What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
General Hospital
Monte Carlo, Monaco. Dante is on the phone with Rocco. He’s glad Rocco is having fun with Grandma Olivia. He misses Rocco and loves him. There’s a knock at the door, and he ends the call. It’s Sam, and he tells her that he was just saying good morning to Rocco. She says she just did the same thing with Danny and Scout, and he says Sam didn’t tell Scout what she’s doing, did she? She says, did she tell Scout that she was looking for her father? No. She’s not saying anything until she sees Drew with her own two eyes. Which according to Anna, could be very soon.
Robert and Anna go to the bar where Anna was with Valentin. She says hello to the bartender, and Robert asks if she knows him. She says he served them last night. She has every WSB agent looking for Drew, but wishes Chloe’s account had been more helpful. Like maybe more landmarks or details. Robert says, she did tell them Drew helped her escape, and got himself beaten black and blue, and Anna says, beaten, not killed. If Peter had wanted that to happen, Drew would have been dead years ago. He says, all they have to do is find out where Drew is being held, and she says she’s going upstairs to check on Valentin. He says, good luck with that. He’s probably up there, passed out, waiting to resurface with a hangover as big as Australia.
Nope. He’s at Victor’s place. He finds a deck of cards, and plays solitaire. Bored with that, he flips all the cards into the air. Victor comes in, and he says, hello, uncle. Good of him to visit. Victor says, sorry; he was delayed. Valentin says he thought Peter had taken care of Victor once and for all. He did say Peter was out to kill them both.
Austin sees Maxie coming out of the hospital elevator, and asks if she’s there for medical reasons, or to ask him to accompany her to another wedding ceremony. She says, neither. She’s getting Bobbie some flowers from the gift shop. He asks if it’s Bobbie’s birthday, but Maxie says, it’s her daughter BJ’s birthday. He says, she’s buying flowers for Bobbie to celebrate her daughter’s birthday? and Maxie says, she’s BJ’s cousin. Her Uncle Tony is BJ’s dad. When she was really little, she was sick, and needed a heart transplant, or else she would die. Then one horrible day, BJ’s school van was hit by a drunk driver. BJ was left brain dead, and Tony and Bobbie decided to give her BJ’s heart. That’s why she’s alive today.
Brook sits with Chase at the café, and asks if he’s grabbing breakfast before work. He says, better here than at his desk, the only place he’ll be working for the foreseeable future. She says, poor baby, and he says she can feel sorry for him being stuck on desk duty while he’s recuperating, but she says maybe his superiors are onto something. Taking it slow never hurt anyone. He says, someday, he’s going to love reminding her that she said that. Why is she here anyway? He’s seen the breakfast spread at the Quartermaines. This doesn’t come close. She says he had to get out of the house early, and get distracted, and he asks what has her so worked up? She says, something happened yesterday that’s got her bothered. He says, bothered as in alarmed, or bothered as in annoyed? She says, bothered as in bothered. She needs to say something to someone about it before she loses it. Chase says maybe he can talk her off the ledge; it wouldn’t be the first time. Hopefully, it doesn’t end with him arresting her. That would be progress. Who has her blood boiling this time? She says, that wannabe Quartermaine – Austin Gatlin-Holt.
Austin says, wow. Maxie had Kawasaki Syndrome so bad, she needed a heart transplant? She says, yeah, and he says he’s sure she told the story a million times. He thinks it’s cool that she’s celebrating her cousin’s life by bringing her mother flowers. She says, she and Bobbie have a really special relationship because of that. He says, she’s been through a lot. Are those guards still following her? She says, yes and no. She doesn’t have a guard like Yuri, but PCPD officers are waiting outside. He says, as long as she’s safe, that’s all that matters, and she says, as long as Peter is lurking around, they’re going to be her shadow. He says, it’s good she’s taking steps to protect herself, and she says it looks like she’s not the only one who could use protection. He needs some from Brook.
Valentin says he’s had time to think, and he thinks Victor is manipulating him. He doesn’t think Victor is in any danger at all from Peter. He thinks Victor wants his cooperation for some reason, and he’s using Peter as the most expedient way to go about it. Victor says he’d never do that to Valentin. After all, he’s the only Cassadine who gave Valentin the time of day when he was a little boy. Valentin says, was he? His memories of the island are a little vague. He was six when he left that godforsaken place. Victor says, perhaps Valentin doesn’t remember Victor being kind to him, but he was, and he still feels warmly toward him. Valentin says, is that why Victor upgraded his accommodations from third world hellhole prison cell, to a slightly more opulent prison cell? Because he cares? Victor says he’s keeping Valentin locked up for his own safety. He can’t say he blames Valentin. Valentin says, Victor is trying to protect him? Then tell him something. There’s someone Peter hates even more than him; someone he’s definitely going to target. What is Victor doing to protect Anna Devane?
Anna comes back to find Robert seated at the bar, and Robert says he was right, wasn’t he? Valentin is up there in bed, stinking of booze, smelling like licorice. He picks up his glass and says, this is bad stuff. She says, no. Valentin wasn’t in his room; he hasn’t been there all night. She asks if the bartender remembers the man she was with last night. Did he see him this morning? The bartender says when his wife went to clean the room this morning, she said the guest was already gone. Anna tells Robert, something’s not right. Before they left the US, the both made sure they had international coverage. He would have texted her if he’d gone anywhere. Robert says, maybe Valentin isn’t the man she thinks he is, and when the tough got going, he bailed on the search for Peter, and her. She says, he didn’t bail. If he’d gone anywhere, he would have left a message. He says, be serious. He’s out here searching for Maxie’s baby, and in the meantime, she’s her squandering what’s left of her good judgment. Not on Peter. This time, it’s on Valentin.
Dante says, so Sam got news from Anna, and she says, Anna left her a voicemail. She found the real Chloe Jennings. He says, so Peter didn’t kill her then, and Sam says, no. She showed up at a US Consulate in Crete. She was imprisoned, and managed to escape. Then she was in a car accident, but here’s the real kicker. She didn’t plan the escape without help. There was another prisoner with her, but by the time the guards caught up with them, the other prisoner sacrificed himself so she could escape. He says he thinks he knows where this is headed, and she says, of course (🍷) the other prisoner was Drew. It had to be. Who else would sacrifice themself to save someone else? He says, so off to Crete? and she says she contacted the concierge and they’re making travel plans. They’re just waiting on some details. He says, good. Maybe they have time to talk. She says, about what? and he says, about what she told him last night about where she stands regarding Drew.
Sam tells Dante, she went into a deep dive last night, regarding her relationship – or lack thereof – with Drew. She wants to be really clear with him about finding Drew. It’s all about Scout, not her. Dante says he believed her when she told him last night. It helped him out too, because he’s been doing a lot of thinking about this… the two of them, in terms of what it means in regard to them being together. He tells her not to throw another drink in his face, and she says, that was for show. He says he thinks she liked it a little bit too, and she says, maybe. He wants to be clear with her. I like you, Samantha. He doesn’t want to be work buddies, or just teaming up to find Drew. He’s just going to say it, and he says he wants to see where it goes.
Austin asks if Maxie is talking about the scene Brook caused yesterday, and she says, it was kind of hard not to notice. Brook was yelling at him for a variety of things – the lawsuit and ELQ, Ned and the Quartermaines in general, and there was something about Leo that she couldn’t quite figure out. He says, she’s not wrong; there’s a lot going on. Here’s what he can tell her. When he wins his case in court, the Quartermaines will have no choice but to accept him as part of the family. She says, legally maybe, but she doesn’t know if they will personally. If he wins, he gets a piece of the ELQ pie, right? He says, maybe, but that’s not what this is about. It’s about his dad; he’s honoring his father. It was really important to his father to be recognized by the Quartermaines. If he ruffles a few Q feathers, it might be awkward with Brook, since she’s Maxie’s best friend. Maxie says, Brook isn’t her best friend. She wouldn’t even consider them friends, period.
Chase says Brook doesn’t have to sell him on the fact she has a problem with Austin. He witnessed it first hand when Austin convinced him to go through Edward’s papers to find the paper on ELQ. She says she doesn’t blame Chase for that. He’d just found out about Willow and Michael. His heart was broken. Austin knew that, and took advantage. He wanted to get what he wanted and it worked. He’s trying to do the same things with her dad. He says, how so? and she says he’s trying to distract her father; take his attention away from ELQ. She sacrificed so much to get those shares. She did it all for her dad, and for the sake of the rest of the family, and Austin is trying to ruin all of her hard work. He asks how Austin is doing that, and she says, in the worst possible way – using a child.
Victor says Valentin has no reason to worry about Anna. She’s replaced him with another sidekick. Valentin asks, who? and Victor says, her ex-husband Robert Scorpio. Valentin says, Peter is going to target them both. He needs to be there to help Anna. Victor admires Valentin’s passion for Anna’s safety, especially considered their checkered past during in their spy days. If she brings happiness into his life, good for him. Valentin says, if anything happens to Anna while he’s locked up there, he’s holding Victor personally responsible. Victor says, if anything happens to Anna, Peter will be guilty, not him.
Anna says Robert is throwing Peter in her face, after she admitted she was wrong, and he forgave her. Don’t equate her mistake with Peter with her friendship with Valentin. He says he didn’t mean to bring up the whole Peter mess again, but he doesn’t trust Valentin, and with good reason. He’s going to hurt Anna. How far has it gone between them? Anna remembers kissing on the terrace, and Robert says, bloody hell. She is soft on him. Anna says, stop. Enough digs about Valentin. Their job is to put Peter in jail, and get Maxie’s baby back. Stop getting them off track. He says, actually, he thinks it’s her feelings about Valentin that are holding her back from doing her job. The musician Anna spoke to comes in, and she says, excuse me. Does he remember her from last night? He says he does, and she asks if he gave her friend the message when she left. He says, yes. He definitely gave Valentin the message.
Valentin asks what turned Victor against Peter? It wasn’t the downing of Drew’s plane; he was involved in that. He knows all about Victor’s work at Creighton-Clark, and that he’s been keeping Drew prisoner on Helena’s behest. Victor says, Valentin doesn’t have to remind him about all the things he’s done wrong. Right now, he’s doing his best to atone for a lifetime of mistakes. It seems to Valentin that Victor is making even more mistakes, and Victor says, he underestimated Peter. He has no more use for Valentin, Anna, or Drew Cain. The only thing keeping Peter from killing all three of them is Victor pretending to help him. His hands are tied. That’s why he came to Valentin for help. He’s desperate. He’s begging Valentin. Please.
Brook says Austin presented a far-fetched idea to her dad that Leo could be on the spectrum, and Chase asks if she means autism. She says, yes, and the guy only treated Leo for a cut on his finger. She knows it’s just a smokescreen, and Austin is trying to distract her father from ELQ. And it’s working. Worse yet, he’s fighting with Olivia again. Chase says, Olivia doesn’t agree with Austin? and Brook says, of course (🍷) not. The guy has barely even examined him, which is why Olivia is so pissed at her dad for even entertaining Austin’s advice. Chase says he’s not a fan of Austin’s, but when he was living at their house, Leo was kind of shy around him. She says, so what does that mean? Leo’s a great kid. So he gets hyper focused sometimes and is generally hyper. What does that prove? So sometimes Leo doesn’t talk when you talk to him, but when she doesn’t feel like talking, she does that too. He says, there are days she actually doesn’t feel like talking? and she says she means it. Austin is the bad guy in this situation. He’s taking advantage of her father’s love for his stepson, and it’s destroying his marriage to Olivia. And Austin is just going to ride off in to the sunset with her great-grandfather’s legacy. He asks if she really thinks Austin would purposefully misdiagnose a little boy, and she says Austin took advantage of Chase when he could barely walk and his marriage was falling apart. He says, true, and he’ll always be suspicious of him for that. What is he suggesting? Some crazy medication? She says, no. He wants her dad and Olivia to take Leo to see a specialist. He says, that’s all? and she says, that’s enough. It’s causing infighting and chaos, when they should be sticking together against Austin. He says, if this was Bailey, her own daughter, wouldn’t she want Bailey to see a specialist? Just to be safe?
Austin says he’s confused about Maxie and Brook not being friends. He sees them together all the time – at the Quartermaines, the MetroCourt, here at the hospital, usually with Bailey. They work together, right? She says they do. They work at Deception, which makes them work associates. Then they were thrown into the same Lamaze class. She can see how it would look like they’re friends, but they’re not best friends, and Maxie doesn’t really consider Brook a friend. He says, it’s no skin off his nose, but does she want to share why they’re not friends? She says, because she’s a troublemaker. She tried to seduce Dante when he was involved with her real best friend Lulu. Brook set it up so Lulu would walk in on them in a compromising situation. He asks, how compromising? and Maxie says, she really hurt Lulu. Austin probably doesn’t know about her, but Lulu is in a coma in a treatment facility. He says he’s sorry to hear that, and asks if Brook succeeded in breaking up Dante and Lulu, but she says, no. Nothing could break up Dante and Lulu… except maybe a bomb.
Sam says, Dante wants to see where things go between them? and he says he does. He hopes she feels that way too. It too them a while to get to the point where they decided to explore if there was anything more, and rightly so. She divorced Jason, and him and Lulu… He thinks they’re at that point now. She says she is, and thinks he is too. He says he thinks it’s about time he asked her out on a real date. That’s what they call it right? and she says, exactly. He says she didn’t answer his question, and she says, which is? He says, a real date. Is she interested ?
Anna asks if Valentin left on his own or if someone was forcing him, and the musician says, he left on his own. Not long after she left. She says, that’s impossible. When she put him in his room, he was out cold. There’s no way he left on his own. The musician says she doesn’t have to believe him; he’s only telling her what he saw. Maybe her friend wasn’t as drunk as she thought, or maybe he sobered up quickly. All he knows is when he went outside to load up his car, her friend was on the corner, waiting. A sportscar pulled up, he got in, and took off. That’s all he knows. Robert says he told her. She cannot trust Valentin. She grabs the musician, and slams him face down onto a table. She says, tell her what happened to her friend. You’re lying. Robert pulls up the guy’s sleeve, and Anna says, a Cassadine tattoo. Does he work for them?
Sam says, Dante is making this really awkward like they’re in junior high. She doesn’t know how to make this more clear, but she’s interested in him; very interested. He says, that’s good. It’s been a while since he asked a woman out on a date. He wants to take it slowly, and she asks if it’s because of Lulu, but he says, no. Before he left, he was adamant about Lulu not waiting for him. And she didn’t. She found love with Dustin, and before the Floating Rib explosion, he proposed to her, so that was over. It took him a while to accept it. He’s praying for her recovery, and will always care for her. They had Rocco together, but that’s where that ends. She says, okay. It all makes sense to her, but if that’s true, why does he want to take things slowly between them?
Maxie tells Austin, when The Floating Rib was bombed, Dante and Lulu were broken up, but that’s only because Dante left town. He says, if they were the perfect couple, why did Dante leave town without her? She says, because Dante had PTSD, and wasn’t sure if he was capable of hurting someone. So he told her to move on, and that’s when Lulu fell in love with this really great teacher named Dustin. But when Dante came back to town, Lulu confided in her that she was still in love with Dante. Then the bomb went off at The Floating Rib, and now Lulu is in a coma. She was never sure what to do with that secret. He says, all right… So circling back to Brook Lynn. She tried her best to break up Dante and Lulu, and didn’t succeed, and Maxie still hasn’t forgiven her. She says, right, and he says, and how long has it been? She says, ten, eleven years, and he says, that seems like an awfully long time to hold a grudge. Particularly since life seems to be throwing them together a lot. From an outsider’s point-of-view, Brook’s always generous with Maxie, allowing her to spend time with Bailey because she knows Maxie is missing Louise. She says, his point being? and he says, maybe it’s time to reassess things? Right before she kindly asked him to accompany her to Jason and Carly’s wedding, it seemed like she and Brook were enjoying a really lovely moment. Maxie flashes back to Brook saying she’s trying to do better, and Maxie saying, it’s hard to change old patterns of behavior, but she appreciates Brook trying. Maxie says, oh my God. Are she and Brook friends, and not just casual friends, but good friends? Have they really come that far?
Brook tells Chase, if she had the tiniest inkling that anything was wrong with Bailey, she would have her checked out immediately. It’s her duty to keep Bailey safe and healthy. He says, even if Austin suggested it? Or would she assume he was lying to her? She says, they’re not remotely the same. Bailey is a teeny tiny baby; Leo is already in school. He can speak up for himself. And Austin is talking about Leo’s mind and behaviors. Seeing a specialist could mess with Leo’s head, and Austin made it up out of thin air. He asks if she’s sure about that. He’s heard her go on and on about how much she loves Bailey, and how much Bailey has changed her. Maybe part of that change is taking a more objective look at Austin’s concern for Leo. He’s not saying she should scare him by saying he needs to see a specialist; make it seem normal. Just because Austin took advantage of him, doesn’t mean Austin is all bad. Talk to him. She says, she did that, yesterday. Yeah, she did most of the talking, and by talking, she means yelling. He asks if she threw anything at him, and she says, she should have. She showed restraint. He says, then use that restraint, and engage him in a conversation… calmly. She says, it’s not like Austin can talk to her about Leo’s case anyway, all those medical privacy laws. He says, still, she can see where Austin’s coming from, and it could be good for Leo. Maybe it will help broker peace between her dad and Olivia.
Maxie says Austin opened her eyes, and made some good points. Austin thanks her, and says he once heard Brook says Maxie was the bravest person she knows. Maxie flashes back to Brook saying that as she was leaving with baby Louise. She sits down abruptly. He asks if she’s okay, and she says, yeah. She was just thinking about Peter; he still worries her. Austin says, for good reason. For what it’s worth (🍷), he shares Brook’s assessment. He thinks she’s very brave. She asks when he heard Brook say that about her, and he says he’s not sure of the where or when. It’s a very specific memory, so that’s a little weird. He doesn’t know why it’s in his head. She says, Brook isn’t known for giving her compliments. Maybe he dreamt it. He says, maybe. Concerning his waking dream, where he’s accepted by the Quartermaines and get ELQ shares, how is she going to manage that? She says she has nothing to do with ELQ, but he says, they’ve just established that she and Brook are friends, and he and Brook don’t get along. Is that going to affect how she sees him? She says, she can disagree with Brook’s opinion of him and still be friends with him. He says, so they’re friends; that’s cool. She tells him, she’ll say this, when she saw him with Leo, she didn’t see someone trying to take advantage. She saw a caring doctor. He thanks her, and Chase and Brook come in. Austin tells Maxie maybe some other people will come around to her line of thinking. Austin asks if he should take cover, but Brook says, no. She wants to talk to him calmly and alone. He says, okay, and they leave. Maxie asks if Chase knows what’s going on with that, and he says he tried talking Brook out of her hostility toward Austin. Hopefully it worked.
Brook tells Austin that she just want to apologize for jumping on him yesterday about Leo. She should never have assumed he was working an angle, trying to weasel his way into their family, but he has to understand something. She and Leo might not be blood related, but she loves that kid. If he needs help, she wants him to get it. It’s important to her. Way more important than ELQ, that’s for sure. Her dad mentioned Austin thought Leo might be on the autism spectrum. He tells her, he never said that, and she tells him, whatever he said, they’re obviously concerned. So what does he think is going on with Leo?
Dante says he doesn’t want Sam to think he’s getting into something with her because he’s trying to get over his feelings for Lulu. She’ll always have a place in his heart, but that’s it. He wants what they have to be about only them, and Sam says, that’s good. She feels the same way. He says, that’s good. He’s taking it slowly. She says she doesn’t taking things slow, as long as they’re moving forward. They kiss.
Victor says he’s sorry for the extreme measures he had to take, but hopes Valentin comes to trust him one day. Valentin asks why he should, and Victor says Valentin has every reason not to, but there is one good reason he hopes Valentin will put his faith in him. Valentin says there’s no connection between them. They share a last name, but there’s no blood between them. He was the product of a random affair. He’d believed Helena hated him because the affair was with Mikkos, but he was wrong. He’s not even an authentic Cassadine. Victor says Valentin is so wrong, and Valentin says, maybe Victor was kind to him as a child, but why should he trust Victor now? Victor says, it’s right in front of Valentin’s face, and Valentin says, what is? Victor says, he’s the man who had an affair with Helena. Valentin is his son.
The musician says, they’re not police. He doesn’t have to answer their questions, but Robert says, actually he does. They saw the tattoo. Is he a member of the Cassadines? The musician says he’s not family, and Anna asks if he works for them. Does he gather information for them? Was he spying on her and Valentin; is that what he did? He spiked Valentin’s drink, didn’t he? Then took him somewhere when she went to the Consulate. What happened? Robert says, tell them the truth, and just maybe they’ll let him walk out of there. Anna sees something, and tosses the guy aside, telling Robert, move. They duck behind the bar just as a gunman starts shooting at them. There’s a mini shootout, and Anna ends up hitting the gunman in the shoulder. He runs.
Austin tells Brook, Firstly, he’s not Leo’s doctor, and secondly, he can’t diagnose the kid; he’s not a pediatric neurologist. She asks why he thinks Leo needs a specialist, and he shrugs. She says, this issue has been really divisive for her dad and Olivia. Maybe if he tells her a little more, gives her some information, tell her some of Leo’s symptoms, she could talk to Olivia and get everybody on the same page. Does he really think Leo could be autistic? He says, yes. He thinks Leo could be on the spectrum.
Maxie tells Chase, Brook is going to do what she thinks is best; that’s just the way she is. That’s a good thing in Maxie’s book. He says, Brook has her fair share of detractors. It’s nice to see Maxie being supportive. She says she wasn’t not always a big fan, but Austin made her realize something changed. If anyone had told her this five years ago, she woudn’t have believed it, but somehow, some way, she and Brook became close friends. Even if Austin did say something kind of troubling. Chase says, like what? and she says, never mind; it’s nothing. He asks if she’s sure, and she says, it’s just one thing she was holding against Brook, that she tried to seduce Dante when he was with Lulu. He says, that doesn’t sound like the Brook he knows. How did it play out? She says, it didn’t. Lulu and Dante are a love for the ages.
Sam and Dante finally break apart, and he says, that was pretty damn good. She tells him, she’d say so, and he says, that’s a good thing, right? She says, yeah, and Dante suggests they finish what they started… find… They both say, Scout’s dad. She says, and then they can make this about them, because she thinks it’s a good idea. He says he does too, and she thanks him. He says, my pleasure, partner, and leaves.
Valentin says, Victor is his long lost father, is he? He’s supposed to believe that? Victor says Valentin knows as well as he does, the Cassadines aren’t known for their kindness and caring. If he helped Valentin whenever he could, it had to have been for a good reason. Valentin says, Victor helped him? Sorry he missed that. Victor says, Valentin doesn’t think a man with the name Cassadine can just walk into the WSB. Does Valentin really think he got that job on his own? He’s done whatever he could to support Valentin over the years, but sometimes he hasn’t succeeded. Valentin says, if Victor wants to form an alliance with him, that’s fine, but don’t insult his intelligence with sentimental drivel. Victor hopes one day they can continue this discussion and try to find a way forward, but right now, the most pressing matter is stopping Peter.
Robert asks if Anna minds telling him what just happened, and she says, Peter must have set them up. He says, nice to know someone else wants to kill them.
Outside, the wounded gunman removes his mask. It’s Drew.
Tomorrow, Esme says she needs Cameron desperately, Britt says she’s no one’s second, Spencer has a deal for someone, and Sonny says something is a pleasant surprise.
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles
JoshF and husband Bobby discussed the houses Bobby had looked at in Palm Springs. Bobby said he saw one last house, and it was next to a hospital. Josh said that was almost as bad as being next to a school, then decided it was actually worse. In Josh’s interview, he said things had been tense between them when they’d looked at a house together. He thought Bobby needed some space. Bobby said he thought Josh was right about the house. It was overpriced, and Bobby was emotional. It wasn’t the best time to make a big decision.
David and James met the owner of a house in Bel Air, explaining that the further up the hill you went, the less desirable the properties were. Upper Bel Air was for people who wanted the cache of the zip code, but not as much expense. They met with seller Eyal who was also a developer they’d worked with in the past, selling new construction. Linda Flora (the house, not a human) was boxy, very boxy, and 6550 square feet, with 5 bedrooms and 6 baths. There was a 55’ salt water (why? I always wonder) infinity pool, a 1300 square foot roof deck, and panoramic views. It also had an entertainer’s kitchen. One day, I will look up these terms, but I swear they’re making this stuff up as they go along. Apparently, Eyal’s wife – who’s name I did not catch, so we’ll call her EW – came along with the listing, because Eyal wanted her to co-list with them. She’d had it on the market for two months, but at $10 million price tag. It was agreed a price adjustment was needed, as well as staging; it needed to be remarketed and rebranded. David and James managed to talk them down to 7.995, saying, they would lose buyers if it was anything higher, and waste time with it sitting on the market. David and/or James said he’d be blown away if it didn’t sell quickly. In one their interviews, James and/or David said they were giving away their experience for half the commission.
JoshA met with Randi, a seller with three daughters, and co-owner of a successful tech company. In Josh’s interview, he said he couldn’t divulge the details of his clients, but they were wealthier than you. It was an extra-large house, 10,500 square feet on a 21,623 square foot lot, with 9 bedrooms and 10 baths. Not to mention a two-story, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, guesthouse. It was another entertainer’s kitchen, but they had Wolf appliances, and I know what those are. I also know I can’t afford them. They had an infinity pool that also fed a 12’ waterfall. As usual the owner wanted more than the broker thought it was worth, but Josh got her to agree to the high 8s, his potential commission being $218K. The daughters weren’t too keen on moving though.
Tracy was dealing with Mapleton, her sister’s house. She was doing private showings of the 11,500 square foot, 9 bed, 9 bath, house, and in Tracy’s interview, she said it was a lot of pressure. She wanted to impress her sister, especially since her sister hadn’t hired her 13 years ago when she bought the place. Tracy was now one of the biggest agents in L.A., but it didn’t matter. She was still sweating it out. She was feeling good about the showings, but didn’t want to get comfortable, since she was on a tight leash.
JoshF was working on selling Suzanne Somers’s place. I just couldn’t imagine leaving this amazing piece of property that needed a funicular to get to. And a farmhouse kitchen. Josh had a showing for 12 brokers and buyers, the maximum he could have at that time because of covid. In his interview, Josh said he knew some of them were there because of who Suzanne was, but he wanted them to leave thinking about how unique the land was, with its four villas, waterfall, and carousel. Suzanne preferred not to sell to a developer, and hopefully there would be multiple offers, but if it was all you got, you should take it. This house is like living in your own national park. I’m really hoping they find someone who takes and keeps it as is.
JoshA had a hard time showing Randi’s house, since her daughters had been giving her a hard time about moving. While the sellers aren’t normally at showings, Randi said the girls had tests to study for, or some nonsense. In Josh’s interview, he said, buyers wanted to imagine themselves in the house, not the people who live there now. Josh kept running into signs that said things like, infested, beware of ghosts, and mold! One also dropped a book from the balcony, scaring the bejesus out of everyone there. In his interview, Josh said the girls were seriously ruining the showings. Some buyers might laugh it off, but at $9 million, it tends not to be funny. One buyer jetted after seeing the infested sign. Afterward, Josh told Randi that the girls were sabotaging the showings, and she swore it wouldn’t happen again. In his interview, he said he couldn’t yell at him, since they weren’t his kids, but Randi was also a huge client. It could cost him half a million. He hoped this wasn’t what his daughter was going to be like.
James or David said in his interview that it was a pita having EW co-listing. She was an agent with too much emotion in the deal. We saw clips of her kibbitzing the people doing the staging. The owner being there for the showings wasn’t the preferred way to list. They were going to have to divide and conquer. They agreed that three agents would be overwhelming, so they’d separate. EW didn’t let anyone get a word in edgewise, and James, or maybe it was David, said she couldn’t take any criticism. When someone didn’t like something, she was too emotional, and it turned off potential buyers. One agent said she didn’t think it was her client’s style, and EW said, then perhaps it wasn’t for her client, and she should do more research. Yeah, not a good look.
Tracy went to see her mom, and in her interview, she said, they were very close, and her mom was her go-to when she was having a bad day. Her mom wouldn’t try to fix it, but just hear her. After telling her mom that she got laid all the time when mom asked how her boyfriend was, Tracy said she was excited about selling her sister’s place, but it was a lot of pressure. Ben, an agent she’d shown the property to, called while she was there, and said his clients were interested in grabbing the house before it went to market. They didn’t want to get into a bidding war. He was prepared with $26 million, but Tracy said she knew that would be a no. Ben asked what the bottom line price was, and Tracy said she would. But not before she wailed to her mother about the scenario in her head where she didn’t sell the house, was fired, and her sibling relationship ruined forever. She told her mom there was a lot at stake, and her mom suggested she let the hurt go. She was fabulous at what she did; she always had been, and always would be. In Tracy’s interview, she said she needed to get out of her own way. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to follow through. She wanted to prove to her sister that she was right to hire her this time. She called her sister, and asked if she was still agreeable to $27 million. We saw a clip of them discussing it, and Tracy wondered, why run the risk when they could end up with lower offers when it went to market? Her sister was good with it, and Tracy called Ben back. It seemed they had a deal, with Tracy looking at a $675K commission. Her mom enjoyed watching Tracy in action, and in her interview, Tracy said she’d come full circle. Whether it was a CEO or her sister, she could handle it. It was a big deal, and they were both still alive.
It was time for JoshF and Bobby to go back home, but Josh promised Suzanne he’d be on top of the listing. He asked Suzanne to do an impression of Chrissy Snow (Three’s Company) which she graciously did, although it’s not as cute when you’re not a kid anymore. She did, however, impress me with her closet, and told Josh that the nude Manolo Blahnik was called the Suzanne. Everyone had fun with her wardrobe, Josh putting a Carmen Miranda style fruit basket on his head. Feeling inspired, he then took a bubble bath in the outside tub. In his interview, he said there was nothing like this in Palm Springs, and he wanted to find the broker or client who understood this kind of property. As the others gathered around him, he said he couldn’t tell potential buyers that the bathtub experience was phenomenal if he hadn’t tried it. It didn’t get any better than this.
Next time, Fredrik commandeers a double-decker bus, and hangs up traffic; JoshA continues to have problems with Randi’s girls at showings; and David and James want out if an offer isn’t taken.
💋 Kiss Today Goodbye…
The days might be shorter, but this one was pretty long. See you tomorrow for an entrée of soap, with sides of tea and quotes. Until then, stay safe, stay walking your talk, and stay knowing it might be time to reassess things if you’ve been holding a grudge for over ten years.
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 