Category Archives: Halloween

November 10, 2020 – The Aftermath From Alex, Joe’s Reunion, Teresa Touché, New Faces In Utah, Mom To Be, Rock the Costume & Soldier

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

No surprise, I missed the part before the opening credits. Here’s what you need to know. Ned showed up at Alexis’s house, and asked if she’d been drunk the night they slept together. Jordan and Curtis went to an abandoned house that Curtis said had been surrounded by guards just a few weeks ago. Inside, it looked pretty empty, except for some covered furniture. They snooped around. Cyrus approached Lulu at the hospital, and she said she had no time for him. He said she needed to make time, since he was in a position to make her life very difficult. Dante listened in. Robert found Anna in the chapel, and she told him what happened with Alex, and instead of saying, hey, how are you feeling about all that? he asked if she’d found out who Peter’s mother was. Willow arrived at the hospital, and that’s where I came in.

Willow hugs Chase, saying, when she heard the news, she had to see him. She asks how Finn is, and Chase says he’s still in surgery. They have to remove the bullet, and drain the fluid around Finn’s heart. There was more of an explanation, but most of it went over his head. Willow says she’s sorry, and he says, it’s all so crazy. His mom was in town. All this time, he’s wanted Finn to reunite with her, and Finn finally changed his mind. She asks if it went well, and he says, it was awkward at first, but it got better. He could see what his family would look like, and feel Finn letting his guard down. They were talking about introducing Anna and Violet to his mom, and he thought they finally did it. They took the first step to being a family, and maybe they could invite his dad soon. She says she knows it’s been Chase’s goal for a long time, getting his brother and parents in the same room. She’s glad he got to have that one moment. He says, all night long, he kept thinking, what if wasn’t the first time he had his family together? What if it was the last time he ever sees his brother?  

Anna asks if Robert ever stops his relentless obsession with Peter. She just killed her sister. Alex was trying to kill her, but she still ended Alex’s life, and she has to deal with it. She was up all night, holding her breath, hoping Alex didn’t manage to kill Finn, not thinking about who Peter’s mother is. She’s just hoping Finn pulls through. Does he understand? She had enough. He says, she’s right. He’s sorry, for what it’s worth (🍷). She says, it’s not worth much right now, and he says, Finn has made it so far. She has no reason to believe he won’t pull through. Anna takes his hand, and says, the thought of losing Finn… She starts to cry.  

Maxie says she’s loved Peter hanging by her side, but she’s been checked and rechecked. She’s fine. The baby is fine. You know who’s not fine? His mom. He should be with her. Peter says Anna said she’d be better off if he was with Maxie, and Maxie says, typical Anna, putting other’s needs before her own. Anna was incredible rescuing her from Alex. She doesn’t know where she’d be if Anna hadn’t shown up.

Cyrus tells Lulu, her article implies that his motives run counter to what’s best for the hospital, and he has a secret agenda. It’s sheer speculation. She says he’s shutting out employees that have a relationship with the Corinthos family. She got it word for word from her confidential source. Cyrus says he knows she’s baiting him, and asks if she was hoping for an angry outburst. Is she trying to pick a fight with him? Dante appears, and tells Cyrus to back off.  

Willow says, poor Violet, and Chase says, Violet doesn’t know any of this. Willow says she totally understands him thinking about the worst case scenario, but he needs to focus on the good things. How Finn changed after Violet came into his life. He says, Finn is so serious about being a dad. Who talks to their kid like they’re in an office for a consultation? His brother, that’s who. It’s funny; Violet loves it. When Finn shows up for a tea party in a three-piece suit, Violet is in heaven. Willow says, of course (🍷) she is. That’s her dad. Chase says he sees the way Violet looks at Finn. She adores her dad so much. How would he… If it came to that, and he had to be the guy, how would he tell her? Willow says she doesn’t think the worst will happen, but if Finn doesn’t make it, she has no doubt he’ll step up for Violet, the same way he did for her. Grief is grief, no matter how old you are. When she found out her baby was gone, he helped her through it, and she knows he has it in him to do the same for Violet.   

Epiphany tells Anna, the surgery is over. They removed the bullet, and drained the fluid, with no further complications. Finn is still critical, but stable. Anna thanks her, and says she knows Epiphany is in administration now, and hopes she doesn’t get in trouble. Epiphany says, let Cyrus and Britt come after her. She’s not about to push papers around when her friend is fighting for his life – not in her hospital. She says Anna should be able to see Finn soon, and leaves. Robert says he knows he’s famous for putting his foot in his mouth, but there’s nothing wrong with his shoulder. It’s there for her to lean on. She hugs him.

Willow bets it would make Chase feel better to know how Violet is, and he agrees. Anna joins them, and tells Chase that Finn is out of surgery. He got through the worst. They hug, and Anna takes Willow’s hand with her free one.

Olivia arrives at the hospital, and sees Robert. She says, thank God he’s okay. She asks how Anna is, and he says Finn is out of surgery. It looks like he’s going to make a complete recovery. Anna can finally relax. He needs to work on his timing though. She asks, why? What happened? and he says, if Olivia had turned up sooner, she would have saved him from making a mess with Anna. Olivia says, what did he do?

Ned tells Alexis, he was so wrapped up in his own problems, he didn’t notice what was going on with her. He never put two and two together, and realized it was vodka in her glass. She tells him, stop. The last thing she needs is another well-intentioned gatekeeper. He says, tell him what to do. She’s his friend, and if she’s in trouble, he’s not going to walk away. She says she wishes he would. She doesn’t want help. He says she’s an alcoholic who’s drinking again. He’s worried about her. She asks if he’s worried about her drinking, or worried she’ll slip and tell Olivia that they had sex.

Jordan takes the cover off of a sofa, and Curtis says he found this, showing her an oxygen tank. It was upstairs. He found this too. He shows her some medicine vials, and he says, the bedroom was like a makeshift hospital. She says she’ll see if they can find traces of whatever drug was in the vials. He says, a formerly well-guarded house, with a designated hospital room. They need to find out who the patient was. She says, if that’s what they were. It’s possible they were drugged.

Lulu asks what Dante is doing there, and Cyrus says he heard Dante was back in town. Dante says, good news travels fast, and Cyrus says Lulu must be thrilled to have her husband back. Lulu says Dante is her ex-husband, and Cyrus says, his mistake. And it just so happens that Dante is Sonny’s son, which means Sonny and the mayor share grandchildren. Lulu asks what his point is, and he says, maybe it’s not his relationship with the Corinthos family she should be worried about. Maybe it’s the mayor’s relationship with them. He wonders how the average voter would feel, and if they’d reconsider their support if they knew how close the mayor was with Sonny. Food for thought. He walks off, and Dante asks if Lulu is okay. She asks if he’s kidding. She’s furious – with him. What did he think he was doing?   

Finn opens his eyes, and Anna says, there you are. She was waiting for him. Finn says, then they’re even. She takes his hand and kisses it. He sighs.

Anna tells Finn that Maxie is at the hospital, but it’s just a precaution. She’s fine and the baby is too. He says, what about Alex? and Anna says she caught up with Alex. She was headed for open water, and a rendezvous with someone. They exchanged fire, and she hit Alex. She followed Alex out to the deck, there was more gunfire, and she hit Alex again, but when she turned her back, Alex threw herself into the water. He says, so she’s dead? and Anna says, yes. Everyone is safe. He asks where Violet is, and she says, Violet is with Alexis. She didn’t tell Violet that he was hurt. She just thinks he’s working. She can’t wait to bring him home. She looks at his vitals, and he asks if he’s going to need another surgery. She says she doesn’t think so, and he struggles to sit up. He asks what she isn’t telling him.   

Maxie says, no one ever hung onto hope harder than Anna did last night. The worst is over. She tells Peter, she’s so lucky. It’s crazy to think Alex could have taken everything, and she has no idea why. Peter flashes back to talking to Alex posing as Anna in Charlie’s. He remembers Alex telling him, they may blend in, but they’re ambitious, and need greater than what the world is capable of offering. Normal and every day don’t apply to him. Trust her to help him become the man he was destined to be. Maxie says, earth to Peter. Other than Anna, is there any other connection between him and Alex? He says, other than being his aunt, they have nothing in common.

Chase asks Epiphany if his brother is really okay. Anna said he was, but she’s not a doctor. Epiphany says, neither is she, but Chase says she is a medical professional. She says his brother is going to be okay, but she bets he’d welcome a visit from Chase. He thanks her, and tells Willow, all he could think about was the things he and Finn would never get to do, and Willow says, sounds like he has a new plan. He says he and Finn or so different. Finn won’t want to go ice fishing with him, or do things like that. She says, you never know until you ask. He got a second chance. It’s probably best not to waste it. He says, it’s not often people get a second chance.

Lulu says, that’s the second time Dante has interfered with her job. He asks if he’s supposed to stand back and do nothing, and she says, yes. She doesn’t want him sweeping in, trying to protect her. He gave her everything she needed, but wouldn’t let her keep it. There’s nothing to protect her from that could possibly hurt more than what he did to her. She walks away.

Anna tells Finn, it’s just everything. When she saw him lying on the ground after Alex shot him, and when Alex left her to die with Valentin in the warehouse. She realized, not for the first time, that life is fleeting. She wants to spend hers with him. She’d like to be his wife, and have him be her husband. It’s just that Violet thinks a big fancy wedding with all the trimmings is the thing to do. She doesn’t think so. Why are they waiting? Why not dodge the hoopla, and get married? Isn’t that the lesson he wants to teach Violet? Love isn’t an expensive gown, or how you decorate the church, or a big cake. Although she does think they should have cake. Their love is what they have, and they don’t need over-the-top trimmings to make it special. She starts to cry, and says when she was walking around outside, waiting for him to get out of surgery last night, she had to face the real fact that she could lose him. Finn says he loves her, and she says she loves him too. He says, she just wants to marry as fast as humanly possible, and Anna says, in a heartbeat

Willow says, it’s probably best if Chase hears it from her. She and Michael are getting an annulment. He says he thought they were happy together, and she says, they are, but they got married to protect Wiley. Now Nelle is no longer a threat, so they agreed to annul the marriage. He asks if she’s still going to act as Wiley’s mother, and she says she’s filling out the paperwork to adopt Wiley. He wonders what that means for her and Michael moving forward. Anna comes by, and says, sorry to interrupt, but Chase’s brother would like to him. He thanks Willow for being there, and she says he’s more than welcome. Give Finn her best. Chase leaves, and Anna says, it’s nice of her to be there for Chase. She wasn’t good company last night. Willow says it’s understandable Anna would be scared, and she thought Chase could use a friend. Anna says, life sometimes has a way of taking the people we love out from under us, but that doesn’t mean we have to agree to let them go.

Robert tells Olivia, he ran into Anna in the chapel while Finn was in surgery. He asked about her sister, and she told him, then he got stuck. He fell back on one of his single-minded issues; one of his old acts. Olivia says she’s shocked, and Robert says he knows it’s hard to imagine. Anna let him have it. She says, he and Anna started sparring a long time ago, but he says, this time was different. Anna was really hurting, and he wasn’t paying attention. She says it sounds like he did Anna a favor, and he says, how so? She says, Anna has a lot to be angry about; her sister trying to kill her; Alex shooting her fiancé, and kidnapping Maxie. She has all this anger rolling around inside, and she knows he loves her, so he’s a safe place to vent. Anna knows he won’t run away. He doesn’t know if Anna sees that way, but Olivia says, it doesn’t matter. Robert gave her a gift, whether what happened was his intention or not. He’s a good friend. He says Olivia is too.  

Curtis looks around, and sees a paper sticking out of a baseboard. He pulls it out, looks at it, and crumples it. Jordan comes downstairs, and says, they’ve searched, and there’s not one piece of information to connect Cyrus to whoever lived there. Someone was thorough in covering their tracks. He says, they can’t give up. There’s got to be something. He looks in the fireplace (I’m shocked that wasn’t one of the first places he looked), and says he’s got something. A postcard. The name is burned off, but he can still read the message. Thinking of them every day. Hoping their health is improving, and that they’ll be better by the time he gets there. He promises a plan is in play, and it won’t be much longer before he’s there. Hang in there, and remember I love you. Cyrus. Jordan says, his Achille’s heel. She wonders who Cyrus sent the postcard to, if they’re alive, and if they can find them.

Lulu visits Maxie, and says she’s so happy the baby is okay. Dante waves from the doorway, but stays in the hallway. Peter approaches him, and says, once Lulu goes home, Maxie is going to take a nap. She’s been through one hell of an ordeal. Dante says he’s glad to see she’s doing well. He keeps walking, and Maxie calls to Peter, telling him that she’s having a craving. She’s thinking chips from the vending machine, and asks if he’d mind getting them. He leaves, and Maxie says, okay. Peter is in hover mode, so the clock is ticking. It’s time for Lulu to tell her what’s going on with her and Dante. Lulu says, forget Dante. She wants to talk baby shower. Maxie says she wants yellow. Now that’s been decided. Let’s talk Dante. Lulu says, there’s nothing to tell, and Maxie says, right. Okay, sure. Lulu says, Dante’s intentions are good, but he has a hero streak that’s been in overdrive mode since he came back. He’s been showing up, and getting in the way of her work. He’s interfered twice. Maxie says, outrageous, and Lulu says, she told him to cut it out. She doesn’t need him. Maxie says, what if he needs her?

Dante joins Olivia and Robert, and Olivia asks if Maxie and the baby are okay. Dante says they’re doing fine, and Olivia says, from the look on his face, she thought something was wrong. Dante says, it’s work stuff, and she says he didn’t tell her that Jordan had hired him back. He says he’s not actually with the PCPD. He’s working for The Invader, doing security. That’s where he’s headed. She says she’ll see him later, and they hug. Olivia tells Robert, it feels like a dream. Her son is back in Port Charles. He’s going to work, and living his life. He’s home, and he’s safe, all because Robert gave him back to her.

Ned says he’s not afraid of what Alexis might say to Olivia. He’s genuinely concerned about her drinking. Alexis says, let her make it perfectly clear. She has no intention of telling Olivia. If and when Ned decides to, it’s up to him. He says, it’s not like it’s going to happen again. They’re not having an affair. It was a one-time thing. Olivia never has to know. Alexis says he’ll probably tell her, but she’ll get over it. She loves Ned. Ned says he’s not going to hurt Olivia in order to clear his conscience, and Alexis says, take it from her, it’s soul crushing to find out the person you love has a secret. Make damn sure Olivia doesn’t find out from someone else.

Willow asks if Epiphany has a minute, and Epiphany says she doesn’t have any more information on Finn. Willow says, it’s not about that. The hospital cut back her teaching hours, and she misses the kids. She’s considering applying to the nurse’s program. She can still work with kids, and translate her experience with her former job. Epiphany says, the world needs good nurses, but Willow will have to go back and start from scratch. Willow says she didn’t think there was a shortcut. She’s at a crossroad. She loves teaching; it’s fulfilling. Epiphany says she can understand Willow’s attraction to the program, and if she wants to talk, Willow knows where to find her. She goes back to work, and Willow looks through the room window at Chase and Finn.

Finn sees Chase by his bed, and says he’s not as pretty as Anna. Chase says Anna was really worried last night. He kind of was too. He sits down, and asks what’s with Finn acting like a superhero. Leave that to the professionals. And just because he’s emotional doesn’t change the fact that Finn is a gigantic pain in the ass. Finn says, back at him, and Chase says, before they met, he wanted to know what Finn was like. He used to have idiotic fantasies about brother bonding. Finn says, then they met, and he let Chase down. Chase says he was extremely disappointed. He thought Finn was cold and arrogant. Finn says he’s heard that before, and Chase says, he was no fun. He didn’t like camping or football, none of the brother stuff he thought they’d do. Finn says he’s sorry he wasn’t the big brother Chase dreamed about, but Chase says, don’t be sorry. Once he let go of the brother he imagined, and started to know the brother he actually has, Finn exceeded expectations. He’s a phenomenal doctor, and any time Chase is down, there’s that annoying knock on the door. He’s seen Finn with Violet, and it makes him excited to be a dad one day. As far as brothers go, Finn’s not so bad. Finn says Chase is growing on him too.

Anna sees Peter, and he asks if she’s there to see Maxie, but she says she wants to see him. Can they talk? He says she sounds serious, and she says, kind of. It’s about Alex.   

Epiphany goes to Finn’s room, and he says he thought Epiphany had been moved to administration, and she says, they don’t see her, right? Chase says, no ma’am; they don’t. Finn thanks her, but she says, again, she’s not there, and he’s welcome. She wouldn’t be anywhere else, but she should probably get back to work. Chase says, one more thing. Does she know why ants never get sick? (*Answer below.) She says, really? She’s been up all night, don’t tell her a bad joke that was kicking around for decades before he was born. He says he thought his dad made it up, and she says, his brother doesn’t need to be laughing in his condition. No more jokes. She tells someone in the hall that she took Finn’s vitals; they can go in. Finn asks what they’re doing there. (*They have anty bodies.)

Dante goes to Peter’s office, and sneaks around. He looks through a folder on Peter’s desk.

Peter asks what Anna needs to tell him about Alex. She says she wanted to reassure him of the promise she made last night. Alex is no longer a threat to anyone. Not him, Maxie, or the baby; they’re all safe now. He says there’s something he has to admit. The longer Alex had Maxie, the more his dark impulses were pounding in his head. If Anna hadn’t rescued Maxie, he doesn’t know what he would have been capable of.

Jordan tells Curtis, she’ll see if they can ID who it is. They weren’t a prisoner. Someone has gone to ta lot of trouble to protect someone. The front doorknob jiggles, and they hide. When the door opens, Jordan and Curtis jump out, guns drawn. It’s Laura.  

Tomorrow, Franco asks if Scotty is going to help him or not, Valentin tells Anna that she can’t tell Finn, and Sonny asks Cyrus if something is going on with the hospital that he doesn’t want public.

🍡 The Kids Are All Right…

I’m glad his kids get to see him. For their sake.

https://pagesix.com/2020/11/06/joe-giudice-reunites-daughters-gia-and-milania-in-italy/

👠 One Page Six Deserves Another…

Although they’ll never be quite even.

https://pagesix.com/2020/11/09/teresa-giudice-is-very-happy-dating-businessman-louie-ruelas/

Hopefully, she gets a pre-nup if she makes another trip to the alter.

🩺 Mormons Do It Too…

I love when someone says they’ve had no work done, when they so obviously have. The neck is often a dead giveaway.

https://pagesix.com/2020/11/06/rhoslc-star-jen-shah-on-the-plastic-surgery-scene-in-utah/

🍼 Dream Come True…

I’m honestly glad for Scheana, although I can’t help thinking, now she’ll have a captive audience.

https://people.com/parents/scheana-shay-pregnant-expecting-first-child-after-miscarriage-exclusive/

🎃 Memories…

You didn’t think I’d let go that easy, did you?

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9476372/celebrity-2020-halloween-costumes-roundup

And you can vote for your favorite.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/lifestyle/9476663/best-halloween-costume-2020-poll/

 🛌🏽 I See Sleep In My Future…

But maybe not until the next life. While we’re still in this one, stay safe, stay on top of your to-do list, and stay leaving being a superhero to the professionals.

November 4, 2020 – Alex Wants Anna’s Life, Rain On Shannon’s Amazing Day, a Blessing, a Friend, Yet More Costumes, Gaga’s Message, Ice Story, What’s On & Icy

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Chase is in the shower when the phone rings. He answers and says, great. Leave a hard copy on his desk, and send Detective Spencer an email. He’ll be at the station in a couple of hours. He has an important meeting first.

Portia tells Jordan, she can’t believe she didn’t see it before. Jordan isn’t the best cop like Taggert said; she’s a dirty cop. Why else would she stop a legal protest? Jordan says she told Portia why, but Portia says she’s protecting Cyrus because she works for him.   

Cyrus admits he’s intrigued, considering Julian rebuffed his offer several times. Julian asks if he’s not interested anymore, and Cyrus says he’s skeptical of Julian’s change of heart, but thinks Julian finally realized he needs him.

Ava goes to Pentenville to see Ryan, but the guard tells her, not today. She says she’s been cleared to visit, and it’s vital she speak with him.

Ryan tells Sonny, the information he has will have an impact on Sonny’s family. Sonny says, let him give a word of advice. Actually, he’s going to state a fact. When it comes to games, he doesn’t play them.

Peter runs into the examining room where Maxie is. He asks if he missed the appointment, and she says, office hours were ending; she couldn’t stall any longer. He says he can’t believe he didn’t get there in time, but Maxie says she has souvenirs. He asks if she has the sonogram pictures, and she says, of course (🍷). She also knows he loves to listen to the baby’s heartbeat. She plays it for him on her phone.

At Charlie’s, Jackie tells Finn, Chase is on his way. Finn is surprised Chase wasn’t camped out in front, and Jackie says, he was looking forward to it. Finn wonders what’s keeping Anna.  

In her basement, Anna yells for help, and says she’s downstairs. Valentin ask if that’s her, and she says she’s in the basement. He says he’s coming, but Alex sneaks up on him, and plunges a syringe in his neck. He grimaces, and she says, it looks like it stings. It seems he was expecting her. Valentin falls, and Alex says, that would be the drop kick. Anna yells, what has Alex done? but Alex says, he’s not dead. Valentin says, Anna, and Alex says, poor Valentin. He never gets to play hero to the woman of his dreams. Soon, he’ll be too doped up to think clearly, so while he’s still lucid, where is her son?

Jordan says Portia has no idea what she’s talking about, and Portia say she knows what she sees and hears. Jordan has defended Cyrus at every turn. She claims she’s helping the people of Port Charles, but the only one she’s helping is Cyrus. Jordan says she’s protecting the city and the hospital, and Portia says, it was her press conference that brought Cyrus to the Board’s attention. She practically rolled out the red carpet for him to make the place unrecognizable. Jordan says the hospital saved her life, and employs her son, and Portia says, that’s what makes it more of a mystery. With the Commissioner’s stamp of approval, Cyrus can do what he wants to who wants, and not have to pay for it. Jordan says, if he doesn’t, people are going to get hurt.

Jackie says Finn was never good at waiting, and he says she was never good at keeping track of time. Jackie asks if he’s implying she kept him waiting, and he asks if she’s denying it, but she says, no. Chase arrives, and he and Jackie hug. Finn says he wants a full report about his girl; how was trick-or-treating? Chase says he got the cutest picture of Violet, and Jackie asks to see it. He shows her, and she says, wow; she’s adorable. Chase says when and if they meet, she’ll see Violet’s personality matches her face. Jackie says she’d love to meet Violet, whenever Finn is comfortable with it. Finn says he’s sure Violet would love it.

Julian says, the deal has to happen immediately, or there is no deal. Cyrus says Julian is in no position for setting terms. Julian asks if Cyrus wants his services or not. Cyrus says Julian is established in Port Charles, supposedly reformed, and related to a lot of people. Julian says he can go places Cyrus can’t, and Cyrus says, not Sonny’s compound, but Julian is welcome in other arenas. Julian says, so they’re good? and Cyrus says Julian hasn’t told him what’s requested on his end. Julian says, required, and Cyrus says, they’ll see. Julian says Ryan has information that he wants sent out of Pentenville, and needs to be stopped. Cyrus asks, what information? Julian can’t expect Cyrus to act on his behalf without proper details. Julian says, it’s about Sonny Corinthos, and Cyrus says, now things just got interesting.

Ava tells the guard, it’s a misunderstanding. She’d hate for this snafu to get him into trouble with the warden. Let her see Ryan, and they can forget this happened. The guard says, Ryan already has a visitor; last minute.

Ryan says Sonny seems underwhelmed. It’s a disappointment. He can assure Sonny, it’s not a game. He’s deadly serious. Sonny says Ryan is going to shut up now, but Ryan says the person could hurt Sonny’s family and get away with it. Sonny doesn’t want that, does he?

Sonny says, Ryan made a point to reach out to his family, which means they’re in his radar. That can’t happen. It was easier to just have a conversation with him, than going through the effort of getting rid of him. Don’t think it won’t happen if Ryan contacts him again. Ryan says, okay; threat taken. But what Sonny needs to understand is that what he has is extremely important, and he has physical proof. They hear Ava saying she’s allowed to be there. The guard asks her to keep her voice down, but she says she won’t. Ryan says, on cue. Ava is dying to get in here. Hear how desperate she sounds? Why does Sonny think that is? Ava says, let her in or she’ll report him to the warden. Sonny opens the door, and asks what she’s doing there.

Cyrus asks if Julian knew from the jump, but Julian says, not from the jump, but early on. Cyrus says, denying Sonny his grandson is a bold move. Julian says Cyrus could enjoy it a little less, but Cyrus doesn’t think so. What else? That can’t be the end of the tangled web. Julian says, Brad was losing his mind with guilt, and he thought Brad was going to blow it. So he rigged Brad’s car to crash. It went great, but Lucas was in the car, and his son got hurt. Cyrus says, Julian is responsible for his son almost dying? and Julian says, Nelle knew, and got him to marry her. She also for him to help her kidnap Wiley. In his defense, he changed his mind, and tried to stop her at the end. Cyrus says, truly heroic. So Nelle wrote it all out, and sent it to Ryan, and now Ryan is threatening to tell Sonny. Julian says he thinks Ryan is about to make good on his threat, and he needs Cyrus to keep that from happening.

Portia asks what Jordan means by people could get hurt? and Jordan says Portia has to trust her. Portia says she doesn’t think so. She thinks she’ll call the mayor, or better yet the Feds, and tell them the Commissioner is on a drug trafficker’s payroll. Jordan follows Portia into her office, and says she can’t do this. Portia says Jordan let the man go free who kidnapped her daughter. Cyrus is guilty as sin, and she knows it. Jordan says Portia is right, but tell her how far she’d go if her child’s life was on the line.

Maxie tells Peter, the baby is strong, and Peter has been there in all the ways that count. She says she knows he loves them, but Peter says he doesn’t want his child to feel like he did; small and unimportant. She says, that’s not going to happen, and he asks how she knows. She says, by the way he’s reacting. The baby feels more loved already than Peter did his whole childhood. He says he thinks the baby is going to change his life, and she says she hopes he doesn’t enjoy sleeping or eating, or going to the bathroom by himself. Those days are over. He says he’ll finally be the man he always wanted to be.

Valentin says, screw him for not snapping Alex’s neck when he had the chance. She says Peter is still her son, and she plans to protect him. She got him away from his father’s reach, but Valentin couldn’t let it be. He says she has nowhere to hide, so she’s taking over Anna’s life, like a parasite. It won’t work. People will see through it; people like him. She says, conveniently, he’ll be leaving this mortal coil with Anna. Anna’s phone rings, and I wonder why Anna isn’t up the stairs ten minutes ago. It’s Finn, who asks where she is. He asks if she forgot they were meeting Jackie and Chase. She says she was on the way out, when Valentin dropped by. Carry on without her. He says, okay, but he’s worried about her. Did she get the test results back? Does she know who Peter’s mother is? She says, not yet, and he suggests he come home, but she says she feels bad enough. She doesn’t want to ruin the reunion. He says, okay, and tells her that he loves her. She says she’ll see him later, and she loves him too.   

Finn goes back to the table, and Chase asks if everything is okay. Finn says, Anna won’t be joining them, and Chase says, bummer. He wants Jackie to get to know Anna better. He knows they’d like each other. Finn says, Anna got tied up.

Valentin says, as soon as Anna suggested it, he knew Alex was Peter’s mother. Only she would sleep with Faison, have his child, and walk away. Alex says she put him in a good place, but he says that doesn’t excuse what she did, shouldering her sister with guilt. She’s downright lethal. She says, he’s about find out, when finally, Anna comes up from the basement with her gun drawn.  

Alex holds a knife to Valentin’s throat, and Anna tells Alex to let him go. Valentin says he always knew it wouldn’t end well, and Alex tells him that he has no self-respect. Anna says, that’s enough, and Alex says, for once they agree. Drop the gun.

Portia tells Jordan, it was TJ. Cyrus was using her son against her. Jordan says Portia was on call when TJ was left for dead at the hospital. Cyrus had him abducted, and tortured him. She was sent pictures of her son, bloody and bettered, knowing there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. Portia says, that’s when she came out with the evidence that released Cyrus from prison. Now she knows why all these months Jordan has been doing Cyrus’s bidding. Jordan was afraid Cyrus would target TJ again. Jordan says she knows he will. Whenever she’s pushed back, Cyrus evoked TJ’s name as a reminder of what’s at stake. She’s hated every minute of this, but she’d do it again in a heartbeat. Portia says she would have done the exact same thing.

Cyrus asks Julian if he wants to drink to their new arrangement, and Julian says as soon as he’s sure Cyrus is handling his end. Cyrus says, that’s fair. He’ll be in touch, but when he calls, Julian needs to answer.

Ava tells Sonny, she knew she hadn’t convinced him, and he tells her, calm down. She says, not until she gets him out of there. He needs to stop talking to that monster; no good will come of it. He has to trust her. Ryan will mess with his mind to the point where Sonny thinks he’s in control, but he’s not. Ryan is always the one pulling the strings. It’s the most terrifying feeling in the world; to not trust yourself or the world around you. Not being able to trust anything. She doesn’t want Ryan to do that to Sonny, and asks him to please leave with her. Sonny says he gets that this is real. Ryan hurt Ava, and she’s doing backflips to get him not to go in. That makes him want to talk to Ryan even more. He goes back in, with Ava behind him, and asks what Ryan’s got to say. Ryan slumps over, a knife in his back. I go, oooh! The guard comes in, and asks, what happened? Sonny says he came in to talk to Ryan, and he has a knife in his back. Ava asks if he’s dead, but Sonny can’t tell.

Portia tells Jordan, she was completely off base. She’s sorry. Jordan says, Portia is right. She is under Cyrus’s thumb. Portia says, but not for the reason she thought. It was all about Taggert. He was on Cyrus’s radar because he framed Cyrus. Jordan says, he didn’t act alone. For Portia to truly understand what’s at stake, she needs to know everything. She only told Portia part of the truth. There was a conspiracy to frame Cyrus, but what she left out is that she was in it too. They all were. They were undercover for nearly two years, watching Cyrus commit crime after crime to build his empire. It was too much; Cyrus was too careful. So they made a decision that the pain had to stop, and fabricated evidence, planning to put Cyrus away for good. But his reach was too long, even in prison. When he found out their identities, he came after Bob and Mark, and killed them. Portia says, and he used Trina to lure Taggert to the warehouse. Jordan says, Cyrus doesn’t bluff. She had no doubt he’d kill her son to get what he wanted, and Portia says, so Jordan had him exonerated. Jordan says, she was the lucky one. Instead of killing her, Cyrus thought it would be more useful to have her in his pocket. Portia says, so Jordan threw Taggert under the bus. It was either that, or lose her son.

Peter tells Maxie that he’s taking the pictures to show Anna how much the baby is growing. She says, how a grown man can be reduced to a pile of mush is so sweet, and he says he doesn’t know how to explain it. He has a feeling of redemption, like the baby is his do-over. Isn’t that what it’s supposed to be when you bring life into the world? Not for him and Anna, but for Anna and Robin, and Valentin and Charlotte. This is his chance. Maxie says, she used to tell herself that; less with Georgie, but with James for sure. She thought having him would make her the perfect person she’d dreamed of being. The perfect friend, the perfect employee, the perfect wife and mother. She had it all. He says, he’s sensing a but, and she says she hates to break it to him, but that’s not how it works. It changes you in monumental ways, but Peter will still be him, and she’s happy about that. He says he loves her, and she says, now she feels a but coming. He says he loves her, but he respectfully disagrees. This baby is his new lease on life. Just watch. She asks if he plans on changing all the diapers, and heat baby bottles in his sleep. She’ll help every once in a while.

Valentin tells Anna, take the shot, and Alex says, such a gentleman; sacrificing all over the place. He says, take the damn shot, but Anna lowers the gun. Alex tells her, now drop the gun, and Anna puts it down. Alex says, now the cuffs, and Anna puts the handcuffs on herself. Alex says, good girl, and picks up the gun, holding it on Anna, who says, for now. Alex says she thinks it’s time for a second location, and hits Anna with the gun, knocking her out. She says, everybody okay?  

Portia tells Jordan, she understands Trina is hurt and angry, but she’s not missing like TJ was. She wishes she could take Trina’s pain, but Trina is here, alive and thriving. It’s all she can ask for. Jordan appreciates Portia’s understanding, and Portia says she’s a mother like Jordan, and like Jordan, she would move heaven and earth for her child. She’s sorry Jordan had to shoulder this alone. Jordan says she has Curtis, but Portia says, it’s an awful way to exist. Jordan says, it doesn’t mean she’s surrendered. She’s working against Cyrus, but has to find a way to bring him down without her son getting hurt. Everywhere she turns, he’s boxing her in tighter. Portia says, let her help, but Jordan says she’d be an accessory. Portia says she’s already made herself an accessory. Jordan needs back-up. Portia was married to law enforcement a long time, and Jordan doesn’t understand what she’s capable of. What they’re capable of if they work together.

On the phone, Julian tells Ava to call when she gets this. He has a plan in place.

Jackie doesn’t know what’s more delicious; the cookies or Violet. Chase says when he babysits, Violet always wants warm milk and cookies before bed. They reminisce about when Chase was little, and his father gave him piggyback rides upstairs. Chase says, they were epic, and Jackie says she never understood the benefit of him bouncing around before bed. Chase says he loves watching Violet and Finn horsing around; it reminds him of his dad. Finn says, see? He’s fun. Chase says, only with Violet. Finn’s phone dings, and he quickly looks at it. Chase asks if he’s worried about Anna. Finn asks if it’s that obvious, and Chase says he’s an easy read. Get out. Go see his fiancé. Finn says they’ll do this again sometime, and Jackie says, sounds good. He tells them, goodnight, and leaves. Chase says, that went well, doesn’t she think? and she says, better than expected. Her phone dings, and she says, son of a bitch. Chase asks if it’s breaking story, and she asks how he knew. He says, his eighth birthday, the state playoffs, the pre-party before the prom. Although he’s grateful she didn’t show up for that. She says she’s the worst mother, but he says she’s a great mother, and a great reporter. How soon does she leave? She says, tonight.

Anna comes to, and she’s tied back-to-back with Valentin. She asks where they are, and Alex says, the soon to be site of a terrible accident. Anna says, Alex thinks she wants to kill her, but she doesn’t. Their lives are intertwined; they’re too connected. Alex agrees, but adds that she’s not one who likes sharing. She wants a wonderful life. Anna say she’s not going to get it by pretending to be her, and Alex says, enough. She’s disabled the safety mechanism on a pressure cooker. In an hour, it will reach maximum pressure and explode. By that time, the whole place will be full of gas. If they haven’t been asphyxiated, they’ll be incinerated. If any remains are found, people will think it’s her. She takes Anna’s wedding ring, and Anna calls her a total bitch. Alex puts it on, and says, it’s not her style, but it will have to do. Anna says, it won’t take Finn long to realize. Then what? Alex says, poor Finn, headed for heartbreak. She should have killed him too, but then it would have been too obvious. Anna’s phone dings, and she says, it’s a text from Peter. Maxie’s latest sonogram. The baby looks like her. She says she’ll meet them at the hospital, and Anna says, don’t you dare. Alex says, why? It’s kind of ironic. Her new life is beginning, and Anna’s is just about to end. She’s really sorry it had to be like this. She leaves, and Anna tells Valentin, wake up.

On the phone, Jackie says, if they want her on the story, she wants the best. Meet her on arrival. She’s not flying halfway around the world to stand in a line. She’ll call when she’s on the plane. She hangs up, and Chase asks how many producers she’s driven to a nervous breakdown. She says, zero. She doesn’t mean to be impossible, but if they want her to do the story, they want the best. He suggests she finesse something in the Bay area so they can have an honest to God family reunion. She says, about that. There’s something she needs to tell him. She knows it’s been his dream to get the family together, including Finn, and he says, for as long as he can remember. She says she wishes it had happened sooner, and he says she’s scaring him. What’s wrong? She says she and his father are getting divorced.

Sonny and Ava arrive at the hospital. Ava says, Ryan is a liar. Whatever he said, Sonny can’t believe him. Sonny says Ryan told him that he had something important to say, and wound up with a knife in his back. Does she think it’s a coincidence? He walks away, and Ava digs in her bag for her phone. She calls Julian, and tells him that he’s not going to believe what just happened. She tried to circumvent Sonny, but he was already in with Ryan when she got there. Julian says, dammit, but she says, hold on. Before Ryan could say anything, he got a knife in his back. He keeled over right in front of them, like some kind of miracle. Julian asks if he’s dead, but she doesn’t know. He says, not quite a miracle… yet.

At the hospital, Cyrus asks Jordan, what’s going on? She looks tired. She says she’s fine, and he asks why he’s there. He’s not a fan of being summoned. She says he should rethink the way he’s managing the staff. The protest is picking up steam. He tells her to handle it, but she says, it’s still free a country. He doesn’t control everything. She suddenly drops to the floor, and Cyrus calls for help. Portia runs to Jordan, asking if Jordan can hear her, and checking Jordan’s pulse. Cyrus looks genuinely concerned.

Peter tells Maxie, Anna is on her way. Alex comes out of the elevator, and sees Maxie and Peter. She tells Peter to hand over the sono pictures, and Peter says, that’s her grandchild. She pretends to fawn over the pictures, and says she can’t wait to meet him or her, and spend the rest of her life spoiling them rotten. Peter suggests she have some boundaries, but she says she’s the baby’s grandma. No promises. Maxie says, it’s her prerogative, and Alex stares at Peter.

Finn gets home, and calls to Anna, but sees the house is empty.

The pressure cooker ticks away. Valentin wakes up, and he and Anna both start coughing. Valentin says he’ll give her sister this much, she’s thorough. Anna says, they’re not going die. Not today. Not like this.

Tomorrow, Epiphany toasts to new beginnings, Robert asks what Valentin has to do with it, and Anna tells Valentin not to quit on her.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

Gina got in Braunwyn’s face at Shannon’s party, calling her a sloppy chihuahua – whatever that means – and accusing her of being wasted all the time. As usual, Gina was five beats behind, and Braunwyn said, I’ve been sober for thirty days, bitch, and walked out, tossing her glass of pretend drink in the pool. Sean stayed behind and stood up for her, which offended Gina, who continued to act like an a-hole. Everyone acted like Braunwyn throwing the glass in the pool was the worst thing anyone could possibly do. In Emily’s interview, she says she was glad she wasn’t the one crying and throwing things. It was someone else’s turn now, and she passed the torch. We flashed back to her altercation with Kelly at somebody’s party. I forget whose. Sean hunted Braunwyn down, and said she needed to pull Gina aside and talk. Braunwyn told Sean that none of them could handle the truth, and he suggested a one-on-one conversation. Gina complained that she didn’t like a man schooling her, which annoyed me. These women want to be equals, but God forbid a man argues with them. Then, all of a sudden, men shouldn’t get involved, even if they dragged him into it. In Gina’s interview, she said she was disgusted when a man’s response was to get in her face, which annoyed me further. Gina had certainly gotten in Braunwyn’s face, finger wagging, but Sean didn’t even raise his voice. And I thought it was kind of cool that he defended his wife. Sean thought Braunwyn needed support. Everyone ate some weird noodles from plastic cups, and Elizabeth told Gina that she was a better woman than this. Sean asked Gina to have a conversation outside with Braunwyn, and Gina finally deigned to grace Braunwyn with her presence. They apologized to each other, and discussed the text from Sean to Gina, which got dicey. Gina thought it was inappropriate, and Braunwyn asked why Gina hadn’t brought it up to her, rather than Emily. Gina said Emily was her best friend, so too bad. In her interview, Gina said she felt compassion for Braunwyn, but she was still pissed.

Braunwyn asked to talk to Kelly in private, and told Kelly that she’d hit bottom. She was 30 days sober, but wanted a drink so effing bad it hurt. Kelly joked around, saying in her interview that she thought laughter was the best medicine. They talked about Sean being an enabler, and Kelly told Braunwyn to shake it off. Taylor Swift played in my head. Sean told Elizabeth that he was there when Shannon called Gina’s place sad. In Shannon’s interview, she said all Braunwyn did was rain down on what was supposed to be an amazing day. Get TF out. On the way home, Braunwyn told Sean she thought she’d be stronger. She shared too much with 17 year old daughter Rowan when she got home, telling her all about the party. She said she’d been raging, and had never raged in her life. Rowan was like, oh really? and we flashed back to Braunwyn getting pretty angry about a hypothetical situation in front of the kids. Back at the party, Shannon toasted to good friends, and continued blessings for everyone.

Getting on the treadmill, Braunwyn told Sean that she was mortified by her behavior. She wondered when she’d stop feeling effing crazy, and Sean sagely said, time. Shannon gave everyone a tour of the house, and in Gina’s interview, she said Shannon’s house was neither sad nor small. She was glad to have friends with big bougie houses, so she could reap the benefits. I know the feeling. I keep hoping one of my neighbors will put in a pool. The gym room housed a ginormous painting of a photo of Shannon, and in Elizabeth’s interview, she said she was no therapist, but guessed self-love was good. If someone gave that to her, she’d say thanks, and put it in the garage. Braunwyn and Sean headed for an open AA meeting, while at the party, Kelly got intrusive about Shannon’s dad’s sex life. In her interview, she said Rick was 60, and she wanted to make sure all the parts would be moving when he got to that age. John’s daughter fished the glass out of the pool with a net, and you would have thought she was the second coming.  

In her interview, Kelly explained that Rick was trying to get transferred to the L.A. division of FOX News. they were addicted to each other, and she was excited to move in together. Gina talked to mom Susan about mediation with Matt. She said Matt had been prickly about her seeing someone, but he had a girlfriend now, and had eased up. Matt didn’t seem like much of a catch to her, with domestic violence charges under his belt, but new girlfriend Britt was kind to the kids, and got Matt off her back. She also lived in Gina’s community, and could pick up the kids in a pinch. Kelly and Elizabeth went shopping, and Elizabeth said her divorce trial was coming up. Kelly asked if it was worth it, and Elizabeth said she wasn’t allowed to mention numbers, but it was worth it. In Kelly’s interview, she said she spent $150,000 on her divorce settlement. She would settle it, take the money, and run. In Emily’s interview, she announced that pigs were flying, and hell had officially frozen over. Shannon put her on a group text. She knew Emily’s name and phone number. Emily thought she should have gotten a badge or a trophy.

Gina told Elizabeth that her dad was an alcoholic; sober 9 years now. Elizabeth asked for explanation of what happened at party, and in her interview, said addiction and alcoholism run rampant in her family. If Braunwyn was willing to have an honest conversation, she’d be supportive. Later, while visiting Emily, Gina said she’d gotten a text from Braunwyn. She’d said she wasn’t proud of how she acted, and asked Gina to go to an AA meeting with her, and out for coffee afterward. In Gina’s interview, she said she knew something was off. Braunwyn was detoxing. She realized that Braunwyn doing everything sober must be challenging. Emily thought Shannon wasn’t making a dig about Gina’s place, but Braunwyn equated small with sad, and believed she was. Kelly thought it was rude of Braunwyn to throw Shannon under the bus, but believed Shannon did say Gina’s house was sad. Elizabeth said Braunwyn didn’t know about being poor, but she had survived, so she understood. In her interview, she said growing up, they lived in trailers and abandoned hotels, and they would get expired food from Walmart’s garbage. She understood the struggles.

In Braunwyn’s interview, she said she and Sean decided to renew their vows every 10 years. She was drunk at their 10 year renewal, and wanted to do it again sober, and make it a new start. She called Shannon, and there was a big silence after she said it was her. She told Shannon that she still really wanted Shannon, John, and the kids to be at the ceremony, but if Shannon didn’t want to come, she’d understand. Shannon cared more about Braunwyn putting words in her mouth than the vow renewal, and Braunwyn insisted she’d heard Shannon say it. If Dr. Phil had been there, he would have asked them if they wanted to be happy or wanted to be right. Braunwyn said if they were going to move forward, they had to find a middle ground. Shannon said she’d been trying to help Braunwyn, and Braunwyn said she had to own her truth. Shannon asked if Braunwyn was going to continue her crusade, which sounded stupid, and made me think of Braunwyn dressed as a knight on a horse. Braunwyn said there was no crusade; she was focused on potty training a baby and staying sober. Shannon said she called on of the servers lemonade boy, and it was John’s son. Braunwyn said she didn’t know that, but hadn’t said it in a disparaging way; his shirt had lemons on it. Shannon said she didn’t want to be the a-hole who’s not supportive. By the time the call was over, there was nothing resolved, and Braunwyn told Sean that she thought Shannon really believed she hadn’t said what she did. In Braunwyn’s interview, she said Shannon would go to her deathbed to protect her image. She was Stepford Shannon. Funny, Kelly called her that last week. Braunwyn told Sean, the fact that people believed it, said more about them than her.

Emily dropped by Kelly’s, and Kelly said it was a revolving door there. She was getting used to suburbia again. When she lived on the beach, no one came over. She took a sip of Emily’s drink by mistake, and swore she didn’t have corona virus. In Kelly’s interview, she said she didn’t understand people freaking out over it. The swine flu, the Spanish flu; things like that happen from time to time. Emily thought Braunwyn was using her alcohol problem as a weapon to make Gina feel guilty, and Braunwyn called while they were talking about her. Kelly told her that they were discussing how freaky deaky she is off the sauce. They invited Braunwyn to join them.

Sean biked Braunwyn over to Kelly’s, and they gave her a mezuzah. I have one of those that was in my old apartment. You hang it by the door to bless your home – see below for a full description. In Kelly’s interview she said she could make matzo ball soup and potato latkes. Braunwyn told Emily and Kelly that she had thrown a tantrum at the party, and Emily said Gina didn’t want to go to Palm Springs for the vow renewal. She didn’t think Braunwyn wanted her there. We saw a clip of Gina telling Emily that at the party, and Emily saying Gina and Braunwyn needed to get to the point where they were cordial. Braunwyn said all she could do was be honest.

Shannon told John that her integrity meant everything to her, and Braunwyn had a selective memory. In Shannon’s interview, she said that Braunwyn appeared to have an agenda (huh?), and she was trying to figure out what it was. She thought Braunwyn should focus on her sobriety rather than continually telling people Shannon did something she didn’t. She told John that she doesn’t move on from people saying she’s a liar.

Next time, Braunwyn shops for her vow renewal dress, Gina meets with Braunwyn, and Gina gets weepy about Matt coming to Sienna’s birthday party.

🏡 Get Your Mezuz-on…

All about the mezuzah.

💎It’s Official…

Kathy Hilton will be a friend of on the next season of RHOBH.

https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/1583241/rhobh-kyle-richards-sister-kathy-hilton-cast-season-11-bravo/

🎃 Because I Still Can’t Let Go…

Halloween was kind of a bust this year, but we can still look at pictures of the rich and costumed.

https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/celebrity-halloween-costumes-2020

This is actually kind of eerie. My personal favorite: Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka as the Olsen twins.

https://www.eonline.com/photos/25889/celebrities-who-dressed-up-as-other-celebrities-for-halloween

🥩 Meat Repeat…

I hope it’s fresh meat. A sentence I never thought I’d say.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1203772/lady-gaga-brings-back-her-infamous-meat-dress-for-must-see-voting-message

🧊 Resilient As Hell…

You have to admit, he writes a catchy chorus.

https://www.theringer.com/music/2020/10/6/21494291/vanilla-ice-to-the-extreme-ice-ice-baby-history-30th-anniversary

🍂 What November Brings…

What’s happening on screens this month.

🚶🏽‍♀️ I’m Walkin’…

Once again, we’ve all made it past the hump, or that day that used to be in the middle of the week for those whose days have officially all blurred together. It’s back to Charlotte for some Charm tomorrow, or later today if you want to play semantics. Until that moment, stay safe, stay charitable, and stay aware of what’s behind you when rescuing someone from a basement situation.

November 3, 2020 – Valentin To the Rescue, Will Lulu Go-Go, Halloween Spill-Over, Sad Day In Beverly Hills & Bad

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

I missed the beginning, but here are your takeaway points. Cyrus saw Portia at the hospital, and asked how Trina was. Portia told him not to talk about Trina, since she was none of his business, and he said Taggert was his business, and whined about being a victim. TJ ran into Jordan, and told her he needed her help with some police business. Peter met with Valentin at Charlie’s, and said he’d gotten a call from the mother from hell. Valentin assumed he meant Obrecht, but Peter said he was talking about Helena. Sonny called Ava to come over and get something Avery had made for her. When Ava got there, she asked if there wasn’t another reason Sonny called, and Sonny said he had questions about Ryan. Alex had Anna tied up in the basement, and claimed Peter as hers. You’re officially up to speed.

Portia tells Cyrus, don’t talk to her about Taggert. Franco gets off the elevator with Elizabeth, and says, it looks like Uncle Cyrus is on another PR run. He’s going to make himself scarce. Elizabeth says she thought Franco and Cyrus were buddies, but Franco says he doesn’t think so, since Cyrus saw him keel over at The Rib. Portia says, as far as she’s concerned, she’s not responsible for her ex-husband’s actions. Cyrus says he doesn’t hold her responsible for Taggert’s lies, harmful as they were. His goal is for her to be happy at GH. She says she’d be happy to have as little interaction with him as possible. He says he’s fairly new to being Chairman of the Board, and thinks it’s important to get to know his staff, as they get to know him. He was hoping they could at least be cordial. She says she’s all about cordial, but she doesn’t allow intimidation. If that’s what he wants to do, just fire her now for insubordination.

TJ tells Jordan, Cyrus fired Monica, and replaced her with Britt. He fired Bobbie, and put Epiphany on administrative duty, then cut the hours of the dedicated staff, like Elizabeth. Morale is at an all-time low, and he they don’t trust Cyrus. Jordan says, he’s still Chairman, and TJ says, exactly. The public needs to know what’s happening. He’s studying to be a doctor, and wants to put the patients first, but Cyrus isn’t doing that, so he’s fighting the right way. He went to the PCPD to get a permit, and was turned down for no good reason. He hates asking for special favors, but she’s the Commissioner, and it’s important. She says she’s the one who denied his application.

Alex calls Anna resourceful. Anna realized Peter had a genetic marker she didn’t have, or Faison. So he must have gotten it from moi. Anna says Alex might want to consult a specialist, and Alex says she’ll take it under advisement, after she gets reacquainted with her son. It was an inconvenience, Anna blundering around after her because she lied about the memories given to Anna. Anna says, what a shock; Alex lied to her. Alex says she realized Faison was obsessed with Anna, and thought she could get secrets if she became Anna. It was just her luck she got preggers. She did what she could to provide for her son. Now it’s time to take her place as his mother, and a doting grandmother. Anna says, not even Alex can pull it off. Alex never wanted to be a mother, and most certainly not a grandmother. Why is she really there?

Valentin tells Peter, he didn’t hear Helena; she’s dead. Peter says he knows her voice. She threatened to expose him for abducting Drew. Valentin says, someone is trying to get Peter to reveal something using the voice of a dead woman who conveniently knows his secrets. Peter asks, who? and Valentin says, Spinelli. He slipped up the other night, telling Valentin that he didn’t want Peter to marry Maxie. Peter says, Spinelli wouldn’t break Maxie’s heart, but Valentin thinks he would, if it would spare her greater heartbreak down the road. Spinelli is a computer expert, and could use a program to modulate his own voice into Helena’s. It’s a trap; don’t admit anything. Peter says, Spinelli is going to regret that.

Julian sends Ava a text, saying, tell him what’s happening. Why isn’t she answering any of his messages?

Ava asks Sonny what Ryan had to say, and he says, not much. She says Ryan is an inmate in maximum security. It wasn’t a random call. He wanted something. Sonny says Ryan wanted him to come and visit. He said it would be worth Sonny’s while. He wanted to let her know, and asks if she has any idea why Ryan would reach out to him. She says, Ryan is sick, twisted, and probably bored. The only thing that brings him any happiness is watching people squirm. Sonny asks, why talk to him? and Ava says, maybe because he’s Avery’s father, and trying to make him squirm will make her squirm even more. Ryan is still fixated on her. He called her, and she tried to ignore it or pretend it didn’t happen, but he got to her. She went to see him, and she regrets engaging with him. It’s just another game. Tell her that he’s not going to see that man.

Franco knocks on Doc’s office door, then walks in. Doc says he needs to leave. He barged in without an appointment. Franco says, he knocked, and Doc says, he knocked, then barged in. Franco says, it’s an emergency, and Doc says, then Franco had better tell him about it. Franco says the brain tumor that warped his personality and made him kill people is back.  

TJ asks why Jordan denied him the permit. He followed the rules. She says she’s aware that he doesn’t like Cyrus’s management style, and passionate about his beliefs. He’s going to come up against superiors who don’t see things the way he does, and a public protest won’t change anything.

Sonny says, Ryan is reaching out to him, and he needs to know why. She says, Ryan is literally a psychopath. He’s just baiting Sonny, and Sonny has no reason to get pulled into Ryan’s warped mind game. He says, Ryan messing with her is bad for Avery. He needs to see Ryan face-to-face to find out his end game. Ava tells him, don’t. Nothing good can come of it. She believes it’s a trap. He asks if she’s sure she doesn’t know why Ryan wants to see him.  

At Charlie’s, Julian paces.

Valentin says Peter always does this. Don’t lash out at Spinelli. Jason is like a brother to him, and if Peter acts on Spinelli, Jason will kill him and get away with it. Peter will never know his child because he’ll be dead. Next time Helena calls, don’t answer the phone. He’s building a good life with Maxie and the baby. Let Spinelli choke on it. Peter asks if Valentin thinks he can be a good man, and Valentin says he knows Peter can. Peter says people think he’s hardwired after his father, but Anna cancels that out. His mother is his saving grace. Valentin says, she’s great. Good luck to him. Valentin flies out the door like he can’t leave fast enough.

Anna says Alex is such a liar. She didn’t come reconnect. This isn’t about Peter. What trouble is she in? Alex says she is in a bit of hot water; quite a lot actually. People are coming at her from all sides, and she has no place to hide. Her only choice is to become Anna. It’s going to be a challenge, especially with her grumpy, but quite handsome fiancé, and doting on Peter and the baby. But it’s preferable to Steinmaur or worse. The only problem is, there can’t be two of them.

Anna says, Alex is such a bully. They look alike, but they’re nothing alike. People won’t believe it. Valentin will see right through her like he did before, as will Robert. Alex says, know who won’t suspect? Peter. Anna never even gave him an idea that she might be his mother. She called him, and hung up. Anna says, it’s not news you want to leave on a voicemail. The doorbell rings, and Alex asks if Anna is expecting anybody. Anna says, yes. The Army, Navy, and Marines are coming for afternoon tea. She yells for help, and Alex duct tapes her mouth, The doorbell gets insistent, and Alex says they sound eager to see her. Don’t go anywhere; she’ll be right back. She goes upstairs, and someone is alternating knocking and ringing the bell. She opens the door to Valentin, who says, hell’s bells. Where has she been? He’s been calling, and she hasn’t returned any of his texts. Alex pretending to be Anna says, sorry to worry him. Does he have news? He says his associate tracked Alex from Berlin to Paris, where she fell off the grid. They don’t know where she is. She could be in Port Charles any minute, and trying to contact Peter. She says she appreciates the warning; he’s a good friend. He says, apparently, Alex is in trouble. She’s being pursued from all sides, and she’s desperate. Desperate people do desperate things. She says she’ll consider this a full alert, and he asks if she’s all right. She says she’s fine, and he says he knows she hasn’t spoken to Peter. He still doesn’t know Alex is his mother. She says, it’s not voicemail news, and Valentin says, they’ve already talked about it. He suggests they tell Peter together – right now. I’m not sure how Alex thinks she could fool anybody, since even I can tell the difference, and the actress is literally the same person. Alex always gets saccharine sweet, and that might be the opposite of her personality, but it’s not Anna.

Peter looks out Charlie’s window, and Spinelli walks in. He says he got Peter’s text. He said they needed to talk about Maxie. Is something amiss? Is it about the baby? She seemed perfectly healthy last night. Peter says he knew if he mentioned Maxie, it would get Spinelli there. Spinelli says, Peter deceived him, but Peter says, not completely. In a way, it has to do with Maxie. He loves Maxie, and he loves the baby she’s carrying, and he’ll do everything he can so that nothing affects his future with them. Spinelli says he was reluctant at first, but sees now that Peter wants what’s best for Maxie. He asks if Peter enjoyed Maxie’s birthday celebration last night, and Peter says, it would have a perfect night had he not received a call from the presumably dead Helena. 

Cyrus tells Portia, he has no intention of letting her go. She’s a valuable asset to GH, and that’s how he intends to treat her. She says if he truly means what he’s saying, never ever mention her daughter or ex-husband ex again. She walks to the elevator. Cyrus laughs to himself, and Elizabeth watches as he gets in elevator with Portia.

Jordan says she respects TJ’s position, but compromise is the smart thing to do. He has to trust it’s for the greater good. He says, whose good? Cyrus’s? She says, whether he likes it or not, Monica and Bobbie were fired for a valid reason. If he pushes back, he can’t be naïve enough to think Cyrus and the Board will buckle under the pressure of a protest. He says she can’t be so cynical to believe a protest can’t create change. She’s told him to stand up, and let his voice be heard. What happened? Cyrus and Portia get out of the elevator nearby, and Jordan says, TJ believes he can subvert the so-called rules and change them, but he asks what harm a peaceful protest can be? Cyrus is subverting GH, and going to undermine everything the hospital stood for. He’s getting the chance to do what she preached to him growing up. Why is she preventing that? Portia says she’d like to know too, and Jordan says, it’s a private conversation. Cyrus says it sounds like a public indictment of him.

Ava tells Sonny, she has no idea why Ryan called, but she does know what he wanted. To get under Sonny’s skin, and play mind games. That’s what he did to her. He’ll find Sonny’s Achilles heel and squeeze it. Don’t play into his hands. The best way to handle it is, not to pay any attention to him. Sonny says he’ll think about it; no promises. Ava says she certainly hopes he makes the right decision. If he doesn’t, it’s his problem, not hers. She says she should be going, and Sonny reminds her to take the picture Avery drew.

Doc asks if Franco has discussed treatment options, but Franco says he stopped listening when he heard his tumor was back and it was inoperable. Doc asks if he’s sure Terry said inoperable, and Franco says, Terry is conscientious to a fault. She wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true. Doc says, that doesn’t rule out non-surgical treatment. Franco just received a life threatening diagnosis. He needs time to assess it, and regain control. Take a look at what can be affective. Franco says he’s not freaking out because he could die. He can’t get his mind around not having the magical life he’s carved out, but that’s not why he’s freaking out. He’s worried the symptoms might return; one in particular – a shift in personality.

Cyrus says, TJ doesn’t agree with his policies, so he organized a protest against the Board, mainly him, even if his mother made sure it’s not approved. He’s fully aware of TJ’s feelings. As he told TJ before, he admires TJ’s passion; it reminds him of TJ’s mother’s passion. As TJ might remember, she was the one who freed him. She realized he’d been framed wrongly and imprisoned; that’s true injustice. This is a misunderstanding. TJ isn’t in management; that’s not his field of expertise. His primary purpose is to save lives. Cyrus’s is to be on the Board. Leave him to deal with the business. He’s happy that TJ’s mother agrees that there’s no need to protest. He thanks Jordan, and walks away. Portia says, Jordan is protecting Cyrus now?  

Ava arrives at Charlie’s, and Julian says, what the hell? Why hasn’t she answered his calls? She says she was with Sonny. Ryan reached out, and wants Sonny to visit. He said he’d make it worth Sonny’s while. She tried to convince Sonny that it was just more mind games, but she’s not sure it worked. He says, what she should have done is divorce Nikolas for real. Now Julian is a dead man. She says she thinks he’s out of options. He may need to take Nikolas up on his offer, and disappear.

Spinelli says, whoever called, it wasn’t Helena; she’s dead. Peter says, it was her voice. She threatened him, saying if he didn’t agree to meet with her, there would be consequences. Spinelli says no wonder he was distracted last night, and Peter says, a telephone call from a dead woman could definitely be distracting. Spinelli says, it makes no sense, and Peter says like Spinelli’s’ sudden about-face makes no sense. He put two and two together, and it was nothing more than a scheme cooked up by Spinelli.

Alex as Anna tells Valentin, it’s so kind of him to offer to help break the news, but it’s something she should do herself. He says, do it now. Alex could be in Port Charles any minute. With all of Anna’s good intentions, she did a helluva job setting Alex up. Alex will paint herself as the injured party, so she can control the narrative, and turn Peter against them both. She’s manipulated Anna her entire adult life, not just with the memory swap. Besides compounding Anna’s guilt at being a double-agent, she made Anna think she was Peter’s mother. If she doesn’t tell Peter, he will. She tells him, she’ll always try to do the best for her son. He says, what? and she says, do what’s best for Peter. He tells her, she said best for her son.

Anna struggles to get free from the tie on her hands.

Doc says, as he understands, a personality shift is a potential side effect in some patients with Franco’s condition, but there’s no certainly it will happen. Franco says, it was a barren, boring existence. No imagination, no joy in life, nothing could fill him or make him happy, except the adrenalin rush at getting away with something. When the tumor was removed, that went away. He’s not a perfect dude, but he can be a friend, and he can be a father; he is a husband. He feels love, and it’s a privilege to watch the evolution of the boys. All of that will go away again. No operation; no magic reset button. Doc asks if he has any reason to believe he’s experiencing side effects. Has he had a shift in sight or smell? Any periods of time lost? Franco says, it’s hard to say. He’s an artist. When he’s working, like when he painted Ava’s portrait, he’d work for 20 minutes, and find 3 hours had gone by. Doc says he has the same experience painting (and me, in the garden), but it’s not the same as finding yourself in Rice Plaza with no idea how you got there. Has he had any instances like that? Franco doesn’t know. He’s not a reliable narrator for his own life. Doc says he’ll support Franco, but thinks Franco should tell the ones who love him. Franco said, or tell the ones who hate him.

Jordan says it’s none of Portia’s business what she does as a mother or Police Commissioner, and TJ asks, why is she siding with Cyrus? Jordan says she’s siding with him. When he graduates medical school, who’ll want to hire a troublemaker who questions management? TJ says he’ll worry about his own future. It’s his Constitutional right to protest. Portia says, what about her? Is Jordan going to deny her rights too? Jordan say she doesn’t think it’s a good idea, and Portia say she didn’t think investigating Brando was a good idea either. She was there when Jordan told Chase to drop it. And there’s no new information on Taggert’s murder. Another case that led straight to Cyrus. Jordan had said she would make sure Taggert’s killer didn’t walk free. It doesn’t seem like she feels the same way now.

Alex says, of course (🍷) Valentin is right, but she’s been treating Peter like her son for over a year. It’s not an easy habit to break. She loves him like a son. She can’t drop her feelings. Valentin says he understands. It must be difficult. He tells he his throat is suddenly scratchy, and asks for some water. She says, where are her manners? She should have offered it to him straight away. (See? Anna would never talk like that to Valentin.) Alex goes into the kitchen, and he looks around. He looks up the stairs, and seems like he might go up them. Anna breaks free, and pulls the tape off her mouth. She yells for help, and Valentin hears. She yells that she’s downstairs.

Spinelli says Peter can’t believe he can replicate Helena’s distinctive tone, and Peter says Spinelli’s computer expertise is legendary. He could have done a deep fake. Spinelli says he was with Peter when he got the call. He’s not a magician. He can’t be in two places at once. Peter asks, who said Spinelli did it alone? Spinelli asks if Peter has speculated on his accomplice, and Peter says he doesn’t want to make this more complicated than it needs to be. He thinks Spinelli dreamed this up, now he needs to back the hell off. Spinelli says this is all speculation, and Peter says he chose to accept Spinelli’s olive branch for Maxie’s sake. He’s giving Spinelli a last chance. Stay out of his life. Spinelli asks if that’s a threat, and Peter says, it certainly is. He can crush Spinelli, and if Spinelli pushes him, he will.

Ava says, it’s not like Julian hasn’t disappeared before. He was in the witness protection program. He says, in a strange town with a fake name, away from everything that mattered to him. She asks if Julian wants her to fight his battles; run around circumventing Ryan, and trying to cover up Julian’s bad choices. He says all he wanted her to do was neutralize Ryan by divorcing Nikolas, and she says, even if it meant she lost everything. He says, everything except him. He’ll call Nikolas and take his offer of a new life, so she can live hers.

Sonny picks up the visitor phone at Pentenville. Ryan says, it’s common knowledge he doesn’t visit just any inmate. He’s speechless. It’s an honor and a privilege. Sonny asks what he wants.

Ava says, of course (🍷) she doesn’t want Julian to disappear. She loves him. There’s no one who knows her better, and aside from Avery, he’s her only family. She tells him, don’t call Nikolas just yet. She’ll try to get to Ryan before Sonny does, and stop him from giving Julian up. He asks, how? and she says she’ll figure it out on the way over.

Ryan says he thinks Sonny misinterpreted him. He doesn’t want anything from Sonny. On the contrary. He has something he thinks Sonny wants. Sonny says he’s listening, and Ryan says he recently came into some information that’s going to rock Sonny’s world.

Cyrus walks into Charlie’s, and Julian says, hello. Cyrus asks, to what does he owe the pleasure of the surprisingly warm welcome? Julian says Cyrus is exactly the person he wants to see. Cyrus asks, why? and Julian says he’s ready to make a deal with him.

Jordan says she doesn’t like it any more than Portia, and Portia says, then why stop her son from protesting? Jordan says she’s protecting him, and in a way, protecting Portia. Why antagonize their boss, and make life harder? Please. Let it go. Portia says, wow. She’d love to know what’s going on between Jordan and Cyrus.   

Peter says it’s no secret that he’s been no angel in the past; quite the opposite. But he has a new life with Maxie and the baby, and to protect that life, he can revert to his old self like that. If Spinelli ever tries anything like this again, he will. Do they understand each other? Spinelli nods, and Peter says, good.

Valentin hears Anna say she’s in the basement. He tells her that he’s coming, but before he can open the door, Alex comes up behind him with a syringe.

Tomorrow, Maxie tells Peter, that’s not how it works; Finn wonders what’s keeping Anna; Jackie says there’s something she needs to tell Chase; Sonny tells Ryan, he doesn’t play games; and Cyrus says, now that’s something interesting.

👍 I Vote Going…

She couldn’t get more vague, but I think if she was staying, she’d have said so.

🎃 The Party Is Never Over…

Halloween may have passed, but you can still look at pictures.

💎 Whoa…

News of the day. Erika from RHOBH is getting a divorce. While truthfully, it’s none of my business, I’m disappointed.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/housewives-erika-girardi-divorce-tom-girardi

https://people.com/tv/rhobh-star-erika-girardi-files-for-divorce-tom-girardi/

But I’m not surprised Brandi inserted herself.

https://theblast.com/146940/rhobh-brandi-glanville-cashes-in-on-erika-jayne-divorce

💺 Leaving On Not-a-Jet Plane…

As the dust from Halloween settles, I still have to clean up the glitter from my floors. I hope you voted, and hope, whoever wins, everyone behaves themselves. It hasn’t been a good look lately. In the post-election haze, stay safe, stay fair, and stay away from your workplace when discussing plans to protest your boss.

November 2, 2020 – Josslyn Visits Family, a New Crew On Deck, Cast List, Unexpected Goodbye, TV Shake Up, Snubbing Rock, Lots O’ Costumes & Right On

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Josslyn comes into the living room where Bobbie and Carly are sitting. Carly says, one, two, three… and yell, happy birthday! Josslyn takes her earbuds out, and asks if they said something. Bobbie tells her, they said, happy birthday, and Josslyn says, almost a clean getaway. Carly says she can’t believe her baby is 18, and hugs her. Bobbie says she can’t believe it either. Her granddaughter has grown into a beautiful young woman. Josslyn thanks her, and asks if she smells pancakes. Carly says they can be turned into birthday pancakes if Josslyn goes to the kitchen. Josslyn says she’d love to, but she’s meeting Trina at the gallery. They’re having an exhibit, and they get extra credit if they write a report about it. Carly asks if she’ll be home early, and Josslyn promises to be there for whatever birthday dinner she’s cooking up. Carly says Josslyn forgot. Today is her first election day.

The gallery is presenting a celebration of 100 years of women’s suffrage. Trina checks out the displays, and says, wow. She sees Portia and says, Ava told her the Historical Society was putting up and exhibit on women’s suffrage, but she didn’t expect all this. Jordan walks over, and says she saw Ava at the polls. Portia is glad she went earlier, and suggests Trina go now. Jordan says, that’s right; Trina is 18. She remembers how excited TJ was about his first election, and asks if Trina is excited. Trina says she’s especially excited to be voting down ballot. She thinks it’s important to elect the right people who will select their public officials. Like the Police Commissioner for example.

Carly says Josslyn is voting, right? and Josslyn says if she has time .Carly asks what she means, and Bobbie says she’s surprised at Josslyn’s cavalier attitude. She’s always been civic minded. Carly says Josslyn has helped with the food bank and coat drive, and she and Oscar organized a dance to support their transgender friends who were being bullied. Josslyn says, when she makes a difference. She’s one vote. Does it really matter? Carly says she understands Josslyn being overwhelmed with what’s going on in the world today, but she still has a responsibility to do her civic duty and vote. Every vote matters. She leaves to get the polling information, and Josslyn says she’s sorry she disappointed Bobbie. Bobbie says, she’s just shocked, and bets Josslyn’s great-great grandmother would be too. Beatrice Eckert. She was a suffragist and played a vital role in women getting and keeping their right to vote in New York state. Josslyn asks what she means by keeping. Wasn’t it the law? Bobbie says, yes, but 1920 was the first time women voted in a Presidential election, but not everyone was happy about it. There were anti-suffragist contingents led by people who thought a woman’s place was in the home and out of politics. A lot of them were women. Josslyn asks if they didn’t realize that the suffragists were fighting for them too, and Bobbie says, they wanted things to stay the same. During the 1920 election, she wouldn’t believe the pushback to keep women from voting. Who knows what would have happened in Port Charles if Beatrice hadn’t been there to rally the women to vote. Carly comes back in, and says, talk about someone who made a difference. She gives Josslyn the information, and wonders what Beatrice would think about Josslyn being too busy to vote. Josslyn says, message received. She’ll find the time. Josslyn leaves, and Bobbie says, sadly, she has the feeling a lot of young people feel the same way; disenchanted and ambivalent. Carly says she didn’t think Josslyn was one of them, and hopes she got through.   

At the gallery, Lucy unpacks a box, and Monica tells her the exhibit is fine the way it is. Lucy says, it’s supposed to be historically accurate. She takes out some candles, saying, she hates the electric candles. She’s going to put some of these around. They’re from the museum, and she’s sure it’s fine. Monica says she’s sure Ava will be comforted to hear her gallery burned down due to historically accurate candles.

Trina is looking at the exhibit, when Josslyn comes in. Trina says, hi there, birthday girl. Congratulations on the big 1-8. Josslyn says she had no idea it would be this cool. Trina picks up a group photo, and tells Josslyn, check this out. She looks just like Josslyn’s mom; Beatrice Eckert. Josslyn says, that’s her; her great-great grandma. Her grandma was telling her about Beatrice’s part in the women’s suffrage movement in Port Charles. Trina says she had a great-great aunt who was part of an African America sorority, who fought for women’s rights back in the day. Josslyn says she guesses it made a difference back then, and Trina says, don’t joke. People put their lives on the line for the right to vote. Those women, legendary civil rights leaders, and ordinary citizens fought long and hard for their right to vote. She’s not letting them down, especially now. Josslyn asks when Trina got so political, and Trina says it’s one of those moments when Josslyn needs to come out of her bubble. Josslyn says, it feels like nothing changes, but Trina says, not voting guarantees things won’t change. She walks up to a voting booth, and wonders how they felt stepping into it. They must have felt so empowered, knowing they’d won the right to vote. She and Josslyn go into the booth, and Lucy takes out a candle that says TIME on the bottom. Josslyn says, it’s kind of rinky-dink, and Trina says, but powerful. Josslyn calls her a nerd, and Trina says, takes one to know one. Josslyn says, just them and the machine, and Trina says, making their choices, and making their voices heard. They hit the lever that opens the curtain, and…

Josslyn and Trina are in old-timey clothes outside, and Josslyn says, what the…? Trina says, where are we?

Josslyn wonders if the booth was some kind of virtual exhibit, and Trina tells her look at what she’s wearing. Look at what I’m wearing. Josslyn says, this is way too creepy. People can’t just go back in time. She pinches Trina, who says, ow! What was that for? and Josslyn says, this is real. Carly/Beatrice comes by, and asks if they need help. Josslyn says, mom. Beatrice says, sorry? and Josslyn says Beatrice looks a lot like her mom, but she can’t be. Beatrice says they look confused. Do they need help? Trina says they have no idea what’s happening, and Josslyn says, or where they are. Beatrice says, Wellington Square in Port Charles, New York. They do know where that is, correct? Trina says, it’s not like the Port Charles they know. They see a poster that says Vote November 2, 1920.  Josslyn says, the poster… the date, and Beatrice says, it’s election day. Josslyn says, in 1920, and Beatrice asks if they’ve had an accident. Perhaps she should take them to a doctor. Trina says they’re fine, and pulls Josslyn aside, and says, no more questions. She’s looking at them funny. Josslyn says, it’s insane. It can’t be 1920. Trina says, whatever’s happening, they need to pull it together quick, or Beatrice will think they’re crazy, and send them to the hospital. Josslyn says, and mental hospitals in the 1920s were hideous. Beatrice calls to another woman, saying, Dr. Johnson, a moment? Portia/Dr. Johnson comes over, and Beatrice says, these young ladies seem disoriented. Perhaps she could examine them. Dr. Johnson says, of course (🍷) she can. She introduces herself as Dr. Priscilla Johnson, and Josslyn introduces herself and Trina. Priscilla says it’s lovely to meet them both. She’ll start by taking a pulse. Trina says, she’s still a doctor, and Priscilla says, rest assured, she is. Josslyn says Beatrice is Beatrice Eckert, the suffragette. Beatrice says she is and she isn’t. She’s Beatrice Eckert, the suffragist. Suffragette is a petty term meant to diminish the movement, coined by a petty man who didn’t like what they were doing. Sadly, his followers adapted it. Josslyn stands corrected, and Priscilla says, now her. She says Josslyn is a pretty name, and asks if it’s her mother’s name, but Josslyn says, her mother’s name is… Caroline. She looks at Beatrice, and Priscilla says, another beautiful name. Both of them have an elevated pulse, but it’s nothing serious. Have they eaten today? Josslyn says, just a granola bar, and Trina says she had a muffin and a latte. Beatrice says, give them a moment, and steps aside with Priscilla. Josslyn tells Trina, that woman is Beatrice Eckert, her great-great grandmother. That’s why she looks like her mom. Trina says, whatever is happening, they have to be careful. They don’t want to mess with the space/time continuum. Josslyn says she got that from a movie, but Trina says, it’s all she has to go on. They’re not supposed to be there, and if they’re not careful, they could screw up the future. Josslyn says Trina is scaring her, and Trina says, there’s a lot riding on this election, and they don’t want to effect it, or the Port Charles they know might be changed forever.

Josslyn says Beatrice really doesn’t need stay with her. She knows Beatrice is extremely busy; a suffragist on election day. Beatrice says, a very historic election day. It’s the first Presidential election where women will finally be able to give voice in how the country is run. What about Josslyn? Is she visiting family? Josslyn says she seems to be. Trina asks Beatrice if she’s excited to vote for the first time, but Beatrice says, it’s her third time voting. Is Trina not from New York? The state granted women voting rights in 1917. Trina says she just thought there might be problems for African Americans. Priscilla says she’s not familiar with that term, and Trina says, right; they’re negroes. Priscilla asks if she’s sure she’s well, and Trina promises she’s fine. She’s so impressed Priscilla is a doctor. It’s something she should be proud of. Priscilla thanks her, and says her mother always told her, when one path closes, go out and trailblaze another. She was one of the first few women to go to Howard Medical School. Her sister formed the first suffragist movement in Chicago at a sorority. She asks if Trina is planning on going to college, and Trina says she is. Priscilla says, that’s wonderful. They must all strive to get ahead. Trina says, it still must be difficult for her, and Priscilla says, they haven’t always been embraced by society, or by the suffrage movement. She asks if Trina is familiar with the march in Washington. It was more like a battle. They were attacked by spectators, and the few police that were there, stood by and let it happen. They were hospitalized and jailed, but still continued to march forward. Their struggle as women of color is tied to their struggle as people. Trina says, the struggle is real, and Priscilla says, all too true. Some people still can’t vote because they don’t have the money for the registration fee. Trina says, she heard about that. Extra poll taxes and literacy tests. It’s voter suppression, and it’s bogus. Priscilla says, yes; bogus. The 15th and 19th amendments are on the books, but sadly, that doesn’t mean it changes people’s hearts and minds. But it doesn’t mean stop fighting, does it? Trina says, no ma’am, and Priscilla says she needs to get off to the women’s polling station. Trina says, they have a separate place for women? and Priscilla says the town council thought it was more seemly if the women voted separately from the men. Trina says, bogus. Josslyn tells Beatrice, it’s a lot to take in, and Beatrice says, they’ve come a long way, and they’re still making progress. Maybe one day there will even be a woman elected President. Josslyn says, wouldn’t that be something? and Beatrice says here’s someone who helped show them the way. She calls to Alice, and Anna/Alice comes over to her, asking Beatrice if she’s excited for this day. Josslyn says she’s British. She can’t vote in their election, but Alice says she’s there to celebrate with her American sisters. Beatrice thanks her for her unwavering assistance, but Alice says, it’s states like New York that led the way. Josslyn says she thought women could vote in England in 1918, and Alice says, only those 30 years of age and older, a matter she’s going to attend to on her way home. Elizabeth/Eliza joins them, and says they have a problem. It seems no women will be voting today.

Jordan/Josephine says, the polling place is closed, and Alice says, that’s preposterous. They had everything ready to go yesterday. Josephine says, the building has been padlocked shut, and Beatrice says, this is outrageous. Josslyn pulls Trina aside, and says, something isn’t right. They know these women voted in 1920. Is this happening because of them? Alice says, it’s another ploy keeping them from their right to vote, and Priscilla says, it’s voter suppression. Isn’t that what Trina called it? Alice says she’s going there now, and Josephine says she’ll go with her; perhaps she can find a crowbar. Beatrice tells them to be careful. Josslyn asks if this is out of the norm. Who would do something like this? Britt/Bertha arrives, and says, she would, and Eliza says, Bertha Halifax, what did you do? Bertha says, her job. She told her boss the mortgage was in arrears. The bank foreclosed, which it has every right to do. She appreciates rights, doesn’t she? Eliza says Bertha’s boss owns the bank, and has tried to get the rights of women to vote repealed several times. To no avail. Beatrice says it’s just another attempt to stop them, but they won’t be stopped. They’ll never give up. Bertha says they won’t be voting in Port Charles today, and Josslyn asks why she won’t help them. They’re fighting for her rights too. Bertha asks who she is, then says, no matter, and leaves. Ava/Ada approaches them, and says, finally, some good news. Maybe people can finally put this women’s rights upheaval to rest. Trina says she can’t possibly believe that, and Josslyn says, Ava always says ignorant things. Even here. Ada asks, who are these rude women? and Beatrice says, they’re new in town. Ada says she’ll have them know she’s Ada Hook. Her family came over on the Mayflower. Beatrice says, no one cares. They’re all here now. They’re all American citizens with the right to vote. How can she think it’s beneath her? It’s women like her standing in the way of fairness and equality. Ada says, it’s women like Beatrice slumming in politics, who are demeaning decent women everywhere. She should be ashamed. Beatrice says, it’s Ada’s fault she’s stuck in a loveless marriage. Don’t blame the rest of them because she’s unhappy. Ada stomps toward Beatrice, who pushes her back, and Ada falls on her behind. She says Beatrice will pay for this, and Beatrice tells her, take her best shot.

Obrecht/Miss Oberlay locks Beatrice in a cell, and says, arrested again. How many times does this make? Beatrice says she’ll be out of there in a matter of hours. She’d like to skip the formalities; she has important business to attend to. Oberlay says, that’s for a judge to decide. The courts are backed up, and there’s no telling when she’ll get a hearing. Beatrice says, but it’s election day. Oberlay says, not for her.

Back outside, Josslyn says, this is a disaster, and Trina says, completely. Alexis/Lexi asks if they’re unwell. Have they been laid low by the evils of drink? Josslyn says, no; they haven’t been drinking, and Lexi says she’s pleased to hear that. She introduces herself as Lexi Brighton, head of the Port Charles chapter of the Women’s Temperance Union. She asks why they’re sitting slumped over, and Trina says Beatrice has been arrested and they need to get her out. Lexi says she was wondering why the polling place was locked, and Josslyn says, the bank foreclosed on the building overnight, and Beatrice got in a fight with Ada. Ada had Beatrice arrested, and now they can’t get her out. Trina says, and it’s election day. The clock is literally ticking. Lexi tells them, say no more. She’s worked with some elected officials. She might know someone who can help.

A small crowd gathers, and Lexi says, it’s Assemblywoman, Mary Butler. Trina says, impressive, and they join the crowd. Terry/Tilly says, the assemblywoman doesn’t have time to speak to any more constituents, but Lexi gets her attention, and says, she’s sure Mary can find the time. Tilly says Mary is supposed to be at the women’s polling center at noon, and Lexi says, there won’t be a polling center if these ladies don’t speak to Mary. Monica/Mary asks what this is about, and Lexi says, these lovely ladies will explain it to her. Mary tells Tilly that she’ll make the time, and asks them to sit.

Josslyn tells Mary, now Beatrice is locked up, and so is the polling center. Mary understands why they came to her. She’s well-known at the local jail. Her no account husband has had run-ins with the law many times. He finally ran off for good, thank the lucky stars. She has a fortuitous acquaintance with the Police Commissioner. She tells Tilly that she needs to talk to Commissioner Cromwell.

Josslyn and Trina go back to Beatrice’s cell, and Josslyn tells her that she’s being released. Beatrice asks how they managed it, and Oberlay says, corruption. All this talk of voting, as if anything will change. Powerful people will always have the last say. Ada comes in, and says she wants the satisfaction of seeing Beatrice in the hoosgow with her own eyes. Trina says, Mrs. Hooker? and Ada says, it’s Hook. Trina says she’s sorry for starting the altercation between Ada and Beatrice, but Ada’s fall was an accident. Ada says, people laughed. She has a reputation to consider. Trina says, a great woman can survive a few snickers. Today is more important than her squabble with Beatrice. Ada asks if Trina believes in all that voting nonsense, and Trina says, absolutely. They need to have their voices heard. Ada says, women should stay out of politics. Her husband will vote for them both. Trina asks if she trusts her husband completely. He’s never lied to her, or told her what she wanted to hear? Ada calls her insolent, and Trina says she just can’t believe a strong smart woman like Ada would sit back and let someone else run her life. Ada says no one runs her life, and Trina asks, then why is she throwing away her vote?

Beatrice, now out of her cell, tells Josslyn that they need to get to the polling place. Oberlay says they’d better hurry, and quit cluttering up the halls. Ada comes out, and Oberlay asks if Ada is there to make sure Beatrice doesn’t escape justice. Ada says, no. Trina helped her realize that there are some things more important than petty personal squabbles. She tells Trina that she expects great things from her. Beatrice thanks Ada, and Oberlay tells them to go. Schnell.

At the polling place, Bertha hammers a foreclosure sign to the door. She tells the crowd, no voting today. Go home to their husbands and children. Their kitchens await. Alice tells them not to listen. Stay to vote. The door will be opened if they have to storm it themselves. Bertha asks if they want to end up in jail like Beatrice. Think of their families. Beatrice gets on a literal soapbox, and says, yes. Think of their families. Think of their daughters, who need their example. Think of their mothers and grandmothers. She’s Beatrice Eckert, the suffragist, their friend and neighbor. Three years ago, they were able to secure voting rights in their state. It’s a proud moment, made even prouder by the 19th amendment. Now women all over the state get to cast their vote for the next President of the United States. There will be detractors, people who want to silence them because of their fear, or complacency with the status quo, but they needn’t be afraid or daunted. They don’t want to take anything from them. They want to include everyone in the promise America has to offer. Ada has joined the crowd, and everyone is enthusiastic. Bertha says, women don’t belong in politics, but Beatrice says, women belong everywhere. In kitchens, hospitals, and classrooms, and in voting booths. They’re going to vote today, and in every election to come. The future in America is brighter because of them. Who’s with her? Everyone chants, yes! but Bertha says they can’t get in. Josephine picks up a hammer, and says they won’t be denied  their rights as citizens, and breaks the lock. They all go inside.

Trina sees Ada, and says, she’s here. Ada says she wanted to see if Beatrice could pull it off. Since she’s there, she might as well vote. She doesn’t need a man to speak for her. It was a pleasure meeting her, Trina…. Trina says, Robinson, and Ada says, a name destined for greatness. Josslyn says Beatrice did it, but Beatrice says, they all did it. They all made sacrifices and suffered persecution, but look around. Generations to come will reap the benefits of their suffering. Josslyn says she understands now. Voting isn’t just a right; it’s a privilege. It’s the least and most they can do as citizens. Beatrice calls Josslyn her fellow suffragist.

Oberlay comes in, and asks Josslyn and Trina what they’re gawking at. She’s exercising her right to vote, and they better hope they never end up in her jail. She has her eye on them. She closes the curtain, and Trina tells Josslyn, she doesn’t understand why they’re still there. They fixed everything. Beatrice made her speech, and women are voting. Josslyn says, that’s it. They were in a voting booth before they got here. Trina says she’s right. Maybe if they pull the lever again… Beatrice comes out of a booth, and says she did it; she casted her vote. She asks what Josslyn and Trina are still doing there. Clearly they’re not 21, and not registered there. Josslyn says they were just taking a look inside. That warden lady was just here. Beatrice says, Miss Oberlay? Excellent. Trina says, but she might vote the wrong way, but Beatrice says, there is no wrong way. She wants every woman, every citizen to vote, even people she doesn’t agree with. Josslyn says it’s been a great honor to meet her. She’ll try to follow her example and encourage those around her to stay involved, so they can have the government they want. Beatrice says, the honor is hers. She sees great things in Josslyn’s future. Alice calls to her, and Beatrice says she has to go.

A booth is open, and there’s no one around, and Trina says now’s their chance. They go inside, closing the curtain, and Trina says, let’s do this. Josslyn says, please let this work. They pull the lever, and the curtain opens to the gallery.

Trina says they did it, and Josslyn says, thank God. Lucy asks if they blew out her candle, and picks it up. She says, time? Oh boy, wrong candle. Very wrong. No, no, no. Oh dear. She asks how they’re feeling. Do they feel okay? Josslyn says she doesn’t know. Something strange happened. Trina says, beyond strange. Lucy says she lit the wrong candle. It’s a special candle that doesn’t have normal properties. It has special properties, and has to be handled carefully, which she didn’t. Sometimes it allows you to open your inner eye, and see things that… aren’t usual. Josslyn asks if she means things that aren’t there, and Lucy says, it’s possible. She takes the box, and says she’s just going to go carry on. Josslyn asks Trina if they had a weird psychedelic trip because Lucy lit a weird candle. Trina says, it makes more sense than time travel. Time travel isn’t real… right? Josslyn says, totally, and Trina says she thinks the election just got in their heads, and they went back to the first election where women could vote. Josslyn says, whatever it was, it was awesome, and Trina says they’re going to slay their history project. Josslyn says, first, they have something more important to do. Vote.

Terry and Elizabeth see Britt outside the polling place, and Elizabeth says, don’t worry. They took an early lunch, and got in and out. She hopes Britt doesn’t experience any delays herself, and Terry says, it’s picking up again. Bobbie and Carly get there in time to see Josslyn and Trina come out. Everyone applauds, and they bow. Trina sees Ava, and asks if she voted. Ava says, of course (🍷). Did Trina really think she wouldn’t? Trina says, no. She knows what kind of woman Ava is. Carly asks Josslyn how it felt voting for the first time, and Josslyn says, very gratifying, empowering, and humbling. Carly says, nice, and Josslyn says she thought about Beatrice, and her, and grandma, and how all the women had done so much for their generation. She wasn’t about to let them down. Carly says Josslyn is so grown up. But she still has a curfew. Bobbie tells her, congratulations. She’s just done something women in their family have been doing for 100 years. Josslyn says, 103 years. Women in New York state have been voting since 1917. Carly says she got a lot out of the research paper, and Josslyn smiles at Trina. She says, you have no idea.

We see the gallery displays, and hear the women from the past talking. Lucy comes in and stops at a group photo of the suffragists, and does a doubletake. She keeps moving, and we see Josslyn and Trina in the photo. We hear Josslyn say she understands now. It’s not just a right. It’s a privilege, and the least, and most, we can do as citizens.

I gotta say, I loved this. When it started, I thought it might be boring, but I was surprised at how good it was. And it spurred me to vote early. I also wondered, was that a left over candle from the Superstition arc in Port Charles? A friend noticed it also said Barrington on the box.

Tomorrow, Sonny wants to know why Ryan is reaching out to Ava, TJ says he needs Jordan’s help with police business, and Portia asks why Cyrus doesn’t just fire her for insubordination.

Below Deck

This was tough because it was a new crew, and two of the guys looked the same. One also wasn’t on any online cast list. You’ll see why later.

Eddie is back as bosun, but he’s the only familiar face. Besides Captain Lee. And the boat. My Seanna is back. Chef Rachel said she was laser focused on her work, but out of the galley, she’s not quiet. New chief stew Francesca said she thrives on attention to detail, but sometimes thinks they don’t pay her enough for this crap. Deckhand James is an admitted player; deckhand Avery a Jack of all trades, who’d done just about every job on a boat, including interior and driving it; and deckhand Shane is from SoCal and a surfer. He said when people meet him, they expect a stoner, but they’re wrong. He’s an environmentalist, who believes the body is a temple, and the earth is our temple as people. As for the interior, stew Elizabeth likes to get in touch with her mystical side using meditation, yoga, and crystals; stew Izzy (Isabel) said she was the walking definition of too much information, and no topic was taboo for her.

Antigua. February 11, 2020. Eddie tells us that he’s been in Baltimore, where he runs a harbor tug, and docks massive ships. He’s getting away for the winter, and going back to yachting. He gets to the My Seanna, and hunts for Captain Lee, but the boat seems empty. He thinks something must be wrong, and calls the captain. Captain Lee says he’s at the hospital. He’s embarrassed to say it, but he fell in the shower and busted some ribs. He might need surgery, and the season might be over before it starts for him. He tells Eddie to get familiar with the boat. The first charter starts tomorrow at noon. In Eddie’s interview, he says Captain Lee has been his mentor since the day they met, and it’s terrifying for him. If the captain doesn’t show up, the charter won’t be happening, so it’s very concerning

Francesca arrives next, and checks the boat out. She meets Eddie, and in her interview, says she takes her job too seriously sometimes. She wants to think like a guest. Attention to detail is everything, and she likes everything meticulously placed. Eddie explains that Captain Lee is at the hospital. Avery is next, then Elizabeth, and James. As Eddie goes about his duties, he says, come back and work on the yacht, Eddie. It will be fun, they said. He thinks he feels an aneurysm coming on. In James’s interview, he says he wouldn’t kick Francesca out of bed. Alrighty then, but is he detail oriented? Shane thinks the boat is gnarly, and in Avery’s interview, he says he was on a rocky road in a dark place, and found yachting by accident.

Francesca and Eddie meet with their respective teams. Eddie tells the deckhands, they have to unf*** stuff today. In his interview, he says he’s trying to stay composed and professional, but deep down, he’s panicking. The first charter is less than 24 hours away, and there’s a lot on the line.

In her interview, Izzy says she’s been around boats her whole life. She was too cheap to pay for a holiday, so she started working on boats. As long as she’s working, and living life to the fullest, she’s up for a challenge. Shane intrudes on the interior meeting, and Francesca wonders why he’s there before he wanders off again. In Shane’s interview, he says he’s new to yachting, and has less than a year under his belt. He’s been on boats his whole life, but never vessels over 150 feet. Eddie hunts for Shane, and tells him that they’re bunking together. Shane says he’s from a white glove world, and Eddie says if he doesn’t know what to do, ask. His only problem is if someone says they know how to do something, and they don’t. In his interview, Eddie says he thinks he’s going to be screwed with this one. He tells Shane, just absorb.

Francesca tells the stews to get the cabins guest ready, and familiarize themselves with where things are. In Francesca’s interview, she says she tries to find balance between being patient, and being a hard-on. That’s how she rolls. Elizabeth says she’s used to working with militant chief stews, and thinks Francesca has pure intentions, In Eddie’s interview, he says Avery seems knowledgeable and organized. With a new crew and the captain injured, he’s got a lot to do to get ready, and needs someone he can depend on. Elizabeth struggles with making beds, and Izzy gets hit in the face with bidet water. James asks about the girls on the boat. In his interview, he says he doesn’t think yachting is much of a career, He just wants to get some sun, party, and flirt.

Chef Rachel arrives, and says she had her purse stolen. She was in a store, and left her purse in the cart (you all know not to do that, right?), and it was stolen. It was upsetting and overwhelming, and she’s not in the state she should be in mentally, and it sucks. The deckhands wash down and clean up. Francesca asks Elizabeth to do laundry detail. In Rachel’s interview, she says, normally, she’d reorganize the galley, but she needs to hit the ground running, suck it up, and get it done with a smile. Provisions come in, and Eddie tries calling Captain Lee again.

Captain Lee finally makes it to the boat, and everyone is like, yay! He tells Eddie, no hugs. In his interview, the captain says his ribs are killing him, but only when he moves and breathes. Other than that, it’s fine. He’s glad he didn’t damage any vital organs, but feels like he’s been wrapped up in a bedsheet and beaten with a bat. Suck it up, creampuff. He radios for everyone to come to the Sky Lounge. He apologizes for leaving them high and dry, but it couldn’t be helped; it’s under control now. He introduces Mario and Zack, the engineers, and first officer John. He gives the crew his rules – don’t embarrass the boat or themselves. In his interview, he says he doesn’t want a repeat of last season. No physical intimidation. We flash back to drunk Ashton. He says, they got away with it last year. If they don’t respect each other this season, they’re gone. We flash back to the captain slamming the door after he tells Kate and Ashton not to be slamming doors. He tells the crew, if anyone thinks he won’t fire someone mid-charter, they don’t know him. In Izzy’s interview, he says he’s like a sweet grandpa who will spank you if you do something wrong. Captain Lee says a quick way to get a one-way ticket is to be without a radio.

The captain meets with Francesca, and tells her that he doesn’t like to micromanage. He asks her to go to whoever is having the issue first, and try to resolve it. If she can’t, bring him a straight, unbiased version. He tells her, laundry is his pet peeve. There’s the bar, and his bar, which is way the f*** up there. In his interview, he says he’s had the same chief stew for the last six years, and we flash back to Kate. He says, it  takes a long time to develop the level of trust he and Kate shared. Francesca has huge shoes to fill. Francesca tells him that she wants the guests to have one-of-a-kind, unique experiences. In the captain’s interview, he says Francesca seems competent, and seems to know her stuff, but she has a lot on her plate. He explains how he wants the crease in the front of his pants, not on the side, and in his interview, he says Francesca doesn’t know what a d*ck he can be. Francesca gives Elizabeth the skinny on the captain’s pants.

It’s time for the first preference sheet meeting, and the captain radios Eddie, Francesca, and Rachel. He tells them he’s had Charley on board before. He’s a fun guy, with a propensity for living on the edge. We flash back to Charley being kind of an a-hole. Charley is bringing his boyfriend Carlos, and a couple of friends. The captain says the menu will include vegan and keto, and they want an international themed dinner the first night. In Rachel’s interview, she says when she’s not doing yachting, she’s a private Ayurvedic chef. She studied in India for three years. She’s got this. Captain Lee says they want a neon carnival themed party on the second day, which is also guest Lexy’s birthday. He says, Charley knows what to expect. Never let him see you sweat. In his interview, Captain Lee says, Charley is a handful. He demands a lot, and doesn’t mind paying for it, but to get to the pot at the end of the rainbow, you’ve got to create the rainbow. The crew calls it a night.

Shane says he likes to meditate when he wakes up. It sets the precedent for the entire day. Izzy is tasked with the captain’s breakfast, but Francesca thinks a snail could make breakfast faster, and it doesn’t even have hands. She doesn’t think it does anyway. Eddie tells the captain, Avery is solid, but Shane has green growing pains. The captain says he was doing good until he rolled over. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says, last season, he had no bosun he could count on and depend on . We flash back to several inferior bosuns, and the captain says, when you have a new crew, you’ve got to have a stabilizing factor. Eddie brings that to the table. Elizabeth radios James to come and get a bag of garbage. He comes down wearing shorter than short shorts. In Elizabeth’s interview, she says she hopes this is the first yacht she doesn’t fall in love on. It’s a half hour to charter, and Avery says, it’s a never ending battle to clean things that will never be clean. Eddie tells them, it’s showtime.

Charley and friends arrive, and the captain welcomes them. He tells them Francesca will give them the grand tour, and they’ll get started. Charley says, it’s good to be home. He points out a bathroom where one of his friends may have passed out, and tells his party, don’t do that. The luggage is brought on board, and the railings come in. A guest flirts with James. Apparently, she and Elizabeth are seeing something I don’t. In his interview, Eddie says, docking and undocking are a spectator sport. People love to watch. All  the lines are clear, and they head out. The guests want espresso martinis, and Izzy begs the espresso machine to work. Francesca wonders how long it takes to make espressos, and says, Izzy is so slow. They have two machines; use them both. She brings up some vegan delights appetizers to the guests, and in her interview, says, being chief stew is all about problem solving. She helps make espresso shots for the martinis. Carlos loves it, so all is well.

Francesca asks Elizabeth to unpack the master, and shows Izzy how to make the martini. She just needs it to happen. Looking at all the stuff Charley brought, Elizabeth says it’s a lot of sh*t for three days. Anchor is dropped at Morris Bay. Charley tells his guests, until the crew figures out what’s going on, what do they need? He takes orders for an espresso martini, an Aperol spritz, and sunscreen. He gets behind bar, and tells Izzy that he’s helping out. Izzy is like, no, and he tells her to get the sunscreen, and he’ll make the drinks. Izzy tells Francesca, the primary senses everyone is overwhelmed, and is making drinks. Francesca says they need to step up their game. In Izzy’s interview, she says she’s questioning her decision to work there. Why did she do this to herself? Francesca tells Charley that she’ll take care of it; it’s her domain. Carlos says, the crew needs to step it up. In Francesca’s interview, she says they’re supposed to be 7 star service. Charley tells her, call today a learning curve, and call tomorrow, get it right. He understands for 24 hours.

Eddie wants to sit and cry. Francesca asks Elizabeth to take over bartending. In her interview, Francesca says Elizabeth is adapting, and doing what she’s told. Thank God, since Izzy isn’t happening. Francesca says she comes from a large yacht, and had stews with experience. With the guests full-on, she needs stews who know what they’re doing. She confers with Rachel about dinner. The captain asks Izzy how it’s going, and she says she’s a little overwhelmed. In his interview, he says that’s not what he wants to hear. James checks out guest Lexy, and says he likes older chicks, and the birthday girl is hot. In Rachel’s interview, she says, food is multi-dimensional. There’s the visual, the scent, the texture, and the taste. She loves it. It’s like a fun puzzle she puts together. She apologizes for being a nerd.

Shane replaces the plastic bar straws with paper ones that have a nautical theme. He says he always brings his own straws. We have one planet, and if we destroy the earth where will humans go? The moon? Charley loves the table setting, and Francesca starts to bring out the food. The guests think it looks incredible. Rachel brings up a dish, and the deckhands put the jet skis in the water. There’s silence while the guests eat, and Charley says them being quiet is a good sign. He loves the avocado reduction, and declares it could double as a facial mask. Eddie says he and Avery are two peas in a pod, and killing it. The guests go out on the jet skis, and circle around the boat. Captain Lee asks Francesca if things are smoothing out. She says, as much as they can. Izzy is doing what she can, but she needs training. The captain says, this isn’t where one should be learning, and Francesca says, it just makes things worse. Avery gets a text from his mother that his grandmother is getting worse, and they’re not sure how much time she has. Avery asks what he should do, and his mother says, it’s up to him. He cries.

Some of the guests start pushing each other into the water from the boat, while Charley is still out on the jet ski. The captain says it’s making him nervous; it’s too dangerous. Eddie tells them, too close; there are people in the water. Charley and whoever he’s riding with fall off. Avery asks Captain Lee if he has a second, and tells the captain that he has bad news about his grandma. He has to leave as soon as possible. The captain says he’s sorry to hear it, and Avery says, they thought it was the flu, but he guesses it wasn’t. And you know what we’re all thinking. He says he’s sorry. It’s the last thing he wants to do. Captain Lee says he understands; family first, always. Not a problem. Avery leaves, and the captain is like, ugh, sitting with his head in his hands.   

Eddie says, the guests are an absolute sh*t show. Charley says they failed the jet ski experiment. The captain asks to talk to Eddie, and Francesca brings the guests snacks. Captain Lee tells Eddie, they just lost a guy. Avery’s grandma is dying, and might not make it through the night. Get him packed and out. Eddie says, it’s an f-ing mess. He asks Avery, what’s happening? and Avery says this is the last thing he wants to do, but Eddie says, don’t worry about them. Go and be with his family. In Avery’s interview, he says, he feels bad leaving, but he feels he has to. He thanks Captain Lee, who says he’s so sorry. The captain hugs Avery, and tells him to take care of himself. Stay strong. Eddie says his best deckhand has to leave for a family emergency. They’re a man down, they have thirsty, high maintenance charter guests, and a new crew. The future doesn’t look bright. They’re screwed. In Avery’s interview, he says the last thing he wants to do is leave, but it’s a decision he had to make. He can’t imagine doing anything different. No matter what’s going on, he’s going to make sure his career is successful. He wants to be just like Captain Lee.  

Eddie says, day one.

This season, Captain Lee says, Antigua has a beach for every day of the year – how incredible is that? Hot tub hijinks; sushi on a nakey woman; Captain Lee says, there’s no crying in yachting; caviar isn’t delivered when the guests specifically requested it; Francesca says, Rachel is a time bomb; James wants to get to know Elizabeth; Shane doesn’t answer his radio, and consistently doesn’t wear a shirt, annoying the captain; Francesca calls out Elizabeth; the Corona virus begins; Captain Lee says, the effing world is going to hell in an effing handbasket; Rachel says she’s out; Eddie says he needs help; and the captain says, let the firings begin.

🛥 Meet the New Cast…

Avery not included.

https://www.bravotv.com/below-deck/about

😔 Idol Gone Too Soon…

The best I can say is, at least it wasn’t suicide or covid.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/01/us/nikki-mckibbin-american-idol-death-trnd/index.html

🌪 Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On…

And it doesn’t just kill people.

https://nypost.com/2020/10/30/how-covid-shook-up-tv-casts-from-9-1-1-lone-star-to-witcher/

🎸 If You’ve Ever Wondered Why…

An explanation of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snubs.

https://pagesix.com/article/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-snubs/

🎃 2020 Costume Parade…

Celebrity Halloween costumes.

https://www.essence.com/beauty/our-favorite-celebrity-halloween-costume-2020/

More celebrity Halloween costumes.

https://pagesix.com/slideshow/best-celebrity-halloween-costumes/

If you can’t get enough of celebrity Halloween costumes.

https://people.com/celebrity/star-tracks-sunday-november-1-2020/

Kelly and Mark in Halloween costumes.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1204067/why-kelly-ripa-censored-her-and-mark-consuelos-halloween-photos

And Heidi’s Halloween effort for this miserable year.

https://www.today.com/popculture/heidi-klum-debuts-sinister-short-film-about-halloween-2020-t196830

📇 Another Monday Shredded…

It’s officially election day for the Big Kahuna, so if you haven’t done it yet, get out there and vote. Just don’t touch anything while you’re there. And don’t forget to stay safe, stay peaceful, and stay knowing it’s not a right, it’s a privilege.

October 30, 2020 – A Stormy Halloween In Port Charles, a RHONY First, Northern Steal, Turning Points, For Your Halloween Viewing, Entertaining Costumes, Watching Them Watch, a Pumpkin Full Of Quotes & Nightmare

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Jason meets Sonny at the gym, and Sonny says Sasha’s been meeting with Cyrus, and Carly seems to think she’s using drugs. If she is, he broke the damn truce.

Julian tussles with Darth Vader at an otherwise empty Charlie’s. Darth’s mask comes off, and it’s Taggert. Julian says, You. I know you.

Ryan comes into the visiting room. They pick up the phones. He says he’s surprised to see her on this stormy Halloween night. Is this a trick, or a treat? She says, a treat, and he asks if she did what he said. She says she did. She divorced Nikolas.

Elizabeth tells Nikolas, when he and Ava were playing Franco and her, they were playing him and Ava. She was the one blackmailing him.

Franco asks Terry if Elizabeth asked her to check on him, but she says Elizabeth doesn’t know she’s there. He asks what’s going on, and if she’s seeing a bunch of kids today. She says as much as she’d love to hang out, she’s there in a professional capacity.

Peter asks who it is on the phone, and a female voice asks if he doesn’t recognize her. It’s his old friend, Helena Cassadine. He’s stunned, and tells Maxie and Spinelli, work emergency. He jets to the hallway, and says she’s dead. She says, is she? Then she’s certain chosen the perfect night to deal with some unfinished business. And they have much unsettled between them.

Valentin asks if Anna has an answer, and she says, Faison doesn’t have the genetic marker for rheumatoid arthritis. Which means she’s not Peter’s mother. Alex is.

Valentin tells Anna to sit; it’s a lot to process. She asks how he felt when he found out his whole life was lie. When he found out Mikkos wasn’t his father, and Helena was his mother. He says, like the bottom dropped out of the world, and she says she kind of feels like that. He tells her, take a minute. There’s no more shame; no more guilt. She didn’t sleep with Faison. She didn’t have pregnancy, or give Peter up for adoption. She says, it still feels real, and he says, it isn’t. She says she blamed herself for sleep with Faison and giving away his child. She put herself through hell, and for what? It’s nothing but lies.

Peter asks who is she really, and why is she doing this? Helena says, they both know she’s eluded death before. Why should now be any different? He says because she contacted him. What about Nikolas? Or Spencer? Or her son Valentin? She says she needs him, not them. He asks, why? and she says she needs someone to help her stay dead until she’s ready to reveal herself. Nikolas and Valentin can’t be trusted, but she has leverage over Peter. She can expose his role in abducting Drew in Afghanistan. He says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about, and she says she has documentation to spark his memory. He asks what she wants, and she says, a meeting. Call when he’s ready to talk. If she doesn’t hear from him, there will be consequences. Maxie and Spinelli join him, and Maxie asks if he’s okay. Spinelli says he looks like he’s seen a ghost.

Jason tells Sonny, a lot more patients have been admitted to the hospital for ODs. Sonny says it’s not uncommon in the country overall, but Jason says it’s uncommon in Port Charles. He wonders if the opiates Neil OD’d on came from Cyrus. If Cyrus is bringing drugs into Port Charles, he found the ultimate way and the ultimate route. Sonny says, the hospital.

Julian says he knows Taggert from the pier. He was there when Julian was trying to stop Nelle from taking Wiley. Taggert says he doesn’t know what Julian is talking about. He’s not that guy. Julian apologizes, and says let him make it up. What’s his poison? On the house. Taggert takes off, and Julian runs after him.

Ryan says Nikolas was never her Prince Charming, and she says he thinks he is? He says he knows he is. She can’t expect him to take her word; he needs proof. She takes out the fake papers, and holds them up against the glass, saying, signed, seal, and delivered. She flashes back to telling Nikolas that they’ll have to do something about the divorce papers, and he says, it doesn’t matter. She didn’t think he’d risk everything, did she? Ava tells Ryan, it’s what he asked for; her divorce papers. Signed by both her and Nikolas, sealed by the state of New York, and delivered to him. She’s officially single, without a title, and the Cassadine fortune, all for him. He says it wasn’t for him. She did it to save her brother’s life. She says, if he thinks so. Now it’s his turn. Give her Nelle’s letter.

Nikolas asks Elizabeth if she’s covering for Franco. Was Franco having him followed? She says she led him on with Franco’s knowledge and support, and he asks, why? She says, the night of the Nurses Ball, she overheard Ava telling Nina that she was trying to push them together, because if Nikolas cheated, the post-nup would kick in. Everything started to make sense. She’d felt like she and Franco were drifting apart, but they were being pulled apart him by him. He admits he pushed Ava toward Franco, and she says he played a game with her marriage and her happiness, when he swore he wanted their friendship back. He says he’s sorry, but she says he can’t apologize for using her. He says he didn’t use her; the feelings were genuine. She says she loves Franco, but for some reason, he can’t accept that. When Scotty suggested they blackmail him and Ava, she was all in. She thought they would be taught a lesson, and she could take back her life and marriage. 

Franco says, propensity doesn’t sound great, and asks Terry where Portia is. Terry says Portia asked her to review his CT scan, and he says, start with the good news. She says she confirmed Portia’s finding that there’s a malignant growth in his frontal lobe, and he says his brain tumor is back.

Jason asks if Sonny wants him to get Brando out of Cyrus’s organization before it blows up, but Sonny says, nothing has blown up yet, especially not the hospital. Jason says he knows the drugs are run through legitimate pharmacy companies, but Sonny says if they get on that, the Feds will come in, and they don’t need the attention. Jason says the hospital makes Cyrus look legitimate, and he knows they won’t put innocent people in harm’s way. Sonny says, they need to take their time getting Cyrus’s drug operation out of Port Charles. The lights go out.

Valentin tells Anna not to pick up the glass with her hands, and asks if she has a dustpan. She says, in the kitchen, when the lights go out. She says, oh no, but he says, it’s all right; they can pick up it up later when the lights come back on. He asks if she needs to check on Violet, but she says Violet is out trick-or-treating with Chase, and then has a sleepover. He asks if she has a flashlight, and she says she’s not going break, but he says she’s not unbreakable. She’s been through a shock, and needs to feel it. She says, it’s not just that Peter isn’t her son. Alex is probably laughing at her. He says she’s laughing at him too. She knows he gave Peter to Faison, thinking he was Anna’s son, and knew the shame he felt. He wanted to be connected to the boy, and she knew the resentment he felt toward the only woman he cared about. She knew there was nothing he could do, and she was laughing at both of them. Anna says, maybe they didn’t deserve that kind of pain, but they’re better equipped to deal with it than Peter. She’s terrified what it’s going to do to Peter, and that he’ll lose faith in himself and his life. Valentin says, Peter is a big boy. They need to find Alex, and eliminate the threat. Anna says, Alex knows Maxie is carrying her grandchild, and they need to be prepared.

Peter tells Maxie that he wanted to go live with a story, and time was of the essence. Now the server is down. Maxie asks if Spinelli can fix it, but Peter says, IT is on it. She says she thought he might leave her stranded on her birthday. The storm probably canceled Georgie’s plans for trick-or-treating, and she was hoping for pictures. Spinelli says, Georgie does make a beautiful Elsa. Maxie says she’s going to check on Georgie, even though Georgie is with her mom. Spinelli says he hopes she only gets the happiness she deserves, and Maxie says she will.   

Franco says, so his tumor is back, and Terry tells him, it seems to have reoccurred in the same area. She’s sorry. He says he doesn’t have any symptoms, and he’s nothing like the person he was last time. She asks if he’s had any vivid dreams or nightmares. Besides fainting, has anything unusual or unexpected happened? He flashes back to his nightmare about Ava, and thinks about when Ava’s painting was defaced. He says, none; just fainting. She says, the symptoms are likely to increase as the tumor progresses, and the preliminary findings show that the tumor is inoperable.    

Nikolas tells Elizabeth, he paid Scotty by check, but it was never cashed. Did she change her mind about blackmailing him? She says she realized she went too far, and Nikolas says, she can try as hard as she can, but she can’t beat him. And he’s very grateful for that.

Ryan asks, what letter? and she says he promised to give her Nelle’s letter when she divorced Nikolas. He says Nelle wrote him so many letters. One describing her beautiful new house, and a very sad one where she said how much she loved her son, and was going to be devastated if she didn’t get custody. And one telling him that Julian knew about Brad replacing Willow’s poor deceased newborn with Sonny’s grandson. She says he knows that’s the one she means. He tells the guard, be a pal and get Mrs. Cass… Sorry. Get Miss Jerome the letter he gave him earlier. Ava says he has the guards doing him favors, and he says, considering he doesn’t know when he’ll see the outside world again, it helps to pay certain people to do certain things. The guard gives Ava an envelope that’s been opened, and Ryan asks if it’s what she wanted. She says he knows it is, and I wonder why she isn’t checking to make sure it is. She tells him, take a good long look. it’s the last one he’s ever going to get. She hangs up the phone, and takes out the letter. It says, do you think I’m stupid? Ryan says, oops. What did I just say? I can’t believe Ava is that stupid.

Franco wonders why the tumor can’t be removed, and Terry says her preliminary assessment is that they can’t remove it, but it’s just the first step in a complex process. They need to take more tests; a biopsy, and a PET scan. They have to get all the viable information before discussing options. Franco says, if they do all that, and still can’t operate, what happens to him?

Nikolas tells Elizabeth, he was hell bent on winning back the Cassadine fortune. He didn’t care what he did or who he did it to. That’s how he got in this mess in the first place. She said both of them were blackmailed. Does that mean there are compromising pictures of Franco and Ava?

Ryan asks if Ava really thought she could fool him with fake divorce papers and no wedding ring. His cellmate was a forger, and taught him all the tricks of the trade. Ava insists it’s not a forgery, but he says she can’t convince him it’s real, or that she’s divorced that cloying puppy dog. He starts yelling that the women he’s loved are all alike. She thinks she can use him because he loves her. The guard grabs him, and he yells that she’s a liar and traitor. She’ll pay. He screams her name as the guard drags him out.

Julian sees Taggert’s mask on the floor, and picks it up, saying, who the hell are you, buddy? He sees the phone, and looks at the picture of Taggert and Trina.

Sonny tells Jason to get a flashlight, and Jason says he’ll check on the generator. Jason leaves, and someone comes up behind Sonny. Without turning around, Sonny asks, who are you? He turns around, drawing his gun, and sees it’s Taggert.

Valentin tells Anna, he left a message with an associate who’s an excellent tracker. No more delays or second thoughts. They need to find Alex. Anna asks if they’re going back to their original plan to lure Alex to Port Charles, but Valentin says, that’s not enough. They need to neutralize her. She asks if it’s strategy or revenge because Alex hurt him, and he says he doesn’t think that’s relevant. Alex was prepared to kill her, and still wants her dead. She thinks he should go now, but he says, when he’s gone, nothing changes. It’s a question of who lives; her or Alex. He’s playing the game too, and chooses her.   

Maxie tells Peter, the storm is moving. Georgie and James will still get in some trick-or-treating. Can they get in some more birthday celebration, or does he need to check the server? He says his phone is off. He has it on silent. He’s all hers. She says, sooner or later, the storm will clear up, and he says, it certainly will. We see an incoming call to Peter from Anna.

Spinelli sneaks down an office corridor, and goes into a room. Sam is sitting at a computer, and startles him. He apologizes for keeping her in suspense; he wanted to check on his daughter’s Halloween plans. She says, did it work? and he says, like a charm. She smiles.

Anna gets Peter’s voicemail, and says, damn you, Alex.

Peter asks what Maxie is thinking, and she says, not only does Peter make a handsome groom, he’s going to make an equally handsome groomsman at Anna’s wedding. He says she’ll be an equally beautiful bridesmaid, and a stunning bride. She says, that has a nice ring. She meant what she said about the wedding and the baby. They have a lot to forward to next year.

Sam thanks Spinelli, saying, it’s brilliant. Once they got real usable audio, they were able to generate a duplicate voice, and all the rest fell into place. Peter thinks Helena is alive and well. Spinelli says, it’s reasonable to assume Helena was aware of Drew’s abduction in Afghanistan, and most likely recruited Peter to facilitate the order in the first place. Sam says, anyone who’s found out about it, ends up dead. Peter’s tied off a lot of loose ends. Spinelli says, if he thinks Helena is a threat, he’ll want to tie her off permanently. Then they can show Maxie who her fiancé really is.

Sonny tells Taggert, nice of him to dress up, and Taggert says, happy Halloween. Sonny asks if he isn’t too old for trick-or-treating. Jason comes back, and Sonny tells him, check the building security; make sure no one is lurking around. He asks Taggert why he came back, and Taggert says he heard what’s been going on. How many have to die before they do something about Cyrus? Sonny says he can’t abracadabra and make Cyrus disappear. Even if he could, they don’t know Cyrus is responsible for Neil’s OD. Taggert says, the body count keeps rising, and he’s not watching while his daughter gets caught in the crossfire again next time.

Julian looks at the phone and asks himself, what’s the connection? Is there a connection? Ava comes in, and he says, that doesn’t look like a happy face. She says she doesn’t have happy news. She needs a double vodka straight. He asks, what happened with Ryan? and she says, Ryan saw right through the phony papers. He’s not happy. She chugs the vodka.

Nikolas says he and Elizabeth have been friends for so long, he can read every expression. What happened with Franco and Ava? She says, they kissed, and he says, spontaneous combustion? She says he manipulated them like she did him. The plan worked. Both he and Ava broke the contract, so neither one of them can use it against the other. He’ll have to find another way to end his marriage… if that’s what he’s going to do. He has to go, and she says, don’t tell her that he’s sorry; show her.    

Terry tells Franco, the side effects will increase as the tumor grows. His sense of taste and smell; he might lose time, or have a personality shift. He asks if there’s a time limit, but she says, not until they run all the tests. She knows it’s a lot to take in. She’ll give him some time to talk to Elizabeth. He asks her not to tell Elizabeth about it; not yet. She says Elizabeth is his wife, and it’s going to impact her life. She has the right to know. He says Terry thinks he doesn’t know that? He needs her to promise him that she won’t say anything to Elizabeth about this.

Terry asks how he can’t tell Elizabeth? They’re potentially talking life and death. He says, please. He just needs a little time. She says the doctors and nurses will do everything in their power to help him, but he has to meet them halfway. Let his family go through it with him. He says he doesn’t want it at all. Cameron is looking at college; Aiden is his little sous chef; and he helped Jake with his costume. Jake wants to be Jack Sparrow; that’s where his head is at. They have beautiful, loving hearts, and he doesn’t want them to worry or be sad. He’s asking her to not tell Elizabeth for a little while. There are things he needs to work out first. Elizabeth comes in, and says, sorry it took her so long. She asks what Terry is doing there.

Ava slides her glass down the bar for a refill. Julian asks how Ryan saw through her deception, and she says, he claimed his cell mate was a forger. She thinks he was expecting a double-cross, and he’s furious. He was making threats that he’s going to tell Sonny. Nikolas walks in, and she says, as usual, Julian is complaining about unreliable liquor distributors. Nikolas says, as usual, she’s lying to him. She says she went to Pentenville, and brought the phony papers to convince Ryan that they were divorced. He asks if it worked, and she says, what does he think? It doesn’t matter. Ryan can’t hurt her; not physically anyway. But he can do damage to her family. Nikolas says, Julian, and she says she doesn’t suppose Nikolas will take pity on her and divorce her for real.

Sonny says the point of Taggert playing dead was to protect Trina; Cyrus would have no leverage. If someone sees him, Trina will be in more danger than ever. He needs to stay gone. Sonny promised he’d protect her. Taggert says, he doesn’t doubt that, but if there’s a full-scale war, Sonny might not be able to keep his promise. Sonny asks if that means Taggert is staying, and Taggert says he’s just giving Sonny a heads up that he’s going to protect his daughter. Sonny says, it has to be on his terms. He’s going to stash Taggert where he and his people can keep an eye on him.

Valentin calls Anna, and says, Alex used Berlin as a starting point. She was there, and must have left a trail. Anna says, that was weeks ago; she could be anywhere now. He says he’s afraid so, and she thanks him for the update. She says she’ll be in touch. The lights come back on, and when Anna turns around, Alex is there in the black witch costume. She says, happy Halloween, sister, and knocks Anna out.

Franco tells Elizabeth that Terry stopped by to make sure he’s all right. Elizabeth thanks Terry, and Franco says, the technical diagnosis was that he’s dehydrated and exhausted. She hopes Terry read him the riot act, and Terry says, Elizabeth knows her; always looking out for Biz. Elizabeth says they have to get going. Violet is spending the night, and they’re going to have a full house. Franco says if a bunch of kids are going to be there, that means he can eat all the candy.

Nikolas tells Ava, sorry. He sees she’s taken off her ring, and she says, it was just for Ryan. She’s not ready to divorce him. He says, sorry it didn’t work, but he’ll find another way to get Ryan off her brother’s back; he promises. Julian approaches their table, and says, isn’t this the cutest? Maybe they could take their eyes off each other, and make an actual plan. Nikolas says, as soon as Julian tells him what Nelle said. He gets silence, and says he didn’t think so. He says he has calls to return, and steps away from the table. Julian tells Ava, there’s nothing to stop Ryan from showing the letter to Sonny, and Ava says, as soon as he does, he’ll have no power over her. Julian says, Ava betrayed Ryan, and he’s going to want to punish her. Sonny is the perfect revenge.

Sonny excuses himself to take a call privately. He answers, and it’s a collect call from Ryan in Pentenville.   

Taggert wonders if Sonny is going to put him in a safe house, but Jason says, safe houses can be compromised, especially if someone is staying there a while. Taggert asks where he’s going, and Jason says, Sonny bought Kate Howard’s old place. It’s adjacent to Sonny’s house, so Sonny can keep him there without alerting the rest of the family. Taggert says he’ll be Sonny’s neighbor. 2020 has been a helluva ride. He ain’t kiddin’ there.

Maxie tells Peter, she can’t wait to see pictures. She knows she’s biased, but Georgie and James are the most adorable kids on the planet. Peter says, and soon to be joined by another most adorable kid on the planet. Maxie says she’ll be right back. She gets up, and says she knows Peter is worried about work, but whatever problems he’s having, he’ll find a way around them. She leaves.

Sam tells Spinelli that Peter never confirmed his involvement when he spoke to Helena. Spinelli says, Peter is too cagey for a direct admission. That will come when he reacts to Helena’s call. Sam says, speak of the devil, and hooks the computer into a phone. Peter is calling.

Sam and Spinelli listen in as Peter tells faux Helena, if she is who she says she is, they need to meet. Tomorrow night. Sam and Spinelli fist bump.

Alex answers the door to the trick-or-treaters, and says, don’t you look to die for? She passes out candy, while Anna lies unconscious in the basement.

On Monday, Carly tells Josslyn, today is her first election; a mock election involving woman’s suffrage is held; and Trina tells Josslyn, they’re making choices and making their voices heard.

🗽 Rookie Season…

What it’s like to be new girl on the RHONY block.

https://pagesix.com/2020/10/27/eboni-k-williams-on-being-the-first-black-rhony-cast-member/

❄️Corbett Exposure…

I loved this show.

https://pagesix.com/2020/10/27/john-corbett-stole-a-20k-moose-head-from-the-set-of-northern-exposure/

⚰️ Definitive Dead…

The episodes that shook us.

https://tv.avclub.com/10-episodes-that-show-how-the-walking-dead-turned-into-1845335889

📽 More Brains Movies…

I listed a few of my favorites yesterday, but also adding Cabin In the Woods today. It’s a relentless masterpiece. I’d read the book before I saw the film, and remember thinking, there’s no way they could get the grand finale on film, much less make it look believable. Yet, they did.

https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/best-halloween-movies

👑 Let the Dressing Up Begin…

Celebrities, they’re just like us. With several million more dollars.

https://guestofaguest.com/new-york/halloween/the-best-celebrity-halloween-costumes-for-some-last-minute-inspiration

And the Consistently Outstanding Award goes to…

https://www.purewow.com/news/heidi-klum-halloween-costume

It’s a tie.

https://www.purewow.com/news/neil-patrick-harris-halloween-costume

👠 Watching Them Watch…

They might be in drag, but Trixie and Katya are never a drag. And they have a lot to say about some horror film classics.

🦇 Halloween Quotes of the Week

It’s as much fun to scare as to be scared. – Vincent Price

Darkness falls across the land, The Midnight Hour is close at hand. – Rodney Lynn Temperton

Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see. – Edgar Allan Poe (And I’d always thought it was an old Navy saying.)

The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for out wits to grow sharper. – Eden Phillpots

Villainy wears many masks, none so dangerous as the mask of virtue. – Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison), Sleepy Hollow

I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that any weirdo wearing a mask is never friendly. – Elizabeth (Nancy McLoughlin), Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones. – Stephen King

A person should always choose a costume which is in direct contrast to her own personality. – Lucy Van Pelt, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Halloween is not only about putting on a costume, but it’s about finding the imagination and costume within ourselves. – Elvis Duran

If human beings had genuine courage, they’d wear their costumes every day of the year, not just on Halloween. – Douglas Coupland

Nothing on Earth so beautiful as the final haul on Halloween night.Steve Almond

I’ll stop wearing black when they make a darker color. – Wednesday Addams (Christina Ricci), The Addams Family

Where there is no imagination there is no horror. – Arthur Conan Doyle

The moon has awoken with the sleep of the sun, the light has been broken; the spell has begun. – Midgard Morningstar

When the witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers ’tis near Halloween.Unknown

Werewolves howl. Phantoms prowl. Halloween’s upon us now. – Richelle E. Goodrich

Every day is Halloween, isn’t it? For some of us. – Tim Burton

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. – L. M. Montgomery

When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, may luck be yours on Halloween. – Unknown

Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story. – Mason Cooley

On Halloween you get to become anything that you want to be.Ava Dellaria

There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch. – Robert Brault

The farther we’ve gotten from the magic and mystery of our past, the more we’ve come to need Halloween. – Paula Guran

🎃 It’s Here, Charlie Brown…

It might not be the same this year, but don’t let the pandemic bring down your Halloween spirit. Play by the rules, but by all means, do some playing this weekend. Zoom your Halloween, TikTok a Halloween dance, enjoy the wide array of horror films available, carve a pumpkin or make a pie with it, eat all the candy if you have no trick-or-treaters, but be smart about passing out candy if you do.  Stay safe, stay responsible, and stay conjuring up the kid in you, and being creative on this most creative of holidays. Most of all, have a Happy Halloween!

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

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🧟‍♀️ She’s Alive…

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

Southern Charm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

😉 What a Tease…

Craig talks about what’s ahead this season.

📡 Breaking Craig…

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

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

👰🏻 Don’t Be Their Guest…

I’m sure there are worse guests than Shep.

🍑 The Peach Is Back…

RHOA is back for another round.

👶 Project Baby…

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

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

🧹 They’re Ba-a-ack…

The Sanderson sisters return.

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

🎃 Classically Halloween…

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

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

👻 Counting the Hours…

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

October 28, 2020 – Dante Gives Michael a Brotherly Lecture, Shannon Has a Party, Elizabeth Rechristened, Charm’s Here, News Of the South, Not All In, a Picture Show To Remember & Big Bad

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

At the vending machine, Franco apologizes to Epiphany, saying, he didn’t realize she was waiting. He had a hard time making a decision. She looks at the machine, and says, did he just take the last chocolate bar? He says, did he? and she says she’s just spent the last solid eight hours in pencil pushing hell. The only thing that made it bearable was knowing there was a chocolate bar waiting, and he seized the last one. He asks if she wants half, and she says she wants satisfaction. She wants justice. She wants her old job back. Cyrus appears, and says that’s not all she’ll get with that attitude.

Chase finds Brook at The Floating Rib, and he says he’s been looking for her. She congratulates him, adding, he found her. She’s alone; no Valentin. She’ll be out of his hair soon, and he can go back to his awesome life. He says, clearly, she’s never looked in his underwear drawer. She asks why she would do that, and he says she’d see there aren’t any G-strings.  

Michael punches the heavy bag, and thinks about Willow. Dante asks what he’s angry about, but Michael says he’s just letting off steam. Dante says he thought Michael was going to town on the bag because he couldn’t stand the thought of losing Willow.

Elizabeth runs into Willow at the hospital, and says, it’s been a while. Willow says she was given time off for the custody hearing, and Elizabeth tells her, congratulations. She asks if Willow is back at work, but Willow says, actually, she was notified that they don’t need a full-time teacher, so she’s looking at her next step. She shows Elizabeth a booklet, and Elizabeth says she’s applying for the nurse’s training program. Willow says she’s fortunate to have the option. It’s one way her life has never been better. Mostly. Things are going so well, she and Michael are getting an annulment.

Carly is hugging Jax, when Nina and Sasha walk in. Carly tells Nina, just the person she needed to see. Nina says she’s surprised to see Carly, and tells Jax that she’s sorry she had to abandon him, but glad to see he has company. He asks how it went with Curtis, and she says Curtis has a new lead, and she’s a step closer to finding her child. Jax says, congratulations, and Carly says she didn’t know the search was back on. Nina says she didn’t broadcast it. Sasha says Nina has company, and it’s been a helluva day. She’s going to take off. Nina says she’s not, since she’s not feeling well.   

Ava sees a romantic table set, and smells a rose. There’s a storm going on, and Nikolas is on the terrace. She joins him, and he says he sees she got his message. She says, it’s lovely, and stormy. Tell her why he lured her out there. We see Ava has a knife behind her back, and Nikolas says he didn’t lure her out. He invited her. She says he’s not the first person to invite her out there. She’s sure he remembers what happened; he witnessed it firsthand. He says, he did. Then he saved her life. She says, then hours later, they were married. It was a whirlwind. He says, that’s one word, and she says, any regrets? He says, hundreds. Her? She says, the same, and he asks what she’s holding behind her back. She says, insurance, and he asks if she thinks he’d go through all this trouble to toss her back in the harbor. She says she thinks it would be a permanent solution to their situation, but he says, believe it or not, he doesn’t want her dead. She says he just wants the family fortune all to himself, and he says, it is his family’s fortune. She says, not to mention Elizabeth.

Brook says Chase wouldn’t know what to do with a G-string if he had a fistful of singles. He says he’s trying to charm her after being a jerk, but she says she gets enough of that from her father. Just because she’s staying with Chase, doesn’t give him the right to weigh in on her life. He says he knows that, and if she’d stop talking, she could hear him. He’s saying he’s sorry.

Nina tells Sasha where the shower is, and says there’s a fluffy robe with her name on it. Take all the time she needs. Sasha says, it sounds great, but… Nina insists, and Sasha goes to the bathroom. Jax asks, what’s wrong with Sasha? and Carly says, she doesn’t look good. Nina says it’s not her place to say, but trust her. She wouldn’t have brought Sasha back if she didn’t think it was absolutely necessary.

Willow tells Elizabeth, she and Michael got married to protect Wiley from Nelle. Nelle isn’t a threat now, so staying married isn’t necessary. Elizabeth asks if Willow will still be a part of Wiley’s life, and Willow says, absolutely. Elizabeth says, if that’s what Willow feels is best, she’s happy for her. It’s no one’s business but theirs. Although sometimes people who have to craziest reasons for getting married, and the marriages you think will crash and burn, are the ones that last.

Michael tells Dante, he’s not losing Willow. They’re going to stay together until the annulment is finalized, and afterwards, they’re going to be co-parents. Dante says it sounds like they have it sorted out, and Michael says they made the decision together. Dante has one question. Did Michael say what he said to Willow because it’s what he wanted, or was it what he thought she wanted to hear?

Cyrus says he’s sorry it took so long to make Franco’s acquaintance, and introduces himself. Franco says he knows who Cyrus is; he saw his picture in the company newsletter. Epiphany adds, and on the news. Franco says Cyrus is a busy fella, and Epiphany says, he is. Firing half the staff and alienating the rest. Cyrus is sorry to hear about the low morale, and promises to bring it up to Britt. Franco says, everyone just wants to be heard, and Cyrus says he has a few minutes if Franco wants to meet with him, but Franco says tonight, some of them go to The Floating Rib. It’s karaoke night. Cyrus says, it sounds fun; he won’t keep Franco from it, but the door is open. He starts to walk away, but Franco says, hold on. How’s his singing voice? Want to be Simon to his Garfunkel?

Nikolas asks where Ava is getting the idea about him and Elizabeth, and she asks if she’s wrong. There must be at least a little something to it. He flashes back to kissing Elizabeth, and he says, in this case something is nothing. She says she knew it, and he says, fine. What he and Elizabeth have goes beyond friendship. In his darkest moments, he’s reached out to her, but it’s because they share a history; not because he wants to be with her. Ava says, that’s the most eloquent rationalization she’s ever heard. He says, look him in the eye, and tell him that she’s never sought out something she’s not getting from their marriage. She thinks back to kissing Franco, and he says he thought so. She tells him, she didn’t say anything, and he says she’s not as good a poker player as she thinks. She says he begged her, trapping her into what she thought was a fairytale romance. He says she asked him to talk about things, and he told her about his feelings. She says, so? What are words? Hot air without the action to back them up. To prove he wants her… He says he has to divorce her. Done.

Cyrus thanks Franco for the kind invitation, but he doesn’t want to infringe on the staff’s private event. Franco says it’s not like they close the place; everyone is welcome. Cyrus says, in that case, he has work to finish up. Perhaps he’ll see them later. He leaves, and Epiphany looks at Franco. He says, what? and she says he’d better run. Run.

Chase tells Brook, sorry for coming on too strong, but she says she’s actually impressed. He almost turned her around. He says, it’s working for him then, and she ask what’s the rest. As long as he’s not going to tell her that he’s kicking her out on the street.

Jax asks if Sasha needs a doctor, but Nina tells him not to push it. It was all she could do to get Sasha there. Carly says she’ll talk to Sasha, and Nina tries to stop her, but she keeps going. Nina tells Jax, even when Carly means well, she’s impossible. He says, she did bring wine, and Nina says, red wine. He says, Carly wanted to apologize for the scene she caused in the cemetery, and Nina says, when she accidentally pushed over Nelle’s gravestone? The only thing Carly is sorry about is Nina caught her

Sasha goes into the bathroom, and takes out her baggie of coke. Carly knocks on the door, and Sasha says she just needs a minute. Carly says, let her in, but Sasha keeps trying to get a hit of coke together using her Amex card. Her hands shake.

Dante says Michael doesn’t want an annulment? and Michael says, if it was up to him, they’d find a way to stay together, and make the marriage real. Make a life together, for Wiley’s sake, but also for themselves. Dante asks if Michael said this to her, and Michael says, of course (🍷) not. Dante says Michael wants to set Willow free from her obligation. He’s an idiot.

Willow tells Elizabeth, after Chase, she can’t think of starting something new. Michael has so much to give that’s going to waste in their so-called marriage. Elizabeth says she’s known Michael a long time. He’s a decent guy. Willow says, for the past few months, she’s been lucky to see that every day; how he is with Wiley and his family. Michael is honorable and kind, and sees the best in people. He should be able to share that with someone. Elizabeth says, it sounds like he already is.

Brook asks Chase to just give her more time, and he says he will. Eventually, she’ll have to find another place though. Brook says, don’t tell her to go back to her father, and Chase tells her not to worry. He was recently reminded that bringing families together by force of will isn’t in his skill set. She thanks him, and says she’ll definitely find a new situation. Not tonight though. She has other plans. He asks what they are, so he can disapprove of them, and I laugh. She shows him a flyer that says, Karaoke Night.   

Dante tells Michael, don’t make life altering decisions based on what you think another person wants. It’s stupid, or at least a disappointment and a regret. It’s not fair to Willow either. Michael asks what he should do, and Dante says, be honest. Tell her how he feels, and let her decide. Don’t think the only decent thing is to separate. Michael says Willow deserves someone to be in love with, and they’re not in love. Dante asks how he knows, and Willow walks in. She asks if she’s interrupting.   

Carly tells Sasha, open up; she’s worried. Sasha pops out, and says, all hers, but Carly says, nice try, and turns Sasha around. She tells Sasha to look in the mirror. Does she really want to go out looking like that? What’s a nice girl like her doing with a face like that? Sasha says she’s not that nice, and Carly says, really? Is she coming down with a cold? Sasha says she’s fine, but Carly says she doesn’t look fine.

Jax tells Nina, he knows how it looks, but he and Carly talked. She had no intention of knocking over Nelle’s headstone. She says he doesn’t have to lobby for Carly anymore. It’s nice that Carly came over with wine – red wine – and she apologized. They never have to speak about Nelle again. Jax is sorry it came to this. It will be a while before Carly stops looking over her shoulder. Nina doesn’t doubt it, and says it’s great Carly has him in her corner. Carly is Josslyn’s mother, and other people might not understand their relationship, but she does. He asks, what other people?

Back at the table, Ava asks what Nikolas is doing. He says, divorcing her. It’s what she said she needs for him to prove he’s not playing her. He lifts a dish cover, and underneath is a rolled up document. He says, voila! takes it off the plate, and tells her, the pages are flagged where she needs to sign. He’s following the conditions of the post-nup to the letter, and relinquishing 90% of the estate to her. Ava asks, what’s the catch? and he says, no catch. She says, of course (🍷) there is. She wonders if it’s some kind of trap, and he says, there is a price. She says, here it comes, and he says she can have everything she asked for – money, property, material things – but she can’t have him.

At The Floating Rib, Franco tells Epiphany that he did a good thing. She says, inviting the devil himself to their safe space? He says, even the devil gets lonely, and Elizabeth suggests he buy them round. She steers Epiphany to a table, and asks, what’s going on with her? Epiphany says, nothing; certainly nothing she wants to bring up at karaoke. Elizabeth asks how much they’ve been through, and how many times they’ve had each other’s backs, and Epiphany says, more times than she can count. Elizabeth says, then tell her, and Epiphany starts cry. She says she and Milo are breaking up, and I make a sad face.

Jax asks Nina what she means by other people. Did someone say something? She says, it’s not important. She wishes they were the only people in the relationship, but Carly will always be a part of his life. When co-parents get along… people talk. He says, all it is, is talk. They’re just two people trying to do the best for their daughter.   

Sasha thanks Carly for her concern, but it doesn’t matter if she’s fine. Carly says she’s wrong, and doesn’t think Michael would agree. Sasha says she went out of her way to make sure her life is none of Michael’s business. Carly says she did it to protect Wiley from Nelle. If Michael knew what she did, the sacrifices she made, and that she was still hurting, he’d have something say. Sasha says, he won’t. Michael finally has Wiley, and Wiley has Michael, and they both have Willow. They’re a family now, and she can’t take that away from them. Even if she could, she wouldn’t, and neither should Carly. She walks out, leaving Carly with her mouth hanging open.

Michael tells Willow that he was in the middle of a brotherly lecture. Dante says he hopes Michael sees the benefit in his wisdom, and takes his advice. Willow says, if it came from Dante, it must be worthwhile, and Dante tells Michael, his wife is a wise woman. Willow says her class is about to start. She took a Ride Share there, and was hoping to go home with him. He says he’s still got to work out, so he can wait. She says she’ll see him later, and leaves. Dante says he rests his case.

Chase says, Brook is going to sing? He thought the doctors said she couldn’t. She says, they told her it was unlikely, not impossible. He says, so she’s going to get up there and see what happens? She says, it can’t hurt to try.

Franco stands at the bar, and Cyrus comes in. He tells Franco, this round is on him.

Elizabeth tells Epiphany that she’s sorry. What happened with Milo? Epiphany says, Milo has been away, traveling and opening gyms for the franchise across the country. They haven’t seen each other in months. Meanwhile, she’s become a paper pusher. Elizabeth says, Milo adores her. She can’t imagine they can’t make it work. Epiphany tells her, he said he’d come back, and Elizabeth says, great, but Epiphany says she told him no. It’s not the same anymore. As much as she hates to admit it, they’ve grown apart. Elizabeth asks how she can help, and Epiphany says, first, she doesn’t want a fuss made. Elizabeth says Epiphany can’t keep it inside; she has to let it out. Brook takes the stage, and Epiphany says, not another word about it. I note that Brook doesn’t have much of a scar. She tries to sing, but struggles. She says, wrong key, puts the mic down, and runs out. Chase goes after her. This is driving me nuts, since I’ve sung most of my life, and Brook is supposed to be a professional. I doubt she would have just gotten up there without even attempting to practice first, or even warm up, and she sure gave up easy. Instead of saying, wrong key, she should have said, too soon. It’s not like everyone doesn’t know what happened. This is frustrating the hell out of me.

Ava asks what Nikolas is trying to pull, and he asks if she thinks he wants to sign the papers. Of course (🍷) he doesn’t. He had them drawn up to force her hand; get her to move forward with the marriage or end it. She says, it’s an elaborate ultimatum, and he says, it’s a gamble that their night in the cabin wasn’t a one-off. Tell him she feels the same way. He thought instead of signing the papers, they’d burn them together. Ava says, there are certain considerations. There are people who will be affected if they end the marriage. He says he took a leap and owned up to his feelings. Do the same, or he’ll have to admit he’s a jackass. She says, of course (🍷) she has feelings, but it complicates things. He says it’s simple, they’ll stay married, but she says certain people may be made to pay if they remain married. Let her think things through; she needs a minute. She walks away, her back to him, and he says, once and for all, decide now. She doesn’t realize how close he is to her, and when she turns around, she stabs him accidentally, her knife going into his abdomen. I gasp out loud. I was not expecting that.

Sasha comes back out, and Nina asks if she found everything okay. The guest room is down the hall. Sasha says she’s not staying, but Nina says she should. They can have breakfast tomorrow. Sasha says it’s kind of Nina to bring her there, despite everything. She just needed a moment to catch her breath. Don’t give her another thought. She jets, and Carly comes out. In the hallway, Sasha makes a call. She says she needs a refill. She’ll be there in 15.   

Michael does crunches in the ring, and Willow walks back in. He asks if her class was canceled, but she says she blew it off. Curiosity got the best of her. She wanted to hear Dante’s advice in person. Michael says, Dante left, but she says he can tell her. He says, Dante thinks they should stay together. Those weren’t his exact words, but it was the overall idea. She says the closer they get to the annulment, the more fans they have. He says he was thinking the same thing. He says he’ll get cleaned up, and she says, her too – even though she didn’t have a class. She says she’ll meet him back there, and gives a lingering look to his back before she walks out.

Chase finds Brook outside and asks her to come back. They can sing a duet. She’ll sound like an angel in comparison. Highly doubtful, since I still remember him singing Feel It Still for the Nurses Ball, and he rocked. He says maybe she jumped in too soon. Now that she has that out of the way, he knows she has another performance in her. She says, that wasn’t a performance; it was her swan song. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

Franco brings Cyrus over to the table, and says, look who made it. Epiphany tells Elizabeth, she’s back in hell again, and Cyrus asks if anyone has seen the songbook. Elizabeth hands it to him, and Franco jokes that he’s probably a fan of Miley Cyrus. What does he want? Gilbert and Sullivan? Sammy Hagar? Cyrus says, the 70s, and Franco tells him, pull up a chair. Epiphany says, not today, Satan, and gets up to sing. Franco says, she’s having a bad day. Epiphany sings. I give up trying to find out the titles, but it’s something about waiting, and debating if her love will come back to her.

As Epiphany sings, we see Michael in the shower, pondering. He turns around, and Willow is there in a towel. She lets the towel fall, and I’m not sure I’m on board with this. He drops his towel, and they move closer. Okay, now I’m guessing this isn’t real because they keep switching to them being alone.

Ava takes out the knife, and tells Nikolas, he’s bleeding. He says, yeah; he’s been stabbed. She drops the knife, and takes off his shirt. Is this some kind of weird foreplay? They kiss…

Afterwards (we assume), Nikolas says, well…? and Ava says they’re going to have to do something about these, and picks up the divorce papers. He says, it doesn’t matter; they’re not real. He wasn’t going to risk anything. She’s too proud to admit she’s crazy about him. Now he’s sure. She calls him an arrogant SOB, and he asks, is it arrogant if he’s right? She takes the papers, and opens the door. He asks where she’s going, and she says, to find the cyanide. She leaves, and he smiles. He says, she likes me. She really likes me.

Chase tells Brook, it’s going to be okay. She says, it will be something, but it will never be okay. If she can’t do the one thing that gives her purpose, what purpose does she have?

Everyone applauds for Epiphany. Cyrus says he can’t imagine how anyone can follow her, and Franco says, if anyone could, it’s the Chairman with Sinatra. Cyrus says he could be persuaded. His phone dings, and he says, however, he’ll have to take a raincheck. Epiphany says, convenient, and he promises to revisit. I’m very disappointed.

Carly says she tried talking to Sasha, but Sasha wouldn’t hear her. Nina says, maybe Sasha heard, but didn’t agree. Carly says, Sasha needs help, but Nina says she can’t keep Sasha against her will. She did the best she could, at least for tonight. Carly says she can do better, like it’s a competition, and leaves.    

Willow meets Michael, and they leave the gym together.

In an alleyway on the phone, Sasha asks, where the hell are you? Don’t leave me hanging. The dealer hangs up, and she throws her phone, saying, dammit. Cyrus comes along, and says, there are cheaper ways to channel her frustration. What’s the trouble, and how can he help? 

Elizabeth says she’ll be right back, and Franco tells Epiphany that she sounded great. Epiphany thanks him, and says she’s decided he can have the chocolate bar. He says, good, because he already ate it. He’ll get her next time. She says he can get another round, and she’ll call it even. He gets up, and she says she hopes he knows how good he has it with Elizabeth. He says, doorknob. She tells him, say that again? and he keels over.

Tomorrow, it’s Halloween in Port Charles, Valentin thinks Peter has a Spinelli problem, Ava hopes Nikolas can forgive her, Nikolas says he’ll save Julian’s sorry ass, Cyrus tells Sasha that they can have a mutually beneficial friendship, and Carly tells Sonny that she thinks Sasha is a drugs.

The Real Housewives of Orange County

Shannon talked to John about her concern that Emily was dismissive with her. John told her she didn’t have to be best friends with Emily; just be okay. Elizabeth and Kelly met Gina at Farmhouse for dinner. Elizabeth said there was a gag order over her divorce details, but she was going to have a great party afterward, where she’d spill everything. Gina didn’t understand how Elizabeth was not having sex with Jimmy, and in her interview, Kelly thought that he had to be getting something done. Elizabeth said she liked Shannon, and Gina said Shannon had kicked her under the bus, saying her house was sad and depressing. In her interview, Gina said don’t bring her 9 lemons in an f-ing bowl, then say sh*t about her. She felt Shannon wasn’t authentic. Kelly said Emily had tried with Shannon too, but it wasn’t easy. They talked about how much better 2020 was going to be than 2019, and I laaaaughed.

Braunwyn said she was a basket case, either being so happy or so miserable that she wanted to jump out of her skin. In her interview, she said the only thing that might be bigger than her problem with alcohol was her love for her kids. She told Sean that she hadn’t been as present as she should have been, and realized she wasn’t a good mom. She didn’t know how she let it get so bad so fast. It was the one thing she wanted to be good at, and she wasn’t. He told her it was going to be okay. Lots of okay stuff today, both on GH and this.

Kelly took possession of her new house, which looked huge, especially with nothing in it. She told us it was 4500 square feet, with a pool and spa, but it’s suburbia. She met with her interior designer, and in her interview, she said the moms there were buttoned up, prim and proper, and cooking with aprons on. It was a Beaver Cleaver neighborhood. She said Shannon was a Stepford Wife, and she was scared she was going to turn into that. Rick had lived in NYC forever, and was ready to settle down, but she was mostly doing it for Jolie, who wanted to be in a family community. She wanted Jolie to have the best childhood possible, and see what a good relationship was like. She said it goes by fast. Truth!

Braunwyn picked up Shannon to go see Dr. Moon, and told Shannon about going to her first AA meeting. Braunwyn admitted that she’d told Emily about Shannon saying Gina’s house was sad. In Shannon’s interview, she insisted she hadn’t said that, and told Braunwyn that she had to set the record straight. Shannon said her fear was that Dr. Moon was getting older. She wondered what she was going to do when he retired. Braunwyn told Dr. Moon that her life had become unmanageable (part of the first step in the twelve), and she’d been drinking and hiding it. His solution was to stick a needle in the middle of her ear, which he said was for addiction. In her interview, Braunwyn said she was more grateful for Shannon’s support. Shannon made the usual loud noises when Dr. Moon needled her in the back of the neck for a sacroiliac problem. (I’ll have you know, I spelled that right on the first try.) In her interview, Shannon said she was trying to help Braunwyn, who was making her look bad and putting words in her mouth. It was the ultimate betrayal. I dunno about that. I could probably think of worse things.

Emily said she’d never had relationship or friendship with Shannon, and was going to her housewarming party. On a side note, we found out Shannon’s kids aren’t allowed to swear until they’re 18. Shannon gave her house a once-over, which I totally understood. I should have done that when I discovered a pair of underwear thrown on a chair after a party, and I don’t mean by a guest who had too good of a time. They were my underwear. I was mortified. In her interview, Braunwyn said she hadn’t figured out how to navigate her bedroom yet, but she was going to a party. She wanted a drink badly, but couldn’t say anything, or she’d be that weird alcoholic girl. I dunno about that either, but her friends would definitely not want to drink in front of her. At least if they’re decent people. Oh yeah. I forgot, we’re talking Housewives here. Someone would probably yell at her, and then put her under a microscope, while they guzzled pinot in front of her the whole time.  

When Gina saw Shannon’s house, she said she could see why Shannon would say hers was sad. Her home could fit inside Shannon’s home. It was like a Polly Pocket home. Gina jumped on Shannon the second she got there, but Shannon insisted Braunwyn was the only one talking smack about Gina’s house. Moving whichever way the wind is blowing, Gina said she didn’t trust Braunwyn. In Shannon’s interview, she said she was grateful Gina believed her, but she was angry that Braunwyn put words in her mouth. Yeah, yeah, the ultimate betrayal. Shannon told Gina that she was a renter, but Gina was an owner, and there was nothing sad about Gina’s life right now.

In her interview, Emily said part of her would like to imagine Shannon wanted her at the party, but she knows Shannon doesn’t. Shannon’s dad Gene arrived with his young girlfriend, and when Kelly was introduced, she called him big d*ck daddy from Cincinnati. In Shannon’s interview, she said she’d never call someone’s father that, but I say, it depends on the father. FYI, not this guy. Shannon didn’t waste time taking Braunwyn aside, and told Braunwyn that she was hearing wrong. She hadn’t called Gina’s place sad. That wasn’t even in her vocabulary. Braunwyn stuck by her memory, saying she’d been totally sober, while Shannon had a couple of drinks, but Shannon insisted she was wrong. Braunwyn said either Shannon was lying or she didn’t remember, and Shannon said Braunwyn crossed the line. Shannon ended the conversation by saying how dare Braunwyn do this at her party, and I had to laugh when Braunwyn said she wasn’t the one who brought it up. Another truth! Shannon made a beeline for Emily, telling her that she never said Gina’s house was sad. In Braunwyn’s interview, she said every time she’s tried to be nice to Gina, it’s gotten thrown back in her face. We flashed back to all the times Gina has shut Braunwyn down, and it looks to me that Gina just plain doesn’t like Braunwyn. And I don’t think anything is going to change her mind. Braunwyn told Sean she didn’t know where to go from here.

Shannon made it sound like Braunwyn had accused her of being drunk, and in her interview, said Braunwyn was now using her sobriety as a weapon. Like always, they played telephone, and by the time Gina repeated what Shannon had said, Braunwyn claimed Shannon was so wasted. Gina brought up the text from Sean, and Emily thought it wasn’t unreasonable that she found it creepy, in context of his and Braunwyn’s lifestyle. A love shack! A sex apartment! Threesomes! In Elizabeth’s interview, she said she’d never seen women act like this, and Braunwyn was just as big of a nut. Shannon, who’d told Braunwyn earlier that she’d never do two against one, attacked Sean and Braunwyn with Emily, Gina, and Kelly in attendance. Emily thought Braunwyn was pretentious, and Shannon told Sean, maybe they should start being authentic. Gina said Braunwyn looks down on her because she doesn’t have as much money as they do. We flashed back to some instances where Braunwyn said something Gina didn’t like, and I see it as Gina being the one who feels defensive about not having money. Gina got in Braunwyn’s face, screeching that Braunwyn was a sloppy chihuahua, and wasted all the time. She told Braunwyn to go get wasted again, which is really nice, and Braunwyn said she was 30 days sober today, bitch. Braunwyn ran off, telling Gina, f*** you!

Next time, the party continues, Braunwyn never wants see them again, Kelly thinks Braunwyn is better when she drinks, Braunwyn insists Shannon isn’t telling the truth, and Shannon says she doesn’t move on when people call her a liar. Great. We’ll be on this for the rest of the season.

👀 Elizabeth and Gina were guests tonight on Watch What Happens Live. I really like Elizabeth. She kind of reminds me of Garcelle on RHOBH. She stays above the fray, and laughs a lot. She said she was surprised she’d been chosen to become a Real Housewife, especially with the pandemic going on. Her divorce had been finalized, and we found out she and Jimmy finally had sex. Or as she put it, she’d been officially rechristened. I tried to ignore Gina, since she’s on a par with Teddi for me. She’s a follower, and an a-hole. Both the guests and audience were remote, and it was actually kind of fun. The Countess made a guest appearance, and sang Viva la Diva, while the audience danced in their Zoom boxes. Under normal circumstances, you rarely see the audience, so it had a different vibe. The sound people also made LuAnn sound a lot better than she really does, unless she’s been taking lessons. I want those people for karaoke. If I ever see karaoke again. I miss singing… and bourbon… sniff…

🍹 Don’t forget – The new season of Southern Charm begins tomorrow – i.e. Thursday.

👩🏽‍🏫 Brush Up On Your Charm…

New cast member and first woman of color on the show. She looks a lot like Lily Ghalichi from Shahs of Sunset.

Might Shep finally be settling down? Omg, he’s 40. He should probably pick a lane now.

Kathryn co-parents up close and personal.

One of the few really decent people in reality TV.

https://extratv.com/2020/10/15/reality-stars-eliza-limehouse-and-mark-struthers-mcbride-jr-expecting-first-child-weeks-after-their-wedding/

🍋 The Stirrer Gets Stirred…

I wouldn’t last two seconds in this program. I’d be All Out.

https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/2020/09/10030895/all-in-by-teddi-mellencamp-diet-business-scam-twitter

👠 Because It’s That Time Of Year…

And because I was the first one to throw something. True story.

https://nypost.com/2020/09/25/how-rocky-horror-went-from-tiny-musical-to-filthy-phenom/

⏰ The Clock Is Ticking…

It’s almost Halloween, and also almost time to change the clocks. Don’t forget to fall behind an hour this weekend. Yay! I’ll finally get some sleep. No I won’t. And also don’t forget to stay safe, stay truthful, and stay not being the one who takes the last chocolate bar from the vending machine. Especially if Epiphany is behind you.

October 27, 2020 – Sasha Creates a Scene, Veronica Is the Real Queen, Fast Break & a Dance

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

I missed the beginning. Apparently it’s going to be one of those weeks. But here are the highlights. One of them literally high. Dustin came into The Floating Rib to join Lulu, and saw Dante there; Carly brought a bottle of wine from Sonny’s wine cellar to Nina as a peace offering, but Jax answered the door, since Nina was at a meeting; and Sasha was high and harassing the bartender at the MetroCourt, who suggested she have some water. Valentin saw her, and said she was in a better mood than the last time he’d seen her. She grabbed a cherry from someone else’s drink, which the bartender wasn’t too happy about. Valentin offered to take her to her room, but she told him to get his hands off her. Chase came in, and told Valentin to back off, and now we’re up to speed.

Doc tells Anna, first, he wants to make sure he has his facts straight, so he can understand. Her history with Faison goes back many years. She says, early in her career, she thought she was smarter than everyone else; she was reckless. A lot of the time is a blur. She was running on adrenaline and coffee, and it was a recipe for disaster. It’s not inconceivable that nine months of that time should be shrouded in darkness. There were so many lies… He says, her mind was open to extended memory implanting, and she tells him, the memories she has of that time are the night she spent with Faison as part of an elaborate sting operation, Peter’s birth, and her decision to put him up for adoption. All she thought was that it lined up perfectly for that period in her life. She worked hard to put it behind her. She needed to bury it so she could survive. Doc says, then she learned she was one of Cabot’s subjects, and she says, and she wondered if her memories were hers at all, or her sister’s.

Dustin says he didn’t know Dante was joining them, and Lulu says he wasn’t invited. She realizes how that sounds, and says they know what she means. Dante says he wasn’t invited. He just stopped by for a beer, and he and Maxie were catching up. It was spontaneous. Dustin says, as long as he’s there, maybe it’s time they got to know each other.

Jax looks at the wine, and tells Carly, good year. He’s surprised Sonny let it go. She asks, who said Sonny knows she took it? He says, Nina doesn’t drink red wine anymore; the tannins give her a headache. I identify, since I can’t drink it either. Carly says she can go grab a bottle of white and come back, but he says he doesn’t think a bottle of wine is going to make Nina forgive her. Carly says she was hoping Nina had cooled off. It was an accident. She didn’t intend to knock the headstone over. He says, but she did know Nina is important to him. If she’s trying to make peace for his sake, it’s thoughtful, but what would have been more thoughtful would have been not going to the grave in the first place. She made a conscious choice. What was she trying to accomplish? She asks if he’s sure Nina isn’t going to drink it, and suggests he get two glasses. She’ll tell him everything.

At the MetroCourt, Curtis gives Nina a folder, saying it’s his information on her Phyllis Caulfields. One of them may be her ex-nurse. She’s extremely lucky that the jeweler gave her a name. She’s that much closer to her needle in a haystack. He was able to access the database of registered nurses. She asks, how? and he says, when he wants something, he can be charming. He weeded out the nurses who were inactive in the early 90s, and narrowed it down to six women who could have been her nurse. Unless they can determine a birth or married name, it’s the best he can do. She says, it sounds simple and incredibly complicated. Of the six, one knows the truth about her child.

Chase asks if Sasha is okay, and she says she’s fine. Valentin says, Chase misread the situation. Sasha was out of line with the bartender, and he wanted to keep her from making a scene. He sees his presence is no longer necessary, and leaves her in Chase’s capable hands. He whispers to Chase that he’d called Chase the last time Sasha needed a friend, and she could use one now. He leaves, and Sasha says, whatever Valentin whispered, she’s fine. She doesn’t need a babysitter. He tells her, stop lying to him.

Jackie tells Finn that she’s supposed to meet up with Chase, and Finn says Chase wants to do a family dinner with the three of them and Anna. Did he mention it? She says, not specifically. The last time she saw him, he was intent on mending fences between Finn and their dad, but they both know that’s not happening. Finn says, Chase thinks the only reason he doesn’t talk to their dad is because he remarried fast. He needs to go on thinking that. She says, even if it doesn’t make sense? It’s been decades, and Finn’s not a vindictive person. It doesn’t add up. She sees that, and his brother sees it. Maybe Chase would stop pushing the issue if he knew what really happened between them.

Anna tells Doc, it started to trouble her because her memories of Peter are very compartmentalized. There’s the deception, the birth, and adoption; it’s very specific. When she compares them with her memories of Robin’s birth, they’re more scattered, and it’s not the same. He asks if she can account for her whereabouts on the date Peter was born, but she says she can’t. In intelligence work, everything is a cover. Maybe part of her doesn’t want to know the truth, and she’d rather leave it the way it is. Peter is going to start his own family, and there’s the lingering threat that her sister is going to ruin everything. She feels she should find out once and for all if Peter is her son, or if he’s Alex’s. Doc sits down, and asks, what can he do?

Dante says Dustin shares a house with his son. He thinks he should be getting to know Dustin. Maxie comes over, and says Dustin is finally there. Did he have a flat? He says he was stuck at a PTA thing, but tonight’s not about him. He hands her a gift, and says, happy engagement. She shakes it, and he says she doesn’t have to open it now, but she asks if he’s kidding. Dante tells them to have a good night, and starts to leave, but Dustin says Dante and Maxie go way back, and Lulu says he should stay.

Curtis tells Nina, he won’t know which one he’s looking for until he does an extensive background search. It may require in person interviews, and he may have to outsource some it down state. She tells him to do what he needs to, and he says, even with the friends and family discount, it’s a pricey undertaking. Nina wonders why he’s trying to talk her out of it. Money is no object when it comes to her child. She’ll make sure Curtis gets what he needs. Valentin approaches, and says, that’s not necessary. He’d like to pay for it himself.

Chase tells Sasha, he doesn’t know what happened before he got there, but he thinks Valentin is trying to help her. She asks what gives him the impression she needs help, and he says Valentin called him after her presentation, and said she needed a friend. He thought she just needed cheering up, and he got distracted by what happened with Brook. She’s bad off. She has crazy mood swings, and sometimes sleeps until noon. She says she wants to forget her problems, and have fun. Just for an hour, she wants to stop thinking about everything they gave up so Michael and Willow could be happy. What’s wrong with that? He knows better than anyone how she feels, so sue her if she wants one drink too many. He says he gets that, but if anything else was going on, she would tell him, right?

Jackie says, Harry’s not at fault, and Finn says, he goes by Chase now. She says he’ll always be Harry to her. He’s an investigator, like she is, and he sees the strain, and he’s going to wonder why. Finn is sure there’s a breaking story on the other coast, and asks how much Chase knows. She says he knows she met Gregory through Finn, and he asks if she did her story about him. She says he still has the same plus size ego. Her story was about shadowing first year residents at a Boston hospital. He says he doesn’t remember her seeing the other residents like she did him, but she says she stuck to her journalistic standards, and didn’t cross the line with her personal involvement. She didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. She met Finn’s father when she was shadowing Finn, and they hooked up. He asks if that wasn’t crossing a line, and she says she doesn’t have to explain her choices to anyone. He asks, what about her choice to marry his father… after what they did before the wedding?

Dante tells Lulu, he appreciates the offer, but he’s getting out of there. He asks if he can have a word with Peter before he goes, and they step aside. Peter asks what’s on Dante’s mind? and Dante says he owes Peter an apology. Lulu tells Maxie, she’s sorry Dante is raining on her big night, but Maxie says, he didn’t rain on anything. It’s great to see him, and he was 95% supportive. Lulu asks, what about the other 5%? and Maxie says, it’s over and forgotten, and Dante wished her well. It’s Lulu’s turn tonight to celebrate Maxie’s future. Dustin says they have a future of their own to celebrate. They’re making their living arrangements permanent. He’s officially moving in.

Finn asks if Jackie wants him to say the words, and I nod because I want to know. She says she slept with him the night before she married his father, but don’t throw it in her face like he’s innocent. It was mutual; she never seduced him. He tells her, he didn’t say she did. He takes full responsibility for his part. He thought maybe she’d postpone the wedding, and they could figure a few things out. She says, when she started dating his father, she knew she might have feelings for him. He says, did she? and she says, of course (🍷), but she didn’t want to get involved with another subject. The night before the wedding, she couldn’t ignore it anymore. She had deep feelings for Gregory, but her feelings for him were just as real. He’d said she should call off the wedding. He kissed her, and she thought he was declaring his love for her, but in the morning, he couldn’t get out fast enough, and told her to forget what happened between them. Finn says he slept with his father’s fiancé, and didn’t react well. He made his choice, and she made hers. She says she wasn’t giving away everything she had with Gregory for a fantasy. The really sad part is, she kept looking for him at the church, thinking he’d show up, and tell her not to go through with it, insisting she be with him. At the very least, she thought he’d tell his father what happened, but he never showed up. Not at the wedding or anywhere else afterward. So she went ahead and married his father.

Sasha tells Chase, nothing else is going on. She’s just blowing off steam. She’s sure he has another place to go, and he says he does, but they’re running late. He can stay with her if she needs him. She says she doesn’t need a babysitter; go. He tells her, if she plans on going anywhere else, call a Ride Share. She says, yes, detective, and he says he’ll call her tomorrow.

Curtis tells Valentin that Nina doesn’t want his blood money. Valentin says that’s not what he’d call it. It’s penance. Nina asks if she can have a minute alone with Valentin, and Curtis says he doesn’t think it’s a good idea. She says, probably not, but it’s something she needs to do. Valentin says Nina knows how badly he feels about the masquerade with Sasha. Let him pay. She says she has her own money. Even if she needed it, she would sell cookies or start an online fund before she’d let him near the search for her child. 

Jax says, wow. Carly is still having nightmares. She says, it’s not like it’s on a nightly basis. She goes days without one, but there are times she’s seen Nelle. He says he’s not a psychiatrist, but there must be a reasonable explanation. Maybe part of her wonders if there’s something else she could have done to save Nelle. Carly says, it was horrible when Nelle fell. She’s asked herself a thousand times, if she’d moved faster, could she have saved Nelle, but she’ll never know the answer. None of it changes the fact Nelle was a horrible woman. She was a danger to Carly and her family, and they’re safer now that she’s gone. She hasn’t shed a tear, but what makes her sad is that Wiley will grow up without a biological mother. She’ll have to tell him about Nelle. She doesn’t feel guilty, but it feels like a warning.

Jax says, she’s telling him her nightmare is a warning? What about? She says she wishes she knew. It’s not fair. It’s like something she forgot to fear; something important she needs to remember. But the harder she concentrates, the faster it slips away. She’s replayed that night over and over. What about Nelle’s fall could she have forgotten?

Nina tells Valentin, it’s too late; she’s moved on. Valentin says, even if that’s the case, he still cares about her. Her happiness matters to him. She says she’s super happy with Jax, and he asks where Carly fits into the situation. He’d like to know how she reconciles how, with Jax, Carly comes first.

Sasha demands the bartender change the music, telling him, jazz is so boring. It’s practically elevator music. Can’t he put on something with more of a kick? He says if she’s looking for rock and roll, security can give her directions to The Floating Rib. She says she knows the MetroCourt owner; she used to date her son. But if he doesn’t want her money, she’ll go elsewhere. She takes her bag off the bar, along with the glassware, knocking everything on the floor, and dropping her bag, the contents spilling out. Nina hears the glass shatter, and runs in. Curtis goes over to help Sasha, who covers up the baggie of coke that was in her purse. She scoops everything up, and tells him that she doesn’t need help; she can be clumsy sometimes. He says he bets. She tells the bartender, it was an accident. She’s not paying for the glasses. Nina asks her, what’s going on? Is she all right? Curtis says, she just slipped; it was a total accident. Sasha says she’s so sorry, and the bartender says, whatever, lady. Curtis quietly tells Nina, he doesn’t like to talk out of turn, but he’s had personal experience in this area. Nina asks what he’s talking about, and he says, Sasha is high as a kite, and he doesn’t think it’s the first time she’s used.   

Finn asks, what if he’d stopped the wedding. Would Jackie have married anyone? His father was a hell of a consolation prize. She says, not true. She was torn between the two of them, and when Finn pulled his vanishing act, she had one path to follow. She loved Gregory; it wasn’t fleeting. Their marriage, and having Harry, have been the best times, the best years of her life. She’s hurt Gregory over the years, but every couple goes through things. Finn broke his father’s heart. He gave up his father’s name. Finn says he was ashamed of himself, and no longer felt he deserved it. He doesn’t know what to say. He’s sorry. She says she didn’t want to keep the secret. She told him that his father deserved the truth, but he wanted to keep it quiet, insisting they take it to their graves. 

Anna tells Doc that Peter has the genetic testing marker for rheumatoid arthritis. He thought it was from her, but when she was diagnosed, she found out she didn’t carry it. When Nathan found out he was Faison’s son, he got genetically tested, but doesn’t have it. As far as she knows, Britt doesn’t have it, so it leads her to believe Faison didn’t have it either. Doc says if she can confirm Faison didn’t carry it, that means Peter inherited it from his mother. She says, yes, and it would make Alex his mother. That’s why she and Finn were in his lab. She knows he was conducting experiments on the brains of serial killers, and knows Faison’s brain was donated for study. If he could release that or a sample, she could get it tested, and get the answers she wants. She doesn’t know what else to do. Doc says he’s not going to release Faison’s remains to her. He can’t.

Dante says, when Peter said he and Maxie were getting married, he was less than gracious. He had a kneejerk reaction that Nathan would be forgotten. It was no excuse. Peter says even though he’s Nathan’s biological sibling, Dante was more of a brother to Nathan than he was.

Maxie says, so Dustin and Lulu are officially living together? Wow. She’s so happy for the both of them. How is it that she’s just hearing about it now? Lulu says, so much has happened since they discussed the idea… logistical stuff… furniture. Maxie says she’s got to check on James’s sitter. She’ll be back. Dustin tells Lulu that he’s confused. Before, Lulu said she didn’t want to put their relationship on pause because Dante was back in town, but does she not want him living with her anymore?

The bartender says he’s had enough of Sasha, and he’s calling security. Nina says she takes full responsibility; security isn’t necessary. She’ll get Sasha back to her room. Valentin says he’ll pay whatever the damages are, and whatever the bartender needs for his  trouble. Sasha thanks Nina, but says she doesn’t have to do this. She doesn’t even know why Nina is offering. Nina doesn’t know either, but says she doesn’t like to see anyone in pain. Sasha says she’ll be fine. She can make it to her room herself. Nina says she knows Sasha is high, and shouldn’t be alone coming down. She takes Sasha’s arm, and they walk out.

Lulu tells Dustin, of course (🍷) she wants him to live with her. She’s had no time to process it; how they’re going to work it out, or even how to tell the kids. It’s one thing, him just crashing there, but it’s a whole other thing now that Dante is back in their lives. She tells him to listen to her. She wants to make something very clear. She loves him, and Dante’s return doesn’t change that. He says he loves her too, and they hug.

Peter asks what Dante is doing for a job now that he’s staying in town. Dante says, security work maybe, but he has to find a company that doesn’t mind a two year gap. Peter says he might have a lead for Dante.   

Doc tells Anna, Faison’s organs were donated to scientific research by his next of kin, which is Peter. He can’t release any samples to a third party, let alone a non-medical one, without Peter’s consent. He assumes she already knew this, or she and Finn wouldn’t have broken in. Anna says she did, and he says it would be impossible for him to release any samples, even if he was allowed. He’s already scheduled a wide battery of tests to be done immediately. She asks, what kind? and he says, no one has actually looked at sociopathy and auto-immune disorders, and he thinks it’s worth investigating. To confirm that, he’s having a variety of genetic markers checked, like diabetes, Addison’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. She smiles and thanks him.  

Jackie tells Finn, he has no idea how many times she wanted to tell his dad the truth over the year. He asks why she didn’t, and she says, too much time had passed. There was too much to lose. It would have been easier if they’d told him from the start, but she kept quiet because of Finn. Finn says his father was broken up when his mom died. Jackie brought him out of his grief, and Finn didn’t want him losing her, or his son. She says, he lost his son anyway. They made the decision years ago, and now they’re living with the consequences, including Harry. He’s an innocent bystander, and wants a family with his brother and parents. Doesn’t he deserve it? Finn says, for so many years his dad has been believing he hates him. Knowing what they did, he doesn’t know if they could ever bridge the gap. She says he doesn’t know if he doesn’t try. Chase knocks on the door, and Finn takes Jackie’s hand. He says, it’s not about his father anymore. He knows how complicated it could get, and they both know what’s at stake. Jackie opens the door, and Chase is surprised to see Finn.    

Chase says, sorry for interrupting, but he and Jackie were supposed to meet up twenty minutes ago. Jackie says she totally forgot, and Chase is sure she was shocked to see Finn. He’s been trying to bring them together as a family, but Finn keeps turning him down. Now he’s here. Finn says he came to tell Jackie, enough is enough. Chase asks what Finn means, and Finn says, if he can get a raincheck for the family dinner, he and Anna would like to join them. Chase says, really? and Jackie says, really. Finn says, after all, they’re family, and Chase hugs him.     

On the phone, Doc says, great, and thanks someone. He tells Anna, they’re set. He managed to get a rush job on the lab tests, and the results will be done overnight. Anna says, so this time tomorrow, she’ll know if Peter is her son or not.  

Lulu asks Peter if she even wants to know. What did Dante want? Peter says, it went well. Dante was gracious, and congratulated them. Maxie says, awesome. Peter wants to ask Lulu something, but if she’s against it, he won’t do it. She says, okay… and he says, the investigation of Cyrus could put their office and staff in incredible danger, and he wants more security. Dante is looking for security work. How would she feel if Peter hired him? 

Outside, Dante sends a text. I’m in. Infiltrated Peter August’s organization.

Valentin tells Curtis he’d have no trouble taking Sasha to some other bar, as long as she doesn’t create more drama. He’s more concerned though, after talking to Curtis. Does Curtis know something Valentin would like to know? Curtis says he thinks Nina’s got it handled, and walks away.

Carly tells Jax, she knows it doesn’t make sense, but she can’t shake the feeling there’s something missing; something she’s supposed to remember. Something important. He says the best way to remember something is to think about something else. Think about this. He’s with her, and they’ll get through this together. They hug, and Carly thanks him. Nina and Sasha walk in, as Carly is telling Jax, he’s so great.

Tomorrow, Willow is looking for the next step, Nina says the only thing Carly is sorry about is being caught, Carly wonders what a nice girl like Sasha is doing with a face like that, and Cyrus tells Franco that he’ll buy the next round.

The Haves and The Have Nots

Wyatt begs Vinnie for his life, and Vinnie says, Wyatt wanted to die. Wyatt says, don’t do this, and Vinnie says, it’s done. Wyatt says, too much blood, and Vinnie says, know how much he lost? Wyatt apologizes, and says he’ll give Vinnie jewelry if Vinnie lets him go. Vinnie says, go where? and Wyatt says, Boston. Vinnie asks if Wyatt thinks jewelry can fix this. Wyatt says, Vinnie likes money, right? and Vinnie says that’s the problem with Wyatt. He thinks money can fix everything. Does he think it can fix Wyatt stabbing him? He’s dead. He’s dying. How does he like it? Wyatt says, sorry, and Vinnie says he has nothing for Wyatt’s sorry ass. Wyatt says, call his dad, and Vinnie says, die. Wyatt starts to pass out, and goes limp

Candace’s phone rings. It’s Mitch He says he’s been trying to call. Benny knows. She says, knows what? and Mitch says, he knows about Derrick. She asks, how? He says he doesn’t know, and she asks, who told him? Mitch doesn’t know that either, but says Benny is pissed. He came into the bar, and he’s even more mad because Mitch lied. Candace asked him to do this, but he doesn’t like it. She says she’ll talk to Benny. She’ll tell him that she asked Mitch to lie. Mitch says she can’t. Benny will wonder why they’re so close. She says, it’s okay, but he says he’s got it. He never told Benny that she’s the one who said it. She doesn’t have to worry about that. She thanks him, and says, sorry, but he says, he’s sorry; it’s stupid. She asks if he knows where Benny went. Does he have an address? He says he can get it, and she asks if he’ll help find Benny. He says, it’s only a matter of time. Benny is on this dude, and they have to hurry. She asks if he can help her, and he says he’ll see what he can do. She says, if he finds anything, let her know. They hang up, and Mitch leaves the Iron Bone.

Veronica’s phone rings, and security guy/thug Marco says he’s at her door. She tells him, come in, and says she’s tired of sitting around. He says she can move, and she asks if it’s safe. He says he’s tracking whoever’s tracking her. She can go about her day. She wonders how assured she is that she’s safe, and he says she hasn’t paid him yet. She asks where Jim is, and Marco says, still in the hospital. She says, and his wife? and Marco says, in jail. She says she means David, and he says David is between the hospital and home. Is there anything else she needs? She says, make sure she’s safe, and he says, that’s a given. She says, find out who’s trying to take her out, and he says he’s working on it. She tells him, she might want to go out, and he says he’ll be close. She says, this body is too pretty to have holes in it, and he says, that, he understands.

Hanna tells Al that she thinks she gets it. He says he knew she would, and she says, it’s late. They’ll be here soon. He asks if she wants him to stay, but she says she’ll handle it. He says he thinks she can, but if she can’t, call him. He’ll be glad to help. He tells her that she’s a beautiful woman, and he’d kick himself if he didn’t ask her out to dinner. She says she’s got a lot on her mind, and he says the pastor told him she’d say that. He said she’s turned down more men than she’s said yes to. She says she’s glad he’s watching, and Al says, Jesus is too. Hanna laughs, and says, amen. He says he thinks it’s great that she’s selective, and she says, very. He says he’d love to take her out to dinner, and she says, it’s like that, huh? He says, a guy has to try, and she tells him, she’d love go out with him, but give her a minute. She has a lot going on. He says he’s going stay on her butt, and she believes him. She thanks him for everything, and he says he’ll see her tomorrow. He wants to hear how it went. She suggests she call him and tell him, and he says he’ll be waiting.

There’s a knock at Justin’s door, and he asks who it is. It’s Veronica, the real queen. He asks what she wants, and Tanner asks, who the hell is that? Justin says, it’s no one. Veronica walks in, and asks if she’s interrupting something; something disgusting. Tanner asks, who is this? and Veronica says, that bitch’s fairy godmother, nodding toward Justin. Tanner says, what the hell? and she asks who he is. Tanner says, Justin’s brother, and she says, something created two of them? She tells Justin, she wants to know who the girls were who were in her pool. He and Jeffrey sent girls to her pool. Justin says he has no idea what Veronica is talking about, and asks what she’s going to do. She says, he’s not scared, is he? Justin says he didn’t do anything, and she says she believes him. Tanner again wonders who she is, and she says, she’s that bitch. That’s all he needs to know. She tells Justin to stop shaking in his panties; she believes him. Now thank her. He does, and she says, you’re welcome. She walks out, saying, see you ladies, and Tanner asks Justin, who the hell…? Veronica comes back, and says she’s Jeffrey Harrington’s mother. The young man Justin sexually assaulted in the back of hid police car. Tanner says, what? and she says, he didn’t know. That’s the kind of thing Justin is into. She leaves for real, and Tanner says, what the hell was that about? Justin says, she’s crazy. He can’t take this. Tanner says, tell him what the hell’s going on, and Justin says, okay.

Benny walks into Candace’s hotel room, and she says, hey. He says, don’t hey him. Did she tell Mitch? She asks, what’s going on? and he wants to see her phone. He wants to know if Mitch called her. She asks, what’s wrong with him? and he says, they lied to him. Does she know that dude raped their mother? She says, who told him that? and he says, Veronica. She asks how Veronica would know, and he says, she knows everything . Why did they lie to him? She says she didn’t want him to do anything crazy. Benny says he found Derrick, pulling into the Cryers as he was leaving. She asks what Benny was doing there, and he says, asking mommy. She tells him that he needs to stay away from there, and he says, why lie? She asks, what did he do? and he says, he hit Derrick’s bitch ass. He’s a coward; he wouldn’t get up and fight. She says, that was a long time ago, but he says, it still happened. She tells him, as bad as it was, she wouldn’t be here. Has he ever thought of that? He needs to try and let it go. He asks if she just let it go, and she says, it’s a work in progress. With mama and her. Hanna doesn’t want to see Derrick anymore, but she’s trying. He’d be surprised at the amount of things women have to let go to just get through this life. (Preach it, sister!) He says he wanted to break Derrick’s neck, and she asks, why didn’t he? He says he felt sorry for Derrick, but he should have. She says he did what he was supposed to, and he says he’s pissed her and Mitch. She says they did what was best for him. Get over it. Relax. Let it go. Please. He asks for a drink, and she says, they’re more than ten dollars. He sits on the bed, and says she’s got jokes now. She says, it’s okay, and he says, easy for her to say. Candace says, she’s his daughter.

Madison sits on the couch with Jeffrey, and says he can’t believe it. Do not do that again. Does Jeffrey like Colby? Jeffrey says, he’s fun, but Madison says, no. Does Jeffrey like him? Jeffrey says he likes that Colby is fearless. Madison isn’t jealous, is he? Madison says, Colby is a friend, and Jeffrey suggests he take Madison out to dinner. Madison says, why? and Jeffrey says, just get ready. Madison asks again, and Jeffrey says, they need to talk. Madison says, oh no, and Jeffrey says, it’s a good thing. Madison says, what about? and Jeffrey says, just them. Madison asks what Colby said, and Jeffrey says, Colby helped him see Madison better. Madison says it had nothing to do with seeing him naked, and Jeffrey says, it had everything to do with that. Madison says Jeffrey is buying, and gets up to get dressed, but Veronica walks in, holding a mask like you get from Home Depot. She looks at Jeffrey, and says, so this is where that girl keeps you. Madison tells her to get out of the apartment, and she asks, what kind of furniture is this? I thought you girls had better taste. Madison threatens to call the cops, and she says she’ll have Jeffrey arrested for trespassing. Madison says, she shot at him, and she says she’s not talking about bullet holes in the pool. She’s talking about the filth left behind by those things. Madison says he has a restraining order against her, but she doesn’t care; her husband has one too. He asks how she got in, and she says their wrists are too loose to lock the door. She asks if it was Madison’s idea to send those things to her house, and Jeffrey says it was his idea. He’s starting to get free. Remember what he did last time. She says she wants his bitch ass to do it again, and Madison says she needs to leave now. Get out. Veronica says he doesn’t scare her. He says he’ll remove her himself, and she says, try it, and he’ll see a side of leaving he’s never seen. She just wants to look around. She starts to put some surgical gloves on, saying, you can’t be too careful. Jeffrey says, get out, and Madison moves toward her. She says, don’t touch the $5000 dress, and Madison says he saw it on the sale rack for $85. She says of course he’d know where the ladies shop, and he says he can spot a fake from a mile away. He starts to move her along, and Colby comes in. He says, damn, and she says, there it is again. Colby says, it, and Madison says, Colby… Veronica asks what his full name is, and Colby says, Colby Jones Willis. She asks what he’s doing there, and he says he didn’t see her broom outside. He says Jeffrey needs to stand up to this wannabe. She wants to be rich, but she’s wearing knockoffs. He saw her dress on the sale rack for $85. I guess he and Madison go shopping together. He asks what this bitch is doing there, and Madison tells Veronica, please, just leave. Veronica says, so Jeffrey is living there. Colby suggests they give this dinosaur a show. He rubs against Madison, and says, if this bitch won’t leave, he’ll make her leave. Veronica says, she’s leaving. She got what she came for. Colby says he’s all about getting what he came for, and Veronica says, thank you, Colby Jones Willis, saying it with a lisp. She laughs as she walks out, repeating his name. When she’s gone, Colby says they need to sage this bitch. What the hell? Madison says he can’t believe her, and Colby says he needs a drink. He had one helluva date.

Alissa is on top of David, when he tells her, stop. She says she can do better, and he says, this is crazy; her here. She says, sorry; she gets it. He’s thinking about Erica. He says he’s thinking about a lot of things, and Alissa says, but mainly her, and he says, yeah. She asks if he’s talked to someone about it, like a psychiatrist. He asks how she knows about that, and he says she doesn’t, but she feels like it’s what rich people do. Maybe he should. He says, maybe she should, and she says she didn’t mean to upset him. He says, it’s not her, but don’t touch his back. He tells her, he knows she’s been through a lot, and she thanks him for saying that. Thanks for letting her tell him the truth. He asks where her phone is, and she gets it. He has her unlock it and sign in, and she gives it to him. He says she’s not asking him what he’s looking for, and he can go through everything. She tells him, go through anything he wants. She wants to be a kept girl by a good guy. He says she’s got the wrong guy, but she says they’ve already established that he’s a good guy. He gives her a new phone, and asks if she needs any of her contacts. She says she doesn’t need anything. He asks if she has it back up, and she says, no. He says, if she’s lying… and she says she’s not. She knows what he’s been through. She asks if there’s anything she can do, and he says, no. Be quiet. They lie on the bed, looking at each other.

Laura checks out the clothes Veronica gave her, and asks if Samuel doesn’t like any of this. He says he doesn’t like Veronica. He doesn’t trust this chick. Laura says she loves all of these things. She could get used to this. He says he knows, and she says, as long as he’s not sleeping with her. He wonders why she keeps saying that, and she says, sorry. She asks him to kiss her, and he tells her, take that crazy ass wig off. If he wants to sleep with a wig, he’ll take his ass over to her house. She goes into the bathroom, and he looks at his phone. Veronica sends a text, saying, call her if his wife isn’t around. He calls her, and she says she knew she’d get his attention. She wants him to come over tonight. He says he’s married, and she says she did some digging. Does he want to tell her about Regina? He says, it was a long time ago, and she says, her house, tonight. The little girl he married will never know, and she’ll show him what a real woman does. She asks if his wife is around, and he says, yes. She asks if his wife can hear him, and he says, no. She says, exciting, isn’t it? and hangs up. He says, damn.

Veronica’s doorbell rings, and she comes slowly down the stairs. She asks, who is it? Big surprise, it’s Samuel. She offers him a drink, but he says he told her, he doesn’t drink. She says he told her that he was faithful. He says, she was just a little… and she says, everyone needs a little side piece. It will be their little secret. She tells him to call her Veronica, and he says, Veronica, look… She asks if he doesn’t find her attractive, and he says he he doesn’t feel good about this. She says, come with her; she’ll make him feel good. He follows her upstairs. She asks him why they lied about their son; they don’t have kids. What are they up to? He says, nothing, but she says, yes they are, and she’s going to find out what it is. He asks what she’s up to, and she leads him to the bedroom. She lies across the bed, and says he wants to hustle old bitches. He says, what? and she says, that’s what he’s doing. She knows what he’s up to. He says he’s not up to anything, and she says, keep it up. Stay with that girl, doing petty crimes, or let her upgrade him. He doesn’t think he can, and she tells him close the door, have a drink. He closes the door, and pours from a decanter, drinking it down. She says, good boy. Now she’ll see what he can and can’t do. Take his clothes off. He takes off his shirt, and she says, pants. He takes those off, and asks, how’s that? She says, very nice, and he asks if she’s got condoms. She tells him, in the box; pick his color. He takes one, and she laughs, saying, so that’s the color he chose? She tells him to come over there. He does, and they get busy. The bed is covered with money, and Veronica remembers all of their interactions up until now.  

David looks at Alissa’s old phone, and he says she touched his back. He asks, who’s Nick? and she says, an old boyfriend. He asks why Nick texted her so much, and she says he knows why. What she just did to him? That will make him text. She asks if she can she talk to him about her house. He tells her, she said apartment, and she says, but he’s rich. He laughs, and says he’s not buying her a house. She says, yes he is, and he says, no. She tells him, one way or another, he is. He asks, what does that mean? and she says he’ll see. She puts on her dress, walks over to the door, and slams her arm in it. She screams, and runs off yelling, he raped me, and for someone to help her. Security guard Leo walks in, and she grabs him. She says, David raped her. Call the police. She acts hysterical, and runs out the door. David wonders if she’s lost her mind, and tells Leo, go get her. I think, poor David. Then I remember, he’s not really so nice.

A woman walking her dog sees Wyatt in a parked car. She screams, and calls 911. She tells them, there’s a dead man inside of a car.

💥 This was the season finale, but the new season starts in a month, premiering on November 24th.  Just when I think I have the non-seasonal seasons down…

🥱 Baby, It’s Late Outside…

Is it Friday yet? This week, also called the day before Halloween. Are we still having Halloween? The shame of it is the perfect storm of the holiday being on a Saturday and there being a full moon. Sometimes life just isn’t fair. Regardless, stay safe, stay inquisitive, and stay not thinking about what you’re trying to remember.

October 26, 2020 – Dante Thinks It’s a Mistake, Write Maritime Law 100 Times, No More, Halloween Chat, Memories, All Clear For NYC, New Girlfriend, a Revival, Lovecraft Report, Dare You & Warp This

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

I missed the very beginning, but here are the important points. Julian found Alexis drinking in Charlie’s, and cut her off; Robert swiped some flowers, and brought them to Jackie’s hotel room; Sam was with Jason outside Kelly’s, talking Halloween and Cyrus, when Spinelli joined them; and Dante went to The Floating Rib, and saw Maxie. And here we are…

Jason tells Spinelli and Sam that Brando just started working for Cyrus, and Sam says he can confirm Cyrus’s true intentions are Port Charles and the hospital. Jason says it could take him a while to get the information they need, and Spinelli thinks they should focus on another pressing matter. Sam says, Peter, and Spinelli says, exactly, and exposing him for the villain he really is.

Alexis tells Julian not to go too far. Julian says she could be home drinking alone, yet she’s here in the bar. What does that say? She tells him, it says she doesn’t care who knows. She drinks where and when she pleases. It’s about her and nobody else. He tells her, what it says to him is, either she’s looking for a fight or someone to stop her. Which is it?

Lulu shows up at Doc’s research office, startling him. He says he’s used to being alone, and she says, the subject matter doesn’t help. He supposes it doesn’t, and she says she brought him dinner. Her mom is worried that he’s not eating enough. He says that’s kind, but he has the feeling it’s not the only reason she’s there. What’s on her mind? She says, Dante.

Maxie and Dante sit down, and she says it’s so good to see him. He says it’s good to see her too, and she says she misses seeing him at the PCPD, or calling him when everything goes to hell, which has happened a lot lately. He’s sure she has plenty of people to call, but she says not like him. He’d show up, no questions, no strings attached. She missed him. He thinks she missed him on the softball field, and she says they were terrible last summer. He says he knew it, and she tells him, welcome home. He says, it’s the first time it actually feels like it.

Robert calls Jackie his partner, and she hands the flowers back to him, saying, they came with a price tag. Do his own investigation. If Peter is no good, she’ll write a story. She won’t hand over evidence to him. He asks what if she discovers some? and she says she’ll write a story; that’s her job. He says they’re on a parallel track, but she says they have two entirely different motives. She’ll do her thing, and he can do his. He says she’s more hotheaded than ever.

Alexis says Julian’s ego is boundless. If she wanted to stop drinking, does he think she’d go to him? He says, what about the last time she slipped? She called him, he picked her up, and she went straight to a meeting. She says, no one else answered the phone, and this isn’t like last time. She doesn’t want to be sober. He says she doesn’t mean that. He knows her better than anyone. She says, if he knew a damn thing, he’d know why she drank in the first place. He’s the reason she’s an alcoholic.

Spinelli says, Peter continues to worm his way into the fabric of Port Charles and Maxie’s life, and by extension, Georgie’s and James’s. Sam says, it will just get worse when the baby is born, and Spinelli says they have to reveal Peter’s true nature. If that monster puts his name on the birth certificate, it will become nearly impossible for Maxie to disengage. And Nelle confirmed Peter’s involvement.

Lulu tells Doc, Dante is back in town, and he’s surprised Laura didn’t say anything. She says that’s because she didn’t tell Laura. Laura would cut her trip short, which would be pointless. Doc says Laura could support her during this confusing time, but she says, no one can say or do anything to make it less confusing. Doc says, especially since Dustin has been thrown in the mix, and she says she’d just asked Dustin to move in, when Dante showed up. Doc says, that’s a big step, and she says they’re ready to start the next chapter. Now she feels strange. He asks how Dustin reacted to Dante coming back, and she says, he was amazing. He was patient and gracious, and offered to step aside for the sake of the family. He asks what she told him, and Lulu says she told him that Dante said to move on. He asks if she’s not sure what she wants to do.

Maxie asks Dante, how’s reentry? and he says, weird. He knew it was going to be, but it’s really weird. She says, Olivia must be happy to have him home, and he says his mother’s great, but he thinks she doesn’t know what to do with him. Maxie says, it will take time to adjust, and Dante says he missed some people so much, but now everything is different. They way you get in sync with people, he didn’t have to think about it. Maxie says, now he does, and he asks how she is.

Robert says, Jackie seems to have forgotten, they’re not kids anymore. She thanks him for the reminder, and he says, there’s more than just a story. She met Maxie, who’s like a daughter to him. He’d give up his life to protect her. She says, and he’s worried because Macie is pregnant with Peter’s child, but he says he was worried eons ago. She says, then don’t wait for her. Get off his ass, and prove it. He says he plans to.

Finn tells Anna that this isn’t her only option, but she says, it is. She doesn’t carry the marker for rheumatoid arthritis, and the only way to find out is by the process of elimination. Alex isn’t going to get tested, so that leaves Faison. Finn says, but he’s dead, and the only genetic material is his brain. She says, it’s a few floors down. If Faison doesn’t have the gene, that means Alex is Peter’s mother.

Julian tells Alexis that he’s sorry she turned to alcohol because of what happened between them. She asks if that’s a euphemism for holding a knife to her throat. It was months and months of his cowardice, lying, and violence, and sneaking around like a rodent. He says, they had some good months, and she says, four years ago. Then he tried to kill her. She didn’t have a problem before. That’s just a fact. So he’s responsible for the bottomless pit of crap that’s become her life, and she drinks to cope with that. He says, so she’s going to cozy up to the bar for the rest of her life? She says, pretty much, and he says he doesn’t accept that. She says she doesn’t care. The bottle is much better for her than he ever was. He says he was horrible to and for her, and she says, ding-ding-ding! We have a winner! She gets up, and announces it to the room. He says he needs to do something good with his life before it’s too late, and needs to do it soon. Let him help her.

Sam tells Spinelli, back up. What did Nelle confirm? He says, Jason didn’t tell Sam? and she says, Jason knew? Spinelli says, the night of the Nurses Ball, he ran into Nelle backstage. He didn’t know what she was planning, but she told him that Shiloh said he was blackmailing Peter. Sam says, about when he was in Afghanistan with Drew? and Jason says, that explains Peter with the bag of cash the night Shiloh took Sam hostage. Spinelli says, Peter wasn’t just a bystander, and was responsible for Drew being kidnapped, which led to all sorts of crimes. Sam asks about the evidence against Obrecht, and Spinelli says, Peter framed her. Now he’s on the cusp of marrying Maxie, and Maxie is carrying his child.

Jackie thinks she and Robert are done, but he has one more thing. What’s the deal with Finn and his father? She asks what he means, and he says, they had some falling out, but Finn is tight-lipped. She says, that’s an understatement, but she guesses he wants to keep the issue private. He says, so there is an issue? and she says it’s no secret that Finn hated his dad getting married so soon. Robert says, it’s been thirty years, and she asks how it’s his business. He says he’s looking out for Anna, and she says he’s Anna’s knight in shining armor. Her phone rings; it’s Peter.    

Anna tells Finn, it’s strange. She hopes Faison has the marker. If not, they’re back to no way of knowing. She thinks it’s better to be able to tell Peter, Alex might be his mother, as opposed to, she is his mother. Finn asks if that’s really the worst thing. She’d be disappointed, but Peter would still be family. She says she turned away from the dark path, and watched Valentin do the same. He wonders why she’s talking about Valentin, and she says they turned their lives around. They did on it on their own, but that’s not the case with Peter. His grasp on a new life happened because he found out she was his mother. Now she might have to tell him that she’s not. She feels as if she’s the tether tying him to the good side. She doesn’t mean it to sound egotistical. She wishes Maxie and the baby were enough, and desperately wants it to be true, but she doesn’t think they are.   

Lulu tells Doc, she loves Dustin, but part of her will always love Dante. In a way, it would be easy to reunite, and go back to the way it was before the nightmare happened, but time didn’t stand still. What she has with Dustin is real. To pretend it’s not isn’t fair to anyone. Doc says she has a lot of feelings to sort through, but doesn’t have to do it right this second; take her time. Her world was just thrown for a monumental loop. No one expects her to have everything figured out. Her phone dings, and she says she has to go. She thanks him for listening. He walks her out, and asks her to do him a favor and call her mother. She says, okay, okay.

Dante says, enough about him, and Maxie says, shocking. He’s shifting the focus off himself, and he asks, what’s going on with her? She says, same old, but he highly doubts it. She says she has so much going on, she doesn’t know where to begin. Georgie and James have gotten so big, he won’t recognize them, and she no longer works at Crimson. He asks if she was finally fired, and she says she quit. She’s partnered with Lucy in Deception. He says, sounds colorful, and she says he has no idea. Other than that, she and Peter are getting married and having a baby.

Anna and Finn sneak downstairs to Doc’s research office. Anna picks the lock, and they go in.

Alexis asks Julian, who pulled the strings this time? He says he has no one to blame but himself, and she asks if he thinks he’ll make things better by pointing out her error in her ways. He says he needs to make up for lost time, and she says he needs to get over it. She stupidly thought she could trust him, and he accused her in front of everybody of sleeping with Neil, and said Neil was taking advantage of her. He’s the reason Neil lost his license, and she got disbarred. He’s the reason Neil turned to drugs, and the reason Neil is dead. Hasn’t he done enough?

Spinelli tells Sam and Jason, what galls him most is that Anna is a superspy. She should be able to see through Peter. How can she turn a blind eye? Jason says they talked about this. Anna wants to believe it. Spinelli says, he understands; Peter is her offspring. Jason says, that’s a lot. Anna turned her life around back in the day, and knows it’s possible. She wants or needs for it to be possible for Peter too. Deep down, even if Anna doesn’t admit it, she knows it’s a lie. Spinelli wonders when they can act on that, and Sam says, when they get proof, and they will.

Dante says, Peter? and Maxie says, he’s wonderful. Dante says he doesn’t think he understands. She’s actually marrying Peter, and they’re having a baby? How did she get in so deep? She says, Peter was cleared of things he was accused of. He runs a respectable paper, and has earned the respect of a lot of people, Lulu included. Dante doesn’t care if Peter’s earned the respect of the mayor. He’s the reason Nathan is dead. She remembers that night, right? She remembers Nathan, right? She tells him, don’t do this. He says, sorry, and she says, of course (🍷) she remembers Nathan. She thinks about him all the time, but because Nathen died, that doesn’t mean she has to stop living. She didn’t die with him. Her life with James is on. It’s not the same, but that doesn’t mean it’s of less value. He says he didn’t mean to throw Nathan at her, but he thinks she’s making a big mistake. She says, not him too.

Robert whispers for Jackie to put it on speaker, but she ignores him. Peter says he’s been in touch with HR, and all Jackie’s terms and conditions have been approved. She’s all set to begin working with Lulu on the investigation into Cyrus. She can start as early as tomorrow. She says she looks forward to working with him, and she’ll see him then. She hangs up, and tells Robert, that’s how it’s done, and don’t forget it.

Finn and Anna sneak around, and Finn says Faison’s body was donated to science by his next of kin. She says, Peter, and he says, it can’t legally be released without Peter signing off on it. She says, that would defeat the purpose of keeping Peter in the dark, and Finn says, speaking of which, it’s dark in there. Doc turns on the lights, and asks if that’s better.

Julian says he cares about Alexis. He didn’t mean to send her crashing down. She says he never means to do anything. Time and again, he’s created a path of destruction in his wake. Everything he touches is a steaming pile of garbage, including her. She doesn’t want his help. She yells, she doesn’t want his help, and wants him to leave her alone. He says he can’t.

Sam gets up , and Jason follows her outside. He asks if she’s okay, but she honestly doesn’t know what she is. She guesses he’s known this information for a while, and Spinelli has known since the Nurses Ball. Why didn’t he say anything? She could have helped. She wants to help. Jason says he’s not used to going over the day to day stuff with her. She says, when it relates to Sonny’s business, she totally gets it. She shouldn’t be involved, but he should apply her to every aspect of his life. He says she’s right.

Doc asks if Finn and Anna would care to explain. Finn says Anna was there for her phlebotomy appointment, and he was taking her upstairs. She felt dizzy, and they were near Doc’s office, so he brought her in. She needed a place to sit, and maybe get something to eat. Doc says, in a research lab? and Finn says, their next stop was the cafeteria. They were just waiting for the dizziness to pass. Anna looks like a bobblehead, agreeing with everything, and says she’s better now. They start to leave, and Doc says, what’s strange is, he locked the door on his way out. It’s a mystery how they got in. Finn says he thought that was strange, and Anna asks to talk to Doc alone. It’s basically a matter relevant to him as well. Finn says, it is? and she says Doc deserves to know the truth as much as anyone. Finn says as long as she’s feeling okay, and leaves. In the hallway, his phone dings. He gets a text from Chase; second thoughts about dinner?

Robert asks if Jackie is going to keep the flowers, and she says, if he’s just going to throw them out… He says, that’s the spirit. It was fun hanging out with her at The Floating Rib. She says, it was, and he says it made him think about old times. She’s a good friend, and he’s lost a few lately. It’s made him think he can’t take relationships for granted, or friendships. She says her schedule is erratic, but how are the Panthers? He says, clawing their way out of the basement, and she says she’s always had a soft spot for the underdogs. Maybe they could catch a game. He says, sounds like a date.

Maxie tells Dante, not him too. She’s gotten it from all sides; Robert, Spinelli, especially Spinelli. She knows Spinelli was coming from a genuine place… Dante says, as is he, and she says Spinelli was wrong about Peter. Fighting about it was devastating. Don’t make her have that fight with him too. Don’t make her choose. She’s marrying Peter; he’s the father of her baby. Just understand and wish her well. Dante says, all Nathan wanted was for her to be happy and loved. It’s all he wants too. She thanks him, and Lulu walks in. She and Dante look at each other.

Alexis says Julian looks like he’s in trouble. He looks desperate, and trying to save her isn’t going to change anything for him. Save himself. Take the wreck he’s made of his life, and leave her alone. It’s the only good thing he can do for her. He asks if she’s going to piss her life away in a bar. He’s asking her to leave, and he’s going to call her a car. If she doesn’t listen, he’ll call her daughters. Alexis starts to cry, and says, at least when she pisses her life away, the only person she’s hurting is herself. He’s destroyed everyone around him. The one good thing is their daughter, but otherwise, he’s been a cancer in her life. She can’t wait until the day she never has to cross paths with him again. She walks outside and cries.  

Sam tells Jason, Spinelli is her friend, and so is Maxie. Why didn’t he say anything? He says he’s not trying to keep anything from her. It’s not like he’s withholding information on purpose. It didn’t cross his mind. She says that’s a problem they need to figure out.

Robert sees Spinelli outside Kelly’s, and says, if it isn’t his partner in crime. He asks how it went with Maxie, and Spinelli says, as difficult it was to sell it, Maxie believes he supports her marriage to Peter. Robert says, excellent. Remember to continue to go slow. Robert’s phone dings, and he looks at it. He says, huh, and Spinelli asks if it’s something of interest. Robert says, it’s a text from Olivia. Dante has been released from the Geneva facility. He’s back in Port Charles. Spinelli says, surprising. He thought Dante was supposed to receive longer treatment. He wonders what expedited Dante’s release. Robert says he’s wondering the same thing himself.

Lulu tells Dante, hi, and he says, hey. It probably doesn’t get more awkward. She says she didn’t know he would be there, and he says, what are the odds? Peter says Maxie made it, and she suggests they get some drinks – non-alcoholic. Maxie steers Peter to the bar, and Dante says, so Maxie is pregnant. Lulu says, can he believe it? and he says, no. Life keeps moving along. Lulu says, whether they like it or not.

Jackie messes with the flowers when there’s a knock at the door. She says, don’t tell her he wants the flowers back after all. She opens the door, and it’s Finn who says, hello.

Anna says she and Doc were both unwilling participants in Cabot’s experiments, and he says, an unfortunate fact they have in common. He fails to see what that has to do with her breaking into his lab, and she says, it left lingering questions for her, as she’s sure it did him. There are things she tries ignore that sometimes keep her up at night. She doesn’t know for sure if Peter is her son, and Doc is the only person who can help her get to the truth.

Tomorrow, Valentin says Sasha is in a better mood, Chase tells someone to stop lying, Dustin wants to get to know Dante, and Carly wonders what she forgot about Nelle’s fall.

Below Deck Mediterranean – Reunion – Part Two

Andy started off by saying the manufacturer verified that what Hannah said was a CBD pen, was really a THC pen, but Hannah claimed you could put anything in it. Bugs thought they should let it go, but Jess said she was knowledgeable, and had one too. Captain Sandy said it was illegal, and Jess said, so arrest her. Jess said she wasn’t informed it was illegal to have; it was CBD. Malia said it was nothing personal, and during training they’re told no drugs are allowed on the boat; everything has to be registered. Hannah said the prescription was on the box, and showed it, along with a letter from her doctor. Text came up, and said that production had received the prescription 12 hours after Hannah left the boat. Malia said, even if it was a current prescription, you can’t take valium alone in your cabin. I’m not sure what that means. You have to invite other people? Andy asked if everything that alters your state has to be checked, and Captain Sandy said they’re crossing international waters, and if drugs are found on board, the owner’s vessel will get seized. It’s all documented to protect the owner. Malia said she went through the same thing with Benadryl, since it says it causes drowsiness, and not to operate machinery. The captain interjected that the yacht is machinery. Malia said it was to delegate who’s on duty. She said maritime law about twenty times, and everyone looked bored. Hannah said, the medications are meant to bring you to a normal level, and doesn’t work the same if you don’t have a mental illness. Malia said it wasn’t up to the crew member to take for themselves with no accountability. Hannah said if it wasn’t a revenge thing, why didn’t Malia tell the captain about the valium when she told her, Hannah is freaking out? Malia acted ignorant, and said she didn’t realize until she found it. Rob looked like he might go to sleep, and Malia said, it was about maritime law and the safety of the vessel. Jess said she never knew it was such a big deal. Rob said he was checking out, and Captain Sandy said it was illegal, and Jess was trying to justify it.

Jess was tired of Malia talking, and said they’d seen it all on her social media. Bugs thought the whole thing was blown out of proportion. She said she suffered from depression, and still worked on boats. They went around this whole thing again, and when Andy tried to get a word in, he was ignored and literally banged his head on his desk. We found out Malia went to production first, and was told to take it up with the captain. Yeah, I’ll bet. They don’t want to be responsible for that. She said there was also a management company, and Hannah said they got it – maritime law. A viewer asked why Malia didn’t check with Hannah first, and Malia said it wasn’t her place. Andy asked if it was planned so Bugs would get the position, but Bugs said Malia hadn’t known she was coming until she was there. Which doesn’t exactly mean it wasn’t planned, just not planned ahead of time. Malia said Tom being on the yacht with her wasn’t romantic, no matter what people wanted to think. Captain Sandy said the management company had to see she was following protocol. Hannah said it would have been nice if the captain had pulled her aside, and they’d had a conversation. She was made to feel like a criminal. I have to say, Hannah did really keep her cool, and she must have really been freaking out inside. Andy said, there was a lot of backlash, and asked if there was anything the captain would have done differently. Captain Sandy said, sometimes the right decision wasn’t the popular decision (which sounds like something your mom would tell you), but she followed the protocol of the management manual. Rob decided to out Jess, saying she’d told him to get rid of her weed pen, but Jess held her ground that it was CBD, and added she had a laundry list of Rob’s indiscretions. Andy asked if Hannah had regrets, btu she said she was in a good place in her life. He asked if she’d retired from yachting for good, and she said she was in Sydney, about have a baby girl, and yes, she was retired. Hannah was dismissed, and Malia made a weird face at her when she said goodbye. She might have been trying to keep her forked tongue in her mouth.

Tom and Aesha joined the virtual group. Tom explained, on bigger boats, you don’t have to cook for the crew as well. Captain Sandy said he was an incredible chef, and she didn’t regret hiring him. Tom said he got death threats because of his association with Malia, and Malia said she had hard backlash. Andy asked about the status of their relationship, and if they lived together. Tom said because they’re always on boats, they don’t live anywhere, and try to do as best they can. We found out they hadn’t seen each other since May, and Andy asked if they were still together. After dancing around this for like, ten minutes, Malia said she didn’t know if they were together, but Tom said they were working it out. He also claimed they were monogamous when on charter, which I find difficult to believe. Andy didn’t ask about what happens off-charter though.

We revisited Rob and Jess’s relationship. Rob said Bali was a beautiful experience, but things fizzled. Jess said she didn’t want to air dirty laundry. People think she’s jealous and/or crazy, but it’s because they don’t understand where she’s coming from. Without saying the words, she hinted that Rob was a real d-bag. Rob said he was open about having girlfriend, but Jess said, according to his ex, they didn’t have an open relationship. Andy asked if that contributed to the break-up, and Jess said, it didn’t help. Rob said it was unrealistic to expect to develop a relationship on a boat. I wanted to know what he told the first officer after he’d said he’d go on the crossing. Did he even bother to tell him? Rob said again that he regretted nothing. Aesha putting her hand on Rob’s ass, and their flirtation was discussed, but I kind of spaced out, since it was the same sh*t we heard for weeks. Jess said she wasn’t a jealous person, and felt like she was being gaslit by Aesha and Rob. A viewer asked if Rob would have pursued a relationship with Aesha had he met her first, but he said they didn’t have that type of connection; they were like brother and sister. Aesha said there was zero attraction, and no chemistry. Jess wondered about an inappropriate DM Rob had sent Aesha about c*cks. She saw it on Facebook, and Aesha responded. Aesha acted like she didn’t know what Jess was talking about, but Rob readily admitted to sending it. He said, it was just banter… and maybe a little flirtation. Aesha said she had a boyfriend now, and we saw a picture. He’s cute, and they look like they belong together. He must like potty jokes.  

A viewer asked when Bugs was going to realize Alex is hot, and Bugs said she did already; he was a catch. Alex said they’d gotten together to catch up, but they were realistic. They lived in different parts of the world, and couldn’t really foster a relationship.  

In ending (at last), Andy asked for high and low points. Malia said it had ultimately been a fun experience to meet everyone, and her low point was what happened with Hannah. It wasn’t what she wanted. Aesha said the whole experience was great, but she was so homesick and exhausted before she got on board, she didn’t make the most of it. Alex said his high point was meeting Bugs everyone, and on the flipside, he involved himself in drama by accident, when he was just trying to help. I don’t know if I spaced out again, Bugs had nothing to say, or if it was so boring, it just didn’t register.

Andy finished with saying it had been a dramatic, wild ride. Okay. If that’s what you call just sad.

⚖️ The Verdict Is…

Hint: They didn’t work it out.

🖥 In Chat Room, the ladies dressed up for Halloween. Kate said it was a week early, but this was 2020. She was Kate Moss, wearing moss in her hair; Hannah was Wonder Woman, using a costume that belonged to her mom. She did not elaborate on that. Both Porsha and Gizelle were Cleopatra, although they each wore it differently. The high point was Kate bringing out her dog Halo, wearing a unicorn costume. The women also picked a favorite Housewife costume of the past. Gizelle chose Kandi in a riff on Pennywise from It; Hannah liked LisaR dressed as Erika Jayne; Kate said she hated Ramona, but loved her in red leather as Britney Spears; and Porsha went with Cynthia as Fifty Cent. While still much prettier, Cynthia was definitely spot-on. I love this show, and wish it was on more often, and for an hour.

🤡 Here It Is…

Pennywise never looked so good.

🎀 Charlotte Through the Looking Glass…

Scarlett Fernandez remembers her first day in Port Charles.

🗽 It’s All Good…

The RHONY gets the all clear.

https://pagesix.com/2020/10/23/the-rhony-cast-is-covid-19-free-despite-production-interruption/

And goes back to work.

https://pagesix.com/2020/10/23/rhony-cast-spotted-back-at-work-in-greenport-ny/

💓 He’s Moving On…

Juicy Joe has found a new main squeeze.

https://pagesix.com/2020/10/24/joe-giudice-is-seeing-someone-new-following-teresa-giudice-divorce/

⛏ Dexter Returns…

In a CYA move, Dexter is revived.

🛣 Come Back, Country…

It looks unlikely there will be a second season of Lovecraft Country. The book did have a definitive ending, but why can’t they give us more? Since it’s a supernatural atmosphere, they can even revive the dead if they want.

Not only was it well-written, but everything was also beautifully crafted. And some of the monsters were truly scary.

🏞 Spirited Hiking…

Haunted trail anyone?

https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/haunted/photos/scariest-haunted-hiking-trails-us?ic1=triv_102420

🥺 Mondays Is Rough…

I’m off to finish an article for https://mupoentertainment.com/theresa-krakauskas/, which is a little nostalgic, it being Halloween week. No matter what it is you’re doing, stay safe, stay bold, and stay not sending inappropriate DMs. Especially if you’re on a reality show where everyone keeps receipts.

October 25, 2020 – A Chance Meeting Happens, Felix Asks Elton For Help, Pumpkin Watching & Dead

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

Morgan checks out the baby, and Rachel looks through the haul. She says they brought back a lot, and he tells her that he brought back clothes and books too. She takes out a jar of homemade jelly, and asks where he got it. He says he knows someone on the inside. They don’t know where he is, and they won’t; not until he’s ready to get everybody else out. He starts to leave, and Rachel asks if he wants to hold the baby. He says his arms aren’t up to it yet, and she says, it will be nice to have a playmate. He goes out the door, and she asks where he’s going.  

Morgan  sharpens a stick, and tells Rachel, people didn’t used to change much, but it feels like he’s been sixteen different somebodies since it happened. He’s going to find Grace, and bring her there. He’s scared he won’t be the man everyone knows, and Rachel says either he changed or he’ll still be the man they know. He checks out the ax that he made for himself, having moved beyond the pokey stick.

Dwight breaks into a boarded up house, and we hear zombie noises. Al comes in behind him, filming, and he tells her, come on. She films and kills zombies at the same time, multitasking. Some things never change. She says, it’s day four, into the microphone, and asks Dwight how long he thinks they’ve been dead. He says, two or three months; let Ginny figure it out. She looks in the guy’s wallet, and says, Arizona. A straggler zombie toddles out, and Dwight says, he can be Alaska, but when he checks the wallet, it’s Montana. Al says she counted fifteen sleeping bags. How many did they get? He says, not enough, and suggests they check upstairs.

Al bangs on a trashcan in some kind of medical office, but nothing happens. She looks in some drawers, and hears someone on the radio, giving coordinates. She looks for a pen and starts jotting them down. While she’s distracted, a fairly fresh-looking female zombie comes up behind Al, and traps her against an examining table. Al tries to reach for her weapon, but can’t get it, and Dwight runs in and stabs the zombie in the head. He asks if Al is okay, and she says the zombie smells like formaldehyde. She thinks someone embalmed her. He wonders what kind of psycho would do that. He radios in; fifteen dead, no living. He says they’re at a funeral home, and there’s nothing worth scavenging. Al wonders how they died, but says they’re not staying. Dwight says, they have no choice, but she says, bullsh*t. He wonders how many they’ve checked, and she thinks a couple hundred. He says, it’s always the same sh*t. What went wrong, and why did they die? If Virginia gave a sh*t, she would have gotten to it before it happened. He tells Al, he said there was nothing worth scavenging, but… He shows her a six-pack.

They have a beer on the back stairs. Al says the beer is skunk, and Dwight asks if she’s thinking about beer lady (i.e. Isabelle); tell him her name. He spits, and says the beer would taste better with a bag of pretzels. They clink bottles, and the radio comes to life. Al grabs for it, but Dwight holds onto it. He asks who hell that is, and what’s drop sight Baker? She says, trust her. The less he knows, the better. He tells her, she says that every time he asks her about beer lady. It’s her, isn’t it? What’s Ground 17? Al asks if his camera is off, and takes the radio. She says, yeah; it’s her. She thinks drop sight Baker is in the city, and says they switch channels a lot, but she’s been trying to track Isabelle’s movements. Dwight asks if Al knows where she might be, and she says she does. He asks why they aren’t heading there, and she tells him Isabelle has protocol. He says, screw protocol, and Al says they have it too. He says, maybe beer lady is having the same conversation. Al can be there when the helicopter lands; meet her, and run away. Al says, if she goes AWOL, Ginny will kill her, and Dwight says, not if Ginny thinks she’s dead. They’ll find a walker who looks like her, a fairly recent one, and he’ll tell Ginny that she bought it. She says she can’t put that on him, and he says, he walked halfway across the country because his wife left a note. If Shari was out there, and Al didn’t push him, he’d kick her ass. She says she’d like to see him try. He says, let’s go find beer lady, and they get in the car.

Dwight sees a zombie on the ground, gurgling, and smashes its head with his boot. He says they’re at drop sight Baker, and checks the zombie’s wallet. He says, Alaska, and shows Al. He thinks it’s a sign. They go inside the building, and The End Is The Beginning is spray painted on the wall. Al says, the world goes to sh*t, and everybody is a philosopher. They investigate, opening a door, and a trio of zombies toddles out. They run through a door that has catwalks and stairs, and see a cage with a rat in it. A zombie drops down from another flight of stairs, and they see a bunch on a landing above that’s blocked with furniture. Dwight says, it’s not going to hold, and they make a run for it, shutting the next door quickly behind them. They turn around to see two live people holding a gun on them. A woman (Nora) asks what they’re doing in the building, and Al says they’re trying to get to the roof. Nora says, if they think whoever is landing on the roof is going to save them, think again. The man says the last guy who went up there got a bullet for his trouble. Nora asks why Al is recording, and tells Al, the guy was a friend of hers. They put Al and Dwight in an office and lock the door.

Dwight tells Al that he doesn’t know them. Does she think it’s beer lady who shot Alaska? She says he has no way of knowing, and Dwight asks how she knows she’s not going to get shot. She says she doesn’t, and Nora and the man come back. Nora asks if that’s what Al does, goes around recording, and Dwight says they hope to stop it from happening for the people still there. Nora tells Al to turn it on. They need her help.

Nora takes them to what looks like a makeshift camp in an office. She says, it’s everyone who’s left. She tends to a sick guy, slumped at his desk. Al takes Dwight to the side, and says, it’s the Bubonic plague. (Like a zombie plague isn’t enough.) She saw it in Algeria. Dwight says they’ll get them some antibiotics, but Al says she can’t do this. They head for the stairs, and Nora asks where they’re going. Dwight follows Al out the door, and asks if she’s going to let them die. Al breaks out a fire ax, and he says, she’s still going? She says he’s the one who convinced her to go, and he says that was before he knew she might get shot. She asks what the alternative is. Keep doing what they’re doing, and call it living? They made a game out of seeing where dead people came from. The last time she felt alive was with her. Even if means taking a risk just for a moment, she’d still choose that over this. He ask how much time they have, and she says, an hour. He tells her that she’d better get going.

Al comes up against a locked door, and says they have to find another way up. Dwight kills a zombie, checks the wallet, and says, Tennessee. Maybe Al is right, and they shouldn’t be doing this. She says it’s a game she played with her brother, using license plates and no dead people. He asks what she’s going to say to beer lady, and Al says, why is beer lady pointing a gun at her? Dwight says, when and if she puts it down, what will Al say? Al asks what he’d say to Shari, and he says he’s made peace with the fact it’s not going happen. She asks, what about Ginny? She said she knew someone who broke bread with Shari. He says, bullsh*t. He thought he heard her, but it was when he was dehydrated and thought he was going to die. They go into an office, and Al knocks on a door. They hear zombie noises on the other side, and go down the hallway to another room. Al knocks on a wall, then punches a hole in it, since it’s nothing but a sheet of plaster. She looks inside, where there’s a maze of pipes. They get in, and climb up the pipes to the next level. They start to crawl, and see loads of rats. Dwight says, they could be infected, and Al says, yeah, but they have to keep moving. Mind you, these are cute pet rats, which is always how they look in film and TV. They never look like subway rats. They bust through another wall.

They see tons of zombies, blocked in by furniture. Dwight says, the plague? And Al says, they died of it; let’s go. They run into a bathroom, and I think, why? You’re not going to find much in the way of weapons, and there’s usually no alternate way out. In this case, I’m wrong. There is another door, and Al asks what’s on Dwight’s neck. He looks at a wound in the mirror, and she says, he’s infected.

Zombies scrabble at the door, and she says she told him not to come. He says he was trying to help her, and got sick. He wants to make it right. He tells her, stay away. He doesn’t want her to get sick, but she says, it doesn’t spread that way, person to person. He asks how long it takes, and she says, two days, usually. He says, maybe there was a rat in his sleeping bag, and she says, maybe. He was trying to do a good thing for her. He says, it’s not over. He’s going to get her up to the roof. He went through so much crazy sh*t, trying to find Shari. It’s the least he can do. She says they need to get him some cipro, fast. They hear something at the door, then gunshots. The door is kicked in, and it’s Nora with dead zombies behind her. She says they’re lucky she didn’t shoot them. Nora tells Al, call her boss;  they need antibodies. Dwight says Nora was right. She won’t do anything, but he’s got a truck full of gas, and can go to a pharmacy. Nora says, Al has been exposed too, but Al says she can take care of herself.   

Nora looks at the crowd of zombies behind the furniture, and says, it was a holiday party. They have to get to the other side of the door. Al asks if Nora worked there. Nora says she did, and Al says, she knew them. Nora says they made it to the fifth floor when they started to get sick, and couldn’t go any further. Dwight says, let them out, and he’ll kill them. They’ll take it nice and slow. Al asks how many bullets Nora has, and Nora says, three. As the zombies come out, Nora stabs one in the head. Al bashes another with a piece of office equipment, and Nora whacks one with the bottom of an office chair. She lingers over it, and looks like she might cry. Al says they need to go, and Nora shakes her head. She says, don’t record. No one should remember them like this. It’s hard to remember what they looked like before. Al takes the chair bottom out of Nora’s hand. Al asks what Nora’s friend’s name is; the one who went to the roof? Nora says, Mark; why? and Al takes out his license, giving it to her. Nora cries, and thanks Al. Nora takes her knife, and heads for the door.    

Nora says, roof access is two flights up. Dwight says Al better get going, and she tells him to hit every pharmacy he can find. He says he will, and Al tells Nora to make sure Dwight is okay. Nora says she will, and Al says Nora still thinks she’s an a-hole, but Nora shakes her head. She says she sold timeshares to people trying to escape their boring lives, while she was too chicken to go to exotic locales. Al is braver than her, or maybe just stupid. They laugh, and Dwight says, if he saw Shari, he thinks he’d just hold her as tight as he could. He hopes Al gets to do that with beer lady. He doesn’t think she’ll shoot Al. Al tries to give him the recorder, but he says he left something on there for her. She goes out to the roof.

The landing pad is empty, and Al looks around. She sits on a cement block, takes out the camera, and looks at the video. Dwight comes on screen, and says she’s taking a leak or something, so he only has a minute, Wherever they end up, wherever they’re going to, crack one open for him. Don’t forget the present. He loves her. She puts the camera away, and sets off a flare. She radios ground 17, and says, reverse course. Isabelle’s voice says, who’s on this channel? and Al says, someone who wants to help her. She says, with what? and Al says, this place is filled with dead, infected with the plague. It’s not safe to land here. Isabelle asks if Al is infected, and Al says she doesn’t know. Maybe. Isabelle says, thanks for warning her, and Al should stay off this channel. Al copies that, and she says, there’s some beer in the supply crate. She hopes it’s not Al’s last. Al thanks her, and watches as the helicopter turns around. Al says, wait. She just wants to say it’s good to hear her voice… because there aren’t many people left. Isabelle copies, and radios her partner, saying, drop sight Baker is burned. Drop sight downtown. Al stands alone on the roof. She opens the supply crate, and takes out the beer. Underneath is a box of cipro. She radios Dwight, who asks why they’re talking. She tells him, stay where you are. She’s coming down to him.

The cipro is passed out to the people still alive. Dwight asks Al, what happened up there? and she says she guesses she didn’t want this to happen again. They hug, and she tells him get himself some cipro. She asks if Nora has been there since the beginning, and Nora says, yeah. She looks at a travel poster of an island, and Al says, it’s not like that anymore. Not that it ever really was. Nora asks what it’s like where Al is from, and Al says she doesn’t want to go there. They’ll find her someplace better. Nora nods, and goes back to the others.

Al and Dwight stand near the rat cage, and Al wonders if the spread from the rats was an accident. Dwight says someone like Ginny could have made the people sick. Al says, if she had to guess, she’d say whoever spray painted  the message in the lobby, and points out an empty can of paint. Dwight says he’d better check in, or Ginny will start asking questions. A woman’s voice comes over the radio, saying, I saw a flare. Is someone in trouble? Dwight grabs the radio from Al, and says, honey, is that you? Shari says, Dwight?

He runs outside, and Shari is in at the end of the alleyway. He runs to her, and stops. She cries, and they kiss. Al and Nora come out. Al smiles.  

Next time, John tells Ginny that they’re making them safe, Ginny tells Dakota to get inside, a funeral, and Victor says if they go down this path, there’s no going back.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

As the group walked, Iris explained that the research place wasn’t where their dad stayed. Hope thought it was all shady as sh*t, and Elton said  they should feel lucky that the Republic hadn’t taken over the world, but Felix and Hope agreed they didn’t really know that. A storm was approaching, and they found a school hidden behind some overgrowth, and went inside. While she was looking at a yearbook, Iris imagined how things were before the pandemic apocalypse, when the kids were all lively, and roaming the halls. Felix suggested combing the place, and they split into twos: Silas and Iris, Felix and Elton, and Huck and Hope.  

This week, we saw some of Hope’s backstory when she flashed back on talking to her father. She told him she’d waited for him at the principal’s office, but he never showed. He said he was working between classes, and forgot. Then thought if she stayed there all afternoon, she’d think twice about setting off a stink bomb. Then, he forgot again. She said at least he’d done good with Iris, and he said the agency had told them that Hope and Iris shared a crib; they were inseparable. They’d bonded before he and their mother met them. He told Hope that he knew they would protect each other, even if their parents couldn’t protect them. He said she was exceptional. and wished could see herself the way he saw her.

Hope wondered about her dad putting himself in danger for people he didn’t know, but he insisted they were good people. She said if they were, they would tell him where he was going. He told her that his brain said any chance he gets to train people is the only way the world would survive. She told him the world he was trying to save was over. That’s what her brain was telling her. He said, if it was the end, it would be easy, but it wasn’t. They still had a shot, and he was going to take it. She promised not to be a screw up anymore, but he said that wasn’t why he was going. He told her that she wasn’t a screw up; she was just frustrated, and they’d talk when he got back – and he would be back. He said he wasn’t supposed to communicate, but had figured something out. He could be bad too. He told Hope that he loved her.

Huck and Iris noticed that Fall Out Shelter signs in the hallways were either pulled down or hanging off. Felix and Elton saw a streak of blood on the floor, and Elton wondered if it was an empty. Felix said, maybe, but maybe not. He radioed Iris and Silas, but got crickets. Felix and Elton followed the blood. They noticed a couple of zombies banging from the inside of lockers. I thought, geez. Even in the apocalypse, poor nerds get locked in lockers. Elton flashed back to being inside a locker himself, and Felix asked why he had the shakes. Elton made the excuse that he was claustrophobic, and Felix said he thought none of them were ready for this. He didn’t even know if he was ready. He told Elton that his tattoo was to remind him of everything and everyone he had lost. He lost his parents and friend, and the person who taught him how to pick a lock. He couldn’t lose anyone else. He said he needed Elton’s help to convince the others to turn around, and asked him to think about it.

In the gymnasium, Silas told Iris how he was made fun of, and said it wasn’t like that anymore. She asked him to play something for her on his portable CD player, and she was surprised at his choice. It was some kind of classical piece, and Silas said it was his grandma’s favorite. He told Iris that his grandmother took him to ballroom dance lessons at the senior center when he was four, and Iris asked him to show her, but he said he didn’t remember. She made him get up anyway, and they danced, imagining the gym filled with people at a dance. He made his grandmother sound so ancient, I did some quick calculations, and figured his grandma was probably between 40 and 50 when he was four. And probably listening to hip-hop.

Huck and Hope (sounds like a P.I. show) came across a wolf that wasn’t too friendly. They holed up in one of the classrooms, the wolf guarded the door across the hall like it was his/her job. They decided to just go, and the wolf let them pass. I was relieved Huck didn’t have to shoot it. Huck thought it was protecting its young, and that there was a whole other thing going on they didn’t know about. Hope thought maybe she had her dad’s sh*t all wrong, and maybe he was trying to protect her, but she didn’t know from what. They found a pantry, where Huck killed a zombie.

While one zombie clamored at the door, one of the grates inside the gym started to shake. Silas and Iris teased it in, and then ran past it, locking the door. Felix and Elton met Silas and Iris in the basement, and Felix said something was roaming the hallways that he didn’t think was friendly. He told Silas and Iris to stay put.

Zombies had Iris and Silas trapped in the basement, and then broke into the room. The two realized avoidance wasn’t possible, and they’d have to fight. Hope and Huck heard what was going on through the wall (there are a lot of flimsy walls in the apocalypse). Silas said, they always keep coming, and speared one through the head. He flashed back to whoever it was we presume he killed, and briefly to being choked himself. He then proceeded to punch the ever-loving sh*t out of a zombie, which isn’t the usual way, but whatever works. The others ran in, and Elton ran to pull Silas off the twice-dead zombie, but Silas threw him off. Felix yelled, and Silas snapped out of it, looking at his bloody hands, and saying, sorry.

Iris thought she and Hope should have told each other about what happened the night the sky fell. They would have been there for each other. Elton was worried about Silas, and asked Felix how they could turn around. Felix said their best chance was in Mississippi, but he’d need Elton’s help. It’s how they could keep everyone alive.

Iris cleaned Silas up, and he said he was upset about hurting Elton. Iris said it was an accident. He said he knew she’d heard what was said about him, and asked if she thought he killed his dad. Avoiding giving an answer, she said it didn’t matter. Maybe she could have done it herself, and maybe he should have let her, but he saved them twice now. That’s what mattered.

The group reconvened, and Elton took a group photo. Iris wondered, since when did he take pictures of people, and he said, since now, and told them to smile.

Next time, Elton tells Felix, he didn’t say he was in, but Felix says, he didn’t say he wasn’t; the group comes across a collapsed bridge, and gets trapped by zombies.

🎃 It’s Free Streaming, Charlie Brown…

How to watch the Great Pumpkin, between October 30th and November 1st.

The Charlie Brown Halloween Special Will Stream for Free—Here’s How to Watch

🧟‍♀️ Dead Walking…

I’m a zombie myself after this weekend, so I’ll see you on the virtual Deck tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay appreciating the little things, and stay away from diseased vermin. Of all types.