(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
I miss the first millisecond. Nothing important, except Lucas is now breathing on his own. Elizabeth tells Julian that they’re all pulling for Lucas. Franco says he’s ready to go home. Elizabeth says she missed Franco, and he says if he’d known he was away, he would have missed her too. She gives him back his wedding ring, he puts it on, and they kiss.
Michael opens the door to Willow, who asks if everything is okay. His text was vague. He says he has some fun things planned for today, and thought she might want to join in.
Anna looks over some folders at her desk. Finn tells her that he just put Violet down for a nap, and he wants one too. Anna says it will take time, and he says he’s never second guessed himself so much. He wants to do things right. Are cartoons good or bad? Anna says the answers will change with his mood. Wait until the first time he hears himself say, because I said so. He says he’s looking forward to that. He asks what all that is on her desk, and she says, research. He says, on? and she says, her son.
Sporting an elf hat, Maxie tells Peter it breaks her heart to see so many kids in the hospital at Christmas. Peter says GH does its best to make it special, and she made them smile. Maxie wishes Lucas was awake to make fun of her hat. Peter says they should have a progress report soon, and it is the time of year for miracles. She asks if he’s ready for their next stop, and he asks if she’s sure they’re not intruding. Maxie says, she’ll love it. She sees the guard outside Nelle’s door, and says, someone’s been naughty.
Martin tells Nelle that she’s looking well. She says hospital gowns have always suited her. He asks if this was her big plan, to get stabbed? and she says, of course (🍷) not. He asks, what happened? and she says, a serial killer happened.
Brad tells Lucas that he doesn’t know what to do. That’s a lie. He at least knows what Lucas would want him to do. Send Wiley back to his true father, but what if he can’t? If he hadn’t come across Nelle that awful night, and taken a baby that wasn’t his, Lucas wouldn’t be there. He wants to make it right, but doesn’t know what to do. Julian comes in, and tells Brad, the test results are in. Brad kisses Lucas’s forehead, and follows Julian.
Michael says he’s taking a personal day, and knows how Willow loves spending time with Wiley, but it’s awkward with Wiley’s dads around. He asks if it’s still hard on her, and she says, no. She was just thinking of Lucas, and how horrible it all is. Michael says, hopefully, Lucas will get better. In the meantime, they can keep Wiley laughing. Willow says Michael has been great taking care of Wiley, and Michael says, of course (🍷). He’s family.
Martin says, Nelle wanted to be released, and this is how she engineered it? If she’d gotten killed, he would have gotten bupkis for his hard work. She’s unreliable. He has one question; why is she doing this?
Anna tells Finn that she can’t get the conversation with Jason out of her head. The list of crimes he believes Peter orchestrated is unbelievable. At the same time, considering Peter’s recent behavior, she can’t dismiss it out of hand. She’s pulled everything she can find, and is trying to make a connection to Brice and the gunman’s deaths. The gunman spent a lot of time in Pentenville, but up until about a week ago, he was in Europe, where he has no arrest record. He worked security for two companies, Eurotech and another one I don’t catch, before and after his stint in prison. Finn thinks the company names should mean something to him, and Anna says they’re known by the WSB to be DVX companies. Finn says, shell companies. Peter lived in Germany, so that would be the connection. Anna says Andre also has connections in Europe, and Brice spent time there. Finn asks if there’s nothing to single Peter out, and she says, no.
Amy tells Elizabeth the paperwork will be ready shortly. Jordan asks Franco to look at a photo of his assailant, but when he does, he says he’s got nothing. But they weren’t really after him. They were after Drew. He’s not telling her how to do her job, but maybe she should be speaking to Drew. Elizabeth asks if Jordan needs anything else, but Jordan says, that’s it. Amy tells Franco that his walking papers are in. Enjoy his homecoming. Elizabeth says, they will, and Franco asks her, what’s going on with Drew? She says they have a lot to talk about, but they’ll do it at home.
Anna says, neither Brice, nor the assassin were in Afghanistan, and Finn says, that implicates Shiloh. She says, exactly, but Shiloh has no known connection to Faison. Finn says, that implicates Peter, but she says, there’s no implication anywhere. Finn says she wants to exonerate him, and she says she wants to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s not guilty. Finn says, that’s impossible. It comes down to what she feels. She says, nothing contradicts Jason’s version of the events, but Finn says, Jason has his own bias. In the absence of real evidence, it comes down to who or what she believes. The doorbell rings, and Finn goes to get it. He brings back Maxie and Peter.
Michael and Willow roll a ball back and forth with Wiley, and discuss a ball rolling Olympics event. Willow asks how Michael got to be so great with kids. Being a big brother? He says, that’s part of it. There was actually a time where he had custody of his sister Avery. It’s a long story, and not complementary of him. Willow doesn’t believe it, but he says, believe it. It was a very complicated, messy, human situation, where everyone acted badly. Willow says she’ll reserve judgment on that. Michael says his biological father was AJ Quartermaine. AJ and his mom didn’t get along, and she left him for Sonny when Michael was two years old. Sonny was the only father he knew. AJ wanted him back, so there was an ugly custody fight. Flash forward to five years ago. AJ and Sonny hated each other, and Ava got thrown in the mix. AJ attacked Ava, and Sonny shot him. He died, but Michael didn’t know it was Sonny who shot him until a month later, and he went a little crazy. It was pretty bad, and he trumped up a legal excuse to get custody of Avery. He wanted to hurt his father, and knew nothing would hurt him more than taking Avery away.
Nelle says maybe she doesn’t need Martin. She got herself out; she can find a way to stay out. Martin says he’s her only prayer to get out before her 60th birthday. If she does exactly what he tells her, and sticks with the program; be a model prisoner. She asks why she should trust him, and he says it’s his only chance of getting paid. Jordan comes in, and asks how the prisoner is. Nelle gives her two thumbs up.
The doctor asks Julian and Brad if they’re waiting for Lucas’s mother, but Julian says they convinced her to get some rest, so go ahead. The doctor says Lucas’s brain swelling is down, but he slipped into a coma. Julian says he’s been in a coma since he got there, but the doctor says it was medically induced to help his body heal. Even after they reduced the sedatives, he’s not waking up. Brad asks, what happens now? and the doctor says Lucas can’t stay there indefinitely. He’ll have to be relocated. They think Turning Woods is the best option; they have long term care. They’ll transfer him as soon as Brad signs off. Julian asks, what’s the rush? and Brad says, they need the bed. Lucas isn’t healing fast enough, so they’re kicking him out. He walks off, leans against the wall, and slides down.
Elizabeth brings Franco in, and says, ta-da! Franco says, check it out, and looks at the huge Welcome Home sign. He asks if Aiden did that, and she says, of course (🍷). Look at what else he did. Franco sees a cake on the table, and says, chocolate ganache; his favorite. He asks where Aiden is, and Elizabeth says he was invited to spend Christmas in Ireland. He was torn; He wanted to go, but wanted to be there to welcome Franco home. Cameron convinced him that Franco would want him to experience new places, and they took him to the airport this morning. He’s come a long way from the uncertain withdrawn little boy, and it has a lot to do with Franco. Franco says he just followed her lead. She says they can still have a celebration. Cameron and Jake will be home soon. He has no idea how much the boys missed him. And how scared they were, although they tried not show it. He says he can imagine, and he’s sorry he put them through it. She says they’re sorry he went through it. He says he didn’t. It’s a matter of perspective. To him, no time passed. She got the raw end of the deal. She says she’s glad he’s home; that’s all that matters. She asks how it feels, and he says, safe and warm, and familiar and new at the same time. It’s weird that he hasn’t seen Drew. He must be busy. Elizbeth says, it’s worse than that. There’s a lot they need to deal with, and in time he’ll adjust. Drew handled it wonderfully, and was determined to get him back. Franco asks where Drew is, and she says, he’s missing, and presumed dead.
Julian tells Lucas, take more time to rest. Don’t worry about Wiley. He’ll fix this thing. By the time Lucas wakes up, everything will be back on track. He’s going to wake up. He has to.
Amy finds Brad, and sits next to him on the floor. She says, it’s not the end. Lucas probably just needs more time. Brad says it’s his fault, and she tells him, don’t say that. He says, it’s true. Between the two of them, everyone knows Brad is the bad one. Lucas doesn’t lie, cheat, or break the law. He’s perfect. Amy says Brad is no angel, but what everyone knows is how much Brad loves Lucas, and how much Lucas loves him. She asks if some gossip would cheer him up. Guess who traded their cellblock for a hospital bed? Nelle.That wacko is back in Port Charles. Brad says he has to do something, and jets. Amy wonders if it’s something she said.
Nelle tells Jordan, they can’t make her go back. Jordan says they can, and Nelle asks how heartless can they be? Ryan nearly carved out her one kidney. Jordan says she’s exaggerating, but Martin says her release is premature, given her medical history. She’ll need more extensive tests. Jordan says, if the doctor says she needs them, she’ll get them. Otherwise, it’s back to prison. Martin says, let’s find out. As he follows Jordan out the door, he turns back to look at Nelle, and she mouths, do something.
Anna quickly clears her desk, and Maxie says they brought gifts. Anna says they shouldn’t have, and Maxie says they’re not for her. She’s been going through Georgie’s old clothes, and thought Violet could use some of them. They’re out in the car. Anna asks Finn to help Peter get them. Anna tells Maxie that she’s glowing. Peter has an effect on her. Maxie says he’s made her happy. She didn’t think it was possible. After Nathan died, she thought that was it. How many chances does one person get? But in walks Peter, now they’re building a life together, and a family. Anna says she’s thrilled for Maxie, and they hug.
Willow asks how long Michael kept Avery, and he says, three or four months. He realized his revenge was tearing his family apart and hurting the people he loved, especially Avery. The only solution was to give Avery back, and forgive his father. Avery was the easy part; forgiving his father, not so much. Eventually, he got there. Willow says, remarkable, but he says, not really. It was a shift in perspective. Avery wasn’t a trophy; she was just a little girl. After he focused on that, everything else fell into place. The point he’s making is, he played dad for a minute. He laughs, remembering when he brought Avery to work, and a big investor came in. He found Michael on the floor, playing blocks with Avery. He already looked young, and needless to say, Michael didn’t close the deal. Willow says, that investor was short-sighted. Anyone playing blocks is engaging, thoughtful, and committed. If it had been her, she would have totally invested with him. Michael’s phone rings. It’s Amy, who says she was just with Brad. Lucas is still in a coma, and being transferred to long term care at Turning Woods. Brad is taking it hard, so she was wondering if Michael could bring Wiley to the hospital. Brad needs to see his son.
Brad walks into Nelle’s room, and she says, nice work, talking his way in there, especially considering what he’s going through. He says his husband being in a coma, and his son without his fathers? All of it is her fault.
Franco asks Elizabeth if there was no body, and she says the plane was found in the water. When it was determined there were no possible survivors, the search was called off. Franco says, it was because of him, but Elizabeth says, Drew was on the plane because he felt it was the right thing to do. Franco says, it’s not fair.
Brad tells Nelle, none of this would have happened if he hadn’t gotten involved with her. All of it happened because he didn’t have the guts to stand up and do what he should have done all along. What Lucas would want him to do – what’s best for Wiley.
Michael and Willow come into the hospital through the loudest sliding door ever. Michael gives Wiley to Willow, and says he wants to give Brad a heads up. Willow tells Wiley that someone is going to be happy to see him.
Anna tells Maxie, she’s happy to hear she and Peter are moving in together. She was a bit surprised though. She thought Peter was getting his own place. Maxie says, he was, but the deal fell through. That’s why he was on the pier the night he helped Dev and Wiley. Anna says, everything happens for a reason, and Maxie says she thinks so. Peter is great for her and James. They’ve finally moved past the baggage. Finn and Peter come back in, and Finn thanks Peter for the stuff. Peter says he didn’t have much to do with it. Finn asks how it’s going since the excitement at the hospital. Peter says he feels horrible that a man lost his life, but Franco is back to himself. It must be liberating, not being bogged down with Drew’s memories. Finn says, it must be.
Elizabeth tells Franco that she’s sorry. Franco wishes he could have tried to save Drew, and she says he did. He got Drew out of the house, and away from that horrible man. Franco says Drew died as a direct result of what was going on with him. Elizabeth says what Franco did changed everything. He, as Drew, chose to give Franco back his life because of what he did all those years ago.
She says she dreaded this moment, telling him about Drew. She knew how hard to would be. He holds her, and says Drew is the closest thing he’ll ever have to a brother. She says he can’t bring Drew back. The only way to honor him is to learn from his own life. Be happy and make the people he loves around him happy. He says he’s an expert at being whiny and bitchy. She says, he is not. Maybe a little. He says he’s so grateful for her. From now on, he’s grateful for everything. She says he has no idea how unbearable it was to see him, and it not really be him. Not just the lack of recognition – that was painful enough – but everything. The way he carried himself, the way he spoke, the way he said her name. He wouldn’t make inappropriate comments, or make her laugh with his terrible jokes. He says, they’re funny because they’re terrible. She says she would look in his eyes and search, but she wouldn’t see it. She sees it now, and she’s so happy. he says, if he makes her happy, that’s the single greatest achievement of his life. She says she loves him so much, and they kiss.
Jordan sees Julian, and says she heard Lucas was being moved. He says he just got off the phone with Lucas’s mother, and told her about Turning Woods. She says they’ve received the final report about Brad’s car.
Michael looks at his phone; Brad called. Martin comes by, and introduces himself, saying he has the honor and privilege of being Nelle’s attorney. Michael isn’t sure that’s an honor, and Martin says, Nelle is a remarkable young woman whose gone out of her way to turn her life around. Michael says, Nelle destroys anyone who crosses her path. Stay away. He walks, and Martin says, tough crowd.
Michael sees Amy, and tells her that Wiley is waiting with Willow. Where can he find Brad?
Anna asks if Maxie and Peter can’t stay longer, but Maxie says, it’s Christmaspalooza. They have the coat drive at Rice Plaza next. Anna asks if they’re going to be there for Christmas, and Finn says, that’s the day that’s merry not happy. Anna looks at him, and he says she lives in America now. Maxie and Peter leave, and Finn says, they seem good. Anna says, better than good, and he asks what she’s thinking. She says she’s thinking of taking his advice. She’s going to give Peter the benefit of the doubt. He says she’s taking his advice? and he tells her, enjoy it while it lasts. He goes upstairs to check on Violet, and she straightens her desk. She flips through a folder on Peter, and says, no.
Franco and Elizabeth kiss. She pulls away, and he asks, what going on? She says, you know how it is when your head and your body are feeling two different things? That’s how she’s feeling. She knows she shouldn’t be upset… He asks, what’s going on? Just tell him; they’ll get through it. She says, when Drew was in his body, he had sex with Kim.
Jordan tells Julian, they were unable to determine the cause of the crash. There was too much damage to the undercarriage, and they can’t pinpoint how the brakes failed. He asks if they’re closing the investigation, and she says they have nothing further to learn. She tells him, good luck with Lucas’s transfer. She hopes he comes out of it.
Anna says, Eurotech, and looks in the gunman’s folder. She says, ugh; no. Peter was there at the same company at the same time the gunman worked there. She looks through pictures of Peter, obviously taken without his knowledge.
Michael looks in on Lucas. He tells Brad, sorry. He knows it wasn’t the news Brad wanted to hear. None of them did. Brad says, it was a lot to take in, and Michael says he brought someone to cheer Brad up, if he’s up to it. Wiley is here.
In the hallway, Willow holds Wiley, and Nelle rolls up in her wheelchair. She says, what a beautiful baby boy.
On Monday, Monica reads A Christmas Carol to the kids at the hospital, Robert calls Finn a Scrooge, Obrecht says Christmas is the time put aside their differences and spread good will, and Finn becomes Scrooge. I’m really looking forward to that.
🏥 Her Choice of Friends Scares Me…
I love Denise, but her being good friends with Brandi is scarier than any medical emergency.
I’ve loved Wayne Brady forever. I was blessed to see him in Chicago on Broadway, and hung out afterward, to ask him to sign my program. There were quite a few of us waiting, and every time the stage door opened, you could feel everyone get ready. Then, when it wasn’t him, there was a collective feeling of disappointment. Now we call every letdown after anticipatory feels, a Wayne Brady moment. He did eventually come out and sign programs just in case you were wondering.
Dogs are the best! If you keep watching, there’s a whole sequence of videos of dogs throwing tantrums for various reasons. This first one is annoyed by a cat in her bed. It reminds me of when our cat used to deliberately sit in the middle of the doorway because the dogs were too afraid to go past him. The cartoons have it backward.
Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmas time with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don’t quite know how to put our love into words. – Harlan Miller
A good conscience is a continual Christmas. – Benjamin Franklin
Hanukkah is about the spark of the divine in all of us made in God’s image. – Suzanne Fields
We’re not doing anything that hasn’t been done better by Burl Ives, God rest his soul. Possibly. I don’t know whether he’s dead or alive. – Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller), King of Queens
Nothing ever seems too bad, too hard, or too sad when you’ve got a Christmas tree in the living room. – Nora Roberts
Just as Hanukkah candles are lighted one by one from a single flame, so the tale of the miracle is passed from one man to another, from one house to another, and to the whole House of Israel throughout the generations. – Judah L. Magnes
And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent… – Taylor Caldwell
Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see. – The Polar Express
Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance—a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. – Augusta E. Handel
Ho-ho-ho! – Santa Claus
🎁 And One More…
Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father.
He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but his own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.
He had no further intercourse with Spirits; 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! – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
⚠ SPOILER ALERT: This show was not on today in the US, and will be shown tomorrow. So if you don’t want to know yet, skip down to all the Wives.
General Hospital
Jason tells Sonny, they got everything out, and Sonny tells him to check the routes again. He wants everything covered. Jason asks if Sonny is being pressured, but Sonny says, people get sloppy, and he just wants to double-check. One more thing. What the hell is going on with Carly?
At the hospital, Jax gives Carly a blueberry smoothie. She asks if there’s kelp in it, and he says, of course (🍷) not. She tastes it, and admits it’s pretty good. Jax says, when this is over, he has a bottle of Bordeaux with her name on it. She says she thought it was going to be over tonight.
Obrecht asks how Charlotte is, and Valentin says, warm, dry and safe. Nina says Charlotte wanted to read another chapter of Little Women, but her eyes were closed by the time they started. Obrecht tells them, hypothermia can be exhausting, but Nina says Charlotte wouldn’t be home if she had hypothermia. The doctors say she’s fine. Obrecht no thanks to that poor excuse of a mother. What was Lulu thinking, letting Charlotte fall into the harbor? Valentin says, she didn’t fall; she jumped.
Curtis meets Laura, Doc, and Lulu at Charlie’s. He asks how Lulu is holding up, and she says she’s still in shock. All of a sudden, Charlotte took a running jump off the pier. She was sure her bodyguard was going to save her. Curtis says, what about a bodyguard? Doc says, imaginary. Apparently, Charlotte was willing to risk her life to prove he was real.
Alone at the gallery, Ava pours herself a martini. She says, here’s to you, Helena Cassadine. You made one hell of an exit. What more can a gal ask? She hears footsteps behind her, and says she knew he’d show up. He’s awful predictable – she picks up her gun and turns around – for a dead man. It’s Nikolas, and she says she’d offer to fix him a martini, but her hands are full. He says she doesn’t need the gun. She says she needed the last time he broke in, when she asked him to take off his mask. He was so real, she could have touched him. So real, she could have pulled the trigger, if she hadn’t fainted dead away. Fortunately, she’s feeling much steadier tonight.
At the MetroCourt, Lucy explains to potential investor Alyssa that the relaunch of Deception is going to include spas and the whole wellness movement, but they also have a new signature line of cosmetics; strictly organic. Alyssa says let her stop Lucy there, but Lucy says at least let her show the power point presentation. Alyssa says she loved Deception in the early 90s, but can’t make a serious investment in nostalgia, unless she has… Lucy sees Sasha walk in with Michael, and says, she does. Hold that thought. She goes over to Sasha, and asks her to please go along with whatever she does. She brings Sasha to the table, and tells Alyssa that Sasha is a dear friend who is going to help make her vision happen. May she present the new face of Deception, Sasha Gilmore.
Valentin says he’s going to check on Charlotte. He wants to be there if she wakes up. Obrecht tells Nina, for such a cold-blooded manipulator, he certainly loves that child. Nina says, Obrecht is telling her Valentin is a manipulator? Obrecht says, a leopard doesn’t change its spots, and Nina says, neither does a leopardess. She knows Obrecht helped Valentin pass Sasha off as her daughter, and she’s giving Obrecht one last chance to tell her how and why.
Curtis says he’s there to help any way he can, but he’s not sure why he’s there. Laura says they may need him to dig up some dirt on Valentin. Something they could use against him in a custody battle. Curtis thought the custody was already settled, but Lulu says, not anymore. He says it’s her fault since she wasn’t watching Charlotte closely enough. Laura says, of course (🍷) she was, and Doc says, no one could doubt that. Lulu says, Valentin does. He wants to go back to family court, and amend the custody order. Laura says, he’s going to fail. She’s sure there are enough witnesses who will testify for Lulu. Curtis says he’s sure he can dig up something they can use. Curtis wants to hear more about the bodyguard, and Lulu says she thought it was part of a game. Charlotte has been talking about him non-stop. Doc thinks it’s important they figure out why Charlotte invented him in the first place.
Ava asks why Nikolas is there. He says she must know, but she says tell her anyway. He says, when the painting burned, did the codicil burn with it? She says he’ll have to do better than that, and he asks what she wants. She says, an apology to start. On second thought, anything he says would be a lie. Just like his supposed death. His second supposed death. Not the first one he staged in Port Charles; the one she witnessed in Greece. He says he almost died that day, and she says, but he didn’t. He just let her believe he did. That’s a pattern with him, isn’t it? His mother, his sister, his son. Nikolas let them all grieve for him, twice. Why should she be the exception? Because they had a few nice chats, an unexpected connection, and shared a kiss? She’d never kissed a prince. Sounds like a fairytale, but in her case, the prince turned out to be a liar and a user. Now she gets to decide how the fairytale ends.
Jax tells Carly, just as the gavel came down, the painting burst into flames. Now Helena’s portrait is just a pile of ashes. Carly says, Ava rigged the painting to burn? Jax says, Ava claimed she didn’t, and that it was either Helena or the artist, playing a practical joke from beyond the grave. Carly hopes he’s not on the hook for the money, but he says, the painting was never delivered, so the sale is null and void. That’s the good news. The bad news is, the codicil either burned with the painting, or Ava has it.
Sonny tells Jason, Carly is hiding something. Does he know what? Jason says, no, and Sonny asks if she said she was worried about anything or asked for his help. Jason says she didn’t, and Sonny says, then she’s doing this alone, which makes it worse. Jason asks when it started, and Sonny says, it was after Halloween, when Josslyn wanted to move in with Jax part time. He thought Jax would be all over that, but he turned it down. Sonny asked Carly why, and she picked a fight with him. She’s trying to distract him, and when he asks why, she picks another fight with him. He thinks Jax is into something he shouldn’t be, and Carly is protecting him.
Nikolas tells Ava, it doesn’t have to be this way, but she says, it does. Start at the beginning. Nikolas and Valentin were fighting. The gun went off… He says, Valentin shot him, and Ava says she hasn’t told anyone this, but she saw him and Valentin struggling over the gun. From Valentin’s perspective, he was acting in self-defense. He says she told Spencer that Valentin murdered him. Ava says, which clearly, he did not. He says she told Spencer that she’d help him prove it was wrongful death, and she sold out to Valentin. She says she was horribly scarred and wanted her face back. All she had to do was betray his memory, but it turns out there was nothing to betray because he’s been alive the whole time. He says she makes it sound like he was on vacation, and she says, where has he been? And what payoff justified the hell he’s put them all through?
Carly tells Jax, none of this is going to turn out the way Nikolas wants. He’s not going to reclaim the Cassadine fortune or sell Jax the shipping company. Spencer is away at boarding school, and well taken care of. On the other hand, Josslyn will be devastated if he gets deported again. Make sure that doesn’t happen. Call the cops and turn Nikolas in.
Jason asks if Sonny and Carly have been fighting about anything real, and Sonny says, his dad. Sonny still thinks there’s a way to help him, but Carly doesn’t agree. He did have a bad spell on Thanksgiving, and Griff was in town, so Sonny had him look at Mike’s chart. He said Mike’s Alzheimer’s is progressing. Jason says he’s sorry, but Sonny says, it’s not over. Griff is checking into something in Sweden and maybe even the US. He asks what Jason thinks, but Jason says it’s not his call. Sonny wants to know anyway, and Jason tells him to put himself in Mike’s place. If it was Sonny’s kids making the decisions, what would he want? Sonny says he’d want them to make a choice they can live with. He’s already lived his life. He’d want them to be at peace. Jason thinks Mike would want that for him.
Doc says, recently, Charlotte’s life has been filled with uncertainty. Dante’s absence, his brief tumultuous return, Nina and Valentin’s aborted wedding. She’s a little girl, whose world has been in constant upheaval. Laura says, and that was before she was kidnapped by Cassandra. Lulu says, Charlotte knows Cassandra has a grudge against her father. Some part of her must know it’s Valentin’s fault, and she doesn’t want to blame him. Doc says, the bodyguard is a manifestation of Charlotte’s need to feel secure and safe. Laura says, and jumping into the harbor when she knows he’s not real? and Doc says, a cry for help. Lulu says she has to speak with Valentin now; tonight. She gets up, and Laura says, Valentin might not be receptive right now, but Lulu doesn’t care. Right now, Charlotte needs stability, not another tug-of-war custody battle. Curtis says he’s going with her, for moral support and back-up. Laura thinks it’s a good idea, and Lulu says she appreciates the offer, but Charlotte is her daughter. It’s on her to settle this.
Nina tells Obrecht that she’s lost so many people she loves; she can’t lose Obrecht too. Tell her the truth. Obrecht asks if she’s sure she wants to know. Ignorance really can be bliss. She has a man who loves her, and a stepdaughter who adores her. Is the truth really more important than the family she’s always wanted? Nina says she wants the truth, and then she’ll decide for herself. Did Obrecht help Valentin fake the original DNA test? Obrecht says, no, but she knows how he did it.
Lucy says it’s lovely for Michael to join them, and asks if Alyssa has met him. Alyssa says, not personally, but Chad Bailey speaks highly of him. Michael says Chad swears Alyssa has the uncanny ability to spot the next big thing. Alyssa doesn’t know if she’d go that far, but she’s curious as to why he’s there. Is ELQ in the beauty market? and he says they’re in a lot of markets. He sees Sonny come in, and excuses himself, saying his father doesn’t like to be kept waiting. When he’s gone, Alyssa asks if that’s the Sonny Corinthos, the… and Sasha says, coffee importer and noted philanthropist; that’s him.
At the bar, Michael asks if Sonny was looking for him. Sonny says if Michael was in his place, and he had Alzheimer’s that had progressed to the point where he didn’t recognize Michael, would he still look for a cure, even if it was a long shot? Or would he just let Sonny go?
Obrecht says she attended Nina’s mother’s funeral. She was a fugitive at the time, but disguised herself as a homeless woman, and kept to the back of the church. When the service was over, and everyone was gone, Valentin returned with a DNA kit. She watched him take a swab from her mother’s body. Nina says, so from the moment she found Sasha, Obrecht knew she was fake. Obrecht says, she was reasonably certain Sasha was working for Valentin. Nina says she thought Obrecht loved her. Why wouldn’t she say something?
Lulu goes to Windymere, and Valentin asks what she’s doing there. She says she’s there to see him. Charlotte almost drowned tonight, and they have to do better for her.
Curtis says, if Valentin is going to compromise, it would definitely be for Charlotte’s sake, but if he opts for a custody fight, Curtis promises to bring them all the dirt he can find. Laura says they’re lucky to have him on their side. Curtis heads to the bar for a real drink. Laura tells Doc, there’s something else she didn’t want Lulu to know right away, but it might mean something. He says, lucky for her, she’s married to a highly-skilled psychiatrist who knows how to keep a secret. She says, Charlotte showed her a picture of her secret bodyguard. It was picture of Nikolas.
Nikolas tells Ava, he was in shock and bleeding. It was a miracle someone found him and pulled him out. It was a yacht crew who’d just dropped off their owner, and were en route home to Athens. He was able to get medical attention. She says, so while they were there grieving his watery death, he was warm and dry and recuperating in Athens. He says he was still considered a fugitive, and she says, criminal charges from faking his death the first time. The story isn’t doing him any favors. He says he was waiting for Valentin to stake his claim, using the papers he forced Nikolas to sign, while she was being held at gunpoint. He guesses they’ve come full circle, and she says, yes. He was very chivalrous – then. Not so much when he was telling her Kiki was damned. He says he’s not proud of that, and she says either he’s truly ashamed or good at faking it. Either way, it’s of no consequence. So he was waiting for Valentin to use the papers… Nikolas says, he never did. He didn’t need to. Mikkos left him everything. But Mikkos had one last surprise; a codicil disinheriting Valentin and returning everything to him, and it was hidden in Helena’s portrait. The one she destroyed.
Jax tells Carly, they have to let this play out until New Year’s. He has reason to believe Valentin is going to be suffering a reversal of fortune very soon, and it will give Nikolas an opening. She asks, what kind of opening? And what’s going on with Valentin? He says, sorry, but she doesn’t want him sorry. She wants him to answer her questions. Jason shows up, and asks if everything is okay.
Ava tells Nikolas, if he didn’t want the painting destroyed, he should have told her it was important instead of gaslighting her. How long was he having her watched? He says, less than a month, and it was his mother who he was having watched. She says, so he never thought about her at all, but he says he did. He thought of everything there. The wife he missed, the people he loved; he thought about coming forward, but knew if he did, he’d be handing everything to Valentin. She asks if the codicil was supposed to fix all that, and he says, it would have fixed everything. It would have given back everything that was rightfully his. She says, too bad it’s nothing but ashes, and he says, is it? which is exactly what I’ve been thinking.
Laura tells Doc, Charlotte was disappointed that her bodyguard didn’t rescue her. He says, in her mind, her bodyguard is real, and Laura says, absolutely. She offered to show Laura a picture of him, then showed her the picture of Nikolas on Lulu’s phone. Doc asks how much Charlotte knows about Nikolas, and Laura says, she doesn’t know. She’s sure Charlotte has heard her and Lulu talking about him, but could that be enough for her to make him her secret bodyguard? Doc says, it’s possible. He thinks it’s more likely she recognized Nikolas, and chose him for a reason.
Lulu tells Valentin that Doc said Charlotte jumping in the harbor was a cry for help. She’s had so much turmoil. She must have made up the bodyguard because she doesn’t trust them to make her world safe. He says it sounds like she’s admitting she’s part of the problem.
Obrecht tells Nina, she needed leverage over Valentin. She told him what she’d witnessed, and blackmailed him. Nina asks if Obrecht didn’t care that she was falling in love with her daughter, and Obrecht says, it was already too late. Nina was already in love with her daughter, and to Valentin’s credit, the more time she spent with Sasha, the more she was convinced that Sasha was a good daughter to her. Sasha wasn’t trying to take advantage, and Nina was happy. If that little snoop Lulu hadn’t eavesdropped, and made it her business to interrupt the wedding, Nina could still be happy. Nina asks if Obrecht isn’t the least bit sorry, and Obrecht says, sorrier than she can say, but she might have a way to make amends.
Sasha tells Alyssa, classic isn’t the same as old. They’re going to use the history of Deception’s glamour and style to target the current generation. Alyssa says, tell her more.
Michael tells Sonny that he’d have to weigh his need to keep Sonny against his quality of life. Would it be worth putting him through treatment that might cause him to suffer or get worse, or refuse the treatment, and later find out it could have saved him? Sonny says he asked himself that, but he’s not getting an answer. Michael asks what Carly thinks, and Sonny says, they’re having problems right now. She probably thinks part of it is his dad; part of it is, they just don’t agree. Michael says, talk to her anyway. Even if she thinks he’s dead wrong, she’ll always have his back.
Jax tells Jason that he was just trying to convince Carly to drink her smoothie. Carly says, he swears there’s no kelp in it. She’s choosing to trust him. Jax says she won’t be disappointed, and leaves. Jason says, what happened? and Carly says, Jax is in trouble.
Ava laughs, saying Nikolas went through all that trouble, breaking and entering, only to find out Valentin beat him to it, but neither of them found the painting. He asks where it was, and she says, hiding in plain sight. She left it in the original frame, and covered it with a rather pedestrian abstract. He asks if she found the codicil, and she says she has to thank him. For a while, she was concerned that Valentin would find the portrait, but then he showed up, and created the perfect diversion. From then on, all she had to worry about was checking herself out of a mental hospital, and searching the painting. Once she knew what she was looking for, it wasn’t difficult to find. He says she has the codicil, and she says, of course (🍷) she does.
Obrecht gives Nina an envelope, and tells her to see for herself. After Valentin left the church, she took a few strands of her sister’s hair. Nina can run her own test. It should yield the same results as the one Valentin ran; mother and daughter.
Lulu tells Valentin, she’s not the one who got Charlotte kidnapped. Cassandra went after Charlotte because of him. He says Charlotte was with Lulu when Cassandra took her, and was with Lulu when she jumped into the harbor. It sounds like Lulu is the one not keeping their daughter safe. She asks him to please not drag their daughter into a custody fight, and he says he was just hoping she’d be a good mother. She says she loves Charlotte. He’s the one who’s selfish. He spoils Charlotte, and indulges her worst impulses. He says he treats Charlotte like she’s Charlotte. Lulu treats Charlotte like she’s an extension of herself, proving she’s perfect. She calls him a bastard, and he says she despises him and he despises her back. Why don’t they let the family court decide? She says, let’s do that, and she’s going to prove he’s unfit to be anywhere near Charlotte. She walks out, and Valentin joins Nina and Obrecht. Nina says, Lulu sounded upset, and he says, it’s been an upsetting evening. Obrecht says, it’s been quite stressful, and excuses herself to go to bed. Valentin asks if Nina is all right. She says, no, and he says, him neither, and they hug.
Alyssa says her COO will contact Lucy directly about financial arrangements. Lucy says they’ll talk soon. Ta! Alyssa goes down in the elevator, and Lucy squeals, saying, Deception is back, baby!
Jax sees Curtis at Charlie’s, and Curtis asks if there’s a next step in Jax’s plan against Valentin. Or is he cutting his losses now that the painting has been destroyed? Jax says, the plan is still in place, but he thinks it’s time for a change in tactics.
Jason tells Carly, the getaway van was a rental, and it was charged to Jax’s credit card. The same night, he went to question Jax, and it was obvious he was covering something up. He’ll tell her what he told Jax. He’ll do anything for her and Josslyn, even if it means helping Jax, but she has to tell him what’s gong on. Carly says, Jax is into something illegal, and if Sonny finds out, he’ll have Jax deported. So Sonny can’t find out. Her family could be ripped apart before Donna is six months old. She won’t do that to her kids or Sonny. He’s grieving over Mike, and he’ll lash out in anger. Before he realizes what he’s done, it will be too late. Jason says, let him fix it. Sonny comes out of the elevator, sees them talking, and walks the other way. Carly says she can’t ask Jason to get involved, but he says he’s offering. She says she loves him for it, but Jax said he’d have everything handled by New Year’s Eve. If he doesn’t, she’ll tell Jason everything. She promises.
On the phone, Sonny says he needs help. Carly’s in trouble.
Lucy says they did it. They locked down Alyssa, and it’s all due to Sasha. Sasha says Lucy wants her to be the face of Deception, but it doesn’t appeal to her unless she has a stake in the company; an equity partnership. Lucy says, no, but Sasha says it’s going to be her face out there. She wants a say in the product. Lucy says she has a point, so she’ll generously give Sasha point five percent. Sasha asks Michael to be her agent, and he says, fifty percent. Lucy laughs, and says, no, no, no, no, no. Two. Michael says she clearly doesn’t want Sasha as much as she claims. Lucy says she does. Can they just make it a realistic, reasonable number? Michael says, thirty percent; take it or leave it. Lucy says, that’s grand larceny, and Michael says she started the day with a business plan, and thanks to Sasha, she has an investor and a face of the brand. She deserves her fair share. Lucy says, it’s not fair. It’s highway robbery. Michael says Lucy will still be the controlling partner, and Sasha will be very motivated to see that Deception succeeds. Lucy says, fine. Thirty percent. Michael says he’ll have his attorney draw up the papers, and Lucy says he’s nothing but a baby-faced shark. He says Lucy is the owner of a viable company, and Lucy tells Sasha, welcome to Deception. They shake hands, and Sasha says they’re going to do great things together.
Doc tells Laura, Charlotte could think of Nikolas as some kind of hero; a flawed prince. Who better to imagine as her rescuer? If Nikolas were still alive, the source of tension between Lulu and Valentin would be gone. It’s possible Charlotte just wants her parents to stop hating each other. Who better to conjure up than the person Charlotte believes could make that happen?
Curtis tells Jax, there’s a custody battle brewing between Valentin and Lulu. If the change in tactics digs up dirt they can use, he’d like to tell Laura. Jax is fine with that. The more trouble for Valentin, the better. Curtis asks what he’s got, and Jax says, at this point, just a name. Charlotte was carried by a surrogate, Claudette Beaulieu. He gives Curtis a picture of Claudette, and says he wants Curtis to find her.
Ava says she doesn’t really need the gun. She knows he’s not going to hurt her. Not as long as she knows where the codicil is. He asks what she wants, and she says he can start by thanking her for not burning the codicil along with the portrait, or handing it over to Valentin. She says, Valentin is a bit of a bastard, but then, so is Nikolas. Spencer is a different story. Since he has a right to the Cassadine fortune, she’d like him to get it. Nikolas asks if the codicil is there, and can she give it to him now? She asks if he really thinks she’s going to make it that easy.
Valentin tells Nina there’s one thing he’s not getting. Charlotte insists this bodyguard is real. He doesn’t know why. All he knows is that Charlotte needs Nina now more than ever, just as he does. Nina suggests he check on Charlotte, to make sure she didn’t overhear anything. He asks her to come with him, and she says she has a phone call to make, and she’ll be right up. He kisses her and goes upstairs.
Nina takes out the plastic bag with Madeline’s hair in it, and scrunches it a little.
ℹ This is where the video ended abruptly, but I think it was the actual end. If there’s anything extra, like if she tosses it in the fire, I’ll let you know tomorrow. There were no previews, so you’ll get those tomorrow too. Unless there’s some other earth shattering news.
The Real Housewives of Dallas
Sadly, we’re back in Dallas, where nobody gets a baby elephant.
LeeAnne visits Stephanie, and asks how Viet Nam was. Stephanie says they got massages every day, since they were so reasonable. She tells LeeAnne that Travis’s dad is weak, but he’s been that way for a while. In her interview, she says they got him into the hospital where he got his medicine. Then Travis’s sister took him back to the US. She asks how LeeAnne is; she seems sad. LeeAnne says she doesn’t want to be the person who’s targeted all the time. It’s not fair or fun. She had an incident with Kameron in private, and now everyone is in on it. Stephanie says LeeAnne has every reason to feel how she does, but she has to watch how she reacts after she’s hurt. In her interview, Stephanie says LeeAnne can be mad without making insensitive comments. She doesn’t want LeeAnne to get into trouble when she has reason to feel the way she does.
Kameron and Kary go out to eat. Kary tells Kameron that they were all upset when Kameron kind of defended LeeAnne at the table. We flash back to that, and Kameron says everyone was destroying LeeAnne. She can’t let LeeAnne get attacked like that. Kary says she was mad that LeeAnne made Kameron cry.
Leeanne tells Stephanie that Kameron was upset when she realized how bad the district was; not about her yelling. Stephanie says D’Andra expressed to her that Kameron was hurt and upset about LeeAnne screaming and manipulating her. LeeAnne says D’Andra wasn’t there, and Stephanie says if LeeAnne hadn’t felt so protective of Kameron, it wouldn’t have been as heated.
Kameron tells Kary that she thinks LeeAnne had had so much anxiety because she was losing control, since Kameron has been hanging out with Kary. Kary thinks LeeAnne is trying to make Kameron feel guilty, and Kameron agrees 100%. She feels horrible about it. Kary wants to move forward in their friendship and doesn’t want LeeAnne in Kameron’s ear. In Kameron’s interview, she says she wants to tell Kary what LeeAnne said, but part of her is holding back. Kary says Kameron loves her, and she’s Kary’s friend, but she also loves LeeAnne, and Kary wants to respect that.
LeeAnne tells Stephanie, has she been wrong about people? Look at her and D’Andra.
Brandi asks if Brooklyn is nervous about tryouts. Brooklyn says, no, and Brandi thinks she’s more nervous than Brooklyn. In Brandi’s interview, she says each girl makes a team, but there are different teams for different skill sets. The team Brooklyn is looking at were national champion for several years. The tryouts are important, and Brooklyn has been working her little bootie off. Brandi has been slipping over the furniture, and it’s exhausting. She’s also been kicked a few times. Brandi watches as the coaches put Brooklyn through all the moves. In her interview, Brandi says they’re having struggles with Brooklyn going into her preteen years, and it’s hard. Cheerleading is an opportunity for them to pull together. One of the coaches films Brooklyn, and Brooklyn messes up a back flip. In Brandi’s interview, she says she’s not a perfect parent, but her children are loved beyond words. She chooses her battles, and she still has two more to go.
While out for dinner, Kary shows Eduardo her website. He likes it, and she says it’s important to her to have her own independence. In her interview, she says Eduardo can’t appreciate her situation because he’s never had to be vulnerable, and always been in control of the money situation. He’s not an empathetic person, and it makes her feel frustrated. They speak in Spanish about speaking Spanish at home, so the kids will learn. Kary wants Eduardo to hear her out. She’s frustrated, and wants financial independence and security. He gets her concern, and says he’s supportive, asks if she’s doing it because she wants independence, or to be fulfilled. She thinks it’s a combination. She doesn’t want to feel so vulnerable; it’s a bad place to be when you don’t have security. He says it bothers him because he thinks he’s been generous. When they got married, he went from zero to four kids in one year. Kary says he’s great with the kids, but when there are issues, he makes it clear that it’s his house and his money. How would he feel if she had it all, and they had a fight, and divorced? He wouldn’t want to be in that position either. They want to move, and she asks if he’d consider putting the house in both their names for her peace of mind. He says it’s in the trust, so he can’t. In Kary’s interview, she says he always says it’s in the trust, and claims it’s out of his hands, but she thinks that’s BS. He suggests getting a different investment property. He’d wants to feel like they’re working together, not against each other. Kary agrees, and they kiss. In her interview, the producer asks Kary if she believes she and Eduardo will spend the rest of their lives together. She hopes so, but has no idea. If he doesn’t give her some security, she’ll have to move on. Eduardo asks if she wants to pick up the check.
D’Andra meets Mama Dee for lunch. Dee asks if Thailand was good, and D’Andra says she had fun, but she and LeeAnne didn’t end on a good note. Dee doesn’t think they’re going to rekindle their relationship. It’s like a bad marriage. In D’Andra’s interview, she doesn’t think any apology or action will help. Like her father would say, it’s time to fish or cut bait. She tells Dee that she showed Travis the new website. We see clip of that, and she shows it to Dee. Dee says, it’s much more updated. In her interview, D’Andra says Travis is a great mentor. As much as she could, she took his advice to heart, and made changes. The improvements have been because she took his advice. Dee thinks the company is moving in the right direction, and D’Andra says it will probably take a turn for the better, but she’s not there yet. She says she was angry, and it was hard to get over. She was hurt, wondering why her mother set her up to fail. Dee says D’Andra knows how she feels, and why she won’t give her a loan from the trust. We flash back to that conversation, and Dee saying D’Andra spends whatever she makes. Dee tells D’Andra that she’s almost 79, and might need care eventually. It’s expensive, especially care at home. D’Andra says there’s plenty of money for Dee’s care and a loan. In D’Andra’s interview, she wonders what Dee is talking about. She pivots, and there’s a new excuse, but she really just doesn’t want to give D’Andra the money. D’Andra says she wants Dee to be proud, and not come back saying I told you so. Dee swears she would never do that, and I choke on my coffee. She says they’ve been through a lot, and she’s proud of D’Andra. She’s gone above and beyond what Dee expected. She wouldn’t change anything about her. Well, maybe not eating so many doughnuts. In her interview, D’Andra says her mother doesn’t want to say made a mistake or she’s sorry. What’s important is salvaging their mother/daughter relationship. She hasn’t gotten where she wants to yet, but when she’s a self-made millionaire, and Dee comes to her for a loan, enjoy social security, bitch. Dee says she wants to travel; she has the assets to do it. D’Andra says, then she has the assets to give her daughter a loan. Maybe she’d better reconsider the travel. She might need the assets for future care.
Court asks if Kameron is excited about tonight, but she says she’s nervous. They haven’t been together since Thailand. She thinks LeeAnne got anxious about not having control, and it got the best of her. That’s why she ended up freaking out. Court asks where LeeAnne’s anxiety is coming from, and Kameron thinks LeeAnne is afraid she’ll lose Kameron as a friend. She’s never liked Kary and when LeeAnne comments on Kary, she pretends not to hear. LeeAnne called Kary the c-word once, and when she got worked up, she called Kary a chirpy Mexican. It borders on racism. Kameron doesn’t want to blurt something out without thinking. In Kameron’s interview, she says she wants to tell Kary, but she’ll be hurt. At same time, if she doesn’t tell Kary, she’ll be the worst friend on the planet. She tells Court that she has years of history with LeeAnne, but she loves Kary. Court says she needs to be honest. If she thinks a wrong has been done, she needs to come clean.
Brandi gets ready for Bruin’s party. The venue is a beautiful rooftop, and all of the decorations are blue. Bryan says he hadn’t realized they were supposed to wear blue, and Brandi says she sent him an invitation and it was on there. In Brandi’s interview, she says she thinks it’s important to celebrate Bruin’s adoption day, since they’re his forever family. Whether he likes it or not, he’s stuck with them. She tears up, and says it makes her sad that she wasn’t there for his actual birthday, but she can be there for this day. Bringing in Bruin’s sibling would be double the trouble, but also double the love. The guests start to arrive. LeeAnne, Stephanie, and Brandi toast to one year. There’s a band, and an excellent family-style spread. At the bar, Jeremy asks if Brooklyn is getting vodka, and D’Andra tells him, don’t encourage bad things.
Kameron and Court pick Kary and Eduardo up in a limo. Kary asks how Kameron is, and Kameron says she’s good, but she has something hanging over her head. She hasn’t been completely honest, and needs to be. When Kary asked if LeeAnne had talked bad about her, she didn’t want Kary to get hurt, but LeeAnne called her the c-word. Kameron isn’t okay with that word, and didn’t want to repeat it. She’s turning herself in because they’re good friends, and she owes it to Kary. Kary thanks her, but Court butts in where it’s none of his business, and says, that’s not the whole story. Kameron says LeeAnne did say something else; she called Kary a chirpy Mexican. She also did an impression of Kary, saying she was a big powerful Mexican. In Kary’s interview, she says she doesn’t like or connect with LeeAnne, but that’s being racist. If LeeAnne had a big heart, she wouldn’t be prejudiced. Eduardo says he has one comment – remember the Alamo. Kameron asks, what’s the Alamo? and Kary says when you mess with one Mexican, you mess with them all. Court says Kameron can’t be a pushover, and Kameron says she doesn’t know what’s gotten into LeeAnne, but it’s out of control.
The bandleader asks everyone to gather around the stage. Brandi has a few words to say. She thanks everyone for coming, and says it’s been an incredible journey. They’re blessed to have Bruin, and family and friends who support and love them. They went through a year of tears and laughter, and having Bruin is really a miracle. In her interview, she says Bruin is one of the biggest blessings in the family. He’s brought love and joy, and was a piece of the family they never knew was missing until he became a part of it. We flash back to when Brandi first held Bruin. She wants tonight to be special, and tells everyone to party. In Brandi’s interview, she says, you never know what’s out there in life until you open yourself up to it. It’s the biggest blessing that Bruin has given them. LeeAnne looks for Kameron, and suggests they sit and talk.
Kary tells Stephanie and Brandi about what LeeAnne said. She says LeeAnne is showing her true colors. She clearly feels strongly about Kary being Mexican. Stephanie says LeeAnne also said something to her about Kary being Mexican, but she thought it was in the heat of the moment.
Kameron tells LeeAnne that sometimes she doesn’t always talk about Kary in a positive way. She asks LeeAnne to explain why she said Kary was a chirpy Mexican. LeeAnne says she doesn’t remember calling her chirpy, but Kary does talk a lot. Kameron says she also referred to Kary as a big powerful Mexican, but LeeAnne says she doesn’t remember that either. If she used the word Mexican, she didn’t mean it to be offensive. LeeAnne asks Kameron what Kary has said about her, and Kameron tells her, Kary said she’s controlling and manipulating. Kameron thinks LeeAnne is uneasy, knowing she’s close with Kary, but LeeAnne says it genuinely doesn’t bother her, which I find doubtful. We flash back to LeeAnne saying that Kary has muted Kameron’s empathy button toward her, and it’s a lonely place to be.
D’Andra asks Stephanie and Kary if Kameron had LeeAnne’s back, but they say she didn’t. Stephanie says, they’re talking right now. LeeAnne asks if Kameron thinks she manipulates her, but Kameron doesn’t think so. She’s not afraid of LeeAnne. If anything, LeeAnne should be afraid of her. LeeAnne wonders what’s happening to Kameron. In her interview, LeeAnne says she doesn’t know who this Kameron is. Does someone have their hand up her ass moving her mouth? She doesn’t sound like herself. Kameron tells LeeAnne that she felt horrible keeping it to herself, and had to get it off her chest. She didn’t want to be fake. She wanted to be a good friend, like she’s being to LeeAnne.
Kary joins them, and says she thinks she’s heard enough tonight. LeeAnne says she heard Kary said she was controlling, and Kary says she’s said that to LeeAnne’s face. LeeAnne didn’t call her the c-word or call her Mexican to her face. LeeAnne says she grew up with a Mexican family, and Kary says LeeAnne is again making it about herself. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she doesn’t care if someone is Mexican. She’s slept with plenty of Mexicans. It’s not a negative. She’s been there. She sat in Julio Iglesias’s lap. Alrighty then. By now, the others have sidled over, and Kary says LeeAnne isn’t owning it. LeeAnne says, she just did. Kary says she said it to Stephanie too. D’Andra says LeeAnne always preaches equal rights, and LeeAnne tells her, Kary said she has super powers because she’s Mexican. Kary says there’s always a reason or excuse for everything. Brandi asks if anyone wants a shot. Kameron says Kary can say it, but LeeAnne can’t. D’Andra tells LeeAnne, in today’s climate, you can’t say stuff like that. LeeAnne says, in today’s climate, you shouldn’t say a husband is cheating without evidence. Kary says she’s going to get a drink. It’s not worth it.
Brandi asks if Kary is okay, and Kary says she is. D’Andra tells LeeAnne that she thought it was derogatory, but LeeAnne insists it wasn’t. It’s not bad; that’s D’Andra’s opinion. D’Andra says, it’s everyone in the country’s opinion. Kary says LeeAnne didn’t even apologize. D’Andra joins the others, saying she got sucked in the rabbit hole again. LeeAnne Tells Kameron that she didn’t mean it in a derogatory way. In Brandi’s interview, the producer asks if Brandi thinks LeeAnne is racist. Brandi is like, hmm… In their interviews, Stephanie says, no. She thinks LeeAnne just does really dumb sh*t. Brandi doesn’t know if she wants to answer that question. Kary says, LeeAnne isn’t that ignorant. She has to be racist. D’Andra says, what we say is who we are. Kameron says, no. LeeAnne isn’t racist, but she didn’t use her words properly, and she has to fix that. LeeAnne says it’s ridiculous to say she’s racist. Court comes over to Kameron, and says Rachel wants to talk to her about something. LeeAnne says she’s going to apologize to Kary. Court tells Kameron to stay away from LeeAnne because of the racist sh*t she said. Kameron asks where Rachel is, and Court says he was just trying to get Kameron away. In Kameron’s interview, she says instead of being concerned about her reputation, LeeAnne should be concerned about her own.
LeeAnne tells Kary, if that word offends her, she won’t use it again. She didn’t mean it in a derogatory way, and apologizes if she hurt Kary. Kary thanks her for the apology, but says it feels forced. LeeAnne tells her, she wouldn’t have said it if she didn’t mean it. She didn’t think it was offensive. Kary says she’s not going in circles about this with LeeAnne. LeeAnne says she and Kary aren’t close, and she’s good with that, but she’s saying she’s sorry. It’s Kary’s choice to accept it or not. In her interview, Kary doesn’t see how she can get over LeeAnne being racist. Kameron says she’s not afraid of LeeAnne, and if she hears anyone says that, she’ll call them out. LeeAnne says she wants to be clear that she apologized, and Kary says, actions speak louder. LeeAnne says, actions can’t happen tonight. She’s going to go home. Kary says, an apology doesn’t cure everything.
In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she’s not racist. She never has been. She does bad things, but she’s not a bad person. There is a difference. The finale text says, LeeAnne hasn’t seen her mother since the wedding. She and Rich finally went on a honeymoon, but it wasn’t in Mexico.
D’Andra tells the others, her friendship with LeeAnne has been very one-sided. We read that she’s signed a contract with HSN, and paid the remainder of her office lease. God spoke to Mama Dee, and told her to give D’Andra the money.
In her interview, Kameron says people assume she’s a Highland Park blonde who married for money, but when they actually get to know her, they realize she’s more than that. I, for one, never thought Kameron was stupid, and I think Sparkle Dog Food was a stroke of genius. Her postscript says Kameron is struggling to maintain with her friendship with LeeAnne, but her friendship with Kary is going strong. They’re more than surface friends.
D’Andra says Kary is her favorite Mexican, and Kary says she’s excited to share more memories with the women. In parting, it says that Kary is still waiting for a house with both her and Eduardo’s name on it. She’s been selling her jewelry at trunk shows, and has yet to get LeeAnne a wedding gift. Hmm… I wonder what Kameron would say about that.
Brandi’s goodbye words say that she and Bryan still haven’t made a decision about adopting Bruin’s sibling, Brooklyn made the cheer team (which one, it doesn’t say), and Brandi is missing her glory days. She’s considering joining an adult cheer squad.
In Stephanie’s interview, she says, it’s been a hard year emotionally, but she’s stronger, and she knows who she is. For the first time, she’s okay with who she sees in the mirror. Her season ending says she’s continuing therapy, and still taking medication for her depression. There’s also been a new addition to the family – a dog named Teddy.
Court takes a group photo, minus LeeAnne. Is that prophetic?
She might be a lot of things, but I don’t think LeeAnne is racist. I think she latched on the Mexican adjective because Kary keeps harping on Mexico this and Mexican that, and how it applies in whatever situation she’s in, as though being Mexican makes her smarter, better, faster, whatever. It’s actually kind of annoying, and I think that’s why LeeAnne started focusing on it. Just my two cents.
Next time – The Reunion: Part One.
The Real Housewives of Orange County – The Reunion: Part One
This wasn’t the world’s most interesting reunion, but they’re just warming up. There was still enough screeching to last a lifetime. Andy said the OC Wives were still bringing the drama freshly squeezed, but I don’t know how fresh it is at this point.
Shannon started off well, with forgetting her Spanx, and having to go back home to get them.
It was established, now that the divorce has been finalized, Shannon is fun, single, and free, and Fun Shannon was discussed. Andy asked if it was true Shannon got $1.4 million in the settlement, as well as $10K a month. Shannon feigned ignorance about the final figure, only saying that seemed to high, but she did admit she was getting $10K a month. However, she’d expected more based on the lifestyle they’d had. They moved on to Shannon’s new boyfriend, and she said she met someone when she wasn’t looking, and he’s everything she’s looking for. They haven’t talked about the marriage question, but they have talked about the future.
In the dressing room, Vicki was annoyed that she’d been kept waiting. Drama queen told the producer, if they didn’t want her, just let her go.
Gina got stupid with Emily, saying she needed to be selfish this year, and needed Emily to be there for her. Emily said she could say the same thing. Gina wasn’t there for her, and was judgmental behind her back. When Gina came to talk to Emily about her DUI, her judgement level was zero. Gina says she thought Emily was disappointed, and had asked if Gina was drinking more than usual. Emily asked if she should have said, great job, or good for you? What was really annoying was Tamra and Kelly sniping at each other throughout the whole thing, so no one could be clearly understood.
Still not on stage yet, Vicki whined that the show had gone down since she’s not the leader anymore. She felt like a bottom feeder. She finally shut up when Steve suggested they go home. Vicki did look the best I’ve ever seen her, in a mustard-colored gown with sparkly trim. Andy asked Emily if there had been a change in Gina since hanging out with the tres amigas, and Emily said she felt a distance between them. Gina didn’t want to talk as much, although they did lots of talking among themselves. Andy says Tamra insisted Emily knew that Shane’s cousin had a girlfriend, when Emily swore she didn’t. Tamra said someone told her. Emily said she told Tamra different, and Tamra said maybe she didn’t believe Emily. Gina and Emily eventually declared themselves like sisters, and hugged it out. Gina being the one to get up, since Emily is still recovering from hip surgery.
At last, Vicki was brought out, Andy introducing her as Jane Row, before her actual name. She immediately started bitching about him making her wait, and he explained that the OG of the OC is also Jane Row, using the name in a lawsuit against Bravo, and the producers of a show called Evolution, the crux of which is the lawsuit Kelly brought up. Vicki said she’s had her own business for 31 years, and anyone who insinuates she’s a con-woman is getting sued. Apparently she had also filed for a restraining order against Kelly, but it was denied.
This led to the next screaming match, between Vicki and Kelly, about who is a real businesswoman. Vicki ended up shrieking, get off my show! and when Braunwyn pointed out it’s not her show, Vicki said none of them would be there if it hadn’t been for her starting it all years ago.
If she says so, but I had no idea it had started as a one-woman show. 😕 Next time – The Reunion: Part Two.
🍝 On The Real Housewives of New Jersey, it was Easter, so there was a lot of family stuff. Jennifer had her gay brother over for a visit, and explained that she was raised in a family that didn’t talk about things, but doesn’t want the same for her kids. While watching this show, I almost liked Jennifer, but I’m sure she’ll change my opinion back in no time.
Danielle met with Teresa, who said she’d had too much cabernet. When Danielle asked about Jailbird Joe, Teresa gave us the quote of the night: Do you think I don’t feel like drinking a bottle of tequila every night? That pretty much said it all. For us too.
At Easter dinner, David was bugged by Dolores’s entire family about making a commitment to Dolores, embarrassing them both. It was bittersweet at Teresa’s house. While the family was all together, the girls were missing Joe #1, and there was some concern over Papa Gorga’s health. He wasn’t looking too good. Joe #1 called, and everyone ended up crying. At the end, Joe #2 told everyone they had to eat the sprinkle cookies, because they were symbolic of never letting the little things affect them again.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Anna says she didn’t watch Peter grow up, but feels they’re connected. She’s beginning to see how he operates.
A suspicious dude sits in the hospital waiting area, and watches Franco and Elizabeth. Elizabeth says she’s checking in on Cameron; he’s off early today. Franco says she’s a good mom, and she thanks him. He says she seems calm; it’s almost showtime. He hopes all goes well, and she’s reunited with her husband. Elizabeth says he knows what that means for him. He made the choice to give Franco his back his life. She’ll always be grateful. Of course she wants Franco back, but if that doesn’t happen, and he remains Drew, she’ll live with it. At least she’ll know one of them is still okay. Franco says he knows the risks and figures Franco was always there. He must be if someone as special as Elizabeth loves him that much. Suspicious dude watches, and checks his waistband for his gun.
Trina is at the gallery, when Cameron walks in. He asks, how goes the art world? and Trina says he almost gave her a heart attack. He says, the door wasn’t locked, and Trina tells him, someone broke in the storage room. Now she has to match the artwork to the inventory photos to see if anything was taken. Cameron asks if she needs help, and she says she appreciates the offer, but she knows what day it is. Why isn’t he with his mom? Ava walks in, and says she heard from the police that someone has been messing with her things, and Trina knows how she hates that.
At the MetroCourt, Nina looks at Nikolas’s ring. Valentin arrives, and apologizes for keeping her waiting. She asks if his apology includes an explanation as to why he didn’t come home last night. He says he got home late, and didn’t want to wake her. She says she spent the night worrying. The last she heard from him, he was going to the gallery. Did he find anything? He says he hit a glitch, and she asks if the glitch has anything to do with the bruise on his chin.
There’s a knock at Jax’s door, and Nikolas yells to let him in; it’s cold. Jax opens the door, and Nikolas says he tried the back door. What’s wrong with the lock? Jax says, nothing; it’s new. He had them all changed, but Nikolas can keep the key as a souvenir. Nikolas asks what Jax is talking about, and Jax says he told Nikolas that he wanted him gone, so he packed Nikolas’s stuff. Take it, and go. Nikolas sees some black garbage bags sitting on the couch, and Jax says he’s out.
Anna says whatever Peter’s call was about, it must be important. He can tell her about it. He says he was clearing his calendar at work. He’s moving in with Maxie and James. Anna says, today is the day? and he says Maxie is probably tripping over boxes as they speak. Anna says, that’s lovely. She tells him, it’s a big step, and wonders why he’s not there unpacking.
Andre tells Franco, not too much longer. How does he feel? Franco says it doesn’t matter how he feels; how’s Andre? Did he get enough sleep? Andre says, it’s not actual surgery. He starts to explain, but Franco says he doesn’t care; that part will be lost on him. Andre says, just know he’ll be sedated, and won’t wake until afterward. He’ll let Franco know when they’re ready. Suspicious dude acts even more obvious.
Trina says Ava is back, and asks if she escaped. Ava says she didn’t escape. She checked herself in, and she checked herself out. Tell her about the break-in. Trina says, the back room is a mess. She was just making sure nothing was stolen from the front, and replaced with something from the back. Ava thanks her for being a loyal intern, and asks if Cameron is going to just stand there and watch Trina work. Cameron says he was just reading a text from his mom; he swears he’s going to help. Ava looks in the back, and says, at least he had the decency to confine his activity to the back room. Trina asks how Ava knows it’s a he, and Ava says, just a hunch. What did the cops say? Trina says they were just leaving when she got there. They want to go over the camera footage. Either the security alarm kicked in, or a neighbor called them, and told them to contact Ava. Ava asks if Trina knows if anything was taken, but Trina says everything looks the same out front. The back room is a mess, but she doesn’t know if anything is missing. Ava says, imagine that. Someone took all that trouble of breaking and entering, and left empty-handed. It almost makes her feel sorry for him… Almost.
Nikolas says he has no intentions of leaving; Jax gave him a deadline. Jax says that was before he staged the attack on Hayden. Nikolas says they can’t always play it safe, but Jax says he didn’t sign on for this. Nikolas says Jax liked the idea of helping Spencer, but Jax thinks that was just an excuse for Nikolas. He’s not buying it anymore. He tells Nikolas to grab his stuff and go. Knock on Valentin’s door, and stake his claim. He hopes it’s worth all the damage. They’re parting ways, and he’ll leave it at that. Nikolas says he can’t. He didn’t get the codicil.
Nina asks Valentin to tell her the truth, and he says he went to the gallery to look for the portrait. He took Martin wit him, to make sure someone could decipher the legalese if they found the codicil. He discovered Martin is a shark in the courtroom, but useless in a pinch. They struck out, and didn’t find the codicil, but another interested party showed up. Nina asks if he was caught, and Valentin says it’s more like he caught them. It was a man in a mask, and he thinks they were there for the same reason. There was a scuffle, and Martin was useless; he doesn’t even think the guy knew Martin was in the room. Valentin landed a couple of blows, but was caught off balance and some boxes knocked the wind out of him. She asks if he’s okay, and he says he’s fine. She asks if the other guy was injured, and he says the guy will have a headache. She says, so someone else is looking for the same thing. Does he think it’s Jax? He says, on the contrary. He knows it wasn’t Jax.
Peter tells Anna that he’s never lived with a woman, let alone a small child. Maxie’s place is smaller than he realized. There’s a lot of arranging and rearranging. He never realized how many books he’s accumulated, and Maxie has a lot of clothes; every closet if basically filled. Anna says, that’s flexible. They can get a storage unit. Peter says there are a million details to deal with, but that’s not what worries him. He knows it’s a big step. She asks if he’s having second thoughts, but he says he was never more certain about anything. Building a future with Maxie and James was more than he’d hoped for, and he’ll do anything to keep from losing it.
Scotty shows up at the hospital, and says, thank goodness the procedure didn’t start yet. Franco says, Andre is getting the OR ready, and Elizabeth says she’ll go check. Scotty sits, and Franco asks if he’s okay. Scotty says, it’s funny. He’s never been at a loss for words with Franco. They always knew what to say to each other. Franco says, if it goes great, Scotty will have the chance to talk to his every day for the rest of his life. Scotty apologizes. He said horrible things about Drew, and he’s a stand-up guy. He appreciates what Drew is doing for his son, and hopes nothing goes wrong. Franco says, when you step into battle, you expect the worst. Otherwise, you don’t step into battle. They’ve done everything. Now it’s up to Andre, and God, fate, or whatever. He’s made peace with it, and Scotty should too. Andre comes back, and tells Franco, time to prep. Is he ready?
Cameron checks out a painting, saying, cool. It would look great is his bedroom. He asks Trina, how much? and she says, six figures. He says, on second thought… Ava comes out, and says she’s pleased to say her way of doing inventory works. It’s so confusing, no one can find anything but her. Trina says they broke in the safe, but Ava says, nothing was taken. She gives Trina and Cameron some cash, and tells them to get hot chocolate and a sandwich on her. Trina asks if she’s sure; it’s a mess in the back. Cameron says he’s used to cleaning up messes, and Ava says he’s a sweet young man. She can see why Franco is taken with him, and she promises to give Trina a stellar review as a great intern. Cameron goes on ahead, and Ava tells Trina that he looks like he could use a friend. Trina says, one more thing. There are a bunch of messages for Ava, mostly from her brother. Trina thinks Julian needs to talk to her. Ava says, he’s always two steps away from a crisis; she’ll talk to him. She tells Trina to go. In the hallway, Cameron says he doesn’t feel like skating, but Trina says she has a better idea. Try to keep up.
Ava looks at one of the paintings, and says, Helena, you vicious harpy. I hope you’re enjoying your disguise. She hears footsteps, and thinking it’s Trina, says she said she’d be fine. She turns, and says, oh my God. It’s Griff.
Jax says Nikolas didn’t get the codicil? Nikolas says Jax delayed him, and he was too late. If he’d left earlier, he would have been in and out, and no one would have been the wiser. Because he was delayed, someone had already disable the alarm by the time he got there. Uncle Valentin.
Nina asks how Valentin is sure it wasn’t Jax; he’s after the portrait. He says, if it was Jax, he’d still be on the floor.The guy wasn’t as tall, and had a slighter build. There was something familiar about him. She asks who Valentin thinks it is, and Valentin says, it’s just a feeling. Anyway, he didn’t get the portrait. How was her visit with Ava? Did Ava give her anything useful?
Anna tells Peter that he’s not going to lose Maxie or James. Why is he torturing himself? He’s no longer the guy who can’t escape his father’s shadow. He’s free. He’s severed the branch. He says he tried, but what if it’s not enough? Maybe some people can’t make their own destiny. Does she believe they do?She says, how could she not? She’s living proof.
Cameron joins Elizabeth in the examining room, and she’s glad he came. He says he wanted to be there, but he was having a hard time. Trina says, sometimes Cameron needs a kick in the butt, and Scotty says he’s needed a few himself sometimes.
Ava says Griff is looking well, and he says, her too. She says, an early morning spa appointment will do that. She’s been incommunicado for a time, and today is her reentry to the world. He says he heard she was in Shadybrook. He went by, but they said she’d checked out. He trusts she’s feeling better, and she asks if that’s his polite way of saying he’s hoping she’s not a threat to society. Or at least a worse threat than usual. He says that’s how she looks at herself. He doesn’t. She says, give it time. Did he happen to read her interview in Crimson? He says, it was hard to miss. It reaffirmed what he knew all along; she’s her own biggest enemy. The person she hurts most is herself. She says, Kiki might beg to differ. What brings him to Port Charles? He says he’s there for Lucas, and she asks if he’s consulting on a patient. He says she hasn’t spoken to Julian? She says she owes Julian a call. What’s the problem, and what does it have to do with Lucas?
Nina slips the ring back in her bag, and Valentin says he’s sure Ava was out of it. Nina says, she was talking about ghosts; Kiki and Nikolas. He says Ava is lucid enough to entertain bids for the painting, but she says, maybe it doesn’t exist. Maybe it does.Who was the man in the mask? Martin texts Valentin, and Nina asks if he wants to double his retainer. Valentin says he’s sure that’s coming, but Martin has new information that could change everything.
Jax asks if Valentin saw Nikolas, or followed him back to Jax’s house. Nikolas says he was wearing a mask, and Valentin had no clue who he was. He pulled a gun on Nikolas, and they fought like old times, but he was able to overpower Valentin, and get away. Jax asks where he’s been, and Nikolas says, at the gallery. He kept watch, but they have no clue, and there was no sign of Valentin or his accomplice. The police are searching everywhere. Jax says if they find anything that leads back to him… Nikolas says they won’t. He didn’t just wear a mask; he wore gloves, and he’s dead. Jax says Nikolas still exposed himself. Valentin knows someone else is after the painting, and he was willing to break into the gallery. Don’t underestimate him. Nikolas says he never does, but Valentin’s fatal flaw is that he underestimated Nikolas. Jax says he overestimated Nikolas. He completely misjudged him. He had no idea how obsessed Nikolas is or how low he’s willing to go. He isn’t dragging Jax down. Hayden has dealt fairly with him, and Jax is going to return the favor. He’s going to do what he can to bring her home.
Cameron asks how Franco is doing, and Franco says, not good; what about Cameron? Cameron doesn’t know, and Franco says, look at it this way. He already lost his stepfather once. It won’t happen again. If everything goes right, he’ll get Franco back. Cameron says, and if it doesn’t? and Franco says he needs to know he can count on Cameron.
Anna tells Peter that she’s settled down with a man who loves her, and she’s overcome a major health scare. Peter came back into her life, and she got a second chance with her son. Everything she could hope for was right there, and she let the fear of losing it literally run her out of town, in search of… Peter says, what? and she says she forgot what she had was solid and unshakable. She convinced herself it was built on sand, and listened to her fear. She blew things out of proportion, and ended up running away to fix something that wasn’t broken. She risked the things she loves. She abandoned Finn for months. He’d never say it, but he had to feel that he wasn’t a propriety. You don’t just disappear from someone who matters. You have to fight for what’s important, even if it means fighting yourself. Peter says he’s discovered he’s a formidable enemy, and Anna asks, why not trust himself? She was just saying to Robert that Peter is his own man; a man Maxie loves and trusts. A man she’s proud to call her son. Peter excuses himself, and steps into the hallway.
Franco says Cameron and his stepdad had something special. He can see why. He sees what Franco saw in Cameron. He’s a good kid, and if it’s not in the cards for Franco to come back, he needs Cameron to be the man of the house. He knows it’s a lot of responsibility to ask from someone Cameron’s age, but life isn’t fair. He knows Cameron can handle it; he’s seen it. Cameron says he will. About him and Franco. He already said they didn’t always get along. At the beginning, they couldn’t stand each other, but Franco was the first one to make peace. He just hopes Franco knows it. Franco says, do him a favor; hold on to this, and gives Cameron his phone. Andre asks if Franco is ready, and starts to wheel him out. Elizabeth asks him to wait, and says she’ll never forget him. Franco tells her, be happy, and Andre leaves with him.
Suspicious dude sees them go, and follows, throwing his burner phone in the garbage can. We see there’s an incoming call, and at the MetroCourt, Peter says, pick up.
Ava tells Griff, no wonder Julian has been trying to reach her. It’s terrible. Lucas is just starting his own family. Griff says, where there’s life, there’s hope. The doctors induced a coma so Lucas’s body would have a chance to mend on its own. She says, thank God Wiley wasn’t in the car. How’s Brad? He says Brad didn’t bear the brunt of the injuries, but he’s certainly devastated. Ava says, Julian and Lucas were just starting to bond. Has Griff seen Julian? Griff says he hasn’t, but he knows Julian has support around him. Ava says, the pain of losing a child is an agony she’d never wish on her worst enemy, let alone her brother. She prays Lucas comes back. Yes, she said pray. Old habits die hard.
Valentin tells Nina, full disclosure; Martin is following Spencer around the clock. He was just at a gastropub, but one thing he doesn’t do is exchange a lot of phone calls or emails with the United States. Could she see Jax taking orders from Spencer? Nina says, if Spencer isn’t pulling the strings, who is? Valentin says he has a mask to find, and kisses her. When he’s gone, she takes out the ring, and leaves.
Jax tells Nikolas not to worry. He won’t tell Hayden he staged the attack. He just wants her to know it’s safe to come home, but she hasn’t returned any of his messages. He tries calling again, and says, her phone is no longer in service. Nikolas says, maybe she’s worried about it being traced. She’ll contact Finn eventually; she wouldn’t cut ties with her daughter. Jax says, she’s already proved she’ll do anything to protect Violet. He guesses the thug Nikolas hired was pretty convincing.
Anna asks Peter, what’s going on? And don’t tell her it’s the stress of moving day. She can’t help him if he doesn’t tell her.
Scotty tells Elizabeth, they’ve probably started by now.
Franco says, this is it? The instruments? Andrew says, no scalpels, no sutures, no blood, and Franco says, just his memories. Everything that gives him his identity, and makes him who he is. Doesn’t he have a form to sign? Andre asks if he’s sure, and Franco says, positive. If goes south, he’s not breathing through a tube on a ventilator. Andre hands him a DNR, and he signs. Suspicious dude has changed into scrubs, and skulks around outside the room.
Griff tells Ava, part of the reason he came back was to see her. He regrets how things ended, and how much he hurt her. She appreciates that, but she knows she caused her fair share of pain, and owns that. Griff says he’s trying to do better; be of service to people, and get to know himself and own his choices. He carries Kiki with him all the time, in his heart and soul. She envies him. She only sees Kiki in dreams; her nightmares really. Kiki tells Ava that she’ll never forgive her. Griff says that’s her own conscience and regret, not Kiki. Kiki was all about forgiveness. Ava says she’ll never know. She can only tell herself stories about Kiki now, and how she feels about the loss and emptiness every day. She learned something along the way. She doesn’t do broken well, and doesn’t do helpless at all. She hit rock bottom at Shadybrook, but she’ll never let anyone take what’s hers, or give them the power to hurt her. Nina walks in, and says she didn’t know Griff was back in town. He says it’s just a short visit. He understands Nina is engaged to Valentin – again. He wishes her all happiness. He asks her to tell Charlotte he said hello, although she probably won’t remember him. She says she’ll tell Charlotte a friend said hello, and Griff tells Ava that he should get going. It was nice to see her. He leaves.
Nickolas tears through his stuff. Jax asks if he’s packed yet, and Nikolas says he can’t find it. Jax wonders if this is a stall tactic, and Nikolas says he must have left it in his room. Jax says he packed everything; what is Nikolas looking for? Nikolas says, his ring with the Cassadine crest. He might have lost it.
Nina says she called Shadybrook, and they said Ava had checked out. She had a feeling Ava would be there. Ava says there was a break-in, and the storage room was ransacked, but she guesses Nina already knew that. Nina says they both know who’s responsible, and what they’re looking for. The real question is, what are they going to do about it?
Nina tells Ava, there were two break-ins. Valentin was the first one, but someone else had the same idea. She has no idea who it was, but does Ava remember this? She shows the ring to Ava, and says she found it in Ava’s room at Shadybrook after the ghost of Nikolas came to haunt her. Ghosts don’t wear rings with the Cassadine crest. There are only a few in existence, and Nikolas had one. Ava asks if Nina believes Nikolas is alive, and Nina says, so does Ava. Otherwise, she’d still be curled in a ball at Shadybrook. Doesn’t she think it’s time they do something about the Cassadines’ lies and manipulations? Does Ava remember her saying that? Ava says she does, but she was still on meds. She needed one last reality check. Nina says, this is it.It proves Nikolas is alive, and not an apparition or a fevered delusion. He was alive last night, and broke in. If that doesn’t convince Ava, nothing will. Ava says, convince her of what? and Nina says, for them to join forces. Let’s take down the Cassadine boys once and for all.
Jax says, Nikolas lost his ring? It could identify him, and prove he’s alive. If the wrong person finds it, they might think it belongs to Valentin, and bring it to him. Nikolas will be exposed. The doorbell rings, and Valentin yells for Jax, saying, let’s put cards on the table, shall we?
Peter tells Anna, it’s a potential scoop, and his reporter has gone radio silent. She says he’s a publisher; he has editors to handle that. He says, it’s sensitive material. He can’t let anyone else handle it, and jets.
Scotty says Elizabeth is brave; he’s scared to death. Cameron asks how she can be so calm, and she asks what Franco’s last words were to him. Cameron says he’s told her a thousand times. Franco said to tell Elizabeth that he loves her and he’ll be back. Elizabeth says, she believes him. She believes her husband, and they all have to believe now.
Andre tells Franco that he’s administering the sedative. Franco looks scared, and takes a deep breath. Andre tells him to count backwards from one hundred. As he counts, suspicious dude peeks in.
Tomorrow, Maxie tells Griff that she and Peter are officially living in sin, Nina says she’s on Ava’s side, Valentin suggests he and Jax pool their resources, and as the Peter’s hit man makes himself known, Andre says, what the hell?
Below Deck
Courtney tells Kevin, there’s a deep meaningful meeting happening in the stew panty. Simone says Kate made her second stew, but doesn’t treat her like one. Kate says she’s not sure Simone is a great second stew. It’s nothing personal, but it’s not wonderful to hear from other crew members that she got a second stew upset. And Simone made the department look bad. Simone says she didn’t, but Kate says she’s telling Simone that she did. In Kate’s interview, she says, a second stew would know better. When she was a second stew, she had it worse. She didn’t see land for two months straight, and only saw laundry. She didn’t complain; that was the job. Kate tells Simone to take a minute. Simone goes to her cabin, and says, this is bullsh*t. She tells Courtney that she’s a good second stew, and starts crying. Kate says, the yacht needs a certain level of maturity, and she can’t teach that. She tells the other crew members, goodnight. In Simone’s interview, she says she doesn’t like confrontation, but she was pushed to the end. Rhylee says Simone sounded upset, and they step away. Courtney says Simone seemed like she was doing well enough, but Simone says, some people don’t think so. Rhylee tells Simone that Kate has little patience, and Simone says she wants to spend more time doing service. Rhylee asks if she told that to Kate, and Simone says she did. Rhylee suggests they have drinks tomorrow, and Simone says that would be amazing. Courtney says, no worries. Simone did everything she could.
Rhylee asks Kate, what’s the deal with Simone? and Kate says, Simone is such a victim. Rhylee says she doesn’t know Simone, but likes her. Kate says she did at first too. Rhylee says Courtney is mousy, and so boring. She’s going to steal Brian. Kate says Rhylee is so sauvage. Rhylee asks what that means, and Kate says, savage. I guess that was too hard to figure out?
Koh Hong; final day of charter. Tanner sings, it’s drop-off day. Kate serves coffee to the guests, and asks if they had a good time. In her interview, Kate says she feels bad for them. She knows what a Thailand alcohol hangover feels like. It’s not good. We flash back to Kate’s hangover. Captain Lee calls for deckhands to bring up the anchor, and Brian – who is back to work somewhat – and Ashton guide the anchor into the pocket. Kate asks how Simone slept last night, and Simone says, not as well as planned. In Simone’s interview, she says, it’s just a few more weeks. She’ll make the money, and she’s out of there. Tanner asks for some sugar, and they kiss. He says, let’s get lit. Over the radio, captain says, whoever is still changing into their whites, step it up. Ashton says it’s the first time since the second week that he’s had a full crew on deck. It actually feels good.
The guests say goodbye, the primary telling Captain Lee that they’re so grateful. He takes good care of them. The crew rocked it. When they’re gone, Ashton says, another one down, bro. Kevin tells everyone, good job, mates. At the tip meeting, the captain says, it was a good charter. The tip is $12000; not the biggest, but for a short charter, not bad. We’re still all disappointed though. In his interview, Kevin says he’s there to make money, and it’s a bit frustrating when he’s putting his heart and soul into it. He’s not getting any applause either, but he doesn’t need it. Okay, he guesses he does, a bit. Captain Lee says he wants them to have some extra time for themselves, and they’re going to an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. Instead of washing the boat, they’ll be washing elephants. In his interview, the captain says they’ve had a lot of adversity this season; injuries, crew members leaving. It hasn’t been easy.The crew deserves a day off, but frankly it’s necessary. He tells them, hang out, enjoy the day, and enjoy the sanctuary. Until then, bust a hump getting the boat ready.
Courtney tells Simone that she’s obsessed with elephants. They’re her favorite animal. Tanner sees a million messages from his mom. In his interview, he says if he doesn’t answer, she starts blowing up his phone. He calls her, and asks, why? She says she’s sorry, but she worries. He says, if anything happens to him, she’ll find out. She says she loves him so much. In Tanner’s interview, he says she probably cares too much. He’s the youngest of four, and the baby. He tells her that he’s working today, and she says she misses him. She tells him, don’t get any hookers pregnant, and he says, Jiminy Cricket. I don’t think hookers are what she has to worry about. Courtney wonders what to wear for elephants. Kevin tells Courtney and Simone not to take up space in the refrigerator with the wine. The captain radios, telling them to have their asses ready for the elephant excursion in fifteen minutes. Kate radios back that her ass will be ready for the elephants in fifteen minutes. Everyone has started drinking already.
Kate wonders why the wine was moved out of the refrigerator, and says, the fridge is for the guests. Kevin says it’s his space, it’s his fridge, and that’s how he likes it in the galley. She says, it’s empty, and he says he made it that way. There’s plenty of room upstairs. In Kate’s interview, she says, it’s a fridge. Why is Kevin losing his sh*t over a wine bottle in the fridge? He tells her to do what she wants, and she says she’s going to. He says to shove it up behind the vegetables, and she says she’ll shove it up the backside of the fridge. In her interview, she says, it’s wild. not based in logic; he just likes to oppose her. They leave, bringing along beer and wine. Kevin says there’s only so much space. It’s his domain, and he doesn’t want to compromise. In the taxi, Rhylee says, Kevin is high-strung. She accuses Simone of not telling them the whole truth. She said she and Tanner just cuddled, but Tanner said he went downton on her abbey. And she touched for like eight seconds. Simone says, Tanner is an a-hole. In Simone’s interview, she says, that’s childish. He shouldn’t be telling everyone about their private moments. She’s hoping a huge elephant steps on his foot.
They get to sanctuary, and we see a baby! ♫ Thailand! Thailand! Where everyone gets a baby elephant! ♫ The guide explains that the elephants were rescued from a riding park, and were saved from a horrible life of being abused. The elephants play in the sand, and everyone is charmed. Courtney says she literally can’t cope, and wants to live there. They pet the elephants, and no surprise, the guys have to point out the male elephant’s junk. The guide says, it’s time to get dirty, and they get in a huge puddle with the elephants to help with bathing. In his interview, Brian says, they’re absolutely majestic. They need days like this, especially for team building. He has a little FOMO, since he can’t get his leg wet, but he’s glad to be there. They help wash the elephants. On the way out, Kate says she kissed five of them, and Courtney calls her a ho.
Court asks Simone what’s happening with her and Tanner, but Simone says she doesn’t know. In Simone’s interview, she says it’s different if he’d told his friends, but he thinks she’s dumb enough that it’s okay to tell her co-workers. She’s not letting him get away with it. She asks to have a talk with Tanner. In Tanner’s interview, he says nine times out of ten, when a woman asks you to have a chat, it’s not a good one. He’s walking into quicksand. She tells him whatever happens between them, she wants him to keep it between them. If he talks about it, it seems like he’s keeping a scorecard, and it makes her feel dirty. He says he doesn’t want her to feel that way. He doesn’t want to bother or upset her. She thanks him, and they hug. In her interview, Simone says she appreciates Tanner being up front, but don’t play her for a fool. It’s not her first rodeo. She tells Courtney that she and Tanner had a chat, and he said the last thing he wanted was to make her feel bad. That’s it. In Tanner’s interview, he says this is why he doesn’t get into relationships. You’re having fun, and then you’re being interrogated. Simone is an awesome, cool girl, but not his vibe right now. Apparently, Tanner doesn’t understand the difference between interrogation, and someone telling him to shut up. It definitely sounded like she wanted to keep it more casual than he did. Kevin and Kate fold laundry in the crew mess.
Tanner tells Brian that someone told the girls about what he said happened between him and Simone. Brian says, Rhylee, and Tanner says, that’s pretty obvious. In his interview, Tanner says, Rhylee is a double-agent. She wants to work with the boys, but still be part of the girls. She’s a bridge between the drama, but she’s creating more. He tells Ashton that he wants a bro code. Rhylee told Simone what he’d said. Ashton says, if Rhylee wants to be one of the girls, the boys need to keep their sh*t with the boys. In Ashton’s interview, he says it’s better if they can speak freely, but Rhylee can’t be trusted. He calls day drinking tomorrow, and they go to bed. Tanner stumbles around, drinking by himself. He texts Simone, asking her to come to his room, but when she gets there, he’s passed out and snoring.
It’s the crew’s day off, and everyone is yawning. Ashton tells them to be ready by 10:30, and someone tells him, shut up. Kate says her bed at home is bigger than the cabin; this is hell. Courtney says she loves to lounge around. Drinking wine, and eating pasta; is that too much to ask for? Tanner and Brian complain about how long Kate and Rhylee are taking. Ashton tells them, hurry it up, as Kate leisurely does her hair while having a drink. Ashton says, the whole crew is waiting for two people; it’s disrespectful. Tanner wonders how long it takes to put on a bikini. In Kate’s interview, she says in the first place, she’s a higher rank, and second, STFU. They come out, and everyone heads to shore.
The girls go in one taxi and the guys in another. Tanner tells the guys that he woke up naked next to Simone, and got a text later, asking, what is she? A booty call? Ashton asks if he doesn’t remember. Kate asks how Simone is feeling. Tanner tells the other guys that every time his mom calls him, she says, he hasn’t gotten anyone pregnant, has he? Simone tells Kate that she doesn’t know why she’s tired. Kevin asks about Brian and Courtney, and Brian says it’s going slowly. Kevin is glad love is blossoming on the boat. They get to Dream Club, a resort where they’re welcomed with fancy drinks. I don’t think they could shove any more accoutrements in that glass. There’s a pool with a DJ setting up in a nearby gazebo. In Kate’s interview, she says she didn’t think there was anything better than meeting a baby elephant, but this place has everything she loves: a bar, a pool, a beach, a bar. She can relax now. They guys play pool. Rhylee marvels at Brian’s abs, and says he’s better than Ashton. In Courtney’s interview, she says she’s enjoying getting to know Brian, and it’s nothing serious yet, but she feels some jealousy. She goes over to watch the guys, and Rhylee tells Kate, Courtney’s staking her claim. She waves to Courtney, who waves back.
Rhylee asks Kate why Brian has to be taken. He’s gorgeous, and she would do him so hard. In Rhylee’s interview, she says relationships aren’t for her. She’s a hunter. She tells Kate that she can make Brian not remember who Courtney is. The DJ starts spinning, and the others get in the pool, while Kate and Rhylee continue to get some sun. In Ashton’s interview, he says it’s been tough as bosun. His goal is to put back a lot of drinks, and go from one to Smashton. Tanner makes sweet talk to Simone, and she pours water on his back. Kate tells Ashton that Simone is treating Tanner like a baby elephant. In Kate’s interview, she says, Simone is like an octopus, putting her limbs around Tanner; slowly suffocating her pretty. Two girls come out, and it seems like everyone stops to look. They get on perches and dance by the pool. I guess they come with the DJ. Ashton gets up, and Kate tell him, do what you’re good at.
Meanwhile, back at the Valor, Captain Lee suns himself on deck.
Tanner waves at Kate to come over. In Kate’s interview, she says, it’s her day off. She doesn’t want to engage her other hand unless someone is handing her a cocktail. Ashton announces that Smashton is back, and he’s entertaining. Brian says if Ashton doesn’t do a striptease, he’ll be disappointed. Ashton gets up, and dances with one of the dancers. Simone asks if Tanner is done looking, as he stares at the other dancer. Tanner says, it’s amazing. He was thinking about dancing with her. He asks if he should, and Simone discourages that idea. He says, damn, girl, and in his interview, he says he’s been drinking and wants to be moving. Simone tells him, go; be happy. Tanner gets up with the other dancer, but he’s not exactly Ashton caliber. In Simone’s interview, she says it’s her day off. She’s supposed to be having a good time, but she’s feeling disrespected. She doesn’t know what Tanner’s problem is, but she’s not having it. Ashton dips his partner, and when Tanner tries to grind against the girl he’s dancing with, she walks off. Kevin tells Tanner that he screwed up big time, and Brian says, massively. Simone likes him, and it wasn’t cool. Tanner says he asked permission, and Courtney says Simone didn’t mean it. Tanner says he’ll make up for it. Back by the pool, Tanner tries to jump on Simone, but she’s says, no. In Kevin’s interview, he says he thinks Simone has sugar-coated feelings, but Tanner wants something a little different – like a threesome. Simone tells Tanner that he should know better; she shouldn’t need to tell him. In Simone’s interview, she says he’s not her boyfriend, but she sleeps in his bed, and treating her like a toy is rude. In Courtney’s interview, she says, it was a d*ck move. Tanner kissing Simone, then awkwardly gyrating against the poolside dancer. He’s a douche.
Tanner says, his bad. He’s sorry he upset he. Kevin suggests he and Brian watch the sunset on the beach. Ashton joins them, yelling, Thailand, baby! Courtney tells Kate that Kevin and Brian are having a romantic moment. Kevin tells Brian, Kate treats them like bitches, and it’s going to pop. He’s not there to get treated like a bitch. In Kevin’s interview, he says, Kate’s not an evil, terrible person but… she kind of is. Kevin tells Brian that Kate doesn’t like them either. The crew gets ready for dinner, changing out of their swimsuits and into regular clothes.
Kate goes to the bar, and Kevin asks if she got a bill. Kate says he’s usually sleeping, but usually she pays them. That’s what she’s doing now. We flash back to all the times Kevin has been passed out on their way back. She says she’s happy to do it, just don’t be rude. He says he’ll pay it, and she says she’ll pay him to stop talking. In Kate’s interview, she says he’s not the boss of her; not on the yacht, and not on her day off. They go to the dinner table, and Rhylee remarks that everyone cleans up so nicely. Tanner and Simone don’t sit together, but he makes faces at her. In Brian’s interview, he says he thinks Tanner is still young, and doesn’t realize the consequences of his actions. He needs to understand that he hurt Simone. She’s feeling sad, and it’s not cool. The food comes, and they clink beer bottles. Tanner asks if Brian wants to go for a smoke. In his interview, Brian says he hates to see women disrespected. Tanner is in a rut, and has to understand that it’s not cool to flirt if Simone is there.
Tanner sits with Kevin, Brian, and Courtney, and Brian tells him that he’s a sh*t. Tanner says, Jiminy Cricket. He didn’t know it would be such a big deal. Kevin says they knew. In Tanner’s interview, he says, the whole crew is upset. This is why you don’t dip your pen in the company ink. Tanner gets up, and starts heading for the table, then back again. At the table, Rhylee wonders when this turned into a nightclub, and Kate says, right now. Kevin hugs Simone, and Tanner tells Ashton that he just got chewed out. Kevin says they didn’t feel like they were in the wrong, but hadn’t intended to bring it up. Tanner says he just wants to eat dinner with his co-workers. Simone joins them again, and Ashton thinks it’s time they went back to the boat.
In the taxi back, Kate tells Tanner not to allow Simone in his bed unless he’s going to give her gentlemanly attention. Kevin says he still needs to keep his guard up. Brian says he packed the van, and Kate says he’s the best yachtie she knows. He asks her not to call him a yachtie; he prefers seafarer. In his interview, Brian says it’s a disrespectful term. It refers to someone who doesn’t work hard, but makes a lot of money. Kate says she thinks a yachtie is agreeable, hardworking, and well-traveled. Brian says he still doesn’t like it, and Kate says she’s not calling him one. What does he think she is? He says, kind of a bitch. In Kate’s interview, she says she thought he was the nicest guy. She was happy to have him n the crew, and surprise! He thinks she’s a bitch. Kate pouts, and Tanner says, get over it. Kate starts to get out, and the producer tells her, hang on; the car is still moving. She barely waits for the car to park, before she’s out and walking to the boat.
Courtney calls Brian a dum-dum. In Brian’s interview, he wishes Courtney would have his back in this situation. Kate is wrong, and Courtney is smart enough to see that. As they walk to the boat, Rhylee asks how the ride was, and Courtney says she wouldn’t recommend it. Rhylee asks, what happened? and Courtney says she’s an innocent bystander. Brian tells Kevin, Kate was just being Kate, and Kevin asks if he told her to shove it. Brian says he did, and Kevin says, my man. He’s got Brian’s back. In Brian’s interview, he says, anyone can see that Kate is the issue. She’s the common denominator, and needs to be put in her place.
On the boat, Kate sits with Captain Lee in the crew mess. Tanner tells Ashton that it got heated. Ashton says Kate has been acting like a brat, and it’s something they need to address. She hears the crew on their way down, and says their lovely powwow is about to be interrupted. As the guys come in, Kate asks the captain what size pants he wears, and starts tossing the pairs of other sizes on the floor. In Kevin’s interview, he says that Kate acts like she’s above them, but this is on another level. And in front of the captain. Kevin tells Ashton what Kate is doing, and Ashton comes in, asking, what’s gong on? She asks if he knows what his deckhand said to her, and he says, it must be bad, considering all the clothes on the floor. She says those stripes are below her, and he asks if they’re in kindergarten. She tells him to ask his deckhand. Ashton says she’s doing this in the crew mess, which is shared by the crew and captain. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says, the crew has a day off, and comes back bat sh*t nuts. They’re not playing well in he sandbox with each other, but he’s not wasting his time right now. You can’t reason with drunks. But tomorrow, he’s having a come to Jesus meeting with them.
Ashton tells Kevin and Tanner, he can’t believe Kate had the audacity to throw their clothes around. Brian tells Kate, sorry, and Kate says, cool. He waits, but she says she thinks they’re done. In Ashton’s interview, he says he doesn’t care what was said. It doesn’t matter. How old is Kate, and who does she think she is? Kate starts crying, and goes to her cabin.
Here’s my take on the situation. I like Kate, and would have no problem working with or for her, since I have an extremely strong work ethic. However, I think a lot of people either just plain don’t have that, or they mistake a career in yachting for a vacation. Kate has also forgotten the rule that 20% of the people do 80% of the work, and that goes for pretty much every profession. As for Tanner, this guy is so stupid and/or narcissistic, he thinks Simone’s problem is that she’s not taking their casual relationship casually. News flash, just because it’s a casual relationship, doesn’t mean she wants to go on a double-date with you and her, and you and another girl.
Next time, Captain Lee says the crew isn’t all getting the message, Kate feels attacked, Master Pearson makes a return appearance, Simone doesn’t understand what’s going on in Tanner’s mind, and Rhylee says it’s a boys’ club on deck.
👈 And You Get a Kardashian…
I love lists and I love reality shows. Here’s a list of the best reality shows, but if anyone deserves two paragraphs, it’s Gordon Ramsay, not the K women.
But if I stop watching every entertainer who’s personal junk I disagree with, I’ll end up with Mr. Rogers and… I’m sure there’s someone else. And regardless, I love this movie.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Finn reads the letter from Hayden again. Anna asks if he’s still looking for clues, but he says he’s still trying to process it. He asks where Anna has been, and she says, checking on Violet. He says he should have done that, and she says he still can, but Violet is asleep. It’s cute how she put the wishbone on her nightstand, and worth a peek. He says it’s his responsibility; she shouldn’t have to check. Anna asks if he’s feeling guilty, and he says, kind of. She tells him, get used to it. It’s A feeling he’s going to have for the rest of his life. She’s had plenty of experience with little girls, and is more than happy to share the responsibility. Until Violet is a teenager. Then, she’s his problem altogether. They kiss, and he asks if she heard something. She says, imaginary noises; the first of many. Violet is really getting to him, and Anna thinks it’s sweet. She asks if he’s all right, and he says, no. Today, he has to tell his beautiful daughter that her mom is gone.
At Shadybrook, the nurse asks Nikolas if he swears it’s not going to hurt her. Nikolas tells her to trust him, as he gives her a bunch of cash. He says she’s been a great help. In her room alone, Ava says, it’s Thanksgiving Day and not a single visitor. Not even a call from Julian. So much for family. She wonders if she could be any more maudlin. No wonder she has no visitors. She’s not a joy to be around. The nurse knocks at the door, and tells Ava it’s time for her meds. Ava doesn’t suppose her brother has called; she was hoping for a visit. The nurse says she’s sorry, and Ava says the pills are different. The nurse tells her, they’re a different brand. They’ll make her feel much better. Ava takes the medication.
Nina toasts to Valentin at the MetroCourt. She says he was generous, letting Lulu take Charlotte for the weekend. He says, there’s nothing wrong with having peace in the family, and she says she’s glad he said that, because she wants the wedding to be more inclusive. She invited Laura. Valentin says, she is Charlotte’s grandmother, and Nina says, and Jax.
Jax tells Carly that he’s put Nikolas on notice. He has to find the codicil by New Year’s Eve, or Jax is cutting him loose. Carly says that means it has to be dealt with by the end of the year. Sonny is already suspicious. Jax says he’ll be more careful, and if it goes sideways, he’ll cut his losses and give her a heads up. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do when she sees Laura. If their positions were reversed, she’d want Laura to tell her. She wishes he hadn’t gotten mixed up with this. Michael comes in, and Carly asks if he made a stop, since he’s been gone a while. He says he and Josslyn taught Dev to ice skate. He asks if Brad and Lucas picked up Wiley, and she tells him Lucas said they were on the way, but she hasn’t seen them and they haven’t called. She hopes they’re okay.
Willow comes out, and Sasha says, well… what do the results say? Willow says she took the test… Chase appears, and says he’s glad he found them both. Something has happened, but first, Willow needs to know Wiley is safe. There’s been an accident with Brad and Lucas.
Due to the lax security at GH, Julian stands over Brad’s hospital bed where he lies unconscious. He says it was supposed to be Brad, not Lucas. Not his son. The nurse tells Julian, sorry, it will just take a second, and Julian leaves.
Michael wonders if Lucas and Brad stopped to talk things out. Carly hopes so. She’s glad Michael is there. Sonny left to meet Kristina, and there’s still lots of putting away to do. Jax’s phone rings, and he says, sure he can meet them. Carly says, perfect timing, and Jax asks if she expected him to help clean up a Thanksgiving meal he didn’t eat. She says he has a reputation for chivalry, but that sounded pressing. Michael says he did eat, so it’s kind of his duty. Carly says that’s why she adores her son. He doesn’t shrink from a tough job. Jax wishes them a happy Thanksgiving, and leaves. Michael asks if Wiley is staying the night, and Carly says he’s sound asleep, along with Donna and Avery. Bobbie calls, and tells Carly, get to the hospital now.
Nina asks if Valentin is sure he doesn’t mind, and he says if she wants Jax there, it’s fine; as long as he has her, Charlotte, and the Justice of the Peace. She promises it will be a day he never forgets, although anything is better than last time. He says, barring a natural disaster; flood, famine… Nina says, frogs. He says they’re in this together, and she says, anything for him. He tells her that Jax and Laura are trying to get their hands on a portrait that may contain a codicil that disinherits him, giving the estate to Spencer. Nina says, that’s ridiculous, and asks if it’s hidden in the frame, or under the painting. Valentin says it might be nothing but Helena sending them on a wild goose chase, but he’s not willing to take the risk. Not with Charlotte standing to lose everything. He has to get his hands on the painting before Jax does.
Ava says, happy Thanksgiving, Kiki. On this day a year ago, Ava lost her, and her whole life fell apart. She misses Kiki. She gets up, and feels woozy. She says she’ll just lie down a minute and wait. Wait for what? Nobody’s coming. Nikolas calls her name.
Carly gets to the hospital, and Chase tells her that Lucas is in surgery. His and Brad’s car was hit by another car, and went off the road. They were both unconscious, and trapped for at least an hour. She asks how Brad is, and he says, fine, but unconscious. Lucas’s side took the brunt of the hit. She asks about the other car, and he says they were attempting to murder Alexis. Alexis was targeted by Kendra Bower. Nine years ago, Alexis killed her brother Kiefer accidentally. Carly says she remembers that. It must have been why Kristina called Sonny. Is Alexis okay? Chase says, she was admitted for observation. Kendra drugged her, and left her in the road. She was going to intentionally run Alexis down. Carly says, like Kiefer, and Chase says, before it happened, Brad and Lucas’s car struck hers. It was serous; Kendra was killed. Bobbie joins them, and she and Carly hug. Carly asks how Lucas is, and Bobbie says, he’s still in surgery; there’s been no word. Carly says, it will be okay. What about Brad? Julian sidles up, and says, he’ll be fine.
Brad flashes back on telling Lucas that Wiley is Michael and Nelle’s son.
Willow approaches Bobbie, and says she’s sorry this is happening. She hopes she’s not overstepping, but Bobbie says Willow is the mother of her grandson. Willow asks how Wiley is, and Carly says, he’s good. He’s with Michael.
Sasha goes back to Sonny’s, and tells Michael, anything she can do, name it. He says, Lucas is still in surgery, and Brad hasn’t woken up yet. He asks if they have any idea what caused it, but she says, if Chase knew, he didn’t mention anything. Michael says, Wiley could lose both fathers tonight.
Finn tells Anna that he never thought he’d be anxious to hear from Robert. She knows the feeling, but Robert is making every effort to find Hayden. She asks if pacing is helping Finn, and he says it is. She suggests getting Roxie, but he says, Roxie is for anxiety. She says, and this is…? He says, anger mixed with frustration. He doesn’t want to bring Roxie into that. The doorbell rings, and it’s Jax, who says Anna told him it was urgent. Finn asks what Jax got Hayden into, and Jax says, nothing. What did she tell him? Finn says, she skipped town, and Anna says, Finn found a note. Jax asks if she took Violet, but Anna says, Violet is there. Finn says, Hayden wrote that she was in trouble, and left town to keep Violet safe. Tell him what the hell is going on.
Ava asks if Nikolas is really there, and he says, yes; it’s him. She says she thought he was dead, and he says he is, and she backs up on the bed. She says, if he’s dead, how is he there? He says he’s not really there, and Ava asks if it’s a dream, or is he… Nikolas says he’s in hell – because of her. She says, Valentin did this, and he says Valentin sent him there, but she’s the reason why he’s trapped and doesn’t know peace. She says she’s sorry, and he says he hopes that true. Now, she’s going to make amends.
Willow sees Julian, and says, poor man. Carly says she doesn’t know if Willow knows this, but her son Morgan was killed by a car bomb intended for Julian. Morgan wouldn’t have been in the car in the first place if Ava hadn’t switched out his meds for placeboes, and he spiraled out of control. She hates Julian and Ava, and wished such suffering on them. Now Ava is in a psychiatric hospital, and Julian is staring down the same loss. She guesses she got her wish.
Jax says, if Hayden was in danger, she never mentioned it. Anna says she thought they were close, and he says she worked for him at Aurora, but that was the extent of the relationship. Finn says she must have a side project going on, and whatever it is, it got her in trouble. Anna says Jax always has a side project going on; maybe it’s the same one. Jax asks if there was anything about it in the note, but Finn says Hayden keeps secrets because she thinks she can deal with things by herself. Anna says if Hayden is in trouble, maybe Jax can help. Jax says the only thing he can do, is check her office at Aurora, and see if she left anything behind. Finn says, other than their daughter. Jax says if Hayden left Violet, she must think the danger is real and she’ll be back. He’s sorry; keep him posted. Anna asks him to do the same. When he’s gone, Anna and Finn both say, he’s definitely lying.
The surgeon comes out, and says Lucas is critical, but stable. Julian asks, which is it? and Bobbie says, it means he’s in bad shape, but not getting worse – at the moment. The doctor says there was swelling on the brain, and they had to open his skull to release the pressure. He’s in a medically induced coma. Carly asks if there’s going to be brain damage, but he says, it’s too soon to tell. Lucas is in recovery, and will be moved to ICU, where they’re going to monitor him closely.
Ava knows she wronged Nikolas, and tells him that she’s sorry. She covers her face, and he tells her to look at him. She says she can’t, but he tells her, it’s all right, and sits on the bed. She looks at him, and he says, they were friends. They understood each other. She says she thought they were good friends, and he says she was there when he died. She says there was nothing she could do, and he says he doesn’t blame her. She thanks him for that, and he says, but Spencer needed her, and what did she do? She says she can’t say it, and he asks, why? She says she’s ashamed, and he tells her that she chose her own beauty over his son’s future. He never thought she’d betray him. Ava says he doesn’t know what it was like for her, looking in the mirror. He says, at least she had a face. His was lost at sea. She says she’d do anything to make it up; just stop. He tells her to promise she won’t let Valentin win. She says she won’t. Nikolas was the first. After he died, something happened. It was like a wave of darkness. She lost Morgan, then Griff, then Kiki. Ryan wasn’t real. She sinks to the floor, saying, he was a monster. He should be in hell, not Nikolas. He says, think of Spencer. He needs her again. The portrait of Helena. She says he knows she’d do anything for his son. She’d do anything for Avery and Kiki, but it’s too late. Kiki will never forgive her. He says he knows. He’s seen Kiki. She’s there with him.
Nina asks Valentin how Ava got her hands on the portrait, but he says, she’s being tight-lipped, and she’s as unreliable as Helena when it comes to telling the truth. Nina asks if he thinks Ava still has the portrait, but he says she was pretty doped up in Shadybrook. He thinks she’s going to try a bidding war, but it won’t be easy from there. Nina thanks him for telling her and being honest. He says, it’s not easy. A lifetime of bad habits is hard to break, but he’s trying. She says, whatever happens, they’re in this together. All the way. He says, that’s what he wants to hear. Jax suddenly grabs Valentin, yanking him out of his seat. He tells Valentin to take a walk with him. He pushes Valentin against the wall, and asks what the hell he’s done with Hayden.
Michael sits on the couch with Wiley and Sasha, and tells Wiley that he’s sorry Wiley’s dads couldn’t be there. Not to worry. He and Sasha will keep him company. Sasha says Michael is so good to Wiley, and Michael says, who wouldn’t love Wiley? Sasha asks if he thinks Wiley would like a snack, and he doesn’t think Wiley would say no to ice cream. (I know I never do.) Sasha goes to the kitchen, and Michael says, it looks like it’s just them.
Willow tells Brad that he’s at GH. He has a concussion. Chase adds, plus bruised ribs. Brad asks about Lucas, and Willow says, he’s alive, and in ICU. Brad says he needs to be with his husband, but she says not until the doctor says it’s okay. He asks her to get the doctor, and she jets. Brad asks Chase, what happened?
Carly says, Lucas is out of surgery;it’s a good sign. Bobbie says, it is, but she know too much about trauma, brain injury, and recovery stats. Julian just wants Lucas to wake up. He doesn’t care if Lucas hates him and kicks him out of his life forever, as long as he’s all right. The nurse says they can go in, two at a time. Bobbie and Julian go into the room, and Bobbie says, her poor baby. How did this happen?
Chase asks what Brad remembers. Brad says they were headed to Sonny’s, and Lucas was driving. There was a car in front of them, and they were headed for it. Chase asks if Lucas tried to stop, and Brad says he stepped on the brakes, but the car didn’t slow. Chase asks if there have been any problems with the car recently, but Brad says, it was working fine yesterday. He doesn’t understand what happened.
Bobbie tells Lucas that she’s glad he’s resting. It’s the only way to heal. Keep doing what he’s doing, and everyone will be waiting for him. Julian goes back out, and Carly asks, what happened? He says she should go in and be with her mom. She does, and tells Lucas that she’s sure his mom is being nurturing and loving, but she’s his big sister, and she’s going to tell him the truth. He needs to rally and pull it together. There’s no way Donna is going to miss her first Christmas with her Uncle Lucas. Bobbie says he can’t disappoint three generations of Spencer women. Carly says she got the cutest Santa outfit for Wiley, and Bobbie says, he’s going to be adorable. Carly says, here’s the deal. He needs to follow doctor’s orders. Take the time he needs, but he needs to wake the hell up. He has so much to look forward to.
Valentin asks Jax if something happened to Hayden, and Nina tells Jax to let Valentin go. She’s sure Valentin will tell Jax everything. Jax releases Valentin, and says, talk. Valentin says he has no idea who threatened Hayden or chased her out. If she left town, she did it on her own. Why does Jax think it was him? Jax says Valentin has been targeting Hayden, and Valentin says it could be because she’s trying to steal his family estate. And she and Jax are working together.
Ava says, Kiki can’t be with Nikolas. He said.. Nikolas says, he’s in hell, and Kiki is right beside him, suffering. She says Kiki can’t be; she was good. He says, murder victims never rest. Can’t she hear the crying? She tells him, stop it, and crawls away, but he follows. He says the only way it will stop is when she tells him who she sold the painting to. Ava says she didn’t sell it; she still has it. He says, good. She can still help Spencer and Kiki. He’ll rest, and Kiki will rest. She says it’s all she wants. She’s begging him to help her. Kiki shouldn’t have to pay for what she’s done. She loved Kiki, and didn’t mean the things she said to Ryan. She didn’t mean for Ryan to kill her. Kiki was so good and sweet; such a pure soul. She asks Nikolas, please help, and he says he will. Just tell him where Helena’s portrait is. She says she has it in the gallery. Does he forgive her? He thanks her, and says she did well. Don’t tell Valentin. Don’t tell anyone. Keep it between them; between friends. She says he’ll tell Kiki, right? Promise her. He helps her back to bed, and she closes her eyes, saying his name. She sits up, and he’s gone.
Sasha comes in with a tray, and Michael calls her their fearless forager. She says there are still a lot dishes to put away, and he says that’s his job, but instead, he’s babysitting. Sasha says, Willow called, and Brad is awake. Michael says, good. He’s glad to hear that. She asks, what is it? and he says his mom texted. Lucas is in a medically induced coma in ICU. She says she’s so sorry, and he says, Wiley has no idea how his world could change. Sasha says, or everything could be fine. Michael says, no matter what, they’ll always have family, and family will always have them.
Anna tells Finn that he is going to wake Violet up if he keeps checking. He says, this time last month, he didn’t even know he had a daughter. Now she’s upstairs, and he’s a single dad. Anna says she’s there. She’s not going anywhere. If it’s all right with him.
Julian goes back to Lucas’s room. He tells Bobbie that Carly said she wanted to see him. She says she was hoping he could sit with Lucas for a while, so she can update Brad. She knows how hard it is to see Lucas like this, but if he could just sit and talk with him. She leaves, and Julian goes to Lucas’s bedside. He says he made a mess. He’s so sorry for everything. Lucas was supposed to be at work, and Brad should have been in the car by himself. He was trying to protect Lucas the only way he knew how, to make sure Lucas and Wiley would be okay, but instead, Lucas is punished for his sins. He’s so sorry; he loves Lucas. He asks Lucas to forgive him, and Brad says, forgive him for what? Julian turns around, and Bobbie is there with Brad in a wheelchair.
Julian asks what Brad thinks he meant. All the time he wasted not knowing his son, and the reasons he gave Lucas to keep his distance. The nurse tells them, only two, and Julian says he’ll leave. He goes out to the hallway, and looks back through the window.
Carly calls home, and says she thought Michael was there. She tells him to give Wiley a squeeze for her. She doesn’t know how long they’ll be at the hospital. Everything is okay, considering. She says she loves them too.
Julian says, Lucas doesn’t deserve this, and Carly says they have to believe Lucas will be okay.
Brad says he loves Lucas so much. He’ll be there by Lucas’s side until he wakes up. Bobbie says Lucas’s family is waiting for him. His son needs him. Brad says, they both do.
Michael gets the door. It’s Willow, and he asks if everything is okay. She says, it’s fine. It’s just…Brad and Lucas. She couldn’t stay away. Wiley smiles at her. He is one smiley kid.
Nikolas calls Jax, who asks where he is. Nikolas asks, what’s going on? and Jax says, Hayden left town. Nikolas asks if Jax thinks Valentin has something to do with it, but Jax doesn’t want to discuss it on the phone. The situation is out of control, and they need to talk. Nikolas says he knows where the portrait is, and he’s going there now. Jax tells Nikolas to meet him now, or he’s going to the police. Nikolas says, and lose the big prize? but Jax says he’s lost bigger, and he’s still rich. It’s not a bluff. He’ll send Nikolas the location, and he’d better be there.
Nina says she defended Valentin with Jax. Now he needs to tell the truth. Valentin says he didn’t force Hayden out of town. He wanted her to stay so he could get more information. Nina believes him; that’s how his mind works. He appreciates her faith in him, but Nina says she knows him. He says he’s going to the gallery to look for the portrait. She says, if Ava put the picture where no one would find it, wouldn’t the gallery be the last place? He says he wants to eliminate the obvious first. He leaves, and Nina calls Shadybrook. She asks if Ava is allowed visitors, and says she’ll be right over.
Ava drifts off, saying, no more ghosts. We see Nikolas’s cufflink next to the bed.
Just a thought. Maybe Nikolas should get some cufflinks that will stay in his cuffs.
Tomorrow, Brad says it’s all his fault, Nelle says it’s time to catch up, Jax can’t believe Nikolas staged the attack on Hayden, and Nina asks Ava, who told her Kiki was in hell?
The Real Housewives of Dallas
Bangkok. The women get ready to go out. Kameron has brought her own adaptor, and tells LeeAnne that Thai holes have three round prongs. Jokes abound. Kary still has jet lag. She says she’s slept four hours in three days. In her interview, Stephanie says at first, she thought D’Andra wore LeeAnne’s dress to be supportive. If she wore it as a joke, it was a joke at LeeAnne’s expense, and it isn’t funny. It’s not what friends do, and it felt wrong. The women discuss this in the lobby while waiting for LeeAnne and Kameron. Stephanie tells D’Andra, she thinks their continuing critique hurt LeeAnne’s feelings. D’Andra says she’s the only one who was supportive. She bought two of the dresses. In D’Andra’s interview, she says, it’s not that big of a deal. It was fun. LeeAnne and Kameron join the conversation, and LeeAnne says she’s right there now, if they want to disrespect her. She tells Kameron that she doesn’t think D’Andra was just being funny. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says, bitch, you’re not funny. You’ve never been funny. And by the way, it’s the best her boobs have ever looked. D’Andra thinks LeeAnne is making a big deal about something not that important. It wasn’t meant to hurt LeeAnne or bring her down.
The women get on the bus to go to the elephant sanctuary, singing Kameron’s song. In case you forgot, it’s loosely to the tune of Toyland, and goes: ♫ Thailand! Thailand! Where everyone gets a baby elephant! ♫ And that’s pretty much it. Not a millisecond after they sit, Kary insists D’Andra wearing the dress wasn’t meant be rude. LeeAnne says, what if Kary made a nice necklace, and she said it looked like anal beads. This is really bad example, since, as Kary points out in her interview, LeeAnne did say that in Mexico. We flash back to make sure everyone knows this is true. Kary doesn’t care if LeeAnne shoves the jewelry up her ass, as long as she pays for it. Her salesmanship is impressive. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she’s trying to move on. She gets it. Kary doesn’t want to be friends, and she’s good with it. Stephanie explains that they’re going to the elephant sanctuary, and it’s a two-hour drive. She hopes they see some elephant babies. Brandi says, it’s 9 am there, but 9 pm at home in Dallas. She’s ready to party. The drinking commences, despite several of the women being concerned about having to go to the bathroom during the ride. They play Never Have I Ever, covering the Mile High Club, being intimate with another woman, and having sex in a public place. In Brandi’s interview, she says she’s not going to lie. She and Stephanie have kissed. They were trying to make their husbands jealous, but they actually liked it. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says probably the only public places she hasn’t had sex are a department and grocery store. Kameron is adamant that a stairwell in an apartment complex isn’t public if no one ever uses it, but the rest of the women insist it is public.
They get to the sanctuary at 1 pm. The guide explains they’re not a zoo; they’re a rescue center with an emphasis on conservation. It’s 102 degrees out, and as much as I’d love to see Thailand, I’m not so sure I would survive it. They get on a safari-type bus, and their first stop is to see the honey bears that have been used in circuses and shows. One bear plays with a tire. In her interview, LeeAnne says she worked with snakes, bears, and gorillas in the carnival. She never knew the background of how they were treated because she was a child, and didn’t think about it. The gibbons are next, and the guide says they communicate through song. When they get out, a gibbon who’s been hanging in a tree, drops down and runs around like a nut, then swings all over the place. They laugh, and he makes a racket. The guide says he’s competing. A dude comes along and asks if they want to toss coconuts to the gibbons, and instructs them to throw them over the fence. Kary tries to put hers under the fence, repeating in her interview that she doesn’t listen to instructions. They nearly bean the poor gibbons with the coconuts.
They move on to where the elephants are lodged. The guide points out a blue-eyed Asian elephant, which is rare. Kameron says, they’re so precious and so sweet.You want to save all of them. A girl brings bananas for them to feed the elephants, and the guide says, in Thailand, elephants are classified as livestock. They’re broken. They’re put in a pen, and weapons are used against them. The first thing they do at the rescue, is cut their chains, and they never have to wear chains again. After that, they begin to get their own personality back. They take photos. In D’Andra’s interview, she says she’s not used to seeing animals this way. She’s used to seeing them in the wild. Seeing an elephant makes her feel like there’s hope in the world. In Stephanie’s interview, she says, it’s magical to interact with the elephants. They’ve been through a lot, and this place is their safe haven. LeeAnne talks to a smallish elephant, and the guide says she was a taxi. She has a limp because she was hit by a van in the street. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she wants to hug her (me too!), and let her know there are humans who only want to love her. Every time she sees an animal that’s been beaten and used, she gets it. When she was three years old, she was told to perform. She relates.
As they leave, one of the elephants says goodbye. Kary says they’ll remember this experience forever. She’s never going to ride one again. LeeAnne says any elephant that you ride has been broken. As a human who knows what it’s like to be broken, it’s horrible. Kameron pets LeeAnne’s head, and LeeAnne says, it’s horrible what they do to them. In Brandi’s interview, she says, it’s frustrating. Just when they’ve experienced something together, LeeAnne made it about herself. Ugh. Why do they feel the need to say stuff like this? I don’t look at it the same way at all. I think if LeeAnne still needs to talk about her childhood, she still needs to talk about her childhood. As friends, they should just be supportive, and quit being dismissive because they’ve heard it already. If identifying with various situations helps LeeAnne, let her be. Kary suggests a nap, and LeeAnne thinks they should have dinner in their rooms. In Stephanie’s interview, she says they’re all still jet lagged, so they’re just going to order room service and relax.
Back at the hotel, Brandi grabs a box of tampons, and says she’s going to help LeeAnne with her Red Sea parting. She goes to LeeAnne and Kameron’s room, and Kameron asks if she’s drunk without liquor like they are. Brandi says she took her sleeping pill, and Kameron says that should be fun. She asks Brandi to sit down. They have a lot to ask her. LeeAnne can’t stop laughing. Kameron says she loves Brandi on sleeping pills; she’s funny. LeeAnne says Kameron wants Brandi to be like she is on Xanax, and we flash back to that. LeeAnne says when she joined everyone this morning, they were having a public conversation about what happened at dinner. Brandi says, D’Andra said she was trying to be funny. Brandi ponders for a moment, and says, maybe D’Andra said that. She thinks maybe D’Andra did. LeeAnne tells Brandi that she and D’Andra aren’t in a place where she can do that. Brandi thinks she did it to be a little a-hole. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says Brandi sticking up for her is like a light in a dark room, and she needed it. Brandi hugs the wall going back out, but makes it to her room.
The next morning, the women have breakfast in their rooms. Kary tells D’Andra that she thinks they’re going to a market, and not to eat monkey. D’Andra says she has limits. The get on another bus, and Kameron says they’re going to the main market, and Kary says it’s the biggest outdoor market in the world. In Kameron’s interview, she says, it’s hot, and there’s no wind. She needs a fan, or she’ll get a whiff of the mystery food. Smells are coming at her. In Stephanie’s interview, she says she’s been holding her breath since they got there. They’re either smelling it or eating it. In Brandi’s interview, she says, it’s like burnt popcorn mixed with B.O. In D’Andra’s interview, she says she loves trying different food. Her husband says she likes food better than sex, and he’s probably right.
Kameron suggests getting friendship bracelets, but LeeAnne opts out. In Kary’s interview, she says, of course LeeAnne poops on their parade. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she’s not twelve, so it’s not a thing for her, but if it makes them happy, O to the K. Kameron and Kary go for a massage, and LeeAnne buys some hand-carved wooden serving utensils. Brandi says she might want to get some, but not for sexual reasons. Brandi, LeeAnne, and Stephanie have a beer. D’Andra joins Kary and Kameron. Kameron says she’s having a good time. There hasn’t been much drama, besides the other night. D’Andra says she was trying to be funny, and thought LeeAnne would be laughing because she wore the dress. Kameron thinks it’s when they started talking about the faults of the dress, it hurt LeeAnne’s feelings. Kary tells Kameron, if that was the case, LeeAnne could have said so, and suggested they talk later. She would have just said, sorry. I think that’s basically what LeeAnne did say, and I don’t believe for a second that Kary would have apologized if she’d listened. Kary says, instead, LeeAnne walked off, crying. It’s not appropriate. Kameron wonders what if she told Kary that she had poorly constructed jewelry in front of other people? Would hurt her feelings? Kary says she would ask if they could talk later. Kameron says they don’t have the history that LeeAnne and D’Andra do. It’s been rocky. Kary tells her not to make excuses for LeeAnne, and Kameron says she’s not doing that. She’s just trying to explain that her feelings would be hurt in the same situation. In Kary’s interview, she says Kameron has LeeAnne’s back, because she’s that kind of friend. Kary is too, and she gets it.
Stephanie asks LeeAnne how things are with Kary and D’Andra. LeeAnne thinks D’Andra has said her piece, and she’s done with it. She doesn’t know how Kary feels. She tunes Kary out after a couple of sentences. Stephanie asks what LeeAnne and Brandi want to do, and LeeAnne says she wants to see a lady boy show. Brandi asks if that’s a ping pong show, but LeeAnne says, no. Lady boys are real boys. In Stephanie’s interview, she says she’s heard the lady boys are real famous. She’s intrigued. LeeAnne tells Brandi, if she sees a ping pong ball flying at a lady boy show, it didn’t come out of a p*ssy.
D’Andra calls Mama Dee, who asks what time it is there. D’Andra says they’re getting ready for dinner, and Dee asks how the food is. D’Andra says, delicious, but no one likes the food except her and Kary. It’s been a good trip; they’ve only had one hiccup. Dee is sure D’Andra was involved, and D’Andra says, of course. She tells Dee that she got LeeAnne’s dress to wear at dinner for fun, but LeeAnne got upset. She started crying, and left the table. She tells Dee that Brandi said she was being mean, and Dee says she would tell Brandi off. D’Andra guesses Brandi needed to defend LeeAnne, since LeeAnne can’t defend herself. Ha-ha. Wow. These two are quite the package.
On the next bus – everything seems to be far away – Stephanie says Travis will be there tomorrow. They’re going to a restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms. She and Travis have been there before. In her interview, she says Travis wanted to give a subliminal message to her. I’ve been in some oddball restaurants, but this takes the cake. It’s everything condom. The lampshades on the ceiling lights look like upside down condoms, and there’s all kinds of condom art, even a Santa made out of condoms. I never thought I’d type the word condom so much in one paragraph. A dialogue box tells us that the restaurant is condom themed to promote safe sex. In her interview, LeeAnne says she’s allergic to latex, and it caused bad problems with her trying to have sex using one early on. Kary says she didn’t know they came in pink, and says she’s never used one. She’s always been in serious relationships. In her interview, she tries putting one on a banana. They order all kinds of food, and Kary and Kameron are very chatty. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says, Kameron is like a shiny new toy, and Kary is like a three-year-old. Kameron says when they got a massage, she and Kary talked about what happened at dinner. Kary thinks she and LeeAnne need to have a talk. LeeAnne says she realizes that Kary thought it was offensive when she said something about Kary’s hat, but she was just being cautious. There were so many monks, and she didn’t want to offend the people in their space. Kary says LeeAnne has to respect that about her. LeeAnne says she’ll never mention it again. If Kary wants to wear her hat in a temple, that’s up to her. LeeAnne asks if she sees a car coming, and screams at Kary to run, is she just going to stand there? Kary nods, so we can hope. In Stephanie’s interview, she says, the food sucks. It’s like a TGIFriday’s for nasty food. LeeAnne says she felt like when she didn’t react, they kept going, and she was shocked. D’Andra says if she’d done that four years ago, LeeAnne would have thought it was hilarious. LeeAnne says they were in a totally different place then. Brandi says she felt like they were picking on LeeAnne, and Kary admits it was a mistake to keep bringing it up. In Kary’s interview, she says Kameron helped her to understand, and she feels bad. She doesn’t like to hurt people’s feelings. I choke on my coffee. D’Andra tells LeeAnne that she said she was sorry, but LeeAnne was upset, and probably didn’t hear her. She didn’t mean it in a nefarious (she likes that word) way. She was just trying to get them back to a fun place. Kary says they had good intentions, but it turned bad. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she thinks the apology is 100% fake, and they 100% tried to hurt her deeply, but she’s trying to take the high road as best she can, and stay on it. The waitress gives them after dinner condoms. Brandi blows hers up like a balloon.
Kary says the red light district in Thailand is a big tourist attraction. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she loves a good drag show, and heard the performers there are amazing, and over-the-top. Fifteen minutes later, we see them leaving. In her interview, D’Andra says, it was all pageantry, and the music starts. Stephanie says, they take their skirts off, and stick their wieners out. They were in the first row. Brandi says, all of a sudden, there’s a threesome. D’Andra says, the guy’s junk was right in front of her eyes. Kameron draws a diagram, and I’m laughing too hard to type what she’s saying. D’Andra calls Jeremy and says they just saw a live sex show. In her interview, Kameron says, this is not appropriate for a stage presentation. Brandi says she just wants to see one ping pong ball shoot out of a vagina. LeeAnne points out that if they’re in a bad part of town, it’s how they use and abuse women. Kary pouts, saying LeeAnne is trying to convince them to leave. In LeeAnne’s interview, she says she’ll go with them, but Kameron isn’t aware of what it is. She thinks Kameron believes this is like a magic show. Like the other show, we don’t get to see it, but again after fifteen minutes, they’re out of there. Kameron says it’s the grossest thing she’s ever seen. She didn’t think it was real. Brandi says she thought it was two women playing ping pong with their vaginas. It’s very misleading. In Kameron’s interview, she does another diagram, explaining, this leg goes up, and ping pong balls were shooting everywhere, hitting everyone in the head. And they were kind of bossy. She tried to get up, and they tried to hit her in the head with a dart. LeeAnne says, Kary wanted to go, and was the first bitch to run out. In her interview, she says, one ball, and Kary is running like a bitch out the door, and Kameron ran after her. Kameron says she ran as fast as she could. It was scary. LeeAnne asks what she thought was going to happen. Kary says, it was an experience, and she doesn’t regret it. Stephanie says it’s no one’s fault; everyone wanted to come. In her interview, she says she thinks LeeAnne is upset because Kary and Kameron are hanging out. A security guy goes to get them a taxi, and Kameron says she has to go to the bathroom. LeeAnne says they’re not in a good part of town, but Kary says she’s been there with her daughter by herself. She’s from Mexico and knows when something bad is going to happen. In Kary’s interview, she says LeeAnne is being super manipulative. She’s trying to get everyone scared because she wants to leave. I dunno about that. LeeAnne looks genuinely concerned, and it doesn’t look like where you’d want to be hanging out – or using the bathroom.
A cab comes, and LeeAnne gets in it with Stephanie. She tells Stephanie that Kary can defend herself because she’s from Mexico. Please. In Brandi’s interview, she says the night is still young. They left Kameron and D’Andra because they have security with them, but they’re going back to their rooms, even though it’s only 10 pm. In another cab, Kary tells Brandi that LeeAnne is being negative (her favorite word). LeeAnne tells Stephanie that Kary demanded they go, and then ran out. Stephanie asks what Kameron said about it, and LeeAnne says, Kameron ran out after her. Kary tells Brandi that Kameron is her own person.
Another twenty minutes later, Kameron and D’Andra get back. Kameron says she’s going to barf. She goes into the room, and LeeAnne asks if she has any clue how many sex workers they just looked at. Kameron asks why LeeAnne is yelling at her.
Next time, LeeAnne says Kary needed to have her way, Kary says LeeAnne shouldn’t make Kameron feel guilty, and LeeAnne won’t speak to Kameron.
I don’t even know if there was a new episode last week, but this week on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, the women went to Jamaica for Jennifer’s birthday celebration. Another fine trip wasted on the underserving. Jackie told her husband that she can’t go anywhere with these women without something aggressive happening, which is hardly a difficult prediction. Dolores thought that Jackie brought up things she shouldn’t, like the normal things you bring up with friends. She said Jennifer’s parents had raised her more liberally. Jackie thought Dolores had a lot of rules, and didn’t know her well enough to talk about how she was raised. Jennifer, Jackie, and Margaret went horseback riding in the water, which was mega cool, except they kept slipping all over the place. Theresa, Melissa, and Dolores went to the beach and drank. Teresa said the past five years had been dark, and Melissa wanted her to think of the possibilities instead. When Jackie said she didn’t think she could ever be close to Teresa, Margaret said she could identify with Teresa’s stress, especially over her financial situation. I know it’s all a matter of perspective, but it’s hard for me to be sympathetic because someone has to downsize to 4000 square feet. When Melissa told Joe #2 about how Marge made a joke about 21-year-old scotch, Teresa, and jailbait, he predicted Teresa would eventually explode over it. Another thing you don’t have to be the Long Island Medium to figure out. Teresa did explode, but more to Melissa and Dolores during more drinks after the beach. Back home, the guys got together for cards, drinks, and sex talk that I didn’t need to hear. When the women reconvened for dinner, Teresa saw a sign that said, Any woman can have the body of a 21-year-old, as long as she buys him a few drinks first. Marge swore that she wasn’t referring to the article about Teresa’s boy-toy, only the scotch. Teresa let it slide, but in her interview, said she didn’t believe it. Dolores brought up Jackie being upset with her, making some big speech about them not being cut from the same cloth, that sounded like a bunch of BS. Melissa backed up my thoughts in her interview by saying the same thing.
I’ve come to the conclusion that Jackie is to RHONJ what Marilyn was to The Munsters.
Next time, Frank tells David that Dolores wants a commitment (and Jackie is a weirdo?), Teresa and her daughters go through pictures, and Juicy Joe’s appeal is denied.
📺 The new season of Project Runway starts Thursday, December 5th, at 9:30 pm, and Vanderpump Rules new season begins on Tuesday, January 7th (2020!) at 9 pm.
🎄 I watched a lot of Christmas in Rockefeller Center, and it kind of freaked me out when they said the star was 900 pounds. I will never stand close to that tree again.
🎭 And She Was In Hamilton…
A woman who’s certainly done well since her soap days. I saw her in Shakespeare in the Park’s musical of Two Gentlemen of Verona, also starring the yummy Oscar Isaac and Rosario Dawson. The cherry on that theatre cake was that I sat near some other OLTL cast members. Ah, those brushes with fame…
No mention of Naomie, but I hope she’s planning a wedding. Trader Joe’s butter chicken has now become a staple in my diet. I think there might be crack in the curry.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
A mini-cap of GH’s Thanksgiving Day episode.
Mike went to Sonny’s for Thanksgiving. When Mike asked if Sonny had a good relationship with his old man, Sonny knew it wasn’t going to be a good day. He rolled with it, saying he and his father did have a good relationship, and Mike told him that you have to tell people how you feel before they’re gone. Life is too short for regrets. No doubt there was collective sobbing from viewers everywhere. It’s at the point where, when I see Mike is going to be in an episode, I figure I might as well just start crying.
Franco met with Andre, who said the memory mapping had been streamlined since he’d first worked on it, and he’d do everything he could to mitigate the risks. Franco told Elizabeth that he was having the procedure done tomorrow. Which will probably be Tuesday in our world.
Finn kept trying to call Hayden, but his calls all went to voicemail. When he checked Violet’s backpack for her doll, he found the letter Hayden left. She wrote that she was in the kind of trouble that could put Violet in danger, and she knew Violet would be safe with him. She asked him, please don’t come after her, take care of Violet, and make sure Violet knows, no matter what, her mother loves her. Finn showed the letter to Anna, and said that when Hayden is backed into a corner, she always runs. Anna told him that Hayden must be in serious trouble if she was leaving Violet. Anna didn’t think Hayden would have left Violet with Finn if there had been an alternative.
Kendra came by to see Alexis, who said she’d been given the all-clear from the hospital, but she was going to wait before going back to working with Kendra. Alexis also said she spoke quite a bit of Italian, and could order the supplement herself. Kendra wondered why Neil had given her the cold shoulder, and asked if Alexis was getting ready to fire her. Alexis said, no; she was just being vigilant. Later, Neil discovered that Alexis had checked herself out of the hospital. He told Julian that he’d accused Kendra of poisoning Alexis.
Michael picked up Wiley to go to the Quartermaine’s for Thanksgiving dinner. Brad begged off, saying he was coming down with something and didn’t want to get anyone sick. Michael didn’t believe it, and suggested it was because of Nelle, since his family knew about Brad going to her parole hearing. While this was going on, Julian sat outside in his car, obviously up to no good. After he saw Michael leave with Wiley, he cut the brakes to Brad’s car.
Lucas told Elizabeth about Brook Lynn being back, and said Elizabeth looked like she’d rather have a root canal than hear that news. Lucas decided he’d rather be home on Thanksgiving, and Elizabeth got his shift covered. Lucas went home, and told Brad that he was sick of fighting. He wanted to know what was going on, and what Brad was hiding.
Peter and Maxie went to Anna’s for Thanksgiving, where they saw Andre. Andre told them about Franco deciding to go through with the procedure. He said Franco realized that no matter how many memories of Drew’s he had, he wasn’t Drew; and there were people who loved Franco and missed him.
Sonny and Mike watched football, and it was all good until Mike wanted to hold Donna. Both Sonny and Carly overreacted, and Mike got the message they didn’t want him holding the baby. He ended up pushing Sonny into the table of appetizers. Mike was persuaded to take a nap upstairs, and Sonny asked Carly to call Turning Woods, saying his dad wasn’t safe at the house.
Kendra went to Kiefer’s grave with a gorgeous autumn flower arrangement. Alexis saw her, and waited for her to leave. When Kendra was gone, Alexis went over to look at the headstone. But Kendra wasn’t really gone, and whacked Alexis in the head with a rock, knocking her out.
On Monday, Lulu tells Brook that Dante abandoned her, Julian wonders why Kendra would target Alexis, and Sonny says he’s not going to be that guy. And maybe we’ll find out about the Quartermaine pizza. I’m a little miffed that they didn’t include that in the Thanksgiving episode.
You can’t save everyone. Sometimes you have to give people their problems right back at them. – Dr. Woods-Trap (Phylicia Rashad), David Makes Man (I am a big fan of that philosophy.)
We’re going down on a sinking ship, and the only way to do that with dignity is to be drunk. – Jack Dundee (RobinWilliams), The Best of Times
Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road. – Dag Hammarskjold
Life—the way it really is—is a battle not between good and bad, but between bad and worse. – Joseph Brodsky
If bad things didn’t happen, how would you be able to feel the good ones? – Elizabeth Scott
Always have a willing hand to help someone, you might be the only one that does. – Roy T. Bennett
You don’t sneak up on people in a zombie apocalypse. – Charlie Barnett (Tom Everett Scott), Z Nation
The truth isn’t always beauty, but the hunger for it is. – Nadine Gordimer
I’m alone, and I’m old. But guess what? I’m tough. – An 82-year-old bodybuilder who fought off a home intruder.
😘 Last But Not Least…
Hoping that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of family, friends, and food. It would be remiss of me not to say how thankful I am for my readers and followers. No Dead this week, only Christmas movies, but some good ones. Saturday night is Elf, and on Sunday, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Christmas with the Kranks. Christmas Vacation holds a spot in my heart because my old acting teacher, William Hickey, plays the part of Uncle Lewis. And we all see where I am today. Just kidding. He was a phenomenal teacher.
🏁 Double Duty…
My thanks, as well as the official start of the season. And so it begins…
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
🎄 Hope everyone had themselves a merry little Christmas! Moving on…
General Hospital
At the MetroCourt, Laura looks at her wedding ring set and remembers getting married to real Doc, saying she’d love him every day for the rest of her life. Carly sits with her, and says she’s been there, and it’s nothing Laura did or didn’t do. Doc can’t be in right mind if he gave her up for Ava. Laura says that’s what she’s afraid of.
At Ferncliff, Not-Doc/Ryan wakes straitjacketed, real Doc up. He says sorry it’s been so long since his last visit, but he brings great tidings of joy.
Julian chats with Leo at Charlie’s. Olivia comes in, and Leo tells her about the family of snow people they made. Julian thanks her for letting Leo visit; he needed it. She says she figured that, and Julian thanks Leo for today.
Oscar looks at something on his laptop with Kim and Drew. Josslyn comes in, and Oscar’s parents jet for coffee. Oscar shows Josslyn the laptop, and says it’s not his car, but looks like it. Outside in the hallway, Kim tells Drew that she’s glad Oscar fell in love when he was well. Josslyn gives Oscar a Christmas gift.
At the prison, Nelle tells a guard that she doesn’t have a doctor, as she’s led to the visitor room. Obrecht is there, and says she does. Consider it a long overdue post-natal checkup.
Michael sees Willow at the hospital. She asks if he made it back to his parents’ house after the meeting. He says he did, and it was a fun holiday; what about her? She says it was better than expected. The meeting helped. He says speaking about her son was a big step. She tells him it felt good, saying her dreams for him out loud. She just wishes she could have made them come true.
Ava takes little pink mittens out of a box at Kiki’s apartment. Griff and Anna walk in. She asks what they want, and Anna wonders if they can help. Ava tells them that she read about a woman whose husband died in their apartment. She left a book he’d been reading open to what he’d last read, and called it an act of wishful thinking. Leaving it as it was when he died would keep him alive for her. She’d thought it was ridiculous, and that the woman was weak, but now she prays the same prayers. She tells Griff that prayers only work for the faithful, so it leaves them out of luck.
Michael tells Willow that he’s glad he went to the meeting. It was helpful to be around other people who lost a child. She tells him, be honest. He saw her, and felt bad. He says she was a deciding factor. Because of one terrible thing, they understand each other. She tells him that her pregnancy was a surprise, and she’d wondered what kind of life she and her baby would have. Michael doesn’t know if he’ll ever stop imagining what it would have been like to see his son grow up.
Nelle asks if Obrecht isn’t a fugitive. Obrecht says she had an unfortunate misunderstanding with law enforcement, but it’s been cleared up. Funny how life works. One minute, she was on her way to prison, and the next minute, delivering Nelle’s baby in the middle of nowhere. Now, Nelle is in prison, and she’s asking herself, where is that beautiful baby boy?
Doc asks where Laura is, and Ryan says he’ll get to it, but wants to share his news. He’s totally pulling this off. He tells Doc that he must be one heck of a shrink. His patients know how he’ll respond. Doc says Ryan is in no position to treat patients, and Ryan says, neither is he. Doc asks what he’s done with Laura, and Ryan says he’s been nothing but a gentleman. She’s lovely, but too staid for his taste. He had to put distance between them, but once the divorce is final, he won’t have to worry about that. Doc says, he’s divorcing Laura?
Laura tells Carly that she can’t help but be concerned about Doc’s mental health. Carly says, put in perspective, he seems distracted and detached. He blew her off when she wanted an appointment to talk about the anniversary of Morgan’s death. Laura says, that’s not like him. So many things aren’t like him. A few years after Ryan ‘s death, he had a psychotic breakdown, confusing his identity with his brother’s. The way he’s been acting, she’s afraid he’s headed for another breakdown. Carly says that would explain his odd behavior, but not his romantic interest in Ava. Is it possible Laura is looking for a reason to believe he doesn’t really want a divorce?
Ryan tells Doc that Laura had trouble accepting the end of their marriage. He hopes she makes peace with it, so he doesn’t have to employ other means of problem solving. Doc tells him, leave her alone, and Ryan says that’s what he’s trying to do. He tells Doc, she’s safe, but there’s only so much he can take. He’s already had to dispense two problems, and he’s hoping there’s not a third. Doc says, he didn’t kill anyone, did he? and asks if Felicia is okay. Ryan says, she’s fine. He’s not into her at all, but to answer his question, yes; twice. He’s murdered two people. Doc tried to fix him, but he’s not broken. This is just who he is. Doc tries to lunge at Ryan. Ryan tells him to be careful; he might hurt himself. As much as he enjoys the irony, Ryan needs him healthy and lucid. There are gaps in his knowledge of Doc’s life that he needs to fill. Doc says he won’t help, but Ryan says he will. Laura’s life depends on it.
Oscar opens Josslyn’s gift. It’s a five-year planner. She tells him to open it. He reads. January 1 – ring in the new year with Joss; January 11 – bake cookies with Joss; February 9 – take Joss on a hike; February 14 – watch Valentine’s Day movies and bake truffles with Joss. He asks if she did this for the whole year, and she says, just the first year. The rest, they’re going to plan together.
Lulu gives Laura a belated birthday gift from her, and handmade cards from the kids. The gift is a gorgeous opal necklace, and Laura loves it. Lulu says they love her. She knows it’s been hard dealing with Doc, and wants Laura to know how special she is her and the kids, Spencer included. Laura tells her, it means so much. A year ago, she and Doc were in love and happy. Now, they’re unrecognizable. She can’t fathom what happened to get them there. Lulu thinks, it begins and ends with an A. Laura knows that’s a factor, but they both insist they didn’t start seeing each other until after she and Doc separated. It’s something else that she hasn’t figured out yet.
Anna tells Ava that Kiki wouldn’t want to tear them apart. Ava says, probably not, but she’s dead, so she doesn’t call the shots. Anna suggests Ava use a service to pack up, but Ava says, no one is touching her daughter’s things. Anna says they’ll leave her then. Griff says he’d like to have something of hers, because he can’t read social cues, and doesn’t get that this is probably a bad time to ask. Ava tells him that he’s already had plenty. He didn’t kill Kiki, but took her just the same. Anna wants go, and Ava dares Griff to stay and watch her put evert bit of Kiki in boxes. She asks how it feels, being left emptyhanded. The same way she was when Griff stole Kiki away.
Anna tells Ava that they understand she’s in pain, but it doesn’t give her license to attack Griff. Griff says they’re both grieving, but Ava says his grief doesn’t compare. She asks if he knows what grief looks like. Kiki saved every bit of her childhood; every scrap. She pulls out a homemade card with a child’s handprint on it, and reads, for Mommy, who holds my hand when I’m afraid. She says, report cards, birthday cards, Kiki saved every card Ava gave her. She was going to make a collage one day.One day. She says all of the Kikis she knew and loved are there. The three-year-old ballet dancer; the six-year-old who loved roller coasters she was too small to ride; a short story she wrote when she was ten; a hat she tried to knit. Ava didn’t just bury one child, but all the little girls Kiki was while growing up. Anna asks if there’s someone they can call, but suddenly there, not-Doc says, that’s all right; he’s there. Ava cries, and he holds her. Griff wipes a tear from his eye.
Laura asks Lulu how she got her hands on such privileged information. Lulu says she was dropping off a care package to Dante ‘s partner. Laura says, and she just happened to see Mary Pat’s file? Lulu says, no. She was looking at Kiki’s file, where they’d noted similarities in the two killings, and suspected a pattern. Laura asks if they think it might be one killer. Lulu says in both cases, the body was moved, and found at a party or event, and they were both killed with a knife. Carly has been eavesdropping, and says she’s sorry to interrupt, but is Lulu saying the police are investigating a serial killer?
Oscar tells Josslyn, it’s hard to believe how different everything was last Christmas. They found his mother’s CD, and the letter. He didn’t even know Drew was his dad. Josslyn says it seems like Drew’s been his dad longer than a year. She asks if he wishes his parents were back together, and he says, it seems dumb, but yeah. She says, it’s not dumb, but he says he sounds like a little kid. It would make him feel better about everything if his dad was looking after his mom, but she still has Julian. Josslyn tells him, like he said, a lot can change in year.
Kim tells Drew that she’s praying the treatment works, but wondering what happens if it’s not reducing the tumor. Drew says they’ll just have to find a way to squeeze the world into the time they have left with him.
Willow tells Michael that she got to hold her son for a while. His weight and warmth helped; he was so perfect and fragile. She knew she had to give him up, but couldn’t let go. She eventually asked the nurse to take him, and her arms felt so empty afterward. At night, she has dreams of holding him again. Michael does that too. Dreams that Jonah is alive, and he’s holding him. When he wakes up and remembers, like she said, his arms feel empty.
Nelle tells Obrecht she had her baby alone, and it didn’t survive. Obrecht says he was born strong and vital. If he was an actor, she’d have given him a ten. Trauma didn’t kill him. Maybe Nelle did. Nelle says everything she did was to protect him and give him life, and Obrecht wonders why it doesn’t sound like he’s dead now. Nelle says she still feels him with her. She’s still in morning. Why is Obrecht mocking her grief? Obrecht says, while they’re on the subject, Maxie told her that Michael is devastated. She can only imagine his gratitude if he were to learn the truth.
Ava tells not-Doc that she needs to go through everything, and he says, she shall, but not everything needs to be done today. Anna says they came to help, but not-Doc doesn’t know how much help Griff can be. Me neither, and I actually think them showing up is rather insensitive. He says Ava can look through everything at home, and picks up the box, telling Anna and Griff to lock up when they leave. When they’re gone, Anna tells Griff not to let Ava’s anger and bitterness affect him. it’s the last thing Kiki would want.
Kim and Drew go back to Oscar’s room. Drew asks where Josslyn is, and Oscar says she took off on an errand. He tells them to check out his planner.
Josslyn goes to Charlie’s. Julian asks if Oscar is okay, and she says he’s doing good today. He says he was planning on stopping by later with a sandwich, and he wants to be there for Kim as well. Josslyn says, the best way to help Kim is to help Oscar. He asks if she has any idea how he can do that, and she says, give up Kim.
Laura asks Lulu how closely the police have linked the murders, but she only knows it’s being investigated, and has no specifics. Carly says she was framed for Mary Pat’s murder, and Griff was framed for Kiki’s. What if part of the pattern is the killer framing obvious suspects? Lulu didn’t think of that. Carly says there’s a strong possibility the killer isn’t finished, and will target someone else. Why haven’t the police said anything? Ned walks in, and Laura says, maybe the mayor can enlighten them.
Nelle tells Obrecht that Michael won’t listen to her. Obrecht says Nelle framed his mother for pushing her down the stairs. It’s not a stretch. And she doesn’t need to convince him; only suggest a DNA test on the deceased child. Nelle says Michael isn’t worthy of her son. He wanted to steal her baby, and let his bitch of a mother raise him. Carly doesn’t get to win. Obrecht is concerned about the baby. If Nelle doesn’t tell her the truth, she’ll be compelled to tell the police everything. Nelle’s move.
Nelle refuses to answer. Obrecht asks if she dispatched a baby, and switched them. Nelle says she didn’t kill any baby, and Obrecht says, prove it. Nelle says after Obrecht left, she made her way back to the road, thinking she’d hitch a ride to Sawyerville, and figure out a way across the border. She knew her plan would never work, and Michael’s family would never let her keep the baby. Fate stepped in. Obrecht asks how fate came to her assistance, and Nelle says, Brad was on the side of the road. The newborn that he and Lucas planned to adopt had died. Brad was a wreck, and Lucas didn’t know; he was still at the hospital. Obrecht says, fate showed up after all. It says it gave her a healthy baby, and she passed the other off as her own. Nelle says, with people who truly love him, and are more deserving than Michael and his mother.
Michael says Willow should meet his godson. Holding him helps. The family is crazy about him. Willow says, he’s a lucky boy to be so loved, and Michael says he brought joy back in their hearts. He thinks they’re the lucky ones to be able to love him the way they do.
Josslyn tells Julian that Oscar’s parents have a real connection. They rely on each other, and are getting closer all the time. It’s Oscar’s one upside to being sick. Julian says, that’s a fantasy. They’re not together. Josslyn says, they could be, if he stepped aside. He’s the one person who can make Oscar’s wish come true.
Laura asks Ned if the police have advised him that a serial killer is on the loose. He asks her to keep her voice down. They suspect there might be one. Laura says, the people have a right to know, but Ned says he doesn’t want a panic. The investigation is ongoing. Lulu asks if she can tell her readers that, and he asks if she wants to create paranoia and panic to sell papers. Olivia pulls Lulu away, asking if she wants an exclusive on what’s happening with the new pediatric wing, and let people read about good things for a change.
Not-Doc and Ava go to the MetroCourt bar. He orders two martinis, very dry with extra olives, just how I like Ava likes them. He says there’s a situation that requires his attention, but shouldn’t take long.
Back at Ferncliff, Laura approaches Doc, who’s lying on the bed. He tells her she’s not safe. Give him what he wants; walk away. Laura says she took a vow to stand by him, whatever life holds in store, and she’s going to keep her promise. She’ll love him every day for the rest of her life. Doc says it will get her killed. She touches him, and then disappears. He says he has to do something to save Laura.
Not-Doc comes up behind Carly, startling her. He ask why she’s jumpy, and she says it must just be the day. She asks what she can do for him. He says she wanted information about her neighbor at Ferncliff. She asks if he’s gotten more than name, and he says he did. He couldn’t wait to share the truth with her personally.
Nelle says, now that Obrecht knows everything, whatever she does, please leave her son with Brad and Lucas. They deserve him; Michael doesn’t. Obrecht tells her not to worry. She finds the truth is left best unsaid – until one really needs it. She leaves, and Nelle looks freaked.
Willow asks Michael, what godson? and he says Wiley Cooper Jones. He shows her a baby’s first Christmas ornament that has his footprint on it. He says, it’s a mouthful, but the name suits him. Willow says, it’s beautiful.
Griff tells Anna that he remembers the afternoon he and Kiki became neighbors. His radiator wasn’t working, and he came over to see what was going on. Hers was broken too, and she tried teaching him the subtle art of banging on it with a wrench. Even then, she was gorgeous; it was impossible to look away. He didn’t know it then, but he was already in love. Anna says, someday the memory won’t hurt so much, and he’ll be glad of them. Griff says he’ll have to take her word for it. He looks in the DVD player, and takes a disk out. He says he knew it would still be there. From Here to Eternity. Kiki loved that movie, and insisted he watch it. She said she was a hopeless romantic, and proud of it. Anna asks if he wants to go, and he says there’s nothing for him there. He takes a last look back before closing the door.
Olivia tells Lulu that they had to struggle to rebuild after the earthquake. They’re just now making a comeback. She’s hoping Lulu will make the right choice, and write about how people are coming together. Lulu says she writes the truth, but Olivia says there’s more going on in Port Charles than a murder investigation. She can choose to write about some of that.
Looking in the planner, Kim tells Oscar that she sees a lot of baking. How about, get teeth cleaned?
Julian tells Josslyn that he’s not walking away from Kim. She needs him. Josslyn says he’s wrong, and just being selfish. He doesn’t care that he’s taking away Oscar’s dream. Julian says Drew and Kim aren’t getting back together because Oscar wants them to. Josslyn asks if it’s ever occurred to Julian that they need each other. Oscar’s parents want to spend time together with their dying son. They’re a family. Why doesn’t he step aside, and let them be a family in the time they have left? I guess she’s never heard of co-parenting?
Doc thinks about what Ryan said. There are gaps only he can fill. He says, there may be a way to save Laura.
Not-Doc tells Carly that her Ferncliff neighbor’s name is Wilson Ritter. He’s an extremely dangerous sociopath, and committed unspeakable crimes. He’s been restrained for himself and other’s safety. His cries for help were manipulations. He’s glad she didn’t act on them. She could have gotten hurt if she’d gotten too close. She thanks him, and he asks if she can now leave Ferncliff behind and go on with her life. She says, that’s the plan. She’s glad she got nowhere near that guy.
Ned tells Laura that this is exactly the reaction he’s trying to avoid. How long before a homeless person is mistaken for the killer and shot? Laura thinks the public has a right to know. Ava approaches them, and asks if Ned hears himself. A killer is out there, and needs to be found before they kill someone else’s daughter. Either find them, or she will. Not-Doc listens from the sidelines.
Tomorrow, Anna asks someone to move in with her (I assume Finn, but we don’t see who she’s talking to), Laura thinks Doc is headed for another breakdown, a man sees Jason, and says, it’s really him.
📺 Tradition Lives On in Reruns…
Since they did end up showing the December 23, 2005 episode of GH on Christmas Eve, I got my traditional reading of the Christmas story. Even better, it was Alan who read it. IMO, one of their biggest mistakes was killing him off. An even worse mistake? Bringing him back as a ghost after they realized their first mistake. Did they think they were Port Charles?
👓 Recap on a Rerun…
Bravo aired last week’s The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but I was able to pay a little more attention. So in case you didn’t see it…
Dolores wondered how Danielle had a ring on her finger, and she couldn’t even get new main squeeze David to commit to dinner. Marge had a brunch where everyone did facial masks, except Danielle, who claimed to be allergic to everything. Dolores defended Teresa, saying Melissa could have approached Joe #2 about spending more time with their father. Jackie horned in on the conversation, taking Melissa’s side, causing Teresa’s blood to boil. Jackie said she was too old to be screamed at, and Teresa told her to butt out of the family’s business. The verboten subject of Joe #1 came up, and it was on. Marge said instead of mud masks, it was mud-slinging, and Teresa was done with Melissa and Jackie. Melissa said it was either namaste or kill with Teresa; there was no in-between. Marge thought they’d be taking a lot of baggage to Bimini. Danielle was Bridezilla all the way, starting with not being able to carry her own bag off the plane. I love a Bridezilla. Only on TV though. I’d never want to deal with one personally, and I was as far from one as it gets.
Dolores talked with a group of women who were seriously down on their luck. Like on their way to the shelter down. In her interview, she said it was a reminder for her not to sweat the small stuff, and assured them that hard times were only temporary in her experience. I looked blankly at the TV, since Delores has probably had a better life experience than most people, and hard times can go on forever. In a moment of clarity, Teresa decided not to involve Gia in her argument with Joe #2, since being without her mother taught her that you can’t buy back time, and she wanted Gia to spend time with her uncle. Marty talked about choosing Danielle over his children, which Joe #2 thought was bullsh*t in his interview. Teresa and Melissa argued at dinner, and Joe #2 pulled them aside, saying it had to stop. He didn’t want to deal with their nonsense anymore. They had to love each other. They ended up hugging it out, but we’ll see how long that lasts. Next time, Los Cabos, naked dudes, Gia raps, and Melissa wants to go home.
🎉 The next new episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey will be aired on Sunday, December 30th, at 9 pm. There won’t be much new anything on New Year’s Eve, but there will be a Vanderpump Rulesbehind-the-scenes special from 2016. The finale of Unanchored – or as I call it, Summer Houseat Sea – will also be aired, because no one cares. Andy Cohen will be hosting New Year’s Eve festivities with Anderson Cooper on CNN, where they will giggle the night away. He said he’d never do it again, but I wish Andy would have another New Year’s Eve special on Bravo. The night Giggy married Grandma Wrinkles was the best New Year’s Eve ever. And yes. I know how sad that sounds.
I just want to cry. Santa was good to me, but I also got two credit card bills, the news that a high school boyfriend had passed away, and the cancelation of Z Nation for Christmas.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
⛄ Because Christmas is a foot, but my tree was not, here’s a mini-cap of…
Vanderpump Rules
Lisa talked to her manager about Katie’s old tomato ultimatum. The business partner seemed more concerned about how James brought in 20% more business on Tuesdays than that he’s a cretin.
Scheana bitched to Billie and Ariana about being told she has no loyalty, since she rides both sides of the fence on everything. Then, in a surprising twist, and at the risk of losing every friend she has, except maybe Raquel, Scheana got on James’s case about his smack talk. She basically told him that they could no longer be friends.
Brittany created the first batch of beer cheese. Jax found out it takes effort to create your own food business, and they need things like a permit. I guess he thought they’d just sell it from the bed of a truck or by mental telepathy or something.
Schwartz declared the beer cheese dangerously delicious. He claimed James apologized for fat shaming Katie, and called her sexy and luscious. Um… no. Schwartz called her sexy and luscious, and James nodded his head because he wanted it to go away. Katie didn’t care, and told them about her threatening to quit if James wasn’t fired. Stassi thought Katie was bad ass, but couldn’t predict how Lisa would react.
The water company wanted $165K to hook TomTom up, which sounded insane to everyone, but Lisa thought it would be worth it in the long run. The two Toms interviewed people for the new restaurant. Lisa said that Tom acted like he was vetting Supreme Court justices, whereas Schwartz seemed like he wanted to cuddle with all the applicants. Teddi’s brother was hired immediately.
James got his entire family together for dinner, and gave his graduating brother five grand as a gift. In her interview, Raquel made excuses for him, saying he’s not the most polite or respectful guy, but he’s sweet and kind. Too bad she and his family are the only ones who think so. I might also add that James was the one who announced he’d given his brother five grand. Not too tacky.
Stassi approached Ariana about how Ariana gives leeway to everyone, but her. Ariana said she thought it was because there was a time Stassi acted like she was the boss of everyone. This was confusing, since I thought that was Ariana’s job. I know she has issues, but I find her attitude annoying at this point. Get some therapy.
James compared DJ-ing sober to reading Harry Potter after seeing the movie; it was boring. I was more surprised that James knows how to read. Lala had just been to a Hollywood premiere with Randall, and found See You Next Tuesday a buzzkill. Lisa realized she had to listen to the others when it came to James, since he showed her a different side of himself. Business partner Guillermo was excited about the crowd, but Lisa felt she had to include three factors in her decision; Katie’s emotional decimation, devastating James, and the people who were focused on the business he brought in on Tuesday nights.
Lala pulled Raquel aside to talk to her. She wasn’t okay with Raquel saying she supported women, since she couldn’t support herself. She said Raquel was the only the only person who didn’t get it. She apologized for calling Raquel dumb, but… to which Raquel responded that she’d just graduated with a degree. Well, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re intelligent, and her degree obviously isn’t in facing reality. Lala told her to wake up. Raquel felt she was being torn down instead of built up. She accused Lala of bonding with the others over smack talking James, and Lala said they were bonding over her father dying, calling Raquel an insensitive twat. Continuing her ride down the river called denial, Raquel said Lala heard something she didn’t like, and played the dad card. She told James that she felt ganged up on, so James called Randall fat, and said his movie, Gotti, only got 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Lisa wanted a confab with James. He was scared, nervous, and preparing for the worst, as he should be. He is the worst. Leida from 90 Day Fiancé probably beats him for the title, but it’s close. Schwartz didn’t want to see anyone burned, but admitted James was doing it to himself. Lisa told James that she couldn’t stand behind his name calling, and that he’d put her in a difficult position. He can’t be a face of her company with that behavior. James’s first reaction was to tell her that he wasn’t a face of her company. Wrong answer. He’s such a dimbulb, he probably didn’t even understand what she meant. James said he changed when he drank, and he was never touching alcohol again. He told Lisa that he would stop drinking if she gave him another chance, but she said she couldn’t. She had to stand in defense of those he’d wronged. He cried (no big surprise, since it’s his M.O.), and said she couldn’t take this away from him, but she said he took it away from himself. She told him to grow up and pull himself together. He begged and pleaded, but she said she couldn’t risk it. She said he had to change, and hopefully this would be a life-changing moment. He whimpered and whined, but that was a hard no. Lisa was sensitive to the fact that James is a young DJ, like her brother. She said there were two paths, a right one, and a wrong one, and she saw almost an echo.
There will be a rerun of this episode tomorrow, December 24th at 9 pm. VPR returns on January 7th with a winter party, and is the party over for Stassi’s boyfriend? Lisa also visits James. Please, no. It’s depressing enough to hear Beau might be a dud, and James will learn nothing if she relents. Unless she offers him a dishwashing position.
🎅 New GH episode or no, I still have some stuff to finish tomorrow for Christmas. There was a time when I had all my cards out the week after Thanksgiving. Now, it’s lucky if I get them out by Christmas Eve. My husband and I also tend to wrap our presents to each other five minutes before we’re opening them. So see you on Wednesday, and to all, a MerryChristmas!
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
Z Nation
Murphy is behind a metal fence with the talkers. He tells Estes that he came as a show of good faith, but Estes tells him that he had a choice. Murphy says his friends need some biscuits. Estes says he has a vote to prepare for. Murphy tells him that his friends live for democracy, but Estes says his democracy is only for the living. Murphy says, it’s voter suppressing. Estes tells the talkers, get on the bus. Murphy says talkers get nippy when they’re hungry. He sees that one of the buses is missing a tire, the talkers are obviously agitated, and there’s no driver. He concentrates, and the talkers calm down. He sees Addie taking aim in the distance, and says, these buses aren’t going anywhere.
A guard scans people as they go into the Altura campus. One man sets the alarm off. Another guard says, traitor! and shoots him. Hiding inside, Kaya is busy on the laptop getting clearance for Roberta, George, and Citizen Z. CZ and George get through easily, but the scanner does something weird when it’s Roberta’s turn. Kaya’s fingers fly over the keyboard. Roberta tells the guard, try again, and she gets through. George says, marshal law before voting day? Estes is unreal. Roberta tells her, no matter what, they stick to the plan. CZ is off to find Kaya, and Roberta tells him, stay alive.
CZ goes through the halls, and quietly calls Kaya’s name. He opens the front of a vending machine, and finds her in a space behind it. She asks if he got it, and he gives her a flashdrive, saying, the keys to the kingdom. Two guards walk past the machine, but don’t notice anything. Kaya says, Altura at her fingertips, and CZ says, the perfect setup. She tells him, let’s rock.
George tells Roberta that Estes’s office is this way. Roberta says, when the time comes, she’ll deal with him. A guard tells them to stop, and they move faster. Another guard tries to block them, but they knock him down and run. The first guard aims his gun, telling them to freeze and get on their knees. He says traitors have a lot of nerve showing up there. He cuffs them, and Roberta says they’ll regret this.
Pandora approaches the talker buses with her assistant. The guards are all lying on the ground, dead. There’s a huge smear of blood on the side of one of the buses. She touches it, and tastes it. She asks if she’s supposed to believe strung out talkers did this. She sees the bus is empty, but Murphy pops up from a back seat, saying, don’t shoot. He tells her that he loved her in Phantom of the Apocalypse. She asks where her men are. He says she’s Estes’s mascot, and she says he’s the big red one, the proprietor of Limbo. He says he was, until Estes’s goons forced him out of business. She calls him a friend to talkers, and a talker lovers friend, which makes him a traitor. He says he’s been called much worse. She asks what happened, and he tells her that he was forced on the bus, and the talkers went batsh*t crazy. She asks if he expects her to believe they were overrun by starving talkers. She takes out a switchblade, and asks where the talkers are now. He says, they ran off, and she tells him that she could eat his brains and find out what she needs to know. Her assistant grabs Murphy from behind, and Pandora says, stopstalling. Murphy says he got knocked out, and when he woke up, everyone was gone. She says, itdoesn’t matter. He can’t protect them anyway. Her phone rings, and Murphy wonders where everybody is getting phones. It’s Estes. Pandora tells him that she understands, and she’s on her way. Murphy says she’s not taking him, but she says there’s no need. Estes has already arrested George and Roberta, and he’ll never be welcome there.
Roberta sees a surveillance camera, and tells George that Kaya and CZ will find them. Behind the vending machine, CZ asks Kaya if she’s found anything, but she’s still checking cameras. Pandora is back, and Estes tells her that he doesn’t like it. They’re up to something before the election. Pandora asks him to let her find out, and he says, the talkers need to stay lost. Pandora tells him not to worry. They won’t be voting; she’ll make sure. George will tell them what they need to know. She passionately kisses Estes, but his eyes stay open.
Doc has brought the talkers to the spot Roberta told him to. He tells them, let’s go. They’ve got their orders. The talkers and Addie come out. 10K and Doc set up a tent. Addie gives out biscuits.
Estes says hello to George and Roberta, and George tells him, save it. She asks what happened? and if he’s been lying to her this whole time. He says, unbridled idealism is easy to direct, but Roberta thinks the word he wants is manipulate. George asks if the final mercy is his idea of democracy. Estes says they’re the ones who hacked him. George wonders how his much his fellow Alturans will believe in him when they find out he was behind the blast. He asks who they’re going to find out from. Them? Roberta says, the truth always comes out. He says while they’re in a cell, he’s going to be elected supreme commander, and have them convicted of treason. In Altura, they take a dim view of election interference. Roberta asks, why? and he tells her, it’s not personal; just evolution. He tells the guard to bring George. Roberta asks where he’s taking her, and Estes says, to answer a few questions. He tells Roberta not to worry. He’s playing good cop. Pandora and her assistant show up.
In the lab, Red and Sun watch a dismembered hand jump around. Red says she’ll ever get used to that, and Sun tells her, the zombie virus is singularly focused. It wants brains. Red says she feels bad for Becky, but Sun says, Becky is at peace now. The virus is making the hand move. She’s run tests on Murphy’s blood, and it comes back to where it started. There’s something in it that has the same neuroreceptors as in the virus. Red asks if Sun is close, and Sun says maybe they’ll get lucky. She injects the hand. It’s still for a moment, then flips all around, becomes still again, then moves like a normal hand. Sun says it killed the virus and rehumanized the hand. Red says she’s found the cure.
Alone with Roberta, Estes tells her, welcome back to Altura. Her appearance was unexpected, and her timing curious. She thanks him for the warm welcome, and adds, Altura hospitality needs a little work. He asks where the talkers are, and she says, what talkers? He says they’re planning something that’s doomed to fail. They can’t stop the vote, but she can stop the bloodshed right now. Is she willing to decide for every human that her way is right? He asks where the talkers are, and she laughs.
CZ tells Kaya to go back to George. Kaya says that chick with the creepy mask makes her nervous. She sees Pandora torturing George, and the laptop goes out. CZ says there must have been a power surge, and Kaya says she has to reboot. A guy loses money in the vending machine, and starts cursing it out. CZ drops a soda down manually. Kaya says, this could take a while.
Pandora tells George that she could break a finger or toe, or her nose. She picks up a wrench. George asks what it’s like being Estes’s pet. He’s using her. Pandora says they’re using each other. Estes has big plans, and she’s his queen. George tells her to keep telling herself that. Pandora asks why they’re in Altura, and George says, sightseeing. Pandora asks where the talkers are, and George says, she rounded them up; you tell me. Pandora is glad George isn’t cooperating, and picks up a cattle prod. George asks why she’s chosen Estes over her own kind, and Pandora says she’s not a talker. George says, there’s no shame in being dead. Her best friend was a talker. Pandora says, the poor rebel Dante. So devoted to her. George tells her not to talk about him, but Pandora says she’s earned the right to say whatever she wants about him. George asks what that’s supposed to mean, and Pandora says she doesn’t know? This is even better than electricity. She killed Dante, not random vigilantes. He asked her to give George a message. His last words were, George help me. Why did she leave him alone? He needs her. She shocks George with the prod, as she mimics Dante. George says he was the best person she’s ever known, and Pandora says he wasn’t a person. He wasn’t even a talker. In the end, all that was left was a bag of garbage. She’s asking one more time where the talkers are. She shocks George, and laughs.
10K wonders why Murphy is never around for the heavy lifting, and Doc says, he’s clever that way. He tells 10K that he’s a good man, and 10K thanks him. Doc says, it’s nice to know a compliment still means something in a world like this. He says, no matter what happens, keep going. He’s like a cockroach, and his dad would be proud. Doc loves him like his own son, and 10K says he feels the same way. He asks if Doc thinks this is going to work, and Doc says, it had better. Lives depend on it. He calls for more cable.
Addie supervises the talkers, who are building a sandbag wall. Murphy joins her, and Addie says they’re almost ready. Murphy says, back there at the buses, she had a lot of issues to work out. She says she did it for them, not him. He tells her she has a way with her Z whacker.
Estes tells Roberta, any attack on Altura by the talkers would be folly. He senses she knows that, but Roberta says he’s confusing her with someone who scares easily. Tell the people of Altura they’re friends, let them vote, and maybe she’ll let him live. Estes says it’s amusing that she thinks there’s still a debate to be had. He tells her, goodbye, and as he’s leaving, she says, there will come a time when everyone turns talker, Remember that.
Red and Sun pack up some supplies. Red asks where they’re going, and Sun says, anywhere out of Estes’s hands, even Z territory. Red says she has a friend with access to an Altura truck. Sun tells her to be careful, but hurry. Red leaves, and Sun packs up the blood sample vials. Estes walks in, and asks if she’s going somewhere with his lab.
Guards put Roberta in another room. She asks, where’s George?
Kaya tells CZ that she’s trying to patch a workaround. She sees Roberta, and says she’s back in. Roberta signals for her to unlock the door, and she does. CZ wonders where George is. Kaya looks in other rooms, and sees Estes with Sun in the lab. CZ tells her, find George, then go back to that. She gets to the room George is in, and says, it’s bad. CZ says he’s going to find Roberta, and they’re getting George, and tells her to keep an eye on Sun. She tells him to be careful, and hand her a diet Coke on his way out.
Pandora keeps shocking George, who’s battered and bloody. She says, the talkers are planning an attack. George hopes Pandora didn’t break a nail on her face. Pandora shocks her again, and asks what she’s planning with the talkers; tell her. George says, and ruin her fun? Pandora says she can do this for as long as it takes, and George says, ditto. Pandora’s assistant brings in a zombie wearing a hood. The assistant removes the covering on the zombie’s mouth and eyes.
Sun tells Estes that she doesn’t want the samples to be contaminated. He tells her, have a seat; she seems tired. She say the trials have taken a toll on her. He says he hasn’t seen her in days. He picks up one of the vials, and asks what it is. She says, another failure, and he asks, why keep it? She says to learn why it failed, He picks up a syringe, and asks what’s in it. She tells him it’s the pure Z virus. He holds it up to a drone near the ceiling, and she asks if he’s been spying on her. What does he want? He says she already knows the answer. He takes out a gun, and tells her to get comfortable. He straps her to the chair, and she asks what he’s doing. He says, compelling the witness, and injects her. He says now maybe she’ll tell him the Z cure. He wants to watch it work on a human subject. He asks, which one is the vaccine? She shakes her head, and he says he’ll find it himself. He has no shortage of human subjects, starting with her and her friends. A guard comes in, and Estes says he had one job, and he let Roberta escape. He tells Sun not to go anywhere. He leaves, and she begins to turn.
Pandora asks George if they’re planning to attack on Altura’s election day. George isn’t telling her, and Pandora says, so they are planning to attack. She asks where the talkers are hiding. She says she’s barely touched George, and runs a knife over George’s face. She licks the knife, and says she finds George delicious. Where are the talkers? She tells George, through face is the long way to the brain, but the nose cartilage and eye cavities go easy. Where are the talkers? George says, don’t do this, but Pandora says she can’t disappoint Pierre. She brings the zombie over to George, and talks baby talk to him. He gets crazy, and Pandora asks again where the talkers are. She recommends that George tell her before Pierre eats her, and brings him closer. George says, get him away, and Pandora says, good boy! Down! She’s asking one more time, where are the talkers?
Red comes back to the lab. She says she got the truck, but doesn’t know if they have enough gas. She finds Sun in the chair, and sees that she’s turned. She asks, what happened? and Sun points to the vials. Red takes out a syringe, but Sun gets loose and comes after her. Red drops the syringe, but manages to get it back. She tries to inject Sun while struggling with her. Sun gets Red down on the floor, but Red is able to inject her. Sun becomes human again, and Red says, it really works. Sun looks down, and there’s a broken beaker imbedded in her stomach.
Addie tells Murphy, even if the talkers get to vote, does he think they’ll fit in as well as the two of them. She thinks Estes won’t let it happen. Murphy says, let George and Roberta take care of Estes, and Addie says, there will always be another one. Humans aren’t evolving. Murphy says they are, but Addie is afraid there’s no place for them. He suggests they take the talkers and start over, but she doesn’t know.
Estes tells a guard to double the security, and find Roberta. He doesn’t want her skulking around today of all days. Pandora approaches him, and says, George broke. Estes hopes Pandora had fun, and Pandora says, George spilled her guts – literally. The talkers are setting up a staging area near Pacifica. Estes says he’ll activate security, and send everyone available to wipe their kind from the face of the earth. She asks, what about guarding Altura? He says he’ll do that, and asks where George is. Pandora says George and Pierre are having a snack. Estes says, good for Pierre.
Pierre keeps rushing at George, and she keeps kicking him back. He suddenly kneels in front of her.
CZ asks Roberta, which room? and she says, they all look the same. He asks Kaya to unlock a door at the end of the hall. They go in and find George on the floor. Roberta sees Pierre on the floor, unmoving, and says, a little close for comfort. CZ asks how George did that. I’d like to know too. Roberta asks if George gave it up, and George says, all of it. CZ says they have to find Sun; she’s alone with Estes. That can’t be good.
Sun tells Red to leave the glass in her. CZ and Roberta come in, and CZ asks where Estes is. Sun says, he’s coming back. She tells them she did it. Roberta says, the vaccine works? CZ asks if it’s like biscuit booster packs, and George asks if it restores talkers. Sun says, talkers and zombies, fresh ones anyway. Roberta asks if it’s a cure, and Sun says, it’s a start. Roberta says they can’t let Estes find out. They need to grab Sun’s resources and go. Sun says she can’t. What they need is in her head.
Doc rolls a joint, and 10K says, last smoke? Doc tells him, don’t be a fatalist. 10K leaves to get the truck. Doc lights up.
Murphy tells Addie that the talkers seem nervous. Addie tells them, hold tight, and Murphy says, the vote and citizenship are waiting if they want it, but they have to take it. Addie says they’ll help, and tells them, arm up. The talkers are each carrying a staff. They raise them, and march toward Altura.
Pandora sees a dead Pierre, and yowls. Estes says, they went to the lab.
Sun says she’s dying. She’ll be the first death since the black rain. Roberta says they can get more of Murphy’s blood, but Sun says the antibodies are evolving daily. They have to take her brain and preserve it before she dies. CZ says they can sew her up, but she says she’s lost too much blood. If Estes gets ahold of her… George says she won’t let him. Sun tells Red to get the syringe, but Red says she can’t inject Sun with poison. Sun says she can, and will. They’ll leave a dead end, and Estes will have nothing to work with. She tells George to tie her off, so the poison won’t reach her brain tissue. They’ll have what they need to recreate the cure. Red says, no, and hugs Sun. An alarm sounds, and CZ tells them to hurry. Roberta ties Sun off at the neck.
Estes is at the door. It’s locked, but he gets in, finding Sun in the chair with the top of her head gone. Pandora says they took her brain, and the cure with it. Estes says they’ll drain her blood. Maybe they can recover traces of it. He’s going to have every traitor mercied. He’s going to find them, and kill them all. He leaves, and Pandora caresses Sun’s face, asking, where did your little brain go?
We see Roberta and George leaving with a carrying case.
Next Friday, the finale is a killer. We see the real Pandora, and Mario van Peebles (Cooper) is back.
🚬 About That Song…
My other favorite Christmas song. Apparently Reverend Run wrote it while he was high. I’m not sure what that says about me.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
While I wasn’t able to be as annoyingly detailed today – ha-ha – but here’s a mini-cap.
Willow is the mother Julian convinced to give up her son. She asked Julian, what if Diane knew Julian was involved? It might void the adoption altogether. Julian said Willow put her son first and there’s no greater act of love, and that Wiley was better off. He showed her all the pictures he had, and said Brad and Lucas loved Wiley with every fiber of their being.
Toys for Tots was promoted, and used as a way to bring Chet back in his Marine uniform. We also learned he’s October in a beefcake calendar. He’s come a long way.
Cameron wrote a letter of apology to the court. He told the other boys that they had to tell mom when they did something wrong, and if they couldn’t do it alone, they’d do it together. Aiden asked Cameron how to get people to like him, and Cameron said the secret was to be himself. He told Aiden that kids his age are dumb, but after a while, they’d catch on.
Peter showed up at Anna’s for her Christmas Eve party thing. She told Finn it was a Christmas miracle. Peter was anxious for Maxie to get there, and helped Anna wrap gifts. They agreed he’d inherited her lack of talent in this area. Chase asked Anna if he could invite Willow, and she was fine with that. Anna told Peter she made a donation every year on his birthday to needy children, and gave him her WSB file on a flashdrive
Oscar got an early Christmas gift from his parents. He thought it was a pair of socks, but there were car key’s in the toe. Monica said that she had the perfect accompaniment to Oscar’s car, but he wouldn’t find out what it was until Christmas. She called all the patients to the hub. When Drew asked, for what? she said, tradition.
Jordan talked to Stella about Mike and Yvonne.
Willow – who’s hair is suddenly considerably darker – was about to go to the bereavement group, when she got the invite from Chase. She ran into Michael, telling him she didn’t want to smile and make conversation when she had a hole inside of her. Michael told her the only people who understand their loss are people who’ve experienced the same thing, and they went to the group together.
Mike told Sonny the disease was teaching him to be in the moment, and not get hung up on what’s coming in the future. Sonny said if Mike could do that, so would he.
Josslyn got pissed at Jason for not telling her Oscar was sick, and letting the time be wasted they could have been together. Jason said he kept Oscar’s secret to help him, but he hated it. Josslyn forgave him, because he made Oscar feel like someone was on his side.
Bobbie told Monica there was a Santa-sized problem. The moths rendered the Santa suit into a bikini.
Oscar wanted to help a sick little girl who thought Santa wouldn’t be able to find her. Drew called Sonny for help. Apparently, he has extra Santa suits on hand.
Monica read The Night Before Christmas, which annoyed the crap out of me. After she just got done talking about tradition, and how the Christmas story had been passed down from Steve to Alan to her, she read this? The tradition was them reading the story of Jesus’s birth, and I don’t give a blip how PC anyone wants to be – that’s what Christmas celebrates. Thanks GH for stomping on tradition. At least we still get pizza on Thanksgiving.
Bobbie ended up in the Santa suit.
Next time, Obrecht asks Nelle where her baby is. Not-Doc thinks he’s pulling it off, and Bobbie says someone can stay. I read online that the December 23, 2005 episode is supposed to air on Monday, but the guide says it’s a new episode, so your guess is as good as mine as to what we’ll see on Christmas Eve.
💀 Z you tomorrow for tonight’s new episode of Z Nation.
🎁 Wrap This…
A tie for my favorite Christmas song. I’ll post the other one tomorrow.
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Molly, TJ, and Kiki come into Charlie’s with a load of their belongings. Molly tells Julian that rushing across the street to rescue them wasn’t necessary; they can take care of themselves. He tells her to let her righteousness keep her warm, but when she blows her tests, don’t blame him.
Alexis meets Ned at the MetroCourt. Now that he’s running for mayor, he needs expert legal counsel. He asks if she’d like to join the campaign.
At the hospital, Elizabeth tells Laura that she’s glad about her running for mayor. She has no doubt Laura will work for the people of Port Charles, and not use the office for her own gain. Laura says the only downside is, she’ll have to take a leave from the hospital board, but they’re keeping her seat open in case she loses. Elizabeth wonders what would cause that to happen, but Laura says it’s not a what, it’s a who, and his name is Jim Harvey.
Jim visits Franco at the studio. He asks if Franco is suffering from artists’ block, and calls him “Bobby.” Jim is quickly becoming the most annoying character on the GH canvas.
Nathan tells Maxie it’s their anniversary, so he painted the nursery for her. She says she can’t think about their anniversary or paint. The only thing she can think about is how Lulu outed him as Faison’s son. He tells her that he volunteered, and she says it’s a typically heroic move, but shortsighted. Lulu should have known better. Faison could be outside right now, waiting to get his hands on Nathan or the baby. There’s a knock at the door, and Maxie freaks, saying that’s him now.
We see Faison looking at Lulu’s article. Well, I think we can safely assume it’s him, even though we don’t see his face.
Laura tells Elizabeth that Jim has no boundaries or shame. Elizabeth says he wants to buy Franco’s studio. He said no, but she thought maybe a change of location would be good. Laura says she has to convince him not to sell, especially to Jim. She suggests if he wants a change of scenery, that he could get a write-off by renting it. She tells Elizabeth that there’s strength in numbers. Developers will promise people the moon to convince them to sell, but they don’t care about the people they’re displacing. All Jim cares about is the almighty dollar, and they’re going to stop it. Elizabeth says, spoken like a true leader. Laura tells her not to underestimate Jim. He’s going to fight them with everything he’s got.
Jim tells Franco he stopped by because he was visiting Franco’s neighbor, Vince. He says Vince is selling, and Franco says he’s sorry to see him go. Jim says Vince claims the light is no good, and Franco says that’s because of the construction causing them to live in the shadows. Jim says Vince made a wise choice, like most of the neighborhood. He asks what the point is in being the last man standing? Franco says, still being standing? Jim tells him why stagnate, when he can be in a beautiful, modern place somewhere else?
TJ admits Julian is right about them needing to focus. Molly knows, but she hates him being right. Kiki says they’ll figure it out soon, and Molly says that’s why they were organizing the rent strike. Lurking nearby, Julian says he’s sure her mom would want to know about that. Molly says she’s having lunch with her boyfriend, Dr. Bensch, and she doesn’t want to interrupt.
Alexis tells Ned that she can’t work on the campaign; she’s really busy. He says Molly mentioned that she’s seeing a doctor, and it was the reason she couldn’t join them for Thanksgiving pizza. Alexis is appalled that he thinks the only reason she can’t do it must be because she’s seeing a man. He’d better watch it, since he’s running for public office. He says he’d appreciate a straight answer, and she says she doesn’t support his platform. Ned says he’s trying to improve Port Charles; what’s not to support? Alexis gets a text from Julian, and tells Ned because of his platform, her daughter just got thrown out of her apartment on Charles Street.
Nathan tells Maxie to calm down. Everyone is on the lookout, and Faison won’t get within a mile of them. There’s more knocking, and Dante says it’s them. Maxie says if that includes Lulu, she doesn’t want to see them. Lulu says they’ll just keep trying, and they have something for their anniversary. Nathan lets them in, and Lulu says she tried to pull the story. Maxie says she shouldn’t have written it in the first place. Nathan says she just gave him a platform for something he wanted to do anyway. Maxie tells him that she knows. It was a misguided attempt to rid the world of his father, but Lulu was trying to build her career, and should have thought it through. Dante says he didn’t want her to do it, and Lulu should have gone about it another way. Lulu asks if Maxie can forgive her.
Faison crushes his cigarette as he reads, nicotine stained relic not fit for family.
Jim tells Franco that he enjoys helping people like Vince, and Franco asks if displacing residents and destroying neighborhoods is just a hobby. Jim says if Franco starts painting again, maybe his mom will come back. Franco wonders how it turned into a conversation about his mom, and Jim says he called Betsy, but her phone was disconnected. He asks if they had a falling out, and Franco says Jim doesn’t need to know the ins and outs of his personal life. Jim remembers how much Franco meant to her; she adored him. He says whatever went wrong, Franco should use the opportunity to sell his place, get a new one, and reconnect. Franco asks where Vince is going to go, and says maybe a change would be good. Elizabeth walks in, and says that’s the last thing he needs.
Kiki says Dr. Bensch convinced her to go into pre-med, and he’s a great guy. TJ says they haven’t had a chance to talk, and Kiki says maybe they will, now that Alexis is dating him. Molly is glad she’s moved on. Alexis and Ned come in, and Alexis asks why they were evacuated. Molly says it’s a gas leak, and Julian says what a coincidence after they organized a rent strike. TJ says it’s just a scare tactic, and they’ll be back soon. Laura joins them, and says she just talked to the fire chief, and the tenants have been evacuated indefinitely. It’s possible the infrastructure was compromised (because of a gas leak?), and the building might be condemned. She congratulates Ned. Another building he can demolish in the name of progress.
Lulu says she and Maxie have been through a lot. She’s too much like a sister, and she’d miss Maxie if she wasn’t in her life. Maxie says she’d miss Lulu too, and so would the baby. They hug. Dante says they have everyone from the WSB to state troopers on alert, but Maxie says Faison is a master of disguise. He fooled Anna, and he could be anyone. Nathan tells her to take a breath, and remember the baby needs calm. Maxie knows he’s right, but it’s hard when the baby’s newly discovered grandfather is the world’s most wanted, and could be closing in on them.
Faison opens a new pack of cigarettes. The bag says, Port Charles Smoke Shop.
Ned says Alexis is making an assumption that he has something to do with Niagara Equities, or that they have something to do with him. She says she knows Jim is a big supporter, and now the residents are being harassed by having vital services withheld. Molly says it’s been so cold in the apartment, they could see their breath, and TJ adds they’ve had to use the gym to take a shower. Ned says new buildings will be safe, and the old buildings aren’t. A gas leak is a serious hazard. Laura thinks someone could have sabotaged the gas line; Ned must know that happens. Ned says he also knows old buildings fall apart. With the infusion of capital, they can be upgraded, and be made safe again. Laura says it sounds great on a bumper sticker, but the people will be priced out. Ned says more tax revenue is good for the city, and things like public schools. Julian calls Ned “Ted,” and says being a Quartermaine, he never struggled for a damn thing. (If I remember right though, Ned didn’t always know he was a Quartermaine.)
Elizabeth asks Jim to give them a minute. Franco says he thought she wanted him to sell, but Elizabeth says he wants to erase Charles Street. If Franco holds out, he can’t tear down the building and build a luxury high-rise. Franco tells her that he can’t seem to create here, but Elizabeth says it’s not about the space; it’s about the space inside. Something is going on, and when he figures it out, he’ll paint again. She gets a call about her wedding dress, and tells him not to sell the studio. She leaves, and Jim comes back in. He starts looking through Franco’s work, and Franco tells him not to rummage through his things. Jim says he’s looking forward to Franco’s future creations. Franco thinks maybe what he needs are answers, not a new space. He asks Jim if there was another kid around his age around, when he was hanging out with Betsy.
Lulu says Maxie almost missed her surprise wedding because she let her imagination run wild. Maxie says Faison wasn’t involved. Lulu says Nathan had to track her down, and the wedding wouldn’t have happened. If that had been the case, she wouldn’t be able to give Maxie this. She has a box, which she says is part one, and part two is in hallway. Maxie says it’s intriguing. She and Lulu go out into the hallway where there’s a bassinet. They see a guy messing with a door across the hall. Maxie shouts, Faison is outside! as they run back in.
She tells Nathan she saw him, and so did Lulu; he’s outside the door. Dante draws his gun, and opens the door. Nathan tells the guy, hands up, no sudden moves. Dante asks who he is, and he tells them that he’s the new super. Dante gets his ID, and says it checks out. Nathan says sorry about the mix-up. He matches the description of a guy they’re looking for. The man says, Faison. A couple of uniforms on the curb told him to be on the lookout. Nathan and Dante go back in the apartment, and Nathan says it was a mistake. It’s not Faison. Maxie asks if Nathan is sure he’s not wearing a mask. He suggests the put the bassinet in the nursery.
Jim remembers a little boy, Andy, and Franco asks what he remembers about him. Jim says he died suddenly; he thinks from a heart problem. Franco says he didn’t die; Betsy lied. Jim asks why she’d do that, and Franco says it was a custody thing. She was afraid she’d get in trouble, and thought he was better off at an orphanage. He tells Jim that Andy is a Quartermaine. Jim thinks that’s a helluva story. He’ll have to ask Ned to introduce them. Franco says Andy lost his memory. Jim asks if it’s amnesia, and Franco says the result is the same; he has no memory of his childhood. Jim is glad he survived, and tells Franco to get in touch if he changes his mind. Elizabeth comes back, and asks if everything is okay.
Ned says the decision to move forward won’t be made by him or Laura. It will be made by the people of the city by a vote. Laura tells him not to be disingenuous. The Quartermaines can afford a press push. Ned claims they’ve always been socially conscious. They need to drive profit, but not at the city’s expense. If they profit, everyone benefits. Kiki says not if they can’t afford to live there. Ned says they’re only replacing some of the buildings, but Laura says they’ll save a few apartments in the basements or facing walls. Then they’ll have a lottery for the hundreds of people who want to live there because this is their home. Alexis wonders where they’ll go, and Julian asks if Ned will be putting them up at the mansion. Ned asks since when is Julian a champion of the common people? He grew up privileged, and mobsters don’t pay taxes. He says he and Laura disagree about policy, but Julian doesn’t give a crap. He’s jumping on the bandwagon to impress Alexis. He just wants her to forget he put a knife to her throat.
Julian tells him to leave Alexis out of it. She has nothing to do with it, and it’s not about impressing her. Ned says he’s the same criminal he’s always been. Julian says Jim offered to buy him out, but he turned him down, and suddenly a brick came through his window. He’d thought it was Sonny at first, but now he thinks it’s Jim. Ned starts bringing Alexis into it again, and Julian shoves him. There’s almost a scuffle, but they’re pulled away from each other. Laura says they have to be better than that. It’s the anniversary of Mary May Ward’s death, and they shouldn’t disrespect it. Jim suggests she’s exploiting a relationship with a legendary community figure, since he’s been on the scene all of five minutes. Ned tells him that they were close, and did a lot for the community. He respects Laura, he just disagrees with how they should move into the future. Laura says at a certain point, Ned will be judged by the company he keeps.
Alexis tells Laura, sorry her personal life got dragged in. Laura says just last night, they promised a clean campaign, and Alexis says, until it’s not. She offers her services as campaign legal counsel. Laura says that’s wonderful. Her phone rings, and she steps away to answer it. Julian tells Alexis he’s sorry Ned put her in the middle, but she says it wasn’t his fault. On the phone, Laura asks how bad it is, and when they’ll know.
Franco tells Elizabeth that Jim was pawing through his artwork without asking. He’s determined; Franco will give him that much. He’s been canvassing the building, and even brought up his relationship with Franco’s mother. Elizabeth asks if Franco is sure he doesn’t remember him, but the only thing Franco knows is that he doesn’t trust him.
Maxie says it’s the best anniversary ever. She thanks Nathan, and thanks Lulu for the bassinet. Lulu tells her not to forget part one. It’s their wedding cake. She did fall into it, but the caterers cut a section and safely froze it. It’s tradition to eat it for good luck on the first anniversary. Maxie says if there’s any time they needed luck, it’s now. True story. We froze the top layer of our cake after the wedding for the same reason. Since our freezer was not that big, we kept it in my in-laws’ freezer. The day before our anniversary, my husband’s younger brother was rooting around for something to eat, and ate it. I just can’t imagine it tasted all that great.
Faison looks at an article about Anna being involved in Carrrlos’s death. He looks at the wedding announcement for Nathan and Maxie.
Maxie feeds Nathan some cake, and toasts to her wonderful husband, and two best friends. She loves them. Dante says, good cake. Lulu tells them good luck, health, and happiness.
Alexis asks what the kids are going to do now. TJ says they just grabbed whatever they could carry. Alexis says they’ll live with her until they can figure it out. Julian suggests some coffee for the road, and Alexis says she saw him making espresso for his new friend. He says they’re both moving on. Isn’t that what she wanted?
Ned asks Jim about the brick, but Jim says Julian probably vandalized his own property to generate sympathy. With a friend like him, Laura doesn’t need enemies. Everything will work out in Ned’s favor.
Elizabeth wishes she’d never opened the door. Between what Laura said, and the way Jim is pressuring people, she doesn’t like him. Franco doesn’t think he’s going away any time soon. She says the people are happy; why not leave them alone? Franco tells her people like him don’t back off when money is involved. He can’t criticize people like him though. They’re the only ones who can afford Franco’s art. Elizabeth says he creates it, but he’s not responsible for who buys it. He wishes could find out what happened between Jim and his mom.
Jim tells Ned to trust him; he’s in a good position. Ned says no way is he getting this district to vote for him, but Jim says there are other districts. He says he’ll walk Ned to his car. He wants to find out about Andrew. Anyone with the Quartermaine name can be used as leverage for the election. Maybe Jim should run for mayor. He’s so up in everyone’s business.
Alexis thanks Julian. He’s glad he’s able to keep eye on Molly, but Alexis says Molly will be living with her now. Laura has to jet, and tells them that she has to withdraw from the election. She’s not running for mayor. I read Lucas is coming back. Might this have something to do with him?
Lulu tells Maxie that according to Olivia-Q, they should refreeze what’s left, and save it until the baby comes home. Maxie thanks them for making their anniversary special. Dante says wait until next year. They’ll be spending it worrying about keeping the baby out of their pots and pans. Nathan sees the super still messing around. He tells Maxie that everything is going to be okay. There’s a beautiful life ahead for her, him, and the baby. She wants to deal with the cake, but he tells her, later. They kiss, and exchange I love yous. She says she never thought her heart could be so full.
Faison looks at the wedding announcement. He circles Maxie’s face with a pen, and keeps circling it maniacally until he tears the page.
Tomorrow, Laura says the campaign is over, Anna tells Obrecht that Faison’s time for hurting people is over, and Sonny tells Jason that Sam will love him forever.
🚆 Occasionally, I mention a movie that I think is outstanding, and last weekend, I watched Girl on a Train on cable. If you don’t have some idea of the story by now, you’ve probably been living in a bank vault, but in a nutshell – an alcoholic woman gets involved in a murder, but no one believes a damn thing she says, because she’s an alcoholic. I’d already read the book, so there were no surprises there, but Emily Blunt was spectacular. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she showed up drunk for the scenes that required it. She wasn’t afraid to ugly cry, and I’d like to know why no Oscar nomination for her? I’m baffled. Even if you know the plot, it’s worth watching for her performance alone.
😴 Calling it a night. It still looks like Christmas exploded around here. I’m officially one of those people who, when I’d pass their house, I’d yell, Christmas is over! Judge not and all that.
🎄 What Happens When You Put “Christmas Explosion” in Google Images…
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 