What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny goes into Pozzulo’s and tells Dex that he can take the night off, but Dex says, there’s something he wanted to ask Sonny.

There’s a knock at the gatehouse door, and Michael asks if Willow is sure she’s up for this, but she says she’s the one who invited them over. He opens the door to Carly and Josslyn, and Carly says, Willow told them it was important. Willow says, very important. It’s about their future.

Scotty says, everybody take it easy and breathe, and Elizabeth says she knows Obrecht has questions… and Obrecht smacks her across the face.

Dante works at the tack closet lock, when Bennett comes in. He asks if Dante needs a hand, but Dante says he’s got it.

Sonny asks if there’s a problem, but Dex says, everything’s fine. He was there by himself for a while, and got to poking around the kitchen. He found some recipe cards… Sonny says, they’re his, and Dex says he knew Sonny liked to cook, but there’s some legit recipes in there. He decided to try his hand at one. Sonny asks, which one? Dex says, chicken piccata, and Sonny says, good choice. Dex asks if Sonny would like to try some, and Sonny says, why not?

Michael goes upstairs, and Willow says she hopes she didn’t worry them, but Josslyn says, they’re curious. Willow says, their wedding day is going to be here before they know it, and there’s so much to do. They have to start moving on plans. Carly says, between them and the Quartermaines, every last detail is going to be perfect, and Josslyn says, anything Willow wants for her day, it’s hers. Willow thanks them, and says, what she’s wishing for is much bigger than flower arrangements or entrée choices. She knows what she’s facing. She knows her marriage to Michael will be much shorter than either of them envisioned, but she doesn’t want the fact that they’re running out of time to be the focus of the wedding. Josslyn says, of course (🍷) she doesn’t, and Willow says she wants the day to be a celebration of everything they have; their love for each other, their son and daughter, the life they’ve managed to build together. It should be a happy day. Carly says, it should and it will be. They promise. Willow says, good. Now let’s plan a wedding.

Finn runs over and says, that’s out of line, but Elizabeth says, it’s okay. He asks if she’s all right, and Nina suggests she and Obrecht go someplace they can talk. Obrecht says she knows what Elizabeth did; how she aided and abetted Nikolas in keeping Esme Prince a prisoner. She knew, yet she didn’t come forward. She let the police continue their search, and now Obrecht’s daughter is dead because of her. She remained silent. Elizabeth says she’s sorry. If she could go back… Obrecht says she wouldn’t wish this on anyone, not even Elizabeth. You reap what you sow. Nina takes her arm, and leads her away.

Dante gets the door open, and looks around with a flashlight. He tells Bennett, you see what I see? and Ava braces herself. He asks if Bennet is seeing what he’s seeing, and Bennett says, sure do. Dante says, Nikolas was definitely here, picking up a watch. There are his initials. Bennett asks if Ava recognizes the watch, and Dante says, NMSC. Ava says, Nikolas Mikhail Stavrosovich Cassadine, and Bennett says, that’s a serious name. She says she gave it to Nikolas for their first anniversary, and Dante asks if he was wearing it the last time Ava saw him, but she doesn’t know. He tells Bennett, look at that, showing him the watch, and Bennett says, that’s interesting.

Scotty tells Elizabeth that he’s sorry. He thought he could calm Obrecht down before she went off like that. Elizabeth says, that’s okay; she got what she deserved. Finn says, Obrecht shouldn’t have hit her, but Elizbeth says, she lost her son once. She knows what it’s like. Obrecht lost her daughter, and Obrecht’s right; she did play a role in that. Scotty says he loves them both, and doesn’t want this rift going on, and Elizabeth suggests Scotty check on Obrecht.

Obrecht tells Nina, Nikolas she understands; that man is a schwein. But Elizabeth is supposed to be virtuous. She had the power to stop those horrible attacks, and she did nothing. Nina says she knows Obrecht wants someone to blame… Obrecht says, someone? Elizabeth is the reason Britta is gone, but Nina says, Heather Webber is the reason. Obrecht says, Heather Webber could have been caught if the police had focused on someone else. Whose fault is that? She demands justice for her daughter. Yes, her killer was apprehended, but her enabler walks free. Scotty joins them, and Obrecht says, and some have decided to take her side.

Michael comes back downstairs, says, don’t mind him, and they don’t. Carly says, Olivia’s going to want to handle all the food, and Willow says she’d like Wiley and Amelia to be part of the ceremony. Carly says, having her kids be part of the ceremony is going to be so beautiful, and Willow asks Josslyn to be one of her bridesmaids. Josslyn says, of course (🍷); she would love that. Willow asks how Carly would feel about matron of honor duty, and Carly says she kept the truth from Willow about Nina being her mother, but Willow says, Carly is such an important part of her life. Carly’s become like a mother to her. Carly hugs her, and says, yes. She’d be honored. Josslyn says she hopes so; it’s in the title. Carly thanks Willow, and Willow says, but of course (🍷) the most important detail is their dresses. Carly says, of course (🍷), and Willow says she has some options on her tablet. She gets up, and is suddenly dizzy, but Michael rushes to her side and says he’s got her. Is she okay?

Dex sets a plate in front of Sonny, and says, moment of truth. Sonny takes a bite, and says, it’s good. There’s something missing. Dex wonders if it’s the sauce, or too many capers, but Sonny says, the sauce is great. He gets a tiny bowl of something, and says, parsley. Dex says, curly or fresh? but Sonny says, it doesn’t matter, and sprinkles some on. He takes another bite, and says, that’s more like it. He asks Dex to join him, and Dex goes to make a plate for himself.

Dante says, the watch and the band are both broken, and asks when Ava last saw Nikolas wearing it. She says, the evening of February 13^th, and Dante asks, what time? She says, 7, 7:30, and he says, the watch stopped on February 13^th at 8:07 pm. The watch is a clue Nikolas came down here for some reason. Bennett suggests Nikolas stashed some gold there in case he had to make a quick getaway, and Dante puts the watch in an evidence bag, saying, they’ll have CSU do a sweep of the area. Nikolas Cassadine was definitely in this room before he disappeared. Bennet says, now they just have to figure out where the trail goes from here.

Scotty says he knows it was a big blow to hear about Nikolas and Elizabeth, but he wishes Obrecht had some time to process it before confronting her. She asks, why is that? Because he can’t stand anyone confronting his precious Elizabeth? He tells her, that’s not what he’s saying, when TJ comes by, and asks if Obrecht isn’t waiting for Terry. Obrecht says, for some test results, and TJ says, she got pulled into an urgent meeting and won’t be available for a while. Obrecht looks at Scotty, and says, of course (🍷) she won’t. She no longer has a Co-Chief of Staff to share responsibilities with. TJ says, Terry did give him permission to go over the results with her, and Nina asks if they’re in. He suggests they discuss it in his office, and they follow him, walking past Scotty, who then follows them.

Finn says, Elizabeth has to stop beating herself up, but she says, people are finding out what she did, and coming to the same conclusion. He says, not people; one, sort of person. She says, because of her, Heather Webber was able to kill more people, and he tells her to be careful. Obrecht’s crazy and she’s going to want to avenge Britt, and there’s no telling how she’s going to go about doing that. Elizabeth and the boys may want to… He says he’s not doing that again. She probably needs space, and he’s going to leave her to it. He starts to leave, but she says she doesn’t need space from him.

Willow says she’s fine, and asks Josslyn to grab her tablet. Carly says, they can do this another time, but Willow vehemently insists she’s fine. She just did it too fast. Josslyn gives her the tablet, and Michael suggests she take a nap. They start whispering like she’s already asleep, and I see why she didn’t want to tell anyone she was sick. These people are annoying. She says she wanted to show them the dresses, but Carly says, she and Josslyn aren’t going anywhere. They can pick this up after she takes her nap. Michael says, think how good she’ll feel, and Willow says, a quick nap. He says, the quickest. He’ll help her upstairs. Michael and Willow go upstairs, and Josslyn says, with Willow home, it’s almost like everything’s okay, but it’s not even close to okay. Carly says, there’s still hope. Michael’s not giving up; neither should  they. Josslyn wishes there was something she could do to help, but Carly says, she’s helping. She’s here, giving them every ounce of love and support she has, and when Josslyn can’t handle it, call her. Josslyn says, careful. She has unlimited calls, but Carly says she pays the bills. They’re going to get through this. Some way, somehow. She hugs Josslyn.

Dex asks if Sonny learned cooking from his mom, but Sonny says his mom wasn’t that big of a cook. If you wanted to learn to cook, you went to Gloria’s house; Gloria Cirillo. Dex says he’s heard of her; that’s Michael’s cousin. Sonny says, Gloria was her grandmother, an amazing Italian woman from Bensonhurst. When he closes his eyes, he can smell that house; it was warm and inviting. If you were a kid who didn’t have a great home, that was the place to go. Dex assumes Sonny was one of those kids, and Sonny says, anybody was welcome at Gloria’s house, and she taught him what a strong, happily married wife looked like. It was an honor for him to be a member of the family in a sense; it was good for him. She could cook. The recipe cards are in her handwriting. Dex says he saw one for a marinara sauce that looked killer, and Sonny says, she used to tell him, the secret ingredient is celery. Everybody would ask what she meant; celery has no taste. They wanted something fancy, but if you eat that without celery, you will notice a difference. I believe this. One of my SILs makes amazing macaroni salad. I asked what was different from other macaroni salads, and she said, celery salt. Celery is amazing, and it does too have a taste, Sonny.

TJ tells Obrecht and Nina to have a seat, and Scotty follows them in. Nina asks if Obrecht is a match for Willow, and TJ says, Terry’s cheek swab showed at least six HLA markers for Willow, making her a potential donor candidate. They had some bloodwork done to ensure her bone marrow would be compatible with Willow’s. Dr. Obrecht is a confirmed match for Willow. Nina gets super excited, and says her daughter is going to live, hugging Obrecht, who barely responds.

Sonny asks what Dex’s story is; who turned him on to cooking? Dex says, it was less a who then a what. The food was terrible in the army. He promised himself that he’d learn to cook. He’s getting there. Online tutorials help, and recipes. Sonny says, it’s relaxing, and Dex says, his work, the day in, the day out, takes its toll. Cooking is a way to relieve some of that stress.

Michael comes downstairs, and Carly asks how Willow is. He says, she’s sleeping, and said she’s sorry, but Carly says she assumed Willow was okay; she should have checked with him first. He says he gets it. Willow doesn’t want to spend the time she has resting. Carly says, of course (🍷) not. She wants to feel every moment. She tells Michael that he can say anything to them, and Josslyn says, if anybody knows how he feels… He says, it’s her, and she tells him that she’s not saying it’s the same thing. She and Oscar were nowhere near his and Willow’s level. They didn’t have kids. He says, but she knows what it’s like to watch somebody she loves… There’s a knock at the door, and Michael lets a woman with a clipboard in, telling her to go upstairs. He tells Carly and Josslyn, it’s the hospice nurse, and Carly hugs him, saying, she’s so sorry. He says he just wants to give Willow the world. All she’s asking for is more time with her family. Josslyn says, and time is the one thing he can’t give her.

Nina asks, what’s the next step? and TJ says, Dr. Obrecht will go through a physical, a bunch of medical stuff, and other various tests. They have to rule out any possible medical issues that could cause problems for her or Willow. Nina asks how likely that is to happen, and he says, the probability increases with age. Obrecht has been staring into space, and Scotty says, Liesl. She says she’s sorry; it’s all a bit overwhelming. TJ says, they know she’s a doctor, but they’ll be here to walk her through every step of the way, and he’s here to answer any questions she might have. Obrecht says, and this will work? Willow’s life will be saved? TJ says, there’s never 100% certainty, but he’s optimistic, and Nina says, how lucky are we? Obrecht says, lucky indeed.

Finn says, he and Elizabeth are still friends, right? He wants to be there to support her, but only if it’s what she wants. She says, look at him, respecting boundaries, and he says he’s trying to. She says she does need his support, more than he knows. She should be facing the consequences of her actions, and would have, if she didn’t have the boys to think about. Finn says, having Scotty broker a deal was a good move; her boys need her. She says she knows. She just feels awful about the pain she caused, especially for Obrecht. Regardless of what she’s done in the past, she’s still a mom grieving over her child. Elizabeth played a role in her daughter’s death. The least she can do is face Obrecht and take the hit. He says, literally, and she says, there’s going to be more because of what she and Nikolas did. He says, because of what Nikolas did, and she says, there’s going to be a ripple effect. If he stands by her, he’s going to get caught in the crossfire.

Ava leads everyone back into Windymere, and Dante says, just to go over this again, the last time she saw Nikolas was the night of February 13^th. He shows up, they argue, he takes off around 7:30. Bennett says, he then goes to the tack room to pick something up before skipping town, and Dante asks if Ava knows what Nikolas was looking for. She says, no. She never uses that room. Dante says, Nikolas gave her the impression he was leaving Port Charles? and she says, yes. Bennett says, then it stands to reason that whatever he retrieved, it was necessary for him to get out of Dodge. Dante says, he’d moved out all of his stuff. Why would he be looking for anything here? Why not go to the place where he was staying? This is kind of stupid, since the Cassadines could have gold ingots or something buried all over the island. Ava asks if Dante is sure he didn’t, but Dante says, they have this as his last known location. Bennett suggests Nikolas met up with someone who helped him get off the island, and Dante says, Victor, and asks Ava if she knows where Victor is, but Ava says, no. Bennett asks if Nikolas told her how he was leaving or said where he was going, and Ava says, they had an argument. He said something about being done with her and being done with Port Charles. He didn’t say anything about a destination, and as to how, Nikolas had resources she knew nothing about. Dante says he doesn’t believe that for a second, but Ava says, it’s true. There was a time she and Nikolas shared everything, but once their marriage deteriorated, he kept her out of the loop. Clearly. Dante asks if Bennett has any more questions, but Bennett says, not at the moment. Dante thanks Ava for her time, and she says she’ll walk them out. In the foyer, Bennett’s phone rings, and he says, it’s the station. He’ll meet Dante outside. He leaves, and Dante tells Ava, actually, he doesn’t think they’re quite through here. She says she told him everything, but he says, they both know that’s not true. He knows she’s trying to hide it, but facing Ryan Chamberlain would have rattled anyone, even her. She says she’s certainly had better nights, and he says he’s not just talking about last night. Ryan’s had his sites on her for years, and put her through hell. It sticks with a person. She says, his point? and he says, nobody would blame her if she wanted to get some help. She tells him to be careful. He’s starting to sound like he gives a damn. He says, she’s his sister’s mother, and she went above and beyond to help them with The Hook investigation. She says, they were on the right track; they just couldn’t put the pieces together. Heather Webber? He says he’s glad she got out of there unscathed, and she says, physically. He says, that’s what he’s talking about. There’s people who have been through what she’s been through. He has resources, and can put her in touch. She thanks him, and says, it’s kind of him to look out for her, but he says he doubts she’s going to take him up on it. She says she’ll keep it in mind, and he says, fair enough. The upside is that she doesn’t have to go around looking over her shoulder anymore. The darkness is dead and buried. He leaves, and she quickly shuts the door.

Finn says, it won’t be as bad as Elizabeth thinks. Just because Obrecht reacted one way doesn’t mean everybody will be as unforgiving. She says she’s just trying to be realistic. People are going to have some strong, negative feelings toward her. He says, that’s just because they don’t know the whole story, and she says, he’d be smart to keep his distance. He says, since when has he been smart? and she says she doesn’t want him ending up as collateral damage for the things she’s done. He says, she should know by now that he doesn’t care what people think about him. She stuck by him through the whole Peter August ordeal. It’s his turn to stick by her.

Scotty tries to take Obrecht’s hand, but she shakes him off and asks, how soon can she get the physical? TJ says he’ll make the arrangements now, and Nina thanks him. He says he’s just doing his job, and she says, he knows what she means; given their history. He tells her, let’s just get Willow well, and leaves. Nina asks how she can ever thank Obrecht, and Obrecht says, she won’t; Willow’s family. Nina says, the way Obrecht is stepping up for them is the definition of selflessness. She’s so grateful. Obrecht says she’d do anything for Nina and theirs, and they hug. Obrecht tells her, go on. She knows what comes next. Nina runs out, and Scotty says, Britt would be so happy that Obrecht is going to save Willow, but Obrecht says, don’t dare talk to her about her daughter. He helped Elizabeth get away with murder. As far as she’s concerned, Britta’s blood is now on his hands as well.

Michael says, they should be sending out birth announcements, or preparing for kindergarten orientation. They should be looking forward to their life, not the end of it. Carly says she’s so sorry, but he still has some time with Willow. It may not look like he pictured, but it can still be rich and full of love. He says, it has to be, and Josslyn says, it already is. She sees how he is with Willow, Wiley, and Amelia; he’s amazing. He says he wishes he could do more… There is something he could do for Willow. Josslyn says, don’t leave them in suspense, when his phone rings, and he says, it’s Nina.

Dex asks if he can take a picture of some of the recipe cards, and Sonny says, Gloria would be thrilled to know people are still making her food. She used to tell him, food is to be shared. Forget that top secret recipe nonsense. Dex says, Sonny was lucky to have someone like her in his life, and Sonny says, doesn’t he know it. Frank comes in, and says, Sonny wanted to see him? Sonny says he has an update on Pikeman.

Scotty says, Obrecht is making this more complicated than it actually is, and she says, did he or did he not strike a deal so Elizabeth wouldn’t face charges for her role in Britta’s death? He says, Elizabeth got caught up in a big mess, and Obrecht says, at which point, she should have gone to the authorities. If Elizabeth had, her daughter wouldn’t be… He says, if she had, there was no evidence to lead the cops to Heather Webber. He hates to say this, but there was no way to save Britt. Obrecht says, Elizabeth isn’t his daughter, but he says, she kinda is. She says, Britta was hers, and now she’s dead. Elizabeth could have stopped it, but she walks free because of him. He says, Liesl… but she says she doesn’t want to hear excuses. Leave her alone. She turns her back to him, and he leaves.

Willow comes downstairs, and sees Michael, Carly, and Josslyn in a huddle. She asks, what’s wrong? and Michael says, nothing. For the first time in a very, very long time, everything is right. She has a match; confirmed from a cheek swab and a blood test. She says, oh my God. I have a match? He says, you have a match, and they hug.

Sonny tells Frank, let’s go into my office. He tells Dex, thanks for dinner. He can clean up, and then go. Dex says, but Sonny told him that he had an update on Pikeman, and Sonny says, he does. Dex says he thought he was in on it, and Sonny says, he was. He goes into his office with Frank, and tells Frank, close the door. Dex looks confused and a little panicked.

Austin says, what the hell was that? Ava told him that Nikolas was dead. She says, he was dead, and he asks if she took his pulse. She says, of course (🍷) she took his pulse, and he says, one time, they told him in medical school that a dead body doesn’t just get up and walk away. She says she’s sure she was in shock, but she can tell him one thing for certain – Nikolas’s heart was not beating. She’s sure of it. Austin says, then where the hell is he?

We see hospital machines, and on the phone, Mason says, it’s him. Do they want an update?… He’s stable. On life support. We see Nikolas in a hospital bed, hooked up to the machines, and Mason says, Sleeping Beauty’s got everything he needs right here.

Tomorrow, Gregory congratulates Alexis on the scoop of the year; Robert tells Diane, it’s an expression of his gratitude; and Chase says he wants to be the one to take him down.

Vanderpump Rules

Scheana made Katie’s pain about her, and Katie bitched to Ariana about Scheana telling Schwartz her business. In Katie’s interview, she said she’d been careful not to dip into the friend group for flirting or hooking up. A producer asked why, and she said, because she’s not an a-hole. She and Schwartz had been a package deal for so long, she was worried people would draw lines and choose sides, and they’d choose Schwartz. DJ James told everyone at the Canyon Club – which I thought looked more like a food court than a club – to make some noise. Raquel and Ally went outside, and Raquel said James had told her about hooking up with Lala when they’d been together. Ally said she knew about it, and it made her sick. Raquel asked if Ally was okay with James having kept it secret and that he was still friends with Lala, and Ally said when James told that he was drinking again, she got worried. In Ally’s interview, she said she thought Raquel was just looking out for her, but how many talks were they going to have about James? They talked about James’s charm, another guy where I just don’t see it. Sandoval was about to go on with the Most Extras, and in his interview, he said, the adrenaline was spiking. Just f***ing do it. I was not feeling the first number at all, then James called Ally Bubba, and I got confused. Ally said, Raquel told her to be careful, and James said it pissed him off. It wasn’t okay, and he was going to warn Raquel’s next boyfriend that she didn’t s*ck d*ck. Ally was like, let’s not talk about it and just dance. Sandoval then did a rendition of Jesse’s Girl, changing it to Schwartz’s Mom, and it was actually pretty funny. He also kept flashing a 1982 picture of Schwartz’s mom that he’d stolen and taken on tour. Schwartz said it was a dubious honor, and Sandoval had a good heart, but there were some sexual overtones. During her interview, Raquel was shown doing nothing but drinking heavily, and I wasn’t sure what that was about, but then at the bar in the club, Raquel asked Schwartz to make out, so maybe that was a real time sequence.  

In Schwartz’s interview, he said he was flattered, since Raquel was hot, and part of him wanted to get into a tongue-locked embrace with her, since he is single. But he was like, no thank you, and Raquel said she liked Katie, but it wasn’t like they were close. He told her that Katie would be upset, since apparently, she’d forgotten that Schwartz and Katie were very close five minutes ago.

Sandoval visited Schwartz, and said his brothers were in town. They’d planned a party at Schwartz & Sandy’s, thinking it would be open by then. In Sandoval’s interview, he said, it would be smart to save the money by not having the party, but his parents had invested a quarter million in the bar, so they were doing it. Scheana came by to see if Schwartz had made any progress with his new place. She’d sent him some links, and said he needed to tidy up. Sandoval said, Schwartz needed to get his mojo back, like he ever had any. They make a list of what he needed, and in his interview, Schwartz said he knew he was still in there, but he was down to a pilot light and wanted to be a roaring fire. I don’t see that as ever happening. He told Sandoval and Scheana that he and Katie had an agreement not to date friends. He wasn’t even supposed to be hanging out with them. Scheana again managed to make it about herself and got all weepy over Katie calling her a troll, like she hasn’t been called worse things. She said if there was picking sides, she’d pick sides. Meanwhile at SUR, Charli was back from the Hamptons. I guess she’s too young and/or sane to be on Summer House. She added that she’d spent $400 on dessert when she was super drunk, so I’m going with too young. Unless the dessert involved an entire bottle of a one-of-a-kind vintage bourbon. Raquel told Charli about Sandoval’s concert, and said, at the end of the night, James had an argument with Ally and had to be escorted out. We saw a clip, but it was kind of vague, and Raquel said she was sure it had something to do with the conversation she’d had with Ally. Charli told Raquel that it wasn’t her place to discuss Lala with Ally, and the needle started going back to sane. Because she couldn’t let it go and we’re 15, Raquel asked Charli’s thoughts on her making out with Schwartz. Charli said, it would probably be weird, and in Raquel’s interview, she said she thought she had a crush on Schwartz. He was always happy to see her. Charli asked how Raquel would feel if she made out with James, and Raquel said, weird, but you do you. In her interview, Raquel said, Scheana had put the idea in her head, but it had grown on her like a fungus. Charli said, people would call her a homewrecker, but Raquel said, there was no home to wreck.

The Toms met with Greg, and Sandoval told him that they were having a friends and family party tonight. Manager Matt had been let go for drinking on the job, and Greg said, his people knew not to drink on the job. When they’d had the Daily Mail event, it seemed like the atmosphere of a party for everybody, but he chose not to have some of them come back. They needed to make sure they were focused on actually opening. Schwartz said they’d been thinking August 26^th, a month from now, and Greg suggested they give him a heads up when they form an idea and not tell him later. In Sandoval’s interview, he said, everything they’d suggested about opening in the past few months, Greg had vetoed. They were paying $25K a month in rent. Greg said, they weren’t finished. They had a long lease, and a lot of money to pay back. They had to do what it took to make it work, and he had no time for bullsh*t. Lisa met James at a tea shop, where they had – no surprise – a pot of tea. Lisa said she’d been hearing things, and we saw a clip of Raquel telling Lisa that James had to be escorted out after Sandoval’s concert. James said, it was interesting bringing alcohol back into his life, which I guess is one word for it. Lisa wondered why he did, since he’d been doing so well, and in James’s interview, he said he wanted to get back out there, but hadn’t been on a date in years. He felt like an older, more mature guy now. He told Lisa that he was in love with Ally, and Lisa reminded him that just yesterday, he’d said Raquel was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Now he was saying the same thing about Ally. James said he’d always been emotional, like we didn’t know that, and Lisa said he’d been heartbroken and devastated after the break-up. We flashed back to James weeping at the Reunion, and James started to cry in the tea shop, saying, it’s a lot. In Lisa’s interview, she said she didn’t think James wanted anyone to know how badly he’d been hurt by Raquel dumping him. He wanted to be the dumper, not the dumpee. James said he loved his life, and Lisa asked, but can he manage it?

Before the party, the Toms took a breath together. These two could give the Extreme Sisters a run for their money. Sandoval said, Schwartz & Sandy’s, night two; let’s go! The family and friends were all impressed, as Peruvian tuna ceviche was served. Katie brought friend Kristina Kelly as her plus one, and in Katie’s interview, she said, they’d just traveled to Rome for their friend’s wedding. In Ariana’s interview, she said, Katie bringing Kristina felt obvious. Sandoval’s mom said, it was unbelievable, and in his interview, Sandoval said, she was a retired firefighter. It was important for him to show her that he could follow through with what he planned. Most of the VanderGroup showed, except for Lala, who was sick, and James, who had a See You Next Tuesday gig. Kristina said, Scheana was making Katie’s divorce messy, and Katie said, if Schwartz wanted to hook up with one of the friend group, she would run a train through his restaurant. Ariana laughed like this was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Katie suggested a girls trip to Vegas, and driving to Havasu afterward and renting a house on the lake, but she wasn’t inviting Scheana.

Schwartz told Katie that Sandoval’s family was all there, but she was his only family in L.A. Katie said she was upset about Scheana’s meddling, but Schwartz said, Katie was setting boundaries that didn’t exist. Katie said, him being with Raquel would make her uncomfortable. People kept interrupting to congratulate Schwartz, causing him to lose focus in the conversation. Katie said she was going home, and Schwartz said he’d prefer it if she left. In his interview, he said, Katie had forced him to choose a lot during the relationship, but they weren’t married anymore, so it wasn’t his problem anymore.

Ariana met Raquel and Katie for wine and cheese, and Katie said she thought they should rage responsibly in Vegas, and she wasn’t inviting Scheana. Raquel said she had a confession to make, and told Katie about asking Schwartz if he wanted to make out. In Raquel’s interview, she said, Katie was going to find out eventually, and she’d rather Katie hear it for her before the girls trip. She said, Schwartz was respecting Katie’s boundaries, but Katie said, Raquel wasn’t. Raquel said she was sorry, and Ariana said she didn’t know Raquel had it in her. Raquel said she didn’t know who she was anymore, and flipping the script to her liking, Katie asked how much the Schwartz thing had been motivated by Scheana. Raquel said, Scheana put he idea in her head, and Katie said, that’s why Scheana was dead to her. In Katie’s interview, she said, Raquel wasn’t smart enough to think up something that diabolical. She was the human equivalent of cotton candy. Raquel used the excuse that she’d been drinking, and Katie said, it was too much. Her house was about to be sold in three weeks, and it was a lot. She was on the verge of crying, and kept repeating that she just wanted to have fun.

Lisa brought the Toms to the Rose Garden at SUR, and said, the party had been a success, why weren’t they opening? She told them that Greg seemed peeved, and we flashed back to Greg telling Lisa that the Toms know nothing about the business. Sandoval admitted they might have misled Greg about their level of experience, and she asked, who was paying the rent? Sandoval said they were, and she said, but Greg owned the lease. They should have come to her, and she would have told them not to sign it. In Lisa’s interview, she said, Greg had no urgency to open if he wasn’t paying the rent. She thought Greg was an experienced restauranteur, but the boys had more pressure to get the doors open or they’d be in trouble. Sandoval said he wasn’t sleeping, and pacing no his lawn at night, and Schwartz said he was already a cautionary tale with his marriage. He didn’t want to be one with his business. Lisa said maybe they could think of a way to open where Greg wasn’t involved.

Next time, The girls trip; a Schwartz piñata; Ken suggests buying Greg out; James’s mom asks if it’s wise that he’s drinking again; Raquel meets Garcelle’s son Oliver; and Lala says it would be no contest between her and Raquel.

🧊 Picking It Up Like It’s Cold…

Time for tea tomorrow, along with the usual soap, and some awards talk. Until then, stay safe, stay never mistaking kindness for weakness, and stay forgetting that top secret recipe nonsense. Food is to be shared.