Category Archives: film

Dec27

December 26, 2024 – Christmas Day In Port Charles, Her Blessing, Celebrations, New Squid, Ugly Sweaters, Movie Memories, More Celebrating, Odd Sights & Just You

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What I Watched Today

(The whole GH enchilada on Fridays; the other days, who knows?)

General Hospital

Everyone is thrilled to see Emma, who says she wants to get to know her new Aunt Sasha. Felicia asks how long she’s here for, but Emma says, it’s not a visit. She’s staying. She transferred to PCU and she’s moving into the dorm in three weeks. Anna wonders why Robin didn’t say anything, and Emma says she wanted it to be a surprise.

Brook hands Chase a gift bag and says she has one more and she can’t wait for him to open it. He takes out a pregnancy test, and she says, merry Christmas (🎄). She’s late.

Jack says, the Goddess of War has been defeated at last, and Josslyn says, that’s because he cheated. He insists he didn’t, but she says, he must have since he works in espionage. On the side, Carly says she knows Jason hates Jack, but he took Josslyn’s mind off of things. Jason says he still doesn’t trust Jack, and Jack asks Josslyn for a rematch. She asks for a raincheck, and he says, absolutely yes, for her. She goes upstairs, and Jack tells Carly that he won fair and square. Jason walks away, and Carly thanks Jack for distracting Josslyn. He says, she’s got a competitive streak, but he has no idea where she gets it from. He wanted to use that to get her mind off things. Carly says, losing Dex so suddenly and senselessly was too much.

Nina wonders if this nightmare will never end, and Ava says, Drew will be gone in a few minutes. Willow comes out with Drew and says she asked him to stay, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Lucas, and Ava asks if he was searching the city for his favorite aunt, but he says he’s here for Willow.

At Rice Plaza, Kristina says she was hoping to say hello to Lulu, but Laura says, she’s at the Quartermaines. She wanted to be with Rocco and Dante on Christmas morning. Sonny says, it’s all Rocco wanted for Christmas, to get his mother back. He got his wish. Laura says, now all they have to do is bring Charlotte home and all will be right with the world.

In the nook, Dante says, Rocco’s mother will be here at the crack of dawn, and Rocco says, it’s a big day. Dante says, they’ve been waiting four years. He can’t imagine what she’s thinking.

At the airport, an announcement says, the flight to Prague will be boarding shortly and will arrive around noon Prague time. Lulu sends a text to Charlotte: Text me the name of the café, I can’t wait to see you.

Lucas says he’s here about Wiley, and Willow says, Wiley is sleeping. Lucas says, it’s Christmas Eve. Wiley should be home. Willow says, Michael will see the children on Christmas morning, when Drew comes out. Willow says, clearly, Lucas heard she and Michael are having difficulties. She’s staying here for a while. Lucas says, she must understand his concern, but Nina says, there’s no reason to be concerned. The children are with their mother. Ava asks what Lucas wants, and Lucas says he wants to remind Willow that he didn’t rip out his heart and let Wiley go without a fight so she could take him away from his father.

Jason asks how Michael is holding up, and Michael says he misses Willow and the kids and the life he thought they had. He’s starting to realize that life is gone forever.

Josslyn says, her mom told her that Jack helped bring Lucky home, but not how, and Jack says, the how is highly classified. Carly says she was impressed at how clear the footage was, and Josslyn asks if she was there. Jack says, hypothetically, that would be against protocol, and Carly says, so would watching Lucky, Holly, Anna, and Jason escape Sidwell’s compound.

Emma says she thought Anna would be happy, and Anna says she is. She’s just surprised. Mission accomplished. They hug, and Anna asks, what happened to Emma’s incredible internship? Emma says, it wasn’t as incredible as she’d hoped, and Maxie says, Emma is over the west coast. Emma says, Maxie’s got her, and Anna says she’s surprised Robin didn’t say she’d transferred to PCU. Emma says, that’s because all they’re talking about is their new aunt. Before that, Cousin Cody was all the rage. One surprise after another. Sasha really didn’t know Robert was her dad? Sasha says, no, and Emma says, and he took off with Holly? That’s rude. Sasha says, it’s par for the course that comes with her mom, but she’s glad Robert is with her. Emma says, but they left Sasha alone, and Felicia says, no. She’s got them.

Sonny asks if Laura has had any luck locating Valentin and Charlotte, but Laura says, not yet. It’s been hard on Lulu. Sonny says, if there’s anything he can do… She thanks him and says her work here is done. She’s got to get going. Sonny thanks her, and she says, merry Christmas (🎄). He says, merry Christmas (🎄), and they hug. Laura leaves, and Sonny goes over to Kristina, who’s looking at the tree. She says, when she was little, the tree was magic. It was so big and beautiful. She was afraid she would feel nothing after all she’s been through and just be empty. He says, was she? but she says, no. She still feels the same sense of wonder and hope even, thanks to him. Merry Christmas (🎄). He says, merry Christmas (🎄).

Josslyn says, it’s amazing how the WSB located Sidwell’s compound, but Jack says, his strip-mining operation leaves a huge nasty footprint. She asks if it’s MTR. Mountain top removal mining is extremely devastating. Jack wonders how she knows about it, and she says she’s an environmental science major. He asks what she’s going to do when she finishes, and she tells him that she used to say she was going to try and help save the world, but it seems naïve now.

Michael says he should have taken Jason’s advice, walked out of the Brown Dog Bar, and told Willow everything. He slept with Sasha and unfortunately both of them cheated, but he wasn’t ready to give up on the marriage. Now it’s too late. Jason says, it isn’t all on him and Willow. Drew bears some blame. Michael says, Willow doesn’t see it that way. She looks at him as the bad guy and that hurts the most.

Laura goes to the Quartermaines and says, Lulu left her gloves, so she thought she’d drop them off. Where is she? Dante says he thought Lulu was with her, but Laura says, Lulu texted her that she was going to stay the night with Rocco. Dante says, Lulu texted him that she was spending Christmas Eve with Laura, so he doesn’t know what she’s up to.  

Lulu takes out a book while she waits, and sitting near her, Colette says she hasn’t seen a guidebook in ages. Lulu says she’s old school, when her phone rings, but she ignores the call. Collette asks if Lulu has been to Prague before, but Lulu says, it’s her first time. Colette says, with all the Christmas decorations, it’s like traveling back in time, and Lulu says, wouldn’t that be great?

Anna says she should call Emma’s mom to let her know Emma is here, but Emma says she just got off the phone with her. She asks if it’s true that Sasha was dating Cody, and Maxie says, when they found out they were cousins, they broke up. Emma says, that’s rough, and Sasha says, it’s taken some getting used to. Felicia asks Emma to fill them in on what she’s been up to, and Emma says, school, but what she wants to know is, what it’s like to be a model.

Brook asks how long they have to wait, and Chase says, three minutes. She says, it’s the longest three minutes of her life. Distract her. He kisses her and asks if she feels different. She says, yes… no… She doesn’t know. He says, it’s not like she’s been pregnant before. Next year, they could be celebrating their baby’s first Christmas. He can’t wait to see life through their child’s eyes. He wants a lot of kids, but the first one is special.

The alarm goes off, and Chase says, ready? Brook looks at the test and says, negative. She’s not pregnant. He hugs her and says, they’ll keep trying.

Nina says, Lucas’s concern is admirable, but he did give Wiley up. Lucas says he raised Wiley for the first two years and loves Wiley like his own. Willow says she loves Wiley too, and Lucas says he gave Wiley to Michael because he belongs with Michael. She says, but not her because she’s not his biological mom. Lucas is adopted. Did his father love him less? He says he’s not questioning Willow’s love; he’s questioning her actions. She says she knows he loves Wiley, but she’s doing what’s best for her children, and he asks how sleeping with Michael’s uncle is what’s best. Drew says, he’s out of line, but Willow says she can speak for herself. She and Drew developed feelings for each other, but they didn’t want to hurt anyone. Lucas says, but they took action that did. Their emotions don’t excuse their absence of integrity. Willow says, they didn’t mean for this to happen, but Lucas says, of course (🍷) they did.

Josslyn wonders what she could do to save the world. Dex tried and look what happened. Carly says, Dex’s time was cut short, but he changed people’s lives for the better, and Josslyn says, he died from a senseless act of violence. Jack says, in the grand scheme of things, if you help an old lady or save a kitten, the world seems the same after the rescue, but it’s not the same for the old lady or the kitten. One person can make a difference. The right push in the right place at the right time can have a huge effect on a person’s future or a country’s future. Sometimes the whole world’s future. Josslyn says she’s not so sure, and Jack says, the ancient Greeks believed the world rested on Atlas’s shoulders. They weren’t totally wrong. Everyone plays a part in holding up the world.

Sonny asks if Kristina is okay, and she says she is. It’s rare these days. He says he heard she took photos at Charlie’s. Any thoughts on how she wants it changed? She says he didn’t have to give her Charlie’s to cheer her up, but he says he wanted it to stay in the family. She says she’s honored that he asked her to run it. She hopes she’s up for the job. He says he doesn’t want to and won’t push her, but he thinks… he knows she’ll do great things with the place.

Laura says her calls are going to voicemail, and Dante says, that can only mean one thing. Lulu went to find Charlotte. Laura says she has no idea where Charlotte is, but Rocco says, Lulu knows where to look. Charlotte called him on Christmas Eve. Dante asks why he didn’t say anything, and Rocco says, mom asked him not to. Dante says, start at the beginning, and Rocco says he got random texts from a European phone and Charlotte called to wish him a merry Christmas (🎄). He sent her a photo of her mom and she called. Mom talked to her. Laura asks where she is, but Rocco tells her, she didn’t say. She was worried she’d get her dad in trouble. The only way she would see Lulu is if Lulu promised to come alone.

Lucas says, Drew and Willow chose to sleep with each other, and Drew says, it was a difficult time. Sam… Lucas says, don’t use his sister’s death to justify sleeping with his nephew’s wife, and Nina says, the child he claims to be worried about is sleeping in the next room. Willow says, he has no right to judge her, and he says he knows the pain of being separated from a child you love. Don’t make Michael go through that again. Willow asks if he’s comparing her to Nelle, who convinced Lucas’s husband to swap her dead child for Wiley. They’re done. Nina tells Lucas to get out, and Lucas tells them to think about what he said. He leaves and Ava goes out with him. Nina says, this proves they can’t sit back and think everything will be okay. They need to go on the offensive if Willow wants to keep her children.

Michael says, Willow wouldn’t have taken the kids if she wanted to work things out, and Jason asks what he thinks she wants. Michael says, she wants a hero and it’s not him, and Jason says, it’s not Drew. Michael says, Willow thinks it is. Drew risked his life to bring Liesl Obrecht home so Willow could get a blood transfusion. He literally saved her life, but he wanted more than gratitude. He made her spokeswoman for organ donations, so she felt valued, and it made Drew look like a hero. Jason says, Drew is slimy, that’s for sure, and Michael says, Drew ran for office so he could work for the public good and Willow ate it up. Jason asks what he wants to do, and Michael says he doesn’t want to punish Willow. If Drew is who she wants, then maybe he should let her go.

Brook says she’s sorry. She doesn’t understand why she can’t get pregnant. Chase says, some women take longer to conceive, and she says she’s been doing everything possible. He says, maybe that’s the problem.

Emma says, so Sasha was raised by Holly’s mom, and on the side, Felicia says, it looks like Sasha has a fan. Maxie says, Emma is asking a lot of questions, and Felicia says, because she doesn’t want to answer any questions herself. Maxie says she wants to know about Emma’s real life. (It doesn’t come across in the words, but it’s obvious Emma is avoiding talking about herself and doesn’t want Anna to talk to Robin.)

Dante says, a European number, and Laura says, there’s only one way to get there. Dante says he knows someone at the TSA. He’ll find out if they see Lulu’s name and where she’s headed. Laura says, even if he catches her, he may not be able to stop her. He says he doesn’t want to stop her, but he doesn’t want her to go after Valentin on her own. Rocco says he’s sorry he didn’t say something sooner, but Dante says, it’s okay. Rocco says, he’s not mad? and Dante says, no. He’ll let them know what he finds out. He leaves, and Rocco says, his mom is going to be okay, isn’t she?

Josslyn says, Jack is involved with spies and shadow government. Why does he believe them all coming together would make the world a better place? Jack says he can’t do everything himself, when his phone rings. He steps away to take the call and Carly takes Josslyn’s hand.

In the foyer, Jack says, status? and Colette says she made contact. She followed Lulu from Rice Plaza to the airport and she’s on the same flight. He asks where they’re headed, and she says, Prague. He says, Lulu will lead them straight to Valentin, and Colette says she’ll be there. He tells her to call when she is.

Kristina tells Sonny that she watched the Nurses Ball when he sang with Grandpa Mike. She wept in public. (We all did.) He says, one thing about his dad that was real, he always loved him. Kristina says, his dad loved him too, and Sonny says he never wants his kids to question how he feels. His kids are important to him and a big part of his life. Kristina puts her head on his shoulder, and he says he’ll always be in her corner.

Brook asks if Chase is saying he wants to stop trying, but Chase says, absolutely not. But he’s read that too much pressure can make more of a difference. They need to relax and let nature take its course. She says she still wants to take a test to make sure, and he says him too, so they have all the facts. He knows in his heart that she was meant to be a mother.

Emma says, the cookies are amazing, and Felicia says, Sasha made them. Emma asks if she can have the recipe, and Sasha suggests they make them together. Emma wonders how Sasha makes all the meals for the Quartermaines, and Anna says she’d rather diffuse a bomb than make a meal. (Me too!) Felicia says, one time, she diffused a bomb while making a three-course dinner, but Anna says, that didn’t happen. Sasha says, the Quartermaines are a close family, and Emma says, like snakes in a pit. Sasha agrees they’re at each other’s throats, but at the end of the day, they support one another. Felicia says, that’s the great thing about family. They accept you, warts and all.

Rocco says, maybe he should have tried to stop his mom, but Laura says, once she heard Charlotte’s voice, nothing would stop her. He says he knows she’s happy, but she won’t really be okay until Charlotte is home. Laura asks if he’s okay, and he says he misses his sister, but he hopes his dad gets to his mom in time. He doesn’t know what he’d do if anything happened to her. Laura hugs him.

Jack sees Josslyn sitting with her head on Carly’s shoulder and says, that’s his cue. Josslyn says she hasn’t been sleeping well. She’s going upstairs. She enjoyed talking with him. Jack says he enjoyed talking to her too, and they wish each other a merry Christmas (🎄). Josslyn leaves, and Jack tells Carly that he had a lovely evening. He’s glad he ran into her. She says she’s glad she ran into him too.

Jason says he can’t tell Michael what to do, but Michael says he might actually listen. Jason says he’d fight for what he wants, and Michael says, even if Willow is happy. Jason says, Michael doesn’t know that, and he doesn’t think Willow does either. There’s more than one kind of hero. Michael needs to step up and find the good woman who took his kids and left. It’s sad that Willow doesn’t see the good man she has instead of being deceived, Drew not only betrayed Michael’s trust, he betrayed Willow’s. Unfortunately, she’ll have to see that for herself.

Willow says she doesn’t want the kids in a nasty custody battle, but Nina says, the Quartermaines will inevitably battle. Drew says, Willow’s got to protect herself, and Nina says, they’ll make her out as the villain, but only if she lets them. Drew says he’ll be by her side. She’s got to get tough. Nina says she’ll be there too. No one is going to take away Willow’s children.

In Rice Plaza, Ava says, obviously, Lucas loves Wiley. She remembers how hard it was when Lucas gave him back to Michael. She understands that kind of loss. She didn’t think she’d survive losing Kiki. She’s not sure she has. Lucas says he’s so sorry, and she says, the Jeromes are tough. He says, the Jeromes are also their own worst enemy. When he went to fight for Wiley, he thinks he just made things worse. He doesn’t get it. Willow gave up her son to protect Shiloh and she seems ready to corner Michael. Ava says, she sees Drew through rose colored glasses. She hopes Willow comes to her senses. He says, Michael shouldn’t have to lose his kids, and she says she and Sonny have been fighting about Avery from the day she was born. Nobody should have to go through that. He says, even Michael? And she says she knows what it’s like to lose a child and knows what it’s like to fight for one.

Brook says she ruined Christmas, but Chase says, she shared so much. And she’s the person he shares with. She says she loves him so much, and he says he loves her too. As much as he wants to have kids, he’s enjoying having her all to himself. They kiss.

Outside, Carly thanks Jack for spending time with Josslyn, and he says, she’s easy to talk to. She says, he took her seriously, and he says, she’s a formidable young woman. He’d never underestimate her or her mother. She thanks him, and he says, she gave him a place on Christmas. One kindness deserves another. She says, he’s been kind to her all year, and he says, that’s what he keeps telling her. Merry Christmas (🎄). She tells him, merry Christmas (🎄), and he leaves. She looks up as snow starts to fall.

Kristina says she never would have made it through this year without Sonny, but he says, she’s stronger than she knows. She says, because of him and mom. She was dreading Christmas, but they got her through. He says he loves her and she says she loves him too. They wish each other a merry Christmas (🎄), and Kristina goes to bed. Sonny looks out at the snow and smiles. He turns off the light and suddenly puts his hand to his chest.

Felicia says she can’t believe Robin didn’t tell Anna about Emma, and Anna says her too. Emma says she’ll come by to say hi to the others in the morning, and hugs everyone. She and Anna leave, and Felicia says she’s got to get going too. She just has to pry Mac away from the kids. Maxie asks if she means Spinelli and Cody, and Felicia says, yes. She goes to get Mac, and Sasha says, it’s nice to be part of a big family. Maxie says she was hoping Sasha would share the news about the baby, but Sasha says, Emma showed up. Maxie says, and weirdly interrogated her, and Sasha says, plus Cody was here. There’s a decision she needs to make before she tells anyone.

Michael says he wants his family back. He hopes Willow is willing to try and make their marriage work. Jason says, if she isn’t? and Michael says then he doesn’t want to hurt her. But if they can’t make this thing work, he’s going to fight for his kids.

Drew promises it will be okay, and Nina says she’s going to check on the kids. Willow says, it’s her life that people will now be judging. He says, she can’t let it get to her. They know the truth and that’s all that matters. She says, he’s a congressman and has to protect his image, and he says he’s not hiding how much she means to him. He’s going to be honest about his feelings. Willow says, having him to lean on makes all the difference, and he says he can’t believe he found her. She says, it feels like a dream, but he says, it’s real. They hug and Nina sees them.  

At the airport, Dante shows the desk clerk his badge and says, PCPD. He needs to get on that flight. The clerk says, too late. It’s already left the gate.

On the plane, Lulu looks at a photo of Charlotte on her phone and says, see you soon, sweetheart. Sitting a few seats back, Colette watches her.  

Tomorrow, Sasha tells Maxie that she decided to leave Port Charles; Jack wonders why something is of interest to someone; Jason says he’ll do anything to help Josslyn get closure; and Diane tells Michael that Willow is gearing up for battle

🔦 Passing the Torch…

Since Emma isn’t just in Port Charles for a visit and staying on, this makes more sense, as OG Emma has a day job as a nurse.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/brooklyn-rae-silzers-speaks-out-about-ghs-new-emma

🎄 Soap Celebrations…

Celebrities, they’re just like us… but they probably spend more doing it.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/see-how-your-favorite-soap-stars-celebrated-the-holidays

🐙  The Games Are Back…

I’ve only seen the first episode, but so far, it looks very promising. First, the teaser if you haven’t seen it.

https://ew.com/squid-game-season-2-teaser-lee-jung-jae-8737196

A rough outline, but no spoilers.

https://ew.com/squid-game-season-2-review-brutal-thrills-buildup-8763750

So many spoilers, I didn’t even read this.

https://people.com/squid-game-season-2-biggest-bombshells-explained-8765435

Is this guy kidding? The way they’re whittling seasons away, pretty soon a season will consist of one episode.

https://ew.com/squid-game-creator-split-seasons-2-and-3-too-many-episodes-8763970

👕 Facing the Ugly…

Oddly enough, I don’t own an ugly Christmas sweater. Although that may be a matter of perspective.

https://ew.com/watch-red-one-cast-face-off-ugly-sweater-competition-8746643

🎅 Christmas Memory Lane…

A shorter list is probably who hasn’t made a Christmas movie.

https://ew.com/celebrities-in-tv-christmas-movies-8760613

🎆 How They Celebrated…

More celebrities doing their holiday thing.

https://extratv.com/photos/image_jpg_20241226_3d14a79bbdd446f6bb1112b7763107b3/

🦕 Things You Don’t See Every Day…

🦉 It’s doubtful an owl is something you want to have in your house, but it’s too cool how perfectly he’s perched.

https://people.com/owl-flies-down-chimney-on-top-of-christmas-tree-rescued-8765133

🐈 A cat who’s found her Christmas niche.

https://people.com/cat-loves-watching-the-grinch-on-repeat-8763113

🦎 More animals we didn’t know we had.

https://people.com/scientist-discovers-27-new-species-peru-alto-mayo-landscape-8763717

🎁 Box This…

Hope you had a merry and a happy whatever it is you celebrate. Join me tomorrow for soap and what to watch (or not). Until then, stay safe; stay not feeling you have to make any New Year’s resolutions; and stay remembering that one person can make a difference.

Dec24

December 23, 2024 – Christmas Eve In Port Charles, nuEmma, Which One, Getting Ready, Is It On, Movie Watch, Holidays Are For Pets (!), Quote Quintet & Ay-Ay-Ay  

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What I Watched Today

(The whole GH enchilada on Fridays; the other days, who knows?)

General Hospital

Laura sees Lucky and Elizabeth in Rice Plaza and says she’s glad to see them. She can’t tell them how happy she is to have both Lucky and Lulu home for Christmas.

Tracy goes to answer the door and wonders if the entire staff has Christmas Eve off. She opens the door and Lulu is there. She says, Lulu doesn’t have to knock. This is her home. They hug, and Brook watches from the top of the stairs.

Sonny says, Carly never mentioned that Jack was coming, and Jack says, Carly took pity on him, but if he’s intruding… Carly says, he’s not. They have plenty of food and no one should be alone on Christmas Eve. Jack sees Josslyn and Kristina and says, Carly forgot to tell him about the dress code. Josslyn says, that’s okay. There are two excited little girls with stickers waiting for him upstairs. Sonny asks if Carly is sure about this.

Jason sees Ned in the nook, and Ned says he’s on cheese wheel duty. It’s a big responsibility. Jason says he’ll bring some up to Monica. She’s insisting that Olivia gave everyone the night off. Ned says, she must be feeling better. He’s sure Jason moving in helped, and she’s not the only one who’s glad and grateful that Jason decided to finally move back home.

A girl runs up to Gio and says, sorry I’m late, Doug. Hold onto this. She presses a wallet into his hand and runs off. He says his name’s not Doug.

Alexis tells Ric that their daughter had a terrible year. She thought he’d want a chance to try and make it a tiny bit better. She’s willing to overcome her contempt for him to make their daughter happy. If he’s not willing to do the same, go have a fabulous evening.

Cody says he’s sorry he’s late, and James asks, what’s in the bag? Cody says, his favorite hat. He thought it was time he passed it on. He puts it on James’s head, but it’s too big, and everybody laughs.

Ric asks what Alexis’s plan is to make Molly’s Christmas better, and she gestures to the boxes. He says, Christmas decorations? and she says, if he doesn’t want help, there’s the door. He says he’s not going to let her play hero while she makes him the bad guy. What’s first? She tells him to slap a piece of tape over his mouth and unpack the boxes, and he says, Ho-ho-ho. Let’s get festive.

Tracy says, Lulu can’t look for Charlotte on her own. The WSB and the FBI are already looking. Lulu says, they’re looking for Valentin. She doesn’t care about Valentin, but she does care about Charlotte. She’s going to do what it takes to find her. Tracy says she can see Lulu’s father in her. She suggests Lulu wait to see if the authorities find her. If they don’t, she has the family’s resources. Lulu says she’ll hold off – for now – and Tracy says, promise her something else. She doesn’t want Lulu to forget she has a son who’s been waiting four years to celebrate Christmas with her. Promise she’ll be there for Rocco and the rest of her family. Promise not to forget them. Lulu says she could never, and thanks Tracy. They hug, and Tracy says she’s doing what her father would do. Brook continues to listen in.

Carly says, if Sonny has something to say, say it now while Jack is in the restroom, and Sonny asks if she really wants a WSB agent roaming around her house. She says, Jack’s been a good friend to her and to people they care about, and he says, when the day comes that she needs him, he’ll be there. She says she appreciates that, but doesn’t think it’s going to be necessary. Seeing the tension, Josslyn offers them a canape.

Kristina tells Michael that she’s sorry. Amelia and Wiley should be here. He says he’ll see them in the morning, and she asks if there’s any hope of reconciling. He says he’s not giving up, and she says, she feels for Willow. There’s nothing worse than realizing you did something you can’t take back no matter how much you wish you could. He says he’s not sure Willow does wish she could.

Ned says, if grandfather could see Jason living here, and Jason says he just moved in because of Danny. Ned says he prayed grandfather would cast Jason aside like Jason cast the family aside, but he never did. He believed in Jason. He thinks he’s starting to see what grandfather saw. Jason says, it took him a long time to realize Edward was a really good man, and Ned says, amen to that. He asks if Jason is joining them in opening presents tomorrow, and Jason says he and Danny will be there. Ned says, get ready for the Quartermaine craziness, and Jason asks if that isn’t every day.

Mac puts paper in the hat, but it’s still too big. Cody says he never had that problem. It’s the benefit of having a huge noggin. Felicia tells Sasha that she made James’s Christmas, but Sasha says she doesn’t think it took much convincing. It’s clear Cody wanted to be with family. They both did. Anna comes out in a Santa hat and Felicia says, nice hat, Santa Devane. Anna says, it’s got a nice ring to it, and Spinelli says, the search for a certain person on the naughty list is progressing nicely. Anna says, that brightens her Christmas Eve. When her special surprise arrives, there will be a lot of holiday cheer to go around.

Lucky says, Elizabeth seems at peace. How does she feel with everything going on at the hospital? She says, look at this place. The decorations, the lights, the tree. It’s the most magical place on earth. (Eat dust, Disney.) Her worries can wait for another day. Nothing beats Rice Plaza at Christmas. She can’t think of anywhere she’d rather be.

Maxie says, they told the kids they could open one present, and Spinelli says, they’ll find them. Maxie tells him to check in the usual spots.

Mac says, it means lot that Cody came. If he ever wants to talk… Cody says he’s not much of a talker, but if Mac ever feels like throwing a hatchet after a couple of beers, let him know. Mac says he’s there.

Dante arrives at the plaza with Rocco, who goes to get a churro. Elizabeth asks how things are at the Quartermaines, and Lucky says, if Dante wants a break, he’s sure Laura would love to see him. Dante says, maybe he’ll swing by, and he leaves. Elizabeth says, he’s putting up a good front, but he’s just going through the motions. Lucky says, if you’re not with the person you love, sometimes it’s all you can do.

Jordan sees Isaiah and says, it’s nice to see him have a night off, but he says he’s on his way to GH. He volunteered to take extra shifts. Jordan says, he’ll see her son. He canceled their Christmas Eve plans to do a double shift. Isaiah says he’s sorry, and she asks why he’s here. He says, the incredible Christmas tree. He wants to see what all the fuss is about. Full disclosure. He was hoping to run into her. He’s got something for her. He hands her a gift bag.

Laura says she can’t imagine how Dante is feeling. It’s not the Christmas he planned for himself and Rocco. Dante says, it’s not, but it’s great to see Rocco with his mom, and she says, spend Christmas with them. Being surrounded by family makes it easier. He says he doesn’t know if anything can make this Christmas easier.  

Carly toasts to the new owner of Aurora Media, and she and Michael clink glasses. Sonny says, that was quite the maneuver, and Carly says she would have loved seeing the look on Drew’s smug face when Michael pulled the rug out from under him. Michael says, he’s probably plotting his next move, and Sonny says, Michael will be ready for him.

Jack offers Josslyn his condolences. He’s sorry about Officer Heller. It was tragic and senseless. Josslyn says, this is her city, but how did he know about it? and he says, the Bureau gets information from local law enforcement. She asks how he knew they were together, and he says he’s sure her mother mentioned it.

Kristina says, they should probably get going to Rice Plaza for the tree lighting, and Sonny tells everyone, merry Christmas. He and Kristina leave.  

Chase asks if Brook is okay, and she says she has a confession about Lulu. She’s grateful for Lulu’s recovery and knows what it means to her family, but Lulu is annoying the hell out of her. She was watching Lulu with Tracy, and it took everything for her not to gouge Lulu’s eyes out. Chase asks if she’s jealous of Lulu and Tracy’s relationship, but Brook says, no. Lulu has to be the center of attention. He says, maybe she’s making up for lost time, but she says, Lulu has always been like this. Everyone loves Lulu and she’s never wrong… She’s listening to herself, and she sounds horrible. He says, she’s not horrible. She’s allowed to have feelings. He doesn’t know if he told her, but when he first moved here, he had a crush on Lulu.

Gio hears a guy say that he just had his pocket picked, when the girl comes up to him and says she needs the wallet back. He says, absolutely not. She stole it. She says, okay, guilty, but he had it coming.

Felicia tells Sasha and Anna, Cody is teaching James how to improve his lasso skills. She needs to get in there before he wrangles his sister. She leaves, and Sasha says she has something that she wants to talk to Anna about. She knows Anna was married to Robert and they share a daughter. Anna says, Robin, and Sasha says she wants to ask Anna’s opinion… Anna says, Robert is one of the most generous, kind-hearted men she’s known. Sasha is very fortunate to have him for a father. Sasha says she wishes she had a chance to get to know him, and Anna says, there will be time for that. Sasha says, if he comes back, but Anna says, he will. She guarantees it. And when he does, it will be worth it. Just wait and see.

Kristina says she thinks the tree is bigger than last year, and Laura says, partly because of her father’s generous donation. Sonny says, the community has given him so much. It’s important to pay it forward. Merry Christmas. Laura hugs him, touches Kristina’s hand, and leaves.

Jordan says, a towel? and Isaiah says, it’s a spa wrap with a Velcro closure to prevent slips. She says, in case she’s locked in another steam room? and he says, it never hurts to be prepared. She says, when they were stuck, her towel was never in danger of slipping, and he says, sadly, he’s all too aware. He should get going. They tell each other, merry Christmas, and he leaves.

Sonny says he wants Dante to know that he’s proud of how Dante is handling the holidays, and Dante says he learned from the best. Kristina says, they all did.

Jason sees Michael and Josslyn leaving Carly’s and asks if the party is over, but Josslyn says, it’s just begun. Michael says, Avery wants a snow family that she and Donna can see from the window, and Danny asks if he can help. Josslyn says, the more the merrier, and Michael tells Jason, heads up. His mom has a visitor. Jason goes in and sees, Carly laughing with Jack.

Alexis asks if Ric wants coffee, and he says he’d love a cup. She says, it’s in the kitchen (ha-ha-ha!), and they decorate while Deck the Halls plays. She wraps the lights around the tree, wrapping Ric along with it.  

Kristina asks Sonny, what’s with that Brennan guy? He and Carly seem close. Sonny says, that’s Carly’s business, and she asks if he doesn’t care. He says, the only thing he cares about is being here to celebrate with his beautiful daughter. Molly watches them from a distance, and Kristina says she loves being with him too.  

Gio says, give him one good reason not to call the cops, and the girl asks if doing a good deed on Christmas Eve isn’t more important.

Chase says, Brook is the only one for him. She was there for him when his dad passed and when Finn relapsed. She got him through some dark times. It’s just Lulu and it’s okay for Brook to have feelings. Brook says, God forbid she should be the bigger person, and Chase says, she’s too hard on herself. They both strive to be the best and they’re perfect for each other. She says she doesn’t know if she can reach perfection, but she can’t imagine going on this journey with anyone else. They hug.  

Lulu arrives at the plaza and tells Laura that it’s amazing. Is she ready for her tree lighting duties? Laura says she’s ready for anything. She has both of her kids home… She’s so sorry. She knows it’s not the perfect Christmas because Charlotte’s not here. She hopes Lulu finds a way to enjoy the holiday anyway, Lulu says, Christmas is about having faith, right? She has faith that she’ll find Charlotte and bring her home. Until then, she’s going to make up for the time she’s lost with the family she has here. Laura asks, where’s Dante and Rocco? and Lulu says she’ll go find them. Laura says, same old Lulu.

Carly tells Jason, it’s about time. Where’s Danny? Jason says, Danny is with Josslyn and Michael, and Jack says he’s already had the pleasure. He holds out his hand, but Jason doesn’t take it. Jason says he didn’t expect Jack to be here, and Jack says he hopes it’s not a problem. Carly says, it’s not, and Jack says he has to check in with the Bureau. He excuses himself, and Carly tells Jason, it’s Christmas and Jack had nowhere to go. He asks what she was thinking after everything that happened with the FBI. Now they’ll be put in the crosshairs of the WSB. She says, it’s not like that, but Jason says, Jack’s just using her. She says, Jason made that clear. She loves him, but he’s not the boss of her.

Alexis looks at the tree and says, they did a helluva job. Ric says, they raised an incredible daughter, even if she is a controlling shew. She says, he’s a conniving jackass, and points to another box of decorations. He takes out some mistletoe and holds it over his head. She snatches it away.

The girl tells Gio that the guy ripped off a woman in the plaza who was selling handmade ornaments. He paid for one and took five. She wanted to make sure the woman got what was owed to her. Gio asks what she’s going to do with the wallet, and she says he’ll have to trust her. He gives the wallet back to her and she takes some money out. She goes over to a cop and tells him that she found it. He says he’ll make sure it’s returned to its rightful owner, and she looks at Gio. Sonny and Kristina come along, and Kristina asks, what’s going on? Gio says he’s late for dinner at the Quartermaines. He got sidetracked by that girl. Kristina says, what girl? and when Gio turns around, he sees she’s gone.

Ned says, to Michael for pulling one over on Drew, and he and Tracy clink glasses. Lois says, corporate takeovers, the true meaning of Christmas, and Tracy says, pulling one over on Drew is the best gift she’s gotten this year… Do they hear that? Ned says he doesn’t hear anything, and she says, no kids. It’s truly a silent night. Lois says, get ready, Grandma Grinch. In a year or so, Brook and Chase will have a bundle of their own. Tracy says, they’ll have incessant crying, but Ned says, his first grandchild can’t come soon enough.

Ned says, Brook and Chase will be amazing parents, but Lois tells them not to put the cart before the horse. Brook isn’t pregnant yet, and the last thing they need is concern over the whole family waiting with bated breath. Brook and Chase come in, and Brook says, for what? Tracy says, Gio was supposed to be here an hour ago and no one knows where he is. (She’s quick!)

Molly goes to Alexis’s house, and the door opens. She sees Alexis and Ric.

As they come inside, Michael says, great job, team… Is everything okay? Carly says, Jason was just filling her in on what’s going on at the Quartermaines. How is the snow family? Michael says, ask Danny. He took the lead. Carly says, Donna and Avery will appreciate his effort. If he plays his cards right, he might get stickers on his face too. Michael asks if Josslyn is interested in defending her title as Holiday War champ, and she says she’ll kick his butt. Danny says he’s going out on the terrace, and Jason says he’ll join him. He could use some fresh air. Josslyn says she’ll shuffle, and Michael asks if she doesn’t trust him. She says, absolutely not, and Jack says, nice diversionary tactic. Jason says, Michael loves his sister.

Spinelli comes inside juggling a stack of presents, and says, they found them in the car. Maxie says she just remembered. She can’t believe she almost ruined Christmas. Spinelli says, never. The toys will be forgotten in a month’s time, but they’ll remember time with family forever. That’s what Christmas is about. Everyone is like, aww, and Maxie says, nothing can top what she got this year. Spinelli says, the two of them. He found this in the car too. He holds some mistletoe over his head, and they kiss.

Lulu asks if Dante is okay, and he says, aside from the fact he keeps expecting Sam to walk through here. People’s Christmas wishes don’t come true. She says she’s sorry, and he says, one person whose wish came true was Rocco. He’s happy Rocco is spending the holiday with his mom. They’re both grateful for that. Rocco sees a text that says: Hi. super cold here. is it there? miss u. luv u. have a great Christmas. XO C. Lulu says, is Rocco always on the phone? and Dante says, he is and it’s annoying. Rocco surreptitiously takes a photo of Lulu and Dante and sends it. His phone rings, and he says, where are you?… Yeah, she is… Hold on. He goes over to Lulu and asks if he could talk to her for a second. Dante says he’ll be over here, and Rocco says, Lulu has a phone call. She says, on his phone? and he says, just take it. She says, hello?… She gasps and says, oh my God. It’s you.

Molly says, they did this for her? and Ric says, it was her mom’s idea, but he was happy to play a small part. Molly says, it’s the best Christmas gift she could have gotten. She loves them both so much. Alexis says, they love her too.

Mac asks if Felicia ever thought it would turn out like this, and Felicia says, they’re the lucky ones. Anna’s phone dings and she says her surprise is here. She opens the door and nuEmma (see below) comes in. She hugs everybody, and Sasha asks if Cody isn’t glad that he came and didn’t it make him feel better. He doesn’t have to admit she’s right. Cody says he wasn’t planning on it. Merry Christmas. She says, merry Christmas.

Jason says he feels like Danny needs to get something off his chest, and Danny says, building the snowmen made him think of mom. They made a memory when she let him play hooky the day before winter break. Jason says, she wasn’t one for rules, and Danny says, they played in the snow for hours. It was the best day ever. He looks up and says he wonders where she is now. Jason says, with Danny. She’s with him too. When we lose people, they’re never really gone. They just become part of us. Danny asks if Jason sees that star, the really bright one. He thinks that’s mom watching over them. Jason says, merry Christmas, Sam, and Danny says, merry Christmas, mom. I love you. Jason puts his arm around Danny’s shoulders.

Michael says, that’s what he gets for letting Josslyn shuffle, and Josslyn asks if Jack wants to play. She thought the WSB is well versed in the rules of war. Jack says, deal him in. Let’s see what you’ve got. She’s like her mother; he can tell. Carly looks outside at Jason and Danny, and Jack says he’s scared. Josslyn says, he should be.

Gio says, sorry he’s late, but Brook says, he’s right on time for a favorite family tradition. She hands him his violin case, and Chase says, the family takes it seriously. Trina tells Chase to warm up his pipes. He’s leading tonight’s vocals. Chase sighs.

Ned plays guitar, while Gio plays the violin. Chase and Ned sing, O Come All Ye Faithful.  

Lulu says, Charlotte? and Charlotte says, mom. She’s been praying for this for so long. Lulu says, her prayer was answered. I’m back, baby. Where is she? Lulu will come get her. Charlotte says, she can’t, and Lulu asks what she means. Charlotte says she’s not supposed to call or text anyone, but she had to hear Lulu’s voice.  

Dante tells Laura that Rocco is talking to Lulu, when TJ comes into the plaza. Jordan says she thought he was on call, and he says he was, but Dr. Gannon offered to cover his shift. He refused to take no for an answer. Jordan says she’s glad he made it. It feels like Christmas. They hug, and Laura takes the mic. She says, bear with them. They’ll have the tree up and running in no time.

Lulu asks Charlotte to tell her where she is. She has to see her… Okay. She promises she won’t tell anyone. She swears, just her. Charlotte has her word… She’ll be there as soon as she can. Rocco comes over and asks if she found out where Charlotte is. Lulu says she did, and he asks when they’re leaving. She says, she’s leaving right away. She told Charlotte that she’d be alone, and she can’t break her promise. She can’t risk losing Charlotte. She needs Rocco to do her a favor. Keep tonight’s call between them. Please. He says, okay. He will, for Charlotte. She hugs him and says she loves him so much. He says he loves her too. She says she’s going to make their family whole again. She promises. She runs off and he says, merry Christmas, mom.  

Laura says, here we go, and turns on the tree. She says, merry Christmas to all of us, and everyone applauds.  

On Friday, Brook asks if Chase is saying he wants to stop trying; Willow tells someone that they have no right to judge her; Michael wonders if he should just let Willow go; Jack tells someone that they know what to do; and Kristina tells Sonny that she hopes she’s up for the job.

🏨 My You’ve Changed…

No explanation as to why the old Emma wasn’t cast, but if I remember correctly, her day job/career is pretty demanding.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/braedyn-bruder-is-the-new-emma-on-general-hospital

🎉 Who’d You Rather…

I wouldn’t mind sitting in on a Quartermaine holiday. An outsider has a better chance of remaining unscathed. Plus, when the big blow-up happens and everyone storms off, more shrimp for me.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/abc/spend-holidays-with-daytime-favorite-families

🎄 Holiday Prep…

Ready… set… holiday!

https://www.soapsindepth.com/gallery/general-hospital/see-how-the-stars-are-getting-ready-for-the-holidays

🧼 Holly Jolly Soap Or No…

GH will be airing a rerun tomorrow from May 22nd and Christmas Day is all about football.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/find-out-if-your-favorite-soaps-are-going-to-be-on-at-christmas-2024

👀 Last Weekend’s Watch…

While I’d like that nearly two hours of my life back from Subservience, Speak No Evil was time well spent. Having seen James McAvoy in Split, I was confident that it would be halfway decent, but this surpassed expectations. The plot wasn’t anything new. A couple on vacation meets another couple and gets an invite to their farm. We’ve seen before what happens when you visit a virtual stranger and it’s never anything good. because they’re never who they say they are. It’s the same here, but done so well, I still didn’t know where they were going with it. I always know a movie is good if I make a lot of noises – like, Ooh! Ay! Gaah! – and noises I made. It starts slow with the set-up, although there are enough odd moments to keep it interesting, and when it gets rolling, it doesn’t stop until the end. McAvoy didn’t disappoint, and he met his match with the other performances, especially – dare I say it? – the children. I was shocked to read (see SyFy article below) that it was Dan Hough’s first film, as he stunned me with his acting skills. Job. Well. Done.

https://screenrant.com/james-mcavoy-speak-no-evil-movie-streaming/

https://decider.com/2024/12/06/speak-no-evil-2024-streaming-movie-review

Some interesting factoids. I thought the farm was amazing and I was mesmerized by the details.

https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/5-terrifying-details-behind-the-scenes-of-speak-no-evil

Spoilers all over the place about the original Swedish film. The revamp is different, but fair warning.

https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/watched-original-speak-no-evil-2022-unsettling

🐕 Warm and Fuzzy Holidays…

Full disclosure. I actually have a dog nativity. Although it looks more like a bunch of ceramic dogs with one in a basket. These are pretty impressive.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/pets/dogs-take-center-stage-as-nativity-characters-this-christmas/ar-AA1w3gHn

https://www.rockdalenewtoncitizen.com/news/pets/over-175-dogs-dressed-up-as-nativity-characters-for-christmas/article_63334713-70df-5596-ab4d-3945444fdcd2.html

Cutest presents ever, but please, never give someone a pet as a gift for real.

20 Adorable Christmas Dogs You Will Wish Were Under Your Tree

Pets love Hanukkah too!

How To Celebrate Hanukkah With Your Dog

Pet safety.

https://paradepets.com/dogs/how-to-keep-your-dog-safe-around-christmas-tree

Hannah & El Wray Wish You a Happy Holiday!

🎅 Quotes of the Week

The thing about Christmas is, it’s never just about the one you’re celebrating now, it holds the memories of all the other Christmases, and the ones you shared them with. – Aunt Stella (Vernee Wilson), General Hospital

Happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. – Frederick Koenig

If your goal is to enjoy some genuine joie de vivre this holiday season, keep in mind that the simplest acts of generosity, connection, and self-care can offer the biggest rewards. – 11 Ways to Experience Holiday Joy

I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. – Ebeneezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One! – Narrator, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

🎁 Merry Everything To You…

Since there’s no new GH tomorrow and Bravo is in holiday mode, come back on Friday for soap and a post-game holiday review. Until then, stay safe; stay enjoying whatever holiday you celebrate, or if you celebrate none, stay enjoying your extra day off; and stay not being too hard on yourself, but still striving to be the best.

Dec23

December 22, 2024 – All the Holiday Genres, Christmas Day Out, A Little Kranky, Their Story Today, Non-Holiday Movie Holiday Movie & All

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Ho-Ho-Holiday Watch

🎬 Pick Your Genre…

A cavalcade of holiday movies of all kinds. Hallmark:

https://ew.com/festive-hallmark-movies-to-watch-now-8765403

The Classics:

https://ew.com/best-classic-christmas-movies-8760598

The Best Ever (obviously, that depends on your perspective, but it’s a good list):

https://ew.com/best-christmas-movies-all-time-8759526

TV Episodes:

https://ew.com/best-christmas-tv-episodes-8752560

For the Adults… no, not that kind of adult movie, but for a more mature palate:

https://people.com/adult-christmas-movies-to-watch-8765245

Horror (also for the adults – please no traumatizing the kids about Santa):

https://ew.com/best-christmas-horror-movies-8763884

Watch them all.

https://ew.com/how-to-watch-christmas-movies-2024-8728376

🎅🏽 What Santa Does On His Day Off…

For those who actually go to the movies on Christmas Day. I saw The Hateful 8 on Christmas the year it came out. Because nothing says Merry Christmas like a Quentin Tarantino movie. It was pretty crowded, but manageable.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/22/entertainment/christmas-movie-theaters-tradition-cec/index.html

💃🏼 Scrooge’s Slutty Sis…

I love how down to earth she is. Christmas with the Kranks is not awful either.

https://ew.com/jamie-lee-curtis-calls-herself-scrooge-slightly-slutty-sister-8765339

🎄 He Still Has Both Eyes…

Definitely one of the best and a favorite of mine. Both TNT and TBS will be doing the usual 24 hour Christmas marathon.

https://ew.com/a-christmas-story-cast-then-and-now-8752558

🐶 Framed By the Holiday…

Even though it’s not technically a Christmas movie, it does begin and end on Christmas. While the animated classic is beautiful, I loved the live action remake.

https://loudandclearreviews.com/lady-and-the-tramp-review/

Take this with tongue in cheek. After all, it is a cartoon from 1955.

https://www.looper.com/255113/things-only-adults-notice-in-lady-and-the-tramp/

Merry Everything

🦌 A Reindeer Walks Into a Bar…

Join me tomorrow for soap and the usual. Until then…

Dec14

December 13, 2024 – Another Patient Flatlines At GH, Soap Suds, VanderLockUp, Extra Charm, More Pilaf Please, Practically 10 Quotes & Hollis

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What I Watched Today

(The whole GH enchilada on Fridays; the other days, who knows?)

General Hospital

The restaurant manager tells Ava that her card has been declined. Does she have another card she’d like to try? Ava says she doesn’t understand. These cards should definitely work. Ric says, what about his? and the manager says, the second card Ric gave him has also been declined. Ava says, what is going on? and the manager says, they have a $179 bill before gratuities and now it seems they have no way to pay.

Dante and two other officers kick in the door at Windymere and find Lulu in the living room. She raises her hands and says, don’t shoot, officer. She smiles at Dante.

At the Quartermaines’, everyone is cheering the game, when Tracy turns it off. She says, it’s giving her a headache, and they yell for her to turn it back on. She messes with the phone and brings up the video of Willow and Drew getting busy instead. Everyone is shocked, but Tracy laughs out loud and Ned chuckles. Drew says, turn it off, but Tracy says, oh no. Let it play.

Drew shuts off the TV, and Ned says, they’d all thought he’d sunk as low as possible when he kissed Willow. Little did they know he was having sex with her, his nephew’s wife, in his daughter’s nursery. His father would be so proud. Drew tells him, back off. It’s none of his business. Ned says, Drew made it his business when he did that in this house, and Olivia says, that’s enough. Willow looks sick, and Tracy tells Nina, her daughter sleeping with the man she’s gotten so close to must really sting. Josslyn wonders how Willow could do that to Michael, and Trina says she didn’t think Drew was the kind of guy to mess with a married woman. Gio says, wait until Uncle Sonny hears about this. Drew is a dead man.

The manager asks if there’s another card Ric would like to try, but Ric says he’s down to his library card. The manager says he’s sure someday they’ll all look back on this and laugh, but today is not that day. Ric says he already made a few purchases against the check Ava gave him and now he’s overdrawn. (Seriously? He has no money saved?) He asks if there’s another form of payment they can accept. Maybe they can do dishes. Ava says she doesn’t wash dishes at home. She’s certainly not going to do them here. The manager says, maybe it’s time for him to call the police and have them sort it out, but Ava says, that’s not going to be necessary. It’s not a simple case of dine and dash here, especially not in these shoes. The manager says, they’re quite nice, but they won’t cover the bill, and Ava says, there’s been a bit of an unexpected hiccup here. They’ve called some people. Please just give them a little bit more time. Lucas walks in and says he got here as soon as he could. What’s going on? The manager says, his friends have run up quite a large bill and have no way to pay for it. He’s hoping that’s what Lucas is here for. Lucas hands him a credit card, and the manager says, hopefully, this one will go through. He leaves, and Lucas says, please tell him this isn’t why Ava had him rush over here.

Dante tells the officers that they can holster their weapons and asks them to hit the lights. He knows who this is. She’s only a danger to herself, maybe. Lulu says, hilarious, and Dante says he’s got this. He’ll see them back at the station. And call Windymere’s alarm company. Tell them that everything is working fine. It’s a false alarm. One of the officers says, they’ll call when they get back to the boat, and Dante asks him to send the boat back for them. They leave, and Dante says, no broken glass anywhere. How did she get in? She says, he knows her dad taught her how to pick locks before he taught her how to ride a bike, and he asks what she’s doing here. She knows there’s nothing but bad memories in this place. She says, Valentin and Charlotte lived here. She’s praying they left something behind that will help her find them, because she’s going to find her daughter and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop her.

Josslyn, Gio, and Trina go into the foyer, and Josslyn says she doesn’t really want to leave, but Trina says she thinks it’s best that they let the people involved talk. Josslyn says, but he’s her brother, and Trina says, yes, and he might need her later. For now, she thinks it’s best if they stay out here. Gio says he agrees with Trina, and Josslyn sighs and says, fine.

Carly hugs Michael, and Tracy says, Drew is every bit as despicable as she thought he was. Drew tells her to get off her moral high horse. Everyone knows her precious Ned slept with his aunt while she was still married. Ned says he had no idea Monica was his aunt when he slept with her, and Drew asks if he had any idea he was married to Lois when he and Kathryn Bell tied the knot. Ned says, that was a long time ago and Lois forgave him, and Drew says, that was her mistake. Brook tells him to keep her mother’s name out of his mouth. She’s not here to defend herself, but she can get Lois on the phone if he’d like to hear how she feels. Chase says, it’s probably best if no one calls anyone right now, and Brook says, fine, but if Drew says one more word about her mom… Ned says, the golden boy, thinking he was better than everyone else. Oh how the mighty have fallen – right on top of his nephew’s wife. Drew says, if he has to tell Ned to back off one more time, it’s going to get ugly, but Tracy says she thinks they passed ugly right around the time they saw Willow on top of him. Willow goes over to Michael and says, everyone else was shocked. He’s the one who took that video, isn’t he?

Michael says, Willow is right. He recorded it, accidentally. He wanted to check on the new nanny they hired, so he bought a nanny cam. He got a notification on his phone about activity in the nursery and when he checked his phone, that’s what he saw. She says she was with Drew that one time, on the day that Sam died, which means he’s had that video for weeks. Why did he play it now in front of everyone? She starts to cry and asks, why did he do this? Carly says she’s sorry, but Willow is cheating on Michael and trying to make it seem like it’s his fault? After everything he’s done for her, how could she treat him like this? Michael says, let him handle this, but Carly says she’s not going to let Willow try to gaslight him into thinking it’s his fault. Willow says, that’s not what she’s doing. She knows she was wrong. She gave in to her feelings for Drew and she regrets it more than she can say. But Michael has known she and Drew slept together for weeks, and he didn’t say anything. Why? Michael says, because he wanted to wait until after the holidays. He wanted the kids to have one more Christmas together as a family.

Ava thanks Lucas for coming and says she’s so sorry she had to call him. It really was an emergency. Lucas says, an emergency is when someone has a heart attack, not when you can’t pay for dinner, and Ava says, that very judgmental man Lucas just gave his credit card to was about to call the police. She was just acquitted of killing a baby. She can’t have any more run-ins with the law. Lucas says, that makes sense, when the manager comes back. He gives Lucas back his card, thanks him, and says, his card went through without a hitch. He leaves, and Ava asks if Lucas would like to stay and help them finish this dinner he so generously paid for. Lucas says, normally, he hates being a third wheel, but he didn’t have a chance to eat when he was at the hospital, so he’s going to take her up on that. He pulls a chair over and asks the manager if he can get a menu and another bottle of champagne. The manager holds out his hand, and Lucas says, oh, getting his card out again. The manager says, of course (🍷), sir, and Lucas sits down.

Dante tells Lulu, no other people have lived here since Valentin and Charlotte. (Huh? Weren’t Nikolas and Ava the last ones who lived there?) He’s sure whatever was theirs is long gone by now. She says, he’s probably right, but she’s going to tear this house apart board by board if there’s even the slightest chance of something that can help her find her daughter. He says, maybe don’t tell the cop about the future crimes she’s planning on committing, and she says, he’s off the hook. She’s already searched Windymere’s poorly maintained and not so secret tunnels. She didn’t find anything. He says he gets it. They all have someone they love so much, they’re willing to do anything for them. Even coming back to a place that gives you nightmares. She says, people make all kinds of sacrifices for love. Some people care about someone so much, they’re willing to do anything for them, even give their own life if it comes down to it. He says, doesn’t he know it, and she says she’s so sorry. He must hate her so much.

Dante says he doesn’t hate Lulu. He never could. Why would she say something like that? She says, Lucky told her about Sam being her donor, and he says he wanted to tell her about that. It was just crazy. There was a lot going on and she woke up with no warning. She says, her waking up from a four-year coma required a warning? and he says, it would have been good to get a heads up. He could have prepared things like clothes, and food, and Rocco. She says she was so focused on how weird everything was for her. She’s sorry. She didn’t even think about how crazy it was for him and Rocco. He says, crazy doesn’t even scratch the surface. When he saw her, he wanted to ask her a lot of things. There were a lot of things he wanted to tell her. She says, he must have been overwhelmed. She was. But she appreciates him not dumping four years of life on her all at once. He says he wanted to tell her about Sam, and she says she understands why he didn’t. It would have been hard to handle learning that Sam died saving her while her head was spinning. But she knows that now and it’s obvious how much Sam loved him. He says, she did, but she didn’t help Lulu because of him and Rocco. That’s just who she was. She says, his expression changes when he talks about her. It’s also obvious how much he loved Sam. He says he still does. He just can’t believe she’s gone. But he wants her to know he’s happy she’s awake, and it’s just really challenging to balance that with losing Sam. She puts her hand on his arm and says she knows he and Rocco are grieving. And she understands what her waking up cost Sam… and him.

Josslyn says she already knows how this is going to play out. Michael is just going to forgive Willow for cheating on him. Trina says, it’s Michael’s life. He’s the only one who gets to choose how he handles this. Josslyn says she doesn’t want to see him get hurt again. She’s got to get out of here. She can’t look at Drew’s smug face anymore. She’s going to see Dex in the hospital. She leaves, and Gio says he thinks he’s had enough of this Quartermaine party time too. He’s going to go practice now. Trina says she’s probably going to work on her Art History project… On second thought, does he still have that all-access stadium pass he got when he was playing the National Anthem earlier? He says, yeah. Why?

Chase, Brook, and Sasha walk into the nook, Sasha carrying a plate of hors d’oeuvres. She puts it on the table and says, might as well dig in. Chase says, thanks, and Brook says, that was quite a party. She really thought Drew was different, but he’s really living up to the Quartermaine name. Chase asks what she means, and Brook says, fidelity isn’t exactly a top priority for the Quartermaines and they sleep with people they’re not married to. Not her. Obviously. She takes Chase’s arm and says, lucky for him, loyalty and fidelity mean everything to the Cerullos and she’s a Cerullo through and through. He says he’s glad, but he wasn’t worried in the least. Because he knows her and what kind of person she is and he has complete faith in her. They kiss and he says he has been thinking about something though. Maybe he and Sasha shouldn’t have played God with Michael and Willow’s lives all those years ago. Maybe Michael and Willow were never meant to be together.

Willow says she wanted the same thing, one more Christmas as a family. She was going to tell Michael after. Carly says, well, thank God Tracy spared her from having to tell Michael that she slept with his uncle, and Olivia says, okay. They can all stop judging each other. There are no saints in this room. Carly says, is she kidding? What if it were Dante whose life was blown apart? Olivia says she thinks Michael can speak for himself, and Carly says, Willow had an amazing life with Michael. He supported her career. He took care of her when she was sick. He gave her a family and she threw it away. Willow walks out, and Carly tells Drew, and you, you son of a bitch. She knew Jason had a reason for going after him. Jason knew he slept with Willow, didn’t he? He finally found someone who would put him first, even if it meant destroying a family. She hopes it was worth it. He says he’s not going to talk about this in front of the entire family, and Tracy laughs. She says, but he was willing to sleep with Willow in this house where anyone could have walked in on them. He involved them in his tawdriness, so he doesn’t get to keep anything private. Ned says, she’s right, and Tracy says, even his father Alan, with his terrible taste in women and string of sordid affairs, never would have stooped this low. He never would have slept with his nephew’s wife.

Carly goes upstairs, and Drew says, this wasn’t anything that he planned. A woman he once loved, the mother of his child, had just died (getting out my tiny violin) and he was a wreck. He was falling apart and Willow reached out to him. Ned says, I’ll say she did, and Drew says, shut your damn mouth. What happened between him and Willow is between them. It’s none of his damn business. Tracy says she thinks they already determined that it is, and Drew says, just stay out of his life. Please. She says, gladly. And by the way, she thinks he should move to DC now, because once Monica finds out that he slept with Michael’s wife, she’s going to kick him out. And they’re going to leak the video and show the whole world what a low life he is. Drew says, they can do whatever they want to him. Just don’t hurt Willow. Michael says, so now he’s worried about how his actions will affect Willow.

Sasha says she doesn’t see it that way. Michael and Willow wouldn’t have been together this long if there wasn’t something real between them. Chase says, that’s true, and Sasha says she really tries not to judge people and doesn’t want to think badly of Willow, but she’s really struggling to understand why she would cheat on Michael with Drew. Brook says she was shocked too, but he did save Willow’s life by bringing Leisl Obrecht back to Port Charles. It had to change the way she feels about him. Sasha says, that’s understandable, but Willow has this starry-eyed view of Drew. If Drew was the decent guy he wants everyone to think he is, he would have been flattered and left it at that. Brook says, Willow’s a big girl. She’s responsible for her actions too. Chase says, there’s plenty of blame to go around here. Sasha says, none of it is Michael’s, or her and Chase’s for something they did years ago.

Dante says he should have told Lulu about Sam a lot sooner. He’s sorry about that. He didn’t want it to affect her health negatively. She says, he has nothing to feel guilty about, and he says, not about Sam, but he messed up when she went into that coma. She asks, how? and he says he didn’t keep Rocco and Charlotte together. He just let Valentin take her. She says, that would have been next to impossible to get custody of Charlotte. Remember how hard they fought the first time? And she wouldn’t have been there to help. He says, yeah. Valentin is her father, and she wanted to be with him. She says, none of this is his fault. It’s Valentin’s. He manipulated Charlotte so she would never want to get to know the Spencer side of the family. He says his mom kept her close to the Spencers, and she says she’s glad Valentin at least allowed that to happen. But he’s still keeping the fact that she’s awake away from her daughter. She hates that, because of him, she can’t tell Charlotte that she loves her. It does feel like a piece of her is missing without Charlotte here. He says, they’re both going through a lot right now. He’s grieving Sam. He’s going to be doing that the rest of his life. But right now, she’s looking for Charlotte and that’s what’s important right now. So if she wants to tear Windymere apart top to bottom, he’s here to do that with her.

At the stadium, a reporter congratulates Tai on the PCU victory and says, but for most of the game, it looked like a stunning defeat. How did he pull off this win? Kai says, a lot of credit goes to their offensive line. Their defense is great too. They kept him in the game until he could figure out a way to get the ball into the endzone. The reporter says, he certainly did that. Congratulations again and good luck in the upcoming Bowl game. Kai thanks him, and the reporter says, that’s quarterback Kai, taking PCU to their first Bowl game ever. He and Kai shake hands, he thanks Kai and leaves with the camera crew. Kai sees Trina and asks if he should alert security that there’s an intruder in the tunnels. She says, very funny, but no. Her friend just played the National Anthem and gave her his pass. He says, the guy with the violin. He was amazing. Trina says, that’s sweet. She’ll tell him that Kai said that. Kai says, please do. He didn’t expect to see her today, especially not down here. She says she just came to congratulate him, and he says, on their Art History project? She says, no, but she did read what he sent her, and she thought it was amazing. She came to congratulate him on the game. He says he thought football wasn’t her thing, and she says, it wasn’t, but she watched it with some people who are totally into it and they were losing it over his performance. And that was just in someone’s living room, so she can’t imagine what it’s like when he’s playing in an actual stadium. He says, it’s very, very loud, and she says she bets. He had a lot of people rooting for him and he was amazing.

Josslyn comes out of the hospital elevator and doesn’t see anyone around. She hears beeping and Isaiah asking for vitals and saying, continue chest compressions. She goes to Dex’s room and listens at the door. She opens it and sees Isaiah using the defibrillator on Dex. Anna comes up behind Josslyn and says, come with me.

Kai says he was just doing his thing, and Trina says, maybe, but his thing is incredibly difficult. She’s been really hard on him and she’s sorry. He says, no. She’s been calling him out on things he needed to be called out on. He’s glad she held him to high standards. Because of her, he looked into his class schedule and discovered things he never would have known. So he’s grateful actually. She says, that’s nice considering she guilted him into staying up all night and working on their project. He was so exhausted, he almost got killed on the field today. She’s sorry. He says, that’s not why he didn’t play well for most of the game. Llanview’s defensive ends are some of the best in the league. They did a good job of keeping PCU’s offense from finding its rhythm. She says, it all sounds like gibberish to her, and he says he remembers. Football’s not her thing. She says, it isn’t, but she’d like to learn more about it today. Starting with everything he just said. Something about defensive enders? He says, defensive ends, and she says, sounds like a good place to start.

Anna tells Josslyn that she stopped by to check on Dex. When she got to his room, they were already working on him. Josslyn says, but she was just talking to him on the phone. Like, just now. They were talking and laughing and joking. Anna says, when she just talked to him, he was fine too, and Josslyn says, maybe it’s a reaction to one of his medications. Maybe he’s in anaphylactic shock. He could have a blood clot. They were using the defibrillator which has to do with the heart. Anna says, they’re just guessing right now. The best thing to do – she knows it’s hard – is to wait for his doctor to come out and tell them. Josslyn says, yeah, but seeing him like that… Anna suggests they just focus on him having the best of care. She’s going to call Josslyn’s mom. She starts to make the call, and Josslyn says, Dex is so young and healthy. She was told that the injury wasn’t even that serious, so he’s going to be fine. He’s recovered from a lot worse. So he’s going to be fine now. She knows he’s going to be fine. Anna puts down the phone and smooths Josslyn’s hair.

Ava thanks Lucas for rushing over. She’s going to pay him back as soon as she gets things straightened out with her bank. Lucas asks if she’s having problems with them, and she says she assumes so. She’s waiting for a call back from her business manager. Everything was fine yesterday. Now her credit cards don’t work, her debit cards don’t work, nothin’. Ric says his accounts are frozen too. Probably because the check Ava gave him for his legal services bounced. (I’m not getting how Ric has no money other than that check.) Lucas asks if Ava thinks her identity was stolen. That’s been happening a lot these days. Ava says, who on earth would want her identity right now? She’s so sorry she disrupted Lucas’s night. She’s sure he has better things to do than come here. He says he had plans, but she seemed desperate, and he had the feeling he wasn’t her first call. She says, he wasn’t, but he’s the only one who came.

Lulu and Dante walk into the living room, Dante carrying a box. She says she knew she’d find something to lead her to Charlotte, but he tells her not to get her hopes up. She says, that’s the Cassadine crest, and he says, it is, but this could belong to Nikolas or Victor or Spencer. Ava lived here. This could be hers. She says, that’s why they have to get it open, and she knows he’s curious about what’s in there too. He says he guesses he wouldn’t mind seeing, and she picks the lock. She says, got it, and opens the box. She takes out a sparkly top and smells it. She says, this was Charlotte’s, and holds it to her chest. She takes out a toy horse and says she got Charlotte this. She loves horses and she wanted to get Charlotte one that she could carry around and play with. She searched all over for the perfect gift because she wanted Charlotte to like her. She just left it here. He says he thinks she’s looking at it the wrong way. She kept it. It’s got to mean something.

Nina and Willow go into the gatehouse, and Nina says, Willow can stay at her place for the night, or maybe a few nights. Willow says she doesn’t think she can do this. She doesn’t want to take Wiley and Amelia away from Michael, not without telling him first. Nina says, listen to her. They have to play this smart, really smart. Michael is one of the richest, most powerful men in the state. He has connections on both sides of the law. He is a Quartermaine and a Spencer and a Corinthos. All those people are going to take his side and go against her. This is going to get ugly. Willow says, Michael would never do anything to hurt his children, and Nina says, he’d do everything to protect them. Willow says, from her? and Nina says, this is war. If Willow wants any chance of getting custody or even seeing her children ever again, she’ll go get them right now.

Michael says, the time to worry about Willow would have been before Drew slept with her, and Tracy says, Michael’s right. Where was Drew’s concern when he was playing footsie with Michael’s wife? Drew tells them that he’s just saying he doesn’t want Willow dragged into a scandal. He doesn’t want Scout to read about this online when she’s still grieving her mother. Olivia says she agrees with Drew, and Tracy asks if she’s out of her mind. Olivia says, that footage goes public, it only hurts innocent people, and Tracy says, that footage didn’t look innocent to her. Olivia says she’s talking about the kids. Amelia and Wiley, and as Drew just pointed out, Scout just lost her mother. She’s gone through more than any human should have to go through. If this gets out, she will certainly hear about it, and it’s the last thing that kid needs. Whatever blowback Drew deserves, the children do not deserve this, and Tracy knows she’s right. She and Tracy leave, and Drew tells Michael that he knows how badly this footage could play out. For him, absolutely, but for everyone. That’s out of his hands now. It’s up to Michael.

Kai teaches Trina some football stuff, and she says she wants to learn. That way, she’ll know what people are talking about the next time she watches a game. He says, so there’s going to be a next time? She says, yeah, sure, and he says, she’s just in time. They only have one more game and it’s going to be a big one. She says, bigger than this one? and he says, way bigger. The Bowl game. She says she’s not missing that. What’s a Bowl game? He says, just watch and she’ll see, and she says, okay. She kind of wanted to talk to him about something. She really thinks they should do the presentation together. So is the extension still a possibility?

Chase says, when Willow left him for Michael, he was so angry and jealous of him. He thought Michael got everything and he was left with nothing. Sasha says, breakups are hard, and he says, they are, but that wasn’t his point. He was wrong to think he’d never fall in love again. He didn’t realize how wrong – he takes Brook’s hand – until he met Brook. Willow is great, but she wasn’t right for him. He couldn’t see that until he found the person who was. Brook is perfect for him and she always will be. Brook says, right back at him.

Ava’s phone ding-a-lings and she says she’s still getting alerts. She doesn’t have any more credit cards to cancel… It seems she has had something stolen. Just not her identity. She hands Ric her phone and says, please tell her this isn’t saying what she thinks it’s saying. Lucas asks what it says, and she tells him that her entire divorce settlement from Nikolas, the Cassadines have taken it back.

Josslyn asks Anna, what’s taking so long? They should have heard by now. Isaiah comes out of Dex’s room, and Josslyn asks, how’s Dex? He says he’s sorry. They did everything they could. Dex didn’t make it. Josslyn says, what?

The monitor is on flatline, and it’s turned off. Elizabeth removes the tubes attached to Dex and says, this isn’t right. He’s the second person to die like this. It just doesn’t make any sense. Something very wrong is going on here.

Lulu says, they should get going, and Dante says he’d love to, but they’ve got to wait for the boat. She says, islands. They’re a real pain in the butt sometimes. He says, especially this one, and she says, it’s stuffy in here. Does he want to wait outside and get some fresh air? She picks up the box and he asks if she’s kidding him with that right now. She says, this box is coming with her, even though it technically doesn’t belong to her. She knows he’s a cop and doesn’t expect him to get involved. He says, which part? The trespassing, the destruction of personal property, or the theft of stolen goods? She says, all of it, but he says he already is. He takes the box from her and says, why doesn’t she hold the door, and he’ll carry her box of stolen stuff? She says, gladly, and they go outside.

Tracy says, Drew is taking advantage of the Quartermaine name and laughing at them while he’s doing it. Ned says, he spent a lot of time buttering up Monica, only to turn around and sleep with Willow, and Olivia says, what Drew did was despicable, but however they feel about him, if Michael wants to make things up with Willow, they have to support him… Right? Ned says, of course (🍷), and Tracy says, once a cheater, always a cheater, but if that’s what Michael wants, she can play nice with Willow. Olivia says, good. Because Michael is going to have to know they’re here for him, no matter what.

Michael says he won’t be the one who leaks the video, for all the reasons Drew mentioned. To protect his children, to protect Drew’s daughter, to protect Willow from her own humiliating mistake. And that protects Drew too. So Drew is using them to protect his own reputation. So much for Willow’s hero. Drew says, Michael knows nothing about him and Willow, and Michael says, yeah? Why doesn’t Drew tell him?

Nina says, first one to the car gets a treat, and tells Wiley not to trip. Willow says, sorry they had to wake them up. They’re going over to Grandma Nina’s for a little sleepover adventure. Wiley says, okay! and Nina says, let’s go, but before they get to the door, Carly walks in. She asks where they’re all going in such a hurry. They wouldn’t be trying to take Michael’s children away from him, would they?

On Monday, Portia tells someone to take a step back from patient care; Drew asks Michael, would Willow have cheated if it wasn’t real; and Willow says, what happens next isn’t up to Carly.

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

You know this now, but still, what a shock.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/evan-hofer-out-at-general-hospital

This is actually kind of ick. No. No future.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/cameron-mathison-previews-drew-and-willows-future-on-gh

This happened today, but I’m sure it’s on YouTube. Alan Locher does a great interview.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/chat-live-with-soap-star-rick-hearst

Gio’s side gig is impressive.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/giovanni-mazzas-new-film-is-premiering-at-sundance

Love this story!

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/kimberly-mccullough-opens-up-about-her-son-otis

I didn’t know he’d been in GH, but I doff my cap.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/general-hospital-alum-michael-cole-dead-at-84

🍸 Not a Good VanderLook…

So I guess he’s drinking again? That’s a real shame.

https://people.com/vanderpump-rules-james-kennedy-arrested-on-suspicion-of-domestic-violence-8760616

Wow. It didn’t take long for his life to start unraveling.

https://people.com/vanderpump-rules-james-kennedy-removed-from-las-vegas-residency-following-domestic-violence-arrest-8761602

Team Thirsty has to put in their two cents. Bitch, please.

https://people.com/rachel-leviss-reacts-to-james-kennedy-domestic-violence-arrest-8760749

But for how long? Not if he keeps this up.

https://www.tmz.com/2024/12/13/james-kennedy-ally-lewber-not-splitting-after-domestic-violence-arrest/

👒 Working Like a Charm…

Yeah, Shep did a really weird toast at the Easter dinner too. Something about Jesus and Pontius Pilate, but it didn’t make a whole lot of sense and had nothing to do with Easter. It was just weird.

Southern Charm Season 10, Episode 2 Recap: Pontius Pilate, Judas, and All the Other Betrayers

Wow. When Venita gives up on you, you’re hopeless.

Why Southern Charm’s Venita Aspen Can’t Protect JT Thomas Anymore

So glad it’s only a rumor. I’d hate to see Craig regress, even if he doesn’t think pandas are real.

Southern Charm’s Craig Conover Spilled the Tea on Paige DeSorbo Break-up Rumors; Here’s What We Know

🪓 But It’s an Undisputed Masterpiece…

I think this film is perfect as is. Christian Bale is Patrick Bateman.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/american-psycho-remake-austin-butler-patrick-bateman

🐕 It’s a Dog’s Life…

I’m pretty sure Pilaf is living a better life than I am, but I’m okay with that.

https://www.instyle.com/demi-moore-molly-ringwald-dogs-photos-8759246

https://www.instyle.com/demi-moore-snake-print-bikini-pilaf-birthday-8743074

📫 Quotes of the Week

We’re not in the Midnight Realm. It’s just the suburbs. –  Owen (Justice Smith), I Saw the TV Glow

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another. – Anatole France

It is, of course, quite true that God will not love you any the less, or have less use for you, if you happen to have been born with a very second-rate brain. He has room for people with very little sense, but He wants everyone to use what sense they have. – C. S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity (He sounds like Anthony Hopkins in my head.)

Do I seem like the kind of guy who has the energy to argue? – Niles Valentine, 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days

Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny. – Tyron Edwards

When we talk about understanding, surely it takes place only when the mind listens completely — the mind being your heart, your nerves, your ears- when you give your whole attention to it. – Jiddu Krishnamurti

There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them. – Ray Bradbury

Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it. – Ann Landers

As a mortician, I always tie the shoelaces together of the dead. Cause if there is ever a zombie apocalypse, it will be hilarious. – Caleb Wilde, from a post on X or what we still call Twitter

⛄️ Pretending He’s Parson Brown…

Amid your holiday or everyday tasks, take time to smell the poinsettias. Then join me on Monday for soap and Deck doings. Until then, stay safe; stay not drinking and driving home from holiday events (I can never say it enough); and stay never sleeping with your nephew’s wife.

Dec12

December 11, 2024 – Jason Kidnaps Martin, Salty Talk, Parasite, She’s Got It Made, All About Those Globes, VanderNews, Transformed & Wonderland

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What I Watched Today

(The whole GH enchilada on Fridays; the other days, who knows?)

General Hospital

Curtis asks Jordan the status of the esplanade, and she says, they have to wait until after the new year to get approval. He tells her to hold off. He has a better location and will be able to make it happen when he’s officially CEO of Aurora.

Outside on the phone, Martin leaves a message for Cyrus to call him back. He’s been hearing some disturbing things about him. A hand clamps down on Martin’s shoulder.

Nina tells Maxie that Lulu is rushing to return to the land of the living. Lulu had a meltdown in her office, and insisted she knew where Valentin is. Maxie says, it makes sense to Lulu, and Nina says, time stood still for Lulu, but not for her. She has no idea where Valentin is. Maxie says she’ll talk to Lulu if she can find her. Lulu is a mother desperate to find her daughter. Nina says she understands, but she hopes Lulu understands she’s not the enemy.

Carly says, Jack knows how to get in touch with Valentin, and Lulu says, good. Start dialing. Jack says, her cousin understates his reach, but Lulu says, don’t give her WSB doubletalk and make the damn call. She hasn’t seen her daughter in four years. Jack makes the call. (He’s probably scared. If she’s this feisty immediately upon coming out of a coma, he can’t imagine what she’s like when she’s in top shape.)

Anna tells Dex that he and Loren did everything by the book, but she needs his account. He says, things are blurry because of the anesthesia, but some drunk frat guys got into it over the game. He and Officer Jackson deescalated the situation and he was pouring out the alcohol he confiscated. The next thing he knew, he felt a sharp pain in his back, and he was on the ground. She tells him that Chase said he didn’t see his assailant. Did he hear anything? Dex says, the Christmas fair. Does she think he was targeted because he’s a cop? Josslyn runs in and asks if he’s okay. He says, he’s fine. He was talking to the Commissioner. Josslyn apologizes, but Anna says she’s got everything she needs. She tells Dex, get better, and leaves. Dex asks how Josslyn is doing, and she tells him, don’t tease his way out of this. She’s glad he’s okay. She kisses him.

Maxie says, four years feels like a lot, and Nina says she woke up to a changed world too. She searched for her child and has a lot of sympathy for Lulu, but she can’t help find Charlotte. Maybe Maxie can help Lulu understand that. Maxie says she’ll do her best, and goes to the door, running into Drew who’s coming in. He asks if Nina has a minute, and Maxie lingers in the doorway. Nina thanks her, and she leaves. Drew says he’ll make it quick. He’s making Michael CEO of Aurora. Nina asks, what happened to Curtis? and Drew says, Curtis is out. Michael is in. (Ugh.)

Jordan asks if Drew is keeping Curtis on as CEO. Did he make Drew see the light? Curtis says he talked to Drew and Drew lied to his face. She says she’s sorry. She thought he had a change of heart. Curtis says he gave Drew every opportunity, but he wouldn’t commit, and Jordan asks if Curtis is teaming up with Michael. Curtis says he is, but not the way Michael thinks.

Martin sees that it’s Jason and asks if this is necessary. He does know it’s technically kidnapping and Martin’s sister the mayor may be upset… Okay. Why is he here? Jason says he’ll ask the questions.

Lulu asks why Valentin isn’t picking up, and Jack says, he doesn’t always pick up and there’s no voicemail. She says, Jack could have called anyone, and he says, she has to trust him. She tells him to track it, but he says, it’s a burner phone. She says, he works for the WSB, so she doesn’t believe he can’t, and he says he understands she’s upset, but he had nothing to do with Valentin taking off. She asks why he has the number, and he says, Valentin contacted him. They worked together a long time no and he has no idea where Valentin is. Lulu says she’s finding her daughter if she has to burn the WSB to the ground, and takes the phone. Jack says, the family resemblance is unmistakable. Good evening. He leaves, and Carly tells Lulu, that was the wrong move. Lulu says, don’t tell her that Carly thinks he’s telling the truth, but Carly says she actually does.

Jordan asks if he’s doing it his way, and Curtis says he’s protecting himself and Aurora. He’s not sure Michael cares about Aurora’s success. If she can hold off on the esplanade, there will be a tremendous opportunity for Aurora and the city. She asks if Michael is on board, and he says, yes. She says she’ll slow walk it until she hears from him. She needs to do some last-minute shopping, and Curtis says he appreciates that he knows who he can count on. She says, always, when Portia comes in. She asks if she’s interrupting.

Josslyn says, it’s crazy that Dex got stabbed, and he says, it’s better than being shot and treated with stolen medical equipment. She agrees that it’s better that he’s in a hospital, and he says, not that he didn’t love the twin bed dorm room experience. She asks, how is he? Who did this to him? There’s a knock at the door, and Isaiah says, it’s good to see him awake. He’s here to discuss Dex’s surgery. Dex says, it’s okay that Josslyn is here. She’s his girlfriend. Isaiah says, her boyfriend was born under a lucky star. He’s going to be just fine.

Carly says she’s dealt with Jack a lot and he’s come through every time, and Lulu asks if she thinks he’s honest. Carly says, hell no. He works for the WSB. She thinks he’s being honest about not knowing where Valentin is and the burner phone being the only way to contact him. Lulu says she needs to get the number, and Carly tells her not to go after the WSB singlehandedly. Lulu says, it’s hard to wrap her head around. She went to sleep and woke up to a world she barely recognized. Her dad is gone, and Spencer. She has new relatives, Cyrus being one of them. Her daughter is missing, and she can come to terms with everything except that. Carly says she wants to help. That’s why she brought Lulu to Jack. But he won’t help if she goes after the WSB or calls him a liar. Nina can’t help. She’s gotten and lost a whole new husband since then. Lulu asks, who? and Carly asks if she’d believe Sonny. Lulu says, Carly is holding back bad news, and Carly says she’s sorry to tell Lulu, but when Lulu was in a coma, her mom passed away.

In Jack’s office, Colette says she still thinks they could have utilized the bug to their advantage. They could have given disinformation that led them away from Valentin. Jack wonders what they’d do then, since they desperately want to find him.

Anna asks if there’s been any progress, but Spinelli says, not yet, but he wants to find Charlotte. She says she appreciates his help. She tells him to keep his distance, and goes into the room where Martin is. She asks, what’s going on? and Martin says, Jason just kidnapped him. Arrest him. Anna asks Jason why Martin’s not restrained.

Isaiah says he expects Dex to make a full recovery in a few weeks, and Dex thanks him for everything. Isaiah says he’s happy to deliver good news. He’ll be checking in until Dex is released. Enjoy their evening. He leaves, and Dex says he has a clean bill of health. Why isn’t Josslyn smiling? She says, he still hasn’t told her why it happened, and he says, he was pouring out booze that he’d confiscated when he was stabbed. They snuck up behind him and that’s all he knows. She asks if he hasn’t once thought that Sonny might be behind it.

Curtis tells Portia that he and Jordan were just finishing up. There are exciting possibilities for Aurora’s future. Jordan says she looks forward to it, when her phone dings. She says, Dex is out of surgery and awake. She should head over there. She leaves, and Curtis thanks Portia for coming by. She says she was happy to do it. What does he want to talk about? He says he’s about to take Aurora from Drew and wants her to know why.

Drew tells Nina that Curtis will still be the head of Wellness and he’s going to give Curtis a big bump in salary to show his appreciation. Nina asks if something happened for him to lose faith in Curtis, but he says, it’s a business decision. Michael is the better choice. Nina wonders if he’s trying to assuage his guilt. Curtis is his friend and she’s sure he’d make an excellent CEO. He says, Michael has already proven he can run the company. He’s surprised she’s not on board. She asks why she would be, and he says, for Willow. Doesn’t she want her daughter to be happy?

Lulu tells Carly that she’s so sorry. When did it happen? Carly says, almost a year ago, New Year’s Eve. She’s bracing for this one. Lulu says she can’t imagine a world without Aunt Bobbie, and Carly says she’s sorry to give Lulu another shock. Lulu says, Carly’s mom was a rock for all of them, and Carly says, if she was here, Bobbie would be telling Lulu the same thing she is. Hold tight. They’re going to find Charlotte. She’s a Spencer and Spencers don’t give up on each other. Lulu says, never, when Maxie walks in and says, here she is. Was she ever going to call? She and Lulu hug.

Colette says she thought Jack wanted Valentin to stay away, but he says, circumstances have changed. Lulu desperately wants to find her daughter. Anna, Jason, and Carly are helping her, and now that they found out he can contact Valentin, the proverbial cat is out of the bag. She asks if he wants them to find Charlotte, and he says, out there, Valentin is a liability to the WSB and to him. She asks if they can rely on outsiders, and he says, they have resources and are highly motivated. There’s a good chance they’ll succeed. She says, there are no guarantees, but he says, she knows there are no guarantees in this business. She says she’s concerned he’s not taking the matter as seriously as he should. He should have taken a step back and allowed Valentin to take the fall for Pikeman. He should never have let Valentin get away in the first place.

Jason tells Anna that he thought he would do it the easy way. He didn’t want to make a mess. Anna says, they don’t have time for the easy way, and Martin asks if she’s working with Jason. Why are they threatening him? Anna says, they want to find Valentin, and one way or another, Martin is going to help them.

Portia says, Curtis and Drew are close. How could he go behind Curtis’s back and make Michael CEO? She’s so sorry. He says he’ll deal with that later, but right now he wants to protect himself and the future of Aurora. She says, it’s Drew’s company and Curtis can walk, but Curtis says he founded the Wellness Center, and he’s invested in the company. She asks if he thinks he can trust Michael. Doesn’t he think Michael wants to be CEO? Curtis says he doesn’t know if he trusts Michael entirely, but he can work with him. She asks when he’s going to tell Michael, and he says, in a few days. She asks if that’s why Jordan was here. Is she helping with his plan?

Jordan asks for Dex’s room at the hospital, and Isaiah says he was just in with Dex. She asks how Dex is, and he says, Dex is going to be just fine. She says, that’s great news. Did he do the surgery? He says he did. He can take her to Dex’s room, but he should give her a heads up. His girlfriend is with him. She says she’ll give them a moment and they can talk about him. Since he performed the surgery, she takes it that he decided to sign the contract. He thanks her for her help, and she says she’s happy to be of service. She guesses he’ll be sticking around, and he says he’s now in official residence of her lovely city. She says, on behalf of the mayor’s office, welcome to Port Charles.

Josslyn says, Dex was with Anna when they raided Sonny’s house and there was a gun missing. Maybe Sonny is ticked off about that. He says, if Sonny wanted to get him, it would have been sooner and successful, but she says, maybe he’s biding his time. He says, Sonny gave him his word that he wouldn’t come after him, and Sonny’s word means a lot to him. He doesn’t think it’s Sonny. She says she thought when he left Sonny’s organization and was on the right side of the law, she wouldn’t have to worry about him getting hurt and he’d be safe. (Clearly, she doesn’t know what a cop does.)

Lulu says she was going to call, and Maxie says, they have a lot to catch up on. Lulu says she has a lot to ask. She saw James. He’s adorable and so grown up, like the little man of the house. Maxie says, she should see Georgie. She’s an actual teenager and reminds her of them. Lulu says she and Carly were talking about how much has happened in four years, and Maxie says she didn’t mean to interrupt. Lulu says, Carly is going to help her find Charlotte. She said Nina married Sonny. Fill her in. Maxie says she will, but speaking of Nina, she said Lulu stormed into her office and asked if she knew where Charlotte was. Nina would tell her if she knew. No matter what, they’re going to find her. Lulu says she’s sorry it took her so long to see Maxie. They have so much to catch up on.

Jack says he’s not the one who let Valentin get away, but Colette says, he didn’t stop Valentin either. He says he owed a debt, and it’s paid in full. Unfortunately, Valentin drawing attention to himself is on him. She says, if he hadn’t taken his daughter… He says, Valentin is no stranger to life on the run, but to Charlotte, it’s a lifestyle challenge. She asks if he’s up to something, and he says he may have a way to improve their chances. How long does she think a teenager can go without a phone?

Martin says he doesn’t know where Valetin is, and Anna says, he’s Valentin’s lawyer. He says, they haven’t spoken in months, and she asks how he was paid. He says he’s on retainer and Valentin set it up. He’s the last person who can get in touch with Valentin. Anna says, he knew all of Valentin’s dealings not long ago. She finds it hard to believe he could lose track. He says, that’s the way it is. He can’t give them what he doesn’t have. Charlotte is his grandniece. Doesn’t she think If he knew where they were, they’d have heard by now? Anna says, maybe Valentin made it worth his while, but Martin says, he didn’t. He and Valentin aren’t in touch, and he’d like to get out. He gets up, but Jason stands in front of him, and he sits back down. Anna says, he doesn’t realize the level of desperation. They’re going to do what it takes to find Charlotte. She tells Jason to jog Martin’s memory.

Nina says, Drew framing his betrayal with benefitting Willow is a new low for him, and he says, it will lower the temperature and might save Willow’s marriage. She says she thinks he believes that and he’s betting the company on it. He says he thought they could have an adult conversation where they acknowledge the mistakes they’ve made. He crossed the line, but he wants to put his indiscretion behind him and avoid splitting up the family. She says, he thinks he can buy Michael off, and he says, Michael agreed and knows he’s making amends. Nina says, the only person losing is Curtis, and Drew says he’s just not handing Curtis the keys to the entire company. She says, Curtis believes he’s going to be the next CEO. He’s worked his tail off for months. He says, that’s where she comes in, but she says, oh no. She doesn’t think so. He says, oh yes. She needs to soften the blow.

Curtis says, Jordan is working on McConkey’s esplanade, and he told her what’s going on, and Portia says, before he told her? He says he wanted all the facts before he said anything. It’s hard accepting that Drew would pull this on him, but today confirmed it. He wanted to let her know what’s going on. There will be many late nights, and he needs support. She says, he has it. No matter what. He says he’s not holding anything back and needs people he can trust by his side if he’s going to pull this off. And there’s no one he trusts more than her. They hug.

Lulu says she’s touched that Maxie named Bailey Lou after her and she was meant to be with Spinelli. Thank God she dumped Peter. Maxie says, there’s more to tell her about that, but it’s always been Spinelli. She realized how much he loves her, got out of her own way, and realized how much she loves him too. Lulu says she knows the feeling of true love. One day it’s, that’s the guy I love, and everything snaps in place. She felt that with Dante. Maxie says, felt, past tense, and Lulu says, when she saw him, her heart flipped, but he loved Sam and she’s gone. She can see he’s grieving. Sam’s whole family is. Maxie says, the funeral was heartbreaking, and Lulu says she’s sorry Sam is gone. She owes Sam her life and never got to say thank you. Maxie says, Sam was proud and happy to be able to help. She never hesitated. Lulu says she feels blessed and honored to have a forever connection with Sam. She doesn’t know how Dante can look at her. She knows he’s happy she’s alive, but the woman he loved is gone. Sam would be here if Sam hadn’t been her donor. Maxie says, Lulu’s not to blame, and Lulu says, maybe not, but it was a mess when she went under and it’s a mess now. Some things never change.

Martin says, wait. He doesn’t know anything, and he can prove it. Grab his phone. It’s in his coat pocket. All of his contacts with Valentin are stored in there, all the bank accounts. Anna asks why he didn’t tell them that, and he says he shouldn’t have to. He’s not the one working with an assassin. Does she have any idea how far over the line she is? Anna says, if he doesn’t like her methods, she doesn’t care. Her priority is to find Charlotte and bring her back to her mother, no matter what. She hopes there’s a number on his phone that leads them to Valentin. He says, and if there isn’t, what is she going to do to him?  

Jack says, Charlotte is going to go online, especially when she finds out her mother is awake. She’ll post, like, text, any activity that can lead them to her. Colette says, Valentin isn’t going to let her or they’re both at risk, but he says, Valentin has more than a few blind spots. Charlotte loves horses. Find the names of the people who are caring for them. She also speaks French, so she may use Colette’s language. Have IT comb the accounts to see if they can come up with a location. Colette says she sees the wisdom in allowing Anna and Jason to continue, but why Carly? Anna is a pro and Jason is a recruit, but Carly is a civilian. What does she have to offer? He says, she’ll be useful, and she asks if he’s sure that’s not what he’s telling himself. Doting fathers aren’t the only ones with a blind spot.

Carly comes in where Spinelli is working and says she has news. Brennan found the bug and confronted her. He admitted he’d been in touch with Valentin on a burner phone. Jason says, that’s helpful. She did good. Now it’s time to go. She asks if Spinelli is trying to find Charlotte. She’s not going anywhere. Lulu is her cousin. Charlotte is family. Jason says, Carly should be with her family and not here.

Dex tells Josslyn, most cops go their whole career without being injured in the line of duty. He got it out of the way. From here on in, he’s golden. She says she’s going to keep believing that, and he says he has a few weeks off and she’s finished with finals. Maybe on a beach somewhere, her and him. She says she’s mentally packing her bags, and they kiss. In the doorway, Jordan says she doesn’t really need to talk to Dex now, and Isaiah closes the door. In the hallway, Jordan says, as Deputy Mayor, she wants to make sure her constituents feel safe at the Christmas fair. She’s heading over to the plaza to show her support and prove that it’s still safe… and do some last-minute shopping. He asks if she’d care for some company, and she says she’d love that.  

Drew says, Nina can help smooth the way with Curtis, so he can keep Michael happy. She asks if making him CEO will make him happy, and he says, happy Michael, happy Willow. She says, and he can sweep his betrayal under the rug, and he says he wants to move on. She says, he wants her to help stab Curtis in the back, and he asks, what’s more important? Curtis’s happiness or Willow’s happiness?  

Portia thanks Curtis for bringing her up to speed on what’s going on. She’ll support him with whatever he needs. He says he’s counting on her and Jordan, and she says, what about Michael? He says, Michael could be useful, but from now on, he’s running the show.

Anna tells Martin to pray something is on his phone to help them track Charlotte down, and he says, or else what? She’s going to hurt him? That won’t change anything. It won’t help find Charlotte and won’t change the fact Anna shot her. Anna says, it’s a fact she faces every day. She owes Charlotte and will do what it takes to bring her back to her mother, to her family, and hopefully a decent life.

Jack tells Colette, advice given and received. He’ll take it from here and handle the personnel. They have one chance to intercept Valentin.  Once Lulu finds Charlotte, it’s over, and Valentin will be in the wind and impossible to track.

Maxie tells Lulu, you know what else hasn’t changed? Them. They can do anything if they do it together. She’ll tell Lulu a secret. Spinelli is also working on finding Charlotte, and she knows he’ll find her. Lulu is getting her daughter back.

Carly asks why Jason is dismissing her. She’s the one with the connection to Jack. He listens to her. Jason says, Jack wants her to think he does because he has an agenda, and she says, he delivers when it counts. He saved Jason’s life. Jason says he owes Jack, but he’s not a good guy. Stay away from him. Carly says she trusts Jason’s instincts, but this time, she trusts hers more. Spinelli says he found an account that was accessed 32 hours ago in a Swiss bank. Jason asks if it couldn’t be accessed from anywhere, and Spinelli says, it could, but it wasn’t. Valentin is in Zurich.  

Tomorrow, Tracy says, it’s a Christmas miracle; Carly asks Olivia, what’s going on with Michael and Willow; Nina says, whatever Willow decides, she’ll support her; Michael tells Sasha, that is going to cost him dearly.

🧂 My Lost Shaker Of Salt…

So, no recaps available yet, but this show is getting painful to watch with the same arguments circling the drain and everybody talking yelling at once. Of course, most of it happened at a dinner party in a restaurant. They also tend to argue by just repeating what the other one said, with a minor tweak. For example, Meredith claiming Angie said something-or-other, Angie saying, is that what I said? and Meredith returning with, is that what you said? I swear this went on for ten minutes. The best part of that whole scene was waiter Carlos interrupting to take their drink orders. Like these women need drinks. Once again, I wondered how the waiter felt, but from the look on his face, I’d say, amused.

Bronwyn also got severely bitten by a dog at a dog park. Apparently, the owner was in his car making a call. Unreal. Britani told her, Chanel heals all wounds. I don’t know if that’s true, but I wouldn’t mind finding out.

There was also another chapter to Mary finding out her son was a drug addict. Mary is bringing it as a Housewife this season. She’s been open and focused, as well as funny, a far cry from seasons past.

https://people.com/real-housewives-of-salt-lake-city-mary-cosby-reveals-son-robert-jr-tried-heroin-amid-addiction-struggle-8760172

👠 Maybe It’s Karma…

While it could have been from the food, my guess is that it’s from all the fillers she’s pumped into her face, Botox injections, having fillers removed, more fillers put in, and so on. Something’s got to give at some point.

https://people.com/brandi-glanville-face-parasite-8759671

💎 Here Comes the Bride…

I love her and think she’s the perfect addition to RHOBH.

Jennifer Tilly’s Simpsons Connection and Marriage to Sam Simon Explained
RHOBH Star Jennifer Tilly’s Most Iconic Roles

🏆 They’re Golden…

The nominations.

Nominations

The snubs and surprises. I was more surprised at the snubs than the actual surprises.

https://people.com/golden-globes-2025-nominations-snubs-surprises-8757516

https://ew.com/2025-golden-globes-nominations-snubs-surprises-movies-tv-8757359

🍸 VanderLatest…

Yeah. I don’t see it happening.

Lisa Vanderpump Says Kyle Richards Was ‘Terrible Friend’ but Remains Open to Reconcile

She’s probably looking forward to shaking Schwartz & Scandoval.

Lisa Vanderpump Addresses Vanderpump Rules Recast Backlash

🐕 Her Alter Doggo…

I can’t wait to see this.

The feelings.

https://collider.com/nightbitch-motherhood/

The transformation.

https://ew.com/amy-adams-nightbitch-dog-transformation-no-american-werewolf-in-london-moment-8754844

The real puppin’ deal.

https://ew.com/how-nightbitch-team-trained-rescue-dog-named-amy-play-amy-adams-8756459

📜 Making a List…

Drop by tomorrow for soap and whatever sticks. Until then, stay safe, stay being respectful of others’ beliefs about the holiday season, and stay knowing that some things never change.

Dec5

December 4, 2024 – Jason Throws In With Anna, Salty Talk, Big Apple Bite, Two Movie Watch, Parade Pix, The Tree, Unconventional & Hazy

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

(The whole GH enchilada on Fridays; the other days, who knows?)

General Hospital

Ric and Ava meet at the PC Grill for a drink. Ava tells the server to put it on her tab, but Ric says she may want him to pay for his own drink, and she asks, why?

Molly goes to see Alexis, who tells her that Kristina is back in her own place. Molly says she’s sure Alexis is worried about Kristina, and Alexis says, before she was thrown out of the courtroom, it was excruciating to watch. She believes the jury will go for convicting Ava, and Molly asks if they were in two different courtrooms. There’s no way the jury is going to convict Ava.

Jordan meets Curtis in his office, and he says, Drew is going to double-cross him with Aurora. Jordan asks if he’s sure. Aren’t they friends? He says he thought so, until he heard Drew offer Michael the job.

Dante brings a six-pack of beer to the stables, and Cody asks, what’s up? Dante says he’s stupefied and stumped, and Cody asks if that’s why they’re drinking. Dante says, they’re going to drink to Lulu, and Cody asks if she’s still improving. Dante tells him, you could say that. She’s awake.

Anna tells Jason, now that Lulu is awake, they have to find Charlotte. She knows it’s on her that Charlotte went into hiding with Valentin, but she thought it was the right thing. She felt guilty about the shooting and was reckless. Jason says, she has to stop.

Laura goes into the apartment, sees Lulu, and drops all of her stuff on the floor. Lulu says, hi, mom, and they hug.

Dante tells Cody, it was classic Lulu. She wakes up from a coma, breaks out of Turning Woods, and hitchhikes here. Can he believe that? Cody says, yeah, he thinks he can. He picked up a hitchhiker, a petite blonde in a hoodie. He swore there was something familiar about her. Dante asks where he picked her up, and Cody says, when he was coming back from Beecher’s Corners. Dante says, that goes past Turning Woods. Didn’t Cody realize it was her? Cody says he thought she was still in a coma, and Dante asks what she said. Cody says, she told him some story about a fight with her boyfriend. She was quick, funny, and not entirely trustworthy. Dante says, a Spencer through and through, and Cody asks how he’s taking it. Dante says he’s figuring it all out. Lulu was asleep for so long, and now she’s awake and talking and Lulu again. It feels like some kind of miracle.

Lulu and Laura snuggle on the couch, and Laura says she knew Lulu would come back. She never gave up on her. Lulu says she can’t remember much, but she felt Laura’s presence when she was there. She still smells like mom. Laura says, good thing she remains loyal to her brand of perfume, and Lulu says she can’t believe it’s been so long. Laura says, she has a lot to absorb, but don’t get overwhelmed. She’s so happy Lulu is safe. Lulu says, maybe not. When she woke up, Cyrus was talking to her doctors. Laura says she’s sorry. He’ll never get close to her again. She’s taking out a restraining order. Lulu tells her that Lucky said Cyrus was her uncle, and Laura says, Cyrus is her half-brother. She made it clear that doesn’t give him the right to have a relationship with Lulu. Lulu says, so much has changed. She went to her house and found a little boy demanding to know what she was doing in his house. Laura says, Maxie lives there now, and Lulu says she knows now, but Laura is right. She’s missed out on so much. Like her dad. Laura says she’s so sorry, and Lulu cries. Laura says, her dad loved her so much.

Alexis says, Molly has a different view of how the trial went. She’s sorry she was removed. What happened after she was ejected? Molly says, the defense dad presented was masterful, and Alexis asks if she thinks he convinced the jury Ava was innocent. Molly says she doesn’t know, but he convinced her.

Ava asks Ric if she’s missing something. The jury saw that Kristina was unstable and she fell apart on the stand. That’s a good thing, right? He says he took a calculated risk. The jury may decide Kristina is an unstable, out of control liar or they might decide to go after the ruthless defense attorney who made a devastated, grieving mother cry.

Curtis tells Jordan that he’s not saying Drew owes him the position, but he wasn’t given a chance to show that he’s the best choice. Instead, Drew went behind his back and is closing him out. She says she doesn’t get it. Not only are they friends, Curtis has done a great job. Is it a family loyalty thing? He says, complicated Quartermaine stuff, and she asks what he’s not telling her. He says he doesn’t know why he’s protecting Drew. Something is going on between Drew and Michael’s wife. He said they just kissed, but Michael hinted at something more. Drew is trying to make it up to Michael. She says, by offering him Aurora, and Curtis says, and leaving him out in the cold. She says, collateral damage; unappreciated and undervalued.  

Jordan says she didn’t see that coming. She got the impression there was something between Drew and Nina. Curtis says, there’s something going on there too, and she says, and he’s involved with her daughter? It’s beyond messy. She’s sorry he got pulled in. He says, when Drew told him that he and Willow kissed, he said there were feelings involved. He warned Drew to back off, but Drew didn’t listen and he’s suffering the consequences. Michael wants him to help get revenge. She says, tread carefully and don’t trust Michael. He has his own agenda. Curtis says, Quartermaines playing Quartermaine games, and she says, if he wants to win, he needs to play them both. He says, she has a beautiful mind, when TJ comes in. He says, it looks like they’re in the middle of something, and Curtis asks if he’s okay. TJ says, it’s not a big thing, but he needs a place to stay tonight. He and Molly are taking a break.

Molly says, Ric used her testimony to establish how angry Kristina was when she got the subpoena. Then Ava spoke to Kristina’s state of mind. Alexis wonders why anyone would believe a word out of that woman’s mouth, and Molly says she’s no fan of Ava’s, but her story made sense. Kristina came there enraged and looking for a fight. Ava grabbed her arm, she tripped, and fell. Alexis says, maybe they had the wrong prosecutor, but Molly says, she did the best she could. The only reason it even went before a judge is because a child died and they want someone to pay. They’re not looking for justice. They’re blinded by revenge.

Cody says he’d be freaking out, and Dante says he was. He thinks he’s in shock. Lulu is alive and Sam is gone. Cody says, one can’t replace the other. He wishes there was something he could say or do. Dante says, it’s good to chat and have a beer. Brook runs in and tells Cody that she and Chase finally got some alone time. The next time her grandmother calls him, pick up, or there will be hell to pay.

Lulu tells Laura that she heard someone say, mom, and it was Rocco, her little boy instantly grown up. Laura says she knows it was a shock, but Rocco must be over the moon, and Lulu says she is too. Laura says, he’s grown up. They spend a lot of time playing Fortune Quest. She’s a gamer now and she’s pretty good. Lulu says she needs a minute to process and asks if Laura would mind calling Valentin. She wants to talk to Charlotte.  

Jason says, Anna let get Valentin get away, but she’s not responsible for his actions. He could have left Charlotte with Laura or stayed and faced the charges, but he chose to run. Anna says, Charlotte is missing because of her. She would have moved heaven and earth to find Robin, and now she put Lulu in her own position. Jason says he’s as much to blame as she is.

Laura says, there’s something she has to tell Lulu, when Doc comes in. He and Lulu hug, and he says, Laura told him that she was awake, but he wasn’t sure he believed it. They’ve been waiting so long. Lulu says she loves to make an entrance, and he asks how she feels. She must be overwhelmed. If there’s anything he can do, let him know. Laura asks, where’s Ace? and Doc says, he was having a good time with the nanny, so he said Ace could spend the night. That way, she and Lulu will have more time together. He goes to the kitchen to get something to eat, and Lulu asks, who’s Ace? Laura says, Nikolas’s son, her nephew, and Lulu says, Nikolas has another son and he’s living here? Laura says, sadly, Nikolas is in prison, and Lulu says, Lucky told her. What about Ace’s mom? Laura says, she died, and Lulu says, that’s awful, but Laura took him in. It’s amazing. How is Spencer coping with his new baby brother?

Ava asks, what happened to the lawyer she had coffee with this morning, who said they were going to win? Ric says he wanted her testimony to be confident and steady in contrast with Kristina’s, and she asks if he lied. He says he took an optimistic view, and she asks if it’s waned. He tells her to ignore him. He doesn’t like waiting for verdicts. There’s nothing to do but question every call he made. She says, it should lift his spirits that he got two of his desired outcomes already. Her testimony was confident and steady, and Molly has forgiven him for defending her.

Alexis asks if Molly is sure she’s not preparing herself in case Ava is acquitted, but Molly says she’s accepted it was an accident. If Kristina wants to blame Ava for the rest of her life, she’ll have to do it alone. She can’t anymore. Alexis says she hopes whatever the outcome, everyone is able to accept it and turn the page, and Molly says, that’s her plan. For so long she’s been angry, defensive, and bitter. It was time to realize that sometimes bad things happen and sometimes you lose the people you love. Alexis says she admires Molly, and if Molly is able to find peace, she’s glad. Molly thanks her for accepting that. TJ couldn’t.  

TJ says, Molly thinks he’s pushing her to feel grief like he is, and Curtis says, is he? TJ says he thought they could help each other, but Molly shut down, and Jordan asks if they’re growing apart. TJ says he doesn’t want to admit it, but the grief was too much. Where does that leave him? Jordan says, Irene was his baby girl. Don’t feel guilty for grieving however he needs to. Curtis says, grief is personal, and TJ says he tried to help. Curtis says, he stepped up, going to the courtroom with Molly, and TJ says, Aunt Stella convinced him to go. Not for Molly, but for himself. But hearing it was an accident, he wishes he hadn’t. Curtis asks if he blames Ava or Kristina, and TJ says, Kristina never should have gone to Ava’s hotel room. She’s been reckless and irresponsible her whole life. He didn’t want her to be their surrogate in the first place. Because of Kristina’s decision, their baby is dead. Molly decided it was a tragic accident. Jordan says, he doesn’t agree? and TJ says he doesn’t, and he told Molly, but he had to tell the truth. He doesn’t see how they can possibly find a way back, they’re so far apart.

Lulu says she can’t believe Spencer is gone without a trace, and Laura says, he loved Ace so much. Lulu says, Nikolas… what a turn of events, and Laura says, he gave into all of his worst instincts, but in the end, he did the right thing and turned himself in. He’ll be happy to hear from her. Lulu says, first she wants to call Charlotte, and Laura says, to the best of her knowledge, Charlotte is well and safe, but Valentin got into trouble and disappeared in July. Unfortunately, he took Charlotte with him. She’s so sorry.

Brook says, Tracy is blowing up her phone because Cody won’t answer, and Cody asks why she’s calling. Brook says she’ll just call Tracy back and say he’s too busy drinking beer, and Dante says, that’s Brook’s speed, ratting them out like in the old days. Cody says, like when she threatened to tell the camp counselors if they didn’t put the canoes back in the boathouse, and Dante says, they were just borrowing them. Brook says, they were stealing them, and looking at his phone, Cody says, Tracy has texted, called, and emailed. He suggests Brook take a beer back to Chase, but Brook says, Cody is going to need it when granny chews him out. Dante says he doesn’t know if she will when she hears the news, and Brook asks if everything is okay. Dante says, Lulu’s awake.

Laura says, Valentin did something illegal, and the FBI was going to arrest him, but he disappeared before they could. Lulu asks if the FBI or WSB are looking for Charlotte, and Laura says, both of them are and she’s using all her resources. She reached out to Anna and Anna is doing everything in her power to locate Charlotte. Lulu says she doesn’t know what Anna can do, since she and Valentin hate each other, but Laura says, that’s another thing. They were actually involved. Anna knows his patterns and habits. She’s the best person to track him down. Lulu says, Valentin is on the run again and putting Charlotte at risk. Charlotte doesn’t even know she’s awake. Laura says, they will get Charlotte back, she promises. She never gave up Lulu and she won’t give up on Charlotte. Charlotte will come back to Lulu.

Anna says she involved Jason. She asked him to hold up on giving Cates the phone so Valentin could escape. Jason says he takes responsibility for his own choices, but Anna says she took advantage of him and put Charlotte at risk. She has to make this right. He says she has to get past this guilt. She has to stop beating herself up. She needs to think clearly about what needs to happen next. She asks if he’s still in, and he says he’s in. They’re going to find Charlotte together.

Ava says she saw the look on Molly’s face during Ric’s closing argument. He convinced his daughter that her baby’s death was an accident. Ric says he wanted to give Molly peace, and Ava says she thinks he has. Please be straight with her. What is she looking at if she’s convicted? He says, maximum, 20 years, but a failsafe dropped in his lap. He suggests they raise a glass to it. Here’s to Ava’s real savior champion – Alexis Davis. Ava puts her glass down.

Molly tells Alexis, at least she and Kristina are communicating. Not like her and TJ.  

TJ tells Curtis and Jordan that they wore themselves out and stopped talking about anything that mattered. It was easier that way.

Molly says, they used to share everything. Something wasn’t real until she talked to TJ. She doesn’t know when that stopped being true.

TJ says they’d do anything to avoid a fight. Things got better the closer they got to Irene’s due date.

Molly says, they couldn’t wait to meet the baby. Once they held the baby in their arms, she thought it would close the distance between them.

TJ says he thought they’d be back where they started, as a family, being parents.

Molly says, but it didn’t happen.

TJ says, their world exploded. He doesn’t recognize them. He doesn’t know how to be Molly’s partner right now.

Molly says she wants to, but she can’t make TJ happy. She thinks the best thing to do is let him go. Alexis holds her.

Jordan hugs TJ.

Brook says she was not expecting great news, and Dante says, that’s why they’re having a couple of beers. Brook asks if Rocco knows, and Dante says, he had a nice reunion with his mom. She says she’s happy for him, and Dante says, the whole family. Brook’s phone rings, and she says, it’s granny again. She’ll call and let her know Hades is fine. Did they tell her about Lulu? Dante says he thinks they should let Lulu talk to Tracy, and Brook says, in that case, call Tracy back. She has business to attend to. She leaves, and Cody says he thought Brook would be happier, but Dante says, she and Lulu weren’t close. For one thing, back when he and Lulu were dating, Brook tried to break them up. Cody asks if Brook still wanted Dante back after all those years at camp.

Ric says, Alexis’s expulsion might give them grounds for an appeal or a mistrial, and Ava says she never thought she’d be grateful for that woman’s big mouth. They clink glasses, and she asks if Ric knew that would happen. He says he knows his ex-wife. He’s hoping an appeal is unnecessary and the jury goes their way. She says, he had the courtroom in the palm of his hand. The jury believed everything he said. So did she. Is he that good or does he finally believe in her?

Molly says, they wanted a baby so badly, without her, there’s nothing left, and Alexis says, sometimes grief brings people together; sometimes, it pulls them apart. Molly says, that’s exactly what happened. TJ thinks she’s rushing past it. Just because she’s not throwing herself on Irene’s grave like Kristina doesn’t mean she’s not feeling it. She’ll never stop grieving their baby and her last chance to be a mother. Alexis asks what she’s saying, and Molly says, this loss, this sadness changed her. She’s not the same person she was before. Alexis says, give it time. Feelings change as the pain lessens. Molly says she doesn’t want another child. She’s done.

TJ says he can’t force motherhood on Molly. She felt betrayed by her own body, but instead of processing that reality, she had her mind set on having a child by any means necessary. After they lost their first baby, he wanted to pause, but Molly was so determined and despondent. Enter Kristina. He just wanted to make Molly happy. He saw them together forever, raising a family, growing old. He never imagined a future without her. Curtis suggests maybe counseling, but TJ says he knows they can’t go on like this, so they’re taking a break. That’s what they’re saying, but it feels like the start of a separation. Jordan says she’s sorry, and TJ says he tried, but he feels hopeless. Jordan asks if there’s anything she can do, but TJ says, there’s nothing anyone can do. Curtis says he gives TJ credit for trying, but there’s something to be said for it being time to take a break from all that trying. TJ says, Aunt Stella told him to share his feelings with Molly. He wonders, what if he’d tried harder? Jordan asks if he believes that, but TJ says, no. He realizes how much he wants a family and Molly doesn’t. It’s a lot to overcome. He guesses they both have to start over.

Cody says, Carly paid Brook to break up Lulu and Dante? Did it work? Dante says, no, and Lulu has a very long, mean memory. He’s going to check on Rocco. Good luck with Tracy. Cody hands Dante a lollipop and says, if he sees Lulu, give her this and tell her that she owes him 20 bucks. Dante leaves and Cody laughs.

Ava says, Nina warned her about Ric, and he says, enlighten him. She says, Nina told her that he was a user, but she defended him. He says, for the record, he believes her, and she thanks him. She says, not a lot of people in this town do. It’s nice to hear it from time to time. He says he believes her.

TJ says he still wants the best for Molly. He wants her to be happy, but he doesn’t think he can make her happy. Curtis says, he did everything right. He was honest with himself and Molly. Jordan says, it will be painful because they still have love, and Curtis says, TJ has to figure out where he’s going to go. He’ll have to run it by Portia, but TJ is more than welcome to stay with them. Jordan says, or her, and TJ says he loves them. Jordan says, he’s not alone. Remember that.

Molly thanks Alexis for not telling her that she might change her mind, and Alexis says she trusts that Molly knows what she wants. She wishes she could take the losses from her. Molly says she knows Alexis is grieving too. Sam was the strong one, the one holding them up. She misses Sam. Molly cries, and Alexis says she misses Sam too. Molly says she needs Sam so much, and Alexis holds her as she cries.

Lulu puts on her shoes, and Laura asks where she’s going. Lulu says she’s going to find her daughter. She’s not letting Valentin take her again. She’ll start at Windymere. Laura says, there’s no one there. It’s been abandoned for over a year. (Um… Didn’t someone buy it from Ava for a skabillion dollars?) Lulu clutches her side, and Laura asks if it’s her incision. She calls to Doc, and Lulu says she needs to find Charlotte. Laura says she promises they will, but now she has to get Lulu to GH to make sure she’s all right. Don’t argue. She’s taking care of Lulu tonight.  

Anna thanks Jason, but he says he hasn’t done anything yet. She says, for having her back even when she’s in the wrong about something, and he asks if anyone’s ever told her that she’s too hard on herself. She says, it doesn’t matter. She hopes he has a new angle to pursue. Every lead she’s had goes to the same dead end. He says he has an idea, and she asks, what is it? He says he’s going to give Valentin an incentive to bring Charlotte back, and he leaves.

Tomorrow, Jordan says she can’t let Isaiah sigh that contract; Carly asks if Anna is saying Jason helped Valentin escape; and Jason offers someone an out.

🧂 You Got Salt In My Pepper…

I didn’t pay a lot of attention to this tonight, but I’m growing weary of people being kicked out or storming out of parties. Tonight it was Angie’s turn to get the boot from Meredith’s bas mitzvah for slut shaming Britani’s hair and then Britani. As Bowling for Soup so eloquently put it, high school never ends. Angie practically had to be physically extracted from the building, and in Lisa’s interview, she said, Angie remembers the reaction, but not what she did to provoke it. I absolutely know people who do this, although I call it, skipping over their part which started it. But my main question for tonight was, how is hair a little porn-ish? What does that even mean?

https://people.com/rhoslc-meredith-marks-has-angie-k-escorted-out-of-her-bat-mitzvah-8756319

Mary was also on Watch What Happens Live tonight.

How Mary Cosby’s Serious RHOSLC Chat With Robert Jr. Opened the Door for a Real Conversation

🗽 Traveling Back In Time…

In case you wanted more of the skinny on last night’s RHONY.

Real Housewives of New York Season 15, Episode 10 Recap: A Strictly Ballroom Affair

👀 Last Weekend’s Watch…

In addition to the too many series I have going on, I caught up on a couple of films I wanted to see. Civil War wasn’t the movie I thought it was from the clips I’d seen. It was less about the war than it was about the journalists covering it, but I wasn’t disappointed. I’d always identified most with Al on Fear the Walking Dead, how she kept filming for posterity, and I’m intrigued by journalists who get down in the trenches by choice. The thought of a civil war in the US is a scary one, and this film doesn’t explain the details, but we do know there’s a rogue president who’s in the White House for a third term and is doing whatever he likes, the Constitution be damned. One faction is out to kill him and another out to protect him. A lot of the war scenes are brutal, but the cinematics are brilliant, and the cast is stellar.

No spoilers.

‘Civil War’ Will Be Watched, and Studied for Years

Definitely spoilers.

https://screenrant.com/civil-war-movie-what-started-war-explanation-wish/

Excellent interview.

https://deadline.com/2024/11/civil-war-kirsten-dunst-interview-1236188167/

On the other hand, I was glad I only lost an hour and a half out of my life to watch I Saw the TV Glow. If you like artsy coming-of-age allegories, this one is for you. It wasn’t for me. Like We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, this had a great premise, but I wanted… more?… something else?… more horror, less allegory?  Was it too YA for me? I understand Martin Scorsese loved it and that it’s up for several Spirit awards, but I think better can be done to get the point across. The main characters, Owen, who’s on the spectrum, lonely, and neglected, and Maddy, who’s in the closet, lonely, and neglected, are obsessed with a TV show called The Pink Opaque. I actually loved the show within the show and would have liked to see more of it, especially the villain Mr. Melancholy, who was decidedly creepy. I was also moved by a poignant and telling scene where Owen sees the show again years later and it’s not what he remembered. It was a beautifully sad illustration of how we look at things with excitement and magic when we’re young, but when we’re older, we see how mundane they really are. So yeah, it had some great moments, but there were also stretches of nothingness that could have shaved a good twenty minutes off of the film. It might have been better served as a Black Mirror episode. I was a little unsettled when Maddy disappeared and all they found was her TV set. I’m hoping that won’t be me.

Oh, I’m also convinced that a lot of more recent shows/films take place in the 80s or 90s just so they can have a fabulous soundtrack.

https://www.avclub.com/i-saw-the-tv-glow-movie-review-1851326195

There will be spoilers.

https://gamerant.com/i-saw-the-tv-glow-ending-explained/

https://www.avclub.com/martin-scorsese-i-saw-the-tv-glow

☔️ Don’t Rain On My Parade…

Highlights from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I half-ass watched it, since I was cleaning up my email before the food commenced. My main takeaway point was, Ariana Madix needs to learn how to lip sync if she’s going to do this kind of thing. It was not a good look.

https://people.com/2024-macys-thanksgiving-parade-best-photos-8753195

https://macysthanksgiving.fandom.com/wiki/The_98th_Annual_Macy%27s_Thanksgiving_Day_Parade_(2024)/Gallery

🎄 No Escaping It Now…

If Black Friday didn’t do it, the holiday season has officially begun with the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. This is another event you’re better off watching on TV. I used to work in one of the buildings in Rockefeller Center, so I decided to stick around after work one year to watch. It’s nearly as crowded as Grand Central the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, which – take it from me – is as crowded as it gets. And good luck if you have to go to the bathroom.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/rockefeller-christmas-tree-lighting-2024-live-updates-rcna182186

This year’s tree.

https://people.com/sweet-story-behind-2024-rockefeller-center-christmas-tree-8756156

🦬 It’s Raining Orangutans and Bearded Dragons…

For the most part, don’t try this at home.

25 Unconventional Pets Owned by Celebrities

🐺 Winter: It’s Not Just For Starks Anymore…

Join me tomorrow for soap and whatever the airwaves bring. Until then, stay safe; stay making a holiday shopping list and staying committed to it; and stay never feeling guilty for grieving however you need to.

Nov23

November 22, 2024 – Michael Meets With Curtis About Aurora, What It Is, Not Dead, Salt Sprinkle, Finally, From Extra, A Valentine, Early Stages, MorePool, 7A, Thanksgiving For Pets (!), X Quotes & Never

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

(The whole GH enchilada on Fridays; the other days, who knows?)

General Hospital

At Bobbie’s, Sasha thanks Felicia and Mac for the invite, and Felicia says, it’s long overdue. Sasha says, so this is… Felicia says, their first family gathering, and Mac says, they just wanted to know how she’s doing with… Felicia says, the Cody situation, but Sasha says she really doesn’t want to… Felicia says, and the Robert situation, and Mac asks, how are things going in general?  And he wanted to give her this. He hands Sasha an envelope, and she asks what it is. He says, it’s from her dad.

In the nook, Dante asks the kids to go easy on him. Sasha’s got the day off and he’s no gourmet chef. Rocco says, he couldn’t even get a job at Bobbie’s, and Danny says, it’s breakfast. How bad can it be? Dante says he doesn’t know. You tell me. Rocco has a taste and says, actually, it’s not bad, and Scout says she likes it. The syrup is warm, and he even cut the French toast in little triangles. Dante and Scout high-five, and Danny says, mom told them it tastes the best that way. Jason walks in and sighs.

Trina has headphones on and is dancing around the apartment, when there’s a knock at the door. She doesn’t hear it, so Gio walks in. She turns and sees him and makes a startled squeal.

Michael is lifting the free weights at the gym, when Curtis comes in. Michael thanks Curtis for meeting him, and Curtis says, no problem. Although he was curious why Michael wanted to meet him here at the gym and not at the office. Michael says he wanted to have some privacy, and Curtis says, more private than their offices? Michael says he wants to get straight to the point. Whatever Drew told Curtis, whatever Drew promised him, he won’t be Aurora’s CEO for much longer.

Stella sees TJ at the hospital and says she didn’t expect him to be here today. He says, it’s his day off, but he had some paperwork he needed to catch up on. She says she can see that, but it’s not what she meant. She thought he’d be at the trial. He says he thinks Ava’s trial is the last place he should be.

Ric sees Ava in Bobbie’s courtyard and says, when Ava said she wanted to meet at Bobbie’s, he assumed she meant inside. She says she’s enjoying the fresh air while she can, and he says he told her, she’s going to win. She says, victory is all but certain, as long as she gives her testimony exactly right, and he says, which she will. She says, what if she doesn’t? and he says he doesn’t deal in hypotheticals. She says, all right. Here’s a fact. A baby is dead, and everybody blames her. So he has to be straight with her here. Does he really think she’ll be found not guilty?

Kristina walks into the courtroom and sees Molly. Molly asks if she’s ready, and Kristina says, damn right she’s ready. Molly says, if she’s nervous, they can… but Kristina says she’s not nervous. She knows exactly what to do. Molly says, great. And what exactly is that? Kristina says she’s going to get justice for their daughter, by putting Ava away for good.

Dante suggests they give Danny and Jason a minute and asks if Scout wants to show him that game she was talking about. Scout says, Stratego, and he says, let’s go set it up. She says, Danny is supposed to teach her how to play, and Jason says, he’s the expert? Danny says he’s got it on his phone. He’s obsessed. Jason tells him to go teach his sister how to play and he’ll talk to Danny afterwards. He could actually use some coffee. Danny says, he’ll be here, right? and Jason says he can count on it. The kids leave, and Dante says, they could be a while. Stratego gets a little complicated. Jason says, that’s fine. He wanted to talk to Dante anyway. Dante says, about what? and Jason says he wants to talk to Dante about Danny.

Mac says, Robert gave them the letter to give to Sasha. He didn’t want it to get lost in the Quartermaine mail. Sasha says, makes sense, and Felicia says, Robert was very sorry he had to leave just as they were getting acquainted. Sasha says, had to leave? and Felicia says, he thought he should do everything he can to help Holly. Sasha says, God knows her mother can use all the help she can get, and Felicia says, Sasha has every right to be upset with him leaving. Sasha says, it’s fine. Robert gave her his number and said she could call anytime. Him going away is actually a good thing. It gives her time to get used to the idea of having a father. Felicia says, her father thinks she’s owed an explanation and so do they.

TJ tells Stella that he’s in the process of accepting his loss. He wants to get to the point where he can think of Irene at peace without it causing him pain. Stella says, then he made the right choice, and if paperwork helps him keep his mind off the trial, so be it. He thanks her, but she says she has to ask, where’s Molly today? He says, she’s at the courthouse, and Stella says, Molly is at the courthouse on her own?

Trina says she didn’t even hear Gio knock. She had her music turned to alone-in-apartment level. He says, no kidding. He could hear her out in the hall. She says, he’s starting to sound like her dad. And no, he couldn’t. Gio tells her, saying he’s starting to sound like her dad doesn’t bother him at all. He doesn’t know Curtis very well, but he knows being like him is a huge compliment. As for her performance just now, she was killing it. She thanks him and says, it gets the blood pumping. And it helps her get in the right headspace to take on the day. It’s better without an audience, so please don’t take this the wrong way, but why is he here? He says he hasn’t seen her in a minute, so he just wanted to check in. So except for people showing up at her apartment and scaring her, is she doing okay? She says, other than that, yes and no, and he asks what she wants to start with. Yes, she’s doing okay, or no, not so much.

Molly says, while she’s all for bringing Ava to justice, it’s not going to be that simple, and Kristina says she’s got this. She prepared her testimony, she practiced, she’s going to remain calm on the stand. Molly says, that’s great, because the last thing she wants to come across as is… Kristina says, what? and Molly says, she can’t focus on her anger at Ava. They have to focus on the baby. Kristina says she knows that. The prosecutor has prepped her, and mom has coached her. Alexis told her all of Molly’s dad’s tricks. Molly says, not even their mom knows all of her dad’s tricks. He’s an expert strategist. He’s thought of everything. Including adding her to his witness list. Kristina says, she’s testifying? and Molly says, for the defense.

Ric says, she wants the truth? and Ava says, it’s better she knows in advance. He says, yes, it is. So he’s going to tell her here and now. They’re going to win. He guarantees it. She says, why? Is there new evidence? He says he doesn’t need new evidence, and she says, he paid off the judge. He says, she would have been billed for that, so no, and she says she appreciates his confidence, but they both know dead babies and grieving mothers play better on the stand than the town pariah. He says he’s telling her that he will win this case, because he needs to. He’s not going to let his daughter down.

Felicia asks if Sasha would like some privacy, but Sasha says, no. Please stay. She takes out the letter and reads: Dear Sasha, I’m writing because my brief message wasn’t nearly enough to explain why I had to leave. I’m sure you’ve heard; your mother is in some trouble – again. I’ve gone off with her to settle it – again. I’ll be back in Port Charles as soon as I can. I’m looking forward to getting to know you as my daughter. I hope you can forgive me for leaving on such short notice, and that you can forgive your mother for getting into yet another tricky situation. If you can rely on her to do anything, it’s that. However imperfect we may be, we’re your family. I look forward to seeing you. Take care, darling. Your father, Robert.

Jason tells Dante, in her will, Sam said she wanted Drew to have custody of both of her kids. At the time the will was written, he was presumed dead. Dante guesses that makes a little more sense, and Jason says he just wants to do what’s right by Danny. Dante asks what that looks like, and Jason tells him that Sonny said, fight to keep him. Dante says, of course (🍷), and Jason says he thinks he’s got a good chance of getting custody. Dante says, as he should. He’s Danny’s father. Jason says, but he doesn’t want to take Danny away from his sister or Rocco. At the funeral, he heard what Danny said. The three of them are family. Dante says, those kids love each other, but Jason is Danny’s father. He has to do what he feels is right. Jason says, he just lost his mother. He doesn’t want to take Danny away from his sister, but there’s no way that he’s going to hand Danny over to Drew. Dante asks what he’s going to do, and Jason says he knows what he wants to do, but he feels the right thing is to let Danny choose.

Curtis says he doesn’t know what Michael’s heard, but Drew has been very impressed with his performance at Aurora and has never said anything to him about asking him to step down. Michael says he knows Curtis and Drew are friends, but does Curtis really know who his friend even is? Drew will do anything to get what he wants. Curtis asks what Drew wants according to Michael, and Michael says his wife for one. Curtis says he doesn’t see what this has to do with Aurora or him, and Michael says, Drew tried to buy his silence by offering him Curtis’s job.

TJ tells Stella that he and Molly talked about her going to the trial. He tried to get her to stay home and expressed his concerns that it wouldn’t be healthy. Stella asks what she said, and he says, that she wants to see justice done if she’s going to accept the loss of their child. He gets it. She’s a lawyer. She says, and him being a doctor and knowing the medical facts of that awful day, he wants to stay away. He says he offered to go with her, but she turned him down. Stella doesn’t approve? She says, who is she to pass judgement on his relationship? and he says, it hasn’t stopped her before. She says she is concerned that Molly told him not to come because Molly is going to need him in that courtroom today.

Trina tells Gio, school’s going really great. She loves her classes. He says, all of them? and she says yeah. She has *iconography and she only understands every third word the professor says, but she still really enjoys it. He says he admires her positive attitude, and she says, thanks. She wasn’t always like this. She had to take some time off after Spencer died. He says, she did what she had to do to take care of herself, and she says, it’s what she had to do at the time, but after a while, she started feeling aimless and like she was outside of life, which made her feel even worse. He says, it’s like the difference between being on stage and being in the audience. If he’s on stage playing his violin, he might make a few mistakes while he’s at it, or he could be in the audience and not make any. He’d rather try. She seems like the kind of person who doesn’t just want to watch things happen either. She says, turns out, she’s really not. She’s got a full class load and feels focused and back in it. He says, and even on the days it kind of sucks, she’s still part of the action, and she says, that’s true. But when he says it like that, she kind of sounds like a superhero. He says, the Iron Songbird. She’s indestructible. She sings songs of beauty and justice to the masses. She says, that needs some work, and he says, so, Songbird… She says she’s not doing the Songbird thing, and he says, and? She says, Ava. Today’s Ava’s trial and she has to testify. He says, so does he, but they have nothing to worry about. All they have to do is tell the truth.

(*Iconography: the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these.)

Kristina says, Molly wasn’t even there when she fell. What could she possibly say? Molly says, her dad might not even call her, but if he does, he’s probably going to ask her about Kristina’s character, the type of person she is. Kristina asks, what type of person is she? and Molly says, intense… passionate, loyal… Kristina says, and? and Molly says, and sometimes she can be impulsive. Kristina says, so she’s hot-headed. That means she deserves to be pushed out a window? Molly says, of course (🍷) not, and Kristina says, okay, what else? Molly says, he might ask her if she blames Kristina for what happened or maybe instances in her past where she’s acted erratically. But whatever he asks, she has to give a true and honest account of the facts. Kristina says, no, she doesn’t, and Molly wonders if Kristina is asking her to lie on the stand. Kristina says, no. She’s saying Molly has to do whatever it takes to get Ava convicted.

Jason says he doesn’t want Danny to feel torn between him and his siblings, and Dante says, Jason’s son is a good dude. He’s got the best of Sam and Jason. Having said that, Danny’s taken some chances Dante wishes he wouldn’t have, but his heart is always in the right place. Jason says he hopes Danny knows he can be honest with him and doesn’t feel he has to say what Jason wants to hear, and Dante says, at the end of the day, it’s Jason’s decision, but he thinks Jason is doing the right thing by involving Danny in the conversation. For the record, Danny respects Jason too much to lie to him. Jason thanks him and says he just doesn’t want to make this any harder on Danny. Dante says he hears that. He’s trying to figure out where he and Rocco are going to live and he has no idea… They hear a crash from the foyer.

Scout looks at a mess of stuff all over the floor, when Danny and Rocco come in. She says, it was an accident, she swears, and Danny says, it’s okay. Rocco says he thought she was just going to set up a board while they finish their video game, and she says she’s sorry. She wanted to play Stratego, but she wanted to make Thanksgiving decorations. Danny says, at the same time? and she says she thought she could carry it all, but it slipped. Rocco asks why she didn’t wait for them. They said they’d be right back. She says she wanted to do it herself. Tracy’s going to be so mad. Rocco says, don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine. Danny says he doesn’t know. How are they going to clean up that paint?

Curtis says he’s having a hard time believing Drew would double-cross him, and Michael says he never thought Drew would come for his family. Curtis didn’t seem surprised about Willow and Drew. Curtis says, they seem fond of each other, but he didn’t think there was more to it than that. Michael says, there is. So Curtis has to ask himself, if Drew has no problem interfering in another man’s marriage, what else is he capable of? Curtis says, Drew asked him to run Aurora. Drew made no promises to him about keeping him on as CEO. Michael says, Curtis thought there was a possibility though, right? and Curtis says, Drew gave him that impression. Michael says, so he has Curtis work his ass off to build up Drew’s company, then turns around and gives it to him, and Curtis asks why Michael is telling him all this. Michael says, because he needs Curtis’s help. If they work together, they can get Drew out of Aurora for good.

Trina says she’s worried that if she tells the truth, the prosecutor will spin it to make Ava look guilty, and Gio says he’s sure she will. It’s her job, just like it’s the defense attorney’s job to spin whatever they say to make Ava look innocent. Trina says, but she is innocent. She knows Gio doesn’t believe that. He says he promises to keep an open mind and let the jury decide. And even if the jury says Ava didn’t push Sonny’s daughter and granddaughter out the window, that’s not the point. She asks how that can be beside the point, and he says, because his point is, she and Ava are friends. She has every right to support her friend. She says she’ll probably be the only one on Ava’s side of the courtroom, and he says, so she’ll have extra room to spread out. And this way, the courtroom artist will get a good look at her. So just make sure she looks serious and compassionate. Trina says she doesn’t know how that’s supposed to look, but she’ll try, and he says, it’s going to be good for the jury to see her standing by Ava, staying loyal to a friend who isn’t super popular right now. Trina says, she really isn’t, and he says, Trina is going to be doing the right thing, not the popular thing, and that’s a sign of good character. She says, he really is starting to sound like her dad.

Ava says, Ric took her case because he believes it’s an accident, but he’s defending the woman his daughter thinks is responsible for her child’s death. He says, but he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt, she’s not at fault. Whether she believes that or not, that’s exactly how he’s going to save his daughter. She says, so he thinks by convincing the jury that it was an accident, he’ll convince her as well, and he says, once Molly hears the testimony and sees the evidence, she’s going to come to the only possible conclusion. And that is, no one was at fault. Ava says, and if she doesn’t? but Ric says, she has to. Otherwise, she’s going to carry all that anger and pain for the rest of her life, and it will eat her from the inside out. She says, it sounds like he’s speaking from personal experience, and he says he knows his daughter, that’s all. Molly may believe that Ava being convicted will give her some kind of closure, but the only real closure in this case is acceptance. Kristina’s fall was an accident. The baby’s death was an accident. There is no one to punish. There is no justice to be exacted. It’s his job to make that clear to the jury, but mostly to his daughter. She says she hopes for both their sakes that his confidence is warranted, but whatever the outcome, does he think Molly will ever really understand why he defended her? He says, Molly may not understand it, but by making sure Ava goes free, he’s giving his daughter her life back.

TJ tells Stella that he and Molly have accepted they have different ways of grieving, so shouldn’t he trust that Molly will tell him what she needs? She says, but what if Molly thinks what she needs is going to hurt him? Then… He says, she’ll let him off the hook and she’ll go to the trial by herself to spare him. She says she just can’t imagine what it’s going to be like for Molly to be in that courtroom without him, and he asks if she thinks he should go. She says she knows it’s going to be painful for him, but with him and Molly together, they’re going to make it through.

Molly tells Kristina that she can’t perjure herself. She’d lose her job and her license. Kristina asks if she said anything about perjury. She didn’t. What she’s saying is, Molly can finesse the truth. She can give context, but be careful with her words. Molly says, if she’s too vague with her answers or dodges the questions, her dad is just going to treat her as a hostile witness. He’s an expert. He’s going to try and lead her exactly where he wants her to go. He’s going to try and get her to say exactly what he wants her to say. Kristina says, and she won’t do that, because she’s just as smart as he is. And because, like her and mom, Molly is one of the last Davis women, and this isn’t about them. It’s about getting justice for their baby girl. So they have to face Molly’s father head-on together and they have to win.

Rocco says, they came here to play Stratego, and Stratego’s about what? Danny says, strategy, and Scout asks how that helps them. Rocco says, they have to come up with one to clean this up, and Scout says, and no one will ever know. Danny says, right. So this is the strategy. He’ll handle the paint explosion, and Scout will gather the game pieces. Rocco says, awesome. He’ll handle the art supplies. Danny says, break on three, and they put their hands together. He says, one, two, three, break! and they throw their hands in the air. Dante and Jason peek into the foyer.

Sasha thanks Mac and Felicia, and Mac says, Robert also wanted her to know he’s doing everything he can to get back as soon as possible. Sasha says, good luck with that. Her mother has a way of spoiling even the best laid plans. Mac tells her, if he says he’s coming back soon, he means it, and Felicia says, in the meantime, they’d like to get to know her better as their niece. Sasha says, after years of being on her own, having a family seems wonderful, and Felicia says she’s glad to hear Sasha say that. Sasha says, growing up, it was mostly her and her grandmother, with occasional drop-ins from her mother. When she was little, they were kind of fabulous. She would drop out of the sky with gifts and incredible stories, but as Sasha grew older, she realized she wanted more from Holly. She wanted a family. Mac says, now she has one, and Felicia says, and not just the occasional breakfast at Bobbie’s. They have an open-door policy. Weekends, holidays… especially holidays. The more, the merrier. Sasha says she’s a little worried the Scorpio holidays might not be so simple. Cody is Mac’s son. Mac says, he is. He’s taken what happened between the two of them very hard. Felicia says, what about Sasha? They know this can’t be easy for her. Sasha says, it’s been impossible. Maybe it’s better for everyone if she just keeps her distance.

Curtis says, Michael wants to run Drew out of his own company, and Michael says, is it really his company though? Curtis says, he founded it, and Michael says, and he vanished shortly afterward. He ran Aurora when Drew was gone, and when Drew was out there running for congress, Curtis was the acting CEO. Curtis says, his point? and Michael says, his point is, they know a hell of a lot more about this company than Drew does. So they should use that knowledge to force him out. Curtis says he gets how this is revenge for Michael, and maybe from his perspective, it’s warranted, but where’s the advantage for him? Michael says, instead of acting CEO, Curtis will get the official title and the power that comes with that, and Curtis says, that’s assuming all of this is true. Michael says, it is true. Drew told him that he’s the most qualified to run Aurora, which means that Drew knows that he knows Drew’s gotten too close to Willow. So Drew offered him the company as a way to make amends. It’s basically a payoff. Drew thinks Michael’s not going to care that he’s going after his wife if he’s distracted with the company and the right letters on his door. It shows how little Drew knows about him. Curtis says, he’s jumping to a lot of conclusions, and Michael says, it’s Curtis’s call. It’s not like Drew is going to fire him. He’s going to keep Curtis on, but he’s never going to be CEO. Not unless they work together.

Ava says she doesn’t care how or why Ric wins, as long as he does, and Ric asks if she’s had enough fresh air. She says, for now, and he says, good. Get used to it. She has a lot of sunny days in her future. They walk out of the courtyard together.

Kristina says, tell her she’s wrong, and Molly says, she’s wrong… usually. But this time, she’s right. She’ll go up there and give as good as she gets, and if she says something damaging about Kristina while under oath, the prosecution can rebut. Kristina takes Molly’s hands and  says, yes. This is about their daughter. They’re going to get through this together for her, for their baby girl. Molly says, for their baby girl, and Kristina says, mom’s going to be here soon. When’s TJ getting here? Molly says, he’s not coming. She can’t ask him to relive what happened to their daughter. She has to be here; he doesn’t. TJ walks in, and Kristina asks if she’s sure about that. Molly turns and sees him.

Dante closes the living room door, and says, he told Jason they make a good team. Jason says, they really do have each other’s backs, and Dante says, now more than ever. Jason says, Sam was right. Those kids need each other. They need to stay together. Dante says, they do. So what does that mean for Jason? Is he going to give Drew custody? Jason sighs.

The kids continue to clean up, when Dante and Jason come out. Dante asks, what happened here? and Danny says, it’s their fault. Scout says she’s sorry, but Jason says, it’s okay, and Dante says, no one’s in trouble. They’re going to help them clean it up. Scout says, what if Tracy walks in before they finish? and Dante says he doesn’t want that to happen either. They’re definitely going to get this done before that, but first, they wanted to talk to the kids about where they’re going to live.

Felicia says, they understand how complicated the situation is with Cody, but the more Sasha lives with it, the more she’ll grow to accept it. Sasha says she tried to tell Cody the same thing. They had a real connection and it’s really hard to put all those feelings aside. To make an overnight switch from almost involved to cousins… The more they live with it, the less awkward it will seem. That’s her theory anyway. Felicia says, that’s a good way to look at it, but Sasha is right. It won’t be easy, but she’ll get there. In the meantime, she and Mac would never ask her to do anything she didn’t want to do. Mac says, if she needs time to get to know them, they’ll respect that, and Felicia says, and always know she has an aunt and uncle. If she needs anything, call them. If her car battery dies, call Mac for a jump. Mac says, you do that. And when Felicia makes Sunday dinner, they’ll have a place set for her, but she gets to decide if and when she shows up. Felicia says, zero pressure, but Mac says he has to warn her, when she does decide to start coming, Felicia might suggest she bring dessert. But don’t worry. Store bought is just fine. Felicia says, they mean it. Take all the time she needs. Sasha thanks them. She’s overwhelmed. Felicia asks if she has some concerns, and Sasha says she does. And they’re not just about Cody. She’s worried she won’t be the niece they expect. Felicia says, they consider Holly family. Does she really think they can’t roll with the surprises? Sasha says, it’s just that she’s never had family like this before, and Felicia says, now she does. And they’re not going anywhere.

Curtis says, this is a big step, and not just professionally. Drew’s his friend. Ordinarily, he’d say he knows Drew better than he knows Michael. Michael says, he’d be wrong. Drew is only out for Drew. To be fair, he thinks that sending Curtis back to head the division he built in the first place isn’t a double-cross. He sees it as a lateral move. What does Curtis think about that? Curtis says he thinks Michael cares a hell of a lot less about his position at Aurora than Michael cares about what is or isn’t happening with Drew and Willow. Michael says, they’re lying to him. He knows what they did. And he also knows Drew is stringing Curtis along. Curtis says, the fact that Michael is out for revenge is not inspiring a lot of confidence, and Michael says, Curtis cannot remain CEO without his help. Curtis says, okay. Michael says that Drew offered him the job. What happens if he turns it down? Michael says, Drew wants someone with C-suite experience. No matter what he does, Drew isn’t going to keep Curtis on. He’s sure Drew will keep him on as CEO until he’s sworn into congress on January 3rd. He needs to put all of his assets into a blind trust. Then he’s going to look Curtis in the eyes and smile at him and say, thank you for a job well done. Then when he’s safely squared away in DC, he’ll send Curtis back to Wellness. Curtis says, maybe, but Michael says, it’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when. Let’s face it, you and I are in the same position. Are we really going to let Drew get away with this?

Gio puts Trina’s headphones back on her head and turns on the music. She dances around, but says, they’re not doing the Songbird thing. He laughs and dances with her.

Molly hugs TJ and asks if he’s sure he wants to be here. He says, whatever happens here today, they’re facing this together. He loves her. She says she loves him too, when Ava and Ric walk in. Kristina and Molly look at Ava.

Jason says, the main thing is that the kids stick together because they’re a family, and Dante says, and they know Sam wanted them to be together. Rocco says, how’s that going to work? They’re… Dante says he knows they’re not related, but Jason and he talked and came to the conclusion that no matter where they are, they want them to be in each other’s lives. Danny asks how they’re going to make that happen. Is it even possible? Rocco says, isn’t Drew going to go to Washington? Isn’t Scout going to have to live with him? Scout says she doesn’t want to live in Washington. She already told her dad, and he said it was okay, that she could stay here, and he could commute. Jason says, that’s one problem solved, and Dante says he’ll talk to Monica about him and Rocco staying on here with these punks. Danny says, what about Jason? and Jason says he’s going to move back here too, so he can live with Danny. Danny hugs him.

Curtis says he’s not going to turn his back on a friend. At least not on Michael’s word alone. Michael says, all right. If Drew decides to keep Curtis on and changes his mind, Curtis has his full support. Curtis says, but Michael doesn’t think he will, and Michael says, no, he doesn’t. He’s sorry. Curtis says, it’s a lot to think about. If Drew does give the CEO position away to someone else, then he and Michael will talk.  Michael says, that’s all he asks, and Curtis says, but let’s be clear. Michael is upset. He has every right to be furious at Drew, but he’s operating out of revenge, and that’s not the way Curtis does business. Michael says, all the more reason why Curtis should remain CEO. He’ll be expecting Curtis’s call, but he should be careful. Because when he finally sees Drew for who he really is, it might be too late. Curtis says he has his eyes open, and Michael leaves.

Kristina sits down and glares at Ava. Ava looks at her and then turns around.

In the hallway, Ric says he called Molly last night, and she says she saw, but she was too busy looking at that subpoena he had thrown in her face. He says he was hoping she’d give him a minute to explain, and she says she would have, if he’d reached out before sending a process server. He says he had no other choice, but she says, there were other ways to mount his defense. He didn’t need to list her as a witness. TJ flies over to her side and says, Ric called Molly to testify on Ava’s behalf? Ric says, it’s his responsibility to defend his client, but TJ says, no. It’s a lawyer’s responsibility. Molly says, and it didn’t have to be his, and she and TJ walk into the courtroom.

Sasha says, thanks so much for the breakfast and the letter and everything, and Felicia says, it was their pleasure. Mac says, absolutely, and Sasha says, there is one thing they should know about her… She will never bring a store-bought dessert. They laugh, and Felicia says, told ya.

Sasha leaves, and outside Bobbie’s, she takes a pregnancy test out of her purse.

On Monday, Drew tells someone that they’re the future, not Curtis; Curtis tells Jordan that this has to stay between them; Ric says, by the time this trial is over, they’ll know that beyond a shadow of a doubt; and Cyrus tells Lulu, don’t worry. He’ll take care of her.

🩺 A Report On the Report…

I’m leaning toward the Cyrus theory, but you never know with this show. He could just be a red herring.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/what-is-digitalis-and-how-did-it-kill-sam-on-general-hospital

🧴 Glad To Hear It…

God forbid he should be away from social media for a minute.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/ghs-adam-huss-promises-hes-not-dead

🧂 Beyond the Salted Rim…

I’ll pass on the lavender ice cream.

https://pagesix.com/2024/11/20/entertainment/rhoslc-star-mary-cosby-reveals-truth-behind-fallout-with-meredith-marks/

💸 Surprised Not Surprised…

Not surprised they’re divorcing. Surprised it took so long.

Ashley Darby Officially Files for Divorce; Settlement Already Agreed

🐦‍⬛ Look Out For That Tree…

This guy’s reviews are the best, but he hadn’t posted until midweek, so it got left out. Be sure to check out his vlog on YouTube.

FROM Season 3 Episode 9 Review: Twists, Laughs, and Pure Chaos

🐝 What’s the Buzz…

Aww. A Valentine’s gift.

Yellowjackets Season 3 Premiere Date Revealed (and It’s Perfect Timing)

Geez. Why don’t we go back to Lord of the Flies while we’re at it.

https://ew.com/yellowjackets-accused-of-ripping-off-2015-film-eden-lawsuit-8746649

🐉 Standing Corrected…

I honestly thought they were just blowing smoke about this.

https://ew.com/game-of-thrones-movie-in-development-early-stages-hbo-warner-bros-8738039

🦸‍♂️ Everybody’s Favorite Merc…

He coulda been a contender. I actually think this is a brilliant idea.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/deadpool-and-wolverine-mcu-canon

I wonder how many years before we see this one… if we see this one.

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-wolverine/rumor-we-may-know-when-the-deadpool-wolverine-sequel-will-be-released-by-marvel-studios-a214594

Yes! It’s just what we need this holiday season.

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadpool/deadpool-wolverine/deadpool-and-wolverine-star-ryan-reynolds-appears-to-confirm-plans-for-a-new-holiday-special-a214683

🍼 Forgotten Watch…

I forgot I watched this last weekend. Apartment 7A equals Rosemary’s Baby plus The Omen plus A Chorus Line plus Diane Weist doing her best Ruth Gordon impersonation. It wasn’t awful, but you might be better served at watching the original films it sampled from. And when are these people going to learn that you don’t get an NYC floor-through apartment for $5 a month?

Apartment 7A Review: A Dull Rosemary’s Baby Prequel?

🦃 Thanksgiving, Not Just For Pilgrims Anymore…

For those who are cooking turkey. My advice, better safe than sorry. Get your pets something special, but don’t give them any of the Thanksgiving dishes for people.

https://people.com/thanksgiving-foods-safe-for-pets-dogs-8750505

For those who want to save a turkey. I’m not a vegetarian, but personally, I bypass the turkey, which I can eat anytime, for the more once-a-year type stuff.

https://people.com/rescue-turkey-loves-listening-to-taylor-swift-8749817

For those who want to dress their dog like a turkey.

https://www.coohom.com/article/diy-thanksgiving-dress-up-dogs

For those who want to see dogs and cats dressed like turkeys.

https://people.com/pets/gobble-gobble-thankful-cats-and-dogs/

🦉 Quotes of the Week

If a zombie bear isn’t the problem, what is? – Doc (Russell Hodgkinson), Z Nation

Your dream is a reality that is waiting for you to materialize. Today is a new day. Don’t let your history interfere with your destiny. Learn from your past so that it can empower your present and propel you to greatness. – Steve Maraboli

Don’t call me a bitch when I’m upset. – Shekinah Garner, 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way

Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. – Lou Holtz

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the eons, it’s that you can’t give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it. – Rick Riordan

My songs will pass and be forgotten. What counts, however, is that I sang them. – Father Andrew Greeley

The one that stirs the pot should lick the spoon. – Chris Combs, 1000-lb sisters (I’m not quite sure what he means by this, but it sounds about right.)

I could iron now for days. I love to iron. – a grandmother after smoking weed for the first time. She inhaled. – from The Daily Skimm

Of course I’m taking this seriously. I’m coming to Poland, aren’t I? – Joe Coan, 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days

If your goal is to enjoy some genuine joie de vivre this holiday season, keep in mind that the simplest acts of generosity, connection, and self-care can offer the biggest rewards. – 11 Ways to Experience Holiday Joy

🌽 Bountiful Harvest…

Experience something new this weekend and stop by on Monday for soap and Sailing. Until then, stay safe, stay shopping early if you’re hosting Thanksgiving (not the day before), and stay knowing that sometimes the only real closure is acceptance.

Nov13

November 12, 2024 – Holly Decides To Leave Port Charles, Twice the Farewell, A New York Minute, Weekend Watch, Strange Climber & Time

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the Surf Lodge, Trina bumps into a guy, while she’s carrying drinks back to the table she’s sharing with Josslyn. She spills some on him.

Jason meets Elizabeth at the Brown Dog Bar, and she thanks him for meeting her. He asks if she’s checking on him, and she admits she is. She wanted to see how he was doing after Sam’s death.

Lucky finds Laura at the hospital, and asks, what’s going on? Laura says, it’s Lulu, and he asks if she’s okay. She says, that’s the problem. She doesn’t know, but Dr. Robinson has an update. It’s about time they got some information.  

Robert walks into Diane’s office, and she says, he resurfaces. The man, the myth, the legend. She’s thinking he’s more myth than man lately, because he’s a hard person to reach. He says he’s sorry he hasn’t been available. There’s been a lot going on. She says she’s all ears.

Holly goes to Anna’s office, and Anna says she’s done for the day, but Holly asks Anna to hear what she has to say. Anna says she’s spent the entirety of her day cleaning up Holly’s mess. She has an exploded warehouse, massive overtime she has to account for, and the press breathing down her neck. It’s just the wrong time, wrong place. If Holly has more chaos that she needs assistance with, Anna suggests she see Robert. Holly says, Robert can’t help her, and Anna says, can’t or won’t? Maybe what happened with Sasha is just too much. Holly says she can’t go to Robert. She needs Anna’s help alone. Anna asks, why? and Holly says, because she’s about to disappear on them both.

Trina apologizes, but the guy says, it’s all good. She goes to sit with Josslyn, and the guy sits with his friend. The friend says he thought the guy was leaving to stretch his legs, but the guy says he’s feeling better. He looks over at Trina.  

Trina says she’s an idiot, and Josslyn asks if she knows who she was talking to. Trina says, no. Should she? Joslyn says, he’s the QB1, and Trina says, Obi Wan? Josslyn says, he’s Kai Taylor, PCU’s star quarterback. He might take them to the playoffs. She talks a bunch of football stuff and tells Trina that he’s amazing. Trina asks if she said Kai Taylor. She knows that name. She stares daggers at Kai.

Jason says, there have been a lot of distractions since Sam died, and Elizabeth says, that can be a good thing. He says, it doesn’t feel real. He wants to do what’s best for Danny and find them a place to live, but he and Scout just had their whole world turned upside down and he doesn’t want to separate them. She says, Sam would want them to stay together. Rocco too. He says, they’re family, and not just to him, Drew, and Dante, and she says, it’s complicated. Where are they now? He says, the Quartermaines, and she suggests maybe he move in there too. He said himself that he’s Danny’s only parent now. Danny needs him, so don’t let anyone talk him into giving Danny up, including himself.

Lucky and Laura sit in Portia’s office, and Portia tells them that Lulu’s recovery is a success so far. She lists the medications Lulu is on, and Laura says, it sounds like a lot, especially after medication damaged her liver, but Portia says, they’re monitoring her closely. She’s tolerating the medication with no sign of rejecting the liver. Laura asks, what’s next? and Portia says, Lulu should be ready to be transferred in two weeks. Laura says, that sounds fast, but Portia says, now that she’s stabilized, Lulu will be more comfortable in assisted living. She understands that they’re not taking her back to Silver Waters. Laura says, not after what happened. They agreed on Turning Woods. It’s closer to Port Charles, and it’s gotten good reviews from people they know. Portia says, it’s an excellent facility, and Laura thanks her for everything, including Isaiah doing the operation. It took a village. Portia says she’s glad it was a success, and Laura thanks her again.

Robert tells Diane that he didn’t mean to drop out. It’s been a lot to process. He’s still processing. She says she’s about to make it a whole lot easier on him. She likes him – a lot. She thinks he’s a really good guy despite his rascally grumpy ways. He says he’s not grumpy, and she says, okay. When they decided to give this a go, she gave him an ultimatum. All or nothing. She refused to come in second. She looked at it like a contract and he agreed to her terms. They began their courtship and she hasn’t regretted it. He says, neither has he, and she says, but love isn’t a contract, and despite his best efforts, he’s still in breach because he loves Holly Sutton, not her. He can’t stop it, even if he tried, and he shouldn’t have to.

Holly says she’s leaving, and Anna asks if she doesn’t feel like she should stick around for Sasha, but Holly says, Sasha is better off without her. And she needs to attend to this. She shows Anna a diamond, and Anna says, of course (🍷). She should have known Holly would take care of herself first. Holly says, it’s her best chance at freedom, and Anna says, unless Sidwell finds out. Holly says, Sidwell is the least of her worries, and Anna asks, what’s the most? Holly says she needs to convert the diamond to cash. Then she’s going to buy in to a high stakes poker game. Anna says she can’t risk it. The cash will keep her comfortable for a while. She needs to be smart and invest in things that have longevity. Holly says she has no time to wait for stocks to mature. Her life is on the line. She owes a huge debt and needs a lot of money. Anna asks who she owes the debt to, and Holly says, a criminal syndicate. The diamond she stole is going pay her debt. If she doesn’t pay… Anna says, she’s as good as dead, and Holly says, not just her. Robert and their daughter.

Laura tells Lucky that things are moving, and he asks if she doesn’t want them too. She says he wants to keep Lulu with her.  

Holly explains that when she got involved with the criminal enterprise, she was freelancing for the WSB, and Anna says she’ll call Jack. He can deal with the Bureau and get them to pay her tab. Holly says she just came from Jack’s office. The WSB disagrees with their level of liability. She was hoping Jack would advocate for her, but his best offer was a ride out of town so she can disappear. Anna says, they hung her out to dry. Is that why she linked up with Sidwell? Holly says, it’s not because she had feelings for him. It’s probably best Anna doesn’t know any more. Sidwell was going to be her biggest score. She was going to use it to pay off her debt, take care of Sasha and Ethen, and retire. She was thinking of a villa in Italy. Anna says, she’ll never retire, but Holly says she’s been curious about hobbies… Anna asks if Holly came here thinking she’d help fence the diamond, but Holly says, what she wants is for Anna to look after Robert.

Robert says, Diane is wrong if she thinks he doesn’t love her, and she says she believes him. And she believes what he feels for her is separate from what he feels for Holly. But she had to be honest with herself. Sam’s sudden death made her think about all the possibilities life has in store for her. She doesn’t want to spend one second as someone’s consolation prize. He says, that’s not what this is, and she says she’d be a wonderful partner for him, but he wouldn’t make a wonderful partner for her because she’s not Holly. She wants someone to look at her the way he looks at Holly. Her very expensive advice is for him to find Holly and make it work this time. He deserves happiness. Off with him. Go find her. Don’t let her get away.

Trina asks if Josslyn is sure his name is Kai, and Josslyn says, yes. Everybody knows, present company excluded. Trina says she doesn’t believe it, and stomps over to Kai’s table. She says she needs a word, and he asks if they’ve met. She says, if he bothered to show up to Art History class or reply to her project emails, they would have met. But he decided to leave her hanging with their assigned project and if it affects her grade, they have a problem.

Anna says she can understand Holly being worried and focused on her own safety. She’ll call Jack and see if he can give her protection. Holly says, he’s putting her on a plane to Lisbon. It was her only option. Anna says she thinks Holly will be more exposed in Europe and should consider staying in Port Charles. It would be more difficult to get to her here and she has more resources. Holly says she can’t risk putting Robert and Sasha in danger, not after she ruined Sasha’s life. She needs to give them some distance. Sasha needs her to give them some distance. She loves Robert. Anna can doubt what she likes, but never doubt that. That’s why she’s asking Anna to look out for Robert. Anna says she would even if Holly hadn’t asked. They have history and he’s family. She loves him too. Holly says she knows, and Anna says, if Holly is thinking of disappearing, she should be honest. Go see Robert and talk to him. Tell him where she’s going. And if she can’t do that, then just tell him goodbye. She thinks Holly owes him that.

Robert leaves Diane’s office, and Diane quietly cries.  

At the Brown Dog Bar, Lucky asks if Elizabeth minds if he joins her. She says she’d be mad if he didn’t.

Holly goes to Robert’s office, but it’s empty. She takes a piece of paper and pen out of his desk and writes, My darling Robert… She flashes back to telling him that there’s never been a moment she’s loved anyone more than she loves him right now and kissing him. She writes, I hate to say goodbye again, but I must. My love for you always, Holly. She puts a kiss on it and folds it.

Elizabeth says she heard Lulu is recovering well, and Lucky says he wishes Lulu’s life hadn’t cost Sam hers. Elizabeth says her too. She’s coming to terms with it like everyone is. He says, none of it played out how he thought it would. He thought he’d fly in and save the day. It turns out the real heroes were here all the time. Elizabeth says, you know what they say. Not all heroes wear capes.

Anna meets Diane at – where else? – the Brown Dog Bar, and suggests the server just line them up. She asks if Diane’s emergency has anything to do with Robert, and Diane says, the one and only. Does Anna ever have regrets over losing Robert? Anna says she never lost him. He’s been a continual pain in the neck for most of her life. She doesn’t mean to make light of it. Clearly something happened. Diane says, yes, Robert left an indelible impact on her life, and Anna says, her life will go on.

In the nook, Jason asks how Danny is doing, and Danny says, fine, all things considered. He’s surprised how normal is feels living at the Quartermaines. It used to feel temporary a lot of the time. Jason says, because his mom picked them up, and Danny says, it’s strange going back. He doesn’t know where home is without mom.

Kai says, he’s taking Art History? and Trina says she can’t imagine there’s two Kai Taylors. He says he doesn’t set his schedule, and she says, he doesn’t know what classes he takes? He says he has a tutor who takes care of his academic stuff, and she says, he gets to pass class without showing up and doing the work so he can throw a football around. Kai’s friend says, they’re undefeated. Kai is going to the NFL. Trina says she heard. His name is attached to her Art History project, and he’s responsible to do his part. Kai’s friend says, he has no time for class, and Trina says she can see that, and walks back to her table.

Lucky tells Elizabeth, now that Lulu is stable, she doesn’t need him. He was thinking of heading back to Africa. He’s sorry. He can’t stay in Port Charles.

Jason says he’s sure Danny is wondering how his living situation is going to change, but Danny says he’s pretty sure he knows. Rocco overheard Grandma Alexis and Dante talking, and Grandma Alexis wants them to live with her. Jason asks if that’s what he wants, and Danny says, what he wants is impossible. Jason says, he doesn’t know until Danny tells him, and Danny says he wants them all to stay together. Rocco too. Rocco’s not technically family, but he’s like Danny’s brother. Jason says, they are family, and Danny says, they’re family because of mom. If he can’t stay here, does Jason think he can live with him?  

Laura massages Lulu’s hand and says, she has to let her new liver get to work and keep making her stronger. She’s not giving up on Lulu. She never has and never will.

Anna asks if it has to do with Holly, and Diane wonders what the hold is Holly has on Robert. Anna says, it beats her. She doesn’t understand it, but their bond is unique. Diane says, one for the ages. Her life will go on. Anna says she’s living proof, and Diane says she’s strong and independent… Anna says, gorgeous, and Diana says, and gorgeous. That’s what she told Robert. Anna asks, what happened? and Diane says, he came to her office. She could tell he wanted to break it off, so clever girl she is, she made it easy and beat him to the punch. Anna says, she might want to rethink that. Holly is leaving town tonight.

Holly waits at the airstrip, and calls Sasha. She gets voicemail and thanks Sasha for unblocking her number. She wants to say that she has to leave town. She wants Sasha to take good care of herself. Get to know Robert. She has a lovely, big family now, and they’ll take care of her. She’s sorry she can’t do it herself. She’s sorry about how things were left. Sasha is strong and capable, and she knows Sasha will find her way. She’s leaving to keep her safe. It’s the best she can do for her right now. If she can try to find a way, please forgive her, and don’t forget how much she loves her. Until they meet again, bye. The pilot tells her, everyone is on board. They’re almost ready for takeoff. Holly says she needs to make one quick call, and he says, hurry. She calls Robert and he picks up. She asks if he got her note, and he says, yeah. She’s leaving without seeing him. She says she wanted to. She came to his office, but he wasn’t there. Please believe her. She didn’t want to leave without seeing him. He says, in that case, turn around. She does, and there he is.

Trina tells Josslyn, he didn’t know what classes he has and has no time for email. Josslyn tells Trina that she’s not saying it’s right, but sometimes it happens with these guys. He’s a top player in the league and is going pro. His schedule is packed with training and practice. His entire focus is on football. It’s like a full-time job. Trina says she’s glad that impresses Josslyn. Her full-time job is getting a GPA and she’s not going to let Obi Wan affect her grade. She’s going to ask the TA for a replacement.  

On the phone, Kai says he wants to access his school email and let him know what classes he’s enrolled in. His friend asks why he’s letting that girl get to him. Who cares about art class? He’s golden. Kai says, not if he’s messing with her grade. He’s got to figure out something. His friend leaves.

Elizabeth says, if Lucky can’t stay and he’s headed back to Africa, safe travels. She gets up to leave, but he puts his hand on her arm. He says he didn’t mean to upset her. He knows she’s thinking about Aiden. He is too, but he doesn’t know what good he is to Aiden. She says, he’s Aiden’s father, but he says, not for most of Aiden’s life. She says, now he has the chance. It’s not her job to beg him to stick around and he’ll do what he wants anyway. He says, hear him out. He came back to save Lulu’s life. It was never his intention to stay. She says, the heroes he spoke of, Sam was a hero. She risked her life to save his sister and now she’s dead, leaving two heartbroken children. Does he realize what Sam would give for one more hour with her babies, or what they’d give to hug their mom? If he did, he wouldn’t be asking for her understanding or her blessing. He can hop back on a plane and abandon his child again, the son who loves him, who lights up when Lucky says something that sounds like support or praise. He hasn’t had that from his father most of his life, so no, Lucky isn’t getting support from her. Leaving Port Charles is on him. God forbid he should pick his loving boy over his next great adventure. She leaves.

Jason tells Danny that he’s not saying Danny can’t live with him, but they don’t have to make a decision just yet. There are a lot of things to take into account. Danny says, Grandma Alexis and Dante… and Jason says, and his mom. She’d want him and Scout to be together. Danny says he can’t leave Scout. She’s young and she just lost her mom. She needs him. Jason says, he’s a great big brother. He’ll talk to everybody, and they’ll do right by them. That’s the most important thing. No matter where they live, Danny’s got him. No matter what.  

Laura says she has to confess it’s not easy visiting Lulu. She’s lying in bed when she was always active. She thinks Lulu ran before she could walk, and she didn’t stop when she grew up. She lived fast and furious. She’s been sleeping a long time now and they have a debt to pay. Sam is gone. She died after the surgery. Sam was so much like her – tough, beautiful, smart, brave and feisty. She loved her kids as much as Lulu loves hers. Now part of Sam lives on the inside of her. They have so much to be grateful to Sam for. They can’t let her gift be given in vain. Lulu must wake up now. Come back to me, my brave, beautiful, strong daughter.

Holly asks if Robert got her note, and he says he did. She asks how he found her, and he says, give him some credit. He called Jack, who’s maybe a sentimental softie. Holly says she doubts it. She thanks him for coming to say goodbye and not holding it against her. He says he didn’t come to say goodbye. He’s coming with her. She says she’s in terrible trouble, and he laughs and says, what else is new? She says, Sasha needs her father, but he says he missed out on too much time and he’s not missing out on anymore. They kiss and she asks if this is really happening. He says, they’ve got a plane to catch. He promises her and Sasha, it’s a round-trip ticket. They link arms and walk into the fog.

Like Casablanca with a happy ending.

Tomorrow, Curtis tells Portia that Drew is going to make him permanent CEO; Alexis tells Kristina that she couldn’t agree with anything more; Michael is afraid Willow is going to say there’s no future for them; and Maxie asks if Nina has told Willow that she slept with Drew.

🥀 Saying Goodbye to JaSam…

It must be double tough for the character and the actor to be saying goodbye at the same time.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/steve-burton-opens-up-about-saying-goodbye-to-sam-on-gh

🗽 An Apple a Week…

Brynn’s new thing seems to be using the term basic bitch. I’m putting it with YOLO, and wondering if people say that anymore. It’s like, once something is overused, I feel it’s over. What was worse than her using an overused phrase, was Brynn telling Jessel that it had been Jenna who called her a basic bitch. Using the receipt blessing that’s a flashback, we saw that while Brynn tried to get Jenna to call Jessel a basic bitch, Jenna’s conclusion was that Jessel was not basic. Thus the pot stirring begins.

This was a surprisingly fun episode… at the end. At first, it seemed like business as usual. Erin told Brynn (might as well tell the world) and Jessel that Rebecca was pregnant. While it would be a no-no in itself to make that announcement for someone else, Erin let them in on the fact that Rebecca had a wild night and wasn’t sure who the father was. As you’d expect, a game of telephone ensued.

For whatever idiotic reason, the women engaged in a game of dodgeball. Apparently, there’s a dodgeball court or whatever at Chelsea Piers which is news to me. Isn’t the rise of pickleball enough? At least you don’t get whacked in the head while playing pickleball.

Jenna quietly told Rebecca that she needed to watch out about what people were saying and indicated with a look that Erin had let the cat out of the bag. Rebecca got all pissed at Erin and said she was out. She got up and Erin followed, but at the door, Erin said, that was good, and they laughed. And here Bryn thought Rebecca was NVA – no value added. Guess again.

On Watch What Happens Live, Jeff Lewis said he didn’t like a prank. I usually don’t either, but when it teaches someone a lesson, I’m all in. Brava, ladies.

https://people.com/rhony-recap-rumors-about-housewife-pregnancy-rocks-the-group-8744238

Ugh. I can’t with this girl.

Is RHONY’s Brynn Whitfield Stirring the Pot Too Much?

In a surprise twist, Erin actually is pregnant.

https://people.com/erin-lichy-is-pregnant-expecting-baby-no-4-with-husband-abe-exclusive-8743505

In related news. I didn’t think the two were mutually exclusive.

RHONY’s Rebecca Minkoff Explains How She Can Be Both Jewish and a Scientologist

👀 Last Weekend’s Watching…

I don’t care what anyone says, I love Martha Stewart. I get Martha. I would work for Martha, and she could yell at me all she wants. It’s nothing personal. It’s just her personality and background. I can be a bit of drill sergeant myself when I want to get things done, and I totally see where she’s coming from. Most of all, I admire Martha, the first woman billionaire, now being called the first influencer, and rightly so. There’s nothing I love more than pouring through her magazines and imagining the perfect dinner parties I will never give and the perfect crafts I will never make, except in my head. Maybe I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a good thing, but it’s okay. And it’s not to say I haven’t used an idea or two. Hey, I made Julia Child’s meatloaf recipe once.

 The Netflix documentary Martha is well worth watching, even if only to see Martha’s amazing property and gardens, but her story is one of remarkable perseverance. After steadfastly working to invent an empire, she had to reinvent herself after, IMO, being railroaded into a prison sentence she shouldn’t have been serving in the first place. Remembering FBI Agent Cates on GH, it wasn’t hard to believe the FBI would resent a woman in her postilion and want to put her in her place, making an example out of her. But if anyone can literally make lemonade out of jail time, she did, seeing where she could better other women’s lives while she was there and coming out of it a better person. And not in a Teresa Giudice bogus namaste way. Martha put on that poncho and grabbed the world by the tail a second time. I felt both encouraged and a little distressed that I haven’t accomplished more in life.

Martha wasn’t as thrilled as I was, but I’m sure it’s a different perspective when it’s you. I didn’t see her as old and lonely at all. As a matter of fact, I thought, damn. I hope I can do all she can when I’m her age. If I make it.

https://movieweb.com/martha-stewart-netflix-documentary-regret/

https://www.vox.com/culture/381802/martha-stewart-documentary-netflix-review

Although I went through a phase of reading/watching a lot of true crime, Woman of the Hour was not a story I was familiar with. It’s a wildly successful directorial debut for Anna Kendrick, and Daniel Zovatto is creepy AF as the serial killer. It’s also a cautionary tale. It reminded me of when I saw Bo Dietl on a talk show once. He said, if we remembered nothing else from his safety tips, remember never go to crime scene number two. This advice also goes for meeting a stranger. Never go to another location with someone you don’t know. And if you read nothing else, read the safety tips below. They’re not just for women either. We live in a weird and wild world.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/woman-of-the-hour-netflix-film-review

https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/i-finally-watched-woman-of-the-hour-one-moment-anna-kendrick-crushed-as-a-new-director-that-sold-the-movie-for-me

Trust. Your. Gut.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/ravenishak/anna-kendrick-woman-of-the-hour-safety-tips

And of course, my favorite, From. My only complaint is that I wish the show, and the seasons, were longer.

FROM Season 3 Episode 8 Review: Twists, Surprises and Answers

An interview with Fatima.

Unpacking the Mysteries of FROM Season 3 with Pegah Ghafoori

🐕 Everest Is Next…

My rescue chihuahua likes to do acrobatics. I’d better not show him this.

https://people.com/rescue-dog-becomes-neighborhood-internet-celebrity-with-strange-climbing-talent-8737150

📖 Another Turned Page…

Join me tomorrow for soap followed by a shaker of Salt. Until then, stay safe, stay not rushing the season just because advertisements have been playing yuletide carols for a month already, and stay remembering all heroes don’t wear capes.

Nov6

November 5, 2024 – Willow Confronts Sasha About Cody, Drink Up, Soap Suds, A New York Minute, Film Watch, Prediction, First Derry, Releasing Soon, Never Enough & Boogie

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Willow finds Sasha in the nook and says she thought Sasha was her friend. Sasha flashes back to getting busy with Michael, and says she is. Willow asks, then how could she do this?

In TJ’s office, Alexis asks if they know what caused it, but he says, not yet. They’re doing everything possible to find out. Molly says, it makes no sense. She and Dante just got engaged. (Like that negates the possibility of death.) TJ says, that reminds him, and gives Alexis Sam’s ring in a plastic bag. Kristina says, it should be on Sam’s finger, but TJ says, not during an autopsy. Alexis says, Portia told her, but Kristina says, they’re not cutting open her sister.

On the phone, Jason asks if Carly minds staying at the Quartermaines. He’d feel better if she was there for Danny and Scout. Carly promises to stick around, and Jason says he’s got to go. She says she loves him, and he says he loves her too. Drew comes in and Carly asks, how’s Scout? He says, she fell asleep in his arms. It’s hard seeing his girl in that much pain… It’s hard knowing she’ll wake up and find out her mother’s not there and there’s nothing he can do. Carly says, he can be there, but he says, it’s not enough. She needs Sam. He needs Sam. What does he know about raising a little girl? She says she knows how much he loves Scout, but he says he doesn’t know how to raise her on his own. She tells him to lean on the family. Let them help him. Michael comes in and asks Drew, what’s wrong? Are his poll numbers down?

Nina meets Ava for drinks, and says, Ava wanted to ask her something? Ava says she does. She wants to start by saying she knows she’s a fool for throwing their friendship away. Nina says, no argument there, and Ava says she’s grateful Nina forgave her, but wanted to ask if Nina thinks they’ll ever be able to get back to the friendship they had.

Diane knocks at Robert’s door, then comes in. She says she’s sorry. She thought he’d be alone, but that’s obviously not the case.

Carly says, there’s something she needs to tell Michael, and Drew says he’ll be upstairs with Scout. He leaves, and Michael asks, what’s going on? Carly says she has terrible news, and he asks if it’s Lulu, but she says, it’s not Lulu. It’s Sam. Michael says, Dante texted him that everything went great, and Sam was fine. Carly says, she was fine. Then she wasn’t. They lost her. He asks if she’s saying Sam is dead.

Kristina says, no, but TJ says, an unexplained death… Kristina says she doesn’t care, and Molly says, stop. Doesn’t she want to find out what happened? Kristina says, of course (🍷), and Molly says, that’s how the find out. Kristina says she doesn’t want them to cut Sam open, but Molly says, it’s the only way. Kristina tells Alexis that she’s sorry, and Alexis says she wasn’t thinking. Molly says she never does (and I slap her in my mind), but Alexis says, not today. They have to make arrangements for Sam. TJ says he can have a patient advocate walk her through the process, and he leaves. Kristina says she’s sorry, and Molly says, her too. Alexis says she needs them both to stick together, and they agree they will.

Sasha says she’s sorry, but Willow says she doesn’t want to hear Sasha’s excuses. She told Sasha in confidence. Why did she tell Cody? Sasha says she trusted Cody, and Willow asks if she knows he got drunk and punched Drew. Sasha says she heard, and Willow says she trusted Sasha. Now Michael found out in the worst possible way. He didn’t come home last night. Sasha asks if they’ve talked today, and Willow says, he’s willing to give her another chance. He values their marriage. Sasha flashes back to getting busy with Michael and says she’s sorry. She never meant to hurt Willow. Willow says, then she should have kept it between them. Who else did she tell? Sasha says, no one. She only told Cody because they were in a relationship. Willow says she hopes Sasha dumped him for violating her confidence the way Sasha violated hers, and Sasha says, Willow will be happy to know they’re not together anymore, but that’s not why

Holly says she was just leaving. It’s good to see Diane. Diane says, it’s good to see her too. She’s here so often. Holly tells Robert, until next time, and leaves. Diane says, and there always is a next time with that one. She didn’t mean to interrupt. Robert asks if she’s here on business or pleasure, and Diane says, business, alas. She’s dropping off a motion to dismiss the Colban case. He asks if she’s kidding, but she says she’s not. Read ‘em and weep. Until next time. She leaves.

Alexis says she doesn’t know how to get through, and Felicia says, just keep moving from one minute to the next. Alexis asks what she does this minute, and Felicia says she can walk Alexis through the necessary forms, and as a friend, make it painless as possible. Alexis says, just do it (I’m pleased that she pulls out a raggy tissue, as we all would, or at least I would), and Felicia says she has to decide on a funeral home. Alexis says, Dante said he’d prefer she make the arrangements, but she has nothing yet. Kristina says she’ll be back, and leaves. Molly suggests the funeral home that they used for Irene, and Alexis thanks her. Molly and TJ leave, and Alexis cries.

TJ asks how Molly is doing, and she says she’s fine. She has to be. He takes her hands and asks how she’s doing really. She says, heartbroken, angry, scared… She just lost Irene, then there was that craziness with Kristina, now losing Sam. She’s not sure how much more she can take. He hugs her.

Michael asks how Sam is gone, and Carly says, it doesn’t make sense. He says, Sam’s been here for him like the big sister he never had. He asks if she wants any help, and she says, the kids are asleep and she’s staying in case they need her. He asks if Willow knows, but she says she doesn’t think so. He doesn’t have to make it better for everyone else. He says he can’t sit around feeling sad, when his phone rings. Kristina asks if he’s heard, and he says, just now. Where is she? She says, at GH in the chapel. Can he come? She needs him.

Nina tells Ava that she gave up everything for a man and values her female friendships more highly now. (Hear her, ladies. In my dating days, I never once ditched my girlfriends. Men might come and go, but your girlfriends are forever.) It will take time and effort, but she’s willing to work at it. Ava says, so is she, and they toast to friends. Nina’s phone rings, and she looks at it, but ignores it. She says she’s worried about Willow. She’s not all right because Drew convinced her that he was a decent guy. Ava says, Drew the candidate or Drew the Quartermaine? and Nina says, Drew barely escaped a scandal. Cody got drunk and punched Drew in the face at the Brown Dog Bar. (I so badly want to go to a dive called the Brown Dog Bar.) Drew was fine and Cody went to jail, but not before he announced Drew was kissing his nephew’s wife. Ava says, Nina’s not telling her that Drew and Willow…  

Willow asks why Sasha and Cody broke up. What did he do? (Ha-ha-ha! As pissed as she is at Sasha, she figures it was him.) Sasha says, Cody is a great guy. He probably wouldn’t have said what he did if they were still together, but it’s not that. Willow asks, why? and Sasha says, they can’t be together. It turns out they’re cousins – first cousins. She found out Robert Scorpio is her father. Willow asks, how? and Sasha says, after lying to her for her whole life, her mother told her the truth. Willow says, Sasha told her that her mother was dead. She lied? Sasha says, yes, and Willow says she’s starting to think she doesn’t know Sasha at all.

There’s a knock at Diane’s office door, and she says, her favorite client. Jason walks in, and she says, what’s up? He says, something happened, and he wants her to hear it from him. Sam had a heart attack this evening. Diane asks if she’s okay, but he says, they couldn’t save her. Sam died.

In the chapel, Kristina looks up and says, here I am. Why did You do it? She gets up and almost leaves, but comes back. She says, look. I said I’d go to therapy. I said I’d go to group. I said I’d learn how to be a better sister. I did all those things and now this. After I already lost my daughter and can barely breathe, now You go and take my sister too? Why? Why, God, why? Answer me. I don’t get it and I want answers. I want to know how and why did You do this. You just took her from me and left me here with nothing. I have nothing left and I don’t know what to do. She cries and says, haven’t I suffered enough? Michael comes in, and Kristina says, Sam is dead. She’s gone. He holds her as she cries.

Sasha says she told everyone her mother was dead, but she only wanted it to be true. She may as well have been, since she was never there. Her mother never told her who her father was. Willow says, but when she realized Sasha was seeing Cody… Sasha says, she decided to do the right thing for once. She’s a two-faced, lying… Willow says she’s sorry Sasha and Cody can’t be together, but she’s fighting for her marriage because Sasha couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Sasha says she’s sorry, and Willow says she grew up in a cult and it was hard for her to trust anyone. Michael is willing to give her another chance. This hurt him. Sasha says she never should have told Cody something Willow shared in confidence (oh come on, stop acting like no one does this), but Willow needs to accept that everything that happened, happened because she kissed Drew. And not just once. If she’s so concerned about trust and honesty, look in the mirror. She has no one else to blame for this mess but herself. (Brava and grazie.)

Holly goes into her hotel room and can see it’s been tossed.

Diane says she can’t imagine what’s happening with Alexis. She should call her. Jason says, she’s making arrangements, and Diane says she doesn’t understand. Sam was fearless. She was invincible. Nobody was tougher and to lose her like this is unthinkable… She’s sorry. She can’t imagine what he’s going through. She knows how much Sam loved him. Jason says, he loved her, and she says, they all did. She was somebody who faced their problems head on. She always admired that about Sam. He says he thought she should know, and she thanks him. He asks, what’s wrong? (because that’s not enough) and she says, her problem is inconsequential… All right. He seems to want an extra helping of grief. They sit down, and she says she took something to Robert’s office and when she walked in, there was Holly. He asks if something happened, and she says, not overtly, but she just has to face the truth. Robert is still in love with Holly.

Nina says, Drew told Michael, and Ava asks, why? Nina says, somebody videoed Cody’s rant and sent it to Ned, and Ned threatened to blackmail Drew. Willow wanted to tell Michael, but she had no chance. And because Drew wanted to save his campaign, he convinced Willow not to tell Michael in the first place. It goes to show how Willow is a better person than she and Drew will ever be. Now Willow knows the kind of man Drew is. He’s a slick, smooth backstabbing bastard. Ava says, Nina is taking it rather personally, and Nina says, Willow is her daughter. Ava says, there’s more than that. Spill. Nina says she and Drew have had sex more than once, and Ava nearly chokes on her martini.

Sasha says, Willow keeps talking about the kiss, but they know it wasn’t just one time. Stop blaming everyone else and tell the truth. Willow says, it was a mistake, and Sasha says, both times? Willow says, yes, and they agreed there was no reason to hurt Michael. Sasha says, so she decided to lie. Be mad at Drew or herself, but leave her out of it. Willow says, if Sasha hadn’t told Cody, Cody wouldn’t have announced it, and Sasha says, she’s sick of everybody justifying their bad behavior. She was warned about the Quartermaines, but she had no idea. Willow will fit right in. Willow says, that’s not fair, but Sasha says, what’s not fair is Willow judging everyone else for her own mistakes. She’s quitting. She can’t work in this snake pit any longer. She can’t be with the man she loves, and she’s lost her best friend. Why stay? Carly walks in, and Sasha says, what is it?

Alexis asks Molly where her sister is, and Molly says, she’s in the chapel with Michael. Kristina asked if Alexis needed anything, but she didn’t say Alexis needed her here. Alexis says, Molly is still grieving her own child. If she’s holding it together for herself, that’s the way she needs to grieve. If she’s holding it together for her, don’t. It’s too much. It’s just all too much. They hug.

Kristina tells Michael that she was thinking about the time Sam went with her to get birth control for the first time. Sam took her there. Sam was there for all her firsts. Sam taught her self-worth and not to pick a partner that treated her like crap, but she didn’t listen. Michael says, they all make mistakes, and Kristina says, when she was with Dawn of Day, Sam risked her life to save her. He says, Sam would do anything for the people she loved and who loved her, and Kristina says, there was never judgement. If she wanted advice and guidance and couldn’t go to her mom, she’d go to Sam, and Sam wouldn’t think any less of her. He tells her to take the advice and guidance and use it. Be there for her mom and Molly like Sam was for her. Kristina says, to be honest, she’s the middle sister and still figuring it out. She can’t be the big sister. He says, he’s not saying she should fill Sam’s shoes, and she says she can’t be the big sister. She’s not supposed to be. He says, it’s not supposed to be this way, but it is, and they have to face that.

Diane says, when she found them together, she could tell by looking at their faces that she’d interrupted something. Sasha is Robert and Holly’s daughter. Jason says he’s surprised, and Diane says, it was a surprise to Robert too. He’s thrilled to have another daughter. Jason asks if things have changed, and she says, Robert told her that she’s the only woman in his heart. He says, she thinks he’s lying? and she says, only to himself. She believes he cares, but the way he feels about her is not the way he loves Holly.

Michael puts his arm around Kristina, and she cries. Willow calls, but he ignores it.

Willow leaves Michael a message that she heard about Sam. She’s so sorry. His mom said he was with Kristina. Call back when he has the chance.  

Ava says, oh boy, and Nina says, it started out as hate sex, but when she found out about the thing Drew was having with Willow, she started sleeping with him to distract him from her. It’s not a great plan. Ava asks if Willow knows, but Nina says, no, and she can never find out. Ava says, Nina can’t guarantee Cody doesn’t know about it, and Nina says, he does. He threw it in their faces at the bar. Ava says, so Ned knows… and everybody in the bar. Nina says, Drew convinced them that Cody is a drunk who lies, and she’s sure he paid them off. It won’t go viral. In spite of Ned’s threat, the Quartermaines don’t want a scandal. Ava says, Nina needs to tell Willow before she hears it from someone else, and Nina says, Willow will hate her. Ava says, at least Nina can say they’re through. Don’t let a man ruin her relationship with her daughter. She learned the hard way. Put her relationship with Willow above everyone else. Nina says, her child will always come first. She just hopes Willow’s marriage survives Drew’s selfishness.

Willow knocks on Drew’s door and says she just heard. She’s so sorry. Drew says he keeps losing the people he loves, and she hugs him. She says she’s so sorry, and he says he keeps thinking about Scout having no mom. He doesn’t know how to help her through. She says, he’ll find a way, and he says he wishes he was the man she sees when she looks at him. That man is the father Scout needs. Willow says, he is that man. Whatever is ahead, he’ll handle it. He says he doesn’t know how to be a parent, and she promises he’s not alone. He pushes her hair back, and as many times as I yell, no, no, no! at the TV, she kisses him.

Alexis says, Sam’s not coming back, and Molly says, no, she’s not. She doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do. Nothing is going to be the same. It’s never going to be. Alexis says she’s glad Molly has TJ, and Molly says, Alexis has her. Alexis says, and her sister, and Molly says she and Kristina promised to be there for each other. Alexis says she needs Molly to mean that because it’s just them now. They’re going to have to hang in there for each other. Not just for them, but for Sam and all the people she left behind. That’s what they’re going to do. She leans on Molly’s shoulder and says, it’s just the three of them. Molly says, the three of them.

Drew kisses Willow’s hand and they get busy. There’s a song part. (I’ve always suspected Willow was a little stupid.)

Holly goes to Robert’s office, and he asks, what’s wrong? She says she swore she’d never do this to him again, but he says, spit it out. She says she’s in trouble.

Sasha says she can’t believe Sam is gone, and Carly says, Jason told her. Sasha says, Dante must be devastated, and the kids, and Carly says, it’s heartbreaking. Sam was a great mom. The kids meant everything to her. Sasha says, they were lucky to have her. What do they do now? Carly says, be there for them, and Sasha says, of course (🍷) no one can replace their mom, especially one as loving and caring as Sam.

Suddenly, several masked men come in, along with Sidwell. One of the men grabs Sasha’s arm, and Sidwell says, if she’ll be kind enough to come with them… Carly says she has no idea who he is, but he has no idea what he’s messing with, and Sidwell says, don’t I, Miss Spencer? Call the authorities, and Sasha dies. Carly says she has better people to call, and he says, while she’s calling her friends in the underworld, tell Sasha’s mother that he wants his diamonds back. They leave, dragging Sasha with them.

Tomorrow, Michael asks if Brook has seen Willow; Willow says, this can never happen again; Anna says, Holly can’t be counted on to do the right thing; and Carly asks Jack what Sidwell is doing in Port Charles when the WSB is looking for him.

🍷 New drinking game. Whenever someone says, this can never happen again, take a shot. Take another when it does happen again.

🧴 A Little Bit Of Soap…

While everyone is doing a stellar job, I’m with Kristina. Why?

Kelly Monaco Gets Candid About General Hospital

Very cool that she found a whole new niche for herself.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/kimberly-mccullough-reveals-her-exciting-new-project

I’m definitely looking forward to this. It’s been a while since we’ve gotten a new soap and it’s about time we got a predominantly Black cast. I’ve been disappointed with GH on this front.

CBS Announces 10 New Cast Members For Beyond The Gates
Beyond The Gates Celebrates As It Heads Into Production!

🗽 Biting the Big Apple…

Racquel explained why she wanted to keep her engagement quiet and why she’d kept her previous breakup quiet. Apparently, the art world is very shallow, and she was concerned that the business she and her ex-husband shared would be hit in the wallet. Even more sadly, when the breakup became public knowledge, Racquel’s fiancé Mel was painted as a homewrecker, even though it was like a year later. Evidently, gossip is also part of the art world. Are they bored or just boring? Raquel had difficulty with revealing the relationship to her mom, who wouldn’t have the perfect image to present of her daughter. She hadn’t visited Racquel since her divorce, and Racquel and Mel discussed the possibility of her not coming to the wedding. I dunno. I’d be pretty proud of Racquel. She has an amazing career, isn’t doing bad at all financially, has a beautiful wardrobe and home, and is happy in her personal life. What more can you ask for?

Sai gifted Ubah with a book called Pigeon Watching, which was pretty funny. In Ubah’s interview, she said, the women were all in the book and she probably was too.

Jessel and husband Pavit went out to eat, and while Pavit was busy snapping pix of his food, Jessel tried to discuss their embryos on ice and how they needed couples therapy. At Erin’s Cinco de Mayo event in celebration of her new mezcal (🤮), Brynn flirted with Erin’s dad. In Sai’s interview, she pointed out how Brynn got mad about the sugar daddy stories, yet perpetuated that view of herself. Once again, loving Racquel, but Brynn, not so much.

Real Housewives of New York Season 15, Episode 6 Recap: A Shot of Mess-cal

Speaking of Brynn. Yeah. It’s always the editing.

RHONY’s Brynn Whitfield Speaks After Backlash Over Calling Ubah “Angry Black Woman” as She Apologizes & Calls Out Editing, Plus Clarifies “Context” of Controversial Off-Camera Convo, & Live Viewing Thread

👀 Do Watch Don’t…

I checked out Don’t Move last weekend and finally, a movie without a disappointing ending. No spoilers because this is in the film description. A woman about to commit suicide meets a stranger who causes her to rethink that plan. Later, said stranger kidnaps her, injecting her with a paralyzing drug. Angst and tension ensue. Kelsey Asbille (Iris) and Finn Wittrock (Richard) are the main players who carry the movie, and they’re superb. And with a lot of physically demanding scenes, no doubt came home from filming with bruises.

‘Don’t Move’ Review: New Netflix Thriller Makes Familiar Tropes Feel Fresh
Don’t Move: Red Carpet Interviews from the premiere of Netflix’s sleeper horror hit!

🎱 Magic 8 Ball Says…

I hate to say it, but it was probably just dumb luck that they were right before and ditto if they’re right tonight. It’s not like there’s anyone voting in the poll outside of the viewers.

https://pagesix.com/2024/10/31/entertainment/wwhl-poll-predicts-who-will-win-2024-election-after-viewers-correctly-predicted-previous-years/

☠️ Hail To the King…

Yay. Something else we have to wait until 2025 to see.

https://ew.com/it-welcome-to-derry-first-look-black-spot-hanlon-family-jovan-adepo-taylour-paige-exclusive-8736735

https://people.com/welcome-to-derry-it-prequel-show-everything-to-know-8737860

🦸‍♂️ Now Streaming, Marvel Jesus…

Disney+, November 12th. Be there or be a peanut.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/deadpool-and-wolverine-disney-plus-release-date

👻 Leftover Candy…

Random parade.

https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2023/10/27/hyde-park-halloween-pet-parade

This is nothing less than genius.

https://www.aol.com/famous-corgi-dad-over-top-150000807.html

Omg, the mouse in a trap. Some very clever ideas here.

https://www.startribune.com/the-winners-of-the-2024-star-tribune-halloween-pet-costume-contest/601172476

In case you were wondering.

https://www.al.com/news/2024/10/donald-trump-is-no-2-pet-halloween-costume-this-year-whats-no-1.html

BeetlePeke

🍂 October In Every November…

Join me tomorrow for soap, a little Salt, and more to watch (or not). Until then, stay safe, stay leaving election anxiety to the amateurs, and stay just continuing to move from one minute to the next when life is too much.

Oct25

October 24, 2024 – Sam Is Prepped For Surgery, Doubtful, Steven Lars, Just a Bowl Of Oranges, Salty Talk, Movie Watch, On Backwatch, Full Circle, Vampire Review, Matching & Hour   

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Jason goes to Sonny’s office and asks, what’s up. Sonny says, it’s time to tell him what went on in Africa, and holds up the diamond.

At the Surf Lodge, Alexis, Danny, and Scout talk about Sam’s surgery. Scout says, it’s a big deal. Sam is saving Lulu’s life.

Jack calls Carly, and when she answers, he says he was starting to think she was avoiding him. She says she’s in the middle of something, but he says he needs to see her right now. She says, now is not a good time. She’s at GH. Jack says he insists. This is important. She says, so is this, and goes in to see Sam.

Laura tells Lulu that she knows it’s hard to hang in there, but help is on the way thanks to Sam. She’ll be here and Lucky will be here when Lulu comes out. She can do this. Dante and Rocco arrive, and Laura says, they’ll all be here waiting for her.

Isaiah is in the locker room, earbuds in, when Lucas says, sorry to interrupt. Isaiah says he likes to visualize a procedure before he does it, and Lucas says, they all have their pre-op rituals. He knew a surgeon who had to wear the same shoes and eat two banana muffins before surgery. Isaiah asks if Lucas is ready, and Lucas says he and Sam have the easy part. Isaiah says, it’s going to take all of them to give Lulu the help she needs. He leaves, and Brad opens his locker, finding a bag from Eckerd’s. He takes out a sweet roll and bites into it. Brad comes in and says, Lucas used to always have Eckerd’s before surgery. Unless he’s hungry for something else.

Ric visits Heather and she says she misses Alexis. He says, that’s something you don’t hear very… ever, and she says, her roommate isn’t good at conversation, but she does make a delicious toilet wine. He says, you win some, you lose some, and she says she wouldn’t mind winning some. Did the judge do what he was supposed to? Ric says, he did. The judge vacated her sentence. She’s going free.

Ellizabeth tells Portia that she heard about Heather, and asks if there’s anything she can do to help. Portia says, it’s enough that Elizabeth understands how she feels, but if Plan A fails, she might take Elizabeth up on it. Elizabeth asks, what’s Plan A?

Curtis’s assistant tells him that his 9 o’clock is here, and he says, let them in. No interruptions. Steven Webber (aka Steven Lars) comes in and they shake hands. Curtis says, Heather Webber’s prodigal son.  

Portia says, they have a big day they need to focus on, and Elizabeth says, they have to get ready to make sure the surgery goes smoothly. Portia says, Curtis is taking care of Heather, and Elizabeth tells her to be careful. Heather has a powerful ally in Ric, and if he sees someone moving against his client, he’ll respond in kind. Portia says, Heather is the one who needs to be careful.

Steven says he’s not a doctor anymore, but Curtis says he was highly skilled before he was incarcerated. Steven says, and financially stable. He thanks Curtis for paying his way here, and Curtis says, it’s the least he could do. Steven says, that depends on why Curtis is asking. He doesn’t have good memories of Port Charles and he’s not planning on staying long. Curtis says he’s not planning on standing in Steven’s way, and Steven asks what he can do for Curtis. Curtis says, when Steven does leave, he wants him to take his mother with him.

Heather asks if Ric is messing with her, but he says he got the call last night. She asks if she’s going to a halfway house or a minimum-security facility with a nice volleyball court, but he says, she’s being released. As soon as the paperwork is done, she’s out of here. She asks if she has to check in with a parole officer, get drug tests, or wear an ankle monitor, and he says, her violence stemmed from a medical condition that’s been eradicated, so she no longer needs those constraints. She says she’s free? Totally free? He says, yes, and she says, oh my God. She jumps up and hugs him. She says she got her second chance, and he’d better believe she’s going make the most of him. She kisses him on the lips, like, mwah, and hugs him again.  

Lucas says he thought he made the boundaries clear, and Brad says he brought Eckerd’s for the staff and wanted to make sure Lucas had what he needed for his pre-op routine. He was just being supportive. Lucas says he doesn’t want any misunderstanding, and Brad says he’ll throw it away, but Lucas says he already took a bite. His towel falls and he grabs it, but Brad says, relax. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before… but that mole is new. He should get it checked out.

Laura tells Dante and Rocco that Sam is going to be prepped for surgery. If there’s anything they want to say, now’s the time. Rocco goes to Lulu’s bed and sits. He takes her hand, and says, it’s me. Rocco.

Carly asks how Sam is, and Sam says she just wishes they could get this show on the road. Carly says, waiting is the worst. It will take a miracle for Lulu to pull through, but what matters is Lulu getting a chance because of Sam. Sam says she’s just doing what anyone would do, and Carly says, if Sam needs anything, tell her. Sam says, Carly didn’t come to chat. She wants something. She always does. Carly admits she does. She wants to say thank you.

Jason asks where the diamond came from, and Sonny says, Africa. The same plane that brought Jason back. How did he find Lucky? Jason hands back the diamond and says, Jenz Sidwell was holding Lucky captive. They met at a casino in Nairobi and Sidwell invited them back to the camp. Sonny says, smart, but Jason says, not really. They’d been made at the casino and Sidwell took them back to have them killed. Sonny asks how they got out, and Jason says, there was a WSB drone strike. Sonny says, it’s nice to know they’re good for something, and Jason says, it saved their lived. When everything went to hell, they got out. Sonny says, but not alone, and Jason says, Holly was working an angle with Sidwell, but at the end, she helped them escape. She  had the diamond? Sonny says, plural, and Jason asks, how many? Sonny says, enough to know Holly is trouble, but the kind of trouble that might be worth it.

Heather says, the first thing she’s going to do is go to Kelly’s for a BLT, and Ric says, she needs to think about the state of her finances. Probably look into getting a job. She says, what about the millions from the quacks who gave her a poison hip? but he says, even if they get a settlement, it could take a while. In the meantime, she needs to support herself. She says, in the words of Scarlett O’Hara, she’ll think about it tomorrow, and he says, today, she needs a place to crash. Does she know anybody who will take her in?

Steven says he was hoping to have nothing to do with Heather, and Curtis asks if he’s aware of what’s happening. Steven says, Elizabeth caught him up, and asks if Heather got a reduced sentence. Curtis says, her sentence was vacated, and she’s being released today. He’s guessing that’s not happy news. Steven says, their relationship is complicated, and Curtis says, Heather wanted his daughter killed and she’s been allowed out in the world. Steven says, without the medical device that made her violent, and Curtis asks if Steven would bet his daughter’s life on it. He wants them to reunite far away from Port Charles. Steven says, Heather gave birth to him, but she’s hardly been his mother, and Curtis says he thought Steven might feel that way. So he’s prepared to make it worth Steven’s while.

Sonny tells Jason that Holly had a bag of them she wanted him to offload. He’s thinking the haul is close to a hundred million. Jason asks what he’s going to do, and Sonny says he’s inclined to work with her. Jason asks if Sonny knows if they’re registered, and Sonny says, no. There are no qualifiers; they’re stolen. Jason says, Sidwell might disagree, and Sonny asks if he didn’t die in the drone strike, but Jason says, he survived and he’s back in the US. He’s guessing Sidwell is looking for Holly.

Alexis tells Scout to go wash up, and Scout leaves. Alexis tells Danny that he’s a good big brother, and he says he’s the oldest. It’s his job. Alexis says, it’s not easy. His sister can be a little a lot, and when he needs to step up, Danny does. She thinks Danny is awesome and so does his mom.

Carly says, it’s no small thing, and Sam says she’s doing it for Dante and Rocco. Carly says, it means the world to all of them, and Sam says she may actually start to believe Carly can dish out compliments. She may have to bank this one. Carly says, please do, when Jack pops in and says he needs a word with Miss Spencer.

Laura says, Rocco is getting so big, and Dante wonders if Lulu will recognize him. She says, he was just a kid when the accident happened that put Lulu in a coma. He’s had to spend so much time without her. Rocco tells Lulu that he brought this for her, and puts a medal in her hand. He says his first cross country meet. He won. It’s all about endurance. Sometimes you feel like you’re not going to make it, but never give up. He thinks he got that from her. They’re so close, don’t give up now.

Outside, Carly tells Jack that her cousin is having a very complicated liver transplant. She was with the woman who’s going to be her donor. Jack says, Carly’s support is commendable. Why doesn’t she do that and then come to his office? She asks what he needs, and he says he needs Jason’s cooperation in giving him vital information from the rescue. She says, just ask him, and he says, it’s clear Jason is holding something back. She says, good luck, and he says, apparently, Jason made a nasty enemy in Jenz Sidwell when he was in Africa. He’s a gem of a human being and he’s now in the US, probably on his way to Port Charles. She asks what he expects her to do, and he says, she begged him to facilitate a rescue that could turn into a full-blown international incident. Doesn’t it seem reasonable to help? She asks why he went out on a limb for her, and he says, if she has to ask, she’s not as smart as he thought she was.

Sonny wonders how Sidwell survived, and Jason says, Lucky didn’t want him dead, and after the drone strike, there was no time. Sonny says, Laura would be proud, and Luke would be rolling in his grave. If he gets it done fast, Holly can be gone before Sidwell connects them to it. But he can’t do it today. He has to be somewhere. Sonny steps out, and Jason’s phone rings. It’s Carly.

Heather says her best bet is Laura taking her in, but Ric says, Laura is going through a family crisis. Heather says she could knock on Alexis’s door. They got along and she’s sure Alexis can give her an air mattress, but Ric says, she’s going through a family crisis as well that’s connected to Laura. Heather says, Laura can drop her off at the Quartermaines. She could hang out there for weeks before they know she’s there. Ric says, when they do notice, they’ll have her arrested. Think. Is there anyone she can call?

Isaiah sees the Eckerd’s box and asks if it’s for anybody. Portia tells him to help himself, and Brad says he’s glad they’re enjoying them. Isaiah says, duty calls, and Brad says he’s just about through. He’s going to the Woodchuck’s game. Elizabeth says, he’s leaving early for a baseball game? and Brad tells them that he could say, never mind, but Portia tells him, have fun, and he leaves.

Curtis says, what if he could get Steven’s medical license reinstated? He has a friend running for office who has influence. Steven says he can’t throw Heather over his shoulder and drag her out, but Curtis says he’s sure she’ll go willingly. He knows family means everything to her and he’s all she has left. Steven says, she has a grandson, but Curtis says, Laura will give her limited access and if it’s not good, she’ll cut Heather off altogether. All Steven has to do is crack the door open. Steven says, but he’ll be the one who has to keep her in line. He doesn’t want to be responsible for what his mother does. Curtis says, then he’ll be responsible for what becomes of her.

Alexis says, Sam has visitors, and Scout gives her some flowers. Sam says she noticed they don’t have schoolwork with them, and Danny says, it’s in the car. They want to stay here and not go to school. Sam tells Alexis not to let them work her. Stay strong. Alexis says, Sam is amazing, saving a life. There’s not many who would do that, but it’s no surprise that Sam is.

Dante and Rocco are in the waiting area, when Laura joins them. She hugs Rocco, and Dante says he’s got to get Rocco to school on time. Rocco says he’s not going, but Dante says they talked about this. Laura says, it’s a good distraction. His mom will still be in surgery after school. Rocco says he wants to be here. Please? Isaiah approaches, and Dante says he’ll make a deal with Rocco. They’re going to see Sam and it’s cool if Rocco does his schoolwork here. They leave and Laura asks Isaiah if everything is okay. Isaiah says he wanted to let her know, it’s time.

Carly asks why Jack keeps helping her, and he says, chivalry. She says, he doesn’t do anything without an ulterior motive, and he says, by definition, Anna is bitter and cynical, but Carly says, she’s not wrong. Jack says, Carly is cynical too. Almost agent worthy. She asks if he’s trying to recruit her, and he says, her talents could be put to better use than a concierge. Jason arrives and says, Carly didn’t tell him that Jack would be here. Carly says, she needs a favor, and Jason says, who’s asking? Carly or Jack? Carly says, both.

Portia says she realized Terry hiring Brad was in the hospital’s best interest, and Elizabeth asks if she thinks Brad is playing Terry. Portia says, does she? and they see Lucas headed toward them. They get quiet and he asks if they’re talking about him. Elizabeth says, they were talking about Brad, and Lucas asks, what’s he done now? Elizabeth says, pastries, and he says, bastard. Elizabeth says, Brad got his job back on Terry’s recommendation. Britt was Brad’s best friend and Terry was Co-Chief of Staff with her. Britt is dead and Brad needed a job. You do the math.

Curtis tells Steven, it’s about family. He’s protecting his and Steven needs to take responsibility for his. He thinks Steven and Heather should leave town and go far away. He’ll supplement Steven’s income until he’s on his feet. Provided Heather goes with him and stays gone. Steven says, and if he can’t convince her? and Curtis says he has alternative outcomes that are much less pleasant. (Very disappointed in Curtis.)

Elizabeth answers the hospital phone, and Heather says she can’t believe she got Elizabeth on the first try. Elizabeth asks why she’s calling, and Heather says she doesn’t know if Elizabeth heard, but she’s being released from Pentenville. Before she asks, it’s 100% legal. Elizabeth says, congratulations, and Heather thanks her. She says her head is spinning, and Elizabeth asks what she wants. Heather says she was wondering if Elizabeth can pick her up at prison… for Franco’s sake, when Ric walks in.

Lucas tells Brad that he hopes the Woodchucks do better than last time in the playoffs, and Brad asks if he wants something. Lucas asks if Brad manipulated his way back into the job. People are saying he played Terry. Brad asks, which is it? Keep it professional and stay away from each other or be in each other’s business. Lucas says, Brad’s right. Sorry. Brad says he did mention Britt, but he needed a job. He’s not proud of it. Lucas says, Britt would probably be proud, and Brad says he hopes so. He’s doing the best he can.

Elizabeth asks why Ric doesn’t pick Heather up if she’s worth millions, and Ric says, he’s going to be in court. Elizabeth says she wants nothing to do with Heather, and he says, just say no. Elizabeth says, they both know if Heather is left alone, she’ll find trouble. What does he want her to do? Take Heather into her home? Ric says he doesn’t like that idea, and Elizabeth says she was looking forward to ice cream and binging Dance Moms. Ric says he has an idea. He’ll move in too. Elizabeth laughs and says, that’s the opposite of helping.

Isaiah tells Laura that Lulu has been given anticoagulants to minimize the risk, but there are no guarantees. Laura says her daughter has been fighting for her life since she was a tiny girl and winning. She takes his hands and says, if he gives her the chance today, she will win again.

Alexis tells Sam that they have a standing invite to dine at the Quartermaines. She’s torn. There’s free food, which she loves, but there’s also… Sam says, Tracy. Sonny comes in and says he should have known the party was in here. He’s proud of Sam. Alexis says, so proud, and Sam thanks him. Danny says he knows she’s tired of hearing it, but she’s a real hero. Dante joins them and asks, who made Sam cry? Rocco has something he wanted to say. Rocco says, thank you so much, and Sam says she hasn’t done anything yet. Rocco says, she’s saving his mom’s life and he doesn’t know how he’ll repay her. She says, Rocco, Danny, Scout, Dante, and her mom, all of her people, including Sonny, have been so good to her. She’s just glad to be able to return the favor.

Carly says, Jack needs to know what happened in Africa, and Jason says he told Jack, but Jack says, he omitted some key details. Carly says, Jack came through for them. He’s the reason they got home. He saved their lives, and she owes him. She thinks Jason does too. Please help him. She leaves.

Jason says he told Jack everything he knew at the time, and Jack says, very good. He’s being honest while disclosing next to nothing. There was more to Jason’s adventure than he knew at first. Jason asks if Holly is up to something, and Jack says, she took something valuable. Jason says, diamonds. She stole a fortune. Jack says, thus Sidwell’s revenge tour, and Jason asks if they’re done. Jack tells him to thank Carly and tell her to watch her step. Jason says, nobody hurts Carly. Bad things tend to happen to people who do.  

On the phone, Portia says, Curtis is taking care of Heather. She’ll call Marshall after she speaks to him. Curtis comes in and nods. Portia smiles and goes to him. She throws her arms around him.

The prison gates open and Heather says goodbye to the guard. She sees Elizabeth walking toward her, and Steven approaches from the other side. She says, Steven Lars, and he says, hello, mother.  

Curtis says, it took some convincing, but Steven is on board. He’s going to take his mom and get out of town and out of their lives. Portia asks if he thinks it will work, and he says he doesn’t think Heather will be able to resist. It’s over. It’s finally over. She hugs him and sees Brad going to the elevator.  

Sam is wheeled out, and Lucas asks if she’s ready. She says, as long as she’s got him, and he says, she’s hard to refuse. There are some people who want to wish her luck. The whole gang is there, and Laura says she can’t possibly thank Sam enough. Sam says she’s glad to do it, and Danny says, kick butt. Scout tells her, what he said, and Rocco says, she’s his hero. Alexis says she loves Sam so much, and Dante kisses her. the elevator opens and Jason joins them. He says, she’s got this, and she says, piece of cake. Jason puts his hand on Danny’s shoulder, and Lucas says, the OR is ready. There are goodbyes and I love yous, and Sam says she loves them. She holds her fist up as she’s wheeled away.

Tomorrow, Anna tells Laura that she’ll find Valentin and bring Charlotte back to her family; Nina asks why someone is confessing now; Steven tells Heather, that subject is off limits; and the paternity results are in.

🩺 But It’s Her House That Alan Gave Her…

This is a real shame. I can understand the accidents she had. I’m pretty sure I’m going to meet my end by tripping over a dog toy, a dog bed, or an actual dog.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/leslie-charleson-unlikely-to-return-to-general-hospital

🚑 The Prodigal Son Returns…

Apparently, the stars aligned.

https://www.soapsindepth.com/posts/general-hospital/scott-reeves-opens-up-about-his-return-to-general-hospital

🍊 A Dose Of Vitamin OC…

Jenn confronted Tamra and in Jenn’s interview, she came to the conclusion that Tamra had no soul. I concur. She also thought Heather should get out of Tamra’s ass and be her own human being. In Emily’s interview, she said when Tamra didn’t respect someone, she had no boundaries. Shannon met with her daughters and they hung out in London.

The group had an English dining etiquette lesson, and in Tamra’s interview, she said, there were too many rules. Here’s etiquette for you. She then gave us the finger. Seriously, why bother? Immediately after the lesson, Tamra called Shannon a liar and a drunk. Gina told Tamra to stop with the alcohol thing, and Jenn seconded it. In Fancy Pants Heather’s interview, she said, everyone gets an F. As happens occasionally, I agree with Fancy Pants.

Shannon needed an enema, which Katie graciously administered. Constipation, the great equalizer. Just as uncomfortable no matter what your income. And just in case you’re ever thinking about it, I’m not that friend. Staying on brand, Tamra told Fancy Pants that Katie’s daughter was watching Emily’s kids, and they said they didn’t like Fancy Pants because she was mean to their mom. When Fancy Pants relayed this to Emily, Emily said it was Katie’s daughter who told her kids that Fancy Pants was mean. She told them not to talk like that again. She told Fancy Pants that she’d never involve her kids in an adult situation and would never talk negatively about her friends in front of them. Fancy Pants said, Katie f***ed with the wrong marine. She was done.

In a rare humorous moment, Gine hit the fire alarm in a restaurant, thinking it was a device to flush the toilet. Sitting outside, Shannon said she’d told Fancy Pants about texting Johnny J. after the accident and shown her the photo in confidence. Fancy Pants made a million excuses for passing that information along, and said she felt that Shannon was controlling the narrative, but eventually apologized for breaking Shannon’s trust. She claimed she didn’t know it was private.

Meanwhile at the table, Tamra said Shannon told her that there was a rumor about Gina throwing Travis down the stairs. I’m sure there’s a big ball joke in there somewhere, but I’ve had a long day. In Gina’s interview, she said, Travis’s ex was telling lies. She wasn’t appreciating Tamra’s interrogation since she’d just stopped living with the love of her life to get away from this insanity. Tamra said Shannon had come between her and Jenn and was now trying to come between her and Gina. When Shannon returned to the table, Gina said, Tamra told her that Shannon was trying to dig up information on her before the Reunion. Shannon said, Tamra was the one who told her about the business with the stairs, but in Tamra’s interview, she said, when the story circulated in June of 2022, she and Shannon weren’t speaking. Shannon said, Tamra always got super drunk and talked sh*t about people, and in Jenn’s interview, she said, Tamra didn’t know how to be a friend or what an apology meant. She was a mean girl bully and thrived on it.

Shannon walked out, and in one of those ironic life moments, the birthday cake came out, along with singing servers. Tamra blew out the candles, and in Shannon’s interview, she said she wasn’t allowing toxic people to penetrate her life anymore. Tamra was evil. Again, agreed.

Katie summed it up best when she said in her interview, has there ever been a dinner with these women that’s pleasant? Nope. I don’t think so.

Next time, Jenn and Ryan have a wedding (not sure if it’s real); Jenn thinks she f***ed it all up; and Gina says, Jenn ruined her own life.

If you want more:

Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18, Episode 16 Recap: Tamra Is Throwing Everyone Under the Bus

🧂 Extra Salt…

If you didn’t get enough.

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 5, Episode 6 Recap: Keep Your Frenemies Close and Your Housewives Closer

👀 Forgotten Watch…

No surprise I forgot I watched this last weekend, since I almost forgot I wanted to watch it. I did kinda, sorta watch the first two. Frankly, I saw a sex scene I can never unsee in I can’t remember which other one, and a disturbing dance with a scarecrow, so it’s doubtful I’ll rewatch those. But I love an 80s atmosphere, so I was looking forward to this one. I definitely liked this the most out of the three, and what’s not doubtful is Mia Goth’s excellent performances. She did not disappoint and the story was a good one. Probably not for those with weak stomachs though.

https://screenrant.com/maxxxine-movie-timeline-how-long-after-x/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/maxxxine-theda-baras-walk-of-fame-star-explained-how-it-calls-back-to-pearl/ar-AA1sKVYf

https://1428elm.com/do-you-need-to-watch-pearl-and-x-to-enjoy-maxxxine-01jard0y8033

🏃‍♀️ Behind In Watching…

Obviously, there are spoilers here. While I’ve still only seen the first two episodes, they’re so short, this is really better suited for binging.

https://ew.com/agatha-all-along-aubrey-plaza-death-reveal-rio-vidal-episode-7-8733310

I’m just behind by one here.

https://ew.com/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-reunion-between-daryl-carol-changed-exclusive-8729288

🤷‍♀️ What’s Weirder…

Wearing a costume or being one?

https://ew.com/rob-lowe-received-bigfoot-costume-60th-birthday-wore-outside-8630889

https://ew.com/rob-lowe-recalls-st-elmos-fire-halloween-costumes-8727923

🧛🏻 Final Shadows…

I haven’t been a faithful watcher, but the episodes I’ve seen are very funny. I love that there’s an energy vampire and they live on Staten Island.

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/what-we-do-in-the-shadows-season-6-review-hulu

👻 It’s Not Just Me…

As long as I’ve had dogs, we’ve had a costume theme every Halloween. Last year was Barbie. This year… Well, you’ll see.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/g39918082/dog-and-owner-costumes/

🧟‍♀️ Where the Wild Things Are…

Come by tomorrow for soap, a dash of entertainment, and my own Halloween movie list. Until then, stay safe; stay keeping all Halloween treats, costume pieces, and decorations away from pets; and stay never giving up, even when you feel like you’re not going to make it.