Monthly Archives: August 2023

Aug31

August 30, 2023 – Gladys Begs Nina For Help, Did He Or Didn’t He, Nasty In Miami, Keep On Strummin’ & Moon

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Tracy says she’s here to make her legal claim to The Deceptor, and Lucy laughs, saying, she actually thinks she has a legal claim to The Deceptor? Maxie says, Lucy created it, so that’s not possible, and Lucy says, she’s trying to steal their product. Why? There’s no motivation. Is this about some ancient feud they had… Wait a second… It can’t be. This is about her relationship with Tracy’s brother? Rest in peace. Tracy says, her relationship? Do not try to gloss it over. She had a cheap and tawdry affair with Alan while he was married to Monica. Lucy says, so this is a sort of morality lesson? Who is Tracy to talk to her about that? Does Tracy realize how many mob bosses and con artists she’s been married to? It goes from A to W, Larry Ashton to Mitch Williams. There’s more too, in between. Maxie says, as much fun as this stroll down Memory Lane has been, can they focus on the here and now, and figure out how to get this bogus case thrown out? The bailiff says, all rise. The honorable Judge Kerr is presiding. The judge comes in.

In the hospital elevator, Sam says she can’t believe she let Cody convince her into helping him with this plan. It’s crazy, right? A clean-shaven Cody says, that’s why he’s counting on it; they’ll think he’s crazy. She says she has to admit his loyalty to Sasha is admirable, but he does know this plan could go sideways in a million different directions. And if they’re drugging Sasha, what if that happens to him too? He says, this is the only way he can see Sasha to help her out. They get out of the elevator.

Dante goes to Ferncliff, and introduces himself at the desk. He says he’d like to ask Sasha Gilmore some questions about her involvement in the stabbing at the MetroCourt pool.

Gladys comes back into Nina’s office and says she lied. She does have a gambling problem; she was truthful about that. And she does have a huge debt because of gambling, but that’s not why she needs the $50,000. She needs it because the doctor who’s treating Sasha at Ferncliff won’t let her out until she pays him. Nina says, what doctor? How is she supposed to believe anything Gladys tells her? Gladys comes in here and tells her that she needs $50,000 to cover her gambling debt, and now Gladys is telling her that money isn’t for her gambling debt. She needs it to get Sasha out of Ferncliff. How is that even possible? What kind of doctor would prevent her from getting out? Gladys says, it’s complicated, and Nina says, of course (🍷) it is. But Gladys had better find a way to simplify it, because there’s no way she’s giving Gladys any money. Who is this doctor? Gladys says, under the heading of small world, he’s one of the people she plays poker with, and Nina says, Gladys’s poker buddy just happens to be her daughter-in-law’s doctor. Gladys says she thought he was a friend, but he’s turned on her and Sasha. He found an opportunity to squeeze money out of them, and he’s holding Sasha until he gets his money.

In the doorway of his office, Selina tells Sonny that his bodyguard said she could come in, and he asks what he can do for her. She says she appreciates him seeing her when they haven’t previously scheduled a meeting, and closes the door. He says he doesn’t see her as someone who drops by just for idle chit-chat. His time is important, her time is important… She says, correct, and he says, so if she came to his office, it must be important. She says, it is. Unfortunately, she has an unwelcome update for him. The poker game that’s been running in the backroom at The Savoy is dead, unless he steps in and saves it.

Jack tells the judge, they’re here today to substantiate the plaintiff’s claim of theft of intellectual property. They have verifiable proof, including blueprints and schematics of the original design in question. Maxie tells Lucy, that is not possible, and Jack says, along with witness testimony that will back his client’s claim. And they have expert witnesses in the cosmetics industry who will testify as to the incredible similarity between the Deception product and his client’s original idea. They contend they have very strong proof to mount a strong case, and are going to be suing for damages. The judge thanks him and asks, what is Elise’s response? Elise says, the defense acknowledges the plaintiff’s allegations, but this so-called verifiable evidence hasn’t been seen by her or her clients. This case is the very definition of a frivolous lawsuit. Clearly the plaintiff has one goal; to coerce a financial settlement to stave off the annoyance of a prolonged, pricey court trial. She moves that this case should be dismissed. Judge Kerr asks Jack and Elise to approach the bench, and asks to see the evidence.

Dante is about to go into Sasha’s room, when Janice asks if she can help him. He says he’s a detective with the PCPD. He’s here to talk to Sasha Gilmore about the stabbing at the MetroCourt pool; follow-up questions. She says, on the good news front, Sasha hasn’t been violent around here. She spends most of her time sleeping. The bad news is, she found someone here at Ferncliff to smuggle in illegal drugs. He says, really? and she says, they don’t know who’s doing it, but they’re putting a stop to it. Sasha really does have the best doctor, but because she’s been using illegal drugs, she’s set back her own recovery. Dante says he’d still like to talk to her if that’s okay, and Janice says, that room right there, if she’s awake. She leaves, and Dante goes inside, closing the door. He tries to wake Sasha, but has no luck.

A doctor says, so Sam has medical power of attorney for Cody, and she says she does. Cody says he certainly wouldn’t have made this appointment if he were calling the shots. He thinks this whole thing’s stupid. Sam says, it’s little outbursts like that. That’s why they’re here. Cody’s been a really close friend of the family for a long time, and he’s just acting out of character lately. He’s very erratic. It’s like he’s putting himself in dangerous situations on purpose. The doctor says, like what? Does she have examples? She says, he walks in traffic, whether there’s a walk sign or not, and the doctor says, a lot of people don’t wait for the proper light to change. Has she ever been to New York City? (Ha-ha! I was thinking that before he said it.) She says she has, but this isn’t about Cody just being an aggressive walker. It’s almost like he’s pushing the boundaries. The other day, she was in his apartment, and it’s on the 7th floor. She turned around for a second, and he was climbing out the window – on the ledge, and it’s a very narrow ledge. The doctor asks if Cody wants to say something for himself. Is he having a difficult time? Cody says he really doesn’t want to be here now, and the doctor says, here in his office or in the hospital in general? Cody says, no. He doesn’t want to be on this planet anymore. What’s the point?

Nina asks, what makes this man think he can extort money from Gladys when she doesn’t have any? and Gladys says, through Sasha. He knows she has access to Sasha’s accounts. He wants her to use Sasha’s money to pay him off. Nina says, why don’t they just go to the head of the hospital? Or they could go to the cops. Gladys says she’s afraid of the impact that would have on Sasha. The cops would think they were getting her out of Ferncliff so Sasha could claim she just had a bad day when she stabbed Cody. Nina says, and they would still charge her with attempted murder, and Gladys says, she wasn’t herself that day. Between the strain of the interview and psycho Cody Bell, it was all too much and Sasha just cracked. Nina says, Sasha was fine. Something else must have been going on.

Sonny tells Selina, since Curtis was shot, he knows Curtis can’t run The Savoy on a day-to-day basis, but he’s got a great staff. They’re going to be able to keep the lights on until he comes back. She says, maybe. If that was what was happening. But instead, Curtis’s father Marshall stepped in, and he doesn’t know anything about running a successful nightclub. The first thing he did was ban the backroom poker game. She was hoping Sonny could have a word with him. Explain the situation. Let him know the poker game is good for The Savoy. Sonny tells her that he’s not going to say anything to Marshall, and neither is she. Marshall’s going through some health issues right now that he knows all too well. His son is paralyzed. So if he wants to shut down the poker game at The Savoy, that’s the end of that story. And Sonny is going to be very unhappy if he gets reports that she’s interfering with Marshall or Curtis.

Selina says, her deepest apologies. It wasn’t her intention to offend Sonny. He says, maybe not, but she did. He’s very protective of Curtis and his dad. She says, what happened to Curtis is tragic. From what she read in The Invader, the police don’t believe he was the intended victim. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, that being said, the future of The Savoy is in doubt, with or without the backroom poker game. Sonny says, maybe, maybe not, but that’s up to Curtis and his family to decide. He’s never asked her about her dealings with Curtis, and he’s not asking her now. What he’s saying is, do not pressure Curtis and his family. Selina says, her? Pressure anyone? That’s really not her style. He says, do not play naïve with me. He knows her better than that.

Gladys tells Nina, all she knows is, Sasha met with the doctor and he told her that she was improving. Then he must have started messing with her head. Nina asks if Gladys is saying this doctor is playing mind games and messing with Sasha’s medication, and Gladys says, she doesn’t know. Probably. Nina says, why? Maybe to slow down her progress and recovery, so Gladys would remain her guardian and could pay him from Sasha’s bank account? Gladys says she believes that was his plan, and Nina asks, what did he do to mess with Sasha’s head? What did this doctor do?

Sam stops at the reception desk with some coffee, checking out the temperature, then turns around and spills it all over Montague and the phone he’s holding. She says she’s so sorry.

The doctor says he asked Cody’s friend to give them some privacy because he wants Cody to feel 100% comfortable. Cody gives an OK sign, and the doctor says, Cody can tell him anything. Plus, he has to ask; is Cody having suicidal thoughts? Cody says he wouldn’t go that far. More like… suicidal impulses. The doctor says he’s not sure he knows the difference, and Cody says he thinks if someone is having suicidal thoughts, they’d be more proactive. Like, they’d go online to research how long do I have to leave my car running in a closed garage before it kills me, or how many pills can I take of whatever drug before it kills me? He laughs, and the doctor says, and he’s not having those thoughts. Cody says, no, and the doctor asks how he defines suicidal impulse. Cody gets up and says, it’s kind of like what Sam said. Like crossing the street when he doesn’t have a walk sign. It’s not like he planned it out. He was just sitting at a street corner, and the sign said don’t walk. All of a sudden, this thought flashed in his brain. It was like, what would happen if you did walk? What are the actual chances of a car hitting you? So he walked in traffic. But he didn’t get hit by a car; he just kept walking. It’s not like he stayed in the intersection just crossing until a car hit him. The doctor says, when he walked against the don’t walk signal, how did it make him feel? and Cody says he guesses a little high from it, the adrenaline rush from beating the system. What’s that old phrase? The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. It was like that. When you get high, you’ve got to do something bigger to feel it again. It would be nice if that was the only reason he went out the window on his ledge because that was way riskier. The doctor asks how that made him feel, and Cody says, and Cody says, like the closer to death, the higher the high. And sometimes, maybe it would be way better to just go for it. Forgive me, but I have to say it, isn’t Ferncliff for the criminally insane? How would he even apply?

Elise says, whatever evidence Mr. Montgomery is introducing to the judge, she’s had little opportunity to review. Judge Kerr – who looks a lot like a young Gene Simmons – says, this isn’t a trial, just a preliminary hearing for him to consider the merits of this potential case. if it goes to trial, she’ll have plenty of time to examine the plaintiff’s evidence. They go back to their seats, and Tracy and Brook look at one another across the aisle.

Glady says she doesn’t know exactly what the doctor’s doing, and Nina says, they have to get Sasha out of there. Anyone who would use a human being to extort money (as opposed to…?) needs to be stopped. Give her his number. Gladys says she can’t, and Nina says, get this doctor on the phone right now. Gladys digs in her purse for her phone.

Sam dabs at Montague’s phone with a napkin, saying, she’s so sorry, and he laughs. She says she’s usually not this clutzy, and he says, that’s all right, really. He was due for an upgrade on his phone anyway, so she might have actually done him a favor. His phone rings, and Sam says, Gladys. That’s an unusual name.

The doctor tells Cody, as a medical professional, if he thinks someone is suicidal, he’s obligated to take certain actions. Cody says he doesn’t care. He’s not afraid. He’s never been afraid. The doctor asks if Cody can understand why his family friend, Miss McCall, has his power of attorney. She was worried enough about him to schedule this appointment and have him evaluated. Cody says, Sam likes to worry, and the doctor says, perhaps. The more important question is, in this instance, does she have a reason to be worried? Cody says he used to make a living as a stuntman. He’s jumped off horses, he’s jumped out of a speeding car. He’s jumped off of pretty much everything, but his specialty was skydiving, from planes. Sometimes, when he’d be getting ready to jump out of a plane, he’d wonder if he had the guts to jump and not pull his chute. Because then he wouldn’t have to struggle anymore, and he wouldn’t have to think about anything ever again. He wouldn’t have to worry about anything ever again. Everything would just be quiet. Everything would just be over. He bows his head and cries.

Selina says she hears what Sonny is saying. He found her answers lacking, and she wants to make up for it. He says he thinks he made himself clear at this point. She needs to be transparent. He wants to know where she goes for business, who she’s doing business with. If there’s any outside players coming into Port Charles doing business with her, he needs to know that. She says, no one has reached out to her; she promises him that. And if anybody does, he’ll be the first person to know. He laughs and says he’s surprised to hear her say that, and she asks, why is that? He says, because she’s sharp, she’s a smart businesswoman, and usually smart businesswomen have something to fall back on; a deal on the side.

Judge Kerr says, from what he’s seen, there’s enough evidence to justify a trial. Jack and Tracy high-five, and the judge says, they’ll allow a discovery period and the trial may proceed. He set the trial date at six months from today. He bangs the gavel, and the bailiff says, all rise. The judge leaves, and Lucy says, six months. What just happened? Elise says she can’t answer that question until she examines the evidence Jackson submitted. Lucy says, doesn’t she understand? They’ll be ruined. Deception will be ruined. Brook looks guilty, as she should.

Sonny’s phone rings, and Sonny says, send him in. Selina asks if that means their conversation is over, and Sonny says he doesn’t think she has anything else to tell him, so yeah, it’s over. She knows where to find him. Dante walks in and says, hey… Sorry. He didn’t know he was interrupting. He can wait out in the restaurant for Sonny. Sonny says, don’t worry about it. He and Miss Wu were just having a conversation. Now they’re not. Selina says, until next time, and Sonny nods. Selina gets up and says she hopes Dante finds who is responsible for shooting Curtis Ashford. What happened to him is such a tragedy. Dante says, it’s safe to say, everyone at the PD is anxious to crack that one, and she tells him, good luck. She leaves, and Dante closes the door. He says, Gabe told him that Sonny was in a meeting. He didn’t know someone was actually in the room with Sonny, and that it was Selina Wu. He doesn’t suppose Sonny wants to tell him what they were discussing.

Gladys tells Nina, he’s not answering. She’ll call back in a few minutes. Nina says she’s going to call Sonny, but Gladys says, please don’t. What does she have to do to convince Nina? This is the only way. Pay the monster off, and they get their girl back. The last time she saw Sasha, she was in very bad shape. It took Sasha a long time to even recognize her. For a second, she thought Sasha was doing better until Sasha asked if Brando was with her. So please. She knows how much Nina cares about Sasha. Nina has to give her the money. Nina says, this is crazy. This doctor needs to be stopped. She’s going to talk to Sonny. She heads for the door, but Gladys grabs her arm and says, she’ll do no such thing.

Sam says, again, she’s so sorry for spilling her coffee and making Montague miss his call. He says, not a problem, and she hands him his phone. He says, if she doesn’t mind him asking, what brings her to the hospital? She says, a friend of hers is here for a visit, and she thought she’d stay and wait. He says, that’s nice of her, and she says she just wishes she would have brought a deck of cards or something. She gets so bored just waiting around. He says, cards? What’s her game of choice? She says, poker, and he says, she can always play poker on her phone. She says she tried that, but she didn’t like it. She likes the actual feeling of the cards in her hands. He says, so does he. He plays in this regular game; it’s kind of fun. And if you’re a good player, you might actually win some good money. He knows business cards are out of fashion, but he isn’t the kind of guy who likes to put his entire life on his phone. Someone might spill coffee on it. Here’s his card – she takes it out of his hand – it has his cellphone and email. Drop him a line and he’ll get her into that game. She thanks him, and he says, it’s nice meeting her. She says, him too, and he leaves. A nurse asks if Sam isn’t Cody Bell’s health proxy, and Sam says she is. The nurse says, Dr. Brooks is ready to speak to her about her friend. Oh, so now I get a name.

Jack tells Tracy, that went about as well as they could have hoped for. Is she happy? She says she’s practically giddy, and he says, good. They still have a lot of work ahead of them, but they’re off to a great start. Brook stares daggers at Tracy, and Maxie tells her, all they have to do is wait for Elise to go through all of Tracy’s evidence. Hopefully once she’s done that, she can convince the judge the evidence is fake and get the lawsuit dropped. Right? Brook says, yeah. Elise is an excellent attorney, and she’s sure Elise will come up with a plan after she’s seen all the evidence.

Elise tells Lucy, no one is more shocked about this evidence than her. When they walked into court today, they assumed this case had no merit because it was fraud. Once she gets her hands on this so-called evidence, she can make a plan for their next step. Lucy says, what about The Deceptor? Six months is a long time. They can keep selling it, right? Elise says she’s afraid not. Since Judge Kerr believes this lawsuit has merit, they have to freeze all sales on The Deceptor. Lucy says, they can’t do that. If they can’t sell The Deceptor, Deception’s not going to last. They don’t even know what the outcome of this trial is going to be. Her company’s stock is tanking. If they have to adhere to this… They can’t do it. Elise doesn’t understand. She really believes Deception will go bankrupt. Tracy walks over, and Lucy asks if Tracy can let her know what sort of evidence she was able to dummy up to make believable so the judge was fooled. To her this seems like malicious harassment. Tracy says, she’s wrong. There’s nothing malicious about this lawsuit and there’s no harassment. As usual, Lucy is the architect of her own disaster. Lucy asks what that means, and Tracy says, it means Lucy’s uncanny ability to attract scandal like a magnet. Remember Coco Cosmetics? Basically a Ponzi scheme, and now intellectual property theft of The Deceptor. So she’s happy to tell Lucy that this can all be resolved quickly and quietly. Lucy says, meaning? and Tracy says, meaning the lawsuit can all go away; no trial, no nasty publicity. Lucy says, does Tracy want to just tell her? Just say it. What does Tracy want from her? Tracy says, 75% of Deception. Lucy balks, but Tracy says, 25% is better than nothing if Lucy loses the suit, and she leaves.

Jack ducks out, and Brook says she really needs to talk to her grandmother. In the hallway, Jack asks what Tracy is still doing here. He thought she said she had a meeting to get to. Busy on her phone, she says she does. She just wants to send this email first. He says, that better not be her continuing to search for some local attorney to handle it, and she says, not after the bang-up job he did today. No need, friend. He says, good to hear. It’s too bad the judge set the trial date at six months. He was taking a real liking to that pool at the MetroCourt. He tells her, have a wonderful day, and leaves. Brook storms over, stares at Tracy a moment, then keeps going. Tracy says, yep. Knew that was coming.

Elise says, if the judge seemed to think there was enough evidence to go to trial, that means Miss Quartermaine must have plenty of documents on the development of The Deceptor. How would Tracy even be able to get her hands on such proprietary material? Lucy looks at Maxie.

Sonny asks Dante, what part of his business life do they usually talk about? and Dante says, when he was undercover working for Sonny, Sonny told him all kinds of stuff. Now he just talks about coffee importing. Sonny says, Selina wasn’t here talking about coffee, and Dante says, okay. He guesses he won’t ask any more questions about that then. Sonny says, Dante’s always been very smart, and Dante says he has. He’s not here to argue with Sonny or talk about Selina Wu. Sonny asks, what brings him by? and Dante says, Sasha. Sonny asks, what happened? and Dante says, Sonny cares about her, and the news isn’t good.

Janice is taking Sasha’s pulse, when Sasha suddenly grabs her arm. Sasha says, please don’t let Dr. Montague near her, and Jancie asks what she’s talking about. Sasha says, this isn’t her. Doesn’t Janice get it? She’s like this because he’s drugging her. She holds on to Janice’s hands.

Nina removes Gladys’s hand, and says, Sonny considers Sasha to be his family. They need to get him involved. Gladys says, no, running in front of her. If they tell Sonny that her gambling debts are a small reason why Sasha’s in so much trouble, does Nina know what he’ll do to her? At best, he’ll send her packing from Port Charles, and she doesn’t even want to think about the worst things he would do. And plus, Sonny is powerful, but he doesn’t have a magic wand. He can’t snap his fingers and get her out of Ferncliff. She’s there under a doctor’s orders. Nina says, Sonny is a very, very persuasive man. She wants Gladys to stop evading, and she wants Gladys to tell her this doctor’s name. Gladys says she’s not telling Nina that, and Nina says, Gladys is telling her this man is hurting Sasha and Gladys won’t even tell her his name? How does she even know what Gladys is telling her is true? She could be making this entire story up so she can pay her gambling debts. Is her life being threatened because she owes this money? Gladys says she’s not making this up. Sasha is genuinely in trouble. But if she tells Nina the doctor’s name, the first thing Nina is going to do is tell Sonny, and she knows how Sonny operates. First, the doctor will mysteriously disappear. Then Sasha will be at the mercy of whoever’s been helping him. She doesn’t even know who all is involved in this scheme. It could take months for them to get Sasha out of Ferncliff. They might lose her before that. Please. Nina has to believe her. Gladys’s phone rings, and Nina says, you answer that call. Gladys looks at her phone, sees it’s Selina, and tosses the phone back in her bag.

Selina leaves a voicemail for Gladys, and says, Gladys should know by now, it’s never a smart decision to ignore to ignore her calls. Gladys’s account is now past due. She expects payment in full by the end of the day.

Lucy tells Maxie that Elise will read through everything Tracy has presented, but didn’t it seem like the way the judge reacted, they already had all their research, all their development? How could that happen? How? They’ll talk to Spinelli; they’ll find out. Maybe in this crazy world there’s some software so an outsider could spy on their most secret part of The Deceptor. Maxie says, what if it wasn’t an outside job? and Lucy asks what she means. Maxie says, what if it was an inside job? Lucy says, Gladys? She doesn’t have… Maxie says she’s not talking about Gladys, Lucy says, okay, who? and Maxie says, Brook. Doesn’t Lucy remember when she confessed to downloading all of The Deceptor information onto a flashdrive for some social media campaign? Lucy says, she’s right. Brook loaded all of the secrets of The Deceptor onto that drive. They flash back to Brook acting like it was an honest mistake, and Lucy says, she took that flashdrive home with her. Maxie says she knows it has to be Brook, but it doesn’t sound like something she would do. And she trusts Brook with her life. Lucy says she knows. It doesn’t sound like something Brook would do, unless her unscrupulous grandmother was holding something over her head. Elise says, ladies, if you want their mole, look no further. It’s obvious Brook has been working behind the scenes with Tracy.

Dante tells Sonny, seeing Sasha like that was tough. She was completely out of it. Apparently… The nurse said someone was smuggling in illegal drugs for her. Sonny says, that sounds bad; that’s not a good thing. She’s Brando’s widow and he considers her family. Look at everything she’s been through. He knows with his own bi-polar that if you’ve got mental health issues, you could crash at any time. You don’t need a reason. But he talked to Sasha just before she had her breakdown, and she seemed good. So if somebody triggered… He’s going to call… He reaches for his phone, but Dante says, stop. He knows Sonny’s gonna do what he’s gonna do. He understands, but let him do what he’s gotta do. He’ll make some calls and let Sonny know what he finds out.

Gladys says, the quickest, cleanest way to end this is for Nina to give her the money to give to Sasha’s doctor. Once he has the money, he will let Sasha be released from Ferncliff. Isn’t that what matters most? Bringing Sasha home? Nina says, Sonny’s dealing with so much. He shouldn’t have to worry about the disaster Gladys created for Sasha, if any of this is even true. Gladys says, it’s true, and Nina says, all right. She’ll give Gladys the money, but it’s for Sasha’s doctor, that’s all. Does Gladys understand her? And if this doctor doesn’t release Sasha, or she’s harmed in any way, she promises Sonny is going to be all over this, and all over Gladys. Gladys says, it’ll work out. She swears. She can’t thank Nina enough. She promises she’ll repay Nina somehow. Nina says she won’t hold her breath.

Sam goes to the Ferncliff reception desk, and says, here’s the paperwork they need, handing the nurse a clipboard. She really hopes her friend can get the help he needs here. Cody is sitting on a bench, and Sam leans over, talking into his ear. She says she thinks his stay at Ferncliff is going to be really good for him. Listen to what the doctors and nurses have to say, okay? He stares straight ahead, and she lowers her voice, saying, and if his plan goes sideways and hurts Sasha, she’ll kill him. She pats him on the shoulder, and an attendant takes him away.

Janice comes out of Sasha’s room, and Montague, who just happens to be coming down the hall, asks how Sasha is doing this afternoon. She says, not very well, and he asks, what’s happened now? Janice says, she’s showing signs of paranoia, and he says, how so? She says, Sasha told her that the doctor was deliberately drugging her. He thanks her for telling him, and says, sadly, Sasha is continuing to deteriorate. Janice asks if there’s anything they can do to help her, and he says, they will. It’s time for drastic measures. Janice leaves, and after making sure she’s gone, Montague goes into Sasha’s room.

Sasha says, please, leave her alone, but he says he’s afraid that’s not possible. He gets close to her face and says, once someone becomes my patient, I’m there with them until the very end.

Tomorrow, Brook tells Chase that she can’t live with Tracy another minute; Olivia asks if Tracy isn’t the slightest bit sorry for what she did; Robert asks what Diane thinks she can do about it now; and Mason says, it’s all going down tonight.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

In her interview, Fancy Pants Heather says, their house is in escrow, but until the buyer removes the contingences, it’s still not a done deal. Josh and Heather Altman come over, and Josh says, it’s the third highest sale in the history of Orange County. He’s  never seen a house like this. He tells Fancy Pants and Terry that they’ll have to be out in three weeks, and Fancy Pants says, their penthouse is a two-bedroom and the kids are coming home for vacation from college. She wonders if they can’t stay in the house. It’s so big, will the new owners even know they’re here? Josh leaves, but comes back immediately, saying, they signed the contract. In Terry’s interview, he says, $55 million isn’t new money. It’s f*** everybody you’ve ever known money. They crack a bottle of 2012 Dom, and Terry says, it’s life changing. They clink glasses.

Taylor calls everyone, inviting them to her fall festival party to celebrate the change of seasons, as best they can in California. She suggests they try not to stab each other with the carving tools. Emily checks out motorcycles and Gina meets her at the dealership. Emily is taking a motorcycle class, and Gina asks if she can’t do something that can kill you less. In Emily’s interview, she says, Shane thinks she’s insane, and a producer asks if he’ll be riding in the sidecar. She says, he is sidecar sized… Gina says Jenn told her that Shannon claimed if it hadn’t been for her getting Gina an attorney for her DUI, Gina’s kids would have gone to CPS. In Emily’s interview, she says, there would have to be a case and due diligence would have to be done. Gina says, Shannon shouldn’t bring her up, period, and Emily thinks Shannon doesn’t like Gina. Gina says, Shannon brings it to a whole other level, and has zero respect for her. She’s finally doing good, and Shannon is on a mission to tear her down. In Gina’s interview, she says, four years ago, she made a mistake. Shannon was a good friend and helped her so much, and lets no one forget it. And every time Shannon brings it up, it gets worse. The next time, Gina is going to be murderer.

Tamra visits Shannon, and in Shannon’s interview, she says, everyone had a comment about her and John’s relationship. She and John discussed it, and he’s not happy, but they’re good. Here’s a thought. If she loves him sooo much and the show is interfering with their relationship, why doesn’t she not be on the show? Shannon tells Tamra that she’s a communicator and John’s an avoider. They’ve never gone on trip where work wasn’t involved, and part of her wonders if he’s really in it. Tamra asks if Shannon thinks he’s afraid to get married, and Shannon says, absolutely, but they don’t talk about it. Still, it’s none of Fancy Pants, Emily, and Gina’s business. In Tamra’s interview, she says, they’ve been together for three years and there’s been no talk of marriage. It’s a huge red flag.

We watch Jenn and Ryan working out, and it makes me nervous that they’re dogs are running around them when they’re using hand weights. I always make sure my space is cleared of dogs when I work out. I’m already afraid I’ll smack myself in the face with a kettlebell. In Ryan’s interview, he says, their relationship is special. Jenn is a 12 out of 10. He wants to be with her in the long term. She’s more than the whole package. He asks Jenn when they’re getting married, and she asks why they need to be married. He says, because it’s her. he wants to be with her all the time. Jenn says, thinking about marrying him is scary. She hates that somebody came between them. Ryan says, that’s not an accurate statement, since they were on a break and didn’t know if they were getting back together. In Jenn’s interview, she says, there were zero rules or parameters, but still, talking about it puts doubt in her. She tells him that she’s concerned about messing with their kids’ lives, and he says he wouldn’t put them in a spot of failure.

Tamra and Eddie are also working out, at their new gym Shredz. Tamra says, they’re the new kids on the block, and it’s been difficult, but everyone has been nice. She tells Eddie that she had lunch with Emily and Fancy Pants, and they like bullying Shannon. She’s not getting Fancy Pants. She makes fun of the supposed paparazzi posts of Fancy Pants and Terry at Disneyland, saying they look staged and Fancy Pants is overcompensating for the rumors of Terry’s cheating. In Tamra’s interview, she says, Heather tends to overreact, and the photos are 100% staged. She’s not an A-list celebrity.

Fancy Pants meets Shannon for lunch, and says, her goal is for them to get in a better place. Shannon says, their previous conversations were less than successful, and we flash back to those. In Shannon’s interview, she says she has no hope of resolving things, but she wants to hear what Fancy Pants has to say, since she violated Shannon’s vault. In Fancy Pants’ interview, she says, there is no vault. Shannon gives everyone the combination. Shannon says she was hurt. Tamra and Emily said they didn’t bring up Shannon’s relationship; Fancy Pants did. Fancy Pants says, when Tamra returned to the show, she’d asked if Fancy Pants was getting calls from Shannon about the relationship. We flash back to that, and Fancy Pants says, it’s never been her goal to talk about Shannon’s relationship. Shannon says she feels like they’re back on the hamster wheel. She has relationship issues like most people have. In her interview, Fancy Pants says she has no idea what to believe. Shannon gives her information privately, so is she supposed to act like she doesn’t know in public? Shannon says, if Fancy Pants is concerned, talk to her, and Fancy Pants says she was never sh*t talking Shannon or stirring things up. If it came out that way, she apologizes. She dabs at her tears, and in her interview, Shannon says, maybe Fancy Pants should put this lunch in her IMDb. Fancy Pants asks where they go from here, and Shannon says she’s the type of person who needs to step away and process.

While Tamra and Jenn are on the way to Taylor’s Pumpkin Party, Teddi calls Tamra. Teddi had done their podcast solo, and tells Tamra that she said something about the photos of Fancy Pants and Terry; you have call the paparazzi in Orange County for them to come out. Tamra says she happens to be on her way to see Fancy Pants.

The setting is gorgeous; a cornfield/pumpkin patch. Taylor says she’s called in a pumpkin carving expert for the event. First, they’re to choose a pumpkin, and Tamra wonders if they should wait for Shannon, who’s late. Gina says she’s always waiting for Shannon, and she’s not in the mood today. They pick out pumpkins, and Emily asks Jenn what Shannon said about Gina and her kids. Gina asks Tamra the same thing, but Tamra insists she didn’t hear it at the time. Jenn just told her in the car. Emily tells Jenn that it would be on another level to bring in CPS, and in her interview, Fancy Pants says, no one is allowed to talk about John and Shannon’s relationship not being the best, but this is okay. Tamra suggests maybe Jenn is twisting things, but in Gina’s interview, she says, if anyone is going to twist things, it’s not Jenn, but Tamra would 100% twist things. Shannon finally arrives when they’re all seated, and Emily grabs a pumpkin for her. Shannon makes some excuse about having inflammation and no shoes fitting. The pumpkin carving expert tells them to make a hole in the bottom and take the insides out through that. It helps the pumpkin last. I have to remember that for the next Halloween. In Shannon’s interview, she says she’s not a fan of fall. Who wants to celebrate death, morbidity, and graveyards? I raise my hand. She says she also doesn’t like orange and brown. One more way Shannon is out of her mind. Who does like the colors of fall leaves, the crisp autumn air, and Halloween? Pfft. She’s such a killjoy. In Gina’s interview, she says, they pretty much suck at carving pumpkins. She gives them a solid 2. Tamra asks Shannon about what Jenn said, and Shannon asks Jenn what she’s talking about. She would never say that. Is she just in a blackout all the time?

Shannon says, may God strike her dead if she said that, and we flash back to her saying that. A lightning bolt comes out of the sunny sky and strikes her dead. Not really, but that would have been too funny. In Tamra’s interview, she insists she doesn’t remember Shannon saying that, but if she did, she doesn’t want Shannon standing next to her. In Jenn’s interview, she says, Shannon going super sideways about not saying it means she said it. In Fancy Pants’ interview, she says, Jenn just plucked this story out of the air? She doesn’t think so. Emily says she doesn’t feel like Jenn is making it up, and Shannon says, Emily wasn’t there. Emily says she was there, and Jenn says she’s not making this up. Shannon said if she hadn’t gotten Gina an attorney, her kids would have been taken by CPS. Gina says, that’s not true, and ever the pragmatist attorney, Emily says, for a bench warrant, they don’t come to the house and arrest you. In Gina’s interview, she says, to insinuate she was seen as an unfit parent is bullsh*t. In Shannon’s interview, she says she has a lot of anxiety over people talking about her relationship. It keeps her up at night. Again, no one is holding a gun to her head to be on the show. Gina tells Shannon that all she’s ever said is that she respects Shannon’s relationship too much to talk about it. If that’s a reason to sh*t all over her and her family, fine. Shannon says she doesn’t talk about Travis, and Tamra says, she talked about his penis. We flash back to Shannon saying he has a massive weenie, and in her interview, Gina says, it reeks of desperation. The only thing more desperate is Shannon’s Spanx. Gina says she’s upset, but just wants to stop.

They sit down to eat at a table with fabulous sunflower and gourd centerpieces. Tamra tells Fancy Pants that when Teddi did their podcast, she went in hard about the staged paparazzi pics. Fancy Pants asks if they’re accusing her of setting it up, and Tamra says, it is suspicious. There are no paparazzi at Disneyland. In her interview, Fancy Pants says she doesn’t know why Tamra is doing this. Why would she tell Tamra about the sale of the house? Fancy Pants tells the others that she’s having a launch party for her new network, and Shannon suddenly has to jet. When she’s gone, Gina says, she’s so defensive, she’s hard to approach. In Gina’s interview, she tells us, Shannon says sh*t, then wants to pretend she didn’t say it. It’s hurtful, and if she’s not remembering what she says, maybe she should check into rehab. When Shannon gets to the I’m sorry step, she’ll be waiting. They discuss John’s weenie, and decide it must be diamond encrusted, which Gina thinks would be painful.  

Next time, Fancy Pants has a launch party; Jenn wants her mom to meet Ryan so she gets an honest opinion; the news of Fancy Pants’ house sale breaks; and a trip to Mexico.

🍊 Only Paul Knows For Sure…

Even if it was true, I’d ignore it too. Have you seen where they live? Have you seen how they live?

https://www.distractify.com/p/did-terry-dubrow-cheat-on-heather-dubrow

🌴 Behind In the Magic…

While this aired on Peacock a while ago, I’m just catching up now, and since Mama Elsa’s passing, I’ve only watched it peripherally. WTF this Lenny dude? Did he have a psychotic break?

Real Housewives Of Miami Season 5 Episode 11: An Inside Look At Lisa Hochstein’s Nightmare

https://people.com/tv/lisa-hochstein-and-lenny-hochstein-relationship-timeline/

🪕 Never Stop Learning…

This guy is the epitome of use it or lose it.

https://people.com/dick-van-dyke-learns-ukulele-in-video-7724734

🌞 Summer’s Last Stand…

Stop in tomorrow for soap and Project talk. Until then, stay safe, stay always replacing the roll of toilet paper when it runs out, and stay not giving out the combination if you want to have a vault.

Aug30

August 29, 2023 – Jack Returns To Port Charles, Hills News, Ousted From Under the Deck, Free Films, Another Life For Once, Panda Treat & Heart

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

On the phone, Lucy says, just listen to her. She needs them to get over to the courthouse, pronto… She doesn’t care what they’re doing; just drop everything. They don’t understand. Her life is at stake.

Brook and Maxie set down their bags in the courtroom, and Maxie says, Lucy has the best representation for them. Everything’s going to be okay. It’s just a preliminary hearing to see if this case is even going to move forward. Brook says, Maxie seems optimistic, and Maxie says she is. This is a good opportunity to smoke out the mastermind who’s behind this and shut them down for good.

Outside the house, Portia says she can’t tell Curtis how much it means to her having him home, and he says he knows it’s not going to be easy on any of them, but they’ll figure it out. Portia says, they’re all here for him, and he says he knows. Let’s do it. She opens the door, and Trina is there with Marshall. She says, welcome home, dad, running to Curtis and hugging him.

Michael comes into Kelly’s as Carly is serving, and he says, she has a real flair for this. She says she does. It runs in the family. Great Aunt Ruby ran this place for decades. He says he’s glad Bobbie kept it in their family, and she says, her too. She hugs him and says, it’s good to see him. She thanks him for coming by, and he says, of course (🍷). Why did she want to see him? She says she may have come up with a way to get Drew out of Pentenville.

Drew walks into the library, and Cyrus (who basically lives there) asks if he can interest Drew in a little soul cleansing. This book will help lead him to the Lord and all his prayers will be answered if only he asks. Drew thanks him, but says he’s looking for a book on rivers in upstate New York so he can do a little kayaking. Cyrus asks if it doesn’t make him long for a world he can’t be part of, and Drew says, it gives him something to look forward to when he’s out of here. Cyrus says, in the meantime, how fortunate for Drew that he’s under Sonny’s protection.

Sonny lets Brick into his office and asks, how was his flight? Brick says, long; too long. It’s good to see him though. Sonny asks if he wants coffee, and Brick says, anything strong. Sonny says, it’s all he’s got, and asks if Brick has an update. Brick says he does. That spy that was planted in Sonny’s home isn’t going to be a problem for him any longer. Sonny gives him that Sonny smile I love.

Janice asks Sasha how she’s feeling today, and Sasha says she’s so cold. Her head is throbbing and everything hurts. Please do something. Janice gives her another blanket, and says, she really needs to stay hydrated. Can she drink some water? Shivering under the blanket, Sasha says she thinks so, and Janice pours her a glass. Sasha takes a sip, and Janice says she’ll be back to check on her and give her something for that headache. Janice leaves, and Dr. Montague skulks around the corner and heads for Sasha’s room.

At her desk on the phone, Nina says, no, she doesn’t want to drop the two-page Deception ad… Why? Because it’s her magazine and she says it stays. Can they hold for a second? She clicks on the other line and says, she asked them to hold all her calls until she’s finished… Just send her in. She tells the person on hold that she’ll have to call them back, and Gladys walks in. Gladys says she understands congratulations are in order. She’s so happy for Nina and Sonny, and this practically makes them family now. Let her see that rock. Nina says, if Gladys has something to talk to her about, she’s so sorry, but she’s extremely busy right now. If Gladys sees her assistant, she’ll set something up. Gladys shuts the door and says, they have to talk now. It’s a matter of life and death.

Trina says, Curtis looks great, and handsome as always. Isn’t he, mom? He looks really fit. He must be really excited to be home. She tells him, come in, and he says, they’ve moved some things around. Portia says, they opened some things up a bit for him, and Trina says, they should have gotten rid of that coffee table a long time ago. She loves the open space. Wait until he sees what they did to his room. He’s going to love it. Come check it out.

Lucy comes into the courtroom and asks if they’re ready and able to kick this ridiculous lawsuit out on its keister, because if they don’t have The Deceptor to sell, their company is gone. Maxie asks, where’s their lawyer? and Lucy says she let her go. Maxie says, she did what? and Brook asks why she did that. Lucy says, obviously if they lose this lawsuit, they’re not going to have the money to pay her. They can’t afford her. Maxie says, they need her presentation, and Lucy says, don’t worry. She got somebody new, the best. Brook says, she just fired the best. Who did she get? Lucy says, Martin. He agreed to do it pro bono. Maxie says, great. Where is he? Lucy says, at the last minute, he flew the coop. Brook asks what they means, and Lucy says she doesn’t know. At the last minute, he had to do something with Valentin. She has a plan. They just have to stay focused and have hope. Come on, team, let’s stay positive. Maxie says, this is really bad. How are they supposed to halt the case if they don’t have representation?

Carly and Michael sit down, and Carly says she’s having Diane look into Drew’s case to see if the judge was bias. Michael says, bias in what way? and Carly says, that Judge Kim had a reason for going against Drew’s plea deal or that he has a pattern of being harder on white collar crimes. She doesn’t care. She’ll take whatever Diane can find at this point. She’s going to have another judge review the whole case, and hopefully, he can reduce the sentence or commute the whole damn thing. He says, if anyone can do it, it’s Diane. He hopes it works out for Drew’s case. Carly says she hopes so, because Diane is their only chance. He says, no matter what happens, Drew is strong. He can take care of himself. He’ll be okay. She says she knows he’s strong mentally; she’s just worried about him physically. He was already put in solitary confinement because he was in a fight. What if something else happens? Michael says, it won’t. Drew is under Sonny’s protection.

Drew tells Cyrus to stay out of his business, and Cyrus says he’s deeply sorry. Has he spoken amiss? Drew says, let’s skip all this; all the flowery gestures. Just tell him whatever it is Cyrus obviously wants to know. Cyrus says he really does appreciate Drew’s bluntness. Book was reminded on no uncertain terms that Drew is not to be touched. It was made crystal clear to him that Drew is under the protection and watchful eye of Sonny Corinthos. Drew says, and? and Cyrus says, good for him.

Brick tells Sonny that Betty Rutherford is no longer in Port Charles. She flew to Mexico. Sonny says he just assumed Betty’s job of spying on him was done when getting information on the Pikeman deal was finished. Let’s just hope Austin and Mason and whoever they were working for paid her off and told her to stay as far away from Port Charles as she can. Brick asks if he should have her brought back, but Sonny says, no. They’re hoping she’s out of his reach, but little do they know, she’s not. He has people in Mexico. If he needs questions answered, he can find her.

Nina tells Gladys to take a deep breath. What is this life and death matter? Gladys says, as Nina knows, their poor Sasha is still being treated in Ferncliff, and Sasha and Nina are pretty close. She knows how much Nina cares about Sasha, and she knows how close Sasha and Willow are best friends. Nina says, yes, they are. Sasha and Willow have been through a lot together. Gladys says, and Nina has been such a supportive and generous friend to Sasha. Nina says she loves Sasha. However rocky their relationship started out, she’s come to know Sasha as a wonderful and loving young woman. Gladys says she’s glad to hear Nina say that. That’s why she’s coming to her. She needs $50,000 today to cover Sasha’s medical expenses.

Montague goes into Sasha’s room, and closes the door. He takes out a syringe, and says, hello, Sasha. He’s going to give her something to take all her pain away. Sasha says, no, please. She doesn’t want it. Please don’t. No. He injects her.

Nina says, fifty grand? That’s a very large medical bill, and it’s very unusual it’s due so quickly. Gladys says she knows. It’s very upsetting. You’d think an institution like Ferncliff could wait until she’s on her feet before they demanded money. Nina says, Sasha has money. Gladys is her guardian, so she’s sure Gladys can use it at her discretion to pay her medical expenses. Gladys says, under normal circumstances, she could, and Nina asks, what changed? Gladys says, unfortunately, because of the Deception lawsuit, she can’t sell Sasha’s stock. Nina says, it makes sense that her money wouldn’t be accessible right now. She would do anything to help Sasha, but she’s a little curious. Why didn’t Gladys ask Sonny first? He’s her cousin; he’d be happy to help. Gladys says, as Nina probably knows, she and Sonny don’t have the greatest relationship, and money is an uncomfortable subject for them, but Nina says, this money is for Sasha, right? Just tell Sonny what’s going on. Gladys says she just figured they’d start with Nina. As she said, Nina is close to Sasha, and Willow is close to Sasha… Nina says, Gladys isn’t telling her everything. So if Gladys can’t be honest with her – she opens the door – she’s sorry. She can’t help her.

Sonny tells Brick, since Betty quit, he’s been having Mason and Austin followed, just in case they visit their boss. Brick says, any luck so far? and Sonny says, Austin was visiting Pentenville. He doesn’t know who Austin saw, but he had a medical bag, like maybe he was doing community service. Brick says, interesting. He’ll look into it and see what he can find. Sonny says, in the meantime, since they don’t know who Austin and Mason are working for, they need to ask themselves why this person wants information on him and Pikeman.

Michael tells Carly, so Dex visited the inmate who was fighting Drew and had him sent to solitary. Dex reminded him that Drew was under Sonny’s protection. She says, Sonny told her that he sent Dex there to send a message to back off Drew, and Michael asks when Sonny told her. She says, yesterday he came by here. He knew she was going to Pentenville to visit Drew, and he asked her if she saw Dr. Gatlin-Holt while she was there. He asks what she said, and she tells him, the truth; she did. Austin crossed through the visiting area, carrying his doctor bag, but that was it. Sonny asked her to let him know if she remembers anything else. He says, that’s the other reason Dex was at Pentenville, and she says, because of Austin? Michael says, he was following him for Sonny.

Lucy says she has a stomachache; it’s just horrible. She can’t believe they have a system where you can just nab all the hard work they’ve done all this time. Maxie says, Lucy… and Lucy says, it’s a grift. Someone is out to make a big, fat settlement… Maxie says, Lucy… and Lucy says, but they’re not going to be swindled. Deception will not be swindled. It’s just a nuisance lawsuit. They want cash and they’re going to exploit Deception for that and tarnish their reputation. Maxie shouts, Lucy! and Lucy says, what? Maxie asks if they have any idea who’s behind this, but Lucy says, no. That’s why they’re here kind of. Don’t they hate it? She hates this. She hates this. She hates this. Maxie asks if they at least know when the lawsuit was originally filed with the court, and Lucy says, nope. Maxie says, so they’re just completely in the dark, and Lucy says, yep, they are. Until the whole nonsense here is revealed. Then they’re going to have a very good idea who the culprit is and who they’re up against. Jack walks in.

Trina comes back out with Curtis and says, see? There’s a lot of room for Curtis. He thanks them, and says, they all went through a lot of trouble, and he appreciates it. Trina says, his room has the best view of the water, he doesn’t have to deal with the stairs, and did he see that his bathroom is wheelchair accessible? He says he did, and Trina says she picked out towels in his favorite color. He says, Trina and her mom certainly did an incredible job, and Trina says, it’s more her mom than her. Marshall asks if he and Curtis can go out to the patio for a minute. He has some things he wants to discuss in private. Curtis says, sure, and wheels himself out to the patio. He asks Marshall, what’s up? and Marshall says, there’s trouble at the club. Inside, Portia tells Trina that she sees what Trina is trying to do and appreciates it, but she may be making things worse.

Sonny says, Austin and Mason could be working for one of his competitors who heard about Pikeman, and Brick says, the more he deep dives into Pikeman, the more twisted it gets. Sonny asks what he found out, and Brick says, Pikeman’s got contracts all over the globe with many different governments, including the US. But one thing they know for sure, they make a whole lot of money. Sonny would know; they paid him generously. Sonny says, it almost cost him his life if it wasn’t for Dex, and Brick says, maybe someone’s trying to get rid of Sonny so they can get the money for themselves. Sonny says, they’re going to go through a whole lot of trouble to take something he doesn’t want.

Drew says, when he saw Sonny’s guy visiting Book, he assumed he was delivering a message from Sonny, and Cyrus says, and Book received it loud and clear. Drew says he never asked for Sonny’s protection, and Cyrus says, but he accepted it. Drew says he considers Sonny a friend of his. He respects Sonny, but just because he accepted Sonny’s offer of protection doesn’t mean he’s associated with Sonny’s world. Cyrus says, Drew doesn’t want any part of Sonny’s criminal enterprise. He admires Drew’s principles, but does he really believe he had a choice in the matter? Drew is protected whether he accepts it or not, which is ironic. Drew asks, why? and Cyrus says, because by extension, I now have Sonny’s protection too.

Carly says she can’t believe this arrangement is still working. That Dex reports back to Michael about Sonny’s businesses. Michael says, whatever Sonny lets Dex in on, Dex reports back to him, and she asks if Dex told him about Sonny’s interest in Austin. He says, Austin has a cousin named Mason Gatlin, and he and Austin were responsible for Betty Rutherford being hired. She’s the nanny who looked after Avery for a while, and it seems that she was their mole. Carly says she knew something was going on with Betty, and Michael says, so Sonny set her up, in the hopes she’d lead them back to whoever they work for. Dex’s job was to follow Austin, and he did, straight to Pentenville. Carly says, that’s where she saw him, and he says, apparently, Austin went into another room and Dex couldn’t see who he was visiting with. Did she? She says, no. She saw him walk through the visiting area carrying his doctor bag. She just assumed he was going to the infirmary. You know what? Maybe Drew can find out.

Trina tells Portia that she was trying to stay positive for Curtis. All the literature she read said the attitude makes a big difference when adapting. Portia says she knows, and she loves that Trina read the literature… Trina says, but she probably made Curtis feel uncomfortable, and Portia says, she had the best of intentions. Curtis knows that too. She loves her dad, and she was trying to help. But they just can’t push too hard. They have to let him go at his pace. They can’t just pretend nothing’s changed.

Marshall says, Selina circled back to him about buying the club, and Curtis asks what she said. Marhsall says, basically, she told him that they should sell it to her before it goes out of business. She didn’t come right out and threaten them that she’d run them out of business, but that’s the definite implication he got. Curtis says, maybe they should sell it, and Marshall asks if he’s lost his mind.

Lucy says, Jackson Montgomery, and he says, so they meet again. She says, they do. So tell her. What’s he doing here? He says he’s ready for round two with the devious, yet somehow captivating Lucy Coe, and she says, guess what? This time he’s on her turf. He says, that’s absolutely intentional. After all, her and her sister came all the way to Pine Valley to break in his safe. He figured the least he could do was make a trip to Port Charles. She says, spill it. He didn’t come here to have a sweet, little visit. Why is he here? He says he’s here for the Deception case and to make sure his client gets justice. (Hmm… wouldn’t there be a conflict of interest because of Lucy?) She asks, who’s his client? Who is he representing? He says, that would be telling, and sits down.

Curtis tells Marshall, the circumstances that made him open The Savoy and dedicate so much hard work to its success have radically changed. Marshall says, The Savoy is Curtis’s baby. He just needs a little more time to regroup. Curtis says, sometimes the best thing a successful person can do is walk away and cut their losses, but Marshall says, they can work through this. They can make this work. He can run the club until Curtis is ready to come back. They’ll call it a father/son venture. Curtis says he’s not even sure he wants to go back to it, but Marhsall says, he does; come on. Curtis says his dream of opening a nightclub has been realized. Maybe it’s time to move on. Marshall says, ultimately, it’s Curtis’s decision. He’s not going to push him, but he hopes Curtis reconsiders.

Trina tells Portia that she was over-the-top. She feels terrible. Portia says, she did nothing wrong, but Trina says she made Curtis feel uncomfortable. That’s the exact opposite of what she was trying to do. Portia says, but Curtis felt the love, and that’s all that really matters. Trina made him feel very welcome, but she thinks now they need to give him a little bit of room. She’s trying to find a balance too. There are so many adjustments they have to make, but they all love each other and they’re going to get through it together… as a family. She and Trina hug.

Lucy says she needs to tell Jack something. His client is a big, fat liar. Obviously, he or she is just trying to exploit Deception’s success. He says, or perhaps claim what is rightfully theirs. What does she think about that? She says she doesn’t think much of it, and she’ll tell him why. Does he want to know why? He says, oh gosh, yes, and she says, they did not steal The Deceptor. Jack says he hopes that’s the truth; he really does. He guesses time will tell. She says, speaking of time, where’s his client? Maybe they’re a bit afraid to show their scheming face. He says his client will be here. Don’t you worry about that.

Sasha is out cold, and Montague caps the syringe. Janice comes in and says she’s so glad Sasha’s sleeping. She was in a lot of pain earlier, poor thing. Montague says, she’ll get the rest she needs, and Janice says she doesn’t think Sasha is improving. She seems to be getting worse. He says, she was pretty severe when she was admitted. These kinds of recoveries take some time. Jancie says, maybe this isn’t the right kind of facility for her. Maybe she should be transferred to a private hospital where she can get more personalized care.

Gladys says, okay. Nina wants honesty? Nina says, that’s always best, and closes the door. Gladys says she got roped into a little poker game that she thought would just be a bit of fun. But what started off as just a few friendly hands of poker, turned into a losing streak and she dug herself into a hole. Nina says, let her make sure she understands what Gladys is telling her. This $50,000 is not about Sasha or her medical bills. Gladys need the money to pay off her gambling debt? Gladys says, but she’s getting better, and Nina says, at cards? (Ha-ha!) Gladys says she’s getting treatment. She’s going to Gamblers Anonymous. She just needs this one loan to get out of a tight spot… a really tight spot. Nina says, and Gladys came to her because Deception stock was frozen because of the lawsuit. So if the lawsuit wasn’t pending, she intended to use Sasha’s money to pay off her gambling debt?

Sonny says, Pikeman came to him originally because they wanted to use his territory to run their merchandise through Port Charles, and Brick says he remembers. They went to Valentin Cassadine, right? Sonny says, a man he doesn’t trust. But the money was so good for the first shipment, and Brick told him that they’re major players. Brick says, known globally, and Sonny says, that’s why he agreed to do it, and as promised, the money for the deal was incredible. But the money came at a cost, and he’s not sure the risk is worth the reward anymore.

Lawyer Alyse walks in, and Lucy asks what she’s doing here; she fired Alyse. Maxie says she rehired her, and Brook says, good job. Lucy says, actually, it is really good. She doesn’t think Scotty is coming. Maxie says, it’s going to be fine. Alyse is going to get this case thrown right out on its rear, right where it belongs. Right, Alyse? Alyse says she’ll do her best, and walks over to Jack, saying, Jackson Montgomery. He says, Alyse Vance, and they shake hands. She says, so he’s representing the clients suing Deception, and he says he is. She says, this should be a slam-dunk, and he says he thinks so, for him. Oh, she meant for her. He understands she took another shot at being the DA here in Port Charles. It’s got to be tough, falling on her face like that – twice. Alyse says she’s surprised he’s still allowed to practice, after that little incident in Pine Valley. When was that? He says, twenty years ago. She was a child. It’s ancient history. She asks what kind of scheme his client is trying to pull, and he says, no scheme. Maybe Lucy Coe is guilty of theft of intellectual property. Lucy says, yoohoo. She’s right here. She can hear them. The only thing she’s guilty of is making an excellent product consumers just love. Alyse hustles Lucy back over to her side of the courtroom, and Jack’s phone rings. He steps away, and Alyse says she has the updated documents Maxie emailed her. Maxie says she brought the originals, and Alyse says, this should be a piece of cake, if it’s as they say, and someone is just out for a quick and easy payday. Lucy says, that’s exactly what it is, cross her heart. Alyse wonders who would be stupid enough to sue. It’s obvious they have the receipts and the proof that they invented The Deceptor. Tracy walks in.

Marshall tells Curtis that he’d better get over to GH. His band booked a gig playing for some patients. Curtis says he’ll see Marshall later tonight, and Marshall leaves. Curtis flashes back to being a big, mean baby to Portia; telling her to let him go and that he doesn’t want to see her again. Portia comes out on the patio, and he says he apologizes for the way he spoke to her at the hospital. He was wrong and she didn’t deserve that. She thanks him and says she appreciates that. She knows he was going through a lot. Marshall is off to the hospital, and Trina went to see Spencer, and it’s just the two of them. Curtis says, and the wheelchair.

Carly says, with Drew inside Pentenville, he could ask around and see who Austin was visiting, but Michael says he doesn’t think they should get Drew involved. He’s got enough to deal with right now, just trying to survive in that place. Carly says, he’s right. She feels like Drew is already a marked man because he saved Cyrus’s life. Michael says he doesn’t want Drew asking questions, especially if Austin was there to deliver something to his boss. It would put Drew in even more danger.

Drew says he doesn’t want to speak for Sonny, but he thinks it’s pretty safe to assume Sonny wouldn’t lift a finger to protect Cyrus. Cyrus says, but Drew would, and he has. Not only did Drew perform CPR and keep him alive, Drew stepped in to defend him from Book. He had no reason to beyond Christian charity. He’s a noble man. Drew says he just doesn’t like watching an old man get beat up, no matter how much he despises Cyrus, and Cyrus says he has the feeling Drew would do it again, wouldn’t he? Whether Drew despises him or not. Drew says he would, and Cyrus says, and that speaks to the man Drew is. The kind of man he’s trying to be.

Gladys says she would have paid Sasha back, and Nina says she can’t help Gladys. Gladys says she came clean with Nina. She was honest about why she needs money. Nina says, either Gladys finds the courage to come clean with Sonny, tell him exactly what’s going on, and ask him for the money, or she can deal with her debt by herself. Gladys says, please… and Nina says, get out of her office. She has work to do. Go. Gladys walks slowly toward the door, and goes out to the reception area. Her phone rings, and Montague says, they have a little problem. Gladys asks what he did. Is Sasha worse? He says, there’s talk Sasha may need more personalized care and should be transferred to another facility, away from his attentive and gentle care here at Ferncliff. They both know what that means if it happens. She asks what he’s going to do, and he says he’ll have to make sure Sasha is in no condition to talk. So if she wants Sasha out, he wants his money – all of it – in two days.

Curtis tells Portia that he knows it’s pretty dark, but it’s true. He’s not saying he’s going to push her away again, because he won’t. But it’s time they come to the realization of what they can and can’t do. He’s feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, thinking about what he’s losing. She says she can’t even imagine what he’s feeling right now, but she loves him. He says, but he can’t love her back, and she says she knows he does, but he says, that’s not what he’s talking about. He just can’t physically love her back. She says she doesn’t know what kind of woman he thinks he married, but she’s here for him, and she promises him that they’re going to get through this… together. Apparently, no one has ever explained to Curtis, there’s more than one way to skin a cat and/or he’s never seen Coming Home.

Brook asks what Tracy is doing here, and Maxie says, it’s so nice of her to come and support Brook. And all of them for that matter. It’s been a really challenging time at Deception, and to be honest, it will look good to the judge to see someone like her in their corner. Lucy says she actually agrees with Maxie, and thanks Tracy. It’s really nice of her. She’s glad Tracy could put all those decades of nit-picking and bad blood behind them and lend aid in this horribly difficult time. Tracy says, actually, she’s just here to protect her legal claim to The Deceptor. There isn’t enough time to point out how many ways Tracy wouldn’t have a leg to stand on IRL, or that’s not how any of this works.

Carly says, the last thing she wants to do is drag Drew into a feud between Sonny and whoever, and Mr. Obvious Michael says, especially since Drew’s locked in Pentenville. She says, whoever the person is behind Austin and Mason must be a serious threat. Sonny was willing to let Avery be near Betty just to find out who it is. Michael says, Dex is on it and so is he. Dex is watching everything and reporting back to him. If Sonny needs help, he’ll make sure Sonny gets it.

Sonny says, he told Pikeman, he’s not going to move another shipment until they give him proof of who was responsible for the ambush at the warehouse and the shooting at the pool, and Brick says, be careful. Pikeman’s a heavy hitter. They obviously want to be in business with Sonny; there’s no doubt about that. But if Sonny chooses to cut them off, Pikeman could choose to go in a different direction and remove him from the equation. Find somebody, dare he say, that’s easy to do business with. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before. Sonny tells him, that’s what Valentin said, and Brick says, maybe Austin and Mason’s boss is trying to create just that kind of scenario; create discord between Sonny and Pikeman to remove Sonny from the situation, and let the competitor step in. Sonny says, first, they have to find out who his real enemy is.

Drew says, just because he couldn’t stand by and watch Cyrus get beaten to a pulp or watch him die, that doesn’t mean he likes Cyrus. Cyrus says, but he likes Drew. He knows Drew to be that rarest of things, a man of honor. And Drew will find that he, too, is honorable. He pays his debts. (What is he? A Lannister?) He owes Drew his life. He won’t forget it.

Gladys comes back into Nina’s office and says she lied. She does have a gambling problem; she was truthful about that. And she does have huge debts because of gambling, but that’s not why she needs the $50,000. She needs it because the doctor who’s treating Sasha at Ferncliff won’t let Sasha out until she pays him.

Tomorrow, Tracy says, this can all be resolved quickly and quietly; Cody tells Sam, this is the only way he can get in to see Sasha; Sasha begs Janice not to let Dr. Montague near her; and Dante says, the news isn’t good.

💎 Diamond Skinny…

The when and where on the Beverly Hills tribe.

https://www.dexerto.com/reality-tv/rhobh-everything-you-need-to-know-about-season-13-2268858/

🦘 Another Goodbye…

Am I the only one who doesn’t think Culver is hot? He has too many teeth for his mouth.

Below Deck Down Under Season 2, Episode 13 Recap: Medical Emergency

Their crew keeps getting smaller.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1384113/below-deck-down-under-loses-another-crewmember-after-heartbreaking-firing

📺 At No Cost To You…

I don’t know if these are the best, but there’s some good ones in here. Fast Times at Ridgemont High never gets old and Promising Young Woman is amazing.

https://ew.com/movies/best-movies-on-freevee/

👸🏻 Twice Upon a Time…

I loved this show. That ain’t your mama’s Captain Hook.

https://ew.com/tv/once-upon-a-time-hits-hulu-this-friday/

🐼 Birthday Bear…

And he eats the cake as we all would if there were no witnesses.

https://people.com/smithsonian-national-zoo-panda-treated-to-special-26th-birthday-celebration-7963525

🪠 Dirty Deeds Done At Cost…

Join me tomorrow for soap and throwing stones at the OC. Until then, stay safe (especially those in Idalia’s path), stay enjoying the last vestiges of summer, and stay remembering that attitude makes a big difference when adapting.

Aug29

August 28, 2023 – Curtis Makes a Decision, Returning, The Real Ned, NYC Minute, Denial Ain’t a River, Making Merit, Magic Moment & Wine

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Elizabeth sees Finn on the roof and says, she thought she told him that this was her spot. He says, she’ll have to thumb wrestle him for it, and she sits next to him. She says, he’s been up here a lot lately. He must have something on his mind. He says he found out something yesterday and came up here to try and process it. He still can’t wrap his head around it, and doesn’t think he ever will.

Kristina goes to Alexis’s office, and Alexis asks, what brings her here? Kristina says she wanted to thank Alexis for talking to Diane. She agreed to be on the board of the Corinthos-Davis House. Alexis says she told Kristina that Diane would be a real asset, and Kristina says, she is. She’s so excited to have a lawyer of Diane’s caliber on board. But that’s not the only reason she’s here. She owes Alexis an explanation. Alexis says, for what? and Kristina says, the reason she ignored Alexis at the pool earlier.

Trina walks into Kelly’s courtyard, and Josslyn says, welcome to Kelly’s. May I take your order? Trina says, so professional, and Josslyn says, it may not be as glamorous as the art gallery, but she’s happy to help her mom. Trina says, at least Josslyn found a way to be there for her. She doesn’t know what to do for her mom. Josslyn sits down and asks if that means things still aren’t any better between Trina’s mom and Curtis. Trina says she thinks they’ve gotten worse. Curtis is still in rehab and her mom keeps trying to visit him, but he keeps pushing her away. Josslyn takes Trina’s hand and says she’s sorry, and Trina says she doesn’t know what to do. There’s got to be a way to bring them back together.

Marshall walks into Portia’s office and she thanks him for coming. He asks, what’s going on? and she says she heard from the rehab facility. He says, don’t tell him that Curtis had a setback, but she says, no, he’s fine. He’s actually getting released tomorrow. He asks if that isn’t good news, and she says, it should be, but Curtis hasn’t gotten in touch with her. She only spoke to the rehab director. And it looks like Curtis hasn’t reached out to Marshall either, so she doesn’t know what that means. Does that mean Curtis isn’t coming home?

Curtis is exercising with the medicine ball when Stella comes in. She asks what he’s doing, and he says, isn’t it obvious? She says, that he’s working out, but where’s his physical therapist? Curtis says he doesn’t need him, and Stella asks, why is that? He says, Brent taught him everything he needed to know, so now he’s just getting stronger every day. She asks if Brent knows he’s in here on his own, and he says he doesn’t know. He doesn’t care, but he’s ready to get out of here. He’s ready to go home. She says, oh no he isn’t.

Carly thanks Diane for coming to Kelly’s, and Diane says she’s at Carly’s beck and call. She asks how it’s going, and Carly says, good. She never thought she’d enjoy this place like the MetroCourt, but she does. She didn’t realize she had this emotional connection to Kelly’s. It makes her feel closer to her family, to her Aunt Ruby, to her mom… She can’t explain it. Diane says, some things never need explaining, and Carly says, the people are so down to earth. No one’s complaining there’s no beluga on the menu. Diane says, there’s no beluga on the menu? Goodbye. She laughs and says, it’s nice to see Carly and the customers happy. Carly says she’d be even happier if Drew wasn’t in prison. Diane is going to have to get him out.

Robert meets Anna at a poolside table and asks, what’s the occasion? She says she needs a favor. No questions asked.

At another table, Martin sees Lucy walk in and says, there’s his little buttercup. It is so good to see… She throws a drink in his face, and he asks what that was for. She says, not only has he been getting fifty thousand – fifty thousand – dollars every single month from that third ex-wife of his, he kept it a secret. Why did he keep it a secret? He says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and she says, that’s good. She knows him now, and she knows when he lies, his little ears turn red. Right now, they’re bright crimson. He says, it could be sunburn, and she says, he’s going to go with that? Spill it. He says he admits it. It’s true. Why does she care? She wonders how he can ask her that. Now she knows why he doesn’t want to marry her. He doesn’t want to give up all that beautiful money. He says, she’s one hell of a confusing creature. She didn’t want to marry him. And I quote, I am through with the institution of marriage, unquote. She says, he actually believed her? He’s an idiot. She was going for the reverse psychology thing. If she says no, then he insists they get married, and carries her off like An Officer and a Gentleman. He says he never saw that movie. He never much cared for Richard Gere actually. Who cares? That’s in the past. He loves her. She says, clearly, all that money from his ex-wife’s alimony is more important to him than love.

Anna says she has to find out if Valentin is still on Pikeman’s payroll. Robert has to use whatever connection he’s got with the Feds and any contacts from the WSB to get her some information. He says, it sounds like she’s convinced that Valentin’s being paid by them. Why doesn’t she simply tell him everything that’s been going on?

Kristina says she stopped by Alexis’s office earlier, and Esme told her that Alexis was meeting someone over by the pool. Alexis says, not the most discreet assistant. Did Esme tell Kristina what she was eating for dinner? Kristina says, when she saw Alexis there with Molly and another young woman she didn’t recognize, who she’s assuming was the surrogate – Alexis says, she was – she wanted to talk to Alexis, but thought it would be better if she stayed out of the way after her last interruption. She practically barged in on Molly and TJ when they were meeting with the surrogacy consultant, and if looks could kill… Let’s just say she made a quick exit. That, on top of the fact Molly didn’t invite her to the sushi party, and she just wanted to steer clear. Alexis says, that was probably a wise decision, and Kristina says she sort of stormed out after Alexis waved at her, so she wanted Alexis to know she wasn’t trying to avoid her. Alexis says she kind of figured something else was going on, and Kristina says, whatever is going on with her and Molly, she doesn’t want it to come between her and Alexis, because their relationship is in such a good place now and she wants it to stay that way. Alexis says she does too. Whatever’s going on between Kristina and Molly won’t affect them. Kristina thanks her.

Finn says he saw Elizabeth talking with his dad, so he’s guessing his dad told her. She says, yes, he did, and Finn says his father’s dying. It’s the first time he’s been able to say that out loud. She says she’s so sorry, and Finn says he’s sorry for his father. Not only is he dying, it’s one of the worst ways. ALS is brutal. He knows it’s coming, but he still can’t believe it’s happening to his father.

Stella says she’s sorry. She didn’t mean to sound harsh, but Curtis needs to think about this. Going home is going to be a huge adjustment. He says, Portia already made the house wheelchair accessible (that was fast), but Stella says she’s not talking about handrails and ramps. He needs to talk to his physical therapist about being discharged to make sure he’s prepared for his new reality. He says he doesn’t need a therapist to tell him how he’s feeling. He’ll get the same standard answer they give to everyone, empty words. He doesn’t need that. They don’t know who he is. She says, but she does. So talk to her.

Portia tells Marshall that she made sure the whole house can accommodate a wheelchair, but for all she knows, Curtis made other plans. Maybe he decided to move into an assisted living facility? Marshall says he can’t see Curtis doing that, and just because he hasn’t called, doesn’t mean he’s not coming home. She says, but she would have heard from him by now. She just wants to know what’s going on with him. Why won’t he reach out to her? Marshall says, she has to let Curtis do this in his own time. She has to let Curtis figure it out for himself. He’s sure Curtis is going to let her in.

Carly says, Diane has to do something, and Diane says, Carly knows she’d do almost anything to get Drew out of Pentenville. But because there was no trial, she basically doesn’t have a leg to stand on. She can’t argue for an appeal. She can’t argue that there was a procedural flaw. She can’t argue for a reduced sentence. The moment Drew took the plea deal and pled guilty, his sentence was at the absolute discretion of the judge. Carly says, so let’s find another judge.

Kristina asks, so how was the surrogate? and Alexis says, obviously, it’s a little hard to get to know a stranger in an hour, but from what Alexis could tell, she liked her. Alexis thinks she’ll be a good choice for both of them. Kristina says, that’s great. She’s so happy for Molly, and she knows Molly is going to make an amazing mother. Hopefully by then, their relationship will be back on track. Alexis says, they love each other and that’s not going to change. Kristina just needs to be a little patient. This whole infertility thing has been really overwhelming for her, but now that they have a surrogate, she’ll maybe get past her struggles. There’s a knock at the door, and Gregory comes in. He says, sorry. Not a good time? Kristina says, stay. She was just leaving. She tells Alexis, goodbye. Thank you, love you. Alexis says she loves Kristina too, and Kristina leaves. Alexis asks if Gregory wants to work on that AI piece, and he says, yes, but he’s not sure how many working days he has left.

Curtis thanks Stella for her advice and says he appreciates it. He knows what she’s trying to do, but it’s like this place is a safety net. Every time he falls, there’s somebody there to catch him, and he knows that’s not how life is. He has to get back out there and do things on his own, and can’t expect anybody to hold his hand. She says she’s not talking about that and he knows it. Of course (🍷) he’s going to get out of rehab. She just needs to know he’s ready. He says he just can’t sit here any longer. What is he supposed to do? Feel sorry for himself that he can’t walk? says, maybe that’s exactly what he needs to do. He has a right to feel sorry for himself. He has a right to be mad. This should have never happened, so he can’t just push those feelings aside. He’s got to let them out. Open the window and scream if he has to. Because if he doesn’t, it’s going to eat away at him bit by bit until it explodes or… He starts to talk, but she says she’s not done yet. It’s going to take everything he’s got to face this head-on. God has placed an obstacle in his path, and Curtis needs to show Him that he’s up for the challenge.

Robert says, they know Valentin lied about being at ELQ the night of the fire. Does Anna think he had anything to do with burning down her house? She says, Robert promised her that he wouldn’t ask any questions, and Robert says he lied. The difference between his lies and Valentin’s lies are, Valentin’s lies tend to get you killed. She says, he’s complicated, but he doesn’t do anything without a reason. She doesn’t know why he said he was at ELQ when he wasn’t. She also doesn’t know what else he’s lied about. He says, but she suspects something, and she says, what if his connection to Pikeman goes deeper? He admitted to working for them years ago as a logistics contractor. He says it ended with that, but she doesn’t buy it. What if he’s still in bed with Pikeman?

Martin says, to be fair, neither he nor Lucy has been particularly successful when it comes to marriage. She starts to interrupt, but he says, hang on for a second. Something doesn’t make sense. How on earth did she find out he’s the one getting the alimony?

Diane tells Carly, that’s not the way the law works. It’s not like you’ve gone to a doctor; you don’t like what he says. You go to General Hospital for a second opinion. This is the justice system. You can’t hand pick a judge. Carly says, but the sentence given to Drew was over-the-top and wrong. Besides, Drew agreed to six months in Spring Ridge, not three years in Pentenville. It’s cruel and unusual. Diane says she wholeheartedly agrees, and Carly says, besides, there’s nothing in Drew’s past to justify the sentence. It’s like the judge had some kind of vendetta against Drew. They have to do something. Come on. Diane says, that’s an interesting point though. She might be able to argue bias. She can go back into the judge’s past cases and see if there’s any kind of history of prejudicial behavior. Carly says, so she’ll take the case? and Diane says, that depends on who’s hiring her, Carly or Drew?

Trina says, part of this is her fault, and Josslyn asks, how is it her fault? Trina says, when she found out Curtis was her father, she lashed out at her mom. Her mom found out Curtis kissed Jordan, and was upset about how he was treating her, so she went off on Curtis. Josslyn says she still doesn’t understand how that’s on Trina, and Trina says, if she hadn’t put her mom in a vulnerable state, maybe she wouldn’t have been as angry about the kiss. He said that it meant nothing, but Trina didn’t let it go. And that’s on her. Josslyn says, it’s not. They’re responsible for their actions, not Trina. They’re adults and they’ve got to figure this out for themselves.

Curtis tells Stella, if God wanted to put an obstacle in his path, He didn’t have to take away his ability to walk. Talk about timing; right when everything was looking up. Not only did he reconnect with his father and made peace with him, he found out he has a daughter, an amazing daughter. He struggled with the fact Portia kept it a secret from him, but they were working past that. Stella says, he still has those things. He still has all those good things in his life – family. The accident didn’t take them away. Curtis says, that’s just it. It wasn’t an accident. The shooter intended to pull that trigger. It doesn’t matter if he was the intended target. He was hit and here he is, and she expects him to believe that’s God’s plan? She says, maybe this experience can enrich his life in ways he never expected. It can show how strong and resilient he is. He says he doesn’t feel strong. He can’t even walk. He can barely do anything. So much of who he is, is tied to how physical he was. Curtis, hitting the bag, rough and tumble, running in the park, but he can’t do any of that anymore. She asks if he’s saying a disabled person should just give up. We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Does he know who said that? FDR. He didn’t give up. He ran this country from a wheelchair. That’s a real hero, not like the ones in the comic books Curtis used to love. Curtis has a superpower. He just doesn’t know what it is yet, but it’s in there. And until he finds out, they’re all here standing right beside him.

Marshall says he can understand where Curtis is coming from, and Portia asks what he means. He says, years ago when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, he made a tough choice. It probably wasn’t the right one, but he chose to leave his family to protect them. Portia asks if he thinks Curtis is pushing her away for the same reason, and he tells her that he can’t say for sure, but what he does know is that his son loves her. What Curtis doesn’t know is what their relationship is going to be like. He’s not just talking emotionally; he’s talking physically. She says, so Curtis is avoiding her, and Marshall says, yeah, he’s avoiding her. He’s avoiding the questions he doesn’t have the answers to yet. It’s not because Curtis doesn’t love her. It’s because he does love her.

Gregory tells Alexis that he let Finn know about his diagnosis. It’s still surreal saying he has ALS. You’d think it would have sunk in by now, but every time he says it, it hits him all over again. She asks how Finn took it, and he says, Finn usually plays everything close to the vest, but he was obviously devastated. And he only added to that by telling him that Alexis already knew. She says she and Finn ran into each other a little bit ago, and they talked about it. He asks if Finn was upset that she knew, but she says she thinks he’s more concerned about Gregory, not who was told first. He says, so hopefully it won’t damage their friendship, and she says, no, it will not. She and Finn are fine and they’re both worried about him. He thanks her again for keeping his confidence, and apologizes for putting her in that position. It wasn’t fair. He hopes she can forgive him.

Elizabeth says she knows what Finn’s dad is facing is horrible, but hopefully he can hang onto those moments of joy he has right now. Finn said he talked about going on a trip? Finn says, he wanted to take Violet to Disneyworld, but that was before his symptoms started getting worse. He thinks his father is afraid of losing his mobility, and doesn’t want Violet to see that. She says, that’s inevitable, but kids are super resilient. One day at a time. That’s what they say in AA, right? He tells her, that’s what they say, but it’s still hard to see what lies ahead. She says she knows, but his dad is still independent and still has his freedom, and Finn has to take advantage of that while he can. Don’t miss out on what’s right in front of him.

Martin wonders how Lucy got a look at the particulars of his financials, especially that alimony. That is confidential, and he’s not the kind of man who leaves documents lying around. So how on earth did she get her hands on that information? She says, well… perhaps… she went to Pine Valley and she snooped. He says, that girls trip she took with Felicia. She said they were in Llanview. Lucy says she lied. They met this guy there named Jackson Montgomery; he’s a lawyer. Martin says, oh Lord. He knows who Jackson Montgomery is. She says, they also had a look at his files. Perhaps without his permission. He says, so she was willing to break the law to get a look at his private something-something? She could have been arrested. How could she have done something like that? She says, how could she have done something like that? How could he keep this alimony thing a secret from her all this time? He says, that’s in his past. It has nothing to do with the two of them. Nothing is more important than his relationship with her. She says, okay. Give up the money. Tell his third ex-wife that he just doesn’t want that alimony anymore. No alimony ever. He says, it’s fifty thousand dollars… Is that really what she wants? She says she doesn’t know. She doesn’t think she’s free to make demands on him to give up fifty thousand dollars, especially when she’s going to be bankrupt soon.

Robert says he’ll take care of Valentin, but why doesn’t Anna just confront him directly? She says she can’t do that, and he says, because she doesn’t trust him. He often wondered what she really saw in that dude. She asks him to stop. She didn’t ask him for this. She really just wants him to find out the truth, because she doesn’t know what it is anymore. Valentin walks in and says, nobody told him they were having company, but Robert gets up and says, they don’t. He’s leaving. He goes, and Valentin asks, what’s wrong with Robert? She says, he’s a bit worried about Robin.

Diane asks if Drew knows that Carly is trying to relitigate his sentence, and Carly says, yes. He knows she wants him out of there. She was just with him earlier at Pentenville. Diane asks how he’s holding up, and Carly says, he’s Drew. He’s strong mentally and physically, so he’s not going to complain. He can survive, but that’s not the point. He shouldn’t have to. Diane says, in a standard case – and this is far from a standard case – the appeals process can take years, and it can be torturous. It’s a vicious cycle of hope and disappointment. So instead of putting Drew through all of that, the wisest course of action might be to let him finish out his sentence.

Stella asks what life at home looks like for Curtis now. Is he going to continue to do everything on his own and shut out his wife? She knows it’s hard for Portia to see him this way. Every time she comes to see him, she feels Curtis is pushing her away. Is that how it’s going to be when he gets home? He shakes his head, and says, they’d been making progress. He was on his way to talk to her at the pool when he was shot. He never got his chance. She says, but now he has a chance, and he says, once he found out he was paralyzed, he said some horrible things to Portia. He didn’t want her pity, so he was deliberately hurtful. He thought it would drive her away. She says, but it didn’t. That woman loves him unconditionally. She knows Portia was hurt, but she understood why he lashed out. We’re always toughest on the ones we love. This might be a long road, but let them ride it along with him. They love him. So let them in.

Alexis says, there is nothing to forgive, but Gregory says, it was wrong. Especially knowing she and Finn were friends. She says, what about Chase? How did he take it? Gregory looks away, and she says, ooh. He hasn’t told Chase yet. He says he will. He just keeps putting it off. Chase has been so sensitive. It practically killed him to tell Chase that he and Chase’s mother were getting divorced. He can’t imagine how he’s going to take this news. He just wants a few more days with him not knowing, so their time together isn’t about his illness. She says she understands, and he says he knows it’s been difficult, but he thanks her for respecting his wishes and staying silent about his diagnosis. It gave him more time with his family; time to be a father and grandfather, not a man with a debilitating disease. She says, again, it’s not her place to share this information and he’ll tell Chase when he’s ready.

Finn says, Elizabeth is right. He needs to focus on the present and enjoy this time with his dad. He just wishes he hadn’t wasted so damn much of it. For years he wanted nothing to do with his family; he turned his back on his father. His father never gave up on him. Elizabeth says, now it’s his turn, because Finn won’t give up on him, and Finn says he’s going to be there for his father every step of the way. She says, now’s the time to be completely honest with him. Put everything on the table. Tell Gregory how he feels guilty for shutting him out and that he wants to make up for it. Tell Gregory that he loves him.

Trina goes to Portia’s office and says she thought Portia could use some company. Portia says she sure does. It’s been such an emotional night. She hugs Trina, and Trina says she’s been having a lot of those lately. Talk to her. Portia says she’s really been dumping on Trina a lot lately, so… Trina says she wants to help Portia. What’s going on? Portia says, Marshall was here earlier and they had a pretty heavy discussion about Curtis. Trina asks if something is wrong with Curtis, but Portia says, no, he’s fine. But she heard from the rehab facility, and he’s being released tomorrow. Trina says, that’s great. She was just telling Joss that once they’re under the same roof again, she knows things will get better. Portia says, but she’s not quite sure Curtis is going to be coming back home.

Stella says, Curtis is a very proud man. She knows it’s difficult for him to be so vulnerable, but they’re not looking at him with pity, especially Portia. He needs to open his heart and let Portia in. If he can do that, maybe he’s ready to go home. He says he’s been shutting down emotionally because it’s easier than admitting how difficult this is. Sure, the physical part’s demanding, but it’s the only way he can work through this. But he knows he has to put his life back together, and it’s just going to look a little different from this angle. She asks if that means he’s ready to take on the challenge of his new reality.

Anna asks what Valentin’s been up to, and he says he was with Charlotte. They were supposed to have lunch by the pool, but she had a pizza placed she wanted him to see, so they may have ordered a large sausage and mushroom, and finished half a dozen zeppole for dessert. So he doesn’t think he’s going to be terribly hungry for dinner, but he will join her. She says, okay. He can make it up to her by ordering another glass of wine. She’s just going to go to the ladies room. She’ll be right back.

Lucy tells Martin, Deception stock is tanking, and how dare they claim she stole the whole idea of The Deceptor? She didn’t, and he knows that. She came up with the idea when they were together in bed. Remember? He was her inspiration. He says, intellectual property theft is very difficult to prove, and she says, but what if they actually prove it? They’re out of business and she’s broke. He sees Valentin walking to the door, and asks Lucy to excuse him for a second. She says, what’s more important than her? and he says, hold that thought, and dashes after Valentin.

In the hallway, Valentin asks if Martin heard back, and Martin says, yes. And it’s not good news.

Carly says, Diane thinks Drew should stay in Pentenville for three years, and Diane says, stop it. She doesn’t think Drew should stay in Pentenville. Of course (🍷) not. She’s just saying, at this point, it might be wise to let him finish out his sentence. Carly says, it’s not, and she wouldn’t ask Diane to pursue this if Drew wasn’t on board. Diane says, really? and Carly says, okay, she would, but he is. So come on. Please? Diane is the best lawyer she knows. There has to be something she can do. Diane says, there’s just not a lot to work with here. This is a federal case and it’s very tricky to get federal cases reassigned to a different judge. Carly says, can’t she pull some strings?… What about Robert? She knows things are awkward between him and Diane, but maybe he has some federal connections… Diane says, yes, things are awkward between the two of them, when Carly says, here he is. Diane says, what? and Carly says, well, hello, DA Scorpio. Robert says, good evening, ladies. He didn’t know Diane frequented this establishment. Diane says, there’s boatloads he doesn’t know about her. She starts to leave, and he says he thought he’d drop by to tell her that he got a new set of wheels. She stops and turns around.

Finn says he’s glad his dad confided in Elizabeth, and she says, he did it for Finn. He wanted Finn to be able to share the burden. Finn says, just between the two of them, there’s no one else he’d  rather share it with, and she tells him that Gregory also said he hadn’t told Chase yet. He says, it’s going to be hard, but he’ll be there to help his father. He’s really grateful to have her here in his corner. He can’t imagine doing this on his own. She says, he doesn’t have to. She’s here for him, every step of the way. They hug.

Gregory tells Alexis, what if he’s never ready to let Chase know? He keeps waiting for the right time, but Chase has been so happy lately with Brook and getting his badge back; this will crush him. She says she doesn’t think he’s giving Chase enough credit. He was raised by a helluva dad. She wants him to stop her if she’s said this before, but she’s here for him. He says, stop, and she says she’s really lucky to have him in her life. He says, stop, and she says, he’s a great writer. He says, go on, and she says, and he’s a helluva pal. He says, the feeling’s mutual, boss, and she hugs him.

Diane asks, under what circumstances would Robert buy a new car when he told her he was perfectly comfortable with the old one? He said he wasn’t good with change. Robert tells her that he thought about what she said, and she was right. He thought he’d open himself up to new possibilities. She says, out with the old, in with the new, is that it? She’s not sure it’s quite that simple, but enjoy those wheels. He asks if she’d like to come for a spin, and she says she’ll have to check her spin schedule, but she’s sure she can squeeze him in. He says he’s sure her friend Chris… What’s his name? She says, Chris is her name, and Diane is sure she wouldn’t mind. She heads for the door, and Carly says, on that other thing… Diane says, got it, and leaves.

Valentin says, the clock is ticking. He needs Martin to get this done. Martin says, it’s not that simple, but Valentin says, it is simple. He can’t take the next step until Martin gets it done. Will he get it done? Valentin walks out and goes to the table. Anna is there, and she asks, what’s with him and Martin? It seemed a little tense. Is everything okay? He says, yeah. They talked some business, nothing interesting. At least now Martin can take this off as a business expense. He’s here for her. How was her day? She says, kind of like him and Martin. Nothing interesting.

Martin asks what he can get Lucy. Is she hungry? Does she want something to eat? She does love their burgers. She says, nope. She’s not hungry. She doesn’t have an appetite. Too nervous. The hearing is tomorrow, and her entire future is riding on that hearing. This really could be the end of Deception, and the end of her.

Trina asks if Curtis said he’s not coming home, and Portia says, no, but she hasn’t heard from him. She’s worried maybe he has second thoughts about coming back. Trina says she’s sure Curtis just has a lot on his mind, being discharged. She knows he’ll come home. So she better get back to the house and make sure everything is ready. Portia says she doesn’t want Trina to get her hopes up. If Curtis does come back home, things are going to be different. It’s going to be an adjustment for all of them. Portia’s phone rings, and it’s Curtis. He asks how she is, and she says she’s okay. How is he? He says, better than he’s been in the last few weeks. He’s coming home. She says, he has no idea how happy that makes her, and he says, it’s not going to be easy, but they can make it work… together.

Tomorrow, Dr. Montague says he’s going to give Sasha something to take all her pain away; Marshall tells Curtis, there’s trouble at the club; Cyrus says he now has Sonny’s protection too; and Carly tells Michael that she’s going to come up with a way to get Drew out of Pentenville.

↪️ Circling Back…

I totally forgot she’d made an appearance before.

Kassie DePavia Returns to GENERAL HOSPITAL!

🎤 Time For a Chat…

This is a good interview show. August 31st, 3 pm.

Chat Live With Soap Star Wally Kurth!

🗽 Their City Never Sleeps…

This week’s RHONY recap.

RHONY Recap: Erin Confronts Brynn Over Divorce Comment to Abe and Tells Sai She’s Bad-Mannered for Leaving Party, Plus Jenna’s Real Name is Judith

🛟 Sinking Ship…

This guy seems like a total creeper. And I’m wondering what production meant by, they dealt with it. Did they pat her on the head and send her back to work?

Below Deck Sailing Yacht’s Gary King Denies Sexual Assault Allegation, Claims Makeup Artist is “Lying” in Deleted Instagram Comments, See His Posts

🌳 New To Me…

Apparently, this show has been on Netflix for a while, but it only recently caught my eye. I love an apocalyptic drama. While slow moving at times, I was in it for the long haul and found the payoff gratifying.

https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-netflix-original-3/

🐕 But Is He Single…?

Only the hardest of hearts could have abandoned this little nugget. And only the best dude in the world made him an immediate BFF.

https://nypost.com/video/magical-moment-abandoned-chihuahua-finds-a-new-owner/

👟 Talk To the Foot…

Come set a spell tomorrow for soap and tea without sympathy. Until then, stay safe, stay never counting your chickens before they’re hatched, and stay not complaining if there’s no beluga on the menu.

Aug26

August 25, 2023 – Cody Asks Sam For Help, Newbie, Atlanta Receipts, Called Out, No Shock, Leaky Deck, VanderLock, Tasty Move, New Horror, Dead News, Second Last, Stray Training, Apple Pups, 9 Crisp Quotes & Out

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Willow comes into the hospital, and Elizabeth asks if she’s had a setback, but Willow says, just the opposite. She wants to get back to work. Does Elizabeth have room for one more nurse?

Finn sets up the backgammon board, and Tracy says she hopes he’s been practicing. He’s going to need it. He asks if she’s kidding. He has an eight-year-old daughter, and there’s not a day that goes by that there isn’t new disease at the hospital to challenge him. Does she really think he has time to practice backgammon? She looks at him, and he says, okay. The minute he knew she was back in town, he started practicing his ass off. She says, good choice – she takes a paper out of her pocket – because according to her calculations, Tracy-47, Finn-29. He says, 47-29? She kept that all this time? She asks what he thinks and he says, of course (🍷) she kept it; she’s winning. She says she loves to win, and shakes the dice.

Cody says he’s desperate here. Sasha’s in trouble, and Sam could be his only chance. She says, to get himself locked up in Ferncliff? and he says, to help Sasha. She says she thinks it’s a terrible plan, but he says, it’s the only plan he’s got. Please. She says she won’t help him, much less be the one who commits him.

On his phone at the Crimson office, Sonny asks what Brick’s got for him. Has the fake information Betty stole from his computer been downloaded?… He gets that, but he’s impatient. It’s just that he wants some answers. He may have to figure this out. Nina comes out of the elevator, and Sonny says, he’ll see Brick later. Nina comes in and asks, what’s wrong? Sonny says, nothing. A beautiful woman is in front of him. What could be wrong with that? She says, nothing’s wrong with that, and they hug. Absolutely nothing.

At the pool, Molly thanks Alexis for coming, and Alexis says, of course (🍷) she would be here. She knows how much this means to Molly and TJ. Molly says she really wants Alexis to like her, and Alexis says she thinks it’s more important that Molly and TJ like her. Molly says, they really do, when Andrea comes in. Molly introduces her to Alexis, and they sit at a table. Kristina appears in the doorway and sees them.

On the phone, Brook says, so it’s all true?… She can’t say she’s completely surprised. She could kill her with her bare hands… No, no. Not them. A certain member of her family.

Tracy asks, how’s Finn’s father? and Finn says, he’s… fine. She says, fine? Really? She was supposed to have dinner a few days ago at the MetroCourt with her sister-in-law who had to cancel. There, she ran into Finn’s father, who coerced her into having dinner with him. Finn asks, how bad was the dinner? and she says, actually, the food was much improved now that Carly Spencer is no longer running the show. He says he meant, how was his dad’s company? and she says, he’s charming, but he couldn’t hide the fact that his hand was cramping. What’s wrong with him? Finn says he’ll have to ask her not to pursue that line of questioning, and she asks, why? He says he’d prefer not to lie to her, and she says, fine. He shakes the dice, and asks how Ned is doing. She says, he’s still singing on streetcorners and hanging out with her favorite person, Sonny Corinthos. And how is Detective Chase? He says, Chase is convinced Tracy is forcing Brook to give up her music career to work at Deception, and she says she needs to ask him not to pursue that line of questioning. He asks, why? and she says she’d prefer not to lie to him. He laughs.

Willow tells Elizabeth that she’s feeling stronger every day. She’s got her energy back and she’s really starting to feel like her old self again. Elizabeth says, that’s such great news, and Willow says she loves her time with Michael and the kids, but what she really wants is to get back to nursing. Taking care of people who need help, like she did when she was getting her transplant. This hospital is full of excellent nurses who took such amazing care of her and really supported her when she needed it. She’s not sure what she would have done without them. Elizabeth says, they do have excellent nurses here, but Willow wasn’t just any patient; she’s one of them. Willow says she wants to pay it forward and give that type of care to other patients who need it. Elizabeth says, that’s why they do this, and she’s all for Willow coming back to GH because she’s an amazing nurse, and she can’t wait to have Willow back on rotation, as soon as her doctors approve her return. It would be a bad way to repay all those nurses by coming back too soon and pushing herself too hard, compromising her immune system. Willow says, of course (🍷). She agrees. That’s why she’s here, to talk to Dr. Randolph and see when she’ll be approved. Elizabeth says, great. This place needs people like Willow, and she can’t wait to get that documentation that says Willow is ready to work.

Sonny says he doesn’t want to keep Nina from her work. Maybe she should see if something urgent came up. Nina says she’s just fine in his arms. Besides, there’s nothing that can’t wait. He asks if she’s sure about that, and she says she would have gotten a text or an email from one of her assistants. He says, maybe its one of those old fashioned phone things. Why doesn’t she just check it out? She asks why he’s acting so weird, and he says he doesn’t want her to miss something important. She goes to her desk and finds a jewelry box, and asks, what’s this? He says he doesn’t know; maybe she should open it. She opens it, and says, oh! revealing a stunning diamond pendant necklace. She says she loves it; it’s beautiful. He says, it’s going to be even more beautiful when he puts it on her, and she asks if it’s an apology for being so secretive with her. He says, yes and no, and she asks, which is it? He says, why doesn’t she turn around and he’ll put it on her. She says, it’s gorgeous (it gets my vote), and he says, it’s absolutely amazing, putting the necklace on her. He hooks the clasp, and she asks how it looks. He says, she looks beautiful and that just compliments it, and she says, he always has a way of making her feel special. What happened to him to put him so at ease? He says he’s just happy, but she says when she saw him in his office the other night talking to Ava, they both seemed pretty tense.

Sam says, even if she wanted to – which she doesn’t – she couldn’t have Cody committed because she’s not related to him. Therefore, there’s no legal standing to do it. He says, easy fix, and she says she can’t wait to hear this. He says he gives her power of attorney. She becomes his medical executor. She says, so he appoints her one day, and she has him committed the next. That’s not going to look suspicious at all, is it? He says, it’s good enough to get him into Ferncliff, and if people start asking questions afterward, who cares? She says she cares. This is a bad idea. He says, no, it’s not. It could work. She says, this is a pointless discussion because she’s not going to do it, and he says, why? She says, because she’s not going to do anything that’s going to make Sasha worse.

Andrea says, the view from up here is amazing, and Alexis says, you can see most of Port Charles from up here. Kristina says, TJ likes to come here and go swimming to blow off steam, and afterward they grab something to eat. Alexis notices Kristina, who ducks out. Molly and Andrea discuss the food there, and their favorite dishes. Alexis looks over and sees Kristina is gone.

Tracy says she wins, and Finn says he has the feeling that’s her favorite phrase. She says, it’s definitely one of her favorites. Isn’t he even going to try to beat her? He says, just wait til next game, and she says she appreciates his enthusiasm, adding something to the paper. She says, the running score is now 48 to 29, and he tells her that she doesn’t have to say it so loud. He’s surprised she doesn’t have her own Quartermaine score tab stationery with a little family crest on it. He can see it now; one for Brook, two for Tracy, Ned zero. She says, that’s a clever idea, and he says, you’re welcome. She asks what they’re going to talk about now that he’s removed his father from the topic of conversation and she’s removed her granddaughter? She knows he doesn’t want to waste any more time talking about stationery. He says he discovered a fascinating new bacteria… but she says, no. Infectious diseases is off the table. He says he has a topic, and she says, Monica’s cheap china or business cards? He says, what about Luke?

Gregory comes into the hospital, and Elizabeth asks if he’s here to see Finn, but he says, actually, he was hoping to have a word with her. She says, sure. Is everything okay? He tells her, let’s just say, it’s extremely important.

Sam tells Cody, they’ve been over this. Sasha has suffered a psychotic break. Right now she needs medical attention because she’s dangerous and delusional. He says, no, she isn’t, and Sam asks what he’s talking about. He has a scar on his side where Sasha stabbed him. He says he’s telling her that Sasha is being drugged, and somehow, Gladys is responsible for it. How is he the only one who sees it? She says, he may think that, but Sasha also has a history of mental illness, and he says he knows all about her history, but one minute she’s fine, and the next minute, she’s hallucinating. How does that happen? He’s telling her, something isn’t right. She says, okay. Say he does get in to see Sasha and he pushes her further into her delusion. He says he wouldn’t, but she says, he doesn’t know that. Or maybe even the worst-case scenario. Maybe she thinks he’s Cyrus Renault again and attacks him a second time, and he’s not so lucky and winds up in the hospital, or worse. He says he’s thought through all that. He’ll be on his guard this time, and he can defend himself from Sasha. She says she’s not worried about him, and he says, gee, thanks. She says she’s worried about Sasha and him traumatizing her more. Is he willing to take that risk?

Sonny says he understands why Nina feels excluded, and she says, good, because she did. First, Dex and Gabe wouldn’t let her in the penthouse. Then when she went to his office, she found him talking with Ava, and she seemed to be in the know about what was going on. He says, because he and Ava share Avery, and she says, but then he tells her that it’s for her safety that she doesn’t know. Who wouldn’t feel left out? He says, because some things in his business are better left unsaid. They’ve gone over this a thousand times and he doesn’t want to put her in danger. She says, he’s willing to put Ava’s life in danger? and he takes her hand. He says he came here to apologize for making her feel like an outsider. He doesn’t let her in on things because it puts her at risk. She knows everything else. She says she feels like Frank or Gabe when his office door is shut in her face, and he says he doesn’t ever want her to feel like an employee. She says she knew from day one what she was getting into when she fell in love with him, and she accepts all of him; this charming, amazing man in front of her, and the ruthless businessman. She loves all of him. He says he doesn’t ever want her to forget how much he loves her. That’s all that matters. She says, just let her in. Maybe she can help him. She can handle it. He says, some things are best not knowing.

Kristina goes to the reception desk and asks if Dr. Randolph is in. Walking by, Willow says, Dr. Randolph had an emergency that pulled her away, and Kristina hugs her. She says, Willow looks great. It’s nice to see her out. Willow says, it’s great to be out. She’s feeling a lot better. Kristina says she’s sorry she didn’t come see Willow. She didn’t know when Willow was accepting visitors again. Willow says, it’s okay. After she left the hospital, she had to restrict her visitors to a small group, since her immune system might be compromised, but now she’s almost fully recovered, so they can see each other any time. Kristina says, that’s amazing news, and Willow says she couldn’t be more grateful for what Liesl did for her. She’s actually here to see Dr. Randolph too. She’s hoping to get the all-clear to go back to work. What about Kristina? Is she okay? Kristina says, not really. Actually, it’s probably best she doesn’t see Dr. Randolph today.

Elizabeth tells Gregory, she’s officially on break, so she’s all his. What’s going on? Are Finn and Violet okay? He says, they’re fine, and they sit down. He needs her to accept his apology. She says, for what? and he says he’s been keeping something from her, from everyone close to him. But the time has come for him to be up front and transparent. He waited too long. He never should have agreed to watch Violet the other night. She asks, what happened? and he says he fell, and Violet came in and saw him on the floor. She says she’s sure it was scary for Violet, but she’s going to be okay. What about him? Is he hurt? Does he want to see a doctor? He says, no. The fall was nothing serious, but Violet was worried and so was he. He told Finn and now he’s telling her. He has ALS.

Tracy tells Finn that she keeps forgetting Luke is gone. The fact that he’s not around to drive her crazy is something she finds impossible to wrap her head around. Finn says, she really misses him, doesn’t she? and she says, yeah. He has her at loose ends, so she concentrates on her good friend – she nods to him – and focuses on a business project she’s involved in. He asks if she wants to talk about it, or is it one of those subjects they shouldn’t pursue a line of questioning? She says she prefers not to lie to him, and he laughs. Brook storms in and says, how could she? Tracy says, they’re in the middle of a game, and Brook swipes the board onto the floor. She says, now they’re not.

Nina and Sonny sit at a table, fully set for dinner in her office, and she says, one of the perks of having her office in the MetroCourt is that she can have them send dinner down when they’re feeling hungry and romantic. He says, speaking of romantic, they haven’t even talked about the details for the wedding, and she says, they’ve been a little preoccupied. Him with whatever he’s doing and Michael, and her with  the MetroCourt and the magazine and Willow. He asks if they can focus on themselves. They haven’t even set a date when she wants to marry him. She says she’s glad he asked because she wants a winter wedding, and she wants their table centerpieces to be filled with anemones and orchids and roses, and she was thinking about wearing an off-white gown. He says, she thought about this? and she says, a little. He says, a lot, and she says, if they have a winter wedding, she saw these amazing emerald and gold invitations; they’re gorgeous. And he would look dashing in a burgundy tux, and she could picture them in Crimson’s January issue. He says he’s not very comfortable with being splashed across her magazine, but he does like a winter wedding because they have time to plan and she can have what she wants. She says, there’s another reason she wants to wait for winter. She wants to make sure Willow is fully recovered. If they have a wedding before Willow is completely cleared, she thinks it would be disrespectful to her. He says, Nina wants her to come around so she can be part of the wedding.

Kristina says she doesn’t know if Willow heard, but she’s starting an LGBTQIA+ youth center here in Port Charles. Willow says, Michael told her. She thinks it’s an amazing idea. Kristina says she asked Dr. Randolph if she would be on the board of directors, and Willows says, she would be excellent. What did she say? Kristina says, she seemed interested, but she didn’t commit yet, so she’s here hopefully to convince her to get on board. (No pun intended?) Willow says, she will, and Kristina says she’s glad she ran into Willow first. She’s realizing she’s not quite in the right head space to talk to Dr. Randolph today, and the worst thing she could possibly do is throw herself into business to distract herself and potential risk messing things up for the foundation. Willow says, distract herself from what? and Kristina says, from feeling left out of her sister’s life.

Alexis asks what led Andrea to wanting to become a surrogate, and Andrea tells her, like she said, she’s married. She and Ben have a young son, Randy; he’s just a baby. Her husband is a plumber and she used to work as an executive assistant. Alexis says, so she’s no longer working, and Andrea says she really wanted to stay home with her son and not look for another job, and she and her husband decided being a surrogate would allow her to do that. Randy’s young enough that he won’t remember her being pregnant. Someday they’ll explain to him of course (🍷), when he’s old enough to understand. Alexis says, it’s good to come clean about things like that, and Andrea says, at this point, he’s so young, he won’t anticipate a sibling when he sees her pregnant. So it won’t mean anything to him. Alexis asks, what will it mean to her?

Cody tells Sam that he can’t think of anything more traumatic than Sasha being trapped in Ferncliff. Please, just hear him out. She sits down, and he says, so Sasha had a breakdown after her baby and husband died within a year. Then she started using drugs; that’s when she cracked. That’s when she smashed in the windshield. Sam asks if he’s trying to prove her point, and he says he gets it, but then Sasha got help. She made a full recovery and was doing so great, she was even able to go back on TV selling Deception’s beauty products. And just when she’s ready to dump Gladys as her guardian and start taking control of her own affairs, she cracks again, even worse than before, leaving greedy Gladys in control of her money. Come on. Doesn’t Sam find that way too convenient?

Finn points to the game on the floor and says he was going to win. It doesn’t matter; Tracy and Brook should talk. He’ll show himself out. Tracy says she apologizes for the rudeness of her granddaughter. She was clearly raised by her mother. He says he’ll call Tracy later and leaves. Brook asks why she did it. Why? Tracy says, do what? and Brook says, go after Deception and in the process hurt her friends. Tracy says, please. She’s told Brook time and again, there are no friends in business. Does Brook think her great grandfather could have built ELQ into what it is today by making friends? Besides, they got what was coming to them. Brook asks how she can say that, and Tracy says, Lucy Coe stole the designs for The Deceptor. Brook says, from who? Tracy? Tracy says, no, and Brook asks, then who? Tracy says, from the company she’s working with, and Brook says, so there it is. Tracy just revealed the whole plot. Tracy used her. Tracy says, Brook used her to get Chase back his job, and Brook says, and Tracy used that to blackmail her into hurting her friends so she could help some random company. For what? Some revenge on Lucy Coe? Some bizarre vendetta? What’s happened to her? My guess: Tracy is working with Martin’s ex-wife number three, whose idea he inadvertently passed to Lucy.

Cody tells Sam, Sasha isn’t in Ferncliff because she’s a danger to him or herself. She’s in Ferncliff because she’s a threat to Gladys controlling her money. Sam asks if he really believes Gladys had Sasha drugged and sent to Ferncliff so she could remain in control of Sasha’s assets, and he says he’s played cards with Gladys. She’s an addict, like anyone who’s addicted to booze or coke. She says, that’s a big accusation to make, and he says, yeah, and Gladys has an even bigger debt to pay. Addicts are liars. He has no idea what lies Gladys has told herself to justify what she’s doing to Sasha. Frankly, he doesn’t care. All he cares about here is the victim. So is Sam going to let Sasha just rot in Ferncliff, or is she going to help him get in there and help her?

Sonny tells Nina, Willow’s on the road to making a full recovery, so they have to believe that. Nina says she does. She saw Willow earlier at Kelly’s and she looked a lot better. She just doesn’t want to tempt fate. He says, she’s going through a lot; she’s been through a lot. She’s a fighter. Nina says, she is a fighter, but it’s hard not to worry about her, and he says, they’re always going to worry about their kids. Nothing’s going to change that. But Nina’s been doing a lot of praying, and her prayers seem to be answered. Nina says, Sonny knows her a little too well, and he tells her not to forget that. He knows how important it is to have Willow at their wedding. Nina says, they’ve made a lot of progress. They’ve had some really good conversations, and Willow has made it clear she wants more of a relationship with her. He says, that’s great, and she says, it’s just going to be a long, hard road to rebuild that trust, but she wants Willow at the wedding, and they both know she won’t attend as long as Michael’s not there. (I dunno about that.) How does he feel about that? He says, if Michael wants to show up, nothing would make him happier. If you’d asked him six months ago if there was a chance Michael would come to their wedding – they laugh – he would say, no way. But you‘ve got to have hope, and he and Michael are doing a lot better. She says, that’s great, because she knows how important that is to him. He says, they’ve got to be thankful for everything they’ve got, and things seem to be looking up for them.

Willow says, Kristina can talk to her. What happened? Kristina says she knows she can trust Willow with this, and the secret is going to be out in nine months anyway. Molly and TJ have been having some infertility issues; Molly specifically has been. Willow says, poor Molly, and Kristina says, she’s been taking it really hard, and ever since they found out, she – they – have been talking about ways to have a baby of their own. So Kristina stepped up and committed the unpardonable sin of offering to be their surrogate. Willow says, wow. That is quite an offer. She’s taking it that it didn’t go over well. Kristina says, but it should have. You’d think Molly would see it as the selfless and loving gift she intended it to be. Instead, she’s insulted and completely shut Kristina out.

Andrea says she’s sure Alexis knows, there’s no greater joy than being a mom, and she was blessed with an easy and healthy pregnancy. If she can somehow pass that joy on to Molly and TJ by being their surrogate and giving them the gift of being parents, she’s also providing for her family and she’s willing to do it. Molly says, she and TJ can’t thank Molly enough. And they’ll both be there for Andrea every step of the way. Andrea says, luckily, she does know what to anticipate with the pregnancy, and going into it, knowing she’s carrying Molly and TJ’s baby and not her own, will make it possible for her to do this. That’s why she signed the contract. Alexis says she knows something about contracts, having been a lawyer for most of her life. She also knows what they can’t do. They really can’t capture the emotional part of what it means to have a child. So she thanks Andrea. It’s an incredible gift Andrea is giving to her child.

Elizabeth says she’s so sorry this is happening to him, and Gregory thanks her. It’s been a struggle to wrap his mind around it. (There’s a lot of that going around.) He put off facing it for as long as he could, which is why he hid his diagnosis from Finn and Chase for so long. He still hasn’t found the strength to tell Chase. Now that Finn knows, on the one hand, he’s relieved; on the other hand, he knows his son. She says, he’ll do everything he can for Gregory, and he says, that’s what he’s afraid of. Finn will act as both his doctor and his son, and he’ll forget to feel. But he’ll need to be in touch with those feelings, and for that he’ll need Elizabeth. Gregory dreads what’s ahead for him, but knowing Finn has her beside him, supporting him, he can dread it a little less.

Tracy says, what’s happened to her? What’s happened to Brook? Chase has softened her beyond recognition. Brook says, thank you, but Tracy says, that wasn’t a compliment. Brook says, Luke’s death has hardened Tracy more than she could have possibly imagined. She’s not only destroyed a company, she’s destroyed dreams. Does she understand that? Tracy says, please, and Brook says, if there’s any merit to this suit, it could bankrupt Deception. Tracy says, well, then Lucy Coe hasn’t kept very good books if her company’s that financially fragile, and Brook says, she’s unbelievable. This could leave Deception vulnerable to a hostile takeover. Or it could crumble before it ever has a chance to get back up on its feet. Tracy says, that’s the plan.

Elizabeth says she’ll do everything she can to support Finn, and Gregory. And she’ll be there for Chase and Violet. Gregory tells her that he had no doubt she’d say that, and thanks her. She asks, who else knows? and he says, at this point, it’s her, Finn, and Alexis Davis. He knows he’s being a coward, but he’s dreading telling Chase. She says, he’s anything but a coward. Facing this alone for months takes way more strength than he’s willing to admit. He’ll find the right moment to tell Chase. He says, Chase is the baby of the family, but boy, the optimist; the one who believes no matter how bad things get, it’s going to be okay in the end. He doesn’t know how to tell Chase that he’s sick, getting sicker, and one day, he’ll be helpless. There are days when he doesn’t believe it himself, but then his hands cramp up, or he struggles to stand up, or he falls down like he did with Violet, and it hits him. He’s going to die. This is real. She says, yeah, it’s real. There are still good days ahead, and she’s going to help him enjoy them. He thanks her and they hug, and Finn sees them.

Brook says, what plan? What is Tracy really after? She hasn’t been interested in ELQ in years, and that’s money to run a small country. What’s really going on here? Who sets out to ruin people’s lives? Oh wait. She’s sorry. Of course (🍷). A Quartermaine. Well look how well that’s turned out for this family. No wonder her dad woke up thinking he was someone else. Who’d want to be Tracy’s kid? Brook stomps out, and Tracy ponders this.

Andrea thanks Molly and Alexis for the lovely meal and even lovelier company. She’s so glad she’s in the position to help Molly and TJ. Molly says, they’re the fortunate ones to have found Andrea, and Andrea tells Alexis, it’s been a pleasure. Alexis says, it was a pleasure for her as well. It was a wonderful night. Andrea leaves, and Molly asks what Alexis thinks, and please, be honest. This is too important for anything else. Alexis says she likes Andrea. She thinks Andrea has a good head on her shoulders, and a good understanding of what it’s like to be a surrogate. Molly says she’s so relieved to hear Alexis say that, and Alexis says she thinks Molly and TJ are going to make fantastic parents. Molly thanks her, and they hug.

Kristina tells Willow, if she’s honest, it feels like Molly is punishing her because she can have a baby and Molly can’t. She knows that sounds harsh. Willow says, Kristina has a right to her feelings. She won’t pretend to know the answers, but one thing she’s learned is that babies are great bridge builders. Once the child is there and you’re interacting with this small miracle and the immediacy of them, it makes the old wounds seem less painful. So don’t assume she and Molly will feel this way forever. It’s very possible once the baby gets here, Kristina will just be aunty and Molly will be mom, and neither one of them will feel the need to be so territorial. It’ll all get easier. Kristina says she really hopes Willow is right, and she hopes the same for Kristina and Nina. She knows there’s negative history there and she gets it, but she’s been spending some time with Nina and she’s really a good person. Kristina’s dad loves her a lot. Maybe it’s like Willow just said, the immediacy will make the old wounds seem less painful. She hopes things get easier for Willow too, and Nina. Willow says she likes the sound of that.

Nina says, she and Sonny need to have these romantic dinners more often, and he says he knows. He’ll see what he can do. They kiss and his phone rings. He says he’s got to get this, and she says, go. He steps away and asks, what’s the update?

Cody says, what if it was Sam in Ferncliff? Or one of her sisters? Alone and afraid, being held against your will, being told by the doctors and staff that you’re crazy. Wouldn’t she want someone to check on her and make sure she’s safe? Wouldn’t she want someone to do something for her if she wasn’t? Wouldn’t she want someone to save her if they could? Or would she prefer everyone just stands on the sideline, does nothing, and hopes for the best? Because when that doesn’t work out, her and everyone she loves are going to regret it for the rest of their lives. Sam says, okay. She’ll do it. She’ll have him committed.

On Monday, Marshall asks if Portia has any good news; Lucy calls Martin an idiot; Trina tells Josslyn, there’s got to be a way to bring them back together; and Stella tells Curtis that he’s not giving up.

⚖️ New Lawyer In Town…

Too bad Nora wasn’t available. Then we’d have both Pine Valley and Llanview representing.

Carly Hughes Cast on GENERAL HOSPITAL!

🍑 Peach Of a Reunion…

I’ve been watching this off and on, but I still can’t get the image out of my head of Shereé and Marlo screeching at each other in gibberish back in (I think) season 4. No one seems to have matured much since then either.

VIDEO: See RHOA Season 15 Reunion Trailer! Kenya Serves Marlo a Subpoena, Drew’s “Incriminating” Texts With Ty Are Exposed as Ralph & Drew Face Off, and Kandi Accuses Drew of “Gaslighting”

🍊 Clap This…

Tamra can make justifications and excuses all she wants, but that episode was disgusting, and she hasn’t changed for the better in all these years.

RHOC’s Tamra Judge Claps Back After Bethenny Calls Out “Naked Wasted” Drama With Gretchen and Accuses Her of Going After Son Ryan, Plus Claims Narrative Aired is “Completely False”

🛟 His Ship Is Sinking…

Never liked him. Never will.

Former ‘Below Deck’ Production Member Accuses Gary King of Sexual Misconduct

https://people.com/below-deck-sailing-yacht-gary-king-accused-alleged-sexual-misconduct-7852575

⛴ The Latest In Decks…

Not sure how I’m going to feel about Captain Lee’s replacement.

Everything That’s Leaked About Below Deck Season 11

🍸 Because Can’t Let It Go…

Why doesn’t he just leave already? No matter what she says, this can’t be comfortable for her.

https://ew.com/tv/vanderpump-rules-ariana-madix-sleeps-with-door-locked-tom-sandoval/

At least she has something to balance it out.

Ariana Madix Opens up About ‘Calming’ Relationship With Daniel Wai

🍜 Tastes Change…

It’s a wonder she didn’t end up in the hospital from exhaustion.

Padma Lakshmi Reveals Why She Left Top Chef

👹 Delicacies Of Horror…

Some of what to expect in AHS season 12.

https://ew.com/tv/everything-we-know-about-american-horror-story-12-delicate/

AHS trivia. Maybe they should do an AHS: Barbie.

https://ew.com/tv/margot-robbie-almost-starred-in-american-horror-story-asylum/

⚰️ Dead Review…

Apparently, it doesn’t take much to impress him. Just because you’re not repeating the same lines over and over doesn’t make it art. TBD.

https://winteriscoming.net/2023/08/24/norman-reedus-teases-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-making-art/

For the life of me, I can’t remember this guy.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/08/24/fear-walking-dead-watch-return-troy-otto/

Teasing Rick and Michonne. Mostly Michonne.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/08/22/walking-dead-ones-live-teaser-cast-release/

Maggie’s plans in the City.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/07/26/walking-dead-city-season-2-maggies-plan-negan/

🏞 Mapping the Last…

They’re ready to roll. Now if the strike would just end.

https://ew.com/awards/the-last-of-us-season-2-mapped-out-craig-mazin/

🐶 No Dogs Under 17 Allowed…

I think this says it all: For years, I have been saying, Somebody needs to make an R-rated talking dog movie, the animal trainer says.

https://people.com/strays-dog-casting-training-exclusive-7692967

🦮 Pets in 3D…

I love it! Kudos to Apple. 🍎

https://people.com/dogs-with-prostheses-star-apple-iphone-campaign-the-invincibles-7724735

🐝 Quotes of the Week

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. – Neale Donald Walsch

You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals. – Booker T. Washington (Well, if I ever reach my goals, it will be one helluva yardstick.)

New beginnings are disguised as painful endings. – Lao Tzu

No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave. – Calvin Coolidge

Nobody can make you a doormat unless you lay down on the floor. – Judge Star Jones, Divorce Court

Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us. – Susan L. Taylor

Today stretches ahead of you waiting to be shaped. You are the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What today will be like is up to you. – Steve Maraboli

The fruit of your own hard work is the sweetest. – Deepika Padukone

Don’t spend major time on minor things. – Jim Rohn

🍒 Outside the Club…

While you’re enjoying what’s left of the summer, stop by on Monday really Tuesday for soap and random cups of tea. Until then, stay safe, stay tempering your ambition with courtesy, and stay being thankful for everything you’ve got.

Aug25

August 24, 2023 – Curtis (Hopefully) Learns a Lesson, Second Shift, Peacocks On the Runway & Strange

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny walks into Kelly’s and goes to the counter where there are some orders waiting. He tries to steal a French fry, and Carly says, hey! He can’t do that. He puts it back (yuk!) and says, she’s no fun. She says she’s tons of fun, but if he wants French fries, he’s got to order them. He says, no, he wants information, and she says, about what? He says, her visit to Pentenville.

In her office, Portia looks at her wedding photo, when there’s a knock at the door. Ava says she comes bearing gifts, and brings in some take-out iced coffees. She says she hopes she’s not interrupting, but Portia says, anyone with caffeine and sugar is definitely not interrupting. She thanks Ava, taking a coffee, and asks, what brings her by? Ava says she was at the gallery earlier and saw Trina, and Portia says, it must be a good distraction for her. She’s so grateful Trina has an outlet. Ava says she’s so glad to have Trina back. Trina gave her an update on Curtis. That’s the reason she came by. She knows Portia has an awful lot to deal with and wants to know if there’s anything she can do.

Curtis pulls himself along the parallel bars, *PT guy Brent encouraging him. Curtis makes it to the end of the bars, and Brent helps him into his wheelchair. Curtis says he feels like he climbed Mt. Everest, and Brent says, maybe not, but he made incredible progress. He should be proud of himself. Curtis says he’ll be proud of himself when he gets out of here on his feet and goes home. Jordan stands in the doorway, and even though he’s still breathing heavily, Curtis says, let’s go again, but Brent says he thinks they should take a break. Curtis says, no way, and grabs the closest bar. Brent helps him back up.

🤷🏽‍♀️*Troy was Curtis’s PT guy, but for whatever reason, now it’s Brent. Or maybe there’s two PT guys. I can’t find any info on Brent at all.

Spencer tells Trina that he’s still going to be living with Esme and Ace at his grandmother’s place when she gets back. He honestly hasn’t given it much thought. She says, what kind of answer is that? and he says he doesn’t mean to be flippant about it, but there’s been a lot going on. He’s still trying to keep his brother safe from Esme, while he’s trying to be supportive of Trina. She says she gets that, and he says he never realized how much work taking care of a baby is. It’s a lot, so it’s been difficult for him to think about practical big picture things like where he’s going to be living as Ace gets older. She says she’s sorry. She shouldn’t have brought it up. He tells her not to apologize, and says she has every right to ask the question. He just wishes he could give her a simple, straightforward answer. She says, that’s the problem. There is no simple or straightforward answer.

At the Deception office, Lucy says, this is a disaster, and asks Maxie to just tell her how this could have happened. Maxie says, Lucy needs to calm down. She doesn’t have all the facts yet. Lucy says, they have enough to know Deception is under direct attack. Someone wants to bring them down with malicious intent. She refuses to let that happen. Gladys walks in and says, they have to talk. Maxie and Lucy both say, not now, but Gladys says, yes, now. She needs to sell Sasha’s Deception stock and she can’t. What the hell is going on?

Dante kisses Sam, and she says she’s not complaining, but what was that for? He says, just because. He was wondering, would she be down with doing him a favor? She says, he doesn’t have to kiss her to get a favor, and she says she knows that. He wasn’t kissing her to get a favor. They’re two separate things. He kisses her again, and asks if she’d mind checking on Cody at the Quartermaine’s. She says, sure, but Cody is his friend. Why doesn’t Dante check on him? Dante says, because he thinks if he checks on Cody, Cody is going to act crazier than he already is.

Cody shares a carrot with one of the horses and says, sorry, he just can’t do it. He can’t leave Sasha sitting there if she’s in trouble. He wouldn’t leave the horse with dangerous people. Not that he’s comparing Sasha to a horse, or the horse to Sasha. Although when he thinks about it, they do have some similarities. They’re both gorgeous. They’re both kind, sweet, and make people happy. Mac asks if Cody is in there, and Cody asks, what the hell do you want?

Dante says, remember when he told Sam that Gladys slapped Cody with a restraining order and he went nuts, threatening her in front of him and Mac? She says, yeah, but she wouldn’t blame anyone for having a problem with Gladys, and she doesn’t think Cody would ever hurt a woman. He says, exactly. When Cody was acting like he was going to kill Gladys, it was an act. She asks if Dante called him on it, and he says, yeah. He took Cody into the interrogation room, and he’s chucking around papers and kicking over chairs. He finally got Cody to admit that he just couldn’t get into Ferncliff to see Sasha. He’s trying to act crazy so he can get himself committed.

Brook comes into the office and asks, what’s the emergency? Maxie says, they need to prep a statement for social media pronto, and Gladys says, it can wait. She’s the one with the emergency. Maxie tells her, zip it, but Gladys says, not until they tell her what’s going on with Sasha’s stock. Why can’t she sell it? Lucy says, because Sasha is a co-owner of Deception. None of them can sell their stock because of the lawsuit. Brook asks what she’s talking about, and Maxie says, intellectual property theft. Someone’s claiming they stole the design for The Deceptor.

Mac says he was just seeing how Cody is doing, and Cody asks how Mac thinks he’s doing. He’s got two cops on his tail. Dante won’t stop texting him, and Mac’s here. They both keep waiting for him to commit a crime. Maybe he already did. Maybe he hit Gelhorn Jewelers and hid another bracelet around here. Go ahead and search. Or better yet, why doesn’t Mac go ahead and take him in. He holds out his wrists and says, arrest me, officer, making a weird face.

Portia says, it’s sweet of Ava to offer, and there is something Ava can do for her. Ava says, name it, and Portia says, Ava can tell her how Trina is really doing. Portia knows they have a special connection and she doesn’t want to pry, but she’d absolutely love Ava’s opinion. How’s Trina handling everything? Ava says she thinks under the circumstances, Trina’s doing remarkably well. But she has Spencer, and Ava knows he’s very supportive. He’s clearly helping her through this. Portia says, is he really? and Ava says, it’s hard to believe, is it? Portia says she knows Trina has feelings for Spencer, but it’s so much more complicated now with Esme and Ace coming as a package deal. And she’s worried it’s going to be too much for Trina to handle. Ava says, Spencer’s good for Trina; he makes her so happy. She lit up when he came into the gallery. Portia says, but where Spencer goes, trouble follows, and it’s the same with the whole family. Ava says, Portia doesn’t have to tell her about the Cassadine family, and they laugh. She thinks Portia should give Spencer a chance, for Trina’s sake.

Spencer tells Trina, one thing he wants to make certain of is that his little brother feels secure. He doesn’t want Ace to feel abandoned the way he did by his father. She says, but he’s not Ace’s father, and Spencer says he understands that. But while his father is God knows where, it’s kind of up to him to fill that void. He’s going to make sure his brother feels safe; he’s going to make sure his brother feels secure; and he’s going to make sure his brother feels loved, because he never had those things. He was the kid stuck all alone in a big house by himself. Sure, he had staff there to take care of him, but that’s no way to raise a child. His father was never there. Other kids had parents who tucked them into bed every night. He had Chandler. Trina asks, who’s that? and he says, Chandler was his chauffeur. Can she imagine that? He was eight years old, and his best friend in the world was the guy who was driving him around town in a limousine. They would pull up outside his school, and he would see the other kids getting out of minivans and their mothers kissing them on the cheek, and he wished with every fiber of his being that was him. All he ever really wanted was to be part of a real family. Trina says, that’s so sad, and he says, then his father pretended to be dead for three years. Who does that to their kid? His father abandoned him, and now he abandon’s Spencer’s little brother. She says she’s really sorry, and he says he just wishes he knew where his father was. A big part of him wants to believe he was forced out of Port Charles. Maybe that makes it easier to accept. She says, maybe he was. Spencer knows what Victor was capable of. Maybe he did something to Spencer’s dad. Spencer says, no. His father left them, but she says, he doesn’t know that. Why does Spencer always assume the worst of him? Spencer says, because it’s all his father has ever shown him.

Carly asks why Sonny wants to know about Pentenville, and he says, she was there to visit Drew. She says, how does he… Dex told him. He says, yep, and she says, okay. What does he want to know? He says, if she saw Gatlin-Holt, and if he was there with anyone.

Curtis introduces Jordan and Brent, and Brent asks if Jordan is Curtis’s sister. Curtis says, she’s his ex-wife, and Jordan says, it’s a pleasure to meet him. He says, same here, and they shake hands. She says she didn’t mean to interrupt, but Brent says he’s glad she did. He’s been trying to get this guy here to take a break. Jordan says, Brent must be good at his job. Curtis is making great progress. Brent says, Curtis makes him look good. It’s all about how hard their patients are willing to work. Curtis is incredibly motivated. Curtis does some bicep curls, and Brent says, Curtis may not be ready for a break, but he is. It’s nice to meet her. He leaves, and Jordan says, Curtis has really come along way with his physical therapy. He says, she came all the way down here to check on his progress? and she says, actually, no. She has some news. Someone burned down Anna’s house.

Portia says, if Spencer wasn’t making Trina happy, she’d step in, but she hates to admit Ava is right. For some reason, Trina is able to look past all the baggage that comes with Spencer. So the only thing she can really do is be there if Trina needs her. Ava says, Portia has enough to deal with. When is Curtis coming home? Portia says, it’s not really a when; it’s more of an if. At this point, she just doesn’t really know where they stand. Ava says she’s so sorry. She hopes she didn’t overstep. Portia says, no. Of course (🍷) she wants Curtis to come home as soon as he possibly can. She’s just not sure what Curtis really wants. Ava says, so she doesn’t know how much longer he’ll be in rehab? and Portia says, no. He’s dedicated to his physical therapy, but it’s about more than just his body healing. The last couple of times she visited him, it’s been tense, and he’s completely shut her out. She just feels like she’s walking on eggshells around him. If she compliments his progress, he sees that as pity. If she talks about anything else, it’s as if she’s avoiding the topic. Ava says she’s sorry. It must be very difficult. Portia says, it is. So she just tries to focus on the practical things in life, like getting the house ready. She’s just praying that Curtis comes home.

Trina says she doesn’t buy it, and Spencer says, excuse me? Trina says, about his dad. Spencer loves him. He knows there’s something good in there somewhere. She remembers hearing a few happy stories, like when he was scared to get on a horse for the first time. His dad put Spencer on his lap and said, there’s nothing to be scared of. And he stayed with Spencer on the horse for hours until the felt comfortable. He asks how she does that? Finds a way to talk him off of the ledge? She says, or a tree, and he says, she’s right. He does love his father, and what if something bad did happen to him?

Carly tells Sonny that she did see Gatlin-Holt. She doesn’t know who he was visiting. Why should Sonny care? Sonny says he doesn’t trust that guy and neither should she. He’s nothing but trouble. She says, that makes sense, and he asks what she means. She says, he’s seeing Ava. She’s a magnet for trouble.

Dante says he doesn’t know if he played it all entirely right with Cody, and Sam asks what he means. He says he shouldn’t have let Cody know that he knew what Cody was doing. He just denied it and said Dante was crazy, and either lock him up or cut him loose. She says, so he let Cody go, and he says he thinks putting Cody in prison was a worse idea. She asks what Mac’s take was on it, and he says, surprisingly, Mac said he knew where Cody was coming from. He guesses Mac had a similar situation with Cody’s mother Dominique, when she was in a mental facility and he broke in to get her out. Sam laughs and says, that still doesn’t make it a good plan. He says, Cody rarely has good plans. His concern is, this guy’s going to get himself in there, and he’s not going to be able to get out.

Cody says, Mac’s had it in for him from the beginning, so why don’t they just get it over with, and drag him down to the station. Mac says he’s concerned Cody thinks that way. It’s not true. He doesn’t think the worst of him. He knows Cody has a good heart. It just really threw him when he heard she was Dominique’s son. Cody says, why? He never really knew her. Mac says he wishes Cody had. She was a very special person. She was kind and warm and gentle. He always thought she was too trusting. Cody says, she sounds like Sasha, and Mac says, they have more in common than Cody realizes. Dominique was also sent to a mental hospital.

Sonny says he doesn’t care who Ava’s seeing, as long as it doesn’t affect Avery. He just wants to know if Carly picked up on anything when she saw Gatlin-Holt. She says she just saw him walk through the visiting area. He didn’t even stop to visit anyone. She just assumed he was taking care of a patient in the prison. He asks why she’d say that, and she says, because he had his doctor bag with him. She just assumed he was going to the infirmary.

Ava says she wishes she could offer Portia some words of wisdom, but unfortunately, she doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to healthy relationships. Portia says, and she’s not one to throw stones. To say she and Curtis were going through a rough patch before the shooting would be an understatement. He was just so hurt when she didn’t tell him that he might be Trina’s father. She doesn’t blame him. It almost destroyed their relationship. They were actually making baby steps toward healing when he was shot. But even if they hadn’t faced all those hurdles, even if they’d been blissfully happy since the wedding, she still thinks Curtis would have reacted the same way in this situation. Ava says, so Portia doesn’t think his hostility is about what happened before his injury? and Portia says, no. She thinks this is about Curtis and how vulnerable he feels. Ava knows Curtis, and knows he’s very proud. It’s as if he doesn’t want her to see him that way. He doesn’t want her to see him in a wheelchair. Ava says she imagines Curtis doesn’t want to be seen as weak or helpless, and Portia says, but he isn’t helpless. Even if he has to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, that’s not going to make her love him any less. And she’s told him that. She’s made it clear to him that she’s in this with him. She’s in it for the long haul, no matter what life throws at them. Ava says, but he’s still keeping his distance? and Portia says, yes, and it makes him pull away from her even more.

Curtis says, Jordan told him, someone burned down Anna’s house, so she must have proof it’s arson, and Jordan says, this is what they know so far. Anna went for a late-night run sometime after 10:30. She thinks she was gone about 45 minutes. When she got home and saw the flames, she called the fire department, but by the time they arrived, the whole place was engulfed. He says, so the arsonist was watching and waiting for her to leave, and at that late hour, they could have hid under the cover of darkness. No one would have even noticed. She says, exactly, and clearly they just wanted to send a message. Unlike the shooting at the MetroCourt pool, they didn’t want to kill Anna. Curtis says, they’d have to prove it’s intent to kill. The bullet that hit him was a ricochet. She asks, what’s his theory? and he says, maybe the shooter wasn’t intending to hit their target. Like the fire, maybe they were just trying to send a message. She says, and he was collateral damage.

Trina says, they don’t know something bad happened to Spencer’s father. They just have to hope his grandmother and Doc come back with answers. Spencer says, right. He walks over to one of the paintings and says, let’s get to work. He’ll help her hang these paintings for the art show. She asks if he knows how much there is to do before they get to that stage. She has to check in every painting, log in all the artist’s information, and make the tombstones. He says, the tombstones, and she says, that’s the little label that goes next to the artwork describing the piece. (I learned a new thing today! I’m surprised he didn’t know that though.) She tells him that he’s got a lot to learn. So let’s get busy. His phone dings, and he says, she wants to know if he’s coming home for dinner. Trina says, she. Esme.

Brook says she doesn’t understand, and Maxie says, they’ve been served. It’s a lawsuit filed for huge damages, and if that wasn’t bad enough, their Deception stocks are frozen. Gladys says, frozen? and Lucy says, frozen. Let it go. Maxie says, the lawsuit claims the design for The Deceptor was stolen, and Lucy says, which it was not. It was 100% her idea – with a little inspiration from Marty of course (🍷) – but it was all hers. Brook asks, who filed the lawsuit? but Maxie says, they don’t know. The plaintiff is just listed as an LLC. Gladys says she doesn’t even know what those letters mean, and Maxie says, it means they don’t know who’s suing them. Gladys asks how they’re going to get the ban on selling stock lifted, and Maxie says, Gladys doesn’t seem to understand what’s going on here. They can’t sell their stocks. It’s a court order. Gladys says, then unorder it. They have to do something. She needs the damn money.

Mac says he was in love with Dominique, and he knows she would have adored Cody. The crazy thing is, he understands Cody’s impulse to want to rescue Sasha. He tried to do the same thing with Dominique, so he gets where Cody is coming from. Cody says, then why doesn’t Mac just back off and leave him alone? and Mac says, because he can’t. For a short time, he thought Cody was his son. It was a feeling he’s never had before… until it wasn’t. He has to look out for Cody. It’s what Dominique would have wanted. He’s here to help Cody, so please let him. In some really bad timing, Sam runs in.

Ava says she’s so sorry, and Portia says she just doesn’t know what else she can do. She’s trying to convince Curtis that her love for him has nothing to do with whether he can walk or not. Of course (🍷) she’s praying he gets out of that wheelchair, but if he doesn’t, it doesn’t change her love for him. Ava says, it may seem like Curtis is trying to keep his distance from her, but that’s probably just a defense mechanism. He knows he needs Portia’s support; he just doesn’t want the guilt that comes along with it. Portia asks what he has to feel guilty about. She’s the one who hurt him. Ava says she doesn’t want to play armchair psychologist here, but maybe he thinks Portia would be giving up her life to take care of him. Portia says, but she wouldn’t be giving anything up. It would be challenging to adjust to a new reality, but she just feels like that’s what marriage is about; in sickness or in health. Ava says, she’s not the one Portia needs to convince. Portia needs to go to Curtis and tell him this. Tell him how she feels. Portia says she’s tried. He’s not listening to her. Ava says, then make him listen. Tell him again. And again and again, until he hears her. Because Curtis may not be able to admit it right now, but he needs her. Ava picks up her bag and leaves, giving Portia a nod as she goes out the door.

On the phone, Dante asks if there are any updates on the fire at Anna Devane’s house… Great. Can they send him that file?… There’s a knock at the door, and he says, great. Thanks. He opens the door, and Valentin comes in. Dante says, Charlotte should be down any second, and Valentin thanks Dante for letting Charlotte stay here while Laura is out of town. Dante says, of course (🍷). She’s family, right? Rocco’s really enjoyed hanging out with her again. Valentin says, good. He figured it would be safer for her to be here than with him, and given what happened, he guesses he was right. Dante says he’s sorry about Anna’s house burning down. Where is he going to live now?

Cody says, great. Another one here to hassle him. Did Dante send Sam to do his dirty work? To hell with the both of them. He goes in the back, and Sam says, that went well. Mac says he’s worried about Cody. He’s just so combative; he won’t listen to reason. Sam says she knows. Dante told her about Cody’s meltdown at the PCPD. Mac says, he totally lost control. He was paranoid and hostile. He’s doing his best to calm Cody down, but he just won’t listen to reason. Hopefully, being at the Quartermaines will help him. The horses will be a good distraction. She says she hopes so, and he says he has to head out, but keep him in the loop. If Cody needs anything, let him know. Sam says, of course (🍷), and Mac leaves. Cody comes out and says, she got rid of the cop. Great. Now it’s her turn… She says, stop. Drop the act. She’s not going anywhere until he tells her what the hell is going on.

Sonny thanks Carly for the information and asks, how was her visit with Drew? She pours them coffee and says, he’s hanging in there. He’s much better now that he’s out of solitary confinement. She thanks him, and he asks why Drew was there in the first place. She sighs and says, he was defending an inmate, and Sonny says, sounds like Drew. She says, except it was Cyrus Renault, and he asks why Drew would want to protect that guy. She says she doesn’t know. She doesn’t understand it herself, but that’s why they’ve got to get him out of there. She’s afraid the other inmates are going to want to retaliate. He says, she doesn’t have to worry about Book, and she says, who’s Book? He says, Book’s a punk and he’s not going to bother Drew again. She says, that’s why Dex was there.

Trina says, so Esme wants Spencer to come home for dinner, and he says he’d much rather stay here with her. She says she gets it. There’s a ton of things she has to do for this exhibit, so go home and have dinner with Ace. He says, Ace’s dinner consists of a bottle. It’s not really much of a… Okay. He thanks her for understanding and says, she’s probably right. Portia runs in with a take-out bag, and says, surprise!

Sam says, Mac thinks that Cody is actually having a nervous breakdown, and Cody says, maybe he is, but she says, no. The timing is way too convenient. He can drop the act. Tell her the real story. He says, Sam… but she says, first he tried to go and see Sasha, and that failed. Then suddenly out of the blue, he wants to put himself in a straitjacket. He can’t con a con. She knows a play when she sees one. He says, then help him pull it off.

Brook asks why Gladys needs to sell Sasha’s stock, and Gladys says, it’s just that her medical bills are piling up. Brook says, doesn’t she have insurance? and Gladys says, of course (🍷), but the deductible is huge. The only way she can pay for it is to sell her stock. Maxie says, it’s not going to happen, and Gladys asks if she can’t get the lawsuit thrown out. Lucy says, obviously their lawyer is working on that, and Gladys just needs to calm down. Gladys says, they need to work faster because she can’t wait. Maxie says, she’s going to have to. Their hands are tied. It’s up to the court now. The plaintiff submitted their design process, along with them submitting theirs. Lucy says, how in the world did they get their hands on Deception’s designs? Which actually shouldn’t matter, should it? They weren’t stolen, it was all right up here; she points to her head. But now, their best-selling product is on ice, their stocks are tanking, and this is an absolute nightmare which gummies probably won’t fix. She walks out.

Valentin tells Dante that they’re still figuring things out, but in the meantime, as far as Charlotte is concerned, she’s happy here. He doesn’t see any reason to uproot her, if that’s okay with Dante. Dante says, it’s fine. They love having her. How’s Anna doing? Valentin says, it’s an emotional time. It wasn’t just her home. She lost all her possessions, the things that meant something to her, and of course (🍷) that happened after her past was exposed. Dante says, she’s been through a lot. It’s weird timing. The fire is kind of suspect when you think about it. Whoever did it must have been surveilling the house. Anna wasn’t there. Valentin wasn’t there. He heard Valentin was at ELQ that night? Valentin says he had a minor emergency that he had to take care of, and Dante says he’s sorry. What kind of emergency would be at ELQ at that time of night? Charlotte runs down the stairs and hugs Valentin. He says, mon petite, and she says she had a great day at camp. He says he can’t wait to hear all about it.

Curtis does deltoid exercises, and Brent says he hopes Curtis doesn’t mind if he points out his ex-wife is one hell of an attractive lady. Curtis asks why he’d be offended; Jordan’s a beautiful woman. Brent asks if she’s a beautiful woman who happens to be single, but Curtis says he doesn’t keep tabs on his ex-wife. Brent says he hopes she comes to visit again, and Curtis says, for Brent or for him? Brent laughs and says he’s just looking out for his patients. It makes him happy when they have visitors. And should the opportunity present itself again, perhaps he can get to know Jordan a little better. Curtis says, she’s a great lady, very complicated, and Brent says he can deal with complicated. His phone dings, and he says he needs to check in with his supervisor. A woman brings in another patient, a man who is missing both legs, has prosthetics, and walks with canes. Brent says he’ll get him started as soon as he gets back, and the man says, no rush. Brent leaves, and the man gets on the parallel bars. He walks between them, as Curtis watches, and he says, what? Is his form lacking? Curtis says, not at all. He was just wondering if he’ll ever get that far.

Spencer says he was just helping Trina get set up for her art show, and Portia says she sees. How’s Ace? Spencer says, he’s fine, and Portia says, good. Those parenting classes with Esme must really be helping. He says, they’re helping a lot, and tells Trina that he’ll let her get back to work. Enjoy her dinner. He leaves, and Portia says, sorry. She didn’t mean to intrude. She just wanted to bring Trina dinner to celebrate her first week back at the gallery. Trina says, that’s okay. She’s glad Portia’s here. She probably needed the distraction with everything she and Curtis are going through.

Cody tells Sam, guilty as charged. But he has to get into Ferncliff. It’s the only way he can help Sasha. She says, that means having himself committed, and he says, exactly. She says, he must be really crazy if he thinks that plan will work. Has he never seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest? Once you get in, it’s really hard to get out. He says, then help him, and she says, help him fake crazy? He says, no. Help him get committed. She laughs and says, yeah. No way.

Charlotte says she told Valentin about the CIT program, right? I think of Meatballs, and he says, the Counselor-In-Training program, yeah. She says, a bunch of her friends are doing it too, and he says, that’s great. She must be excited to see them after so much time away. She says, you know what’s weird? In some ways, her friends are so different, but in others, they’re exactly the same. He asks if she still enjoys being with them, and she says she does, but it’s hard at the end of the day when they’re being picked up by their moms. He says, she misses her mom, and she says, Dante took her to see her mom last week. She keeps hoping her mom’s going to wake up, but she never changes. He tells her, go grab her backpack. He’s hungry. They’re going to eat by the pool at the MetroCourt. She goes upstairs, and Valentin tells Dante that he really appreciates everything he’s doing for Charlotte. But if he’s going to take her to see Lulu, let him know, because it’s very upsetting to her. Dante says, it is upsetting to her, but Lulu’s her mother, and Charlotte asked him to take her. He’s going to do that every time without asking Valentin’s permission. Charlotte comes back and says she’s ready for a cheeseburger. Valentin says, let’s go, and Dante tells them to have a good time.

The other patient continues his walking, and Curtis says, his determination is impressive. He’s sitting there wondering how long it will take him to get to the man’s level. Then he thinks he’ll probably never get there. The man says, if Curtis starts comparing himself to other disabled people in terms of what he can and can’t do, he’ll drive himself crazy. Everyone’s situation is different. You have to learn which limits you can push past, and which ones you have to accept. Curtis says, that’s easier said than done. He’s still trying to wrap his brain around… He looks down at his legs and says, you know. The man says, did he have a different life than he expected? Sure. But it’s still his life, so despite the limitations, he’s going to live it to the best of his ability, and Curtis should too.

Portia tells Trina, everybody is really pulling together for Curtis. Stella is going to stay in town, and poor N’neka, she’s overwhelmed at The Savoy, so Marshall is going to help out and look for a manager to help out until Curtis gets on his… until Curtis is feeling better. Trina asks if Portia visited him today, and Portia says she tried. Trina says, visiting hours were over? Portia says, no. She drove there, but she didn’t make it out of the parking lot. She just sat there in the car for twenty minutes looking at the building. But she couldn’t do it; she couldn’t go in. She wanted to see him so badly, but every time she visits, he pushes her away, and she just couldn’t go through that again. Trina says, maybe right now, Curtis just needs space. Just let him go through his physical therapy, and he’ll come around. Portia says she’s not so sure about that, and she feels so utterly selfish. Curtis is in a wheelchair, and she’s upset because he’s pushing her away? She wants to be there for him so bad, but he doesn’t want her. She can barely hold back the tears, and says she doesn’t know what to do, and Trina says, there are no easy answers, and they hug.

Carly asks, how is Dex? and Sonny wonders why she would ask that. She says, because he’s dating her daughter, and she doesn’t want Josslyn dragged into some dangerous situation. He says, Dex is smart. Dex knows how important Josslyn is to him. He cares about her; he’s not going to let anything happen to her. Carly says, let’s hope so, and Sonny says he’s got to run. If she finds out anything else as far as Austin visiting Pentenville, let him know because Austin gets under his skin and he’s going to find out why.

Tomorrow, Brook says she could kill someone with her bare hands; Sam asks if Cody is willing to take that risk; and Tracy says she loves to win.

🩺 In Case You Were Wondering…

Apparently, Gregory’s doctor gets around. I never did see Night Shift, but I don’t think it was on very long.

Who Is Gregory’s Doctor on GENERAL HOSPITAL?

🦚 Project Men…

Just five designers were left, and tonight’s challenge was flamboyant menswear, bringing back peacocking. Colman Domingo (I love him!) was the guest judge, and Elaine said, nobody peacocks better. Since the menswear challenge caused Brittany to spiral and be shown the door in her season, she was on edge, but Colman said her look was reminiscent of Victorian and 70s disco and she ended up in the top three. So did Bishme, who had the look I liked best. He explained that his character was going to a wild, wild west movie premiere, which probably described it best. Nina called Rami’s design (which was also in the top three) a draping delight. It was a different take on the tux, silky with one sleeve, a combination of masculine and feminine vibes, and something Nina had never seen before, which was saying a lot. It wasn’t my favorite, but I’m not a fan of the one-sleeve thing. In the bottom two were Prajje, who created a busy, artsy suit… or something; and Laurence, who had a Gladiator meets Outlander look. She’d had some kind of sheer shirt involved, but decided to ditch it, and I’ll bet she second guessed herself a million times after scoring low. Brandon said, Prajje’s design felt like a nutcracker waiting to get into a gay bar, and Laurence’s design looked like a confused businessman who moonlights at an S&M bar. Hey, I have no idea what’s in his mind either, but that’s what he said. I sense a theme there, but it’s not quite coherent. Prajje was out, and Rami was the big winner, although Brittany probably got the most kudos from Colman, who said he’d fight other actors to wear her design on the red carpet. Prajje took it like the champ he is, and said he felt like he’d already won.

Next time, an avant-garde design taking inspiration from architecture.

For the full scoop, go here. They have hands down the best recap.

‘Project Runway 20 episode 12 recap: Fabulous men strutted their stuff in ‘Let Me See Your Peacock!’ [LIVE BLOG]

🌃 Those Summer Nights…

Come on down tomorrow for soap, tea, words to contemplate, and music to soothe your soul. Until then, stay safe, stay always leaving them wanting more, and stay learning which limits you can push past, and which ones you have to accept. Everyone’s situation is different.

Aug24

August 23, 2023 – And the Mystery Boss Is, Shannon Blows Things Out Of Proportion & Good

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna goes to Pozzulo’s and Sonny asks how she’s holding up. She apologizes for just wearing jeans, and says she had to get some clothes. He says, she could wear a burlap sack, and she’d still look great. She thanks him, and he asks if she’s hungry, because he’s been cooking in the kitchen. She asks what he’s making, and he says, a very special lunch.

Sasha rocks back and forth on her bed, when Janice comes in and asks if she’s up for a visitor. Sasha says, no, no, no, and Gladys comes in and asks, what’s wrong with her? Janice tells her, Dr. Montague said she’s going through withdrawal, and Gladys says, from what? Drugs? That doesn’t make any sense. Hasn’t she gone through withdrawal already? Janice says, unfortunately, Dr. Montague said she’s been using in Ferncliff. She must have found someone to bring her drugs. Gladys says, who? How? She’s not allowed any visitors. She’s the only one who gets to see Sasha. Janice says, the medical staff gets to see her, and so does the custodial staff. Gladys would be surprised what an addict will do in order to get what they want.

Selina sees Marshall sipping a drink at a table near the pool, and says, so nice to see him again. They’re blessed with a beautiful day. Is he here for a swim? He says he’s waiting on his sister-in-law, and Selina says, since she hasn’t arrived yet, this is a great opportunity for them to revisit her offer to purchase The Savoy.

Deanna hugs Stella and says, it’s so great having her back working here. Stella says, as long as her family needs her – and Lord, do they ever – she’s sticking around Port Charles. She might as well keep busy and earn some extra money while she’s at it.

Ava arrives at the gallery, which has loads of bird paintings on the walls (this figures in later), and goes through the stuff on her desk. She hears something and picks up a three-hole hole puncher (which is pretty hefty). She stands by the door waiting, when Trina comes in. Ava says, Trina scared her, and Trina says she’s so sorry. What is Ava doing here? How’s Avery? Is she okay? Ava asks, what’s wrong with Avery?

Carly wonders what Austin is doing at Pentenville, and Drew says, he has his doctor bag with him. Maybe he’s seeing a patient or doing some kind of community service or something. She says she never liked that guy. He manipulated Chase into spying on the Quartermaines. Drew says he remembers that, and she says she can’t figure out what his deal is. (That’s okay. Neither can the rest of us.) There’s something about him that she doesn’t trust.

The guard tells Austin, there’s his patient, and Cyrus gets up. He says, Dr. Gatlin-Holt, it’s so nice to see you again, and it’s good to know someone still makes house calls. Austin says, how about if they just get this over with?

Trina tells Ava that Josslyn said Avery was sick; she has a cold. She thinks the new nanny told Josslyn that. Joss is not a fan of hers. Ava says she thinks they might have made a mistake letting Pilar go. She did make a mistake, that’s true, but Avery likes her so much and was so comfortable with her. Just because someone has a spotless reputation as a nanny doesn’t mean that person is the right person to take care of your child. Trina asks if she’s talking about Pilar or Betty, and Ava says she thinks she and Sonny should give Pilar another chance. But enough about that. How is Trina? How’s her summer? How’s Spencer? Trina says she wouldn’t know. Ava would have to ask Esme.

Carly tells Drew that she’s sure Austin has a very good reason for being at Pentenville, and she’s not wasting any more time speculating about it. He says he likes the sound of that, and she says she wants to focus on him. He told her that he saved Cyrus’s life, and that means every inmate in here thinks Drew is his ally. A guard brings Dex in and seats him at a table, and Carly asks if it doesn’t put Drew in even more danger. He says, that’s the way life works in prison. You can’t stay neutral. Like it or not, everybody in here – everybody – is allied with somebody else. Book walks in, and Carly says, Drew didn’t answer her question. Does that mean Cyrus’s enemies will now be targeting him? Book sits down with Dex.

Austin listens to Cyrus’s heart and says, he’s a lucky man. Cyrus says, yes, he knows. The good Lord chose to keep him on this earth a while longer so he can continue doing His work. Austin says, no. Cyrus is a lucky man because he had a heart attack in front of a trained Navy SEAL who knew enough to keep him alive until the medical professionals could arrive. He was lucky Drew Cain was there to intervene. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be alive. Cyrus says he’s thankful God chose to put Drew in his path that day. That whole experience was enlightening in so many ways. Austin says he’s sure. And if that helps Cyrus sleep at night, he’s happy for him. Austin is a fan of science, and this is medicine. He holds up a pill bottle and says, this is for Cyrus’s heart. It’ll unclog his arteries. He’s to take it once a day with baby aspirin. Cyrus says, really, doc, that’s it? No lollipop?

Anna says, this is so delicious. Who taught Sonny to cook? He says he taught himself. Cooking relaxes him. Anna says she rarely cooks. She’s learned to like it a bit more, but she can’t remember the last time she spent a significant amount of time in her kitchen. He says he’s sorry her house burned down, and she says she thinks it’s hitting her harder than she thought it would. He says, it’s her home; she’s going to be hurt. She says she hasn’t been there that long. The stuff inside, it’s just things, like furniture and clothes. She has to remind herself that no one was hurt. Like, what if Robin and the kids had been visiting or Charlotte was home? That’s the stuff she keeps running around in her head. He says, the important thing is nobody was hurt, that’s true, but it’s her home. She picked out the furniture, her clothes… She felt safe, and someone deliberately destroyed that. They wanted to take what she valued and leave her with nothing. She says, yeah. Whoever is out there trying to ruin her life, they’re doing a pretty good job.

Stella sits next to a young woman and introduces herself. She says she was told the woman’s mother was brought in with a lung issue and was put on a ventilator. She knows that must be very scary for her. Felicia walks in and watches from a distance. Stella asks if there’s anyone she can call to be with the woman; dad, grandparents, a sibling? The woman says, it’s just her and her mom. Her mom can’t talk and she doesn’t know what the doctors are saying to her. Stella says, that’s where she comes in. Her job is to help the woman understand all the medical jargon so she knows exactly what’s going on with her mom. Okay? The woman nods, and Stella asks her name. She says, Joanie, and Stella says, good name. She’s got a friend back home named Joanie. And her mother’s name? Deanna tells Felicia, she’s pretty amazing, isn’t she? and Felicia says, she knows exactly what to say. Deanna says, they see it here all the time. Stella is hands down the best patient advocate they have. If anything ever happened to her, she’d want Stella in her corner.

Selina sits down, and Marshall says he didn’t ask her to join him. She says she finds it so much more civilized to discuss business in comfort, but he says, they have no business to discuss. He thought he told her, The Savoy’s not for sale. She says, yes, but that conversation happened in front of his son, who has suffered a devastating injury. She can understand Marshall not wanting to discuss taking anything else away from him, but they’re alone now. It’s time for him to face reality. Either sell the club to her, or simply put, The Savoy will go under.

Gladys asks if Sasha knows who she is, and Sasha says, Gladys. She doesn’t understand. Why is this happening? Gladys asks, why is what happening? and Sasha says, everything hurts. Is Brando coming? Gladys says, we lost Brando. He’s not coming. Sasha says, no, no, no. She needs him. She needs Brando. Everything hurts. Dr. Montague comes in, and Gladys asks what he’s done to her daughter-in-law.

Sonny asks if there are any leads on who burned down Anna’s house, and she says she was with Dante this morning at the PCPD, but nothing. He says he’s asked around, but he hasn’t heard anything. He’s trying to figure out if the shooting at the pool was meant for her or him, but if she was the target, does she think there’s a connection between the fire and the shooting? She says she doesn’t know. She’s not sure what’s more upsetting; the thought that there’s an individual out there laser focused on ruining her life, or that there are multiple people out there after them. He says he’d still like to offer her protection, and she thanks him. She says, Dante offered her that this morning too, but she’ll tell Sonny what she told him. Thank you, but no. He says, Dante’s a cop. It makes sense for him to guard her, but if she doesn’t want the cops to track her… He’s just a friend who’s worried about her safety.

Book asks what Dex wants, and Dex says he works for Sonny Corinthos. He sent him with a message for Book. Book asks, what’s that?

Carly says, Drew shouldn’t have to take on Cyrus’s enemies. She can only imagine that’s one helluva list. He says he can’t undo what’s already happened. Like it or not, he set something in motion when he stepped in to help Cyrus. There’s no way to stop it. She says, that’s where he’s wrong, and he asks, why? What is she thinking? She says she’s thinking they can avoid all this by focusing on getting him out of here.

Cyrus takes the top off the bottle and says he’s glad it’s not a childproof cap. Austin says, again, lucky you, and Cyrus looks on the underside of the cap, seeing the flashdrive, and says, ah. God certainly works in mysterious ways. He puts the cap back on, and Austin says, all right. He’s done everything Cyrus has asked him to do, and it’s Cyrus’s turn to repay the favor. Do unto others, right? That’s the basics for his newfound faith, right? Because he’s done. He’s done cleaning up Cyrus’s messes, he’s done cleaning up Mason’s messes, he’s done risking the integrity of General Hospital, and putting innocent people at risk. He’s done. He’s more than paid off his debt. He wants out. Cyrus says, does he now?

Ava says, it can’t be easy watching Spencer and Esme play house with Spencer’s little brother, and Trina says, yeah. She doesn’t blame Spencer. If she had a little brother whose mother was Esme, she wouldn’t take her eyes off him. Ava says she understands Spencer’s impulse; he’s worried about Ace. Spencer approaches the gallery entrance, and Trina says she gets that. Family is too important to take for granted. She sees that with her mom and everything that’s going on with Curtis… She means, her dad. So she doesn’t blame Spencer for standing by his little brother; that’s what family does.

Stella says she has some answers for Joanie. She spoke with Dr. Burns, and he said he put her mother on a ventilator because her lung collapsed, and he also thinks there might be possible infection. So he’s ordered some other tests to figure out why her lung collapsed in the first place  and what could be causing the potential infection. And he may need to put a stent in her lung to help her breathe better. It’s a serious situation, but it is far from being fatal, and Dr. Burns expects her mom to make a full recovery. Joanie starts to cry, and says, really? She hugs Stella and thanks her. Felicia watches and smiles.

Gladys says she wants Sasha out of this place today, but Montague says, take a look at her daughter-in-law. She’s in no shape to be released; she’s a mess. Gladys says, because of him. He put her in this nuthouse and he can get her out. He says, so she can go straight to prison? She says, all of this is too much and she wants it to stop, and he says, anything she wants… after she pays him for all his trouble. He’d say fifty thousand will do the trick.

Spencer comes into the gallery and says, this new showing is amazing. He always said Ava’s gallery is for the birds. (BA-DUM-CHH!) Trina says, funny, hugging him, and he asks if it’s somebody he’s familiar with, but Ava says, no. It’s a very talented up and comer she happens to have great faith in. Trina can tell him all about it. She’s going to go take care of what she and Trina discussed earlier. She leaves, and Spencer asks Trina to tell him about this new showing. It sounds very cool, very exciting. She says, he hasn’t seen her in forever, and he really wants to talk about the new art exhibit when they have much better things to do? He says, like what? and she says, like this, kissing him.

A nurse comes out and says, Joanie’s mom is asking for her. Stella says she told Joanie that her mom is going to be okay, and Joanie thanks her for everything. They hug, and Stella says she’s so welcome. Now go see her mom, and if she needs anything after, Stella will be right here. Joanie leaves with the nurse, and Felicia approaches Stella. She says, they’ve never met before, but she’s Felicia Scorpio. Stella asks what she can help Felicia with, and Felicia says she was observing Stella with that young girl. The way Stella comforted her was really remarkable. Stella thanks her, but says she was just doing her job. Felicia says, which is what exactly? and Stella says, a social worker. Here at GH, she’s a patient advocate. She helps patients and families of patients navigate their way through the healthcare system. It can be very daunting for the average person. Felicia says, it must be very rewarding to help people, and Stella says, it’s a very rewarding job, but you also have to remember, not every patient gets better. There are some rough days too.

Marshall says, if his son doesn’t sell her the club, Selina is going to run The Savoy out of business? but Selina says she’s sorry. Allow her to clarify. She’s just stating the truth. Curtis isn’t capable physically of running The Savoy right now and Marshall isn’t qualified to run the hippest club in town. (Ouch.) He doesn’t have the connections, or know the ins and outs to keep it going. He says he’ll tell her what he does know. He knows she’s running an illegal poker game in the back room, and in his first act as manager, her poker game is done. Her being welcomed at the club anymore is done. And whatever she’s got on Curtis and whatever arrangement she has with Curtis is done. She ain’t got nothing on him. She says, he’s lived long enough to know how life works. Everyone has something that can be used against them. It’s just a matter of her finding out what his is.

Personal note. Selina would have nothin’ on me either. I’ve always been an open book just in case I get famous, so the tabloids would have nothing on me. Whatever it is, I’ve already outed myself.  

Gladys says, fifty thousand dollars? She doesn’t have that kind of money. Montague says, but Sasha does, and Gladys is in charge of her finances. So she does have that kind of money. She says, it’s not like it’s liquid. It’s not like it’s sitting in some account somewhere. She has to sell stock, and she’s already in debt to Selina Wu. (Didn’t he pay that off for her? Isn’t that how we got here in the first place?) He says, then if he were her, he’d find a way to figure it out, because Sasha isn’t leaving Ferncliff until he gets paid.

Anna says she really appreciates Sonny’s friendship. It’s nice. It feels… well, it comes with amazing food. He laughs, and she says, now that she’s not in law enforcement, it’s a lot less complicated too. He says, so she agrees to have his guys watch her, but she says, no. She doesn’t want his people following her, because she treasures her privacy… and her autonomy. He says he could still have his guys follow her, and she tells him, think about that for a second. How does that work? If she has strangers trailing her, she’s not going to know if they’re his guys following her or the bad guys, so he can see how that would be confusing. He says, all right. He won’t pressure her. He just wants her to know he’s here, he’s available, and he has a lot of resources if she needs them. She says she knows he means it. She also knows he has challenges of his own. He says he can handle that, and asks if she wants more parmesan. She says, that remedies everything, and he sprinkles some on her pasta.

Dex tells Book, Mr. Corinthos wants Drew Cain to be left alone. Don’t mess with him. Don’t approach him. Nothing.

Drew tells Carly that he pled guilty. He accepted the verdict. There’s no way to get out of that. Carly says she disagrees. The sentence the judge imposed on him was unfair and wrong, and it wasn’t what he agreed to with the DA. (Talk to Roman Polanski about that one.) There has to be a way to appeal it, get it overturned, and get him the hell out of here.

Cyrus says, Austin wants out. Just like that. Austin says, just like that. He’s hopeful Cyrus is going to be open to the idea because they go way back, don’t they? When he was a kid, when Cyrus showed up at the house, it was like Christmas morning. It’s the only time in his childhood that he can remember his mom stopped crying. It was great. For her, it was like it was her birthday or something, every single time. And it was so good for him, a relief. For those little chunks of time, he didn’t have to be her perfect little man. And he’s so grateful. He really is. He thanks Cyrus, and thanks him for paying for his education. He thanks Cyrus for checking on him all of those years. He’s grateful, but that’s enough. It’s enough. Because now it’s just all the downside. Little by little, Cyrus roped him into this world he doesn’t belong in. Whatever gratitude that was between them, Cyrus manipulated it. Any love that might have been between them, Cyrus twisted it. He’s exploited Austin’s skills as a doctor and used him. Cyrus has coerced him and forced him to do things he didn’t even think a person could ever do. He didn’t know he was capable of that. He looked Ava Jerome right in the eyes and lied to her, a beautiful woman. He told her that her husband was dead. Who does that? He’s done. Ava deserves to know the truth. She deserves to know Nikolas is alive and he’s the reason. He saved Nikolas’s life.

Spencer tells Trina that he doesn’t want Ace to suffer the same fate he did. He knows that’s far from ideal with him living at his grandmother’s house with Esme and Ace, while she’s off looking for his father. His hope is that his living situation improves once his grandmother and Doc get back. He knows his family situation is really complicated. He wishes it was something simple like Trina has. She says, had. With Curtis being shot and paralyzed, her life is far from being ideal. Spencer asks how he’s doing, and she says, it’s hard seeing him like that. And her mom too, because she wants to help him so badly. He keeps shutting her mom out, and the worst part is, there’s nothing she can do to make it better. She just feels like… He pulls her close and holds her.

Carly says, Drew’s sentence was harsh and arbitrary, and there has to be a judge out there who will at least review it. Diane is the perfect person to find that judge and plead Drew’s case. Drew says he hates being in here; he hates it. He hates being away from her and Scout, but he has to do the time. She says, no he doesn’t, if there’s a chance they can get him to overturn… He says, just hoping for an early release is its own form of torture.

Book tells Dex that he wasn’t going after Drew. He was going after Cyrus and Drew got in the middle. Otherwise, he would have left Drew alone. Dex says, Mr. Corinthos doesn’t want any explanations or excuses. He wants full compliance. So even if Drew spends all day every day with Cyrus Renault, that’s his business. Book doesn’t go anywhere near him.

Austin tells Cyrus, this thing he did with Nikolas is the last thing he does. Where are they at now? Cyrus smiles, and Austin says, that’s it? He’s got nothing to say? Cyrus says, go in peace, and sits down. Austin gets his bag and asks what Cyrus is planning to do with the information he just gave to him. Cyrus says he’ll do what he should have been doing all along. God’s work. Austin gives him a puzzled look, and leaves. Cyrus looks at the bottle and smiles.

Gladys runs into Selina at the pool, and says she was hoping to find Selina here. Selina says, that must mean Gladys has her next payment, and Gladys says, about that. There’s a little problem getting the money together. Some kind of hold was put on Sasha’s Deception, but don’t worry. She’ll do everything she can to clear it up quick. Selina says she’s not here to listen to Gladys’s problems. She wants her money.

Jordan and Anna sit at a poolside table, and Jordan says she’s worried about Anna. It’s unfortunate she can’t head up the investigation into the fire, since she accepted this new role as Deputy Mayor, but she needs Anna to know, she’s monitoring Anna’s case. Anna thanks her, and says she appreciates what everyone is doing, but it’s strange there aren’t any leads. She finds that quite interesting. Jordan asks if she thinks the arson could be connected to the shooting here that injured Curtis.

Stella tells Marshall that she’s so sorry to keep him waiting, but he says, no need to apologize. What she’s doing at GH is important. She says she couldn’t agree with him more, and she thinks she might have recruited someone new to join her department.

Spencer tells Trina that he wouldn’t count Curtis out just yet. It’s really hard for him to imagine someone as active and vital as Curtis facing life in a wheelchair. Does she remember what kind of badass he was in Greenland? He was amazing. Spencer thinks she really needs to trust that Curtis will figure this out. And as soon as he gets his thoughts together, Curtis is going to do the right thing by her mom. She says she just wishes she could do something, but he says, she can’t put that on herself. He thinks ultimately, she needs to remember that this is something between her mom Curtis, and even though he views her as Superwoman, this is one battle her mom is going to need to fight on her own. And what’s more, her mom is one hell of a doctor. She’s not going to let Curtis get anything but the very best care he could possibly have, no matter what he says. The most important thing Trina can do, is stand by her parents. Because that’s what family does.

At Pozullo’s, Ava says she did just what Sonny asked her to do. She went to Austin and asked if Betty found any information on Sonny and Pikeman. Sonny asks what he said, and Ava tells him that Austin assured her they have everything they need. And that as soon as the information is given to their boss, they’ll get Nikolas’s body back, and this will all be over. He asks if she thinks Austin believes that. Does she think Mason and the mystery boss are just going to hand Nikolas’s body over to them, and lose whatever leverage they have?

Dex says, Book wants to stay on Mr. Corinthos’s good side. Not only is he going to avoid any trouble with Drew, he’s going to help Drew out if he gets into trouble with anyone else. Book says, got it. But for the record, Drew is pretty good at taking care of himself.

Carly says, this is Drew’s life, and she’s going to fight for him. If there’s the slightest chance they can get him out of here, they’re going to take it.

Montague tells Sasha that he does have sympathy for her. She’s so confused. She looks around and says, wait. Gladys was just here… Wasn’t she? He says, yes, she was, and Sasha asks if she’s still here. He says, no, she had to go, and Sasha asks, where’d she go? He says, Gladys went to save her, and for Sasha’s sake, she’d better hope Gladys comes through.

Gladys says, please. She’s good for the money. Selina knows that. Selina says, does she really? and Gladys says, in the past, she’s always made her payments on time. This is just a little problem with the Deception stock. Selina tells her that she already said that, and Gladys says, so Selina gets it. She just needs a little more time. Selina says, time is what Gladys doesn’t have, because she’s shutting down the poker game. Gladys says, what? Why? Selina says she doesn’t have to explain anything to Gladys. But when she closes down the poker game, she’ll also be closing down the books on it. No more extensions. No more credit. Payment in full.

Anna tells Jordan that she doesn’t have any evidence to back up her theory, but her instinct tells her the shooting here isn’t related to the arson at all. Jordan says she really wishes they had something on the shooting; any lead, even a small one. Curtis is really going through it at the rehab facility. Even though they’re fairly certain Curtis wasn’t the intended target, it would sure help him to know who was responsible for leaving him paralyzed and unable to walk.

Stella tells Marshall, someone saw her in action today at GH, and she asked Stella about her job, particularly the patient advocacy part. And she got a chance to tell her how wonderful the job could be and how it really gives you a sense of giving back to the community. Marshall asks if she really thinks she’s getting a new colleague, and Stella says, she certainly seemed receptive to the idea. He says he’s not surprised with Stella promoting it. Nothing gets in the way of her – nudge, nudge – getting her point across. She says, he can poke fun of her all he wants, but he’s not going to spoil her good mood. She believes she changed somebody’s life today. He raises his glass to her.

Felicia sits on a bench at the hospital. She smiles at Deanna, then begins to fill out a Patient Advocate Program form.

Spencer asks if that’s a smile he sees. Did he just succeed in cheering up Trina Robinson? Trina says, more like, he stopped the pity party. Because how is she going to help anyone if she’s feeling sorry for herself? So she’s going to take a deep breath – they take one together – and she’s going to promise to be there for her mom and Curtis, whatever they need from her. He says, that sounds more like the fearless person he knows she is, and she thanks him for reminding her that family is all that matters. Speaking of family, how is his little family with Esme? He laughs, and asks what she means. She says, when Laura and Doc get back, are they all going to still live together?

Ava tells Sonny, honestly, she doesn’t know from one day to the next if Austin is being sincere with her or if he’s manipulating her. The night that Nikolas died though, she would have sworn he wanted to help her. Sonny says, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what Austin believes. It’s Nikolas’s body that’s the ultimate leverage over her. They’re not going to get it back unless they find out who Austin and Mason are working for. She says, right. So let’s say his plan works, and the phony information Brick planted on the computer for Betty to find does lead Sonny to their boss. Then what? He slams his hand on the table and says he’ll deal with them.

Carly says, Diane is the best for Drew’s case. It’s her area of expertise. He says, okay. Let Diane explore their options. Carly says, Diane is going to get him out of here, but he tells her not to get her hopes up. The odds are, he’s going to have to serve the full three years. She says she doesn’t believe that, and whatever happens, she’s with him.

Dex tells Book that he’ll be back for another visit soon. He’s going to be monitoring Book closely to make sure he’s following Mr. Corinthos’s orders. Carly sees Austin leaving, and so does Dex. She and Dex lock eyes.

Tomorrow, Brook asks, what’s the emergency; Lucy tells Maxie, someone is out to bring them down with malicious intent; Cody tells Mac to take him in; and Sonny asks about Carly’s visit to Pentenville.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

Shannon tells John that she felt ambushed and Emily betrayed her. John says, they need to STFU, and tells her to be careful who she trusts. As usual, Shannon blows things out of proportion. I think everyone should just ignore her relationship. Emily is going to an event for the California Innocence Project, but plans on getting back for Shannon’s taco fiesta or whatever. I’m with Emily when she says there are a lot of flaws in the legal system. In many of these cases, it’s so obvious they’re innocent. Fancy Pants tells Gina that her day was a clusterf***. She doesn’t think she’s making Shannon’s taco thing, and Gina says she doesn’t think Shannon wants her (Gina) there. In Gina’s interview, she says she’s joining Emily rather than having tacos thrown at her and being screamed at. Fancy Pants meets with Shannon and says she’s sorry Shannon is upset. She doesn’t like people saying she’s spreading info about Shannon’s relationship. She’s never initiated a conversation about it ever and isn’t spreading anything. As usual, Shannon blows everything out of proportion. In Shannon’s interview, she says she wants to think people have good intentions, but they don’t. Fancy Pants says Shannon doesn’t seem to remember who she tells what, and in Gina’s interview, she says, Shannon drinks the truth serum and it brings out the truth. In Emily’s interview, she suggests Shannon get a breathalyzer for her phone. Shannon whines that John wants privacy, and Fancy Pants suggests she not talk so much to so many people. In her interview, Fancy Pants says that Shannon has told several of them that John likes the limelight. As usual… you know the rest. Shannon abruptly ends her conversation with Fancy Pants and walks away.

There was a bunch of family stuff and fostering kittens with Jenn. Her son Dominic is adopted and came to them at 11 months, and in Jenn’s interview, she says, even though she worries about all her kids, she’s more protective of Dominic. She talks to Dominic about his birth mother, and I have to note that all her kids seem very well-adjusted. Run, Jenn, run!  

Fancy Pants signed escrow papers for the penthouse she and Terry negotiated on for 9 months, and it looks like they’re selling the house for $55 million. Fancy Pants says, it’s like having a baby. Shannon takes the news of Fancy Pants canceling calmly, and says, more tequila for her. As Shannon gets the house ready for her fiesta, Emily calls and says, it’s important they have sit-down. She cares about their friendship. Shannon says, Emily is talking to everybody else about her relationship, but Emily says, Shannon shares her relationship BS off-camera, then doesn’t take accountability for what she says. She’s two different people. Shannon makes excuses, and Emily says she’s not doing this on FaceTime, and she’s not doing it tonight. Have fun at her party. Shannon is still talking as Emily hangs up. In Emily’s interview, she says, the purpose of her call was to tell Shannon that she was going to be late, but forget it, she’s not going at all. And tacos are her favorite food, so you know she’s pissed. She tells production that she’s sick of Shannon’s BS. As usual, Shannon blows everything out of proportion, and whines to production that John’s kid doesn’t like her. She can’t say that on camera. It’s on camera? They can’t put that on camera.

We revisit the story of Terrill, a man who served time for a murder he was innocent of when he was a kid. Emily had met him early on through the Innocence Project, and Gina tells Emily that she’s a great friend and person. She’s pissed at Shannon badmouthing Emily, but thinks Shannon is in a bad spot. They meet with some of the exonerees before the gala, and one woman had been in prison for 28 years and on death row before the girl who committed the crime confessed. In Gina’s interview, she says she was in jail for less than 24 hours, and it was enough for her. Terrill is there with his little daughter, and says, he can’t get his time back, but can help another young person. Emily says he could be pissed off, but he’s kind and radiates light and positivity. In her interview, she says, when do work that’s bigger than you, it puts things in perspective. It makes you realize the things that are trivial and that you have no reason to complain. At the gala, the head guy makes a short speech, and Emily is introduced. She tells them that tonight is about money and make sure they donate. It’s also about the exonerees, and she encourages the guests to take the time to meet them and hear their stories.

In contrast, Shannon wails that six people aren’t coming. She bought 16 of everything and it was expensive. As usual, she blows things out of proportion, and in her interview, she says, it’s the worst case scenario. I guess it doesn’t occur to her that she could have no one showing up. In Tamra’s interview, she says, Shannon called her up, hysterical and crying, and telling her six people weren’t coming. She feels bad, but if you have a fight with them the night before, probably. Taylor and her husband, Jenn and Ryan, and Tamra and Eddie arrive. Shannon bitches to everyone, Señor Noodles mans the grill, and they swill tequila. Should Eddie be drinking like that?

Shannon says she’s grateful for those here. She had a tough day, but she’s with people she cares about and who care about her. Eddie says, they’re glad to be here to celebrate Shannon and John’s relationship. John says, it’s not perfect, and Eddie says, nobody’s is. In Tamra’s interview, she says, when she sees Shannon and John together, things seem good, but she doesn’t believe it. She doesn’t know if they’ll get married, but her gut tells her no, and her gut is always right. Señor Noodles says, the steaks are high, and no that’s not a typo; he holds the steaks aloft on his knife. Jenn says, it sucks to have your relationship scrutinized and to have being honest thrown back in your face. It’s not right. In Jenn’s interview, she says, no one deserves that treatment, but if you’re hiding something, this is not the group to hide info from. The food looks absolutely amazing, and Taylor says, she’s new to the friend group, so she wonders who can be trusted. Tamra tells her to look at who’s sitting at the table and who isn’t. Which could be taken two different ways. Jenn tells Shannon that Gina felt Shannon was poking around in her relationship, and we flash back to that to Gina saying, Shannon talks about her relationship, but God forbid Shannon’s relationship is talked about. Shannon says, if she’d been crying to John about David for years, he’d say get TF out. She tried to be nice to Gina and help her with her DUI a million years ago. We flash back to that, and Shannon says, Gina’s children would have gone to CPS if she hadn’t intervened. In Jenn’s interview, she says, this is not table conversation. You don’t talk about a mom, her kids, and CPS. If she was Gina, she’d be pissed. Tamra suggests they just move on, and Señor Noodles says, they need a tequila shot. He brings out a super soaker filled with tequila, and after Taylor nearly chokes on it (the tequila, not the water gun), somehow Tamra gets ahold of it. She chases Taylor around, but gets Shannon instead, then throws it in the water, saying, bad gun.

I know I don’t have to tell you how very extra and fabulous the penthouse is. I was too mesmerized to gather many details, but it’s over five thousand square feet, which is bigger than my 4-bedroom house. Roberto Cavalli did a lot of the furniture, which was included. All this for only $14 million. In her interview, Fancy Pants says, the finishes are perfection, but she wants to tweak some of the furniture. She and Terry feel like newlyweds. The view is insane, and all I can say about the main closet is, wow! She says, they’re not sharing details about the sale of the house yet. It’s not goodbye to Orange County. She’s just seeing someone else for a moment.

Omg, they’re bottle feeding the kittens. Gina visits Jenn, who asks where she was. Gina says she didn’t want to be responsible for messing up Shannon’s fiesta. It made zero sense to go. Shannon got super defensive, assuming Gina was trashing her relationship. Jenn tells her that Shannon didn’t say that, but she alluded that she helped Gina when she went through a DUI, and Gina’s kids would have gone to CPS if she hadn’t stepped in. Gina says, there were zero scenarios where her kids would have been taken. She and Shannon are going to have a problem. You don’t say things like that if they’re not true. In Gina’s interview, she says, it’s a completely false statement. If that happened when you got a DUI, everybody’s kids in the OC would be locked up. She tells Jenn that Shannon relentlessly brings that up, and we flash back to that. Gina says, the best way for her to have a healthy relationship with Shannon is to set boundaries. Now Shannon’s being crueler. In her interview, Gina says, there isn’t going to be a friendship, but Shannon needs to know she crossed the line. She tells Jenn, you can’t light me on fire and let everybody watch me burn, and Jenn says, Gina needs to sit Shannon’s ass down and say, enough.

Emily meets Shannon for lunch, and in Shannon’s interview, she says she cares about Emily, but she doesn’t think the feeling is mutual. Emily apologizes for what she said during their call, and Shannon says, if Emily is concerned about her, she needs to talk with her instead of talking behind her back. Emily says, they had a conversation about Shannon’s relationship because they were concerned about her, and Shannon says she thinks Emily is exaggerating, which is pretty funny considering that’s Shannon’s M.O. She tells Emily that Fancy Pants is insinuating her relationship is all bad sh*t, and said Emily brought it up; Gina and Tamra brought it up. In Shannon’s interview, she says, Fancy Pants has a history of making things worse than they are, and we flash back to Fancy Pants telling Terry that Shannon is having a psychotic break when she’s really just yelling. Shannon tells Emily that Fancy Pants is calculating and manipulative, but Emily suggests they table Fancy Pants and get back to them. She wants to move past this. She cares about Shannon and wants her to be happy. In Emily’s interview, she says she can’t force someone to be friends or forgive, and in Shannon’s interview, she says she’s grateful for this meeting. She feels good about things, but she’s going to proceed with caution. Emily says she’s sorry for missing Shannon’s taco party, and Shannon says, it was on National Taco Day. It’s the way she says it. Like it makes the offense even worse.

Next time, pumpkin races; Gina confronts Shannon about the CPS remark; Jenn says, the thought of marrying Ryan is scary; Shannon wonders if John is really in the relationship; and Shannon thinks Fancy Pants is insincere.

🏄‍♀️ Living Life Without It…

Come by for soap, what’s on the Runway, and teatime tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay being assertive without being aggressive, and stay not having pity parties. How are you going to help anyone if you’re feeling sorry for yourself?

Aug23

August 22, 2023 –It’s Time For the Big Finale, A Notion, Back When, New Charm, Party In the City, Jersey Share, The Hills Are Alive, Ultimate Standout, Tastes Just Like Chicken & Bad

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna thanks Dante for meeting her at the station so they could talk alone, without Valentin. She asks him to show her what he has and asks if Valentin was at ELQ the night of the fire, but Dante says, he wasn’t. He says he’ll show her everything, but wants her to promise she’ll get a bodyguard. She says she’s not going to do that. She’s not allowing him to take away the one thing she has left, her privacy.

Finn heads into a meeting, and flashes back to Gregory revealing he has ALS.

Alexis comes out of the hospital elevator when her phone rings. She tells Esme that she’s headed to a meeting. What’s wrong?

Drew waits in the visitor’s room and flashes back to Cyrus saying, Drew needs some kind of family to survive behind these walls. If Drew won’t join his flock, he strongly suggests Drew find another.

Nina thanks Martin for meeting her in some obscure place outside, and he asks why they’re here. She says she didn’t want to chance someone seeing them. He asks what he can do for her, and she asks if he’s still getting pressure from the FBI and SEC to reveal the source of the insider trading tip against Carly and Drew. He asks if she means pressure to tell them it was her.

On the phone at Kelly’s, Carly tells Katrina, it’s not her fault. It’s okay. She has an appointment, but she’ll leave when Katrina gets here. Be safe. Willow walks in, and Carly gives her a hug, saying, she’s happy to see her. She’s sorry it’s been so long. Willow says, Carly never has to apologize to her after everything she’s done for them, and Carly asks if Michael and the kids are with her. Willow says, Michael is working and Olivia agreed to watch the kids. She’s on her own. Carly asks how that feels, and Willow says, good. It’s something she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to do again. Michael told her that Carly took over Kelly’s. Look what she’s done to this place. Carly says she just wanted to spruce it up a little, and Willow says, she sure did that. As I try to figure out just what she did, Carly says, it’s good to see Willow and asks what she can do for her. Willow says she’s there to see if there’s anything she can do to help Carly.

Dex listens outside Austin’s office door, as Austin tells Ava she has nothing to worry about. Ava says she is worried. She just needs to know exactly what’s going on. She’s got this con artist Betty who’s pretending to be a nanny spending time with her daughter. She’s already super worried about going to jail. Austin says, for killing Nikolas? He promises she’s not going to jail for killing Nikolas. Everything is under control. She asks, how exactly is everything under control?

Still on the phone, Alexis says, it’s working?… Good. All’s well. She’ll see Esme later. She heads for the meeting.

Meeting leader Dana asks, who would like to share first? and Finn raises his hand. He says he’s Hamilton and he’s an addict. He wants to thank Dana for her powerful message. The idea of navigating life’s challenges while dealing with addiction really resonates with him right now. He recently had some bad news about someone he loves very much. This person has been suffering and he had no idea. Had he known, he feels maybe he could have helped them, but he guesses he was so caught up in his own life. Alexis slips in, and Finn says, the fact he couldn’t help them because he didn’t know they needed help has left him feeling a little resentful. He has this good friend and she knew the truth, and she chose to keep it to herself.

Nina tells Martin, this is important to her. That’s why she was anxious to set up this meeting. He says he knows. He’s sorry. His brother Cyrus had a heart attack and he had to take care of some business for him, and it’s not like the situation is all that urgent. She says, maybe that’s him, but she needs to know if the SEC is going to be knocking on her door. He says he told her; it’s under control. Drew Cain took a plea deal. There will not be a trial, therefore, she won’t be pressured to testify. She can relax. She says, it’s really done? and he says, yes. There’s no reason Willow or Sonny should ever find out she turned in Drew and Carly.

Carly tells the kitchen, the ELQ order is almost ready. Let her know when the wings are done. Willow says she doesn’t want to take up Carly’s time. If she needs to work, that’s totally fine. Carly says, the lunch rush is over. She just has to wait for Katrina to get here, so she can go visit Drew. Willow says, she’s going to visit Drew? That’s great. Carly says, it will be great, now that he’s out of solitary confinement, and Willow asks why Drew was in solitary.

Dante says he feels that privacy should be the least of Anna’s concerns right now, and she says, don’t make her regret sharing information with him. He says he doesn’t want her to regret anything. He wants her to be safe. It’s his job to keep her safe. He cares about her. She says, if they wanted her dead, she’d be dead, and he asks what she thinks that shot was at the MetroCourt pool? Just a friendly message? One that put Curtis in a wheelchair? She has no idea whether they thought she was in that house or not. She says, if they were watching her, she’d be dead already. They would have gotten her on her run. He says, that’s another thing he doesn’t think she should be doing at that hour of the night on her own, and she says, for God’s sake, it had been a long day. She already told him that setting a fire is too clumsy. You can’t guarantee you will get your mark. But what you can do is destroy a person’s life. They can take everything away from her – her reputation, her memories, literally her home – because she believes someone is out to leave her with absolutely nothing.

Austin tells Ava, Betty collected some very valuable information on Sonny, and last night, she passed it on to Mason. She says, so his crazy cousin got what he wanted, and he says, yes. He’ll deliver the data and they’ll get on with their lives and find Nikolas’s body. She says she’ll believe it when she sees it, and he tells her, believe it. It’s going to happen. This whole nightmare will soon be over. His desk phone rings, and he says he knows. He’s sorry. Something important came up. He’s on his way. He tells Ava that he’s got to go. He promises he’ll let her know the minute he hears from Mason. Dex scoots around the corner, and they come out. She says if she doesn’t hear from him… but Austin says, she will, and they leave, as Dex – the least stealthy spy in the world – watches.

Austin says hi to Jake and Wyatt (who has had quite a growth spurt), and says he hasn’t seen them since last summer. What’s going on? Elizabeth says, they had a little laser flip incident, and Austin says, that’s not good. He suggests they go into an exam room and get a closer look. They leave and Dex follows. Honestly, worst spy ever.

Dr. Bronson introduces Gregory to TJ, and says, he’s doing a neurology rotation. TJ is going to be shadowing him with Gregory’s permission. Gregory says, absolutely. They’ve met before, and he’s heard great things about TJ from his son Finn. TJ says, it’s great to see him again, and Bronson says, TJ is going to stay for Gregory’s examination and consultation. Gregory says, of course (🍷). Having two good doctors in his corner… He knows he’ll be needing all the help he can get. Bronson tells TJ that it’s been six months since Gregory’s initial diagnosis. He went to the Mayo Clinic and they did extensive tests. Gregory says, unfortunately, there’s no doubt he has ALS, and he understands he’s in for the fight of his life. Bronson says, Gregory told him on the phone that he had another episode, and Gregory says he agreed to babysit for his granddaughter Violet and took a fall. Bronson says he’s sorry, and Gregory says, fortunately, she wasn’t in the room, but that look on her face when she found him… Bronson suggests they get started with the exam.

Finn says he knows in times of crisis there’s a possibility of using again, but he doesn’t think that’s going to help. He has someone who needs him. They need him now more than ever, and he just wants to focus on being there for them. It’s funny the things that come flooding back to you though. They didn’t want to burden him with their problem, but they were reaching out, wanting to spend more time together. He would have if he would have known. Alexis sits down, and Finn says he understands why his friend didn’t tell him what she knew. He wishes she would have. Then he would have had more time. Time is so important; time is everything. He just wants to spend every minute he can taking care of this person for as long as he can… He wants to thank them all for listening. They applaud.

In the bathroom, Cyrus looks in the mirror, and says, we know the importance of cleanliness, don’t we, God? Thank You for granting me another beautiful day. He dries his face.

Carly tells Willow that she doesn’t know the details of why Drew was in solitary confinement, but she’s hoping to find that out when she sees him. Willow says, please give him her love. She wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t risked his life in Greenland to get Liesl Obrecht back for the transplant. (Hey, where is Liesl these days?) Carly says, he’s such a good guy, and he’s helped so many people, and Willow says, it’s so unfair Drew is stuck in prison because someone was spiteful enough to turn them in. Is Carly still convinced Ned was the one who turned them in? Nina walks in and says hi to Willow and Carly. She says, the place looks really nice. The improvements Carly made look great. As I still ponder what those might be, Carly thanks her and sees Katrina. She says she has to go, and jets. Nina says she didn’t mean to drive Carly out, but Willow says, don’t worry. She didn’t.

Dante tells Anna that he’s sorry. He didn’t mean to come at her like that. He knows it’s not easy. She says, that’s all right. She’s lucky to have a friend like him. Everyone’s been very supportive. He says, but she lost her house. It’s awful and it’s got to hurt. She says, what hurts is Curtis in a wheelchair because of her, and he says, she has to stop blaming herself for that, but she says she doesn’t. It doesn’t compare really. She’s not hurt and she has resources. Insurance is taking care of the fire. He asks how Valentin is doing, and she says, he’s very supportive of her. Dante says, he showed up to be by her side the morning after the fire? and she nods, saying, and since. He says, Valentin lied to her about working for Pikeman, but she says, Valentin didn’t lie to her. Dante says, he was dishonest, withheld the truth. Why did he tell her then? Did it come out of nowhere? She says she was putting together the pieces and he came home, and he says, Valentin realized she knew and had no choice but to come clean. They don’t have to call it a lie if she doesn’t want to, but they both know Valentin lied to her about where he was the night of the fire. She says she wants to see this proof he has.

Anna looks at Dante’s laptop, and he says, she can see Valentin’s car never showed up that night at the ELQ garage. His car wasn’t even in the area that night. Dante checked the surrounding areas and there was no sign of it at all. Also, there was no water main break; he confirmed that as well. So Valentin was in fact lying to her. She says, all right. She’ll take that into consideration. He hopes she also takes into consideration that Valentin lied to her on that specific night. She says, just because he didn’t tell her where he was doesn’t make him the arsonist, and Dante tells her, he’s not saying Valentin was, but she can’t rule him out as a person of interest. She says, that is ridiculous, and he says, is it though? Valentin finds out everything Anna knows and has to tell her that he worked for Pikeman. Anna calls Dante and he comes to the house. Maybe Valentin sees that all happen. She says, any number of people could have seen that happen, and he says, but she told him, whoever did this wants to take everything away from her. Who has motive to leave her with nothing? She says, what? and he says, could Valentin want her totally dependent on him? She says, Valentin loves her. That, she’s certain of.

Wyatt says, told Jake it wasn’t broken, but Austin says, it’s a pretty bad sprain. Jake was right to bring him. Jake says, see? and Austin says, here’s what we’re going to do. Heat, ice, alternate, and try not to move it at all for a couple of days. Wyatt asks if there isn’t some way he could heal it faster. He’s supposed to play cello in their band concert day after tomorrow. Austin asks if that’s his bow hand, and Wyatt says, yes. Austin says, that’s not going to happen, and Jake says he’s sorry; this is all his fault. He shouldn’t have talked Wyatt into going to the skate park. He messed everything up for him. Wyatt says, Jake didn’t make him do the laser flip. He even tried to talk him out of doing it again. Jake says, it was really cool though. He’s only seen one other person do it. Wyatt says, at least he did it once, and Elizabeth says, and he’ll do it again. In the hallway, Dex steps away from the door, saying, this is it. He sends a text to Gabe: All set?

Dana says, that’s all the time they have for sharing today. Could Finn lead them in the Serenity Prayer? Finn says, yes, and everyone gets up, joining hands. Finn and Alexis exchange a look, and Finn says, God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Everyone applauds, and Dana thanks Finn. She says, good luck. See you next week? He says, see you next week, and everyone leaves. He starts putting the chairs away, and Alexis asks if she can help him. He says he’s guessing she heard his share, and she says, loud and clear.

Gregory holds his palm against TJ’s, and Bronson says he wants Gregory to put on as much pressure as he can… That’s good. They’ll run more extensive diagnostic tests next week. For now, he wants to get Gregory fitted for leg braces and hand and wrist splints. He should wear them at home. Try to wear them when he sleeps to help his extremities remain stretched and in a good position. Gregory asks if he needs a cane, and Bronson says, does he? Gregory says he doesn’t think so, and Bronson says, then it’s good for now. Aside from the episodes Gregory described, he seems to be ambulatory without it. Gregory says, when the time comes, he’d prefer a cane to a wheelchair, and Bronson says he’s sure a wheelchair won’t be necessary right now, but considering the episodes he’s had, Gregory definitely shouldn’t drive. Does he need someone to drive him home? Gregory says, no. He took a car service here. After what happened with his granddaughter, he doesn’t want to put anyone else at risk. He won’t be driving anymore.

Cyrus slathers on shaving cream, and I wonder what he’s going to shave with. Oh okay. I guess Bic’s are all right to have in prison.

Nina asks if Willow is sure Carly lighting out of here didn’t have a little something to do with her, but Willow says, no. She was late for her visit with Drew in Pentenville. Nina asks how he’s doing, and Willow says she’s sure it’s miserable, but he’s such an amazing guy, always positive. She doesn’t know how he’s doing it. Nina says she’ll always be grateful to him for helping save Willow’s life, and Willow says, so will she. She’s grateful that, even in Pentenville, Drew knows he has Carly’s love and support. He’ll make it through this. Nina says, of course (🍷) he will, and Willow says, it’s an outrage that Drew was even sent to Pentenville in the first place.

Nina tells Drew that she’s sorry she’s late. Katrina’s car broke down, and she had to cover at Kelly’s until Katrina could get there. Drew says, she’s here. That’s all that matters. He loves her. She says she loves him too.

Alexis says she knows Finn’s very angry at her for not telling him, and she doesn’t blame him. He has no idea how much she wanted to tell him. She just couldn’t because Gregory was adamant about her not doing it. Finn says he understands the position Gregory put her in. He probably wouldn’t have told Finn if he hadn’t collapsed in front of Violet. Alexis says, oh, and he says, she’s okay. He can’t believe he was so caught up in his own life, he didn’t see the signs. She says, he was very good at covering them up, and Finn says, she was very good at honoring his wishes. Too good. She says she’s sorry, and he says he knows she is. He understands. He’s is a very private and persuasive man. To see him accept this… She says, his dad is very brave, and he says he knows. His dad was so excited about this trip he wanted to take. He wanted all of them to go on this trip, and Finn put him off. He could have made it work, but he didn’t. He got so caught up in everything Violet was going through, but he could have made it work. Alexis says, doesn’t Finn understand? What Gregory wanted was for them to lead a normal life, so he could watch Finn, Violet, and Chase being productive and happy. He doesn’t want them to zero in and focus on his illness. That is not how he wants to spend the rest of the time he has left. Finn says, the time he stole from him.

Gregory comes out of the elevator as Dana goes by in her wheelchair, telling a woman, just focus on today. That’s all any of them can do.

Elizabeth tells Wyatt to give his arm a rest for a few days. It was great seeing him. Wyatt says, her too, and she goes back to work. Jake says he thought Wyatt would be more mad that he couldn’t play in his concert, but Wyatt says he’s going to play. He just won’t tell anyone he fell. Gregory comes by and says he hasn’t seen Wyatt since their camping trip last summer. It looks like he had a little accident.

Anna says she didn’t realize Dante disliked Valentin quite so much, but Dante says he’s just doing his job. She says, it’s not about his job, and he says, she’s right. It’s about more than that. It’s about Charlotte. She’s staying with them right now. Lulu’s daughter. Valentin’s her dad. They love her, she loves him. He guesses what he’s saying is that Anna isn’t the only one who thinks Valentin’s changed. She says, he has changed, and Dante asks her to put herself in his shoes right now. With the facts and logic laid out as they are, is she telling him that even for a second, she wouldn’t entertain Valentin as a suspect? She says, he wouldn’t do that, but Dante says, he would. She can’t just ignore the man’s past. He’s manipulative. Anna says, wow, and Dante says, she knows it; he’s always been that way. He’s sorry. Maybe she got close to some truth. Maybe Valentin needs her totally and completely dependent on him for some reason, but can she look at him and tell him that she thinks there’s no way he could have done something like this? She says, whatever he’s lying about, it’s not that he burned down their home, and he says, her home. Why did he lie to her? She says she thinks it has something to do with Pikeman.

Cyrus dries his now clean-shaven face, and looks at least ten years younger. I’m thinking how cool his hair looks down, when he takes a shiv out of his sock and begins to cut it. Why, Cyrus? Why? Speaking of his age, since they’ve been calling him an old guy, I looked it up and he’s going to be 70. Like I always say, there’s 70 and there’s 70. For an old guy, he’s looking fit.

Mason goes into Austin’s office, and Austin asks what he’s doing here. Mason says, stay cool. It’s almost showtime. Austin asks why he’d care, and Mason says, because he has the starring role. Austin says he doesn’t; he’s already played his part. Mason says, no. It’s time for the big finale. Austin gets to deliver the flashdrive to the big boss. Austin says, no he doesn’t. He’s got appointments lined up all afternoon. Mason says, there are other doctors, when there’s a knock at the door and TJ walks in. He says, sorry. He didn’t realize he was interrupting. Austin says, he wasn’t, and Mason says he’s not a patient. He’s Austin’s cousin. They were just catching up. He introduces himself and shakes TJ’s hand. TJ says, it’s nice to meet him, and Austin says, here’s the chart, handing TJ a folder. He’s sorry he didn’t get it to TJ earlier. TJ says, not a problem, and takes the folder from Austin. He goes to the door, and stops. He asks if he and Mason have met somewhere before.

Carly says she’s just trying to understand why Drew chose to protect Cyrus Renault, and he says, some guys were coming at Cyrus. He stepped in, they fought, he got solitary. It’s as simple as that. She says, it’s not that simple, and he asks if they can drop this, but she says, no. Drew was in Port Charles when Cyrus got out of prison, and he was threatening everyone. She just doesn’t understand why he had to intervene. Why couldn’t he just walk away?

Nina says, it seems wrong that Drew was sent to Pentenville for what he did, and Willow says, he’s been so good to them, and supportive in every way. He was supposed to walk her down the aisle when she and Michael got married. She can talk to him about anything. He would listen and give her the best advice, and he never had an agenda. Nina says, and she always does. She’s sorry. Sometimes she just pushes too hard, doesn’t she? Willow says, yes, she does. But in all fairness, Drew isn’t her father and doesn’t feel like he has anything to make up for. So her guard isn’t up when she’s around him. Nina says, like it is with her, but she would like to change that, and Willow says, Nina’s marrying Sonny. Nina’s going to be a part of her life. They’re going to be seeing a lot of each other, whether they like it or not. Nina says, that’s one way to look at it, and Willow says she doesn’t want things to be so strained between them. Nina says, her neither, and Willow says, they have to find their way to some kind of relationship. Nina agrees, and Willow says, no matter what, those things take time. Ava comes in, and Willow says she’s got to get home to Wiley. Nina says, right, and Willow says, goodbye. She leaves, and Ava says, progress? Nina says she thinks maybe so.

Drew tells Carly, the guy that came for Cyrus was way younger than him. Cyrus isn’t exactly in his prime, and Drew just doesn’t have it in him to turn a blind eye to someone like that. He’s sorry, but he guesses it’s just a character flaw. She says, it is, but it’s one of the many things she loves about him. If he was the kind of guy who could watch an old man get beat up and not do anything, and just walk away, he wouldn’t be the man she loves. He says, it was kind of crazy. Cyrus was the one person he was trying to stay as far away from as possible, and now they’re bonded for life. She asks what he means, bonded for life? All he did was stop the fight. He says, after the fight, Cyrus had a heart attack and he gave Cyrus CPR. He saved Cyrus’s life.

All Cyrus’s hair lies next to the sink, and he tosses down the shiv. He pulls on his shirt, and runs his hands through his now much shorter hair, another ten years off him. He looks in the mirror and says, You work in mysterious ways – he looks up – very mysterious ways. And he’s grateful.

Mason says he doesn’t believe he and TJ have met. Then again, people are always saying he reminds them of someone. Sometimes even Vin Diesel – the lack of hair and the voice. He rubs his head and smiles. TJ says, no. He thinks they did meet before. He just can’t remember where. Mason says he really hasn’t spent that much time in Port Charles, but who knows? Austin looks grim, and TJ says, maybe he’ll figure it out. He thanks Austin for the file, and leaves. In the hallway, TJ ponders Mason, and in the office, Austin says, so Mason has met Dr. Ashford? Mason says, they may have crossed paths.

Dante says, Anna thinks Valentin is lying to her about Pikeman? She says, when Dante called her last night, when he told her that he had evidence Valentin wasn’t at ELQ the night of the fire, Valentin was in the shower. He’d just received some papers. It kind of looked like a contract, maybe a consultancy project or something. They had the Pikeman logo on them. Dante asks if she thinks he could be working for Pikeman again, but she says she doesn’t know. He says, Valentin told her that he wasn’t working for Pikeman anymore and he gets papers with the Pikeman logo on it. Could Pikeman have been behind the shooting at the MetroCourt pool? She says, they don’t know that, and he says, maybe they weren’t after her. Maybe they were after Sonny and they hired Valentin to set him up.

Alexis asks Finn to please stop being so hard on himself. His father has gotten past all of that. He says, how? He was estranged from his father for years. He looks at his daughter Violet now, and he gets to watch her grow up. And he can’t imagine, not for a moment, her not being in his life. She says, there is no value in dwelling on the past; there just isn’t. They just learned this, right here, right now. All we have is today. He says he doesn’t plan on wasting a minute of it, and she hugs him.

Alexis and Finn get out of the elevator, and both of their phones ding. Alexis says, who would have guessed they were so popular? and Finn says, back to the real world. She says she’s sorry she wasn’t able to tell him about his dad’s condition, but she’s glad he knows, and he says he’s not looking forward to helping him tell Chase. She says she hopes he tells Chase sooner than later, so Chase doesn’t resent Finn, like Finn might resent… He says he doesn’t resent her at all. He’s lucky to have her as a friend. If his dad had to tell someone about his condition other than him, he’s glad it was her. She thanks him, and he says he just wishes his dad weren’t so damn stubborn. She says, pot, kettle, and her phone rings. She tells him that she’s got to take this. It might be some kind of office crisis. It was nice while it lasted. She leaves, and he goes over to Elizabeth at the reception desk. Wyatt says, if he hadn’t tried that laser flip again, he wouldn’t have hurt his arm, and he’d be fine. Finn and Elizabeth watch Wyatt talking to Gregory, and Wyatt says he can’t let the band down. Gregory says, but the doctor told him to let his arm rest for a couple of days, so he won’t be able to practice at all, will he? Wyatt says, no, and Gregory says, if he does try to play, does he really think he’ll be able to do his best? Wyatt says, no, and Gregory says, sometimes you have to be honest with yourself about what your body can and can’t do. If he shows up and tries to play and can’t do his best, then he’d be letting everyone down. Wyatt says he never thought about it like that, and Gregory says, admitting he’s injured, even though he really wants to play, is probably the most honorable and generous thing to do in the long run. Wyatt says, Gregory is right, but he still hates it, and Gregory says he knows exactly how Wyatt feels. Wyatt thanks him, and he and Jake leave. Gregory looks at Finn and smiles.

Anna says, Valentin would never set up Sonny, and Dante says, never? She says, no… Unless he was being blackmailed. Dante says, maybe Pikeman has something on him from when he worked for them. She says, right. They could use it against him. Dante says, right, or… She says, what? and he says, she knows how much Valentin loves Charlotte. He’d do anything for his daughter. She says, what if Pikeman were threatening her? and he says, it’s a theory. It’s not going to be easy to prove. She says she just wants to prove this theory is wrong and that Valentin is clean. He says, they’d better both get digging, and she says, they need to find out what the truth is, no matter where it leads them, and she leaves.

Ava says she wanted to talk to Carly about Avery. Has Nina seen her? Nina says, she went to visit Drew. How is Ava? Ava says she’s better she thinks, and Nina says, nice to hear. One question. Are she and Sonny going to get rid of that new nanny of Avery’s? Because every time Nina sees her, she’s kind of like a… Ava says, she’s a bitch, right? Hopefully, she won’t be around too much longer. Nina says, good. One less thing to worry about with their wedding coming up and… Ava lowers her voice and says, and Drew in prison because Nina sent him there. Nina asks if she has to say that out loud. She was surprised they sent him to a place like Pentenville. Ava says, just keep hoping Sonny and Carly never find out, and Nina says, they won’t. Ava says, she seems pretty sure of herself, and Nina says she is. As long as her beautiful, intelligent friend stays quiet, the SEC is going to drop it. And no one will ever know she’s the one – she whispers – who turned in Carly and Drew.

Drew says he stayed with Cyrus until the prison doctor got there, and Carly says, so everybody in this prison knows he defended Cyrus and saved his life? He says, word travels pretty fast around here, and she says, the word is going to be, he’s Cyrus’s ally. Does that mean Cyrus’s enemies are going to target Drew? They see a guard walking through with Austin, and Carly says, what’s he doing here?

Mason paces around somewhere where there are a lot of pipes, and sees someone approach. He thanks them so much for taking the time. He really appreciates them meeting him.

The guard tells Austin, here’s his patient, and Cyrus stands up.

Tomorrow, Austin says he’s more than paid off his debt and he wants out; Gladys asks what Dr. Montague has done to her daughter-in-law; Dex has a message for someone; and Carly asks if that doesn’t put Drew in more danger.

💭 Thought: My mind goes to Cyrus being the big boss, but then some of the rest of it doesn’t make sense, like, why give away all his money? He’s also not related to Austin as far as I can figure. I suppose he could be running Pikeman, since it’s kind of like a mob organization, but again, there’s a disconnect.

🏥 His Struggle Was Real…

He’s kind of a whiner. I love how Maurice Benard is like, maybe it was you.

Sean Kanan Opens up About His Struggles Playing A.J. on GH

🍹 See Them In September…

Go back to the South on September 14th, 9 pm.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1382295/southern-charm-everything-to-know-so-far-about-season-9

https://people.com/southern-charm-season-9-trailer-exclusive-7568910

🗽 Their State Of Mind…

This week’s RHONY. I’ve been watching this peripherally, and a high point in this episode was Jessel and husband Pavit checking out $62K preschools for their toddlers. She nearly wrote that their kids were socially inept on the application because she didn’t know what the word inept meant. Pavit wasn’t sure either, but points for the good sense to look it up. People like that shouldn’t have $62K to throw away. Once again proof that the wrong people have all the money.

RHONY Recap: Brynn Flirts With Abe at His Wedding Anniversary Party With Erin and Sai Leaves Event for Lack of Food, Plus Meredith Marks & Brooks Make Their Debut

👠 Good Time Had By All… Almost…

I can’t wait until Teresa finally goes off the deep end and causes a lawsuit for Bravo. I’ll also settle for her dumping that jerk Luis.

PHOTOS: RHONJ Cast Films First Group Event for Season 14 at Jenn Fessler’s Birthday, See Who’s Returning as Sources Share What Went Down

💎 Dirt On the Diamond…

Garcelle’s speaks her truth.

Garcelle Beauvais Talks Kyle Having Most to Answer to at RHOBH Reunion, If She’ll Attend Erika’s Show, and Where she Stands With Crystal, Plus If She’ll Reconcile With Rinna

🐣 Ultimate Break-Out Star…

While this aired on Peacock a while ago, I’m just catching it on Bravo now, even if half-heartedly. This guy was definitely a standout, as the ultimate concierge and Housewives peacemaker.

Fans Think RHUGT Breakout Star Was Disrespected by Cast Member

🐕 Sounds About Right…

It was a Golden Retriever. What did they expect? I had one named Einstein. It was a false prophecy. He would watch a frisbee as it bounced off his head, and when a blimp came by once, he was mesmerized by it and wagged his tail like maybe his people were coming for him. He was also literally afraid of his own shadow. Nevertheless, he was much loved.

https://people.com/mass-couple-italy-wedding-jeopardy-pet-dog-eats-passport-7693351

🌊 Going Against the Flow…

Join me tomorrow for soap and the rotten oranges from the OC. Until then, stay safe, stay leaving a tip for Pete’s sake – you are not helping the waitstaff to a better hourly wage; you’re a cheapskate – and stay not dwelling on the past. There’s no value in it; there just isn’t.

Aug22

August 21, 2023 – Cyrus Wants To Repay Drew, She’s Got Two, Crappie Ending, Plathville Returns, Uniquely Exotic & Day

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Anna wakes up with a start and realizes Valentin isn’t there. She calls to him, then gets out of bed and looks around.

Robert meets Diane in an office, and says, Judge Barns isn’t here? She says, proving his disregard for punctuality remains unchanged. Robert sits down and says, dammit, and Diane tells him that the judge’s clerk said he’d be in soon. He says, define soon, and she chuckles. He asks, how was the car show?

Anna wonders, what was so urgent that Valentin’s lawyer came over in the middle of the night? She undoes a paperclip and tries to open his briefcase.

Olivia sees Ned in the nook and asks what he’s doing. He says he’s eating her lasagna from last night, but she says, what is he doing eating it cold; he’ll get a stomachache. He insists he won’t. He likes it like this – vintage. She says, vintage lasagna, and he says, not vintage. Like rock and roll; late nights, music until dawn, cold lasagna. She says, right. Bar crawling all night, too wasted to put it in the oven. He says, exactly, and she says, except he’s got a working oven and somebody perfectly willing to heat it up for him, but he tells her that he’s not going to let her do that. She’s too busy. Besides, he likes it like this. He’s used to it. Eating on the go. Cold and quick. She says, it’s not going to happen on her watch. He’s not eating cold lasagna. Let her make him a frittata. He says he’ll make her a deal. How about warm lasagna? He hands her the plate.

Anna gets the briefcase open, and rifles through it, taking out the Pikeman envelope.

Josslyn comes into Sonny’s old kitchen, paying homage to the moss bowl🎍, and Carly says, she’s up early. Josslyn says she’s going to the pool. Unless Carly needs help at Kelly’s. Then she can totally cancel. Carly says, Pete is opening up. Go have fun. Josslyn says she’s not going to have fun. She’s going to be binging Gray’s Anatomy all day; not the show, the book. She wishes it was the show. Carly says, her new semester’s starting soon, and Josslyn says, so soon, too soon. Summer flew by. She has a mountain of things that she should have done over break. Carly tells her that she says that every year. Then she aces her tests and tells Carly how interesting her classes are. Josslyn says, they are interesting. There’s just so much to remember. Then life happens, and she gets distracted. Carly says, life’s always happening, and Josslyn says she knows. She has to stop delaying. She’s trying to remember, tough times don’t last, but tough people do. Carly says, that’s right. Mom’s Aunt Ruby; that’s what she used to say. Josslyn says, if Carly needs her, call her or text her. She’ll be in mental boot camp. Carly tells her to leave her phone on, and Josslyn leaves. Carly’s phone rings, and it’s a collect call from Pentenville Penitentiary. Will she accept the charges? She says, absolutely.

Anna puts the envelope to the side, and keeps looking through the briefcase, when she hears something. She quickly closes it up, placing it back where it was and putting the envelope to the side. Valentin walks in.

On the phone outside Sonny’s penthouse, Betty says, she already got them the goods. Why do they have to keep up this Nanny act?… Yeah. Okay. It will cost them. Frank comes out, and she says she’s just arriving at work, but they should definitely sue the dry cleaners. Frank says, good morning, and she says, angora. It’s her own fault really. You should never dry clean angora. He says, thanks for telling him.

Inside the penthouse on the phone, Sonny tells Brick to keep in touch. There’s knock at the door, and he says he has to go. He opens the door to Betty, and tells her to come in. He tells Frank that he doesn’t want to be disturbed, and closes the door. Betty asks if Avery is ready, but Sonny says, she’s not getting anywhere near Avery.

Drew tells Carly, thank God. He was starting to go crazy in there. She says, Sam told her that she brought Scout to see him, and he says he knows; he heard. She says she can’t believe they turned Scout away because she suddenly has no idea how prison works, and he says he’s sorry he couldn’t let anybody know. She says, don’t worry about her. She’s just glad he got out sooner. He says, sooner? How did she know how long it was supposed to be? What did she do?

Betty asks Sonny, what’s wrong? Why doesn’t he want her near Avery? He says, isn’t it obvious? Avery’s sick. He’d hate for her to catch it. She says, how considerate of him. She was really looking forward to seeing Avery today. She hopes Avery feels better, poor little cupcake. (Ugh.) Text her when he needs her again. He gives her some cash, saying, here’s a little extra something for her, and she thanks him. He says, goodbye, Betty, and closes the door. Sonny tells Dex that he knows what to do, and Dex leaves.

Ned looks out to the patio and says, this is a pretty nice spread you have here, and Olivia says, that’s putting it mildly. She puts his lasagna on the table, and he says, the kid is always going on about horses and bugs. Leo was telling him about some sort of spotted lantern bug that’s been invading New York. (Yep. Truth.) She says she hears about it every day. Leo is on the patrol. Ned says, he’s a good kid. Leo wants Ned to teach him the banjo. She asks if he plays the banjo, but he says, not in the slightest. He has to admit, the lasagna is definitely better warmed up, and she asks if he wants extra parmesan, but he says, no. He hates that. It’s like putting a sax solo in a punk rock song. It just doesn’t fit. She says, it’s weird; Ned always loved it. He says he’s not Ned, and she says, she knows. He tells her, forget it, and gets some more coffee. She says, late night, huh? and he says, busted. She says, it must have been quite a party. She wasn’t aware Port Charles had such a vibrant after-hours scene. He says, no, it was up to him to create his own party scene, and she says, any interesting party animals?

Diane thanks Robert for asking, and says, the car show was wonderful. Just row upon row of the most exquisite new vehicles. She felt like she stepped into the future. He asks which was her favorite, and she wonders how he can ask that with so many amazing models to choose from. All the chrome was buffed to mirrorlike perfection. All the new leather interiors and reliable engines. There were electric vehicles, gorgeous colors. All in all, a wonderful time was had. He asks if Alexis enjoyed it, and she says, Alexis? He says, Diane took her, and Diane says, after he expressed little… no interest, she did ask Alexis. Alexis couldn’t go, so she took Chris Simmons. He asks if he or she enjoyed the car show, and she says, very much so. Almost as much as she did. He wonders where the judge is, and Diane snickers behind her hand.

Anna says she was wondering where Valentin was, but she can’t find her phone. He asks if it would be the one on the nightstand, and she takes it from him, saying, when she woke up, she was really disoriented. She didn’t know where she was, and he wasn’t here. Where did he go? He tells her that he was at ELQ. He noticed they’re still not up and running – he sees the envelope on the table – thanks to the water damage to the servers. He’s sure they’ll be fixed soon. Ned Quartermaine isn’t really himself these days, so he has to stop by to keep the ship afloat. She says she feels sorry for Olivia. It’s so unsettling when someone you know is acting strangely. He says he’s sure. He hasn’t had a lot of time to talk to the Quartermaines. His phone rings, and she asks if it’s ELQ. He says, yeah, but he’ll let it go to voicemail. What can he do for her? She says, he can help her find out who is literally trying to destroy her life, and why.

Anna says, someone out there is trying to kill her, or at least destabilize her so much that she takes her eye off the ball. He says he’d like to smoke them out and strangle a confession from them, and she says, really? He says, that was a poor choice of words. His point is, he doesn’t think that’s an appropriate cause of action. They both know they’re dealing with a professional; this was a professional job. She says, so they just drop it? They just ignore the fact there was a public shooting and he life went up in flames? He says, of course (🍷) not. They’re dealing with people who can cover their tracks. She says, they have experience in that department too, and he says he’ll continue to make inquiries of his sources, but they need to prepare themselves that there aren’t going to be any easy answers. She says she needs to have a shower. She has to go to her lawyer, then the insurance company. Put what’s left of her life back together. She goes to the bathroom, and he picks up the envelope. His phone dings, and he sees a text from Sonny: Need to see you ASAP. Come now!

Robert tells Diane, the judge is taking his sweet time, when his phone rings. He answers, and says, what? When?… Of course (🍷) he knows nothing about it… What?… He’s in a judge’s office waiting for him to get back… Yeah. He’s on his way. Diane asks if there’s fire that needs putting out in the DA’s office, and he says, the fire’s been put out. It destroyed a life though.

Carly says she didn’t do anything, and Drew says, meaning? She says, Sonny did. She didn’t ask him to, but she’s so glad he did. Drew tells her, Sonny did say he’d do whatever he could for him while he was inside, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he’s fine. The other guy, not so much. She asks, what happened? and he says, nothing he can’t handle. Don’t worry. She asks if this has anything to do with him being put in solitary confinement, and he says he got into it with a guy who was giving another inmate a hard time. He couldn’t just stand by and let it happen. She says, he doesn’t have to protect everyone. Who was this inmate he helped? He says, Cyrus Renault.

Betty sits on a chaise lounge, and the waiter asks if she’d like something from the brunch menu. She says she’ll have the American breakfast with extra bacon, and she means extra bacon. Rye toast. She opens a Crimson magazine, and he says, all right, but she says she’s not done. Get her a Bloody Mary and don’t forget the horseradish. Got it? He says, yes, and leaves. On a nearby chaise, Josslyn says, drinking on the job or was she fired already? Betty says, Josslyn’s sister is sick, so back off, and Josslyn says, it looks like she touched a nerve. Instead of Mary Poppins, she’s going to call Betty Bloody Mary. Dex walks in, and Josslyn asks what he’s doing here. She though he wasn’t… He kisses her.

On the phone, Sonny asks Ava if he can just talk. Avery’s with him. She’s not going to be with Betty today… She’s fine. Now listen to him. They already set the trap. They just have to spring it, and then they’re going to get the answers they need.

Ned says, no party animals, unless you count Tracy, and Olivia says, Tracy? Ned says, she was here on a preemptive hangover strike with water and ibuprofen. Definitely had a few too many. The real party was him and the old six-string in the solarium. Great acoustics in there. She asks what exactly he and his six-string were doing in the solarium, and he says he was writing a song. She says, so he does write his own songs, and he says, oh yeah. You’ve got to write your own material if you really want to stand out. She says, it’s a tough business, and he says, it is, but he has help. You might say a muse. She asks, what is this muse, a magical spirit that whispers sweet lyrics into his ear or something? He says, sort of. His muse is a little more earthly. Ever hear of Elvis Presley? She says, the King of Rock and Roll? She’s heard of him. That’s his muse? He says, the one and only. Let’s just say, Elvis inspires him. Music is fire in his belly; the spark in his soul. She says, music is really everything to him, isn’t it? and he says, it makes him who he is.

Olivia says, so Eddie/Ned and his guitar in the solarium with the ghost of Elvis (sounds like a Clue clue), and he says, just us and the spirits. Would she like to hear what he’s written so far? Does she want to hear his song? She says she would love to, and he says he’ll get his guitar. He leaves and her phone rings. She sees it’s Monica.

Diane says she can’t even imagine what Anna’s going through, and Robert says, she’s been through so much. First expulsion from the Bureau, now this. She asks if they have any idea what caused it, and he says, arson. He’s got to go see her. When Barns gets here, tell him that he’ll send his ADA over to handle it all.

Anna calls to Valentin, asking if he has any scissors, but when she comes out, she sees he’s gone. His briefcase and the envelope are gone, and she picks up a note. It says: Had to run. Dinner? Just us.

Valentin says he assumes this is important if Sonny is willing to risk meeting in his home, and Sonny says, it is important. That message he had Anna deliver. What was that about?

Carly asks why Drew would help Cyrus, and he says he did what he had to do. Let’s not get into this now. He only has a little bit of time left on this call, and doesn’t want to waste it on Cyrus. He’s way more interested in her. Is she okay? She says she’s fine, but he says, she doesn’t sound fine. She says she’s just so glad he’s out of solitary confinement, and the guard gestures to Drew that time’s up. He tells her that he’s got to go, and she says she loves him. He says he loves her too. If she can, come see him today. He really misses her. She says she promises, and they say goodbye.

Dex is still kissing Josslyn, and Betty mumbles, get a room. Dex says he’s sorry he’s late. Traffic was a nightmare. He leads Josslyn back to her chaise, and sits on the one next to her. She says, now that he’s here, he can help her learn about muscles for her anatomy course. He says, gladly, and Betty sends a text to Mason: The kid’s sick, taking the day for myself. She sips her new namesake.

Drew goes into the library and sees Cyrus reading. He flashes back to doing chest compression on Cyrus, and Cyrus says, Drew Cain, we meet again.

On the phone, Olivia says, that sounds exhausting, and she hopes Monica is taking care of herself. Monica says, don’t worry about her. It’s a lot less stress than dealing with Tracy. Is she behaving? Olivia says, barely. She wishes Monica were here to referee. Monica says, Olivia doesn’t need her for that. She has Brook. She’s the best Tracy wrangler by far. She’s really calling because she wanted to check in with Olivia and see how things are with Ned. Olivia says, she means Eddie? Ned comes back with his guitar and says he’s ready to serenade her. Monica says, still? She knows she’s only been gone a week (!), but she really hoped for some progress. None? Olivia says, nope, and Monica says she’s sorry. How is it going? Is she okay? Olivia watches Ned, and says she’s okay. Actually, everything is all right.

Anna crumples the note and tosses it on the bed, since apparently the wastebasket is too far to walk. She picks it up, uncrumples it, and smooths it out. There’s a knock at the door, and Robert asks if she’s there. She runs to the door, flings it open, and hugs him. He says he heard about the fire. Was it arson? She nods and cries. She says, it’s all gone, and he says, the house is completely destroyed? She says, yeah. It doesn’t matter. The house, the clothes, the furniture. It’s like memories she really wanted to hold on to forever… like Robin, like Emma, like photographs… This little thing Noah made her out of driftwood… It was so beautiful, and now it’s all just gone. He sits next to her on the bed and puts his arm around you.

Valentin says he has an acquaintance that used to work at Pikeman who gave him the heads up that there may be some personnel changes. He thought that was information he should pass along. Sonny asks what heads up means. Is there trouble at Pikeman? Valentin says, no, and Sonny asks if he’s sure about that. Valentin says, maybe, and Sonny asks what Valentin isn’t telling him. Valentin says, trouble or no, that doesn’t change the fact that there are elements in the Pikeman organization who are frustrated with Sonny’s lack of cooperation. Sonny says, Valentin can tell his friend to tell Pikeman, they can take their frustration and shove it. He told them months ago that he’s not lifting a finger until they give him answers on the warehouse shooting. Valentin says, maybe they don’t have answers. This is a big deal. He doesn’t think they’re going to tank it over withholding information. Sonny says, Valentin seems to have a lot of insight about Pikeman. Is he working for them? Valentin says, no, and Sonny says, maybe he should just call this off. Valentin says, he can’t do that, and Sonny says, watch me, stealing my line when anybody says I can’t do something.

Diane knocks at Sonny’s old kitchen door, and comes in. Carly asks, how bad is it? and Diane asks why Carly assumes she only brings bad news. Carly says, because she’s a lawyer.

Cyrus says, they let Drew out, and Drew says, they did. Cyrus says he’s sorry. Solitary for most can be unbearable, but Drew seems to have survived unscathed. Drew says, does he? and Cyrus says his experiences there brought him closer to God. Drew says, really? His brought him closer to insanity. Cyrus says, but now he’s out, and Drew says, and Cyrus is alive and he looks well. Cyrus says, the heart attack was just a Divine reminder that we have far less control over our lives than we think. Drew says, that’s certainly true in this place, and Cyrus says, it’s true everywhere. But a warrior like Drew seldom accepts such a notion. He lives in the realm of strategy and calculated risks in order to navigate the chaos of war. Drew says, the war is over. We lost. Cyrus laughs and says, the war is never over. He will never forget what Drew did for him. He owes Drew his life.

Betty tells the waiter to bring another Bloody Mary, and Josslyn tells Dex, another drink and it’s not even lunch. Maybe it’s a good thing Avery is sick, if she even is sick. Dex says, all these diagrams make him even more appreciative of the human body. What a work of art. Betty’s phone rings, and she says, dammit, stepping away to take the call. Dex asks if Josslyn would mind switching seats. He could really use some sun. Dex changes seats with her, so he’s now closer to Betty.

Monica says she loves Olivia, and tells her, take care. Olivia says she loves Monica too, and goes over to Ned at the table. She says she worries about Monica. She’s pushing herself too hard with these trips for the hospital. She wishes Monica would stop trying to save the day for once. He says, sounds like her, and she asks what he means. He says he watches her. She does everything for everybody. She works at the MetroCourt, she’s dealing with Leo, she’s dodging Tracy and Brook when they’re fighting. Of course (🍷) she’s dealing with him. She says, you’re all worth it, and asks him to play his song.

Robert asks if Anna supposes whoever started the fire knew she was out, but she says she doesn’t know. She can’t really speculate on their motives at all. She has to concentrate on getting her life back together. She was on her way to the lawyer. He says, and insurance. Would it help if he came with her? She says, maybe. All the policy numbers are up in the cloud, wherever that is, so she’s just going to let them handle it. She does have something far more important she has to do. He asks what he can do to help, and she says she has to talk to Robin. Would he stay with her while she tells Robin what happened? He says, yeah.

Betty grabs her stuff and jets, Josslyn saying, bye, Betty, as she passes. Dex gets up, putting on his shirt, and Josslyn asks, what the hell is going on? He says, just trust him, and tells her that he loves her. He kisses her and says he’ll call her, then follows Betty.

Carly asks if Diane is sure nothing’s wrong, and Diane says, not every visit from her lawyer spells disaster. Carly asks what she’s talking about. It’s in her job description. She’s the carrier of bad news. Sometimes it’s good news, but most of the time, it’s bad news. Diane says, touché, and Carly says, and Diane doesn’t usually visit her unless there’s a crisis. Diane says, that’s one of life’s great shames, and Carly says, rephrase that, unless there’s a crisis with her. Diane asks if she’s that transparent, and Carly says, she wouldn’t win a game of legal poker right now. Diane says she’s sorry. She should be bothering Carly with this. Carly says, stop. Diane is her lawyer, but she’s also Carly’s friend. Whatever’s going on, she could use the distraction, so spit it out. Diane says, okay… Carly’s going to charge her for this, isn’t she? Carly says, oh yeah.

Sonny asks why it’s so important to Valentin that he keeps this deal, but Valentin says, it’s not important to him, but obviously it’s important to Pikeman and it was important to Sonny at one time. Sonny says, time’s changed, and Valentin says, what hasn’t changed is the nature of the people they’re dealing with. Pikeman is a ruthless organization that has invaded multiple institutions and governments. He’s looking out for Sonny here. Sonny thanks Valentin and says, he appreciates that, but the next time Valentin wants to look out for him and give him a heads up, deliver it himself. Valentin says, don’t provoke these people, please, and Sonny (now in yelling mode) says, Valentin doesn’t have to worry about him. He can take care of himself. He’s a big boy. Unless Valentin knows something he should be aware of. Valentin says, no, and Sonny says he didn’t think so. He tells Valentin, go ahead and go, and Valentin leaves.

Eddie/Ned holds up his notebook, saying, keep in mind, this is a work in progress, and Olivia says she’s not judging him. If he can make any sense of what’s written there, she’ll be impressed. He plays his guitar and sings. It’s a seafaring tune about a distant memory, and Olivia is obviously moved. He stops singing, and she asks why he stopped. He says, that’s all he has, and she says, so you never find out who she is? You never see the siren? He says he doesn’t know. He hasn’t figured out how to finish it. He’s not even sure he can. She says she thinks he can. She thinks he’ll finish it when the time is exactly right. Please keep working on it; it’s beautiful. She thanks him for sharing it with her, and leaves. He begins to play again, and she tears up in the hallway.

Diane tells Carly that after Robert blew her off for Holly, she tried to be friends. Not best friends, just friends, because she wanted to maintain an air of civility. Take the high road. But then, Robert starts acting all knight in shining armor; very chivalrous, very solicitous, gallant. Carly says, it’s nice to have somebody in your corner, and Diane says, is it? It’s been so many years since she and Max were together, she’s forgotten how all of this works. Carly says, it’s like riding a bike. You just jump back on. They laugh, and Diane says she’s afraid if she jumps back on, Robert is going to put on the handbrake and send her flying into a ditch. Carly says, there is that, and Diane says she sees Carly’s been there. Carly says she has a whole bunch of T-shirts. Does Diane want one? Diane says she’s trying not to give it too much weight, and Carly says, men are complicated. So are women. What it comes down to is, if Robert can’t see the accomplished, amazing woman standing right in front of him, to hell with him. Diane says, that’s not really the answer she was looking for.

Sitting in his car on the phone, Dex tells Sonny, she’s in the nail salon. She hasn’t met with anyone all day, but she got a phone call she didn’t seem too happy about. Sonny says, forget about her. She’s going to lead them in circles. They’ll have Gabe tail her just as a precaution. Sonny wants him to follow someone else. Someone they have to pay close attention to.

On the phone somewhere outside, Valentin says he told them that rushing things was a mistake. Now they’re going to pay for it.

Anna says goodbye to Robin, and tells Robin that she loves her. Robert says goodbye as well, and tells Anna, she’s worried. Anna says, don’t make this worse, but he says, come on. This is their daughter. She sees right through them. She knows when they’re in danger, and by the way, they’re in danger quite a lot, but she accepts that. She’s as strong as Anna is. Anna says she doesn’t know how far this goes, and he asks what she wants to do next. She says she’s not going out to see Robin. She’s not bringing whatever danger she’s in out to her. She has to figure out who it is who’s after her, then piece together what’s left of her life. She glances at Valentin’s note, and says, which includes figuring out who she can and cannot trust.

Drew says, Cyrus owes him nothing, and Cyrus says, oh, but he does. I owe you everything, my friend. Drew says, we’re not friends, and Cyrus chuckles. He picks up the Bible and says, as God is his witness, he’ll find a way to repay Drew… for everything. Drew furrows his brow.

Tomorrow, Alexis heard Finn’s share loud and clear; Anna won’t allow Dante to take away the one thing she has left; and Carly asks if Drew can’t just walk away.

🎭 Double Blessing…

They have quite a few excellent actors on this show.

Finola Hughes Opens up About Working With Two Great Actors on GH

🤽‍♀️ Leaving the Lake…

It seems this show was better than everyone expected it to be, including me.

Welcome to Crappie Lake Finale Recap: Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan Bid Farewell to Benton With a Love Song

Sonja is a changed woman for her time there.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/sonja-morgan-on-how-welcome-to-crappie-lake-changed-her

🏡 The Saga Continues…

It’s really a little bit like something out of a V.C. Andrews book.

https://www.distractify.com/p/welcome-to-plathville-season-5

I have to admit, I was surprised when the family imploded.

https://people.com/welcome-to-plathville-is-back-ethan-and-olivia-plath-continue-to-struggle-and-kim-has-a-new-man-7570703

🦛 They’re Not Uncool…

They’re right. I’ve never heard of most of these. As a bonus, I now know what my high school mascot, the bearcat, looks like IRL.

https://pethelpful.com/exotic-pets/-Cool-And-Unique-Exotic-Wild-Pets-Youve-Never-Heard-Of

🍳 Not Just For Breakfast Anymore…

Join me tomorrow for much of the same, soap and fun gems from around the internet. Until then, stay safe, stay setting trends instead of following them, and stay remembering, tough times don’t last, but tough people do.

Aug19

August 18, 2023 – Anna Discovers the Truth, PS, Back Again, Drama Chat, Ultimate Legacy, Sharing, VanderMash, The Con, From Dead To Flowers, Tasty, Unusually Cute, An Eighter Of Quotes & Never Gonna

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sonny shows up at his old Carly’s place late at night, and she says, please tell her everyone’s okay. He says, everyone is okay, and she tells him that Donna’s been asleep for a while. He says he figured, and she says, yet here he is. He must want a favor.

Tracy sits in the nook with her head on the table and a towel over it. Eddie/Ned puts on the light, and she groans and says, whoever you are, go away. She pulls the towel off her head and ha-ha-ha! It’s Tracy with a hangover looking more disheveled than we’ve ever seen her.

Kristina says she was under the impression that things were good between her and Molly, and Molly says, they were… They are. Kristina says, but not good enough for Molly to invite her to a family gathering, but Molly says, it wasn’t a family gathering. Kristina says, except for one sister it was, and Molly says, it’s getting late and TJ’s going to be getting back… Kristina says, TJ is the one who told her about Kristina’s sushi party; the one she had for their mother, their sister, and her mother-in-law. She guesses her invitation got lost in the mail.

Getting ready for bed, Dante says his terrible day is over, and Sam says, he wouldn’t believe what happened to her tonight. He says, try him, when his phone rings. He says, Detective Falconari… You checked the surrounding areas too?… So Valentin Cassadine’s car never entered the ELQ parking garage the night Anna Devane’s townhouse burned down… Okay. He hangs up and says, why are you lying to Anna?

Anna and Valentin go into a room at the MetroCourt, and he says, it’s a lot nicer than the place she stayed last night. The MetroCourt was booked, but it’s available now. She can have it as long as she wants to. She says she guesses this is home, but he says, it’s not home; it’s just temporary. As far as hotels go, it’s pretty comfortable. She’s always liked staying in hotels. She says, but she had a home to come back to and now she doesn’t.

Gregory tries to sweep the beads from the table into his hand, but some of them end up on the floor. Finn comes in and says he’ll get that. He picks up the beads and sits next to Gregory on the couch. He asks if Gregory is okay, and Gregory says, he’s fine. He’s just tired… and clumsy. Finn asks if that’s why he fell, or is it something else? After a pause, Gregory says, it’s something else… something awful, and Finn asks if he’s sick. Gregory nods, and Finn asks if he’s been diagnosed. Gregory says, yes, and Finn says, maybe he can help. Will Gregory tell him what it is? Gregory says, ALS.

Eddie/Ned says, good evening, and Tracy says, it would have to be him. He says he never took her for someone who was a hard partier, and she holds up her hand, saying, stop talking and just leave. She reaches for a bottle of aspirin and knocks it on the floor. She groans and puts her head in her hands. Ned picks it up and says, she’s drunk as a skunk, but she says, no. She’s not drunk. She just wishes the room would stop spinning.

Anna looks through some shopping bags and tells Valentin that she doesn’t even know what she bought. What’s wrong with her? He says, her house burned down, and she says she’s been through worse. He says, that’s true, and she says she wasn’t in any danger. She was out running. Thank God Charlotte wasn’t there. She was with Dante and Sam, and Valentin was at ELQ. She needs to get it into her head that she has a lot to be thankful for, and she needs to just move on. They sit down, and Valentin says, she’s not a machine. She lost her house. It was a violation, and they can be thankful no one was killed, but she doesn’t have to pretend it doesn’t hurt. She says, it really does, and he says he’s with her. She’s going to get through this. They’re going to get through this together, and they’ll find who did this to her and stop them from doing it again. Does she trust him?

Carly says, if this is about Avery having another sleepover, she’s welcome here anytime, but Sonny says, the Avery situation is under control. Carly says she’s glad to hear that. Ava must be relieved. She was really worried about… something. He says he’s not here for a favor. Actually, he’s in a position to do her a favor. She says, no thank you.

Sam wonders what’s up, but Dante says, it’s nothing that can’t wait. But there is something that can’t wait. Sam asks, what? and he says, this, and kisses her. No matter what kind of day he has, he knows when he gets to see her, everything’s going to be okay. She says, he stole her line, and he says, it’s his line because he just said it. She tells him that she was going to say, when she has a day where she thinks she won’t be able to sleep at night, she thinks about coming in here and getting into bed with him and turning out the lights, and everything else just melts away. They kiss, and he says, maybe the should talk a little bit before they turn out the lights. Her first. She says, he can go first, but he says, she knows how rock-paper-scissors work. She says, since she was twelve, and they play. She picks rock and he picks scissors, and rock beats scissors. She says, her crazy day. Where does she start? Molly and Kristina are headed for World War III.

Molly says, this is so typical, and Kristina says, Molly not inviting her to something? She agrees. Molly says, no. Kristina’s reaction. Is she not allowed to have a dinner party and invite who she wants? Kristina says, Molly invited everyone in the family but her, and Molly says, fine, she’ll say it; Kristina wasn’t invited. But despite what Kristina always thinks, it wasn’t about her. It was about Molly and TJ. She wanted to share the good news with mom and Sam and Jordan that they found a surrogate.

Finn says, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and Gregory says, yeah. Finn says, there are other conditions that have the same early symptoms. Is he certain? Gregory says, yes. When he told Finn he was going to Milwaukee for a seminar, he was actually in Rochester at the Mayo Clinic. They did extensive testing and the results were conclusive. Finn says, that trip was over six months ago. He’s known all this time? Gregory says he’s sorry. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Finn. Finn asks, why not?

Anna comes out from her shower, and sees Valentin pouring some wine. She says, he read her mind, and he asks what they’re going to toast to, handing her a glass. She says she has no idea, and he says, then to us. To our future together, which can only get less complicated and less dangerous. She says she’d like to believe that, and they clink glasses. He says, she may not believe it now, but they have a lot to be grateful for, and she promises not to keep wallowing in self-pity. He says, it’s not self-pity. She’s been traumatized and she’s dealing with some very powerful emotions. She’ll work through them. She says, and they’re going to find out who’s behind this, and he says, yes, but in the meantime, he has something to talk to her about. It’s something important. He’s going to buy season tickets to the ballet in New York. Charlotte still loves dance, and he knows she does too, so why doesn’t he buy three tickets? She can join them. She says her house just burned to the ground, and someone is trying to kill her, and he’s talking about Swan Lake. He says he can’t think of anything he’d rather do than spend time with the two women he loves most in this world. And he likes Swan Lake. She says she likes it too, and he’s about to kiss her, when there’s a knock at the door. Anna wonders who it is, and he opens it to Martin. Anna says, it’s a bit late for a business call, and Valentin says, whatever this is, he’ll deal with it quickly. He goes out into the hall with Martin and closes the door.

Tracy tosses a couple of pills in her mouth and drinks some water. Ned says, Leo told him that a guy like him needs 15½ cups of water a day, and she says, Leo’s a very smart kid. She can’t tell him how grateful she is Leo’s not here now. She holds her head, and Ned says, she doesn’t seem very experienced at this sort of thing. She says, if by that he means she doesn’t look like someone who gets drunk all the time, she didn’t get drunk this time. He says, she didn’t? and she says, no, she did not. Well, she did, but it wasn’t her fault. Somebody insisted on putting too much alcohol in those Mai Tais at the MetroCourt pool… ugh. He asks if some old bartender was trying to loosen her up for her dough, but she says, no. Actually, it was not some old bartender trying to loosen her up; it was Ned’s daughter. Not that he even acknowledges that he has one. She rubs her forehead.

Finn says he doesn’t understand. Gregory didn’t think he could handle it? Gregory says, it wasn’t Finn; it was him. After all these years, they were finally getting to spend time together as a family; Finn, his brother, Violet, and him. It was so special. Finn says, it is, and Gregory says, the big stuff, Christmas and Halloween with Violet; and the little things, him bringing over muffins from Eckert’s or showing Violet videos of Uncle Chase singing. Finn says, it wouldn’t have changed, but Gregory says, of course (🍷) it would. It will. It already has. When he looks at Finn, he can see it in Finn’s eyes, he knows what this disease does. Finn knows he’s dying.

Sonny says, Carly’s not even going to listen to him? and she asks if he can’t listen to her. Did he not hear her down at the police station? He says, that was different. He was there to help Ned and she was there, so he thought he’d help her. She says, he decided she needed help. He didn’t listen to her. He says, and when she turned him down, she spent the night there. She says, and she was fine with that. She can take care of herself. He says he’s sure she can, and she says, it’s taken a while, but they’re both moving on. They respect each other and want each other to be happy. And as he can see, there’s no For Sale sign in the front yard because Kelly’s is doing great. She’s going to take care of herself on her own, so whatever his favor is, no thank you; she doesn’t want it.

Dante asks why Molly didn’t invite Kristina, and Sam says, because she was revealing her big news that she and TJ had found a surrogate who was perfect. She thinks Molly didn’t want to hurt Kristina’s feelings. He says he understands that. It is Molly’s decision. Sam says she understands that too. She also understands Kristina being hurt. She’s sorry. She shouldn’t be going on like this. He asks, why? and she says, because of the situation he and Lulu had with Maxie. He says, that’s okay. It was a long time ago. TJ and Molly have to realize this is a big decision. You can’t take this lightly. She asks if he thinks Molly’s making the right choice by not having Kristina be the surrogate.

Kristina says, that’s great. She hadn’t realized Molly and TJ were even interviewing surrogates yet. Molly says, they wanted to keep it quiet, and Kristina says she gets that. She’s sure mom, Sam, and Jordan were thrilled to hear the news. Molly says, they were very happy for her and TJ. This is what they want. Kristina says she knows, and Molly says, the woman they found is perfect, and she’s willing to go through the process right away. Kristina says, that’s very exciting, and Kristina says, it is. After everything they’ve gone through, there’s still a good chance she and TJ could have a child within the next year. Kristina says she’s happy Molly is so happy, and Molly says she planned on telling her first thing tomorrow. Kristina says, just not tonight with the rest of the family, and Molly says she wanted it to be a happy occasion. She knew mom, Sam, and Jordan would be happy for them. Kristina says, and she wouldn’t? She would have spoiled all that? Molly says she doesn’t know. They’ve been getting along so well, but she didn’t want to take the chance that tonight would turn into a discussion about why they turned to a surrogate instead of Kristina. Kristina says, now that everyone is gone and Molly brought it up, why are they paying a stranger to have their baby when she was willing to do it?

Finn says, six months. They could have done so many things. Gregory says, the last six months have been perfect. What he didn’t want was to be a burden to Finn, or have Finn spend time with him out of some sense of obligation. Finn says, that wouldn’t have happened, but Gregory says, of course (🍷) it would. He knows Finn and Chase. He’s so proud of both of them, and he and Finn finally got the time to know each other. Finn says, that’s meant everything to him. He’s the one who’s sorry. He’s sorry for costing them all that time. Gregory says, there’s no need to rehash that now. Getting to know Finn and getting to understand and appreciate his incredible accomplishments over the years has been so rewarding for him. Finn and his brother make it almost impossible for him not to be one of those obnoxious bragging fathers. Finn says he’s one of those too, when it comes to Violet, and Gregory says, Violet, what a gift she is. Every single moment he spends with his granddaughter is even better than he imagined. Finn says, she pretty much thinks her grandfather’s the greatest guy in the world, and Gregory asks how she’s going to feel when all he can do is sit and stare at her, when he can’t even speak her name?

Ned asks, why would Brook give Tracy too much booze? and Tracy says, Brook’s up to something and she should have known the minute she saw the fire eater. He says, fire eater? and she says, it was a luau, with tiki torches and leis. He says, sounds like fun, and she says, he would think so. She should have gone right back down to the lobby and ordered a car. He says, it sounds like maybe she had a lot of fun. What’s wrong with that? She rubs her temples, and says, that’s all he ever thinks of; having fun and being Eddie Maine. Anything to avoid facing the reality of his life.

Valentin says, Martin understands this is critical, and Martin says he does. Valentin asks if he’d act like it, and Martin says, his fee, as exorbitant as it is, grants him 24-hour access, but doesn’t give him or any other client the right to abuse him. Valentin says, point taken. He has a lot on his mind. Martin says he understands, and yes, it’s hot off the wire. He gives Valentin an envelope, and Valentin checks out some paperwork inside. He says, looks good, and thanks Martin, opening the door. Martin says, he’s welcome. Although why he insisted on doing this tonight instead of first thing tomorrow morning makes no sense to him. Anna hears that part, and Valentin goes inside and sets down the envelope. Anna asks if it’s important, but he says, not really. Why Martin insisted on coming by in the middle of the night makes no sense to him.

Ned says, Tracy wants him to face the reality of his life, which means she wants him to ride around in limousines and pretend to be some hotshot tax dodging executive. She says, it’s a start. Or he could just stop singing on street corners, and running around all night to sleazy bars, and getting arrested for fighting. He asks if it’s embarrassing to her somehow, and she says, it’s embarrassing to the whole family. He says, so it’s best to just shut Eddie up? and she says, he’s not Eddie. He says, and she wants to prove that by having someone strap him to a table and have electricity shot through his head. She says, what? and he says, I’m on to you, lady. He overheard her tell Olivia that she wants him committed.

Carly says she doesn’t know if Sonny knows this, but Drew is in solitary confinement. Sonny says he knows, and Carly says, of course (🍷) he knows; he’s protecting Drew. She’s really worried about him. She knows he went through worse in Crete, but still. Sonny says, he’s been through a lot. He’ll get through this. She asks if Sonny thinks he can get a message to Drew, and he says he might be able to do better than that.

Finn says, Gregory has to give Violet more credit. She constantly surprises him by how much she understands. Gregory says he hopes Finn is right, and Finn asks what the doctors told him in terms of prognosis. Gregory says, luckily, he was still in the first stage when he went to the Mayo Clinic; muscle cramps and occasional difficulty walking. Finn says, and now? and Gregory says, it’s progressed. His hands cramp more frequently than before. Finn asks, what happened tonight? and Gregory says he was trying to help Violet make some bracelets. He could barely hold on to the thread. He doesn’t think she noticed, but then she got up to get some clasps from her bedroom and he tried to stand up to shake out his hands, and that’s when he fell. Thank God she wasn’t here to see it. Finn says, but she came back in, and Gregory says he told her he tripped over the coffee table (he did not; he said it was probably a bead on the floor). She had to watch him struggle to get back up on the couch. He knows he can’t hide his disease any longer, and he’s so ashamed about tonight.

Molly says she’s so glad she didn’t invite Kristina tonight, and Kristina says, she’s made that perfectly clear. Just answer the question. Why would she rather a stranger have her baby as a surrogate, when her own sister offered to do it for her months ago? Molly says, with a surrogate, they sign a legal, binding document, and Kristina says she knows how it works; she rents out her womb and throws in her egg at a discount. Molly says, both sides benefit. She gets money she needs for her family, and they get the child they want. Kristina says, the child they want; there it is. As opposed to the child she’s offering to give them that they clearly do not want. Molly says, the surrogate is performing a service, not racing around town working on some pie-in-the-sky project, and letting everyone know she’s saving her poor sister from her own infertility. Kristina says, if Molly has some stranger as her surrogate, she’s not even going to be related to the baby.

Sam says she’s sorry. She shouldn’t have put Dante on the spot like that. It’s a really confusing situation. He says he gets it, and stop apologizing. They’ll be playing rock-paper-scissors all night long. It’s a personal thing for Molly and TJ, that’s all. He’s sure Kristina had the best of intentions when she offered to be their surrogate. Sam says she understands that, but Kristina and Molly haven’t been close lately. He says he knows she loves her sisters and wants to fix all kinds of things for them, but maybe this one… She says she should let them work it out for themselves. He says, maybe, and she says, he’s right. Now it’s his turn. Spill. He says, it was just kind of a regular weird day, and Cody shows up at the station while Gladys is there, filing a restraining order against Cody on Sasha’s behalf. Cody loses his mind completely in the middle of the squad room, saying, Gladys is the one having Sasha drugged. He lost it. He went crazy, and Dante and Mac had to restrain him. She asks if he had to arrest Cody, but he says, not this time. Those two hate each other. She says, Cody and Gladys? Definitely. He says, and the whole time this is happening, he’s investigating Anna’s townhouse burning down.

Valentin asks if Anna left him some hot water, but she says she feels like the MetroCourt has an unlimited supply. He says, give him five minutes, and goes to the shower. She’s about to look at the envelope, when her phone rings. Dante says, sorry to call so late, but there’s something he thought she should know. He had one of their tech guys look at the ELQ security footage from the night her house burned. Valentin’s car never exited or entered the ELQ parking garage. He had them check the surrounding area to see if the car was parked somewhere else too, but they got nothing. She says she sees, and he says, Valentin told her the reason he went to ELQ was, there was a water main break and he was concerned about the mainframe computer? She says, that’s right, and he says, there was no water main break. She says, thanks for that information, and listens to hear if the shower is still running. She takes the envelope, and looks at the papers inside. It’s an invoice or something with Pikeman’s letterhead.

Tracy says she did ask Olivia to commit Ned, and he says, because he embarrasses her? She says, because this can’t go on. She thought just maybe if he was in a hospital, they could help him stop faking this ridiculous… He says he’s not faking anything. He is Eddie Maine. And by the way, he didn’t ask to be in this house. They all want him here. So he’s trying to make them understand he can’t choose to be who he is. He’s Eddie Maine and there’s nothing he can do about it. She says, okay. He’s Eddie Maine, but she’s Ned Quartermaine’s mother, and she’s never going to stop fighting for her son.

Finn says, Gregory has nothing to be ashamed of, but Gregory says he does. He’s so selfish to put his daughter at risk. Finn says, that’s okay, but Gregory says, no. He shouldn’t have agreed to watch her alone tonight. Somehow, he convinced himself he’d be okay. Finn says, it turned out okay, but Gregory says he had no right to take that risk. The other night, he went to one of those hatchet throwing places and he did it. Maybe it’s human nature, but he thinks he’s been trying to convince himself that he can beat this thing, or at least hold it off, but that’s just denial. He needs to stop that before he puts someone else in danger like he did Violet. Finn says, it’s happening to Gregory and he has to figure it out on his own, and Gregory says he needs to stop driving. He shouldn’t have been driving this long. Finn says, so stop driving. No one’s going to judge him for how he’s handled this so far. No one’s going to judge him. Finn wishes he’d had someone to talk to besides his doctor. Doing this all on his own all this time must have been hell. Gregory says, Alexis knows. She was snooping around and they got in a big argument, and he collapsed. He had to tell her. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Finn. He didn’t want to see the look on Finn’s face that he’s seeing right now.

Carly asks if this is the favor Sonny came over here to talk to her about, and he says, before she turns him down, hear him out. She says she’s listening, and he says, when he got news of Drew’s situation, he did some digging and he has a connection with someone who could arrange for Drew to get out of solitary early. So when he’s released, she’ll be able to go see him. She asks if Drew is going to owe anybody anything, but he says, absolutely not. She asks what it’s costing him, and he says, from the look on her face, it means everything to him. She sits next to him on the sofa and says, Drew’s going to wonder why the sudden change. He says, when she talks to him, just tell him no strings attached. It’s just a gift from him. She says, he knows Sonny is protecting him. She doesn’t know how he’s going to feel about this. Sonny says, it’s not a gift to him; it’s a gift to her. She asks if there are any stipulations for her if she accepts.

Sam comes back in the bedroom and says, it looks like Dante’s rotten day is still with him. He says, it’s just hitting close to home this one, and she says, and he can’t get into specifics. He says he can tell her that Valentin is being dishonest with Anna, and she laughs, saying, when has Valentin ever been honest? He says, she’s right, but it’s weird. Valentin really cared about Anna, and she cares about him. He told her all this pretty surprising stuff, then he lies about where he was the other night. Sam says she’s not that surprised about it. She knows he lives a complicated life. Who knows what he’s got going on? Dante says, he wants to know what Valentin’s got going on because his daughter’s in the room down the hall.

Anna lies awake, but pretends to sleep when Valentin gets into bed. He turns out the light, and she opens her eyes. She says, he lied to her.

Gregory says he understands. Finn’s a doctor; one of the best. He knows all about this hideous disease. Finn knows what it’s going to do to him. Finn says he looks at Gregory now, and he looks fine; he looks good. Gregory says, that’s what’s so hard to grasp. He looks in the mirror, he feels good, but he knows this thing is in there somewhere. Finn says he also sees the man he grew up with. The man who used to toss him so high in the air, and he was never once afraid Gregory wouldn’t catch him. Gregory says he remembers that guy too. As you get older, try to hang on to that self-image as long as you can. The thought that he’ll be less than that for Finn, for Violet… Finn says, never less. He’s still that man, and he will always be that man, no matter what happens. Gregory thanks him for that, and Finn says, he knows what Gregory is facing, so there’s no point in trying to tell him no, because he’ll be by Gregory’s side every step of the way from here on out. Gregory tells him, do what you have to do, but he has one favor to ask, and Finn says, anything. Gregory says, help me tell your brother. Because he’s afraid it’s going to crush Chase. Finn says, it will, and they’ll be there for him. He tells Gregory that he loves him and starts to cry. Gregory says he loves Finn too, and they hug.

Ned asks if loving her son means locking him away somewhere, and Tracy says, stop being so dramatic. If he overheard her saying that, he also overheard Olivia refuse. And she’s his… She has final say. He says, but he’s watched Tracy. She can be very persuasive. What’s to stop her from changing Olivia’s mind about putting him away? She says, answer her something. If he’s so worried about them having him put away, why is he still here? Why isn’t he at Sonny’s? He says, Sonny is a nice enough guy, but too many goombahs around. Tracy says, there it is. She knew it. You are in there, Ned. Somewhere.

Sonny says, there’s no strings attached in there for Carly either, but he’s sure Drew is going to be happy to get out of that little cell. He wants to be clear, this is for her – or not. It’s her decision. She says, he’s unbelievable, and he says, yes. She says, he came to the police station the other night and he was so offended when she said he couldn’t help her. He came up with a favor he knew she couldn’t turn down. He says, maybe he’s just being nice, and she says, yeah, he is, but he still wins. He asks if that’s a yes, and she says, yes, please get Drew out of solitary. He says, all right, and gets up. He’ll let her know when it’s done. He heads for the door, and she says, thank you. He says, you’re welcome, and leaves.

Molly says, that was mean, even for Kristina, and Kristina says, that came out wrong. Molly says she thinks Kristina said exactly what she meant, and Kristina says, fine. If they’re saying what they really mean, why doesn’t Molly say what she really means. She would rather have a baby from a stranger than one from her own sister. Molly says, yes, and it’s true she might not be biologically related to the baby, but TJ will be, and that baby is going to be created for them as a result of their love for each other. Kristina says, if she had the baby for Molly… Molly says, if she did, it would be a gift for my sister, and no one would ever be allowed to forget it. Kristina says, wow. She guesses she never realized how selfish and insecure Molly is. She leaves.

Sam says, Charlotte is Rocco’s sister, so she and Dante need to find a way to get along with Valentin. Dante says he knows, and he’s glad she’s here with them, especially with a threat to Anna. She says, burning down someone’s house is definitely a threat. Any theory on why Valentin would lie to Anna? He says, not yet. He never really trusted that guy. She says, as much as they don’t trust him, she really does believe Valentin loves Charlotte, and she doesn’t think he’d ever do anything to hurt her. Dante says he agrees. Intentionally, he wouldn’t hurt her, and he probably loves Anna. She says, but he doesn’t think Anna trusts him, and he says, no, and neither can they.

Valentin asks what Anna said, and she glances at the Pikeman envelope as she turns to him and says, he lied to her. He said he was going to be five minutes, and he was way closer to fifteen. He says he’s sorry; the water felt good. He kisses her, and she says she’s so exhausted. He says, so sleep, and kisses her forehead. They turn back to back, but their eyes stay open.

Tomorrow, Carly tells someone that she’ll be there; Anna tells Valentin, it’s unsettling when someone you know is acting strangely; Sonny says, maybe we should just call this off; and Cyrus tells someone, we meet again.

💣 GH FYI: Mason did say the boss was a woman. So I’m not crazy. Well, maybe I am, but I didn’t imagine that. The theory is that there are already enough female villains on the canvas – i.e. Selina and Gladys – so they changed the boss to a man. Still, just a wee bit insulting to viewers’ intelligence.

👨‍👧‍👧 One Of the Boys…

Jake pops back before they can excuse his absence with back to school.

Hudson West Returns to GENERAL HOSPITAL!

🗽 Discuss Amongst Yourselves…

The new RHONY cast talks about their favorite subject – themselves.

Real Housewives of New York Open Up About Season 14 Reboot

🦕 Old New York…

Well, if the Countess says it’s cool, it can’t possibly be uncool. But did they get the yacht?

Luann de Lesseps Promises ‘Good Drama’ on Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip

🦘 Not Down Under…

More on the Deck drama that rocked the franchise. I actually tried to catch this episode the other night, but came in too late. And I’m not desperate enough to hunt it down on Peacock. Not yet anyway. João ended up as one of the replacements, much to the mini distress of Aesha.

Aesha Scott Shares What Didn’t Air on Below Deck as Producer Addresses Luke & Laura’s Firings and Reveals Team’s “Valiant Effort” to Intervene, Plus Captain Jason Speaks

🍸 VanderBreak Is Officially Over…

I couldn’t figure out how Graham was bait here, but we know she’s prone to flights of fantasy.

Raquel Leviss Accuses LVP of Not Genuinely Caring, Claims James Taught Dog Graham to Bite, & Dog Was Used as “Bait” for Vanderpump Rules Return, Slams “Villain Narrative,” Plus Talks Family & Podcast Plans, & Death Threats

I’ll definitely be getting Ariana’s new book. I requested and got Fancy AF Cocktails for Christmas after it came out, but this looks a whole lot juicier better. I dunno about Scheana’s music, although I have to admit Good As Gold is on one of my playlists.

Brock Davies Fires Back at Raquel’s Podcast Interview as Ariana Madix Announces New Book Will Cover ‘Scandoval’ Drama & Relationship With Tom Sandoval, Plus Scheana Releases Music About Scandal

The minutiae.

Kristen Doute Claims Raquel Leviss Was “Telling Some Truths” After She Alleges James is “Violent,” Denies Being Silenced With Pump Rules Spinoff as Raquel Reacts to Kristen’s Shocking Comments

🎪 More Bravo Than You Can Shake a Stick At…

All the guests at BravoCon 2023.

Full List of BravoCon 2023 Bravolebs Revealed

💐 Not Those Flowers, Lizzie…

This looks suspiciously like a V.C. Andrews book.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/08/04/alycia-debnam-carey-lost-flowers-alice-hart/

🌍 Padma Is the New Waldo…

Where in the world is she?

https://www.padmalakshmi.com/taste-the-nation

🐙 Behold the Unusual…

I want them all.

https://www.alwayspets.com/s/cutest-unusual-pets-754c25d1fa0043c2

🐚 Quotes of the Week

Immature love says, I love you because I need you. Mature love says, I need you because I love you. – Erich Fromm

If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes. – John Wooden

What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power or our will. – Epictetus

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death. – Albert Einstein

You can’t make somebody your number one if you’re always their number two. – Judge Star Jones, Divorce Court

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. – C.S. Lewis

It’s not easy having a good time. Even smiling makes my face ache. – Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), The Rocky Horror Picture Show

🧋 Drinking the Milkshakes In My Yard…

Let’s reconvene on Monday really Tuesday for soap and whatever tea I can pull out of a hat. Until then, stay safe, stay living your best life as your best self, even if it’s only in your mind, and stay never judging how someone is handling their illness.

Aug18

August 17, 2023 – Brook Takes Tracy To a Luau, Two Looks In One On the Runway, Awarding Music, Most Popular & Banana

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brook leads Tracy into the pool area, and Tracy says, no, no, triple no, but Brook says, come on. It will be fun. Tracy looks over and says, oh no. A fire dancer. A woman puts leis on them, and Tracy says, just what she always wanted, a wilted flower necklace. The fire dancer also eats fire, and she gasps.

Elizabeth goes to Finn’s place, and Violet answers the door. Violet says, she looks beautiful. Why is she here? Elizabeth says she’s here to pick up Violet’s dad; they’re going to dinner. Violet says she knows that, but why isn’t daddy picking her up? Finn comes out, and Violet says, Aunt Elizabeth is here to pick him up. Usually, he picks her up. Girl power. She and Elizabeth high-five. Finn and Elizabeth say hi to each other, and Violet smiles.

Jordan arrives at Molly and TJ’s apartment, and Alexis says, well, well, Deputy Mayor. How is the new position? Is she planning a coup when Laura returns? Jordan says, hardly, but it is fascinating to see how closely their work with the PCPD dovetails with the mayor’s policy initiatives. It gives her a new perspective, but she’ll be relieved when Laura returns. Molly comes out and says she hopes everyone is hungry.  The food will be here soon. Alexis says, take out she sees. That’s her girl. There’s a knock at the door, and Alexis opens it to Sam and says, her number one. Sam asks Molly, what’s the big news? and Jordan says, there’s news? Molly says, family news, and Sam says, if it’s family news, isn’t there someone missing?

Kristina finds TJ at the hospital and says she’s glad to see him. He asks what brings her by. Is everything okay? She says she’s here to see Dr. Randolph, and he says he didn’t realize they were friends. She says, not exactly, but she’s hoping they’ll be closer soon because she’s asking Terry to be on the board of directors for her foundation.

Cody shouts at Dante and Mac, what’s the point of law and order if you two bozos are too busy protecting the guilty and letting the innocent get picked off? Mac says, Cody’s not doing himself any favors. He needs to calm down. Cody jumps up, throwing his water bottle, and asks if that’s calm enough. There’s no time to be calm, because Sasha is in danger, and they’re too busy doing Gladys’s dirty work to help her. Dante says, Gladys got the restraining order because Cody snuck into Sasha’s room, and Cody says he had no alternative. Dante says, if he thinks Gladys is such a threat to Sasha, stop aggravating her, and Cody laughs. He says, the next time he sees Gladys, he’ll do more than aggravate her, and Mac says, he demonstrated that out in the squad room. Dante tells him, chill out, and Cody kicks a chair over. Dante tells Cody not to push him, and Cody swipes a pile of folders onto the floor.

Molly says, they have great news and wanted to share it with the family as quickly as possible. TJ’s on call, so it’s up to her to be the bearer of fantastic news. Sam says, so spill, and Molly says, they’ve found their surrogate.

Kristina tells TJ, the Corinthos-Davis House is going to need a lot of support, especially from the LGBTQIA+ community. She needs to get a balanced board for maximum outreach. As a transgender woman, Terry will be able to speak to those issues from a personal perspective. It’s so important for them to have her insight, so they can offer the right guidance and create a safe space for kids who are questioning their gender identity. TJ says, Dr. Randolph is amazing. She’s highly intelligent, detail oriented, and extremely professional. She’d be a great addition. Kristina says she knows. She just hopes Terry has the time. The elevator comes, and she says, wish her luck. She gets in, and he says, absolutely. Good luck. She crosses her fingers.

Mac tells Cody, kick over any more chairs, and he’ll be spending the night in holding. Is that really what he wants? Now pick up these papers and calm down. Cody starts to pick them up, and Mac thanks him, adding, Dante, outside. Mac tells Dante, they can only cover for Cody for so long. If he keeps acting up, they’ll have to throw the book at him. Dante says he understands and he’ll handle it. Mac says, if there’s a problem, text him, and Dante says, go. Have a nice night. He’s got this. Mac leaves, and Dante goes back in the interrogation room. He says, dude, what the hell is going on? What is he doing? Is he trying to get arrested?

Gregory arrives at Finn’s and says he’s sorry. He had an unexpected delay. Finn says, it’s okay, and tells Violet, we’re going to be good for grandpa, aren’t we? Like Violet is ever bad. She says, of course (🍷), and Finn says, of course (🍷). And don’t even think about staying up past her bedtime. She says, never, and winks at Gregory. Finn says, that was right in his face. She’s not even trying to be subtle anymore. He asks if Elizabeth is ready, and Violet gives her a hug, telling her to be careful when she’s driving or daddy will direct her. Finn says, road safety is very important to him, and Violet says, always remember to belt up. (I second that. A seatbelt saved my life once.) Finn says, buckles and brakes and blinkers is their motto. Finn says goodnight to Violet, and they leave. Gregory asks Violet what she wants to do. Movie? Checkers? She says she has a way better idea, and tells him, wait here.

Brook asks the bartender for two Mai Tais, and make one of them a double. Tracy looks bored, when Brook brings her drink and says, this will get them in the mood. Tracy asks, what mood is that exactly? And why has Brook brought her to this wasteland of kitsch? and Brook says, she doesn’t like it? If she must know, Tracy is driving everyone crazy at home. She’s constantly complaining, so Brook kindly volunteered to whisk Tracy away and give the family and the staff a break. Tracy says she’s a pleasant person and she’s easy to live with, and Brook says, she’s the only one who thinks that. Tracy takes a sip, and says, and she cares about other people’s opinions why? Never mind. She doesn’t. The only thing she cares about is their little project at Deception. Can they talk about that?

Cody tells Dante that he’s serious. Gladys is the one they should be grilling, not him. Dante says, Cody told him all about his problems with Gladys, and Cody says, she framed him. She’s been trying to get him out of the way ever since he became friends with Sasha. Dante says he knows Cody cares about Sasha, but right now, she’s obviously going through a breakdown or something. Cody says, no. He doesn’t think Sasha’s having a breakdown. He thinks something else is going on, and it has Gladys written all over it. That’s why she wants the restraining order; she’s on to him. There should be a restraining order against her. Dante says, maybe, but she’s not the one who broke into Sasha’s room at Ferncliff and violated visitor protocol. Way to go. Now the law is actually on Gladys’s side. Cody crumples up the restraining order and says, he doesn’t care about that. Dante shouldn’t have stopped him. That way, he could have shoved this restraining order down Gladys’s throat. He throws the ball of paper, and Dante says, Cody better relax.

Jordan says, this is so exciting, and hugs Molly, congratulating her. Molly tells her, they didn’t want to say anything until they made their decision, and Alexis says she’s surprised at how quickly they made their decision. Molly says, they know her. Once she identifies a problem, she has to solve it. She and TJ weighed all their options and realized their best option was a surrogate using her own egg. Of course (🍷) TJ will be the father. Jordan asks how they found her, and Molly says, they signed up with a service and did all the interviews yesterday. Alexis says, they’re certainly on the fast track, and Molly says, it’s going to take at least nine months. Jordan says, tell them about this woman, and Molly says, there were a few good candidates, but the one she and TJ liked the best was Andrea Gates. She’s in a stable marriage. She’s got a young son, who’s young enough not to ask if he’s having a baby brother or sister. She’s completely fine with them going to the doctor’s appointments, and they really connected with her. They already did the background checks and filled out all the forms. And the best thing is, she’s willing to start the process right away. Alexis says, that’s incredible. They’re not letting any grass grow. Jordan says, this is happening kind of fast. Are she and TJ sure? Molly says, absolutely. 100%. There’s a knock at the door, and Molly says, that must be the sushi.

Crafting materials laid out on the table, Violet tells Gregory, so you pick up the bead you want to use. You can use any color or shape you like. Sometimes she likes to use only a few colors. He puts a bead on the string he’s holding, but drops the next one, and she tells him, be careful. The beads are kind of hard to find on the floor. He tells her, don’t worry. He promises he won’t lose any. She shows him what she’s done and asks if it doesn’t look like a line of atoms and molecules. What does he think? He says he thinks it’s smashing, and she says, smashing? He says, it’s an atom joke, and tries to put on another bead.

Finn and Elizabeth arrive at the pool, and a woman puts leis on them. Finn asks if Elizabeth thought he’d refuse, and she says she knows how protective he is about his professional image. He says, yeah, image is very big with him. He wants her to know, this is not his first luau. There was the… Maybe this is his first luau. But in all his extensive travels, nothing was as beautiful as how she looks tonight, especially in the light of the fire dancer. She says, smooth, and he says, still, it’s true.

Brook says, well? and Tracy says, the only reason she came to this tropical travesty was so they could talk freely about Deception. Brook tells her, you know what they say about all work and no play. Let her get Tracy another Mai Tai. They’re fun, they’re fruity, and they’re perfect for a hot night like tonight. Tracy says she guesses if she’s going to endure this circus, she might as well partake of the appropriate cocktail. Brook says, that’s the spirit, and Tracy says she must admit – she drains the drink with her straw – they’re quite delicious and refreshing. She hands Brook her glass, and Brook says, told you so. She’ll be right back. Brook goes to the bar and tells the bartender for another two Mai Tais. Make one a double and the other a virgin.

Everyone sits down to eat, and Molly says she knows how this may seem fast, but she and TJ have been living with this for a while. They’ve examined it from every angle. Jordan says she’s sure it’s been hard to think of anything else, and Molly says she guesses she’s been a little single minded. If she’s detecting any worry, let her put their minds at ease. TJ has been with her every step of the way to ground her and there’s still a ton of stuff to do. People are working on contracts, and Tamiko is handling all the legal details. Of course (🍷) they’re going to need a better place, but for now they’re emotionally, physically, psychologically, and financially ready. Alexis says, that covers all the bases, and Sam asks if Alexis is sure Molly’s related to them.

TJ asks Kristina how it went with Dr. Randolph, and she says, fantastic… She thinks it went well. Terry was asking a ton of questions and she’s very smart like TJ said. He says, Terry is thorough, and Kristina says, that has to mean she’s considering it, right? He says, it’s definitely a good sign, and she says she guesses she had a productive meeting today. He says, great. So it was worth sacrificing the sushi party for. She asks what he’s talking about.

Alexis tells Sam that Molly can’t cook and orders out. That’s how she knows Molly is one of them. Jordan says she wasn’t trying to question Molly before, but Molly tells her, it’s okay. She completely values Jordan’s perspective. Jordan says she supposes she’s always in investigator mode. Molly and TJ have challenging careers and busy lives. Molly says, that’s putting it mildly, and Jordan say she wonders where they both got that from. If they say they’re ready, she says, let’s bring on Baby Davis-Lansing-Ashford.

Brook says, it’s actually nice being out with Tracy. Tracy thanks her, and says, stop evading the subject. Brook says, avoiding, and Tracy says, whatever. They both work. Brook asks, what’s with her and Deception? She’s like a rabid dog with a bone. Tracy laughs, and says, a rabid dog? Brook reminds her of Luke. He liked a snappy barb. Tracy gets teary, and Brook says, the two of them were a perfect match for a battle of the wit. Tracy says, their project at Deception gives her something to focus on, because she… she can’t… she can’t believe he’s gone. They were going to travel the world together; Luke style, not Quartermaine. But Luke always had a scheme on the side. They were perfectly matched in that score too. She drains her drink, and says, he was so funny. He used to make her laugh. He used to make her cry. He never bored her. Brook says, he loved her, and Tracy says, he did. And she misses him so.

Mac shows up at the luau and tells Felicia, sorry. She says, dare she ask? and he says, Cody. Gladys filed a restraining order against him. And let’s just say all hell broke loose – literally.

Elizabeth says, the food is really good, but Finn says he hadn’t noticed. She says, he actually has to try it to find out, and he says he guesses when he’s happy he doesn’t have much of an appetite. She says, really? When she’s happy, she’s more ravenous. He says, she’s happy? and she says she is. He says, good. He’s glad to see her happy. She says she’s glad to see him happy, and he says, it makes him happy being here in this moment. Come to think of it, he hasn’t been hungry in a while now. These past few weeks, being with her, have been kind of wonderful. She says, it has been, and he asks, so what’s changed this time around?

Violet tells Gregory that she doesn’t have any clasps, but thinks there’s some in her room. She’ll be right back, but he needs to stay. He needs to finish his bracelet. She runs off, and he puts the bracelet down. He gets up, and then falls.

Alexis says she’s happy for Molly if she and TJ have made their decision, and Molly says, they have. Alexis says she’s just being a nudge. Molly will find out shortly, that will be her job as a mother too. Sam says she can testify to that, and Molly says, with any luck, Andrea will be pregnant in the next few months, and she’ll be joining their ranks as a mom within the next year. Jordan says she can’t wait to welcome Molly, and Alexis hugs her, saying, Molly is her baby and she’s always going to worry about her. She’ll call Molly tomorrow. She wants to hear more about Andrea. Jordan says, her too. She’d love to stay longer, but tomorrow is the preliminary budget battle, round one. Molly says, that sounds horrible, and they hug. Jordan and Alexis leave, and Molly tells Sam, that went well. How about some green tea?

Dante says he knows Cody. Cody would never be violent toward a woman, not even Gladys. So please tell him what the hell is going on? Cody says, maybe Dante doesn’t know him as well as he thinks he does, and Dante says, really? Because he thinks Cody is just trying to throw him off the scent. Why? Cody says he doesn’t have any idea what Dante is talking about, and Dante says, Cody is a terrible actor; always has been. This whole thing is an act. He’s not out of control. Him kicking and screaming and knocking over chairs, acting crazy, throwing bottles around. He doesn’t want to get arrested. He wants to get committed.

Everyone applauds for the fire dancer, and Elizabeth says, Finn asked, what changed. Wow. What a question. She’s certainly changed. He says, that’s not what he meant, and she says she has. She feels cleansed of a lot of things, a lot of burdens, and he was there for a lot of it. She was so worried about making a mistake, the one that would finally push him away, and then what would happen to Violet and her relationship with the boys? She had to close off to protect that, to protect them. Us? Me? Finn says, for what it’s worth (🍷), she doesn’t ever have to protect herself from him. She says she knows. Maybe she’s been a little too careful. He says, so no pressure, and she says, maybe just a little.

Gregory struggles to get up, when Violet comes back. She runs to him, asking if he’s okay, but he says, don’t worry. He’s perfectly fine. He just tripped. She helps him onto the couch, and he says, it must have been on one of those beads. She says she’s sorry, she probably dropped one, but he says, no. She didn’t do anything wrong. She asks if he’s hurt. Should they call daddy?

Cody bangs his head on the table and says, Dante’s giving him a headache. Dante says, what is this? What is he doing? Cody says he has no idea what Dante is talking about, and gets up. Dante says, Cody isn’t stupid; neither is he. Cody says, Dante’s crazy, and Dante says, maybe he is, but Cody’s trying to make him think he’s crazy, so he gets remanded to Ferncliff. Cody says, remanded? He doesn’t even know what that word means. Dante says, go ahead, play dumb. Cody’s trying to get himself committed so he can rescue Sasha, right?

Alexis and Jordan get coffee at the Bistro, and Alexis says she knows Jordan has a heavy schedule tomorrow, so she thanks her for staying out a little longer. Jordan says, actually, she needed to debrief, and Alexis says, that’s a perfect way of putting it. What are her thoughts? Jordan says she thinks they’re going to be grandmothers, and Alexis says, old hat for her. Jordan says she’s all for it, but she wonders if it’s all happening too quickly, and Alexis says, like the rush of a tornado pulling Molly and TJ into its eye. Jordan says, Molly had all the answers. It’s obvious they did their research. Alexis says, a doctor and a lawyer walk into a bar… Jordan laughs, and Alexis says she shares Jordan’s concern, but if it makes her feel any better, Molly and TJ are two of the most mature people she knows. And they certainly stood the test of time. They certainly lasted longer than she did with any of her relationships, or almost anyone she knows. So if anyone can figure it out, they can. Jordan says she guesses. So where was Kristina tonight? Wasn’t she available? Alexis says, good question.

Molly says she wants Sam to know what an incredible mother she thinks Sam is to Danny and Scout, and Rocco and Charlotte. She seems to juggle it all, and still find time to take the kids on adventures to the zoo and escape rooms… Sam says, please don’t remind her of that, because they almost lost Charlotte, and Molly says, Charlotte marches to her own beat. Sam says, she certainly does march to the beat of her own drum, and Molly says, she was wondering… She and TJ were both wondering if she would be the baby’s godmother. Sam says she’s so honored that Molly would ask her to be the baby’s godmother. Obviously, her answer is yes. But let’s get you pregnant first. Molly says, of course (🍷). TJ is going to ask Curtis to be the godfather. Sam says she’s sure he would love that, when there’s a knock at the door. Sam says she’s got this, and opens the door to Kristina.

Gregory tells Violet that they don’t want to bother her daddy or Aunt Elizabeth about something so silly as this, and Violet says, but daddy’s a doctor. He can help if Gregory is hurt. Gregory says, but he’s not. He’s actually feeling pretty good. Why don’t they get back to finishing their bracelets? She says, the beads were acting funny before. Maybe bracelets aren’t such a good idea. Does he want her to get him some ice? Gregory says, listen, Florence Nightengale, the only medicine I need is your company. Spending time with his amazing granddaughter is the perfect remedy for what ails him. He holds her close.

Cody says, why would anyone want to commit him? They’d have nothing to gain. He’s not rich. He doesn’t have any fortune to control or manipulate. Dante says, no one wants to commit Cody; Cody wants to commit Cody. Sasha is where she needs to be right now to get help. Something is wrong with her. She attacked Cody. Cody says, did she though? He’s not sure of anything anymore. Maybe he imagined it. Sometimes he has a hard time differentiating between what’s real and what he’s dreaming. He just feels like a tumbleweed blowing through a ghost town. Dante says, Sasha stabbed him in front of a bunch of witnesses. A reporter even covered the whole thing, so Cody not testifying isn’t going to set Sasha free. Cody says, free. What is free? Is he free? Is Dante free? Is anyone free? Dante says, this is stupid. This game Cody is playing is dangerous. It’s not going to help Sasha or Cody, and probably going to land Cody in a world of hurt.

Kristina says she heard Molly had a party, and Molly says, it wasn’t really… Kristina says, and she wasn’t invited?

Mac says he hopes Dante was able to get Cody under control, and Felicia says, her too. It sounds really awful. Should they go back there? He says he’s sure Dante can handle it. They have a long history together. There’s never a dull moment. She says, there certainly isn’t, and he says, what’s that look? She says, what look? and he says, that look that says, I’m planning a little scheme with either Lucy or Anna or my brother. She says, no scheme, but she was thinking… He says, uh-oh.

Tracy is starting to fall out, and Brook says, it’s time to go. Tracy says, Brook forced her to come to this pineapple purgatory, and just when she’s starting to enjoy herself, Brook wants to hustle her out. She yells, where are the ukeleles?! and Brook says, it’s getting late. Tracy whines, and where is my fire eater?

Finn comes in, and Gregory asks, how was the date? Finn says, what’s the upper limit of happiness? and Gregory says, that good, huh? Sounds fun. Finn says he guesses it was fun, and Gregory says, he’s not sure? Finn asks if Gregory has ever thought he was experiencing time out of time? Like everything else just disappears, and all that’s left is two people alone in the universe. Gregory says, like someone hit the magic pause button, and the two of you are in a bubble and nothing else matters. Finn says, nothing else matters; that’s exactly it. No secrets, no boundaries between them. Gregory says, what Finn and Elizabeth have is rare, priceless. Hold on to that. It gives him great peace of mind to know his sons have love in their lives.

Felicia says, hear her out, and Mac says, always and gladly. She says she loves being a grandmother. Don’t get her wrong; there is nothing better. But it’s not full-time and she doesn’t want to be pushy with Maxie and the kids. She’s starting to feel like there’s so much more she should be doing. He says, please don’t tell him that she wants to go back to being a private eye, and she says, no. She’s definitely done with that, but she certainly (WOTD) would be interested in helping out at the police station. She wants to be at the center of something important. He says he realizes she’s relentless and she’d be a great asset… She says, but? She’s not asking for special treatment. She wants to contribute in a meaningful way. She wants to use her skills and her experience to help the community. He says, what about the hospital? That’s a great place to look. She says she doesn’t have a medical background, but he says, there’s a whole ecosystem over there. From orderlies to surgeons, not to mention all the volunteers. Think of all the connections they’ve made over there; all the help they’ve been given over the years. She says, they saved Maxie’s life, and he says, she wants to make a difference to their community? What better place than General Hospital? Brook and Tracy come over to the table, and Brook says, aloha. Mac says, hi, Brook and – Tracy saunters over to him and leans on his chair – Tracy. Brook says, sorry they didn’t come over earlier, but they were just on their way out. Tracy says, Felicia… You should get that fire twirler over here to warm up Chilly Willy. She takes the pineapple out of Mac’s drink, and Brook says, okay, hustling her out. Mac says, she took my pineapple, and Felicia laughs.

Brook asks Tracy, what was that all about? and Tracy says, Mac is a bore, but look… Never mind about him. She and Brook have bigger fish to fry. Brook still owes her, and Brook’s going to pay her back with Deception. Brook says, what on earth does Tracy want with Deception? and Tracy says she wants it all, lock, stock, and barrel. And they’re going to get it. Yahoo! She jumps up and down, and Brook shushes her. Tracy wanders over to a table and starts messing with a guest’s drink. Brook says she’s so sorry, and steers Tracy away. Tracy heads out the door, and Brook sighs.

Cody gets really close to Dante and asks if Dante ever thinks his mind is playing tricks on him. Dante says, mm-hmm, and Cody says he’s serious. Like today. He thought he got served these papers that said he had to stay away from Sasha, but Dante’s the one that just told him, Sasha stabbed him. Dante says, keep going, and Cody says he’s serious. Why would they want me to stay away from her, when she’s the dangerous one? Dante says he doesn’t know, but one thing he does know is that restraining order is real and it’s in effect. So if he were Cody, he’d stay as far away from Sasha and Ferncliff as he can, or there will be legal consequences. Is Cody hearing him? Doing his best Beetlejuice impression, Cody says, loud and clear. Either arrest him now or let him go. What’s it gonna be? Dante opens the door and says, he’s free to go. See if he can figure out what that means, being free. Cody starts to leave, but Dante stops him and says, be careful. Cody says, yes, sir, and winks. Dante watches him leave the station.

Alexis tells Jordan, Kristina is working on a foundation she started and she’s very busy. She’s sure that’s why Kristina couldn’t make it. Molly will probably talk to her in a one-on-one situation. Jordan says, that’s sweet. Kristina will be great support and obviously very involved. It’s wonderful they’re so close. Alexis says, wonderful.

Kristina asks Sam for a moment alone with Molly, and Molly says, it’s fine. Sam says she’ll check in with them tomorrow, and remember, she loves them both. She leaves, and Kristina says, how could you?

Finn goes into Violet’s room, and she says she’s so glad he’s home. He says, it looks like someone stayed up later than scheduled, and she says, no. She went to bed exactly on time. He asks, what happened? and she says, grandpa fell. He scared her. Finn kisses her forehead and says, it’s going to be okay. He puts his arms around her and says, grandpa’s going to be okay.

Gregory tries to sweep the loose beads from the table into his hand, and some of them fall on the floor. Finn comes out and says, let him do that. He picks the beads up off the floor and sits next to Gregory. He asks if Gregory is okay, and Gregory says he’s fine, just tired… and clumsy. Finn asks, is that why he fell? Or is it something else? Gregory hesitates a moment, then says, it’s something else… Something awful.

Tomorrow, Carly says, someone must want a favor; Valentin asks if Anna trusts him; Kristina asks why Molly is choosing a stranger to have her baby, when she was willing to do it; and Sonny says he may be able to do better than that.

👗 Dynamic Duos…

The challenge was to combine two opposing fashion styles, and the guest judge was designer Batsheva Hay. I’m unfamiliar with her designs (as far as I know), but I’m not exactly in the current designer loop. One of the ironies of my loving this show. It’s like art; I know what I like. Maybe my picker is off too, since Laurence won over Brittany in the top two, but I loved Brittany’s design a million times more. Although I’m very partial to the sheer dress thing she did, and Laurence did a jumpsuit which is not for me. I missed in the losing choice as well, since Korto was out over Bishme, and I preferred her design. At this point, there being only six designers left, nothing is horrible.

‘Project Runway’ 20 episode 11 recap: In ‘Double Bind,’ designers had to reconcile two opposing fashion styles [LIVE BLOG]

🎸 And You Can Vote…

Everything about the upcoming MTV VMAS.

https://www.mtv.com/vma

🐶 Top Ten…

It’s another matter of opinion, but of course dogs are number one.

The World’s 10 Favorite & Most Popular Animals in 2024

🌅 Hazy Shade Of Summer…

Come on down tomorrow for soap, a proper tea, insightful words (for the most part), and a tune befitting the time. Until then, stay safe, stay never telling a secret unless someone’s life is at stake, and stay always remembering to belt up. Let buckles and brakes and blinkers be your motto.