Category Archives: film

June 13, 2021 – There’s No Stopping It, Dead Future, Victor Dissected, a Viewer’s Guide, AHS 10, About Those CMTs & Grave

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

When we last left, Teddy had set off the bomb, and Morgan let Teddy jet with Dakota. Morgan told Victor to get lost, and was alone in the control room of the submarine.

Seagulls fly overhead. We see a sign that says, Coastal Access – 3 miles, lying on its side. Rachel tries to take the tire off of her truck, as baby Morgan cries in the backseat, and bloodhound Rufus waits in the truck bed. She gets on a walkie talkie, and asks if anyone can hear her. She needs help. Anybody? She sees the missile go up, and hears Morgan say he’s still going to try and stop what Teddy started. He’s not sure it’s possible. The missile is going to reenter the atmosphere, and has multiple warheads. This could be all the time they have left. Use it. Make it mean something. Give yourself the end you wanted, even if it’s not the one we all imagined. Rachel says, this isn’t the end, and goes back to the tire. The jack falls a little, but she keeps trying, but the jack lets go completely, and the car falls on her leg. A title says: Promise me you’ll find someone. She’s not messing around, and duct tapes her broken leg, bone hanging out and all, to a makeshift splint. She takes out Baby Morgan – who I have to mention has an amazing head of hair – and hobbles down the road, Rufus running ahead. She falls, but the baby is okay, even if crying. She says she’s sorry. They can’t do this. She sees the missile divide, and kisses her baby. She says she just can’t, and takes out a knife. We think she’s going to kill the baby, but instead, she rigs up the backpack to put the baby on her back. She says, this is the end for me, but not for you. She ties a rope around her waist, tying the other end to Rufus, and telling him to find people. She puts a gag in her own mouth, and says she’s sorry. She stabs herself, and keels over, as Baby Morgan cries.

Daniel screws with the radio, and hears Morgan giving his speech about the end. A title says: Dame el Arma. Rollie squeals into the parking lot, and he, Wes, and Riley get out of the car. Rollie says Riley knows where a bunker is where they can ride things out. Funny what you can get out of a true believer when they’re pulled away from their leader. Daniel asks why they should believe Riley. He heard a voice on the radio giving coordinates to a safe place to go. Rollie asks if it was Morgan, and Daniel says, no. It was someone else, but he knows that voice. Rollie says he remembers the last time they took Daniel’s word for something, and Luci says they have no time for this. Is Daniel sure about what he’s telling them? He’s a little iffy, so she says they’ll go with what Riley said. It’s their only choice. They all get in the truck, and drive over some zombies loitering in the road. Sarah gets on the radio, and says, if Wen can hear her, stay where he is. Daniel asks Riley, why not remain silent, and die for his cause? Why would he tell them about a safe place when they’re so close to the end? The truck suddenly fishtails, and Rollie says, the brakes went out. Sarah asks Jacob if he’s fixed brakes before, and they get out. Rollie says, all hands on deck; they have company. A cluster of zombies approaches, and Jacob helps to keep the zombies at bay, while Sarah works to patch a hole in the accumulator. She tells Jacob that they may not make their way to the bunker, but he says they will. She asks, what comes next? and he says she and Wen will be together, one way or another. She does some welding.

Daniel asks Riley, if he’s all about destruction, why help them survive? Riley says he wants to see their faces when it all turns to ash. They said Teddy and his group were all insane, but it’s just the beginning. Sarah says, it worked, and Riley tells Daniel, the next will rise, or some kind of nonsense lik that. Sarah says it’s a patch job, but should get them there in one piece, and Rollie says they’ll make it out of this thing yet. Daniel talks to Luci in Spanish, asking her to give him the gun, and he shoots Rollie. Daniel says, he was one of them. That’s how Teddy found out they were at the sub. That’s why they were prepared. Riley is shot from behind, and we see Charlie holding the literal smoking gun. He’s not dead, and Luci asks Riley if it’s true. He tells her, they lost their faith and turned on each other behind the wall. Daniel has himself to thank. Otherwise they would have never been found out. Nobody is going anywhere. Warheads start to come down, and Daniel says, the coordinates. They can still make it. Luci says he knew truth about Riley. They’re putting their faith in him. They read out the coordinates.  

Dwight and Shari ride up the road, and stop. Dwight says, there’s no school there. Shari wonders if they took a wrong turn, and Dwight says, they’ll go back. There’s got to be something nearby. They gallop away, and they hear Morgan on the radio, saying, give yourself the end you wanted, even if it’s not the one we all imagined. They see a cabin, and Shari says, maybe there’s beer and pretzels in there. He asks if she’s serious, and she says, it’s the one thing they said they’d do when they found each other, and they haven’t done it yet. If this is the end, it’s how she wants to go out; just them. A title says: Enjoy the view, a-hole. They go to the cabin, and Dwight says, maybe it’s not just them. They go inside, and Dwight checks the kitchen, while Shari looks at a photo of a couple with a baby. She goes out to the backyard, and Dwight joins her. He says he couldn’t find pretzels, but he found these bad boys, handing her a beer. He says, they’re warm, but they’ll do the trick. They drink, and Shari wonders why they didn’t do this sooner. They  found each other, after everything. That doesn’t just happen, but she couldn’t get past the past. She wasted so much time being pissed off; trying to fight the bad guys, but the bad guys always win. They’ve seen that every time, and nothing she did was going to change that. She cries, and says, all it did was cost her time with him. He takes her beer, and puts it with his on the porch, and holds her. He says, everything she did, everything she’s done, she has nothing to be sorry for. He kisses her, and says they still have this life, even if it’s just for now. The woman and man from the photo come out, the man holding a gun, and Dwight says, they don’t want any trouble. They thought the cabin was empty. Shari says, they’ll get out if they know a place where they can hole up. The man says they had a place, but they took it. Dwight asks what he’s talking about, and the man says, a storm cellar. They were about to go down, when two jackasses showed up, and forced them up. Dwight asks who they were, and the woman says, they didn’t introduce themselves. They just ranted about, the end is the beginning. A little girl comes out, and we assume she’s the baby from the photo. The woman says, just give them their house back, and Dwight asks where the cellar is. He’ll get it back for them. The woman asks, how? and Dwight asks if they have any rope.  

Dwight ties one end of a rope to the horse, and the other to the cellar door handle. He slaps the horse’s flank to get it moving, and it runs, pulling the door off. Two guys come out shooting. Shari shoots one, killing him, and shoots the other, who falls, but gets up and runs. Dwight shoots him in the back, and he crawls. They all run over to him, and Dwight turns him over. The guy says, do it, and Dwight says he looks scared. A zombie is heading their way, and the guy says, please, but Dwight says, no. He doesn’t think so. He’s going to do for the guy what the guy tried to do for the family there. Give him a front row seat to the sh*t show they brought on them. Someone shoots the zombie, and Shari shoots the guy in the knee, calling him an a-hole. As they walk to the cellar, Dwight tells Shari, maybe they’re both right, and the bad guys don’t always win. They go to the cellar door, and see the missile divide. They rush inside.   

Driving with Dakota, Teddy hears Morgan on the radio, saying he’s still going to try and stop what Teddy started, but he’s not sure it’s possible. Dakota snaps the radio off, startling Teddy. She says she’s sorry she saved Morgan. She’s the only reason Morgan is alive. If he’d died at the gulch, there would have been no one stopping the missiles. Teddy says he’s glad it went the way it did. Otherwise, he never would have met her. Dakota asks if he means it, and he says she gets him. All those others, hanging on his every word, doing what he tells them, not a single one understood what he was doing the way she does.

A title says: You have nothing to be sorry about. Teddy and Dakota stand at a viewing station, and look out. He says, it’s almost time. Look at it. Here they are with a front row seat. Dakota says Teddy told her that she got him. He was the first person who didn’t look at her like she had something wrong with her, and try to make her change. He takes her hand, and says, imagine if they’d found each other sooner. John comes up behind them, and tells Teddy, step away from the girl. Teddy asks if John is spending his last moments before he turns to mulch, putting him down. John says he’s there for Dakota. He’s not fixing to hurt her; he just wants to say something. Dakota says, he’ll try to make her change her mind, and John says, she can still make her life mean something. She just has to believe people are better than she thinks they are. She says that’s how John Jr. ended up with a bullet in him, and John says, even though he walked out on his son, John Jr. still found it in himself to forgive him years later. She asks what he’s going to do with her, and he says, forgive her for killing John; for taking her son’s life. Teddy tells Dakota not to listen to him. She has nothing to be sorry about. She asks if he means that, and he says he does. John puts his gun down, and Teddy raises his, but it’s shot out of his hand. June walks up, saying, John didn’t come alone, and John says she’s a better shot than he is. Dakota asks why they’re there, and June says she forgives Dakota too. It’s not too late, even if Dakota believes it is. As long as you’re alive, it’s not too late. Dakota asks, if June believes that, why did she kill Virginia? and June says, when she lost John, she lost what she believed, but she found it again. So can Dakota. John steps on something hard, and says, what the hell is under there? He brushes aside the grass, and sees a camouflaged trap door. It opens to a ladder going down into a tunnel. He says he thought Teddy was the end. It looks like he plans on sticking around. His talk about the beginning was just hot air to get his lambs to march to slaughter. June says John isn’t lying to Dakota. Teddy is here to do what he believes. Dakota asks, what the hell is this? and Teddy tells her they’re going to shoot off the rest of the missiles. When he dust clears, he can finish what he started. Dakota says, he didn’t mean it about her understanding him, but Teddy insists he did. She says, then why didn’t he tell her? He says he couldn’t risk anyone else finding out. He wanted it to be about her and him. Why else would he bring her? John says, he needs two people to launch a missile; only one can’t turn both keys. He doesn’t care about Dakota. He just needs her. Dakota says, he’s her family, and doesn’t want her to be something she’s not. Teddy says, John abandoned his son, and June tells Dakota that she has a chance to survive; it’s a sign there are second chances. They see the missile divide, and John says, it’s starting soon. Dakota can die being who she is, or go with them. She says, and pretend to be someone she’s not. He says, it’s her choice. She points the gun, but seems unsure, and points it at Teddy.

Riding down the road on a horse, Victor hears Morgan over the radio, saying the missile is going to reenter the atmosphere, and it has multiple warheads. A title says: Which man are you? He goes into a building fighting his way through zombies inside. He tries a door, but it’s locked. A zombie gets him up close and personal, but he stabs it in the head, and runs into a stairwell. He goes up to an empty floor, and asks if anybody is there. He sees dead people, but not like that kid in Sixth Sense. They lie all over on the floor. He looks out to the parking lot, and at the crowd of zombies wandering around. He yells at the top of his lungs, and sits on the floor. He hears something in the distance, and follows the sound. He opens a door and hears a recording of a man singing the blues. He walks into a humongous room where a lot of art is being stored. He hears a gun click behind him, and a man asks how he got past the dead he let in. Hand over his gun, and start talking. Victor turns around, and says, he didn’t see it? and the man says, it was hard to miss. Is it hitting there? Victor says, it’s hitting everywhere. The man asks how Victor knows, and Victor says, he was there. Unless the man has someplace to shelter, there’s nothing more he can do. The man says he guesses that’s the ballgame, puts his gun down, and asks if Victor likes bourbon. It’s from a distillery in Texas. It used to be in Texas anyway. He asks Victor to turn the record over. He says, it’s “Lemon Blind” Jefferson. He mostly played around Dallas in 1926 to ’29. Victor says he knows his history, and the man says he hopes so. He’s a historian, or he used to be. He was a teacher before the world did what it did. Victor puts the needle on the record, and asks if that’s where all of this came from. The man says, it came after. From museums, city halls… The flag is from the Alamo. He figured somebody should try to preserve history. Victor sees a medal around the man’s neck, and asks if he’s a religious man. He says, no; his wife was. She said it would protect him. So much for that. (I dunno about that; he’s still alive.) Victor says he gave one just like it to someone, a dear friend. The man asks what Victor was trying to protect them from, and Victor says, it’s complicated. The man says, now’s not the time to be cryptic, and asks Victor, who is he? What is he doing up there? What happened out there? Victor says they were trying to build a future, while the ones they were up against were trying to end it. He was trying to stop it. He should have stopped it. The man asks why he didn’t, and Victor says, it came down to two men. They had to give their lives to save everyone, and when push came to shove, one couldn’t. The man asks, why not? and Victor says, he wanted to survive. He wanted the tales of glory for himself, and consigned everyone to be destroyed trying to circumvent death. The man asks, which one was he? and Victor says, he was the one who ready to die. The man asks why he’s there. Why isn’t he with the rest of them? Victor says, something led him there, This must be the ending he deserved, or thought he did. They hear the warheads, and see one coming down in the distance. The man says he wishes they’d met sooner, and introduces himself as Howard. Victor says, he’s Morgan. Morgan Jones.   

Grace watches the missile, and hears Morgan on the radio, telling everyone to make it mean something, and give themselves the end they want. She throws the radio, and rages a little. A title says: I can hear her. She looks into the submarine, and says she knows the ending she wants. She goes down the ladder. Morgan is cursing his life at the controls, when she comes in. He tells her that he said he’d keep trying. He’s got to make it happen. She says he can’t make stop, but he says, it’s not over. She says, they don’t know where the missiles hit, but it’s close enough. Even if they survive, with the radiation and fallout, the won’t want to live in this world. She’s seen what it does. It will be worse than Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Dying from radiation is extremely long and painful, and there will be no escaping it. He takes her hand, and she says she’s not watching it happen again; not to someone else she loves. That’s the problem with her. Don’t tell her it’s not too late. Morgan kisses her, and tells he that he loves her. She says she knows, and puts her gun on the desk. She says, please don’t make her watch it again, and he says, he thought he’d die in the gulch, but there was a reason he kept breathing. It was her. He wanted to take care of her, to build something for Athena. She says, it’s not going to happen. She’s sorry, but neither one of them were meant to be there. He says he’s sorry; he truly is. He’s sorry for them, and for what could have been. He actually let himself believe he could have a family again, be a husband… be a father. She says he can be, just not there. When Athena was born Grace wished so long to hear her cry, but it never came. She needs to hear her baby cry. They hear something outside, and Grace says, it’s the warheads separating. He picks up the gun, and says he’s sorry it has to end this way, but she says, it’s for the best. They hug, and put their foreheads together. He puts the gun against the back of his own head. We hear a baby cry, and Grace says, I can hear her. Morgan says, he can too, and they realize it’s a real baby, not Athena in their heads.  

Outside, Rufus barks. He’s leading Rachel, who’s now a zombie. Morgan says, Rachel, and Grace grabs the dog. Morgan hesitates for a moment, but then stabs Rachel through the head with his pokey stick. He catches her as she falls, and takes Baby Morgan out of her backpack. I have literally never seen a head of hair like this on a baby this young; it’s amazing. Morgan laughs, and Grace hugs the dog. He says, it feels like a gift from Athena.

Wes and Sarah get out of the truck, followed by the others. Wes asks if Daniel is sure he had the right coordinates. Charlie says, there’s nobody here, and Daniel says he’s sorry. Sarah says, maybe Wen will be okay, and Riley says, he told them, there’s no escaping. Daniel grabs him, pulls him out of the truck, and throws him on the ground. He’s either knocked out or dead, and Wes goes through his pockets. Charlie looks up, and is the first to see the helicopter headed their way. Sarah says, sh*t in a sandbox, and Luci says, Daniel was right; she knew it. The helicopter lands, and they run to it. Sarah wonders who the hell it is, and the person on the passenger side says she’s glad they got the coordinates. Don’t ask the pilot any questions. The less they know, the better. She’s wearing a facemask, but we assume it’s Al. I also assume the pilot is Isabelle.

Dakota aims her gun at John again, and June says, please, but Dakota says she doesn’t have to change for anyone.  John asks if he ever told June about the St. Louis Barnraiser, and she nods. He shoots in the air, and Dakota shoots at him, getting him in the arm, as June shoots the gun out of her hand. June and John go down into the tunnel, leaving Dakota and Teddy behind. Dakota asks if Teddy ever really gave a sh*t, or did he just need her to turn the key? He doesn’t say anything, and she shoots him, saying, that’s what she thought. She shoots him again in the head, and tells him, he said she should never change, and she’s not. Now, he never gets to see his ending.

Victor and Howard go to the window, and watch the warheads come down.

Dakota looks out, everything goes white. She’s been burned to a crisp, and I laugh.   

John and June duck, and everything blows apart.

Dwight, Shari, and the family huddle together in the root cellar. They hear the door banging, but it suddenly stops.

Luci says, if they stick together, they’ll be fine. The helicopter takes off, and we see Wes has painted, This Isn’t The End on the road; the word End on Riley’s back. Riley gets up and walks away, as a mushroom cloud rises in the distance.   

Everything is blowing up everywhere. Grace sees a dust cloud coming , and Morgan says, go! They run, Morgan holding the baby, and Rufus gets in a truck. As usual, the dog is my main concern. Morgan and Grace go under a car with Baby Morgan, and it looks like that move The Day After.   

Victor grits his teeth and closes his eyes, but then it’s over. He and Howard they see mushroom cloud. Victor laughs, and Howard asks why he’s laughing. Victor says, because he’s alive. After everything he did, he’s still there. Howard says, everything he did? and Victor says he’s not the man he told Howard he was. He’s the other one. He’s not Morgan Jones; he’s Victor Strand. He’s a man who’s thrown other men to the wolves when it was necessary. He’s not afraid to the cut the cord when he’s had to. He’s a hustler and a backroom dealer, and he’s cheated if the opportunity presented itself. Howard asks, why? and Victor says, survival. He’s done it all his life. Despite the critics, he’s still there. He came from nothing, but he knows how to survive. He’s had to rebuild himself from the ground up, over and over again. They have a great future behind them. They can take that future and rebuild, with art, and books, and music, and good bourbon. It feels like the dawning of a new day to him. They look at the cloud, and Victor asks, how about Howard?  

Grace coughs, and she and Morgan come out with the baby. They see a zombie going by, the back of him smoking (dubbed Backdraft Zombie by Talking Dead). Morgan waits for it to approach, and stabs it in the throat. They hear some popping sounds, and Morgan looks at Grace, and then Baby Morgan.

No preview, since this was the finale.

⚰️ So I’m thinking about this episode as I’m editing and listening to Talking Dead, where they’re talking about FWD having a new reality for its characters due to the bombings. And I thought, but wait, doesn’t this mean they’ll have to do the same for Walking Dead, and whatever other shows are connected to it in the same timeline or after?

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-season-6-finale-explosive-ending-impacts-walking-dead-universe-crm-helicopter/

💣 Victor’s Villainy…

I never thought of villains as necessarily being queer, but hey, why not?

https://ew.com/tv/colman-domingo-fear-the-walking-dead-zola-pride/

🧛🏼 Speaking Of Queer…

A wonderful list of horror films. This article also contains one of my favorite horror film titles of all time, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-a-Rama. I’ve never actually seen it, but I have seen Tammy and the T-Rex, also on the list. It was… interesting.

📽 It’s Coming…

The latest on American Horror Story.

🐎 Country Wins…

Everything you ever wanted to know about this year’s CMT Awards, including the fashions of course.

https://www.cmt.com/cmt-music-awards

Skating…

Finally, my dog saw the vet, after screaming, crying, and stamping my feet to get an appointment that wasn’t three weeks from now. Slight exaggeration, but I was persistent. His health issues were dealt with, so hopefully, I’m back on track now. Until we meet for soap and a sail, stay safe, stay resilient, and stay being a survivor, but without throwing anyone to the wolves like Victor.

April 26, 2021 – Jax Swears He Saw Sonny, Disco Party On Deck, a Tower, Everything Oscar, I Want One, Long Time Coming & Fight

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Chase thanks the nurse, and she says she’ll be back to put on his gown, but Willow says she can do that. She says she thinks Chase could use some pampering, and asks how he’s feeling. He says, better. The meds knocked him out, and he slept like a rock. He tells her that she looks rested and beautiful, and she says she got a lot done. A shower and a nap, she managed a ticklefest with Wiley, and she still had time to get him some herbal tea from Perks. He thanks her, and she hands him the cup, but he drops it.

Finn runs tests on what’s left of the vial. Anna asks if she can come in, and he says, sure. He probably said things he shouldn’t have. She was right about the vial that Peter smashed. He doesn’t know if it was the antidote, but it wasn’t water. She asks if he’s had any luck.

Peter calls Maxie, and says, good morning, sunshine. If she’s anything like me, she immediately wants to punch him in the face, but she says good morning to him too. He asks how she’s feeling. Is she up for a quick visit? She says she had a restless night, and so did James. He says he can take James off her hands so she can rest, but she says, no need to. Spinelli and Georgie have James with them today. Hold on. She needs to get the cuff off of her arm. Britt gave her a blood pressure monitor, and her pressure is a little elevated. She should rest; maybe take a nap. He says, at this rate, the next time he sees her, the baby will be born. She says she’s just following doctor’s orders. Have a good day. She hangs up, and he frowns at the phone. He sends a text. 

Finn tells Anna, the compound breaks down as soon as it’s exposed to oxygen. If the vial had been intact, he might have been able to analyze the residue, but even then, whoever designed it, really didn’t want it duplicated. She asks how Chase is, and he says, stable, for the moment, but he’s not being lulled into a false sense of security. Anna gets a text from Peter, saying, time is running out for Chase. He wants to see Maxie now. She tells Finn, she’ll let him get on with it. Good luck. He thanks her, and she leaves. Elizabeth comes in, and asks Finn how it’s going. He says, not good. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen to Chase.

Olivia opens the door to Dante, and he says, before they get into why she wanted him there, he wants to thank her. She says, for what? and he says, for showing up for him and Rocco, buying Rocco clothes, and for being her. She says she’s had a lot of practice with boys. He says, she went to Mike’s grave? and she says she did. She saw Maxie there at Nathan’s grave, but Maxie didn’t see her. She’s worried about Maxie.

On the phone, Brook says, Tracy already knows she’s a great grammy… Why would she think Brook wants something?… Actually, she was calling because she’s in a sticky situation, and needs a big favor from the one family member she can trust.

Sonny pours Lenny a cup of coffee, and Lenny says he appreciates the caffeine. He was awake most of the night worrying after what happened. Sonny wonders why in the hell someone would rob a barn dance? and Lenny says, Nina’s friend was injured. Sonny asks if he’s heard anything, and Lenny says, Phyllis called and said he’ll be fine. Nina is torn up about it. She went from being angry at him to being too afraid to leave his side. He wouldn’t be surprised if Nina ends up going back to him, and Sonny says, maybe. Lenny asks how he feels about that.   

Nina sits at Jax’s bedside. Phyllis comes in, and Nina says, he hasn’t opened his eyes once, but Phyllis says, that’s normal. He’s still sleeping off the sedative. Doctor Madison said he’ll be fine. Nina should go back to the house and rest. Nina says she’s not going anywhere. Jax could have died. Phyllis says, clearly, Nina still has feelings for him. Is she going to take him back? Nina asks, who says Jax wants her back?

Dante tells Olivia, Maxie has it rough with Peter, but at least she didn’t end up marrying the guy. She asks if Dante has seen Maxie lately, but he says, not since after the wake. He’s been meaning to get around to it. Olivia tells him, then get around to it. See if he can help Maxie. She’s at loose ends like him. She overheard Maxie pouring her heart out at Nathan’s grave. She’s a lost soul, and Olivia figured he could relate.

Brook says, granny, listen. She has a plan to make the family the majority stock holders again, and Valentin agreed. But she needs a real baby instead of one strapped to her… Don’t get judgy. Tracy has done worse for less reason. Doesn’t she live in Amsterdam or somewhere? Isn’t there a black market for babies there?… Hello? She says Tracy hung up on her. On to Plan B.  

Anna knocks on Maxie’s door, and says she needs to speak to Maxie; it’s important. Maxie opens the door, and asks, what part of she doesn’t want to talk to Anna, and never will, does Anna not understand? Anna says, sorry to disturb her. How is she? Maxie says she’s okay, but if Anna was concerned, she’d know Maxie needs rest and is supposed to avoid stress, including her. So, bye. Anna says she hates to ask, but she needs a bit of a favor. Maxie laughs, and Anna asks if she’d agree to a visit from Peter. Maxie says, get out.

Willow wipes up the mess, and apologizes that the cup was so hot, but Chase says she has nothing to be sorry for. The heat wasn’t the problem. He expected to take it from her, but keeps forgetting that his hands and feet are useless. She says, they aren’t useless; temporarily impaired. And the clean-up is nothing. Wiley flung a bowl of cereal around this morning. Chase says he wishes he’d been there to see it, and Willow says, it was adorable, until she had to clean up the mess. He thanks her for taking the time to see him, and she says, Michael has Wiley at the Quartermaines’. He says he keeps hoping they give him something for the neuropathy, so he can go home while they figure the rest out. He wants to go back to some sort of normal.   

Finn says he’s trying to pinpoint the cause of Chase’s symptoms, and Elizabeth says Finn was supposed to take a leave from the case. He says he knows, and closes the door. The doctor in charge told him to do whatever he needs to, to save Chase. She says she saw Anna leave; is everything okay? He says, these days, things are always awkward. They try to make them not awkward, but… She says she gets it. It’s not that remote. It’s not the same, but she’s glad she’s not on the tenth floor. Jason was admitted. He was stabbed and sent there for treatment. Jake doesn’t know, and she doesn’t think she’s going to tell him, since Jason should make a full recovery. There’s so much tension in the house already. Cameron is still convinced Jason killed Franco. He asks if she’s still convinced. 

Nina tells Jax that she’s so sorry all of this happened. When he showed up, she realized how much craziness she was keeping in. She knows he saw Sonny, and he’s going to be on the phone with Carly so fast, Nina won’t know what hit her. She’ll face the consequences. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is, she needs him to be okay. She needs him to wake up. Please. He stirs, opens his eyes, and says, Sonny.

Sonny tells Lenny, he likes Nina; they’re good friends. Lenny says they looked smooth on the dance floor, and Sonny says, she’s a great dancer. She knows all the right moves. Lenny says Sonny does too, and not just with dancing. Phyllis told him how Sonny got the jump on the thug. According to Nina, her ex didn’t hesitate either. It’s lucky the two of them were around last night. Sonny says, something strange happened. Nina’s friend was pointing at him like he had something to say to him.

Nina says, Sonny? She certainly wasn’t expecting that to be the first name that Jax said. Jax says he thought he saw Sonny, but that can’t be possible, because… He says Nina is really there, and she says she is. He says, it’s nice to see her, and she says, likewise. How does he feel? He says, now that she mentions it, his shoulder hurts a lot. Where is he? She says, he doesn’t remember? He’s in Nixon Falls, Pennsylvania. He asks, what happened to him? and she says they were at a dance, and there was an attempted robbery. He was trying to protect her and got shot. She’s so sorry he was hurt, but thanks God that he’s going to be okay. He says he’s glad she’s safe, but she says, she’s not the one who just had surgery. The doctor says he’ll be fine, and make a full recovery. He says, it’s kind of ironic. He came there from Port Charles and got shot. It’s a sleepy town, where Port Charles is known for organized crime. He just thinks of all the violence Sonny’s business inflicted on the town before he died.

Dante tells Olivia that he hasn’t missed one of his sessions with Doc, and he’s in good shape. She says she sees he’s getting stronger all the time, and he asks why she’s saying he can help Maxie. She says he knows how hard it is to fight your way back, and he says Maxie has his number. She knows she can call him any time. Olivia says, what if he was the one who reached out? It would mean the world to Maxie if she knew he was thinking about her.

Back on the phone, Brook says, grandpa, cheerio… It’s his granddaughter… Ned’s daughter… Okay, fine. Lord Larry it is then… No thanks. She’s not interested in investing in bitcoin. She’s calling because she needs a favor. She needs his help… Needs his help… She practically shouts, I need help, and Olivia and Dante run in. Olivia asks, what’s wrong? and Dante says they heard her asking for help.

Willow ties Chase’s hospital gown, and he says she does that surprisingly well. She says he’s a breeze; Wiley is squirmier. She says she’s not sure he’ll be discharged today. They might want more mobility. He says he wishes he knew what was going on. It’s so random. He hardly gets sick. She says she has every confidence Finn will figure out a treatment. She takes his hand, and he says he’s starting to get scared.

Elizabeth tells Finn, she’s conflicted and confused. She told the police what she saw, and she’s standing be her story. Franco was shot in the chest, and Jason was kneeling over him. She didn’t see a gun, and Jason could have been helping Franco, but a witness saw Jason ditch the gun. If the witness is wrong, she’s back to the same question. If Jason didn’t kill Franco, who did? Finn flashes back to Anna telling him that Peter did it, and he tells Elizabeth that she has to trust the system works. If Jason is innocent, they’ll find the real killer. She thanks him, and says she’ll hold on to that. She knows he’s got work, but she stopped by to tell him that they got his order to draw blood from Chase again. He says he’d like it as soon ask possible. He thanks her, and she leaves.

Maxie says this is Anna’s day to be unreasonable, isn’t it? Anna showed up there uninvited, refused to leave, and now she’s asking Maxie to see Peter. Anna says, the arrangements she made to deal with Peter didn’t pan out. The only way to keep him from doing more damage is for him to visit Maxie. Maxie says, Anna is selling her out again. First, Anna was going to let Maxie marry Peter, now she’s trying to convince Maxie to see him. Is there more? Does she have to promise to be nice, or agree to other visits? Anna says she’s sure Peter is going to push for more, but Maxie says, there won’t be more because she refuses. Anna says, please. It’s not about her. It’s to save someone who is in a great deal of trouble.

Lenny tells Sonny, people in shock say and do all kinds of things that make no sense. He supposes he should be grateful Jax stepped in to save Nina, and he appreciates Sonny stepping in to save Phyllis. Sonny says he’d do anything for Phyllis and Lenny; they’ve done a lot for him. Lenny says, it’s a comfort to have a hero around the place. Jax is a hero too. He wonders which of them impressed Nina more, and Sonny says, it’s not a competition. If Nina wants Jax, so be it. Lenny asks if Sonny would miss her, and he says, sure. Lenny says he knew it, and Sonny wonders who would rob a firehouse dance. Lenny says, the police are investigating. They’re questioning everyone who was there. He got a call this morning, asking if he saw anything suspicious before he left. Sonny wonders if it’s all related. Maybe it’s the same people who trashed the place. Lenny says, the police will figure it out. It’s almost time to open. 

Nina tells Jax, she’s been so isolated, she had no idea what was happening in Port Charles, or not. He says, there’s been a downtick in crime. He doesn’t know if it will last, but it sure seems like it. She says she didn’t realize Sonny’s organization was such a threat, and he says, Sonny is a magnet for trouble. His competitors are always trying to take him down, but since he’s been gone, there’s less crime. Maybe Josslyn could have some kind of normal life, and concentrate on teen drama, instead of being pulled into mob drama. He asks if she let Carly and Josslyn know what happened to him.

Eli comes by the Tan-O looking for Nina, but Sonny says she went to the clinic. Eli asks how her friend is, and Sonny says he was wondering how all that happened. Who would do that? Eli says, the police are trying to figure out the same thing, and Sonny says, why doesn’t Eli tell him?

Brook tells Olivia and Dante, she was making a call, and the baby’s kung fu kicks startled her. Olivia says she’s worried. Brook doesn’t seem to have given a thought to what it means to be a parent; how your life changes. She seems more interested in using the baby as a bargaining chip for Valentin’s ELQ shares. She thought Brook stepped off that idea. Brook says, actually, she made the deal, and Olivia says she traded access to her child for stock shares? Brook says the way she looks at it, Valentin is the father, and already has rights and access to the baby. The Quartermaines might as well get something good out of it. Olivia says, Mary, Mother of God, and Brook says, the only problem is that he won’t give her the shares until the baby is born. Dante wonders why that’s a problem.

Elizabeth tells Chase that she needs to draw his blood for more tests. Chase says, they’re still running tests? He was hoping they were moving on to treatment. Finn says he was too, but he’s come up with zero in the area of what’s causing Chase’s symptoms. Chase asks what he knows, and Finn says they’re dealing with a toxin of some kind. Chase asks if Finn is saying he’s been poisoned.

Maxie tells Anna, she’ll bite. Who will benefit from her visit with Peter? Anna says she can’t say, and Maxie says, of course (🍷). Anna says, it’s too dangerous, but she wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. Maxie says, Anna doesn’t get it, does she? When Maxie was little, she had no idea what a godmother was. She thought Anna was her fairy godmother, but there’s no magic in her, is there? Only lies and a willingness to sacrifice others for her purposes. Anna says, yes, she should have told Maxie about Peter before the wedding, but she didn’t. She can’t change that, but she can do better, and tell Maxie the truth.

Finn says Chase was exposed to a toxic substance, and Chase says, like pesticides? Finn says, yes, but Chase says he hasn’t been around any pesticides. He hasn’t worked any cases in a warehouse or farm, and he lives in an apartment. There are no bug sprays or bugs. (Clearly, he doesn’t live in NYC.) Willow says, there was that one time, and he says he couldn’t bring himself to kill it, but Willow was freaking out; he saw her. He asks what kinds of toxins there are, and Finn says, there are toxins found in nature, bacteria, and manufactured toxins like anthrax. Chase asks where that leaves them, and Finn says he’ll do more tests to isolate the substance affecting Chase.

Maxie looks at the text Peter sent Anna, and says, Peter did this? He tried to poison Finn, and got Chase. Anna says, yeah, and Maxie says, she almost married him. Anna says she’s sorry, and Maxie asks how Chase is doing. Anna says, his condition is deteriorating. Chase’s life is in Peter’s hands. Maxie says, all over a visit to her? and Anna says she hates all of this. Maxie can do this for Chase. To literally save his life, she can agree to a visit from Peter. 

Brook says, not that she owes Olivia or Dante an explanation, she made a deal, hoping to get something positive out of the pregnancy. Olivia says, other than an actual human baby, and Brook says, of course (🍷) she loves and wants the baby, but her point is, why not also get ELQ back? Now it’s not a deal until after she gives birth. Dante asks what difference it makes, and Brook says, Valentin could change the terms. He could want to be a bigger part of the baby’s life than she’s willing to give him. Olivia asks what Brook expects, using the baby as a bargaining chip? What does she think her father would say? Dante says Olivia should give Brook credit. She’s the mother of a child, doing what she believes is best for the baby’s family, like Olivia did with him and Sonny. No one questioned Olivia’s choices.

Eli tells Sonny, enough with the accusations about what he knows. Sonny tells him not to get worked up. Doesn’t he have his ear to the ground? Why is he so defensive? Eli says he’s sick of being Sonny’s target. Take his accusations, and go back to where he came from. Sonny says he would if he could, and Eli says, convenient memory loss. Sonny says, speaking of which, Eli left before the gunman made a move. Eli says, so? and Sonny says, the cops don’t know that, and he left it out of his interview. If Eli comes around again, he won’t forget. Sonny leaves, and Lenny comes back. He asks if Eli heard about the attempted robbery, and Eli says, it was all over the news. Lenny asks, where’s Mike? but Eli says he doesn’t know, doesn’t care, and he’s glad Mike is gone. He’s worried about Lenny and Phyllis. How well do they really know this Mike?   

Nina tells Jax that she thought about calling Carly, but after the doctor said he was stable, she didn’t want to worry them. Jax thanks her, saying he wouldn’t want them to worry. They have enough stress. Josslyn is in the middle of her college admissions. Nina asks how that’s going, and he says, good. She was waitlisted on her first choice, but she got into PCU and another college. He asked her to fly up with him. Nina says, he flew? and he says he took the Cessna, but Josslyn turned him down. Good thing she did. She missed the excitement last night. Nina says, it would have been terrible if Josslyn had been there, and Jax says he doesn’t want Josslyn near anymore gunfire or shooting from now on. Maybe with Sonny being gone, it’s a real possibility.

Jax tells Nina, there’s so much he wants to say. He needs to clear something up about last night after he was shot. He said Sonny’s name when he woke up… A nurse comes in, and says she needs to check on Jax. Nina can stay if it’s okay with him. Jax says, it’s more than okay, and Nina says, then she’s staying.

Outside Jax’s room, Phyllis says it’s nice of Sonny to stop by. He asks how Nina’s friend is, and she says, a nurse is in with him at the moment. They’ll have to wait.

Dante says, Olivia doesn’t mean any harm. She’s just trying to look out for Brook. Peace? Brook says she’s good, and Olivia says, fine. Dante says, good. He’s going to go; play nice. Olivia tells him, don’t forget what she said about Maxie. He leaves, and Brook asks why Olivia is fixated on Maxie. Olivia says she knows Maxie is having a difficult time. She’s desperate to be a good mother to this child, but look who the father is. She knows Valentin is no hero, but he’s lightyears ahead of Peter. Valentin is a good father, so even if Brook isn’t as committed to the idea of motherhood as Maxie is, she’ll have Valentin. She’ll have her family around her, giving her support. Brook asks if Olivia is implying she won’t be a good mother, and Olivia says, it helps to have help. Brook asks if Olivia has forgotten that she left Brook with Leo as a newborn. Not only did she return him in one piece, she was willing to risk her life if Julian came around. She was flattered that Olivia trusted her then. She admired Olivia for doing what she had to do to keep her baby safe. Olivia says, it was the hardest thing she ever had to do, and now Maxie is facing the same nightmare. Brook asks what Maxie has to do with any of this.

Maxie tells Anna, she called Spinelli, and he’s going to keep James for the day. Anna asks if Maxie knows what she’s going to do, and Maxie says, the thing is, she’s already been playing games with Peter, giving him enough contact to keep him pacified while she figures out her next move. Anna tells her, be careful, and Maxie says, that was the plan, but plans change. She’s not going to let Peter kill Chase. Anna says she’s so grateful. She’s really sorry she let things get this far. Maxie says, Anna saw what she wanted to see in Peter, and she can’t blame Anna for that. She did the same thing. There’s a knock at the door, and Maxie says, he’s here. Anna says, Maxie called him? and Maxie says, after Anna told him about Chase, and before she called Spinelli. She’s sorry; she should have told Anna. Anna says, don’t give anything away. If Peter even has an inkling Maxie knows about the toxin, he’ll let Chase die. Maxie says she knows how to handle this, and Anna says she knows. Maxie says, show time? and Anna says, show time. Maxie answers the door, and Peter says, hello, beautiful. Is she feeling better? Maxie says she is. Her fairy godmother came and sprinkled fairy dust on her, so she’s feeling a lot better. Peter comes in and sees Anna, who smiles at him.

Finn says he doesn’t want Chase to worry. He’s working around the clock to see if any known toxins match up with Chase’s symptoms. Elizabeth says, the lab is working non-stop too, and Finn says, they have their hands full. It’s tedious work. Chase wonders why he gets the feeling there’s something Finn isn’t telling him, and Finn says, he’s doing everything he can to help Chase. He has to. He leaves, and Elizabeth tells Chase, hang in there, and follows. Willow sits on the bed, and asks if Chase can try not to worry, and trust Finn. He says he trusts her. He remembers when Michael told him that he and Sasha broke up. He thought if they couldn’t make it work, how could they? But he was wrong. That was a long time ago, and they’re married now. We’re going to make it, baby. Just you and me.

Dante calls someone, and says, Sylvie. He has something on his mind. Maybe she can help him sort it out.

Elizabeth asks a nurse to take Chase’s blood to the lab; she needs to talk to Finn. She asks if Finn wants to get some coffee, and maybe a bagel. She has the feeling he hasn’t eaten. He says, no; he can’t take the time. She says sorry he’s under so much pressure, but he says, you get used to it. She says, Chase is right, isn’t he? There’s something about his condition Finn isn’t telling him. What is it?

Willow asks what Chase is talking about, and he says, their beautiful wedding, and how happy they are. He’s the luckiest man alive. She says he’s confused. They’re not married. Chase has a seizure.

Maxie says she’ll put the flowers Peter gave her in water, and then she’ll show Anna the adorable stuffed animal Peter gave her for the baby. He said it was the only thing he had left over from his adoptive parents, and it gave him comfort as a child. He says, yes. During his darkest hours with his father, it was always there for him. Maxie goes to the kitchen, and Anna says she did what Peter asked. Now will he save Chase’s life?

Brook says, Maxie this, Maxie that. Olivia is making her out like some pathetic mother-to-be, when all she’s doing is what she needs to do for her family. Olivia says, so is Maxie. She’s making the same sacrifices Olivia had to make to save that baby from a dangerous man.

Lenny tells Eli, he was skeptical of Mike at first, but he’s over it. Mike’s a good guy, and he trusts him. Eli says, but look at what’s happened since Mike came to Nixon Falls. They were held up. Lenny says, Mike fought the guy off, and Eli says, they were vandalized. Lenny says, Mike wasn’t even there, and Eli says, the hardware store was hit, and look at what happened at the dance last night. Lenny says, Mike fought off the gunman, and saved his wife. Eli says, maybe it was all an act, to stay in their good graces. Think about it. Everything started happening around the same time Mike turned up, and the guy claims he doesn’t know himself, but he sure knows how to fight and handle a gun. He doesn’t get it. Why are Lenny and Phyllis so willing to give Mike a pass, when trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes?

The nurse finishes, and Nina asks what Jax wanted to tell her when he called. He said it was important. He says, they can get to that in a bit. Right now he can’t shake this image from last night. Right after he was shot, they had him on the gurney, and when he opened his eyes, he swears he saw Sonny. He was standing right there, clear as day.

In the hallway, Phyllis asks the nurse if she can see Jax, and the nurse says, for her, anything. Phyllis tells Sonny, working here does have its perks, and he says, good thing he’s there with her. She says, now let’s go see how Jax is doing.

Tomorrow, Valentin visits Alexis in prison, Olivia tells Brook not to breathe a word of this to anyone, Sonny says if he didn’t know any better he’d swear Nina was trying to get rid of him, and Willow calls for help.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

We backtrack to Sydney being drunkenly rude to Alli after the crew’s night out, and Alli says she feels weird. She’s going to bed. Dani and JL make love sounds behind closed doors. Sydney tells Colin that she was f***ing with Alli, and in his interview, Gary says he can read between the lines. Sydney is jealous, wasted, and picking a fight. It’s the exact reason for the saying, don’t screw the crew. Gary wonders why it has to be so difficult, and Colin calls his girlfriend Martina. Gary says, it’s not going to happen at all, and it sucks. Someone please enlighten me as to why this dude is desirable. Colin tells Martina that he’s going to get some sleep, and Gary wonders what to do. Dani asks if JL is okay, and he says she is. She asks if he’s sure, which has me curious as to what they’re doing where he wouldn’t be okay. It’s a guest cabin, not Kandi’s sex dungeon.

JL comes out of the guest cabin in the morning, while everyone is just waking up. Dani waits a while, then emerges. JL tells Glenn that he got some good sleep, and Glenn says, that’s good. Gary wonders where JL disappeared to, and JL just smiles, and they laugh. Gary says good morning to Dani, and asks how she is. She says, great, and he laughs. Glenn comes to the crew mess, and says he’s so hung over from partying last night… Hang on. That’s them. That sounds like something I would say.

JL predicts rain, as they clean the boat. Dani tells Daisy about spending the night in the cabin, and says she’s the one cleaning up after herself. It’s no big deal to Daisy, unlike the brouhaha with James and Elizabeth. The wind picks up. Alli tells Dani that she has a little attachment to Gary, while Gary tells Colin that he can’t read Alli, but there’s a definite chemistry. Dani says she knows about Sydney, and wonders how you can like someone so quick. Alli says Sydney told her, you can’t help who you fall in love with, and Dani says it’s way early to be throwing around the L-word. It gives her anxiety. Gary says he’s going to take it slow, and Colin says, don’t rush. Glenn calls Gary, Daisy, and Natasha to the crew mess for the preference sheet meeting.

The primaries are Sheka and Frank, and Sheka has an insanely hard-to-please refined palate. Her friends tell her that she could be a food critic. In Natasha’s interview, she says, the only thing worse than food critics, are self-proclaimed food critics. They’re bringing along friend Lizzy and her fiancé Rachel, and friend Matt and his wife Maggie. The guests also want a pizza party, and to keep the party going, a disco rave dance party. Gary reads that they’ve requested a murder mystery, and Daisy reads that they want to have cocktails in a picturesque location off the boat. Natasha says, when they get back to the boat, they want a five-course meal. Glenn says Natasha has her work cut out for her, but he’s sure she’ll do great. Yeah, as long as she doesn’t have to make eggs.

In Colin’s interview, he says, in the marina, the boat is vulnerable in high winds. The anchor starts to drag, and they can hit the dock. Colin says, it’s too close, and in his interview, he says, the wind is 30 knots, and Glenn can’t control what the boat is doing. It’s an effing nightmare. They have to leave the dock, and untie the lines. Gary says he thinks it’s a thunderstorm that’s passing, and Glenn tells JL to keep his eye on the distance. In Gary’s interview, he says, something that’s just stupid could be disastrous. He doesn’t think JL gives a f***. Something has to change.

Alli tells Dani, she found out one thing – it fits – and they laugh. Daisy and Natasha clean up the galley, and make preparations for the guests. Glenn tells the crew that they can have a couple of drinks tonight, but don’t go crazy. Oddly enough, they don’t. Sydney asks Dani, what are they doing there? and Dani says she wonders why she’s doing another season. She’s 32 and wants to have a family and a baby. Why is she there? She read something once that they need to trust the process. Her best friend passed away at 32. He was a doctor, and was shot. She’d dated him fourteen years ago, but she’d always thought they’d end up together; that he’d be the person she’d live with forever. Now he’s gone, and she can’t leave this life without doing the best she can. In her interview, Dani says that as a woman, yachting makes it difficult to find a partner. Him passing away was difficult, and she’s worried she’s going to die alone.

JL asks how Dani slept, and she says, very well, but not as well as the other night. Provisions come in, and Natasha tells Daisy that the primary has a refined palate, so she’s going to become refined for her. She’s hoping these guests aren’t like Barry and his family. We flash back to Barry being demanding, and Natasha says she’s so tired. Finishing touches are put on the boat, and Glenn thinks it looks good. Colin’s girlfriend Martina calls, and he asks if they know what’s causing the seizures. He asks what the options are, and tells her to do whatever can be done, and he’ll pay whatever it costs. Natasha asks how he is, and he says, not good. His dog Marty might have to be put down. In his interview, he says, two years ago, his friends found a puppy abandoned in a cave, and he agreed to rescue Marty. He’s been sailing with Colin around the Caribbean for two years. He’s an amazing dog.

Champagne is popped, and Glenn calls the crew to the dock. Colin is bummed, and so am I, since he’s the only crew member I actually like. The guests arrive, and Glenn introduces himself, and welcomes them to Croatia. The luggage is brought on, and Daisy gives the tour. Glenn tells the crew to drop the lines; let him know when they’re all on board. In Daisy’s interview, she says, Natasha doesn’t respond well to feedback, so she’s going to step back, and let Natasha find her own way. It’s not necessarily how she defines teamwork, but it’s better than WWIII. Gary tells JL that he wants to see an improvement. Nothing was done one night, while JL was in the bridge. He’s tired of repeating himself. In JL’s interview, he says, it’s ridiculous. He’s a hard worker, and a grown man. This short little Frodo doesn’t need to talk to him like that. First of all, JL is lazy AF, and apparently, incredibly immature as well.

The wind picks up, and Gary says it looks like they’re going to sail. Glenn asks JL to steer while the sails are put up. The guests watch the sails, mesmerized, and the boat takes off. Things start sliding, and Natasha gets on the floor so she can slide across the room. Glenn tells JL to pick something he can see, and stay on it. Dani tells a guest that they can’t bring out the shot glasses right now, and Gary tells her, never say can’t, but I can’t tell if he’s kidding. She asks how JL is doing, and Gary says he’s angry with JL. Stuff keeps not getting done. Dani says she can leave the boat, but Daisy is like, no. Daisy tells Gary that Dani thinks he’s blaming her, but Gary says he’s not. He goes back to work, and Daisy asks Dani if she’s okay. Is she going cry? Dani says, maybe, and Daisy asks, what’s wrong? Dani says she’s having a breakdown, and in Dani’s interview, she says, she likes her job, but it’s not a career. She’s hooking up with a 24 year old boy, and having a fight with a crew member. What’s going on with her life? Daisy puts her arm around Dani, and Dani asks, what is she doing with her life?

The guests are impressed with the sailing. Sheka’s dress blows up, and she wonders whose idea this was. In the crew mess, Dani tells the girls that she wonders what she’s doing here. What is going on? She’s 32, and has no proper job. Sydney says, they’re all in the same boat, but we already heard that joke this season. Dani says Natasha is a chef on land, but she’s not a stew on land. She leaves to fix her face, and upstairs, Glenn complains that the sun is always in his eyes when he’s dropping the sails. I understand this, since no matter what side of the car I’m sitting on, the sun is in my face. They drop anchor, and everyone applauds the sailing. Natasha checks out the menu, and the crew gets ready for dinner service. Daisy asks Alli to set the table. Colin asks if Natasha is going to blow their minds, and she says she’s making a Korean-Japanese-Thai fusion.

The guests are seated, and whatever it is, it looks really good; curry something. Frank pronounces it delicious, and Daisy tells Natasha that the guests are happy. In Glenn’s interview, he says, Natasha is stepping up this charter, and thinking outside the box. She’s putting in extra effort, and he’s very impressed. Frank says, the plating is incredible, and another guest says it’s the best meal they’ve ever had. It’s extraordinary. Natasha comes up with the next course, and Sheka says she far exceeded expectations. In her interview, Natasha says, she effing nailed it. Gary volunteers to wash dishes, and in Daisy’s interview, she says she’s not having to beg. Thank you, Alli. She’ll happily take it. Disco wigs are donned, and in Sydney’s interview, she  says she thrived on the dance floor with a gin and tonic in her hand. If you weren’t having as much fun as she was, you sucked.  

The guests get ready for their disco party, and Gary texts Alli, asking if she wants to hang out on the bow. She texts back, maybe they can have a real conversation for once. The guests come back in their disco outfits, and Alli meets Gary, who says, it’s like a secret hideaway there. Alli leans on him, and he puts his arm around her shoulders. He says they should start their own dance party, and she laughs. The guests are having a blast, and Alli says it’s all Gary’s fault, what happened between them. They go back downstairs, and Colin gets a call from Martina. She says, he’s gone, and we see pictures of Colin and Marty. She says she wants to hug him in the worst way. He cries, and I cry with him. Besides Glenn, he seems like the only really decent person, and his pup was only two. It breaks my heart. I think it’s the first time I’ve cared about anything on this program.

Colin asks Martina if Marty died on the table, and she says he did. He had a big, big infection, and his heart was going lower and lower. Colin can’t believe it, and she says she put a video there of Colin playing guitar, and believes Marty heard it before he passed. She thought he was waiting for Colin. He thanks her, and says he’s shocked; it doesn’t seem real. It’s devastating. He says if she can bury him, he’ll visit when he gets back. They exchange I love yous.

The guests dance around, and JL dances while working. If we want to call what he does working. Dani says it’s like when she was a teenager; she loves music. In JL’s interview, he says, at first, he was annoyed that he was on the night shift, but on the other hand, he’s building a relationship with Dani. As long as they’re doing their jobs and being professional. Colin tells Gary that he’s in shock, and Gary says he’s sorry; it sucks. The guests start going off to bed, and Dani tells them, sleep well. In the bridge, JL says he and Dani have a long way to go, and kisses Dani. She says they’ll get in trouble, and he says he’s got to get out of there.

Sydney wonders where her clean laundry is, and Dani says she must have missed the polos. Sydney says she only has the one she’s wearing, and it’s dirty and smelly. In Sydney’s interview, she says she helps them all the time, and they can’t wash the crew clothes? That’s bullsh*t, dude. JL steps in to help, and Dani does a Japanese Zen garden tablescape. Breakfast is served, and Glenn says there’s a little walled city that has a castle. The guests can have drinks at sunset there, but once they come back on board, he wants to get going. He doesn’t want to stay on that dock, since people can walk straight into the boat. Glenn asks about the laundry, saying he’s out of underwear, and he’ll have to go commando. Alli says there’s some in the machine right now.

The guests use the water toys, and Glenn says, they’re getting out of there. He wants to toys packed up. Gary tells him, anchor is in the pocket, and he gets ready to roll. Alli tells Daisy that she wants to talk to Sydney when she’s sober, so Sydney can say what she needs to. We flash back to Sydney being snarky at dinner, and afterwards on deck. Daisy says, Sydney wants to win, and Dani says she wants Sydney to go away. Sydney says it doesn’t bother her, but Alli can read between the lines. Maybe Sydney needs to get it off her chest. Sheka asks if Glenn would join them for dinner, and Glenn says, cool. In Glenn’s interview, he says, where they’re docking is a narrow channel. It’s better to back up, so that starboard is toward town. It’s a challenge. The trick is, to get as close as they can without touching the dock. The guests see the castle, and Sheka says, it feels ancient. Gary tells JL to get six chairs and two tables.

Glenn goes with some of the crew to Trogir Tower. Gary says he can imagine the old days, with soldiers shooting arrows, and falling off the parapet. Daisy says he sounds like a kid imagining the war, and they trudge to the top of the castle. On the boat, the guests change, while everything is set up at the castle. Gary says, it’s awesome. Alli approaches Sydney about the comments she’s been making, and Sydney says she apologizes about her laundry complaint. Alli says, maybe Sydney has things she’s holding in, but Sydney says she doesn’t think so. She thinks it’s a department thing, not a me and you thing. Sydney says, Gary complains that interior never helps out, and Alli seems surprised. Sydney says, the bitching isn’t instigated by her, and Alli says, maybe Gary and Daisy should deal with it.

Natasha announces the crew’s dinner is ready, and the guests go up to the castle. Gary lights tiki torches, and guest Rachel says, it’s like Game of Thrones. A guest jokingly wonders if Daisy can conjure up some wind, and Daisy says, hopefully the sun will go down soon, and they’ll cool off. One of the guests asks for water, and Gary radios JL to bring four bottles of water. JL says, he’s just finishing dinner, and he’ll be heading that way. Gary tells him to leave his dinner; it’s for the guests. JL keeps eating. Guest Nikki says, despite it being hot, she loves it. Daisy asks Gary if JL is bringing the water, but Gary says he doesn’t see JL yet. He could been there already. He runs down the stairs, and in his interview, he says, effing come on. JL doesn’t see the urgency in getting things done. We see it’s been 10 minutes since the guest request, and Gary radios that he’s there. JL says he doesn’t know where the cooler bag is, and the water isn’t cold. Gary arrives, and says, it’s not cold, and there are only three. This is ridiculous.

Later this season – more sailing and more things sliding around; a whole day off for the crew, and Natasha says, the worst case scenario, drama (I dunno. I can think of worse things than that.); Daisy is sick of being the bitch of the group; a fight among the guests; sixteen yachties get together, and Glenn doesn’t want a drunken orgy; Dani says she’s just trying to have some sex; the boat hits the dock; and JL gets chlamydia, which I guess means Dani has it too.

Trogir Tower

🥁 Drumroll Please…

Here’s a run down of Oscar night and the fashions. Mostly the fashions.

👍🏽 The winners.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/25/entertainment/oscars-winners-2021/index.html

😴 If this is what they meant by it being different this year, it wasn’t. They’ve been torturing people for as long as I can remember.

https://nypost.com/2021/04/26/oscars-2021-tortured-viewers-for-more-than-3-unbearable-hours/

💥 The highlights.

https://nypost.com/2021/04/26/oscars-highlights-the-best-and-worst-of-this-years-show/

🙇🏽‍♂️ The memoriam.

Who they missed. You’d think they had enough time to get it right. It’s not like they had a lot to set up.

https://news.yahoo.com/fans-upset-memoriam-segment-oscars-153400160.html

👠 The fashions. According to…

Parade

Vogue

https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/oscars-2021-best-dressed-celebrities

Page Six

https://pagesix.com/2021/04/25/oscars-red-carpet-2021-see-this-years-celebrity-fashion/

People

https://people.com/style/best-dressed-stars-oscars-2021/

Essence

https://www.essence.com/amp/fashion/the-best-fashion-moments-from-the-2021-oscars-red-carpet/

🍾 The After Party.

https://pagesix.com/2021/04/26/the-best-oscars-2021-afterparty-fashion-from-dua-lipa-to-paris-hilton/

🛍 What’s In It…

It’s about that swag.

https://pagesix.com/2021/04/20/oscars-swag-returning-in-2021-with-60k-gift-bags-for-celebs/

The 2021 Oscars Swag Bag Is Worth $205,000

A gift that comes with its own PSA.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a36221199/oscar-nominees-gift-bags-hammer-dogs-in-cars/

📼 Rounding It Out…

This has nothing to do with the Oscars, but it’s pretty amusing. And was it worth it? I’d also like to know why the video looks like a bootleg tape.

https://ew.com/tv/woman-vhs-sabrina-the-teenage-witch-warrant/

🚀 Lifting Off…

Now that you’re Oscared out, see you tomorrow for soap with a side of tea. Until we reconvene, stay safe, stay listening to your heart, and stay appreciating the time you have with your pets.

April 25, 2021 – Morgan Calls a Meeting, the Award Goes To & Care

Standard

What What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

Daniel says, beachball… elephant… grape. Should he go on? We see him sitting in a cell, and he says, they asked how he felt when the day began. He felt hopeful.

Daniel is playing a Traveling Wilburys record, and everyone is happy and building stuff. You know that won’t last long. Daniel serves soup, and Morgan says, nice lunch. Daniel asks if this is the way Morgan imagined it, and Morgan says, it’s getting there. He guesses he has Daniel to thank for it. Confined Daniel says, if he hadn’t kept everyone in the dark, he wouldn’t have been there. Now they’re all together. Grace walks up, and Daniel says his wife ate this soup all the time she was pregnant with Ofelia, but she says she doesn’t have much of an appetite today. Morgan asks if she’s all right, and she says she’ll be fine. They walk off together, and confined Daniel says he was glad to see everyone together. It felt as if everything he’d done was beginning to pay off.

Charlie says, they’re here, and Daniel says, go tell Morgan. She rides off, and Daniel looks through binoculars, seeing the tank coming. He goes out to meet them. Bald guy whose name I don’t know, and Shari get out of the tank, while Sarah rides up on a horse. Bald guy says, it’s been a while, and Sarah asks if there’s any chance of them sharing fuel. If they do, Wen can join her on the runs. Shari says, if they share with her, they’ll have to share with everybody, and they’re running on fumes as it is. Victor rides up, and says, greetings. Sarah asks how everyone has been, and Victor dumps out some empty spray cans. He says their foes from Tanktown persist. He thinks the meeting is long overdue. Morgan joins them, and Sarah says she’s looking forward to see what Morgan has done. Morgan says, it’s come a long way, and says it’s nice to see Victor. Victor says, it’s nice to see Morgan too. It’s good to know they can lend a hand in these troubled times. Morgan says, there’s a threat to their existence. Something Virginia didn’t think she could handle, and he thought they shouldn’t face down on their own. That’s why he called them. Can they work together and pool their resources, put their differences aside? Can they face the thing that threatens all of them? He only has one rule – the same one he made when they gathered there the last time. Anybody breaking it – anybody – will not be welcome here again. He tells them, come on in. We’ve got work to do. Confined Daniel says, they can see why he was hopeful. Then, everything changed.

Daniel feels Grace’s belly, and says, he is strong. Grace asks if he’s sure they’re not contractions, and confined Daniel says, the last time he felt something like that was when his wife was pregnant with Ofelia. That was the moment he decided they should move to L.A., and decided to change everything. He wanted to give his daughter the life he thought she deserved. He supposes he wanted this place to be the same, for Grace’s baby; for everyone. That’s why they didn’t take chances. Everyone checked their weapons at the door, for all of their safety. The weapons were logged and locked away. Only he and Morgan had the keys.

Victor puts his gun on the table, and Daniel says, and the knife? Victor laughs, and takes off his jacket, unbuckling the sheath, and putting it on the table. Daniel says, anything else? Victor puts a pet carrier on the table, and Daniel says, Skidmark! I laugh, and Daniel asks where Victor found him. Victor says Virginia had him at a station to hunt rats, but all he does is sit around licking his unmentionables. Daniel says the cat hasn’t changed a bit, and thanks Victor for the peace offering. He says, Victor understands why Daniel couldn’t let him in on it, and Victor says, they’ve both played games. The better man won. Kudos. It appears Daniel’s gambit paid off. Confined Daniel asks, why did hearing that mean so much to him? There’s a good reason, but they’re not there yet. They need to understand like he did.

Victor asks where Alicia is, and Morgan says, on a supply run. Victor asks if Alicia knew he was coming, but Charlie runs up, and says they need Morgan. It’s Grace. He leaves, and Daniel locks up the weapons.

Sarah is with Grace, and says, June will take a day to get there. It’s either Braxton Hicks or contractions. Grace asks how they know, and she says, they wait until the baby gets there. Morgan asks how they know the baby is okay, and Sarah tells him that they need a fetal monitor. He says he knows where he can find one. He had one in the place he had set up before this place. Daniel says he’ll get it, but Morgan says, it’s off the beaten path, and not easy to find. Morgan takes Grace’s hand, and says he’ll be there and back in a few hours.

Confined Daniel says, Morgan gave the keys to the rabbi just in case. He asked Daniel to keep the peace until he returned. Get the conversation started. Everyone sits at a big table, and Sarah asks what Dakota is doing there. Daniel says, they’re going to share information, and Morgan says, no one was closer to Virginia than Dakota. Victor says, they’ll have to take whatever she says with a gargantuan grain of salt, and Sarah says Victor was no better, lining them up to be shot. He says, if she recalls, he turned the guns the other way at the first opportune moment, but she says, only when he saw which way the wind was blowing. Daniel tells them, they’re not here to rehash the past; they’re here to protect the future together. Daniel asks Dakota if Virginia ever said anything about these people, and Dakota tells him, the last thing Virginia said about them was that they were laying low. The other stuff was just about the messages. Dwight says, the last time they listened to Dakota, someone ended up dead, but Luci says, one of those people could have become one of them, without them realizing. Charlie says, or one of them could have been turned into one of those people, and everyone starts talking at once, and arguing. Confined Daniel says, he didn’t want to believe one of them was a traitor, but he’d lied to everyone about losing his memory. They’d all lied at some point. Now when they needed each other most, they couldn’t trust each other. Something blows up outside, and everyone ducks. They go out to look.

One of the buildings in progress is gone, and Daniel explains they were using the dynamite to clear the field. A rock must have fallen, causing the explosion; it was an accident. Luci looks at Dakota, who asks why Luci is looking at her. She was sitting at the table with them. Shari says, they’re not the only ones there. She thinks the attack was from the inside, and Daniel suggests they take a break. Confined Daniel says, he wanted to believe it was an accident, but didn’t have time to make up his mind.

Zombies tumble down the hill and head toward the town. Dwight says, the explosion must have drawn them, and Shari says she wants her gun back. Daniel says, not unless it’s absolutely necessary, and Victor says he thinks this qualifies. Daniel says their weapons will only kill a fraction of the dead. Morgan is coming back with the truck and its guns. They’ll wait it out; the walls will hold. Confined Daniel says, he did think the walls would hold, but when it comes to the dead, they had to be prepared in case of a breach. He unlocks the gun shed, and Charlie asks what he’s doing. He says, what he has to do to be prepared, in case the gate doesn’t hold. They go inside, and confined Daniel says, when he saw the guns missing, he knew the explosion was no accident. Someone wanted to trap them inside, draw the dead, and leave them defenseless. The only question was, who?

Zombies keep coming, and Grace wonders what she does now. Daniel asks if she feels well enough to travel, and she laughs, and says, no, but he says she’s not safe there. He’s going to fix that, but until he does, she’s better off somewhere else. There’s a fishing shack nearby. He’s marked it on the map. He’s put the map in a bag, along with food, water, and a first aid kit. He wouldn’t ask her to go if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. She says, okay, and confined Daniel says, the reason Morgan found this place was for Grace’s child. Now it’s not safe for him. He needed to find those weapons. Charlie goes through backpacks in one of the tents, and bald guy looks in. He asks if there’s something he can help her with, and she says, no. Sorry, she… Daniel calls to her, and asks if she found the hammer he asked her to look for. She says, not yet, and tells bald guy that she didn’t realize it was his tent. She thought it was Mike’s. He tells her, anyone touches his sh*t again, they’re going to have a problem. Confined Daniel says, he lost Ofelia. He wasn’t going to lose Charlie too. He sent her away to meet Grace, where she’d be safe. So he could do what he needed to do to find out who stole the weapons.

Zombies clamor at the gate, and a few toddle into the town. Luci says they have a breach, and she and Sarah fight the zombie with metal buckets and chairs, whatever they can grab. One gets Dwight down, and he fends it off by putting a handsaw in its mouth, but another is getting close. We hear shots, and the zombies are dead. Daniel says, it was Victor, and Victor asks what Daniel means. Dwight wonders how the zombies got in, and Daniel says he let them in. Dwight asks, why? and Daniel says he needed to figure out who stole the weapons. Now he knows. He locks Victor in a cell, and asks where the weapons are, but Victor says he didn’t take them. Daniel says Victor is always lying. He doesn’t think Victor can tell the difference anymore. Victor says, this, coming from a man who hid what he’s been doing for months, but Daniel says he did it to free them from Virginia. Victor is doing it to tear them apart. What was Victor offered to betray them? Lawton? The opportunity to be a big shot? Victor says, he wasn’t offered anything. He’s there for the same reason Daniel is, but if he hadn’t kept his weapon, someone would be dead. Daniel says, Victor continues to give him every reason to hurt him.

Confined Daniel says, it’s not what he wanted. Morgan was right, if they do things in there the same way as they did them out there, nothing’s gonna change. Nothing will be different from before. Victor asks if Daniel is hearing him, and Daniel says, before more dead get inside, they need the weapons. He leaves, and Victor calls to him.

The zombies push down the door, which didn’t look all that sturdy to begin with.

The zombies get to the inside gate, and Daniel says, it’s not built to hold that much weight. Victor was with them during the explosion, so he couldn’t have done it on his own. Whichever one of them is working with him, he’s giving them a warning. A betrayal of those closest to them will come with a cost. It will come back to haunt them, and there will be consequences. Where are the weapons? He tells Dwight, they’ll search the tents, and Shari wonders where Grace and Charlie are. Daniel says, they’re not a part of this, but Sarah says Shari has a point; Charlie was on the other team. Luci says, that was a long time ago, and bald guy says he caught Charlie going through his sh*t earlier. Daniel repeats, Charlie is not part of this. They’ll have to take his word. Shari says, maybe the whole thing is a scam, and Morgan wants to keep them there. Dwight says she doesn’t believe that, but Shari says they don’t know, and need to look out for themselves. Sarah says, if they work together, they stand a chance of reinforcing the gate, but Dwight doesn’t think it will hold. Luci is right; they need the need weapons. They try to shore up the gate, and Daniel takes out the one gun he has. Sarah says, that won’t be enough, but Daniel says, yes it will.

Confined Daniel says, Morgan left his ax at the gate. Daniel thought he could be the man he once was outside too, but it wasn’t an option. He tells Victor, no more games. Where are the weapons? Victor doesn’t say anything, and Daniel says he doesn’t need to remind Victor that you can survive a shot to the face. What Victor doesn’t know is what it does to you later. He takes a plate out of his mouth, and shows Victor. He says he winces every time he takes a sip of water. You have to eat soup the rest of your life, and learn to hide the pain. You wheeze when you breathe at night, but most of all, you’ll never forget who did all of that. Where are the weapons? Victor says, forgive him. Daniel has to forgive him. Daniel points the gun at Victor, and asks again, where are the weapons? Victor says, please, he doesn’t know, and Daniel looks crazed. There’s machinegun fire outside, and Daniel goes out.

Zombies lie everywhere, and smoke obscures everything. Daniel sees someone, and says, Morgan? Morgan asks, what the hell happened?

Morgan asks if Daniel found the weapons, but Daniel says, not yet. Daniel asks if Morgan has heard from Grace; they should almost be there. He asks Morgan to let him know if he hears from her, and goes back in to see Victor. Victor says, it’s just a matter of time. He’ll wait for Daniel’s apology. He asks if Daniel meant it, and Daniel says, what? Victor says, what Daniel said about his jaw; the pain it caused him. Daniel laughs, and says, no. Victor asks what Daniel wants, and Daniel says to stop Victor, and whoever he’s working with. Victor asks why Daniel cares so much about this place working. When he found Daniel, he was happily living alone in a warehouse with a cat. He doesn’t know half of these people, and Victor is willing to bet Daniel can’t stand the other half, but he almost shot Victor in the face to protect them. Why? Daniel says, it was a fair question when Victor asked him the first time, and it still is. He couldn’t answer it then, but thinks he can now. He thinks he knows why it means so much. When he was cutting hair in Lawton, and pretending he didn’t remember anything, it’s not different from when he was in the barbershop, pretending the past didn’t exist. Ofelia never knew who her father was. Their relationship was based on a lie, a deception. Morgan’s idea made him believe he could help create the home he wanted for Ofelia. It could be a place where you didn’t have to pretend to be what you weren’t. He hoped by doing that, he could redeem himself from all the lies he told, for Ofelia’s death, but it doesn’t seem to work that way, does it? Morgan radios, saying, he’s at the shack, but Grace isn’t. Daniel says, she should be there, but Morgan says, she’s not. Where is she?

Morgan and Daniel are in the woods with some of the others, and Morgan radios Grace, but there’s no response. Sarah suggests fanning out, and Daniel asks if Morgan is sure Grace isn’t there. Morgan says, it didn’t look like anyone had been near the place in months. He tries the radio again, and Jacob says, they can’t be far. Maybe they had to leave. Maybe they heard the gunfire, and they’ll be back. Morgan tries again, but gets nothing. He says, you don’t think they suspected? but Daniel says he doesn’t know. Grace finally comes over the radio, and Morgan asks, where is she?

Grace and Charlie have joined the group; Grace sitting on a log. Morgan asks if she’s all right, and she says she thinks the contractions are getting closer. Daniel says, he told them, the shack. What happened? She asks what he’s talking about, and he says, the shack in the woods; he marked it on the map he gave her. She says he told her to avoid the shack; it wasn’t safe. Daniel says, no; he told her to go there and wait for him. Morgan asks, what’s going on? and Daniel says, Charlie says she was there. Charlie says he told her to go to the old caverns, and told Grace the same thing. Daniel asks why he’d send them there. They haven’t surveyed it yet. Grace says, he did, and she shows him the map. The caverns are clearly marked, and Grace suddenly cries out. Sarah says they have to get her back, and Morgan says they can figure this out later. Luci radios, and says, they’ve found the weapons. Morgan asks, where? and Luci says he’ll want to see for himself. He says they’re on the way.  

Luci takes the cover off of a small wagon, and reveals the weapons, saying, they found this in Daniel’s shed. Morgan asks how they ended up in Daniel’s shed, but Daniel says he doesn’t know. He locked them up like he said. Morgan asks if this is everything, and Dwight says it matches everything in the log. Daniel says, someone moved them, and Luci says she had to break the lock to the shed where the weapons are kept. Daniel says, then it was Victor and the Rangers, or whoever is working with Victor. Morgan asks, what’s going on? and Daniel says, someone is trying to make him look bad; make them go against each other. Morgan says, first sending Grace and Charlie to the shack, and now this? Is Daniel sure he didn’t make a mistake? Whatever is going on, he needs Daniel’s help to understand. Daniel says he knows what he did, and Morgan says he’s just asking; is Daniel sure? Look at him. Is he okay? Is he feeling all right? Daniel says he’s not sure. It’s confusing. Morgan puts his hand on Daniel’s shoulder, and says, it’s okay, but maybe Daniel should talk to somebody. Daniel tells him, okay.

Daniel says, now he’s talking to them. He moved the weapons, and didn’t remember. Then he sent Grace to a dangerous place. Why? June says, it’s okay. They’re going to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. She promises him that.

Daniel draws a clock, and the numbers are correct. June asks if he can tell her the words he remembers from the beginning of the session. He says, beachball… elephant… grape. He wonders what that has to do with anything, and she says, it’s a test. It’s not neurological. He asks what it is, and she says she thinks it’s psychological. He asks what that means, and she says, symptomatically, he’s experiencing memory loss and disassociated thinking, but there’s no underlying physical cause, which is good. He asks why this is happening now, and she says he’s finally slowed down, and has something to lose. Is he worried about something happening? He says, they all were, and she asks if that’s why he moved the weapons. Did he think they were a danger where they were? He says he’s spent his whole life giving people reason not to trust him, and now he can’t trust himself. He deserves this. She says, this kind of thing is far from her area of expertise. Let her educate herself, and she’ll come back. She leaves, and outside, Morgan says it’s good of her to be there for him. She says, she came as soon as she could. She’s going to check on Grace, and Morgan asks if there’s any chance Daniel is… She says, faking it? She doesn’t think so. They’d get people in the ER from time to time who were just as confused. It’s hard to fake. Morgan asks if Daniel needs anything, but Daniel doesn’t respond.

Victor says he hopes Morgan understands him taking his leave, and bald guy says, just because Daniel was wrong about this, doesn’t mean they don’t have to worry about who’s out there. Morgan says he saw graffiti on the water tower about ten miles south. If they’ve been there, they know about the town, especially after the explosion. Victor says, all the more reason to leave, and Morgan says, if they know about them, they know about Lawton. Victor laughs, and says, then he’d better get back. Shari says she’s making the same call, and Dwight tells her to be safe. She thanks him, and he gives her a lingering kiss on the cheek. Dakota says she thinks she can help. She’s been thinking about everything Virginia said about the people painting the messages. She heard Virginia telling Hill that they went underground. Dakota thought she meant they were laying low, but what if it was for real? Wes asks what she means. Like are they living in a basement, or storm tunnel? She says the last place Virginia scouted was two days south of Tanktown, and Dwight says, that’s Dallas. It’s where they found some graffiti. Morgan says, they can start there, and Luci thinks they should send out scouting parties. Morgan says, then they’ll come back together, and make a decision.

Daniel walks out with a horse, and Charlie asks if he’s leaving. He says he has to go; he can’t stay. It’s not safe for him to be there. He’s not worried so much about himself as about them. He let the dead in, and would have shot Victor if Morgan hadn’t returned. He put Grace and the baby in danger. He thinks for a while, and says, the last time things happened in his mind, he set a place on fire. He can’t risk that happening now. Charlie asks where he’s going to go, and Daniel says, the warehouse, if it’s still there. (BTW, he is taking Skidmark.) Charlie says, if not? and he says he’ll find a place. Victor tells him, come to Lawton, and Daniel asks, why go there? Victor says he’ll have a better chance at survival. He can keep Daniel safe, and everyone around him. He’s not doing this for Daniel. He’s doing it for Ofelia. Daniel can lead an honest life. So…? Shall we? Victor heads for his horse, and Morgan asks if Victor is really going to help Daniel. Victor wonders what Morgan thinks of him, and Morgan says Daniel just put a gun in Victor’s face; he has a right to ask. Victor says he thinks Daniel would be better off with him, than there with Morgan, or wherever else. Morgan says he’s going to hold Victor to this, but Victor says Morgan doesn’t have to hold him to anything. He said what he said. Victor gets on his horse, and Daniel tells Morgan, it’s for the best. Morgan shakes Daniel’s hand, and tells him to take care of himself. Daniel says he’s sorry, and Morgan says, it’s okay. Charlie hugs Daniel, and says, he’ll get better. He says, he promises, and tells her not to worry. He leaves with Victor, and we’re all sad.   

Next time, the end is the beginning, Dakota wants to help, a zombie tree, and John Glover joins the cast. I’m psyched.

🎭 The Envelope Please…

The more important stuff, like the fashions, tomorrow, but for now, here’s the list of winners.

https://ew.com/awards/oscars/oscars-2021-winners-list/

🛶 Rowing This Boat Ashore…

Hope you were able to change it up a little for the past two days, or what we once called the weekend. Are we back to that yet? Until the sails on tomorrow’s yacht unfurl, stay safe, stay uninhibited by convention, and stay leading an honest life.

April 23, 2021 – Brook Gives Her Baby Daddy Her Terms, Real Transformations, a Baby Bottle At Brunch, Marysol Marries, All You Need To Know, Quote Octet & Speak

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Carly strides into the hospital, and Cyrus says, what a nice surprise. She says she’s not interested, and he says she seems to be in a hurry. He hopes no one in her family is sick, like her mother. She says her mother is fine, and he says, so is his. It’s such a weight off of him to have her back. He hadn’t realized how preoccupied he was, worrying about her. Well, that’s over. Whatever will he do with all his free time?

Michael and Brook go into the Quartermaine mansion, and Brook thanks him for the ride. It’s one less trip she had to make with Yuri, her unwanted bodyguard. He says, no problem, and she says he can talk. He didn’t say a single word on the way home. He says he didn’t feel like talking, and she says she’s glad he’s over that. Now tell her what happened between him and Willow.

An intern hands Britt a folder with the lab results she requested, but she says, too late, the man is dead. She should say, the boy is dead. He was seventeen. The intern says he’s sorry, and leaves. Britt looks in the folder, and says, a chemical compound the same as the drug Cyrus tried to get the board to pass. She sees Jason going by in a wheelchair, and asks what happened to him. He says, nothing, but she’s like, come on, and he says he was stabbed.

The Pentenville warden says he’s surprised the Commissioner is there to investigate an inmate stabbing, and Jordan says, the inmate was sent there to await trial, so of course (🍷) she’s concerned with his stabbing. Was there something that incited it? The warden says, must have gotten off on the wrong foot, and lets her in to see Shawn. Shawn says, Commissioner, it’s been a while.

Laura sees Martin at the MetroCourt, and says hello. He says she’s speaking to him now? and she says she was concerned about Florence, now that she’s back in Cyrus’s care. He says it’s nice of her to inquire since it was her son who had Florence abducted, and handed back over to his brother.

Curtis gets in the elevator, and Valentin dashes in before the doors close. He says he doesn’t suppose Curtis has heard from Nina.

Nina tells Jax that he needs to leave, but he says he’s sure if she listens to what he has to say, they can work through some of this. He doesn’t want her to carry around all this pain. She tells him not to pretend he’s there for her. He just wants to make himself feel better. He says he really wants to work things out, and if that’s not possible, please let him repair some of the damage that he caused by his actions.

Phyllis tells Sonny, enough with this nonsense about Eli. Have some fun. Dance again. He says she hasn’t danced with him yet. He holds out his hand and asks if she’ll do him the honor. She takes his hand, and says, tempting, but it’s her turn to man the raffle table. He walks her over, and she says she’s fine. Go find Nina. As Sonny is about to leave, the man with the bandana, now has it pulled up over his nose (nothing unusual in our world these days), and his gun in his hand. Sonny says, nice costume, but he might be taking the authentic thing too far. Dude draws a gun, and says, this ain’t pretend.

Jordan says, Shawn stabbed Jason? and Shawn says, it was in self-defense. She says she doesn’t see any cuts or bruises. It can’t have been much of a fight. He says he can take care of himself, and she says she doesn’t understand. She thought he and Jason were friends. They used to work together. He says, working with Sonny is what got him there in the first place. Things change. People change. She says, it’s her; cut the act. What’s really going on? He asks if she doesn’t want to figure it out on her own. Isn’t that the way she does things? She asks what he’s saying, and he tells her that he heard Cyrus had TJ kidnapped and tortured, and she didn’t tell him.

At the hospital, TJ says he got Molly’s text, but he only has a twenty minute break. She throws her arms around him, and says, congratulate her. He says, congratulations. What’s up? She says her internship really paid off. DA Scorpio just told her that when she graduates, a position of Junior ADA will be waiting for her. He says, that’s terrific. He’s so proud of her. She says, of course (🍷) the minute she heard the news, the first person she wanted to tell was her mom. He says, she’s going to be thrilled, and Molly says she knows, but she’s had a hard time scheduling a visit. She doesn’t know all the ins and outs of Pentenville. It seems unreal that she has to visit a parent in prison. He says, take it from him, unfortunately, you get used to it.

Michael tells Brook, Willow is supporting Chase while he’s in the hospital, and he’s picking up the slack with Wiley. Why don’t they talk about her and Valentin? She says, that’s pretty subtle, but it’s not a bad idea. She actually invited Valentin to come over tonight. Michael asks if she’s changed her mind, and wants Valentin to be part of the baby’s life, but she says, tonight is more about talking terms.

Laura tells Martin, Nikolas felt he had no choice but to return Florence to Cyrus. He says, for his aunt’s safety, he knows. However, the only reason she’s in Pentenville is because she chose to plead guilty. Still, he’s sure Alexis is safe… at his mother’s expense; at their expense. Nikolas might be sleeping easier, but he’s not. Cyrus claims their mother is well and safe, but since he won’t let Martin see her, he’s just going to have to take Cyrus’s not-so-reliable word for it. She says, Cyrus cut Martin off from his mother? and he says, completely. He’s punishing Martin for inadvertently orchestrating the interview with Jackie. He wishes he hadn’t asked Cyrus for help. It wasn’t until he heard the interview answers that he was aware his mother was unhappy the first time around. Cyrus had her locked away in that house in Oregon. Laura says, Martin didn’t visit her there? and he says, of course (🍷) he did, but she put on a brave face since she didn’t want to worry him. Thanks to Nikolas, they’re back where they started; in the same circumstances. He’s sure Cyrus will meet Florence’s medical needs, while Martin tortures himself about her peace of mind. Since Cyrus holds all the high cards, his only recourse is to stay on Cyrus’s good side, in hopes that one day Cyrus will give him access to his own mother. That’s him. What is Laura going to do? She asks what he means, and he says, Cyrus wants a relationship with his new sister, the mayor. Laura is worried about blood on the streets. Is she willing to placate their brother for the good of Port Charles?  

Curtis says he hasn’t heard from Nina since she left town, and Valentin says, but Curtis wouldn’t tell him if he had. Curtis says, nope, so why ask? and Valentin says Curtis doesn’t know where she is. He’s not the reason Nina left. Jax broke her heart. Curtis says, this time. Valentin will just have to be content with waiting. He doesn’t think Nina is coming back until she’s damn good and ready.   

Jax tells Nina that he’s owned up to his mistake. Don’t let his bad judgement overshadow what they had together. She says, okay, he wants to talk, and suggests they go somewhere else. Where’s his car?

Phyllis says, oh my God, and Sonny advises Dude to put the gun down. Dude says, give him the cash box, but Phyllis says, it’s for a fundraiser. The town can’t afford to lose the money. Dude says, the hell with the town. He’s the one with the gun.

Cyrus tells Carly the Five Families pitted olives are meeting soon. He could use the time to prepare. It’s too bad Jason won’t be able to attend. It’s such a shame. Jason could have been released, and Gladys could have recanted her testimony, but Carly refused his offer. Now his mother is back with him, and Jason is going to be tried for murder. Funny how things work out. She asks if he’s done; she has a prescription to pick up. He says, lovely speaking with her as always. She punches the elevator buttons like a madwoman.

Britt goes to Jason’s room, and tells the guards that they can wait in the hall. They leave, and she says Jason has lost some blood; that’s why he has an IV. He has a few stitches, but otherwise should be okay. It’s unfair that he has to wait for his trial in Pentenville, since he hasn’t been found guilty yet. Not that she’s saying he is guilty, but he knows what she means. He says she seems stressed, and she says, her boss is a psychopath, there’s been another death from an OD tonight – a seventeen-year-old – and Jason shows up stabbed. She knows prison is a dangerous place, but he’s a super skilled fighter. Can’t he protect himself better? He touches her hand, and says, it’s going to be all right. Carly comes in, and says, excuse me.  

Michael says it sounds like Brook is negotiating a merger, not making provision for a baby. She says, can’t it be both? She wasn’t expecting to get pregnant, but here they are, so she’s going to make the most of it and get ELQ back. He says, with all due respect, Brook needs to adjust her priorities, or alter her perception, or something. She says, because…? and he says she’s due any moment, and she’s acting like it’s not real.   

Laura tells Martin that she doesn’t know what Cyrus wants. He’s got his mother back, and it seemed like he was playing mind games; then she thought he wanted to bond. Now she thinks everything is a manipulation. Martin says, just because Cyrus is a manipulator, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want Laura in his life. His mother threw him out of the house at seventeen, and he wants a family. Laura says she knows that. Otherwise, why would he pay for Florence’s medical care after she rejected him for decades? Martin says, it’s the same reason Cyrus punishes him rather than having him killed. Family is his one blind spot, so she can choose to be a positive influence on Cyrus. All she has to do is allow Cyrus in her life. She says, Cyrus is the man who put her daughter in a coma, but Martin tells her, he’s not saying she should love Cyrus, or even accept him, but don’t shut him out. Valentin approaches their table, and says he’s sorry to interrupt, but he and Martin have a meeting to attend. Martin gets up, and says Laura may want to think about it for all their sakes. He leaves with Valentin.

Jordan wonders how Shawn would have felt, knowing TJ was in danger. He would have just been worried sick, like she was, but there was nothing he could have done about it. He says, because he’s there for a crime he didn’t commit. He didn’t shoot Hayden Barnes. She says, no one put the gun in his hand. He pled guilty; he made his own choice. He says, she sent TJ to him because she couldn’t handle a rebellious teenager, and she says she acknowledges that Shawn played a huge role in turning TJ’s life around. He was there when she wasn’t, but she didn’t abandon TJ; she was on an undercover assignment. She tells him that she’s grateful, but he says he doesn’t want her gratitude. He loved TJ like a son long before he knew he was TJ’s biological father. That she chose to keep from him.

Britt asks how Carly got past the guards, but Carly ignores her and asks how Jason is. He says he’s still breathing, and Britt says, it’s a clean wound. There’s no permanent damage; Jason will barely have a scar. It must have looked worse than it was, for them to bring him to GH, instead of treating him at the prison infirmary. Carly says, their tax dollars at work, and Britt wonders, why bring Jason to a hospital that Cyrus runs, when Cyrus wants him dead? Carly asks if it isn’t riskier for Cyrus to go after Jason there. He’d have to tarnish his GH image, when he worked so hard to be respectable. Jason has more allies there than enemies – no thanks to Britt. Britt tells Carly that she and Jason need to discuss something private. Carly can wait in the hall.

Sonny tells Dude that an armed robbery carries a heavy sentence. He’ll be locked up for years, and for what? A hundred dollars? Walk away. No one has seen the gun but them. They’ll let him go, but he can’t have the money. Dude tells Sonny, stop talking or he’ll shut him up.

Jax tells Nina that she won’t regret it. It’s not a car, but it’s an easy walk. Dude #2 approaches them (surprise!), and says they’re not going anywhere. Why he drug them into it, I have no clue.

Brook asks if Michael is mom shaming her, and he says, of course (🍷) not. She says, it’s not the life she planned. If it was, she’d be on the road, headlining a world tour, but things change. Pregnancy is a personal thing, and every woman deals with it differently. He says he just wants her to be sure. The doorbell rings, and she says, it’s her baby daddy, right on time. Michael answers the door, and Valentin is there with Martin. Michael says Valentin brought his lawyer? and Valentin says, apparently. They have some things to iron out. The baby will be there before they know it. Michael invites them in, and tells them to go to the living room.

TJ tells Molly, this calls for a celebration. As soon as he’s not on call, he’ll take her to her favorite restaurant. She says she still has to pass the bar, and he says, is she kidding? She’s going to nail it. A couple of years in the DA’s office, and she’ll learn the ins and outs of the prosecution, which will make her a better defense attorney. She says she hasn’t had the chance to mention it, but she’s given it some thought. She wants to be a DA.

Jordan says she’s not going to defend her life choices, and Shawn agrees. He says, what’s done is done. He has a father/son relationship with TJ, and the monthly visits are the one thing he has to look forward to. Jordan says, that’s the reason she’s there. Why risk time added to his sentence by attacking another inmate? Shawn says, Jason came at him with a chair; he was just defending himself. She guesses Jason will claim the same thing, and he says, yeah.

Carly says what Britt has to say can wait, and Britt asks Jason if Carly has to be there for everything. Carly says she does, so Britt should say what she needs to, or leave. Britt says, it’s her hospital. If anyone is leaving, it’s Carly. Jason says Britt can talk in front of Carly, and Britt says, fine. The bloodwork from the OD was like Sasha’s when she was brought in with a heart attack. He says, from the drug Cyrus tried to manufacture at GH? and Britt says she has to do a more detailed study, but at first glance, yes. Carly suggests Britt get her facts straight, and then come back and give a report, and Britt says, or she could call Pentenville and say Jason has an obnoxious, unauthorized visitor. Jason says, if Britt can prove it’s the same drug, maybe they can use it against Cyrus, and Britt says, okay. She leaves, and Jason asks what the hell Carly was thinking, getting him stabbed? She says, sorry. It was the only way. I wonder how Jason puts up with this tiresome shrew.

At the MetroCourt, Curtis thanks Laura for meeting him. He has good news. The sound engineer he’s been pursuing hard finally returned his call. The current system is okay, but he doesn’t want just loud. He wants top if the line quality. She says she’d expect nothing less from him, and they sit at the bar. She tells him that she’s glad they have a chance to get together and catch up. He says, him too, but unfortunately, it’s not all good news. He wants her to hear it from him first. He and Jordan are getting a divorce. She says she’s so sorry. She knows they both tried hard to make their marriage work. He says, they did, but at a certain point, they had to face the truth and let go. He’s glad it happened before one of them had to leave town.

Jax struggles with Dude #2, and tells Nina to run. She starts to go, and hears a shot. Sonny knocks Dude down, and takes his gun, holding it on him.  

Valentin tells Brook, in the spirit of transparency, he’s been honest about his lengthy contentious battle over Charlotte. He doesn’t want to go through that again, so he wants everything to be above board. She says, like what? and he says he assumes she’ll give birth at GH, but she says, actually, she’d like to be closer to her mother. She’s going to a hospital in Bensonhurst. Valentin says, okay. He’ll make arrangements, and she says, for what? He says, accommodations. If she’s going to be in Brooklyn, he will too. Brook asks if a father can demand that, and Martin says, legally he can’t be in the delivery room without consent, but Valentin says he’s not demanding that. He doesn’t expect to be in the delivery room, holding her hand and feeding her ice chips, but he will be in the hospital, anxiously awaiting the birth. She says, that’s not happening.

Michael asks if they mind if he has a moment alone with his cousin, and Valentin says, it’s Michael’s house; knock himself out. Michael and Brook go into the foyer, and he asks why she’s freaked out about Valentin going to the hospital. She says, they’re not married. They’re not even a couple, and she’d like to cherish the first moments with her baby without Valentin pressing his face against the glass. He says, if she wants control of ELQ back, she’s going to have to give up on this point. Unless she’s changed her mind, she’ll have to be okay with that. She says she hasn’t changed her mind, and they go back into the living room. She tells Valentin, it’s okay for him to be at the hospital, but not the delivery room. He agrees, and she says, if he wants to be a real dad, involved with the child’s health decisions, etc., he’ll have to give back ELQ. He says, all of the shares in exchange for access to his child? Michael says he was willing to give them up for Nina, but Valentin says, not all of them. Brook says, that’s her offer, and he says, if it’s her final one, he’ll see her in court then. Michael says the Quartermaine’s lawyers are the best in the business. They can draw the case out for years. Valentin says he doesn’t need another hostile relationship, certainly not with the mother of his child, but a lengthy court battle doesn’t faze him. Martin says, more billable hours for him, and Valentin says, being the father gives him certain rights, and he’s willing to protect those rights.  

TJ says he know Molly is loving her internship, but what about her dreams of becoming an activist lawyer? She says she still wants to be an activist, but she’ll be acting within the system instead of fighting against it. Seeing the decisions the DA makes about who gets what charges, and who gets offered a plea deal made her realize that she doesn’t want to right wrongs within the system, so much as prevent them from happening in the first place. He tells her, good luck with that. The system is broken. Otherwise, Cyrus wouldn’t be free.

Jason says Carly had no right to call in a favor from Shawn. She put Shawn in a position where he had to stab Jason, and Jason had to let him. She says she was right. She wasn’t going to let him stay in Pentenville. Sooner or later Cyrus’s men were going to kill him. The meeting of the Five Families anchovy paste is going to take place soon, and he has to take Sonny’s place at the table. He asks if this why she set it up, so he could be at the meeting with the Five Families soft breadsticks? She says she set it up because she wasn’t going to let him die because he’s too stubborn to accept her help. He says, this is the opposite of help.

Britt gets on the computer, and looks up the new drug Cyrus invented. Cyrus comes up behind her and asks what she’s doing.

Jordan tells Shawn that he should stay out of Carly and Jason’s battle with Cyrus. He tells her, guys like Renault need to be stopped. Hasn’t she heard? The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. She asks if that’s what he is. A good man who stabbed his former friend? He asks if she’s saying good men don’t end up in prison, and she says she knows plenty of good people who made mistakes, but decisions made in the moment can be regretted later. He asks if she regrets lying to him about TJ, but she says, no.

Jax punches Dude #2, knocking him out, while Sonny tells the first one, stay down. He tells Phyllis, they have to find a way to tie him up. Nina puts her foot on Dude #2, and says she and Jax make a good team, don’t they? Phyllis tells Sonny to give her the gun. She doesn’t like them, but she knows how to use one. Nina asks Jax is he’s all right; he’s bleeding. He says he’s okay, but then drops to the ground.  

Laura tells Curtis, if he needs to talk, she’s only a phone call away. He thanks her, and says he appreciates it. He’s in a strange place now. He’s sad his marriage has ended, but he feels a tremendous amount of satisfaction in The Savoy coming together. She asks if that’s the name of the club, and he asks if she likes it. She says she does, and thinks it will be the place to be. He says he doesn’t need it to be trendy, and it would be nice if it was successful, but he wants to provide good music, good ambience, and a place where people can set their everyday troubles aside, at least for a little while. Laura thinks it sounds perfect.

Jordan tells Shawn, Tommy was a good father. TJ loved him, and she doesn’t regret lying. She does regret how much she hurt Shawn, and he thanks her for saying that. She tells him, he said himself that he already loved TJ like a son before he knew he was TJ’s father. Could Shawn have loved TJ any more if he’d known they were blood? He says he doesn’t think that’s possible, and she says, TJ got two fathers who loved him. How can she regret that?

Molly tells TJ, she was so scared when her mom pled guilty. The maximum could have been a decade in prison, but the judge took into account the mitigating circumstances, and Alexis got three years. To her, it’s a perfect example of the system working. He says, this is one of those times when they’re just not going to see things the same. Her mom’s biggest mitigating circumstance is that she’s white. He’s happy Alexis only got three years, but Shawn pled guilty to the same crime, and could be there ten years before he gets out. So he would say, the system doesn’t work for everyone the same. Does she really want to be a part of that?

Britt tells Cyrus she’s working; she’s pulling another 12-hour shift. She reaches behind her back, changing the page, and tells Cyrus, she wants to change the lag time between lab orders and results. They can’t have a delay when doctors are waiting for important information. He says she’s so thorough; that’s why he hired her. She thanks him, but says she has work to do. She leaves, and he closes laptop. I’m thinking he’s going to look at the history.

Jason says, Carly made it easier for him to escape, but what good is he to her, the business, or anyone as a fugitive on the run? She says he can go to a safe house, and run the business from there. He says, why doesn’t he just go to the island? and she says, absolutely not. He can’t leave her. They’re going to prove Gladys is lying, and that Peter killed Franco. Once Jason’s name is cleared, he can come home. He says he knows that’s what she wants, but it’s not that easy. Britt comes back, and says she checked on the data from the drug trial, and the chemical compound in Cyrus’s drug and the lab results from her patient are a 90% match. Jason says, they stopped Cyrus from distributing the drug through GH, so he took it to the streets. Britt says, Cyrus interrupted her, but she covered, and had to make herself scarce, so she came there. Clueless Carly says they got Britt’s update, she can leave now, and Britt tells Jason to let her know if he needs a sedative. She’s sure he’ll need one after Carly’s visit. She leaves, and Carly says she can’t believe who Jason is working with. He tells her, stop. It’s not too late to go back on this. They can run a bunch of tests, send him back to Pentenville, and Shawn can be his cellmate; they’ll watch each other’s backs. She asks if he’s out of his mind. She called in every favor Sonny was owed. There are no favors left to get him out of Pentenville a second time. Cyrus comes in, and says, Jason Morgan and the widow Corinthos, together again at last. I laugh because I love the way he talks.

Michael says he knows Valentin can afford a lengthy battle, but does he want to miss out on the first months of his child’s life? The Quartermaine lawyers can drag things out for months, or even years. Valentin says he has a counteroffer. He’ll return Brook’s shares to her, which will allow them to retain full control of the company, assuming they can quit bickering and infighting long enough to act as one. Martin says he’s seen it, and it’s a big assumption. Brook says, it’s a deal. Does he have the shares with him? She’ll sign on the dotted line right now. Valentin says he’s not signing anything until the baby is born.

Nina tells Jax to stay with her, and we hear sirens. She tells him, it will be okay, and yells, hurry! There’s a man shot! The paramedics come, and she tells them Jax needs help. One of them asks about the other guy, but she says, he’s just knocked out; Jax has been shot. They tend to Jax, and Nina says, please wake up. Sonny joins her, and asks if she’s all right.  

Brook says she wants the shares now, and Valentin says he’s always wanted to be two inches taller. (He’s apparently been watching Judge Judy.) They can’t have everything they want. He’ll give her the shares when the baby is born. That’s his final offer. Brook says, deal; when the baby is born. They shake hands, and Valentin says he’ll have the papers drawn up. He and Martin leave, and Michael says, on behalf of the whole family, thank you for returning control of ELQ to the Quartermaines. He’s going to call Ned, unless she wants to do the honors. She tells him, go for it, and he leaves. She wonders, where am I going to find a baby? Hmm… who’s really having a baby and needs somewhere for it to go?

Laura tells Curtis, she’s worried that Cyrus will prevent Martin from seeing their mother. Despite his shortcomings, Martin loves his mother very much, and they’ve always been in close contact, even if just by phone. She wonders if she should reach out to Cyrus on Martin’s behalf, and Curtis says it doesn’t surprise him; she’s got a big heart. She asks if he’s saying she’s a pushover, but he says, far from it. She’s anything but naïve, but she knows if she wants something from Cyrus, he’ll want something in return. She says she does know that. Her son returned Florence to Cyrus, and she feels like she should do something to help Martin.

Molly tells TJ, she’s just as angry and frustrated as he is at the systemic unfairness of prison sentences, but she thinks working within the system is the best way to enact positive change. If the system gets the better of her, she can always switch back to working for a non-profit, or as a defense attorney who has a working knowledge of the ins and outs of the prosecuting psyche. He says he’d never bet against her. If anyone can change the system from within, it would be her. He says he’s proud of her, and they hug.

Shawn tells Jordan, TJ is the most important thing; he’s an amazing kid. Wait. TJ is going to be a doctor soon. He’s an amazing young man. She says she can’t believe TJ is all grown up. Her baby is graduating medical school soon. He says, Dr. TJ Ashford. He wishes he could be there to see it. She says she does too, and he says, so Commissioner, are you going to arrest me? She tells him, he said it was self-defense, right? No charges. But before she goes, life is hard enough in there. Steer clear of Cyrus’s people. He says he’ll do what’s necessary to protect his family, and she leaves. He watches her go.

Cyrus says he can’t think of why the guard let Carly into Jason’s room. Clearly, he doesn’t take his job seriously. He’ll reach out to the prison, and have him replaced immediately. He says Jason looks robust for an assault victim. Rest assured, he’ll be well taken care of in Cyrus’s hospital.

Britt goes back to the computer, and tries to bring up the page she’d been on. It says, access denied.   

Sonny asks if Nina is sure she’s all right, and she says she’s just shaken up. He asks if it’s someone she knows, and she says, just a man from her past. It’s the guy she broke up with. A paramedic says they’re ready to take Jax to the clinic, and Nina says she needs to go. Sonny says, he’ll go with her, but she says, no. Jax sees Sonny, but his vision is blurry. He points at Sonny, says, what the hell? and passes out. Nina says she needs to go, and Sonny asks if she’s sure she doesn’t want him to come, but the paramedic says they can only take one extra in the ambulance. Nina says she’ll call Sonny, and leaves with them.

On Monday, Chase says he’s starting to get scared; Anna asks if Maxie will agree to a visit from Peter; Sonny tells Eli, if the cops come around again, he won’t forget to tell them; and Jax says, Sonny.

📺 On this week’s For Real: The Story of Reality TV, transformation shows were the topic. People makeovers, like The Swan, The Biggest Loser, and Celebrity Rehab were examined first, along with interviews with past contestants. The second half of the show covered business/home makeovers, like Tabatha Takes OverTabatha Coffey saying that she opened the door for business shows, but didn’t really know what she was doing, since it was uncharted territory. Kitchen Nightmares, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition were two of the others included, with Chip and Joanna Gaines getting their own segment. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and interviews with the original cast rounded out the show. Next time, Shock and Awe

🍸 On Overserved, LVP’s guests Lala Kent and Anna Camp were the Ladies Who Brunch. Lala was pregnant at the time, and is sober anyway, so she couldn’t indulge, but she doesn’t need to in order to spill her guts. They did baby bottles (Lala’s not-so-guilty pleasure) and had fabulous breakfast food. My favorite meal. Anna told a story about how she’d been a shoo-in for a part in a school play, but had it stolen from her by a real bitch. Since Anna ended up on the business end of the stage, when a pitcher of water was required, she took it from the toilet, the bitch having to chug it on stage. Later, said bitch told Anna to make sure she washed the pitcher out next time, since there was sh*t floating in it. Little did she know how literal that might have been. I’ve never done anything like that, but if I had, I don’t think you could get me drunk enough to tell that story. They went inside for a game of Pop Star Charades, and pup Schnookie proceeded to hump LVP’s arm the entire time. The best part was how none of them could stop laughing. As parting gifts, Anna was given a bottle of rosé, and Lala got a quart of milk. Next time, Sherry Underwood and Mario Lopez will be visiting Villa Rosa.

🌴 Real Miami Wedding…

In a weird way, I still miss them.

https://extratv.com/2021/04/23/reality-star-marysol-patton-quietly-marries-steve-mcnamara/

🏆 All You Need To Know…

The best dressed.

https://www.purewow.com/fashion/best-oscar-dresses

The red carpet of the 90s.

https://www.stylebistro.com/This+Is+What+The+Oscars+Red+Carpet+Looked+Like+In+The+’90s

All the information on who, what, and how to watch the ceremony.

https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2021

Where to stream the contenders.

👄 Quotes of the Week

Defining myself, as opposed to being defined by others, is one of the most difficult challenges I face. – Carol Moseley-Braun

Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations. – Mae Jemison

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.Daniel Patrick Moynihan

No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow. – Alice Walker

Comfort can be dangerous. Comfort provides a floor but also a ceiling. – Trevor Noah

You don’t shoot animals with collars. That’s how Yogi Bear has lasted so long. – Mike Baxter (Tim Allen), Last Man Standing

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. – Pablo Picasso

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof. – Richard David Bach (Ain’t it the truth?)

⌚️ Out of Time…

Somehow the day… oh, you know the rest. Until we meet on the Deadside, stay safe, stay changing the scenery once in a while, and stay changing the system any way you can.

April 16, 2021 – Cyrus Meets Anna, Good Report, a Tribute, New Project, Glory Days, Her Reaction, Tiffany’s Closet, No Way, Old Feud, Thrones On Stage, Bad Hosts, an Invite, Not Quite Twelve Quotes & Sunshine

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Sasha brings take-out coffee into the garage, and Brando asks if she got one for him. She says she got him a latte, and he thanks her. She says she thinks she left her phone there, and he says she did. He found it in the car after she left, and he put it in the back. She says she wants to tell him something, and he says, that it shouldn’t have happened, but she says she was about to say she’s glad it did, and Brando smiles.

Sonny asks if Nina is okay, and Nina says, yeah, wrong number. He says he made coffee, and she says she’s desperate. He says she’s not desperate. All she has to do is take her time, and it’s up to her to pick and choose where she goes from here. She asks if he’s talking about Eli, and he says she barely knows Eli. She says, Phyllis and Lenny are fond of him, and Sonny says, but Eli is a stranger to Nina. As a matter-of-fact, so is he.   

Valentin asks Anna if she has any news about Chase, and she says Finn is keeping her up to date. They haven’t made a diagnosis that it’s poison yet, but she and Valentin can’t tell them. Peter will take off with the antidote. He says, so they honor the agreement, and wait while Peter reconciles with Maxie, and she says, they have to fix this.  Jason is in prison, thanks to Cyrus, and Peter is going to take off. Valentin says, not if he can do anything about it. Carly meets them at the door of her house, saying, the guards let her know they were there. She invites them in, and says, no more waiting around. They have to act now.

At Perdino’s, Laura leaves a phone message for Nikolas, saying, she doesn’t know what’s worse. Him being in league with Cyrus, or him going radio silent. Please call her back. Martin comes in, and says he couldn’t help overhearing her leave a message for her son. She asks why it’s his business, and he says he was hoping Nikolas kept his promise. Laura asks what her son promised him. More to the point, what did Martin offer Nikolas in return?

On the phone, Nikolas says he’s narrowed the search to a bakery in Stowe, Vermont where he thinks Martin ordered a hummingbird cake for his mother’s birthday. He knows it’s a long shot, but he needs to know if Martin, or anyone else, ordered a hummingbird cake from the bakery, and he needs to know any corresponding address. Call him as soon as they have some names. Ava asks if he’s really doing this; finding Cyrus’s mother, despite the fact that she and Laura advised against it. He says, if bringing Florence back to her son means keeping Alexis safe, then she’s right, he’s doing this.   

Alexis’s cellmate Maggie brings her to the gym/yard area, and says, they have an hour of the yard, and then do the work they’re assigned. You don’t learn to survive by lessons some advisor gives you. If you’re tough, you survive. If not… A large, disappointingly stereotypical inmate walks over to Alexis, who asks if she can help her. The inmate pushes her.

Maggie says, this one is new, Elda. Don’t worry. She’ll keep her in line. Elda walks away, and Alexis asks Maggie what the hell Elda’s problem is. Maggie tells her, steer clear. If Elda takes a dislike to her, compared to what she can do, incarceration will seem like a day at the spa. Alexis asks if the guard just watches, and Maggie says Alexis has a lot to learn. Alexis says that’s what Sam warned her about, and Maggie asks who Sam is; Alexis’s husband? Alexis says, her daughter. She said being locked up would seem like a foreign land, with its own rules and languages. She’ll have to be more careful if she’s going to survive another day, let alone three years.  

Ava tells Nikolas, once Cyrus’s mother is back, Cyrus will have no incentive to help Alexis. Not to mention he’ll have free reign to get even with Jason and Carly for taking Florence in the first place. Nikolas says, all that power and money won’t give Cyrus the one thing he’ll want after he gets his mother back. Ava says, Cyrus has money. Sonny is gone, and Jason is in prison, so Sonny’s territory is ripe for a takeover. What more could Cyrus possibly want? He asks what means more to them than money and power, and she says, love and family. Cyrus thinks Nikolas can convince Laura to accept him as part of the family. He says, it worked with Martin. He offered to repair Martin’s relationship with Laura, and Martin offered him a clue that might lead him to Florence. Ava says, the bakery where he got Florence the cake, and Nikolas says, Cyrus will come back to him sooner or later, and ask him to build a bridge to his sister. Ava says Nikolas is actually kind of sexy when he has things figured out, and they kiss.

Martin tells Laura, he gave Nikolas nothing; he has nothing to give. Laura says Nikolas can manipulate with the best of them. Is Martin sure he didn’t tell Nikolas where to find Florence? He says, of course (🍷) not. He has no idea where she is. She asks what Nikolas promised, and he says, to intercede with her on his behalf. Nikolas volunteered to mend fences between them. Martin knows how angry Laura is with him for his contribution to Julian’s escape, but please believe him, he had no idea Julian was responsible for what happened at The Floating Rib. Laura’s daughter is his niece, and now Lulu… He swears on his soul, if he knew about the death and destruction Julian created, he would never have helped. She says, despite the blackmail? and he says, for all the good it did him? Even though he gave into Julian’s blackmail, in a few short weeks, everyone knew Cyrus was his brother. And now he and Laura are on the opposite side of something, and any progress they’ve made as brother and sister seems to have vanished, which is exactly what Cyrus wanted. Cyrus is afraid he and Laura will end up on the same side, allied against him. When Cyrus walked in on Laura giving Martin a birthday cake, Cyrus’s instinct kicked in, and his bag of tricks. He exaggerated Martin’s guilt in the hope of obscuring his own. She tells him, don’t worry. No matter how disappointed she is in Martin, she’ll never forget that Cyrus gave the orders to plant the bomb in The Floating Rib. Cyrus approaches their table, and says Laura never ceases to amaze him. He didn’t think she and Martin would be on speaking terms after what she learned about him. Maybe there’s hope for him and Laura.

Brando says he didn’t know if he’d see Sasha again… in that way. Last night was all about… She says she’d just ended the relationship with Michael, and he thought she was on the rebound. He asks if she can blame him, and she says, not really. She and Michael were pretty serious, until they weren’t, but even when she still hoped she and Michael would pick up where they left off, Brando was always there. He says, stalking her? and she says she never minded. He says he figured that out when she didn’t call the cops, and she says, as much as she tried to ignore it, something was between them. He says, internal combustion, and she says he’s comparing her to a car; how romantic. Can she at least let her have an eight-cylinder engine with turbo charging? He says he’s been meaning to ask her how she knows so much about cars. She asks, why wouldn’t she? Did he think the face of Deception has no life beyond the glamorous shoots? He says he was hoping to hear more about it.

Nina tells Sonny that Eli doesn’t trust him either, and Sonny says, tell him something he doesn’t already know. She says, for the record, she’s not in the market for a new relationship, and he says, if she were… She says the perfect man has to make her fall in love with him, and then completely break her heart. He says she’s too hard on herself. She doesn’t deliberately choose these guys; she’s much better than they are. She says, is she? and he says didn’t she come there to get away from her bad choices. She’s way too smart not to know she’s in an unhealthy relationship is like. She says, is she? the thing is, it doesn’t stop her from missing the person she ran away from. Maybe she should just write the article and move on. He says, maybe, but when you move on, you take yourself with you. She says he doesn’t know who he is, does he? and he says, look what happened to him, and she says, what if he could get himself back?

Carly asks if Valentin and Anna have made any progress with Gladys, and Valentin says, Gladys is a shallow, selfish, greedy beggar with a huge interest in self-preservation, like Carly said. Anna says she’s sure Cyrus has put the fear of God in Gladys, and she knows if she changes her story, Cyrus will kill her. Valentin says, not to mention what Peter is capable of doing to her, and Carly asks what Peter has done now. Anna says,  nothing, but he insists on being in Maxie’s life, and had to be escorted out of the hospital. Carly is sure it’s a nightmare for Maxie, but thinks Peter is less of threat to Maxie than Cyrus is to all of them. The only thing that’s stopping him from burning Port Charles down is that she has Florence – for now. Anna asks what she means, and Carly says Cyrus tried to offer her a deal; Florence, in exchange for Gladys changing her story so Jason could go free. He didn’t seem disappointed or angry when she turned him down. It sounded like he had another deal in place.

Sonny asks what makes Nina think he can find out who he is? She says, no one is completely anonymous. If he really wants to uncover his past, he can reach out on social media. He says he’s not sure he wants to find out what happened to him before Nixon Falls, and she asks, why not? He says he likes it there. He likes the people and the pace. He likes the fact that the highlight of the season is a dance at the firehouse. Nina says, it sounds like a lot more fun than the Met Gala, and he asks, what’s that? She says, a ball where people dress up to impress each other and raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She admits it’s a worthy cause, and he says, it’s her world. She says she could show him pictures of her and her friends dressed up on the red carpet outside the museum, everyone smiling, but no one is actually happy. He says she seems happy there, and she says, he does too. He says, why go somewhere else to find happiness? I expect them to break out in a song from Oklahoma! any second.

Brando says, so Sasha had a summer job in high school? She says, working at a garage. It was mostly in the office, but she occasionally helped with repairs. She had spending money, and discovered she liked the work. He says he pictured her playing with Disney princess dolls, and she says she did that too, but she’s not a stereotype any more than he is. He’s Cyrus’s driver-slash-bodyguard; the one Cyrus keeps around to clean up his messes, but it’s just a front. He says, don’t go calling The Invader, and she tells him, don’t worry. She likes him better alive than dead. She admires his bravery; walking a tightrope to protect Carly and her family. He says he’s more like an idiot, and she says, you don’t win medals for being an idiot. She has to get going. She has a photo shoot, and grease on her face is not a good look for the face of Deception. He says he thinks she looks great, but he’s not being very objective. He wipes her face with a clean rag, and they almost kiss, but he says he almost forgot; her phone. He leaves to get it, and she smiles.   

Cyrus sits at the table, and says, the three of them breaking bread. He asks Laura if this isn’t better than their petty squabbles. Maybe one day, his mother will join them. Laura says she thought Florence was happy where she is, and Martin says, she is. Wherever she is, mama makes the best of things. Cyrus says, she’ll be happier back in the loving arms of her family, and Laura asks what he’s planning. Cyrus says he gives her his word that he’s not planning anything. Mother’s fate, as she well knows, is out of his hands.

Ava tells Nikolas, don’t distract her, and he says, he’s distracting her? She says she’s concerned about his involvement with Cyrus. Why is he certain he can find Florence when Cyrus’s own people couldn’t? He says the man he was talking to is Colonel Jackson. He served in various hot spots around the globe. He’s retired from the military, and opened his own company. She says, a mercenary? and he says, security consultant. His people can be anywhere at a moment’s notice. They’re infiltrating the bakery to find out if hummingbird cakes or any other Southern desserts have been delivered to a nearby address. Ava asks what it’s costing Nikolas, but he says, it doesn’t matter. If he finds Florence, Alexis is safe. She says, one does not guarantee the other, and he says he can’t leave his aunt in Pentenville with no resources. He has to make sure she’s protected. She says she loves him for wanting to protect his aunt, but doesn’t think this is the way to do it. Think about Cyrus, look at his history. Think of all the people he’s betrayed, including her brother. If Nikolas thinks he can trust Cyrus to keep his word, he’s making a big mistake.

Carly tells Anna and Valentin, if Cyrus gets his mother back, they lose leverage. Gladys is going to keep following Cyrus’s orders, and lie to the cops. Peter stays free, and Jason stays in prison, at least until the trial. Anna says, that would be the case, and Carly says, then they have to put more pressure on Gladys. Valentin says he’s not kidnapping Gladys, and holding her in Anna’s basement, and Carly says, why not? It’s a start. Anna says, a coerced confession won’t hold up in court, and Carly says, Anna is worried about what’s legal now, after she covered for Peter for months? After Jason warned Anna, and told her to come forward? What is going on here? Where is the help Anna promised her? Is she going to get Jason out of prison? Anna says she understands Carly’s frustration, but Carly has to trust her. If Carly goes after Gladys, she’ll make Jason’s situation worse. Carly asks what Anna is telling her. Better luck next time? Jason is just going to rot in prison? Valentin tells her, that’s not what they said, but Carly says, that’s what it sounds like. They said they wanted to stop Peter from killing someone else, to stop insinuating himself into Maxie’s life. So what are they going to do about it? Anna says, nothing. And neither is Carly.   

Alexis wonders what she did to get on Elda’s bad side; she just got here. Maggie says, Elda has no other side; it’s all bad. Did Alexis defend her and lose? Alexis says she’s never seen Elda before, and Maggie says maybe Elda was her mortal enemy in another life. She has to go back inside and prepare for her parole hearing. The tips Alexis gave her are really going to help. Alexis says she was told not to trust anyone there, but… Maggie says she gets it. It’s tougher without someone to talk to. She thought a smart woman like Alexis could have fancy-talked her way out of Pentenville. Alexis says she could have plead guilty and gone to trial, and Maggie asks why she didn’t. Alexis says it’s a long story, and Maggie says she’s got the time. She sits on a bench, and Alexis says, come to think of it, she does too, and sits next to her.   

Ava says all Nikolas has done is give Cyrus an opening to threaten Alexis any time he wants something. It’s what Cyrus did to her brother. He threatened Julian’s family to get him to cooperate. It’s just a manipulation. Nikolas says, he’s not Julian. Nobody manipulates him. He needs to know they’re in this together. If one of them feels threatened, they have to set aside their doubts and questions, and come together. Isn’t that the kind of marriage they’ve created, despite the odds? She says he doesn’t play fair, and he says he’s not playing. He needs to know she’s with him. Today, tomorrow, always. She asks if he needs proof, and he says, always. They kiss, and he picks her up in his arms.

Gladys comes to the garage, and sees the tools around the car. She asks if Brando doesn’t have the morning off. Why is it always all work and no play with him? Sasha’s head pops up, and she says, it’s nice to see Gladys again. Gladys asks what Sasha is doing there, and I’m hoping they weren’t doing it under the car.

Laura says Cyrus might try to make his fingerprints invisible, but it’s clear to her that he’s pressuring someone else to find his mother. Someone who loves his Aunt Alexis very much, and wants her to be protected while she’s in prison. Martin says, Nikolas was concerned about his Aunt Alexis when they last spoke, and Laura says she thought Martin didn’t tell Nikolas anything. Martin says he didn’t. For the last time, there was nothing to tell. He doesn’t even know his mother’s current location. Cyrus says, don’t blame, Marty. They rarely agree, but they both want the best for their mother. Laura laughs, and says she doesn’t think so. Martin loves his mother for who she is, but Cyrus needs his mother to validate his life. She didn’t approve when Jason took Florence, but it was the only way to contain Cyrus’s violence and greed, and it worked. Since Jason’s had Florence, there have been no shootouts. Cyrus wants his mother back because he doesn’t want Jason to have that leverage over him. She say she’ll be damned if she’ll let Cyrus use her son to make it happen, and walks out.

Carly says, they expect her to do nothing. Why? What aren’t they telling her? Anna says, Peter took steps to protect himself. It’s probably his first step in his strategy for leaving Port Charles. Carly asks what the hell Peter has done, and Valentin says they can’t tell her that, but they’re working hard to fix the situation. Anna says, if Peter even gets a hint they’re working against him, someone innocent will die. Carly asks if this innocent person has a name, and Anna says Carly isn’t the only one who wants Jason free, or Peter to be brought to justice. If she goes for Gladys, she’s going to escalate an already dangerous situation. So can she take a deep breath, and let them handle Peter? Carly says she was only working with Anna because Jason wanted her to, but Jason is in prison, so she has to follow her instincts. If they can’t tell her why she should give them time, she can’t promise them she will. Anna says, then Peter won’t be the only one with blood on his hands. He can live with it. Can Carly?   

Sonny tells Nina, he’ll throw in a danish if she tells him what’s on her mind. She says, what if she told him that she did something selfish that might hurt a lot of people? He says he wouldn’t believe her. He’s seen her with Lenny and Phyllis, and she’s not a selfish person. She says, she is, but the weird part is, she believes she’s doing the right thing, a good thing; not just for herself, but for someone who will never know. Sonny asks if it’s someone he knows, and she says, it’s someone who deserves to be happy. Someone who deserves a fresh start. She’s making sure they have both of them. He says, that’s a good thing, not a selfish thing. She says, that’s what she tells herself, and sometimes she even believes it.

Sasha says she was helping Brando fix the carburetor, and Gladys says Sasha would risk her manicure to help out at the shop? Brando comes out from the office, and says he charged Sasha’s phone; it was losing juice. He sees Gladys, and asks what she’s doing there. She says she just came to check on her boy. It sounds like he had an interesting evening.

Martin says, he was hoping he and Laura could find a way past what happened on his birthday, but once again, like the Angel of Death, it takes Cyrus one minute to ruin everything. Cyrus says, relax, Marty. As soon as mother comes back, Laura will get over her anger. Martin says, do him a favor. Let’s review, shall we? In one way or another Cyrus is responsible for putting Laura’s daughter in a coma. Now Cyrus is trying to coopt her son. In what universe would Laura look at Cyrus with anything other than loathing?

Walking into Perdino’s, Valentin says, how much does Anna want to bet that Carly doesn’t wait around long enough for them to take down Peter? She says she doesn’t want to take that risk, and they go inside. They see Cyrus and Martin, and Valentin asks if Anna wants to go to the MetroCourt. She says, no. She wants to say hello. She goes over to their table, and Valentin follows. She says Valentin has been telling her how helpful Martin has been in establishing parental rights for Brook’s baby. She doesn’t think she and Cyrus have been formally introduced, and says she’s Anna Devane, Peter’s aunt. Cyrus smiles.   

Ava and Nikolas bask in the afterglow, and Nikolas says he needs Ava to believe that he’ll protect the ones he loves; his mother, Alexis, Spencer, especially her. Ava says, her whole life she had to protect herself, and he says she doesn’t have to anymore. He’s here for her, like she’s here for him. If he was in danger, wouldn’t she do everything in her power to save him? She says, in a heartbeat, and they get busy again.

On the phone, Carly tells Bobbie to put the guards on extra alert, and do it without scaring Florence… All right… She loves Bobbie too. The doorbell rings, and she says she has to go. Call her if there are any signs of trouble. She opens the door to Laura, who asks if something happened. There are more guards than usual. Carly says she’s just taking extra care. What did Laura want to see her about? Laura asks what it would take for Carly to surrender Florence, before someone gets hurt.

Cyrus says he’s pleased to finally make Anna’s acquaintance; her reputation precedes her. She tells him, don’t believe everything you hear, Mr. Renault. He tells her to call him Cyrus, if he may call her Anna, and she says, of course (🍷). Cyrus says he hears congratulations are in order. Valentin is going to be a new father again. Valentin says, how about that? Cyrus’s brother takes care of a lot of his interests, and will tell Cyrus that family means a lot to him. Cyrus says, as it does to all of them. Anna tells Valentin that she’s suddenly famished, and they go to their table. Martin asks, what the hell was that? All the pointed looks going back and forth, the least Cyrus could do for his brother is shout duck. Cyrus says, just marking their territory.

Valentin asks if Anna would like to explain that interaction, and she says, sometimes you just have to look your enemy in the eye to figure out your next move. He asks if she has, and she says, most definitely.

Carly asks if Laura has noticed that Port Charles has been fairly calm since Florence started her extended stay with friends, but Laura says, it’s not going to stay that way. Carly knows that already. Carly asks why Laura is saying that, and Laura says she was just talking to her brothers. Since they’re all family now, they feel free to share with her whatever is on their dysfunctional little minds. Carly says, which is? and Laura says, Martin was way too eager to make her believe he’d kept Florence’s location a secret, and Cyrus was too self-assured, even for him. Carly asks if he knows where Florence is, and Laura says she doesn’t think so – not yet – but she thinks Nikolas does.

On the phone, Nikolas asks if they found the find bakery… Excellent. Did they have subsequent orders for Southern desserts?… Bobbie Spencer? She’s the mother of one of the parties involved in Florence’s kidnapping. Does he have an address?… Terrific work, Colonel, thank you. When they arrive at the address, he wants them to establish a parameter, reconnoiter the area, but don’t make a move until he gets there. Understood?  Ava asks if Nikolas found her, and he says he’ll know soon enough. Ava asks why not order Colonel Jackson to take Florence the moment he finds her. Is Nikolas having second thoughts? He asks if he hasn’t convinced her to change her mind, to understand why he’s doing this, and she says, if she tells him that he hasn’t, will he call it off? He says, no, but he’d rather do this with her than without her.

An inmate suddenly plops between Alexis and Maggie, and they get up. Alexis says, it was the combination of a lot of booze and a lot of bad decisions that got her into this lovely location. Maggie says, and a few bad men? and Alexis says, one or two contributed. In the end, it was on her. Maggie says Alexis obviously knows how the parole board thinks. They want to hear inmates take responsibility for their actions, basically saying what they did was wrong, but they learned their lesson. Alexis says, it will be a while before she sees a parole board. What’s crazy is, she chose to plead guilty because she wanted to be accountable for the things she’d done. Not just for other people, but for herself. As naïve and insane as it sounds, after three years, she wants to walk out of this place a better woman. Elda approaches them, and tells Maggie, take a hike. Alexis says, it’s okay. Three’s a crowd. Maggie leaves, and the guard leaves with her. Alexis and Elda face each other.

Nina tells Sonny, thanks, but she’s going to the library to research the early days of Nixon Falls for the article. He says, since they’re both going to the firehouse dance, they should go together. Nina says she’d love to go with him, but Eli already asked her, and she said she’d go with him. He says he’s not surprised Eli beat him to it, and she says she’ll save him a dance. He says there are things she doesn’t know about Eli, and she says there are things Mike/Sonny doesn’t know about himself, and there are things he doesn’t know about her. He says, true, and she asks if he’s trying to tell her something. He says, will she save that dance? and she promises she will.  

Sasha thanks Brando for finding her phone, and Gladys tells her, next time, be more careful. She goes to the other side of the room, and Brando says, but not too careful. You might miss out on something good. He apologizes for his mom, but Sasha says, in her own way, Gladys is just trying to look out for him. She has to run, and he asks, who’s looking out for her? She says, she thought he was, calling him Mr. Stalker. He says, so his stalking is welcome now, and she says, maybe because she’ll also be stalking him. Unfortunately, I can see the Twitter reaction now being right up there with Baby, It’s Cold Outside. <heaving a heavy sigh over people being offended too easily and in any context>

Anna tells Valentin, it wasn’t until she was face to face with Cyrus, that she realized they weren’t entirely powerless. He asks if she wants to share what’s on her mind, and she says, poisoning an innocent, and holding on to the antidote for ransom is classic Faison (ha-ha! Faison Classic). It’s appalling, but not surprising that his son would follow his example. What Peter doesn’t realize is, the same tactics that brought down Faison, can bring him down too.

Martin says if Cyrus is grimacing at Anna, he advises him to stop. Cyrus says he’s smiling, and Martin says, Valentin is very protective of Anna, and he’s also very dangerous. Not in the hairy back, knuckle-dragging, let’s-break-their-knees way, familiar to the garden variety simians Cyrus employs. The last place Cyrus wants to be is on Valentin’s bad side. Cyrus says he’s counting on Martin to keep the peace between him and his client. As to Anna, what does Martin know about her? Martin says, he’s an attorney, not one of Peter’s muck-raking journalists, and Cyrus asks if Martin doesn’t find it fascinating. First, Anna was Peter’s mother; now she’s his aunt, and they’re not good terms. Apparently a lot of dirty laundry was spilled at the wedding that didn’t happen. It might prove useful as leverage. Martin says, to who? Against who [sic]? Cyrus’s new friend Peter? Why does he care about the man anyway? Cyrus says he doesn’t. Peter is merely a means to an end. And if it goes well, the end may soon be in sight.

Carly tells Laura, now it makes sense. Now she knows why Cyrus wasn’t upset when she rejected his offer to trade Florence for Jason’s freedom. He already had a plan in place with Nikolas. Laura says, she’s right then. Martin let something slip to Nikolas, so Cyrus is getting his mother back, but through her son. Carly asks if Nikolas doesn’t know he’s walking into a trap. Cyrus has all the power. This is what he does; creates danger, then offers to erase it. Laura says, and before you know it, he owns you, and Carly says, he did the same thing to Julian, and Nikolas is married to Julian’s sister. Can’t Nikolas see where this is headed? Laura says she’s not defending Nikolas, but Carly has taken risks to protect the people she loves. Carly says she knows; they both have. Even if Cyrus keeps his word, and protects Alexis in Pentenville, that’s great for Alexis, but it leaves Jason in an even worse position. Laura says, and it gets Nikolas in even deeper with Cyrus. Carly asks how they stop Nikolas.   

Nikolas talks to the Colonel again, and asks if he can overcome the Corinthos guards. Ava tells Nikolas, whatever he decides, she’s with him. He tells the Colonel to wait for his signal.   

Alexis tells Elda, crazy weather, huh? Elda asks who Alexis is calling crazy, and pins Alexis against the wall.  

On Monday, Curtis asks how bad someone wants to find out, Cyrus wants Martin to celebrate with him, Anna visits Jason, and Elda says she’s going to make sure Alexis remembers. And I don’t think Elda means her birthday.

🩺 By the way. John Stamos (ex-Blackie) was on Watch What Happens Live this week, and had nothing but wonderful things to say about the cast of General Hospital. No surprise.

💣 The Spy Who We Loved…

An upcoming tribute to John Reilly will include his real life daughter.

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/general-hospital-john-reilly-tribute-caitlin-reilly-casting-1234951545/

https://www.tvinsider.com/995144/general-hospital-john-reilly-tribute-episode-caitlin-reilly/

🎥 The Other Kendall…

Life beyond Pine Valley.

🕶 It Was the Bomb…

Emma Samms revisits my favorite soap time period. I loved all that spy stuff.

🖐🏽 Kardashian Kast-Off…

I have no doubt she didn’t hold back.

https://extratv.com/2021/04/13/lisa-rinna-s-unfiltered-reaction-to-daughter-amelia-dating-scott-disick/

👠 Look Out Imelda Marcos…

Spoiler: Tiffany has shoes that have never been worn, but just make her happy to look at.

https://pagesix.com/2021/04/13/rhod-star-tiffany-moon-gives-us-a-tour-of-her-closet/

😱 Can’t Blame Them…

I wouldn’t want my mother on RHOBH either.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1257794/why-paris-and-nicky-hilton-didnt-want-mom-kathy-to-join-rhobh

🐇 If Anyone Still Cares…

I watched The Girls Next Door. I read Holly Madison’s book. Like Kendra said, Dude, it’s 2021.

🎭 Broadway Game…

A mishmash of New York-ish entertainment news, including Game of Thrones coming to Broadway. I have mixed feelings.

https://pagesix.com/2021/04/06/game-of-thrones-headed-to-londons-west-end-in-2023/

🏆 Good Times…

Remember when life was maskless? Before we had to social distance? When at the Academy Awards meant people accepting awards in person? Remember when Anne Hathaway and James Franco screwed that up?

https://nypost.com/2021/04/15/why-anne-hathaway-and-james-franco-bombed-as-2011-oscars-hosts/

📜 You’re Invited…

But will there be an open bar?

🎺 Quotes of the Week

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind. – Bernard M. Baruch

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

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. – Arthur C. Clarke

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

Rejection is an opportunity for your selection. – Bernard Branson

You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s actions, not words, that matter.Nicholas Sparks

There has never been a time in my life where I have experienced deep grief and have not come out the other side of it completely new and fresh and wiser. – Glennon Doyle

Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.Marilyn Monroe

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. – Amelia Earhart

We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. – Carl Sagan

Science and technology revolutionize our lives, but memory, tradition and myth frame our response. – Arthur M. Schlesinger

🧳 Packing It In…

Putting on my copywriting hat, until I switch to Dead mode on Sunday night. If you want to check out my interrogation skills, my copywriting is featured on Mupo and Friends, at 2 pm on Sundays. This week’s guest is Han Soto from Cobra Kai, and you can catch it on YouTube or MupoEntertainment.com. Change up your weekend, or whatever you might call it these days, and until we next meet, stay safe, stay encouraged, and stay doing it for the right reasons if you must do something selfish.

March 15, 2021 – Valentin Offers Michael the Deal Of a Lifetime, a Feverish Guest Is a Quarantined Guest, Grammy Winners, Oscar Noms, Academy Snubs, Going For the Gold, Empty Apple & Cheap

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

I missed the very beginning, but all you need to know is… Sam and Alexis met at Kelly’s, and Maxie was released from the hospital. She’s packing up Peter’s stuff, and Olivia and Dante are with her. Chase went to see Willow, Valentin went to see Michael, and Ava went to see Nina. Finn, Gregory, and Jackie are at the hospital, discussing the DNA test results, and Jason has just walked in on Anna and Peter’s conversation in Peter’s office. And away we go.

Peter says he was wondering when Jason would show up. Predictable as always. Jason says, that’s right, and Peter says he’s aware of the lies Anna and Valentin are speaking about him. That’s all they are, lies, so go for it. He saved Jason the trouble of breaking in, but – spoiler alert – there’s nothing to find. He leaves, and Jason closes the door. He tells Anna, let’s do a sweep.

Olivia asks if Maxie was checked out, and Maxie says she and the baby are fine. Olivia says, thank God, and Dante says, Peter is going to look for Maxie, but Maxie says he already did. He came to the hospital. Anna and Valentin ran interference, but she wanted to face him. Dante asks how it went, and she says she told him it was over. Olivia asks how she feels, but Maxie isn’t sure how she feels about anything. She loved him. Olivia says, of course (🍷) she did, and Maxie says, but the man she loved wasn’t real.

At Kelly’s, Sam asks if Alexis is sure she’s okay, and Alexis says she has coffee. She’ll be okay. Sam asks if she’s sure, and tells Alexis that she can stay, but Alexis says, there are people who have it much worse. Go see Maxie. She can’t imagine what Maxie is going through. Sam says she loves Alexis, and Alexis says she loves Sam too. Sam says she’s really proud of her mom, and leaves. Ned walks in, sees Alexis, and says, on second thought, he’ll head to Perks. Alexis says, for God’s sake, get some coffee, and keep her company. He asks if everything is all right, and she says, perfect. Couldn’t be better.

Chase tells Willow, sorry for just showing up, and she says, stop apologizing. She’s glad he came. He says he knows this is the part where he tells her everything, but he doesn’t know where to start. She says, wherever he wants, and he says, Finn slept with his mom. She says, wow. Okay. When was this? He says the night before she married his dad. Now he doesn’t know if his dad is his father, or Finn is. Willow takes the glass of water out of his hand, and he asks what she’s doing. She says she’s getting them some wine. For a moment, I actually entertained a notion of what I’d do if I found out my father wasn’t my father. Then I remembered, we all look so much alike in my family, I couldn’t even pretend I was adopted when I was little, like you do when you’re mad at your parents.

Nina asks if Ava remembers how happy she was when Michael called and asked if she’d like to spend more time with Wiley. She’s surprised she didn’t get a speeding ticket on her way there. Wiley was playing with blocks, and he was so adorable. He was constructing towers, and knocking them down; his laugh is contagious. Ava asks if Wiley was receptive to her, and she says, very much so. Willow and Michael were too; they’ve been really generous. Ava asks, what on earth happened?

Valentin tells Michael that he’s going to sign over Scout and Danny’s ELQ proxies, and Michael will have majority control of the company. Michael says, just like that? and Valentin says, just like that. Michael asks what’s in it for Valentin, and Valentin says, not much, which makes it the deal of a lifetime. Michael just allows Nina to see her grandson, and he can have control of the company. Someone watches them from outside.

Nina tells Ava, Carly arrived, and Ava says, to keep an eye on Nina no doubt. Nina says, it wasn’t a problem… Not at first. She didn’t think a problem was there. Ava tells her to get to the part where she lost Wiley, and Nina says she told Wiley that she was his grandma, but not like Grandma Carly. She wanted to make sure he understood that she’s not Willow’s mother. Ava says, she told him the truth? Nina says, yes, and then Wiley told Willow.    

Someone continues to watch Valentin and Michael. Valentin says, Nina gets to spend time with her grandson, and Michael retains control of the company. How does that sound? It’s a no-brainer. Michael says Valentin is right. It is a no-brainer. No. He’s not going to trade his son to be subject to something potentially harmful. No more than Valentin would with Charlotte.

Chase tells Willow, he’s furious at Finn and his mom, but at the same time, he can’t judge. Stuff happens. People become attracted to each other, and sleep together when they shouldn’t. Willow says, they’re not just people, and he says, how could Finn do that to his dad? What the hell? Finn disappeared and punished his father, making Gregory think it was his fault for daring to be happy after his wife died. And don’t get him started on his mom. She’s supposed to be a fearless journalist. When she saw Finn, and should have told him to get a DNA test, so he didn’t blame their father for falling in love. She asks if one is pending, and he says, it’s sitting at GH, waiting to be opened. She says, he’s not there, and he says he doesn’t know if can face it; not yet. She says he doesn’t have to.

Gregory says, there’s no undoing what’s done. Chase swore Gregory would always be his father, but if it turns out he’s not, that sort of thing wears on people. Even if they destroy the results, they’ll always wonder, every single one of them. They might as well do it, and find out who the father is. Finn nods, and leaves to get the results.   

Ned says he and Alexis made mistakes, and took the fallout, but they’ve been in and out of each other’s lives for decades. He can tell when she’s hurting. Is there anything he can do? She says, yes. Tell her the damage isn’t irreparable, and he and Olivia are back together.

Olivia asks if Maxie is sure she’s ready, and Maxie says, not really, but it’s not like she has a choice. The community center will be enjoying some custom-made menswear. Olivia says, where Peter is going, he won’t need them. There’s a knock at the door, and Maxie says, it’s probably Sam. Dante opens the door, and Sam comes in bearing carboard boxes. She says she can take them back if Maxie doesn’t want them, but Maxie says she’ll put them to good use. Sam says, well? How is Maxie holding up? Maxie says she’s still searching for the right answer to that question, and Dante says he doesn’t think there is one. Olivia says, life threw Maxie a major loop, and she needs time to adjust. Maxie asks Dante if his mom is right about where Peter is headed. Is he going to serve time?

Anna tells Jason, all clear. There’s no surveillance equipment. She didn’t expect any though. Jason says she wouldn’t put it past Peter to plant a bug, would she? and she says she knows Peter would like to be privy to their conversation, but she doubts he’d have coverage 24/7 in the office. Jason looks around Peter’s desk, and she says he’s not saying I told you so, so she’ll say it for him. He was right about Peter. She knows he told her again and again but she refused to see it. It’s part of what made Maxie willing to open up love, and believe in Peter; Anna was by his side, and strengthened his case. Maxie isn’t safe. She can see the obsession in Peter’s eyes. He’s going to turn into his father. Just the thought… Faison made her life a living hell for so many years. It’s an awful thing to say, but Peter is fully capable of the same thing. The fact that he’s this far along, and in this terrible place, is on her.

Ned tells Alexis that he and Olivia are in limbo; they’re not broken up, but they’re definitely not together. Alexis says, they should be. They love each other. He says he knows he loves Olivia, but he also hurt her deeply, and he honestly doesn’t know what’s going to happen. Alexis says she’s so sorry, but he says, don’t be. She’s not at fault. She says, they’re both at fault. They were both three sheets to the wind. They were both wrong, and both at fault. The only good thing is, her daughter stood by her, and Olivia was gracious enough to hear her out. He says, Olivia is nothing if not gracious and forgiving. She says, that gives them hope.

Dante tells Maxie that he knows the PCPD is reopening the investigation into the assassination attempt on Andre and Franco, and Olivia says, may he rest. Maxie asks, what about Drew’s plane crash? and Dante says, that too. Olivia says, something has to stick, right? and Maxie thanks them for checking on her. She appreciates it. Dante asks if she’s kicking them out, and she says, no, but she knows they have lives, and Sam is there; she’ll be fine. Olivia says she’ll put the ziti in the fridge, and Maxie goes with her. Sam says Dante isn’t being fully honest, right? He asks if it’s that obvious, but Sam says, only to her. Dante says, Peter’s had too much time to cover his tracks, and he’s good at it already. Sam says, he killed Scout’s father, but Dante says, the plane has been underwater; there’s no evidence to be had. Maybe something else will turn up. She asks what he means, and he says he thinks Peter is going to slip up. He’s desperate and panicking, and he’s going to do what he’s been doing. Sam says, making sure he stays out of prison.

Jason says he was with Anna when she was tracking Henrick. Jason saw how he messed with her head. She wanted to believe so badly that he wasn’t Faison. She was wrong, but it’s not solely on her. She’s not sure that’s true, and he says, she’s not the first person who wanted to believe someone was better than they are. Peter was good at manipulating and covering his tracks. She says, Jason didn’t believe Peter, but he says, Peter wasn’t his son. He didn’t have to believe it, even when she did. He gets it, okay? She’s human. She thanks him for that, but says he doesn’t understand how far she went. When he was putting together that the assassin and Peter knew each other, what he didn’t know was that there were records that tied them together. She pulled those from the WSB file, but instead of handing them to the authorities, she kept them. She just hoped they didn’t mean what she thought… what she knew they meant. So when she confronted Peter about it, thinking he’d tell her the truth, he didn’t. He took them from her and destroyed them.

Nina says she was just being honest, and Ava says, with a toddler? Nina says she was reading books on how to deal with sensitive issues and small children. She opens one, and tells Ava, look. The advice says, just say the thing. Ava asks if Nina doesn’t think the parents should be the people saying the thing, and Nina says, yeah. It went terribly wrong, but in her defense, she had no malicious intent. She wanted to do the right thing, and tried to convey that to Michael. Ava says she’s had too much experience. Let her tell Nina what it’s like taking on the Corinthos clan.

Valentin tells Michael, harmful? Nina? She just wants to see her grandson. She’s a wonderful person with an enormous heart. No doubt Michael knew that enough to let Nina see Wiley initially. Michael says he gets it. Nina is a loving, warm person, but it’s going to be difficult if there’s a confrontation every time. When things settle, and Nina works through the shock, she can and will have a great relationship with Wiley, but not now.

Chase tells Willow, part of him never wants to talk to Finn and his mom again, which is ridiculous, but the person he feels worst for is his dad. Maybe that’s BS. He feels worst for himself, which makes him feel insanely selfish. Willow asks, why? and he says he had a great childhood; happy, healthy, full of love It shouldn’t affect his life one way or another. She says, first of all, of course (🍷) it should affect his life; it’s his family. Secondly, two things can be true. You can have amazing parts of your life that you cherish, and still grieve the parts you lost. For what it’s worth (🍷), she’s sorry he’s going through this. He says, it’s worth more than she knows, and she puts her hand over his.

Ava asks Nina to go over it step by step. Michael and Willow brought Wiley there to visit. Nina says, correct, and Ava asks what she thinks happened after they left. Carly reminded them how awful and unhinged Nina is, and the second time she and Wiley visited, Nina proved that they shouldn’t let Wiley be around her. Now Carly has momentum, and Michael will do what she says. Nina wonders how she convinces them that Wiley will be better off having contact with her. How do they get to where they were before? Ava thinks Nina’s best bet is to divide and conquer.

Valentin tells Michael, Nina made a mistake, and said something dumb. She feels terrible, and to issue an ultimatum ultimately makes it worse. Nina will double down and Michael will double down, and no one wants that. If they talk, and learn to communicate, maybe there’s a negotiation be had. Michael says, like what? and Valentin says, maybe Nina goes to counseling; maybe they should all go, and get the tools for how to handle this intermediary step. There’s a lot between all access and no contact. He’s not doubting Michael wants what’s best for his son, and hopes Michael considers the options. He leaves, and someone watches him.   

Chase tells Willow that he keeps trying to get to a Zen place, but he can’t. Finn has to be most self-absorbed person ever. It never crossed his mind what he was doing to their dad – or mom. She’s in the wrong, but Finn did worse; he moved on. Chase doesn’t want to find out this guy is his dad for a lot of reasons, but how he handled this is at the top. Willow thinks it’s good to remember that Finn was in his early 20s. He made a choice, and over time got entrenched. Chase asks if she’s saying he should give Finn a pass, but she says, hell no. The only real advice she can give him is, don’t police his feelings. He’s been betrayed by people he trusted. She’s felt the way he feels. He says, speaking of policing, maybe he should think like a cop. She asks what he means, and he says, the evidence. Finn had just one night with his mom. The odds are in his dad’s favor. He’s got to go to GH and see the results. He tells Willow to pray his dad is his dad, since he wants him to be. Willow asks if he’ll be okay, but he says that can’t happen until he knows. She asks if he wants her to go with him, and he says he didn’t want to ask. She says that’s why she offered, and he says he’d like that very much. She says she’ll get her coat.  

Olivia tells Dante, poor Maxie. It’s so hard on her. He says, she’s tough; she’ll be fine. Olivia says with friends like him, how could she not be? He asks how Olivia is, and she says, she’s great… She’s fine… She’s hanging in. He says he knows she get to decide how to handle her life, but he can see she misses Ned. She says, of course (🍷) she misses him. He’s her husband. He asks, what’s next? but she says she honestly doesn’t know. She suggests they go into Kelly’s, and they see Ned and Alexis. Olivia asks, is she seeing this? and Ned says, it’s just coffee, he swears. Alexis says, it’s true, and Dante tells Olivia, try not to judge. Ned says he knows it’s hard because he fell victim to jumping to the wrong conclusion about Olivia and Robert. Don’t make the same mistake.

Maxie thanks Sam for helping her pack, and Sam says she’d do anything for Maxie. Maxie says she would understand if Sam decided to sit this one out. Saying she’s sorry isn’t enough, but she’s so sorry about what Peter did to Drew. Sam says, don’t. Peter fooled a lot of people for a long time. Maxie says, last night, Peter asked – insisted

Jason tells Anna that he’s sorry, and she wonders why. He says, a mistake like that, he knows it’s tough to carry, but they can’t look back. They’ve got to go forward and find a way to stop Peter. She says, there’s no evidence. What do they have on him? He says, maybe they can get him for murder. He thinks Peter is the one who killed Franco. She says, and everyone would  think Jason killed him. Jason says they know Peter has killed before, and tried to cover up what he did with Helena. Anna says, and Drew’s memories were surfacing. Jason says, at first, Franco thought he was hearing voices, but when he found out it was a memory, he told Peter. She says, Peter knew? and he says, yes. Peter knew, and not long after, he saw Britt. He played the brother card, and used her log-in to access the GH server. She had no idea what he was doing until the next day when the article came out. Anna says, Peter was desperate to instill fear and anger, and hoped someone would try to take out Franco, and Jason says, it’s a win-win for Peter. Either his problem is taken care of, or there’s a cover so he can take care of it himself. She says, it’s a compelling theory. How do they prove it?

Jackie tells Gregory that she’s so sorry, but he says, too late for that. She asks, if she’d told him 30 years ago, would it have made a difference? when Chase walks in. He asks if they know, and she says, not yet. Finn comes back, and says he has the results. Jackie asks if he’s looked, but he says, no. Chase tells him, open it, and he does.   

Nina asks what Ava means by divide and conquer, and Ava says, maybe start with Willow. Go see her, woman to woman, mother to mother. Get Willow to see what she was trying to do. Valentin comes in, and says he hopes he’s not interrupting. He just had an interesting conversation with Michael. Ava asks if he’s going to let Nina see Wiley, but Valentin says, no. Nina says, and he’s not going to. He’s firmly under mommy’s thumb. Valentin says she’s not helping the situation.

Dante says he’s glad he ran into Alexis, and asks to talk to her for a second. She says, of course (🍷), and they sit at the counter. Ned tells Olivia that he knows she has no reason to trust him, but it was really just coffee. Please. Just sit with him. She sits. Dante tells Alexis that he just wanted to give them a minute, and Alexis says she’s glad he did, for all three of them. She’s sorry for what she did to Dante, and Dante says, okay. Enough. It’s over and done with, and he’s good. It was an accident, but maybe she should figure out how she got so out of control.   

Sam says, Maxie doesn’t know where Peter is? Does she think he left town? Maxie doubts it. The last thing he said was that he wasn’t giving up. All they had was the future. Sam says, it’s going to be okay. Maxie and the baby will be fine, she promises. Maxie asks, how? How can Sam promise she’ll be fine? Sam says, because a lot of people love her, and are looking out for her. They’ll make sure everything is okay. They hug.

Anna tells Jason, it will give them a chance to put Peter away, and insure Maxie’s safety, but Jason says, it doesn’t help that he’s the prime suspect. She says she has to admit the idea isn’t shocking to anyone. Jason wasn’t exactly subtle about hating Franco. Jason says, it was a trap. He doesn’t think Franco meant it to be, but he was terrified he’d regress, and asked Jason to take him out if he exhibited the same symptoms. She says, my God. It’s an interesting position to be put in. He says he doesn’t think it was a mind game, or that Franco was trying to screw him over, and she says, no. If you’re in an uncontrollable situation, you try to get the illusion of control somehow. Franco knew if anyone was willing to kill him, it would be Jason. Jason says, he did, and didn’t think the most likely one would be Peter.  

Finn takes out the paper and looks at it. Jackie says, Hamilton… Finn says, it’s him. I gasp. He’s Chase’s father. Chase hangs his head, and Gregory turns his back.

Jackie reaches for Chase, but he shrugs her off. He tells Gregory that he’s the best dad in the world, and he loves him. Nothing will ever change that. They hug, and Chase tells Finn that he doesn’t care what that piece of paper says. He’ll never accept Finn as his father. He leaves, and Willow follows him. Gregory looks like he might cry.

Michael hears someone ask, is it safe? He turns and sees Brook inside the patio doors. She says, well, is it?

Valentin tells Nina, going to war with Carly is going to help no one. Nina said something to a small child who got confused. Think it over. If Nina pushes back, Carly will push back twice as hard. Nina says, so there’s no hope, but he tells her, he didn’t say that. Benefit from his mistake. Not long ago, he couldn’t stomach that Nina didn’t love him, but rather than give her time and space, he concocted a daughter, and they know how that turned out. It will take some time to solve the problem. Take a step back. If she’s lucky, Nina will get what she wants more than anything in the world. Let them feel safe, and come to her. He smiles, and leaves, and Ava makes a face.

Dante says he used to be a cop. If they subpoena him, he’ll be honest. She came after Franco, and he got in between them, but he forgives her. She thanks him, and he says he’ll also have to tell them she came out with a loaded syringe intending bodily harm, or worse. That’s what happened, but she wasn’t in her right mind. He guesses that’s up to a jury to decide, right? 

Ned reaches for Olivia’s hand, but she pulls it away. He says he’s so sorry. He knows how royally he screwed up, how badly he hurt her, and how much damage he caused, but he loves her and would do anything to make things right and better. He’d climb any mountain, and slay any dragon. Please. Just tell him there’s a chance.

Sam tells Maxie that she’s going run the last of the boxes to the community center, and Maxie thanks her. She asks if Maxie is sure she’s okay alone, but Maxie says she’s never alone. She has her sidekick. Sam asks if she doesn’t mean her frontkick (BA-DUM-CHH!), and tells Maxie to call if she needs anything. They exchange I love yous, and Maxie closes the door.

Jason says his and Anna’s biggest problem is Elizabeth and Scotty. They’re convinced he was just waiting to kill Franco. Anna says, and they believe he did, obscuring what really happened. He won’t take the fall for a crime Peter committed. This time, they stop him, and this time, Peter doesn’t have her to hide behind.

Maxie hears the door, and says she was about to text Sam. She forgot a tie. Peter says, it’s not Sam. He was starting to think she’d never leave. He closes the door, and locks it.    

Tomorrow, Brook tells Michael, the answer is none of his business: Brando says, the closer Cyrus gets, the more dangerous life is; and Peter tells Maxie, the past is dead; he killed it.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht

It’s the morning after the night before, and everyone struggles to get up. Behind the closed doors of the guest cabin, Sydney says Gary can’t leave her there, and asks where her bathing suit is. She tells him that she’ll leave first. In her interview, she says, it’s the worst walk of shame she could possibly imagine. She’ll just have to act like nothing happened. Gary comes out a couple of minutes later. In Gary’s interview, he says, my God. This is not happening. The captain asks if they had fun, and Gary said they had a lot of laughs. His cheeks were hurting. He tells the captain that he has a good bunch of crew on there. Jean Luc is still feeling sick, and says, this is gonna be rough today.

The girls ask Sydney, what happened? and Sydney says, nothing. Daisy asks if she hooked up with Gary, and Sydney says, no, but they slept in the guest cabin. Natasha says, and he didn’t get it? Sydney says, no, and Natasha calls her a liar. In Sydney’s interview, she says, yes, they had sex. Yeah, they hooked up. It’s their business, and no one needs to know the dirty details… and they were dirty.

Jean Luc says he’s not feeling too good, and everyone tries to straighten up. Jean Luc thinks he’s going to be forced to change rooms. Natasha tells Colin about Sydney and Gary hooking up, and in her interview Alli wonders if they’re on the same boat. She thought she and Gary were flirting, but whatever. Natasha says, never trust the quiet ones. Colin tells Gary that the water pressure is just going down, and the engine is just starting to behave properly. He asks about Gary’s night, and Gary says, not much happened; just a cheeky kiss, but he feels like a d*ckhead this morning. In his interview, he laughs and says they just cuddled. In Colin’s interview, he says, Gary got himself in a pickle. Gary says they’ll wait until the ciggies come. I’m not sure what he means by that, but I assume it’s that he’ll tell Colin the whole story when they can relax over a smoke.

Glenn calls Gary, Daisy, and Natasha for a preference sheet meeting. He hands them the sheets, saying, here’s their mission, should they chose to accept it. He tells them that he just got a message from primary Dr. Nichols (there’s no first name on the sheet, which is very weird), informing him that due to a family emergency, she and her husband weren’t able to make the flight in time. So there will be no primaries. Daisy says, someone naturally takes the lead. The other guests are Victoria, who’s a nutritionist; Ryan, a Sotheby’s salesman; and married couple, Hannah and Andy. They want an endless flow of delicious drinks. Natalie reads that they like to be surprised at dinner, and Gary says he’ll hide around the corner. Glenn says the guests will be there around 2, and the crew begins to clean the boat. Dani tells Daisy that someone used the guest head. In Daisy’s interview, she says, there’s an unspoken rule that you never use the guest head – ever. (For you landlubbers, the head is the bathroom.) She says, it pisses her off, especially when it’s been detailed. She radios the crew, asking if someone used the main saloon. Please don’t use the guest head, especially after it’s been cleaned and detailed. Gary copies, and in her interview, Daisy says she doesn’t really care if they use it when it’s dirty. Next time, maybe she’ll pee in the jacuzzi.

Daisy tells Dani that there are drops on the bathroom floor, the bowl is dirty, and the toilet paper is undone. Dani asks if Daisy is 100% sure, and Daisy says, yeah. In Daisy’s interview, she says, are you kidding her? This is over the limit. It’s so effing rude. She calls everyone to the crew mess, and Jean Luc wonders if he’s in trouble. Daisy tells them, someone used the guest head. The toilet paper was used, and there were drops on the floor. Jean Luc says he’d never do that, and she says, no one has been in there since yesterday? Everyone denies it, and in Gary’s interview, he says, maybe someone used it, and didn’t say anything about it. They’re such a d*ck. Daisy says if no one cares about her department, she’s not going to care about theirs. In her interview, she says, it’s pretty obvious that it’s them. Have a bit of consideration for your teammates. If they’re not going to admit it, she’s going to make sure they know it’s not acceptable. Glenn says they want to look after everyone’s department, but make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s disrespecting the interior. Don’t let it become a bigger problem.

Sydney and Gary work at scrubbing the deck, and in Sydney’s interview, she says, she and Gary haven’t talked, but fine. She’s very confused. Daisy and Dani talk about the hook-up, and Dani says, they all work together; they’re going to talk. Alli thinks it’s funny, and Daisy says, it’s none of her business, but she thinks Gary should know better. Dani 100% agrees. Gary can’t find his hair tie, and Dani tells him there are two marks by the guest cabin bed that look like they could be hands. He tells her that he and Sydney just talked sh*t, and he passed out, but she obviously doesn’t believe him. In Dani’s interview, she says a detective has to be suspicious. The perpetrator always goes back to the scene of the crime. Daisy inspects the guest cabin, and says, it looks good.

One hour to charter. Provisions come in. Natasha says Daisy ordered 10 kilos of carrots, and wonders if she thought there was going to be a load of bunnies on board. Glenn radios for the crew to be dressed and on deck in 15 minutes. Dani says, there’s no ice in the ice machine behind the bar, and Colin says, give him a break. Glenn calls the crew to the aft deck, and champagne is popped. In Dani’s interview, she says, the guests behave because there’s a primary there. Without one, the guests take advantage. It’s a potential nightmare. Guest Victoria tells guest Hannah not to be too impressed, or the crew will think they’re peasants. Yep. Potential nightmare.

Gary says, number two under way. The crew greets the guests, and introduces themselves. Glenn welcomes them, and says Daisy will give them a tour. They’ll get out quick, look for wind, and do some sailing. While bringing the luggage on board, Glenn wonders if he has the one with the gold bars in it. Daisy tells them they can duke it out over the master. Natasha asks if Gary is good at shucking oysters, and he says he used to be famous for it. Victoria asks Daisy to unpack for them, and Ryan says he needs three jackets steamed. Daisy tells Dani, it’s going to be hard work. I can’t believe anyone would want someone else unpacking for them. I don’t really want some stranger touching all my stuff. Colin tells Daisy, the ice machine is broken, and Dani and Alli do the unpacking. Gary eats more oysters than he shucks. In Natasha’s interview, she says she did well her first charter, but she knows there’s a problem between her and Daisy. It’s awkward, but she doesn’t give a f***. She’s there to work, and that’s what she’s going to do. Colin says something about a bad connection, and thinks he fixed the machine.

Natasha serves oysters, and Glenn tells the deckhands to drop the lines, and let him know when they’re on board. He’s going at full speed, and wants to get sailed up as soon as possible. Jean Luc takes the wheel. The sails start to go up. Daisy asks Dani to lead dinner, and she’ll help Alli with the turn downs. In her interview, Daisy says Alli is still pretty slow. She’ll teach Alli the way she learned, and see if she sinks or swims. Get your fins on Alli. It’s time to start swimming. The sails are sticking to each other, and Glenn tells Gary to climb up, and spray them. He suggests Gary strap himself on, but Gary says he’s good. As the sail is raised, he sprays it, and Glenn tells Jean Luc, it sounds like it’s ripping, but it’s just plastic separating. Gary says, it’s coming out of the track, and Glenn says, that’s a big problem. He’ll have to go up. Something pops, and Gary nearly falls.

Gary says, the boltrope is broken off the luff, and Glenn says, that’s a big problem. In Glenn’s interview, he explains that both sails are attached to a rope that holds the sail to the mast. It’s 180 feet of sail. Are we following him? He laughs, and says, if the rope pops away , the whole thing can let go. He tells Gary, they’ll sail with the genny and mizzen. When they anchor, they’ll fix it; it should be fine. Gary tells Sydney that he almost fell. In his interview, he says he’s in a bit of a predicament. He’s attracted for sure, but you never want to go there with your [work] partner. There are circuits in his brain that are fried. Ryan asks for a fruity, but still masculine cocktail, giving Daisy too many adjectives. He narrows it down to smoldering sparkle, and in her interview, Daisy says she’ll garnish it with diamonds, top it with a mermaid’s fart, and add smoke from a volcano in Narnia. He’s getting Kir Royale. Dani serves Ryan the smoldering sparkle, and he says, it’s fired.   

Gary tells Sydney that he’ll see her at 12, and she says she expects coffee. Colin says, naughty, naughty, naughty. Gary radios for Jean Luc, but he’s in the crew mess getting coffee and ignores it. Several crew members tell him that Gary is calling him, so he finally returns Gary’s calls. Gary says meet him in the bridge, and Jean Luc says he’s getting coffee. Gary tells him to put the a hold on the coffee. When Jean Luc gets there, Gary tells him, blah-blah-blah, bringing the pin down. Which is no doubt how Jean Luc is hearing it today too.

Licice, Croatia. The container holding the lobster garbage falls on the floor, and in Alli’s interview, she says, the goo smells like death. She and Dani freak out cleaning it up. Jean Luc explains the water toys to the guests, and says the floating pads are called naughty boys. Daisy tells Natasha that dinner is at 8, and Gary instructs guest Hannah on the paddle board. Guest Victoria says she’s impressed, but Hannah says don’t talk to her, as she concentrates on balancing. Gary instructs Jean Luc about the lines, and says, a lot of times, he’ll tell Jean Luc to do something, and he just stands around. In Jean Luc’s interview, he says he hates to be micromanaged. Don’t do it. Gary tells him to drag the line to a certain spot, but Jean Luc says he was told not to drag the line across the teak. Gary says that means not the whole thing, and mumbles that they’re going to swap cabins. Jean Luc mutters, effing a-hole.

The guests get back on the boat. Dani asks if Jean Luc is moving, and he says Gary forced him to. It makes him nervous to bunk with the captain. Guest Andy says he’s tired, and wants to eat some food.  Glenn asks Gary to go back up to where the sail came up, and feed it up manually. In Glenn’s interview, he says, it’s like a zipper. You can’t start in the middle; you have to go back to the start. Fingers crossed that it lasts through the rest of the season. Natasha plates a fabulous scallop appetizer, using half a scallop shell instead of a regular plate. In her interview, Natasha says, she loves working with Dani. One, Dani’s her roommate, and two, life is easier because she’s not Daisy. Even the guests who don’t like scallops love the dish. In Alli’s interview, she says she’s going to do her best to show Daisy that she can do turndowns. She’s a diving master. If she can breathe underwater, she can make a bed.

The sail is in the track, and in his interview, Glenn says, not all first mates can repair a sail with a hangover the way Gary can. He’s impressed. After the lobster is served, Andy says he likes that there’s no shell. He doesn’t have to work for the lobster. I concur. I ordered a whole lobster once, and it was more work than it was worth. Sydney tells Gary that she wrote herself a honey-do list of deck tasks. In her interview, she says, Gary has been all work and no flirt. She doesn’t know what’s going on. Jean Luc gets in his new bed. Colin asks if Gary snores or farts, and he says he doesn’t. Like he’s going to answer some other way. Jean Luc hopes he doesn’t wake Glenn, but Glenn tells him not to worry about it. The guests go to bed, and so does Sydney.  

The next morning, Gary asks Jean Luc how the new cabin is, and Jean Luc says he definitely has more leg room. Guest Hannah tells Daisy that Andy isn’t feeling well. She thinks he has a fever. She amends that to, she knows. It’s 101. In Daisy’s interview, she says, holy f***. She tells Hannah that she’ll ask he captain what to do. She goes to Glenn’s cabin, where he’s just getting up. She tells him that Andy isn’t well, and has a fever of 101. He’s in bed. Glenn says he’ll make a call, and in his interview, he says, obviously the first thing that pops in your head is that you have covid on board. It’s the first thing you think of when someone has a fever. It’s scary. He tells Daisy to tell them to stay in their cabins until he finds out what to do. Daisy tells the guests, and says she’ll leave breakfast by the door.

Glenn calls Dr. Kelly, a medical officer, and tells her that a guest has a fever 101. He asked them to stay in their cabin. She says she’s sending Dr. Laura out to retest all four guests. She tells Glenn to keep them in their cabins. Glenn tells the crew what’s going on, and that a doctor is on route. They’ll have to keep the guests in their cabins. In Daisy’s interview, she says they’ve been through tests and quarantine. She doesn’t know how it’s possible. If the guest has covid, they’re f***ed. Daisy tells Natasha, who says, WTF?

Glenn tells Gary that a water taxi is coming with the doctor. Gary meets them, and everyone is masked. They change into hazmat suits, and tell the guests that they’re going to test the throat first, then do a nasal test. Dr. Laura tests, Andy, who’s coughing. She says his temperature is 99.8, and in Daisy’s interview, she says, it will be the biggest f*** up in the effing world if the guest is positive. Dr. Laura tells the other guests that they have to be tested, and Ryan asks if she’s serous. She tells them that they have to stay in the cabin. Dr. Laura tells Glenn, they plan to shoot the tests to the lab, and he asks what her assessment is. She says, the guests have all been in close contact and unmasked. They should be quarantined. Glenn says, it’s not pleasant, but it is what it is. The medical team leaves, and Andy coughs some more. Glenn calls everyone to the main saloon.

Glenn says, only one guest had a high temperature, so after speaking to the medical staff, he’s decided to go back to the dock. He’s going to see if they can be put in a hotel for quarantine. Natasha says, it could be that they have it as well, and wonders if they need to quarantine. Glenn tells the crew, if the guest is positive, it will take them to a whole new level. They could have been exposed. Get ready to leave. They have to take all the precautions. He tells the guests that they’ll be moving back to the dock. Daisy says the guests are going to be pissed at their friends, and Ryan bitches to Glenn that they were in quarantine for over a week, and they’ve had enough. They spent a lot of money. Because, as you know, it’s Glenn’s fault. Glenn suggests they chill out, and catch their breath. He leaves a radio in case the guests want anything. In his interview, Glenn says the guests have to isolate, and they still want to serve them, but it’s critical they adhere to protocol. It’s a delicate balance.

The anchor is in the pocket, and Daisy leaves coffee outside the guests’ rooms per Victoria’s request. Sydney says she’s shook by this, and Alli says, it’s bizarre. They dock, and Glenn asks the crew to come up. He tells them that the guests will have to take their own stuff off the boat, and go straight to quarantine. Ryan says he’s so pissed, and in Colin’s interview, he says, it’s an extra messy situation for everyone. Glenn says he’ll get the results as soon as he can, and will keep them posted. He’s sorry for the inconvenience. In Glenn’s interview, he says, they were just getting started. They can probably pull this off, but this could be it.

Next time, Glenn tells the crew they can have a couple of drinks, but don’t go crazy; Gary wants to hook up with Alli; Sydney is confused; and the test results come back.

🏆 The Winners…

Who took it home at the Grammys.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/14/entertainment/grammy-winners-2021/index.html

🎭 The Nominees…

The ones who will hear, the award goes to.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/15/entertainment/oscar-nominations-2021/index.html

🤔 The Snubs…

We can’t all be nominated, but apparently, these are the biggest offenders.

https://film.avclub.com/on-the-snubs-surprises-and-bad-terminators-of-the-202-1846477877

🍀 Blarney This…

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. Educate yourself on how to trap a leprechaun.

🗽 When the City Sleeps…

A year in a city transformed.

https://nypost.com/2021/03/14/how-i-survived-a-year-in-weird-empty-manhattan/

👗 Twirling Away Like Kenya…

Time for me to change hamster wheels. Whatever spin you’re in, stay safe, stay canny, and stay never using the guest head – ever. Unless you’re a guest.

October 29, 2020 – Darth Vader Is Unmasked, a Return From the Dead, Back To Charm, a Tease, Craig Speaks, Bad Guest, New Atlanta, Runway Baby, Sanderson Sequel, Flicks For the ‘Ween & Moon

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Ava visits Franco in the hospital. She asks what he’s got in his hand, and he shows her a can of spray paint. She says, the other hand, and he shows her a bloody knife. Franco wakes up, and he really is in the hospital.   

On the phone, Carly leaves a message for Sasha. She says the Do Not Disturb sign is still on Sasha’s door, and housekeeping can’t get in to clean her room. If Sasha doesn’t call back, she’s coming up and using her passkey. Cyrus comes in, and says he needs a table for two.

At one of the lounge tables, Sonny says it’s good Spinelli came to see him. What’s troubling him? Spinelli says he knows Sonny has more important matters to attend to than his personal issues, but he’s in desperate need of Sonny’s astute advice. Sonny says he’ll do the best he can, and Spinelli asks, how do you stand back and do nothing when someone you love is about to ruin their life?

At Anna’s, Anna, Peter, Finn, and Maxie toast. Maxie says she shouldn’t gloat, but she has so much to celebrate. An incredible career, James is healthy, Georgie is back in Port Charles, she has a baby on the way, and a loving, handsome fiancé on her arm. What more can she ask for?

Portia tells someone on the phone that she has correspondence needing immediate delivery. Ava comes into the hospital, and Portia asks if everything is okay. Ava says she doesn’t know. She’s looking for Franco. She heard he was admitted.  

Elizabeth stops by Franco’s room with Cameron. She asks if Franco is okay, and he says he thinks he had too much Jell-O; it gave him nightmares. He asks if Cameron shouldn’t be somewhere else, but Cameron says, it’s just a lame party. Franco says, dude, I’m fine, and Cameron says, dude, you fainted. Franco insists he’s fine; it’s a total overreaction. Elizabeth says now that Cameron has seen Franco for himself, he can go to the party. Franco tells Cameron to save some TP. Windymere is long overdue for a good trick.

Nikolas walks into Charlie’s, and Julian says, if it isn’t the Prince of Darkness himself. Nikolas says Julian has no time for wisecracks. Whatever scheme he’s dragging Ava into, drop it. Julian says he doesn’t know what Nikolas is talking about, and Nikolas says Julian is obviously in trouble. Lucky for Julian, he’s going to save his sorry ass.

Portia tells Ava that Elizabeth and Cameron are in with Franco right now. Anything else she can help with? Ava says, actually, she wanted to thank Portia for allowing Trina to continue working at the gallery. She trusts Trina is keeping up her grades. She’s been stressing the importance, and she’s all about the GPA. Portia says she did want to talk to Ava about something that’s come to her attention. Trina is trying to rehabilitate her father’s reputation, and she heard the whole thing was Ava’s idea. Ava says, she was just trying to… and Portia says she’s wanted Trina to have a goal; something to focus her concentration on, instead of feeding her sorrow and anger. She wishes she’d thought of it herself, but she’s glad Ava did, and thanks her.

Trina, dressed as Princess Leia, meets Josslyn, dressed as a cheerleader, outside of Charlie’s. She says it’s no surprise Cameron is late, and Josslyn says she’ll text him to hurry up. They go inside, and Trina says they have important business to discuss about her dad. They sit, and someone in a Darth Vader mask watches them through the window.   

Elizabeth makes an excuse to leave, and Franco asks Cameron, what’s going on? Cameron says, it’s just a stupid party. Franco tells him, don’t blame the party because he’s interested in two girls, and can’t settle on one. Cameron says he and Trina figured it out, and they’re staying in the friendzone. He’s good with it. Franco says, and Josslyn? and Cameron says, the same. It’s senior year, and he doesn’t want any obligations. Franco says he should never say that about someone he cares about. Cameron says Josslyn isn’t interested, and Franco asks if she said so. Cameron says not in so many words, and Franco asks how he knows then. Cameron says, trust him; he knows. Franco says if Cameron wants to talk, they can do it any time. Now go have fun. Good talk. Cameron says, good talk, and leaves. Elizabeth comes back, and wonders how Franco got Cameron to go to the party, and Franco says they have an understanding.  

Julian tells Nikolas, he’s fine, thanks, and Nikolas says, Ryan called Ava out of the blue, and she drops everything to visit him. Why? Julian says he doesn’t know what Ava is thinking, and Nikolas says, when she came back, she was jumpy and anxious. She seemed desperate, and said lives depend on it. He was wondering whose lives matter to her, and boiled it down to Julian. What did he do this time, and who wants to kill him because of it?

Spinelli asks Sonny to pardon his presumption, but Sonny doesn’t seem like he’d stand idly by while someone he loves risks their future because of an unenlightened decision. Should he step in? Sonny says, don’t get involved in somebody’s personal life. It could backfire in his face, and in Sonny’s experience, it usually does. Spinelli says Sonny isn’t the first to caution him. The superspy from down under went so far as to tell him to play the role of supportive friend. He doesn’t think he can convincingly pull it off. Sonny says, stop trying so hard. Don’t pretend. Give honest support. Spinelli says he has no choice, and Sonny says, just because Spinelli can’t do something, doesn’t mean someone can’t do something in his place.

Carly says she’ll have a waitress seat Cyrus, but he says he doesn’t mind seating himself. He asks how her mother is, when Sasha comes out of the elevator. He says, there’s his dining companion now. They can seat themselves, but he’d appreciate her sending over a server; he’d like a drink. Sasha says hi to Carly, who’s obviously displeased, and they sit.

Spinelli is on the phone, but sees Cyrus and Sasha. He says he’ll text when he gets there, and literally runs into Valentin. Valentin says he’d like to talk about a collaboration. Word is on the street that Spinelli is spectacular at hacking. Spinelli says he wouldn’t consider working for Valentin any more than he’d support Maxie getting married… in polka dots. Valentin thinks they should get to know one another. Peter is Anna’s son, and he guesses that makes that makes Spinelli family if he marries Maxie. Spinelli says he has somewhere to be, and jets.

Maxie opens a gift from Anna, and squeals over a new bag, while Finn talks to Peter on the side. Finn says if Peter has a request, name it. Anna tells Maxie that she’s proud of her, as a creative trailblazer, a mother, and wife-to-be. She thinks it’s Maxie’s time right now. Maxie says Anna is going to make her cry, and Anna knows she’s hormonal. She hopes she can balance work and parenthood as good as Anna does, and Anna says she thinks Maxie will do better. Finn tells Peter, it may require a cummerbund. He’ll keep the party nonsense to a minimum. It means the world to Anna, but he doesn’t want Peter to feel pressured. Peter says he’s honored to be part of the family. Maxie tells Peter, they have to go if they want to make their reservation. They thank Anna, and leave.  

Julian tells Nikolas to keep his nose out of Ava’s business, but Nikolas says, Ava’s business is his business. Julian seems on the defensive. One reason could be his late wife Nelle. Nelle and Ryan had some dealings with each other in prison. Julian says, Ryan stabbed her, and Nikolas says he was wondering how Nelle survived. Julian says, maybe she got lucky, and Nikolas says, what if it was planned? He’s willing to bet Ryan and Nelle got to know each other pretty well. Well enough that she left some leverage against Julian, and the possibility of it being shared with someone makes Julian nervous. How’s he doing?  

Ava goes to Franco’s room, and asks how he’s doing. He asks how she knew he was there, and she says she stopped at the art therapy room. She ran into Epiphany, who told her that he’d been admitted. She’s worried… He says he’s stopping her now. Whatever she wants, he won’t say yes until she comes clean. What has she done? She asks if he’s delirious, but he says he’s in a hospital bad, it’s given him time to have a clear focus. Ava says she tried to push Nikolas and Elizabeth together, so she could divorce Nikolas and keep the money. He says, and…? and she says, it was a lousy thing to do, and she’s sorry. She hopes he can forgive her. Now it’s his turn. He says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Whatever he did was in response to what they did. She says she knew it. Not only did he and Elizabeth get Scotty to blackmail her, but they blackmailed Nikolas as well.

Josslyn starts to text Cameron again, when Darth Vader walks in. Trina looks outside, and says, the guys are here. She asks if it’s going to be weird, and Josslyn asks why it would be. Trina says she only has one thing on her mind, and Dev and Cameron join them; Dev dressed as a vampire, and Cameron, a sailor (he looks like the one on the Cracker Jack box). Dev says he didn’t know they were having a planning session before the party, and Josslyn suggests they skip the party, and use the time to help Trina with her dad. Unless someone has other plans. Cameron asks why she’s looking at him, and she says she knows he might be too busy for a big commitment.  

Portia asks Elizabeth how Franco is, and she says, hungry and grumbling about the food. She thinks he’s back to normal. Portia says, maybe a visit from a friend will lift his mood. Ava came by.  

Ava tells Franco, admit it, but he insists he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She says she saw them after Scotty handed over the money. He had a check from Nikolas as well. What did Nikolas and Elizabeth do? If Nikolas cheated, and Franco has proof, she needs to see it. Franco says, so she can get her greedy paws on the Cassadine millions, and she says, also to save a life. He asks her to leave, and she says, this is real. If he ever gave a damn about her, give her proof that Nikolas cheated.

Nikolas tells Julian, this doesn’t have to end badly. Julian can disappear. Nikolas has the money for him to go somewhere else and start a new life. Julian asks why Nikolas thinks he would run, and Nikolas says because his life is in Ryan’s hands, and Ryan isn’t known for his kindness and mercy. Julian says he’ll do things his way. When his sister comes to Nikolas for a divorce, give it to her.

Anna looks at two different witch costumes, one white and one black. Finn says he has bad news. There’s an emergency at the hospital, and he has to go in. She says, he’s not trick-or-treating with Violet? but he says Violet understands, and still wants to go to the sleepover at Elizabeth’s. She says, he’s leaving her on solo candy duty? and he says, she has the special skill set for it, and can handle it. She asks which costume he likes, and he asks if this is a test. She says she wants his opinion, and he says he likes what she likes. She says, normally, she’d let that slide, but she can’t decide. He says she’ll look just as beautiful in either, and she says, good job covering. She’s got a lot on her mind, waiting for the test results. He says, you wouldn’t know it, and she says, her training. He says, the WSB? and she says, no; the British. Stiff upper lip. Keep smiling and they won’t know you’re dying inside. He tells her, no matter what the tests say, Peter is still family. She says she knows. She’s not getting ahead of herself, just waiting for the results. She’ll try not to climb the walls or eat too much candy. He says he has to go, but for what it’s worth (🍷), he thinks he likes the light one.  

At the MetroCourt, Peter says he loves how Maxie is so open about enjoying her birthday. She says, of course (🍷) she loves her birthday. She loves the presents and attention, but also how much she has to be thankful for. They’re about to kiss, and suddenly, Spinelli is between them.  

Carly watches Cyrus and Sasha from the bar. Cyrus asks if Sasha is ready for another drink, but she says, to be honest, she’s not sure what she’s doing there. He says she’s having dinner with a new friend, and she asks if that’s what they are; friends. He says he’d like them to be, but supposes if he never makes it beyond concerned bystander, he’ll be fine. She says she doesn’t mean to be rude. She appreciated his kindness last night. She was in a bad place. He asks if he can be blunt. She doesn’t seem to be much improved. Would it help if she confided in someone? She says, someone like him? He says he is right there.

Sonny comes in, and tells Carly, sorry he’s late. He was talking to Spinelli. He asks, what’s wrong? and she says, that. He looks at Cyrus and Sasha, and Carly shakes her head

Ava tells Franco, give her proof that Elizabeth was with Nikolas, and she can get a divorce. He says, and save someone’s life. Whose life? She says she wants to tell him, but she can’t; it’s too dangerous. He says, just stop. He’s over being her pawn. She sits next to the bed, and says, he’s angry; she gets it. He has every reason to be. Franco says he does. She tried to drive a wedge between him and the woman he loves more than air. She says she won’t leave Nikolas without getting the money, and he says, she and Nikolas are both addicted to the game they’re playing. They deserve one another.

The doorbell rings, and Anna comes out as a witch in white. It’s Valentin, who says, trick-or-treat. She asks, what’s up? and he comes in. He says he thinks Peter has a Damien Spinelli problem, and Anna says, Spinelli is never going to accept that Maxie is getting married to Peter. He needs to get over it, like Robert. Valentin says, where Spinelli goes, Jason tends to follow. 

Maxie tells Spinelli, she and Peter are one a date; it’s her birthday dinner. Spinelli says he couldn’t help overhearing, and wanted to wish her many happy returns. He asks if she got his gift, and she says, The Beginner’s Guide to Dungeons & Dragons; so thoughtful. Spinelli says, the nature of the game lends itself to her imagination, and he begins to babble about it, saying how it can be a family effort. She says she has no idea what he’s talking about. Georgie is too young to play. Spinelli says, she won’t always be, and he thinks it could be great family fun.

Nikolas goes to the hospital, and tells Elizabeth, they need to talk. She asks, what’s wrong? and he says, everything with him and Ava. She says she can’t do this, but he says if he doesn’t get some honest advice from someone he respects, he’s going to lose his wife.   

Sonny wonders what Cyrus is doing with Sasha, and Carly says, his guess is as good as hers. She’s been trying to get in touch with Sasha. Sonny asks if she thinks Cyrus has something on her, and Carly says she doesn’t know, but she’s worried. Sasha was at Nina’s apartment last night, and didn’t look good. She hates to say it, but she thinks Sasha is using drugs.

Sasha says Cyrus doesn’t seem like the listening type, and he says, that’s fair. If he makes a mess of it, there’s nothing stopping her from walking away. He promises not to hold it against her, but admits he’d be disappointed. She seems like a friend worth having. She says, he had to help her to her room last night, and just now, he basically said she was a mess. Why would he want to be her friend? He says he enjoys spending time with her. She has a generous heart, given all the things she told him last night before they parted ways. Besides, he has a knack for reading people, and he’s confident their friendship could be mutually beneficial.

Carly tells Sonny, she spent 15 minutes trying to clean Sasha up; fix her hair and makeup. She tried to get Sasha to talk… Sonny says, and…? She says, the way Sasha was acting… and Sonny says, and now she’s having drinks with a drug trafficker.  

Cameron and Josslyn go back to the table, and Trina asks, what’s going on? Cameron tells her, he said he’d be there for her and he will. Trina asks, who wants hot chocolate? and Josslyn says she’ll get it; her treat. Cameron says she’ll probably need help, and follows her. Dev wonders what that’s about, while Darth Vader continues to watch them.  

Cameron asks what Josslyn means, he’s too busy for commitments? She asks if that isn’t what he said, but he says he’s not too busy to help a friend. If that’s what she thinks he implied, she’s misinterpreting it. Dev asks Trina if she thinks they’re okay. Cameron seems tense. She says, everyone is tense. They should just go to the party. They have time to figure it out. Halloween is just one night, and a party awaits.

Portia gets Franco’s chart from a nurse, and looks at a scan.

Nikolas tells Elizabeth, he thinks he screwed things up with Ava. It’s a convoluted and dysfunctional mess. Elizabeth is the only person he trusts to help him figure it out. She says, sorry, but he can’t trust her either.

Ava runs into Julian outside of Charlie’s, and says she came to get a drink. Where is he going? He says, to get some air, and clear his head. Nikolas was there. She asks what Nikolas wanted, and he says Nikolas suspects what Ava is up to with Ryan. He doesn’t know exactly, but he’s close. He wants to send Julian packing on his dime, and give him a shiny new life. She wonders why Nikolas would do that, and Julian says, because of her. If he’s alive, she’s happy, and if she’s happy, Nikolas is happy. Julian thought Ava had hooked Nikolas just to take advantage of him. She says she doesn’t know what to think or believe about Nikolas anymore, but she still has the fake divorce papers; she can use them on Ryan. He asks if she thinks Ryan will go for the papers being real, and she says, they were done by an expert forger. She wouldn’t have known they were fake if Nikolas hadn’t told her. She can convince Ryan for long enough to get the letter back. She’ll be back later, when she really needs a drink. 

Maxie tells Spinelli that she’s happy he suggested a family game. Olive branch accepted. She’ll make time to teach Georgie, but they need to start with something simple, like charades. She says she needs to powder her nose, and leaves. Peter says Spinelli’s about face isn’t lost on him either. He appreciates Spinelli making an effort, but hopes it’s on the level.

Valentin tells Anna, he offered Spinelli work, and Anna says, and Spinelli turned him down. He says, it was the way Spinelli turned him down. He said he’d no sooner work with him than approve of Maxie marrying Peter. Anna says, of course (🍷) Spinelli feels that way, but that doesn’t mean Jason is involved. He says she knows Jason better than he does. Tell him. If Jason thought Peter was a threat… Anna says, Peter’s not a threat. He was exonerated. Obrecht framed him and Jason knows that. They have an arrangement. She told Jason to back off, and he has. She doesn’t think they need to worry about Jason. The doorbell rings, and it’s a registered envelope. Anna signs for it, and comes back in,. Valentin says he hopes she doesn’t mind. He took the liberty of opening a bottle… He looks at her, and says, good Lord. Is she all right? She says, it’s the test results. If Faison had the marker, then it’s over. She’ll never know for certain if Peter is Alex’s son or hers.

Trina wants to take a picture with Darth Vader, her Star Wars long lost family connection. If he doesn’t mind. Darth poses with her, and Cameron takes the photo. Dev is worried they’re going to be late, and Trina tells him, chill. They start to leave, and she turns around to tell Darth, may the force be with you. She’s forgotten her phone on the bar, and it rings. Darth picks it up. He sees a call coming in from Portia, and looks at a picture of Taggert and Trina.   

Franco toddles out to the reception desk, and asks Portia if she’s seen his wife. She says she’ll track Elizabeth down; go back to his room, please. She goes back to the phone, and says, sorry, Terry. The schedule says she’s on call. Is she in the building? She asks if Terry can meet her. She’s in need of an oncology consult.

Nikolas asks why he can’t trust Elizabeth. She’s the only person he can talk to. She says she has no idea what they did with this whole stupid post-nup thing, but when Nikolas and Ava were playing her and Franco, they were playing him and Ava.

At Pentenville, the guard tells Ava that Ryan will be there shortly. Have a seat. She sits on her side of the glass.

Julian grabs Darth Vader, who says he just found the phone. Julian wonders if he’s interested in the phone or the girl it belongs to. He’ll make sure she gets it. He tells Darth to beat it before he calls the cops. Darth says he hasn’t done anything, and Julian says, let’s keep it that way. Get out. They struggle, and the mask comes off. Its Taggert.

Sonny asks Carly if Michael knows about Sasha’s possible habit. She doesn’t think so, and feels she should tell him. She knows Sasha has made mistakes, but she’s a good person. Sonny asks, why get involved? They know what Cyrus really is, and what he wants is to get information.

Sasha tells Cyrus, she’s sorry, but she has to take off. She has an early day tomorrow. He says, it’s okay. Clearly, she has trepidation about him. He imagines she’s heard gossip about him from Michael’s parents. He’ll settle up. She has his number. If she need  someone to talk to, or anything, call him day or night. He always has her well-being in mind. She says, he’s very generous, and goes to the elevator. A man comes out, and hands her a purple envelope, saying, she dropped this. She says she didn’t, but he says, sure she did, and puts it in her hands. He jets, and she looks inside. There’s a baggie of coke in it. The elevator doors close.

Anna tells Valentin, Doc asked about her history with Faison, and she told him how reckless she’d been. He says, maybe she wasn’t, and Faison was with Alex the whole time. She says Valentin is desperate to exonerate her, and he says, she was a double agent. She has blood on her hands, as they all do. He thinks she’s wasted years feeling guilty about something she didn’t do. He doesn’t need proof, but he thinks she does.

Spinelli says that Peter is skeptical of his good intentions is understandable. He assures Peter, he’s doing his best to support Maxie with the utmost sincerity. His perfect wish for her is to have a happy, stable life. Peter says he’s going to do everything in his power to fulfill that wish. Forgive him for doubting. Since he has a new life, a life he never dreamed possible, it’s hard to shake the notion that something, or someone, is waiting to take it away. Maxie comes back, and says, maybe Jenga. Giant Jenga. Peter’s phone rings, and a female voice says, hello, Peter.

Anna takes the results out of the envelope, and says, she has an answer.  

Peter asks, who is this? She says, he doesn’t recognize the voice of his old friend Helena Cassadine? 

Tomorrow, Anna says, it’s nothing but lies; Franco wonders what’s happening to him; Ava tells Ryan what he wanted is delivered; and Jason suggests Cyrus has found an alternate route.

🧟‍♀️ She’s Alive…

I told you she’s not dead. Helena will never die. Neither will Faison. He’ll figure out some way to come back without a brain. Or it was his eviler twin who died.

Southern Charm

It’s a new season, and Cameron (as well as Naomie and Chelsea) has left the show, so no more narration. We started off with different scenes showing various things that happened when the pandemic started. Then…

Six months earlier. Shep’s pup Craig is a little dog now, and the cutest thing. Michael gave Patricia some dog apparel to go through, and she chose a tutu for her new Pomeranian pup Peaches. Human Craig told us he’d been living in a professionally decorated house, and felt like an adult, but a pipe blew, and asbestos went everywhere. Now he’s living with Austen until the house is cleaned up. His pillow company is doing well, and he’s making over 1000 pillows a month. Not him personally, but a manufacturer. I actually love his pillows, although I doubt he would have gotten very far with them without the advantage of being on the show. Austen marveled that a plant Madison had given him was still alive. I identified since I’m terrible with houseplants.

Austen explained that he and Madison had decided to take a break, which IMO means broken up, but they came back together after six months or so. They checked out Instagram, and heard Thomas in the background of one of Kathryn’s posts. Kensie and Saint are getting big, and Kathryn told us, custody has been settled at 50/50 after three years. She said she and Thomas were getting along, and she’s hoping it sticks. Thomas, who made a briefer than brief appearance, looked fat. No judgement, just an observation. In her interview, Kathryn admitted she was staying at his house (see yesterday’s post links – she’s having her townhouse renovated), but they’re not back together. I didn’t think she was that much of an idiot. We flashed back to Kathryn wondering how she was going to explain it to the kids if Thomas went to jail. In her interview, she said her grandmother passed away after a battle, a reprieve, and a final battle with breast cancer, and she thought her grandmother had a lot of guilt in not preparing her for the world – i.e. Thomas. Kathryn wished she could have given her closure.

Madison said she was glad to have a son, since a mini version of her would be a nightmare. Hudson is quite the little man, and she also co-parents with her ex. She said having a child had pushed her to be successful. I wondered, why is she dating Austen then? and apparently, I wasn’t alone in that thought. In her interview, Madison said everyone asked if she’s out of her effing mind, but they just can’t stop. I guess she can’t quit him.

Patricia told Michael that Shep was coming over, and she wondered if they had enough liquor in the house. She tolf Shep that she had a new watchdog, Peaches, and Michael brought out a tiny white cloud of a pup. He told Patricia that he was having a life-is-good party, and wanted it to be nice, but funky; no fox trots. He was considering a Dumb and Dumber theme, and Patricia thought that would be appropriate. He said he was inviting everyone, and Patricia would get to meet new girlfriend Taylor. Patricia asked if he was inviting Madison, and he said, of course. Shep said it didn’t give him joy to have strife in his life, and Patricia said it was a modest start. In Shep’s interview, he said you could fight the elephant in the room, or dance with it. He was going to dance with it. We flashed back to Shep being combative last season, and he admitted he can take things too far. He wanted to slow the process of becoming an angry old man, since he was showing the signs, and started seeing a therapist.

Shep settled on a Dumb and Dumber Formal, and Craig suggested he invite Cameron. In Shep’s interview, he said Cameron hadn’t been hanging around with any of them, since last year left a bad taste in her mouth. He didn’t blame her. Craig and Kathryn met for lunch, and Kathryn ordered a bourbon and Coca Cola. In Kathryn’s interview, she said she went to rehab for weed, and that’s it. She’s at the point now, if she wants a drink, she’ll order one, and it’s nobody’s business. They talked about Shep’s upcoming party, and Kathryn asked about Taylor since they hadn’t met. Craig said he’d cut Shep off for months; Shep was being an a-hole. Kathryn said he’d be a d*ck to her, then act like nothing happened. Craig said, between Taylor and a therapist, Shep was a better person. But not wonderful, since he’s still Shep. In his interview, Craig said Shep is happy when he’s with Taylor, and not a lonely, miserable POS. He said he’d been trying to get Cameron to come out, but she gets mom guilt. Kathryn said she heard Jason was having an affair, but Craig said that was absurd and not true. He said he loved gossiping, but this was out of line.

Taylor and Shep gave dog Craig a bath. Shep explained that he and Taylor had met in a bar. She lied, saying she was a marine biologist and her specialty was shark sex. He grilled her since he knew about shark sex. He didn’t elaborate, and I don’t think I really want to know anyway. They saw each other a little bit here and there, then it became more, and now she’s at his house five nights a week. He says he’d been so single-minded, and single, for so long, it was hard to change. but she was making it easy. She’s blond and cute, and looks like most of the other girls he’s dated. Shep definitely has a type.

While they got ready for the party, Austen asked if Madison was nervous, but she said Shep should be the one who’s nervous. In Madison’s interview, she said if she could forgive a threesome video, she could forgive someone calling her white trash.

Craig met with new cast member Leva, who’s one of Cameron’s best friends. He told Leva about what Kathryn said, but Leva said, no way would Jason have an affair; it was a miserable Kathryn move. WTF? She told Craig, back in the day, Cameron wasn’t so nice to Kathryn – we flashed back to that – and it was Kathryn’s way of getting back at Cameron. She thought there also might be some jealousy, or maybe Kathryn felt alive in the middle of drama. I’d thought it was all good at the end of the last reunion, but who knows what happened between then and now.

I wasn’t sure how Dumb and Dumber was supposed to factor in, but I guess it was the attire. Austen wore a powder blue top hat, and Shep had a matching ruffled tuxedo shirt. Madison wore black and white striped pants with orange suspenders, which I thought was closer to Beetlejuice, but I don’t really know Dumb and Dumber that well. I saw it, but it was like, a million years ago. Shep also invited a guy named Peter, who apparently slept with Madison at some point. Somehow this ended up in the conversation, and Peter’s girlfriend Liz wasn’t too pleased.  In Shep’s interview, the producer asked if he’d invited them to screw with Madison, but he said he didn’t even know they’d slept together until it came out at the party. Shep admitted to having planned things like that in the past, and we flashed back to when he invited Austen’s threesome girls to a party Austen and Madison were at. He told the producer, it hadn’t crossed his mind that it would be a problem. In Madison’s interview, she said when she saw Peter and Liz, she knew Shep hadn’t changed, and that bitch was trying to set her up. Entertaining a one-night stand she’d had when she was single, was on him. Whitney escorted Patricia, who she said she’d thought Shep had been kidding about Dumb and Dumber. We met new cast member John, who has two sons in San Diego, and just moved back to Charleston. He’s a nice looking dude; a little shaggy, but I like it.

Patricia wondered where the food was, and in her interview, said you can’t have a party and serve liquor without serving something to eat. It was a typical Shep party; not her kind of party. I wondered where the seats were too, since I saw zero pieces of furniture other than the bar and a couple of tables. In Patricia’s interview, she said Madison acted like a grown-up, and Austen was a child. She thought Madison needed someone successful and ambitious. Not a frat boy. John made the rounds, and we saw a clip of him playing guitar and singing. His attractiveness rating went up a few points since he’s pretty good.

Kathryn told Craig that Cameron had texted her regarding what she’d said about Jason. Craig admitted he’d told Cameron that Kathryn said rumor had it, Jason was having an affair, even though he’d promised not to say anything. Kathryn said she was glad he was being honest, although I can’t imagine she didn’t want to thump him in the head. In her interview, Kathryn told us that Cameron said, give her a break, and be a good human. Kathryn said she was, but she doesn’t give a flying what Cameron thinks. Cameron had hurt her to the core, and Cameron’s an a-hole.

This season, Madison breaks up with Austen; Leva wants to see change in this town; Thomas gets a girl pregnant, and ♫ she’s havin’ his baby ♫; Leva confronts Kathryn about her white privilege; Madison and Kathryn argue; covid hits; and the monkey emoji is addressed.

😉 What a Tease…

Craig talks about what’s ahead this season.

📡 Breaking Craig…

Saying, I don’t know what happened, but something happened, is hardly opening up.

‘Southern Charm’: Craig Conover Finally Breaks His Silence After Naomie Olindo, Chelsea Meissner Quit

👰🏻 Don’t Be Their Guest…

I’m sure there are worse guests than Shep.

🍑 The Peach Is Back…

RHOA is back for another round.

👶 Project Baby…

My first thought was, but how will this affect the next Project Runway? Will it be a special pregnancy edition?

https://people.com/parents/karlie-kloss-pregnant-expecting-first-child-josh-kushner/

🧹 They’re Ba-a-ack…

The Sanderson sisters return.

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2091416031119/bette-midler-confirms-original-hocus-pocus-cast-will-return-for-sequel

🎃 Classically Halloween…

I wouldn’t call all of them classic, but here’s Purewow’s list of very decent horror films. Since I love the genre, some of my personal favorites are Reeker (an unfortunate title for a good movie), Ravenous, Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse: Death Proof/Planet Terror (each is good on their own as well), The (original) Howling, American Werewolf in London, and 13 Ghosts (the remake with Tony Shalhoub). My all-time favorite film to watch on Halloween is The Midnight Hour, but it’s a little difficult to get your hands on. It was a TV movie from the 70s, starring LeVar Burton and Shari Belafonte, and I had to buy a bootleg DVD since I had zero luck finding it. It’s not exactly scary, although it has a couple of moments, but it epitomizes Halloween for me.

https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/classic-scary-movies

👻 Counting the Hours…

The trick-or-treating seems to be an iffy proposition at this moment, but regardless, the dogs and I will be dressing up, and eating our traditional Halloween meal of Taco Bell’s Nachos BellGrande. Whether you’re counting down or not, stay safe, stay inventive, and stay not getting involved in someone’s personal life. Have someone else do it for you.

August 7, 2020 – Cyrus Wants To Be Dazzled, Familiar Face, Drugs On Deck, Brandi Is the Worst, Oh Brother, Peacock’s Potter, Aimee Talks, If You Like Anarchy, Go-Going, Quotes Tenfold & Hell

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Maxie waits in an exam room. The nurse says the doctor will be a while, and Maxie says maybe she doesn’t need one. She needs a time machine, or a boyfriend who shoots blanks.

Peter meets Anna at the MetroCourt. He says he has a big favor to ask. She tells him not to worry; Finn isn’t a bachelor party type of guy, but Peter says, it’s the seating chart. Please tell him that he’s not sitting next to Robert.

At the hospital Finn shows Portia something he got from Violet on his phone, and says, kids are funny. She tells him, cherish the time. Kids fall out of love with their parents in the preteen years. Trina seems to be the exception.

Chase asks if Curtis found Jordan, but he says he asked her assistant, and she has no scheduled appointments. Is Chase sure she didn’t say anything else? Chase says Jordan wanted to talk to Jason, and sent him on his way.

Jordan asks Cyrus why she’s there, and he says to show he can count on her, for everyone’s sake. She says she arranged for his release, and he’s walking free. He says she got the job done, but needs to step up her performance and dazzle him. She says she has to be careful; there’s only so much she can do. He suggests she take the initiative, and show him how far she’s willing to go. He doesn’t lack problems, so pick one and solve it. Ha-ha! That sounds like me talking to my husband.

Sonny goes to the garage, and asks if Brando is working late. Brando says he’s just finishing up, and Sonny asks if business is good. Brando flashes back to Cyrus saying his car is fine; he’s there to discuss another matter. He tells Sonny that he just missed Jason.

Sam sees Peter and Anna, and asks Carly how Peter gets a free pass. He’s the guy who kept Drew and Jason prisoner for five years. Carly gathers he’s not Sam’s favorite guy.

Jason lies unconscious on the road, his motorcycle laying next to him.

Carly tells Sam, there are two reasons Peter gets a free pass – his mother and his girlfriend. Anna and Maxie believe in him, and nothing or no one is going to change their minds. Sam says Carly realizes Peter was exonerated, right? He’s responsible for Drew’s death, and it doesn’t make sense. He framed her when he broke Shiloh out of prison, and there he sits, basking in Anna’s appreciation. Carly agrees the hypocrisy is staggering. Robert approaches Anna and Peter’s table, and Anna wonders why he’s there. He says, it’s a work day, but she says she doesn’t think people would mind if he took time off. He supposes she’s referring to Holly. It would be nice if his closest friends would tell him what actually happened to her. Peter wants to leave them to their conversation, but Robert says, sit. He has questions, and he’ll start with this one. He shows Peter a tablet with an article on Holly; Holly Sutton: Death is Her Last Great Adventure. He asks why Peter is exploiting Holly’s death in this rag of his.

Maxie tells the nurse that she needs a pregnancy test. The nurse asks how late she is, and Maxie says, late. Speaking of late, she has a meeting she needs to get to for Deception. She says the nurse may have heard of it. It was huge in the 90s, and now it’s back. She should try their new moisturizer. It’s going to be a major seller once she locks down the distributor, which is what she should do now. She can do this later. She starts to leave, and says she knows it goes without saying, but the nurse isn’t going to talk to anyone about it, right? She can’t have this getting around. She runs into Lulu, who says, she can’t have what going around?

Sonny says, Jason is a customer? and Brando says Jason needed a stabilizer for his bike. Sonny says, Jason is family. Speaking of family, he’s there about a family matter. Brando asks if it’s Mike, and Sonny says he wanted Brando to know they’re getting close to the end.

Curtis asks Chase to run through what happened again. Chase says he stopped by the courthouse, and saw Jason, who said he was there to get permits. They suspect Jason was involved with a warehouse explosion on February 19th, but have zero evidence. He wanted to talk to Jason, but Jordan saw them, and said Jason could sue them for harassment, and sent him back to the station, while she stayed to chat with Jason. Curtis asks if he has any idea what they were talking about, and Chase says, maybe Cyrus. They have reason to believe Cyrus was behind the attacks on Sonny’s family, and Jason blew up the warehouse in retaliation. Maybe she was trying to Jason to finger Cyrus. Curtis thanks Chase for the information.

Jordan says she doesn’t want to climb the ranks of Cyrus’s rancid organization, and he says, like she once did? He tells her that she hates admitting it, but she enjoyed the power, prestige, and influence. She still does. That’s why she’s Commissioner. Jordan says she’s going along with him to keep people safe, but he says she’s not going along; she’s taking orders. She says she’ll do what she must, but she’s not part of his organization, and never has been. He appreciates her candor and says maybe she’ll appreciate some in return. The safety of those close to her is in direct proportion to him, and grows with each success. She says just tell what he needs now, and he says his philanthropic endeavors are being blocked; he needs a clear path. She says blocked by who, and he says their esteemed mayor. Take care of her.

Finn asks Portia if her daughter is a mommy’s girl, but Portia says, no; she’s a daddy’s girl through and through. Her father could do no wrong. She’s sure Violet will be the same way, and idolize her dad. Trina had difficulty with the revelation that Taggert framed Cyrus. She wishes she could do more to help, but Trina is shutting her out. Finn says, it’s tough, and she says she doesn’t mean to scare him. She doesn’t think he’ll have the same challenges with Violet, but Violet might have an issue with his fiancé. Finn says, Violet and Anna get along well, and Portia says, that’s good. She’s just saying the day may come when Violet resents Anna for not being her real mom. Finn says, that’s not Anna’s fault, and Portia says, no, but it’s something kids go through in their tween years. They need to blame someone for the missing parent, and mythologize the absent one. He says he knows about that, and hopes history doesn’t repeat itself.

Anna asks Robert if the article is inaccurate, and he says, it’s a hatchet job. He reads: Holly Sutton was known for her colorful past, and proclivity for wit, her ability to get in and out of Dodge, and being comfortable in dangerous situations. Anna says, it sounds like her, and Robert says, it sounds like an article about a woman they’re better off without. Peter apologizes for not consulting Robert, and says he’ll confer with the editor and they can revise the article. He leaves, and Robert asks what Anna thinks Peter is getting out of asking him to contribute. She calls him an idiot, and says Peter is trying to be his friend.

Maxie has a bandage on her arm, and the nurse says she’ll have the results soon. Lulu says they’ll both wait. Maxie wonders if she should call Peter, and let him know his star reporter is trolling the hospital instead of doing her job. Lulu says she’s researching a story on the hospitals finances, but maybe she should call Peter and tell him why she’s all up in Maxie’s business. Maxie tells her to go uncover some facts to report, but Lulu says, not until Maxie tells her something. If she thought she was pregnant, why not take a home test? Maxie says she took three, and Lulu asks if she got different results, but Maxie says they were all positive. Lulu asks if Maxie thought there was inconsistency in that. Maxie says the tests can be unreliable. It can happen, especially to her. She says, she’s totally pregnant, isn’t she?

Carly tells Sam, she understands Maxie is grieving. Peter was there, and only showed her what he wanted her to see. She’s a civilian, but Anna knows better. Sam says Carly is missing the point. Anna doesn’t want to know. She wants to think her son is a good man. Carly says she can empathize; Anna isn’t the first mom to convince herself her kid has changed. She hates that Peter kept Jason prisoner, but he was under Faison’s thumb, and that’s over. If Jason is willing to let it go, and Anna has hope that the bad stuff is behind him, what about Sam? Sam says, after what happened to Drew, Peter is still a threat. Why is Anna still protecting him?

Sonny tells Brando, his dad stopped eating. He’s at the point where he can’t even swallow anymore. Brando says he didn’t know that could happen with Alzheimer’s patients; he thought it was just a memory thing. Sonny says, so did he, at first. Brando asks what the options are, and Sonny says, a feeding tube. Brando says, that’s rough, and Sonny says, he considered it, but then he reconsidered. That’s not living, it’s existing, and he knows his dad wouldn’t want that. Brando asks if they talked about it, and Sonny says they didn’t get the chance, or maybe he didn’t want to go there. When he wanted to, it was too late, so he made the choice for his dad. He’s praying it’s the right one.

Jordan says Cyrus isn’t asking her to kill Laura, is he? He laughs, and asks what he’d do with a murdered mayor. Port Charles needs her, and he’s fond of her, but she’s getting in the way of him acquiring GH. Jordan says Laura is lobbying for Federal funding, and he says her daughter has a public platform. She asks why he doesn’t drop it, but he says, it’s too rich a prize to pass up, and they may never be this vulnerable again. Nelle is suing for unauthorized surgery on her son, and the insurance doesn’t want to cover it. If she wins, the hospital will be even more vulnerable, and it will be the perfect opening for him. Jordan says, Monica rallied the Quartermaines to give the hospital resources. The board will refuse him if they’re told he’s a known drug trafficker. There’s nothing she can do. He says he needs a champion to vouch for his character.

Curtis finds Jason, and asks if Jason can hear him. Jason doesn’t respond, so he calls 911, saying he needs paramedics on Harborview Drive at the Greenville turnoff. There’s a motorcycle rider down, and he’s completely unresponsive.

Jordan tells Curtis that she can’t offer her endorsement. How would it look? She has no business stepping outside her role. He says, but she can speak out for a man wrongly convicted. She discovered the miscarriage of justice, so who better to vouch for him? When she talks, Port Charles listens. She says Laura isn’t staying away indefinitely, and will wonder why she’s advocating for a man she despises. What good will it do for her to lose Laura’s trust and get fired? He says, good question. Make sure it doesn’t happen.

Portia says she hopes she didn’t offend Finn with her amateur psychology, and he says, no offense taken. She says she’s just projecting. She thinks Violet will be fine. She’s growing up with two attentive parents, and will be happy and well-adjusted. Finn says, in his humble opinion, he thinks Trina will be fine too. She has a loving, caring mother. Elizabeth joins them, and says a patient has been brought in who had an accident. He was unresponsive on arrival, and a head injury is possible. Finn asks if she’s okay, and Elizabeth says, it’s Jason.

Anna tells Robert that Peter tried. He knows how Robert feels about him. Does he think anything will change? He’s never given Peter a fair shake, and likes to look for excuses to hate him. Now he’s using Holly’s death. It’s pathetic. Robert says the only reason Peter wrote the article was to get under his skin. Anna says, which is looking thin. If Peter wanted to sensationalize or exploit Holly, he would have highlighted her past deeds. Robert says he’s not arguing, but a lot was left open to interpretation. She says, another reporter might have skewed the story, but Peter wrote it himself. Robert says Peter spun the story, and threw it in his face, and she says she guesses it’s easier to take his anger out on Peter, rather than deal with his feelings. Robert says, what feelings? and she says, grief, loss, anger, regret, pain. She could go on; she’s got all day.

Carly sees Peter at the bar, and asks how he’s enjoying his day. He says, it’s been trying, and she asks if there’s a problem with the service. He says, no, it’s fine, and she tells him to let her know if it’s otherwise. The Invader is an important tenant and she wants to give them her full attention. Peter says she’s thoughtful, and she says she prides herself in troubleshooting and avoiding problems. Sonny is the same way, but his way is more inflexible. Sam gets a call from Curtis, who tells her, Jason was in an accident; he’s on his way to GH. Carly really needs to stop making veiled threats to people about Sonny.

Brando says he doesn’t know about right or wrong decisions in situations like this, but he knows a bit about Mike. Things he learned the summer Mike spent in Connecticut. Sonny says he’d like to hear it, and Brando says, he was ten and crazy about horses. Mike would pick him up and take him to the track. The thoroughbreds were too valuable to have a kid around them, but there were working horses, and he spent his time with one horse in particular, Smoky. Smoky would see him coming, and come over. He knew Brando had an apple or carrot. One day at the end of summer, Mike picked him up and he knew something wasn’t right. Mike told him Smoky got hurt and wouldn’t recover. They went to say goodbye, and Brando tried, but he started crying and said he was ready to leave. Mike asked if he loved Smoky. He said he did, and Mike said, if you love something, you love it all the way to the end. (Yep. Here come the waterworks.) So he stayed, and the last thing Smoky heard before he was put down, was Brando saying he wasn’t going to hurt anymore. Lesson learned. Whatever choice Sonny makes for Mike, Mike will understand. Sonny says he appreciates Brando telling him, and Brando says, Mike is no stranger to making tough decisions. Sonny’s phone rings, and it’s Carly. She tells him that he needs to meet her at GH. Jason was in an accident. He says he’ll be right there, and tells Brando that he’s got to go. Brando says, Mike? but Sonny says, Jason. He leaves, and Brando looks stunned. I really appreciate them stomping on my heart about Mike and a horse.

Lulu says she takes it Maxie and Peter weren’t planning on this. Maxie says they haven’t been living together that long. They’ve never even had a conversation about having kids, and the only time marriage came up was when they were arguing with Spinelli. Lulu says, that’s a lot to unpack in one statement, and Maxie says she has no idea how she feels. Before they moved in together, Peter had a total crisis. He was confused, and afraid to be happy, but he moved in anyway, and lived through the fear. Lulu bets he would love to be married to Maxie and have kids. The family would be over the moon. Maxie says, Spinelli and Robert not so much. Lulu asks if she really cares what Spinelli thinks, and Maxie says, of course (🍷). Spinelli is Georgie’s father, but she doesn’t have to clear her decisions with him. Her feelings are complicated. Lulu asks if it’s because of Nathan, and Maxie says, she’s always thinking about Nathan, but this has nothing do with him. Lulu says, she and Peter are okay, right? Maxie says she loves him, and he loves her, and James and Georgie. They’re building a life. Lulu asks, what is it? Maxie can tell her. Maxie says, the timing couldn’t be worse. She feels selfish, but what if she’s not ready? What about her career?

Robert says he hates when Anna tells him what’s in his soul, and she say he does it to her, and she hates it more. Too bad. He’s bellyaching now because he knows she’s right. He’s afraid of his feelings, and he’s ashamed about not ending things properly with Holly. He says, rubbish, and she says she heard there’s a memorial service in England. Has he made plans to attend? He says, no, and she says she didn’t think so. He should go. It will give him a chance to say a proper goodbye, mourn Holly, and pay his respects. Robert asks why should he mourn an empty grave?

Jordan tells Cyrus. ELQ is capable of pulling GH back from the brink, but he says, they’re prone to infighting. The board will be open to an alternative donor, providing it’s someone in good standing with the community who they can trust. Build that trust. Chase calls, and asks if she’s okay; he’s had a hard time reaching her. She says she’s in the middle of something. Is there a problem? Chase says, Jason was in a motorcycle accident, and was just brought into GH. Jordan says she’s going back to the office, and tells Chase to head out to the accident site and get a full report. Cyrus says he knows she has to keep up appearances, but don’t misplace her priorities. She says she knows what her priorities are.  

Carly and Sam run into the hospital, and Sam tells the reception nurse that they’re looking for Jason. The nurse says, he’s being treated now, and Sam says she wants to see him. The nurse says Sam can’t, but she’ll relay the new information as soon as they have it, and Sam and Carly sit in the waiting area. Curtis arrives, and Sam asks, what happened? He says he spotted a rider down, but didn’t know it was Jason. He called 911, and waited until the paramedics got there. Sam thanks him, and he says he’ll go to the station and find out what he can. Elizabeth comes out, and says she was there when they brought Jason in; he was unconscious. There don’t seem to be any internal injuries, but they’re running a battery of tests to see if he’s had a traumatic brain injury.

Carly calls Diane, and tells her, they don’t know anything yet, but they’re running tests. She asks if Diane is sure the paperwork was filed, and asks her to put it in a PDF file and email it. She doesn’t want any problems. Elizabeth tells Sam that she can’t go in while the doctors are working on Jason. The best thing is to just wait. She’ll let them know if she hears anything. Peter comes by, and tries to say something to Sam, but Sam says, back off. Brando has joined them, and tells Peter, listen, but Carly says Jason wouldn’t want them going at each other. She tells Peter that he shouldn’t be there, and Peter says he didn’t mean to intrude; sorry. Elizabeth leaves to get an update, and Sonny gets off the elevator. He asks, what’s going on? How’s Jason? Carly says they don’t know, and no one is telling them anything.

Maxie says she’s sure this isn’t the first baby who’s misdirected a career move someone has been waiting forever to happen. There’s a lot at stake at the moment that she has to evaluate; it’s a big deal. She knows Nina would kill to be in her situation, and Lulu says, if Maxie has a baby, it should be because she wants to. It’s her body, and her priorities are her own. The nurse comes back holding a paper, and Maxie asks if those are the results.  

Anna says, now they get to the real issue; Robert’s fixation that Holly is still alive. He tells her that he didn’t say that, and she says, but he’s thinking it. He says he’s thinking a lot of things. What was Holly doing working for the WSB, why the ship went down, who was on the ship, and what happened to Holly’s body? Anna suggests he go get answers rather than feeling empty, and directing his pain at Peter. It’s not doing Holly or her memory any good

Cyrus’s main dude asks how the meeting with the Commissioner went. Cyrus says he gave her clarification of their respective positions. She wasn’t happy, but she’s going to comply. Dude asks if she should be on the guest list, and Cyrus says he’d be disappointed if she wasn’t. Dude asks how he should handle it, but Cyrus says he has confidence that Jordan will do what she’s asked – for the time being. He has a bigger target in mind. With Jason out of the way, there’s nothing left between Sonny and a bullet between the eyes.

Sonny says Brando told him Jason was just in the garage, and Brando says, Jason was there to pick up his bike. He’d just finished working on it.

Robert says Anna is insufferable, and she says, thank you. He always says that when she’s right. Who else would call him on it? He says, Holly, and Anna says, she’s not there; sorry. She thinks Holly would be appalled at his behavior. He needs to find another way of dealing with the pain before it eats him up. He’s going to RSVP to her wedding, and no is unacceptable. She leaves, and he looks at the article again.

Peter sees Lulu and Maxie, and tells them, Jason was in a motorcycle accident. Maxie says, poor Sam. He says he came to look for Lulu because he thought she could write the story. She says she doesn’t think she could be objective, and he says he’ll call the desk to send someone else. Maxie wants to check on Sam, but he tells her that they want to be left alone. What’s she doing there? Maxie doesn’t know what to say, and Lulu says, Nurses Ball stuff for Deception, and Maxie repeats, for Deception, leaving us with a double entendre.   

On the phone, Chase says he wants pictures right away. He wants to review them before he leaves. He also wants the site kept secure. He tells them not to let CSI touch anything until he gets there. The Commissioner wants him to deal with it personally. He receives a picture the road, with Jason’s overturned bike at the end of a skid mark. He says, none of this makes sense.

Curtis is waiting for Jordan outside her office, and she says, before he starts, she saw he called, but she was wrapping up something and couldn’t pick up. He says she has a lot of irons in the fire, and she says, now isn’t a good time either. He says, because of Jason? and she says, he heard? He tells her that he was the one who found Jason when he was out looking for her. Does she mind telling him where she’s been hiding?

Cyrus asks Dude, what’s in the bag? Dude says he thought Cyrus would like to celebrate, and pulls out a bottle of Jack. Cyrus says, the demise of Jason, and Sonny’s loss of his human fireball is cause for celebration. 

Portia says, the news is good. Nothing is broken, there’s no indication that Jason has internal injuries, and his vitals are strong. Sam asks if he’s still unconscious, and Finn says his pupils are good, but they need to rule out a possible TBI. He consulted with someone in neurology, and they recommended an immediate exploratory procedure. If Jason is hemorrhaging, the worst case is that he’s brain dad. Sonny says, that can’t happen, and Finn says Sam has to sign a consent form. Sam says, it’s not up to her, and Carly says she has power of attorney, and pulls out the confirmation. Elizabeth gives her the form, and she signs it, saying they’d better damn well save him. Everyone looks at each other, but Sonny looks hard at Brando.  

For what it’s worth (as they would say on GH), I don’t think it’s Brando. Way too easy.

On Monday, Franco says Elizabeth is planning on not going, Ava asks Nelle how she’s blackmailing Julian, and Sonny asks if Brando has something else to tell him.

🩺 But Does He Have a Name…?

I thought Dante’s doctor looked familiar.

Dr. Kirk on GENERAL HOSPITAL — Everything You Need to Know

🛥 Drugs Below Deck…

I kind of thought it was Hannah, and that it was her prescription, but the way this was handled was appalling. I checked out Malia’s Instagram, and fans are not happy. Apparently, she removed the text on the post in question, and disabled the comments. That didn’t stop anyone from commenting on the post. Malia’s excuse for outing Hannah was baloney, since when Captain Lee found out Kat was taking a prescription, there was none of this. Very disappointed in Captain Sandy and Malia.

https://www.realitytitbit.com/bravo/below-deck-med-drugs-on-board

https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/1252075/drugs-below-deck-mediterranean-captain-prison/

🤯 Her Face Fillers Have Affected Her Brain…

I don’t even know what to say anymore. Whether or not Denise and Brandi hooked up, only they know, but, next to Jax, Brandi is the worst human being in the world. As Judge Milian from People’s Court says, I wouldn’t believe her if her tongue came notarized.

https://www.inquisitr.com/6206517/brandi-glanville-twitter-rhobh-cast-denise-affair/?platform=hootsuite

🏘 If You Must…

For those who insist on watching Big Brother. I find it hard to believe there are any new twists left in the world.

https://www.tvguide.com/news/big-brother-all-stars-recap/

https://www.tvguide.com/news/cbs-big-brother-all-stars-cast/

🦚 A New Peacock Feather…

Harry Potter joins the group.

https://www.tvguide.com/news/all-eight-harry-potter-movies-are-heading-to-peacock/

🎸 Finally Answered…

Although not much of a surprise. I figured she just didn’t want to live her teen/young adult years on TV.

https://people.com/tv/aimee-osbourne-explains-why-she-didnt-want-to-be-on-family-reality-show/

🏍 If You Liked Sons Of Anarchy

Some alternative shows to watch. I have a friend in the UK who swears by Peaky Blinders, and I’m definitely down for Outsiders.

https://www.tvguide.com/news/shows-like-sons-of-anarchy-what-to-watch-next/

🏄‍♀️ You Go Go-Gos…

Take a go-go down Memory Lane.

https://ew.com/music/the-go-gos-trailer-for-showtime-documentary/

👩🏽‍🏫 Quotes of the Week

It takes 30 seconds to make an impression that last 30 years. – Loren Brovarnik quoting her father, Pillow Talk: 90 Day Fiancé  

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!Audrey Hepburn

A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.Elbert Hubbard

Be the change that you wish to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi

Without music, life would be a mistake. – Friedrich Nietzsche

I call her BF, which doesn’t stand for best friend. It stands for bitch face. – woman whose sister slept with her boyfriend on Dr. Phil

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

The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. – Henri-Frédéric Amiel

I learned…that inspiration does not come like a bolt, nor is it kinetic, energetic striving, but it comes into us slowly and quietly and all the time, though we must regularly and every day give it a little chance to start flowing, prime it with a little solitude and idleness. – Brenda Ueland (I’m all for solitude & idleness.)

Path-walker, your footprints and nothing else are the path; Path-walker, there is no path, the path is formed as you move.  – Antonio Machado, Caminante, no hay Comino

😱 Drag Me To Hell…

Is it A) the name of a horror film, or B) the title for my week. It’s Friday, so moving on. I hope. For now, stay safe, stay diverse, and stay enjoying life no matter what the circumstances.

July 2, 2020 – When Michael Gave Back Avery, Character Reference, LuAnn’s Halloween Party, New Trek, Pride Pics, Drunk Rainbow, Academy Goals & Rhapsody

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

The deck was shuffled, and a GH Flashback from June 29th, 2015 was pulled out.

Nina went to Ric’s hotel room, and asked Ric if he was Madeline’s new lawyer, while Madeline hid in the other room. At the MetroCourt, Franco asked Denise (Ava’s presumed sister) if they were a couple in public, and she said it suited their ulterior motive. She suggested they practice their canoodling. Michael and Sabrina brought Avery to Sonny’s. Sonny asked if it was a visit, but Michael said he was bringing Avery home. Dante told Valerie he didn’t know how he was going to get through the night, and Valerie said she was there for him. Lulu was in a hotel room with Dillon, and wanted to call her parents with their room number, but Dillon stopped her. Luke and Laura busted into another hotel room, guns drawn. Luke said, freeze, and they saw it was Holly, also holding a gun. Laura told her to put the gun down. Someone had broken into their hotel room, and they’d gotten word their son had been kidnapped. She asked what Holly knew about Lucky, but Holly was legit surprised.

Lulu told Dillon that Dante had sounded distant and cold when she’d last spoken to him, and she needed to make sure they were okay. Dante started putting the moves on Valerie, and she asked what he was doing. He said, the same thing Lulu had done. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see Lulu and Dillon together. He said Valerie had to admit, there was something between them. Ric told Nina that Madeline was a miserable excuse for a human being, and he would never do anything for that monster. He was Nina’s husband, and would never side with someone who had hurt her. Nina said she shouldn’t have listened to Franco. He got to her, and her imagination was running away. She thought it was strange that Madeline was walking around free, and told Ric that Franco had seen her in Port Charles. Ric said Franco could be lying, but Nina asked what the point would be for him to lie. She wondered, if her mother was out of prison, where was she? Why wasn’t she showing her devious head? Kiki asked Denise and Franco to join her and Morgan for dinner, and Morgan said he accepted that Kiki and her aunt were a package deal. Denise left to powder her nose, and Morgan followed her. Kiki told Franco that both she and Morgan were afraid he was going to hurt her aunt, but Franco insisted that he and Denise were the real thing, and told her to relax. Morgan told Denise that they needed to talk. He said Franco was dangerous, and wrong for her. Michael told Sonny that he was returning Avery to him. Even though Sonny’s life was still dangerous, Sonny was Avery’s father, and her family; he couldn’t pretend that didn’t mean anything. Carly asked if Morgan had talked Michael into it, but Michael said Sabrina had helped him to look past his anger, and see what was right. Sabrina said Michael already knew what he needed to do, and Michael said he was giving Sonny’s daughter back to him.

Nina told Ric that she thought Madeline was planning a sneak attack, but Ric said the thought she was trying to keep a low profile. Nina said Madeline didn’t know the meaning of a low profile, and thought she must be scheming with someone to get her hands on Nina’s money. Ric said Nina had to regain control of her finances before Madeline found a way to access them. Nina started to panic, and Ric suggested they meet in the restaurant. Nina said Franco was there, slobbering over his new girlfriend. Michael told Sonny that losing ELQ had a lot to do with why he was there. Lucy had been the deciding vote, and sided with Nikolas because of what Michael had done to Sonny. He didn’t want to take Avery out of spite, or to use as a weapon, and had talked with Sabrina. He told Avery this didn’t mean he didn’t love her. He didn’t want to trade one tragedy for another and tear the family apart. He’d thought giving in meant he was giving up, but his father would have been the first one to tell him to do what was best for Avery. The cycle had to stop. He told Sonny not to make him regret it, and Sonny promised to look out for Avery with everything in him. Michael handed Avery over.

Valerie told Dante he was a great guy, and had helped her with the death of her mother. He wasn’t a guy who cheats. He said he hadn’t thought Lulu was that way, but people surprise you. Valerie said if Lulu was hooking up with Dillon, she was the dumbest woman in the world, and he owed it to himself to confront her, and not be as wrong as she was. She also didn’t want to lose Dante’s friendship if he resented her later. Lulu decided if she called Dante, she’d have to lie, and she couldn’t; she was already sick over it. Dillon said she was doing the right thing, and he had a better idea. Holly told Luke and Laura that Ethan had also been kidnapped, and Luke suggested they all calm down and deal with it together. Holly said she and Ethan had been going after a mark in South America. When she went to pick him up, he wasn’t there, and the whole place was a disaster area. Luke asked if there had been signs of a struggle, and Holly said Ethan had put up quite a fight. He was gone, and she had no idea where or why. Their son had vanished. Laura said it was the same with Lucky. His room had been ransacked, and there was no sign of him. An anonymous person had called, and told her to find Luke, and they were led there. Luke said Holly was the last person he’d expected to see, and asked if she’d searched Ethan’s room for clues. She showed him a matchbook, saying there was no reason Ethan should have one from a hotel in British Columbia. She wondered how the matchbook had ended up there.

Carly told Michael that she’d never been more proud of him. She was sorry for times she’d hurt him when she seemed to be siding with Sonny. When AJ was killed, she didn’t want the family torn apart, so she lied, but he deserved better. She didn’t expect forgiveness,  but wanted him to know she loved him. Michael said he loved her too. He’d grown up believing Sonny was a man of honor, and wasn’t sure if their relationship would be the same again. He warned Sonny that if he felt Avery was ever unsafe, she’d be gone, but Sonny said he’d guard her with his life. Kiki wasn’t so sure if Franco was good for Denise, since he was on the rebound, and asked if Franco was sure he wasn’t using her. Franco promised that he and Denise were good for one another, and Kiki hoped it helped him get over Nina. Nina told Ric that she didn’t care what Franco did, she just didn’t want to watch it. Ric told her not to let Franco win, and suggested she flaunt her bliss with her new husband. He told her to show Franco that the best day of her life was when she kicked him to the curb. He told Nina to meet him downstairs, and when she left, he told Madeline to be gone by the time he got back. She said to be sure to get Nina’s signature giving him power of attorney, and let everyone know Nina had descended into madness again. He said it was touching how much she loved her daughter. Michael told Avery that she’d be living with her dad, but he loved her more than he thought possible. He’d always look out for her, even when she couldn’t see him. He told Sonny and Carly to take care of Avery, and left with Sabrina. Denise told Morgan that it was the only choice, and they went back to the table. Denise said she wanted to spend some time with her baby niece. Carly told Sonny, despite their faults, they’d raised a wonderful son, and had proof of that tonight. She knew Michael giving Avery up broke his heart, but she’d also known it would happen because of who Michael was. Sonny told Avery, welcome home, and Avery fed him a biscuit, which was super cute. Back at his apartment, Michael said he didn’t think out of sight was out of mind. He missed Avery already. His phone rang, but he ignored it. He thanked Sabrina for going with him, and giving them both space. She said he always knew it was the right thing to do. Dante told Valerie that he sucked at marriage, but Valerie said he was an exceptional father and husband. He said he was a lousy friend, and hoped he hadn’t ruined it. Valerie told him that he hadn’t. Dillon gave Lulu his script to read, and asked how he stacked up on a scale of one to ten. She said he practically held her at gunpoint to get her to read it, but wouldn’t shut up and let her. She had some notes.

Holly was surprised to find out that Jennifer Smith had lured Luke out, but Luke said she had nothing to do with Lucky’s kidnapping. Laura said Jennifer had used Luke’s desperation about his son to get close to him, and yes, she meant that way. Holly said, cow, and Laura said, idiot. Laura said whoever contacted Holly would be contacting them, but they hadn’t heard anything. In perfect soap timing, her phone rang with an unknown caller. Laura put it on speaker, and answered, asking where her son was. Holly said, and hers, and the caller said, good; Holly was there, and found his matchbook. Luke asked where their son was, and what the hell the guy wanted with them. He said he’d tell them everything they needed to know tomorrow.

Lulu told Dillon that she didn’t buy the relationship in his script at all, but he said it was true; those people were him and his first girlfriend after Georgie died. She’d stomped his heart into the dirt. Valerie suggested she and Dante forget the kiss, and Dante said, business as usual? She said, absolutely, and decided to go back to Windymere. She still had a room there until Nikolas said otherwise. Sonny fed Avery her bottle, and Carly said Avery looked more like him every day. She didn’t see Ava in Avery, but did see Ava in her crazy sister. At the MetroCourt, Denise said it was important for her to have Avery in her life. Morgan said there had been a truce with Sonny, but Franco stopped her from leaving by kissing her. Ric and Nina walked in, and Nina grabbed Ric, kissing him, while Madeline lurked around the corner. Sabrina asked Michael if he was okay, and he said he was trying to look on the bright side. He and Sabrina could spend more time together, now that he was out of a job. She said she was too, but things were starting to look up. He said he was trying not to think about Avery, and maybe they could help each other think about something else, so they got busy.

Ric told Nina that he wasn’t complaining, but why? She said she felt hot for him, and he suggested they table that, and get back to the issue at hand. Now that her mother was out of prison, they had to make sure Nina was protected by getting her funds released. He said he would have to act on her behalf, and needed her to sign something. He gave her some paperwork, and she signed it without even looking at it. Morgan said Franco and Denise might want to get a room, but Denise wanted to keep her panties on, at least until she talked to Michael. Carly told Sonny that Avery needed to sleep, and she would be there in the morning. Sonny said, and every morning after that. Basking in the afterglow, Michael said he’d wanted Sabrina for a long time, and she said she felt the same way. His phone rang, but he didn’t pick up, and Denise left a voicemail saying she’d like to come by and see the baby. She felt a connection to her sister’s baby, like she was Avery’s mother, which was fitting since Avery didn’t have one. Sonny told Avery that she was home with him, and never going anywhere again. Valerie told Dante that she thought it was best to give both of them space. Dante said he was sorry, and she said he was forgiven, if he’d stop apologizing. She left without looking back, and Dante looked at his and Lulu’s wedding photo. Dillon said now that Lulu knew the truth, what did she think? She said he seemed to think highly of himself; the character was perfect. He said he’d give him a flaw, and Lulu said, just one? Dillon said he chews with his mouth open, and only listens to Top 40, and she said maybe he was perfect. It was a good distraction for her from worrying about her brother for a while.

Holly told Laura to try *69, but Laura said she’d tried everything. They needed to get some rest, and pray the kidnapper followed through and contacted them. Luke told them, the contact said to wait, so they would wait. Laura and Holly agreed.

🏥 In Case You Don’t Know Them…

Meet Ava’s alter-ego sister Denise.

https://www.celebdirtylaundry.com/2015/general-hospital-spoilers-gh-avas-identity-revealed-who-figured-out-denises-dirty-secret/

And Valerie Spencer.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/abc/general-hospital-valerie-spencer-brytni-sarpy-167403

And Jennifer Smith.

https://www.soapcentral.com/gh/whoswho/jennifer.php

The Real Housewives of New York City

With the first interview, I got a clue why they haven’t been showing new ones, even though they were filmed before the pandemic. The interviews were done remotely, so those must not have been edited in yet.

Leah goes to the Halloween store, and calls Rob, asking him if he wants to be a clown or a priest. In her interview, she says Rob isn’t typically her plus one, but he’s an important person in her life, and she wants to see what he thinks of the women, and more important, what they think of him. Dorinda and LuAnn join her. In LuAnn’s interview, she says her good friend Evan got her a fabulous venue for her Halloween party. She wants to enjoy it with the girls, and have a great time, so she’s not performing. Dorinda says she was Ramonasized again, and tells them, Ramona is planning a birthday party and invited her and Sonja along to see Larry Scott. We flash back to that, and I realize he reminds me of Michael Madsen in a size large. Dorinda swears Ramona barely spoke to them, and they were just there to take pictures for Larry’s social media. Three hours of her day. In her interview, Dorinda says it wasn’t bad enough that Ramona used them to swindle a free party, but she thought they were too stupid to notice. She tells LuAnn, since Ramona actively disinvited Sonja last year, she thought Ramona should do a joint birthday party, but she said no; it was only her and her coming out. She never even spoke to them again afterward. LuAnn asks if Ramona wanted their advice, and Dorinda says, not really. In Leah’s interview, she says she understands, but Dorinda has known Ramona for twenty years. She shouldn’t be surprised. And she needs to chill with the judging stuff. Dorinda is still skeptical about Tinsley getting engaged, and LuAnn says she and Ramona went out for drinks with Tinsley, and she’s 100% sure. In her interview, Dorinda says, everyone deserves to be happy. Tigers and rabbits don’t get along, but that doesn’t mean they can’t scamper away and be happy. They try on some costume armor, and Dorinda suggests they wear it to Ramona’s birthday party. LuAnn says they can show up as gladiators.

Ramona meets matchmaker Rori for drinks. In her interview, Ramona says Rori set her up with Brian, better known as Red Scarf Guy. She thought he was great in many ways, and fit everything in her box. Excuse me? We flash back to Brian, and to the dud date Ramona had with the guy who thought monogamy wasn’t natural. Rori asks if Ramona is looking for love or money, and Ramona says she wants a best friend who makes her laugh, and someone who travels. Rori says, that’s not cheap, and some women accept a little older and heavier for the lifestyle. Ramona says she wants both. In her interview, she says she wants someone who’s worth is the same as hers, or they get intimidated. She tells Rori that when she moved into her new place, it felt awkward. We flash back to Ramona wailing in the bar that she might never find a man. She says she had a renaissance. She feels more comfortable in her home, and loves herself. (That’s clear.) She wants someone in her life who adds to it, but it’s okay if she doesn’t find it. Rori says, happy finds happy, and Ramona is a great catch. Yeah. Until she opens her mouth. Ramona says, age is just a number. Wake me when she’s done promoting herself.

Sonja meets Elyse for drinks at Dakota. Sonja says Halloween isn’t her favorite holiday. She doesn’t like to get dressed up and be around people she doesn’t recognize. You could have fooled me with that one. She tells Elyse that Ramona bought a voodoo priestess costume and got her a matching one. Elyse wonders, why not her? and thinks Ramona is afraid of losing control. In Elyse’s interview, she says when Ramona need emotional support, she comes to her. She tells Sonja that Ramona called her, and said she was thinking of coming by. Meanwhile, her doorman was buzzing her that Ramona was on her way up. In her interview, she says she doesn’t have a house in Aspen and can’t do plastic surgery, so Ramona doesn’t need her now. Sonja says she tried to tell Ramona about becoming the Century 21 chief lifestyle officer (that’s a thing?), but Ramona eclipsed the conversation and made her feel like an upstart. Elyse says, Ramonaville is filled with one-way streets. In Sonja’s interview, she says she doesn’t recognize Ramona anymore. She has to one-up everyone with her fake friends and fake parties. Shut up, Ramona. Elyse tells Sonja to call Ramona out with her, and Sonja says she has a lot of dirt on Ramona, and she’s sure Elyse does too. Elyse says she’d never do that, but Sonja says Ramona doesn’t need to know that.

Dorinda meets daughter Hannah for lunch, and says she’s not dressed warm enough. Dorinda insists on giving Hannah her coat, and they go to Jimbo’s Hamburger Place, which looks like an old school diner. Dorinda asks for everything on her burger, and Hannah adds, and all the sauces. In Dorinda’s interview, she says if she was stranded on a desert island the one thing she’d bring is Hellman’s. Mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard are part of every meal, and Russian dressing is a holiday. Hannah says, no burger, just sauce, and I wonder why they’re calling condiments sauces. Dorinda shows Hannah a picture of Richard’s son Aidan that he sent to her. Hannah says Dorinda used to get sad, wondering who her person was. She’d always had an anchor that shaped her sense of self. Hannah looks up to her more now, and says Dorinda is a better role model than ever. She was given a bad hand, but didn’t turn it into a streak, which is worthy of pride. In her interview, Dorinda says everyone has seen her go through changes and grow. She’s a different Dorinda today. Hannah says it’s the first time she’s seen Dorinda be herself. She’s managing herself, and not desperate to be married. Hannah says she feels guilty that she hasn’t gotten it right yet. Dorinda tells her about Ramona’s party, and suggests she and Hannah have a birthday lunch. She confuses Riker’s Island – known for a prison – with Randall’s Island – a cute residential island that you can get to by an aerial tram. Sylvester Stallone and Rutger Hauer had it out on the tram in Nighthawks.

Leah, Rob, and Kier go to Chinatown for dinner. In her interview, Leah says, when you’re from New York, you know all the spots to eat; it’s not all about the Upper East Side. She says this is normal for her and Rob. They’ve been co-parenting longer than they were a couple. She hadn’t wanted to be in a relationship; she wanted to spread her wings and fly. She specifies, not those wings, and we flash back to Dorinda discovering how Leah grooms downstairs. She says Rob has been her rock. She tells Rob that she went to lunch with Bunny and Brian (her parents), and we flash back to Bunny saying alcohol is a slippery slope for Leah. Leah says they talked about Rob. It’s weird. They’ve been broken up for eleven years, yet neither one of them has moved on. She feels like her parents wouldn’t accept another person; he’s like their son. Rob says he has no mother figure, so it’s definitely her mom. Leah says she should give Bunny more credit. In Leah’s interview, she says her sister likes to say she and her mother only communicate and show love through arguing. She tells Rob she still has resentment. Imagine telling Kier to live on the street at seventeen years old. Kier asks if Leah was really that young, and Leah says her mother claims she was nineteen, but whatever. Kier wonders if nineteen is a little old to be living with your parents, and Leah says, most people are in college then, and still being taken care of.  Kier asks why Leah didn’t go to college, and if she couldn’t get in. Leah is like, please, and in her interview, says she’s no saint, and she can be an a-hole. She tells Rob that she should be better to Bunny, and Rob says she knew that. She says, don’t be a d*ck. He’s so I-told-you-so, like her mother. She tells Kier, a lot of women marry men like their fathers, which Kier finds disgusting. Leah says she married someone like her mother, and Kier makes a face.

In Leah’s interview, she says she doesn’t normally dress up, but she found a see-through mesh jumpsuit, and she’s going as a voodoo slut. She goes to get her makeup done by LuAnn’s makeup artist, who says LuAnn is on her way. In her interview, Leah says, LuAnn has her own timeframe. LuAnn goes to the venue to check things out, and the décor is phenomenal. LuAnn tells Evan that it’s incredible. In LuAnn’s interview, she says, last year was sexy nurse, and this year, it’s voodoo. It has to be shocking. Evan shows her one room that’s like a cemetery, and tells her that it’s going to be filled with smoke, like a different world. LuAnn meets the chef, who says the menu is over-the-top. His seafood platter looks like it’s escaping. In her interview, LuAnn says, it’s not a Halloween party unless someone is grossed out. She says, the girls will love it, and moves on to makeup. Leah tells her about the jumpsuit, but says she’ll be covered in the strategic places. She doesn’t want to give anyone a heart attack. LuAnn says, it’s Halloween. You’re supposed to give people a heart attack.    

Ramona tells Missy, her plus one, that she hasn’t liked Sonja’s costumes, so she got one for her. They’re the first to arrive, and they check out the decorations. Ramona says her priest wouldn’t like it, and Missy says, don’t tell him. Ramona examines a goat head on the buffet table, and in her interview, she says, who would want to eat looking at that? Her friend Ron joins them, and we flash back to her meeting him at the bar when she was having drinks with LuAnn and Tinsley. She says he looks scary, and he says he takes Halloween seriously. Ramona calls LuAnn, asking where she is. LuAnn says dinner isn’t until 8:30, and Ramona tells her the room is gorgeous. Ramona tells Missy that she’d even sent a group text about starting early. A male friend of hers has a private table at Omar’s downtown, and she wants to go. Like this is her party. Sonja, Dorinda, and Elyse share a limo to get there. In her interview, Sonja says she got lit with her hair and makeup team. Halloween is a national holiday in their in group. If it’s not to you, stay home because you’re dead meat. She tells Dorinda and Elyse that Ramona doesn’t feel her pain or struggle. Dorinda says Ramona wants everyone orbit around her. Sonja gets animated with the voodoo doll she’s holding, and the driver looks nervous. At the party, Ramona tells Sonja’s friend Andrew that his paunch looks real. He tells her it is, and in her interview, she says, oops. Sonja, Dorinda, and Elyse arrive, and in her interview, Dorinda says, it’s a Dorinda set-up. She’s a little jealous. They took a page from her book.

Jill Zarin shows up to get her makeup done. In LuAnn’s interview, she says she’s been friends with Jill a long time. She’s been on tour, and Jill has a new love, Gary, so they don’t get to see each other often. When she has a chance to invite Jill to a party, she does. Jill asks the makeup artist if she can be pretty, or does it have to be weird? The artist says she’ll make Jill pretty. Sonja whacks at her voodoo doll, invoking Ramona’s name. Ramona says Sonja is scary looking, and Sonja says the doll’s name is Ramona. She’s mad because whenever she  talks to Ramona, Ramona brings the conversation back to herself. In Sonja’s interview, she says, the other three vodka sodas will be kicking in soon. She tells Ramona that she loves her, but she’s an a-hole. Ramona gives Sonja a kiss, and Dorinda says Ramona should apologize. Ramona thinks Dorinda should stay out of it, and in Dorinda’s interview, she says when she’s told to stay out of something, it just makes her more eager to jump in. Sonja tells Ramona that she’s mean to Elyse, and Elyse is always at the bottom of the totem pole. Elyse admits she does feel like that, and says Ramona might have a lot of friends, but they’re different kinds. There are the ones that knock you when you’re on top, and kick you when you’re down; and the ones who celebrate when you’re on the top, and catch you when you fall. Which one is she? Ramona asks which one she wants to be, and in her interview, says she thinks Elyse is jumping on the bandwagon. Elyse says she’s asking Ramona, and Ramona says she doesn’t give a sh*t at this point. She tells them that she has to use the restroom, and walks off. Sonja tells Elyse, Ramona wants her to do well, but not better than her. In Elyse’s interview, she says she’s watched Ramona being an a-hole to other people, but at the end of the day, what do a-holes give you? Ramona goes over to Dorinda, and tells her not to repeat this out of the group. Why do these women always assume any of them will keep a confidence? Ramona says Dorinda and Sonja are her most important friends. In her interview, Dorinda makes a face, and says she doesn’t buy it. I literally lol. Dorinda wonders why Ramona can’t have a joint birthday party with Sonja, and Ramona says she’ll throw another party. Dorinda says, that’s silly. In Ramona’s interview, she says Dorinda would have no one to invite, while she has 80 girlfriends because she’s a good friend. I see that number has gone up by 20 since the last count an episode ago. Dorinda says Ramona just wanted a free party, and Ramona insists that she’s paying for everything. Dorinda tells her to swear on her daughter’s life that Larry is charging her, but Ramona won’t do it, and tells Dorinda, she’s whacked. Dorinda says Ramona is out of her mind, and sounds ridiculous.

Leah and Rob arrive, and Leah introduces Rob to the women. He says he feels small, and wow, they are tall next to him. Dorinda wastes no time, and asks why it didn’t work out. In LuAnn’s interview, she says Rob seems easy-going, and she sees why Leah hooked up with him. Sonja slinks over, and LuAnn says Sonja started Halloween early. In her interview, LuAnn wonders who came with Sonja, and who was at the pre-game? Sonja probably should have gone to bed. Missy says maybe Ramona should talk to Dorinda, but in Ramona’s interview, she says, Dorinda can’t talk when she’s angry. She’s going to stick it out for a while, and go to Omar’s. She tells Leah that she looks absolutely stunning. Sonja says Leah is an effing weirdo, and Leah says Sonja looks hot as hell. Sonja says she likes Leah, but she’s a weirdo. Leah goes over to Sonja, and gets nose to nose with her, and Sonja says they’re artists. Can they keep it real? Leah doesn’t know. In her interview, Leah says she and Sonja are having a fresh new start, and she loves everything about it. Sonja tells her, don’t be divisive be inclusive. In Leah’s interview, she says she understands drunken Sonja language, now she needs to learn to speak sober Sonja. It’s agreed alligator does not taste like chicken. Ramona tells Missy that Sonja is like Jekyll and Hyde. She flips, and it’s scary. Dorinda tells LuAnn, Ramona is a selfish, self-serving person who’s always thinking about herself. LuAnn can’t believe Ramona brought Missy; a girlfriend of her ex-husband’s. Ramona says Dorinda doesn’t have Tinsley to attack, so she’s getting it. We flash back to the engagement party, where Tom told Missy that wearing a wedding ring was like being a dog with a collar. In her interview, LuAnn says, Ramona doesn’t give a sh*t; she’s insensitive. The problem with people is, they always disappoint you, but Ramona never ceases to disappoint. Dorinda remarks that Ramona changed seats quickly to be next to Rick. Is she happy Dorinda brought him? Ramona ignores her, but Dorinda repeats the question, and Rick looks pretty uncomfortable. In Ramona’s interview, she says, the best thing is to ignore someone who’s being mean to you. It makes them more angry, and more reflective. I dunno about the reflective part. It probably just makes them angrier and meaner.

Dorinda stands up, and clinks her spoon against her glass. She says she has a question. Is it nice if you have a good girlfriend who, when they don’t like something you said, asks if you’re drunk? Sonja yells, why did you say that, Ramona? and Dorinda says Ramona has been there an hour and a half, boozing it up. Ramona is sad and mean to her – schadenfreude. Dorinda says, she’s not nice, and Sonja says, Ramona is terrible to her. Dorinda tells Ramona, don’t do that, and Sonja repeats it. LuAnn gets up, lifts her glass, and says, how about them Mets? Happy Halloween. In her interview, LuAnn says she understands Dorinda has had it, but she’s taken it to a whole other level. LuAnn actually feels bad for Ramona at this point. Jill asks if this is how it always is; you walk in, and Dorinda attacks someone? Elyse asks if Ramona is okay, and says she still loves her. Ramona says she has a lot right now. In Ramona’s interview, she starts to talk, and daughter Avery tells her, stop wasting her energy talking about Elyse. She hears Ramona telling her friends; she can’t get enough of it, and it’s annoying. Ramona tells her, shut up. Elyse asks if Ramona is good, and Ramona says she is. Dorinda carves the pig, for which LuAnn is glad. In her interview, Ramona says, who in their right mind, after witnessing that speech, would give Dorinda a knife? Leah pulls an octopus out of the seafood tower, and LuAnn tells her, don’t f*** with the seafood tower, which I predict will be the next, don’t be all, like, uncool, along with, 1985 is over. Leah introduces Sonja to Rob while still holding the octopus. She plops it back on top, and pulls out something else, asking, what is this? I don’t know what it is either, but it looks gross. LuAnn says, this is where it goes wrong, and Leah throws whatever-it-is on the table. In Ramona’s interview, she says, someone put voodoo on this party, and she’s out of there. She’s going to Omar’s, which will be a lot more fun than this party.

The music starts, and everyone dances, except Sonja who looks sullen and clutches her voodoo doll. Leah asks Rob if he’s okay, and he says he’s fine, but he’s not sticking around. She tells him that she loves him so much, and he says he doesn’t know how life ended up like this, but here they are.

Next time, a return to the fish room, Ramona blocks Elyse, Dorinda finally corrects Ramona’s mispronunciation of narcissistic, and LuAnn tells Sonja that she doesn’t need her and to eff off.

🛸 For the Trekkers…

A new animated comedy series. It sounds kind of weird, but I dropped out after Deep Space Nine.

https://www.startrek.com/news/star-trek-lower-decks-sets-release-date

🌈 For Those With Pride…

Lots of fun pictures.

https://www.manrepeller.com/2020/06/brooklyn-bushwig-2020.html?mc_cid=c16f404248&mc_eid=3e76ab4a64

🤹 But Don’t Let This Happen To You…

GoHomeRainbow

🎭 A Diverse New World…

The Academy is moving forward.

https://www.instyle.com/news/oscars-diversity-goals-new-members

🗺 How’d We Get Here Again…?

We’re back at Friday, or day 103 if you’re going by the pandemic calendar. Just think, we have so much to look forward to when this is over. Like wishing for a seat on public transportation, traffic, and people invading your personal space. In the meantime, stay safe, stay civil, and stay not like Ramona.

June 18, 2020 – A Best Of Flashback, Top Chef Crowned, Fan Fave, Juneteenth Ideas, Is She Or Not, Thirsty, Watching Stars, Coming Up, a Mansion, Gordon’s Back, Say It Three Times & Dad

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

And the GH Flashback roulette wheel says… October 15th, 2015. I heard on an ad that this week is the best of Sonny and Carly, which brings cohesion to the randomness. Sonny surprised Carly with a wedding in the hospital chapel, that Maxie jumped through hoops to put together in record time. Josslyn and Kristina looked like babies, Sabrina attended with Michael, and Josslyn played the Wedding March on the flute. I assumed it was actually her playing, and was impressed, since the flute is very difficult to master.

Paul showed up at the gallery, while trying to set up Anna via text using the name Sloane. Paul told Ava to be prepared for the dismantling of the Corinthos organization. His plan was about to come to fruition. He told Ava that Carrrlos’s fate and Anna’s were going to dovetail (who uses that word, except in reference to carpentry?). Ava asked if it was a coincidence, but Paul said it was careful planning. He wanted Ava to launder some money via art collectors he was going to send, but Ava wasn’t keen on the idea. Paul asked if she wanted to go to prison for Connie’s murder, since he had her confession on tape. Ava said she was afraid of losing Avery, and Paul relented, saying he wasn’t heartless, and Ava would be of no use to him if her mind was elsewhere. He told her to deal with the custody case first.

Old Jordan wanted to talk to Anna about Carrrlos’s disappearance, since Anna was the last one to see him. Jordan said her leads had gone cold, and Mayor Lomax was breathing down her neck.

While talking to Dillon at the pier, Maxie saw a body in the water, and Dillon called the police. Jordan determined it was Carrrlos, which wasn’t hard since he’d had his wallet on him. When Paul showed up, she said Carrrlos had been shot at close range. That explained why he avoided detection for so long – he was dead. Yep. That will do it. Paul suggested Sonny had gotten his revenge.

Sonny and Carly said their vows. Sonny told Carly that she saved his life every day, and he was blessed that she chose him. Carly said she’d had a taste of life without him, and promised that neither one of them was going anywhere without the other. Dante’s phone rang during the vows, and he stepped aside to take it. Bobbie suggested Sonny make a change, so no one else would get hurt. Dante told them that Carrrlos had been pulled from the harbor, and he was dead. Sabrina freaked, and Dante went to the station. Morgan told Sonny and Carly that Carrrlos had gotten what he deserved, and Sonny said he didn’t ask for retaliation. Morgan said they were looking at him like they thought he did it, and told them they could think what they wanted to; it was his wedding gift to them, and enjoy it while it lasted. When he left, Sonny told Carly that he thought Morgan wished he had shot Carrrlos, but he would have heard about it if Morgan had done it. He explained that Ava had let the Five Families (not a restaurant) that Carrrlos had shot Sonny and acted alone. The only one who could dispute it was Carrrlos, and he wasn’t talking. Carly said that was convenient for Ava, and Sonny said she was up to her lying neck in it. Sabrina told Michael that she’d known Carrrlos most of his life, and Carrrlos had done awful things, but didn’t deserve to get shot.

Anna went to the gallery, and told Ava that she knew it wasn’t Carrrlos who shot Sonny, since he was on the run for killing Duke. Why would he escape Port Charles, then come back to shoot Sonny? She said Ava claiming that’s what happened implied she had something to hide, and asked who Ava was covering for. Paul called Anna, and told her to meet him at Pier 54.

Nathan assumed that Valerie was pregnant after Maxie found a positive pregnancy test in the trash, and Valerie gave him the business about jumping to conclusions. Valerie saw Maxie in the interrogation room after she gave her statement, and Maxie told her it was like a scene from a scary movie, and kept playing in her head. She told Valerie that she knew Valerie and Dillon were having sex, and Valerie said Dillon was a great guy, but that was a no, and had never happened.  Maxie asked whose baby Valerie was worried about carrying. Valerie said she didn’t know what Maxie was  talking about, and didn’t think Maxie did either. Maxie said Valerie had thrown a positive pregnancy test in the trash, and Valerie said Maxie had assumed because she was near the trash can, it must be hers. She suggested the next time Maxie decided to go snooping, get her facts straight. In the meantime, Dante told Dillon to stay the hell away from his wife.

Sonny joked that he and Carly were going to Iowa for their honeymoon, and Lulu told Bobbie that she and Dante were in discussion about expanding their family.

Ava told Paul that Sonny knew she’d lied about Carrrlos, and was asking inconvenient questions, but Paul said he had everything under control.

Carly cuddled with Sonny in his hospital room, and Sonny said it wasn’t the way he’d pictured their honeymoon, but it did feel like Des Moines. She thought it was more like Cedar Rapids.

Top Chef – Finale

The chefs were challenged with cooking the meal of their lives. The final three were Bryan, who the crown had eluded for more than a decade; Melissa, who had more wins than anyone; and Stephanie, the private chef underdog, who had proven she had skills to be feared. The prize was a feature in Food and Wine magazine, an appearance at the Food and Wine festival in Aspen, and $250K. Not bad. I love that magazine, and that’s a nice chunk of change. Bryan said he’d slap them in the face with heart and soul, and we flashed back to the Italian chefs saying there was no soul in his food. Padma tasked them with making the best progressive four-course meal of their lives – no twists. They would be serving it to the best chefs from all over world. Kevin, Lee Anne, and Brian full of Malarkey came out to give their support as sous chefs. Gregory would have been there instead of Brian, but he was still battling back issues. The chefs drew knives for picking order, and Stephanie was first, choosing Brian full of Malarkey, for his enthusiasm and skills. Stephanie also admitted that during Restaurant Wars she fell in love with him. Not literally. Brian chose Kevin, who said, let’s get the band back together, which left Melissa with Lee Anne. Melissa said they’d never worked together, but Lee Ann knew Asian flavors, and was a beast in the kitchen. She thought they’d do well. Padma told them they’d be shopping in the food hub of Florence, and would have five hours to prep and cook back at the Renaissance Tuscany. They were to make the meal as cohesive as possible, and Tom said the judges expected nothing but the best.

Melissa said her mission was to marry Asian flavor with what she’d learned in Italy, bringing Italy to her heritage, so it would portray her adventure. While this isn’t Project Runway, I have to mention that Lee Anne was wearing the coolest fried-egg-and-bacon crocheted scarf. If I was crafty that way, I’d be making one starting tonight. Bryan said he and Stephanie were yin and yang; their minds were one. In the evening, the judges turned the tables, and Tom, Padma, and Gail did the cooking. The chefs were met outside by Tom, who was doing some rustic farmhouse cooking on the grill, which gave Melissa an idea for her main course. They all sat down to eat together, and Padma wished them luck, telling them to cook their hearts out. After dinner, Stephanie called best friend Kristen, who was also the Season 10 winner. Stephanie said she thought her chances of winning were one in three. Melissa called her mom, and Bryan called his brother Michael.

After three hours in the kitchen, the judges were served the first two courses. You knew it was good by the way they were shoveling it in, especially one guy who reminded me of the drive-in guy Joe Bob Briggs and was wearing a shirt with steer on it. Later, I found out he was an Italian butcher named Dario. Gail said Bryan was a great technician, but this time showed soul and love in his food as well. Drive-in Bob Dario said, mama mia! and the main course came out. Melissa made grilled squab; Bryan went with blackened monkfish; and Stephanie made a veal dish. Padma said the food was universally wonderful, and food editor Nilou Motamed said she didn’t like squab, but was now a convert. At this point, I was pretty sure Melissa was going to win. Then, OMG THE DESSERTS CAME OUT. They were all to die for, and I’m not sure which one I wanted more; Bryan’s dark chocolate and ice cream thing, to which Dario responded, mmm… cardamom; Stephanie’s sticky toffee pudding (I don’t know what the hell that is, but give me two servings); or Melissa’s tea-infused tiramisu with a crunchy topping. When the dinner was done, the chefs applauded themselves, and then the judges applauded them when they were called back out. During the final discussion, Dario teared up over how Melissa respected the Italian traditions with her dessert. He said, a butcher who cries, how embarrassing, prompting one of the other guest judges to come over and give him a hug.

When the chefs were brought out to meet with the usual judges, plus Nilou, for the final time, Tom said he thought they all cooked the best meal of their lives, and Padma said she saw the story of their lives on the plates. She relayed that Hunter Lewis from Food and Wine found Bryan’s beets beguiling. Say that three times real fast. Tom said Bryan had erased the impression that he couldn’t cook with soul and heart. Gail said that Melissa had joined the Asian and Italian cultures, and told her about Dario getting emo over her tiramisu. Melissa said they were all artists who loved hearing that their journeys were understood. Stephanie joked that she was going for fan favorite. She had done damage to people who loved her by being sad, and this showed them that she was okay. Tom said, sometimes the voyage is more important than the destination, because you find out what you’re made of. You have to go deeper, and what comes out is who you are. They all made that journey, but there could only be one Top Chef. Arriving for the announcement were Melissa’s mom, Bryan’s brother, and Stephanie’s husband.

With that, Padma told Melissa, she was Top Chef. In Melissa’s interview, she said it had been a wild adventure, but this time she’d done it for herself, and wasn’t trying to earn her father’s approval. She wanted to prove to herself that she could achieve a goal that she’d set. In Stephanie’s interview, she said she accomplished what she’d wanted to do. She hadn’t felt good about the mental space she was in since her brother died. This would give everyone something else to talk about for a while. In Bryan’s interview, he said he’d learned a lot about himself. There were sixteen Top Chefs, but he was the only one who’d done what he did. He’d been runner-up three times, but was never doing this again. Melissa said, once you believe in yourself, nothing can stop you. She knew it sounded cliché, but the world was her oyster. She could do anything now.

👓 On Watch What Happens Live (@home in the Hamptons – @must be nice), Padma and Tom were guests, and Melissa made an appearance. Padma announced Melissa was also the fan favorite, netting her another $10K. Melissa donated that win to Black Visions Collective, the Trevor Project, and Asian Americans for Equality. And for that, Andy gave the night’s mazel.

🥧 Baking For the Teenth…

An idea to celebrate Juneteenth.

https://thechalkboardmag.com/juneteenth-bake-sale

📺 Watchlist…

Some Juneteenth suggestions for your viewing pleasure.

https://www.tvguide.com/news/shows-and-movies-to-watch-for-juneteenth/?ftag=NLS-04-10aaa2i

📚 For the Bookworm In You…

A Juneteenth reading list.

https://www.essence.com/entertainment/juneteenth-books/#546891

🍑 Pour the Nene Tea…

A Twitter user suggested her ego has become bigger than her entertainment value. I think they might be right.

https://www.essence.com/entertainment/nene-leakes-fired-real-housewives-atlanta/

https://people.com/tv/nene-leakes-denies-shes-not-returning-to-rhoa/

🥃 Give That Lady a Drink…

Like not every single one of them is thirsty. It’s not like they’re on the show to educate people about… anything.

https://hollywoodlife.com/2020/06/17/kelly-dodd-slams-tamra-judge-thirsty-firing-comments-rhoc-feud/

🛸 Where No Man Has Gone…

But you can go for free.

https://www.tvguide.com/news/star-trek-movies-streaming-free-imdb-tv/?ftag=NLS-04-10aaa2i

📑 Head Start…

A list of what’s coming to the small screen, and not.

https://www.tvguide.com/news/features/abc-2020-2021-fall-tv-lineup/?ftag=NLS-04-10aaa2i

👠 Sometimes She’s All Of Us…

While probably none of us will ever have her closet, or will even be able to afford one of her shoes, Sutton sometimes reminds me of how the audience feels. Kind of horrified.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1162587/rhobh-s-sutton-stracke-lists-bel-air-mansion-for-almost-9-million-tour-inside-the-estate?source=email&medium=daily

🛶 Unchart This…

You can catch Gordon in Uncharted on the National Geographic (NatGeo) channel on Sundays at 10 pm. It’s also free on YouTube.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1162499/watch-jason-kennedy-go-crawfishing-with-gordon-ramsay-try-not-to-laugh

📽 Who Can Take a Sunrise…

Candyman returns in a spiritual sequel. Tony Todd and Vanessa Williams will be making return appearances, and Jordan Peele wrote the screenplay, so that’s enough for me.

https://www.essence.com/entertainment/candyman-nia-dacosta-new-teaser/

🤸‍♀️ Is It Friday Again Yet…?

Father’s Day is coming up this weekend, and here’s hoping you have/had a good relationship with yours. My dad was the best. He had a wonderful sense of humor, was ahead of his time, and the fairest person I’ve ever known. Stay safe, stay celebratory, and stay in touch with your family, be they blood relatives or chosen.