Category Archives: Bravo

August 11, 2021 – Nikolas Tells Ava That He Knows Who the Stalker Is, Sutton Thinks the Stories Don’t Add Up & Perhaps

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Curtis visits Stella at the hospital, and says, someone’s got a lot of fans, when he sees all the flowers. She asks if that surprises him, but he says, not at all. There’s a lot of people in Port Charles pulling for her to be on the mend. How is she feeling? She says like she never had a stroke. He has an in with a doctor. Maybe he can pull some strings and get her released. He says he doesn’t have to; she’s released today. She wishes someone had told her, and nearly jumps out of bed. He tells her to take it easy. He wanted to do the honors, and as soon as the paperwork is completed, he’s taking her home with him. She protests, but he says, no argument. He wants to make sure her recovery goes as smoothly as possible. She says he’d do that for her, after what she’s done?

Jordan walks in with a bouquet of flowers, and Portia takes it she’s there to see Stella. Jordan asks how she is, and Portia says, on the mend. She should make a full recovery. Jordan says, that’s good news. The last time they saw each other, they had a disagreement. Portia says, same here. As much as she hates to say it, maybe it’s good Stella doesn’t remember much about the past few days.

On the phone at the gallery, Trina tells Spencer that it’s okay if he’s having second thoughts about the party, but he says, au contraire, Mademoiselle. The grand fete is still – as they say in her country – on. She says it’s his country too, but he says he’s a citizen of the world. As is his père; he’s leaving for Dubai tonight. Prepare herself for decadence not seen since the Holy Roman Empire fell victim to its own debauchery. Dress accordingly. She asks, what time? and he says, whenever she wants. The party won’t start until she gets there. Ava walks in, and says, don’t tell her that was the elusive Victor. Trina says, not Victor; Spencer.

Nikolas looks at Ryan’s letter, when the doorbell rings. He lets Laura and Doc in, and thanks them for coming, telling them, there have been a few developments. Laura says, developments? and Doc asks if it’s about his stalker. Laura says, please tell her that he and Spencer aren’t on the outs again. Nikolas says, this isn’t about Spencer, and Spencer comes out with a suitcase. Laura says, speak of the devil, and Spencer asks if they’re talking about him. Laura says they are now. She asks where he’s going, and he says he’s not going anywhere; this is father’s. Shouldn’t Nikolas be on his way?

Obrecht and Scotty lounge at the pool (🍷), and Scotty tells her to take her cover-up off. She’s got curves… like the Grand Prix. He makes an hourglass shape with his hands, and tells her to flaunt it. She says he flatters her, but the harsh morning sun on her fair skin, combined with his volatile proximity, may cause her to spontaneously combust. He says, that’s hot, and she says she sees what he did there. He says he’d like to see what he does in his penthouse. What say they go back and try out the sprinkler system? She plays with her hair, and says perhaps they can conduct their own fire drill. The passionately kiss, when Britt appears, and says, decorum please? They may have scarred her for life.

It’s lunchtime, and Jason asks if Donna can take a bite for herself. She does and he says, wow! Look at that. Good job. They fist bump, and Carly walks in. Donna says, daddy.

Obrecht says only Britt’s presence could make this morning more perfect than it already was. Scotty says, if her presence was an hour later, it would have been better, and Obrecht laughs. Britt tells him, she has to say, she’s never seen her mother this happy. He says he’s glad because he’s happy as a clam at high tide. Life couldn’t be better. Britt and her mother exchange a look, and he gets up, saying, he’s sorry. He just put his foot in his mouth. Britt says, it’s fine, but he says, it was insensitive and rude, and that’s his modus operandi. He wants to apologize. She says she really doesn’t need that, but Obrecht says she’s receiving an apology. Savor the moment. Scotty says Obrecht told him about the gift Britt’s father left her, and Britt tells him, he can say Huntington’s. He says he’s sorry she has it, and she thanks him, but she really doesn’t want to talk about it. She’s living in the moment, and for the moment. Obrecht says, and thankfully, without Jason Morgan. He would have gotten her killed faster than any debilitating hereditary disease. Britt says she doesn’t want to talk about him either, and puts her stuff on a nearby chair. Obrecht says, if it’s any comfort, she destroyed Jason.

Jason tells Donna, he misses her daddy too. Carly says, good morning. How’s her sweet girl? She thanks Jason for feeding Donna, and he says, his pleasure. She says he’s a pro. He was so good with Michael. Jason knew how to take care of him before she did. I gaze with satisfaction at the moss bowl on the kitchen island, back home again. He says, those were some good times, and she says she knows. She takes a sip of coffee, and says, another plus of him living there. His coffee is way better than hers. She guesses they have to talk about their problem.

Curtis says, of course (🍷) he wants Stella with him, and she says that’s sweet of him, but she has the feeling that, before her stroke, she upset a whole lot of people. People he cares a great deal about. He asks what exactly she remembers, when Jordan walks in, and asks how Stella is feeling. She was so worried. Stella asks if Curtis will give them a moment, and he says if she needs anything, he’ll be a holler away. He leaves, and Jordan says Stella sure has a lot of admirers, putting her flowers with the others. Stella thanks her for them, but says, what she really needs is the truth. What happened the last time they were together?

Curtis asks if Portia had any word from Trina, and she says, Trina is staying at Josslyn’s house. She’s still not ready to talk to Portia. Ever since she heard Stella confronting her about their affair, it’s like she’s suddenly become a stranger to Trina.

Ava says there’s something she’s been meaning to ask Trina. After she saw the two of them together, Spencer came to see her. Did Trina have anything to do with that? Trina says she doesn’t know. She told him how upset she was that Ava and his father were getting a divorce, and also made it clear that they’re friends, and how much she admires Ava. Why? What happened? Ava says, nothing. She and Spencer had a surprisingly civil conversation. Considering how Spencer feels about her, and the promise she broke, he didn’t have to reach out to her at all. Trina asks what they talked about, and Ava says, her marriage to his father. But this time it was less about Spencer’s dislike of her, and more about his concern for his father’s safety. Trina says, because of the stalker? and Ava says, exactly. She promised she wouldn’t speak to Nikolas directly, and they’d only communicate through their lawyers. Trina asks if Ava is okay with that, and Ava says, no, but she’s resigned herself to it. Her point is, she was impressed with Spencer’s devotion to his dad. Trina say she thinks in his own way, Spencer loves his father as much as she loves hers, and Ava says, it’s just so unfortunate that Spencer didn’t know his mother. Trina is so lucky; she and her mom are so close. Trina says, not anymore.

Nikolas says he doesn’t need to leave quite yet, and Spencer says his luggage is waiting when he is. Doc says Laura told him Spencer is upset about the mistakes he made with his brother, and Spencer says, mistake. The one that nearly took his Aunt Lulu’s life; the one that did take Kiki’s. Ava’s not his favorite person, but she certainly didn’t deserve what Ryan did to her. Doc says Spencer is right. He never should have tried to treat his brother on his own. But if Spencer chooses to remain angry with him, there’s very little he can do about it. Spencer tells him, he’d say there’s nothing Doc can do, and Doc says, except to tell him that his enmity weighs heavily on his grandmother. Spencer says, playing the grandmother card might not be beneath Doc, but it’s certainly beneath him. Laura says she’s not a card to be played, and it does hurt her deeply. Doc is her husband. She loves him, and expects Spencer to make some effort toward making peace. Spencer says, all she has to do is ask, and holds out his hand. He and Doc shake, and she says, thank you. So, about this trip… Nikolas says, it’s just a business trip. He’s going to Dubai. Laura says, in that case, she and Doc will stay with Spencer. Spencer says they don’t need to adjust their plans on his account, but Laura says, nonsense; it’s going to be fun. Besides, it will give Spencer the opportunity to reconnect with Doc. Spencer says he thinks they’ve made enough progress for today, and he has plans of his own; solitary plans. Doc says, doing what? and Spencer says, being solitary. He’s just spent the last few years at boarding school, constantly surrounded by people. He’s going to enjoy being alone, and he’s trying to learn to love his own company. Doc says he applauds the idea, and Spencer says, so they’re not staying, but Laura says, oh yes, they are. She and Doc sit down, and Doc tells Spencer not to worry. They’ll give him a wide berth so he can experience his solitude. Spencer says, but if they’re there, he’s not going to have a any solitude. It defeats the purpose. Laura says she’s sure it will ease Nikolas’s mind to know that they’re there in case Spencer needs them, but Nikolas says, actually, it won’t.

Portia tells Curtis that she wants to give Trina some time, but it’s been two whole days. She knows it doesn’t sound like a lot… He says he’s sure when it’s your child, two days seems like a lifetime, and she wonders how long she’s supposed to let this go on for. He wishes he had something useful to say, or that he could offer some advice, but he has zero experience at being a parent. What he can offer her is a shoulder to lean on.

Jordan says, the last time she and Stella met, water under the bridge. Stella says, if it’s water, she’s drowning in it. She can feel in her heart she did wrong, that she went on some sort of grand meddling mission. She knows she was in Jordan’s office, and Jordan was upset with her. Is that right? Jordan says, it is, and Stella asks if it’s because Jordan and Curtis were getting divorced. Jordan says she’s two for two. Stella was trying to convince her to give her marriage to Curtis another shot. To prove a point, she signed the divorce papers in front of Stella, put them in an envelope, and put them in her outbox. Stella flashes back to seeing Jordan do that, and Jordan asks if she’s remembering something. Stella says, there’s something about that. Like it’s right in front of her. If she could just grab it, she has the feeling it’s important.

Britt asks what Obrecht did to Jason, and Scotty says, he hopes it involved a mechanical tool, like a circular saw. Obrecht says, unfortunately, she’s left her violent ways behind, so she used the next best weapon in her arsenal; her words. She told Herr Morgan exactly what she thought of him. Scotty says, that’s like talking to a turnip, and Obrecht says, Anna Devane thought the same thing, but she saw his face when she hit him with her best shot. She reminded him that he was the first person Britt confided in about her illness. She opened her heart and shared her fears, only for the coward to leave her for his dead friend’s wife. He will never stop thinking of Britt. She’ll haunt him. Obrecht made sure of it.

Carly asks Jason, what’s going on? When she went to that meeting, the heads of the families stood with her against Cyrus, every last one of them, including the Novaks. So what’s changed? Jason says, that’s what they’re going to find out, and she says, Jax is livid about the Joey/Josslyn incident. He says, can she blame him? and she says she doesn’t blame him at all. She tried telling him it was a one-time thing, that Joey is just a punk, and it will never happen again, but she doesn’t know that’s true. Jason says, it is true. He’s going to back the families off. He’s not going to let anything happen to her or the kids. She smiles, and says, the way he said that, it’s like they were his kids. He says, they’re a family. It’s his responsibility to protect and love them, and that’s what he’s going to do.

Ava asks what’s going on between Trina and her mom, but Trina says she doesn’t want to tell Ava what happened with her and her mom. It makes her look like a bad person, which, maybe she is. Ava appreciates Trina wanting to protect her mom, but believe her, there’s nothing Portia could do that would surprise or shock her. She also knows how much Portia loves Trina, so she knows from experience that Portia is hurting too. Trina says, maybe she deserves to. Her mom cheated on her dad with Curtis. Ava says Trina’s parents have been divorced for a long time, haven’t they? and Trina says, it happened years ago. Not only did her mom betray her dad, she lied to Curtis, and never told him that she was married. Ava says, she sees, and Trina says her mom is always talking about the importance of truth and honesty. Now it turns out, she’s a total hypocrite.

Curtis tells Portia, his Aunt Stella is trying to figure out what happened before she had the stroke. Is there some way Portia can determine when she might get her memory back? Or if she can get it back? Portia says she’s afraid not. Some patients recover their memories; some never do. He says Cameron told them that Stella had an envelope she wanted to mail, but it was before she collapsed, and it was damaged, so it was thrown out. She says, and he doesn’t have any ideas what it might have been?

Stella says she remembers Jordan signing the papers, but beyond that, it’s a blur. Jordan wants her to know that after she signed the divorce papers, she went to find Curtis and fight for their marriage one more time. But she was too late. Stella thanks Jordan for telling her. She’s so, so sorry. Jordan says her too, and thanks Stella. Stella says, dear God, for what? and Jordan says, for her single-mindedness of purpose. Stella asks if Jordan means her stubbornness, and Jordan says she does. She thanks Stella for accepting her into the family – eventually – and fighting like hell to keep her in it. For inspiring her to make that last try to save it. It didn’t work out, but now she can let go, and know she gave it her all. Stella puts her hand on Jordan’s.

Laura asks if Nikolas really thinks it’s a good idea for Spencer to stay there alone. Nikolas says, Spencer is practically a grown man, and Spencer says, he is a grown man. Laura says, what if the stalker comes back? and Nikolas says, the stalker has never shown any interest in Nikolas. And there’s a security team, not to mention the staff. Doc says, so much for solitude, and Spencer says, they’re different; they stay out of the way. Nikolas says he agrees. Spencer has lived in dorms for years, and needs to learn how to be on his own with a full staff and security team, and to keep his own counsel. Spencer says he just wants to enjoy the family homestead with a full staff and security team, and get a little bit of quiet. Laura says, well, okay then. She and Doc get up, and she says she’s only a phone call away. Spencer thanks her, and says he’s looking forward to spending quality time with her, just not tonight. She says they’ll have to make plans, and he says, can’t wait. He tells Nikolas to have a good trip, and Nikolas says he plans to. He puts his hand on Spencer’s shoulder and says he wants to apologize again. He should never have been suspicious of him. Spencer says they’ve made such progress as a family, he thinks it’s best they forget about this, and not let it get in the way. Nikolas says, let’s not, and Spencer tells them, farewell, and leaves. Laura asks what Nikolas suspected him of, and Nikolas says that’s why he called them over. He found this letter to Spencer from Ryan Chamberlain.

Ava says she doesn’t understand why Portia told Trina this in the first place, but Trina says, she didn’t. She should have, but she didn’t. She has a right to know. Ava says, no, she doesn’t. First of all, no mother is obligated to discuss any extramarital affairs with her children. Secondly, by sparing Trina the details of the mistakes she made a long time ago, Ava thinks Portia was just trying to give herself a clean slate. Trina says Portia lied to her dad, and Ava says, that’s none of Trina’s business. Trina asks how she can say that; she’s their daughter. Ava says, but it’s their marriage they’re talking about. What goes on in their marriage is their business. Sometimes affairs are a symptom of a bigger problem. When someone is feeling unloved or lonely, sometimes they do things they wouldn’t normally do. The bottom line is, she needs to show her mother some compassion. Trina says, but… and Ava says, there is no but about it. This is Trina’s mother, and she disappointed her – Ava gets and understands that – but none of them , not even Trina, is perfect.

Curtis tells Portia, he has no idea what his aunt was about to put in the mailbox, and unfortunately, neither does she. Jordan joins them, and Curtis says she’s still standing. Jordan says she and Stella had a meeting of the minds about their divorce; she’s finally accepted it. Curtis thanks Jordan for talking to her, and says he should go get her ready. He leaves, and Jordan says, the last time Stella had a stroke, was when she found out she and Curtis were together, and now… Portia says, that woman is a force of nature. First, she refuses to let Jordan in the family; now she’s going to do everything possible to prevent her from leaving. Jordan asks what else Stella did, other than trying to manipulate Portia into staying away from Curtis, and Portia says, it went way beyond that.

Stella tells Curtis, she vaguely remembers being at Kelly’s with him, and he was angry with her, but why? What had she done? He asks if she really wants to know, and she says, it’s not a question of what she wants; she needs to know. He says she confronted Portia about the affair they had all those years ago, and she says, dear Lord. She wishes not being able to remember would absolve her from all that, and he says he thinks they’d all rather put it behind them. She says, wait a minute. Something else happened when she confronted Portia. Something that made it worse. What was it? He says, Portia’s daughter Trina overheard her. Stella says, oh God.

Laura asks where Nikolas got the letter, and he says, in Spring Ridge, among Ryan’s belongings. Spencer returned it unopened, but just seeing it unsettled him. He wasn’t thinking clearly, and accused Spencer of conspiring with Ryan against Ava. She says, Spencer would never do that, and he says she’s right. The dates don’t match up, hence the apology. Laura asks Doc if he thinks Ryan was trying to use Spencer to get to Ava, and Doc says Nikolas was right to bring this to them. He thinks he needs to find out what the hell is going on at Spring Ridge. Nikolas thanks him, and says anything he could do would be appreciated. Unfortunately, he needs to get to the airport. Laura asks if he’s sure Spencer will be okay there by himself, and Nikolas says he’s sure Spencer will be fine. She says, he does seem to be growing up, and he did mention he talked with Ava, and they agreed to a truce. Nikolas asks what else he said, and she tells him, Spencer said Ava agreed to limit contact with him. Nikolas says, that explains the email he got telling him to only communicate with Ava through her attorney.

Spencer goes to the pool (🍷), and says hello to Obrecht, adding it’s a pleasure to see her again. Cassadine family lore hints at a romance between her and his Great Uncle Victor. Obrecht says, like much Greek lore, it’s ancient and filled with horrors. Spencer says, nevertheless, he’s quite fond of her magnificent daughter, and wishes things could have worked out between her and his father, but alas, his father is a very stubborn and unforgiving man. (Kettle, meet pot.) Britt says, trust her; things worked out for the best. He disagrees, and says, Mr. Baldwin. If memory serves, he’s quite an impressive attorney. Scotty thanks him, and says if he ever gets into trouble, come see him. Spencer says he’ll keep that in mind, and Britt suggests they go somewhere and catch up. She steers him toward the bar, and Scotty says, Victor Cassadine? Obrecht says she spent decades in a romantic stupor over Cesar Faison. All things considered, Victor was a step up. He says, even so, and she says she’ll put it this way. Cesar was, as Britta would say, rock bottom. Victor was top soil. And Scotty is the stars. Aww! I love them so much.

Britt tells Spencer, he has to stop trying to put her and his father together. He says, can he help it if he thinks they belong together? and she says, yes, he can. Because he did it to weaponize her against Ava, and friends don’t treat each other like that. He says she’s right; he’s sorry. She says, that’s mature of him. Forgive her if it takes her a moment to buy it. He says take all the time she needs. By the way, she should know, he’s decided to spend less time worrying about his father’s life, and focus on his own. In fact, he was just over at the restaurant, taking advantage of their excellent catering service. She says, special occasion? and he says he’s having the party to end all parties, and he wants her to come. Feel free to bring a plus one.

Obrecht says, she’s been meaning to ask Scotty this… Even now, she hesitates. He says she can ask him anything, and she says, very well. She’s attending a medical conference on new research and advancements in treatment of hereditary diseases, including Huntington’s. He asks, where? and she says, St. Lucia. He asks, how long? and she says, a week. He says he’s going to lose her for a whole week? and she says, not if he comes with her.

Britt says she assumes Spencer’s stubborn and unforgiving father is unaware of his par-tay plans, and he says Nikolas is going to be in Dubai. Please come. She says, to chaperone a bevy of Gen Z’ers? No thanks. He says she’d hardly be a chaperone. Maybe she’ll meet someone. She says she thinks she’ll steer clear of romance with eighteen year olds, and he says, so she’s not seeing anyone. She says she’s serious about that party. He knows how his father can be.

Portia tells Jordan, Trina overheard the whole exchange, and Jordan says, oh no. Portia says, yeah, and now Trina sees her as someone who stepped out on her father with Curtis. She spent the last two nights at Josslyn’s house. Jordan’s probably thinking this is what she gets, right? Jordan says she’s in no position to judge Portia or anyone. She kept from TJ that Cyrus was behind his abduction, and he was furious. Rightfully so. But look at her and TJ now; they’re close again. She promises Portia, if she and TJ can find a way past her mistakes, Trina can find a way past Portia’s. Portia says, any idea how? and Jordan says, whatever she does, don’t push. It never works. Let Trina come to her.

Stella asks what she’s done to that poor child, and Curtis tells her, take it easy. The last thing she needs after a stroke is to elevate her blood pressure. Trina will come around. If there’s one thing Stella always taught him, it’s that they all have the capacity to forgive. She says she’s going to need all the forgiveness she can get.

Ava says, Trina told her that her mother didn’t tell her about the affair. How’d she find out about it? Trina says she overheard Miss Henry unloading on her mom about it. Then not too long after, Miss Henry had a stroke. She’s going to be okay, but the whole thing is just a mess. Ava can see how it seems that way, especially since Trina is at the heart of it. Which means, if she wants things to get better – Trina says, which she does – then Trina has to be the one to start making them better. Go talk to her mom. Trina doesn’t know if she’s ready to do that, and Ava says she doesn’t have to be ready. At least not right this minute, but soon. She’s learned the hard way that they can’t let things like this fester, and to set things right as soon as they can.

Moss bowl! Carly tells Jason, Donna is down for her nap. She heard Donna earlier, when she called Jason daddy. He doesn’t think she knows what she’s saying, but Carly says she does. She doesn’t remember Sonny, but she knows what daddy means, and to her, Jason is daddy. Is he okay with that? He sighs.

Stella asks, why? and Curtis says because he loves her. He was always going to forgive her. And because she was fighting for something she believed in, something he’d asked her to believe in. But his marriage to Jordan is over, and he needs her to accept that. She says it took a stroke to get her there, but she finally accepts it. He says, let’s get you out of here, and she asks how Portia and Trina will ever get over what she did to them? He says, they’re resilient, strong women, just like her. He’s sure things will work themselves out over time.

Jordan says Portia is a good mother. Just give Trina a little time to remember that. Because she will. Portia thanks her, and says, maybe there’s hope for their friendship yet. I guess she didn’t hear that part about not pushing. Jordan smiles, and gets in the elevator, giving a little wave as the doors close. Curtis comes out of Stella’s room, and says he just wanted Portia to know he had to tell Stella what happened with Trina. Portia says, oh no. She was hoping they could protect her from that. He says, him too, but she insisted, and she knows when his Aunt Stella insists. She says she gets it, and asks how Stella is taking it. He says, she’s embarrassed, but most of all, she’s worried about how this affected Trina. Portia says, her too.

Scotty says, a week in St. Lucia… Does he have to go to the lectures? Obrecht says, of course (🍷) not. She has to pay close attention, and he’s far too distracting. But there will be plenty of extra time – she dances her fingers up his arms – to socialize. He says, count me in, mein schnitzel, and she laughs.

Spencer asks Britt to tell him all about her broken heart. Sharing is healing. He takes off his shirt, and she sees the KICK ME on his back, and says she’ll share this with him. His back says kick me. He says, huh? and tries unsuccessfully to look. She asks who was the last person who put sunscreen on his back? and he flashes back to waking up and seeing Trina in the chair next to him, laughing. He says, from this angle, it almost looks like it says, kiss me.

Curtis asks if Portia is sure there isn’t something he could do to help her with Trina, and she says she’ll let him know if she thinks of anything. She’d probably storm over to Josslyn’s house and bring her home if Jordan hadn’t convinced her not to. Curtis takes her hands, and in a stroke of bad timing, Trina shows up. They look at her.

Doc tells Laura, the truth is, Spencer has every right to be upset with him. He never should have tried to handle Ryan on his own. She says he paid dearly for that, and she shouldn’t have to remind Spencer of that. He thanks her, and says, this whole business about Harmony writing letters for Ryan has him worried. He thinks he should go to Spring Ridge, and find out what he can. They can’t afford any mistakes with Ryan. She says, he won’t make any more. She has total confidence in him. He says, that’s nice to hear, and she tells him that she loves him. He says, and he loves her too.

Ava is working at the gallery, and flashes back to getting busy in the cabin with Nikolas. Nikolas walks in, and she says he can’t be there. He says, actually, he can, but she says he can’t. If the stalker finds out, it can get a lot worse for them. He says, it won’t. Because he knows who the stalker is.

Spencer tells Britt, now that his father is on his way to the Emirates, he needs to finish with the party plans. She says, you kids have fun, and he says he means it; please come. It’ll heal what ails her. She says she’s always been a physician heal thyself kind of gal, and he asks how that’s working out for her.

Jason tells Carly, they should probably teach Donna to call him Jason – moss bowl! – and she says, okay. He says, Sonny is her father. She probably won’t remember him, but it just feels wrong to take his place. Carly says, yeah, and Jason says, whatever Donna wants to call him, as long as she knows he loves her and he’s going to protect her. Carly says, she senses that already, and he asks if she’s sure she’s not imagining things. She says, no. Because he’s one of Donna’s favorite people. Like mother, like daughter. They stare at the moss bowl, as we all would.

Tomorrow, Nikolas tells Ava that the stalker is his son, Stella asks if there’s been some complications, Trina says Stella did her a favor, and Josslyn wonders when this wedding is going to happen.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

The Wives I don’t love to hate, but just hate.

After Garcelle made a faux pas by telling the others that Tom had been calling Erika, Erika cried in the bathroom like Garcelle had just done the worst thing in the world. Even Kyle didn’t know why it was that big of a deal. Erika came back out, and wept about how hard it was, and got everyone all weepy. LisaR hugged Erika, and said she was sorry it happened, and that it was effed up. In Garcelle’s interview, she said she was pissed off that LisaR wasn’t giving her the benefit of the doubt. It hadn’t been her intention to hurt Erika. Garcelle was ready to jet, but Kathy asked her to come back, and bugged her until she did. Erika told Garcelle it was okay, and Garcelle said it wasn’t intentional. In Kyle’s interview, she said, whatever was going on looked broken. There had to be something else going on. Garcelle wanted Erika to know that she wouldn’t intentionally hurt her, and Erika told her, don’t worry and hugged her, promising it was okay. In Sutton’s interview, she thought the reaction a little much, and it wasn’t about Garcelle, but Erica. It made her think Erika wasn’t being honest. Erika thought she should go home, since she had to hide assets take care of some things anyway. Kyle said she wanted Erika there, but respected what Erika needed to do. Dorit, Kyle, and LisaR walked Erika out, and inside, Sutton told Garcelle that she’d done nothing wrong and not to blame herself. Outside, Erika wailed some more, and her car seemed to come awfully fast, but no one thought that was odd.

Sutton said it was hard, but they had to pray for Erika, and help where they could. LisaR asked why Garcelle felt the need to bring it up in that moment, and Garcelle said she’d thought Erika was sharing. Dorit – who apparently hadn’t been listening to half the conversation – said Erika hadn’t want to talk about that. Crystal had to explain again that Garcelle hadn’t been there when Erika said that. Garcelle felt like there weren’t a lot of women on her side, and in her interview, she said, ever since she’d been hanging out with them, she felt they had an inner circle she was not inside. LisaR said it wasn’t their job to ask questions unless Erika wanted to share, and we flashed back to the million times LisaR grilled people who didn’t want to share. Sutton said they’d been talking about it in the kitchen before they all sat down. LisaR said there had been an article on an involuntary bankruptcy, and Dorit explained that if they got divorced, Erika wouldn’t get a dime. In Kyle’s interview, she said, Tom had been the wealthiest lawyer she’d ever met, and now it was all gone. They made plans to meet for dinner at 7.

The women regrouped for dinner, and Kyle said she’d texted with Erika. In Garcelle’s interview, she said it bothered her that Erika got upset, but her conscience was clear. Kyle said Erika wouldn’t scream at Garcelle the next time they met, but she wouldn’t trust Garcelle either. Garcelle wondered if LisaR had anything she could own in the situation, and in LisaR’s interview, she said Garcelle needed to check herself, and why she threw darts. Because LisaR can’t stand having to check herself. She claimed Garcelle wasn’t somebody who had your back. In Garcelle’s interview, she thought maybe LisaR felt she asked too many questions, and should take a look at the way she’d treated Denise. It was hypocritical and she could take her ownness and shove it. YES! Garcelle said she wasn’t sh*tting on Erika when she was at the bottom. She wasn’t that person. She wished she’d been told Erika hadn’t wanted to discuss it. It wasn’t deliberate, and she had nothing to own. LisaR was just trying to shut her up.

Food was delivered, and LisaR wanted to play a game. Kyle said games led to drama, and they hadn’t learned their lesson. We flashed back to the many games that ended up a disaster, including the poker game where Kim was way too high, and Brandi pushed Kyle down some stairs. They went through the I-don’t-see-color conversation again, and how it wasn’t cool to say. A couple of the women, mostly Dorit, were still clueless, and Garcelle asked if they’d ever been concerned about cops pulling their kids over. In her interview, Garcelle says, this world didn’t see the value of Black men. Kyle said she could claim everyone was equal, but had never walked in Garcelle’s shoes. Garcelle told Dorit just because she hadn’t grown up with it, didn’t mean it wasn’t experienced by others. In Crystal’s interview, she talks about hearing comments about her slanted eyes in elementary school, and how her parents had told them not to engage.

When Kyle asked for help with the dishes, you’d have thought she’d asked for the moon. In her interview, she said, take one dish, and just rinse it. They were acting like she wanted them to wash her car. Garcelle and Crystal cut out, and we found out that Harry had acrylic nails on one hand to play the guitar. That was his excuse anyway. In Kyle’s interview, she said, forget sexiest man alive. Harry was going for sexiest hand alive. In the morning Crystal brought Garcelle coffee, and asked if Erika had texted her back. Garcelle said she didn’t think so, but as long as Erika knew how she felt, it didn’t matter. The article about the so-called in-depth exposé on Tom and Erika came out, but everyone thought it was too long to actually read. In Kyle’s interview, she said they thought it couldn’t get worse, but both Tom and Erika had been accused of stealing millions from vulnerable clients. Tom’s lawyers admitted he’d been unable to tell them what happened to the money. In Garcelle’s interview, she said it was hard to imagine taking advantage of people like that. Sutton joined them, and said she’d actually read the whole thing, since she was used to reading things other than US magazine. She said the words Ponzi scheme had been used, and Erika could possibly go to jail. LisaR said it screamed Madoff, and asked if his wife had been implicated. Sutton said that was the tricky part. If Erika had accepted funds from Tom’s firm, she’d have to go to court.    

Garcelle said she couldn’t imagine it. Every day there was something new. Her divorce had been public, and it was hard when people knew stuff about you, but didn’t know you. It had been in the LA Times, and she couldn’t imagine Erika had no heads up. That would explain why she flipped out. Garcelle thought it wasn’t personal, and could have been anyone. Kyle said it was being implied that Erika had been implicit, and Sutton wondered how Erika could know nothing. LisaR doubted Tom had talked about his day with her, and in her interview, said she didn’t think Erika knew what was going on. Tom was in charge, and when Harry asked her to sign something, she signed it. Sutton explained that if Erika’s name was on an LLC, she was responsible, and in her interview, said, if the devil himself put money in your LLC, you were responsible. Dorit said the picture being painted was that they’d used the money to keep up their lifestyle. We flashed back to their two airplanes, and Erika’s high-end fashion and jewelry. In her interview, Sutton says she wasn’t sure where Erika was in this, but she was questioning it. Dorit said it was a hard pill to swallow. It seemed like they hadn’t known Erika. In her interview, she said, of course they wanted to support Erika, but had been blindsided. They didn’t know how to feel or what questions to ask. LisaR wondered how Erika was keeping her sanity, and Kyle wondered what else Erika was keeping from them. Dorit said it was going to be a long, very expensive road.

When Dorit got back home, she FaceTimed with PK and Boy George. PK said he’d been reading about Erika; what a sandstorm. Dorit told him she thought something didn’t add up, and Boy George said thank God it wasn’t Dorit’s drama. In Sutton’s interview, she said Erika probably knew more than she was letting on, and was wondering what the consequences would be for her.

Sutton wanted to get together with the women, sans Erika, which Kyle and Dorit thought was weird, but also agreed they should do. They met at Dorit’s house, and Dorit said she’d just put out an impromptu whatever was in her fridge spread. In LisaR’s interview, she said it was the hosting version of, this old thing? Kyle said Erika had been posting pictures of Tom’s alleged mistress, and screen shots of her sexts to Tom. She wondered why Erika hadn’t been more open with them, and didn’t know why Erika would be posting this stuff on Instagram. She thought maybe it was Erika’s way of letting everyone know the divorce wasn’t a hoax, but wondered how long Erika knew. Garcelle again brought up Erika having said there was no third party involved. In Garcelle’s interview, she said if Erika wasn’t honest about the affair, maybe she still wasn’t telling them everything. LisaR said when she did the same thing during a divorce, her lawyer said, take it down immediately.

Sutton had reservations about what happened in La Quinta, and what had been said. She’d left thinking something was amiss, and thought they’d been placed in a bad position. The stories weren’t adding up, and when she left, she’d wondered what they’d gotten themselves into. She had questions, and wasn’t sure how much she wanted to be around Erika during this time.

To be continued…

Next time, Sutton doesn’t think ignorance is an excuse and wonders about the $20 million, and Kyle asks if Erika knew.

🥁 Marching On…

Already a long week, but at least we’re over the hump. Right, Mike? Until we meet again, stay safe, stay being an asset to others, and stay allowing your words to be the best weapon in your arsenal.

August 10, 2021 – Spencer Slips Up, Ramona Ruins Black Shabbat, a Return & Cheating

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Dante walks into the hospital while his face is in his phone, so it’s no surprise when he literally runs into Finn, who is looking at paperwork. Finn imagines Dante is concentrating on the Peter August investigation, and Dante says, yeah. He’s going over it with forensics again, how Peter left a trail of blood in the subbasement, and where he went. Finn says he won’t keep Dante, but Dante says, there may be something about Peter’s disappearance Finn could shed some light on.

Shawn and Sam return to Naomie’s room. Shawn calls to her, and knocks, but there’s no answer. Sam asks if he thinks she left, but Shawn says he’s pretty sure her car was in the lot. Sam tries the door, and it’s open. She says she’ll apologize if Naomie is in there, and they go in. They see Naomie, lying on the floor, eyes open.

At the pool (🍷), Spencer puts his shirt back on over the KICK ME on his back. Trina says she has a confession to make. He knows Cam and Joss are her friends, and they told him all that stuff about him. She guesses she was trying to defend them. He was there, and he was kind of passed out… Nikolas approaches, and Spencer says Nikolas startled him. Nikolas says, nervous? but Spencer says he doesn’t like being snuck up on. Nikolas says he’d hardly call it sneaking, and Spencer says he knows Trina, right? Nikolas says, of course (🍷). How is she? She says, good, and asks how he is, calling him Mr. Cassadine. He asks her to call him Nikolas, and she says she has to make a phone call. She thanks Spencer for the advice, and he says, anytime. She leaves, and Spencer asks what Nikolas has in his hand. Nikolas sits down and says, you tell me. Or doesn’t Spencer recognize the letter Ryan Chamberlain sent him?

On the phone, Ned tells someone that they left them incredibly exposed. He hopes they realize that… Yes, he’ll let them know. Olivia comes downstairs, and says, that doesn’t sound very good. What’s going on? He says, they have trouble, with a capital T, and she knows who that stands for. She asks what Tracy did now.

Michael says, when Brook was forced to perpetrate a situation she knew wasn’t cool, he’s guessing it wasn’t easy. And it cost her something to keep it going. She says he’d be correct, and he says he’s also guessing she did the best she could at the time. She says, pretty much, and he says, then she knows what he and Willow are going through.

Monica asks how Willow’s first day of shadowing is, calling her Nurse Chase. I suddenly get confused, and then wonder why both Finn and Chase are called by their last names, and why their last names aren’t the same. Note to self: check on that. Willow says she’s far from being a nurse, she has so much to learn, and it’s Student Nurse Tate. Monica apologizes, saying, since Willow took Michael’s last name, she thought Willow would take Chase’s too, since he’s her husband.

Chase tells Austin, as soon as he’s done there, he’s telling Willow it’s over. He’ll be out of the picture, and Michael and Willow can finally live happily ever after. Austin says, that’s definitely one way to go, and Chase asks if he has another option. Austin says he does. Why settle for a graceful exit when you can make one that has lasting impact?

Austin says he thinks it’s Chase’s inclination, his nature, to be kind to both Michael and Willow. They treated him like dirt. His wife and his best friend are screwing each other. Chase says, it’s a complicated situation. He’s sure Willow felt obligated to marry him. Everybody thought he was going to die. She thought she was doing the right thing. Austin says, maybe. It makes sense with what’s happened in the past, but doesn’t jive with what’s happening now. Michael and Willow are clearly still attracted to each other; they can’t keep their hands off each other. Chase says, don’t remind him, but Austin thinks he needs to. Clearly, Chase’s health crisis is over. He’s been released from the hospital, and they’ve had every opportunity to be honest with him, and yet, they’ve kept him in the dark. Doesn’t that piss him off? Doesn’t he think he deserves better?

Willow tells Monica, she enrolled in nursing school as Willow Tate, so it seemed simpler not to change it. Elizabeth says she’s in the process of showing Willow the ropes. This semester, Willow is going to get some hands-on training at the hospital. Monica is sure she’ll be up to the challenge, and Willow says she’s looking forward to interacting with patients and getting some practical experience. Elizabeth is sure they’ll find plenty for her to do, and Willow says she’s trying not to be nervous. Monica takes out her phone, and says, oh no. Willow asks if there’s something wrong, and Monica says she just got a text from Ned. We see her phone, and it says, SOS.

Brook tells Michael, Willow seems awesome, but she’s not family, so Brook doesn’t get to judge her. He, on the other hand, is not only family, but probably the most principled Quartermaine since Lila, so she holds him to a higher standard. Since he admitted to her that there is in fact a him and Willow, she wonders where that leaves Chase. Ned walks in, followed by Olivia, and says, family meeting. They could be looking at a major crisis.

Sam checks Naomie’s neck, and says, there’s no pulse. Her body’s cold, but Sam doesn’t see any blood or wounds. Shawn says, no obvious signs of a struggle, and Sam says they have to call this in. He says he’ll let her make the call, but he’ll wait for the cops; she can head out. She says she’s not leaving him there to deal with it, but he says she’s on parole, remember? She says she didn’t kill Naomie, and he says she doesn’t know who they’ll send. Some by-the-book cop who could site her with a parole violation or more. She says, all right. She won’t call 9-1-1. She’ll call someone she trusts.

Finn says he doesn’t know how much help he can be, and Dante says he was trying to figure out how Finn and Anna ended up in the subbasement in the first place. Before Finn can answer, Dante’s phone rings. Dante says he has to take it, and Finn says, of course (🍷). Dante steps away and asks Sam, what’s up? She says she and Shawn are at the Woodbridge Motel. They found Hayden Barnes’s mother. Dante says, and? and Sam says, she’s dead. Dante looks at Finn.

Spencer says, Nikolas is saying that’s a letter to him from Ryan Chamberlain, and Nikolas tells Spencer not to insult his intelligence and deny it. Spencer says, all right. He knew about the letter. Where did Nikolas find it? Nikolas says he was visiting Alexis at the minimum security facility when he discovered Ryan is also an inmate, and he found the letter among his possessions. Spencer says, don’t tell him that they let Nikolas go through Ryan’s things, and Nikolas tells him, stop deflecting. Tell him why he was corresponding with this maniac. Spencer says he wasn’t. He got one letter from the guy, thought it was probably trouble, and didn’t even bother to open it. He sent it back, marked return to sender, but apparently Nikolas thought to read it. So what’s it say? Nikolas says, it was complementary toward Spencer, and Spencer laughs, saying, a serial killer is complementing him? How random and creepy is that? Nikolas says, it looked to him like Ryan was trying to get on Spencer’s good side, and hopefully recruit him as an ally. Spencer says he’s glad he didn’t open it, and Nikolas says, Ryan is obsessed with his wife and Spencer’s stepmother. Spencer says, he figured this had something to do with Ryan’s warped connection to Ava, and Nikolas says he’s missing the point. The man that killed Ava’s daughter reached out to him, and he said nothing. Nikolas wants to know why not. It’s unconscionable that Spencer didn’t warn him warn him, whether he opened the letter or not. Spencer says Nikolas is blowing this out of proportion, and Nikolas says Spencer knew Ava was being stalked, and it wasn’t just Ava; Avery was being threatened too. Meanwhile, Spencer gets a letter from a serial killer, and doesn’t think it’s worth mentioning? Spencer says, not really, and Nikolas asks, why the hell not? Spencer says because he knows damn well Ryan isn’t the one who’s been threatening Ava all this time.

Dante gets to the hotel room with a couple of officers, and knocks. Sam tells him, the door’s open, and he goes in. He says she’s really pushing the limits on her last few months of parole, and Shawn says he told Sam that he could handle it on his own, but Sam says, a woman is dead; she’s not just going to walk away. Dante tells the officers to sweep the place and dust for prints, and checks Naomie’s neck for a pulse. He asks, what happened? and Shawn says, they came to the door, and there was no response. The door was unlocked, they came in, and found Naomie lying on the floor. Sam says she checked Naomie’s pulse, but her body was cold. Finn comes in, and Dante says he told Finn to wait in the car. Finn says he thought he could help, but Shawn says there’s nothing he could do. She’s been dead for a while.  

Monica walks in, and says, about this SOS. How big, how embarrassing, and how much is it going to cost to get us out of it? Ned says Monica should have a seat, and she says, that bad? Brook asks, what happened? and Olivia says, in a word, Tracy. Ned says he talked to her earlier to keep her in the loop now that Austin is in the picture. Michael says he doesn’t understand. He thought Tracy never wanted to hear the letters ELQ again. Olivia says, that doesn’t mean she wants someone else to get their hands on the family company, and Brook says she doubts granny was shocked by the arrival of another Q interloper. Ned says, she was expecting this, and that could prove to be a real problem for the rest of them.

Austin says, Chase’s wife, who he’s clearly head over heels in love with, is having an affair with his best buddy. He has every right to his outrage. Chase says he’s mad at the situation. Willow has the biggest heart of anyone he’s ever known. If he had any clue she didn’t want to marry him, he wouldn’t have boxed her into this. Austin says, Willow is a grown woman. She could have chosen to tell him the truth at any point since he left the hospital. Chase says he put her in a horrible situation, and she doesn’t deserve the anger he’s feeling. Austin says, all right. Then let’s just talk about Michael, the man Chase considers to be his best friend. He didn’t box Michael in with a proposal. When Chase left the hospital, Michael invited him to stay at the Quartermaine mansion, the big house. Seemingly, a generous offer, but is it really? If Michael knows Chase is there, he can still sneak into the gatehouse and screw Chase’s wife, and Chase can’t do anything about it because he can’t get down there on his own… Chase says, that is enough, and Austin says, Michael betrayed Chase. Isn’t it time for some payback? Chase asks why any of this matters to Austin.

Elizabeth says, Monica took off in a hurry; she hopes everything is okay. Willow says, the text was from Ned. She’s pretty sure it’s ELQ related. Elizabeth asks if she ever gets tired of hearing those initials. Willow says, yes and no. The company is really important to the Quartermaines, including Michael. It’s Wiley’s legacy, but aside from that, it doesn’t concern her, so she’s trying to stay focused on her studies there. Felix appears, and says, she better. People are expecting great things from her. Elizabeth says, but no pressure, and Felix says, of course (🍷) there’s pressure. That’s the job. Elizabeth isn’t doing Willow any favors by pretending otherwise. Elizabeth asks if he’s channeling Epiphany, and he says, Epiphany is on a well-earned vacation in Cabo. Someone has to keep up her standards. He’s curious to see what the GH nursing school has been teaching Willow. If a patient wants to check out early against doctor’s orders, what’s the role of the nurse? Willow says, to acknowledge the patient’s concerns, and give them definitive markers to focus on. Felix says, such as? and she says, if the patient’s oxygen level is too low, you can tell them once their oxygen level has maintained itself at 95% for four hours, then they could be a candidate to be released from the hospital. Felix says, so far, so good, but if she thinks he’s tough, just wait until Epiphany gets back. He still has nightmares about the way she used to grill him, but in retrospect, it was for his own good, and made him a better nurse. Willow promises to keep learning, and while she can’t promise to impress Epiphany, she can promise to do everything in her power to be an asset to the hospital. Felix says, good to know. Let’s start with something basic. Call up the chart on the patient in room 1015. Willow goes to the computer, and Felix says, they’ll walk her through how to sync up any prescription updates the MPs might have made. Willow says she’s on it, and Felix tells Elizabeth, she’s so green. Elizabeth says she knows, but so eager to learn. She was like that. Felix says, so was he.

The cops put a sheet over Naomie’s body, and Dante asks Shawn and Sam to tell him what happened from the beginning. Sam says Shawn asked her to help him investigate Hayden’s shooting from years ago. Finn asks if Shawn didn’t admit to shooting Hayden, and Shawn says, it was a mistake. Hayden herself told him someone else was responsible, but wouldn’t tell him who was. Sam says she found out Hayden’s mother was in town, and thought she could put them in touch with Hayden. Dante asks if she did, and Sam says, no, but she did go on this tirade about how Hayden was a horrible mother and didn’t want to have any sort of relationship with Violet. Finn says, that doesn’t sound right. Hayden was heartbroken when she had to say goodbye to Violet. Shawn says, it seemed strange to them too, so they decided to come back and talk to her some more, but when they did, they found her like this. An officer hands Dante an evidence bag, and says, they found this in the bathroom. Dante says, it’s a recent prescription; they could be looking at a suicide. Finn says, no way. They made plans earlier today for Naomie to spend some more time with her granddaughter. If she was thinking about ending her life, there’s no way she’d promise she’d see Violet again. Someone did this to her.

Nikolas asks Spencer how he can be so sure who has or hasn’t been stalking his wife and their family? Spencer says, Ryan has been locked inside his own body for a year now. So when he heard about the cockroach, it didn’t cross his mind to connect Ryan to it, because he’s been completely incapacitated. He sent the letter back without thinking twice. He’s never made a secret of his feelings toward Ava. She could have testified against Valentin when he shot Nikolas, but she opted to have her face repaired. She sold out. All he ever did was suggest Nikolas could do better, and suddenly that translates to him being in league with Ryan Chamberlain? Trina comes back, and says she just forgot her… Is this a bad time? Nikolas tells her, please don’t leave. He and Spencer were just having a misunderstanding. He’s sorry he jumped to conclusions. Spencer says, apology accepted. He knows the stalker has Nikolas on edge. Nikolas says, it’s no excuse. He tells them to have fun, and says he’ll see Spencer at home. He leaves, and Trina says, what was that about?

Austin tells Chase, full disclosure. He’s in the middle of a financial dispute with the Quartermaine family. Chase asks if Austin is saying he was cut off from the family fortune, and now he’s throwing a tantrum as a result. Austin says, that’s one interpretation of the situation, and not a very charitable one. He’s surprised. He would have thought Chase, of all people, would know where he was coming from. Chase asks, why him of all people? and Austin says because Michael and Willow were cheating on Chase, and the whole family is trying to cheat Austin out of his rightful inheritance. Chase says, so Austin and Scotty are going to take them to court over a will that’s already been probated? Good luck good with that. Austin says he has it on good authority that there’s something in the Quartermaine mansion, that if found, will change the outcome to his favor.

Monica asks Ned to just tell them what Tracy did now, and Ned says, just as a reminder, during grandfather’s final months, he gave up medicine he needed to live so that Emma Drake could have it. It indeed saved her life. The experience must have softened Edward’s perspective, because he began corresponding with Jimmy Lee Holt again. Michael says, grandfather was on speaking terms with Jimmy Lee before he died? and Ned says, yes, and he apparently expressed real regret for cutting Jimmy Lee out of his will. Brook asks how granny would know, and Olivia says, she’ll give Brook three guesses, and the first two don’t count. Ned says, Jimmy Lee didn’t know Edward’s health had taken a turn for the worse because his mother started intercepting the letters. She wasn’t happy to learn he and grandfather might be reconciling. Monica says, it was all for nothing, since Tracy got cut out of the will, and Michael asks if Ned is saying that Tracy might have prevented Edward from changing his will to include Jimmy Lee. Ned says, there’s nothing specific in the letters, but if grandfather left a record somewhere intending to change the will in Jimmy Lee’s favor, it might give Austin’s case a leg to stand on.

Chase says, so Jimmy Lee and Edward were in the process of patching things up, and Austin says, yes, and as soon as Edward mentioned he was reconsidering disinheriting Austin’s father, the letters stopped. His father’s theory was that the Quartermaines swooped in when Edward got sick. Chase asks why Jimmy Lee didn’t take on the family, but Austin doesn’t know. He was a very proud man, but now that he’s passed, Austin thinks it’s his duty to try and settle the score. Chase says, it’s good in theory, but it’s still just conjecture. He’s testified in enough cases to know you need evidence to make a case stick. How is Austin going to prove any of this? Austin says, Edward’s papers are still in his study. The family left the room exactly the way Edward left it. Chase asks how Austin knows, and Austin says when he was at a party there, he looked around. He got as far as getting the door open, but the housekeeper found him, and escorted him back downstairs. Chase says, if Austin had made it in, what did he expect to find? Austin says, if Edward was reconsidering his will, he’d have contacted a lawyer, and there would be a record of it, or at least some handwritten notes. Chase asks what this has to do with him, and Austin says Chase lives there. He can go to the study whenever he wants. Chase says, Austin wants him to do his dirty work? but Austin says, no. He wants Chase to uncover the truth. He wants Chase to use his close proximity to the family to help him claim what’s rightfully his.

Ned says, the current distribution of ELQ shares could be contested should this come to light, and Monica says, Austin obviously knows about this, or he never would have filed a lawsuit. Brook asks, what’s the plan? Does Ned want them to prepare for a fight? Ned says he’s not sure what the right thing is, and Brook says, excuse me? He says, putting the company aside for a moment, his mother may have interfered with grandfather’s final wishes. If that’s the case, Austin’s father Jimmy Lee might have been denied what was rightfully his. Brook says, maybe granny felt Edward wasn’t mentally all there in the end, but Ned says, or maybe she anticipated a big inheritance that wasn’t there in the end. If they deny Austin his rightful share, aren’t they just as bad as Tracy?   

Austin says, if Chase wants to bow out of his marriage, go right ahead, but maybe don’t go gently into that good night without at least settling the score. Chase says he knows Austin is trying to get in his head to mess with him, but Austin says, Michael and Willow are the ones who have been messing with Chase’s head, but call it like he sees it. Chase says he is, and he thinks Austin is trying to take advantage of his anger to get what he wants. Austin says he’s not in the habit of using anyone; he’s just being direct. He thinks their situations are crisscrossing in a way they can help one another. Chase says him betraying the Quartermaines helps Austin, but does nothing for his marriage; one thing isn’t related to the other. Austin says Chase is wrong about that. He thinks their situations are exactly similar. Michael and Willow are cheating on Chase, and he’s being cheated out of his inheritance. That’s what the Quartermaines do. They stab people in the back. They take and they take from little guys like them, because they can’t even imagine a reality where the Quartermaines don’t get everything.

Trina and Spencer sit with their feet in the pool (🍷), and Trina asks if things are still awkward with Spencer’s dad. Spencer says, yeah. He was pretty vocal about his feelings toward Ava back in the day. Even though he’s sympathetic to their current situation, there’s still a lot of tension, which is why his father can never know he was there before he announced his return to him. Given all that’s going on, it’s one more thing he does not need to know about.

Nikolas tells the bartender to keep his tab open for his son and his friend. He looks at the postmark on the letter, and sees that it was postmarked February 2nd, and returned on February 13th. He says, Spencer received this letter before Ava got the cockroach. He flashes back two minutes ago, when Spencer said that when Ava got the cockroach, it didn’t even cross his mind to connect it with Ryan, since he’d been incapacitated. So when he got the letter, he sent it back without thinking twice.   

Dante asks Finn not to jump to conclusions. They can’t rule out the possibility of an accidental overdose. They have to wait on the toxicology report. Finn says Dante isn’t suggesting Naomie accidentally took a whole bottle of pills? and Dante says he’s suggesting they don’t know how many pills were in the bottle, three or thirty. Finn says he has to find a way to explain this to Violet, and Dante says, go; they’ll get Naomie back to GH. Finn thanks him, and leaves. Shawn says he thinks Finn was right on the money. He thinks Naomie was murdered.

Dante says, if Naomie was murdered, how do they get there? Sam asks where he wants them to start, and he says, they left, and then came back to talk to Naomie about something else. What was it? Sam says, the name Abigail, and Dante asks, who’s Abigail? Shawn says, when Naomie tried to convince them that Hayden had no interest in being Violet’s mother, she referred to Hayden’s middle name as Abigail. Sam says, Elizabeth confirmed that’s not Hayden’s middle name. Seriously, they’re all parents, and you don’t get your kid’s middle name wrong. Even in the heat of the moment, would Dante ever mistake Rocco’s middle name? Dante says, no; she’s right. She says, the middle name was definitely the oddest part, but the way Hayden’s mother spoke about her not wanting a relationship with Violet just didn’t track with what they’d heard. Shawn says when they talked it over, it felt like Naomie was giving them clues, trying to get them to circle back. Sam says, the only way that makes sense is if… Dante says, someone was watching her.

Felix tells Elizabeth, when he sees how hard Willow is working, it makes him think of his nursing school days. She says, her too. She remembers it like it was yesterday. He says, isn’t it funny that over the years, they learned more from their mistakes than their successes? She says a control freak like her doesn’t like to make mistakes, and he says, which is why they don’t make the same mistake twice. Sometimes he actually can’t believe they made it this far. She says, now they’re in a position to help newcomers like Willow, and he says, she’s going to make one helluva good nurse. Elizabeth says, she is, when Finn comes out of the elevator. She says he doesn’t look so great. What’s wrong? He says, Naomie. She’s dead.

Trina tells Spencer that he doesn’t have to throw a party for her, and he says he chooses to extend himself to make a social event that might be worthy of her. She says, oh, please, and he says, the more she doubts him, the more it inspires him to make it an unforgettable evening. Nikolas comes back, and says he and Spencer need to talk. Spencer asks if everything is okay, and Nikolas says he just got off the phone with the board of Cassadine Industries, and negotiations have stalled in Dubai. It’s going to significantly impact their bottom line. Normally, he’d teleconference in, but he thinks he should be there in person. Spencer says, he’s going to be leaving the country? and Nikolas says, only for a few days. He was thinking of calling his mother, and seeing if Spencer could stay with her and Doc. Spencer says he just toured Europe on his own; he doesn’t need a babysitter. Nikolas says, okay. With the exception of the staff, Spencer will have Windymere all to himself.

Austin says, Chase is a police officer. In his work, he puts aside his personal emotions, and examines the evidence. So consider this; these are the facts. His best friend in the whole world slept with his lawfully wedded wife. Shouldn’t there be consequences? Does Michael get away with it? Does he play by different rules because he’s a Corinthos and a Quartermaine? Don’t let him do that. Don’t let him get away with the company and the woman Chase loves. Chase says he should go, and Austin walks to the door. He says he’s counting on Chase. Is he in? He opens the door, and Chase wheels on out.

Olivia tells Ned that it was sweet of him to consider his grandfather’s wishes. Very un-Quartermaine; no offense. Monica says, the way Tracy described it, is that Edward only regretted cutting Jimmy Lee out of the will. Did she ever say he was going to revise the will, and include Jimmy Lee? Ned says, not that she knew about, and Michael says, then they know nothing for sure. Monica says, if Jimmy Lee had pressured Edward, Edward would have told him to pound sand. Edward spent decades disowning that man, and had absolutely no use for his mother. Brook says they can’t presume Edward’s wishes would have been. They can only go by the last will. Michael agrees. He’s sympathetic to a point, but it’s a big step for Austin to assume he would have inherited anything, let alone ELQ voting stock. Ned says, so they’re in agreement to maintain the current game plan? Brook says, which is what? and Ned says, to strike a deal and buy out Austin with a lump sum. Michael says it works for him, and Brook says, her too. If they don’t accept Austin into the family fold, maybe he’ll quit GH and be a country doctor again far away from Port Charles. Ned says he’ll get the ball rolling, and they file out of the room. Brook tells Michael, hang on a second. He never answered her question. He says, this is clearly not a good time. Can she let this go? She says, has he met her? Of course (🍷) she’s not going to let this go. Tell her the truth. Is there a him and Willow, and if so, where does that leave Chase?

Willow runs into Chase at the hospital, and says she didn’t realize he’d still be there. Is everything okay? He says, actually, no, it’s not. Austin watches.

Willow asks, what’s wrong? and Chase flashes back to finding Michael’s shirt, and going upstairs in the gatehouse. She says he looks like he’s a million miles away. What’s going on? He says he was just thinking about physical therapy. He was hoping to take some steps today, but he couldn’t. He doesn’t know how much longer he’ll be stuck in this chair. She tells him, keep at it; she has faith in him. She has to report back to Felix, but she’ll see him at home, okay? He says, sure will. She leaves, and Chase looks at Austin, then wheels off.

Brook tells Michael, she knows it’s none of her business, but Chase is her friend. He says all he can tell her is that he and Willow are trying to do the best they can by Chase. Bailey starts crying, and Brook says she should go.  

In the foyer, Ned tells Olivia, sorry about interruption, but he had to get this email out. Olivia looks at him, and he says, what? She says, he was willing to put the family legacy in jeopardy to do the right thing. Was he just putting on a show for her benefit, or was it genuine? Ned says, after all this time, she still reminds him that he’s not just Edward’s grandson, but also Lila’s. He knows he has more work to do before he becomes a man worthy to be her husband again, but he’s going to keep trying. Olivia says, good; she’s glad.

Nikolas says, on second thought, why doesn’t Spencer come with him? Spencer tells him, he just said the staff will be there. It’s not like he’ll be alone, and he’s not afraid of whoever’s targeting Ava; they’re not after him. Nikolas says he’ll see Spencer in a few days, and Trina tells him to have a good trip. He leaves and Spencer asks if Trina just heard him. He’s going to be out of the country for a few days. It’s the perfect time to throw that party. Nikolas watches, and makes a call. He tells someone to book a room for him in Port Charles, and says, let’s make sure Spencer’s party teaches him a lesson he’ll never forget.

Finn tells Elizabeth, they found Naomie in her hotel room, and it looks like foul play was involved. She says, oh my God, and Felix says he’s so sorry. Why doesn’t she take a few minutes to process? He’ll have Willow shadow him. He leaves, and she says she doesn’t understand. Sam called wanting to know Hayden’s middle name, and he says, it must be connected. She says, they need to tell Hayden… not that anybody knows where she is. He says, right now, he needs to focus on telling Violet. She was excited about spending time with her grandmother. He doesn’t know how to break it to her. She says, they’ll figure it out together.

Naomie is zipped up in a body bag, and taken away. Dante closes the door, and says, so, Naomie was being watched, and she tried to get a message to them. What could she have known that could possibly get her killed? Sam says, maybe where to find her daughter, and Shawn says, somebody doesn’t want them to know what happened to Hayden. And they’re willing to kill to make sure they don’t.

Tomorrow, Portia asks Curtis how long she’s supposed to let this go on for, Stella needs to know the truth from Jordan, Laura asks what Nikolas suspects Spencer of, and Jason tells Carly that they’re a united front.

The Real Housewives of New York City

Leah called Eboni about the upcoming Black Shabbat. Leah said she’d been practicing her Hebrew, and the struggle was real. In Leah’s interview, she said, Hebrew was a beautiful language… when it was spoken by someone who knew how to speak it.  She was hanging her mezuzah, and Eboni showed Leah her own mezuzah. (I, too, have a mezuzah.) Leah’s was really cool; pink see-through acrylic. I had no idea they came like that. Eboni said Leah would get to meet her friend Archie, and since they were both tall, gorgeous blonds, they might run away together. In Eboni’s interview, she said she was excited about Black Shabbat, and was glad to be able to share it with Leah, since Leah had been committed and disciplined about her studies. Ramona met broker Michael at an apartment, and in her interview, she said she didn’t have her license yet, but was three quarters of the way through. She wanted to get her feet wet, and show she had what it took. Michael’s client Jordan joined them, and Michael let Ramona show the $17.9 million, 3800 and change square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath apartment. The views were stunning, and one room had them on three sides. A few times, Michael had to correct Ramona, and in her interview, Ramona said it bothered her being corrected since it meant she wasn’t perfect. I wondered if she thought he was just supposed to leave the client with the wrong info. At the end, Michael said Ramona was assertive and confident. I had other words for what she was, but okay.

Eboni met with genetic investigator Linda, who was going to use Eboni’s DNA to trace her lineage backward to identify her father. In Eboni’s interview, she had a lot of disappointment and heartache. If this didn’t work, it would be a wrap. Linda explained about how she did clustering analysis to narrow it down, and in her interview, Eboni said, part of her was excited, but she also knew it was a shot in the dark.

Sonja met match Brad at a restaurant, and in her interview, she said her first impression was that he was taller and thinner in his picture, but she’d let him work his magic. She was going to be quiet, and hear what he had to say. They decided bacon was healthy, and Sonja said they’d found common ground talking about food. Since Brad lived in Chelsea, Sonja felt that was a strike, as Helen Gurley Brown had said you should live within 10 blocks. Nothing like working off info that’s 40 years old. They talked about their respective businesses; Sonja’s online business had flourished, and his leasing business had tanked because of the pandemic. He told her that he’d bought a house in the south of France, and Sonja’s love meter went up, but then said he’d sold it a month and a half ago, and it went back down. In her interview, Sonja said it was naïve to think there would be love at first sight when looking for Mr. Right. She was on a first date, and headed in the right direction. She was willing to give it a chance.

Sonja’s assistant (#2546) Emma read a description of Shabbat to her. Ramona talked to LuAnn, who called it a Black Sabbath dinner. Ramona hoped they’d have fun, and Eboni wouldn’t get on her soapbox. LuAnn had never been to a seder, which surprised me, since she’s so worldly. She said she didn’t know what to expect. Leah called next, and sadly, had been exposed to covid. She felt fine, but had to quarantine. She was sad about missing Shabbat, and in Eboni’s interview, she said she said Leah had worked hard at her conversion, and she was selfishly sad that Leah woudn’t be there.

The women met on a party bus, and popped some champagne. Eboni explained that although Leah thought she was fine, she didn’t want them to get exposed to anything, so she had to bow out. She would be there in spirit though – i.e. FaceTime. In Sonja’s interview, she said the sad part was losing out on the bonding with Leah. Ramona thought it would be a weird dynamic with Leah on the phone. They arrived at Archie’s house in Summit, New Jersey, where it had snowed, and LuAnn threw a snowball at Sonja. In her interview, Sonja put on a Sopranos accent, and said they’d only been in New Jersey five minutes, and LuAnn was already trying to whack her with a snowball. Ramona hid behind Sonja because she’s a wimp. Eboni’s friends Dionne, Brian, and Linara also joined them, and in Eboni’s interview, she said they’d gone to Israel with her, and shared her commitment to advancing Black excellence. Ramona complained that Archie’s handmade napkins were too big, and in her interview, Sonja said Ramona was picking on the napkins already, and it was only getting worse from there. Ramona moved on to how Archie should be more matchy-matchy with her table settings. Hmm… I don’t think Martha Stewart would agree.  

Sonja said when Eboni had told her Archie would be wearing sequins, she’d thought Archie was a gay guy, and they’d be matching. They moved on to the dinner table where challah bread was discussed, and Eboni brought Leah in on the phone. Archie said she was excited to share this beautiful sacred space, and talked about her group called JewBelong, where she wanted to rebrand Judaism to make it more welcoming and relatable. LuAnn asked if you needed to be Jewish to be in the group, but Archie said no. In Leah’s interview, she said felt like a little character sitting on the table. She didn’t know she’d be lined up with the gefilte fish. Ramona started griping about how Eboni seemed to be checking on Leah every second, and Leah said, why not? Sonja said because Ramona was being a bitch. In her interview, Sonja said she didn’t know why Ramona was being rude. Leah was converting, and they were just learning. Archie started with a Shabbat shot.

Leah couldn’t hear, so Eboni had to mess around with the phone some more. She read the description of Shabbat, saying, according to tradition, six days you shall toil, but there is rest on the seventh day. You were to stop even thinking about work, Eboni adding that she didn’t know how to do that. The beauty of Friday evening was that it was designed to act as if work is done. Leah was supposed to light the candles, but Ramona held the phone while Eboni took Leah’s place. In Ramona’s interview, she said she’d been engaged to a Jewish man who’d wanted her to convert from Christianity. But since he never said he appreciated her doing it, she ended the engagement, and felt she’d dodged a bullet. No doubt there’s more to that story. Leah did the blessing, singing a prayer, and everyone said it was beautiful. Sonja said Leah’s commitment blew her away, and in Leah’s interview, she said, singing a prayer wasn’t easy, and it was special to her that Sonja had been touched and understood how important it was to her. Archie said there was so much hatred in the world, and anti-Semitism. There were so many people who wouldn’t even come to a Shabbat. She was worried about the relationship between Blacks and Jews. Ramona said the Italians and Jews were all about tradition, which was totally on topic, not at all. Only in Ramona’s mind. In LuAnn’s interview, she said Ramona was trying to interject something into a conversation of which she had no knowledge. Shut up and listen. Eboni explained that it was easy for oppressed people to join in other forms of oppression, and the only person who would win was the white supremacist. Ramona said they all wanted what was right, and Eboni said the difference was, she’d paid the price. Ramona said, they all did in different ways, to which no one knew how to respond. In Eboni’s interview, she said she believed Ramona was well-meaning, but had a hard time sitting with the pain of marginalized America. She had no idea how painful her reaction was. Ramona said that Jewish people had hated her in college, and Leah said it wasn’t about white people right now. In Leah’s interview, she said, not only was it not about white people, it wasn’t about Ramona. She was sure everyone hated Ramona in college. In LuAnn’s interview, she said, now they’d gone from Italian persecution to Ramona’s persecution in college. It just gets worse. Ramona said she was shunned as a Christian, and Archie said she definitely wanted to discuss that with her, but that wasn’t enough for Ramona. When she didn’t get the pity party she wanted, she jetted from the table. No big surprise there.  

In Ramona’s interview, she said at other dinners they were allowed to share their thoughts, but she guessed she was in trouble for doing it there. Archie asked if she should talk to Ramona; she wanted to apologize for how the Jews had treated her. Eboni said Ramona leaving was probably for the best, but Ramona reappeared, whining that she’d been on a bus for 40 whole minutes and hadn’t been able to pee. Leah said she was acting like a psycho, and to sit down. In Leah’s interview, she said she didn’t understand why it was triggering for Ramona to hear about someone else’s history. Ramona apologized for sharing her feelings, totally missing the point. She said she was sorry she’d insulted anyone. Archie said she felt sad that the Jews had left Ramona out, and Sonja’s interview, she said it wasn’t the time or the forum, and not the right audience. Ramona said she wished she’d been born Jewish, and Eboni said they were not making it about her. Brian drained his glass, and quietly said he needed another margarita, no doubt sorry he came. In Eboni’s interview, she said she was horrified. Archie had gone out of her way to create a beautiful night to celebrate culture and compassion, and Ramona acted like an a-hole. Leah asked to talk to Eboni in another room, and Eboni said this was exactly why she needed Leah there. Leah said she was disgusted by Ramona, and Eboni said it was crazy. Ramona continued her insanity, saying she needed to eat, and going to the kitchen to help herself. We saw a clip that said, 2 hours ago, where Ramona was shoving food in her face on the bus. Leah wondered how Ramona got so upset about something so important, and Eboni pointed out that even a white woman was leading the night. Why was Ramona so uncomfortable? Meanwhile, Ramona badgered the caterers in the kitchen, trying to score some protein, then rejecting everything offered to her. In her interview, Leah said it was offensive to Judaism, and the work Eboni was trying to do. Ramona had no idea because she had the IQ of an effing walnut. <snort!> Sonja said Ramona was representative of people who were uncomfortable and defensive, and Eboni said she was regretting doing this.

Next time, Linda thinks one out of three guys she found is Eboni’s dad, Sonja pees in Archie’s driveway, and Ramona feels like Sonja is on a train that’s going to crash.

💰 Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles will be back on September 2nd.

🌃 Calling It a Night…

Getting better now, but that cough is still lingering. Out, out, damn cough! Until we find out what pisses Erika off next, stay safe, stay expressing yourself in a lucid manner, and stay not denying anyone what’s rightfully theirs.

August 9, 2021 – Chase Wants To End the Marriage, Lousy Tip From Demanding Guests & Bass

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Scotty goes to the reception desk, and Austin says he looks super happy. Is he on something? Ha-ha! Together again – I’m so happy. Scotty says, a new diet, and Austin says he’d like to hear more about that. Scotty says, schnitzel; all he can get. Austin says he never much cared for it, and Scotty says, well, he does. And you know what else curls his toes? Austin doesn’t want to know, but Scotty says he’s going to tell him. Having his bank account flush with Quartermaine money. How’s it going at the mansion? Are they about to get rich, or what?

Chase gazes out the window, as he fiddles with his wedding ring. He flashes back to asking Michael to put the ring on Willow. Brook comes in on the phone, saying, she’s always in a meeting; never in the can. Got it? She swears Gladys is going to drive her insane, and asks what Chase is still doing there. She thought he had physical therapy. He says he couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to his wife.

Willow walks into the Quartermaine foyer, and sees Michael. She tells him that she’s made a decision. This cannot go on.

At the pool (🍷), Spencer wakes up to see Trina in the lounge chair next to his. He asks when she got there, and she says, after the snoring stopped, but before the drool started. He insists he doesn’t snore, but she says, want a bet? She heard stories from Josslyn about him from back in the day; he was a real pain in the butt. He says, it’s true that in his youth he was somewhat mischievous, but he didn’t do any lasting harm. And Joss gave as good as she got. Just ask her. She says she will, and he asks how it went with her mom. She says, not well.

Alexis and Nikolas go through Ryan’s letters. Nikolas says, Chicago, Milwaukee, Chicago again, Venezuela, Russia… It’s most universities, and professors and psychiatrists. She says, offering his expertise on mental illness. When she thinks of the arrogance of that animal… She pulls a letter out, and Nikolas says, what is it? She hands it to him, and he sees it’s addressed to Spencer in France. Harmony comes in, and asks, what’s going on? Alexis asks if she found this letter in Ryan’s room, and Harmony says, with the others. She grabbed the whole stack. Why? Nikolas says it’s addressed to his son. What the hell is Ryan doing communicating with Spencer?

Sam and Shawn go to Naomie’s hotel room, and Sam knocks on the door. Naomie opens it, and Shawn says, Naomie Berlin? Naomie says, it’s Dreyfuss. What’s this about? Sam says, her daughter, Hayden, and Naomie says, and you are…? Shawn says, the professionals bringing her home.

Shawn says, if they could just have a moment of her time, but Naomie say she’s not interested in talking about her daughter. She starts to close the door, and Sam says, wait. Not even if it meant bringing her daughter home to Violet? Shawn says she knows that little girl misses her mother. Didn’t she say as much? Naomie asks how he knows that. Who is he? He says he’s Shawn Butler; he went to prison for Hayden’s shooting. He pulled the trigger, and thought he shot her by accident. The guilt nearly swallowed him whole, but Hayden came to him and said it wasn’t him. Someone else tried to kill her, and she knew who it was. Naomie says, she didn’t tell him who? and he says he needs to find the real shooter. Not just for him, but for her daughter. Naomie tells them, come in.

Nikolas says he’ll speak to the warden, but Alexis says, no, he won’t. Or no one will be able to help him. He says that psychopath is sending threats to his son, and no one can do anything about it? Alexis says she understands why he’s angry; she’s angry. But convicts have a right to write letters. Having said that, all correspondence has to be scrutinized by the prison staff. Harmony says, that’s true, but just because the staff has the ability to read convicts’ mail, doesn’t mean they always do. Sometimes they lack the manpower. Alexis tells him, don’t panic. All they know so far is that the letter has been returned. It looks like it hasn’t been opened, so Spencer probably hasn’t read it, and if he had, woudn’t he have said something to Nikolas? He opens the letter, and Alexis asks what he’s doing. Harmony says, tampering with the mail is a Federal crime, and he says, try him, throw him in prison, he’ll have his attorneys make sure he’s sent there, which will make tearing Ryan apart that much easier.

Trina says she’s staying with Josslyn, and Spencer says, it went that badly? She says, it wasn’t horrible. They didn’t blow up at each other or anything… At least her mother didn’t blow up at her. He says, so it’s not like she kicked Trina out, and Trina says, it was her choice to get some space. They talked, but she doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. Or deal with it, or think about it. And that’s all she’ll do if they’re together. They could be deciding between Mexican and Sushi, and she’d still be thinking about how her mother messed up. She doesn’t know what to do. Maybe on some level, there’s nothing she can do, and he says she can’t sleep at Joss’s indefinitely. She says if he’d asked her to give two truths, she would have said, one, the sun rises in the east, and two, her mom is a strong, honest, and fair person. He says, now one of those isn’t true, and she says she hates it.

Austen tells Scotty, things are going okay. One camp of the Quartermaines wants to go to war with him. Scotty says, let him guess. Brook is leading that charge. Austin says, the other camp of the Quartermaines invited him to a birthday party. Scotty says, so they’re trying to wine and dine him into submission. Old Edward must be just dancing in his grave. Austin says, the cupcakes were amazing, and it turns out he’s really good at pin the tail on the donkey. Scotty hopes Austin isn’t waffling. Besides that cicada bug that comes back every seventeen years, so does a shot at ELQ stock. Austin says he’s not worried about that, but Scotty says he does worry about that. He doesn’t trust the Quartermaines at all. They’re capable of eating their own young. Austin says he’s painfully aware of what the Quartermaines are capable of, and Scotty says, their day in court is coming. In Edward’s will, the first paragraph says, Jimmy Lee Holt and his offspring – which would be Austin – will be disinherited. Which means Edward didn’t want Austin’s father anywhere near ELQ. Austin says, what if he changed his mind? but Scotty says they have no proof. The will has been signed, and sealed, and probated. They’ve got zero, zip, goose egg. Austin says he doesn’t know about that. He thinks there’s a way to turn this long shot into a sure thing.

Willow tells Michael, Chase is getting better all the time, and she’s committing right now that the day he takes five steps on his own is the day she tells him the truth. Michael says, five steps? and she says she’s done her research. It’s a common benchmark which means he’s on his way to a full recovery. He’s going to hate her, and she’s going to hate herself, but he has every right, and she’ll just have to take it. Michael says if she’s going to hate herself, she might as well hate him too, but she says, never. He says he could have approached Chase at any time, and told him, this is out of control. I love her, and we’re going to be together. But he didn’t. She says that’s because he was supporting her, and he says, it’s a fine line between supporting and enabling. He thinks he was hitting enabling a little too hard. She says they both go so far out of their way to support each other, they end up sabotaging their own happiness. It’s a good thing to keep in mind about their relationship going forward. He says, moving forward. He likes it; let’s go with that. She flashes back to them getting busy, and says, what happened last night… He says, can’t happen again. Their sole focus will be getting Chase back on his feet. She says, five steps, and once Chase knows the truth, she guesses they just pray someday he understands why they did what they did, and maybe even forgive them.

Brook tells Chase that she hasn’t seen Willow, or Michael for that matter. They’re probably still in bed. She can’t blame them. Chase flashes back to telling Austin, if Willow is sleeping with Michael, it means she’s in love with him, and Austin asking what he’s going to do about it. Brook says, who knew a kid’s birthday party could be so taxing? She’s surprised it didn’t send him rolling for the hills. In fact, she’s surprised he’s lasted this long in this house. Valentin and Austin, Carly, and Harmony, and Olivia; it’s a wonder they don’t all go insane. Chase says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Willow and Michael walk in, and Chase says, there’s no place he’d rather be.

Scotty tells Austin, there’s Michael and Willow… and Chase is just stuck doing wheelies in his chair. Alan would be proud. Austin tells him that his mother always said Alan had his heart in the right place, but Scotty says he’s not sure if it was Alan’s heart that was in the right place, if Austin knows what he means. Austin says he knows exactly what Scotty means, and Scotty says he loves a little Quartermaine gossip, so Michael’s indiscretion. They need to weaponize that, maybe get some pictures or something to get him over on their side. Austin says he’s not interested in anything illicit. There will be no blackmail or public embarrassment. Scotty asks if Austin doesn’t want what belongs to him, and Austin says he does. Scotty asks if he doesn’t want to avenge his father and have his seat at the Quartermaine table, and Austin says, absolutely he does, but… Scotty says, there’s no buts. They gotta get down, they gotta get dirty, in the mud. If they don’t do it, Scotty assures him, the Quartermaines will. And it will be a lot worse.

Naomie says she doesn’t know why Sam and Shawn think she can help them. Hayden chose a life there in Port Charles, deliberately far away from her, only to leave it all behind. Sam asks what Naomie thought about that, and she says she gave up trying to understand her daughter long ago. Maybe they’d do better speaking to those who did; her friends, her sister, her exes. Shawn says, they’re working on it, but they heard from Elizabeth that she was in town, and didn’t want to miss her. Sam asks if she’s staying long, and Naomie asks how that’s any of their business. Shawn says they’re not trying to butt into her life, and she says they could have fooled her. He says they just want to bring Hayden’s shooter to justice, so no one has to suffer like this. Naomie says she’s not privy to Hayden’s life. She and Hayden are on terrible terms. Sam shoots Shawn a look, and he says, no one they’ve talked to has been on any terms with Hayden. No one’s spoken with her since she left Port Charles. Sam says Naomie has been in touch with her daughter, hasn’t she?

Alexis asks Nikolas what the letter says, and he hands it to her, saying, see for herself. She reads, Spencer, I hope this letter finds you well. Do you remember when we first met? How fortunate I sensed your potential and aptitude for catch and release. I understand you’ve grown into a formidable young man. My apologies for the disappointment called your father. Don’t let this and Ava’s selfishness stymy your progress. Looking forward to more tales of your exploits. Ryan. She tells Nikolas, okay. Now he can panic.

Trina tells Spencer, she needs to grow up, right? Be more sophisticated. Like Ava. She takes things in stride and doesn’t get lost in the small stuff. Spencer says he knows Trina idolizes her boss, but look at the wreckage she’s left behind. His point is, Ava’s made some bad calls too. Trina says, her point is, her mom is an adult, and her mom’s business has nothing to do with her. He says, of course (🍷) it has to do with her, and she asks, what happened to changing her perspective? She’s just saying her mom is a flawed human being like everyone else. He says, and she should, but that doesn’t mean she’s not effected by it. The only advice he can give is, don’t do what he’d do. She says, which is…? He says, A, he has a real tendency to go full throttle and mess up his life. He does something that he thinks will punish the other person, and even if he does, he usually ends up punishing himself in the process. Case in point, not telling his father that he was back in town. Now that they’re starting to patch things up, there’s still this huge secret between them. She says, and B? and he says, acknowledging she’s right to feel how she feels. Trina’s mom messed up. Trina is allowed to have a reaction to that. She says, even if it’s bad? and he says, even then.

Scotty says, Austin is no fun, and Austin says, that doesn’t mean they can’t leverage the situation to their advantage. He thinks there’s evidence that can turn their case around. Scotty asks how he knows that, and Austin says, his father and Edward wrote letters to each other about a year before Edward died. His father had always reached out to Edward, but never heard back, but then somewhere around 2011, Edward wrote back. They exchanged four or five letters, and his father kept them all. In the last one, Edward said he was rethinking some of his earlier decisions, and that he’d mentioned his dad to his lawyer. Scotty says he does know Edward didn’t want Austin’s father to get a dime, or get anywhere near ELQ, and Austin says, he missed the point. He just said Edward was rethinking his decisions. Scotty asks if Austin thinks there might be a record of those thoughts, or a statement that Edward was going to change his will. Austin says he knows there Is. All they have to do is find it.

Chase says he has to head to physical therapy, and Willow says, already? kissing him on the cheek. Michael says Wiley is going to be up soon, and will probably want to give Chase a hug for his present. Willow says, it was so cute. He was cuddled up with his rocket and space station last night. Brook says, he slept with it? and Michael tells them, it wasn’t what he’d say was comfortable, but Wiley was committed. Chase says, tell Wiley he’ll take a raincheck on the hug, and Willow says, Wiley will hold him to that. Trust her. Chase says she knows he does, and wheels out of the room.

Austin tells Scotty, he tried to get to into Edward’s study, but the housekeeper stopped him. Scotty asks what he said, and Austin says, he lied; he said he was looking for the powder room. Scotty says, he said powder room? and Austin says he’s pretty sure that’s what they would call it in a house like that. The evidence is in there, and could help them. He can’t snoop around and get it, so they need someone who can. Scotty says, so they need someone who has access to the mansion. Like Chase. But he’s a cop. He’s a good cop; the picture of decency. Austin says, Chase is in a lot of pain right now, and Scotty says, he thinks Chase is in a lot of pain staying with a wife who’s canoodling with his best friend? Austin flashes back to talking to Chase in the foyer, and Chase saying his wife is sleeping with the guy he used to call his best friend. He needs to face this, and end it. Austin tells Scotty, don’t ever underestimate the depths that a man with a broken heart will sink to. Scotty says he hopes so. Otherwise, this lawsuit is DOA – dead on arrival. Goodbye. Austin says, goodbye, and Scotty leaves.

Naomie says she thinks it’s time for them to go, and Sam says she’s spoken to her daughter, hasn’t she? Where is she? Naomie says, please leave us alone, and Shawn asks if Hayden is in some kind of trouble. All they’re asking is that she put them in touch. Naomie says her family is none of their concern, and Shawn asks if Naomie’s family is any of her concern. Finn and Elizabeth have worried themselves sick about Hayden. They don’t even know if she’s dead or alive. He can only imagine what goes on in Violet’s head. Naomie says, whatever it is, it’s better than the truth.

Trina asks if that’s what Spencer does; table his feelings? He says he never shies away from self-reflection, and she says, good to know. He says, his problem is, frequently after exploring those feelings, he acts on them. It’s an added step that doesn’t need to be taken, and often ends in disaster. She knows the five stages of grief. She says, yeah, and he says, you don’t get to acceptance on day one. You have to experience everything that comes before; the denial, anger, all of it. He guesses this is kind of the same thing. She says, how exactly? and he says she can’t get to a point of forgiving her mom unless she lets herself get mad at her first.

Nikolas says, tell him about the letter, but Harmony says she doesn’t know anything. He says, bull. She takes Ryan’s dictation. Every letter he blinks, she writes down. She says, Ryan composes a lot of letters; she doesn’t log their content. She’s never had to. There’s never been anything threatening. He asks why he should believe her. She’s already been a groupie for Shiloh and Cyrus. She says she wanted nothing to do with Cyrus, but he says, maybe she graduated to Ryan. Maybe it’s her who’s been terrorizing his family on his behalf. She says she did them a favor. She doesn’t need to listen to this. She walks out, and Alexis says, taking it out on Harmony isn’t going to help anything, but he says, she’s capable. She says it doesn’t matter if she’s capable. Why would Ryan trust his revenge scheme on somebody who’s being scrutinized by the Corinthos family, the Quartermaines, and her parole officer? The letter is creepy, but there’s nothing overtly violent about it, so take it at face value. He says, which is? and she says, that Ryan is using Spencer to get under Nikolas’s skin. He says, why? He and Spencer were estranged long before Ryan wrote this letter. Did he think it would push them further apart? She says she doesn’t think he’s trying to scare Spencer; he’s trying to entice him. He says, like a fan letter. Like he’s egging Spencer on. She asks if there’s anything Spencer might have done to earn his admiration, and he says, Spencer could do to Ava and him what Ryan couldn’t do himself.

Naomie says, Hayden won’t provide Violet closure, only pain. Hayden sought her out last year. She needed money. Naomie had none to give, but offered Hayden shelter. She was as worried as everyone else that Hayden was in trouble. What else could possibly keep her from Violet? Shawn says, and? and she says, turns out it was motherhood. Her daughter went on a tear, insisting Violet was a time suck and a yoke around her neck; that she was better off with Finn. She wasn’t cut out to be a mother, and wanted her life back. Sam is a mother. Would she ever saddle her daughter with something so vile? Isn’t Violet better off not knowing? Now that’s all she has to say on the matter. She opens the door, and Shawn says if she has any way of reaching Violet or hears from her… She says she doesn’t, and she doesn’t expect she ever will again. Her daughter can change her name all she wants, but Hayden Barnes is as much Rachel Abigail Berlin as she ever was, a greedy, self-absorbed narcissist. She closes the door.

Alexis asks Nikolas to tell her that he’s joking. It’s just one letter. Nikolas says, that they know of, and he starts looking through them again. She asks if he thinks Ryan is goading Spencer into terrorizing Ava, and he says Spencer might not have needed that much goading. He hurt Spencer to the point where when he popped up alive, Spencer stayed in France, 4000 miles away. Plus, he’s always had a flair for the dramatic. Alexis says, he’s a ham, not a homicidal maniac. Does Nikolas hear himself? Nikolas says, nothing that’s happened to them has been violent; no one has been hurt. She says, they happened when Spencer was across the ocean. How was he going to pull these pranks? She gets it. He wants Ava back, and wants to stalker gone so she’ll come home, but he’s going to accuse his own son? He really needs to think about that. He takes the letter and thanks Alexis for her help. He loves her. She says, don’t do it. Don’t mess things up. He abandoned his son and broke his heart, and now he’s come home, and he’s trying to work things out with Nikolas. If Nikolas throws this accusation at him, he might drive Spencer away for good this time.

A waitress brings Spencer a drink, and he asks if Trina wants anything, but she says she’s good. He says he’s parched, and sits up. Trina sees KICK ME on his back in white letters, probably done with sun tan lotion, and starts to laugh. He asks if she’s laughing at something that happened with her mom, but she says, it’s nothing. He says he has something that might cheer her up. Let’s make it a challenge. She says, bring it on, and he tells her to wade through all this messy, emotional stuff with her mom, and she gets something amazing at the end of it. She says, and that is… He says, the party of the century. His.

Chase wheels himself into Austin’s office, and says he doesn’t have much time. His PT appointment starts soon. Austin says he just wanted to check in. How is he? Is he all right? Did he get any sleep? Chase says, barely. He can’t get the image of Michael and Willow out of his head. Austin says he can’t help with that, but he can prescribe something to help Chase sleep. Chase says, thanks, but he doesn’t want to take anything that could potentially mess up his recovery. He can’t get back on his legs soon enough. Austin says, unsolicited advice, but please be careful. He suffered a real setback last night. Chase says his legs are fine, but Austin says he’s not talking about Chase’s legs. His heart took a real beating when he found out about Michael and Willow. His recovery requires focus. Chase says he’ll be focused, and Austin asks if he’s sure. Because if his mind is doing what it was last night, he could really hurt himself.

Brook asks if Willow has heard from her mom, and Willow says, not yet, but she’s sure she will. Brook asks how she feels, and Willow says, confused, overwhelmed, resentful, maybe a little bit hopeful. Brook says, so all over the map, and Willow says, pretty much. Michael says Willow handled the surprise visit amazingly, and Willow says she stood there like a deer in headlights, and then ran off. Michael says she treated her mom with dignity and demanded to know why she came. Willow says, then ran off, and Michael says, with dignity. Brook says, so she needed a minute. She came back. Willow says she wasn’t going to miss her son’s birthday party, and it helped that Michael talked him down. Brook says, good old dependable Michael; his specialty. Michael asks if she could make him sound any more vanilla, and Brook says she could, but she won’t. Willow says he’s anything but vanilla.

Outside, Shawn says, that was intense, and Sam agrees. She tells him that Scout really doesn’t have any memories of Drew, and he says, whereas Violet must have a ton of Violet. Sam says, which are all good according to Elizabeth, and he says, Naomie’s claims don’t sit right. She says she has an idea, and calls Elizabeth. She says she has a question about Hayden. Her legal name before she changed it was Rachel Berlin, right? Did she have a middle name?… Is she sure?… She’ll explain later. Shawn says, it’s not Abigail, and she says, it’s Samara. He says, what kind of mother gets that wrong? and she says, they don’t. Naomie probably wanted them to pick up on it. Shawn says if she wanted to talk to them, why not just say so? and Sam says, maybe she couldn’t. He says, only one way to find out, and they head back.

We see a man is in the room with Naomie, and she says she lied about Hayden and made them work for it. Now they’ll stop asking questions, and their association is done. Isn’t it?

Harmony asks Alexis where Nikolas is, and Alexis says, he left. He’s been under a lot of strain lately, and Alexis apologizes for the way he spoke to her. Harmony says, it’s okay. It was kind of refreshing, being accused of something she didn’t do for once. She picks up the letters, saying she should get them back, and asks where the letter to Spencer is. Alexis says Nikolas took it with him.

Spencer tells Trina, it’s going to be a great night, and she asks if his dad is cool with it. He says he doesn’t have to ask his dad’s permission to throw a party in his own house, but he thinks it’s better for all involved if he’s out of town that night. Trust him. They’re going to have a rager, and his father’s not going to be a problem. Nikolas walks in.

Willow says she should get to GH; she starts the nurse training program today. Brook says, awesome, and Michael says, good luck. Willow brushes some stray food from Michael’s face, and leaves. Michael asks Brook, what’s that look for? and she says she doesn’t want to be all up in his business, but they live in the same house, so it’s hard to avoid. The last time they discussed this, he and Willow were in love, and Willow was on her way to tell Chase. She gets why they backed off, but unless Willow had a radical change of heart, and realized she’s actually in love with Chase – which is not the vibe she’s getting from her or Michael – then she’s still married to Chase because she feels she needs to support him, and the two of them are more in love than ever. Tell her she’s getting warm.

Chase wishes Willow and Michael never existed, and Austin says, wouldn’t that be nice? Chase says, how about a lobotomy? and Austin says, that’s a terrific idea. It would totally take care of his problem with Michael and Willow. Chase says he can’t stop thinking about it. When did it start? Who initiated it? But most of all, how the hell did he miss it? Austin says he missed it because he really loves this woman, but Chase says, not anymore. Austin asks, what happened? Last night he was all gung-ho about fighting for his marriage. Now he wants to throw in the towel? Chase says, what marriage? They’re two months in, and his wife is already having an affair. The only reason Willow married him was because she thought he was going to die. Austin asks if he believes that, and Chase says she was trying to spare him to let him go in peace, but surprise, he’s still here. Now Willow is in a marriage she doesn’t want to be in, so he has to end it.

Michael says he knows Brook wants to help, but it’s not a situation she can help with. She says she’s not blaming him or Willow. She’s never seen three people more well-intentioned than them and Chase, but Chase is her friend. Letting someone build a life on something you know is a lie… If that’s what’s happening, it’s not cool. He says, but what if circumstances dictate there’s no other option? Has that ever happened to her? She says, it has.

Chase tells Austin, he woke up wondering if there was any way to salvage his marriage. Then he saw Michael and Willow before he got there and it was so obvious. It was ridiculously in his face. Austin says, what was? and he says, who Willow wants to be with. He’s going to tell Willow it’s over. He’ll be out of the picture, and Michael and Willow can finally live happily ever after. Austin says, that is definitely one way to go.

Harmony says she took a big risk letting Alexis and Nikolas see the letters. Alexis says she knows, but he’ll bring it back. Harmony says, he got lucky smuggling it out. Does she think he’ll have the same luck on the return trip? Alexis asks if she thinks the guards are going to miss one measly letter, and Harmony says it’s not the guards she’s worried about. Alexis says she thought Harmony wasn’t afraid of Ryan, and she says she’s never done anything he might see as a betrayal before. Alexis says, he’s locked in, in more ways than one, but Harmony says, Nikolas doesn’t think that renders him harmless. Does she?

Spencer puts his shirt on, and Trina says she has a confession to make. He knows she’s friends with Cameron and Josslyn, and when they told her all that stuff about him, she wanted to defend them. So when he passed out, she kind of did this… Nikolas walks up, and Spencer says Nikolas startled him; he doesn’t like being snuck up on. Does he know Trina? Nikolas says, of course (🍷), and asks how she is. She tells him she’s fine, and asks how he is, calling him Mr. Cassadine, but he says, call him Nikolas. She says she has to make a phone call. She thanks Spencer for the advice, and leaves. Nikolas asks if Spencer is getting some sun, and Spencer says, trying to. He asks what Nikolas has in his hand. It’s the letter.

Shawn and Sam go back to Naomie’s room, and Shawn knocks. There’s no answer, and Sam wonders if she left, but he’s pretty sure her car was in the lot. Sam tries the door, and it’s open. They go in, and see something, but we don’t see it.

There’s a really sweet tribute to Stuart Damon at the end, but seriously, they couldn’t give him a whole episode?

Tomorrow, Spencer tells Trina that it’s one more thing his father doesn’t need to know about, Brook wonders where that leaves Chase, and Austin asks Chase, why make a graceful exit when you can make one with lasting impact?

Below Deck Mediterranean

Zlarin, Croatia. Athena goes to the galley to gripe about them falling behind, and Katie tells her that the chef is plating right now. In Katies interview, she says she’s trying to manage the boat, but need guests to be there at the table, and not make it look like she’s not doing her job. Athena bitches about where she’s sitting, so Katie moves her. In Mathew’s interview, he says this is the worst case scenario he think of for his last guests, but challenge accepted. Athena tells Katie that she wants salad in addition to, and Katie tells Mathew. In his interview, he says, dinner is so much about timing, but he’s not in a position to complain. Zee and Malia do dishes, and in Zee’s interview, he says, everyone wants crew members with experience, but won’t give a greenie experience. He’s now green-ish. The next course is served, and Mathew makes the salad. Courtney gripes about doing beds, and Athena points out a crumb on the table, telling Lexi that it bothers her. In Courtney’s interview, she thinks Lexi getting special treatment just for sticking around is bullsh*t. Zee radios Malia to tell her the rain is starting, and asks if he should cover the furniture even though the guests are up. Mathew asks if the guests are happy, but Katie doesn’t know anymore.

Lloyd isn’t at the bridge, and the captain can’t find him. When he finally reappears, Captain Sandy tells him not to leave if the wind is picking up. Mathew is summoned by Athena who tells him, it’s been an interesting evening. His meal worked out geniusly, and he handled it well. The captain tells Lloyd that she’s  trusting him and not to leave. Lightning strikes, and Courtney irons. She tells Mathew that changing cabins on pick-up day is a hassle. In Katie’s interview, she thinks Lexi likes being on service, and it wouldn’t be fair to take it away from her because she caused drama. Wow. I actually think it would be more than fair. In Lexi’s interview, she says the atmosphere is still thick. Lexi tends bar, and guests Zo and Jackpot talk finances to her. Everyone else goes to bed.   

In Malia’s interview, she says it’s an awkward line with David now. She doesn’t want to act like a bitch, but she thinks he gets it. She hopes he does. The table is set for breakfast, and Malia tells the deckhands to put the toys out, since these people aren’t predictable. Breakfast orders are taken, and in Katie’s interview, she says she’s accepted they’re not doing proper service. When these guests want to eat, they want to eat. Athena bugs Mathew in the galley, saying she wants to touch base about the cakes. She wants one with Happy Birthday and the company’s logo, and the other to say, Project Millionaire. Katie says they’re like a 24-hour diner. Mathew asks if Courtney has any nicknames, and she says she’s always wanted to be called Coco. Mathew asks if she’d help him with decorating the cakes, and a boat heads for the yacht bearing balloons. The captain sees the wind is picking up again, and says, that sucks. She radios Malia that she’s going back to the dock. Courtney says the cake looks like something from an eight-year-old’s birthday party.

Courtney scrapes off the writing, but makes a green mess. In Mathew’s interview, he wonders how he’s supposed to get this many different and unrealistic requirements right. Captain Sandy tells the guests that they’re heading back because of the weather. Courtney turns the mess into a half green, half orange-ish cake. Malia tells David to go to the bridge to work with the captain, and in his interview, he says Malia is a great leader. She’s attractive, but he thinks what attracts him most is her strength and work ethic. Courtney tells Mathew, it is what it is, and sticks a printout of the logo, along with a Happy Birthday printout into the cake. The table looks pretty, decorated in black and silver, and Katie tells Lexi about how she met Leo DiCaprio early in her career. In Katie’s interview, she says, now she knows how to get Lexi’s attention. We find out Leo loves darts and bloody Marys. In Malia’s interview, she says there are difficulties when it comes to docking at night. Visibility is tough, but she also worries about the crew’s safety.  

The guests get ready for dinner, and Courtney prints out decorations for the second cake. Athena goes to the galley to check out the cakes, and makes a face. She tells Mathew that she’s disappointed, which is no surprise. He apologizes, and in his interview, he says she’s disappointed before she even sits down. That sucks. She mumbles something about an A for effort. The first course is served, and in his interview, Mathew says, it feels bittersweet. It’s not how he wanted the season to end. Not every dish was perfect, but given the challenging requests, he thinks he did all right. Malia says, it’s sad, and Mathew asks if she forgives him. She says, yeah, and he says he doesn’t want to leave the boat. Katie says she doesn’t know what’s going on with that cake, but they put sparklers in it, and bring it out. It seems like there are crickets, but then social media photos are taken. In Mathew’s interview, he says, at this point, he’s assuming they’re happy. The guests go inside to eat the cake, and Athena tells Mathew that they love it. Lexi mumbles that demanding isn’t even the word, and we see a cat on the dock for no reason.

In the crew mess, Malia wonders why Lloyd has a grin, and he says he was thinking about David’s complete and utter failure with women. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, there were no complaints about Mathew’s food. Mathew’s problem is Mathew, not his food. Breakfast orders are taken, and in Mathew’s interview, he says it’s starting to sink in that this is it. The captain tells the crew to get in their whites and meet on the aft deck. Everyone makes their goodbyes, and Athena says the cuisine was exquisite, and thanks Mathew for making it special. She says her group was so happy with the beautiful pampering. It was truly magical. She gives Captain Sandy the tip envelope, and the captain tells everyone, nice work. She asks Mathew to meet her on the bridge.   

Captain Sandy tells Mathew that it’s a hard situation for her. She needs to trust her crew. She appreciates that he came back though. He commands the galley, and has passion. The clients and crew love him. She says she wants to finish with the same crew she started with, and asks if she can trust him to finish the season. He says the experience was humbling and understandable, and it would mean the world to him. In her interview, she says, if he walks, she’ll drown. Mathew is all happy, and in his interview, promises, no more hiccups, and no more rosé. He tells everyone that he’s going to stay. At the tip meeting, Captain Sandy thanks Mathew for staying, and thanks Lexi for keeping her head in the game. She thanks the crew for getting through such an emotional experience, and tells them that he tip was $15K, or $1,244 each. I have to agree with Lexi when she says it’s not a great tip, and in her interview, she says, thank you doesn’t pay the bills. The captain tells them to enjoy their night, and they turn the boat around. In Courtney’s interview, she can’t believe Lexi was thanked for being a normal human, and wonders if maybe she should be a d*ck.

The crew gets ready for fun, and Courtney tells Malia that she’s tired of people being patted on the back for not being a-holes. I hear that. In Lexi’s interview, she says she wants a drink, but doesn’t want to go overboard. In the taxi, David says Malia is effing amazing, and Mathew calls him a dirty, dirty boy. They go to a restaurant, and Malia toasts to no one quitting tonight. In Courtney’s interview, she says, Chloe is drunk Courtney, and she’s a ho. Zee says it’s crazy how different they all are, yet they get along so well. He explains there aren’t many Black people in the industry, and his brothers thought he might have a hard time. In his interview, he says, yachting is a white male dominated industry, but the way the world is going, there are more eyes watching, so it’s harder to discriminate. He thinks progress is being made. In Lloyd’s interview, he says, an owner can chose who works for them, and can discriminate. Malia tells Zee, don’t worry. On deck, he’s just green. Mathew pays for dinner, and tells them to leave the tip. In his interview, he says he’s not above buying forgiveness.

Lloyd thanks Malia for being a good boss, and Malia says yachting can be so much fun. They get back to the boat and jump around. Lexi apologizes to Malia for judging her, and says she’s authentic. In Malia’s interview, she says Lexi is a wild card, but if they were all judged on their boozy nights, they’d all be kicked off the boat. Everyone should be given a second chance. Shots are brought out, and in Lexi’s interview, she thinks everyone is being hypocritical. They want her to take shots. but last time, it didn’t turn out well. They jump around some more, and Zee dances with Courtney, while Lloyd twerks on Lexi. In Courtney’s interview, she says, Zee is so cute. If she likes someone, she wants all their attention, but if they’re nice to her, she doesn’t like them. In Mathew’s interview, he says he’s been redeeming himself all season, and doesn’t want another reason to have to redeem himself again. He’s going to sit this one out. He goes to bed.

David asks if Malia remembers the question he asked her. She gave him a maybe, but he’ll be spinning until she answers him with a yes or no. End his misery. In Lloyd’s interview, he says, it’s too late now for David to reel it in. Katie says she doesn’t want to see this, and David tells Malia that he’s fully into Malia. He loves everything about her. Katie tells Lloyd, this is getting awkward. She can’t. This is a lot. David says Malia is the powerful woman every woman aspires to be, like the kind he was raised by. (Always a deal clincher – telling a woman you remind them of your mother.) Malia diplomatically says, in the past year, she’s had an effed up love life, and just wants to be single. In David’s interview, he says he got his answer. Meanwhile, Lloyd is in another conversation with Katie. He says he was at a job where he was looked at like a god, then went into yachting, where he was treated like sh*t. He’s 90% straight, but was called something-bleeped – the f-word? No clue, and no clue what 90% straight is, but he starts to cry. Katie says he’s a beautiful person. The others sense Lloyd needs them, and gather in a group hug. Except for Lexi who is busy dealing with her own needs in the galley. Katie says, they need more people like him in the world, and they support him. That’s not his reality anymore. Lloyd says it’s the first time anyone has listened, and Lexi wonders what’s going on. David says, it would be a great world if it was filled with Lloyd’s. Courtney and Zee come back, and get involved in the hugging. Malia says David is on a vessel where everyone accepts him. In Malia’s interview, she says they’re in an industry that’s very old school, and anyone struggling with sexuality is expected to look and act a certain way. Lloyd says Malia is the best boss he ever had, and they hug, In Lloyd’s interview, he says it’s something that’s been on his mind since he was in school, and has had very few people to talk to about it. With some crews, it could never be discussed.

Next time, returning guests who love to party, the police arrive, the slide causes drama, and while Sandy doesn’t like giving up on people, if they’re not willing to change, it’s a problem.

📅 Another Monday Bites the Dust…

It’s late, and while I’m much improved, I’m still not 100%. So until we meet at the corner of GH and RHONY, stay safe, stay sharp, and stay remembering you won’t get to acceptance on day one.

August 6, 2021 – A Letter From Ryan, James Finally Makes a Decision, Sadness On Set, a Dinner, the Latest On Erika, Block Lifted, Everything Dead, Slightly More Than 10 Quotes & Free

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At Spring Ridge, Nikolas asks Sam how the investigation into Hayden’s shooting is going; any progress? Sam says, working on it, and he says, if anyone can figure it out, it’s her. The hard truth is, they may never know who shot Hayden. Alexis comes in, and says she’s glad to see Sam. They hug, and Nikolas asks if he can cut in on that. Does Alexis have a hug for her favorite nephew? She hugs him, and Sam says, he’s her only nephew; there’s no competition. Alexis says, it wouldn’t matter, and Sam asks if Alexis is doing okay. Alexis says she is, but the company leaves a lot to be desired. Sam says, Ryan? and Nikolas asks, how is Ryan?

Ava sits at a table by the pool (🍷), and Shawn comes along. She says, as she lives and breathes, and he says, good to see she’s still doing both. She says, despite the efforts of many. She heard he was out of prison. How long was it? He says, six years, and she says, all to protect Sonny. Was it worth it?

Carly leads Jax to a private room, and says they can talk in there instead of by the pool (🍷). No one can hear them. He says they didn’t need to before, and she says, before, they weren’t talking about the Novaks. He says, she means the mobster who accosted Josslyn? and she says, Josslyn wasn’t accosted; she was approached. He says, it wasn’t an act of violence, just the threat of one. She just got through telling him that nothing she and Jason have done has put Josslyn in harm’s way. It was obviously a lie.

Laura thanks Dante for meeting her at the MetroCourt, and he says, of course (🍷). They sit at a table, and he asks how New York was. She says, fine: very little traffic, and he says he assumes she didn’t want to meet up to talk about congestion on the FDR. She says, no. She was there to meet with Lulu’s doctors. He asks how Lulu is doing, and she says, the news is not good.

Anna is getting a shake at Kelly’s (which seems to be a thing now), when Finn and Elizabeth come in with Violet. Violet runs to Anna, who hugs her, and says, what a great surprise. She asks how Violet is, and Violet says, daddy’s team won the softball game. Anna congratulates Finn, and says she was just on her way out. Finn says, Violet’s excited about coming over for afternoon tea this Saturday, and Anna says she’s going to make some scones; it will be great. She gives Violet a kiss, and leaves. Outside, Joey Novak sits with his cronies, being loud. Elizabeth tells Violet, victory milkshakes are on her.

Jason does pushups in the boxing ring, and Spinelli calls. Jason says, Joey Novak approached Josslyn… No, she’s fine. He just needs to have a talk with this guy. Can Spinelli fine out where he is right away? Obrecht approaches the ring, dressed like a spy from a James Bond film, and asks if Jason is plotting an assassination, or is he busy arranging his upcoming nuptials? He tries to leave the ring, but she steps in front of him and says, nein. He will not get away free and clear this time. He was with her Britta at the most vulnerable moment of her life. She gets in the ring, and says, then he abandoned her for his best friend’s widow. What kind of man is he?

Jason tries to get past her, but that’s not happening. She says her daughter trusted him with her heart. She trusted him with her life. More important, Obrecht trusted him with Britt’s heart and life. Her Britta might be jaded, but next to Obrecht, she’s Heidi the something-I-don’t-catch maiden. He says he doesn’t… and she says, Heidi the orphan girl. She swears, he’s as illiterate as he is inconsiderate. He’s one of only three people who knows Britt has the genetic marker for Huntington’s, and when she needed him, he walked away. He says he knows. He let her down.

Violet says, the game was so fun. For a while, she thought their team was going to lose. Finn says, they were all worried they were going to lose, and Elizabeth says, Violet’s daddy really gave his all today. She couldn’t believe it when he stole third. Finn says having his daughter there to cheer him on really inspired him, and they clink milkshake glasses. A woman comes in, and says, Violet, is that you? Doesn’t Violet know her? She’s grandma. Violet runs to her and hugs her. Finn and Elizabeth look at each other like, whaaat?

Carly tells Jax, Josslyn is their daughter, not just his. He asks if she’s sure, because he’s the only one acting like a parent. She says he needs to calm down and back off, and he says, he needs to back off? She painted a target on Josslyn’s back, and he’s the one who needs to back off? Carly says she didn’t paint a target on Josslyn’s back; it’s the first time she’s been approached. He says, it better be the last, and she says, it will be. He says, good. Josslyn should never be put in the position where a rival crime family can threaten Carly by approaching her. Carly says she’s handling it, and he says, of course (🍷) she is. She is the head of the Corinthos Organization.

Shawn sits with Ava, and she asks if he regrets giving up years of his life for Sonny, only to be released after Sonny is no longer around to reward him? He says he can live with the decisions he’s made. Can she say the same? She says, touché, and asks if he’s there to get marching orders from the belle of the mafia, Carly. He says he doesn’t work for Carly; his choice. She says, in that case, she has a proposition for him. She needs a man.

Alexis says, Ryan is as locked in as ever, but there’s something she finds troubling. He has an aid who’s been helping him write letters. Sam says she thought his condition had him locked off from the rest of the world. How’s he even communicating? Alexis says, with his eyes; he blinks. She saw him dictate a letter that way. An excruciatingly slow process, but psychopaths are notoriously patient, and he’s got nothing but time, right? She was wondering if he’s abetting Ava’s stalker or actually is the stalker by proxy and using these coded messages through his writing. Nikolas says, anything is possible with that guy. They need to talk to his aide. Alexis says, one more thing. His aide, they know her. Sam asks, who is it? and Alexis says, there she is now. They see Harmony dealing with a patient.

Carly says she had to step up after Sonny died, and Jax says, had to? He hears, chose to. I wonder if Carly shouldn’t be wearing some foundational support with that dress, and she says it was the only way to protect her family. He says, that’s the biggest lie right there. If she’d walked away from Sonny’s business after he died, there would be nothing to protect them from. She says, that’s not how it works. It’s really easy for him to judge a complicated situation he knows nothing about. He says he knows his daughter – sorry, their daughter – is in danger because Carly is determined to hold on to Sonny’s territory. Just like he knows her marrying Jason is a business arrangement.

Laura tells Dante, Lulu’s doctors were very direct. They’ve been caring for her for eight months, and there’s been no improvement. He asks if she’s thought about looking at medicine beyond Western medicine; some kind of alternative medicine? She says she has, but it hasn’t produced any results. He says he doesn’t get it. She’s young, she’s healthy; there’s got to be something they can do. She says she’ll never give up on Lulu, but she’s given this a lot of thought, all the way back to Port Charles, and she thinks giving up isn’t the same as moving on.

Shawn says he’s listening, and Ava asks if he’s heard about the troubles she’s been having. He says he knows she and her husband are getting a divorce, but she says, a stalker. He says he also heard she had some trouble at the gallery, and she says, that was one incident of many. That’s why she needs a bodyguard. He looks at a guy lying on a lounge chair, and says, it seems she already has one; he can tell when someone’s carrying. She says, he works for Nikolas, and she has to make it perfectly clear that she’s cut all ties with Nikolas. He says, she needs to prove that o her stalker? and she says, yes. Sadly, it’s necessary, so she needs to hire her own protection. She was impressed with him back in the day. He says he didn’t think she liked him very much, and she says, he worked for Sonny. It was the competition, and his competence made her life difficult. She’s been out of the game for quite a while now, and so has he. They woudn’t have any conflicts of interest; they’d be on the same side. So what does he say? Will he protect her? She bats her eyelashes, and he laughs.

Nikolas says, isn’t that Shiloh’s disciple from Dawn of Day, who drugged Kristina? Sam says, Harmony. She actually flipped on Shiloh, and helped get him convicted. Alexis says, after aiding and abetting him for years. Nikolas says, maybe Ryan doesn’t need to send letters to the stalker. Maybe it’s someone he sees every day. He goes over to Harmony, and says they haven’t met, but he’s Nikolas Cassadine. She knows his cousin Sam. Harmony says hello to Sam, and he says it’s his understanding that she works for Ryan Chamberlain. She says, not exactly. She works for the Department of Corrections as a health aid at this facility. Mr. Chamberlain is one of several inmates she assists. Nikolas asks if her duties include doing Ryan’s dirty work, and Sam says, Nikolas. He says, just answer the question, and Harmony says, which is? He says, someone has been using Ryan’s playbook, including recordings of his voice to stalk and threaten his wife, so if she was involved in any way, it’s in her best interest to come clean right now.

Finn says he didn’t know Naomie was planning to visit, and she apologizes for the lack of advance notice, but she just couldn’t wait to see her granddaughter. He says she couldn’t call, text, or shoot off an email? and she tells him, you know what they say about hindsight. She says hello to Elizabeth, who barely responds, and says, Violet looks so much like her mother. Violet asks, where’s mommy?

Obrecht says she must hand it to Herr Morgan. His façade of quiet concern for her Britta, fooled even her, and she lowered her guard, letting him in. He says he hasn’t broken that confidence, and she says he only broke her Britta’s heart. Tell her, was everything they discussed that day a lie, or is his sole redeeming trait that he made sure Peter August’s absence continued? Anna has come in during the conversation, and has been listening. She asks what’s going on, but Jason gets a text, and jets while he can.

Obrecht puts on gloves, and Anna say she didn’t know Obrecht boxed. She says she doesn’t; she just likes to hit things. Anna says Obrecht proved that at the Rage Room, and Obrecht says Anna was pretty good herself. She could use a spotter. Anna holds the bag as Obrecht punches, and Obrecht says, Jason Morgan is lucky there’s no sledgehammer available today. Anna says, not to undermine her righteous anger at Jason, but Obrecht does realize he was just humoring her by listening to her tirade? Obrecht says, of course (🍷) she knows that. Despite his many glaring faults, he’s a chivalrous person. Perhaps he thought listening to her tirade was a way of paying penance for failing Britta. Anna says, perhaps. He doesn’t normally let people down. Obrecht says, then there really is a first time for everything. Anna asks what this has to do with Peter, and Obrecht says she thought, or at least hoped, that Jason played a role in Peter’s disappearance, which would mean Peter is six feet under the Pine Barrens where he’s no longer a trouble to anyone. Obrecht makes one last punch, and goes to towel down. She says she heard on the news that Anna is working with local investigators to locate Peter, and Anna says they’re sharing information. Obrecht says, perhaps in the spirit of generosity, Anna wants to share what the investigation has uncovered. Anna says, nein, and Obrecht says, no need to say anything now. Her inability to bring Peter to justice has taken it’s toll. So – she shoves the gloves at Anna – it’s her turn.

Shawn tells Ava that he’s not for hire anymore. He already has a job; finding the person who shot Hayden. She says someone hired him to investigate a cold case? but he says he’s working for himself now. She says, a noble pursuit, and she sees why he’d want to do it, but so much time has passed. He says, a cold trail is still a trail. Whoever did this needs to pay for what they did to Hayden, and him.

Harmony says she knows some people – Nikolas’s aunt among them – still think Ryan is dangerous. Sam says, Ryan is dangerous, and Harmony says, maybe before he was locked in. Sam says, as long as Ryan can communicate in any way – hell, as long as he’s breathing – Ryan Chamberlain is a threat. Nikolas asks how they know Harmony isn’t following his orders. She has access to him, and he communicates through her. Harmony says, it’s not telepathy. She points to letters on a board, and he blinks to let her know which ones he wants her to wrote down. Nikolas asks if Ryan is dictating letters or issuing instructions, and she says, okay. She’s sorry for whatever happened in his life that’s made him so afraid, but she’s there to assist Ryan with his comfort and correspondence. She’s not doing anyone’s bidding outside of this facility. Sam says, they’re supposed to take her word for that after everything Harmony did to her, and especially her little sister? Harmony says she can’t apologize enough for what she did. She was literally brainwashed, but she’s not anymore. What she is, is on parole, and she has no intention of going back to prison. She’s trying to turn her life around. Sam says she actually believes Harmony. From someone who’s also on parole, she knows where Harmony is coming from. Can Harmony at least tell them how long she’s been working with Ryan? Harmony says, a few weeks, and Alexis says, the stalker’s threats were going on long before that. Nikolas asks who he writes to, and Harmony says, lots of people; she doesn’t remember their names. Most of them don’t write back. In fact, most of the letters are returned unopened. Sam asks if the letters are at Spring Ridge, and Harmony says, yeah, but their harmless. There are no threats, there’s nothing unusual. They’re screened before they’re mailed. Nikolas says, maybe Ryan’s sending coded messages, and Alexis says, it woudn’t be the first time. Nikolas asks to see the letters.

Carly tells Jax, if she’s marrying Jason for love, business, or because she has nothing better to do on Thursday, that’s her business, not his. He says, that’s funny, because the last time he checked, where Josslyn’s safety is concerned, that is his business. He says, never mind. Just tell him what this incident with the Novak family actually means. Carly says, it wasn’t the Novak family, just one rogue idiot named Joey Novak.

Joey peeps into Kelly’s window, looking like a creeper, and Violet asks if her mommy is with Naomie. Naomie says she’s sorry, but no, and Elizabeth says Violet must be sticky from her milkshake, and suggests they get her cleaned up. They go to the bathroom, and Finn asks what the hell Naomie was thinking. She says, regarding? and he says, just stopping in like this after ignoring Violet for a year. She says she was in Europe, and he asks, what was the guy’s name? She says, what does it matter? It didn’t work out. Now all she wants is her family around her, and since she doesn’t know where her daughter is, that means her granddaughter. He doesn’t think that’s a good idea, but she says, please. Let her make it up to Violet. She’s begging him. Don’t punish her for her daughter’s mistakes. Finn asks what that’s supposed to mean.

Outside Kelly’s, one of Joey’s cronies asks why they’re hanging around; there’s no action here. Joey says, there’s about to be, and gets up. Jason walks up, and Joey says, took him long enough. If I were Jason, I’d grab Joey by the ear, and bring him to his uncle.

Harmony says she can’t let them see the letters. Ryan still has a right to privacy, never mind that they’re someone else’s letters, and that’s illegal. Alexis says, mail theft. It’s a Federal crime that carries a maximum sentence of five years. Nikolas says, then he won’t get caught, and Harmony says, he won’t, because he’s not getting anywhere near those letters. Nikolas asks if she did any research. Does she have any idea what Ryan’s done? She says she’s aware, and Nikolas says, if there’s any chance Ryan is sending coded messages, and continuing to torment people, how can she let that continue? She says, because she can’t lose her job, and she can’t do more time. She’s sorry.

Shawn brings Ava a drink, and she says, now that he’s back out in the world, where is he staying? He says, TJ and Molly, and Alexis’s house, and she says, that’s great. She hopes he and TJ are making up for lost time, but he says, TJ and Molly are so busy, they’re hardly ever there. In the meantime, he’s looking for his own place. She says she can understand that. She has to ask. Now that he’s a free man, and she’s a free woman, him and Jordan? He says, that’s the past, and she says she thought they were pretty serious before he went to Pentenville. He says, before he found out Jordan was a DEA agent, or TJ was his son? She says, sometimes a fresh start is best, and toasts to fresh starts. They clink glasses.

As Anna punches the bag, she says, Obrecht knows she can’t share information from an ongoing investigation with her, but Obrecht doesn’t see why not. She’s hardly a stranger to the case. Did her family not suffer because of Peter? Anna says, yeah, and Obrecht says, was Nathan not killed because Peter lured Faison to Port Charles? Maxie was terrorized, and her baby kidnapped on Peter’s orders. Anna says she agrees with Obrecht; Peter has a long reach. Obrecht says, how disappointing to hear her speak of him in the present tense.

Dante asks if Laura has been talking to his mother, and Laura says, about what? He says, about what’s going on with Lulu. He guesses Olivia is just worried about him. Between being a cop and being a dad, and these visits with Lulu, she thinks he might be a little stuck in limbo. Laura asks if that’s how he feels too, and he says he didn’t think about it until Olivia brought it up. Laura says, now that she has? and he says, life is busy. With Rocco and being back on the force, he’s got a full plate. She says, but? and he says, there are things he could have in his life beyond being a cop and being a dad, and he doesn’t want to run anymore. He never stopped loving Lulu. She says she knows, but she doesn’t expect him to wait for her.

Carly says she’s texting Jax the contact information for Josslyn’s bodyguard, and Jax says, fantastic. A bodyguard. What every college freshman dreams of. Carly says, Devon is discreet, and he looks young, so he’ll blend in on campus. He says she just got him thinking. His daughter’s first year of college, having someone there to look out for her might not be such a bad idea. She says, Cameron will be there too, and Trina. He says, Josslyn’s been through a lot. Having two good friends there is fantastic.

Finn asks what Naomie means by Hayden’s mistakes, and she says, abandoning Violet of course (🍷). He asks if she’s sure she doesn’t know where Hayden is, and she says she only wishes she did. Now will he give her a chance to reconnect with her granddaughter? Violet and Elizabeth come back out, and Violet asks if Naomie is staying, Finn says, grandma has to go, but they’ll see about setting up a playdate in the future. Violet says they can have a tea party, and Naomie says she’d like nothing more. She’s staying at the Woodbridge Motel until she finds a more permanent place. Finn says, she’s moving to Port Charles? and Elizabeth says, permanently? Naomie says she’s wasted too much of her granddaughter’s life already. She doesn’t want to waste another second. She sends Finn her number, and says she hopes he calls soon. He says, like he told her, they’ll figure something out. Naomie says she’ll see Violet soon and leaves. No hug, no anything, which is really weird. Elizabeth says, what was that?

Jason tells Joey that he crossed the line when he spoke to Josslyn Jax. Joey says he doesn’t know; she seemed receptive. (Another clueless man!) He says, a pretty girl like that, and Jason steps closer. He says, further contact with Josslyn will result in full retaliation. Joey asks if this is coming from him or from Mrs. Corinthos. She’s the one in charge, right? Jason says Joey is in over his head, making trouble nobody wants, not even his own family. His uncle will not tolerate this show of disrespect, and neither will the other families. Joey literally snorts, and says he’ll take his chances. He walks off, the rest of his idiots following.

Laura says she prays for Lulu’s recovery every day and always will, but she knows her daughter, and knows Lulu wouldn’t want her to put her life on hold just to sit by her bedside every day. Lulu wouldn’t want that for him either. Every day they get to be in the world, laughing, crying, watching the sunrise; they are all precious, and she knows Lulu would want him to live them to the fullest. For Rocco too, because Dante has to show him how. Dante knows Laura is right, and Lulu would be okay with whatever changes may come… She asks if he’s met someone.

Sam hugs Alexis goodbye, saying she has to pick up something for her kids. The next time she won’t bring Nikolas’s problems with her. He says he heard that, and she says she meant for him to hear it. Next time he wants to question someone, go away and let her do it. Nikolas says, pity she has to go, and Alexis tells them to quit it. Kiss the kids, and get a brownie at Kelly’s; tell them it’s from her. Sam leaves, and Alexis tells Nikolas it’s too bad they couldn’t get through to Harmony. He says, maybe Sam was right and he pushed too hard, and Alexis says, she was and he did. But she understands why it’s important to him. He says, the only way to stop the divorce is to identify the stalker, and prove there’s no longer a threat. Harmony comes in with a stack of files and sets them on the table. She says, dammit. She hopes she doesn’t accidentally misplace Ryan’s file with those letters in it. She’ll just come back and look for them in about 20 minutes. She leaves, leaving Ryan’s file behind.

Shawn tells Ava that he’s sorry about Kiki. He sees her face, and says he didn’t mean to upset her, but she says, it’s okay. She’ll take any reminder. He says, and Avery? and Ava says, she’s perfect. She’s wonderful. She’s a delightful little chatterbox, always has been. She misses her dad, of course (🍷). Right now she’s staying with Carly, since Ava doesn’t think it’s safe for Avery to be with her. He says she really thinks the stalker would hurt Avery? and she says, yes. He broke into their hotel suite, and left a teddy bear for her to find; a bear with Ryan Chamberlain’s voice. He says, that’s messed up, and she says, it’s very messed up. She can’t forget it. Avery standing there with an unfamiliar toy with an unmistakable voice.

Finn puts headphones on Violet, and sets her up with an activity book. Elizabeth asks if Naomie said anything about Hayden, and Finn says, only that she doesn’t know where Hayden is. Elizabeth wonders how much contact Naomie should have with Violet, and he says he’s just worried it will make Violet miss her mother more, and ask more questions that he doesn’t know the answers to. How does he explain Hayden’s absence when he doesn’t understand it himself?

Anna says, one usually refers to the subject of a manhunt in the present tense, and Obrecht asks if she’s saying it wasn’t Peter’s body that had law enforcement crawling in the basements and subbasements of GH. Anna tells her, she can say this, if Peter were dead, she’d tell Maxie right away. She couldn’t allow Maxie to continue to be in fear of her life. Obrecht says she’ll continue to hope Peter has been dispatched, but until they know for sure, they must all be on their guard. Peter is his father’s son, and she and Anna know better than anyone how people underestimated Faison. They would assume he was dead, only to meet their own demise. Anna says she won’t believe Peter’s dead until she sees his body herself.

Anna and Obrecht sit on a bench near the ring, sipping drinks from Kelly’s, agreeing that they’re refreshing. Anna says, they could do with a smoothie bar, and Obrecht says, or a water fountain. As for Kelly’s, their attempt at schnitzel was an attempt at sadness. It’s good to know they can get something right. Anna says, despite their differences, she doesn’t think anyone understands their aggression the way they do. Obrecht says, in the meantime, she looks forward to Peter’s capture… or death. She’s partial to the latter. May it be slow, excruciating, and final.

Finn packs up Violet’s stuff at Kelly’s, and Violet says, now that grandma’s back, maybe she can take her to see mommy. He says, we’ll see, and she says, that means no, doesn’t it? Elizabeth pays the check, and Sam comes in. She says she was going to call Sam, and Sam asks what she did this time. Elizabeth says, yesterday, Sam asked her about Hayden. Guess who showed up in town today? Her mother, Naomie Dreyfuss.

Dante says he’s not seeing anyone, and Laura says, don’t panic. She’s not there to give him the third degree. Besides, she thinks Olivia probably has that one covered. He says, she does. He thinks she should be recruited for the PCPD because if she doesn’t badger a confession out of a perp, she can coax it out of them with her ziti. Laura says if he needs mayoral approval, he’s got it. When he starts dating again – and he will – she doesn’t want him to feel he needs to hide it from her. She considers him a part of her family; he’ll always be a part of her family. All she wants for him is his happiness.

Carly says, so both she and Jax are going to PCU’s Parents Week? and he says, them, and her security team. She tells him to give it a rest, when there’s a knock at the door. She says, come in, and Jason asks if she’s got a minute. Jax asks if Jason knows Josslyn was approached by Joey Novak today. Did he handle it? Jason says he did, and Carly says they can talk about Parents Week another time. Jax says he can see the happy couple wants to whisper sweet battle plans into each other’s ears, and Carly says he needs to let it go. He says he doesn’t think he will, and leaves. Jason closes the door, and Carly asks, what’s going on? He says, something’s up. Joey was way too confident when he confronted him about Josslyn. She says, confident how? and he says, when he told Joey that his uncle and the other families woudn’t tolerate this show of disrespect, he laughed it off. She asks if he thinks Joey has allies, and he says, could be. Let’s go. They leave and Jax watches.

Shawn tells Ava, this was actually quite pleasant, and she says he doesn’t have to sound so surprised. He says he’s not. He tells her to take care of herself, and leaves. His phone rings, and it’s Sam, who says she just got some very interesting news. Hayden’s mother is in town.

Ava calls Avery and asks, how was her day?… She misses her too. So much.

Nikolas and Alexis go through the letters, and Nikolas says, Seattle, Chicago, Milwaukee, Chicago again, Venezuela, Russia… It’s mostly university professors and psychiatrists. She says, offering his medical expertise on mental health. When she  thinks of the arrogance… She stops, and he says, what is it? She shows him an envelope addressed to Spencer in France.

On Monday, Scotty wonders if they’re about to get rich, Austin thinks he has a way to turn this long shot into a sure thing, and Alexis says, no need to panic.

Million Dollar Listing New York

Steve talked about how much he loved living in the apartment in Chelsea; it was where they brought Rose home and became a family. He’d convinced the owners to let him sell apartments there, and done well, so he asked for more apartments. He’d been given two 3 bedroom apartments and one 4 bedroom. They were harder to sell, so he actually put on a suit, which was rare. First up was a 3 bedroom, 4 bath, just under 3000 square feet, going for $7.450 million. Steve said the building was a piece of art in architecture, and I had to agree. It was designed by Zaha Hadid, a Pulitzer Prize winning architect, who, sadly, had passed away. The coolest thing about it was the glass curtain wall construction with hand-hammered steel, which was a constant photo op for people passing by. Amenities included a 75’ skylit pool, a spa suite that could be booked privately, a kids innovation lab that I would have loved to play in. In Steve’s interview, he said he could show the amenities with passion and pride since he knew what it was like to live there. There was a private IMAX theater, and an automated parking garage, although the garage was a little pricey, costing around another $500K for a spot. But if you’ve ever had to park in NYC, you might actually think that was worth it. In his interview, Steve said the building was amazing, but there was a lot of inventory on the market, so he had his work cut out for him.

Ryan’s Australian buyer James had been shown a million place, but none of them hit home for him. Really? Ryan was super frustrated, and I didn’t get WTF this guy wanted either. All the showings were being done virtually, and since James didn’t even know the city, he was an ignoramus. In Ryan’s interview, he wanted to sell an apartment on the other side of the world without the client actually being there, since it would be a major achievement.

Meanwhile, KJ was in Switzerland with her family, visiting her in-laws. While she was there, good friend Giovanni called he about selling one of his assets in Tribeca. He’d been renting it at $30K a month, but the tenants were moving, and Giovanni thought it was time to sell and invest in something new. Because of travel restrictions, Giovanni couldn’t travel from Italy, but agreed to have mutual friend Jacopo show her around. The apartment had been KJ’s first big sale for $3.6 million in 2012. It had been a foreclosure and took a year of negotiations. It had made her feel like a badass broker. The apartment was gorgeous (like there are ugly ones on this show), 3652 square feet, 4 bedrooms and 3 baths, and 10½’ ceilings. It was the old Sugarloaf building, built in 1882, which had been converted into condos in 1992, and housed a lot of celebrities, like Orlando Bloom, Taylor Swift, and the Olsen Twins. Although it had been renovated, a lot of original details remained, like cast iron columns. In her interview, KJ said those details equaled dollars. Jacopo thought KJ could bring in $10 million, but she thought that was a little ambitious for the market. She was thinking along the lines of $9.4, but Jacopo said Giovanni didn’t need to sell, and would rent again until the market improved if he couldn’t get the price he wanted. She had a two-week window to sell, which she said in her interview, was nearly impossible. The potential commission was $300K, and KJ said, it would be like closing the circle.

Ryan had a place on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street that he thought would be perfect for James, and checked all the boxes. It was a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, all on one level, a full-service building, and within James’s budget. He met with the seller’s rep Michelle, and noted the spectacular views (he was not kidding about that – they were to die for) and beautiful finishes. In his interview, he said you couldn’t get more NYC than being on Fifth Avenue. He got James and broker Sammi on separate phones to give the tour. The apartment was 1554 square feet and 10’ ceilings for $3.950. James said it was just what he was looking for, and they were almost there. He wanted something bigger. Michelle said she did have something bigger, but it was in the mid sixes, so a different price point. I had the feeling there was just no pleasing this jerk. In Ryan’s interview, he said it was called the upsell. You thought he didn’t have any more listings in his pockets? That’s what he had pockets for. The other apartment had the same views, but was 1954 square feet, had 2.5 baths, was on a higher floor with 11’ ceilings, and priced at $6.725 million. Ryan said he’d have to invent new boxes for James to find more to check. James whined that it was hard to tell what you could fit without it being furnished, and Ryan was like, really? James said, spot on, mate, but still made no commitment, saying he’d get back to Ryan after he and Sammi had a chat.

Emelia brought Zena over to Steve’s for a playdate with Rose, since the girls were besties now. Steve told Zena that she had better style than her father in her sweet bunny outfit. Ryan thought he might have some buyers for the 4 bedroom, but wanted to check it out himself first, so they were killing two birds with one stone. As apartments had gone down in price, Steve’s had been $12 million, but now the same one upstairs was going for $8.995 million. Steve showed Ryan around his own place, and his closet was pretty amusing with a clothes rack where 50 of the same white T-shirts were hanging. Ryan thought if the price was right, the upstairs apartment would work for his clients. He thought Chelsea was the perfect neighborhood for a family new to NYC.

KJ was busting her ass looking for buyers, but had no offers yet. She told Jacopo that it was against odds, but she was hopeful for the weekend. In her interview, she said it would mean a lot to her to sell it the second time around. KJ had several showings, including a virtual one with an Italian architect who was looking for a second home, but she said the market was speaking loud and clear, and confirming what she thought – it was overpriced.

Ryan had good news and bad news for James. The apartment he’d liked had been sold. In Ryan’s interview, he said someone had literally swooped in and bought it, which sucked, since it was the only one James showed real interest in. The good news was that there was another off-market apartment available. It was the same exact layout and footage, but on the 46th floor (the other had been on the 50th), and on the opposite side of the building. The original price was $6.7 million, and had been dropped to $6.1 million, but Ryan thought he could get it down the mid fives. James wanted to see the view, but Ryan said there was no time. There was already a potential buyer who hadn’t pulled the trigger, but was in conversation. By the time he was able to show it to James, it would already be too late. This sloth of an Australian was literally learning the meaning of the American phrase, you snooze, you lose. Still, he said he’d need to see the floorplans and have a chat with Sammi before submitting an offer. In his interview, Ryan said James needed to act quickly or he’d lose this one too. He got on the phones with James and Sammi, and James suggested starting with 30% off the original asking price, which was $4.750 million. I literally laughed out loud. In Ryan’s interview, he said, while it could sometimes be bad giving a low offer when other buyers were already bidding, he didn’t know what the other offers were, and at least James’s foot was in the door. He sent Michelle the offer, which she said was too low, but $5.5 million would get the deal done. Since James seems to have a brain issue, he offered $5 million, to which Michelle said if he didn’t come up, they were going with the other buyer. Back on the phones, Sammi suggested $5.2 million, and Ryan said he was like the United Nations of real estate right now. Ryan put in the offer, and told James and Sammi that they’d pushed, and he was sorry, but James would have to buy a condo in NYC for $5.2 million. In his interview, he said, this was the future of real estate, selling anywhere, and it felt good.

Next time, an apartment 900 feet in the air selling for $29 million, and Ryan calls one of Fredrik’s clients directly

Photo

Steve’s Chelsea Building

📽 Could Be Worse…

At least he died doing what he loved.

https://ew.com/tv/general-hospital-jay-pickett-dies-movie-set/

🍽 Drama Be Damned…

No matter the drama, you still gotta eat.

https://pagesix.com/2021/08/03/ramona-singer-eboni-k-williams-have-dinner-amid-rhony-drama/

👠 And This Is Just the Beginning…

Speaking of Wives drama, the latest Erika news.

https://pagesix.com/2021/08/05/erika-jayne-accuses-garcelle-beauvais-of-betraying-her/

https://pagesix.com/2021/08/05/erika-jayne-feels-bravo-pulled-a-fast-one-with-garcelle-spat/

https://pagesix.com/2021/07/30/erika-jaynes-inconsistent-statements-from-rhobh-to-be-used-in-court/

🔧 David’s Condition…

These kids have a shrink already, right?

David Beador Allows Daughters to Film RHOC Under This One Condition After Producers Step in, Plus Shannon Beador Shares Why Ex Wanted to Block Kids From Show

⚰️ Bring Out Your Dead…

What’s going on with Season 11.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-final-season-11-original-story-not-from-comics-producer-denise-huth-the-reapers/

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-final-season-11-lauren-cohan-maggie-returns-different-person-denise-huth/

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-final-season-11-trailer-live-for-them-fight-survival-alexandria/

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-final-season-11-two-new-cast-members-ian-anthony-dale-laurie-fortier/

📬 Quotes of the Week

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.Oscar Wilde

It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then. – Lewis Carroll

What you’re thinking is what you’re becoming. – Muhammad Ali

Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. – Dennis P. Kimbro

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. – Mark Twain

If you can’t laugh at yourself, at least let me do it. – Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen), Two and a Half Men

You’ve been given the innate power to shape your life…but you cannot just speak change, you have to LIVE change. Intent paired with action builds the bridge to success. You can’t just want it; you have to do it, live it…BE it! Success isn’t something you have, it’s something you DO!Steve Maraboli   

Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day. – Brad Meltzer

When two opposite points of view are expressed with equal intensity, the truth does not necessarily lie exactly halfway between them. It is possible for one side to be simply wrong. – Richard Dawkins

Never stop just because you feel defeated. The journey to the other side is attainable only after great suffering. – Santosh Kalwar

🛣 Am I There Yet…?

This week has been at least a year long, but hey, there’s another one coming. Regrouping, but until then, stay safe, stay doing things you love, and stay being notoriously patient. It’s not just for psychopaths anymore.

August 5, 2021 – A Stranger Hassles Josslyn, Black Eye, Bowling For Puppies & Deception

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Jason punches the heavy bag at the gym, when Brando comes along. Jason asks if he wants the bag, but Branco says, he’s good. He’s better than good. In part, thanks to Jason.

At the MetroCourt, Brook looks at a tablet, and Sasha sits across from her. Brook says she’s better at this social media thing than she thought. Sasha says she knew Deception could count on Brook to reach a better customer base. Products are flying off the shelves. Give herself a pat on the back. Brook says, how about a raise? but Sasha says she has another perk in mind; a wonderful one.

Terry asks if she can have a moment of Britt’s time, and Britt asks if there’s something she can do for Terry. Terry says Britt hasn’t responded to the proposal she sent; did she receive it? Britt says, for expanding their telemedicine services? And Terry says, many patients find in-person visits daunting or prohibitive for a variety of reasons. They can expand their the opportunities for patients to consult with them online, rather than coming to the hospital. Britt says, which would require an expansion of their IT and tech departments. Terry says if Britt had read the whole memo, she would have seen the research Terry did. Other facilities who have expanded in telemedicine have made earned back the cost in five years or less. Britt says, but none of the expansion is covered in this year’s budget. If Terry was Chief of Staff, she’d realize any new proposals have to be cost effective. Terry suggests they study the numbers and come up with a solution, but Britt says, Terry isn’t co-Chief of Staff yet. Terry says, what about her? Britt stormed out of Monica’s office when she suggested they work together. Has she decided that’s impossible?

Carly folds towels at the pool (🍷), and Jax says, allow him. She says, he’s folding towels? and he asks if she wants to hire him. She says she couldn’t afford him, and he asks if she doesn’t have people for this. She says she has great people, she’s just… He says, doing it for fun? and she says, call it stress release. He asks if there’s any particular reason she’s feeling stressed, and she says, because he hates that she’s marrying Jason. 

TJ sits by Stella’s bedside at the hospital, and says she’s got to come out of this.

Josslyn and Cameron join Curtis and Portia in the waiting area, and Josslyn says they came to check on Stella. Cameron says he was there when she collapsed at Kelly’s. Portia says, the paramedics said Cameron had called 9-1-1 immediately; he did an amazing job. Curtis thanks Cameron for keeping his head and his quick action, and Cameron asks if Stella is going to be okay.

Cameron says, a stroke? He thought that might be it. His mom taught him to recognize the symptoms. He’s so sorry. Portia says, the good news is, it’s the most common type of stroke, and the most treatable. She was brought to the emergency room immediately, and the doctor on call was able to diagnose it, so the neurological team began treatment immediately. Stella is going to recover. Curtis says, getting her the right treatment in time started with Cameron’s quick thinking. Cameron says his mom is always pounding into him and his brothers first aid tips to help someone in need. Since he was able to recognize the signs of stroke, he dialed 9-1-1 and noted the time Stella started to lose her balance. Josslyn says, and he kept speaking to Miss Henry until the paramedics got there. He woudn’t let her go to sleep. Portia says, she always knew he was a smart kid, but the way he handled the emergency was something special. She’s going to make sure Stella knows that, and Cameron’s mom. Cameron says he’s just glad Curtis’s aunt is going to recover, but there’s something she needs to know when she wakes up

Brook asks Sasha not to keep her in suspense. What is this wonderful perk? Sasha says, her own Assistant, and Brook says, really? Someone she gets to boss around. That’s so great. She doesn’t want to sound like she’s complaining; Valentin has been very helpful with Bailey. But the whole motherhood/work thing is hard. Sasha will know soon enough. Sasha says, getting closer all the time, and Brook asks when she gets to interview some potential candidates. It has to be someone in tune with her personality. Somebody collaborative, but who will defer to her as their boss. Someone who’s loyal and steady, and doesn’t complain. Sasha says, about that… and Gladys appears, saying, she looks great, right? The makeup artist at Deception said she had great bones, like Edie Falco, and look – she holds up a bag full of stuff – she got tons of new products like Sasha promised. Brook says they’re having a business meeting, and Gladys says, Brook Lynn Quartermaine, right? Brook says, that depends. Who’s she? Sasha says, this is Gladys Corbin, and Gladys says, her new assistant. She sits down and says, but she does prefer being considered an equal.  

Jason says he should be the one thanking Brando. Carly told him that Brando stepped in to smooth things over with Joey Novak. Brando says, he’s a punk. He didn’t think it would be good for anyone to let the situation escalate by the pool (🍷) at Carly’s hotel. Jason says if he takes Brando up on that free service at the garage, he’ll pay the bills. Brando thanks him, and says it’s good intentions, but sounds like the first step on a slippery slope back to the business. He made a commitment to stay far away. Jason asks, what changed Brando’s mind? and Brando says he wants to be in Sasha’s life and the baby’s. Jason is the one who told him to consider what was important to him and what he’d be risking. Sasha and the baby won hands down. He appreciates the advice.

Britt tells Terry that she was on her way to ask Monica for a meeting to turn down the offer. The job is all Terry’s. Terry says, Monica pitched them as a team; if Britt is out, so is she. Britt guesses Monica will have to find someone else with her expertise, and Terry’s vision. Terry says, Britt is throwing away this incredible job, just like that, and Britt says she handled this incredible job just fine without Terry, or anyone else. And before Terry throws Cyrus in her face, let her remind Terry, she was working with Jason to keep Cyrus in check, which is why she nearly got killed by his thugs. Terry says she’s sorry she belittled Britt’s life on the run, and Britt says Terry threw her relationship with Jason in her face in front of his mother. Terry tells her, saying Britt had Jason to satisfy her needs wasn’t her finest moment; she’s sorry. Britt asks if Terry thinks an apology is good enough for Britt to share her job with Terry.

Jax asks Carly to stop for a second, and look at him. She says she doesn’t want to fight with him, and he says, there won’t be a fight if she tells him the truth. He knows he was upset when she told him why she was marrying Jason, but he realized she wasn’t telling him everything. She asks, what makes him say that? and he says, when he voiced his concerns, she told him marrying Jason wasn’t just best for her, but best for her kids, and one of those kids happens to be their daughter. It got him thinking, maybe it’s not just the simple story of friendship turning to love after Sonny died.   

Britt tells Terry, she’s done talking. She’s going to see Monica, and tell her that she’s not sharing the Chief of Staff position. She starts to walk away, and Terry says, give her five minutes. Britt keeps walking, and Terry says, two minutes? Britt stops and turns, and Terry says, Monica asked her to be diplomatic with Britt, to see if she could work with her as co-Chief of Staff. Britt says, now Terry is trying to handle her? and Terry says she’s trying to be reasonable. She’s terrible at manipulating people. Britt asks if this is her being sincere, and Terry says, it’s her being honest. Working together in in their best interest. More important, it’s in the hospital’s best interest. Britt asks what Terry wants her to do, and Terry says, take a walk and think about it. Why not? It’s nice out. Consider the alternative; some oily creep, who plays politics and only cares about saving money. Someone who will run GH as a cost effective business instead of an institution that will save lives and heal. Do they really want someone like that as their boss?

Jason says, so Sasha gave Brando an ultimatum, and Brando says, in the nicest way possible; the business or the baby. Jason says, Brando seems at peace with his decision, and Brando says, after seeing what Jason and Carly’s family went through after Sonny’s death, and the damage Cyrus caused. Cyrus almost killed Brando and his mother. If he’d died, his baby woudn’t have a father. He can’t let that happen. Jason says Brando knew Sasha was pregnant when he stepped in with Joey Novak. He wasn’t thinking about life or death situations then. Brando says he stepped up because he wanted to help Carly; then Sasha straightened him out. She wasn’t happy about him working for Cyrus to help Jason and Sonny, and she wasn’t signing up for more of that. Jason is lucky he and Carly are on the same page when it comes to business. Jason says, yeah, they are.  

Gladys wonders where a person gets a mimosa over here, and Sasha says she thought it would be nice for Brook and Sasha to get to know one another over brunch, instead of in the office. Gladys says she’s never been to a business brunch before. Can she have those scrambled eggs with caviar? This is on Deception, right? Brook asks if Gladys brought her resumé, and Gladys says, what for? Sasha already hired her. Brook says, okay. What about her background? and Gladys says, she’s part Irish, and part Lithuanian. She’s from Bridgeport, Connecticut, but moved there to be closer to her son. She didn’t think they were allowed to ask that kind of question. I’m dying laughing, because I’m ¾ Lithuanian, and It’s not a country you hear mentioned a lot. Brook says she meant Gladys’s business background. Does she have anything that qualifies her to be an assistant to a marketing executive?

Carly tells Jason that she’s keeping her kids safe, and he asks, how? By marrying Sonny’s right-hand man? It brings the kids closer to Sonny’s world, which is now her world. Carly says, Josslyn hasn’t been touched by anything she and Jason are doing, so she doesn’t know why Jax is giving her a hard time. He says he’s trying to make her see what’s perfectly clear to him. This isn’t going to work; she’s living on borrowed time. He tried to warn her from the start that it was a mistake to get more involved in the family business, but she didn’t listen. She says, because it doesn’t change anything. Can they just get along for Josslyn’s sake?

Curtis asks what his aunt needs to know, and Cameron says she had some papers with her inside an envelope. She asked him where the nearest maildrop was, and that’s when she stood up, and spilled her coffee. The coffee soaked the envelope and everything inside. When he was walking her out with the paramedics, a waitress cleaned up anything used or wet; he’s really sorry. Josslyn says, Miss Henry had a stroke right in front of him. He was focused on getting her help. Isn’t that what’s most important? Curtis says he’ll ask his auntie about the contents of the envelope. He’s sure whatever was in it can be replaced. Cameron asks if there’s any way he can explain it to her, and Portia says Stella is sleeping right now, but she’s sure Stella will want to thank him when she wakes up. Josslyn says they’ll come back later, and Cameron says they just wanted to make sure she was okay. They leave, and Curtis says, Cameron is a good kid. Portia agrees, and says she’ll check on Stella right now for him. He says, before she does, he needs something from her. She says, what? and he says, the truth.

TJ tells Stella, the doctors are doing the hard work. All she needs to do is rest; give the medicine time to dissolve the clot in her brain. He hopes she’s feeling so important, because she has all kinds of people worried about her. His mom is at the top of that list. He guesses they were having some issues about the divorce. By which he means she thinks it shouldn’t be happening at all. His mom said she got pretty angry with Stella, and she’s really sorry if she said or did anything to jeopardize her health.

Portia tells Curtis, he said it. He said secrets have a way of exploding, and this one sure did. He’s just sorry Trian overheard her and Aunt Stella talking about it. He wasn’t as forgiving with Aunt Stella as he should have been. When he left her at Kelly’s, she was so stressed out. Could he have caused this? Is he responsible for his auntie’s stroke?

Portia says, there can be a correlation between stress and a stroke, but Curtis is going to have to share some of that blame with her. She came on pretty strong when she spoke her mind to his aunt. It was just a horrible night. He says, especially for Trina, and she says, Trina is still going to need some time to process this. She’s still so shaken and angry about everything. He says, apparently so, and she asks if Stella’s 2017 stroke was precipitated by a stressful event. He tells her, he would say so. It started when he and Jordan started seeing each other. Portia says she didn’t realize that. She saw in Stella’s chart that she was prescribed some anti-anxiety medication after her last stroke for a little while. He says it might be time to renew that prescription, since Aunt Stella’s never going to stop doing what she believes in. TJ comes out, and says, Aunt Stella’s vitals are improving. He thinks she’s regaining consciousness. Portia says she’ll check on Stella, and if she’s doing okay, Curtis can go in. Curtis says first he wants to thank Portia. She was instrumental in the care Stella got last night. Calling in the neurology team, and making sure she was treated as quickly as possible, she needs to know about that. TJ says, thank you, and Portia says he’s welcome. She leaves, and TJ says, Curtis and Dr. Robinson seem to be getting closer. Curtis says, yeah, but they’re taking it slow.

Stella’s eyes are open, and Portia says, hello, Miss Henry. Welcome back. She sits next to the bed, and says she’s going to give Stella a quick exam. Can Stella squeeze Portia’s finger with her hand? Stella does, and Portia says, good job. There are some people who would like to see her. Portia lets TJ and Curtis in, and Curtis says, it’s him, Curtis. Stella says she knows it’s him, Curtis Byron Ashford. She chuckles, and he kisses her forehead. She says, Thomas Junior, Dr. Robinson. It’s nice to see them, but she wonders how she ended up there.

Gladys says, say what you will about Carly, but her bartender makes a damn good mimosa. Deception must be doing real well if they can afford MetroCourt prices. Brook suggests they focus, and asks if Gladys has any marketing experience at all. Gladys says she used to sell cleaning products with Colby Clean, and recruited others to sell them too. She was one of their top people. Sasha says she didn’t know that, and Brook says, that’s because it was a pyramid scheme that hustled housewives out of their savings. The CEO is in prison. Gladys says she was a victim too. Why is Brook treating her like she did something wrong? Sasha hired her; isn’t she Brook’s boss? Sasha says she is, and Gladys tells Brook, take it up with Sasha. She has nothing more to say to Brook. She gets up and goes to the bar, and Brook asks what Sasha is doing to her.

Jason says, Brando was at the meeting of the Five Families Italian green beans, when he worked for Cyrus, and Brando says, when Jason got shot escaping from GH. But Carly stepped in. Jason should have seen her; she owned that room. She slapped Cyrus down like a gnat. It was all he could do not to cheer her on. Jason says, she’s a fighter, that’s for sure, and Brando says he can see how they ended up together. It’s good for business, but he’s sure losing Sonny brought them closer. Jason says, it did, and Brando says he wishes them a long and happy marriage. Jason deserves it.

Jax says he’ll let this go, as long as Josslyn remains safe, and Carly promises she will. He says, she’s got a big year coming up; college, a new boyfriend. Carly says she told him? and he says, Cameron Webber. She says, Cameron is a great kid and he makes Josslyn happy. He says he’s glad she’s over Oscar and moving on with her life, but if Cameron breaks her heart, he’s going to have Jax to deal with. Carly says, you and me both, and Britt walks in.

At Kelly’s, Cameron tells Josslyn that Stella was sitting right there. He can’t believe he didn’t notice something was wrong. She tells him, quit it with the guilt. He’s not responsible for Miss Henry’s stroke. He saved her life. Joey Novak comes in, and says, Josslyn Jax? She asks if she knows him, and he says, no, but she’s about to. Joey Novak. He’s an associate of her mom and her fiancé’s. Congratulations on getting on PCU’s volleyball team; he hears she’s quite the athlete, and her first game is against the school who rejected him. He’ll be in the stands cheering her on, behind her mom and Jason Morgan. Josslyn says she doesn’t know who he is, or how he knows her, or her mom, or Jason, but she’d appreciate it if he left her alone. Cameron comes around the counter, and Joey says he bets Cameron will be at the game too, since he and Josslyn are so tight. Cameron says that’s none of his business. Now please get out of their faces.

Stella says, a stroke? She’s been taking care of herself. TJ says, strokes have a nasty way of happening no matter how well you take care of yourself. Curtis says he’s so sorry he left her at Kelly’s last night. He should have stayed with her. Portia apologizes for coming down on Stella so hard about what they discussed, and TJ says, and his mom is on the apology tour. Curtis says they all could have done better by her, and Stella says she knows everybody is trying to blame themselves, but in truth, there’s only one person to blame.

Joey says, peace out, guys. He didn’t mean to make any trouble. Cameron says, it didn’t sound like that, and Joey says he just wanted Josslyn to tell her mom and Jason that he’ll see them in the stands. Josslyn asks if he’s sure he wants her to pass on that message, and tell Jason that he’ll be looking for him at her next game? Because she’ll definitely be mentioning it. Actually, she’s kind of obligated too, so don’t worry. Jason will be looking for Joey too. He says, nice meeting them both, and leaves. Josslyn says she has to find her mom, and Cameron says he’ll go with her. She says this is family business; the less he knows, the better. She leaves, and Cameron is obviously pissed off.

Sasha tells Brook that she’s sorry, but she needs to come clean. She and Brando need some space to figure out this parenting thing. They have to get his mother out of their immediate orbit. Brook says, so Sasha put Gladys in hers, and Sasha says, Gladys will be fine. Brook says, she has zero experience. All the things she said she was looking for in an assistant, it’s like Sasha wrote them down and found a person with the exact opposite qualities. Sasha says, Gladys is excited about the position. She’s predisposed to liking it and doing a good job. Brook asks if Sasha really believes that, and Sasha asks Brook to do it for her sake. Brook knows what it’s like with a new baby. She and Valentin were practically strangers, just like Sasha and Brando. Brook says, they didn’t foist their baby’s grandmother on someone who didn’t want her. Sasha doesn’t see Brook’s mom popping around on everyone and getting in their faces. Sasha says Gladys is Mike Corbin’s cousin. Brook loved Mike, and was close with Sonny. Doesn’t that count for something? Brook looks over at the bar, and sees Gladys convincing someone a lipstick is her color.

Carly asks if Jax and Britt are still seeing each other, and he says, they were never seeing each other. She says, that’s probably for the best, and he says, is it? She says she’s guessing one of the major attractions was that she and Jason got engaged. Jax was pissed at her, and Britt… She feels sorry for Britt. Jason says he’s pretty sure Britt doesn’t want her pity, and walks away. He sits on the lounge chair next to Britt, and asks if she’s taking a break from the hospital. She says she’s pondering whether or not to share her Chief of Staff title, and he asks, what’s to ponder? Half the workload sounds pretty good to him. She says, really? Sharing the power, constantly compromising, always having to check in with someone… He says he sees how that wouldn’t work for her, and she says she’s so not a team player. There was one time in her life when she teamed up with someone, and it was actually okay. Except… She flashes back to asking Jason to trust her, and Jax says, except when she was on the run with Jason?

Brando says he sees Jason’s healed from the gunshot wound, and Jason says he’s good. Brando says, now that he’s decided to stay out of the family business, he doesn’t expect to be taking any more bullets for Jason or Carly, but if he did get in another gun battle, he’d definitely want Britt to treat him. He and Jason fist bump, and Brando leaves.

Jax says Britt and Jason worked well together, and she says, he saved her life, she saved his; they didn’t have much choice. He asks if she had feelings for Jason, and she says, if she did or didn’t is beside the point. Jason is marrying Carly. He asks if she knows why, and she says, does he? He says she doesn’t believe they’re in love, does she? and she says she doesn’t think he does either. He asks what it’s all about then, and she says, Carly went out of her way to explain why they’re getting married. How she and Jason had feelings for each other after Sonny died, that they felt it was too soon, so they decided to back off, but after Jason got out of Pentenville, and got shot trying to escape, they realized life was short. So they decided to stop fighting the feelings, and give into them instead. He says, Britt didn’t believe her, and Britt says, it felt a little too perfect; a little too convincing. It was lopsided and felt off-balance, that Carly had a lot to say, and Jason said practically nothing. He says, that’s how they operate. Carly comes up with the explanation, and Jason just goes along with it.

Curtis says he walked out of Kelly’s and left Stella behind. She must hold him responsible. She takes a sip of water, and say she’s the person to blame. Portia tells her not to get too excited. She says she knows she’s been making trouble for everyone, but the person she made the most trouble for is herself. Now she landed in there with a stroke; talk about payback. TJ says she didn’t cause the stroke, and thinking that way isn’t good for her recovery. She says, you know what’s good for my recovery? Not sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong. Curtis says, so she remembers what happened? and she says, some of it, but not all. He says, Cameron Webber? He saved her life. By the way, he mentioned she had an envelope she wanted mailed. When she collapsed, and the paramedics came, that envelope got thrown away. Does she remember what was in it?

Gladys tells the woman that the lipstick brightens up her whole face, and Brook says she doesn’t remember Uncle Sonny saying he liked Gladys. In fact, she remembers him speaking about her in the exact opposite manner. Sasha says, Sonny wasn’t very fond of Gladys, but Mike was. Sonny appreciated that. Besides, it looks like Gladys has that woman wrapped around her finger. The woman says, Gladys thinks she has pores the size of nickels? How dare she?

Cameron punches the heavy bag, and Jason asks if he wants some help. Cameron says Jason doesn’t have to be nice after he treated Jason like crap, and Jason says, Cameron apologized, he accepted, let’s just move on. Cameron says, okay. What’s he doing wrong? Jason tells him to put his hands up. Always have your hands up to defend yourself. He demonstrates as he talks, and says, before, during, and after a punch, you’re always going to have your hands up. Cameron says, all right; what’s next? Jason says, you never let anyone catch you in a vulnerable position. And you keep moving. Near the bag, away from the bag. Just like in a real fight. In a real fight, his opponent is going to be moving, just like this bag. Jason pushes the bag, and says he has to be smart, when to attack, when to move in, and when to get out. By the way, since he’s there in the gym, he should always wear gloves. I was actually thinking this, and Jason says if Cameron doesn’t have them, he’ll get them for him. Cameron says, anything else he should know? and Jason says, who’s his target? The way he was swinging at that bag, it looked like he wanted to hit somebody. Cameron says, just some loser who was bothering Joss.

Jax tells Britt, they could spend the rest of their lives figuring out why Carly and Jason got engaged, but he just doesn’t have the time for it. As long as Josslyn’s okay with it, he’s just going to go along for the ride. She asks if it’s really that easy for him, and he says he and Carly have been apart longer than they were together. At least he knows she thinks she’s doing the right thing by her daughter. Britt says, sounds like a compromise, and he says, compromise isn’t always bad. Sometimes it’s the only way to get things done. She says she thinks she already read this book. He’s going to ask why she became a doctor, what being Chief of Staff means to her, and she’s going to realize her love for GH is bigger than her hatred of having to share her job with Terry. He says, there you go, and she asks if he has a hanky. She thinks she’s going to cry. He says his work is done. He’s going to leave before he memorializes this talk with sunburn on his legs, but she says, he’s an Aussie. He was born for sunburn. She gets up and thanks him for the pep talk, and if he finds a way to explain Jason and Carly’s engagement that makes sense, let her be the first to know. Carly watches Britt leave, when Josslyn pulls Carly to a more private place away from the pool (🍷). She says, something happened, and Carly asks if she’s okay. Josslyn says she’s fine, but she thought Carly would want to know. A man approached her and Cam at Kelly’s. He made a point of telling her that he was an associate of her mom and her fiancé. Jax walks over to where he can listen without them seeing him, and Carly asks if he told Josslyn his name. Josslyn says, Joey Novak. Does she know him?

Stella says, something she wanted to mail? She doesn’t remember. She barely remembers being at Kelly’s. Portia says she wouldn’t worry about it. Stella will probably remember in time. Stella hopes so; it sounds important.  TJ says, what’s important is that she’s going to recover, and Curtis says, that is all she should be thinking about.

Sasha picks up the bag of products, and tells the woman to please take it with Deception’s complements, but the woman says, no thank you, and walks out. Gladys says she thought she had her hooked, and Brook tells Sasha, it’s okay; she’s got this. She’s doing it for Mike, but Sasha owes her big time. Sasha goes back to the table, and Brando walks in. Brook tells Gladys, that didn’t go too well, but Gladys says, not true. She had that woman hooked; she loved that lipstick. Brook says, it was a nice shade on her, but it’s not a good sales tactic to mention a woman’s large pores. Gladys says she’s learned her lesson, and Brook says she’s looking forward to seeing what Gladys can teach her. She’s old enough to be a grandma, but looks young enough to be Brook’s big sister. Gladys says, maybe it’s her bones. She thinks she gets them from her Lithuanian side.

Brando sits with Sasha, and says, call him crazy, but does his mother look happy? Sasha says, for the first five minutes, the job didn’t go so great, but Brook has it covered. He says, tell Brook that he owes her, and she says she already owes Brook. Is he ready to show her his place, now that Brook has Gladys covered? He says he can’t wait, and she says neither can she.

Gladys says, even before she started wearing this makeup, people told her how young she looks for her age. They can’t believe she has a grown son. Does Brook have any kids? Brook hesitates, and Gladys says, she’s not sure? Brook says she does. She has a little girl. She’s practically still a newborn, so sometimes she forgets.

Britt goes back to the hospital, and Terry asks if she took that walk. Britt says, sort of, and Terry says, and? Britt says, and she’s heading to Monica’s office. Terry says, to turn down the job? but Britt says, to accept it. Terry says, that’s wonderful. She promises Britt won’t regret it. What made her change her mind? Britt says, never mind that, and suggests they go talk to Monica together. Then they have work to do.

Josslyn tells Carly, he kept going on about how he was going to be at her volleyball game, sitting behind Carly and Jason. She knew he was trying to intimidate her, so she turned the tables. She told him that she’d mention it to Jason, and Jason would be looking for him. That worked him up a little. Carly understands Josslyn was surprised by this man, and gets wanting to stand up to him, but she doesn’t want Josslyn involved. Josslyn says she doesn’t want to be involved either – Jax is looking pretty pissed – but he’s the one who pushed her, and she wasn’t going to let him think she was afraid. Besides, she knew Jason could handle it.

Cameron throws punches at the bag, this time wearing gloves, and Jason says, that’s good, and reminds him to keep his hands up. What happened with Josslyn? Cameron says, there was this jerk who was hassling her about Jason and her mom. He knew way too much about Joss. Jason asks what he knew, and Cameron says, like when her first volleyball game was at PCU, that they were seeing each other. He tried to tell the guy to shut up, but he wouldn’t, and Cameron felt like an idiot. Like there was nothing he could do to protect her. Jason tells him, punch with your head, not your heart. Did this jerk have a name? Cameron says, Joey Novak.

Carly says, Jason will make sure this never happens again, and Josslyn says that’s pretty much what she told Mr. Novak. Carly says she wants a guard with Josslyn at all times. He’ll be discreet. He won’t interfere with her life. Josslyn says, much, and Carly says she wants him driving and shadowing Josslyn when she goes out. She’s sorry. Josslyn says, that’s okay. She asks if it can be Devon; he’s low key. Carly says, Devon’s fine, and she’ll have him pick Josslyn up downstairs. Josslyn says she can lives with that, and Carly thanks her for being such a trooper. Jax looks like he has a headache, and Josslyn says, Carly didn’t ask for this. She has to go to volleyball practice and can’t be late. She hugs Carly, and says she loves her. Carly says she loves Josslyn too, and Josslyn leaves. Carly walks out, and Jax is there. He asks what’s going on, and what kind of danger she’s put their daughter in this time.

Tomorrow, Shawn says he can live with the decisions he’s made, Obrecht says they must all be on their guard, and Jason tells Joey that further contact will result in a full attack.

📉 Nose Dive…

How the mighty have fallen.

https://people.com/tv/tom-girardi-seen-with-a-black-eye-in-first-spotting-since-erika-girardis-divorce-filing/

🐶 Not Just For Winter…

The Puppy Bowl Summer Games.

https://people.com/pets/puppy-bowl-presents-the-summer-games-first-look/

🎀 Tying It With a Bow…

Once again, Million Dollar Listing New York only aired at 8, so it will be something to look forward to tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay having a purpose, and stay not using insults as a sales tactic. It doesn’t work very well.

August 4, 2021 – Two Secrets Are Dealt With, Garcelle Says the Wrong Thing, LuAnn’s Christmas Video & Happy

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Chase wheels himself into the Quartermaine foyer, and Austin closes the door. Chase says he doesn’t want do this yet, and Austin says, sometimes it’s easier to talk to a complete stranger than someone you know really well. Chase says, like about how he just found out his entire marriage is a lie? and Austin says, yes. Why are they bothering with this? Why don’t they go back out and get a beer? Chase says, his wife is sleeping with the guy who used to be his best friend. He needs to face them. It’s time to end this.

Stella asks if Curtis hears what she’s saying. She did something terrible. She’s not sure how to fix it, or if it can be fixed. He says, it can’t be that bad; it’s not worth her getting all worked up like this. She tells him, he says that now, but she blew up a secret that’s going to hurt him, and a lot of people.

Portia is glad to see Trina. She was worried, and calling everyone. Trina says, great. Now they’re all going to wonder what’s wrong. Portia says she’s sorry Trina overheard her conversation with Stella, and Trina says, that makes two of them. Portia cheated on her dad, and that’s why their family broke up.

Laura hugs Spencer outside of Kelly’s, and says she’s glad he could meet her. She can’t believe he’s home. Is he settling in? He says, more or less, and she asks if it’s nice to be back at Windymere. He says, it’s satisfying to know it’s back in the hands of its rightful owner instead of that interloper Valentin. She laughs, and says he made his feelings about Valentin very clear, but that’s beside the point. He was adamant about having a gap year, and traveling the world. Why did he change his mind? Why did he come home now?

Alexis pulls up a chair across from Ryan, and says she thought he’d be interested to know that Nikolas doesn’t think he’s the one stalking Ava. She led Nikolas to believe that she doesn’t think so either, but she’s not entirely convinced. Let’s see if she can make this clear. If she senses even a scintilla of danger living inside him, she’ll find a way to get his ass thrown out of this Club Med, and locked up in a hole where worthless human beings go to die. Does he understand? He blinks, and someone tells her, he said, yes. She turns to see Harmony.   

Brook takes photos of Michael, Willow, and Wiley, and Michael says he thinks they got enough. Josslyn took photos too. Brook says, never enough. It’s a momentous occasion; Wiley’s turning three. Michael agrees it’s a special day, and Willow says Wiley gets to celebrate being three, and they get to celebrate him. Chase wheels himself in, and says, an ideal family photo, and Willow says, there he is. She was asking about him. He’s just in time to open presents. Where’s he been? He says he was about to ask her the same thing. Was she looking for him, because he was looking for her. He is not going to ruin a kid’s birthday party, is he?

Trina asks if Portia can honestly say her cheating on dad didn’t lead to the breakup, and Portia says, it was complicated. They had a troubled marriage. Trina says she’s asking if the affair caused the divorce, and Portia says she understands Trina is upset. The reason she didn’t want to tell Trina was that she didn’t want it to affect her; affect how Trina saw her or her father. Trina says Portia should have told her instead of keeping it from her, but Portia says, this is the 18 year old Trina she’s talking to. She was just a little girl then. She was a child when they divorced. It wouldn’t have been appropriate. Trina says, so it was more appropriate to leave it like a ticking timebomb to blow up in her face? Portia says, as Trina knows from her father faking his own death, sometimes parents keep secrets to protect their children

Curtis guesses the conversation with Portia didn’t go the way Stella wanted. Is she finally done meddling? Stella says, yes, but she’s afraid the damage is done. She confronted Portia about the affair she and Curtis had years ago. Unfortunately someone overheard. Curtis asks, who? and Stella says, Trina.

Monica says, if the birthday boy will make his way to the living room, he can open presents. Carly asks if there’s anything she can do, and Monica says, come with her to have a little chat. Carly literally stamps her foot and makes a face behind Monica’s back.

Brook brings Valentin a drink on the terrace, and he says she’s being awfully kind. Should he worry that she has some kind of sinister ulterior motive? She says, more like a gesture of sympathy, since he’s about to lose his spot as CEO. He says she’s not worried, and she says, because of his new interloping buddy? Is he keeping Austin in his hip pocket? Where is that guy anyway? Casing Lila’s silver? Valentin says, Austin does seem to have a chip on his shoulder where the Quartermaines are concerned, which he plans to exploit without mercy when Austin claims his voting shares. But that’s weeks, maybe even months away. She says, Austin is here now, and he intends to cash in, and Valentin intends to be his co-conspirator. Valentin says, when he proves his claim, when he’s legitimized and his shares are in place, Brook’s family is going to climb over themselves to gain access to Austin. There’s no shame in it, but he’s going to do it first. She asks if he ever doesn’t calculate ten steps ahead, and he says he was spontaneous that night at the MetroCourt, and they had Bailey. He’d say she was there for the single greatest impulse he ever acted on.

Chase asks if Willow got the extra present wrapped, but she says, after her mom’s surprise visit, she needed to take a minute. He says, that makes sense. Did Michael  find her? She says, he did, and he calmed her down. Brook said Chase was tired earlier; did he get some rest? He says he had a chance to clear his head, and she asks if something is wrong. He says he’s glad she asked. There’s something he wants to say to her, and Michael.

Spencer asks if the prodigal son can’t return and make peace with his father, and Laura says, nothing would please her more, but Spencer thought his father was dead for three years. When Nikolas came back, Spencer was deeply hurt and angry. Where did his resentment go? He says, a lot has happened, and life is too short for grudges and regrets. She says she likes the sound of that, and asks how things are going between him and his dad. He says he thinks they’re making headway, and it helps that there are no distractions. She says, meaning what? and he suggests they grab a table inside. Will her husband be joining them? She says, her husband? Does he mean Doc? The man who lives with her and went to visit him numerous times in France? Doc is busy tonight, and she wanted to take the opportunity to spend some time alone with Spencer. Spencer says, good. So there’s no trouble in paradise. She says, she doesn’t understand the impersonal euphemism. Does he have a problem with her husband all of a sudden? He says he doesn’t have a problem with the illustrious Dr. Collins, brother of Ryan Chamberlain.   

Alexis asks what Harmony is doing there, and Harmony says she works there as a health aid. She asks if Ryan is ready for a nutritional break. He blinks, and she says, she’ll order up a tasty bag of protein for him. Alexis asks what this is all about. Harmony is conversing with him because of mental stimulation, the way people do with comatose patients? Does he actually comprehend what she’s saying? Harmony says, he has Locked-In Syndrome, and can’t move or speak, but his mind is alert. He can even communicate. Go ahead. Ask him anything.

Trina says, Portia claims she kept quiet about her affair with Curtis to protect her, but it seems like she did it to protect herself. Portia says, maybe on some level that’s true, but Trina will discover, once she becomes more of an adult, life is complicated. Trina says, adults always use that as an excuse, but life’s been complicated for her for a while now. She’s had to navigate a lot, including thinking her dad was dead and being a hostage, so please, don’t even. Portia says Trina has been through a lot, no question, and has a right to her feeling, but she’s still Trina’s mother, not her best friend. She loves the closeness they have, but she’s not obligated to tell Trina everything about her life, past or present; especially things she’s having a hard time reconciling herself. Trina asks if she’s shamed about what happened, and Portia says, it’s a difficult question. The deception was the hardest part. Trina says Portia made it seem like it was dad’s fault for the divorce, but Portia tells her, she never said that. Trina says, not in so many words, but that’s what she believed. She’d hear them fighting sometimes, and Portia would complain about how lonely she felt, and how distant he was because of his job and all the time he spent undercover. But now she has to wonder if Portia was at fault too. Did dad know about the affair?

Stella says she can take the anger; it’s well-deserved. She can’t take the silence. What is he thinking? He says he’s thinking about Portia and Trina, and how they’re doing, especially Trina. What did Trina say? Stella says, she ran off. When Stella left, Portia was still trying to reach her. She offered to help, but Portia refused. Curtis shakes his head, and gets up. He says, he’s going to the hospital, and see if he can help. Stella offers to come, but he tells her, stay there and finish her soup. The best way for her to help is by staying out of it. Plus, the doctor warned her against letting her pressure spike. She says she didn’t want to hurt him or Portia, but she just didn’t want what happened to her and Marcus to happen to him and Jordan. Losing out on true love has lifelong ramifications. She just wanted him to realize that before it was too late.

Laura asks why Spencer would utter their names in the same breath? Doc and Ryan are twins, but they couldn’t be more different. Ryan is a sociopath who fooled everyone, Doc included. He held Doc hostage, and could have killed him. Spencer says she could have been killed herself. Ryan stabbed Aunt Lulu, nearly killing her, and none of that would have happened if Doc had turned Ryan over to the authorities as soon as he knew Ryan was alive, instead of stashing Ryan in Ferncliff to try and treat him on his own. Laura says, the list of people Spencer detests is growing; his dad, Ava, now Doc… Is she on the list? He says she’s the one person who’s never failed him. Who else would drop their life to rush to France to nurse him back to health? She says, who else would break both legs on a ski trip? He says, foolish pride is his weakness. He doesn’t know why she puts up with him, but he’s glad she does. He loves her. She says she loves him too, so she would appreciate a bit of honesty. How are things really going between him and his dad? He says, better. He has high hopes now that his father’s hopeless marriage is truly over. He opens the door to Kelly’s.

Harmony says, the device was made so that Ryan could communicate with his health care providers and legal advocates. Go ahead. Yes or no questions are best. Alexis asks if he’s a twin, and Ryan blinks. Harmony says, one blink for yes, and Alexis says, not dry eye? Harmony tells her, try again, and Alexis asks if he has two kidneys. He blinks twice. Harmony says, two blinks for no, and Alexis says, fascinating. Harmony says, isn’t it though? Non-verbal communication opens up a world for patients with a loss of motor function. Can she imagine not being able to convey thoughts or feelings to care providers or loved ones? Alexis says, he doesn’t have loved ones. One more question. Is he still obsessed with Ava? There’s no response, and Harmony says, he’s probably tired. Going too long without rest can cause tension on the optic nerve. Time in the garden is just what he needs.

Brook says she thought it was sweet that Valentin was willing to return her shares to gain access to Bailey. He says, at that point, they were his shares, and she says she sees now that he’d always planned on out-maneuvering her and her family. As long as they’re squabbling amongst themselves, they can’t put together a majority to run him off. He says he’ll give her this. They had him worried that he’d miscalculated and they’d all rally behind her father, and she says, enter Austin. He says, speak of the devil, and Brook says, right on cue, as Austin joins them. She asks what’s up? and Austin says he wanted to see the rose garden. She says, any reason in particular? and he says, yeah. His father used to tell a story about his mom… Brook says, Beatrice LeSeur, and he says, she wanted to have a private word with Edward. Brook says, blackmailing him, but Austin says he can’t confirm or deny. They were having a conversation, when Edward saw Lila… Brook says, and he shoved Beatrice into the rose bushes. It’s a family story; they all know it. Edward might have been a dog, but he loved Lila, and never wanted her to know about his indiscretions. That’s why he left Austin’s father out of the will. Valentin asks if Austin still wants to be part of this family, and Austin says, absolutely. It will take more than that to get him to bail.

Michael brings Wiley in to Willow, and says he thinks Wiley is getting antsy, and they should open gifts soon. He asks if Chase is okay, and Chase says he was going to ask what happened with Harmony before he arrived. Willow says she opened the door, and there she was. She was hoping to celebrate Wiley’s birthday. Chase says, people show up at the most inopportune times, don’t they? and Willow says, Harmony wants to reconnect, but she still needs to be careful with Harmony. Chase asks if she’s saying she doesn’t believe in redemption, but Michael says Chase knows Willow better than that. She’s just being protective of their son. Chase says he likes to think he knows Willow better than anyone, but he agrees. It’s good to show caution when it comes to Wiley. He thanks Michael for consoling Willow. It’s nice to have a true buddy who can step in when he can’t.

Monica says she hasn’t had a chance to congratulate Carly on her engagement. Carly says, thank you? and Monica tells her, don’t be apprehensive. She knows there’s a lot of water under the bridge with them, but she’s always respected Carly’s bond with Jason. If it’s gotten to be more than friendship, who is she to stand in the way? Carly thanks her, and Monica says she figures if she can get along with Tracy, she can get along with anybody. She’s going to rally the troops. She leaves, and Cameron approaches Carly, asking if she has a minute. He’d like to discuss his intentions for her daughter. I actually say, aww, out loud. He’s being so cute.

Cameron tells Carly, Josslyn is one of his best friends, no matter what their status is. Carly says, yes, and as a mother, she just wants Josslyn to feel valued, respected, and happy. He says he does too. He never wants to make Josslyn unhappy… again. Because he knows that’s what he did when he accused Jason of killing Franco. Carly says he was manipulated by Peter and Cyrus; even his mother made that mistake at first. What concerns her the most is that he picked up a gun on impulse. He says, it was a huge mistake. He realizes how lucky he was that things didn’t end up worse for him. He’s extremely grateful to Commissioner Ashford for how she handled the situation. Carly says, her too, and he says he’s been trying to make up for everything. He hopes his mistake won’t stand between him and Josslyn being together. Carly says she appreciates his appreciates and respects him speaking up. She thinks he and Josslyn will be good  together, but making a misstep like that when he’s not dating her daughter is one thing. It’s quite another when he is. Understood? He nods, and she tells him, now have a cupcake. They have tons to celebrate.

Portia says she never told Trina’s father about her indiscretion. She was too torn up about it, disappointed in herself, and just wanted to put the whole thing behind her. Recently, Trina’s dad told her that he’d known for years, and he understood. It hurts that they weren’t able keep a home together for Trina, but they made a vow together that Trina would always feel like the most important person in the entire world. She hopes Trina recognizes it. Trina asks why Portia didn’t tell her this when they were talking about her dating Curtis. Was it because she knew Trina wouldn’t wouldn’t approve? Curtis got her to betray her husband. Portia says, Curtis didn’t know she was married when the relationship began. When she told him the truth, he ended things. Curtis is blameless. Trina says, now Portia wants to be with him again. Has she been waiting all this time for him? Has she been in love with him all these years?

Curtis says he’s sorry Stella didn’t get her happily ever after, but that doesn’t mean she gets to decide what his looks like. Whatever decisions he and Jordan make don’t concern her. Promise him that she’ll take it easy. He has to go do damage control. She says please apologize to Portia for her, and he says he’ll do that.

Laura says, it’s true, Spencer’s father and Ava filed for divorce, but between them she hopes it won’t last. He says, it will if Ava knows what’s good for her, and she asks what he means. He says Ava admitted she’s been sending his father mixed signals, and that’s why he’s been fighting the divorce. But it also might telegraph to the stalker that the break-up was just for show, and putting their loved ones at risk. She says, he knows all of this how? and he says he and Ava spoke and cleared the air. He’s capable of finding common ground with anyone. Even someone as common as Ava. Laura asks if he expects her to believe he’s formed an alliance with his sworn enemy.

Alexis asks if Harmony knows who she’s attending. Ryan makes Satan look nice. Harmony says she knows her patient’s history as well as their diagnosis, who he is and what he’s done. Alexis asks why Harmony is helping him, and Harmony says, it’s her job. Alexis says so her interest is strictly professional? and Harmony says, excuse me? Alexis says she’s been watching how Harmony ministers to him, and it seems like she’s enthralled with another charismatic puppet master. Or maybe she’s trying to resurrect DoD with a new figurehead. Harmony says she  wondered how long it would take until she had to address this, and Alexis asks if the people there know who Harmony is and what she’s done. That she was second in command to Shiloh? That she drugged and almost tattooed Alexis’s daughter? That she sex trafficked other girls, including her own daughter, all for a deranged cult leader?

Michael tells Willow and Chase that he just promised his grandmother that they’ll be right there, and she’s holding Wiley as collateral. Are they coming? Willow tells him, in a minute, and he leaves. She tells Chase, it’s been a day, and he says she probably hasn’t had time to process. Sometimes when there’s a shock, like her mom showing up, it can affect you in unexpected ways. If she wants to talk, he’s right there. She says, right now, she just wants to sing to her son, and watch him tear into his presents. Is he ready? He says he knows it’s early, but he thinks he’ll turn in. He asks her to give Wiley his present after the rocket she and Michael got him; it’s the accessories and batteries. She says he thinks of everything, and he says, not always; he misses things. She says she’ll look in on him before she goes to the gatehouse, and he says she doesn’t want to keep Wiley waiting on his account. He wheels out angrily, which  I might be projecting, but I don’t think so.

Monica says, okay, people, let’s do this. Michael asks Willow if Chase is okay, and she says she hopes so. Something felt off. Wiley blows out the candles, and they sing Happy Birthday. Wiley gets a look on his face like, WTF? It’s not my birthday. Chase watches, then wheels himself out to the foyer. Austin comes in, and says he can tell it’s not going well. Chase says they lied to his face. They had sex, and now they’re celebrating their kid’s birthday. He asks if Austin will help him pack and get the hell out of there. Austin says they could do that, or they could take a breath, and get this out.

Harmony says she deeply regrets her complicity in Dawn of Day. Shiloh had a very powerful hold on her at that time. She’s sincerely sorry about what happened to Kristina; how is she? Alexis says, it’s none of Harmony’s business. If it weren’t for Jason, both of her daughters would have been assaulted by that monster. Harmony says Alexis’s daughters were more fortunate than hers. She handed Willow over to Shiloh, and they may never get past it. Alexis says she doesn’t think many people could blame Willow for not wanting anything to do with Harmony, and Harmony says she paid for her crimes in more ways than one. She testified against Shiloh, she did her time, and yes, the administration there knows about her past and her subsequent early parole, but she’s dong her best to turn her life around. Alexis asks how falling in with Cyrus fits into that, and Harmony says he was threatening her daughter. Anything she did for him, she did to protect Willow. Alexis says she’s seeing a familiar pattern, where Harmony falls under the spell of powerful men with bad intentions. Like Ryan Chamberlain. I say, and like Alexis did with Julian, et al. Why is she being like this?

Laura asks when Spencer and Ava had this meeting of the minds? and he says, earlier today; they crossed paths at the MetroCourt, and it was more of a détente. He promised to look out for his father, and she promised to limit contact. Laura says, she’ll feel a lot better when they find the stalker. It’s bad enough he’s directing his anger at Ava and Nikolas, but it’s another thing to involve a young child. And the incident with the fake blood shows how sinister he is. Spencer says it’s his goal to help avoid the escalation of these pranks, and she asks if pranks isn’t a bit of an understatement. Maybe now that he and Ava are on the same page, he’ll see how much Ava cares for his father. He asks if Laura is on Ava’s side now, and she says she never would have predicted it, but she could see how happy they were together, and it made her happy for them. But Ava is the real target, and it does all come down to her. She convinced Spencer’s father to give her a divorce. Spencer asks if Laura believes she’ll hold up her end, and Laura says, she’s committed to it. It’s a horrible situation and breaking both of their hearts. What about him? Does knowing about Ava’s sacrifice change his antipathy toward her just a little bit?

Portia says she hasn’t been waiting for anyone; she’s been busy raising Trina, and managing a career she loves. It’s a very full life. But when you care about someone, the feelings don’t just go away. Trina says, when Portia told her that she wanted to see where things went with Curtis, she didn’t tell Trina about their past relationship. When she talked to Curtis, he didn’t mention it either. It makes her wonder if there isn’t more they’re not telling her. Curtis comes out of the elevator, and sees them. Then they see him.

Josslyn and Cameron walk into Kelly’s, and go over to Laura’s table. She says Cameron’s mother told her that they were an Item. What took them so long? Spencer says, maybe Josslyn was waiting for Cameron’s voice to drop an octave, and Cameron says, isn’t it amazing that Spencer finally grew, and now has enough body to hold that massive ego of his? Laura says, that’s enough; both of them. Laura asks where they’ve been, and Josslyn says, Wiley’s birthday party. Cameron says, it was a ton of fun, and despite Spencer’s attempt to psyche him out, he’s there in one piece. Which reminds him, he’d better get back to work. Spencer says, Cameron has to slay those kitchen dragons. While he’s at it, why doesn’t he top off grandmother’s ice tea? Laura says, really? but Cameron says he doesn’t mind. Anything his grandma wants, he’ll gladly give her. She says she’s proud of him and how hard he’s working. He thanks her, and says he’ll be right back. Josslyn follows him, and sits at the counter. Laura tells Spencer, Cameron lost his stepfather not too long ago, and has a single mom with two younger brothers. Money is tight, and Cameron is working his way through college. He could have gone to California, but he decided to stay local to help with expenses so she doesn’t want to hear any more petty comments coming out of Spencer’s mouth. Does he understand her? She’d like to see him work as hard at a worthwhile goal.

Harmony tells Alexis that she can’t say Ryan is a changed man. Her judgement has improved, but it’s not foolproof. The bottom line is she needs this job, and didn’t have a lot of options when she was released from Pentenville. She’s lucky she got the job at Turning Woods and now this facility. Alexis says, she’s working two jobs? and Harmony says, part time. She’s just grateful to be employed. Since she’s far from perfect, she can’t expect her patients to be. Alexis asks if Harmony is sure it’s not DoD speaking, but Harmony swears she’s done with that. She’s just grateful she’s been released from Pentenville, and hopefully have another opportunity with her daughter and grandson. That’s all she cares about. Alexis says she gets that part, and Harmony says she needs to get her patient back inside. That thing Alexis said about falling under the spell of bad men? She hopes the work she’s doing on herself will prevent her from making that same mistake. Alexis says, they agree on something. One day at a time.  

Curtis says he heard about what happened. His aunt is very sorry things unfolded the way they did. It must have been upsetting for Trina. Trina says, it was, but she’s glad he’s there. She always seems to be apologizing to him. He says she has nothing to apologize for, and she asks if he remembers when she asked if he and Jordan were getting a divorce because he was already involved with her mom. She was wrong. So she’s apologizing for thinking he was the cheater when it wasn’t him at all.    

Stella sees Cameron, and asks for the check. Josslyn says she’s heading out, but she’s impressed how he spoke with her mom earlier, and knows she is too. They kiss, and she says, see him around.

Austin says, everyone in Chase’s life is lying to him. He’s not going to do the same thing. He’s going to be straight with Chase, and tell him the truth. He thinks leaving tonight would be a mistake. Chase asks, why? and Austin says, because Willow is his whole world. Chase got out of the wheelchair and walked for her. Is he going to throw that away because of one day? Don’t throw the marriage away until he knows there’s nothing worth salvaging. He’s a fighter. Stay and fight. Chase turns around, and sees Willow and Michael come out of the living room.

Laura tells Spencer, she loves both of her grandsons equally. She’s confident he’ll forge his own path. He says, there are no worries on that front. He definitely has big plans of his own.

A worker tells Alexis that her AA meeting is starting soon. Harmony reads, I’d like to request improved communications technology in keeping with humane treatment standards. She tells Ryan, let’s continue. She holds up an alphabet board, and points to a letter. She says, D, and he blinks once. Alexis asks what she’s doing, and the worker says, she takes letters for him.  

Trina says she has to go, and Curtis says if there’s anything she wants to ask or say, he’s there for her. She thanks him, and says she needs some time alone, and leaves. He tells Portia that his aunt sorry. She feels awful, and rightfully so. She says he was right. She should have told Trina the truth from the beginning. She never saw Trina look at her like that before. Curtis says, it will be okay, but she says she doesn’t know. It’s like her past mistake is hurting the ones she loves the most.

Willow says she thought Chase was going to rest. Does he need help? Chase says, no. He got to talking with Austin, and he’s glad he did. Because here she is. He realized no matter how early it is, he can’t call it a night until he kisses his beautiful wife and wishes her sweet dreams. She says, sweet dreams to him, and kisses him on the cheek.

Cameron tells Stella that Curtis took care of the bill. She says she knows Cameron’s name but can’t think of it. She takes the envelope with the divorce papers out of her bag, and says, mailbox; she needs a mailbox. He says, there’s one on the corner, and it’s Cameron. She says, that’s right. She knows his mother. She gives him five dollars for a tip, and says, she’s just got to… She starts to get up, and falls to the floor. Cameron yells for somebody to get help.

Tomorrow, Curtis wonders what caused Stella’s attack, Sasha has another perk in mind for Brook, and Josslyn tells someone that Jason will definitely be looking for them.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

The women came down to a disgusting kitchen full of dirty dishes. In Kyle’s interview, she said, after Erika left, there was heavy conversation. A producer asked why it turned into a dance party, and Kyle said because they like to have fun. We see a clip, and it’s more like, they had a lame dance party because they like to drink. Kyle said she needed coffee to be human, but they all seemed hung over. Kyle checked out the latest headline, and it said Tom had been secretly hospitalized with a serious illness. She told the others that it was never-ending, and in her interview, she said, every day there was a new story and new allegations. Crystal arrived wearing pants that were even more dumbass than the leather ones; some kind of leggings that had sparkly stars on them. I was reminded of my niece bawling over having to wear something similar when she was little. Erika arrived next, saying she was hungry. In her interview, she said last night had been intense, along with the lawsuits, hearings, and everything else that was happening. In Dorit’s interview, she said she knew Erika held things close to her chest, and she was having a hard time last night. She didn’t begrudge Erika not sharing how bad it was, but sometimes she wondered why Erika didn’t trust them or feel comfortable. Kyle suggested biking, and everyone except Erika, Kathy, and Sutton went. The bikers stopped for breakfast, and Kathy called Kyle, wondering if there was a straw for her shake in Kyle’s house. Kyle wasn’t sure, and Kathy asked her to bring one back. Kyle explained that Kathy had lived at the Waldorf, and thought everyplace was like a hotel. They talked some more about Tom’s cheating. I don’t know why this is such a shock. It’s not like beautiful women don’t get cheated on too. Dorit hoped Erika had someone advising her, since it seemed like she still wanted to protect Tom.

Kyle asked who wanted to decorate the tree, but Sutton was the only taker. Erika joined them, and Kyle said they were playing croquet today. Erika said they were having dinner at her place, meaning the hotel. She told them that Tom had a house nearby, but she didn’t know where it was, and didn’t know the address; she’d never been in it. Kyle told Kathy they were on a scavenger hunt for Erika’s address, and in her interview, wondered how you could own a home and not know the address. In Erika’s interview, she said she never got a straight answer, and in Sutton’s interview, she said, until the divorce, she didn’t know she was partial owner of two Minor League Baseball teams. Erika said she’d thought of all possible scenarios, including a whole other family living there. Kathy said she had homes all over, and got confused. Since this was typical Kathy, no one thought it was weird. They discussed Tom some more, and LisaR wondered if Tom’s lawyers would use the excuse that he was sick, and just forgot to dole out the money to whom it belonged.    

They went to the croquet place (Kyle’s technical term, not mine), and LisaR had to refresh her memory on the rules. In her interview, she said the family played until they got a pool. In Kyle’s interview, she said people had the idea if you’re successful, you play croquet. She thought it would be a good distraction for Erika. Erika said it was supposed to make her feel good, but was making her feel worse, so they started playing by their own rules, and wickets went flying. They ended up sitting on the ground, when Kathy joined the group, wondering if they were playing Duck, Duck, Goose. Kyle asked if LisaR was good with Garcelle, and LisaR said they were taking it one day at a time. In LisaR’s interview, she said they weren’t where they used to be, but it couldn’t be rushed, and she didn’t want to force it.

Back at the house, Garcelle showed up in a Hazmat suit with a sanitizing wand, and swept the women. I think she was only half-joking, since in her interview she said she wasn’t going in without being prepared. In LisaR’s interview, she said this was the Garcelle she wanted to see; fun, free, and non-judgmental. They discussed Tom’s cheating, which was getting pretty boring by now, and Garcelle said Erika had worn her heart on her sleeve last night, but when they were at Garcelle’s house, it had been a different story. We flashed back to Erika insisting there had been no third party involved.

The women gathered in Erika’s hotel room, which was like a house, and had a private pool. Crystal played bartender, and Erika told them that she didn’t know how to do simple banking; it was a whole new world. Erika had ordered room service, and it came in bags like Chinese food. Garcelle said she was sorry she’d missed the night before, and Kyle said she made lasagna. Kathy insisted she’d helped by sweeping the floor, and Kyle said she’d used a spatula, and we flashed back to that. Kyle told Erika that she’d googled the house, and had found the address, but it had been sold. Erika wondered how Tom could sell the house without telling her, and I started wondering if she isn’t really very smart. Like seriously, you never learned out to write a check or make out a deposit slip until you’re 65 60 55 50? Sutton said her forensics team would find it. They were the ones who looked for the spouses assets, which were communal property. The forensics team was almost more important than the attorney. Dorit said they dug deep to find out if money was offshore as well. Kathy suggested they go around the table – to which everyone responded, nooo! – and give one word that described how they thought of themselves. Kyle asked Crystal what Confucius would say, and everyone thought she was being rude, until Crystal said she was related to the philosopher. Her father had been born where Confucius was born. She was from the first generation born outside, and the 76th generation in the lineage. Garcelle said she thought she and Erika both had tough shells and soft insides, and Erika would end up on top. In Kyle’s interview, she said Erika had a tough girl persona, but still could only take so much. She didn’t know about coming out on top. All I know is, that hotel room probably costs per night more than my monthly mortgage

The next day, Crystal, Erika, and Garcelle went for a walk, and the others went shopping. I don’t think the desert is for me as far as nature goes. I need a few actual trees. Erika said there was a new story every day, and today there was a hearing in Chicago. She didn’t even know what it was about. She was hoping the walk would clear her mind. In Garcelle’s interview, she said she knew she wasn’t supposed to ask about finances, but Erika had no debit card pr allowance. She was going to ask. In Erika’s interview, she said she just got cash as she needed it from Tom. I’m guessing she must have had a credit card though. Garcelle asked if Erika got any heads up on the lawsuits coming, and that’s why they divorced. Erika said it had been a long time coming. It was a long battle with a person who had changed. When Tom got a head injury, there was a shift in his personality. There had been a severe decline. There was no more conversation. He would forget what he was talking about, or she’d hear a story ten times in one day. If she said she remembered it, he would go into a rage. She was his whipping boy. She thought he was in denial about having Alzheimer’s, like Crystal’s dad had been. Crystal said the caretakers got the brunt of it, and Erika said she tried to help, but Tom resisted everything. In her interview, she said when she got home from the Broadway run, they were eating together again, but Tom was changing rapidly, and refused to acknowledge what was happening. His own lawyer was crying on the phone, saying they had to do something. Tom was calling every day, but she couldn’t talk to him, and asked her attorney to tell his attorney to stop him from calling. In her interview, she told us that she needed to be able to say the last time she spoke to him was the day she left. Garcelle thought Tom calling was the saddest thing.

Everyone gathered back at the house, and Kathy brought tacos. In Sutton’s interview, she said Kathy couldn’t do not extra. She couldn’t get 8 tacos; it had to be 58. Kyle asked what the latest was on Erika, and in Erika’s interview, she said she had be careful. Her lawyers told her it was best to be quiet and close to the vest. She said she might go back early, depending on the news. She might need to deal with sh*t. Garcelle said Erika had shared about Tom calling her, and hoped Erika didn’t mind her saying it. Erika got pissed off, and said she did mind Garcelle saying it, since she was betraying their friendship, but please, have her moment. She said she wouldn’t take Tom’s calls, and Garcelle got it out of her once, and won’t again. I don’t know what she meant by getting it out of her, since there was no struggle for that info. Garcelle said it wasn’t her intention, and Erika said she wouldn’t sugarcoat it. Again, no clue what that meant. In Kyle’s interview, she said she’d seen Erika lose her temper, and we flashed back to several times when Erika got unreasonably angry. Kyle said she didn’t know why, but when Erika was triggered, she went from 0 to 100. In Garcelle’s interview, she said, WTF? Erika had been open, and talked about Tom’s cheating, said something had changed in his brain makeup, and she couldn’t understand why this set her off. Erika started crying, and whined that she’d shared a private moment. It was something she hadn’t said, and sometimes not everything was up for discussion. She’d been very open and honest, and thought was Garcelle had done was dirty. She got it once, and didn’t have to say something in front everyone. Once was enough. Got it? In Garcelle’s interview, she said she thought Erika wanted to share it with the group, and didn’t think it was a big deal. Erika ran to the bathroom, and Kyle said it was a lot right now. Crystal said Garcelle had already been in the car when Erika said she didn’t want to talk about it, and Garcelle said she’d never intentionally hurt Erika. Erika hadn’t told her not to say anything. In Crystal’s interview, she said she knew Erika didn’t want to talk about it, but Garcelle didn’t, and went to the worst possible place. In Sutton’s interview, she said people didn’t react like that unless something else happened. Erika whined and cried in the bathroom about being open and honest. Every time I start to feel badly for her, she does something that reminds me she’s an entitled a-hole.

Next time. LisaR wants to play a game, more headlines that Erika was complicit, and Sutton isn’t sure that she wants to be around Erika at this time.  

The Real Housewives of New York City

Eboni got the DNA test done. Sonja met LuAnn at a restaurant, and told her the matchmaker was setting her up with a serious guy, not just a fun guy. In Sonja’s interview, she said she was looking for Mr. Right, but if Mr. Right Now was waved in front of her, she couldn’t refrain; any guy would do. LuAnn asked if Sonja got sex last night, and Sonja said she could hardly walk. Ramona joined them, and in her interview, she said she was shocked that Sonja went home with Dylan, but more shocked that he took her home. They talked about Eboni’s upcoming shabbat dinner, and Sonja said Eboni’s boyfriend broke up with her. He wanted her to be Jewish, but not convert. I honestly have no idea what that meant, but in her interview, she said she couldn’t with these men sometimes, and that I get. Sonja called Eboni, apologizing for telling everyone. Ramona wondered why the guy got involved with her in the first place. Eboni told them not to feel bad for her, and they’d discuss it at shabbat Ramona wanted to know why he waited to tell her, and thought he wasn’t honest with himself. In LuAnn’s interview, she said breakups were never easy, but doing a Christmas song and video would make it all good. Sonja said she was tired of men thinking with their d*cks.

Leah’s brother Daniel and sister Sarah came for lunch. In Leah’s interview, she said Daniel was the youngest, nine years younger than her. She wasn’t sure if he was planned, but he was definitely her mother’s favorite. Daniel gave Leah the rosary that had been wrapped around her grandmother’s arm, saying it smelled like her, and he thought they sprayed it with her perfume. Leah sniffed it and cried. In her interview, Leah said they were all going through the same thing, and it was naturally bringing them closer. Sarah said she’d been nauseous and wondered if she was pregnant. Leah said in her interview, that she was the most non-adult adult. She was basically a teenager trying to be an adult. Daniel asked about Leah’s rabbi, and Leah said, he was a New Yorker, cursed sometimes, and was funny as hell. And no, she wasn’t having sex with him.

Sonja’s healer, Aleta St. James went to Sonja’s place, and we flashed back to the séance. In Sonja’s interview, she said she’d never done any work regarding her dad. She felt she might have a daddy complex, but didn’t realize it went back to her dad. Huh? She told Aleta that her dad had felt badly about being absent, and her mom’s second husband didn’t look at her as his child. In her interview, she said it became most evident when he came with his convertible, looking handsome and dashing, and all the kids clamored into the car, but he asked her to get out. Why didn’t he take her? She was a great kid, and took care if his children when her mom was working. Aleta said two things were going on; she wasn’t special to real father, and not good enough for the other one. Men abandoned her, and she didn’t want to create an unconscious pattern. She needed to take care of the trauma her father caused by not cherishing her. Aleta banged on a drum to make it all better. Then she rang some chimes, and Sonja said she felt a release in her left ankle. In her interview, Sonja said she didn’t know her worth. Don’t let people step on you to be a pleaser. She asked Aleta to do her chakras, and Aleta rang more chimes.

Eboni got the results from the DNA test, and in her interview, she said her whole life changed with that envelope. Either she opened it, and everything made sense, and she got a new family from the guy she thought was her dad, or she went back to being a fatherless child. By her face, we could tell the news wasn’t happy, and she called Ashley. She told Ashley that bloodwise, the test didn’t support that they were sisters. Ashley seemed sadder than Eboni, and said she’d wanted it so badly. Eboni said she’d felt like she had a family, and now she felt like she had to start over. She didn’t want Ashley to feel like the answer meant goodbye. Ashley wished Eboni the best on her journey, and Eboni said Ashley was special to her, and it wasn’t the end of the relationship.

In Sonja’s interview, she said Century 21 had gone bankrupt, but she’d been told she’d been their best sellout and online item. She wondered why her partner Gaurav wasn’t telling her that, and wanted to see the books. She invited Ramona to the meeting but was having second thoughts, since Ramona was so unfiltered. She might make things worse. Gaurav and VP Laura arrived, and Gaurav said they’d lost money with Century 21; there was a lot going on. In Sonja’s interview, she said whenever she asked financial questions, Gaurav gave her vague answers. She was taking Aleta’s advice to stand up for herself. Ramon joined them, and explained she was educated in business. In Ramona’s interview, she said her goal was to get Sonja her money. Gaurav threw some figures out, and Ramona thought they should be making a profit, since there was a website. There should be enough for Sonja to get something every month. Gaurav said Sonja had $10K in uncashed checks, and in her interview, Ramona said she didn’t understand. Who leaves money sitting around? She was confused. Obviously, Sonja needed a new deal with Gaurav. Sonja said she needed to see the books. She couldn’t continue with no money. In Sonja’s interview, she thought the meeting was worthwhile. They needed to renegotiate and find a new way of working together.

It was Christmas in NYC, my favorite time of year there. In LuAnn’s interview, she said she wanted the song and video to reflect the holiday, being together, celebration, and joy. She knew the vibe she wanted, but didn’t know what she was going to get. Billy thought LuAnn should do a Christmas album, and they made tentative plans to record in the summer. He said Leah could rest assured the paperwork would be in order.

Leah picked up Eboni, bringing along pup Angel Marie. In Leah’s interview, she said she was happy with the Jovani dress, and was glad she didn’t get sweat pants in a paper bag. We flashed back to her being in Sonja’s fashion show. Eboni told her that she and Ashley weren’t a match, as much as she’d wanted it. Leah said maybe Eboni’s dad was alive. In Eboni’s interview, she said at this point, she’d dealt with disappointment and what she’d been scared of. She had nothing to lose in finding out once and for all. She was meeting with a geneticist, who would use her DNA to find her dad.

LuAnn did several takes for the opening shot, and Ramona started kvetching about how long it was taking. LuAnn said she couldn’t hear her cue because she started outside, and Ramona suggested they wave. She said she got there just in time, since obviously no one else would have thought of that. In her interview, Ramona said she always captured what needed to be done. You name it, and she can do it. Leah and Eboni arrived, and Angel immediately got away from Leah. In LuAnn’s interview, she said, champagne was flying, the dog was running around; it’s supposed to be a music video. What was going on? Go eat caviar, and let her get her first shot in. In Leah’s interview, she thought this was what LuAnn viewed as eternal life. A 16 foot Christmas tree, everyone wearing Jovani, boxes from Tiffany’s, and her as the star. LuAnn told the women that she and Garth had been spotted, and the article from Page Six went everywhere. She wanted a guy that an article wasn’t going to throw off. In Ramona’s interview, she said, men were intimidated by women who were smarter, richer, and more high profile than they were, and had more connections. Eboni said LuAnn would meet another great guy.

Leah carried Angel when she did her part, and I already know the dog will be the best part of the video. Ramona told LuAnn that Sonja went back to Dylan’s hotel room, along with Dylan’s girlfriend. She saw it on the girlfriend’s Insta story. Then Hank got a call at 2 am, and Dylan told him to come get Sonja; she was passed out drunk. In LuAnn’s interview, she wondered why Sonja had to make up a story that she had hot sex with a hot guy all night, when she’d passed out and someone had to get her. LuAnn said they knew Sonja still had it. She didn’t have to prove anything to them. Ramona said Sonja had been jealous of Garth. Luann said she got it that Sonja needed an escape, but the worst part was that she’d left the caviar LuAnn had gifted her with at the hotel.

Sonja arrived, and LuAnn asked if she liked the caviar, and Sonja said she had it with Dylan, i.e. the model. In LuAnn’s interview, she said she loved Sonja but she made up stories all the time. Ramona bitched about not being able to concentrate, and LuAnn herded everyone into the other room, saying in her interview that she hoped they understood that a lot went into production, and she wasn’t just a diva. It was a lot of hard work. She explained that it was too late to get the video out properly for this coming Christmas, so it would be released next year. She made sure to tell Leah that she had enough time to get her paperwork in order. In Leah’s interview, she said she was glad LuAnn had mentioned it, even if in jest. Ramona asked Sonja how she liked the caviar, and Sonja got cagey, saying that’s not what she remembered. LuAnn and Ramona started cracking up, and Ramona did that squeaky laugh that I absolutely hate and makes me want to smack her. Sonja said Dylan was a good lover, but she had a serious date tomorrow. LuAnn suggested she focus on the marriage material and not the toy boys. Leah said it was a good confidence booster for Sonja’s serious date, still buying Sonja’s story because she didn’t know about Hank’s call. Leah asked Sonja if she had a picture of the girl, and Sonja started getting vague. Leah said she wasn’t asking for details, but wondered if the girlfriend watched or got involved. Being evasive, Sonja said it was nothing new in the book of Sonja. Ramona told Eboni that Sonja claimed it was great sex, but she’d passed out. She wondered why Sonja was lying. In Eboni’s interview, she said it seemed like Sonja felt that she had to come up with a bullsh*t story to entertain and please the group, but she didn’t have to sing for her supper.

They gathered at piano for group shots, as well as around a spinning globe. Ramona held things up somewhat since they had to wait for her. She was on the phone with a situation, trying to get Sonja her money. LuAnn said Sonja was like a diva already, holding things up. In Ramona’s interview, she said they had to wait; real money always came first. In LuAnn’s interview, she said she’d hit a wall and was diva-ed out. She told everyone it was a wrap, and they were out of there. In her interview, she said she thought it turned out amazing. At the end of the day, as much of a pain in the ass as the women could be, it turned out great.

Next time, Sonja’s serious date (ha-ha! sounds like a kid’s book), Leah has to quarantine, Eboni has her Black Shabbat, and Ramona says she was boycotted by the Jews in college. That should be an interesting fairy tale story.  

💊 Cough, Cough…

Still on the mend, so until we meet again, stay safe, stay farsighted, and stay not telling bullsh*t stories when you don’t have to sing for your supper.

August 3, 2021 – Chase Insists On Going Upstairs, Deck Tirade Aftermath & Tonight

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Nina video chats with Brook and Wiley, telling Wiley, happy birthday. Wiley thanks her, looking at his real life mom, who is somewhere to the side. Nina asks if Wiley liked the forklift she gave him, and I assume she means toy, or she’s way off on age appropriate gifts. Brook says, he hasn’t opened gifts yet, but has a ton. She thinks he’s up for the job. Carly asks who Wiley is on the phone with, and comes into camera range. On Nina’s end, Sonny asks if he can see Wiley.

Stella tells Portia, there’s no such thing as half divorce, and Portia says, meaning? Stella says, meaning, don’t jump in head first. She doesn’t want to be the other woman in Curtis’s marriage, the way she made him the other man in hers. Trina is coming down the hallway with the food she picked up, but they don’t see her. Portia says, Curtis had nothing to do with her marriage ending, but Stella says, oh no? Portia doesn’t think taking up with Stella’s nephew  while her husband was off undercover played a part? Somehow, she doesn’t think Taggert would feel the same way.

Curtis says, Jordan makes it sound like she only signed the papers because she thought it was what he wanted, and she says, isn’t it? He says he thought it was what they both wanted. He thought they had a mutual understanding. She’s saying she didn’t want their marriage to end? She tells him, that’s exactly what she’s saying. She thinks finalizing their divorce would be the biggest mistake of their lives. Josslyn walks in, and finds Cameron, who says she’s there early. His break doesn’t start for another 20 minutes. He picks up a tub of dirty dishes, and she says she guesses she was just excited to see him. She can leave if he wants. He says, no, and asks what she’ll have. She sits at the counter, and says, she’ll have… Spencer says, a BLT and an iced something I’ve never heard of.

Austin helps Chase into the gatehouse, and Chase calls to Willow. There’s no answer, and Chase says, that’s weird. She said she was coming here. Austin says, maybe she’s upstairs. He’ll be happy to take a look. She’s upstairs all right. Getting busy with Michael. Chase says, that’s okay, he’ll go, and Austin tells him, stairs are part of upstairs. Maybe it’s better to ask her to come down. Chase says, the whole point was to show her that he’s doing better and getting stronger. It defeats the purpose asking her to come to him. Austin picks up a shirt off the floor, and says it’s not Chase’s shirt, although how he would know this, I’m not sure. Chase says, it belongs to Michael.  

Carly asks if that was Nina, and Brook says, yes, but she got cut off. Carly says she’s surprised Nina didn’t make it to the party, but Valentin says, a friend of hers is ill in Nixon Falls. Nina went back to take care of him and his wife. Carly is sorry to hear that, and hopes everything turns out okay.

Sonny asks, what happened? The call dropped? Nina says sometimes she doesn’t get service there, and Sonny suggests she use his phone. She says, that’s okay. With all the birthday festivities, she’d get in the way. He says she was just telling him that she’s upset that she couldn’t join them. Call him back. She knows she wants to. He holds out his phone.

Spencer says he thought Josslyn had a party to go to, or was she lying when she said they couldn’t hang out? She says she wasn’t lying. It’s her nephew Wiley’s third birthday, so they’re heading over to the party as soon as Cameron’s break starts. Spencer tells Cameron that they’re going to hang out outside, and he likes his bacon extra crispy. Josslyn says, he’s so high maintenance, and he says, it’s called standards, but clearly, she doesn’t know anything about that. Cameron says, hilarious, and Josslyn tells him not to spit in Spencer’s food. Cameron says he makes no promises, and she says, Cam…? He says, only for her, and Spencer steers Josslyn outside, saying he knew she cared.

Jordan says Curtis’s aunt meddles, and it drives her crazy. He says, join the club, but she says, this time, she pointed something out that Jordan was too consumed with her own guilt to see for herself. She gives up too easily. She felt terrible about the secrets she kept from him, and when he said they were done, she didn’t think she could push against it. She doesn’t want them to be over. She thinks what they have is worth fighting for. She wants to try again.

Stella says Portia is a destruction, keeping Curtis from what he should really be doing, which is getting back with his wife. Trina listens, and Portia says, ex-wife. Stella says, not yet. She knows it’s complicated, given the fact they had an affair way back when, but now it’s not her own marriage Portia is messing with, it’s his. She won’t stand for it. Portia says she doesn’t care if Stella stands for it or not. It’s none of her business. Trina looks super sad.

Willow and Michael bask in the afterglow, and Willow thanks him for finding her. She had no idea how much she needed to see him. He says he needed to see her, and asks if she’s okay. She says she wasn’t, but she is now. He says he missed her, and she says she hasn’t missed his lame jokes. He insists she has, and she reluctantly agrees. She missed all of it, and especially missed telling him that she loves him. He says he loves her too, and they kiss.

Chase wonders what Michael’s shirt is doing there, and Austin picks up Michael’s belt. He tells Chase that he’s sorry, and Chase hobbles to the stairs. Austin asks where he’s going, and Chase says, where does he think?

On a non-video call, Nina tells Wiley, happy birthday, little man. She loves and misses him. Sonny says, better? and she says, yes. He says he would have liked to talk to the little guy, but imagines she’ll introduce him at some point. Phyllis comes in, and Sonny says she’s not supposed to be there this soon. What happened with the biopsy? Nina asks, where’s Lenny? and Phyllis says, he’s not coming home.

Portia asks what Stella wants to hear her say. That she was married, went into a bar, and picked up her nephew? That’s true. Then it became real and serious. That’s also true. She stepped out on her husband? Yeah. Trina looks sick, and Portia says, but none of it has anything to do with Stella. This is her life, her mistakes. Stella says, and to hell with everybody else? and Portia tells her, she didn’t say that. Stella says she doesn’t have to, and Portia asks who Stella thinks she is. She’s speaking to Portia like she’s a teenager late for her curfew. She’s a grown woman. She can’t stop Stella from judging her, but just go somewhere else to do it. Trina walks in the other direction, but an orderly calls to Portia, who turns and sees her.

Curtis says he’s certainly not happy their marriage failed, but he saw no way he could move forward, especially when he saw how much she’d been keeping back from him. She says, what if she’s willing to put in the work to make things different? and he says, different how? They don’t have trust. She says she trusts him; she wants to spend her whole life with him. Just tell her there’s enough time.

Cameron serves Josslyn and Spencer outside, and Spencer says Cameron had better clean up before the party. He wants to make a good impression doesn’t he? Cameron says he’s been freaking out about that. Whether people who’ve known him his entire life will like him or not. Spencer tells Cameron, he’s just saying things are different now. He’s not Cam, Josslyn’s childhood friend; he’s Cameron, her new boyfriend. Josslyn says she’d better start calling him by his full name, and Spencer says nitpick all they want. They’ll see. Josslyn asks if they can go, and Cameron says he just has to clean up. He goes inside, and Josslyn looks at Spencer, who asks what he did now.

Brook tells Carly that Monica is keeping Wiley busy. He’s helping her set the table. Carly says, Brook is so good with him, and Valentin says, she’s wonderful with Bailey. Carly wonders when Bailey is going to be up. She misses holding babies that age. It’s like she blinked, and Donna was a teenager. It feels like it anyway. Valentin tells her, what do they say? The days are long, but the years fly by? He asks if she and Jason are going to have children, and Carly gives him a look. Brook tells her, congratulations. She’s so happy for them. Carly thanks her, and Brook says, they’ve been friends for so long, it’s nice to see they finally fell in love.

Willow sits up, and says she doesn’t know what she’s doing anymore. It’s like she’s dug this huge hole, and she keeps searching for the way out, but she can’t find it. Michael says, we’ve dug a huge hole. They’re in this together, remember? She says, from the second she knew she wanted to be with him, she should have told Chase. He says, she tried. When Chase collapsed, they thought he was dead, then they thought he couldn’t walk anymore. When was the right time to tell him, Chase, I’m sorry, I don’t love you anymore? She says, there was never a right time, and he says, just because she wanted to spare Chase, that doesn’t make her evil; it makes her human. Don’t beat herself up, and don’t make the mistake of thinking this is permanent. They won’t be in this place forever. She says, promise? and he says, actually, he does. She says, part of her wants to go to the main house right now and get it all out there. Tell Chase that she’s here for him, and always will be, but they shouldn’t have gotten married. That her life is with Michael now. But every time she tries to wrap her head around it, she can’t. Michael says, it’s okay. There’s no playbook on how to handle this; they’re doing the best they can. Chase will get better, and until then, she’s going to be uncomfortable, but they’ll get through this. They’ve gotten this far. She says, they should go back, and he reaches for his pants. He asks if she’s seen his shirt.

Austin says, Chase doesn’t want to go up there. Trust him. He steers Chase away from the stairs, and Chase says he has to know. Austin says, there’s a difference between knowing and seeing, and Chase says, get out of his way. Austin says, Chase physically can’t get up the stairs, and Chase says, watch him. Austin says, maybe by sheer force of will he manages to get to the top of the stairs. At what cost? He’ll break his body, he’ll damage his muscles, and set himself back weeks if not months. He worked hard to get there. He can literally stand on his own two feet. Don’t let them take that away from him.

Phyllis says she’s sorry. She should have said Lenny isn’t coming home tonight. Sonny says, that would have made a big difference, and Nina says, a big difference. What happened? Phyllis says, he had a reaction to the anesthesia; nothing dangerous, but they wanted him to stay overnight for observation. She came to grab some clothes and a toothbrush, and wanted to give them an update before she heads back. Sonny says he’ll drive her, but Phyllis says, that’s not necessary. Nina says, they’re both going because they want to, and Phyllis says, fine, but only because it will make them feel better. Sonny says he’ll call Eddie and see if he can cover for the bar, and Phyllis and Nina sit down while he goes to make the call. Phyllis says, it seems like Lenny’s illness is already spiraling out of control, and Nina says, and Phyllis is spiraling with it, right? Phyllis says, it has her really second guessing some of her life decisions.

Portia says, Trina, honey… and walks toward her daughter, but Trina runs off. Portia starts to follow, but an orderly says one of Portia’s patients has been asking for her. Stella says she’ll go after Trina and try to stop her, but Portia says, don’t you dare. Don’t go one step near her daughter.

Spencer asks if Trina is going to the party too, and Josslyn asks, why? He says, just curious, and Josslyn says, no, Trina’s not going, and no, she doesn’t know what Trina is doing later. Spencer says, maybe they should all go out sometime, and Cameron joins them. Josslyn says, on a double date? and Cameron says, that is a horrible idea. He asks if Josslyn is ready to go, and she says, very ready. They leave, and Spencer says, rude.

Jordan says, the papers are signed, but they’re not filed yet. They could call their lawyers, put the divorce on hold, and go back to counseling; do whatever it takes. They’ve come too far, and gone through too much, to give up now. She thinks that they’re worth it. Doesn’t he? He doesn’t respond, and she says, he doesn’t.

Michael finishes dressing in the living room, and Willow comes downstairs. He asks if she’s okay, and she says she has to be. There’s a newly minted three-year-old anxiously awaiting his birthday party. (Ha-ha! Love newly minted.) He says, let’s go, and they leave. Chase and Austin come out of the kitchen.

Spencer takes a bite of his BLT, and says he told Cameron crispy bacon. Is it really that difficult, Webber? Trina heads for Kelly’s front door, crying, and he says, what’s wrong?

Brook wonders where Wiley’s parents are; it’s high time for presents. Carly says, maybe they’re still dealing with Harmony, but Valentin says he doubts it. He got the impression that it wasn’t going to be a long visit. Brook asks if Austin is still lurking around, and Valentin asks if she wants him to count the China settings, but she says she doesn’t want Valentin anywhere near her family’s China. Carly says, maybe Austin couldn’t handle the drama and took off, and Brook says, ha! The guy calls himself a real Quartermaine. He’s going to need thicker skin if he’s going to roll with this crew.

Austin tells Chase, here’s the plan. They wait there for a few minutes until Michael and Willow get to the big house. Then they’ll go. Chase says he’s not going anywhere until Austin helps him up the stairs, and Austin asks, why?  Chase says he’s got to see it with his own eyes. He’s got to know.

Nina says, Phyllis always seems so steady; she’s everybody’s rock. She has such a solid beautiful life there with Lenny. Phyllis says, you can be steady, and have regrets at the same time. She misses her family. Nina says Phyllis never talks about her family; she just assumed they weren’t close. Phyllis says, they used to be, but not anymore, and Nina asks, what happened? Phyllis says, life. One of those old conflicts, layered over with time; she can hardly remember how it started anymore. She just accepted it’s the way things are. But now, with the horrible possibility of losing Lenny, those bad feelings just seem pointless. Nina tells her, why can’t she say that? Go to them, and say exactly that. Try to make things right before it’s too late. Phyllis asks if Nina is ready to take her own advice.

On the terrace, Willow tells Michael that she doesn’t know if she can do this. He says, yes, she can. Together, remember? She says, together, and they go inside. Carly says, there they are. Are they okay? She knows Willow seeing her mom was pretty tough. Willow says, not the best surprise, and Brook asks if Harmony left. Michael says, she’s long gone, and Willow says she needed a minute at the gatehouse. Michael was nice enough to check on her. Michael asks how Wiley is, and Carly says, perfect. Brook says, he’s helping Monica set the table, and Michael says he’ll go check on them. Willow asks, where’s Chase? and Brook says she hasn’t seen him in a while. Willow asks if Valentin has, but he says he hasn’t seen Chase either. Willow says, Chase got into it with her mother, and Brook suggests maybe after all the excitement, he needed a rest.

Chase and Austin go into the bedroom, and Austin says, at least they were safe, showing Chase a condom wrapper.  He tells Chase, there’s no right thing to say to a man who’s discovered his wife cheated on him. Chase says, Willow doesn’t cheat. She doesn’t fall in bed lightly. If she’s sleeping with Michael, that means she’s in love with him.

Portia say she can’t believe Stella did that, and Stella says, Trina didn’t know? Portia says, that her mother cheated on her father? Of course (🍷) she didn’t. Portia calls Trina, and leaves a voicemail for Trina to call her back. She says, or maybe Stella is referring to the fact that the man she’s currently seeing is the same man she had an affair with. She didn’t know that either, but she definitely knows now. Stella says Portia doesn’t know that; maybe Trina didn’t hear everything. Portia says, she heard something. Did Stella see the way Trina looked at her? Stella says she’s so sorry. It was never her intention… Portia says she doesn’t give a damn about Stella’s intentions. Her daughter is in pain can’t and she can’t go after Trina right now because she has to deal with her patients. Stella asks what she can do, but Portia says she thinks Stella has done enough; doesn’t she?

Spencer asks Trina, what’s going on? Trina’s phone rings, and she sees it’s Portia. She sits down, and hits ignore. Spencer asks if she wants to talk about it; she can tell him. She says she just found out something bad about her mother. She’s been lying to Trina; not really lying, but keeping things from her, things she should have known. Spencer says, he’s certainly been there, and asks if her mother explained. Trina says, she probably would have, but Trina was so pissed, she ran off. She can’t deal with it right now. Spencer says, she’ll have to sometime. Not today, but she has to give her mom a chance to explain. He was so mad at his father for so long, they didn’t speak for a year. Things got out of control. Take it from him, getting things out in the open is what’s best for all of them.

Curtis says he’ll always love Jordan, no doubt about that. But the life they had, even if he misses it, it’s no longer the life he wants. She says, because of Portia? but he says, because of him.

Nina tells Phyllis, she’s been trying to connect with her grandson, and trying to get along with his family. She’s in no way perfect, but she thinks she’s trying to take her own advice. Phyllis says she’s not talking about Nina’s grandson. She ran into Valentin Cassadine at the hospital in New York City. Nina asks if he’s all right, and Phyllis says, he wasn’t there as a patient, but Nina’s reaction makes her think the two of them have unfinished business. She told Valentin to respect Nina’s privacy. Nina thanks her, and Phyllis says she’s sure he will, even though he doesn’t want to, and Nina asks what she means. Phyllis says, it was clear as day that Nina’s ex-husband still cares for her. Sonny comes back, and says, they’re all set; Eddie is covering. Phyllis says there’s something she needs to tell Eddie about the new taps, and goes in the back. Sonny asks if it’s him, or was she thrown off when Phyllis mentioned her ex? Nina says, she was surprised that Phyllis ran into him in the hospital in New York, of all places. He says, is that it, or is she still a little connected with Valentin? 

Austin suggests he and Chase take a moment and chat about this, and tells Chase to sit. Austin says he doesn’t know Willow or Michael. He doesn’t know Chase, but he knows people. People cheat sometimes; people you didn’t think ever would, and it almost never has to do with love. Chase says, maybe most people, but not Willow. As furious as he is, he can’t see Michael doing it either. Austin says, apparently, he did, but Chase says, if he didn’t feel something real, he wouldn’t have trashed their friendship over a fling. Austin says he thinks it’s time Chase investigates the possibility that he doesn’t know his best friend or wife as well as he thinks he does.

Willow says, Wiley is the luckiest birthday boy ever, and Carly says, he sure is. Brook asks if Valentin didn’t find it strange that they had to convince Nina to turn on her camera to talk to Wiley. She figured Nina would jump at the chance to FaceTime with him. Valentin says, Nina did seem distracted. He wonders if things are okay with Nina’s friend; he’s worried about her. Brook says, enough to go to Bedford Lake, and he says, Nixon Falls. She says, whatever. Is he worried enough to go and see if Nina is okay?

Josslyn and Cameron arrive at the terrace, and she asks if he thinks Spencer was even more annoying than usual, or was it just her? He says it wasn’t just her, and she says, Spencer brought up Trina. Out of all the guys Trina could date… Cameron asks if Josslyn thinks Trina is really into Spencer, and Josslyn says, that’s what she’s seeing. She guesses it makes sense. Trina doesn’t know him like they do. To her, he seems like a  cool cultured new guy, but Spencer’s been spoiled all his life. On some level, she understands. His dad probably wanted to make up for his mom passing away, but that was the justification for him getting away with everything? Cameron says, Spencer’s definitely lived in a no limit zone, and Josslyn says, he still does. Then they have Trina, who’s the most awesome person to walk the earth. Cameron clears his throat, and she says, besides him of course (🍷). He says, of course (🍷), and she says she sees a whole lot of potential for Trina to get hurt. He says maybe Josslyn should tell Trina that Spencer’s not who he seems on the surface, but Josslyn says, it’s not her business. Unless he was abusive or a drug addict or something, Trina has to figure it out for herself. Cameron is Trina’s friend as well. If he disagrees, Cameron can spread the knowledge. He says, it’s more of a girl thing, but she says she thinks it’s more of a no thing. She just wishes Trina knew what she was getting herself into.  

Spencer tells Trina, it’s always been the two of them, and she says, him and his dad? He says he discovered his dad treated him like everyone else, not thinking if the pain he was putting Spencer through. Trina says she’s sure he thought about it, and he says, maybe it didn’t matter enough. It made him furious. Trina says she gets it. She was furious at her dad too; they went through something similar. He says, they’re on good terms now? and she says, it took a while, but yeah, they’re solid. He says what he didn’t realize is, the more he gave into his anger, the more time it cost him with his father. Now there’s a rift between them that he’s not sure they’re ever going to overcome. She says she loves her mom, and can’t imagine life without her, but she thought they were honest and understood each other, but now… He says, it’s all broken? and she says, It feels awful. He takes her hand, and says, look, the fact that Trina’s mom disappointed her like this is bad – he’s not going to pretend it’s not – but it doesn’t negate the kind of person she’s always been to Trina. Trina has to adjust her perspective a little, and start seeing her not only as a parent, but as a flawed human being like everyone else. She says she doesn’t want to see her mom like that, and he says he knows. He felt the same way about his father. He went from being Spencer’s idol to being a person capable of making huge mistakes. But he’s still Spencer’s dad, and Trina’s mom is still her mom, and her mom deserves for Trina to hear her out.

Curtis tells Jordan, this isn’t about Portia; it’s about him, and where he is in his life. She says, he’s moving on, and he says, does he regret what he gave up? Of course (🍷) he does, but he just can’t anymore. Jordan says she respects that. She had the feeling it was too little too late, but she was determined to be honest with him. He says he admires her courage, and she says, just not her timing. He says, not so much, and she says she has to go, and leaves.

Trina asks if Spencer thinks she should go back and face her mom, and he says it doesn’t have to be today, but he thinks she’ll feel better if she does. She says, the thought of it makes her feel sick, and he says he didn’t tell her it was going to be easy. He wasn’t strong enough to do it when his dad apologized to him, but she’s smarter than he is. She’ll be able to salvage her relationship with her mom. She says, she’ll think about it, and gets up, telling him, for what it’s worth (🍷), he seems pretty smart to her. She thanks him, and he says, anytime.

Nina tells Sonny, she’ll never be indifferent to Valentin, but of all people, he should know she’s moved on. He says he got that impression, and she tells him that he’d better trust his instincts. She and Valentin are done… She can tell he wants to ask her something, and he says he’s happy she’s moved on, but he was wondering, does Valentin know that? Or is he going to show up there like her other ex, Jax, and Sonny might have to take him down.  

Valentin tells Brook, he hadn’t even considered visiting Nina in Nixon Falls. Okay, maybe he considered it, but her friend Phyllis made it clear he would not be welcome there. She asks when that’s stopped him before?

Stella runs into Kelly’s, and says, thank God Curtis is still there. He says he got her message, and he was waiting for her. She says she made a huge mistake.

Portia leaves Trina another message, saying to give her a call or shoot her a text. She needs to know Trina is okay and safe. Trina suddenly appears, and says she’s safe, but she’s not okay.

Cameron and Josslyn go into the house, and Josslyn says, tell her they didn’t miss out on the cupcakes. Carly says they’re right on time, and makes a point of saying hello to Cameron. Josslyn gives her Wiley’s gift, and Carly says, he’s one spoiled little boy today. Josslyn says, he should be, and suggests they say hi to the birthday boy. She wants to take a picture, and Cameron asks if she wants him to take one of the four of them. She says, first she wants to get Wiley and his parents. They’re going to want to remember this day. She tells them, say cheese, and takes the picture. She says they’re the most beautiful family, and Willow and Michael look at each other. Wiley won’t stop saying cheese, cracking me up. It’s a riot when they start to talk.

Austin says he understands why Chase would want to stay Zen about this, and Chase says he’s very far from Zen. Austin says, all right; let’s figure this out. Willow has betrayed him, Michael has betrayed him. His whole world’s turned upside down. Chase is in a tough spot. The only question is, what is he going to do about it?

Tomorrow, Trina asks if Portia has been in love with Curtis all these years, Stella says she wanted Curtis to realize before it was too late, and Chase has something to say to Michael and Willow. I’ll bet.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Lexi is in the middle of her drunken tirade, calling Malia a fake ass bitch and Zee a kiss ass. She pushes Zee pretty hard, and David says, enough. She says she’ll smack them both, and David gets Zee the hell out of there. David tells her to stop, and she yells she’s got money. He wonders how much noise she’s going to make before she realizes she’s wrong, and she asks what his rank is. In Malia’s interview, she says Lexi opened up to her about her dad, and now she’s a horrible person. Malia sits in the hallway, crying, telling Katie that she was there for Lexi, and now Lexi is saying horrible things. Lexi tells David, the only thing he’s got going for himself is that he smells nice. She calls him a lame ass deckhand, and Zee comes back. David tells Lexi to shut up, while Lloyd tries to quietly make coffee without being noticed. David tells Lexi that she’s being toxic, and to go to her cabin. She climbs into her bunk, whining that he doesn’t know she’s Satan. Courtney manages to sleep through the entire thing, as well as Captain Sandy, who we hear snores from every once in a while. Everyone goes to bed, and Katie gives Malia the guest cabin. David suddenly realizes Mathew isn’t there.

In the morning, Katie tells Courtney that she missed everything. Lexi screamed at everyone, and she ended up putting Malia in one of the guest cabins. Courtney says, WTF, bro? and in Katie’s interview, she says she knows Lexi is going through a sh*t time, and she’s empathetic, but she never had to deal with something like this. She thought about letting it slide, but she’s confused as to the best thing to do. Captain Sandy asks Lexi if they had fun last night, and Lexi says they did, but there was drinking and an argument. She doesn’t remember what she said, but they had a little spat. Wow. I’d hate to see what she calls something big. She babbles at the captain some more, and Captain Sandy finally tells her, just apologize. Lexi whines that she wants to, but she wants it to be authentic, and doesn’t know what she’s apologizing for. The captain suggests Lexi say exactly that, and in Lexi’s interview, she pouts, saying she doesn’t apologize if she doesn’t believe one is necessary. It has to come from a real place or what’s the point? The captain says, if you stick to the truth, people can be reasonable. Give them 24 hours to feel comfortable with her again. I so badly want to dropkick Lexi off the boat, I can practically taste it. My father died suddenly too, but I managed not to take it out on my co-workers.

Chief Officer Marten tells the captain that Mathew came to the boat at 9 o’clock, saying he wanted to leave. Marten signed him off the boat; he’s gone. Captain Sandy can’t figure it out, since she was there, and thought he was happy. In her interview, she says they have a charter tomorrow, and no chef. If you sign up for a job, you show up. Lexi blows through the crew mess, talking to no one. In Zee’s interview, he says, Lexi made things tense. We flash back to her telling him to take his Afrikaans ass out of there, and he says, Afrikaans is more the white man’s language than the Black man’s language. He doesn’t know if she was trying to play on the fact he was adopted into a white family, but she threw derogatory and harsh insults at him. She’s completely ignorant. Katie tells Malia that she’s going to talk to the captain, and maybe Lexi afterward.

Captain Sandy texts Mathew, asking where he is, and if he’s oaky. Katie comes to the bridge, and the captain says, she’s not leaving, is she? Katie says, no, but there’s a big problem with Lexi. She lost her father, and she’s upset about it. The crew went in the hot tub, and they were drinking, but Katie left, so she still doesn’t know what happened exactly. She went up there, and Lexi was saying nasty things to Malia. Lexi interrupts, and Captain Sandy says, it’s about her; come in. The captain says, first, she’s sorry about Lexi’s father, but she’s getting the lowdown on what happened last night. Katie says she was screaming at Malia and saying terrible things. Then she went after Zee and David. Lexi tries to act like it’s David’s fault, but Captain Sandy suggests they mend this. She’s going to call a crew meeting. Lexi is still using the I-don’t-remember excuse, and the captain says if she doesn’t remember, be open to what the others remember, so they can move forward. They have a charter with no chef. They need to check their emotions. Plus Lexi is tired and hungover. No matter what happens, don’t lose it. The captain calls everyone to the main salon. In her interview, Captain Sandy says she had to replace the chef, and can’t just replace another crew member, so Lexi is going to have an opportunity to own it and have a second chance.

Captain Sandy says, what she wants is for the crew to have each other’s backs for charter. It’s up to them. Do they forgive, yet hold Lexi accountable? Lexi immediately starts making it up as she goes along, saying she and Malia had a thing in their cabin, and it spilled over to the hot tub. Looks like that’s news to Malia. Me too. Lexi says she doesn’t remember, but apologizes. She acts like this is all very amusing, and Malia says Lexi made personal and inappropriate comments to her, but she really owes Zee an apology as well. Lexi says she doesn’t remember… and Malia says they know she doesn’t. If she wants to get defensive, she can, but she was saying she was better than all of them. The person who doesn’t remember – i.e. Lexi – says, that’s not true. David says Lexi was insensitive, and Captain Sandy says, if Lexi doesn’t remember, just listen; don’t defend. Katie says she kept trying to mediate, and the captain tells Lexi, words affect people, and you can’t take it back. Like Lexi gives a flying. The captain says all they can do is reset. They’re all assets to her, and she believes they’ll figure it out. On top of this, they don’t have chef, and she has to deal with that, so she’ll leave them to it. Malia says they’re all aware Lexi is going through something difficult, and Lexi jets because she’s immature and can only deal with her emotions by getting angry. Courtney follows her, and Lexi says she needs five. Katie asks if everyone feels that they’ll get past this, and in Lloyd’s interview, he says Lexi didn’t give them an honest apology because she doesn’t feel bad. It is eating away at him a little.

24 hours before charter. When Mathew first became unreliable, the captain had a chef placed in quarantine. Chef Luca has two more days left in quarantine, and in his interview, he says he’s getting fat. In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says Chef Luca isn’t ready, so it complicates the charter. It’s starting in one day. Katie calls Lexi to meet her in the crew mess. In David’s interview, he says he started a game plan to make a move, but still has to be find out what that move should be. We flashed back to David asking Malia if she could look at him as someone other than a co-worker, and her saying, that’s a hard question. David tells Zee, it was a yes or no, but he’ll take a maybe. He might end up having to move on, but at least now Malia knows. In Katie’s interview, she says, Lexi was horrendous, and is now her problem because it’s her department. It effing infuriates her. The deckhands clean up, and Malia finds gum in the hot tub. Mathew slinks back onto the boat, and says he’s sorry, and full of regret. I say, that’s not all he’s full of. In his interview, he says, when he woke up, he realized he’d made a rash decision when he was wasted. Captain Sandy tells Mathew to meet her on the bridge, and Mathew apologizes to Marten, saying, he didn’t deserve it. Marten says, all is forgiven.

Mathew wonders if Captain Sandy heard about his behavior last night, and says he’d let something small get to him. He doesn’t remember what he said dinner… Captain Sandy says, that’s becoming a thing, and he says he acted extremely inappropriately. He’ll understand if she doesn’t want him back. She says she needs to trust the crew, and that they won’t get upset and walk off the boat. He says he needs to come back, and she says she has a chef. He sasy, what has he done? and she says, as a captain, she has a job to do; it’s nothing personal. But the new chef isn’t out of quarantine until Tuesday, and she needs to get through Monday. After that, he’s done. He says he’ll do it, and in her interview, she says, Mathew is unpredictable. She doesn’t want to walk on eggshells, so she’s going with the guarantee; someone who wants to be here. Mathew tells Courtney and Lexi that he owes everyone an apology. He was  drunk and overtired. Lexi says he doesn’t know the half of it.

Mathew tells Malia that he’s sorry, and she asks if he’s all right. He says he was on an emotional roller coaster. He’s sorry if he was inappropriate. She says he was a little drunk, and he says, a little? Katie says she’ll miss him, and he says she was amazing. He loved working with her. Courtney tells Malia, it’s a shame, but Malia says they need people they can count on. Courtney feels that she’s slightly in the middle, when Lexi should be in  the middle.

It’s time for the preference sheet meeting, and Captain Sandy says, primary Athena is a success coach. Her brothers Jakeson and Jameson are also coming, and Athena has organized an entrepreneur’s retreat to celebrate their success. The captain says, it’s easy to be high fiving when it’s up time, but when you’re down, you’ve got to stay up. Mathew says, wise advice, and in his interview, he says, it’s not good for your reputation to get drunk and quit in the middle of charter season. He still wants to do the best he can, even if it’s over for him. Captain Sandy says, Athena’s friends, Brook and Janine are joining them, and Katie reads that they want two cakes on day two, as well as green and gold, and black and white desserts.

Lexi tells Malia that she doesn’t want what happened to affect their work relationship, and wonders what was said. Malia says Lexi attacked her character and called her names. Lexi said when Malia had been talking about Lexi’s dad, it was for her own benefit. Lexi says she doesn’t think the thing about her dad was genuine, and we flash back to that. It looks pretty genuine to me, and Malia says, Lexi throwing it in her face is pretty bad. Lexi says, no one is calling Malia horrible, and Malia says, Lexi did last night. If Lexi is going to disagree about what was said, it’s not a genuine apology. Lexi says she has work to do, since it’s impossible for her to own up to anything.

Malia tells Katie that Mathew’s apology was genuine, but Lexi’s, not so much. Zee never got an apology at all. She doesn’t know what to say, but if Lexi is really sorry, and wants to be a team player… Lexi pops in, and says she needs to take a shower, but she’ll give them a few minutes. She mumbles that she’s done with the drama. This is why she only wants to deal with men. She hates bitches. She asks to speak with Katie, and in Katie’s interview, she says, this is draining her from every angle. She doesn’t have time to figure sh*t out, and doesn’t know what to do at this point. She asks why Lexi hasn’t apologized to Zee, and Lexi insists that she did at the meeting, which she did not. She skipped right over him. She says she spoke to Malia, and then Katie and Malia were talking about her. Katie says Malia was just telling her what happened. Katie says Lexi put her in a sh*tty situation, and she likes Lexi. She asks if Lexi wants to be there, and Lexi says she does, but all of them are wrong. Katie says, Lexi effed up massively, and she’s pissed off again. She doesn’t feel like Lexi wants to be there or like she cares. She had Lexi’s back this morning. Lexi says she doesn’t care, and Katie is like, bye. Lexi calls her mom, and says she’s quitting. She can’t deal with this. She’s not a child, and won’t be spoken to by someone being unprofessional. Katie cries in her cabin, and Lexi argues with her mom, who’s probably lived with this crap since Lexi’s birth. She tries to get Lexi to think of God, and tells Lexi to call her every day. Lloyd says, Lexi is acting like there was a wrong done to her, and David says, as long as she does her job.

In the morning, Mathew says, best day ever. David says, whatever Mathew needs, just talk to them. Everyone gets moving, and in Malia’s interview, she says it’s one of those challenges in yachting that you have to figure out how to bounce back. Lexi pissed off so many crew members, it’s going to be rough. Katie goes to Captain Sandy, saying she’s concerned that maybe it’s not the right environment for Lexi. The captain asks Katie to give Lexi another chance; just reset with her. Katie says she’ll try, but in all honesty, she’s concerned about the whole boat at this point. The captain tells her to just worry about her department. She’s a leader. Rise, and take this individual and change her trajectory. She knows Lexi has been horrible, but she apologized during the meeting. Apparently, that’s what the captain is calling it anyway. She tells Katie, It’s easy to dismiss someone, but invest in her. If it doesn’t work, she promises they’ll let Lexi go. Now go lead. Katie laughs, and in her interview, she says she understands Captain Sandy’s perspective. The captain is pushing her as a leader, and even though she’s still angry and upset, she needs to be responsible for her team, and sometimes doing that means doing things you don’t effing want to.

Katie tells Courtney that she’ll share a cabin with Lexi. No one wants to be with Lexi, and she doesn’t want to put Courtney in that position, so she’ll do it. In Courtney’s interview, she says, Katie is a good manager. She doesn’t know anyone who wants to be roommates with Satan. The provisions come in, and Katie tells Lexi that she and Courtney are switching cabins. She’d thought Lexi quit, and in terms of ethics and morals, Lexi has pushed her boundaries Lexi says, it won’t happen again. She’s not blaming the alcohol, but everyone had so much (please note the absolving word everyone – no it was just you), they weren’t in the right headspace to say what they shouldn’t. She apologizes, and Katie says she doesn’t think things will be perfect or go back to the way they were, but apologizes for raising her voice at Lexi. These things take time. Katie gives Lexi a hug, and Lexi says, trust her, it was one bad night. She doesn’t want the crew to hate her. In Lexi’s interview, she says, the lesson is to relax before you make harsh decisions. Here’s a thought. How about not drinking and keeping her mouth shut? She says she’s a good stew, and she’s going to make the season work. Captain Sandy radios that it’s 30 minutes until the guests arrive.

Everyone does last minute preparation, and the captain tells them proceed to the dock. She tells the crew, a lot has been going on, but she wants them to set aside the conflict and focus on the job. They’ve got this. She tells Lexi that she believes in her, and thanks everyone. They line up, and the guests come up the dock. The captain welcomes them, and says they’re going on their dream charter. The guests are all excited, and go, woot-woot! In Captain Sandy’s interview, she says she thinks this is what the crew moral needs; excited guests. Now she just needs to see an excited crew. Courtney passes out champagne, and Katie gives the tour. Poor Courtney is back on ironing, and tells the ironing board, Zen. In Malia’s interview, she says she’s proud of her deck crew. They keep lifting each other up, and they’ve come a long way in their skill set, which is what she wants in her team. Katie tells Lexi to make sure Athena’s champagne is topped off at all times. They’re prioritizing her. In Lexi’s interview, she says if she’s focused on the guests, she doesn’t have time to be angry; that’s her thought process. The captain asks Lexi how it’s going, and Lexi says, much better. She’s back on her A-game. In Courtney’s interview, she says she’s back on laundry after a taste of service. She gets the rotation thing, but it’s annoying since it’s Lexi on service, after what she put the crew through. It’s so sh*tty. Anchor is dropped, and the captain asks if Malia is happy with her deck crew. She is.

The water toys are set up, and lunch is prepared. In Mathew’s interview, he says he’s trying to get back into the crew’s good graces, and finish on a high note, even though he messed up, and he’s leaving. A guest takes pictures of their food, and it looks so stupid as she tries to find the perfect angle. Everyone waits with bated breath, and Athena pronounces the food delicious. Captain Sandy asks how their lunch is, and Athena says, divine. Malia tells Lexi that she’s glad Lexi is back with them, but hold off on the tequila. Lexi says, no drinking for her, and in Malia’s interview, she says she’s been there, and wouldn’t want to be judged on one bad night. Lexi says alcohol is not her friend. The guests play on the toys, and guest Jackpot enjoys the jet ski. One guest doesn’t quite make it down slide, getting stuck near the bottom. Athena talks to Mathew about squid options, and even I don’t know what she’s talking about. In his interview, Mathew says, WTF was that? How is he supposed to give her what she wants when he has no idea what she’s asking for? This is a sh*t storm, and he’s nervous.

Mathew tells Captain Sandy that the conversation with Athena was all over the place, and he still got no guidance. She wants calamari, which is squid. She wants it fried, but wants options. She wants it Croatian, but not too Croatian. She doesn’t want him to tell her what it is, and wants to be surprised, but wants a back-up. He’s laughing to keep from crying.

Lloyd has figured out a new way to bring in the dreaded slide where it practically folds itself. In his interview, he says, any time he can find a way to use engineering techniques to solve a problem, he’s going to use it. He may be able to solve a problem that others have been struggling with. As time goes on, he feels more comfortable in his place on the team. The table is set for dinner, and in Lexi’s interview, she says, she grew up Pentecostal, and they’re supposed to be kind and loving, even to people who’ve done them wrong. She struggles with loving people after they’ve crossed her, and with Katie, they’re just trying to get the job done. Captain Sandy remarks on how elegant the table settings have been. In Malia’s interview, she says she feels back that Katie is taking one for the team. Only a couple of guests are at the table, but Athena wants them to start bringing the food out. Katie tells Mathew that no one is at the table or has drinks, and it’s going to be a mess. Mathew says he’ll plate the first course, and in his interview, he says the fact that he’s dealing with this even though he’s leaving helps the captain respect him more. Highly doubtful. He says he’s rolling with the punches.

Athena gets up, saying, she doesn’t think the food is ready. She goes to the galley, and Katie explains, the chef is plating the food. In Katie’s interview, she says the way she does service, all the guests are seated, and you start water, wine, bread, whatever. She’s happy to do whatever the guest wants – it’s their charter – but don’t come running down and making it look like she’s not doing her job. Katie tells Mathew that the guest claims they’re running behind, and Courtney wants to know how they’re running behind when no one is at the table.   

Next time, Courtney has a meltdown, David flirts with Malia, and Athena is disappointed in the cakes.

🧗‍♀️ Getting There…

I scored some antibiotics, and I’m feeling marginally better after one dose. I try to avoid them unless absolutely necessary, so they usually work pretty fast on me, and this was necessary. Especially since I’m in such a fog, I totally missed The Haves and The Have Nots: Final Cast Reunion, Part 2. I’m pretty sure there was no crucial info, but when I catch up, I’ll let you know. I’m also saving The Real Housewives of New York City for tomorrow, since it pairs so well with RHOBH. Until then, stay safe, stay vivacious, and stay trying to make things right before it’s too late.

August 2, 2021 – A Surprise Guest At Wiley’s Party, Begging Off & Allergic

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Curtis and Stella sit in Kelly’s, and Stella tells Curtis that she appreciates him sitting down with her, despite their conversation the other day. He says he was angry, but he loves her; she’s family. Nothing will ever change that. But she has to stop inserting herself in his relationships. Trina walks in and Curtis asks if she’d care to join them.  

At the hospital, Jordan tells an officer that they’re going to do another sweep of the subbasement. The Bureau knows their stuff when it comes to criminals like Peter, but she’d put her money on their forensics team any day of the week. Portia walks over and asks if Jordan has time for coffee. Jordan says she’s sorry, she can’t, and Portia says she’s sure Jordan is busy with the Peter August investigation, but when she comes up for air, maybe they can get together. Jordan says she’s sorry. She can’t do this. She knows Portia and Curtis kissed.

Sonny walks into the Tan-O where Nina is polishing glasses. She says she didn’t expect him to be back so soon, and he says he didn’t expect to see her so soon. She says she asked Phyllis for a spare set of keys. The least she could do is open this place up. Sonny says, it  looks like she belongs there.

Chase hoists himself up, and stands. He says, yes. Now how about a step? He takes a step forward, and Austin sees him.  

The doorbell rings as Willow goes to get Wiley, and she yells that she’s got it. She opens the door to Harmony, who says Willow looks wonderful. Jason asks if everything is okay, because it takes 16 people to answer the door, and Willow asks what Harmony is doing there. Harmony says she came to see her grandson on his birthday, and Wiley smiles. Two things. When did Harmony start wearing such frumpy looking shoes (which is all we saw on Friday)? and I thought things were left on a good note with her and Willow.

Portia says she’s so sorry, but Jordan says Portia didn’t do anything wrong. She and Curtis are getting a divorce. She’s just exhausted. It’s been a long day, and she doesn’t have it in her to be anything but honest about how she’s feeling. Portia says, of course (🍷); she gets it. She wasn’t sure how to go about this either; how to talk to Jordan about it. She was hoping they’d chat before Jordan and Curtis spoke. She asks when he told Jordan, but Jordan says, he didn’t. She saw them together.

Trina tells Curtis that she doesn’t want to interrupt. She was picking up food before meeting her mom at the hospital. Stella says Trina isn’t interrupting anything. They were finished, and she has an errand to run. She hugs Curtis and leaves. Curtis says Portia mentioned that she told Trina about them. He has time if she wants to talk. She tells him, like she said, she can’t stay. He asks if she’s sure. It looks like there’s something on her mind.

Nina wonders if Lenny is out of surgery, but Sonny says Phyllis wanted him to tend bar, and not sit and wait with her. Nina says, it’s one less thing for her to worry about, and he says she also knows he’ll try to stop her from micromanaging the staff. Nina asks if there’s any indication of how serious Lenny’s condition may be, but Sonny says, they have to assess the growths on the pancreas before they can figure out what stage the cancer is in. Nina says, if it’s cancer, and Sonny says, yeah. Phyllis is hopeful thanks to Nina. Nina says she doesn’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse.

Harmony goes over to Wiley, and says, this must be the birthday boy. He’s gotten so big. Michael asks Brook to take Wiley to the den, and as she leaves with Wiley, Harmony says she can’t believe Wiley is three already. Willow says she can’t believe a lot of things, and Michael asks the crowd of looky-loos to give them a minute alone. Harmony say she’s sure they have questions, and Willow says, just one. Why did she come back now?

Curtis pulls out a chair for Trina and she sits. He says, maybe he’s wrong, but he thought they buried the hatchet after everything that went down with her dad. She says, they did. There’s nothing major; she’s happy for them. He wonders why he’s sensing she’s anything but happy. This thing between him and her mother is new. That’s the reason he wanted the two of them to start off on the right foot. She says, is it though? New? He asks what she means, and she says she wants to make sure that he and the Commissioner were over by time he and her mom got together. He asks what would make her think they weren’t, and she flashes back to seeing Portia help Curtis take off his wedding ring.

Portia says, Jordan saw them? and Jordan says, at The Savoy on opening night. It doesn’t matter why she was there. It was late, and things were winding down… Portia says, and she saw them kissing. She’s sorry. That has to be the worst possible way to find something like this out. Jordan says she wasn’t expecting to get an official memo, but she was caught off-guard. Portia says, of course (🍷) it did. Curtis wanted to tell Jordan himself that he was seeing someone. Jordan says she knew the two of them had kissed, but she didn’t know they were actually a couple now.

Sonny asks Nina how hope can be a curse, and she says Lenny made it sound like she was setting Phyllis up for a fall. Can she trust him to keep something between them? He says, all she has to do is ask, and she says, Lenny’s hesitation had less to do with cost, and more about giving Phyllis false hope. The outcome of pancreatic cancer is often bleak. He says, often isn’t always, and she tells him, she said the same thing to Lenny. He made her promise that if they ran out of options, things they can do for him, she would do what she could to get Phyllis to recognize that. He asks if she thinks she can keep that promise, but she says she doesn’t know. Sometimes hope is the only thing that gets you through. It did for her. The hope that she’d meet her daughter kept her going for years, and she wouldn’t change it for anything. Although she knows the outcome of the search, she would have never had her grandson in her life. He says, usually when she speaks about Wiley, she has a happy smile on her face, but right now, it’s sad. She says, it’s his birthday today, and Sonny asks if they’re having a party. She says, yeah. She’s missing him.

Carly says she knew today would be full of surprises for Wiley, but she didn’t expect Harmony to be one of them. Valentin says normally, he makes a habit of studying those in his orbit, and Carly says, of course (🍷) he does. He says he has to admit to knowing next to nothing about Willow’s family history. Why was she upset when her mother showed up? Carly says, because Harmony forced Willow to join a cult where she got pregnant with the cult leader’s baby. Call her crazy, but that’s probably the reason.

Harmony says she’s tried to explain this to Willow, and Willow says, try again. Harmony says her legal situation is complicated. She testified against Shiloh, but she also pled guilty, which makes her release and parole… Willow says, forget the legal situation. Why today? (Has everyone gone stupid?) Harmony says, because Willow is her daughter, and as horrifically as she messed up, she wants to rebuild. Willow says Harmony didn’t answer her question, and Harmony says, because it’s a day for family. She was hoping that if she reached out today, Willow would be receptive. She just wants to make things better between them. Chase wheels himself in, Austin behind him, and asks if Willow invited Harmony, but Willow says, it was a surprise visit. Chase says Harmony honestly thought this was a good idea? Because as soon as you move into the Quartermaine mansion, something takes over your brain, and you can’t stay out of other people’s business.

Portia tells Jordan that she’s the absolute worst at this. She’s going to stop talking. Jordan says Portia doesn’t owe her anything, but Portia says, doesn’t she? She knows they had their issues in the beginning, but it meant a lot to her that they could be friends. Jordan says, it meant a lot to her too, and Portia say she hates that she’s a part of hurting Jordan, but Jordan says she’s not. She and Curtis ended because of them; it had nothing to do with Portia. Portia supposes it’s a pipe dream, thinking they can keep their friendship, and Jordan doesn’t see how that could work out. At least not right now. She gets in the elevator, and says, for what it’s worth (🍷) she just wants what’s best for Curtis, and if Portia makes him happy, and the two of them are honest with each other, then she and Portia are good. The doors close.

Trina tells Curtis, sorry, and asks if that was completely inappropriate. He says, nothing inappropriate about it. It’s something they have in common. To answer her question, he and Jordan were long separated before he started anything with her mom. She says, cool, and notices her order is ready. She thanks Curtis, and he asks, for what? She says, it feels good knowing him and her mom weren’t sneaking around.

Sonny says, it’s a good thing Nina was invited, and she says, it’s a great thing. She sees it as an olive branch, and it means more to her than she can say. But she’s started to question if what she’s doing is the right thing. He asks if she means being in Nixon Falls. Go back. Take the next commuter plane, and go there; join the party. There’s nothing she can do there for Phyllis in the next couple of days. She says the party is almost over and she’ll find time to be with Wiley. She wants to be there for Lenny and Phyllis… and for him. She puts her hand on his, and says, she knows how close he and Lenny have gotten in the past few months. He says he doesn’t want her to worry about him, but she says, it’s too late.  She loves her grandson, but she has enough room in her heart for him too. He’s got to know that. He says he does and kisses her.

Jason says, Harmony was a member of a cult called Dawn of Day, and Valentin says he’s heard of them. Jason says, she was infatuated with the leader, Shiloh. Willow’s father eventually left the cult, and tried to get her to leave too, and Shiloh had him killed. Carly says, and made it look like a suicide, and Valentin says, Willow didn’t know anything about it? Jason says, not until after she was forced to sleep with the guy, and Valentin asks if she was raped. Jason says, pretty much (pretty much? what does that mean?), and Carly says, he would drug the girls so they would be foggy about what was happening. Valentin says, girls plural; so this was a pattern? Carly says it was, and he asks how she knows so much about this. She says, Sonny’s daughter Kristina was one of the girls, and Jason says, Kristina wanted to join the cult. She was ready to offer herself up to Shiloh, and that’s when her family had to intervene. In the fallout, they realized Shiloh had to be taken down, and the person who made that possible is Harmony.

Chase asks what Harmony is doing there, and she says it was her grandson’s birthday, so she thought… He says, she thought wrong, totally overstepping his bounds in someone else’s house. He says, first, she causes her daughter unbearable pain, then the second she gets out of Pentenville, she’s playing messenger with Cyrus Renault. She says she wanted nothing to do with Cyrus; he forced her. Michael says Chase might not be aware of this. He only knows because Jason was somewhat involved, but Cyrus threatened Willow. That’s how he got Harmony to cooperate. Harmony says she was protecting her daughter, and Chase says, that would be a first. (Seriously. Hello? Where has this guy been that he knows zero about this?) Harmony says she’ll never make excuses for anything she did, but she loves her daughter. What she was trying to explain is, she came there today because she thought it would be a good time to reach out, and hopefully mend fences, or move in that direction at least. Chase – who doesn’t live there – tells her that she has to get out now, and she says, that’s it? He’s just going to order her out of there? He says, that’s right, and Michael finally wakes up and remembers he’s the one who lives there, saying, he knows it’s been a shock and they need time to process. It’s Willow’s call, but she doesn’t have to make the decision right now. Harmony says the last thing she wants to do is cast a shadow on today, but she’s here. The next time she’ll text, and she hopes they can see each other really soon. She puts Wiley’s gift on the table, and leaves. Chase tells Willow not to let Harmony get to her. Today is going to be a great day. It’s party time. He doesn’t know about them, but he saw some birthday cupcakes he can’t wait to eat. Willow says, her too, and remembers she left one of Wiley’s presents at the gatehouse. She’s going to go grab it. Chase says he’d go with her, but it would just slow her down. She leaves, and Austin says he thinks he needs a history lesson; he’s not entirely sure what’s going on. Chase wonders how that psycho can just show up and do that to Willow.

Willow goes into the gatehouse, and leans on the door, hyperventilating. She flashes back to Chase telling her about Jonah – who they’d thought was Wiley – dying, and how Brad found him. She sits down, puts her head in her hands and cries.

Jason says, Harmony had to confront everything she’d done wrong, almost destroying her daughter’s life. She figured the only thing she could do for Willow was step up and take the stand. She did. She took responsibility for everything and went to jail in the process. Carly says, which she absolutely deserved, and Jason tells her, he’s not saying she didn’t. He’s not defending her actions, but as much as anyone could make amends for those kinds of mistakes, he thinks Harmony did. And Harmony helped fend off Nelle when she resurfaced. She did everything in her power to let Michael keep his claim on Wiley. Monica says, obviously, it’s all up to Willow, but she thinks Harmony did something really horrible. Carly says, some things horrible, but Monica says, that she tried to make up for, not unlike a lot of people who’ve taken shelter under this roof. She looks at Valentin. Carly says, there’s also the Cyrus thing, and Valentin asks if she was in league with Cyrus. Jason says, unwillingly. They met in prison, and Cyrus threatened Willow to get Harmony to cooperate, but it’s like Monica said, it’s up to Willow, and she’s well within her rights not to want anything to do with her mom. Valentin says, she sincerely wants to make amends? and Jason says, she wants to make things right. Sometimes that works, and sometimes you just have to accept you can’t fix it. No matter how bad you want to. Jason gets up and says he’d love to stay for the party, but he can’t. He asks Carly to tell Michael and Willow; he doesn’t want to interrupt. Carly says she’s going to stick around a while, but she’ll walk Jason out, and Valentin says he’ll check on Bailey. Monica thanks Jason for coming, and says she wishes it had been more of a celebration. He says he’ll talk to her later, and she says she’ll hold him to it.

Sonny says, as much as he likes that Nina is there, she doesn’t have to stay for him. He can handle things himself. She says she knows that more than he realizes, but just because you can do something on your own, doesn’t mean you have to. He asks if he can be honest with her, and says Lenny getting sick hit him hard. When they were in the hospital in New York City, he felt this familiar pain, like a memory. Lenny went to do some tests and he went out in the hall. He saw this hat on the ground; he guesses a patient left it. He picked it up, and he was hit with a flash; not a whole memory, but the feeling that he was saying goodbye to someone. He was letting go. It really felt like he was remembering his family.

Still at Kelly’s, Curtis calls Portia, but gets voicemail. Before he can leave a message, Jordan walks in. She says she’s glad she ran into him. She’s signed the divorce papers and they’re in the mail. It shouldn’t be long now. He says, as long as they understand each other, there’s no rush. She says she heard he and Portia have started to see each other.

Portia sees she missed a call from Curtis, and smiles. Stella asks if she has a minute, and Portia says, that depends. Is Stella there to pass judgement on her character again? Stella says, one of the perks of getting to a certain age is that you can pass all the judgement you want, and no one bats an eye… That was a joke. It was never her intention to make an enemy out of Portia. Believe it or not, all she wanted was for Portia and Curtis not to get hurt. She can’t help but worry it will end up that way if the two of them pursue this relationship. Portia asks why Stella would think that, and Stella flashes back to putting the envelope with Jordan’s divorce papers in her bag. She tells Portia, she has it on good authority that Curtis’s marriage isn’t over just yet.

On the terrace, Carly says when Jason was talking about fixing the damage and not being able to, he was talking about Britt. He says, it is what it is. It’s a whole set of circumstances that none of them asked for. First it was Sonny, then their territory was vulnerable, then he got arrested – she says, because Cyrus and Peter set him up – then the escape went wrong, and he couldn’t make the meeting of the Five Families mushroom risotto, and she did. She stepped up, but she also made herself a target. Them getting married is to protect the family, to protect each other. He’s choosing that, but it comes at a cost… for both of them, he knows that. She says he’s right; it does come at a cost. She knows it’s really tough for Britt because she doesn’t know all the reasons, and he says, he doesn’t want to talk about it. She says, but… and he says, but what? She’s still going to talk about it? She says he’s blaming himself for something that’s unavoidable, but it’s not his fault. He says, it doesn’t matter if it was his fault or not. Britt got hurt, and he’s the one who hurt her.

Valentin asks Brook how it’s going, and she says she and Wiley are drawing up a storm. She tells Wiley that Bailey’s going to love the picture he made her. Speaking of, did Valentin check on their Sleeping Beauty? He says he did; still sleeping, still beautiful. She asks, what’s going on in there? and he says, it’s a long, convoluted, and very sad story, but ultimately, Willow’s mother did something really terrible, and she wants to make amends for it. Brook asks if he thinks she can, but he doesn’t know. He’s never met the woman, and it’s the first he’s heard of it. It’s very easy for him to empathize, because the only thing worse than realizing you did something really terrible, is when you do something really terrible that hurts your child. She says he’s a great dad, but he says he wasn’t always that way. She says Charlotte worships him, and he says he and Charlotte’s mother Lulu fought mercilessly. They were in and out of court for years. It was an enormous strain on Charlotte to go back and forth. Court ordered visitations, social workers, and psychologists. She was caught in the middle. He never would have wanted to do that to her, but he made life so difficult. He stole time from her that she could have spent with her mother, getting to know Lulu. He doesn’t know if shell get a second chance at that, and he doesn’t know how one makes amends for that. She says it looks like he really turned his life around, at least as a father, and he says there was a moment where he realized if he didn’t change he was going to lose Charlotte, so he decided to be a better dad for Charlotte, and now Bailey cahr and bail most important things in his world. Brook tells Wiley that he’s so important to Michael and Willow, and Valentin says, they’re not the only ones. There’s someone suspiciously missing from this party. Brook says, who? and Valentin says, someone special who’s really going to enjoy talking to Wiley

Nina says, Sonny is remembering family? Anyone in particular? He says the only flashes he’s had are the blond woman in his dream, which he believes is her, and this one. She says, so he was saying goodbye to someone, and he says, the pain is real. What if he doesn’t want to remember his past because the people who love him woudn’t be there? Or his family, if he had one, is gone? She doesn’t say anything, and he asks if she’s all right. She nods, and he says, those are the few unknowns, right? She says, yeah, and he tells her that he has to open. He’s going to get cleaned up. He goes upstairs, and she asks herself, what is she doing? Her phone rings, and it’s Brook. Nina asks if something happened with the Deception deal, but Brook says, it’s nothing about work. She’s there with Wiley at his birthday party, and he wanted to say hello. Nina says she’d love to talk to Wiley, and Brook suggests she put her video camera on so Wiley can see her face.

Chase tells Austin, he feels so useless. Willow is upset, and he can’t even go to her without somebody helping him navigate this thing. Austin says, they both know that’s not true. He saw Chase in the den, standing on his own two feet, and he took a step or two. Great job, man. Chase says that’s about all he can do; a step or two, and wobbly ones. Austin asks if Willow knows, but Chase says he was hoping to make more progress before he told her. Austin says, after the surprise Willow just got, she could use a happy surprise, wobbly or not. Go to the gatehouse. Show her some steps. Give her something to smile about. Chase says he can’t walk that far by himself, and Austin supposes not. Good thing he has a doctor to lean on.

Michael goes to the gatehouse, and Willow quickly gets herself together, saying, she realized she still had to wrap the gift and couldn’t find the stupid tape. She asks if Wiley is upset, but Michael says he’s around people who love him. take as much time as she needs. She says, it’s just tape, and he says, it’s more than that. He knows how hard it’s been on her today. Whole she’s celebrating the day of Wiley’s birth, she’s also marking the anniversary of her baby’s death. It’s a lot all at once. Nobody blames her for having to take a minute. She says she was already all over the place, and she opened that door and her mom was there. She’s grieving, thinking about how she only got to hold him the one time, and there’s Harmony, the reason he even existed. She loved him so much. That doesn’t mean she loves Wiley any less, but Jonah was hers, and now he’s gone. She doesn’t know how to feel about any of it. He says, today was a hard day, and to have her mom show up on top of it… She says she wants to be happy, laugh, sing, help Wiley blow out his candles. All of a sudden, she couldn’t, so she came there to wrap a present that doesn’t exist. She’s telling him she can’t find the tape when it’s right there, because it’s not fair to anyone, especially Wiley, to see her grieve. He says, it is fair, and even if it wasn’t, it’s how she feels. That makes it real. He takes her hands, says, that’s what matters, and they hug. And then they kiss.

Jordan tells Curtis, Portia didn’t betray his trust. She figured it out for herself, and it’s okay. He says, it is? and she says her biggest motivation for signing the divorce papers was the realization that he was moving on with his life. They’re not together anymore, and it’s mostly her fault. The last thing she wants to do is hold him back now that he wants to move on. He asks if she woudn’t have signed the papers if she thought he hadn’t been ready to move on.

Portia tells Stella, she understands that the divorce papers haven’t been processed yet. That’s one of the many reasons she and Curtis decided to take things slow. If Stella has any more concerns, it’s best she speak to her nephew about them. Stella says, there’s no such thing as half divorce, and Portia says, meaning? Trina comes up the hall toward them, but they don’t see her. Stella says, meaning, don’t jump in head first. She doesn’t want to be the other woman in Curtis’s marriage, the way Portia made him the other man in hers. Trina is like, whoa.

Jason asks Carly to tell Wiley happy birthday again, and starts to leave. She says he’s way more optimistic about this Harmony thing than she is, and he asks if she’s worried. She says, isn’t he? and he says he wants to find out what she’s been up to. If it’s her family drawing her there, that’s great, but if she’s in trouble and susceptible to blackmail, it’s best they find out now.

Nina tells Brook that she doesn’t have a lot of time right now. Maybe Brook could just get Wiley on the phone and she could tell him happy birthday and that she loves him. Brook says she thinks it’s important that Wiley see Nina’s face. Things were tense there earlier and he could use a grandma pick-me-up. Nina goes over by the window, and Wiley and Brook show up on her screen. Wiley says hi, and Nina asks if he got the forklift she sent. Sonny comes in, and asks if that’s Nina’s grandson and Nina nods. Brook says, Wiley hasn’t opened his gifts yet. Brook goes on about the gifts, when Carly walks in and asks who Wiley is talking to. She comes into the frame as Sonny moves closer to Nina.

Austin helps Chase into the gatehouse. No one is there, and Chase calls to Willow. She doesn’t hear him because she and Michael are getting busy upstairs.

Tomorrow, Portia tells Stella not to go one step near her daughter, Josslyn tells Cameron that it’s more of a no thing, Austin suggests Willow is upstairs, and Sonny asks if he can see Wiley.

🤧 Not So Hot…

I promise Below Deck Med will be posted tomorrow, so the epic Lexi tirade will be done justice, but right now my allergies have me down. It looks like I’ll be needing some antibiotics. In the meantime, I’ve got to get some sleep, so stay safe, stay well, and stay not pretending to wrap a fake gift. It will only get you in trouble.

July 30, 2021 – Spencer Fake Pleads With Ava, New Lease On Life, Soap Celebration, Happy Birthday, Support, Pushy Countess, Be Better, Possible Ax, New Status, Rumors, Dead Talk, Quotes Tenfold & Hello

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Spencer asks if Ava thinks they can put the past behind them and start fresh. Is it possible they can declare a truce? He holds out his hand, and she hesitates for a moment, but takes it, and they shake. She says she appreciates the offer, but he doesn’t have to worry about forging a relationship with her. She’s out of Nikolas’s life now. He says, it didn’t look that way a little while ago.

Jason comes into the MetroCourt, and asks if Carly is ready to go. She asks if he’s ready for this, and he says, for Wiley’s birthday party? Sure. He managed to get all the gifts in the car. She says, there weren’t that many, and he gives her a face. She says he knows what she’s talking about. This is their first family thing as a couple. He asks if she’s nervous.

Michael knocks at the gatehouse door, and Willow motions him in. He hands her some cellophane tape, and she thanks him, saying, she thought she’d have to break out the masking tape. He says he’s surprised he found any, considering the mounds of presents and all the decorations. She asks if they’re spoiling him, and he says, absolutely, but it’s Wiley’s birthday, so they get a pass. They’ll let him have all his presents and balloons… She says, don’t forget about cupcakes, and he says Wiley reminded him this morning. Now everything’s all set for their birthday boy.

Brook comes in to find Chase messing with some balloons, and says, look at him. She looks around the room, and says, look at this. He says, this is Olivia’s work. He followed her around with a tape dispenser. It is funny how Brook reappeared just when the decorating is finished. She says, timing is everything. She sent Yuri down to help. He says, good thing. He couldn’t help hang the banner for anything. She says, it will happen soon enough, and he says, not soon enough for him. He can’t wait to walk up to Willow, and show her that he’s back.

Shawn meets Sam in the park, and she hands him some coffee. She says she hopes he didn’t mind meeting her there. She had to drop Scout off at Lila’s Kids. He says he loves it outdoors; he can’t get enough of it. She says she’s the same way, and it sure beats the exercise at Pentenville. He asks why she wanted to meet, and she says she’s afraid she has bad news.

There’s a knock at Elizabeth’s door, and she lets in Nikolas, who asks if she’s okay. She sounded stressed on the phone. She mentioned Hayden; has she heard from her? She says, unfortunately, no. He asks, what’s going on? and she says Sam was there, asking about the time Hayden was shot. It made her remember something. He says, dammit. He knew this was going to happen.

Chase tells Brook, Willow is at the gatehouse and he’s upstairs. He doesn’t feel like they can start their life together yet. He’s so sick of this chair; he can’t do anything. She says, excuse me. He’s the one who sang Bailey to sleep, which is more than she can manage, and Bailey loved it. He says, she did seem pretty blissed out, which is puzzling to him since Brook took so long to get her settled. Brook tells him, let it go, and says, this place looks like a birthday party on steroids. They didn’t need her help. Kids Wiley’s age are more interested in the boxes anyway. (Truth!) He bets her 50 bucks it doesn’t hold a candle to the parties she’ll throw for Bailey, and she says, he’s on. They shake, and she says they’ll see if Wiley’s more interested in the gifts or the boxes. Valentin walks in with Austin, and says, look who he found. Brook asks what Austin is doing there.

Elizabeth says, so Nikolas knows what she’s talking about, and he says, Sam spoke to him as well. He told her that he didn’t know where Hayden was, and she should just leave it alone. The last thing he wanted was for Sam to come there and upset Elizabeth with questions about her sister, on top of everything else. She says he’s right; she’s upset. Shawn has spent all those years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Nikolas says, Alexis explained the situation. Of course (🍷) Shawn shouldn’t pay for a crime he didn’t do, but he pled guilty. She says, now that Shawn denied shooting Hayden, it made her wonder, who did? She remembered something Nikolas said back then; something she didn’t want to believe – that he had Hayden shot.

Ava tells Spencer that she and Nikolas plan to keep their divorce civil and drama free, but make no mistake, the marriage is over. He says, let him guess. Father doesn’t agree. She says, well, he knows his father. He wants what he wants, and doesn’t take no for an answer. Spencer says, sounds like him.

Jason asks who Carly is nervous about seeing. Is it Monica? He talked with her, and they went through all the history with AJ… She says she’s not nervous that way; it’s just the transition. All the family things they’ve gone to over the years, they’re now going as a couple. She was talking to Laura last night, and wondering if it’s too soon after Sonny, and how people’s perception might bother her, how it might diminish her love for Sonny, and how it’s hard for her. She knows they have to get married, and she knows it’s the right thing to do, but it’s difficult. He says, they both know why they’re doing this. They made the best choice they could. So now they just have to move forward with it. She says she’s glad he’s in this with her.

Austin hands Brook a wrapped gift, and says he’s there because Michael invited him. He said it was a family celebration. Brook says, it’s just that he’s early, and he tells her, his mother always said, if you’re on time, you’re late. She says, that makes no sense, and he asks if she argues with her mother. She says, all the time, and he asks if she wins. She says, okay, and puts the gift with the others. Chase introduces himself, and Valentin says he should have made the introductions. Sorry about that. Monica comes in, and says she’s glad Austin could make the family celebration. Has he met everybody? Austin says he has, and Valentin says, so it’s true. Austin is a legitimate Quartermaine?

Michael holds his finger in the middle of the ribbon, and Willow makes a bow. I have to say, I’ve never made a bow that way, or seen anyone else do it. She says, and that’s that, and he asks if she’s really okay. She says, sure, and he says she’s going out of her way to make sure Wiley’s birthday celebration is happy and joyful, but he knows this is also the anniversary of her son’s death. He’s been thinking about him too. For the longest time, Michael thought Jonah was his son, so it’s a bittersweet day. She says, this morning when she was putting flowers on Jonah’s grave, the birds were singing so loudly, like they were serenading him. He wishes they could have gone together, and she says, Chase was there. Michael is glad she wasn’t alone, and she says, it was Chase who told her that her baby had died. He held her as that awful truth sunk in, and she grieved. He comforted her, and got her through this unimaginable time in her life, and she’ll always be grateful to him, but she wishes Michael had been with her.

A woman goes to Jonah’s grave, and leaves flowers.

Nicholas says, they both know he didn’t shoot Hayden, and Elizabeth says, no, they don’t both know. She remembers that time in The Floating Rib when she asked him point blank if he’d done it, praying he’d say no, but he didn’t. He said he had Hayden shot to protect her. He says, it was a long time ago; emotions were high. She says, Hayden was blackmailing them for the mess she made with Drew, lying to him to hold on to him. Nikolas says, there was plenty of upheaval back then, but when she was able to catch her breath, and asked him about Hayden again, he came clean. He admitted he’d been lying. Doesn’t she remember?

Sam and Shawn sit on a bench, and Sam says, neither Elizabeth or Nikolas know where Hayden is, or know where to find her. Any progress on finding Hayden’s mother? He says, Naomi Dreyfuss is not returning his calls, and Sam says, they’re back to square one. He says, Curtis told him that he’d check his notes from when he originally worked on the case, but he didn’t sound too encouraging. She says, what did they expect? It’s a six year old case. It’s not impossible to turn up new leads, but it’s going to take some time. They’ll have to find some witnesses and try and jog their memories. The ones that are still alive anyway. He says she’s thinking of Drew. First, his name is Jake Doe, then he’s Jason Morgan, then he turns out to be Jason’s twin Drew Cain, the man Sam married and had a child with. She says, it’s pretty ironic, isn’t it? When Shawn was the one who was supposed to kill him that night.

Spencer says he can see his father is struggling without Ava, which is a real change, considering he’d insisted their marriage was a sham, and the only reason he stayed with Ava was to preserve their family money. No offense. She says, none taken. That was exactly how their marriage started. It was a cold-blooded business arrangement. Then she and Nikolas surprised themselves, falling in love along the way. But the stalker has made it clear he won’t stop as long as they’re together, and she won’t risk Avery’s safety. He says, then she’s adamant about going through with the divorce, and she says, whether Nikolas likes it or not. He says, then why does she keep sending his father mixed signals?

Monica says they’re still waiting for the DNA test results, and Valentin says, so this is a case of keeping your enemies close? She says she doesn’t consider Austin an enemy, and Valentin says, Ned and Michael do. A word to the wise, being a Quartermaine is a study in Darwinism, survival of the fittest. Austin says, he tries to stay reasonably fit, and Valentin says, having an ally helps. Monica says, let her guess. That would be him. Warnings, Austin; warnings all around. Valentin says he knows what it’s like to be an outsider in a powerful family, and Brook says she’s been meaning to speak to Valentin about Bailey, and drags him into the foyer. Monica thanks Chase for taking care of the decorations, and asks if she can get anybody something to drink.

In the foyer, Valentin asks if Brook really wanted to talk to him about something, or did she just want to get him away from Austin? She says, it was a big, fat attempt to stop him from sucking up to that interloper, and he says he thought he was the interloper. She tells him, stop. What he needs to do is back off. If Austin is a real Q, does Valentin really think Austin is going to side with him over his family? He says, we’ll see, and she says, overconfident much? He says he usually gets what he wants, and she says, but not always.

Willow tells Michael that they should get the gifts up to the main house. Wiley will be up from his nap soon, and the guests will be arriving. She holds open a bag, and he says, whatever doesn’t fit, he’ll carry. As they put the gifts in the bag, their hands touch, and Willow pulls away. She says, next year, on Wiley’s birthday, Chase will be walking, and they can be together. He says he’ll wake them up with a puppy, and she says, they’ll all cuddle in the bed; the puppy too. They’ll come down and make birthday pancakes. He says, they’ll see Jonah and hear the birds. They’ll have a birthday celebration with family, and when Wiley’s worn out, they’ll put him and the puppy to bed, and it’s their turn. She says, next year, and he says, next year, and they start kissing.

Elizabeth tells Nikolas, she remembers both conversations. The first one weighed on her. Then she remembers calling and asking him to meet her at work. He says, they talked in the stairwell so no one would hear them. We flash back to Elizabeth telling Nikolas that she hasn’t been able to sleep since he told her what he did to Hayden. She never asked him to do that. He says, Hayden is going to be fine. She’s talking. She doesn’t know that Jake is Jason. Elizabeth says, he had her shot, but he says, no, he didn’t. He lied. Shawn confessed that he’s the one who shot Hayden. She asks why would Nikolas say he did it? and he says, it’s stupid. He wanted her to think he’d do anything for her. She asks what she’s supposed to do with that. If he lied, how is she supposed to believe him now? He says, because Shawn confessed. Why would he confess if he’s not guilty? He’s ashamed he lied to her, but he wanted her to love him because he loves her. He sees now that’s not going to happen. In the present, Nikolas says he swallowed his pride and told her the truth. She says, told her the truth, or told her what she wanted to hear? He needs to be honest. They both know Shawn didn’t shoot Hayden. Was it him?

Monica says, Austin has met Chase, and he says he has, and asks where Chase fits in to this Quartermaine puzzle. Chase says he’s Willow’s husband, and Willow is Wiley’s mom. Dr. Quartermaine has been kind enough to let him stay there while he recovers. He tells Monica that he can’t thank her enough, and hopes to be out of there soon, but she tells him that he can stay as long as he wants. She says, Austin is a new doctor on staff at General Hospital. Chase says, that’s great, and Austin says, it is. Monica excuses herself to see if everything is ready, and when she’s gone, Austin slides closer to Chase. He says, from one outsider to another, what does he think about these Quartermaines? Does he have to watch his back like Valentin says?

Valentin says, presently, he has a beautiful new daughter, and he’s the CEO of a company that’s highly profitable, both of which he owes to Brook. She tells him, don’t count your chickens, and he asks if she really thinks the family is going to vote him out. She asks if he thinks he can stop them, and he says he thinks she’s worried he might. He believes she thinks Austin is going to prove himself and side with him, and that’s why she’s watching Austin like a hawk. She asks, who says she’s watching Austin? and Valentin says he does. He can see she’s clearly shaken by that man.

Willow and Michael kiss some more. She starts to walk away, but he pulls her back. Carly knocks at the door, and  Michael and Willow quickly separate. Carly walks in with Jason, and Michael says they were just finishing up with Wiley’s gifts. Carly hugs Willow, saying, she can’t believe Wiley is three. She asks where the birthday boy is, and Willow says, he’s at the main house, probably just waking up from his nap any minute. Carly suggests Michael and Jason take the presents, and she’ll hang out with Willow for a minute. Michael says they can all go together, but Willow tells him to go ahead. Michael and Jason leave with Wiley’s gifts, and Carly asks, what are you two doing?

Brook tells Valentin, she’s not shaken by Austin. As far as she’s concerned, the jury is still out on the guy. Austin delivers Maxie’s baby, and then leaves the crazy nurse to run off with Louise? Valentin says, after being knocked unconscious, and she says, she just wonders if he knows more than he says. He just happens to be hiking at the exact same moment in the exact same place Maxie happens to be having her baby. And then, it just so happens he owns the house where Peter and that crazy henchwoman bring Maxie? Valentin asks if she thinks Austin is involved in Louise’s kidnapping, and she says, she won’t go that far. Let’s just say she’s keeping an eye on the guy.

Chase tells Austin, the Quartermaines have always been good to him. They have strong personalities, but big hearts. Austin says, that’s not their reputation, and Chase says, they’re an intense family. They take some getting used to, but they protect their own and band together when it counts. If Austin’s claim is legit – Austin says, it is – he’ll find his place. He can’t be thin-skinned though. Austin says he’s not afraid of a little bloodletting; he’s a doctor. He asks what Chase does, and Chase says he’s a detective with the PCPD. Austin says, super. Any leads on Maxie’s baby?

Ava tells Spencer that she’s not sending his father mixed signals. She’s been clear that they can’t be together. He says, yet he just saw them in, shall we say, a close moment. She says she didn’t mean for that to happen, and he says, it doesn’t matter what she intends. It matters what she does. She says, excuse me. Didn’t he just approach her requesting a truce? What happened to that olive branch?

Brook asks what they’re talking about, and Austin asks where her better half is. She says, Valentin is feeding Bailey, and Chase says, Austin was just asking about the search for Maxie’s baby, which he can’t talk about. But how lucky was Maxie that he was hiking in the woods when he was? Austin says he’s the lucky one. He’s glad he was there. Maxie did great. The delivery was remarkably simple given the circumstances. It’s only afterwards, that things became problematic, and even then, only for him, because he keeps having this peculiar dream. In the dream, he’s there, and helps Maxie deliver her baby, and gets conked in the head. This is where the peculiar dream gets weird. He keeps hearing these two women talking, which is so weird, because Maxie was alone when he woke up. Chase says, maybe his subconscious heard the fake nurse and Maxie, and Austin says, maybe. Brook looks pretty rattled.

Willow tells Carly that she and Michael are raising Wiley together, that’s all. Carly says she knows her son, and Michael loves her. Is Willow telling her that she doesn’t feel the same? Willow says she couldn’t live with herself if she abandoned Chase when he needed her most, and Carly says, that’s because she’s a kind and loyal person. Carly admires that about her, but sometimes the best of intentions can lead to the worst outcomes. An act of kindness can cause more harm than good. Lord knows, she’s in no position to pass out advice. She’s made more than her share of mistakes, and told more than her share of lies. At the time, she told herself that she had a good reason, and she’s sure Willow does too, but it’s clear she and Jason walked in on something. She’s just glad it was them and not somebody else. Willow has a terrible poker face. It’s almost impossible for Willow to hide her feelings for Michael, and if Carly can see how much she loves him, other people are going to see it too.

Michael wonders if he shouldn’t go back and get Willow; she’s probably being grilled by his mom. Jason says, Willow told him to go, right? and Michael says his mom means well, but… Jason asks if he has something on his mind. They sit at the patio table, and Michael says, Jason knows, right? That he’s in love with Willow. Jason says, okay. Does she feel the same? Michael says, she only married Chase because of his health. They were waiting to tell Chase until he can walk again. He feels happy and guilty at the same time. He never thought he’d be the other man. Jason tells him not to fault himself for having feelings. He has to trust himself. He’ll figure it out, and make the right decision. He never worries about Michael. Michael thanks Jason for his vote of confidence. He knows Jason has his own challenges he’s going through. Jason can always count on him. Jason says he appreciates that. And now, about all these gifts. Michael says he knows it’s crazy, but he’s not going to go overboard all the time. It’s just one day, and the rest of the days, he’s going to take a page out of Jason’s book. He hopes he can give Wiley the same sense of self and confidence Jason gave him when he was little.

Shawn tells Sam, he was wondering when they’d talk about all this; get it out in the open. Yes, he was sent to deal with Drew, but he was Jake Doe back then. nobody knew who he was or what he was up to. He was doing his job. She says, on Sonny’s orders, and he says he’s just glad Jordan made him miss the shot. She says, her too. Or she woudn’t have daughter right now. She’s glad they had a chance to clear that up. Okay. Back to square one. There is some good news. The garage is still there, so she can go back to the scene of the crime. He says, six years later? He guesses… if she wants to take a field trip. She say she knows it’s a long shot, but it’s all they’ve got. He says he’ll do more work on Naomi Dreyfuss, but Sam says maybe it’s best if he doesn’t do this. He just got out of prison. Enjoy his life. Enjoy this park. Doesn’t he want that? Doesn’t he want to start a future and make a life for himself?

Nikolas says he did not have Hayden shot, and Elizabeth says, then who did? If it wasn’t him, and it wasn’t Shawn, who tried to kill her sister?

Ava says, perhaps Spencer is unclear on the concept of truce. Or maybe he’s too angry at her to make one work. He says he’s sorry; he didn’t mean to snap. He’s not angry; he’s afraid for his father. This guy got into Windymere. He must be a criminal genius to get past the security detail. Then he got into their hotel suite. Whoever this guy is, he’s a legitimate threat. Spencer already lived through losing his father once. He doesn’t want to again. Please help him protect his father from himself.

Nikolas tells Elizabeth, they may never know who shot Hayden. She has to remember who Hayden was back then. She arrived in town committing fraud. Ric paid her to encourage Drew to lie about his past. She helped herself to a fortune in diamonds from the profits of her father’s Ponzi scheme. Who knows what enemies were after her, in or out of Port Charles? Elizabeth says, she really believes Hayden wanted a fresh start there. It wasn’t until she had Violet that she turned a corner. He guesses they turned a corner too. She fell in love, and married Franco. He married Ava, and fell in love. She says, happily ever after, at least for a little while… until life got in the way.

Ava says Spencer doesn’t need to worry about his father. This divorce protects him too. As long as they’re apart, the stalker has no reason to pay attention to Nikolas at all. Spencer says he’s glad to hear her say that. Sometimes his father makes rash decisions, and doesn’t understand the consequences. She says she’s doing everything she can to protect her daughter and his father. He says he appreciates it, but the stalker is unpredictable. He heard Trina was doused in fake blood. What if the next time it’s real? She says he doesn’t have to keep reminding her. She knows what’s at stake. He says, then make him understand. Get her feelings out of it, and make his father stop fighting this divorce.  

Willow says, Carly isn’t telling her anything that she doesn’t know in her head already. She doesn’t want to hurt Chase. She truly cares about him, but her heart is with Michael. It’s getting harder and harder to hide those feelings. Carly takes Willow’s hand, and says Willow is in a tough situation. So is Michael. Willow is trying to be generous, and it seems kind and supportive, but the heart’s tricky. It can be selfish and strong-willed, and sometimes there’s no denying or reasoning with it. Hearts are stubborn that way. Willow says she’s never heard it put quite like that, and Carly say she speaks from experience. Willow is Wiley’s mom, and she’s family, and Carly is always there to talk. Willow thanks her, and says she supposes she should splash some water on her face, and Carly says she’ll get out of Willow’s hair. Willow says she’s really happy to be part of Carly’s family. Growing up, all she really wanted was to be accepted and loved for herself, even with her faults. She and her mom never had heart-to-heart talks like this. Carly asks if she means awkward and intrusive. Then she’s come to the right family, since it’s Carly’s specialty. They hug.

Valentin asks Austin how the lawsuit is going, and Austin says, great. He  asks if Austin thinks he’ll win, and Austin says, yeah. He wouldn’t be contesting Edward’s will if he didn’t think he had a legitimate cause. Valentin says they should have lunch. Discuss ELQ under his continued leadership. Austin says he does like lunch.   

Chase tells Brook that he thinks he’s going to lie down for a minute, and wheels himself out. Brook looks at Austin, and says, this is so not good. Monica brings in Michael and Jason, and says they have more guests, and more presents. Michael shakes Austin’s hand, and says he’s glad Austin could make it. Valentin says, right on time. He and Austin were just discussing ELQ and how it’s currently thriving. It’s gutsy to change CEOs; it could affect the bottom line. Michael says, it’s a strong company. One that was already thriving when Valentin took the helm. Monica says, they’re not going to discuss business today, and Michael tells her that he was just making his position clear, so Austin knows where he stands. ELQ is a Quartermaine business that should be run by Quartermaines. Ned is the CEO that ELQ needs, not Valentin.  

Chase wheels himself into another room and closes the door. He unlocks the chair, and says he can do this. He painstakingly lifts himself up.  

Shawn tells Sam, part of him wants to forget all this, and never look back. Then he sees TJ and Molly, full of hope and determination, striving so hard to make a difference in this world. They’re something else. He asks himself what he can do to make a difference. Maybe putting an attempted murderer behind bars instead of letting them get away with it. Sam says, what about him and his fresh start? He says he wants that. He wants to build a better life for himself. Of course (🍷) he wants to connect to his son, and be part of TJ’s life. But first he has to find the person who tried to kill Hayden; he has to. Who knows how many other people he’s hurt?

Elizabeth says, Nikolas is right; she has a lot on her plate right now. She’s glad to get this off of it. She hopes he’s not mad at her for grilling him. She had to know. He says he’s glad he could put her mind to rest where he’s concerned. He’s always there for her if she wants to talk about anything. She thanks him, and he says he thinks it’s best if she puts that painful time behind her. Life goes on, right? She says, right, and hugs him. He leaves, and I get the feeling she’s not buying his story.

Ava says, Spencer is right. She has been holding on to the slightest hope. Maybe even sending mixed signals, and maybe that’s why Nikolas refuses to believe this marriage is over. But that ends now. She and Nikolas don’t even need to speak. They can communicate through their lawyers. Spencer thinks that’s best, and he humbly appreciates it. He’s sorry it’s taken something this drastic for him to see her for who she truly is. She says she’s glad Spencer and his father are on better terms now. Nikolas missed him, and knows he’s glad Spencer is back. Spencer says he is too. He sees he got there just in time. Since I’m hating on Spencer right now, I wonder what such a handsome face is doing with a dad bod, especially at his age. There. I said it.

Monica says they’ve waited long enough for the guest of honor. They need to get the party started. Where is the birthday boy? Willow says, taking an epic nap. She’ll wake him. Carly asks if she can do it. She’ll take all the time she can with her grandson as possible. Willow says, enjoy, and asks where Chase is. Brook says, he decided to rest before the party, and Willow wonders if she should check on him, but Brook says, he’s fine. He’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t worry. He’s fine.

Chase struggles, and finally gets on his feet. He says, yes. How about a step? He takes a step forward. Austin watches.

Willow tells Michael that she’s going to get Chase. He’s resting before the party, but she knows he’ll want to be there when the birthday boy makes his big entrance. On her way to get Wiley, the doorbell rings, and she yells that she’s got it. She opens the door, and says, oh…

I’m guessing the woman at the cemetery? I don’t think it’s Harmony though. Maybe Shiloh’s mom?

On Monday, Jordan asks if Portia and Curtis are a couple now, Stella can’t help but worry it will end up that way, Chase says Willow honestly thought that was a good idea, Nina doesn’t know if it’s a blessing or curse

Million Dollar Listing New York

KJ brought her younger brother Alex to West 95th Street, where there were two apartments she was listing. Built in 1971, the building had gone condo, and an investor had purchase the apartments still occupied by rent stabilized tenants. As they moved, the investor revamped the apartments for buyers. I totally get this, since I lived in an apartment that did the same thing, but went co-op. We eventually bought our apartment for cheap when the investor wanted out. Ha-ha, score one for the tenant. In KJ’s interview, she said they were smaller apartments at lower price points, and she wanted Alex to help her with his digital marketing skills as a millennial. He handled her website and social media accounts. Social media was king, since they weren’t having open houses. They met with the developer, who was also Alex. Despite covid, KJ had already sold an apartment for $770K, another for almost $1.5 million, and yet another for $1.8 million, but there were two 949 square foot, 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartments with river views, lingering. Alex2 showed her newly added closet space to one of the apartments, but even so, KJ thought they should lower the price of $1.595 million to a post quarantine price point. She thought $1.495 million would get them some bites, as well as new imagery to freshen the listing. Alex2 was amenable, but needed to check with his dad, who was head of the company. In the meantime, KJ was having Alex1 help her develop a TikTok account. In her interview, she said it was like he was speaking another language. She had no idea what young people were talking about. This seemed pretty weird, since it’s not like she’s ancient, but I guess her job and kids keep her pretty busy.

Fredrik and team member Charlé went to Harlem to visit the Ali Forney Center, where they met yet another Alex. Seriously, WTF? A drop-in center for LGBTQ+ youth, complete with a disco ball, it had been named after queer youth activist Ali Forney who’d been murdered.  Alex said they did their best to create a fun environment. They also provided homes for LGBTQ+ young people, kicked out because of transphobia and homophobia. Alex3 said LGBTQ+ youth were eight times more likely to be homeless. They were converting the Bea Arthur Residence, left to them in her will, from a rental model to an ownership model, but needed even more space. A private anonymous donor had given them a $4-8 million budget, and they were looking to house 8-20 people in a 4-9 bedroom house with community space and a yard. Fredrik said they’d donate any commission back to the center.

Fredrick and Charlé met Alex3 at Hamilton House in West Harlem, where they were joined by art director Marcia and community developer Jase. This was one fabulous house, with amazing original detailing. Built in 1910, the house was 4796 square feet, and 20 feet wide, which is a thing when you’re in the city. The asking price was $4.5 million, but Fredrik thought he could get it down to $4 million. Marcia said it had a family feel, and Jase said it was truly a home. Everyone thought it was perfect, and Fredrik said it wasn’t about the commission, but helping the kids.

Tyler’s assistant Kemba had quarantined with her bae Evan (thank God his name wasn’t Alex) when they’d only been dating a couple of weeks. His parents were relocating to Florida, and selling a family home on West 87th Street. This was another gorgeous piece of real estate. Built in 1890, it was 5231 square feet, and 18 feet wide. It had 4 floors, 5 bedrooms and 5 baths, 8 gas converted fireplaces, and 2 garden terraces. Among the other fabulous details were hand printed wallpaper, a summer kitchen with high-end appliances, a garden level living room, and a wine cellar literally in the cellar. There was even an original faucet shaped like a dolphin, eventually reproduced for Sherle Wagner, a company founded by Evan’s grandmother. Tyler said Evan knew the history of the house, and that’s what got people excited. Sometimes he made up stories for buyers, but he had the real deal this time. Tyler said one advantage he had was a good relationship with stagers who could help Evan’s parents pack and move what was still in the house. He explained the other houses on the block were either in need of renovation or, if already renovated, in the $10 million range. They needed to find the sweet spot in between, and Tyler suggested $6.995 million, which made his potential commission $209K and change.   

Fredrik and the group from the Forney Center checked out the West 87th Street house, but didn’t feel it had enough space. Fredrik also showed them another house down the block with the asking price of $3.750 million. They met with broker Ronita, who told them the house had been used for an art exhibit, so be prepared for a lot of pieces that had been left behind. Most of it seemed to be sculptures of the bottom half of a female body, or as Fredrik said in his interview, the house had a lot of ass-ets. It was 4500 square feet, and 20 feet wide, 5 bedrooms and 5 baths, but the group thought too much work would have to be put into it. They were still sold on Hamilton House, and in Fredrik’s interview, he said when someone found the perfect house, seeing anything after that just made them love it even more.  

KJ’s plan to increase traffic and get bites for the West 95th Street house was a success using the new pricing and social media push. Buyers were looking for a turnkey property with outdoor space, but as it was a buyer’s market, it was hard to make it stand out when there were a lot of listings in the same price point.

Fredrik was meeting with Alex3 and company at the Hamilton House, and when Alex3 said the donor had pulled out, my mouth literally dropped open. I wondered how anybody could pull the rug out from under a bunch of kids like that. Fredrik had the scathingly brilliant idea to try and negotiate a lease with an option to buy. Alex said the rent had to be equal to what they were paying, which was $12K a month. Outside, Fredrik called broker Ian, explaining the situation, and telling him the seller would get full asking price in 6 months. By the time Fredrik went back inside, Ian was calling back to tell him that the owner loved the center’s work, and gave them the deal. Even I had tears in my eyes.  

Next time, KJ revisits her first big sale, and Ryan and Steve work together. Maybe.

💘 Happy Anniversary…

While GH has its moments, OLTL was always my favorite soap.

🐭 Terry Mouse…

She wears the ears well.

💫 He Gets It…

Being a champion of mental health is one of the things I love about Maurice Benard.

🗽 Countess In the City…

Um… no. Just no.  

https://okmagazine.com/p/luann-de-lesseps-pushing-for-kim-cattrall-sex-and-the-city-role/

🏛 A Pandemic State Of Mind…

The best piece of advice he could give is, be better? That’s right up there with just say no.

https://pagesix.com/2021/07/25/rhop-star-robyns-husband-juan-says-be-better/

🐐 Singer Scapegoat…

I doubt it’s all Ramona’s fault if the ratings have dropped.

REPORT: Ramona Singer To Be Fired From RHONY Amid Ratings Drop and Racial Tensions, Plus How Ramona Feels About Alleged Axing

⚖️ And the Award For Most Ridiculous Lawsuit Goes To…

Although I could understand them slapping her with a fine for bad taste in partners.

https://pagesix.com/2021/07/29/braunwyn-windham-burke-claims-she-was-sued-for-kissing-tamra-judge/

🗳 It’s Official…

Now if we can just free Britney.

https://people.com/tv/tom-girardi-conservatorship-made-official-court-major-neurocognitive-disorder/

👶🏼 And the Test Says…

Wow. People sure read a lot into meaningless things.

PHOTO: Is Stassi Schroeder Pregnant Again With 2nd Child? Vanderpump Rules Alum Addresses Rumors After Sharing Pic With Husband Beau Clark

⚰️ Walking Closer…

The beginning of the end starts on August 22.

The last villain.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a37176236/the-walking-dead-first-look-pamela-milton/

Spinning off.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a37154860/the-walking-dead-spin-off-daryl-carol-hint/

🧧 Quotes of the Week

I’m a werewolf, okay? Let’s not make a big deal of it. Woof. – Carolyn Collins (Chloe Mortiz) Dark Shadows

Trust is like a mirror. You can fix it if it’s broken, but you can still see the crack in that motherf***ing reflection. – Lady Gaga, Telephone video

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead. – Charles Bukowski

Quitting can be a hard choice to make, but often it’s a brave one, as well. – Susan David

Fried chicken just tends to make you feel better about life. – Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer), The Help (Agreed.)

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. – Confucius

I am big. It’s the pictures that got small. – Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), Sunset Boulevard

Threats are the resort of the uninspired and impatient. I like to think of myself as persevering and imaginative. – Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober), General Hospital

You cannot change anyone, but you can be the reason someone changes. – Roy T. Bennett

By hero, we tend to mean a heightened man who, more than other men, possesses qualities of courage, loyalty, resourcefulness, charisma, above all, selflessness. He is an example of right behavior; the sort of man who risks his life to protect his society’s values, sacrificing his personal needs for those of the community. – Paul Zweig

🐝 Buzzing Off…

Well, the weekend is here… I think. Are we pandemicking again? Luckily, reality TV and GH march on, so see you in three days. Whatever your pandemical status, stay safe, stay knowing all situations are temporary, and stay enjoying the box as much as what’s inside.

July 29, 2021 – Dead Or Alive, Nixon Falls Debunk, She Doesn’t Care, Bad Week In BH, Jill’s Battle, New Miami, a Joke, It’s Over, Another Story, Renewed, Nominated, Goodbye Ron & Somewhere

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Cameron opens the door to Josslyn, and invites her in, saying he’s just got to get his keys. They start to kiss, when Elizabeth walks in. She says, sorry. She didn’t mean to interrupt.

Ava and Trina go to the pool (🍷), and Trina says this is their second time working remotely. Is Ava sure she can keep the gallery closed this much? Ava says, if someone needs her, they can call her. Besides, before she knows it, Trina is going to be off at PCU. She should take every opportunity to enjoy this time with friends. Spencer appears, and says he couldn’t agree more.

Sam sits down with Nikolas at the MetroCourt, and says her mom told her that he came to visit at Spring Ridge. What did he think? He says, it’s not bad for a minimum security prison. The facilities are imminently better than Pentenville. They focus less on incarceration and more on rehabilitation. On the whole, he thinks it’s better for Alexis. She says, but…? and he says, Ryan Chamberlain is currently being housed there.

Olivia asks who’s going to help her decorate, and Brook says, Valentin can’t. He’s missing Bailey’s feeding for an important meeting. Valentin says he thought she’d enjoy spending time alone with their daughter. He finds his phone in the couch cushions, and asks if it wouldn’t be too much trouble for Wiley not to play with it. Brook says, ask Michael or Willow; not her kid, not her problem. He rushes to the door, and Olivia asks if they can expect him for Wiley’s birthday party. He says he wouldn’t miss it for the world. He tells Bailey not to miss daddy too much, and jets.

In the foyer, a wrapped gift tumbles off of Chase’s lap. Valentin picks it up, and says, please tell him this isn’t another toy for Wiley. Between Olivia, Michael, and Willow, they have that area covered. Chase says, Willow told him to only bring himself, but Wiley’s his stepson; he didn’t want to show up empty handed. Valentin says he owes Chase an apology.

Anna looks at a picture of her and Finn on her phone, when there’s a knock at the door. She lets Dante in, and he asks why she’s holding out on him. She says she’s not, but he says he thought they were sharing their information into Peter’s disappearance. What changed?

Chase asks what Valentin has to apologize for, and Valentin says he’s the reason Peter was raised by his father, Cesar Faison. He turned a blind eye to Peter’s worst traits, and was slow to react. He didn’t do anything until it was too late. Chase says, there’s a lot Valentin should be sorry for, but putting him in this chair isn’t one of them. Only Peter is responsible for Peter. Valentin says Chase is a kind man, and thanks Chase for his willingness to let him off the hook. Chase says, almost dying had its good points. It sped up his relationship with Willow. Valentin says, that’s amazing, and congratulates Chase on his marriage. Chase thanks him, and says he’s just waiting until he can get out of this chair and be Willow’s husband in every sense of the word. Valentin tells him, they say attitude is everything. He has no doubt Chase’s positive attitude will work wonders in his life. Just know that he deeply regrets his part in the collateral damage left in Peter’s wake. He leaves.

Anna says she just saw Dante yesterday. If she found out anything more, she would have told him. He says, just like she told him that she and Finn were going to be in the subbasement? She says, it was a spur of the moment thing. It was a long shot. She didn’t know when they went down there that it was a legitimate lead. Did he hear anything from forensics? He says, they’ve been working through the night, picking up partial prints. Mostly unusable. She asks if there are any fingerprints or DNA that will help them identify Peter’s companion, and he says, blood mostly, in the corridors and elevator. (So no one noticed that on their way down?) All belonging to Peter. She asks if it’s a droplet or smear pattern, and he says, droplets. She says, that means Peter wasn’t dragged, and he says, it means Peter was carried out of there, or walked out under his own power. Either way, it means Peter is still out there.

Elizabeth tells Josslyn, good morning, and Josslyn returns the greeting, saying she’ll meet Cameron at the pool (🍷). She leaves, and Cameron says, so he and Josslyn are kind of together. Elizabeth says, kind of? They looked pretty together to her. He asks if she’s mad, and she laughs, saying, no. Josslyn’s a sweet girl. She’s been a good friend to him, and they’ve known each other forever. She’s glad they have each other. He says, him too. He’s sorry about not telling her sooner. He wasn’t intentionally keeping it from her. He guesses he’s kind of used to going to Franco with these kinds of things. Elizabeth hugs him.

Brook says, once again, Olivia is criticizing her mothering skills, but Olivia says, once again, Brook is getting defensive over nothing. She’s giving Brook a compliment. Brook is always putting down her own mothering skills, and she’s trying to tell Brook the opposite. She’s a amazing; she’s a natural. It reminded her that she trusted Brook with Leo as a newborn. She’d forgotten how good Brook was with babies. Brook says she guesses she keeps forgetting too, and Olivia says she knows firsthand that Brook has this amazing love and selflessness. Now with her own baby, she thinks Brook is being generous with Valentin because she’s afraid to let herself feel that overpowering mother love. Brook guesses she never thought of it that way. Valentin is so good with the baby, she figured why wouldn’t she support that? Olivia says, it’s okay to be vulnerable. To let herself love this baby. That tough shell of hers, the baby already cracked it.

Spencer says he’s a firm believer in friends enjoying themselves, and Trina says, old friends or new? He says, it’s always more interesting hanging out with new friends, don’t you think? Ava says she wasn’t aware that Trina and Spencer knew each other. Until the other day when Spencer exposed Trina trying to get her and Nikolas back together. Parent Trapping, she thinks he called it. Trina says she shouldn’t have gotten involved, and Spencer says it was his fault too. He and Trina learned a valuable lesson – to stay out of other people’s business. Ava says she hopes he means that, and he says he does. He’s sorry she didn’t bring Avery with her; he would have loved to say hello. Oh, he’s sorry. Is she still living with Aunt Carly? Ava tells Trina to order whatever she wants from the bar, as long as it’s non-alcoholic; her treat. She’s going to order herself a very bloody Mary. Have fun. Trina thanks her, and Ava leaves. Spencer says, that was generous of Ava, and Trina says he seems surprised. Ava’s actually been a good friend to her, and she thinks she knows how to be one to Ava. He asks, how? and she says, by finding out who’s been stalking her and Nikolas.

Sam says her mother didn’t tell her that she was in the same facility as Ryan, and Nikolas says she probably didn’t want to worry Sam. She says, but he did? and he says, there’s nothing to worry about. Ryan can’t move, he can’t talk. He’s not a danger to Alexis or anyone else. She says she’s not buying anything about that raging psychopath, and Nikolas says he parked Ryan in a corner, literally, and he couldn’t so much as twitch in protest. All he could do was blink. She tells him, she’s sorry to say this, but she thinks Ryan is capable of fooling anyone, including Nikolas and his doctors. He says, whether it’s Ryan or not, he and Ava are getting divorced, since it’s what the stalker seems to want. She says, but getting a divorce wouldn’t be his first choice? and he says, it’s not his choice. The stalker proved he could get to Avery, and that was it for Ava. It’s a line she won’t cross. How can he blame her? Enough about him. What’s going on with her? She says she’s working a case, and it’s kind of a secret that Shawn didn’t shoot Hayden. He hired her to find out who did, and that’s why she tracked him to the MetroCourt. Because Nikolas is going to help her find him.

Brook says, listen, kid, you’re cute, but she thinks it’s better if they keep their arrangement strictly professional. She knows Bailey can’t do that with her daddy, since he doesn’t know she’s not really his. Does she feel guilty about it? Yes, because Valentin turned out to be a really good father. He’s a pretty decent guy too, but no. She’s sorry to be the one to tell Bailey this, but her biological father is a wall-crawling psycho. So it’s actually much healthier for her to bond with Valentin. He’ll protect her regardless, but it doesn’t hurt that he absolutely adores her. She places Bailey in the bassinette, and says between the two of them, she thinks it’s better if neither one of them gets too comfortable. So save her adoring eyes for her real mother. Chase wheels in, and says, real mother? What does she mean by that?

Elizabeth says she’s sorry Cameron doesn’t have Franco to talk to anymore, but he’d be thrilled that Cameron and Josslyn are together. He always just wanted to see Cameron happy. Cameron thinks so too, and She says, it’s tough, isn’t it? Getting used to not having him around. Sometimes when she has a difficult day at work, she comes home and thinks she can’t wait to tell Franco about it. Cameron says she can always talk to him, and she says he can always talk to her. He thanks her and says he’ll see her later. Before he leaves, he tells her that Franco would want them all to be happy. Elizabeth flashes back to walking in the park with Finn, and telling him, the last thing she wants is for him to turn himself in to protect her, and him saying, the last thing he wants is for her to be implicated. She tells Cameron that she has some things to work through first; nothing he needs to worry about. She promises she’ll be as happy as Franco would want her to be. He says, good, and leaves.

Dante asks if Anna is expecting someone. She seemed surprised to see him. She says, Valentin. He wants to bring Peter in as much as they do. He guesses who she decides to collaborate with, is up to her, and she says, yes, it is. He says, Valentin doesn’t have the most assuring track record, but she says she thinks he’s changed. He says, people don’t change. Valentin is out for himself, no matter who gets in the way. She says she’ll take it under advisement, and Dante opens the door. Valentin is there, and asks if Dante has found Peter. Dante says, not yet; has he? Valentin says, not yet, and Dante leaves. Valentin asks Anna if they were exchanging information, and she says, not over this.

Sam tells Nikolas, Hayden visited Shawn while he was in prison, and indicated she might know the identity of her shooter, but she left Port Charles before Shawn could press her for any information. He says, the first time she left? Months after the shooting? Sam says, correct, and he says, then he can’t help her. She says he was married to Hayden, and he says, operative word being was. Their relationship was complicated to put it mildly. Technically, they were still married when he was presumed dead. She says, is that what he’s calling it? He says, how about when Valentin tried to kill him, he chose to go into hiding? and she says, for three years. He says, then he decided to take back his life. He contacted Hayden, and she and Jax worked with him to reclaim what was rightfully his, and he intended on cutting her in on a share of the proceeds, but she took off because she was afraid of Valentin. She says, leaving Violet with Finn. Finn told her that Hayden hasn’t been in contact with Violet at all. Nikolas says he tried to track Hayden down, but it was like she disappeared in a black hole. Sam says they tried to contact Hayden’s mother, Naomi Dreyfuss, hoping she could steer them in the right direction, but they hit a wall there. Can he do her a favor, and if he can find out any information on Hayden, will he let her know? He says, of course (🍷). He sees Ava go to the bar, and says, just remember, Hayden made toxic friends and questionable choices. His advice to Sam and Shawn is, stop looking for her, unless Sam wants trouble on her doorstep. Now if she’ll excuse him…

Trina reads a magazine, and Spencer clears his throat to get her attention. She says, he’s still here? and he asks if he may join her. She says, it’s a free country, and he gets on the lounge chair next to hers. He wonders what they should charge to Ava’s tab first. Does a virgin pina colada sound good? How about a Mai Tai minus the rum? She says she doesn’t think he was included in her tab. Besides, can’t Cassadines buy their own drinks? He says, a Cassadine cannot only buy his own drinks, he can supply them, along with a castle and a state of the art sound system. She asks if that’s an invitation, and he asks if she’s accepting. Josslyn comes by, and says, accepting what? Trina says Spencer if offering to throw them a party. Spencer looks pretty surprised.

Nikolas tells the bartender to put Ava’s drink on his tab. He asks if she shouldn’t be swimming in the pool (🍷) instead of a bloody Mary, and she says, the pool (🍷) bar doesn’t serve booze before noon. He shouldn’t be seen with her; their stalker could be watching. He asks if that’s what has her so upset, and she says she was just reminded she can’t be with her daughter until they’re divorced. He says he’s sorry. Does it help that he saw Ryan? She says, when? and he says, he visited Alexis in Spring Ridge. Ryan is staying in the same facility. She asks why he didn’t tell her sooner, and he says, because there was nothing to tell. Ryan’s condition is unchanged; he’s completely locked in. Nikolas doesn’t see how Ryan could be stalking anyone, or even communicating to anyone to carry out his orders. She says, if that’s true, it really just makes things worse. They have no idea who’s terrorizing them, just that they’re as sick as Ryan, and their anonymity makes them even more dangerous.

Josslyn says it’s so nice of Spencer to throw them a party, and Trina asks if they’re going to have a photo booth. Josslyn adds, a DJ and a full-lighting package. He says, slow down, he hasn’t agreed to anything, and Trina says, so much for making it up to her. Cameron joins them, and asks what Spencer has to make up for now. Trina says, first he sabotages her plan to get Ava and Nikolas back together, then he offers to throw a party to make amends. Now he’s backing out of that party. Cameron says, dude, you’ve got to throw that party. He thought Spencer was the guy with no limits. Didn’t he rent that yacht that time in I-biza. Spencer says, first, it’s pronounced I-bi-za, and Cameron says, sorry, he doesn’t know what he was thinking, and Spencer says, second, he’s not backing out of anything. Whatever the lady wants, the lady gets.

Olivia opens the door to Dante, holding a bottle of glitter. He says, that’s a lot of glitter. She has glitter in her hair too. (Take care of kids long enough, you’ll grow to hate glitter. And Play-Doh.) She lets him in, saying, Charlotte thought it would be a good idea to make Wiley a birthday card out of glitter. Rocco may have thought it would be a better idea to throw glitter all over the backyard. He says, and all over her? and she says she’s glad the boys are good friends. They’re very happy. Charlotte, not so much. Rocco told her that Dante is taking him to see Lulu in the next couple days. Dante says, that’s the plan, and she says, that’s good. Rocco should be seeing his mom. He says, why does he get the feeling she’s going to tell him something he doesn’t want to hear?

Brook says Chase could give a girl a heart attack, sneaking up on her like that, and he asks why she’s telling her daughter that she’s not her real mother? She says because she doesn’t feel like Bailey’s real mother, and he says he’s no expert on babies, but he thinks she’s selling herself short. He thinks she is a real mother to Bailey. He was her roommate. He’s seen firsthand how fiercely devoted she is to the people she cares about.

Valentin asks if Anna’s seen Finn, and she says she did. He says, and? and she says, it was him. He was on the roof with Peter. He says he’s so sorry, and she says, it is what it is. She just has to figure out a way to protect him. He asks why Finn needs protecting. What’s going on? What happened on that roof? She says, Finn pushed Peter, and he fell down the stairs. Finn is convinced he’s dead.

Elizabeth opens the door, and says, well, this is a surprise. Sam walks in, and Elizabeth asks if she brought more of Jason’s stuff to burn. She thinks they both needed to blow off some steam after hearing Jason and Carly were engaged, and asks if Dante is giving Sam a hard time. Sam flashes back to Dante kissing her, and says, it turned out all right at the end. Elizabeth asks what brings Sam by, and Sam says she needs to find Elizabeth’s sister Hayden.

Anna tells Valentin, Finn confronted Peter on the roof when Peter was waiting for the helicopter. He begged Peter for the antidote, but Peter refused, and chose to toss the vial off the roof, which infuriated Finn. Finn lost it, and shoved Peter, who fell down the stairs, smashing his head open in the process. By the time Finn got to him on the landing, he checked for a pulse, but there wasn’t one. At that point, it was more important for him to save Chase, so he took Peter’s body and deposited it in an abandoned lab in the subbasement. Valentin says, Helena’s lab, and she says, yes. He put Peter’s body in a freezer. Valentin says, by himself? and she says, he was vague about that. Valentin says, meaning he had help, and she says, possibly… probably, but he refuses to admit it. But listen, this is the important part. He put Peter’s body in the freezer because he couldn’t figure out a safe way to move it. Finn took her there yesterday to show her the body, but the body’s gone. There was no sign of Peter. Valentin says, dead or alive, and she says, that’s the million dollar question. The PCPD found traces of Peter’s blood in the lab, the elevator, and the access corridors, but it’s not clear if the body was carried out there. He says, or Peter walked out. Does Dante know? She says, just that Peter’s missing and hurt. He found a lot of blood. Obviously, the PCPD doesn’t know about Finn’s connection to any of this. Jordan said she wants to put most of her attention on the other person on the roof with Peter, which is concerning. All they’ve proven is, dead or alive, Peter was removed from the freezer.

Brook tells Chase, this whole baby thing has her rattled. She was fine when Olivia gave her Leo to take care of. Here, she feels like she’s under a microscope. He says, lots of people under one roof, telling her how to raise her baby? and she says, and not enough space to get this mothering thing right. Although, shock of all shocks, Olivia told her that she’s doing a good job. He says, if anyone can sense someone going through the motions, it’s Olivia. He wishes he could say the same for himself. She asks what he’s talking about, and he says, going through the motions. He feels like he’s putting on a front for Willow. It’s like he’s this optimistic guy who thinks he’s going to jump out of the chair any day. She says, he will, and he says he’s trying. He’s grateful to the Quartermaines for asking him back to stay in the house. She says, they’re putting up Valentin; you’re easy-peasy. He says, it’s the perfect situation for him. The house has wheelchair access because of Lila, and Willow is just down the driveway. What more could he ask for? She says, to walk, and he says, yeah, that. It’s like he’s faking it or bluffing, until one day he miraculously wakes up and feels like Willow’s husband. Brook says, meanwhile, thanks to Nelle and her scissors of doom, she can’t even sing Bailey a lullaby. He says, maybe he can help with that. Can he hold Bailey? She says, of course (🍷), and gives the baby to Chase. He tells Bailey that when his mom wanted him to sleep, she’d sing him this son. He sings Lullaby and Goodnight, and I die laughing because Bailey makes a ton of faces, like she might cry, but then this is cool, then, no it’s not. I think we might have another Wiley on our hands.   

Olivia says every time Dante sees Lulu in that facility, it costs him. Don’t get her wrong. She’s thrilled that he’s back at the PCPD, being a detective, but a job does not equal a life. He says, Lulu was his life. Now he barely has a legal right to see. Thankfully, Laura allows him too. Olivia says, of course (🍷) she does, and he says, the point is, he’s the one who wanted the divorce. She says, and he’s been beating himself up about it for months, but it seemed like he’d been lightening up lately, cutting himself some slack. She wonders if it has something to do with Sam.

Elisabeth tells Sam, so Shawn was framed for Hayden’s shooting. The judge who sentenced him is being investigated for racial bias, and now Shawn’s been released, and the governor commuted his sentence to time served. Sam says, that’s pretty much it, and now that the truth is out, whoever framed Shawn could pose a danger to Hayden. She knows Elizabeth and Hayden weren’t friends at the time… Elizabeth says, they didn’t even know they were sisters, and Sam says, but they eventually became closer. If maybe there’s some information Hayden told her that she didn’t think was important at the time, but is now. Anything that could help them figure out who shot her sister. Elizabeth remembers asking someone if they were behind it.  

Spencer asks if Trina wants something to drink or eat. He’ll put it on the Cassadine tab. She can save Ava’s offer for another time. She says she’s good, thanks, and he gets up. She follows and calls to him, and he asks if she changed her mind. She says, yes, about the party at Windymere. If he thinks his dad won’t approve, don’t have it. She and Josslyn kind of forced him anyway. He thanks her, and she says she knows things are just getting back on track with him and his dad. She doesn’t want to spoil that. He tells her, just get ready, and she says, for what? He says, for the biggest rager Port Charles has ever seen.

Ava walks to a private area with Nikolas, and says, until they figure out who the stalker is threatening them and Avery, there’s no future for them. He tells her, don’t say that, please, and she says, don’t make this more difficult. He says he didn’t mean to. Doesn’t she know, there’s nothing he wants to do more than make her feel safe, and she says she does know that, but she hates to see him hurting too. He hugs her, and she hugs back.

Valentin says they’ve got to find Peter before the PCPD does, and before he hurts anyone else. She says, but they don’t know if he’s alive or dead. Finn is convinced he’s dead. Valentin tells her that he’s saying this as delicately as he can. He’s not emotionally attached to Finn like she is. He doesn’t have to give him the benefit of the doubt. She asks where they go from there. She’s lying by omission to Dante and Jordan. He says, there are two possible scenarios. Peter is dead, and somebody moved the body, or he’s alive. And he’s hiding. And we’ve got problems. And he thinks it’s more likely Peter’s alive.

Brook says, Bailey is sleeping like, well, a baby, and Chase says his singing put her to sleep. Would she mind telling Willow that? He can’t help but feel this version of him isn’t enough for Willow. She says, any woman would be lucky to have him, and he says, Bailey is lucky to have her as a mom. He sees the way Bailey looks at her, and the way she looks at Bailey. He knows he’s not a parent, but going all in on loving your child, that’s half the battle.

Dante says he and Olivia talked about this. He and Sam are just friends. And barely that after she threw them both in the harbor on the 4th. She says, you see? This is what she’s talking about; that spark. He says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and calls for Rocco. She says he’s smiling, and he’s laughing. He even made spontaneous brags about the Yankees. He’s got such an amazing capacity to embrace life. Maybe it has something to do with Sam, maybe not, but she knows if Lulu was there, she would want him to stop moping around. She’d want him to live his life. He says he’s trying to be in the present moment as much as he can, but it’s really tough. Maybe he does have to start thinking about letting go of Lulu. Olivia says, so she’s right? and he says, as much as it pains him to say it, she is.  

Sam asks if Elizabeth can think of anything Hayden told her that could be relevant, but Elizabeth says, no. She can’t think of anything. She’s just trying to process what Sam told her. Sam says, Shawn seemed convinced Hayden knew who was behind her attempted murder, and Elizabeth says, Hayden didn’t talk to her about that, but there were a lot of things they didn’t talk about. She changed a lot when she became a mother. Everything she did was for Violet. She was loving and committed. That’s why it still doesn’t make sense that she’d disappear leave Violet behind. Sam says, maybe she disappeared to protect Violet, and Elizabeth says, or something happened, and she can’t come back.

Josslyn asks if Trina and Spencer were finalizing the details of the party. She and Cameron sit down, and Trina says she let Spencer off the hook, but he’s not having it. He swears it’s going to be an epic party. Cameron says, don’t get your hopes too high. Sometimes Spencer doesn’t deliver what he promises. Trina asks if Cameron is saying Spencer is a liar, and Josslyn says, more of a compulsive exaggerator. Spencer is capable of incredible things, but he thinks he needs to be all incredible all the time. Sometimes to the point of being obnoxious. Trina asks if they’re warning her away from Spencer.

Ava says she misses Nikolas, and she misses Avery. We see Spencer slipping around to watch them, and Nikolas says, him too.

Alone again with the baby, Brook tells Bailey that she’s trying not to get attached. Bailey is Maxie’s daughter, not hers. But Bailey is growing on her. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a face like hers? Already a ham, Bailey faces the camera instead of Brook.

Dante runs out of the house, yelling to Rocco, no glitter on your person. Get it off before he gets in the car. He gives Olivia a kiss on the cheek, and she tells him, come back if he needs advice. He says he knows where to go if he wants to talk, but he’s good for now. He only has one thing to say about Sam – butt out. He leaves, and Olivia smiles.  

Sam tells Elizabeth that she’s sorry if this dredged up painful memories for her. If she learns where Hayden is, Elizabeth will be her first call. Elizabeth thanks her, and Sam says, of course (🍷). As soon as Elizabeth closes the door, she gets out her phone, and calls Nikolas. She tells him that he needs to come over right away. They need to talk about Hayden. He says, what about her? and Elizabeth says, about what he did to her.

Josslyn says she’s not warning Trina away from Spencer, and Cameron says, although it actually might be a good idea. Josslyn says, she has a non-interference clause when it comes to getting involved in other people’s relationships, or lack thereof. If Trina wants to be with Spencer, or Victor, or someone else, or nobody at all, she’s there to support not judge. Trina thanks her, and Cameron says, besides, he and Josslyn are still figuring things out for themselves. Trina asks what there is to figure out, and Josslyn says, for one thing, Cameron’s mom walked in on them, and Trina says, embarrassing. Cameron says, very, but his mom was actually pretty chill about it. Trina says, lucky him. She would sink through the floor if her mother caught her kissing a guy.

Spencer sees Ava drying her tears, and asks if everything is okay. She asks what he wants, and he says he guesses he deserves her suspicion. He wasn’t very subtle in his anger toward her. She says she knows he has his reasons. She knows he needed her to testify to help him with Valentin. And when his father came home, she practically blackmailed him into marrying her. He says, no one’s perfect, and she says, certainly neither of them. He says, since he’s been home, he’s seen how much his father loves her, and she loves him. Does she think they can put the past behind them, and start fresh? Isi t possible for them to declare a truce? He holds out his hand.

Anna asks why Valentin believes Peter survived, and he says, who made off with the body? What’s the point? Unless Finn has some unknown ally ready to cover for him. This is Peter they’re talking about. He’s not the first dead man to get up and walk away in Port Charles (ha-ha!). And now he’s had weeks to go underground and cover his tracks. She says, that makes sense. She can’t help hoping he’s dead. He says he knows, and she says it would just be a relief to know she’s not the one who had to kill him. Valentin says, that’s how they’re different. He’s ready to kill Peter himself. He wants Peter dead, and buried, and no longer a threat to anyone he loves.

Tomorrow, Brook tells Valentin to back off, Elizabeth says Nikolas had Hayden shot, and Austin asks Chase if he needs to watch his back.

🏡 No Break Needed…

The mobster with a heart of gold, and faulty memory, sets the record straight.

👠 Zero F***s…

Erika doesn’t care who believes her, but if you call her a liar, she’ll come for you. A woman of contradictions.

https://pagesix.com/2021/07/22/erika-jayne-i-dont-care-if-rhobh-co-stars-believe-me/

Erika’s recap of Tom’s accident.

https://pagesix.com/2021/07/21/erika-jayne-says-tom-girardi-was-unconscious-after-car-crash/

🐝 Instant Karma…

Is it just bad luck, or is what came around, going around?

https://people.com/tv/rhobh-kyle-richards-hospitalized-bee-stings-teddi-mellencamp-vertigo-injuries/

💰 Mall Of Shame…

One step further from her dream of being the friend of a friend of a friend of one of The Real Housewives of NYC.

https://pagesix.com/2021/07/21/jill-zarin-in-hideously-unglamorous-court-battle-over-a-midwestern-rite-aid/

🌴 Miami, Here We Come…

They’re back, and filming in the Hamptons.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/the-real-housewives-of-miami-filming-montauk

https://pagesix.com/2021/07/15/real-housewives-of-miami-seen-filming-with-new-faces/

🗽 Sooo Funny…

Although now that she mentions it, I think they should do a season where some of the Wives switch places.

https://pagesix.com/2021/07/13/rhod-star-tiffany-moon-jokes-about-replacing-ramona-singer/

🍗 But I Liked Him…

Apparently, Metul wasn’t all he was cracked up to be. I’m so disappointed. He introduced me to butter chicken.

https://screenrant.com/southern-charm-naomie-olindo-ex-boyfriend-metul-shah/

🤡 Love To Hate Him…

John Carroll Lynch talks about his latest AHS spin-off role.

https://ew.com/tv/john-carroll-lynch-american-horror-stories-drive-in-interview/

🦌 Sweet Renewal…

I loved the first season of this show, and was hoping for another.

https://comicbook.com/news/netflix-sweet-tooth-renewed-season-2/

🏆 Nominations To Love…

This was a great show, and definitely deserving. What a shame HBO didn’t give them a season two.

https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/lovecraft-country-emmy-awards

⚙️ But Wait, There’s No More…

The grandaddy of infomercials has gone to that great Bass-O-Matic in the sky.

https://nypost.com/2021/07/28/ron-popeil-set-it-and-forget-it-infomercial-star-dead-at-86/

🌜 TGIAlmostF…

Due to Million Dollar Listing New York only being shown at 8 tonight (why? who knows? ), I’ll post it tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay peculiar in a good way, and stay enjoying time with friends, both old and new.