Category Archives: 9/11

Sep12

September 11, 2024 – Molly Makes a Bad Choice, Back To School, Finale In LA, VanderTroth, Ring-a-Ding Gone, About Those Moonmen, Sad Remembrance, Vote For Sally Jo & Out

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What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

Willow tells Elizabeth that she’s officially back at GH, and Elizabeth says she’s excited to have her best nurse back. She’ll feel better now that Willow is on Lulu’s rotation. Willow asks how Lulu is doing, but Elizabeth says, not well. But she’s hopeful it’s just a matter of time before Lucky comes home to save his sister.

Ava finds Trina at the gallery, and Trina asks how she is. Ava hasn’t returned her calls. She heard what John did. It must have been terrifying. Ava says, thank God for Jason. He saved her. Trina hugs her and says she’s happy Ava is safe. She doesn’t know what she’d do if anything happened to her.

Ric is working while having coffee at the MetroCourt, and Nina asks if he needs refill. Or can she tempt him with something stronger?

Anna goes into Isaiah’s room, and he asks if there’s any word on Lucky. She says, unfortunately not, but she has some questions she’d like to ask him. He says he’s told them everything, but she says she thinks there’s probably more than what he told them. What has he done to make someone want to kill him?

Jack tells Carly that they’ll inform him if the satellite finds anything on Lucky. For now, they wait, which allows them to enjoy this fine whiskey. He pours, and she says, he comes prepared. He says, always. He understands John Cates was murdered, and she’s not crying any tears over his untimely demise. She says, he made her life hell, and he says, with Cates gone, her life just got less complicated, but she says, yes and no. Her ex-husband is a person of interest in his murder.

Molly finds Alexis in the interrogation room and hugs her. Alexis says she didn’t want Molly to worry. Diane is taking care of it. It’s a misunderstanding, but none of this would have happened if Molly’s father hadn’t gone out of his way to make her look as suspicious as possible.

Ava says, at least she has an airtight alibi. It’s the only decent thing John did. She can’t believe she was so wrong. He got her to lie to the cops, saying Kristina attacked her, but afterward, he wanted her dead so she couldn’t recant. Trina says, she was brave to admit she was lying. It could be used against her in Avery’s custody case. Ava says she couldn’t let Kristina be prosecuted for the death of her baby. It was truly an accident. Trina says she hopes Ava fond a good lawyer, and Ava says, not yet, but Nina is working on it.

Ric says he’ll stick to coffee, and Nina sits down. He asks if she’d like to join him. He’s actually working. She says she’s here to discuss business – Ava – and he reminds her that he declined. She says she’s surprised, and he says, she’s accused of causing the death of his granddaughter. Why should he help her? Nina says, it was a tragic accident. And they both know he’d do anything for buck, even trick someone into marrying him.

Isaiah says he told Anna everything. He escaped and Sidwell tracked him. Anna asks if he has any other enemies, and he says, none that he knows of. She says, so dumb luck. He’s a doctor? He says he’s the best at what he does, and she says, there are a lot of great doctors out there, but Sidwell picked him to kidnap? He says, not greater than him, and she says, his God complex aside, why would Sidwell go to the trouble of sending someone after him to Port Charles? He says, she’ll have to ask him, and she says, maybe he saw something he shouldn’t have. He says, there were a lot of guys with guns, and she says, could anything else in his life have precipitated this attack? What was he doing before Sidwell kidnapped him?

Jack says he assumes Carly is talking about Sonny. The murder of a federal agent is a capital crime. He hopes Sonny has a good alibi. She says, ironclad. They were together, just the two of them. He knows how it is with exes. Sometimes you fall back into old habits. He says, so he’s heard. He only knows Sonny from his reputation. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but if she’s willing to reconnect with him, it speaks well of Sonny… and of her.

Molly asks if Alexis is blaming her dad, and Alexis says, he told the police she disposed of a possible murder weapon. Molly says, Elizabeth backed him up, but Alexis is sure Ric influenced her. He messed with her and the investigation, and now it will take more time for the police to find out who killed John Cates. Molly says she doesn’t think that wasn’t his intention. She knows Alexis would never kill someone. Alexis says she knows Molly loves her dad, but frankly dragging her into this investigation is beyond malicious. Molly says she’s not happy with him either, but they both know it’s Kristina’s fault she’s in this mess, not her dad’s.

Elizabeth says, it’s been 12 years since Lucky lived in Port Charles, and Willow says, it must be tough on her and Aiden. Elizabeth says, it’s not ideal, and Willow asks if she’s worried Lucky might not come back. Elizabeth says, Lucky loves his family, and he’ll do what he can to help.

Isaiah asks if Anna is accusing him of something, but she says she’s trying to understand why a renowned transplant surgeon would leave to do humanitarian service in Africa. He says, it’s no big mystery. He has a specific skill and goes where he’s most needed. She asks if he and Sidwell had crossed paths before, but he says, no. She tells him that he said he felt someone was following him, and he says, working in a war zone made him hyper-aware of his surroundings. She says she thinks he knows more than he’s saying, but he says, she thinks he’s lying. She says she hopes not. If it wasn’t for the well-timed Jordan… He says, the guy who stopped it, the Deputy Mayor. He’d love to meet him and say thank you. Jordan walks in, and Anna says, he’s in luck. Here she is. He says, the hit parade continues.

Jack says, it’s admirable that Carly and Sonny reconnected, but they’re definitely in the minority. She’s smart and knows what she’s doing. He trusts her judgement. Does that mean a reconciliation is in the works? She says, absolutely not, and he says he understands they’ve gotten back together before. She says, he’s been checking on her, and he says he asked a few questions. She says, facing federal charges for Sonny’s business was a one-time thing, and he says, she has nothing to worry about. The charges were dropped. She says, it was lucky there was a break in the FBI’s chain of evidence. Someone out there must like her. He smiles. (Writing Mrs. Jack Brennan on my notebook.)

Alexis tells Molly that Ric sent the police, not her sister, and Molly asks if she’s saying Ric is lying, that she didn’t dispose of a gun. She needs to tell the police everything and quit protecting Kristina from the consequences of her actions. Alexis says she loves Molly and Molly doesn’t need to be involved. They can’t have this conversation. Molly says, Alexis needs to tell the police why she had a gun and where she got it. Stop sacrificing herself for Kristina. Alexis says, Molly needs to take care of herself, not her. She hasn’t been charged. Molly says, not yet, and Alexis says, it’s important she keep her mouth shut and not incriminate herself. Diane will handle it and she won’t be charged. There are far more likely suspects. Molly says, far more likely suspects that would cover their tracks.

Ava thanks Trina for stepping up. She did an amazing job, but it’s late and she should go. Trina says she has no plans, and Ava asks how things are with her and Joss. Trina says, they’ve agreed to disagree, and Ava says, about her. She appreciates Trina standing up for her even when it put her at odds with her best friend. Trina says, Ava was supportive of her relationship with Spencer even when her mom wasn’t, and Ava says she hopes Trina never feels she paid a price for their friendship.

Ric says he’s sorry he married Nina for her money, but he can’t defend someone who hurt his daughter. Nina says she’s sorry for Molly’s loss. She lost a child too and wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone. But how does it help to blame an innocent woman? He says, Ava hasn’t been innocent since she found out she was a Jerome, and Nina says, Ava did horrible things, but she didn’t do this. She and Kristina did argue, but Kristina lost her balance and fell. Does he think if anyone else was there that they’d be brought up on manslaughter charges? They both know what it’s like to be despised and the first person accused. From one black sheep to another, she’s asking him to fight to prevent Ava from being persecuted for her past rather than the supposed crime she’s been charged with.

Trina says, Ava hasn’t cost her anything. Ava didn’t ask her to choose between her and her family. She’s grateful to have Ava in her life. Ava says she’s sure most of the people in this town think the worst of her, and Trina asks how she can help. Ava says, unless she has a defense attorney, there isn’t much she can do. She wishes people would believe it was an accident. Trina reminds Ava that she said, when something horrible happens, it’s easier to have someone to blame. For a while, she felt blaming Esme for Spencer’s death helped her. Now she thinks hating Esme made her grief worse. She thanks Aunt Stella for her family being able to move on without being angry, but they’re still looking for someone to pay for the baby’s death. Ava says, her, and Trina says, it’s a terrible loss, but Ava going to prison won’t lessen the grief, and she’s innocent.

Ric says, he had a personal history with Nina’s father and has done a lot of counterproductive things by holding onto his anger, and Nina says, it’s a no brainer how much better life would be if he let go of his grudge against Sonny. He says, it’s not a grudge. His brother purposely tried to ruin his life and never suffers the consequences for the bad things he does. She asks, what better way to get back at his brother than getting Ava out of the charges? and he says, she makes a tempting argument, but his daughter means the world to him. She’s the best thing in his life, the only thing he’s proud of. He’s afraid his answer is still no. She says she had to try. Her daughter is a better person than she’ll ever hope to be, so she understands him wanting to protect Molly. She thanks him for listening and leaves.

Willow introduces herself to Lulu and says, they’re all rooting for her, especially her family. Like Willow’s family did when she needed a stem cell transplant. Her husband never gave up hope and Michael’s uncle risked his life to bring her donor back. Don’t give up hope. There’s always something that can be done.

Anna says, Deputy Mayor Jordan Ashford, and Isaiah laughs. Jordan says she feels like she’s missing something, and Isaiah says, him making a fool of himself assuming she was a man. He introduces himself and thanks her for saving his life. He stares at her, and she asks if there’s something on her face. He says he’s sorry. Staring is rude. He’s not used to bureaucrats looking so… It doesn’t look like she spends her time in committee meetings. She says she promises her job is more challenging than that, and he says he believes it. She single-handedly saved his life. Why? She says, it seemed like a good idea at the time, and he asks, why visit a random John Doe? She says she wanted to help. She figured his family is wondering where he is. Someone is out there who’s missing him.  

Jack says he’s glad Carly’s legal troubles are over, and toasts to freedom. They clink glasses, and she says, just so there’s no confusion, she hasn’t involved herself in Sonny’s business. She wants to focus on her family. He says, finding Lucky for Lulu, and she says, he’s her best chance for a donor, so she’s going to do what she can to bring him home. He says he admires her determination, and she says, he hasn’t seen anything yet. Is life in Port Charles what he hoped? He says, and then some, and she says, she has a feeling a few people have issues with him being here. He says he’s not sure the Police Commissioner is happy with his presence, when Anna walks in and says, cooperating? Jack says, drink?

Molly says, the animosity between Alexis and Cates is public knowledge, but Alexis says, a lot of people hated him. Molly says, how many of them were caught with a gun? and Alexis says, circumstantial. She didn’t kill Cates. Molly says, what about Kristina? and Alexis says she hopes Kristina is home and resting. Molly tells her to start thinking like a lawyer. If she doesn’t come up with an alternative explanation, she might find herself charged with capital murder. Molly slams out of the room.

Willow tells Lulu that she’s lucky to be alive. She’s not about to screw up the chance, and she came back to GH so she could go back to the life she had before the things with Drew happened. She can’t have feelings for Drew. She loves Michael and the kids and everything they’ve built. She’s going to get Drew out of her head once and for all. Elizabeth is in the doorway and says, Willow? (Rut-roh.)

Diane walks into the interrogation room, and Alexis asks if she’s free to go. Diane wonders if Alexis is doubting her skill, but Alexis says, never. Diane says, yes, she’s free to go. Of course (🍷) it’s a temporary reprieve. Alexis has no alibi and won’t tell the police where she was when John was killed. Now she’s digging a hole with the gun. Alexis says she panicked when she saw the gun. When they find it, they’ll see it wasn’t the murder weapon. Diane says, if they find it, and Alexis says, Diane doesn’t think she did it, does she? Diane says, of course (🍷) not, but Alexis threatened Cates just hours before the murder and two trustworthy witnesses saw her getting rid of a gun. Alexis says, Ric is hardly trustworthy, and Diane tells her to focus. They both know it’s not about what she did or didn’t do. It’s what she can prove in a court of law.

Isaiah says he appreciates Jordan’s intentions. He wouldn’t be breathing if not for her. She says, he didn’t answer her question. Does he have family? He says, it’s more like an interrogation. Is she sure she’s not a cop? She says, she was, and that’s another question. She answered. When someone dodges a question, it usually means they’re hiding something. He says he has nothing to hide, but there are things he’d rather not revisit. He doesn’t expect her to understand. She says, he’d be surprised.

Nina goes to the gallery and asks how Ava is doing. Ava says, she’s hopeful. She just spoke to Trina, and she was reminded that she’s lucky to have someone on her side who believes her. It makes the ordeal easier. Nina says, for what it’s worth (🍷), she believes Ava too, and Ava says she’s surprised Nina is being supportive. Nina asks if it’s hard to imagine her doing the right thing, and Ava says she’s glad to have Nina in her corner. She’s grateful. Nina says she’s been down, as Ava knows, and remembers how badly she needed a friend. Ava asks how it’s going with Ric, and Nina says she’s sorry, but Ric still refuses to take the case.

Molly finds Ric at the MetroCourt and says, he told the police that mom disposed of a gun? He says, she did, and Molly asks if he’s trying to set Alexis up. He says he and Elizabeth saw her the night John Cates was murdered. He’s an officer of the court and obligated to report it. And he wants them to catch the killer. She says, mom didn’t kill Cates, and whatever she’s going through is Kristina’s fault. He asks if she has more information about the case, and she says, not for sure yet. He asks if Kristina owns a gun, and she says, Kristina could have gotten one from Sonny. Michael is covering for her too. Kristina is desperate not to go to prison and maybe she finally snapped. Ric says, Ava changed her story. She said Cates pressured her into making a false statement. Knowing that, does Molly still believe Kristina was the aggressor and responsible for her own fall?

Elizabeth says she’s glad Willow was talking to Lulu. Sometimes even the nurses forget there’s an actual person in the bed and not just a body. Willow says she thinks Lulu can hear on some level. She was filling Lulu in on the things happening in Port Charles. Elizabeth says she thinks it’s great and apologizes for snapping when they were talking about Lucky. Willow says she didn’t mean imply he was avoiding his family, but Elizabeth says she thinks that’s exactly what he’s doing. He’s been running from something for a long time, but she doesn’t know what it is. Sometimes she thinks it’s her. Willow asks, why? and Elizabeth says, it’s a long story. She is a big reason why he left, but she didn’t realize he’d be gone so long. His son barely knows him. Aiden is excited about his dad coming back, but her biggest fear is that Lucky will come back, save Lulu, and leave. What happens when Aiden loses his dad again?

Anna says, this is cozy, and Carly says, Jack is helping them find Lucky. Anna wonders how having a drink helps, and Jack says, they’re waiting for the satellite photos from where they think Lucky is being held. Anna asks what he can tell her about Jenz Sidwell, but he says, nothing he hasn’t read in the papers. His phone rings, and he asks if they’re sure… Send him the link. He tells Carly and Anna that they found Sidwell’s compound, and Carly asks if Lucky is there, but he says, it appears to be abandoned.

Nina says she’s sorry, but Ric isn’t budging, and Ava thanks her for trying. There are a lot of good lawyers in this town, and she can afford the best. Nina says, Ava is taking it better than she expected, and Ava says, Trina reminded her that she’s not alone. She has Trina and now she has Nina. She spent so much time scheming and manipulating situations, she knows she’s lucky to have any friends left. Nina says she knows the feeling.

Molly tells Ric, it doesn’t matter. If Kristina hadn’t gone to Ava’s room, her baby would still be alive. Ric says, they should stop talking about it. It’s making her upset. Molly says, of course (🍷) she’s upset. She lost her baby and her sister that day. He says, isn’t it possible that it was just a terrible accident? but she says, the evidence says otherwise. Ava was arrested. Ric wonders what happened to innocent until proven guilty, and Molly says she needs to know who’s responsible for her baby’s death and they need to pay.  

Elizabeth says she doesn’t know what to say to Aiden. He saw Jake having a relationship with Jason, and he might be hoping that it will be the same with him and his dad. Lucky loves his son, but he doesn’t love living in one place for long.

Jack says, the satellite photos show signs of recent activity. It looks like they missed Sidwell by a few hours. Anna wonders if they can find him and tells Jack to gather all the satellite photos from the area. Maybe they caught Sidwell leaving. Jack says he doesn’t work for her, and he can’t dedicate a satellite to finding one man. Anna says, Lucky’s family helped the WSB for years, and Jack says he knows, but even if he locates Lucky, getting him out can be extremely difficult. Anna tells him to ignore what she said. She’ll find Lucky with or without his help. She leaves, and Carly says, please. She’ll pay for whatever resources they need to have to bring Lucky home. Lulu needs her family. They can’t lose her. Jack asks if they haven’t already lost her. (Apparently not, according to GH casting.)

Diane asks if Alexis thinks Kristina killed Cates, but Alexis says, absolutely not. Diane says, then she has to get Kristina to come in and talk to the police and tell them what happened. Alexis says, she can’t. She’s not in her right mind. She doesn’t know what she’s saying. She’s glad Cates is dead. What if she says that to the police? Diane says, that would be bad, and Alexis says she can handle the scrutiny with the police. Kristina can’t. It’s not an option. Diane says, Alexis doesn’t have the luxury of protecting Kristina anymore. When she disposed of the gun and got caught, it made her suspect number one.

Nina says she’ll have her assistant compile a list of the best criminal attorneys, when Ric walks in. He says, good. They’re both here. Ava says she hopes he didn’t come by to gloat, but he says he’s changed his mind. He’ll take the case. They both ask, why? and he says he’s doing it for his daughter. Molly needs to know what happened. They’ll start in the morning, but if he finds out Ava is lying, he’ll bury her. Does she still want him as her attorney? She says, yeah, because she’s innocent.  

Alexis says, if she’s charged, Diane will convince the jury that she’s innocent, and Diane says, yeah… Alexis knows she’ll always do what she can, but if Alexis is charged, she can’t be her lawyer.

Molly comes into the station and says she needs to make a statement. She has information about the murder of John Cates.

Jack says, Lulu has been in a coma for 4 years and with a transplant, her odds aren’t good. Carly says, as long as Lulu is still breathing, she won’t give up, and he says he won’t take her money. He’ll continue without it, but don’t thank him yet. What he said to Anna was correct. The territory is extremely unstable. Even if she finds Lucky, what’s the plan? She doesn’t have a SEAL team, and the area is too dangerous for civilians. Who is she going to send in to rescue him?

Molly says, the night John Cates was murdered, nobody knows where her sister was. She has no alibi and had a motive to kill him.

Jordan says she lives in Port Charles, but she’ll always root for the Baltimore team. Go Orioles. Isaiah says, what about the Ravens? and she says she told him where she’s from. Now it’s his turn. Anna comes in, and Isaiah asks if they found Lucky. Anna says, after Isaiah escaped, Sidwell made his getaway and the compound was abandoned. Does he have any idea where Sidwell might have gone? He says, Sidwell was always careful about what he said. How are they going to find Lucky now?  

Tomorrow, Sasha asks if Cody is ready for something fun and exciting; Jason tells Carly not to get involved with Jack; and Diane wants to know what Sonny is going to do about this.

📚 School’s In For Autumn…

Celebrities. They’re just like us.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/soap-stars-celebrate-back-to-school-time-see-the-photos

💰 Listings Goals Hit…

Once again, I drooled over JoshF’s 30,000 square foot, 2 and a half acre, $36 million (in Pasadena!) mansion with the elevator going to the museum and bar in the basement. It’s truly an amazing piece of property. If I had a spare $36 million, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. Tracy felt it was a small buyer pool for the price point, and it would have to be some kind of collector. She took an embarrassing photo of JoshA, posing as a statue in the museum, and even he laughed his ass off. He begged her not to post it, but no surprise, she did. She told him it was payback for setting her up on last week’s date with the splooge. I bet it got a billion reactions.

The Altman Brothers’ Orange County office was hardly finished, and Heather was having a panic attack, since the ribbon cutting had already been set with the Chamber of Commerce, et al. It was 15 days away, but the magician contractor promised it would be ready. And it was. The outside of the front anyway, which is all they needed. At the ceremony, Tracy sympathized with Heather, whose calendar was way too full, and suggested Heather say no once in a while.

It was the finale, so in wrapping it up, JoshA said the business had surpassed its goal of 500 million in listings. Tracy said, while it had been a slow start, she was excited to move forward, but she wasn’t letting JoshA set her up again. JoshF said he’d done well in a bad market and was a month into the process of reconstructing his dreamhouse. He’d also started seeing Andrew again. The Joshes toasted to high sales, low sales, and no sales.

I don’t think they have a Reunion, but if they do, I’ll be there for it. I enjoy this show more every season, and I’ll miss it. Maybe it’s just as well there’s a break though, since it makes me long for houses I could never afford, and even if I could, I’d probably regret buying something so mammoth. It was tough moving from an apartment to the house I’m in now. It seemed like a mile to the bathroom after having to walk 15 feet.

Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles Season 15, Episode 10 Recap: Ending on a High

Flagg spills the tea on the BFFs. Okay, it’s like a couple of drops.

MDLLA Agent Josh Flagg on Friendship With Denise Richards

💍 Hope It Sticks This Time…

I always have hope that VanderPeople have changed and matured as they’ve gotten older. So Mazel Tov to Kristen for achieving one of her goals, even though I’m a wee bit skeptical that she’s matured.

https://people.com/vanderpump-rules-alum-kristen-doute-is-engaged-to-luke-broderick-8707625

🪡 Needed, One Ring On a String…

What is wrong with this woman that she keeps losing jewelry worth tens of thousands of dollars?

Lisa Barlow Loses $100K Ring at NYFW Party: ‘Impossible to Find’

🏆 Giving Them the Moon…

The best way to get the CliffsNotes version.

https://people.com/mtv-vmas-2024-live-updates-8710617

And of course, the best part. I don’t know what Miranda Lambert has going on there, but no. Just no. As always, Taylor Swift is perfection.

https://people.com/red-carpet-arrivals-2024-mtv-vmas-8710673

🥀 A Day To Remember…

I remember not being able to get all the channels when I got up and thinking it was the cable. Then I found a news station that was on and saw that a plane had flown into the WTC. My first thought was, well, it finally happened. Some idiot crashed into it. Then as the newscasters talked, behind them on the screen, the second plane hit. That’s when I knew it was no accident.

https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks

🐶 Bringing Joy To the People…

Meet the latest addition to my pack, Sally Jo Buck. I’ve had her a few months, and like her sister Hannah, she brings happiness wherever she goes. I’ve entered her in the Daily Kibble Summer Lovin’ Fun Contest, so click on the link (or copy and paste), scroll down, and give a like to the pictures below.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1082506066776315&type=3

Sally Jo sez: Vote Fur Me!

🍂 Season Of the Soul…

Join me tomorrow for soap and OC in the shade. Until then, stay safe, stay reestablishing lost or taken for granted relationships, and stay not giving up hope. There’s always something that can be done.

Sep12

September 11, 2023 – Curtis Returns To The Club, Volcanic Vacay, Milestone Tour, Message From Nik, Week Of Fashion, First Daryl, Riding Again, Last Info, Uncommon Companions, #RememberTheSky & Spirit

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Curtis wheels himself into an empty Savoy, and flashes back to telling Marshall, the circumstances under which he opened The Savoy and dedicated so much work to its success have radically changed. N’neka comes in and says, he’s back. It’s about time.

Spencer arrives home, takes food out of a to-go bag, and puts it on the coffee table. Esme comes out and says she didn’t even get a chance to eat lunch today; she’s starving. The food he got for them looks amazing.

Maxie brings a box into the rental house and says, we’re here, Lulu. I can feel you here too. It makes me feel closer to you. James runs in and says he needs help. He digs in a box and wonders why there are only sheets in it, and Maxie says, because it’s a box marked bed linens. What is he looking for? He says his favorite sweatshirt, and she says, it’s probably in his room in a box marked James’s clothes. He says he checked all those boxes, and Georgie comes out, tossing him his sweatshirt and says, this is his. He thanks her, and says he thought it was lost. There’s a knock at the door, and Mac and Felicia walk in. Mac says, congratulations, and he and James high-five while Felicia hugs Georgie. James says, this house is great. He has his own room and he loves it. Mac high-fives him again, and says, way to go.

On the phone at Kelly’s, Carly tells Michael that he has to give her any news on Sonny’s arraignment. She has to figure out what to tell Donna. He says he’ll call her as soon as he gets any information, and she says she really thought about going, but she doesn’t want to get sucked back in to all this. She’s glad he’s there. He says, him too, and tells her that he loves her. She says she loves him too, and goes back to helping the server. Elizabeth and Finn walk in with Jake and Violet, and Violet says, they can’t eat here. Kelly’s has its own softball team. They’re the enemy. She crosses her arms.

Kristina hugs Michael and says she’s glad he came. She really thought she was going to be the only one there to show support for dad. Where is everyone? He says he doesn’t know if Dante’s coming. Some people might think it’s a conflict of interest since he’s a cop. She says, they would be wrong. Cop or not, Dante’s still his son. Dante walks in, and Kristina says she’s glad he’s here. Nina follows him in and apologizes for being late. She had to change into something more appropriate for court. Kristina says, Nina looks great, and the only thing that matters is that she’s here. Dante asks how Sonny is doing, and Nina says, according to Diane, he’s calm and ready for this. He’s doing a lot better than she is; she’s a nervous wreck. Diane comes in and says, fantastic. They’re all here. A good showing of family is a strong object, even for the most hardened of judges. Sonny is brought into the courtroom.

Carly says she appreciates Violet’s competitive spirit because she’s pretty competitive herself, but they’re only enemies on the softball field. Like her Aunt Ruby used to say, everyone’s welcome at Kelly’s. Violet asks, what if she tries to sabotage them? but Elizabeth says she thinks Carly’s sabotaging days are behind her. Violet says, okay, but she’s keeping her eye on Carly, and Carly says she’d expect nothing less, but she doesn’t have to sabotage them because the Kelly’s team is going to beat the GH team. She just wishes she could play herself, but somebody has to run the diner. Finn says, too bad for them. He’s seen Carly pitch and she’s a good pitcher. It gives them a good chance to win.

Felicia puts some flowers in a vase and sets it on the coffee table. Maxie says, it’s beautiful, and thanks them. James asks Mac to come and see his new room – it’s awesome – but Mac says, they should see how they can help his mom first. Maxie says, Georgie and James definitely have boxes stacked up, so… Mac says, let’s go take care of that, and Georgie says her room isn’t even near James’s. She can play her games… The kids leave with Mac, and Felicia says, this is just beautiful. Maxie thanks her, and says, they all really love it. Felicia says, the furniture Maxie picked out is just perfect, and she knows Maxie still has things coming. Maxie says, lots of new things… for the backyard, the bedrooms, this room, and… Felicia asks, what’s wrong? and Maxie says, it’s just, when she bought all of these new things, she thought Deception was on solid ground, and now they might lose everything. Felicia says, Lucy told her that the case against them is completely baseless, and Maxie says she’s pretty sure Lucy said that before she found out who’s taking them to court. Felicia asks, who? and Maxie says, Tracy Quartermaine. Felicia says, she’s evil, and Maxie says, not only that, she brought in this hotshot lawyer from Pine Valley, some guy named Jackson Montgomery. Felicia says, oh no, and Maxie says, she knows him? Mac comes back and says, he could have had Maxie’s mother thrown in jail.

Esme says, gourmet cheeses, salami imported from Italy. Wow. Spencer really went all out. He says, everybody knows he likes to spend money, right? and she asks what he did this afternoon. He says he was just hanging out at the pool, and Esme says she wishes she’d known. She could have brought Ace, and they could have joined him. His little brother sure loves to swim. Spencer says he thinks Ace just loves to have his fins on and float around, and Esme says she knows the pool is closed now, but they should get him swimming lessons next spring. Spencer agrees, and there’s a knock at the door, and Spencer opens it to Trina. She asks if he got the food; she’s starving.

N’neka asks the staff to gather round. She needs everyone’s help for a major event. Everyone applauds, and Curtis thanks her for the impromptu gathering. He thanks her for helping his pop keep things running in his absence. TJ comes down the stairs, and Curtis says he can’t tell them how much he missed this place; the music, the customers, the DJs, but most important, my incredible staff. They all have a way of making people feel like they’re at home, even in a nightclub. N’neka says, the doors open in just a few minutes. So let’s make this a happy hour to remember. The staff goes back to work, and Curtis thanks N’neka for stepping up as acting manager. She tells him, what can she say? She learned from the best. And she plans on learning a lot more from him now that he’s back. She goes to the bar, and TJ says, it sounds like Curtis’s staff missed him a lot. They fist bump.

Kristina asks how Sonny is holding up, and Nina says, a lot of people want to know that. Sonny says he’s good. He’s going to be fine. Don’t worry about it. Kristina says, he was arrested by the FBI. Of course (🍷) they’re worried. Nina says, Diane is good, but come on, and Sonny tells her, listen to him; he’s got this. Diane suggests they not further antagonize the US government, and asks them to take their seats. Sonny asks if he can have a word with Dante, and tells Dante that he really appreciates him being here. It means a lot to him. Dante says, of course (🍷), and Sonny says, he can go ahead and leave now. Dante says he doesn’t care about any of them seeing him here. He’ll tell Sonny what he told Mac; nowhere in his oath he took with the PCPD did it say he couldn’t support his father. That’s why he’s here and he’s not going anywhere. They hug.

Esme says, Trina must be here to see Spencer. She and Ace were just leaving. Spencer says, she doesn’t have to go anywhere. There’s more than enough food for all of them if she wants to bring Ace in. Esme says, it will only take her a few minutes to pack up Ace and his baby things, and she’s out of here. She goes in the back, and Spencer tells Trina that he’s just going to grab them some utensils from the kitchen. He’ll be right back.

Elizabeth goes to get more napkins and ketchup, and Violet says, it’s too bad Spencer doesn’t work here anymore. She’s seen him play softball before and knows what to expect from him. Josslyn’s good at volleyball, so that probably means she’s good at softball too. Finn says, it’s just a game. They’re supposed to have fun; it’s not just about winning. She asks what Jake knows about the players from Kelly’s, but he says he really doesn’t know much more than she does.

At the counter, Carly tells Elizabeth, Violet is adorable. She loves how competitive Violet is. Elizabeth says, and she’s a perfectionist like her dad, and Carly tells her not to worry. There will be no sabotage. She doesn’t want to get on Violet’s bad side. Elizabeth says, Carly doesn’t have to worry about Violet; she’s a softy. By the way, she heard about Sonny’s arrest. She’s really sorry. She’s actually kind of surprised Carly isn’t at the arraignment. Carly says, Sonny is going to have tons of people there, and it’s not her life anymore.

Curtis greets a couple, and says he doesn’t think he’s seen them here before. He’s Curtis Ashford, the owner. They have about an hour left on happy hour, so feel free to talk to one of his bartenders about what’s on special. They go to the bar, and Jordan says, looking good, Curtis. This is a really good turn-out. Curtis thanks her, and Molly joins TJ. Curtis officially welcomes them to The Savoy and asks if they’re out for anything special tonight. TJ says, yes, they are. He and Molly have a major announcement to make.

Maxie says, Jackson Montgomery could have had Felicia arrested? and Felicia says, it’s a long story. Maxie says she’s not going anywhere, when James and Georgie come back in. James asks if they can have a barbecue with grandma and grandpa, and Mac says, that is a great idea. Why don’t the three of them get what they need, and maybe they can stop at Kelly’s on the way back for some dessert. Georgie asks Maxie if she can order the dessert, but Maxie says, that would be up to her grandpa. Mac says he doesn’t see why not. She knows what everybody likes, doesn’t she? James says, she’s not ordering for him, but Georgie tells him that he heard what the man said. They leave, and Maxie tells Felicia, talk.

Felicia says, a few weeks ago, she and Lucy went to Pine Valley, and Maxie says, right. And Lucy broke into Jackson Montgomery’s office. She heard him say something about that. Felicia says, actually, Lucy kind of distracted him while she broke into his office, and Maxie says, clearly, she got caught. Felicia says, red-handed, and Maxie says, and he didn’t throw her in jail because… Felicia says, Anna. They knew each other from before, which is a good thing since the charges could have been harsh because she broke into his safe. Maxie says, she broke into his safe? And now he’s working for Tracy and he’s going to be out for blood. Felicia says she hopes this doesn’t have an affect on what happens in court, but Maxie says she thinks Tracy might actually have evidence that can beat them. Felicia says, Maxie doesn’t have to worry. She and Mac will help her. Maxie says she knows, but she was feeling very proud, standing on her own two feet. This house, taking care of the kids… No. No matter what, she’s going to make it happen.

On the phone, Michael tells Willow, good luck. And please remember, she’s just a spectator… He loves her too. Dex approaches, and Michael tells him, let’s make this quick. Dex says he knows he screwed up, throwing the flashdrive away in a public trashcan, but the more he thinks about it, the more he thinks it would have been impossible for the FBI to get anything off of that flashdrive. Michael’s mom really did a number on it; it was pulverized. All he threw away were fragments. Michael says, the FBI somehow got ahold of that evidence, and since there’s only one copy, he doesn’t know how, but they somehow pieced it back together. He tells Dex that he has to go, and walks into the courtroom.

Kristina can’t believe Nina is so calm, but Nina says, it’s an act. Look at her hands. The bailiff says, all rise. Federal Court for the Northern District of New York is now in session, the Honorable Judge Jarrett presiding. Jude Jarrett tells them, be seated.

Spencer says, they’re set, and tells Trina, dig in. Having borrowed Curtis’s baby bonnet, she says she’s not hungry, but he says, she came over for dinner. She says she did, and she’s lost her appetite, and he asks, why? She says, three guesses, and he says, Esme? She says, he’s getting closer. Keep going. He says, Trina is upset that he said Esme could eat with them? He knows it wasn’t part of the original plan, but he came in with the food and she assumed it was for her. Trina says, no. She assumed it was for the two of them; there’s a difference. He says, Trina’s right. He just didn’t know how to tell Esme that she was wrong. She says, those assumptions have been happening more and more. He and Esme have been spending so much time together taking care of Ace… She turns her back to him, but he says, hey, it’s him. She can talk to him. She says, it just feels to her like he and Esme as roommates, as Ace’s caretakers… It feels like the boundaries are what the two of them are to each other; they’re blurry. He says, not for him they aren’t.

Esme goes into Kelly’s with Ace and asks Carly if she could have a highchair. Carly leaves to get it, and Elizabeth says, Ace is getting so big. Esme tells her, his pediatrician said he’s in the 98 percentiles for his age, and Elizabeth says she’s really glad to see them both doing so well. Esme thanks her, and Elizabeth says, have a good night. Elizabeth goes back to her table, and Finn asks if she’s ready. She says she is, and he suggests they get to the field and get a good stretch in. Violet says, and no dessert until after the game, and Jake tells them to go ahead; he’ll catch up later. Elizabeth says, since when?

Curtis says, they’ve got a table and their drinks. What’s the news? Spill it. TJ says he thinks Molly should tell them, and Molly says, Curtis and Jordan both know they’re using a surrogate to have a baby. If the procedure was successful, they should know in a few days if their surrogate is pregnant with their baby. Curtis says, congratulations. That’s amazing. He can’t think of two people who would be better parents. He tells Jordan, ain’t that right, grandma? and TJ says, here’s to Grandma Jordan and Great Uncle Curtis. Jordan says, and more important, to the hopefully soon expecting parents, and they clink glasses.

Outside Kelly’s, Georgie wonders, what’s taking James so long? and Mac says, they’re probably whipping him up a special dessert or something. So she likes the new house? She says she loves it, and he says he thinks James does too, and her mom. She says she thinks so too, but… He says, what? and she says, is mom okay? He says, yeah. Why would she ask that? Georgie says, she works so hard, and she was excited when they got the house, but now… He says, now what? and Georgie says, she’s acting all happy about everything, but she thinks her mom is worried. He asks if Maxie said something, and she says, no. He wonders why she would think something like that, and she says she can just tell. Maxie is her mom. She loves the new house, but if it makes her mom worried… Mac says, if her mom is worried about anything, they will take care of it, and Georgie thanks him.

Maxie says, so Felicia and Lucy told Jackson Montgomery that they were sisters, and Felicia says, desperate times? Maxie says she loves Felicia’s spirit of adventure, and Felicia says, Maxie inherited it. Maxie says she doesn’t know about that, but what she does know is, Felicia could have been thrown in jail or in prison, and she and the kids need her. They always need her. Felicia says she knows, and so does Mac, but she can’t swear anything’s going to be any different, because when a friend needs you… Maxie says, believe her, she knows, but promise her that Felicia will exhaust all her other options before she resorts to doing something illegal. Felicia says, that’s why she’s taking this new path.

The judge says, Michael Corinthos, Jr. (confusing me for a moment), you are being charged with seven violations of federal law, section 18 and section 922, the unauthorized transportation of classified weapons. He understands the evidence of this case is classified and being submitted under sealed. The prosecutor gets up and says, at this time, they want to move to drop the charges without prejudice. Sonny flashes back to telling Ava that they already set the trap. They just have to spring it, and then they get the answers they need. Judge Jarrett says, they want to withdraw the charges now? What are they even doing in court today? The prosecutor says, when they brought the federal charges against the defendant, they thought they had overwhelming amounts of evidence. It turns out, they didn’t. The judge says, since the US attorneys are not ready to proceed, he has no other options. Mr. Corinthos, the charges against you have been dropped, you are free to go, but as a reminder, the charges against you have been dismissed without prejudice, so they may be refiled at any time. Sonny says he understands, and Judge Jarrett tells the prosecutor, before he sees any of them back in his court, he expects them to be fully prepared. Court is adjourned. He bangs his gavel, and the bailiff says, all rise. Nina and Kristina hug Sonny at the same time, and Kristina asks, what exactly is going on here? Diane says, what is going on is that, inexplicably, it’s all over. She tells Sonny, congratulations. The judge said he’s free to go. Sonny smiles.

James comes out, and Georgie says, took you long enough. James brings the bag over to Mac and says, it was made up special, and he saw Mattie from Little League. Mac says, he’s a good player. So’s that new catcher. James says, Dylan? and Mac says, yeah. He saw James and Dylan talking at the game the other day. What did he say to James? James says, Dylan asked why his dad wasn’t at the game, and Mac asks what James told him. James says he told Dylan that his dad died, and he was a hero. Mac says, yes, he was, but James says he doesn’t think Dylan believed him. That’s why he pointed at Mac. He told Dylan that Mac was his grandpa, and that he was a hero too, and all the other guys told Dylan it was true. Mac says, James thinks he’s a hero? and James says, he is. They both smile.

Maxie says, being a patient advocate is about as far from cracking a safe as you can get, and Felicia says she wasn’t a professional criminal. Maxie says, tell that to Jackson Montgomery. Seriously though, she thinks this patient advocate thing is pretty cool. Felicia says she loves being a grandmother, and she loves the life that she has with Mac, but she still has time for something else, and she wants to do something meaningful. Maxie says she thinks Felicia is making the right choice, and Felicia says, when she was at GH, she saw Stella Henry working with this young woman, it was very clear to her that what Stella was doing made a big difference. She couldn’t help thinking about when Maxie was sick in the hospital, waiting for her heart transplant, and how grateful she was that they actually had family on staff to get them through that. Even so, there were times when she felt overwhelmed by a system she just didn’t understand. Maxie says she’s sure there are a lot of people who feel that way, and Felicia says, if she’d just had someone to guide her through it. Not to tell her what to do, but show her the way. That’s what Stella was doing for that young woman. And it was then she knew that’s what she wants to do now. Maxie takes her hand.

Elizabeth asks why Jake doesn’t come with them right now, but he says he has stuff to do. She asks if he can be more specific than stuff, and he says, no, but he promises he’ll be at the game. He can pay for his own Ride Share; he’s been saving his lawnmower money. Violet says, he still didn’t explain what stuff means, and Finn says he thinks what Jake is trying to say is that he doesn’t want to talk about it, and maybe they shouldn’t push him. So why don’t they head over to the field, and they’ll see Jake over at the game. They leave, and Jake sits at a table near the wall.

Carly brings Esme a highchair, and Esme says she still can’t believe Ace can sit up on his own. It seems like he does something new every day. Carly says, that’s pretty cute. She remembers when her firstborn was that age. Every day was a new experience. Esme says, that’s how she feels about life with Ace. Some days it’s overwhelming, but she wouldn’t change it for the world. Even though his dad isn’t in the picture, his big brother Spencer has really stepped up to help. He’s really helped a lot with Ace. She’d say she’s very fortunate for a single mom.

Spencer tells Trina that he knows the old Esme is somewhere inside her still, and one day she might come back, but he’ll do anything to protect his little brother. And honestly, living with Esme hasn’t been as bad as he thought it would be. When his grandmother told him that she and Doc were going overseas to look for his father, he thought cohabitating with her was going to be an impossibility, but somehow they’ve managed it. And none of that is to say that he wants to be with Esme for any other reason than co-parenting Ace – that’s it. Any romantic feelings he had for her are gone. And those feelings weren’t really real feelings; it was puppy love. The one he wants to be with, the only person he feels for is Trina. And he can prove it. He leaves the room.

Jordan says, it’s really good to see Curtis back at The Savoy, in his element. The staff, the customers, everyone is so excited to see him back where he belongs. He says, a few things have changed, and she says she knows that. She’s not trying to minimize what happened to him. She can’t begin to imagine what it’s costing him to be here in that chair, but he’s doing it. But honestly, he’s making it look easy. He says, it’s been anything but easy, and she says she wants him to know that she’ll always think of him as family. And not just because they’ll be connected by Molly and TJ’s baby. She means it. She’s here for him. TJ and Molly come back to the table, and TJ says, they’re back for round two. Molly says she guesses that’s one bright spot of using a surrogate; she can still enjoy a cocktail, if and when Andrea tells them she’s pregnant. (I was just thinking that!) Curtis says he hopes they get their exciting news very soon. He’s excited about being a great uncle. Almost as excited as Jordan is about being a grandmother. Jordan says, that just means she has nine months to come up with optional nicknames, and Curtis says he should get back to work. Circulate. It’s good for business. Congratulations. He wheels himself away from the table and into the club.

Kristina hugs Sonny and says she always knew deep down this was a huge mistake. Sonny thanks her, and Dante says he doesn’t understand. How did they not have the evidence to back up these charges? Michael leaves, and the prosecutor tells the US Attorney that he doesn’t understand what happened to the evidence. The Attorney says, they got played. They got false information from a source that’s always been reliable in the past. The prosecutor says, until now, and the Attorney says, right. It’s obvious Corinthos pulled a fast one so that no weapons would be found.

Nina tells Sonny, of the million way she saw this being played out, she prayed for this one. Thank God it’s over. She hugs him, and Dex watches. Sonny tells Diane, job well done, as usual, but she says, please. As much as she’d love to take credit for this dismissal, she can’t. It seems the US Attorneys thought they had something that they didn’t. It also appears this comes as no surprise to Sonny. Not one bit.

Mac brings the kids back, and James runs in, yelling that he’s putting the dessert in the refrigerator. Felicia asks if they robbed the store, and Mac says, James wanted hot dogs, he knows Felicia likes chicken, they got a couple of steaks, and a meatless thing for Georgie. Georgie says, they also got corn on the cob, and Maxie says, that sounds perfect. James says, he found it, bringing out a slotted metal spatula, but Maxie takes it from him and gives it to Mac. Georgie says, grandpa was going to buy tools too, but she told him that she saw them in the storage bin. Also the thing you use to start the fire. James grabs it and says he’ll light the fire, but Mac sprints over to him and says, that’s for grandpa. Let’s get started. James says, this house is the best ever. Felicia says, it is, isn’t it? and the kids run after Mac. Felicia asks if Maxie is happy, and Maxie nods.

Spencer hands Trina a box, and says, it’s for her. Open it. She sees the two birds inside, and says, they’re beautiful, but what do they mean? He says, they’re turtledoves, and she laughs, saying, from the Christmas carol. He says, right, and where was he last Christmas? and she says, in Pentenville. He says, his Uncle Cyrus gave those to him, so he’d have something to give to her, and she says, but he didn’t give them to her. He says he didn’t know if she’d want them at the time. So he left them, but then his Uncle Victor picked them up. He left them to Spencer in his will. He just realized. Why would she want something that he got from his Uncle Cyrus and his Uncle Victor? How non-romantic is that? So he’ll just take these… He reaches for the box, but she pulls it away and says, no you don’t.

On the phone, Carly says she didn’t think she’d hear from Michael so soon. Was Sonny’s case postponed? Michael says, just the opposite. All of the charges were dropped. She asks, how’s that possible? She thought the US Attorney had tons of evidence against Sonny. He says, all he knows is, they said they didn’t have as much evidence as they thought they did. The judge was not happy, but in the end, the charges were dropped, and Sonny is a free man. She says, that’s great. Totally unexpected, but great.

Feeding Ace a bottle in her lap, Esme says, he did not like his highchair, did he? Spencer and Trina can have their date. We don’t care, do we? As long as we have each other, right Ace? She rocks him.

Jake gets up, and says, Charlotte, as she walks in. He got them a table. She says, that’s great, and they sit down.

Kristina says, and here she took the whole day off to be with Sonny. She’s really glad she did. She hugs him again, and Sonny thanks her and Dante for being here. It means everything to him. Dante says, where else would they be? and he and Kristina leave together. Diane says, congratulations again, and Sonny thanks her. She says, as a reminder, these charges were dismissed without prejudice, which means if they ever do find that evidence against him, it can be refiled at any time. He says he understands, and she says, good. She leaves, and Nina asks if Sonny is ready to go home, but he asks her to give him a minute with Dex.

N’neka finds Curtis in the back hallway, and she asks why he’s not in the main room, in the thick of things. He says, just taking stock; figuring out where he fits in. Or even if he fits in at all.

Trina says, Spencer just gave her this gift. He can’t just take it back. He says, that gift has passed through the hands of not one, but two of his criminal great uncles. He must have been out of his mind to think it was also an acceptable gift for her. He tries to take it again, but she won’t let him, and says, then why did he give it to her? He says, because whenever he looks at those figurines, he thinks about how much he missed her last Christmas. And how much he wants her to know that he was thinking about her. She says, there’s two doves. She wants him to take one – she puts it in his hand – and she’ll take the other one. He says, okay, but why? and she asks if it isn’t obvious. He says, yeah, but maybe he just wants to hear her say the words, and she says, as a reminder that, just like these two doves, they’re a matched pair. And just like these two doves, they belong together. They kiss.

Jake asks if he told Charlotte about his new painting, and she asks, what’s the subject matter? He says he wanted to paint something she’d like, and he knows how much she likes riding horses, so he’s painting a horse. She says, that’s so cool. She can’t wait to see it.

Esme tells Carly that she’s ready for the check… but before Carly goes, does she still have rooms for rent upstairs? Carly pauses a moment, but says she does, and Esme asks if there happen to be any vacancies.

Dex says he doesn’t understand what happened to Sonny’s case. He thought the US Attorney had a ton of evidence against him. Sonny asks why Dex wasn’t on the docks when the Feds showed up, and Dex says, Carly called him. She got a warning from a longshoreman that he overheard there was going to be a raid on their shipment that night. He didn’t have a chance to warn the other guys, but he managed to slip out before the raid started. Sonny says, they’re going to drop the charges on Gabe and all the rest of the guys there that night, and Dex asks, how is that even possible? Weren’t they caught with the Pikeman crates? Sonny nods and asks if Dex knows what was in the crates. Dex lowers his voice and says he assumed it was unauthorized weapons. He doesn’t see how the guys could have gotten out of those charges. He doesn’t see how Sonny got out of those charges. Sonny whispers, the crates were from Pikeman. When they opened the crates, does he know what the Feds found? Incredible coffee beans. Dex did good. Take the rest of the night off.

Nina asks if everything is taken care of, and Sonny says, yeah. Everything is taken care of. Let’s go. Dex watches them leave.  

I knew it. Sonny is really a secret coffee importer.

Tomorrow, Elizabeth tells Finn, it’s going to happen sooner or later; Gladys asks how they could let this happen; and Sonny tells Nina that it was a chance he was willing to take.

🌋 Of Course He Did…

It sounds like something his alter-ego would also do.

GH’s Nicholas Chavez Celebrates His Birthday on Top of a Volcano!

📖 An Open Book…

It would be awesome to see him.

GH’s Maurice Benard Opens up About His Milestone Tour

💌 Sharing Is Caring…

IMO he is the best Nikolas out of all of them.

Adam Huss Shares a Special Message With GH Fans

👠 Fashionable Week…

The celebrities.

https://extratv.com/photos/2023/09/08/stars-at-new-york-fashion-week-2023-september/

https://www.etonline.com/gallery/2023-celeb-sightings-new-york-fashion-week-211035

The reality.

https://gothamist.com/news/yes-new-york-fashion-week-2023-is-for-you-too-but-duck-the-traffic-if-its-not

Word on the street.

https://footwearnews.com/gallery/nyfw-street-style-spring-2024-photos/

🏹 Assessing Le Daryl…

Saw it. Loved it. The first episode is somewhat of a set-up, but still filled with zombie packed action. As well as some live bad guys. It surprises me that several sites have compared it to The Last of Us. From what I saw in the season preview, it looks closer to Z Nation. And yes, I’m still bitter about that being canceled.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-review-did-last-of-us-beat-it-to-the-punch

https://winteriscoming.net/2023/09/10/the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-review-episode-1-lame-perdue/

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a44862052/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-review/

No spoiler review.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a44862052/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-review/

🏍 Born To Ride…

I haven’t seen this one yet, but I loved the last season. The human condition aspect is enriching.

https://undeadwalking.com/2023/09/10/norman-reedus-regard-series-union-thuderstorm/

🌄 Speaking Of Last…

Not much more than we knew before.

https://screenrant.com/the-last-of-us-season-2-cast-details-updates/

🦎 Fur Or Not Babies…

Bet that’s the only person in the world with a pet millipede. I rarely say, I don’t want one when it comes to an animal, even insects, but no thank you very much.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/sam_cleal/unusual-pets-that-are-cuter-than-cats-and-dogs

#RememberTheSky #NeverForget911

www.neverforget.org

👀 Seeing You In September…

Join me tomorrow for soap and reading a few tea leaves. Until then, stay safe, stay never drinking directly out of the milk carton, and stay not telling others what to do, but showing them the way.

Sep11

September 10, 2021 – Nina Tells Jax That He Won, Comparison, Shah Much Trouble, the Ultimate, Kandi’s New Gig, Throwing Back, New Puppy, OctoQuotesy & Double W.K.

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Austin tells Maxie, it’s totally okay. She told him not to bother her, and he won’t anymore. She says, it’s no bother. She was wondering if he’d like to attend the wedding of the century. By that, of course (🍷) she means the wedding between Carly Corinthos and Jason Morgan. Actually, she’s planning most of it, and it is coming out really nice if she does say so herself. He says, weddings just aren’t his thing, and she asks if he’s sure. He could be her plus one. Curtis comes in carrying Jordan, and says they need some help. Austin springs into action and calls for a gurney. Curtis puts Jordan on it, and Austin asks, what happened? Curtis tells him that Jordan got locked in a basement with a gas leak. Austin asks if Jordan can hear him, but there’s no response. He tells the nurse to take her to the ER, and follows. Maxie asks if Portia is okay, and Portia sits down. She coughs a little, and asks Brook to go to the desk an tell the attendant she was exposed to a gas leak. Brook says she’s on it, and Maxie asks if there’s anyone she can call, but Portia says, no. She doesn’t want her daughter to worry. Maxie says, speaking as someone’s daughter, she’d want to know what’s going on.

Gladys joins Brando and Sasha at a table in the MetroCourt, and apologizes for being late. She walked straight into the paint cans he had in the hall. She has a bruise on her leg that’s going to be there for days,. That’s going to look great for Carly and Jason’s wedding. Brando says they were going to discuss that with her, but Gladys ignores him, asking him to put the box with the changing table in his room. Every time she walks in her room, it’s in the way. He says, the baby takes top priority. He’s trying to get the nursery ready. She asks if that’s why he invited her to lunch; to find out when she’s getting her own apartment, and he says, Sasha’s about to have the baby, and he needs her room. Gladys says she already told him, the baby can share his room. It’ll be too young to appreciate some fancy nursery. Besides, she doesn’t want Brando to be by his lonesome in the apartment. He says he’s not going to be lonely when Sasha decides to move in with him.

Nina says, Carly and Jason are getting married tonight? and Jax says, they want to present a united front to their business associates. She asks if he doesn’t see. If they get married, everything’s going to be okay. Because there’s not going to be a hole for Sonny to fill. There will be no life waiting for him. If Carly and Jason get married, then Sonny can stay dead. She and Mike can have a future. All he has to do is walk away. Please. She’s begging him.

Phyllis finds Sonny, and says it looks like they had the same idea. He needs peace and quiet as much as she does. He asks if she’s seen Nina, and she says, no, why? Is everything all right? What happened? He laughs, and says, for one thing, he told Nina that he loves her. Phyllis smiles and says, ooh, and they both laugh.

Ms. Woo and Mr. Novak meet Mr. Buscema at the docks. Novak asks what they’re doing there, and Buscema says, the plan is set, unless something’s changed. Woo says, they agreed. The best time to hit the warehouse is tonight, while Ms. Corinthos and Mr. Morgan are distracted by the wedding. Buscema says, the plans haven’t changed, but he has a message from Cyrus Renault.

Carly and Jason kiss, but it’s one of those soap kisses where he’s really kissing her upper lip. She says she wouldn’t mind doing that again. Maybe not, but I don’t want to see it again.

Portia lies on an examining table, wearing an oxygen mask. She takes it off, and asks, how’s Jordan? Deanna says, mask back on, please, and Portia says, in a minute. Deanna says, doctors always make the worst patients, and Portia says, while she was in that basement with Jordan, she performed chest compression, and monitored her breathing all the way to the hospital. It would really help her to know Jordan’s condition. Deanna tells her to put the mask back on, and she’ll check. Deal? Portia says, okay.

Maxie thanks Brook for the coffee, but doesn’t think it’s going to calm her down. Brook says, it’s not about calming her down. It’s about being alert while they wait. Maxie says, they’re not family. The hospital isn’t going to give them any information on Jordan’s or Portia’s conditions. Brook says, she’s concerned about them, but they’re waiting for Austin. Maxie was just about to invite him to Jason and Carly’s wedding.

Austin comes out from Jordan’s cubicle, and Curtis asks how she is. Austin says, they’re treating her with pure oxygen to get the levels in her blood back up. Curtis asks how long it will take, but Austin tells him, it’s hard to say. It varies from patient to patient. They’re waiting to get her bloodwork back to find out how much carbon dioxide is still in her system. Curtis says he’d like to see her, and Austin says he’s sure Curtis would, but he can’t allow that. He’s sorry. From his understanding, Curtis and Jordan are divorced, and it’s family only. Curtis says Austin understood wrong. They’re not divorced; he’s still her husband. Austin says, mazel tov. Go ahead.

Curtis goes in to see Jordan, and tells her, the doctor says she’s doing great. He sits down, and takes her hand. He says her heartbeat is steady. He just needs her to wake up. He kisses her hand, looks up, and says, please.

Phyllis hugs Sonny, and says, that’s wonderful news. How did Nina respond? Did she say she loves him back? Sonny says, she did, and Phyllis says, just as she predicted. He says, she predicted this? and she says, not to him and Nina. She wanted them to figure it out for themselves, but now that they have, why isn’t he with her? He says, because her friend Jax is back. He’s talking a lot, and it’s not good. She says, that man never takes no for an answer. She can’t tell him how many times she and Nina have told him to back off. He says, so has he, but now Nina wants him to back off to talk to Jax in private. She asks if they’re at the Tan-O, and he nods. She starts to walk away, and he says, no one wants to go back to the Tan-O more than he does, but Nina told him that she wants to talk to Jax alone, so he’s going to respect her wishes – for now.

Jax asks if Nina hears herself. Sonny can stay dead? He’s not dead. He was just here. Jax was talking to him. Please don’t tell him that Sonny is some made up person named Mike. Nina says, Mike’s not made up, and he’s nothing like Sonny. Jax says he was pretty quick to threaten him. He told Jax to leave before he got shot again. That sounds like the old Sonny he’s always known. She says, he didn’t mean anything. Mike is just protective of the people he loves. Jax says, stop calling him Mike, and she says, Mike is free from the mob. Mike is free from the violence that’s followed Sonny his whole life. And Mike isn’t grieving a son who was killed. He isn’t focused on revenge, power, and greed. Mike can be the good man inside that he always has been. Jax says Mike gave Nina what he could – honesty – and she’s paying back his honesty with lies.

Jason tells Carly, if they get married, it’s going to be real; she doesn’t have to worry. She says, and they can stay best friends, figure out how to be husband and wife, fall in love and all that stuff. That’s scary. He says he knows, and she says she’s looking forward to it. He says, him too, and she asks if this is happening. He says, does she need to hear it? and she says she does. He says, Carly, will you marry me? and she says, with all her heart, and they hug.

Maxie tells Brook, while they’re waiting, tell her about Louise… She means, Bailey. Starting from when she woke up this morning. Was she smiling, hungry, fussy? She wants to know everything.

TJ goes in to see Portia, and asks if she’s okay. What happened? She says she’ll be fine, but his mom was with her, and she’s been injured.

Curtis asks Jordan to open her eyes. She’s nothing if not a survivor. She’s beat the odds so many times, he needs her to beat them again. He needs her to wake up, smile at him, and tell him, she’s got this. Austin says Jordan’s blood results are back, and asks to talk to him outside. Curtis goes out with him, and says Austin’s doctor face tells him the news isn’t good. Austin says, the normal level of carbon dioxide in an adult who doesn’t smoke is less than 2%. Curtis says, and Jordan’s? and Austin says, her level is 58%. Curtis says, that doesn’t sound good, and Austin says, they’re going to do everything they can. They’re going to get her levels down quickly, and if that doesn’t work, they’ll put her in a hyperbaric chamber, because if they don’t do that, they could lose her. Curtis says, she can’t die.

Nina tells Jax, Mike is happy here. Mike has found peace with himself in a way Sonny never has. He asks if she remembers how happy she was when she found out Sasha was her daughter. She was so happy to have her child in her life; they were the perfect mother/daughter match. But did her happiness justify Valentin’s actions? She was torn apart when she found out the truth, but she wasn’t interested in Valentin’s good intentions. She only cared that he manipulated her and lied to her; told her what she could and couldn’t know about her own life. Is that what she wants for Sonny? She says, of course (🍷) not. She can’t bear to see the pain in his eyes. He says, but she will. That’s inevitable. She starts to cry, and he says, eventually, Sonny is going to find out the truth about who he really is. She says she can’t lose Mike; she won’t. He says she won’t lose Mike, because he doesn’t exist. He never has.

Gladys says, Brando and Sasha hardly know each other. Why would they want to move in together? Sasha says, what better way to get to know each other? and Brando says, they’re having a baby. It makes sense to keep the family together. Gladys says she’s family, and he’s not thinking twice about kicking her out, and Sasha says, maybe Gladys’s new friend Vincent Novak can help her find a place. Gladys says, maybe he will. Vincent at least knows how to treat a lady right. Brando asks if she didn’t learn anything with her involvement with Cyrus, and Gladys says, her involvement with Mr. Renault was a business transaction. Vincent doesn’t want anything from her except the pleasure of her company, and she’s not discussing this with him anymore. Know what else she’s not discussing? Moving out. It’s not like he’s even there most of the time. Sasha says, Brando’s been busy with his side gigs, and Gladys says, side gigs? Why does he need extra work? The garage is doing just fine, isn’t it? He says he needs to save up some money for the baby, so he needs extra cash, and Sasha says, Brando has some amazing hidden talents. Her son is quite the entertainer. Gladys asks what that’s supposed to mean, and Brando says he’s a stripper. Gladys chokes on her drink.

Novak says, Mr. Renault wants to remain in control, calling the shots, even from prison. Woo says, at least they know he’s contained. They don’t have to worry about the threat his operation once posed to their own. Novak says, once they get rid of Jason and Carly, Port Charles will finally be open to them. They can split it three ways, and operate as they see fit. Buscema says they only have one chance to bring down the Corinthos organization, and Novak says, tonight, when the heads of the Five Families rigatoni with vodka sauce are at the wedding, they’ll make their move.

Sonny looks at his phone, and Phyllis says, any word from Nina? He says he’s afraid not. If he doesn’t hear from her soon, he’s going over to the Tan-O, and make sure she’s okay. Phyllis says, good. That Mr. Jax is way too pushy for her taste. He says Nina said she could handle him, and she says she’s sure Nina can, but only to a point. He’ll try to wear Nina down, and draw on their history together. She knows Nina has conflicting feelings where he’s concerned, and she’s worried Mr. Jax could undermine her belief and the life she’s made for herself. She asks how long he’s going to wait, and he looks at his empty wrist. She asks where his watch is, and he flashes back to throwing it in the water. He says he decided to let it go, let the past go, and concentrate on the future with Nina.

Carly says she needs to text Josslyn, and tell her she’s sorry for taking off, but Jason says he already texted that he found Carly. Carly says Josslyn called him when she realized Carly wasn’t home? but Jason says, actually, he stopped by to pick up his suit. She says, his suit was at the house; their house. She knows he’s been staying there for months, but staying there is very different from living there. He says, there’s a big difference, and she says, this is creepy. It’s just hitting her. They’re getting married. She was so caught up in the politics, and the Five Families caprese salad mix, and wondering if she could go through with it, but this is happening. It’s real. Today’s their wedding day.

Austin tells Curtis, in this moment, it’s his duty as a physician to inform him of the worst case scenario. He has every right to know what kind of jeopardy Jordan is in, but he doesn’t believe there’s any medical value in guesswork or trying to predict an outcome. He does believe there’s incredible medical significance in someone who cares about the patient – like him – hoping for the best. So let’s just do that. TJ comes running up, and asks, how’s his mom? Austin says he and Curtis were just discussing her condition. His mom has severe carbon monoxide poisoning. TJ says, she’s only got one kidney. Is she in danger of renal failure? Austin says, it’s a possibility her renal function has been compromised, but they’re monitoring it. Curtis tells TJ to go see his mom, and TJ goes in to see Jordan. Austin says he’s going for a consult with a nephrologist. He’ll be paged if there are any changes.

Brook tells Maxie, Bailey/Louise goes right to sleep. Then wakes up about an hour later, fussing. She and Valentin find it hard not to go in. Maxie says, they just let her cry? but Brook says, absolutely not, but if she wakes up, and she’s not crying, just making noises for attention, they try to wait it out and see if she’ll fall asleep on her own. Maxie says, no. She’s too young for self-soothing. When James was that age, she let him fall asleep in her arms. Brook tells her, experts say, it’s really important to get a child into a routine, and Maxie says, she knows routines are important. She has two other children. Brook asks if Maxie is implying she’s a bad mom.

Gladys coughs for a while, and says, a stripper? Sasha says, he’s really good. Everyone at Carly’s bachelorette party was thrilled. He was very entertaining. Gladys says, he stripped for Carly? and Sasha says, she was very appreciative. Gladys says, of course (🍷). Of course (🍷) she’s the type to hire a stripper. She has no class at all. Brando says, actually, Olivia Quartermaine hired him, and Gladys says, that’s beside the point. He could do anything; why this? He says, he’s at the garage all day. He needs night and weekend gigs, and there aren’t many of those that pay well. Stripping does. Gladys says, what about Miss Face of Deception? Can’t she cough up the cash?

Sonny tells Phyllis that he’s tired of thinking about a past he can’t remember, and she says, that’s quite a gesture. He says, what is a watch compared to the woman he loves, and who loves him? She says, his watch was from his past, and he wants to show Nina that he’s ready to move forward with her. He says he’s got everything he needs right there with Nina, and Phyllis puts her arm around him, saying, she’s so glad her two favorite people found each other. Sonny says, come hell or high water, he’s not letting Nina go.

Nina says Jax doesn’t understand. Mike brought her back to life. When she lost her daughter and lost him, she was so upset and heartbroken, and Mike changed all that. The love they share is real. Jax says, then it should survive the truth. If Nina really thinks Sonny will chose her over his old life, at least give him the information he needs to make that choice. She says, but it won’t be a choice. The instant people know Sonny is alive, Mike will be trapped in that world again. Jax says, because that is his world. Sonny chose it over and over. He made himself kingpin. He was ruthless and ambitious, and he got exactly what he wanted. He’s not going to stand by and let Carly marry Jason, so she can manage his territory, when he’s alive and can manage it himself. She says, of course (🍷). This isn’t about Sonny, and this certainly isn’t about her. It’s about Carly.

Carly tells Jason, just to be clear, she’s still committed to the business aspect, and putting on a show for the Five Families panettone, but like he said, the wedding is about them. Jason says, it will be, and she says, they should celebrate. He says, trust him. Maxie will make sure they celebrate. She says, not Maxie’s celebration; their celebration. Right here at Jake’s, where it all began. He says, Jake’s is gone, and she says, it’s where they first met; where they had their first dance. She knows there’s no pool table or bar. He says, and there’s no music; he doesn’t hear any music either. She says she can hear music. He can just follow her lead. He says they’re going to dance at the reception, but she says, that’s a show for everybody else. This is just for them. She puts her arms around him, and sways back and forth. This is really stupid. She says she thinks he likes dancing, and he says he does not like to dance, but he can’t say no to her. She leans in for another kiss, but his phone rings. It’s Tony, and he asks, what is it?… What’s wrong with her?… Okay. Thanks. He tells Carly that one of their people saw Jordan being brought into General Hospital. It looks like she was attacked. She asks if he thinks Cyrus was involved, but he doesn’t know. He suggests they go find out.

Nina says she’s such an idiot. She should have known this is all about Carly for Jax. He says, that’s not true. He knows she’s scared because she knows her happiness with Sonny can’t last. Even if he kept Sonny’s identity a secret, eventually, he’s going to remember. She says he doesn’t know that; no one does. He says he understands if she wants to ignore Carly’s feelings, but she can’t ignore Sonny’s kids. His kids are in Port Charles grieving their father. Donna and Avery are small children, and deserve their dad in their lives. She says, doesn’t he think she knows that? and he says, remember what it felt like to have Wiley back in her life? That’s Sonny’s grandson. Doesn’t he have the right to know Sonny, and doesn’t Sonny – not Mike, Sonny – have the right to know Wiley?   

Brando says, Sasha’s finances are none of Gladys’s business, and Sasha says, they intend to co-parent, and split the cost down the middle. Gladys says, and Sasha thinks that’s fair? Her son is taking his pants off, when she makes more than enough dough to keep her grandson in designer onesies. Brando says, no one asked for her opinion. It’s their baby, and they’re going to make decisions on what’s important to them. Mr. Novak comes by the table, and says, Gladys. What a pleasant surprise. She’s looking lovely, as always. She says, that’s so sweet. Just wait until he sees what she’s wearing to Carly and Jason’s wedding. Novak says, just remember, it’s bad form to overshadow the bride.

TJ tells Jordan, here they are again. Like when she was waiting on a kidney transplant. She pulled through then, and she’ll pull through now, right? Who else is going to make sure he puts his head on right? And he’s not above playing the guilt card, because she knows how much he loves her, and how destroyed he’d be if she left. So she can’t stay there. Just… stay.

Maxie says, she could not stand by if her infant was upset, but Brook says, she’s not just sitting there, filing her nails. She just thinks it’s better to let the baby fall asleep on her own if she can. Maxie asks if it’s easier for Brook to ignore Bailey because she’s not Bailey’s own mother, but Brook says, she doesn’t ignore Bailey. And as long as Peter is still out there, and is a threat to Maxie and her baby, she is Bailey Lois’s mother. And she’ll parent Bailey the best way she can.

Carly and Jason walk into the hospital, and Carly sees Portia. She tells Portia, they heard Jordan was brought to the ER. What happened? Portia says she was with Jordan. They were trapped in a basement with a gas leak. If Curtis hadn’t found them, they would have died. Jason asks if they know who’s behind it.

Curtis asks Austin what the nephrologist thought, and Austin says, if Jordan’s kidney function doesn’t improve, they’ll put her on dialysis. Curtis goes in to see Jordan, and TJ gets up. Curtis says he doesn’t have to go, but TJ says, he’ll be right back. Curtis goes over to Jordan, and asks if she’s really going to keep all the people who love her worried.

TJ calls Shawn, and says he’s in the ER. His mom’s there. They brought her in because she had carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s bad for anyone, but having one kidney makes it worse… Thanks. He hangs up.

Curtis says, even though he and Jordan couldn’t be together anymore, he never stopped loving her. He couldn’t if tried.

Sonny laughs, and asks Phyllis, what? She says, nothing. She just loves seeing him so happy. He says he has to give Nina the credit, and Phyllis says she’ll be sure to thank Nina. Not to meddle, but doesn’t he think it’s time he made sure Nina is okay? He says, Jax should be getting home by now. He’ll see Phyllis later. He leaves, but his phone is still on the bench.  

Nina tells Jax, congratulations; you won. She can’t think of anything that would justify keeping Sonny away from his kids, and denying Avery and Donna and Wiley the chance to know him. So Mike is going to find out the truth, that he has a whole other world she was keeping from him. He has people who love him, who are waiting for him. Their life there in Nixon Falls, their time together, was just an illusion. Jax says he’s sorry; he really is. If she thinks he did this to hurt her, she couldn’t be more wrong. She says, do her a favor. Let her tell him in private. If he has any feelings left for her, give her this. He nods, and says, here’s her chance. We hear the door. 

Portia tells Carly and Jason, there was a body in the basement. They believe it to be a man named Roger Barstow. She and Curtis went there to speak with him, and Jordan was there on a different case. Carly asks if it has anything to do with Cyrus, and Portia says she thought Cyrus was in prison. Jason says, that doesn’t mean he’s powerless, and Portia says, this Barstow was an employee of a medical clinic by the name of Creighton-Clark. Carly and Jason look at each other.  

Brook says, it was Maxie’s decision to give Brook her daughter, and let Brook pretend she’s hers and Valentin’s. But she should know, Brook loves Bailey, and will always do what’s best for her. Maxie says she knows Brook is doing the best she can, but Brook’s not her mother; Maxie is. She should be making decisions about Bailey’s care. Brook asks if Maxie thinks it’s time she claimed Bailey as her own. 

Shawn arrives at the hospital, and TJ thanks him for coming. Shawn thanks TJ for calling him. Does he know what happened? TJ says, not really. Someone told him that his mother and Portia were being treated there because they were in some accident. Shawn says, Portia’s here? and TJ says, Portia told him that she and Curtis were going to question some guy. Then his mom showed up, and he doesn’t know how it happened, but his mom took a blow to the head; she’s got a concussion. Of course (🍷) they’re monitoring that, but the real problem is carbon monoxide poisoning. Does Shawn think it’s connected to the work he was doing with TJ’s mom? Shawn says, it has to be. TJ’s mom was going to question a man named Roger Barstow who had a possible connection to Naomie Dreyfuss. He has no idea how Curtis and Portia got involved. TJ says, it’s a good thing they did. He thinks they saved his mom’s life.  

Curtis tells Jordan not to break his heart again, or TJ’s. She still has so many great things to do in this world. He knows how she hates leaving Anything unfinished. So fight as hard as he knows she can.

Nina and Jax leave the Tan-O, and Nina says, please. Let her be the one to tell him. Jax says, okay. She gets to tell Sonny about his past on her own terms, but he’s not leaving Nixon Falls until he knows she told him. She says she’s not going back on her word, she just needs to do it in her own way. He says, yes, but she needs to do it right now. She says, give her some space, please, and she’ll do it, and he leaves.

Maxie tells Brook, she’s not sure it’s safe yet. Maybe they should… Austin approaches, and Brook says she just remembered, she needs to check in with Yuri. She doesn’t want him searching the hospital for her. Maxie asks how Jordan is, but Austin says, that’s confidential. She says, right; family only. Maybe they could go back to the question she was asking before they got interrupted. Will he go to Jason and Carly’s wedding with her? Brook listens from around the corner, and he says, is that an actual question? Maxie says, why wouldn’t it be? and he says she made it clear that seeing him was a painful reminder of her losing Louise. He doesn’t understand why she’d want to attend a wedding with him.

Gladys tells Mr. Novak, this is her son Brando, and his… Sasha Gilmore. He says it’s a pleasure to meet them, and Glady’s invites him to join them. Brando says, unfortunately, he and Sasha can’t stay, and Sasha says, they have an appointment. Novak says, of course (🍷). Another time. Brando quietly tells Gladys, be careful, and he and Sasha leave. Novak wonders if Gladys’s son has a problem with him, and she says, Brando has a short fuse these days. He’s been working hard to support his baby-to-be. He deserves better. Novak says, circumstances can always change, and she asks, how so? He says, stick with me, doll, and good things will come to you and your family.

Portia asks if Jason and Carly think she and Trina are still in danger from Cyrus. Jason says he doubts it, but if he hears something, he’ll let her know. Portia thanks him, says she’s going to check on Jordan, and leaves. Carly says, how random that they’re investigating a guy with ties to Creighton-Clark. Drew was there at one time. He says he heard, and she wonders what that investigation is about. He says they have their own things to focus on right now, when her phone dings. She says, it’s Josslyn, letting them know that they’re now officially late. He says, then they should get going, and she says, see him at the altar. She leaves, and Jason’s phone rings. He says, yeah… He’s listening.

TJ tells Shawn that he let his supervisor know there was a family emergency, so another doctor is taking over rounds for him. Shawn says his mom is tough; she can get through this. TJ says, that’s what he tells himself, but still… Shawn hugs him, and Portia watches. She goes in to Jordan’s cubicle, but stops when she sees Curtis is there.

Curtis cries, saying, Jordan’s family needs her. He needs her. The way he sees it, she has no choice; she’s got to come back to them. She moves a finger, then opens her eyes. He kisses her hand. Portia watches them.   

Nina comes back into the Tan-O, and looks at the picture of her and Mike/Sonny on her phone. She makes a call, and Phyllis says, Nina? Nina asks if Mike is there, and Phyllis says, no. He accidently left his phone, but he’s on his way to the Tan-O. Is everything all right? Nina says, everything is fine. She hears the door open, and says, never mind. He’s here now. They’ll talk soon. She turns around, but it’s Peter.

I’d actually forgotten all about him. I guess St. Lucia didn’t pan out too well…  

On Monday, Trina tells Josslyn that Spencer lied about something else, Maxie asks Brook if ELQ is worth all the devastation, and Peter wonders how best to handle Nina.

👠 Anything You Can Do…

I honestly don’t know whose troubles are worse, and I dislike both of them equally.

https://pagesix.com/2021/09/03/jen-shah-compares-her-and-erika-jaynes-legal-problems/

👮🏽‍♂️ Here’s Shah More…

One Wife’s opinion.

https://pagesix.com/2021/09/10/whitney-rose-calls-jen-shah-fakest-in-rhoslc-cast/

The arrest.

https://pagesix.com/2021/09/08/jen-shah-arrested-in-real-housewives-of-salt-lake-city-clip/

🍲 Recipe For Disaster…

Someone at Bravo said, I have an idea…

https://ew.com/tv/real-housewives-ultimate-girls-trip-cast-photo-peacock/

And the Biggest Drama Queen goes to…

https://www.eonline.com/news/1301748/melissa-gorga-reveals-which-real-housewife-caused-the-most-drama-on-ultimate-girls-trip

🎭 Broadway Kandi…

Kandi brings her talent as a producer to the stage.

https://pagesix.com/2021/09/09/kandi-burruss-making-her-broadway-debut-as-a-producer/
Kandi Burruss Joins ‘Thoughts Of A Colored Man’ Broadway Producing Team

💥 Blasts From the Past…

Some fun 90s throwback pics of reality stars.

https://www.essence.com/articles/90s-reality-tv-throwbacks/

🐕 No More Agonized Sighs…

Griff has a new best friend. Who doesn’t love a puppy?

Matt Cohen’s New Puppy Is the Cutest!

🐙 Quotes of the Week

Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. – Les Brown

When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. – John Muir

A woman’s heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her. – Maya Angelou

If you fall, make it part of the dance. – LuAnn de Lesseps

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself. – Harvey Fierstein

Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use. – Ruth Gordon

Mind is a flexible mirror, adjust it, to see a better world. – Amit Ray

Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. – Albert Einstein

October 2021
Never Forgetting

🔌 Unplugging…

Whether a respite from work or just two more days coming up, do something that brings you, if not joy, at least a modicum of curiosity and novelty. See you when the Dead are walking. Until then, stay safe, stay appreciating the small things, and stay remembering that it’s bad form to overshadow the bride.

Sep12

September 11, 2019 – Dustin Crashes a Party, D’Andra Gets Roasted (Sort Of), Thomas Pleads Guilty & Suite New York

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Reporters mob Laura, asking if the rumor about an Avian flu outbreak is true. She says, there was one case identified. The patient was isolated and successfully treated. There’s nothing to be concerned about.

Valentin, Nina, and Charlotte arrive at Charlie’s for Rocco’s birthday party. Charlotte asks if Nina thinks he’ll like what they got him, and Nina says, who wouldn’t like a Yankees jacket?  Sonny says he can’t call Rocco little anymore; he’s a big boy. Lulu says she doesn’t like it. He’s growing up too fast. Sonny is surprised to see Valentin there, and Valentin asks if Sonny has a moment. He’d like to talk before the festivities. Nina takes Charlotte to give Rocco his present, and Sonny tells Valentin, he’s listening. Valentin says he has a favor to ask.

Laura assures the reporters, the flu is contained, and there’s no risk of an outbreak. A reporter asks if she has any comment on Drew’s plane vanishing.

On the phone, Jax tells someone to keep looking. He’ll spare no expense. Curtis comes in, and asks, what’s going on? Jax says he’s hired a private charter company to scout the area where the wreckage was spotted, but they’re not offering much hope. Curtis says, that’s because they don’t know Drew. Curtis hasn’t counted Drew out yet.

Laura says, obviously, Aurora Media is an important business to Port Charles, as is their CEO. She’s hopeful about his return. A reporter asks if the knife attack on Andre is connected, but Jordan intervenes, saying they have work to do, and their questions will be answered at the scheduled press conference. She and Laura go into the station, and Laura thanks Jordan. Jordan says, the reporters are just doing their job, and Laura says she needs to do hers. She asks for a rundown of everything that’s happened in the past few days. Um… has she not been paying attention?

Sam sees Elizabeth at the hospital. She says she came there to see Andre, but he wasn’t in his room. Elizabeth says he’s in for tests, and it might take a while. Sam says Jason told her about the wreckage, but Elizabeth wonders if they’re sure it was his plane. Sam says, no bodies were found. Drew may still be alive. He wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Franco tells Kim, it might sound crazy, but he’s not crazy. He knows the body he’s in isn’t his, and the body of the man who held her, the father of her child, is gone. He’s at the bottom of the ocean. Kim says, it doesn’t make sense, and he says, it’s a lot to take in. Kim says, it can’t be. He holds her, and says, it’s okay.

Josslyn sits by the Oscar’s Meadow plaque. Trina and Cameron show up, and Trina says she told him Josslyn would be there. Josslyn says, she was just… Trina says, ditching the first day of school. Josslyn says she can explain, but Trina says she doesn’t have to. One minute they were talking about the paisley romper situation on their homeroom teacher, and the next, she was gone. Cameron says, if it’s any consolation, everyone is asking about Franco. Trina says, on the plus side, Josslyn’s cousin is causing a stir. Cameron says, every girl wants to show him around. Trina says, there’s also a hot new English teacher. She’s sitting in the front row. Cameron says, tomorrow will be better. It’s only up from there. Josslyn says she couldn’t take hearing everyone talking about tryouts, who’s on student council, and what they did over the summer. They’re just moving on with their lives, when Oscar isn’t.

Olivia tells Laura that she can’t believe Julian picked today of all days to schedule the inspection. Laura says, he’s eager to leave town with Kim, and Olivia says, luckily, it went smoothly. Laura says Olivia seems excited about buying the place. She can’t wait to see what Olivia does with it. Charlotte and Leo give Rocco their presents, but he doesn’t seem into it. Olivia suggests they take their presents to the present table, and grab something to eat, adding, save room for ziti. Laura asks Rocco if something is wrong, and Rocco says, no. She says he seems quiet, and Olivia says this is a family party; he’ll see his friends tomorrow. He gets two parties. Rocco says not all of the family is there.

Valentin and Sonny step outside. Valentin says they have a common enemy – Cassandra Pierce. Sonny says she’s Valentin’s enemy. Michael was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Valentin says, Michael is a witness now. For everyone’s sake, Sonny needs to do what he does best, and take care of Cassandra.

Curtis asks Jax where they left off with the codicil. Hayden says, the theory is that Helena hid it on Cassadine property. She made reference to  keeping it close. Curtis says, they never did tell him how Spencer found out, but Jax suggests Curtis focus on the search, and they’ll worry about the rest. He wants to rule out Spoon Island, and tells Curtis, focus on that. Hayden wants to check in with her sister, and Curtis says he should be on his way too. They can’t risk Valentin seeing them together, but Jax says they have unfinished business.

Sam says, Drew was flying to Afghanistan to right a wrong, even if he doesn’t remember it. Elizabeth says with Andre back, she has a chance to put her family back together. She can’t believe they might have lost Drew. Sam tells her, don’t go there yet, and Elizabeth says, if the worst happened, at least it wasn’t in vain. He gave them a chance to save Franco. She tells Sam, just say it. She doesn’t think having Franco back is worth it if Drew died.

Kim says Franco is wrong. Drew can’t be dead. Franco says, he was flying over the gulf and dropped off the radar. When the wreckage was found, it was confirmed to be Drew’s plane. Kim says, no, and sits on the bed. She slides to the floor, and Franco says, it’s okay. He’s there, and he’s not going anywhere. She cries in his arms. I see her keeping her distance is going well. And why would Chase even discuss this in front of her?

Rocco wishes his dad was there. Lulu says they talked about this. His dad is still sick, and has to get better before coming home. Rocco asks how long he’s going to be sick for? Olivia knows it will work out, and thinks they can make an exception for him to open one present now. She puts a soap opera wrapped box in front of him. You know the kind. It’s wrapped, but the lid comes right off; no unwrapping necessary. Rocco opens the card, and it says, to the best son in the world; love, Dad. It’s a new baseball glove. He says he likes it, but dad already gave him a glove. Olivia says, it’s a better one. His dad wanted him to have the best of the best. Rocco tells her, if she talks to him, tell him thanks, and runs off. Lulu asks, what the hell was that? Olivia just lied to Rocco.

Laura tells Jordan, in a perfect world, the press would give Drew’s family space, but Jordan says she can’t fault them for being curious. Laura says, Aurora is one of Port Charles’s biggest companies, and its CEO’s plane vanished? Jordan says, unfortunately, there’s not much they can do, but the WSB has made it a high-priority investigation. Laura says, at the same time Drew’s plane went down, Andre was stabbed. She asks if there’s any evidence the two things are connected. Jordan says Andre’s description of his attacker is their only lead. It’s someone who has a vested interest in keeping Franco the same. Laura wonders, who could that be?

There’s a knock at Franco’s hotel room door, and he tells Kim, they’ll go away. The knocking continues, and Kim gets up, telling him if he’s not getting it, she will. It’s Chase, and Franco asks how his jaw is. Chase says, recovering. He asks if he can come in, and Franco asks, what’s up? Chase says, the ankle monitor is coming off soon, and Franco says he’s counting the hours. Chase says, he’d like to ask Franco a few questions. He thinks they should talk privately, but Kim asks if it’s about Drew. Franco says he told Kim that Drew’s plane went down. Chase says they’ve coordinated with the authorities internationally. They’re searching the area at the moment, but there’s no evidence of survivors. Franco asks if Chase came all this way to say that. Chase says Drew went to find Andre so Andre could treat him. Franco says he heard, and Chase says, it tuns out that Drew’s plane went down at the same time Andre was stabbed.

Sam tells Elizabeth, she’s not getting into this, but Elizabeth wants her to tell what she’s thinking. Sam says she’s thinking she doesn’t want to tell Scout that her father’s not coming home. Elizabeth doesn’t want to tell her boys that one more person they care about is gone, but at least Drew died trying to save Franco. Sam says, Franco’s life isn’t worth Drew’s death. There; she said it. Elizabeth says he’s spent years trying to be a better person, and Sam asks if Elizabeth forgot what Franco did to her. She has to live with the memory. Elizabeth asks if Sam is hoping it’s permanent, and Franco thinks he’s Drew for the rest of his life. Sam says, maybe he’d be happier. Everyone else would. Elizabeth should accept he’s gone and move on. Hayden appears, and asks if they have a problem here?

Olivia asks Lulu, what’s the problem? and Lulu says she doesn’t lie to her son. She was hoping his Nona didn’t either. Olivia says she’s seen a lot of pictures of Rocco with Santa, and Lulu says, that’s a different concept. She’s talking about Rocco’s father. Olivia says, it’s a white lie, and Lulu says she knows it’s well-intentioned, but it’s manipulative. Olivia says maybe Lulu has decided she doesn’t want to be a part of the family, but Rocco is. Charlotte yells at one of the other kids to let Rocco have a turn, and Olivia asks, who the hell is that?

Jax asks who Curtis is working for; him, Valentin, or someone else? Curtis says they’re on the same side. He made a mistake, and it won’t happen again. Jax asks if Curtis understands that it could damage or end his friendship with Nina. Curtis says, she’ll get over it. Like she’s going to get over Valentin when she finds out what kind of man he is. He’s ruthless. She has money, and doesn’t need Valentin’s fortune. Jax says they need to get to work going over Helena’s history. They’ve been brainstorming about where she hid the codicil. It’s a big world, and the Cassadines have property on every continent. Curtis says they need an expert on Helena. He knows just the person.

Laura asks Jordan if Finn is sure the virus won’t spread. Jordan says, 100%. Sasha was a target, and it was deliberately administered by Cassandra in retaliation. Apparently, Anna and Valentin were working together to bust Cassandra. Laura wonders, why go after someone several steps removed? Why not Nina or Charlotte? Jordan says, good question. And why was Anna spared? She thinks Valentin isn’t telling them the whole story about what happened with Cassandra.

Nina finds Valentin and Sonny outside, and asks, what’s going on? Sonny says her fiancé was asking him a favor. Valentin says if Cassandra was no longer a threat, he’d be indebted. Sonny says he has the wrong guy. He doesn’t know what rumors Valentin heard, but he imports coffee. I’m surprised they’re not all laughing.

Sam tells Hayden that she was just on her way out, but Hayden says it didn’t look that way. It looked like she was arguing with her sister. Sam says it doesn’t concern Hayden, and Elizabeth says she just overreacted. Hayden says, no one jumps on her sister, and Drew is the last person who would want them to. Sam asks if they forgot why they came to Port Charles in the first place. Sam’s phone dings, and she say she has someplace to be. She tells Elizabeth, for what it’s worth, she just wanted check in on her. Elizabeth flashes back to telling Franco (when he had long hair!) that he was a good friend to her when the town hated her. He says she deserves a break. Everyone needs a friend. He says he moved on from being a horror show, and she believes he changed. She says she knows he has. Elizabeth remembers Franco as Drew telling her he wants to get back his life. She says he’s robbing her of her husband, but he says, sorry; it’s not him. He doesn’t even remember marrying her. He’s not trying to hurt her or her children. He puts his ring on the coffee table, and says he just wants to get on with his life.

Chase asks if Franco knew Andre personally, but Franco has no idea if they ever met. Chase says he’s referring to Andre’s relationship with Andrew Cane. Franco says as far as he knows, they never met, but he’s heard Andre was instrumental in developing the memory transfer program that started this mess. Why? Chase says he’s running down possible connections, and Kim says, he has no right to question Drew. He had nothing to do with this. Franco is all pleased that she called him Drew.

Dustin and Rocco thumb wrestle. Olivia asks who he is, and what is he doing with the kids? Rocco says, he’s mommy new friend. Lulu introduces him and says they met on story she was working on. She tells Dustin that Olivia is her mother-in-law… Rocco’s grandmother, and Sonny is his grandfather. He says he’s sorry he interrupted a private party. Olivia says, it kind of is, and Lulu says, it’s a family birthday party. Rocco asks if Dustin can stay, but Lulu is sure he has other places to be. He says he wouldn’t mind staying.

Kim tells Chase, Franco had nothing to do with Andre being stabbed or the plane going down. Chase says he never claimed Franco did. He’s following every lead, and they don’t have much at the moment. Franco has been vocal about not wanting to be a part of the memory reversal. Kim asks what time Andre was stabbed. Chase tells her, and she says, Franco’s not the guy. He was in Oscar’s Meadow at the time. If Chase doesn’t believe her, she’s sure there’s evidence on the security camera. Chase says he believes them. He doesn’t consider Franco a suspect. Andre described his attacker, and he was hoping Franco might help. Franco and Kim look at a picture on Chase’s phone, and Franco says, no. He’s never seen the man. Chase says he’ll pass on Franco’s alibi to Jordan. If he has more questions… Kim tells him to contact Franco’s attorney, Scott Baldwin. Chase leaves, and Kim looks at Franco. He smiles.

Laura gives a present to Leo. She sees Valentin and Nina, and tells them that she’s glad to hear Sasha is better. Nina says they’re all relieved. Laura says they believe Cassandra was targeting Sasha because she wanted revenge. She finds it curious that Cassandra wouldn’t be going for someone more responsible for her capture. There was no mention of Nina. Valentin says, that’s because she wasn’t involved. Laura says, time will tell. Enjoy the party.

Sam goes to Jax’s office and says, he wanted to see her? He thanks her for coming, but wishes it were under better circumstances. He tells her, everyone at Aurora is devastated about Drew, and asks how she’s holding up. She says, okay. She’s trying to stay positive. He says he’s providing private resources to help with the search, but does have some considerations to account for. Drew’s absence has already thrown Aurora into disarray. He has a possible solution, but would need her help.

Hayden asks if Elizabeth is okay, and Elizabeth says she’s fine. Hayden asks what Sam said that riled her up? Elizabeth says Sam pushed, but she did most of the talking. There’s always tension between them. They try to bury it and be civil, but there’s always an undercurrent waiting for one of them to say the wrong thing, and they go off. Hayden says she’d offer to beat her up, but Sam would wipe the floor with her. Elizabeth says, accurate, but she appreciates the sentiment. Hayden says, what are sisters for?

Josslyn and Trina talk about the hot English teacher. Cameron tells them his mom just texted, and needs him at home right away. Josslyn asks, what’s going on? and he tells them, she just said she needed to talk to him and his brothers. Trina says, maybe it’s news about Franco. He says he’ll see both of them in school – he hopes. Josslyn says she should head home too. She’s been dodging texts and calls from her mother all afternoon. Trina says ignoring Carly is bold, and Josslyn says she might as well get Carly’s wrath over with, but Trina suggests they grab a snack and talk more about what happened to her today.

Laura tells Lulu this is the happiest she’s seen Rocco in months, and Lulu says, her too. Valentin asks if they can discuss Charlotte’s schedule. Nina says they want to adjust it a little. Valentin says they have a wedding coming up, and want to make sure Charlotte is there. Laura asks if they’re sure it’s a good idea. Cassandra could come back. Valentin says they considered it, but don’t want to put their lives on hold.

Jax tells Sam, outside the Quartermaines, Drew’s only living family is Scout; she’s his sole heir. Sam says, that’s correct. Jax says he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, but wants to protect Scout’s birthright, and make sure the company is stabilized if Drew comes back. He’d like her to come back, and run Drew’s side of the company.

Franco thanks Kim for having his back with Chase. Kim asks how he can be so calm when Chase was practically accusing him. Franco says Chase was just doing his job. He had nothing to do with it, and it’s over. Kim says, he’s just going to let it go? Franco says he doesn’t see Andre as being innocent. If it wasn’t for Andre, he’d have come home and been there for her when she reached out. They would have had time together with their son. Andre took that away from them. At least that’s what he thought, but she called him Drew.

Lulu asks if there’s anything Dustin can’t do. Olivia tells Sonny that she doesn’t know if Rocco knows his parents are divorced, or if he even knows what divorce is. Now he sees his mother hanging out with a new guy. For all they know, she’s dating him. Sonny tells her not to jump to conclusions. Besides, Dante divorced Lulu. Olivia says, he just did it to be noble, and Sonny says, his motive, his choice. They can’t expect Lulu to put her life of hold because of Dante. Lulu and Dustin clean up, and she says she bets he didn’t know this was how he was going to spend his evening. He says it’s the least he can do after crashing the party, since he wasn’t invited. Lulu says Rocco wanted him to stay. He’s clearly happy. Dustin hopes Rocco’s not the only one. Trina and Josslyn come in, and Trina says the hot teacher she was talking about is here, and he’s getting his flirt on. Josslyn sees them and smiles.

Franco says he hasn’t lost sight of what happened. He understands the man he used to be is missing and presumed dead, but here he is. Whatever he is; some kind of leftover ghost. He thinks as humans, that’s all they really are; a collection of memories. He remembers every moment they had together. Kim says she has to go, but he says she doesn’t have to. She tells him that she’s said everything she needed say. Franco says, so did he, and she jets.

On the phone, Elizabeth tells Bobbie, she’ll be home soon. Hayden asks if everyone is okay, and Elizabeth says, Bobbie is dropping Jake and Aiden off. Cameron should be home by now. Hayden says, talk to her, and Elizabeth says, the boys are going through so much uncertainty. Franco has effectively disappeared, and been replaced be a stranger who doesn’t want to know them. Now she has to tell them Drew isn’t coming home. She doesn’t know how she’ll manage. Hayden does. They’ll do it together.

Sam tells Jax that she doesn’t know what to say. He says she’s experienced, and who better to fill the position? If Drew comes back, the company will be ready for him. If he doesn’t, she can opt to run it, or recruit someone. She wants to stop him there. She understands wanting to save the company, and appreciates him caring about Scout, but she can’t fathom any of it right now. Not until she knows more about what happened to Drew. Jax tells her, take her time, and just know if she needs anything, he’s there.

Nina and Valentin leave Charlie’s. Nina says, Laura is as suspicious as ever, but Valentin says, of him, not her. She can’t prove anything. Nina says she can never tell if Valentin actually has things under control, or he’s just good at faking it to reassure her. Valentin says he never has everything under control, but he’s taking care of it. Nina wants to get back to Sasha.

Laura asks Josslyn and Trina how the first day of school was. Trina asks how she knew it was the first day, and Laura says, she’s mayor. She’s expected to know that stuff. Trina says English is her favorite class, and Josslyn says, it’s too soon to call. She’ll have a better idea in a week or so. Laura says she’s her father’s daughter. She has a cool head, and a wait and see attitude. That’s a good business tactic. She tells Josslyn, don’t wait too long. Sometimes you have to jump in, and do your best. Curtis walks in, and Laura hugs him. He says he’s sorry to intrude, but her office said she’d be there. She says, the party is over anyway. He asks her to tell him everything she knows about Helena.

Tomorrow, Nina asks Valentin if he’s ready for this, Obrecht tells Sasha that they’re in this together, and Jax remains the sole CEO of Aurora.

The Real Housewives of Dallas

Kary, Stephanie and Kameron go for a workout. In her interview, Stephanie explains that electrical stimulation is used, and in twenty minutes she can get a great workout. That means she has more time to eat. The instructor tells them it contracts every muscle, and Kary wonders if she’ll have multiple orgasms. He says he can’t make any promises. In Kameron’s interview, she says she loves Kary. She has absolutely no filter whatsoever; she’s so entertaining. You don’t know what will come out of her mouth. This seems funny, coming from someone who freaked out about sex toys. Kameron and Stephanie get hooked up first. In Stephanie’s interview, she says she and Kameron have been working out together for a few months. It helps them to have a friendship outside of the group. Kameron tells them that her mother always told her, beauty is pain. In her interview, she says the device contracts the muscles so you feel like you’re hiking a mountain, but you’re not. She tells Stephanie that she’s going to the global pet expo, but she changed her ticket date so she could attend D’Andra’s roast. In Stephanie’s interview, she thinks D’Andra is a little crazy, since she doesn’t take criticism very well. She doesn’t think D’Andra knows what a roast is. She might think it’s a pot roast. Stephanie tells Kary that once she realizes the electrical current isn’t harming her, she’ll be fine. Kary says she was hoping for an orgasm, but instead, it’s killing her

Brandi and LeeAnne go out to eat at what looks like a Dave and Buster’s. In Brandi’s interview, she says she and LeeAnne are in a good space. They saw each other at a baby shower. They laughed, and joked, and had an amazing time. LeeAnne tells Brandi, they connected at the baby shower. She’s always had a soft place for Brandi, and Rich is loving it. He told her to invite Brandi to the wedding. In Brandi’s interview, she’s not sure if she’s on the B, D, or Z list. LeeAnne says she wants her and Brandi’s relationship to be about them, and no one else. If someone comes to Brandi and says LeeAnne called her a piece of sh*t, call her. She’s not doing that backstabbing and twisting bullsh*t anymore. She doesn’t want other relationships to filter what they have. She doesn’t think they need teams. They can be individuals. Brandi says they have so much fun. LeeAnne asks if Brandi thinks D’Andra’s apology was as sincere as it should be. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says, afterward, she went home and was thinking and processing. She thinks the apology wasn’t enough. She’s still hurt and angry. Brandi thinks D’Andra is trying to get there, but doesn’t think she’s somebody who shows emotion in a setting like that. In her interview, LeeAnne says, the damage D’Andra tried to inflict deserves more than one apology. She wants D’Andra to be specific, and wants her to do better. She tells Brandi that she’s still so angry.

Brandi tells nanny Alicia that she’s going shopping with Brooklyn. They’re having a one-on-one. In Brandi’s interview, she says Bruin takes a lot of her attention and time, and takes attention away from Brooklyn. What girl doesn’t bond over shopping? Possibly Brooklyn, since she wears earbuds in the car, and basically ignores Brandi in the store. In her interview, Brandi says, apparently, you take things out on the people you love the most, and apparently, that’s her. When she was Brooklyn’s age, she did a little lashing out, but her mom was her best friend, and she wants that for Brooklyn when she’s older. If she talked back, she got the belt on her butt, but she’s not doing that to her kids. She disciplines Brooklyn by taking away her tech or not letting her do something on the weekend. She asks if Brooklyn thinks she spends more time with Bruin, and Brooklyn says she doesn’t care.  She tells Brooklyn that if anything is bothering her, she can come to her mom. She feels like Brooklyn is moody. Brooklyn says Brandi is the one who’s moody. They buy a load of stuff, and Brandi tells the cashier that she isn’t guilty of bribery. In her interview, she says maybe Brooklyn will like her for five minutes. Ten if she’s lucky. Who says she can’t buy love?

LeeAnne and Rich go out to dinner. LeeAnne has difficulty maneuvering the cobblestone walk in her heels. Rich toasts to getting married, and LeeAnne says she’s excited. He shouldn’t want marry her; she’s crazy. He says, no argument. In her interview, LeeAnne says they met online, and when they met in person the first time, she thought he was hot. She wondered if she’d brushed her teeth or if she was wearing granny panties. She asks if she remembers what he asked her the first time they were in bed. He asked if she’d cheated on any of her boyfriends, and she told him that she cheated on every one of them. He says, for her to say she didn’t want to mess it up, and do that to him after doing it to everyone else, it was something even a cop would believe. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says Rich told her they weren’t having sex that night. She asks if he thought she’d be there after the first morning, and he says he didn’t. She tells him that she never thought she’d get married, She thought she’d have to take care of herself her whole life. In her interview, she says she doesn’t think she ever pictured herself getting married. It’s every little girl’s dream, but not hers. (Um… I did end up getting married, but it wasn’t mine either.) Rich has been married three times, but it’s her first. She’s going to be the first Cinderella from Dallas, and have the wedding of her dreams. (Or not her dreams, as it were.) Rich thinks she’ll like the vows he wrote. They’re heartfelt and sincere; the real things he loves about her. She’s going to cry. She tells him that she loves him, and asks where he sees them in five years. He says sitting in divorce court, thinking he never knew she could be that mean.

LeeAnne meets D’Andra – who I’m starting to not like – for lunch. D’Andra says she got LeeAnne’s text, and LeeAnne thanks her for coming. In her interview, LeeAnne says, the wedding is coming up, and D’Andra tried to destroy it. She needs to own that she lied about Rich. She tells D’Andra that she wanted to have a moment where no one else was around, and they could air what’s between them. She started thinking about D’Andra conversing to her about the wedding – we flash back to D’Andra telling LeeAnne that she wants her to be happy – and thought the wedding might not have existed if she didn’t have the foundation with Rich that she has. She wants D’Andra to understand that she’s still hurt and a little angry. It’s a struggle for her, and she wants D’Andra to know where she truly is. D’Andra says they’re hurt for different reasons. She doesn’t want to rehash the past. She wants to own up to what she did. Good friends don’t do that. She’s sorry, and wants to move on. LeeAnne wants her to say she shouldn’t have brought Rich into it; that she knows he didn’t cheat, and he’s a good man. In her interview, D’Andra says LeeAnne wants her to say the truth, and that’s not the truth. She’s not going to refute the truth she knows. She tells LeeAnne that she apologizes for what she did. She shouldn’t have gotten involved in LeeAnne and Rich’s relationship. She adds that it wasn’t nefarious; what she did, she did for LeeAnne. LeeAnne says it didn’t benefit her. D’Andra claimed LeeAnne knew about it, and was keeping it from her. D’Andra says she’s sorry she said something about Rich not being faithful. Let’s move on. She doesn’t know what else to do. In D’Andra’s interview, she says she’s apologized three times. If LeeAnne can’t accept it, she doesn’t know what she expects. She’s not kissing LeeAnne’s ass. LeeAnne says, actions and words go together. She hasn’t heard from D’Andra since that meeting. D’Andra says she wanted to give LeeAnne space. We flash back to LeeAnne saying she needs time. D’Andra says she thought it was the best thing to do. LeeAnne says she’s putting the volleyball in D’Andra’s court. D’Andra asks if LeeAnne wants to come to her birthday party roast. She should love that. LeeAnne doesn’t think they’re in a position for her to be roasting D’Andra. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she’s taking the invitation as D’Andra wanting to move forward, but not a single hair on her head believes it’s going to be a real roast. The guests are just there to blow smoke up D’Andra’s ass. D’Andra asks how the wedding is going, and if they’re writing their vows. LeeAnne says Rich finished his, but she still has to do hers. D’Andra asks if LeeAnne has talked to her mother, and LeeAnne says she doesn’t have the same relationship with her mother as D’Andra has with hers. Her mother has no financial hold over her, so there’s no need to talk to her. D’Andra says the company is hers now, and she doesn’t need to pay for anything. She took Dee’s expenses off the payroll. LeeAnne says, not the country club? and D’Andra nods solemnly. D’Andra asks if there’s anything else they need to talk about, and LeeAnne tells her that she’s said everything she needs to say. D’Andra feels better, and says, cheers to the last drip. They drain their glasses of rosé.

Kary and Eduardo go to dinner. She’s glad they can go out for date. In her interview, she explains that when they met, neither one of them was fully divorced. Eduardo is very different from her first husband, who was younger. Eduardo is nine years older. She tells him she had lunch with her daughter, who’s going to college. Kary says she found a roommate, but needs four. Eduardo doesn’t know about her rooming with strangers, and Kary says, it’s normal. He asks if they’re random people, and says it’s not normal. In Kary’s interview, she says, marriage is hard. Her first marriage lasted almost ten years, and wasn’t great. Now she and Eduardo are coming up on their ten year anniversary. She’s hoping they make it past that. She tells Eduardo that she asked D’Andra if she was doing a trip for her 50th birthday, but she’s not going anywhere because of her business situation. She was thinking they have the house in Careyes. It would be nice to invite her, and let her have some fun. Eduardo thinks it’s a great idea. In Kary’s interview, she says the house has been around in the family for about thirty years. It’s like a mini resort. We see pictures, and yes, it is. It’s like its own Club Med. She says, it’s a magical place; they got married there. She tells Eduardo that she can’t believe they made it to ten years. It’s been hard. Moving to America is the hardest thing she’s done. He agrees it’s difficult, but she’s not always the easiest. She says it’s always her fault, and he tells her that she lives in a different universe. In her interview, Kary says he can be jealous, and she doesn’t like to be controlled. They fought about it for a few years. She asks, who invented marriage anyway? and tells Eduardo, he’d better try harder next year.

D’Andra gets her hair and make-up done by Liz and Ray. Liz asks whose idea it was to do a roast, and D’Andra says it was hers. She’s giving everyone an opportunity to say in public the things they won’t say to her. Liz says, some of them might not be nice.

Stephanie wants to hear Brandi’s roast. In her interview, Stephanie says she hates public speaking. She’s afraid she’ll be horrible, feel like a failure. She asks Bryan how it is, and Bryan says he watched Brandi write it and laugh at herself the whole time. In Brandi’s interview, she says she practiced at least two hours in the shower. She took a two-hour shower??? They get in the car, and Travis says, Stephanie and Brandi are like Beavis and Butthead. Stephanie says, fire, fire, fire!

D’Andra wants tonight to be about fun, laughter, joking, and being with friends and family. People she loves, and who love her – and some people who don’t love her anymore. The guests stream in, and it gets pretty crowded. Dee wants a chat with D’Andra. In D’Andra’s interview, she says Dallas women are trained to put on smile in every situation. It’s one big pageant. Dee asks if D’Andra is excited, and D’Andra says she’s nervous. She asked everyone to make fun of her. Dee says some might be judgmental, but don’t give a rip. D’Andra says she invited everyone; it was the right thing to do. I notice Dee is wearing these orchid blossom earrings with a pearl in the middle that I long for. I’ve seen them before on vaious Housewives, but they’re a little out of my price range. Dee says she’s proud of D’Andra. D’Andra says she loves Dee, and thanks her for the party. It’s gorgeous and she’s blessed. In her interview, D’Andra says she’s thankful, but would have preferred to get the money from her trust to run her business. She doesn’t want to get in an argument though.

Everyone parties. D’Andra slugs liquor straight from a gigantic bottle. Brandi asks how she’s feeling, and D’Andra says, nervous. She’ll probably cry in five seconds. Brandi tells her, don’t cry. Kary tells them about her idea for a girls trip to Mexico. Like, next week. D’Andra says, cancel your week for fun in Mexico. Everyone immediately agrees. It must be nice. They do a shot. In D’Andra’s interview, she says she couldn’t afford a trip this year, and can think of nothing better. Kameron isn’t wearing pink. What happened? Kary tells Kameron about the trip, and in her interview, Kameron says she’s the queen of girls trips. She loves them. D’Andra takes the mic, and tells everyone, be quiet. Mom, that means you. She wants to say thank you to everyone. She’s done so much looking at her life and the friends she’s amassed, it’s amazing to her – that they’re still here. Tonight is about the good, the bad, and the ridiculous. Go wild on her. They take more shots. D’Andra’s assistant tells Stephanie that she’s first. In Stephanie’s interview, she says she’s surprised LeeAnne isn’t there. Who wouldn’t want see D’Andra roasted? It’s a ticket you can’t just buy.

Stephanie gets up first. She says her biggest fear was getting on the stage, and the crowd being dead. Looking at them, she can see most are already there. She thought D’Andra would bring class, sophistication, and money to the charity scene, and boy, was she wrong. One thing they have in common is staying home all day, taking care of the house, and a spouse who works hard. She says she’s talking to Jeremy, and everyone laughs. She says she’s blessed to have D’Andra as her friend. LeeAnne comes up the walk to the venue. In her interview, she says she’s prepared for people to potentially throw a drink on her or talk sh*t to her face, but she’s walking in to show she’s trying to move forward. If D’Andra was getting genuinely roasted, there would be an ambulance and straitjacket, and they’d be telling her it’s going to be okay. The guests get up and say nice things, which LeeAnne declares, not a roast, in her interview. Brandi says as D’Andra has gotten older and wiser, she found her voice. She imitates D’Andra sounding like Dee, saying she doesn’t give a rip what they say. She changed the company name from Hard Night, Good Morning to Hard Sell, Good Riddance. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says, that’s a roast. LeeAnne tells D’Andra’s assistant, if there’s time, she’d like to go up. More people say nice things.

Jeremy has a present for D’Andra and brings up a huge box. He says D’Andra has an insatiable love for food. There are fifty things in this box – donuts. Forty-five of them are average, for the years they weren’t together – and five are specially made to represent what she’s given to him. In her interview, Stephanie says she’d prefer fifty diamonds… fifty dresses… 50 Cent… In Brandi’s interview, she says D’Andra is going to be like the Cookie Monster. She’s going to eat fifty, and gain fifty. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says, if it’s edible, and not glued down, D’Andra shoves it in her mouth.

D’Andra’s assistant tells D’Andra, LeeAnne is coming up. She announces, last not least, LeeAnne Locken. LeeAnne goes up. As she’s walking, someone says, be nice, and she says, bite my d*ck. She asks if D’Andra is shocked. She did invite LeeAnne. She says she remembers when she turned fifty, and it sucked. So welcome to the party. They’ve been on long journey together. They’ve loved and lost, and been by each other’s side. She was there when D’Andra married Jeremy. They’ve fallen along their way, but she wants D’Andra to know that taking steps forward is everything. She gives D’Andra a gift bag, saying she brought two candles. One says hope; and one, forgiveness. D’Andra can choose to burn either or both. D’Andra says she’ll burn forgiveness first, and hope next. Jeremy is like, meh, which is kind of rude.

The cake comes out – looking not unlike Melissa’s from the great RHONJ food fight – and everyone sings Happy Birthday. The ladies have a group hug. They’re excited about the trip.

Next time, the Mexico trip, Kameron thinks it looks like something out of James Bond movie, Kary asks if LeeAnne is always negative, and LeeAnne tells herself not to kill anyone – jail isn’t worth it.

📰 Read All About It…

All I have to say is, I hope Kathryn gets full custody of those children.

https://deadline.com/2019/09/former-southern-charm-star-thomas-ravenel-pleads-guilty-assault-battery-1202732223/

https://people.com/tv/southern-charm-thomas-ravenel-pleads-guilty-to-assault/

https://people.com/tv/southern-charm-kathryn-dennis-posts-photo-daughter-after-thomas-ravenel-pleads-guilty/

🗽 Not Forgetting…

📻 Best song about NYC ever.

Sep12

September 11, 2018 – Charlie’s is a Crime Scene, Benny Finds Blood Money, a Cheap Reunion, a Song & Not Forgetting

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

911BlackRibbon

General Hospital

Outside Charlie’s, Julian says Kristina was right there. Mike says she shouldn’t have gone back in. He told her not to. Kristina lies unconscious on the floor in Charlie’s.

Franco asks Elizabeth what’s up? and she says she found a box of Princess Calenda pencils under Aiden’s bed. He used to love that show. She asks if Franco knows anything about that.

Drew thanks Sam for letting him visit Scout. She says he’s welcome any time. He says he’s been dodging business calls all day, and it’s time to face the music. Sam says, it’s called a day off. Drew tells her he’s been trying to make up for lost time, and now Oscar finally has a father in his life, but Drew can’t even talk to him about it. He understands Kim’s position, but thinks Oscar should have a choice. Sam doesn’t think there is one. She tells him one of the best pieces of advice she learned when Danny was sick, was to take one day at a time. There’s always something good in a day. He needs to find a moment; a connection where they can laugh and smile. Focus on that, not the big scary picture. Oscar will be told, and he and Kim will figure out when. In the meantime, enjoy his son. She hugs him, and opens a door. Alexis is there, and asks if she’s interrupting.

Mike says he has to find Kristina, but Sonny says he’s staying right there. Inside, Jason picks up Kristina. She tells him to get the wrench. Sonny tells Mike that Jason went to get her. Mike says it’s all his fault. What has he done? They watch as Charlie’s explodes.

Franco tells Elizabeth when he took the boys back to school shopping, Cameron told Aiden that he shouldn’t get the pencils. They’re for girls, and the kids would tease him. Aiden got upset and cried. He says, in all fairness. Cameron was being a jerk, but in his own adolescent, inappropriate way, he was standing up for his brother. Franco is all for political correctness, but it doesn’t fly in third grade. Elizabeth asks why didn’t he tell her about this?

Jason brings Kristina out. Mike starts crying, and Jason says, it’s all right.

Alexis says she was just stopping by, but wondered if Kristina was there. She doesn’t want to hover, since not hovering is considered supportive. She’s a supportive, non-judgmental mom, and can’t say what she’s thinking. Sam asks what she’s thinking, and Alexis says Kristina is on a downward spiral. She asks Sam how Kristina is, and Sam says, good. Alexis says she can do better than that, and Sam says she’s struggling, but anyone in her position would. She gives Kristina credit, having the courage to say she’s not happy. Alexis wonders if Kristina has a plan to rebuild her life.

Jason tells Sonny and Mike that Kristina will be okay. A fireman tells Julian that he got lucky. They’ve cut the gas at the source. He asks if Julian has any idea how it started.

Mike thinks he made a mistake. He did something wrong, and now Kristina is in the hospital. It’s his fault, and he has to see her. Jason says he’ll take Mike to the hospital, but he has to promise to be quiet. Stay calm, and don’t say a word. Mike agrees, and Julian thanks Jason for getting Kristina out.

Alexis tells Sam that Kristina is smart and sensible, but she misinterprets Alexis’s intentions. Alexis’s phone rings. She’s told that Kristina has been in an explosion, and she says she’ll be right there.

On the phone, Chase says he hasn’t done a full inspection, and to get someone down there. Chase asks Julian, who discovered the leak? Julian says he smelled gas. and went to the basement. Chase asks if he was with anyone, and he says, no. The smell was strong, and he immediately came back up, closed the door, and evacuated the pub. Chase asks how many customers he thinks were there, and he says, nine or ten, not including Kristina. Chase asks if he didn’t recently hire her, and I wonder how Chase would know that, since it just happened. He wonders how Kristina happened to be in there, since Julian had evacuated the place. Did she come out with everyone else? Julian says she must have gone back in. Chase asks why, but Julian doesn’t know. He didn’t even realize she had until he saw her grandpa freaking out.

The doctor tells Kristina that she has a mild concussion, and she says that explains the raging headache. He suggests observation for an hour or two, and then they’ll reassess. She tells Sonny that she wants to go home and watch trashy TV, and he says when she’s cleared, she can do that. She scared him. He asks why she went back in, but Jason and Mike arrive with flowers. Sonny asks if everything is okay, and Jason says, Mike is good. Mike says Kristina is the one in the hospital. She thanks him for the flowers, and Mike says he’s sorry; he did something wrong. Kristina says he just got confused; everything’s okay. Sonny asks if anyone ever told her how much she’s like her mother.

Franco tells Elizabeth that he didn’t think it was anything he couldn’t take care of with ice cream. Later, he ordered the pencils online, and thought that was the end of it. Elizabeth says, apparently not. She understands that he wanted to handle it on his own, but in the future, she needs to know what’s going on. He says he loves her and the boys, and wants them to be a big family, but he’s struggling with the stepfather thing. Not with Jake, since they’d already bonded, and Aiden is sweet, but Cameron is a work in progress. He understands that Cameron is the oldest, and spent the most time alone with her. She says he’s used to it, and not to expect acceptance right away. Franco says he needs a parenting call. He wants to stay in Cameron’s good graces, or at least out of his bad ones. Elizabeth gets it. It’s a fine line to walk, even for her. Maybe it’s time to discuss the co-parenting thing, and how that looks moving forward.

Drew sees Margaux at the MetroCourt, drinking a bottle of wine. He asks if she’s celebrating, and she says it’s her father’s birthday. Would he care to join her?

Jason tells Mike sit. He says he’ll take Mike home, but Mike wants to stay for Kristina. There’s something nagging at him, and Jason says he went there for tests; does he remember? Mike says there was something he had to do; he just can’t remember it. Jason tells him not to push. It will come when it’s ready. Mike decides to get some shut eyes for a bit.

Alexis rushes in with Sam, and Kristina says she’s fine. She just has a mild concussion, and a cut, but other than that, it was a non-event. Alexis says it was a huge, potentially lethal event. Sam says this time she’s with their mom. Charlie’s just happened to explode with Kristina in it?

Chase asks Julian if Mike came in alone. Julian says he didn’t see anyone, and assumed Mike was dropped off to be with Kristina. Chase says, he’s supposed to be chaperoned at all times. Julian says Kristina thought it was strange, and called her father. Chase says that explains why Sonny and Jason were there. Julian says, good thing. Sonny dealt with Mike, and Jason got Kristina out. He thought Mike was going to lose it when the place exploded. He’s glad the main bar was unaffected. Chase asks how Kristina is, and Julian says Sonny took her to hospital, and Jason and Mike weren’t far behind. Chase says, it’s been an eventful night, and Julian says, so much for trivia. Chase asks if Julian is sure he has no idea what caused it. Julian flashes back to Mike wailing, what have I done? and says, none.

Elizabeth says she’s been a single mom as long as the kids remember, and made all the decisions. She’s glad to have a partner, but Franco will need time to adjust. The boys too. Not just to sharing her, but sharing their lives. Franco kisses her. He wants her to let him know what she expects in terms of involvement. She asks how much does he want to be involved, and he says, he’s all in, but to let him know what she expects. She says she doesn’t want him to be an outsider, and there will be times he’s the parent in house. It’s important that she know what’s going on; it goes both ways. Franco says it’s a work in progress (the phrase of the day), and Elizabeth says they’ll figure it out together.

Margaux tells Drew that her mom said her dad loved Margaux wine so much, she was named after it. She says it wasn’t easy for her father to walk out on her mother, if that’s what happened. It’s what her mom told her, and what she grew up believing, but as she got older, she heard things. She started work in law enforcement, and found out he was associated with a known mobster. Her mom prob thought he was killed, and didn’t want to tell her. He literally vanished; no address, no credit report. Either he evaporated, or died when she was two. Drew guesses that explains her dislike for organized crime. Margaux says she is the DA. She believes in the law and justice. A gangster with best hit man wins; it’s not fair, and she intends to do something about it.

The fireman tells Chase that he found the source of the explosion. It’s a broken gas valve, but he didn’t see anything lying around. Chase asks if he thinks it was done on purpose. The fireman says he’s not an investigator, but it looks that way. Chase says he’s going to have to get an inspector to confirm it, but in the fireman’s professional opinion, was it deliberate. The fireman says, between them, 100%. Chase says Charlie’s Pub has just become a crime scene.

Julian joins Alexis at the hospital, explaining that he smelled gas, checked it out, and evacuated everyone. It’s one instance where he didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just lucky that Sonny and Jason were looking for Mike, and Jason ran in to save Kristina. Alexis asks Kristina why she ran back in. Kristina says she did the dumbest thing humanly possible; she ran in for her phone. Alexis says that’s insane, and Kristina says she thought she could hold her breath. She won’t do it again. Alexis holds Kristina.

Sonny asks Jason how Mike is doing, and Jason says, good. Sonny says, considering how his dad started the gas leak? He asks why Kristina went back inside, and Jason says Mike left the wrench he used to break the pipe. He went in to get Kristina, and she came to for a moment and told him about the wrench; it’s in the car. Sonny says he shouldn’t have let him go with the nurse; he slipped away. Jason says he’d do anything to protect Sonny, but Sonny says he’s gone too far now, blowing up a building to get rid of a body. He pushed Mike too far. Everything he’s done to keep Mike safe isn’t enough.

Sam says tells Kristina the doctor said she’s clear to go. Alexis wants to get going, but Kristina says she was planning on hanging out for a while. Alexis says her sense of humor is still intact.

Sonny says Mike wouldn’t want to hurt anyone; he’s confused. Jason says they never expected something like this. They’re just making it up as they go along. Sonny says, it’s bad, and Jason tells him, it could have been worse. All they can do now is learn to plan better moving forward. Sonny asks Julian how Kristina is doing, and he says, better. He tells Sonny that Chase was asking questions, and Sonny asks what he told Chase. Julian says, the truth. He was curious as to why Sonny’s father was there without supervision. Sonny is just glad no one was hurt, and Julian is with him on that.

Margaux tells Drew that she pulled Jason’s records when he broke Carly out. Drew says, enlightening, and she says he’s been arrested more than anyone ever, but no convictions. There was one time he went to prison when he pleaded no contest, but it was to serve time with his nephew, so he could act as bodyguard. On one hand, it’s noble, but super elitism is typical for Jason. Drew knows more than anyone. When someone smart, capable, and ruthless like Sonny has Jason to eliminate whoever is in the way, it makes him someone to be reckoned with. She wants to be the DA who finally takes him down; level the playing field. Drew says he misjudged her. At first, he thought she was overly ambitious, but now he sees it comes from something deeper. It’s admirable, but be warned. There’s a long list of DAs who have tried. The odds of her having better luck aren’t good. Her motive might be more pure, but the results will probably be the same.

Chase wonders what the motive might be. The fireman says some people like setting things on fire, some are looking for cash, or maybe it’s straight up revenge. Chase says there’s a long list of people who would want revenge against Julian. He radios that there’s been foul play at Charlie’s Pub. He’s going in right now.

Alexis tells Sonny that Kristina has been given the green light, and asks where Jason is. She wants to personally thank him for saving her life. Kristina says it’s become a habit, and Alexis thinks maybe she should stop putting him in that position. Just a thought. Alexis gets a call from Molly, and steps away. Kristina asks Sonny if Mike is okay, and Sonny says he’s fine. He knows what she did. She didn’t have to, but he’s grateful. She says she loves Mike. Sonny says he loves her. Alexis comes back. She’s happy to tell him that it’s the first explosion he has nothing to do with. Sonny says, thanks.

Sonny looks at a drowsing Mike, and pats his knee. Mike asks, what happened? What did he do?

Franco tells Elizabeth he wants a home with her and the boys. She says she loves him so much, and he says she has no idea.

Mike tells Sonny, something bad happened. Sonny says he’s taking Mike home. Jason asks if he needs help. Sonny says no, but thanks him for what he did, and tells him Kristina is fine. Mike wonders why they’re at the hospital. Sonny suggests they go home, eat some lasagna, and talk a little. Sam sees Jason. She was hoping to run into him.

Julian gets a text from Alexis, thanking him.

Alexis asks if Kristina is nauseous, and Kristina tells her to stop. Alexis says when she thinks what could have happened… Kristina says, it didn’t. Alexis tells her that when she’s a mom, she’ll understand this kind of worry. Kristina is sorry she upset Alexis by risking her life for her phone. Alexis says, and Jason’s. Kristina says she has a right to be mad, but Alexis says she’s not mad. She’s trying to say she loves Kristina. Kristina thanks her, and they hug.

Sam thanks Jason. If hadn’t been there… He’s happy he was. Sam says he rescued Kristina, and he got Oscar to the hospital. Jason hopes Oscar is okay, and Sam says they all do. She thanks him again, and wishes everyone was so lucky.

Margaux tells Drew that she doesn’t know much about her dad. He made bad life choices, but had great taste in wine. It’s sad she’ll never have a glass with him, but she can have glass for him, and this year not alone. She thanks Drew, and he toasts to her father. She says, happy birthday, dad.

Chase looks around, and uncovers a skull. Good job, Mike!

Tomorrow, Franco wants to pick Drew’s brain, Julian didn’t know there was a body in the pub, Mike says he’s getting worse, and Anna wants forgiveness.

The Haves and The Have Nots

Benny ducks behind a car as the gunmen shoot at him. Mitch runs in, and tells them to stop; Benny is innocent. They tell Mitch they have orders, but he’s changing their orders. He talked to Vinnie, and Benny had nothing to do with it. He tells them to get their asses out before he buries both of them. He says he saved Benny’s ass again. Benny says he tripped, and Mitch says they were kicking his ass. He asks if Benny is okay, and Benny asks if they’re coming back. Mitch doesn’t know, and says he has to talk to Grandma Rose. He asks where the money is, and Benny says in his room. Mitch says they’ll get the money and take it back to his family. Benny says they already shot at him. How’s this going to work? Mitch suggests they get out before the cops come.

Kathryn gives Hanna a Valium. Hanna asks if she just walks around with that in her purse. Kathryn asks if Hanna has met her husband and son. And didn’t Hanna bring her marijuana? Hanna says, for her chemo, and Kathryn says, this is for her nerves. True story. A friend of mine, who sadly, has passed on, needed heavy duty chemo, but hadn’t smoked weed since college. He called me to ask how to roll a joint because he forgot. It was only because I have a better memory. Hanna takes the pill. Kathryn asks if Hanna wants to stay at her house, but she says Benny will be there, and Derrick is staying. Kathryn is like, ah-ha! and Hanna tells her to stop. Kathryn says don’t act like she doesn’t like him; is she going to act like a schoolgirl? Hanna says, okay, she likes him. Kathryn gets all excited, saying she’s a good matchmaker. Hanna is concerned about the way Veronica looked at him; like thy had something going on. Kathryn doesn’t think so. Veronica was into Hanna’s son. She’s glad Derrick is there with Hanna, and gets excited all over again. Hanna tells her to take her own happy pill, and go home. Kathryn tells Hanna, it’s good stuff, and Hanna says to make sure someone walks her to the car.

Kathryn comes downstairs, and Derrick asks if Hanna is okay. Kathryn says she’s better now that he’s there, and asks him to walk her to the car. He does, and she says she’s glad he was there. He is too. He knows Hanna says it’s a safe neighborhood, but what does Kathryn know about her daughter. Kathryn says, she’s a wicked little troll. Speaking of which, how often does he talk to Veronica? He says he does work for her from time to time, and Kathryn tells him to be careful. She’s not his friend, and will do and say anything to get what she wants. Is she bothering him? Derrick says he’s fine, but Kathryn wonders what he’s not telling her. He repeats that he’s fine, and she tells him if he needs anything, he can come to her. He promises he will. She says, he likes Hanna, doesn’t he? and he says he does. Kathryn say she likes him too, but he figured that. She thanks him for taking care of Hanna, and leaves.

Benny pulls up with Mitch behind him. Derrick asks him to listen for a second. He says, she stabbed him. If Benny goes in upset, it will upset her. Benny tells him to move, and Mitch follows Benny in.

Benny asks if Hanna is all right. What happened? She says, it was Candace. Some man came looking for her, saying she owed him money and told him Hanna had it. Benny starts getting agitated, and Derrick tells him, calm down; she’s already upset. Benny tells Derrick to take his ass out of there, and Hanna says, stop it. She says the guy went through house, looking through everything. Benny asks if the guy was in his room, and he runs off. Hanna says she’s actually calm. Benny comes back, and says the money is gone. Hanna asks, what money? and he says his money. Hanna asks if it’s the money he lied about, and Benny admits it is. She asks how it’s his money, but he doesn’t want to talk in front of Derrick. Hanna tells him to stop it, and he says he got it from Mitch’s uncle. She asks Mitch what his family does for a living, and Mitch says, some of everything. She asks if he means illegal things, and he repeats, some of everything. She says, and Benny borrowed money from them? Mitch says, yes; him and his sister. Hanna starts laughing, and Benny asks, what’s so funny? but Hanna just keeps laughing. Wow. It must be good stuff. Benny asks if she’s all right, and she says she’s fine, but they’re crazy; him and his sister. She tells him they’re going to the bank in the morning. She’s giving the money to the Cryers. It’s theirs. That’s where Candace got it from. She says his sister kept on doing what she’s been doing. Hanna keeps laughing, and Benny says, it’s funny to her? She says she’s not laughing, and then guesses she is. Benny says, laugh it up, and she tells him not to go anywhere. And don’t go in the kitchen. It’s a crime scene. Hanna laughs some more, and tells Derrick, Kathryn gave her that good good; all this sh*t is funny. Derrick shakes his head.

Mitch tells Benny, this is bad. What’s he going to do? He has to think of something. Benny can’t believe they took his money. He has to find out who it is. He’s calling Candace.

Candace and RJ are back at the Artesian (which I’ve been spelling wrong). Benny calls, and asks where she’s at. She says, the hotel, and he tells her, stay there; don’t move. He’s on his way. She says, it’s 6 am; she’s tired, but it’s too late; Benny is already gone. RJ says he’s going to see Veronica. Candace says, she’s not a good one. RJ insists he’ll show Candace that she is. He knows how to work it. Candace says she’ll get him first, and he asks where’s her faith?

Mitch asks what Benny is doing. Benny says, getting Candace to tell him where the dude is. Mitch asks if he’s sure that crazy chick had nothing to do with it; she was living there. Benny says, she jumped off the building. She’s dead. Mitch says, seems odd; it’s crazy. Benny tells him that he said same thing. They head for the hotel.

Jim visits David at the hospital. Jeffrey is there, and Jim tells him the guy outside is from a special security team. Jeffrey thanks him, and says his mother was there. Jim says he clearly needs to have a talk with that woman. David wakes up, and Jim asks how he’s feeling. He wants out, but Jeffrey says that’s not happening anytime soon. This is the best place for him right now. Jim asks to talk to David alone, and Jeffrey leaves. Omg, David just looks so sore. Jim asks how he’s really feeling, and he says she really did a number on him. Jim knows he’s in pain, but needs favor. He has to get Wyatt out of jail. Kathryn had him put there, and he stabbed a Malone. If Jim doesn’t get him out, they’ll kill him. David gives him a name, and says the guy owes him; just mention Harry Jones. David tells Jim that he needs a favor too. No one will tell him about Erica. Is she dead? Jim says, Erica didn’t make it. She’s not as strong as he is. David says, that crazy itch blew up the car. Jim is sorry; he knows David liked her. David thanks him for telling the truth. Jim says David is his best friend. David tells Jim to go see about his son. Jim thanks him, and leaves. When he’s alone, David cries.

Jeffrey thanks Jim. Jim tells Jeffrey that he should get some rest. His father is a great man, and didn’t do anything to deserve this. He tells Jeffrey, hang in there, and hugs him. When Jim is gone, Madison sees Jeffrey, who thanks him. He asks if Madison is always this intensive with his patients. Madison asks if Jeffrey remembers him from grade school. He remembers Jeffrey. Jeffrey intimidated him, but Madison looked up to him. He also remembers a bully who called Jeffrey all kinds of gay slurs. Jeffrey says. Maddy. He’s lost weight. Madison says he goes to the gym now. He’s sorry about Jeffrey’s dad. He gives Jeffrey his number. Justin should be – yep, there he is. Madison says they can have a catch-up dinner. Justin joins them, and asks who Madison is. Jeffrey says he’s his dad’s nurse. Madison tells them have good rest of the night. Um… didn’t Candace says it was 6 am?

Justin asks Jeffrey what that was about. Jeffrey thought he was gone, but Justin says he came to check on him. Jeffrey says he can go. Justin says he will, but is Jeffrey sure he doesn’t want to tell him who that was? Jeffrey says it’s someone from school; he doesn’t know him. Justin asks why he got Madison’s number, and Jeffrey says in case his dad needs something. Justin moves along.

But not very far. He sees Madison, and asks why he was talking to Jeffrey. Madison says they went to school together. Justin asks why he gave Jeffrey his number, and Madison is hoping they can catch up. He asks what this is about, and Justin says Jeffrey is under investigation. Madison asks, for what? and Justin asks how much Madison knows about Jeffrey. Madison says they went to school together, but he hasn’t seen him since then. Justin says he can’t disclose what the investigation is about, but advises Madison to stay away from Jeffrey. Madison says, sure, and Justin tells him to keep an eye on David’s room; see what visitors go in and out. He asks for Madison’s number, and says he’s been helpful. Is Madison really buying this?

The hotel manager, whose name I don’t remember, asks Rocky how they did last night. Rocky tells him not to look sad, and he says he wants to get what they can. Rocky says they’re working the girls to death, and there are only so many marks. The manager says Candace expects three times as much, and Rocky says she’ll have to deal. They don’t need any more attention. Let it go at its own pace, and it will pick up. He asks why the manager is so upset, and he says he’s tired of living like this; he wants more money. Rocky says they all want more. He says if the manager thinks he’s getting Kathryn Cryer, he’s naïve. The manager says he’ll remember that when Rocky comes to their wedding and he’s swimming in her big pool. And that will be when hell freezes over. Rocky goes back to work, and the manager looks at the computer.

RJ goes to Veronica’s house. She tells him that she said an hour, and he says he was busy. Veronica tells him, stay busy. She has neighbors, and the staff will be there soon. RJ says, good; he’s hungry. She’s trying to decide if she likes him or wants to have his ass. He asks if she can please like him. She calls him Reginald, and he says, let’s go upstairs. She says he thought she called him for sex? and he says, what else? She says, it’s going to be good, and takes out an envelope. She shows hi his rap sheet, and he says it’s unfair that they keep using an unflattering picture. She says some women are still looking for him. he says he didn’t do anything to them, and Veronica says, just steal their money. He says they gave it to him. He says women like him, and she says, some men do too. She points to one that he robbed, but RJ says it was a misunderstanding. She wonders how he got a job at the hotel, and he says he knows somebody.

Veronica asks what he was doing when he was in the hotel room with her son, and don’t play. He asks, how does she know this sh*t? She says she knows everything. She asks again what he was doing there. He takes her hand, and says, nothing. She knows that too. He asks if she had eyes in the  room, and she says, something like that. What she doesn’t know is what his plan was. RJ says he was going to rob him. Veronica says Jeffrey doesn’t have anything, but RJ says he had a nice watch. She asks if RJ was going to have sex with him, but he says he can’t do that; it’s not his thing, but to each his own. He flirts, and sees what he can get. It’s pretty damn easy. She asks if that’s what he’s doing to her, but he says, she’s different; special. She laughs, and says he’s full of sh*t. She tells him what she’s asking him to do now won’t be easy. He says his cover was already blown by the guy Jeffrey is with. Veronica asks fi he knows Justin, and he says, somewhat. She says, tell her all about it, but he says he needs to eat first. She points him to the kitchen. She laughs, then makes a serious face.

Wyatt goes through withdrawal in his cell. Big Dude looms over him, but backs up as the guards go by.

Benny knocks on Candace’s hotel room door, and tells her to open it. She says, hush; she’s been up all night. He doesn’t give a damn. Someone broke into mommy’s house. She says, okay, and he wonders if Candace is going to ask how she is. Candace says, how is she? Benny says, she’s fine, no thanks to Candace. A dude was looking for her. She owes someone money, and he was going to kill Hanna because of her. Candace says maybe Hanna should give her the money. Benny says she’s giving it to the Cryers; she knows it’s theirs. Canace says that’s her money, and Benny tells her to cut her bullsh*t. It belongs to them. She says his name is on the account, but he says there’s nothing he can do; open her ears. He asks who the dude was who broke in the house. He stole $45K from him. He had to borrow it for a tow truck. Candace says he’s talking $45K; she’s talking millions. He says, that don’t belong to her. Candace says he just has to convince her, and Benny says she’s not going to do that. Candace says, then she can’t help him. He asks who that dude is; she knows. Candace says she doesn’t, and he says it’s probably one of her tricks. How can she afford to stay there? Candace says she doesn’t know who broke in. Benny insists she does. He’s sick of this sh*t. He says, let’s go, and opens her suitcase. She tells him not to touch her stuff, and he starts pulling her clothes out of the dresser drawers. The stacks of Benny’s money fall out. He picks it up. There’s blood all over it, and Benny says, what the hell…? He says this is his money. Candace says, it’s not, and he asks what she did. Candace shakes her head.

Next time, Veronica asks RJ to get Jeffrey to like him, Kathryn is asked about a prostitution ring, and Big Dude tells Wyatt he’s a Malone and kills people.

Below Deck Mediterranean – The Reunion

The cheap reunion, since it’s in the clubhouse. Weirdly, Kasey and Colin are dressed like a bride, sans veil, and groom. And I don’t think that was planned. We find out João and Brooke aren’t together. After the airing of the show, Brooke was done. Brooke says after they went to Zimbabwe, they were together another five minutes.

We start with Adam, and see clips of him redeeming himself as a chef. A viewer asks if the guests are a-holes or if they act out because they’re on TV. Captain Sandy says the guests pay a lot to get whatever they want, and if they don’t, they might seem that way, but the first charters this season were definitely a-holes. Andy asks if Adam redeemed himself, and she says he did, but she didn’t know he wasn’t cooking for the crew. He admits he missed some meals, but reminds everyone he ate a can of Pringles for six weeks.

Andy says the interior had a hard time keeping it together. We see clips of the various issues, mostly with Kasey, throughout the season. Hannah’s work ethic is also reviewed. A viewer asks why Kasey didn’t look her resume over, when she didn’t even know what Silver Service was. Kasey says she skimmed it. Lesson learned. Another viewer asks if Brooke thinks Kasey could be a yachtie. Brooke says the João thing made it awkward, but Kasey became a solid third stew. Andy asks if Hannah is the problem, since she had multiple issues. Sandy says she’d like Hannah to admit when she’s wrong; she would gain respect. It takes a big person to look at their mistakes. Sandy thinks Brooke worked hard, and asks if Hannah would admit that. Hannah says Brooke definitely picked up the slack for her, and Sandy says, it’s nice to hear it. Andy asks Kasey if Brooke would be a better chief stew, and Kasey says she would take criticism better. João feels that in order to be the best, you have to stick with the job and Hannah has worked other jobs. Hannah says everyone learns differently, and there was frustration on her part with the charters. She probably didn’t show enough patience, and she admits to showing resentment toward Kasey. Sandy says Kasey did improve, and Andy says Kasey did a fair amount of kissing her ass. Sandy says most crew members do. Hannah could either respect her position or there would be no position for Hannah in her crew. Hannah says she let frustration get the better of her. Sandy says she has to apologize. Hannah was killing it in the beginning, and she never complimented her. Andy asks Brooke if things improved after she talked to Hannah, and Brooke says they did. Hannah says she needs to communicate more about what she’s doing. João feels that if they accept their issues, they can be friends. He didn’t expect her to admit her mistakes, and respects that.

Andy says Captain Sandy’s top priority is to keep the crew in line, and this season, she had to do some below deck meddling. We see clips from the toast issue, Hannah’s rogue sparkler, Hannah leaving all day for one Coke, and almost getting fired. A viewer thinks Hannah took the victim role without taking responsibility for her actions. She owes an apology. Hannah admits she gave the captain attitude, and it’s not acceptable. Andy asks if Sandy saw herself as too soft last season. Sandy says the bottom line is that they’re there to serve. She’s been doing this a long time. When is bunch was in the birth canal, she was navigating the Suez Canal. Ha-ha-ha! She says every time she looked up, Conrad was like a puppy behind Hannah. Conrad says he was allowed to take breaks, And Sandy says that was his first mistake. He thought he could call the shots, when you have to be accountable to find out what’s going on from the authority. He doesn’t get to decide when he should take a break, and he’ll probably never make it unless he changes his attitude. Conrad doesn’t understand where the hatred is coming from. Sandy says she doesn’t know him enough to hate him; she just wanted him to do his job. Even what he’s doing now shows no respect for her position. He said he was taking breaks off-charter, but they’re never off-charter when guests are on the boat. Andy asks if João would be a better bosun, and she says, absolutely. João says in Conrad’s defense, João worked a private boat, and understood the difference. Conrad whines that Hannah did the same thing, but Sandy says she and Hannah already had that. She wishes them the best. She has no issue with him. She was his captain on the yacht, and he was confused about that. He wasn’t present, and she’s leaving it at that. He doesn’t see it. She says she’s across the board fair. Andy brings up a viewer saying she was playing favorites. She was criticizing Hannah and Conrad for minute details, and let João be disrespectful to the crew. Sandy says she’s not his moral compass. She only cares about the job. Andy says João asked Conrad for respect, when he didn’t respect Conrad as a bosun. João says he got frustrated, but they’re cool now.

Next up are the various romances, near romances, and the triangle that was Brooke-João-Kasey. A viewer asks about Brooke changing her feelings for men as often as her underwear. Brooke says João was a real connection. Andy says he has a strong opinion from a viewer, who calls João a pompous d*ck, who thinks he’s the greatest gift to women. They hope he sees what he’s really like when watches the episodes. Andy says João claimed that Brooke dumped him because they couldn’t get a job on a boat together. Kasey says she heard they’ve been on and off. Andy asks if João thinks he’s a pompous d*ck, and João says he didn’t realize he was game playing until he saw the show. Ha-ha-ha! Is he kidding? Either he’s a great actor, or possibly psychotic. Andy asks what turned Brooke off. She says the extent of his flirtation with Kasey when they were committed. When he told Kasey if she hadn’t gotten up, he would have kissed her, it made Brooke feel like crap. She knows it was a while ago, but it’s hard to believe he changed in eight months. Until it feels like he’s not that person anymore, they can’t have a relationship. Even Andy even thinks it’s weird how Kasey got up, and he was suddenly making out with Brooke. João says he’d thought Brooke had a boyfriend, and was confused. Kasey says, after they were back on land, he told her that he was questioning the relationship, and if they’d been on the boat one more week, he would have ended it. João says he and Brooke discussed it, but Brooke is like, interesting. João says he knew all along it was Brooke. After they went to Florence, he started communicating with Kasey, and Brooke had a problem with that. Brooke says she had no idea it had been going on, and Kasey insists they’re just friends. Adam says there’s no such thing, and I tend to agree with that. João says he was disappointed in how he was behaving; he was didn’t know any better. Brooke says there’s too much water under the bridge. They’re different people anyway. She’s hurt how Kasey kept pushing João for an answer, even though they were friends. She felt disrespected. Kasey, who is also a great actress or totally clueless, says she was just trying to find out what happened; the honest truth. Andy says, João left his last job to work on their relationship. That’s huge. Andy reviews the one million percent regret comment. João claims he didn’t know he was playing a game; he’s trying to be honest.

Jamie asks what their relationship status was when they left the boat. From what she saw and heard, João was saying romantic things to Kasey. He needs to admit it. João says he can’t. Brooke asks what happened. Kasey says she told him to stick to Brooke, and not continue as though there’s still a love triangle every time they fight. They still keep in contact, but whenever João and Brooke fight, his tone changes. Andy asks if he gets flirty, and Kasey says, a little. She can always tell when they’re fighting. Kasey talks about him calling her after a bad fight, and saying he was completely done. He was coming to visit her and Colin in NYC. Brooke says it’s news to her, and the opposite from what João said. Andy asks if this affect her future with João, and she says, yes. Hannah feels compelled to give her a hug, which baffles me. João gets weepy. Kasey says there’s no doubt he loves Brooke. Brooke says, but he lied. Sandy asks why Kasey engages if they’re friends. That’s my question. Kasey says nothing ever happened between them. Andy asks if João is still in love with Brooke, and he says he can’t explain how much. Andy asks what he loves about her, and João has to leave to have an emo moment. Please. Andy says he’s clearly moved to tears; it means something. Brooke says, it does, but Kasey says it’s just a friendship, yet there’s a little flirting. Kasey says it’s only when they’ve broken up, and Brooke says they weren’t on and off.

João comes back, and Andy repeats his question, asking what João loves about Brooke. João says she changed him from the start. She showed him something that he never had; the privilege of seeing a normal life. At first it was tough, breaking out of his shell of a past, but when she came home with him, he treated her like sh*t. He only sees it now. Every second, he’s fallen more in love. He thought if he doesn’t try and save the relationship, they should never have met. Andy asks what he wants to say to her. João says he’s in love with her, and he needs work. Brooke is like, you still lied. She loves him, but needs to be treated with respect, not lies. Kasey doesn’t think she’s being fair. People don’t see the friendship they’ve had. When she was sick on the boat, he was the only one bringing her stuff. Brooke says he was trying to get in her pants, but Kasey says, no; he’s genuinely a good guy. She was under the impression that Brooke knew. Andy asks if Kasey is willing to sacrifice her friendship with João. She says João would, but she thinks if he needs to, there must be something toxic in the relationship. Because she’s either an idiot or thinks the rest of us are. Hannah says there’s also history. If João was flirting with Jamie, Brooke would laugh it off, but this makes Brooke uncomfortable. There doesn’t need to be any question about it. João says he would sacrifice it for Brooke.

Andy says Hannah and Conrad were a match made in heaven, but as it went on, the relationship wasn’t as smooth as Conrad’s baby face. We go down Memory Lane with Hannah and Conrad, ending with her telling him to take her pants off. They’re both dying laughing and embarrassed. Andy asks if in the whole time they were together, there was no sex. Hannah says cameras were everywhere. Andy says they’ve had other seasons where the crew was doing it in the laundry room. Hannah says they were waiting until they were off the boat. Andy says it seems they left on okay terms. Hannah says boat relationships are difficult, and on camera relationships are difficult. Everything that would have come out over a twelve-month period, happened in six weeks. Andy asks how the crew felt about them hooking up in front of them. Colin says they were professional, and a great couple. Conrad says they kept their work life separate when on charter. On charter, they were working. Sandy says she’s had a lot of boat messes; it wasn’t her first romance, but it definitely impacted things. Andy wonders if it seems like something a chief stew would do, and Sandy says she was surprised. Hannah says when she came into the season, she wasn’t at her best, and not in a good place. Sandy says she was legitimately concerned about Hannah.

A viewer asks if Brooke would have been a better chief stew. Kasey thinks Hannah was distracted, and Hannah says the cameras make you overthink things. If you have anxiety, it makes it worse. Andy says it wasn’t Hannah’s first season, and Hannah says she had a lot going on in her head. Andy asks what she and Conrad saw in each other. Hannah says he was different from the usual guys she goes out with, and they had fun together before the screaming started. Conrad says he saw a different side of Hannah; laughing, joking, and bubbly. Kasey thinks the initial downfall is that Hannah is used to men doing anything for her. Andy asks if they’ll ever rekindle things, but that’s a hard no. We also find out neither of them is currently in a relationship. Brooke says she’s having an early night.

Andy says when two couples who can’t stand each other work on the same boat, it’s a troublesome foursome. We flash back to João attacking Hannah on the bus, the conflict between João and Conrad, and Hannah hating Brooke being with João. Andy asks if anyone liked João besides Brooke and Kasey, and Kasey says Colin. Colin says outside of being bunkmates, he wasn’t jumping on the hate João bandwagon. He thought it was better if João had someone to vent to; it might help. Andy asks João about Jezebub, which a viewer calls a flimsy scapegoat and horrible alter ego who claims he can’t control himself. João says he never knew how bad it was. It wasn’t common, and only happened once every few months. He thought it was funny, and shouldn’t have done it. Alcohol was his escape instead of opening up. He became an a-hole instead of showing his actual feelings. He says Jezebub hasn’t come back since the show. Viewer Donna theorizes that there’s sexual tension between Hannah and João. Colin likes it, but that’s also a hard no.

Hannah taking pictures of Brooke when she was passed out is brought up. Hannah says she thought Brooke would think it was funny, and she did. Adam says it was harmless fun. Andy respects João for standing up for her. He considers himself a gentleman, but called Hannah the c-word. João says Hannah called him a psychotic d*ck. She uses the same word, but he agrees he shouldn’t have done it, and apologizes.

A viewer asks if Brooke regrets being dismissive of Hannah’s negative feelings about João after seeing the show. Brooke says she does, and Andy says that must make Hannah feel good. Hannah says she doesn’t want to be right in this instance. Brooke says in terms of the show, it made her feel terrible. Hannah was looking out for her. Hannah says she was genuinely being protective of someone she cared about.

Andy asks who Captain Sandy’s MVP and most improved are. She says Brooke is her MVP, and Kasey is the most improved. Hannah jokes it’s because they had a good leader. Andy asks for biggest regrets, and Kasey says the João thing. Conrad wishes he’d had a better relationship with Sandy, and it’s ditto for Hannah. She says also the last night. It’s not something she’d want on TV. She had personal stuff going on, and like João, she used alcohol as a crutch. She’s disappointed that she allowed herself to do that.  João wonders where to start, He says his own game playing, and not understanding everyone for their own story. Sandy regrets not acknowledging when Hannah did a good job, and she did fantastic in the beginning.

Andy asks if Sandy has any closing thoughts. She’d like João to be honest. If he wants to date multiple women, be honest about it. He’s a great person; it’s just this one little area. She says she likes everybody, and she and Hannah will be fine. She tells Conrad it was nothing personal. When he arrived, he said he didn’t want a career in yachting. He just wanted to make enough money to invest in renovating houses. She admires that he has a plan. Andy says she was in the Suez Canal when he was in the birth canal, Bon Voyage.

🎸 This Explains Why I Never Knew This Song…

The story behind Josslyn’s Nurses’ Ball performance.

https://www.abc.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital-i-never-knew-song-165795

🗽 Not Likely I’ll Forget…

Sep12

September 11, 2017 – Heather Turns Down a BLT, Double the Wives & Pictures from the Month After

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What I Watched Today

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

 

 

General Hospital

Valentin tells Ava that she wants that power and attention, and wants her life back. She sits down again. She says she’ll sign away the truth, and he corrects her, saying that she’s going to redact a statement that has no merit. As soon as she signs, she can go straight to the clinic, and get her face back. She calls it the devil’s bargain, and Valentin says better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. Lulu stares daggers at them from another table.

Olivia-Q arrives for Rocco’s birthday party. Charlotte and Rocco are relegated to cleaning up the playroom, while last minute preparations are done. Olivia tells Dante it’s the picture-perfect family, and he says looks can be deceiving. Charlotte’s father isn’t going anywhere.

Franco looks at the photo. Kiki drops by with the promotional poster for his exhibit, which is called To Hell and Back. It’s really cool and I’d love to score one. Kiki says that it really captures the show. Franco wishes he’d designed it himself, but says it’s false advertising. He hasn’t made it back from hell yet; he’s going there today to visit his mother.

Sam talks to Jason about the kids. Elizabeth tells her to take a break; Griff wants to examine him. They try to get her to take a walk, but she says she’s going to be there fighting for him until he opens his eyes.

Sonny talks business to Max on the phone. Carly asks if okay. He says for now. He spoke with the families, and they’re glad he’s keeping his territory, as it preserves the balance of power. Really now? These are the most copacetic Mafia members ever. He tells Carly that Jason is paying the price, but Carly says he’s going to pull through. She wants to move back in, but Sonny says that it’s the last thing he wants.

Valentin waits for a moment, and then tells Ava she’s dragged it out long enough. Sign, or he’s rescinding the offer. She hesitates, and he’s about to take the document back, but she stops him. Nosey Lulu jets over to their table, and asks, what is that? and I ask wtf? out loud, thinking I’d smack her if she horned in on my meeting that way. Valentin says they’re concluding some business. She asks what kind, and he says none of hers. Ha-ha! Ava explains that she was stuck with a tapestry that Valentin is taking off of her hands. Even though she loathes him, she’s selling it to him. Valentin says he’s hired a team to restore it to its former glory. He and Ava shake hands.

Olivia tells Dante that Valentin is Charlotte’s dad, and Charlotte is crazy about him. Dante asks what if it was Julian, and Olivia says she’s lucky he’s in the slammer. They’ll have to figure out how to co-exist with Valentin for Charlotte’s sake. Dante says he doesn’t make it easy. I’m not sure what is wrong with him and Lulu. I get that they believe he killed Nikolas, but he’s done nothing to make this difficult; quite the opposite.

Kiki thinks Franco should stay away from Heather. He says he needs to find out who he is. She asks if Elizabeth knows he’s going to the prison, and he tells her that Elizabeth has a lot on her plate. He asks Kiki how Jason is doing, but she says he’s not family. He tells her that Jason is Jake’s father, and he deserves to be prepared. Kiki says he shows no signs of recovery, and Franco says that’s too bad. She says he sounds like he means it, and he says that he does. Whether he likes it or not, they’ll always be connected.

Sam says that as long as there’s a chance Jason can hear, she’s staying with him. Griff tells her that it could affect his ability to do the evaluation. She decides to go, and he promises to give her the truth.

Carly tells Sonny that even Josslyn came around. Sonny wants them to be a family, but thinks Josslyn would be happier at Carly’s place than surrounded by the walls of the compound. Carly asks if it wouldn’t be safer. Sonny says he has no reason to think that, and Carly understands that he can’t be vulnerable right now. She starts to say something about Jason, and Sam overhears his name.

Lulu asks Ava wth that was about. Ava says that she doesn’t relish doing business with Valentin, but wanted the tapestry taken off her hands. It’s not just any tapestry, but a rare one, and not many houses could do it justice. Lulu says she just shook hands with the man who murdered Nikolas. She’d hoped that Ava wouldn’t waste the second chance he gave her. Ava says that he would understand what she lost in the fire. Lulu asks if she needs money, but Ava says that he would understand how much she needs to be herself again, and wants to reclaim the small part of what her life used to be. Lulu hopes that Valentin paid through the nose for it, and thanks Ava for agreeing to testify in the wrongful death suit. She says the small measure of justice means a lot. D’oh!

On the phone, Valentin says they’re all set. The woman in question will arrive tomorrow, and they’re to deal with her as they discussed. Hmm… odd wording.

Franco tells Kiki that he and Jason may or may not be connected. He doesn’t think they were separated at birth and isn’t obsessed; he’s never going back to the dark side. Kiki says he just told her that he’s walking into hell to talk to a demon. What will Heather get for telling him the truth? He says maybe a BLT from Kelly’s. Kiki asks what he’s not telling her, and he promises they’ll talk later, and shoves her out the door.

Sam thinks Carly believes Jason is going to die, but Carly says no; he’s badly hurt and will take time to recover. Sam says she’s not sick anymore and can take it. Griff asks for a word, and she asks if Jason is waking up or not.

Rocco’s cake looks like a baseball – very cool. Lulu tells Rocco and Charlotte to finish up playroom. Dante talks about a video game that Rocco wants, but they think he’s too young for. Olivia says that Ned plays the same game all the time. She tells Dante to let her know about any inappropriate gifts. She wants to be the cool Nona, and buy the gifts while they have to deal with the aftermath.  She goes to the kitchen, and Lulu tells Dante all is right with the world, but Valentin and Nina are back together again just in time for the custody hearing. Dante says they’ll probably break up again. Lulu says that’s not all. she saw Ava with Valentin.

Ava wonders where Valentin is. There’s a knock at the door, but it’s Kiki. Ava says she has no time right now. Kiki tells her she needs to get out of the house, and spend time somewhere that’s not here. She sees the bags, and asks where Ava is going. Ava says for some much needed R&R at a spa. Kiki asks where, and Ava tells her St. Petersburg. Kiki hopes it’s the one in Florida.

Franco waits with a BLT for Heather, and wonders how long it takes to drag a deranged lunatic out. The guard walks in, and tells him she declined to visit. Franco asks if she knows it’s him. The guard says she does, and Franco thinks maybe she’s confusing him with her other son. The guard says her reasons probably don’t make sense to anyone except her. Franco gives him the sandwich, and says to tell her that there’s more where that came from, but he needs answers. He asks him to show her the picture, and tell her she can have a BLT every week, but he needs to know what’s going on in the photo.

Griff tells Sam that the longer Jason stays in a coma, the less likely he’ll recover. She asks if he’s either going to wake up or die, and Griff says not necessarily. He says that Jason is completely unresponsive, and she should think about long term care. Sam gets annoyed, and Elizabeth says that they just want her to consider options. Sam asks if Jason can hear her, and Griff says absolutely. Sonny asks to talk to Griff.

Elizabeth tells Sam that she knows how scary it is, but Sam says she doesn’t think so. Jason might be Jake’s father, but her whole life isn’t lying in that room. She gets to go home to Franco.

Lulu tells Dante that Ava got strangely emotional, but she didn’t want to press her, since they need her statement. Dante asks if Spencer wins, if she thinks it will help the custody case, which is a really stupid question, especially since he’s a detective. He says last time they tried something like that, it didn’t work out, but Lulu says if he’s found guilty, the judge will have to consider it. The doorbell rings. It’s Valentin with a gift for Rocco.

Carly tells Elizabeth that Sam is saying things she doesn’t mean. Elizabeth says it’s okay; there’s nothing Sam is accusing her of that she didn’t actually do. She tells Sam that she’d love to go back and change things, but Sam says she can’t. That time is gone, and every minute that goes by could be the last. She’s not letting anyone take that away.

Sonny and Griff sit at the bar. Sonny wants to ask a spiritual question. Griff wishes it was something safer, like boxing. Sonny says that when they were both blowing off steam at the gym, they never asked each other why. Griff figured Sonny was thinking about Jason. Sonny says he knew better than trying to get out of the life, but why didn’t God punish him instead of Jason? Griff says he’s not comfortable speaking for God. Sonny asks if that isn’t part of the job.

Ava tells Kiki that the spa caters to clients with conditions such as hers. Kiki wanted her to branch out, and this is like dipping her toe into the water; it’s a once in a lifetime experience. Kiki suggest coming along, but Ava says she doesn’t want Dr. Bensch to think she’s not serious. She tells Kiki that she’ll be back when she feels like a new woman. She doesn’t want to spin her wheels, when she can get happiness and peace. Kiki asks what Griff thinks, and Ava says he’s busy doing the Lord’s work. Kiki thought they were in a good place, and asks what happened.

Elizabeth tells Sam that no one wants to take Jason away. Carly agrees, and Sam says she’s listening to the two people who did want to take him away. Elizabeth wisely goes back to work. Carly tells Sam that if she doesn’t want people to think she’s crazy, stop acting like it. I applaud in my head. She says that Sam needs to stop thinking about what was taken away, and think about what’s left, and think about Jason’s care. Sam gets the idea that Carly wants to be the one to take care of Jason because she wants him to herself. Sam is still crazy.

The guard comes back and tells Franco that Heather still refuses to visit with him, but thanks him for the sandwich. Franco asks if she saw the picture. The guard says she did, but there was no reaction. She asked if they were his kids. He told her exactly what Franco asked him to, and Franco says that’s insane. Both the guard and I go, well, yeah. Franco says that he really needs to speak with her, but the guard says sorry, and hands the photo back.

Lulu says Valentin shouldn’t have, and he says he’d never show up to a birthday party without a present – it’s from both Charlotte and him. It’s a video game, and Rocco asks how Valentin knew. He says Charlotte told him, and Olivia says now he has two. Valentin apologizes if he stepped on any toes, and Dante says it’s all right. They can return the other one, and if Rocco blows up the world, they can blame him. Lulu adds, and they will. Valentin doesn’t want to wear out his welcome, but Charlotte doesn’t want him to leave.

Ava tells Kiki that she and Griff have a friendship based on compassion, but she wants more than that. Kiki asks if she wants more with Griff, but she says no, more of herself. She wants to stop worrying about scars that won’t heal. Kiki wonders if she thinks a trip to the spa will fix it, and she says probably not, but she’s going to try. Kiki accuses her of being cryptic, and says there’s clearly something else going on. Ava says they’ll talk before she leaves, but right now she has to get ready for her big adventure. Kiki leaves. Geez, she’s getting kicked out of everywhere today.

Griff tells Sonny that he’s focusing more on medicine, and Sonny can do better for spiritual guidance. Sonny thinks Griff tells it like it is, and he’s Duke’s son, the one person who understands leaving the life he’s always known. Griff says that starting over, no matter how noble the motives or how hard you try, can still seem like you failed. Sonny asks if he’s talking about Sonny’s life, Duke’s life, or his own life.

Valentin says he wouldn’t dream of crashing a party. He tells Dante that he’s spoken to his attorney, and things are going well. He’d like a court date as soon as possible. Lulu says the sooner the better, and Valentin says they all want what’s best for Charlotte. When he’s gone, Lulu tells Dante he seems confident, and wonders what about. After seeing him with Ava, it can’t be good news.

Ava thinks over the past few months. Griff saying that her appearance has nothing to do with long, fulfilling life; Carly telling her that her face is as ugly as her soul; Sam saying can reclaim her life; Valentin offering her the deal; Griff saying wants to be her friend; Kiki saying she seems energized; and Griff at the gym. She remembers telling him that she wants to look in the mirror and not be reminded of every person she’s wronged. She says that when she comes back, she won’t be hiding anymore. She’ll be living.

Griff tells Sonny that he needs to get back. Sonny asks if he’s okay. He says he’s thinking about what it take to live the life he chose, and Sonny asks if he’s thinking about leaving the priesthood.

Carly says she doesn’t care if she has to call someone to get Sam out of there. She’s out of control. Sam says she’s right; she is out of control, and she’s not going to let her take Jason away.

Franco talks to himself, saying that he’d wished he never had to see mommy dearest’s face again, and now he really needs her. What secret is she hiding? What secret is important enough to give up future BLTs, and what is Jason doing in his childhood?

Tomorrow, Alexis suggests that Carly is covering up something, Griff says that Ava is in Russia, and Carly thinks Michael should know the truth.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

Vicki talks to Briana about her upcoming birthday party. She wants to have a roast, but doesn’t understand what that is. Briana thinks she’s way too sensitive for being roasted, and talks her out of it.

Kelly meets Peggy at a boutique where Gianelle works. Omg, Kelly starts talking about the rejuvenation again. I will never escape this topic. When she explains that her hooha was tightened, Peggy asks her if it was loose. <snort>

Meghan and Lydia take a walk. Lydia talks about Doug getting a vasectomy. She thinks it’s a good option just in case she changes her mind about having another baby. She asks Meghan what happened at the drag show. Meghan says that Lydia didn’t seem like she was having a good time. In her interview, Lydia explains that she wasn’t comfortable with dressing as a man in a bar or the sexual innuendo, but she tells Meghan it was when things turned nasty. She says every time they get together, it degenerates into a fight. Meghan brings up Kelly saying that her husband was having an affair, but Lydia says that Meghan was being mean before that. In her interview, she says Meghan has no problem cutting down Kelly’s marriage, but gets mad when it gets turned to her. She’s trying to hold up a mirror. Meghan doesn’t think it’s the same thing. Lydia says she’s kind of on Kelly’s side with this. She feels like Meghan attacked her first. Megan gets all emotional, saying Kelly attacked her marriage. Lydia says that she didn’t mean to upset her. Meghan says that she doesn’t give a flying, but she doesn’t say flying. She says she’s trying to have a balanced life. Lydia says she knows Meghan has a good heart. She’s sorry Meghan is latching on to her side of the story, and should look at the other side too. Let me just say it. Meghan is a know-it-all a-hole. Lydia is right. She can dish it out, but can’t take it. And I’ve said this before, she gossips under the guise of being helpful or informative.

Tamra is making something with a lot of eggs. Vicki calls. She says it’s awkward and hard, but wanted to take the first initiative, and asks her to meet for coffee. She wants to figure out a way to move forward or not. She says one of them has to make the first step; it’s weird not even saying hello when they see each other. We flash back to everyone telling Vicki this has to stop. She tells Tamra enough is enough. Tamra says okay, let’s do it. Tamra tells Vicki that she’s making a cheesecake, and Vicki tells her that she doesn’t know how to cook. Tamra says that she’s in a fog, but not too foggy to immediately call Shannon. She tells Shannon that Vicki wants to clear the air, but Shannon says it’s ridiculous. Tamra says she wouldn’t mind sitting down and telling her how she feels. In her interview, she assumes Vicki has seen the light, and wants to apologize. She says she’s shaking. I often wonder if these women are really adults.

Peggy talks about Gianelle going to school in NYC, and now Giavanna wants to go to school in LA. She says the dynamics of the house are going to change, but she’s ready after twenty years of hearing mom-mom-mom-mom. While driving to mail something, Diko uses the expression does a bear sh*t in the woods, and Peggy says if he lives in the woods, he’s gonna poop there, and has to explain it. She says that she doesn’t understand slang. She tells us that Diko has never mailed anything in his life, and watches as he tries to figure out which mailbox it goes in. She says Diko might be in charge, but she’s the neck that makes the head turn. She tells him that he doesn’t even know how to write a check, and I identify. Rich people, they really are like me. I am also a neck.

Meghan’s mother, Julie, comes for a visit, and fawns over baby Aspen. Meghan says her mom was with her the entire time she did IVF, and we flash back to that. She asks how many people can say their mom was with them when their child was conceived? I hope not many, and that with all of them it’s the same circumstance. She says her hormones are going haywire. She’s breastfeeding and not sleeping; a bad combination. She says she doesn’t have time to deal with the Kelly drama, and doesn’t want to deal with the emotional burden, when she has enough with a newborn.

Shannon’s daughters make her a birthday cake. Shannon and David talk about last year’s birthday when they did their vow renewal. She asks where they stand a year later. He says he wishes things were better, and the last six months have been stressful for her. He tends to pull away when she’s stressed. Of course this is Vicki’s fault. David says it didn’t bother him, but he couldn’t convince her to let it go. Shannon accuses him of saying that she’s obsessed because she never really listens to what the actual words are, and he says he’ll be glad to talk about it. He takes her hand, and she says it’s the first time he’s done that in six months. She feels like they renewed their vows, and then he wanted nothing to do with her. She gets all weepy, saying they don’t go on dates or text. He says there’s ups and downs with everything, but she says they don’t spend any time together. She asks what she did. In her interview, she says she’s not afraid of the answer. She just wants to know the truth. David leaves to check on the cake.

The girls call Shannon “the birthday princess,” and they all sit at the dining table. David says grace. He asks to be brought back to where they were at the vow renewal, and one of the daughters’ heads jerks around. In her interview, Shannon is afraid that they’re at the same place they were when he had the affair.

It’s time for Vicki’s birthday party, and it’s quite a spread, including a chocolate fountain. She’s excited because her family flew in from Chicago. She says it’s always chaos, and thinks maybe that’s why her life is so chaotic; she was raised in it. Briana and Ryan bring a gift. The extra gift is that they didn’t bring the kids. Ryan says he got one for both Briana and Vicki; something they’re doing as a family. It’s a gun. Steve says he’s carried one for the past thirty-six years, and Vicki is shocked that he has one on him all the time, even on their dates. (He’s a police officer.) She says maybe she hasn’t patted him down enough. BA-DUM-CHH!

Across town, Eddie is also having a birthday dinner at a restaurant. Cocktails are ordered, and they’re really weird. They have liquid nitrogen in them, and so does the popcorn. Meghan can’t wait to bring up Vicki, and Tamra says Vicki called her. We flash back to five minutes ago. Tamra says it felt like they were friends again. She says that she doesn’t know if she should forgive Vicki, when the swordfish comes out – with two full-sized swords sticking in it. And Shannon’s steak has been stabbed by a giant fork, and I mean like four feet high. What the hell is this place?

Vicki comes out in her red gown with matching lipstick, but no one notices. She starts singing happy birthday, and everyone turns around. Jeana from the first few seasons is there, and we flash back to the early years. Vicki tells Kelly about the gun. Kelly says she’d like to train, and her husband says she shouldn’t have a gun. I agree. Gretchen shows up in a glittery ball gown, along with Slade. He’s not wearing a gown though. We flash back to the tumultuous relationship she and Vicki had, and she says they’ve moved past it and are friends now. Vicki tells everyone to whoop it up.

Peggy wants to eat, because people think she doesn’t eat. Lydia tells Vicki that she values their friendship. Vicki tells her about calling Tamra. Lydia thinks her dream of reconciliation might come through. She says she believes in them. Normally, I find bubbly people irritating, but I like Lydia. I love how she tells the truth in love, practicing what she preaches.

Vicki thanks everyone for coming, and says she thinks she got it right this time with Steve. Kelly loves seeing a couple in love, but wishes she had it for herself. Vicki says there’s nothing better than having family around, and friends make it perfect. Everyone calls for fireball shots. Kelly says that she and Lizzie (from one of the seasons) have been friends for a while. They worked out at a place where Eddie worked, and everyone thought he was gay. Lizzie says Tamra claimed people say it all the time, and it’s not a big deal. We flash back to Tamra making it a big deal. A dude at the table claims that he saw Eddie making out with a guy. He was their best man, and Kelly asks why he wouldn’t have said something. He says she thought she was okay with it. In her interview, Vicki says she doesn’t want to know, but tell her more. Dude swears it’s the truth.

This season, volleyball, drinking, hookah smoking, Tamra and Vicki making up, Kelly goes to the hospital, the women go to Iceland, Lydia is done, Tamra and Vicki un-making up, and dysfunction to the highest degree.

The Real Housewives of Dallas

The ladies get ready for their trip. Cary Stephanie and Brandi are going to Memphis to visit her grandfather. She hopes the kids don’t give him another stroke. Brandi’s part-time nanny is also coming along.

Jeremy teaches photojournalism workshops, and tells D’Andra about his lecture. He says that Keatin wants to move out. D’Andra says he’s been there less than two months, and now he’s crawling home like a baby. She was hoping they’d set an example, and he’d pick up on the energy. She says all she gets is a vacuous stare, and infers that he has a sense of entitlement. He needs to stick something out for six months to a year. Jeremy asks her to be level-headed when they talk to him, because when she gets angry, she gets angry.

Brandi is making an effort to pull the relationships with the girls together. The Peabody Hotel has a duck pond in the lobby. Very cool. In her interview, Brandi talks about swimming in the Mississippi River as a kid. They pop some champagne when they get upstairs. Stephanie says it’s like she and Brandi are dating again, and meeting the family is the next step. She’s hoping for a proposal soon. Brandi says her grandfather is doing well. She explains about not having known him until about a year ago. She says it didn’t sit well with her grandmother, and she hasn’t spoken to her or her mom since. Brandi says for that side of the family, it’s like a betrayal, but hopes to see her while she’s there. She has guilt that she’s hurt her, and thinks she should have made more of an effort to visit over the years. They plan a girls’ night while they’re in Memphis.

Kameron has a presentation to show her husband for her pink dog food line. He’s not fond of the idea, but she thinks she can get part of the industry. Her daughter suggests she flip her hair to get daddy’s attention.

She visits Court in his office. She says she plays the dumb blonde card so he thinks he’s in control. She says she found someone who’s willing to work with her. He asks her if she can do it at a reasonable price. She tells him $100K. In her interview, she says a blank stare means she’s doing well. She must be doing well. He says no, and she says challenge accepted. He thinks she needs a business plan. He says he’s willing to give her $10K, and if she can show him one, they can talk about taking it to the next level. He adds if she wants to take it from blonde business to real business. She tells us that she has to show him she says blonde business is real business. Being a pet parent myself, I think she has a great idea. People will buy anything for their pets. I know I will. It won’t be a mainstream thing, but people will get it for the novelty, and she’ll make money. Remember the wall walker? You never see it anymore, but that guy made a skabillion dollars.

In Memphis, the girls head to Brandi’s grandfather’s house. Brandi says he looks good, and I agree. There are a ton of family members there, some of whom Brandi hasn’t even met. Brandi and Stephanie decide to have babies at the same time. Cary says he only two people who are more co-dependent are her and Mark.

Brandi asks how her grandfather is doing, and thanks him for having all of them. They toast to their family.

Brandi has a surprise for the girls. Catfishing. No, not that kind. Real fishing with a pole for catfish. The manager gives them waders, since you walk out into the water. Brandi talks about how her grandmother taught her how to catfish when she was a kid. Stephanie says she won’t even touch salmon when she cooks it. She’s stresses over putting worms on the hooks. In her interview, she says she doesn’t like killing things, and thinks it’s a direct line to hell. Um…don’t you eat meat? And wear leather? Brandi gets a fish almost immediately.

The uninvited LeeAnne goes out with D’Andra and Kameron. She’s hoping a girls’ night will perk her up. She’s upset about the trip to Memphis, thinking that she and Brandi had built a bond. Rich says he’s her consolation prize, and once again I wonder why he sticks around when she’s batsh*t crazy.

Brandi and the girls get ready to go out. In a horse drawn pumpkin coach.

In Dallas. LeeAnne is super excited to get to know Kameron better, since she has a woman crush, but not that way.  Kameron says that Brandi told her that her husband didn’t like LeeAnne coming to the house, and isn’t allowed in. LeeAnne says good to know next time Brandi throws a party. She’ll say she can’t come. In her interview, LeeAnne says if she rang tin bell, Brandi would let her in. D’Andra doesn’t know what’s going on with her.

Brandi says her relationship with LeeAnne is a work in progress, but she won’t have her around the family; the girls are scared of her. Carly says she thinks that Brandi could find a common ground. Cary says she’s been a good friend, and if LeeAnne is talking behind their backs, she’s going to go out of her mind.

LeeAnne meets with her therapist, Elizabeth. She wants to talk about Rich. He told her they’d be engaged by last year, but she doesn’t want to push him. It’s been eight years, but she has faith, and he stayed though the bad times. She says the new LeeAnne knows it’s his choice on his terms, and she’s hanging on to hope. She wonders if Elizabeth thinks it’s okay to say something, and Elizabeth says it’s essential. LeeAnne wonders how you push without pushing, and Elizabeth doesn’t know if that’s possible.

Brandi and her mom are going to her grandmother’s. Brandi says that the family is still struggling with a lot of pain. Brandi’s mom says she loves her mother, but has to love from afar. Brandi thinks the family leans on her to put things back together, and it’s a lot of pressure.

Cary asks Stephanie if she and Brandi are back together. Stephanie says it’s better now. She says she wasn’t there for Brandi at a crucial time, and lost everything. Cary tells her that she kisses Brandi’s ass, and Stephanie agrees.

Jeremy tells D’Andra that they need to talk to Keatin. D’Andra tells him that she’s emotional and angry, and fears they’ll be having the same conversation a year from now and ten years from now. She says Keatin never implements any of his ideas. Keatin joins them and she asks why he’s not comfortable. He says it’s just the way he feels, and it’s nothing they did. Jeremy says it’s been less than two months, and D’Andra says he hasn’t explored on opportunity. If he goes back to South Carolina, his life will go back to what it was. Then she tells him if he rolls his eyes again, she’ll take them out of his head. (Remembering that for future reference.) She says the only way to have a happy life is to do something with it. She tells him that he’s selfish and starts getting loud, saying that he has no commitment to anything. Jeremy asks when he’s moving, and Keatin says probably tonight. Jeremy tells him there’s no going back; they’re not supporting him again. He says he understands. They both think he’s making a mistake. Keatin goes upstairs and D’Andra tells Jeremy how upset she is.

Brandi goes to the house while her mom waits in the car. Brandi sees that her grandmother is home, but her biggest fear is that she won’t answer the door. Seriously, what the hell is with people? She rings the bell, while usually she just walked in the back door. She’s feeling awkward, and talks to the barking dog through the door.

Keatin has his little backpack ready. He hugs D’Andra and Jeremy good-by. Jeremy says he means the world to them. In her interview, D’Andra says that she feels like she let Keatin and her husband down; like she didn’t do something, but doesn’t know what it is. She wants a do-over, and I know the feeling. Jeremy says just pray he does good.

Back in Memphis, Brandi still waits on her grandmother’s porch. She says that she knows her grandmother is in there. I’d just walk in the freaking back door like I used to. Brandi asks her grandmother to please talk to her. She leaves a bouquet by the door, and goes back to the car. She says that it’s an empty feeling when you love someone and get shunned, and they don’t let you in. It makes her second guess even trying. Brandi’s mom asks if she could hear her, and Brandi says even if she didn’t hear the bell, the dog was barking. Her mom tells her that she’s sorry, and Brandi cries in her arms. She says it’s painful coming from someone by your side since you were born. She named Brandi, and wonders how it came to this. She calls Stephanie from the car, and tells her what happened. She says it’s okay though, at least she knows how her grandmother feels, and that she tried.

Brandi gets back to the hotel. She says the biggest lesson learned is to not cut people out of your life. She did the same thing to Stephanie, and has learned a lesson. The three of them get in bed with some wine and face masks. The cosmetic kind. Brandi says she wants them to be happy, and Cary says they are. Brandi was hoping for more, but it didn’t happen. She has to let it go. She feels loved by them, and thanks them. She says she’s going to drink a lot, and Cary says they’ll drink too; that’s what friends are for. Cary puts the mask on Brandi, and says that nothing makes you feel better than wine and a gold face mask. Stephanie takes a picture. She says the best thing for broken heart is hydrating your face.

Next time, the Texas State Fair, D’Andra isn’t comfortable with behind the back talk, and LeeAnne calls Cary a condescending bitch.

Some Photos from October 2001

911-2 (2)911-5 (2)

911-3 (2)911-1 (2)

Never Forget

Sep12

September 11, 2016 – Not a Happy Anniversary

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What I Didn’t Watch & Why

While I’ll have my usual Wives and Fear recap, I have an extra post today that I thought should be separate from the frivolity.

September 11 – 15th Anniversary

It’s a somber day in TVland. Although I don’t watch any of it. It’s not likely I’ll forget.

I remember it as being a beautiful day. My husband was off to work in Manhattan as a technician for Xerox, and I was up early, having a petsitting gig for my neighbors who were on vacation. I was also their “mother’s helper,” watching the kids several days a week, twins (a boy and a girl), and their little sister, still an infant. I went to put on Good Day, New York like I always did first thing. But all I got was static.

I cursed the cable company, flipping through the channels, still getting nothing. This should have given me a clue, since it was the same thing that had happened in 1993, but I made no such connection. Finally, I hit a station that had something going on, either CNN or FOX News. Standing in front of the TV chugging coffee, I saw that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. I knew that was going to happen one day, I thought, believing, like probably everyone else at that moment, that it was just some kind of horrible accident, a miscalculation on somebody’s part. But then I watched, in what seemed like slow motion, a second plane hit the other tower. This was no accident.

On top of it, we’d had a lightening storm that had knocked out our phone line. I ran to my neighbor’s house and immediately called the phone company, explaining that my husband was in Manhattan and I had no phone. The operator was sympathetic, telling me to try unplugging and then plugging the phone back in. She said she’d pray for me and I said I’d do the same for her. I got the phone to work, but I could still only make out-going calls, and there was no way to reach a cell phone anyway. I wouldn’t find out until the afternoon that my husband was all right, and it was a bit of an odd circumstance. I was still on dial-up (remember that? remember how excruciatingly long it took to do everything? and the horrifying noise it made connecting?), and had a program called Pagoo, which rerouted calls to voicemail when the line was busy. I wasn’t able to actually pick the call up, but because I was online when he called, I was able to hear the message right away.

I’d spent the day going back and forth to my neighbor’s house, sometimes making calls to friends while I was there, one friend’s first words to me “they just hit the Pentagon” rather than “hello,” watching the first tower fall on their television, screaming in a dreamlike way without sound, tears streaming down my face as I walked back to my house. My time at home was spent keeping abreast of the news on TV and talking with people anywhere and everywhere online, going into various chatrooms to find out what was happening in other corners of the globe. I also had friends in Pennsylvania, not that far from where Flight 93 would end up crashing. We all corresponded through chat, since there was virtually no social media then.

My husband and I had planned on going to the movies that weekend to see Rock Star, but never made it there. I spent the next week online, reading and writing, while listening to the news. The intro music from FOX News’s evening program still makes me feel queasy. There was a sale on Grey Goose at the neighborhood liquor store and I steadily drank, but never felt drunk, eating occasionally, mostly capellini with mushroom or red clam sauce from the local Italian place, which was next to the neighborhood liquor store. I wasn’t hungry often, but in the moments when I was, I tried to eat as much as possible, so I’d have something besides vodka in me. I listened to old records, especially any with an NYC theme.

The oddest thing, and maybe the one that stood out the most, was the quiet. It’s not as noisy here as the city, but it’s not exactly the boondocks either. I’m also not that far from three major airports and an Army base. But aside from the occasional military helicopter, nothing was flying except the birds. The day of, you could hear only the ambulance sirens in the distance, sad and chilling at the same time. If I’d gone to the beach, I could have probably seen the the smoke, but I wanted to stick close to home. When the first real plane flew overhead again, my German Shepherd went out of her mind, I guess having gotten used to the silence. My first thought was, are you going where you’re supposed to? I still think that sometimes, and hate the sound of an airplane or helicopter. I haven’t, however, let it stop me from flying.

So, yeah, I don’t watch any of it. I look at a few articles online, sometimes watching a video, or looking at a slideshow, but I don’t want to relive it totally. On the first anniversary, I listened to “the reading of the names” (which sounds like something out of a Shirley Jackson novel), and watched many of the tributes, but as time went on, I just couldn’t. Admittedly, I’m very blessed, no one close to me was hurt or killed. The husband of a friend was traumatized, having seen bodies fall before escaping; the high school boyfriend I’d followed to NYC (a story for another time) just missed being there – the person he was meeting had canceled; my husband’s co-worker from Xerox took a call there that morning – he survived, but never returned to work; the hotel and restaurant that I frequented for Dark Shadows conventions was gone, and the employees with it. The city I’d called home for so long, the place I’d wanted to live in since I was five, had changed forever. It’s not something I like to think about, but not something I’m likely to forget.

The weekend after Labor Day, a neighboring town has a “good-by to summer” party and blows off fireworks. It’s so close, it sounds like it’s in my backyard. In 2002, it startled us all. My neighbors and I all went running outside, wondering what was happening, only to realize it was a harmless celebration.

“Well, if the terrorists do come for us, we’ll be sitting ducks,” one of my neighbors said. “We’ll all go running into the street like idiots.” We all laughed. Maybe for the first time in a year.

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