimum fuss, but she knows Cody has flaws; everyone does. Maybe it’s that he doesn’t pretend otherwise. He’s got that whole broke cowboy with a sweet side thing. They look over at Cody and Sasha laughing, and Maxie says she sees a lot to like in him. She thinks Sasha would understand what she means. Does Gladys think there’s something going on there? Gladys says she hopes not, and Maxie asks, why? Doesn’t she like Cody? Gladys’s phone dings, and she sees a text from Selina: Your favorite poker buddies are in town for tonight’s game. You in?

Portia asks Terry if the Committee has made a decision about Elizabeth yet, and Terry says, she’s been reinstated. Portia says, what a relief. Elizabeth must be so happy. Terry says, it’s about time we had some good news around here, right?

On the phone, Marshall tells Stella that he knows she’s been avoiding him… since the wedding. He needs a favor… Does she still have all of Irene’s papers?… Are his medical records among them?

Jordan and Curtis are about to kiss, when an officer tells Jordan that her car is outside. Curtis says he thinks he’s about reached his limit, and she says, her too. Scotch is a lot stronger than she remembered. Her driver is ready. He says, a very good thing, and Jordan tells the officer that she’ll be right out. Curtis says, the drinks are on him, and Jordan thanks him. She tells him to have a good night, and leaves.

Trina says, she and Spencer were just… Spencer says, Trina was telling him how PCU has daycare in case he wants to take classes during the summer. Spencer is starting to really irritate me, the way he acts like Esme doesn’t even exist in the equation. Esme says , that’s very kind of her, but he won’t need to take care of Ace. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of her son. She goes back inside, saying, isn’t that right, Ace? Mommy’s going to take care of you. Trina presses the elevator button, and Spencer thanks her for stopping by. They say goodnight, and she leaves.

Tomorrow, Anna says, none of them are free; Esme tells Laura that she gets a really bad feeling when Victor Cassadine is around; and Victor asks what Spencer wants to happen to Esme.

🛸 Craziest…

This was one of my all-time favorite storylines. It was also when Faison was introduced, although we didn’t know he was Faison. When he arrived in Port Charles, he was romance writer PK Sinclair.

📺 Whatta Tease…

As usual, not much info, but I watch so little on network TV, I didn’t even know they’d revived Quantum Leap.

👗 A Good Kind Of Goodbye…

I’m a big fan of the wardrobe on GH, and hope her retirement doesn’t mean things will go downhill. Hmm… Maybe they’re also fans of my wardrobe. I’ve seen sweaters I own on the show a few times.

🏖  Thought So…

Yeah, I didn’t think Melissa just told Gia no with no explanation. I don’t blame her for not wanting a bunch of kids there alone. If there’s excessive drinking and anyone gets in an accident, NJ law would hold the homeowner responsible.

⛵️ Next In the Deck…

Captain Glenn rocks, but if you want some truly awful people, set sail.

🤼  Awful Speaks On Awful…

Yep. It’s pretty bad when the most awful human being on earth calls you out for being awful.

Oh, I didn’t realize he was 40. It’s a midlife crisis thing. Menopause for men. Or Tomopause if you will.

🍸 Reunion Build Up…

LVP and Ariana get the coveted seats. Both deserving.

Let’s have a kiki.

The gladiators enter the arena.

I’d be willing to bet Raquel wrote them up herself.

🛣  About the Last…

What’s up with Season 2.

https://ew.com/tv/the-last-of-us-season-2-everything-we-know/

Fun, but useless, trivia from Season 1.

https://ew.com/tv/jason-ritter-clicker-wife-melanie-lynskey-the-last-of-us/

🎸 Lolla This…

The latest on Lollapalooza. I always think I’d love to go to one of these festivals, but then I think porta-potty, and don’t.

https://www.billboard.com/music/concerts/2023-lollapalooza-festival-lineup-1235290621/

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/lollapalooza-2023-lineup-headliners-chicago-full-lineup-red-hot-chili-peppers-billie-eilish-kendrick-lamar/3100043/

☔️ Making It Rain…

Double back tomorrow for a dose of soap, a dash of tea, a liberal sprinkling of quotes, and a dollop of music. Until then, stay safe, stay never body shaming anyone, including yourself, and stay not being imitation anything. You don’t want to be that buttery stuff they put on your popcorn, or the crab in a California roll.

March 22, 2023 – The Ethics Committee Meets About Elizabeth, Raquel Is Done With Chihuahua Followers, Number One Most Awful & Every

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Alexis tells Natalie, this is thinly sourced, unpublishable, and dangerously close to liable, and Natalie asks if she should have Gregory look at it, but Alexis says, he’s not here to help her, and it’s not his job. She asks Natalie to please fix this before it lands them in court, when Diane walks in. Natalie leaves, and Diane says, that wasn’t uncomfortable. Alexis says she doesn’t have time to be nice. What’s up? Diane says, dinner plans. You, me, the Port Charles Grill? Alexis says she’s sorry. She forgot. Diane says, that’s not like her. What’s up?

At the hospital, Gregory asks if Dr. Park is available, and if not, he’d like to make an appointment with him as soon as possible. The nurse says, he already has an appointment next month, but Gregory says he’s experiencing new symptoms, and others are worsening. Finn comes up to the desk, and says, dad?

Spencer texts Trina: If all works out w/Esme, I’ll bring baby bro back to my Grandmother’s tonight. She replies: Good luck!!! She opens the door to Kelly’s as Curtis is coming out, and he asks how she is. She says, okay… She has no idea how to act around him.

At Spring Ridge, Spencer thanks Laura for letting him stay with her and Doc. Uncle Sonny’s place is getting crowded. She says, they like having him and Charlotte at the apartment, and he says, how lucky is it that there’s an extra room for the baby? She tells him not to get too far ahead of himself. Esme may hate this idea. He says, why should she? She should want what’s best for her son. No better place than with family. Esme comes out with Ace, and says she thought she and Laura agreed that Laura could visit, but Spencer can’t.

Jordan sees Nina at the bar in Charlie’s, and says she’s glad she found her. Nina asks if something’s happened to Sonny.

Chase finds Brook at the piano, and asks if she’s working on a new song. She says, so far, she has three verses she regrets; it’s garbage. He says, Brook Lynn Quartermaine does not create garbage, but she says, he’s just being nice. He says he’s being honest. He loves her songs. He loves a lot of things when it comes to her. He loves spending time with her and talking to her. He misses that. He misses them. She says she misses them too, and he suggests they do something about it, but she says, wait. There’s something he doesn’t know.

Elizabeth sees the meeting is still in progress, and grabs Terry as she’s walking by. She asks how long it’s going to take for them to decide if she can still work, and Terry says, Portia’s in there now, speaking on her behalf. Elizabeth wonders what she can say to convince them she’s not a liability to GH or her patients, and Terry says, no one thinks she’s a liability. Portia comes out, and Elizabeth asks, how’d it go?

Brook says, they broke up for a reason, and Chase says, she didn’t tell him Dante asked her to write a letter to the CCRB. She held off writing until after the Board made their decision. She asks why he should forgive that. She was invested in his singing career, and put that ahead of him being reinstated as a cop. She betrayed his trust. He says, but she finally wrote her letter of support, and now the CCRB is reconsidering their decision, and she asks if that means he forgives her. He says, it’s going to take a long time for him to trust her again, but he’s willing to try. Is she? She says, he just spent the afternoon with Willow. That must have been hard. He asks what that has to do with them, and she says, let’s face it. He and Willow have quite the history. He’s emotionally all over the place. He’s wanting to take life with both hands, and she’s around. He takes her hands in his, and says, she’s more than just around. She’s in his head constantly. He can’t stop thinking about her; about what they had, and he wants it back. Doesn’t she?

Jordan says, nothing’s happened to Sonny, not that she’s aware. Is there a reason for Nina’s concern? Nina says, Jordan’s the Police Commissioner, so she automatically thought there was an accident. She overreacted. She can blame it on stress, what’s happening with Willow, and everything going on in her life with Crimson and the MetroCourt. She’s been on edge, and… Did Jordan want to ask her something? Jordan says, forget it. Nina seems like she has a lot on her mind. Nina asks if she’s on duty, and Jordan says, no. Nina says, then order a drink; talk to her. Jordan sits down, and says, it’s about Curtis. She hopes Nina can tell her, is he okay?

Curtis says, for what it’s worth (🍷), he doesn’t know how to act around Trina either. Does that help? She says, a little, and they walk into Kelly’s courtyard. She says she still hasn’t made a decision about getting a DNA test. She’s been busy with school and stuff. He tells her to take all the time she needs with school… and stuff, and she says, it’s really weird running into him. She feels like she used to see her family all the time, and since the wedding, she’s mostly been by herself. He asks how that’s been, and she says, sometimes good; sometimes not so great. He asks if she’s seen her mother since she told Trina the truth, and she says, just once, but it didn’t go so good. Has he seen her? He says, a few times. He has to be honest, he just can’t seem to… Trina says, forgive her? Her too.

Portia says, the Committee seemed very open-minded about her support for Elizabeth, and Elizabeth asks if she could tell which way they were leaning. Portia says, they were very formal. They asked her questions about Elizabeth’s history here, and she spoke on Elizabeth’s professionalism and care with each and every one of her patients, and her knowledge and skill as a nurse. They’d already spoken to Finn and Frieda Navarro, and they got some letters from Patrick Drake, Robin Scorpio-Drake, Griffin Monroe (who, for some reason, I keep thinking is dead)… Elizabeth says, and Epiphany, but Portia tells her, they didn’t say they received anything from her. Elizabeth says, but they reached out to her, and Terry says, maybe Epiphany hasn’t turned in her letter. Elizabeth wonders what the Committee is going to think. Epiphany was her mentor, and in a way, she still is. If they don’t know Epiphany supports her, she doesn’t see how she stands a chance.

Alexis says, it seems some of her reporters have forgotten how to check facts and clear legal, and Diane says, perhaps they are missing the calm influence and guidance of Professor Chase. Perhaps Alexis is too. Alexis says, which is why she wanted him on her Editorial Board, but that ship has sailed. Change the subject please. Diane asks if Alexis confronted him about why he no longer works at PCU, and Alexis says she did, and sure as hell wishes she didn’t.

Gregory says he didn’t see Finn standing there, and Finn says he wanted to see if the Committee had made their decision about Elizabeth. He’s glad Gregory came. Gregory says, of course (🍷), and thanks the nurse for her help. The nurse says, does he still need a… Gregory says, directions? No. His son knows the way. Gregory follows Finn down the hall.

Spencer says, nice to see Esme too, and asks Ace how he’s doing. Spencer’s missed him. He makes noises like I make to a cat, and Esme asks what he’s doing here. Laura says, they have wonderful news for her and the baby. After careful consideration, DA Scorpio has agreed to drop the charges against her. She’s going to be released from Spring Ridge. Ever the bearer of glad tidings, Spencer says, the DA could reinstate the charges at any time, but she can raise her son outside of prison… Hello? Earth to Esme. Did she hear him? She says she did, but it doesn’t matter. She and Ace aren’t leaving.

Trina tells Curtis, before the wedding, she felt like she and her mother could talk about anything. They fought before, but Portia just told her it was part of the mother/daughter contract. She just never thought her mother would keep such a huge secret from her; that she doesn’t know if Trina’s dad is her father or Curtis is. He says, when he and her mother reconnected in Port Charles, she promised him there would be no more secrets, so she blindsided him too. Trina says, what bothers her is that Portia didn’t trust her, and he says, when Marshall was first diagnosed, he didn’t trust that Curtis’s mother could handle his illness. Curtis and his brother were young, and he knew Marshall was protecting them, but those years were lost. She says, but he and Marshall are close now, right? and he says, yeah, but that sure is a long time without a father. She says, at least they’re talking, and he says, they are. She has every right to be upset with her mother, but he can’t help wondering how long she’s going to go without talking to her mom.

Portia says, the Committee isn’t out to get Elizabeth on a technicality, but Elizabeth says, a missing letter from her mentor isn’t a technicality; it’s a red flag. Terry asks if Epiphany isn’t on a campus visit at Johns Hopkins, and Portia says, that’s the school she got accepted to. She’s probably meeting with her professors, shadowing a resident. It makes perfect sense that she wouldn’t have had a chance to write the letter yet. Terry says, she might not have even gotten the request, and Elizabeth says she didn’t even think about that. Portia says she’s going to grab some coffee and get some air, and tells Elizabeth, think positive thoughts, okay? She leaves, and Elizabeth says, as nervous as she is about herself and her future, she’s so happy for Epiphany. She’s not surprised a bit that Epiphany got into Johns Hopkins. Epiphany is the best nurse she knows, and she’ll make such a great doctor. It’s really an inspiration that she had the courage to follow her dream, and now it’s coming true. Terry says, gives a person a reason to hope, right?

Diane asks what Alexis found out. Did something happen at the university? Alexis says she doesn’t think it’s her place to say, and Diane says, something is clearly upsetting her. When last they spoke about Gregory, he was an asset Alexis wanted for The Invader, and wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Is that no longer the case? Alexis says, it’s not about The Invader anymore; it’s about his well-being. She doesn’t know what it is, but she thinks something’s wrong. She thinks he may have a drinking problem. That might be the reason he’s no longer working at PCU.

Gregory and Finn approach Elizabeth, and she says she hopes nothing serious brought Gregory in. Gregory says he just wanted to wish her luck with the Ethics Committee; he’s rooting for her. She thanks him, and says, when everyone started finding out she helped Nikolas keep Esme captive, she thought people would turn their backs on her. She can’t believe how uplifting her friends have been. Terry says, Nikolas put her in an impossible situation, and Finn says, and she came forward despite the potential consequences, even after he tried to convince her otherwise. Elizabeth says, part of her thinks she should have listened.

Laura tells Esme, this is very good news, and Spencer says, this is crazy. Spring Ridge is a prison, not a hotel. She can’t simply decide to extend her stay. Laura says she thinks she understands why Esme may be feeling nervous about this, and Esme says, all she’s ever known is life in a hospital and prison. She and Ace have no family, no friends, no money. Where are they supposed to go? Spencer says he’s made arrangements for her to stay above Kelly’s; it’s a local coffee shop in town. Laura says, her former sister-in-law owns it, and there’s a room available for Esme, and Spencer says he’s willing to cover her rent while she finds work. She has a difficult transition ahead, and he and his grandmother want to make sure it’s smooth. Esme asks Laura if that’s the only reason her grandson wants to help her, and Laura says, Spencer wants what’s best for the baby. Esme asks if there’s enough space for her and Ace in this room.

Brook tells Chase not to minimize what she did. She was selfish. She didn’t want him returning to the PCPD. He says he realizes it was more than that. She needed his help to take Linc down, so he didn’t have the power to harass or control any other artist. Blaze only puts up with him because she didn’t want him to ruin her career, as do other singer/songwriters he manages. She says, he had to be stopped, and Chase says, she wanted to protect the other women so Linc didn’t mess with their heads or destroy their self-confidence, and that is brave. She says, he’s so wrong about her.

Diane asks if Alexis has any proof that Gregory has a drinking problem, or that PCU fired him because of it, but Alexis says, no. She ran into him at the MetroCourt, and he was slurring his words, stumbling, and using the wall to hold him up. Diane says, maybe he’d been overserved, but Alexis says, it was 11 in the morning, and the bartender hadn’t served him anything. Diane says, then maybe he wasn’t drunk, and Alexis says, maybe he came in that way. Diane says, clearly, Alexis is worried, but one unsteady morning does not an alcoholic make, and Alexis says, it’s a culmination of things. He’s been hiding something really important from her for months. He lost his job at PCU (I love how she assumes he was fired and didn’t quit), and he’s wobbly at 11 in the morning. Diane says, she’s engaging in wild speculation. There could be a thousand reasons, a thousand explanations, but if Alexis is right and he does have a drinking problem, she’s uniquely qualified to help him. But now the question is, is Gregory going to confide in her? He knows she went behind his back and contacted the dean at PCU to check up on him. Alexis says, there’s a good chance Gregory is never going to confide in her about anything ever again, which is why she’s wondering if she should reach out to someone else who can help him.

Finn says, Elizabeth did the right thing, the honorable thing. He regrets trying to talk her out of it. She says, he’s not the only one; Scotty thought she was crazy. But once she decided to go through with it, she couldn’t have asked for a better advocate, and no matter what happens, it’s better than carrying around a guilty secret. Terry’s phone dings, and she says, the Ethics Committee is ready for her. She’s got Elizabeth. She leaves, and Elizabeth says, there’s a severely anxious patient she wants to check on. She wants to make sure Mrs. Walsh is good to go in the event she doesn’t work here anymore. Finn says, it’s not going to come to that, and she says, here’s hoping. She leaves, and Gregory tells Finn not to worry about her. She’s confident and composed, worrying about her patients even now. Finn says, there’s a part of him that wants to rush into that conference room and defend her, and Gregory says, he doesn’t think Elizabeth would appreciate it? Finn says he thinks she’d think he’s being overprotective, so he’s doing something different this time, and Gregory says, what’s that? Finn says, listening to her; following her lead. Gregory says, obstinance has always been the dominant trait their family. Finn’s proving that change is possible, but Finn says, it’s too early to determine the results.

Laura tells Esme that she doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to do. They’re just making the offer so she has the opportunity to build a life for herself and her child. Esme says, by sticking her and Ace in a room above some coffee shop? And Spencer says, unfortunately, there isn’t enough space for her and the baby, but that’s okay. He can stay with grandmother and himself while she gets settled. Esme says, he’s not separating her from her baby, and he says he just wants what’s best for his little brother. She says, he’s not taking her baby away from her, and he says, losing her memory hasn’t changed her much. I’m wondering why Laura doesn’t step in here, and Esme asks what that means. He says, the old Esme put her own desires and self-interests above everything else, and now here they are, hand in hand, trying to offer her help and support. And having just admitted she has zero resources of her own, she’s shoving it away. She’s putting her own desires and self-interests above everyone else’s, including her own son’s.

Brook says she wants to be with Chase. She didn’t know you could miss someone as much as she’s missed him. She just wants to run into his arms, and have him hold her forever. I laugh because they’re like, two feet apart, and she wouldn’t be running far. He asks why she can’t, and she says she’s not brave, far from it. She would be lying to let him think she was. He asks what she’s talking about, and she asks if he remembers her telling him that she agreed to write a dozen commercial jingles for Linc in exchange for him giving her original songs back. He says he does, and she says, never happened. He says, but she got her songs back, and she says, because she signed a non-disclosure agreement. She can’t talk about what Linc did to her, and if Blaze or some other woman comes forward, she can’t corroborate what they said. She sold out. Hold on right here. Is she forgetting what Maxie told her regarding the NDR? Or is this going to turn out being some noble gesture?

Nina tells Jordan that Curtis is still processing what happened to him. He went from being very, very angry to being very, very angry and sad. Jordan hasn’t been in touch with him? Has TJ? Jordan says she doesn’t know about TJ, but she’s been trying to stay away from Curtis. Before the wedding, she suspected he might be Trina’s father. Nina says, and she didn’t tell him? and Jordan says she knew when he confronted her after the wedding, but before then, she was told it wasn’t her place. Nina asks, by whom? and Jordan says, by Portia. Portia accused her of meddling in their relationship so she could get Curtis back. Nina says, Portia put Jordan in a terrible position, and Jordan says, by not saying anything, she did the one thing that destroyed their marriage; she kept another secret from him. Nina says, but this time, she didn’t have the responsibility of telling him. Their marriage was over for two years. She’s moved on… She has moved on from Curtis, hasn’t she?

Trina says she can’t even think about forgiving her mom, and Curtis tells her, he’s not saying she has to forgive Portia. From his experience, he knows it’s not that simple. He’s still grieving the years he lost from his father, but he’s still grateful for the time they have together. He and Marshall are stronger because they’ve been able to overcome the distance between them. She says she can’t believe he’s the one saying this, and he says he can’t either. He wanted to be with her mother because he loved her, but he also loved and wanted to be a part of her family. Trina says, despite the grief she gave him, she wanted him to be part of her family too, and they hug. He tells her not to let what happened come between her and her mom. They hug again, and Portia walks into the courtyard. She starts to leave, but Trina says, mom, and Portia says she didn’t want to interrupt them. She knows they must have a lot to talk about. Trina says, this wasn’t planned. They just ran into each other and started talking. Portia says she’s glad. She hopes the same can be true of her and Trina, but Trina says, now isn’t a good time. She has to go. Curtis says, she hasn’t ordered, but she says, Spencer just texted her, and she told him that she’d meet him. She leaves, and Portia says she came to grab coffee. It’s going to be a long night at the hospital. She asks how Marshall is doing. How’d his meeting with the geneticist go? He says he’d tell her if he could; she’d have to ask Marshall. That information’s private. She says, Marshall is family. They’re family. At least she hopes they still are.

Jordan tells Nina that she and Curtis are through. She’s moved on. Nina asks if she’s dating, and Jordan says, moving on doesn’t mean moving on to someone else. Nina says, that’s true, but it helps, and Jordan asks if Nina knows what’s been going on in Port Charles lately. She works 24/7. She’ll be lucky if her phone doesn’t start blowing up with more emergencies. She’d love to date her pillow, but she doesn’t have time to sleep. Nina thinks she touched a nerve, and says, so Jordan doesn’t want a relationship, but Jordan says she doesn’t know. At the end of her relationship with Curtis… She never knew she could hurt so much. What she and Curtis had before things went wrong was special. Once in a lifetime. She can’t imagine ever feeling that way again. Nina says she’s sorry, and Jordan says, she may be done, but she still loves Curtis and always will.

Diane asks what Alexis means by tell someone about Gregory. Who is she going to tell? What is she going to tell? She doesn’t know that Gregory is dealing with alcohol. He could argue that she’s spreading an unfounded rumor. Alexis says she’s not going to say he was fired from PCU. She’s going to tell them she’s worried, and tell them why. Diane says she knows that look. She knows when Alexis has made up her mind. Let’s reschedule dinner for another night. Alexis says she’s sorry she forgot about dinner, and she loves Diane and appreciates her advice. Diane says, her advice was to stay out of Gregory’s business, but that’s gone the way of the dinosaur, and Alexis says, he’s her friend. Diane says she knows Gregory is a good man, and Alexis says she wanted him to work here because he’s a damn good writer with a unique point-of-view, but he’s her cheerleader here; he’s her supporter. He’s also her honest appraiser. He makes her better, and her job here. He’s truly a good friend, and she wants to do the same for him. Diane says, friends need to know when to step back, and Alexis says, what if Diane saw her about to get hit by a car. Wouldn’t Diane try to save her? Diane says she absolutely would, even if the situations were remotely similar, which they’re not. And deep down, Alexis knows that.

Gregory says he admires Finn’s ability to embrace change. He might be able to learn a thing or two from Finn. Finn asks if this has anything to do with what happened with Alexis, but Gregory says, that’s a relationship thing. It can’t be salvaged. He may be obstinate, but Alexis takes it to a whole other level. The woman would do anything to get her way. Finn’s phone rings, and he says, in the spirit of full disclosure, speak of the devil. He shows Gregory the screen, and it’s a call from Alexis.

Esme asks if Spencer knows how to take care of a newborn. Has he ever fed a baby? Changed one? Rocked one to sleep? If he had, he would never suggest a mother be separated from her infant child. Finally finding her voice, Laura says, they don’t want to separate Esme from her child. All she’s saying is, she thinks when Esme is released from Spring Ridge, she’s going to quickly find out how hard it is to take care of a baby all by herself. They want to support her. That’s why they came here today to make this offer, but she thinks they should have included Esme in the planning, so let’s do that right now. Tell her, how can they best support her and Ace? Tell them what she needs. Esme says, they’re not going to like it at all.

Gregory wonders why Alexis is calling Finn, and Finn says, they’ve been friends a long time. It might not be about him. Gregory admits he jumped to conclusions, and Finn says he’ll let Alexis know he’s not taking sides, unless that’s what Gregory wants. Gregory says, no. They’re all grown-ups here. There’s no reason to act like children in the schoolyard. He’s going to go. Let him know how it goes with Elizabeth. Finn says he’ll see Gregory, and Gregory leaves.

Curtis says he wishes he had answers for Portia, but what happened between them is still too fresh, and so painful. He hasn’t been able to face Aunt Stella either. She says she’s so sorry to hear that, but whether he likes it or not, they’re married. Doesn’t he think they should try to work this out together? She’s so sorry she hid the truth from him, but she’s not really sure distance is the answer. Maybe they could try counseling. He says, she doesn’t get to set the terms. She lied to him over and over again. Does she think he’s just going to walk into some therapist’s office and ask for communication strategies? She says, then she’ll wait. She’ll do what it takes. Whatever he wants her to do to earn his trust back is what she’ll do, but she doesn’t want to fight. She wants to fight for their marriage, but if what he’s telling her is, it’s hopeless, and there’s no chance for them, she’ll listen. Is there no hope for them? He says he’s afraid it’s more complicated than that, and she says, is it? Just tell her if their love is strong enough to get them through this.

Nina says, Jordan still has feelings for Curtis, and Jordan says, always. But there’s a difference between love and being in love. She and Curtis were family. There’s a part of them that will always love each other no matter what happens. Nina says, that wasn’t a yes or no, when Jordan’s phone dings. She says, what did she tell Nina about work? She has to make a call. Nina says she has to run too. If Jordan is worried about Curtis, talk to him. She’s sure he would appreciate it. Jordan says, good advice, and Nina leaves.

Finn sees Elizabeth, and he asks how it went. She says she thinks she prevented a meltdown, and Mrs. Walsh gave her this as a thank you. She shows him a red rose, and he says he’s impressed by her. He thinks the Committee will be too. He asks what she said to them, and she says, at first, she was really nervous, but then she looked around the room and realized it’s about the health and safety of their patients; it’s not about her. So as clearly as she could, she explained why she helped Nikolas and why she treated Esme at Windymere. She’s told the story many times, and it never gets easier, but the more she tells it, the less it haunts her. He says, because she’s taking responsibility, on her terms, not Nik’s or anyone else’s.  And no matter what happens, she should be proud.

Chase says, Brook sold out? This wasn’t about stopping Linc or protecting the other women; this was about her getting her songs back. He’s such an idiot. She says, no… yes. It was about getting her songs back, but it was also a way to get rid of Linc, and for Chase to go back to being a cop. He tells her, stop. He’s done with her excuses. She says she was trying to help him; get him what he wanted. He says, if that were true, she would have told him sooner.

Curtis tells Portia, not that long ago, she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Now that trust is broken, and nothing can fix this. She says, it can if he just gives it a chance. If he just remembers what they were to each other. Always the great communicator, Curtis walks away, and Portia cries.

Trina goes to Laura’s, and tells Spencer that she was in the neighborhood. She wanted to see if the baby’s settled in okay. He invites her in, and says, things didn’t go the way he thought they would. Esme comes out with Ace, Laura following. A lot of soap looks all around, including the baby.

Chase says, if Brook signed the non-disclosure agreement so he could stop singing and be a cop… If she was so convinced she was doing the right thing for him, why didn’t she just tell him? Why make up some story about writing advertising jingles for Linc? Because she knew he would be angry, and she knew what she did was wrong. But she was right about one thing. She’s not the person he thought she was.

Alexis tells Natalie, much better. They addressed the legal issues, and legal signed off. Would she mind taking it down to rewrite; that story should have been run. Natalie leaves, nearly colliding with Gregory on his way in. He closes the door, and Alexis says she has his keys. He says, she called Finn, and she says she knows he’s upset. He says, after he specifically asked her not to discuss what’s happened in his life with Finn or Chase.

Elizabeth thanks Finn for his faith in her, but says she’s still scared. What if she gets fired, and this is the end of her time here at General Hospital? Terry comes out, and she tells Elizabeth that her part is finished. The Committee is making their decision.

Curtis goes into Charlie’s and asks for scotch, neat. He sits at the bar, and Jordan comes back. They lock eyes.

Tomorrow, Curtis asks if he and Jordan would still be together; Portia tells Marshall, that says it all, doesn’t it; Spencer tells Trina, that’s the last thing he wants; and Sasha says she knows Cody upset Gladys, and she knows why.

Vanderpump Rules

The competition for the most awful human being continues. Second place anyway. Jax will always be number one.

Charli and Raquel show up at guys night, and James says, guys night means nothing. In James’s interview, he says he wanted it to be G-U-Y-S, guys night. He tells Sandoval that his ex just walked in; it’s not guys night. In his interview, he says, Ally is going to ask why he’s hanging out with his ex. It creates insecurities and untrust, something he doesn’t want this in his relationship. Schwartz asks Raquel if the trip was good, but she says, the purpose was to have fun, and it was the opposite. Sandoval asks, WTF happened? and Raquel says she was being young, fun, single, and living her life. They set her up, making it seem like she was only chasing guys they were interested in. Lala said she was concerned about Raquel, and would never trust Raquel around her man. Raquel told her, it was a good thing she didn’t have one. Schwartz says, she stood up for herself. Charli says, Raquel told Lala that she’s the one who couldn’t be trusted, since she f***ed Raquel’s boyfriend and was another guy’s mistress. They stormed off, leaving her and Raquel at the restaurant, and then she and Raquel had a great time. In Schwartz’s interview, he says, what he’s hearing is, Raquel stood up to Lala. He’s impressed. She’s kind of thriving, and it’s kinda hot. Ugh. In his interview, James says he feels like Raquel is trying to get a rise out of him, but she’s not doing it directly; she never does. This is a bull clushterf*** of negative energy, and he wants nothing to do with it. He leaves.

Lala, Katie, and Kristina come back to the rental house, and Lala says, it was a fun night. It felt normal, like the trip they planned. We flash back to Lala vibing with the guys in the cowboy bar, and she gets a text from one of them. She says she’s nervous, and Katie says she’s happy for Lala. In Katie’s interview, she says she’s Lala’s sex coach. She knows how fun single sex can be, and doesn’t want Lala to miss out. She wants to inspire the d*ck in Lala. Katie says, Lala should do it tonight, but Kristina says she doesn’t need to. Katie says, he’s not coming over to talk, and Lala says she’s nervous. She hasn’t had sex since she conceived her child, and feels like she’s 18. In her interview, Lala says she knows it will come as a shock, but the sex wasn’t good with her ex. The doorbell rings, and Lala lets in Don (the text says, good friend). In her interview, she says she hasn’t had an orgasm she hasn’t faked since 2016. Don flirts heavily with Lala, and Katie and Kristina make themselves scarce. In Lala’s interview, she says, the old school Lala was lit. The old Lala lived in the moment for her vagina, and it’s been slumbering inside of her.

In the morning, Katie says, tell her, and Lala says, it was the best sex ever. Don is hung like a motherf***in’ horse. They giggle, and Kristina joins them. Katie says she posted pictures of the Schwartz piñata, and he said, at first, he was offended. Kristina says, they got in his head, and Lala wonders if Raquel chimed in, since she thought it was hysterical. In Katie’s interview, she says, it’s good she invited Raquel. Now she knows Raquel sucks, and isn’t someone she wants to be friends with. The girls pack to leave Havasu.

James and Ally have a tarot card reading with oracle card healer Leo. How L.A.. James says, Ally is deep into it, and in his interview, he says, Ally talks about astrology all the time. She’s done his chart, and it’s so accurate, it blows his mind. In Ally’s interview, she says she wants to do readings for a living. Leo asks the spirits to move him in the right direction, and says a bunch of stuff about what the cards symbolize. What it boils down to is them connecting with their higher selves, giving birth to a new aura, and walking away from something that was no longer serving them in order to put effort into their relationship. James says, that speaks to him, and almost brings him to tears. In her interview, Ally says she’s no guys night expert, but she knows the main rule is no girls allowed. Leo tells James, it says he was willing to walk away, even though he put the effort in, and in James’s interview, he says, Scheana encouraged Raquel to make out with Schwartz, and Raquel and Lala in Vegas were toxic, but there are no consequences for Raquel’s actions. Everyone is always pointing the finger at him. Point it at her this time. Leo tells James and Ally that they’re good.

At SUR, the Toms meet with Lisa, who says, it was crazy in Vegas with the girls. She wants to know what they’ve decided, and we flash back to Lisa telling them that they can have their investment in TomTom back. Sandoval says, they love working with her and Ken, but don’t want to take the money. Lisa says she understands it needs to be theirs. Otherwise, she’d buy Greg out. Schwartz says he’ll be selling his house soon, so there’s that, and Lisa wonders how much more they need to open. Sandoval thinks $50K, and Schwartz says, their chef is talented, but never ran a kitchen. Lisa asks if they’re on track to open on the 26th, but Sandoval says, no. They’re involved with Scheana’s wedding, and would only have two days. Schwartz says, they’re trying to find the sweet spot between opening before they run out of money, but still having an incredible opening. Don’t let being perfect get in the way of getting it done. He heard it in a YouTube comedy. Lisa wonders why it has to be perfect, and Sandoval says, Greg wants it perfect. Schwartz says, and it might cost them everything. Sandoval says he doesn’t care what’s happening; they’re open on the 31st. Lisa says, every day costs them money, and in Lisa’s interview, she says, just open. Do what it takes. Unless they open, they’ll lose everything. Lisa tells them to put it out there, and Schwartz posts something on social media.

Scheana says, the wedding is two weeks away, and she’s so excited. With her first wedding, she was in denial. She tried to convince everyone that things were perfect because she wanted to convince herself it would eventually be fine. We flash back to that, and she says, until she found out he was buying drugs again. Then she wasn’t fine. Now going into this wedding is just pure joy, excitement, and feelings of love. This is her forever. She gets a call, and says, no way it’s fully sold out. She’ll figure it out. She tells Brock that the resort is fully booked, and Jamie is her bridesmaid. She needs Jamie to be with her. Even though Katie isn’t coming, she already paid, so she’ll be going to Mexico anyway. There’s got to be something she can do. In Scheana’s interview, she says, maybe she’ll pull the angry bride card. Or get Katie on the do-not-fly list. There’s got to be options. Brock suggests offering Katie her money back. I guess screaming at Jamie for not having booked her room sooner isn’t one of the options.

Katie visits Ariana, who says she’s going to have a pool party. They need to have fun again. We flash back to her learning Charlotte wasn’t going to make it, and she tells Katie that she’s inviting her, Schwartz, Scheana, and Raquel. Katie rolls her eyes, but says, they both have bigger things to worry about; location, investors, and raising money. In Ariana’s interview, she says, they have no location yet; just a mood board, and they’ve worked on a business plan with Lisa. The thing is, they need money. She knows if they go to Lisa, she’ll say, darling, why do you need investors? Just open it already. She’s not wrong. Professional whatever (I missed it) Sabeena comes by to help them perfect their pitch. Sabeena says she always starts with background; people connect to human beings. Why this? Why now? Katie says, the industry is male dominated, and Ariana says, people will come for something completely different. Sabeena asks what about their backgrounds will help make this a success? and Katie says, they have experience in the industry. Ariana says, she has a successful cocktail book out, and has been a mixologist for 15 years, and Katie says, her family owned a restaurant. She thinks she was born to do this. In Katie’s interview, she says, she and Schwartz came up with the idea, but he opened a bar with Sandoval instead. She tells Sabeena, a sandwich shop run by two cute women that also serves drinks. They can’t go wrong. Katie and Ariana tell Sabeena about the space Lisa showed them, and Sabeena says, they’re selling her on the space. Let’s go girl.

At SUR, Charli wonders if anyone would really know if she polished the glasses, which seems like something she’d wonder, and probably test out. Rachel hunts down James, asking if he’s okay, since he left guys night. He says he didn’t want his girlfriend to be uncomfortable, and Raquel says, they’re going to be around each other when Ally isn’t around – since, unlike Ally, she doesn’t understand the concept of guys night. She tells him that he’s invited to Sandoval’s pool party, and in his interview, James says, it’s weird. He’s being kicked out, and Raquel is being brought in (not for long). He’s been the f***ing life of the f***ing party for the past 18 f***ing years. Katie and Ariana go to TomTom, and Ariana invites server Logan to the party, saying, they need pool culture, whatever that means. Lisa comes by, and Katie tells her that they’ve drafted a letter of intent to rent the new place – the other candidates are losers, and she and Ariana are more appealing. Lisa gets excited about them being neighbors, and in Lisa’s interview, she says, she loves their energy and ambition. She remembers them literally being kids. We flash back to 2013, and Lisa says she wishes the Toms had come to her sooner. She could have shown them clarity, but now it’s too late. Lisa asks about Scheana’s wedding, and Katie says she’s not going, but she already spent money on the room, so she’s bringing Kristina to celebrate her birthday. Ariana says, the resort is sold out, but Katie says she already called to make sure Kristina could stay in her room, and they said it was cool. Ariana says, bridesmaid Jamie has to stay at a different resort, and in Katie’s interview, she says, it sucks that Jamie didn’t book her room when the rest of them did, but it’s not her problem. When she called the hotel, they said no problemo about adding Kristina. Ariana invites Lisa to the pool party, and Lisa says she’ll be there in her thong.

The pool party begins, and Brock’s friend Joey arrives. In Schwartz’s interview, he says, everyone thought he and Raquel made out at Coachella, but Joey is the guy Raquel made out with. Katie admires the curlicue straws in the drinks, and Scheana tells Lala about the resort being sold out. She says she doesn’t want Katie’s negative energy around her. She doesn’t want Katie and Kristina standing on the balcony cursing her. Lala says she doubts that’s going to happen, and in Scheana’s interview, she says, at her first wedding, she had Stassi and Kristina being mean girls, and making fun of her dress. We flash back to that, and Scheana says she doesn’t know if Kristina is still the same mean girl follower or if she’s grown and matured, but she’s not taking any chances. Lala says she thinks Raquel is weak, but Scheana says, Raquel has gotten confidence. Lala wonders if Raquel felt confident calling her a homewrecker, and Scheana says, she’s been called that and has Lala’s back. In her interview, Scheana says, it’s like wearing a f***ing scarlet letter, and we flash back to Brandi insulting her in 2022. Scheana says, she’s still a homewrecking whore. Lala says, if you want to be a troll, she’ll treat you like a troll, and don’t be shocked when she does it.

In James’s interview, he says, the friend group is backing him of a cliff. He’s being edged out, and Raquel is taking up the space (not for long). He was invited to the pool party at the last minute, and Ally’s not invited to the wedding. It’s embarrassing. Raquel is taking over and dictating who’s hot and who’s not in the friend circle. Lala says, Don wants to meet up, but her mom and baby are at her house, and in her interview, she says, she’s not mentally in a place to focus on a relationship, but wants to be around someone where it’s effortless. The Don gives her that, with an orgasm on top. James asks if Lala made up with Raquel, and Lala is like, hell no. James says, Raquel was boasting that she’d put Lala in her place, and Lala says, Raquel is an idiot. Watching her try to create thought is mesmerizing. Raquel whines about them making fun of her Galaxy Lights, and Scheana says, Lala called Raquel weak, but she defended Raquel. Raquel says she thinks Lala is pathetic, and Scheana agrees. Lala says she doesn’t give a f*** what people like Raquel think about her, and Katie says, Raquel shouldn’t take herself so seriously. In Ariana’s interview, she says she can’t wrap her head around the idea of Raquel fighting people and being crazy. She would have thought Katie and Lala gave her the mean girl treatment. Sandoval busts into the conversation, and says, if someone doesn’t have Katie’s perspective, according to her, they’re wrong. Ariana says she’s walking. She’s not doing Tom against the girls. Katie says, she’d thought everything was clear, and they were on the same page. Raquel asks what the issue is, and Kristina says, you tell us. Raquel whines that Lala and James slept together, and Lala says, they’d moved on. Sandoval says, Lala moved on, and in James’s interview, he says he’s sorry it happened, but if she’s still going on about it, he doesn’t care. Put him in a time machine, and he’ll do it again. We can literally see Raquel searching for words to put together, and she finally comes up with, if they’re being chihuahua followers, she’s done. I don’t know what that means, but I’d totally follow a chihuahua. James asks how Raquel expects them to be cool, when every time he sees her, he hears her talking negatively about him. Raquel says, it affected her emotions when she found out he and Lala kept a secret from her for years. Ariana says, this needs to be squashed today, and Raquel says, she and Lala can never be friends. Lala says she’s bored. Raquel has said that six times already. Raquel says, if she’s going to get mistress bimbo vibes, she can’t do this, and walks away. This girl is just not smart enough for these people, and that’s actually kind of a low bar.

In Raquel’s interview, she says she feels leveled up from the girls trip. At one time, her motivation was to be liked, but after facing Lala, she’s loving this new version of her. I laugh in my head, thinking, just wait. Lala tells James that Raquel’s parting words were mistress bimbo, and he says she hasn’t heard that since Jessica Simpson in The Dukes of Hazzard. Scheana says she’s not disinviting Katie to the resort, like she owns it, but suggests she stay at a different one. Katie says she’s going; it’s Kristina’s birthday. Scheana wails that it’s sold out, and she doesn’t want Katie’s energy there. Katie says, it’s a big resort, and she’s entitled to be there. She can’t get her money back. Scheana says she’ll give Katie a grand right now, but Katie is like, uh….no. Scheana says, they’ll see about that, and tells Schwartz that his ex-wife is pathetic. She doesn’t want Katie’s energy there, and Katie isn’t thinking about what she wants. Ariana wonders what if Scheana asks Katie to name her price, and Scheana says, what if Katie says no? Ariana says she doesn’t think Katie and Kristina are going to be on the balcony with binoculars, and in Schwartz’s interview, he says, Katie’s stubbornness is one of his least favorite qualities of hers. She’s in the wrong, and when she makes up her mind, there’s no reasoning with her. Lala says, the resort doesn’t exist for Scheana’s wedding. If Scheana is focused on Katie instead of getting married, that’s her problem. Schwartz tries to appeal to Katie, but she says she needs to focus on herself. He tells her, do it for her business partner and friend, but Ariana says, leave her out of it. Schwartz tells Katie not to be so emotionally entitled, and Ariana says she doesn’t even know what those words mean together. In Katie’s interview, she says, Schwartz taking everyone’s side over her is a big reason why she asked for a divorce. She thought if the pressure to defend his wife was gone, he’d treat her like everyone else. She guesses it’s not a wife thing; it’s a Katie thing. She leaves, and Schwartz follows her, calling, Katie… don’t leave… Bubba! She tells him to go away. She wants an apology. He says, for what? and she says, for meddling. It’s not fair. He tells her that she looks cute, and she says, he’s just making it worse.

This season, the wedding; the sandwich shop gets a location; Schwartz (the beard) and Raquel kiss; Katie wants to light them both on fire; James wonders if he should ask Ally to marry him; and the Scandoval begins.

🍿 To top off the episode of awful VanderPeople, Jax was on Watch What Happens Live with wife Brittany, who I can’t believe he’s still married to. I’m sure he’s enjoying the crap out of all this. He presented Andy with the original sweater that he whipped off before the parking lot fight with Sandoval in one of the first seasons. In a frame.

🍸 Vanderpumping Out Of Here…

Come on by tomorrow for soap and a spot of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay not speculating until you get all the facts, and stay not letting being perfect get in the way of getting it done.

March 21, 2023 – Valentin Recruits Drew To Help Take Down Victor, Melissa Has a Luau Party At the Shore, Awful People Fail At Communication & Shiver

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny asks, what brings Dante by? and Dante says he was checking on Sonny.

Michael tells Dex, open up. They need to talk. Throwing on his clothes, Dex says, it’s not a good time, but Michael says, make time; it’s important. Josslyn gets dressed, and Dex opens the door. Michael asks if he can come in, and when he does, he sees Josslyn. She says, it all makes sense now. Michael is Dex’s mystery boss?

Willow says, Brook still loves Chase, doesn’t she? but Brook says, it doesn’t matter. They’re over… which really hurts, because yes, she’s still in love with Chase. She keeps telling herself she’ll get over it, that the feelings will fade and disappear, but every time she sees him… Willow says, her heart starts to race, and Brook says, and butterflies kick in. It’s all she can do not to grab him and tell him how much she wants him back. The doorbell rings, and Brook says, literally saved by the bell. She opens the door, and Chase is there with a bouquet of daffodils.

Anna asks if this is mousy librarian, and Lucy asks if she likes it, but Anna says, no. It’s not altogether original. Let’s go. She grabs Lucy’s arm, but Lucy doesn’t budge, and says, where? Anna says, they’re going to the safehouse, but Lucy says, no. The Nurses Ball can’t survive without her. Maxie says, hello? She’s standing right here. Anna says, if Victor realizes Lucy is alive, this whole operation goes up in smoke. Not to mention, people’s lives are at risk. Does she understand that? Does Lucy want that on her head?

Drew says he’s guessing Laura refused to sell Charlotte’s ELQ shares because she knew Valentin was still alive. No more games. What is going on? Valentin says, a group of them, including Laura, are working secretly against Victor Cassadine, and Drew asks, who else is in the group? Valentin says, Anna, Felicia, Robert Scorpio, and Lucy Coe. Drew says, not exactly a combat worthy bunch. If Victor uses the same firepower he did in Crete, they’ll need somebody with a military background. Valentin asks if he has anybody in mind, and Drew says, me.

Lucy says, of course (🍷) she doesn’t want people to die. She didn’t want Luke to die; he was a very special friend to her. She remembers his Nurses Ball performances, and the disco he did. Nothing else was so important to him, and he’d want her… Anna says, stop talking. She understands Lucy is disappointed that she can’t participate in this year’s Nurses Ball, but Victor is planning something big, potentially catastrophic, and it’s up to them to end it. Lucy says, at the expense of the Nurses Ball? Come on. Anna knows everything the Nurses Ball did for Robin. Anna says, don’t play the Robin card, and Lucy tells her, she’s just saying, the Nurses Ball is very, very important. Anna says, if anybody knows that, it’s her, and Lucy says, that’s her point… Maxie says, all right. Enough. She can’t believe she’s about to say this, but they already have a solution. Lucy came up with it.

Valentin asks if Drew is volunteering, but Drew says, that depends. He needs to hear the plan first. Valentin says, Victor has some long-term plan; some grand design that has to be stopped. He doesn’t have details, but he knows it involves a necklace containing diamonds cut from the Ice Princess. Drew wonders why the necklace is so important, and if it has anything to do with Operation Demeter, but Valentin says he doesn’t know why Victor would go to such great lengths to interrogate Drew over Operation Demeter. He wants the necklace because it has a code or a formula engraved on one of the stones.

Brook says, those are beautiful, and Chase asks if Willow is here. She says, Willow’s in the living room, and he goes in. He sees Willow and asks how she’s feeling. She says, pretty much the same, and he says, it’s not worse, so that’s good. He gives her the daffodils, and she says, he remembered. He says, of course (🍷) he remembered she’s obsessed with daffodils, and she thanks him. Brook says she’ll leave them to visit, and leaves. Willow says it’s good to see Chase, and he says, it’s good to see her too. He asks, what’s the latest? and she says, they decided to reschedule the wedding for after the bone marrow transplant. He says, so there’s more to celebrate, and she says, exactly. He asks if she has a date for the transplant, but she says, not yet. Her Great-Aunt Liesl was on medication, and it has to be completely out of her system before she can donate. So in the meantime, she’s keeping herself busy planning a summer wedding in the rose garden. Everyone’s pitching in to pull it off. Brook has been a huge help. In the foyer, Brook tells herself not to eavesdrop, and get it together. Chase says he’s not surprised Brook is stepping up. Willow brings out the best in everyone. Michael’s a lucky guy.

Michael says he thought he made it clear that he didn’t want Josslyn anywhere near this, and Dex agreed. Dex says, that’s right, but the situation has changed, and Michael says, apparently. Josslyn has to go. They’ll talk about this later, but right now, he has to talk to Dex. Josslyn says, it doesn’t matter. There’s no point. She already knows Dex is collecting evidence against Sonny, and she knows about Pikeman. What she didn’t know was who Dex was working for, and now she does. Michael tells Dex, the job’s over. Dex is leaving Port Charles tonight.

Dante tells Sonny that Rocco said he saw Nina in the lobby looking upset. For his self-absorbed teenager to notice, she must have been upset about Willow. Sonny says, everything’s the same on that front. They’re waiting for Liesl to be cleared for the transplant. Dante says, Sonny’s relationship with Nina is his business. He doesn’t want to pry, but if Sonny wants to talk, he knows where to find Dante – down the hall. Sonny says, Rocco’s right. Nina is upset and it’s his fault.

Dex says, as his employer, Michael can fire him, but Michael can’t force him to leave Port Charles. Josslyn says, he can’t leave. Sonny will think he’s a traitor, and then what happens? Michael says, Sonny will track him down and have him killed, and Dex says, there’s something more important. She says, more important than his life? He says, Joss, and she goes to his side. Michael says, it sounds like they already talked about this, and Josslyn says, they have. The best option is for Dex to finish the job Michael hired him to do, so Michael can turn Sonny into the Feds. Michael says, this is why he didn’t want Josslyn involved in this, and she says, why not? He knows how she feels about Sonny. Let her help take him down. Michael says, then what happens after that? and she says, Sonny goes to prison where he belongs. Michael says, and Avery and Donna are devastated. Not to mention Dante and Kristina. He’s prepared to take on the fallout from that, to take on their anger and blame, but he doesn’t want any of that to fall on her.

Sonny gives Dante a beer, and says, it’s not like he and Nina are breaking up; at least he hopes not. He loves her as much as ever. Dante says, so what happened? and Sonny says, she’s experiencing what he calls the realities of his world. It’s a lot to process. Dante asks if that’s why Sonny has guards all over the building, and Sonny says he had a security issue. Dante says, they haven’t heard anything about shots fired or a missing person, so he assumes Sonny hasn’t told the police, but Sonny says he has reason to believe the focus was solely on him. The reason he has guards on his kids and Nina is… Dante says, a precaution? and Sonny says he told Carly that he doesn’t want Donna or Avery anywhere near him. Dante says he’s guessing Sonny told Nina the same thing, and Sonny says he’s just hoping when this is over, Nina comes back to him.

Lucy asks, what solution? and Maxie says, wasn’t the point of this rude ambush… Lucy says, it might have been an ambush, but not rude, and Maxie asks if the whole point wasn’t to get her to be Lucy’s eyes and ears of the Nurses Ball. Lucy says, yes, but Maxie seemed less than enthusiastic, and Maxie says she’s sorry. Didn’t she have the reaction Lucy wanted? Lucy asks if Maxie needed time to adjust, and Maxie says, yes. She happens to be an amazing even planner. She has her own ideas and vision, as Lucy calls it. She’s happy to collaborate, but she won’t just be taking Lucy’s orders. Lucy says, they don’t have time for collaboration. The Nurses Ball is syncing up with the 60th anniversary of the hospital, which means it’s like they’re right in front of a speeding freight train that’s bearing down on them. She’s the only one who can pull this off, and… Anna says she agrees, and Maxie says, what was that? Anna says, 100%. Maxie should do everything Lucy tells her to just the way Lucy tells her to do it. She’s sure Maxie is an excellent event planner, but she’s sure Maxie is more than capable of following Lucy’s lead – especially when it’s for the greater good. Maxie says, fine, and tells Lucy, anything you want, just the way you want it. Lucy says she really thinks this could work.

Willow congratulates Chase on his latest duet. She loves it. It’s a beautiful ballad. He thanks her, and says, the majority of the props should go to Blaze; her vocals were off the charts. Willow wonders if a girl could get an autograph, and he says he never pegged her as a groupie, but her wish is his command. He signs a napkin, and she laughs.

 Brook sits at the piano, and tells herself that she’s a grown-up and is not going to listen in on the conversation. Besides, she doesn’t want to know what Chase thinks of her now anyway. She flashes back to him saying, Brook’s also kind, passionate, and incredibly sexy. He’s fallen for her, and even if she doesn’t feel the same way, he had to tell her because we miss 100% of the shots we don’t take. She remembers them kissing, and spending the night together. Then she flashes back to him finding out she was supposed to write a letter to the Civilian Complaint Review Board to help get his badge back, but didn’t, and saying, she lied to him. She kept him from the thing he’s most passionate about, and there’s nothing to work out. It’s over. She tells herself that she blew it. Maybe she should write a song about that.

Willow looks at the autograph, and reads, to one of the bravest, strongest, and best people I know. Back at him. She asks what it’s like being an honest to God rockstar, and he says, it’s cool. He guesses he’s going to miss it. She asks why he would, and he says, hopefully, when the Review Board meets in the spring, they’ll reinstate him. If it all works out. He enjoys singing, but the only reason he agreed to performing is so he could stick close to Blaze’s sleazy manager. Willow says, Brook’s ex-manager, right? and he says, Linc Brown. He’s the worst. Sexual harassment, shady business practices; you name it. Willow asks if the plan is finding something to charge him with, and Chase says, hopefully soon. He won’t feel right going back to the force if it means leaving Blaze and Brook to deal with that sleaze. Willow says, aha! This is really about helping Brook.

Michael says, when Sonny was holding Dex because he suspected Dex of being The Hook, Josslyn came to him for help. How could he not see it? He should have known right then that she was too close, and pulled the plug. She says, no he shouldn’t have. Dex saved her life when Heather attacked her on New Year’s. Michael says, Britt Westbourne saved her life, and Josslyn says, she fought Heather off, of course (🍷), but she was losing that battle until Dex showed up. He’s the one who fired the shot that drove off Heather. Michael says he’s just hearing about this now, and Dex says he works for Michael. Anything related to that is fair game, but what he has with Josslyn is personal. Steam comes out of Michael’s ears.

Dante asks Sonny why Nina wouldn’t come back. She’s obviously crazy about him. She’d have to be, given the grief they endured getting together. Why would she leave after going through that? Sonny wonders how to explain this. He was a different man in Nixon Falls. Kinder, simpler… Dante says he noticed a lot of that followed Sonny back here. There was a peaceful time in his business. Sonny says he was free to focus on his family, and Dante says, and Nina? Sonny says, Nina made him better in a lot of ways, and Dante says, Sonny cut back on his drinking. Sonny says, that was the least of it. He thinks he misrepresented his life. Not that Nina didn’t know it was dangerous, or what he does for a living is allegedly – Dante thanks him for that – illegal. Dante says, but now she’s getting an up close and personal view of it for the first time. Sonny asks, what if she doesn’t want to be in his life? and Dante says, what about Sonny? If Nina’s not in it, is it still the life he wants?

Valentin says, they haven’t been able to crack the code, but they know it’s pivotal to the success of his father’s plan, and Drew asks how he knows that. Valentin says, because he’s still looking for the necklace, with the help of his operative Eileen Ashby. Carly (remember her?) says, Deputy Mayor Eileen Ashby? and Valentin says, that’s the one. Carly says, she’s working for Victor, and he says, she was. Now she’s working for them. They’re having her deliver a duplicate necklace to Victor. Drew says, with a false code engraved on it, and Valentin says, that’s right. They’re hoping once he has what he says he needs, Victor will make a move. Drew says, so they tricked Victor into making his final play, but didn’t give him the means to get what he’s after, and Valentin says, and in the process, he incriminates himself. And that’s how they’re finally going to bring down his father.

Anna brings Lucy back to the safehouse, Lucy furiously texting. Anna makes sure the safehouse is really safe, while Lucy continues to text. Anna says, all clear, and Lucy says, it’s impossible to text with the glasses on. Removing the glasses, she mumbles to herself as she texts, and Anna says, will she just stop? taking the phone from her. Lucy asks, what is the problem? as Anna puts the phone in her back pocket, and Anna says, Lucy almost got them all killed.

Valentin says, this whole plan hinges on complete secrecy, and Carly says, with him and Lucy faking their deaths, and Anna playing fugitive? Valentin says, Victor thinks Anna’s dead as well, and thinks he has a straight shot at the necklace. So what does Drew say? Will he help them? Drew says, if secrecy is key, what is Valentin out in the open like this? and Valentin says, Lucy Coe has gone rogue. Carly says, of course (🍷) she has, and Valentin says, she wants to take control of the Nurses Ball. Anna’s gone after her. Drew says, so Anna’s risking discovery too. Maybe it’s a good thing they showed up. Valentin tells Drew, like he said, they’re not exactly combat ready. They could use Drew. Drew says, they’ve got him.

Chase tells Willow, yeah, the only reason he got into the music business was to help Brook, and in the beginning, it was great. Until he found out there was a bunch of stuff she wasn’t telling him. Willow says she’s sorry. He didn’t deserve to be treated that way. Not by Brook or her. He says he wasn’t trying… and she says she knows he wasn’t, but that doesn’t make it any less true. She married Chase when she was already in love with Michael. He says, because she thought he was dying; they all did. She says she told herself she was doing the right thing, giving him one final gift to make him happy. He says, she doesn’t believe that anymore? and she says she does. Her intentions weren’t the problem, but now that she’s faced with dying herself… He says, she’s not there yet, and she says, faced with the possibility. She realizes life isn’t just too short, it’s too precious, to waste any time on lies.

Michael says he’s grateful Dex saved Josslyn’s life. He doesn’t even want to imagine what would have happened had Dex not been there. But the bottom line is, they had a deal. Dex says, they did, and in the beginning, when Michael told him to stay away from Josslyn, he had every intention of doing just that, but it became impossible. Michael says, so he lied, and Dex says, about his personal situation. He’s never lied about anything related to Pikeman or Sonny. Speaking of, there’s something Michael should know. Someone tried to kill Sonny in an ambush the other night. Michael asks, where? and Dex says, in one of his warehouses. Michael’s father wasn’t hurt, but he was grazed. Michael asks if he’s okay, and Dex says he’s fine, but the good news is, Sonny trusts him now more than ever. Michael says he can’t have Josslyn near this. God forbid something happens to her. She asks why anything would happen to her. She’s not in the line of fire, Dex is. Michael says, because it’s his job. He hired Dex because he wanted somebody who understood the danger. Josslyn says she gets that Michael hired Dex to perform a service, but Dex is so much more than that to her now. She cares less about bringing Sonny to justice than she does Dex surviving this. Michael says, that’s going to require some sacrifices. If she wants Dex to see this through, Sonny is going to have to trust him. She asks if he didn’t hear the part where Sonny saved Dex’s life, and Michael says, it won’t matter if he finds out Josslyn and Dex are together; which means he can’t. Dex asks if Michael is ordering him to stay away from Joss, but Michael says, he tried that before; it didn’t work. Even if Dex was willing, clearly Josslyn isn’t. This isn’t about policing their relationship. This is about taking Sonny down. And until that happens, Sonny can’t have any reason to suspect Dex. If Josslyn wants Dex to live through this, make sure Sonny doesn’t find out the two of them are together.

Sonny says, it’s a little too late for Dante to ask him if this is the life he wants. It’s the life he’s got. Dante says, he chose it when he didn’t know any better, and Sonny says, Dante knows how it works. If he wants to leave the business, he’d have to leave the country. He’d have to leave his family, and he doesn’t want to do that. Dante says, maybe there were some things Sonny liked about Mike from Nixon Falls. There were some things Dante liked about Mike from Nixon Falls. Sonny was less reactive, calmer. He seemed like he was prioritizing his family over the business. He has the feeling that’s about to change. Sonny says, it has to. It’s just harder than he thought.

Willow says she wasn’t honest with Chase when they were married, but she’s learned her lesson, and she’s going to be honest with him now. He says, this sounds serious, and she says, it could be, and swears she’s not trying to meddle. He tells her, says every person before they dive into meddling, and she says, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Brook earlier. He says, what? and she says, it’s true. He lights up when he’s around Brook. She would know. Once upon a time, he lit up like that when he was around her. He says he thinks she’s seeing things that aren’t there, and she says, is she? He says, all right. He still has feelings for Brook, because what they had was real. She says, what they had was love, and he says, he can’t just flip a switch and turn that off, because Brook really hurt him. She says she’s not saying Brook didn’t, or even that he was wrong to end things between them, but what if Brook is his person? Is being right really worth being without her?

Valentin having slipped back into the night, Drew says, Carly is being uncharacteristically quiet, and she says, from the minute Drew showed up, she knew Valentin would want him involved. It was his choice to make, and she didn’t want to influence his decision. He says, now that he’s made his decision? and she says, first, tell her why he said yes. He says, Victor stole two years of his life. He can’t let Victor get away with it. She says, that’s not all of it. It’s not about revenge for him. He says, it’s about Victor’s lust for power and control, and this has been going on for decades. He infiltrated the WSB, always moving toward some mysterious goal that no one knows what it’s about. But he doesn’t need to know to know it’s a serious threat. The man has to be stopped, and he thinks Valentin and the others need his help to do it. So now tell him what she thinks. She says she thinks he’s doing the right thing, and he says, but she has reservations. She says, doesn’t he? and he says he has many. She says, Jason died on Cassadine Island. Now Drew is going after Victor. She doesn’t want to lose him too.

Anna says, the only reason Lucy wasn’t shot with a real bullet, the only reason she’s breathing today, is because Victor thought he had use for her. But if he’d seen her tonight, he would have killed her in a heartbeat. Lucy swears she gets it, and apologizes. She says she would have never had the intention of jeopardizing them or the whole plan with Victor. It’s just her. Sometimes she gets carried away. Anna says, she’s the poster child for getting carried away, and Lucy says, well good news. She’s 99.9% sure Victor didn’t see her in the restaurant. Anna says, great… What restaurant? She was in the MetroCourt with Victor? Lucy says, one minute… two minutes tops, and they see Valentin standing in the doorway. Anna says, he’s right. Lucy’s blown the entire operation.

Dante asks if Sonny is all right, and Sonny says he just hopes his family and Nina stick with him. Dante says he’s not going anywhere, and Sonny says he appreciates that, especially coming from Dante’s profession. Dante says, because he’s a cop and Sonny is an alleged – Sonny laughs, and says, thank you for that – gangster? Dante says, it isn’t about that. It’s about being father and son. They hug.

Josslyn says she doesn’t want to leave Dex, but he says, the sooner he gets evidence against Sonny, the sooner this will be over. Until then, he can’t risk alienating Sonny or making him suspicious. Josslyn says, which means he can’t risk being seen with her. Michael was very clear about that. She doesn’t like it, but she gets it. Dex says he’ll be staying at Sonny’s for at least another day. After that, maybe they can figure out a way to meet. In the meantime, she can’t come here, and if she sees him for some reason… She says, act like she doesn’t know him? and he says, that would be suspicious. She can say hi, just don’t… She says, act like she cares. She’ll try, but she does care. They kiss, and Josslyn heads for the door. He says, any regrets? and she smiles at him. He says, him neither, and she leaves.

Chase says, when Willow meddles, she doesn’t mess around. She just goes right for that jugular. She says she has less patience for wasted anything these days, but especially for wasted time, when Michael walks in. Chase says he hasn’t seen Michael since the news broke. Congratulations on his upcoming wedding. Michael thanks him, and they bro hug. Chase says he’s sure he doesn’t have to tell Michael this, but he’s about to marry a very wise and perceptive woman. If they’ll excuse him, he has somewhere he needs to be. He leaves, and Willow asks where Michael disappeared to. He says he was near the end of a project and was tempted to cut his losses, but he realized the best way forward was to see it through, and the sooner the better. She says he sounds like he has it all figured out, and he says he wants to focus on what really matters, her and the kids. She says she likes the way he thinks, and he says, coming from such a wise and perceptive woman, he’s honored. What was all that with Chase? She says, it was driving her crazy, watching him and Brook dance around each other, so she may have stuck her nose in where it doesn’t belong. Let’s hope it works.

Chase finds Brook at the piano, and asks if she’s working on a new song. She says, so far, she has about three verses she regrets. It’s garbage. He says, Brook Lynn Quartermaine does not create garbage, and she says, he’s just being nice. He says he’s being honest. He loves her songs. He loves a lot of things when it comes to her. Talking with her, spending time with her… He misses that. He misses them.

Carly says she’s being ridiculous, and starts to walk off, but Drew grabs her, and says, she’s not being ridiculous. If their positions were reversed, he’d be scared for her too. She says she’s tempted to go to keep an eye on him, but he says, she can’t go anywhere. She says she knows. Willow is sick, and her kids and grandkids need her. He says he’s actually kind of happy that she’s going to stay and be safe, and she says, he has to stay safe. He says, if it makes her feel any better, he has had training and experience in this sort of thing. He can handle himself. She says she’s counting on it, and she knows he has to go for the reasons he said, but if and when he goes, promise her that he’ll come home. He says he promises, and kisses her.

Lucy tells Valentin, she was totally unrecognizable. She’s dressed as a librarian. She asks Anna to tell him, and Anna says, she’s dressed as a librarian. Lucy puts on the glasses, and says, see? And she promises, the second she saw Victor, she turned her back. Valentin says he supposes this near-miss underscores the need for them to stay indoors until this is all over, and Lucy says she gets it. From this moment on, she’s going to be the essence of cooperation. He says he hopes she means it because he really needs her to, and she swears she does. Maxie’s going to be her eyes and ears at the Ball, and Maxie’s going to follow all her instructions to a T, so that’s good too. She’s going to be really good, so could she please have her burner phone back? Anna hands her the phone, and Lucy keeps saying she’s sorry as she walks to the bedroom. She’s sorry for any trouble she may have caused. Anna looks at Valentin and says, may have caused.

On her office phone, Maxie tells Bobbie that she’s calling from the landline. Her cellphone repeatedly dings, and she says, something is going on with her cellphone. She wanted Bobbie to know she had some new ideas for the Nurses Ball. She looks at the phone, and there are a bazillion texts from Lucy. She says, lots and lots of new ideas.

Valentin and Anna right the coffee table he knocked over, and Anna says she would have thought he’d be more upset. He says, if he was he’d be a hypocrite, and she says, how come? He says he couldn’t leave without her, so he went for a walk, and ran into Carly and Drew Cain. She says, a regular party, and he says, long story short, they’ve been briefed, and Drew Cain is on board to help them out. She says, that’s actually very good news, and he says he hopes it is. She says she’s sorry, and he says, he’s sorry. She says she kind of attacked him, and he says he really overreacted. She says, but when she came in here, and saw the table overturned, she thought he’d taken her at her word and gone to Europe. Which she would have deserved, but she would have missed him. He holds out his arms, and she goes to him. He says, if Victor knew she was alive, he’d kill her, and Valentin has loved her always. If he were to lose her now, he couldn’t take it. They touch foreheads, and she says, let’s not lose each other through all this. Let’s bury Victor instead.

Tomorrow, Elizabeth doesn’t see how she has a chance; Finn tells Gregory, it’s too early to determine the results; and Laura tells Esme that she and Doc have wonderful news.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

Danielle meets Rachel to shop for a luau. We see a clip of Melissa saying that she has a party at the shore every year, and this year, it’s a luau party. In Rachel’s interview, she says, this is a group of women like nothing she’s ever seen before. It’s nice not to be alone in the boat, and Danielle makes her laugh. They also both have young children. We flash back to some moments with them, and Rachel says, Danielle is no bullsh*t and shoots it straight. It’s refreshing. Danielle says she hasn’t gone to the shore since she was 25, and Rachel says she avoids it at all costs. In Danielle’s interview, she talks about her shore life back in the day, and we see pictures. Rachel says, Danielle talked to Joe #2 at the softball game for more than five weeks, and Danielle says, it was an emotional conversation. We see a clip of them talking about their brother/sister issues, and Danielle says, he told her, don’t ever give up, and she’s not, but she has to protect herself. She has hope for Joe and Teresa, but thinks her situation is a lost cause. In her interview, Rachel says, if her brother blocked her on social media, she’d call him, and if he wasn’t receptive, she’d call their parents, and every other relative to figure out what was going on. Danielle says she talked to Marge, and would like to figure out the Marge/Jennifer situation. Rachel says, Marge doesn’t like the sh*t Jennifer is talking about her, and Danielle says she thinks Marge is too judgmental with Jennifer. And she drops bombs on everybody. Laura said that Marge has an arsenal of stuff, and Rachel wonders if they really know that Marge is locked and loaded, and ready to fire. In Rachel’s interview, she says, it doesn’t make sense to her. Why is Danielle reading so much into it? There’s only two people Marge allegedly dropped a bomb on, and Teresa and Jennifer’s words are their bonds? That’s not how it works.

Teresa goes jewelry store to get gifts for her bridesmaids, and Jennifer meets her there. The owner Benny is her husband’s cousin. Teresa says she thought she’d keep her earrings simple, but Jennifer says, it’s the day when she gets to be extra-extra, so Teresa gets a new, gaudier pair. Teresa says she wants everything to be good. It would have been nice for her brother and Melissa to make things better by asking her and Louie to stay at their house. Teresa says she’s only been there once, and when Gia asked to stay, Melissa said no. I can’t believe there’s not more to it than that, but Jennifer is gullible, and says she can’t imagine her brother not staying at her house when he came to the shore. In Teresa’s interview, she says, Melissa and Joe are upset that she didn’t invite Melissa’s family to her wedding, so why didn’t they invite her and Louie to their shore house? Like this is the same thing. Is she really this stupid at this point? Or is it an act? Jennifer says, Melissa and Joe are always Team Marge, and suggests Marge knows too much about them. Teresa says, keep your enemy closer, and I think, this bullsh*t just gets more unbelievable.

Melissa says she’s got cigar rollers and hula girls for the party. Paulie tells Dolores that he’d be there, but he’s still sore after surgery. Dolores says, normally she’d stay at Frank’s house, but she’s staying with Rachel. Paulie says, she’s doing things differently now, and she says, Frank is emotional, but she’s not worried about it. Jennifer asks Bill what he thinks about Dr. Judy, and Bill says, she was insightful. She says, he was silent, and feels a lot was left unsaid. They keep pretending everything is okay, when it’s not. Bill says, life is complicated, and it’s not about who’s right or wrong, but how they feel. In Jennifer’s interview, she says, when Bill actually starts talking, it drives her nuts. This is Bill’s way of not saying anything. Put your f***ing Confucius out the window and be supportive of your wife. Bill says, small steps.

Rachel and John also have a shore house that’s actually on a shore, and in Jennifer’s interview, she says she’s excited that she now has a shore house to call her own. They literally moved in last week. They bought it with all the contents, and she even took the bed sheets. There’s no reason to dump any money into it. This we can agree on, since I’m sure the house was staged when it went on the market. It’s not like anyone just slept on those sheets. Jackie, Evan, Marge, and Joe #3 are staying at Melissa and Joe #2’s house. Jen and Jeff, and Dolores are staying with Rachel and John, and Danielle and Nate go to Jennifer’s house, along with Teresa and Louie. This house is right on the boardwalk, which is pretty busy, so it seems there’s no shore and too shore, with Rachel’s house being just right. Marge says, Marge Sr. got herself invited to Teresa’s wedding, and Melissa says, her mother isn’t invited. Joe #2 says he talked to Danielle, but he’s skeptical that her beef with her brother is only about Instagram. In Melissa’s interview, she says, Joe and Teresa have had endless fights over the years, and we flash back to several of those, including the classic Juicy Joe versus Joe #3 knock down drag out. Melissa says, they’ve always been able to find a way to bring themselves back together. She doesn’t think it’s the whole story. Jackie says, Danielle must have done something that made her look bad.

Everyone gets ready for Melissa’s party, and Teresa tells Louie that she’s all about love, love, love. Bill suggests he and Jennifer make sure they don’t get kicked out, and far as Marge goes, they would carry themselves with class. The luau looks really cool, with tiny pineapples everywhere and fabulous food. Jennifer toasts to a great night, and says, let’s get sloppy drunk. I can’t say I’ve never been sloppy, but I can say, that’s never been my aim. Frank arrives with Brittany, and Marge asks Rachel if Teresa really warned Danielle that she made a better friend than an enemy. Rachel tells her about discussing it with Danielle in the store, and says, Danielle claimed Marge had information on everyone and was judgmental. Marge says, she’d like to think she was opinionated, and in her interview, she says, bougie mama has some nerve talking about her when she doesn’t know her. There’s lots of eating and drinking, and Marge tells Melissa that Danielle claimed she had an arsenal. Melissa thinks arsenal means book, and Marge explains it’s where weapons are kept. In her interview, Marge says, maybe Melissa and Teresa are a lot more alike than they think. As many of the partygoers drink shots straight from the bottle like they’re on spring break, Marge asks Teresa about what Rachel told her. Teresa says she doesn’t remember saying anything negative about Marge, and asks if Rachel is trying to start trouble by twisting her words. In Rachel’s interview, she says she’s straight up. If you ask her if you look fat, she’ll tell you. There shouldn’t be a problem with her repeating what someone said. If there is, they shouldn’t have said it. Teresa says, this is like high school, and Danielle tells her, it’s exactly what she said.

In her interview, Teresa says she’s just getting to know Rachel, but it doesn’t sit well with Rachel running to Marge and twisting what she said. We flash back to what Teresa said, and that was exactly what she said. Teresa says it shows her what kind of person Rachel is. Um… honest? Teresa moonwalks back, telling Marge, what she said was, if you get on Marge’s bad side, she has no problem taking you down, and admits to being ruthless herself. Marge says, Teresa was undermining her character, and they hear the guys chanting Fuda! Marge says, when she and Teresa made up, she told everyone they were good, and Teresa insists it was genuine. If anyone pushed the wrong button on any of them, they would fight back. Marge says, historically, she’s never done anything bad to anyone. Jennifer lights a cigar, and says, it tastes like sh*t. Bill gets the equivalent of eight shots poured down his throat, and Jennifer tells him, spit it out. Melissa says, now that they’re nice and toasty, they’re going to watch a hula show. In her interview, Marge says, of course Bill drinks. How else could he stand being around Jennifer? Everyone watches the dancers, and some of them dance around. Frank tells Dolores that he’s got a kit to wax John Fuda as an initiation, and she says, he’s got a nice group of guys. Frank whines that he and Paulie are never in the same place, and Dolores says, he would be here except for his health situation. Frank wants her to push Paulie to spend time with him, but Dolores says, it has to be organic. Brittany joins them, and Frank says, it’s the first time Dolores isn’t at his house. Brittany says, they miss her, and in Dolores’s interview, she says, Frank is feeling sorry for himself. The last she checked, he had a hot blonde running with him. He’s good. Jackie tells Jennifer, Bill is so wasted, and we see him crawl on all fours under a limbo pole that’s about five feet up. Dolores tells Jackie, Paulie is the first guy who doesn’t want to sleep with Frank, and Jackie asks if Frank reached out to Paulie. Frank says he reached out to Dolores, and Dolores says, this is when Frank gets in a stupid place. Frank wails for her to fix it, but she says, there’s nothing to fix.

Louie and Teresa talk about the upcoming wedding, and Jen says, it must have been an oversight that Teresa didn’t invite Melissa’s mom. Teresa says, it’s not. They have an history, and she’s leaving it at that. In her interview, she says, to be honest, ten years ago, she got busy, and they got jealous. Melissa’s mom and sisters posted stuff about her on social media, something her mother never did. After that, she kept her distance. She forgives, but never forgets. Jen asks if it won’t put a bigger wedge between Teresa and Joe #2, and Louie says he apologized to Melissa’s mom. We see a clip of that, and he says, he’s not part of her and Teresa’s history. In Teresa’s interview, she says she wishes he’d discussed it with her, but she loves him and knows he’s being a peacemaker. She wishes her brother had come to her, but he loves a spectacle. Louie asks if Teresa would be mad if he invited Melissa’s mom, and she asks why she’d be mad. Everyone cheers, and Louie runs off to find her. In Marge’s interview, she says, thank God Louie has some sense. Joe #2 announces that they’re heating the wax for John’s initiation. They put wax strips on John’s chest, and he barely flinches when they’re pulled off. In Jen’s interview, she says she doesn’t care if she’s bush woman; Joe’s not coming near her with hot wax. The guys do shots for the new brother, and Jennifer wanders around aimlessly. Jackie asks if she’s okay, and says she wants Jennifer and Marge to make up. Marge felt like they had, but didn’t like that Jennifer was still trying to hurt her. Jennifer says, it didn’t mean they were going to be besties. Marge did something hurtful to her children, and her youngest daughter suffered severe trauma; it had the domino effect. In Jackie’s interview, she says she knows firsthand the ramifications of saying someone’s father cheated on their mother. When there were unfounded rumors about Evan, their daughter was scared they were thinking about divorce. Jennifer tells Jackie that she and Bill are going to therapy. Bill is into scholastics with the children, and almost blames her, asking if she wants her kids to be average and have an average life. She told him, don’t call her kids average. Jackie says, that’s a lot of hurt, and they hug.

Jennifer starks talking about sticking fingers in butts, and I tune out in self-defense. Jackie thinks a piece of Danielle is not so nice, and Danielle’s radar goes up hearing her name. Dolores says that Marge is upset about what Danielle repeated, and in Danielle’s interview, she says she was just stating what she heard. There’s was no sh*t talking. But instead talking to her like grown-ass women, they’re bringing her back to her childhood when she was bullied. The only difference now is, she can throw a right hook. Danielle tells Dolores that it irks her to hear her name, and whines to Nate about everyone’s conversation involving her. Marge says she’s calling BS on Danielle’s story about her brother, and in her interview, she says she thinks they’re not getting the whole story. Teresa says, they each have a side, and Italians hold grudges. Marge thinks it’s not the full story, and maybe Danielle is hiding stuff. In Melissa’s interview, she says, regardless of how Danielle and her brother got there, she feels bad. She finds Danielle and says, Danielle looks annoyed, and Danielle says she’s hearing her name. Melissa says she just heard it once about the situation with Danielle’s brother. Melissa says, with her and Teresa, there’s their sides and the truth, and Danielle says she’s pissed. In her interview, she says, everything in her wants to run up and unleash on them. What happened with her brother is her truth. She opened up and now they’re questioning her character. She’s done. If any of them approach her, she doesn’t know what will come out of her mouth. They’re lucky she’s leaving. She gathers Jennifer and Teresa, who says, they came together, so they’ll leave together. Danielle bitches about hearing her name all the way out and during the car ride. Teresa says, Jackie started it, and in Danielle’s interview, she says, Jackie was poking and trying to make her look like an ass. They come from the same place, but she’s a better version of a Staten Island girl, but only if we were still in Staten Island. She tells the others in the car, the one person you don’t want to have as an enemy is her.

Next time, Louie talks to Joe #2; Teresa says, Joe #2 needs therapy, and tells Jackie to STFU; and Marge says, Danielle spreading bullsh*t is f***ed up.

🏖 On what I’d hoped was the finale of Summer House, but wasn’t, the housemates decorated for Gabby’s Studio Fifty Forest party. For a bunch of influencers or whatever, their decorating skills left a lot to be desired. Carl hadn’t spoken to Kyle, and was worried their friendship was in serious jeopardy. He wanted to tell Kyle not to talk to Lindsay the way he had, but communication is no one’s skill on this series. Kyle and Amanda brought their wiener dog mixes for the weekend, which would be points in their favor if they had any other redeeming qualities, but instead, we’ll just give the dogs those points. No surprise, all the girls squeed over these cute little nuggets. The dogs I mean. In Amanda’s interview, she said, they’d decided to come back because she wasn’t allowing anyone to dictate her life. Tomorrow was her 12th 31st birthday, and she wanted the majority of the housemates to celebrate with her. Everyone put on their disco outfits – lots of wigs and sparkles – and in Lindsay’s interview, she said she had zero interest in having conversation. She just wanted to have a good f***ing time. Amanda had sent a text, but she hadn’t responded. Like the newly mature person she is.

Anxiety and liquor being the mainstays of the house, in Kyle’s interview, he said he was anxious about what to say to his best friend. Carl was right across the hall, and they were getting ready to party, but there was tension in the air, and he felt like a fish out of water. Life is tough when you haven’t been able to form a full sentence by the time you’re 40. I’m not joking. Kyle is 40. Can you say, no hope? Ciara dressed up in a huge afro, sparkly dress, and heels, and said she was Karma Brown, and she’d come to bless this house. Bam! I don’t think the Pope himself is capable of that, but good try. She said she wasn’t involved in the drama, and was going to have a good time. I’m liking Ciara this season… for now. Chris tried to help decorate, but was just as inept as the girls. Mya’s boyfriend Oliver arrived, and Sam got a text from Tim, who said he couldn’t make the party, but he invited her to Montauk for a party there. In her interview, she said she had the biggest crush going on, a word I haven’t used since high school, so no surprise here. Karma wondered where the champagne tower was. They were supposed to be popping bottles, and the task was given to a rookie.

Since Kyle has the courage of a really scared Chihuahua, Carl had to initiate a talk, and they told the others that they were going to catch up before the party started, like no one knew what happened last week. On second thought, considering their attention spans, maybe they didn’t. Carl said, last Saturday night had been hard, and master of understatement Kyle said he’d kinda snapped. Carl said he’d never seen Kyle that angry, and we flashed back to Kyle’s tantrum. Carl said he appreciated Kyle’s text, but didn’t appreciate how he’d talked to Lindsay. Did Kyle even like them? Kyle said, Carl had changed and was spending more time with Lindsay, clearly not understanding what being a couple meant, even though he’s married, and Carly said he wanted to marry Lindsay. Kyle claimed the tension stemmed from the tension between Lindsay and Amanda. Carl said Lindsay felt hurt because when she’d told Amanda that they were looking at houses, she’d said it was too soon. Lindsay thought Amanda was being negative about her relationship with Carl. It seemed like there was deeper sh*t going on. Everyone else kept pointing out that Carl and Kyle were talking, but stopped short of eavesdropping. Kyle said he and Amanda felt like they had to walk on eggshells with Lindsay, but Carl felt it was the other way around. He admitted Lindsay could be polarizing and complicated, but she was trying. Kyle said, in a perfect world, they’d be going on double dates, and Carl said he and Lindsay cared about the friendship. He wished they could talk, regardless of what happened with Loverboy in the future, and Kyle swore that, no matter what, he wouldn’t get in the middle, and wouldn’t let Amanda and Lindsay’s issues drive a wedge between them. It wasn’t simple working with a best friend, but he promised they’d figure out a way to put that sh*t behind them and work on the friendship. In Kyle’s interview, he said he was going to put the Lindsay stuff behind him, and get back to what it was about; spending the summer with his best friend.

Amanda told the other girls that Lindsay weaponized their friendship against her. She could apologize for how Lindsay felt, but wasn’t in a place to apologize for anything else. She couldn’t care anymore. Karma said she thought Kyle was crying, but that’s okay; a man can cry. A confetti balloon exploded, and there was dancing and more confetti. Paige texted Craig, who asked how the party was, and she said, it was off to slow start until Karma Brown showed up. I’m sure there was a huge question mark over Craig’s head. Chris told random girls a bunch of BS about himself, and in his interview, he said he loved messing with girls. If they give him sh*t back, he knows they’re a keeper.

Lindsay told Carl that he looked like a washed up rock star, and asked how the conversation with Kyle went. Carl said he felt better, but not good. Kyle’s reaction to Lindsay was the result of something that happened between her and Amanda. Since she’s a narcissist, Lindsay asked if the whole thing was about her, but Carl said, and Amanda. He thought she and Amanda should have a conversation, and Lindsay said, if she had her way, they’d talk all the time. She was a direct communicator when she was coherent and not spinning bullsh*t, but she wasn’t begging for an apology. Carl said he was dealing with his own sh*t, and Lindsay told him not to come at her. He said he wasn’t, and she’d know when he did.

Carl told Lindsay that he wished the four of them were closer, but Lindsay said, how? When Amanda said sh*t, it hurt, and she didn’t need to beg for an apology. Ciara said, Karma Brown can’t comment on this, and Chris said, if Kyle wasn’t in the right state of mind, they all felt it, which again made me question everyone’s sanity, since they keep bunking together every summer. Carl told Lindsay that Amanda had apologized over text, and Danielle said, it looked like Carl and Lindsay were arguing. Lindsay said she was led to believe there would be a bigger conversation in person, but it didn’t happen. She wanted to fix things quick. Carl said, perfect. Let’s play beer pong, which is always the answer to everything. Danielle wondered how they could have a heated conversation, then play beer pong, and Sam asked if anyone was going to Montauk; she wanted to get some d*ck. One of the dogs caught a ping pong ball, which was pretty impressive, and Danielle asked Carl about what looked like his heated chat with Lindsay. Carl said, communication was hard when Lindsay was drunk, and Lindsay told Paige that communicating was hard when you’re in middle school. Paige suggested she just talk to Amanda, like no one had thought of that, and Carl told Danielle that Lindsay wasn’t receptive, so he just walked away. Danielle said, they were the two most outspoken of the group, yet internalized a lot. Lindsay griped to Paige that Amanda felt she and Carl were moving in together too soon, and Paige told her Danielle had said that too. She said it felt like Lindsay and Carl were living in a fairytale. Danielle told Carl that things couldn’t always be great. She had fights with Robert about him always working. They hardly saw each other, and it was hard. In Danielle’s interview, she said things aren’t always perfect. She wanted Carl and Lindsay to talk about the hard stuff. Paige said she was under the impression Lindsay knew how Danielle felt. Wasn’t Danielle her best friend? She thought they should talk, and when Danielle came by, she wisely got the hell out of there. Danielle asked Lindsay what she and Paige had been talking about, and Lindsay said, her. Danielle said, good or bad stuff? and Lindsay said she heard Danielle was concerned about her and Carl’s relationship. She’d thought it was too soon for them to move in. Danielle said she thought they were moving hella fast, and Lindsay said, they’d known each other six years. Danielle said, but they weren’t in a relationship, and in that sense, it was fast. Lindsay whined that she wanted to have babies with Carl, and Danielle said, Lindsay was getting so defensive, it was annoying. Truth!

Lindsay wanted to know what fairytale she was living, and Danielle said they had no fights or talks about the heavy stuff. Lindsay said, Carl didn’t like the hard conversations, and Danielle said she was surprised Lindsay didn’t ask why Carl didn’t stick up for her during Kyle’s tirade. Lindsay said she was pissed off, but Danielle said she didn’t show it. She didn’t want to lose her two best friends. Lindsay said she wouldn’t, but Danielle said, sometimes she felt that Lindsay and Carl’s relationship was off-limits. Lindsay said, at least tell her first before Danielle talked sh*t, and Danielle said she wanted to see them going at the real stuff, and not keep it bottled up. Pizza was ordered and the outside friends were kicked out. Ciara said, Karma Brown’s got to go. Nice knowing you. Danielle rated the party a 6.5, since there was no music. Seriously? No one had a phone with a playlist on it? Gabby said, 65 out of 100 was a fail. Bad decorating, no music, fair to middling food, and Kyle? Yeah, I’d say it was a fail

Kyle said he feared raising children. What if the kid didn’t like him? I’d say that’s highly likely, and I also fear him raising children, but not for that reason. Sam said his energy effected the house, and she thought it was a good quality, clearly forgetting about the previous weekend. Kyle said he wanted everyone to have as much fun as possible, and Sam said, as a friend, she wanted him to be happy, and have fun. Cool positive energy brought the house up. In Chris’s interview, he said, after he graduated, he went into the marines. This summer he wants to talk to and meet girls. If he’s learned anything, it’s that you can’t force things to work. Danielle said her boobs were pointing east; she was going to the party in Montauk. Amanda said she couldn’t go. She was a (dog) mom now. Lindsay said she was part of a couple now, and wasn’t leaving Carl. In Danielle’s interview, she said, in the past, if she’d said party in Montauk, Lindsay would have asked how much time she had to get ready. She hated seeing Lindsay holding back.  I thought if I heard going to Montauk one more time, I might scream. Kyle was surprised the dogs were the first ones to poop on the lawn.

Gabby, Danielle, and Sam finally went to Montauk, and we saw a bit of Danielle’s phone cam party. In Sam’s interview, she said, Tim ghosted her. He put her in an Uber and sent her on her way. She’d said she didn’t want a hit and run situation, and he said he’d never do that. She laughed, and said, she felt stupid saying it now. She was having a crush crisis. She’d come out of an abusive relationship, and this brought back her insecurity. Danielle told her that she had a right to be herself. F*** what anybody thought. Her real friends valued who she was.

Paige said, Amanda deserved a beautiful birthday lunch, and got up at 7 am because she loved Amanda. She and Mya cleaned up, made breakfast, and talked about Lindsay trying to act better for Carl at her own expense. They thought it was going to lead to resentment. In Mya’s interview, she said she’d been in relationships where they wanted different things, and it worked out. Oliver was outgoing, and had 400 friends, while she had maybe 5. Everyone put on birthday hats, and sang Happy Birthday when Amanda came down. Danielle said, the party was fun until Sam laid on a pool table or something. Maybe there was more to putting Sam in that Uber than she thought. Paige said she already put in a full day, and Kyle said, Amanda’s last birthday was a big one – 30. They’d been caught up in wedding planning, and he wanted to make up for it.

He brought out a giant package, and Amanda said he did listen; it was definitely artwork. She unveiled a piece of modern art that said, fruit therapy. It was actually pretty cool. Amanda said, Kyle got married and was a new man, and Kyle toasted to Amanda’s 31st. Amanda thanked everyone for the special breakfast, and said it was how she preferred to celebrate, low key. Lindsay asked if Amanda wanted to get together, and in Amanda’s interview, she said, she and Lindsay hadn’t had a one-on-one and hung out in years.

Next time, we’re tortured with a party bus; Carl wants Chris to have a proper initiation; Danielle talks to Robert about their relationship, or lack thereof; and Paige wants Lindsay to talk about the real sh*t.

🪄 Dreaming I’m Awake…

Hook up with me again tomorrow (no, not that way) for soap and the VanderPlot thickening. Until then, stay safe, stay childlike, but not childish, and stay not wasting any time on lies. Life isn’t just too short, it’s too precious for that.

March 20, 2023 – Valentin Gets Caught Red-Handed, Scary But Lovely Bodybuilders On Deck, Oh Captain My Captain, Awful Tomorrow & Earl

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna looks for Lucy, and Valentin tells her, she said she wanted to take a bath and read Martin’s letter. Anna says she didn’t hear any water running, and goes to check, while Valentin looks outside. Anna comes back, and says, she’s not there, and Valentin says, dammit. He walks out into the night.

Lucy comes out of the MetroCourt elevator looking like a frumpy librarian from the 1930s. She sees Victor at the bar, and tries to jet, but bumps into someone. Before Victor can turn around, Spencer shows up, and says, just the man he wanted to see. Lucy slips into another dining area, and sees Maxie and Bobbie sitting at a table. Bobbie says she can only hope Lucy is somewhere smiling, knowing that the Nurses Ball can go on without her. Lucy is not smiling.

Josslyn asks if Dex has changed his mind about getting evidence on Sonny, and he says he wouldn’t go that far, but Sonny could have easily left him in that warehouse. Instead, Sonny came back and saved his life, so he’d by lying if he said it didn’t make him look at things… at Sonny differently.

In the living room with no TV, Willow tells Michael that she’s looking at wedding gowns on her tablet. Now that they’ve decided to postpone the wedding until after the transplant, she has time to order a custom gown. She wants to walk down the aisle to him in the perfect dress, looking strong and healthy. She wants to dance at their wedding, and wants to look forward to a long life together. He says he wants that too, and it’s going to happen. He kisses her, and she asks, how’s Aunt Liesl? He says, she’ll be cleared for the transplant in time; he knows it. She says she does too, when Drew walks in, and says, she wanted to see him? She says, there is something only he can help her with.

Sonny tells Nina that Carly brought Donna by, but unfortunately, she’s not staying. Nina says, because of her?

Willow asks Michael to leave, and he says, of course (🍷). She says, and no eavesdropping, but he says he’s a Quartermaine. Eavesdropping is kind of in his blood. In the foyer, Brook asks if everything is okay, and he says, damn good, but she says, it doesn’t look like it to her.

Carly says, it’s no secret she doesn’t want her daughter anywhere near Nina, but that’s not why she’s leaving. Sonny says he’ll tell her about it later, but let them go; he doesn’t want Donna to overhear. Carly calls to Donna, and Donna runs to Nina, saying, Auntie Nina! They hug, and Donna asks if Nina is here for a sleepover.

Dex tells Josslyn that Sonny saving his life doesn’t change the fact Sonny is breaking all kinds of laws with Pikeman; he’s talking federal laws. Just because he’s grateful to the guy… She says, doesn’t make him any less guilty, and he says, not for nothing, ex-service here. Violating the National Security Act goes against everything he fought and sacrificed for. She says, on the other hand… and he says he’s now in Sonny’s debt; something else he doesn’t take lightly. Doesn’t he owe Sonny? She says, no, and he wonders if he should tell Sonny what’s about to happen, but she says, if he does, he’ll be signing his own death warrant.

Valentin tells Anna, there are footprints in the snow outside Lucy’s window. She ran off while he was talking to Laura. Anna says, she’s unbelievable. This is all because of the Nurses Ball, and because Lucy can’t face that it’s going on without her. He says, why doesn’t matter at this point. Pack a bag; they’re going. She asks, where? and he says, they’re taking a ferry to Canada, go to Toronto, and take flight to Europe. He’s going to contact Laura and ask her what to do about Charlotte. It’s risky to take her, but he’s not leaving her if Victor thinks they’re alive. Anna takes the phone, telling him, stop. They can’t be sure Victor thinks they’re alive, and they’re not going anywhere.

As Lucy grabs a menu and sits down, Maxie says, the Nurses Ball is fully funded. Bobbie says, that means all the proceeds go to HIV/AIDS research and charities. Maxie says she was nervous. Lucy always said these backers were a tricky bunch, easily offended and hard to handle. Bobbie says she thinks Lucy – God rest her soul – had a tendency to exaggerate prepping the Nurses Ball. It made her seem heroic. Maxie says, that sounds like Lucy, and behind her menu, Lucy makes all kinds of faces. Bobbie says, they’re doing the job just as well as she did… maybe even better. Lucy looks like she might explode.

Victor says, it’s good to see Spencer. With Valentin gone, and Nikolas God knows where, the Cassadines have never been more vulnerable. Seeing Spencer renews his hope in the future; a future involving Spencer and his baby brother. Spencer says, that’s why he’s here. His little brother is in danger, and he needs Victor’s help to save him.

As she and Donna leave, Carly promises she and Donna will watch a movie and pop some popcorn. Nina asks Sonny, what just happened?

Drew says, whatever Willow needs his help with, she’s got it, but she says, he might want to find out what it is first. He says, no need. He’d go to the ends of the earth for her. She says, how about just to the end of the aisle? She and Michael decided to reschedule the wedding until after the transplant, when she’s recovered and hopefully in remission, so they can really celebrate. The only father she ever knew is dead, and she’d really love it if Drew would give her away at her wedding.

Michael tells Brook, overall, the news is good. Liesl Obrecht was on this blood medication, and they’re waiting for it to get out of her system. She’s a match to give Willow a bone marrow transplant, and they’re so confident it’s going to happen, they’ve rescheduled the wedding until after the transplant. Willow wants the wedding to be a real party, and wants to be done with the transplant and remission; he wants that too. But it all depends on Liesl and when she’s ready to donate. Willow could be too weak for it to work.

Josslyn says, if Sonny has any idea Dex has been working against him, he’ll kill Dex. Or more accurately, he’ll have somebody kill Dex. Dex says, she’s right. Tipping Sonny off is a bad idea. He really was doing Dex a favor by leaving him out of the planning. She says, Sonny gave him deniability, and Dex says he can’t warn Sonny without exposing himself. It’s harder than he expected. When he took this job, that’s all it was – a job. She asks how he even got hired, and he says he was working for a security firm; basically, private soldiers for hire. Mostly short-term jobs, two or three months at a time. They sent him on this interview, and the employer wanted someone like him. Young enough that Sonny could train him and take him under his wing. The job sounded interesting enough, and he liked the idea of being stateside and being undercover. Everything was going to plan until Josslyn busted him and Sonny beating up that tabloid reporter. Then everything got blown to hell. She says, sorry, but he says, never. When he started to invest in taking Sonny down – not as a job, but something that needed to happen – then at the warehouse when Sonny could have easily left him there – most employers would – Sonny personally rescued him. He hates feeling like he owes Sonny, but he does. She says she gets it. She owes Sonny too .He saved Dex, but telling him isn’t an option. Dex says, but if Sonny goes to prison, from evidence he secured, he’s going to feel pretty damn crappy about it. She says, there’s another option they discussed. He could disappear.

Valentin tells Anna, once Lucy is discovered alive, Victor is going to know they staged their deaths. What then? How long before Victor realizes Eileen Ashby has turned against him, and comes after them? She says, he doesn’t know Victor would try to kill him, and he agrees he doesn’t, but Victor would try to kill her, and he’s not going to let that happen. She says, he’s jumping to conclusions, and he asks, how? She says, the only thing they can be certain of is, Lucy left the safehouse. They don’t know where she is. They don’t know if anyone has seen her. He says, they don’t? She’s the exact opposite of discretion. She says, they certainly don’t know that Victor has spotted her. They can fix this. She can find Lucy, and bring her back. He asks if she’s out of her mind.

Maxie asks, what about the mistress or master of ceremonies? and Bobbie says, another area where Lucy might have exaggerated her own importance. She always did a terrific job, but there were so many times when the Ball threatened to cross over from charity gala to The Lucy Coe Show. Still listening in, Lucy looks aghast, and Maxie says, maybe they can divvy up the MC duties. Epiphany, Amy, and Felix could represent General Hospital; Ned and Brook could represent ELQ; and it would mean a lot to Liesl if she could be included. Lucy sticks her tongue out, and Bobbie says, it’s a gamble. Maxie says she’s aware of that, and Bobbie says, and there would be pushback. On the other hand, her daughter was Co-Chief of Staff. Maxie says, her fear is that Liesl will get up on the stage and completely lose control. Bobbie laughs, and says, just like Lucy did every year. She’ll be right back. She has to take a powder room break. Lucy hides her face with the menu as Bobbie goes past.

Spencer says, Esme seems determined to keep the baby with her in prison, and Victor says, proof of memory or no memory, she’s as selfish as she ever was, and spencer says, exactly. Which is all the more reason to get his baby brother away from her. Is that something Victor could accomplish with his connections? Victor says he’s sure something could be worked out, but he’ll be needing some guarantees in return. Bobbie walks up and says, Victor Cassadine. I’ve been meaning to have a word with you about my brother.

Anna readies her gun, and tells Valentin, she knows how Lucy thinks. She’ll be able to find Lucy and bring her back. Valentin tells her to listen to herself, but she says, they’ve come to far to jump ship right now. He asks, what’s wrong with her? She’s better than this. They’re professionals. When things go south, they walk quickly and quietly. She says, not this time, but he says, you don’t stick around, because sticking around gets you killed. She says, it’s too early to bail, and he says, she’s over-invested. She dragged Lucy into this; now she’s a liability. Anna screwed up and can’t own up to it. That’s what this is. She asks if he wants to stop his father, and he says, she knows he does. She says, well then, in her professional opinion, this is the best chance they have, and she’s going to see it through. So feel free to go back to Europe or wherever he deems safe. She slams out, and he upends the coffee table.

Bartender Jamie tells Maxie that hotel management has been trying to reach her. Apparently, there’s a problem at the Deception offices with the door alarm. Maxie tells him that Gladys never sets it correctly. She’ll take care of it. She walks out, passing Lucy’s empty chair.

Victor tells Bobbie, Luke’s passing was tragic, but that was more than a year ago. She says, as if she hasn’t been counting the days since he had her brother killed, and he says he did no such thing. She says, it never made any sense. Luke cheated death a million times. Then he dies in some supposedly random tram accident right about the same time Victor slithered back into town. He says, it’s hardly evidence of a crime, and she says she doesn’t have any proof, certainly nothing that would hold up in court, but she knows he did it, and one glorious day, he will pay.

Maxie makes a call to management and says, everything looks good in the office, and she reset the alarm. It’s all good. She hears something, and asks if anyone is here. A hand covers her mouth, and she elbows the assailant, then realizes it’s Lucy.

Drew says he’d be honored to walk Willow down the aisle, and she thanks him. He says he’s truly touched, and she says she just wants this wedding to be perfect. Michael’s been so wonderful through all this. He forgave her for keeping her diagnosis from him and he’s been taking such wonderful care of her; he deserves his happily ever after. Or at the very least, a kick-ass wedding reception. He says, that’s generous she wants that for Michael, but what about her? What does she want for her?

Michael tells Brook, right now, it’s a waiting game. Waiting to see how long it takes the blood thinner to get out of Liesl’s system. Waiting to see how long Willow can keep going. Everyone tells them to stay positive. What’s more positive than planning a wedding? It just feels like they’re pretending; burying their heads in the sand. The truth is, they just don’t know. They have no idea how this is going to play out, and he doesn’t know what to do. She hugs him, and he’s says he’s sorry, but she says, don’t be. He’s being strong for everyone else. He’s allowed to have a moment. He says, just one? and she says, as many as he needs. She sighs, and he says, what is it? She says she doesn’t want to add to his pressure, so tell her, and she’ll zip it. She’s just wondering, with all this uncertainty, is Willow more open to reconciling with Nina?

Nina asks Sonny, if Carly’s not the reason Donna can’t stay over, what is it? and he says he told her; it’s a business situation. She says she’s aware of that. She sees the bodyguards outside, and there are two bodyguards at her apartment following her every move. Sonny says, it’s gone further than that, and she asks, how much further? He says, she knows there was an attempt on his life. He just needs to be clear that he’s not a target; that he can keep the people he loves safe. Until then, his children aren’t going to be visiting him, and neither is she.

Drew says, this is Willow’s life. She should live it as fully and richly as possible. She says, that’s the plan, and thanks him. He asks what he did, and she asks where she starts. He’s been so kind to her, and such a rock for Michael. He’s been the best funcle Wiley could have. He says, funcle? and she says, fun uncle. In this very quiet but steady way, he’s become essential to the only real family she’s ever been a part of. He says, she has no idea how much that means to him, and she says, that’s why she wants him to be with her when she marries the man she loves. He kisses her forehead, and says, he’ll be there. She can count on him always. She says she knows, and puts her head on his shoulder.

Brook tells Michael, she’s not asking for Nina’s sake. She just thought it might help Willow to make peace with her mother. He says, when he was with Willow, he thought, please God, if Willow lives, let there be time for her to do what she wants, but if these are Willow’s last days, then she shouldn’t have to spend them trying to make Nina happy. Either way, it’s her decision, and he’s not going to try and influence her. He thanks Brook for trying to help, and she says, that’s all she’s trying to do. Not just for Willow, but for Sonny. It means so much to him, after all he’s done for her. He says he’s glad she can see the good in Sonny when he can’t. If Willow asks, can she tell Willow that he went to run an errand? She says, sure, and he leaves.

Sonny tells Nina, this is a precaution. He has no reason to think she or his kids are in danger. The reason he’s keeping them away is just for safety. She says she understands why he feels he has to do this for his kids, but she’s a grown woman and doesn’t like the idea of leaving him just because it’s dangerous. He says he thought she didn’t want to be part of this, and she says, believe her, she wants nothing to do with any of this, except for him; she wants everything to do with him. Because she loves him. He says he loves her too, and she says, if she can put up with the guards here and at her apartment, and knowingly accept the danger, then why can’t she stay? He says, just because she’s willing to accept the danger, doesn’t mean he has to accept it for her.

Dex says, he and Josslyn talked about this. If he disappears, Sonny will hunt him. That means he’d have to hide from everyone, including her. Unless she’s willing to come with him. She says, if it was just her, she would, but she has a family. Willow is sick, Michael needs her, and she has a niece and a nephew, and Donna and Avery. He says he gets it. She’s lucky to be so close with them. Don’t give them up. Ever. She says she doesn’t want to give him up either. She doesn’t want him to go into hiding, and doesn’t want him to betray Sonny. But most of all, she doesn’t want to be the reason he has to make this decision. Whether he stays or goes, he has to leave her out of it. He says, too late, and kisses her.

Maxie gives Lucy some water, and says she can’t express how happy she is that Lucy’s here. Maxie’s not entirely surprised. She is Lucy Coe. Lucy says, that she is, and Maxie says, there was a part of her that always held out hope. Lucy thanks her, and Maxie tells her, that being said, where has she been hiding this whole time? And did Lucy have to ambush her like that? Lucy says, that was the only way to save the Nurses Ball.

Valentin goes to the footbridge, and flashes back to telling Anna that she screwed up and won’t own up to it. Anna tells him this is the best chance they have, and she’s seeing it through. Carly appears, and says, isn’t he supposed to be dead?

Brook asks Willow how it’s going, and Willow says, Drew agreed to give her away at the wedding. Brook wonders if Willow thought he’d say no, and Willow says, no, but it’s nice to have that settled. She says, one more item off her to-do list, and Brook says she thinks Drew is an excellent choice. Michael told her that they’re rescheduling the wedding. Willow says, two weeks was never a realistic timetable. She just really wants to plan it out, so when it happens, she and Michael can enjoy themselves. Brook tells Willow that Michael went to run an errand, and Willow asks how Brook thinks Michael is doing. Brook says, great. He’s being a total rockstar. Willow says she can see how hard it is trying to maintain a positive attitude, and Brook says, it’s probably just as hard on Willow. Apparently, Willow’s illness makes her squint, which is really the only thing that seems different about her. She doesn’t even have circles under her eyes. I know you don’t always look sick when you are, but I would think if she only has days to live, she might look at least a little peaked.

Lucy closes Maxie’s office door, and says she really appreciates Maxie and Bobbie stepping up to steer the Nurses Ball. She also understands the urgency of it, since the 60th anniversary of the hospital is coming up. But Maxie clearly doesn’t know what she’s taken on. Maxie says, and that’s clear why exactly, and Lucy says, because the Ball is huge. It takes networking, and vison, and management. It just takes a special touch, that’s all. Maxie says, hers, and Lucy says, exactly. Maxie says, it’s really great that she’s not dead and all… Lucy says, that’s very sweet, but unfortunately, she has to stay dead. She has to stay in hiding. It’s a total drag. She can’t be as hands-on as she usually is, but that’s okay, because she has Maxie. Maxie is going to be her eyes and ears.

Victor says, if Bobbie is quite finished making these groundless accusations, he was in the middle of a conversation with his great nephew. Bobbie tells Spencer, these accusations aren’t groundless, and she believes in his heart of hearts, he knows that. Laura has never actually come out and told Bobbie that she thinks Victor had Luke killed. Probably for feat that Bobbie would go after him out of revenge on her own. But she and Spencer’s grandmother have known each other for most of their lives, and some things don’t need words to be conveyed. Laura thinks Victor is guilty. That’s why she wants Spencer to have nothing to do with him. Victor says, that’s quite enough. Leave the boy alone. Bobbie says, Luke is his namesake; he’s called Spencer after her brother. Spencer says he knows, and she asks how he can sit here with a murderer?

Valentin says he doesn’t suppose he can convince Carly that this is a massive hallucination, and she says, of all the dearly departed people in her life, he might be the last person on the list she’d want to conjure up. He says he’ll concede that point, and she says, so he didn’t die in a sewer in Paris. He says, catacomb, and she says, whatever. Still, a lot of trouble to go to, to fake his death. He says, it was a lot of trouble, and right now, he’s hoping it’s not all for nothing. Carly says, he needs to convince her to keep his secret. So start talking. He says, Victor Cassadine. He’s trying to prove his father killed her Uncle Luke.

Nina says, so Sonny’s wife died in an explosion, and he says, she was his pregnant wife, and she died in a car bombing that was meant for him. After that, he didn’t know if he wanted to live or die. He got himself together, and twenty years later, his son gets killed in a car bomb. She says, it must have been horrible, and he says he can’t… he won’t go through that again. He takes her hand, and says, the reason he’s asking her to go is because he loves her, and he doesn’t know what he’d do if he asked her to stay and something happened. She says she’ll keep her distance, and he thanks her. She says, promise her that he’ll figure this out. Promise her that they’ll have a future together. He says, she’s his future, they kiss, and she leaves, after taking a last look at him.  

Willow tells Brook, she goes back and forth so often, she’s got whiplash. Once again, it’s everything is going to be okay. She’ll get the transplant, and they’ll live happily ever after. Brook says, and the next? and Willow says, she dies, and leaves Michael to raise their kids alone. He and Wiley will grieve her; Amelia will never know her. The prospect is utterly terrifying. Brook says, of course (🍷) it is, and Willow says, ironic, isn’t it? When she married Chase, it’s because they thought he was dying. Now she’s planning her wedding, and she’s the one who… Brook goes over to her, and says she’s not going to feed Willow some BS that everything’s going to be okay when she doesn’t know if it is: but there’s still a life-saving option on the table. She asks if Willow regrets marrying Chase, and Willow says she regrets the pain it caused; that she married Chase when she didn’t love him, because he’s so deserving of love. Brook says, he is, and Willow says, her turn to ask Brook a question. She still loves Chase, doesn’t she?

Lying on the sofa, Josslyn asks if Dex’s arm hurts, but he says, nothing hurts right now. He could just fall asleep with her. She asks why he doesn’t, and he says he has to go back to Sonny’s. She says, so he’s decided to stay, and he says he’s decided the only important thing in this whole mess is being with her. So he’s going to stay. He’s going to get evidence against Sonny, and give it to his boss. (Boo! Hiss!) She says she’d really like to know who this mystery boss is. First she’d thank him, or her, for bringing Dex to Port Charles. Then she’d slap them for paying him to risk his life instead of nailing Sonny themselves. He says, trust him. This person has only good intentions. She asks how he can be so sure, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Michael, who says, open up.

Victor tells Bobbie to leave now, or he’ll have her escorted out, but Spencer says, it’s not necessary. He comes over to them, and says he’s sorry for Bobbie’s loss, and she’s entitled to her beliefs, but he’s willing to give his uncle the benefit of the doubt. Bobbie says, whatever Victor is offering Spencer in return for his loyalty, it’s not worth it. She walks out, and Victor says, his apologies for that unpleasantness. Now where were they? Spencer says, they were discussing how he can get custody of his younger brother. If that’s something Victor can help him with, Victor will have his full support.

Lucy tells Maxie that she has to call the best lighting director, picking up a pad and writing things down. She says, every great show has a great lighting director, and she’s sure Bobbie would never think of that. Maxie says, enough about the lighting, but Lucy says, the lighting’s very important. She’s putting it on the list. Is Maxie not listening to her? Maxie says she’s been listening. The thing that interests her the most is how Lucy’s been in hiding and presumed dead for months. Why? Who has she been hiding from? Anna walks in, and says, me, if she has any sense. Maxie laughs, and says, Anna. Yes, of course (🍷). Because Anna’s a fugitive, and is also standing in her office. Do either of them care to tell her what the hell is going on? Anna says, they don’t have the time. She points at Lucy, and says, you, with me, now.

Carly says she didn’t know Valentin was so attached to Luke that he’d be willing to disrupt his life this way. Valentin says, his father is a criminal. Luke is only part of the story. Victor has also framed Anna Devane for the murder of Lucy Coe. Carly says, so Anna was with him in Paris? and he says he can’t confirm who he’s working with, and she says, she caught him red-handed; now he’s stonewalling? Why should she trust him? It’s not like he’s a trustworthy guy. How does she know he’s not working with Victor? He says, maybe she doesn’t trust him, but maybe Drew will. They’re rivals in business, but they worked well together against his father when Victor held them captive in Greece. Drew steps onto the bridge and says he remembers that. Because of the hell they went through, he’ll hear Valentin out, but don’t waste his time with lies or anything else Valentin wants to feed him. He wants to hear the plan to take down Victor, and he wants to hear all of it.

Tomorrow, Valentin says they could use someone, presumably Drew: Drew tells Carly, the man has to be stopped, and he might have to do it; and Michael insists on talking to Dex.

Below Deck

Rodney Bay Marina, St. Lucia. Fraser is already scared of the new charter guests who are all bodybuilders and not smiling. Captain Lee welcomes them to the St. David, and says, Fraser will give the tour, then they’ll get underway. Katie says, they could eat her for lunch. The captain hopes they don’t f*** up getting off the dock, and tells the deckhands, all lines on board. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says, being out on the water is something magical, like Christmas morning. Camille texts Ben, saying, just a couple more days. Tony says they have a legend on the boat. Guest Dexter won Mr. Olympia, as well as winning the Arnold Classic five times. He’s the bodybuilder with the most wins. In Tony’s interview, he says, it takes sacrifice, discipline, and hard work. He respects Dexter big time. Ben tries to call Camille, but gets voicemail. In Katie’s interview, she says, when Ross is good, he’s amazing. She knows they have to go their separate ways at the end of the season, but at this point, she knows who Ross is. They’ll just have fun and leave it like that; living in moment. Primary Jolynn shows Hayley some bodybuilding photos, and tells her that she and primary Keith own a gym, and she runs it day to day. They anchor, and Camille texts Ben that he’s getting the best of her, since she doesn’t text. In Ben’s interview, he says his heart sinks thinking that they’re going to stop texting when they go their separate ways. He asks if that’s going to be the case, and she texts back that she doesn’t have the mental capacity for that conversation right now. In his interview, he wonders what that means. He doesn’t know where they are. Ugh. In Fraser’s interview, he says, the guests are the nicest people; he loves them. His first impression was wrong. They’re lovely and kind. The crew isn’t used to that. We flash back to some choice a-hole charter moments. He says, they’ve been through so much. They need a trip with wonderful people to end the season. Ross gets the toys in the water, and wings are served. They’re dry, and Dexter says, it’s not Popeye’s for sure. In Hayley’s interview, she says, she thinks Rachel has given up at this point. She tells Fraser, who says, it’s painful to hear. Probably more painful is that he has to relay this news to Rachel. He tells her that the guests thought the wings were a bit dry, and in Rachel’s interview, she says, this sucks. She doesn’t f***ing care. The job sucks, and she’s a tired fed-up bitch. She’s been doing this for 17 years, and she’s tired of the whole hoopla.  Ben tells Katie about Camille’s text, and she calls red flag. In his interview, Ben says, something in the back of his mind says he’s not okay with what Camille said. He’s been heartbroken three times, and might be holding out on himself for nothing.

Captain Lee calls Ross and Fraser to the bridge, and asks, what’s the deal with tonight’s dinner? Fraser says, dinner is at 9, and the guests want some form of a bodybuilding competition. The captain jokes that they’re never seen him with his shirt off. In his interview, he says, his ass looks good, but he’s not participating. There’s only so much lipstick you can put on this pig. He tells Fraser that he wants service to absolutely crush it. The guests use the slide and the toys, and the trampoline blows back, knocking into Ben and Tony, who struggle with it. The captain tells them, once it gets airborne, it’s hard to get back. Rachel asks Fraser how he came out to his mom, and he says, there was a story on the radio about a murder, and his mom said, no matter what Fraser did, she’d still love him. He told her that he was gay, and she said she’d always love him. It was the most liberating moment in his whole life; it felt amazing. Keith asks the captain to have dinner with them, and Captain Lee says, it would be his honor. Ross says he’s not stripping to a speedo; this is insane. Ben pumps iron to prepare. In Ross’s interview, he says, his parents loved to travel. There were holidays where they didn’t know where they were going, and would choose at the airport. He thinks it rubbed off on him, since he liked to go where he felt like in the moment. At some point in time, he thinks he’ll settle down. Katie has a lot of things he’d like in a partner, but he’s not in that place. They’re on the no plan plan. Tyler tells Hayley that he’s going to call his mom, and she tells him to stand up for himself. If she doesn’t like it, it won’t be forever. She’ll accept it because she loves him.

The captain comes to dinner in full dress uniform, and in Rachel’s interview, she says, it’s the final charter, and her sh*t-o-meter is in the red. She needs to focus, and not sink like an anchor. She presents the dinner menu, and dinner is served. Captain Lee says, he, too, is a gym rat, and Keith says, he thinks every day spent in the gym is one less in the hospital. I’m pretty sure that’s a factor in why I don’t get sick often; I work out almost every day. In the captain’s interview, he says, they take it to another level. He just wants to look down and still see his shoes. In the galley, Rachel curses the pasta. Keith says his girlfriend is more jacked than he is; he has to work out harder. There’s an amazing chocolate cake for dessert, and Fraser congratulates Dexter on his career. He thanks Dexter for being amazing, and everyone applauds. The crew gets ready for the Buns & Guns Championship, and Fraser says he has to change into something bodybuilder-esque. In Hayley’s interview, she says, she’s got no guns, but she’s got a helluva lot of buns going on. Leigh-Ann oils down Ben, and Katie oils down Ross. Fraser welcomes the guests to their sorry attempt at a bodybuilding contest. They come out one by one – no one is in bad shape – and pose. Tony shows off his athletic prowess by doing handstands and yoga poses. Everybody lines up, and Dexter says, Katie is in 3rd place, Tony is in 2nd place, and Ross is the winner. That’s only because they don’t know him. Fraser says, they’re lovely. They’ve just got scary faces. Everyone goes to bed, and Leigh-Ann tells Ben that it’s frustrating. she wouldn’t mind exploring other things. He says he’s had a good time with Camille, but they’re not dating. She said she was excited to see him, but when he asked what happens after their trip, she said the conversation is too big right now. He and Leigh-Ann hug and go to bed, separately. I dunno. Camille might be a flake, but I don’t think that’s a conversation you should have through text anyway.

Ross asks Katie to haul the anchor, and in his interview, he says, it’s a big deal. When he looks back and reflects on the progression his team is making, he feels proud. Captain Lee tells them, let’s get this dog and pony show on the road. Hayley tells Fraser that the guests are lovely and so disciplined, and he says, their control is phenomenal. In Fraser’s interview, he says, going forward, he’s never going to judge a book by its cover. He’s so pleased these guests came on board. He asks if Rachel is having one last bitchfest, and she tells him to eat her cooter. In Katie’s interview, she says she never expected to haul anchor by herself. She definitely sees a future as a bosun on a 200 footer, so cool. She has the determined personality to get job done. In his interview, Captain Lee says, they’re coming to the dock, and it’s bittersweet. It’s the last docking, and he doesn’t want to f*** it up. He wants to look good, and wants the crew to look good. Now it’s up to them to do their job, and him to do his. You get a rush when it’s successfully done. The wind is blowing like a mofo, and when Ben throws a line, it doesn’t go far enough, and the guy on the dock misses. In the captain’s interview, he says, the first throw was as useful as a screen door on a submarine. To Ben’s credit, he retrieved it quickly, and nailed it on the second throw. No harm, no foul. The crew lines up for goodbyes, and Captain Lee says, they’re a motley crew, but he loves them. The guests all say they had a great time, and it was such a pleasure. Keith says, they come from a place of working their tails off to get somewhere in life, and he sees the same worth ethic here from everybody. He hands the captain the tip envelope, and says he hopes it puts a smile on their faces. The guests leave, and Captain Lee says, good job, and thanks them.

Leigh-Ann calls her brother, and says she likes a guy who’s in love with another chick, but she’s not here. Since Leigh-Ann comes from a line of awful people, he tells her, go for it, and she says she’s going balls to wall. The captain radios the crew to come to the Sky Lounge asap. He tells them, job well done. They’re a cohesive unit, and it meant the world to him that they made his life easier. And when he’s happy, everybody’s happy. They’ve made the most money collectively as a group than any other crew – $222,300 or $17K each. The crew did exceptional. They don’t get a quarter million because the guests like the way he puts on his socks. This charter’s tip was $20K or $1500 each. He tells them, have fun, but don’t embarrass yourself or the boat. Tyler calls him mom, and says he has a few things he wants to discuss. She tells him that she’s at granny’s, and he says, not now. Since she has mom radar, she says she’s his mother, and whatever it is, it will be fine. She loves him a lot. In Tyler’s interview, he says he thinks her being at granny’s was an indication not to do this over the phone, but his mom saying everything was okay was a relief. The crew gets ready to go out. Tyler tries different shirts, and Katie critiques – don’t like it, don’t love it, Fraser will kill you. Fraser tells Ben, looking back, he might think he should have taken the opportunity with Leigh-Ann, but I’m guessing this is less about opportunity and more about Fraser not liking Camille. They go to a restaurant on a cliff with a magnificent view, and toast to nothing specific. Tyler tells the group that he called his mother. He told her that they needed to have a serious conversation, and she said she loved him no matter what. Hayley asks how he feels, and he says, a lot better. Leigh-Ann and Ben step away, and in Ben’s interview, he says, it’s hard to hear the voice in his own head. He kisses Leigh-Ann, and at the table, Fraser says, they vibe. Ben suggests they see what happens, and they make out on the way back.

Back on the boat, Ross and Katie kiss. Leigh-Ann and Ben get in the hot tub, and Ben wonders, where is everyone? In Leigh-Ann’s interview, she says, she’s here. Everyone goes to bed relatively quickly, and Ross and Katie get busy. Ben tells Leigh-Ann that part of him wants to live in the moment, and he and Camille have no official status. She says, this is where it would happen if it was going to happen, and asks if he’s confused. They go into a guest cabin, close the door, and we hear kissy sounds.

In the morning, Hayley asks Ben if he and Leigh-Ann shagged, and he says, no, they cuddled. His heart lies somewhere else. Leigh-Ann says, he talked about Camille, and Rachel says she wants to go home bad. Katie says, it’s mimosa time. Ross asks what Tony’s career plans are, and Tony says he’d like to go with sailing. Ross says, it’s more wild and free. He wishes Tony well. In Tony’s interview, he says, he was challenged the entire season. He’s proud he got out of his own cocoon, and learned to let himself go. As he leaves, he yells, wakatta! He used this word with Ben earlier, so I look it up. It means I understand, or I got it. In Leigh-Ann’s interview, she says she thought Ben would open up. She enjoyed flirting with him and kissing him. She wants to know where his mind is at, and when she asks him, he says he likes her, but he’s following his heart. He agrees to stay in touch, and in her interview, Leigh-Ann says, Ben is everything a girl looks for, but he’s not available. She respects that. In Ben’s interview, he says, he gave in, but stayed true to his heart. He’s a hopeless romantic. Or maybe he’s just hopeless.

One by one, the crew say their goodbyes, and leave. In Leigh-Ann’s interview, she says she’s going home and having some fun, then back to the reality of being chief stew. Hayley doesn’t know how she feels, and in Tyler’s interview, he says he wishes he’d been on the boat longer. It’s a special bunch, and he hopes they’ll be friends after this. Mom and dad, I’m coming for you. We have a lot to talk about. He hopes there are happy tears. Fraser tells Hayley that she’s a phenomenal human being, and he loves her. She says, he’ll never know how much he helped her, and in her interview, she says she accomplished working her ass off with a smile on her face. She was also the glue to the family, and feels incredibly proud. In Ben’s interview, he says he feels guilty, but wants to know where he and Camille are going. He’s hoping to have the are we exclusive? conversation. He’s head over heels. It’s so embarrassing. Katie tells Captain Lee that she loved working with him, and he says she did herself proud. In Katie’s interview, she says, it’s been one helluva f***ing ride, and she loved every second of it. She hugs Ross, and in her interview, she says, in a perfect world she could see pursuing something with him. But he doesn’t have the commitment to be a successful boyfriend. They had fun. Miami out. The captain tells Ross that it was a pleasure having him; his leadership is remarkable. He asks, what’s the next stop? and Ross says, a two-week party in Fort Lauderdale. He’ll see the captain in Florida. In Ross’s interview, he says he has emotions for Katie. He’ll see what happens, but knows they have to be realistic; they lead two separate lives. It would be nice one day to settle down and have kids… and five wives. He’ll let fate decide.

Rachel tells Fraser that he got stronger and better, and in her interview, she says, it’s no longer fun. Being a chef is her life’s passion, but at the same time, she’s too old for this sh*t. Captain Lee tells her, always a pleasure, and she says she’s glad he came back. He says he’s going to miss her, and they hug. In Rachel’s interview, she says she needs a break or something. She’ll leave until she’s bored or landlocked. Until then, bye. The captain tells Fraser that he did an outstanding job, and in his interview, the captain says, Fraser dug deep. He had big shoes to fill, and did it admirably. Then, not being able to resist one last baseball reference, he says, Fraser stepped up the plate and knocked it out of the park. In Fraser’s interview, he says, it was a rocky road, but he’s come quite far, and got a happy ending. He laughs, and says, not with anyone on board though.

In Captain Lee’s interview, he says he hates to say goodbye. He’d stack this crew up against anyone. He’s going on 40 years, and has he seen some crazy sh*t? Is a 40-pound rabbit fat? We flash back over the years to some crazy sh*t, and he says, he’s been in situations he didn’t think they’d make it through. The season ending brings a void. Deciding to become a yacht captain was the best decision he ever made. We flash back to Captain Lee telling Kate that she still looks more like a guest than a chief stew, and some other special moments, like when he gave Eddie his stripes. He says he made a promise to come back; promise delivered. He wants people to look at the job he’s done and know that he set the bar high and kept it high. Goddam, what a ride. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but the ocean is a part of him. And he’s still got the best goddam job in the world.

They didn’t have a preview, but on Watch What Happens Live, Andy said there would be a Captain Lee special next week.

⚓️ Please Don’t Go…

Apparently, the rumors of his retirement are greatly exaggerated.

👻 My computer finally gave up the ghost totally, and I’m still in the midst of recovery, or search and rescue, or something. So once again, I’ll be saving the awful people of Summer House for tomorrow. It will give you something to look forward to. That’s sarcasm just in case you weren’t sure. And they’re such a great combo platter with the awful New Jersey Wives.

👟 Just Doing It…

Same Bat time tomorrow for soap and what I said. Until then, stay safe, stay not making a you problem someone else’s problem, and stay not judging a book by its cover. Just because someone looks like they could eat you for breakfast, doesn’t mean they will.

March 17, 2023 – Diane Makes Robert’s Day, Softball In Jersey, VanderAwful, Season 2 Buzz, Non-Reaction, Festival News, Pets (!), O’Quotes & Decide

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Valentin jumps several of Lucy’s men in checkers, and says, king me. She says she’d like to crown him. Fine. Here’s his king me crown. She slaps her checker on top of his, and he says he thinks they have Parchisi. Someone knocks at the door, and Lucy slips into the back. Laura says, it’s her, and he opens the door. Lucy runs out and hugs her, and Laura says, it’s good to see her. Lucy says, tell her there’s an end to this nightmare in sight. Please.

Eileen tells Robert, it’s too risky. She could end up dead. He says, that’s what happens when you bunk in with a Cassadine. There’s a knock on his office door, and Diane comes in. She says she knows she’s interrupting, but he’ll be glad she did. He asks why specifically he’s glad to see her, and she says, because she’s about to make his day.

Dr. I-Don’t-Know-His-Name brings Victor to an exam room, and says he can understand why Victor wants his issue resolved quickly. Victor says, any man would, and the doctor says he read Finn’s report. Unfortunately, he agrees with Finn’s assessment. Victor’s condition is likely irreversible. I laaaugh, and Victor flashes back to confronting Laura. She says, when his life falls apart – and it will – he’ll have more than her to blame, and he says, but she’ll the one who will pay most dearly. He tells the doctor, it means everything to him. He recently lost his son, and the rest of the family’s in crisis. He can’t afford to be distracted right now. He has to focus. He needs to ensure his family’s survival. Nothing can jeopardize that.

On the phone, Nina tells Maxie, of course (🍷). Crimson always supports the Nurses Ball. If she needs anything, just ask. She tells Maxie that she loves her and to give James a big hug from his Aunt Nina. She looks at a picture of her and Sonny, and flashes back to telling Sonny that she didn’t think she wanted to know about his business, but now she’s not so sure. There’s a knock at the door, and Nina opens it to Phyllis. Nina says, you’re back, and they hug.

Carly brings Donna to Sonny’s, and sees the guards outside. She asks Frank how it’s going, and he says, it’s going well. He lets her in, and Sonny says, look who it is. Donna runs to him, and he says he wasn’t expecting her. Carly asks, who was he expecting?

Laura says she does have an update, and Lucy says, please tell her it involves the word Victor and incarcerated, incapacitated, or dead. Laura asks, where’s Anna? and Valentin says, she’s in the bedroom trying to crack the Ice Princess codes. Does Laura want him to get her? Laura says, he can bring Anna up to speed later, and Lucy asks if this means she can go home, but Laura says, no; she’s sorry. Lucy says she really is grateful for being rescued and just being alive, but tick-tock, people, come on. Laura says, on the bright side, she thinks they’re starting to get to Victor, and Valentin asks, how? She says she ran into his father last night at the MetroCourt, and he was seething with rage. He said he knew what she’d done. Valentin asks if he got more specific, and she says, no, but he said she was stripping him of his power, and she was determined to rob him of his dignity in the process. Lucy says, it sounds like what they’re doing is working, so just keep doing what’s working, and Laura says, Victor is definitely fraying. He believes they’re all dead, and has no idea where Nikolas is. Spencer is actually defying him by going to live with his Uncle Sonny, so he’s lost control of his family, and it seems he’s having some kind of a medical issue. The kind that makes a man realize he’s not as powerful as he used to be. She doesn’t think it will be much longer before they bring Victor down for good, so Lucy doesn’t have to be patient much longer. Lucy says she doesn’t do patient, and the world right now needs Lucy Coe.

Robert asks how Diane is going to make his day, and she says, by offering this office the chance to save time and effort, and the chance to save the taxpayers of New York considerable expense. Eileen takes photos of a folder with her phone like there’s no way Diane would notice, and Diane says she knows Robert is intent on streamlining this office, so he’s going to want to hear her offer. Of course (🍷) if this is a bad time, she can come back… He says he and the Deputy Mayor are done, and Eileen agrees, adding, for now. She leaves, and in the hallway, she texts Victor: Need to meet. Urgent. She flashes back to offering Victor a copy of the unredacted file on Holly’s accident, and saying, it contains useful information on the necklace.

Carly tells Sonny that Donna’s ear drops are in her bag if she needs them, when Dex comes out. Donna asks, who are you? and Sonny says, he works for daddy, and introduces them. Dex shakes her tiny hand, and says hello to Carly. Donna asks if he lives here, but he says, no; he’s just visiting. Sonny says, they’re getting some work done, and Dex is going to be staying a couple of days. Dex says he was just going out to grab some things and he’ll be back soon. He leaves, and Sonny says he guesses Carly didn’t get his message. She says, no, she didn’t. What’s going on?

Lucy tells Laura, the Nurses Ball is always the event, but this year, it happens to coincide with General Hospital’s 60th anniversary. Laura says she knows, but it’s going to be televised this year, so Lucy can watch it, but Lucy says she doesn’t want to watch it. She is the Nurses Ball. She’s chaired every single Nurses Ball that ever was. Laura says, and every single one of them was magnificent, and Lucy thanks her, but says, she wants this one to be magnificent. It takes a certain type of expertise; there’s no substitute. Laura assures her that Maxie has everything under control, and Lucy says, define everything. Spare no details. Laura says she knows Maxie’s got financing from ELQ and Aurora, and Lucy says, super, but those are Quartermaine companies, and the family lives for the hospital, so really, they couldn’t refuse. Laura says, she’s meeting with more sponsors tonight, and Lucy says, super, but she might run into a snag because those sponsors can be pretty prickly. Valentin says, she can handle it. He hopes the sponsors do give her a hard time. She’ll squeeze them for every cent, and they’ll thank her for it. He just wishes he could be there to see it. Lucy says she needs to be there to see it, but Valentin says, no, she doesn’t. If she were, Victor would know what they were up to. He would make them all pay dearly, so what she needs to do is, settle down and accept the situation, because there’s nothing she can do about it. She blows a raspberry at him, and plops on the sofa. Laura says she knows how hard this must be for her, but fortunately, she has something that might make her feel better.

The doctor says, they can try to treat Victor’s symptoms, but it’s not guaranteed to work. Victor says, anything worth trying. He’s ready and willing to put up a fight. The doctor says, they’ll start with a prescription. He’ll get it from the hospital pharmacy himself. He leaves, and there’s a knock at the door. Victor lets Eileen in, and she thanks him for replying to her text. He asks, what couldn’t wait? and she says she has reason to believe Laura and Robert think she’s connected to him. He says, what better way of disabusing them of that notion than to come looking for him in a well-populated, brightly lit building with security cameras around every corner? She says she’s often at the hospital in the course of her official duties, and he says, good for her, but don’t contact him again unless she has something he can use against Laura… Unless that’s why she’s here. She says she doesn’t have anything about that, but she does have this. She shows him her phone.

Nina shows Phyllis a picture of Amelia, and Phyllis says, isn’t she a beauty. Nina says she loves Amelia already, even though she’s not allowed to be around her, and Phyllis asks if Willow is still keeping Nina at arm’s length. Nina says, not exactly. As it turns out, her Aunt Liesl is a viable bone marrow match to be a donor, and convinced Willow to keep Nina updated on her health issues. It’s a start. Every other subject is off-limits, including Wiley and Amelia. Phyllis says, if Willow sees Nina made an effort to respect her wishes, when she’s better – and Phyllis does mean when – she’ll let Nina in. She asks what Sonny’s take is on this, and Nina says, he told her pretty much the same thing, but she thinks Sonny is trying to convince himself too, because his son Michael doesn’t want to be around him. Their children have formed a united front against them. Phyllis says, it’s a shame when families shut each other out. In the meantime, it’s wonderful Nina can rely on Sonny… can’t she?

Sonny tells Carly that Donna’s in her room. The reason he called her was about Donna staying tonight. She says she’s sorry she missed his call. She was at the Quartermaines’ helping plan the Nurses Ball with Maxie, Willow, and Michael. He asks how Michael and Willow are holding up, and she says, worried, but they’re holding it together. What’s going on? Why does he have two bodyguards and Dex for protection? He says, Dex isn’t protecting him; he’s keeping an eye on Dex. She asks, why? and he flashes back to the shootout. He says, there was an incident.

At his apartment, Dex hears something and draws his gun, when Josslyn walks in. He says, she can’t just show up here without letting him know. He could have hurt her. She says she doesn’t know whether or not to text him; whether Sonny will see it or not. Why is he staying there? He says he was going to reach out, but hadn’t gotten the chance yet. She asks how he hurt himself. What the hell is going on?

Nina brings out some wine and charcuterie, and tells Phyllis, in regard to her relationship with Sonny, she’s reevaluating things. Phyllis says she thought things were good with Nina and Sonny, and Nina says, they are. It’s just that she thought she could separate Sonny’s livelihood from their relationship. Now she’s wondering if she was just fooling herself. Phyllis says, Nina knew who Sonny was when she encountered him in Nixon Falls. She knew before he did. Nina says she heard all the stories about Sonny Corinthos by reputation and in the news; that he was fearsome, and he was a violent man. Then she got to know Mike, and fell in love with Mike. Then when Sonny regained his memory, it seemed like he really changed. Phyllis says she doesn’t think Nina’s wrong about that, and Nina says, even when they went back to Port Charles, all the violence she was worried about and the reality of Sonny’s world seemed theoretical. So it was easy for her to move forward with Sonny. Phyllis asks, what’s changed? and Nina says, it turns out, peace was only temporary. And now that peace has broken.

Sonny says he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for Donna to stay here for a while, and Carly asks, how bad is it? He says, he and Dex went to the warehouse; they weren’t alone. She asks if he’s okay, and he says he’s fine. Dex got a little banged up. Nothing serious. He just wants to keep Dex close while he’s on the mend. She asks who it is this time, and he says, she’s out of this now. She says, really? Because she feels like she’s right back in it.

Diane tells Robert that she’s spoken to Trina about the criminal charges against Esme Prince, and he says, she can assure Trina that they’re doing their best to build an airtight case. She asks if he’s certain of a conviction, and he asks why he wouldn’t be. She says, Esme now presents as a very sympathetic defendant, and he laughs, saying, she’s about as sympathetic as an alligator chasing a pup. Diane says, not anymore. Now she’s a young mother who nearly died escaping captivity after literally being locked in a tower. Of course (🍷) she’s professing traumatic memory loss. Esme is something like six or seven fairytale princesses all rolled into one. Rapunzel… Snow White… Anyway, all she has left in the world is this innocent little baby. So now Esme is a traumatized, frightened young woman, and a caring mother. He asks what she suggests he do, and she says, drop the charges.

Lucy says, unless Laura has a time machine that can take her back to before she got involved with this, she doesn’t think there’s much Laura can do for her. Laura says, is that so? taking an envelope out of her bag. She says she guesses Lucy wouldn’t want this letter from Martin after all, and Lucy snatches it out of her hand, kissing it. She says she misses him so much, and Laura says she thinks the feeling is mutual. Lucy thanks Laura, and says she’s going to take her letter, run a very hot bath, grab her glass of wine, and read every single word a thousand times that her beloved wrote to her. Ta. She leaves, and Laura says she’s welcome. She asks how Valentin is, really, and he says he’s fine. Lucy’s alive, even when you’re not trapped in a confined space with her. He does have Anna, and he’d endure anything to get rid of Victor Cassadine. She says, it’s not going to be much longer. She can bring Charlotte for a visit… but he says, no. That’s the last thing he wants.

Victor wants to see what Eileen found, but she says she needs his assurance this will all be over before it blows back on her. He says, once again, she forgets how their arrangement works, and she says she found it in the DA’s office. Use it to achieve his goal quickly, so she can end her involvement before she pays for this alliance with her freedom – she hands him the phone – or with her life. He looks at it, and says, so the necklace made from the Ice Princess still exists, and Robert has it.

Valentin says, given his father’s current agitated state… Laura says, he doesn’t want to take the risk. He says, it was great when Felicia brought her by, but he’s sure Victor is watching her. It would do him a world of good to see her. Laura says, it would do them both good. Charlotte misses him terribly. He says he misses her right back, and asks Laura to make sure she tells Charlotte that. She says, of course (🍷) she will, and he says he’s grateful to her and Doc for everything they did to get Charlotte away from Victor. She says she’d do anything for Charlotte, and he says he knows she would, even if it means by extension helping him. She says, life is full of surprises.

Dex says he was with Sonny, when they were ambushed, and Josslyn says, he got shot? but he says, just creased. She says she can’t stand that word, and he says, it’s not like last time. It bled a lot, but he didn’t even need stitches. Sonny just wants Dex to stay with him until he’s healed up, but her mom and Donna came by, and he figured he’d give them some space. He just came by to grab some things. He’s sorry he didn’t tell her sooner… Please say something. She tells him to take off his shirt.

Sonny says he knows Carly is worried about the kids, and she says she’s worried about him too. He says, she saw security. He’s going to take care of it. She asks, how’s that? and he says he has a good team. She knows most of them. Dex is new, but he’s doing excellent work. Sonny is going to find out what’s going on, and he’s going to stop it. She says she’d loved to believe that, but they both know he can’t make that promise.

Nina tells Phyllis, all of a sudden, Sonny is on high alert. He assigned protection to all of his loved ones, including her. Phyllis asks if she feels safer with a bodyguard, but Nina says, oddly enough, no. She’s glad someone is there to protect her, but she’s constantly on guard that something’s going to happen. Phyllis says she can see why they would be unsettling; not just in the day to day, but in Nina’s relationship too. Nina says, to be fair to Sonny, he’s never lied or tried to hide the realities of his work, but if she didn’t know, it would be a buffer between their relationship and his… organization. Phyllis says, now Nina’s realizing there is no buffer, and Nina says, there are sides of Sonny she didn’t know that are starting to emerge. Phyllis says, now that Nina’s seeing these sides, she has to be honest with herself. Is this a relationship she can sustain?

Valentin says, Laura watching over Charlotte and taking care of her is everything to him. He couldn’t do any of this without her. He thanks her, and she says, Charlotte’s safety and future is one of the biggest reasons they have to stop Victor. He says, his father’s obsessed with his family; enriching it, controlling it. Has she heard from Nikolas? She says, no. He vanished without a trace, and she’s assuming it was intentional. She doesn’t really know, but Victor doesn’t seem to know. Valentin says he’s sorry. No matter how old they are, there’s no hell like worrying about your child. She thanks him, and says, what’s even more worrisome is that Victor seems to be focusing more on Spencer, and on Spencer’s baby brother. He says, they’ve got the name; they’re Cassadine heirs. That means they factor into Victor’s plans, whatever they are. Victor’s plans are kind of like Sonny’s mob boss job, or what the Chrisleys did for a living. If anything.

Victor says, so Robert managed to retrieve the necklace from the fire, and he’s been covering it up this whole time. Eileen says, he went through a lot of trouble to make sure no one knew it survived, and Victor says, it’s almost as if Robert knew he was looking for it. She says, that was her impression. Robert was convinced Victor needed something from the Ice Princess, and that’s why he was keeping its recovery a secret. Victor says, he and Holly were always thick as thieves. He wonders what else is in the file, but she says she doesn’t know. Robert was still in the room when she snapped the picture. She couldn’t sit there and read it in front of him, but she does know the necklace is being stored in a secure evidence locker in the PCPD. He says he has to commend her; excellent work. He hands back her phone, and she says she can’t wait to finally be done with all this, and he says, why on earth would she be done? She says, because he has everything he needs to send his men into the PCPD to retrieve the diamond, and he chuckles, saying, if only it were that simple. If he were to send his men in to storm the PCPD, it’d be a tip off. He’s afraid she’s going to have to retrieve the necklace for him. She asks how she’s supposed to get in the evidence locker, and he says, as Deputy Mayor, he’s sure she has connections who can find a graceful way to get in and retrieve the necklace. If she wants this to be done with, she’ll bring him the necklace. Don’t fail him. He opens the door, she says, understood, and leaves.

Robert asks Diane why they would they drop the charges against Esme Prince? They can prove everything they’re going after her for. She asks if the jury is going to care. Because if Martin Grey can work up enough sympathy for acquittal, Robert will lose his one and only chance to bring Esme to justice for her crimes. He asks why she’s bringing this to him now. What’s in it for her? She says she’s crushed… Okay. In addition to Trina, she also represents Spencer Cassadine. Esme is determined to keep her baby with her in prison, and Spencer doesn’t want that for his little brother; neither does Trina. He says he doesn’t give a damn what Spencer wants, and he respects Trina, but she isn’t even in the video. What does he tell Esme’s other victims? She says, Josslyn and Cameron both agree with Trina. Right now, they’re only thinking of the baby. Of course (🍷) they want justice, but some say, justice delayed is justice denied. The worst-case scenario would be to let Esme walk away Scot-Free, but justice delayed… Bring the charges, try her, when she can no longer claim traumatic memory loss. He says she might be right, but he’s not convinced, and she says, remember, she defended Trina. That young woman was dangerously close to going to prison because Esme Prince is a nasty piece of business. So as excited as she is to bring this proposal to him, it galls her to have to make it to him. Like she’s sure it galls him to have to consider it. He says, still, it might be best for all involved, and she says, he’s a smart man. He says, just because they put the charges aside doesn’t mean they take their eyes off little Esme for one second.

Dex takes off his shirt, hands it to Josslyn, and says, all yours. Does she want him to autograph it? She says, shut up. Let her see the wound. She looks under the bandage, and says, Sonny’s doctor did a much better job than she did. She gives him back his shirt, and he puts it on. He takes her hands, and says, Sonny’s doctor may have skills, but he doesn’t have her bedside manner. They kiss, and she says she should thank the doctor for bringing him back to her in one piece, but he says, the man she should thank is Sonny.

Nina says she loves Sonny, and Phyllis says she knows. Nina says, he’s been her rock. She doesn’t know if she could have gotten through this past year without him. Phyllis says she’s sure he feels the same about Nina, and Nina says, they’re good together. Phyllis says, she knows. Nina doesn’t have to convince her. She’s seen them together; both as Mike and Nina, and as Nina and Sonny. Nina says, there’s a huge part of her that thinks love is everything. She has a daughter now, and a granddaughter – grandchildren. It’s more than just her now. She’s not sure she can wrap her head around the idea of us being in constant danger. Phyllis takes her hand and says, not everyone was built for Sonny’s world, and everything that comes along with loving him. Nina says, like Carly was?

Sonny tells Carly that he doesn’t know what she wants him to say. She knows how his world is. She says she does, better than most, and he says, then she knows he’ll do everything he can to protect the family. She says, his family needs more than his protection; they need him. He says he’s not going anywhere, and she says, he doesn’t want to go anywhere. She remembers the last time she had to tell Donna and Avery that their daddy wasn’t coming home. She can’t go through that again.

Robert tells Diane, you win. As usual. She laughs, and he says he’ll drop the charges, as long as he can talk to all the victims and get them on board. She says she knows this isn’t an easy decision to make, and he says, she made a compelling argument. They can always refile the charges should evil Esme resurface. And he gets to keep his conviction record. She says, everybody wins. For what it’s worth (🍷), she has every faith that one day the justice system will hold Esme accountable. He says he hopes she’s right, and she says, in the meantime, she knows a way they can both work off their frustration. He asks what she has in mind, and she says, has he ever thrown a hatchet? He says, only in anger, and she says, why doesn’t he join her at the hatchet range? He can show her what he’s got, but she’s equally as lethal with an ax as she is with a brief. He says, Killer Miller strikes again, she laughs, and walks out.

On the phone at the MetroCourt bar, Victor tells someone that he needs them to check on Miss Sutton. He wants to know how far along she is on her road to recovery.

Robert says, back so soon? and Eileen says, not fast enough. He says, did Victor buy it? and she says, every word. He did have questions about the night Holly Sutton and the necklace supposedly went up in flames. He says he anticipated that, and notified the appropriate parties. Let’s move on to Phase Two.

Valentin tells Laura, there was a time not that long ago, if someone had told him that he and Laura would be having a conversation like this… She laughs, and says, united for a common cause. He says, if they can form an alliance… She says, then anything’s possible.  He says, Victor has no idea what he’s up against. He, Lucy, and Anna are alive and working against him, and he hopes Laura is right, and things are working against Victor. She says, now that Eileen is working for them, they finally have the upper hand, and he says, it won’t be long now.

Victor looks at his drink, sniffs it, and takes a sip. Lucy walks out of the elevator, looking like a frumpy librarian from the 1930s, and sees Victor at the bar.

Josslyn asks why she’d thank Sonny, when he’s the one who got Dex shot, and Dex says, they were checking the warehouse; getting ready for the Pikeman shipment. There was an ambush; a sniper. He saw movement before the shot was fired, and he got Sonny out of the way. She says, so he saved Sonny, and he says, they were pinned down, and Tony… She knows Tony. She says, he’s Sonny’s most experienced bodyguard, and Dex says, he gave covering fire from the entrance so Sonny could get away. Josslyn says, Sonny left him? and he says, Sonny was the target. Once he was gone, the shooter should have left. She says, obviously, he didn’t, and Dex says, the sniper took a shot at him, creased him, and he took cover, but he wasn’t going to last long with a handgun against a rifle. So he made a run for it, and that’s when Sonny came back and shot the sniper. Sonny probably saved his life… What? She says, nothing. It just almost sounds like Dex admires him.

Sonny says he knows it was hell for Carly, and for the girls, and she says, it was hell for everybody. He says he’s not going to put her through that again, and she says, a bridge went out from under him. He didn’t choose that; it just happened. Things happen. He can’t control everything. He says, he knows that. If he could control this, it wouldn’t be happening. The only thing he can do is take things as they come. As it is, he’s going to find out what’s going on and put a stop to it. She asks if there’s anything she can do, and he says, she can just stay out of it. He can deal with anything as long as she and the girls are safe. Okay? She says, okay, when Nina walks in.

On Monday, Valentin says, Anna screwed up and can’t own up to it; Josslyn says, Dex will be signing his own death warrant; and Sonny tells Nina, his children won’t be visiting him, and neither will she.

⚾️ Playing Ball…

Up close and personal at the RHONJ charity softball game.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/rhonj-charity-softball-game-behind-the-scenes-moments-pics-recap

🍸 #Scandoval…

Like Andy, I’m girding my loins for the Reunion.

LVP wouldn’t have to ask me to move in twice.

https://www.etonline.com/kristen-doute-says-tom-sandoval-still-refuses-to-leave-home-he-shares-with-ariana-madix-201104

Kelly Clarkson be damned.

https://www.etonline.com/ariana-madix-releases-first-statement-on-tom-sandoval-raquel-leviss-affair-what-doesnt-kill-me

I always appreciate a timeline.

https://www.etonline.com/tom-sandoval-and-raquel-leviss-a-timeline-of-the-vanderpump-rules-stars-cheating-scandal-200333

More proof Sandoval is an awful human being. If Jax shames you, you know it’s bad.

It’s even better than The Slap. Although TBH, I can’t imagine Scheana giving anyone a black eye. Not to mention, that’s a pretty odd-looking shiner. I agree with the opinion that it’s to remove herself from the Reunion.

https://www.etonline.com/scheana-shay-slams-raquel-leviss-restraining-order-filing-amid-vanderpump-rules-drama-200621

🐝 Don’t Get Stung…

I binged season one not long ago. I can’t wait.

https://mashable.com/article/yellowjackets-season-2-review-showtime

🐲 He Knows Nothing…

His reaction? He talks about everything but.

https://extratv.com/2023/03/15/kit-harington-reacts-to-possible-jon-snow-game-of-thrones-spin-off-series-exclusive/

🎸 If You Palooza…

The latest info on Lollapalooza. You can get tickets at a lot of websites. I’m not endorsing getting them through this one. They just had some good, basic intel.

https://www.songkick.com/festivals/1235-lollapalooza/id/40682629-lollapalooza-2023

🐕 Neverending Cuteness…

Adorable pets. Who cares who owns them?

🍻 Quotes of the Irish

This week, I’m taking the easy way out. Moving info, downloading programs, whatever needs to be done on a new device is a real pita. If it was the only thing I had to do, it wouldn’t be as much of a headache, but it’s not. And I keep going, oh yeah, that too. So rather than going quote hunting, I found a link that’s apropos for the week.

https://ottawacitizen.com/life/life-story/top-50-irish-proverbs-and-sayings-you-should-know-for-st-patricks-day

🍀May the wind always be at your back & may you be at the gates of heaven an hour 🍀🍀before the devil knows you’re dead.🍀

🩰 Riverdancing Away…

Make a return trip on Monday for soap and the St. David’s final charter. Until then, stay safe, stay challenging the status quo, and stay knowing things happen. You can’t control everything, but life is full of surprises.